Beauty Quote of the Week # 21

Beauty - in projection and perceiving - is 99.9% attitude. 

 ~Grey Livingston

FunnyFace Question of the Week # 15

Hey Everyone, 


Hope you are all having a great week. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who lives in the U.S and hopefully, Happy Black Friday Online Sales Day, to everyone else. Here is this week's beauty question:


Q: What is your current favourite fragrance and why? 


A: I am absolutely still in love with my SJP NYC perfume. I was in the US a couple of weekends ago and found a really great gift set with two bottles of my perfume, a body lotion and shower gel and a watch for $51.00 (that's why I love the States!).  The perfume is really fruity and girly smelling, and the bottle screams 'ALICIA!' (hot pink, zebra patterns, etc). I also recently smelled, and got a sample of, The Harajuku Lovers perfume in 'Baby'. It has a very light girly scent that reminds me of baby powder (but better). Finally I just received a small bottle of LAVANILA's Coconut Vanilla perfume which smells super tropical and super amazing!!


Let me know what your favourite fragrance is in the comment section below. 


Thanks!
Alicia 

Product Review: Revlon False Eyelashes and Eyelash Adhesive

Hey Everyone,

About a month ago I was contacted by someone who works at Revlon and asked if I would be willing to review some of their false eyelashes and lash glue. Before I start my review, I just want to say the following: I am and will always be 100% honest in all of my posts whether it be a review, a new makeup look or haul. I do not, and will not, take any form of compensation from any company for a review of their products, nor will I take any percentage of a sale from a product that I tell you about. I will always inform you if a product has been sent to me for review, but this will be the only time I post this disclaimer. With all that out in the open, onto the review.

Revlon has always been one of my favourite drugstore makeup lines (I love my colourburst lipsticks), but to be honest I didn't even know they sold eyelashes. When I first opened my package from Revlon, I was surprised to see just how many different kinds of lashes and lash products they do carry. In total I was sent 4 pairs of different lashes and one tube of Revlon's own lash glue. Wanting to make sure I could give you a very thorough review, I have spent the last month trying out all of the lashes and I have to say that overall I am really impressed. 

Due to the fact that I was sent several pairs of lashes and glue, I have split my review into three parts: (Lash Glue, Self-Adhesive Lashes and Glue On Lashes):

Revlon 'Precision Lash Adhesive'

What:

Revlon's Precision Lash Adhesive is a no-mess, non-latex, waterproof lash glue. What makes this lash glue special is its thin brush that allows for precise application on the lash band. (Approx. $8.00 USD)

Pros:

1) Ultra Thin Brush- This is the only lash glue I have seen that has a brush for applying the glue to the lash without making a mess. Most lash glues have squeeze tubes which make applying a thin coat of glue to the lash band more difficult. With this thin brush you can apply the glue exactly where you want it and don't have to worry about extra glue sticking to your skin or real lashes. If for some reason, the corner of your lashes unstick throughout the day (did not happen to me), you can use this brush to help touch up the corners of the band and help the lashes stay on the lash line. 

2) Smell - The lash glues that I have used in the past have always had a very fishy smell, which to be honest always made me feel embarrassed when applying lashes on others (I didn't want them to think my glue had gone bad and I was too stupid to know it). This glue has no smell whatsoever which for me, is a HUGE pro. 

3) It works- I have used Revlon's lash glue several different times with several different pairs of lashes and have never had a problem with them unsticking or falling off. I used Revlon's lash glue when I went to IMATS and wore my lashes from 8am-10pm without having to re-touch the glue or worry about my lashes slipping off. 

4) Its Gentle- I have somewhat sensitive eyes and never experienced any irritation with Revlon's lash glue. Although the lashes stayed on the entire day, they were super easy to peel off at night and did not pull at the delicate skin around my eyes. 

Cons:

1) Length of time to apply - The only con I could find with this lash glue is that it takes a while for the glue to get tacky enough to stick the lashes to the eye. Rather than putting the glue on the lash and sticking it to the lash line right away, I had to wave the lashes (with glue on) around for about a minute before placing them on the lash line. If you are in a hurry to get out the door in the morning this may not be the glue for you.

Overall:

I was really impressed with Revlon's Precision Lash Adhesive. I can say with certainty that this will become the lash glue I use on and recommend to other people.

