Lipstick a Day • Season 2 • Episode 2

It's time for episode two of my lipstick a day project! I've become a little more discerning with my lipsticks, and I'm letting go of 3 out of the 7 that I wore in this video. Progress. :)

All About My Invisalign Treatment

I recorded the majority of this video back in 2017, but I didn't end up posting it, so I figured it would be a good time to revisit the content now that I'm done with my Invisalign treatment. I started with my first set of aligners on Mar 29/17 and officially finished with set #40 on Oct 21/18 (although I'm still wearing set #40 each night until my retainers are ready). Overall, it was a very painless process, and I'm really happy I decided to go ahead with the treatment!

Hand and Nail TLC

In addition to my lipstick a day project, I've been slowly going through my nail polish collection. My nails have improved so much in the past 4 or 5 months, and I'm not too sure why. I've been cooking and cleaning a lot more, and I still spend a lot of time on the computer. My main issue with my nails in the past was with breakage or splitting--usually with the nails on my right hand. I'm guessing my healthier and stronger nails could be due to the following:

1) I started wear rubber gloves when doing the dishes. I noticed my hands got incredibly dry in November, and I think it's because I was washing the dishes so much during the eat-at-home challenge. My husband used to do the majority of the dishes, but I've picked up more of the cleaning since I'm no longer working full-time. I gave my hands some extra TLC when I was at the meditation course. I would use moisturizer multiple times throughout the day, and I would apply the Farmacy Honey Savior to the sensitive areas between my knuckles that were prone to cracking. Once I got home, my hands had healed up completely, and I started wearing rubber gloves when doing the dishes to protect them from further cracking.

2) I started moving more slowly. I used to rush at almost everything, and I had a hard time being present. My right hand is my dominant hand, and I would often grab at stuff, or pry lids off bottles, or rip open packages. I was excellent at removing staples with my nails--or so I thought. All these quick jerky movements resulted in me repeatedly breaking the nails on my dominant hand. I would often break my nails without even knowing it, only noticing hours later. Now that I have more time, I move much more slowly and deliberately.

3) I started taking probiotics. I used be to able to grow my nails to a certain extent, but they were flexible and prone to breakage or splitting. In recent months, I've noticed my nails are not only longer, but they feel stronger. I'm not 100% convinced that probiotics contribute to strong and healthy nails, but this is the only other change I've made in the last few months.

Now that my nails are longer, my nail polishes look a bit different on. It's been a lot of fun going through my collection again. Here are the nail polishes I've worn in the past little while--you can also see the progression of my nail growth over the past month. I cut my nails short in December for the meditation course, but I've been growing them since then with no breakage. I don't cut my nails when I'm trying to keep them long. Instead, I use a crystal nail file to shape them.

Nov 23/18: Cheeky Monkey Thigh Highs (2 coats):

Jan 13/19: Julep Jeanne (2 coats):

Jan 19/19: Say It With Polish for Robert Mondavi Winery in Chardonnay Gold (2 coats)

Jan 24/19: OPI Tickle My France-y (1 coat)

Lipstick a Day • Season 2 • Episode 1

It's been a while since I've put together a beauty post, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it. Here is the first episode of season two of my lipstick a day project, along with screenshots of me wearing each of the six lipsticks. While I love all these shades, my current favourite is the Rouge d'Armani by Giorgio Armani in shade 205--a beautiful brick red that is unlike anything I else I have in my collection. I'll be retesting the YSL lipstick due to some patchiness during the day when reapplying, and I also noticed my lips were extra dry after wearing this product.

6 Days, 6 Lipsticks

I re-started my lipstick a day project last Thursday, and I've now worn 6 lipsticks from my current collection. The green dots indicate the lipsticks I'll be keeping in my collection, and the yellow dot marks the lipstick I'll be re-testing in a future episode in this series. I'm having so much fun wearing a different lipstick every day. My collection seems new to me again, and this is a great project to try if you're looking for a fun way to shop your stash.

I just finished editing the first episode in season two of my lipstick a day series, and I'll be posting the video tomorrow. In the meantime, I thought I would share all six videos from season one in today's blog post. These videos were filmed almost three years ago, when I had an inflated collection containing a whopping 102 lipsticks--and this was after multiple declutters! I continued to work on downsizing my collection after completing this series, and I now have around 25 lipsticks remaining in my stash.

