Rosebud Perfume Company: Smith's Strawberry Lip Balm

I just bought this lip balm recently and have to say I absolutely love it!

In general, when it comes to lip balm I would consider myself a huge junkie. Not only do I own various brands, but I have at least one lip balm lying around pretty much everywhere! (tables, pockets, bags, etc.).

PROS
The first thing that I like about this product has to be its smell- DELICIOUS! It smells like strawberries and cream and just reminds me of my childhood for some reason.  


The second thing I like is the product itself. This lip balm is soo moisturizing! The tin comes with .8oz of product which will end up lasting you a long time since you only need a little bit. I've read that you can use this balm on other dry parts of your body, but I rather just stick to lotion for that lol.

The lip balm also has a slight tint to it and gives a nice subtle glossy effect :)

CON
Although the gold tin is unique (kind of reminds me of those antique looking tins), I would have to say I do not really like the packaging for the purposes of a lip balm. 

The main reason is for sanitary reasons- I do not like sticking my finger in the product and then putting it on my lips. You could definitely use a lip brush if you really wanted, but let's be honest: lip balm is for on-the-go people! We don't want precise application of it. 


SOLUTION
For those who are like me and don't want to take an extra step, you can just swirl your lips in the tin and put on the lip balm that way. Works just as well!

I bought mine from Sephora for $9.50CAN. If you're interested you can check out the Sephora website below:
http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P42205&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5671

Sephora Face Complexion Brush

  

Beyond having good quality make-up I think the most important step to making your make-up application natural and flawless is having good skin.

I recently purchased the Sephora Face Complexion Brush and have to say that it is AMAZING! I usually just used my fingers to wash my face with my cleanser, but I felt like it just wasn't that efficient. 

This brush has bristles that are soft enough on the face to use daily. I find it really effective because it allows you to gently remove any dead skin cells that your fingers otherwise would not remove. 

At Sephora, I bought the face Face Complexion Brush for only $7CAD. There were two colours to choose from- Clear and Fuchsia (although,I it looks more red to me...)

  

The brush also comes with a little cap, which is nice, but to be honest it kind of falls off. It's not a big deal though, as the brush itself is really effective. 

If you want to check out the brush visit the link below:

http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P0096&categoryId=C13230&shouldPaginate=true

Sephora Picks- 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection

Urban Decay has come out with a NEW Limited Edition Eye Shadow Palette which includes 15 new eye shadow colors to celebrate their 15th Anniversary!

Here is a description of the 15 eye shadow colors:
 -Midnight Rodeo (medium metallic brown with silver and gold glitter) 
-Tainted (pale matte purple with golden shimmer) 
-Deeper (deep shimmery golden brown) 
-Midnight 15 (oyster pearl with silver glitter) 
-Junkshow (bright pink with fuchsia shift) 
-M.I.A. (soft shimmery dark brown) 
-Vanilla (shimmery white gold) 
-Omen (shimmery metallic bright purple with blue shift) 
-Ace (dark gunmetal shimmer) 
-Flow (soft peach shimmer)  
-Evidence (deep metallic blue) 
-Blackout (darkest, most saturated black)  
-Chase (metallic bright bronze) 
-Deep End (bright teal shimmer) 
-Half Truth (shimmery smoky purple) 

Similarly to the Urban Decay Naked Palette, what I love about the 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection is how the majority of the colors are neutrals. In other words, perfect to use for every day! 

In addition to those beautiful new neutral colors there are also some bright colors such as Junkshow (bright pink) and Deep End (bright teal shimmer) that would be perfect to use for a pop of color under the lower lash line or if you wanted to create a colorful look!

The packaging for this palette is so versatile as it not only stores your eye shadow tray, but can also be pulled up making it convenient to store your belongings underneath :)

Visit the Sephora link to purchase this NEW Limited Edition Eye Shadow Palette:

http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P292011&categoryId=C10461

P.S.

Forever 21 Canada is having yet another free shipping promotion until August 10, 2011!

Spend $25 and enter promo code FREESHIP to receive free shipping! Enjoy!

