My Experience with Eyelash Extensions

I started this blog post a few weeks ago but decided to hold off publishing it until I could give my full start to finish, updated experience. These are my thoughts on them, pros and cons.

                                                      ~Sorry, I never took any pictures!~


So I recently got eyelash extensions for the first time. I got them using a Groupon so I got them for a really good deal. The only reason I hadn't gotten them sooner is I didn't want to pay $150+ every 3 weeks. I got them for my beach vacation so I wouldn't have to worry about getting waterproof mascara or fussing with my makeup. They are totally waterproof and you can treat them just like your normal lashes. That being said, you shouldn't touch them because of the oils in your fingers, which is hard to do.

I got synthetic mink lashes with a "C" curl and I think 10mm. They should last around 3 weeks but everyone is different. They last 2 weeks on some and 6 on others. I needed to get mine filled after 3 weeks.


The Pros:

I really like how they look. They look more natural than strip lashes because they are attached to your individual lashes. But they're still very dramatic and noticeable. I was worried they would be too dramatic for everyday use when not wearing any makeup, but they aren't. Not having to wear mascara saves time in the morning and I never have to worry about raccoon eyes. I don't even have to wear eyeliner during the day either. I wore a line line of eyeliner with them and barely even noticed a difference. Of course, if you wanted thicker, more dramatic eyeliner or winged eyeliner it would be noticeable, but for everyday, basic eyeliner, it's not even necessary. I love anything that saves me time in the morning! They're very comfortable and you can't even tell you are wearing them. They're great for times when you don't want to fuss with make up or mascara like on vacation.


The Cons:

The biggest downfall for me is that eye makeup application is more difficult. I got lashes with curl so I find they get in the way of my makeup brush and I practically have to hold the brush straight up when applying shadow. It's even harder to apply the crease colour and to blend when your brush is straight up. I always knock a few lashes off when I'm blending. And although it is nice to not have to worry about mascara on days I'm not wearing eye makeup, when I apply shadow, I feel like I still need it. The shadow falls down onto the lashes like with normal lashes, but I can't apply mascara to cover it up. I guess you COULD but it would decrease their longevity.
The other downside is washing my face and eye makeup removal. You can't wipe your eye with a pad or makeup removal cloth like you normally could. You have to get in carefully with a q-tip and oil-free makeup remover to take off eyeliner or shadow. I've been using a makeup remover wipe just wrapped around my finger which doesn't seem to touch the lashes but I sometimes snag one and it comes off. Washing my face and showering is also annoying that I can't wipe my eyes and water gets in them. I got an eye infection right after I got them and I partially blame the lashes. And of course there's the cost of maintaining them.

I got my refills done with the Silks and they might have looked slightly nicer and initially lasted a bit longer but I needed a fill at 3 weeks again. I've decided to not get them filled for the con reasons mentioned. It's going to cost $100 a month to maintain which I can't really justify. I didn't get them professionally removed, I just tried to remove them with mineral oil. It didnt work. I was pulling out my natural lashes with them. I couldn't get them all and was left with a few stragglers which looked horrible. I just trimmed em down to look less noticeable. My natural lashes look damaged and short and I have a few gaps from where they were pulled out. I've bought Rapid Lash and started applying that. That's a review for another day.

I'm glad I tried them out and think they're fun, but I'm kind of excited to get back to normal.


Have you tried lash extensions? What was your experience?

Bright Spring Lips

Although it was snowing the day I bought these, I held onto my optimism and excitement for spring. I'm so sick of winter and ready for shorts, dresses, sandals, and bright lips!

I went to the store with the intention of getting some NYX butter glosses and all Maybelline lip products were on sale and the NYX were full price. They go on sale frequently, so I changed my plan. I picked up some Vivids which I know I like, and the newer Color Elixer glosses. I love Maybelline lip products and deffinately could have bought more so I was good.

 I lost my Pink Pop lipstick in Mexico with all my other lipsticks so this one is a repurchase. I love this for spring and summer. It's a bright, neon pink but very pretty. It's like classic Barbie pink. The other colour is also from the vivds collection and is supposed to be my replacement for the MAC pro longwear colour Forever Love that I lost. It's not the exact same but similar enough. It's a darker, more hot pink colour. Not as bright or neon as Pink Pop so maybe more wearable if you don't like the lighter pinks.

