Fall Favourites

I'm finally getting into the swing of things and embracing fall to its fullest potential. And by that I, of course, am talking about switching out my corals and bright pinks for some fall beauty favourites (both new and rediscovered!) Here are some of my fall must-haves this season:

Sally Hansen Insta-dri nail polish in 370 Show Steel-er

I've never really delved into greys in my beauty routine before, but it has been really speaking to me lately. In general I tend to stay away from cool-toned anything because I just don't think it compliments my skin tone as well as the warmer hues. But this shade of grey polish is not too blue or dark on me. I just love it!

OPI nail lacquer in Got The Blues for Red

What's fall without a collection of rich burgundies and oxblood? This OPI polish is a classic. It's so rich and deep yet vibrant. This is one I will continue to repurchase again and again.

Annabelle blushon in Rosebud

This was part of the spring collection from this year, but I haven't whipped it out 'til now because re: cool-tones = not my thing. Or so I thought! Just goes to show you how our pre-conceived notions could be wrong and everything is worth a try. I am IN LOVE with this blush for fall. For some reason, it gives me the perfect pink flush to compliment my rotation of lip products. Maybe because I'm starting to get paler so the peaches and corals that made me look perfectly sunkissed in the summer and complimented my orange and pink lipsticks, aren't working so well now.

ELF blush palette in Dark

This is a new product for me and it is not disappointing. I picked this palette up in the states in August and the hues are perfect for fall. They have the same versatile combo of warm-toned, cool-toned and neutral blushes as the Light version of this palette, but they are much deeper and richer. I especially love the blush on the right bottom corner. It's such a beautiful berry colour that appears much lighter on your cheeks than how it looks in the pan. It reminds me of the beautiful flush you get when you've been walking outside in the cold.

NYX matte lipstick in Alabama

Another new addition to my collection is this gorgeous burgundy matte lipstick. I had been on the hunt for a burgundy that was more brown-based than purple or pink and not too dark. It took me a while to find the perfect shade, as I can be quite picky about these things. But this lippy does not disappoint. It's just a little vampy without being over the top. My only criticism is the packaging. It's a bit flimsy for my tastes but for a drugstore lipstick, I really can't complain!

Kat Von D everlasting liquid lipstick in Lolita

This is also a new product for me, and honestly, the biggest surprise of the season, in a season of quite a few surprise loves. I know the deep purple/grey 90s colour is all the rage this year, but I have never been a huge fan of that tone of lipstick. It just feels so muddy and gothy to me. But this shade from Kat Von D seems to have just enough brown and pink in it that I'm kinda diggin' it. And it's not too dark either, which can look a bit grungy in my opinion. I can see why this lipstick is so popular!

NYX prismatic shadow in Jaded

Olive and army greens scream fall to me, but instead of a boring matte, a shimmery shade of eye shadow can add so much interest to a look. Just check out this NYX shadow I picked up recently. In the pan, it looks like a true army green shimmer but in a particular light, it can read more blue or grey. A smokey green eye with a nude lip is one of my favourite looks for fall!

L'oreal infallible eye shadow in Goldmine

And lastly, this is a new discovery for me as well. I had never been into gold eyeshadows before but I am in love with this pigment from L'oreal. It's the perfect lid colour for a classic brown smokey eye and goes with all the shades of red lipstick you could possibly have. These shadows from L'oreal have a crazy amount of pigment and shimmer to them. A must-have, in my opinion!

                                                   

A Little Bit of Bridal Glam

Happy Canada Day, Frockers! I thought I'd wish Canada a happy birthday with a little bit of glam and share my latest wedding makeup adventure with y'all. As you know, I've been messing around with looks for the past few months to try and find one that really speaks to me and I think I may have stumbled upon the one.

Of course, it will all depend on the dress in the end, but I came up with a pretty great look by accident! I was seriously just messing around and then this happened:

 

Ignore the wonky eyelashes and eyebrows please! I still need some practice in some areas...

