November Boxycharm 2019

Hey guys! I swear November went by so fast. Yet at the same time, the beginning of November seems so long ago. I got my Boxycharm box at the beginning of the month and it feels like forever ago. I was super impressed that I got my box so early this year! Boxycharm has been stepping up their Canadian shipping! Anyways, this month’s box:

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This month was the first month that Boxycharm allowed for customization. So I choose the Kypris Antioxidant Dew Quench & Glow Serum. Listen, don’t buy this serum. It isn’t bad by any means, but it is not worth the $90 price tag. It is a lightweight serum, so this wasn’t the deep hydration that I was expecting from a serum that markets itself as a dewy, quenching serum. I would say this serum is nice to use before applying makeup because it left my skin feeling tacky. But overall I wouldn’t say that my skin felt super hydrated after. I will continue to use it because I own it, but it’s nothing special. Price: $90 USD

Next up is the Dose of Colours Liquid Matte Lipstick. I received the shade Nude Mood. I am very happy because for a while I was always getting weird shades that I would never wear, but this one is nice! It’s described as a pinky nude, but I think it is more warmed toned than cooled toned. I do like this liquid lipstick. It’s pretty comfortable because it doesn’t dry down completely. It can smudge if you’re not careful. It can surviving drinks but isn’t eating food proof. But what I did after eating is just apply a lip balm and redistribute the colour around my lips. Overall I like this lippie, and it’s my favourite product in the box.

The next products are the Tula Skincare Star Power Nourishing and Brightening Cosmic Hydrogel Mask. I like that I received two masks because it allowed me to test the mask out to see if I liked it. And well I didn’t really. First I hate how much plastic there was for the one sheet mask. Don’t get me wrong, I get that sheet masks aren’t the most sustainable thing. The sheet mask is two separate pieces sandwiched between two pieces of plastic within a plastic pouch. It just feels bad that a clean beauty brand is so wasteful in its packaging. Then the other issue I had was that I didn’t notice a huge difference compared to other products I own. Like I felt that using my normal moisturizer would leave my skin as bright and hydrated as this mask. If I am going to use a mask it’s because I’m looking for something impactful, or maybe that’s just me. Either way, I don’t think these masks are worth the cost. Price: $22 USD for two, sold as a four-pack for $28 USD

Next Boxycharm  made its first-ever brush set. And well I’m not the biggest fan. First, they are very soft, but they are very dense and stiff. I feel like I have to work hard to blend anything out. Because they are so dense they are not good for powder. They only really work with creme products. I also find the shape of the handle weird and they don’t have a very good balanced feel in the hands. Overall I didn’t like using these brushes. I’ve received a ton of brushes in my box before, and these were my least favourite. Price: $35 USD for the two brushes.

The final product is the Dominique Cosmetics Celestial Thunder eyeshadow palette. This is a mini version of the Celestial Storm that is available both on the website and at Sephora. The one I received can be purchased from the Boxycharm website, but I don’t recommend it. This colour story is just so off and weird to me. I only did one look with this palette because I had no idea what to do. The orange is very pigmented and the brown also pulls very orange. It is impossible to do a simple everyday look. The mattes were really good quality, they blended well. But the metallics were mediocre. I’ve used better. Overall the quality isn’t bad, but the colour story throws me off so much that I doubt I will use it much. Price: $35 USD (the full palette is $58 CAD)

Overall I didn’t like much in this box. I liked the liquid lipstick, but otherwise I was kind of unimpressed with everything else. Sucks because I’ve felt like the past couple months the Boxycharm boxes were really good. And maybe other people liked their boxes because they got different variations. Either way, this one was a dud for me. Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments!

xoxo

Lea

Sephora VIB Sale Haul

Hey guys! If you guys have been following me for awhile, you know when I don’t post for a bit it’s usually because I am busy with school. So sorry for taking so long to get this up, BUT school comes first! I still wanted to share my Sephora VIB Sale haul even though the sale is over. Might be useful for some Christmas wish-list inspiration 😉 I have two bonus products that I bought on Sunday with a coupon I got in the mail. So without further ado, my haul:

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First I got the Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops in medium. I am going down south before Christmas, so I wanted to get some self-tanner. My friend owns this self-tanner and she recommended them to me! You add a few drops to your moisturizer and then apply it to your body. I will definitely update you guys on how it works!

