BEAUTY ALIXIRS

I recently placed an order fort he Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip Liquid Lipsticks and Creme Gel Liner pencils. The colours I chose in the liquid lipsticks were:

Trap

Midi

Solow

Beeper

Bianca

And the two gel pencil liners in:

Call Me

No Shame

I will say that the boxes they came in were a little squished. You can see from the photo here that Midi's box wouldn't fully close no matter how hard I tried. The package came in an envelope as opposed to box, which simply meant that the products inside were not that well insulated/cushioned during their trip.

While the colours look rather similar in the tube, on the lips they definitely look different. 

Swatches & review to follow!

xoxo,

alixirs

All the Youtube videos on liquid lipsticks have put me on a liquid lipstick kick as well, and already I've stumbled upon two very similar colours: NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Soft Spoken (~$10 CAD) and Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita ($24CAD)

The applicator for the Kat Von D everlasting liquid lipstick is shorter and the formula is thinner. It dries down almost immediately and stays on for a good 5+ hours with eating and drinking. My favourite part about this formula is the fact that it is transfer proof! So you don't have to worry when kissing your partner.

In comparison, the NYX applicator is much longer and skinnier. The formula doesn't quite ever dry down completely and has a whipped foamy texture. It isn't transfer proof, because of that it's also less drying on the lips, making it much more comfortable to wear.

Here's a look at the sides of the two applicators. I personally found that the thinner, more pointed tip of the NYX made for easier application.

Swatched here on NC20 skin. You can see the top is the NYX and Kat Von D on the bottom. The colours are very very similar. I will say that Kat Von D is maybe just the tiniest bit more mauve while the NYX is the tiniest bit more brown, but on the lips i'd be surprised if you could tell a difference in colour.

Overall I think the two formulae are both great and this colour is definitely a staple in the fall/winter colder months.  I'd personally wear the Kat Von D formula for work days or on dates for that long-lasting budge-proof makeup. The NYX is more comfortable and works great if you don't need your makeup lasting through a 15 hour work day. The affordability of the NYX lipstick also makes it a great budget purchase for those who don't want to spend $20+ on Kat Von D's version.

xoxo,

alixirs

This beauty was hauled a few months ago and I've been loving it ever since. The concept is not new by any means. I remember having  similar product from Revlon back when I was in high school.

The double-ended lip product retails for $39CAD and comes with a liquid lipstick/colour on one end and a clear gloss on the other.

You get about 3g of each product ( for both the colour and gloss).

The lip colour comes with a doe foot applicator...

While the clear gloss comes with a brush applicator.

Here it is swatched on my hand with natural light.

Lips with Chanel Rouge Double Intense in Light Rose. (Colour only. Excuse the rather dry lips.)

(Colour + gloss)

The staying power on this lip colour is pretty great. I get about 5 hours of wear time for the colour. The gloss fades in about an hour or two and needs to be reapplied. If you like the look of a matte lip, wearing the colour alone is also an option. 

Overall, a great option for those of us that may not have the opportunity to reapply our lip colour every hour due to a busy work schedule.

The colour itself is great. It's a light neutral rose pink colour that would work well for warm and cool skin tones. Definitely would check out other colours in this range!

xoxo,

alixirs

 

Haul time!

Let's get right into it.

First up is the Innisfree Skinny Waterproof Microcara. This little guy has a teeny tiny brush. I chose the waterproof formula since that's usually the only way to hold a curl on my lashes. The idea is that the tiny wand will make it a breeze to get each and every single lash from the base. 

Next up is the Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder. The product comes with 5g of product and is a loose mineral powder designed to control oil and set your makeup. The mint int the product is supposed to give a slightly cooling sensation which makes this ideal for summer use. 

Next is Etude House Dreaming of Swan Eye & Cheek color. I've been eyeing this line of blushes for a long time, ever since it came out. Mostly due to the packaging, as a blush lover and collector.

The mineral powder is a white powder which should be translucent if applied not to heavy handed on the skin. 

This shade is in a slightly churlish colour. There were 5 or 6 colours in total from which to choose. 

The packaging is a tin can with a screw-off top and a puff inside.

To be honest I was expecting a more choral than pink colour, but it's stunning nonetheless. Each shade in this range has a different embossed image in the actual powder. 

The product comes with 9g of product which is quite a lot of product, considering mac blushes are usually 5-6g.

I was a bit surprised at the price since a quick search on Ebay showed that it was cheaper to get it shipped to Canada from Korea. This retailed in China ( from the actual Etude House boutique) for about $25CAD while on Ebay it would've been about $18CAD. Ouch.

Lastly I got this mask-applying brush to use with my recently purchased Nature Republic Aloe gel. This is the Etude House My Beauty Tool mask brush.

The only other mask brush I've ever tried is the one by Missha, and this one has more bristles that are also finer. The brush itself is softer, and at only 18RMB, (less than $4CAD) it's a great buy.

The folks at the insider counter were nice enough to give me some samples of their white fungus recovery cream. The nail polish was a gift with purchase. Usually retails for 30RMB or about $5CAD.

I popped by Watsons to get some facial sponges and picked up a few other things. Take a look!

Hair towel! These things have really spoiled me. I basically can't bother to wrap my hair with a regular towel after showering. These come in a kind of cap/triangle shape with an elastic on one end and a button on the other so you can easily secure the wrap. This particular one was about $3 CAD/ 14 RMB

Had to get another box of this My Beauty Diary black pearl mask as Watsons was having a 30% off sale. 

These facial sponges were the reason for my trip. I was finding it tedious to wash my face with my hands and wanted something more exfoliating for the dry skin patches that have been appearing on my face despite the humidifier in my room.

Having left my Avene thermal water spray at home, this little guy caught my eye. It was about 60% off retail so I grabbed it as well. Vichy Thermal Water. 50ml.

Mentholatum Sugar Lip balm in 01 Vintage Pink. This guy caught my eye with its pretty pink packaging and sleek black tube. The colour is nice as well. Definitely an impulse buy.

RoseBloom Peach Lip Balm. The packaging is definitely what caught my eye, and the peach flavour of course. I was looking for a colourless balm and this fit the bill. Apparently its a Taiwanese brand.