Review: Origins Trio

I've been wanting to try the DrinkUp Intensive Overnight Mask and the Charcoal Mask for the longest time. Since i can't justify spending full price on tubes that i am not sure will work, i've been holding it off. As soon as i saw this mini trio in Sephora, it was the perfect time to try all 3:)

Each mask can be used at least 4 times before the tubes are out. retails to about $15-20 i think.

Charcoal Mask Overall: 4/5
Packaging: I wish it came with a different cap ( id prefer just like the caps on toothpastes). it can messy.
Quality: Surprisingly kind to my eyes. didn't leave that burning/stinging feeling that i got with Glamglow's & other face masks. I can definitely see if its ready to be washed. didn't leave an over drying feeling as well. Although i only see a teeny difference on my skin, it did wash out all the roughness around my nose.
Smell: No overwhelming scent on this.--smells very spa-ish.

10 Minute Mask Overall: 3/5
Quality: Its good but not amazing. Perfect for when your skin needs a pick me up or when you are breaking out. Similar to the charcoal mask but difference in colour obviously. It did leave a film after i washed it. Not that much of a difference except it calmed the redness of my face. typical mask

Overnight Mask: 5/5
Quality: This was my favourite out of all 3. I use this once or twice a week and i must say it made a big difference on my skin. Quite noticeable when i wake up every morning. For some reason, i don't feel oily nor greasy. (it helped control my oily face overnight). its lightweight & easy to apply. i loved the scent on this one--very spa-ish.

Sunset kiss

Dont you just love sunsets? As much as i would want to incorporate all the possible colors, i wanted it to be a wearable look and worked with only 2 colors from Urban decay's electric palette.

Face:

Rimmel's wake me up foundation

Mac's pro longwear concealer

Smashbox bronze lights in suntan matte

Tarte 's amazonian clay (from holiday palette)

Dior AMber lights

Anastasia dip brow pomade

Eyes:

Loreal voluminous mascara

Mac's fluid line

Urban decay's slow burn and freak

Elf eyelashes

Nars larger than life nude eyeliner

Duo lash glue

Lips: mac's peachstock, strange potion and vegas volt to add dimension

=)

Urban Decay's Electric Palette

SOME CALL IT TOO MUCH MAKEUP, I CALL IT ART =)

I had so much fun playing around with the latest palette from Urban Decay! Ahh the bright colours perfect for spring and summer.
I'm really surprised that even though its Matte, doesn't appear chalky at all…Good job Urban Decay! Although i kind of wish they added a matte black eyeshadow  or at least a 24/7 eyeliner instead of the brush. I can think of doing soooo many looks out of this palette!

 I did 2 looks for now :P pretty wearable…or at least for me it is
1) Fun, bright one for day time
2) Sultry for night time

DAY look
Colours used:
Lid: Thrash
Crease: Urban, Savage and Slowburn
Outer V/half: Chaos (my fave!)

Night look

Colours used:

Upper and lower lids: Chaos

crease: a little bit of my bronzer to warm up the look and slowburn (upper crease)

Naked 1: Soft Brown Smokey video (just right for everyday!) + OOTD

Lid: smog
Crease: buck
outer V: darkhorse and a lil bit of creep
Lower Lash line: milani eyeliner smudged

others:

Lipstick: MAC's speeddial
Eyeliner: Milani Waterproof liquif-eye (smudge to give it a softer look)
Bronzer: Smashbox
Blush: MAC's plum foolery
Mascara: Benefit's they're real
Concealer: Mac

*** I wear this all the time, my "neutral" or "everyday" look. Appropriate for my Monday-Friday, 9-5 office job=) This look goes with everything!


Before and after:

                                             

plus outfit of the day! :) 

bracelet: Garage

Watch: Michael Kors

Bow Necklace: Forever21

Dress w/belt: Aeropostale

blazer: H&M

Tights: ALDO

Shoes: Zara

Glam Glow Youthmud tinglexfoliate treatment

I've been hearing a lot of good things about Glam Glow Products but i couldn't justify buying masks worth $70 for 1.7oz. But i saw a travel size version/sample pot as i was checking out in Sephora. for $21, i decided to give it a try..which would give me at least 6 uses out of it.

Description: (Acc. to Sephora)


What it is:
A 10-minute professional-quality mud mask for men and women. 

What it is formulated to do:
This mud mask leaves skin noticeably radiant and glowing. It works with the body's natural moisturizing collagen to provide gentle resurfacing exfoliation and helps to leave skin smoother, brighter, and softer. While providing tighter skin texture and tighter pores, it provides a more youthful appearance and absorbs impurities without removing natural oils. 

