Earlier this week, I received one of the Summer 2013 limited edition Luxe Boxes from Loose Button. For those of you unfamiliar, Loose Button is a company that specializes in putting together personalized beauty boxes for subscribers. Their system is a bit different from others, in that they offer seasonal boxes: 4 boxes each year, ranging from $24-$26/box based on the subscription plan chosen.

The Condition Culture edition Luxe Box features six full size products from Condition Culture: a Featherlocks Hair Feather, 3 Colorsmash Hair Shadows, 1 pack of Knotties Hair Elastics and 1 pack of Knotties Hair Bands.

To be honest, the hair feathers are something I probably wouldn't use often, if ever, really. But they're a great accessory to have around that I could put into my hair if I decided to for a party. The feather is quite soft, and heat styling can't damage it which is a huge bonus. The hair elastics and hair bands work quite well, as I've been using the hair bands to hold my hair back while doing makeup in the morning or washing my face. The hair elastics come in a variety of colours and designs, and have a fairly good grip on my hair. They leave a very minimal (you could hardly notice it) bump in my hair after taking them out, unlike the regular thin elastics that I use.

What I was most interested in trying from the box was the Colorsmash shadows, as I've heard a lot of nice things about them. This product is an industry standard that is used to colour hair, and it's supposed to have great staying power in hair until it is washed out. The packaging is similar to a blush, and the texture comes out to be a bit of a thickened powder. The lid twists off, so it's more secure than a flip lid, and I know that it'll be great for travelling if need be as it won't open in my bag spontaneously.

I'm not big on funky, bright haircolours, so what I wanted to do was create an ombre-like look in my hair with the brown shade - Cocoa. The product itself was incredibly easy to use and apply, but it was very messy. I made sure to put a towel on my shoulders to protect my clothing, and the towel came out to be pretty dirty at the end of the application process. As you can see in the photos below, my hands were covered in product, but the good thing is that it washes out easily with soap and water.

The Cocoa shade did grip onto my hair pretty well, and I finished it off with hairspray to seal in the colour as directed. When mixed with the hairspray, my hair felt quite a bit thicker, as it made the product wrap around my strands of hair. Combing it out was difficult, and a lot of the product fell out of my hair in the process. The colour therefore faded, and was harder to see. I did like the end result though, as my ends were subtly lightened and it wasn't permanent either.

The removal process was fairly frustrating for me. I washed my hair twice, until there wasn't much colour left in my hair - but when I went to blowdry my hair, I found that there was still product sticking to my strands. This could be one of two things: either I suck at washing my hair, or the product was stubborn and harder to wash than the packaging had suggested. So do keep that in mind if you try out the Coloursmash product range.

Overall, this Luxe Box wasn't bad. There are products I've already been using quite a bit (love the hairties!), but I do wish I could make use of the pink and blue Coloursmash products though. Maybe this upcoming Halloween? This Luxe Box is available for order until July 7, 2013 - check it out on the Loose Button Website.

*Disclaimer: this post contains a sample provided by PR for consideration of a review

Happy Monday! Hope the weather was fabulous over the weekend wherever you are! Just a quick post today as I'm exhausted from a week of doing nothing (seriously). I woke up for a midterm this morning that was supposed to be from 1:30-2:30 in the afternoon, only to be notified at 12:45 that the exam actually started at 1:00. Uh, talk about stressful.

I've had some questions in the past couple weeks about the beauty boxes available in Canada at the moment, so I thought I'd touch a bit on the subject. In the past couple months, a lot of the beauty boxes have increased their prices and changed their products - some for the better, and some for the worse.

I used to fully support Glossybox - which in my opinion was one of the better boxes, catering to their clientele and customizing their deluxe samples. However, I've recently noticed that not only has their price gone up, the quality of their products has gone down - a definite no-no in my books.

