Tuesday 31 May 2011

Paula Dorf Perfect Double-Ended Brush Set

So my little glitter bugs this was my last gift to myself to kick off my no buy. This brush set normally retails for $95.00 but I've seen them sold on various sites for $75.00 (though I can't vouch for the authenticity of them).






I went to Winners (A store I'm pretty sure is only in Canada and sells name brand things at a discount) I went because my boyfriends mom wanted to get some stuff before she goes on vacation so we went with her. I browsed around the spa and beauty products then purses and then back to the beauty stuff, there was tons of stuff and tucked away on the bottom shelf are three of these brush sets. I grabbed it, opened it up and inspected it. It said it retails for $95.00 and they were selling it for $29.99.. Needless to say, I was feeling guilty about all my recent purchases so I didn't buy it.

I went home and did some checking around on the Internet to find out that this item DOES infact sell for 95 bucks! I was so bummed to have passed on this opportunity. So I asked my lovely (amazing) boyfriend if he could go back and grab it for me since the store is only 10 mins from his house and an hour from mine. He did with no complaints, he must love me. Best of all IT WAS THE LAST ONE. My little babe did good! ..Ok sorry to my readers for getting semi-mushy there.

I haven't gotten much use out of this product yet but just based on the feel of the brushes and the sturdiness of them is fantastic. The case is really soft and great for travel, although, since they are double ended brushes you need to be REALLY careful when your putting them back in their holders so you don't frey the bristles.

Expect and in depth review on these little lovelies soon!  

Until my review is done, you can check out Paula Dorf's description of this set here.

Monday 30 May 2011

Shopping Hiatus.. I'm Embarking on a Make Up No Buy

So I've always been fully against chicks (or dudes) going on no buys (a make up no buy anyways) I just thought it was so pointless, like, why should someone deprive them self of something they want? It just never made sense to me. I figured that anyone who went on a no buy would end up saving a ton of money in the short term but then blow it all on make up anyways once its over.


Recently I've been out of control make up wise, sure I can carry on spending my money - I'm not hurting anyone, its not like I have a mortgage or a child to support. But I want to have some money for bigger things I want to do later on like going to Vegas and to Cuba, you know, stuff like that.


So I'm not going to dick around here. I'm not going to prep myself with a few short pissy no buys. I'm in this thing for the long haul baby! I'm kicking this thing until December 1 2011 (a.k.a. My birthday)  Now, don't expect swatches and reviews to stop a flowin' on here, I've got enough make up to last for 6 months worth of posts. I promise. I'm actually quite back logged I just keep reviewing and swatching the new stuff I buy and the older stuff I have is just sitting around waiting for its time in the spot light.

Anyways as I progress through this, I'm going to try and share some little tips, tricks and no buy strategies. I told my parents that I'm doing this no buy thing the long short and they don't think I'll make it through this at all. But I'll prove them wrong.

So I'm going to put a few rules in place.

NO BUY RULES

1) I will not buy any piece of makeup that does not replace an existing product that I already own. So I'm allowed to buy new top/base coats of nail polishes when my current ones run out or when I'm out of primer/foundation I can buy replacements. This also applies to concealers, eye primers and stuff like that.

2) I'm allowed to buy maintenance products like: My three step face cleansing, toning moisturizing system & SPF face stuff. I'm also allowed to buy shampoos, body wash, toothpaste, razors, shave gel, deodorant self tanners, hair products and etc when they run out.

3) STAY AWAY FROM SEPHORA AND MAC UNLESS ITS COMPLETELY NECESSARY lol

ALSO - I know that this no buy will cause problems for my plans of a massive Montreal Inglot haul so rather then lying to all of you and just not telling you about my purchases I'm going to give myself a limit I must either meet or stay below. I haven't decided yet but I'm thinking about somewhere in the neighborhood of $100-$150

I'm posting this to make you all aware of what I'm doing. I want to stay committed to this. I NEED to. Well I don't NEED to but I really want to see this thing through and I know I will. I want to prove my parents wrong lmao =)


MAC 150                                 MAC 134

Also, one last thing I'm going to address is my make up prize I will receive after I complete this massive mission: I'm going to buy myself a MAC 134 and maybe a MAC 150. I'm so excited, they'll be like little victory gifts AND birthday presents to myself!

