GLOSSIER HAUL: Love It or Leave It?

May 30, 2019November 25, 20192 Comments

Me, Sporting a Full Face of Glossier Products

Hey y’all!

I’m back with another review for you guys! As some of you know, I’m leaving next week on a backpacking trip across South East Asia (which I’m very excited to share with you all!) and have been facing the challenge of fitting everything I need for a month in one backpack. As someone who is admittedly rather high-maintenance, packing light has never been my forte. Furthermore, there’s the whole issue of a full face of makeup likely not holding up super well to the climate where I’m travelling. This gave me the perfect opportunity to try out some of Glossier’s products I’ve been eyeing, as they are usually cream based (no brushes required) as well as supposedly super light. I’ve purchased from Glossier once before, and have a Tuesday Favourites coming up detailing how much I love their Balm DotCom lip products, so I’ve been looking for a while to try out some more of their products.

Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint

Soooo, the first product I tried was the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint. I had some hesitations with this one as I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying it made no difference in their skin, as well as having the consistency of water. However, adding this to a set with the concealer (which I was going to purchase anyway) came for $44 with the concealer being $22, and it seemed smart to pack something super light for my trip. The moment I poured it out of the bottle though, I could tell the reviews were correct — I usually only use tinted moisturizer, which is light coverage, but this stuff really redefines light coverage. On the bright side, it blended into my skin super easily — but whether that was because it’s a good product or because it simply made no changes to my skin at all is up for debate. I’m still going to bring it on my trip and will be sure to update y’all if I change my mind, but for now the verdict is unfortunately: leave it.

Glosser Stretch Concealer

Okay, so I have a bit of a mixed review on this one. On the plus side, its super compact and light, and doesn’t seem to have creased since I applied it. However, at the same time, I felt when I was applying it that it didn’t really conceal my dark circles. I notoriously have permanent bags and circles under my eyes, which is one of the things I’m most insecure about and use makeup for the most. However, afterwards when I was taking photos for this post, it seemed to have done a better than I first thought. I guess I’m just gonna have to see how it holds up to day to day life, and if y’all are interested I can share updates later on. However, the verdict for now is: we’ll have to wait and see.

Glossier Cloud Paint

Okay, I won’t lie, this one really took me by surprise. When I first opened it, I was super spooked by how bright the colour was, and I figured there was absolutely no way this would look good on me, or anyone, really. However, after blending it into my skin, it actually turned from less of a bright peach and more into a natural pink flush. I’ve never used cream blush before, and we’ll see how it goes over the next month, but honestly? I could be down to use this product in my daily routine when I’m back. It looked SO natural and dewey, it was honestly unreal. Plus, it was only $22! Verdict: LOVE IT.

Glossier Haloscope Highlighter

I’ve been seeing ads for this product forever and I’ve always been super curious. In reviews of Glossier products I’ve seen before, people often rave about this stuff, but note that it gives a natural finish (versus a blinding highlight). However, since I’m used to Vancouver weather and am probably going to melt in Asia, I figured that would be more than enough as I’m sure I’ll already have that #naturalglow going for me (aka sweat). This stuff didn’t 100% blow me away like the blush did, but it does have a lovely natural finish and I think I’m really going to love the simplicity of applying it. It still feels a little oily on my skin a few hours later, if that’s the best way to describe it, but it is rather balmy with a built-in moisturizer so it’s not quite greasy (if that makes any sense). So, the verdict for now is: Love It!

Glossier Lidstar Duo

Last but not least, we have Glossier’s Liquid Eyeshadows, called Lidstar. I was pretty excited to try these as a) I haven’t really tried liquid eyeshadow before and b) the simplicity of being able to wear eyeshadow without using a brush sounded amazing. I’ve seen reviews before where people were disappointed with the pigmentation of the product, however I think they expected it to look like a foil, which I didn’t expect. These eyeshadows, amazingly, feel super soft on your skin, as well as blend out like a dream. The only issue I had was that they kind of seemed to crease a little when I first applied them; but that could have just been because I applied them too soon after my primer. I blended it out with my finger quickly and they haven’t creased at all since. They are super light in colour, however I feel that makes them perfect for an everyday eyeshadow as I don’t love wearing heavy eyeshadow in the day but often have trouble finding light colours that look good. Honestly, I’m probably gonna invest in more of these in the future. So, overall, the verdict is: LOVE IT!

So, there you have it! After I completed the look, I finished up with a couple of my normal non-Glossier products — mascara, brow pencil and brow mascara, as well as bronzer. I will say, I was a little disappointed Glossier didn’t carry their own bronzer, as liquid/cream bronzer would have been a godsend on my travels. However, I’m pretty impressed by the products I did try and can’t wait to rock them in my future travel blogs! You can see how the finished look turned out in the photo below, but I’m pretty satisfied with it. If you’re interested in trying out Glossier’s products, be sure to do so here!

