Revlon | Lip Butters

Strawberry Shortcake | Sweet Tart | Wild Watermelon | Candy Apple | Juicy Papaya | Sugar Plum

 Some of my absolute favourite lip products are the Revlon Lip Butters. I just love how easy they are to wear. It feels like you are wearing a lip balm but with great colour pay off. The first colour I bought was Strawberry Shortcake. I liked the colour, but at the time I was intending on pickup up a brighter pink, so I went back and picked up Sweet Tart. My most recent purchase was Sugar Plum in the Fall, which is actually a lot more sheer then I expected. Some of the lip butters are quite pigmented and opaque, and others apply more sheer. There are also some with glitter but I've avoided buying those. I prefer the smooth, creamier textured versions. One of my favourite things about these is the packaging. I love that they are colour coordinated to the shade of the lipstick so you never have to search for a certain colour. Out of all the shades, I think I have worn Juicy Papaya the most just because it is the easiest to wear and there is no need to use a mirror for application, so it's a good choice if it's a day when you are on the go. The shade that I was most excited to own was Wild Watermelon, but I think my favourite is Sweet Tart.

Have any of you tried the Revlon Lip Butters? What are your favourite shades?

xo Ashley

Batiste Dry Shampoo

I discovered dry shampoo around six years ago and fell in love with the idea. It was especially a life saver on those mornings when I had an early class at university and decided to hit my snooze alarm a few too many times. I've tried quite a few different brands of dry shampoo over the years but my favourite has to be Batiste. I found Batiste at Shoppers Drug Mart a couple years ago and have been buying it ever since. So far I've tried the original, tropical, blush and XXL volume. I really loved the original, tropical, and blush versions, but I actually really do not like XXL volume. I find the others leave my hair feeling clean and refreshed, while the XXL volume makes my hair feel like it has loads of product in it, and I cannot for the life of me run my fingers through my hair. I will definitely be sticking to the traditional formula from now on.

My hair isn't the type that can go for very long without washing, and I find the Batiste dry shampoo is a really great way to hold my hair over between washes. It's also perfect for days when you are going out after work and need to give your hair a boost. I also find that dry shampoo is great for adding a bit of volume.

What do you think of dry shampoo? Do you use it?

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Revlon | The Cheek Boutique, Spring 14'

Revlon recently release a bunch of new cheek products in Canada as part of their "Cheek Boutique"  Spring launch, including reformulated powder blushes, 3 highlighting powders, and 4 cream blushes. Back in February, Revlon sent me a couple of their new cheek products as part of the Valentine's Day date night makeup quiz that I did. I ended up receiving the powder blush in Wine Not, and the Rose Glow highlighting palette. I had been waiting for the cream blushes to come to Canada for a while, so I had already bought two as soon as I saw them in stores (the cream blushes were on a wish list I made from last spring!). Below are some photos and swatches of the new Revlon blushes I own. 

Revlon Highlighting Palette in Rose Glow*

Revlon blush in Wine Not* 

I'm loving the highlighting palette. I have seen a lot of people compare it to the Bobby Brown Shimmer Bricks, only less shimmery. I can't comment on this because I haven't used the shimmer bricks before, but I do own the Dior Shimmer Face Powder in Amber Diamond, which I think the highlighting palettes can also be compared to. I use Dior Amber Diamond exclusively as a highlighter and only apply it to the tops of my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose. I tried using the Revlon highlighting palette in a similar way but I think I like wearing it more like a blush. I found that the colour is too pink for me to just apply to the tops of my cheekbones. Instead I wear it the same as I would any other blush and I think it looks very pretty. One thing that I'm not that fond of is that there does tend to be a bit of fine glitter in the product, but it is only noticeable up close. 

I actually did not own a blush colour like Wine Not because I tend to gravitate towards pinks and corals, so I was pretty excited to try it out. It's a burgundy/wine shade and I think it's a great fall and winter colour. I've been getting a lot of use out of it lately because we are still getting snow and -30 degree Celsius weather here in Alberta. It looks like it would be too dark for my pale skin, but I find that it applies fairly sheer. 

Revlon Cream Blushes in Coral Reef and Charmed

 I can only comment on the cream blush in Charmed at this time because it is the only colour I have used so far, but I love the look of the Coral Reef colour. I have been saving Coral Reef for when the weather warms up. Charmed is such a pretty rose colour, and I think it actually goes nicely with Wine Not. Applying a powder blush over top a cream blush is a great way to extend a blushes wear time. I really like the texture of the new revlon cream blushes. The blush is smooth and creamy and not at all tacky or sticky, and it seems to have one of those dryer cream to powder finishes. I find that it applies fairly sheer, but it is also buildable. I think it give a nice natural wash of colour. One downside is that it doesn't wear as long as some of my other cream blushes, but you can extend the wear time by wearing primers, using translucent setting powder, or applying a powder blush overtop. I typically will use one of these methods when I know I'm going to have a long day. 

