♥ Pop of Green Eye-Makeup for Spring - Tutorial! ♥

I am SO excited to start posting eye makeup looks on my blog! I love creating different looks with different products! So today I am posting my first eye makeup look & listing the products I used to create it.

I am kinda in LOVE with this eye look. Right now adding a pop of color on your lower lash line is very trendy. So I decided to create a look incorporating that. It is a natural eye makeup look with a pop of green. It is so cute and perfect for spring and summer!

I think it looks gorgeous because it is so simple. I also decided to do a gradient look with the green, (darker in the outer corners, lighter toward to inner corners). It was so easy to create and anyone can recreate it! I am going to list the products and how I used them, so that you can do it too! 

How to get the look:

1. Prime the eyes: This is a crucial step in creating a beautiful "flawless" eye makeup look. A primer provides a smooth base and prevents creasing. I used the Urban Decay Primer Potion in the shade "Eden". Apply to lids, brown bone, and lower lash line.

2. Eye Shadow: In this look I used the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. 

   - I started by applying Burnout to the lid

   - I then blended Limit and Nooner into the crease. Make sure to blend the shades for a flawless effect

   - On the brow bone and inner corners I used Strange

   - Finally I took Nooner and Limit again and applied them to the lower lash line

3. Adding a pop of color: Obviously you can use any color of preference for this step, but I chose green because when I think of spring, green is the first color that pops into my mind! 

   - First you will need to use a white eye pencil or cream shadow on the water line. This will make the color pop more and give the shadow something to adhere to. I used the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk".

   - For the green colors, I used the Elf 150 Piece Eye Shadow Palette. This is a great palette to use for colorful looks because it literally has every shade imaginable, and has great quality! I used a small pencil brush and took a medium vibrant green and blended this over the entire water line. Next I took a darker green and put this on the outer corner, followed by a lighter green on the inner corner. This gives the look a much more dimensional effect. 

4. Upper lash line liner: I normally always line my upper lash line, but you can skip this step if you normal don't because this is supposed to be a natural, simple, beautiful look - do not over do it!

I used the SmashBox Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner in "Midnight Black". A thin line is all it takes!

5. Mascara!: Yay, my favorite part! Mascara polishes off the look and makes it look 10 times better! I used Cover Girl Clump Crusher mascara on my top lashes and the Clinique Bottom Lash mascara on the bottom lashes. 

THATS IT!!! It is super simple and cute, I love it!

So what are your thoughts on my look? Would you try it out for yourself? Leave a comment below with your opinions!

I am going to try to upload a look every week so stay tuned for more!

xo, 

Syd

♥ Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser Review! ♥

Hi Everyone!

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser

Price: $8.99 CAD

Product Claims:

- One second away from smooth, poreless skin

- Insta-blur technology visibly smooths pores away

- Can be used under makeup or alone

- Non-comedogenic and fragrance free

 I know that the Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser has been out in drugstores for quite a long time now... It was first released in Asia last year, but only hit US and Canadian stores a few months ago. I was waiting and waiting and WAITING to see this in my drugstores. I was so excited to try it and see if it compared to other primer type products I own.

I think the idea to call it "Baby Skin" was a really cute idea, stemming off of the popular Maybelline Baby Lips (which I really like).

I am not going to lie, what always intrigues me to purchase a product is the packaging. If a product has cute packaging, i'm all for it - haha! And I am sure a lot of you would say the same!

This product claims to be a "pore eraser", which to me implies that it will not work the same as a primer would. Although it can be worn under your makeup and make your makeup look much better, it's main purpose is to blur and smooth visible pores. This is why it can also be used alone.

Although I don't suffer from extremely visible pores, I still like to used this under my everyday makeup just for a smooth base. It works well for that purpose.

Yes, the formula is a very smooth translucent gel. My all time favorite primer/pore eraser is the Too Faced Primed and Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer. I have loved it for years and years and always go back to it. In other words it is my holy grail face primer. It does not have a clear gel consistency, but rather a skin toned smoothing "cream like" feel to it. I have grown to love it so much that I normally hate clear gel primers. Which is why I am not thrilled with the formula, but that is purely personal preference and does not necessarily take away from the actually results of the product.

