Too Faced - Smoky Eye Palette

 

 

Hello loves.

Back with another product review. Yes, I know this is an incredibly old palette in the grand scheme of things but I still wanted to give my thoughts on it.

I bought this via Hautelook which if you don't know is a flash sale website. Go check it out!

I don't use this as much as I'd like to. Mostly because of the darker tones which for office workers like me are generally frowned upon. I wish I would have had this when I was 18 and in my clubbing phase because these shades are perfect for it. Too Faced has always had impeccable packaging and this palettes no different. It's housed in cardboard with a magnetic closure. I'm sure a lot of people would nit pick that this doesn't have a mirror but I for one never use palette mirrors for my makeup so it doesn't bother me in the least.

I don't find the three base shades to be shades I'd use enough to justify the larger size but I understand why they did it. The shadows of course are incredibly pigmented and apply like butter. I find the black to fall a little short but I've never found a perfect matte black. The palette includes three cards with different eye looks for any beginners out there who are unsure where to begin. Out of all three rows the top is my most used. I'm thinking of throwing this into a declutter though as I just don't have enough places or events to wear it to. 

What's your go to smoky palette?

♥

Bri

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Brand Impressions - Elf

 

Hello loves!

I've only done one other brand round up post but I enjoyed writing it and thought why not share another one? These types of posts give good insights into the brand and hopefully can help you decide if you want to give them a try or not.

We all know elf is one of the more affordable drug store brands but are they worth it?

I don't have many products pictured here but I've been using elf for years and now know how I truly feel about the brand.

I find their product range hit and miss. I've tried products I've absolutely loved such as their brushes and others like their primers that I would pass on purchasing again. Elf brushes are extremely affordable and work wonders. If you ask me you can't go wrong with their brushes. I bought an entire set of I believe about 25 brushes for $75 CAD a few years back and they are only now starting to wear and fall apart. Seventy five dollars for an entire brush set is an astounding price when you look at brands such as MAC and Fenty where you're paying just about $30 for one brush.

If you've never tried Elf I'd recommend giving them a go. For how cheap their products are even if you are disappointed by something at least you won't have spent a fortune on it. 

What are your feelings on elf?

♥

Bri

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Lifestyle: Twenty One Pilots

 

Good morning everyone!

Last night my mom, sister and I headed to the city to see Twenty One Pilots. This was a birthday surprise for me from my mom. (My birthday is actually in June though) 

For a two man band they are incredibly talented and put on a wonderful show with a great variety of their songs including old and new. Thank you mom for the incredible present!

I thought I'd share some photos and videos with you all.

 

 

 

Hair Oils - Argan

Good morning loves.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. 

For the past couple weeks I've been using this Argan Oil of Morocco penetrating hair oil. I was always afraid of oils because I already struggle with thin and fine hair which can get oily for absolutely no reason at all. Every time I shower (every second day) I towel dry my hair to the best of my abilities and use a dime sized dollop and run it through the middle to the ends of my damp hair. Using argan oil on the hair helps to soften and hydrate it leaving it smooth and silky. Since using this I've certainly seen a difference in how healthy and shiny my hair looks and I find it to be far less frizzy and full of static. This will definitely become a staple in my routine.

♥

Bri

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Empties - Peter Thomas Roth Minis

 

Good  morning everyone!

It's a beautiful day! At least where I am and then rain all week next week so I plan on soaking up the sunshine while I can.

A ways back I had some Sephora points to spend so I picked up a set of mini skincare products from Peter Thomas Roth. I really didn't know much about the brand but was curious to find out more about them. I did a review on their Anti Aging cleanser which you can read here.

That was a part of this set as well but I decided to bundle up the rest as one review as I've used them all up now!

Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream Hydrating Moisturizer: I wish I hated this because the full size runs about $65 CAD. This is one of the most incredibly hydrating moisturizers I've ever used. It feels cool as you rub it into the skin which soaks it up leaving no sticky residue behind. I only wish the sample size had been a tad bigger!

Hungarian Thermal Water: I didn't exactly understand what this product was supposed to be so I read up on it and apparently it's supposed to be a moisturizer? I didn't experience any hydration when using this nor did I notice any differences in my skin at all. It heats up as you rub it into the skin which is an odd sensation that I personally didn't care for. Maybe the sample size was too small to create a noticeable difference? But I can't see myself buying the full size even to test it out some more.

