I am finally back with a long awaited updated! Unfortunately, it's not a new ABCs post. I realize that I am super behind with that series but I haven't had any time to do any research so all my research will have to take place during Reading Week. 

So now, onto the products that I have finished in between the time I wrote Empties No. 1 and now.

So this is the Banila Clean It Zero. I wrote a blog post about it here, where I compared it inadverately to Shu Uemera's Cleansing Oil. To summarize, I really like this cleansing balm; it's travel friendly (I actually finished it while I was back home in Vancouver!), the balm consistency means it doesn't flow down my arms while I'm using it, and it takes up very little space on the counter. I repurchased two (opened one already) for backups. I highly recommend this cleanser if you are the type of person to regularly put on a ton of makeup and hard to remove waterproof mascara.

This is the Marula Intensive Repair Shampoo. I purchased this back in June and finished it in November. This took me a long time to finish, not because I disliked it, but because I don't wash my hair every single day. I actually wash about 1-2x a week because of my hair colour. I dry shampoo every other night. I have the conditioner from the same line, but it's on its last drops now. I have purchased Living Proof's restore shampoo/conditioner to replace the two (mainly because Sephora no longer ships it to Canada, but also because I didn't see a huge improvement in the condition of my hair).

This is Philosophy's Hope in A Jar Night cream. This is my absolute holy grail night cream for the winter. Especially because I live in a dry climate, this is one of the few things that keeps my face super moisturized. I highly recommend this night cream to anyone who lives in a drier climate or suffers from dry skin. It is kinda oily feeling (but not like putting straight-up oil on your face oily), but the cream sinks into your skin really nicely, and when I wake up in the morning and wash my face, I'm not washing excessive amounts of cream off. Unfortunately, I did not repurchase immediately after running out because every time I went into a Sephora to try to repurchase, it would be OOS. I am currently using Laneige's Water Sleeping Mask ($30) instead.

Philosophy recently added a new version of the night cream to their lineup but it costs $65 (versus the $59 for this one). 

This is the ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Brow Wiz in Taupe. Holy grail for a lot of people, and I really enjoy using this product to line my brows, but I can no longer justify the $27 for 0.003oz of product. I'm currently using a product from one of those Ipsy bags (my friend gave it to me because it was in the colour Taupe and her hair is dark brown). I find that there is no absolute need to buy this particular eyebrow pencil because there are so many others out there that perform just well. I find that smaller/thinner pencils (the kinds that don't need to be sharpened and are retractable) are the best, regardless of brand. 

Maybelline's The Colossal Volume mascara and Benefit's Roller Lash Curling & Lifting mascara (in a trial/deluxe size). I really enjoyed Maybelline's The Colossal Volume mascara. It lengthened and volumized my lashes in 2 swipes. I had another friend tell me that they also liked this mascara. Perhaps this mascara is good for short Asian lashes? Let me know if you've also tried this product out before. I will repurchase this product again, once I finish using up all of the other mascaras I've bought...

The Benefit mascara I believe I got as a deluxe sample for purchasing their gel liner... or as one of those Sephora 100pts rewards.  Either way, I did not like this mascara. Both of Benefit's two most famous mascara did not work on my short Asian lashes. 

This is Make Up For Ever's Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer in Travel Hydrating Primer. I liked this primer but I'm not really the type of person who needs primer to get makeup to stay on my face all day long. However, I know beauty gurus really like this primer in both the Smoothing and Mattifying version. As for providing moisture/keeping my skin hydrated, I felt that this did an alright job. After taking my makeup off at the end of the day, my skin was not noticeably drier or anything so I assumed this was doing its job to some extent. I did repurchase from this line, but I bought the Nourishing Primer in the full sized version (because it's winter and my skin is always super dry during the winter).

Just a money saving note, if you're looking to buy either the Smoothing, Mattifying or Hydrating primer, it's better to buy the travel version which is $19 for 0.5oz but $43 for 1oz. When it's summer again, I'll repurchase the Nourishing primer in the travel sized to save some money. 

Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara Super Film and Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara. Both have passed the 6 months mark, so out they go (just as a further note, I throw out all my mascaras within 3-6 months even if they're not close to done). The Heroine Make mascara was newly released when I bought it so there wasn't a lot of information on it, but I figured any of the Heroine Make mascaras couldn't be too bad... 