Fall/Winter Beauty Basket

Hi everyone! I've switched up some of the contents of my current beauty basket... here is what I'll be using over the next several months. :)



Daily Makeup Bag
- Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Medium Beige
- Stila Convertible Color in Peony
- Perfumeries Solid Perfume Sticks in Earth Angel and Rendez-Vous
- Jack Black Lip Balm in Lemon & Chamomile
- Tarte LipSurgence Lip Luster in Glitzy
- Lippy Girl Lipstick in Schmoopy
- Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle
- Beguine Lipstick in Marron Glace
- Benefit Sugarbomb Lip Gloss

Daily Makeup Box
- Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach
- Benefit Erase Paste
- L'Oreal Bare Naturale Mineral Concealer
- Benefit Hoola Bronzer
- Sisley Phyto Blush in Pinky Berry
- Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed
- Giorgio Armani Summer Collection 2013 Face & Eye Palette
- Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
- Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes

Tabletop Acrylic Storage Container
- Makeup Miser Makeup Spatulas (from Pebbles)
- Elf Concealer Brush (for nail cleanup)
- Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown
- Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
- Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara
- By Terry Hyaluronic Eye Primer in Medium
- Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in Granite
- Garnier Ombrelle Ultra-Fluid Lotion for Face with SPF 60*
- Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream with SPF 25
- Urban Decay Naked Skin Makeup in 3.0
- Stila All Over Shimmer in Kitten
- Andalou Naturals Hyaluronic DMAE Lift & Firm Cream
- The Face Shop Raspberry Roots Refreshing Eye Gel
- Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray
- Latisse
- YSL Baby Doll Mascara
- Benefit POREfessional
- Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
- Christian Dior Rouge Dior Baume in Lili
- Em Cosmetics Lipstick in Misty Mauve
- MAC Lipstick in Plumful
- Dior Addict Lipstick in 783
- Givenchy Lipstick in 103 Brun Createur
- Tarte LipSurgence Lip Creme in Thoughtful
- Be A Bombshell Lipgloss in Kiss Off
- NARS Lip Gloss in Turkish Delight
- Smashbox Lip Gloss in Pout
- Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Bare Pink
- Sula Lip Gloss in First Kiss

Summer 2015 Beauty Basket

Here are the products I'll be reaching for this summer! For what's in my little daily makeup bag, please feel free to check out this video.

Daily Makeup Box
- Tarte Palette from
- Too Face Bonjour Summer 2014 Palette
- Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
- 2 Grey Headbands
- Tweezerman Rose Gold Eyelash Curler*
- Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Sponge-On Cream Makeup in Gentle Beige
- Benefit Hoola Bronzer
- Benefit Coralista Blush
- Ralph Lauren Romance
- Balenciaga Rosabotanica
- Dior Addict Eau Fraiche
- Acqua di Gioia Eau Fraiche

Tabletop Acrylic Storage Container
- Makeup Miser Makeup Spatulas (from Pebbles)
- Elf Concealer Brush (for nail cleanup)
- The Face Shop Raspberry Roots Sleeping Mask
- The Face Shop Raspberry Roots Refreshing Eye Gel
- Latisse
- Garnier Ombrelle Ultra-Fluid Lotion for Face with SPF 60*
- Benefit POREfessional
- By Terry Hyaluronic Eye Primer
- Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow
- Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream with SPF 25
- Urban Decay Naked Skin Makeup in 3.0
- Stila All Over Shimmer in Kitten
- Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
- Benefit Cha Cha Tint
- Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in Granite
- Clinique High Impact Mascara
- Heroine Make Volume & Curl Mascara
- Essence Vintage District Duo Lipstick & Gloss in Vintage Peach
- Be A Bombshell Lipgloss in Kiss Off
- Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss in Sparkling Papaya
- Essence Stay with Me Long Lasting Lipgloss in Candy Bar
- Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Pout
- Anna Sui Lip Rouge G in 304
- Beguine Lipstick in 15 Rose Dragee
- Canmake Creamy Touch Lipstick in 01
- Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint in Lovely
- L'Oreal Color Caresse Lipstick in Sunset Angora
- Burberry Lip Cover in Golden Peach
- MAC Lipstick in Ravishing
- MAC Lipstick in Coral Bliss

PR samples noted with an asterisk (*).

