I know I'm one of those bloggers that rarely purchases new beauty products on their own. As some of you know; I'm on a very strict entertainment budget that hasn't changed since I was a student in university. There are many reasons for that and perhaps one day I'll start a series all about saving money and being an adult, but that's not what this post is about. I finally bought myself a new makeup product!
This post is all about the not-so-new Take Me Back To Brazil eyeshadow (but really pressed pigments) palette from BH Cosmetics. I've seen this here and there on YouTube and instagram, but never paid much attention to it until I watched a RawBeautyKristi video where she used this.
I've been itching to buy a rainbow palette for a while now. I own A LOT of eyeshadows and palettes, but I didn't own a good quality rainbow palette (just a very old one that had no pigment and a few random single shadows here and there). I really want to experiment more with fun makeup looks, and sometimes I just want a random pop of colour on the lower lash line. I came very close to buying a more expensive rainbow palette during the spring Sephora sale, but opted for this instead an I'm so happy about it!
This palette is filled with 35 pressed pigments. I'm sure by now you know the difference between those and regular eyeshadows, but if you don't, give it a quick Google search! The main thing I care about is that pressed pigments are... well... very pigmented. I'll let the swatches speak for me.
I'm loving this palette so far and highly HIGHLY recommend it if you don't already own a pigmented rainbow palette. This is cruelty free (not vegan due to some of the pigments), but it does contain talc and mica, which I know some people have issues with (not me). Because this is a pressed pigment palette, the brand does disclose that the palette is not intended for use around the immediate eye area, though we all know that they legally have to state that and most people will be using the shadows for that reason. If you have sensitive eyes and are prone to staining, you might want to steer clear of any pressed pigment palettes!
I've played with a few different colour groups so far. I'll insert an instagram post below where I'm using yellows and reds below!
I did also pick up one of the BH Cosmetics Power Pencils while on the website in the colour teal because I don't own bright eyeliners and wanted to give it a try due to the positive reviews. The pencil isn't as bright as I'd hoped for, but it's still very pigmented and will definitely be useful!
That's it for this quick and sweet review. Have you ever tried this eyeshadow palette out? Do you have any recommendations of what colours you would like to see me use together on Instagram? Let me know and I'll see you soon!
I received a gifted bag full of makeup products from Almay a little over a week ago for reviewing purposes. I took pictures that same night before I jumped into trying the new products on Good Friday without looking at any reviews.
Almay is one of those brands that I’ve never truly tried before. I can with 100% certainty say that I’ve never purchased anything from them before, but I’m pretty sure my mother had a few products from them when I was a child that I may have played with over decade ago when they were probably expired for a little while (my mom uses the same mascara for 3+ years if that tells you anything). Why have I never tried them? I’ve honestly never heard people raving about any of their products. If anything, most mentions of the makeup were negative.
I went in with a small bias that the products wouldn’t perform well and to be fully honest, some didn’t. However, of the products i received, I really enjoyed most of them! The only product I haven’t yet tried is the mascara because I already have two different ones open and I’m the type of girl who doesn’t wear makeup very often and doesn’t want any of it to go to waste. I also have to change my mascara’s every 2-3 months because my eyes are super sensitive.
Let’s jump into the actual review and swatches!
Make Them Jelly Hi-Lite
When I first opened the box, this is immediately what my eyes went to. I know Jelly products have been a thing for years, but I’ve never tried any before so I was really excited to give these a go. I swatched them both and they perform equally as well, but it mainly comes down to preference of colour for me. I’m a gold-toned kind of girl when it comes to highlighter and eyeshadow (Pretty in Bronze… duh) so I know I’ll be using that one the most, but I’m keeping both for sure since pink is another favourite of mine and can make for some really cool looks (especially if using it on the body).
The texture is exactly what it looks like. Though once you warm it up with your fingers it is very easy to apply. These apply more like a thin glitter, but they don’t look chunky on the face at all. This also doesn’t disrupt my foundation when I go to apply it (even on my nose!), but that might also depend on the foundation. I’ve been using the Lancome Teint Idole, which is pretty long-wearing in itself. These look so beautiful on their own and amplify powder highlighter that you add on top.
