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

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

Empties- Used up product reviews

I have really loved this feature on other blogs so I am starting this as well.

Plus it will help remind me of what I actually used and like. Ha!

Getting old has totally affected this girl's memory ;P

First up

Caudalie Gentle buffing cream:

I really loved this product. 

felt gentle when I used it and my face felt nice and clean

I felt like it removed old skin and got down to my new skin

Verdict- would purchase

Vichy One Step cleanser:

I really hated this product

Really surprised that I disliked it as I enjoy the brand

Texture felt terrible

skin didn't feel clean

blech

couldn't even finish it- pitched it in the bin

verdict- wouldn't purchase

Simple Refreshing Facial Wash gel:

this stuff was awesome!

 I had no problem switching from my regular cleanser to use this and kept it in rotation

I have also tried the Simple makeup wipes and also enjoyed them

Loving this brand that is from the UK!

Can't wait to try more products from them

and the price point is great!

verdict- would purchase

Vasanti Brighten Up:

really loved this product!

warning- very intense scrubbage so be gentle

normally I would steer away from such a strong scrubby but I liked the results

I was really sad when this was gone

Thankfully another one of my subscription boxes sent me another one!

verdict- would purchase

(fyi- my dog seemed to like it too- at least the packaging as demonstrated by chew marks)

Sula Natural Lip Gloss:

I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS GLOSS!

I adore it

It feels sooo good on the lips

and the sparkle- swoon!

Just the right amount of sparkle for a 41 year old's lips

I love it so much I store it upright to scrape out the dregs at the bottom

I can't let it go

verdict- would love to repurchase!

problem is I can't seem to find any to buy in Canada and don't really want to buy online for just one

if anyone knows where I can get some please let me know!

What about you? Any items you plan on repurchasing when gone? Leave me a comment and let me know or leave a link to your blog!

Cheers- Andrea

Dior Lady Diorific review and pics

I'm back with a Dior nailpolish review!

I took a small hiatus while I learned more about make-up and took tons of photos

Now to edit and blog them all 

Sounds like I need lots of tea...or wine...to keep me company and it will be all good hee hee

First up to be blogged is one of my fave find these past few months

Dior Lady Diorific Vernis

This nailpolish had my name as soon as I saw it

Darn those Shopper's Drug Mart beauty boutiques!

yep- I was this cute bottle's beyotch at hello

Scroll back up and look at the bottle

That uber cute..dainty...elegant...bottle

See what I mean!

I was POWERLESS

I have to admit I am very hard pressed to spend more than $20 on a polish

In fact I am pretty sure I said I never would

but the more I say that the more I keep falling in love with ones at that price point

sigh

maybe it would be easier to stop saying Never

Now to the polish

It is flawed..like me

and loveable...like me

I will start with the negatives:

streaky brush stokes that needed top coat to smooth out

runny- you can see in pic above all kinds of it at the sides of my nail

a wee bit pricey

the positives:

I loved it

my teen daughters loved it - shocker!

everyone who saw the colour commented on it and loved it

(the cute moustache stickers in honour of Movember helped)

great staying power

people literally grabbed my nails and commented on the colour and the stickers

well..no men did but hubby did mention he really liked it too!

Verdict- It was an amazing polish and I am so glad I splurged on it personally. I may get the black as well as I love the gold flecks in it. My friend purchased that one after seeing my nails so I will try it out and see if it also is a must buy. The red is enticing too. I keep it out on my vanity as it looks so pretty I can't bring myself to store it with the rest of my polish yet!

Have you tried any pricier polishes that you were totally satisfied or unsatisfied with? I would love to hear about them! 

Now to finally crack and get the long lusted after Debra Lippmann polish Across the Universe

Nail Polish Review- Zoya-Noel and Maisie

I have become a nail polish addict. Hard core. I have gone from the girl who wore the same chipped nailpolish for months to lusting after all the pretty colours out there. And instead of straight from bottle to nail application like I previously used to do..I now do base, top coats and use drip dry. I don't know what happened to Ol' Chippy (aka old me) but I like this new 'polished' version of myself. Ha ha...I crack myself up...polished version..get it?? Okay I'll stop trying to be funny and get down to the good stuff hee hee. 

Zoya is a new to me brand and came highly recommended from my fellow makeup addict and bff Sarah. So she said it was yummy for the nails so of course I became obsessed with getting some to try for myself..like as soon as possible. 

I chose Noel due to my current interest in blue or teal nailpolish. It is a rich colour with silver streaks running through the bottle and a nice serving of shimmer. I then had to buy some 'flakey' polish which is where Maisie came into play. As a crafter I can't turn my back on a good glitter and this 'flakey' look was different and cool. 

