Ciate Lashlights - aka Colored Mascara that ACTUALLY shows up on Asian lashes!!

I love colored mascara, but they have always disappointed me because my lashes are black, and the color never shows up. Beautiful in the tube, and nothing special on my lashes. There once was a Elizabeth Arden blue mascara that showed up in the sun, that was special...until now!

Ciate is a nailpolish brand, not sure why they made mascara, but I'm sure glad they did! 

The applicator is a comb, rather than a brush. You comb this through your lashes AFTER putting your regular black mascara on (maybe this was what I was supposed to do with all those other colored mascaras that didn't work? Ah but they never instructed me to do that...)

I don't need to say anymore...this photo somehow looks photoshopped to me, like I drew green lines on my lashes. Except I don't know how to use photoshop so this mascara is just plain awesome...

Oh, and it doesn't smudge, and removes well with the bi-phasic stuff. 

 Do you have a favorite colored mascara that actually shows up on dark lashes? If you didn't before you do now :)

Burberry Kisses: Sepia No. 85 - swatch and review

Wow I've been terrible with blogging recently...I'm not tired or bored of the blog, nor do I have writer's block, but have just been really busy with keeping up with family and work. I had also been on a "beauty no-buy" period for a few months that has now been broken thanks to Sephora's annual 20% off sale (I can't resist a sale...). Before any haul posts that start up, I really want to first share this lovely lippie I've been using day-to-day. 

It's my first Burberry Kisses (or any Burberry lippie)! It's actually a mini size as well, that I was given by the salesguy at Nordstrom in Ottawa. I was there with a friend and helped her pick out a gift for her aunt, and then he gave BOTH of us one of these mini lippies and a deluxe size Fresh Glow (Sephora should learn something from them...this is how you treat customers! Not with #epicfails...and yet I still got sucked in by the sale, sigh me...).

There's really no other way to describe it than the perfect my-lips-but-better shade.

Here it is on the left swatched next to MJ's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, something which I think many of you are familiar with.

Bare lips with lip balm

It's super close to the natural shade of my lips as you can see, but adds just enough hint of color and because the pigmentation is moderate, it evens out my lips nicely. 

I don't really look like I have lipstick on (unless you come close, because there is of course some lipstick texture as expected of a non-sheer lippie), but I find it helps pull my look together, whether it's just a day I've only used some concealer, or I got a heavier eye thing going on. 

The texture is super smooth, and dries down semi-matte. It sets so nicely it doesn't actually "feel" like I have something on my lips. It's of course not moisturizing like my favorite tinted lip balms, but it's not drying either and it doesn't make my lips peel, so yay!

I'm starting to really love this brand (and looking forward to Nordstrom opening up in Toronto soon and giving The Bay/Sephora/Holts some serious competition in the beauty department!)

Have you tried Burberry Kisses line of lipsticks? What's your favorite shade?

What to do with leftover Face Mask fluid...

Daiso has awesome things... if you love face masks like I do, you probably dislike all the wasted fluid in the pouch afterwards! I had previously been using the left over fluid on my body, but this nifty pack lets you do another mask!

 

It comes with a tray with a well to put the leftover fluid in, and 10 dry packed masks. 

 

I keep the mask fluid fresh with a food clip :)

 

Instructions say you need about 5 mL of mask fluid, which I find is just about all that's left in the bag. 

 

It really expands!

 

Sorry this is a terrible photo, but you get the idea, it's a mask. I do find it doesn't stick as well to my face as the original, since the mask is not made out of the same material. 

Another idea is you can make your own mask fluid to use with these! Perhaps some combo of oils and water and glycerin... 

What will Daiso have next...I can't wait to go back and visit again!

Sept 2015: Empties + Declutteries

Wow this is incredibly late post...so late that it felt like I could have just waited until end of this month...but the OCD part of me still wants one of these posts per month so here we go :)

Bioderma Sensibio - I don't think I need to say more, pretty good stuff that I will repurchase

YSL babydoll mascara - this was a very very good mascara, volume and length without clumpiness, yay! Won't purchase for now though as I still have hoards of mascara samples to go through...