I entered this no buy by purchasing my last 'treat' item.. But more on that later =)

Wednesday 25 May 2011

Quo Powder Brush Review & Dupe To Mac's 134?

So I was in the market for a quality powder brush and I didn't want to shell out an arm and a leg for one. My original intention was to buy a MAC 134, but at $62.50 its a no go for me. Its a POWDER BRUSH! Its not like were talking about a duo fibre brush.. I love my 187 and love my 130 they're 100% worth the money but this should be one of MAC's more affordable face brushes - Its so easily dupable. For the second time its a POWDER BRUSH its not like its some amazing newly invented innovative thing. Ok I'll stop haha. 

If you look below its quite obvious that the brushes though not exactly the same looking are quite similar.

       MAC 134                     Quo Powder Brushes (Purple & Silver Handles)

Personally I've never used a MAC 134 other then playing with one in the store so I can't really compare the quality of it (though I'm sure is its amazing) from what I recall the MAC brush is soft and densely packed with very soft bristles. The Quo brush on the other hand is also very densely packed with almost as soft bristles as the MAC brush. The Quo brush normally retails for $23.00 (I bought it when Shoppers Drugmart was having a 40% off Quo products sale).

The Quo brushes do shed. Not bad at all though. Its very tolerable shedding and I'm sure the shedding on these two brushes will stop after a couple washes. I will update you after I've had them for awhile to let you know how the shedding is, I've only had the both of these for about a month (I use them both daily). I think over all these brushes are fantastic, I love them (which is why I bought two - I use one for blush/bronzer and one for setting powder) One thing that I really like about Quo brushes in general is the sturdiness of the handles which is really comparable to MAC handles. They're not flimsy what so ever so that's a big plus.

Quo Powder Brush Side View


Quo Powder Brush Top View



Overall this brush is well worth the money (especially if you get it when there's a sale on them). If your looking to get a MAC 134 but you can't justify the price and want something you can just run to the store and buy (well, if you live in Canada that is) rather then buying something online and waiting for it to be shipped to you or if you'd prefer to carry around cheaper brushes in your makeup bag (like myself - my 187 never leaves my house lol) this is the brush for you.

I'm going to give this brush 3.5 GlitterBombs out of 5 I'd like to give it 4 and I would but the shedding just isn't something I'm a fan of and the fact that I have to deal with anything more then 5 bristles popping out in the first couple uses is irritating to me. None the less, this is a good brush - but prepare for some minimal shedding with the first few uses until its washed a couple times (hopefully it'll stop by then - I'll keep you posted). This is a great "starter" brush for those of you who are still new to the make up world and still aren't comfortable with spending gobs of cash.




PS - Just to put it out there: After writing this review, and looking at that picture of the MAC 134. I'm sorry to say that I need to buy it. I have to - I'm happy with the Quo brush and its good for throwing in my travel bag.. But its just not a 134.. My boyfriend is going to read this and know (even more then he already does) that I'm totally psycho. But all of you make up crazies out there know what its like to just need something because you NEED it. So bottom line. Expect a review of the MAC 134 and an accurate comparison of the two brushes one day... soon =)

Tuesday 24 May 2011

The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in 04 Deep Matte: Review + Swatches

Okay, so I'm going to apologize once again and also let you all know to expect a few more reviews (and swatches) of Body Shop stuff. I'm loving it. Its SO good - I'm still honestly a little shocked because I thought The Body Shop was more of a "Smelly Cream" store only.. But I was wrong.. Oh boy was I wrong!

