ULTIMATE SEPHORA GIFT GUIDE | Your Holiday Shopping Guide

Dzień dobry! Or for our English speaking viewers, Hello! We have been a little off the grid for a bit… but we’ve come back with a bang! We’ve made a Sephora gift guide – whether your thinking of what to ask for this year or trying to brainstorm what to get a friend or relative, here’s a guide of skincare and makeup value sets currently available this season at your local Sephora.

*All prices are in Canadian $$

MAKEUP

Colourpop: Polite AF Super Shock Shadow Collection ($39)

https://www.sephora.com/product/polite-af-super-shock-shadow-collection-P426108?skuId=2018505&icid2=products%20grid:p426108

Long wear cream shadows in a formula you’ll love. These shadows are creamy, pigmented with zero fall out. We have a few shades of our own but are always looking to expand our collection 😉

What colours?

– 6 x 0.07 oz/ 2.1 g Super Shock Shadows in Sequin, Stereo, Birthday Girl, Birthday Cake, Drift, Deep Dive

 

Buxom: Plump, Pucker and Prowl Plumping 6-Piece Mini Lip Collection ($40)

https://www.sephora.com/product/plump-pucker-prowl-plumping-6-piece-mini-lip-collection-P424993?skuId=2009017&icid2=products%20grid:p424993

Looking for that sexy pout!? Look no further! This buxom set will provide all you need. It comes with three liners and lip creams – perfect for giving a pair to friends and family. We personally adore the lip creams and have already included this item in our shopping basket :P.

This set has:

– 3 x 0.03 oz/ 1.1 g lip liner in Dolly Danger, Stealth, Undercover
– 3 x 0.07 oz/ 2 mL Lip cream in Rose Julep, Blushing Margarita, Moscow Mule

 

Milk Makeup: The A Team ($47)

https://www.sephora.com/product/the-a-team-P424357?skuId=1991041&icid2=products%20grid:p424357

The A Team, as you may guess, includes all of their bestselling travel size makeup sticks. You can highlight, de-puff, and revitalize skin! We haven’t tried this yet but considering that everyone seems to love this line, we’d be more than happy to get this as a gift!

What’s in the box?

– 0.25 oz/ 7.1 g Glitter Stick in Techno
– 0.23 oz/ 6.7 g Matte Bronzer in Baked
– 0.23 oz/ 6.7 g Highlighter in Lit
– 0.21 oz/ 6 g Cooling Water
– 0.19 oz/ 5.4 g Blur Stick
– 0.25 oz/ 7.1 g Holographic Stick in Mars

 

Tarte: Limited Edition Artful Accessories Brush Set ($57)

https://www.sephora.com/product/limited-edition-artful-accessories-brush-set-P423334?skuId=1994656&icid2=products%20grid:p423334

Tarte brushes are generally very good quality brushes at a reasonable price. We don’t have this exact set but we do have a similar set and it works wonders. Super soft bristles, no shedding, and blends like a dream – what more do you need?! This set comes with a cheek, complexion, highlighter, shading eyeshadow, and blending eyeshadow brush.

 

Sephora Favourites: Give Me More Lip ($82)

https://www.sephora.com/product/give-me-more-lip-P423492?skuId=1996024&icid2=products%20grid:p423492

Are you a lip addict? Do you know someone that is? Well, we have the perfect gift for you! This set comes with all of the well known brands – you got Dior, you got Too Faced, and MORE! Sounds too good to be true?! It comes with mainly sample sizes but a few full sizes too – which is actually quite handy, how often do you finish a lip product anyways?

Check it out!

