Tip: Get more out of your concealer

The other day I was at the Clinique counter (after I finished my shift at work) getting the 3-step skincare routine done on me, and I learned some pretty awesome stuff.  The girl working did the 3-step on half of my face and then re-did my face makeup so I could leave looking presentable.  And that's when she told me...
how you can make your concealer last so much longer!


Now what she did was combine Clinique All About Eyes eye cream with the Line Smoothing concealer, and used the mixture on my under eye circles.  Her claim was that the eye cream helps depuff/reduce darkness as well as helping the concealer adhere to the skin and blend better.
You don't really need a specific eye cream to get the effect, though, as I don't believe the hype surrounding them anyway.  I tried this using my trusty Aveeno Daily Moisturizing lotion and it worked just as well.
Well, she also told me you only need about half as much concealer when you do this, which makes perfect sense right?  And to my surprise it totally works.  My under eye circles were just as concealed using this technique as they were using double as much concealer.
(For funnies, I am totally loving the Clinique Line Smoothing concealer.  It erases my under eye circles like no one's business.  I used it sparingly on my acne scars today, and it covered those too.  Yay!)

Look!  (For the swatches/demonstration I used Clinique All About Eyes cream- it's my mom's- and Clinique Quick Corrector concealer in Moderately Fair)

Left: All About Eyes, Right: Quick Corrector concealer

Left: All About Eyes, Middle: All About Eyes+ concealer mixed together, Right: one swatch of cream+concealer blend

That middle swatch is about enough product to cover both under eye areas and then some, and I started with about the same amount I would originally use for just one eye.  So being someone who wants to stretch their dollar in every possible way, I love this idea.  It makes your concealer last about twice as long, as well as helps in a better application (blends better, more smoothly).

And keep in mind that although I used All About Eyes eye cream for this,  you can definitely use a regular facial lotion.  I just happened to have what the Clinique girl recommended on hand, so I used that for the post.

Hope you guys are having a great start to your week, after the long weekend!  I had to work yesterday (Fourth of July), but I didn't have plans otherwise so it was ok. :)

xox

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AM Facial Care Routine!

We all want clear beautiful skin, but sometimes we need to take steps to achieve that "perfect" skin. Unfortunately, not all products work for everyone, but you can get some ideas on what may work for you! Now I don't have perfect skin, I still suffer from a blemish or two during that wonderful time of the month (sarcasm!). But I have found some wonderful products to share.

I should mention that my skin is normal with some oily spots on my cheeks and chin.

Face wash: Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild

I love the fact that this product is a gel-like substance. You need a very minimal amount and it works up a good lather. It also doesn't leave my skin feeling dried out. Price $16.00. The product lasts me about two months. Available at http://www.clinique.com or Macy's.

Scrub: Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream

I recently discovered this product when Macy's was having a promotion for Clinique. I got it for free and now I love it! I only use it twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays. It is mild enough to use every day, but I don't feel I need to. Full size product is $18.50.

Astringent: Clinique Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion

I'm not quite sure why it is called lotion because it's not. haha. I use this on face as soon as it dries with a cotton swab. This product leaves my skin feeling fresh and very clean. It was the biggest factor in clearing up my face. Breakouts are very rare for me now. Price $14.00 and it also lasts about two months. Available at the same locations as above!

Eye Serum: Clinique All About Eyes Serum

This is a roll on serum that I use everyday. It helps with eye puffiness and lightens black circles. It takes a few minutes to dry, but that's the only downfall. Price $26.00. I bought it about a month and a half ago and it barely looks used.

Eye Cream: Avon ANEW Rejuvenate (24Hour Eye Moisturizer)

It is a two in one eye cream. There is a night time gel moisturizer included. It has SPF 25. Now I don't really have any "crows feet" or bad wrinkles, but this cream has lightened up the area around my eyes and has made them really smooth. Price $28.00. I didn't pay full price for this item, I actually bought a trial sale kit that included a full size eye cream. Available at http://www.avon.com or your local Avon representative.

Face Cream: Avon ANEW Rejuvenate (Revitalizing Cream)

SPF 25. It is a non greasy face cream, which for me is hard to find. It is very light and makes a good base for my make-up. This product has made my face very smooth. Love it! Price $30.00 for the full size but I got the trial size.

Well I believe I have told you everything, ha ha, so feel free to leave comments!

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Bye!

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Acne: Solved!

Hi girls,

So maybe you've noticed in my (few) videos since early September, or you've heard me complain on Twitter... but since September, my acne was back. In full force. Read: BAD. I have a video on YT from a year ago about my struggles with acne, but I'll summarize it here.

