Ulta Haul!

July 7, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 9 Comments

Hi guys! I went to the States last weekend so as always, it had to include a trip to Ulta in Duluth, MN! Oh Ulta, how I wish you had a few stores in Canada… What I love about Ulta is that it’s the best of Sephora, Shopper’s Drugmart and Chatters all rolled into one wonderful place! I could spend an entire day getting lost in there… but I controlled myself and managed to spend probably less than an hour there before we got back in the car and continued on the road to Minneapolis. It also happened to be the last day of a 20% off promotion so it was definitely a great time to stop there!

Let’s take a look at what I grabbed…

Makeup Revolution | Unicorns Unite Salvation Eyeshadow Palette

I didn’t originally have this on my shopping list but since they didn’t have the unicorn highlighter that I had my eye on, and I had unicorns on the brain, I decided to pick this up. Plus, there was a buy 2, get 1 free deal going on with Makeup Revolution. The colours in this palette jumped out at me as they look fun for summer so I’m excited to see how this inexpensive palette works out. I haven’t even touched or swatched any of this yet, as soon as I got back from the States I went out to the cottage. Continue reading →

June Favourites: Makeup, Skincare & More!

July 5, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / Leave a comment

Hi guys! I feel like I might as well just stop keeping track of each month this year because they seem to be blowing by faster than I can count. I could have sworn June had just started but here we are ready to welcome July! This summer is going to be a busy one so I feel like it’s going to fly by even faster.

Makeup

Morphe | 35O Palette

In anticipation of Jaclyn Hill’s collaboration with Morphe, I became inspired to bust out my 35O Palette which I realized failed to make much of an appearance here on the blog! If you love warm eye shadows like I do, this palette is a must. It is so reasonably priced for 35 quality eye shadows! Also, you can find Morphe products in Showcase stores if you have one near you. I picked mine up from my local store. I posted a look using this palette earlier this month!

Urban Decay | Naked Heat Palette

Yes, I just got this palette a couple of weeks ago but, I have been using it every single day since. Similar to the Morphe 35O Palette, the Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette is warm toned as the name suggests. I have been absolutely obsessed with it. It doesn’t have as much variety as the Morphe 35O, however, what it lacks in variety, it makes up for in that it has the same quality one expects from a Naked Palette. I would say quality-wise it is a few notches above the Morphe 35O, but either would be great if you are looking for a warm toned palette. I posted my first impressions and swatches last week and stay tuned for a mega-post full of different eye looks using this beauty! Continue reading →

Sephora 101: Welcoming Sephora to Thunder Bay

July 3, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 6 Comments

Hi guys! Though many of you are likely well-acquainted with Sephora, I’m happy to report that Thunder Bay’s very own Sephora store is opening later on this week! I thought with that in mind it would be fun to go over some products that I absolutely adore and consider staples in my makeup collection and add in a few tips. So while this post reads more like a guide to Sephora, even seasoned shoppers may find a product or two worth checking out!

Sephora Must-Haves

Urban Decay | Vice Lipstick

I have a pretty severe love for Urban Decay but their gigantic range of lipstick is truly a must. With several different formulas ranging from sheer to mega-matte and everything in-between, there is truly something for everyone. My personal favourite is the Comfort Matte formula as it is long-wearing, and as the name suggests, comfortable on the lips. You can find a full review I did on that formula here! Some of my favourite shades include: 1993, Native & Trance. Continue reading →

Ulta Shopping List

June 28, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 7 Comments

Hi guys! I’m heading to the States this weekend so as always, I’ll be making a stop at Ulta. My shopping list contains all products that are not readily available near me. Some of these may be available in Canada but they aren’t items I’ve seen locally. I’m so excited to take a good wander around Ulta, I haven’t browsed around one since September!

Mario Badescu | Drying Lotion

I got a sample of this a few Ulta trips ago and I really liked it for the odd time that I have stubborn and painful acne. This product really helped dry them up and heal faster.