Next I repurchased my two favourite setting sprays. The first is the MAC Prep + Prime Fix +. I love this setting spray because it does an amazing job of melting my makeup into my face and making it look so flawless. The other setting spray I got is the Urban Decay All Nighter. I really do think this spray makes a difference in how long my makeup lasts. I got a mini so I can bring it with me on my vacation.

Another repurchase is the GlamGlow Bubblesheet mask. I kinda hate that I love this mask because $12 is a lot for one sheet mask. But it does such an amazing job at cleaning out my skin. Plus it’s really fun to use. So I have this one for special occasions, and only buy it when its on sale.

My favourite moisturizer at the moment is the Laneige Water Bank Hydro Gel. I have been using this moisturizer for almost a year now, I am just in love. It’s the perfect texture – not too thick and not too thin. It really hydrates my skin and I have really noticed a difference using this moisturizer.

Next is a very boujee purchase. I bought myself the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in the shade Pillow Talk. This shade is their best seller and is known to be the perfect nude. I have heard so many people rave about it that I decided to try it for myself. While this lipstick is pretty pricey, sometimes you have to treat yourself!

Final product is a repurchase of the Beauty Blender. I love this sponge, but it ain’t cheap. I always like to get it during the VIB sale to save money. I basically buy a new one every sale and throw out my old one. While these babies last longer than disposable sponges, it’s important to change then after a couple of months.

And that is my Sephora VIB Sale haul! Let me know what you guys bought in the comments below!

xoxo

Lea

Products of the Month – November 2019

Hey guys! So this is a new series I want to start on my blog. After decluttering my makeup collection (post coming soon!) and watching a few project pan/no buy videos, I wanted to implement something myself.

So the plan is for every month (except this one lol) I will pick a products that I am going to focus on using. I will try and use those products as much as possible. Then the first Tuesday of the next month I will give an update and pick new products for the month!

I have selected two products for this month. The first is the Colourpop Element of Surprise palette. Now unfortunately I just realized that it’s unavailable anymore. But I think it’s good for me to use up products. So all month long I am going to focus on only creating eyeshadow looks using this palette. Next month I promise I will select a palette that is still available lol!

The other product I have selected in the Steve Laurant Lip Liner. I have a bunch of lip liners in my collection, but I never use them. So since this one is basically brand new – I only got it in my Boxycharm three months ago – I thought it would be good to get some use of it.

So I have included some photos of what the products look like now, and in my update I will share if I have made any progress and my thoughts on the products after using them for a month!

I would love if you guys would join me in this journey! Let me know if you are working on any project pans in the comments below!

xoxo

Lea

Product Empties November 2019

Hey guys! So today I am sharing my product empties! And like every other product empties post, this is going to be a long one! So let’s get right into it.

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First is the Glamglow Bubblesheet Oxygenating Deep Cleanse Mask. This is the best sheet mask I have ever used. Most sheet masks are just good at hydrating the skin, but this sheet mask did an amazing job of cleaning out my pores. My skin felt and looked so clean after. And it was super fun to use with all the bubbles. Not the cheapest sheet mask on the market, but good for those days when I want to treat myself.

Next is the Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer. This was an old shade that they don’t make anymore, which is sad because it matched me perfectly. I did repurchase it, but the one I own is a little too warm for me. This is a really good full-coverage concealer. For all my Canadian gals this is a great dupe for the Tarte Shapetape.

Two mascara empties are the Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara and the Butter London Double Decker Mascara. The Tarte mascara is one of my favourites and I did recently repurchase it. I like the Butter London mascara as well. It made my lashes look super fluffy and long. Unfortunately, Sephora does not sell this mascara, and I don’t love it enough to go through the hassle of ordering it online.

Next up is three dry shampoos. And funny side story: I was needing shampoo and I finished all three bottles in one go because they were all almost done! Always happens when you need something that you are out of it! Anyways, I finished two Batiste dry shampoos, one in the scent Rose Gold and one mini in the original scent. Batiste is a great drugstore dry shampoo, but I prefer the Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Dark Tones more. This does not leave a white cast like the Batiste one. I do find that my hair looks greasy by the end of the day still, but it looks way better than if I hadn’t used dry shampoo. I decided to repurchase the Moroccanoil one.

I just finished an Amika mouse, but it apparently doesn’t exist anymore. Honestly, that’s okay because it wasn’t my favourite mousse. It did an okay job. It defined my curls more than if my hair were to air dry, but I’ve tried mousses that have done a better job before. Still on the hunt for the best product for enhancing curls!

Next up is an Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. This is one of my favourite setting sprays. It just does such a great job of locking my makeup lock in place. I also notice a difference using this compared to some of my other setting sprays. I will definitely be purchasing another one.

