Happy Monday! It's a long weekend here in Alberta and I'm enjoying the extra day off to just relax and do absolutely nothing. How many of you went out to see Fifty Shades of Grey this past weekend? Was it any good? I've definitely heard lots of mixed reviews!

Movie aside, Make Up For Ever is the official makeup sponsor for the film. In collaboration with the movie release, Make Up For Ever put together four different make up kits to achieve Ana's different looks in the movie. The sets include two lip trios, one blush trio and a kit for eyes and lips.

Victoria Down, Makeup Department Head for the film, actually said that Ana's lips were the makeup focus for the movie. It only makes sense that Make Up For Ever released two lip sets for this film! The Tease Me Lip Trios come packaged with a smudge-proof lip liner, long wearing lip gloss and a textured gloss. I tried out the trio in Nude, and Make Up For Ever utilized this nude shade to create an innocent, kissable lip.

The kit included Aqua Lip in 3C, Aqua Rouge in 3 and Lab Shine Lip Gloss in D16. As you can see from the swatches above, I would only classify the Lab Shine gloss as a nude shade. When applied, the lip liner and lip gloss apply beautifully and give off a light berry shade. It's almost one of those "my lips but better" shades, which is probably why this set has been labelled as 'nude'. Applied in combination, the products do not budge and give the lips long lasting colour.

Although the lip trio isn't truly comprised of nude shades, I like that you can mix the products to build the desired nude berry shade you may be looking for. The products are long-wearing and quite moisturizing too. If you're a fan of the book/movie, and love the Make Up For Ever range of products, you'll definitely want to add this lip trio to your collection.

Available for $38 via Sephora.

*Disclosure: This product was sent for consideration of a review

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend to just relax and recharge. Life has been crazy busy lately and it's been pretty difficult to find the time to just sit and unwind, but I'm hoping to be back into the swing of regular postings soon. :)

For the first Makeup Monday of 2015 I've got a brand new product from Make Up For Ever to share. If there's one thing in my daily makeup routine I can't live without, it's a good eyeliner. As a follow up to the release of the Artist Liner last year, Make Up For Ever has released two new jet black liners for you to add to your collection. Ink Liner is a matte black liquid liner designed for precision, while Graphic Liner delivers ultra-fine lines with ease using a felt pen tip.

In my makeup routine I typically alternate between gel and fine-tipped pen liners depending on the type of look I want to create. I love pen liners primarily due to their ease of use and precision, so I was immediately drawn to the Graphic Liner. Just look at that sharp tip!

Like other pen liners, the Graphic Liner is light and easy to grip. What's different about it though, is that you do not need to shake the pen in order to distribute the formula onto the felt tip. This makes it feel much lighter in your hand compared to other pen liners. The felt tip is also very stiff, unlike many other felt liners that feature a flexible tip.

After testing the formula for a couple weeks I have to say I have a love-hate relationship with the Graphic Liner. For an eyeliner, I love how pigmented and precise the lines can be. The liner doesn't run during or after application and can last a full day of wear without smudging. It's got a nice semi-gloss finish and the pen itself is lightweight and easy to use. What's there not to like? I'm not the biggest fan of the stiff felt tip which can be a bit irritating during application at specific angles. I personally like my pen liners to have a flexible tip so as to give a smooth application without feeling the pen drag across the eyelid. When the dragging occurs I find the lines are less precise and have the tendency to allow the ink to spread a bit outside of the drawn lines.

Aside from the stiff applicator, the Graphic Liner is a solid eyeliner I would definitely recommend. It's available through Make Up For Ever boutiques and Sephora across Canada for $29 CAD, which can seem pricey, but the wear time and pigment intensity is worth the investment in my books. I'm considering giving the Ink Liner a try, just because it does feature a flexible tip and a matte black finish. Has anyone tried the Ink Liner? Let me know if you have and your thoughts in the comments below!

*Disclosure: This product was sent for consideration of a review.

Happy Monday! Hope you're all rested from the weekend, ready and recharged for another week! Life has been a bit of a roller coaster lately - ever feel like the days are just passing by too fast?! Where does the time go?

Since I have such a busy schedule, I need my make up to keep up with me. This year marks Make Up For Ever's 30th anniversary and they've been releasing so many products that I am constantly reaching for. Not because they're new and hot, but because they're long wearing and put up with my 12+ hour days. The latest product to be released to celebrate their anniversary is actually a relaunch of their first ever product: eyeshadow!

Meet the new Artist Shadow collection: 210 eyeshadows in 5 different finishes (matte, satin, iridescent, metal & diamond), which took over three years to produce and perfect. The launch of this product officially makes the Artist Shadow line the most extensive one available on the market. Leave it up to MUFE to set the bar high! The collection promises vivid colour payoff and superior blendability and I am loving the performance of this product so far.