And what a utter lie that was. This mascara. It's got lots of tiny fibers, so it coats each lashes individually properly but it doesn't do much. It barely lengthened my short lashes, and did not hold a curl as well as the original Long & Curl or Volume & Curl mascara. I would recommend either of the two original mascaras over the Super Film version. If you're into a very natural look, this mascara would probably be a good fit for you, but as someone who's into heavy eye and face makeup, this just wasn't doing it for me.

On the other hand, I really liked Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara. It curled AND lengthened my short lashes really well. I didn't have to layer another brand of mascara on top of this just to get some length. The only draw back is the price. It's $30 for 0.27oz of product that I will never actually use up because of mascara's short life span. If it comes back as a deluxe sample or 100pts perk, I will definitely be getting it.

My holy grail foundation - the YVES SAINT LAURENT Le Teint Encre de Peau foundation in B30. I believe I'm on my 3rd bottle of this foundation now. This foundation is super lightweight but it gives medium coverage. It provides a matte finish. Even when I get mild pimples, I don't even use concealer. I just use this foundation on top to cover it. By the end of the day, this foundation doesn't feel heavy on my face - in fact, I barely even remember it's there! 

Because I switch between foundations regularly, I am able to use one bottle for around 7-8 months, which is good, because this foundation costs $64 for 0.84oz. I'm actually looking into buying Becca's Aqua Luminious Perfecting Foundation and/or the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint, so maybe the new bottle I just opened last week will last even longer than 8 months. If anyone has tried either of those two, please let me know what you think about them! 

And that's it for this round of empties! I'll be back soon with an update of the ABCs series (at the earliest next week during Reading Week). 

Hello! Like I promised, I am here to give you my shopping list for the 20% off event. I am actually headed to Sephora today after lunch, so I will do a haul post after I buy everything from instores and online :D

Sephora always gets me with their 20% off. I've reached a point in my makeup/beauty life now, where I can control my impulsive needs to buy ALL the lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes, but 20% off is such a good deal, I always waver between buying the new Christmas limited edition palettes and lipstick sets and just sticking with restocking on my basics/HGs.

So without further ado, here is the list of things I will definitely be buying:

Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Encre de Peau

This is my HG foundation, the Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Encre de Peau. It's super light weight, but provides medium to full coverage, and is build-able. The thinness of this foundation may not work for those of you who have acne or other similar skin troubles, but if you skin is relatively "smooth", I would definitely recommend this. It covers all my hyper-pigmentation and makes my skin super smooth. I often forget I'm even wearing foundation.

Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Night Infusion Cream

I recently finished up my jar of Philosophy Hope in A Jar Night. I've used this one consistently for about 2 years now, and it does a superb job of moisturizing my skin during Toronto's shitty winters but I find that it doesn't do much other than moisturize my skin. Seeing as there's all these newer products out on the market now, I've decided to try Caudalie's Resveratrol Lift Night Infusion Cream. It claims to visibly redefine facial contours, which I highly doubt.... but why not give it a shot. Sephora's excellent return policy means that I can just try this product and if it doesn't work as well as I'd like it to, I can just return it and get my Philosophy night cream as usual.

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum

I'm in the market for a good serum, and I stumbled upon Drunk Elephant's T.L.C. Framboos Glyolic Night Serum. I'm hoping my skin will react positively to this, as this will be my first time trying out AHA. It's got good reviews, and a lot of people say that it's completely healed their skin troubles, while it didn't do much for others. The $112 price tag is quite steep but with 20% off, I figured I might as well try it, and if it doesn't do anything for my skin, or if it breaks me out, I can just return it.

Anastasia Brow Wiz

Stocking up on another HG product. I'm currently using Anastasia's Brow Wiz in the colour taupe, but they've changed the colours/names yet again and replaced the lightest one with taupe. I try to get the same colour as the dipbrow pomade, and seeing as those all the other colours but taupe don't match my hair colour, I'll probably repurchase taupe.

