March Haul 2017 (Makeup)

Hey guys, so I've been a little mia lately. I just been working a lot, so it gave me very little time to blog. I also been focusing more on my freelance stuff. I really want to build myself as a freelance artist, so I've been putting extra time into that, especially since summer is quickly approaching us. So ya, that's why I haven't posted anything in awhile and I do apologize for that! However, I have a interesting haul for you this month, so let's just get into it!

March Haul!

Let's start off with Sephora. I find that there was so many new launches in March! I've been checking the "New Arrivals" section almost everyday! There's a ton of stuff that I want, but obviously I had to limit myself! The first product that I purchased is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Palette. As soon as I saw that it was available on Sephora, I purchased it! I just love everything about this palette! I haven't played with it that much, but the concept of this is amazing! It comes with 18 shades, but most of the bottom row comes with primary shades. These are amazing to change the under tone of the shade. You can even use them to lighten or darken shades! They're very versatile! There's no other lip palette that I know that comes with this concept! It truly makes it a dream palette for any freelance makeup artist! I can literally just carry this Lip Palette and I'll have something for all my clients! It even comes with a palette to mix the shades on! The color scheme is also really nice! The shades are all different from one another! They did a really good job at picking the shades in this palette! It's very well thought out! It's definitely a must have in my opinion! It's limited edition, so if you been eyeing it, I suggest that you pick it up asap!

Love this palette!

Next, I picked up the Anastasia Beverly Hills Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit. Now, when I first saw the swatches of this, I wasn't really drawn to it, because they're not shades that I typically go for (I'm more of a gold girl). But, when I saw demos with this palette, I died! The colors look stunning on multiple skin tones and the finish of this palette is just "OMG". These highlighters leave that wet metallic finish, which I absolutely love! It's just opaque and beautiful! I just gave in and I'm glad that I did! The formula of this Glow Kit is definitely the best one that ABH released! It's super pigmented and buttery smooth! When you look at the pans, you can see that there's a lot of glitter, but the finish isn't glittery. It's also long wearing! The powders are finely milled! I just love this palette! It's nothing like the Glow Kit that ABH released during the holidays! This one is a million times better!

Such an amazing collaboration! Congrats ABH and Nicole!

I also purchased the Bite Beauty Prismatic Pearl Creme Lip Gloss in Champagne Pearl. Champagne Pearl is a beautiful and I mean beautiful metallic champagne with gold shimmer. This Lip Gloss is super pigmented and creamy. It glides on your lips like butter! It's definitely unique and it's not a everyday kind of gloss, but it's just so stunning! I'm just really blown away by the coverage of this! I can't wait to create artsy looks with it!

Can't wait to create looks with this!

Finally from Sephora, I picked up 2 Make Up For Ever Star Lit Powders in the shades #13 (light peach) and #19 (cobalt blue). I mean everyone has been raving about them, so I had to jump on the bandwagon! I picked up #13, because Jaclyn Hill wore it as a highlighter and it was absolutely stunning! She was glowing for the gods I swear! I picked up #19, because I just been into cobalt blue lately. I want to do more different looks with colors, so I figured that it would be a good stepping stone. I haven't tried these on yet, but they swatch beautifully! The shade #19 is more on the satin side, which I like since it's a bold color! The shade #13 is definitely that wet metallic opaque finish! I can't wait to play with these!

Look at these shades!

Moving along, I finally received my order from Klarity Kosmetics. This is one of those Instagram Indie brands! I've had a few people that requested that I try their products, since they look promising. They were having 50% off their whole website, so I was like why not? Now, I'm a little disappointed with them, because I purchased the 12 pan Eyeshadow Palette (I can't seem to find the palette or the name of it anywhere on their website or Instagram now) and I received it completely broken. Most of the eyeshadows were damaged, like there's 3 pans that are completely shattered! The packaging is also getting undone! It just looks like a complete nightmare! I've never received anything like that before. It was wrapped in bubble wrap and everything, so the question is: Did they send me a damaged palette on purpose? or Is the problem actually the formula? I sent them a email and all, but no response. A little rude if you ask me. A apology would have been nice. I also picked up the Kashmir Highlighter in Russian Roulette. This highlighter was perfectly fine and the packaging is nice! It also swatches really nicely, so hopefully it works out! Since this was a request, I'll be reviewing both products, even if my eyeshadow palette is completely ruined.

