I have yet to try something from Fenty Beauty that I haven’t liked.
Although I’ve only tried a handful of products, I’ve been seriously impressed with what Rihanna is putting out in her makeup line. I’m not going to lie, I didn’t really set my expectations high when I initially tried out her stuff (she is first and foremost a singer, not a cosmetics pro), but damn, she is killing it lately in the cosmetics game.
One of her first products when she launched the line (if not, the first product) was the Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Colour in the shade Uncensored, which is billed as the perfect universal red. I don’t particularly love reds, so I haven’t tried it, but have heard amazing things about it. Since I was super curious about her liquid lipsticks (since you guys know I have a slight obsessed with them), I was uber pumped to learn that she recently expanded the shade range to include four new colours, three neutrals and a black.
The Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Colour is a weightless 12-hour liquid lipstick that dries down to a soft matte finish. Although the shade range is very small, I’m still sure you can find a shade for you. You guys know I try out a lot of liquid lip colours, and although most of them do the trick, there are very few that actually stay put all day, through eating, drinking, talking, you name it. These are one of them.
You apply this incredibly wet liquid lipstick using a unique lip-defining wand, which fits the contours of your lips perfect. I get where they were going with the whole “lip paint” thing as I definitely felt like I was painting on the colour when I applied this (as opposed to the regular mousse formula you would usually see). The shape of the wand makes it so easy and effortless to apply the colour, and once it dries down it doesn’t budge. Seriously, even through eating and drinking, the colour hardly fades.
Brand new to the line are the shades Unbutton (peachy nude), Uncuffed (rosy mauve), Unveil (chocolate brown) and Uninvited (smooth black). The nudes all come in the regular packaging, that is a shiny triangular handle, whereas Uninvited comes in a matte black cap with a glow-in-the-dark packaging (perfect for Halloween!).
Since I am obsessed with nudes, Unbutton is my favourite, but I have been wearing the other colours as well since they are incredibly fall appropriate and they stay on nicely. I don’t typically wear black lipstick, but since I have a number of black liquid lip colours, I can tell you that this one goes on the best. I find that with the darker shades they are trickier to get them looking completely opaque, that is no streakiness on the lips. This one does it, and then once it’s set, it’s set. You may see some wear along the inner lip region, but compared to others I have tried (Kat Von D, Rimmel London), this is the best one, hands down.
If you can’t tell already, I absolutely love these. I think this is one of the best formulas out there when it comes to liquid lipsticks, and can’t wait until they release more colours (maybe a more pale nude, or a baby pink, or a baby pink/nude? C’mon Rihanna!). These retail for C$30 each, so on point with other liquid lip colours in the same category.
Next time you’re in Sephora, you need to give these a swatch (or just press “add to cart”!).
Have you tried the Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Colours?
Please note, I was sent these products from PR. All opinions are my own.
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When it comes to lazy days, or days when I’m in a rush to get ready, I usually reach for something light for the face.
The reason I love BB and CC creams so much is because they provide a good amount of coverage, plus there’s no need for a primer and they have some wicked skincare benefits.
I’ve been using the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream for months now and have absolutely fallen in love with how it makes my skin look and feel. It provides an amazing amount of coverage, it has so many wonderful skincare benefits, and it has an SPF 50, meaning that it gives you that much-needed protection against the sun. I actually was using this all summer and often brought it along on trips where I knew I was hitting up a beach or pool, and since I often travel in packs, a lot of my friends ended up picking this up as well since they saw how amazing it was on the skin.
Anyways, fast forward to last month when I saw that IT Cosmetics released a new matte version of this CC cream and I knew I had to have it.
The IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Oil-Free Matte with SPF 40 (C$49) is the same full-coverage, colour-correcting CC cream with anti-aging skincare, but this time in an oil-free formula with SPF 40 sunscreen and a 12-hour matte finish. Since I typically like wearing a matte foundation, I was super excited to try this as although I do love wearing the original formula, I like the versatility of this one. For instance, I find the original one to be perfect for summer, when you want to sport that extra glow, however, matte is a little more appropriate for everyday office wear, meaning I can pick and choose where I want my highlight to be.
This formula reduces shine and controls oil for up to 12 hours, meaning that if you have oily skin, then you may want to look into this formula of their CC cream since ideally it will keep you blot-free for most of the day.
The CC cream is available in all 12 of their original shades and since I was medium in the other formula, I chose to go with the same colour in this one. As I expected, it matched me quite well and I’ve been reaching for it non-stop (especially on days where I go to Fit Body Bootcamp early in the morning and then don’t have a ton of time to get ready before work). This product gives you amazing coverage and is really all you need for the face.
In addition to making your skin look flawless and an SPF 40 (I’m personally curious as to why this is SPF 40, not 50 like the other version), it also is a brightening colour corrector, hydrating anti-aging serum, poreless finish primer, dark spot concealer, and a moisturizing day cream. Like I said, it’s really all you need.
As you can see in the before and after, I was wearing a full face of makeup (highlighter included). The thing I really love about this is the coverage it gives you. Considering that CC and BB creams are typically very light (you hardly feel like you’re wearing this), this CC cream literally covers up every spot of redness or breakouts on my face.
Between the two formulas, I would probably say to pick up the matte version, but they both have a time and place for use. I still love the original and think it’s perfect for vacation, where you may want that extra bit of glow (and SPF). The matte version is great for everyday wear since it’s very natural looking and delivers oil-free coverage for 12 hours. Honestly, though, you really can’t go wrong with either of them, they’re both fantastic.
Have you tried IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream? Which formula do you prefer?
