Hi guys! I hauled this palette in my Birthday Haul and today I’m going to give a quick review of it, swatch the whole palette and include a look using the palette.
colourswatches
Mini MAC Haul!
Hi guys! I finally caved and bought the MAC 242 Shader Brush! Since MAC had a code for free express shipping in Canada, I added a few other items to my order to make sure I met the $55 minimum. I’m not sure if the code is still active, but it is “NOV”. I love the express shipping deals since it really does feel like almost immediate gratification getting your items so quickly.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Self-Made Palette
Hi guys! I recently purchased the Anastasia Beverly Hills Self-Made Palette as part of my Birthday Haul! As soon as I got this I couldn’t wait to start playing with it since I haven’t used eyeshadows from their line before. This palette is so creamy, blendable and pigmented. So far I am very impressed!
October Birchbox Unboxing
Hi guys! I recently subscribed to Birchbox! I haven’t done a subscription box before and was curious to find out what all the hype is about. After comparing Birchbox and Ipsy, I decided that Birchbox was more appealing to me and I signed up. This month was my first Birchbox and I was not disappointed!
Here is what I got in my October Box:
Catherine Maladrino | Style de Paris
This perfume sample smelled really nice. It had a bright fruity-floral scent. It didn’t feel too harsh or too heavy like some florals can be. This seems like something I would actually wear.
Harvey Prince | Hello Body Creme
This was a very smooth and somewhat thick feeling body butter. It was moisturizing and had a nice citrus-floral scent.
Vasanti Cosmetics | Brightenup! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator
This is an exfoliating face wash that is supposed to mimic the effects of microdermabrasion. My face did feel quite nice the next day, but the particles in face wash are quite harsh and sharp-feeling. I wouldn’t recommend this for sensitive skin.
Eyeko | Black Magic Mascara
This has been my favourite from the box so far! This is a water-resistant formula that claims to add curls, volume and have major staying power. I can confirm that all of these claims are true! My lashes were so nicely separated, had a nice curl, had some volume and looked exactly the same at the end of the day as it did when I put it on! I also really love the shape of the wand (see above).
The Beachwaver Co. | ‘Darby’ Hair Clip
I haven’t used this yet, but it looks like it would be perfect for sectioning off my hair to curl or straighten it. The design on the clips is really cute too.
ModelCo | Ultra Long-Lating Lipstick in Stiletto
This is a highly pigmented red shade. While I haven’t had a chance to wear it, it claims to glide off effortlessly, it hydrates the lips and doesn’t require touch ups. I can say, while swatching it, it did glide on really nicely and was super pigmented. I plan on using it in a look at some point so I can do more of a review on it. The one thing I can say is that the packaging feels a bit cheap and it is easy to hit the lipstick with the cap when you put it back on if you aren’t careful.
So far, I’m impressed with Birchbox! These are all things I would find useful. Do you subscribe to Birchbox or any other subscription service? Let me know what you got this month in the comments down below!
xoxo,
Robyn
Like me on Facebook
Warm Look Using the Kat Von D Monarch Palette
Hi guys! Today I wanted to share with you one of my favourite warm looks to do using the Kat Von D Monarch Palette. I wear this look all year round but it is particularly great for autumn! I got my hair dyed today so I thought a nice warm look would be perfect for freshly dyed red hair. The Monarch Palette is one of my favourites. The shadows are all very pigmented, buttery smooth and blendable. All the things I look for in a palette. Since the shadows are so pigmented you do have to use a light hand with a few of them.
Here is what the palette looks like, and some swatches:
L to R: Wrath, Papillio, Summerfly, Killing Jar, Delaney, Vanish, Disintegration, Shadowbox and Deadhead
Here is the look that I did with the palette:
Products Used:
Foundation: L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation in Classic Ivory
Concealer: Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Concealer in Ivory
Powder: Anastasia Beverly Hills Banana Powder (undereye) and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light (all over face)
Blush: Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush in Fetish
Contour: Anastasia Beverly Hills Fawn
Highlight: Too Faced Candelight Glow Highlighting Powder Duo (both shades mixed together)
Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion (original). Kat Von D Monarch Palette – Vanish (transition/crease), Wrath (crease), Summerfly (inner half of lid and under eye), and Disintegration (outer half of lid and under eye). Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara (lashes).
Brows: L’Oreal Brow Stylist Plumper in Light to Medium
Lips: NARS Audacious Lipstick in Annita
Max also got his hair done today too!
