Maybelline Baby Lips Winter 2015 Limited Edition Review + Swatches on Dark Skin

 

 

    I spotted these lip balms at Walmart a couple weeks ago in a display and I picked them up. One of my first reviews on this blog covered Maybelline's limited edition baby lips collection for Winter 2014 and I can't believe we've went full circle and come back to this point!

     I picked up this lip balms for $3.97 or so at Walmart. I only picked up Mint Please, Sprinkled Pink and Spice it Up! There's a fourth shade called Cocoa Crush but it was all sold out so I never got a chance to swatch it!

      I'm not going to give an in depth review of Baby Lips because I've done that countless times on this blog so I'm just going to show you what these lip balms look like on someone with NW45 skin.

      Here's Mint Please. It was called Mint Candy in the UK and honestly I like that name better than this one! I love the little earmuffs on the package though. It's almost clear with a pale pink base. I really wanted it to be clear like all the other bloggers said, but it's got a white base in there that shows up on pigmented lips. Mint Please smells faintly of mint but doesn't tingle on the lips like other minty lip balms that I've tried.






















      This pink shade is Sprinkled Pink. It was called Sugar Cookie in the UK. Sprinkled Pink is a cool toned pink with silver shimmer. Sprinkled Pink smells faintly of vanilla.





















       The red balm is Spice it Up! It's called Sweet Apple in the UK and I love that name! Spice it Up! is a pink red shade. It's much more pigmented than Cherry Me from the original and permanent Baby Lips line. It smells mostly like cinnamon and ginger with a faint apple note in the background.

       So here's a swatch of all the shades side by side.

 

Mint Please swatched on lips. It looks fine in the picture but in real life it looks pale and completely washes me out. 

    

 

Sprinkled Pink swatched on my lips. This shade was a huge no-no. It sinks into all of my lip lines and I can never get an even application with this shade. This one left my lips much drier then the other ones and I'm guessing it's because this one has shimmer in it.

 

Spice it Up! swatched on my lips. Easily my favourite shade on the collection. It applies very evenly and smoothly and looks great on my lips, no sinking into lines or being patchy. It's deeper and more red in real life.

I can't wait to see what shades Maybelline will come out with for the Spring 2016 collection! 



Beauty Empties #3

 

    I didn't have to wait long to accumulate these empties! Usually I keep my empties for more then a month to make sure I have enough to show you guys but this is just for September. Looks like I had a very productive month.

1. Softsoap Spring LE French Macaron Body Wash: I mainly bought this because I'm in love with French Macaroons (isn't everyone?) but this doesn't smell anything like macarons. In fact it smelt exactly like Softsoap's usual Milk and Honey body wash. It's a nice body wash - moisturizing, creamy, doesn't dry out your skin - but I wouldn't purchase this again.

2. L'Oreal Sublime Soft Micellar water: I review this micellar water every time I have an empties post. I definitely adore this micellar water and I can't wait 'til it goes on sale so I can stock up!

3. Olay Essentials Sensitive Skin Lotion: I was using this lotion as a night cream and I didn't really like it. It was hydrating but didn't afford me the deep hydration I want for night time.

4. Clean and Clear Brightening Cleanser: I said I wouldn't buy this cleanser again but there it is! My mom accidentally bought it and she lost the receipt so we didn't bother trying to bring it back. I like how well it removes makeup but it's a drying cleanser that's full of extra additives for those colourful bursting beads that don't do anything. This cleanser doesn't brighten my skin at all. I'm not repurchasing this.

5. Sephora Sleeping Masks (Honey, Lotus and Rose): These are absolutely fantastic. At five dollars a pop and a generous size (I get 7 uses out of each mask) these are my favourite skin care pick me ups. I love how fresh and hydrated my skin feels when I wake up. And they don't stain my pillow or make my face sticky! I've even noticed a slight decrease in my t-zone oil thanks to these. These all had similar effects on my face; nice dose of hydration and a boost of evenness and radiance the next morning.

6. St. Ives Even and Bright Scrub with Pink Lemon and Mandarin: This is a nice scrub with a nice smell. I like a more abrasive scrub to really buff away dry skin and clogged pores. My skin always looks more even after I use this scrub, but the effects are temporary and very fleeting.

7. Degree Women Dry Spray in Clean: Great spray deodorant. It didn't feel like it was working - I'm used to my stick deodorant - but it really works. It kept me dry and smelling great. And it lasted me nine weeks - and I used it daily - so it served a good purpose.