I first applied my base coat. After some experimenting I have found that I really like Misa's top and base coats as I have previously had my manicures last barely a day without serious chipping and I can get a week with Misa's combo with a bit of wear only at the tips. I scored a buy the top coat and get the base coat for free at Trade Secrets- gotta love a good score!

When it was time to apply Noel I found I really liked Zoya's brush size. It covered my nail amazingly and had to only do a few strokes to cover a nail. I struggle with brands with smaller brushes so Zoya's size made me happy. I found the formula glided on smoothly and didn't tug or pull. Also I didn't notice much streaking but mind you the flakey layer would hide any imperfections. Like my crappy job at painting my nails lol.

Maisie- the flakey formula- also had a nice brush size and again glided along the nails nicely. I had to give the bottle a nice roll between my hands so that the flakes were nicely distributed along the top of the polish as at first I was mostly getting just the clear part. After recapping and rolling I got a nice amount of flakes in each swipe. 

After putting on my top coats- 2 layers- I followed with some drying drops from OPI that were used on me at a Salon and I loved how fast it sped up the drying process. I tend to knock my nails against something almost immediately so this really helped me get the most out of my mani. 

I forgot to take a picture of my nails when they were freshly painted so this pic was taken 3 days later. Which I actually think is a testament to Zoya and the accompanying products as you can see very little wear on my nails. Previously I would have only had a small bit in the middle of my nails left or at minimum some serious chips. 

Funny how seeing my old lady hands up close like this makes me realize I need to explore some deep moisturizing hand cream next lol!!!

All in all I found Zoya to be as excellent a polish as Sarah had indicated. So now I need more OBVIOUSLY ;). I would give this polish a 8/10 overall. 

Cheers, Andrea

Loose Eye Shadows - Vegan Friendly by Mineral Love

I love Mineral Love organic and vegan makeup!!!

I blog about my craft projects and absolutely love makeup as well and I though- time for a makeup blog too! After all...I haven't slept the last few nights reading other's makeup reviews so if I can enable inform others then my addiction has a purpose hee hee! For my first post I am re-posting something I wrote on my craft blog to share the love I have for Mineral Love!

I stumbled onto Mineral Love's etsy store while looking for more loose eyeshadow powders. I had found a few different sellers but Mineral Love's product selection as well as their donation of sales to an animal shelter really pulled me in their direction over the others. I am so glad that happened! I have gotten to know Tricia Mack the owner and she is adorable and gives hands down some of the best customer service I have ever experienced!

First- her eyeshadows

I ordered the small size pots of a few different colours and they come in sweet clear pots with black lids. It doesn't look like a lot in the container when it arrives but don't let that fool you! You use sooo little to get a rich colour that my pots still look barely touched. I found this a great solution for me as I wanted to get lots of different colours to try for the best price. As I have found some favourites- like chocolate frosting- I will order them in the full size pots when I need to re-order. 

You get a strong colour just by using the powder straight out of the jar and onto your eyelid. I lightly touch my brush to the loose shadows then swirl it around the lid to cover my brush and apply. This gives a nice colour and you can make it soft or dark by adding more or less. 

To make your colour POP Tricia recommends putting some of the eyeshadow into the lid and adding a drop or two of the magic mixing medium she offers. It turns into a paste and you apply that to your eyes for a dramatic eye coverage and bold colours. I use this technique called 'Foiling' when I am going out at night and a more vibrant colour is what I am looking for. My eyes are my best feature and Tricia's eyeshadows never fail to get me compliments from men and women when I go out. Sweet!!!

Now- her customer service

I asked Tricia if she could recommend some colours for me and I sent her a picture of me so that she could see my colouring. She made some great recommendations and to my surprise she also included some small baggies with different colours than the ones I ordered to try that she thought would compliment me. And she was right of course! I have added the colour Jennifer to my fave list and wear it often. She puts your jars into this sweet black lace bag and also includes a wonderful handwritten note with your order. How amazing is that!!! As well she includes an instruction sheet to use with your Magic Mixing Medium so that you know right away how to get the best results. 

Additionally- Tricia is so personable!! I joined her Mineral Love facebook page and she frequently has fun giveaways and also lets her customers know if she will be setting up shop somewhere that local clients can come out to see her. I have also found out that we share the same birthday!! So of course we are basically twins separated at birth! She has also blown me away by asking me what my fave colour is so she can make an eyeshadow for me and call it Andi. Seriously- how can you compete with that service!

Overall- using loose shadows was new to me when I first started this new journey but I have quickly come to use them with the same ease that I use my compact ones. I have found a shop and seller that I know I will continue to use and support for years to come. 

If you decide to try Mineral Love for yourself please let Tricia know that I sent you! I won't be getting anything for it but I just want her to know how much I appreciate the fabulous personable customer service that she provides!