Sephora Series Part Three: Beauty After Hours

Hey guys! Earlier this month I attended the closed door VIB Rouge event. (You know, when I was a happy little Rouge member, five whole days before the Epic Rewards fail). These are closed door events, so the only people in the store are the employees and other VIB Rouge members and their plus ones. These events typically happen during a time of their promotions (15% off sale, 4x the points, etc.). I’ve previously attended a Beauty Before Breakfast event and it was pretty cool. They held mini workshops throughout the event that taught you how to contour and such. They offered free little flax seed biscuits that tasted disgusting, and water bottles. But the best part was the free tote bag full of samples that came with a full sized Formula X nail polish!

Now past is the past, and we’re here to talk about the Beauty After Hours event. This event wasn’t a discounted event so I didn’t go super crazy, it was a multiply your points event. It’s 2x for regular BI’s, 3x for VIB’s and 4x the points for VIB Rouge. It’s a great time to rack up some Sephora points if you were trying to claim an epic reward. Sephora closed down their stores a few hours early for this exclusive “after hours event”. And let me say, this time Sephora stepped it up.  I honestly didn’t arrive to the event until 40 minutes until it was over, because let’s face it, I’m literally at Sephora like everyday of my life. I don’t need much time to shop. Wrong. The 40 minutes came and went like that. *Snaps fingers for emphasis on that*.

Upon arriving, you’re greeted by an associate with a clipboard asking for your name and your guests name if you have one. I did. Anyway, we walk in and there’s a table with the water bottles again. But no flax seed! This time there’s little plastic champagne glasses filled with sparkling pink juice. There were napkins that said Sephora VIB Rouge on them, I’m not even gonna lie I stole a few. Beside the napkins there were cake pops!!!!! They came in a little box with a red VIB Rouge ribbon and they were honestly the cutest thing ever. If that wasn’t enough, there were also Godiva chocolate truffles, which are my absolute weakness. I used to buy these chocolates all the time for myself and my staff when I was a part of management at my old job.

Because it was near the end of the event, I thought the workshops would be over. But there was still a girl with a microphone and makeovers were still going on at the beauty studio. But I had no time to pay attention to that, by now I only had 35 minutes left until store close. It’s crunch time. 35 minutes later, I’ve made my purchase and received my free event tote filled with freebies.

The event tote was a gift with any merchandise purchase, I was also given a few more sample freebies than my VIB plus one. Where as she only received the event tote, I also had a Daisy Dream by Marc Jacobs Eau de Toilette (0.04 fl oz), Boscia Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil (0.085 fl oz), and the Smashbox All For Eyes Try-Me Size kit.

The VIB Sample Bag available in-store includes the following samples:

• boscia Thermal Black Cleanser deluxe sample (1 oz)
• bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie® Lipgloss deluxe sample in Maverick (0.07 oz)
• Formula X Sheer Strength deluxe sample in Wondrous (0.13 oz)
• Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional deluxe sample (0.1 oz)
• Fresh Rose Face Mask deluxe sample (0.13 oz)
• L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream deluxe sample (0.3 oz)
• Smashbox Photo Finish More Than Primer – Blemish Control (0.25 oz)
• Chloé Eau de Parfum deluxe sample (0.04 fl oz)

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with this event tote. There were no full sized items this time (despite what the cashier had told us), and the tote itself isn’t as cute as the other ones I’ve received before.

The Smashbox All For Eyes kit included:

• Full Exposure Mascara in Jet Black (0.14 oz)
• Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye primer (0.17 oz)
• Photo OP Eye shadow trio in Screen Shot (0.04 oz/1.2 g total)

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Overall, I was impressed with the Beauty After Hours event. It was a step up from the Beauty Before Breakfast event back in April. Like a big step up. The event tote wasn’t as great as last times, but in all other aspects Sephora nailed it with the improvements. And even though the tote wasn’t all too exciting, the Smashbox deluxe sample kit definitely makes up for it. I felt super spoiled with this freebie. And let me just mention those VIB Rouge cake pops one more time. You don’t understand how much I loved them.

