Esqido Gel Eyeliner Pencils Review

Esqido Gel Eyeliners

I don’t know about you but I am picky when it comes to eyeliner. I want my eyeliners to be pigmented and I want them to glide smoothly across my skin without any tugging. Any eyeliner that can meet these criteria are a win in my books. Esqido recently sent me their Gel Eyeliner Pencils to review in the shades black and brown so I was curious to see how they would fare.

Esqido Gel Eyeliners

Esqido’s Gel Eyeliner retails for $16 USD (though at the time of writing this they are on special for $12 USD). I was pleasantly surprised to see that my package shipped from Ontario which was nice as it arrived quickly and there weren’t any surprise fees upon delivery. Continue reading

Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes

Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes

Hi guys! Today I’ve got a post that I’ve been excited to post for awhile as I have been absolutely loving the Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes Palette. First of all, it smells DELICIOUS, and secondly, it is full of pigmented and highly blendable peach toned eye shadows. At first, I didn’t think I needed this palette as I am seldom drawn to all-matte eye shadow palettes but after seeing a lot of amazing looks using this on other blogs and instagram my attitude changed. Thus, I hauled this in September and have no regrets. In fact, it became an instant favourite!

Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes

The Too Faced Just Peachy Palette contains twelve shades – 11 mattes and one snuck in pearly shade. It contains both neutrals, including a few great transition and crease shades, some pops of bright colour and some deeper shades. Basically, it has many bases covered in a relatively small palette. I think it would be great for travel and am already planning on bringing it with me to Paris in December. Continue reading

Colourpop Hi-Maintenance Eyeshadow Palette

Colourpop Hi-Maintenance

Hi guys! Last month I shared the Colourpop Hi-Maintenance Eyeshadow Palette as part of my September haul. I’d been dying to try Colourpop’s pressed eyeshadows since they had launched so this quad seemed like a good time to try them out. It contains two shimmery shades and two mattes. I love the colours included in this palette as I enjoy wearing red/burgundy shades on the eyes!

Colourpop Hi-Maintenance Palette

The Packaging is a simple white Colourpop cardboard palette, with no markings of which palette it is, or what shades it contains. That is, aside from the cardboard sleeve that it comes with which you can see above. The palette itself does feel quite sturdy though and the eyeshadows can be removed to be either switched-out or to be added to a z-palette. I wish the palette itself had the quad’s name and the names of the shades on it though.

Colourpop Hi-Maintenance Palette Swatches Continue reading

Essie Gel Couture

Essie Gel Couture

Hi guys! One of my greatest pet peeves is when a manicure chips pre-maturely. At times, I don’t repaint my nails because I dread the first chip which usually occurs a couple days later while the rest of the manicure looks okay. I love painting my nails but I just have to be in the right mood for it. With all of that said, I was quite excited when Nail Polish Canada, one of my favourite websites to order nail polish from, asked me to pick two shades from the Essie Gel Couture line to review. Inspired by the fall season I chose a merlot shade, Model Clicks, and a grey shade, Closing Night.

The Essie Gel Couture line is a gel-like system that does not require a UV lamp. Interestingly enough, it also does not require a base coat. Being an avid base-coat user this seemed strange to me, but although it sounds insignificant, it saved me a LOT of time when doing these manicures.

Essie Gel Couture | Model Clicks

Essie Gel Couture Model Clicks

The first shade I tried was the Essie Gel Couture in the shade Model Clicks. It’s a deep merlot shade that is beautiful for the fall season. The first thing I have to say about the Essie Gel Couture system is that I absolutely LOVE the brush. It’s a bit wider than your average brush and is also flattened. It was so easy to get a nice, even and clean application. I barely had to do any clean up afterwards. It took two thin coats to achieve opacity which is pretty standard.

I was also very impressed by the dry time. I was a bit skeptical since I always choose top coats specifically for a quick dry. A top coat that is part of a system like this usually isn’t quick dry so I was worried. However, my nails dried in record time! Within 15-20 minutes I could start lightly using my hands again without worrying about ruining my new manicure. It definitely felt like it was a quick dry top coat. It also is quite shiny as well!

Essie Gel Couture Model Clicks

The photo above was taken after SEVEN days of wear! This includes five work days, where I essentially type on a keyboard like a mad-woman all day and it also survived a wedding on it’s second night of wear. Aside from a tiny bit of tip-wear and tiny chips out of the bottom, it looks passable! I can’t believe it! I think I found my new favourite nail polish formula!