Rating:

8/10 FunnyFaces

Revlon Glue on Lashes
Top: Beyond Natural Lashes in 'Dramatic 3x Volume', Beyond Natural Lashes in 'Natural Defining'
Bottom: Fantasy Lengths Lashes in 'Intensifying'

What: 

Synthetic handmade lashes in a variety of styles and lengths. These glue on lashes have a very natural look and can be easily applied to the lash line using Revlon's 'Precision Lash Adhesive'. (Approx. $6.00 USD)

Pros:

1) Durable: I have used my Fantasy Length Lashes in 'Intensifying' several times now and they still have their original shape. Revlon doesn't say how many wears you can get out of the lashes but I would suspect if you took care of these lashes properly you could use them approximately 10 times.

2) Natural Looking: All three pairs of these lashes are extremely natural looking. While wearing the Fantasy Lengths lashes at IMATS I received several compliments from people telling me how nice and natural my eyelashes looked. Unlike some of the lashes out on the market, these 3 pairs of lashes are great for everyday wear.

3)Thin Band: These lashes have an extremely thin band that helps hide the fact that these lashes are fake. Often when I wear false lashes I have to apply heavy eyeliner in order to cover where the false lash meets the eye, but because the band on these lashes is so thin, the line completely disappears. 

4) Weight: Another great thing about these lashes is that they feel light and do not have that heavy "weighing down your eyes" feel that some other false lashes have. Once properly applied to the lash line, I completely forgot that I was even wearing false lashes.

Cons:

1) Small Package Glue: The only fault I could find with any of these lashes is the small tube of lash adhesive that came with one of the pairs of lashes (the Fantasy Lengths in 'Intensifying'). Unlike Revlon's Precision Lash Adhesive, this tube had no brush for applying the glue to the lashes and contained very messy white glue that left white clumps on the lashes when applied. If I were Revlon I would remove any of the smaller tubes of glue from their lash packages and stick with the larger package of their Precision Glue.

Rating: 

9/10 Funny Faces

Revlon's Fantasy Lengths's Self Adhesive Lashes

What:

Revlon's website describers the Fantasy Lengths Self Adhesive Lashes are follows: "Without messy glue to fumble with - you can have perfect lashes that stay where you want them to - even in water" (Approx $6.00 USD)

Pros:

1) No glue required: For those who find it difficult to use lash glue or don't have the time to wait for the glue to become tacky, these lashes already have a sticky band along the top of the false lash for quick application

Cons:

1) They don't work: I tried these lashes several different times and in several different ways and could not get them to stay perfectly on my lash line for more than 30 seconds. One part of the band always started to fall off within seconds bringing the rest of the lash down within a couple of minutes.

2) The stickiness of band: While the band was super sticky when first applying the false lashes to the lash line, once they fell off (within a few minutes) the band lost its tackiness and was not sticky enough to reapply the false lash.

3) The extra band: Although Revlon does provide an extra self-adhesive band in case the first band loses its ability to stick to the lash line, the band is so delicate that by the time you try and get it out of the packaging it has been bent or broken. The other problem with the second lash band is that it is so incredibly sticky it gets stuck to your fingers, hands, clothing, etc. while trying to get it out of the packaging.

4) The thickness of the band: After having so many bad experiences with the self-adhesive band, I thought that I might be able to salvage the lashes by applying them with lash glue. Unfortunately the band of the lashes is so thick (probably to help them stick to the eye) it makes the lashes look incredibly fake once applied to the eye. 

Overall:

These lashes somewhat ruined the Revlon lash experience for me. I was so happy with the rest of the products I used, but these lashes left a bad taste in my mouth. If I were Revlon, I would get rid of the self adhesive lashes and only sell the glue on lashes.

Rating: 

1/10 FunnyFaces

Overall, I was really impressed with the quality of Revlon's false lash products. If you haven't tried any of their eyelash products I would highly recommend you check them out. I know I will be using their products in the future. 

Let me know if you have tried their false lash products and what you think of them in the comment section below

Thanks!