FirmX Peeling Gel: I liked this, the particles were rough enough that I actually felt as though the scrub was removing the dead, dry skin. Once you wash it all off your face is left feeling incredibly smooth. Due to the harshness of this however I would recommend using only 2-3 times a week.

I enjoyed three out of the four products in the set and am interested in seeing what else Peter Thomas Roth has to offer. I've hear great things about their face masks so maybe I'll give those a go next!

What do you recommend from the brand?

♥

Bri

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Benefit Bad Gal BANG! Mascara

 

Hello loves. Things have finally started settling down in my life, for the mean time. 

I will never tire of testing out mascaras, in fact it may be one of my all time favorite things to try.

I have my favorites but there are so many more on the market to explore!

I've always been a fan of Benefit's mascaras and this one was no exception! Extremely pigmented and coats the lash nicely giving you full luxurious lashes! It can get goopy so make sure before applying you wipe off the excess product. I found this brush to be flimsy now I don't know if this is a fault of the sample size or not because I've never used the full size. I would definitely buy this again but I think as far as Benefit is concerned, Roller Lash is still my favorite.

What's your favorite Benefit mascara?

♥

Bri

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Instagram Round Up #13

 

Good morning loves.

I know it's been a hot minute since my last post. I've had a lot going on in my personal life lately and due to that my blog's had a seat on the back burner. It's been a while since I did one of these IG round up posts but what better way to jump into things. If you don't follow me on IG already, please do @briannarue

{top left to bottom right}

Natural face - it was a rough week for me which meant little makeup and motivation.

 

Milk1422 inspired face chart look.

Jigsaw glam. Saw is one of my all time favorite horror series.

Simple wing.

Pink Eye - I loved how this turned out with the pop of hot pink along the upper lash line.

Smokey purples. Another look I love!

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♥

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Loreal Telescopic Carbon Black Mascara

 

 

Good morning loves!

I don't know about you guys but mascaras are one of my favorite products to test out. I'm constantly looking for new ones as there's so many on the market I don't think you could ever tire of trying new ones!

Of course I have my favorites, one being Benefit's Roller Lash and the other being Maybelline's Colossal. This Loreal one while good did have a downfall for me. It's a lengthening mascara which makes your lashes look incredibly long but it doesn't give them the nice full volume like the two I mentioned above. I prefer volumizing mascaras because they make the lashes look nice and full almost like a set of falsies. The brush is nice and small with many spikes and coats the lashes with a nice pigmented black coat. It didn't flake throughout the day which I find a lot of mascaras struggle with. I like this but moving forward I'm going to test it out with a volumizing mascara as well and see how the two work together! Maybe Lash Paradise?

What's your HG mascara?

♥

Bri

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3 things I would have told my higschool self

Hello loves!

 I saw a post on twitter this morning from another blogger about things they would have told their younger self and I loved the idea. While I'm only 25, I thought why not do a spin off of that but for when I was in High School. I feel like everyone struggles at some point or another during their high school career and maybe reading this will help you get through it.

1 - Friends aren't all that matters. I spent so much time surrounded by friends, going to parties, staying up till ungodly hours which affected my grades and even though it's just high school if you get good grades off the bat you won't have to go back if there's something you're interested in later on that you require better grades for to qualify. This goes for Post Secondary as well. I'm not saying a social life doesn't matter but learn to balance!

2 - It gets better. After high school you can cut all ties with those toxic friends. Don't let mean kids bring you down, it's just high school it won't matter once you get out.

3 - Be yourself. You'll be so much happier just being you. I saw so many of my friends try to hide who they are and my younger sister currently doing things to fit in. Don't because the more genuine you are the more attractive you are to people!

Honestly, I can't think of any more things I would have told myself but I hope this helps anyone who's currently struggling. People in high school can be so awful to each other and I want you to know most of them will grow and change into better people. Don't let a bully be the end of your life. 

I know it seems like the end all be all when you're young but I promise you it isn't.

Bri

♥

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*Kat Von D - New Cake Pencils and Trooper Liquid Liner

 

 

Hello loves!

Another day, another review.

I received the new Kat Von D Cake Pencil and her famed Tattoo liner in the shades Trooper courtesy of Influenster in exchange for a review. 

Please note all opinions are my own.

