E.L.F. Studio HD Blush

Have you ever wondered why women are obsessed with rosy cheeks? What has made that flushed look so appealing to us? Rosy cheeks are actually a cue to youth and fertility- a cue that men use to find an attractive mate. If a woman has rosy cheeks, she is probably fertile, and young enough to be child-bearing. (Sorry I just had to put this in, I'm a social psychologist writing a blog about blush and rosy cheeks!)

This is why we apply blush to our cheekbones. It makes us look younger, awake, and healthy. There was actually one point in my duration of makeup collecting when I was OBSESSED with blushes. I wanted to find the perfect coral/pink shade that was long lasting, easy to apply, and made me look like I was alive and not half-dead from the lack of sleep the night before. While shopping on my favourite bargain makeup website (eyeslipsface.com), I stumbled across this. And quite honestly, I may never go back to traditional blushes again.

Introducing: the only blush you'll ever need.

Today, we're going to look at a product that has quickly become one of my FAVOURITES from the E.L.F. Studio Line. E.L.F.'s HD (High-Definition) Studio Blush is a new addition to their makeup line, I think it was released in early 2013. I've had these babies sitting in my makeup drawer for quite some time now, the only reason I hadn't touched it was because I realized one day that I had accumulated 5 different, full-sized blushes, and hadn't even touched the pan in the blush that I was using at the time (E.L.F. Studio Blush in Candid Coral). Once I could see the pan and manage to make a sizable hole in the product, I gave it to my mom and immediately opened these up, as I had literally been dying to try them since I first ordered them online.

The E.L.F. HD Blush is thinner than a cream and almost has the consistency of a foundation. Because it is SUPER pigmented, a little bit goes a long way. You can apply this like a cream blush and blend it in with your fingertips, or you can use a small stippling brush. I personally, use E.L.F.'s Studio Small Stipple Brush.

This is a synthetic, duo-fibred brush that picks up minimal product, but can blend to an airbrush finish. It has the diameter of about 1.5cm or 3/4", which makes it perfect for getting into small delicate areas like the contours of the face and high end of the cheeckbone. This brush is perfect for applying and blending cream blushes, highliters, concealer, foundation in those hard to reach areas (Though I would most definitely recomend using a separate brush for each of those functions haha). At only $3 USD (available at eyeslipsface.com), having 3-4 of these brushes for different products is no issue at all.


I really love this product's packaging.  It comes in a small, 0.34oz. (10mL) bottle, which really isn't very much volume-wise, but you certainly get bang for your buck- considering that you can probably get more than 60 applications with one bottle. The pump is easy to use and super easy to control- which is crucial because you literally only need a quarter of a pea-sized amount for both of your cheeks (and maybe even a friend's), anymore than that and I promise you, you will look like a clown. That is how pigmented it is. It also lasts a VERY long time, I came home one day after 12 hours of wear and I still had blush on my cheeks! :)


I find that the easiest way to apply this is to squeeze a tiny bit onto the back of my hand, swirling it into a small circle, dipping my stippling brush into the circle and applying the product to my face, blending in small stippling motions.



The blush comes in 5 colours, Superstar (a peachy pink with a slight gold sparkle), Headliner (a mauve-based pink), Diva (hot pink), Encore (a purple-pink) and Showstopper (deep purple). I own Headliner and Superstar. The slight, gold sparkle is actually really nice, it adds a lovely blow to the tip of your cheek bones.

Superstar (peachy pink) and Headliner (mauve-pink).

Me wearing Headliner (Left) and Superstar (right). 

E.L.F.'s HD blush is a less expensive alternative to the most-sought after HD Blush by Make Up For Ever ($31 CAD, available at Sephora). E.L.F.'s blush costs $3USD, and has a little bit more product in the tube. E.L.F.'s comes in only 5 colours and MUFE's is available 14 shades, but regardless of your skin tone, I'm sure that at least one of the 5 shades E.L.F. offers will suit you. (I don't own MUFE's version, but if I ever get a hold of it, I'll certainly do a comparison.)