TonyMoly | I’m Real Red Wine Mask Sheet

I’ve been wanting to try some TonyMoly sheet masks so I’ll likely pick up a few different ones but this one stood out to me during a quick browse of the Ulta website. This mask is supposed to reduce the appearance of large pores which is definitely appealing to me. Also, I love red wine so obviously my eyes were drawn to this one. Continue reading →

Love for Lipstick: Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick

June 23, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 10 Comments

Hi guys! I’ve got another Love for Lipstick post for you today and it’s a long overdue one. I’ve been meaning to review the Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks for some time now. I’ve got three of them now and I wear them all the time so I’ve definitely spent some time getting to know these beauties. Specifically, today we will be talking about the shade Crush.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks have a slightly thicker formula as far as liquid lipsticks go. They feel almost mousse-y to apply to the lips. Due to this, they are quite easy to get a clean application. The formula dries down rather quickly and I don’t typically notice too much transfer throughout the day. Continue reading →

Urban Decay Naked Heat: First Impressions

June 21, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 10 Comments

Hi guys! From the moment I laid eyes on this beauty, I knew she had to be mine. If you don’t already know by now, I am obsessed with Urban Decay. Their Naked Palettes are amongst my favourites and when I saw they were releasing a warm toned one, I immediately had to find out the earliest I could get my hands on it. Warm tones are definitely my favourites to wear on my eyes. My eye shadow palette collection probably leans more warm than anything else. So, the night of the pre-sale on the Urban Decay website, I had the website loaded 15 minutes in advance and waited patiently. Aside from some minor issues with the website, my order went through and the waiting continued. Four days later and this beauty was finally in my hands. So, let’s take a closer look at the palette that stopped my heart!

The Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette contains seven matte shades and five shades with shimmer. Ranging from lighter more neutral shades and some deeper warm shades, this palette has everything you need to create several complete eye looks. It also contains a double-ended brush to assist you in creating your ideal eye look. I rarely use the brush that comes with palettes but the Urban Decay ones are actually quite great to work with. I just always stick with my go-to eye makeup brushes when I’m creating a look. Continue reading →

MOTD: Playing with New Makeup

June 17, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 3 Comments

Hi guys! I just did a MOTD post yesterday but, I thought, why not do two in a row? I started cleaning off my vanity today and decided to play around with some products I had out waiting to be tested. The end result turned out great so I thought I’d share it with you! I won a YSL Giveaway a few months ago but for some reason I haven’t spend as much time testing out the products as I would have liked to. My makeup routine has been so minimal on the weekends the last few months so that is likely why. During the week when I wear my normal face, I don’t have time to play around so I stick to what I know. Anyways, let’s check out the look and then I’ll talk a bit about the products I tried out!

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MOTD: Fun with the Morphe 35O Palette

June 16, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 1 Comment

Hi guys! I’ve had the Morphe 35O Palette for about six months now and I realized that I haven’t done a single look using it here on the blog! Today, we are going to fix that! The Morphe 35O is quite possibly one of Morphe’s most popular makeup palettes. There was a good chunk of time where if you wanted this beauty you had to stalk social media and then be quick to order. Thankfully today it is easier to come by and I actually picked mine up from a Showcase store in my local mall. If you love warm colours, this palette was made for you!

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May Favourites: Makeup, Skincare & More!

June 10, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 2 Comments

Hi guys! I feel like during May I started to get my blogging groove back. I didn’t get back to 100% of where I was before, but I definitely posted a lot more regularly. I’ve definitely discovered a few new favourites over the course of the last month, as well as gave some old favourites some love as well. So, let’s dive into what I’ve been loving this past month!

Makeup

Tarte | Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Adorbs

I did a full review of this beauty as part of my Love for Lipstick series and I seriously cannot stop gushing about it. I got over TWELVE HOURS of wear out of it! Sure, my lips looked a bit dry by the end of the day (I wouldn’t normally wear lipstick that long but I had to know… for science!) but it really wasn’t that uncomfortable. But, again, I’ve said this a hundred times, keep in mind that I have a high tolerance for liquid lipsticks. All in all, love the formula and I love this bright pink shade! Continue reading →

MOTD: Spring & Summer Picks

June 1, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 4 Comments

Hi guys! It’s been awhile since I’ve done a MOTD post and I thought it would be fun to showcase some of my picks from last week’s Top 5: Spring & Summer Picks post! I had meant to do this look over the weekend, however, I had one of those barely leave the house/minimal makeup weekends. I think we all need a few of those! It was very relaxing! Anyways, I was able to make time for a mini photoshoot before work so here we go!

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