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates 
- Phthalates 

Ingredients:

-French Sea Clay: Absorbs impurities and toxic substances, while leaving essential natural oils and minimizing pore size. -Volcanic Pumice Rock: Multi-level surface exfoliation that you control to clear dead skin cells, smoothing out fine lines and softening skin texture. 
-Green Tea Leaf Pieces: GLAMGLOW® groundbreaking patent pending TEAOXI™ technology delivers fresh Super-Squalene, EGCG super antioxidants, and Polypenols directly into the mud from the real pieces of tea leaf. 

My BEFORE PIC : (UN EDITED/NO FILTER): you can see uneven skin tone/redness, pimples or hyper pigmentation, oiliness, my enlarged pores around my nose and near my cheeks. i washed my face with my daily facial cleanser and pat it dry.

side note on skin type: oily, sensitive, dry patches, uneven skin tone, redness, acne prone.

As you place the stuff in your face, you can instantly feel the tingling sensation! I love how you know when time is up just by looking in the mirror... the color turns tray to a sea foam greenish grey.

the chunks that you see btw are green tea leaf pieces.

You can see my enlarged pores! deep

My after pic: (NO EDIT, NO FILTER) my face is so soft, Glowing and squeaky clean without feeling that it over stripped the oils in my face! My pores were less visible, although  hyper pigmentation was still there, it definitely helped tone down the redness and was less visible.

The same feeling when you just had an amazing teeth cleaning sesh. :) so fresh and clean!

Overall, im super happy with this product. I love how its a face mask that exfoliates. Usually i deal with exfoliants that are cleansers/soaps..this is actually better because the time that it is on your face, it really sinks deep down in your pores and really gets out the dirt and gunk out of your face. 

It is seriously one of the best i have tried, truly a luxurious product and treat you can give your skin once in awhile. If only it wasn't too expensive *sigh*

Have you tried? or are you willing to try glamglow products?

xo,

Denise

Bobby pins: how to correctly use

Make sure the top one is the flat side and the curved one is facing down.The ribbing is designed to grip hair and lock in place. It ends up capturing more hair too! 

what are your current obsessions?

Spotlight: Rimmel Apocalips

I've been wanting to try these out! I heard people raving about this, more so in the UK. Not sure if it was even going to be released in the states or in Canada. but I saw a small display at Walmart and I got so excited! I got big bang (Blood red) and nova (creamy Barbie pink).. then the next day, I saw a whole display in Shoppers drug mart in my area. I got Stellar( reddish pinkish coraly color mixed together) because that's one of the lippies that I wanted to get. Prevented myself in getting more because I wanted to try it out first.

I love it has a variety of colours ranging from nude- dark, it has a satin smooth shine, I love the consistency of it, very opaque, creamy and intense (its amazing with 1 swipe!), The staying power is ok too. Im very particular with liquid lipsticks, it tends to be drying on me or once applied it shows lines...but this, not at all. You just have to be really careful in applying and it has a slight stronger taste/scent to it. the Applicator has a hole/ well in the middle which is great because you only need 1-2 dips. but overall, live it! lovely packaging, colour selection, the formula and the price! ($7-9 CAD depending where you get it) I might also grab a nude colour too!



I might do a comparison between Rimmel's and NYX's soon :)
have you ever tried liquid lipsticks? what are your favourite ones?

Many uses of Vaseline/Petroleum Jelly.

Sure we know some of the uses but there are just some that you might have missed. A beauty girl shouldn’t disregard!

The many uses of Vaseline/petroleum jelly:

1)      Maintain your perfume scent by dabbing a little bit on your skin then apply perfume. It will help last longer
2)      Never get lipstick on your teeth again. Place a thin layer on your teeth, you don’t have to worry about your lipstick transferring
3)      Soften dry/cracked elbows: Sometimes these spots need more TLC and lotion.. especially on the winter months!
4)      Soften your feet by applying petroleum jelly, socks on overnight and you’ll wake up with softer feet.
5)      Use as a scrub: lip scrub (mix in with brown sugar) Body scrub (mix in with sea salt)
6)      You can apply a little bit of Vaseline on the ends of your hair to make them look healthier
7)      As an eyebrow gel. It quickly tames eyebrows and molds them into place
8)      Eyelash care: make eye lashes grow by putting Vaseline at night. It will lengthen overtime
9)      Hurting feet on those heels? Rub a little Vaseline to prevent blisters (no friction)
10)   To remove sticky leftover glue from false eye lashes
11)   Rub a little to soften cuticles
12)   Mistakes here and there? Easy makeup remover/corrector. Use a q-tip!
13)   as cream blush. Mix lipstick and petroleum jelly!
14)   As lip gloss: mix it with eye shadow/lipstick
15)   As a highlighter. Thin layer on cheeks for that dewy look.