Essie Gel Couture | Closing Night

Essie Gel Couture Closing Night

Next up, I currently have Essie Gel Couture in the shade Closing Night on my nails. It’s a grey with a soft shimmer to it. It applied just as nicely as the previous shade and looks beautiful on the nails. This shade as well took two shin coats to achieve opacity.

Overall, I am super impressed with the Essie Gel Couture line and am shocked it took me this long to try them. If you’re looking for a long wearing manicure you can try at home I would highly recommend these! You can find the full selection of Essie Gel Couture over at Nail Polish Canada. They offer free shipping to Canada on orders over $19 which is very reasonable!

Have you tried the Essie Gel Couture line? Let me know in the comments down below!

xoxo,

Robyn

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These products were all sent to me complimentary for review however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Waterproof Brows: NYX Eyebrow Gel

NYX Eyebrow Gel

Hi guys! I recently went to Wisconsin Dells (basically a city full of Waterparks) and decided it would be a great opportunity to test out some waterproof makeup! Makeup-wise I didn’t want to wear much, but I always feel naked without my brows and lashes so I stuck to this brow gel and a waterproof mascara. I hadn’t tested the waterproof-ness of the NYX Eyebrow Gel before this trip so I really had high hopes for it. I figured some intense waterslides would make for excellent and thorough testing of it’s capabilities.

The NYX Eyebrow Gel is a highly pigmented gel that keeps brows in place while also giving them a thicker appearance. To me it seems very similar to Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow except in a tube and it keeps my brows a little more in place. To apply it a put a tiny dot on my hand (that’s all you need) and I apply with an eyebrow brush. Since the NYX Eyebrow Gel is super pigmented, I start at the tail and work my way to the front when I have less product on my brush. There is a bit of a learning curve since this stuff is intense but once you get the hang of it, you are golden.

NYX Eyebrow Gel Continue reading

It Cosmetics CC Cream

Hi guys! Today I’m finally ready to share my thoughts on the It Cosmetics CC Cream that I picked up in early July during a trip to Ulta. I was looking for something a bit lighter with some SPF for the summer so I chose this after seeing many rave reviews. I will say that after much use, I’m not a fan of this product for every day wear, but it does have a place in my makeup routine.

it Cosmetics CC Cream

The photo above shows the It Cosmetics CC Cream (shade: fair) freshly applied. I’ve worn the ret of my usual makeup and have set it with the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder. I’ve also set my face using the Makeup Revolution Oil Control Fixing Spray. It applies quite nicely, I’ve used both my fingers and a beauty blender and either works fine. It gives a hint of coverage, just enough to even out my skin which I quite like. However, I can’t wear this product with my normal makeup routine. Continue reading

Esqido Oh So Sweet Lashes

Esqido Oh So Sweet Lashes

Hi guys! Today I have an exciting and different post for you. Esqido was nice enough to allow me to select a pair of their lashes to try out. Esqido’s lashes are handcrafted and use naturally shed mink hairs. The band is made of cotton for comfort so that you can wear their lashes all day. They also sent me their Companion Eyelash Glue which is latex-free.

Esqido Oh So Sweet Lashes

I chose the Esqido Oh So Sweet Lashes as they looked really fluttery and not too over-the-top (I’m a total false lash novice). For those who are unsure of what kind of lashes they might want, Esqido has a really neat quiz on their website to help you narrow down your choices.

Esqido Companion Lash Glue

The brush on the Companion Eyelash Glue is quite small and precise so it was very easy to get the right amount on the lash band. It became tacky quite quickly which was nice as I have found some glues take forever and I’m impatient. It took me a few attempts to get the placement right as I don’t wear false lashes very often, but even so, the lashes were really easy to take off and re-apply. I have no doubt that these would survive multiple wears if worn properly. Continue reading

Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara

Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara

Hi guys! Influenster recently sent me the Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara complimentary for review as part of a recent campaign. Since I loved the last Revlon mascara that I tried, I was really excited when I saw I was selected to participate. The Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara is a tubing mascara that deposits fibres around your lashes for volume and length. Based on it’s description alone I was quite optimistic for this one (unlike the last mascara that I reviewed!).

Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara

The brush on this mascara is fairly average in size and tapers a bit towards the tip to make it super easy to use. If I can manage to not get mascara all over my under eye area when coating my bottom lashes then I call it a success! The flat style of the tube is nice as well as it doesn’t feel bulky in the hands and can be maneuvered easily. Also, since it doesn’t roll it is GREAT for photographing (blogger problems, am I right?!). Continue reading

Love for Lipstick: Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick

Anastasia Beverly Hills CrushHi 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

Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer

Tarte Shape Tape

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.

Tarte Shape Tape

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