Covergirl Bombshell Volume! ☀

Covergirl Bombshell Volume! ☀

Good evening everybody! So recently Covergirl has come out with two new mascaras: the Flamed out one (which I have not yet tried!) and the double-sided Bombshell volume one. I bought the latter because the double sided wand intrigued me so much.

Now the packaging is SO inconvenient... like it is enormous!! It is so thick that it makes it awkward and sort of challenging to press against your cheek to even reach your lashes! Also the wands could be like a few centimetres longer to apply a little easier. Other than that, I like the two numbers on each side to say step one and step two in the metallic silver, very nice!

So I accidentally bought a brown colour...UGH! It's just annoying because I like to go for dark and bold lashes. Anyways, it's not completely detrimental because it does create a slightly more on the natural side kind of lash effect. Right to begin with, this mascara didn't exactly have a whole ton of product in the tube even...Especially the step number one side...it seemed kind of dried out and hardly full at all. The step two side wasn't so bad.

Step one is the exact same brush as Covergirl's lashblast mascara that we all know and love so that was nothing new, but nothing bad either...Except the fact that there was next to no product in it. Step one was designed to add volume. It defined my lashes without clumping, and created a pretty decent base for a layer of different mascara.

Step two has more product in its tube, so that was a little better, but the wand was the same as one of their unpopular mascaras (designed for length) that I forget the name of. It did layer nicely with step one and definitely added length like was intended, but really overall I didn't find it to be anything special.

Overall, the formula smells really bad, is very meagre in quantity and not original at all. They just took two of their old brushes and put them together into one enormous and awkward thing that is just so inconvenient in any situation. It is not a terrible product by any means, but I feel like you could get way better mascaras for the same price.

find it here

That's the way I see it!
LeighVioletBeauty

PS This is the look I created from my three past blog posts all put together! (NYX white eye liner brightening trick, Covergirl bombshell volume mascara, and Garnier BB cream!) Go check them out if you haven't already!

Eye Brightening Tips! ☼

Eye Brightening Tips! ☼

Hey everyone! Today I'm gonna be letting you all in on my eye brightening secret that not only brightens and makes you appear more awake, but also makes your eyes appear larger too. Win-Win!

So, I've got two words for you: white. eyeliner. As usual, the other day I was roaming around target and picked up a few different NYX eyeliners to play around with since I heard they were good quality and I really wanted to step up my eyeliner game. One of the ones I picked up was actually a white one because I had the intention of doing some serious experiments...and boy did I ever! 

I originally wanted to use this as upper eyeliner to add to a nice pale white shimmery look, but spur of the moment, I applied it to my waterline and was sold. So there really is no right or wrong way/look to wear this; it goes with an all around bright-eyed look all the way to any dark or matte eye shadow/eye liner look. Just finish your entire makeup look and apply the white eyeliner to your waterline after so that you can adjust how much eyeliner to add. Also one tip would be to avoid getting it into your actual lower lash line...I made that mistake, and it turned out looking like I had like gross eyelash dandruff goo or something. Basically, just keep it on the waterline!


Now as far as this particular product itself, it was a tad pricier than I would have liked, but I picked it over the $3.00 one for two reasons. First, it is the twist applicator so you never have to sharpen, and second, it is almost more on the side of a cream consistency so it's not like rubbing a pencil on your eye... Also this particular product is water proof which ultimately helps it stay on your eye. My liner is actually a matte white, but if you don't mind shimmer, that would add such a lovely touch as well, and you could also use it in your inner corner as well (I tried with my matte pencil and it didn't look quite right.)

The difference may seem subtle, but I believe that in the grand scheme of things, this slight adjustment would really show up in pictures and just unconsciously lead someone to see a glowier doe-eyed you!



buy it here!

And that's the way I see it!
LeighVioletBeauty

PS. I just realized that this pencil actually says "Face Art" which may be why it was a little more expensive... and I don't even know if I'm using it right.. but it sure worked wonders for me!

Best BB cream! ♡

Hey once again y'all! Okay so tonight we're gonna just jump right on into the topic at hand: BB cream. It is one of the most talked about beauty products because it has "all sorts of benefits for your skin", but is there some that are better than others? Well of course!