I love this blush so much, it's probably going to become a staple in my everyday makeup arsenal. Not only is it super pigmented and incredibly long lasting, it's only THREE BUCKS- and that's cheaper than my favourite coffee at Starbucks! Other long lasting blushes will easily put you at least $30 in the hole. You could buy 5 of these blushes and pay the E.L.F. shipping rate and it'd still be cheaper than one high end blush!

That's all from me folks! If you own the E.L.F. HD Blush, I'd love to hear your experiences with it. Or if you own MUFE's version, let me know how you're liking that one! Don't forget to subscribe and comment below!

xox,
ysobel

Clarins 3-Dot Liner vs. E.L.F. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen

Aloha!

Apologies for this unannounced hiatus from the blog scene- the past month has been full of birthdays, family vacations (my family going on vacations, not me sadly) and loads of business. I am preparing a few entires for release in the next few weeks so stay posted!

Today we're going to be looking at (one of) my favourite liquid liners and its budget-friendly sister. Clarins 3-Dot Liner and E.L.F. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen are the cosmetic's world answer to the trouble of tightlining - the process of lining only the eyelash line to create the appearance of thicker lashes. The purpose of the triple tip is to apply pigment in between the lashes on the lash line, as opposed to dragging your super sharp pencil as close to the lash's edge as possible.

The Clarins 3-Dot Liner is a limited edition eyeliner that was recently released with its Fall 2012 collection, that retails at $27 CAD (I purchased this at The Bay). The ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen is a recent addition to their Essentials collection, and retails at $3 CAD/USD, available on eyeslipsface.com.

The Clarins tip is longer with the tips more spaced apart compared to its ELF sister. Clarins' tip is also much more flexible, which makes gliding it along the lash line a more comfortable experience (I.E.: When you would use it as a liquid liner to create a bolder solid line). Being further spaced apart, I find the Clarins liner easier to use; I'm not petrified of poking my eyes out or accidentally punching myself in the face trying to apply eyeliner. The flexible tip also makes applying a solid liquid liner line on the bottom lashes very easy, it's actually a bit painful using the firmer tip of the E.L.F. liner. On MUA, a lot of reviewers agree that using the E.L.F. pen to create a solid liquid line is really uncomfortable.

Here the two pens are going head-to-head in the pigmentation and lining division. The Clarins liner is much more pigmented than the ELF counterpart, and creates cleaner, more uniform dots. The solid line is much more smooth and even in colour. I actually had to drag the ELF liner across the skin of my hand. One thing I've also noticed (that you can't really tell in this picture) is that the ELF formula is a bit runny and has the tendency to bleed on the skin and get really messy if you aren't careful. The Clarins formula seems thicker, almost like a gel-like consistency. I wouldn't say that the ELF formula is water proof, but it is certainly water resistant, as is the Clarins formula.

Looking at Before (sans eyeliner) and After photos, you can see the effect of tightlining on the eye- it does make the lash line appear thicker.  Comparing ELF and Clarins liners, there is very little difference between either eye (my apologies for the blurry after photo, I'm still trying to figure out how to use this new camera I got for my birthday!)

 The triple tip really gets into the skin between each lash, which is totally awesome.

Here's the finished product- ELF on the left (your left) and Clarins on the right, along with 1 coat of Lancome lash primer and Elizabeth Arden's Ceramide mascara.

The verdict: The Clarins liner is a superior product in its packaging, tip form, pigmentation and formula. When we look at the end result however, there really is very little difference in the finished product- both make tightlining a breeze and achieve the look of a fuller lash line. The Clarins eyeliner does carry a hefty price tag- you could actually purchase 9 E.L.F. eyeliner pens for the same price! Considering that eye cosmetics should be tossed after 3-6 months, the E.L.F. eyeliner is certainly a much better value, and when applied carefully, achieves the exact same look at its Clarins counterpart. If you really can't stand the firmer tip of the E.L.F. pen and have the extra dough to spend, then treat yourself to the Clarins pen, it is certainly a very luxurious eyeliner!