Have you tried any of Kat Von D’s palettes? I really want to try the Shade + Light Eye Palette next… If you have it, let me know if it is worth the money in the comments below! If not, let me know what your favourite warm look is!
Until next time…
xoxo,
Robyn
Like me on Facebook
Top 5: Nail Polishes
Hi guys! Today I thought I would share with you what I consider to be my top 5 nail polishes. It was really hard narrowing it down to just 5 (I won’t even get into how many I own), but here we are! As you can tell, I favour cream finishes. I find they wear the best, are the easiest to remove and are the most versatile. You can always add a glitter polish accent to sparkle up a polish with a cream finish.
My top 5 (in no particular order):
OPI Lincoln Park After Dark
This has been a long time favourite of mine. It is a dark, almost black, purple shade. Although it is quite dark, I find it is very elegant. It looks particularly best on short/medium length nails.
Zoya Robyn
Of course a polish called ‘Robyn’ would be in my top 5. This is a gorgeous, wearable blue shade. Growing up, I never was able to buy personalized items at stores (ie. keychains, mugs, etc) because Robyn would always be spelt with an ‘i’ instead of a ‘y’. When I saw this polish, nostalgia hit and I had to have it since they spelt Robyn the same way as my name is. Also, it applies like butter and you can almost get away with one coat.
OPI Hey Baby
This is a newer polish to my collection, but the formula and the colour caught my attention. This is such a smooth colour to apply, and the magenta/pink shade is stunning.
OPI Roadhouse Blues
I don’t think OPI makes this colour anymore, which is a shame, because this is a beautiful deep blue. It looks almost black in the photo, and in some lights it does look like that, but there is more blue to it than my photo captured. It is a great colour for fall and again, looks best on short/medium nails.
OPI Polka.com
I had to include a glitter polish in my top 5, it just wouldn’t be complete without one. This one is one of my favourite glitters as it includes all of my favourite colours in one bottle. It has large sized purple, pink and light blue glitter pieces, as well as some tiny sparkles. I love adding it as an accent on almost any manicure. It also applies very nicely. I find that a lot of glitters with large pieces don’t apply evenly (you never end up with many of the larger pieces) but this one doesn’t seem to have that problem.
All of my swatches are two coats. I did not use a base or top coat for the photos. As you can tell from my list, I do tend to favour OPI polishes. I find they have excellent wear-time and almost never let me down. Most of my collection is OPI for that reason.
What are your favourite nail polishes? Let me know in the comments down below!
xoxo,
Robyn
Like me on Facebook
Another Colourpop Haul!
Hi guys! I have another Colourpop haul to share with you today! Colourpop did a labour day sale where they had different discounts depending on how much you spent. Since I had some items that I had my eye on it was a good time to pick them up and save a little money in the process. If you haven’t heard of Colourpop, I highly recommend that you check out their website. They sell inexpensive makeup products that are very high quality. My last Colourpop haul can be found here. They add a cute personal handwritten note in each order, which is a nice touch.
Here is what I bought…
Supershock Eye Shadows
L to R: Central Perk, Cornelious, Blaze, Glow and Kathleenlights
Since I haven’t talked much about them before, Colourpop eye shadows have a very unique texture. They are not dry, but they are not wet either. They are spongy and very pigmented.
I bought Central Perk from the newly released 90’s collection because as a huge Friends fan, I felt like I needed it. It is described as a matte dirty maroon.
I also finally purchased the quad that Kathleenlights collaborated with them on, Where The Light Is. It includes two matte shades, Glow (creamy vanilla) and Cornelious (mid-tone warm caramel), a metallic shade, Blaze (coco bronze with multidimensional glitter) and a pearlized shade, Kathleenlights (golden copper). They are all stunning, however when I swatched Glow it was hard to pick up on camera because of my fair skin.
Lippie Stix
LBB, Topanga and Grunge
The whole purpose of this order was to purchase Grunge (cool-toned plum; matte) from the 90’s collection. I also purchased Topanga (mid-tone dusty coral; satin) and LBB (rich plum wine; matte). All three colours are creamy and pigmented. The Colourpop matte lippie stix are nice because they do not feel drying on the lips.
The Swatches
While all of the shades are beautiful, I would say the last two (Blaze and Kathleenlights) are the stand-outs. Glow doesn’t look like it swatched well, but that is just because it is very close in colour to my skin. It would make a great brow bone or inner corner highlight.
