My Makeup Goals (winter edition)

I thought I'd share some of my beauty-related goals for you all. Some goals are related to rejuvenating my makeup routine, and others revolve around being more conscientious with my makeup. I plan to revist these every couple of months, examine how I lived up to them, and modify them if needed. Either way, I hope you enjoy reading them!

1. Deep clean brushes every 2-3 weeks.
My eye makeup brushes that get quite dirty to to daily use. I have a daily brush cleanser I enjoy using that reduces buildup, so I think deep cleaning them every few weeks is fine.

2. Paint nails once a month
 I used to never enjoy painting my nails, but I do love having friends paint them for me! While they never turn out as nice looking when I do them myself, I love looking down and seeing colour on my nails. I have a pretty limited nail polish collection, so I plan on picking up a couple this month and trying out different jewel-toned shades.

3. Wear lip colour two times a week
As I've mentioned before, I don't wear lip products that often. But I do enjoy wearing them on ocasion, and I have found several shades and types that I enjoy wearing. So my goal is to increase my usage of them.

4. Use eye cream daily.
I'm trying out this new eye cream from Lise Watier, so I want to develop a habit of wearing this every day. Most days I'm rushing out the door, but I do want to make this a priority.

5. Moisturize more often.
I admit, I'm bad at moisturizing. It tends to happen only when I make an extra effort to moisturize. I do moisturize my face and neck as part of my skincare routine, but other areas, such as my hands and feet, don't get treated as often as I should. Especially now where I'm working, my hands often become quite dry and cracked, so I want to take care of them more.

6. Use one new products at least every two weeks.
I have a giant list of new products I'm testing out. A lot of them are samples or products friends have given me. In the next couple months, I'd love to use them up, write reviews, and see how they work for me.

Products I'm curently trying out

This page will be updated as I work through various products.
Almay Smart Shade Foundation
Almay Smart Shade Concealer
Tati LOC Impress Me Eyeshadow Crayon
Lise Watier Lift and Firm Eye Cream

Affordable Beauty is on Instagram!!

Hey everyone! As I've mentioned in the title, I'm now on Instagram! If you follow me there, you'll be able to see my panning challenges, progress, and random makeup-related pics. :)

Here's just a sample:

Cleaned my brushes today! #feelssogood

A photo posted by @panningmybeauties on Jun 20, 2016 at 10:51am PDT

This week I'll be using Wet N Wild's Paradise cove palette for the #oneweekonepalette challenge, created by @fortworthfamous ❤️ I'll be using just this palette all week in hopes to see some progress made with these eyeshadows! Wish me luck! #panningcommunity

A photo posted by @panningmybeauties on Jun 20, 2016 at 8:52pm PDT

February Topbox Review!

At long last, here is my final Topbox review!

Topbox is a Canadian monthly subscription service that delivers 4-5 beauty products to your door every month. You are put on a waiting list that can take 2-3 weeks, but both times I've signed up, I received an email notifying me I made it off the waitlist within ten days. When you subscribe, you are able to fill out a wishlist of products you would prefer, and you have the option to select a privé box from higher end makeup brands. This month, I selected the normal box.

Nova Scotia Fisherman Extreme Skin care Sea Salt Soap
When I opened the bag, I was immediately hit with a very strong smell. To me, it doesn't smell like sea salt, it smells a tad perfume-y and is incredibly strong. It is a nice, all-natural soap, but I can't imagine putting this on my body, since the smell is so intense. This one's a miss for me.

Pop Beauty Kajal Pen Purple eyeliner
This is a beautiful plum eyeliner. I don't have an eyeliner this shade, so I was quite excited to receive this. The pigmentation is pretty good, but the liner not as soft as my other liners, so doesn't glide on as easily. Overall, it is a gorgeous shade, and I'm fairly happy with it!

Smashbox Photofinish Primer
Another great item! I don't have a lot of primers, so I was quite excited to try out this primer as well. I thought this primer was a pretty decent one. Since I don't normally use face primers, I don't have much to compare to. I tested it out under foundation on half of my face, and just used foundation normally on the other half. In general, the primer did blur my pores and make my foundation look a tad smoother. I don't think the effect was great enough to justify a full size of this, but I might try out other primers and see how they compare.

Morgan Taylor Nail polish

Along with the soap, this was another dud, as far as I'm concerned. Although the nailpolish is good quality, I will simply never wear this colour (unless maybe I'm dressing up as Elphaba for Halloween).

