June Favourites

I can't believe it's the end of June already! I'm excited as this is our first monthly favourites post. I had a hard time picking things for this month. I've been trying out new products that I am IN LOVE with but I've only been using them for a few days so I'll put them in next months favourites if I'm still into them.

*Sorry if you find the picture looks weird today. I'm not in my usual photo taking location and this is the best place I could find. The red table reflected onto the products making it hard to see, so I had to add a water filter on it to make them more visible. I'm not sure if I like it... It looks kinda cool and mystical but somewhat cheesy at the same time...

We've also been experiencing torrential rainfall all day. So the background doesn't look very summery. It's also been hot and humid the past few days. So I've pretty much stayed inside all week besides going to work. (I need to rant about the weather, it's been horrible!)


Anyway, without further ado, here are my June Favourites!

The Body Shop's Pomegranate Raspberry Body, Room & Linen Spritz

I first talked about this spray in my Body Shop Haul. The spray has made it into my favourites so clearly, I liked it. The scent is really refreshing, fruity and sweet. According to the bottle, the spray also includes hints of infused lemon essential oil, blackcurrant extract and Community Trade honey. This spray comes out harsher than you would expect, so you need to be careful when spraying it. If you spray too close to something you will see watermarks! The only major negative about this product is the fact that the smell does fade rather quickly. But I usually buy this when it goes on sale on the Body Shop's website so I stock up when I get the chance. It seriously smells so good! I think it's definitely worth it even if the scent fades.

La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo and Effaclar A.I.

My skin is honestly a pain in the butt. I always have some sort of blemish on my face. My skin decided to break out quite a bit this month. I needed to try something that would help me get rid of them. A number of people have mentioned that the Effaclar Duo has worked miracles on them so I decided to give it a try.

I'm actually in love with both the Duo and A.I. I've noticed the blemishes are going away faster and they aren't coming in as active and disgusting... These products have been doing a great job at drying out the blemish without drying out my skin. They're a little pricey but considering it's skincare and you get quite a bit, it's definitely worth it. If you suffer from acne, I highly recommend you give this a try!

Urban Decay's All Nighter Setting Spray

This setting spray has worked really well with Covergirl's 3 in 1 Foundation. The foundation looks good when you first put it on but throughout the day you can see where some of it came off. I also found it looked a bit cakey, especially the skin between my nose and under my eyes. When I used this setting spray, my makeup stayed on the whole day. No signs of blotchy foundation! And it didn't look cakey. It was a miracle. I'm going to try this with a new foundation I'm currently LOVING and I will let you know how it goes. I bought the small size for ~$12 but next time I might pick up the full size. It's definitely worth it and I think in the end it's a little cheaper to get the bigger one.

Benefit's They're Real Mascara

I can't say enough good things about this mascara. I seriously love the brush. The bristles are long and thick which actually makes them quite strong. This ensures that you have full control of where the mascara goes. The tip of the wand is a made up of ball of bristles which can help with separating your lashes if you find they aren't defined enough. Again, this is rather expensive but if you're willing to spend the money on mascara, I would give this one a go.

Physicians Formula's Shimmer Strips Eyeshadow Palette in Nude

I've been using this EVERY SINGLE day. I mostly use the brown/taupe shades. During the day I'll opt for the lighter shades, then at night i'll use the dark brown or black as a liner and blend it around the outer corner of my eye. I love this palette because you can use it everyday and at anytime of the day, the colour pay off is good and the application is smooth. I honestly can't think of a negative for this product. I guess if anything, it would be nice if there was a mirror...

Maybelline's Great Lash: Lots of Lashes Mascara

I've really been loving the mascara this month. Again, it's all about the brush. This mascara comes with a tapered brush. The bristles are lined up similar to L'Oreal's Telescopic Mascara, as they don't cover the entire brush (the part of the brush used for application). They're specifically lined and spaced out. You definitely have to think before you apply this because of the arrangement of the bristles. This mascara does take a little longer to put on, but the results are definitely worth it. It's great because it really fans out your lashes, making them look especially long. Plus it's only $5.. What a steal!