A skincare favourite is the Garnier Micellar Water. It’s just the best and most sensitive way to remove my makeup. I do like to use a cleansing balm now and then, but this is good for those lighter makeup days when I don’t need a thick balm to remove my makeup. It also doesn’t leave my skin feeling dried out after either. Love it!

Another skincare favourite is the St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub. It’s just the best at exfoliating my face. And I love that it’s a drugstore product. Whenever my face is feeling gross I will use this scrub and it feels so much nicer after! I love it and would definitely recommend.

I was waiting until I repurchased the Sol de Janeiro Coco Cabana Cream before finished the one I had. I just love this cream. I brought it with me to Europe, so every time I smell the cream it reminds me of my trip. It is also so hydrating. Will forever be repurchasing this lotion.

The final product is the Lush Mask of Magnaminty. I really like this mask. It does an amazing job of cleaning my face and helps with any active breakouts. Whenever I have a big bad zit this is the mask I grab. I also love the refreshing smell. Unfortunately, this mask dried out before I could finish it, but I did decide to repurchase it because I love it so much. I will make an effort to use it up before it dries out this time!

And those are my beauty product empties! Let me know your thoughts on some of these products, or if you have any product suggestions for me!

xoxo

Lea

October Boxycharm 2019

Hey guys! I feel like October went by super quick but was also super slow at the same time, anyone else? I got my Boxycharm box pretty early this month, so I have really tested these products out. So here is what I got in my box!

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First I got the Skin&Co Truffle Therapy Radiant Dew Mist. The mister on this is so bad. It would spray big droplets all over my face. It makes my face wet, which isn’t exactly the best for makeup application. So I thought maybe it’s more of a skincare spray, and well the results were underwhelming. I would spray it all over my face and it would feel good at the moment, but then my face didn’t feel any different. Not very hydrating. Not worth the price. Price: USD $35

Next is the Iconic London Lip Plumping Gloss. I like this gloss! Some plumping lip glosses can be really tingly or minty. This one tingled a little and had only a light mint smell. I also like the formula. It’s sheer but still has some good colour to it. It liked to wear it over top of lip liner. I liked this lip gloss and I will definitely be wearing it again. Price: $26 USD, CAD $36

Fun fact: I’ve been using the same pair of eyebrow tweezers for years. I don’t even know what brand they have because the name has rubbed off. So it was a little odd to be using the Chella Slanted Tip Tweezers instead of my regular ones. These Chella ones have a funky hole grip on them. It takes some practice to get used to using them. Also, these are super sharp. My tweezers have dulled over the years, but I pinched myself using the Chella ones and also drew blood. They weren’t bad tweezers. Do you have to run out and buy this specific pair of tweezers? No lol. Price: USD $20

Next up is the Touch in Sol Pretty Filter Glassy Skin Balm. I was pleasantly surprised by this primer! It hydrates my skin and makes it look super dewy but it isn’t sticky. It is very glowy, so if I’m wearing a sheerer foundation I don’t even need highlight. It reminds me of my favourite Dr. Brandt primer. The only thing is that I don’t like the packaging. I wish this was in a squishy tube because I don’t like digging my fingers into a primer to use it. I feel like it came with a spatula but I lost that already haha. Anyways I would just prefer different packaging but still love this product! Price: USD $32

The final product is the Dose of Colours Baked Browns palette. I am so happy that I got this palette! I have been wanting to try the Dose of Colours 5-pan eyeshadows palettes for so long because I have heard such amazing reviews. And those amazing reviews are right! The shades are so creamy, pigmented and blend out like a dream. There is a bunch of kick-up when I dip my brush into the palette, so I always make sure to tap it off because I apply it to my face. I also love the Colours in the Baked Browns palette. They are basic shades that I can use to create so many looks by just adding a shimmery shade on top. I am really happy with this product! Price: USD $32

And that is this month’s Boxycharm! Let me know what you guys thought of this month’s box!

xoxo

Lea

Easy Halloween Makeup Looks

Hey guys! So today I am sharing two simple Halloween makeup looks. I have a third one planned but it didn’t turn out how I wanted it too. But hey that’s life sometimes! Both of these looks I did with regular makeup, so it is easy to replicate! I also included some step-by-step pictures to help you guys out a bit.

First is a scarecow! I think this is a great last minute costume, because all that is needed is some plaid and jeans along with the makeup to create the look.

