Gifted: Kiehl's and NYX

I received a package from a special man-friend yesterday and I thought I would share with you all! I've been wanting anything Kiehl's since forever, but I was happy that my first Kiehl's product was an eye cream. I have relatively deep-set eyes so under eye circles are practically unavoidable. The Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye cream (approx. $30 USD) was recommended and promises 'fresher, younger looking eyes by morning.' I also received a NYX soft matte lip cream (approx. $8 USD) in the colour Amsterdam. It's quite a pinky-red and I can't wait to wear it out!! thanks bf!!

xx mindy

Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser

Concealing my pores (particularly on my nose) is an essential step in my everyday makeup routine. However, I'm always very wary when it comes to primers because you are basically filling in your pores with a product that has a high possibility of causing you to break out. To avoid this, I thought I would try out Maybelline's Baby Skin Pore Eraser (approx. $12 USD, purchased in Japan) because of their 'lightweight and breathable' formula.

Long story short, I wasn't impressed. While the formula is indeed lightweight, as it claims, it offers absolutely no oil control (whatsoever) and it did not adhere to my makeup. No bueno. It also doesn't do a very good job of concealing larger pores. The only positive I can report is that it didn't cause me to have any break-outs on my sensitive skin.

If you have very cooperative, dryer skin this may be a good product for you to smooth over and give you an even more flawless look but if your looking for some moderate to serious coverage this is definitely something to pass. An ideal primer for me would have to not only conceal my enlarged pores, but adhere to my makeup while offering exceptional oil control. This product does not deliver.

Claims:
-Poreless smooth skin
-Lightweight and breathable formula
-Does not clog pores

Pros: 
-Did not experience any breakouts
-Skin feels soft

Cons: 
-Feels greasy on oily skin
-Absolutely no oil control
-Does not conceal large pores
-Does not adhere to makeup in hot/humid weather (causes it to 'slip')




xx mindy

Mac's 'Hot Tahiti' Lipstick

Hot Tahiti was my very first lipstick that I purchased from Mac. It is a glaze finish and the Mac website describes the colour as a 'reddish-coral." I love this lipstick because it's a very wearable red and very build-able, as well. It's my go-to red lipstick when I want a bit of added drama without having to worry about maintenance throughout the day.

Mac's Hot Tahiti

Mac's Hot Tahiti Lipstick at different intensities

The reason why Hot Tahiti is so wearable, apart from it being a glaze, is because it's a very dynamic colour. If worn lightly, it can come off as more of a pinky-orange shade. If you build the colour, it can come off as a deeper, plummy shade. I personally like wearing Hot Tahiti as more of a lip stain; wearing it quite lightly. If you're wanting something more dramatic, you can apply a red lip liner underneath, or even a darker shade of red lipstick.

Mac's Hot Tahiti

Hot Tahiti is a great shade of red for all those who are just getting their feet wet with red lipstick do not be afraid!!. I highly recommend it!

xx mindy

Current Beauty Covets

current beauty covets by curlsandmindy 

The Clarins Ever Matte Mineral Powder may have to be my next purchase! I'm practically out of my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, and I'm looking to try something new. Not only is it matte, which I love, but it is supposed to have an amazingly smooth finish. That and the packaging is gold; excellent.

I love me a good winged eyeliner, but all I have at the moment is gel. Applying a gel liner can sometimes be a bother because if you're having an off day (which happens often for some of us...), the product can start drying on the brush, making the application a bit more troublesome. The Stila stay all day looks promising and very pigmented. I heard Milani carries a really good eyeliner, as well, but I'll have to wait until later this summer when I'm back in North America.

I'm running low on my Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, so I've been eyeing the Laura Mercier foundation primer to replenish. I'm a huge skincare buff (probably more than makeup) so anything by laura mercier just makes sense to me. Also, this "radiance" business sounds appealing.

xx mindy

MAC Blush in Breezy

MAC Breezy

Breezy was my first ever blush from MAC. I told the lady at the counter that I was looking for a classic, natural flushed-pink colour and breezy is what she recommended. It is a sheertone shimmer blush and the colour is described as a 'plum with pearl' on MAC's website where you can visit here!

This blush looks amazing on fair skin, if of course applied with a light hand, and I'm sure it would look lovely on darker skin tones as well. Surprisingly, it looks stunning when paired with a red lipstick that has a fair amount of blue undertones.