– 0.16 oz/ 4.5 g Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Vintage
– 0.13 oz/ 3.8 g Bobbi Brown Luxe Lip Color in Brocade
– 0.06 oz/ 2 mL Dior Lip Maximizer in Pink 001
– 0.17 oz/ 5 mL Huda Beauty Liquid Matte in Bombshell
– 0.05 oz/ 1.5 g Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Influencer
– 0.09 oz/ 2.75 g Laura Mercier Cosmetics Velour Lovers Lip Colour Sensual in Muted Pink
– 0.035 oz/ 1 g Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Lip Crème in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
– 0.04 oz/ 1.3 mL SEPHORA COLLECTION Cream Lip Stain in #01 Always Red
– 0.03 oz/ 0.9 mL Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Driver’s Seat
– 0.1 oz/ 2.8 g tarte™ Rainforest of the Sea™ Quench Lip Rescue in Nude
– 0.1 oz/ 3 mL Too Faced Melted Latex Liquified High Shine Lipstick in Shade Hot Mess
– 2 x 0.05 oz/ 1.5 mL Touch In Sol Metallist Liquid Foil Lipstick Duo in #5 Jasmine and Brownie
– 0.03 oz/ 1 g Urban Decay Cosmetics Vice Lipstick in Big Bang
– 0.14 oz/ 4.08 g Wander Beauty Wanderout Dual Lipstick in Nikki Beach
– 0.03 oz/ 1.2 g Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture in N 01, Le Rouge

 

Sephora Favourites: Superstars Everyday Must Haves ($90)

https://www.sephora.com/product/superstars-everyday-must-haves-P423491?skuId=1991207&icid2=products%20grid:p423491

This enormous sample set is a perfect gift to give on its own or divvy up among several people. It has everything! Anastasia Brow Wiz! Yves Saint Laurent Touche Èclat! Beauty Blender! A lot of the items are deluxe sample sizes but it also includes a few full size products. It’s a one stop shop for all your beauty needs or beauty loving friends!

Want a complete list of items?

– 0.003 oz/ 0.085 g Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown
– beautyblender® The Original beautyblender®
– 0.1 oz/ 3 g Benefit Hoola Bronzer
– 0.03 oz/ 0.9 g Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Golden Pink
– 0.19 oz/ 5.4 g Kat Von D Beauty Lock-It Setting Powder
– 0.035 oz/ 1 g MAKE UP FOR EVER Ultra HD Microfinishing Loose Powder
– 0.01 oz/ 0.37 g Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Blacquer
– 0.06 oz/ 1.8 g Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella
– 0.5 oz/ 15 mL Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
– 0.13 oz/ 4 mL tarte™ lights, camera, lashes™ 4-in-1 mascara in black
– 0.08 oz/ 2.3 mL Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Long Wear Matte Lipstick in Sell Out
– 1 oz/ 30 mL Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
– 0.08 oz/ 2.5 mL Yves Saint Laurent Touche Èclat Radiant Touch in 2 Luminous Ivory

 

Hourglass: Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3 ($95)

https://www.sephora.com/product/ambient-lighting-edit-volume-3-P423913?skuId=1996313&icid2=products%20grid:p423913

Needless to say, this product is a stunning collection of face powders. You got your highlighter, blush, and bronzer all in one gorgeous palette. Did we mention it is amazing?! The colours all seem very flattering and covers a pretty good range of shades. Not only this, but the packaging is also stunning for all those that love rose gold. This is the perfect splurge item, be it for your friend or family member, or yourself! 😉 #loveyourself #andothers

 

SKINCARE

Tarte: Wide Awake Eye Set ($16)

https://www.sephora.com/product/wide-awake-eye-set-P414740?skuId=1893882&icid2=products%20grid:p414740

This set little trio will have you feeling refreshed! With a deluxe sample size of their Maracuja eye cream and a pair of eye masks, you can fake a good night’s sleep 😉 It also comes with one of our favourite mascaras, the Lights Camera Lashes mascara – so good! Perfect to give away or a little something to treat yourself.

 

L’Occitane: 4-piece Hand Cream Delights ($16)

https://www.sephora.com/product/4-piece-hand-cream-delights-P424807?skuId=1988179&icid2=products%20grid:p424807

Everyone needs hand cream especially in the cold winter months. Their shea butter hand creams quickly absorb into the skin and leave them feeling soft and moisturized. You can give them all to one person or split them up among different people.

 

Bite Beauty: Agave Kisses Set ($24)

https://www.sephora.com/product/agave-kisses-set-P423490?skuId=1996503&icid2=products%20grid:p423490

Need some TLC for your lips? This set has you covered. It comes with a nourishing lip mask, lip balm and lip scrub. We haven’t tried it ourselves yet but have heard nothing but wonderful reviews. Besides that, we always have a soft spot for anything Bite 😛

 

Sephora: Head to Toes! Mask Set ($28)

https://www.sephora.com/product/head-to-toes-mask-set-P422359?skuId=1955962&icid2=products%20grid:p422359

Are you looking for a full-body experience?! Easy to separate it to give to multiple people but definitely a great gift to give for one person who needs some TLC.