So for the longest time, I had been using the Maybelline New York Dream Fresh BB cream...but overall, it's really quite sheer and a tad greasy to boot (so not worth the $7.00). So after hearing tons of raving over the Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector, I just HAD to try it! Something interesting about this product is that it is not actually sold in the makeup isle, but in the skin care section (definitely a good sign)! I shelled out about $12.00 ish for this product but it actually is quite a good deal because you get 2.0 fluid ounces of product in the bottle.

The packaging is a lovely bronzed metallic and I don't know, I just love it! So right on into the formula itself...This is the most opaque BB cream I have ever tried. Normally these creams are just more moisturizers with little to no coverage, but it is really quite the opposite for this baby! I found that this BB cream actually had so much coverage that I didn't even need to put on any concealer afterwards (except for under my eyes of course)!

So yes, the consistency of this product is like a dream, it keeps the face not like dead matte, but more of a soft semi-dewy glow without being greasy in the slightest. It is SPF 20 and on the back of the bottle it says its only purpose is really for sunscreen, which is one of the most overlooked beauty secrets out there. Wear your SPF at all times people!!! Rain or shine, even if the sun isn't out! It is one of the most beneficial things to put on your skin (even ask Kylie and Kendall Jenner!), it protects you from skin cancer (obviously) but more importantly, it nourishes your skin and actually is an amazing anti-aging trick. Anyways, sorry for the little side note, but always make sure that either your foundation has SPF or you wear an SPF moisturizer underneath your makeup.

So anyways, I would like to end this post off with yes, this BB cream is amazing; it leaves the softest finish to my skin (I got the one for combination to oily skin type) and has unreal coverage! And hey it's really good for my skin so it's honestly a win-win situation.

buy it here!

And that's the way I see it!
LeighVioletBeauty

Best Hoola Bronzer Dupe!!?

Hey beautiful! Today I am going to be letting you all in on the best bronzer secret EVER! But first before I jump into all of that good stuff, I would like to announce that I just created a twitter account for this beauty blog where I will be posting announcements, as well as just my day-to-day life in regards to beauty, fashion, and hair! Don't worry, there will be no boring personal life stuff in there because I have a separate personal account for that. Anyways so it would mean a lot to me if you guys would follow! It's @LeighVBeauty (I follow back y'all hehe).


Anyways, now let's get on into the good stuff! Ladies and Gentlemen...I would like to introduce to you the cheapest yet best quality Benefit Hoola bronzer dupe on the market...... It's the N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder!!! This has officially become my new holy grail bronzer. No joke.

Yes the packaging is a little boring, but hey it does the job. Now the product itself is a beautiful matte shade (aka perfect for contouring and providing a more natural bronzed look without all of that shimmer!). This baby cost me a whopping $3.00...like WHAT!! I would have paid so much more money for this amazing product, but hey I'll take that price any day compared to the Benefit Hoola which is $36.00 . So what I love about this formula is its colour; it is a matte bronze without those unflattering orange-y tones (even though it kinda looks like it in the pictures, I swear it's not!) that let everybody know that your tan is fake. It does not necessarily have grey undertones like some other contouring bronzers, but anyways it blends perfectly into the skin.

Application stays true to its name: it really is smooth! I grab this on a thinner powder brush and use a light hand to dust just on the edge of my cheek bone and slowly build it up...It is oh so blendable! I then proceed to drag some of the access up across my temples and onto the sides of my forehead, and a little bit under my jaw line.

 As you can see in my awkward little selfie here, it defines the heck out of my cheeks giving me that flushed sun kissed and healthy glow (thank God because I am so pale and sickly looking without some good makeup) but looks so natural! Who would have thought that a 3 dollar bronzer could do all of that!!

I would just like to say one thing...THANK YOU N.Y.C. !

BUY IT HERE Y'ALL

That's the way I see it!
LeighVioletBeauty

The New NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream: review and swatch!

Hey guys! Long time no talk; I am so sorry about the tardiness of this post, but I was in  Las Vegas with my soccer team this passed weekend and things got a little busy ever since. But have no fear, I am back on the blogging wagon and have a bunch of posts lined up for you guys! So let's jump right into it.

