Category: Beauty

Beauty, Favourites

My Vanity Tour

by Lea2 Comments on My Vanity Tour

Hey guys! It’s a new year, which is a perfect time to go through and reorganize your vanity/makeup storage. I thought I would share with you guys how I store my makeup. I keep all my makeup on top of my desk and in the first drawer. I actually want to change how I store my makeup, but I don’t have any room currently. Once I move in April I will hopefully have a chance to change it up, so maybe stay tuned for an update!

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On top of my desk I have my mirror, a palette holder, my brushes and a storage organizer box. I usually use my closet mirror that is right beside my desk to apply my makeup most mornings, but if I am doing full glam or more complicated looks I will sit down and use my mirror. I got my mirror last year for my birthday, it is similar to this one from Bed, Bath and Beyond, but mine is white. The palette holder I got from Amazon, I keep more of my palette is my other makeup organizer. Ideally I would like to get rid of this and put my palette is one of my desk drawers, but since it’s currently full of school supplies this will have to do. I will say it’s nice to have my palette in view and easy to grab.

My brush holder is actually a plant pot from Ikea that my friend bought me for my birthday. There were daffodils in the pot, but once they died I decided to use it for my brushes. Most of my brushes are the exact size of the pot, so I decided to add these blue stones from the dollar store to help rise them up. My brushes are now easy to grab and I can see all of them.

Next I got this white vanity organizer a few years ago from Bed, Bath and Beyond. This one is similar, but mine is bigger. I wanted to get something white because all the furniture in my room is white. I do like the look of the white better than clear acrylic, and since I keep mainly powder products in this organizer it doesn’t get too dirty. On the top left section I keep all my setting sprays. Next in the two back cubby-holes I keep all my brow products. The organizer came with a nine lipstick organizer, and then I bought this acrylic organizer from Amazon to have more. I have my most used lip products here. I really like having my favourite lip products out for me to see because I find it easy to decide what I want and to also retouch throughout the day. On the side I have a little container with my mini brushes and my eyelash curler. I also keep my makeup sponges and some of my false lashes here.

Within the drawers are mainly eyeshadows. In the first drawer I have my necessities: my eyeshadow primer, some lip balms and my tweezers along with my magnetic palette with some neutral shades. In my middle drawer I have my ‘fun’ drawer, as I like to call it. I have all my sparkly eyeshadows and glitters. This drawer also holds my single shadows. The next drawer over I have my smaller eyeshadows palettes. The bottom larger drawer I have my medium sized palettes – all my Urban Decay and Too Faced palettes.

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I have the rest of my makeup in the top drawer of my desk. The acrylic organizers I’ve had since high school, but I actually don’t like them that much. I find them bulky, but they work for now. On the left front I have all my powder face products – my bronzers, highlights and blushes. In the back left I have my dark lippies, along with gel eyeliners and more blushes. In the middle front I have my foundations and in the back middle I have a combination of primers, liquid highlights, lash glue and lash tweezers. In the left front I have my mascaras and concealers, in the left middle I have my eyeliners and lip liners and then in the back left I have some more lip products. I also keep some of my other palettes in this drawer as well.

And that is how I store my makeup! If you guys want me to go more in depth in certain parts of my makeup collection let me know down below! I can give reviews and swatches of one category – like blushes or eyeshadows.

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Favourites, Makeup, Review

Best Beauty Products of 2018

by Lea2 Comments on Best Beauty Products of 2018

Hey guys! Decided to do an extra post this week to share my favourite products of 2018. Last year I only had five favourites, and this year I am up to fourteen! These products are not necessarily new this year, mainly products that I got this year and I’ve been loving. A lot of people said that this year was the year of palettes, and I definitely tried a ton. For me, there wasn’t one palette that really stood out and was my favourite of the year – which is so funny because last year I had two palettes apart of my favourites. Without further ado, here are my favourites!

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First up, my favourite foundation is all thanks to Kathleen Lights. I heard her rave about the Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation, so I decided to try it out. This foundation is a light-weight, medium coverage and have a nice satin finish. I was getting tried of my full-coverage-matte foundations, and this was a refreshing change. The shade range is not amazing, but I do like that they have a mix of warm, cool and neutral toned shades. I’m not a few fan of the massive doe foot applicator, but this foundation is nice enough that I look past it. This foundation wears nicely through the day and I just really enjoy how this looks on my skin. AND it’s a drugstore foundation, so the price isn’t crazy!

My only palette for this year is actually a face palette. I got the Tarte Tarteist PRO Glow Highlight and Contour Palette during the Spring VIB sale and I have been loving it. I wanted to try a cream contour and this one has been very easy to use. I have no problems blending it out, and it’s the perfect shade – not too warm, not too cool. I might the bronzer very pigmented, so I don’t use it very often but it’s nice to have in the palette. The highlights in here are beautiful. There are creamy and pigmented, and there is a nice range of shades. If you are looking to try out cream contouring, this is great for beginners and it comes with a bunch of beautiful highlights!

