Gwen Stefani + Urban Decay "Ex-Boyfriend" Dupes

     Good day, all you lovely people! Today I thought I'd share some "dupes". Most of these are a bit of a stretch, matching more in colour than formula, but for anyone who missed out on this fantastic colour, it might be enough.

     

     I fell deeply in love with Gwen's collab nude shade at first swipe. It's sheer, but builds nicely, giving a "my lips but better" feel. I knew it would be a favourite. So let's get into the dupes (or near dupes) I found in my collection.

Ex-Boyfriend is on the left, Marc Jacobs 'New Nudes' Sheer Gel Lipstick in #110 Role Play on the right.

    As you can see, the UD shade is much more sheer than the MJ one, even though the MJ line is considered "Sheer". The wear time is better with Role Play, due to it's deeper opacity. Both lean warm.

R: NARS Audacious in Barbara

     Again, the formula is very different here. But putting a clear or nude gloss over Barbara gives the same effect as Ex-Boyfriend, and lasts much longer. Plus, the Audacious line of lipsticks is the best. Ever. In the history of every lipstick.

R: Maybelline "Warm Me Up"

     The Maybelline Colour Sensational line is probably the best in the drugstore. They're incredibly comfortable and there are tons of shades to choose from. This shade isn't as opaque as the previous two, but holds the same tone. It has a satin finish, and is longer lasting that UD.

R: Rimmel Moisture Renew - 720 Notting Hill Nude

The Rimmel line, especially the Moisture Renew range, is also worth checking out. There isn't as wide a choice for colours, but the formula is fantastic. I do have a problem with the scent, however; it's very old-lady-ish. This shade is the same warm nude as Ex-Boyfriend, but as with the NARS colour, applying a gloss over top would give the same effect. And the "Oh My Gloss" line from Rimmel might be worth giving a try. (Note: this shade is out of stock/discontinued from what I can tell, but it's currently on Amazon) 

R: Revlon Super Lustrous lip gloss in Super Natural

Speaking of using a gloss topper, this Revlon shade would be a perfect choice; it's sheer enough not to give too much colour, but has the same tone as Ex-Girlfriend, Plus, the formula on this is really comfortable, and not too sticky. 

R: Revlon Lip Butter- 001 Pink Truffle

     And last but not least, what I think is the best dupe (in my collection, anyway) Revlon's Pink Truffle Lip Butter. This colour holds that same warm nude tone, and has a very similar formula. Sheer, layers well, and feels great on the lips. I feel like this line is hit and miss, and people either love or hate them. I personally really like the shades that I have, and find them really comfortable. In fact, they were the first lip products I bought in the beginning of my makeup collection. 

     Having this makes me feel better about not stocking up on multiple backups of Ex-Girlfriend. Hopefully I have enough dupes for the liner shade too. Otherwise it's time to go shopping. ;)

Are there any of your favourite lipsticks that have been taken off the market? What are some of the replacements that you've come up with? 

Now We Resume This Blog, After That Long-A** Break

     Hi everyone! My blog has been terribly neglected this past year; I've just had so much going on, personally, that writing has been one of the farthest things from my mind. My husband and I separated last year, and I've been treading the waters of single-parenthood, trying to stay afloat. It hasn't been easy, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.
     Breakups are never easy, but I hope that in the case of my children's father and I, we can make this as easy as possible for our 2 girls. There is no drama, no hurt feelings, and no ill-will toward one another. We've been growing apart for some time now, and just realized that if we want to be happy, we should make the decision while the kids are young.
     Alright, now that I've delved deep enough into my personal life, let's get into the reason I started this blog; MAKEUP! I've been acquiring quite a bit of it these last several months, and though I have been using it, I thought I should put my buying on hold for a bit and try to use what I have more. (And when I say 'hold', I mean a soft hold. I'll probably still dip into the wallet when something really good comes along.)
     After making a few hasty purchases simply because they were new and exclusive, I made the decision to think before I buy. For example, the new Huda Beauty lip contour pencils; I bought the Shade "Bombshell", simply because of all of the hype around the launch. And for $25.50, I should've had better intentions. When I got it in the mail a couple days later, I immediately regretted my choice. It was a lip liner. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but for $25, it wasn't supposed to be "just" a lip liner. Coupled with the fact that the shade was identical to MAC's "In Control" liner that I already had (and paid $6 less for) and the formula wasn't anything new or innovative, I put it back in it's packaging, grabbed the receipt, and back to Sephora it went. 
     Point being; I have a lot of makeup. A LOT. More than some people, less than others, but for me, it's a lot. And I do love it. But I think in order to really appreciate it, I need to use what I have and make educated decisions when buying any more. So in this new chapter of my life, that will be my mission, to use and document my beloved beauty items, and share it with those who appreciate it: the beauty community.
     I hope to be better at writing - and taking time out, now that I have more of it - for the passion I have for beauty products, :) 

