If you love the Stila Cosmetics Glitter and Glow Eyeshadows, but want every shade and can’t justify the price, then don’t worry girl, I got you.
When I first received the Rimmel London Wonder’swipe 2-in-1 Liner to Shadow products I was totally floored with the shade range. These liners come in 16 pigmented shades, the majority of which are fun colours. Now I’m typically a black or brown liner girl, usually leaving the fun colours to collect dust until I pull them out once or twice a year, but then when I actually took a look at what the product does, my mind instantly changed.
Like the name suggests, these are actually liners to shadows, meaning that you can use them the old fashioned way as an eyeliner, but they’re actually way more fun as a shadow.
The Wonder’swipe formula goes on wet and shiny, meaning that once you spread it out, you’re left with a sparkly colour that rivals its more expensive counterparts (I’m looking at you Stila). Although they can be used as a liner, I’ve actually never done so just yet, since I love the texture that it leaves on your lids as an eyeshadow.
As mentioned, there are 16 shades ranging from black to purple, green, pink, blue, yellow.. you name it. You can layer and combine colours to make a custom shade, or just use them solely to create an entire eye look. Best of all, you’ll get a 10-hour wear that won’t smudge, transfer, or bleed.
I absolutely adore these and love how they create that extra bit of dazzle, allowing you to take a regular-old eye look and transform it into something spectacular. So far, I’ve been doing some nude looks and then layering on one of the pink or copper shades to create some extra oomph which takes the look from day to night in a flash.
These beauties retail for C$7.98 each at Walmart Canada and since there are so many shades to choose from, I highly recommend picking up a few shades (I mean really, you’ll need one for a smoky eye, a neutral eye, a fun coloured eye.. there are so many possibilities!).
If you can’t tell already, it’s pretty obvious that I love these. I have a million eyeliners already, so I’m reserving these exclusively as a shadow since they add dimension to just about any look.
Let me know if you pick up any shades!
Products provided by PR. All opinions are my own.
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I’ve always had really full brows.
i have a few friends who lack in the brow department, but lucky for me, I can say that my whole life I’ve been blessed with enviable full brows. Like they are so full that I pretty much had a unibrow when I was a kid.
Anyways, since I’ve been so lucky in the brow department, usually when it comes to makeup, I would just fill in the tops and the tails and that’s pretty much it. I actually only recently started to focus on my brows as the first few years of blogging I actually never really touched them (I cringe looking back at old photos now). Basically what I’m getting at here is that I didn’t really go above and beyond for my eyebrows since I didn’t think I really needed it.
Until recently.
I started to notice lately that my brows were two different shapes. It wasn’t the most noticeable, but I noticed it and it started to bug me. My one brow had that tadpole shape (rounded head with a tail), whereas the other one was more fluid. Around this time a local studio, Wink Studio, reached out to me to do a collaboration and since they specialize in brows and microblading I figured I would give it a shot (they also do lash extensions, which I had gone to them for years ago and they do a great job!).
In case you aren’t familiar with microblading, it’s done with a small tool that is made of several tiny needles that creates small cuts to the top layer of the skin. The aesthetician then goes over with a semi-permanent pigment, which settles into the cuts creating a more enhanced brow. Microblading is different from eyebrow tattooing since the tool creates a hair stroke which blends in with the existing eyebrow hair. Tattoos are often done with a machine and needle, often producing a less natural line. Microblading also fades over time, whereas a tattoo would be permanent. When you leave the salon with amazing-looking brows don’t expect them to actually look like that. Over the next few weeks they will fade a bit and you will be required to go in for a touch up.
As you can see in my before shot above, my left brow was considerably different than the right. The left one is much thinner on the top, is shorter near my nose, and has that tadpole effect to it. I wanted more even brows, which was what I ended up getting (and loving!).
Wink Studio’s owner Varbie ended up doing my microblading. I knew her from way back in the day when she did my lash extensions and was a one-woman studio out of a small room on Stafford and Grovesnor here in Winnipeg. Wink Studio currently has two locations in Winnipeg (109-25 Amy Street in the Exchange District and 517 Campbell Street in River Heights). I went to their Amy Street location to get the microblading done initially and then the Campbell location for my touch up.
The process starts by first combing out my brows and then she measures them so they are symmetrical and fit my face nicely. She then takes the pigment (in a shade which best matches my brows) and then paints on the strokes so I could see how my brows will look and see if I want any adjustments prior to her going in with the blade. This was probably the longest part since we worked together to get a shape that I really loved. Varbie added more “hair” to the start of my brows so they aligned with my face better, extended the tails a bit, added hair underneath my left brow to create a more seamless shape, and filled in the tops. When she handed me the mirror to look at them I was so impressed with how they looked.
Once we both liked how they looked (honestly, there was so much math and measuring involved in this, I was quite impressed), she grabbed the blade and started to create the strokes. Now, this part is slightly painful, however, you can ask to get numbing cream put on prior so the pain isn’t that bad. I skipped it since I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but depending on where she was doing the strokes, some areas hurt more than others. You also hear the blade cutting into your skin, it’s like a scratching noise. Again, this didn’t bother me but I have read that it bothers others. Once she’s done with the blade, she grabs the pigment and paints it on. This is usually the part you would see on Instagram, the look of those too-thick brows. She left the pigment on for a few minutes and then wiped it off. The pigment settles into the cuts creating those stroke-like effects.