MAC Breezy swatch

Breezy is a beautiful colour for fall that will give you a nice 'natural' flushed-pink I-spend-a-lot-of-time-outside look! I feel that the plum-red colour gives off a very mature vibe that is perfect for the colder months ahead. Next time you stop at MAC counter definitely give it a gander. It is an underrated blush but it definitely has a lot to offer!



xx mindy

My Current Beauty Covets

my current beauty covets by curlsandmindy

I'm assuming that most of you are familiar with makeup artist Lisa Eldridge. I was watching her latest video on youtube and she had guest makeup artist Charlotte Tillbury create a beautiful look using Tom Ford's Shade and Illuminate. The consistency was so creamy and the model looked amazing after it was beautifully applied. You can watch the video here!

I first saw laura mercier's Metallic Creme Eye Colour used in a tutorial by the Pixiwoo sisters on youtube.  It just gives the eye such beautiful colour and depth with such little effort--this definitely appeals to me!

I have relatively deep-set eyes, so naturally I have quite dark under-eye circles. To be honest I'm quite wary about using under-eye concealer because everything I've used before ended up looking very dry and cake-y. I've heard nothing but good things about Bobbi Brown's Concealer Kit so maybe I'll give it a go in the near future.

Does anyone have any recommendations for an under-eye concealer/illuminator??



xx mindy

Getting Cheeky: Nars Laguna Bronzer and Douceur Blush

I've finally committed and bought Nars' Laguna bronzer. I'm a bit late in hopping the bandwagon,  but I blame that on my frugal self. I would rather go through what I already have before buying more products unless it's complete crap.

Nars Laguna Bronzer

I love it because it compliments my fair and slightly olive skin tone while not leaving any shimmer. Instead, it gives me a warm natural glow which I will definitely need in the colder months ahead.

Nars Douceur Blush

The blush in Douceur was an impulse buy. I would describe it as a dusty rose/mauve colour, and it's gorgeous! I find that blushes with purple tones compliment fair skin quite nicely, so I hope to get a lot of use out of it! I also must add that the texture of Nars blushes are something else. Let's just say that, 'I get it' now.

xx mindy

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner Review + MAC Comparison

I like to keep eye makeup it very minimal. I'm a big fan of the 'cat-eye'/winged eyeliner look, and I've found that gel liners tend to give me the lasting power against my oily eyelids.

My first gel liner purchase was MAC's fluidline gel eyeliner in Blacktrack  ($15 USD/ $20 CAD). I love this liner because it's matte, creamy, and it LASTS!

I have fairly oily eyelids, so an eye-primer is essential whenever I apply any type of makeup onto my eye (hard-knock life).  Saying this, MAC's fluidline stayed in place ALL day without a primer and it looked completely undisturbed 6 hours post-application. It even stayed in place after coming into contact with water when washing my face. Believe me when I say you WILL need an eye makeup remover or coconut/olive oil to remove it.

The only downfall of this product is that it dries out fairly quickly. I'm sure that if I used Blacktrack daily I would make an agreeable dent through the product, but the drier the product became, the more challenging it became to get a perfectly clean line. I eventually got fed up and cleaned out the pot for a back to MAC.

I tried to look for a cheaper alternative and tried out the Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner (Shoppers Drug Mart $13 CAD). I've seen this product all over youtube, went on to makeup alley for some feedback, and even worked with a girl who wore it (and it looked amazing on her). 

I bought the black and my sister bought the brown. I thought I would give the brush they provided a try. It was terrible, and I threw it out as it didn't compare to the eyeliner brushes I already have.

I wasn't a big fan of this product. Firstly, I could tell that I was going to have problems with it as the product felt very firmly packed into the pot. It wasn't creamy and my brush bowed and bent against it in resistance. It was hard for my brush to pick up any product. The application, however was quite nice and smooth and the colour dried matte. I thought I would try it with no primer just to get a feel of the product. BIG mistake on my part. By the end of the night, my eyes were a goopy mess. The fine tips of the winged points were blurred, and the product also carried to my upper eye socket, giving me a very hollow-eyed look (yeah-- wasn't going for that).

MAC 210, ByTerry BISEAU 2, MAC 266

I tried it again with a primer (urban decay primer potion fyi) on a different occasion. This time the fineness of the wings remained clean, however, the product along the inner corners of my eyes had slipped through the evening and become bare. The product also travelled to the crease of my upper eye sockets (again), leaving my eyes looking very dark and messy.

If you can't already tell by the tone of this review, I doubt I'll be purchasing this again, let alone going through the entire product. I feel that for a few dollars more I can get a significantly better product that allows me to not only skip priming, but also lasts against my oily lids. If your lids are not oily, I'm sure you will have a different experience with this product like my co-worker, however the Maybelline Eye Studio just didn't cut it for me.

hope it's sunny wherever you are!!

xx mindy