First Impressions: Glossier

OKAY. I’ve been waiting a LONG time to get my hands on anything by Glossier and the day has finally come! After months and months of contemplating whether or not to order online, I did it.

I first heard about Glossier from a little blurb on Allure about their Milk Jelly Cleanser. It won an award and I was intrigued about this brand. More research led me to find out that Glossier is the makeup brand by the infamous beauty/lifestyle blog ‘Into The Gloss’ and….drum roll….the founder of the both the blog and Glossier is none other than Emily Weiss. I’m sure you’re like who is that? UHM. Remember The Hills on MTV? Remember when Lauren and Whitney were interns at Teen Vogue? Remember Intern Emily? The one that got to go to THE dinner? THIS IS THE SAME EMILY (mindblown). I’m not lying, I pretty much sat and stared at my laptop for what seemed like a whole day. Now that that’s out of the way, What is Glossier, you ask?

Glossier is a skincare/makeup brand that has only one focus in mind: Skin first, Makeup second. I’ve realized that the older I’m getting, the more I’m realizing that the focus shouldn’t be on having airbrushed makeup but rather healthy skin! That was one of the main reasons why I gravitated towards trying products out from this brand. Of course, I live in Canada and despite what everyone believes…not all brands are easily accessible. Glossier at one point did have a pop-up shop in Toronto, but alas I was not able to make it. So, when I saw that they shipped to Canada (minus Quebec, sorry), I was ecstatic!

The Online Order Process: Glossier’s website is one of the easiest websites I’ve ever used. I love the fact that there aren’t an overwhelming amount of products or choices, which is why Glossier as a brand works well. Placing the online order was simple and sweet. Another thing I love is that the prices are stated in CAD, which is amazing because who wants to sit and convert the dollar? After inputing your credit card info, you were asked to pick a sample to put in your package (woohoo). And then, voila! You’re done. See? So simple. Once your package has been shipped, you’ll receive an email.

 

The Shipping Process: This process was probably the most surprising for me. When I saw that if you spend $40 CAD, then you qualify for free shipping…I was ecstatic! There was a down side though. Free shipping means it will take 7-10 business days to ship to your destination, which initially was kind of a bummer. After I got an email updating me that the products had been shipped, I decided to go about my life because the expected arrival date for my items was exactly in 10 business days. SO WHEN THE PACKAGE ARRIVED A WHOPPING 5 DAYS LATER I WAS JUMPING WITH JOY! Honestly, it was a surprise because this was pretty quick! Again, super simple.

The Package: This is probably the most instagrammable package I have ever received from any makeup/skincare brand! As you can see, it came in a cardboard box which was sealed with a Glossier embosses tape.  All the products were neatly tucked inside the infamous Glossier pink pouch. And it came with a sheet of stickers, which was super cool! Each of the products came in their own packaging. It was sleek, to the point and wasn’t busy looking. It was simple and sweet, which is exactly what this brand preaches.

The Products:

1. Super Glow Serum ($35): I was on the hunt for a vitamin C+magnesium serum!
2. Balm Dotcom in Mint ($15): I love me some lip balm! They had a selection of a few tinted and clear, I went with the clear in the Mint flavour. 
3. Boy Brow in Brown ($20): Again, this is a cult favourite so I had to give it a try! 
4. Cloud Paint Duo in Puff and Storm ($36): The whole concept of applying blush with your fingers seems super cool. Storm is one of their newest shades, so that was a plus point!
5. Generation G Sheer Matte Lipstick in Crush ($20): I added this on a whim and I am definitely in love! 

First Impressions: As soon as I finished taking pictures of all the products and packaging, I began to swipe the Generation G sheer matte lipstick in crush on my lips. I didn’t know how I’d feel about a “sheer-matte” lipstick…because I didn’t understand what a sheer matte was. Upon first swipe, I fell in love and I can’t wait to order some of the other shades. All the products from the Cloud Paints to the serum were phenomenal upon first use. I was not disappointed at all. If you want more in-depth reviews, let me know!

