Tuesday, July 31, 2012

I Won a Pair of Pedi-Sox!!!!

As a nail polish lover, I have always been on the search for a pair of socks that would keep my feet warm while I painted my toes—especially during the cold winter months! To my surprise, the perfect pair of socks showed up in my mailbox when I became a winner of the June Giveaway A Day series from Handmade Reviews.

As I ripped open the envelope, I was so excited to find my own pair of Pedi-Sox and a large tube of the company’s Concentrated Luxury Foot Cream. The socks, which are very well made, come in many different colours and can be found on the Pedi-Sox site (http://www.originalpedisox.com/). The cream feels thick and luxurious. Once I try out the products a bit more, I will post a full review.

Thanks Handmade Reviews and Pedi-Sox!

FREE Gift with Purchase from Sigma!!!!

Achieve well-defined eyes with Sigma Beauty’s complimentary gift! During the month of August, Sigma will be providing the E05 eye liner brush as the complimentary gift for any purchase over $30. This is a great deal as the full size version of this brush retails for $9! This brush, with it’s cute hot pink handle, is great to use with gel or liquid eye liner to achieve a flawless and precise look. Click on the image below or follow this link to start shopping and get your free gift: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=62512

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

July Glymm Box

This month’s Glymm Box came with four deluxe samples and a discount code that can be used when purchasing nail polish on glymm.com. The bright orange makeup bag containing the products is a perfect shade for summer and honours the Pantone colour of the year.
Two of the products that I received for July were sent to me months ago in a Luxe Box. I found these products disappointing as they did not work well for me the first time that I tried them. The other two products were quite unique and I am happy that I have the chance to try them out. Unlike last month, the sizes of the samples were generous and “deluxe”.
For those of you who do not know what Glymm is, it is a service similar to Loose Button, Birchbox, Topbox, Glossy Box, etc. which offers monthly boxes of deluxe size product samples. Current subscription services are $12 monthly, $70 for 6 boxes, and and $120 for 12 boxes (prices include shipping).

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

NOTD: China Glaze IDK

This is my second Nail of the Day (NOTD) post featuring a holographic polish from China Glaze’s OMG Collection. Back in May I blogged about TTYL, the collection’s peachy-pink shade and today I’m writing about IDK, a light, dusty purple colour.

Since I’m a purple lover, IDK is one of my favourite holographic polishes (it shares first place with LOL, a darker purple). I would describe this shade as a neutral purple as it does not have any dominant red or blue undertones. The holographic particles are very fine and give a seamless, sparkly 3D look. Unlike TTYL which looks quite dull in regular light, the holographic effect in IDK is visible even when the polish is not exposed to direct sunlight.

As for application, IDK looks a bit streaky after the first coat but evens out after each additional coat and looks opaque and flawless with three coats. It also dries very quickly, much like the other polishes in this line. I didn’t have to wait between coats because it dries almost instantly.

My only complaint is the wear time. Even with a good quality top coat, IDK shows some chipping at the tips within about two days on my right hand and four days on my left. Otherwise, it is a gorgeous colour and definitely worth a try if you can find a bottle of it.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Sigma Launches NEW Brow Design Kit

The ever innovative Sigma Beauty has come out with yet another new product. This revolutionary Brow Design Kit contains all of the arching, shaping and grooming tools you need to achieve your perfect brow look.

The kit features 15 pieces including: scissors, tweezers, 3 brow stencils (small, medium and large), a dual ended highlight pencil (matte and shimmer), a dual ended brow pencil (medium and dark), a pencil sharpener, 5 brow powder shades, dual ended brow gel (clear and tinted) and a dual ended brow brush (E75 and E80).

The Brow Design Kit is now available for $69 but you can save 10% through July 31, 2012 by following this link http://www.sigmabeauty.com/Beauty_Expert_Brow_Design_Kit_p/ep005.htm?Click=62512 and using the code AP2012.

To check out this kit on the Sigma site, click on the link above or the images below.

Happy grooming!

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Nail Polish Haul! (Zoya, Essie,Butter London, China Glaze, & More!)

Over the past few months I have accumulated some new polishes. I have posted close up photos and swatches of each polish below.
Hope you enjoy!


Zoya Snow White

Zoya Jaime (post on Jaime: http://putbeautytowords.blogspot.ca/2012/05/notd-zoya-jaime.html)

Zoya Bevin (post on Bevin: http://putbeautytowords.blogspot.ca/2012/05/notd-zoya-bevin.html)

Zoya Shelby (post on Shelby: http://putbeautytowords.blogspot.ca/2012/06/notd-zoya-shelby.html)

Essie Fiji (post on Fiji: http://putbeautytowords.blogspot.ca/2012/04/notd-essie-fiji.html)

Essie Tart Deco

Butter London Knackered (post on Knackered: http://putbeautytowords.blogspot.ca/2012/04/butter-london-spring-summer-2012.html)

Butter London Trout Pout (post on Trout Pout: http://putbeautytowords.blogspot.ca/2012/04/butter-london-spring-summer-2012.html)

China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic

China Glaze Purple Panic

Misa Polka Dot Bikini

Deborah Lippman What Lola Wants

Purple Magnetic Polish (post on Magnetic Polish: http://putbeautytowords.blogspot.ca/2012/04/magnetic-nail-polish-review-and-demo.html)

Ylin Mood Polish in Purple/Sky Blue (post on Mood Polish: http://putbeautytowords.blogspot.ca/2012/06/colour-changing-mood-nail-polish-review.html)
Which polish from this haul is your favourite?