Overall, I was quite impressed with full size eyeliner, and the primer was pretty decent as well. When reviewing this box, I realized that it wasn't as good as I had previously thought it was. I think my happiness at receiving a full size eyeliner masked the fact that I only enjoyed 50% of this box's contents, which is unfortunate.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, as this will be my last Topbox review. After last month's disappointing box, I decided to cancel the subscription. I simply was not receiving enough products that I liked to justify receiving this box. While I love the price, the products themselves were often less than satisfactory, and I was only enjoying half of the contents. On the odd time I enjoyed the whole box, I still wouldn't repurchase most of the contents. I am happy with the service for introducing me to new products, and I may re-subscribe in the future (you never know) but for now I am saying goodbye.

Lise Watier Hydraforce Review #GetInTheBubble

Hey everyone! I'm back at it with another review. I'm really excited to share this one with you guys! So full disclosure, I signed up for Topbox's Glamsense program. Every so often they send you surveys to fill out, and if you meet their criteria, they send you a new products to test and review! Through this program, I received a kit featuring Lise Watier's Hydraforce Hydra-Protective Comforting Cream, which I want to review for you all!

This product is described as a gel-creme, intended to moisturize areas such as your face, hands, and neck. One of the more interesting ingredients is the Gaspé algae extract. The website states, " A survivor of harsh environments, the Gaspé algae has developed a highly efficient resistance system, enabling it to thrive in severe conditions. Its extract guarantees the skin’s global hydration, transforming it into a veritable defensive shield." The packaging says you can apply it in the morning and/or evening.

Sounds good, right? Well I was curious to see how it performed. I get the occasional dry patches, and often my face feels tight after I take a shower, even after I moisturize.

The cream does have a gel-like consistency, and when I first applied it, my skin felt very moisturized and soft. As I went about my day, I noticed that moisturized feeling stayed for a couple hours, unlike other lightweight moisturizers that dissipate quickly after application.  My cream was for normal to dry skin, and Lise Watier also sells cream for normal to combination skin.

The package came with a sensor and a cord to plug into your phone. Using the Hydraforce app, you can test your skin to see how hydrated it is, and then see the difference that the Hydraforce cream makes. I was interested to see the results from the sensors and how hydrated my skin was. Here are my results:

The picture on the left is when I tested the cream on my hand. As you can see the app tested only 34.1% moisture. After applying the cream, the moisture increased to 44.9%. I'll play around with the app in the continuing weeks and see how the moisture levels increase or decrease throughout the week.

So what are my thoughts on the cream? The cream is $45, so it's not a cheap product. I really appreciate that it's a heavy-duty moisturizer that will attack those dry areas! If you do have dry skin, I think this product will work well for you. I also tried out the creme after a shower, and it left my skin feeling very soft and moisturized, and not tight at all!

If you want to test out the Hydraforce cream and app, there is a Hydraforce Squad event happening in Calgary tomorrow from 12-4 PM at The Bay in Sunridge Mall where you can see the results for yourself! If you don't live in Calgary, you can check out hydraforce.lisewatier.com to see if there is an event in your area. Let me know if you do and what you think of the Hydraforce cream!

Finish Four by 14th Reveal!

So Valentine's Day came and went, and I completely forgot to post the reveal! It's been a busy month, so I'm sorry this is so late! But without further ado, here's how I did!

December 2015

February 14

Lip Smackers Lip Balm in Kiwi
I'm proud to say I used it all up! While I didn't have that much to use up, I can't remember the last time I've used up a lip balm, so I'm happy about this one!

December 2015

Feb 2016

Revlon Illuminance Cream Shadow in Copper Canyon
This definitely gained a noticeable difference, especially on the left hand side of that gold shadow. Not fully used up like I planned but still some progress!

Revlon Berry Bloom Quad
I certainly used up some of the lightest pink shadow. This was one I simply stopped using after a while. I didn't like the texture of the shadow anymore, as it was incredibly dusty.

                

Skin Rx Microdermabrasion Face and Body Scrub

I'm very happy with how this has gone! I used it almost every week and have almost used it up. And since that picture was taken two weeks ago, it is almost gone now!

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how my challenge went. I finished the lipbalm, almost finished the face scrub, and made some progress with the other products. And I know eye products are so difficult for me to use up quickly, so I'm happy with how I did. I have some thoughts about other challenges I want to do, but I have to decide on the products first!

 

January Topbox Review!

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted, and I know this review is super late! Still, I'm back with my latest Topbox review!

