Friday 20 July 2012

Barbie Pink Glitter Nails!

Hello lovely readers,
I'm back again with a really cute nail post!
I personally love how this turned out and will most likely do my nails like this again really soon.
It's a cute take on Barbie pink, glitter nails!


I love this! So girly and pink, definitely a look I wear a lot. I used a darker pink on three nails and accented my two middle nails with a milky, lighter pink polish. I also covered my accent nails with a chunky silver glitter to really make them pop and finish off the look. 


From left to right: Wet'n'Wild "Sugar Coat" and "Candylicious"
Essie "Set in Stones" 


I love the way this Essie polish applies, very smooth despite being a chunky glitter polish. I definitely finished this nail look and gave my accent nails a really cute sparkle. Bonus: most chunky glitters are super hard to get off which means I don't wear as often as I'd like to. But when I was ready I just peeled my accent nails off in one go and it was effortless! I think that the thick, clear base of the glitter polish causes your nail polish to peel off as one piece. 


I set everything with a clear top coat which is especially important when using glitter because it can make your nails can feel rough. Overall, a very cute, girly look for summer with a touch of sparkle! I will be wearing this again for sure!

Just a Few Things..
  • Speaking of, should I do a post when I get back with some pictures from my vacation? Maybe one before I go of what my travel makeup bag looks like? Let me know if you'd like to see that!
  • Working on a really quick, and easy summer eye look post that I've been wearing non-stop lately. 
  • I think it's official. I just put How I Met Your Mother on even if I don't really want to watch. It's comforting. Such a great show, definitely my favourite!
  • Recently took Wet'n'Wild's "Club Havana" nail polish off my toenails which looked amazing. I am considering painting them with the "Candylicious" colour from above. 
  • I've already got a big floppy, beachy sun hat. I'm going to wear it to the airport. Yea, I'm gonna be that girl at the airport - the one who's clearly on her way to a tropical vacation and doesn't care if anyone knows it.
  • Now I'm rethinking wearing that- it might be a pain at security checks...
  • Can you tell I'm excited? Geez, shut up already about it, Tash.
  • I love anyone and everyone who actually reads my blog. lol
Anyway, as always thanks for reading!
-Tash<3 

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Nail Post: Summer Sunshine!

Hello all,
I have a nail post for you lovely readers.
I love nothing more than wearing bright nail polish in the summer, I think it's always a great way to compliment an outfit and really make a statement about your style.
So without further ado, my brightest nail colour yet...


Readers, meet Essence Colour and Go nail polish in "Wanna be your Sunshine"-
aptly named I would say. Essence is a bargain drugstore brand that just recently came to Canada (was only in the US before) and can be found in Shopper Drug Mart now! This polish was only $1.49! Crazy right?


I also used Essie's "Shine of the Times" over my fourth nail for an accent. It's a really beautiful holographic glitter polish that sparkles gold, pink, orange, green, yellow and is to date the most unique nail polish that I own. It's just so hard to describe. 


The Essie polish reflects light gorgeously. Not that this yellow polish needs it.  


All in all, I am liking the nail polishes I have tried from Essence so far! It's not often that a company puts out a yellow that's not too mustard or too green, but can also be opaque in just two coats. Essence made one that does both, which is impressive in my opinion. I have a yellow from OPI that doesn't even do that. Score one for Shoppers Drug Mart and welcome to Canada, Essence!

Thanks for reading!
-Tash<3

Monday 16 July 2012

Comparison/Review: Bronze-Gold Cream Eyeshadows!

Hello everyone!
Isn't summer beautiful? Not if you love makeup.
Summer is my favourite season, but you literally cannot wear any makeup some days or it will just melt right off your face. Unless you're one of the lucky few who work in an air conditioned area- you might as well skip makeup altogether.
EXCEPT I'm a nut and can't do that. So one my favourite ways to get an easy, lightweight, simple, polished eye look in the summer using little to no effort are cream eyeshadows!
They great for those quick looks to get you out the door in the morning or you're just too hot and bothered to fuss with powder shadows, brushes, blending etc.
So in this post I'm going to do a high end and drugstore comparison review of bronze/gold cream bases that can be used on their own or under shadow.