In high school, particularly grade 9 and 10, I had terrible cystic acne (and glasses and braces and baby fat... hot, I know! hah). During an unrelated checkup at the doctor, he noticed my acne and prescribed me some topical treatments and pills to help with it. By the middle of grade 11, my acne was under control, and by grade 12, all I was left with were the scars (which I'm still trying to get rid of!).

SO... early September, I decided I wanted to have a "grown-up" skincare routine. I had been using mostly Clean & Clear stuff, particularly their Contiuous Control Acne wash. At that point I was just finishing my third bottle of it, and thought this would be a good time to transition into something else.

So I went to Shoppers and they had a special on the Clinique 3-Step system. I had heard nice things about it, so I got it in #3 (combo-oily skin type). I got the bar soap, an exfoliating toner, and a gel moisturizer. For the first few weeks, it was going great. I loved all of it. I included it in my September favourites video!

But then.... (dun dun dun) I noticed lingering zits and a whole lot of bumps on my forehead and t-zone. I even got a few big zits under my eyes! Gross! It didn't even cross my mind that it was my soap that was doing this to me.

I was also concerned because I had also recently bought a new foundation (in mid-October). But I did some math and figured out that I had been noticing the acne before I bought my new makeup. Cue sigh of relief... but... where was this acne coming from? I voiced my concerns to my mother, and she just laughed and said Clinique was way too gentle to break me out, and that it must be something else. I bought the Murad spot treatment, and that did a lovely job at getting rid of the zits, but new ones just kept on coming.

Wow the lighting makes this look nasty.

I was in denial for a while, but then I decided to cut the soap out, cold turkey. I went and bought another bottle of the Clean and Clear Continuous Control Acne Wash (which has not been discontinued here in Canada... apparently the US has axed it?!). Saturday, December 4 was the last day I used the Clinique soap, and already the difference is INSANE. I used to have all these little clusters of bumps (not quite a blackhead, but not quite a pimple), and they were gone within 2 days. I had about 4 deep-set zits (cystic) on my forehead, and they're all mostly faded without having "come to fruition".

Magic

I'm still able to use the toner and moisturizer. But I have no clue what was in the soap that made my skin freak out. It's the same thing with Revlon foundation. Good for 2 weeks or so, and then WHAM! Breakout.

Needless to say, this has reinforced my love for Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne Wash. I'm sorry I abandoned you! This also goes to show that even the gentlest cleanser can break you out, and that the culprit may be your cleanser if you're having a bad breakout situation!


xox Chloe

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Clinique GWP Palette

From left: Pink Slate eyeshadow, Night Plum eyeshadow, Smoldering Plum blush
Thanks, Deb!

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EOTD: Neutral 'smokey' eye with MAC Club+Naked Lunch

Hey everyone, today I have a really simple EOTD to share with you.  I was anxious to test out my new MAC eyeshadows so I didn't waste any time.  :)  This shows how Club transforms depending on how you use it a little better than I can describe.  I used it along with Naked Lunch to make a look pretty wearable for everyday.
(PS- sorry about my eyebrows in advance, lol!  I need to trim them)

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

Products used:

- VS Pro eyeshadow primer

- MAC Naked Lunch (all over lid and up into crease)

- light color for highlight

- MAC Club (outer corner and blended into outer crease, along upper lash line)

- Clinique eyeliner in Roasted Coffee (upper and lower lash lines, smudged)

- L'Oreal Bare Naturale mascara in Black

I applied the Clinique eyeliner (it's a retractable eyeliner pen), and then applied Club over it and blended it upwards.  This is where Club really shines!  When layered over brown it looks like it does in the pan- a dark, duochrome-y greenish blue.  So pretty.  When it's on your skin, though (mine anyway), it looks more reddish brown.  The warmth of it pairs wonderfully with Naked Lunch.

(Top- Naked Lunch, Club)

(Bottom- Clinique eyeliner, Club layered over it)

Naked Lunch is really close to my skin tone, which is why it doesn't show up well in pictures, sorry about that!

Thanks for reading, guys!  Hope you're all having a nice Sunday.  I just took a walk up the street that my dorm building is on, only to find a Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, ULTA, Sephora, Charlotte Russe, and more just minutes away!  So I'm doing alright.  ;)  

<3

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Wednesday Weekly Favorites: Warm pinks and neutrals

Along with monthly favorites, I decided I'm going to post my most-used products for the week every Wednesday.  This is mainly because I switch between different items so often.  I love doing 'monthly favorites' posts, so I figured why not do little ones more often?

