Disappointing Product: Nars Blush in Sin

Despite Nars Sin blush being a favourite of many, I have to say this blush is a huge disappointment for me. At $38 CND Nars blushes are pricy and because I lost it for I time I can't return it either.

Nars Sin swatched

The thing about this blush is that it sounds like it would be exactly what I'm looking for- a cool shade that has purple tones to go with my variety of cool toned looks that I don't want something warm-toned on the cheeks with. In fact Sephora describes this as a "berry with gold shimmer". Nars Sin is really pigmented, and the shimmer is minimal so it's should be more of a glow then a full on frosty shimmer. What isn't to like?

However, this blush just looks awful on me. Even used extremely lightly I look dirty and bruised. Like the bruise is in a stage of healing where there are multiple colours. For some reason the gold shimmer which is minimal highlights my cheek wrong and gives this multi-toned bruise effect. The shimmer didn't emphasize my pores any more than they already are noticeable, but that's about all the good I can say about it.

Nars Sin applied lightly

It's true I'm very pale, as pale as you can get and still have a yellow undertone to the skin. But I honestly didn't think this blush would clash as badly as it does with my face. This blush looks so bad I'm now wary of trying any more berry or cool toned blushes.

I do think this blush will look fine on other people, just maybe not someone quite as light as I am.

Do you have any cool toned blush recommendations for me? Do you have any products that work for others that majorly failed for you? Let me know! Until next time.

Hebridean Sprite

Disclaimer: The widget at the beginning is a affiliated link. I get five whole cents if you click it. Mainly I'm using it for the professional photo.

Top items I'll be bringing out for Summer!

If you are at all like me in the summer I need to bring out products that not only hold up to the heat and sweat but also the sun, water, and fit the brighter colours of the season! Overall, that is quite a few different products from my normal routine, especially when I'm at the cottage which only has one air conditioning unit which isn't very good.

So I've made a list of my top sun and fun products in no particular order. You can click the names for the full reviews I've made of them in the past.

1) Marcelle Hydra-C Ultra Thin Matifying Fluid 
I love this product. Absolutely adore and I don't know what I'd do if they discontinued it. This is my main moisturizer which also mattes my skin and keeps it that way for hours. It comes in a great bottle, it is comfortable on and it actually has some skin enhancing ingredients.

Mascara - Black

2) Blinc Tubing Mascara
For those of you who have been reading this blog for a while, you've likely heard me mention this mascara. I adore it because due to my allergies I'm always touching my eyes, and this mascara won't smear and come off when I do that. It also lasts though Yoga, biking, crying and napping. Plus it comes off easily with warm water. I have this in both the black shade and the purple one (which you can't really tell is purple without looking really closely. Overall I love this product though, and a major part of easily looking great in the summer all day.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil

3) Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeshadow Pencils and Milani Shadow Eyez Pencils
These are pretty much the same thing at lease formula-wise. Creamy, high pigment pencil eyeshadows in a long lasting waterproof formula. They last all day, only fade the slightest bit with wear and don't crease even without a primer. There is a huge difference in price but the Urban Decay has a larger selection of colours. There are some dupes in Milani range though so be sure to take note!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush

4) Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful
I love this blush in the summertime! A beautiful pigmented bright coral shade that lasts a ton better than any of my other powder blushes last ( as in hours instead of mere minutes). Has a lovely uplifting sun-touched feel to it.

Smashbox Cosmetics Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights

5) Smashbox Bronzer-Blush in Intermix*
Unfortunately since I received this Smashbox has started selling in China, and thus now tests on animals.  Note: Apparently they signed with PETA saying they aren't selling in China and thus are still considered cruelty-free (excluding their brushes which are real animal hair). It is just the other Estee Lauder companies that are still selling in China that are no longer cruelty-free.
Another lovely light bronzer-ish shade that really brightens and lifts your face with a sun-kissed glow. The only bronzer I've ever liked on my pale skin. Will be attempting to find a replacement for this eventually that is cruelty-free.

Sunscreen SPF 30

6) Glycolix Elite Sunscreen SPF 30
I'm super pale with very sensitive skin. This means I burn easily and sunscreen makes my face a super greasy mess. I really like this sunscreen however. It's matte on and because it's Zinc Oxide based it doesn't aggravate my acne. LOVE that it also goes easily under make-up. (Full review to come)

Bite Beauty High Pigment Matte Pencil

Tarte LipSurgence' Matte Lip Tint

7) Bite Beauty High Pigment Matte Pencil or Tarte Lip Surgance Matte Lip Tint
I really like both of these pencil types. Both have twist up mechanisms which is great, but my favourite part of them is that they both are highly pigmented and the Tarte one in Hope that I have lasts because it's matte. Long lasting colours are what I want in this warm weather! (Full review to come)

Urban Decay Cosmetics Eyeshadow

8) Urban Decay Eyeshadows
Urban Decay eyeshadows are what got me into cosmetics. They're smooth and highly pigmented. They also have some amazing shades that really pop. Flipside and Jinx are two bright blueish colours that scream summer pool party to me. Just using a little to line the lower lash line brightens my whole face.

