My friend picked up a few things for me with her discount at Sephora over the past couple months, which started with the preview sale of the super-hyped, ultra-coveted Anastasia Beverly Hills Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit back in February. I'll most likely post a review about it next week (I don't know how relevant it still is, actually, since it's always sold out at Sephora and it's limited edition), but all you gotta know is: I've been using it every single day straight for the last month. (Yeah, it's that good.) As I was on a highlighter kick, I also got a couple of the new Too Faced Love Light Prismatic Highlighters, because they are the cutest things I have ever seen and I would have bought them for the packaging alone. I originally wanted all three shades, but the lightest one, Blinded by the Light, is sold out everywhere right now so I'll have to pick it up when it's back in stock — assuming I like the formula. So far, the formula has gotten less than stellar reviews because the finish of these isn't ultra-pigmented, in-your-face, and bright-as-fuck. But I don't think that's a fair assessment because not all highlighters have to be that way to look amazing, so I'm going to try them out for a few days and give them a good trial before writing up a review for them. On that note, Too Faced also came out with a gorgeous new neutral eyeshadow palette called Natural Love for spring, and while I definitely don't need another neutral palette, this one was just too cute to resist — and it's the first palette from Too Faced that contains a whopping 30 shades, and... I'm just a sucker, okay?
After wanting to try Toronto-based skincare brand Deciem for a while now, I decided to start out with a tube of Hylamide Matte 12. I have been looking for a truly mattifying primer that blurs and smooths texture but also doesn't dry out skin or ball up under powder foundation, and I really thought this was an impossible feat... until I found this. It has a thicker consistency than I typically like, but it really works. It feels comfortable on, makes my skin look ultra smooth, and keeps me matte for at least six hours before needing to blot (I would typically have to blot after three hours). And for $25, it is also one of the most affordable primers at a prestige cosmetics level. I gotta say, it's holy grail status. (As it turns out, the Pixi one that I picked up in January? I'm totally allergic to it. Like, angry red bumps all over. Into the trash can it goes.) I also picked up a tube of concealer from a new Canadian makeup line at Sephora called Stellar*, which focuses on the medium skintones of "Hispanic, Latino, Afro-American, Aboriginal, Chinese, Filipino, Middle-Eastern, and Indian women." While I don't necessarily care for brands that only focus on people of colour (makeup brands should cater to everyone, not just one demographic), I was intrigued by the formulations of some of these products, namely the Limitless Concealer, which has been compared to Urban Decay's Naked Concealer for its lightweight, creaseless, full coverage formula. So I picked up the lightest shade, which is somewhere in between an NC25 to NC30 at MAC. Been using the concealer for a week so far, and have been loving it. It blends out beautifully, doesn't feel heavy, covers redness and freckles, wears well for a full day, and matches my skintone. Actually worth checking out if you have a medium to medium-deep complexion. Finally, I picked up a perfume that I'd been eyeing since last year: Commodity's Mimosa. It's fresh and crisp and smells like oranges. Perfect for spring and summer.
Last month, theBalm was having a 50% off sitewide sale. Now, I usually ignore their sales because their shipping to Canada is expensive and I didn't know what kind of duties I might be charged upon arrival. But then I figured that even with the currency conversion, shipping rates, and any applicable duties and taxes, I'd still be saving money than buying their products full price here. (Yes, that's how much theBalm's products are marked up in Canada.) So I stocked up on all the things I'd been eyeing over the last year: the theBalm Appétit, Meet Matt(e) Trimony, and Nude Dude eyeshadow palettes; both Cindy-Lou Manizer and Mary-Lou Manizer highlighters; and the new Balm Beach blush. And guess what? No taxes or duties! Don't know if this was a fluke or not, but hey, I'll take it.
I'll be the first to admit that I went overboard in the eyeshadow palette department last month, but everyone's slaying the palette game right now and I am being tempted left, right, and centre. I had gotten a notification that Morphe's ultra-coveted, limited edition Copper Spice and Bronzed Mocha palettes were finally back in stock on their site — and on sale in a bundle set for $33.98 USD. Plus, I had a discount code for an extra 10% off. I couldn't resist. Even with the shipping price (which was literally half of the total cost of my purchase) and the currency conversion, the two palettes were still an absolute steal. And I gotta say, I really prefer the square palettes with clear lids. That's actually one thing I don't like about Morphe's 35-pan palettes — I have to open each one to find the one I'm looking for because they all look the same on the outside. I overlook this inconvenience because their value is incredible and the quality is amazing, but still, I hope their future palettes will feature clear lids. And on that note, MAC released their Eyes on MAC anniversary collection in early March, so I picked up the new In the Flesh 15-pan palette, plus four of the new small nine-pan palettes: Solar Glow, Tropic Cool, Red-Hot, and Semi-Sweet. Their big spring collection, Work It Out, was released on the same day, but nothing from it caught my eye except for the mini scented Fix+ sprays, so I picked up three in Coconut and Lavender. I really wish they had re-released them in full-size bottles and brought back the Yuzu scent as well, but alas, no such luck.
I did stock up on some skincare, too, you know, to balance out the excess of makeup. I was with my mom at Shoppers Drug Mart a few weeks ago during Seniors Day; as a senior, she gets 20% off, so I asked her to pick up a few things for me as well. I was looking for a new exfoliator, and the awesome beauty advisor that was helping me that day introduced me to Vasanti's Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator. Vasanti is a brand that I typically overlook, not because they're not any good, but because no one ever talks about them. The beauty advisor told me that this specific exfoliator completely changed her skin — more than the offerings from any of the other brands carried at Shoppers (and that includes some big names from Shiseido to Lancôme). She took the time to demo it on my hand and show me how to use it, and I was sold. I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I've noticed how much smoother, brighter, and clearer my skin is. I see more of a difference with this exfoliator than much more expensive ones, including my previous holy grail. Consider me converted. While I was there, I also picked up a couple of Biotherm products: the new Life Plankton Sensitive Emulsion as a serum to help with hydration, redness, and sensitivity; and the new Aquasource Everplump Moisturizer as a night-time moisturizer. Of course, I also got an invitation to the L'Oréal warehouse sale, which I was totally going to skip because I had just bought a new serum and a new moisturizer... but then I decided, what the hell, I'll just check it out for fun. And came out 30 minutes later with a Biotherm Aquasource Gel set for $30 from $50, a Biotherm Aquasource Deep Serum set for $37 from $62, and a Lancôme Énergie de Vie Energizing Daily Milky Lotion for $40 from $67. So, yeah, I'm set for skincare until next winter...