Smashbox ART. LOVE. COLOR. Master Class palette review

Happy holidays!! 

Wait, wait, wait. It's still summer. So why am I suddenly in the moods for pine boughs and pretty lights that are all tangled together and I break a nail trying to get them apart and oh great, a bulbs broken this sucks I hate the holida--- ohhh, right. Holiday MAKEUP. THAT'S why I'm so hyped about upcoming festive season while it's still 30° out. 

If you're like me and are a sucker for limited edition makeup sets, now's the time you start making your list and checking it twice. I follow TrendMood on Instagram, and I swear I'm considering getting a second job because of her posts. Urban Decay, Too Faced, Tarte, they've all had photos released of gorgeous new goodies. Smashbox was the first (to my knowledge) to release, and it looks like a doozy. I've missed the last 3 Master Class sets, so when I noticed this suddenly on Sephora's site, I was on that "Add to Basket" button like a duck on a Junebug. It boasts 32 eye shadows, 6 blushes and 2 highlighters. 

The eyeshadow pans are the sizes of nickels and dimes, and the blush and highlights are about the diameter of a Toonie (silver dollar, I guess, if you're 'Merican). They're supposed to be able to pop out to put in a Z palette, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet. The finishes range from matte, satin, and shimmer. The shimmers are quite disappointing, I have to say; they aren't very pigmented and come off a little chunky. The mattes, for the most part, are creamy and smooth, and the satin's really shine. 

As soon as I took this bad boy out of its box, I was immediately struck by the range of colours. Some of them I don't have in my collection (mainly the yellows/oranges/pinks). But as I dipped my fingers in to swatch, my heart sank; some shades were pretty, but half of them were chunky, and a little cheap-feeling. I looked at the palette after my swatch-fest and it looked disastrous. 

Powder was EVERYWHERE. Maybe I'm picky. But this does NOT look like a high-end palette should after you touch it. And I'm fairly light-handed. 

Most of the shadows swatch nicely on my arm, but they didn't transfer very well onto my lid. I used Urban Decay's Primer Potion, and they creased after a couple of hours of wear. I'll insert a range of some of the colours. 

As you can see, some of the most glittery shadows are quite chunky. The mattes are hit and miss, but the ones that are nice, I have in other palettes. The blushes are pretty, but too many of them leave a sheen on the cheeks that I would prefer to get from a highlight on top (otherwise I come off too disco-ball-y). 

My Verdict: this palette is a no-go for me. I just wasn't wowed. With all of the new makeup launching in the next couple of months, I can't see myself gravitating towards this. I will be returning it. 😪

What are your thoughts? If you have this palette, do you like it? Is it something you're looking forward to purchasing? I'd love to hear any views, opposing or similar. :)

-N

Maybelline "Blushed Nude" vs Coastal Scents "Revealed 2"

Okay, so I'll start off by saying that I know everyone and their grandma's neighbour has talked about the Maybelline Blushed Nudes palette. I resisted the urge to buy it because of the horrible reviews I was seeing. But I recently picked up Coastal Scents' Revealed 2, and realized that I'm really into rosy toned shadows, so when I saw the Maybelline on sale, I grabbed it to compare. 

