TLP Beauty: The Liquid Lipstick Collection

Being the beauty junkie I am, I've never been into using liquid lip products. The concept totally escaped me and I was completely fine with using lip products that came in tubes. That is, until recently. I'm still not into lip glosses, but liquid lipsticks? Man, I am all over those!

I don't exactly know what really brought it all on. My excessive YouTube views of beauty products? Or this rising trend in liquid lip products? I don't know. Either way, I'm so into them, it's insane. Not that I've neglected my other lip products, but I have noticed myself reaching more frequently for my lip stains and such. 

And it doesn't help that Sephora carries all these brands that are coming out with all these gorgeous shades that I feel like I just have to have! Someone, help me! I mean, I don't think my collection is excessive, but the fact that I feel like I need more isn't so healthy. Can anyone recommend a liquid lipstick rehab by any chance? 

(L-R): stila Fiore, stila Aria, Sephora Blackberry Sorbet (14), Rimmel Apocalips Celestial, MUFE 3 and MUFE 50

stila, I think, carries the best liquid lipsticks I have ever come across. Their Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks are just top notch, and I am in love! They're super pigmented and creamy, and stay on for ages! I'll drink tea, eat, wipe my mouth and at the end of the day, it's still a bugger trying to get these off my lips! Super amazing colour range too that I feel suits all skin tones, and the best part is that they aren't at all drying! I love them so much, I've got four out of the ten colours available. Yepp, that's right. Practically half of the line. That's insane.

I've got Fiore (a bright, neon pink), Aria (a magenta plum), Tesoro (bright orange red) and Patina (dusty rose/mauve). My favourites have definitely got to be Patina for an everyday look, and of course, Aria cause I do love me some purple (and how could I not, the name alone is merely four letters short to mine!)

If you haven't tried out any of their liquid lipsticks, you better go and check them out!

Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks have got to be my second favourite. Provided I've only got two colours right now (Berlin and Bachelorette), I definitely know I want more, specifically Outlaw (a true red) and Lolita (a dusty mauve) which is a b***h to find cause it's always sold out! Anyway, these babies are hella pigmented as well, and stay on for a long time. The colour range isn't one that exactly thrills me because I feel like I've got most of them in tube form and some colours terrify me such as A Go Go and Backstage Bambi. Nevertheless, love these lipsticks and they are relatively cheaper compared to stila's liquid lipsticks, so that's a bonus!

My third top favourite brand in terms of liquid lipsticks? Why Make Up For Ever, of course! Again, I only have two colours from the Aqua Rouge range, but I feel as though I need more - I particularly have my eye on the shades in 7 (brown pink), 14 (light rosewood) and 19 (pomegranate pink)! These liquid lipsticks again, are very pigmented and have great staying power, but I do find them to be pretty drying. I definitely need to pack on the lip balm before putting these on, but I love them nonetheless. I actually grabbed my ones in shades 3 (satin soft pink) and 50 as part of the 50 Shades of Grey lip collections last month, and I found the price to be so worth it then. Alone, I would say that there were better products available like stila and Kat Von D in terms of price. Then again, the MUFE colour range is wider, so whatever - I still have my eye on more shades.

(L-R): stila Tesoro, stila Patina, Too Faced Melted Chihuahua, Kat Von D Berlin and Kat Von D Bachelorette

The Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipsticks also have a pretty kickass colour range, and I'm still slowly figuring out which colours I like. Again, a substantial amount freak the crap out of me as some colours are pretty insane and out of my comfort zone, but I'm getting there. So far, I've got Melted Chihuahua (the name of which totally disturbs me, by the way) which is a serious peach nude lipstick, and I'm loving it for an everyday lip. I don't quite own anything like it in my current overall lipstick collection. I'm getting there in terms of incorporating these cult favourites into my collections!

Sephora's own line of Cream Lip Stains is top notch as well, both in terms of quality and price (hello, only $16? Yes please!) Like the name suggests, these lipsticks are super creamy and very pigmented! Again, I've only got one colour from the line in Blackberry Sorbet (14), merely because Always Red (01) and Marvelous Mauve (13) is always out of stock in store! I remember spotting those two shades during the time I bought Blackberry Sorbet, but I didn't pick them up! Wrong move, Arianna. Every time I walk into Sephora I always check to see if they're available, but no. Damn. Until then!

