One Step Makeup Remover

Did you read that right? A ONE STEP MAKEUP REMOVER?! Is that even possible? Well, kinda.

I can be very lazy when it comes to removing my makeup. I love the application part and looking fancy, but at the end of the night when you are tired, removing that face of plaster can be quite a task. I had purchased plenty of facial soaps, which claim to remove makeup in one step – they never did. I was always left with makeup residue even after 3 washes.

One day, I stumbled upon the ‘Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover.’ It had an impressive description in the front of the bottle, which stated, “Peruvian Tara Seed enriched cleanser gently soften, refreshes skin and completely removes makeup.” I thought to myself, “Hmmm, no clue what Peruvian Tara Seed is, but it definitely sounds good. I will give this a go.” And that is exactly what I did.

It is a 177ml bottle priced at CAD $9.97 (from Walmart). I didn’t think that a $10 product would work as well as it did. It has a pleasant scent to it and the cleanser doesn’t sting my eyes. That’s already a winner according to me. It managed to sweep away all my face makeup and eye makeup in one go – SAY WHAAT?! Yes. It did.

I have re-purchased this product 4 times now, and I absolutely love it. I use about 2 pumps of the cleanser and rub my hands together until it gets to a foamy lather. I massage the product onto my face for a good minute. Sometimes I repeat the step, especially when I have heavy eye makeup on.

After that step, I go in with Bioderma with a cotton pad just to make sure that all traces of makeup have vanished. I never use waterproof mascara, hence I wouldn’t know how well it works at melting away waterproof makeup.

Definitely one of my holy grail products

And BOOM! I am in my pajamas and snoring away. It barely takes me 2 minutes to take off all my makeup with this cleanser!

Much Love, 

xx

Copper Eyes

I put this look together while in the washroom of my office (adventurous, I know!). Attempting to look presentable and professional isn't an easy task for me. However, I absolutely loved the outcome!
Keeping with the copper and peach tones, it gives a very summer vibe. It looks lovely on tanned skin, and since I am getting tan (Finally, we have a Canadian summer!), it works for me.

Gimme some credit for a BARE face. 

Step 1: BASE 

Apply a light base (this was very brave because my skin is acting just bizarre lately). I opted for light coverage tinted moisturizer and used concealer to hide my ginormous zits. I used Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer all over my face and neck, used MAC's Prolong Wear Concealer to cover my dark circles and Revlon's Photoready Concealer over any discolouration. Make sure to set everything in place with a powder to avoid your makeup sliding around. I used MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish.

Step 2: Eyes

Start by priming the eyes. I used MAC's Paintpot in the shade 'Painterly'. 

Once you have a good base down, start by applying a bright copper shade all over your eyelids. Take the eyeshadow just above your crease. Don't worry about being neat at this point, just focus on packing the shade on your eyelids. 

Use a matte light brown shade as a transition colour and blend away the harsh edges using a fluffy eyeshadow brush. I love using MAC's eyeshadow in the shade 'Soft Brown', as it is a couple of shades darker than my skin tone and blends all colours seamlessly. 

I didn't want to use a black eyeliner because I wanted to keep this look soft. Instead, I went in with a dark brown shade and lightly lined the upper lash line to give the look of fuller lashes. 

Brighten the inner corner with a soft white shade and apply a black or dark brown eyeliner to the waterline. Smudge the copper shade under your waterline, right up to the tear ducts, then add the dark brown shade to the outer half of your waterline. 

Curl the lashes and apply oodles of mascara. I used L'Oreal's Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara. 

Step 3: Blush

I suggest sticking to blush which has a warm undertone, since it will compliment the eyes. I used a Tarte blush in the shade 'Captivating'. It is a beautiful coral shade with no shimmer. 

Step 4: Lips

Again, sticking to shade which has a warm undertone. I used MAC's lipstick in the shade 'Mocha' - LOVE THIS! It has a satin finish and ties the look together.

Yup Yup! I am loving this lipstick.

TADAAAA..we are done!

In natural lighting. 

This look is so simple yet it looks like you put some effort into it. It shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes to finish this look. Hope you guys give this a go.

Pufferfish.

Much love, 

xx

Handbag Essentials

Being a girl is hard work. I know it looks easy – but it really isn’t. There are a few ingredients that go into making me feel comfortable in cases of an emergency. Below I give you an idea of my stash and what I NEED to have in my bag (or like my mother calls it - my suitcase) while I’m out of my den. 

Excuse the tattered bus pass - it is much loved.

I cannot leave the house without my phone (for obvious reasons) PLUS I need some music to jam to!