The Revealed palette retails for around $25-$30CAD (I got mine from Birchbox.ca, using a promo code and points, so I only paid $2.50. 🙌) and the Maybelline is usually $15, depending on where you go. Mine was purchased at Shoppers on sale for $12.50. 

Both palettes have the same rosy, 'Naked 2' type of feel. The Revealed boasts 20 shadows, most of which are buttery smooth, pigmented, and extremely blendable, while the Blushed Nudes has 12 shades, and I found all but 3 to be powdery, dry, and extremely hard to transfer to the lid. 

I did some side-by-side comparisons of shades that I feel are similar in tone/finish. The swatches shown will all be of the Maybelline on the left, and the Coastal Scents on the right. 

First is the lightest shade in the Blushed Nudes palette. The quintessential pale matte highlight shade. The Revealed 2's version is buttery and pigmented; the Blushed Nudes is dust. I had to dig to get anything out of the pan, and it STILL didn't show up. :/

These two shades don't quite match on the skin, but they're quite similar in the pan. Powdery Maybelline, creamy Coastal Scents (yes, there is a trend here.)

Here's another shadow that's important in every palette; the crease/transition shade. Again, barely anything out of the Maybelline. The CS is a beautiful taupe-mauve that's perfect for blending. Probably my favourite of the whole palette. 

I'll just show the next few shades and you can see for yourself the difference in texture and pigmentation. As I've said, the Maybelline swatches are on the left, the Coastal Scents are on the right. 

I have to say, I'm not impressed that the Blushed Nudes doesn't have a matte black, but it DOES have a black with Rose glitter. But it doesn't transfer into the skin AT ALL. It barely looks like I touched it, the glitter shows up more than the shadow. The same shadow (and in the pans they do look the EXACT same) on the CS palette is exactly what it should be- black with glitter flecked throughout. 

Overall, I'm (obviously) disappointed in the Maybelline Blushed Nudes palette. There is just NOT enough pigmentation. How this made it out the door is beyond me. It's obviously not hard to do affordable, pigmented shadows if Coastal Scents (not to mention Makeup Geek, Colourpop, even L'Oreal) can do it. I'd say skip over the Maybelline palette, and DEFINITELY grab the Revealed 2 (and heck, even the 1 & 3!) You won't be disappointed. OR bored, there are tons of options for different looks.    

 

 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer review

I've been on a quest for a new primer, and before I start delving into the abyss of high-end Sephora goodies, I figured I'd dip my toes into what the drugstore has to offer. 

Rimmel has a few different primers to choose from- Lasting Finish, Stay Matte, and Fix & Perfect. I've tried the latter, but ended up returning it; I found it to be too silicone-feeling and it burned my skin. Not exactly an attractive canvas for foundation. I don't consider my skin to be particularly oily, so the matte option didn't entice me. 

The Lasting Finish version feels more like a lotion; it's white, more of a thicker consistency, and doesn't feel too much like silicone. I prefer a primer that I can use on my whole face, not just a pore-minimizer that only goes on target areas. 

I spread it on like any moisturizer, then kind of press it in to the pores on my forehead, chin, and around my nose. It doesn't feel greasy or slippery, it just provides a nice base for my foundation, and allows for even coverage. Prior to using the primer, I found that even with my CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous, the redness of my cheeks would always show through; but my makeup goes on evenly when I use the primer, and I don't need to build up layers. VERY important during the summer, when less is definitely more. 

I did notice a slight change in the size of my pores, but where I was really impressed was the longevity it gave to my makeup. Foundation always breaks down on my nose first, and usually within a couple of hours. Not so when I use this. It looks freshly applied after a full 7-8 hour day, and I didn't feel the need to touch up anything. 

