My Bronzer Collection

It might be a little early in the year to start thinking about bronzers, but it's also a time of year where lots of people go on vacation to escape the snow and enjoy the sun. I thought I'd show you a peek into my bronzer collection (it's a collection because I have way more than I need), and I thought I'd throw in a mini-review of each one as well.

 Just a quick artsy picture to demonstrate what we're working with.

 Firstly is the Lorac TANtalizer. It's a bronzer/highlighter duo, and the bronzer is a matte dark brown. It's a good shade for contouring, but could be a bit muddy looking if applied too thickly.

 The packaging is great, there's a mirror in the lid and because it's a duo it's perfect for traveling.

 The Clarins "Instant Sun Light" in the shade 20, Golden Sun. It's a bit too orange for me, but applied lightly with a tan it can look quite nice. It isn't matte, it has a slight shimmer, but nothing too sparkly or glittery.

 The packaging is pretty average, with a mirror in the lid of the compact. The SPF of 15 is a nice bonus, but the product has quite a perfumey scent, so be aware of that if you are sensitive to scented products.

 Too Faced's "Peach Leopard" bronzer is a nice one because it isn't completely matte and has some colour to it. The pink in the bronzer adds a more natural sun-kissed glow, in comparison to a more orange spray-tanned effect. As you can see it's well loved (and when I hit pan on the product it's practically fallen to pieces, but I can't let it go)

 This is just a miniature size, so it comes in a cardboard packaging. It still has a mirror which is nice, and the small size would make a perfect purse-sized bronzer (if it wasn't in pieces of course).

 Rimmel London's "Sun Shimmer" is a Maxi-Bronzer, basically a bronzer that has a lot of product. I tend to use this on my neck and chest area, it helps match the colour of your face and body. Because there is so much product and it's so cheap it makes a great one to blend everything out.

 Not the greatest packaging, but expected for a drugstore purchase. No mirror, and the product comes with a gold glitter overspray, so use it on your body before you try it on your face- you'll look a bit glittery otherwise.

 Smashbox's "Halo" bronzer is a great one because of this grating technique. You can shave off the amount of product you need, keeping the rest of the product clean and relatively bacteria free. It also stops the product from oxidizing or becoming chalky as some older powders tend to do.

 It has a twist off lid and is quite compact. I think the packaging is okay, but I wouldn't recommend it for on the go. The loose powder and twist off cap could make for a messy experience.

 Tarte's Clay Bronzer in "Park Ave. Princess" is a nice product because it isn't orange at all. The shade almost has a grey undertone, which may not sound too "sunkissed" but eliminates any risk of looking like an oompa-loompa.

 Again, I have a deluxe sample size, so this one doesn't have a mirror, but because it's so petite it is excellent for travelling.

 Finally is one of my all-time favourite bronzers, Benefit's "Hoola". It has the same grey undertones as the Tarte bronzer, but this powder is totally matte.

The packaging is standard for Benefit (since it's a Box-O-Powder) but it's a bit bulky for traveling purposes. The colour is one of the best I've found, but when I go away in February I'll probably opt for the Tarte one, just to pack a bit lighter.

So there's a quick overview of my Bronzer collection, I hope you enjoy it and get some ideas if you're looking into a new bronzer soon!

Soap & Glory's "The Fab Pore"

Happy Friday everyone!
I hope you all had a great holiday season! Coming back to school is great and everything, but here in Ontario we've had a bit of a "polar vortex", basically I've been waiting for buses in -40 degree weather. This has taken a major toll on my skin. I've been moisturizing like crazy, but the high winds and cold weather has literally chapped my face. Areas like my nose and chin, which stick out from under my hood, have begun peeling and despite all the moisture feel very dry. I knew I should use a mask that isn't too drying, but exfoliates enough to held get rid of the peeling.
For Christmas I received Soap & Glory's "The Fab Pore", and this week I used it for the third time. I'm very impressed. I get a bit stressed out trying new face masks because I either get a great result but only have a sample size, or I buy a full size of a mask and it makes my face red for days.

