SOCIAL MEDIA

Dior Diorskin Nude Air Luminzer Swatches + Review

Sunday 31 July 2016
Dior Diorskin Nude Air Luminzer 001
A part of the Dior Skyline Fall 2016 Makeup Collection, the Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer is a universal illuminator for all skin tones. Retails for $77 CAD at Nordstrom. See it in action in my video review.
Dior Fall 2016 Nude Air Luminzer
It is recommended to use a small amount for an overall luminous look or more concentrated to highlight/strobe. As an oily skinned girl I cannot imagine putting this all over my face but I love it as a highlight. It is super densely packed, so I like to use a more dense brush with it. It has a very smooth texture, no glitter just glow! I think for that most skintones could use this, it is neither warm nor cool toned - pretty universal in my book! 

Wearing Dior Nude Air Luminzer on my cheekbones, bridge of nose and inner corners of my eyes!

I love this highlighter! I generally go for something more golden and warm but I love the glow this gives. It doesn't look too unnatural, you can wear it lightly or build it up for some serious glow. I am wearing it above with the Dior Contour Stick which I reviewed last week. 

*These products were sent to me for my consideration.

Dior Fix It Colour 2 in 1 Prime and Colour Correct Swatches + Review

Saturday 30 July 2016
Dior Colour Correcting Sticks
The Dior Fix It Colour 2 in 1 Prime and Colour Correct are meant to help eliminate skin texture and unwanted discolouring in one swipe. They retail for $45 CAD at Sephora. The inner core which will blur imperfections is surrounded by the colour correcting cream.  There are four shades available, I am missing the blue. See these correctors in action in my video review.

Dior Fix It Colour Correctors for Face Eyes and Lips 

The packaging on these correctors is ADORABLE. Classic Dior tube but with a colourful twist. This is especially appreciated if you have a larger collection, it makes them super easy to grab for! When colour correcting you are generally looking to target a small area so the stick format makes them super easy to use. They have just enough pigment to colour correct, without having to cake on lots of foundation to cover up your correcting. They blend very easily and don't lost their pigment and blend away. 
These are recommended for face, eyes and lips which I think is interesting! If you have any discolourations on the sensitive skin of your eyelids, these would make a great base to ensure your eyeshadow shows true to colour. 
Dior Colour Correctors in Green, Apricot and Yellow.


Dior Colour Corrector Green: Covers any redness in the skin, blemishes, rosacea etc. 
Dior Colour Corrector Apricot: Brings warmth to dull areas such as hyper-pigmentation, dark circles, or dark spots. Recommended for deeper skin. 
Dior Colour Corrector Yellow: Erases plum tinged discolorations from dark circles, blood vessels. 
Dior Colour Corrector Blue: Evens out and invigorates tired and sallow skin.
Dior Colour Corrector Before and After


Overall, I really like these! Colour Correcting isn't for everyone, and it may not be something you do everyday but I love having these on hand for the days my skin just isn't agreeing. They are lightweight, blendable and get the job done! 

*These products were sent to me for my consideration.

Quo Back To School Limited Edition Collection

Tuesday 26 July 2016
Quo Back To School 2016 Limited Edition Collection
Quo's adorable Back to School Limited Edition Collection launches August 2016. It will be available at Shopper's Drug Mart. The bright coral-pink packaging will be hard to miss, I love it!
Quo Daily Beauty Palette $42.00
The Quo Daily Beauty Palette has 28 eyeshadows, 7 eyeliners and 3 blush shades. A new look for every day of the week! I love the super slim packaging, great for storage.

As you can see in the swatches above there is a huge array of shadows. Overall, decent pigmentation, smooth formula and not patchy. The palette however is missing some mid-tone matte browns for crease and transition and they are quite powdery. When worn with a primer they last all day on my oily eyelids. The eyeliners are swatched along the bottom, they have more of a gel texture than a traditional gel liner. They lack a little pigmentation because of the texture, however this makes them a good candidate for a shadow base! I paired the eyeliner with my regular primer and it really helped the shadows pop.

Quo Daily Beauty Palette Blush Swatches
The middle blush totally surprised me, it has great pigmentation, gives a rosey flush and lasted all day on my skin! The texture was smooth and not patchy. The other two blushes definitely seem more like a highlights but on my skin they didn't do a lot. Perhaps they are better suited for a lighter skintone but it was a missed opportunity to include another toned blush.
Quo Taking Notes Beauty Palette $32.00
This comes in a black zip case, you could totally sneak this into class and disguise it as a notebook! It contains 12 eyeshadows, 2 eyeliners, 4 blush/bronzers and 4 lip colors. It also has room for any cards and your cell phone!