All in all I'm extremely happy with this primer. Now I need to test out even MORE! :)

L'Oreal La Palette Nude 2 review

I've been wanting this palette ever since NOT getting the Maybelline Nudes palette; every review/video showed disappointing and chalky shadows, and I never wanted to waste my money on it. So when I went to my local Rexall, and saw a new display with both of the "La Palettes" (I'm in a small town, we're  usually weeks behind on releases) and the price tag read $12.99, I grabbed the purple shades. It was a very convenient pricing mistake, to say the least. 

These shadows are phenomenal; pigmented, creamy, and blendable. There is some kick-up when you dip your brush in a couple of them, but tapping it off before application works fine. 

As someone who loves purple/neutral colours, I'm absolutely thrilled with the colour range; there are dark mattes, shimmery taupes, light creamy pinks, and muted brown/mauve shades for the crease. The one thing it's missing is a bright satin white/champagne for the inner corner, but I don't mind supplementing. 

The back of the packaging provides several different look options, with step-by-step instructions.

I created an easy, simple look using the first 3 shadows, first by using the matte taupe shade in the crease, the cream shade on the lid, and the satin soft-cranberry colour on the outer half, blended into the lid shade. 

The brush included is nice enough; the foam applicator side is actually very soft and smooth, and dense enough that it doesn't suck up all the colour. The brush is small, but soft, more of an outer-edge brush, good to blend a little. 

Basically, I love, and am really excited to use this palette. I don't think I'd ever pay $30 for it (when you get down to it, it's drugstore, and that's a lot of money for drugstore makeup). There are palettes at Sephora for not much more--Urban Decay Basics is something I've been eyeing, even though it has half the amount of shadows as the L'Oreal palette, they're amazing quality and I'd probably use it just much-- but since I got this on a fluke at a good price, it's a big winner. 

***Nik's Bits***

-Summer's here, and I'm dying to stock up on maxi dresses and jean jackets. I don't know why. 

-The local parade (you know how every town has their own 'festival' and centres an entire weekend around it?) is in a few weeks and I've decided to get involved. I look forward to being sunburned and pilfering free candy. 

-My nails are in a TERRIBLE state again; it must be the amount of handwashing and sanitizer I use at work. I have to get them back in shape soon, I just bought a macro lens to take swatch pictures. Fingers crossed! (Pun intended)

 

 

Julep "Long Weekend" Palette Swatches and Review

As soon as I found out that Julep had a new palette out, my heart soared. Luckily I took my May Maven box, because this was being featured in the 'Secret Store' (a selection of products available at a discounted price, first for the Mavens who take the monthly box. Anyone who skipped the month has access after a couple of days, but stock is usually depleted). 

The Long Weekend palette is full of lighter, more pastel shades than were in the Photogenic palette. It's absolutely stunning on green eyes (and I'm sure on any other eyes, but green's what I got, so I can only speak to that 😉). It ranges from cream to purples/mauve shades, and has some great transition shades. 

My favourite shades are Getaway (a satin champagne) Bonfire (beautiful above the crease) and Monday (I put this in the outer corner and work it in the crease. Stunning)

The formula is very similar to the first palette; very pigmented, but kicks up a lot of fallout. As long as you tap your brush, though, it's fine. And they blend like a dream! 💜

I am SO HAPPY that I grabbed this palette. I can see myself reaching for it a lot this summer, to create different glowing looks. 

I definitely recommend this palette to EVERYONE. The shades are incredibly complimentary. The Julep "Long Weekend" palette is $54 or $43.20 for Mavens. Monthly subscription is $19.99/ month, skip or cancel anytime (Julep's customer service is FANTASTIC) Sign up for a free box here: https://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/57952/

***Nik's Bits***

• I've finally started a nail-care regimen. It's based on applying cuticle oil like a junkie, and using Sally Hansen's Instant Cuticle Remover and OPI's Nail Envy (at $20 a bottle, I better be serious about this). I can definitely see results. And the benefits are showing up on my Instagram (@ohnikjommmblog) 

• The cold has finally left Southern Ontario. Which can only means one thing-- it's time for girls to use their bras as wallets. Yay. (Sarcasm. Uber sarcasm) 

• Within the next few weeks, I'll be renovating my closet and putting up shelves for my nail polish, as well as painting my bedroom. I haven't been this excited for physical labour in... Ever. 