What have you been loving this month? Have you tried any of the products that I've been loving?

-Amelia

Drugstore Haul #2

The drugstore has caught my attention once again! I have been trying to save my money for a possible trip this summer (fingers crossed) but I'm having a bit of trouble due to all these great deals! I received some coupons in the mail and promotional emails from Shoppers Drug Mart this past week that really caught my eye. I'm proud to say that everything in this haul was on sale for $5.99 with one exception.

** I apologize in advance for the dirty window... I didn't notice the smudges on the window until I imported the pictures on to my laptop. At that point, the lighting was no longer good. So I'm just going with the flow and living with the smudgy background. Sorry!

Rimmel London's Stay Matte Foundation

I've been wanting to try out this foundation for a while and I finally caved. I'm getting tired of the foundation I have been using, so I've been trying to find a new everyday drugstore foundation. I got the shade True Ivory (103) and my sister got True Beige (203). I think this is going to be a great foundation for summer as it's geared to keeping the skin matte. I've used it twice now and I find my skin stays rather matte and a tiny bit dewy. I found I did have to blot a bit by my nose but overall I'm really enjoying this foundation.

Rimmel London's Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder

I've been wanting to try a powder for a while and I've heard great things about the Makeup Forever HD Pressed Powder, but I wasn't ready to spend that much on a type of product that I have never used. That being said, I have heard many beauty gurus rave about this powder so I thought I'd give it a try. I wasn't able to swatch this in the store, so hopefully this shade works for me... I was hoping to find a transparent one but I didn't see any.

Maybelline's The Falsies Mascara

I know I am quite late on this but I thought I'd finally give it a try. I didn't know that this mascara came in two different styles. I looked all over the packaging to try and figure out the difference but I'm still not quite sure what the difference is... The only thing I can think of is the brush being a bit bigger for the flared one? 

Maybelline's The Rocket Mascara

It seems like there's a bit of a trend forming. It looks like this haul has a theme of mascaras that have been raved about for a long time and I am just getting my hands on them now. I really like how the brush for this mascara has an abundance of bristles that are surprisingly long. I have a feeling I'll really be enjoying this one!

Maybelline's Illegal Length Mascara

I haven't heard much about this mascara recently, but as I said before, all the Maybelline mascaras were on sale for ONLY $5.99. This mascara has fibers in it to add that extra bit of length. I've tried a couple of mascaras that also contained fiber extenstions, and they worked pretty well for me, so hopefully this one lives up to my expectations!

Vichy's Normaderm 3 in 1 Cleanser + Scrub + Mask

Woohoo, more free samples! I didn't notice they slipped these into my bag until I got home. I'm super excited to try this out. My skin is still not where I want it to be but it has been improving over the last couple of weeks. Plus, I love me a good mask!

Covergirl's Clump Crusher Mascara & Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer

This was the first time my sister has come with me on a drugstore haul. She's been complaining about a couple of blemishes that keep reappearing on her forehead, so she wanted to come with me to try out some foundations and concealers. This is probably her first experience with makeup besides trying out stuff from my mom's stash (something we've all done at some point). Along with getting the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation, she also picked up a mascara and concealer. 

I recommended she get Covergirl's Clump Crusher mascara as I think it's perfect for someone who's never used mascara before. In my opinion, you don't want anything too volumizing or prone to clumping when going through your first experience with mascara. I think defining and lengthening is a good way for beginners to go as it isn't too dramatic but you can still see that it enhances the lashes. From my experience with this mascara, I've found that it's super easy to put on. You literally swipe it on and you're done. Quick and simple!

Unfortunately this mascara was the only item that wasn't $5.99. Instead, I had a coupon that was $4.00 off any Covergirl mascara. It ended up being $6.99 so we still got a great deal!

Lastly, she got the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. I've heard MANY bloggers/YouTubers rave about the Wake Me Up line, so I thought this would be a good choice for her. I personally like the Maybelline Fit Me concealer but she didn't want to spend too much and the Wake Me Up concealer was on sale, so she went with the cheaper one (I don't blame her). Hopefully everything works out for her!