I love the range of shades in the first page of the Taking Notes Palette, great mid tone shades for adding definition and depth. That being said the pigmentation is lacking, they definitely act better with a primer. The blushes are better quality for sure, similar to the Daily Palette. Eyeliners again act better as bases. I find the highlights to be more of a brow bone or inner corner highlight for the eyes as opposed to something I'd put on my cheeks. As for the lippies in this palette they are moisturizing and add a sheer wash of color!
Quo Taking Notes Beauty Palette Page 1

Quo Taking Notes Beauty Palette Page 1 Swatches
Quo Taking Notes Beauty Palette Page 2
Quo Taking Notes Beauty Palette Page 2

The collection also includes the Quo Hall Monitor Clutch (pictured at the top), this has card slots, a coin purse and a place for a phone for $22.00 all wrapped in the gorgeous coral pink packaging. Not pictured is the Quo Get a Grip Magnetic Brush Set, $38.00. It has 5 brushes that all have a magnetic tip that make it easy to store upside down and it makes a great option post washing your brushes to dry them hanging! 

*These products were sent to me for my consideration. 


Diorblush Light and Contour Sculpting Stick Duo Shadow and Light

Sunday 24 July 2016

Dior Fall 2016 Makeup - Dior Sculpting Stick Duo
Dior Fall 2016 Makeup Collection "Skyline" will launch soon and be available wherever Dior is sold. Designed by Peter Philips the Creative and Image Director for Dior Makeup "explores the vast possibilities of using shade and light to sculpt the face".

Being that this collection is focused around the possibilities of using shade and light to sculpt the face, it only makes sense there's some sculpting products in the line! The Diorblush Light and Contour Sculpting Stick Duo retail for $60 CAD at Nordstrom. As an oily skinned girl, I wondered if these would work for me, I generally lean towards powder contour products. These are the Diorblush Light and Contour Duo Sculpting Sticks, they are also limited edition which is upsetting because I love them! If you'd like to see it in action I demo it in this video.
Diorblush Light and Contour Duo, Contour 001(Left) and 003(Right)
Diorblush Light and Contour Duo, Highlight 001(Left) and 003(Right)
Dior Contour Stick 001 and Dior Contour Stick 003
Wearing Dior Contour Stick Duo in 001 (ps. not topless)
Wearing Dior Contour Stick Duo in 001 (blended)
As mentioned, I am so impressed with this product! They blend out very easily to a natural finish, or can be built up for a more intensely sculpted look. The glow is quite natural, with no glitter, I like to set it with a powder highlight to bump it up. I think this can work for both dry and oily skin, oily skin girls just set it with a powder.



*These products were sent to me from Dior PR for my consideration.

Dior Fall 2016 Skyline Collection 5 Couleurs Skyline Palettes

Saturday 23 July 2016
Dior Fall 2016 Skyline Collection 5 Couleurs Skyline Palettes
Dior Fall 2016 Makeup Collection "Skyline" will launch soon and be available wherever Dior is sold. Designed by Peter Philips the Creative and Image Director for Dior Makeup "explores the vast possibilities of using shade and light to sculpt the face".

Modelled after the Eiffel Tower, these palettes are GORGEOUS. I also love that when you dip your brush in they don't totally lose their design. They are limited edition, so if you see it and like it, buy it!
Dior 2016 Fall Makeup 506 Parisian Sky
Dior Fall 2016 Skyline Collection 5 Couleurs Skyline Palettes 506 Parisian Sky
I absolutely love the top shade, it's got a slight duochrome and leans in-between a champagne and pale rose. Overall, great pigmentation, tightly packed formula that is not at all powdery. I would recommend a dense brush or fingers! Although there are no mattes, I had no problems completing a full look with this. My only wish is the blue showed up slightly more blue. If you'd like to see it on my eyes I'm wearing it in this video, the blue is in my inner corner.
Dior 2016 Fall Makeup 806 Capital of Light 
Dior Fall 2016 Skyline Collection 5 Couleurs Skyline Palettes 806 Capital of Light
This palette screams fall! Again, the top shade has a great duochrome type champagne-pink hue. The middle shade is a cool toned brown with a pale gold shimmer, could act as a crease shade or for a more smokey look, placed all over the lid. The pink and plum are fabulous. Plum is synonymous with fall but the addition of pink gives it such a modern twist. If you'd like to see it on my eyes I'm wearing it in this video.