For a few months I had stopped all my subscriptions to boxes as I had way too many samples to deal with. I still do, but was curious about Top Box. They've been known to offer high-end bands, and for a price of $12, it is one of the cheaper subscriptions out there. They have now also launched a Wishlist program (chose the box you want to receive most!) and something they call a Prive box, which is a box that showcases samples from only one brand. I've had the Clinique prive box and my February Top Box (shown above) so far, and I'm quite liking it. Hey, if deluxe brands like Deborah Lippman and B. Kamins are showing up in my box, I'm not going to complain.

Reviews for the products coming up ASAP! :)
Which boxes are you subscribed to? Thanks for reading & have a good week everyone!

Oh, Benefit. My very first high end beauty brand I purchased from, and definitely one of my favourite companies out there - both for products and packaging.

I'm a big fan of Benefit's Hello Flawless Powder Foundation, so when the liquid version came out at the beginning of this year, I sought out to buy the product. However, this product is not available in Canada (boo), so I had to ask a friend in the States to bring it home for me. Whether fortunate or unfortunate, it was too dark of a shade for me to wear in the winter/summer months, and now I've finally picked up enough natural colour to match the foundation shade.


What really got me interested in this particular foundation though, is that the description put out by Benefit made it sound almost like a BB Cream. The product promised to have brightening effects, sun protection, coverage and moisturizing capabilities, while having anti-aging properties as well. Sound familiar? Basically the textbook definition of a BB Cream.


The powder version of this foundation that I use is in the shade 'I'm Cute as a Bunny, Honey", which is the perfect shade for me right now. Based on the colour swatches available on the Sephora website, I figured the Honey shade in the liquid would be too dark for me, so I went for Champagne. Definitely a good call on my part, since Champagne is a good shade on me right now.. but things will change come winter time. It's really unfortunate that the powder and liquid foundation shades do not correspond to one another, as it makes purchasing so much more difficult.


Now to the packaging. When I opened up the box, the size of the product was much smaller than I had imagined. With the Skin 79 BB Creams, the pump dispenser is substantially sized, and it feels like you're getting a lot of product. The Benefit pump dispenser is quite small in comparison to the box, and you're not getting the amount of product that the box size conveys. What I do like though, is that you are able to see the amount of product remaining, and the pressure pump mechanism ensures that you are getting use of all the product, as the bottom will slowly rise up and show the decreasing amount overtime with use.

As you see in the picture, 'Cheers to Me Champagne" is fairly dark, and probably the darkest that I will become all summer. The yellow undertones compliment my skin very well, making it a great shade for the summertime. As you can see, the product is very wet and liquid - almost runny, but by no means watered down as it is quite pigmented. I only use about a third of a pump to cover myself entirely, which allows the product to even out my skintone and give it a bit of colour. A little extra dabs here and amount of product lead me to full coverage, so I don't even need to use a concealer for the day.

The product is blended out to the left of the swatch in the picture, and you can see that the product does blend out quite smoothly. There is enough time to fully blend it in with your fingers (which I find to be better as the product will adhere better and is longer wearing) before fully drying. I am left with a dewy finish on my skin, which is nothing that a translucent powder cannot fix. The product really is moisturizing, but doesn't make me overly oily throughout the day. It definitely lasts a full 8 hours of wear, and does not oxidize or change colours on my skin. The product really is lightweight, and the addition of SPF gets huge marks from me. My skin does look a bit brighter, and for using such a small amount of product, the coverage is amazing. The only real downside would be the price, where you pay $42 CAD for 1 oz of product.

As mentioned before, this product currently is not available in store in Canada (but can be purchased online), but should hit the shelves at Canadian Sephora locations within the next 1-2 weeks. Locations currently have sample sizes and shade matching services available for you to try it out! I definitely will continue to use this liquid foundation as it works well for me, and with the wide range of shades available, I hope you can find one that works for you too!

In comparison to yesterday's post, I'm sharing an American BB cream with you today that was just launched this week: the Dior Hydra Life BB Creme with SPF 30 PA+++ protection. For a description of what BB cream is, please check yesterdays post :)

I received an email from Sephora on Wednesday about the new BB cream from Dior. From the American BB creams that I've tried thus far, most of them were not BB creams at all, but merely tinted moisturizers. This one from Dior doesn't differ much from the other ones produced thus far, but it sits higher above the rest in my opinion.