Powder Highlighters
Like the jelly highlighters, I received one in gold and one in pink. When I first swatched these I was worried that they were going to look powdery or have no shine on the face, but thankfully that’s not the case. I always mix the four colours together in the pan onto my fan brush before applying like normal. These go on very smooth an give more of a glow than a shimmery look (which I prefer), but when you layer them on top of the jelly they’re so amazing since the shimmers from the jelly shine through and give such a cool look. Not to mention that using both together makes your highlighter last all day long without needing any touch ups at all.
Eyeshadow Palettes
I had a feeling when I saw these that they wouldn’t be great. I feel like a lot of the negative reviews of Almay products in the past had to do with their eyeshadows, and after swatching and wearing these I understood why. These are powdery, not very pigmented and they blend away too easily and have a tendency to become muddy looking. I’ve tried both palettes and the quality is the same between both, but I do prefer the darker one since they aren’t very pigmented. I wouldn’t recommend these since there are so many affordable eyeshadow palettes that are on par with high end eyeshadows for under $10 CAD at the drugstore so you aren’t missing out on these ones.
Velvet Foiled Cream Shadow
Thankfully not all eyeshadow products from Almay are the same. These Cream Shadows are actually pretty good and I enjoyed them quite a bit. I wish I got a deeper neutral colour, but I made both work with my eye look over the weekend. These make a nice base and work well on their own too. I do find that you have to wait for it to dry a bit before applying a bit more to make it opaque enough, but at least it layers to give you good pigmentation. While I liked them, I don’t see myself reaching for them very often for use on their own, but I definitely like layering powder eyeshadows on top to make my eye look last all day long!
I'm an idiot and forgot to take swatch pictures of this one :(
Goddess Gloss
I was really excited when I saw these glosses because I can never get enough! I enjoy a few liquid lipsticks (sometimes), but I’m the kind of girl that likes my lips to look moisturized and shiny. I decided to not open the white/iridescent gloss since I own a very similar looking colour and would rather make someone happy with it, but I went straight for the (fuschia) the second I opened the bag and put it on before taking pictures of anything.
I really like the texture and colour payoff from this lipgloss. It looks super shiny and glittery in the tube, but when you put it on it gives the perfect amount of both without looking like a metallic or foiled lip. The application is nice an the texture is as well. It’s a little bit sticky so I refuse to wear this if I’m outside in the wind or if my hair is down and in my face, but if I’m taking pictures or wearing this indoors I love it! After all, if a gloss is a bit sticky, it tends to last a lot longer than one that feels super slippery.
Clear Complexion Blemish Armor / Salicylic Acid
This was the strangest product to see in the gift bag I received. I feel like a lot of brands are releasing Salicylic acids, but the ingredient is always the same. I don’t know how it works, but even though it’s always 2%, the texture of the acid is always different. This one is creamy looking and not completely clear. I’m not a fan of using an applicator to touch directly to my breakouts (even if the acid is supposed to make the wand clean) and honestly, this doesn’t work as well as my other go to salicylic acid 2% products. I’m not sure how that makes sense, but I can’t be bothered looking it up. I also find this hard to take off in the morning without using a cleansing water after washing my face. My other ones wash right off and I’m ready to go. This is another disappointing product, but it’s also not makeup so I don't mind.
Overall, I really enjoyed most of the products I received from Almay! I don’t know if it’s because they’re all new and the brand has stepped up their game, or if I just have different preferences to most people, but I’m no longer afraid to actually look at the products from this brand when I’m walking down the makeup aisle in the drugstore. I can say with confidence that a lot of it is good and they just aren’t spoken about a lot. Hopefully this will inspire you to give some of their products a try, or to give brands a try that you may have heard negative reviews about in the past. Other than the regular eyeshadow palettes and salicylic acid, I recommend trying out all of the other products. Please look up reviews of their mascaras since I didn’t get a chance to try it for this post (I will eventually share my thoughts once I use it), but everything else was great!
I hope you enjoyed this review. Thank you Almay for giving me these products for free to try out and provide my honest thoughts!
June 2020 update: Scroll to the bottom of the post and you'll be able to read my one-year update including if I think it's worth it or not!
I've been trying this Silk'n Infinity Permanent Hair Removal Device ever since I got back from Vacation at the beginning of March. Silk'n has provided this device to me for free in exchange for this blog post and the YouTube video that I posted a few weeks back, but they are not paying me and have only requested an honest review on my true opinions.
