Mani Monday #17

Hey everyone,

Today I'm talking all about cuticle oil. This was always a step I never really thought was essential, but a good habit I've gotten into every time I paint my nails, and occasionally before I go to sleep.

I'm comparing two today, the first being Essie's "Smooth Trick", and Witchcraft's "Condition Me Softly"

Essie's Smooth Trick comes in a tube container with an interesting applicator and lid.

The tip is a rubber point and when you gently press onto your nail the oil comes out.

It's a thicker oil than the Witchcraft, and a little more nourishing. 

The Witchcraft oil comes in better packaging, in my opinion. The brush is wonderful and makes applying it to your nail much easier and less messy. It comes with a rubber tip on the lid to push back your cuticles as well. The lid snaps on more securely than the Essie oil, making it better for on-the-go or travelling.

It's a thinner oil which absorbs more quickly, but isn't quite as moisturizing as the oil by Essie.

Overall, I think cuticle oil is a nice additional step to your manicure routine, and really helps keep your nail bed moisturized.

Thanks for reading!

Megan

Vita Liberata "Luxury Tan" Review

Hey guys,

Today I am reviewing the Vita Liberata luxury tan. I received this sample in a Sephora set and it took me a long time to try it because I was a bit nervous about the medium tan shade. 

It claims to be a 2-3 week tan- and I must admit, it is quite long lasting. I'm at a week and a half now and although it's fading, it hasn't gone patchy or weird. 

It comes with a mini tanning mit, and I'm a big fan. It helps the product to apply evenly and I'm not left with the hands of an Oompa Loompa when done.  

It's a mousse formula, another aspect I was dreading. Luckily it's very easy to apply and dries quite quickly. 

Overall I really like this product. The colour isn't too orange and it applies quickly and easily. I'm not sure if I'd personally buy the full size because I don't self tan very often, but I would highly recommend it. If it keeps you out of tanning beds and from blistering on the beach I am always for it- and it helps that it makes your skin look naturally bronzed and glowy. 

Thanks for reading, 

Megan 

MAC Whirl Lipliner Review

Hey everyone,

Today I'm reviewing MAC's lipliner in "Whirl". This shade is basically my "your lips but better" shade, because it's deep enough to match my lip colour and isn't too warm-toned. Here's what I think!

The formula is creamy and pigmented, and very long lasting. It applies smoothly, and although it can look a bit drying after a while, personally I like just wearing this alone. 

It's perfect for slightly over-lining your lips to create a fuller appearance. Here's a close-up.

It's a cool-toned, neutral mauve shade, which lines my lips wonderfully on its own, but when filled in it creates a deeper looking colour.

Here I am wearing it!

Thanks for reading! What MAC lipliner suggestions do you have?

Megan

Mani Monday #16

Hey everyone,

Today we're talking about another Essie polish from the metals collection. Last week we featured "Nothing else metals" and this week I'm reviewing "Penny talk", a delightful rose gold shade, I don't know how I ever lived without it. 

It paints on perfectly, and looks even despite the metallic finish sometimes looking streaky.

It's a beautiful rose gold that isn't too rose and isn't too gold- it almost has a bronze finish, but with more of a brushed metal type look, so nothing to over the top.

I think this colour is incredibly versatile and would look lovely at any time of the year, it works wonderfully with my usually muted colour palette and would also look lovely with some bronzed summer skin!

Thanks for reading another Mani Monday!

Megan

MAC Lip Liner Review

Hey everyone,

Today I'm reviewing two new purchases from MAC. I haven't even been into MAC for ages, but I went in randomly the other day and made a sneaky purchase. Here's my thoughts!

I bought two lip liners in the shades Soar and Plum. Soar is a hugely popular shade at the moment, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. (and speaking of 'Whirl', I may have bought that lip liner too- stay tuned)

Plum is a deep mauve purple and Soar is a more pink/neutral tone with some warmth to it.

Both are incredibly long lasting and have a matte finish. Personally, I like to fill my entire lip with them and very rarely add a lipstick or gloss on top. When I travel in May, it wouldn't surprise me if I only bring these pencils and a lip balm.

The liners are in classic pencil form and need to be sharpened, they don't twist up.

Plum is on the left, Soar on the right.

I hope you enjoyed this review- I love both of the shades and will certainly be going back for more!

Megan

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Review

Hey everyone,

I finally purchased the foundation I have wanted to try for years. Seriously, years. I know it seems silly, but my face is a total crazy mess of dry skin, redness, acne and bumps. When I found out about NARS Sheer Glow (maybe 3 or 4 years ago), I thought it was too high-end of a purchase, and I couldn't guarantee it was going to cover the multitude of issues on my face. After recently purchasing NARS new long-wear foundation (and being rather underwhelmed), I found myself being really annoyed I hadn't just purchased this one in the first place.

The packaging is pretty standard, glass bottle may not be ideal for travelling (but it's coming with me anyway!) Annoyingly, it doesn't have a pump. You can buy one for $6 at NARS website, but to ship it to Canada makes it super expensive and frankly I don't know if I can be bothered.

I bought the colour Mont Blanc, the same shade as my new NARS foundation. The match is perfect! (Something I'm not all that used to in foundations!)

It applies beautifully, it's buildable, and with the help of concealer it hides my blemishes like a dreaaaaam. The finish is wonderful, glowy and natural without a powder, but can be mattified easily.

Unfortunately, I don't have great lighting in my apartment, so the skin pictures were a disaster and didn't do the foundation justice at all. I promise to feature it in a look sometime soon, or when I have better lighting!

Overall, I would highly rate this foundation. It's perfect for a drier skin type, and it doesn't cling to dry patches. It wears really well throughout the day, and doesn't look cakey. I think I've found my new favourite foundation, and I'm kicking myself for not buying it sooner!