This really is a full body experience:

– Algae Face Mask
– Lavender Foot Mask
– Rose Eye Mask
– Shea Lip Mask
– Argan Hand Mask
– 1.0 oz/ 30 mL Shea Hair Sleeping Mask

 

Too Cool For School: My skin-licious Secret Pantry ($30)

https://www.sephora.com/product/my-skin-licious-secret-pantry-P424110?skuId=1997691&icid2=products%20grid:p424110

In need of pampering day? This collection of sheet masks will hydrate, firm and tighten your skin! You can split this up, give it to one lucky individual or keep it for yourself. #spaday.

 

Laneige: Laniege Slumber Party ($36)

https://www.sephora.com/product/laneige-slumber-party-P424381?skuId=1987841&icid2=products%20grid:p424381

This set comes with a full-size Water Sleep Mask, and deluxe sample size of the Water Essence and Moisture Cream. We’ve tried this line and found it to be very hydrating #dewyfordays. Perfect for all skin types year round.

 

First Aid Beauty: Tales of FAB Skin ($65)

https://www.sephora.com/product/tales-fab-skin-P422886?skuId=1997469&icid2=products%20grid:p422886

We’ve bought FAB sets almost every holiday season. It’s just that good. It contains all of their bestselling products which are perfect for sensitive skin types (aka Helen). Considering everything you get it’s a great value!

 

We hope this helps make your shopping a little less stressful this year! And who knows, maybe you can pick one of these up for yourself… 😉 Let us know if you’d like us to do a gift guide for another store. Thank you as always for visiting! 🙂

 

Note: We do not own any photos, all photos were taken from the Sephora website.

 

Clarisonic Mia 2 Review

Hola Senoritas and Senors! 🙂 How have you been doing? Good summer so far? We’ve been having fun traveling this past summer but we’ll be more consistent with blog posts now! Who’s ready for a big review? We got the famous Clarisonic, coming your way!

Description

This is a two-speed sonic cleansing facial tool that comes with a removable brush head. It delivers 300 micro-massage movements every second to remove dirt, oil and makeup up to six times better hand hands alone. It works to keep your skin’s natural elasticity while cleaning out your pores. After 60 seconds of use, your skin is fully prepped for treatment products, and ready for seamless makeup application.

It comes with one brush head, a clarisonic cleanser and a charger. This cleansing system costs $219 CAD, however clarisonic has many sets that are sometimes limited edition that incorporates cleansers cleansers from other brands.

Review

We are going to divide this review into two parts since we both have different experiences with this cleansing tool.

Katelyn

I surprisingly enjoyed this skincare tool and have made it a part of my regular skincare routine, however I do not use it everyday (will go into more detail about this in a bit). The major draw for me was the results I experienced after my first few uses. There was immediate change in the condition of my skin. It felt much smoother and it definitely did a great job in cleansing my face. It removes all traces of makeup, dirt and any other gunk on my face. I was afraid of it causing irritation or being too abrasive but that wasn’t the case. Instead it provided a great deep cleanse especially after using heavier products like liquid foundation which can clog my pores.

However after using this product over an extended period of time I have found that I prefer using it 2-3 a week. I found using it everyday stripped my skin of its natural oils and got a tad dry. Overall, I think this is a great tool to up your skincare game and I’ll continue to use it. The main drawback is that you have to buy replacement heads every 3 months (I try to extend it’s life till around 5 months 😛 ) because bacteria can accumulate on the brush overtime, so it can definitely add up but I think it’s worth the money considering the results.