Maybelline FitMe Matte and Poreless Review

     Now that the summer weather is here I figured I'd give a new foundation a try. I picked up the Matte and Poreless a couple of months ago, but it was a bit too dark (it oxidizes on me) so now that I've been tanning just a teeny tiny bit, the colour matches perfectly. 

     I'm not oily--I consider my skin to be normal, and get a bit dry in the winter and a little oily in the warmer months. 

     I used my Beauty Blender to apply it on non-primed skin, and it blended really easily. The coverage is light-to-medium, but can be built up. It did fill my pores in a little, but not enough to be considered poreless. It gave me a very pretty matte finish, and I didn't set it with powder. 

     The lasting finish wasn't the greatest, however. Within 1-2 hours, my skin was dewy; not what I would call oily, but it definitely had a bit of shine. It ended up just looking like the original FitMe looked, which isn't terrible, I lived in that foundation last year, but when a product says it mattifies I expect it to do just that. And this doesn't. I can't imagine anyone with oily skin (and let's face it, that's the demographic that this product is catered towards) having a good experience with this. Setting it with powder would definitely be beneficial.

     Overall, I do like the foundation, and I'll use it, but I think I'll prime my face first, to help the whole "poreless" claim, and keep some blotting papers handy. On days that aren't humid. 

     My next foundation purchase will be the L'Oreal Infallible Pro Matte. THAT is supposed to be incredible. My fingers are cramping, they're crossed so hard. 

March Ipsy GlamBag

     It's been awhile since I've had an Ipsy bag; I hadn't really been wowed by previous bags. But when I learned that everyone would receive a NYX Butter lipstick, I was all "SIGN ME UP!" Plus, anything springtime and floral gets my heart fluttering. 

     The bag, as most of Ipsy's bags, is absolutely precious. I am getting quite a collection of little bags piled up, so I don't know how much use this little gem will get, but it's nice to have for travel. 

     The first item I pulled out was this Pixi by Petra eyeshadow duo in "Apricot Glow". I was happy to see an eyeshadow in my bag, finally. Eye makeup was lacking lately from ipsy. 

     The colours are pretty, but also very powdery, and don't apply to the eye with much pigmentation. If you're using primer and a finger to apply, you might have better luck. I don't know if a wet brush would help, because with them being as powdery as they are, I feel that that would make them a little chunky (ie not cute).

Here they are swatched.

     Next up is a Crown brush. Another exciting item. I love eye brushes, and this is a definite winner. It's soft and fluffy on one side, perfect for blending, it gets right in the crease, and the other side is a narrower crease brush. There wasn't any stray hairs that came out when I pulled gently on the bristles (which I do when testing my brushes) so that's a good sign. I hope this stands up to washing, because I want it in my collection for a long time!

     For the only non-makeup item, I received a makeup remover. Fitting, I would say.
     This is a non-foaming, cream cleanser. It's great at gently removing makeup, but I found it stung my eyes, even though it states that it's good for removing even waterproof mascara. And though I did find it moisturizing, it didn't feel like my skin was completely rid of makeup, so I had to go over my face with a foaming cleanser on a washcloth (I'm a fan of rough-cleaning, I usually use a scrub).

     And now we've come to my favourite item, the one that actually made me squeal when I saw it. NYX Butter lipstick in "Little Susie". This shade has been on my wishlist for awhile; it's creamy, pigmented, and the perfect poppy-pink shade for Spring. The formula is amazing, it's so comfortable. I'm defintely going to pick up more of these babies. 

    The colour is a really flattering shade; I think it would be perfect on minimal makeup days, just to give that pretty punch of colour.

