Shu Uemura #BraveBeauty Rouge Unlimited Lipsticks [Maroon, Beige, Orange] // Vision of Beauty Collection Fall 2014

Another feature in the Shu Uemura Brave Beauty Collection for Fall 2014, the Rouge Unlimited Lipsticks ($36 each). SPOILER ALERT: They're sheer and moisturizing - perfect for the cooler weather to come. When these landed in my mailbox, the first thing I could think of was WOWZA. That packaging. I would never mind whipping out these pretty little plastic bullets on any and every occasion to touch up my lipstick. The fuchsia-orange swirl design is a little non-traditional but still along the lines of the sleek Shu look. 

In the Brave Beauty collection there are six limited edition shades of the Rouge Unlimited lipsticks. Shown above are Maroon, Beige, and Orange. Also in the line are Fuchsia, Rose and Red. Three things to note (1) they're extremely moisturizing and light-weight on the lips. Somehow, this product simply melts over the lips in thin, smooth layers, (2) two layers of the lipstick yields fairly high pigmentation (3) the Rouge Unlimited Lipsticks are longwearing compared to other sheer/hydrating lipsticks. The wear-time is about 3-4 hours after application and the Maroon shade leaves a light stain on the lips. 

Maroon rebellious rouge for a more sultry femininity - I'm don't quite feel rebellious in this particular shade of lipstick but it's the perfect everyday sheer red that I can't put down. This one's a must if you're into sheer reds.

Beige barely there shade to accentuate your natural magnetism - I find this nude to be quite flattering on my tan yellow skin. Beige has a touch of peachy-orange to make it more wearable. 

Orange adventurous orange for your reckless side - Where the heck was this lipstick this past summer? This borderline pastel orange-yellow is almost comical but the sheerness of the product makes it easy to wear. I can imagine this particular shade to look a bit strange on certain skin tones so be sure to try it out in-store before considering the purchase of this orange. 

Overall, I can't get over the hydration factor of the Rouge Unlimited Lipsticks. If you're into sheer and moisturizing lip products, these are definitely something that should be on your beauty radar!

What do you think of the Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipsticks?  

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Beauty n00b: False Lashes

As a beauty blogger, I feel pretty well-versed in the land of makeups. However, there is some unexplored territory - false lashes. Admittedly, despite having teeny, tiny, straight, short, stubby eyelashes, I've never worn a pair of false ones. 

So, a ton of false lashes from the KISS Ever EZ line land on my door step and I thought, "hey, this looks like fun... why not look like a superbly Asian girl stereotype and test out some false eyelashes?"

And the result... 

I'm wearing the pair on the left!

The Kiss Ever EZ Lashes come in packs of 5 pairs ($12.94) or 2 pairs ($6.47) and include a little plastic applicator. Both come in glam or natural styles and are made of 100% human hair. What you need to buy separately is some lash adhesive. I've been using the Kiss Strip Lash Adhesive with Aloe ($3.97). 

I chose to test out a "natural" pair. I didn't need to cut  To apply, I squeezed a little bit of the Kiss Strip Lash Adhesive onto the back of my hand and then pulled the band of the lashes through the glue. I waited 30 seconds for the glue to get tacky and then proceeded to stick it onto my eyelid (as per the instructions on the back of the packaging).

Is it just more or is aligning the fake lash to your lash line the most difficult process of all? The lashes are fairly lightweight and the band is flexible, but my eyes are so twitchy. 

After a couple hours, the edges of the lashes at the inner corners of my eyes started to fall slightly. At the four hour mark, my lids started to feel a bit heavy because I'm not used to wearing false eyelashes, so I proceeded to removal. To remove the lashes, I simply peeled off the strip with the applicator and put the lashes back into the packaging for reuse. 

The Good: The false lashes add a TON of oomph to my sparse ones. I used a black adhesive so the clear band was fully concealed. Eyeliner seemed unnecessary but I felt the need to apply a little bit anyways. The "natural" set is fairly natural looking, good for everyday if that's your style! 

The Bad: Felt uncomfortable after a few hours (perhaps this is something I need to get used to). I also need to focus on getting the inner corner to stay put. It took me at least 3 minutes to apply the lashes to each eye (I'm a n00b....) 

