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!!!
*HAUL video will be up September 30th
ACURE Brightening Facial Scub: 1 oz (sample)
- Full size (4 oz) retails for $9.99
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.
Products Mentioned
- Benefit The POREfessional
- L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR Foundation (107 Fresh Beige)
- Farsali Rose Gold Elixir
- MAC Fix +
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo - Dark Brown
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel
- MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot - Soft Ochre
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Shadow Couture World Traveler Palette:
- Soft Peach - nude coral peach(ultra-matte)
- Morocco - brick (ultra-matte)
- Noir - deep carbon black (ultra-matte)
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Single Eye shadows
- Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon - Blacquer 42
- House of Lashes - Iconic
- Huda Beauty Eye Lash Glue
- Kat Von D Tattoo Liner (Trooper)
- MAC Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer - NC35
- Tarte The Sculptor Contouring Face Slenderizer (Park Ave Princess)
- NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - Ginger
- Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette
- Sigma Blush - Heavenly
- Becca Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed- Champagne Pop
- Dior Diorshow Mascara - Black 090
- MAC Lip Pencil - Nightmoth
- Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick - Exorcism (Ripe Blackberry)
- Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick - Outlaw (Brick Red)
Brushes/Tools
- Sigma F80 - Flat Top Kabuki
- Sigma E75 - Angled Brow
- Morphe MB29 - Angle Liner/spoolie
- Morphe S4 - Deluxe Oval Concealer S4
- Sigma E54 - Medium Sweeper
- Sigma E35 - Tapered Blending
- Sigma E39 - Buff and Blend
- Sigma E40 - Tapered Blending
- Sigma E55 - Eye Shading
- Sigma E10 - Small Eye Liner
- beautyblender
- NARS Kabuki Ita Brush
- Sigma F25 - Tapered Face
- Marc Jacobs Beauty The Bronze - Bronzer Brush No. 12
- Morphe M100 - Mini Tapered Blush
- Morphe M601 - Soft Fan
- Sigma E30 - Pencil
- Morphe M515 - Detail Crease
- Sigma E15 - Flat Definer
→ Sigma Beauty 10% coupon code: INNOVATINGBEAUTY
Giveaway
Some of the products are included in my giveaway ending September 30th:
Becca Afterglow palette is now available at Ulta. It retails for $39.50 and contains 7.4 g of product in total. It comes with 3 permanent highlighters and 2 permanent blushes:
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.
Opal (left) and Champagne pop (right)
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.
I got to test out two of their eyeshadows and lipstick from their Quintessential Collection:
- Mild Silky Eye Shadow Combo - $25.95
- Composed Silky Eyeshadow Single - $21.54
- Stripped Hydrating Lipstick - $23.94
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.
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:
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| Shimmer (left) and Matte (right) |
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.
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.
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.
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| Without Flash |
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| 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.
- Benefit Cosmetics - NEW
- Friend's Beauty/Stilazzi - Representing Sigma Beauty, Viseart, Vera Mona, etc.
- Inglot
- MAC Pro - 20% off
- Make Up For Ever - 40% off
- Makeup Mansion Cosmetics - You can find brands such as BH Cosmetics, L.A. Girl, Sleek, etc.
- Nigel Beauty Emporium - Following brands can be found here: Anastasia Beverly Hills, Cinema Secrets, Ben Nye, etc.
- Morphe Brushes - No special discount but you don't pay tax and shipping
- NARS - $10 off on $75 purchase
- NYX Cosmetics - This year NYX has its own booth
- Virtzu Distribution
Speakers/Classes: There will a couple of speakers present on each day: Kevin James Bennett, Thomas E. Suprenant, Eve Pearl, Jordan Samuel, Sébastien Tardif, Jordan Liberty and many more. Click here for the full schedule of classes and speakers.
You can't pass up learning from these make-up masters! Schedule & tickets available at http://t.co/wJf9HtfvYJ! pic.twitter.com/JYXUFeskUZ
— IMATS (@IMATS) September 5, 2015
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).
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!
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.
- In-Stores
- Canada: Holt Renfrew
- United States: Christian Louboutin, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora
- Online
- Christian Louboutin Website
- Saks Fifth Avenue
- Nordstrom
- Sephora (U.S. only)
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."
There are 9 shades and they're claimed to provide sheer, bold lip colour with a high shine finish.
There are 9 shades that are claimed to be highly-pigmented and non-drying while leaving a suede finish.
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