Clinique eye makeup remover - it's good, not as good as my Lancome fave, so won't be purchasing full size

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer - I really like this formula for application, but it oxidizes to no end, and though the shade is too light going on, it's way too dark in an hour. Definitely won't purchase full size.

Face Shop Seaweed Moisture Mask - I was very impressed by this, it's a light gel-like formula, that sits on top the skin. It really helped with my dry patches!

Jack black lip balm - it's good, but not exciting. This is a declutter as it's expired, not nearly emptied enough.

I've been trying a lot of new products recently from my own stash (I sadly bought a bunch of things over the past year and never got around to even opening them), and though I've been taking photos, I've been feeling lazy to write the posts to go with them...hope I will get out of this funk soon as I really do enjoy writing.

Hello Chanel...: Les Beiges Hydrating Lip Balm + Long-lasting Eyeliner 916 Perle de Lune swatches and review

I finally cracked... all the reading of bloggers that love Chanel have led me to make a couple of purchases as my first foray into this line. I tried not to expect too much, but I did, and I was thoroughly impressed with one, and half let down by the other. 

The first purchase was a tinted lip balm. Of course I started with that, it's my favorite type of lippie! First all, the packaging did not disappoint...it looks like it'd feel like the cheap black plastic that some other high-end lippies come in, but nope, it's not. It's hefty and weighty and feels luxurious to hold. The design is also simple and elegant. I love it!

Unfortunately it went downhill from here...

with direct flash - Chanel lip balm on the left, next to YSL candy balm in Tangerine on the right

Let's talk about the formula first. The formula really wasn't bad. It's not one of those heavy sticky/thick balms, it's rather light and weightless. It does moisturize my lips, however not greatly so. 

bounced flash

Ok onto where I became disappointed...the shade...on my arm it actually doesn't show up much at all, so I thought, well worst come to worst it's like a non-tinted lip balm...I wish that were actually the case, as actually this shade does layer up on my lips, and layers up to a very sickly shade on me. I feel like this shade will suit middle-aged pale caucasian ladies perhaps, but not me...It's so disturbing I didn't want to take a lip swatch photo. I am actually really sad about this, as the packaging I adore, the formula is definitely good enough, but oh why couldn't they come out with a more red/berry shade :( 

Alright, now onto happier things. The Perle de Lune waterproof stylo... I have been wearing this non-stop and it is such a cool and interesting shade! It also smudges only minimally on my lower lid by the end of night, which happens with the best of my eyeliners so I'm fine with that. It's a soft formula that doesn't tug on my lids and sets fairly quickly.

It's a twist up style and comes with a sharpener too, though I've not had to use it as I find it wears down fine enough, as with this shade I don't feel the need to draw a super thin line. 

I guess I would describe this shade as a pearly warm taupey-silver, with complex shimmer. It's super brightening and natural at the same time when used alone. You can also use this above your black eyeliner to amp up the look and add some some extra oomph to your liner. 

This has been my go-to eye look recently. It defines my eyes, yet doesn't scream "hello I'm wearing eyeliner!" Love love love it!

 

Overall, I'm impressed by Chanel. I've never seen an eyeliner quite like this, and am so glad to have this in my collection. As for the lip balm, I'm impressed by the packaging, enough that I will go seek out another lippie, probably in the actual lipstick line so I can get a shade that suits me.  

Chanel fans, please let me know your recommendations for lippie shades or what other Chanel product I should try out next? Thanks in advance!

Eyelash Glue explosion...

I've been a long faithful user of Duo, but recently I got enticed by Velour's eyelash glue, which come in these twist ups that remind me of lip glosses. What a mistake...

 So the first use was fine...except the tip was hard to wipe off clean after...

This is the glob that needs to be wiped off, which I did eventually with a makeup wipe. Regular tissue didn't work because the fibres stuck on to the silicone tip. I wiped off very cleanly, with nothing visible left behind...