Have you tried any of these products? If you have let me know the pros and cons of the product! If you haven't, do you plan on trying any of these products anytime soon?

-Amelia

Blunner

So this is pretty exciting... I've decided to take on the task of posting our first food post!

I've been getting alot of 7am-3pm shifts lately at work, and I'm not gonna lie, it's taken a toll on me. I like those hours but it's hard getting up that early during the summer, especially since I have a bad habit of staying up excessively late. I usually forget to bring food with me during these shifts as I'm usually running late and can't think of anything to take with me. If I'm lucky, I'll leave the house with an orange. 

After coming home from work today, I was feeling super hungry. My sister told me that she had defrosted some of the bacon and was planning on eating it sometime today. That's when I came up with the idea of creating the first ever Blunner! It's basically breakfast, lunch and dinner all at once. It's breakfast because it's technically "breakfast" foods. And it's lunch/dinner because we started cooking around 3:45pm. A super awkward time for a meal... I'm not sure if we're planning on calling this sandwich The Blunner or just leave it as a way to classify a meal like dinner or brunch...

This is it, my pride and joy! It was honestly so good! We initially wanted to make a fried egg sandwich but we decided to spice it up a bit by adding bacon and a little bit of cheese with a side of cheesy scrambled eggs.. Not the healthiest meal, but definitely worth it!

The Blunner is super easy to make. All you have to do is fry 2 eggs and cook some bacon. To assemble the sandwich, start with placing 2 slices of bacon on top of a piece of bread. Then add a fried egg and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top. Then add the second fried egg and top that with 2 slices of bacon. Last but not least, finish it off with the second piece of bread. The scrambled eggs and bacon on the side are optional. 

We thought adding avocado would make it even better, but we didn't have any so we had to do with out. A sauce like garlic mayo would also compliment the sandwich nicely. 

Look at that "yokey" goodness! Perfect for dipping! This sandwich is a great option if you're willing to get a little messy. Definitely a sandwich I would recommend making during the weekend. 

-Amelia

Drugstore Haul

I've been eyeing a couple of products lately, and I've finally taken the plunge and bought a few of the items on my "Need to Try" list. I definitely caved at the right time, as everything I got was on sale or the store was having a 2-day promotion. Let's just jump right into the products!

Maybelline's Great Lash: Lots of Lashes

Maybelline's Great Lash was the first makeup product that I bought with my own money. I think this was the product that sparked my interest in makeup. I haven't used anything from this collection since I was in Grade 7 (~6 years ago). Super excited to try this out!

Revlons' Bold Lacquer Length and Volume Mascara

I first saw this mascara on a commercial. I'm definitely a sucker for commercials. The part that intrigued me about this product is the fact that it's a lacquer. I've never heard of a lacquer mascara! I think they say that it's supposed to make the mascara on your lashes more bold. 

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips: Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow and Liner Nude Collection

Man, does this product have a long name... I've been wanting to give Physicians Formula a try as I've heard good things about the brand. I've never heard anyone mention these shimmer strip palettes before, but they were on sale and the fact that the palette was meant for a 'Nude Neutral' look, made me go for it. I think I'll get ALOT of use out of this.

Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Fakeout Mascara

Out of all the Physician Formula products, most of the hype I've heard is around their mascaras. I wanted to try the silver one but they were all sold out of them. I think it was due to the mascaras were on sale. These mascaras are usually well stocked and rarely go on sale. It seems like people really took advantage of the sale, since these are probably the most expensive drugstore brand mascara. Aside from the higher class brands like Estee Lauder, Clarins, etc. Even though I didn't get my hands on the silver one, I'm still excited to try this one!

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo and Efflacar A.I.

