My Hunt For A Tinted Moisturizer

Time for a change!

I've used liquid foundations for the longest time.. And to be honest, I don't test out and/or change foundations often.. BUT I've been using revlon's photoready foundation for many months now and am now starting to feel that i may be finally finished a whole foundation!! Don't you just love the feeling of finally using up a product? Haha anyways, So i thought, I should take this opportunity to try something different! A new foundation, or even better, a new tinted moisturizer !



For me, this seems like the perfect timing, springs coming and my skins never been better *yay*, although I still suffer from slight acne scarring, I think a tinted moisturizer with medium coverage will be beneficial :) you know, let my skin breate a bit more haha and reduce that "caked on" makeup look :/ so yup, starting now, I'm on a hunt to find my hg tinted moisturizer!

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Products I have my eye on right now:


1. Origins vitazing SPF 15 Energy-boosting moisturizer

image courtesy of origins.com

This product has received SO much rave I am just dying to try it out! The only thing really holding me back is the price. It retails for around $35 US but in canada, it goes for $44!! I really dont get why its so much more expensive in canada but oh well :( This ones is the one ive been eyeing for awhile, so i think i might go pick it up soon :D Once i do, i'll be right back with a review and of course, to update you on what i think about it!

What the site says:

"This multi-tasking moisturizer handles the vital jobs of hydrating, energizing and protecting to maintain skin's momentum all day. Gives skin the refreshing zing of antioxidant-rich Mangosteen. And adds a healthy hit of radiance that mimics the glow you get from a week's vacation. All in 10 seconds max. Slip it on first thing tomorrow - you'll look like you eat right, sleep tight & don't
have a worry in sight."

2. Laurier mercier tinted moisturizer SPF 20 Oil Free formula

image courtesy of lauriermercier.com

Yet another well raved product, known probably as the 'cult favorite' for tinted moisturizers. It's a tad pricier, ($42 US compared to $35 US for origins) but it might be worth the try! Maybe i'll go swatch some at Sephora and see if i can pick up a sample :)

What the site says:

"Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer is a sheer, lightweight, buildable foundation that can be worn by all skin types but especially those with acne prone, sensitive or oily skin"

3. BB creams

image courtesy of ec21.com

I've tried one in the past, misha's perfect cover with SPF 42+!! I loved the formula and feel of this but felt that the color match wasn't so great.. It tends to, like many other bb creams, have a grey cast. Overall, I did like it, but am now looking for better bb creams so any suggestions would be great!! (they aren't readily available here where I live so I can't really go swatch and test out for myself, therefore, any suggestions would be really helpful!)

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My Skin Basics:
- I have combination skin, meaning i have an oily t-zone but dryer cheeks
- I have minimal acne scarring on the sides of my cheeks
- I suffer from redness on both sides of my cheeks

What I'm looking for:
- A sheer to medium coverage tinted moisturizer that can cover redness
- A light, fresh, NON greasy feeling tm that lets my skin breathe
- A dewy finish is fine. I may set with powder once in awhile
- A tm that blends easily and doesnt require a lot of effort to apply
- A tm that either has a range of shades, or has one that matches me well
- Price is not too big of an issue, but preferably low-mid range :)


Anyways, if you use tinted moisturizers on a daily basis, or just know of one that exceeds your expectations, PLEASE let me know! :D  Thanks and have a great week!

Before & After - Sleek Primer Palette

How Well Did It Hold Up? You Decide...

Now that you've seen the swatches and heard my 'initial' review of the Sleek Primer Palette (click here if you havent!), i think its about time to show you how it really holds up.. with some eye looks :)

this is the eye look i tested it with

Firstly, i applied two shades from the primer palette - the coral shade all over my lid, and the shimmery white in my inner corners.

just primer

just primer

and while i was rummaging through my makeup stash to get my wet n wild palettes... look what happened :(

slight creasing already?!?!

