Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Palette

September 3, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 6 Comments

Hi guys! I’ve had the Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Palette for quite some time and I hadn’t got around to reviewing it yet. I wanted to use it more before reviewing and I never seemed to reach for it when doing my makeup so I kept putting it off. However, today I am ready to review it for you. I received this palette from Influenster for review purposes, however, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The palette itself is a rosey neutral palette, quite similar to the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. It contains twelve shadows, three of which are matte and the rest are shimmery.

For comparison, here is previous photos I’ve posted of the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette:

The two palettes are quite similar, however they are of course at very different price points so you can’t really expect them to be dupes. They most certainly are not. The shades in the palette are similar but that is where the comparison stops.

As you can see from my swatches, these shadows sheer out a lot. They are also a bit chalky in consistency. I thought they would be impossible to work with, but I found them relatively easy to work with. The darker shades definitely are easier to work with than the lighter shades. I always use a primer when applying eye makeup so it always wears consistently so I can’t really speak to wear time.

Here is a look that I did using the Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Palette:

Since the shadows don’t have names (why wouldn’t you name your shadows?!) I’ve done up this guide to show you which shades I used in this look:

So, while this isn’t my favourite palette in the world, I wouldn’t completely write it off. For the price (approx $14 CAD) it’s a decent palette. I found the best way to apply these shadows was to pack them on using a shader brush or a crease precision blender (Morphe E17). If you wanted a softer look, you could definitely blend them out and achieve that. While personally, I think I’ll stick to my Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, if you’re looking to dabble into eye makeup, this might be a good place to start. It’s a good selection of shades, is inexpensive and since the shadows are a little more on the sheer-side you can really control the amount you are applying.

Have you tried the Maybelline The Blushed Nudes palette out? Let me know what your thoughts were in the comments down below. If not, what is your favourite drugstore palette? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

xoxo,

Robyn

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*Product was sent to me for review, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I did not receive compensation to write this post

August Favourites: Makeup, Skincare & More!

August 31, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 6 Comments

Hi guys! How in the heck is August over? Where did summer go?? I almost don’t want to write this in hope’s that I can just pretend that August didn’t end yet. But, alas, it is time to talk about my August Favourites!

Makeup

Too Faced | Peanut Butter and Jelly Palette

This little palette is amazing. The shadows perform well and although it is a neutral palette and a small one at that, it is quite versatile. I did a post on it here where I showed five different looks done using this palette and did a full review with swatches.

NYX | Eyebrow Gel in Blonde

This is a fairly new makeup item in my arsenal but I can tell it is a favourite already. I think this may even make my 2016 favourites list if I may be that bold. A few weeks ago my sister went to a wedding and when I saw her earlier that day her brows were the definition of “on fleek”. She told me pointed me in the direction the NYX Eyebrow Gel and WOW. I love it. It’s so easy to use and it fills in my brows just right. Most days I don’t even bother with adding a clear gel to set them. This product claims to be water-proof, smudge-resistant and long-lasting and I can safely say all those claims are true.

Skincare

I actually don’t think I have a new skincare favourite to share with you this month! I’m trying some new products right now but, they haven’t been tested enough to determine if they are a favourite or not.

More!

Gwen Stefani | Obsessed

It should be no surprise that one of my favourite random things this month is a Gwen Stefani song considering I went to see her in concert earlier this month. This song is so catchy and I listen to it at least every day.

MyLipAddiction.com Beauty Podcast

My week would not be complete without the latest instalment of Cat’s MyLipAddiction.com Podcast! Her guests are always really interesting and Cat, herself, is a joy to listen to. I was actually on this podcast earlier this month as well but I was a listener before I was a guest! I highly recommend checking it out! She airs new episodes every Thursday at 7 pm est (currently on break until the fall but you can catch up on previous episodes) on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher & Buzzsprout!

Well, those are my August Favourites! I would love to hear what yours are so please let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,

Robyn

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Essence Get BIG Lashes Mascara

August 29, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 7 Comments

Hi guys! I’ve been using the Essence Get BIG Lashes Mascara for about a month or two now so I feel like I’m ready to do a review on it. I feel like I’m always switching which mascaras I use each quarter – meaning I don’t typically re-buy something I’ve already tried. This means I end up reviewing a number of mascaras. Each time I try a mascara I make a mental list of ones that I WOULD repurchase again though. With so many mascara choices though, I always feel temped to try new ones.