How I Store My Makeup

My hubby and I have a tiny condo so I don't have a dedicated makeup room. Instead, I store all my makeup in a dedicated makeup corner. :) I have 4 main components of makeup storage, which I show in detail in 2 videos. In part 1, I show my set of acrylic makeup drawers (I have six 3-drawer units) and 2 shelves in our built-in wall unit. In part 2, I show the makeup I keep in a corner of our "island" (which does triple duty as kitchen counter, dining table, and makeup table) and my 6 drawer Ikea Helmer. Note that part 1 was posted back in March (giveaway has since closed) and part 2 was posted very recently... there is a huge gap because I was a little averse to showing my huge collection of lippies; however, since I was going to start my makeup inventory and decluttering series, I thought I would wrap up my storage series first.

I have been working hard at decluttering my makeup collection, so my storage is going to evolve and hopefully take up less space over time. In the meantime, here is the current state of my makeup storage!

Messy Voluminous Curly Hair Tutorial

How is it already the middle of 2014? We're halfway into the year and I still haven't worked out a foolproof blog strategy... is there such a thing? I'm going to lay it down now and develop a "strategy" on the fly - although I have been kicking this idea around for quite some time now. Basically, I'm going to try to post more frequently but each blog entry will likely be quite a bit shorter. I'm going to try to keep my blog more current by doing the following:

- Post a corresponding blog entry for every video I upload to my YouTube channel. This means I'll have a blog post up at least every 3-5 days.
- Continue with my empties posts.
- Continue with Travel Tuesdays (but still not every Tuesday). Next up will be my Italy trip (yay, I'm excited to re-live the trip through our photos).
- Continue with my Dior Polished Diva and Secret Diva unboxings until the end of 2014.
- Continue with my 2014 goals update posts. I've been behind on these but I'm still tracking my goals so I will post a mid-year update soon.
- Post more OOTDs. To be quite honest, I've been in a bit of a beauty rut lately... I've been less into watching beauty videos and more into watching fashion videos and vlogs. I'm sure my interests will continue to evolve over time so the content on my blog will reflect this.
- Put more effort into creating (and posting) beautiful images. I love photography, but I feel like I've been taking the lazy way out, so I'd like to start pushing my creative boundaries again.

In the spirit of my new blog strategy, here is my recently uploaded curly hair tutorial. In this video, I show how I style my flat Asian hair into a voluminous mess of curls. This is my absolute favourite way to wear my hair. I love big hair!



I love this style because I can wear it for at least 2 days. The curls are a little more defined on the first day, but there is still a ton of volume and texture. On the second day, the curls are more relaxed and my hair becomes a lot more fluffy. I love both styles, and since it only takes me around 10 minutes to curl my hair, I think it's well worth the effort. Please let me know if you prefer the 1st day hair or the 2nd day hair. :)



Hooray, it's almost the end of the work week!!

Late Night Mani

I like to do my nails right before I go to bed. Being the night owl that I am, that meant doing my nails at 4am last night. My technique (and cuticles!) still need a lot of work, but dare I say, I'm starting to think nail art is kinda fun.


(Julep Georgia & Julep Jane)

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Red My Lips

Red My Lips is one of three nail polishes I received in my Sally Hansen VoxBox from Influenster. The colour is quite literally the perfect, classic red. The brush makes the nail polish very easy to apply and the high level of pigmentation means it is pretty much opaque in one coat (although I did apply two out of habit).

Complete Salon Manicure is intended to be a 7 in one product: base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, color, top coat, chip resistant, and gel shine finish. I did use a base coat and a top coat with this application, but I may try the polish by itself next time. The wear time is quite good. I'm the type of person who chips my nail polish after only a day (I always find the need to wedge open some random container after painting my nails), but with this shade, my manicure was chip-free for a whopping 3 days!

Overall, I am really loving this shade... I may have a new favourite red nail polish!

Glitter Gradient?

The goal was to extend my manicure. Last Tuesday, I painted my nails a light peachy pink, and I wasn't happy with the application (streaky even after 3 coats). I left it as is since I was just going to work anyway, but on Friday night, I knew it was time to do something about the streaky mess. I was too lazy to remove my nail polish and start over so I decided to cover it up with glitter. Originally, I just put a thin layer of glitter all over each nail, but it didn't look right, so I turned it into a glitter gradient... my amateur version of a glitter gradient. Ah wells, I still love the way it looks! :)


(Nicole by OPI Selena & Julep Clio)

Nail Art... Sorta

One of the items on my 101 in 1001 was to give nail art a try... this was my first attempt! Please don't laugh... I did an accent nail in polka dots and I was very proud of myself! :) I used a dotting tool for the first time and it was easier than I thought it would be to do my left hand but harder than I thought it would be to do my right hand. The polka dots on my right hand are double the size of the ones on my left hand. Whoops! All in all, I am happy with the way it looks and got a few compliments at work too. Hooray!


(Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet & Essie Blanc)

A Bit of Spontaneity to Kick Off the Long Weekend

Yesterday, as I was heading to work, I decided I needed to get my hair trimmed. My split ends are a nightmare and my hair has been extremely dry and brittle in between treatments. So I made an appointment.

Then today, as I was heading to the hair salon, I decided I wanted something more drastic than a trim. I get my hair cut so rarely that I always want my visit to result in a noticeable difference... so I am not very good at sticking to a plan of just trimming my hair, regardless of how much I like the length. Check out how much I cut off! Holy macaroni, I had a lot of hair.




Let's just say hair stylists are always surprised by how much I want cut off. :) I absolutely love the new length... it is so much lighter and looks so much healthier! While I loved my long hair, now that I see the side-by-side comparison, it looks like I was drowning in hair. My hair stylist flat-ironed my hair so it looks extra sleek and smooth. I'm going to add some texture later! I can't wait to play around with my new 'do. :)

When you get your hair cut, do you usually play it safe and get a trim or do you like to to get a lot cut off?

A Kiehl's Gift Set

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend! My hubby bought me this Kiehl's set a little while ago because he knows I enjoy trying new products. I love that he is supportive (and even feeds into) my addiction! So far, I've tried the Ultra Facial Cream, lip balm, and hand salve. Have you tried any of these products... if so, please let me know what you thought of them.

Punk'd Up Betty - by Pretty and Polished

Just a quick post today! A little while ago, I tried another polish from Pretty and Polished. This one is called Punk'd Up Betty.



Overall, I do like this polish; however, I think I will wear it as a glitter topcoat next time rather than trying to use it as a full coverage polish. I applied three coats in the above photo and there were still lots of gaps. It also became really thick, chunky, and 3D looking... which reminded me a little of caviar nails. That being said, I love that there is tons of glitter in this polish and I'm eager to play around with it some more.

To see all the polishes I purchased from Pretty and Polished, check out my recent haul.

MaskerAide Detox Diva Review

I received a MaskerAide sheet mask in my October Topbox and I was very excited to try it. I had never used a sheet mask before so I wasn't sure what to expect. Now that I've tried one, I think I could easily become addicted!

Maskeraide is a Canadian company started by Karyn (a Canadian makeup artist and model - now in marketing and social media) and Michelle (a cosmetic and skin care addict from Korea). The masks are made in Korea. They are free of parabens, harsh dyes & pigments, mineral oils, artificial fragrances, benzophenone, and glycerins. There are currently 6 variations available and I received the Detox Diva mask.



Before using the mask, I did my usual facial cleansing routine (wash and tone). I also drew myself a hot bath. :) I opened the packet and very carefully unfolded the mask. I was a little worried I would rip it but it held up ok. I placed the mask on my face and it was very easy to adjust the mask to fit as the sheet has little cutouts in strategic places.

The packet says to rub excess serum from the packet onto your neck and chest so that's exactly what I did. The serum has a medium viscosity and almost feels like a gel, which probably helps the mask to stay on your face. The mask was very cooling and the Detox Diva mask in particular smelled very clean and fresh. It smelled so familiar but I can't place the scent. Sorry I can't describe it better - I even looked at the ingredients but all I can think is that it smells like aloe (oh, aloe is on the list of ingredients... there are also a lot of fruit extracts on the list). Anyway, it smells absolutely amazing.

Then I sank into my hot bath and just relaxed. I left the mask on for around 20 minutes (10-20 minutes recommended) and it was very comfortable. I pretty much forgot I was even wearing it. It stayed on really well (didn't slide off or even budge in the slightest). The mask was very easy to remove and it left my face feeling very soft. I'm not sure if it was just my imagination but I felt it might have made my skin look a little more radiant.



The only downside to this mask, beside making you look a little scary while wearing it, is the price. Each mask retails for $4.99, which I think is a little on the expensive side. It's definitely worth it for occasional use though - it was really a treat and I felt totally pampered!

