Product Love | My #Fenty Beauty Obsession

Obsession doesn't even begin to describe how I felt about this makeup launch. There have been countless makeup launches that I have seen or I have been a part of, but nothing could have prepared me for what Fenty Beauty was about to do. The industry was going to be shook, and guess what? It has been, but in the best way possible!

For me, whenever I see that a celebrity or a pop culture influencer is putting their name behind a makeup line, I tend to take it with a grain of salt. What I mean by this, is that there are a lot of questions that I want to know answers to when it comes to the makeup line, as follows:

1. How involved is the celebrity with the development of the line? Rihanna was very involved
2. What products are they starting their launch with? Full Collection
3. Where is the launch taking place? Online or In-Store or Both? Both
4. Being in Canada, is this something that will be available here? Yes :)
5. Product quality/validity of Social Media hype? Worth the hype

I ventured to Sephora at Yorkdale and was happy to discover they had the Fenty collection! They also had stock of the popular items and even had an event centred around the launch. I was happy to see that it was FULL Collection, a long list of foundation shades with various undertones, therefore you WILL find your match.

I was able to be colour matched on the fly by 2 very lovely Sephora associates and was able to get my foundation shade. From this point forward, everything was a Blur, I literally picked up #errrythang I could get my hands on, but reason got the best of me. Therefore I went over to the centre of the store and sat down to see what made sense for me. Basically, I had to decide what is going home with me and what was going to stay behind :(

Below you will see my original list of products I was thinking of getting and what I actually ended up getting:

• ProFiltr Foundation
• Foundation Brush
• Highlighting Brush
• Fenty Sponge
• Primer
• Highlight Duo
• Trophy Wife Highlighter
• Matchstix Trio
• Lip Gloss
• Blotting Paper
• Blotting Powder

Here is what I ended up getting:

• ProFiltr Foundation
• Pro Filtr Instant Retouch Primer
• Killawatt Freestyle Highlight Duo in Girl Next Door and Chic Phreak
• Killawatt Freestyle Highlight in Trophy
• Gloss Bomb

Can we obsess on how ahhhmazing the Trophy Wife highlighter is???

I will do a review on the collection in terms of cost, feedback on the products as well as do a Makeup Breakdown in a future post for this Fenty inspired makeup look that I did above.

It's been a while but I am glad I got to share with you my product love this week!

Beauty Look | #MACCosmetics Media Lipstick Look

I shared my NEW Mac Lipsticks in my last post and today I wanted to share the look featuring Media Lipstick. This look paired beautifully with the emerald toned eyes. Take a look at the product details along with the photos below!

Products Used:

Face

• Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk 6.25
• NYX Highlight & Contour Pro Palette
• MAC Cosmetics Skinfinish in Candlelight
• Vasanti Cosmetics Blush in Rockies

Eyes

• Fluid Sheer 2
• Giorgio Armani Eye Tint 4
• Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette (Warm Brown)
• Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks in Copper (Which actually looks more gold)
• Maybelline Master Drama Eye Studio Eye Pencil in Black
• NYX Collection Noir Liquid Black Liner
• Giorgio Armani Black Ecstasy Mascara

Lips

• Beautique Pencil in Wine
• MAC Cosmetics Lipstick in Media

This is a great look for a night out! If you want to wear this look for the day, soften the emerald tone by mixing it with a champagne base or you can apply the emerald tone as an eyeliner instead.

More looks to come this week featuring the other MAC lipsticks featured in last weeks post (Click Here)!

Fun Makeup | #12DaysofChristmas Makeup Looks | Day 5: Northern Lights

 

Here is a #FlashbackFriday makeup look that ties perfectly to the 12 Days of Christmas Makeup Looks! Be sure to catch them all on instagram by clicking here @MakeupbySand! This look is called: Northern Lights, check out the details below!

Products Used: 

Face

• Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #4 mixed with Luminous Silk #6.5
• Giorgio Armani Bronzer #100 
• Vasanti Cosmetics Blush in Himalayas

Eyes

• BH Cosmetics It's JudyTime Palette 
• Giorgio Armani Maestro Liquid Liner 
• Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara 

Lips

• MAC Cosmetics Angel Lipstick
• MAC Cosmetics Lipglass in Posh It Up 
• MAC Cosmetics Lip Pencil in Spice 

The bronze and blue tones of this look is perfect for a Holiday Dinner party or amazing for a New Year's Eve look. Again, I went pretty dramatic on the eyes while keeping it simple and soft on the lips! Feel free to be inspired by this and the rest of the looks that I have created for this special Holiday series.

Happy Holidays!

Beauty Look | Everyday Fall Makeup Look

This is my go-to Makeup look. A perfectly neutral look for everyday. Yes I know, it is a lot of products to create a neutral look, but you can pick and choose what works for you. For me, I can do this look pretty fast and it does come across soft and diffused.