 I've seen these lipglosses before and thought the packaging was adorable. It's lipgloss trying to look like lipstick! I heard one person rave about them on youtube so I bought two to try out. I got a bright pink and a coral. The pink is called Hibiscus Haven and is a bright pink. It looks nice paired over both lipsticks. The coral is called Breath Taking Apricot and actually looks more pink than orange on my lips. So don't let the orangeness scare you. These lipglosses are very pigmented but not totally opaque. They add a lot of colour worn on their own and also look nice paired over lipstick. They're not sticky and feel nice and smooth on the lips. The doe foot applicator is flat and easy to apply. 

What are your favourite lip products for spring?

Benefit Big Easy Liquid to Powder Foundation

I was excited when I heard about this product. It's called "Better than BB" and called a foundation, but it has the moisturizer and SPF of a BB cream. I bought this with the intention of using it as a BB cream.

                                       

                                       

This product is described on the Benefit website as "BIGGER than BB! Why? Two reasons. First, big easy balances moisture & controls oil. Second, the cushiony liquid-to- powder formula melts in like a cream, yet finishes lightweight & velvety like a powder." 

It claims to moisturize, control oil, self adjust on skin, have a liquid to powder finish, protect with SPF. I was drawn to this BB cream because of the claim to be oil controlling. I have the Revlon BB cream now and although I like it for days when my skin is nice and I don't want a heavy foundation, my skin gets super oily, really quickly with it. 

                          

I've worn this product twice now, including on a 12 hour night shift which is the true test of longevity. It blends out nicely and has a light coverage. The powder finish made me nervous, but it doesn't feel powdery or cakey on the skin, It just blends in. It really does keep my skin more matte than most foundations which I love. It evens out the skin while still allowing ur own skin to show through giving a natural appearance. I just use my concealer to spot conceal. 

                         

                              

                                  

I got the 01 fair shade with the idea I could add some bronzer if needed, but it might be a bit light for summer. The 02 shade just looked a bit too orange. 

Only downside is the price. It's C$46! That's more than my foundation! Is it just me or are products getting more and more expensive? Hense why I waited for the sale. 

So far I'm loving this product and I'll wear it a lot in the warmer months. 

Sephora Skin Care Purchases

It's the annual Sephora Beauty Insider sale! It's kind of sad that we all loose our minds to save a mere 15%. With all the money we spend a sephora I would think they could fork over more than 15% once a year... That being said, I still take the opportunity to get those products I've been eyeing or things I think are too expensive. Because I just bought a bunch of eyeshadows I didn't need to get any more of those. I just bought new foundation and there was really nothing else I needed. I know, I was so good. My skin has been a bit weird lately. It's been dry and flakey but still very oily. I've also been having a lot of breakouts. So I want to try increasing the hyrdation and using some serums. I currently use cetaphil moisturizer in the morning with Neutragena Deep Clean cleanser and Josie Maran Argan Infinity Cream at night. I like the infinity cream but as a product junkie, I want to try something new! These are a few things I got.

Philosophy Purity Cleaner- I got a sample of this a while ago and didn't like it. It didn't remove my makeup and it didn't lather. I prefer using lathering cleansers as they're more clarifying. However they strip your skin, making them more drying so maybe I'll try something more gentle. I have since added in a step to my routine since trying it, though. I never used to remove my makeup first. I found that washing my face got it all off. I now use makeup remover wipes before washing my face and it's way easier. So now that I remove my makeup first, I thought I would try the Purity cleanser again as a more gentle alternative to the Deep Clean cleanser I use now. The Deep Clean has salisylic acid in it which could be drying out my skin. I find my skin is usually best, with fewer break outs, when I use more gentle products. It smells really nice too.

Philosophy Micro Exfoliating Wash- I recently got a sample of Dr. Brandts Microdermabrasion skin exfoliant and hated that I loved it because it's $90. If you have $90 to spend on face scrub, check it out. It smells like lemon cleaning products, which I love. Anyways, I tried out a few different exfoliators to try to find one similar. It's hard to find one with fine beads but also a lot of them. This one is like a gel cleanser with fine beads and seems pretty scrubby. I'll try this one out and try not to compare it too much with the Dr. Brandts. I'm going to try to get in the habit of exfoliating more. 