What a great time to start back to school shopping!

http://canada.forever21.com/Product/Main.aspx?BR=F21

Sephora Picks- NARS Blush/Bronzer Trio

NARS is known for many of its products, but when it comes to blush and bronzer, its famous Laguna bronzer (brown with golden shimmer) and Orgasm Blush (peachy pink with shimmer) is quite popular in the beauty community.

Laguna bronzer is great if you want to achieve a sun-kissed glow without the sun, and also if you want to give your face some more definition by contouring.  

Orgasm blush is such a gorgeous peachy color that will give you a beautiful flush of color on your cheeks.

NARS has come out with a trio that features those famous shades in addition to a great highlighting powder that will complete your look. The highlighter color, Albatross, is described as a “sheer light golden sheen” making it great to apply on top of your cheek bones to give you that gorgeous glow!

You can get the NARS Blush/Bronzer Trio here: http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P284308&categoryId=C7010#

If you are like me then you love to find comparable dupes!

ELF Cosmetics (Eyes Lips Face) has great comparable products for the above NARS products. They may not be exact, but hey, if you are on a budget they will do :)

 

The Contouring Blush & Bronzer Powder is one palette that I frequently travel with. Having both a bronzer and a blush in one compact makes it so convenient!

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/face/bronzers/contouring_blush_and_bronzing_powder

 

ELF’s Gotta Glow Blush Powder is very similar to NARS’ Albatross as it works brilliant as a highlighting powder.

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/face/blush/studio_blush

If you are willing to splurge on a high-end compact that includes a bronzer, blush and highlighting powder all-in-one, I would recommend NARS Blush/Bronzer trio from Sephora.

However, if you want to  settle for something a little more affordable ELF’s Contouring Blush and Bronzer Powder and Gotta Glow Blush are great alternatives!

Sephora Picks- Too Faced Matte Eye Shadow Collection

Too Faced has really been steppin’ up their game when it comes to eye shadow palettes. They have come out with the very popular ‘Natural’Eye Palette, their own version of the ‘Naked Eye Palette, and other palettes including the Romantic Eye Palette, and Smokey Eye Palette.

Most recently, I was on the Sephora website and noticed they now have a New edition for the Smokey Eye Shadow Collection palette and more interestingly, a New Matte Eye Shadow Collection palette.

I think this new Matte Eye Shadow palette is going to be the next thing to rave about. Sure, there are times when shimmer is appropriate on the eyes, but sometimes we want to take a break from it. This palette is the perfect solution!

  

With 9 different matte shades, this palette is so versatile. The shades include:

You can create all kinds of looks with these beautiful colors. From a more neutral look to a darker smokey eye, this palette is great for only $36 exclusively at Sephora! 

Things You SHOULD Invest in: ‘Cosmetics’ Pencil Sharpener

That’s right ladies do not bother using your little Hello Kitty sharpener that you use for your pencils; use one that is made for eyeliner pencils.

I remember when I used to try to sharpen my eyeliner pencils with a regular sharpener and usually ended up ruining the pencil. The tip would be so rough and uneven that I would be too scared to even put it near my eye! Oh yeah, and sometimes the thing would keep breaking that I couldn’t even use it if I wanted to…

My solution was to invest in a sharpener made for an eyeliner pencil. At the time I was also having a dilemma with my NYX jumbo eye pencils as they were becoming quite dull, so I needed a sharpener that would accommodate them.

I went to Sephora and ended up getting the MUFE (Make Up For Ever) double pencil sharpener. 

Make Up For Ever Double Pencil Sharpener

Boy am I glad I did. I have not seen such a smooth cut on pencils in my life! Obviously this sharpener is designed for cosmetic pencils!  It works great on the NYX jumbo pencils too!

The best part is that very minimal product is wasted when sharpening. The blade sharpens so neatly and thinly that it mostly only takes off the wood part of the pencil. Tell me you aren’t in love.

Before- Dull NYX Jumbo Pencil

After- Take off the cap and voila! The shavings are so easy to remove!

The bottom part also comes off and there is also a little pick that you can use to take out product that gets stuck in the blades :)

For only $7 pick up yours today! Sephora- Make Up For Ever Double Pencil Sharpener