MUFE Step 1 Base Equalizer

I actually have the Hydrating Primer in the travel sized version, but I will repurchase in the nourishing primer full sized one because I find that it works and is super good. I wish MUFE would come out with more travel sized versions because $43 is kinda steep :(

Now let's move on to a list of items I want to buy, but probably will not buy because I think I can control myself... but all the limited edition stuff released for Christmas is super cute and has great value this year so ugh what is my life:

SEPHORA COLLECTION hakuho-do + SEPHORA PRO Kanpeki Perfection Brush Set

A motherfucking set for the Hakuho-do + Sephora Pro brushes. A SET OF THEM. When they were originally released, they were released individually and were priced like $60 each SO THIS SET IS SUCH A GOOD DEAL BUT UGH I don't really need those brushes in my life anyways, so this is something I'm gonna pass on. But the brushes are such good quality. I have the angled concealer brush, which doubles as a highlighter brush (and that's what I use it for), and the bristles are so smooth and soft on my face. Why am I poor.

Clarisonic Mia 2 Keith Haring "Dance" Skin Cleansing System

Clarisonics' are HGs for some, and a complete waste of money for others. I kinda want to try it out, but as my skin isn't breaking out into hives or whatever just yet... (knock on wood), I don't really need to spend this kind of cash, even though the Keith Haring special edition is one I would totally buy just because I resonate with its message.

Elizabeth and James Nirvana White Dry Shampoo

I actually own the Elizabeth and James Nirvana White perfume so when this came out in a dry shampoo formulation, I wanted it so bad. I love the scent of the perfume and it's the exact same scent in the dry shampoo but because it's ridiculously overpriced at $34, I'm probably not buying this. My Batise dry shampoo for $7 works pretty good so there's no need to buy one that's more expensive.

Marc Jacob Beauty Style Eye-Con No. 20 - Plush Eyeshadow

Marc Jacob has released this super gorgeous eyeshadow palette for the Christmas season and I want it soooooo bad. It's got a good mix of neutrals and just a pop of smokey colour and I love the addition of all the purples. But I've got already got enough eyeshadow, and another one isn't going to help me.

I  think this is the finalized list of things I'm going to buy and things that I want, but I know I'm going to be enthralled by all the tiny travel sized shit near the checkout counter so watch me come home with more lipsticks than I need...

Anyways, happy shopping everybody! What are you buying this year? Let me know in the comments below :)

Hey guys! I'm finally back with a post, after what seems like forever. I've been caught up in school, work and other real life obligations, so I haven't had any time to write posts or review things.

I am just here to let you guys know that I will be kicking off the month of November with a new series! The tentative title is "The ABCs of Popular Skincare/Makeup Ingredients". I plan to post these twice a week (Tuesday and Friday), and I will be writing them in advance so I can publish them on time.  In all, this series should take about 13 weeks to complete! I'm really excited to be starting this with you guys and hope that you can all learn something new about the ingredients that lie in your skincare and makeup!

Tentatively, the list of ingredients I will be focusing is as follow:

Aloe
Bird's Nest
Collegen
Dimethicone
Estrogen
Ferment
Green Tea
Honey
Isopropyls
Jojoba Oil
K
Lanolin
Mango Seed
N
Olive Oil
Propolis
Q
Rose
Snail
Tea Tree Oil
U
Vitamin A/B/C
W
X
Yeast
Z

As you can see, some of the letters have less ingredients (or are used less commonly in makeup/skincare, at least), so I am having difficulty coming up with ingredients. If you have a suggestion, please leave me a comment below! Additionally, some ingredients start with more common letters than other (such as R - rice and rose), so occasionally I will include a honourable mention at the bottom of some posts.

That's all for now! Watch out for the first post of the series on Nov 3rd :)

I know, college has already started for all of you in USA, but university doesn't start until later for us
Canadians, so onwards with this post! I've written this guide for those of you who are beginners are makeup, to those who you who might own a large stash and need to figure out what to leave at home and to everyone in between.

If this is too long for you, just scan the article for bolded and large text. Those will be the items I'm suggesting as makeup essentials for college/uni students. 

First, let's start with the ultimate basics. If you rarely wear eye makeup and need somewhere to start, mascara is a good essential. With mascara, you can really open up your eyes and make you look more awake/alert.

I'd recommend something waterproof, as this make it unlikely to smudge over time. In addition, I'd also recommend a eyelash curler.  This really helps to open up your eyes. If you don't feel confident using one, practice makes perfect! 