Left: Maybelline Color Tattoo in #25 "Bad to the Bronze" -Generally around $10
Right: MAC Paint Pot in "Indianwood" -$20



The packaging on these products is incredibly similar. So much that when I was putting the lids back on after photographing this post, I switched the lids and put the wrong ones back on the pots and almost didn't even notice! Both are are in glass pots. great quality and very solid. Can't complain about the packaging of either product.



These bases look incredibly similar in the pots but look very different when swatched (as you'll see soon-- I thought these would be colour dupes but they definitely are not). 
Both are creamy and glide on effortlessly. Both stay all day, no creasing or fading which is impressive for a cream product in this kind of heat. I have especially oily eyelids so I always use an eyelid primer (Urban Decay Primer Potion) anyway and I would suggest you do the same if you notice you have shiny lids as well. But even without a primer (I tested both) they last about 5-6 hours before they start to fade.


There are subtle differences between these creams. The MAC paint pot is a metallic finish while the Maybelline color tattoo is shimmery. What's the difference? Glad you asked, you're so curious- you know I love that about you.
You can see in the picture on the left (color tattoo) that the light is refelected by shimmery particles within the cream. While the on the right (MAC which looks darker than it is in this picture, sorry) is extremely reflective without being able to see definite particles of shimmer. It's more a more even and natural looking shine I guess you could say. 
Swatches? Oh gosh, you know me so well.

Top: MAC "Indianwood"
Bottom: Maybelline "Bad to the Bronze"

Like I said, obviously they are not colour dupes. The MAC is a much more true gold while the Maybelline has more taupe and (not surprisingly) bronze undertones. 

Left: Bad to the Bronze
Right: Indianwood

Overall
Considering both products perform the same for me- creamy, pigmented and long-lasting plus the packaging is almost identical- I would have to say skip the MAC. It's twice as expensive and it has no benefit over the Maybelline Color Tattoos that I can see except that there are only two matte colours in the Maybelline line. The MAC paint pots are made to be used more like a base than worn alone (although they can be) so there are more matte shades. 
Don't get me wrong, I love my MAC paint pots, like the famous "Painterly" which is amazing and I use it every day as a base under my eyeshadow. But I mean, these Maybelline Color Tattoos are awesome, extremely similar and half the price, so if you haven't already invested in the MAC you might as well go for those.
Not to mention there are some crazy awesome colours in the Maybelline line! The MAC ones are all mostly browns, black and creamy nude colours but there are so many more colours with the Maybelline ones.
My favourites are a electric teal (Tenacious Teal), a shimmery emerald green (Edgy Emerald) and a bright fiery orange (Fierce and Tangy) along with a matte, neutral grey-taupe colour (Tough as Taupe). 

I will do a post shortly on how I use either of these bronze/gold bases and a very bright liner for a quick easy summer look!
As always, thanks for reading!
-Tash<3 

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Review: Revlon Cream Blushes!

Hello friends!
I have a new review on the Revlon Photoready Cream blushes!
They are limited edition with this summer's "Escapism 2012" collection. The collection also included a bronzer, a mascara, some new shades of the ColourBurst lipglosses and some new shades of nail polish.
I did pick up the bronzer as well, but it was only okay for me. I like the product, it's smooth, matte, and makes a great contour colour- however if you're my skin tone or deeper it's probably not your best bet. If you're looking for a good bronzer and you're lighter than me, I would definitely suggest trying it out.

The cream blushes are what I was most excited about. They looked beautiful and were amazing colours for summer time. There are three shades that came out with the collection and of course I picked up all three!



I think the reason I was so excited about this is that cream blushes are an amazing summer time product. It's hot and sticky in the summer and the last thing you want to do is pile on a face powder, a powder bronzer, powder blush and powder highlight. It's ends looking like a cakey mess at the end of the day. But cream blushes look dewy and natural all day without feeling heavy. I was really hoping that these would be a great summer product.

On to the review!


They come in glass pots with a twist off lid. The packaging is really great quality and functional too. I really dislike when containers have extra glass around the bottom to make them look like the have more product (like the ELF cream blushes, if you've ever seen those). These thankfully are not like that, these are compact and have very little extra packaging which makes them great for travel. I also like that the shade name is on the lid and the bottom is clear. So no matter what side you see them first, you always know which colour it is! They are $12.99 each which does sound pricey but you don't need a lot of product per use and speaking as someone who wears makeup often, I've never finished a cream blush so I think they're worth it. 


The first colour in the line is #100 "Pinched" and like I said, it's the least bright/most natural colour.