I've mentioned this before but my skin has gone a little crazy and I'm trying to do whatever I can to fix it. I prefer wearing less makeup in the summer but I've been putting on more due to the blemishes. I've heard alot of youtubers and website reviewers say that the Effaclar line from La-Roche-Posay has worked miracles on them. I'm not going to lie, I was quite skeptical but I finally decided to give it a go. 

When I went to pay for the Effaclar Duo, the cashier at Shoppers Drug Mart told me if I redeemed $30 worth of points (i think) I would actually get $50 worth of points. So basically if I had a total of $50 before tax I would get everything for free and would only have to pay the tax. I've been saving up my points for something good and I thought this was the perfect time to use them. To bring up my total, I decided to pick up the Effaclar A.I., as I heard it was effective as well. So I'm happy to say I got both of these somewhat for free! Not gonna lie, this was the highlight of my day...

Free Samples from a Gift Bag

Because I bought stuff from La Roche-Posay, I received a free gift bag that was full of samples. I don't know much about any of these products, but this is what I got (from left to right):

• Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Polish in "Take the Leap" (822)
• Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Polish in "Don't be Leotardy" (825)
• Vichy Aqualia Thermal Night Spa Replenishing & Soothing Sleeping Mask
• Vichy Purete Thermale Purifying Foaming Water Radiance Revealer
• La Roche-Posay Redermic C Anti Aging Sensitive Skin Fill-in Care
• Diesel's Loverdose Tattoo perfume

Icebreakers

Earlier I mentioned I had to spend a total of $50 to get the additional points when I redeem $30 worth of points. If you're confused about the promo don't worry too much about it. I was confused as well! Anyway, after picking up both the Effaclar Duo and A.I., my total was only at $46. I was going to pick up another makeup product but they were all more than 4 dollars so I went and picked up some Icebreakers. If you don't know, Icebreakers are mints/candies. They come in these cute containers and they all taste really good. I haven't had these in a long time, so I decided to give them a go. I haven't tried the Frost ones yet, which are minty. The duo one, however, is so good! I brought it to work today and my co-workers loved them! It's awesome because it's meant to be fruity yet still minty. I know they come in Raspberry and Strawberry. I'm not sure if they come in other flavours. I found this tasted more fruity than minty but overall, they are so good! Definitely a must try!


-Amelia

REVIEW: The Body Shop Shimmer Cube Palette

For the longest time, I've only used foundation and mascara when creating my everyday look as I wanted to keep it quick and simple. I've finally realized the error of my ways. I am now an eyeshadow convert! I never noticed how eyeshadow can give your face more depth and bring you back to life. It's affect is especially noticeable when one's face is coated with only foundation.

The eyeshadow palette that has forever changed me into using eyeshadow is the Body Shop Shimmer Cube Palette in 06. 

The Body Shop Shimmer Cube Palette in 06 without the lid and without flash

The Body Shop Shimmer Cube Palette in 06 without the lid and with flash

The 4 colours in this palette are beautiful and easy to use, especially if you're trying to go for a more neutral look. 

Time for the Review

This stuff goes on really smooth and is pretty rich in pigmentation. A little goes a long way but because the colours are rather neutral in this palette, you can definitely get away with a few extra swipes of shadow. I've heard some people like to slightly dampen their brush before putting this on. I think doing so gives the shadow a thicker texture, like the Maybelline Colour Tattoo eyeshadows. I've tried applying the eye shadow on, both dry and wet, and I like both ways. Either way this stuff is awesome!

From left to right: Honeycomb, Dark Chocolate, Marshmallow, Choc Chip

This palette is great for people who are starting out with eyeshadow. It isn't too expensive ($22) and it comes in colours that can be used everyday. I think it's best to start off with more neutral shades and slowly work towards more bold colours as it may be overwhelming to jump right into the colourful shades. If you are into more vibrant colours or different shades of neutral colours, The Body Shop offers palettes with different colours as well.

As a recap:

Pros

• Great formulation, doesn't get too powdery and applies smoothly
• Rich pigmentation
• Has subtle shimmer
• Useful for creating a neutral look
• Decent price ($22)
• Long lasting

Cons

• Only limited to 4 colours
• Packaging can be annoying to deal with on a daily basis due to each colour having its own lid, along with the lid for the palette (not pictured above)

If you have any questions about this product go ahead and leave a comment below! I may have missed out on information that you're interested in.