The packaging is really nice on both products! Just wait until you see the inside of the palette in my review!

MAC was having 25% off online and in store, so I took advantage of it! I didn't purchase that much to be honest, because I'm waiting to apply for my pro card. I picked up the Pro Longwear Concealer in NW35. I already own this shade, but I was running low, so I figured that I would get a back up! The new one that I purchased is slightly lighter than my old one, which is a bit weird, but I don't mind. I was applying NW35 to help cover my dark under eye circles and I was using a lighter concealer on top of it for that highlighted look. I still need to use a lighter shade on top, but this shade is definitely perfect for those very minimum bare looks! For those of you wondering, this is probably my favorite concealer! It gets the work done! It has the perfect coverage and it's super long wearing! I repurchased Fix Plus, because I almost finished my bottle. I love this stuff! I use it every single time that I do my makeup or my client's makeup! I use it to prep the skin before makeup application and once I'm done the makeup (if I want a dewy finish). I also use it to intensify my eyeshadows! This stuff is truly amazing and everyone needs it! Lastly from MAC, I picked up the Prep + Prime Skin Base. I've received many samples of this and I been loving it! It's good to even out redness and to add radiance to the skin! I really like the way that my foundation sets with this, so I finally purchased the full size!

Some of my favorite MAC products!

Moving along, I also purchased from Makeup Geek. I picked up only 4 eyeshadows in total. My cousin's sweet 16 is coming up and the theme color is purple, so I wanted to pick up some purple shades, since I'll be doing everyone's makeup. I have a few purple shades in palettes, but I wasn't impressed with the color payoff and all, so I decided to just get Makeup Geek Eyeshadows, since they have an amazing formula at an affordable price! I picked up 3 Foiled Eyeshadows in the shades Hype (medium amethyst purple), Daydreamer (light lilac) and Masquerade (medium warm purple). I love the Foiled Eyeshadows! They're super opaque and long wearing! These shades are perfect for the lid or even the lower lash line! I also picked up a matte eyeshadow in Neptune (bright medium blue). As mentioned, I just want to create more looks with colors and blue has just been my thing lately! I've mentioned Makeup Geek Eyeshadows a few times on my blog before! They're truly amazing and a must have for freelance artists!

If you haven't tried Makeup Geek Eyeshadows, you're missing out!

Lastly, I finally got the Kailijumei Lipsticks! These are the famous lipsticks from China that have the flower in the middle with the gold flakes. I mean I specifically bought this for collection purposes! I'm a total lip junkie and I just needed these! I picked up the shades Flame Red and Barbie Doll Powder in the Pixie Rose packaging. I mean these are just stunning! The packaging is equally stunning! It's very well presented! The lipstick itself is more of a lip balm. It's a sheer wash of pink. I've tried it on and it does feel nice on the lips, however, this is definitely more of a collection thing for me. I don't plan on using it that much, it's just gorgeous to display on my vanity!

Beyond and I mean beyond stunning!

That you guys is it for my haul! As mentioned, sorry for being mia. I just been so caught up with my work! I hope that you guys enjoyed this haul! I find that I picked up a lot of interesting products this month! My March Favorites will be up soon! It's going to be a short one, since I haven't had the chance to play with that much makeup! After that, I'll be reviewing a few L'Oreal products that I received and the Klarity Kosmetics stuff! Stay tuned for that! 

February Favorites 2017 (Makeup)

Hey guys, so I'm bringing to you my February Favorites! I can't believe it's almost spring! I'm just so over winter! The weather has just been crazy in Montreal. It's always one extreme to the other. However, I've been super impressed with how healthy my skin has been throughout the winter! Like, it did go a bit crazy in November, since I was really stressed with school and I haven't been following up with my skincare routine. However since then, it's just been amazing! If you're interested, I could do a skincare routine? Just let me know! Anyways let get on with my February Favorites! I've been playing with a bit of different products this month! I tried to get creative and branch out to some newer products! 