Dr. Dennis Gross Clinical Concentrate Boosters- I wanted some kind of radiance boosting concentrate (sounds kind of gimmicky but we all fall for the promises of beautiful skin). I saw these in the store previously (adorable, eye catching packaging) but passed over them, probably waiting for this sale. Dr. Dennis Gross serums go for $80-100 each so I thought this was a nice sample pack for a decent price. To be exact, these are 3, 0.5oz bottles for $63 vs the full sized 1oz for $82. So that's actually a good deal...can't argue with that logic, right? The serums are radiance booster, hydration booster, and purifying booster. These concentrates can be used alone, added to your moisturizer, or added to your makeup. You can use one all over, or use each in targeted areas. I'm excited to try these and have high expectations my face will be a glowing ray of sunshine. 

Tarte Maracuja Oil- I was planning on buying the Josie Maran Argan oil but thought I would try this oil out instead. I love the full sized bottles packaging but couldn't pull the trigger on the full sized, $55 bottle. I figured I would try the small bottle before making the commitment. I don't like the packing of the roller ball for a face oil. I'll already have the concentrate on my face so I'll have to rub it on my clean hands to dispense it. I wish it came in a dropper like the mini Josie Maran Argan Oil. I'll use this as my night time moisturizing as my Infinity Oil is almost out (which has lasted me an entire year by the way). 

Edit: The roller ball is terrible. It actually doesn't dispense enough product and it's annoying to use. The product is nice though, so I think I'll return it and get the full sized bottle.

What are some new products you're adding to your skin care routine?

What Did I Buy At Sephora Today?

I went to Sephora to pick up a new foundation and a nude pencil for the waterline. I knew I wanted to buy the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation because I've heard good things for oily skin types. I had been using the Rimmel Stay Matte but I think it might have been breaking me out. My skins been pretty bad lately so I've stopped using it. It was also a bit too dark for my winter skin. While I was in Sephora I saw the Sephora + Pantone Universe Paint Gloss Trio and thought I would get it to replace some of my lost lip glosses from my trip. I'll do a first impressions on everything below.

Sephora + Pantone Universe Radiant Paint Gloss Trio $32CA

I was attracted to this set because I liked all the colours, but it was the purple colour that really drew me in. The price was good because it works out to just over $10 a gloss when they normally retail for $20. I've never tried them but they swatched really nice. Very pigmented. So I gave them a go, and over all I really only like the purple colour. I wore the purple colour the day I got it and its really nice. Very pigmented, like a lipstick. I had been wearing a pink lipstick which might have changed the colour, but I found the colour to actually be quite wearable. Not too purple but more of a pinky purple. It's smooth with a bit of stickiness. It has that MAC gloss smell which I think is kind of like vanilla or cake. Because these are so pigmented, you do need a mirror to apply them which kind of defeats the point of a gloss in my option (I don't usually wear pigmented glosses). The light pink colour is too light for me (for anyone I would think) but I thought it would be nice as a gloss over darker shades. I haven't tried that yet but I put the purple shade over it and mixed them and that was really pretty. The light pink by itself looks kind of choppy and weird. Not very nice. And the beige colour is too brown for my liking. I tried putting the pink over it but I couldn't make it work. I'll try mixing it with some other lipsticks and see if I can do anything with it.

I picked up the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place foundation ($44CA) in 1W1. I've worn it once and that colour seems to match me quite well. I'm pale and I find a lot of foundations look orange on me so I went with a more yellow toned one. My first impression is mixed. This is not a light-weight, like you are wearing nothing at all foundation. I like full coverage foundations but this one leaves your skin feeling sticky. As in I applied it, set it with powder, and 30 mins later picked up my cat and had bits of fur stuck to my face. Not cool. I've worn another "16 hour" wear or so foundation that was also sticky and it did last a long time on my oily skin so I thought I would test it out before bashing it. I wore this to work on my 12 hour night shift and it actually lasted a long time. My face stayed matte for a lot longer than usual. Not the entire shift but a good 6 hours. The foundation did start to wear off in the T-zone and the chin (resting my chin in my hand frequently) when I got oily but not as bad as other foundations. And my cheeks still looked almost perfect. My contour and blush stayed in place all night. So given the fact that it's so long wearing, I can deal with the stickiness. And that didn't last the whole time, maybe just the first hour or so. It's too early to give an accurate review, but so far I'm loving it.