Spotlight: Dior Shimmer in Amber Diamond

I've had this powder for about 2 months already and i'm obsessed! i haven't really tried much of Dior besides their lip glosses so i decided to try the Dior Shimmer powder in Amber Diamond. I've heard so much people raving about this and i get why :P

It features 5 different shades (cream, light champagne, bronze, rose gold and peach gold). I love mixing them together and it turns out really nice as a highlighter. Sometimes i do use it as eyeshadows too especially the rose gold one and light champagne for the inner corners of the eyes:)

The formulation is absolutely gorgeous! and the colours are a perfect balance of pigmented and sheer. Compared to MAC's soft and gentle, Dior's powder is a bit more refined, which i like..and i love how its divided into strips, so it gives you the option to use one or the other or swirl it together.

For MAC's soft and gentle, its basically a mix of everything already. It also comes in Dior's classic navy blue compact casing and a little pouch.The Diorskin Shimmer Powders contain 10g/0.35 oz of product and retail for $45. (but i got it for 30$ for a VIB coupon)


Dior products are expensive, but with 10g of this I know it will take me forever to use up :) im very pleased and for sure will be using this up a lot in the summer months. what is your favourite highlighter?

do's and donts for your skin type

OILY SKIN/ ACNE PRONE SKIN
DO:
-        Use wash that has salicylic acid. Wash twice daily.
-        Blot often to keep you looking fresh
-        Weekly masks do help.- Use clay mask (tightens pores thus refining them)
-        Always always wash your hands before touching your face
-        Wash with warm water
-        Gel cleanser over foam or cream
-        Never miss out on sunscreen (SPF of 15 or higher). Make sure it is lightweight and oil free
-        Never pop pimples or black heads
-        Clean your sheets/phone (or anything that has contact with your face) once or twice a week
DON’T
-        Use alcohol based toners
-        Wash more than twice a day
-        Use harsh facial scrubs (stimulates more oil production)
-        Ever sleep without washing your face (leave cleansing wipes at your bed side table for emergencies!)
-        Miss out on moisturizer (Yes even on oily skin). Make sure its oil free and light

DRY SKIN
DO:
-        Wash with gentle cleanser. Cream cleansers are your best bet.
-        Deep moisturize through masks once a week
-        Exfoliate 1-2 times a week to rid off dry flaky skin
-        Put a thin layer of Vaseline on really dry patches
-        Wear sunscreen daily (SPF 15 or higher). Make sure its lightweight and oil free.
-        Wash in lukewarm water. Hot water makes your skin even drier
-        Use Pore strips at least 1-2 times a month to get rid of the oil buildup and of course, taking out those pesky blackheads from your nose. In doing this, you also prevent your pores getting bigger
DON’T
-        Use heavy moisturizers (clogs pores)
-        Over exfoliate
-        Run with hot water (even when youre taking a bath. The conditioner/creams you put on your face/skin and hair will just end up being a waste.
-        Use drying soaps
COMBINATION SKIN
DO
-        Exfoliate 1-2  a week
-        Work with either foam/cream cleanser
-        Moisturize and never skip on sunscreen
-        Use Pore strips on t zone to prevent oil and junk buildup
-        if you have sensitive skin, use fragrance free products/soap
-        Blot often
*****dont's are basically the ones for oily skin.
OILY VS. COMBINATION
OILY SKIN
- thicker texture
-dilated pores
-oily, shiny appearance
COMBINATION
-oily only on the tzone. (forehead,nose)
- Dry, flaky patches
*** remember, your makeup up wont look good  if you don't have good, healthy skin. Make sure you give it some TLC:)




xo,
Denise

Bridal Makeup.

        She was one of the prettiest, simplest brides I've done yet turned out to be so gorgeous!!

When i was in Cosmetics school, i remember my instructor stressing the point that bridal makeup  should be CLASSIC and TIMELESS. 30 years from now, would you still love the makeup done?! Would you still look normal? Or would you cringe seeing yourself with hot pink lips? I have encountered brides who wanted "more"...because they have this thinking that the more and heavier makeup aka smokey or dark lips would be appropriate for a wedding... Personally, i prefer LESS. I would not want her face to look cake-y nor too done up. I'm all about the enhancing what every bride has...BEAUTY!

Here are my 2 cents on Bridal Makeup:

1)  Good foundations and concealers are KEY! without a good canvas/base to work on, how will your eyeshadow, blush and everything else look good? But before that, an awesome skincare routing is a must!

2) Waterproof everything. Mascara and eyelash glue most especially. Seriously. i can not even stress how important using long lasting makeup/waterproof products on brides.
If your brides have oily skin, use a setting spray and primer!

3) Soft Brown Smokey eyes are preferred. Suits everyone and looks natural. You can build it up towards the end of the night for an evening look....black is too heavy.

4) Natural looking eyelashes. Brides think its "too much" and "they wouldn't look themselves"...it actually just accentuates your look a little more. It looks awesome on pictures!

5) Lipsticks. Not lipgloss. i prefer just lipsticks with a little bit of gloss in the middle of your lips to make it fuller. Its a no no to oily looking and sticky lips!


xo,
Denise