Thursday, August 26, 2010

Spotted: ELF @ Dollarama

Let’s skip the fact that I haven’t blogged in over 2 weeks+ because I have good news!
(P.S. I am immensely sorry, I'm a bad blogger)


A little while back, I found out through Fantasia that ELF Eye Shadow and Blending Brushes were being sold at Dollarama for $1.50 a piece! When I found out weeks ago, I went to check straight away but I didn’t find any. I even asked a friend in another city to check out her local Dollarama but she had no luck either.
After weeks of searching, I finally found the ELF brushes at my local Dollarama while shopping with my mother today. While I couldn’t find Blending Brushes, there was the Total Face Brush and Eye Shadow Brush. I bought one Total Face Brush (which I hate…) and three Eye Shadow brushes! I already have one from 2 years ago & I like it very much. For $1.50 it’s a save but if I want to be a little more luxurious, I’ll spend the extra $3.50 on an EcoTools Deluxe Eye Shadow Brush.

When I got home today I immediately washed the brushes. The Total Face Brush shed like nuts and bled profusely! I’m scared to put it on my face as it hasn’t completely stopped bleeding… Meanwhile, one out of the three Eye Shadow Brush(es) has a few hard hairs. I can’t explain it but if you do buy any be sure to take them out of the packages in the store to check the “softness” of the hairs.
Although there’s a little sadness in my experience, I still have more good news to spew!
Zellers now carries a wider range of ELF sets! I’m talkin’ about ELF Beauty Books found at Target (US) and the mini make-up palette. Anyone see the mini ELF black boxed palette at Winners but is ALWAYS damaged because of BAD beauty junkies? Well anyway, the ones at Zellers are completely boxed and protected from filthy fingers so REJOICE!
There is a catch however… All of the ELF sets being sold at Zellers are pretty much double in price compared what the US beauty junkies have to pay! No fair but at least we have something rather than nothing…

I'll edit pictures into this post as soon as I finish cleaning my room. I didn't want anyone to miss out on the amazingness that is happening to us Canadians!

Ciao,
        Ashley :)

Friday, August 13, 2010

Softlips PURE Natural Lip Balm - Review

Confession:
In two days, I have bought seven Softlips lip balms & five Joe Fresh Style Frais lip stains...



Why?

I needed a lip balm to replace my EOS lip balm (not available in Canada) and found $2 off coupons for both Softlip products and Joe Fresh Lip Products (via CanadianFreeStuff.com and Halifax of Sparkled Beauty).
I know, I know I went a overboard! I lower my head in shame.
I initially had issues using the Softlips coupon at Wal-Mart where I found the double packs of Softlips but had zero issues when I purchased the Softlips Pure at Superstore. I went to Wal-Mart again the day after where I had issues again trying to buy the same double packs but eventually the store manager gave in. I don't want ot get too into it but coupon-ing in Vancouver sucks, end of story!

Onto the Review (shorter, less sweet review at the bottom):

I can't find this particular lip balm on the Softlips website (US or CA) so I'm not sure if the one I bought is being discontinued. Softlips PURE Natural Lip Balm retails for about $5 at Superstore and as much as $5-$7 at Shoppers Drug Mart. With my $2 off coupon, I got the Softlips PURE Natural Lip Balm for something like $4.
I generally love Softlips products but I'm surprised that I dislike this one. I had a choice between the Citrus scented or fragrance-free version but I chose the latter. Similar to the Softlips Sweet Lip Balms, Softlips PURE is easy to apply and has a slick feel to it with a bonus gloss-like finish. Unfortunately, the Softlips PURE feels a tad too slick almost as if I melted butter on my lips. Yuck. While it is unscented which I like, this lip balm wears too quickly. I find myself reapplying it every hour! I can't take a sip of water without having all of the lip balm wash right off. It moisturizes well granted it stays on my lips long enough. I use it before I get into bed and I wake up with lovely moisturized lips. I will only use this before bed time as it's not practical to have to reapply every hour during the day. I feel that if I use this 24/7, I would go through one tube too quickly and paying in full would become very costly.

Here's Softlips PURE Natural Lip Balm ontop of Joe Fresh Lip Stain in Sheer Pink:


See that glossy finish? It's like wearing a lipgloss that never fades (but it does..).

What I liked

- moisturizing
- unscented
- glossy finish
- light weight

What I disliked
- greasy
- wear time (1 hour)
- expensive

Bottom line is, I wouldn't repurchase and I do not recommend it. Softlips Sweet Lip Balms are much better although I wish they weren't so expensive for such tiny tubes..
P.S. Sorry for the lack of ingredients list! I can't find it online and I've already thrown out the packaging!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Update - P10P (Facial Cleansers)

About a month ago, I posted 10 facial cleansers, masks, and exfoliators I would use religiously in order to curb my shopping addiction. Well that didn't work out very well did it? Refer to this post. I know no shame... I can't pretend like I never bought another four cleansers to add to my collection but I am going to include it in my Project 10 Pan.