Kat Von D is as we know very controversial, lately there's been talk about how the full size liquid liner and her sample size have the same sized cartridge. Whether or not that's true I don't know but for me personally I've never been a fan of her. I think shes egotistical and believes she is a gift to the world. On the other hand she really does make some incredible makeup products and I do appreciate the fact that her brand is vegan and cruelty free.

I digress though. The newly released Cake Pencil is amazing. I've been using it daily to tight line and it glides effortlessly across the upper and lower lash line with extreme pigmentation and lasts through my full eight hour work day. I won't stop using this anytime soon. 

Believe it or not I've never tried the infamous Tattoo Liner and despite the current controversy I like the tip it helps with precise application and again is deeply pigmented and doesn't skip across the lid while applying. Do I think this liquid pen is any better than one I can pick up out of the drugstore such as the Maybelline Master Precise, no I don't. For what it is I would skip on purchasing it myself.

What do you guys think of Kat Von D?

♥

Bri

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Hard Candy - Glamoflauge Foundation

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning loves.

I'm truly starting to wonder if I'll ever find a foundation that I love. I just finished up my Loreal True Match Super Blendable foundation, review here. Since I required a new foundation I picked up the Hard Candy 16 HR Full Coverage foundation in Wal-Mart because it was affordable and is one that I haven't tried yet.

 I've been using this for about a week and while it's not the worst I've tried it's nowhere near the best. I like that it's in glass packaging as that always gives it more of a luxurious feel. The doe foot applicators for foundation I really dislike. The only other one I've ever seen is on the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation and I wasn't a fan of it then either. I'd much rather it have no applicator! I find it hard to get a nice even coverage using the doe foot applicator. The liquid isn't runny and dries down extremely quick when applied to the skin so make sure you only apply in one section at a time and blend quickly!

It claims to be full coverage but as you can see above it didn't completely cancel out my blue veins so I'd say it's more of a medium coverage that you could build up if desired. The formula while not overly drying does cling to dry patches and emphasises them so if you're more on the dry side beware.

I woudln't repurcahse this but I will finish using it up.

What's your current go to base?

♥

Bri

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Who to Follow - Instagram #2

Beautea20

This girl is incredibly talented! I've been following her for a long time and her looks are always so wonderfully creative and new. She deserves a larger following!

Beautybyjeanette_

She is a blending queen. All her looks are amazing. Her page has a great mixture of both colorful and neutral looks so there's a little something for everyone's interest.

 

ClaireLovesCosmetics

Okay, maybe I'm being a little biased her because Claire is a fellow Canadian. Just like Jeanette though her page features a mix of colorful creative looks and more of the everyday subtle looks. I love variety and these two ladies knock it out of the park. 

Peridot_gembeauty

Another beautiful lady who deserves more recognition. I mean look at that blending!

 That's all for today, I hope you guys will think of giving these lovely artists a follow. They're all talented and beautiful in their own ways!

♥

Bri

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Lush - Lucky Cat

 

Good morning loves!

It's been a bit since my last trip to Lush so I'll be having a couple little Lush reviews headed your way starting with their newly released Lucky Cat bath bomb.

I was extremely underwhelmed by this. The outside is covered in glitter which I don't usually like but it completely disappeared in the water nor did I notice glitter particles sticking to my skin, this was the only positive. The smell was subtle and only lingered for a few seconds. It turned the water an almost orange red, based on the outside I believed it would have been more of a lovely pink shade.

Overall, I definitely wouldn't purchase this again nor would I recommend. They have so many other great products that showcase their true creativity. I'd skip on this!

Have you tried any of their new products, thoughts?

♥

Bri

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Top 3 - Highlights

{left to right: ABH Forever Lit, Nude By Nature in Moonlight, Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in Moonlight}

Hey loves.

Long time no post. Been busy with work and relationship troubles. We all have a life outside of blogging that sometimes isn't so easy and perfect.

Forgetting about that for a while I want to talk about my top three favorite highlighters, one of these being a rather new edition.

ABH Forever Lit - This shade is from the Nicole Guerriero collab that was done a few years back. While I adore the whole palette this is the shade that works best on for my pale skin. It looks absolutely stunning when applied to the cheekbones and I always receive compliments when I wear it. Beware though powder can bring texture to the surface.

Nude By Nature Beach Glow Liquid Highlighter in the shade Moonlight - This was recently gifted to me. My manager thought it was a lip gloss, haha. We had a good laugh over that. Again a stunning tone that has a subtle pink reflect. It's liquid so be careful as it's easy to over apply and then you're left looking like a disco ball. 