Ignoring that, i patted on some shadows from my depotted wet n wild palettes. I used a shimmery light beige on inner corners and highlight, a matte coral all over the lid and just a tad of a darker beige in the outer corners. Next, i used a shimmery gunmetal shadow to line my eyes and applied mascara.

with eyeshadow and mascara

with eyeshadow and mascara

and here's some full face shots :) so you can see what it looks like.

close up

okay.. now for the moment of truth! this was taken at the end of the night.. it was a pretty long day, i'd say i put on my makeup at around 8 am and took it off around 10 pm lol

this eye seems to be alright... but scroll down a bit further and prepare to be shocked *gasp*

So as you can see, one eye had slight creasing but the other eye suffered horribly. Although you cant really tell because of the lighting, the colors were also fading and my eyeliner was nearly all gone! (i use a shadow as a liner daily after i apply some concealer all around my eyes and that normally holds up quite well throughout the day)


So... im not sure about you guys, but i dont think i want my shadows to crease THIS badly :( if it was only as much as the first eye.. i could probably bear with it because the colors in this palette were sooo gorgeous.. but i dont know if i could handle the risk.. can you?


Let me know what you guys think! and have a great week!

How Well Does Sleek Primer Palette Hold Up?

a Rainbow of Primers!

Today i'll be showing you guys the swatches of the Sleek Primer Palette! As previously mentioned in the past post, I won this from a giveaway and was very excited to test out my first sleek product! Here's some pictures again of the palette :)

 and the swatches...
 

sorry.. not sure why my camera couldnt focus =/

sorry.. not sure why my camera couldnt focus =/

note: all colors do have shimmer except the black which seems to be quite matte

Review:

lets start with the good...
These colors are gorgeous! The consistency and texture of these are very creamy and smooth, making them blend easily. When applied on the lids, it feels very light and not very greasy. Applying shadows on top seem to be pretty good as well. The colors show up much more vibrant and last a tad longer than usual. As seen above, when finger swatched, these show up with immense pigmentation! All swatches of course, were done with just one swipe :)


then of course, the bad...
Unfortunately, when applied to my lids, the colors seem to lack the same pigmentation! therefore, it would be safe to say that these are definitely NOT meant to be worn alone. Also, im afraid i have to break the bad news, these primers definitely CREASE! I do have slightly oiler lids than average, so that could have added to the problem, but if you were expecting absolutely no creasing, you'd be disappointed :( Plus, at the end of a long day, i found that my shadows were starting to slowly disappear and fade as well...


Stay tuned for an update post...
I will be posting again to show you before and after pics, but so far.. i've experienced creasing within a few hours.. :( i'm planning to give it another go, but on top of another primer this time, so we'll see how that holds up!


Let me know what you think so far! I'd hate to give this product a bad review considering its my first test drive into sleek products, but the creasing and fading colors so far just dont impress me *sigh*

Ready for Spring! EOTD & Outfit

Corals spells out SPRING!

I cant wait till spring gets here because im so sick of this cold freezing weather :( and while i cant control the weather and make it stay nice and warm all year long, I lovee using coral eyeshadows to bring the feeling of spring a little closer :)

all colors used from my Sedona Lace ultra shimmer palette

shimmery light pink to highlight, coral shade all over lid, and a purple grey on outer corners

full fotd :)

 

closer up with flash

with flash

aw man, please excuse my crazy eyebrows! im trying to grow them back out LOL

full fotd with flash

and although this outfit wasnt really for 'spring', i still like wearing this on nights out because with weather that can get as low as -40, i am not risking wearing a mini dress to wait outside clubs!

So i opted for a nice unique top (i totally love the design of this one! it looks like a normal black top in the front, but has a gorgeous open back design!) , paired with skinny jeggings and of course, black high heels (not shown in below pictures but you know what i mean haha) :D

anyways, i'll be back with product reviews very soon! tried out the sleek primer palette again today and am loving the colors... but i'll give you all the whole rundown with swatches of that palette in the next post ;) take care!!
 

Pray For Japan NOTD

Pray for Japan

Im sure we all heard about the events happening in Japan right now, and really.. we should all take a moment to reflect upon how this affects all of us. It is in times like these when our whole world finally joins together as one in order to help those who suffer. So please, do your part too!


