NIP + FAB SKINCARE REVIEW

Lately I've been trying to take better care of my skin and I've been testing out new brands.
One of which is Nip + Fab. 

I hadn't heard much about this brand before I was contacted to test out the products below. So I was pretty curious to see how they would pan out. Find out more below! 

First, let's talk about the cleansing products From the Glycolic Fix Range, I tried out the Glycolic Cleansing Fix and the Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads. I enjoyed using the cleansing fix and the cleanser had a thicker gel consistency. I found that this cleanser worked best as a second cleanse instead of removing makeup. It left my skin feeling clean but not tight. The Exfoliating Facial Pads worked well and I found that they provided similar results to the First and Beauty Exfoliating Pads. I tend to use the pads every other day or a couple times a week.  

As a Game of Thrones addict when I saw the next range had the word dragon in it, I was intrigued. From the Dragon's Blood Fix range I tested out the Dragon's Blood Plumping Mask and the Dragon's Blood Plumping Serum. I found that the serum left my skin feeling moisturized and this is probably because of the hyaluronic acid it contains. I tend to use this at night prior to my moisturizer. I tried the Dragon's Blood Plumping Mask a few times and I wasn't really impressed by it. It didn't make a difference to my skin so it's not a product that I'll continue using.

Have you tried out Nip + Fab? Let me know what your favourite products are in the comments! I've seen them pop up in a few Shoppers if you're interested in trying out the brand. 

*This is not a sponsored post.This post contains product(s) provided for review purpose. All opinions are my own and no compensation has been provided for this post.  

Review: Givenchy Noir Interdit Mascara

My everyday makeup look is pretty simple but I never skip out on mascara. I love how mascara is able to make your eyes look bigger and pull an entire makeup look together. I have a few mascara favourites but I'm always up to try new ones out. Today's post is all about the new Givenchy Noir Interdit Mascara.

I'll start of with the one feature that makes this mascara unique - the wand. This mascara has a bendable wand that can bend to 90 degrees, something you don't see in all mascaras! This was a nice feature to the mascara as it allowed me to use the brush to get right to the roots of my lashes. 

For me this was a good daytime mascara. It provided good length and a bit of volume. If I was going out at night, this was not the mascara I opted for as I have other mascaras that give me much more volume than this. I also want to point out that I have pretty decently long lashes and don't usually curl my lashes before mascara. Most mascaras for me will hold a curl throughout the entire but I found that with this mascara didn't do that.

The main thing I didn't like about this mascara was the scent. It has a very strong rose scent that will linger around for a few minutes after you apply it. 

Overall, I thought this was just an ok mascara. Personally I prefer mascaras with a lot of volume and a more wet formula. This mascara was decent but it wouldn't be one that I'd purchase at $38 a piece. 

Have you tried out the Givenchy Noir Interdit mascara? What are your thoughts? 

*This is not a sponsored post.This post contains product(s) provided for review purpose. All opinions are my own and no compensation has been provided for this post.  

Best Summer Blushes

Blush is one product I hardly skip in my makeup routine. I love how quick and easy it is but at the same time makes such a difference in brightening up my face. 

Check out my favourite blushes of the moment below - hint - there's a lot of peach. 

Lets start with the blush I've had the longest - Benefit Coralista. I don't even want to try to count how many years I've had this blush. This is an old favourite of mine. It's a gorgeous coral blush that I love to bring out in the spring/summer months. Like most of Benefit's blushes, it blends beautifully and lasts for most of the work day. 

Now on the Becca blushes - Camellia and Orchid Child. I picked both of these up last year and have fallen in love with these blushes. I tend to wear both these shades all year round even though one would think they only work for the summer months. Orchid Child is peachy/pink shade and Camellia is a bright pink with a nice sheen to it. When applying both these shades use a light hand. I have gone overboard with both these blushes multiple times. 

Paul & Joe were a new discovery for me this year. I've been testing out the powder blush in shade #3 which I love wearing in the daytime. It's another peachy/pink shade with a gorgeous sheen that gives a lovely flush to the cheeks. I love wearing this shade to work as it's subtle but gives a nice flush to the face.

This wouldn't be a blush post without some mention of NARS. This was probably one of the best point perks I've ever gotten from Sephora. A mini Orgasm for only 100 points?! Take my money points! Orgasm is a cult favourite and I can now tell why. It's a gorgeous peach shade with gold shimmer that is perfect for summer nights out. 

What are your favourite blushes for the summer? Let me know in the comments!

*This is not a sponsored post.This post contains product(s) provided for review purpose. All opinions are my own and no compensation has been provided for this post.  

The Ordinary - What I'm Currently Testing

I'd be surprised if you haven't heard about The Ordinary. 
Everyone has been going on about this line from Deciem and this is evident by the current waitlist for numerous of their products (though the company is expanding its location to fix this). 

Now on to what I've purchased from The Ordinary. I made a few online orders and accumulated a good selection of their line that I'm currently testing out. As such, this post is not a full review of these products. I will be doing review on these products once I've used them for a while to see if they actually do anything for my skin.

I first heard about The Ordinary when Wayne Goss brought them to the map with this video. Affordable skincare with great ingredients, who wouldn't give The Ordinary a try?  

My first order consisted of Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 and 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil. I made this order back when I first watched Wayne's video months ago and I've just started using the Hyaluronic Acid. Not sure what's taken me so long, but so far I'm liking it. I apply it at night prior to my moisturizer and I've noticed my skin hasn't been tight or dry in the mornings. I haven't tested out the Rose Hip Seed Oil but my mom is actually a big fan. She finished up the entire bottle that I initially ordered that I just ordered two more bottles - one for me to try and one for her. 

