Empties – December 2018

January 4, 2019 | jodi - a brash attitude

Hello, hello!

As per usual, I’ve kept my empties for the month. I did not manage to finish up very many things in December, but since my goal is to use things up, any empties are progress in my quest to not let products go to waste.

Let’s take a look, and I will link to reviews and let you know if I will be repurchasing or not.

Essence I ❤ Extreme Volume Mascara (Waterproof) – I’ve purchased this so many times, this is my HG waterproof mascara. I always go back to this or the Get Big Lashes one after I test out others. Original review is here.

Lily De Mai Bliss Transformative Moisture Mist – I absolutely loved this facial mist and I’m sad that it is empty. I’m putting it on my wishlist as I have a few facial mists in my stash to use up. Original review is here. (PR sample)

Harmony + Blossom Cleansing Clay – This was a super gentle exfoliating clay cleanser. I have a bit of a cleanser stash to work through, so I won’t be purchasing this right now (even though I liked it a lot). Original review is here. (PR sample)

Essence The False Lashes Mascara – This is my fave non-waterproof mascara because it adds volume and holds a curl and I’ve purchased it several times. It even manages to hold up pretty well when my eyes water from laughing! I’ll purchase this again once I finish up another mascara in my stash. Original review is here.

Hurraw Lip Balm (Earl Grey) – I loved this lip balm. It smells like earl grey tea (bergamot). I’m a lip balm addict and just got a ton of new lip balms in my stash, so I won’t replace this just yet. I’m still using the Hurraw Moon Lip Balm at night (when I’m not using my Bite Beauty Lip Mask). Review is here.

Were you able to finish up much in December?

Thanks for reading.

Disclosure: All PR samples identified. Please see original blog post for details.

Covergirl LashBlast Volume Mascara Review

Covergirl LashBlast Volume Mascara Waterproof

December 19, 2018 | jodi - a brash attitude

Hello, hello!

Covergirl has recently become cruelty free, earning their Leaping Bunny certification! This leads me to hope that more brands will start to do the same! I needed a new mascara, as I’m fairly vigilant about replacing them regularly, so I decided to try out the LashBlast Volume in the Waterproof formulation in the shade Very Black [info in italics taken from the Canadian Covergirl website]

I am pretty picky when it comes to my mascara because I have long, stick straight lashes, that are fairly light in colour despite being a natural brunette so I basically have to curl my lashes before I apply mascara or else it looks like I barely have any lashes. To make it even more complicated, my eyes are quite sensitive, and lots of mascaras irritate my eyes. Add to that the fact that my eyes water easily, so any mascara that I use must be smudge-proof and water-resistant (or waterproof).

I have seven requirements for a mascara:

1. waterproof

2. smudge-proof

3. non-flaking / non-clumping

4. must be DARK black (not blackish, not brown black, and definitely not grey black)

5. volumizing

6. must hold a curl

7. non-irritating to my sensitive eyes

Get a blast of bold, volumizing mascara – rain or shine! LashBlast’s patented volume-boosting hypoallergenic mascara formula and patent-pending brush are designed to max out each and every lash, leaving you with the ultimate big-lash look. In original, non-waterproof, too!

It claims to give 10X the volume, which is much more reasonable the claims than some of mascaras have for 500X the volume.

The wand has rubber needle type bristles, which I’m generally not a big fan of. I prefer the chubbier or curved bristle style wands normally.

Ok. so how does it measure up? It checks the boxes in terms of being waterproof, smudgeproof, non-flaky / non-clumpy, and it a nice deep dark black, and it doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes. I do find it to be a little less awesome in terms of volume and holding a curl. My lashes have some volume and some curl. Overall I’d give this mascara a 6 out of 7, with 1/2 a point taken off for volume, and 1/2 a point for curl factor. It is a good mascara, but it isn’t a great mascara for me.

Do you have a fave Covergirl mascara?

Thanks for reading.

Disclosure: I purchased this!

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara Review

June 6, 2018June 6, 2018 | jodi - a brash attitude

Hello, hello!

Today I’m reviewing the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara. I got it in an Ipsy bag back when I had a subscription (Oct 2017), but never got around to trying it out until recently!

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes

Just a reminder – my lashes are long and stick straight, so I have to curl my lashes before I apply mascara or else it looks like I don’t have any lashes. As well, my eyes are sensitive so many mascaras irritate my eyes. My eyes water easily, so smudge-proof mascara is a MUST.

