october beauty buys.

It's that time again! Beauty reviews for the month of October!

1. "Makeup's Best Friend" by Beauty Blender Gift Set

Beauty blenders are my absolute fave to apply foundation and concealer, and nothing beats the original BB. I bought this gift set on Sephora.com (I don't think it's sold in stores) and it's such a good deal! You get 2 full size blenders, a mini blender (for undereye concealer) and a refresher spray to wet your BB on the go for $50!
$50, Sephora.com

2. L'Oreal Nail Polish in "Doutzen's Nude 600"

I was on the hunt for the perfect nude mauve shade and after purchasing quite a few that didn't quite work, this one is IT. Available at Shoppers, this colour is so perfect for that neutral nail look with just the right amount of colour. And mauve is so in right now.
$8, Shoppers Drug Mart. 

3. ASP Gel Polish in "Cafe Ole" and "Poetry in Motion"

I love my shellac manis and find Sally Beauty has THE BEST selection of gel polishes. These were on sale buy one get one free, and with my Pro card it came to $12 for both.
$11.95, Sally Beauty. 

4. Eye Kandy Cosmetics Glitter in "Toffee"

The holidays are a perfect time for a glitter eye look (coming soon to my INSTA page) and this company is the king of glitter (well they share the throne with Lit Cosmetics). So many colours to choose from, and different textures from fine to coarse glitter make virtually any eye look achievable!
$7, Morphebrushes.com

5. L'Oreal La Lacque Lipstick in "Lacque-Y Charm"

Loving these new lip colour sticks from L'Oreal - La Lacque and Le Matte. They come in trendy shades and have a LOT of pigmentation. Staying power is just OK, but overall it's a nice product! $12, Shoppers Drug Mart. 

6. Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil & Smudger in "I'm Blushing 45"
This was an impulse purchase... I quickly grabbed it on a trip to Shoppers that was intended to pick up diapers. All the colours are very vibrant, and I was drawn to this pretty medium pink shade. The pigmentation ROCKS, but I didn't understand what the white smudger-thing was for at the other end of the pencil. After doing a little research I realized that Maybelline is following a lip trend that's actually quite popular in Korea (not here yet) where you deposit the colour on the middle of your lips then 'smudge' it out towards the outer edges. (See picture below) It kinda resembles the ombre lip look that's popular right now, but personally I like a full coverage lip colour... a faded, smudged lip just looks kinda messy to me.

7. Annabelle Skinny Brow Liner in "Universal Dark" and "Taupe"

OK I am OBSESSED with these brow liners! By far my fave purchase of the month. They are skinny and create precise strokes of "hair", they are waterproof and seriously last all day, and they are retractable! They also come in 6 colours which gives the best chance of matching your colour (most drugstore brow sticks come in 2 shades - light and dark 😒).
$10.95, Shoppers Drug Mart. 

8. NARS Audacious Lipstick in "Anna"
I was introduced to this perfect mauve shade from a client, and instantly had to have it! (And apparently so do a lot of other women as Sephora just can't keep it in stock) It's a gorgeous colour for fall/winter and the texture is AMAZING. So pigmented and creamy, and never gets that dry corner-of-your-mouth crusty thing that some other lipsticks will leave. The only downfall is the price tag.... $39, Sephora. 

9. Smashbox Art. Love. Colour. Lips Lipgloss Collection
This was the latest addition to my kit, as it was kinda lacking in the gloss department. Shoppers has their Smashbox holiday gift sets in so it's the perfect time to stock up - I got all 5 of these Smashbox lip glosses for $25! And they are some of their most popular shades (Pout is an all-time fave of mine)
$25, Shoppers Drug Mart.

10. Maybelline ColourSensational The Creamy Mattes Lipstick in "Lust for Blush 665"
Another mauve-y product (I am clearly obsessed) and this colour almost resembles Anna (see above), but slightly lighter with a matte finish. It's a really nice daytime colour and the staying power is decent!
$7.96, Walmart.

11. Sigma Tapered Highlighter Brush #F35
This is the best brush for highlighting! The shape and size make it perfect for highlighting the under eye area and getting into the corners. Sigma brushes are great quality, comparable to the more expensive M.A.C. brushes!
$24, sigmabeauty.com


12. L.A. Girl Pro.Conceal HD Concealers
These are always blogged about and used in highlighting/contouring tutorials so I thought I would see what all the hype is about!
I got these from Morphe's website and picked up a variety of shades since I didn't know what would be best for my skin tone (and I wanted a few for my kit). I ordered:
-Creamy Beige (light/highlight)
-Medium Beige (light/highlight)
-Toast (dark/contour)
-Espresso (dark/contour)
-Beautiful Bronze (dark/contour)
The formula is very creamy and blendable and there is a huge range of shades (the light shades I got unfortunately weren't as light as I thought they were and weren't best on my skin for highlighting). Best of all, these babies are only $2.99 - that's right $2.99!! I would definitely recommend giving them a try.
$2.99, morphebrushes.com

Have you tried any of these products? Love them? Hate them? Let me know in the comments!

- Lianne xo