It's a light peachy nude with some very fine shimmer in it. The shimmer is subtle, not chunky glitter. I heard this colour was not as pigmented as the other two and darker skin tones would not be able to wear it before buying. I highly disagree. I have used this several times and I think it works great even on darker skin. 


Even in a close up the shimmer is hard to see, it just provides a beautiful glow on when worn. 


The next shade in the line #200 "Flushed" is quite a bit brighter than the first one. 


Damn! That's a bright pink. This looks so so scary in the pot. But I promise you it's not nearly that bright on your cheeks and blends out really easily. No shimmer in this one, strictly matte pink colour. 


This is a somewhat cool-toned pink, which is great because I have some warm tones in my skin so they contrast and it helps to balance my face (which is a weird thing to say now that I think about it). 


And lastly, #300 "Coral Reef" which is the brightest/scariest looking shade of the bunch!


Yes, that is wonderfully orange. However just like the pink blush this is a sheer formula that blends easily. So when you wear this, it actually does show up as a coral colour. 


Again, no shimmer in this one. This one has a much warmer tone than the pink one does, which can end up looking kind of red on my skin, so I have to be careful with this one, but it's still beautiful. 

Overall

I really enjoy these cream blushes! There are not many good, pigmented cream blushes that come out of the drugstore. The NYC Blushable Cream Sticks are really good, but hard to find. They might seem pricey for the drugstore but they are much cheaper than a high end cream blush and well worth the money. 
The formula of these blushes is hard to explain. It's not quite as heavy as the Blushable Cream Sticks if you've tried those. They feel like a gel-cream hyrbid and they have that silky feeling that comes with silicone products like face primers. They sheer out but not so much that they aren't pigmented and they blend really nicely onto the skin.
Once they set, they aren't sticky or tacky like some cream blushes so they can be worn alone (without a powder blush on top). As for how long lasting they are, I would call them average. Even without a powder blush to set them, they remain their true colour, no fading for at least 5-6 hours which isn't bad in my opinion.
The colours are all really beautiful and I have used them all summer since I got them. 
Final thoughts: because these are limited edition, you should pick some up while they're still in stores because they are very much worth the money!

As always hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading!
-Tash <3

Thursday 5 July 2012

Comparison/Review: MAC and Revlon Double-Ended Liners!

Hello again everyone!
I recently picked up a double-ended liner from the MAC Beth Ditto collection and I noticed Revlon has come out with some double-ended liners as well.
I bought one that had similar shades to the one I owned from MAC and as promised- here is my review and comparison!


Top: Revlon "#201 Torch" Smoky Shadow Stick -$8.99
Bottom: MAC "Beth Mask" Shade & Smoke Shadow/Liner- $27.50 (ouch).
Both have a pinky-champagne end and a darker brown-plum side. 
Both products are made to be worn alone but can also be worn under powder shadows as a cream base.
Let's start with the MAC double-liner. 



The double-ended liner in "Beth Mask" is a beautiful, creamy liner and shadow duo that came out recently. Both ends glide on really smoothly without tugging on your lid and have great colour payoff. I really like how slim the packaging is and that both caps snap on, so they keep air out which will stop the product from drying out.


One end, the pink side, is angled (which is a little less noticeable because I have used it a lot recently) and the plum side is rounded. I would have preferred the plum side to be angled because it would be easier to use in your crease and as a liner. I would assume most people would use the darker end as the liner and the lighter end as the shadow, right?


This is however one of the best plum-brown cream bases I have ever used. I really enjoy this colour.

Next: the Revlon Smoky Shadow Stick!


You can see the obvious similarities to the MAC version right off the bat. One pink shimmery side, one darker smoky side. I really like how this product glides on effortlessly, just like the MAC. It's much fatter than the MAC version but that doesn't really bother me. What does bother me is the cheap packaging, especially the caps for the liners. They are flimsy and I've had liners with caps like these before and they are VERY prone to breaking. Which really sucks if they do because as mentioned above your product will dry out. They also snap on but it's not a tight fit like the MAC version. And as a personal thing, I don't like that they are clear. They get dirty and the liner smudges are very visible which looks bad. 


The Revlon stick has it right in my opinion, with the darker side being angled and the lighter side being round. This is much more brown than the MAC rather than plum, but it's still a beautiful, rich, dark brown.
Again, I have to say I don't like anything about the packaging of this one. As I was taking a picture of the pink side, the entire brown side fell out! I put it back in and it stuck but I mean, I've only had the product for two weeks, there's no way it should be falling apart.  