 

Overall Impressions of Glossier: Can I be a Glossier girl? Like seriously? Honestly, I have never been so impressed by a brand in my life. I’m usually not into the whole au natural look, but this brand is changing it for me. I won’t lie, the prices are a little steep, BUT I do believe it’s worth it. I think the more I’ll use the products, the more I’ll see. But as of now, I do like everything I’ve ordered. I am super impressed by this brand! I love how fuss free these products are!

Will I Order Again? YES. YES. YES. I can’t wait to try more of their makeup and skincare products!

ALSO: 

If you want 10% off your first Glossier order, then click this link and purchase away! 🙂 

 

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Review: MAC’s Hyper Real Glow in Flash+Awe & Get It Glowin’

When MAC finally decided to come out with highlighter palettes, I wasn’t sure of what to expect. Individually, MAC highlighters can often be a hit or a miss for me so I was a little skeptical. I finally got my hands on both of these palettes and I’m here with a review of BOTH the palettes for you!

What is it: MAC cosmetics put out two highlighter palettes, one in a pink shade zone and the other in a gold shade zone. Each palette comes with three shades and a mirror (score, you know how much I love my palettes to always have mirrors). Hyper Real Glow in Flash+Awe is a pinky/champagne highlighter palette. Hyper Real Glow in Get it Glowin’ is a golden highlighter palette. Both palettes claim to have formulas that will work for any skin type and tone. Although, the golden palette is geared towards darker skin dolls and the pink palette is for the lighter skin dolls. You can use these shades together or individually to get the most natural glow!

Flash+Awe Shades: Light Of The Party is a flesh toned shimmery peachy pink. Rosy Glow is a medium toned shimmer shell pink. Flash+Awe is a pale pink with silver shimmer.

Get It Glowin’ Shades: Rosy Cheer is a rich golden bronze with fine gold shimmer. Get it Glowin’ is a peachy nude with fine gold shimmer. Gold Coasting is a champagne gold with gold shimmer.

The Good: Okay, remember how I said I was skeptical about these palettes at the beginning of this post? Well, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been skeptical because these highlighters are actually so good! In fact, all six shades did not disappoint! Of course, it’s up to you individually to decide which shade you want to use to highlight what…but I can safely say, each one of these shades looked radiant on my skin tone! The formula of these babies are amazing! It’s buttery soft to touch and I noticed I had zero fall out (even though MAC claims there might be some). Also, because they’re so smooth and soft, it’s incredibly easy to blend! Every time I’ve used any of these highlights, I always get asked what I’m wearing! Not only can you use this to highlight the high points of your face, you can use these as eye shadows (add fix+ and get foiled shadows!). Rosy Cheer can used to highlight your neck and legs too! Rosy Cheer is perfect to add to the centre of your lips when you’re rocking a super matte lip to add some definition. As you can see, I’m all about versatile products especially when you’re paying a pretty high price for these palettes! I love the look of these highlighters on my face. I find them to be natural and not glittery (despite having shimmer). The packaging of this product is pretty sleek! I love how I can slip it into my makeup bag if I’m traveling. All in all, both these palettes are pretty good!

(Flash+Awe Swatches)

The Bad: The price point might be a little bothersome for some. But you don’t have to get both of them, you can get one based on your skin tone!

(Get it Glowin’) 

Overall Rating: 9/10 (you can get yours at MAC for $48 a pop)

 

Review: NYX Lid Lingerie in Dynamic, Revel and Rose Pearl

NYX’s Lingerie line has got me all kinds of shook. So when I found out that they were releasing “eye tints” from this range, I was excited. They’ve got a matte range and a non-matte range. I picked up 2 from the matte range and 1 from their non-matte range. I’m always skeptical about liquid shadows because I find they tend to crease easily but I was excited to see how these would hold up!

What is it: These eye tints by NYX cosmetics are the company’s foray into the liquid shadow world! It’s weightless, easy to apply and incredibly long-lasting. Their non-matte range offers an array of shades that have a pearl finish that isn’t glittery or too shimmery. They’re not meant to be super opaque but it can be built up. Similarly, the matte range offers the exact same thing but in matte shades (duh!). These shadows are meant to give you the most natural yet pretty tint to your lids! Dynamic, from the matte range, is a blush toned nude shade. Revel, another matte, is a nude almost close to my lid colour shade (lol). And finally, Rose pearl is a shimmery pinky rose! All of these retail for $10 at your local NYX retailer or store!

