comparison

Exfoliating cotton rounds

~ stashy ~ 34 Comments

The final day of “Radiant Skin” Week, I’m reviewing another type of exfoliation for the face: physical / manual exfoliation.  Any manipulation of the skin surface: rubbing, scratching (ouch!), massaging all have an exfoliating effect.  When combined with an abrasive object or product, the surface dead skin sloughs off, revealing softer more radiant skin.  Most people are familiar with face scrubs – usually a cream-based product embedded with grainy abrasive particles (alert: please do not buy any scrubs containing plastic microbeads [polyethylene]!  The microbeads get flushed down the sink and choke our wildlife! I learned about this from mirrorthelove – you can find out more information here)

My skin can’t tolerate too many scrubs – it gets irritated easily, according to my esthetician, I have “thin skin”? – so I tend to limit my usage of them.  I do however, enjoy a milder physical exfoliation using exfoliating cotton rounds:
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I went on the hunt for the Up&Up brand (Target’s private label) Exfoliating Cotton Rounds after watching an empties video by Missglamorazzi (Ingrid Nilsen!) in which she raved about it. I was intrigued because it looked like a more gentle way to exfoliate the face. And since finding it at Target, I haven’t looked back! This is hands down, my favourite way to physically exfoliate my skin on a weekly basis. My skin is left smooth and glowing after I use this (you may recall that I stocked up on these when Target Canada closed shop):
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Maybelline Concealer Comparison

~ stashy ~ 32 Comments

I like the brand Maybelline mainly for one product: their concealers.  I don’t like their mascaras – they smudge terribly on me.  Not really a fan of their lipsticks – their packaging bother me (why would there be a neon outer casing that doesn’t match the bullet shade?)   Their eye shadows are just average (although their matte single pans are good, but I fear they’re being phased out).  However, Maybelline concealers are phenomenal!  There has not been a Maybelline concealer that I’ve tried that was complete rubbish.  For me, the Instant Age Rewind (IAR) concealers are one the best under eye concealers on the market, regardless of price point.

Since I have quite a few Maybelline concealers in my stash currently, I thought I’d do a quick comparison and review of them:
maybellineconcealers2
From left to right:
• Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer in Medium 130
• Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer in Neutralizer 150
• Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector in Light medium 720
• Fit Me Concealer in Sand 20
• Face Studio Master Conceal in Light / medium 30
• Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Buff 340

These concealers are all very affordable, retailing for less than $15 and easily accessible at most drugstores.  I use all of these concealers mainly under my eye area.  I prefer stick or cream concealers for blemishes or redness.

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Favourite MLBB Tag

~ stashy ~ 55 Comments

I was tagged by Sandy of Lippie Obsession to do this and it’s right in my wheelhouse!  Since I pulled out all my lipsticks yesterday for the lip stash post, I figured I’d do this tag today.  For the Makeup Muggles out there, MLBB stands for “My Lips But Better” which means these lip products enhance the natural lip colour – usually a close match or slightly darker / brighter / lighter / shinier – whatever is “better” to you.

I do not wear lipstick regularly, but when I do, I typically choose a MLBB shade.  My lips are quite pigmented, so some of these colours may seem deeper than what you might consider a MLBB lippie.  I chose these lipsticks not only for the colours, but also for how much I like the formulas:
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From left to right:
• Illamasqua Glamore Nude Lipstick in Minx
• Elizabeth Arden Exceptional Lipstick in Breathless #17 (of COURSE I have to include this! See my post comparing the old vs new)
• Guerlain Rouge G de Guerlain Lip Color in Garance 06
• Shiseido Perfect Rouge in Dreamscape RD351
• Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Fig
• Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in Portrait RD203
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(That Guerlain tube was a PITA to photograph!)

