Favourites February 2016

         Favourties posts two months in a row! that has got to be a record! It is sad because it is not far from the truth.

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy in Perfect Pair

          I have talked about these polishes before and still love them just as much. I was exclusively a gel polish girl until I found this. With the top coat I can get a full week of perfect nails and then another week of pretty decent looking nails. This colour is a favorite this month. Other then my Valentine's Day nails every time I go to paint my nails I end up choosing Perfect Pair. It is just a perfect nude with a hint of pinky brown. I just love it; so elegant and feminine. 

Julep No Limits Luxe Hydrating Crème

           Originally I signed up with the Julep Maven box because I loved the nail polish. Now I rarely get nail polish, instead I fell for the skin care and makeup. When I saw this new product as an option I thought it would be something I would use and honestly I loved the packaging. The lotion is completely enclosed so very little bacteria is getting in there. Photo below. There were many of us that struggled to get the product to come out. As with anything I googled it and found all I needed to do was hold my thumb over the small circle while pushing the dispenser then release and repeat until product dispensed. This is a very rich cream that you can use on your hands, face and body. I don't normally trust these all in one type product for my face but I had too much on my hands one night and I was so impressed how soft and supple my face was the next morning without feeling excessively oily. For the most part I use it as a hand cream but it makes it a little easier to put on a night cream even on the laziest of evenings. 

L'Oreal La Lacque in Lacque-y Charm

             Lip products are my weakness. I had to pick this up to try out when it was on sale. It is sort of a mechanical lip crayon but the tip is very fine so you can line you lips before colouring them in. I found this to be very comfortable on my lips and lasted quite a while, it was not beverage proof but it's so easy to touch up that it's not a problem. I found it wore of fairly evenly as well. Swatch below. 

Cynthia Rowley Eyeliner in Black

          I got this in my February Birchbox and was not initially super excited about it but figured it was something I would use. I was impressed with how pigmented, smooth and long lasting it was. I have issues with liner on my waterline running/smudging, this liner did collect in the inner corners of my eyes before it could set but was easy to fix and did not budge for the rest of the day. Swatch below.

Rimmel Provocalips 16HR Kiss Proof Lip Colour in Make Your Move

           I bought this because I wanted to test out the 16HR kiss proof claim. This lip colour does not screw around. I put this on at before I went to work, around 7am, and it lasted until I left at 5pm. That includes eating twice and at least 4 cups of tea. My lips did feel a little dry after lunch but I just put some balm on top and let that sink in before making my next cup of tea. I only saw a few colours in the display when I bought it but I will be keeping an eye out for more.

L'Oreal, Cynthia Rowley, Rimmel

Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Shadow Primer

          Elizabeth Mott makes one of my very favourite masacaras and I was happy to receive a new product from the brand in my ipsy bag a few months ago. Until I started using this I rarely used an eyeshadow primer, I have one from Essence that was like $3 and worked pretty well but I rarely bothered to reach for it. The Elizabeth Mott primer does a great job of keeping my shadow looking great all day and not creasing no matter how long I am wearing it.



 David's Tea Love Tea  #7
             I have a serious problem. I can not walk by David's Tea without going in, which would be fine if I could leave without buying something. I currently have the Spring Collection ordered and will share that when it arrives. In my Valentine's Day post I talked about the sampler box they had out, one of my absolute favorites was Love Tea #7. It is a black tea with chocolate, strawberries and rose petals. I love this so much that I went and bought one of the giant tins that holds enough for like 90 cups of tea. It is chocolaty and fruity at the same time, perfect for a sweet pick me up or a cozy cup of tea before bed.

          I am pretty proud that I have stuck to my Monthly Favourites (two whole months!) and I hope I helped someone discover a new favourite. If I had to pick my top favourite for February it would have to be the tea, it is a serious obsession. What was your number one?

Thanks for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake

Check out January Favourites

Valentine's Day 2016

          I am not sure why but I am really into Valentine's Day this year, I do not normally celebrate it at all since it is even more made up than most holidays. No I am not a bitter, single, crazy cat lady; I just think it puts a lot of pressure on relationships and is an unnecessary expense. Beast and I typically exchange cards and small gifts like chocolate or books and then just spend the day together if we can. 

          To me Valentines day, and the days leading up to it, are the only days pink and red match and can be worn together. I am taking full advantage of that and thought I would share some of the products that are putting me in a Valentine's mood this year.

Revlon Set 
        In Shoppers there was a Revlon Love Collection by Leah Goren display and there was a lip colour set I could not pass up. There are three crayons in this set. Sultry and Elusive in Matte Balm and Honey in Balm Stain. I've tried these crayons in the past and have been meaning to give them another shot. I loved Sultry, it was comfortable on the lips and I was surprised by how long it lasted through my morning tea and nibbles. What really impressed me was how it wore off. My main complaint about lipstick is when it wears off everywhere except the very outline of my lips, then I am walking around looking like I walked out of the 90's. Not OK. This, as with any lip product, did wear off in the center first but it almost looked like I had an ombre lip look going on or I had put a lighter gloss in the center of my lips. The other Matte balm is just not my colour, for the most part when I wear any sort of light or Barbie pink lipstick I look like a 90's Vegas Stripper. No disrespect ladies, it is just not a look I can pull off. I will pass this one on to a friend. I can't decide how I feel about Honey in Balm Stain. I was not sure I was going to like the colour but it was sheer enough that it didn't give me the Vegas stripper look but did give me some colour. I think if it was a little more moisturizing I would love it. I will definitely get use out of two of the three products so I am calling it a win.

Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Kayla and Nicole
          While I do not like Barbie pink lipstick I love it in a gloss. I have a set of mini Buxom Lip Polishes that I love to wear alone but also look great over other lip colours. I used this over both Sultry and Honey. With Honey it really brings out the Balm and is just the perfect Barbie pink for me. Nicole is more red and, as with all Buxom glosses, looks great alone or over another lip product. 

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera
          Whether you are going all out or not going out at all for Valentine's Day I think taking some photos, on actual film, are a great idea. No, not those kinds of photos. I love this little camera, obviously snapping a quick photo with your phone is more convenient for every days use but on holidays and get togethers I like to carry this little guy with me. There is just something more real and precious about having a photo on actual, tangible film.

Essie Nail Polish in Mod Square and Julep Nail Polish in Sheila
           Speaking of Barbie pink here is Essie's Mod Square. What else do I need to say? I also used Julep's Sheila for an accent nail to take full advantage of the pink and red combo I would normally not be caught dead wearing.

David's Tea Sweetheart Collection
         I never need an excuse to buy more tea and I can not resist these sampler kits. You get to try twelve different teas and each little pot usually makes me three of four cups of tea. I love discovering teas this way so if you find one you don't like then you are not stuck with a full bag and it is not a waste of money. Some of my favourites from this collection are Cherry Blossom, Love Tea #7 and Organic Green Seduction.

David's Tea Red Velvet Cake

          I went back to David's tea after picking up the Sweetheart Collection to stock up on Love Tea #7, I figure it wont be around long after Valentine's Day. I ended up getting one of the giant tins that hold enough tea for ninety cup. Damn sales girl was on her game. I also picked up some tea bags in Red Velvet Cake and gave a few of them out as Valentine's to some of my tea loving friends. "This sweet, lightly creamy black tea blend perfectly captures our favourite dessert. With semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, beetroot powder and little red sprinkles, it’s rich, delicious and a whole lot of fun." 

        Whatever you have planed for February 14th, fancy date night, Netflix and Chill or just Netflix with your cats I hope it is magical and to any guys planning to propose: lame. 

Thanks for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake