Top 3 Eye Shadow Palettes

July 15, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 15 Comments

Hi guys! It’s no secret that I’m an eye shadow palette junkie. I don’t know what it is but there is something so satisfying about getting a new palette to play with. I find them very inspiring as you can do so many looks with one single palette, particularly the larger ones. So, with that in mind, I thought I would go over the my top three palettes, or better yet, the three that I reach for the most. This probably does change throughout the year so this is based on current habits. I’ve talked about all these palettes before in previous posts where I swatched them so I’ve included those swatches to this post as well!

Kat Von D | Monarch Palette

I really love wearing warm shades on the eyes so this palette really delivers. The shadows are pigmented and buttery smooth so that they blend right in. I found that once I had better makeup brushes, this palette became a breeze to apply and a staple in my collection. I’m still quite sad that it has been discontinued so I’ll treasure this even more. My favourite look with this palette can be found here! The shade Wrath is definitely my favourite in the palette, it is just so warm and beautiful!

Continue reading →

Top 5 Summer Lipsticks

July 2, 2016June 30, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 19 Comments

Hi guys! I don’t really follow rules when it comes to makeup so I wear most lip colours all year round. However, I do tend to reach for certain colours depending on the season. So when the weather warms up, I find myself automatically reaching for bright lip colours. So, I thought it would be fun to share with you my favourite five lip colours for the summer!

NARS-Audacious-Juliette-Angela-Urban-Decay-Bang-Swatches

L to R: NARS Audacious Lipstick in Juliette, Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Bang, NARS Audacious Lipstick in Angela, Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Tulip & Colourpop Lippie Stix in Scandy

NARS | Audacious Lipstick in Juliette

A beautiful light pinky coral lipstick that from the moment I laid eyes on it screamed “summer staple”. For a moment I worried it would be too orange for my fair skin, but I like the way it looks on me. It’s not too bold so it could be worn with an everyday look. Also, the NARS Audacious formula is by far one of my favourite lipstick formulas.

Urban Decay | Revolution Lipstick in Bang

This lipstick recently came into my life and was another that I was unsure how I would feel about. I got it on sale though when the Revolution Lipsticks were discontinued so I didn’t have much to lose. This lipstick is amazing. It’s a beautiful bold bright orange red. This shade is still available in the Vice Lipsticks range in the cream formula. Continue reading →

Violet Voss x Laura Lee Eye Shadow Palette

June 24, 2016June 23, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 18 Comments

Hi guys! Oh my goodness you need this palette! I’m just going to cut straight to the chase, it’s amazing. Okay, now that I have that out of the way… I started seeing YouTuber Laura Lee’s collaboration with Violet Voss pop up all over the Snapchat of basically every beauty YouTuber that I follow. I had heard of her, but I hadn’t really watched any of her videos. I couldn’t believe how amazing this palette looked! The swatches looked super pigmented, and buttery smooth so I was instantly intrigued. I started watching her channel and was hooked! After watching her video where she talks about the palette in more detail, I knew I had to mark the pre-sale date on my calendar because I knew these babies would fly off the shelf. Boy, am I glad I did because I am in love!

The palette itself is mostly warm toned, but she did add a few cool toned shades as well to balance it out. There is a nice mix of mattes, shimmers and metallic shades so you have everything you need for a complete look. The palette is nice and compact so between that and the ability to do several different complete eye shadow looks with it, it would be great for travel. If you haven’t already seen it, you need to see her video on this where she talks about each shadow and why she picked each name. You can find that video here! A lot of the names are inspired by Alabama which is where she is from. I’m not sure if this was just for the pre-sale but the palette also came with a photo signed by Laura Lee herself which was a nice touch! Continue reading →

Bratty B Generation Beauty Giveaway “Haul”

June 22, 2016June 21, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 9 Comments

Hi guys! I was super bummed that I didn’t attend Generation Beauty in Toronto last month but when I saw Bratty B was doing a giveaway on her blog I knew I had to enter! I’d never won a giveaway before so I entered and then forgot about it. That was until she emailed me to let me know that I won one of the prizes! I thought it would be fun to go over what was included in this super generous prize as if it was a haul!

Essence | How to Make Nude Eyes

This is a beautiful nude palette from Essence, which is a super inexpensive brand that I have been loving lately. The shades all swatched really nicely so I’m excited to play with it more and create some looks with it!

L to R: Eye Light Beige, Go for Gold, An Eye on Apricot, All About Nude, Nude Night Out and Team Nude

Essence | How to Make Bright Eyes

Another stunning palette from Essence! This one features pink-toned shades and again, swatched beautifully. The only one that swatched a little strangely was “Natural Beauty”… it was super soft and almost looked like it balled up or like fluff. I blended it out with my finger and it worked just fine! Both of these palettes come with little cards with ideas on how to use the shadows together which is a nice touch!

L to R: Light Up!, Eyes Bright Open, Team Bright, Vanilla Eyes, Natural Beauty and The Irresistible

Continue reading →

Drugstore Haul!