So anyway, I surprised and impressed myself and was eager to not let this be a fluke. I filmed a tutorial so I could practice and remind myself how I did this at any time in the future. Also, I had posted these pics on Reddit to ask for some internet stranger advice (aka the most honest kind) and it got so many upvotes and kind comments. It was really overwhelming. I honestly thought I might be crucified for having crazy eyebrows and uneven shadow application, but a few people even asked for a tutorial, so as soon as I had some free time, I filmed my very first makeup tutorial. Hope you guys like it!

                                                               

Coral Bride

Marcelle Double Precision Liquid Eyeliner Pen in Intense Black

Maybelline Great Lash waterproof mascara in Very Black

Ardell human hair falsies in 116

NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Black/Gray

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Soft Beige

Jane Iredale Amazing Base Loose Mineral Powder in Bisque

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Red Cheeks

Milani Baked Powder Blush in Corallina

Benefit Watts Up higlighter in Soft Focus

Maybelline Colour Sensation lipstick in Vibrant Mandarin

NYX Butter Gloss in Cherry Cheesecake

This look is all about them rosy cheeks and pink pucker. It's neon sweet. I've been particularly obsessed with coral these days and I think this look would make a positively radiant bride. I find that pinks don't necessarily translate as beautifully on film as they do in real life however. Maybe it's the camera, but I really wanted more of a colourful effect with this look. It would depend on the dress too of course. 

What do you guys think of this sweet and simple bridal makeup?

                                                                            

Favourite Spring + Summer Lipsticks

I thought I'd share some of my favourite lipsticks for spring and summer. I'm all about bright pinks, corals and red. A positively delightful bouquet of colours!

As a quick note, I just wanted to add something I didn't notice when I filmed this quick video. I bought three NYX Round Lipsticks (Eros, Fire and Frappuccino) and have noticed a soapy taste to Eros and Fire. Frappuccino is quite odor-free, so it's a little weird (maybe it has something to do with the red dyes they use?) Anyway, it's very, very subtle and some people might not notice it and I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and see if it bothered me when I wore it and unfortunately, it does. I don't really like lipsticks that have strong smell or taste and the fact that it's soap makes it worse. I'm so sad because Eros is such a beautiful colour, but I really can't stand the taste. 

I just thought I'd add a little footnote of warning in case anyone is interested in purchasing these!

What are you sporting on your pucker this summer?
                                                                 

Favourite Drugstore Blushes

If I had to pick just one makeup to use for the rest of my life, I'd have to go with blush. Yes, I'm a lipstick fiend, but blush just gives your whole face a youthful glow that instantly brightens your whole aura. I've had a couple of standard go-tos the past couple of years, but recently started experimenting with other brands and types so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts for the blush-lover in all of us. And I consider this to be a bonus, but they are all drugstore brands, so they are friendly on the ol' wallet as well! 

My new favourites at the moment are probably Milani's Corallina and ELF's blush in the St. Lucia Contouring Bronzing duo. Corallina is a really beautiful true coral that gives you a glowing sheen while the St. Lucia blush gives you a really sun-kissed flush, perfect for summer!

                                                       

The Retro Bride

Marcelle Double Precision Liquid Eyeliner Pen in Intense Black

Maybelline Great Lash waterproof mascara in Very Black

Ardell human hair falsies in 116

NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Black/Gray

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Soft Beige

Jane Iredale Amazing Base Loose Mineral Powder in Bisque

Milani Baked Powder Blush in Corallina

Benefit Watts Up higlighter in Soft Focus

Sephora lip liner in Real Red

ELF Moisturizing Lipstick in Velvet Rope

Here it is, the bridal look you've all been waiting for. One of my favourite looks for regular life, truth be told. It's the classic vintage cat-eye liner with a bright red lip. I already know this works on me, I wear it all the time. It's just a very clean face kind of look where the focus is on the eyes and lips. For my wedding, I would probably kick it up a notch with an even thicker eyeliner, more highlighting shimmer shadow on the lids, and a deeper and peachier blush to tie it all together. 