Much Love,

Meredith

Tuesday Favourites: May 28th

May 28, 2019November 25, 2019Leave a comment

La Biosthetique Luxury Spa Oil and Therm-o-flat

Hey y’all! Happy Tuesday!

This week’s Tuesday Favourites is dedicated to two of my favourite hair products from La Biosthetique — their Luxury Spa Oil and Therm-o-Flat. My hair is so, so high maintenance; for the last three years I bleached it blonde, which was super damaging and required high upkeep. A few months ago I went back to brunette, but my hair is still pretty fried from all the bleaching and requires a lot of care.

My hair type is fine, wavy and dry — but I feel these two products would likely work wonders on almost any hair type! The Oil in particular may not work as well in oily hair, however the Therm-o-flat heat protectant I feel could work well for anyone.

The oil, personally, works wonders on my dry, fried ends. It really helps with moisturizing and helps keep your hair looking shiny. The best part is, this stuff lasts forever! The bottle isn’t huge, but the oil is so powerful you barely need any at all. When I switched from the previous brand of hair oil I was using to this one, I noticed an immediate change. This stuff isn’t heavy or sticky, so as long as you use it sparingly the odds of you accidentally weighing down your ends or making your hair feel oily and gross are slim. Just a few drops through your ends before bed time and before I blow dry my hair and my hair immediately becomes softer and shinier.

The heat protectant is also a huge favourite of mine. It’s super light and there’s no feeling of residue in your hair once you’re done blowdrying and styling it. It comes in a pump bottle, which I love, because I never feel certain with spray-in heat protectant that I’ve got all my hair covered. As well, it lasts through blowdrying into styling, so no need to add more in between! Back when I was blonde, I could almost never straighten or curl my hair without completely destroying it. But with this I found that the damage done was significantly less enough I could start styling it again.

I personally buy these through my hairdresser, but you can find La Biosthetique products on their website here!

Happy Tuesday guys!

xoxo,

Meredith

HERBIVORE HAUL: Love It or Leave It?

May 27, 2019November 25, 20196 Comments

Herbivore Botanicals Crushed Amethyst Body Polish and Rose Quartz Body Oil

Hey friends!

So, to start off, sorry I’ve been a little quiet this week. My parents were in town visiting, as well I’ve been preparing for my trip to South East Asia (more on that later!) so I haven’t had much downtime lately.

However, I wanted to introduce a new segment to y’all: Love It or Leave It! In these posts, I will be reviewing new products I’ve bought and share my first impressions of them. To kick it off, I’m starting with two new products I got from Sephora this week from Herbivore Botanicals!

I’m gonna start off by talking about the Crushed Amethyst Exfoliating Body Polish. I’ve had my eye on this one for a while, it kept popping up on my Instagram feed so I followed Herbivore and checked out their products. Absolutely everything they carry looks amazing, but this one in particular caught my eye. I consider exfoliating to be one of the more important parts of my routine — it helps to keep your skin fresh and soft, while also avoiding clogged pores and any other gross excess build up on your skin. However, I’ve never managed to find an exfoliator I’ve both loved and been able to purchase continuously, as many of the products I’ve tried came from subscription boxes where I couldn’t purchase the product in Canada, or were discontinued.

I was kind of worried I was getting too excited about trying this product and it wouldn’t live up to the hype. But the moment I opened it and smelt it, I was already pretty sold. It smells of lilacs, which is a super nostalgic scent for me and a personal favourite of mine. My mom was there when I opened it, and without even trying it the scent alone pretty much sold her on buying her own.

However, the real test obviously comes with the results it gives, but boy does it ever give them. This stuff left my skin SO soft and smooth, I’m already pretty convinced this product is going to be my go-to for life. It has fairly large granular particles in it, which exfoliate super effectively. One of my biggest pet peeves with exfoliators is ones that are too watery or soft, meaning you really have to scrub to see results — but this stuff was SO effective without rubbing harshly on my skin. Furthermore, it has some oil component to it which helped moisturize my skin, but it wasn’t so oily that it was overwhelming or gross. I could go on and on about how perfect this stuff is, but I think you kind of get the point. Overall, the verdict is: LOVE IT.

