Joe Fresh is currently having a contest where the grand prize is a year supply of makeup (not really sure how much that would include) and a personal consultation with Simone Otis. That’s pretty damn cool. The second place prize is not bad either – they’re giving away 5 prizes of $50 Joe Fresh gift cards. To enter one must like their Facebook page.

It’s interesting to see how companies are using Facebook pages and apps to run contests. I recently went to a talk on social commerce and it was said that having people like a facebook page increased sales because it increased the engagement between the company and consumers. Very interesting.

Personally I hardly ever like a page and I value my privacy over free products, but from a marketing perspective I can see how this is a great way to pull people in and keep them interested. Many people join pages because of contests and tell themselves that they can always unlike a page after, but few do. People are lazy and this type of marketing really taps into that.

Anyway, I just wanted to put it out there for anyone interested that Joe Fresh is having a contest to win their cosmetics. Their products are cruelty-free and very good for being a drugstore brand.

The following picture was not edited for enhancement. The only editing done was rotation and cropping.

The following products were used for this look. All of them, except for the M.A.C fluidline gel eyeliner are cruelty-free. I am currently using up my M.A.C products and am no longer purchasing any M.A.C or Estee Lauder owned company products.

Yaby translucent powder – entire eyelid (absorbs oil and prevents creasing)
Too Faced shadow insurance – entire eyelid
NYX jumbo eyepencil in Milk – entire eyelid
NYX eyeshadow in Yellow Funk – tear duct to middle of eyelid
NYX eyeshadow in Sunset Ray – middle of eyelid
NYX eyeshadow in Africa – outer edge of eyelid
NYX eyeshadow in Burgundy Pearl – corner of eyelid & eye crease
Joe Fresh eyeshadow in Honeybell – browbone
Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on shadow pencil in Delinquent – bottom lash line
MAC fluidline gel eyeliner in Blacktrack – winged eyeliner ***
Benefit badgal mascara – lashes

*** MAC products are no longer cruelty-free and I’m using them up

Name: Korres Lip Butter in Plum
Formula: Hydrating, waxy texture
Saturation: Light to medium
Packaging: Plastic twist-off containers
Cost: $3.99 CAD (Reg. $12 USD, $16 CAD)
Amount (both): 0.21 Oz.
Availability: Sephora (occasionally Winners)
Cruelty-free: Yes
Paraben-free: Yes
Sulfate-free: Yes
Petro-chemical-free: Yes
GMO-free: Yes
Triclosan-free: Yes

I recently picked up my very first Korres Lip Butter (read post here) from Winners for $4 (reg. $16). I got the shade in plum, which is more of a pink-toned berry in my opinion. It also has a berry taste in it rather than a plum so I don’t know why it was named that.

I don’t usually use products like this since I’m often wearing lipsticks, but I found that this was great for a flush of colour to the lips. It can give a light to medium pigmentation depending on how much product is used, and is great for a natural look. It is very hydrating and when it wears off I find my lips are still soft and supple.

The downside of this product is that it’s not very long lasting. I have to reapply the product every couple of hours to keep the colour pigmentation, and especially after eating or drinking. I also think this type of packaging is unhygienic. Unless you’ve just washed your hands you end up using your dirty finger to apply the balm onto your lips, not to mention you contaminate the contents of the jar. It’s not ideal and it’s better in a stick form.

As for the price I don’t know if it’s worth $16. I definitely think it’s worth the $4 I paid at Winners, but even though it’s a natural and cruelty-free alternative, I think it should be priced around $6-8. At $16 I might as well buy a hydrating lipstick.

OVERALL: 3.5 out of 5
RECOMMEND: Maybe, but there are cheaper alternatives
REPURCHASE: Not at its regular price

I was one of those customers and I was pissed off. I felt like my trust was violated and their integrity was compromised in my eyes. How could they mislead me like that and not even inform me of their policy changes. And on top of that Mary Kay in particular didn’t even telling their consultants so they were unknowingly lying to their customers and telling them that the products were cruelty-free when they weren’t. I had the misfortune of having to stop purchasing from the women who supplied me with products. She opened up her shop to support her family and now she has to suffer because upper management at Mary Kay chose to put their profits from China over their customers and consultants in North America. To me, that’s crap and I do not plan to shop from all three companies ever, even if they do stop testing on animals. I can no longer trust them.

It wasn’t until I was looking at a picture of myself as a baby that I noticed that I had the same fine lines. Later while spending time with my per-adolescent cousin I noticed that she had dark circles and bags. What? But she was only 9! That’s right. I had bought into the facade that fine lines, bags and dark circles only happen when you’re in your 20s. The reality is that we are born with fine lines, and we begin to age as soon as we’re born, so why fight it? It’s a waste of energy.