If you compare the last two images, you might notice the last photo has much longer and fuller lashes. I couldn't decide if this look really needed falsies or not so I'm asking you guys what you think. On the one hand, falsies really add such a feminine, striking touch to any look and I think your wedding is where you can really go all the way in the makeup department. But on the other hand, falsies might take over the eyeliner, which is a key feature I would really want to highlight.

Either way, this is one of my staple makeup looks that I would definitely be confident creating on my wedding day. I think this look is making it to the finals!

                                                 

Classic Bridal Makeup

Frockers, as you may or may not know by now, wedding bells will be tolling for me in about a year and I'm knee-deep planning. We're going to tie the knot in Vancouver since both of our families live out west and I've spent the past two months researching for a venue that 1) fits into our $10,000 total budget and 2) will do as much work for me as humanly possible for what I understand is a very small budget. Naturally, our little destination wedding will be a lot more complicated to plan since we're on the other side of the country and can't meet with vendors, venues, caterers etc. I used to live in Vancouver, but I didn't exactly frequent wedding venues on the regular. I just really wanted to find a place that's hassle-free and an all-inclusive kind of a deal so that any additional work on our part would be minimized.

Well, we've just booked a lovely little historical house turned restaurant called the Brockhouse, situated right along Jericho beach in the heart of VanCity. Their garden and lawns seem very lovely, their tent will come pre-decorated with drapey ceilings and chandeliers, they'll play classical music during lunch, provide all the tables and chairs, linens, silverware, food, servers....we practically just have to show up! And since we're reserving during the shoulder season, the price is one of the cheapest I've been able to find anywhere in the city! Even though we haven't actually visited the site yet, we were pretty confident to just sign the contract and visit later. Since we got engaged, the venue was the main thing I was concerned with since the intersect of my requirements (see above) didn't leave very many viable options. Now that the venue is booked, I feel like the biggest chunk of the puzzle has been figured out and I can start solving the smaller (and more fun) parts. 

LIKE MAKEUP! We're trying to save money wherever we can and nearly everything that's not taken care of by the venue will probably be a DIY job. However, before committing to the whole DIY makeup thing, I do think I'll need to practice, test and experiment, and that's where you Frockers could help me out. I'd love to post the makeup looks I'm considering for your feedback and tips! Let me know what you think looks good cause that'll really help me figure out if 1) I'm good enough to really be doing this on my own and 2) what would look the best on the big day. I haven't gotten a dress yet and don't really know what style I'm going to go for, which will really affect my final styling decisions, but I gotta start practicing now! Y'all may think I'm some kinda makeup guru-expert with tons of beauty know-how, but what you don't see on the blog (or in life for that matter) are all my failed attempts and terrible decisions. Really the only reason I'm remotely confident enough to walk out the door with any makeup on are a couple of undeniable facts on which I guide my makeup life: it's all about experimenting and finding out what works for you.

This first look is what I like to call the "classic bridal" look. It's a soft goldish-brown, muted smokey eye with some shimmer to it, paired with a nude-blush lipstick. I also slapped on some BB cream, powder and blush, but did not bother to do anything with my lashes (imagine I'm wearing some natural-looking falsies.) Mostly, I just wanted to test the eye shadow look and what kind of a lip would look good with it.

And I gotta say, I impressed myself with this attempt. I've tried this look before and it has never turned out this well. Maybe it was the several YouTube videos I watched right before trying this, but I really like how it looks. It feels like just a soft and pretty smokey eye. It's noticeably more made up than I normally would be, but not too harsh or vampy. Apologies for the weird lighting, I was sitting in front of the window and there's a bit of a glare. Also, shout out to the broken closet door behind me! I don't know if you guys can tell, but apparently, I'm super strong cause I broke the door by just attempting to close it. HULK SMASH.