The other product I tried was the Rose Quartz Illuminating Body Oil. I’ve tried a super similar product once in the past that I had been so excited to try and ended up hating it — so I was kind of hesitant to purchase this. The last body oil I tried was heavy and greasy, while also providing a ver oily looking “illumination” that came from the oil and not from the glitter/bronzer of the product. However, this stuff seems pretty legit. I’m not 100% sure I’m totally sold on it — time will tell if I give up my regular moisturizer for this stuff. However, I have to say it definitely left a good first impression. The illumination factor isn’t insane — which is actually kind of nice. I’ve yet to try it out before going out in the day but it seems to give a more natural, healthy glow rather than looking super glittery or oily. Also, compared to the other oil I tried, it’s pretty lightweight and absorbed pretty quickly, so I felt moisturized instead of greasy. On top of all that, it has an AMAZING floral scent to it, and the bottle makes application pretty easy. The pump gives a good amount, while not making you pour out oil by yourself (which is super challenging to do with oily hands) or drip out small amounts in a dropper. So, overall, so far so good. I’m gonna give it a few more weeks before I decide if it’s something worth purchasing again, but so far the verdict is: LOVE IT!

So, there you have it! You can find the exfoliator on Sephora here, as well as the body oil here. And be sure to check out Herbivore Botanicals here! Not only are their products amazing, but they’re all vegan, cruelty-free, as well as only using organic and active ingredients! These are the first two products from their line that I’ve ever tried, but I can say without a doubt they won’t be the last. If you’ve ever tried their other products yourself and have any recommendations, drop them in the comments below!

That’s all for now!

Much Love,

Meredith

Tuesday Favourites: May 21st

May 21, 2019November 25, 20192 Comments

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Pencil + Benefit “Gimme Brow” Brow Mascara

Hey lovelies! Welcome back to my third ever Tuesday Favourites!

This week I’m sharing my fave brow products: the ABH Brow Wiz pencil and Brow Mascara by Benefit!

As someone who jumped on the brow trend as soon as Cara Delevingne popularized the dark, thick brow back around 2014, I’ve been through many brow products and many styles, some for better but many for worse.

Obviously, to each their own, but as someone who used to fill in their naturally light brows with thick, dark brow pomade (and not particularly well, I might add) I personally love a natural but precise look. When I get my eyebrows done, I try to keep their natural shape as best I can, and then simply fill them in a little darker everyday.

For those of you who struggle with sparse, patchy brows or want to be able to outline with precision, this ABH pencil is for you. It has a super small tip, which allows me to outline my brows accurately and fill in any patchy areas super easily, while being able to keep my brows looking uniform.

Then, for a natural and well-finished look, I use the Benefit Brow Mascara. I love how this product darkens and defines my brows, while also keeping them in place all day. It gives a natural look with hair definition, and overall keeps my brows looking super sharp while still sticking to a natural finish.

While I personally ADORE these products, I feel like brows are one of the more personalized aspects of makeup, and while one product may work wonders for me it won’t do much for someone else. However, if like me, you have patchy, light eyebrows you want to keep looking sharp yet natural, I highly suggest this combo! As well as in general, even if you simply use a clear mascara, brow mascara seriously is one of the greatest products I’ve ever tried. I had doubts for so many years about it working well or looking good, but as soon as I tried this stuff I was sold.

Feel free to check out the ABH Pencil here, as well as the Benefit brow mascara here.

Have a wonderful day, y’all!

xoxo,

Meredith

Easy Ways To Be Eco-Friendly!

May 21, 2019November 25, 20191 Comment

Hey friends!!

So today I figured I’d talk about something near and dear to my heart: little ways to be eco-friendly. There’s so many articles out there that discuss the standard ways to help reduce waste, such as reusable bags and coffee mugs; but as someone who really tries to cut down on their daily waste I figured I’d share some other tips I use that go above and beyond! I really hope I don’t have to explain to y’all why you should care about the environment, but if you really don’t, think of it this way: the less waste you produce, the less often you have to take your trash out! No matter what, it’s a win-win, really.

Step One: Invest in Reusable Bathroom Products

This one is a big one for me, as so many products we use daily in our life are disposable. Yes, it may save you a few minutes of time, but at what cost? These things pile up in our garbage, and produce loads of trash over time. One of my all-time-favourite products to use to avoid this is reusable makeup wipes! These towels are fantastic for a number of reasons. First of all, they remove your makeup with just water — no chemicals required! Just wet the towel, wipe off your makeup, wash the towel quickly after and your set. Another bonus is one of these towels can last for months — which leads to a whole lot of savings in the long run. Another similar product I’ve just recently started to try is reusable cotton pads. I haven’t used them for this purpose yet, but I’m pretty sure you could use these to remove your makeup too. I, however, love them for applying toner and other serums to my face. I go through cotton pads like crazy, so I’ve definitely noticed a drop in the amount of waste I produce since I’ve started using these!

Another one that I love, although not really a bathroom product, is reusable wool dryer balls! These relatively cheap wool balls help replace the need for disposable dryer sheets, which I used to go through like crazy. These things seriously last forever as well; I haven’t had to replace them since I bought them. There’s a little bonus too: you can simply leave them in your dryer and not even have to worry about throwing anything in before you dry your clothes, which makes life a bit simpler.

