This or that: Overnight Lip Treatments

Along with this new routine of washing my face and applying overnight oils, my lips were longing to try a few new products in the search for the best Overnight Lip Treatments. I have been applying the Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Treatment (see previous blog) regularly, and continue to love it, but if you love beauty products as much as I do, you know that one good thing is never enough. I picked up the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask and the C.O Bigelow Night Balm to see if either would measure up to my beloved Nuxe Reve de Miel.

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask, C.O. Bigelow My Favourite Night Balm & Nuxe Reve De Miel

1) NUXE REVE DE MIEL LIP BALM: MATTE, SMOOTH, THICK, COMFORTABLE, HONEY CITRUS SMELL. In Canada, pick up this from Murale.ca for $17.00 plus tax and shipping or from thebay.com. I love both these sites so I really have no preference. This balm is actually "the bomb.com" or I guess you could say "the balm.com"..hehe.

2) BITE BEAUTY AGAVE LIP MASK: THICK, STICKY, SWEET TASTE, MARSHMELLOW SMELL. I picked this up in store at Sephora for $30.00 plus tax and used it every night for 2 weeks. The balm stays on your lips throughout the night due to the thick sticky consistency. The first time I squeezed this tube, I had to use both thumbs at full-strength to get a tiny bit of product out, it's that thick. In the morning my lips felt nice, no chapping, but I was not blown away by the results. Some bloggers swear by this stuff ("HOLY GRAIL") which is why I purchased it. I certainly did not get the same results. For that price point, I was expecting my lips to feel amazeballs. I felt this balm was way to thick and sticky to use at all during the daytime which makes it less versatile. I will continue to use it in rotation until the tube is done, as I said, I like it, but I can not give this a solid thumbs up, rather...It's okay. I won't repurchase as the"juice ain't worth the squeeze". If I could jump in the Delorian, I would have purchased the 5 day rescue small jar from Sephora for $18.00 that also contains the cherry lip scrub, before purchasing the full size.

3) C.O. BIGELOW MY FAVOURITE NIGHT BALM: THICK, SMOOTH, MARSHMELLOW SMELL, $7.50 from Bath and Body Works. This was an impulse purchase to bring my dollar amount up to qualify for a deal in store. I used this for over a month before I purchased the Nuxe Reve De Miel and enjoyed it for the price. But I had not tried the Nuxe so I had no comparison. I would say that it did help to relieve my dry lips in the winter. It actually reminds me of the Bite Beauty Mask when you compare feel and smell but it is a bit less sticky which is more appealing to me. This is a solid, inexpensive option for night time moisturizing.

In the end, I will repurchase the NUXE REVE DE MIEL for an all day and night lip treatment.

What's In My Shopping Cart: Make Up Forever Bronze Fusion, Bite Beauty Lipstick, Urban Decay Blushes, Clinique Color Pop Blushes, Lululemon Cotton Wonder Unders in Navy.

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Review

I never thought I would be a mineral powder kinda gal. I had tried the bare minerals powder back when you bought it off the television and I didn't like it. It made me look like I had foundation on my face, kinda powdery. cakey. dry, my favourite look...um no.  Its been 10 years since that first mineral makeup trial and my "friend" Laura from Buynowbloglater recommended this Laura Mercier Mineral Powder so I knew I had to give it a go. I have already raved about it so you can basically stop reading now.......unless you want to hear the deets about what it is like, pictures and blah blah blah..just go get it despite what I am blathering on about, it's that good. Laura described it as having a luminescent finish and you already know I am all over that shiz. So I headed to my nearest Sephora, a 3.5 hours drive away, to give it a whirl.

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Classic Beige 

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder is available from Sephora in Canada for $47.00 plus tax for .34 oz's of this powdery goodness. A little goes a long way, I have had this powder for almost a year and still have about half a container so when people say that is too much money for a powder that I use every damn day..... I just don't agree. My shade is Classic Beige, LisaLisaD1 of you tube fame shade, she uses this powder as well and if you have seen her videos, her face is flawless and radiant, who does not want that. This powder is finely milled and has a pearl finish, that is that lit from within glow Laura was talking about. My sensitive skin has no problem tolerating this powder.