Helen

Unfortunately, I’ll start off by saying this just didn’t work for me. I have very sensitive combination skin and am acne prone. I was hoping this would work to give my skin a deep cleanse and purge out all the toxins and dead skin cells. I tried using the softest Clarisonic brush head intended for very sensitive skin, the Delicate brush head, and cleansed my face as I normally did, twice a day. Unfortunately, it seemed that even this brush head was too harsh for my sensitive skin. It seemed to irritate my skin and at first, I thought it might be the Clarisonic purging my skin, as I’ve heard some people have their skin get worse before it gets better. However my skin just seemed to get worse and worse after a few weeks… no sign of getting better. After a month of giving the Clarisonic a try and even try to only use it once a day or every few days, I gave up on the Clarisonic. It just seemed aggravate my skin and gave me more breakouts than I normally had. Once I stopped using the Clarisonic and went back to my usual routine of washing my face with my konjac sponge, my face went back to its normal happy self.

While it didn’t work out for me in the end, I don’t regret trying it. At the end of the day, I learned that it didn’t work for me. Try it out if you’re interested! I recommend purchasing from Sephora, because after a month of figuring out that I didn’t like the Clarisonic, I was able to return it and get a full refund.

Pros	Cons
Effective in removing makeup, dirt and oils Katelyn: Not abrasive, didn’t irritate skin Noticeable change in skin condition Smoothen skin texture	Not an everyday tool – good for deeper cleansing Must regularly buy replacement brush heads May not work for very sensitive skin

What do you think? Did we persuade you? 😉 Let us know if you’re thinking about giving it a try or if you’ve already tried it! Come back next week, we may be reviewing some makeup products, you don’t want to miss it! Until then, have a fantastic week 🙂

GAME CHANGING SKINCARE ITEM | Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence

It has been a tough week so we’re so grateful for this weekend and the time away from work and worries! How has your week been? Let’s treat ourselves and give our skin some much needed TLC. In this review we’ll be talking about a skin essence that Helen found on Amazon. It is the Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence. LOTS of people have compared this product to the ever so popular SKI II Facial Essence, so we had to give this a try…!! 

Description

This is a facial skin essence that will brighten and whiten your skin tone by renewing damaged skin cells and developing healthier ones. It contains 95% of galactomyces (a type of fungus apparently?!) which helps enhance your complexion by deeply nourishing the skin, and at the same time it provides hydration to keep the skin looking smooth and supple. This can be bought on Amazon for ~$23.

Review

Helen first stumbled across this as she was browsing through Amazon. Somehow she stumbled across the Asian skincare line, and then facial essences, and then finally this little guy. It had pretty good reviews, all of which were 4-5 stars at least, although it didn’t exactly have a lot of reviews. Given neither of us had tried a facial essence before, Helen decided to give it a try, especially given this was so affordable next to the SK-II Essence which usually goes for well over $100. After using it once, Helen was hooked!! It soothed and hydrated her sensitive, dry-combo skin – something that’s pretty hard to do given how sensitive her skin is. She found her skincare gem!

This facial essence gives that little bit of extra hydration without feeling heavy. As a quick note, facial essences typically help to give you an extra dose of hydration or can help with the texture of your skin, depending what the essence is trying to target. You usually apply it after you’ve cleansed and toned your skin, but before moisturizing. This essence isn’t the consistency of water, it’s a little thicker, but the essence is clear and sinks into the skin really quickly. It definitely soothes your skin, even when it’s super tired, uneven, and dry! After using it consistently, we’ve noticed that it has helped hydrate and nourish the skin, leaving it softer and more supple.

While the essence is meant to be a ‘whitening’ essence, we didn’t notice that it lightened our skin – which for us, isn’t a priority anyways but if that’s something that is important to you, it might be good to keep in mind. As well, we’ve only found it available through Amazon, which to be honest isn’t that difficult to get your hands on but again, good to keep in mind. Overall though, it’s a fantastic product that we highly recommend! Even if you’re new to facial essences, give a try, invest in your skincare! 😉

Pros	Cons
Cheaper than most facial essences Almost instant results Smooths and hydrates skin Good for sensitive skin Easy step to include in skin care routine	Not readily available to purchase Not whitening(?)

Are you convinced to give it a try yet? 🙂 If you do, let us know in the comments below! Also let us know if you have any other favourites from Cosrx – it’s a new brand we’re exploring and we’d love to try out some skincare that you love too!

Thanks for stopping by and liking our post, we hope you have an awesome week ahead!