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler (my personal recommendation)

Next eyeshadow! As a college/uni student, most of us are not going to go crazy experimenting with colours an hour before classes begin. If that is your thing, then you probably don't need my help anyways! I prefer doing neutral eyes because those are quick. You can do a swipe of two/three colours and call it a day (one lighter colour near the corner of the eye, a darker one on the outer, and a matte brown in the natural socket of the eye to give dimension). I recommend something like Urban Decay's Naked Palette (all of them are good; just go for the one you like better) or Too Faced's The Chocolate Bar Eye Palette. I'd go for something with a mix of mattes and shimmers.

Advancing forward, eyeliner is the next essential! There's different types to choose from: pencil, gel, liquid, and felt-tipped gel. If you've never used eyeliner before, I'd suggest starting with pencil and then working your way up to either gel or liquid when you feel you've got a good feel for it. Kat von D's Tattoo Liner is a fave for many beauty bloggers and is liquid. For gel, many people like Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. I haven't used pencil eyeliner in a long time, but I do like Nars' Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner.

That's about it for eyes, so let's move onto eyebrows! Eyebrows really frame your face, and they help to add dimension and alertness to you. I know a lot of people like Anastasia Beverley's Brow Wiz, but that one runs out quickly if you use it to fill in your brows everyday. It's better suited to be used in conjunction with their dipbrow pomade (use the brow wiz to create the shape, and then use the pomade to fill in colour). I'd recommend using a brow gel at first just to add colour to your existing brows and then work your way up to a full fledged brow routine. Figure out your brow shape and your brows will be on fleek eventually!

Now onto the face. If you are not a foundation type of person, BB/CC cream would be a good place to start. There are several recommendations out there on the internet, so I'd suggest doing your research and deciding if you want to go with Western BB/CC creams, or East Asian BB/CC creams. Both are two different things. I personally prefer Asian BB creams, so I recommend the Laneige BB Cushion. Otherwise, bring your HG foundation with you to college/uni! Remember, seasons change so your skin tone might lighten up during the winter.

If you really don't want to slather something on your face everyday, then concealer is the next recommendation. Personally, I think that foundation brings your look together but if you don't like the heavy feeling of foundation, then just use concealer to hide your blemishes at least.

To be honest, these items would be my very basic makeup essentials. Now, if you're like me however, and enjoy indulging in makeup, then I'll continue onwards with the "unnecessary" products.

Blush is not an item everyone needs, depending on your needs, but if you find that your face gets overly pale, "boring", or colourless after putting on foundation, then I'd suggest putting a little colour back in your face to balance things out. For college/uni students, I'd suggest a blush palette. A palette would have multiple colours so you can play around with shades and intensity. I own the Hourglass Ambient Blush Palette (is that even the correct name? I forget), but that was a Christmas LE and won't be coming back. HOWEVER, Hourglass is coming out with another Christmas LE that is even better and combines both the Ambient Lighting Palette and Ambient Blush Palette. What a good way to try out highlighters and blushes for a decent price (~$80).  Something like Urban Decay's Naked Flushed would be a good starter blush/contour palette.

For your lips, I'd suggest just going with what you like. Prefer au natural lips, and just lip balm? Go for it. Like lip gloss? Do it. I'm not particularly helpful in the lip area, because my standard go-to colours are very opaque and dark. When I first started with makeup, I didn't do any lipstick/lip gloss at all. Do what you feel is comfortable. As a student, you often have more creative freedom than professionals do, so experiment while you still can, and find a colour or formula that you like best. I'd say lip balm would be the absolute essential for your lips.

Do you find that your foundation/face/eye makeup slides off your face after a few hours? Then a primer may be helpful for you.  Face primers are different from eye primers though, so experiment with what works best for your skin type. A lot of people like the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion while others like the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. For face primers, I'm really liking the MUFE Step 1 Skin Equalizer in #3 (hydrating formula).  Smashbox's Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer is also a popular one.

All in all, these would be the makeup items I suggest bringing with you to college/uni. Of course, there are other things out there and there may be things you don't like to wear. College/uni is a time of fun and exploring one's self, so don't be afraid to try new things! Remember to stay within budget though, as makeup can be an expensive hobby.