The Hydra Life BB cream is contained in a tube, but features a pump dispenser. This way all the product will move to the bottom of the tube, allowing you to use as much product as possible. Now why is it better than the other American BB creams? The reason being that it is the most pigmented and has the best coverage out of the ones I've tested (Smashbox, Boscia, Dr. Jart).

The only problem is that when I put it on, my face was fine.. and moments later it looked like I had just returned from Mexico! I was pretty scared when I looked in the mirror before I left my house. The product when dispensed from the tube is fairly light, but obviously warm toned. After application, the product immediately oxidizes and becomes a deep, warm colour with orange undertones. It's probably about two shades too dark for me - a possibility for me to use in the summer if I absorb lots of UV.


Dispensed product, with product blended on the right (indoor lighting)

The product itself is thinner and more on the liquid side. It dries fairly quickly with very good coverage like a BB cream, and is relatively moisturizing. It doesn't have much of a scent, if any, and dries to a matte finish on the skin. Because the product isn't exactly creamy, and doesn't include any skincare benefits, the amount of pigmentation would lead me to think this is more of a foundation than a tinted moisturizer. On the plus side, it does have nice sun protection. I feel like the best way to use this product is to mix it in with your morning moisturizer, but whats the point when BB cream is meant to be convenient enough to replace a variety of products in your daily routine?



I thought it would be fun to compare it to the Skin 79 Super+ BB cream that reviewed yesterday to give you a better indication of the huge differences. As seen in the photo above, you will realize that the Dior product is thinner and more water based.



When the products are swatched, it is evident that the Skin 79 BB cream is pale and grey based, in comparison to the warm, orange based Dior BB cream. Do keep in mind that these pictures are taken indoors, where the colour will look a little darker.


Product blended out (natural lighting)

This picture is the best depiction of what the colour will look like when averaged out. Under natural lighting, the colours are a little lighter, and you can probably understand why I said I looked like I had just come home from Mexico, rather than saying I became an Oompa Loompa working under Willy Wonka..

The Dior BB Cream may be a good option for anyone with a darker skin tone, looking for a new foundation to try out. I honestly cannot call this a traditional BB cream, but I can call it an American BB cream. I really like that the product is lightweight with great coverage, and contains the essential protection against the harmful UV rays we are exposed to everyday. Before you purchase, make sure to get a sample to see if this is the right product for you.

Dior Hydralife BB Creme is available for purchase at Sephora for $56 USD/$65 CAD (can you believe the Canadian pricing?! We are AT PAR, ugh!)

Happy Friday! Glad its finally the weekend. Well, the past couple days really have been like a weekend for me, since I don't have midterms again for another week.. I've been doing absolutely nothing when I get home from class, and I love it. Yeah, I'm a bad influence sometimes.

My parents came home from Asia last week, and as per my request, my mother bought me the Skin 79 BB Cream. I don't know what took me so long to try out this product, but I've read about BB Creams time and time again. Just that I haven't really tried out any of the Asian ones! And let me tell you, I'm glad I finally tried this product!

For those of you who are new to BB Cream, it has been around in Asia for quite some time. A BB cream is basically the answer to a prayer for a quick and easy skincare and makeup routine in the mornings. The way I see it, BB creams are a combination of moisturizer, SPF, a high powered concealer, primer, and skincare products (whitening, anti-aging, etc.). Most of the Asian ones out on the market always contain four basic properties: SPF, coverage, moisture and some skincare benefit. Being able to replace upwards of 5 products from your daily regimen is amazing - you save time and money spent on products!

Amazing right? Not necessarily.. the only problem is this: many companies only produce it as a one shade fits all product. Big problem if you're not fair skinned like a majority of the population over in Asia that attempts to hide their faces from the sun at all times! I say this with experience. My cousins are crazy about having white skin. The nice thing though, is that American companies are starting to manufacture BB creams for the North American market - just that most of them are not exactly getting it 100% correct.