When in Vegas, I of course had to make a little trip to Target...While I was there I bought a lot of cosmetics (are you even surprised?) and the first thing I grabbed were two of the new NYX soft matte lip creams as I have been seeing them on YouTube so much lately! I picked up two shades: Antwerp (a pink-y peach coral) and San Paolo (a light yet deep blushing red).





Now like always, let's talk packaging. The product overall looks like a lipgloss, complete with the tube and doffa applicator. The neat part I found was that the top screw off part was a matte black, which illustrated the matte intention of the formula so nicely!


Now, moving onto application, upon opening this product I was actually quite surprised. The consistency of this formula actually looks just like a liquid matte lipstick. I had for some reason thought that it would look like a regular lip gloss and dry matte. Applying this was so weird for me; it's basically applying a lipstick with a doffa applicator. It glided on so smoothly and the edges didn't look harsh at all, they were quite soft. The pigmentation is medium

. I only have one complaint for this lippie. Yes, the consistency is smooth and creamy, but that's not to say that it doesn't show every single thing that it is applied on top of. For instance, I did not vigorously exfoliate the first time I tried this out, and it actually emphasized all of my cracks and dry patches (yuck!). This also means that whatever product you apply underneath it like chapstick for example, will show through and eventually ball up on your lips.... So your best bet is to exfoliate like a mad woman before application and unfortunately skip the chapstick step.

Another upside of the NYX lip products is their scents...OBSESSED! The soft matte lip creams smell like home made sugar cookies, sooo yummy! My friend also bought one of their normal shiny red lip glosses and it smelled like cherry candies. Way to go NYX, scents make everything that much sweeter.... literally!

Overall, I bought these in the States, so they only cost me about $6.00 each, which is not too hefty of a price for the quality of the product. That being said, when I looked at my local Target in Canada, I noticed that these same lip creams are $8.99 here! So I wouldn't be so keen on paying close to $10.00 each, having experience with the formula.
buy it here!

And that's the way I see it!
LeighVioletBeauty

DIY Makeup Brush Cleaner!


Hello lovelies! So we all know that you are technically supposed to clean your makeup brushes every 2 days....but I don't think I'm alone when I say I only really get around to it every 2 weeks or so.... Anyways, I already pay so much money for the makeup and brushes that I have..why would I want to pay even more for a store bought "brush cleanser" when I can make an even better one at home for free? My friend had the Sephora brand brush cleansing spray and tried out my home recipe and said this one worked better. So let's get on into it!

You will need:
-a mug
-1 cup of warm water
-1 tsp of dish soap
-1 tsp of vinegar

So first thing's first: Pour the teaspoon of vinegar into your mug.

Next pour the teaspoon of dish soap in with the vinegar (try to get as much of the soap out of the measuring spoon as possible!)







And finally, add your cup of warm water to the mixture.









Grab your dirty brushes (please excuse how disgusting mine are...It's been a while okay!!) and take them one at a time.





Swirl them around in the liquid and within 2 seconds of swirling, you will see the formula turn the colour of your foundation (or whatever product was on the brush) such as mine! This really proves how fast and effective this recipe is! It doesn't take any scrubbing to really clean your brushes, the gunk just seems to slide right off.


Next, run the brush under cold water in the sink (you will notice the water is basically immediately clear because most of the makeup has already been removed from the vinegar/dish soap solution.

Lastly, put a towel out and lay all of your brushes out on it and leave them over night to dry. Now some people say that you should be hanging your brushes upright while they dry so that water does not go up the handle, but I have been doing mine like this ever since day one and their has been no damage... They're just air drying!

The perfect finishing touch about this solution, is that it leaves your brushes smelling clean so that the next time you go to apply your makeup it will smell soo good. It's so easy it should almost motivate you to clean them once every two days like you're supposed to!


And that's the way I see it!
LeighVioletBeauty

Maybelline New York The Rocket Mascara: Worth the Hype?