If you are looking for something that's a bit more of a comprehensive kit, there are palettes out there that may help. For instance, Smashbox recently just came out with their #SHAPEMATTERS PALETTE. This palette has nude eyeshadows, contour/highlight powders, and brow powders. Of course, this palette is kind of a "one shade fits all" palette, so it may not actually be suited for your skin tone. Urban Decay's Naked On The Run is also a good choice. It's fairly small, includes a blush/contour/highlighter, eyeshadows, mascara, lip gloss (in its own packaging/tube!), and a black eyeliner. There are many options out there, ranging from high end to drugstore, so do your research before buying anything! I'd avoid palettes that include lip glosses/lipsticks with eyeshadows. Loose eyeshadow will get everywhere and eventually end up contaminating your lip colours.

Good luck with your studies everybody!

Author's note: None of the links are affiliation links. I make nothing from the links above.

I've never written a post like this before, so I hope you all enjoy! Here are the products that I've hit pan on or need to throw out because of expiration dates.

From left to right: (all Maybelline) Great Lash Lots of Lashes, Pumped Up Colossal, Lash Sensational, The Colossal Volume Cat Eye 

The Great Lash Lots of Lashes mascara actually used to be my HG for drugstore mascara, but I think Maybelline changed the formula for it and it no longer works for me. This is quite disappointing for me, as I have purchased about 4 more for backups in the past and now they're all just going to sit in my drawer - will not be repurchasing.

The Pumped Up Colossal does not have any effect on me - will not be repurchasing

Lash Sensational is alright. There is minimal lengthening on me, and I like it enough - I repurchased this in the waterproof formula; hopefully that extends its wear on me.

The Colossal Volume Cat Eye is amazing. It lengthens my lashes by a crazy amount but as this is not the waterproof formula, my curled lashes do not stay curled and upright for very long - I repurchased this in the waterproof formula.

None of these mascaras are actually empty; it's been over 6 months since I've opened them, so they need to be thrown out.

What the brushes look like

I actually really love the wand of the Great Lash Lots of Lashes. The triangular shape means that it gets into the corner of my lashes easily, without smudging mascara all over my lids.

The curved shaped of the Lash Sensational and The Colossal Volume Cat Eye wand makes it easier for my lashes to be coated evenly.

I'm not a huge fan of the shape of the Pumped Up Colossal wand. I find it too large and not wide enough to cover all my lashes at once.

Anastasia Beverley Hill Dipbrow in Blonde

As you can see, I finally hit pan on my dipbrow. I didn't realize how much I had used until I hit pan. The middle is all dried up and difficult to use, so I just use my brush on the sides, which is still usable. I bought this in the lightest colour, because I usually have some shade of blonde hair, or some crazy hair colour going on. By using a rough hand, I can get it to look slightly darker so that it's not too light on my complexion. 

I repurchased this in the 2nd lightest colour, taupe. I currently have blue-grey hair, so regardless... whatever colour I purchased, it wouldn't match my hair colour, but I wanted something that was still blonde/light but slightly darker than the shade blonde so that when my hair colour washes out to its usual blonde shade, it'll match better.

Laneige BB Cushion in No. 23

When I bought this in a Laneige store in Hong Kong, the darkest shade they had was No. 23 and knowing that my skin usually gets darker because of the summer sun, I decided to purchase it. I was a little hesitant though, cause I have the innisfree BB cushion in No. 23 and it's still way too light for my winter skintone. Laneige's No. 23 is a better match to my summer skintone, although it's still too light. It'll probably be a good transitional shade from fall to winter, so I'll pop in my replacement cushion around then. As a note, I believe that in North American stores and online, Laneige has more shades available (ranging from really light to dark enough for POC). 

This BB cushion is on the more expensive side, but that's cause it comes with a refill. I wish it came with more of the blue cushion thingies, cause I already caused some rips in mines. Since there's almost no product left in my cushion, I'm just going to stop using it so I don't cause any infections or skin problems for myself until I can get my friend to bring back some blue cushions for me.

Would I repurchase this? Probably, if was more easily accessible in stores in Canada. With that being said, I do think this cushion is on the drying side, so I probably wouldn't use it during the winter time when my skin needs all the moisture it can get.