June 17, 2016June 16, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 27 Comments

Hi guys! Wednesday evening I was experiencing quite a bit of pain and irritation in one of my eyes which just seemed to get worse as the night progressed. I decided to try to go to sleep to see if I would wake up and feel better (I feel like this is my body’s equivalent of trying to restart a device when you’re troubleshooting). The pain was so unbearable I barely slept so on Thursday when I woke up to a totally bloodshot eye, I decided to take a trip to the Emergency Room. After a very quick visit (so thankful it was quiet in the morning!) I learned I had an abrasion on my cornea. While waiting for my prescribed eye drops at Shopper’s Drugmart I decided to browse and treat myself to a few things! Thankfully the freezing drops were still working from the ER so I could handle daylight… Once they wore off… it was shut curtains and sunglasses indoors for me because when you have an abrasion on you cornea the sun feels like laser beams.

Let’s take a look at what I purchased to lift my spirits!

I’ve had my eye on the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams for awhile. I’ve seen mixed reviews on them, but I want to try them myself. They have a bit of a mousse-y texture so I’m looking forward to trying this on my lips! I picked out the shade San Paulo. I also picked up the Essence Get BIG! Lashes Mascara as I’ve really enjoyed the other items from Essence that I have tried so far! I like a variety of different types of mascaras on-hand so I decided to go for a volume-boosting formula. Can’t wait to try it! Continue reading →

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Eye Palette

May 31, 2016June 7, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 4 Comments

Hi guys! I normally don’t post until Wednesday but I was too excited and had to share this right away. Last week when the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Eye Palette launched I jumped onto the Sephora website and grabbed one. The Face Palette was so amazing that I just couldn’t pass this up. So today will be another “first impressions” style post so I’ll have a look with this palette coming shortly as well. As I type this I have just received it in the mail so I haven’t had a chance to play with it yet but I just had to get some swatches up for you guys!

This palette is so stunning and looks like a great addition to my makeup collection. I’ve never used Becca eye shadows but I’ve heard great things! The colours are in the warm/neutral family and include two shimmers and three mattes. Basically, you have everything you need for a beautiful eye look. Continue reading →

May Favourites

May 28, 2016May 29, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 1 Comment

Hi guys! It’s time to go over my monthly favourites! I was going to film a video to go along with this however I have a cold so my voice sounds terrible. But, writing about these wonderful products lifts my spirits and makes me feel better!

Too Faced | Melted Matte Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Lady Balls

I am obsessed with this liquid lipstick. It’s a beautiful true and is super long-wearing. You can find my rave review of it here! I can’t wait to pick up more shades from this line, the wear-time is unbelievable. And, who can resist a hilarious name like Lady Balls?

L to R: Too Faced Lady Balls & Kat Von D Double Dare

Kat Von D | Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Double Dare

I have definitely been having a liquid lipstick moment lately and this is another one that I have been wearing lots. It’s described as a cocoa blush shade and I think it is great for everyday wear. I’ll be reviewing it for one of my next Love for Lipstick post to wrap up my last haul. It has great wear time and feels like it goes with everything. Continue reading →

Ipsy Glam Bag: May

May 25, 2016May 24, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 6 Comments

Hi guys! Another one of my Ipsy bags has arrived and once again they have sent me exciting goodies to play with. Hopefully this is my last written Ipsy post for awhile and I can go back to filming soon. I was going to film this weekend but I had two additional dogs and a bunny staying with me for the long weekend.

Let’s dive into what I got this month…

Épicé International | Hydrating Mask

This hydrating mask uses Kaolin Clay to absorb the oils and impurities in your skin without stripping your skin’s moisture. I can’t wait to put this mask on my face and try it out! The size of the sample is nice too because I think I’ll get a few uses out of it to see if it truly makes a difference.

Pacifica | Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow Trio

This eye shadow trio is gluten-free, vegan and cruelty-free. These eyeshadows weren’t as pigmented when I swatched them as I thought they would be, but I’m looking forward to trying them out on my eyes. Continue reading →

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette

May 20, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 17 Comments

Hi guys! On Tuesday Jaclyn Hill released a very limited amount the Champagne Collection Face Palette which is part of her upcoming collaboration with Becca Cosmetics. The full collection (as well as more Face Palettes) will be available when it launches on Sephora online on May 26th and then in-stores on June 16th (Sephora exclusive). I managed to snag one during the advance release so I thought I would share some swatches to help you decide if you need this or not!

This palette features both highlighters and blushes (in both the new luminous formula and the mineral formula). The packaging is absolutely stunning, just as the products inside are as well. Continue reading →

Review: Maybelline Better Skin Foundation & Concealer

May 16, 2016May 15, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 13 Comments

Hi guys! As I mentioned on Saturday, I received a VoxBox from Influenster full of Maybelline goodies. Today I want to share my review of the Better Skin Foundation and Concealer. These are part of their Super Stay line and are meant to be skin transforming. Unfortunately the shade of foundation I received is a bit too dark for me to wear everyday so I can’t test those claims, but I can chat about how it applied and wore on my skin.

The word I normally use to describe my skin is oily. Unless I’m using mattifying products, my foundation will get shiny fast. That is exactly what happened when I used this foundation. I did set my face with Maybelline Matte + Poreless Translucent Powder but it did still get shiny after a few hours. Surprisingly though, I don’t dislike how it turned out, it looks a bit dewy which is not usually a look I end up with. My foundation usually goes from matte to greaseball status but this is a nice in-between. I think it would be nice for summer, although I’m not sure how it would react to warmer temperatures, it’s been pretty chilly here this weekend.