As of now, I have completely finished The Body Shop Aloe Calming Facial Cleanser and so my list now looks like this:

1) The Body Shop (Original) Cucumber Cleansing Milk
2) The Body Shop (Original) Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel
3) L'Oreal Go 360 Clean Deep Cream Cleanser

4) Vichy Normaderm Deep Cleansing Gel
5) Clinique Liquid Facial Soap

6) Freeman Beauty Good Stuff Organics Smoothing Facial Scrub
7) Freeman Beauty Good Stuff Organics Revitalizing Facial Mask
8) St. Ives Mineral Clay Firming Masque
9) Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It
10) Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser


I strictly use the L'Oreal Go (etc...) to clean my brushes now but I have atleast 1/8th left. Once it's finished, I'm out of a brush cleaner. I would like to experimenting with Extra Virgin Olive Oil & dish soap or baby shampoo to cleanse my brushes but using facial cleansers  as brush cleansers work best for me. Why? Some facial cleansers that don't work well for my skin (ie. not gentle enough) fair better on my synthetic make-up brushes! That way I'm not wasting money throwing away a cleanser and going out of my way to buy a brush cleaner! I also use the Vichy Normaderm Deep Cleansing Gel to wash my face clothes periodically instead of using it directly on my face. I cannot recommend this cleanser & I have a review coming very shortly. Stay tuned for that!

Once
I get rid of #3 and #4, my list will look like this:
1) The Body Shop (Original) Cucumber Cleansing Milk
2) The Body Shop (Original) Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel
3) Clinique Liquid Facial Soap
4) Freeman Beauty Good Stuff Organics Smoothing Facial Scrub
5) Freeman Beauty Good Stuff Organics Revitalizing Facial Mask
6) St. Ives Mineral Clay Firming Masque
7) Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It
8) Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser
9) Bioré Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser
10) Bioré Warming Anti-Blackhead Cream Cleanser


I'll most likely finish the L'Oreal Go 360 Clean Deep Cream Cleanser and Vichy Normaderm Deep Cleansing Gel before The Body Shop Originals because I have many make-up brushes to wash weekly and two face clothes I wash every other day. I'm really into personal hygiene, can you tell? It's not that I don't wash my face twice a day but I only have one face! There is only so much I can clean.
I'm trying to calculate how long it will take to finish this Project but I don't want to cry ;__;
I know I won't finish the Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser (#8) as I only use it in the shower but I do like it! I wish I could use it more often but it's too drying for my skin. I use the masks twice weekly too but the masks I have aren't very beneficial for my skin and washing it off is a draaag so I tend to forget to use them. It's taken me over a year to finish half the bottle of the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap too. It's too drying for daily use so I use it only when I need a deep cleaning. On a slightly more positive not, I like it better than the Vichy Normaderm Deep Cleansing Gel but not by much.


I'm aiming to make my list look like this:
1) The Body Shop (Original) Cucumber Cleansing Milk
2) The Body Shop (Original) Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel

3) Clinique Liquid Facial Soap
4) Freeman Beauty Good Stuff Organics Smoothing Facial Scrub
5) Freeman Beauty Good Stuff Organics Revitalizing Facial Mask
6) St. Ives Mineral Clay Firming Masque
7) Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It
8) Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser
9) Bioré Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser
10) Bioré Warming Anti-Blackhead Cream Cleanser

I want #1, 3 4, 5 and 6 off my list so I have something to look FOWARD to. And once they're gone, I will replace them with non-drugstore cleansers. I'm actually interested in trying a cleansing oil by Origins, H2o, and Boscia. I basically threw in all prepared and revised lists in one post to save myself from having to write more updated posts when I could write actual reviews and stuff... I'm working really hard to use up all of my cleansers legitimately. (I just learnt that "legitly" isn't a word. Double the Dumb, today!)
So there it is! My new mission of 2010 that I obviously won't finish until some time in 2011.. *sigh* Thanks for stopping by & reading my excruciatingly painful post!

♥,
Ashley



P.S. - I didn't notice before but my previous list was missing #4. Due to my lack of followers or readers, no one called me out on that! Luckily I could correct my own mistake as I hate it when others correct me. Being corrected makes me feel so.. blind. Any one else find that a pet peeve?

Saturday, August 7, 2010

A Blog w/ Pictures!