This is what The Body Shop said about this product "Best if you want to: Give your skin an even, bronze matte finish with a honey-enriched pressed powder. How it works:  Even matte finish,  Convenient compact".

So I'm in FREAKING LOVE with this powder because its MATTE! Sure shimmer is nice, but I'll always be a true matte fan, weather it be shadow or lipstick, I prefer it.

I believe this comes in 4 shades and this one just so happens to be the darkest (Deep Matte 04) I bought this for contouring and also because I use self tanner on my whole body in exception for my face. I just don't see the point in putting it on my face when I wash it 2 times a day on top of that I use an iSkin face scrubber every night and do masks on my face weekly - my thinking is that any sunless tanner will just come off quickly regardless so I just don't do it. So I bought this so in the summer months when I'm my darkest my face can match my bod.

I use this stuff tons, there's nothing bad I can say about it and at $18.50 its a steal. The pan is pretty big (11g or 0.39 oz) and the case has a mirror in the lid (which is always an added bonus). The only thing I wasn't too happy about with this product is that the little Body Shop logo on the front rubbed off a bit from it being in my make up bag - but that's not even an issue.

This stuff is very pigmented, smooth and VERY easily blendable. I use my ecotools retractable kabuki to put this stuff on. Its not heavy, its not drying, its not cakey and the chick at The Body Shop even told me that the honey in the product would prevent this stuff from drying out your skin throughout the day, which to me seems pretty accurate.




Blended in (left) Unblended (right)

There is only one thing that really disappoints me about this product and its a HUGE disappointment. Its limited edition! Yes people its only for sale for the spring/summer of 2011! So you best believe I'm buying a back up of this before the summers over! ..Don't tell my boyfriend but I may get two back up of this baby =)

So you guessed it this ones out of the park.. like were talking not even near the park anymore its not even in the vicinity of the park. This bronzer is so far away from the park that the park is a dot to this little baby.

No explanation needed. 5 GlitterBombs out of 5.


Friday 20 May 2011

Wal-Mart Steals & Deals.. Lets Talk Nail Supplies

I'm a big fan of fake nails, because I can't grow my nails, they chip and break and flake. All of this is ironically due to getting my nails done constantly. Two years ago there was about 6 months where I only wore acrylics. I loved them! but my wallet didn't and I HAD to get a fill every two weeks - my nails grow super fast.

So I stopped all that and since then my nails just haven't been the same. Lately, I've seen tons of reviews of Kiss' nail kits, you know the ones where you put the glue on your nails and just press on the fake nail part and that's all? I decided I want them so I headed to my lock Wal-Mart and they were like $12 for the original press on nail thing and $15 for the ones with the easy break off tab. To me this kit isn't worth 12-15 bucks! I can get my nails done for $20. So I opted for Kiss' other nail kit, for $18 it includes nail glue, acrylic powder, acrylic liquid, a brush, a mini nail file, a dappen dish and a wood pointy thing for cleaning up the edges of your nails. This kit did not include nail tips. I had already bought some form eBay.

This is what the kit looks like:



Anyways this kit doesn't require you to use a UV lamp for the acrylic to set (which is awesome because I don't want skin cancer!) the application was quite easy - expect a tutorial soon!

This is how my nails turned out.. Not too bad for a first attempt:


Also on this little Wal-Mart trip I also got a MASSIVE deal on nail polishes and a hoof nail care kit.. I bought this kit for one thing - a hang nail trimmer thing (which is in the red box below) because I lost mine. I didn't have high expectations because this kit only cost $3.98 but everything in it seems to work quite well. Included in this kit is: Nail scissors, a metal nail file, a three step file buff and shine file, a cuticle pusher, another wooden stick thing, nail clippers and the hang nail trimmer thingy (does anyone know the actual name for this thing lol?) 



And the best part of this trip.. The polishes, oh the polishes! each of these were.. get this.. Drum roll please... $1.57! WHAT THE HELL? I'm used to paying like 10 bucks a polish, I'm pretty sure next time I'm in Wal-Mart I'm going to get the rest of these babies. Expect a review and more details soon!