Medium Pearl Coverage and Bizarre Doll Hand Pose...creepy

I apply this powder alone over freshly moisturized skin with a Sephora 45 Mineral Powder blush or the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. When I tap a tiny amount in the cap and swirl my brush in, I achieve a medium coverage from buffing that into the skin. If I take a big fluffy brush and apply it over a tinted moisturizer, it adds a hint more coverage and that radiant glow. I did get compliments on my skin when I first started wearing this powder foundation so I knew it was a keeper.

Amount of product I use daily 

There is really nothing I do not like about this powder product itself. The packaging irritates me, as soon after purchase the insert in the lid became unglued so everyday I have to shove it back in the lid. But that could just be a one off issue. It isn't that travel friendly due to the large size and product fall out into the cap. It does have a twist lid so that will contain the powder.

Since I started using the May Lindstrom Youth Dew (see previous blog posts for review...no just go buy it, wait read my blog please) I have had success with these two together. I love the way the oil and the mineral powder look on the skin. I understand that this powder has an SPF of 15 which is a bonus as I do not wear a separate SPF on top of my moisturizer on the daily. I know I should, but I don't..I'll just complain about dark spots and Botox for the rest of my life instead.

Next Blog: Another This or That : Battle of the Lip Treatments

Milani Baked & Powdered Blushes, Yes, You Need These....

Okay, so I basically already gave it up that I am a fan of the Milani Baked Blushes. But really, when I am choosing $7.99 blushes over $35.00 blushes, it is serious and unexpected, as I do not shop for drugstore blushes. As a matter of fact, these are the only drugstore blushes in my entire collection besides 2 NYX blushes which I am also impressed with. My town does not carry Milani cosmetics but I did happen to see them at the Superstore St. James in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They had a small section of the blushes. I did not pick up any in person as, at that time, I felt that one was enough....but who was I kidding. I ordered 3 more from Well.ca after I gave the Rose d'Oro a try.

Top Left: Milani Berry Amore, Rose D'Oro, Luminoso Baked Blushes & Tea Rose (Broken) Powder Blush

I have purchased quite a few items from Well.ca over the years. The shipping is quick, usually within the week, free shipping on purchases over $29.00 and they regularly have coupon codes and sales on their products. To my disappointment, the Milani Tea Rose powder blush with the beautiful floral imprint arrived in the mail cracked in half as you can see on the picture above...booo. I emailed Well.ca to see what they were prepared to do and they immediately credited by paypal (did I tell you how much I love paypal) account the return and sent me an additional credit for $5.00 off my next purchase. I in turn kept the cracked blush. I suppose I could also have discarded and purchased another and hoped it would be a smoother ride through Canada post. What did I purchase with my $5.00 off coupon code?? more blushes of course, that arrived without incident on Friday. I have worn them daily since then. Each of the baked blushes contain .12oz of product and the Tea Rose is a massive .60 oz all for the rock bottom price, as I mentioned above, of $7.99 each.

The Milani Baked Blushes come in a terrible cheap gold coloured plastic compact with a tiny crappy "blush" brush and a small mirror underneath.

I do not adore the packaging but again, if the product is good, I can turn a blind eye. And this product is good...like real good. These baked gems are not only stunning in the package but the lovely luminosity they impart on your cheeks is nothing short of incredible. These blushes are highly pigmented so I dab as opposed to sweep or swirl the compact, then tap off the excess as I do not want to look to manic...okay...just a little.

I purchased the colours Berry Amore, Rose D' Oro, Luminoso & Tea Rose in the baked blushes, swatches below are in that order.