TooFaced released a 3-Way Liner similar to these that I've yet to try, I haven't seen it in any Sephoras in Canada. Once this Clarins liner runs out, perhaps I'll make a trip to the States and pick one up :)

That's all from me folks! Keep checking back for more updates and reviews!

What's your favourite way to tightline your lashes, with a pencil or with a liquid liner? Have you used a triple-tipped eyeliner before? I'd love to hear from you! Don't forget to subscribe and comment below!

xox,
ysobel

ESTEE LAUDER/MAC WAREHOUSE SALE

Hey y'all!

So this past weekend was the Estee Lauder/MAC Warehouse sale in Markham, ON. It's a sale that happens a few times a year, where they sell cosmetics at crazy reduced prices. Some of the brands featured this year were Estee Lauder, Mac, Origins, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Coach, Smashbox, DKNY.

My Mom was able to score tickets for the Saturday and Sunday sales, and I just wanted to share my experience with you!

The line up on Saturday morning, taken from the front of the line.

We got there at around 9:30 AM and waited in line for about 45 mins before getting in. That line wraps all the way around the building on the outside too. Crazy! Lucky there were no insane people in line. Everything went really smoothly, I was pleasantly surprised!

Eye shadow table

I actually thought the warehouse was going to be as crazy as an anthill, but surprisingly it was not! Here's a photo of one of the tables holding eye shadows. Most of the setup was like this- a table full of testers that were strategically taped up, and an area to claim what you wanted. Each tester was numbered and a pad of paper and pencils were supplied on each table. You write down the numbers you wanted, and go to a designated area where your selection is bagged for you.

Here are a few more photos of some of the things they were selling. A lot of them we at crazy prices!

Here's my haul for the two days I went:

Saturday Morning Haul

From L-R: Clinique A Season's Worth of Pretty palette (containing 5 lip colours, 5 eye shadow colours and 3 cheek colours), Clinique Bold Eyes to Go set (Full size bottom lash mascara, eye shadow duo, travel eyeliner and travel High Impact Mascara + makeup bag), Smashbox Try It Kit containing Travel sizes of the Photo Finish Foundation primer, Photo finish eyelid primer, limitless eyeliner, full exposure mascara and lip enhancing gloss), Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme mascara, Clinique Repairwear Eye cream, Clinique moisture surge extended thirst relief cream, Clinique Chubby Stick in Whole Lotta Honey and Mac Lip Glass in Entice.

Sunday Afternoon Haul

From L-R: Ojon Conditioner, Ojon Leave-In treatment, Michael Kors for Estee Lauder kit (Full size lipstick, travel lip gloss, sumptuous extreme, eye liner, nail polish and full size blush bronzer duo in a coordinated MK makeup bag), Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief, and a Clinique Shaving set for Ronnie boy.

Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow

After checking out, you're asked to surrender your ticket. In return, we received a full-size Mac Pro Longwear Eyeshadow in Always Sunny. Also, if you donate $5 to breast cancer research, you receive another gift! Two full-size Mac Mineralize Eyeshadows and a Mattene Lipstick. Here eyeshadows are pictured in Pretty & Prim (pink and burgundy) and Heaven & Earth (Teal and black) and the lipstick is in Nocturnal Instincts.

So that was my awesome EL/MAC haul! You can look forward to future reviews on the products I bought (Probably while I'm sick in bed recovering from my wisdom teeth removal). Until then, let me know about your favourite EL and MAC products and your experiences at past cosmetic warehouse sales. Comment below!

xox,
Ysobel

Make-Up Repair Tutorial

Good morning all!

Here is the long awaited broken makeup tutorial! Here's a reminder of what happened last week....

So I dropped my entire makeup bag on the ground and my bronzer basically died. Fear not! Here is a simple tutorial on how to go about fixing your broken makeup while keeping the colours as separate as possible!

