NUDESTIX has been a brand I have always stared at in the distance while browsing Sephora, but never bothered to swatch and play with. The moment I did, it began a new obsession! As the name suggests, they are makeup sticks. They have concealers, lip&cheek products, eyeshadow pencils, contour sticks and more! I started off by purchasing the following:
Concealer Pencil in Light 3 (0.05 oz/ 1.5 mL)
Full size of Intense Matte Lip&Cheek Pencil in Kiss (0.05 oz/ 1.41 g)
Mini set of their “nudes” Pixi, Belle and Purity (0.088 oz) Lash Lengthening Mascara (0.28 oz/ 8.28 mL)
Based on a friend’s recommendation and increasing curiosity exploring Sephora’s K-Beauty section filled with brands I never heard of, I picked up the Chosungah 22 Bounce Up Pact Ultra SPF 50 PA+++(colour 02 Sand Beige). While I didn’t find this on the Sephora US or CA website, I was lucky enough to get it in person while browsing Lotte El Cube in the Ewha Women’s University area while on vacation in Seoul.
Now what’s intriguing about this product is that it is a puddy-like complexion product that is a cream to powder formula. Yep, like puddy!
While reading up some reviews, it’s surprising that there are quite the number of people who do not like it! Some due to the colour, the finish, and even the packaging. When it comes to base products, I am super analytical, so hopefully my review is thorough and well thought out for you readers!
Belif is a Korean brand that combines traditional herbal processing methods based on British herbalist Duncan Napier (from the 1860s), with their own innovative extracting method. They value their brand to be the most truthful and inimitable in the cosmetic industry because of their safe and effective formulation process.
I’ve been wanting to try one of their hydrating toners ever since I dabbled it on my hand at a Sephora in the US and followed up with major ragrets after not buying it. It was still winter, my moisturizer ran out, so I thought I’d try the Moisturizing Bomb to help with my dry skin. Bonus, I got a sample size of the Hungarian Water Essence as well to complete the set! Read More »
The final declutter (for now) after a many decluttering posts!
These are just some of the extras I picked to throw out after going through my makeup collection one more time! A few of these products were quite the rave, but I didn’t really get anything special out of them. Hope you enjoy the read!
As 2016 came to a close and I browsed my makeup collection to pick the best of the year, I have come across some poor products that I just have not bothered with in a while. Having sat untouched for so long, I felt it was time to make the move and kick them out.
3 decluttering posts coming up here, and the first one I’ll touch upon is the most common for all beautie junkies – lip products.
It’s a shame letting some of them go, but if they’re old and unused, and have been sitting there for years… It’s time to let them go.
Lippies
Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick (Fairytale) – This was a great colour. Bright and bold, not too warm or cold on my lips. Lasted quite a while, even when out partying. I would have continued using it had it not irritated my lips. You’ll notice that to be a pattern with some of the lip products I’ll soon mention.
Etude House Color Lips-Fit (Fantasy Fit Pink, Dream Fit Coral) – I bought them and never wore them. I didn’t realize how neon-looking the colours were until I applied them for the first time. On top of that, they bled pretty easily and didn’t distribute an even colour to the lips.
Glossy Box Lipstick (Glossy Pink) – This was a nice mauve pink given to me by a friend. It’s pretty, but the more I wore it, the more I didn’t like it on my lips. I felt like it was too cold of a colour and it washed me out.
Gosh Cosmetics Velvet Touch Lipstick (Darling) – It seems like an intimidating pasty nude, but once I put it on it actually looked decent without washing me out. I stopped wearing it because my skin tone is not as pale as it once was, so the colour doesn’t compliment me as much anymore. Otherwise I’d recommend it to the fair ladies!
Mac Cremesheen Lipstick (Coral Bliss) – Way back when this was a big mention on Youtube. I bought it and wore it constantly. And what do you know… My lips became irritated. Unfortunately this is the case with all Mac lip products.
Milani Color Statement Lipstick (Nude Creme) – An AMAZING nude colour. Very beautiful on the lips. I loved wearing it on top of a pink-brown type of lip liner. Why I’m letting it go? Lips became irritated and dry. If you’re not super sensitive to drugstore products like I am, this one is definitely a good one to try (if you can get a hold of it – it’s always sold out).
Nyx Lip Liner Pencils (Dolly Pink, Peekaboo Neutral, Coral, Pinky) – Nothing wrong with how they applied or pigmentation. You’d think they’d be a win for me for affordable lip liners. Unfortunately, they irritated my lips within minutes, and I had to rub them off. They must go!
Nyx Xtreme Lip Creams (Strawberry Jam, Natural (Shine)) – These were the affordable version of Sephora’s cream lip stains. Have to let them go because I have found more moisturizing versions of these colours since. Love the colour of SJ for a warm berry look; Natural was very close to a concealer on the lips – but it didn’t look bad at all in the colder months when my skin is lighter, and it was actually a good-go to to neutralize the lips to make a colourful lip product stand out. I also purchased Tokyo which is the one I disliked the most, so I gave it to my sister shortly after purchase.
