This was my first time going to IMATS! My best friends and I reached Toronto Friday late night and we barely had any sleep on IMATS day. Although we didn't have too much energy to shop, we still managed to score few deals from MAC (20%), Benefit Cosmetics (35), NYX (20%) and Make Up For Ever (40%). The line for Morphe Brushes was way too long!!!
Bayberry Naturals Rosehip & Hibiscus Moisturizer: 0.5 oz (sample)
Full size (2.2 oz) retails for $17.95
NYX Ipsy Eye Shadow: 0.03 oz (Palette is exclusive to Ipsy)
Liptini Special Edition Lipstick in Starlet Coctail: 0.2 oz (full size)
Retails for $18
Formula X Nail Color in Ignite - Smoking Red:0.14 oz (sample)
Full size (0.4) retails for $10.50
This will be my last Ipsy bag. With shipping, it comes up to $19-$20 CAD and I just don't find it's worth it because some months I like the products while other months I barely even use them. Also some of the products I've been getting are from brands that aren't easily accessible especially here in Canada. I love their customer service though. I might subscribe again in the future but for now I just rather spend that money on something I know I will like.
Becca Afterglow palette is now available at Ulta. It retails for $39.50 and contains 7.4 gof product in total. It comes with 3 permanent highlighters and 2 permanent blushes:
Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone - 1.4 g
Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Rose Gold - 1.4 g
Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Topaz - 1.4 g
Mineral Blush in Wild Honey (blush) - 1.6 g
Mineral Blush in Flowerchild (blush) - 1.6 g
Full size of Becca Shimmering Perfector Pressed contains 0.28 oz (7.94 g) and retails for $38, while full size of blush retails for $32 and contains 0.2 oz (5.67 g). Yes, you do get slightly less product for the price but I still find it's worth getting especially since you get a variety of highlighters/blushes.
I have Opal and Champagne, which I absolutely love. I don't own none of the highlighters/blushes from Afterglow Palette, so personally I find it's worth it for me to get it. However, I'm not sure if I will be able to get it since it's Ulta exclusive and they don't ship to Canada.
I'm NC40-NC42 and I struggle sometimes to pull of nude lipsticks. Some of them wash me out, while others just don't show up too well on my pigmented lips. Here are some of my lipsticks, lip liners and lip combinations recommended for people with my skin tone. Of course, these are great picks for most people out there. The trick is to use lip liners and make them work for you.
SST Cosmetics is a Canadian company based in Saskatchewan. It offers a number of high quality beauty products that are claimed to be free of harsh chemicals.
The eyeshadows contain about 1.8 g of product and they're formulated without parabens. All the ingredients are listed on the back.
The lipstick contains 3.5 g (0.12 oz) of product and the ingredients are also listed on the back.
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Mild Silky Eye Shadow Combo
Price: $25.95
This comes with a matte and a shimmer shade to highlight. I personally like using the matte shade to highlight brow bone and the shimmer one all over the eyelid or in the tear duct.
Here are closeup swatches of both of the shades:
Shimmer (left) and Matte (right)
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Composed Silky Eye Shadow Single
Price: $21.54
I'm in love with this plum shade. It's perfect for the crease (see photo below) but you can also use it all over the lids.
Here's a closeup swatch of Composed:
I talked about it in my August favorites video and it's still my favorite till today.
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Eyeshadow Swatches
Here are the swatches of all of the eyeshadows (with and without flash).
They're pigmented and show up pretty well on my deep complexion.
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Stripped Hydrating Lipstick
Price: $23.94
This lipstick is infused with Grape Seed Oil, Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E. It has a bit of pink and shimmer.
Here are closeup swatches of the lipstick with and without flash.
Without Flash
With Flash
Here's a lip swatch of the shade:
I personally don't think like to wear it alone because it washes me out but I layering it on top of another lipstick.
That's what I did in one of my videos and I just love how it looked.
My friends and I are so excited for IMATS Toronto! We bought our tickets a few months ago for $35 each (before July 27th 2015) but now it's $45 each. Also, pro-card holders get a discount. You can buy your tickets online.
When?Saturday September 26 (9 AM to 5 PM) - Sunday September 27 (10 AM to 5 PM)
Where? Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Ticket Price: $45 plus taxes ($35 if purchased before July 27th 2015); Non-Transferable; Non-Refundable
Age Limit: 17 years or older
Entry Requirement: Ticket and Photo ID with date of birth
Exhibitors: Click here to see the full list of exhibitors and floor plan. Below are some of the exhibitors that will be present and I've done some research online and found the discount that some of these exhibitors offered in the past, so it may change.
ColourPop Lippie Stix retail for $5 USD each. These are available in a number of finishes: matte, cream, satin, sheer, pearlized, etc. I got 5 shades and swatched all of them in my latest video (lip swatches & review).
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Shades
The 5 shades I bought are Lumière, Frida, I Heart This, Fern & LBB. Here are swatches of all shades.
I love this shade itself but it doesn't complement too well my deep skin tone. However, I can still make it work with a lip liner. I did notice this one didn't apply evenly though.
This is one of my favorites! It's a lovely everyday color and I'm obsessed with it. I can wear it without lip liner and it works well for my skin tone.
I love purple lips, so there's no doubt I like this one too. It feels really nice on the lips but it can appear to be shiny. I personally don't mind it though. I really liked wearing it during the summer.
This is my favorite out of all of them. Such a gorgeous shade! I love the fact that it's red based so it makes me love it even more. Also, I find this one complements my skin tone the most.
If you're into deep plum or vampy lips, then you will love this much like I do. It's perfect for fall!
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Overall, I really do like these Lippie Stix! They're affordable and come in a variety of shades and finishes. I've only tried matte, cream and satin and I noticed that matte ones last longer than the others. I also love the fact that the matte ones don't dry out my lips and they're quite comfortable to wear compared to a lot of matte lipsticks out there.
I'd still recommend pairing them up with lip liners to prevent them from bleeding. Although each lippie stix comes with its own matching lip pencils, I didn't get any because I already had lip pencils that I can use with these shades.
That being said, I'd definitely recommend them! I can see why so many people love them and I just love the price. Yes, shipping to Canada can be a bit expensive but I'm happy ColourPop ships here. Hopefully in the future, they will ship worldwide but at the moment they don't. Also, don't forget to signup for their newsletter, so you can get a $5 coupon code emailed to you.
Last year, Christian Louboutin launched an extensive nail collection (I have a blog post on it). Now he's launched 38 lipstick shades retailing $90 each (yes, definitely pricey) and available in 3 finishes: Satin, Voile and Matte.
I'm in love with the packaging! It's so elegant and truly a piece of art.
It's presented in a black jewelry box and a silk carrying pouch. The box of shade Rouge Louboutin has a red interior.
The other shades have red/gold interior and gold writing in front of the box.
It also features a silk ribbon and can be worn as a necklace.The shade Rouge Louboutin comes in a black metal body, while the other shades are dressed in gold.
There are 20 shades that are claimed to provide "long-lasting, silky-satin lip color that glides on luxurious color, a sensuous texture, and superior wear."