EsteeLauder Double Wear in Sand: Review

I was looking for a fuller coverage foundation, under 50$, that came in undertone specific shades (not where they have random irrelevant names like "ivory" or "beige" what does that even mean?) similar to MAC. Estee Lauder's Double Wear seemed to pop up quite a bit.

I got this foundation at Murale, as the Sephora at the mall I work at doesn't carry Estee Lauder. It was 45$.

Who is it for?
This foundation is suitable for people with oily-dry skin, but probably not for people with very dry or chronically dry skin.
I have generally clear/blemish free, dry-normal skin that is not oily whatsoever. In MAC I am an NC25, and my skin is definitely warm/olive-y. This foundation comes in Cool, Neutral and Warm tones. The shade that ended up fitting me absolutely perfectly was 1W2 "Sand".

Application
The primer I use is Lush's Magical Moringa. I love this stuff because it goes on greasy but drys matte, its the neatest thing ever. This product does not have a pump, so its a pain to get the foundation out, and I am not paying 13$ for a foundation pump from MAC that cost 0.02 cents to make, so I just use a new clean q-tip, dip it in, and spot it all over my face.

This stuff dries fast! I found that using a sponge blender didn't work because you need to spend more time blending it in, and the foundation "sticks" to your skin quickly and doesn't want to blend and budge.

I then use a flat blending face brush (117 from BH Cosmetics), and stipple the foundation over my face, then I use my circular blending motions. I usually go in with my (clean!) hands to get it under my eyes and around my nose so it does not have those dry patches around the nose.

Coverage?
This is medium-full coverage. It easily builds up to full coverage. Like I said, the colour match is superior. Most people should find their shade in this foundation.
It doesn't do anything for my absolutely terrible dark circles,  but it gives my face the clean and clear look I desire. It doesn't look cakey on my skin, but I do not have large pores.

Overall Thoughts
I love this foundation, the colour is great, it doesn't get patchy on my skin, it gives my skin the clean blemish free look I want to go for.
I wish this came with a pump though, or if it came in packaging like MAC's Waterproof Foundation. I'm worried it will tip over and spill.

Pictures of it in Action

I included this photo so you can see how it looks in different lighting. Here I look super pale and cool tones while in the above photos I look much warmer. Lighting can either be your friend or enemy!

MAC Blush/Bronzer in "Format": Swatches/Review

I have never really been big on blush, but I have always loved me some super shimmery pigmented bronzer.
I picked up MAC LongWear Blush in the colour "Format" a few weeks ago, and I think I have gotten enough wear out of it to make a review.
Although it says blush, this is most definitely a bronzer. MAC describes it as a frosted pinkish brown, although I see a hint of orange in it. 

It definitely has some shimmer to it. It is very glowy, almost giving that circa 2002 shimmer tan obsessed look, but in a slightly more subtle way, I swear. You really do not need much of this product to get a bronzed look.
It is very pigmented, you could use it as an eyeshadow in a pinch.

In MAC I am an NC/25, and I find that this compliments the warm/olive tones in my skin.
From looking at other reviews on MakeupAlley, this blush/bronzer is very popular and works very well on woman with darker skin (around the NC/NW-35-45 range).

To apply this, I use #114 Angled Blending Face Brush from BHCosmetics

I found that this lasts all day on top of my Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. I am a big fan of this blush/bronzer! I love how heavy I can make it and how shimmery/frosty it is. This beats out my UD Flushed. Even though my skin is lighter than the general fanbase of this product, I still think it looks great and gives my chubby cheeks lots of depth.

Photos of it in action

Pros:
- Very pigmented, lots of shimmer
- Easy to find in a MAC Counter or MAC Store
- Permanent item
- Great for darker skin

Cons:
- Mid end product, this was 26$ CAD.
- Might not work for skin lighter then NC20
- The frost might not be everyone's cup of tea, this isn't a natural bronzer

This is the Balea Cleansing Oil, it was 13$ from Shoppers Drug Mart

I have been wanting to see what the fuss about “Cleansing Oils” was all about. I tried looking up reviews for ones they sell at Sephora, but its impossible to find a good review because there's always people with oily skin complaining how using an oily cleanser made them oily or break out. Like of course, oil based products and oily skin can be problematic.
I gave up on trying to find an oil cleanser from sephora because I couldn't find one that would for sure work for my skins needs.
I do not have oily skin what so ever. Never has my skin produced oil. I also do not have sensitive or acne prone skin. My main issue is dryness, minor redness, and dark circles. 

This stuff does have fragrance, so if your skin is sensitive that might be bad. I cant smell any fragrance though (I have no sense of smell).

I did not use this to remove makeup. I think 2 in 1 makeup removing cleansers are bad for your skin. By removing your makeup and cleansing your skin at the same time, you're just rubbing in your days makeup into your skin. I use Neutrogena’s Ol Free Makeup Remover (my HG, I have been using this for 5+ years). 

 I dont really like the pump, it's hard to squirt out a tiny amount of product. It is very oily obviously. I applied this to my face with my hands, gently massaged it, let it sit for a minute or 2, and then gently wiped it off with a face towel.

It left my skin feeling baby butt soft! No more dryness on my forehead or around my nose. I dont think it did much for “cleansing”, I mean my face did feel clean but it doesn’t seem to have any soap qualities to it.

I am really happy with this product, but I will continue to use my Lush Cleanser or my sisters SkinFix Cleanser for Dry Skin to cleanse my face.