Thanks for reading,

Megan

Mani Monday #15

Hey everyone,

Today I'm reviewing one of Essie's polishes from the metallic collection/line, this week it's the glorious purple metallic polish "Nothing Else Metals".

 The shade is a silvery purple with a high metallic finish.

 It gives an amazing robotic effect, but is surprisingly wearable!

It lasted really well on the nails- so of course I went back for another bottle which I'll review next week!

Thanks for reading another Mani Monday!

Megan

Benefit "Roller Lash" Mascara Review

Hey everyone,

Today I'm reviewing the Benefit Roller Lash, their newest release and much-anticipated sequel to the very popular "They're Real" mascara. I've been using this mascara every day for about two weeks now, because I wanted to give a completely honest review!

Firstly, the packaging is really cute! It's designed to look like a hair roller, and the screw top is actually rubberized. I think it helps you to keep a steady hand while applying, but because of its pale pink colour I feel as though it might get dirty if you travel a lot or theres a mishap in your makeup bag! So far this hasn't been an issue for me though!

The wand is slightly bent (sort of a banana shape) and it has longer bristles on the outer side, with short bristles on the inner side to really lift the root of your lashes. The brush is excellent, and I'm sure it had to be after their last amazing mascara. Roller Lash allows you to coat every lash evenly and it really holds a curl, doing exactly what it claims to. 

Here is a before and after- as you can see, my short, stubby lashes are instantly lifted and lengthened!
Note: I did not curl my lashes beforehand! 

On both eyes you can see what a dramatic difference this makes. Overall, I am incredibly impressed.
The lasting power is great, the curl does drop slightly throughout the day, but not enough for me to complain about. The formula isn't marketed as waterproof, but I usually prefer waterproof formulas. Just like Benefit's "They're Real", Roller Lash has a similar formula in that it's not waterproof but is very long wearing and actually takes a bit of work to take off at the end of the day. I find when using my usual oil cleanser or cleansing balm it's not much of an issue, but I suspect a makeup wipe won't cut it.

And then there's this! Benefit Canada retweeting me! Very, very exciting!

Overall, I could not recommend this product enough. It's long lasting, eyelash changing formula has very quickly put this in my top 10 or even 5 mascaras.

I hope you enjoyed this review!

Megan

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black Fragrance

Hey everyone,

Today I'm writing a fragrance review, not something I do very often. I'm not very good at it, so I'm relying on the notes written online and trying to explain my thoughts and feelings about the fragrance itself, and also its lasting power etc. 

"Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black is an addictive blend of alluring violet, sensual sandalwood, and rich vanilla that strike the perfect balance between masculine and feminine."

I think the packaging is really nice, it's very solid and sturdy, I know if I were to take it somewhere nothing would break off and the lid would stay put. It's got a cool texture and I think it looks quite striking. Usually I'm a fan of very pretty, girly packaging, but for some reason I love this!

The fragrance itself is quite masculine, but warm. I originally had a sample from Sephora and adored the scent. I thought that it was certainly more of an evening perfume because it's quite heavy and strong. When first applied it does seem this way, but as it settles it becomes a warmer, more feminine scent. I think this wears nicely at any time of the day. Personally, I have worn it day and night.
The lasting power is also quite good. While it wouldn't hurt to have a top-up mid-way through the day, applied once it still lasts nicely. 

Overall, I am really impressed with this fragrance. If you like something a bit lighter, they do have a Nirvana White scent which is lighter and more floral. If you like deeper, masculine, warm scents I would highly recommend this! It has quickly become one of my all time favourite scents!

I hope this review was somewhat helpful- I know most fragrance is opinion, but I thought I'd share what I thought anyway!

Thanks for reading!

Megan

Mani Monday #14

Hey everyone,

Today I thought I'd dedicate a post on 'how to remove glitter nail polish'. Enjoy!

I begin with very sparkly, glittery nails.

Taking a nail polish remover and a cotton pad, I soak it and wrap around my nail.

I have pre-cut 10 small strips of tin foil.

Then I wrap the foil around the cotton pad.

Make sure to squeeze tightly so they don't come sliding off (not that you're able to do much at this stage anyway)

And finally, once you have robot fingers, leave on for any time over 10 minutes (the amount of time i find works best). It's best to keep it tight around your nails to loosen the polish.
From there you can gently wiggle it around your finger before removing and cleaning up a bit further.

It takes longer but involves a lot less scrubbing!

I hope you enjoyed Week 14 of Mani Monday!

Megan

Barefoot Venus Bath Salts

Hey everyone,

This is my third and final Barefoot Venus post, a body care brand based out of British Columbia, Canada. They're an excellent brand with some products I would highly recommend!

Firstly, the packaging is so cute! Similar to brands like The Balm and Benefit Cosmetics!

Today, I'm reviewing the bath salts. There are 6 available, but I have one, the Mustard Bath. 

"Run a hot bath, add the mustard bath,inhale and relax. Let the therapeutic properties of mustard go to work pulling nasty toxins from your skin, while the spirit of wintergreen, eucalyptus & rosemary surround you in a curative cape, leaving you feeling top-notch."

My sister bought the Vanilla Shake bath, and when I asked her how she liked it, she told me it made her skin very soft and didn't irritate it at all. She has very sensitive, dry skin, so if it works for her I imagine it would work for anyone!

"Everything is sweeter when creamy mango butter melts into a sinfully indulgent bath, leaving your skin seductively soft and sweet-scented."

Here's a terrible picture of the mustard salt bath I took, it definitely doesn't look like anything special, but it was very relaxing!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Megan