(A) Gather your materials. You'll need:
Your broken makeup, rubbing alcohol, a skewer, an eye shadow brush and a medicine dropper (not pictured here but seen in later shots). Also grab a piece of paper and a small flat object (Similar to a USB-wall adapter).
(B) Here's a photo of the broken compact once again.
(C) Fill your dropper with rubbing alcohol. Targetting the top right section (The broken one that's still the most intact), drop the alcohol on the cracks and gently push the pieces together using your skewer. Continue to shape the section until it returns to its original shape (or as close as you can).
(D) With your first section entirely intact, continue to crush the next segment into smaller, more manageable segments with your skewer, until it reaches a consistency close to the one above.
(E) Using your medicine dropper, add a few drops of alcohol and mix with the pigment until it forms a paste. Try not to add too much alcohol, you don't want it to be too liquidy because it'll be difficult to work with.
(F) Using an eye shadow brush, gently sweep any loose pigment into your big pile of pigment goop. Proceed to spread the goop with your skewer. Try to get right to the edge of the pan.
You can also place a few drops of alcohol wherever the makeup has separated from the pan. Use your skewer to push these pieces back into place. Allow to dry for 1 HR.
(G) Using a piece of paper and a small, flat object, flatten the makeup to create an even surface. Place a piece of paper on top and gently maneuver it under an object with a flat side. I picked the adapter because it was small enough to fit my pan and had the curved corners to match the edges of the pan. For some reason I picked a receipt I had on the table from a coffee I bought earlier that day... Don't worry! None of the ink transfered!
(H) Allow your pressed makeup to dry for a full 24-48 hours until you use it again.

VOILA! Your makeup has been restored. When doing this, keep a few things in mind:

(i) Don't douse your makeup in alcohol. If you put too much alcohol on it, your makeup will have cracks in it as the alcohol evaporates. If you accidentally added too much alcohol, gently press your makeup further into the pan using the paper/adapter method every 4 hours or so.
(ii) If you didn't use alcohol on the entire thing (like me), the "water mark" (from the alcohol between a wet and dry segment) may not completely disappear when the makeup dries. Not to worry, it won't affect the pigmentation of your makeup.
(iii) If you're really in a pinch and you don't have rubbing alcohol, try a toner! My friend actually did this with one of her bronzers that broke because she didn't have rubbing alcohol on hand and it worked!

I'm so happy because my favourite bronzer's back in my makeup bag and I don't have to keep using another gross ashy coloured one anymore haha.

Have you tried this method before? I'd love to hear your makeup rescue stories!

xox,
ysobel

Fixing Broken Makeup - Tutorial Teaser!

Good afternoon y'all!

I woke up several hours earlier than usual this morning because I had a dental consultation at 7:30 (ugh). I don't even wake up at 7:30AM normally. I found out that I have to get all four of my wisdom teeth removed (BOO) because they're overcrowding my mouth like crazy. On my way home, I dropped my makeup bag on the concrete in front of my house.

Have you ever dropped your makeup bag/some other palette on a hard surface before? Every time it happens to me, or every time I see it happen, I gasp and my heart literally skips a beat. Nothing sucks mroe than opening up your makeup bag only to find your precious pressed makeup crumbled, smothered all over everything else in your bag that (hopefully) didn't break.

To my surprise, the majority of my makeup survived the fall. The only exception was my E.L.F. Studio Bronzer in Warm (As featured in my very first post, here).

The only casualty from this morning's dreadful makeup bag drop.

I'm lucky it didn't spread everywhere and that the rest of my make up remained in tact. This is however my current go-to bronzer. Despite the fact that it's only $3 and I could replace it in a jiffy (well a little longer than that because I still have to order it off of ELF's website and wait for it to ship to Canada), I wanted to save it. I hate seeing makeup go to waste because it's broken. Pressed makeup- eye shadows, pressed powders, blushes, etc. are actually relatively easy to fix; so easy that you likely have the products sitting in your own house right now.

My bronzer is currently in repair. One it has returned to it's usable state I'll finish this post and show you how to fix your broken makeup without having to destroy and crumble the entire thing (Which would be detrimental in this case because this bronzer is segmented into four lovely separate colours). I actually managed to save the two that were broken and press everything else back into position. It's a little lumpy looking... hopefully I'll be able to rectify that before I post it up here.

