Lazy Day Makeup

Hello world!

There are definitely days when I don't feel like a full face of makeup is necessary; in fact, most days are like this for me as a university student. Today was no exception, especially since I didn't get much sleep last night due to the How I Met Your Mother finale as I spent majority of my night crying and analyzing the episode haha, so I wasn't feeling too great this morning.

I just wanted to do a short post, showing you what I put on my face on my more laid back days.

FACE

The Body Shop: Aloe Soothing Moisture Lotion

My daily face lotion at the moment, always essential. Made specifically for sensitive skin, as I have rosacea, and it does the trick.

L'oreal True Match: Super-Blendable Concealer and Real Techniques Buffing Brush

I don't think foundation is necessary every day, so most of the time I just use this concealer to cover up any blemishes and redness. I just dot it on and blend it in with my Real Techniques Buffing brush.

I use this concealer in N4-5: Neutral - Light/Medium.

Benefit: Girl Meets Pearl

This is the little purple and white tube photographed on the right. This is just a liquid highlighter, because I always love a more "glowing" look, especially on days where I haven't had much sleep because it really wakes my complexion up.

EYES

I'm not going to lie, eye make-up is something I never skip out on. It's just my personal preference, probably because I look incredibly tired and weird without any eyeliner on hahaha, but it's the one make-up item I've used consistently since I was 14, so I never really miss it! I know for most people, eyes are usually the thing they leave out on more "lazy days" but it's just something I always do.

Revlon Photo Ready: Eye Primer and Brightener

I apologize for the extremely battered up tube, but I've had this particular one for probably well over a year now so it's so dirty haha. For someone who has really dry skin, I have such oily eyelids, so even though I'm not wearing any eyeshadow, I have to put eyelid primer on for my eyeliner.

L'oreal Magic Lumi Concealer

This is supposedly a drugstore dupe for YSL's Touche Éclat concealer. I just pop this under my eyes to brighten them up a little. I don't have particular baggy eyes, but just putting that "illuminating" concealer really brightens up your whole look and makes you look a little more awake.

I use this concealer in Medium.

L'oreal 24-Hour Infallible The Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner

I cannot live without liquid eyeliner. I really like it when it comes in pen form, because it just makes drawing on that cat eye so much easier. The nib on this eyeliner is nice and thin so you can get a precise shape. 

Dual Ended Brush (White and Black Brush)

I used the angle brush to do my eyebrows. I never used to be the kind of person who filled my eyebrows in, but ever since I started to, I've become kind of addicted to it haha. I didn't photograph the powder I used because it's too big to fit in the picture. It comes in this HUGE 144-Piece Eyeshadow e.l.f. palette in Neutral which you can find here, and I just use the matte dark browns to fill them in.

Maybelline One by One Volume Express Mascara

Maybelline absolutely slay in the drugstore world of mascara. I use this particular one for more "natural" lashes because it's not a volumizing mascara, but a super separating and defining one. I love it for days like this :)

LIPS

Burt's Bees Lip Balm with Mango Butter

No colour, just for soft lips :)

So that is it friends! I also completed my picture with my glasses and my large hot chocolate from Second Cup that I bought this morning to try and fill the huge HIMYM-sized hole in my heart. Still sobbing that it's over. :(

What do you use on lazy days? What are your favourite makeup items when you want to wake your complexion up?

Lots of love,

Rachel xxxx

Rachel's Reviews - Divergent Palette

Hello world!

I have decided to try out doing product reviews to begin my blog, as I think they can be really helpful. I am in no means an expert in makeup, but I think I can throw my 2 cents out there and give an honest opinion on different products. Now onto the review!

As some of you may know, the movie Divergent has just been released into theatres, and as a movie that was previously a book trilogy, it has an established fan base, much like The Hunger Games. Because of this established fan base, companies tend to catch on and create products with the name attached to them. One of the products that was created under the Divergent franchise is a limited edition makeup line that is exclusive to Sephora.

