Monthly Faves: May

I love monthly favorites - both posting them and reading them!

I don't know what's been up with me over the last few months, but my monthly favorites in entries past have been small. This one is no different!

These are products that have seen a lot of use this month; some I have used over the whole month.



Clinique Almost Makeup in Shade 01 Fair
This foundation has been discontinued by Clinique. This is my last bottle of it. :( I figured I might as well use it up before it expires rather than hanging on to it for special occasions. I still have not landed on a good replacement for this foundation. Clinique Even Better Makeup was close, but not quite perfect! Purchased at Sears

NARS Bronzer in Laguna
I love all three of NARS's Bronzers (I have them all), and Laguna is my second favorite (Irresistiblement is first!). Spring has been quite dreary where I live, so the shimmer in this bronzer has served to brighten my face nicely. Purchased at Sephora.ca

NARS Concealer in Vanilla
I have been using this to brighten the skin under my eyes; I just put three small streaks on under each eye (vertical streaks) and then blend them out with a foundation brush. Purchased at Sephora.ca

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
I have been using this as my eye shadow base all month. I love this primer - more than the original one! It's slightly more pigmented and shimmery than MAC's Bare Study Paint Pot. It came with my Naked Palette - so technically I bought it at Sephora.ca

Calvin Klein CKIN2U (100 mL)
I got a really really really good deal on this eau de toilette. I bought it for $20.00 on sale for Mother's Day. The scent has notes of citrus; it's a very fresh scent that I've been wearing a lot of. It's perfect for summer. Purchased at PharmaPlus

Essie Nail Polish in Shade 383 Innocent
I have found my 'perfect pink' nail polish. I am totally in love with this shade. In the bottle, the polish has a blueish-pink shimmer to it - which disappears on your nails. However, depending on what you are wearing, the shade can pick up other notes of color, switching between being more of a coral pink to a blue based pink. I love it! Purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart

Here is what the polish looks like on my nails (excuse the chipping - I've had it on all week and I need to take it off tonight!):



Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in Shade 200 Latino
Yet another blue-based-pink shade of product (I seem to be using a lot of them lately!). I love this lipstick. I've worn it most of the month. It's not obnoxiously bright pink, and it's not super muted either. Just pink enough! Purchased at PharmaPlus

Here is a swatch of some of the other products I've talked about:



L: Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Shade 200 Latino
ML: NARS Concealer in Vanilla
MR: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
R: NARS Bronzer in Laguna

One of my other favorites that I can't seem to stop watching is a clip of Justin Timberlake's appearance on Saturday Night Live recently. It's a skit he did with Kristen Wiig and Lady Gaga, called 'Liquorville'. I love it!



I've also been picking up some items to include in my 1st Annual Blog Birthday Giveaway (full details to be announced July 1st!); I have picked up some NARS items, Essie, and an NYC item or two. The prize pack is going to be AWESOME! I'm totally stoked to get June over with and post the details of the giveaway!

I am planning a relatively quiet weekend. I have some homework to do, and a book I want to finish reading. I also have to get my butt into gear and do some more posts - I have lots I want to share with you all!

Enjoy your Friday night!

Combinations: Sugar Pink Lips

I am back with another combination! This is a lip look that I sported for an entire week and still fall back on when I have no idea what I want to do with my lips.

I use Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Shade 200, Latino - which is a pretty shimmery pink with a blue/lavender undertone. This lipstick also looks lovely applied on its own.

After applying the lipstick, I add a dollop of Maybelline New York Shine Sensational Lip Gloss in Shade 30, Sweet Indulgence. Sweet Indulgence is a similar shade to Latino, with a more obvious blue/lavender undertone. It also smells like vanilla!

Here's some swatches:


Natural Light: L, Latino; C, Sweet Indulgence; R, Blended

With Flash: L, Latino; C, Sweet Indulgence; R, Blended

And here's what it looks like on lips:



Applying the gloss on top of the lipstick gives the color an added boost, and it also makes it more moisturizing. The flash made the colors kind of loose some 'oomph' on my lips - trust me that it looks far nicer in natural light!

Monthly Faves: April

May first already! Wow! I swear that just a week ago, we still had snow on the ground where I live (no joke! we did!). It's time for my monthly favorites. Again, this month's offering of products is small.

Lets get started!



Rimmel London Sexy Curves Mascara - I really like this mascara. It does a great job of defining my lashes and doesn't flake off as the day progresses. Could this be my new favorite mascara? We'll have to wait and see! Purchased at Wal-Mart

Maybelline New York Fit Me! Foundation in Shade 135 Creamy Natural - I really thought that I would take the lightest shade in this foundation, shade 110 Ivory. I bought a bottle of it (and the matching pressed powder) and wore it a few times without noticing anything peculiar. Recently, I applied it again and discovered I was really making my skin much paler than it naturally is. So, I ventured out to my local drugstore and bought the correct shade for my skin - which turned out to be the one I am featuring here. This foundation has a built in SPF and doesn't oxidize on me. While my skin doesn't stay matte through the whole day like it does with my Clinique Even Better Makeup, I am not a complete oil slick either. I like that this foundation does not irritate my skin and that it blends very well - putting it on takes no work at all. Purchased at PharmaPlus