Stay tuned! I'll be posting a great tutorial for all of you in the next 48 hours, complete with step by step instructions on how to repair your shattered but prized pieces in your makeup collection.

xox,
Ysobel

Crazy Good URBAN DECAY deal!

So I have this coupon for the shopping network and I was browsing the site trying to find something to use it on. Then I found this. It's a crazy good deal and I couldn't help but share!!

Urban Decay Midnight Cowgirl Makeup Bag Set

I am a HUGE bargain shopper and will buy things in sets to get the best value (that's why I love buying during department store GWP time because I get all those free goodies!).

So this is going for $39.00CAD plus $6.96 shipping. It ships from my hometown so I don't have to worry about it taking ages to get here. It includes...

24/7 Glide on Pencil in Zero (0.04oz, 1.2g) - FULL SIZE worth $23 CAD
Big Fatty Mascara (15mL, 0.51oz) - FULL SIZE worth $24CAD
Eyeshadow Primer Potion (25mL, 0.85oz) - PROFESSIONAL SIZE worth $34CAD
Cosmetic pouch

So that's $90+ worth of product for $39.00CAD plus taxes, shipping and handling. NOT A BAD DEAL!

Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick in Pink Toffee vs. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Pink Toffee

Good morning everyone!

Today's topic is inspired by one of my recent lipstick purchases. I owned a tube of Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Pink Toffee, and it was honestly my most favourite thing ever. And it gave me a MLBB (My lips but better) kind of look. Unfortunately the product removed from the lipstick shaft one day and left me a with a giant mess of yuckiness. In a desperate search for the next best thing, I went around my local department store, swatching every single brownish pink lipstick I could find, and I came across this- Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick in Pink Toffee. Here are the comparisons.

Clinique on the left, Revlon on the right. I actually had to clean out the case of my Revlon lipstick before taking this because it was that gross.

 Both lipsticks come in your standard twist-controlled tube with a metallic shaft. I'm a fan of Clinique's packaging; the tube has some heavy weight, the twisting mechanism is very smooth, and it's bamboo shaped (I love bamboo anything). The Revlon packaging is a little lighter in weight, not as well constructed but still decent.

In terms of product, Revlon's is a little harder with a firm consistency, great for keeping smudges under control. Clinque's is softer, and though it feels soft enough that the lipstick will totally bend out of the tube on you, it actually doesn't, which is awesome (because that's exactly what happened to my Revlon lip butter).

Swatching Clinique's Pink Toffee vs. Revlon's Pink Truffle

 In terms of colour, Clinique's is much more rich in colour and has a nice sheen to it. It has great colour payoff and lasts a good 3-4 hours without reapplying. Revlon's is a little more sheer and with a cooler tinge with a similar sheen, but I find I have to reapply it every 2 hours or so. Pink Toffee seems to be more orange than it's Revlon counterpart.

Clinique and Revlon on the same pair of lips

Side by side on my lips, the two colours are almost undistinguishable (is that even a word? the spell check on this is flaring up on me). Here the colour pay off of Pink Toffee is very obvious, you can really see its melon undertones against the cooler tones of Pink Truffle.

The Verdict? I would say that these are suitable dupes of each other, not 100% identical but nearly there. Clinique's version will set you back $19CAD, Revlon I've seen anywhere from $7-10$CAD depending on where you buy it. If you must choose one to have in your lipstick collection, I'd reccommend Clinique's Pink Toffee. You won't have to reapply as often and it will definitely last almost twice as long as Revlon's lip butter. When comparing price and hours of wear, it makes Clinique's Butter Shine worth about the same as the Revlon counterpart. It does cost a little bit more, but you're paying for quality packaging that isn't going to muck up on you and a product with twice the lasting power. I'd say that's worth it!

xox,
ysobel

Have you tried any of these lipsticks? Do you own anything in the Butter Shine or Lip Butter family? I'd love to hear from you!

Too Faced Natural Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection

Aloha! Today I will be reviewing Too Faced's Nautral Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection, a selection of 9 neutral shades with a variety of finishes: Matte, Glitter, Satin/Metalllic.

