Sothys Spring/Summer Collection ~ Review + Swatches

Hello beauties! It's been a hot minute since I posted and I think an explanation is needed. I wish I had an exciting excuse (ahem reason) but I don't. I've been feeling uninspired and it's been crazy hot so I haven't worn much makeup lately. I've also done the unthinkable and have been spending more time offline - yes you read that right.  I've been enjoying the real world and sorry, not sorry. Sometimes a girls gotta stop and smell the roses, swim in all the pools and just soak up the sun (with sunscreen on, obviously).

But as they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I've missed you all. As I ease my way back into regular posting, I thought I would share a short and sweet review of Sothys Spring/Summer Collection.

Sothys Spring/Summer Collection takes inspiration from Sothys garden and the super greens trend that showcases lush nature and an invitation to freshness. Personally I don't see the connection, but I must admit I do like the shade choices!

Ombre Sothys - Eye Quartette ($68.50) contains four new complimentary shades that can be used dry or moist, separately or in harmony. Each shade is iridescent and they are easily buildable and blendable. Although I like the shades, I don't find them to be the most exciting. I really wish that there were a matte transition shade because without it, this quad just feels incomplete. The shadows are quite nice and they wear well with minimal creasing or fading which is super important.

Sothys has two lipsticks in this collection, one satin and one matte. They look very similar in swatches and in real life as well. The main difference is that Rouge Intense Sothys 235 Rouge Roseraie ($35.95) has a semi opaque, satin finish whereas Rouge Mat Sothys 330 Orange Escapade Velours ($35.95) is more opaque, kind of matte and a touch warmer. The tone difference is super subtle so I wouldn't focus too much on it. For those who aren't makeup addicted, I recommend picking your finish preference as they are so similar in colour. Both wear well and are definitely comfortable. Sothys does lipstick well. Really well. They taste good, glide on and feel so amazing plus they wear for hours.

There are a few other items in this collection that are not included in my review; The Calligraphy Eyeliner ($33.50), Sun Glow Bronzing Powder ($61.50) and a Nail Lacquer ($19). Although I haven't tried these particular items, I will say that from experience,  Sothys nail polish is quite good (review here).

Sothys Spring/Summer Collection can be found in Institute and Spas throughout Canada. To find the location nearest you, call toll-free 1-800-361-3004

*Press samples were generously provided to me for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own.

MAKE UP FOR EVER's Ultra HD Underpainting Color Correction Palette & Ultra HD Soft Light Liquid Highlighter

Colour correcting, strobing, contouring, highlighting...so many techniques involving so many products. There's no denying that the end result is worth the effort but sometimes time is an issue. In busy mornings I rely on multitasking products to speed up the process. Realistically, if I have to reach for too many different things it's just not happening. Cue MAKE UP FOR EVER's Ultra HD Underpainting Color Correction Palette.

"Each Ultra HD Underpainting Color Correction Palette was developed by MAKE UP FOR EVER’s pro artist teams and tested on a wide range of skin tones to ensure precise and undetectable color correction—ridding skin of unwanted darkness, redness, and dull areas. As with the other Ultra HD products, a signature combination of coated pigments, powders, and a blend of emollient oils provide a second skin, seamless look and feel."

/source/ 

There are six palettes to choose from based on skin tone. Each palette contains 2 colour correctors to correct discoloration and imperfections. There are also 2 concealers to camouflage the colour correctors. They can be built up to medium or full coverage as desired.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Ultra HD Underpainting Color Correction Palette in 25 Light has become a part of my daily routine. On  days where I haven't slept much (or I slept in) I can use the light peach corrector to conceal darkness under my eyes and then cover it with the concealer. I use the lighter shade (Y215) under my eyes and the darker shade (Y245) to spot conceal. I love how they went with yellow based concealer because it suits my undertone and it helps to mask redness better than cool based ones by cancelling out redness. I haven't had any issues with creasing, but I have had some problems with it moving around on my face. To avoid that, I make sure to set it with foundation or powder - preferably both.