Maybelline New York Fit Me! Pressed Powder in Shade 135 Creamy Natural - I dust a bit of this on with a Kabuki brush to set my foundation. It helps to prevent creasing and does a decent job of controlling oil. My beef is the compact it comes in - not a fan of this packaging. Purchased at PharmaPlus

MAC Eye Shadow Quad: Copperplate, Smut, Haux and Jest - These are some of my favorite MAC shadows, which I have been using in their quad combination, or in conjunction with other shadows. I find these shades very versatile and tend to use at least one of them every day. Copperplate makes and awesome brow filler and crease color, Jest is the best highlighter color I have, Haux is my favorite lid color, and Smut is probably my favorite MAC shadow ever. Purchased at MAC.ca

NYC Blushable Créme Stick in 647U South St. Seashell - I am still neglecting my powder blush in favor of cream formulas. NYC makes a great affordable cream blush that I've been using more and more lately. They remind me a lot of NARS Multiples. This particular shade is a warm tawny coral - a wonderful neutral shade that adds a hint of sunshine to my cheeks. Purchased at PharmaPlus

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original - I am really loving Urban Decay's new packaging for UDPP. It makes it so much easier to control how much you want to use and it's also much more sanitary. I use the teeny tiniest amount of this every day - this tube is going to be around for awhile! While it still isn't as good as the NARS Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base, it comes a close second - and it's a few dollars cheaper. Purchased from Sephora.ca

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Powder in Translucent - This powder has been virtually ignored since I reviewed it. Lately though, it's been living in my makeup bag. I use this to add some shimmer to my face on days where I don't want to wear blush or bronzer - I also use it all over my lid before I apply shadow to add some shimmer. It's also great to use on my eyes when I just want my face to look fresh and I don't plan on wearing any other eye makeup aside from mascara. Purchased at PharmaPlus

I also have some 'randoms' I thought I would include. These are things that have also peaked my interest this month.

So I am a HUGE Gleek. I've been watching this a ton over the past month. My favorite character?



That's right, Santana Lopez. Her bitchy one-liners are awesome and I love her singing voice. I'm glad that the writers are giving her (and a lot of the other Glee club members) more story lines and songs this season. I also like Brittany and Artie, Mercedes, Kurt and Coach Beiste!

Another thing that I've been obsessed with is my Kobo e-Reader.



I just got it last week and I've been using it a ton. I am completely converted to e-reading now. It's like I was when I bought my first iPod - I've never bought a CD since! I doubt very much that I'll purchase a hardcopy book ever again...unless there are super special circumstances involved! My e-reader is 'pearlized lilac' - purple! and I have a nice black Roots leather case for it so that I can cart it around in my purse without damaging it.

I am itching to read everyone else's monthly favorites. It's great to see what everyone else is using month to month.

I hope you all have a lovely week! :)

REVIEW: Rimmel London Sexy Curves Mascara

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

Rimmel London Sexy Curves Mascara in 003 Extreme Black, $6.98 CDN @ Wal-Mart

Reason for Purchase

The mascara brush intrigued me.

Notable Features

I quote-eth directly from the packaging:

- Up to 70% curlier lashes.
- Triple Plump Brush
- Patent pending Lash Inflation technology contains a protein enriched formula to instantly amplify your natural volume for fabulously fuller, clump free lashes.
- Unique Triple Plump Bush curves IN for volume and curves OUT for maximum curl.
- Opthamologically tested.
- Suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

This mascara is available in a waterproof formulation, too.

Packaging

The mascara tube is a metallic purple, and comes in standard cardboard packaging.

Experience Using Product

I’ve been using this mascara every day for two weeks, and I am pleased with it. I do not find it curls my lashes - but it does define them very well. This is what I look for in mascaras; I already have long, curly eyelashes naturally - so all I am looking for is a mascara that can help define them.

I was surprised at how easy the brush was to work with; it is easy to handle on the upper and lower lash line. The brush gets into the inner and outer corner of the eye very well.

Here is a picture of the brush:



This mascara is also easily removed; I am able to get most of it off when I wash my face in the shower at night. Usually all I am left with is black residue on my under-eye area - which comes of with a quick wipe of a cotton pad and warm water.

The formulation of the mascara itself is very loose or watery - not clumpy or gelatinous. This means that I sometimes end up with little dots of mascara on my eyeshadow if I apply it quickly and don’t let it dry for a few seconds before blinking. While the mascara does not clump on my lashes, its wet formulation occasionally causes some of my lashes to stick together - not a big problem, but it can be annoying.

Here is a before shot of my eyelashes, with no mascara:





Here is an after shot of my eyelashes, with the mascara applied.





Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I will most certainly re-purchase this mascara. It is cheaper than the Cover Girl LastBlast Fusion I’ve been buying, and basically does the same thing.

Generally, people are picky with mascaras; everyone has their favorite formulation and is looking for something different - volume, curl, definition, color, etc. This mascara is relatively cheap; so, if you’re wanting to try something new and you share a lot of the same ‘wants’ in a mascara as me, give this one a try.

To learn more about this product visit the Rimmel London website by clicking here.