  1. So first step is to do the eyes. I used Colourpop’s Orange You Glad palette, but any orange shadow or even a blush would do the job.
  2. Next time I did my base makeup, applied bronzer and highlight, and did my brows.
  3. Then I added a bunch of faux freckles all over my face. Both eyeshadow or brow pomade can work for doing faux freckles. I used ABH Dipbrow Gel.
  4. After applying the freckles, it’s time to turn this into a scarecrow! I applied orange shadow onto the apples of my cheeks and on my nose.
  5. I outlined the orange on my nose and added some lines to make it look like a batch. I also drew a line from the corner of my mouth to my hairline.
  6. To finish the look off, I had crosshatches along the mouth line and added a lip!

The second look I did is a sugar-plum fairy. It is possible to change the colour palette and make it into a different type of fairy.

  1. First is to start with the base already one, since the shadow is being elongated. I applied a purple shadow in my crease and smoked it out a lot to create a dramatic effect. I used the Huda Beauty Amethyst Obsessions palette to do this.
  2. Next I applied a glittery shadow all over the lid.
  3. I applied the same purple to the lower lashline, and then a sparkly blue in the inner colour. I finished off with adding black along my lash line for my false lashes.
  4. I finished the eyes by applying false lashes. I put white in my waterline. If I had white mascara I would have used this on my lower lashes, but I just used white liquid liner and it did a similar effect.
  5. To finish off the look I went crazy on glitter. I applied it liberally to my face. I also applied faux freckles with white eyeliner. I finish the look with a super pale nude lip to not detract from the eyes, but a colourful lip would also be fun.

And those are my two Halloween makeup ideas! Let me know if you guys like this format of doing instructional posts, and if you would like to see more! Also let me know what you’re being for Halloween in the comments down below 🙂

xoxo

Lea

My Favourite Boxycharm Products from the Past 3 Years

Hey guys! This October marks three years of subscribing to Boxycharm! I have received over 180 products from Boyxcharm over the past three years! That’s crazy! To celebrate, I have chosen eight of my favourite products from the past three years. Most products I picked were from past years. I will be doing my annual favourite products of the year in December. Also, I have one item not pictured because it broke – more on that down below.

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November 2016 – Studio Makeup On-The-Go Eyeshadow Palette

The first product is from my second box ever and is the only eye shadow palette I decided to feature. I have received many eye shadow palettes from Boxycharm, but the Studio Makeup On-The-Go eyeshadow palette has survived multiple makeup declutters. I’m not a huge cool-toned person, but this is the palette I always reach for when I want to do cool-toned makeup looks. There is a serious dent in the middle shadow because I have used this palette a lot. I received tons of palettes from big brand names and palettes with fun bright colours. But this basic palette does the job!

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January 2017 – PUR Cosmetics Mineral Glow Bronzer

Rest in peace my beloved PUR bronzer. This bronzer broke back in April and I have missed it ever since. This bronzer was the bomb. It was my summer-bronze-goddess-glow bronzer. It’s darker than the Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer, so I like to use it in the summer to deepen my tan. It also had the most beautiful slight shimmer to it. It made my face look so bronzed and health. This was such a bomb product. I decided to not repurchase it because I’m trying to go through some of my other bronzers, but this was a good one.

April 2017 – OFRA Cosmetics Rodeo Drive Highlighter

I received this highlight back in the craze of blinding highlights. To this day OFRA Rodeo Drive is one of the most blinding highlights I own. Just a little creates the most beautiful bright glow. The formula is so smooth. The highlight is not chunky and doesn’t have any big glitter particles in it. It is also a super flattering colour for my skin tone – a gold-champagne. While I don’t use this highlight as often anymore, I still pull it out whenever I want a really bright highlight.

December 2017 – Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara

You know it’s a good product when you repurchase it. I’ve received a lot of good mascaras from Boxycharm over the years, but I decided the Tarte Tarteist mascara is my favourite. This gives me volume and length without making my lashes clumpy. My lashes are prone to getting clumpy, so I don’t often like volumizing mascara. But this one just makes my lashes look amazing. This is my everyday mascara, I love it.

January 2018 – Girlactik Long Lasting Matte Lip Paint

The reason why I like Boxycharm is that I get to try products I would have never had the chance to try. This Girlactik liquid lipstick is a prime example. It doesn’t sell at Sephora, and I probably won’t bother to ship it into Canada. But because I have Boxycharm I was able to discover this amazing liquid lipstick. This is probably one of my favourite formulas because it’s so comfortable on the lips. I also always receive so many compliments on my lipstick whenever I wear it. So while I could have picked many different lipsticks as my favourite, that is why I picked this one.