I have found that a little goes a long way with this stuff. I usually apply a dot to each cheek, forehead and nose and blend from there. It blends really easily and makes your face feel extremely soft, like butter! Not greasy, but smooth - haha! One thing I really don't like though, is when I am done apply it, my fingers still have residue on them and it feels really greasy and slimy. It is weird because my face never feel greasy after, and that is a huge plus.

I know you can probably barely tell how well the product actually works from these pictures, but I thought I would add them anyway. I do see a difference in my complexion after using it. It does definitely smooth pores to a certain amount, not amazingly but visibly. Even when I smooth it into my hand I can see the blurring effect happening, its kind of cool - haha! This is what I recommend you do before purchasing any primer, just try it out on your hand to see if it smooths because you can definitely tell!

I don't think it makes my makeup last longer, but again I don't believe that is the main purpose of this product. I think its best at smoothing and filling pores, which is why I love wearing it on its own.

Overall, yeah I like this primer. Is it the best I have tried? No it is probably not. I do think it works like it says it should, which is all you can really expect from a product. But it does not compare to higher end primers in my opinion. I will still continue to use it because I think does a pretty good job and i'm not going to waste it. I will probably not repurchase this but you never know. The price is great too, so if you are on a tight budget I do recommend you give it a try. There are not very many good primers in the drugstore and I think this does a decent job.

That's all for this review, see you in my next post!

xo,

Syd

♥ Sally Hansen "Tough Love" - NOTD! ♥

Hi guys!

I thought I would post a nail of the day today because I am obsessed with this shade of polish!

It is definitely a re-discovered love of mine. I bought this in the summer time and have only used it a few times... I guess it just got lost in my growing collection of nail polishes that it never became a favorite.

The shade is 440 Tough Love. It is from the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails line, which I believe is really old but i think is still sold in stores. Its a gorgeous red-magenta color. I love it because it is so unique. It is not red but it isn't pink either. It looks absolutely gorgeous on the nails. It is very vibrant and pigmented... which makes it the perfect color for spring and summer. If you love red nails you will love this for the warmer months.

I applied 2 coats, followed by a coat of the Sally Hansen Insta-dry top coat (My all time favorite top coat!).

 It applied very easily and smooth. I really like the Hard as Nails line because the formula is really thin, yet very pigmented which is awesome because it does not clump up or get thick with more than one coat. And it dries extremely fast!

I hope you liked today's NOTD!

xo,

Syd

♥ L'oreal Lash Out Butterfly Mascara Review ♥

Hi Everyone!

I thought I would post a quick review of the newest L'oreal mascara, the Lash Out Butterfly. My favorite drugstore mascaras are mostly all from L'oreal, so I am always super excited when they launch a new one!

Price: $7.99 CAD

Product Claims:

- Gives winged out instantly voluminous lashes from root to tip
- Cocoon Fibers wrap lashes in a soft and delicate veil, to create soft and silky lashes that flutter.

After hearing and reading reviews, and watching commercials about it, I finally purchased it for my own. I was really intrigued by the claims set out by L'oreal. "Stretch and extend your lashes like wings!" Like who DOESN'T want that!??

There are three different colors you can choose from. Black, brown, or blackest black. Every time I purchase a mascara I always go for the darkest black shade they provide. That is just personal preference, although I do love the look of soft brown lashes with a natural look- Its super pretty!

The wand has one of the most interesting brushes I have ever seen. It is quite hard to describe but it does have "rows" of little rubber spike bristles. Also one side of the brush is curved, while the other is the opposite- it indents. You can see from the picture above that the bristles gradually get longer towards the inside. This is supposed to help give your lashes the same effect- winged out! 

At first glance I definitely did not understand the brush at all. I was expecting some gimmicky product, that would not give the effect it says it will. But surprisingly I don't mind it at all! Its not my favorite brush of all time, but I do notice the length and volume it gives. If you like rubber mascara brushes, you will most likely love this!

Here is about 2 coats on my entirely bare eye. You can see that it does give the volume and length, but the only thing is that it started to clump my lashes pretty badly. It does not do a good job and separating, which is what I like to have in a mascara. It got pretty spidery and you can even see big clumps of mascara on the ends of my lashes! The other thing that disappointed me was that it did not curl my lashes or even hold a curl, if I curled them before.