I have seven requirements for a mascara:

1. waterproof

2. smudge-proof

3. non-flaking / non-clumping

4. must be DARK black (not blackish, not brown black, and definitely not grey black)

5. volumizing

6. must hold a curl

7. non-irritating to my sensitive eyes

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes

What it is: A lengthening, curling, volumizing, and conditioning mascara.
What it does: Tarte lights, camera, lashes™ 4-in-1 mascara could be considered a dramatic makeover for your lashes. This high-performance formula is proven to increase the appearance of lash volume by 330 percent—creating strikingly thick, sexy lashes.

This mascara is not waterproof, but I did not have any problems with smudging, which is a miracle! I also did not have any problems with clumping of flaking. My lashes looked super black and super long, but I don’t think that the mascara was over volumizing, and definitely not 330% more volume! How do they measure that? It held a curl ok, not amazingly well, but my lashes didn’t revert to their normal stick straight. And finally, this mascara did not irritate my sensitive (and allergy prone) eyes.

Overall, I would rate this mascara to be a 5.5 out of 7 for me, with 1/2 a point taken off for not being waterproof – but despite it not being waterproof, it did not smudge on me, and 1/2 a point off each for volume and curl holding requirements. All in all, this mascara is pretty good. It won’t replace my holy grail ones from Essence, but I’ll use it up anyway.

I have to say that this is one of the most difficult mascaras to photograph! You would not believe how many photos I took, and only ended up using two of them – so frustrating!

Disclosure: This came in an Ipsy Glam Bag back when I was paying for a monthly subscription.

Weekly Recap Feb 26th to Mar 4th

March 4, 2018 | jodi - a brash attitude

Hello, hello!

Just a little recap of the past week’s blog posts in case you’ve missed out and want to catch up…

Monday, Feb 26th – Essence Instant Volume Boost Mascara Review

Wednesday, Feb 28th – Petit Vour Unboxing & First Impressions February 2018

Petit Vour February 2018

Friday, Mar 2nd – Empties February 2018

Empties Feb 2018

I finally had the energy to get back to doing yoga a few times this week, yay!

Hope you all have a great week ahead! Thanks for reading ❤

Disclosure: All products purchased by me!

Essence Instant Volume Boost Mascara

February 26, 2018 | jodi - a brash attitude

Hello, hello!

Today I have a review of the Essence Instant Volume Boost Mascara that I’ve been testing out. Here’s what it says on the tube:

Essence Instant Volume Boost Mascara

Power volume – smudge proof & intense black

Mascara for an extreme volume boost effect. Innovative fiber brush for an instant volume result within seconds. Opthamalogically approved.

Essence Mascara2

My lashes are long and stick straight, so I have to curl my lashes before I apply mascara or else it looks like I don’t have any lashes. As well, my eyes are sensitive so many mascaras irritate my eyes. My eyes water easily, so smudge-proof mascara is a MUST.

I have seven requirements for a mascara:

1. waterproof

2. smudge-proof

3. non-flaking / non-clumping

4. must be DARK black (not blackish, not brown black, and definitely not grey black)

5. volumizing

6. must hold a curl

7. non-irritating to my sensitive eyes

Essence Instant Volume Boost Mascara

How does the Instant Volume Boost Mascara measure up for me?

It is not waterproof, but is definitely smudge-proof. I haven’t had any problem with flaking, but if you don’t wipe the excess mascara off the brush before applying, it can get clumpy. I always remove the excess, so clumping is not a problem for me.

The mascara is super intense black, which is awesome, and I find it to be fairly volumizing and holds a curl. And, most importantly, it does not irritate my sensitive eyes.

Essence Instant Volume Boost Mascara

I would rate this mascara as being on par with the False Lashes Mascara from Essence (reviewed here), which I gave a 6.75 out of 7.

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day!

Disclosure: I purchased this.

Weekly Recap Jan 15th to 21st (2018)

January 21, 2018 | jodi - a brash attitude

Hello, hello!

Just a recap of the past week’s blog posts in case you’ve missed out and want to catch up…

Monday, January 15th – Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Ultra Natural Mascara Review

Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Mascara

Wednesday, January 17th – True Moringa Lip Whip Review

True Moringa Lip Whip

Friday, January 19th – Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream Review

Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream

I’m still carrying on with the Yoga with Adriene Yoga True (30 Days of Yoga). I’m really liking this year’s series of practices, and am so proud of myself for sticking to it thus far!

I got a Fitbit Charge HR for Christmas, and I’m kind of obsessed with tracking my steps and sleep.

Hope you all have a great week! Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day!

Disclosure: All products came in my Petit Vour subscription box that I pay for.

Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Ultra-Natural Mascara

January 15, 2018 | jodi - a brash attitude

Hello, hello!