June 2018 – Battington Lashes

It was a tie between these Battington lashes (in the style Monroe) and my Lashoholic lashes for my favourite pair from Boxycharm. I chose the Battington pair since I recently talked about the Lashoholic ones in my September Product Empties. I love receiving lashes in my Boxycharm because I generally don’t buy them myself. But these lashes have lasted me so well! I recently ripped them (RIP lol). But they lasted me almost a year, definitely worn them like 30 times. A really good quality pair of lashes.

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September 2018 – Laura Geller Baked Blush-n-Brighten

Man, I use this blush almost every day and it looks like I’ve barely made a dent in it. I have mine in the shade Tropic Hues and it’s so beautiful. This was the first blush that made me realize it’s nice to have a little shimmer in a blush. It makes me look so healthy and awake. I sometimes forget I received this in my Boxycharm box since I use it on the daily.

February 2019 – Sol de Janeiro Coco Cabana Cream

I love this cream. What I like about Boxycharm is that sometimes I receive a product that I wanted but hadn’t bought yet for myself. I love the original Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum cream, and when I saw that they had released the Coco Cabana Cream, I knew I wanted to try it. I decided to wait, and bam I got it in my Boxycharm box! I love this formula because it’s also different than the original, so it’s not the exact same product. I brought this cream with me to Europe, and now every single time I smell the cream it reminds me of my time there! I also decided to repurchase it as well once I finished the one I got in my Boxycharm box!

And those are eight of my favourite products that I have received in my Boxycharm! Should I do a part two? Or maybe my least favourite products? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo

Lea

Products I just don’t like – makeup fails

Hey guys! So today’s post is one I’ve never done before – a product fails posts. I’ve done tons of empties posts, and sometimes there are duds in those posts. But today I am sharing four products that I dislike so much that I am not going to use them up. Now I consider myself to be a better good shopper. I like to look at reviews of products before purchasing them, so most of them work out. But every once in a while I get a product and I just don’t like it. So here are four products I don’t like and wouldn’t recommend.

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First is the Spascriptions Glitter Peel-off Mask. I don’t like peel-off masks in general, but this one was one of the worst I’ve tried. It’s so painful like it’s not even funny. I could get behind the pain if it helped my skin. But it just broke me out after using it. So it was a painful mask that didn’t do its job. Do yourself a favour and buy a different mask, the cute glitter isn’t worth the pain.

The next product is one I purchased without reading up on it, so I guess that is what I get for impulse purchasing. I wanted to try a cream blush (this is before I purchased my Colourpop one). I thought getting a drugstore cream blush would be a good way to test if I like creme products.  Well, the Elf Monochromatic Multi Stick sucks. The product was full of chunky glitter, so it emphasized all the texture and pores on my cheeks. The product was also extremely difficult to blend out. Whenever I tried to blend it out it would lift up my foundation underneath. Honestly, just get the one from Colourpop if you are looking for a cheap cream blush.

This next one might be a little controversial because I know a lot of people love Drunk Elephant. I got the Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser for my Sephora birthday present. I’m not sure why, but there is some ingredient in this that my skin doesn’t like. After using this cleanser for a couple of days, I noticed that my skin was looking very red and irritated. It would like I had a sunburn on my face. I switched to a different cleanser and I noticed the problem go away. So while some other people might like this cleanser, it is a no go for me.

The final product is the Juice Beauty SPF 30 Oil Free Moisturizer. I am very picky when it comes to sunscreens. I tried to like this one, I really did. But I have a few issues with it. First, it claims to be an oil-free moisturizer, but it feels so oily when I apply it. It is also not moisturizing whatsoever. Finally, my biggest pet peeve when it comes to sunscreens is when they leave a white cast. And this moisturizer leaves a pretty bad white cast. Now I do like that this sunscreen is clean and vegan. But for my picky skin, it’s a no.

And those are my four product fails. Let me know what you think of this post, and if I should make it into a series!

xoxo

Lea

I went to a makeup convention! IMATS Toronto Experience

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posts the past the two weeks! The past two weeks have been crazy with school and then Thanksgiving and then midterms. But now it’s reading week! I am hoping to create a lot of content this week 🙂 For today’s post I am sharing my experience going to IMATS Toronto!