These baked blushes honestly remind me of the Hourglass blushes in terms of the lit from within glow they give. And with the price difference of $27.00 , I cannot imagine purchasing one. Okay, maybe just one..but keep in mind I am a blush collector.  My husband commented on how "shiny" my skin looked last night wearing the Luminous shade. I said, "I think you mean glowing", agreeing that "Shiny" might not be a good descriptive word for your wife's skin.

Rose D'Oro Glow I speak of...

Along with the baked blushes, I would be remised if I did not give a mention to the matte Tea Rose blush. The imprinted rose blush is very long wearing with a huge compact, the .60oz's I spoke about. I applied at 545 am and I was still going strong at 4pm. The colour payoff is again something to talk about. I have heard good things about the coral blush in this rose powder blush collection. I am going to pass on it for now as I probably have something very similar already. I was never a fan of luminous blushes in that past and always opted for the matte versions but I do think they are lovely on occasion and save you adding a highlighter to the cheekbones as it is built in. These will be stunning on a summer evening out with a glowing complexion.

I would say out of the 4 I have, my favourite is probably the luminous shade although the Rose D' Oro is a tight second, really giving a stunning J' Lo glow, all day long.

What's in my shopping cart: Josee Marin Tanning Oil (with mitt), those darn Cover Fx drops in unknown color (hence my hesitation to order online), 2 Glenna loungers from Hudson Bay.ca.

Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Tint-In-Oil

I know I said my next post was going to be about Milani Blushes and why these were a drug store blush you have to check out...but shit happens and I am still waiting for more of them in the mail in order to do a more comprehensive review. I "needed" to test a few more says Shannon trying to justify why she bought 3 more blushes. In the meantime, I haven't had time for blogging as I took my 2 year old niece into my home for a few days and it was flipping exhausting.

"Come on Shanny, lets go!"

I salute you baby making bitches, that is hard work. I was in bed by 10pm Friday and Saturday, which isn't much different than regular life I suppose, except I was worn, haggard, and beaten....by a 2 year old who surprising loves youtube shopping videos, just like her aunty....did you know 200,000,000 viewers have watched a lady make Playdoh dresses for some plastic princesses https://youtu.be/I8vzbIuvhoo. Incredible. Clearly, I should have done a more thorough job exploring career options before I jumped into university.

This weekend, while my beautiful niece riffled through my purse at The Liquor Mart, (yes I know..I took a a baby to the liquor mart).. she chucked this luxurious lip oil down the aisle like it didn't mean a thing to her... Little did she know that this is my current second favourite lip product purchase.

YSL Volupte Tint-In-Oil #4

The YSL Volupte Tint-in-Oil is available at sephora.com for $35.00 cnd plus applicable taxes. I took advantage of the Sephora VIB sale in order to purchase this luxury oil with a 15% discount. After mulling over the available 8 color choices, selection in store was limited due to the sale, I chose #4, I Rose You, which is another barely there, more moisture than colour product, on my lips anyway.

In the glimmer of the sunlight on my swatch, I see a hint of the smallest rose coloured sparkle, which shows more of a shine on the lips than sparkle..FYI..I hate sparkle.Before I speak further about the contents of this tube, one must not miss an opportunity to touch on the gorgeousness that is YSL packaging. The magnificent gold box, opened to reveal a shiny silver cylinder with the prettiest "rose gold" coloured YSL logo. I could barely contain myself on closing this when I felt that snap, like you have locked in that oil and it will not leak in your purse, kinda snap.

Smell: like light melon Feel: So comfortable on the lips, not oily as the name would suggest, not sticky, just comfortable to wear. Usually, products for the lip that offer high gloss are also quite sticky or vaseline like. This is neither. I found this oil to be quite moisturizing and I only reapply after a meal in an 8 hour work day. I have been wearing this oil mainly during the work week as it is a little too fancy for my weekend look. I would recommend this product if you like a gloss without the issues that come with glosses.

Next post: Those damn Milani Blushes and why you need to run and get some..or sit and order some.