While my favourite foundation is drugstore, my two favourite concealers are high-end. I have two favourites because one is my winter shade and the other is my summer shade haha. The first is the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. This concealer is a cult classic for a reason. It has a medium coverage, but it can be built up to provide more coverage. I love this concealer because it makes my under eyes look bright and radiant and blends well with my foundation. Some concealers I find don’t blend well with my foundation, so my makeup doesn’t look as flawless. This concealer makes my under eyes look amazing, even during exams! My second favourite is one I have been using for years – I have been using the Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer before I even started my blog. I recently really got back into using it this year, especially in the summer. This concealer is super long-lasting, my foundation would wear away and yet this concealer would still be in place. This concealer is also great for spot concealing, it does a great job of cancelling out redness. I know both of these concealers are expensive, but they are both excellent concealers.

As an oily girl, I love powder. My favourite I discovered through my best friend. I have just been loving the Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder. This powder is very translucent, it doesn’t change the shade of my foundation. I also love the way it makes my skin look. It gives my skin a beautiful soft finish, and doesn’t make my skin look crazy matte. This powder is just so smooth, I love it. This powder is also great for touch up through the day. Once I finish my mini one I think I might get a full size one. If you are looking for a loose powder, this one is great!

If you read my Best Boxycharm products of 2018 post, then you would know which two mascaras are my favourite this year. The first is the IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara. The mascara is perfect for when I want big, long, full lashes. The second mascara is the Butter London Double Decker Mascara. This mascara is perfect for when I want nice fluffy, natural lashes. Both are great mascaras that I have been loving.

Now I accidentally photographed the wrong highlight. My favourite, which I know isn’t new, is definitely the Maybelline Master Chrome Highlighter. I have the shade Rose Gold and I love it. I have tons of gold highlights, but this rose one is different that the other highlights that I own. This highlight is just as creamy and pigmented as my Becca ones. The other highlight I have been loving is a mini I got in a set from Sephora by Laura Mercier. This highlight is a beautiful light champagne shade, and I just love how it looks on my skin. I would recommend both of these highlights.

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I have four favourite lip products – a balm, a liquid lip, bullet lipstick and a lip gloss. First is the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Balm. This is a thicc lip balm. I use this lip balm when I am in need of some intense lip hydration. What I also like is that the balm is made from food-grade ingredients, and Bite Beauty is a Canadian brand (I love supporting my fellow Canadians). Another product from my Boxycharm was the Girlactik Long Lasting Matte Lip Paint. This liquid lipstick is one of the most comfortable ones I’ve tried. It’s long lasting, matte and budge-proof yet doesn’t leave my lips feeling all dry and gross. I would love to get more shades! Now I totally forget to review the collection on my channel, but I did get some items from Kathleen Lights’ Zodiac collection with Colorupop. The Creme Lux Lipstick in What’s Your Sign was my favourite item. The formula of these lipsticks are just so creamy, and this shade is the perfect slightly-warm nude. My final lip product is the Sephora Collection Outrageous Effect Volume Lip Gloss. This is definitely the best plumping lip gloss I’ve ever tried. It makes your lips tingle a little but nothing crazy that hurts. The shade XXL Nude its a beautiful warm neutral (can you tell what I shade is my favourite).

My final favourite product is actually a pair of lashes! This year I have gotten into wearing false lashes, and PUR PRO Eyelashes have been my favourite. The band is thick but comfortable, and pretty easy to blend in. I just find these lashes so easy to put on, and they look amazing. I have worn them multiple times and they still look good. I definitely want to get another pair!

And these were my favourite products of 2018! Let me know what your favourite products are, I always love trying out new products! I hope you guys had an amazing 2018 🙂

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Boxycharm, Review

December Boxycharm Review

by LeaLeave a Comment on December Boxycharm Review

Hey guys! I am back from Mexico and spent the last few days relaxing with family. I hope everyone who celebrates had a great Christmas, and for those who don’t just a nice few days off work. Today’s post is about my December Boxycharm, but on Sunday I will have a bonus post about my favourite products of 2018, so come back for that!

This month’s theme was ‘Tis the Sea-sun, which was the perfect theme for me because I was in Mexico the past week. I brought all the products along with me to test them out.

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The first product is the Marajo Anti-Frizz Serum Capsules. I decided to use these capsules instead of my regular hair oil while I was in Mexico. The capsules come with the perfect amount of serum for me, since I have a lot of hair. If someone had shorter hair they might find it’s too much. I had to be careful while opening these, because the first time I got the serum everywhere. The serum did a great job of making my hair soft and shiny, but the serum was no match for the Mexican humidity. My hair was still frizzy, but at least it was soft. Overall I really liked these capsules, and I will definitely use all of them. They were not so life changing that I would repurchase them. Price: $28 on the card, but $18 on the website, so not sure which is the real price.