Wednesday 18 May 2011

MAC 187 Dupe = Quo Bronzing Powder Brush?

First off, for those of you who don't know Quo is Shoppers Drugmart's line of make up and other beauty related items this review/comparison is based on their Bronzing Powder brush, which is a duo fibre brush, similar looking to Macs 187. I bought the MAC 187 brush a few months ago and I really love it, its really easy to clean, doesn't shed, is quick to wash and dry and applies liquid foundation like a dream. That all said, it was quite expensive and I can see why a lot of people aren't so quick to buy it.



This Quo brush will forever consume me. I don't have it in me to throw it out, I just can't do it. The brush sheds like a freakin cat. every time I run my fingers over it a black bristle comes out. this brush is definitely NOT a 187 dupe. The white bristles have much more give to them and this brush is way fluffier. When you wash the brush, it takes quite a long time to dry - about a day and a half because it so dense. I've used this brush about three times and washed it about 5 and it still sheds.

The brush normally sells for about $23 but I got it for 40% off because of a sale. Aside from this brush I'm really happy with all of my Quo brushes, they're really good quality and minimally shed if not at all. The one thing I really REALLY like about this brush is the handle (the same with all other Quo brushes) its so thick and easy to hold its not flimsy at all.

I'm thinking that at some point this brush HAS to stop shedding, either that or it will end up completely bald because I'm not giving up on this one haha.

Bottom line - I think that in order to make a 187 dupe out of this brush it will require lots and LOTS of work - so in general its not worth it. Although I don't own one Sigma has from what I understand a good dupe of the MAC 187 - its called a SS187.

Overall - I really dislike this brush, it sucks. Don't buy it. I'm rating this brush half a Glitterbomb out of 5 only because I like the sturdiness of the handle.  


Tuesday 17 May 2011

The Body Shop Coconut Shimmer Body Butter: Swatches + Review


This is my first of four "freebies" from The Body Shop. They had a deal: If you spent $40 you get a free bag yadda yadda yadda and four weeks of free gifts.

This would normally cost you $18.00 for 200 mls. 

I honestly, would not have ever bought this. Like you can buy tons of other things for 18 bucks. You do get quite a bit of product but EIGHT TEEN DOLLARS? haha ok enough of my cheap skate rant.

Overall  really like this stuff. I don't use it on my whole body.. Its shimmery, so I'd rather save the shimmer for more obvious parts of my bod. The long short of it is I only use it on my upper chest & collar bone area. I also put some on my wrists to replace a perfume when I apply it to my chest so I don't mix scents lol.  

It smells pretty good in the tub (but it does have an almost coconut rum smell lol) Once its been applied onto the skin it smells really great. A nice light coconutty smell. Amazing.

Since the tub is quite big, I think I'll have it for awhile - since I only apply it to limited parts of myself lol. Aside from all that I'm really torn about this product. Normally I love things from The Body Shop and am fully willing to pay a little extra. But this is a little bit on the steep side for me. But since I'll get tons of use out of it I'll probably buy it again. Maybe..




Fully blended (left) into my lovely boyfriends arm and unblended (right)

Out of principle, I have to rate this item 3 GlitterBombs out of 5, I like the product, I like the shimmer(sort of), the smell and the packaging. I just don't like the $18 price tag. I'm not one to slather shiny stuff all over my body to get the moisturising benefits from it, so I could just buy an unglittery version of this and be quite happy with it (even the price!). Its just this shimmer in it that ruins it for me a bit. I suppose you could use it on your face, but I have FACE products for that. So for the body (aside from your chest maybe) this isn't worth the money. Unless your wanting a shimmer on your self. Uggggh! I'm so back and fourth on this! I'm done! lol =)


Sunday 15 May 2011

Moccasins are love? I'm about to find out..

