Top 5: Neutral Lipsticks

March 24, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 8 Comments

Hi guys! While I normally love rocking a bold, bright lip, lately I’ve found myself drawn to neutrals so I thought I’d take a peak through my collection and share with you the five that I have been wearing the most. To be honest, they are probably all similar in shade, but, that’s okay! I love them all for different reasons.

Urban Decay | Revolution Lipstick in Fiend

To start off this top 5 neutral lipsticks post, I want to talk about my beloved and now discontinued Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Fiend. This was the second Urban Decay lipstick I ever purchased when my world opened up to high end makeup and it holds a close place in my heart. This is definitely one of my default shades when I just want something simple but pretty. It’s a lovely muted rose shade. Continue reading →

Love for Lipstick: Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick

February 24, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 9 Comments

Hi guys! I’m back from my brief hiatus and I’m ready to share my thoughts on the newly launched Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick as part of my Love for Lipstick series. As you probably know by now, I am in love with Urban Decay and in love with liquid lipstick so when they announced this combination, my heart nearly stopped. The Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick line claims to be waterproof and long-lasting. It also claims to be pigmented and transfer proof. It comes in two formulas – comfort matte and metallized. Continue reading →

Love for Lipstick: Hail Cosmetics Eternal Matte Lipstick

January 27, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / Leave a comment

Hi guys! Today I have a super excited Love for Lipstick post for you today! Not only is it my first of 2017, but it also is a local product! Today we’re looking at Hail Cosmetics, an independent cosmetics company based right here in Thunder Bay. Their products are not only hand-crafted but are also cruelty-free. At the moment their lineup is a range of Eternal Matte Lipsticks which are available in Thunder Bay at Mars Clothing, or on their website. At this time shipping is only available to Canada. I was lucky enough to get the shade Fawn for Christmas from one of my best friends. I had been meaning to pick one of these up but just hadn’t had a chance to yet. Continue reading →

Best of 2016: Most Worn Lipsticks

December 31, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 4 Comments

Hi guys! Since lipstick is something that I wear every single day, I thought it would be fun to look back at the ones I reached for the most this year. While I enjoy changing up my lipstick, there is a few that stood out in the pack and were clearly favoured.

Marc Jacobs | Le Marc Crème Lipstick in J’Adore

It should be no surprise that this lipstick made the list of my most worn lipsticks. Marc Jacobs’ J’Adore was also on my list of game changers this year. This rum raisin shade looks lovely with a warm makeup look which is what I wore most of the year.

Colourpop | Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Beeper

One of my favourite liquid lipsticks to wear this year was Colourpop’s Beeper. It’s a lovely greige rose shade. I love the wear time of this liquid lipstick and I don’t find it too drying. Though, keep in mind, I have a high tolerance for liquid lipsticks. Continue reading →

YouTube Made Me Buy It

October 8, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 11 Comments

Hi guys! The concept of the “YouTube Made Me Buy It!” post is nothing new, but I haven’t done one yet and as an avid YouTube-watcher I thought this would be fun! So let’s take a stroll through some of my past makeup purchases that I was convinced I needed from watching YouTube!

Too Faced | Chocolate Bar Palette

When I started getting into watching YouTube more, this product was already out. I wasn’t convinced I needed it right away as I had all three of the Urban Decay Naked palettes already. But, KathleenLights won me over with her constant praise of this palette. Do I regret buying it? Not at all, I love this palette! Plus, it smells like chocolate.

L’Oreal | Pro-Matte Foundation

I am someone who needs a matte foundation so when I started to see this pop-up all over YouTube I knew I needed to try it. I believe I first saw it on Young, Wild & Polished’s channel. Do I regret buying it? Nope! This is my go-to drugstore foundation. I’ve probably gone through 5 or 6 tubes of this! Continue reading →

Love for Lipstick: Urban Decay 1993

October 5, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 9 Comments

Hi guys! It’s been awhile since I last posted a Love for Lipstick post but I’ve got another lipstick to give you a full review of. Today we will be talking about the Urban Decay Vice Comfort Matte Formula. Specifically, we’ll be talking about Urban Decay 1993. If you’re unfamiliar with my Love for Lipstick series, this is my exploration of different lipsticks from different brands and price points to ultimately compile some comparisons and favourites. My current goal is to get through the formulas from the Urban Decay Vice Lipstick line. I’ve got Comfort Matte and Metallized formulas so I’ll be starting with those and will add more as I buy more of these.