If you can, donate some money, skip out on that early morning coffee of yours or maybe that really pretty blush you're lemming for. Sacrifice a little and help out others in need. If you're tight on funds yourself, then the least you can do is say a little prayer. Anything and anyone can help :) so dont just sit back and watch as the world helps japan, take part and do what you can as well :)


Anyways, with that out of the way lol my friends having his birthday bash at a club downtown calgary tonight and the best part it, the theme and whole thing is for Japan. Our covers (or part of it) will go to help those who suffer in Japan and i love the whole meaning behind it! So... not really thinking i could pull off a "japanese styled makeup", i decided to do a little japan notd :) enjoy!

haha sorry. my second nail is chipped :(

and a full fotd, i'll do a separate post on my eye makeup :)

hope you all had a good week! take care <3

 

Sneak Peek: Sleek Primer Palette

My first Sleek Product!

I won a Sleek Primer Palette from the lovely Sarah (@Sarahloolaa) through her twitter giveaway and was SO super excited to receive this because i have yet to try out Sleek products! I've heard SO many good things about their palettes and am excited to test run this one. The palette i have here, is their primer palette (filled with creamy colored eye primers rather than eyeshadow).

And since ive been super busy lately (first with midterms and assignments, and now with my baby Sumo <3), i havent really had the time to play with this yet! *gasp* haha. but i did snap some pictures for you guys to look at while i play with it some more and get a decent review for you all :)

looks "sleek" doesnt it ;) hahaha

 

If you've tried this palette before, love it or hate it, i'd LOVE to hear what you think! Or for those who have experience with sleek products, let me know which ones are MUST HAVES! i think im going to start making a list of all the products overseas that i really want and maybe do a swap someday haha :p 

 

thanks and have a great week everyone! i'll be back with reviews and swatches shortly :)

Sigma F80 Giveaway WINNERS - Is it You?

Winners Announced!

Sorry this took me so long! i wont go into explaining the reasons again as i've done so too many times and im sure you're either bored of it or dont care haha so i'll just go right into announcing the winners! :)

So after counting and validating *wait for it*.... 799 entries! (phew! at least 206 were from facebook so no major validation required!) haha i ran www.random.org and here are the winners!

ps: for those wondering how the spreadsheet works, the first extra column i added "entry count number", is how many entries you got not including if you liked my facebook fan page (that was added separately after). The second column is the accumulated total, so the first person wouldve had entry 0 to entry 6 if she/he got 6 entries.. basically, your entry would be between the number in the row above and the number in your row. gosh sorry its so hard to explain! but I hope this makes sense! lol this was just my "easy" way to work things out :)

Winner Number One

random.org generated number 355...

which means that our first winner is

Hollie!

congrats dear! i will be emailing you shortly requesting your information so that i can send it over to SigmaMakeup :) They will then mail you your brand new F80 brush! Enjoy! <3

next, Winner Number Two

random.org generated number 93...

which means that our second winner is

Mimsy!

congrats dear! i will be emailing you shortly requesting your information so that i can send you your sigma f80. SigmaMakeup previously mailed this brush to me for review but since i already have one, i will re-mail you the brand new package with your new f80 that Sigma mailed me :) enjoy! <3

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A big congrats to both Hollie and Mimsy! Please please please check your emails and reply back to me within one week! If i dont hear from you, i will have to choose a new winner :( so please dont miss your opportunity! i will be emailing both of you as well as trying to contact you in any other form that you have left me :) congrats again!

As for everyone else who didnt win, dont be sad! Thanks to you guys, i now have enough followers to re-apply to Sigma's incentive system and hopefully will get more goodies to giveaway!! Even if i dont, i am planning to host a big giveaway when my blog turns one years old (May 1) so look out for that in the future :D

and of course, thanks so much to all who entered!! i truely hope that you will all stay and support my blog not just for the giveaways, but for the content as well. I know ive been lacking posts this past week but i'll be back on schedule soon and posting every couple days again shortly :)

hope you all have a great week! sumo says good night as well! <3