BEST LIP TRIO | Buxom Plump & Contour Lip Trio

Hey guys! Happy Sunday! Hope it’s been a awesome weekend so far for all of you. This week we are entering lip territory once again…a dangerous field I must say. In this review, we will be discussing the Buxom Lip Trio! Brace yourselves!

Description

This little Buxom set comes with 3 mini products for your perfect nude lip look – a mini Plumpline Lipliner in the colour Hush Hush, mini Big & Sexy Bold Gel Lipstick in Naturally Daring, and a mini Full-On Lip Cream in Hot Toddy. All of the shades are within the nude family, each with it’s own undertones (peach, pink, etc) which makes the set cohesive yet unique. This set retails for $25 CAD which you can find at Sephora.

Review

Full-on Lip Cream in Hot Toddy

This lip gloss has changed our lives for the better. Not only does it provide high shine without any stickyness but it also feels super minty and cooling on our lips. This lip gloss packs a punch in terms of our “burn our lips off” scale (don’t be scared it’s not harmful for you lips). Unlike a regular lip gloss this lip cream is slightly more opaque which means the colour is definitely more noticeable. Hot toddy is pinky-brown nude shade that we think would look good on any skin tone. On the Sephora website they describe it as a “toasty nude”. This lipgloss has sweet vanilla scent that isn’t overpowering for us, and once it’s applied we couldn’t really detect anything. Buxom did a great job assembling this trio; in this set we tend to wear the lip liner with the lip cream and the combination is stunning. You can pair it with almost any eye look, whether it be a smokey or subtle. Out of the three lip products in this set, the one we would most likely repurchase is the lip cream. It’s pretty hard to find anything we don’t like about this product. Our only suggestion would be to have more colours (might not be a good idea for our wallets…:P ).

Plumpline Lipliner in Hush Hush

Let us also start off by saying this is the best nude lip liner we have come across. Hush Hush is described as a cinnamon colour, with pink-brown, neutral undertones. It’s unscented and has a relatively creamy formula, which ensures that the liner doesn’t tug on your lips too much, but not too creamy that the liner will wear off quickly. The line as a whole also offers a great range of colours, from nudes to reds to plums. While the liner doesn’t do anything to “plump” our lips as it may advertise, it’s still a good liner. It is a little drying though so it’s best not to wear it every day but it’s definitely nowhere near as bad as a matte liquid lipstick. Our favourite part of this product is probably the wearability of the unique nude colour although we would still recommend the line as a whole.
Note: the full size lip liner comes with a brush applicator on one end of the liner but this mini size does not.

Big & Sexy Bold Gel Lipstick in Naturally Daring

Out of the trio, the lipstick is probably the one we’ve both worn the least amount but it’s still a decent lipstick. The shade is a pink-y nude with a creamy matte finish. It does transfer, so if that’s a priority for you then this is not the one, but it also means that it’s a more comfortable matte formula to wear. Overall, it’s not bad, it’s a good cream lipstick but it’s nothing really special.

Overall we would consider this a good buy and it’s a great way to try a few products from the Buxom line. The shades are great staples for everyday looks or days you want to feel more glam. Two big thumbs up from both of us!

Let us know if you give it a try! Love it? Hate it? Leave a comment down below, we’d love to hear from you 🙂 Also leave a comment if you want us to review something in particular, we love trying new things! Otherwise, have yourself a lovely week!

BEST AFFORDABLE POWDER | Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder

HAPPY CANADA 150 AND 4TH OF JULY ALL! We know it was last week but we hope you had a wonderful long weekend celebrating it last weekend! 🙂 Hope you were able recover from the weekend this past week 😉

This week we’ll be getting into an awesome affordable powder – what’s not to love?

Description

According to the handy-dandy world wide web, the Coty Airspun Translucent Powder has actually been around for a long time – since 1935! It is a loose face powder that is meant to feel lightweight while still providing long lasting coverage. It’s said that you can use it as foundation or to set your makeup. It’s dermatologically tested and comes in a sifter-container with a puff. It comes in about 8 shades (ours is in “Translucent”) and retails anywhere from $6-20 depending where you buy it for a 2.3 oz container.