The product is available in single, duo, and trio formats which are fully customisable, as the pans easily fit in and pop out of the case. I typically gravitate to neutral shades and received shades S-556 (left) and ME-658 (right) to test out. Both are in the brown family, with S-556 being mushroom/taupe shade with a satin finish, and ME-658 being a warm bronze with a metal finish. The pigment payoff in these shadows is amazing. As you can see above, the swatches were done with a very light touch and came out highly pigmented. The consistency of both shades is soft, smooth, and easily blendable, giving over 8+ hours of wear before fading. Although the metal shade gives off a great shine, the satin shade has my heart with it's soft sheen. It appears as a matte shade in the pan, but it is easier to work with given that it isn't overly shimmery.

I had a chance to see many of the shades in the range up close and many of them are stunning. If you're in the market for new shades and a shadow that will last throughout the day, check out the new collection. After all, you've got 210 shades to choose from!

Available via Make Up For Ever Boutiques and Sephora across Canada for $24 (Discounts apply when you buy more!).

*Disclosure: This product was sent for consideration of a review.

Happy Monday! It's Canadian Thanksgiving Monday and I've been spending as much time as I can with family. I just wanted to take a moment to say how thankful I am to have the support from everyone who reads my blog! Your encouragement means the world, and I am so happy that I am able to continue to blog and do what I love! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Moving onto today's post, I have to gush about this new eyeliner that I'm loving. Last month Make Up For Ever launched Artist Liner, an eyeliner that promised to be highly pigmented and smooth gliding. To be honest I've never been a fan of pencil liners. I find that they always smudge and give me panda eyes, which is why I only ever use liquid or gel liners.

The Artist Liner looks just like your usual liner, but with a twist-up design it means there is never a need for sharpening. However, the trade off for a twist-up design is that you get less product than that of a pencil liner. The eyeliner is very sturdy as it is housed inside the shiny black plastic that Make Up For Ever is known for. The diameter is smaller than that of a pencil, making it easy to hold onto.

Reading the description of the Artist Liner, I was pretty skeptical of its promises to be smudge proof and long wearing. But let me tell you, this product definitely lives up to it's claims! I tested out matte black (shade M10) and one light swipe gave a highly pigmented swatch, as seen above. The formula is creamy, and blendable as long as you work quickly.

I found that immediately after application the formula was blendable for a very short (we're talking seconds here) period of time. The formula almost seems to set right into your skin...that eyeliner isn't going anywhere! After my swatch I vigorously rubbed over the area where I applied the product. As you can see, the formula lightened up a tiny bit but it did not budge. The eyeliner survived an 8 hour workday without any problems other than lightening up a tiny bit. This formula is a dream come true for me!

If you're after a highly pigmented, long wearing eyeliner in pencil form, look no further. The Artist Liner is available in 15 different shades with matte, metallic, iridescent, diamond, and satin finishes - there is something for everyone!

Available via Make Up For Ever Boutiques and Sephora across Canada for $24.

*Disclosure: This product was sent for consideration of a review.

Happy Monday! It's Labour Day long weekend and the sun is out shining - hope you all have the day off to enjoy the last bit of summer!

Back in June Make Up Forever released a brand new mascara formula to the market. The Aqua Smoky Extravagant mascara is a follow up to the original Smoky Extravagant mascara, but with the promise of being waterproof, which is definitely important for the summer months! Aside from being waterproof the formula promised volume, length, curl and precision - that's definitely a multipurpose mascara if you ask me!

Make Up Forever's new formula is made with micronized iron oxide to give the mascara an intensely dark pigmentation, and the micro particles are able to better coat the eyelashes. As the pigment is natural they claim that the formula is safe for use with contact lenses or individuals with sensitive eyes. I've spent the last month testing out this new mascara formula and I would have to say it's a must-have for the summertime. Packaging is simple and sleek, though I wish it were a little smaller to be travel friendly.

As promised, this formula is as black as black can be. Looking at the wand, the conical shape is one of the best things about this brush. The tip allows for easy application on the inner lashes while the fuller section effortlessly coats each lash from base to tip. The brush separates lashes, gives them length and volume, and my lashes remain clump free after application. It's a lightweight waterproof formula that holds curl and easily removed with makeup remover. At $28 its a bit of a splurge for mascara, but after seeing it live up to its promises this product is on my must-have list for summer makeup.

Available at Make Up Forever boutiques and Sephora across Canada.

*Disclosure: This product was sent for consideration of a review.

Happy Monday, everyone! Spring decided to visit Edmonton this past weekend and I think it's finally here to stay. I'm so sick of the random snow storms and cold snaps. It's time for some warm sunshine and leaves to start sprouting on trees!