What are some of your favourite summer products?

New York Color Limited Edition Bronze Bliss Summer Blushable Cream Sticks~ Swatches and Review

Radiant Bronze and Gold Radiance

This summer New York Color (NYC) released a golden-goddess-esque collection named Bronze Bliss. In the collection was two Blushable Cream Sticks which was really exciting for me as I love their regular line Blushable Cream Sticks (you can read my review on Big Apple Blush here). The two shades in the collection were Radiant Bronze and Radiant Gold. Here is an unblended swatch of each.

T-B (Shade): One light swipe of Radiant Bronze, Three swipes of Radiant Gold

T-B (Sun): One light swipe of Radiant Bronze, Three swipes of Radiant Gold

I'm going to start with Radiant Bronze. This shade is perfection. Super pigmented and creamy this applies almost in excess. You'll need a light hand otherwise you'll overdo it. The colour itself is warm and rich with a very very fine gold shimmer throughout. When blended the shimmer is barely noticeable giving a lit from within look. It's lasting power is decent about three hours depending on how heavily you blend the product out. Plus as with all the Blushable Cream Sticks it dries to a powder finish. Unfortunetly the good ends here however. I gave mine to my friend because on me this just ended up looking like a bruise, the beginnings of a rash, or dirt. I've never had any luck with bronzers though so I don't blame the product itself. My friend has quite a yellow undertone to her skin and it really looks awesome on her. Perfect exotic beach dweller effect.

Shade- Radiant Bronze Blended (on N10 skin)

Next is Gold Radiance a white to light gold sparkle highlighter shade. This was the one I was most excited about, but to be honest it kind of let me down. In the tube it looks like it has a white-gold base with fine gold shimmer bits throughout but on the skin it ends up being clear (or near clear) with the gold bits instead. It's still pretty and I like using it along my cheek bones, but due to the translucent base it requires multiple layers to show up adequately (as seen below in the blended swatch). Another slight issue is that this one has a hint of a greasy feel to it not really drying down as quickly or fully to the lovely powder finish the other Blushable Cream Sticks have. It also doesn't have great staying power lasting around 4 hours maximum. I still like the product, the fine gold bits are really subtle and pretty but I was hoping for more.

I got these from Rite Aid for $4.99 USD each (I'm visiting the USA at the moment). They are also quite large holding a huge 8 grams of product. They are limited edition for this summer and can be found in a display.

Gold Radiance in the tube

Radiant Bronze in the tube partially spun up

Sprite Rating: Gold- 5/10, Bronze 7/10

Would I buy these again? If I had a darker and/or warmer skin-tone that actually cooperated with bronzers I would buy the Radiant Bronze one again. The Radiant Gold I probably wouldn't purchase a second time though. I like it and I'll use it but I was hoping for more and it doesn't last all that long for a very subtle gold glinty effect.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush~ Swatches

Lately the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes have been getting a ton of press because of their high pigmentation, longevity and range of shades. So, I decided while I was in my local Sephora to swatch all the shades for you :D. If you're interested in my review on these blushes you can give it a read here.

There are eight shades in total as can be seen in the first photo, here are the first four.

Top to Bottom: Blushing Bride, Natural Beauty, Flush, Tipsy

Left to Right: Natural Beauty, Flush, Tipsy, Blushing Bride

Blushing Bride is a beautiful deep plum with a gorgeous super fine sparkle. It's also really pigmented!

Tipsy is a peachy coral shade. It has a bit more of an orange shade to it than blissful in my opinion. Matte texture.

Flush is a bright grape shade. Matte texture and really pigmented as well. 

Natural Beauty is a bright red-raspberry. Also matte and super pigmented.

And here are the second half!

Top to Bottom: Amused, Blissful, Exposed, Doll Face

Left to Right: Amused, Blissful, Exposed, Doll Faced

Amused is a bright blue-based pink (brighter than it appears here), very pigmented as well. Matte.
Blissful is a super lovely pinky-coral shade. This is the one I bought, and I adore the natural flush it gives. Matte texture, and quite pigmented as well.
Exposed is a matte tan shade, perfect for a neutral blush or conturing.
Doll Faced is a light pink. Least pigmented of all the shades but still a decent amount, as all these blushes are full of colour.

Hope these were hopeful!

You can look at them here on Sephora...

Awesome new things out for Spring!

This new release is the Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum. This has been getting raves already, so I'm super excited to find a sample of this to try! It's a pore minimizer that is supposed to show instant and work for long term results! The best of both worlds. However, it's expensive so I want to give it a try first- $39.50 USD for 1 oz. (Ouch!) It's also supposed to make the skin feel tighter/younger over time as well.


