Hello Goodbye

it seems as though my relationship with blogger is coming to a close. I recently ran into some major issues with the blogger database. Basically, what happened is this: I can no longer upload anymore photos to my blog posts because I have apparently used up my quota of pictures (100GB) and can no longer upload anymore pictures to my blog posts through the blogger feed
I think this is a terrible problem for people who are trying to run a blog and honestly, I'm confused by the whole situation. 
This is not necessarily bad news.
I am in the process of switching my entire blog over from blogger to wordpress. This will also mean a new domain name. I will be sure to post all of the information to my new website once it is up and running
the whole process should take no more than 3 weeks. 
See you soon

-DarlingBuds

Music Monday #3: Holiday Edition

Some of my favourite Christmas songs of all time!

Elton John - "Step Into Christmas"

(gotta love a good ole' classic 70s Elton)

Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters - "Jingle Bells"

(there's something about the Holidays that makes me crave jazzy tunes)

Wham! - "Last Christmas"

however, another version of this song that I love is the one by Cascada

Britney Spears - "My Only Wish (This Year)"

another classic pop Christmas song

AND OF COURSE, WHO COULD FORGET THE CLASSIC

MARIAH CAREY - "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU"

And my new favourite song from Mariah Carey's 2011 Christmas album, "Oh Santa"

keep the music playing and bask in holiday cheer!

xoxoDarlingBuds

More Empties

It's so satisfying to finally finish up a product. I have been hoarding these empties for the special occasion of a blog post. Now that's it's finally done, I can't throw these puppies in the trash! 
I'm going to make this post as short and sweet as possible, because I have a lot of empties to get through. So for each product I'm just going to answer these two simple questions:

Did I like it?

Would I buy it again?

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Let's dive in, shall we?

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base

Did I like it? No. I found it to be too thick of a primer, and I didn't notice that it did anything spectacular in terms of making my makeup last any longer. I just noticed that it felt very heavy on my skin. 

Would I buy it again? NO.

Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream (full review here)

Did I like it? Yes. I think it's a very good drugstore BB cream, considering that there are lot of really bad bb creams available at the drugstore.

Would I buy it again? Probably next summer, the light/medium shade is too dark for my pale winter skin.

Laura Mercier Oil-free tinted moisturizer

Did I like it? YES!

Would I buy it again? YES! I'm already on a new tube of this product. I can't live without this in my makeup bag.

Neutrogena Natural Fresh Cleansing + Make-up remover 

(as seen in my skincare routine here)

Did I like it? Yes, it smells like granny smith apples.

Would I buy it again? Maybe. I really like the original foaming makeup cleanser from neutrogena (comes in a light blue bottle) so I'll probably be buying that one next. 

Neutrogena Natural Purifying Pore Scrub

(as seen in my skincare routine post as well)

Did I like it? It's a typical face scrub. I didn't notice that it did anything particularly outstanding for my skin.

Would I buy it again? Probably not.

Philosophy Purity made simple cleanser

(as seen in my skincare post as well)

Did I like it? This product is so over-hyped in the beauty community. First of all, it's not really that "pure" as the name would lead you to believe. I prefer cetaphil as a gentle cleanser.

Would I buy it again? No.

Neutrogena oil-free Acne Stress Control power-cream wash

(as seen in my skincare routine post here and "what's in my shower" post here)

Did I like it? Yes. I can feel it working and I see results after I use it.

Would I buy it again? I want to try the scrub from this range too, but I would buy the power-cream wash again.

Neutrogena oil-free Eye Make-up Remover

(as seen in my skincare post as well)

Did I like it? Yes. It effectively and gently removes all of my eye makeup

Would I buy it again? Yes. It's the only drugstore makeup remover I have found that really works for me.

Bioderma sensibio H2O (cleansing water)

(as also seen in my skincare post)

Did I like it? Yes. It's the most gentle way to remove makeup.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I prefer using bioderma to makeup wipe because I feel like I get more uses out of it than just the 20 or so wipe that come in a pack, but wipes are really good for travel.

Simple cleansing facial wipes

Did I like it? Yes. I noticed that these wipes effectively cleansed my face and were really gentle on my sensitive skin.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I like having makeup wipes around for quick cleansing and for travelling. I prefer the simple brand wipes to neutrogena ones, and they're cheaper too.

