Lots of reviews coming up…

I know I’ve been kind of awol these past few weeks… But it’s been for a good reason I swear! I’ve been so busy trying out so many different new products that I’ve received that I actually think I’ve had too much, if that’s even possible. I’m finally getting to the point where I feel that I’ve used a couple of products enough that I can talk about them, so get excited!!! Tons of new stuff coming soon, I promise. :)

Let me know if you’ve tried any new products lately that you think I should give a go!

How to Keep Your Lips Smooth in Winter

There is a moment in everyone’s life when in the middle of winter, their lips are chapped to the point of bleeding. Or at least that happens for me. My lips chap all year round, I can’t help it. It may or may not have something to do with me chewing my lips… But regardless my lips get really dry and rough. In the winter, it just gets worse and worse. But I have here a solution!

It’s Sephora’s Super Nourishing Lip Balm. And it is amazing. I try various lip balms a lot in an effort to make my lips smooth and moisturized, but this does the trick. After not using a lip balm in weeks, my lips a week ago were terrible, and sore. It makes for a sad Lissa. But for the price of $6, in just 1 day, my lips went from unbearably chapped to barely chapped at all. In 2 days, my lips were as good as new. If any of you suffer from this, I thoroughly recommend it. 

The consistency is nice, not sticky or gross feeling, just thin enough to make it feel like something’s there but not enough to annoy you. I don’t typically make a habit of tasting the stuff I put on my lips but while I’m not going to say it’s tasty, it didn’t taste bad–you can’t really taste anything at all. It smells like vanilla. Lastly, despite my constant use due to my addiction (when Sephora puts ‘get addicted’ on the tube they really mean it), it’s barely gone down at all. 

Overall, I love it! I can see myself buying it again and again!

 

Sephora Nail Polish: Formula X (Part 2)

As you may have seen, I posted a review of a different Sephora Formula X polish super recently but I was just so super excited I couldn’t wait to post this so here it is! The polish in this picture is again a Sephora Formula X nail polish (you know, in case the title wasn’t clear or something haha) called Rocket Fuel. Seriously guys, I’m kind of speechless. Just look at it! Look at the picture! I love it! So so so much! I know I said I loved the last one but this is the ultimate nail polish right here. Normally I’m not one to like the chrome effect–it takes too long and too much effort to look good, and a lot of the time I think it looks kinda cheap. But this, wow. And normally I’m not one to like green nail polish either I mean, I kinda hate green (don’t hate me for saying that). But this is the perfect colour for the effect. I looked it up and I’m not the only one saying that either, apparently the other chrome finishes aren’t such a hit, but a lot of people really like this one and I think that says something. Maybe it’s because the colour changes in different lights. One second it’s a deep mossy green colour and the next it looks silver.

Anyway, aside from the colour, the formula is good. It’s kind of thick but not too thick, and the brush marks pretty much disappear completely. The finish is very, well, chrome-like and is a shiny sort of matte. Just to give you an idea, in the picture above I did two coats, and it looks pretty flawless. One coat wasn’t really good enough as it dries so quickly, which is an extremely good thing except it dries so quick when I painted over a spot I’d already brushed it actually dragged the nail polish with it. I mean, it’s not bad or anything, but you probably would need a second coat. But bonus for drying time I guess! I hate to end on a bad note but the formula seems almost as prone to chipping as in my last Formula X review here. It’s still amazing overall though.

So to sum this all up: I love it so much, it’s my new all-time favourite nail polish. I love the colour, the formula is pretty good and even though it chips easily, it’s worth it. I can see myself re-buying this time and time again. Plus, how cool is the name Rocket Fuel?! I mean seriously, it gets bonus points just for that!

Check it out at Sephora here.

Sephora Nail Polish: Formula X

 

For Christmas, I got more than a couple of nail polishes as gifts but the one that I was immediately drawn to was one of the Sephora Formula X ones. This lovely colour right here, described by one of the sales ladies when I originally tried it on as holographic graphite, is called Hypnotize. I actually think it looks a bit darker in person as it does in that picture, but I couldn’t get a very good picture at all so sorry guys, but that’s all I can do! On with the review!!!