Anyway....so what do you guys think? Should I put this look in the bridal makeup running?

Sephora Collection Mini Shopping Bag Makeup Palette
Annabelle Trio Eye Shadow in Quartz (just the darkest colour)
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black
NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Soft Beige

Jane Iredale Amazing Base Loose Mineral Powder in Bisque

ELF Studio Blush in Peachy Keen

Benefit Watts Up higlighter in Soft Focus

Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Nude Delight

L'Oreal Color Riche lipstick in Nature's Blush

                                                                            

Five Makeup Faves for March

1. Lancome Hypnose Mascara: A lot of people believe that Lancome makes the best mascara and let me just say, I am one of those believers. This mascara gives me exceptional volume and length and never clumps. Nuff said.  

2. Physicians Formula Eye Booster in Ultra Black: I've never worn too much black eyeliner in my life until recently where I now wear it about once a week. This is one of those products that I bought a long time ago and only now started using. This liquid eyeliner has a very fine tip which is great for creating a thin line and it stays in place. It goes on very smoothly and easily and has a great, dark pigmentation.

3. Elf HD Blush in Headliner: This product has been part of my daily makeup routine for a couple of years now and I own it in several shades. I've been using the light pink Headliner shade for the month of March because let's face it, my skin is at its most pale right now. This creamy blush is perfect if your skin is on the dryer side like mine. I find this blush lasts all day unlike many powdered blushes and it also has great pigmentation.

4. Rimmel lipstick in Bordeaux: In Jackie's recent post, she reviewed a ton of her go-to lipstick's because she is indeed, our resident lipstick guru. I always go to her for lipstick advice and this was one of her recommendations taking into account my recent affection for dark red/burgundy lip shades. If, like me, you are a little uncomfortable with a classic bright red lip, this is a must try.

5. Annabelle Lipsies Strawberry: This is a great everyday gloss that just adds a little girly glam to your face. It has a thick crayon-like applicator and is very glossy with a nice reddish hue. A great lil pick me up when your lips are feeling sad.

Getting A Bit Lippy

Hey Frockers, back when BOF was in its infancy, I posted about some of my go-to lipsticks and I thought it was about time to update you on some of the new additions to my lipstick collection! Some I like more than others, but they all have their advantages and a place in my little lipstick drawer.

Forgive the flaky lips, I did all the swatches at once (not a good idea)! My lips were burning a bit afterwards...

Rimmel Moisture Renew in Nude Delight

I discovered this little gem a couple of years ago and what I like about it is that it's a little bit peachy so it looks really really good on warmer skin tones like mine. A lot of neutral or cooler toned nude lipsticks look terrible on me. The formula's decently moisturizing and I also like to use this shade to layer with other lipsticks to get a nice customizable shade.


Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Dolce

This is a darker toned nude that I wear occasionally that's a bit more on the brown side. What's tricky about this one is the gold flecks in the lipstick can make your lips look kind of metallic. Also, since it is an "all-day" formula, it can get a bit drying so I recommend putting a bit of balm on top, but the staying power is pretty decent.


Annabelle Stay Sharp Lip Liner in Nude

This is new addition to my collection and I have to say, I LOVE the colour and I use it as a lipstick. It's kind of like the Rimmel Nude Delight in that the colour is very light but doesn't wash my lips out. It's the perfect everyday nude shade for my light to medium skin tone with a warm yellowish undertone. It's supposed to be super long-lasting and when I swatched it on my hand, I had a really hard time rubbing it off. On your lips though, you'll have to reapply once in a while, like after eating, but the staying power is pretty decent. The downside is that it's super super drying. I have a hard time even running the liner across my lips cause it's so dry. I recommend applying balm before using this one.


Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Natural in N9

This is more of a deep rosy colour that really just serves to enhance your natural smile. It's not exactly moisturizing, but it's not matte, and the sheerer formula adds just a hint of colour. I usually reach for this one on days when I'm going for a "no makeup" look and just want a touch more colour on my lips than their natural colour.

Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in 06

This is a nice bright blue-toned pink for those hot summer soirees. It's an amazing pop of colour in anyone's makeup look and although I don't tend to go for cooler toned lipsticks, I find this one works quite well on me. The formula is decently moisturizing, although I don't think the line is meant to be a moisturizing lipstick. And the staying power isn't the best, but it's not the worst either. It's a classic bright pink for anyone's collection.


ELF Moisturizing Lipstick in Coral Cutie

This is a warmer-toned bright pink, really just a classic coral. Honestly, the formula could be better. It's very sheer, you have to really layer on the colour to get the right effect. But I find that the more I layer, the more it accents the dry flakes in my lips. It does look moist on the lips, but I feel like it's more due to the formula being kind of oily. Still, I love this colour for spring!


Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Tesoro

This is an amazing bright orange-red shade that gives you a really matte finish that's smudge-proof. The colour is definitely the winning feature of this lipstick because I have to say, it's not my favourite "all-day" formula. And the colour tends to still rub off nearer the inside of my lips, which gives that unsightly harsh line of lipstick that suddenly just turns into skin. It's not an impossible problem, you just have to reapply periodically, but I also find the lipstick sometimes clumps and gathers into annoying little flakes of colour/skin in the same area. And I can't help but pick at it. Points for the amazing colour and pigmentation, but there's a new kid in town that I think has usurped this one as my new go-to, long-lasting red...


L'Oreal Infallible Lipstick in Infallible Red 

I have just discovered this new lipstick by L'Oreal and it is the best "all-day" formula BY FAR. It doesn't clump or flake and I can literally go all day without a single reapplication. It's so hard to get it off at the end of the day, but I consider that to be a pro and not a con! And where other all-day lipsticks tend to be a bit drying, this one comes with a top coat that's sheer and really just adds a bit of moisture to your lips. And the colour is extremely bright and pigmented which is a major plus for me when it comes to red lipsticks. This is definitely a new favourite for me!

Marcelle Rouge Xpressions Cream Lipstick in Amour

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but it's a really nice classic red that will probably enter my regular rotation. It's very creamy and moisturizing, the colour is nicely pigmented and although you do need to reapply a bit after eating, it's a really nice kind of everyday bright, neutral to slightly warmer red that would probably work on most skin tones.

Annabelle Twistup Lipstick Crayon in Cherry

This is a perfect deep red colour, great for fall and winter. It's not quite maroon, not quite bright red. The formula seems to dry out pretty fast and it gets a little more difficult to apply after you've had the crayon for a while, but the colour is lovely! Definitely my go-to wine shade for fall.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Fiery


This is another nice deeper red that I would probably reach for if I needed more staying power. It's not bad in terms of colour, texture or staying power and it may not stand out as much as some other shades for me, but it's a good lipstick to keep around.

Rimmel Lasting Finish in Bordeaux 

This is a nice deep maroon colour, essential for any bold collection of lipsticks! I love this one in particular because there's still a hint of red and it's less purple than other oxblood shades, making it less goth and more chic. And it's also buildable, if you do want it to appear darker with less red, you can just add another layer or two and practically get a different colour!

So there you have it, Frockers! I hope my little review helps y'all in your own personal lip-wear quests. Let me know what you guys think of these colours, or share some of your own favourites, cause I'm always looking to add to the collection! This is one addiction I don't care to squash...

                                                                    

e.l.f. Moisturizing Lipstick and Shimmer Gloss Review

I have a serious makeup addiction. Lip stuff especially. It's truly an illness....a fabulous illness, but an illness nonetheless! Elf is one of my favourite budget brands and I recently purchased a few of their moisturizing lipsticks from their Studio line and their shimmer gloss. I thought I'd share my impressions with you guys and show some swatches since it's pretty hard to come by Elf stuff in Canada.