Please note, products supplied by PR. All opinions are my own.
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I’ve never really thought I needed hair extensions.
Since my hair is long already (I do often get asked if I have extensions), I didn’t dream of ever pursuing to go longer with more hair put in. I used to have clip-ins when I was in my early 20’s (I would wear them all the time to the bar), but although I do think they are stunning, I just haven’t felt the need to invest in some extensions since then.
Then I got approached by Philocaly Hair to try out their product and I was super intrigued.
When the ladies first reached out to me on Instagram I totally thought they were talking about their clip-ins, which I figured, ‘hey why not, it’s been a few years since I’ve had them, I could wear them on special occasions’. Then they mentioned they wanted me to try their tape-ins, and I was like ‘okay, but you guys do realize that I have long, thick hair already, right?’
What I didn’t realize before actually getting tape-ins in that a lot of girls who have long hair already actually have them as well. So why do you need extensions if you already have long hair? Well, it’ll add a little more dimension in your hair (especially if you don’t want to damage your hair with chemicals but want to add a little more colour), and no matter how thick you think your hair is already, girl it can always go thicker.
So to sum it up, being one to never turn down a good opportunity, I was like why not, let’s do it! I ended up sending the Philocaly ladies (it’s three sisters in Saskatchewan who own the company) a couple images my hair and they shade matched a couple of their extensions, Beach Please and Champagne Kiss (their lightest blonde). Since I have long hair already, they sent the 22-24 inch version of Champagne Kiss (which you have to custom order), and the 18-20-inch version of Beach Please. They also offer 16-18 inch extensions as well.
Okay, so about the actual extensions themselves, the hair is real remy Russian hair, which if you aren’t familiar with hair extension lingo, that means that the hair comes from a single-donor Russian person (meaning that each package of their extensions is collected from one woman, not multiple women, so the hair flows better) and the cuticle is going in the same direction. If you get cheap extensions that aren’t remy that means that the cuticle could be at the bottom and the top, which usually means lots of matting and – for lack of a better term – nasty looking extensions. These are also ethically sourced, meaning that the hair comes from women who willingly sold their hair for a fair trade price, and the cuticle is intact, which makes the hair more durable. They also also virtually double drawn, so the short hairs are removed to give thickness from root to end, and they don’t contain any silicones or chemicals, which means that they will feel softer longer.
Like I said, I’ve had extensions in the past, but they were usually sourced from Asian or Indian women. Being caucasian, my hair type doesn’t really match those found in Asian or Indian hair, since it’s typically thicker. If you are caucasian like me, then I would look into Russian extensions since it’s finer hair, similar to my own natural texture. To sum it up, these extensions are no joke.
Each package of Philocaly hair tape-ins come with 30 tabs and 50 grams of hair (16-18 inch) and 60 grams of hair (18-20 inch). They recommend one package of tape-ins for added thickness and two to three packs for full application (honestly though I think two will probably do – I ended up with eight tabs left over from each pack – so 16 total). They also are billed to last eight-to-12 months with proper care.
As for the application, I ended up going to see Tanessa at Bob and Page salon who is certified in installing Philocaly hair. I was actually surprised how quickly it took her to put them in. In case you aren’t familiar with how tape-ins work, it’s a two thin strips of hair that is sandwiched between your real hair and then taped together at the top. She mentioned to come in with washed hair with no styling products in it so there is no extra product in your hair that would get in the tape. What I ended up with was naturally looking hair that matched my real hair colour perfectly.
As you can see in the photos, my hair got slightly longer and much fuller. It did take me a while to get used to them, especially sleeping and working out. I hate having hair on me when I’m sweating and since I work out so much, this is probably my biggest qualm with them (I was told not to put them in a super high ponytail). For sleeping, I just ponytail it slightly above the centre of my head and sleep with a silk pillowcase to keep them soft.
As for washing them, they recommended using silicone-free products. Philocaly actually has their own line of products, which they sent along as well. The Marc Anthony Bye-Bye Frizz Line actually came in at the best time, as I’ve been using that and been loving how they make my hair feel. I will note that the first time I washed them I did find the hair to be a little frizzy and dry, but every time I have washed them since then, the hair has been soft and natural looking. I recommend shampooing just the top of your head and then conditioning the ends. I like their Repair Mask (C$24), which you apply to the mid-shaft to the ends after the shower when your hair is towel dried. Leave that on for 10 minutes, then rinse out. After, I usually use my regular split-end tamer and then put in their argan oil (C$20).
I’ve also found that I don’t wash my hair as often, just because I don’t want them exposed to too much heat (I always curl my hair). Honestly though, even after a week of not washing them, they still look amazing (they hold style really well); it’s my roots that need some TLC.
It’s been just over two weeks and although I do have a tiny bit of growth, I still have weeks to go before getting them moved up. The ladies at Philocaly say that you should go in every six-to-eight weeks to get them adjusted (they take each one out, wash them, and put them back in – as you can imagine it’s a pretty pricey process as well). Because I have such thick hair though, they think I can get away with 10 weeks.
Like I said when I started this post, I really didn’t think I needed them, and to be honest, I still probably don’t. But hey, is there anything more luxurious than hair extensions? Also, these Philocaly ones have also changed my thoughts on extensions in general since when I had those clip-ins so many years ago, I did find that they often got natty and were hard to deal with. These are the exact opposite. Honestly, they match my natural colour wonderfully and when you feel my hair, it doesn’t feel like there is a difference at all.
Consider me completely hooked.
Do you wear hair extensions? What’s your favourite brand?
Please note, products provided by PR. All opinions are my own.
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