The Good: OKAYYYYYYYYYYY. I won’t lie. I thought these would not be too good. Seriously. But when I used all of these, I was blown away! Even though they’re marketed as a “Sheer eye tint”, these are nowhere near sheer! I’d definitely say that they’re opaque but you can definitely wear it sheer too. I’ll go through each shade individually before I get into the formula. Rose Pearl is gorgeous. I use it as a base for any shimmery pinks I put on my lids or even when I don’t feel like doing too much on my eyes (hello work day!). Dynamic is a blush pink which looks great on my lids! I like to layer this one with some shades from the tartelette palette. I use Revel as a base on days I don’t feel like using any makeup at all! The formula of these are AMAZING. It’s not liquidy nor is it super moussey, if that even makes sense. I find that it’s a perfect balance of the two. The applicator wand is great. I use it to dot on my eye lids and then use a brush to blend. These blend incredibly well. In fact, it’s so super weightless that I forget that I have eye shadow on. Also, it blends with powders and other liquids so flawlessly! I am truly impressed. These lasted on my eyes throughout my work day and didn’t crease (I did use Too Faced’s shadow insurance as a base). So that’s always a plus. All in all, these particular shades are pretty awesome! I can’t wait to pick up some of the other shades to compare and see!

The Bad: N o t h i n g.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Best Dressed At The Billboard Music Awards 2018

Here are some of my favourite looks from the Billboard Music Awards! Although, this wasn’t the BEST red carpet I’ve seen…it still was fun to see all the unique celeb looks!

Janet Jackson

 Anyone getting Carrie vibes from this look? I love how effortless chic this look is!

Darren Criss

I’m a sucker for men who add their own unique twist to the plain suit. LOVE the faded baby blue on this all black look!

Demi Lovato 

I’m all about prints this season and I love how bohemian chic Demi looks!

Shawn Mendes 

Grey suits are so tough to pull off for men but Shawn makes this whole look super stylish!

Mila Kunis

Slay, Mila! SLAY! I love everything about this outfit! and HER HAIR!

Justin Hartley

You really can’t go wrong with an all black ensemble when you look like this! 😍

Hailey Baldwin

The fit of this dress is amazing on H! Everything from the hair to accessories is gorgeous!

 

Images courtesy of Hollywoodlife.com & People.com

Review: Esqido Unisyn Lashes in Smoke & Fire & Companion Eyelash Glue

I’ll be honest. I have NEVER worn false eyelashes before this particular review…and I’m not even sure why. I wonder if it’s the fear of having glue on my eyes or if it’s because I predominantly wear glasses. But that’s a whole different conversation! When I first laid my eyes on these lashes by Esqido, I was in love!

What is it: The lashes I picked are called Smoke & Fire. They’re from Esqido’s Unisyn lashes line. According to Esqido, Unisyn is the world’s first true premium synthetic false eyelashes that are made with a blend of ultra-fine synthetic fibres for an ultra-natural look. AND if you know me, then you know I love my lashes to look natural but in the most dramatic way and that’s why I went with these lashes! I also got their Companion lash glue. The lash glue is clear, latex-free and strong enough to last all day! One of my favourite things about this brand is how easy it was to choose lashes for my particular need. On their website, they have a questionnaire designed to help you find your perfect lashes!

The Good: Oh My Goodness. I am SO glad I found these lashes in my life. I mean look at how gorgeous it looks! It was so easy to use these! They were soft yet sturdy enough to apply. Once I applied them to my eyes, they didn’t budge, didn’t irritate my eyes and felt super natural. Also, I want to mention that I wore these with AND without glasses and let me tell you: despite being super long and voluminous, they didn’t interfere with my glasses or my vision at all…SCORE! Because of that very reason, I can’t wait to continue to incorporate falsies in my life more. Also, how adorable is the packaging of this product? I love the faux marble print background! The lashes itself are super easy to store in there and are also incredibly soft! I’m also in LOVE with the lash glue! The applicator is one of my favourites and I just love how easy it was to use, especially given this was my first time using lashes! No ifs, ands or buts here at all with this glue. It dried clear, it kept my lashes on and I was able to remove it easily too! The Smoke and Fire lashes have now become my go-to lashes for a night out! I’m being insanely honest when I say this: I genuinely like wearing false lashes because of this product! I just love how it transformed my makeup look.