Review

While everyone seems to claim this powder is a holy grail product on social media, we actually didn’t try out this product until fairly recently, within the past year. Because we live in Canada, it’s a product that’s pretty hard to find here. In fact, neither one of us have ever seen it sold in store. But last year, just before a trip to the Caribbeans, we had a short stopover in Orlando. With nothing to do, we wandered over to a local CVS and lo and behold, we found this gem! We’d heard about it for so long that we just had to give it a try! And it definitely doesn’t disappoint – it sets your makeup well and is also a fantastic powder to bake/set your under-eye area. Although we’ve never heard of anyone using this as a foundation as the product suggests, it works very well as a setting powder – it keeps you matte for most of the day and holds your makeup down. As well, the powder is quite finely milled and doesn’t crease, that’s why it’s so great in the under-eye area! It’s also very affordable, especially considering how much product you get!

One of the main cons though is the poor shade selection. There only seems to be 8 shades, all of which are generally fair shades. As well, the powder has a scent, almost like baby powder. While you don’t really notice it once it’s powdered onto your face, you can definitely smell it whenever you open up the product (Note: there’s a scent-free version of the powder that works just as well but can be hard to find). Also, the puff that it comes with is just unusable – it’s rough, thin, uneven, and almost feels like the stuffing of an old lumpy pillow. One of it’s primary ingredients is also talc so if you’re looking for something talc-free, this isn’t the product for you. But other than that, the powder itself still works really well and we’d recommend you give it a try!

Pros	Cons
Affordable Lots of product Sets makeup well	Scented Puff doesn’t work Small shade selection

Do you already have this powder or are you looking to give it a try? Comment below to let us know, we love hearing from you! 🙂 Also, feel free to let us know what you’d like us to review next – face masks? Eyeliner? Lipstick? You name it and maybe we’ll give it a try! Until next week, have yourself a wonderful day 🙂

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleansers

Bonjour bonjour! Sorry we missed our post last Sunday but we hope you enjoyed spending quality time with your dad on Father’s Day! 🙂 Katelyn posted a wishlist on Thursday though so if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out and see what she’s had an eye on lately! This week, Katelyn will also be taking the reigns and talking about cleansers she’s tried out – in fact, she’ll be going over a cleanser SHOWDOWN!;) Get ready in 3, 2, 1!

Description

As you may have already seen from the blog title, we’re talking about Philosophy cleansers this week! Specifically, we’re talking about the Purity Made Simple line, the one that everyone and their grandma knows about 😉 Philosophy’s original and most popular cleanser, Purity Made Simple Cleanser, is a one step cleanser that helps to cleanse and hydrate your skin, good for all skin types (dry, oily, combo, normal, sensitive). It gently cleanses your skin from dirt, oil and makeup, all while conditioning the skin with natural oil extracts. This creamy cleanser comes in several sizes and retails for $32 CAD for 240mL/8 oz which can be found at Sephora.

Philosophy also carries a Purity Made Simple High Foaming Daily Cleanser. This cleanser is very similar, although it is a liquid-to-foam version of Purity. It’s meant for those who like the Purity cleanser but prefer the feeling of a foam cleanser. I bought it at Winners for $16.99 CAD for 177.4mL/6 oz, but it’s a pretty hard to find cleanser outside of randomly finding it at Winners. Amazon does seem to offer it but for $50 for a 16 oz bottle… worth it? Keep reading!

Review

Before purchasing these two cleansers I read amazing reviews on many products from Philosophy. Some of my favourite beauty gurus swore by their cleansers, so it seemed like a high end brand that actually worked for many people, especially for those with sensitive skin. The first product I tried from this line was the Purity cleanser and I’ve repurchased it at Sephora several times over the years, however I’ve always managed to grab it on a seasonal sale (as a seasoned bargainer would naturally do 😉 ). I had high hopes for this product, and it definitely did not disappoint me. I would say there isn’t anything particularly distinctive about it but it just gets the job done! It gets rid of all of my makeup, but it doesn’t strip my face or leave it feeling dry. I can always rely on it, so it has become a staple product in my skincare routine.

On a trip to Winners I recently discovered that the Philosophy cleanser I loved so much came in a liquid to foam form as well. Of course I had to try it out to see how it stacked up against the original cleanser. Would there be a difference? Would I like the foam version better?! These were the thoughts going through my mind which I thought justified this purchase even though I just bought two other cleansers to try… (I might have a problem…). Long story short I tested it out and I loved it… it did a comparable job at cleansing my face and it also didn’t cause any irritation or dryness.