The Too Faced Natural Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection.

The 9 shadows are placed into three categories. Day, a matte collection, contains Heaven, Velvet Revolver and Sexpresso. Classic, a satin/glitter collection, contains Silk Teddy, Push-Up, and Erotica. Fashion, a glitter/metallic collection, contains Nude Beach, Honey Pot and Cocoa Puff.

Heaven - This is one of my favourite colours in this palette. This is a highly pigmented, creamy coloured matte shadow that is great to use underneath your brow bone as a matte highlight or all over the upper lid. I honestly think I use this colour every single day (Check out that giant hole in the shadow. Can't believe I haven't hit pan on this one yet.
Velvet Revolver - A matte taupe-coloured shadow. I LOVE this colour but because of my skin tone (As you'll see in my swatches below), it barely shows up on my skin! It's great to use all over the lower lid, but the only way it shows up on me is if I use it in the crease with another lighter neutral shade on my lid (Strange, right? It barely shows up on my lower lid).
Sexpresso - A matte, coffee coloured shadow. VERY pigmented - I love to use this to line my eyes, fill in my brows, but it requires a little bit of coercing when used in the crease. This is the only shadow in this collection that I have a fall-out issue with, I always find that after I use it, I'm brushing dark brown flecks of shadow off of my face. Its texture is a little bit chalky, and after wearing it in my crease for an entire day the colour does get a little muddy looking.
Silk Teddy - A peach tinted shadow with a satin/metallic finish. This shadow has awesome colour payoff, its texture kind of reminds me of some UD shadows. I don't really use it much as an everyday shadow, I usually use it on special occasions to use in the inside corner of my eye as well as the lower inside half underneath my eye as a liner. It's too metallic as a highlight shade under the brow bone IMO, but I do like to use it on the upper lid. Because of its awesome colour payoff and texture, you really don't need to use a lot of it.
Push-Up - Another one of my favourites in this collection. This medium brown, satin eye shadow would pair nicely with any of the other shadows on this palette. As you can see I've done some damage on this shade as well haha.
Erotica - A Dark brown shadow that looks like its super glittery, but it isn't. It has small sliver glitter in a dark, cool brown matte base. As for colour it's not my favourite, I feel like there are a lot of other dark brown, glittery shadows that have better colour payoff and are more flattering. It's just meh.
Nude Beach - HUGE peachy coloured glitter in a similarly coloured, slightly satin-finished base. I never use this shadow because the glitter is nearly impossible to pick up without a sponge applicator and falls off your lids within a few hours. It's nice to look at but impossible to wear. I haven't tried wearing this with an eye shadow primer, but if any of you have, let me know! Maybe I'll give this shadow a second chance... Who knows.
Honey Pot - This is your 24-K Gold eye shadow. Honey Pot has a great metallic finish and a silky texture similar to Silk Teddy. I'm starting to like it more and more everyday, now that I'm switching between some of these shadows for daily wear.
Cocoa Puff - I would consider this the warm counterpart to Erotica. Warm, dark brown, matte base with very fine gold glitter in it that barely shows up on the lid. The matte base is very pigmented, but I with the glitter in the shadow was more pronounced. Like Erotica, to me it's only okay.

L-R: Heaven, Velvet Revolver, Sexpresso, Silk Teddy, Push-Up, Erotica, Nude Beach, Honey Pot, Cocoa Puff.

These swatches are in two kinds of lighting (natural on top, artificial on the bottom) with one swipe of shadow, so you can get an idea of the tones and colour pay off of each shade.

This is my current go-to natural eye shadow look, sans mascara. Heaven on the upperlid/under brow, Honey Pot on the lower lid, Velvet Revolver on the crease. Sexpresso used to line the eyes and fill in eye brows. 

The Verdict? It's not a bad palette! The shadows are extremely versatile and would flatter any skin tone. I only have pressing issues with Sexpresso (chalky texture) Nude Beach (which requires you to pack on tons of shadow to get decent glitter payoff) and Erotica (just a 'meh' kind of shadow). The others have a wonderful silky texture that is highly pigmented and easily blended that doesn't fallout all over your face. This is currently one of the few palettes that I have in my daily makeup bag.

