MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Dupes

I love the highlighting effect that MAC’s MSF powders give to your face. They give you a natural glow and dewy look that instantly help brighten up your face.

For those who are turned off by the price ($33.50 CAD) however, I am happy to suggest some cheaper alternatives to give you that similar effect :)

Milani has some baked bronzers that have a marbleized finish just like MAC’s MSFs. Here are the shades available: (Suggested Retail Price $8.99)

 

Milani also has another bronzer (TANtastic) that has more gold reflects in it to help you achieve that highlighted glow. (Shades available in Fantastic in Gold [shown below], Fantastic in Bronze, and Fantastic Glow).

 

Another alternative is Hard Candy’s So Baked Bronzers. They do not look as marbleized in the pan, but they still give you that glow. Here are the four shades to choose from:

 I hope this helped!

Dupes: Stila Make Me Blush Palette and Physicans Formula Happy Booster Blush

I was flipping through some old magazines and came across a blush that reminded me of the Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush. The Make Me Blush Palette by Stila had multi-colored, mosaic heart details in its compact similar to the Happy Booster Blush.

Stila Make Me Blush Palette

 Physicians Formula Happy Booster Bronzer and Blush

Then I was looking through the Shoppers Drug Mart flyer for this week and noticed that Physicians Formula has a special promotion this week where you receive the Happy Booster Bronzer for FREE with the purchase of the Happy Booster Blush. So for the cute blush and bronzer compacts all you pay is $20.99!

The Stila blush advertised for $14, so paying $20.99, the Physicians Formula blush and bronzer come to $10.50 each! 

Check out your local Shoppers Drug Mart if you’re interested!

Homemade Instant Self-Tanner?

CoverGirl Golden Sunrise Mineral Bronzer

Last year I purchased three of the CoverGirl TruBlend Minerals products (bronzer, blush, loose powder) because they were on sale. I thought I was going to like them because 1) the colors looked nice 2) a lot of product came in the packaging 3) how can you not like a sale?...but to my surprise I got overwhelmed by the shimmer.

I have said that I am a fan of shimmer, but not to this extent. (I can’t believe anybody would put on that much shimmer on their face, especially as a loose powder). After debating what I should do with them I simply put them away in my storage drawers never to consider them again…until now that is.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter

I have been using Vaseline Cocoa Butter for many years now (its my HG body lotion). I absolutely love the smell and it makes my skin ultra smooth. I had been thinking about ways to make my legs glow without using self-tanners (I hate the smell), and until I could tan them enough outside, when I discovered something that could work.

I tried to mix a bit of the lotion with my Golden Sunrise mineral Bronzer and applied it on my legs. To my surprise it actually turned out to my liking. I definitely got the glow I was looking for thanks to the shimmer, and because the bronzer was a darker color, my legs also looked like they were already tanned!

I would say I am happy that I have finally found a way to use the CoverGirl TruBlend Minerals products. I tried mixing the loose powder and it turned out to have the same effect as the bronzer, except that it was a bit lighter. As for the blush, I haven’t tried mixing that yet, but I will see how it goes. (I think because it is a very light color it might not look that great, but I might see if I can use it as a highlighter somehow…)

So, if anybody else has products in their drawers that they never want to look at again I suggest experimenting with them to see what good can come out of them. You might end up liking them after all!

"Summer Besties"

I recently saw a tag going around on YouTube called “Summer Besties” and decided to be “it” lol. The tag is basically about your favorite summer products for different categories.  Here are my favs!

1) Lip Product- Softlips Moisturizing Lip Balm (Vanilla) SPF 20

I love the Softlips Lip Balms, especially the vanilla one (vanilla and coconut are my favorite scents). Even though I like to use this product throughout the seasons its extra nice in the summer because it has SPF 20. My lips are pretty pigmented so I don’t always like to wear lipstick, so this is the perfect product to just keep them moisturized.

Softlips Moisturizing Lip Balm

 2) Blush- Mark Sunlove Glo

 My favorite types of blushes are coral and peachy colours. This blush is a mix of those colours. It looks great on tanned skin so I think it’s a must have for the summer months.

Mark Sunlove Glo Blush

3) Nail Polish- L.A. Colors Color Craze nail polish- Lightning 

To go along with tanned skin I love wearing vibrant neon colours both on my nails and clothes. I love this neon pink colour by L.A Colours. I always get compliments when I wear it.

L.A. Colors Lightning Nail Polish

4) Liquid face product- Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup

I don’t like to wear foundation too much when it is extremely hot outside, but when I do this Perfectly Real Makeup by Clinique is my go-to. It is lightweight and gives you a decent coverage. It also has a little bit of shimmer in it that makes your face glow.  

Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup

5) Powder Face Product- N.Y.C. Matte Bronzer- Sunny

To continue on with the tan look (well it one of the signatures of summer!) I love using bronzer to give a bit of more definition to my face. I love using the N.Y.C Sunny bronzer to contour.

N.Y.C. Sunny Bronzer

6) Hair Product- Frizz-Ease Hair Serum

My hair is naturally curly, so in these humid times I try to avoid using heat in my hair and just condition it really well. I apply this serum when my hair is damp. It smells soo good and keeps it shiny and tamed. 

Frizz-Ease Hair Serum

7) Eye Product-AVON SuperShock Mascara

If I had to just choose one eye product I would pick mascara. I always like to play up my eyes and make winged liner, smokey eyes, etc. but I think I could be happy with just long, full lashes. This mascara is waterproof so it holds curl well, and the brush is AMAZING! It’s pretty big, but that helps make your lashes full and long.

AVON SuperShock Mascara

8) Self Tanner (or any tanning item)- Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Lotion and Oil Spray

I swear by this stuff.  First of all, these things smell heavenly (like a coconut tropical vacation). The smell reminds me of my childhood vacations. I naturally have an olive skintone so it tans quite easily, and these products just contribute to making my tan a little more bronzy and even. Only downside is the low SPF… 

Hawaiian Tropic Tanning

9) Fashion accessory- Earrings

For everyday I would say earrings are my favourite accessories. I usually wear studs, but I think it’s nice to spice up an outfit with a pair of chandelier earrings sometimes. 

10) Clothing piece- Bandeaus

I think bandeaus are basically like bandeau bikini tops that you can wear under your clothes. I love these things for the summer. I have a lot of low cut, open back summer tops and I love to pair them with a bright bandeau top. This summer I’m really into color blocking with bandeaus. I love the contrast of a bright yellow bandeau with a coral pink top.  

So there you have it. My Summer Besties. What are yours?