February Favorites!

I've been loving the new Bite Beauty Lip Pencils! I actually received these from Influenster complimentary for reviewing purposes. I mean Bite Beauty makes some of the best lip products and I knew that I was going to love these! I got the shades 020 (pink peachy nude) and 044 (rich mahgony). The formula on these is to die for! I actually did a full review on them here, if you're interested in reading about them! What I love about these is the texture, pigmentation and precise application. They're super pigmented, but feel light on the lips. They glide on your lips effortlessly! They wear beautifully on their own! I can just go on and on about these! They're a must have! 

These Lip Pencils are a must have!

I've also been enjoying my Clionadh Cosmetics Highlighters! This time I fell in love with the shades Eadon and Nightfall. I just love Eadon as a everyday highlighter. It's a beautiful champagne with a hint of peach. It's subtle, but you can definitely build it up! It's one of those highlighters that gives you that "glowing within" type of finish. It's just so creamy and rich in pigmentation (just like all their highlighters!). It blends out really nicely. It's also long wearing! Eadon compliments multiple skin tones! Nightfall is more on the unique side! It's not your typical everyday shade, but it's such a fun shade to get creative with! It has a gradient of green, teal, blue and violet iridescent shades. You can wear each shade separately or mix them for a custom shade! Unlike Eadon, this is packed with glitter, but it's not overpowering! I know a lot of people shy away from this, because it's blue, but it's honestly so stunning! I always get compliments when I wear this shade! I've reviewed the Clionadh Cosmetics Highlighters here, if you're interested in reading more about them! I haven't reviewed the shades Eadon or Nightfall, but I can definitely do one, if you're interested! 

The picture does no justice to how stunning these shades are!

I've also been obsessed with Heat Wave by Estee Lauder! I mean this is just a staple, everyone needs it! It's a beautiful true gold. It compliments so many different skin tones! It goes with just about any look! It's opaque and leaves a beautiful metallic sheen. It has the right amount of shimmer to it. The formula is also amazing! It's super smooth and blendable. It's also long wearing. I just can't get enough of it! Gold highlighters are truly my weakness! I just need them all! 

How stunning is Heat Wave?! 

Moving along, I've been loving the Benefit Gimme Brow. I swear I'm probably the last person to try this, but wow, I'm beyond impressed with this product! It just makes your brows look fuller. It actually looks super natural and you can easily mimic the look of natural hair with this product. It also doesn't budge throughout the day and it's super long wearing! I also like the precise applicator to this! It makes filling in your brows so easy! I've been wearing this really often this month! Before this, I was using the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade, but the Gimme Brow looks more natural and goes with that everyday kind of makeup! I feel like now I can't live without this product! 

Go to brow product!

 
I have super sensitive and watery eyes, so I normally just put nude on my lower lash line, so that I don't have to worry about my eyeliner running. However, I just been loving black on the lower lash line! I just been seeing so many makeup looks with it and I just wanted to give it another go! I finally found the 2 products that prevent my liner from running and I'm so happy! As my water line liner, I use the Buxom Insider Liner in Black and I set it with Makeup Geek's Eyeshadow in Corrupt. This combination legit lasts me all day! I don't have to worry about it fading away or running! It holds up really well! The Buxom Insider Liner is super creamy! It's also pigmented and glides on really smoothly! It wears for a pretty long time on it's own (even if you have watery eyes like myself). Corrupt is a matte black. It's super black, but not drying. It blends really nicely. It's also long wearing. If you're lower lash line has been a struggle, please try this combination! It's game changing!

Favorite combination at the moment!

Lastly, I wanted to mention The Estee Edit Gritty and Glow Magnetic Eyeshadow Palette. Last month, I was enjoying the face palette, but this month, I've been all about the eyeshadow palette! This palette has some really gorgeous jewel tones! You guys know that I love my neutral looks, but this is the perfect palette for color! The shades aren't too bright or dark, they're actually super wearable! The formula is also really nice! The shades are all super pigmented and buttery smooth! They blend really nicely and have no fallout to them! They're also long wearing! They do have a ton of shimmer to them, but I mean that's why they pop so much! This palette is everything! I've tried to use it as much as possible this month!