This week I got a lot of use out of a mix of new products and old favorites.  Can you tell I've gotten back into pinks/purple?

(Clockwise from top left: Clinique eyeshadow in Lucky Penny, E.L.F. Studio blush in Mellow Mauve, Aveeno Postively Radiant tinted moisturizer in Fair to Light, L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen mascara in Black, Wet 'n' Wild eyeshadow trio in Walking On Eggshells, Maybelline LE eyeshadow duo in Amethyst Diamonds- from the Diamonds collection)

The Clinique eyeshadow is a warm, shimmery pink/bronze that is simply gorgeous but is one I often overlook.  I don't know why!  Fortunately I uncovered it recently and I have to stop myself from wearing it every day.  I love pairing this with just some black mascara- I think it shines the most when left on its own. 

E.L.F.'s Studio blushes are great.  I've yet to try many of them, but so far I love this one in Mellow Mauve.  It's a dirty rose pink that pairs wonderfully with any of these eyeshadows from this week.

This Aveeno tinted moisturizer I purchased a couple weeks ago, but didn't start wearing until later last week.  It gives super light coverage, which I would typically like more, but this week I've broken out and need something heavier.  It has a nice, thicker consistency, and it blends into skin so you don't even feel it.  Although I'll get good use of this, I probably won't buy it again just because of the $15 price tag.

L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen mascara is one I got last year, used awhile and liked it, but ended up losing it.  I bought another one last week to try it out again.  I like it so far, but I'm hoping the formula will thicken up as I wear it more.  It does a pretty good job of volumizing my lashes.

I did a review on this Wet 'n' Wild palette here.  I still love it just as much!  So great for everyday, but the shimmer saves it from being boring.

The purple in this Maybelline Diamonds duo eyeshadow is gorgeous!  I talked about it in this post, but now I've had the chance to use it.  I wish the pigmentation was better, but I love the color so much that I can overlook that.

Swatches:

(Top- Maybelline Diamonds eyeshadow duo

Middle- Clinique eyeshadow and E.L.F. blush- the blush shows up orange in the swatch, but on my face it's definitely more pink

Bottom- Aveeno TM)

What are some of your most-used makeup products recently?

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My Eyeliner "Collection"

This should hardly be called a collection, as I don't have too too many.  I've also tossed out quite a few recently that I just wasn't using or had a similar color of.  And let me just mention while I'm thinking about it- ELF's $1 brightening eyeliners are terrible.  These came to mind just now because I tried one in Coffee, a dark brown, not too long ago, and it smeared and smudged and never dried on my lid.  It just sat there, all sticky and gross.  This is one I just tossed out tonight as I was going through my stash.
Anyway, here they are:

From left to right: 

Pencil: Milani Liquif'eye in Silver, L'Oreal HiP eyeliner in Violet Volt, N.Y.C. Waterproof eyeliner in Teal, Rimmel Spark It Up! eye darkening pencils in Tiger's Eye, Peridot, & Black Gold

Automatic: Clinique Quickliner in Roast Coffee, Wet 'n' Wild IdolEyes eyeliner in Dark Brown, Covergirl Exact Eyelights eyeliner in Vivid Ruby, Mary Kay eyeliner in Amethyst, E.L.F. waterproof eyeliner pen in Coffee.

These are my current pencil eyeliners.  I'll talk about these in order from left to right.  I rarely use the Milani one because of the color (It also irritates my eye a little), but it has awesome staying power and glides on gorgeously.  The L'Oreal HiP works the same way, and it's the same kind of "Urban Decay 24/7 drugstore dupe" eyeliner, like the Milani Liquif'eye.  This one doesn't irritate my eyes at all, though, and I love the color.  The N.Y.C. waterproof pencil is my favorite plain teal eyeliner- it retails between $3 and $4, so it's also my favorite SUPER inexpensive, easily available eyeliner.  The next three are all Rimmel Spark It Up! eyeliners, and these are probably my favorite "fun" eyeliners right now (I say fun because they have shimmer in them- they aren't gritty, though).  They're a little more expensive at around $5 a piece, but still not bad at all.  They are incredibly pretty, too!  

Swatches, in same order as pencils are shown above:

The three Rimmel eyeliners are on the far right- Tiger's Eye is a darker bronze, Peridot is a dark slightly-more-green-than-blue teal, and Black Gold is like an antique black gold, like the title.  I don't really know how else to describe it!  These last pretty well as long as you don't touch them- so, they aren't as durable as Milani Liquif'eye or L'Oreal HiP eyeliners, but they are still good quality.