I promised a few posts ago I'd post more pictures on my blog, not just stock photos. Anyhow, I didn't want to title this post as "haul" because I don't like that word... (I don't like a lot of words). I'm not purposely flashing my purchases, I just want to share with everyone my great finds. Believe me, these purchases were bargains I couldn't resist.

I don't remember how many times I've mentioned this but I'm from & currently residing in Vancouver, B.C. Most beauty addicts here in Canada (or even B.C.) don't realize that NYX Cosmetics IS available here & not just online. NYX Cosmetics can be found at Rexall Drugstores and Save-On Foods grocery stores(some, not all). I only recently learnt that Save-On's has NYX Clearance baskets with items all for a $1. So here's what I found about a week ago at Save-On's:

I bought 7 Chrome Eye Shadows (pigments) & 4 Triple Shadows For Sexy Babe's Eyes Only! (trio palettes) for myself, all for a $1 each. I bought a few for my friend's birthday too but those aren't pictured in case she reads this post & thus ruining her surprise!
F.Y.I - NYX is a drugstore cosmetic line that is said to be comparable to MAC & other medium-to-high end cosmetics. For $1, the NYX eye shadows I bought were well worth it and I would pay full price for them if I had to! Both the pigments and pressed e/s are plenty pigmented but foiling them makes them even more amazing (with regular water!).

Then at Wal-Mart on the same day I bought the
Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover Lotion - Hydrating, I also bought the Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color in Just Peachy (903C). I'm not the type to wear lipsticks or lip liner but the color looked nice & it was no more than $4(??).

I wish it was as pretty on my lips as it is in the tube. The formula also doesn't work with my lips. I'll write a review on it later but this was a no-go for me :(
My Wal-Mart trip wasn't a complete bust however! I also picked up Revlon's new Top Speed nail polishes in Jaded (320) and I absolutely love it! I prefer this to Revlon's Minted nail polish & China Glaze's Re-fresh Mint. I was supposed to do a comparison review but I keep screwing up my nails before I can take pictures!

And after ages of waiting for Bioré to go on sale (anywhere!), London Drugs was having a sale on Bioré products and a BOGO Free deal!

I initially wanted to use $2 off coupons I had saved but London Drugs coupon policy does not allow stacking. (The BOGO deal was through London Drugs in-store coupon *sigh*) Another catch was that the "free" item had to be the 
Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser. Conviently, a week before the sale I knew there were certain Bioré cleansers that came with a free razor or John Freida Frizz-Ease Hair Serum. In the end, I bought two different cleansers so I got two Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleansers free, plus two John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serums! My total was $23.27 for 6 products & divided evenly, I paid $3.87 for each product. I know I have a lot of cleansers left to finish but I also use my facial cleansers to wash my brushes and face cloths! I'll run out in no time....
Ontop of the abundance of cleansers I got, I also bought more nail polishes. Revlon recently released previously limited edition nail polishes onto their permanent display. I bought Minted & Gray Suede for $2.99 each as it was on sale but I haven't tried them out fully yet.
I can't explain why but London Drug was having a massive clearance on beauty products & I found quite a lot of great beauty products on sale but still a little too expensive for my taste.  The whole L'Oreal Passport to Paradise Collection was on clearance; nail polishes for $2.99 and eyeshadow quads for $5.99. I bought a nail polish in Ocean Breeze (606) from the Passport to Paradise but I also don't like this one. The first coat leaves little streaking but during the second coat, the formula gets goopy making it hard to apply. Atleast the second coat leaves a very opaque blue nail! I never quite liked L'Oreal nail polishes, they separate in the bottle too quickly and are waaay to thick. Lastly I bought Seche Porcelain.. I don't know why but I can't return it so I might swap that too. I couldn't take clear pictures of the nail polishes or find stock photos so... I'm sorry!

I think I've gone on for long enough anyway so I hope this was an interesting read for someone! Happy Weekend, hope no one has a dentist appointment tomorrow like I do! :(

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover Lotion - Hydrating Review

As the title says, I'm reviewing yet another eye makeup remover. I have high expectations for my make-up removers & if they don't meet my standards, they are banished from my kingdom! Before I start the fireworks, I'll just straight out tell y'all I am not a fan of this eye makeup remover (lotions). I'm so put off by it that I'm returning it as everyone should if they are unsatisfied with a product! I likeNeutrogena but their new Eye Makeup Remover Lotion -Hydrating product bugs me to bones. So keep reading to know why!

This light, residue-free lotion gently dissolves your hard-to-remove eye makeup while conditioning your eye area.
The unique formula quickly removes makeup--even waterproof mascara--while still being gentle enough for daily use. Plus, a replenishing blend of cucumber and aloe extracts helps smooth the look of dry lines and puffiness.
Your skin will look clean and refreshed, and feel soothed and hydrated.
Instructions:
Dispense onto fingertips or onto cotton ball and gently massage over closed eyes. Can also be used on face for makeup removal. Tissue off product for maximum hydration.