So, as the same suggests, these are very comfortable matte lipsticks. They apply like a cream and dry down to a demi-matte finish (compared to say, a super matte liquid lipstick). I find the formula to be very pigmented and one swipe is enough to get the shade in the tube. I like to blot it with a tissue and then add a second layer just for extra durability though.

Urban Decay 1993 (Comfort Matte) Wear Test

Freshly applied at 8 am (sorry this picture isn’t the greatest, it’s so dark in the mornings now!)
Checking in at 12 pm! This is after eating breakfast, and drinking lots of tea and water throughout the morning.
After eating lunch around 12:30 pm (the sun decided to come out and blind me for this round of photos)
Final check in at 5 pm after an afternoon of more tea and water

I’m pretty impressed by the wear time for this lipstick. It isn’t as durable as say, a liquid lipstick, but it fades nicely and it isn’t so matte that you can’t rub your lips around to redistribute the pigment. It started to wear around the inside of the mouth around picture #3 but with this shade it wasn’t too noticeable unless you are looking for it. I’m not sure how a bolder colour would fare. Honestly though, I don’t really expect a tube lipstick to truly last all day like I do with a liquid lipstick.

Overall, I love this formula! It’s comfortable to wear, it’s pigmented and it has great wear time! Once I make my way through the rest of the Urban Decay Vice lipstick formulas I would definitely grab more of these. And, incase I haven’t mentioned it enough lately, I am in love with Urban Decay 1993. It’s everything I dreamed it to be and more!

What lipstick have you been obsessing over lately? Let me know in the comments down below! If you have missed any of my Love for Lipstick series you can find all of those posts here!

xoxo,

Robyn

You can also find me here…

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September Favourites: Makeup, Skincare & More!

September 30, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 2 Comments

Hi guys! September came to an end just as quickly as it began, it’s hard to believe we are now into fall and my favourite holiday, Halloween, is just around the corner! Even though this also means we are getting closer to dreaded winter (yes, I said it), we can at least chat about my September Favourites! There has been a few products this month that I have been using lots and obsessing over!

Makeup

Urban Decay | Vice Lipstick in 1993

I picked up this lipstick as part of my Sephora haul in August and it quickly became a favourite. This shade just screams “fall” to me so it’s no surprise I wore it a ton in September! This lipstick even made my list of top 5 lipsticks for fall! I’m not going to say too much about it since I did talk about it in that post but I just had to include this in my September Favourites.

Urban Decay | All Nighter Liquid Foundation in 0.5

Another pick from Urban Decay! I picked up this foundation as well during my Sephora haul in August so I’ve been using it for over a month now. It’s a touch too late for my skin at the moment, but as fall and winter sets in, it will be perfect! Right now I’m using a bit of bronzer to make it work and occasionally mixing in a darker foundation. But, with that said, I love this foundation! It definitely is long-wearing and keeps me matte. You need to work quickly to blend it in, but the end result is a flawless looking face! It creates such a wonderful canvas for the rest of your makeup. Love it! I’ve got a swatch of it over in my Sephora Haul post if you’re interested!

Skincare

Nivea | Purifying Toner

I never really used toners in my skincare routine until now. I went to Shopper’s Drugmart about a month or so ago to pick up a new night cream and I ended up leaving with this as well. This toner is meant for those with oily skin like myself. It is enriched with ocean algae and hydra IQ to tone and purify skin to remove oil and impurity build up. This reduces excess sebum and prevents shine. What I love about this product is that it does all of that and doesn’t excessively dry out my skin. My skin feels balanced and hydrated. I’m glad I added this to my daily routine so this definitely belongs in my September Favourites!

More!

Marc Anthony Hair Care | Coconut Oil Curl Cream

I bought this before I went on vacation to bring with me as my only hair styling product. I’ve loved Marc Anthony products for curly hair for awhile so I had high hopes and was confident this one would work out. Boy, am I ever glad I was right! As promised, this product fights frizz which is something I am prone to. After applying it to damp hair and letting it air dry, I am left with soft, defined and healthy looking curls. This product is infused with biotin and I actually do feel an improvement in my hair after using it exclusively for a month (as I’ve continued to use it since I’ve been home).

Those are my favourites for September! I’d love to hear what your favourites were so feel free to let me know in the comments down below!

xoxo,

Robyn

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Mini “Minni” Sephora Haul

September 16, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / Leave a comment

Hi guys! I managed to make my way into one of the many Sephora’s that I was probably in proximity to while I was away on my road trip. The Sephora that I stopped by was one that I’ve been to many times, the Minneapolis (“Minni”) location. Since being on the road for two weeks is quite costly, I limited myself to two lipsticks so I had to force myself to choose wisely. My focus seemed to be very liquid lipstick centred but I think that helped keep me from buying more than I did. So, let’s chat about what I picked!