Alicia 

Experimental Makeup Look # 11

Hey Everyone,

I realized last week that it has been almost two months since I posted my last 'Experimental Makeup Look'. My sister has a full time job now making it hard to find time to do her makeup and be able to get good pictures in natural light. I realize that, during this time, I could have been doing experimental makeup on myself, but to be honest, even though I post all of these quotes about loving yourself, I didn't feel confident enough to post pictures of my plus sized face. Thanks to all of your encouraging and supportive comments on all of my posts, I realized that I need to embrace what I preach (beauty is from within, a confident woman is a beautiful woman) and start posting experimental makeup posts using my own face. So here we go:

While reading one of the newer issues of Elle Magazine, I came across an ad for Guess. In the ad, the woman has a very dramatic winged eyeliner with a very lightly done face and a beautiful nude lip. I have never been good at applying my own eyeliner (especially winged liner), but I loved the look so much I decided to try it on myself. It took me about an hour to get everything looking its best, but in the end I was really happy with the way it turned out (and really impressed that I could actually do winged liner). Unfortunately, as I took pictures of the makeup I had done, I remembered that what looks super dramatic in person, can come off looking pretty plain on camera.

As I usually do when putting on my makeup, I decided to start with my eyes to ensure that I wouldn't ruin my foundation or concealer. I started by priming my eyes with Urban Decay's Primer Potion (one of my Holy Grail products). I then used Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner in 'Zero' (a creamy black liner), and smudged it over my entire lid stopping just below my crease). I then took Maybelline's black gel eyeliner and my new favourite eyeliner brush (Branded J Collections 'HANNAH' angled liner brush) and slowly created a wing at the corner of each eye. (If you are trying a similar look, don't be worried if you don't get a straight wing on your first try. It took plenty of q-tips, makeup remover and patience for me to achieve this look.) I then used the same brush and the leftover gel liner to apply a small amount of liner on the lower lash line (only about 1/4 of the way over). To ensure that my winged eye would stay in place, I took Joe's matte black eyeshadow and patted it on top of all of the liner. To create some contrast for the dark eye, I used a light pink shimmering Dior eyeshadow (no name, sorry) and placed it on the upper half of the eyelid and under the brow bone. To finish off the eye look, I used Buxom lash mascara (my favourite) and Revlon's  Fantasy Lengths false eyelashes in 'Intensifying' (a new favourite).

I wanted to keep my face very natural and flawless (okay not exactly possible on me, but I tried) so I used MAC's new Pro Longwear foundation in 'NW20' and Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer in 'Warm Ivory' and blended them into the skin with my new 'Beauty Blender' sponge (you asked how I like it, so far I love it). To create some definition in the face, I lightly contoured my cheekbones using Chanel's 'Tan de Soleil' cream bronzer. To finish the natural face look, I used NYX's cream blush in 'Natural' and Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil in 'Illuminating', adding both to the apples of my cheeks.

As I have mentioned several times in the past, I have very pigmented lips and find it difficult to pull off nude lipsticks of lipgloss. Luckily, I was recently sent Face Stockholm's 'Lip Fix', a super moisturizing and super pale lip primer that helps erase all pigmentation from the lips (review to follow soon). I then added Buxom's lipgloss in 'Zena' (a super pale pink gloss that feels amazing on the lips).

As I said before, I was really happy with the overall look, although, I will make future experimental makeup looks more dramatic for the camera. Thank you again for all of your support and for making me feel confident enough to paste pictures of my face all over my blog. Finally, be sure to let me know what you think of the look in the comment section below.

Thanks!
Alicia

Beauty Quote of the Week # 20

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. 

-Rumi 

Mail Haul

Hey Everyone, 


So I know I have been doing a lot of hauls lately (let me know if that's a good thing or a bad thing), but I received some great presents in the mail recently and I just had to share them with you. As I have mentioned before, one of my favourite parts about blogging has been meeting so many amazing people. I've heard a lot about bloggers and vloggers getting hateful comments, but I have been so lucky and have only had positive responses from everyone. I have made some really great life long friends. The haul I am going to be sharing with you today is courtesy of two such friends. 

The first package I received was from my friend Guel at Confessions of a Beautyholic. We started talking a few months ago and decided it would be fun to do a swap. Being from Ireland, Guel has access to some of the brands I really wanted to try and vice versa. Of course being the incredibly kind person she is, Guel spoiled me with her package. Here is what I received:

Beautiful Colour Cosmetics 'Take a Brow' Eye Brow Kit: The first thing I noticed about this product and the company as a whole was the super cute packaging.  The eyebrow kit has a picture of a pop-art looking woman wearing gigantic white ray ban type sunglasses below her very dark and perfectly shaped brows. Inside, the kit contains everything you need for getting the perfect shaped brows. There is a wax for taming unruly brows, two brow powders (one light, one dark), a pair of tweezers, a brow brush, a brow pencil and three brow stencils to help create different shaped brows (sex kitten, rock chic and princess). I have never been very good at properly shaping my brows so I was so excited when I saw this kit in my package. 


