Top 5: Spring & Summer Picks

May 25, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 7 Comments

Hi guys! With spring making it’s way into Thunder Bay, I’ve been really inspired to start blogging about my favourite products for the season. Since spring is pretty much a gateway to summer, I start busting out the bright colours on a regular basis. I don’t really believe in seasonal colours, but I think the nicer weather makes me feel more bright and cheery and then this in turn is reflected in my overall style.

Nars | Audacious Lipstick in Angela

I’ve had Angela for a couple of years now and I always seem to bust her out when spring starts up. The pink orchid shade really reminds me of fresh flowers starting to bloom! Though we don’t have a lot of that going on right now in Thunder Bay (thank you epic April ice storm), I’m hopeful we will start seeing some blossoms soon! The Audacious Lipstick formula pigmented demi-matte formula that I find wears really well on the lips. Continue reading →

Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer

May 22, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 12 Comments

Hi guys! Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer is probably a product you’ve heard about time and time again. That Ulta exclusive that is a bit of a pain for the rest of the world to get their hands on (unless you want to pay an arm and a leg for shipping and exchange like I did). After a couple of months of using solely this concealer, I’m ready to put in my two cents on this popular product.

The first thing I noticed about Tarte Shape Tape is how big the tube and wand are. At first I wondered if it was bulky packaging but the amount of product you get is quite impressive (and took away some my shipping & exchange rate bitterness). Compared to my usual go-to, Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer which contains 5 ml of product, you get 10 ml with Tarte Shape Tape! Definitely makes this more of a worthwhile investment. Continue reading →

Rimmel Influenster Voxbox

May 20, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 6 Comments

Hi guys! A little under a month ago I received the Rimmel Voxbox from Influenster complimentary for review. It contains the Rimmel Shake it Fresh Mascara and the Only 1 Matte Lipstick in the shade Trendsetter. Given I enjoy testing mascaras and I loooove matte lipstick I was pretty excited to start testing these out. After a few weeks of testing, I’m ready to share my thoughts on them.

Rimmel Shake it Fresh Mascara

The premise behind the Rimmel Shake it Fresh Mascara is that it delivers clump-free volume with it’s patented shaker system, which allows you to shake your mascara when it needs a refresh. I have to say, this formula is so wet, I can’t really see it getting dry or clumpy before the mascara itself is ready to be tossed. However, given that we are always told not to shake mascara, it is quite satisfying to shake it up. Continue reading →

Love for Lipstick: Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint

May 12, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 6 Comments

Hi guys! It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Love for Lipstick post so today I’ve got one featuring the Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Adorbs! I picked this beauty up last month during the Sephora Spring VIB Sale and I’ve been testing it out ever since. I really love testing out new liquid lipsticks as I’m always on a quest to find the best wear times. I chose the shade Adorbs as it’s so bright and looks so summery. Plus, I didn’t already have any bright liquid lipsticks, bonus!

Formula

The formula of Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint is a slightly thicker than I’m used to mousse-y formula. Application is really quite easy. Between the consistency of the formula, and the shape of the wand, I could easily get a nice clean, even application on the lips. The wand is a bit longer and less doe-footy than your typical liquid lipstick applicator. I thought this would make it harder to apply but this actually made it easier to get a precise application! Continue reading →

April Favourites: Makeup, Skincare & More!

May 10, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 8 Comments

Hi guys! April was kind of a quiet blogging month, I kept meaning to get posts up but time just kept slipping away. Makeup-wise, it was another simple month. I kept it pretty neutral and simple most of the month so I don’t have tooooo many favourites to chat about today. A few are old favourites that continue to be favourites!

Makeup

Lorac | Pro Palette 2

I’ve mentioned this for sure in previous favourites, but this past month it was my go-to, every day palette. I was mostly using the shades Nectar (transition), Lt. Brown (crease) and Beige (all over lid). I can’t speak enough for how wonderful this palette is to work with. The shadows are just so great! They kick off quite a bit of powder, but they blend and apply like a dream. Continue reading →

Deep & Smoky Eye Look Featuring the Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Shadow Palette

May 4, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 7 Comments

Hi guys! Today I wanted to share with you a deep and smoky makeup look that I did a couple of weeks ago using the Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Shadow Palette. I don’t often do something with strictly dark, matte shades so I thought it would be fun to test this out. I’ve kept the entire look matte so I’m not even wearing any highlighter *gasp*! The lipstick is creamy though so it adds a bit of shine to the look to break things up.

Continue reading →

Sephora Spring VIB Sale Haul 2017

April 29, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 14 Comments

Hi guys! As many of you know, the Sephora Spring VIB Sale took place about a week ago! I was waiting for my last order to come in to post this, but the ice storm we had here in Thunder Bay this week delayed Canada Post. So when my package arrived today, on a Saturday, I was so excited I couldn’t wait to take pictures and get this post up. I posted my wish list a couple of weeks ago and although I never really stick to it, I did pick up two of the items on it! Generally my list is kind of a starting point but I always end up straying when it comes time to placing an actual Sephora order.

There is quite a trend of liquid lipsticks in this haul, but as you probably know, that’s essentially my favourite formula to wear. Continue reading →

Q1 Empties: January to April 2017

April 24, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 5 Comments

Hi guys! I’m back today with my first empties post of 2017! Can you believe we are nearly through with Q1 already? Time is just flying this year and I have a feeling it is going to continue on this way. So, today I have a fairly decent sized empties post for you. I find the quarterly format really works best for the pace in which I finish things. So here we go…

The Cleansers

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Spring Makeup Look Featuring Urban Decay Deep End

April 20, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 3 Comments

Hi guys! Though the weather once again isn’t suggesting it this morning, I thought I’d share with you the spring makeup look that I wore yesterday. For this look I decided to bust out my Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette and accent it with Urban Decay Deep End 24/7 Eye Liner. I’ve had Urban Decay Deep End for a few months now but this is the first time I’ve felt springy enough to wear it. It really is quite beautiful and I think it looks so great in the water line. I don’t usually wear a teal or blue look all over my eyes but I like just a pop of it on my eyes. All over blue looks fantastic on so many people, but I think it clashes with my green eyes.

Continue reading →

Wednesday Wishes: Spring Edition

April 12, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 5 Comments

Hi guys! It’s almost that time of the year again… The Sephora Spring VIB Sale! We are still waiting on official dates but it is sounding like the dates for VIB Rouge will be April 18 to 24th which is all we know right now. With that in mind, I thought it was time to share my wish list! I likely won’t purchase all of these items, and I may stray, but this is a good place to start!

Yves Saint Laurent | Black Opium

I’ve been getting more into perfumes lately and I sampled this the other day in Sears and fell in love. I’m terrible at describing notes, so I’m going to snag those from the Sephora website: Coffee Accord, Orange Blossom, Cedarwood Essence, Patchouli Essence. It just smelled delightful. I have to say, Cat’s Instagram made me seek this out to give it a sniff! I still can’t wrap my head around how much perfumes cost so the Spring VIB sale seems like a good time to splurge! Continue reading →