New Kid on the Block: Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick

I knew the minute I saw the Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick I needed to try it. First of all stick foundations are so easy to use, and make perfect travel companions, secondly, the 26 shade range looked phenomenal, and thirdly the funky triangle shaped tube had me all sorts of curious. Hey, what can I say? I love great packaging! Hourglass had some incredible claims about this foundation, so I gladly put them to the test!

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation and Aquacealer Review

It's been a year of uber thin consistency foundations that are dispensed via a dropper and have words like "serum" and "water" in the title, hasn't it? A quick boo around Sephora, Nordstrom or any other major cosmetic retailer will have you convinced this is the wave of the future when it comes to weightless, skin like foundation. I'm not convinced, but the foundation junkie in me still wants to try every single one. You know, for blog purposes of course...

I was stupidly excited when I saw that Tarte, one of my favourite brands was releasing not only their Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation*, but also the Rainforest of the Sea Aquacealer*. Naturally, I couldn't wait to get them on my face and review them both for you all, especially after hearing some serious hype, but did they live up to my hopes and dreams?

The Colour Correcting Trend : Is It Necessary?

Let's start this post off with three truths shall we? One: I may have had a few beers before writing this (so sue me). Two: I'm spending the day shopping with my Grandmother this week and I'm childishly excited about a little retail therapy. Three: I think the idea of colour correcting as the hot new trend is totally ridiculous. Yep, I went there.

With stores like Sephora literally devoting entire displays to products that are meant to colour correct, clearly its 2016's answer to the Strobing and Contouring trends of 2015. Here's the thing though - do we all really need to be colour correcting, and if so WHAT are we correcting and WHY? 

Becca Aqua Luminous Foundation Review

It's definitely been a year for very liquid, serum-style foundations. When I heard Becca's Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation was one of the latest in the lineup, I was super excited. After all, Becca are the queens of glow, and the name 'Aqua Luminous' made it sound heaven sent for my dry skin! After putting it to the test for the last few weeks, I definitely have some thoughts on this, so keep reading for my review...

This Just In | Stila's Aqua Glow Serum Foundation

With the serum foundation craze not losing any steam in the last year, I've had so many formulas cross my desk. In fact over the last couple of weeks I've had three on rotation for testing, and so far the Stila Aqua Glow Serum Foundation is by far my favourite! If you've got dehydrated, dry or textured skin you might want to keep reading...

5 New Beauty Launches I'm Excited About

Occasionally there will just be a cluster of releases that have me completely renewing my interest in the beauty industry (let's be real, the love never dies, but occasionally takes a nap...) Today's post has 5 new launches that have me all heart-eyed emoji. Let's take a look...

The Must Have | L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation

When it comes to foundation, I'm kind of tough to please. When it comes to foundation from the drugstore, I am almost impossible to please. When I saw L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion displayed at my local drugstore I knew I needed to try it. With cushion compacts being all the rage thanks to Korean beauty trends forever paving the way for new and innovative cosmetics, I knew it would only be a matter of time until some big name beauty brands started stocking the shelves with them here. 

This Just In | 6 New Products I Want to Try

With the end of this year rapidly approaching, many brands are already launching their Spring releases (crazy, I can't even think of Spring yet!). No surprise, there are some exciting new products that I very interested in trying. Here's a little round up of 6 new launches that I'll be keeping my eye on in the next month or two!

Hype Worthy? | Six Luxury Products Get Put to the Test

I love trying out hyped up 'cult classic' products to see if they really are worth their weight in gold (and priced seemingly so!) as many tout them to be, and it seems you as readers like it when I do as well! I've always been one of those 'exception to the rule' types, and find because of this I look at products with a skeptical eye, which benefits the blogging process of reviewing quite well. So here are six more products that have had plenty said about them on the web, magazines and word of mouth, put to the test by yours truly. Which ones do I think are hypeworthy?

On the Go Makeup Made Easy with Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation

After recently falling in love with the newly revamped Make Up For Ever HD Foundation, I knew the brand had done some great things in terms of formula. So when I heard that the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation was being launched, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. The convenience of a swipe, blend and go stick just seemed too good to be true, so naturally I had to give it a full try and review for you all... #BeautyBloggerExcuses.  