 The product comes in a reasonable sized tub. It smells very fresh, and has a bit of a minty smell. I use a grape-sized amount (as suggested on the tub) and rub it into my face until the grainy consistency becomes smooth. It layers very nicely, it isn't too thick and it doesn't go all patchy like some clay masks tend to. You can apply this for 5 minutes for a quick facial, or 15 (which I do) for an experience that yields better results. "The Fab Pore" is aimed at clearing out your pores, perfect for skin prone to breakouts, blackheads, or if you suffer from an oily T-Zone. It contains Salicylic Acid which helps to chemically exfoliate the skin. Salicylic Acid works wonders on acne-prone skin, and I think this mask seriously improved my skins condition.

I thought I'd leave you off with a ridiculous face-mask picture. Enjoy!

Soap & Glory's "The Fab Pore" gets a 4/5 from me!

Enjoy your weekend!!

Manicure Monday Week 8

I know it's Tuesday, but I didn't want to wait a week to post this... and I didn't want to think of some crappy Tuesday alliteration. (Although it was almost "Tips Tuesday", could be deceiving.) This week I didn't paint my nails much, in fact, I've painted them a lot less lately. I think it could be due to my nail polish lasting a surprisingly long time, which I definitely won't complain about. Since the nail polish has been a bit sparse, I thought instead I'd post my manicure routine. This isn't my full on, sit down for an hour mani, but the regular steps I take to paint my nails.

 Here are the products I typically use. I don't use these items each and every time, this is just to give you a general idea.

 To begin I soak a cotton pad with regular nail polish remover. I've tried acetone-free, but find it takes about 10 minutes longer to remove your nail polish and I'm pretty impatient. This nail polish remover is just the normal type from Quo, but I've poured it into a bottle from Joe Fresh that has the easy pump to soak the cotton pad.

 Generally, I hold the cotton pad onto my nail for a few seconds before wiping away. This helps to stop scrubbing at your nails (glitter polish being an exception) and means you can watch Netflix at the same time without being too disruptive.

 Next I trim my nails. These nail scissors are from Shopper's Drug Mart's brand, Quo. They're just regular stainless steel scissors that I find work fairly well. I don't actually cut my nails often, I'm more likely to just shape with a nail file... which brings me to my next step.

 Filing my nails is one of my least favourite parts about a manicure. Although this Bath & Body Works nail file is cute, filing just isn't something I love. I don't file all in one direction or anything special, I just file enough to shape my nails. I prefer a more squared off look, as opposed to a rounded shape.

 Next I apply a base coat. Base coats are important for increasing the longevity of your nail polish, while also providing a smooth base for the colour to adhere to. This is Essie's "Grow Stronger" base, which has a pinky colour (that doesn't show, it just gets rid of yellowness and stains on nails) and dries relatively quickly.

 I chose Essie's "Sole Mate" for the manicure itself, since I couldn't photograph how I actually paint my nails I thought I should say there isn't a particular method I use. I try to leave a bit of a gap at the base of my nail (something I don't always succeed at) and go from there. 2 coats of polish usually does the trick, then I'm good to go.

 And then I use Essie's "Good to Go" topcoat. It's a quick drying formula that gives a shiny look to the nails. I've bought this about three times, just to show how much I like it. It helps your nail polish look nicer for longer and prevents chipping, while also drying your nails quickly so that you don't smudge them before they're dry.

Finally I use Soap & Glory's Hand Food, the best hand cream I've ever used. I have a large bottle, and this is my second small tube. It soaks in quickly, doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy, moisturizes and smells incredible!

That's my manicure routine, I hope you like it! Let me know any of your own mani tips in the comments or on Twitter, I'd love to hear product recommendations or suggestions!

2013 Beauty Resolutions

So it's a new year, and I want to make an effort to have successful resolutions.