Hey guys! So I'm sure I'm not the only one who has recently been noticing all of the hype around the Rocket mascara from maybelline. It's been in so many YouTube tutorials and monthly favourites, I can't even keep track! So as usual, I thought I'd give it a try and see what I think!

Let's talk packaging. This marvellous blue torpedo is so unique. It's super smooth and shiny and the contrast between royal blue and pink is so pretty! The twist cap is very easy to open and close, and it shuts the product air-tight so it doesn't dry out!...That's a lot considering its a $5.00 mascara.

Now upon opening the product and seeing the brush style, I was immediately reminded of CoverGirl's Lashblast mascara in the signature orange tube (which I love!). The bristles are short and numerous set on a very thick wand. This makes it incredible easy to really separate and define your lashes. Anyways, so as far as the packaging says "Volume Express" I would say yes, my lashes definitely got thicker, but not as much so as they actually got longer. They really got defined and lengthened over anything else! And the dark black colour is dramatic as always.

I am usually one to layer my mascara due to clumping and other various lash issues, but to my incredible shock, I literally only used this one mascara....I haven't done that since the 8th grade! It's everything you need in a tube of good old eyelash paint: it thickens, lengthens, defines/seperates, and works amazing on the bottom lashes! I would pick this brush over any large fluffy hairy high end brush any day. And to top it all off it only cost $5.00!!! That's cheap even for the drug store.
buy it here !

no.. seriously.. go buy it.. like now.

That's the way I see it!
LeighVioletBeauty

Why I love my Nars blush/the best way to apply pigmented blush!


Hey everyone! Today I wanted to share with you guys my very favourite blush of my entire blush collection....And that's saying a lot because I am a bit of a blush junkie. So anyways, this holy grail blush is my Nars blush in the shade Torrid. Surprise! I don't actually like the shade Orgasm that everybody raves about..I swatched it in Sephora and was not impressed with the pigmentation (next to none) or the overall colour.

Anyways so like always, let's talk about this packaging. As I have previously mentioned in my e.l.f. contouring kit post, I am absolutely obsessed with the simple matte black packaging and the full length mirror. So beautiful.

I picked this shade because it is almost an orange-y coral, something that is definitely outside of my usual shade comfort zone. When I saw it in the store it just jumped out at me compared to all of the other ones, not necessarily due to brightness, just how beautiful it was! I picked it up and bought it immediately.

The overall consistency of this product is like your average blush but about ten times smoother. The pigmentation....IS AMAZING! It has unreal colour pay-off, but not in a crazy dramatic clown sort of way; it has just enough pigmentation to make this beauty guru very happy.

Anyways, now onto my application techniques. I typically use just a regular blush brush for my lighter, less pigmented, more highlighter blushes. But for bright ones like this, my best friend is the stipple brush. I lightly dust the brush into the product and stipple (swirl and buffing motions) it starting at the apples of my cheeks and slowly moving up to the temple. This technique blends the blush in such a natural yet still visible way it is so amazing. So using the stipple brush (I just have the mini one from e.l.f., but any brand/size works!) just ensures that you aren't just 'swiping' on the powder; you're blending it!

All in all, this product is to die for and I think each and every one of you needs to go buy one right now! It's a little on the pricey side, but so incredibly worth the money.
pick this baby up here!!

And that's the way I see it!
LeighVioletBeauty

PS. This blush goes with any lip colour..can you say score?!

Rimmel London Stay Matte pressed powder/foundation

Hello again everyone! So lately there has been a lot of attention being focused on Rimmel's Stay Matte line consisting of the pressed powder, the mousse foundation, and the primer. Unfortunately because I have so many primers right now that I'm trying to use up, I skipped out on purchasing the primer, but I did pick up the other two products to get my opinion on them! You all know I am a sucker for good packaging... And I gotta say, the powder is cool because it has a neat pattern pressed right onto the surface of the product, but the tube of foundation with that tacky logo.... Come on Rimmel I'm sure you can get a little more creative than that!