Next up was the Bodyography Lip Liner. I got the shade Barely There, which is pretty accurate because this shade is literally a perfect match for my lips. I don’t use lip liners very often, so I haven’t really figured out what I like. This lip liner is a wooden one, and a little sifter compared to some other ones I’ve tried. Because it’s the literal shade of my lips, it’s hard for me to see how long to lasts. Overall it’s not bad, but I don’t know how much I would use it. Price: $12

The Tarte Shimmering Lip Paint surprised me. I didn’t know they were sheer at first, so I was initially disappointed by the shade I received, which was Flaming Hot. But then I put it on my lips and I feel in love. This is a thick gloss that adds just a sheer wash of colour and sparkle. The smell is amazing, it reminds me of butterscotch or caramel. I didn’t think I would like this product but now it’s my favourite in the box. Price: $20

The next product is the PYT Mini Hair Straightener. I think it’s pretty cool that Boxycharm gave something different than another palette and instead a hair tool. I brought this straightener with me to Mexico, and it was the perfect size to travel with. This straightener is very mini, the plates are smaller than my thumb. This straightener is better suited for touch ups or people with short hair. I tried to straighten my hair, and I have long curly hair. It took me around 20 minutes to do my full head, longer than usual. Certain stubborn sections I had to pass over a few times. I want to try curling my hair with this iron though, because I think the smaller barrel could create some nice curls. Overall I’m pretty impressed, but because it is mini it does have some drawbacks compared to using a regular one. Price: $75

The final product was the Wander Beauty Dusk to Dawn Blush and Highlight Palette. This palette isn’t bad, but I’m not just wow-ed by it. The blushes and highlight are very pigmented, so I had to use a light hand. I also found the shades were just a bit to dark for me, especially the highlight. I brought this palette to Mexico, and I found myself reaching for other blushes and highlights over this palette. The palette is good quality, but it isn’t anything amazing that makes me choose it over other products. Price: $26

The total of the box was $161, and it was the straightener that really bad this box expensive. I know this month there were many other variations, and I definitely think I got one of the better variations this month so I’m happy! What are your thoughts on this box? Let me know in the comments!

Don’t forget to come back Sunday for my favourite beauty products of 2018!

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Boxycharm, Favourites, Review

Best Boxycharm Products of 2018

by Lea2 Comments on Best Boxycharm Products of 2018

Hello friends! I am survived exams and I am currently in Mexico! I am writing this post while looking at the ocean, ahhh how relaxing. Today’s post I am very excited to share. This is my second full year of reviewing Boxycharm, so I have received around 60 products this year. Some of the products were amazing, and some were not so great. I have twelve products that I absolutely loved, and at the end I will say which box I think was the overall best in 2018. Now in no particular order, my favourites:

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1 – Ace Beaute Grandiose Eyeshadow Palette

This year, Boxycharm put a palette in almost every box. I have tested many palette, and this is one of my favourite one. It was in November’s box (which was overall pretty great). The quality of the eyeshadows are amazing, and it has a nice mix of wearable everyday shades along with some fun pops of colour with the pink and coral. This is definitely a palette I see myself using in 2019.

2 – IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil

Throwing it back to January with this product. I remember when I first used this pencil I wasn’t too sure, and then I proceeded to use this pencil all summer. It was just the perfect match for me. I like this product during the summer because it added some colour and shape to my brows, but it didn’t look like too much. It perfectly matched the makeup-no-makeup look I rocked most of the summer. I will definitely repurchase this pencil when I run out.

3 – Dr. Brandt Pores No More Luminizer Primer

This is probably a shocker to most of you. I got this product back in January and it wasn’t until December that I fell in love. My skin went through a dry period this much, so I was looking for products that helped bring some life back to my skin. This primer was the only one I owned that wasn’t completely matte, and it did wonders for helping my skin. For all my normal/dry girls out there, or anyone really who is looking for a dewier primer, this one is great.

4 – Sol de Janerio Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

It takes awhile for me to go through products, but I finished this before the month of June was even over. The scent of this cream is just amazing. I bought another one, which is the one in the photo above. If you haven’t tried this cream yet, you are missing out on something amazing.

5 – Butter London Double Decker Mascara

This was the year of great mascara in Boxycharm. The first of two favourites in the Butter London one. I should definitely get a new one because I’ve had this one since March (oops). But it’s so goooood. This mascara gives me fluffy lashes – that is the best way to describe it. It adds a little volume and length without looking too crazy. This mascara is great for every day wear, and removes really easily. I don’t know where they sell Butter London in Canada, but I will find a way to buy this mascara again because I need it in my life.