It's been a month and a half since I first started using it and I feel like I can provide a decent review at this point and have results that you can actually see. This device costs $450 CAD, which may seem pricey, but the website sometimes has discounts (15% off spring discount currently running) and you can use ebates to get yourself some cash-back. If you don't have ebates, sign up here with my affiliate link to get money back when shopping on so many websites!
I want to jump into my review first as that's what a majority of you are likely interested in, but after that I'll be sharing a bunch of information that I thought was useful, as well as the settings I use on myself personally. First and foremost I want you to read the claims for this device so you can really keep that in mind.
Claims
This device claims that users with light/medium skin who have brown to black hair will see approximately 60%–70% permanent hair removal after completing the sessions. I'm personally ok with this as my biggest issue is the sheer amount of body hair that I have—not the fact that I have body hair in the first place. I feel like this is important to keep in mind as I don't want anyone running out expecting that 100% of their body hair will be gone after completing treatments with this device. After all, this is a safe to use (FDA approved) at home hair removal device that you can use on your own as much as you need to reach your desire results rather than spending much more money at a salon.
Now onto the review!
Review
I've used the device five times on my arms, underarms, fingers and moustache. I've used it four times on my legs, bikini line, and toes. I decided to split these up as it takes a long time for me to use because I like to be very thorough and full disclosure... I'm too lazy to shave all of the areas at once in order to use the device.
Below is a video where I show you how I use the device and provide some info and my thoughts at the time. This was my third treatment of my arms, underarms, fingers and moustache and because you can't see clearly in the video, I did take a few pictures several days after filming to show you results in comparison to the first time I did the treatment. All of the photos were taken five to seven days after treating the area so you can see the hair-growth rather than stubble, and compare (especially with the newer and larger bald patches).
I've now used the device for an extra two treatments on these areas and will be basing all of my thoughts on those. While I've used it a few more times on the other areas, they are still behind a couple of treatments so the results are not as advanced.
As you can see from the pictures, the hair-growth is definitely more sparse. My arms have definitely seem the biggest results and now it takes much longer for the hair to grow back on them. I feel like at this point that I've seen a 30% decrease in hair, but with every treatment I notice even more changes so I am confident that I'll see a total of 60%-70% less hair by the time that I complete eight treatments. The individual hair strands also seem to be a little bit thinner, but I've noticed that more on my moustache area and underarms compared to my arms.
Below are the latest pictures I've taken after all of the treatments I've done so far (five) before uploading this blog post. Hopefully you can really tell what a difference the device has made for me!
Taking pictures alone is super hard so it's not the best, but I'm stoked with the results! This has also shown me that I clearly favour certain areas while doing treatments so I have to pay attention to those that have more hair that I tend to miss. My moustache is basically gone, but I'll continue treatments there because I don't want it coming back.
Final Thoughts
If you're looking at reducing the amount of hair you have (not getting rid of 100% of it) I think this is actually a really great device! There is a return policy in case this doesn't work for your hair colour or skin tone, but I recommend doing a bunch of research beforehand to be 100% sure that you want it.
I also recommend moisturizing well after every use as this does tend to dry my skin out.
If you decide to buy this, please check out the links at the beginning of this blog post and don't forget to use ebates so you get some nice cash-back from your purchase! Once again, this blog post isn't sponsored and I was told to provide my honest review (which I did), however, I did receive the device for free.
See you soon!
June 2020 Update:
I've had the device for an entire year now and have noticed for the past few months I've been receiving comments on Instagram and YouTube asking for an update and if my thoughts were still the same. I thought it'd be easier to include all the info in this post so anyone coming across it can read it all in one go.
Are my thoughts the same on how well the device works? Yes. Do I still think I'd buy it for myself if I had to pay for it? Not necessarily. Because I have a few people that could use my device (after sanitizing it of course) I would because it is a lot cheaper if more than one person is paying for it so you can share. Whether it be someone in your household or your best friends, it's 100% more worth it that way since you can wipe it down with alcohol to completely disinfect it.