I like these too very similar cleansers and if we compare cleansing ability they both are evenly matched. However, if I had to repurchase one over the other I would buy the creamy cleanser (even if they foam version could be easily bought). I enjoy how easy I can distribute the foam on my face and it lathers super easily. On the other hand, I feel like I use more of the product in comparison to the original cleanser. I feel like I’m choosing between two of my children. Both are very great cleansers so I don’t think there is a right or wrong choice. This is just my personal opinion 🙂

Purity Made Simple – OG	Purity Made Simple High Foaming
Gentle/safe for sensitive skin Not-scented Non stripping Gets rid of makeup Improves skin texture Small amount needed only	Gentle/safe for sensitive skin Not-scented Non stripping Gets rid of makeup Improves skin texture Have to use more product

Have you tried either one of these cleansers? Which would you purchase? Comment below and let us know! Don’t forget to come back Thursday to check out Helen’s Weekly Wishlist 🙂 Wishing you all a beautiful sunny week ahead!

Katelyn’s Weekly Wish List

Hello beautiful people! Last weekend was a really busy time for both Helen and myself so we skipped our usually scheduled post last week. Hope we can make it up by sharing some awesome items on my wish list this week.

Milani Perfect and Conceal Foundation

This foundation blew up the beauty field when it first hit the scene. It was clearly dubbed one of the best drugstore foundations out there and many still stand by that statement Milani has really upped their game and has raised the bar for other foundations in general. It apparently has really great coverage; so when you want to achieve that airdbrushed look then I think this foundation can do that for you. Where I live, I don’t normally scene a fully stocked display of Milani products but recently we discovered a Rexall that carried the entire line…so I will probably be a making a trip sometime in the future. Review perhaps? 😉

Too Cool for School Coconut Ceramide Mask

I’m a huge sucker for anything skincare and recently I’ve been indulging in more sheet masks. Now when you add coconut into the equation how can I say no?! I’ve tried other products from this line before and have really enjoyed the results, so I have high expectations for this mask. I’m most looking forward to the scent of coconuts and hopefully when I try it it’ll transport me to a tropical island getaway.

Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition Face Palette

This palette includes a blush, bronzer and highlighter and man does it look cool. The highlighter looks stunning, the bronzer isn’t too warm toned and the blush looks like it’ll give a nice wash of colour. The packaging has a funky design but most importantly the product on the inside looks so promising. Kathleenlights gave a mini-review on this not too long ago and ever since I’ve been tempted to make a trip down to Target to grab me this limited edition product. It won’t be there forever…

What are your thoughts on my wish list this week? Tried any? Heard about them? Should I try them?! Too many questions but so little money…haha Anyways let me know in the comments below if you’d like to see us review any of these or if you’ve given of these a try. We will be back on schedule this week for a review posted on Sunday so stay tuned!

Helen’s Weekly Wishlist

Hey there! How are you all doing this week? Having a fantastic week yet? I’ve been having such a busy week so far and there’s no slowing down with the weekend coming! So let’s kick off the coming weekend with a wishlist shall we? 🙂

elf Hydrating Bubble Mask

Have you heard of the bubble mask trend yet? It’s been all over the beauty community over the past few months so it’s no surprise that elf  has jumped on the bandwagon as well. Most of the popular bubble masks don’t seem to work well with sensitive skin though since they’re more for deep cleaning but this one sounds really cool – hydrating and bubbles to play around with? Add in the fact that this brand is super affordable and this has definitely been added to my wishlist.

elf Beautifully Bare Natural Glow Face Palette

Sigh.. I’ve also had my eye on this one for a while.. Again, super affordable for a 4-colour palette and Katelyn and I have also swatched this baby in store.. and it’s pretty darn nice. The 2 blushes, one a soft baby pink and the other a peachy coral, look beautiful and pair up nicely with the highlighter and bronzer. It has all the powders you would need on your face in such flattering tones, how could I not want to try it out?

philosophy Take a Deep Breath Night Oil-Free Detoxifying Gel-Balm

Especially with summer (slowly) rolling into Vancouver, I’ve been looking for something that still keeps my skin hydrated without being too oily, greasy, or heavy. With philosophy being a good brand for sensitive skin, seeing this piqued my interested. It has everything I’m looking for: a night cream formula, oil-free, lightweight gel formula, great for sensitive skin. I just might have to go to Sephora and scoop this one up!

