Empties and Mini Reviews

Hey everyone,

So I'm updating you all with another round of empties... and we have quite a lot this time.
I think posts on finished products make for really great reviews because if you finish a product you have had lots of time to try it out and you can go into detail talking about what you liked and didn't. Since there is so much to get through let's get started!

 First up is a great purchase... the Garnier Skin Renew sheet masks. They were so good! I felt pampered, relaxed and a little weird when I wore them, but I noticed results! I wrote an in depth review here, so check it out! 

 Next is another good one, Estee Lauder's "Soft Clean". It's kind of a hybrid between a micellar water and a moisturizing toner, and something I really liked. My Mum has used this for years, so I think that's why I find it so comforting, but it's also an excellent product.

 Vichy's Pureté Thermale eye makeup remover was pretty good. It did the job of any other I've tried, but was a little bit greasy. In fact, maybe it wasn't too greasy- but the packaging was less than ideal and left a greasy residue on the lid, resulting in peeling labels and that gross sticky stuff underneath. The formula was good, the packaging wasn't great, and I think you could purchase something similar/better for cheaper.

 2 bottles of Bioderma. I love this stuff, but since finding the L'Oreal micellar water (review here) I'm a convert and won't be spending $$$ on the French alternative. 

 The Organix Moroccan Argan Oil spray was pretty nice. I found the dry oil to work well taming frizziness while adding shine, but too much could make you look a bit greasy. Luckily the spray made it very easy to apply (better than a thicker oil I think) and it made it perfect for travelling. Again with the oily residue peeling labels off... maybe it's just a pet peeve.

 Ah. The Caudalíe Beauty Elixir. Not a huge fan, although I know a lot of you are. I have a full post you can read here.

 This is a bit of a shameful empty because I've had the empty bottle for so long that I barely remember what the product was like. I know it helped reduce the look of redness in my skin, but it was never a complete favourite of mine. The SPF is an added bonus, and I don't remember any horrific ghost faces in flash photography (like I'm photographed all the time...) but this foundation was a bit 'meh' overall. Wouldn't rush out to repurchase. 

 Origin's GinZing moisturizer was a nice, light gel that smelled incredible. The orange scent was so lovely and perfect in the summer months. I don't think it sat as well under makeup as the Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizing gel that I love, but it was moisturizing, smelled great and did the job. I would repurchase for scent alone.

 Essie's Grow Stronger base coat was alright, but nothing special in my opinion. I'm trying out Sally Hansen's Maximum Strength base coat at the moment, and they are basically the same. Essie's Good To Go topcoat on the other hand is a long-term love of mine, this is probably my 3rd or 4th bottle of the stuff. Annoyingly the brush doesn't reach the whole way and you waste about 1/4 of the bottle- however the formula is great at quick drying your nail polish, helping it last longer and keeping it nice and glossy. I prefer it 100% over Essie's No Chips Ahead topcoat.

 I also finished a Witchcraft cuticle oil pen, which I was pleasently surprised with! I found it to be nourishing, not too oily and really convinient. I wish I rememebered which scent this was (I'm using a Lavender one now and have an Acai and Pomegranate one in my stash for later) but I'm pretty sure this had a ginger and something else scent to it. The smell isn't overpowering or even really worth a mention, but the product itself is really nice for a little treat or pampering addition to your manicure.

Finally Anastasia's Brow Wiz. So sad that this finished, but I've already got a new one! It lasted well, works wonders in my sparse brows and is something I'm not sure I can live without now! A better review can be found here. 

I hope this blog post was interesting, it's a bit rambly I know, but there's so much to talk about!

Have a great day guys!

Megan

Maybelline Baby Lips "Dr Rescue" Lip Balm Review

Hey everyone,

Recently I picked up almost the entire shade of Maybelline's Baby Lips "Dr Rescue" lip balms. They've been around for a while and I've heard relatively good things about the range. The shade I don't own is 40 "Pink Me Up" but I have the rest so it's the perfect opportunity to write about it for you!

Maybelline claims that the lip balms provide: 

- Medicated care + 12 HR hydration.

- Soothes quickly with a hint of eucalyptus.

- Cools sore lips with a touch of icy menthol

- In 6 new natural tints to even out lip tone for healthier-looking lips

 The packaging is still as cute as their regular Baby Lips line, but I think the white is designed to give a more medicinal look to the balms.

 Just Peachy gives the perfect peach hue to your lips, it looks natural, adds some shine and is a perfect everyday shade. It's quite glossy and smoother than some of the other shades.

 Soothing Sorbet looks like it should be the colour below. It's much more pink and a bit more pigmented, but I find it sort of makes me look like I've been making out with someone for hours on end. It doesn't work well with my skintone because it looks like it's smudged around my lips no matter how I apply it. This would be the worst in my opinion.

 Berry Soft is a more mauve tone (which is why it should be called Soothing Sorbet as mentioned above), but this is actually a win for me. It's a nice shade, not overly pigmented which helps it to be a more natural everyday shade.

 Coral Crave is the more pigmented option of Just Peachy, but still a pretty shade. I'm not sure how I feel about the coral lip trend, it's stunning on most people with a deeper skin tone, but I think it clashes with the red tones in my face a bit. Like I said, it's still pretty, but I won't get as much of a wear out of this shade.

 Too Cool is the clear, glossy shade in the range. It's just a clear, glossy lipbalm. Nothing special, but moisturizing!

 Here are the swatches in natural light.

 And with a flash.