Glowing skin has become my obsession lately and I am LOVING the Ultra HD Soft Light Liquid Highlighter in 30. It's the most perfect golden hue and it gives all the glow without the sparkles. The only complaint I have is that it's a bit too subtle - I kind of want to bathe in it! Having said that, I can appreciate the fact that not everyone wants to blind people and it can be built up, so I guess there's not much to complain about 😜

You can find these and other fabulous MAKE UP FOR EVER products in-store and online at sephora.com

*pr samples were generously provided to me for editorial consideration. As always, all opinions are my own.

wet n wild perfectpout Gel Lip Liners & megalast Liquid Catsuit ~ Review + Swatches

Do you wear lip liner? I own at least a dozen, but I rarely reach for them. I find most lip liners to be too dry and cumbersome to apply. And frankly, I'm just too lazy to bother sometimes. I've been making an effort to line my lips lately, and the new wet n wild perfectpout Gel Lip Liners are making me actually want to do it.

Wet n wild claims that the perfectpout Gel Lip Liners deliver a seamless, flawless application with no tugging and no dragging. They also claim to deliver never-ending color that goes on for days. Pretty big claims for a lip liner that costs $4 pencil! So do they perform as well as they claim?

Short answer, yes!

These lip pencils are ultra creamy and pigmented. They glide across my lips with ease and absolutely no dragging. But colour that lasts for days? No way. They are definitely long wearing, but they don't last me more than 4 or 5 hours. Tops. The only downside to these is that they're almost too creamy, meaning that it could be hard to get a sharp line. Luckily, I'm not a fan of sharp lines.

Since we're talking lips, might as well talk about wet n wild's Megalast Liquid Catsuit. These liquid lips are available in quite a few shades and cost roughly $7 CAD. I have the shades Coral Corruption and Pink Really Hard. Both are stunning shades for the spring/summer. They have a doe foot applicator that has a bowl shaped reservoir to hold the lipstick and each tube holds a generous amount of lipstick. I find application fairly straightforward, although I do find that Pink Really Hard is a bit thicker and slightly harder to spread.

When first applied, megalast Liquid Catsuit appears glossy but dries down to a matte finish within a few minutes. It transfers a bit, but stays intact for the most part. It can hold its own against drinking and light eating, lasting a solid 5 hours before it starts to dry out. I find the formula a tad bit drying, and the longer I wear it the worse it gets. It will start to crumble after extended wear. It's not as bad as it sounds and a little lip prep goes a long way.  For the price, I'm not complaining.

In all honesty, I can see myself purchasing the Liquid Catsuit but not the Gel Lip Liners. It's not that I don't like them, I'm just not a huge fan of lip liners in general.

You can find these products in store at Rexall, online at well.ca and wetnwildbeauty.com

*pr samples were generously provided for editorial consideration. As always, all opinions are my own.

Wet n Wild Color Icon 10 Pan Palettes ~ Review + Swatches

I'm going to preface this by saying that I've been purposely late to the wet n wild party. Why? Let's just say I remember when wet n wild was comparable to dollar store makeup, and I refused to believe it could have changed that much. Well here I am. I can admit when I'm wrong, so here it goes. I was WRONG about wet n wild. So, so wrong!

I've been testing out a lot of wet n wild products so there will be a ton of reviews coming your way 😉 Today I'm kicking it off with the coveted Coloricon 10 Pan Palettes. There are 4 available and I currently own 3 of them - Rosé in the Air, Not a Basic Peach, and Comfort Zone.

Rosé in the Air is often compared to a very popular, prestige palette. I happen to own it, and I will be doing a dupe post for it real soon. In the meantime, let's just take a look at this beauty. There's a good mix of mattes and shimmers and the shade selection is perfect. You can go bold and daring or dial it back for the office. The mattes are buildable and blendable, but they aren't overly pigmented. You will need to build them to achieve opacity and they need to be applied over primer. Same with the shimmers, although they pack a bit more pigment. I do find that the lighter shades need to be built up more than the deeper shades.