If you decide to get this mascara or have it and don't like it, I would suggest that you only use one coat. I noticed that with one coat, it gives the same length and volume minus the clumps that the second coat gave.

Overall I would ultimately say to skip this mascara. Nothing special here at all! I think that it is just another average Joe mascara from the drugstore.

A few L'oreal mascaras that I do like are the Million Lashes Excess and the Voluminous False Fiber Lashes! Try these out before the Lash Out Butterfly!

xo,

Syd

♥ Rimmel London Sun Shimmer 3 in 1 Bronzer Review ♥

Hi There!

Spring is finally here... and now I want summer - Haha! Even though summer is not for a few more months, I have started my search for the perfect products to give me a bronze goddess glow! Who doesn't want to look like a bronzed goddess in the summer time?!

I recently looked around the drugstore for shimmery bronzers. I came across the Rimmel London 3 in 1 shimmering bronzer. I believe it is quite an old product that came out a few years ago, but I only just noticed it in my local drugstore... and it has a "New" sticker on it! Obviously its not new though.

This bronzer comes in two different shades (Each with 3 different shades within).

"A multi-tone shimmering bronzing powder so you can personalize your look"

001 Gold Princess- a lighter golden toned bronzer

002 Bronze Goddess- a deeper bronze/brown toned bronzer

Price: $5.99 CAD

Product Claims:

- Three shades of shimmering color in one compact, for a soft luminous glow to your skin.

- Blend together for a shimmering effect, or use separately as a highlighter or eye shadows

- For face and body

The one I picked up was Gold Princess, because I have a fair skin tone and wanted an all over glow. If you have a medium to dark complexion and want the same effect, go with Bronze Goddess :)

I really like the packaging. It is your typical plastic compact, which I prefer because it is way more travel friendly. A lot of Rimmel products are in the packaging with a lid that pulls off (example: Stay Matte Powder)... And that can get really annoying when traveling! This product is very sturdy and the clasp is strong, so it will not open whilst travelling. It is also very compact - not BULKY, which is a huge plus for me. I hate products that add extra packaging to hold a cheap brush! Anyone else hate that too?

001 Gold Princess 

As you can see these bronzers are in a "color wheel" structure. 3 different colors put beside each other in one product to be used alone or all together. 

Rimmel suggests this product to be used all together for a glowing complexion or individually as a highlight as it does have a really pretty highlighting shade. They also claim that it can be used on the face and body.

Swatches: 

Lightest shade to darkest shade (L-R)

Each shade is really gorgeous! They are all fairly pigmented and have a rich texture. When I tested it out for the first time, the bronzer blended out very well on my skin and did not come off glittery at all but instead gave a subtle sun kissed look - just what I was looking for! 

So you have a really nice gold toned highlighting shade, a true golden color (which seems to be the most shimmery of the 3) and a deeper almost brick tone bronze color (which almost appears matte when swatched).

Another awesome benefit from this product is it is definitely a multi-purpose product! You can use this for eyeshadow as well as bronzer, which is totally awesome and can save you even more money! 

Fun Fact: You can use any powder product whether it be a blush, bronzer or a highlight as eyeshadow! Turns out these products can create the most gorgeous eye looks, without even need to buy an eyeshadow palette! Look for multi-tone products like this one, so you can create a more dimensional look! 

Overall, I definitely recommend this product to anyone looking for an all over glow! I will most certainly be using this in the hotter months to come and am looking forward to do so! 

What are your favorite bronzing products? Leave a comment below :)

xo,

Syd

♥ Maybelline Color Show Street Art! - NOTD ♥

Hi everyone!

I am so excited to start blogging nail polish posts! I have always loved nail art and doing my nails, it is so much fun for me!

A few days ago I was at the drugstore and spotted a display with the Color Show nail polishes from Maybelline. I saw these new "Street Art" top coats that looked so cool! I had to pick one of them up to try.

The one I chose is called "Blue Beats" 42. All of the polishes in this line have different sizes of sequin type flakes, including small rectangle shapes. I guess the idea is to have a splatter paint effect on the nails (Look like street art- lol).

Number 42 "Blue Beats"

It looks way cooler than I thought it would! I am not one to love glitter top coats, but this is different!

I started by applying 2 coats of Sally Hansen "White On".
Followed up by one coat of "Blue Beats"
And topped off with the Sally Hansen Insta-Dry top coat - My favorite! 