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IMATS stands for International Make-up Artist Trade Show. If you didn’t know, I am from Toronto so that’s why I went to that one. I have heard of other conventions like BeautyCon and Gen Beauty. Those events don’t come to Toronto, but when I heard about IMATS I thought it would be similar. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.

IMATS is for makeup artists. Beauty enthusiasts like myself can go, but it’s meant for working makeup artists. Many booths were selling SFX makeup and pigment palettes. The demonstrations were also meant for makeup artists – but more on that later.

I was surprised me was how small the event was. There were about about 15 to 20 vendors at the event. That sounds like a lot, but to put that into perceptive BeautyCon has over 200 vendors. There were a few brand names like Benefit, Makeup Forever, NARS and Beauty Blender. There were a few brush vendors – the only one I knew was Royal and Langnickel. There were also a bunch of indie brands as well. Most of the vendors had sales, ranging from 20-40% off retail price. There were no free samples or goodie bags.

I purchased four items. First I got the Benefit Precisely My Brow Eyebrow Pencil. You guys know I am a die-hard ABH Brow Wiz fan, but I have never tried any of the Benefit brow products before. So I decided to pick up the pencil since it was on sale. I purchased two brushes from the brand Stilazzi – the S203 and S302. Finally from Clionadh Cosmetics – a small Canadian Indie brand – I got one single shadow. I got the shade Sand Blast, and while it wasn’t cheap I have never seen a shadow like it before.

Now the speaker I saw was probably the best part of the whole event. I saw Kevin James Bennett speak.  I didn’t even know was an award-winning makeup artist until after the event when I looked him up! He provided so much information. He talked about brushes – which ones to buy and to use. A big tip he had was to use synthetic brushes since they can be used wet and dry. I could have sat all day and listened to him!

So what are my overall thoughts on IMATS? While I loved seeing the demonstrations from makeup artists, I would not recommend going if you are an average beauty enthusiast. The deals and selection were not that great. If you want to learn from a professional it would be better to go to a masterclass instead of this event. I had fun and I was glad I went, but I don’t think I would go next year. Have you guys ever been to a makeup convention before? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Lea

September Boxycharm 2019

Hey guys! Sorry this post is a little late – I was going to post it on Tuesday but I was so busy I didn’t get the chance to get it up. But it’s here now! This month’s theme is All Access, which I didn’t really get. I did like the products in my box thought.

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First set is the MODA 5 Piece Brush Set. I’ve always loved MODA’s brushes. I actually went to IMATS this past weekend (I will write a whole blog post on that), and I learned so much about their brushes. All their brushes are synthetic because they can be used wet or dry. They are so soft and are very durable. I always love getting brushes in my box because you can never have too many brushes! Price: US$27.95

Next is the MAC Cosmetics Frost Lipstick in the shade CB 96. I’ll be honest, I wish I had received the Stila Liquid lipsticks. This shade is a bright orange-red, which is something I don’t wear very often. On top of it’s a semi-lustrous finish. While I love MAC lipstick, this shade is just not for me. Price: US$18.50, C$23

A skincare product is the Dr Brandt Hydro Biotic Recovery Sleeping Mask. I am on the fence about this product. I love the scent of it and it feels super nice to apply. I always use a thick layer so it takes awhile to soak into the skin – probably why it’s a sleeping mask. But I think it might be breaking me out. Every time I’ve used it I got a break out a day or two after. I’m not a 100% sure, because it could be stress or some other product, but I don’t think my skin likes it. I would recommend getting a sample and trying it out for yourself before buying it. Price: U$52, C$68 for a full size, I only got a deluxe sample.

Next up is the Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in the shade Peach Glow. I have heard so many amazing things about this highlight, so I was very happy to receive it. It gives a natural yet blinding highlight at the same time. It has so glitter or any chunky particles to it, and it blends into the skin very well. I wish I had received Gilded Honey, the gold shade, but I do enjoy the peach shade as well. Price: US$26

The final product is the Violet Voss Essentials Eyeshadow Palette. I have always heard good things about Violet Voss but never got the chance to try out their shadows. And well this palette did not disappoint. The mattes are easy to blend and the metallics are pigmented. They shades just look so beautiful on the eyes. I know the trend for eyeshadow palettes is to be huge right now, but this ten pan palette has such a variety. I was able to create everyday looks but also this super fun green fall look with the palette as well. The quality is just so good that I definitely would buy another palette from Violet Voss. Price: US$29 – this palette is unfortunately not for sale on Sephora Canada.

And that is my September Boxycharm! What did you guys think? What was your favourite item in this month’s box – let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Lea