The Bad: N-O-T-H-I-N-G!

Before/After:

I mean you can see how dramatically my look changes yet it looks SO natural! 

Overall Rating: 10/10 (you can purchase these on their website &/or Holt Renfrew Canada!)

 

 

Best Dressed At The Met Gala 2018

I love looking at all the fashion from the Met Gala! Here are some of my favourite looks from last night!

Blake Lively

Blake looks AHMAYZING in this outfit. Everything about this is so stylish!

Kerry Washington

I am loving metallics and shimmers this season! Kerry looks gorgeous in this gown!

Bella Hadid

This whole ensemble is so Bella (lol see what I did there…)! It’s gothic chic!

Katherine Langford

The colour combo of this outfit is stunning! Katherine’s makeup was one of my favs!

Hailee Steinfeld

Oh my! This is exactly what I envision when I think of a Fashionista Princess! Love!

Gigi Hadid 

Everything about this is beautiful! Gigi slays in this ensemble!

Gabrielle Union 

I LOVE A BOLD COLOUR AT THE MET!! Also, can we talk about those diamonds? 😍

Mindy Kaling

First of all, how amazing does she look? Second of all, HOW AMAZING DOES SHE LOOK?

Priyanka Chopra

I love PC in a maroon velvet gown. The headpiece is my fav piece at the Met this year!

Rihanna

Shine bright like a diamond, Riri! Seriously, she came to slay!

Diane Kruger

Y’all, DK never disappoints when it comes to the Met! Love this shade of blue on her!

SZA

This dress gives me such Goddess vibes! I love how well she styled this!

Kim Kardashian

I basically want this exact smoky eye 24/7. Kimmie looks STUNNING in gold!

Winnie Harlow

My 6 side girl is KILLING it! Can we please appreciate that headpiece?!

Amanda Seyfried

I love this shade of yellow! Everything from the hair to the sleeves of this is perfect!

 

 

Images courtesy of HollywoodLife.com & People StyleWatch

Review: Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer in Tan Sand & Light Medium

You guys, these might be the best concealers I’ve ever used. Tarte’s Shape Tape Contour Concealers have been raved about ever since they were introduced into the beauty world!

What is it: A full-coverage concealer that brightens and smooths your skin for a flawless matte finish! The reason why it’s called “shape tape” is because these concealers can also be used to contour and literally “shape” your face. It’s perfect for all skin types and skin tones. No matter what your skin problems are, these babies will help you achieve the makeup look you’re looking to create! In fact, they claim you don’t even need to set these concealers at all! Ingredients include mango seed and shea butters that are meant to naturally illuminate your complexion! I picked up the shade Tan Sand and Light Medium. I use Tan Sand during the summer as well as to cover any blemishes. I also use it as an eyeshadow primer and if I want to do a cut-crease look! I use Light Medium under my eyes and as an eyeshadow primer, IF I want brighter eyeshadow colours to pop!

 

The Good: Y’all. This concealer is amazing. Like I can’t even stress how amazing these are! The formula of these are so creamy. It’s easy to blend and it doesn’t feel like you have anything on! My favourite part about this product has to be the applicator wand! It’s so easy to apply that even someone who knows nothing about concealing and contouring can master it! The other thing I love about this is the fact that it doesn’t move once you’ve applied it. I’ve never had it crease! It also stays on for what seems like forever and I’m all about this! I honestly think everyone should own this concealer. It’s matte. It’s so blendable. It’s perfect. The concealers aren’t watery are very opaque without being cakey!

The Bad: N O T H I N G!

Overall Rating: 10/10 (You can get yourself one at tartecosmetics.com or your local Ulta store for $27, that’s where I got mine!)