How perfect is this palette?!

So, that's about it for my February Favorites! I tried to play with new products and old ones that I haven't used in awhile! Of course, always check out my previous Favorites to see which other products that I've been enjoying! I try not to mention the same products every month, because I know that gets boring! But ya, I hope that you guys enjoyed reading this post! I have a lot of products to review, so be sure to be subscribed to my blog to get the latest posts! Also, be sure to follow me on IG @divyapatel_mua for more beauty content! Have a great week everyone!

February Haul 2017 (Makeup)

Hey guys, so once again, I apologize for posting this late! I feel like it's just become a routine now. My plate is still very full, so again, sorry! I have a pretty big haul this month (well for February). You're going to see that I received a lot of the products, which is why this haul is going to be big. I tried not to spend a lot of money, but with all these new releases, it's really hard! I think that I received and picked up a lot of interesting products, so let's just get into it! 

My February Haul

Let's start off with Sephora. I only picked up one product online, which is the new Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Rose Gold Retro. I mean everyone has been talking about these, so I had to pick up one! I decided to go with Rose Gold Retro (a stunning rose gold with silver), because I want to create more rose gold looks. As you guys know, I love gold. Most of my looks are with gold, so I wanted to change it up a little! I still haven't tried this on yet, but it swatches beautifully! If I fall in love with this, I know I'll be getting the other shades!  

Rose Gold Retro

My next purchase was from the Bay's website. Estee Lauder FINALLY relaunched the Illuminating Powder Gelee in Heat Wave! This time in a different packaging! It's absolutely beautiful! It's just that stunning true gold! It leaves a beautiful metallic sheen! The formula is really nice! It's super pigmented, but blends really nicely! It's also long wearing. I was going to review it, but I received mine a little late and there's already so many reviews on it! I think at the moment, it's completely sold out, so that's another reason that I decided not to review it! I also picked up the MAC Lipstick in Velvet Teddy in the limited edition packaging. I mean Velvet Teddy is that shade that everyone has! It was about time that I picked it up. It's a beautiful medium-dark beige. It's definitely that nude that's trending, which I personally love! I also love the packaging! It's so chic! 

My purchases from the Bay

I also placed a order online at Chuusi. Chuusi sells a bunch of skincare stuff! They carry many Korean brands that you can't find at your big beauty retailers. I've been loving sheet masks lately, so I wanted to branch out to the Korean sheet masks brands! I was actually looking for a sheet mask subscription box, but there aren't any in Canada (at least I didn't find any) and the American ones have a crazy amount for shipping. So, I was randomly typing in stuff on google and that's when Chuusi popped up. I looked up this brand on Instagram and stuff to make sure that they were legit. They are, so I decided to place a big order to see how it goes! When I received my package, I was beyond impressed and excited! First of all, shipping wasn't long and I also got a bunch of samples to test out! Secondly, guys, none of my masks cost more than $2CAD!! Like, how insane??? I remember at Sephora I purchased the Tony Moly sheet masks, which were $7CAD (came with 2 masks). On Chuusi, they're $1.60CAD per mask, like crazy right? So, I actually ordered like 30 sheet masks! I picked up the Innisfree Shea Butter Mask, Innisfree Rose Mask, Tony Moly Makgeolli Mask Sheet, Tony Moly Aloe Mask Sheet, Tony Moly Pomegranate Mask Sheet, Tony Moly Red Wine Mask Sheet, Tony Moly Seaweeds Mask Sheet, Tony Moly Avocado Mask Sheet, Tony Moly Rice Mask Sheet, Tony Moly Tea Tree Mask Sheet,  Tony Moly Pureness 100 Caviar Mask Sheet, 3 of the Tony Moly Panda's Dream Eye Patches and 2 of the Tony Moly Pureness 100 Pearl Mask Sheets. I also picked up the L'Herboflore Mask Set in The Garden of Venus Collection.This set comes with a total of 14 masks! It comes with the Disney Princess Intensive Care Black Cotton Facial Mask. You have a choice between Ariel, Belle, Cinderella and Snow White. I chose Ariel, since it was for moisturizing (each Princess has a different purpose)! The set also comes with the Perfume Lotus Balancing, Immortelle Uplift Firming, Orchid Whitening, Apple C Whitening, Grape Anti Aging, Lychee Translucent, Rose Water Refining, Camellia Nourishing, Cherry Blossom Whitening, Mango Reviving, Pear Nourishing, Strawberry Whitening and Watermelon Vitalizing hydromasks (by L'Herboflore). I'll be reviewing a few of the masks that I purchased, so stay tuned for that! If you want me to review any mask in particular, of course let me know! 