I had been eyeing the makeup as soon as it was released online, and after watching the movie with my best friend during opening weekend, I immediately went to Sephora and bought the Divergent Multi-Piece Collector's Palette. I actually bought the last one they had in stock, which is a true testament to how popular this palette is considering it's only been out for a couple of weeks.

Moving onto the actual product itself, this all around face palette retails at $39 here in Canada, and $32.50 in the United States.
The packaging is metal, so the exterior is very sturdy, however it closes with magnets, which isn't great as it feels like it could open easily and ruin the inside. It has the signature DIVERGENT logo written on the front, and has a holographic, shiny finish on the front, which is why in this photo it looks like it has a rainbow design on it. In reality, it is a very light-reflective silver.

Divergent Palette: Outside Packaging

The contents include a pink lip gloss, three eyeshadows, a matte blush, and a matte bronzer. It also has a full mirror, which is always great to have. For $39 you get a good range of products.

Inside the Palette -
Full Sized Mirror, Lipgloss, Three Eyeshadows,
Matte Blush, Matte Bronzer

The best thing about this palette, in my opinion, are the eyeshadows.

They are all very wearable colours, as they are great neutrals, and most importantly, they are super pigmented. There is a matte white, a shimmery golden taupe, and a matte dark brown.
The matte white is great for an under the brow highlight colour. The shimmery brown isn't as pigmented as the other two, but it is still a great all over lid colour that is neutral enough to look subtle, and isn't too sparkly, and the matte brown is perfect to blend through the crease, and it is definitely the most pigmented out of the three.
I love that these are neutrals, because it makes the palette worth buying, as you can use it every day instead of just purchasing it for the novelty of owning something with the word "Divergent" written on it. The pigmentation of the eyeshadows are great, especially the matte dark brown, so I was impressed.

Eyeshadows: Up Close
Matte White: Candor Lace // Shimmery Taupe: Luminous Taupe //
Matte Dark Brown: Envious Chocolate

Next up are the blush and bronzer. The blush is a very wearable rose-pink colour. I like the fact that it is matte, as it is great for days when you don't want any shimmer on your cheeks and you want to keep your look low-key, but still put together.

The bronzer, though I would still call it matte, has really fine specks of gold in it, but it is extremely subtle, and won't make you look like you have shimmer on. Because it is pretty much matte, it is perfect for subtle contouring and shaping your face. It actually reminds me of Benefit's famous Hoola bronzer, as they are similar in colour and finish.

These are both pigmented as well, though I wouldn't say as much as the eyeshadows, but they are both extremely wearable colours that complete an every day look.

Blush: Rosy Horizon // Bronzer: Compassionate Copper

Lastly, the lip gloss. I'm not a fan of lip gloss at all, so I didn't care for it too much. It isn't well pigmented, so it doesn't really add colour to the lip, but it's a good neutral pink colour that will probably look good over a neutral pink lipstick. As an added bonus, it smells like peppermint.

Lip Gloss: Up Close
Pink: Artistic Mauve

As someone who has both read the book and watched the movie, the quirky names of each product was a nice little touch to the palette to make it nice and unique. 

Merchandise and movie-gimmicks aside, the actual contents of the palette were really great. The eyeshadows were the real winners for me, as the colour pay off was great, and I honestly didn't expect that out of a product that was made for a movie franchise. The blush is a really nice rose pink, which is perfect for a subtle hint of colour. The bronzer is perfect for subtle contouring as it is matte, and is a beautiful colour. The lip gloss I could've lived without if that meant there was more eyeshadow, haha.

I can honestly say that even if the word DIVERGENT wasn't slapped across the outside of this palette, I would still be drawn to it. Every single product is something you can wear every day, so it isn't something you just buy for the name and it is a great starter palette. You have everything you need for a complete look in the palm of your hands.
I have to admit that I'm sure much of the price tag factored in the name "Divergent", so $39 is a bit steep. You do get 5 powder products that will last you quite some time, so it is fairly reasonable. 

The palette can be purchased here.

How about you? Are you a fan of the Divergent series? Could you see yourself buying this palette?

Lots of love,

Rachel xxxx