Lipsticks: Cheeky, Wink Pink, Ravishing Rose, Velvet Rope
Glosses: they don't have names

LIPSTICK PROS
- They are quite moisturizing (all day moisture!)
- They have some great colours + the best tomato red I've tried out of all the drug store brands!
- They have decent pigmentation and staying power
- They cost only $3 each online (or $4 at Target Canada)

LIPSTICK CONS
- The online swatches aren't super accurate

GLOSS PROS
- They smell yummy!
- If you're going for a natural look, these would be good
- It was only $5 for 4 colours

GLOSS CONS
- They aren't very pigmented
- They feel kind of like a gooey balm, not really a gloss

So as I say in the video, I would definitely recommend the lipsticks but not so much the glosses unless you want a super natural look, which you could also get from a tinted lip balm. If you're looking to purchase online, www.eyeslipsface.com often has sales up to 50% of or free shipping deals, so check often! Not that you really need to justify spending the money. It's really worth it for the lipsticks!
                                                                       

Bouquet of Bloopers Take One

I was filming another video for you Frockers and while I was editing it, I realized...well I realized a lot of things. Number 1, I make a lot of weird faces when I talk. We'll call it charming and leave it at that. Number 2, I have a real potty mouth sometimes...and number three, I LOVE MAKING BLOOPER REELS!

I thought I'd share this with you guys before I post the real video (an e.l.f. moisturizing lipstick and shimmer gloss review). I actually like this one better.

                             
Happy Wednesday Frockers!        
                                                                        

Easy Everyday Makeup

 I've altered and adapted my daily makeup routine a lot since I started wearing makeup as a teen, as my taste and experience (and unfortunately my skin) has evolved a lot over the years. For those of you who maybe shy away from wearing makeup daily because you think it's too much, it's really as much or as little as you want to make of it. Check out my typical workday routine:

I don't like wearing foundation or concealer on a daily basis. And to be honest, I'm on a budget and have never found a decent concealer in my price range to do what I need it to do (ie. hide my boxcar scars). Oddly enough though, I find that the L'Oreal Magic Smoothe Souffle works perfectly well as a concealer and I just pat some onto my problem areas with my finger and they just disappear! 

Next, I use NYX's Eyebrow Cake Powder to fill in my sparse brows and may or may not run some wax through it to set it. I do it really fast and just follow the natural line of my eyebrows. You may want to outline your brows before you start if you're looking for an even more clean, thick or structured look, but I'm not looking for a Brooke Shields makeover, I just really want to fill in the patchy areas. And here's a tip for you black-haired readers: don't use black, use dark brown. It will look much more natural.

I used to curl my eyelashes and use mascara everyday but alas, I became afraid of damaging my already thin, short and frail lashes, so I stopped. Still, I like defining my eyes and found a perfect alternative: Annabelle's Metallic Kohl Eyeliner. If you don't want to be too vampy at work, opt for for the metallic brown shade and only line the upper lash-line like I do, it really adds a sort of subtle defining effect to your lids.

 

Blush is probably my go-to product. Even if I don't take time to do my eyebrows or line my eyes, if I just dust some blush onto the apple of my cheeks, I am satisfied. I haven't found a really good cream blusher so most days I use a combo of powder blushes, such as Essence Silky Touch Blush and finishing with some ELF Studio Baked Blush for some extra "glow."

Lastly, if I don't feel like wearing lipstick, I might finish with a gloss or tinted balm like L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm. Et voilà! A perfectly simple, subtle, pretty everyday look in just 10 minutes!

L'Oreal Magic Smoothe Souffle in 528 True Beige

NYX's Eyebrow Cake Powder in 02 Dark Brown

Annabelle's Metallic Kohl Eyeliner in 171 Skore

Essence Silky Touch Blush in 20 Babydoll

ELF Studio Baked Blush in Peachy Cheeky

L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in 418 Caring Coral

***LOYAL FROCKERS, BOUQUET OF FROCKS NEEDS YOU!***

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