April Favourites ♥

Hello lovelies!~ I know this is sort of late >_< but I wanted to share with you the things I've been loving for the month of April! ^-^



Blushes/Bronzer

MAC Immortal Flower, Illamasqua Katie, MAC Refined Golden Bronzer
I've featured Immortal Flower and Katie on my blog before but seriously I've been wearing these two blushes non-stop all month long. Immortal flower is limited edition but Illamasqua's Katie is permanent! I highly recommend you guys to check it out, it's the prettiest baby pink and it just gives your cheeks such a cute glow! I like that it's matte but you can always add a shimmery highlight on top. Super pigmented as well, you need very little on your brush and blends out really nicely. I want to try out the other blushes from Illamasqua, they've got some high quality products! I'm pretty sure Mac's Refined Golden Bronzer is permanent. I've been starting to wear bronzer lately as the weather's been getting really sunny. It's a warm toned brown with some shimmer but the shimmer doesn't really show up that much on the skin. It's nice but I find I have to use a light hand or it can look really dark and orangey on my skin. I like to use this with Katie blush, they look really nice paired together. I'm actually on the look out for a good bronzer, any recommendations? The new Dior bronzers they have out in their summer collecton look promising!


Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Hydrating & Firming Gel

This has been my main moisturizer for about 4-5 months. I've been using it day and night. I have to say, I've been really enjoying this! It's a great light gel moisturizer that doesn't irritate or make my skin break out. I'm actually almost done my jar so I'm going to be doing a review on this that will be up most likely early next week if your interested ^-^.


Etude House Happy Tea Time Peach Tea Cleansing Foam

Etude House always has the cutest packaging ever ^-^. I've been using this foam cleanser for about 2 months now. I love peaches and anything peach scented! The peach scent on this isn't bad but not the best I've smelt. This cleanser leaves my skin feeling super clean. I'll also be doing a review on this as well and that'll be up early next week for those of you who are interested! They've got a couple other tea cleansers in this line that I want to try out. I purchased mine from Gmarket.


Nail Polishes

Essie Play Date, Nicole by OPI "Baby" Blue
These two colors were my favourite among the other polishes I wore in the month of April. Essie's Play Date is absolutely beautiful! It's bright and super flattering on the nails and toes. Really opaque, you only need two coats for perfect coverage. Really recommended! "Baby" Blue is a pretty baby blue lol. They pretty much described it spot on. This one is opaque as well, two coats will give you perfect coverage. Don't mind my chipped nail polish, it was time to take it off but I wanted to show you guys how it looked on the nails ^-^. Received lots of compliments while wearing these colors. Recommended! "Baby" Blue should be available at your local drugstores and Play Date should also be available at local salons or nail supply stores.


MAC Bare Study Paint Pot

I've been really enjoying this paint pot! It's a shimmery champagne that works as a great all over the lid color. Super easy to wear and you don't need to use a primer. You can use a brush but I find it better just applying it to the lids with my fingers. I've just been wearing this all over the lid and then eyeliner for a really simple clean look. Great for if your on the go or on your lazy days ^-^. It is pretty shimmery though so if your not into shimmery eyeshadow, this may not be your thing. If you haven't tried MAC paintpots before, try them out!


Lipsticks/Lipglosses

MAC Frankly Fresh, MAC Watch Me Shimmer, MAC Ever Hip, Revlon Cherry Tart, Revlon Red Velvet, Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Negligee Pink 256, Dior Addict Singuliere 465


MAC Frankly Fresh - A pretty nude shade with with very fine silver shimmer/sheen to it. It's a very wearable color. I like to just wear this by itself or over an overly pale nude lipstick to give it a bit more color. Good everyday lipgloss.


MAC Watch Me Simmer - A bright coral. I've already talked about this lipstick before so I won't go into to much detail. It's such a pretty color and I feel happy when wearing it ^-^. It was released with the Shop Cook collection and then was re-released again recently. I hope you guys were able to get your hands on it!


Ever Hip - A beautiful coral pink! One of my favourite coral peachy pinks to wear. I purchased mine when it originally came out in the Liberty of London collection. I`m glad I still have a good chunk of it left. I don`t wear it much during the fall or winter but I love wearing it during the spring and summer! I think it`s such a flattering shade on all skin tones. If I remember correctly, it did get re-released recently. It`s such a popular shade that I`m pretty sure MAC will relaunch it again sooner or later.


Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Negligee Pink 256 - A soft cream pink. This is actually the first and only Dior gloss I own at the moment. I love their lipgloss formula, it applies and feels smooth on the lip, and isn`t sticky. I think most of the shades in this line have tiny shimmers but this one is a cream finish, which I like. It looks nice on its own but looks great over pink lipsticks. If your looking for a neutral pink gloss I`d recommend this shade! I`m excited to try more colors from this line =)


Dior Addict Lipstick Singuliere 465 - An adorable creamsicle pink! One of my all-time favourite lipsticks ever! It looks like a really bright intense pink in the tube but when swatched, it`s actually the most cutest baby pink ever! What`s also neat about this lipstick is that you can layer to build up the color to almost the same shade as in the tube. The formula is excellent, it applies super smoothly to the lips and it feels moisturizing, not drying at all. I actually don`t mind sheer lipsticks as long as the formula is great and the color can be built up. If your looking for a super pigmented lipstick from the get go, then this might not appeal to you. It`s a cream finish. It just makes your lips look really cute, moist, and lush =). Refer to the swatches below to get an idea of what I mean!

Swatches

Dior Singuliere, Dior Negligee Pink, Revlon Red Velvet, Revlon Cherry Tart, MAC Ever Hip, MAC Watch Me Simmer, Mac Frankly Fresh


Arm Candy

I`ve been really into stacking bracelets lately. These are a few I`ve been enjoying wearing together this month! The white pyramid bracelet along with the beaded charm bracelets are all from H&M. The blue bangles are from F21.


EOS Lip Balm

This has been my go to lip balm as of late. When I first bought this, I wasn`t too fond of it to be honest. However, as I began to use it more and more, I grew to love it! ^^! Mine is in the scent Summer Fruit but I really want to try it in the baby pink flavor (I think it`s strawberry). Sadly, I haven`t seen that one anywhere near me.


I hope you enjoyed my April favourites! I promise to post my May favourites on time ^^! I have some reviews and other goods coming up so stay tuned!
Till next time,
♥
Mary

Roar Kitty, Roar

Some pretty finds =)
H&M Lion Necklace. Don't you love my new pet? Very vintage looking. His name is Aslan. Doesn't this necklace just remind you of Narnia? I love the Narnia books and movies.
American Apparel Neon Orange Nail Lacquer. This polish was on sale for only $1! Crazy good steal no?! Gotta stock up on my neons for summer ^-^.
Loreal lipstick in Fairest Nude. I know Fairest Nude is a cult favourite among many but is only now finally available in Canada. It is a really pretty nude shade. Lives up to all the hype ^-^.
Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch. My first time trying the Baby Lips balms. It's nice but haven't really gotten to play around with it yet. I want to try the blue one.


Some photos of my baby =)

Beauty napping. He does this a lot. Isn't he so pretty? ^-^


Some more beauty napping. He lives the good life. Sometimes I wish I was born a pampered cat.


This is his 'look mommy I'm dying of hunger' look. FEED ME. NOW. He is such a diva.


Till next time,
♥
Mary

April 2012 Topbox Review

Hello lovelies!~ I really enjoy receiving these monthly beauty boxes. It's like a little treat to myself every month ^-^. It's exciting because you don't know what your getting so it's always a surprise. It's also a great way to try out new products for all you adventurous types ^-^. There's so many beauty boxes out now: Canada has top box, luxe box, glymm box, and glossy box. There's also birch box, glam box, and many more for the U.S. I've been subscribed to top box, luxe box, and glymm box. For those of you who don't already know, these beauty boxes are a monthly subscription service where you receive usually 4-5 deluxe beauty samples. Prices vary but most of them are $10 +tax a month. Out of the three boxes I've tried, I like top box the best and so it's the only one i'm still subscribed to at the moment. Now on to the review for April's box!






What's pretty fun and unique about top box is the fact that it isn't really a 'box' but a cylindrical tube. The April packaging was also unique in that the tube was made of 100% recycled materials in honor of Earth Day. You have the option to choose this packaging for your future boxes. I think it's awesome and will be supporting the new environmentally friendly packaging ^-^!



Principessa Beauty Dry Shampoo

This is a dry shampoo for darker hair. Principessa describes it as a "silky multi-use powder. A refreshing treat, talc free, and designed to keep you shower fresh all day and smelling amazing." I haven't used it yet but it looks very promising! It has a very light fresh scent. Love the packaging, super cute and girly! The full size retails for $24CA (125g). This is 30g, so it's a pretty decent sized sample. I've tried dry shampoo before, which didn't go well but I'm on the lookout for a good one especially for the summer. I don't like to wash my hair (I wash it every other day) daily because I don't want to dry it out and strip it of its natural oils. My hair doesn't get oily super fast but in the summer, especially when you have bangs (all you girls with bangs know what I'm talking about), the bangs tend to get oily the quickest. Hopefully this product will work out for my bangs. Will do a review on this later once I've tested it out ^-^.