Not a Basic Peach is my favourite of the three. There's an awesome mix of neutral and peach shades with a blue thrown in for good measure. The mattes in here are a smidgen more pigmented than Rosé in the Air, but they still need to be built up. The shimmers are pretty great and look best when applied on primer. I am currently living for the orange, coral and blue shade.

Comfort Zone is a pretty palette that's perfect for evening looks. There are more shimmers than mattes and the shade range is deeper and smokier. I love the earthy vibes and how a lot of the shades have colour shifts to them. I didn't even notice that blue had a brown shift until I swatched it (it looks so basic in the pan haha). These shades are absolutely stunning and you need them in your life!

All in all I'm pretty impressed with the quality of these palettes. They wear well and last most of the day with primer. Do they feel like high end eyeshadow? No, they don't. But you can't beat the price and the quality is pretty darn good for drugstore makeup.

You can find these palettes at Rexall, Walmart, online at well.ca and wetnwildbeauty.com



*pr samples were provided for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own.

Diorskin Forever Undercover Foundation ~ Review + Swatches

Hello beauties! Today I'm talking about foundation and Dior, specifically the new Diorskin Forever Undercover Foundation. Before I get into my thoughts, let's take a look at the facts and the claims.

First up, the facts! Diorskin Forever Undercover ($64) is a water based formula that contains the highest level of pigments in the entire range; nearly twice that of the original fluid foundation. To avoid a mask like effect, the pigments are given a specific coating (plant based) to merge with the skin, providing an imperceptible finish.

And now the claims. Diorskin Forever Undercover is said to be an ultra-high coverage foundation that looks natural and wears for 24hrs of extreme correction.

First of all, the finish. In a word, heavenly! I can't get over how this foundation balances full coverage with a natural finish. It's matte yet somehow radiant, and my skin looks perfect. Literally perfect. And the best part is that it's completely undetectable (so long as you find a shade match).

I love how Diorskin Forever Undercover doesn't set right away; you have ample time to blend and adjust your coverage. To achieve a higher level of coverage, Peter Philips recommends applying with a foundation brush. 

As far as wear time, I will say that it's long wearing, but not 24hr wearing (at least not for me). I've tried it with primer, on its own, set with powder plus setting spray and I can't get longer than 8 hours out of it. I will say that it fades gracefully and evenly.

All in all I really like this foundation but...

The shade range (although better) is still very lacking. There are 24 shades that are mostly neutral toned. So those who are very fair or deep will likely have a hard time finding a match, as will anyone with a very warm or cool undertone.

In order for me to wear this foundation in the winter, I need to mix it. Even then, it's not perfect. I'm pretty pale with a yellow undertone. I tried Shade 015 Tender Beige as it was the lightest, most warm toned neutral shade, but it was still too pink. The lightest yellow based shade is 021 Linen and that's too dark for me right now. 023 Peach is too orange. Everything in between is too neutral or pink. In order for me to make this foundation work, I mix shade 015 with a touch of 021, add a couple drops of MAKE UP FOR EVER Chromatic Mix in 02 (review on those here). 

The good news is that shade 21 will definitely work once I get my faux tan on 😉

Do I recommend this foundation? Hells ya if you can find a match! The finish is one of the best I've ever tried. I seriously hope that they add some more shades/undertones to the range.

You can find Diorskin Forever Undercover in-store and online at sephora.com

*pr samples were generously provided for editorial consideration. As always, all opinions are my own.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Eye Shadow ~ Review + Swatches

If you've been anywhere near social media, you've already heard about MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Eye Shadow. In case you haven't, Artist Color Eye Shadows are single eyeshadow pans that can be put into magnetic palettes. MAKE UP FOR EVER have their own branded palettes available and Sephora will give you a discount when you bundle a MUFE palette with Artist Color Eye Shadows (more on that later).

The best part? Not only can you create your perfect palette, you can build more than one since there's 121 shades to choose from (hello choices!) If the idea of a customized palette doesn't get you excited, I don't think we can be friends. Seriously though 😋

Now I definitely have a type when it comes to eyeshadow, but I do like to branch out. I decided to try to fill in some gaps in my collection and chose shades that are different from what I own. Meet M-924 Purple (matte purple), I-918 Lavender (iridescent purple) and I-722 Mandarin (iridescent orange) 😍

Purple is a hard shade to get right. And let me tell you, MAKE UP FOR EVER got it right. M-924 is pigmented, buildable, blendable and true to tone. I love to use it as a crease shade.

I-918 is a stunning lavender shade that's very on-trend for spring. I like to wear it as an all over lid colour paired with M-924 in the crease. This iridescent shade is very creamy, pigmented, blendable and just flat out awesome!

I will never tire of orange and coral. They make up a huge part of my eyeshadow collection yet I can never have enough of them. The moment I saw I-722 Mandarin I knew I needed it. This beautiful shade is a little peach and a whole lot of orange, if that makes sense. This iridescent shade looks gorgeous on its own as an all-over lid colour. It also looks amaze with contrasting shades, such as purple. If you like warm, peachy tones then you will want to be adding this to your collection asap.

Earlier I touched on the discount Sephora is offering if you purchase an empty palette plus 2 or more Artist Color Eye Shadow. Here's the official deets, as found on the Sephora website!

To redeem your set:

1. SELECT YOUR EYESHADOWS AND PALETTE: Select 2 to 6 Artist Color Eye Shadows and any size of refillable palette.

2. ADD EACH ITEM TO BASKET

3. GET A DEAL: Discount will automatically apply at checkout. Your final set will be:

- US $29 ($36 value)/CAN $37 ($46 value) for 2 Eyeshadows & any size palette.

- US $39 ($53 value)/CAN $50 ($68 value) for 3 Eyeshadows & any size palette.

- US $49 ($70 value)/CAN $63 ($90 value) for 4 Eyeshadows & any size palette.

- US $59 ($104 value)/CAN $77 ($134 value) for 6 Eyeshadows & any size palette.

Note: Each item will display separately with the original price when added to your basket. The discount will display above your order total. Additional promotions and discount offers do not apply to this set.

Have you tried Artist Color Eye Shadow? Would you like to? Let's chat in the comment section below 👇

*pr samples were generously provided for editorial consideration. As always, all opinions are my own!

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Crème Lipstick ~ Review + Swatches

Hey beauties! Today I'm sharing a short (and sweet!) post about the Kat Von D Studded Kiss Crème Lipstick I received complimentary to review. If you follow me on social (if not, let's be friends) you likely saw that I received Influenster's Kat Von D Beauty Voxbox. I was gifted the shade Misfit and I seriously love it!

"Studded Kiss Crème Lipstick features a high-chroma content for pure, vivid color in a revolutionary new base formula that’s crystal clear, super-soft, and virtually weightless. Made with smooth, spherical pigments and lip-nourishing ingredients, it’s never been easier to coat your lips in creamy, comfortable color." /source/ 

For the most part my lipstick collection consists of liquid lipsticks, however I do own one of the original Kat Von D Studded Kiss lipsticks. In short, the new version is definitely an improvement. I found the old formula to tug upon application and it felt pretty drying. I'm happy to say that the new formula is much creamier, smoother and still long wearing.

There are a whopping 40 shades to choose from and I received the shade Misfit. On the Sephora website it's described as a true scarlet, but in person I would have to say it's more of a warm, rust shade. A little brown, but still very much a red. The finish is somewhere between satin and matte - more matte in my opinion.

As far as wear goes, I can get a solid 6 hours out of it. It does transfer but it's minimal and as long as I don't eat anything oily I'm good. For a bullet lipstick it wears very well.

All in all I'm quite happy with this lipstick and am planning on picking up a few more. OG Lolita, I'm coming for you 😉

You can find these lipsticks in-store and online at sephora.com

*I received this lipstick complimentary from Influenster. All opinions are my own.