8. Thayer's Unscented Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel Toner: Great toner, horrific smell. Smells like Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB cream which smelt sour and acidic. I loved how hydrating and refreshing this toner is. I loved it so much I purchased the Rose Petal version of this toner to use.

9. Mane 'n' Tail Carrot Oil Crème: This is such a nice leave-in conditioner. In the summer my hair was texturized and I used this to hydrate my thirsty hair. It smells so delicious; exactly like carrot cake. It's got this hydrating, light texture that didn't weigh down my strands or cause them to revert. But lately I haven't been able to find the crème in stores but when I do find it, I will repurchase it!

10. Clean and Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser for Sensitive Skin: It's a nice cream cleanser but nothing revolutionary. Didn't leave my skin as dry as a foaming cleanser but didn't leave my skin as comfortable as well as my current cleanser (Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Foaming cleanser). I won't repurchase this.

11. Now Solutions Sweet Almond Oil: This oil was a gateway oil for me into the world of oils. I bought this back in 2014 and it's lasted me until now. This is an excellent oil that feels so silky on the skin and didn't break me out when I used it on my face. I used it as a moisturizer on my extra dry bits, as an all over body moisturizer, as a moisturizing treat for the bath, as an ingredient in my DIY leave-in conditioner sprays, and the list goes on. Definitely going to repurchase a bottle of this stuff.

12. Maybelline Dream Wonder Liquid Touch Foundation in 90 Coconut: I bought this foundation in the winter and it worked well for me because I was paler then I am right now. I reviewed this foundation here. I liked how light this foundation was and how well it blended in but it really dried out my skin with prolonged used because of the alcohol denat in there. Wouldn't buy it again.

13. Hask Hair Oil in Keratin (Silver Cap) and Monoi (Peach Cap): These saved my hair this summer. I used this as a daily treatment when my hair was out of braids and texturized. These vials of oil might look small but each one last me a full month (I used the monoi oil up to three times a week). You don't need a lot of oil to work it through your hair and that's what makes these vials last so long. I definitely loved the monoi oil more - smells exactly like pina colodas! - and it's not as drying as the Keratin protein one (which is good for strengthening but you're not supposed to use high protein hair products too often).

14. Bath and Body Works Pumpkin Pecan Waffle Nourishing Hand Cream (Fall 2014 LE): This was a great concept but I didn't realize how weird it was going to be to walk around with hands that smelt strongly of maple syrup! The texture on this hand cream was so rich and creamy but the smell drove me up the wall. This would've been better as a candle.

15. Live Clean Baby Shampoo and Wash: I picked up this little sample size to wash my makeup brushes and it did a fantastic job. Had a great smell and rinsed my brushes clean and left them soft. I don't like it as much as my Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo but it's a nice option.

16. Nyx Retractable Lip Liner in Cocoa: One of my favourite lip liners. I've got four of these stocked up. The tawny colour is just perfect for altering lipsticks. Love this colour and I love this formula. It's pigmented and glides on so creamy with a lovely matte finish. I will buy this liner as long as Nyx makes it.

17. Bath and Body Works Caribbean Escape Pocketbac: I really like the fresh, coconut smell of this pocketbac. I love having this on the go and using it to keep my hands clean.

18. Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara: This is my Holy Grail mascara. This is the fourth tube of this mascara that I've used. I love the small wand and how easy it is to maneuver on my lashes. The formula is so dark and smooth. This mascara just makes my lashes so plush and long.

19. Maybelline Baby Lips Crystal in Pink Quartz: My favourite baby lips ever. I love the slight pink flush and soft pearly shine it gave my lips. The smell is delicious too; like juicy raspberry. I wish it had SPF in it (and was a thicker and less greasy) then it would be my Holy Grail lip balm.

Beauty Empties Edition #2

It's been a while since I've done an empties post but the time was right. The bag I use to hold all of these empty packages was so full it looked like it was ready to burst!

1. L'Oreal Ideal Moisture Day Lotion for Dry Skin: I used this throughout the winter when my skin was incredibly dry. I usually have combination skin but last winter my skin got so dry it was flaking. I loved how moisturizing it was on my skin! It was a very heavy moisturizer but it was great. And the SPF25 didn't leave my skin with an ashy cast. I'd repurchase for use in the winter or when my skin is going through a dry spell.

