Real Techniques Brush Haul

Hey everyone!

I've loved Real Techniques brushes for about 2 years now, they're inexpensive, cruelty free and the quality is comparable to brushes much more expensive. They are easily accessible- I can find sets in WalMart and although individual brushes are harder to come by, the website ships to Canada and I've also bought a few from Ulta in the U.S. My experience with the website was excellent, the brushes took about a week to arrive but came in perfect condition.

 I made sure to pick up the Duo-Fibre set because I had heard excellent things (and it's limited-edition!)

 I also bought the Expert Face Brush for foundation application.

 And the Setting Brush for powdering under my eye area after concealing.

 Here is the Setting Brush up close.

 It's a good size and works really well!

 Close up of the Expert Face Brush.

 This brush is fantastic... I think I prefer it over my Buffing Brush for foundation!

 The Duo-Fibre set came nicely packaged.

 Duo-Fibre bristles deposit less product on your face for a softer finish.

 The biggest brush is excellent for powder and bronzer.

 The medium brush is great for blush and highlight.

 And the tiniest brush works well with defining the eye socket, especially when using lots of colours and wanting to blend it out perfectly. 

This is to illustrate how small the brush really is.

I hope you guys enjoyed this haul/review. What do you think of Real Techniques brushes? Let me know!

Have a great day!

Megan

Lancôme's 'Moonlight Rose' Blush Highlighter Review

Hey everyone!

Today I'm reviewing Lancôme's Blush Highlighter in the shade 001. It's an illuminating powder designed for the face and décolleté with a beautiful pink-pearl finish. It's not sparkly- rather it's pearly and shimmery which I find very flattering. It does have a pink undertone (perfect for my skin) but might make a darker skin tone look a bit ashy.

 I wish it had "Moonlight Rose" printed somewhere- but nope!

 The black and gold packaging is very simple and classic, the compact isn't too bulky or flimsy. 

 The product itself is absolutely stunning! The rose is actually embossed into the product and is raised slightly (so be careful when opening!) 

 It has a removable Lancôme sticker on the mirror which was very handy for transporting the product and kept the mirror clean. 

It is very, very pigmented and you only need a very light hand to apply!

Overall, I think this product is stunning, would last forever and is a classic that will work well on paler girls as a highlight. It retails for $42.00.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Have a great day!

Megan

Some Pricey Purchases

Hey guys!

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the massive lack of posting that has happened this past two weeks. I have a few excuses: 1) I was shopping with my Mum and sister in the states, 2) I've been working like a crazy person and 3) A tornado hit my hometown. That last one is not a joke. This is my first day since Sunday with hydro and it has not been fun. (Ever had a freezing cold shower?)

Anyway, on with the post. When shopping in the states I came across a discount cosmetics store and thought I had hit the jackpot! I picked up these two beauties for about 1/4 of what retail would cost me. The retail price online is $74 and I purchased them for $20, which in my eyes is a bargain!

The Pure Chromatics eyeshadow quads from YSL are packaged in a beautiful gold casing.

 The packaging is very sturdy and luxurious. 

 This is quad #8, with beautiful warm-toned golds and a deep olive green.

 All of the shades are shimmery, designed to be used either wet for higher pigmentation, or dry for a more sheer finish.

 When I realized what a gold mine I had hit I went back for another one. I could not keep my mind off of the deep cranberry shade in palette #7.

 Again, all the shades are very shimmery. I wish the white shade was slightly more pigmented (it's actually a bit flaky) but the rest of the shades are to die for!

I was especially impressed with the two lower shades- I think they will be perfect for the fall and winter seasons!

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, let me know if you'd like to see a tutorial featuring these quads!

Have a great day!

Megan

Taking A Day Off Of Eyeliner

Hey everyone,

I love wearing liquid eyeliner. The darkest black shade, with a cat-eye flick and lots of lashes, but I've been working so much recently I figured I'd skip my eyelining step and move straight onto eyelash curlers and some serious mascara. I layered Dior's "It-Lash" and Tarte's "Lights, Camera, Splashes" mascaras to give me lots of length, volume, curl and waterproof staying power. Here is how things worked out...

 Firstly, I think the bold brow and lash look is actually quite flattering.

 Layering the mascaras gave me lots of length.

 As you can see...

And I think it really framed my eyes without being too overpowering or makeup-y. 

I can't say I'm a total convert, but I think on good skin, BB cream days I will skip the liner and go straight onto some lashes! 

What do you think? Liner or lashes? Let me know!!

Megan 

My First Tattoo

Hey everyone,

I know this post will be a little off topic, but since a tattoo is a change in appearance and is something you add to your body to make yourself look/feel better I think I can get away with posting about this.

I've wanted an owl tattoo for a very long time now. I've considered it and drawn owls here and there since about grade 9 (5/6 years ago) but I never really planned anything out too seriously. A few weeks ago I contacted my friend Melinda and we decided we would just go out and get it done, so that's exactly what happened. 

My tattoo artist was Iris Art from Stratford, ON. I think she did an awesome job, she made sure everything was clean, that I was comfortable and made sure I felt 100% before actually getting in the chair. I liked how honest she was, she made it clear that taking care of your tattoo after it's done is super important, and even let me know of rare risks that could happen (but luckily didn't). 

 Here is the owl I drew up and the one I decided to go with.

 I promise I'm not grimacing here, just on the verge of laughing actually.

And the result right after it was finished. I also realized how annoying it was that I didn't have a fresh mani to match the new tattoo, but quickly painted my nails when I got home!

 Here's my little buddy after 6 hours of being bandaged.

 The best solution for dry, peeling, itchy tattoo healing... "Tattoo Goo".

 It smelled incredible, it has a slight olive oil scent but I really liked it. It absorbed relatively quickly and kept the tattoo looking new and moisturized.

And here is a nice little after shot to show you how well it's healing. I love him so much, I think he's such a cute little guy and everytime I see him I get all excited. He has faded a little more now (in a good way) and you can see the individual feathers and detail a little clearly, plus it doesn't look so much like a drawing and more like an actual tattoo. I hope you guys like it and don't mind this little update.

Have a great day!
Megan