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Frambroise

As you can see, that is literally all that is left of my lip crayon. This is the first time in my life that I have ever used up a whole lipstick. This is my to-go colour when I can't be bothered to put on something else. It's a little on the dark side, but it's still pinky-purple enough that it's a bright vibrant colour and that's me. I find Bite Beauty's Matte Creme Lip Crayon not drying at all, and while they're obviously not going to be very moisturizing either, they don't make my lips look like they're cracked and peeling, which is good enough. As this is such a dark colour, I find that I need very little retouching as well, even after I eat.

Swatched

This is Urban Decay's Naked Skin Extra Definition Loose Finishing Powder and it is unfortunately, discontinued. I wasn't aware that they had discontinued it until I walked into a Sephora a few months ago, and it wasn't on the UD display. I was devastated. The loose powder is finely milled and sets my foundation evenly. If I use this on top of a foundation that isn't exactly the right shade, it helps balances out the colour better so that I don't look too dark or too light. 

As this is discontinued, I am now back in the market for my HG powder. 

L'Occitane Hand Cream

Not much to say about this product. It provides moisture for my hands amazingly, and smells wonderful. L'Occitane comes out with different scents all the time, but I believe this one is a permanent scent. This one is a floral scent but not a rose scent. 

Unlike other hand creams which are rather thick and only provide instant moisture, L'Occitane's hand creams provide long lasting moisture and is a perfect formula of not too thick, but not too thin either. I have several of their hand creams in several different scents.

That's it for my current empties. I'll be back with more eventually!

I'm back with a haul video! I'm going to talk about what I purchased here, but there will be no review yet, as I've only tried out one product so far. 

In total, I bought 11 things from the Sephora Beauty Insider Appreciation Week event. I purchased a few of those items online after the video was made, so unfortunately you won't be able to see them. 

In all, the Sephora Rouge exclusive event I attended last week was fairly mediocre. They had some free cake pops, Godiva chocolates, and sparkling juice/water. Additionally, they were hosting three classes that night but I didn't attend any of them. One was a MUFE Smokey Halo eye tutorial, a class on how to use oil, and a class on how to strobe. There were brand ambassadors available for almost every brand available (the exception being some of the more higher end brands like Armani, Marc Jacob, etc). Overall, the brand ambassadors were very knowledgable, the Sephora employees were friendly and looked like they were enjoying themselves. 

So here is the full list of products I've bought.

• Bite Beauty Maple Matte Creme Lipstick in Mulled Maple

• MUFE Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation in 125 

• Smashbox Photo Angle Pure Pigment Gel Liner in Jet Black

• hakuho-do + Sephora Pro Angled Concealer Brush (Kusuriyubi)

• Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop 

• Pinch Provisions Minimergency Kit for Her in Pink Hot Mess

• Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in G40

• Living Proof Restore Repairing & Damage Reversing Travel Kit

• Bite Beauty Maple Agave Lip Mask

• MUFE Step 1 Skin Equalizer in the Hydrating Formula (Travel Sized)

• Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powder in Medium

I'm excited to try out my new products and update with reviews. I'm already loving the MUFE foundation. It's a better match to my skintone than any of my current foundations. The Bite Maple Lipsticks & Maple Agave Lip Mask do smell deliciously like maple syrup. Here's to hoping I don't just lick all my lipstick off! 

This is the first time I'm trying out video posts, so please subscribe for more updates! Also please let me know if you like these types of videos (stop motion/animation) for haul videos, or 10 minutes+ talking haul videos better.

Just a heads up, Sephora is running their annual Beauty Insiders appreciation event again. This year there will be a closed door shopping event. You can RSVP here (for Canadians) by Aug 3rd.

Canada's RSVP page

Essentially, if you're a VIB Rouge, you get to go shopping with other rouges (and their +1s) behind closed doors, meaning no peasants. You'll get 4x the points on everything purchased, brand ambassadors will be there to promote their lines and teach you how to use their products, and you get a gift bag at the end of it (your +1 will also get a gift bag if they are at least a BI and purchase something).

The last VIB Rouge event I attended last year was also a closed door shopping event (I was at the Toronto Bloor location). I showed up a bit late (I left work early to attend but couldn't leave too early just to go shopping), gave my name to the Sephora workers standing at the door, and they let me in. There were free drinks (water, juice, and coffee I believe), and free desserts. They also had a Benefit promotion going on; the brand ambassador was handing out free brow wax cards to interested shoppers. Generally, I'm not a huge fan of the Bloor location; it lacks a wide variety of selection, and it's further away from where I live. As someone who can pick between the Bloor and Eaton Centre locations, Eaton Centre's Sephora is much better and bigger. I chose to go to the Bloor location because it's closer to my workplace and I had to attend a meeting afterwards at school, meaning it was just more convenient for me to go to that location over the Eaton Centre one.

