Monthly Favourites - March 2012

Dear March,

I'm glad to see you go. You have kicked me in the behind too many times and showed me who's boss. Well, guess what? You're done now, so I get to be the boss again! *insert evil laughter here*

I don't know what it was about March, but my blogging mojo pretty much disappeared throughout this month. But now it's the brand new month of April; so fingers crossed, I will be getting back into the swing of things!

As always, I give you my favourite products from this past month...

Yes To Cucumbers Natural Glow Facial Towelettes

I've been wanting to try products from the Yes To line, and I finally had the chance when I ran out of makeup remover wipes.

What I love about these wipes is that they remove makeup effectively, they have a light, fresh scent, the cloths are super soft, and each wipe also has the largest surface area of any makeup remover wipes I've ever tried. I also love that these wipes aren't very wet; that means they don't leave any residue behind, which is always lovely. 

Now if that wasn't awesome enough, they are also: 98.7% natural, biodegradable, FSC certified, dermatologically & opthalmologically tested, oil-free, non-comodogenic, and hypoallergenic. All for the price of $7.99 CAD. 

I am SOLD!

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus & Medium Dark

Just how I was able to walk out of Nordstrom with a Medium Dark MSFN, I cannot tell you.

That said, it has proven to be quite useful for me. I either use it to contour or to layer on top of a foundation that is too light for me. Meanwhile, Medium Plus is my regular go-to shade. I also layer Medium Plus on top of a sheerer foundation to give myself just a bit more coverage. In both cases, these MSFN's perform absolutely beautifully.

I love these babies! They provide great coverage and feel über light on the skin. They're perfect for if you want very natural coverage and for touching up throughout the day (Medium Plus was a lifesaver last Summer), so go ahead and get yourself another to keep in your purse!

MAC Mineralize Blush in Subtle Breeze

My current favourite blush <3.

I love that this shade looks good with a lot of different lipsticks. Because it's so utterly wearable, I can wear a coral lipstick with this blush and still not look like a clown. It blends to smoothly and evenly over my skin; it never looks patchy! The texture is so soft, too... 

Read my original review here.

MAC Eyeshadow in Quarry

My go-to eye makeup look has looked like thus: a champagne shade all over the lid, Quarry along the crease for some definition, and black eyeliner. I've loved using this eyeshadow for contouring (even on my cheeks) for more than a year now, but I've been giving it some serious usage this month. The shade is perfect for when I'm planning on using cooler tones on my cheeks and lips. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Shade 01 & Lancôme Rouge in Love Lipstick in Rose Boudoir

My current favourite lipsticks.

Rose Boudoir is an amazing shade. It's bright, it's fun, and it looks even more amazing on. The formula of the Rouge in Love lipsticks are absolutely lovely - so lightweight, I forget that I'm wearing lipstick! If you would like to know more about Rouge in love lipsticks, click here to read my original, in-depth review.

The Rimmel lipstick is also wonderful. It glides on smoothly and is very pigmented. I love that this lipstick fades into a nice stain-like, shade after a while. And even if you're eating, it doesn't wear off in a patchy way. To read my original review of these lipsticks, click here.

Sephora Collection I.T. Stippling Brush

Probably my favourite buy from the last month or so. If you guys are familiar with Sephora's I.T. brushes, you will know that they are not cheap. BUT, they were phasing this style of brush out, so I was able to buy it for $11 CAD ($30 original). What's even more awesome is that I've been wanting to a buy a brush just like this one for ages. Huzzah and all that jazz!

I love using this brush with very pigmented foundations. It blends the product beautifully and sheers out the coverage of the foundation. It's not the softest brush, but it doesn't hurt, either. 

Also, it's hot pink! Oh, and I love that the brush handle is rather thin and that it tapers at the end. It gives the brush a great look and makes it easier to hold if you have smallish hands like me.

In other news...


Check out what my nails look like right now:

Aren't they fun? I love them so much! Winnie, one of my closest and dearest and bestest friends, did them on Monday! I would love it if you checked out here blog >> CLICK HERE <<. She does lots of amazing nail art, so if you're interested in that sort of thing, then her blog is for you! :)

I showed you mine, now show me yours!

What are your March Favourites?

Kate Moss For Rimmel London: A Winning Combination

When I first saw that the Kate Moss Lasting Finish collection for Rimmel was available in Shoppers Drug Mart, I must've stood in front of the display for 20 minutes swatching and looking at reviews on my phone (ahh, technology!). Finally, I decided on two shades: 01 and 14, which I purchased at $6.99 each.

I love the matte black packaging - it's lightweight and the handwritten name adds a cute touch. I do wish the cap would close more securely, though. The cap doesn't snap close very well and feels quite loose; I imagine it would come off pretty easily if you throw it in your handbag, so be careful with that.

The first thing you will notice when applying this lipstick is the scent. It smells fairly strongly of bubblegum and you'll continue to smell it even while you're wearing it. If you're scent sensitive or have an aversion to bubblegum scents, make sure to get a whiff first before purchasing.

The Lasting Finish Lipsticks promise up to 8 hours of wear; which I cannot confirm, because as I have mentioned before, I like to eat :).  That said, it does adhere to the lips really well and I've noticed wear just on the inside of the lips after a light snack. Of course, when I ate a full meal, a touch up was needed; but I don't know of any lipsticks that don't require one after eating.

As the hours go by, I notice that it loses its sheen and starts to take on more of a matte finish, eventually looking more like a stain. Being a long lasting lipstick, it's not really moisturizing; but it's definitely not as drying as other lipsticks I have tried, which has been a pleasant surprise!

Shade 01 is a gorgeous cool-toned red and shade 14 is a lovely cool-toned nude. Its texture is not as thick as other lipsticks I own, but it's not exactly lightweight. Which means there's some feathering going down if I don't use a lip liner.

01 is so, sooo pretty and it's probably my favourite out of all the reds in my collection... Which makes it sound like I have a lot of reds, but I actually don't. Still, it's my fave! Now, perhaps I was having an off day, but I had a bit of a hard time applying this shade. With most lipsticks (even bold/bright shades), I can apply it straight from the tube; but I needed to use a lip brush for this one. Nevertheless, that little bit of effort is totally worth it because 01 is such a sexy shade and is a great pick me up for when you're having kind of a blah day. I even wore it yesterday just to go to the grocery store!

I've seen reviews of 14 on YouTube and it looks absolutely stunning on women with olive skintones. Unfortunately, mine just does not support this colour as well. It has a blue, slightly ashy tone to it, which kind of makes me look dead. And unless I'm trying to blend in with the Zombies in a Zombie Apocalypse, "dead" isn't really a look I try to go for... That said, I wonder how this would look on me when I have a tan?

I also swatched a number of other shades that this collection carries and I must say, I'm really impressed by the pigmentation! 01 and 14 apply opaque instantly, which I love! These lipsticks are not advertised as being limited edition, so I'm making the assumption that they really aren't. Which means that in around 4 months time, (or even 1 month, since April is birthday month), I shall be picking up some other shades; 05, 08 & 12 are the ones that have caught my eye. They're so gorgeous!

Have you tried any lipsticks from the Kate Moss collection?