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Week in Review: Makeup Products

This past week was extra busy so I went with a makeup look that was quick, easy, and involved minimal products while still making me look pulled together and glowy. I achieved this look by using peach toned products with a bit of shimmer.
First, I used Tarte’s Amazonian Clay blush in Peaceful to give my cheeks a healthy glow. I gently patted this product on the apples of my cheeks with my my Sigma F40 Large Angled Contour brush. This blush has a fine gold shimmer running through it that added a smooth sheen to my face, making a separate highlighting product unnecessary. After priming my lips with Vanilla Softlips, I used a Revlon lip butter in the colour Peach Parfait. Like the blush, this product also has a light dusting of gold shimmer. Overall, the look was light, natural, and perfect for a busy summer week.

What makeup products did you wear last week?

Monday, July 16, 2012

Summer 2012 Nail Polish Favourites

I like to celebrate every season with a post on my favourite nail polishes. For summer 2012, I’m loving a range of colours and finishes and even a few trends such as crackle and mood polishes.
To find out which nail polishes made my favourites list this season, check out my photos below:

Summer Nail Polish Favourites

Essie Fiji and Zoya Jaime

China Glaze Lemon Fizz and OPI Peach-A-Boo

Essie Tart Deco and Zoya Lianne

Butter London Trout Pout, Orly Cotton Candy, and Zoya Maya

Zoya Shelby, Orly Basket Case, and China Glaze Broken Hearted

China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic, Zoya Areej, OPI The Lifeguard Makes Me Blush, and OPI La Paz-itively Hot

China Glaze Flying Dragon (neon) and China Glaze Purple Panic (neon)

Zoya Malia and OPI Done Out In Deco

Butter London Knackered, Zoya Jo, and Ylin Mood Polish in Sky Blue/Lavender
Which colours are your favourites for summer 2012?

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Week in Review: Makeup Products

This week, the focus of my makeup was a combination of three eyeshadows. We got a slight break from the extreme heat so I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to experiment with my eye makeup.
Eyes
As always, I began this look by applying a thin layer of Urban Decay Primer Potion from lashline to just above the crease. My base colour was Shroom by MAC. I used my Sigma E55 Eye Shading brush to pat this shade all over the lid and under the browbone as a highlight. Then I added some depth to my crease by blending MAC’s Kid eyeshadow above Shroom with my  Sigma E40 Tapered Blending brush. Since it’s summer and I love to add an unexpected pop of colour to my eye looks during this time of year, I added a bit of Crystal eyeshadow from MAC to the outer corners of my eyes into the crease with my Sigma E70 Medium Angled Shading brush. Crystal looks a bit damaged in the photo below because I am not the best at depotting shadows (I will be purchasing pro pans only for now on). I finished off the eyes by curling my lashes with my Shiseido curler and swiping on a generous coat of Buxom Lash mascara from Bare Escentuals.

Lips
With more colour on my eyes, I opted for a sheer tint on my lips. First I applied a layer of Vanilla Softlips to add a smooth base and an SPF of 20. I then used Tarte’s Maracuja Divine Shine lipgloss in Achiote which gave my lips a coral-pink tint that complimented my cheek colour nicely.

Face
This week I was less than adventurous with my face makeup and used the same products that I have been using for most of the summer. I used my fingers to pat some product from Garnier’s Anti-Dark-Circle roller under my eyes, and then I applied Tarte’s Amazonian Clay blush on the apples of my cheeks with my Sigma F40 Large Angled Contour brush. To give a flawless finish and add a bit of glow, I used my Sigma F50 Duo Fibre brush to lightly sweep Benefit’s Sugarbomb face powder overtop the Tarte blush.

Which products did you wear last week?

Friday, July 13, 2012

Winner of My Blog Makeover Beauty Giveaway

First I would like to thank those of you who entered my blog makeover beauty giveaway. We reached a total of 1131 entries which is amazing!!!!

I used the Rafflecopter widget to select the winner randomly. And the winner is… amz. Congratulations!!!! I have sent you an email. Please respond within one week to claim your prize or I will have to choose a new winner.

Please don’t feel bad if you did not win. There will be many more giveaways on this blog and I am already collecting prizes for the next one.

Have a great weekend!

~Beauty Writer

Thursday, July 12, 2012

I Got NAKED 2! (Pictures)

It has taken a very long time but I finally decided to get one of the Urban Decay Naked palettes. It was a hard decision since I could not see the palettes in person before purchasing, but, based on lots of research and recommendations, I chose Naked 2 over the first Naked palette. I’m very cool toned and tend to shy away from very dark shadow colours so Naked 2 is perfect.
I received the palette in the mail today and wanted to take pictures before using it. In the future, once I get a chance to try out and form an opinion on the palette, I will make separate posts with swatches and a full review.
Please comment on this post to let me know if you prefer Naked or Naked 2.
Hope you enjoy the photos!


Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

Foxy (cream bisque matte), Half Baked (golden bronze), Booty Call (shimmering cork)
Chopper (copper shimmer with silver micro glitter), Tease (creamy pale brown matte), Snakebite (dark bronze shimmer)
Suspect (pale golden beige), Pistol (light gray-brown), Verve (oyster)

YDK (cool bronze shimmer), Busted (deep brown), Blackout (blackest black matte)
Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Naked Double-ended, cruelty-free Good Karma Shadow/Crease Brush

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

July Topbox


This month’s Topbox came with two deluxe samples, a full sized product, and one very tiny sample.
For those of you who do not know what Topbox is, it is a service similar to Loose Button, Glymm, Birchbox, Glossybox, etc., which offers monthly boxes of deluxe size product samples. Topbox currently offers its services across Canada for $10 per month with no shipping costs. For more information check out topbox.ca