Cover FX Custom Enahncer Drops in the shade Moonlight - Moonlight seems to be a popular shade name for highlights. I adore this! This shade is a touch too dark for my skin though so I really have to blend it in and be cautious when applying, it's incredibly easy to over do it with this little guy. I would love to try out the shade Halo though. It looks beautiful!

Do you prefer cream or liquid highlights?

♥

Bri

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The Perfect Liner - Essence Super Last

 

 

Good morning loves. 

Does anyone else think that Essence is an extremely under rated brand? They're so cheap and everything I've tested out thus far has been great! I'm shocked that more people don't talk about them.

The 18HR eyeliner is another gem. Now, it doesn't last nearly eighteen hours but let's be real does any liner truly last that long, I haven't experienced it yet. This retails for about four dollars Canadian and can be purchased at any Shopper's Drug Mart. The applicator is fine tipped and easy to use for precise application (I bent mine out of shape by being careless) The liquid itself is runny but doesn't transfer or smudge on the eyes after applying. It's pigmented and sets throughout the day so you don't have to worry about having racoon eyes within a few hours. As far as liquid liner is concerned this has become my holy grail and you can't go wrong with the price!

What's your holy grail liner?

♥

Bri

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Overhyped - Biore Pore Strips

 

Hey loves!

Who doesn't struggle with blackheads these days? I know I do. Recently I've read some articles regarding how using pore strips can actually do more damage to your skin than good but this was after I already gave these a go so let's get into it shall we?

At almost a dollar a strip these aren't cheap seeing as you can DIY them for cheaper. I didn't find these to work absolute miracles but they did manage to pull out some of that blackhead gunk leaving my nose not completely blackhead free but much clearer than before. I wouldn't purchase these again but I am interested in giving the DIY version a go as from what I've seen it works extremely well!

Have you tried a DIY pore strip, how did it work?

♥

Bri

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Loreal True Match Super Blendable Foundation

 

Hey loves.

The weather in Alberta is finally starting to warm up and I couldn't be happier!

I don't know about anyone else with dry skin but unfortunately I don't have the budget to be spending 50 plus dollars on foundation and I cannot for the life of me find anything from the drug store that works well with my skin.

While not a complete bust the Loreal True Blend Super Blendable Liquid foundation didn't work as well as I hoped. I read nothing but raving reviews on this before purchasing from those with all different skin types. It's packaged in a glass bottle that looks much smaller than most but is the standard one fluid ounce. I picked up the shade "Porcelain." I like that this has SPF (albeit very small amount).  The foundation is very watery and runny but has a surprisingly good amount of coverage, medium but easily buildable to full. You only need a small dollop to cover the entire face as it does blend out very nicely on the skin. When first applied it looks stunning but throughout the day it does the usual slipping off of the nose and around the chin. It settles slightly into fine lines and although it's only a little it settles into every single one you have. Again, looks lovely from far away but up close you can definitely see your problem areas. Not to mention it's quite expensive for a drug store product running just about $20 CAD. 

Would I buy it again? No probably not.

What's your go to foundation?

♥

Bri

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Soap & Glory - Peaches and Clean

Good morning loves!

Anyone who loves makeup knows how bad it can be for our skin. It's a necessity that we clean our faces off every night. I find that most cleansers are far too drying.

Soap and Glory's Peaches and Clean Cleansing Milk is a whole other ball game. It's a large bottle that retails for $18 CAD at Shopper's Drug Mart. It claims to purify, clarify smooth and energise the skin! While I didn't find my skin "energised" it did a fantastic job of melting away makeup. For those who like dark, heavy eye makeup I would recommend using an eye makeup remover first as this alone won't remove it completely. I don't have suffer with sensitive skin so I can't comment on that but for my dry skin I haven't found it to be at all drying, it leaves my face feeling fresh and smooth which is exactly what I'm looking for in my cleansers. The bottle is huge and you only need to use about two pumps so it's going to last you a long time making it a great value for the price. The one negative I do have is the scent, being marketed as peaches I expected a sweet peach scent almost like the Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette but it smells almost like mildly rotten fruit and maybe that's due to the gojuice extract? I'm not sure what it is but it's unpleasant. For how well it's been working thus far though I'll be continuing to use it.

Have you tried Soap and Glory/
 ♥
Bri

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