Essence is a brand that I’ve been getting more and more into this year. It is so inexpensive and the products are of a high quality. Each time I go to Shopper’s Drug Mart another Essence product make’s it’s way home with me. I had been hearing positive things about their mascaras but couldn’t remember which one so I grabbed one that seemed appealing to me. I chose the Get BIG Lashes Mascara which is meant for volume boosting.

The wand itself is football shaped and is on the bigger side. Essence claims the large wand is to make sure each lash is coated, however, I prefer a smaller brush if you’re trying to get every lash. Due to it’s size, you need to be careful particularly when coating those pesky bottom lashes.

My lashes themselves look longer and definitely have more volume than usual when wearing this mascara. My lashes on the one eye (of course the one I got the better pictures of) tend to clump together so that is not a fault of this mascara. The formula is fairly light weight so you can’t really tell you’re wearing it. It isn’t as weightless feeling as the Revlon Dramatic Definition Mascara which is the last mascara I reviewed and the other one in my current rotation.

As for wear-time, I’m currently wearing this mascara as I write this and I’ve had it on for about twelve hours and my lashes look the same as they did this morning. No flakes or smudges at all.

Overall, I really like the Essence Get BIG Lashes Mascara and I would repurchase it eventually. I think I like the Revlon Dramatic Definition Mascara a bit more though. That one seems to have a bit more “oomph” to it and the wand is smaller.

Have you tried any Essence Mascaras? I’d love to try another so please leave your suggestions in the comments down below!

xoxo,

Robyn

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Summer Trends: Coloured Lashes

August 27, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 6 Comments

Hi guys! To end off my summer trends posts for 2016 I wanted to share one last trend. Today we’ll be talking about coloured lashes! This trend wasn’t from Trending at Sephora, but I did a bit of research to find another trend that would be fun to incorporate into the blog.

Coloured lashes is exactly what it sounds like. It’s using a fun coloured mascara (or possible falsies) to add a pop of colour to your lashes! As soon as I saw this one I knew I had to do it as I recently got a purple NYX mascara in a giveaway that I won. Coloured mascara is definitely a fun way to add some colour to a look. I’ve used this mascara a few times, once with a primarily purple look and today I have a look for you using it to add colour to an every day look.

Products Used:

Primer: Nivea Post Shave Balm in Sensitive
Foundation: Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation in 0.5 with a tiny bit of Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation in Ivory mixed in
Concealer: Too Faced Born This Way Concealer in Very Fair
Powder: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder
Blush: NARS Deep Throat
Highlight: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter (Pressed) in Moonstone
Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion (original). Urban Decay Naked Smoky – Combust (crease), Password (outer-v), Dirtysweet, High & Slanted (layered all over lid) and Smolder (under eye). NYX Color Mascara in Purple (lashes)
Brows: NYX Eyebrow Gel in Blonde
Lips: MAC Up the Amp Lipstick

The NYX Color Mascara is a lot more pigmented than I thought it would be. My previous experience with coloured mascaras is that they don’t really show up or end up looking black. The mascara itself essentially just adds colour, it didn’t really add any volume or curl to my lashes. If you prefer a mascara that adds some curl to your lashes, I would recommend using an eyelash curler first. Anyways, I wouldn’t wear this every day but it is definitely a fun way to add colour and I would definitely do that again on occasion.

xoxo,

Robyn

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What’s in my Travel Makeup Bag?

August 26, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 4 Comments

Travel-Makeup-Bag

Hi guys! Taking a page out of Stashy’s book, I thought I would share with you what I’m taking in my travel makeup bag for my upcoming road trip across Canada! I’m about to embark on a road trip from my hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario to Vancouver, British Columbia so what better way to force myself to pack ahead of time than to write about it? This is going to be more of a visual post so I’ll share photos and list what is in each one!

Basically, my thought process behind packing was that I’m going by car, so space isn’t too limited, and I wanted to have options. For the most part, I’ll be outdoors camping and sight-seeing so I’ve packed some naturalish options. But, I’ll also be doing things like going on wine tours where I may want to add a bit more glam to my look. So, this might seem like an excessive amount of makeup, but I seem to have justified it as I packed, haha! It all fits in one bag, that’s what counts!