So to begin with of course, we have our foundation. As you can see in my swatch photos, it really is a very thick mousse-y and definitely a fairly full coverage (as you can see in my swatch pictures as it covers the veins on my wrist). Now I really wanted to love this product.. But I really didn't. There are just so many things wrong with it! For starters, upon applying it, it sinks right into your pores and goes lighter where they are so it makes a bunch of light dots where yours pores are which is disgusting (yes I even tried it with pore-erasing primers)! Blending isn't terrible though it is a little inconsistent so some parts of your face definitely have more product than others. Then to make matters worse, it is so ridiculously drying on the skin that my skin actually stings when I put it on! So it doesn't create a flawless matte, it creates a dead painfully flakey canvas. And finally, after about 3 hours of wear, it becomes incredibly greasy (which completely contradicts the name...) and cakes up all over! In all, such a terrible non-flattering product. Would NOT recommend!
In case you are curious.. here it is.
PS. it also feels very heavy and cakey right from the get-go, UGH!


Now time to turn over a new leaf and move onto their pressed powder. My holy grail. My saviour of all powders...Well maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's certainly not far from it! This pressed powder actually does what it says: it matte-ifies your face for all day wear! Its very smooth and easy to get onto your brush. I don't know what else to really say about this product. It's cheap, it's effective, it's not harsh on the skin. Definitely worth the unsubstantial price.
                                           buy it here!

All in all, I think Rimmel really hit the mark with their powders from this line, but I think I can conclude that the liquids just aren't cutting it. And even though I haven't personally tried out the primer, I've heard enough negative feedback and in correlation with my experience with the foundation...I think I'll skip out on that one.

That's the way I see it!
LeighVioletBeauty

What's up with Benefit's Watts Up highlighter?

Hey guys! You guessed it- Watts up highlighter review and swatch/demo time! So two weeks ago, when I was roaming around my favourite store (Sephora of course!), I decided it was time to try out a cream highlighter instead of a powder. The ladies working there immediately referred me to Benefit's highlighter that we've all heard about at some point in our lives.



So first thing's first...Can we please talk about this adorable packaging?! It is soo sleek and unique; everybody in the makeup geek world knows what it is. The shiny purple is so cute, and I think the shape is supposed to be sort of lightbulb-esque? Not entirely sure, but I am obsessed with it. Right off the bat, I can tell you that one major benefit of this product is its wearability. It glides on creamy, and upon being blended out with the sponge, dries to almost a powde! Bottom line: no greasy finish that's just going to eventually slide right off. That being said, this product is all skin type friendly! If you have oily skin, it's perfect because it dries to a powder, and if you have dry skin, have no fear! The stick glides right over dry patches without drawing attention to them.


Now let's get started. To begin, you slide the cream highlighter side onto wherever you want highlighted; I personally chose above my cheekbones, down the centre of my nose, and my cupid's bow. As you can see in the picture, the product itself is actually more on the bronze side which I think is so unique and interesting. It emancipates this formula from the "illuminator crowd" and makes it something completely its own, ultimately giving off more of an iridescent warm glow. Now the actual application is made so easy! With just the flick of your wrist, you can glide on the magic within ten seconds.


After you have finished gawking at the beautiful shade of this formula and realized that its probably about time to blend it out, you flip the product over and take the cap off the little sponge! Now to begin with, I was wary of the sponge because I thought it was going to absorb all of the product from my cheeks. Well was I ever wrong! Its a different kind of sponge in that it doesn't absorb, it solely blends. Long story short, I blended mine the minimum amount possible because I really loved the glowy and healthy effect it gave my pale and boring skin. But if you preferred, you would have absolutely no problem blending it out even more to make it super natural. To further that point, this product is not shimmering per say.. That's why I described it as iridescent before.. Because it has that illuminating brightening factor but it's definitely not sparkly so you won't look like a disco ball.


All in all, this highlighter was well worth the $36.00 I paid for it. That may be a little pricey to some, but just the wear-factor and sheer value of the product it amazing. And even better, it comes with quite a bit of formula in the stick! Meaning it will last you a while because a small swipe goes a long way. I would undoubtedly recommend this to anybody no matter what your skin tone and type.

buy it here

That's the way I see it!
LeighVioletBeauty

 PS The lady at the Sephora counter gave me a tip! You can use this highlighter as a base primer for contouring! It makes it stand out more, blend easier, and last longer!