FabFitFun: Spring 2018 Box

I didn’t mean to totally subscribe to the FabFitFun box after the Sample Box, but I forgot to unsubscribe before it renewed me for the first real box (that’s how they get you).

When I arrived, I was excited at how packed it was of goodies, but I’m not sure how much of it is actually useful to me at the moment.

The first was this foldable Rachel Pally Reversible Clutch (retails for $60). The colours weren’t really my style so I ended up giving it to my sister.

I also gave her these Ettika Day Dreamer Tassel Earrings ($58). They’re pretty but I think not practical with a new puppy.

Personally, I was more into the make-up in the box.

This lipstick palette is full of gorgeous pinks and reds for nice subtle looks.

There was also this Murad Skin Perfect Lotion ($40). I can never get enough of high-end skincare options to try.

I also got a Dermelect Makeover Concealing Ridge Filler ($18), a treatment for nail ridges and to conceal discoloration. My nails are generally healthy except for when I do shellac, so I will save it for those moments.

 

Inside this cute little package was KNC Beauty Lip Masks ($25).

I love spoiling myself with masks, so these were a keeper.

I’ve been meaning to get a ball for my back for a while but this Physique 57 Massage Roller ($20) seems like the next best thing.

For beauty sleeping, this free-people leather eye mask ($40) is comfy, but found it a bit heavy.

I’m not the kind of person who appreciates a $45 Anderson Lilley Sunset Collection Candle in Fresh Linen, so I left my sister have it.

It comes in a minimalistic gold container. We also got separate care instructions e-mailed to us about the candle.

While they definitely deliver money value in each FabFitFun box, the items inside were both hit and misses for me. I tend to be more interested in cosmetics than household items, so I don’t think I’ll be subscribing to the summer box.

 

Sailor Moon Eyeliner & Lipstick

I found these at a Japanese festival in Mississauga and I could not resist buying them just for the packaging.

They look just like the wands on the show, but are secretly an eyeliner and a lip stick

The lip colour I bought was a soft pink and the eyeliner is a black pencil.

Look how cute they are! There are other pieces of this collection but they are rather hard to find or too expensive in Toronto. I haven’t actually used them yet, so I can’t tell you how the quality is but they’re fun to collect.

 

Things I Used Up: January 2018

My New Years resolution was to try to use up more stuff before I acquire more of it. A lot of that is beauty stuff. I managed to not buy any of it the whole month of January and instead using more of my collection. It’s not just that I buy a lot, but I am frequently under the collector mindset that I shouldn’t “waste” anything, which is stupid since it’s more of a waste NOT to use the things.

My new vanity is helpful for displaying all I own so that I can be inspired every day to try out new products. I even realized I had so many free samples and minis that I decided to use up some so that I could have things to write in this list.

Here are some products I used up:

Here are items I panned (hit bottom but didn’t use up quite yet):

  • Mac Eyeliner Gel black – I hit pan and threw it out because it was getting old
  • Nars Orgasm/Laguna Duo

I decided to record when I hit pan because it’s just as rare as using something up! I have so many eyeshadows that I’m going to feel accomplished the one day those touch bottom.

Influenster: Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick


I was so excited to receive a few samples of Bite Beauty’s Amuse Bouche Liquid Lipsticks from Influenster. It also came with a lip primer.

Of the 3 colours, I have tested two so far.

They are pigmented and go on the exact shade it looks like in the bottle. Often when I buy lipsticks, it comes out more red than I hoped (based on my natural lip colour). It glided on creamy, and I didn’t need more than one swipe.

I love that they are matte, but at the same time don’t look dry on my lips. This is probably my favourite Influenster box so far as I’ll use the heck out of them.

You should join Influenster too to take part in free samples!
http://www.influenster.com/r/473628.

Holika Holika x Gudetama Face 2 Change Photo Ready Cushion BB

I know I told myself I would stop buying so much makeup before using some up but I couldn’t resist this Gudetama BB cream from Holika Holika.

The sales person recommend me 23 neutral beige for summer in case I can a bit. The product has SPF 50. It came in a variety of designs but I liked this one the most. It also comes with a refill for the compact, so it’s kind of like two portions in one.

The puff itself is also a Gudetama! The packaging is just so adorable I couldn’t resist.

In terms of coverage, it was a light coverage that lasts around 5 hours. You do get a little bit of shine, so not recommended if you are a particularly oily person who doesn’t like shine. It works perfectly with my highlighter and blush though so I don’t mind it.

Benefit #GetRealLips

 

I got this free Benefit “They’re Real Double the Lip” liner and lipstick for entering some form on their site a few weeks ago. It’s an interesting lipstick with an embedded liner.

The shade I received was pink thrills, a nice pink shade, lighter than my lips.

It claims to be long-wear for 8 hours but I found it easily smudged (at least on my hand). They probably mean if you didn’t eat for 8 hours!

Easter Long Weekend!

I don’t really celebrate Easter unless you count buying discount chocolate when it’s over. I’m just happy I have an extra day of the weekend to unwind (and play my Nintendo Switch).

I also get to experiment with more fun looks on my days off. Here is one I liked from last weekend:

I liked it enough to use it as my avatar on some of my social media. I’m trying to use some of those makeup sets before fate brings more into my life.

NYX Butt “Naked” Pallet

I had a gift card to NYX so I picked up this pallet from NYX.

It has 15 beautiful neutral eyeshadow colours that are appropriate for work. It’s funny because I have probably like 300 eyeshadows, but most of them are way too dramatic to wear in the workplace. I like these colours because they’re good for every occasion and also don’t fade too much throughout the day.

The bottom layer is blush, bronzer and highlighter. This is only like $22 which is an awesome bargain for this useful set.

SHANY Lipstick

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As a daily browser of Amazon, I discover a lot of new brands I haven’t heard of before. One of these is Shany, the same company that I recent ordered makeup brushes from. The quality of those were amazing for the price so I looked at some other things on their line. I decided to order their set of 12 Slick & Shine Lipstick.

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Inside the box there are 12 elegant black tubes with the lip stick colours. I love things with simple design and I think they did well in this area!

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There are a variety of vivid colours. They are smooth and super easy to apply without doing anything else (I don’t really use liner). A few of the colours may be a little strange but life hack: lipstick can also be used to add colour to other places on your face (cheeks, eyes, dark circles etc). I’ll find uses for the colours I don’t use on my lips for sure.

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There was this slightly weird envelope in my package encouraging a good review in return for more free product. Disclaimer: I didn’t do this and views are my own. The free gift (perfume, which I’m allergic to) wasn’t really worth it and I think they could get good reviews on their own!

 

 

 

New Makeup Brushes!

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I’ve had the same makeup brushes for over 6 years. Though I took great care to clean them, they started to feel a bit hard on my skin so I decided to order a new set. I found the Shany 24 Goat & Badger brush set on Amazon for around $24 (CAD), which is an awesome deal. Just because you buy stores by some high end brand name doesn’t mean you’re always getting the best.

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The brushes come in a faux-leather pouch great for travelling!

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The brushes themselves each have a slot in the bag and come in protected cases. They’re all silky smooth. It even comes with a set of instructions to tell you what each brush is for (great for the novice make up artist). I own so much make-up and I can’t wait to continue playing around with it with these new brushes!