Bath & Body Works, Triple Moisture body cream (twilight woods)

Did I like it? Yes. Twilight Woods is my favourite scent from Bath & Body Works and I find that this lotion does an excellent job of hydrating my skin.

Would I buy it again? Not anytime in the near future. I'm really enjoying using the Vaseline brand cocoa butter lotion at the moment

Batiste dry shampoo

Did I like it? Yes - this is definitely one of the better drugstore dry shampoos on the market. Not only does it eliminate the look of greasy roots, but it also helps add volume to my limp, second/third day hair

Would I buy it again? Yes.

Sally Hansen nail polish remover, "maximum strength, moisturizing"

Did I like it? Yes. 

Would I buy it again? I've already repurchased this exact product and am using it currently

OPI nail polish, "Elephantastic Pink"

(see it on my nails here)

Did I like it? LOVE THIS COLOUR! This is one of my favourite nail polish shades of all time. It was the saddest moment when it dried up (I was careless and didn't screw the lid back on all the way).

Would I buy it again? I am definitely going to repurchase this nail polish!

Physicians Formula eye booster liquid eyeliner

Did I like it? Yes. It's actually a very fine brush applicator, and I found it to be super easy to use and get a perfect line

Would I buy it again? Probably not. Maybelline has since come out with an eyeliner similar to this, although it's felt tip, and it gives similar precise results at a much cheaper cost

Maybelline "The Falsies" volum' express mascara

(full review here and here)

Did I like it? No. This mascara does nothing for my lashes and I don't know why everybody loves it so much.

Would I buy it again? No.

Maybelline "One by One" volum' express mascara (waterproof)

Did I like it? Yes! This has now become my favourite mascara. Because it's waterproof, it holds a curl amazingly well and it doensn't smudge or flake at all. 

Would I buy it again? Yes, already have, and I definitely will again.

Garnier skin renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller

Did I like it? Yes. I found this to be a really simple and quick 2-in-1 concealing/anti-fatigue product

Would I buy it again? I think I would.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer (nude)

Did I like it? Yes. This was my go-to concealer over the summer (as you can see by the label, it was well used)

Would I buy it again? Probably. I want to try the touch magique concealer from L'oreal (same idea, different brand) and see which one I prefer, although they're probably nearly the same

Bobbi Brown corrector (porcelain peach)

Did I like it? Yes! This is my holy grail under eye concealer

Would I buy it again? I wouldn't buy it again in the shade porcelain peach, but I have already repurchased it in the shade light bisque

Lush Fresh Face masks: Cosmetic Warrior & BB Seaweed

Did I like it? Yes. Cosmetic Warrior is a mask that helps fight active breakouts. BB Seaweed is a mask that helps adds brightness and moisture back into the skin.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I would repurchase both of them.

I hope that was somewhat helpful. I think looking back on your empties are a great way of analyzing what products you really loved, or just used up to get rid of once and for all.

xoxoDarlingBuds

A Haul to End All Hauls

This is the most collective of hauls.
Over the course of the summer and fall, I've picked up a couple of new products here and there. There have been many-a-shopping excursion over the past few months aside from my recent Sephora Friends & Family Haul.
I picked up a lot of great stuff that I am absolutely loving, and some other things that I probably could have forgone. 

The product I am loving the most are these MAC Pro Sculpting Creams, part of the Face & Body collection they released this fall. 

Top: Pure Sculpture & Coffee Walnut
Bottom, right: [top] Coffee Walnut, [bottom] Pure Sculpture

I first got the colour "Pure Sculpture" (left) which is the more reddish/orange tone. This product is actually very comparable in colour and texture to my beloved Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel. However, for sculpting this was not a good colour match for me and I'm a little peeved that the MAC lady sold me on this. That being said, the second colour I picked up, Coffee Walnut (right), is an absolute dream! I also about this particular shade in my most recent Current Product Loves post. Coffee Walnut is a brownish/greenish shade and when applied to the hollows of the cheeks it just gives the most natural looking shadow. It's really a fantastic product and it was well worth all the hunting I did for it.

Another MAC product I've picked up is the 116 brush. 

I was looking for the 109 brush, but they didn't have it in stock and the MAC lady (a different one than the evil lady who sold me pure sculpture) offered up the 116 in replacement. I really like that it's a stiff, domed blush brush and I've gotten a lot of use out of it thus far. Happy purchase!