Sheet masks overload!

I also made a trip to Walmart. I went to pick up some makeup wipes, but I decided to browse through the cosmetics section to just see what's new and if anything interesting was out! I picked up 2 packs of the Garnier Fresh Cleansing Cloths. I've already purchased these before and they're good inexpensive makeup wipes. They're not my personal favorite, but they do a decent job! They're around $5CAD for 25 wipes, so you can't go wrong! I also picked up the Maybelline The Colossal Big Shot Mascara. I mean this has  been everywhere, so I decided to give it a shot. It looks promising! I haven't tried it yet, so if you want a review on it, let me know! I also picked up the Kiss lashes in #11. Since my bookings are coming up, I figured that I would stock up on lashes. These are some of my favorite! They're wispies, so they have volume and length to them! A lot of my clients pick these out! They just compliment any look! 

Some Walmart goodies

I also decided to give Hard Candy a go! Walmart actually carries a lot of their products. I've never tried their products before, but I know that a lot of people say that it's a really good drugstore brand! I picked up the Twinkle Star highlighter duo. It comes with 2 baked highlighters. One of them is a light champagne, while the other is a peachy gold. I did swatch them and they're not as creamy as I would like them to be, but the pigmentation isn't bad. So, we'll see how they wear! I also picked up the Velvet Mousse Matte Lip Colour in Mimosa Blossom. This comes in a cute tin packaging. The Matte Lip Colour itself comes in a nice slim packaging. I've swatched it and I'm very impressed with the pigmentation and texture! It's super full coverage and smooth! The shade is also a beautiful medium brown nude. I have yet to try it on my lips. I think I'm going to review this product! 

I've never tried Hard Candy before!

Now, let's get into the products that I've received! I received the Bite Beauty Voxbox from Influenster. I'm not going to get into what Influenster is or anything, because I did talk about it on my blog before and it's in my review for this Voxbox here. This Voxbox came with 2 of the new Bite Beauty Lip Pencils, in the shades 020 (pink peachy nude) and 044 (rich mahogany). It also came with the corresponding lipsticks, which are Honeycomb and Whiskey. It also came with a Sephora sharpener, which I thought was a smart idea. As mentioned, the new Lip Pencils are already reviewed on my blog, so check it out! I really been enjoying them, they just may be my favorite lip liner formula! 

Thank you Influenster!

Moving along, L'Oreal was kind enough to send me a care package. I was really surprised that they were willing to do that, so thank you SO much L'Oreal! I truly do appreciate this package! I received the Voluminous Feline mascara, La Palette Nude eyeshadow palette, Voluminous Noir Liquid Eyeliner, Infallible Pro Glow in Sun Beige (so thoughtful how they read my blog), Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush (warm reddish copper), Pure Clay Mask: Exfoliating & Pore Refining and 3 of the Infallible Pro Matte Glosses. The Matte Glosses came in the shades Bare Attraction (medium brown with peachy undertones), Blushing Ambition (warm rosey pink) and Statement Nude (medium warm pinkish brown). I'll be reviewing all the products on my blog in the next few weeks/months! I already used some of the products before, so I'll review them first! 

Thank you so much L'Oreal!

Lastly, my friends gave me my late birthday present. They got me the Christian Louboutin Nail Colour in Madame est Nue. I'm beyond obsessed with this nail polish! Like, first of all, the packaging is to die for! It was very well presented! Secondly, I love the color of this nail polish! It's a beautiful light baby pink! Even though I fall in between medium to tan skin, I love nudes like these! It's my first Christian Louboutin product! I feel like now I need to try out all the other products! 

I'm in love! 