Take a look at the beauty product breakdown below:

FACE 

• Base: Giorgio Armani Face Crema Nuda 01 as a Base
• Foundation: Giorgio Armani Luminessence CC Cream Shade 6
• Blush: Giorgio Armani Blush 506
• Bronzer: Giorgio Armani 400
• Glow/Highlight: MAC Skinfinish in Candlelight

EYES 

• Crease: Coastal Scents 28 Shade Neutral Palette in Warm Brown
• Lids: MAC Coppering & Expensive Pink with Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks in Cocoa and Copper
• Liner: Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Liner + Eye Drama Pencil Liner
• Mascara: Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara

LIPS

• Lipstick: Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani 500

It's a fast look to put together! The Laura Mercier Caviar sticks are so easy to use and the products work beautifully together! Feel free to comment, share and try this look out yourself :)

Beauty Look | Fall Makeup Look featuring Laura Mercier Custom Contour Palette

I love Fall. Period. There is nothing nicer than the cooler weather to bring out the deeper tones and hues for Nature, Fashion and of course Makeup!

The Makeup look that I am sharing today is my go-to Fall look. This look can be worn on any skin tone. It's not super bold, which is why it's perfect to wear everyday. One product that I wanted to feature, that I recently got, is the Laura Mercier Custom Contour Palette. It gives a perfect yet soft contour. I have more details on the palette as well as the products used for this look below:

Eyes
Coastal Scents - 28 Neutral Palette (Warm Brown, Light Brown, Light Beige and Dark Prune)
Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks in Cocoa and Copper
Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro in Wedgewood/Dark Brown
Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara
Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Liner
Maybelline Eye Drama Pencil Liner

Lips
Giorgio Armani Lip Pencil #12 (Dark Burgundy)
Rouge D'Armani Lipstick in #500
Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer Lipgloss in #107

Face
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in #6.25
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Warm Natural
Coastal Scents 10 Blush Palette - Warm Plum Tone
Laura Mercier Custom Contour Palette

The Laura Mercier Custom Contour palette is a great kit for anyone who wants a simple way to contour. You can use the shades to softly sculpt your cheeks and jawline. This palette can be filled with your own custom shades but is initially offered with the following tones:

1. Highlight #1 - Highlighter - Gives a glowing finish to the skin and to highlight
2. Contour Deep #2 - Deepest Contour - Sculpt into the hollows of the cheeks
3. Contour #1 - Medium Contour - Blend and use for a softer sculpted effect

For the look I did, I used the two contour shades together and paired with the blush. Be sure to check out this kit! The key to Fall makeup is using warm earthy shades on the eyes, glowing skin with a subtle contour and paired with plum/medium pink based lipstick. Try your own version of this look and you'll see why this is perfect for Fall.

Beauty Look | Sexy Hot Pink/Purple Lips!

Lipsticks are such a hot makeup product right now!! We are so lucky that Makeup companies have created versatile lip products that allow us to have access to so many unique colours, tones and finishes. Whether you want bold lips or a soft finish or just want something daring, you can have it all!

Back in the 90's, I had to constantly mix colours or layer colours together to create the vividness or shade I wanted. Old habits die hard, but you can still create unique tones and finishes when you layer a lighter lip gloss with a different shade of lips. Add a liner and you can really transform the lips all together.

So here are the three products I used to create this STUNNING lip look:

1. Beautique Defining Lip Pencil in WINE
2. Cover Girl Lip Perfection Lipstick in DIVINE #330
3. MAC Lipglass in PERKY

The steps to achieve this look were pretty simple. I lined and filled the lips with the liner, layered on the lipstick on top and finished with the gloss on the bottom lip, focusing the application on the centre of the bottom of the lips. Such a hot shade for Spring/Summer 2015!

New Collection | Giorgio Armani Eye Tints

Giorgio Armani has launched these absolutely STUNNING eye shadows called Eye Tints! The shade range is amazing and the product makes shadow application a breeze. It transforms from liquid to solid which makes eyeshadow application quick and easy.

Product Details:

• 12 Luminous Shades  
• Formula transforms from liquid to solid
• 16 hour wear
• Smudge-free & Crease-free wear
• Wear it as an eye shadow or eye liner

Shades:

• #1 Obsidian
• #2 Minuit
• #3 Jade
• #4 Emeraude
• #5 Onyx
• #6 Green Iron
• #7 Shadow
• #8 Flannel
• #9 Cold Copper
• #10 Senso
• #11 Rose Ashes
• #12 Gold Ashes

I decided to have some fun with these products and created a dramatic look for both eyes as well as lips! Dark hued Ombre lips are very popular and can be seen in fashion and worn by many makeup lovers on Instagram. Here is my take:

Products Used

Eyes

Eye Tint in Minuit and Jade

Eyes to Kill Mascara

Maestro Liner

Lips

Eye Tint in Minuit and Jade for the accent Ombre effect

Giorgio Armani Eye Pencil in Black

Nars Navy Lip Pencil

You can pretty much create any look you desire with these gorgeous products! I love that the Eye Tints are so versatile because it allows for soft to intense makeup looks! The Eye Tints are available at Holt Renfrew Sherway and are a must for makeup lovers!