I had been dying to try the Too Faced Better Than False Lashes system, and in July, I finally picked it up for myself. 

This lash system is a 3 step process: first and third involved using the bigger gold tube of mascara to coat the lashes, and the second step is the "nylon lash extension." The application is simple and not too time consuming, it also doesn't take a lot of effort to get the desired look. My lashes definitely did look longer, so it worked! However, because of the fibres, my top and bottom lashes had a tendency to get stuck together when I blinked. It wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but it was definitely a strange sensation.

Too Faced Better Than False Lashes: this is the wand for the "nylon lash extensions" - you can see the fibres coating the wand

Two random baubles that I picked up were the Wet n' Wild Idol Eyes eye shadow pencil in the shade Pixi and MAC Studio Finish concealer in the shade NC20. 

I like them both, that's all I can really say about these. They're both pretty generic products. The WnW shadow pencil is really easy to apply to the eyes, and it blends easily, although I do recommend using a base and topping it with a shadow because it won't last long on its own. The MAC concealer is also really creamy and easy to blend and I have been using it mostly as an under eye concealer to help preserve the longevity of my beloved Bobbi Brown corrector. 

I've been a slave to my eyebrows lately and I wanted to try some drugstore eyebrow pencils. For days when I don't have time or don't want to spend the time filling in my eyebrows with powder (MAC Omega) I wanted a pencil for quick and easy touch ups. 

I picked the Rimmel professional Eyebrow Pencil in the shade Hazel and the Wet n' Wild Coloricon pencil in the shade Taupe. I won't be getting a lot of use out of the Rimmel pencil because it is way too orange for my brows/complexion. Unfortunately, Hazel is the lightest shade they have and the next shade up is way too dark. I do love the Wet n' Wild pencil though. Taupe is an ashy blonde colour and it works really well with my eyebrows. The texture of the pencil is very creamy/waxy (because these pencils are also meant to be eyeliners) so I find that it tames my brows along with filling them in. I wish that it came with a spooly on the end, but whatever.

I guess you can say I went a little blush crazy over the past few months.

I purchased my first two ever Topshop cosmetic products. I went for two cream blushes because I've heard the best things about those. I picked up the shades Head over Heels, which is a coral shade (definitely super easy to blend it out and make it more muted) and High Five, which is a bright pink shade. Both of these cream blushes are easily blended to create a flawless flush on your cheeks. I also finally caved and bought my first Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in the shade Tipsy. Tipsy is the most orangey/coral shade offered in the range, and I bought it on recommendation from Vivianna Does Makeup (as per usual). These blushes are super pigmented and definitely worth all the hype they get, in my opinion. I don't think I'll be able to get a lot of use out of this blush during the winter months because I get super pale in the winter I don't think I'll be able to pull off such a bright coral. But for summer, this blush was lovely.

REVLON KISSABLE BALM STAINS!!! I know, I'm probably more excited about these than any normal person should be.

bottom swatches: Charms, Honey, Cherish, Rendezvous, Adore

I was so stoked when these finally showed up in Canadian drugstores. Right off the bat, I purchased Charm, Cherish, Honey, and Rendezvous - brighter colours for summer, and Honey and Charm being more neutral/everyday shades that would have the most wear. Most recently, I picked up Adore, a deep red tube but the colour of the product itself is a lot more orangey/red, but still really nice. Here's a picture of me wearing it that I posted to my instagram:

As you can see, it's not the deepest red, but it's still wearable, especially this season.

Last up, L'Oreal Colour Riche by Colour Caresse (unnecessary long name)

The swatches are flipped
swatches [right pic]: Sunset Angora, Pink Cashmere

I picked up two shades: 171 Pink Cashmere and 176 Sunset Angora. I don't get as much use out of these as the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains, but I still do like these lip products. They are very creamy and they have better pigmentation than Revlon Lip Butters. They don't wear too long, maybe only an hour or two before they need reapplication. These are not to be confused with a tinted lip balm because they are not moisturizing nor are they forigiving on dry lips. The square gold packaging is very chic and I want to look into some of the deeper colours from this range for fall/winter.

WHAT A DOOZY

That was a long ass post for a big ass haul.
So that's a pretty good overview of the products that I've purchased throughout the summer, some that I'm loving and some not so much.

xoxoDarlingBuds