-Amelia

Sephora Haul

I've been wanting to order a couple of things online from Sephora and I finally caved... once again. I tried to be smart about my purchase and bought items from a brand my local store doesn't carry. I went into Sephora the next day and discovered that my local store now carries the First Aid Beauty brand. In my defence, they only have small sizes of select items from First Aid Beauty. Another reason I decided to buy stuff online as opposed to in store is because of the abundance of free samples!

Whenever I purchase something from Sephora, I always feel like I get stiffed of a good sample. I usually either get a perfume sample that I don't like or I don't get a sample at all.. If you order online, you receive 3 samples of YOUR choice and there are always promotion codes you can use to get an additional free sample! I find the samples you can choose from online are ALWAYS better than the ones you get in store. I'm getting too passionate about samples.. 

Enough of the chit chat. Let's get onto the products!

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

I actually had a sample of this that I forgot about and I decided to give it a shot a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't find my usual moisturizer so I used this instead. Clearly I liked it because I went ahead and bought the biggest jar they sell. This jar says that it can be used on the face and all over the body. I was a bit skeptical about this claim but after using it on my face for the last couple of days, I found it works wonders on the face and doesn't make it feel greasy!

First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Purifying Mask with Red Clay

Over the last couple of weeks my skin has gone wild. Literally wild. I've been trying to get it back on track and I thought that this mask would work well, as I've hear that red clay is good for treating acne. I've tried it once since I've gotten it and it made my skin feel good. But I haven't used it enough to form an actual opinion on it yet.

Clean Perfume (Rain)

A friend and I walked into Sephora one day and we went a little crazy with the perfumes. We tested so many scents that after a while everything started to smell the same... Before we lost our sense of smell, we took a whiff of Rain from the brand Clean. This stuff smells really fresh. It's a nice scent if you're going for a clean smell like fresh linen. It's perfect for someone who's looking for an everyday scent that isn't too overwhelming.

Time for the good(free) stuff! 

Benefit's They're Real Mascara

This mascara wasn't necessarily free as I redeemed it for 100 points but it was definitely worth the loss of points. I love this mascara! I first tried it when I redeemed my free birthday gift back in October. I'm a big fan of the brush! I tend to go for mascaras that have a thinner brush, as I am terrible at using the big rounded brushes. I think I'm too impatient and the mascara just gets all over my lids. Not a good look... 

I also really like the bristles on this wand. They're super long which ensures that you get every lash. I haven't taken the plunge and bought the full size yet, but I'm sure I will once I run out of my sample sizes. It's definitely worth the price in my opinion! I might have to do a review on this product soon...

Dior Addict It-Lash Mascara

I'm not sure if you can tell but I'm a sucker for mascaras! I got this for free by typing in a promo code that was provided on the Sephora site. If you ever decide to shop on Sephora's site, I highly recommend you check out their promos because they provide codes you can use to get deluxe samples for free or if you purchase a certain item you get a free gift. I haven't tried out this mascara yet, but it seems pretty nice. From what I can tell, the brush looks like it's a thin as well. Fingers crossed!

And last but not least, the 3 free samples I received.

I chose 2 samples from Make Up Forever and one from Origins. Sephora was also kind enough to throw in a perfume sample.

I've been wanting to get a powder as I have never used one. This was the perfect opportunity to try one out without breaking the bank. The first free sample I got was the Make Up Forever HD High Definition Pressed Powder. I also got a sample of their primer. I have been interested in the Make Up Forever brand for a while now so I'm really excited to try these out. I also want to try out their foundation!

The last sample I got was the Smarty Plants CC Cream from Origins. I use Origins products daily so I thought I'd give their CC cream a try. I like how they send you 2 different shades so you can see which shade fits your skin.

I can't wait to try out all of these products!

-Amelia