This Just In | MAC Studio WaterWeight SPF30 Foundation

With a crop of serum style foundations housed in bottles with dropper style tops popping up, it was only a matter of time before MAC jumped on the bandwagon. I always think of MAC as innovators when it comes to base products, and I know they like to perfect their products and create a range that not only has a diverse colour spectrum, but also a wide variety of finishes and formulas. Normally, with my dry skin I struggle to find a foundation the brand offers that sits well on my skin, so I was super intrigued when I heard that the new MAC Studio WaterWeight SPF 30 Foundation boasted something called Moisture-Fusion Complex, which is meant to keep skin hydrated throughout the day.

Make Up For Ever Goes Ultra HD for 4K

With 4K video becoming more and more accessible it was only a matter of time before a cosmetic line started creating products for even higher definition. It's no surprise to me that Make Up For Ever was the line that hopped on that bandwagon first, given their original HD Foundation formula was one of the first in its market when originally released. Now the brand has revamped their cult classic, which naturally I had to try...

Cult Beauty Products | Worth The Hype?

Some beauty products in the world that have gained a famous, cult like following. You've read about them in magazines, you've seen them used in countless YouTube tutorials, your girlfriends talk about them and maybe even your Mother's had one or two in her makeup bag. But are they really that good, or have they just become so big because of status? I loathe Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, yet it's been voted best mascara in magazines for what seems like decades.
So let's break down some other products I've bought because of their hyped up name and see if they are truly worth the hype...

Beauty Products So Good I 'Hit Pan'

Ah the sweet satisfaction followed by the panicked 'I have to buy a backup!' sentiment of "Hitting Pan". In the beauty world this term is a status - the product was good enough that the end is in sight (usually in the form of the literal metal pan a product is pressed into). Now if you're anything like me and have an out of control makeup addiction, you will not see this nearly as often making it special when you actually do begin to use up something. Here are five products that were so good I 'hit pan' on them.

The Friday Face | Peach Monochrome

Occassionaly I like my makeup so much I take a picture of myself and post it on the internet. I find it kind of terrifying, honestly. 

Recently I've been really digging the whole monochrome look, namely with shades of soft peach, and apparently others are too, because it seems to be the look I get most complimented on! So here's a breakdown of my current favourite peach hued cosmetics for how I got this look:

A Tale Of Two Sponges | Beauty Blender vs Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

For the longest time I really couldn't understand the hype around using a damp (and expensive) makeup sponge to blend foundation. I mean surely it didn't work as well as buffing it in with a brush? Even more so, could they possibly be worth upwards of almost $30 CND? Finally, does the drugstore 'dupe' work just as well? Let's break it down, shall we?

Primers That Work

Up until a couple years ago I really thought primers were a bunch of crap. Being blunt here. But if you think about it, they make sense right? You prime your nails with base coat, you prime your walls before you paint - we even prime our skin with serum before moisturizer!

There are different primers for different jobs, and here are a handful of my favourites that actually work, and what they are best suited for.

Favourites | January 2015

The first month of 2015 is done and I had five distinct beauty favourites I found myself reaching for over and over this past month. There are some fun new products, an old love, and some new to me shades of previously loved products.

Ace of Base(s) | 5 Tips For Flawless Foundation

90's Pop bands and current 'bass' boasting song de jour puns aside, a flawless base really can make the difference between someone saying "gosh you have gorgeous skin!" and "what makeup do you wear". We weren't all born with it, but that doesn't mean you can't fake it till ya make it when it comes to smooth even skin tone. Here are my top 5 tips for being the ace of your own base...

New Kid On the Block | Kat Von D Lock It Featherweight Primer

Primers have been really hitting their stride these last months - everyone is making one it seems these days. Brands are needing to keep on top of their game and come up with some innovative ways to sell it to us, and with offerings brands like Smashbox and their 'Primer Water' and Too Faced with their 'Hangover' there seems to be something for everyone. The newest kid on the primer block is Kat Von D's Lock-it Featherweight Primer, and some of its claims had me strolling into my local Sephora and asking for it before it even made it to the shelf.