The colour is absolutely lovely. It’s one of my favourite colours that I own by far. A dark graphite grey in one angle yet a brilliant silver in another, it’s got a super nice shimmer to it and I don’t even really like shimmery nail polish. It’s dazzling, I can’t take my eyes off of it and I’ve consistently put it on 3 times since I’ve gotten it instead of trying out one of my other new colours. I seriously love it that much. It looks like metal. It’s sort of like gun metal grey but not. I don’t even know how to describe it! It’s technically holographic – hello Formula X collection – and it really does have a holographic shimmer to it, but I wouldn’t say it’s that strong. I’m currently not entirely sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, it’s pretty amazing, and the consistency is brilliant, not too thin not too thick, and it goes on really nicely. Like, super nicely. Another brilliant plus – it dries instantly. I’m telling you INSTANTLY. Completely dry to the touch, it’s super cool, even if you add another layer on pretty much immediately it’s still completely dry. And that extra layer? Not necessary, I think it just adds some depth. The product is one of my new favourites… I just wish it didn’t suck at the staying on my nail part. It chips really easily. I don’t even know. I’ll have just painted them, and 2 hours later, chip here, chip there.  The next day, it’s worn off the tips, just worn off of them. I won’t have done anything but shower and it’s rubbed away on the tips, I’ve never had a nail polish that does that to that extent, it kind of baffles me. I guess, if I added a top coat (I’ve been really super lazy) it would probably be a lot better, but I’m still kind of annoyed it’s that bad at staying on anyway. I mean, this isn’t some random drugstore brand, it’s Sephora! For $15.00 a bottle I want it to be AMAZING all around! But you win some you lose some, and this particular polish both wins and loses. 

Let me know if any of you have the same problem with some of the Sephora polishes, and I’ll update you when I try the next!

P.S. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. :)

Lissa xxx

Canada’s Luckiest Student Contest

Canada’s Luckiest Student Contest

Hey everyone! I thought I’d post something a little different today… Unfortunately it’s not got anything to do with beauty, but fortunately for you, it involves a $20,000 towards your school tuition or debt, and a grand total of $45,200 in prizes. This keeps going up and up too, because they just keep those contests and giveaways coming. If you’re a student, of any age, I’d highly recommend you sign up here. Why not, right? Somebody has to win… It could be you! I wish you all luck!

And as an extra incentive to motivate you to complete the super easy signing up process, here’s a couple of voucher codes you can put in to get you a few more extra entries into the grand prize draw:

• LAUNCH
• LEVELUP
• ANDROID

Good luck everyone!!!

Nails of the Week

As Summer becomes Autumn and temperatures drop, I wanted to have one last summer-y week before I have to put everything away until next year. So for my nails this week, I tried out the last of the Dynamite nail polishes I bought a few weeks ago, as you can read about in my post here. So the name of this nail polish is Mango, and I bought it at a Dynamite clothes shop. I’ve already spoken about the other two nail polishes, but I was a lot more impressed with this one. It was opaque, came out the colour it looks like in the bottle, and only took 1-2 coats for an even finish. I did add a top coat on top to make it reaaly really shiny, but it wasn’t necessary. It also dried pretty fast. I would actually buy it again, because I love love love this colour. (It’s a bit more orange-y than it looks in the picture, but not much.)

Bonus! I got lots of compliments on it, and one of my friends even asked if she could borrow it.

Overall: I really liked this nail polish. Not the best I’ve ever had, but fairly average. Still, read the post I mentioned above about Dynamite’s runnier, translucent nail polishes. I would buy this specific colour again.

Dynamite Nail Polish

I just could not get these nail polishes to come across the right colour in the picture! So I improvised to give you a look at what the colours are. From left to right, the names are Enchanted, Wine Bar, and Mango.

So I went shopping yesterday… It was fun, and once I came across these nail polishes while I was waiting for a super long time in Dynamite… I couldn’t resist. I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it was the pretty set-up, the flattering lights, or perhaps the big 3 for $10 sign. I came home and the first thing I did was try Wine Bar out, as it particularly attracted my attention. I got these three colours because Enchanted and Wine Bar just looked so… Autumn-y, and what can I say? I’m ready for fall. And as for Mango.. I just really liked it. And it’s named Mango.

