Author: Carina

My Christmas Present to Myself: The RMS Beauty Round-Up

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I have already lamented my weakness over at Twitter a few weeks ago, when I confessed to buying a selection of RMS Beauty items and blamed it on Black Friday. In truth, I have been drooling over these items for months and months, always relegating them for one reason or another to the “not right now” list. It was a mistake on my part, at least for some of them, because they are, quite frankly, amazing. RMS Beauty, one of the better known niche green beauty brands, has a handful of items in their product catalog. Some of the more famous and well-loved ones are the Living Luminizer ($38) and the “Un” Cover-Up ($36). They have a selection of color makeup items, some skin care and brushes, and most recently, a 6-free nail polish range. I went the safe route, and argued for “value.” I reasoned that getting the Glowing Gift Set was probably the best choice since it had the aforementioned best-sellers as well as your choice of Eye Polish (a cream-based eyeshadow; $28) …

To the Rescue?

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I purchased the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue because I was picking up something for my sister, and I needed a lightweight base that had SPF. My favored Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint is pretty much perfect for me for daily use, except for its lack of SPF. The bareMinerals Complexion Rescue is a “tinted hydrating gel cream” with non-chemical Broad Spectrum SPF 30. It is also formulated without oil, silicone, parabens or fragrance. I got the shade “Natural 05,” which I guesstimated from a shade finder they had on the bareMinerals website. Natural 05 is “for medium skin with neutral tones” and according to Shelbey, is similar to “Medium Beige” in the Original foundation, which is what I wear. As you can probably see from the photo, “gel cream” is a pretty accurate descriptor for the texture. It’s not really my favorite, because it still feels heavy when I apply it, even if the coverage isn’t necessarily so. bareMinerals claims that this is “the best of a BB, a CC, and a tinted moisturizer” and provides a …

A(nother) Bunch of ColourPop Stuff

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I think this is my last ColourPop update for now. I don’t really know what possessed me to try the blush and highlighters from the range… but here we are. I also picked up a stray eyeshadow and lipstick, which I figured I could just fit on over here instead of making a whole other separate post. I guess I’ll start with the Lippie Stix and the Super Shock Shadow, since they’re both items that I’ve previously tried in a different shade. Lippie Stix in Tootsi Tootsi is a “cool-toned grey beige (“greige”) in a matte finish” and is pretty similar to one of the the Ultra Matte Lips I bought called Trap. I don’t really know what to say about this—I like the matte lipsticks by ColourPop, though I maintain that they are not “true” mattes. In any case, I’ve been having fun with this shade, true matte or no. Super Shock Shadow in Central Perk I believe Central Perk was part of their fall collection. It’s a “dirty maroon in a matte finish,” …

Give Me Lip: A Melt Cosmetics Lipstick Review

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I’d been looking at Melt Cosmetics for a while now, especially after they released their eyeshadow stacks, a very celebrated product that I felt like I currently had no room for, considering my already overgrown makeup collection. Melt Cosmetics’ lipsticks, however, were always some of the favored mattes by true blue makeup fans. Around Black Friday, Melt Cosmetics had a 30% off sale, and I snagged a code from someone I followed on Tumblr, who was kind enough to share tips re: application and who also let me know which shades he favored. Luckily, I had picked 3 of his 4 favorites! Swatched, L-R: Laced, Catsuit, Space Cake Laced Laced is part of Melt Cosmetics’ Nood Collection, and is a greige-y type of color. It’s often compared to Lime Crime’s Cashmere, which I love the look of but refuse to buy. After looking at swatches, I don’t think they’re all that similar, but I do think Laced is a beautiful color regardless. Unfortunately, my tube of Laced arrived damaged. Melt Cosmetics has a decent return …

Sulfate-Free Shampoo

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I know it’s not the most exciting topic, but I think I’ve spoken about scalp problems before, and to be honest, the only thing that really helped me get rid of them were sulfate-free shampoos. I used to not really pay much attention to hair products, as long as I liked how they smelled, but when I started getting really itchy build-up with worrisome patches of dry, flaky skin, I started to take notice. My first step was to ditch conditioner, just to eliminate the number of products (and therefore, lessen the build-up) I used in my hair. My hair suffered a little, but my main concern was really to get rid of my scalp issues. My next step was to go more natural and pay attention to ingredients. I chose to eliminate SLS or sodium lauryl sulfate, as it’s a common ingredient that has been known to cause some problems for a lot of people. As it turns out, seeking out sulfate-free shampoos was the right step for me. Although I still have occasional …

Updated Skin Care Routine, December 2015

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Okay, I’m about to look like a crazy, and honestly, you don’t need this much shit in your life, probably. I started getting into skin care when I started getting into makeup. My skin wasn’t doing worse necessarily, but I was made more acutely aware of what my skin type was and what it needed. I’ve mainly had pretty good skin for most of my life. I had like a disgusting rash on my cheek in grade 5, but other than that, no acne or very much breakouts except for hormonal ones like when I get my period. My skin got a little more high maintenance as I grew older, though. I honestly used to just let the water run down my face in the shower (lol), didn’t even use soap or any kind of moisturizer. But I think that wearing makeup and probably the stress of like adult life or whatever took a toll. I can’t really say for sure. All I know is that I want to take care of my skin, and …

FOTD: Vela

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I wore this look to a book launch and an exhibit, and I thought it was a good time to play around with makeup, aka Not an Office Look. I based it on this because I really wanted to wear a dark lip. Funnily enough, it led to a fun eye look, too. It’s not as ~fashion~ as the picture I based it off, but I think it’s quite nice! I haven’t been wearing a lot of blush lately. For this look, I just used a general combination of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light, Dim Light, Incandescent Light and Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Medium for contour. For the eye look, I mainly ran Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear through my crease, and sandwiched Oslo Cosmetics Vela patted in the center of my lid with Rouge Bunny Rouge Bejewelled Skylark. I ran a bit of Cocoa Bear on the lower lash line, too, and lined my upper lash line with a liquid liner. My (shoddily reapplied) lip color is ColourPop Matte Lippie Stix in …