After realizing this I started seeing myself differently. I make a conscious choice to not scrutinize myself, especially when I look at myself in the mirror. When I don’t have makeup on I make sure I don’t tell myself that I’m ugly or need to wear makeup. I’m normal and real, unlike all the airbrushed women I see on tv, in magazines and online. I’ve accepted that I have lines, creases and uneven skin. Who cares? I’m my own worst critic and if I can convince myself that I’m fine just the way I am then why should I care what anyone else thinks? It’s not an easy adjustment but after I started to do this I feel much more satisfied about myself and do not stress out over aging.

Name: Vasanti Liquid Cover Up Oil-Free Foundation and Concealer
Shade: V8 (Medium deep, warm)
Formula: Oil-free, liquid
Coverage: Medium to high, buildable
Packaging: Plastic tube, screw-off lid, nylon brush applicator
Cost: $23 CAD
Amount (both): 16 mL, 0.54 Fl. Oz.
Effectiveness:: High
Availability: Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharma Plus, Vasanti.com, ebeauty.ca
Cruelty-free: Yes
Paraben-free: No
Sulfate-free: Yes
Petrolatum-free: Yes
Mineral Oil-free: Yes
GMO-free: Yes
Other: Made in Canada

After trying out numerous high end foundation samples I decided to purchase the Vasanti Liquid Cover Up Oil-Free Foundation and Concealer in V8. I took a gamble when I bought it because I hadn’t tried out a sample and Shoppers Drug Mart has a pretty much non-existent return policy. But since I’ve had so much success with my previous Vasanti products I decided to dive right into this without testing the waters. And guess what? It’s another hit for me.

The container is a plastic tube with a clear ribbon just above the opening that shows you the shade inside. This will also allow you to see when the foundation is running low. The applicator, as seen above, is a nylon brush, which is great for applying it to small areas, but is unhygenic since the brush is put back into the fresh product. I personally would prefer a squeeze tube.

Another downside to the container is that it causes the product to leak onto the exterior of the tube even if you store it with the tapered end pointing downwards. Every time the lid is screwed back on it pushes foundation onto the outside tube causing wasted product and a mess. I really hope they change their packaging for this because it’s just unappealing. I tried to take these pictures to depict this.

This foundation is a liquid cover-up that acts like a concealer and foundation in once. It has a medium to high coverage and is very buildable. What I’ve been doing lately to make it last longer (since I don’t use a primer) is I use a buffing brush to buff on a thin layer all over my face. Then I apply more foundation on the areas I want more coverage (my cheeks) and stipple the foundation on with the same buffing brush. It lasts pretty much all day and gives my face a flawless finish. It does oxidize a bit darker though so I apply foundation to my neck to make the colour blend into my chest better. Here is what it looks like.

Overall I really like this foundation. Even though it’s not oil-free it does not dry out my face. It is the best buildable foundation I’ve tried and does not become cakey, which is what many foundations do. I do not need to set it with powder (but I’m not sure if people with oily skin would need to), and it does not have an overly dewy finish. It feels fairly light on the skin and is long lasting. The only cons for me are the flawed packaging and the fact that it isn’t paraben free. Other than that it’s a great foundation.

OVERALL: 4.5 out of 5
RECOMMEND: Yes
REPURCHASE: Yes

His most recent video is on 10 ways to apply foundation and even talks about what people with dry skin shouldn’t do. He often talks mentions what people of different skin types and skin tones should do when he’s talking about new products/techniques, which is so uncommon in the youtube makeup community. You can tell he really knows what he’s talking about and has had experience working on a number of different types of people.

I’m just so thrilled to have one video I can go back to when I want to try out a different technique. Here is the video.

For those who have been waiting for a sale on Unii Palettes, they’re having a Mother’s day sale. One palette is on sale for $27 (reg. $29) and there is a great discount if you purchase more than one. I purchased a couple a while back (read review here) and they’re convenient for putting a bunch of single pan shadows into one location. I didn’t have much success with depotting, but other than that I like mine. Check out the sale here.

The picture posted was obtained from the Unii website.

click picture to enlarge

If you’re a beginner at applying makeup then this might help you as a reference when you’re watching videos or reading articles.

For those who aren’t familiar with Winners, they are a chain store in Canada that sells discounted brand name products. They are owned by The TJX Company, which also owns T.J.Maxx, Marshalls and HomeSense.

I decided to pick up a couple of Korres products since I’ve never tried them before. I got the Eyeshadow Quad (Warm Collection) for $8.99 CAD (reg. $35 USD) and the Lip Butter in plum for $3.99 CAD (reg. $12 USD, $16 CAD). So I basically saved at least $34. Their Lip Butters are a best seller and have pretty high reviews so I’m looking forward to trying this out. And the eyeshadow seems really enticing since it’s supposed to be long lasting and hydrating. I hope it lives up to its name! My eyelids crease like mad so any crease-free makeup is welcome in my collection.