Bite Beauty Lip Pencil & Amuse Bouche Lipstick: Honeycomb & 020 / Whiskey & 044

Considering that lip products is all they do, I was surprised to learn that Bite Beauty had only just recently rolled out a line of lip liners! Bite's new The Lip Pencil promises creamy coverage that is opaque yet feels lightweight. Unlike other lip liners encased in fancy packaging (think Clinique's Quickliner or Smashbox Always Sharp), Bite chose to go old school with a sleek, wooden barrel that will need sharpening from time to time.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick in Honeycomb & Lip Pencil in 020

In my Influenster VoxBox, I received 020, described as "beige nude", and 044, the deepest colour of the range in a dark burgundy. Both colours are not what I usually wear - thankfully the box also included coordinating Amuse Bouche lipsticks in Honeycomb and Whiskey, otherwise I might have been rocking some seriously mismatched liner/lipstick combos in this post!

Okay, I admit that I almost never use lip liner when I wear lipstick; I kind of like the soft-edged look of an unlined lip (also, lazy). Sooo I'm not all that experienced with lip liners, but I like what I see in Bite's The Lip Pencil. Both pencils glided on smoothly with a creamy matte finish and didn't feel heavy. The pencils were soft enough to impart good coverage without pressing too hard, and didn't crumble or flake bits off during application.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick in Whiskey & Lip Pencil in 044

Colourpop Lippie Stix in Luau

The weather is finally heating up in Vancouver, so now feels around the right time to post about bright, summery lipstick! I placed a Colourpop order a long, long time ago to check out what all the buzz was about, and limited myself to buying just 3 Lippie Stix and 3 Lippie Pencils, one of which was Luau Lippie Stix. This true orange shade in Colourpop's hyper glossy finish was intended to be the replacement for Androgyne, the true orange OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss that I kinda loved but ultimately returned because of the low coverage and patchiness.

Colourpop Lippie Stix in Luau, Lumiere, Toucan

Surprisingly, I peeked out of my comfort zone to pick up some non-berry/purply shades: Lumiere, a matte mauve, and Toucan, a matte, bright red coral.

Luau is the truest orange in my collection--everything else I own has a little bit of coral/pink in it, including Annabelle Orange Pop. I was pleased to see that the pigmentation and coverage was much better than OCC Androgyne. The bluish tones in my lips tone down the bright orange a little, making it slightly more muted than I think it would be on an average person. But you can see it's still quite bright in the photo below:

I do love my mattes and semi-mattes but this super glossy finish on Luau is so pretty! If possible, it's even brighter and shinier in person.

Bridesmaid Makeup: product breakdown and a little advice

I haven't had a makeup post for a few weeks now and thought it was about time for another one. I've been fighting an eczema flare-up on my face (not a great look tbh), so I had to dig back into my backlog for this one.

Last year I had the special honour of being a part of MizzJ's wedding as a bridesmaid. Sheila and I opted to do our own makeup, and despite me being absolute shit at putting on falsies, I have to say that we made a pretty good looking wedding party ;)

I can't remember if this picture was taken before or after the bridal party serenaded the room with Boyz II Men's I'll Make Love To You...

This was my first time as a bridesmaid, so I was really worried about the possibility of the professional photos turning out badly because of my makeup, or my makeup looking out of place compared to the bride's professionally-done makeup. Thankfully I think I did an okay job. Of course I didn't have time to take photos for this post on the day of the wedding, so I recreated the (simple) look a few weeks later at home.

Us girls stayed hydrated and ate well for the days leading up to the wedding. We all planned activities with a lot of sun exposure like swimming and hiking for after the wedding, in case we got sunburned or tanned significantly. We also got the rowdy girls' night out stuff out of the way long before Hawaii, so we were bright-eyed and well-rested for the morning of the wedding.

ArtDeco Mystical Forest: FOTD + swatches

I'm back with more from ArtDeco's Fall/Winter Mystical Forest collection! I posted about one of the nail polishes previously, but makeup always takes a bit longer to test and photograph. Today I'm sharing some details and looks using the lip and eye products, including a unique eyeshadow system! Though it's a seasonal collection, these shades are still available for purchase online at retailers like Beauty Bay.

Hydra Lip Booster is a lip gloss that promises translucent colour, shine, and hydration all in one. 46 Translucent Mountain Rose is a neutral-toned dusty rose; on my discoloured lips, it evens out the discolouration just a bit but dark spots are still visible. This would be a great staple in a lip wardrobe, since the MLBB-ish soft rose shade pairs well with any makeup look.

Application using the standard doefoot applicator was very smooth, and it doesn't settle into lines. I hate glosses that feel super thick and sticky, so I'm glad that this one wasn't too heavy and very comfortable to wear. The formula is forgiving even if you have chronically-dry lips like mine.

Clinique Pretty Easy Eye Palette: review + swatches

With the holiday season upon us, that means lots of company Christmas parties, family dinners, and friendly get-togethers. Clinique's new launch promises to make things a bit less hectic with a super-portable, 8-pan neutrals palette that can create eye looks for day or night.