I truly commend any girl who wears false lashes on the daily. It's an excruciatingly long and difficult process for someone as lazy as me. Furthermore, the uncomfortable wear is something I'd prefer to reserve for special occasions and costume parties, perfect if you need a lot (or a little) more drama in your makeup look. Halloween is coming up very quickly so perhaps you'll see these lashes make an appearance in the near future! 

How often do you wear false eyelashes?

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MILLIEMENO Miko Romper Review + Dress Giveaway!

MILLIEMENO is a Canadian BC-based, family-owned online boutique that features clothing and handmade accessories. The site is well-curated for the young-adult woman, probably appropriate for anyone from the age of 14 to 30. The store ships to Canada and worldwide. MILLIEMENO features a TON of adorable items, all of which I would like to put in my closet ASAP. Of the many items available, I chose one of which I was sent for the purposes of a review (spoiler alert: I've been wearing it non-stop this summer)

The Miko ($37.53) is a printed romper that features cut-outs on the shoulders and back. The romper is made out of 100% rayon, which is super light-weight and flowy. As I'm quite petite at 4 feet 11 inches, I was a bit worried about whether or not the small [measurements - S – Bust (17/43) Waist (17/43) Length (29.5/75)] would fit me. Luckily, the fit was perfect! The length of the romper hits me mid-thigh and the arm holes are not too big and not too small. 

The rayon wrinkles easily (which is easily fixed with an iron) and rompers in general make it bothersome to go to the washroom. Other than that, I love that the print is super loud and colourful. I have nothing like it in my wardrobe and it's embellished enough with small details like the cutouts and the drawstring that it doesn't require too many accessories to put a complete outfit together. 

GIVEAWAY: 3 winners, open to residents of CANADA and USA 

(1) Like Milliemeno and Fun Size Beauty on Facebook 

(2) Comment below with the dress that you'd like to win from MILLIEMENO.com. There will be 3 winners. :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK! 

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Shu Uemura #BraveBeauty Eye Palettes [Orange, Pink, Green] // 2014 Vision of Beauty Collection Volume 1

Feast your eyes on the Shu Uemura Vision of Beauty Collection Brave Beauty Eye Palettes ($90 each at Holt Renfrew, select Hudson's Bay and Sephora Locations) for Fall 2014. The palettes come in 3 variations - Orange, Pink and Green. Each palette is a ingeniously curated combination of eyeshadows featuring one vivid matte shade and 5 relatively wearable pearl shades to correspond with the bold matte shadow.  

The packaging is A+, as expected. The sleek white packaging with the addition of the limited edition Brave Beauty packaging is still clean with a twist. The individual shadows are removable and you can mix and match between palettes to suit your needs. 

As per usual, the Shu Uemura pressed eyeshadows are exceptional. The ones contained in the Brave Beauty Eye palettes are consistent with other Shu Uemura pressed shadows that I've tried previously - vibrant, smooth and not overly glittery or pearly (see reviews - Pret a Palette & Shadows M813 and M851). In terms of colour combinations, the palettes are interesting, to say the least. A ridiculously bright matte shade paired with 5 easier-to-work-with shades. I think the swatches are worth 1,000 words... 

Orange Palette (orange accent with deep brown, plums and sandy pearl neutrals)

Pink Palette (bright pink accent with burgundy, purple, and lilac pearl shades)

Green Palette (a turquoise green accent with metallic and pearl earth thones)

While the Shu Uemura Brave Beauty palettes are far from "normal", who wants to be normal/boring/mediocre anyways? If you feel like stepping outside of your beauty comfort zone (aka "being brave") these palettes are the perfect way to do so, as they contain a little bit of wow as well as workable neutrals.

SIDENOTE: The Shu Uemura Brave Beauty is a stunner. Cream blush/highlighter, sheer lipstick, eyelashes, face studs and eyeliner reviews coming soon! :)

What do you think of the Shu Uemura Brave Beauty Eye Palettes? Too bright or just right? 

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AWKS TALKS: GIVEAWAY + o.b. tampons #giveusoneperiod

I'm 100% a tampon girl (because pads make me feel like I'm wearing an adult diaper). For 5 days last month, I tried out something new and exciting... o.b. tampons! o.b. stands for ohne binde in German, which means "without napkins." The brand was invented 50 years ago by German gynecologist Dr. Judith Esser. 