Next time I try to use it though, I twist and twist...and twist and twist... and nothing is coming out...how odd...then suddenly...

No, that is not mold on my ceiling...that is black eyelash glue...on my CEILING! The thing was just building pressure under whatever bit of glue dried up in the tip, and EXPLODED onto my ceiling, and across my entire bathroom vanity! Luckily it was not terribly difficult to wipe up once the glue dries, but it was everywhere...

Lessons:
1) do not keep twisting up if nothing is coming out...
2) always wipe up eyelash glue AFTER it dries
3) Duo is still the best... (unless you're allergic to latex, then I recommend the MUFE glue in the tiny bottle that comes with their lashes, too bad that doesn't sell individually...)

Have you had any makeup-related explosions? What was your worst? Describe me all the clean up details too...:) I needed to dig up a tall step ladder from deep within the labyrinth of my garage to get to my ceiling.

August 2015: Empties + Decluterries

I realized that more and more of my empties posts contain products that I was just chucking out, which kind of clouds the point of empties (the point being to have a final say on a product that has been completely used up, which by then says more about it than my initial "omg I LOVE this!"). So I'm now going to do these posts in 2 sections. Click the jump if you're interested in my garbage from August! (ok that sounds terrible...but hopefully you are still interested...)

Burberry Effortless Eyebrow Definer - Ash Brown No. 03 Review and Swatches

I've not stopped loving my YSL Ash, but it is fun to try out new brow products! This is one of the first products from Burberry I've tried, and after a few months now of using this side by side with the Shu Uemura eyebrow pencil in Stone Gray, I love it! Is it possible that I simultaneously love the YSL, Shu, and this?! Yup... I can't decide which is my favorite anymore...

Burberry unfortunately doesn't make a grey-toned shade like YSL and Shu, but from reading reviews online I gathered this "Ash Brown" would work for me. 

The packaging is metal and weighty, feels good to hold and use!

It's also my first time trying a sword-type shape eyebrow product. It was odd at first and took some getting used to, but now I like how it allows me to draw hair-like strokes, and use the very sharp part to create a neat tail. 

Obligatory spoolie, making this travel friendly.

Next to YSL, you can see the shade is actually very similar (and very similar to the Shu but for some reason I didn't think to swatch all 3). Only difference is YSL has the fine shimmer (no other brow product I've tried has it, and it's only visible with flash, not in person, oh I guess YSL still wins in this regard...)

Sorry I had trouble matching the white balance, but hope it shows that the shade is quite natural looking, though it is a bit brown of course and not entirely gray. It doesn't look unnatural though like some browns can on me. 

 Overall, I'm happy with this product! Really nothing wrong with it, you can go light, or can draw heavier strokes and make yourself a heavier brow if you prefer. 

This was a great intro for me to the world of Burberry cosmetics, and I will be looking forward to picking up more products from them!

What's your favorite brow product recently? Do you always stick to one thing or change it up?

Empties: July 2015

Wow I'm very late this month for empties. I've been having a "blah" makeup month, unmotivated to try things or blog about them. I've only been wearing bases, and even skipping highlighter/blush on some days because I feel so blah. Must be some kind of cosmetic depression after my massive hauls fews months back (I will get to those products...), does this ever happen to you? Anyhow, I did manage to finish a bunch of deluxe samples (and tossing out some) so thought this would kick my beauty brain back into gear. 

 

Coconut water shampoo and conditioner, it worked well, but I wasn't wowed.

 Shiseido Benefiance day and night lotions. The day one has SPF18. Now this was good stuff. Made my skin look nice and smooth. I wish the SPF was a bit higher though. Don't be fooled by these little sample bottles these lasted me more than a month of daily use!

 Ojon rare blend. This works well to smooth out and shine out my hair, but I have to be careful to put only a VERY small amount. If I go over board even a little I will look like a slicky oily mess.
L'Occitane almond shower, this is the second deluxe sample bottle, it's good stuff.