Have you tried any of the new Revlon Cheek Boutique products for spring 2014?

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*PR  samples sent for consideration

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine #14

Here is another post I planned on doing ages ago! I took these photos last summer when I was totally obsessed with this YSL lipstick, the YLS Rouge Volupte Shine in #14, Corail in Touch. It's the perfect spring/summer colour, and is described as a "creamy orange coral". The Rouge Volupte Shine line contains vitamins and fruit extract and has a wonderful fruity/mango scent. It claims to be hydrating and to protect the lips from free radicals. I do find it to be hydrating and I love how it glides on so smooth. I was lucky enough to receive this beautiful lipstick as a gift from my aunt but I recommend it if you are looking to splurge on a lipstick. 

Have you tried any YLS lipsticks? What formulas or colours are your favourite?

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Real Techniques Makeup Brushes

blush brush, stippling brush, expert face brush

Core Collection | Starter Set

I have been meaning to get around to this post for ages. I took these photos so long ago. I had been hearing a ton about Real Technique Makeup Brushes on youtube and on beauty blogs, and I was dying to try them out. Last spring my parents took a trip to Atlanta to visit my aunt and uncle so I gave them a list of a few makeup items that I wanted that weren't available in Canada. I had also asked my aunt to keep an eye out for the Real Techniques brushes, so between my parents and my aunt I ended up with quite a few. These brushes are now available in Canada. I have heard that you can find some at Wal-Mart, and I have seen them at London Drugs. 

The brushes are coloured differently  based on what they are used for. The orange colour are base brushes, purple are for the eyes, and pink are finishing brushes. Although all the brushes are meant for specific uses, I have found they are also fairly versatile. Some brushes are sold individually, while others are only available in a set. The brushes are cruelty free, are made of extra soft synthetic bristles, and most of the brushes have self-standing bases. They are really easy to clean and dry very fast. I am extremely happy with my brushes, and I think they are really reasonably priced for the quality. Here is a break-down of the ones that I own.

Real Techniques Blush Brush

I think this brush can be pretty versatile and could be used for any power product, but I have only used it for blush. I love the shape and really like how it applies blush. It is so soft and gentle. 

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

This was the brush I was most excited for, and I am really happy with it. I have heard other people using it for foundation, but I use this brush pretty much exclusively for cream blush. I usually apply the blush to my cheeks with my fingers and then blend it out with the brush. 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

I love this brush, and I think it is my favourite brush out of all of them. I use it to apply my foundation and I find that it is perfect. I think it blends foundation beautifully. 

Real Techniques Core Collection

The core collection comes with the contour brush, a pointed foundation brush, a detailer brush, and the buffing brush. Out of all the brushes, the only one I rarely use is the pointed foundation brush. I was the most excited for the buffing brush but find that I actually haven't used it that often. It was one of the brushes that I was hearing the most raving about. I heard a lot of great things about it being perfect for applying foundation, but I tend to use the buffing brush for blushes that are less pigmented, blending out blush/bronzer, and sometimes for setting powder. I do really like this brush, I just find myself reaching for other brushes instead. I actually use the contour brush a lot. I have used it to contour my cheeks with bronzer, but most often I use it for highlighting. I have also tried using this to blend under eye concealer. The accent brush is nice for lipstick or concealer. 

Real Techniques Starter Set

The starter kit is a set of eye brushes and includes the deluxe crease brush, the base shadow brush, the accent brush, the fine liner brush, and an eye brow brush. My favourites are the crease brush, the accent brush, and the base shadow brush. When I first got the set I used the crease brush as a crease brush, but I have a couple other brushes that I tend to use for the crease more often so I started using the crease brush for concealer. I really like it for this purpose and am really happy using it for concealer. I usually pat on my concealer with my fingers and then blend it out with the crease brush. I also love the accent brush and use this to add shadow along the lower lash line, to smoke out my eyeliner, or to add a darker shadow along my upper lash line instead of using eyeliner. 

I actually also own the powder brush and just adore it. I found it a few months ago at London Drugs. I am now on the look out for the kabuki brush, the duo fiber collection and the miracle complexion sponge. 

Have you tried Real Techniques Makeup Brushs? Are there any brushes you can't live without? 

xo Ashley