So what's the difference between o.b. and all the other tampons out there? They're applicator free. Gross, bulky packaging begone! o.b. tampons fit inconspicuously into the palm of my hand and it's not awkward when I need to pull one out of my bag because it's TINY [or "fun size" if you prefer the use of that term ;)]

At first, I was a little intimidated by the whole "no applicator" thing. Sticking a piece of cotton up your va-jay-jay (or hoo-hah, if you prefer) with solely your finger does not sound like the most appealing or satisfying experience. Good thing o.b. has a solution: when you take the tampon out of the plastic packaging, you pull the little string to enlarge the base of the tampon, creating a little indentation for you to protect your finger from all your womanly liquids. Every time I've used o.b., it wasn't a particularly messy experience.

In terms of absorbency, I've been using the "regular" size which the packaging specifies as holding 6-9 grams for a maximum of 8 hours. The claims are pretty accurate for my "regular" days and I'd probably wear the tampon for 6 hours on a day that's heavier. Furthermore, with these tampons, I've found that no pantyliner is necessary unless you know that you'll be going over the absorbency that the tampon can handle. 

Overall, I think I might just switch to o.b.. I really appreciate the fact that there's less packaging and bulk. In turn, that means less waste and less environmental footprint compared to a tampon with an applicator. Other than that, o.b. tampons work similarly to your average tampon. 

Want to try O.B? :) I'm giving away 20 packs of o.b. tampons...which means 20 winners! Enter below. This giveaway is open to Canadian addresses only! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ALSO, you can get a coupon for an 18 count box of o.b. tampons for FREE (valued at 4.99) at http://www.giveusoneperiod.ca/ :) Follow the conversation using the hashtag #giveusoneperiod 

WINNERS: 

Anne T.

June L.

Sandy C.

Phoebe

Cahley T.

Robyn B.

Shauna

April

Bonnie

Yuen

Suzi M.

Charity K.

Erica

Marie C.

Teri Lynn I.

Angie B.

Kristi R.

Judy C.

Meaghan-Brianne M.

Jasmine G.

Are you a pads or a tampon gal? Have you tried o.b.? 

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#makeupby1D // Take Me Home Collection

You know a brand is a big deal when... they're a group of 5 young males that release a collection of beauty products that they'll probably never use. The boys clearly had no hand in creating this line. I like One Direction, but not to the point where I dream of being Harry Styles's wife. Anyways, the Make Up by One Direction line includes three collections with six products in each - Up All Night, Take Me Home and Midnight Memories ($28.50 each). 

Let's take a peek at what's inside... 

4+1 Eyeshadow Palette // COLOURS: Back For You (matte cream), Change My Mind (peach shimmer), C'mon C'mon (matte taupe), Little Things (matte brown), Take Me Home (golden glitter cream eyeshadow) - The eyeshadow palette contains basic neutral shadows with the exception of the peachy-pink shimmer. The shadows themselves are not particularly buttery or hard, they're quite sheer but not chalky, and wear away when worn without a primer. The gold cream shadow has a chunky glittery overlay and underneath is an awkward gold cream that separates as you apply it on the lids. 

"Little Black Dress" // volumizing black mascara  - not the best mascara per se but it provides natural looking volume. It's a drier mascara (which I like), adds a little volume and can hold a curl without smudging after 3 hours. 

"I Wish" - warm chocolate brown eye and body crayon - The warm brown tone of the crayon works well as an eyeshadow AND contour for the cheekbones and nose. It creases a bit on the eyes after a few hours and needs to be set with a powder on the face, but this is by far the most versatile (and perhaps "boring) item in the kit. 

"Kiss You"  // liquilights glow gloss in orange glitter that glows neon yellow under UV light - In theory, this product sounds awesome - orange. glow in the dark. lip gloss. But not a lot of people have the opportunity to hang around in UV light. In natural light, this orange lip gloss is nothing but chunky, uncomfortable glitter on the lips. 

"Last First Kiss" // pink sheer lipstick - It's unfortunate that this lipstick broke as soon as I twisted it for the first time. The colour is very pretty swatched but doesn't show up over my natural lip colour. 