If you're buying it for yourself, it really depends o what you're looking for. I'm using it for pretty much full-body laser minus parts of the bikini area (Brazilian) that I'm honestly too scared to use on my own. That's something I'll eventually get done professionally even though getting it done at a salon still doesn't make it permanent. Please do your research on laser hair removal because you'll learn that it's never permanent. From my understanding getting it done in a professional salon can get rid of more of the hair (rather than the 60–70% advertised by Silk'n... I feel like I got 75% to be honest), it will eventually grow back one day and will need upkeep once in a while. I do think if you don't keep up with this device it grows back faster, but since you own it and have it at home, it's not a big deal to do a touch-up session once a quarter to keep the hair away.
I know a lot of people do both, as in they go to a professional and then for upkeep they buy a device like this. If you, like myself, care mainly about decreasing the amount of hair you have rather than eliminating it completely, I still think this is more worth it. Though there isn't a large range of people that can do laser hair removal in general (based on the technology behind it not working well on light hairs or dark skin.) If you have darker skin or light body hair, I highly HIGHLY recommend consulting with a professional first so they can determine if it would even work for you. The last thing I want is you spending hundreds of dollars just to find out it won't work on you and then have to go through a hassle to return the product or lose your money all together.
I will address that I've received a comment on my video review from someone claiming to have a bad customer service experience with the company. I can't speak on that since I received the device for free in exchange for an honest review so I didn't have to go through the normal ordering process. I will say that you should do your research into this brand and any other brand you look into because everyone has a different experience. I've had really bad experiences with brands people rave about so in the end, do your research into reviews by people that bought the product themselves and determine if you think it'll be good for you! Also, if you can buy it in a store (like Shoppers Drug Mart) you'll probably have an easier time returning it and getting big discounts or lots of points for it!
I don't have any update photos to share right now as I haven't used the device in about six months now (and I've been away from home for several months during this pandemic) so I don't have it on me to touch up and my hair is definitely coming back. Still nowhere near as thick as before, but I have to shave most areas a few times a week (not every other day like I had to before though) so I look forward to things being safe again so I can go home and start using it again!
I think that's about it! Please leave any questions you have below, on my instagram or YouTube video and I'll add FAQ's here or answer you directly if it's specific :)
I'm back! This time my absence was due to moving (once again) and also going on my very first real vacation. Incoming products to try out also slow down quite a bit over the winter months and because of Christmas, my entertainment budget is non-existent for myself so I can't purchase new beauty products to try out either. Thankfully, Joico's PR reached out to me about a month ago asking if I was interested in testing out this system in exchange for an instagram post and the claims seemed perfect so I agreed and I'm very happy I did. Here's a link to the website if you want to have a look.
The main claims for the system are that using the products will result in 80% less breakage, stronger hair, high maintenance of colours and vibrancy, increased softness and shine, as well as strengthening and building bonds. After reading through the product breakdowns, my interest peaked when I saw that there were claims of the products protecting your hair against pollution as well as UV damage—something I would be exposed to while travelling from winter weather to tropical heat and being exposed to a lot of strong sun.
Defy Damage Protective Shampoo - SRP $24.95 for 300 ml
This shampoo is free of sulfates, which is very important for me since I have naturally curly hair that I am trying to improve the appearance of as I grow out the chemically straightened parts. Even though the shampoo is very high quality, it still does lather up, which I personally like because I find it easier to spread around and use less product. The smell is all right, but that isn't very important for me. This leaves my hair feeling very clean, which I love because I only wash my hair once a week on a normal week, but I did wash it twice the week I went on Vacation to Cuba since I was exposed to so much sun and salt water. This did very well at cleaning my hair and all of the sand that was stuck in it. The price seems on par with my other favourite shampoos and it is very good considering I can use less of it.
Defy Damage Protective Conditioner - SRP $25.15 for 250 ml
I like that this comes with less product because I do use much less conditioner than shampoo on my hair (Yes I know, it's strange). I don't like that it's priced higher when you get less product, but I can understand since this conditioner does claim to do a bit more. On top of all of the regular claims, this conditioner is an amazing detangler. After the first few nights in Cuba of swimming around and my hair becoming a rats nest, I used this in y hair to detangle my hair before rinsing it out. Because I was wearing my hair natural and curly the whole trip, I also didn't only add it to my ends and was very pleasantly surprised at how my hair remained looking shiny and feeling super soft and healthy, but never greasy, even with all of the heat and sweating.