Topbox is a Canadian monthly subscription service that delivers 4-5 beauty products to your door every month. You are put on a waiting list that can take 2-3 weeks, but both times I've signed up, I received an email notifying me I made it off the waitlist within ten days. When you subscribe, you are able to fill out a wishlist of products you would prefer, and you have the option to select a privé box from higher end makeup brands. This month, I selected the normal box.

Without further ado, here are the products I received:

Teeez Trend Cosmetics Nail Lacquer - Chain of Stones

 While I was excited to receive my first nail polish from Topbox, I was a little disappointed it was so sparkly. I rarely wear nail polish in general, and I would only wear this on special occasions, so even more infrequently. Nevertheless, it is a good product.

Vivierskin C E Peptides

This product is supposed to make your skin feel smoother and brighter. I wore this a few times but did not notice much difference, and the smell is quite strong, and some might find it off-putting, so I can't say I would recommend this.

Pureology Colour Fanatic Multi-Tasking Hair Beautifier

Since I don't use too many products on my hair, I was happy to receive this product. I quite enjoyed this product, as I felt it made my hair smoother and shinier. The smell is delicious too, which is always a plus!

Eyeko Black Magic Mascara
Since I've received a mascara in October's box and two in December's box, I was a little frustrated because I don't go through mascaras that fast. I did appreciate that it had a curved brush, but like most mascaras, it did not keep my lashes curled, and smeared under my eyes after four hours.


I was looking forward to this month's Topbox, but for the first box of the new year, I was a little disappointed. Out of all these products, I'd only continue to use the hair product. Immediately after receiving this box, I cancelled my subscription. February's box was the last one I received, and the review should be up within a week or so!

Destashing - January Edition!

Hey everyone! How are you all doing? I've been having a good time paring down my collection! After taking a good look at my makeup inventory, I decided to go through each item and if I hadn't worn it in an incredibly long amount of time, or didn't like the texture/how it looked on me, I'd get rid of it. So after going through everything, here's what I've decided to destash!

Even looking at this picture now, I don't feel any regret getting rid of them because I never liked them, or stopped enjoying them a long time ago. I will probably do destash posts every so often, but since this is the first one, it will certainly be the biggest!

Swatchfest Part 1!

So a little while ago, I thought I'd swatch all my white, light gold, and light pink shadows. I've decided this will be an ongoing series as I get to swatching most of my shadows. I believe this will help me in my makeup shopping ban. I've titled each shade, and if you have any questions about any particular shadows, just ask!

Light Pink shades:


White shadows
 
Nude/Light Gold Shades:


Swatching is certainly an eye-opener for me as to how many dupes of the exact same shadow I actually have. It's crazy to think why I even need any more of these shades!

December Topbox Review!

Sorry I'm a little late on the review of this month's Topbox! With the holidays and such, things were quite busy, but I'm glad I finally made it!

Topbox is a Canadian monthly subscription service that delivers 4-5 beauty products to your door every month. You are put on a waiting list that can take 2-3 weeks, but both times I've signed up, I received an email notifying me I made it off the waitlist within one week. When you subscribe, you are able to fill out a wishlist of products you would prefer, and you have the option to select a privé box from higher end makeup brands. Previous brands featured in the privé box include Aveda, Elizabeth Arden, Shu Uemura, and Benefit. There is no guarantee you will receive the privé box, but they are usually a good deal and you definitely get your money's worth! This was the first time I had requested a privé box, and I was delighted to see that I received it!

Now on to the box itself! The Benefit box came in a gorgeous tube with the hashtag: GetRealPrimed on the top, as well as an ad of all the products inside. Packaged carefully with tissue paper, the tube contained 5 products, as well as a promo code for 15% off all limited edition Topboxes, good till December 31.

They're Real Tinted Primer. Benefit promoted this product the most, as it was not released till the end of December. I was quite excited to receive a sample of this so I can share with all of you my thoughts on it! The formula is quite wet and stays fairly flexible once applied, which enables the wearer to choose whether they want to wear the primer by itself or add mascara later on in the day, which I think is pretty handy. This primer certainly made my mascara look a little more vibrant. I wouldn't say it made them look twice as good, but they were noticeably longer. I was interested to see if this primer would keep my mascara from smearing throughout the day, though the packaging did not claim to do so. Sadly, it did not keep my mascara from smearing. But if you are looking for something to add a little boost to your lashes, this will work!