Oh look! CASH - today is my lucky day.

 I always end up touching someone's chewed up gum under the tables - YUCK! 

I have man hands during the winters - I need this! 

Yes, I carry both. You just never know.

SWAG SWAG - I do like looking like a diva, sometimes.

This comes in handy when you spend half the day running after your professor and the other half running after your bus.

This is what I found in my bag. Don't judge. I love having options :)

This is a life saver for girls that get oily. I use this to blot away the excess shine during the day.

Because sometimes we all need it. Spread the love and pass one over to your neighbour, too.

Much love, 

xx

Review - Estee Lauder Double Wear Powder

It has been established that the oils on my face refuse to cooperate with me and, hence, my second best friend has been a good setting powder (my first best friend being a good face primer!). NOW! Let me please explain why all you oily girls need this product in your lives. By ‘oily girls’ I mean girls with an oily complexion – like myself.

I am a self-confessed powder-holic. I love powders! I love the texture. I love the feeling of it on my skin. I love how it makes my skin look flawless but most importantly, I love the fact that it helps in controlling the oils on my face. I decided to try the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Powder Makeup. Let me talk packaging: It is a beautiful navy colour with the EL logo in gold on the front. If this doesn’t say class, I don’t know what does. I imagined myself pulling this compact out of my bag while on bus, all eyes on me, as I touched up my makeup. Just like in the movies…. Okay, back to reality. Although the compact itself is a little bulky, the packing is simply chic.

The product itself is marvellous. The powder really lasts on the face and the amount of times I need to touch up my makeup has been reduced by half – no joke. During my regular eight-hour shifts at work, I would need to touch up maybe just once or twice. I am in the shade 3W2 Cashew 93 – how exotic! Not really. This shade is yellow based and hence works with my skin tone, it is a little dark on me but I don’t mind it because I use the product with a large powder brush which evenly distributes the product.

This product is priced at CAD $44 and hence it is a definite investment but it is an investment worth having. I thoroughly enjoy using this product and hope you do as well.

Much Love,

xx

How to: Plum Lips

I absolutely love the look of a dark pink shade or a burgundy shade on the lips because it adds a certain depth and mystery to your makeup look. However whenever I do decide to do a dark lip, I tend to go light on the eyes with mascara and maybe a sweep of light shadow over the lids. Below I will give you tips and tricks of how to pull of a dark look.

If you have just started exploring makeup, I would suggest a tinted lip balm or a gloss. It adds sheer pigment to the lips and introduces you to the colour without making you feel uncomfortable.
Below are a few choices:

A few sheer options

MAC's 'Plumful' is an amazing colour! It is pretty sheer, but still adds a hint of colour to the lips. 

This is my go-to shade, I love the glossy finish and it almost makes my lips look plumper.  

L'Oreal Paris Lip Gloss in shade 101 - Mystic Mauve

Stila Lip Glaze in Shade 27 - Black Cherry

TIP 1 – Save the darker shades for the evenings or a night event. Wearing a dark lip in the morning isn’t the best thing, looks a little odd in my opinion. I have looked odd on several occasions and wouldn’t suggest that.

TIP 2 – Use a precision lip brush. Even though I have fairly fuller lips (I ain’t complaining) I always manage to mess up the edges of my lips. I first swipe the lipstick directly from the bullet onto my lips and then use a lip brush to clean up the edges.

Work your up to the darker shades. Below are a few choices of a mid-tone plum shade. I also ADORE the Revlon ‘Just Bitten Kissable’ Balm stain! They add a tint of colour to your lips and lasts for a very long time, even through meals. CRAZY! I know.

Mid range plums

MACs 'Amorous' - Satin Finish

Revlon Balm Stain in Shade 005 - Crush Beguin

TIP 3 – Add a lip liner. This isn’t a must and I often skip this step when I am in a rush. However, I would recommend adding a plum lip liner because the colour of your lipstick will stay on for a lot longer. And also because if you have already lined your lips, you wouldn’t have to go in with a lip brush. That’s one less brush to wash.

Once you gather the guts and feel confident of pulling of of darker lips, make sure to pick a shade that compliments your complexion. Since I am pretty tan hence darker shades works with my complexion. Choosing a blue undertone shade works best aswell because it makes your teeth look whiter.

The darker and scarier shades I love rocking! 

MAC's Rebel - Satin Finish

Lakme - Wine Whisper

TIP 4 – In order for your lipstick to stay put on your lips and not bleed, add concealer to the edges of your lips. Works wonders for me!

Because I get fed up of posing like a civilized individual

Much Love,
xx