2. Essence All About Matt Finishing Powder: The powder itself was really great quality, truly translucent with this wonderful pore blurring effect. It mattified my skin right away but the packaging was incredibly fragile and it didn't stay matt all day. Wouldn't repurchase.

3. Dove Pistachio & Magnolia Body Wash: My favourite body wash of all time. I love the delicious warm, sweet, nutty scent and how soft and hydrated it leaves my skin. I adore this body wash!

4. Dial 7 Day Moisturizing Lotion for Dry Skin with Shea Butter: Not my favourite lotion. Had a generic lotion scent. Had a generic lotion feel. I didn't feel like it hydrated my skin that deeply. Wouldn't repurchase.

5. Rimmel Scandaleyes Xtreme Mascara: The brush on this mascara is absolutely fantastic (its in the same vein as the Maybelline Lash Sensational brush and the L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly brush) and helped to get my lashes looking long, think and defined really quickly. I didn't feel the need to build a lot of coats. Sadly this mascara dried out and got clumpy within a month.

6. Freeman Golden Grain Brightening Face Mask: This is an okay product. The gel was hydrating while it was on but didn't boost the brightness of my skin at all. It didn't help with the formation of dark spots either and that's mainly what I purchased for. Wouldn't buy it again as I've found nicer hydrating masks.

7. Freeman Charcoal and Black Sugar Polishing Mask: This is a fantastic scrub that really worked well to keep my skin soft and keep my blackheads under control. As a mask it didn't really stay on my face, but as I scrub I loved it and can't wait to repurchase this mask and get it back into my life! Once I stopped using it my blackheads returned in full force.

8. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream: This is so soothing on my skin. My skin is eczema prone so this really helped when I was going through a really horrible spell of eczema. It also works really well as a facial night cream that hydrates deeply without clogging. Love this stuff.

9. The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter: This body butter was really nice. It was very hydrating on my skin and had a divine melted butter consistency and it smelt like chocolate but still wasn't overpowering. I'd definitely repurchase this.

10. The Body Shop Blueberry Body Scrub: This caught my attention immediately because I thought it was so neat that it looked like blueberry jam. After a while the smell became cloying and I couldn't wait to finish this body butter. Wouldn't buy this again.

11. L'Oreal Sublime Soft Micellar Cleansing Water: My first micellar water and still remains one of my favourites. Click here to read my review. I still love this stuff!

12. Life Brand Clear Action Dual Action Moisturizer: This is Shopper's Drug Mart's dupe of the Clean and Clear dual action moisturizer. I much prefer the Clean and Clear one even though both seriously skimp on moisture and don't include SPF. I don't know if my tube was old or something but it smelt sour. Definitely not repurchasing despite the fact that it did help the acne spots I have, I've found spot treatments that work better.

13. Dove Clear Tone Deodorant: I found this on clearance at Wal-Mart and I know now why it's been on clearance; it doesn't work. It did a good job of keeping my armpits dry and smelling fresh but it didn't even the tone of my underarms at all. I didn't expect it to work so I wasn't surprised. I won't buy these again because they don't work.

14. Maybelline Baby Lips Christmas 2015 LE Ruby Star: The cool red colour of this lip balm was the only thing I liked about it. It was too greasy for my liking. Click here to see my original review of both Ruby Star and Winter Flush.

15. Maybelline Baby Lips Christmas 2015 LE Winter Flush: Didn't like the colour or the greasy feel. I reviewed this at the same time as Ruby Star.

16. Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Addis Ababa: I liked the mousse like feel this lip cream starts off with but then it quickly dries down. I actually liked how sheer this product was because then the colour wasn't too garish. Wouldn't repurchase as I didn't wear this lippie a lot.

17. Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Untainted Spice: Probably my favourite permanent nude lipstick ever. The colour is the perfect nude for my NW45 skin (It's nude but it's got enough colour to look almost MLBB). It doesn't make me look dead at all, and it looks surprisingly natural. Sadly the formula makes my lips feel numb so I stopped using the lipstick.

18. Essence Colour & Go nail polish in Sweet As Candy: I love this nail polish. It's a nice sheer pink that's great for a natural look or for using as a base for a French manicure.

19. Essence Colour & Go nail polish in Space Queen: My favourite glitter top coat. It also looks incredible over Sweet As Candy. It thickened up after a year which is definitely a first for any nail polishes I own. I really like this polish and would most likely repurchase.

20. Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Strike A Rose: Smells exactly like those sour rocket candies I hated getting in my pillow sack as a child during Halloween. The colour was really pink, cool and pigmented which made me really not like it at all as I didn't like the way it looked on me. Wouldn't repurchase.

21. Revlon Nail Enamel in Cherries in the Snow: I bought this colour mainly because I knew it was a vintage Revlon colour. I actually only like it on myself in the winter because during the winter my skin is paler and the polish doesn't look as bright and as shocking. I didn't wear it a lot and for that I wouldn't repurchase it.

Maybelline Matte + Poreless Pressed Powder in Translucent Review

   My new daily makeup regimen involves translucent powder and after finishing an Essence one which didn't really leave me totally satisfied I decided to try a pressed powder from Maybelline.

Claims from the packaging: For normal to oily skin. Natural poreless-looking finish. Up to 12 hour wear. Long lasting shine control.

This powder retails for $7.96CDN at Wal-Mart and has 8.5g of product in the package. This powder says translucent put the powder in there has a slight yellow peachy tone to it and that got me scared. My old pressed powder was completely white in the compact but translucent on the skin.

The package feels very sturdy and not likely to break. Inside the compact, the powder lifts up to reveal a mirror and a sponge. I have an old Maybelline Fit Me powder (360 Mocha which I think has been discontinued up here in Canada) and that powder came with a powder puff, not a sponge. Both are totally useless at any rate.

The powder is finely milled and devoid of sparkle. It is more pigmented then other translucent powder I've tried. It has some pigmentation to it. Applying the powder with the sponge was a complete disaster. It caked the powder on and made me look like I was dusty in the most literal sense of the word. If you're very pale, applying with the sponge may do you some good as it will add some coverage along with this powder.

If you're not pale, don't use the sponge. I used a brush and I achieved a translucent dusting of powder without the pigment. It looked translucent in artificial light as well as sunlight, so I was covered on all bases.

The powder does completely mattify my skin upon application and leaves it looking soft and perfected. My pores didn't look as emphasized as it did before.

The texture of his powder is rather dry and thin. There's no creaminess to this powder.

Now I don't expect any powder to mattify my skin, I've been dissapointed too many times. The best powders can only keep my extremely shiny nose under control for an hour before succumbing to the oil. I've fared better with primers then powders, so I had really low expectations for this powder.

This powder keeps the rest of my face matte, but my nose continues to shine through after an hour or two of wear. So this powder has the same wear time as my old essence one but with added negatives; a steeper price and less translucence.

So all in all, I didn't really like Maybelline's matte + poreless translucent powder. It works well as a finishing powder but I bought it to keep me mattified throughout the day and it doesn't live up to that claim. It works well as a setting powder but it doesn't succeed at it's intended purpose which is being a mattifying powder.

Likes:

1. Sturdy packaging
2. Affordable price tag
3. Mattifies upon application
4. Works well to set makeup
5. Included mirror

Dislikes:

1. Doesn't mattify for 12 hours like the packaging claims
2. Texture is dry and thin
3. Has some pigmentation and is supposed to be translucent

C

Maybelline Baby Lips Gloss Lilac Lumi Review

 

 

   As soon as I heard Maybelline was going to release lip gloss counterparts to their baby lips glosses I was very excited. I love moisturizing lip glosses so trying out these glosses was a definite must.

Claims from the Maybelline.com website: Kiss off sticky gloss! Color + shine meets serious care. 0% sticky: a new no sticky to shine. 100% creamy shine: creamy comfort and Vitamin E. 4HR moisture; caring oils moisturize, smooth & soften for four hours so lips never feel dry.

I bought this gloss online at Well.ca for $5.99. I picked up the colour lilac lumi because I heard it was the most pigmented shade and from reading the reviews I heard that lilac lumi lasts the longest. At the time of writing this post, Well.ca only has three shades available one from each shade grouping; Pink-A-Boo from the creams, Lilac Lumi from the shimmers and Fab & Fuchsia from the jellies.

Lilac lumi is a sheer purple gloss with violet and blue shimmer. On my lips it gives my lips a soft hint of lilac. The shimmers aren't very evident on my lips. The colour barely shows up on my pigmented lips. I get just a slight hint of colour. Two dips of the wand yields this soft wash of purple on my lips. I don't really mind at all, as glosses are rarely incredibly pigmented and I do prefer sheer and semi-sheer products. In addition to that, I only bought this gloss to use on those days when I wanted something hydrating comfy on my lips and didn't want to reach for something very pigmented.