In terms of Drugstore brands that carry liquid lipsticks, the only one I've ever tried is Rimmel's Apocalips! I've got one in the shade Celestial (101), and I quite like them! The quality is pretty great (thought not as top notch compared to stila and Kat Von D), but I do like them! If you're not sure if you want to fully commit to the higher end liquid lipsticks, I'd definitely suggest trying out the Rimmel Apocalips range. Again, pretty wide colour range and you can choose between those with or without shimmers. But if anyone else can suggest a good drugstore brand of liquid lipsticks, hit me up!

What are your favourite liquid lipsticks and/or brands? Any recommendations?
Happy discovering!

TLP Beauty: Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

About a month before Benefit Cosmetics released their Roller Lash mascara, Sephora was giving out mini samples of it as part of their 100 point perk Beauty Inside program (or for free with a code online I believe), and being the beauty junkie I am, I jumped in to the opportunity to try out a new mascara.

Using the words of Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter, I am an absolute "mascara whore", and I've never really had any loyalty to a mascara. Granted, I do have ones that I love and reach for all the time, but I'm always on the hunt for something new. I have a pretty pathetic excuse for eyelashes in that they're pretty thin, stick-like and just not all that nice to look at. I've got friends, some of which are guys mind you, who have the perfect set of eyelashes and I envy them so. So you know, my constant change in mascara favourites is totally justified. Somewhat anyway.

So Benefit's marketing this mascara as a "roller for lashes" in that it's inspired by hair rollers and its "Hook N' Roll" brush is designed to catch, lift and curl your lashes. The full-sized product itself looks pretty awesome in terms of packaging as it legitly does resemble hair rollers, but what about quality wise?

I've been using these for about a month now, and I'd definitely say that it stays true to the whole lifting part. My lashes do somewhat look thicker and less stick-like and that thrills me to no end. As someone who likes to wear eyeliner which tends to drown out and hide my eyelashes, anything that makes them stand out more I give a two thumbs up! You can check out my before and after pictures below. In terms of curling, well I wouldn't necessarily say that it curls (I did still have to use eyelash curlers to really give it that oomph I need) but the Roller Lashes mascara really does hold the curl for a long time.

Before:

After:

The verdict? I'm in love with this mascara! From my experience, I think that it does deliver what it says on the packaging, and is everything I want in a mascara - staying power and making my eyelashes look less pathetic! For the price ($29 CAD), I would definitely say it was worth it, and when my mini runs out, I would definitely go out to Sephora and purchase the full-sized product. Love, love, love it!

If you're like me and have incredibly poor lashes, I'd say this could be a potential answer in making you look more awake in the morning and not be too ashamed in having such thin eyelashes. Try them out at the counters if you want before purchasing! I'm not entirely sure if these samples are still available at Sephora, but do give them a go if you're ever in store!

Happy discovering!

TLP Reads: Mind Games by Kiersten White

Woop! Another TLP Reads post! I picked up Mind Games by Kiersten White on a complete whim the moment I saw in over at the bargain books section at Chapters. There was no real, official blurb on the book, and I guess the mystery really sucked me in. And man, I was not kidding about the mystery, and this was a really nice surprise.

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Two sisters, bound by impossible choices, are determined to protect each other - no matter the cost.
---

Mind Games really throws you for quite the loop in the first few pages. You've got no idea what's going on, where the story is going, or what you're even doing with this book. It's as if the author is seriously playing a mind game on you. But regardless, you have to keep reading to figure out all the mystery and put everything together. And that's the fun part.

Sofia, or Fia as she's referred to in the book, is a nineteen year old assassin, bound by the promise of her sister's safety to the mysterious and powerful Mr. Keane. Her sister Annie is a Seer, someone who can see into the future - yet can never really figure out what it all means. Both sisters are determined to keep the other safe since they lost their parents at a young age, though their whole living situation makes it difficult. Annie can never leave the 'school dormitory' (I'll get to that in a minute), and Fia can't visit her unless she's given permission to. Fia's the puppet, and Annie's the leverage. Messed up, no?

