Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in Tenacious Teal

I've mentioned the Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in Tenacious Teal* on numerous occasions (see here and here and here) and I thought it was about time that it deserved a swatch on it's own. I'm not going to say too much. For the most part, I'll just let you bask in all it's green glory. 

The Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in Tenacious Teal is, obviously, a deep green teal colour. Lasting power without a topcoat is 2 days, average for most polishes. It's opaque in two coats and there's something about the brush that makes it so easy to paint my nails without the need for cuticle cleanup. 

Dark enough for winter, bright enough for fall. Tenacious teal has got it all. 

Have you tried any Maybelline nail polishes? 

Featured product received for review to feature on the BlushPretty.com blog. 

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Revlon Rio Rush Collection Summer 2014 Overview - Lipsticks, Polishes & Eye Shadow Quads

Summer's all about the brights and colours but for some reason I've been sticking to neutral and boring. What landed in my mailbox this week was a little tropical inspiration - the Revlon Rio Rush Collection by Gucci Westman for Summer 2014. The collection includes 3 lipsticks, 2 eyeshadow quads, 4 polishes, and a creme eyeliner.  

I'm at home for the weekend and I've realized how much I miss my white background and studio lighting. I haven't fully formed thoughts about the products in the collection but no doubt, Revlon has put out some gorgeous products for this Summer. 

I couldn't resist snapping a bunch of product photos so here they are. Full reviews will follow along this week! :) 

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks ($9.50) in Sultry Samba, Brazilian Tan and Carnival Spirit

Revlon ColorStay 16 Hour Eye Shadow ($12.95) in Exotic and Wild

Revlon Nail Enamel  ($5.95) in Copa Sunset, Carioca Crush and Copa Sunset

Is there such thing as a makeup-gasm? Because this collection is just so stunning. I imagine travelling to Rio would be equally, if not more, stunning than some makeup. But I'll settle for the time being. 

 The Revlon Rio Rush Collection by Gucci Westman is available at drugstores in Canada as of May 2014

What do you think of the Revlon Rio Rush Collection ?

 Press samples featured

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EVENT: #AnnabellexShenae Launch Party

I am Stephanie and I am a TV addict. That's how I know Shenae Grimes-Beech was Darcy on Degrassi and Annie Wilson on 90210. Let the fangirling begin. Annabelle Cosmetics recently announced their new brand ambassador. She's the ideal mix of youth, talent, and elegance (and CANADIAN!) all in one pretty package - which seems fitting for the cosmetics line she has associated herself with. 

The launch party was situated at Oliver and Bonacini's Arcadian Court Loft above the Bay in Toronto. The venue - gorgeous. The food - nomnomnom. How Canadian is a DIY poutine bar? LOVE. 

As always, lots of familiar faces. I went in with my beauty blogging partner in crime Jenn of A Beautiful Zen and spent most of my night chatting (and stuffing our faces) with Maggie, Jenn, and Renee. No photo with Shenae Grimes, I was too shy and there were a ton of people. She's surprisingly petite, which made me feel happy to stand at 4'11''. 

Activities included lots of food, a mix your own customized lipgloss station (ingenious), a photobooth and a raid wall of Annabelle products to pick at. Of course, I indulged myself in all. 

Me and mah pretty gurl Jenn. 

All in all, a lovely night. It was a nice way to wind down from the stress of school and life in Waterloo and I'm excited to see what Annabelle + Shenae Grimes-Beech have to offer through this ambassadorship! 

I received the custom lip glosses for free, as well as a goodie bag for attending. Reviews soon to come! 

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NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny

That's right. I've hit mad pan on this bronzer. The NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny ($2.99) is absolutely, positively a cult favourite drugstore beauty product with some kick-butt bronzing ability. 

I've had this bronzer since before I started blogging and I've been swirling my Eco-tools face brush brush into it almost daily for the past two years. Funnily enough, it's also the first bronzer I ever purchased - and it's still going strong! The packaging has worn down over time and looks pretty janky, but the product itself has passed my rigorous "drop test" (not purposely) countless times and has held up very well - no cracks or messy floors in sight. 

The texture is as the name states. Smooth. The colour isn't too dark or light. For my light/medium skin, it's somewhere between a bronzy glow and a subtle contour. In the winter, I use it as a contour under my cheekbone and in the summer I can wear it a little higher up as a "blonzer" (bronzer placed where blush should be). Lucky for me, it's a the perfect shade of bronzer for me. 

I can tell the product is extraordinarily long lasting because at the end of the day when I remove my makeup with a wipe, the bronzer is one of the first things I spot on the cloth. 

My love for this product seems to speak for itself and it's about time that it gets a post of its own. It's often sidelined in posts but definitely there. If you scroll through my archives, I'm pretty sure 90% of my "makeup look" posts include this product. 

I only own 3 bronzers but this is the only one I actually use. If anything, the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer is worth the $3 "splurge" - great pigmentation, not too orange-y, smooth, long-lasting. Rightfully so, it has holy grail status among the beauty blogger community. Do yourself a favour and pick one up (or at least give it a swatch). 