6 – IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara

The IT Cosmetics mascara is the opposite of the Butter London one. This mascara is the one I wear when I want my lashes to be huge but I don’t feel like wearing falsies. This Mascara really lengthens my lashes and add just a hint of volume. This mascara can be a little stubborn to remove, but the effect is well worth it. This was by far the best product in November’s box.

7 – Alamar Cosmetics Ojitos Brush Trio

I received tons of brushes from Boxycharm this year. Besides the Luxie eye brushes I received in my box last year, these brushes that I received in my September box are my favourite. I just personally enjoy the brush shapes that come in this trio. It has a blending brush, a flat brush and a liner brush – everything you need to do an eye look. The quality of these brushes are great and I reached for them again and again.

8 – Laura Geller Baked Blush-n-Brighten

Another product from September, that I am actually surprised I love so much. I received quite a few blushes from Boxycharm, and I don’t like many of them. I didn’t think that I would like this blush since it has a slight sheen to it, but it’s actually what I love so much about this blush. Most of the blushes I own are matte, but this one just adds just a healthy glow to my skin. I love it. Very surprised, good choice Boxycharm!

9 – Battington Monroe Lashes

These lashes were from June’s box. This year I have really started to wear false lashes more, so it was great to received some in my Boxycharm. These Battington lashes have been great. They are easy to apply, look great on the eyes and can be re-worn multiple times. I have been thoroughly loving these lashes.

10 – Alamar Cosmetics Reina Del Caribe Vol 1 Palette 

Another great products from June’s box was this palette. The quality of the eyeshadows were just amazing. The blue shade, Varadero, is probably the best metallic blue I have ever used. Whenever I wore this palette everyone asked me what I was wearing. Just looking at this palette right now makes me want to go and play with it again. I also saw that they just released new products, so @Boxycharm, if you guys want to give us more of their products I would be very happy!

11 – Girlactik Long Lasting Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade Posh

This year was not the year of lippies for me when it came to Boxycharm. I recieved soooo many weird shades, it’s not even funny. But this Girlactik liquid lipstick was by far the best. It is such a comfortable liquid lipstick, my lips don’t feel all dry and gross after wearing it. The shade Posh is just such a gorgeous warm nude. This was another hit product from January, and I honestly want to get more shades because this lipstick is great.

Honourable Mention to Naked Cosmetics Holographic Highlighter Collection

I used this highlighter palette, specifically the blue shade, during my school’s Orientation Week in September. Our theme was a music festival, so I went all out with the crazy makeup. This highlighter was amazing. It colour showed up so nicely and bright on my skin, and it lasted all day through the heat and humidity. I got some many people complimenting me on my highlight, everyone thought it must be Fenty Beauty or ABH because it was so good. If you are looking for a crazy, colourful highlight palette, this is the one.

Those were all my favourite products that I received in my Boxycharm this year. The best box of the year for me is a tie between June and November. For both June and November, the only bad product was the Jonteblu eyeliner – I’m not sure why Boxycharm keeps on giving us these eyeliners because I don’t like them. In June there were a tons of products that I really enjoyed. In November, I really liked that the box had a cohesive look to it.

Overall, I think 2018 was a great year for Boxycharm, and it has definitely gotten better over the years. What was your favourite Boxycharm products this year?

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Favourites, Review

Revisiting my 2017 Favourites

by LeaLeave a Comment on Revisiting my 2017 Favourites

Hey guys! So today’s post is inspired by a video by Diary of a Beauty Guru Wannabe, who was inspired by Alexandria S. The idea is to look back at our favourites from last year and to give our updated thoughts. I thought this was amazing idea, so I am giving you guys my update here!

So last year I had five favourites: The Jaclyn Hill Palette, the Laura Lee Cat’s Pajamas palette, the Wet n Wild Photo Focus Foundation, the Colourpop Blotted Lip in Drip and the L’Oreal Lash Paradise.  Some of my thoughts are quite different!

First, I still love the Jaclyn Hill Palette. I still think this is probably one of the best palettes I own. I just love the shade range, and I have created so many different looks with this palette. I also have convinced a few of my friends to buy this palette as well. Definitely still one of my favourites!

Now anyone who is really into the beauty community knows all the controversy that happened with Laura Lee this year. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you can just Google it. I’m not really sure how I feel about this whole situation, but I will say that I haven’t used my Laura Lee products as much since all of this drama happened. I will say this is still a great palette, and I think the quality of the eye shadows are great. We will see what happens in 2019 with the beauty community…

The Wet n Wild foundation was my favourite for awhile. I think it so much that I bought a second shade. This is foundation is still pretty amazing, especially for the price point.  I do find this foundation to be a little heavy, and sometimes it can look cakey on my face if I apply too much. Lately I have been using a different foundation more, which I will talk about in my 2018 favourites. Overall this is still a foundation I recommend, but I don’t use it as often.

