Sunday, January 27, 2013

Makeup Haul! Part 1


I went shopping a week or so after the boxing day sales had died down as I had super powers of self control this year. Which basically means I couldn't even go to the malls or I would have fallen apart. So imagine my surprise and horror when I saw that many stores still had their boxing day prices on! My super powers of self control failed me for those few hours and I now have some new products to share with you ha!

First stop was Lush. I had gone in there before Christmas for the first time and have fallen in love with the quality of the products I had tried and was eager for more. I grabbed this bar of North Pole, Lemony Flutter and some mint julep lip scrub as a sample. 

North Pole: great smell! Very much a peppermint based fragrance and the soap was very nice to use. I didn't notice any drastic difference in my skin from using it but didn't get any dryness which was awesome. 

Would I repurchase: Probably not unless on sale as it was very pricey. Fun to try though. 

Lemony Flutter: Excellent for cuticles and dry skin. I haven't even made a dent in the bottle yet even though I have been using it frequently. Really nice softening product for your cuticles and pleasant smell!

Would I repurchase: Yes. You do get a lot of product for the price (around $15) and it goes a long way with great results. Many bloggers have indicated they have had their for over a year and still have lots left!

Mint Julep lip scrub: Lush is awesome in that you can pretty much get a sample of anything to try! Amazing feature! It was very interesting to try. Seemed like brown sugar in a bit of oil. I could probably make my own and the results weren't over the top so I may try making my own....or more likely buying other brands ha!

Would I repurchase: I really enjoyed this product but likely wouldn't purchase.

One of the reasons I am trying Lush products is that they are a Cruelty Free brand- no animal testing and many of their products are Vegan and can even be used in lakes without damaging the environment. While I do have products that do not fit this category I am making a conscious effort to have more natural products for me and for the Earth. 

I popped over to the Mac counter as I am building up my eye shadow collection. I grabbed Cranberry Frost on her recommendation for my dark brown eyes. I haven't used it yet but the colour is actually a gorgeous sheer cranberry with gold flecks!



Next stop was my makeup Nirvana- Sephora. Oh Sephora...how did I even not know about you for so long? I am so grateful to Sarah for bringing me into your hallowed doors and not allowing me to lie on the floors and weep with pleasure. Something about her being embarrassed or something. I think hubby may not think as kindly of Sarah for this as I do but that is neither here nor there. 

On boxing day they had these specials where they had some of their higher end products for $12! It was hard to stay away but I did. Happily I found literally the last of them in my scour of the store! 

Nars Super Orgasm blush- mini size: This is a slightly pinkier, more shimmery version of the famous Nars Orgasm blush. You can google it if you are new to it like I was a few months ago to read more about it. Seems like it is a Holy Grail must have for many and you can put me in that category as well. I find I do like Super Orgasm even better as the pinkier tone works really well on my fair skin. You can't see much of a difference side by side so I recommend swatching both on your skin to see which would work for you. 


As this is already a very long post I will review the rest of my Sephora haul in part 2!

Have an awesome day! Andi


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Zoya Storm review and pics




Happy New Year!!!!

One of my resolutions this coming year is to make sure I post on here a few times a week as I literally spend HOURS each day reading other makeup blogs. Because of these awesome bloggers I feel so much better educated on what is worth buying and how to use it! I hope to keep that awesomeness online going by sharing my finds and feedback as well. 

Plus as a woman in her 40's I think it is so important to have blogs for all ages to share what works best in the different stages of our life. 

My first post of the New Year is to review one of my fave go-to brands: Zoya
I seriously never knew nailpolish could actually stay on me for a full week with minimal wear before Zoya came into my life this past year. And it is 3 Free! Read below from Zoya's website to see what the heck I mean by that:

Zoya Nail Polish has been awarded as the longest wearing natural nail polish by an independent panel in Women’s Health Magazine. Zoya Nail Polish is a nail polish free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. Nail Polish by Zoya offers over 300 gorgeous nail polish colors to choose from, plus 4 seasonalcollections of nail polish every year. Zoya Nail Polish was specifically formulated to deliver the longest wear possible on natural nails. Zoya Nail Polish can be found in better beauty salons, spas and online at www.zoya.com.

(pic from Zoya on Facebook)

When I saw the colour Storm online it became an obsessive must have for me. I luckily found the last bottle at my closest Trade Secrets and headed home to paint my nails. It reminds me of a starry sky or for some reason freshly laid asphalt. No idea why that makes me think of my childhood fondly but it does lol!!! 

My pics above are shown using 3 different light sources:
natural light source
natural light source with flash
flash light source

Verdict- Yes. Yes you MUST own this one. Go buy it now hee hee

Oh Zoya- you are one of my fave new friends of 2012. Here's to an awesome 2013 together xo