Have you tried the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny? 

Purchased by me

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Halfway to the Runway || Chanel Glitter Unicorn Spring 2014

So much love goes out to the Chanel Spring 2014 Haute Couture makeup look (check out the original look here). I was specifically inspired by Jenn of A Beautiful Zen's PSA: Glitter Unicorn post because I wish I could reach for the glitter on the daily. The look is quite simple - a bold liner and glitter under the eyes, model-perfect skin and shapely brows. 

Products Used: 

EYES - Lancome Artliner in Black Diamond; BA Star Glitter; LA Splash Splashproof Sealer Base; Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Nude; CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara; Marcelle Eyebrow Pen

FACE - CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous Foundation; Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks in Peach Melba; Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette

LIPS - Shu Uemura Tint in Gelato in CR 04

**Wow**... only 10 products, that's how easy it is to recreate! 

Four Steps to Unicorn Status - (1) Draw a thick cat liner (2) Apply a glitter adhesive (3) Apply glitter (4) Brighten the eyes with a nude liner 

Check out my ultra-red Rudolph nose. I saved foundation for last so I could easily clean up the glitter fallout. It had totally slipped my mind that I could have used scotch tape or shadow shields for a cleaner under-eye... whoops!.. As per usual, the hardest part was definitely making my cat liner even on both sides. Apart from that, it was a real drag to get the glitter off my face. 

Overall, a dramatic yet simple eye makeup look that makes you look like a glitter-corn. If you get the chance, try it out! 

How do you think I did? Do you love glitter? 

Press samples are highlighted (I copied Natalie of Ivory Avenue!) , you can click the product listing for a few of the original reviews. 

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Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in Porcelain Party

There is absolutely nothing more chic than a clean, pure white nail. White polish is a staple in my polish collection to be worn on its own or as a base for nail art. Lately, I've been wearing the Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in Porcelain Party. White nail polish can go one of two ways. Either it can look super amazing or it can look like you've coloured whiteout on your fingertips if your polish is too streaky or messy. 

Porcelain Party is opaque in 3 coats. The formula is a tad streaky and overtime (6 to 8 months) it has become quite thick, gloopy and hard to work with. The polish on it's own lasts 2 days at the most before chipping off. I think the key with using this polish is a good top coat to smooth over any wonky areas. 

Porcelain Party is a so-so polish. White is a necessity. While I'm not fully satisfied by the application of Maybelline's Porcelain Party, it's not like I'm going to waste it or throw out the bottle (I'm actually running out). Since many brands offer white polishes, I'll just be on to the next one as soon as I'm done. 

Do you have any suggestions for awesome white polishes? 

Purchased by me

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The Body Shop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream in Medium

Tea tree oil is the natural alternative to harsh chemical acne treatments. Now here's an ingenious thought, mix little tea tree oil into some BB cream and you get the skin-evening of a foundation product with the blemish-fighting properties of tea tree oil aka the The Body Shop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream ($15, available July 2014). 

The bottle appears to be tiny ("fun size"). In actuality, a regular sized foundation is 30 mL or 1 fl. oz. So, in fact, the 40 mL Body Shop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream contains more product for approximately the same price as a drugstore foundation (in Canada).  The shade range isn't amazing but at least there's options - light, medium, and dark. 

For a couple years, I've been using tea tree oil as a spot treatment. I'm also a huge fan of The Body Shop Tea Tree Exfoliating Wash. For the most part, tea tree is a disinfectant. The antibacterial properties are then, in turn, meant to prevent and heal blemishes. As for the blemish-clearing and preventing of the Body Shop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream, it seems to be working. I've been using the Body Shop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream about every other day for the past couple weeks. I've had blemishes (due to a special time of the month) but they've cleared up quite quickly. I'm sure that's the tea tree doing its job. 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream has two simple claims - "instantly spotless-looking skin" and "natural-looking shine-free coverage". Luckily, it delivers. The coverage is slightly heavier than just light, sheer, and non-existent. The product evens out the redness on my nose and the acne-scarring around my mouth. The product itself is extremely thin and feels like nothing on the face. It's easy to smooth out, even in dry areas such as my nose. 

The finish is natural but not completely shine-free. At the beginning of the day, I need to apply powder to my nose and t-zone and the BB cream will last up to 7 hours. The colour "Medium" is slightly too tan for me but I'm in the spring-summer transition, so hopefully within the next few weeks it will be the perfect match! ...The only thing that's missing is the SPF! Sun protection, where are you? 

Overall, I really like this BB cream, certainly more so than the others that I've reviewed previously (RoC, Biotherm Aquasource, Rimmel, and Lioele). It's a decent colour match and a natural looking finish. Plus, with the added ingredient that is blemish-treating tea tree oil, I'm quite enjoying slathering this stuff all over my face on the daily. 

Do you use tea tree oil in your skincare routine? 

Press samples featured

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