5 Favs + a Brush for February

Okay is it just me or did February fly by!!

February favs

mac mineralized blush in warm soul
mid tone beige with gold pearl

beautiful colour to warm up your skin and give a little shimmer during these cold months

great neutral colour if you're doing a smokey or colourful eye

 mac eyeshadow in tempting

a medium brown shade with a lustre finish

this is my go-to colour for a daytime smokey eye

looks great with every eye colour especially blue and brown

 swatch of tempting

nars laguna bronzer

this seems to be a staple in every makeup artists kit

great bronzer for winter when your skin is lighter

because of the colour not being too red or orange it's great for contouring

I use it under my cheek bones and in my eye crease for more definition

 mac studio fix fluid spf 15 in nc20

I always go back to this foundation!

lately I have been having a lot of breakouts due to the cold weather

this is a great foundation that covers well so I don't have to use as
much concealer but doesn't look or feel heavy on the skin

I would recommend it for oily to combination skin

mac brush cleanser
cleans, disinfects and conditions the brush fibers so that brushes will last longer
I fill a small travel spray bottle and take it with me everywhere!I
I have a bigger spray bottle I keep in my kit
very important to keep your brushes clean and bacteria free!

sigma tapered blending brush e40
I use this brush so much I have 2!
great for base eyeshadow and blending out edges of darker shadows
I use the other brush to sweep setting powder under my eyes, perfect size!

 close up of e40 brush

5 Favs + a Brush for January

wow! January is a long month!
I feel I could have added a couple more products to my favourites!

 January favs

 mac prep + prime moisture infusion

I mainly bought this for my kit because I heard so many good things about it for dry skin

but because this winter is very cold and dry I thought I would try it on my oily/combination skin

no need to moisturize and prime, this takes care of it in one easy step!

I never used to be a fan of mac skincare but this line of prep + prime is winning me over!

I have a few more products that I love and will feature on a blog soon

mac pro longwear concealer

I always shy away from concealers that say "long wearing" because I am afraid

of them being to thick or hard to blend into the skin (looking unnatural especially under the eye)

this is the one of the best concealers I have used in a long time!

it is surprisingly very lightweight and easy to blend and lasts all day!

mac extra dimension eye shadow in natural flirt

these eye shadows are great for shimmering up your look

I use it all over the lid or as a highlight on my browbone

I love the colour, it's pink but very subtle, very pretty!

swatch of natural flirt

 maybelline the rocket volum' express mascara

I switch up my mascara almost everyday but then I realized

I have been reaching for this one a lot more than the rest!

this mascara add lots of volume and length and lasts all day!

sally hansen insta-dri top coat

I have been using this top coat for years 

but recently I noticed that it DOES make my nail polish last longer 

compared to getting my nails done at the salon

I have repurchased this over and over

real techniques stippling brush

this dual-fibre brush works great with thinner foundations

dip the brush in the foundation and then stipple all over your face

blend in circular motions and voila you have airbrushed results!

 close up of the stippling brush

5 Favs + a Brush for November/December

I feel I have to combine my Favs for November/December since December is already half over and I was really busy the last month.

So without further adieu here are my 5 Favs + a Brush.

 November/December favs

 mac studio careblend pressed powder in medium

I have tried many pressed powders and finally found my fav

this is the third time I have repurchased...that says a lot!

formulated to provide a smooth, virtually invisible, fresh-looking finish, this soft, cream-like powder is carefully blended to provide the skin with extra care, nourishment and comfort.

mac beauty powder in too chic

a great highlighter...I use it on top of my cheekbones

not too frosty or shimmery, just a nice glow

swatch of too chic

mac mineralized blush in lured to love

I loooove the mac mineralized blush, I almost have them all

this one is from the divine night holiday collection

so that means limited edition...I wish I bought more!

looks great on light skin tones

 swatch of lured to love

it's not pink and it's not peach, the perfect blend of both!

mac paint pot in layin' low

I have always loved the mac paint pots
so when a new collection came out I grabbed a few more
this one I have used the most

it's great in the summer when my skin is darker

these are great alone as well as used as a base...they last all day

 mac eyeshadow in retrospeck

it is a lustre shade described as beached blonde 

it seems to go with everything!

swatch of retrospeck

 real techniques domed shadow brush

this is a great brush for applying concealer under the eye

it's what I use it for everyday!

it can be used to apply eyeshadow to the lid too!
I love it so much I have 2

 close up

5 Favs + a Brush for October

I am going to keep a series going every month on my 5 fav products plus a fav Brush.
I am calling it 5 Favs + a Brush.

I see a lot of blog posts on monthly favourites, and knowing me I switch up my routine a lot and find new brushes and makeup weekly.
In a way this will be my monthly favourites, as well as a chance for me to show new products, review them and show old products that I still love!