Last year I opted out of carbonated drinks, especially diet pop. As a diabetic, diet pop is often the only option at restaurants, juice is too sugary and I don't always feel like a hot drink, like tea. I haven't had an entire can/bottle of pop in the year of 2013 and I'm pretty proud of that. Aspartame isn't good for me, so I chose to stop drinking it. If you're in a restaurant and you can't decide on what to drink, just choose water. It's good for you, it improves your skin, keeps you better hydrated than pop and it's free! Anyway, my point is that I want this trend to continue. So that's number one.

1) Don't drink pop. Not diet, not regular. Not good for me!

2) Stop snacking on chips. Seriously, chips or crisps or whatever you want to call them. They're my weakness and I love that salt and vinegar goodness... but it's a new year and I need to stop eating them. For the sake of my acne prone skin, weight and general health. Stop it Megan.

3) Blog at least 4 times every week. Now this is a goal I really want to commit too. This blog has been mildly successful from November until now, and at almost 5,000 views! Imagine how good it will be if I post on a more regular basis? I know on exam weeks, vacation time etc I may not reach this goal, but I will certainly make my best effort to do it.

4) Drink more water. I know with the whole "no pop" thing it would seem I drink a lot of water. Not true. Honestly sometimes I just don't drink anything, how ridiculous? This year will be different (I hope) and I'm aiming to drink at least 4 glasses per day. Half what I should drink, but a good start nevertheless.

5) Take care of my toes. Again, as a diabetic it is so important for me to take good care of my feet. I suck at this! I maybe sit down and exfoliate my feet maybe twice in a year. But this year I intend to take the time and pamper my feet once per month. That means wash, exfoliate, trim nails, moisturize and sneak in a few more polish changes. Pedicures are nice, I hope this won't be too much of a challenge!

So there are my 5 Beauty Resolutions. Let me know some of your own and recommend me some not-chip snack ideas! Thanks!

2013 Makeup Favourites!

Happy New Year everybody,

To kick of 2014 I decided to share with you my top beauty picks from last year. It was a big year for me and makeup (as ridiculous as that sounds), but it's certainly been a year where the majority of my extra money has gone towards cosmetics, either to review on my blog or just to try out myself. I feel that 2014 will see an increase in the makeup I buy, as much as I love reading reviews on what is good or bad, I like buying products I've never seen before to write about. Anyway, I thought sharing some of my annual faves with you will give you some insight into my most used and well loved products. I hope you enjoy!

 I figured I'd start at the very beginning. Sometimes I prime my skin, but I don't use primer on a daily basis and have no new favourites this year. Some top primers include Smashbox Primer in Oil Free Light and Benefit's Porefessional. But onto foundation. 

Foundations:

My favourite summer foundation is Rimmel's "Wake Me Up" in 100 Ivory. It's not ivory in the slightest, in fact it's my summer shade, and even though it's not a great option for my pale skin in the winter, in the summer it is awesome. 

Secondly I have Maybelline's "Dream Fresh BB Cream". I have the shades light, light-medium, and medium- just to show how much I love this stuff. It's a great no-makeup makeup base and it looks very light and natural. 

Last but not least is Rimmel's "Clean Finish" foundation in the shade 120 Ivory. Again, not ivory. I love the finish of this foundation, not too glowy but not too matte, however it oxidizes like nobody's business. I'll have to leave this until the spring/summer when my face can afford to be two shades darker when I step into the sun. 

 Concealers:

First up is Rimmel's "Wake Me Up" concealer. It's a wonderful under eye concealer but again, I only use in the summer. Why don't Rimmel have paler shades?! The formula is awesome and it wears well.

Next is MAC's Studio Finish concealer in the shade NW20. It's very heavy duty and works best on breakouts and redness, too much can look cakey and dry out the skin so I recommend using it sparsely and building up coverage as needed.

Maybelline's "Instant Age Rewind" concealer in the brightening shade is wonderful. It's a beauty blogger fave, and I totally understand the hype. It blends flawlessly, highlights and covers under eye dark circles (something I get a lot lately) and just makes you look a little more awake than you might be feeling.