If you're looking for a great neutral palette but you don't want to hop on the UD Naked bandwagon, check this out. This palette is priced reasonably ($50CAD at Sephora) and will last you a very long time. For those of you that are new to the makeup world, this palette, as well as several other Too Faced collections, contains tutorial cards that you can use to create different looks with these shadows, making it a great staple shadow collection for newbies, seasoned pros, and anyone in between.

Have you tried this palette? Any of the same issues I've had? Do you own any dupes for these colours? Let me know!

xox,
ysobel

Mascara Woes

So like I promised, I'm going to talk about the big deal with mascara.

Take a look at the bottom of your tube of mascara. Actually, this goes for all kinds of cosmetics (face creams, eye shadow, foundations, etc.) There should be a picture of an open jar that has either 3M, 6M, 12M, 18M on it. That is how long your cosmetics can be used after you open it, essentially an expiry date (yes, cosmetics indeed DO expire!).

image care of bunbunmakeuptips.com

For mascara and most eyeliners/eye primers, the is anywhere between 3-6 months. For eyeliner pencils that need to be sharpened, that's around 36M. As a former microbiologist, I STRONGLY recommend that you follow the manufacturer's suggestion. Have you ever heard of the "mini world inside your eyelashes"? That because it actually exists. Your eyelashes help protect your eyes from daily assaults, not only from things like blazing sunshine, but from all of the crap in the air that you and I breathe in. Our nostrils have nose hairs, our respiratory tract has cilia, and our eyes have eyelashes. Anything that our eyelashes don't catch is caught in our tears and eventually "cried out".

I'll be the first to admit it - for a while I kept mascara for as long as there was still product in the tube. After studying some microbiology in school and working for a while in the cosmetics industry, I realized how nasty that was. Every time your mascara wand applies product to your lashes, it combs your lashes of all the crap they caught protecting your eyes. So for as long as you're using that same mascara tube, you're dragging more and more crap through your eyelashes. Bacteria is multiplying at exponential rates - the bacteria already in your tube from past uses, and the bacteria you're going to collect on it the next time your use it on your lashes, will be multiplying at astronomical rates.

This is precisely why I think that mascara tip (adding contact lens solution to your dried up mascara tubes) on Pinterest is absolutely revolting. Yuck.

The 3-6 month expiry also considers the mascara's consistency. Every time you open up your mascara, you're pumping more air into it, drying it out. Your mascara will keep the same, usable consistency for about 3-6 month's time. After that, the formula has been exposed to waaay too much air and is no longer suitable to use.

So what do to? First, throw away all of the mascara you purchased and opened before the end of last year. A makeup artist friend of mine writes the dates she opens up her mascara on the actual tube to help her remember. As per my last post, I like to use the small tubes you get in GWPs or as samples because there's only enough product in there to last you a few months evenwith every day use, so you don't have to worry about exceeding your mascara's expiry date. Lastly, if you can, use one mascara at a time, so you really get your money's worth of product (especially for department store mascaras, those are $18CAD - $31 a pop!).

I'll talk more about the expiry of cosmetics products in a later post. In the meantime, anyone else kept a mascara longer tan the manufacturer's suggestion? What's the longest you've kept your mascara? No worries, I won't judge... like I said, I used to keep mine forever, haha.

xox,
ysobel

Everyday Beauty Routine

Good morning everyone!

For my first post I thought I would share what pieces my current daily makeup routine consists of. It's a nice selection of both drugstore and department store cosmetics that I've acquired over the past few months as gifts, in GWPs (gift with purchase), or that I purchased myself. I'll do individual reviews for these products in the future, once those are done I will update this post with the links to the products.