If you do choose to go, pick a location that is either a) convenient for you to go to, or b) has a wide selection. My friend and I debated between going to our local mall (a mere 5-10 minute drive), or to one of the Sephoras downtown. Our local mall has a smaller selection, and our high school classmate works there, but the Sephora downtown is nicer and has more higher end goods. In the end, we chose to go downtown.

These events are often quite measly and offer little incentive to go. Nothing is discounted, and unless you have a list of things to buy, there really isn't any point to going when you can do all your shopping online and still get 4x the points. But as my friend and I are both currently unemployed and on summer vacation, we figured we might as well go because why not.

If you are in the Vancouver area and going, I'll be at the Robson location! Let me know in the comments below if you are going to attend this event :)

P.S. You could also sign up for the American version of this event, but it'll be on Aug 2nd, from 9-11am.

I'm back with a foundation review! This time it's the Chanel Perfection Lumière Velvet Foundation (retails for $52CAD). I have the shade Beige 30. Chanel also has "rose" shades available too, if you are on the pinker side (my friend bought this foundation in the Beige 20 Rose, for example).

Now the one that is available on Chanel has SPF15 in it, but the one I have does NOT have SPF in it at all. When I bought it in stores, the SPF label was blacked out, so I'm assuming the batch that I bought from either had faulty SPF issues, or Chanel was testing something out. 

I'm also testing the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer as well in this post. 

I got mines in Canada, so it has French on it, whereas if you bought yours in the States, you'll just have the English subname on it.

It is worth noting that I normally do not put primer on. I don't feel the need for it, my makeup/foundation holds up pretty well without it (my foundation doesn't slide off my face), and it's just money wasted (for me at least). I got this primer while it was on sale (I don't like purchasing drugstore items for full price).

So prior to any face makeup, this is what I look like:

Excuse the weird lighting... I couldn't get a photo to look nice and ended up with this

As you can see, I have slight discolouration on my cheeks (that are more noticeable/visible in real life) and some pores all over the face. I also just realized through this photo that my face and neck are two different shades...

Primer applied on my left side

The primer made my face feel more "smooth" and less bumpy. I can't tell if it did a good job of hiding my pores or not as mines are not very large to begin with. But this primer felt smooth. Smooth to the point it was slippery. It also had a fake glossy kind of texture to it. I've tried a sample of the Smashbox primer before (the most basic one, I can't remember the name of it) and it did not have the same or similar texture. The half of my face that I put the primer on, actually felt as smooth as baby's skin (so Maybelline picked the right name for this product lol).

Foundation applied on my left side

You can see immediately that the foundation evens out my discolouration and looks to be an alright match for my skintone based on this photo.

But from this angle, we can see that Beige 30 is unfortunately, not the right shade for me as it does not blend into my neck. It is also too pink for me. As this is just the regular Beige 30 shade, I'm thinking that Chanel's foundation shades all run slightly more pink undertoned than any other foundations I've tried.

I also find that this foundation likes to pick up on my dry spots and cling to them. All the whiteheads on my nose as well... this foundation clings to them really badly. I appreciate the matte-ness of this foundation, but it's just slightly too drying for my skin.

As for the primer, I found no visible difference between using it and not using it.

At night (12am-ish)

Excuse the horrible lighting. This was around 12am, so I was only left with the yellow light in my room and my flash wouldn't go off for some reason. It's difficult to tell in this photo, but my foundation did not slip and slide off on either sides. The left side still felt baby skin smooth whereas the right side felt like my usual skin.

The Chanel foundation is thin, but is buildable for heavier coverage. If I rub my face (which I did many times that day) I don't feel foundation coming off onto my fingers. However, its undertone is pink, and my undertone is yellow. It also clings to dry spots and made my skin feel more dry. For a high-end foundation though, I feel that the $52 price tag is quite reasonable. The YSL Le Teint is $62CAD and the Armani Maestro foundation is $66CAD. Keep in mind as well, Chanel prices rise every year.