Did you purchase anything during the Colourpop labour day sale? Let me know in the comments down below!
xoxo,
Robyn
New! Like me on Facebook
Colourpop Haul!
Hi guys! This week I received the goodies that I ordered from Colourpop! If you haven’t heard of Colourpop you should run, not walk, to their website! They are a Los Angeles based cosmetics company that is 100% cruelty free. Their products are very inexpensive and are of great quality! How often can you find a pigmented, beautiful lipstick for $5 that could compete with a $40 one? Not that often, that’s for sure! They recently explained on their blog that by having low prices, their customers have the freedom to experiment and try colours outside of their comfort zone without breaking the bank. I think that is such a great idea! Go check them out, you won’t be disappointed. If you sign up for their email newsletter you receive a $5 off coupon code (that is a free lippie stix, lippie pencil or eye shadow!!). The coupon code do expire so don’t sign up until you know you are going to use it!
Now onto the products that I purchased…
Bumble (Ultra Matte Lip): This is a beautiful terracotta matte liquid lipstick. It applied very nicely and dried quickly to a completely matte finish. It did feel a little bit drying but it was not uncomfortable. I put it on around 7:30 am yesterday, and it still looked perfect when I took it off at 4:00 pm. The only reason I took it off was because I was going to the gym, otherwise I would have kept rocking it. It somehow survived breakfast, lunch, tea and the several bottles of water I consume a day.
Kapow (Ultra Matte Lip): This is a colour that I would not normally wear so I thought I would live a little and try it. I have not worn it yet though. When I swatched them on my arm it took two different make up removers and scrubbing my arm to remove it. I decided to save this for the weekend in case the colour doesn’t suit me.
Quick Tip: Put a clear lip balm on while you do your make up (after foundation) and let it soak into your lips. Just before you apply the Ultra Matte Lip in your shade of choice, blot the balm off on a tissue. This will help hydrate your lips before using this since they can feel a bit drying. I do this every time I do my make up, but it helps the most with this kind of formula.
Tootsi (Lippie Stix): This is a matte finish lippie stix. It is a grey, cool-toned, nude. I have been wanting this one since they first posted it on instagram and I am so happy to finally call it mine. I don’t have anything else like this in my collection. It is a comfortable matte and wears for a reasonable amount of time. It isn’t as matte and long-wearing as the Ultra Matte line, but it is a completely different formula. When it started to fade, it did so evenly.
Fern (Lippie Stix): This lippie stix is in their cream finish. It is a stunning violet, cool-toned shade. I wore this one today and it applied like a dream. It was pigmented and creamy. I could have gotten away with one coat, but I decided to blot and add another to help it last longer. When it faded away it left a nice magenta stain on my lips.
Frida (Lippie Stix): This is a satin finished lippie stix which was done in collaboration with Coffee Break with Dani! It is a warm-toned pinky nude shade. I haven’t worn this one yet (this order only came in on Wednesday!) but I am excited to try it this weekend. It is a beautiful shade that looks like it can be warn with anything. When swatching it on my arm it was pigmented and creamy. Hopefully it works with my skin tone!
Have you guys tried Colourpop, if so which products do you love and recommend? If you haven’t and you checked out their website, what are you dying to try? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy Friday!!
xoxo,
Robyn
Welcome + Makeup Geek Foiled Shadows
Welcome to my blog!
My name is Robyn and I am a make up addict/hoarder/enthusiast. I live at the head of Lake Superior in Thunder Bay, Ontario. While it is a beautiful city to live in, our small population doesn’t attract stores like Sephora which makes shopping for makeup a bit difficult. Most of my beauty hauls are from shopping online unless I am travelling.
Please join me as I review beauty products, share my favourites, show tutorials and more!
To get things started I wanted to talk about the widely popular Makeup Geek Foiled Shadows. I purchased the more recently launched shadows and I am beyond impressed. They definitely live up to the hype they have been receiving on YouTube. I was torn between ordering the original launch vs. the newer launch. Since it is summer time I thought I would go for the brighter new ones. Also, they currently have a deal where you can buy the Expansion Set (10 pans) for $89. Considering they cost $9.99 individually you end up saving $10.00 this way.
The box they arrived in was affixed with a sticker that has the Makeup Geek logo on it. A small detail like this really sets them apart from other packages I have received.
Inside the box the shadows were bundled together in this stunning presentation.The rose gold packaging is gorgeous.
Lipstick on the Lake 