So I'm a fan of UGG's I think they're cute, and a ton of people can pull them off. BUT. Now this is a huge but - I (personally) don't think anyone with larger sized feet (me) can pull them off. I'm a womens size 11 (sometimes SOMETIMES a 10) I tried on UGG's and I distinctly remember in the store saying "I feel like a Storm Trooper" haha saying that was followed by stomping around the store like an idiot.

ANYways the point is this is how I felt with the boots on:


Now if you ask me.. looking, ok rather, feeling like I look like that isn't cool, I don't want to feel like I have huge space boot feet so the UGG dream died there and then. (Please note I'm fully aware UGGs look nothing like the boots this dude is wearing in the photo)

Fast forward about 3 years filled with whatever cold weather shoes I could find that weren't disgusting (Check out Le Chateau! they have some pretty good stuff in bigger sizes too! Unfortunately, Le Chateau is only in Canada) I found my new little lovelies! ok ok I know they're not "boots" but they're pretty badass and even if I did buy UGGs I'd avoid salt and snow like the plague, so these are just as good. When the snow here gets out the ass crazy I still have my Le Chateau boots =)

So here they are!



They're so warm and comfy AND I got them on SALE! wo0t! wo0t! they were only $67.00!

I love these so much that I actually bought the boot versions of them! They're called Mukluks - They're super cute! I bought them online, I should have them soon. The only reason why I bought them now is because they were 30% off with free shipping from SoftMocs website. I paid $149 for them (plus tax) and they retail for $219 (plus tax) So I think I got a pretty good deal! This is what they look like:



You can buy both of these shoes from SoftMoc's website here.

Friday 13 May 2011

The Body Shop.. Super Score!

Recently, I've been extremely obsessed with The Body Shop, healthy skin, and all that jazz. I love my Vitamin E three step system from The Body Shop (You can read about that post here) After that purchase (and repurchase) I signed up for The Body Shops loyalty program thing - its $10 to sign up, after you make 4 purchases of $25 or more you get $15 off a purchase. I image over the course of a year you can do this a couple times. You also get 10% off anything you buy and a free $10 gift in the month of your birthday.

I went into The Body Shop to pick up a full size bottle of Deep Sleep Dreamy Pillow & Body Mist (its supposed to help give you a restful sleep) and the day I happened to go in they were having a great promotion. It was if you spend $40+ in store you get a pink bag (or purse in my case) and 30% off whatever you buy to get the bag + I got to take off another 10% because I'm a loyalty member! That's not the best part though! For the four weeks following my purchase I get to go back and get FOUR FULL SIZED PRODUCTS! and I don't even have to make a purchase when I got pick up my free stuff!

Here are the goodies I got:





I got all this stuff (plus 4 free gifts) for only $41.74! Talk about a freakin deal or what?!


Monday 9 May 2011

The Tanning Files: Chapter 4 - Life Brand Smooth Bronze Self-Tanning Continuous Spray


Okay kiddos,


This is my second installment of the tanning files as far as actual reviews are concerned. Today we're talking about Life Brand Smooth Bronze Self-Tanning Continuous Spray (which is $13.99 CAD from Shoppers Drugmart). The first time I used this product I was way WAY too heavy handed. I just sprayed it all over myself and didn't rub it in (as per the instructions). While I sprayed my upper body the stuff that missed my body fell to the floor which is where my feet were, so they came out super unbelievably dark (not orange though!) I'm sorry I didn't take pictures of this catastrophe lol

My second attempt at this self tanner has been quite pleasant. I decided that rather then following the instructions, I'd do this my own way. Rather then spraying the tanner directly onto my body I sprayed a good amount of it on a tanning mitt and applied it to my body that way. I'd spray it on the mitt and apply to my leg from the knee down, then I'd spray more product on the mitt and apply from my knee up and so on and so fourth.


Obviously taking my approach to it, your tan comes out much lighter then if you were to spray the product directly onto your body, it also goes on much more real and even looking.