So Neutrogena claims that their eye makeup remover (lotion) is gentle enough for daily use and is residue and fragrance-free.
I haven't used it for more than two days so I don't know how gentle it really is. I can however vouch that the Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover Lotion is residue-free. The removal of the remover was easy breezy & pain free. Plus, I don't see fragrance or parfum listed as ingredients but there are big scientific words I'm unsure about.  I think the product really is fragrance fee because it smells just like my Sofcil Professional Eye Make-Up Remover which is also supposed to be fragrance free.
(I also noticed that I find unscented products tend  to smell pharmaceutical-y to me because I associate non-scented products with medicine.)
Neutrogena also claims the Eye Makeup Remover Lotion will remove waterproof mascara, smooth the look of dry lines and puffiness, soothe and hydrate your skin (I assume the area around your eyes).
This sounds more like an eye cream than an eye makeup remover doesn't it? I'm not even sure if the eye makeup remover is supposed to smooth the look of dry lines and puffiness instantly or after continuous use. I'm guessing instant use because eye creams reduce dry/fine lines and puffiness after continuous use and has long term benefits. I don't have extreme puffy eyes and normally, my eyes aren't puffy at the end of the day when I'm removing my eye makeup... I do have dry lines and this lightly hydrating eye m/u remover does smooth my dry lines just a tad unlike water based eye makeup removers that are barely hydrating. The issue is, I always double cleanse and use face wash after I remove all of my makeup so my eyes get cleansed again during the process. The hydrating benefit is great but useless in the long run (for me atleast). And it is my personal choice to use waterproof mascara but any type of eye makeup remover that claims to remove waterproof eye makeup efficiently, falls into my lap and then back to the store it goes! If you've every tried the Max Factor Volume Couture (Waterproof) Mascara, you'll know that stuff is HARD to remove. Even oil-based eye makeup removers cannot sufficiently remove the waterproof mascara. I guess I was expecting a miracle to happen when I used this eye make-up remover but I do not enjoy false claims. I've tried using just my hands to apply the lotion and a cotton pad. Neither can suffiently remove waterproof mascara but fare well with regular mascara.
I finally used a camera to show some swatches, are you happy now??


As you can tell, the left picture is just a swatch of what's on the back of my hand. There's waterproof mascara on the left & orange e/s on primer on the right with the eye m/u remover lotion on top. The picture of the left is after a minute of gentle massaging of the lotion over the mascara. Not a lot came off, can you tell? Although the swatch of the mascara is a little much, layering mascara is almost exactly the same. Heavy duty! The m/u remover got rid of the e/s easily enough but waterproof mascara? HA!
All in all, I didn't enjoy this product all too much. It is hydrating but because I haven't used it enough, my review is somewhat biased. If I had given it a full one week trial, maybe I would see benefits of smoother dry lines. I have an eye cream for that though.. The Neutrogena Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion does not follow through with what it promises and I am truly upset about that. If Wal-Mart didn't have a good return policy, I would be out of $8.50 (plus taxes) and highly disappointed.
I do not recommend this at all but if you'd like to purchase the product anyway, I bought mine from Wal-Mart for $8.50(CAD) but is originally marked as $9.xx. It's a tad expensive for a drugstore product but if you're based in the U.S., you can find the Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion - Hydrating on the Neutrogena website on sale for $5.99(USD).
Sorry for being such a negative nilly. The Neutrogena Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion gets great reviews on MakeupAlley but I had a much different experience than the avid fans. I hope I helped someone, thanks for reading!
Oh & check out
Meaghan of Glamour Momma's intriguing comparative review of this lotion and Clinique's infamous Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion!

Ingredients:
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isononyl Isononanoate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Isosterearyl Palmitate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG 100 Stearate, Hexylene Glycol, Sorbitan Stearate, PEG 6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Cetearyl Alcohol, Acrylates/C10 30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sucrose Cocoate, Proplylene glycol, Cucumis Sativa (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Juice, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylparaben, Methylparaben

Disclosure

Make-Up Kismet is a personal blog written and edited by myself. This blog was created to share my experiences with whom ever reads it.

All reviews posted are written by me and are my honest opinions. All products reviewed are purchased by me for personal and/or review purposes unless stated otherwise. Each person is different, as are our experiences. With that said, I cannot be held responsible for any unsatisfying reaction to a product I review or recommend.

Photos on this blog are either from Google, other Bloggers or, my own. I try to depict all products as accurately as possible. I may edit photos for this purpose.



 

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