 Powders:

Powders have been something I've really gotten into using again this year. Not pictured is Rimmel's "Stay Matte" powder which is brilliant, but unfortunately I don't have it with me at the moment.

MAC's "Mineralize Skinfinish Natural" is a great powder that doesn't look too powdery. I would like to see a translucent shade in the future, because it does add some coverage. A light dusting goes a long way- it can look cakey if over-applied.

Hourglass "Ambient Lighting Powder" in Dim Light is one of my favourite products of the year. It doesn't look powdery and allows your skin to remain looking like skin- it doesn't mattify too much. I think for the price it's worth looking into the shade that works best for you, I wouldn't rush in to a purchase unless you were sure of the shade you need.

 Bronzers:

Tarte's Amazonian Clay bronzer in "Park Ave. Princess" is a great pale bronzer with a little sparkle to it. It's beautiful year round.

Lorac's "Tantilizer" is another great option, the highlighter isn't my favourite but the matte bronzer makes a great contour shade and is quite dark, perfect for summer months.

Not pictured is Benefit's "Hoola" bronzer which I've used for most of the year. It's a matte bronzer and I love it. I don't have it with me at the moment, but it's certainly this years favourite.

 Highlighters:

Dior's "Amber Diamond" has got to be my favourite highlight of the year (or ever?!). It's beautiful, makes you feel oh-so-glamorous when applied and will last forever because it's so pigmented.

Benefit's "Watts Up" cream highlight is a great versatile shade of champagne, quite shiny but blends beautifully. I don't use it enough but I love it when I do wear it.

Thirdly we have Stila's "Kitten Highlight Duo", hard to find but worth it. Works well as an eyeshadow too. I love both shades, the deeper shade for when I'm a bit more bronzed and the original "kitten" shade for when I'm a bit paler.

 Blush:

Blush is my weakness, it was hard to narrow it down to three choices, but here we go!

Dior's "Rosy Glow" is a wonderful pink shade with blue undertones, creating a brightening healthy pinch to the cheeks. 

Tarte's 12 Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in the shade "Exposed" is my favourite blush in the world. It's a natural rose shade which gives the perfect amount of colour and lasts forever. It suits an array of skintones and is my most worn blush.

Josie Maran's Coconut Jelly Blush in the shade "Pink Escape" is pigmented and gives a really natural blush to the face. It's a cream blush and I find it applies best with fingers. Very blendable and looks wonderful for hours on end.

 Brows:

Benefit's "Brow Zings" has lasted me such a long time with no end in sight. I use the shade "light" and for a long time this was the only brow kit I used. I use the powder side more than the wax side, but find if my brows are particularly unruly that the wax works wonders, however I wish it wasn't so dark.

Anastasia Beverly Hill's "Brow Wiz" in the shade "Blonde Ash" is the perfect brow tone for me. It doesn't have any of the redness most brow colours seem to have and the precision tip of the pencil helps create natural looking individual hairs to fill in even the most sparse of brows. 

Thirdly I had to mention Tweezerman tweezers. The best of the best.

 Powder Eyeshadow:

Couldn't narrow down individual shadows so I just picked my two most used palettes.

Urban Decay's "Naked Basics" palette is wonderful. Almost all matte shades perfect for every day and travelling. My top two shades are Walk of Shame and Naked2.

Nars "And God Created the Woman" palette is another winner. I love Alhambra and Kalahari because they give such a nice sparkle to your eyelids without looking overdone. This palette is also great for travelling, a perfect handbag size.

 Cream Eyeshadows:

Up first is Rimmel's "Scandaleyes" shadow stick in the shade "Bulletproof Beige". It's a great eyeshadow base that is a little warmer than the pink-champagne shades I love so much.

Speaking of pink-champagne shades, next is Benefit's cream shadow in "RSVP". Perfect eyeshadow base but make sure you keep it tightly closed because the shadow can dry up quite quickly.

Lastly is Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in "Bad to the Bronze". Universally flattering, warm bronze shade that makes any neutral smoky eye that more dramatic.