Here's how it turned out: (All photos are clickable to enlarge)

DAY ONE 

Before                                                After


          A small blotch  

Look how even my feet look!
A little uneven around the heel though


As you can see everything came out really even, although, I was a little heavy handed on the back of my ankles (and I did rub there with the mitt more then once lol) and there's a tad of a blotch on the outside of my left hand (which is no biggie)


DAY TWO


Ok I'm going to be honest with you all. I didn't even put this on a second time or take photos. This tan was totally faded in the matter of about 3 days. I put this tan on Thursday and it was gone by Sunday, like, ok I had some dark areas but I want definitely not "tanned" anymore.. at all. I guess applying it with the mitt didn't apply as much product as necessary for the tan to be able to stay on for more then a couple days.


When I sprayed this tan on it stayed on really well. But, I sprayed SO much product on and I came out super dark (like, it wasn't believable) and it was really REALLY uneven. So even though the mitt didn't deliver the darkness as spraying the product did, I still don't recommend spraying it on.


I guess this tan would be good for you if you want an even tan but only for a few days. If you want something you can just reapply once a week to continue to build or maintain a tan, I don't think this stuffs for you. Unless you apply it at least every other day.

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Review: Real Colors Smolder-Eyes Shadow Palette Counterfeit + Swatches



I bought this palette at Sally Beauty Supply for about $10 CAD and honestly, I didn't expect much. But I was pleasantly surprised. Lately this has been my grab on the go palette, its not huge, it has 6 different colors and fits in my make up bag perfectly. All the shades compliment each other and I think for the most part would suit any eye color.

The palette itself is really sturdy. I've dropped it a couple times and its still fully intact. Except for the top shadow that sort of chipped, but I guess that's to be expected when your a butter fingers lol.

I haven't used the applicator in the palette because I have eyeshadow brushes that I'm sure can perform much better then a sponge eyeshadow applicator. But since I never used it, I can't really comment on it.

The only downfall to this palette is that the shadows are put into the palette in lines, because of this when you're trying to pick up the shadows with a brush you can accidentally pick up another color at the same time. Which is a real pain when your using a fluffier brush.

Overall I'm really happy that I have this palette, I love the Gold/Copper shades in it and I'll totally buy it again and I may buy another palette in this collection called "Feign". The colors are smooth and well pigmented and quite easily bendable. The only thing I'm not happy with is the shape of the shadow pans, it would just be so much more convenient if they were squares, or circles. In addition to "Feign" and "Counterfeit" there are 4 other palettes in this collection, making 6 in total.

Here are the swatches:


 With Flash

Without Flash - Natural Light




You can buy this palette here.

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Fimo Fruit Salad Nail Tutorial.. Finally

Alright guys, I know I told you all I'd do this a long time ago, and I'm sorry for the delay but this tutorial ended up on the back burner for awhile. All that aside I have it for you now Yaaaay!


Ok so for starters you'll need:




- A base polish of your choice
- Fimo rods
- A knife & cutting board
- Tweezers
- Nail glue
- Clear nail polish

First you'll want to start off by removing any polish you have on your nails and then clipping or filing them. Apply the polish of your choice, I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color in Fuchsia Flare

Then pick out the fimo rods you'd like to use, in this tutorial I use an orange, a lime and a strawberry.. I also wanted to use a kiwi but I just couldn't get it to fit in without trimming it, so I just went on without it.

Next you need to cut the fimo rods into thin slices I use a kitchen knife and a cutting board

Now you need to cut the lime and orange pieces in half so you'll end up with something that looks like this:

 This is the nail glue I use (I got it in a gel nail kit)

Now you need put a drop of glue on to your nail and spread it around a bit. Place on the orange and lime pieces with the tweezers and follow by putting another dab of glue on to your nail and placing the strawberry on your nail with the tweezers.

After the glue dries put on a coat of clear nail polish
(I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Invisible)

And finally your left with this:

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial!

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