Travel-Makeup-Bag-Base-Products

Too Faced Born This Way Concealer (Very Fair)
L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte (Classic Ivory)
Joe Fresh Matte Skin Tint (Porcelain)
Maybelline FitMe Matte + Poreless (Translucent)

Travel-Makeup-Bag-Blush-Highlight-Contour

Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion (Original)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit (Light to Medium)
TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer
Urban Decay After Glow Blush (Fetish)

Travel-Makeup-Bag-Palettes-Lip-Options

Too Faced Peanut Butter & Jelly Palette
Lorac Pro Eye Shadow Palette 2
Maybelline Baby Lips (Too Cool)
Colourpop Lippie Stix (Fern)
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick (Native)
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick (Double Dare)
Tarte LipSurgence Lip Créme (Wonder)
MAC Matte Lipstick (Embrace Me)

Travel-Makeup-Bag-Brows-Mascara

Revlon Dramatic Definition Mascara
NYX Eyebrow Gel (Blonde)

What are your essentials for your travel makeup bag? Let me know in the comments down below!

Since I am now ‘on the road’ I’ll be a bit slower than normal responding to comments, but I’ll be around!

xoxo,

Robyn

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Love for Lipstick: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

August 24, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 10 Comments

Hi guys! It’s been quite awhile since my last Love for Lipstick post but I’ve got another one for you today featuring the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade San Paulo. I picked this up during a Drugstore Haul in June and I’ve been wearing it quite a bit to get a feel for how it performs on the lips.

I’m a huge fan of liquid lipsticks so a relatively inexpensive drugstore one caught my eye. I had seen this shade raved about on a video that KathleenLights did so that was partially why I chose San Paulo. It also seemed very versatile and wearable.

The applicator is a doe-foot and has a fairly short wand. If you compare it to the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks or the Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks you will see a considerable difference. “Soft Matte Lip Cream” is the perfect name for this product as it really is more of a cream than a liquid lipstick. The creamy formula is quite easy to apply. I prefer to blot it off so it ends up looking more like a stain. When wearing it, I can’t really feel it at all on the lips. It is matte though so if you have dry lips you may not like it.

The Wear Test

1. Freshly applied (8 am); 2. Prior to eating lunch (12 pm); 3. After eating lunch (12:30 pm); 4. After work (5:00 pm)

The NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream lasted roughly nine hours. It did fade considerably throughout the day and get a bit patchy throughout the day but if you were looking at my lips from a normal distance you likely wouldn’t notice. It survived two meals and survived me drinking water all day. It felt comfortable on the lips and I could barely tell it was there.

Overall, while I enjoyed this lipstick as it was comfortable and wore decently, I don’t think it is my favourite “liquid lipstick”. I prefer the formula of the Kat Von D Liquid Lipsticks or Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks (a more traditional formula). I did like this enough to try other shades though.

Have you tried any of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams? Let me know in the comments down below! If you’ve missed any of my Love for Lipstick series, you can find all of those posts here!

xoxo,

Robyn

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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 →

Revlon Dramatic Definition Mascara

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 9 Comments

Hi guys! Every 3-4 months it is suggested that you replace your mascara. I have been trying to do this quarterly to make it easier to keep track. I’ve been using theRevlon Dramatic Definition Mascara since the beginning of May and I am ready to share my thoughts on it!

The Revlon Mascara collection has something for everyone… They have a formula for volume, length, volume + length, dramatic definition and an all-in-one. I chose the Dramatic Definition formula as it claims to separate and define every lash which seemed appealing to me. It was a toss up between this one and the all-in-one and I think I chose wisely.

The wand is plastic and tiered to make sure that you don’t miss a lash. It’s fairly average sized so it is fairly easy to work with. It’s even pretty easy to use with your bottom lashes! The formula glides on and dries to a nice weightless finish. This is one of those mascaras where if you happen to touch your lashes, you don’t feel like you’re wearing mascara. There has been a few times where I’ve panicked because I thought I forgot to put on mascara! Continue reading →

May Empties

June 4, 2016June 4, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 4 Comments

Hi guys! I don’t normally do a monthly empties post (I did a “Empties So Far” style post in April) but in May I finished enough stuff to be worthy of it’s own post! I was pretty excited when I looked at my stash of finished products and saw this many items, so let’s go through them!

Skin Care

Garnier | SkinActive Micellar Water (Waterproof)

I was really sad to finish this product. It’s really great for removing making and really cut time in my night-time routine. Prior to using this I was removing my face makeup and eye makeup with different products. Definitely a great product, this was my first Micellar Water and I look forward to trying more. Would I repurchase it? Yes! Absolutely. I also did a first impressions post on this product which you can find here!

Spectro | Cleanser for Blemish-Prone Skin

I can’t believe how long this thing lasted me. In fact, I can’t even remember when I purchased it. This is a very gentle cleanser that does a great job at cleansing the skin. I chose the blemish-prone skin formula since my skin airs on the oily side. I actually don’t get many blemishes but I find this one helps with my oil. Would I repurchase it? Yes, and I already did! 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.