Beautiful Colour Cosmetics 'Eye Can't Go Wrong' Waterproof Mascara & Mistake Corrector: Once again the first thing I noticed about this mascara was the packaging. The box that the mascara comes in has another pop art looking woman with lovely long lashes and a small tear falling from one eye. The mascara tube itself has two openings and the whole product has a really cool concept. The first opening contains a medium sized mascara brush with black vitamin enriched waterproof mascara, while the other opening contains a doe foot brush and clear corrector formula meant for correcting any mistakes. I don't know about you, but I am constantly getting mascara on my eyelid, nose or under-eye area. Having a formula meant to help correct these little mistakes will definitely help me in the future. 


KIKO 'Colour Sphere' Duo Eyeshadow in "# 108": When we were putting together our packages for the swap, Guel wrote me while on a trip with her husband to tell me she had found a beautiful eyeshadow for me in Italy. I have always wanted to go to Italy so knowing that my shadow came from there makes me pretty excited. This shadow, which resembled M.A.C's mineralized shadows with its domed shape, has two gorgeous shades of purple. One half has a very light frosty pink-purple and the other half has a dark blue-toned purple with light pink sparkles. The packaging describes this eyeshadow as a baked shadow, which can be used wet or dry. Either way, it is gorgeous. 

Primark 'The Happy Couple' Blush and Bronzer Duo: I'm not clear as to whether this product is from the same company as the brow kit and mascara, but this blush and bronzer duo also has great packaging. On the front of the box is half of a woman's face with very bright and very noticeable cheek colour. Inside the box is a very light pink and shimmery blush and medium golden bronzer. The product reminds me of Benefit's '10' blush/bronzer duo which I have been meaning to try for a while. My favourite part of this product is the shimmering glow effect it gives to the skin. 


Beautiful Colour Cosmetics 'Great Balls of Desire' Blusher Balls in "Blush Beauty": The first thing I have to say about this product is that I love how people/companies from the UK call blush 'blusher'. I don't know about you, but I find that word sounds so much more sophisticated. Anyway this particular blusher is made up of light-pink, pearl sized balls. This blusher is super frosty and would work perfectly as a highlight on top of the cheekbones or under the brow bone. 


Catrice 'ALLROUND Concealer' palette: I was really excited when I saw this palette in the package from Guel. I have been wanting to get a concealer palette for a while now but couldn't bring myself to pay Makeup Forever prices. This palette contains 5 super creamy concealers in five different colours. The first three colours are different shades of beige, which can be used to conceal and contour areas of the face. The other two concealers are used for correcting (pink to cover dark circles and green to neutralize redness). 

Barry M 'Nail Paint' in "Bright Purple": I am positive I am not the only North American blogger to feel pangs of jealousy when seeing other bloggers review Barry M nail polish. These square bottles of polish come is so many amazing colours and are a cult favourite in the UK and other parts of Europe. When I saw that Guel had sent me not one, but two Barry M 'Nail Paints' I was beside myself with glee. This polish is the perfect shade of purple and will look great on the nails during any season. 


Barry M 'Nail Paint' in "Mushroom": This particular colour of Barry M nail polish is one of the most popular colours in the whole collection as it perfectly fits in with the grey-brown-taupe polish trend for fall. One thing I have noticed about these polishes is that they are super creamy and very opaque making them very easy to apply. 


Essence 'Colour and Go' Quick Drying Nail Polish in "What Do You Think?": This teeny tiny bottle of polish is by far the cutest I have ever seen (Am I the only one who finds really small things so cute? Even things like a baby piece of broccoli or a tiny bottle of ketchup can get me to say 'awww that's so cute!'). One thing I like about this tiny bottle is that the company hasn't shrunk the size of the brush, making it easy to apply. Although this pink-coral coloured polish is more traditionally worn in the summer, I think it will be the perfect pick-me-up for the long winter months. 