With every change in the seasons, I update my skincare and makeup arsenal to suit the changing weather and humidity. Make Up For Ever (MUFE) recently released a brand new blush formula for 2014 to add to their iconic HD range, and I've been testing it out for the past week. The HD cream blush is formulated to feel like second skin. It's weightless, blends effortlessly and is able to give cheeks that natural glow.

Let's talk packaging. The compact housing the product is the classic, sleek plastic used for almost every MUFE product. It's small and lightweight, with a study snap closure and convenient mirror inside for touch ups on the go. I really appreciate that there isn't any wasted space, meaning that there is as little plastic as necessary to hold the blush. Nothing drives me crazier than unnecessary materials to make a product clunky.

I have shade #215 Flamingo Pink, and its just a tad lighter than what I perceive to be the pink of a flamingo. The formula is smooth, creamy, and highly pigmented. Trust me, a little goes a long way! It's smooth to the touch and a breeze to apply, as it glides right over the cheeks to deposit colour. The blush can be applied with the fingertips, a sponge, or a fluffy brush, and I found that a full, rounded brush gave me the most even application. The formula lasted me up to 6 hours of wear with a natural finish, so I'm pretty happy with the product. The range includes sixteen shades, so there's something in there for every skintone. Have you tried this blush yet?

This year, Make Up For Ever is celebrating 30 years in the industry. To celebrate this occasion, they're looking to send 20 people to Paris for a week this July! I totally wish I could go. Whether you're a professional makeup artist or a makeup addict, there is a separate makeup contest for whichever category you fit into! By entering the contest, you could make this trip a reality for yourself. Full details on their website here.

*Disclosure: This product was sent for consideration of a review.

Happy Monday!! I'm finally back from holidays and it's the end of a long weekend - 1 more day until school starts up again which is a little upsetting, but I can't wait to finish up my last year of school.

Up this week I've got a product to share with you - one that I've been testing out for a while. When the Make Up Forever HD High Definition Foundation first came out, I remember seeing advertisements for it everywhere. It caused a pretty big stir in the beauty blogging world, so I ordered it right away, but never decided to use it until now.

This particular foundation is exclusively carried by Sephora, and described as "an oil-free medium-to-full-coverage liquid foundation that covers skin imperfections flawlessly while remaining invisible on-screen and in real life. This foundation creates a soft-focus effect, which is designed to meet the coverage concerns of those in the spotlight. It leaves your complexion with such a flawless finish, it can withstand bright or harsh lighting." It was produced when flawless, photo-ready skin was all the rage - and its description has a lot to live up to.

For my NC35 skin, I picked up Sand (shade 125), which unfortunately was too light for my summer skin. In the winter (my arm shade), it's likely to be a better match. Shade aside, you can see above that the product comes housed in sturdy packaging, with a pump to dispense the foundation. The foundation is quite runny, making it easy to spread, but I find that this can also be a downfall. I prefer high coverage products, so a thin layer of product on the skin results in medium coverage. It can be built up for higher coverage, but it makes the product feel heavier on the skin. At the end of an 8 hour workday, the product is still on my face, but definitely oxidized and has less coverage. The foundation has pretty good oil control though, as I don't feel greasy at the end of the day.

But does this foundation do what it claims to do? Yes. When applied on the skin, it leaves a semi-matte finish, and gives the skin a slight dewy look to it. It is lightweight if all you need is a thin application, and skin looks nearly flawless in photographs. Application with a brush gives the best results, as blending with fingertips doesn't give the most flawless finish. Although Make Up Forever has a high price tag on this particular product ($42 CAD), one bottle is likely to last a good six months, as the pump does contain a fair amount of product. It isn't my holy grail foundation, but it's a solid foundation that I would recommend to anyone looking for medium coverage and a semi-matte finish.

Anyone tried this product out? What did you think? Let me know!

As you may or may not know, I had a HUGE allergic reaction to something over Sunday night this week, and woke up Monday morning with tons of mini bumps all over my face! I was about ready to cry when I woke up and saw my face in the mirror.

My face was red and itchy, and I couldn't totally figure out why it was just my face that had the reaction.. But I'm so thankful for the power of make up! With the right products, I was able to cover everything up and help treat the little bumps on my face.

MUFE Duo Mat in shade 205

I had ordered the Make Up For Ever (MUFE) Duo Mat back in April during the VIB discount, but never had the chance to try it out yet. I used it on my face only because I knew it was a high coverage powder foundation - and it was so useful! The powder is very soft, but it is long lasting, with great coverage (it covered EVERYTHING), and best of all it leaves a matte finish on the face. No one could tell I had a zillion bumps on my face unless I told them :) While I wouldn't use this everyday, its nice to know I have a backup incase something bad happens to my face!

Sephora is the exclusive retailer of this product, so go check it out!