 Reversa micellar water. This was no competition for Bioderma. It was basically working as a toner, does not remove makeup well at all.
Skindinavian finishing spray. I have multiple bottles of multiple formulations of this, it works very well to set my makeup all day, even in hot humid Toronto.

 3lab "perfect lips", how about perfectly useless. I've never been so disappointed in such a high end (or just highly priced) product before. This made my lips peel in the winter and in the summer was just barely tolerable. Why I continued for 2 years...only cuz it was so expensive. I've not finished this, but it's as good as gone to me. Good bye and will never repurchase (this has turned me off to 3lab and their too-high-priced skincare in general).

Shu uemura lip gloss. Now this was just a deluxe sample, but it was BAD. It smelled heavily like chemicals. Can someone who uses Shu regularly tell me if this is true of all their lipglosses or did I just get a bad one? It didn't even look that good, just like an ol' pink lipgloss. Disappointed for sure.

Estee Lauder makeup remover lotion. This was a bit of an odd product, consistency of a moisturizer, smear it on and wipe off with the makeup. It does work, but I think I prefer cleansing oils over this.

Clinique gentle liquid soap. This does what it says, it's gentle and foams and washes your face. Again, nothing to write home about and I keep getting samples so probably will never purchase full size.

My tone has been very negative eh this whole post...perhaps I need to go stash shopping and find something that excites me again :)

Cle de Peau Quad 302 - Review & Swatches

You know when good friends bring you something like this all the way from Asia, that said friends really get you (at least in terms of my makeup interests...). cle de peau is one of those luxe brands that I've not gone near myself for fear I'd love it and my wallet would in turn hate it.

This quad is actually almost a year old now, but it's taken me this long to review because I have only been using it on special occasions. 

As with any other luxe brands, it comes with a soft velvety pouch to protect the compact. 

The compact itself is simple and minimalistic, with the tiny logo in the corner (I like this kind of style, no need for a big loud logo for me). 

The cover is raised and looks like a big jewel (in an elegant way, not at all gawdy).

cle de peau sells the actual eyeshadow apart from the compact. To save money, you could just buy the shadow and use it out of the plastic packaging (oh but that would defeat the purpose of such a product as this...and of all these photos of the compact I just showed you!). The compact also comes with the standard sponge-tip and mini-brush applicators. I typically use my own brushes so can't comment on how useful these are (I imagine I might use them if I took this palette travelling, as I hate to travel with full size brushes).

Ok now onto the actual shadows...

They pop easily into the compact, and also pop out easily enough if you want to change up the palette or if you run out and want to replace (has anyone actually used up a whole eye shadow palette? I've never...)

with bounced flash

 Here are the shadows swatched in the same order as the palette. These shades are of sheer-moderate pigmentation (it took a few swipes to build up to this intensity in the swatches). They're of satin-shimmery nature, and how shimmery they look depend on the lighting. The shimmer is very fine though and there is nearly zero-fallout.

in sunlight

These blend like a dream on the eyes, with simple brush strokes they nearly blend themselves. Oh and there is no creasing without a primer! My lids aren't as oily as they used to be though so this may not be the case for you. Below is a look I used on one occasion:

I'm liking things more sheer and subtle these days, so I went from light to 

dark starting from my inner corner and blended everything out.Although these shadows can build up, I prefer them sheer.

Combo-ed with a pair of half-falsies and thin eyeliner, it came out to a very natural and brightening eye-look. 

 This is by far now my favorite eyeshadow palette now for a natural look that isn't flat and really helps to make my eyes pop without a huge pop of color. 

If you prefer very pigmented shadows though, you may not like this as the amount of building up needed may annoy you, but if you like sheer washes of color that blend like a dream, with a luxe package to boot, you should give this a try! Just be aware this isn't wallet friendly...

What do you think of cle de peau? Any other products from them I should try? (other than their infamous concealer...)