Benefit the POREfessional Pro Balm

Who doesn't love Benefit?! I always love trying new Benefit products ^-^. According to Benefit, this is a balm that quickly minimizes the appearance of pores and fine lines for smoother-than-smooth skin. You can wear this balm alone, under, or over makeup. It's "translucent, oil-free formula complements all skin tones and helps makeup stay put." The full size product is $34CA (22mL) and this sample is 7.5mL. It sounds like an interesting product. I don't wear any face makeup so i'll try it alone and see if it makes any difference to my skin.


Misa Nail Lacquer in "Pretty in Pink"

Yay for nail polish! I love receiving nail polish, especially when it's a color that I actually like ^0^. It's a really pretty strawberry pink with some pink fuchsia shimmers. It'll be a nice shade to wear in the summer. This is a full sized product which retails for $9CA so this alone pays for my box ^-^. There's also a coupon attached to the polish where I get 20% off on a Misa polish. This is my first Misa product so i'm pretty excited! ^-^


Bella Pella Tropical Flowers Body Lotion

Bella Pella is a Canadian brand and according to them this is a "lightweight non greasy lotion enriched with avocado oil, jojoba oil, and shea butter." It's suppose to smell like exotic South Pacific flowers. It does have a very strong floral scent which is not my favourite to be honest. It doesn't smell bad but isn't my style. I do like receiving lotion samples as my hands can get really dry. I like popping them into my bag to use on the go. The full size retails for $15.95CA (175mL) and the sample size is 30mL.



Overall, I'm happy with this month's box! All the products I've received were things I would use or wouldn't mind trying out. I've gotten some really bad boxes before from other companies but top box seems to be consistent with good products ^-^! Are you subscribed with top box or any other beauty boxes? Which ones are your favourites?
Till next time,
♥
Mary

MAC Tres Cheek Collection + Chen Man Collection Swatches

Hello lovelies! ^-^ I've got a quick review and swatches on some of the MAC collections that came out recently: Mac Tres Cheek and MAC Chen Man. I just picked up a couple of products from each collection. The newest MAC collectin coming out this Thursday is the Fashion Sets, where the most popular lipstick colors will be available in limited edition lipglasses and nail polishes. I don't think I'm going to be purchasing anything, I need to save up for MAC's Hey Sailor collection coming out later this month! Super excited about that ^-^. On to the swatches and review!


MAC Tres Cheek Collection Blushes

(L-R:) Immortal Flower, Peony Petal

Immortal Flower is a light peach in a satin finish. I seriously love this color!! I actually don't have any shade like this in my collection. It's a straight up peach, no coral or pink hues to it. This blush is actually deceiving. When I first swatched it on my hand at the MAC store, it was really sheer and honestly didn't look like anything special, but when I applied it to my cheeks, I fell in love! It gives you the most lovely warm peach flush, super flattering! It shows up much better on the cheeks than it does when you swatch it. It blends really nicely and you can easily build up the color. If this is still available at your nearest counter, pick one up! I feel this blush would be super flattering on fair skintones. ^-^
Peony Petal is a cool blue-based pink in a satin finish. This one is really pigmented. It's a really pretty barbie pink but it looks pretty dupable, I feel I have a couple of blushes that are similar. I'm pretty pale so I had to use a light hand when applying the blush but I think this shade would work across all skintones. If your looking for a pretty barbie pink blush then I would check it out if it's still available at your counters. If you already own a lot of bright cool toned pinks then I don't think it's a must have, as you may already own something very similar.


Swatches








MAC Chen Man Collection

(L-R): Budding Love lipstick, Force of Love lipglass



Budding Love is a light lilac pink in a lustre finish. A really cute girly color. I find most lilac/lavender colors hard to pull off but this one works because it's more of a pink with lilac undertones. It's sheer at first but you can build up the pigmentation easily by applying more layers.


Force of Love is a bright warm pink with silver shimmer. It's so pigmented that I can easily wear it alone. The color is gorgeous and would look lovely in the summer. It's a shade that I think would look good across all skintones.


Swatches



I hoped you enjoyed the swatches + reviews ^-^. Next up will be a review on April's Topbox, a monthly beauty box subscription available in Canada.
Till next time,
♥
Mary