Happy 30th Anniversary of The Body Shop Canada Mini Haul of Sweet Smelling Goodies

Above: The Body Shop Neroli Jasmine eau de toilette and Love ETC eau de parfum

It has been a long time since I bought anything from The Body Shop because there is really nothing to draw me into the store. The Body Shop just isn’t the same Body Shop I grew up knowing since they discontinued almost all their perfume oils about two years ago. The perfume oils were what drew me into the store as a child and to become a customer in my late teens. However, The Body Shop was having a great sale that weekend, I decided to pick up a few items to give it a try. To celebrate The Body Shop’s 30th anniversary in Canada, the store periodically has a 3 items for $30 sale on almost everything in the store.  A pretty sweet deal for items that is normally more expensive than $10 a piece. For my haul a picked up a Kabuki brush, a face /body brush, Neroli Jasmine eau de toilette, Love ETC eau de parfum, Camomile Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover and Honey and Oat 3 in 1 Scrub Mask. I will report back on my goodies as soon as I can. I do know that the Honey and Oat mask smells divine though!

Above: The Body Shop Honey & Oats 3 in 1 Scrub Mask and Camomile Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover

Above: The Body Shop Kabuki Brush for Mineral Foundation and Face and Body Brush

Medusa’s Makeup Kabuki Brush: Hot Pink Galore!

Above: Medusa’s Makeup Kabuki Brush

This is one of those short and sweet posts because what else can I say about this cute little brush but I like it? I bought this brush for $21.00 CAD and on the Medusa’s website it sells for $14.00 USD. Medusa’s brushes are made with cruelty-free synthetic hair. The brush is very cute and looks like a white brush dipped in hot pink powder. It is my first kabuki brush and I use it often for my MAC MSF Loose Foundation. I am able to get full even coverage quickly and effectively with this brush. Occasionally, I would  use this for liquid and cream foundations. The coverage is flawless and beautiful and my skin looks airbrushed; however, since the brush is very dense, I find it absorbs too much product into the brush and I end up adding more foundation than a normally need to. This kabuki is best for loose powder or solid powder. I like to use this for my MAC MSF blushes and bronzers because it picks up a good balance of shimmer and colour and I can buff out the product to create a nice healthy flush. For loose powder products I have used the kabuki with my Medusa’s Makeup Face and Body Shimmers for my body for highlighting my collarbone and décolletage and it gets the job done. What more can I say about this brush but that it is soft, fluffy, dense and it is HOT PINK! It is not scratchy and hardly ever sheds. Which I love.

Japonesque Mini Heated Eyelash Curler

Image Credit: Japonesque

This baby is my HG eyelash curler along with my Shu Umera one.  My eyelashes are so short, puny and fine that curling my eyelashes is a double process.  I think this is the perfect tool for girls with short straight lashes and if you have long lashes it will give your lashes that extra “pow” which is all the better. A heated lash curler creates and holds a strong curl for lashes that are very hard to curl.  Unlike traditional eyelash curlers that can pinch or break your lashes this heated curler lifts and holds curl with heat. There is no risk of pinching your eye lids accidently either! It is almost like perming your eyelashes.  You can use this before or after mascara (unlike tradition lash curlers, when you use it after mascara you can risk breaking your lashes). I like to use this after mascara to create and maintain the curl.

I mentioned that curling my lashes is a double process: first I curl with my Shu Umera curler, which makes my lashes stick up straight; then I put on several coats of mascara; and finally, I use the Japonesque curler after applying mascara.  You use the curler exactly like mascara: in a up and down sweeping motion. I like to use this after my mascara because I find the heat melts the mascara a little bit to create and shape the curl better. The mascara acts has a “hairspray,” to hold the curl.  It is also a bonus that the mascara melts a bit because it un-clumps the mascara when it does clump. The curl maintains the whole day, until I wash off all my eye makeup. The only criticism I have for this tool is that it is hard to clean the mascara off because dirt and eye makeup tend to settle in the crevices.  I recommend soaking a cotton pad with eye makeup remover to gently clean the curler. This runs on an AAA battery.