They're Real Mascara. I have a sample of this mascara already from a Sephora Birthday gift, but I didn't mind receiving another sample. I ended up giving this to a family member, as I didn't plan on using this mascara again. This is a decent mascara, but it on me smudges after about four hours, and I find my lashes do not stay curled when wearing it.

Roller Lash Mascara. The packaging says this mascara is "a roller for lashes" and good for lifting and curling lashes. This was my favorite mascara. I found that between this and They're Real, this mascara kept my lashes curled much longer than the They're Real mascara did. I have short, stick straight Asian lashes, and I was ecstatic when I first tried this mascara, as it kept my lashes curled throughout the day, which meant you could actually see them. I was pretty blown away. I find the brush a tad finnicky to use, and some days my lashes would look great and other days not as great, but overall, I'm quite happy to say this mascara lives up to its claims. I only wish it would come in waterproof, as mascara in general does not stay on without smearing on me for more than four hours.

They're Real Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover. This remover has a very interesting gel-like consistency. Most eye makeup removers I'd worked with were liquids, so I was curious as to how well this would work. The gel is very gentle and feels even moisturizing on my lids. I followed the instructions and saturated a cotton pad with the gel. It removed the majority of my eye makeup, but I did notice some remnants when I washed my face afterwards. I do like how gentle this feels on my eye, but I wish it removed every last trace of the mascara. I also feel that a lot of the product is absorbed by the cotton pad, which is unfortunate. But overall, it's a decent remover.

Gimme Bow Volumizing Fiber Gel. I've never used a brow gel before, so I was excited to try this. The shade is in mink brown, I first assumed this was the only shade that Topbox included, but I've since seen other reviews with the brow gel in deep brown, which would be a much better match for my brows.. I quite liked the consistency of the gel, and it went on fairly smoothly. Overall, good product, simply the wrong shade for me. 

The total value of this box adds up to ~ $31. I am definitely impressed with this box, as I feel I got a lot of quality products for what I paid for. Plus I'm quite happy to try out a variety of Benefit products, as I value their brand. And I enjoyed 3 out of the 5 products. Last month's topbox was a little disappointing, but this one definitely made up for it!

What did you receive in your Topbox? I'd love to hear about what you received! Let me know in the comments below!

Panning and Finishing thoughts

Happy New Year everyone! Since the year has come to a close, I've been trying to collect my thoughts on the whole panning/finishing challenges I've been involved with over the last several months and why they can be so difficult to complete. Hope you find this interesting and can understand by the end my thought process!

1. I don't wear makeup every day
I'm sure this will come to no surprise for some of you, but for me, I find it quite difficult to work through an eyeshadow. Because I don't wear makeup every day (on average 3-5 days a week), it will take me twice as long as others to work though a product.

2. I rarely wear lip products
As you've seen, my Finish 6 by Christmas didn't pay off as much as I wanted it to simply because I focused so much on lip products. In reality, lip balm is the only lip product I wear every single day, which is why it was way easier to finish than the other products. Because my lips are fairly pigmented, I simply don't feel I need the extra colour. And there were simply too many lip products to use.

3. I get tired of wearing the same products
This was certainly one of the reasons my Pan That Palette challenge faded a bit over the fall. While I will wear the same eyeshadows and products when I'm busy and don't want to think about the makeup, in general, I like choosing different colors and shades to wear every day. That is the appeal of makeup for me. When I get boxed in and limited to only a few shades, I feel stifled, and then wearing makeup isn't as much fun.

So from these three points listed, you may ask, why should I continue on with these panning challenges? Here are my reasons why:

1. I need to use up my makeup
Having been fortunate enough to not have started acquiring makeup till university years, I am happy that I don't have decades-old makeup from teenage years. However, I still have perfectly good products collecting dust that either need to be used up or tossed. These challenges, however slow they can be, can motivate me further to use up.

2. Rediscovering old products
You know that feeling when you find an old top or favorite piece of clothing that you loved and still want to wear? I get that feeling with my makeup. I remember how pretty certain shadows look together, and I want to use them again.

3. Finding new and creative ways of application
I am still discovering new combinations and ways to wear my makeup. Although I don't watch nearly as many as I used to, a new makeup tutorial can still spark that creative urge in me to try out new ways and different techniques or shades.

Overall, I know it is so invigorating to purchase new products. But simply put, we don't need a million different shades of purple, or 5 different neutral palettes. Let's be satisfied with the things we have and work on chipping away at our own makeup collection instead of continually buying things we don't need. As for me, I'll continue to love my collection and work on using up products. I may have to find different ways of doing that instead of panning challenges, but the overall goal is still the same.