The Colourpop Blotted Lip in Drip was my favourite lippie of 2017, and I still love it. I used it most of this year as well, but sometime in the summer I lost it and now I can’t find it. I decided that I would repurchase it when I eventually make another Colourpop order. Except I just went to check the website for this blog post and it’s been discontinued! I am so upset, Colourpop why did you do this to me?? If you guys know of a sheer but matte lipstick let me know!

The final product is the L’Oreal Lash Paradise. This was everyone‘s favourite mascara last year. I used it most of the year as well, but I haven’t repurchased it since it last dried out on me. I really do like this mascara, and it’s a great price. But I found that this mascara dried up really quickly, and whenever it was starting to go it made my lashes look clumpy. I have been enjoying other mascaras recently, which is why I haven’t repurchased it. I might buy it again in the future though, who knows!

And those were my favourite products of 2017 and my updated thoughts on the products. I find it so funny that I only had five favourites, this year I have way more haha! Also life update: I am officially done exams, but next week I am going to Mexico! I will try to post when I can, but I am unsure what the wifi will be like. But I will have a blog post go up next week 🙂

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Review

The James Charles x Morphe Palette Review

by LeaLeave a Comment on The James Charles x Morphe Palette Review

Hey guys! For those of you who don’t follow me on Instagram, I am currently in the middle of my final exams for university. I had my first exam at 4pm yesterday, which is when I normally post around. That is why this post is going up on Saturday! I have another exam on Monday and then my last two on Thursday, so next week’s post should go up on Friday.

Sometimes in life you see something and know immediately that you need it. That’s how I felt when I saw the James Charles palette. I like James, but I’m not a hardcore fan. But when I saw the palette and watched his full reveal, I was blown away. I was actually looking to get a colourful palette when he released it, so it was perfect timing. I ordered the palette the day it released (I bought it in class haha). I got the palette within a week, which is pretty great because this was during the postal strike. The palette cost $50 CAD, and I bought a few other items to get the few international shipping. The other times I’ve ordered from Morphe I had to pay duties, but this time I didn’t have to!

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I asked you guys on Instagram if you wanted my first impression on the palette or an in-depth review, and the later won. So I took a couple weeks to play around with the palette. I was busy with end of term papers and studying for exams, so I still haven’t had the chance to use the entire palette. But I have done three different glam looks, along with playing with it for more everyday looks. I’m going to start the review saying that this palette is amazing, but it’s not for everyone.

This palette contains 39 eyeshadows, ranging in colour and finish. The top two rows are the more traditional glam shades, including transition shades, highlighting shades and a few metallic shades. In the middle are 7 larger pans, which James thinks people will use the most, along with one face highlight. The bottom two rows are all the fun colourful shades. I really like the layout of the palette. It is logical and eye-catching. It makes me inspired. My only compliant is that I could have done without the large highlight. There are already some shades to highlight the inner corner and brow bone, but I always forget about the one in the palette when I’m doing my face makeup.

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I have decided not to swatch the full palette – mainly because it’s a lot to swatch all 39 shades haha. I did just the rainbow to show you a few of the shades. As well, there has been some controversy about some of the shades not swatching well. If you are curious about seeing swatching, I suggest you watch James’ reveal video, he explains that some shades are better packed on than swiped. While it is sometimes useful to look at swatches to see how shimmers or metallics look, they don’t often trying represent how mattes preform.

Now for the actual formula of the shadows. These colourful mattes are amazing. I find the darker shades are super pigmented, and the lighter ones are pretty good as well they just need to be built up a bit. For example, when I used the shade Bee (the bright yellow) at first it was a nice light wash of yellow but I was able to build it up to intense yellow. The shades are overall pretty true to what’s in the pan. Some of the shades do get darker the more you use it, but that’s true for most mattes anyways.

Now the shimmers/metallics in this palette are mediocre. I’ve used a few of the shades thinking they were going to be bright and intense, but they were all right. For example, the shade Wig is a classic gold shade. I decided to compare the shade to the golds in the Jaclyn Hill x Morphe palette and the 35O (order in photo top to bottom is James, Jaclyn 35O). The other two shades are definitely creamier and more impactful, with the Jaclyn Hill one being my personal favourite. I’m not saying this shimmer shades are bad – they are still pigmented and easy to use. They are just not the best I’ve ever used, but they get the job done.