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Review: MAC 137 Long Blending Brush

~ stashy ~ 41 Comments

Finally, the actual review of this brush! For all the talk about lemming it, then buying it, now I can review it and stop pining for this brush!  I’ll cut to the chase: this brush is AWESOME!  The true test for me was when I first touched it to my face to apply blush, and immediately thought, “I must get a back up of this!” 😀

Firstly, this brush was released as part of the “MAC is Beauty” collection, and MAC describes it as:

A long-haired blending brush for the face made of natural fibres. This ultra-soft and silky tapered brush allows for a light dusting of any powder, making it perfect for an all-over wash of colour. M∙A∙C professional brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. They feature wood handles and nickel-plated brass ferrules.

Here it is in all its unwashed, unused glory:
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The brush cost me $50.50 ($42 USD) and is made in Japan.
Tip: the country of origin information is no longer etched into the handles of MAC brushes, this information can now only be found on the clear wrapper / sleeve that brushes come in:
MAC137brush9
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Mascara topcoat: Clarins vs bareMinerals

~ stashy ~ 21 Comments

I use a mascara topcoat from time to time, when the non-waterproof mascara I’m using isn’t as water resistant or long wearing as I need it for the day.  Why don’t I just wear a waterproof mascara to begin with, you say?  Let me tell you a couple of reasons:
1) Waterproof mascaras are too harsh for me to wear daily – removing it causes my lashes to fall out more
2) Waterproof mascaras are hydrophobic, meaning it does not dissolve in water, however, by that very nature, it has oleophillic properties, meaning it dissolves in oil.  What happens when someone with oily eyelids wears a waterproof mascara?  Smudge city.

So my solution has been to add a mascara topcoat whenever the occasion calls for it.  Here’s a cross section of how wearing a mascara topcoat solves the above 2 issues I have regarding just using waterproof mascara:
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Mascara Base: Shiseido vs Dr. Mascara Fixer

~ stashy ~ 38 Comments

Continuing with Lash Week, today I’ll be looking at mascara bases.  What is a mascara base?  It’s like a primer for your lashes.  I didn’t believe the hype until I received a gwp sample of the Shiseido, and then I became a convert.
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Late last year, I ordered a Korean mascara base by Etude House that had been highly reviewed online, which costs $9 each, vs $25 for the Shiseido one.  Let’s see how they stack up against each other.

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Overview: CoverGirl LashBlast Mascaras

~ stashy ~ 28 Comments

I happen to have all of CoverGirl’s LashBlast mascaras in my stash, so I thought I’d do an overview post to show the differences between them, and my preferences.CGLashBlast1
From left to right, the order in which they were released, and their claims, they are:
Volume (orange tube) Jan 2008 “For bold, high-volume lashes”
Luxe* (deep pink tube) Feb 2009 “High-volume lashes tinted with shimmer”
Length (yellow tube) Sept 2009 “Makes lashes up to 80% longer looking vs bare lashes”
Fusion (purple tube) Apr 2010 “Volume + Length in one stroke”
24 Hour (black tube) Jan 2012 “Power hour after hour. Bold, intense volume”
Clump Crusher (green tube) Nov 2012 “200% more volume + length, zero clumps”
Full Lash Bloom (pink tube) Dec 2014 “Exceptional lash fullness that’s soft to the touch”

For this overview, I am just looking at the non-waterproof formulas. I typically do not wear waterproof mascaras for regular usage.
* I just realized that I’m missing Luxe in my stash, the darker pink tube. But I can speak to it since I’ve tried it many moons ago – it’s a gimmick to have shimmer in mascaras, it doesn’t shows up on the lashes unless there’s a spotlight on them. The only place you’ll notice the glitter is on the cotton pad when you remove your makeup at night. The Luxe version is literally the original LashBlast Volume with glitter dumped into the formula.
Keep reading for details on each type

Shiseido Sheer and Perfect Foundation (& comparison to other fluid foundations)

~ stashy ~ 19 Comments

I love the Shiseido Sheer and Perfect Foundation SPF 18 – $39 for 30ml (department stores) – it is my ideal everyday foundation.  I alternate between this and BB creams for a typical weekday when I don’t need high coverage or a super long wearing foundation.
Shiseido_sheerandperfect1

Keep reading for review and comparison