My Non-Sephora Beauty Wishlist

Hi everyone! If you are a beauty lover, the Sephora website is probably a staple for you (if Sephora is available in your country). I used to get 80% of my products from Sephora, but since starting my blog, I have noticed companies getting better about shipping to Canada, so I have really branched out the last few years.

Lately, I’ve had my eye on all sorts of products from all sorts of places. I always share my Sephora wishlist during the sales, but I don’t think I’ve ever shared a list of things I’m interested in from other retailers, so I thought I’d do that today. Here are some things on my wish list that you can’t get at Sephora!

MAKEUP

Source.

Glossier Cloud Paint in Haze

I recently added two more Cloud Paints to my collection, and am officially obsessed. Haze is the last Cloud Paint I’m missing, and then I have the whole fam! Do I need another blush? No. Am I going to buy it anyways? Yes.

Review: Herbivore Botanicals Balance & Clarify Natural Skincare Mini Collection

Hello, everyone! Today’s post is a review of the Herbivore Botanicals products included in the Balance & Clarify set. My interest is always piqued when it comes to popular brands and whether they are actually worth the hype. Last year, I tried the Herbivore Pink Cloud Rosewater Moisture Creme and I really loved it, so I was itching to try more from Herbivore. However, the price of Herbivore products is on the pricey side, so I figured that sets are a more affordable way to be able to try their products. The Balance & Clarify set comes in four minis of some of their bestselling products, which includes:

• Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask
• Prism Exfoliating Glow Potion
• Jasmine Green Tea Balancing Toner
• Lapis Balancing Facial Oil

For reference, I have normal to dry skin that is not particularly sensitive, but is prone to flaking and dry spots. My skin is not acne-prone, but I do have issues with clogged pores, uneven texture and some redness every once in a while.

Dupe or Not? | Physician’s Formula Spotlight Illuminating Primer vs Becca Backlight Priming Filter

Hello, everyone! Today, I’m sharing a post comparing my beloved Becca Backlight Priming Filter to the Physician’s Formula Spotlight Illuminating Primer, which is somewhat new to my collection.

I haven’t done a dupe post in a very long time, mostly because I don’t really like owning two products that are very similar to one another at the same time. If I’m going to be spending money on something, I want it to be vastly different from what I already own, ya know what I mean? However, when Stashmatters told me that the Physician’s Formula Spotlight Illuminating Primer is a similar product to the Becca Backlight Priming Filter, I knew I had to try it. I’ve loved the Backlight Priming Filter for the last two years. My dry skin will take any glow it can get, and if I can find a cheap product that performs the same as a high-end version, I will take it!

I find Physician’s Formula products to be ridiculously expensive for drugstore makeup, so I always wait for a sale before I buy their products. This was originally $23.99 at Shoppers, but after watching it for sales, I eventually bought it for $12.99, which means it was more than half off. I basically had no choice but to snatch it up! Read on to see how I think these products compare.

35 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 35

Hello, everyone! Today is a lifestyle post, which I don’t do often. May 18th marked my 30th birthday, but I’m not mad about it! I know a lot of people moan about going from 29 to 30 because it’s so old, but the 20’s is such a huge decade for change and personal growth for most people, myself included, and I’m excited to see what adventures the 30’s brings.

I was talking to Always Cleia recently, and she said she was going to create a list of 30 things she wanted to achieve before she turned 30 (she’s since posted it here), and how I should come up with 35 things I want to do before I turn 35.

Read on for my list!

Fourth Ray Beauty Wide Awake Set | Review

Hello, everyone! Today I’m doing a review of some Fourth Ray Beauty products I picked up two months ago; in particular, I will be reviewing the Wide Awake set. As a reference, I have dry skin with the occasional dry spots. My skin is not sensitive or acne-prone, but tends to have some texture issues, redness, and hyperpigmentation.

THE BASICS

Fourth Ray Beauty is ColourPop’s sister brand that focuses on skincare. According to the brand, they “promote clean beauty, balanced living, and total wellness – going beyond the skin to embrace the whole being.” Every product apparently contains a custom crystal blend that will not only help balance your skin, but your energy as well. What?? My honest opinion is that Fourth Ray Beauty is a skincare brand – no matter how many buzzwords you throw into your bio, you promote skincare first. I’m so not into that hippy-dippy energy stuff!

The brand’s products are sold on the Fourth Ray Beauty website, and a limited selection of products are sold on the ColourPop website. The brand is cruelty-free.

The Wide Awake set retails for $15 USD and includes full sizes of the:

• Matcha Face Milk
• Fresh AF Mist
• Watermelon Seed Oil

This products included in the set are meant to refresh energized and dull skin, which is something my skin needs.

January-April Empties

Hello, my friends! Today I’m doing my first empties post of the year. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that I am notoriously slow at using products up. Last year, I collected all of my empties and grouped them together in two large posts. I don’t use up many products in a year, but even that was overkill for me, resulting in posts that were too long. This year, I’ve decided to split my empties into three posts instead of two, which should be more manageable. Read further to see what I’ve used up in the last 4 months! PS – sorry for how dark the photos are. The weather has not been cooperative lately!

Thursday Chats: Feeling Embarrassed about Blogging

Hello, everyone! Today is another Tuesday Chats post, which is a series I started where I discuss topics within the beauty community. Today’s topic is about feeling embarrassed about being a blogger. This post is actually inspired by my blogging friend New Lune, who blogged about the same topic about a month ago.

Photo source: Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash

It’s funny because when it comes to blogging, everyone always tells you to promote your blog in order to increase traffic to your blog. Use Instagram, use Twitter, use Pinterest, engage with other bloggers, etc, etc…we’ve all heard the advice. Yet I feel that when it comes to real life, we tend to clam up about our blogs. In my own personal experience, I’ve tried to keep my blog quiet with the people in my real life (more on this later), and I’m willing to bet that many of you who are reading and are bloggers are the same. I don’t see this as a good or a bad thing – it just is the way it is.