     Lastly, is a lipgloss from Cargo that I used my points for, in the shade "Anguilla". The first time I saw this Nicole from +Young Wild and Polished was reviewing it. It's a white-based pink gloss, that really pigmneted. I tried wearing it on it's own, but the colour was not flattereing. I paired it with Milani's Spice liner, filled my lips with it, and topped it with this gloss, and it became the most perfect nude. The formula is pretty thick, however, so if you're one for light glosses that you can't really feel, this might not be for you.

     Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with March's ipsy bag. I'll be using almost all of the items, and that hasn't happened for a long time. As for continuing my subscription, I'll wait and see what April brings.

LipMonthly Review

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times... And I cancel my subscription. 

Okay, that came off a little harsh. But seriously, LipMonthly is more grief than it's worth. I've finally received my January bag (on February 18th) and it's just not wowing me enough to bother continuing. First of all, there was no tracking. There wasn't even a shipment confirmation. I had to email the company twice to get any information. And secondly, it was just a lacklustre bag. Regardless, I won't let my struggles get in the way of the review.

The card included states "We'll be featuring some great new brands throughout 2015", and yet in the first bag of the year, it seems like it's just the same old, same old. I got an Ofra lip pencil in last month's bag, and I need another lip balm like a hole in the head, 

Don't get me wrong, it's not an overly terrible bag, it's just...meh. It's becoming the shoulder-shrug of subscription bags. But I digress. Let's jump in! 

First is a MICA Beauty lip colour pot in Velvet Rose ($14.50) The website shows a different size and container (4g for $30) and the product in the bag is 7g. Very odd. It also states that this product delivers "a sheer wash of colour". It does not. It is way too pigmented to be considered a balm, and it stains badly. The swatch shown is on my inner forearm, and I've still got colour there after 2 days, a shower, and scrubbing. So  on the upside, it's a product that will last. The colour is pretty, but not something I tend to wear, it just comes off too red. So, it will be confined to the back drawer.

                                       

 Next up is a long lasting liquid lipstick from Ofra in Laguna Beach (8g for $19.90) This is another full-sized product, and it's my favourite item in the bag. It reminds me very much of the Stila Stay-All-Day liquid lipstick in Patina, only lighter, and more pink. It also smells EXACTLY the same as the Stila. I'll need a few days to test out the wear, but this is a nice addition to my collection.

 And who doesn't love a good lip balm? I know I do. This, however, is not so great. The Ecolips Ecotints in Rose Quarts (4.25g for $4.49) is a basic balm, with a little bit of shimmer, and a lot of peppermint oil. I personally do not like minty lip products, especially lip balms, so this got a thumbs down. It's also not very moisturizing, and is shaped awkwardly; it's a thin oval, making it hard for me to apply it and not look crazy.

 And here, I've saved the worst for last. It's a sample of Harvey Prince's Damask Rose perfume. Why they've included such a strong scent in a lip-product bag, I'll never know, but will resent for a good long while. Though I do appreciate a good rose candle every now and then, it has to be the right kind of rose. Just a delicate, authentic scent, that kind of hovers around you, one that doesn't smack you in the face like it's an elderly grandmother assaulting a would-be purse snatcher with a wicker handbag. It smells like a 40-year-old brocade couch covered in vinyl. It does not smell good, is what I'm saying. It's worth $12. Plus $8.95 for a big bottle of Advil that you're going to need from the headache it causes. 

 So is this bag worth the $10 plus shipping (to Canada)? For the Ofra lipstick alone, I'd say yes. If you're looking to find some lesser-known or hard-to-find brands of lip products, I'd say go for it. You can join here or visit LipMonthly.com

 Myself, I'm cancelling this subscription. It's just too much hassle, waiting and being disappointed. Though some people have already posted their February bags, and they look promising. I might come back in a couple of months, we'll see. 

I WILL have a review on 2 NEW (to me) subscription boxes, TopBox and Birchbox. Canada is really stepping up their subscription box game!