There are 6 different of masks available and I used my $10 Topbox credit to buy them all! The regular price of the set of 6 different masks is $29 on Topbox's new online store but you can also buy 4 of the same mask for $19. Shipping was super quick - the masks shipped the same day I ordered them and I received the package a couple days later. I am very impressed with the Topbox store so far - I received a note card with a little hand-written message from Isabel, which I thought was a very nice touch. Here are the masks I received:

- Detox Diva - cleanse, exfoliate & detoxify
- All Nighter - awaken, replenish & refresh
- I Don't Wanna Grow Up - lift, firm & soften fine lines
- Beauty Rest'ore - restore, regenerate & repair
- Weather Warrior - calm, soothe & heal
- Pre Party Prep - brighten, prime & energize



Hooray! I can't wait to try them all. I'm going to see if my hubby wants to use my new Detox Diva mask since I've already tried that one. I'll let you know what he thinks of it. Do you use sheet masks on a regular basis and, if so, which ones would you recommend? Also, please let me know if you've tried any of the MaskerAide products!

Sorta Sad, Sorta Glad

i dropped my expression bronzing brush the other day and it broke in two. i was sad at first and contemplated gluing it back together. then i remembered how i wished the brush could stand up on its own... and now it can. hooray for my clumsiness!

Be Fine Night Cream Review

Now that I am on a beauty ban and not as focussed on hauls, I can finally get around to reviewing some of my many many products! We received so many different samples in the August Glossybox that it's taken me a while to try them. Now that I am nearly done my 10 mL sample of the Be Fine Night Cream, I thought I would do a quick review on what I think of the product.



If I had to summarize this product in four words, I would emphatically say, I love this product! I can't say this about many products but I noticed a difference in my skin after just one use. I wanted to blog about this night cream the morning after I first used it but I made myself hold off because I wanted to try the product for a little while longer. After nearly a month of using this cream almost on a nightly basis, my skin feels smoother and looks more radiant. I actually notice a difference in the morning if I forget to put on this cream the night before.

In terms of the scent, this cream has a very mild cocoa scent... I can barely detect it. The consistency of the cream is a medium weight - it is not light but, at the same time, it is not super heavy/greasy. It spreads evenly on the skin. I use it pretty much everywhere on my combination skin (except my eyelids) and my face soaks it up.

There is definitely some residue in the morning but it rinses right off with water. My skin is left feeling extremely soft and moisturized. I feel the cream also brightens up my face and makes me look more radiant - I'm not sure if that's just in my head though.

The one issue I have with this cream is I can't find it anywhere except on the Be Fine website. Shipping to Canada is $20 and I find it very difficult to pay that much for shipping. I'm the type of person that add more to my order just so I can hit the minimum threshold for free shipping; however, this option is not available on the Be Fine website. I am also a little put off because I contacted Be Fine about a month ago to find out where I could find the expiration date on the single serve sample packettes (one of my Youtube viewers gave me a heads up that there was an expired sample fiasco when Be Fine products were included in a past Birchbox) but I never received a response.

This product is made in the U.S. and is labelled as natural and paraben free with vegetarian proteins and allergen free fragrance. This product is not tested on animals. I have listed the ingredients below:

Water (Aqua) Purified, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Iris Florentina Root Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Panicum Miliaceum (Millet) Seed Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Wheat Amino Acids, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Polysorbate 60, Polyacrylamide, C 13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Steareth-2, Panthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Myristate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Caprylyl Glycol, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenomalonate.

That was a scary long list of ingredients! I have no idea what most of these ingredients are so if you see something that will make me grow a moustache or a third eye, please give me a heads up.

Anyway, I am sad that my 10 mL sample is nearly finished but I am not sure if I am going to bite the bullet to repurchase this cream. I am hoping I will find something else that is more easily accessible that I like just as much. Or maybe if I like a few of the other Be Fine products (I have yet to try them), I will order a few items and just pay the $20 shipping charge.

Have you tried any of the Be Fine products yet? If so, what did you think of them?

Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip Kit // 2012

At long last, here is my review of the limited edition Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip kit. This little cardboard "book" ties shut with a pink organza ribbon and inside are 2 full size products and 4 generous samples of various lip products ranging from lip balms to lip glosses to lip tints. This kit was sold out online for a little while but it appears to be back in stock.