Buying them from a clothes shop with no reputation for nail polishes, I wasn’t expecting much. Truthfully, I probably shouldn’t have bought them. 3 for $10 is not a particularly good deal. And the bottles only hold 7mL, in other words, they’re small. The first thing I noticed when I tried Wine Bar on is how runny and translucent it is. It took me 3 coats to finally feel like I had reached an acceptable finished product, and I then decided to put another one on. This achieved the finished look for me. I was also quite disappointed at how purple-y it was. It looks much more red in the bottle, and being named Wine Bar I assumed it would come o ut like a dark red wine. I was wrong. But still, it’s a nice colour and the translucency actually developed into a quite nice, deep, rich looking colour. It almost looks as if it’s gel. On the plus side, it dries really nicely, and there’s no need for a top coat for a shiny even finish. From the look of the dabs I made of Enchanted and Mango, Enchanted is also super translucent and runny, however Mango seems quite opaque and a lot more realistic of a colour.

Overall, not bad… For a clothes shop. Won’t buy Dynamite nail polishes again unless it’s a super good deal.

 

 

My Solution for Weak Nails!

I like to paint my nails a lot. It’s actually more of an obsession. And as such my nails are quite weak. They peel, they chip, they break and waiting for them to regrow is a pain. Lately I was asking my grandma for advice, since she’s also obsessed with her nails and has been taking care of hers for much longer than I have. She recommended two things.

1. Eat a cube of jelly. Or for all you Americans/Canadians out there, eat more jello.

2. Use Maybelline’s Express Manicure nail strengthener.

My grandma insisted that I take her open bottle of it since we went to the store and it was sold out. Which was extremely nice of her. My grandma suffers from the same problems I do, and she swore up and down that this product is a lifesaver for her. And you know what? It is for me as well.

I immediately tried it and was amazed, I had never felt my nails so rock solid and strong. Since I’ve started using it about a month ago, I have not experienced any breaking whatsoever. It’s been amazing. And to be clear, no, it doesn’t go on green. It’s the perfect base coat to protect your nails, and also can be used by itself. Since I’ve used it as a base coat, I’ve also experienced a lot less yellowing of my nails. It really has worked wonders. Plus, it dries really fast, so it’s perfect for me to put on a quick coat on the go.

Go try it out! Let me know how it works for you, or if you have any other amazing nail products that you think I should try. :)

Essence Eyeshadows

While in Italy a few years ago, I went into a store and was immediately attracted to the make up counter. The bright lights, endless colours and wow, amazingly cheap prices! Who could resist? After paying $1 for the most amazing liquid liner I’ve ever tried, which lasted me well over a year and a half, I made sure while I was in Italy to go back and try out a few different things. The brand that delivered these high quality products and ridiculously low prices? It’s called Essence.

I think the company originally started somewhere in Europe, not sure where. But good news all! You can actually shop this brand in the U.S.A. and Canada! I have no idea how I managed to miss it until I went to Italy, but for me, since I don’t live in a big city, I’ve always struggled to locate it in stores. You can find it at Ulta in the US, and at Shoppers in Canada.

Anyway, on to the products! While I was in Italy I picked up 4 eyeshadows and 2 liquid liners. I would have picked up face products but being ridiculously pale and having the selection of Italian skin colours doesn’t really work… So here are the eyeshadows I got. From top left to right and then bottom left to right, the names are Blockbuster, Here I am!, Cappuccino Please!, and Get Ready! I uploaded a couple of pictures just because Blockbuster is matte and pale, and so is great for a highlighter colour for someone pale like me, but not so great when you’re trying to pick up the colour in a photo…

 

Overall, for what you pay (which is about $2.49 I believe), these products are outstanding. They go on super easily, and stay on. They don’t smudge nearly as much as $2.49 eyeshadows do normally. I was ridiculously impressed a few years ago when I tried their liquid liner, and I’m still ridiculously impressed now. I’d like to see the range in store to see how much the colours differ, especially because in Italy they were quite sparkly. Aside from blockbuster, the other 3 colours are in the shimmer effect category, which add just a little sparkle to my everyday look. They are also super blend-able and can be easily coordinated with other brands and colours. They’re an awesome alternative to the expensive brands.

Once again, I’d just like to state how much I love these. So go check them out! See if you like them, and comment your thoughts, I’d love to hear them!

Hair Product Haul: Update!

Woo! I’ve been having fun not only on my vacation but also trying out all of my new hair products! There are some clear winners, some huge disappointments, and some you-get-what-you-pay-for. Having just gotten home from my holidays, at the top of my to-do list is a blog post about all of them, but there are still a couple more that I’d like to try out in the comfort of my own home in my normal routine to get an extra feel for first. So, just to give you guys a bit of a schedule, I’d like to have that up within the next two weeks. To make up for this disappointment… I’ll be updating with a few make-up product reviews. Stay tuned! One should be up later today! :)