Verdict: Not for me. The pink undertones don't match my yellow undertones and it's also quite drying to my skin. The range of shades for this foundation are also quite limited. As for the primer... it's not a necessary step for me, so I think I'll just be skipping this until I reach an age or point in my skin's life where my foundation starts slipping off all the time.

I'm hoping to try the new MUFE foundation soon, as I can't be wearing this foundation everyday and looking like a mismatched pink loompa.

Hey everyone,

So this is a completely different type of post from everything that I've posted before, because this one is more blog-like, and less beauty review! I'm actually leaving on a 4 month "vacation" next week, and I won't be able to post for the first month and a half because I will not have readily available internet access where I am. I say "vacation" because destination one, Hong Kong, is my second home but it's not really my home. Destination two, is my hometown but I don't live there anymore, so it's sort of a "vacation". Honestly, I don't really have a destination that is "home" anymore (but a destination that I call "school"), but that's a whole different story.

I've been scrounging YouTube for "What's in my Bag"/"What's in my Travel Bag" videos to see what kind of bags people buy/bring on vacations and what they bring inside. However, most of these people go on weekend or short trips, and as a result, they're not very useful for those of us who go on long haul trips.

So onto my bags!

This is the Rebecca Minkoff Julian backpack, in the colour Ink. I debated between the Ink and the Black, before deciding on the Ink, because everyone else has it in Black and I'd rather be unique about my bag choices. The bag shown has the fringes on it, but the one I have doesn't have that. I also believe this is sold out everywhere now.

I'm also bringing this Rebecca Minkoff Amorous Satchel in Winter Mint. 

In the past, I'd bring a Jansport backpack and then pack a smaller shoulder/sling bag into my suitcase. This year, I've decided to upgrade my backpack and then bring a satchel for work/more formal purposes. The Julian will be my main bag, as I will be bringing my DSLR around when I am not working, and I don't want it to hang around my neck or on my wrist in the humid weather. The satchel is more work appropriate and is relatively big, meaning it will fit all the crap I will inevitably chuck in there.

Makeup I will be bringing

I'm only bringing two palettes with me, as palettes can be quite chunky and take up more room than necessary. The Lorac Mega Pro palette will have my everyday boring, work-appropriate neutrals, while the Too Faced Sugar Pop Eye Palette will have some fun colours for the weekend.

The Hourglass Ambient Blush Palette has a good mixture of three lighter blushes, while the NARS Almeria blush is heavier/more pink, which will make for days where I have lighter makeup. The Smashbox Step-By-Step Contour Trio is my choice for contour product, as the stick format makes it extremely portable. 

Amazing Cosmestics' Amazing Concealer in the travel size means it is extremely portable, and as someone who only uses concealer on occasion, this size is perfect for me.

Smashbox's Photo Angle Pure Pigment Gel Liner is my go-to eyeliner choice. It doesn't budge and is extremely pigmented. I'll probably be bringing both the black and blue with me. 

Chanel's Perfection Lumiere Velvet is the foundation I'll be using this summer. It's matte, making it perfect for humid weathers where I'll be sweating anyways... natural dewy effect. I'll probably use this for days I'm at work, and switching to a bb cushion (that I'll be buying in HK) on weekends or extremely hot days.

I'm a bit of a mascara junkie for some reason, but I'll be bringing these two for sure with me, and probably chucking the rest of my mascaras into my makeup bag anyways... I mean they'll expire soon anyways so why not

Anastasia Beverley Hill's Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde. I currently have grey/silver hair that is slowly losing colour to being something I don't even know, but it's light enough that the Blonde is perfect for me. 

I have too many lipsticks to count, but I'll definitely chuck in a red, pink, a dark burgundy, orange, and a light purple. Maybe more than one of each... lipsticks are my addiction I need to stop clearly

Lastly, for brushes, I will be bringing my Sigma Bunny set, along with some single eyeshadow brushes, a flat top kabuki, a beauty blender, a powder/setting brush (some cheap brand from Winners), and two Real Technique blush brushes.. 

So I think this is it for the makeup... At the time of writing, I haven't actually packed any of this stuff yet, so this is what I'm definitely bringing/intend to pack. 

And I'm going to stop here for today, because this is getting overwhelming, and I haven't even talked about the other stuff I'm putting in my travel bag. Part two will come out tomorrow!