"Live While We're Young" // multi-dimensional gold glitter nail varnish - gold glitters submerged in clear polish. This must be used as a top coat and I used two coats in the photo above. It's pretty, however this polish isn't particularly unique (I'm sure I have it somewhere else in my collection).

BONUS // 5 piece stencil set - a little odd but fun to play around with!

The icing on the cake, everything comes housed in a One Direction themed tin. Inside is instructions and info on how to use the products inside.

Overall, a majority of the items in the One Direction Take Me Home Collection were a miss for me in terms of quality (with the exception of the eyeshadow crayon, nail polish, and stencils). That being said, this kit would be great for a younger girl who is just starting out with makeup and is obsessed with 1D. If you're a One Direction fan but already own a ton of makeup (like myself), I'd suggest picking up a Harry Styles blow-up doll instead. 

You can find Make Up by One Direction at Macy's, Stage Stores, Dillards, Lord & Taylor, and Beauty Brands in the USA as of August. The international release date is TBD. Find out more at https://www.facebook.com/MakeupbyOneDirection

What do you think of One Direction branded makeup? 

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Lip Gloss, Stains & Liners GRAVEYARD + Swatches

The lip gloss collection is not nearly as ridiculous as the lipstick one. Thus, it's a little more manageable. Regardless, it's time to DE-STASH (for the full, unedited collection, see here). See last week's LIPSTICK GRAVEYARD here. 

A recap of how I'm going about this process: 

(1) keep items that are almost finished, items that are not yet reviewed, and items that have colours and formulas that you truly enjoy 

(2) don't keep items that have old lady scents (or are just old in general), colours you haven't worn in months and will likely never wear, products with shimmer/glitters/pearly finish

Anything highlighted in pink and an asterisk (*) will remain in my makeup collection. Items denoted with the letter (R) will be kept for future review purposes. EVERYTHING WITH A REVIEW IS LINKED! :) 

Nudes

NARS Lip Gloss // Turkish Delight*

Laura Mercier Lip Glace // Bare Pink*

Caryl Baker Visage City Slickers // Calm 

Annabelle Big Show Lip Shine // Beam*

Mary Kay Lip Shimmer // Pearl Rose

Grapeseed Age Protecting Lip Gloss // Dew*

Pinks

Mary Kay Nourishine Plus Lip Gloss // Celebrate

Buxom Lip Polish // Dolly*

MAC Lip Glass // Frozen Dream

NYC Big Bold Plumping Lip Gloss 

Mary Kay Glossy Lip Stain // Enchanted Mauve*

Annabelle Big Show Lip Shine // custom*

Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lip Gloss // Polka*

Reds and Oranges

Australis Mint Condition Lip Gloss*

Be a Bombshell Lip Gloss // Hot Mess*

Almay Liquid Lip Balm // 100 Just Plum*

Caryl Baker Visage Lip Gloss // Corruption 

Joe Fresh Lip Gloss // Poppy 

Shimmers

CoverGirl Lipslicks Smoochies // Rose Alegre* (R)

CoverGirl Lipslicks Smoochies // Violet Flare* (R)

Tarina Tarantino Sparklicity Lip Gloss // Parade

Balms 

Korres Lip Butter // Plum* (R)

Mary Kay Lip Lacquer // Pink Pagoda

Ageless Derma Satin Lip Gloss // Ruby

 Liners

Caryl Baker Visage Lip Liner // Desire

Saavy Nourishing Lip Liner // Brick

CoverGirl LipPerfection Lip Liner // 215 Passion*

Saavy Nourishing Lip Liner // Rose

Annabelle Stay Sharp Lip Liner // Java*

Rimmel Moisture Renew Universal Transparent Lip Liner* 

L'Oreal Colour Caresse Shine Stain // Endless Red*

L'Oreal Colour Caresse Shine Stain // Rose On and On*
Caitlyn Lip Stain*

KEEP - 21

GIVE AWAY - 8

TOSS - 3

Looking back, it's a LOT harder to let go of glosses than lipsticks. Glosses are the easiest way to wear colour on the lips without looking over the top. Thus, glosses are an everyday thing for me and I have a lot that I love even though I have less of them. 

Do you own more lipsticks or glosses? 

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