Fia's the type of girl you'd want to have your back. She's super sassy, intuitive and caring - and it helps that she can kick some serious butt too. Despite being the younger sister, she's protective of Annie and, like the teaser suggested, she'd do anything for her. Even if it means killing people to keep her safe. She uses her assets to her advantage, and is unafraid to take risks - provided she doesn't think too much about it. And I love her comebacks. Regardless of who she's speaking to, she's got a witty, snarky remark ready. The minute she's introduced in the book, I loved her.

Annie, or Annabelle, has been blind since she was about four, and the visions didn't come until their parents' accident. But her 'sight' is anything but a gift, since it's what's holding her captive under the watchful eye of Mr. Keane and his minions. Like Fia, Annie is tough and thoughtful, though she lacks the drive and fearlessness that Fia's been taught to survive. Annie's not the lesser of the two, but unlike Fia, she doesn't have a clue as to what's really going on. At least, not until much later.

"I could still keep Annie safe and sound in her room where she sees nothing but fractured visions of life. Maybe she's already seen this, maybe she knows it ended for us the moment this boy helped that puppy and became a person to me. 
That dumb dog has killed us all."
- Fia, pg. 4

There's somewhat of a love triangle going on here too. You've got James Keane, Mr. Keane's son, who seems to be just another pretty face and a good, charming liar. James manages all of Fia's operations, and seems to always have her back despite being quite cocky and secretive. It's insinuated in the first few pages when we meet him how he doesn't like working for his father, and I have to tell you, there's so much more to him than meets the eye. Perhaps he's not all ice cold. Then there's also Adam Denting - sweet and trusting - who was meant to die at the hands of Fia until she changed her mind last minute. There's not much that's revealed about him, except that he's super smart and instantly falls for Fia - despite you know, the whole meant to die thing. With Adam, Fia's got a shot at living a normal life. With James, she finds a comfort only they understand. Obviously, tough choice here for Fia, but all that's on her mind is Annie. Then again, that's not to say that she hasn't thought about kissing either suitor.

The ending, I must say, is what really gets you. At least, for me it did. There was so much already happening with secrets coming out, and with Annie's vision, I was left wondering 'WTF?' as I turned the last few pages. I had even more questions than I did from the start of the novel, but me oh my, it was perfect - at least for the circumstances all the characters found themselves in. The epitome of a bitter sweet ending I must say.

And because of the ending, it's got me hoping that there's a next installment to this story. I just cannot be content with having the ending as is. It's not a total cliffhanger, but it's got enough mystery interlaced within it that's got me wondering what happens next for Fia, Annie and James. Is it obvious I'm all for James Keane? Hah!

Perhaps a little struggle I found with Mind Games was the switch between Fia and Annie's narratives from years ago to present day. I definitely had to make sure that I read the chapter headings to make sure I was reading it from the right perspective! Not that it was difficult to figure out who was speaking, but in order to place the events chronologically on their timeline, you definitely need to be pretty alert on which version of Fia or Annie is telling the story. The somewhat confusing flip between the narratives is definitely something that hindered this story from being a complete thrilling page-turner in my opinion.

Mind Games is a story that highlights the need for sacrificing anything for the people you love when the situation requires it, and how nothing is ever as it seems. Intuition is a vital component to surviving, and as the story unravels, readers begin to really see who's life is more valuable and worth killing for.

If you're in the market for a puzzling yet thrilling story, then I'd say Mind Games should be your next read. It's got the right mix of mystery, family warmth and romance that it hits all the right spots. Mind Games definitely gets your mind running, and maybe you can even learn a few tricks from Fia while you're reading. As to what those lessons are, well, that's up to you.

Happy discovering!

SkinnyMint Detox Teas

So you know how one of my goals for this year was to be a little healthier? Well, I was trolling around my Facebook news feed last month when I stumbled upon SkinnyMint and decided to take the plunge and try out their 28 Day Teatox regimen. And dare I say, it has changed my daily routine. I've always been skeptical of detox programs such as this, what with all the ones available in the market with only about half of them being legit, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and try this out. 

The SkinnyMint Teatox is basically what it is called - a detoxing program with a 2 step routine. You've got your Morning Boost tea for the morning, and the Night Cleanse tea for the evening, and you can choose between taking the 14 Day Teatox or 28 Day one.  The way it works is that you dink the Morning Boost every day for 28 days (or 14, depending on whichever you choose) and you take the Night Cleanse tea every other night. Basically on Day 1 you have just the Morning Boost, then Day 2 you take both teas, and so on.