Sephora Collection Long Lasting Kohl Eyeliner $12CA

After watching spring tutorials, I wanted a skin coloured eyeliner for lining the lower waterline. The purpose of this is to brighten the area and get rid of any redness to really make the eyes pop. I was looking at the Nars larger than life eyeliners but couldn't justify spending $28 on skin coloured eyeliner. It's for the waterline so it's not going to stay perfect all day. Especially for Blinky McBlinkerson over here. It did stay on for 15 hours, but it migrated from the waterline to lash line. Not bad for 15 hours. This pencil transfers really nicely onto the waterline and didn't irritate my eyes at all. I didn't swatch it because you can't even see it and it's pretty straight forward. It serves it's purpose and it was affordable.

What did you buy recently that you're enjoying so far? 

MAC Pro Longwear Lipstick

I was on the hunt for a long lasting lipstick for my vacation in a fun, summery colour. I didn't want a full blown stain or anything too drying and I read online a lot of people like MAC's pro longwear lipsticks so I thought I would try it out. I bought the colour "Love Forever!". It's a very pigmented hot pink/fuchsia, but not too bright (such as "Candy Yum Yum"). It has just the right amount of purple undertones that it is a bit darker and more flattering.

I realize now this picture isn't very good...almost looks red. See swatch below

The formula is very nice. It has a creamy finish with no shine. It is not drying at all. It leaves a bit of a tackiness to it, similar to what a stain might feel like. That doesn't bother me but it is a bit distracting. As far as the overall wear, I didn't find it much different that a regular lipstick. The colour remained bright on my lips for a few hours but came right off after eating and needed to be reapplied. I find a lot of how well a lipstick wears is the application and if done well, any lipstick can last a long time. I didn't use a lip pencil with it and did not notice any bleeding.

The sad thing is that I lost it the second time I wore it on the very first day of my vacation! And not just this lipstick, but my whole bag of lip products I had brought on my trip! It wasn't my entire lip collection (thank goodness) but still a good $100 worth of product, including this very nice, brand new lipstick. Sigh.

Overall, it's a good lipstick and I love the colour. I'm not a very big fan of the regular MAC lipsticks (I know, I know) but the pro longwear is better. That being said, I'm going to go on a hunt for a drug store dupe. If I can't find one, I'll fork out the $21 and buy it again because I do love the colour.

First Impressions: MAC MSF from "A Fantasy of Flowers"

MAC has a collection out called "A Fantasy of Flowers". It is a small collection and like the name would suggest, is bright, fun colours for spring. I can't review the whole collection because I only bought one item. The lip products in the line though, look right up my alley.

I originally wanted to by the mineralize skinfinish in Soft and Gentle. I've heard good things about it as a highlighter and I've gotten tired of my Nars Albatross as I find it too yellow and frosted. I swatched Soft and Gentle and it looked really nice. The sales associate showed me the MSF from the new line called Perfect Topping which is very similar to Soft and Gentle. Swatched side by side the Perfect Topping is pretty much the same colour but less frosted or glittery. It is a champagne, flesh coloured highlighter with a bit of pink which is just what I was looking for. It doesn't have any chunks or glitter. The shimmer is very fine almost more of a satin finish than a frost. It is more subtle than Albatross as it isn't as frosted. I would show you a picture of it on my face, but I'm sick right now and look like a mess. Maybe in the future.

These are both Perfect topping, I just used two fingers for some reason. This is applied with one swipe quite heavily.

Blended out a bit to be more subtle

I love this highlighter. It's super pretty, pigmented, and creamy but subtle. The only downside is the price at $35 CAN. However, you get 0.32oz verses Nars which is $33 for 0.16oz. I have had my Albatross for years and still have not hit pan. In comparison the Hourglass Ambient lighting powders are $52 for 0.35oz. Although the Hourglass highlighters look really nice as well, I just can't bring myself to spend $52 on a highlighter. So in comparison to other highlighters on the market it is actually priced fairly well. And given how much product you get, I don't think I'll ever run out.