(1) Too Faced Natural Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection
(2) Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Foundation SPF 20 in Shade 05
(3) E.L.F. Studio Blush in Candid Coral
(4) Covergirl Black Eyeliner
(5) Lancome Cils Booster
(6) Lancome Hypnose Mascara
(7) E.L.F. Studio Bronzer in Warm
(8) E.L.F. Maximum Coverage Concealer (Oil Free) in Beige
(9) E.L.F. Essential Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Luminance
(10) E.L.F. Studio Flawless Finish Foundation SPF 15 (Oil Free) in Buff
(11) E.L.F. Studio Mineral Infused Face Primer in Clear


(1) Too Faced Natural Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection
Incredibly versatile palette that has a nice selection of basic matte, metallic and glitter eye shadows in neutral shades suitable for any skin colour. Shadows are long wearing, highly pigmented. As you can see I've done some damage on the first half of the palette. My favourite shades in this are Heaven (matte off-white) and Push-Up (metallic medium brown).

(2) Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Foundation SPF 20 in Shade 05
Great mineral-based foundation that you can use on its own over top a primer, or to set liquid makeup. It has its own grinder that turns it into a loose powder, and you really only need a very little amount when you're using it as a setting powder. It doesn't settle into creases or wrinkles and it has SPF 20 which is a huge plus. Shade 05 would be a great shade for you if you're a medium, yellow-based skin tone.

(3) E.L.F. Studio Blush in Candid Coral
A nice peachy shade with very fine gold glitter. Not the most pigmented but definitely has some staying power. It's great for natural looks and super easy to blend, which is why it's my everyday blush of choice.

(4) CG Black Eyeliner
I really don't remember what collection this is from... I bought it about a year ago and I'm just finishing it because I can't stand throwing away decent products without using them up, haha. It's not self sharpening, but it does have this nifty smudger on the opposite end of it (that I'll admit, I never use).

(5) Lancome Cils Booster
Found this in a stash of my GWP cosmetics. It's a great lash conditioner to use underneath your mascara that helps keep your mascara from drying out and becoming flaky.

(6) Lancome Hypnose in Black
Great mascara that lengthens and thickens your lashes without too many clumps. Lashes still look natural, which is why I am really digging this stuff.

*I like to use mini sized mascaras, like the ones you receive in GWPs, because the lifespan of mascara is only 3 months! I'll blog later about this issue, but if you're wondering why I'm using trial sized mascaras, this is why.

(7) E.L.F. Studio Bronzer in Warm
A great warm-toned bronzer. I like to use the bottom two shades blended together to contour and I swirl my brush to pick up all 4 colours to bronze my forehead, jawline and neck.

(8) E.L.F. Maximum Coverage Concealer in Beige
A medium yellow-toned concealer that is super pigmented, so you only really need a tiny drop to do both of your under eye circles. I like to use this with my E.L.F. Flawless Concealer brush that applies any concealer like a dream.

(9) E.L.F.Healthy Glow Bronzer in Luminance
I know it says bronzer but as you can see, it's a highlighter. Nicely pigmented, pearly finish with virtually no glitter in it. It is also on the warm toned, almost a beige colour, which is really great for medium warm skin tones. Not bad for $1!

(10) E.L.F. Flawless Finish Foundation in Buff
Awesome $6 foundation that has medium coverage and a dewy finish. Is has SPF 15 in it which is awesome, also blends really well and doesn't settle into any creases. It's VERY long wearing - my skin still looks the same after 16 hours of wear! Buff is a medium yellow-toned colour that is almost borderline dark medium. I'm blending it with a little moisturizer right now to sheer it out while I'm at my lightest after the winter months.

(11) E.L.F. Mineral Infused Face Primer
A clear silicone based primer that I like to use before I apply any concealer or foundation. Very cost effective (only $6) and keeps my foundation on forever. I can't compare it to other primers because this is the first I've tried, but I've been so happy with this primer since I first purchased it I haven't had the need to buy another one. What I love most about it is that it does a really great job of making a barrier between my moisturizer and foundation, so my skin doesn't dry out after a long day of wearing make up.


There we have it, my daily make-up routine in a blog post. In a later post I'll share the products I use in my daily skin care regimen. Are any of these items in your daily make up routine? I'd love to know about what you guys think about these products - comment below!

xox,
Ysobel