Monday 31 March 2014

March Favorites

I'm SO over winter. Yes it's technically spring, but there is snow falling outside my window as I type. To combat my Seasonal Affective Disorder (weather-related depression us Canadians deal with), I've been obsessed with peachy makeup. I've made some great product discoveries in the past month and it took some effort to narrow it down to a handful of items:

NARS ORGASM BLUSH
I've held off on buying this puppy for quite some time. I already own some NARS blushes and mixed reviews had prevented me from buying the cult classic "Orgasm", quite possibly the world's favorite blush. I'm not sure if it's the provocative name or the universally flattering shade that makes this so wonderful, but I have hopped on the bandwagon. I don't think my swatch in the picture above has done it justice, but it is a lovely light peach with golden shimmer running through it. It is such a luminous blush that looks angelic on the cheeks. It's not as pigmented as my other NARS blushes, which I think is a good thing because it's hard to over-do it. I totally get it now. I can't believe I waited this long to buy it. I've literally worn this every day since it arrived in the mail. Two thumbs up!

BENEFIT HOOLA BRONZER
For some reason, Benefit products don't generally appeal to me. I think the packaging is pretty tacky most of the time and I don't think an expensive blush should come in a cardboard box. I've been looking for an appropriate contour powder for fair skin and this is definitely it. I love to use this under the cheekbones, around the jawline and on the temples to make my facial structure look more defined than it really is. This can also be used all over the face to bronze up the complexion. The bronzer has a hint of grey in it, which makes it look more natural on fair and light skin tones. I'm still not crazy about the packaging, but I absolutely love the product.

SONIA KASHUK #123 SMALL POWDER/BLUSH BRUSH
This is the perfect blush brush for me. I love this brush because it is smaller than the average blush brush and delivers product to very precise areas of the face. I love that I can easily control blush placement to be swept high on the cheeks towards the temples or swished just on the apples of the cheeks. This brush applies a small amount of blush at a time, so it's hard to go overboard with highly pigmented blushes. This is a very affordable brush and is available at Target.

L'OREAL MAGIC LUMI LIGHT INFUSING PRIMER
I'm still obsessing with this lit from within primer. This gives a gorgeous, non-greasy glow that helps to blur out my imperfections. I can't shut up about it. Read my review here.

CLARINS INSTANT LIGHT NATURAL LIP PERFECTOR IN #02
This is the perfect lip gloss for people who hate lip gloss. It looks like a lip gloss but literally feels like a lip balm. NO STICKYNESS, I promise. This looks great on it's own as a sheer peachy gloss or looks lovely layered over peachy or nude lipsticks. I keep this one in my scrubs pocket. These comes in a variety of colors from baby pink to nude to candy pink. I think this would be a lovely Mother's Day gift.

WET N WILD MATTE LIPSTICK IN #903C JUST PEACHY
This is so cheap and lovely. A great matte lipstick that doesn't dry out the lips at all. I've gotten so much wear out of this over the past month and adding a touch of lip gloss to the center of your lips makes you look like a Victoria's Secret model. Such a beautiful peach that doesn't lean too orange and a very affordable purchase for spring. This compares to much more expensive lipsticks and I highly recommend it!

SHISEIDO PERFECT ROUGE IN PK343 SECRET
This was my first time trying anything from the Japanese brand Shiseido, and I am highly impressed. This lipstick is so buttery and hydrating with fabulous color pay-off. It's like no other lipstick I've ever tried. The color is perfect for spring, a peachy pinky coral color that has a pretty satin finish that looks even better with some gloss on top.

EOS SHAVE CREAM IN POMEGRANATE RASPBERRY
EOS is widely known for their little round lip balms (which I have never tried!) but this shave cream is phenomenal. It actually makes me want to shave my legs, which is never something I enjoy doing. It comes in a pump bottle which I like much better than an aersol can. It dispenses a beautiful thick cream that smells delicious enough to eat and makes shaving a breeze. I love that the sweet pomegranate scent actually lasts on your skin after getting out of the shower. I think everyone needs this in their bathroom. Seriously, you need this in your life.

So that was the cream of the crop for the month of March. There were so many other product discoveries that I can't wait to talk about in upcoming posts. What products did you love in March? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.   

4 comments:

  1. I recently got a deluxe sample of Hoola Bronzer and I love it. That and MAC's Sculpting Powder in Sculpt has been my go - to products for contouring. I really want to try the Clarins lip perfector but I can't justify it right now because lip glosses make me so paranoid. I hear so many great things about it though!

    - Hao
    haodoyoungo.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for commenting Hao! Hoola is awesome, I'm so happy I picked it up. Since there is no MAC store in the area where I live, I own very few MAC products but I'm going on a trip to Toronto soon and I plan on hitting up MAC to swatch a few things (perhaps I'll check out Sculpt). The Clarins Natural Light Lip Perfectors are really nice, it took me a year of swatching them at the Clarins counter before I finally caved and bought one. They are nice but very sheer, definitely more like lip balm than a gloss. I just took a look at your blog and I love your product reviews! I will add you to bloglovin. Thanks again Hao! xo

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  2. I totally agree about Hoola! I hate the box packaging. Its bulky, takes up a ton of room in my make up bag, difficult to travel with, and looks cheap. But the product is nice.

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    1. Glad I'm not the only one Julia! I expect more streamlined packaging for the price. Such a great bronzer though.

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