Something else to consider is compostable bathroom products. Plastics, such as toothbrushes, can make their way into the ocean and environment, and take years to break down (and may not ever completely disappear — as a lot of plastic products just break up into micro plastics). One way I love to reduce my plastic waste is with bamboo toothbrushes! This is by far one of the simplest ways to cut down on plastic, as it has no effect at all on your day-to-day life. Think about how many toothbrushes you go through in a lifetime — and how many you can stop from damaging the environment by choosing a more eco-friendly option.

Step Two: Reusable Kitchen Products

The next couple of tips I have are for reusable products in the kitchen! I’ll start with one you’ve probably heard of before: metal straws. There’s so many options out there, but the one I chose to link is the one I use. It’s compact and portable, making it easy to carry around with you daily. Not only that, but the package comes with a little cleaning device so you can clean it immediately after use! Many metal straws out there aren’t collapsable, making them a pain to carry around, but this one makes it easy to never use a plastic straw again!

Another great product I’ve come to love recently is reusable produce bags. These mesh bags completely eliminate the need for disposable plastic produce bags. They’re light, making it easy to carry them around when you’re planning to go grocery shopping. Disposable plastic produce bags have always been a huge pet peeve of mine, since you really can’t repurpose them for much else. Ever since I started using these, I’ve cut down so much on plastic waste! They really are so smart to carry around.

One last one I just purchased but haven’t had time to try out yet is Bee Kind Food Wrap! I just came across this in the grocery store and am super excited to try it! Not only is it supposed to be better than plastic wrap for so many reasons other than simply cutting down on plastic waste, but the company was founded by an alumna of my sorority. Currently, you can only buy them in store in British Columbia and Ontario, but they have an online store in case you don’t live in the area and were hoping to try them for yourself!

Step Three: Food and Eating Habits

Next up is a couple of tips I have in terms of your eating habits that can help out the environment daily. I’ll start with an easy one: buying non-perishable products in bulk! Not only is this often a much cheaper option, but it can be a waste-free one, too. Anything from pasta, to rice, to quinoa, to seeds, nuts and beans can easily be purchased in bulk at your grocery store! To help eliminate waste entirely, I often use the produce bags I mentioned above when I get the products, and then transfer them into glass jars like the one pictured above when I get home. There’s really no downside here: you get to help eliminate waste and save money while you do it!

Another thing you can try, while it is a lot more challenging, is going vegetarian or vegan. I’ve been a vegetarian since last August, and it’s improved my life in so many ways. There’s countless meal prep options out there to check out, so it honestly has made me eat a lot healthier since I started. On top of that, cutting out meat saves gallons of water and more every day. I’m not really an expert on all this, but I’ve found some info on just how much of an impact it can make here.

Now, I know this can be tricky for a lot of people, both for dietary reasons or just because you love meat. So I have a couple of suggestions if you’re not ready to take the full leap:

Try a flexitarian diet. When I cook for myself, I make 100% vegetarian food and have not purchased or used meat in cooking since last August. However, it can be super hard to cut out entirely and I know personally I’d miss a lot of my favourite foods if I did that. So, what I do is when I eat out, if I want something with meat in it, I’ll get it. Yeah, people kind of tease me about being a “bad” vegetarian, but overall my meat consumption is down probably 95% from where it was last year, which is still better than nothing.
Try being vegetarian just one day a week! It can help you transition into a more heavily plant-based diet, but even cutting out meat products for one day can still have a huge impact on the environment and the meat industry.
If you still want to eat meat every day of the week, try to buy your products locally or from small farms. Huge mass-meat factories are nasty for so many reasons outside of the damage they do to the environment, so you’ll be doing yourself a favour anyways.

Step Four: Repurpose Old Items

Okay, one last tip for you guys. Something I love doing is reusing old items and making them new. If I ever get a product in packaging I love, I find a way to make use of it and eliminate the need to purchase a product that would have done the same job! My favourite two examples, pictured above, are my David’s Tea tins and old candles. The tiny golden tins David’s Tea packages individual tea samples in I found to be perfect for containing items such as earrings, necklaces, paper clips and elastics in a tidy and safe way. As for candles, I really love candles and have gone through enough of them in my life to repurpose them for just about anything — here you can see them holding my cotton swabs for when I mess up my makeup, but they also make great makeup brush/product holders, pen holders, containers for cotton balls/pads and more! It’s really up to you how you repurpose old products and make them new. But ultimately it’s a small but great way to help reduce a little waste, save a little money and dare I say have a little fun with decorating!

So, that’s it from me for now! I hope you all can find at least one tip in here to help you cut down on your daily waste, even if just a little bit. Cutting down on waste isn’t easy and is certainly not something you can change entirely overnight, but trying out a few of these hacks will hopefully help change your lifestyle a bit to help save our planet!

Love y’all,

Meredith