#Instagram Beauty Look | Neutral Tones

Here is a great neutral look that I love wearing as my go-to everyday makeup. The colours are soft, the skin is glowing while the lips and eyes are balanced without being too overpowering.

PRODUCTS USED:

Eyes

BH Cosmetics 28 Neutral Palette

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara & Maestro Eyeliner

MAC Eye Pencil in Smoulder

Brows

Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro in Wedgewood

Face

Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #10

Luminous Silk Foundation #7

#400 Bronzer

#509 Blush

Lips

Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani #500

MAC Cosmetics Spice Liner

The list above does include many products but you can always start with one new product or technique and try to incorporate it to your own makeup looks. Either elevate the eyes or try a new lipstick, the options are endless! Hopefully you will find something new and discover what works for you!

Beauty Look | #FOTD/#MOTD Mac Heroine Lips!

This look was so fun because it featured MAC's Heroine Lipstick which I am obsessed with. I wanted to balance the lips with a look that wasn't too strong for the eyes, since the lip colour was the key feature!

PRODUCTS USED:

Eyes

Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks
BH Cosmetics 28 Neutral Palette
Vasanti Cosmetics Cleopatra Liquid Liner
Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara
MAC Cosmetics Eye Pencil in Smoulder

Brows

Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro in Wedgewood
YSL Touch Eclat #3 for Precision Highlighting

Face
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation #7
MAC Cosmetics Blush in Dainty
Giorgio Armani Bronzer #400

Lips
MAC Cosmetics Heroine Lipstick
Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani Sheers Lipstick

The vibrant lip is what makes this look. You can go smokey, edgy or soft whenever you have a bold lip. The rules to any look is that you must be confident! This Lipstick is a gorgeous shade that would look amazing on all skin tones!

Product Love | Lip Goodies from MAC Cosmetics :)

You never forget your first love! The same is true for makeup junkies and their first experience with makeup. My makeup shopping started from regular visits to Shoppers Drug Mart where I would get the beauty basics but eventually I grew to discover MAC cosmetics. 

As a Makeup Artist, I have discovered a variety of beauty brands whether it be through the industry, colleagues, clients or from my own experience. Therefore my makeup kit will always have a mixture of products that I have grown to love. MAC has been a line that I have loved for their amazing lipsticks! From vibrant shades, unique collections and the multitude of finishes, every girl has at least 1 MAC lipstick in her beauty bag! Today I would like to share my NEW Lip goodies from MAC Cosmetics!

I went to Square One Shopping Centre on Thanksgiving Monday and I stopped by the Bay and took a quick peek at the MAC counter. I am totally a kid in the candy store when I shop for makeup. I ended up picking three goodies from MAC. (Trust me when I tell you that was a difficult task to reduce it to three!).

• Fast Play Lipstick
• Heroine Lipstick
• Spice Lip Pencil

MAC Heroine I am obsessed with, it is such a beautiful vibrant matte purple-plum shade! MAC Fast Play is a gorgeous neutral brown lipstick and looks great with MAC Spice Liner.  This liner is great with nudes as well. All three are perfect for the season, whether you want to go super bold or muted brown. Check them out the next time you are at a MAC counter!

Beauty Look | #FOTD/#MOTD Smouldering Purple!

Purple is one of my favourite colours to wear. It looks great on all skin tones and works beautifully for brown eyes! I put together a purple smokey eye look using the Giorgio Armani Quad #12. A mini palette of sorts that still allows you to create a beautiful makeup look.

Check out the pics and details below:

EYES
Primer: Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #10
Lower Lash line/Waterline: MAC Smoulder Eye Pencil/Mixed with Dark Purple Shade from Quad
Lids: Lilac Shade
Transition: Earthy Brown Shade
Crease: Dark Purple
Brow Bone: Lightest Shade
Mascara: Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara
Liquid Liner: Vasanti Cosmetics Liquid Liner Cleopatra
Accent Colour: Applied on the middle of the lids - Lightest Shade from Quad
Foiled Purple: Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill (Fall Collection 2013) Scarab Violetta #33

FACE
Foundation: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk #7
Mixed with: Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #10
Cheeks: Giorgio Armani Blush #506 + Bronzer #100

LIPS
Beautique Liner in Soft Brown
MAC Lipstick in Angel
MAC Lipglass in Perky

BROWS
Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro in #02
Giorgio Armani Brow Pencil in #02
YSL Touch Eclat to Define Browns underneath and on top

The reason I use Fluid Sheer as a base for my shadow is it makes for a great primer. Fluid Sheer is a liquid based highlighting product that can is used for, of course, highlighting, but it works beautifully as an Eye shadow primer. The "sticky" texture allows the powder shadow to adhere which results in a longer wear as well as NO creasing! I have worn this look for 12 hours now and it has NOT creased!

I also like to mix Fluid Sheer with my foundation for a glowing finish to the skin!

Such a beautiful look to do for a night out, a reception look paired with a darker lip or Date/Girls Night! Try it out and feel free to comment, share or post your version of this look!