This are new out too! Much like the Stila convertible colours these are Too Faced Full Bloom Lip and Cheek Colours! I adore the name as the colours really do resemble roses and other flowers out in force! It comes in three shades, I'll definitely have to swatch these soon! These hold 0.16 oz of product and are $21 USD.  There are a bunch of specialty ingredients in this including Vitamins, flower extracts and avocado!


In three similar colours as the Full Bloom Lip and Cheek Colours, these powder blushes by Too Faced are called the Full Bloom Ultra Flush Blushes! Man what a mouthful! Supposably these blushes also contain an ingredient meant to help hydrate skin and improve the production of elastin (the stuff in you skin that prevents wrinkles). These are 0.14 oz for $19 USD.


Josie Maran has just released a bunch of new items including a cleansing oil and this her Argan Oil Sun Protection in SPF 30. An all natural sunscreen with her signature Argan Oil ingredient in it. I'd like to try some of this to see how it compares to my favourite facial sunscreen. It's $24 USD for 4 oz of product. This is pretty much her sensitive skin version, she has another similar product out that is SPF 40 that is supposed to double as a primer as well. I'll have to see how that fares too!

Skincare Tools by clarisonic

Clarisonic has released some awesome new Clarisonic Mia models this spring as well! Look at the Jaguar or the fresh spring green! Or the Limited Edition Hope is Beautiful one that Clarisonic will give a donation to a charity towards helping cancer stricken women feel like themselves again. Yay! So much nicer colours than when I got my plain white one!


Urban Decay has finally switched over from their pretty but hard to use genie bottle Primer Potion packaging to a much more sanitary and efficient tube packaging! All four shades of Primer Potion are now available in the new squeeze tubes- Eden (matte yellowed nude), Greed (Shimmery Gold), Sin (Pink Shimmery Champagne), and the Original (Clear). Though, they have now gone up a dollar in price $19 USD. Though on the bright side they hold more going from 0.34 oz to 0.37 oz in size.
Urban Decay is releasing a bunch of other stuff soon, I'll let you know as soon as it's out! (New palette with new shades included and a Make-up bag included!)


Recently an entire new line has been introduced to Sephora called Bite. It looks kind of Gothic at first glance but it's not vampire oriented despite first impressions! It's all about superfruit like pomegrantes that have antioxidants. All their products are chalk full of them and they look wonderfully pigmented too! Can't wait to actually try some of these in person! The packaging and images look so luxe!


And last but not least is the new Make Up For Ever Uplights, illuminizers in a ton (8) different shades for highlighting from pearly white to bright pink to golden copper in shade! I'm thinking if you liked the cream blushes MUFE released a while ago, you're going to like these too!

That's it for now! Hope you enjoyed looking at some of the awesome new products out and about!

New York Color Blushable Creme Stick in Big Apple ~ Review

Today's review is on my New york Color Blushable Creme Stick in the shade Big Apple Blush. It's a berry pink cream blush in stick form that comes with a ton of product for hardly anything at most drugstores (in Canada- Rexall, Walmart and some others; in the USA- Target, Walmart, and others I'm sure I'm missing). These blushes are full of pigmentation and come in 6 shades in the permanent range.

Look how much you get!

Although the packaging is cheap plastic, I find it quite sturdy and easy to work with. There is a nice twist-up/down mechanism and a clear top so you can see the shade that matches the outer plastic in colour. I think the packaging is great if you're on the go alot or travelling as the cylinder shape makes it easy to stick in a purse.

Two layers (heavy swatch so you could really see the colour)

Heavy swatch blended out

You only need the smallest dabs on your cheek to get all the colour you'd need. I dab about two half dabs on my cheeks each straight from the stick then blend with my fingers. This blush is really easy to blend and looks like a natural flush on my cheeks. I also adore that these are cream to powder so it never feels sticky or tacky or wet at all. In fact when I wear this, just like my Nars Penny Lane cream blush I can't feel anything on my cheeks throughout the day. This doesn't last as long on as my Nars Penny Lane blush but considering the price and feel it's certainly up to par! This colour does have some shimmer to it but nothing outrageous- I can't see it when I apply it to my cheeks, but I have heard about some of the others shades having a little too much shimmer so something to keep in mind.

Overall I think these Creme Blushsticks are little hidden drugstore gems, and I may have to pick up some more shades. The most popular of the shades is a more yellow-based pink called Plaza Pink but there is also Urban Spice (a bronzer), South Street Seashell (a browned coral shade), Mauvin Uptown (a dirty mauve) and Berry New Yorker (a browned red). I think this colour range is great because it definitely has a couple shades that would work for all skin tones and some that would look best on specific ones too.

Sprite Rating: 8/10- Lost one point for cheapy looking packaging and one for not being long wearing enough to last all day.

Would I buy this again? Yes!!!! I'm already debating another shade! :D

Please Note: New york Color is a Cruelty Free brand, but the company that owns it as far as I can tell is not Cruelty-Free. There are a ton of companies like this out there though, so I take what I can get, especially with large brands such as these.