Overall I think these lip products are more moisturizing than the regular Baby Lips line. If you can get past the menthol smell (think Vic's) then it's actually quite a nice amount of colour and treatment. I think they are great in the summer for sunburnt lips, and in the winter with chapped lips. They make it easier to wear some colour when your lips couldn't wear a lipstick or drying gloss. I would recommend them, but keep in mind two are more pigmented and two are more glossy and sheer.

I hope you enjoyed the review!

Megan

L'Oreal "Miss Manga" Mascara Review

Hey everyone,

This mascara by L'Oreal has been out in the UK for a while, but this past weekend was the first time I saw it in Canada. It's called "Miss Manga", inspired by Anime lashes and a wide-eyed look. This is my review!

 The packaging is pretty adorable, I like how L'Oreal really did use inspiration from something unique.

 I chose the waterproof version because I have oily eyelids (and I'm an emotional mess) so this lasts a lot longer on me than a regular formula would.

 The packaging is quite simple, with a pink lid for a pop of colour!

 Now here's my issue: 1) The bendy wand never lets me wiggle the mascara at the base of my lashes. 

2) The bristles suuuuck. There seems to be no reasoning behind where they are placed or what they are supposed to do.

 I feel like if the wand wasn't bendy you could really achieve a better look, but it's just hard to apply and kind of a pain.

 Before

 After. And just to illustrate how much I didn't like this... I actually combed through the lashes with another mascara.

 I found it to be too clumpy and not lengthening enough for what I want in a mascara.

The formula did last a decent amount of time, but in humidity I still had some smudging underneath my lower lash line... and it's supposed to be waterproof. 

Overall I'm not super impressed with this mascara, I don't care for the wand or bristles, and the waterproof formula isn't exactly great either. I found it to be volumizing, but to the point where it was actually just clumpy and difficult to fix. Maybe when it has dried out a bit I will be able to get some better results, but so far this isn't for me. I will keep using it and update you if my thoughts change. 

Have a great day!

Megan

Makeup By Megan on Reddit

Hey everyone,

So Reddit gets me quite a lot of views, my good friend Sara had posted about my blog before and then I decided to just create a Reddit account. Unfortunately, Reddit is super confusing for me, not being able to post direct links, replying to comments and using different subreddits (what on earth). So anyway my wonderful, beautiful, bestest friend has decided to do all the hard work for me. Basically this is a Sara and Reddit-viewer appreciation.

Firstly, my username is makeupbymegan. (Er, I dunno, look it up or something?!)

Secondly... wow people are friendly!

I am so flattered by all of the lovely comments!!

And Sara for using my blogposts to make awesome replies to people who are reading!

Overall I'm kind of overwhelmed by all the little things you guys are doing to help make this a success. 

Feel free to address Sara for any questions, everything comes back to me so it would just be talking to me via her if that makes sense. 

Thank you again for reading.

I love you all!!

Megan

My YouTube Debut

Hey everyone,

So it's pretty crazy, but I've reached 10,000 views which means I started a YouTube channel. I actually did this a while back, because I wasn't too sure if I wanted to film a video or not, and also because I thought I might want to take it down. Now I'm finally writing this post which means I no longer care about how I looked or felt at the time, and I'm sharing it with all of you.
Here we goooooo....

Pretty embarrassing, but I hope you all like it!

 Here's a shot of the finished makeup

And a little close-up of the eyes.

Then of course, I posted another one. After all, it took a while to get to 10,000 and I may as well try editing a little bit!

Drugstore Makeup Tutorial

And then there was another one:

My evening shower routine.

Of course my lighting, setup and camera is not very good, but I've been working really hard and I think I'm going to aim to film one video every week and continue blogging every other day as usual!

Thanks so much for reading my blog, I appreciate it so so very much!!

Have a great day!!!

Maybelline Master HI-LIGHT Review

Hey everyone,

So since it's summer I've been really into glowing skin and working on contouring/highlighting. These Maybelline powders retail for $16.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart. There are 6 available shades and I own 4 of them. Here's my review!

 I originally picked up three shades... but went back for a fourth.

Maybelline describes the powders as: 

"Light- diffusing blush and bronzer formulas have an expert balance of shade + shimmer illuminator for natural glow. Skin goes soft-lit with zero glitz."

 This is 10 Nude, a light pink champagne highlight.

 It has some bronze undertones which is really nice, reminds me of "Kitten" by Stila.

 The packaging is nothing special, but decent for a drugstore product.

 Next is 20 Pink Rose, a blush colour more than a highlight.

 While it is quite pigmented, it's also quite shimmery so I'd apply very carefully.

 The packaging opens up with a clear lid to clearly see which colour you're looking for. Underneath the pan itself is a little compartment with a brush and mirror.

 50 Light Bronze is classed as a bronzer, but I think it would make a better bronze-toned blush.

 It would certainly add warmth to your complexion, but it is shimmery so it wouldn't contour.

 I went back to the store for 30 Coral, although I think it looks like more of a terracotta than a coral.

 It may not be ideal for my skintone, but I think it will look lovely with a tan or on a darker skin tone than my own. 

 This is 30 Coral swatched in natural light.

 And in the same natural light is Nude, Rose Pink and Light Bronze

 This is taken inside, it shows how the texture can be a little chalky, but it's very finely milled powder.

And with a flash you can better see how pigmented the product really is.

Overall I think these products are really nice and a good addition to any makeup lover. The colour range is quite good, the two shades I don't own are Deep Bronze and Mauve, which would look lovely on darker skin tones. While they are quite shimmery, I think it's good because it can be used as an eyeshadow, highlighter, blush or bronzer. Most drugstore brands don't have highlighters, so these really do bring something new in comparison to the selection we are used to. They are multi-purpose, beautiful and incredibly high quality.

Have a great day!

Megan