In this video, I show swatches of each of the 6 lip products included in this kit (both hand and lip). I apologize in advance for the out of focus segments - my reviews of the Hourglass, Laura Mercier, and Bite lip glosses are very blurry. You've been warned. If you don't feel like watching the video, you can scroll down to read about the products instead. :)



Here is a little more detail about each of the lip glosses. Note that the quoted prices and values are in Canadian dollars.

Sephora Collection Glossy Gloss in Precious Pink

This is a super shiny lip gloss but there is very little pigmentation. It is described on the Sephora website as a Very Sheer Pink with Iridescent Shimmer but it pretty much goes on clear. I found this to be a very thick/heavy gloss but it is not sticky. I typically wear this lip gloss on top of a lipstick.

Description: Very Sheer Pink with Iridescent Shimmer
Scent: Watermelon Jolly Rancher
Flavour: None
Full Size & Price: 15 mL // $12
Sample Size & Value : 15 mL // $12 (100%)



Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Child

This is a nude lip gloss with no shimmer. It is described as a high shine lip gloss but I found it only moderately shiny. It is very creamy, light on the lips, and not sticky. I found that this lip gloss on its own gave me a bit of a dead look so I prefer to layer this over a lipstick - this gloss is pretty good at toning down a bright lip colour.

Description: Sheer Nude
Scent: A mix of cookie dough and Play-Doh - but in a good way :)
Flavour: None
Full Size & Price: 0.24 oz // $33
Sample Size & Value : 0.12 oz // $16.50 (50%)



Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Baby Doll

This is my favourite lip gloss in the collection. It is a pink gloss with shimmer and has a reasonable amount of pigmentation so it can be worn alone or on top of another lip colour. It has a medium weight on this lips and is not sticky. I find this gloss to be very pretty on and i think the shade would be universally flattering.

Description: Soft Pink Shimmer
Scent: Vanilla
Flavour: None
Full Size & Price: 0.12 oz // $26
Sample Size & Value : 0.1 oz // $21.67 (83%)



Bite Beauty Lip Shine in Vintage

When I initially purchased this kit, I thought this lip product would be my least favourite. It was a little too purple/brown/dark in the tube and not something I would typically gravitate towards. It is fairly sheer on the lips though so the wash of colour turned out to be quite subtle and surprisingly pretty. I like to wear this on top of another lip colour but this gloss feels a little thick/heavy on the lips. This product has grown on me and I do like it... but if I had to pick a least favourite product in this kit, it would probably be this one.

Description: Sheer Mauve
Scent: Cherry Cough Drop (medicinal)
Flavour: Slightly medicinal
Full Size & Price: 0.12 oz // $23
Sample Size & Value : 0.1 oz // $19.17 (83%)



Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Rosé

This is the same lip balm that is being included in this year's birthday gift from Sephora. It has a subtle but really pretty rose coloured tint and includes SPF 15 to help protect your lips from the sun. I love pretty much everything about this lip balm!

Description: Sheer Berry Rose
Scent: Lemon Pie
Flavour: None
Full Size & Price: 0.15 oz // $26
Sample Size & Value : 0.08 oz // $13.87 (53%)



Tarte Insurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Hope

This (along with the Laura Mercier lip glace) is my favourite lip product included in this kit. I didn't think I would like the colour but it turned out to be perfect for fall. I like to wear this product both standalone (matte) or paired with a lip gloss... I've been wearing this with the Bite Beauty Lip Shine in Vintage. While matte, this product was not overly drying and felt very comfortable on the lips.

Description: Warm Rose
Scent: Peppermint
Flavour: None
Full Size & Price: 0.1 oz // $31
Sample Size & Value : 0.1 oz // $31 (100%)



Overall, I feel this lip sampler is a great value! You essentially get a value of $114.21 for $30. In fact, the price of this kit is less than just the full size Tarte Lip Tint. I actually purchased two of these kits - one for myself and one as a Christmas gift. Prior to purchasing this kit, I had not tried any of these products before (except for the Fresh lip balm) so I was happy to be able to try a whole bunch of different brands of lip products for a relatively low price.

The one caveat I have is that if you are looking for bold and pigmented lip products, you will probably be disappointed with this kit. The products included are, for the most part, very sheer and not very pigmented. While there is a reasonable selection of shades, they are all in the pink and nude colour family.

Did you pick up this lip sampler and, if so, what was your favourite product? Were there any products that weren't to your liking?