Today I have a review of the Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Ultra-Natural Mascara that came in my December Petit Vour subscription box. Here’s what it says on the Petit Vour website:

Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Mascara

Volumizing nutrient-rich mascara powered by intense plant-derived Phyto-Pigments for a feathery-soft look and feel after every smooth, buildable coat. Non-drying formula leaves lashes clump-free and is designed to minimize smudging and flaking.

WHAT IT DOES:

Volumizes lashes
Unique brush designed for optimal pick-up of the formula: slim profile for precise application and spiral-shaped to coat lashes from all angles
Formulated with more than 60% certified organic ingredients and with Phyto-Pigments and minerals instead of petroleum combustion carbon black

juice beauty mascara4

Just a reminder about my lashes – they are long and stick straight, so I have to curl my lashes before I apply mascara or else it looks like I don’t have any lashes. As well, my eyes are sensitive so many mascaras irritate my eyes. My eyes water easily, so smudge-proof mascara is a MUST.

I have seven requirements for a mascara:

1. waterproof

2. smudge-proof

3. non-flaking / non-clumping

4. must be DARK black (not blackish, not brown black, and definitely not grey black)

5. volumizing

6. must hold a curl

7. non-irritating to my sensitive eyes

Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Mascara

So how does this mascara measure up?

When first applied, I found that it gave me natural looking lashes without clumping or flaking, a kind of a “my lashes but slightly better” look as it darkened them slightly and seemed to hold a curl. It did not give me the level of volume that I was expecting.

Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Mascara

I wore this mascara and went out to run a few errands yesterday afternoon. When I came home and looked in the mirror, THE HORROR! It was smeared REALLY BADLY under my eyes! So it is definitely not waterproof (which it does not claim) or smudge-proof (it claims to be smudge-proof).

I will say two good things about this mascara – it was super easy to remove (on purpose, not the accidental horror-show smear-fest), and it did not irritate my eyes. Because of that I’ll score it 2 out of 7.

If you like a natural looking mascara and don’t have watery eyes, you might really like this mascara. But sadly, it is not the one for me!

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day! ❤

Disclosure: This came in my Petit Vour subscription box that I pay for.

Best of 2017 – Makeup

January 8, 2018 | jodi - a brash attitude

Hello, hello!

Today I’m sharing my top makeup picks for 2017. These are all new to me products that I’ve tested out during the year, and do not include any old favourites. These products are the most used, and most loved additions to my makeup collection in 2017.

Best of 2017 Makeup

Masion Jacynthe Fluide de Teint / Fluid Foundation (PR Sample) – This is the perfect foundation for this time of year when my skin needs extra moisture as this is a hydrating and dewy finish foundation. I’ve been adding in a little of one of my paler foundations to get a perfect shade match for my winter pale skin. Reviewed here.

The Ordinary Serum Foundation – This is a great all year round foundation as it contains some SPF, and is lightweight, with what I would call a semi-matte finish (not a super flat matte). I have this in two shades (1.2P and 1.1N). I’d like to try the 1.1P next. Lately I’ve been mixing the two together to make the perfect shade for me! Reviewed here and here.

Milani The Multitasker Face Powder – I use this powder to set my Maison Jacynthe Fluid Foundation, to make the finish is little less dewy, and to cut down on shine on my nose for other foundations. Reviewed here.

Maison Jacynthe Illuminateur / Illuminator (PR Sample) – I have this in the shade Sparkling Sun, a pale gold toned highlighter. It is great for adding a subtle glow to the skin. Out of all the highlighters that I own, I seem to use this one the most. Reviewed here.

Hey Honey Active Propolis Cream Concealer – This concealer works so well for the under eye area as it hydrates and conceals. Reviewed here.

Best of 2017 Makeup

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks in Pepper, Rhubarb, and Verbena – I’ve been wearing these lipsticks ALL THE TIME since purchasing my first one in the spring. The best lipstick formula I’ve ever tried. Reviewed here, here and here.

Sothys Paris Velvet Effect Lipstick in Rose le Pic (PR Sample) – This lipstick formula comes close to the perfection of the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick. It is a very wearable rose shade that I’ve been wearing a lot. Reviewed here.

Essence Cosmetics The False Lashes Mascara – This is the best non-waterproof mascara I’ve ever tried. My eyes water easily, so most non-waterproof mascaras are a no-go for me. This one has everything I look for in a mascara – deep, dark, ultra black, volumizing, lengthening, AND hold a curl without flaking or running / smearing. I need to pick up a new tube asap! Reviewed here.

What were your most favourite products for 2017?

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day!

Disclosure: All PR Samples identified, the rest have been purchased by me. My opinion is my own.