So let's get to it. The Skin 79 Super BB cream is housed in a hot pink container, featuring a pump to dispense the product. Hooray for having a hygienic way to apply makeup. Nothing is worse than a jar of product that you have to stick your fingers into. The product has SPF 25 PA++ protection, whitening, and anti-aging properties.



To cover my whole entire face I need about half a pump - this half pump will give me perfect coverage, moisturize my face, and give me sun protection. This effectively eliminates 4 products from my daily routine (moisturizer, foundation, sunscreen & concealer). When I first pumped the product out, I was skeptical. The creamy liquid was pale and grey leaning! It looked like I was going to cover my face with blended grey earthworms. Gross. Did I make you cringe? Teehee.


Slight blending to the left

After applying the thin layer, the coverage is already sufficient. The product itself actually warms up to match my skintone very well, so I don't look like a zombie. But for any spots that need a little extra concealing, you can pat on a small amount of product to blend it in and hide whatever it is you don't want the world to see. The product is slightly thick, and creamy, and applies with a dewy finish at first. After about a minute when it fully absorbs and dries, it gives skin a slight glow, but overall looks matte. You are left feeling moisturized and non greasy. If you want to be completely matte, set and finish your look with a translucent powder.


Product blended out on the left

For the past couple days, I've been able to wear this for over 6 hours and have no problems what so ever. My skin is normal/combination, and I do have a tendency to become a little oily throughout the day - this product kept the oil under control. I am absolutely loving this BB cream, and will definitely be using it when I'm in Asia this summer! I am quite fair skinned, but have a warm understone. My sister is about 1-2 shades darker than me, and applying this product on her left a white/grey cast. I can't recommend this is you are darker skinned, but I know the sister product Skin 79 VIP Gold BB Cream is slightly darker. I might pick that up to test out while I'm in Hong Kong.

Knowing that this product is found over in Asia, it may be more difficult to acquire here in North America. Luckily, Sasa ships internationally, it can be purchased on Amazon, and you should be able to find it on eBay! Just use caution though and buy from a reputable seller, as I've heard there are fakes out there.

*edit April 11/2012* If you live in Edmonton, I've had some readers tell me where to find some Skin79 products here! Migun (across from Southgate Mall) carries the BB cream, as does Umi & Co. on Whyte Ave. Thanks for the intel ;)

If you follow me on Twitter, you will know that I picked up the new Dior Hydra Life BB Creme - I will be posting my review of it tomorrow! Anyone use the Skin 79 BB creams in their daily routine?

Anyone here heard of Glymm before? I really wasn't aware of this program until one of my friends informed me of the program back in the month of November. In the states, there's companies like Birchbox, Eco-Emi, Test Tube, and many more that offer a box of deluxe samples every month for a fee of around $10. I never knew Canada had started such a program, so I signed up right away and just received my box yesterday!

Glymm offers a box with 4-5 deluxe samples each month for $10, which is inclusive of shipping. I honestly think it's a great deal if you're looking for a new beauty product to try out, or if you're still trying to find the perfect product that works well with your skin. I mainly just like getting stuff sent to me in the mail ;)

The box arrived well packaged, but was a little bit difficult to open due to the positioning of the tape on the box. After breaking a nail and prying it open, you'll find a beautiful pink box on the inside, waiting to be opened.





Inside this month's box, I received...



Caudalie Vinoperfect Enzymatic Peel Mask, Ahava Mineral Hand Cream, Yves Saint Laurent La Parisienne, Sula Beauty Natural Lip Gloss, a $10 gift card to use on Glymm.com, and a cute jar of jellybeans.



The box itself is accompanied by a card with information about each product, and the price it sells for at retail for a normal size. Seeing as the Sula lipgloss is full sized ($8), that one sample alone almost pays for the entire box. I will be testing these out within the next week and will let you know how things go!