 Eyeliners:

First up I have 2 Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliners. I have the nude and black shades. They are creamy, long lasting on the lid and in the waterline, and very affordable!
MAC's "Prunella" is my only MAC liner, but I really like it. It's quite soft and long lasting but the colour is what really wins me over. This was a gift from a dear friend, and she specifically asked for a liner to bring out green eyes- needless to say it does exactly that.
Urban Decay recently had a sale of their old 24/7 liners because they relaunched the line. I picked up two in the sale, but this gold shade in "El Dorado" is awesome, it also makes a great eyeshadow base. Unfortunately it is no longer available, but the new line has a very similar shade range.
Stila's "Stay All Day" waterproof liner is the only liquid liner I tend to use. It has gotten better as it dries out because at first it was so watery if you made any mistake it would last forever! It takes practice to use this, but it's easier than many other liquid liners I've used. Definitely on a future re-purchase list.

Mascara:

Up first is Rimmel's "Scandaleyes Retro Glam" mascara. This gives great length and volume but does come off quite easily. I wouldn't wear it in the summer, but perhaps they will come out with a waterproof version. For a day to day look I really like it, but it isn't too long-lasting and if you suffer from oilier skin I wouldn't recommend it.

Benefit's "They're Real" mascara is wonderful and this years favourite. It's almost dried out now, but I think I will re-purchase it. It lasts forever, adds length and volume and I find with a cleansing balm or oil it's relatively easy to remove.

Lastly, I have Bobbi Brown's "Intensifying Long Wear" mascara. The tiny brush is great for upper and lower lashes and also getting pesky litter corner eyelashes. It lasts for a very long time and is a great everyday mascara. (Also the trial size has lasted an impressively long time!)

Lipsticks:

Another hard topic. 

MAC's "Hue" is a perfect pale pink/nude shade that's very creamy and quite long lasting. Less is more, if you layer it too much you start to look a bit too pale and matching lips/face isn't my thing.

MAC's "Modesty" is a new shade I've been loving, it's a less glittery version of "Patisserie" and I think it's a wonderful fall/winter shade.

Bite Beauty's lip pencil in "Rhubarb" is one of my very favourite lip colours of the year. It lasts so long and for a dark colour it doesn't require much touching up. You'll never find this stuff on your teeth.

Givenchy's lipstick in "Rose Tafettas" is a lovely bright pink shade that is such a pretty spring/summer colour. It's very flattering without being too Barbie.

Lipgloss:

I find I wear lipgloss more than lipsticks, but this year I've really been a fan of more intense glosses that have a lipstick feel to them.

NYX's Butter Gloss in Natural is a great shade and very pigmented. I'll definitely buy more of these in the future.

Nars lipgloss in "Turkish Delight" is a bit of a daunting shade because it's so pale but when applied lightly it leaves a really nice effect. It's got a blue undertone so it makes your teeth look extra-white.

Soap & Glory's "Sexy Mother Pucker" lipgloss in the plum shade is a really nice gloss because it's not overly pigmented, however it just deepens you lip colour by a few shades. It's also a "plumping" lipgloss so some might find the tingling a bit irritating but I don't mind the sensation.

NYX's lipgloss in "Beige" is the perfect everyday shade that makes your lips just a little better. Creamy, long lasting and hydrating to your lips, this gloss leaves them soft and shiny for hours.

Laura Mercier's lipgloss in "Baby Doll" is a natural sparkly pink shade. The formula is really nice and the travel size is perfect for keeping in your purse (where this was for most of 2013) and I like to always have it on hand, making it one of my most used shades of the year.

Phew. Long post! I'm glad that's all over with and happy you guys get a sneak peak into what I loved this year. Some are loves I've had for a couple of years now, others are new to me but well-loved before hand, and others I haven't seen much on but work well for me! I hope to condense the list for 2014 but I know that isn't going to happen! Thanks for being great readers for 2013 and I hope to post more regularly (approximately 4 times per week) potentially excluding exam weeks! 

Thanks again, tell me some of your 2013 faves in the comments or tweet me @makeupbymegant