Like I mentioned above, I decided to do multiple looks with this palette to test out some different shades. I am definitely planning to do more looks with this palette, so check out my Instagram (@xoxoxoleelee) for more. The first look is definitely a little out there, but I loved it! I used the shades Punch Me, Mary and a little Code James in the crease, and then I put Bee all over the lid. My housemate said it reminded her of pink lemonade! All the colours I used for this look blended easily – like I mentioned before the mattes are definitely the best part of the palette.

The next look I decided to do a fun Christmas look for the next one. I also wanted to test out the red as well. I used Punch Me and 10% Off in the crease, then all over the lid I put Guac. While Guac was very pigmented, there was surpisingly not that much shimmer even though I used my finger to apply it. On my lower lash line I used You’re Kidding and WOW is this shade pigmented. It also such a true red. Some people were complaining that the red stains and yes this did stain my lower lash line, but it wasn’t that bad. I wore makeup the next day and it wasn’t noticeable underneath it. Finally in the inner corner I put some So Good along with some glitter. This was a pretty easy look to do! (Also excuse the massive bags under my eyes, I was so tired when I did this look. I took my makeup off and went to bed immediately after haha).

The final look I decided to do a warm smokey eye to test out the middle shades in the palette. I used all the big pans in the middle – Tune, Code James, 10% Off, No beans and Spooky. I used a combination of Halloween and Shook on the lid. In my inner corner I just used my highlight. Once again I wasn’t that impressed with Halloween and Shook – they were decent but not mind blowing. I am also not a huge fan of Tune, I would have preferred it Punch Me was bigger, but that’s my personal preference when it comes to matte crease shades.

Overall, I think this palette is great for people looking to get into colourful and creative looks, because the matte shades are the best part of the palette. If you are someone who wears prefers to stick to neutrals, I wouldn’t recommend this palette. Only half the palette are neutral, every day shades and $50 is a lot to spend on only half a palette. As well, the shimmers are not that impressive. If you are someone who likes neutral shades but wants a little colour, I would recommend the Jaclyn Hill palette. There are way more neutral shades and the shimmers are way more intense. If you are someone looking to experiment with colour, this is an amazing palette. It has all the colourful shades you could ever wish for. I am really happy that I purchased this palette, and I’m excited to continue playing with it.

Hope you guys enjoyed this really in depth review, let me know if you liked it and I should continue doing palette reviews like this!

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Boxycharm, Review

November Boxycharm

by Lea1 Comment on November Boxycharm

Hey guys! I’m just gonna start off this post with saying that this is probably one of the best Boxycharm I’ve received in awhile. It’s not perfect, and I will give a fair review of all the products, but it was pretty good. I also loved the goal theme they had going on. Every product was black and gold, it gave me real New Year’s Eve vibes.

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The first product is the Instaglam False Eyelashes by the brand Lashaholic Lashes. First I love the sparkly gold box that these came in. The lashes themselves are beautiful. They are long but wispy, which means that I can see the eye look behind them. The band on these are very thick, so they are not the most natural looking. I also had some difficulties putting them on, but I honestly find that I struggle putting lashes on the first time and then after that they are easy for me to apply. Overall, I really liked these lashes, but they’re not my absolute favourite because I did struggle to apply them. Price: $14.99 USD

Photo 2018-11-20, 2 40 36 PM

Next is the Luxie Luminous Eye Set. As you guys know, I always love getting brushes, and these are no exception. I really like that Boxycharm sent this set because these brushes are minis, so they are smaller than typical brushes. I have received larger brushes, so it’s nice to get some variety. These brushes are great for small eyes or doing detail work. The gold packagaing is also beautiful. Very happy with these brushes. Price: it says $21 on the card, but the website says $30 USD

The next product is the Coverfx Glitter Drops in the shade Nova. This product is beautiful, but definitely not an everyday kind of highlight. This is basically liquid glitter. I drop a little bit on the back of my hand and then use my finger to apply it to my face. It dries down and leaves little flecks of glitter where I apply it. I think this would also be beautiful all over the body. While I don’t wear glitter every day, I will definitely reach for this product when I want glitter. Price: $44 USD, $54 CAD

The Jonteblu Glittering Star Eyeliner is probably the only product that I don’t really like. Jonteblu is a repeat brand for Boxycharm, and to be honest I’ve never been a huge fan of any of the products I received from them. This eyeliner is not the worst, just the glitters back it a little crumbly. I put it in my waterline and it didn’t stay very long. Not the worst eyeliner, but at least the packaging is pretty. Price: $5 USD