So far, I'm pretty impressed with the packaging and the way everything was sent to me. There was an email confirmation sent to me following the purchase, as well as an email with tracking information in it when the box was dispatched out for delivery. Subscriptions to the service can be done in monthly or yearly installments. For the monthly program, after the first box, you will be automatically billed once a month on your credit card without notice, until you decide to cancel your subscription. I just want to put this out there ahead of time in case any of you get confused with their system, because I sure was! I saw two charges on my credit card, and found out afterwards that I would automatically be billed.

If you are still looking for a Christmas gift for the makeup junkie on your list, Glymm has got you covered. There is an option to gift a subscription to anyone, in 3, 6, 9 or 12 month subscriptions. Perfect for the beauty and makeup obsessed.

The Glymm box is exclusive to Canadians - so sign up for the program if you're interested! (referral)

It's time to face the truth. I think I have a terrible case of short, stubby, Asian lashes. They'll curl.. but the curl will disappear within the hour. They'll take mascara.. but the weight will pull them down and just make thick, and stick straight. In the past, I've come across a couple mascaras that work well for me, but there's just so many out there that I want to try!

While doing groceries a couple weeks back, I noticed that there was a ton of new mascara out, and with a coupon for $1.50 I picked up these two particular products by Rimmel. One a mascara, and the other a lash serum. We'll save the serum review for another day :)

I've never personally tried out any Rimmel beauty products, so this was a nice introduction to the brand.

note: I would take pictures of my eyes with the product on.. but oh my goodness I could not stand looking at pictures of my eye and deleted them all right away. So gross looking, bleh.

Anyway, the tube itself is quite large, giving you quite a bit of product. It can be a little awkward to hold if you're used to more slender tubes of mascara. The bristles spiral down around the wand, and give resemblance to a pear when you look closely. I personally found the application to be pretty simple, no issues with the brush here. Just be mindful of how much product is on the brush when it comes out, because sometimes it's coated in product.



I actually am very impressed with the results of this mascara. My lashes are instantly thickened and extremely lengthened but not volumized. My lashes maintain curl all day long as well. No joke. It's seriously fantastic. For once, a product that does what the packaging claims, for the most part (if you exclude the volumizing factor).. Rejoice! But not so fast...



But I'm sitting on the fence due to the formulation of the product itself. The product is thick and sticky.. almost tacky, so that it takes a bit of time to dry. And due to the thickness, it can cause some lashes to clump together, so I have to utilize an alternative mascara wand to separate my lashes and make them look as natural as I can. I personally don't mind waiting a little longer for the mascara to dry (this one takes about 1.5 min), but you have to be careful cause it can smudge if you blink a little too much while waiting. After drying though, the product is quite lightweight on the lashes.



As for the lashes looking more numerous after 30 days.. I can't vouch for that because I don't wear mascara on a daily basis. My day to day makeup routine is very simple, so I tend to forget to put on mascara altogether for days at a time. Looking at them now, I don't see any big differences, but I'll definitely keep an eye out when I start using the lash serum!

If it weren't for the thick formula.. I would recommend this mascara for lengthening in a heartbeat! It gives my lashes a dramatic lengthening effect, making it almost seem like I'm wearing fake eyelashes when I'm not.

A couple weeks ago, I received an invitation from my local MAC store to preview their upcoming holiday collection, Glitter & Ice.

This particular holiday collection is inspired by Olympic skater Johnny Weir, hence lots of glitter, and of course the ice! What really attracted me to the collection though was the white packaging. I looove white. Especially electronics wise. Anyone else like me? White phone, white laptop, white headphones, etc.



The idea of canapes and frosty drinks lured me in as well, so with my best friend in tow we headed to the mall on Tuesday night.

Stepping into the store, we were provided with cards containing all products from the collection, and then we were immediately handed yummy drinks - milk with kahlua & vodka over ice with marshmallows! It actually tasted pretty good. Surprised they weren't checking for IDs though ;) What? Sometimes people think I'm 16!