Obviously you can use any color as a base, but I think white looks awesome! You can really see the detail and texture of the polish!

I love the idea of this because you can create an awesome nail look that is fast and easy! Cute nails no effort!

I really recommend these top coats; the look that they create are really great and can be worn fancy or fun!

That's all for this post!

xo, Syd

♥ Naked 3 Palette Review & Swatches ♥

Hi there!

Hope you are having a great day! Today I will be reviewing and swatching the new (not so new) Naked 3 Palette by Urban Decay. It has been out for a long time now but I thought I would still do a post about it because I have a strong opinion on it, and I may be of help to you.

Price: $50.00 US/ $62.00 CAD

Product Details:

- 3rd Naked palette
- Includes 12 new rose hued colors, exclusive to the palette
- Includes a variety of finishes (Matte, pearl, metalics etc)
- You will also get 4 samples of primer potion.

I love the packaging. I think Urban Decay made the right choice to use a hard, almost tin feeling material, (much more like the Naked 2). I prefer the clasp closure rather than magnetic, like the Naked 1. This makes it very travel friendly and easy to keep looking nice. It is just gorgeous to look at! I know that sound weird but I am a sucker for cute packaging. It looks lovely sitting on my vanity. :)

As I mentioned before, this palette is completed filled with rose-hued neutrals. It has a very pink, romantic feel. At first I did not even think about buying it, because I didn't think the colors would flatter me. But as time went on and after seeing it in action on YouTube and blogs, I was suckered into getting it! I am actually surprised for how much I reach for it now! This palette has almost become my everyday eyeshadow palette. I love the rosy colors and think that it can definitely flatter all skin types and tones.

I also have the other Naked palettes and this one is BY FAR my favorite of the three. The Naked 1 is also a favorite but I feel that it does not have as many options for everyday looks. I do reach for it if I want a darker, night-time look. It is also a very warm toned palette, which does not work for everyone. The Naked 2 does have more options for day time looks, which I love. But it contains a lot of cool toned taupe colors, and this also does not suit everyone. Also, the first two palettes are very similar, where as the Naked 3 has a completely different look. I have seen all skin tones pull off and look great wearing the Naked 3, so I definitely recommend it to anyone!

Here are the up close pictures and swatches!

(Left to right: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz)

Strange is a soft matte cream color and the only highlight shade in the palette. I am happy that it is matte, I prefer a matte highlighter. The texture is super creamy, which can be hard to find in a matte shade, especially a light one. Dust is a light pink with chunky gold glitter. This is my least favorite shade in the entire palette. It is not super pigmented and the glitter gets everywhere! Lots of fallout, which is why I rarely use it. But it is a gorgeous color none the less. Burnout on the other hand, is my favorite shade in the palette! It is a pearly rose color. It is so gorgeous all over the lid or even in the crease for a soft neutral, everyday look. It is very pigmented and buttery smooth! Limit is a light matte brown with a pink undertone. I love this color in the crease or for blending. It is also pigmented and blends really well. Buzz has the same finish as Dust, but is more pigmented and less flaky. This shade looks gorgeous in the crease!

(Left to Right: Trick, Nooner, Liar, Factory)

Trick is gold! Nothing super special here. But I do like that they added it because it helps break up all of the pink tones. It still has a slight pink undertone to it though. Nooner is another favorite of mine. It is a darker version of Limit. It is a plumy brown and looks amazing in the crease. I also love to use it on the lower lash line to balance out a look. Liar is again, another favorite. it is a light pinkish brown with a satin finish. I like this for a crease color as well. It is one of my most used colors from the palette! Factory is another creamy, pigmented satin shade, but less pink and more brown. 

(Left to Right: Mugshot, Darkside, Black heart)

Mugshot is gold toned brown. It is definitely not pink, which I like. It is very buttery and pigmented. Darkside is another of my least favorites. It just is not as pigmented as the others. You can tell by the swatch. It disappointed me as it looks great in the pan. Finally Black Heart is a unique shade. A black with red glitters. It looks awesome as a defining shade! I love it.

Overall, I would say that it is personal preference whether or not you would like this palette. If you like rosy tones or want a girly romantic look, go for it!

That is all for this review!

xo, Syd