Defy Damage Protective Mask - SRP $27. 65 for 150 ml
I've only used this particular product twice (once the very first time, and once last weekend) and I can certainly say that I noticed a difference in my hair after the first time. My hair always acts funny the very first time I try a new product, especially after using the same line for a long time. I was surprised after leaving this mask in for a few minutes before rinsing it out that my hair didn't feel like there was a bunch of product left in it and didn't make it become oily before the usual amount of time (about five days after washing). I did notice a small reduction in split ends, but although it claims to protect from heat styling, I refuse to not use an additional heat protectant just to be extra safe.
Defy Damage Protective Shield - SRP $27.65 for 150 ml
This is probably my favourite product from the line because I could actually use it while on Vacation and see if it was truly working or not. This claims to protect against UV damage as well as pollution. You can also use this on it's own between washes, so I brought enough for my week away in Cuba and put it to the test. I definitely noticed that my hair wasn't becoming dry in the heat or after swimming if I simply rinsed the salt water out and added some of this to my hair. My hair also wasn't becoming dull like it normally would after several days of being in the sun all day long. The smell is a bit gross (it smells fruity, which most people like, but I hate), but it works so I love it.
Here are a few pics of my hair on vacation so you can see how good it looked dry, what my natural hair looks like when fully wet, as well as after I arrived back from vacation and washed my hair (third day hair). You can see how healthy my hair looks considering everything it was going through, and how it was barely frizzy even though I had no products or tools for heat styling during this time.
While these products will be available in Canada as of this month (March 2019), please check out the Joico Canada website to find out when they are released, and where to find them.
Thank you again to Joico Canada's PR team for sending this line over for my to try out and review! As usual, all opinions are my own.
I have a few new exciting things to write about so I'll see you soon!
This is something I haven't really ever done before. I got an amazing Secret Santa gift from work this year. We always use elfster to sign up for it, and the website automatically selects who everyone is buying for so it is kept random and anonymous. I had no clue who had me this year, so I didn't know what to expect from a gift. I got really lucky because the person who got me knows me well and got me makeup and skincare!
All of the makeup was from Mac Cosmetics (which I love) so I decided to review all three products in this one post since the products aren't new releases, but they're all new to me, so I just wanted to share my thoughts on them as well as swatches and pictures of me wearing them.
I've never tried this formula from Mac, but I have seen it being used here and there on YouTube. The moment I saw the colour, I knew I'd definitely be using it a lot as long as the formulation agreed with me. This is pretty much like any cream shadow, but thankfully the consistency is perfect enough where the shadow doesn't crease, but it's still sticky enough that other eyeshadows stick nicely to it. It is pricey (almost $30 CAD), but, I don't have any cream shadows that wear this well and don't make my eyelids look dry so I really do like it. I never actually wear this on its own and aways put either a sparkly eyeshadow, or a lighter matte shadow on top like in the photo below.
This is a beautiful light pink sparkly colour. It isn't very opaque, but from my understanding it isn't supposed to be as it provides more of a 3D effect in person. I love putting this on top of the cream shadow for a very pretty but effective look since it does stick down well and the colour and shine stays the same until you remove it. This is a bit pricey, especially in comparison to Mac's regular eyeshadows. I love this colour and would potentially buy one of the other colours (the gold), but the range isn't huge so I can only recommend it if there's a shade you really like. If I had time to put makeup on in the morning, I'd likely throw some bronzer in the crease, and layer those two shadows all over the lid to make me look fresh and awake, do my mascara and brows, and throw on the lippie I'm wearing in this next picture along with this eyeshadow. In the photo below, I put a medium brown shade all over the lid (minus the inner quarter) and then pressed some of 'Last Dance' in that inner quarter for a little bit of brightness.
I love this lip balm! It gives me that popsicle look, but evenly on my lips without staining them. It's super moisturizing. This is a lip balm and is pretty sheer, but since my lips don't have much pigment to them, this does show up on my quite well, like you can see in both face pictures. I don't think it's amazing enough where I'd buy it myself since it is $25 and I get a similar effect with my favourite lip oil, but I'm very happy about getting it as a gift because it is very lovely. The packaging is also really cool, so that and the back to Mac program make it even better!
Hello! I'm a young Canadian beauty/lifestyle blogger. I'm transitioning more into lifestyle, starting with my wedding series! I hope you enjoy my blog and stick around :)