That's it for my haul! It was a lot bigger than my previous few hauls! I'm really excited to start using all these products! I have a lot of reviews coming up for you guys, so stay tuned for that! My February Favorites will be up soon! I can't tell you when exactly, because it all depends on my schedule, but hopefully soon! Like usual, follow me on Instagram @divyapatel_mua to keep up with me! 

Bite Beauty: The Lip Pencil Review

Hey guys, so I'm finally bringing to you my review on the new Bite Beauty Lip Pencils! I received the Bite Beauty Voxbox from Influenster. I've already spoken about Influenster many times before, so I won't get too much into it!  It's basically a app that sends you complimentary products to review! The app is completely free! You don't have to be a beauty blogger to sign up, it's legit for anyone and everyone! You just have to stay active on the app, that's all! This Bite Beauty Voxbox came with 2 Lip Pencils, a Sephora sharpener and 2 mini Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks (corresponding shades to the Lip Pencils)! This is probably my favorite Voxbox that I've received up until now! This review will only focus on the Lip Pencils! If you guys really want, I can review the lipsticks in a separate post, just let me know!

Bite Beauty Lip Pencils

What the Bite Beauty Voxbox by Influenster came with!

Let's start off with the packaging. The Lip Pencil comes in the classic wood barrel form. They look very classy! The packaging is very similar to MAC's Lip Liners! I don't know if the Lip Pencils come in a box, but the ones that I got from Influenster were just wrapped in clear plastic. The end of the pencil has the corresponding shade! The Lip Pencil fits into any regular sharpener! They're formulated without petrochemicals, which is always a good thing (just like all the other Bite Beauty products)! This retails for $20CAD, which I thought was a fair price (it's $1 cheaper than MAC)! It comes with 1.4g of product, which is a decent amount for the price! It's available now at Sephora! 

I don't know about you, but I love these wood barrel forms!

Another close look at them (shade 020 on the left and 044 on the right)

Bite Beauty has a stunning shade range for these Lip Pencils. They have some really gorgeous nudes for all skin tones! They also have a few deep shades! I've received the shades 020 and 044. 020 is a stunning pink peachy nude. It's a little light for my liking (I have medium-tan skin), however, if you have light to medium skin, it's going to be a gorgeous nude on you! It's definitely that everyday type of nude! It wore well with most of the nude lipsticks that I own! The corresponding lipstick for this shade is Honeycomb. This shade is identical to 020! 

020 up close

This is what 020 and Honeycomb look together! 

The shade 044 is a beautiful rich mahogany. This shade is on the dark side, which I absolutely love! This is definitely my favorite shade out of the two! It's stunning on any skin tones! It wears beautifully under any deep red and brown shades! The corresponding lipstick for this shade is Whiskey. This shade is also identical to 044!

044 up close

This is what 044 and Whiskey look together

Side by side

The lipstick swatch is on the top and the Lip Pencil is on the bottom! (with flash)

Without flash!

The swatches are extremely beautiful, right? Now, let's get into the formula. Both shades have the same exact formula, so I'll be doing a general review! These are super pigmented! They glide on your lips really smoothly! It's rich and creamy in texture! The finish is matte! They don't dry out your lips or anything. They're also super comfortable on the lips! It feels really light, almost like you have nothing on your lips! It's also really long wearing! It can be worn up to 8 hours easily without having it fade away completely! You can get a very precise application with these! It really makes defining your cupids bow and over lining your lips easy! The pencil also doesn't break easily! Overall, I'm very impressed with these! You can easily just wear the Lip Pencil on it's own, since it's very well formulated! In my opinion, they're better than MAC Lip Liners! 

Another look at 020 and Honeycomb together!

Another look at 044 and Whiskey together

Bottom line, everyone needs to try these! For me to say that these are better than MAC Lip Liners truly shows that these are a must have! I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to love these, because Bite Beauty does make incredible lip products! It was about time that they released lip liners! I love how these look stunning under a lipstick and on their own! I know I'll be purchasing the other shades! Once again, thank you Influenster for sending these complimentary products for reviewing purposes! So ya, that's what I have to say about these Lip Pencils! What are your thoughts on them? Will you be purchasing them?