The final product is for sure my favourite: the Ace Beaute Grandoise Palette. The eyeshadows in this palette are amazing. They are pigmented and creamy. They apply well using both my fingers and brushes. Overall the quality of the eyeshadow in this palette are amazing. I do have a few personal preferences towards the palette. The shade Patchouli is a little too dark for me to set my eyeshadow primer but I could use it for other purposes. The shade Primerose, which I used all of the lid for one of my looks, is a little yellow for my taste since I prefer lighter gold shades. I also wish I had a darker shade, because the shade Poppy is a little lighter on the eyes, and I wanted a shade to deepen some of my looks. But the shades Clove and Rose are so beautiful and unique, and Jasmine is a beautiful highlight. I really liked the pink look I did with this palette. For the second look, I tried to do a cut crease, but had so many issues with my hooded eyes haha! Overall, I really liked this palette and I would recommend to anyone looking to purchase it. Price: $24.99

The total value of this month’s price was $109.98. Like I mentioned before, I really liked this box even. I try to give you guys a critical review of all the products, to let you know whether the products are worth purchasing separately. I hope that is helpful! If you guys got Boxycharm, what was your favourite product this month?

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Fashion, Haul, Review, Tips and Tricks

Black Friday Sales Roundup + Haul

by LeaLeave a Comment on Black Friday Sales Roundup + Haul

Hey guys! Short story time: if you didn’t know, I am Canadian, so we celebrate Thanksgiving in October. In Canada, our big sales is actually after Christmas, on Boxing Day. Only until recently have stores done Black Friday sales here in Canada. So this was my first year going out to the mall to go Black Friday Shopping. So I decided I would share the things I got today, and also any online sales that I thought you guys might be interested in.

black friday

Haul

I’ll try and keep my haul brief, and focus more on the deals than what I actually got. If you want more details on what I got, go check out my stories on Instagram (@xoxoxoleelee)! I have my full haul saved under BlackFridayHaul.

First, the classic Black Friday Stop – Bath and Body Works. They had a deal where you buy three of anything, get three of anything free. I realistically should have gotten six candles to get my money’s worth, but I didn’t need six candles so I got three hand soaps instead. I actually really like the hand soaps anyways, so I don’t mind. The soaps I got were Winter, Frosted Coconut Snowball and Vanilla Bean Noel. The three candles I got were Fresh Balsam, Campsite Coffee and Snow Fall. I saved $22.50 in total, which is close to one candle basically. At Bath and Body Works they also had a deal where you spend more than $30 you can get a tote with goodies for $35. Finally, all of these deals are also available online.

Next I went to M, which is a great Canadian Boutique. Unfortunately because they are a boutique you can’t shop them online, but if you guys live in the GTA area you should definitely check them out. They have really good quality pieces, and while they are pricey they also have great sales. For example, before 10am today everything in store was 50% off, and then after that it was 30% off.

At America Eagle, they had 40% off the majority of their story. First I got a pair of black jeans with rips in the knee, but I was in serious need of a new pair. The second thing I got was a dusty rose waffle knit. Overall I was able to save $39.96 because of the sale!

At Indigo, they had basically everything on sale. All books were on sale, ranging from 10-50% off. I bought two candles, because I love the Indigo candles. The way the candle holder is painted, there are tiny holes that allow the candle light to shine through. The two I got were Snowy Pine and Balsam Fir and Paperwhite. I would definitely head in to Indigo or go online because they have so many deals.

The final I went to was Sephora. I didn’t get much since I have bought some much makeup lately. At the front and around the store they had a few items on sale, but most of the story was full price. First I got the Bite Beauty four piece lipstick set, on sale from $29 to $17.50. Then I got set of two eyelashes from the Sephora Collection for $15, which unfortunately I can’t find online. Finally, I got my VIB Rouge gift!

Sales Roundups

I wanted to share a few other great sales with you guys! Most of these are either online exclusives, or just weren’t at the mall I went to.

The first is Urban Outfitters, where everything is buy one get one 50% off. I love Urban Outfitters, I think their clothes are well made and they always have unique things. There stuff is just outside my price range, so I only buy from them when I really love an item or when there is a good sale. Also their home section is also amazing!

Topshop is also having an amazing sale! In store they had items marked from 20-60% off, while online they have everything up to 50% off. I find Topshop prices to be really fair, like you can get a t-shirt for under $20, but then they also have amazing and high quality coats and outwear, which are obviously more expensive. They also have some really trendy and unique pieces as well.

If you are looking for makeup, I have two recommendations. The first is Anastasia Beverly Hills. The deals they have on their website are amazing. They have $15 eyebrow products, 30% off eyeshadow palettes, 40% off Glow Kits and lips, and 50% off eyeshadow singles. ABH is an overall great brand, so you can’t go wrong with any of their products.

The final recommendation is Glossier. I have actually not tried any of their products yet, but I really want to because I have heard so many good things about this brand. They currently have 20% off and free shipping over $30, so I think it would be a great time to check out the brand. If I only had more money… haha I can’t complain I bought so much stuff today!