The feel of this gloss is really nice. I actually like the way this lip gloss feels much better then the baby lips lip balm! This gloss feels creamy and smooth whereas the baby lips balm can feel thin and greasy (Maybelline got that creamy comfort line right!). I can feel a bit of the shimmer - similar to the texture of the baby lips crystal lip balm - but it's barely recognizable over the creamy feel of the gloss.

The wand doesn't grab a lot of product and I find I have to double and triple dip to get enough product on my lips. The tip of the doe foot is rather small and only the tip gets a little dollop of gloss for every dip you do.

The smell of this lip balm is similar to the original Quenched baby lips. It's lemony and sweet and slightly artificial. For me it doesn't linger too long and I'm glad because it's a scent I don't like.

I find this gloss lasts for about three hours which is pretty close to Maybelline's claims. While this gloss is on it does feel hydrating. It feels tackier later on in the wear but I find that's standard with a lot of glosses.

In short; I like the texture of this gloss better then Maybelline's baby lips balm and I'm eagerly awaiting their local drugstore release so I can get another shade. I wouldn't get more then one from each grouping as these glosses are sheer so they probably all look the same once on my lips.

Likes:

1. Creamy feel
2. Nice hydration
3. Not sticky
4. Balmy shine

Dislikes:

1. Doe foot is small
2. Smell is very synthetic

B+

Maybelline Master Hi-Light Blush in Mauve Review + Swatches

So I've been hunting around for a rose gold highlighter (something along the lines of Becca's Blushed Copper) but I'm definitely not trying to shell out money for a product at that price. So I did a little research and I found out about this gorgeous blush from Maybelline's Face Studio Master Hi-Light line.

After much deliberation I picked the shade that I thought would be deep enough to give me some colour but still had the rose gold undertones I was looking for. And that was 40 Mauve.

Claims from the packaging: Our multi-tonal blush palette highlights skin and softly contours cheeks for an instantly defined glow.

Claims from the website: Light- diffusing blush and bronzer formulas have an expert balance of shade + shimmer illuminator for natural glow. Skin goes soft-lit with zero glitz.

This blush retails for about $12.96 at Wal-Mart.

The powder lifts up to reveal a mirror and a little brush. This brush is softer then the usual included brushes (The brush from the Fit Me blushes is super scratchy!) but I still wouldn't use it.

This blush is made up of interlocking powder shades. One is a deeper plummy purple, the other is a deep cranberry pink, another is a pale pink toned champagne shimmer and another is a champagne shimmer. All swirled together the blush comes off this gorgeous deep rose gold.

Here's a swatch of all the colours blended together. You can see the sheen and then the soft hint of colour. I wouldn't rely on it for contouring though. I use it mostly as a highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones and I love it for that purpose. I also use it as a blush by focusing a small stippling brush on the cranberry and plum shades and then blending that on the apples of my cheeks. Focused on the blush shades, this product adds a luminous burst of healthy colour. Swirling your brush in all the shades it adds a lovely glow with slight colour to your cheeks.

Here's the blush at another angle where you can see the more of the colour and less of the sheen.

The powder itself has a great formula. It's remarkably soft and silky, it's so finely milled it feels like a cream on the fingers. It's incredibly easy to pick up with a brush. The shimmery shades do kick up a fair bit of powder but it's really not that messy or difficult to deal with and the product doesn't get all over the place.

This blush has great lasting power. It lasts about eight hours before fading slightly.

Also I feel like up close the powder highlights the imperfections in my skin but from a normal standing distance those imperfections aren't noticed. This product is pigmented, you will need a light hand and you will need to blend well!

But overall I love it. I like how it illuminates my skin, my bone structure and how easy it is to apply because of how pigmented and creamy the product is. It's easier to use then a liquid highlighter and I adore that. And the colour is lovely!

Likes:

1. Absolutely beautiful, unique colour
2. Affordable price tag
3. Soft, finely milled texture
4. Sturdy packaging
5. Bonus mirror
6. Long lasting
7. Easy to blend

Dislikes:

1. Scratchy brush
2. Can highlight imperfections
3. A bit of powder kicks up when swirling a brush in it

A-

Maybelline The Blushed Nudes: I Bought & Reviewed This Palette So You Don't Have To

 

 

So I was browsing my local Wal-Mart's beauty aisle on June 1st and what did I see? The Blushed Nudes! I was so happy (not to mention surprised, Maybelline said we Canadians wouldn't be getting them until early June, but I didn't know they were going to be right on time!) I bought it and forgot to buy several other things. Now I'm kinda wishing I had saved my money.