Shipping is free, which is a complete bonus, and surprisingly pretty quick! The ETAs do vary depending on where you are though, but I'm still impressed. They weren't kidding about express shipping. The teas actually ship from Singapore (which is where SkinnyMint is located) and in less than a week, my teas had arrived - all the way here in Ottawa, Canada. That's pretty darn good!

Both teas have natural ingredients in them - the Morning Boost tea has got nettle leaves, yerba matte (to boost metabolism supposedly), dandelion, guarana and hints of grapefruit, strawberry and pineapple, while the Night Cleanse has lemongrass, orange leaves, senna leaves, licorice root and hints of peppermint, psylium husk (whut?) and hawthorn berry. Nevertheless, these teas taste pretty good! It did take a while for me to adjust to the taste of the Morning Boost, but now I've come to like it. The Morning Boost tea does have caffeine in it, so its perfect for those who need their dose in the morning - like me!

They do suggest that these teas should be taken as part of a balanced diet and exercise routine, so you know, to get the full experience I did as recommended. Thumbs up for my attempt at being healthier please?

As for my experience? Funnily enough, because I have refrained from drinking coffee during this teatox, I've become even more accustomed to just drinking more tea instead of coffee. As in, after finishing my 28 day program, I had a cup of coffee and just felt so uneasy and jittery the whole day. Not a good thing when you've got a full day of radio journalism going on. But you know, that doesn't mean I won't be going for my occasional Starbucks coffee fix every now and then. I haven't completely converted to being a full-fledged tea drinker.

As for the Night Cleanse, well, because it does act as a gentle laxative, the first week had me running to the bathroom the morning after drinking it. I'm being honest here, to give you guys a full review. It wasn't anything extreme, but there was definitely a substantial amount of body flushing for a while which goes to show the amount of junk I've had in my body. *cringe* Anyway, it doesn't go on like that for the rest of the program, so rest assured you don't have to be close to a bathroom all the time. Just you know, be wary for the first few days.

Overall, I have seen quite a substantial change in the 28 Days I took these teas. I have noticed some significant improvements in my digestion (gross, I know, I'm sorry but that's a good thing no?), a reduction in cramping and bloating and dare I say, more energy in the morning. I'm not as sloth like as I used to be, and I'm pretty happy about that. Whether it was due to the teas or the change in lifestyle, or a combination of both, I don't know. But I'm liking this change. I'd definitely recommend this teatox program to anyone who was looking to put their foot in the door and slowly change to a healthier routine.

For the price, I would definitely say it was worth it. You can check out all their teas and bundles over at their website.

SkinnyMint does recommend that you take about a 4-6 week break in between your teatoxes, so here's to waiting about a month before I try it out again!

Happy discovering!

TLP Beauty: MAC Cinderella

Alrighty guys, so perhaps the greatest MAC make-up collection to ever come out this quarter of the year graced us with its presence yesterday. Which one am I talking about? Well, none other than the Cinderella collection of course!

I've been waiting for this collection to come out ever since MAC announced they would be releasing a tie-in with the movie, and mann... the long wait has been so worth it! I'm a huge Disney fan - and I know lots of people say this, but you do not understand the deep rooted love I have for Disney. As in, I can't even begin to describe this connection I have with Disney. 

Anyway, all those times I spent trolling Instagram and websites for photos and swatches? They all paid off! I absolutely love the packaging for the products in this collection, and granted I was a bit put off when I first saw photos of it, I've come to love it so much. Can we actually just take some time to talk about this gorgeous packaging please? I mean, a lavendery, baby blue and gold? *sigh* Absolutely beautiful!!! I thought the packaging for the Proenza collection that came out April last year was pretty beautiful, but this one just takes it for the win. To me anyway. 

This collection actually came out online I believe on Feb. 26, and man, tons of pieces sold out fast! I've never been one to shop online so that didn't exactly bother me, but it did have me feel quite anxious about heading out to the MAC counters to get my hands on the ones I wanted. But alas, the day came and I got everything I wanted!