And that is my round-up of some great Black Friday sales, along with what I personally got. I hope you guys score some great deals, let me know where you are going/went Black Friday shopping!

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Review

Huda Beauty Amethyst Obsessions Palette Review

by Lea1 Comment on Huda Beauty Amethyst Obsessions Palette Review

Hey guys! Today I am sharing with you guys my review of one of Huda Beauty’s mini palettes! I have heard so many good things about the quality of her eyeshadows, and that the formula on her mini palettes are just as good as her bigger palettes. When I saw her gemstone collection, I knew I had to get the Amethyst  Obsessions palette. Purple is one of my favourite colours, and I was actually looking for a palette with some nice purple shades in it, so it was a win-win for me!

Photo 2018-10-12, 12 16 07 PM

I also may or may not have been super excited to be take a photo of the palette with my amethyst rock. The palette comes with nine eye shadows, all different shades of purple. There is a range of finishes, from matte to metallic to glitter. All the eye shadows are very pigmented, which is really important for colourfully shades. As someone is not very experience with colourful shades, I was very happy that these shades were blendable, because it made it easier to do my makeup. Finally, the glitters did have a little fallout while applying, but once they were on the eyes they were set.

I decided to do two looks with this palette to really show off the palette. The first look I went full glam, with wing liner and lashes (excuse the wonky liner haha). I used the pink matte shades in my crease, and the bottom right purple/pink glitter all over my lid. I LOVED this look. I couldn’t help keeping myself in the mirror the rest of the night – even though my night just consisted of going to McDonalds and watching Netflix haha. Also, my lipstick was Scorpio Moon from Colourpop.

For the second look, I wanted to do something simple, to show to you guys that you can still use a colourful palette on an everyday basis. I used the dark purple to do a shadow wing, and I put the middle glitter in my inner eye. I really liked this look as well, and thought it was a fun-yet-basic look.

Overall, I really like this palette! This palette really inspired me to play with more colour, and I can’t wait to use this palette again. I also want to now try some of the larger Huda Beauty palettes. Let me know if you guys have any of her larger palettes, and which one I should get!

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Favourites, Review

Sephora VIB Sale Recommendations

by Lea1 Comment on Sephora VIB Sale Recommendations

Hey guys! It’s that time of year again – time for the Sephora Sale!! This weekend is the sale for those who are VIB Status, which is 20% off. Next weekend is the sale for everyone who is a Beauty Insider, which is 15% off. Sephora doesn’t do sales very often, so this is the time of the year to make some purchases! I have decided to round up my recommendations on what to buy from Sephora.

VIB Sales

1. Stock-up on frequently used products

If you’re like me, you probably have some ride-or-die products that you go through pretty quickly. For me, that’s my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and my Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. This are products that I use daily, so it’s nice to stock up on them.

2. A Beauty Blender or Brushes

Having good tools make applying makeup easier. If you have a good brush you can make even a mediocre product look better. Things like Beauty Blenders are expensive and maybe not the most exciting thing to purchase, so it’s nice to buy them when there is a discount available. I use my Beauty Blender daily to blend my concealer and apply powder, and while there are some drugstore dupes they’re not as great as the original. There are so many different brushes available at Sephora, but some of my favourite are the actual Sephora Collection ones. They have both sets and individual brushes, and some really cute ones too!

3. Skincare

Skincare can be expensive man! But it’s important to take care of your skin, because it makes makeup apply easier. There are so many amazing skincare brands at Sephora, and obviously every has different skin types, so what I like might be different than you. Some of my favourite brands are Origins, First Aid Beauty and Peter Thomas Roth.

4. Palettes

Palettes are probably some of the most expensive makeup items, so getting them during a sale is a great way to save money. Last VIB sale I bought Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam palette and the Tarte PRO Glow Highlight and Contour Palette. I really like both of them! Urban Decay and Too Faced also make some great eyeshadow palettes. Maybe I do a palette collection post sometime, let me know if you guys want me to do that!

5. Fun Purchases

I know that is a broad category, but I mean something that you would not purchase/use on a regular basis. Some examples include a new lipstick, some glitter or even false lashes! My lipstick recommendation are the Bite Beauty ones! They currently have some nice gift sets, so perfect time to try them out. For glitter, you can never go wrong with the Stila glitter eyeshadow – I own two and love them both. I also just bought the Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner, I will let you guys know how I like them. Finally, for lashes there are so many different ones, so it really depends on what you like/are looking for. I’ve tried the Sephora Collection ones and they are pretty good!

Those are my recommendations for the VIB sale! I also recommend to just try whatever product you have had on your wish list for awhile! The best time to try something is when you can get it on sale!

I personally only got a few products, so I will probably not being writing a full blog post of what I got. But check out my Instagram (@xoxoxoleelee) because I will definitively be showing what I got on there!

xoxo

Lea