I really love everything I received from Guel. If you haven't already checked out her blog, please do. I don't know how she does it but she manages to post around 2-3 blog posts per day. Guel's posts are extremely well written and very informative. You can see her blog HERE.

The second package I received in the mail was from Camille at Never Naked. Camille, who won my 300 subscribers giveaway, surprised me with a beautiful card and a homemade necklace to thank me for her prize (isn't that so sweet?). The necklace is super funky and made from dark purple t-shirt material. The necklace has several different sized t-shirt strings with a large bow at the bottom. I love that it is so unique and one of a kind. Receiving a surprise package made my day. If you haven't already seen Camille's blog you, you can check it out HERE. She always has great OOTD posts at budget prices. 


Let me know if you have tried any of these products I received. If so, do you like them? Which is your favourite? If not, which ones are you longing to try? 
Is there any product you'd really like to see reviewed? Be sure to leave me a comment in the comment section below. 


Thanks!
Alicia 

Dare To Wear For AIDS Sneak Peek and Extension (Please Read)

Hey Everyone, 


Tomorrow was supposed to be the deadline for my Dare to Wear for charity challenge. I know a lot of people were really excited to take the challenge, but because everyone is so busy, I haven't received quite as many entries as I would like. Just a quick refresher, I have dared all of my subscribers to create an African Tribal inspired look. For everyone who completes the look, I will be donating $1 and my parents will be doubling that for the first ten, tripling that for the next ten and so on. You can check out more information (including picture examples) HERE.


If you haven't had a chance to do your look, you now have until a week tomorrow, Friday November 27th. I realize how busy everyone is but 20 minutes of your time creating a really fun look can help change a lot of lives. 


Here is a sneak peek of some of the looks I have received so far to help inspire you with your own tribal look:

Thanks!
Alicia 

FunnyFace Question of the Week # 14

Hey Everyone, 


Luckily, as I was getting ready for bed tonight, I realized that I forgot to post my question of the week. So here it is: 


Q: What is your favourite makeup to put on and why?


A: Mine would have to be moisturizer. I just love the feeling of putting something nice and smooth and soothing on my face. I compare to being really hot and jumping in a nice cold pool. It's completely refreshing especially when your face feeling tight or dry. 


Let me know what your favourite makeup to put on is and why in the comment section below. 


Thanks!
Alicia 

Monthly Giveaway -- November

Hey Everyone,


Before I tell you about this month's giveaway I just wanted to remind everyone of my Dare to Wear Challenge to raise money for AIDS. The deadline is supposed to be this Friday but I have pushed it back another week. So please take a couple of minutes out of your day and create a tribal look and help raise money for the men, women and children who are suffering the effects of AIDS in Africa right now. 


Anyway,I hope you have all been having a good month so far. I can't believe it's the middle of November. I hate cold weather, so I am not at all looking forward to winter. One good thing about November is that I get to hold another monthly giveaway (good segue, eh?). This month's giveaway is extra special because I will be picking two giveaway winners instead of the usual one.


The very talented Brooke from Brooklit (an online etsy store) has donated two super cute pocket mirrors, with two different fashion illustrations she has drawn herself. Brooke is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology where she majored in Fashion Design. After working at various jobs in the Fashion industry including styling, television and theater, she decided to combine her passion for drawing and fashion and start her own etsy store. Brooke' shop carries illustrated prints and various trinkets with her own personal designs. Brooke also has a really fabulous blog called Fabulous Doodles where she posts all of her amazing sketches, so be sure to check it out. 


Along with Brooke's pocket mirrors I have included two eyeshadow trios from NYX Cosmetics. Here is a little more information about the two prizes:

1) The first person selected (from random.org) will win the 'Belle' pocket mirror ("Belle is the perfect pocket princess with her diamond tiara and upswept do"), and the eyeshadow trio in 'Lake Moss' which contains smoky green, blue and purple eyeshadows. 

2) The second person selected (from random.org) will win the 'Millie' pocket mirror ("Millie is the chic nerd in all of us! She's the ideal girl to smirk at you when you need to do a quick teeth check"), and the eyeshadow trio in 'Dune' which contains three neutral eyeshadows in beige, brown and pink.


The rules for this contest are as follows (Please read the rules so I don't have to disqualify your entry)


1) You must be a subcriber


2) Mandatory Entry: please visit the Brooklit etsy shop HERE and tell me which pocket mirror girl you'd most like to carry in your purse. 