It cost about $10CDN. As with the Nudes palette it's divided up into quads, trios and duos on the back to assist those needing some inspiration when creating a look.

The palette looks visually gorgeous. It's got a lovely rose gold colour and closes with a secure snap. It comes with two sponge applicators that I leave unused. I think my Nudes palette came with one!

When I swatched these shades, things started to go downhill. I swatched the first row of six on one hand and then the second row of six on the other. They're all numbered for ease of reference.

The first row was a nightmare on Elm Street. It was one disappointment right after the other.

Almost every single shade aside from 1.4 and 1.6 were dry. They were just grey shimmers. I was really shocked at how sheer 1.1 is compared to it's white counterpart in the Nudes palette which has pigment and shimmers. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.5 are grey, chalky and dry with no pigmentation. 1.5 is a matte but there's no pigmentation to it. 1.4 has a bit more colour but it's still incredibly dry and sheer. I can't be too mad at 1.3, it's supposed to be grey but it's sheer, dry and chalky just like the rest of the first row. 1.6 is softer with a creamier texture and has better payoff and actually has a nice pink shift to it. It's rather sheer but it's not a total lost cause.

I knew Row 2 would be better because those shades are darker. 2.1 is a nicely pigmented and smooth rose gold but still applies sheer. 2.2 swatched awfully. It's a matte cocoa brown with rose sparkles but it is so dry and creates incredible fallout with very little payoff. 2.5 was the best shade in the palette, creamy, soft and pigmented with little fallout. 2.6 is another trouble shade. It kicks up plenty of fall out but it's decently pigmented. I stick to Row 2 and 1.6 when using this palette, those are really the only shades worth looking at.

These shades do apply better then they swatch, but the fallout issues and the sheerness prevail. I'm sure these would do better over a primer, but I expected better from Maybelline especially considering how nicer in quality The Nudes is compared to the Blushed Nudes.

I'm on the fence with this palette. The more I play with the bottom shades the more I like them. I just wish the palette had better quality overall as I never had to limit myself to one part of the palette using the Nudes. I really don't like the fact that 5 out of 12 shades are total duds, but the remaining six are nice in a pinch.

Likes:
1. Pretty rose gold colour scheme
2. Row 2 and 1.6

Dislikes:

1. Poor quality shadows in 5 out of 12 of the shades
2. Lack of pigmentation
3. Lots of fallout

C+

Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Eyeshadow Palette To Be Released in Canada

All of us Canadian girls are rubbing our hands together feverishly in wait for Maybelline to released the Blushed Nudes palette in our fair country. I was patrolling the official Maybelline Canada Facebook page when I saw this message.

 

 

When I saw this message I was really heartbroken. This isn't the first time Maybelline - or any other brand for that matter - has favoured the United States over Canada. There are so many more product shades and limited edition collections that never break the shores of Canada.

 

I checked the facebook page again at a later date and to my surprise what did my eyes see?

 

They changed their minds! And check out what I saw on the official Maybelline Canada Instagram page:

A finite date! Not only will we Canadians be getting The Blushed Nudes palette in early June but it will be a permanent product! How fantastic is that?

I just wanted to share the news with all of you like minded Canadian beauties out there and make sure everyone's as excited as I am!

Maybelline Dream Wonder Liquid Foundation Review

 

 

I bought this foundation as soon as I could find it when it came out. It's under a slightly different name in the states; Dream Wonder Fluid Foundation. It's the Dream Wonder Liquid Touch foundation over here (huge difference, I know).

 



Amazingly enough Maybelline released dark shades for this line of liquid foundation. I wanted to try their Dream Wonder Powder but sadly the darkest shade in the whole line was light enough to match the inside of my palm. Not, cool Maybelline.

 

I usually don't wear Coconut (355) in Maybelline's foundation lines because it tends to be too light but this Coconut (95) was very deep, almost like Mocha from their Fit Me Range. So I decided to give it a whirl. I'm an NW45 just for reference. I've used this foundation all through the winter and it's been such a good match I don't even need to wear it all over my face for it to blend. When summer comes around I'll probably have to find an entirely different foundation though because this is the darkest shade in the line.