The store itself isn't really that big, and it got crowded pretty fast. The store was bustling full of customers, with lovely ladies dressed like the models in the press pictures throughout, handing out appetizers. The appetizers were quite delicious, with the event catered by the Century Hospitality Group (Lux, Century Grill, Delux, Hundred, etc.) They had an assortment of about 5-6 appetizers! I wanted to stick around just to eat!


lemon shortbread cookie sandwich filled with pink buttercream


Beef tenderloin w/ fresh salsa, cheese & edible silver atop a baguette slice


White chocolate truffle w/ coconut & dark chocolate interior

But lets get down to business. Each year, MAC's holiday collection features a variety of single makeup items, but also brush sets, and lip & eye palettes. I'm working really hard to curb my makeup hoarding tendencies, and most of the makeup didn't really appeal to me much *phew*. The mineralize eyeshadows, however, were a little too pretty to pass up.


Mineralize Eyeshadows in Frozen Blue & Fresh Ice






Fresh Ice

Fresh ice is a very pale icy pink shadow with a strong white frost finish. The formula is very soft and rather powdery, giving a sheer to opaque finish depending on
the amount of layering of the product onto the eyelids. When applied wet, the formula is much smoother and achieves opacity. I didn't experience too much fallout with this one, but as with most of my mineralize eyeshadow shades, I use them as a highlight for the browbone or the inner corner of the eyes.


Mineralize Eyeshadow in Frozen Blue

Frozen Blue is a blueish grey shade with a frosty finish, and just like Fresh Ice, it can be applied sheer or opaque depending on the application and look you're trying to achieve. Applied wet, the formula is more smooth than powdery, and becomes relatively opaque. I envision myself applying this in the inner corner of eyes, or on the lower lash line for certain eye looks.



Sometimes I really need to question my makeup buys when I really don't wear that much. I think it's moreso the appeal and look of the product itself that draws me in. I tend not to like mineralize eyeshadows, or use coloured eyeshadows to be honest, but I think these two shades will be versatile enough to work with any range of colours. They're both nice neutrals to pair with anything, but I really wish they weren't so powdery. I definitely recommend application with water or mixing medium to bring out the colour in these shadows, and just to make them easier to use.

Each of these shadows retails for $25, and the Glitter & Ice collection is slated to hit stores on October 27th! :)

I wonder what exactly a cat would write down in it's memoirs. Maybe lots about sleeping. And eating. And jumping on tables. Maybe the occasional hissing, too. Today I've got a palette I've been meaning to share for a while, but haven't gotten around to. For the longest time, I didn't even think of using it because it was much too cute.

The Sephora Say Hello Palette was repackaged with sakura flowers and a blue bow early this Spring, and named the Memoirs of a Kitty Palette. Unlike its predecessors, the palette has been updated to carry two blushes in the lower compartment instead of 4 lip glosses (hooray!!!). I really didn't find much use for the glosses.



The eyeshadow colours are all neutral, and great for everyday use. The colours listed clockwise would be pinky beiege, tan, brown, and honey. No crazy names this time. The formula for these unfortunately has not been changed, and they still remain powdery and chalky, leading to some fallout issues upon application.



The colours are quite pigmented upon application, but after some blending, they tend not to show up as well, but can be layered to intensify the colour.



The blushes included in the palette are very wearable, and surprisingly pigmented. One swipe of your brush overtop and you may end up looking like a ragdoll. I am not kidding! They are crazy pigmented and flattering on most skin tones.



The two colours are described as peach & rose, where the peach colour is more of a natural shade to wear.



Despite the little difficulties with the eyeshadow fallout, I like this palette. It is a nice size to carry while you are travelling, it looks cute, and the colours are great for everyday use. I actually find myself reaching for this often because I can use the blushes in the lower compartment as well. With this palette, I normally go with a neutral smoky eye that can be worn day & night, as show in the picture above - do an allover wash of tan on the eyelid, honey on the inner half of the eyelid, brown on the outer v, and pinky beige as a highlight. It's a super easy look that doesn't take much time to do!

The palette is still available on Sephora if you're interested! :)

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!