If you have dry skin thats not sensitive, this might make a great moisturizer for you. I apply this to my face when I go in the shower and it prevents my face from feeling horribly tight after I get out of the shower.

Review: My Lips Eat Cherry Lip Tint (Juicy Red)

Hello friends!
This is one of my go to lip products. It is The Face Shops “My Lips Eat Cherry” Lip tint. Its sort of similar to Benefits lip/cheek tints.
I normally hate red lipstick, I dont own a single red lipstick. I think its from using cheap waxy red lipsticks in dance competitions from when I was young.

This was around 9-12$ from TheFaceShop store. It has a slight scent to it. I cannot pick up on what it is, but its nothing off putting.

I like the applicator on this. I have very small lips and a defined cupids bow so sometimes it is difficult for me to apply lip products without it looking off, so brush applicators are great. The doe foot applicator picks up a lot of product.
You might have to do 1.5-2 coats of this, just to get it on your lips evenly.

If your lips re dry, this may accentuate some dryness. Not like a bad liquid lipstick where it cracks, but your lips will just feel dry.

What I like about this is how long it lasts. I put this on around 10:00 this morning, and it was still on my lips around 5:00 when I got home. Unlike a liquid lipstick, you dont feel it peeling off when you eat.

Sadly, the store front TFS dont carry this anymore (they have serious stock issues) but its super easy to find with free international shipping on eBay

Overall Thoughts..

Price: ♥♥♥♥♥ You cannot get much better then this. I have had this for about a year and I still have lots left. You might have to buy online (Heres a link!) if you dont have a TFS near you


Packaging: ♥♥♥♥♡ Although I really like the doe foot applicator, I always feel like this is going to spill. I wish there was something to prevent that from happening in this product


Quality: ♥♥♥♥♥ This product works perfectly well/as it should I applies easily, and you can eat and drink with it, and it doesn't peel off. I ate some oily food with this on, and it was still visibly there after my meal. It stains your lips very well. 

Wet n Wild Mega Glow Contouring Palette

Contouring is all the rage. Although it doesn't work well for my cheekbone less chubby cheeks, Its fun to play around with.
I have been wanting a matte contour/bronzer shade for a while. I didn’t want to splurge on an ABH or KVD one because I don’t need that many colours, and I dont like using those banana or cream shades. I think the ABH or KVD palettes only work for actual MUA's, because they need different colours for different skin tones.

I am really pleased with this product!

I got this mostly for the dark shade. Its a milk chocolate shade (the exact same colour as a Kinder Egg actually). The lighter shade is a slightly yellow cream shade. Its a few shades lighter then my own skin tone, (NC25) so I dont know if I will use it.
The powder itself is very soft and buttery.
I use a flat blending face brush (#116 from BH Cosmetics 10 Piece Sculpt/Blend) to apply it. I dont dig into the powder like I usually do with bronzer. You really need to lightly tap it on, and build it in two layers so you dont make it to heavy by accident. I find that this blends out well. It doesn't look like streaks on my cheeks.

I use this more as a "bronzer/blush" then a contour really. Although I love heavy makeup on a daily basis, I tend to keep my eyes heavy and my face more basic.

Here are some photos of it in action!

Here is a quick run down of this product

Price: ♥♥♥♥♥
I got this for 5-6$ at Superstore. Walmart did not have in stock at the time, but it would probably be cheaper their. You cant beat the price for this. I think I would be willing to pay up to 20$ for this if it was a different brand

Packaging: ♥♥♥♡♡ This compact is pretty big, a bit smaller then a CD disk. Its difficult to store, I feel like the ergonomics of this are off. I also dont like how much space the product/pressed powder takes up, I feel like there should be more of a division between the two colours. I dont mind that it doesnt have a mirror because I never use the mini mirrors in products anyways.

Quality: ♥♥♥♥♡ I really love this and I reach for it daily, but the lighter contouring shade doesn't do anything for me personally. I have drier skin, so I dont want to put powder all over my face.


Pros:
Cheap
Good amount of product that will take a while to use up
Very soft, but not chalky
WnW is CF

Cons:
Probably wouldn't work for someone darker then NC/NW/30-35 from my estimates
Packaging is lackluster and feels fragile.
You need a brush to apply this, so it may take more time to use. I know that if I am feeling lazy I like stick bronzers/contours.

Lets Get Lazy Rilakkuma Sweater from ShopGoodie Review

I saw this sweater a few times on Amazon when searching for some Rilakkuma type stuff. I thought it was just adorable. I got it here.

I got it in a size Medium, which is a 40 inch chest. I like my sweaters to fit fairly large on me. It came pretty fast, I ordered it on January 3rd, 2016, and it came to me today, January 13th, 2016. It came in one of those mailing plastic bags.

As you can see its official Rilakkuma! It does have ShopGoodies logo inside it though.
Its so cute, Korilakkuma is pulling Rilakkuma's face. I really love these characters, but they're hard to come by. They dont sell them on Sanrio's website. The images are slightly faded in retro way.

As you can see it's your average sweatshirt design, it is 60% Cotton, 40%. 

It's sewn nicely with a serger.

I wish I got a small though because this is HUGE on me. I did not realize it was unisex sizing. I love it, but it is just too big. I had to end up selling it on a Fairy-Kei FB selling group.

Remember kids, pay better attention to those size charts! I thought this would fit me even though it was 40 inches in the bust, because I am about 35-36 in the bust, and I thought that would be just enough for baggy-ness.