Claims from the Maybelline Canada website: Breakthrough texture fuses with skin. A finish so imppecable, yet undetectable. Exclusive dropper. Medium to full coverage, ideal for normal skin

 

This foundation retails for $12.95 at Wal-Mart. 

 

The applicator is a weird looking wand. I use it by dropping some on the back of my hand and then applying with my fingertips. I don't use a brush because this foundation seems like the sort to get sucked up by a brush. Even with my fingers I end up with a very natural but perfected look that I like a lot.

 

The bottle has 20ml in it and while that seems like a little for the price, it's actually a lot. The foundation is very thin so you don't need a lot to get the coverage you're after. 

 

 

This foundation is amazingly thin. It's very runny too which is why the bottle tells you to shake it well to mix up the pigments with the fluid. It's so thin but it spreads so easily on skin it's just weird to see. When you apply it on your skin it doesn't feel like there's enough but it just glides over skin like silk. When I have it on, I forget I've got foundation on.

 

The colour match is actually a really good match for my skin. It doesn't oxidize and become darker either.

 

The foundation dries to a semi-matte finish which I really love. I don't like how deadening matte foundations are and I don't like dewy foundations which grease up my combination skin. The foundation also has medium but buildable coverage which is perfect for me as I want to have as natural a finish as possible. As it wears through the day the foundation becomes dewy and not semi-matte.

 

The foundation blends very easily on the skin.

So there is the drop of foundation on my hand and I blended in the other swatch. As you can see, the foundation is actually a little too dark for my hand which is how I knew it was going to be absolutely perfect for my face. Like some women of colour, my hands are slightly lighter then my face.

I've been using this foundation for several months now and I still haven't run out. I adore this foundation and how easy it is to apply in a rush. I would rebuy it but I found it tended to dry out my skin a little. I'm mourning a little inside because I don't know how I'm going to find another foundation that feels as nicely as this one does with good coverage as well.

Likes:

1. Feels thin and weightless on skin!
2. Blends very easily
3. The bottle lasts
4. Semi-matte finish
5. Great colour-match

Dislikes:

1. Drying
2. No sunscreen!

A-



Maybelline Baby Lips BUDS Spring 2015 Limited Edition Oh! Orchid & Petal Rebel Review

 

 

This cute duo popped up in Canadian drugstores earlier this week and I managed to snag these two today. I couldn't resist the adorable flower motifs and the pink colours. I had a feeling I was going to like it a lot more then the Winter 2014 limited edition selection because there were no peach shades.

So both of these tubes had barcodes on them which is new to me as none of the other previous shades have had barcodes on them. Perhaps Maybelline is thinking of selling them without the card packing?

From what I've seen these are the only two shades Canada has received: 190 Oh! Orchid and 175 Petal Rebel (Maybelline really needs to stop repeating names. The Color Whisper line also has a shade named Petal Rebel). The states has another shade, Peach Posey and I'm super glad they didn't put that one in the duo. This duo retails for $7.96 at the Wal-Mart where I purchased it but it was on sale so I bought it for $5.96.

Here's Oh! Orchid. It's a pinkish purple shade. It smells like raspberries which is my favourite baby lips scent. It's got the same scent as Pink Shock from the Electro line and Pink Quartz from the Crystal line. This shade is really sheer. I had to swipe it on the back of my hands several times in order to get it to show up. I don't really mind per se because it gives my lips a milky purple tint which is easier to pull off on my NW45 skin if it's sheer.

Here's Petal Rebel. Like Oh! Orchid is has that enticing raspberry aroma. This shade is also entirely clear. I swatched it on the back of my hand approximately ten times and there was the slightest, slightest, slightest, slightest tint of soft pink. I'm a little disappointed that this shade didn't have any tint but it does make it easy to wear as it's clear. I actually love the way it makes my lips look! It's clear but there is a soft hint of colour that bumps it up from a totally clear balm, but keeps it easy to apply without a mirror.

Here's a picture of Oh! Orchid on the left with Petal Rebel on the right. I don't know if you can make it out or not, because it's very sheer.

So there it is. I am disappointed because I was expecting tinted lip balms, not clear lip balms with an inflection of colour but at least they don't look terrible on so I can get some use out of them.

Likes:

1. Delicious scent
2. Fairly moisturizing
3. Cute packaging

Dislikes

1. Says it's a tinted lip balm but only one shade delivers on that claim



B-