Clinique Pretty Easy Eye Palette; Clinique Pretty Easy Brow Palette

Clinique Pretty Easy Eye Palette ($55 CAD) is compact and fits comfortably in my hand. It comes in Clinique's classic mirrored packaging, which is simple and chic but an absolute pain to photograph! :P

The mirror side has a peel-off sticker with suggestions for a "naturally pretty" day look and a "dramatically pretty" evening look.

The palette also comes with two Skinny Stick eyeliners in Slimming Black and Slim Sable. Much better than crappy eyeshadow sponge applicators that nobody uses! They're about 2/3 the size of full-size Skinny Sticks (~$27 value for both eyeliners). I forgot to take swatches of the eyeliners, but they are creamy and smooth, with a super-skinny tip that would work well for tightlining. Slimming Black is a deep, matte black, and Slim Sable is dark, warm brown.

Moody fall burgundy

I got really caught up in the vampy mood of ArtDeco Couture Mystical Heart nail polish and decided to complete the look with even more burgundy, purply things >:D

From my vampy lip collection, I pulled out Milani Color Statement lipstick in Sangria, a deep plum. I really layered this one on to get the most intense lip look out of it, although it looks a bit brighter here than it does in person. This lipstick is one of my favourite shades and is an amazing value at about $6 CAD, but it has a weird plastic-y smell.

I'm also wearing one of my lazy-day favourites, a super relaxed, oversize H&M burgundy sweater. In real life, I feel like Milani Sangria is closer to the colour of this sweater.

By the way, I got a sample of Too Faced Born This Way foundation and am wearing it here! Natural Beige is a good match for my skin post-Hawaii. The coverage is on the fuller side of what I normally prefer, but the finish is pretty natural and it cooperated better than expected with my normal-dry skin.

Hope your week is going well! The Sephora sale for VIBs starts Thursday, what's on your list?

FOTD: Chinese New Year with London Drugs

Youngblood Purely The Basics Kit in Light, Lancome Definicils mascara in Waterproof Noir, Nyx Angel Veil primer, Revlon Ultra HD lipstick in Poinsettia, Chella Eyebrow Color Kit in Elegant Ebony

Hello! I know I'm a bit behind as yesterday was Chinese New Year's day, but I wanted to quickly share a look today. I recently received a box from London Drugs to celebrate Chinese New Year and put together a quick FOTD using some of the products provided. It's not the most direct/obvious interpretation--I would have worked in TON of gold otherwise!--but I tried to use just what was included in the box.

To start, I used NYX Angel Veil primer, a silicone-based (cyclopentasiloxane) primer that smooths the skin to prep for base products. (I cheated a little after the primer set and applied a bit of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard.) Using products from the Youngblood Purely The Basics Kit, I further prepped my skin with the Mineral Rice Setting Powder in Light, then buffed in Natural Mineral Foundation in Neutral, and finished with Hi-Definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder in Translucent. I topped my cheeks with Youngblood Crushed Mineral Blush in Sherbet. I'm still testing the Youngblood kit, but so far I'm really liking the medium coverage and speedy application compared to my usual liquid foundation/BB. It's not quite enough to adequately cover my dark circles though, which is why I cheated with the NARS concealer. I'm also liking the loose mineral powder blush, which is very pigmented and gives a healthy flush.

Birthday dinner: FOTD + noms

Hello hello! I didn't mean to neglect posting for basically 2 weeks, but a breakout of eczema on my face and hands, plus a four-hour final exam to study for really put the blog low on the priority list. I'm back to share a FOTD and photos from my birthday dinner with bf last month.

I rarely do FOTDs anymore because it's such a hassle to edit out the eczema, but I'm so hairstyling-inept that when I curl my hair, it must be documented. I busted out all my favourite fancypants makeup for this look: Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Foundation in Sand Beige, Guerlain Météorites Perles in Teint Beige 02, and Becca Lowlight Sculpting Perfector. Brows are a combination of MAC eyeshadow in Concrete and Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Medium Brown. I haven't worn eyeshadow in forever but I used my trusty MAC palette with Gleam and Naked Lunch, plus Clinique Quickliner for Eyes in Intense Clove. Blush is Clinique Cheek Pop in Peach Pop, and the lipstick is Annabelle TwistUp in Red Carpet, a perfect bright red for celebrating.

Zodiac Collaboration: Sagittarius

I was a huge astrology nerd as a kid, so when an astrology/zodiac-themed makeup challenge was suggested, I just couldn't say no. I ended up picking my own sign, Sagittarius, although I've always felt I didn't really fit a Sagittarius personality.

With some Googling, I learned that the colours associated with this sign are purple and blue (in my brain it will be forever green for Sailor Jupiter though!) Sagittarius people are said to be straightforward, yet also optimistic and fun-loving. For these reasons, I chose to use brighter blues and purples, and have a clean, sharp outer edge on my eyeshadow. Since Sagittarius is also symbolized by the half-man half-horse centaur, I used my longest falsies to mimic a horse's long fringe, and attempted some contouring to elongate my face. I kept the rest of my face fairly simple and fresh since Sagittariuses tend to be outdoorsy and natural.

Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon-inspired look

This is an updated repost from my original blog on Tumblr

I realized only after I chose my characters for the Sailor Moon makeup collab that I seem to have a soft spot for relatively minor characters, haha. First Neo-King Endymion, now Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon, who only appears very briefly in the manga before getting destroyed by Sailor Chibi Moon and the Amazoness Quartet. She extinguishes the remnants of Sailor Senshi taken over by Galaxia, which take the form of ethereal butterflies. All that aside, I pretty much picked her because I thought her design was interesting and would be a fun challenge to translate to makeup.

I really wish I had built up UD Zero to a deeper black. It photographed lighter than I expected.
Check out the other villain looks:

Amy (Cyprine & Ptilol)
Anna (Nehelenia)
Dawn (Sailor Galaxia)
Erin (Mistress 9)
Mai (Queen Beryl)
Mandy (Cere-Cere)
Phyrra (Prisma)
Soo (Snow Queen Kaguya)

Face:

• Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue SPF 15 Lotion
• L’Oreal Skin Genesis Eye Serum [review]
• The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost
• GOSH X-ceptional Wear foundation in 14 Sand
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 2
• Marcelle Face Powder in Translucent
• Hard Candy Blush Crush in Living Doll [review]

Eyes:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
• L’Oreal HiP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in Midnight Blue
• elf eyeshadow palette (medium blue shade)
• Urban Decay eyeshadow in Zero
• Red Earth creamy eyeshadow in CI 001
• Annabelle Mono eyeshadow in Helium
• MAC eyeshadow in Naked Lunch
• Ardell Luckies false lashes (black)
• MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
• Marcelle Xtension Plus mascara in Black
• Victoria’s Secret Silky Eye Shadow in Rich (brow)
• Smashbox Brow Tech Wax

Lips:

• Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie
• Annabelle Le Gloss in Venus Vibe

King Endymion look

This is an updated repost from my original blog on Tumblr

It turns out it's pretty hard to find a decent picture of King Endymion D:

Alternate title: really simple smoky lavender eyes ≧Д≦

Backstory: So a handful of bloggers decided to do two Sailor Moon-inspired looks each: one after a hero/good guy and one after a villain. I joined the collab a little late in the game after my favourite characters were already taken, and I ended up rolling with the only non-Senshi of the group for the good guy look, King Endymion.

Nerdy explanation/bonus photo/products used are under the cut~

Red lip FOTD + A Kiss For Hope

This is an updated repost from my original blog on Tumblr

First FOTD in a long, long while :> Please see my review on this lipstick for a more accurate idea of its bright yet deep (and super-hot) red.

Attention: Lise Watier launched a contest in honour of International Women’s Day on March 8: not only will Lise Watier put $1 towards Lise Watier Foundation (which provides financial assistance and a supportive environment to girls and women) for every photo of a kiss sent in, but your photo has a chance to win you a Haute Couleur High Coverage Lip Lacquer. Please consider submitting your picture—all it takes is a quick snap and post from your phone!

It turns out I look like a total jackass making a kissing face, so I’ll spare you the horror of posting that picture here. (You can, however, go hunting for it in the photo gallery.)

Face:

• Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue Lotion SPF 15
• L’Oreal Skin Genesis Eye Serum 
• Marcelle BB Cream in Light to Medium
• Physicians Formula Powder Palette in Highlighter
• Marcelle Face Powder in Translucent
• Hard Candy Blush Crush in Living Doll [review]

Eyes:

• Marcelle Xtension Plus Mascara in Black (first coat)
• L’Oreal Voluminous False Lashes Waterproof (second coat)
• Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Ransom [review]
• Revlon ColorStay Brow Enhancer in Light Brown
• Smashbox Brow Tech Wax

Lips:

• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 2
• Revlon Wine With Everything [review]

FOTD: Wedding reception

This is an updated repost from my original blog on Tumblr

I definitely could have pulled up the grey/black more since it’s an evening look; I'm just shy about more dramatic makeup. I love that false lashes, whether bold or natural, make such a huge difference to a look. Unfortunately I'm still terrible at putting them on!

Face:
• Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel Cream
• L’Oreal Genesis Eye Serum
• Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller (undereye, lid)
• Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 2
• GOSH X-Ceptional Wear foundation in 14 Sand
• Marcelle Face Powder in Translucent
• Marcelle Cream Blusher in Russet
• Hard Candy Baked Blush in Living Doll

Eyes:
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (lid as base)
• Revlon Luxurious Color Matte shadow in Vintage Lace (brow bone)
• Revlon Colorstay 12 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Silver Fox (turquoise shade in lid; grey shade in crease and lower lashline)
• Gosh Effect Powder in Azure (lid)
• Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in Petal Pusher (glittery black definer shade in crease)
• false lashes applied with Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive
• L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara in Blackest Black
• MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
• Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in Noir (tightline upper lashline and dotted along lower lashline)
• Revlon ColorStay Brow Enhancer in Light Brown/Champagne (also used Champagne highlighter for inner corners)
• Smashbox Brow Tech wax

Lips:
• Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Mauvy Night (creme finish)