Funny story though, Rideau Centre opens up at 9:30 here in Ottawa. I arrived like five minutes after, and when I went to the MAC store, three things were already sold out. I mean, WTF??? Did they open earlier or something? Not that the ones I wanted were the ones sold out, but come on! 

Alright, ramble over. Let's get to the goodies I got!

The Macroviolet fluidline was actually one of the things at the top of my shopping list. I am an absolute sucker for MAC fluidlines, and I knew I just had to get this one. They did have another one, Little Black Bow I think it was called which was a cool grey, but that didn't tickle my fancy like this one. I know, I know, macroviolet is already part of MAC's permanent collection, but hell, I didn't have it. Let's be honest, it's the packaging that really got me here. It gave me the perfect excuse to finally get it, and I don't regret a thing. 

Macroviolet is pretty much your standard violet gel liner, with a silver sheen. It looks absolutely beautiful swatched, and on the lids? Gorgeous! It can be a bit tricky to apply and you do have to swipe it on your lids a few times to really get the colour, but it looks so pretty! (Swatches below!)

Weirdly enough, they only had one of these at my local MAC store. As in, the moment I said I was going to be taking this one, the lady ran to the back to get it cause she said they only received one. Boy, was I relieved when she came out with this in hand for me! Either way though, it's part of their permanent collection so you can still get it, just you know, without the pretty packaging. 

Next thing on my shopping list? Royal Ball lipstick of course! I have to say, I was seriously debating between getting this one and Free As A Butterfly, but based on the swatches I saw on Instagram and YouTube, this one seemed like the best match for my NC40 skin. And come on, the name itself just screams Cinderella and I knew I had to have it. 

I'm super glad I got my hands on this! Royal Ball is a beautiful silvery, muted pink that when swatched, looks so beautiful. Now, because it is a lustre finish, you do have to swipe quite a bit to really get the colour from the tube, but ugh, so so pretty! I can definitely see myself using this as a somewhat everyday lipstick this spring for those 'no makeup' makeup looks to give me just a hint of colour. 

Alright, so I wasn't exactly planning on purchasing this one, but the lady at the store (who I've completely forgotten the name of, but she's always the one helping me out! Woops!) totally persuaded me. When she swatched the Pretty It Up pigment, I swear, my eyes totally widened at the sight of how beautiful it was (how many times have I said beautiful? geez!). 

The MAC website has this listed as a gold, but on me it seems more like a dirty gold with a bit of a muted green sheen to it. It's definitely an intense pigmented little fella, so I'd definitely reserve this for evening looks. But hey, if you want to rock this everyday, go for it! I can't wait to try this baby out!

And last but certainly not the least, the Mystery Princess Beauty Powder. Obviously, I'm a sucker for packaging and I knew right away I would have to get a compact. Again I was debating between getting this one and the Coupe D' Chic Iridescent powder, but when I swatched the latter one, it just came out as pure glitter. Hence, I went for the beauty powder. 

Mystery Princess is a very light beige with a silver shimmer, and is the perfect highlight, I think. MAC's website says it's a pink beige, but on my skin it definitely pulls more light peach. That suits me just fine! And I know a few reviews have said it to not be pigmented, but I think it's alright. I'm not one to really pack on the highlight, so the colour pay-off from this one is fine for me. I just, urgh, I love it so much!

Swatches [for reference, I'm an NC40] (L-R): Mystery Princess beauty powder, Royal Ball lipstick, Macroviolet fluidline and Pretty It Up pigment.

I know people were also pretty hyped up about the eye glosses that came out with this collection, but personally I wasn't too fussed about them. The Stroke of Midnight eye palette? I would have been all over if I didn't already have three of the shades in it. Which is probably a good thing given the amount of money I spent in just this one trip to MAC! But my god, so worth it! I'm totally in love with the fluidline and pigment, and I can't wait to try them out together in a look!

Hopefully, you guys can still get your hands on this collection because I swear, it's so beautiful. I know a few people weren't too excited for this one, but personally, I'm in love. I do know quite a substantial amount is sold out already online (and heck, the MAC store at Rideau Centre no longer has the display!) but for those who still have the chance of getting it, GO GO GO!!!

You won't regret it!
And if you did manage to grab some goodies, which ones are your favourite?

Happy discovering!