3) You can earn 3 extra entries by posting my contest in either a blog post or your sidebar (please leave the link below).

4) Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

5) The contest will end Tuesday, November 30th. 


A big thanks to all of my subscribers. As always, your support is amazing! Good luck to everyone who enters. 


Thanks!
Alicia 

IMATS Toronto Part 3: Makeup Forever, Royal & Langnickel and Alcone Company Haul.

Hey Everyone,


Two weekends ago, I had the opportunity to go to the second annual IMATS in Toronto produced by Make-Up Artist Magazine. The whole weekend was really fun and I got a chance to purchase some items I had been wanting for a while at a discounted price. In my last IMATS haul post, I showed you the items I got from NYX, OCC and Eye Kandy. In this final post, I will show you the rest of the items I purchased at IMATS.

MAKEUP FOREVER

The booth I had been most looking forward to shopping at was the Makeup Forever booth. I have long wanted to purchase several items from the company but kept thinking about the 40% discount I would receive at IMATS and decided to wait to purchase all of the things I wanted. Unfortunately everyone one else had the same idea. By the time I made it to the Makeup Forever booth on the first day of the IMATS most of the items I had been looking for were already sold out. With all that said, I still managed to get some pretty great items:


1) Makeup Forever 'Aqua Cream' in # 5: I have wanted to try these 'Aqua Creams' forever. For those of you who don't know what 'Aqua Creams' are, they are these really creamy pots of colour that can be used as lipstick, eyeshadow or blush. This particular 'Aqua Cream' is so gorgeous with its peachy coral colour and golden flecks of very finely milled glitter.


2) Makeup Forever 'Aqua Cream' in # 15: While the 'Aqua Cream' mentioned above could be used as lipstick, blush or eyeshadow, this golden brown cream would only work for eyeshadow. Although its not as versatile, I am in love with the colour of this 'Aqua Cream' and think it would be beautiful on its own or used as a base for shadows like Wet n' Wild's 'Nutty' or M.A.C's 'Satin Taupe'.


3) Makeup Forever 'Aqua Cream' in # 17: This smoky plum coloured 'Aqua Cream' is probably my favourite. I am really into plum shadows right now and this cream will be a perfect compliment to any plum or purple eyeshadow I have. My only regret with these 'Aqua Creams' is that I didn't buy more of them, especially since they were discounted 40% from their original price.


4) Makeup Forever 'Aqua Lip' Lipliner in # 14C: This plummy nude pencil is the perfect nude toned colour for my highly pigmented lips. I love this liner because it can be worn without any lipstick or lipgloss on top of it. The lipliner is so smooth, creamy and lasts forever because it is waterproof. I also regret not buying more of these pencils. Hopefully I will be able to buy more at next year's IMATS.


5) Makeup Forever 'HD High Definition Powder': This powder was a spur of the moment purchase. I had heard so many good things about this high definition powder, I decided that for the price, it was worth trying it out. I haven't had a chance to really give it a good try, but if it does what everyone says it does my acne, my large pores and I will be very happy.

Top to Bottom: Aqua Cream # 17, # 5, # 15 and Aqua Lip # 14C

ROYAL & LANGNICKEL

One thing I had really been hoping to find at IMATS were some really good synthetic brushes. I have recently become interested in non animal hair, cruelty-free brushes (big post coming up). Unfortunately most of the booths didn't carry synthetic brushes so I wasn't able to get as many brushes as I had originally hoped for. Luckily I was able to find a line of synthetic brushes at Royal & Langnickel and purchased four cruelty-free brushes. Here they are:


1) Royal & Langnickel Super Foundation Brush C142: I really like this foundation brush because of its shape. Instead of being completely flat like the M.A.C 190 brush, it is very thick which allows you to use the tip of the brush to buff all of the foundation into your skin. I used this brush for the first time the other day and really liked the effect it gave my skin.


2) Royal & Langnickel Synthetic Eyeshadow Brush (no number or name): I bought this really cheap synthetic brush to use with my new Makeup Forever 'Aqua Creams'. Its large head is perfect for laying down one singular colour on the eye and, because it is synthetic, it is perfect for using with more liquidy or creamy products.