Anastasia Beverly Hills | Liquid Lipstick in Heathers

I have wanted to try the Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks for quite some time now but I always get seem to get side-tracked. This time though, that was not going to happen! Since it is *almost* fall, I wanted to get something more on the vampy-side so I chose the shade Heathers. It’s a brownish-oxblood shade which is basically a combination of two of my favourite fall colours! I can’t wait to try out this formula and put it to the test in an upcoming Love for Lipstick post!

Kat Von D | Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita

It’s really no surprise that Kat Von D makes one of my favourite liquid lipsticks, I’ve raved about them in the past. With that said, I had to pick up another one! Lolita is one of her classic shades and surprisingly, it wasn’t yet mine! So, since it was in stock, I had to pick it up! This looks like a great every day shade. A rosy chestnut liquid lipstick? Yes please!

anastastia-beverly-hills-heathers-kat-von-d-lolita-swatches

L to R: Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Heathers & Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita

I also decided to compare Kat Von D’s Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita and Double Dare as when I swatched Lolita, it reminded me of Double Dare. They are very different though, yay! Double Dare is a touch pinker and brighter than Lolita. I’ve swatched them both below in case you were curious!

kat-von-d-lolita-double-dare-comparison-swatches

L to R: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita & Double Dare

Well, that’s what I picked up when I stopped by Sephora in Minneapolis! If you missed out on my recent posts about my adventures you can find the Canadian leg of the trip here, and the American leg of the trip here!

What have you recently hauled? Let me know in the comments down below!

xoxo,

Robyn

You can also find me here…

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Top 5 Fall Lipsticks

September 7, 2016 / thecorkedreader89 / 11 Comments

Hi guys! It’s been awhile since I’ve done a top 5, the last one I did was for summer lipsticks. With the fall season looming I thought it would be fun to look at my top 5 most reached-for fall lipsticks. When the nights start getting cooler and the leaves start changing colours I am all about browns and burgundy shades on my lips. It isn’t even fall yet and I’m excited to start wearing these shades more!

Colourpop | Ultra Matte Lipstick in Kapow

This shade is definitely the boldest of the bunch. It looks very, very dark on the lips on me but I love it. I did a look using it last fall so you can see what it looks like on me here. I like it best with very simple, neutral makeup so that it stands out but the look as a whole isn’t over the top. Colourpop describes this shade as a muted grey-taupe and I think that is a very accurate description. I find that this shade wears well and is comfortable on the lips. If you are sensitive to liquid lipsticks and have issues with dry lips you may want to find a similar shade in a traditional lipstick formula.

MAC | Matte Lipstick in Studded Kiss

Studded Kiss is a dark oxblood shade. Oxblood sounds like a gross name for a colour, but I am obsessed with that shade in the fall. I have oxblood pants that I’m just dying to start wearing when it gets cool enough to wear full length pants! Again this is a matte shade, which isn’t surprising because I love matte lipsticks. I mostly pair this with neutral/brown looks. For the most part with fall I usually tone down the eye makeup and let deep lipstick shades do the talking.

L’Oreal | Colour Riche Lipstick in Pure Burgundy

I re-discovered this lipstick in my collection. I’m not sure when I got it, I don’t think it is available anymore but it is a colour that I love for fall. It is a beautiful burgundy shade. Pure Burgundy is a bit deeper than MAC’s Studded Kiss so it adds a bit more drama to a look.

Urban Decay| Vice Lipstick in 1993

1993 has only recently come into my life but I know it will be a fall staple. It’s a medium brown shade that is really quite wearable and versatile if you like brown lipsticks. It is a comfort matte shade so although it is a matte lipstick, it does not feel drying on the lips.

Colourpop | Lippie Stix in Grunge

I thought that Grunge from Colourpop was no longer available since it was part of their 90’s collection last fall but I just checked and it is still on their website! They describe this shade as a cool-toned plum brown. Similar to my other choices, this is also a matte lipstick. Colourpop makes great matte Lippie Stix, they are quite comfortable to wear. In my mind Grunge and 1993 were similar, but now seeing them swatched side-by-side they really are quite different. Beside 1993, you really can see the plum in Grunge. It’s a beautiful shade and I’m so happy to see that it is still available.

What are your favourite lipsticks for fall? Let me know in the comments down below!

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

You can also find me here…