Dior Glow Addict Collection ~ Spring 2018

Hello beauties! Although it certainly doesn't feel like it, spring is around the corner! Today I'm sharing my thoughts on some items from Dior's spring makeup collection. Next week, I'll be sharing my first impressions on new Dior skincare (you definitely don't want to miss that 😉)

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a weakness for eyeshadow - especially pretty, embossed shadow. Dior knows how to create beautiful palettes and that's a problem for me. Why? Because I don't end up using it. No I'm not joking, and I know it sounds silly. Fortunately for you (and me too), I was recently gifted the new 5 Couleurs Glow Addict Palette in 887 Thrill to review, so I had to use it. Before I begin my review, let's just admire the beauty of this palette 😍

The Glow Addict Edition: 5 Couleurs - Spring Look 2018 Limited Edition High Fidelity Colors & Effects Eyeshadow Palette ($73) is available in 2 variations, 667 Flirt (greyish pastel) and 887 Thrill (pinky brights). Both are stunning, and feature a Dior embossed centre as well as Gorgeous detailing on the shadows. As always, these palettes include foam applicators and a small brush.

no primer, swatched by finger

887 Thrill is beautiful beyond words! The shades work well together, and you can create day looks as well as night looks with ease. Each shade has a gorgeous shimmer to it that gives off a glowing appearance. You can build and blend them easily, to be as subtle or as dramatic as you like. My only issue is that this palette is limited edition - It should be a part of the regular lineup of 5 Couleurs!

You can't have a Glow Addict Collection without a banging highlighter, so naturally we need to talk about the Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer Powders. Available in two shades, 001 Holo Pink & 002 Holo Gold, these are what (highlighter) dreams are made of!

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer Powder in 001 Holo Pink ($75) is not for the faint of heart. The name says it all; this highlighter is holographic! It catches the light and bounces it in such a unique and pretty way. It goes on creamy, smooth and intense. You can blend it out, but you can't really make it subtle (especially if you plan on spending any time outdoors). If you like your highlight poppin' then you need this. Just look at how direct sunlight bounces off of it...

If you've never had the pleasure of trying Dior Lip Glow, you need to go out and do that. Like now.

Dior Lip Glow ($41) was born in 2009 and combines the benefit of a slightly coloured ink, with the comfort of a balm. They're the perfect balance of lip care and makeup - plus they're so simple to apply, you don't even need a mirror! This season we see new shades and effects to suit the needs of women (and men!) worldwide. Before I get into the new finishes, let's talk a bit about the formula.

The Colour Reviver technology reacts to the PH level of the lips, to create a customized pink flush. The formula is concentrated in mango butter to provide optimal hydration for up to 24hrs. You can wear it on its own as a tinted balm or under lipstick as a hydrating base. Lip Glow has been the balm of choice for years. Did you know that one is sold every 3 seconds around the world?

Dior Lip Glow sees the addition of 10 new shades, as well as matte and holographic finishes.

"By playing around with the formula in the laboratory we found that we could create a Lip Glow with a  Matte Glow finish. It's a tinted balm with a blurring effect that enhances lips without giving the impression you're wearing makeup" Peter Philips

As a matte lipstick lover, I have to admit that I was (still am) stupid excited for this (matte) Lip Glow. I have the shade 102 Matte Raspberry and it's amazing. It reacts with my PH and turns a deep, almost berry, pink. It feels just as comfortable as the regular Lip Glow and it looks natural - I'm obsessed!

The holographic Lip Glows are phenomenal. Unlike the dewy and matte Lip Glows, these do look like makeup on. And you know what? That's totally fine! They have the most stunning iridescent finish that reflects light to bring about a shimmering radiance. The best part is that they're wearable - the holographic finish isn't over the top which means you could totally wear these to work. 

I can't recommend Dior's Lip Glow enough. If you only pick up one thing from the collection, let it be a Lip Glow - you won't be disappointed!

You can find these products in-store and online at thebay.com , sephora.com , Nordstrom and Dior Counters worldwide.

*Press samples were generously provided for editiorial consideration. As always, all opinions are my own.