3) Royal & Langnickel Taklon Bent Liner C476: I have wanted one of these bent liner brushes for a while now. I am absolutely horrible at putting on cream or gel eyeliner. I can never get my line to be straight and always feel like I am holding my brush at a really awkward angle. The good thing about this brush is its shape. Because it is bent, you are able to hold the brush straight against your face and apply your liner without having to hold your brush on an angle.


4) Royal & Langnickel Kabuki Brush # 22 : I was really surprised and happy to find a really well made synthetic kabuki brush. I particularly like this one because of its angel. Rather than having a flat top, this brush has an angled top which makes it perfect for buffing in contour powder or cream under the cheek bones or at the side of the temples.

ALCONE COMPANY

Alcone Company is an online retail store for makeup artist professionals. As their website says, they carry 'the best makeup products from around the world and offer them at affordable prices so everyone will benefit'. They had so many different items for sale and I ended up buying three items from their booth (each from a different company):


1) Beauty Blender Sponge: I have wanted to try this sponge for a very long time, but could never find it in Canada (they don't sell them at Canadian Sephora's). For those of you who haven't seen the sponge before, it is an egg shaped sponge used to apply foundation to the skin. The beauty blender claims to give the skin a professional and flawless finish. The shape of the sponge allows you to get makeup into the hard to reach areas such as the side of the nose. I will definitely be trying out this sponge and doing a review of it in the future.


2) Ben Nye LiquiSet for Mixing and Sealing: This little bottle of clear fluid is supposed to be a miracle product for stopping sweat from ruining your makeup. The medications that I am currently taking cause me to have hot flashes so I feel as though I am always sweating and ruining my makeup. This Ben Nye product is used on people who will be under hot spotlights to keep their makeup from running and being ruined. I am really excited to test this product out and will definitely let you know how it works.

DLSH (ALCONE COMPANY)

3) DLSH The Actor Bag: The DLSH Actor Bag is probably my favourite item from all of the items I purchased at IMATS. It is such a unique design and before IMATS, I had never seen anything like it before. This makeup bag that can be carried by both a handle and a long strap has several really cool compartments inside. One compartment has small slots for brushes to be store, a zippered pocket for storing liquid or cream makeup and two large pockets for any supplies. The other side has another pocket for storing products and a large magnetic palette that could hold approximately 20 eyeshadows. It is by far the coolest makeup bag I have ever seen and I can't wait to start using it.

I had such a great time at IMATS Toronto (produced by Make Up Artist Magazine). I would go to one every weekend if I could. The next closest IMATS to where I live is being held in New York in April (the weekend of my birthday) so I am hoping I can maybe find a way down there and experience IMATS New York style.


Just a quick reminder that my Dare to Wear challenge ends on Friday. If you have a chance, please take the challenge . It is for a really great cause!


Thanks!
Alicia

Beauty Quote of the Week # 19

Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art. 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

FOTD: M.A.C's Club Eyeshadow

Hey Everyone, 

I realized today how long it has been since I posted a makeup look. My sister, who I usually do makeup on, has been really busy so I decided to do a quick face of the day post. This morning, I went to a ceremony for a new independent living centre that has been built for individuals with acquired brain injuries. The building has been named after my parents who have been involved with different brain injury charities for several years. 

The ceremony was pretty early in the morning (at least for someone who likes to sleep until noon everyday), so I wanted to do something really quick and easy but still look nice. I am a really big fan of M.A.C's 'Club' eyeshadow. For those of you who haven't heard of it before, it is a duo-chrome shadow and depending what you put under it, it can change colours. By using a dark base on the lower half of my eyelids, I was able to achieve two looks (dark green on the bottom, brown on the top) with one eyeshadow. Here is my look and a list of products I used. 

FACE:

Primer: M.A.C's Matte Gel

Foundation: M.A.C's Pro Longwear Foundation in NW20

Concealer: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Warm Ivory

Powder: Makeup Forever HD Powder

CHEEKS:

Bronzer: Chanel Tan de Soleil Cream Bronzer

Blush: NYX Creamblush in 'Rose Petal'

Highlighter: NARS Multiple in 'Copacobana'

EYES:

Base: Benefit Cream Shadow in Smoky Denim

Eyeshadow: M.A.C's 'Club'

LIPS:

Lipliner: Makeup Forever's '14 C'

Let me know what you think of the look in the comment section below. 

Thanks!

Alicia