The Makeup Monologues

The Pantone Institute has revealed their Colour of the Year for 2019 to be Living Coral! I've followed the Colour of The Year for a few years now, since Radiant Orchid, and I'm excited to once again see a colour that will incorporate well into makeup looks! Pantone Institute When I was younger, we're talking like age nine to twelve, I remember hating coral with a passion. I thought it contrasted with my colouring in a super unflattering way, making me look even more pasty and straw-like than I already did. I also just hated anything pink, but that's a whole dysphoria thing that we can get into later.  However, then I got into makeup, and figured out that coral lipstick lit up my whole face. I started seeking it out and was frustrated that I couldn't find a lot of coral shadow, liner, blush or the like, just the occasional muted coral lipstick. So I kind of forgot about the colour until now, and the Pantone Institute has reunited my love for it! I decid...

I'm back with a roundup of some products I've been loving this season! Lately my makeup has been one of two things- ethereal, shimmery, and over-the-top, or grungy, boyish, and minimal. Read on for a rundown of what I haven't been able to put down lately, plus a look using all of the products! Let’s start off with a palette I’ve been loving for a few months! While upon first glance, the Too Faced Life’s A Festival palette looks like it would appeal to a rather small subset of makeup-wearers, I would beg to differ. A lot of critics of this palette cite the fact that there are very few matte shades to “complete” a look with, rendering the palette useless in their eyes. I would think quite the opposite. The one matte transition shade, Desert Vibes, works beautifully as a transition for any of the shimmers and duochromes in this palette, thus eliminating the need for multiple matte shades. I think that Too Faced did something unexpectedly brilliant with thi...

June went by in a flash. It honestly wasn't a very good month for me, and most of the time, I was either too busy or too depressed to wear makeup. I tended to go back to the same products again and again, and those products are going to be included in my monthly favourites! I have two makeup items, a skincare item and a tea. The first product is something I've had for a long time and never loved as much as I thought I would- it's finally getting the love it deserves! Behold, the Clinique Cheek Pop blush in Pansy Pop. It's a vibrant lilac-lavender blush with a dense, buildable formula. I found it paired extremely well with every eye look I was putting together this month, and since this doesn't require a skilled hand to apply, it was the blush I wore for most of the month. My second favourite is something I purchased more recently, but still didn't fall in love with for a while. The Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly palette has been my go-to for the past mo...

Hey, it's been a while since I did a Beauty Wishlist post! Recently, I've noticed myself getting annoyed with my usual primer- it's just not working for me anymore. I've been wishing after a lot of different primers, but these are the ones I am considering purchasing the most! 1. Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer, $40 CAD This sounds like the primer of my dreams. It's purportedly soothing, smoothing, and moisturizing, and smells like coconuts. It sounds exactly like what I need in the morning to refresh my tired, flaky skin. And I'm bonkers for anything coconut-scented! 2. BECCA Backlight Priming Filter, $46 CAD I don't exactly know why I'm so crazy over this- I think it's because it looks so luxurious, and I love anything that helps me to get my glow on. I'm slightly worried that this might emphasize my pores, though. I really want to get a sample of it to try it out! 3. Laura Mercier Foundation Primer- Hydrating, $43 CAD...

My day 12 for my favourites of 2015 is supposed to be "eye extras"- so I chose two palettes I've been loving this year! The first is my Too Faced Jingle All the Way Phone palette. It was part of my use-it-up 2015, so I used this a whole ton in the first half of the year. Here's my (really badly done) review on it- that's all you need to know. But then... the Lorac Pro 2 palette came into my life around June and changed everything. These shadows are amazing, pigmented and soft. I never did neutral eyes until I encountered this palette, but now I also use it almost every single time I do colourful makeup too! I mostly used the left side of the palette (I've since hit pan on Buff, the top left shade). Here are some looks I've done with it. Cool Gray and Lt. Brown are the stars of the show here. Cool Gray is probably my favourite shade in the whole palette- it's so unique! And here's a look featuring some of the rose-gold-y s...

Plum is a favourite of everyone's when it comes to a fall lip. Not necessarily so for me, though- I prefer to break out my reds. Regardless, I can still appreciate a good plum lipstick now and again. Here are some of my top picks for evoking that autumnal, plum feel. L-R: Revlon Plum Velour, Too Faced Melted Fig, MAC So Be, Wet N Wild Sugar Plum Fairy. Not all of these are truly plum, but they're good purpley shades for when the weather gets chilly.  Swatches! Out of order from the previous picture, sorry. Top to Bottom: Revlon Plum Velour, Wet N Wild Sugar Plum Fairy, MAC So Be, Too Faced Melted Fig. Here's MAC's So Be on my lips. It's a grey, cool-toned purple. Revlon's Plum Velour is a sheer sheen the colour of sparkling plum juice. Wet N Wild's Sugar Plum Fairy is a true, opaque, rich plum with a mostly matte finish. It looks amazing on camera. Too Faced's Melted Fig is a subdued, dusty mau...