So what do you think? Have any of you tried one of these beauties? Comment below if you’ve given them a try, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Tune in on Sunday for a new review on the blog 🙂 Thanks again for liking our post, we really like you too! 😉

Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara Dupe?!

Hello lovelies! We’re so glad its the weekend! Hope everyone is getting some much needed rest and relaxation. If you haven’t yet, check out Katelyn’s wish list this week, especially if you feel like getting some retail therapy 😉

This week let’s talk about a new mascara that is already sold out in most drugstores. L’oreal recently came out with a new mascara called, L’oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise, and many have been comparing it to the Too Faced Better than Sex mascara. The packaging is almost identical and even the brush has a similar hourglass shape. Is it a dupe?! Keep reading 😉

Description

This mascara is supposed to take your lashes to paradise!? (let’s think of a sandy white beach in Hawaii) It will provide volume and length with more intense black pigments. The 200+ bristles (OMG!) will hug every lash and the formula will provide full feathery lashes that are still soft to the touch. We bought ours at Shoppers Drug Mart for about $14.99CAD. It contains 0.28oz of product and it comes in three shades: blackest black, black and black brown. And for all those who cry really easily (aka Helen), there is a waterproof formula as well.

 

Review

This is now become our new go-to everyday mascara. It makes your lashes look so flirty and fluttery! If you apply one coat, it looks really natural which is great for everyday, but you can also build it up without getting spidery lashes which is a look we personally don’t go for. We were so pleasantly surprised to still see your lashes up and perky despite wearing it for the whole day. It really holds a curl and it doesn’t transfer under our eyes!? The brush truly does catch every lash which is what we really enjoyed about the Too Faced mascara.

 

The formula is on the drier side, so my only concern is that it will dry out quickly. We’ll have to wait and see, but so far so good. This mascara is a little pricey in comparison to other drugstore mascaras, but it has by far outperformed the ones we’ve tried, including some high end brands.

Pros	Cons
Lengthening, volumizing Long-lasting Holds a curl No smudging/flaking Great everyday mascara Pigmented Hourglass shaped brush	Dry formula – tube may dry out fast Pricey for drugstore

Let us know if you’ve tried this mascara and if you love it as much as we do! Tell us about the mascaras that you’ve tried that have changed your lash game. As always, share with us the products you would like to be reviewed. Have an awesome day and stay tuned for Helen’s weekly wish list next week Thursday!

Katelyn’s Weekly Wish List

Buenos Dias! Hope you were able to read Helen’s wish list last week. I know it made we want to put a few extra things in my shopping cart, figuratively and literally 😛 Without further adieu these are some products that have been on my mind.

Boscia Charcoal Jelly Ball Cleanser

I have never seen anything like this before?! This is a cleanser in the shape of a ball?! Apparently all you do is massage this ball over your face and voila! Beautiful skin.. Seems like it could get messy but if it works it works. There is never a dull moment in the skincare industry.

Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define

As a lover of brow products, I’m always interested in trying something that can beat the Anastasia brow wiz that I’ve loved for years. I’ve seen many people, beauty gurus, and Youtubers use this pencil to fill in their brows and it looks great. So when I finish my brow wiz I meant take a trip to Sephora to try out something new. There is another pencil that is angled but the tip isn’t as fine and I find that fine tip pencils are better for me to get a natural look since I’m not blessed with full brows.

VERB Sea Texture Cream

My hair is relatively flat, it’s fine and doesn’t have much character so I’m always looking for ways to add some texture and volume. I’ve tried other products from the Verb line before and I have thoroughly enjoyed them (want a review? 😛 ). Out of all the hair lines at Sephora I find Verb to be one of the most affordable or at least a good bang for your buck. Most of their products are very highly reviewed so I have high hopes/expectations for this product.

Let me know if any of these are worth trying? And as always comment down below to share what products are on your wish list! Have a great week!