After a few back and forth and adjusting, I left with amazing brows, which Varbie told me not to fall too much in love with since they would fade over the next four weeks. She also gave me some healing cream to put on my brows three times a day to help with the cuts over the next 10 days. After the procedure she also recommends not to get them wet or sweat for the next 24 hours.
Over the next few days my brows went through the cycle she mentioned. Although they didn’t get itchy (she said that was common), they did flake off a little and scab, but again, that was totally to be expected. I also found they got a bit darker but then lightened up and faded, and then a few weeks later the pigment came back. The human body works in weird ways people.
Anyways, as recommended I went for a touch up around four weeks later where she filled in the parts that faded (for the most part I left my brows the way they were, however, I did fill them in a tiny bit if I was going out somewhere special). This time I opted for the numbing cream (which takes around 10 minutes for it to kick in), however, I did still experience some pain in some areas. Varbie mentioned that the touch ups usually make the pigment last longer since your skin is then used to it and familiar with it. So far, after two-and-a-half weeks, the pigment is still looking great (with some very light, minor fading).
After your first touch up, they recommend to visit every 12 to 18 months. Microblading typically lasts anywhere from one to three years depending on your skin type and age. Your skincare routine will also affect how long the pigment lasts on the skin. For example, if you tan or use products with AHA or Glycolic Acid will make the pigment fade faster.
So would I recommend microblading? I have to tell you, I love going to sleep and waking up with perfect brows. It’s awesome that I can wear no makeup and my brows still look amazing. It also cuts down time considerably when I do my makeup (even on those days where I just throw on CC cream and mascara). The service is expensive (at Wink Studio the prices start at $350 and go up depending on who you see), and then the touchups also cost a lot of money as well (start at $75). You have to remember that although you may leave the studio with perfect brows, they will fade, so the touchup is necessary.
Although I had full brows to begin with and may not have needed it as much as others (I would imagine those who have sparse or no brows at all would be much more inclined to get this done), if you have the money for it and want it, then definitely do it. Not only has it made my life easier, but it makes me happier to have nice brows, and I mean, they do say, “eyebrows speak louder than words” (at least I saw that once on a cute print haha).
Have you had microblading done? What were your thoughts?
Please note, I was provided this service gratis. All opinions are my own.
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Looking for a “pop of colour”. Okay, I know, totally lame joke, but I just had to :P.
So with that being said, if you literally are looking to spice up your lipstick routine then you must check out the expanded shade range of Mattemoiselle lipsticks from Fenty Beauty.
Adding 10 new shades to their already stellar line up, Mattemoiselle (C$23 each) is a slim lipstick with long-wearing soft matte colour (seriously, Fenty Beauty just knows how to do matte right). It delivers incredibly pigmented colour in a matte formula that will hug lips for a lightweight wear. Now you guys know I have a ton of matte lipsticks in my collection already, but my favourite part about these are definitely the colours.
Feeling like a black? A turquoise? Purple? Red? You name it, Fenty has it, especially with this expanded shade range. In fact, some of the colours looked a little too extreme for my personal liking, but then once I actually tried them, I didn’t mind them (especially Turks & Caicos, like hello!).
New to the collection are 10 shades to make a statement. The colours are:
• Thicc – Saulty mauve
• I Quit – True mink/brown
• Dragon Mami – tropical papaya
• Flamingo Acid – bright berry
• Ballerina Bubblegum – hot pink
• Pumpkin Rose – orangey nude
• Tiger Tini – exotic orange
• F’N Black – black
• Violet Fury – vivid violet
• Turks & Caicos – turquiose
Since I don’t typically go too adventurous with my lip colour that often, Thicc, I Quit, Dragon Mami, and Ballerina Bubblegum were the shades that instantly jumped out at me for everyday wear. Once I got to actually trying them though, I did enjoy all of them except for Pumpkin Rose, which is a little too pumpkiny for my skin tone. I think that one would look stunning on a darker or more olive skin tone though.
As far as regular ol’ lipsticks go, these are pretty awesome. I love the way they feel when applied on the lips and for the most part, they stay put all day. I might have to reapply them depending on what I’m doing, but the colour holds up fairly well. I also love the slim shape as they fit in even the tiniest of clutches.
If you are looking for some wild colour this season (hey, new year, new you!), definitely take a look at what Fenty Beauty has up their sleeve with these new Mattemoiselle shades. I brought Ballerina Bubblegum to work for those days where I need a little hot pink in my life to get me through all those work-related emails, but in the meantime, Thicc is probably my colour of choice since it’s the most basic, and let’s be real, i love basic things (#sorrynotsorry).
What shade are you most excited to pick up from the new Fenty Mattemoiselle shades?
Please note, I received this product from PR. All opinions are my own.
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