Now lets talk about a few more products that were all recommendations from Wayne. I picked up the Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG as he mentioned this is a great product as an eye cream. I haven't tried this out yet so I'll report back once I test this out. I also picked up the Azelaic Acic Suspension 10%. From reading about this online, this a good product if you have dark spots. I don't have many dark spots but this product has antibacterial properties so I thought I'd give this a try on blackheads. No idea if this will actually work or not but I've suffered from blackheads for as long as I can remember and I've tried too many things that haven't worked out before. 

Another product I've added to my skincare routine is the Argireline Solution 10%. This product is used to target the appearance of facial lines. I'm only 25 so I don't really have this problem yet - but I do have one very prominent line that I'm using this on. So far I haven't really seen much of a difference but I've only been using this for a couple of weeks. 

Now on to the makeup products. The Ordinary have turned the beauty industry upside down. The currently have two foundations - the Serum and Coverage foundation. I managed to get my hands on the Serum foundation. As you'd expect it's lightweight and blends very easily (I use a beauty blender). I've used this foundation for a couple weeks now and I like it but I'm not in love with in. It's a good foundation. But it's nothing to go crazy about. Yes, it is very affordable and it's a great option for that price. 

Finally, I'm currently also testing out the High-Adherence Silicone Primer. I've only used this a handful of times and I haven't really seen much of a difference with using this primer. Will need to test this out more before I give my final review. 

So there you have it. What I've picked up from The Ordinary and will be testing out the next few months. As with most skincare, I want to give this a bit of time to see if I'll have results from using these products on a regular basis. Once I've formed an opinion I'll post an updated post on these products. 

I'm also very excited for Deciem to open up their new retail store as it's right across from my office - so of course I'll be making a visit to test out more products!

My travel beauty essential - Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask

I love travelling. Whenever I get a chance to travel - I take the opportunity. 
One of the most common ways I tend to travel is by air. 
But with the airplane recycled air comes dry skin. 

Now I always fly with the Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask with me. 
Find out more below!

About a year ago I took a trip with some friends to San Francisco. I think with the change in weather from Toronto, my skin had a freak out. I came back with super super super dry skin. I did not know how to handle this. I tend to have normal / combo skin during the winter/early spring so this was a shock for me. I tried many many products and finally after a few weeks my skin went back to normal. 

One of the products I picked up was the Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask. My skin was really dry so this mask didn't really help with getting it back to normal. But this mask has become my staple airplane product. I could never be one of those people that apply sheet masks during a flight. Aside from just the looks I'd get, I wear glasses on flights ... so I wouldn't even be able to see. After the plane takes off I apply a generous layer of this all over my face. Even though it's a mask, it's not that noticeable. If I have a shorter flight (less than 4 hours) I'll apply this only once. But if it's a long flight, I tend to reapply half way through the flight. 

2016 was a busy year for getting on flights. My San Francisco trip was the first for 2016 and every trip I took afterwards I used this mask. I never had the crazy skin fiasco for the rest of the year. Even though the regular size is 100mL and you could take the full size on a plane, I tend to put a small amount in a pot. I now like to travel with only carry on luggage, so space for my liquids is pretty limited due to restrictions. 

The Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask is my favourite product from the brand. I'll definitely be repurchasing this once my current tube is done! 

What are you inflight beauty essentials? 

BITE BEAUTY LIPSTICK REVIEW

Bite Beauty has some of the best lipstick formulas I've tried. 

I've dabbled in most of their ranges and have a few favourites! 

Find out more below!

Their original line of lipsticks, High Pigment Pencil, are my favourite. I was first introduced to these lipsticks from one of their holiday sets with four mini High Pigment Pencils (shades: Rhubarb, Pomegranate, Winterberry, Sable). As the name suggests, these lipsticks are highly pigmented. They have a bit of a shine but nothing too glossy (more of  a satin finish). I do prefer a matte finish so when I wear these I apply two layers and blot in between. This makes them last for hours but after eating I do reapply. In addition to the set I have two in the full size in the shades Velvet and Syrah. Velvet is a bright pink and Syrah is a peachy nude. At first glance, I thought Syrah would be similar to Sable (my favourite nude shade) but Sable has a slight pinky undertone, while Syrah has a peach undertone. 

The following year I was gifted with another of their mini holiday set. This time the set came with four mini Matte Creme formula. The shade were: Aubergine, Cafe, Coulis, and Torte. My go-to from this range is the shade Torte, a wearable everyday rose. This matte range from Bite Beauty is a must if you're into matte lipsticks. They formula is so comfortable to wear, even with it being matte. Similar to the High Pigment Pencil range, I apply this twice and blot in between to increase the longevity of the lipstick. 

Now on to my most recent purchases, the Amuse Bouche lipstick in Mauvember 2016 and the Multistick in Macaroon. First up, lets talk about the Amuse Bouche lipstick. These have a  satin finish with high pigmentation. I absolutely love the scent of this lipstick range - a lovely citrus. I picked up the shade Mauvember and love the mauve shade. Even though it has a purple undertone, it's quite easy to wear. I need to remember to wear this more often! Lastly, the Multistick in Macaroon. When these first came out I was intrigued. As this was the first time Bite Beauty branched out from just lipstick product. I picked up the shade Macaroon as it seemed a safe shade. Macaroon is a lovely rose but I find it is a bit drying on the lips. I don't tend to gravitate towards this shade that often. I know you can use this as blush or eyeshadow but I haven't tested this product out that way. 

Overall, Bite Beaty continues to be one of my favourite brand for lipsticks. They have a large array of lipstick colours and formulas. The High Pigment Pencils and Matte Creme steal the show for me but I'm definitely interested in trying more shades from the Amuse Bouche range. 

What are your favourite lipsticks from Bite Beauty?