*These products were sent from Dior PR for my consideration.

Maybelline Color Jolt Swatches + Review

Thursday 21 July 2016

Maybelline Lip Studio Color Jolt Intense Lip Paint are a new product to their line and they are FABULOUS. As a lip junkie it is hard to impress me, but these have such a wonderful formula and are incredibly moisturizing. I have a full review video if you'd like to check that out too!

There are 8 shades available for approximately $10 at 6.4 ml of product each. I really hope they extend the range, these 8 shades are a great start but I'd love to see some more nudes and a some super bold shades similar to their Loaded Bolds collection.

I picked up Stripped Down while on a recent trip to the US. I wanted to try the others but in all honesty I was afraid to try any of the deeper shades because they may slip around too much. Boy was I wrong! I received the rest of the shades as PR samples from Maybelline and the staying power is great. If you'd like them to stay longer I recommend applying with a lip liner and or blotting. The majority of the shades also leave a bit of a stain. 

As for the texture, these are super smooth and leave your lips feeling moisturized. They are not sticky, goopy or thick. They have a doe foot applicator that still allows for precise application. 


Overall, I absolutely love these. Beautiful formula, super moisturizing and great wear time! 
Have you tried? Which shade is your favorite!?

*These products were sent from PR for my consideration. However I purchased Stripped Down myself a few weeks prior :) 

L'Oreal Extraordinary Clay Hair Review

Tuesday 19 July 2016
A few days ago I was lucky enough to attend an event at the Eric Del Monaco Salon here in Toronto to try out L'Oreal's new Extraordinary Clay Hair Care! This line will launch August 2016 and is aimed towards those with normal to oily hair. 

"Break the cycle of oily roots and dry ends with L'Oreal Paris' 1st clay-based haircare ritual that purifies the roots while leaving the ends soft and flowing."

I am a huge fan of clay on my face, so I was really intrigued to try it out on my hair. I however do not have normal or oily hair - it's actually quite dry due to the fact that it's curly, chemically relaxed and I have highlights! This made me even more curious to see if it could still work for me. 
L'oreal take over at Eric Del Monaco's Salon! He is the Official Hair Artist and Colourist for L'Oreal Paris in Canada.

To me, clay seemed like an odd option for hair care. I use it to draw out impurities in my skin, and even absorb some of the oil. This however makes sense for those with a more oily scalp. Many people end up over shampooing their hair to combat oil so this can lead to dry ends. This clay based hair care line is meant to balance the battle between the two.
There are 3 clays featured in the L'Oreal Extraordinary Clay line: 
Kaolinte (white clay): A light clay that absorbs oil and purifies roots. 
Argilane (green clay): Used in many soaps. Helps to cleanse and absorb water. 
Montmorillonite (blue clay): Water absorbing to help with optimal hydration.

There are 3 steps in the process, starting with the mask!
1. L'Oreal Extraordinary Clay Pre shampoo Treatment (clay mask): 30% pure clay. Apply to roots and scalp prior to shampoo and conditioner. Leave for up to 5 minutes. This will absorb oil, along with lift the roots. 
2.  L'Oreal Extraordinary Clay Shampoo: Silicone-free. Cleanses the scalp and hair for three days of freshness. Below is NOT a good angle, but I had to show you the process! 
3.  L'Oreal Extraordinary Clay Conditioner: Silicone Free. Coats hair to condition without weighing down. 

Finished product! Taking a shameless selfie on the side of the road :)
Overall I think this is a super cool and innovative product. I noticed that my hair felt shiny and light when I left the salon so I can't complain about that! I didn't lose any volume in my hair either, when I get a blow out it can look sad and flat on my head but not today - it looked great! As a dry haired girl it won't be something I reach for every time I go to wash my hair but I love the mask and will definitely use that to clarify my hair when it gets overloaded with product. Also important to note, this stuff smells great - a super fresh not overpower scent.
If you have normal to oily hair I highly recommend! I think this could be a great addition to your hair care routine to help manage your oil without over drying. I am on day 3 hair and I have added no extra product and it does not feel dry or oily. 
Thanks to L'Oreal and the team at Eric Del Monaco's Salon for having me at this event! Let me know below if you plan to try.