These are my current retractable eyeliners (With exception of the ELF pen).  80% of them are shades of dark brown, and that was totally not intentional.  From left to right: My Clinique Quickliner is my everyday "I just want something quick and neutral that will stick" eyeliner.  It's a deep reddish brown, and it's got wonderful staying power (Actually, all of these have pretty decent staying power).  The Wet 'n' Wild IdolEyes eyeliner is my favorite for a deep chocolate brown color.  It also has great durability, and it's only $1.99 at most drugstores.  This is what I would recommend to anyone that wants a super cheap, great quality, basic eyeliner.  The Covergirl Eyelights eyeliner is just a standard dark brown, nothing too special about the color.  The quality is average, but it really stays on my waterline.  The Mary Kay eyeliner is a GORGEOUS shade of purple-gold that I just love.  If you have green eyes like me, I think this color is a must-have!  The pencil is tiny, though, so I probably wouldn't repurchase this at $10.  Finally is the E.L.F. Waterproof eyeliner pen, which feels like you're applying a felt-tip marker to your eyes.  This is OK, but I don't personally like the look of liquid eyeliner of any kind.

Swatches, in same order as pictured above:

The Clinique one is obviously a fair amount lighter than the other browns, which is why I don't use it if I'm looking to do a deep, smokey eye.  For neutral looks it's perfect!

What are your favorite eyeliners?  

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Comparison: Clinique Quickliner vs. Wet 'n' Wild Idol Eyes

Happy Monday!  I just got home from work; it was a good day.  :)  Well, the weather isn't so lovely- it's raining and super windy- but I can deal with that for now.  At least it's not snowing!

Anyway, I wanted to do a post comparing Clinique Quickliner for eyes in Roast Coffee and Wet 'n' Wild Idol Eyes in Dark Brown.  On my hand in real life, the two swatches look almost identical.  However, once I took the picture of them, I realized there is a slight difference.  They are still very comparable except that Clinique's is $14.50 and WnW's is $1.99.

First up, Clinique:

Wet 'n' Wild:

See?  They look very similar; both are retractable eyeliners (My favorite!  I hate sharpening pencils).

Top: Clinique in Roast Coffee

Bottom: WnW in Dark Brown

Clinique- Top is just the swatch; Bottom is after rubbing lightly.  

This eyeliner has AWESOME staying power.  I'm serious.  It takes soap to wash off the swatch, but I've never had troubles taking it off on my eyes with eye makeup remover.

Wet 'n' Wild- Left is after lightly rubbing it; Right is a normal swatch

Although this comparison shows that it smudges easily, I've had great experiences using this on my eyes.  This is actually one of my favorite drugstore eyeliners, as it is extremely inexpensive, and I love the darkness of the brown.

Overall, I would recommend the Clinique Quickliners over Wet 'n' Wild Idol Eyes, as long as you're willing to spend $14.50 on an eyeliner (Which really isn't bad for a department store product).  However, if you want a good, cheap eyeliner, I highly recommend Wet 'n' Wild's version.  I've gone through four of these already!

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EOTD: Soft Brown+Pink

OK, time for a real post now :)  Happy Friday!  I had to work this morning, but I got let off early.  It was a nice surprise, even though I would've taken the extra money.  Heh.

This is the eye look I wore today; I decided to go neutral with eyeshadow.  It's mostly Clinique products with one of my favorite mascaras: Lancome Definicils!  I didn't even have to curl my lashes, which is something I never go without doing.

I wore:

-Almay Bright Eyes eye base

-Clinique e/s duo in Seashell Pink/Fawn Satin 

-Clinique Quickliner for Eyes in Roast Coffee

-Lancome Definicils mascara in Deep Brown

And on my cheeks (You can see them in some pictures) I'm wearing Clinique powder blush in Aglow.  It's a super pretty nude peachy-pink with hints of gold shimmer.  Perfect for summer!

This is like one of THE most basic and simple eye makeup applications, I swear.  I just put the light e/s shade (Seashell Pink) all over my lid and up the my brow bone, then I sweeped the medium brown (Fawn Satin) into my crease.  I followed that with the eyeliner on my top lash line and the outer corners of my lower, and lastly applied mascara.  Voila!

I really like this for an everyday, soft eye.  I tend to pile on the mascara (This was only three coats, believe it or not), so that could be tamed a little, but otherwise it's quite versatile. 

(And I wore a bow in my hair today!  You can't beat steals from the Icing, haha)

Thanks for reading :)

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