To be quite honest, I don't love this side of the Revlon shadow stick. It looks pink in the packaging but as you will see in a swatch it looks very white and ashy on my skin tone. That's not to say however, that it wouldn't look great on lighter skin tones, but you'd have to try it for yourself to really find out I guess.

Top Row: MAC
Bottom Row: Revlon
As you can see in swatches, the pink side of the Revlon stick is very white looking as opposed to pink. I left the swatches on my hand all day, and through plant watering and dish washing, both swatches stayed on really well without smudging.

Overall
I really like both products, they both have their pros and cons. Do I think the Revlon is a dupe for the MAC? Absolutely not, they simple aren't similar enough.
Is it a decent product in its own right? Yes, it could be very useful! 
While I love the MAC double-ended liner, both colours and the packaging- $27 is a lot of money. Technically it's $13.50 per side which isn't terrible for MAC, but it's still too much. 
The Revlon Smoky Shadow Stick is a great product that glides on smoothly, and wears well but the packaging is absolutely terrible. There is a great colour selection in these and if you want something like the MAC without the price tag, you could go for these. But be warned, don't expect to take it with you on a night out or travel with them. 
If you have ever tried the CoverGirl Smoky Shadow Blast cream shadow stick things, you know that both the cream product and the packaging was the just horrible. The cream product creased on your eyes in minutes and packaging broke just as fast. Both of these are better options but it depends on what you're looking for and what you're willing to spend. 
Personally I won't be getting anymore of the Revlon Smoky Shadow Sticks because bad packaging is a huge pet peeve of mine. But I won't be getting any more of the MAC Shadow/Liners either because they really are too expensive for what you're getting. For now, I'll still be waiting for drugstore companies to come out with a good cream base in a stick form.
Hope you enjoyed this comparison and review! As always thanks for reading,
-Tash <3

Wednesday 4 July 2012

A Beach Vacation for your Nails!

Hello readers!
In honour of my family vacation coming up in August (Cuba baby!) I thought I'd do a nail post inspired by the beach! I can't wait to just relax on the sand, swim and have some quality time with my cousin (more like sister really) Devika and the rest of my awesome family!
I am so excited for this trip, but it kills me because I know as soon as I get back I'll be depressed because there will only be 3 more weeks until school. Sad life.
Oh well on to the nail polish!
This is one I know my friend Stef has and she loves it.


I love this colour by Essie called "Turquoise & Caicos" (also I love how cute the names of Essie polishes always are). It's a true turquoise blue, creamy finish with no shimmer. 


The polish applies really smoothly. Any imperfections you notice in the pictures are because I'm impatient and also crazy and choose to do my nails at 1 a.m. 
It needs two coats to be opaque, but really what polish doesn't?
It's really bright and fun to wear in the summer. This would be much harder to wear in the winter, in my opinion, so I would suggest picking it up soon and wearing it as much as possible!



Just a Few Things...
  • I finally photographed a few of the posts I've been promising and will have to spend my evening sorting out the photos. 
  • Next planned post is a review comparison of a MAC and Revlon double ended liner!
  • Recently found a wallflower from Bath and Body Works that I bought in the fall/winter. No tag on it so I had no idea what scent it was. Now that it's plugged in, I can definitely tell it's the Creamy Pumpkin scent, which btw is AMAZING! My favourite winter scent from Bath and Body Works that came out last year. It smells like vanilla, cinnamon, with only a little pumpkin and just holiday time goodness.
  • Speaking of Bath and Body Works, I got a whole bunch of stuff for a steal during their Semi Annual Sale! Including the Creamy  Pumpkin scent in a room spray, some body lotion, body wash and a body spray called "Forever Sunshine" that I love so much, it's all I wear now! 
  • I have been wearing next to no makeup because it has been so crazy hot in Toronto. So I apologize for the lack of actual makeup looks posted recently. 
  • Was cleaning out more of my room- I have THREE unopened razors. THREE. One was a Christmas gift and two came with my Luxeboxes. And that's why I love Luxeboxes, saving me money all the time. 
  • Am loving Instagram (tashasingh10) and Pose (natasha.singh) and Tiny Tower (seriously the best game ever) on my iPhone! 

Anyways, as always thanks for reading!
-Tash <3