October favs

 garnier bb cream combination to oily

love this stuff! I use it everyday to replace foundation especially when I am in a rush

covers well and keeps my oily skin matte for most of the day

I am using med/dark now but will have to mix it with the light/medium soon 

and eventually go back to light/medium

 

maybelline fit me! shine-free foundation stick

I use this if I need a bit more cover after applying my bb cream

right now I am 220 and it seems to blend in perfectly

I used to use my fingers to blend, but now I use the real techniques foundation brush

(featured in this blog)

nars radiant creamy concealer

I splurged on this one because of all the great reviews and it was worth it!

goes on creamy and hides under eye circles as well as fine lines and does not crease!

it really brightens up the under eye making you look well rested!

right now my colour is ginger and will eventually have to start using/mixing with custard

 maybelline volum' express the falsies

great everyday mascara, gives great volume and makes my lashes thick

not a fan of curved brushes, but this one is awesome!

mac mineralized blush in gleeful

back to using this blush again! oldie but a goodie
very pigmented, use a light hand when applying!

makes my face look alive especially when I am feeling tired or blah

real techniques foundation brush

just picked this up at Winners last week

I wasn't sure if I wanted it, I am not a fan of flat foundation brushes

after trying it with several different products it seems to
work best with the Maybelline Fit Me stick foundation

I no longer use my fingers to blend it in!

MAC Lipstick Palette - Update

I just added 2 fresh new colours to my lipstick palette...

Needed some soft pinks after I saw what my palette looked like after I put the first 10 shades in.

lovelorn and angel

angel and lovelorn centre bottom

MAC Lipstick Palette

I finally purchased a MAC Pro Lipstick palette! 
How exciting that I will be able to bring all my lipsticks in one compact case instead of bringing the bullets and opening each one to see the colours.  So annoying.

This palette I put together is more for Weddings/Brides.
The colours are more neutral.
I will definitely be getting another palette soon and putting darker and brighter colours in!

The "case" has a clear lid so it's easy to see all the colours
The inserts are sold separately

empty pro palette customize x 12 and "case"

bye bye bullets!

 my choices

gotta be sanitary!

I washed the palette with warm soapy water first, let air dry

then sprayed with the rubbing alcohol and wiped with a paper towel

 I chopped off the lipsticks and squished it in the well

some people like to melt it first, but it just seemed like too much work ;)
I think this works just fine!

don't forget to scoop out the rest of it, there is a lot down there!

 see!! a lot!  this is where you get your moneys worth making a lipstick palette

 all done! 2 left! remember at MAC you bring back 6 empties and get a free lipstick!

top to bottom, left to right

Blankety, Cherish, Velvet Teddy, Modesty, Brave, Cosmo

Ravishing, Crosswires, Hot Gossip, Chic

I know they all look the same but, they all have different finishes from matte to cream to frost
I will update with my 2 new colours soon!

Estee Lauder / MAC Warehouse Sale!

A friend of mine I work with was able to get me a "golden" ticket to the MAC warehouse sale! 
I have been to warehouse sales before but I rarely purchase anything. 
This was my first time going to an Estee Lauder and Co. "invite only" and wasn't expecting much except big lineups.  But, I quickly realized there was a lot of MAC stuff that I loved or couldn't get anymore! I ended up getting a lot more than I thought and I can't wait to go again! 

Here is the stuff I purchased and closeups of what I think will be my favs!

left to right starting at the back
cute bag for $2, MAC bag (great for eyeliners), mac volcanic ash exfoliator, mixing medium, lustre drops, all woman eye shadow quad, eyeshadow in sparkle neely sparkle! estee lauder eyeshadow base, dipdown gel liner, blush in pink swoon, blush in poised, blush in taupe (great contour colour), bronzer in bronze, brush #'s 184, 272, 311

 I was so happy when I saw this #184 fan brush!  I wanted one for awhile

 I didn't know MAC had a angle shading brush, so naturally I got it

 I was keeping an eye on this one, perfect for lip or eye lining

cute $4 bag for eyeliners!

great eyeshadow palette, called All Woman and colours I don't have!

 

thought of my Aunt when I saw this colour, she looks fab in warm browns

this one is called Sparkle Neely, Sparkle! 

great for fall

 Estee Lauder double wear stay-in-place eyeshadow base

I am always a sucker for eyeshadow base, I hope it holds up!

Mmmm lustre drops! great for a highlighter on tanned or dark skin

already have this Volcanic Ash Exfoliator and love it!! I think I should got a couple more

 always wanted to try this, it's a Pro product so only available on Queen St in Toronto or online

now I can play! 

Formula to dilute and mix with M·A·C powder or liquid makeup. Used to create effects from sheer to opaque. Perfect to decorate the face or body. Mix with pigments and powders to create a number of custom shades and colours. It offers sheer, even coverage and long-wearing attributes. Create custom body lotions or use to thin down heavier foundations such as M•A•C Full Coverage Foundation. Use alone to give the skin a satin glow.