Revlon Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick (109) – This was an awesome coral colour that was recommended to me by a colleague who loves the colour herself. After wearing it for a while though it irritated my lips. Unfortunately it must go!
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters (Sweet Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, Tutti Frutti) – I remember when these were ALL the rave on YouTube! Out of the 3, I would repurchase the Tutti Frutti (Orange one) because I enjoyed wearing it the most, and the others seemed a bit pasty for me.
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Creme (Ravish Me Red) – loved the colour, beautiful orangy-red, the kind I like most on me! Problem? It bled around the lips quite a bit, and I always had to check up on it. Kinda the reason I stopped wearing reds for a while.
The Face Shop Real Gloss Vivid Vibrant (Rouge Hommage) – LOVED the colour, unfortunately it was too liquidy for my liking. When dealing with a red, I don’t want it to be very prone to smearing. I would have just used it very lightly, unfortunately I have to let this one go because the applicator broke.
As beautiful as some of these lippies are, they are old, unused, and need to go. A very big common denominator for the ones from the drugstore is that my lips became very sensitive and irritated as I continued wearing them, so I had to toss them aside.
Hope you enjoyed this decluttering post, and it inspires you to go through your makeup collection and LET THE LIPPIES GO!
Etude House is probably one of my favourite K-Beauty brands. Every time I see the store, I absolutely must buy at least 5 things. I started my South Korean adventures in Busan, and I absolutely had to stop in the first store I came across. This was my first visit to Etude House, and below are the products I absolutely had to get!
With summer in full force, some of you might question the best way to do your makeup. It’s hot and can be humid at times. If you’re like me, your skin colour ranges a lot based on how much sun you may get on your days off. And a bonus to us acne-prone, our breakouts may be more inflamed.
This has been a personal feat of mine to try to find a way to get the most natural coverage in full light, while not having to buy multiple different shades to match my skin tone of the day. That’s when I finally discovered RMS Beauty.
RMS Beauty is a raw, natural, organic makeup line created by Rose Mary Swift – someone who’s been in the beauty industry for years and has had enough of the toxic, harmful ingredients in products. You can read about her personal experience with beauty products and the toll it took on her health here.
I have been blessed with the first ever product sent to me to review! It’s the Jungle Botanics Natural Body Glow Nutshell Scrub provided by WishTrend.
This opportunity came up at the best time! Lately I’ve been feeling like some parts of my body have chicken skin (like my butt), and that I’ve been developing a bit of congestion on my body (my chest and back).
What’s really attracting me to this product are what they feature in it: their round-cut nutshell granules and all the natural oils! The granules are from real walnut shells, making them a perfect alternative to the plastic microbeads. The plastic ones do not break down properly, and remain in our sewage system and waters. The walnut shells are biodegradable, and will not contribute any toxic chemicals to our environment!
This will be the first ever body scrub I have tried, so I’m definitely going to give you an honest review*!
I can’t believe I did it, but I purchased quite an expensive water bottle from S’Well. Similar to the S’well Founder’s aim, I want to stop using plastic water bottles. I have been provided 1L to 1.5L water bottles daily at work for the past 3 years, and always drink out of them. Little did I realize at the time I may have been harming my body more than doing it good from keeping hydrated.
A Little 101 on Plastic Bottles
Aside from the absolute waste of plastic us humans go through on the daily and the price we pay to have access to “fresh” Canadian water, it’s most likely we’ve been drinking from low quality plastic bottles. By this I mean they have Bisphenol A (BPA) and pthalates.
“Bisphenol A is just one chemical that’s been in the news — and in many plastic bottles — recently. This compound mimics estrogens (human female hormones) and has been linked to breast and ovarian cancers and childhood developmental problems. It is found in clear, hard polycarbonate plastic commonly used in household and commercial water coolers and some reusable bottles, and it’s just one potentially harmful substance associated with plastic containers.”
“[Pthalates] are commonly used in the U.S. to make plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) more flexible. Phthalates are also endocrine-disrupting chemicals that have been linked to a wide range of developmental and reproductive effects, including reduced sperm count, testicular abnormality and tumors, and gender development issues.”
At the beginning of the year I made a spendy purchase and bought the Josh Rosebrook Deep Hydrating Serum. Josh Rosebrook is well known for having products with pure, organic ingredients with zero toxicity results in his formulas. I was running out of my current facial oil, so I thought this would be an amazing replacement!
The price is quite high ($105 CAD) considering it is a 1oz (30ml) bottle.
I have used it consistently for about 2 months, mostly mornings morning and sometimes night, and now it’s time for a review.
The Face Shop Real Gloss Vivid Vibrant (Rouge Hommage) – LOVED the colour, unfortunately it was too liquidy for my liking. When dealing with a red, I don’t want it to be very prone to smearing. I would have just used it very lightly, unfortunately I have to let this one go because the applicator broke.