I know many girls are concerned about putting a heated device near their eyes, but it is just like any heated device, such as flat irons, you should never let it over heat. Once it gets too hot for comfort you will know when to stop. For me, the curler never overheats or gets hot enough to hurt myself. This eyelash curler does not have a heat setting. I usually let it heat up for about 10 seconds before using it and I keep it on for about 45-60 seconds to curl my lashes for both eyes.

Above: Japonesque Mini Heated Eyelash Curler. The curler is supposes to light up when turned on. Although my still is functioning fine but the light doesn’t always turn on. I have had this device for over a year now.

Above before pictice: My eyes are pre-curled with the Shu Umera curler and wearing MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer with MAC Dazzle Lash Mascara Dazzle Black

Above after picture: Eyelashes curled with Japonesque Mini Heated Eyelash Curler. I am probably not the best candidate for modeling mascara and eyelash curlers because my lashes are sparse, fine and short, but I think this eyelash curler really makes a difference, even if it is subtle.

Source: Japonesque

MAC 165 Brush and MAC Sculpt & Shape Power: Accentuate/Sculpt Review

If you have been following the spring 2010 fashion week shows, you would have noticed that there are lots of sculpt cheeks with the hollow cheeks look. MAC’s Shape & Sculpt Powder came just in time for this and is a nice beginners’ tool to achieve highlighting and contouring. The Sculpt & Shape Duo powders give a very natural subtle highlighting and contouring look. I personally won’t want the hollow cheek look for everyday but it is nice to do some highlighting and contouring once in awhile.

MAC Shape & Sculpt Powder is very subtle and won’t give you any sharp lines on your face. It is also matte without shimmer or shine. I bought Accentuate/Sculpt Duo for $25.00 CAD. Normally these sculpting and shaping powders are only sold individually at MAC Pro stores for $25.00 CAD each. It makes the duo a very good deal as it would take a long time for me to hit pan since I would only use a little bit of product at a time. This came out as a duo for the DSquared collection and also comes in Bone Beige/Emphasize. This is my first sculpting powder, as I previously only used bronzers and darker blush for contouring; however, I do have quite a few highlighters, but with shimmer.

I am a bit on the fence for Accentuate/Sculpt and I haven’t decided if I really like it. It is just OK because I find it a bit too light on my skin tone. I like that it is subtle and is a nice matte highlighting/sculpting duo without shine, but I do find that the colour is a little to subtle and too light. Normally, I alternate in between NW35 or NC40. Accentuate (peach) is a nice subtle highlight for the bridge of my nose, tops of cheeks and brow bone. Sculpt (brown) barely shows any conturing/sculpting on my skin when I applied this on the hollow of my cheeks. I was hoping to create a higher and more defined cheek bone look but it just didn’t work with the brown colour. However, Sculpt does work nicely on my crease and I was able to create a nice depth on my eye crease. The brown also worked nicely on the sides of my nose, giving me a slimmer and more defined nose because I have a flat Asian nose. I think I would need a darker brown for the hollow of my cheeks and I wish MAC had released this in more colours. Previously in 2007 the Sculpt & Shape Duo was released with two additional colours: Lightsweep/Shadester and Warm Light/Definitive.

The 165 brush is a limited edition repromote and was previously released with the Blonde, Redhead, Brunette collection earlier this year. I really like this brush as it is very soft and does not shed. It also has a very soft and narrow angle to it to create a softer and more natural highlighting and contouring. The point also makes the application more precise. In contrast to to the MAC 168 large angle brush or other similar shaped brushes from another brand, I find that the 168′s angle is too sharp and too wide, making application less natural with sharper highlighting and contouring lines. Occasionally, the 168 and similar brushes with same the design would grab more product. In general, I find that the 165 brush enhances the natural bone structure and shapes contours better.

Sharing My Stash: Costume Feather Lashes

I found these crazy fun lashes at Welk Mart in my neighbourhood, which is a discount store that sells basically everything from art supplies to household items. Every Halloween they have some of the best selection of Halloween costumes, makeup and accessories. I know these look crazy but what’s Halloween without some fun and wackiness? I can’t wait to try them. They are all feather lashes and they are pretty good quality for $5.00 a pair. Some of these look very Makeup Forever and Shu Umera don’t they? My favourite pair is the long black ones with the long pink feathers.