MAC

I’m on MyLipAddiction.com Beauty Podcast!

~ stashy ~ 54 Comments

It is with a mixture of trepidation and giddy excitement that I announce my first ever appearance on MyLipAddiction.com Beauty Podcast!
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There are several options to listen to the Podcast:

It’s ME!  Having a chat with Cat!  We talk about makeup and random stuff – it’s around 45 minutes, so grab yourself a drink. Have a listen! Now you know what I sound like… please be kind… 😛

And in honour of the the MyLipAddiction (MLA) Podcast, I’ve changed my background and logo! 😀 (this was the previous blog background discussed in the episode)  Be sure to subscribe to the MLA Beauty Podcast for new episodes every week featuring guests from beauty bloggers to brand owners. 😀

Blog posts mentioned on the episode:
• May & June Trash Stash
• MUJI to GO Open House
• Japan Trip Photos
• Japanese Makeup Haul
• MAC Twig lipstick
• CoverGirl TruNaked palette in Roses
• Favourites Lately: Mid-2016
• CoverGirl LashBlast Mascaras
• Makeup Inventory Spreadsheet

And the peeps I talk about:
• Cat of MyLipAddiction
• Jodi of A Brash Attitude
• Chris of fivezero
• Polished and Inspired

⭐

Trash Stash: May & June 2016

~ stashy ~ 64 Comments

Happy July 4th to my American friends! Hope you’re enjoying the extra day off. We Canadians just came out of a long weekend and are cursing you guys right now… 😆

Since I missed May’s Trash Stash, this is a combined empties post for both months. Hold onto your hats!
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I finished some long-time favourites and items that have been with me for years.

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What I’m Bringing to Japan (Travel Makeup)

~ stashy ~ 50 Comments

I’m a very light packer when it comes to makeup during vacation. I’ve learned over the years that I end up not using at least half of what I pack when I give myself too many options. While on holidays, I essentially stick to one makeup look.  Here’s my makeup menu for the next 2 weeks:

Base:

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• Lorac Behind the Scenes Eyeshadow primer

• Shiseido Sheer & Perfect Foundation in O20 – I debated about which foundation to bring (the Vincent Long Water Canvas was a contender) and this one ultimately won out because it contains SPF, wears well, and can be applied with fingers.

• Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector – the glass pot is too cumbersome to pack with me so I’ve scooped out a little bit into this tiny sample container (review here)

• Shiseido Natural Finish Cream Concealer in #2 Light Medium – I also debated about which concealer(s) to bring. At first I was going to bring a separate one for under eye and another for general face concealing. This one is a good all-around concealer – I don’t love it for under eyes but it’s workable. Unfortunately, I think this concealer is discontinued.

• MAC Chromagraphic Pencil in NC15/NW20 – I compromised by bringing a concealing pencil – I like this concealer pencil for pinpoint concealing and it’s handy for highlighting the brow area or inner eye.

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What I’m Bringing to Japan (Travel Skincare)

~ stashy ~ 53 Comments

While I tend to pack light for my makeup, I don’t skim when it comes to skincare when I travel.  I am fastidious in my skincare regime and I still maintain separate products for day and night time.
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This is why it’s important for me to hoard travel sizes of my favourite products when I find them! If not, I just decant them into travel size containers.

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April 2016 Low-Buy Accountability

~ stashy ~ 60 Comments

I had anticipated April would have been a crazy month of haulage due to the Sephora VIB sale but that didn’t turn out to be the case.  I had $252.74 in my April budget to start off with.

In the Sephora sale, I bought only 4 items, and I ended up returning one of them:
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My original total was $83.30 but after returning the busted BITE Beauty Agave Lip Mask, I only ended up spending only $52.70 at the VIB sale.

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MAC Finally Free Lipstick (and MAC haul)

~ stashy ~ 68 Comments

I thought I’d post this up asap since this lipstick is a fairly new release and an online exclusive item – some people might be curious about how this looks in “real” photos.  Here is the lipstick in Finally Free:
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I purchased this the day it launched (April 7th – the same day that the VIB sale started! It was a busy day of online shopping) but it took 10 frustrating days for me to get my hands on the parcel (grrr courier services that don’t actually deliver!)

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Favourites Lately: Early 2016

~ stashy ~ 84 Comments

I’m baaaack. 🙂  Thanks for all the well wishes last week!  I’m about 50% better simply because it’s unavoidable for me to not be on the computer at work. I’m looking into an ergonomic assessment for my desk, and possibly doing some physio. I’ll be scaling back on my posting slightly but it’s challenging because I have so many backlogged posts! Here’s a post that I meant to post last week:

I waffle back and forth about doing monthly favourites but I think a quarterly list works for me. Here are the items that have been standouts for me lately:
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All of these items would be rated 8 out of 10 or above in my Stash Worthiness! 🙂

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March 2016 Low-Buy Accountability

~ stashy ~ 57 Comments

I felt like I did less shopping and browsing in March just simply due to being busier… but now listing everything out, I did in fact, do a lot of shopping! 😳
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I’ll be listing all of the beauty related items I bought in March, but only actual makeup items will be counted toward my budget.  First makeup item I bought in March was the Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation $25:
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I’ve worn this a few times now and it’s quite nice. I’ll do a review after I’ve given it a more thorough test.

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AliExpress Brush Dupes: MAC Oval 6

~ stashy ~ 53 Comments

I bought a bunch of brushes off AliExpress on January 30th and have been patiently waiting for them to be delivered for the past couple of months.  Finally, the packages started trickling in mid-March and I received my final parcel last week.  Here is the Real Techniques Bold Metals set:
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And here are the “dupes” next to the real thing:
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Overall? I’m REALLY impressed with what I received! 😀  Today I’ll review and compare the MAC Oval 6 brush dupe.

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MAC Masterclass Oval 6 Brush

~ stashy ~ 66 Comments

I was so excited in January when I finally got my grubby hands on this brush!
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The MAC Masterclass Oval 6 brush had been out of stock for over a year, no exaggeration!  It retails for $51 CAD (ouch).

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