Prodigy Hourglass Lipgloss

By Min

I don’t wear lip gloss or lipstick and my favorite lip product will probably always be the pot of blue Blistex Medex . One day, I had a passing thought that I should wear some sort of lip product in order to make my overall presentation of myself more polished.  My dry-looking lips were not doing anyone a favour - especially me!  So I asked Megan to find me a lip gloss and she found Prodigy Hourglass, $30. A little steep for a product that I usually don’t use but what the hell, a little extravagance once in a while doesn’t hurt anyone...really.  It comes in a funky looking package that fits inside your palm. I picked nude because I didn’t want to risk getting a colour that I would ultimately not end up wearing.  The first day that I wore it at work, everyone noticed.  I guess lips really can garner attention, wanted or otherwise. I like it because it’s not sticky and it doesn’t smell like fake candy or pineapples or chocolate.  The applicator is a bit awkward but I like the subtle colour. I don’t use it everyday because of the price and it also gets easily lost in my bag which makes it easy to forget. 

smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

by Megs

A good friend of mine did my makeup for my wedding. Beforehand, we went shopping and spent an obscene amount of money on makeup. That was my introduction to smashbox primer. If you have never been introduced to smashbox primer, take charge and go meet it. Because you will become besties with it and never want to live without it. I promise. It feels so good, so smooth. I have tried other primers like Cover FX (Canadian!) which I found to be too greasy for me, and Korres Quercetin & Oak Age-Reversing Primer, which I wanted to love. (Doesn't it sound amazing? I love the "Oak Age-Reversing" title.) But it was too lotion-y and not primer-y enough for me. I wear smashbox primer, BB cream and foundation. That may sound like a lot but I believe that the more layers there are on my face, the more protection it is getting and also, my skin tone doesn't look even enough for me without all 3. I am getting low on smashbox primer, which is why I borrowed a photo from smashbox's site instead of taking a pic of my own tube. I will definitely always re-purchase my smashbox primer. It really does smooth everything out and make it easier to apply the next layer, be it BB cream, foundation or whatever you use. At $44 cad a tube, it's not cheap, but you only need a smaller-than-pea-sized bloblet for your face so a tube will last you awhile. 

I kind of want to try the More Than Primer Dark Spot Correcting but it costs a bit more. I don't know if I want to take that gamble when I already love the regular primer so much. 

Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting primer

By Min

When I received this product from Megs (who else?!), I wondered what it was. Since I don’t use foundation, I thought it was an odd present. But now I realize why she would get it for me.  First of all, the smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting $38 is a foundation primer.  Its very green colour helps diminish redness and evens out skin. The other colours such as lavender are for Asian skin tones and the apricot is to conceal eye-bags, sunspots and veins. Gosh, I really think I need them all! Anyway, it has a really nice feel and goes on silky smooth.  Once the foundation is on, the primer is supposed to help it set and stay in place.  I only wear a BB (beauty balm) under my eyes and cheeks. But the BB glides on like nobody’s business. It is really seamless and looks way better than the BB by itself. Apparently you can also use it by itself but I find that it's not fantastic on its own. I say it works best as a primer but maybe that’s because I have a lot of redness on my cheeks. I was really skeptical about this product but as soon as I used it, I changed my mind.  

Toleriane Soothing Protective Skincare

By Min

I find it very scary going into the pharmacy because everything is so shiny and bright.  When I went to buy a new facial cream, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted but I was swayed by the Laroche-Posay representative present on that particular day.  I am not particularly partial to Laroche-Posay but when I say I have sensitive skin, the cosmeticians always point directly to that line.  So once again I tried a new product.  This time it’s Toleriane for $31.  I tried Toleriane Ultra and my skin broke out like it was 1997.  I chose the non-rich format because it was still summer at the time.  At first I thought that I should have gone with the rich formula because the cream felt so thin. However, my skin didn’t feel tight or like it was not hydrated enough.  It went on super smoothly and it made my skin feel immediately relieved and soft.  And though it is fragrance-free, I feel it has a nice scent.  This is the first Laroche-Posay product I have really enjoyed using. I even bought it again even though I wanted to try something else.  Next time I will try something new!

Dotticure

I only use "3 free" nail polish - polish that is free from DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde - and not tested on animals, of course. I found Zoya by scouring the internet for "natural nail polish." Of course, no nail polish is actually natural, it is composed of chemicals. But we can go a little safer and use "3 free." Lots of brands are "3 free" nowadays; it's not hard to find them. Zoya is by far my favourite brand. Why? I don't know. I can't say that the whole line is better than China Glaze, or OPI, or others. I just like Zoya best.

I got into nail art in the summer. My two downfalls are that I'm not artistic and I'm not actually very good at painting my nails. Patience has helped me get better (but not any more artistic) - a slower paint job will look better than a hurried one. These days I don't really have time to fool around with nail art, unfortunately. While I hate the word "dotticure," you kind of can't go wrong with one. They look so cute and are actually easy to do and hardly more time-consuming than just a normal polish job. I did these on Thanksgiving long weekend while at my parents'  house - lots more time to relax and paint my nails there.

Polishes used Deborah Lippman Hard Rock Hydrating Nail Hardener as the base, Zoya Dove as the grey base, China Glaze Recycle as the dots, Zoya Monica for the accent nail, Zoya Armor as the topcoat and Nicole by OPI drying drops.

Ombre Mani

Further to my love of nail polish and easy-to-do, non-time consuming nail art, I did an ombre mani recently. I am kind of excited that summer is over and now I can use my darker nail polishes, like greys and black, although I do love colour, bright, cheerful colour, and wear it whenever I can - clothes, shoes, makeup and nail polish, I generally opt for colour over neutrals. But I waited all summer to bring my grey polishes back out, I love grey nail polish - creams more than glitter.

From left to right, polishes used: Zoya Raven, China Glaze Recycle, Zoya Dove, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, Zoya Purity. Basecoat shown in top pic, Deborah Lippman Hard Rock Hydrating Nail Hardener and top coat Zoya Armor. 

You can't miss the red polish all over Raven - I had a catastrophe last Monday. I have this case that houses all my polishes. The handle is on the lid. While carrying it, the lid half-opened, causing me to drop the whole case. Myrta from the Sunshine set broke and got everywhere - I had only used it once! Something Sweet by China Glaze also broke and I had also only used it once! Now I need a new storage plan for my polishes. 

Biotherm Biocils

 by Min

When I bought my favorite mascara Shiseido Perfect Mascara (see my previous review), The salesperson asked if I wanted a make-up remover. I usually use my cleanser as a make-up remover and figured that she was just trying for a higher sale.  At the time, I felt that spending $30 for a mascara that  may not even work was enough so I ignored her comment.

When I tried to take off the mascara, it would not come off.  Oh dear! What was I to do? I had some leftover samples of some cream cleanser/make-up remover but it did a half-assed job and I resigned myself to the necessity of having to buy a real, paraben-free make-up remover.