Have any of you attended a Rouge event before? Let me know in the comments below! And with that, I conclude the Sephora Series. Stay beautiful lovely people ❤

– xo cher

Sephora Series Part Two: The Day Sephora Broke Our Hearts

On August 10th, 2015, Sephora’s Epic Rewards were launched. What are Epic Rewards you ask? They are the Hunger Games of the beauty world. Remember that point system I talked about in Part One? Well if you saved up at least 1000 points, you could redeem these points for an “Epic Reward”. And epic they were. The estimated retail value of these rewards were $180 USD at minimum, to a maximum of how ever much a Lancome trip to Paris cost. You get full sized items in brands that you actually use. There was a signed Anastasia contour kit, along with other Anastasia must haves. A Becca set with blushes, brushes and highlights, including the limited edition Champagne Pop highlight by YouTuber Jaclyn Hill. Those were just the 1000-point rewards. Could you imagine the 2000, 5000, and 10,000 point rewards?

But how does one even get to having that many points? Conveniently, Sephora has a 2x, 3x, 4x event for an entire week before the launch of epic rewards. Sweet, now we can rack up those points in time for August 10th. People were spending crazy amounts, some in the hundreds, some in the thousands. Sephora constantly kept sending me emails to remind me about the promotion, all the while promoting epic rewards.

Previously, Epic Rewards were not as advertised. Resulting in the Sephora staff taking all the rewards for themselves (a Sephora employee actually told me this herself). This time, Sephora made sure to email every single one of their VIB and VIB Rouge members and they slapped on the “No Sephora Employees Allowed” in the fine print. Another complaint from previous epic rewards events were that they launched at an ungodly hour. So Sephora, thinking they’re doing us a favour, decides to launch their newest rewards during business hours.

The main issue with this is, WHAT ARE SEPHORA’S BUSINESS HOURS? This is information that not one VIB member across North America has managed to find. Also, what time zone?! There were forums and discussion posts, basically we all decided it was safe to assume it would be PST. But at what time PST? Sephora refused to give details. Because of this lack of information, the “business hours” theory was not something us VIB members could risk. No. Many of us stayed up all night, refreshing from whatever time midnight PST was in our respective time zones. Including yours truly. I was refreshing around approximately 10:30pm MST, juuuust in case. I did not sleep. For 14 long hours, I was up and on the Sephora website refreshing like a maniac. No joke, I texted my best friend that I was about to have a breakdown. He asked whats the point? Once I said “hundreds of dollars worth of free product” he wished me luck. It was nice he didn’t mock me, because at that point I would have started to plot ways to kill him. Without leaving my computer of course.

But Sephora had us playing this cruel cruel waiting game. Many people called any number they could. Remember that VIB Rouge private concierge hotline I thought no one called? Well they called it. And apparently Sephora shut it down! VIB Rouge members were already pissed at this point at the treatment they were getting.

Eventually the time came, at 12 noon PST, Epic Rewards were live. For about 30 seconds. I was madly refreshing, yet the site stayed the same for me until 12:02 PST. Frustrating, because I had Twitter opened and saw others already got their reward while I couldn’t even get in. When I finally got through on the website, only one epic reward popped up. The 2000-point Benefit They’re Real! mascara set. But of course when I clicked on it, it was out of stock.

It was a time span of 3 minutes for the rewards to sell out. A matter of seconds for the most popular ones, and up to 3 minutes for the last reward, the Dr Dennis Gross skincare kit, to sell out. Let’s be real, probably only a handful of people actually wanted the Dr Dennis Gross set, the rest just caved so they can win something. And the rage begun.

While many of us understood there were “limited quantities”, Sephora failed to give us how many of each reward were available. Many people felt scammed. They dangled these epic rewards in our faces for over a week straight, sending us emails. Created this Multiply Your Points event that they knew we would spend our money on in order to have a chance at these impossible epic rewards. So many people felt like Sephora just wanted to make some money and decided to screw us VIBs over, because they knew we would take the bait. And the bait we took.

But Sephora got so much more bite than they wished for. VIBs raged and took it out to social media. While I was not butthurt because I knew there was a slim chance, I do admit I was a bit annoyed. I spoke to a Sephora employee during the VIB Rouge event a few days before. She passed me along to someone I assume was a part of the management team. She went to the back to check the company emails, and then pretty much guaranteed I would get one if I stayed up all night. As if there were that many rewards to go around. Nope there were not. I trusted her judgment but boy was I wrong. I should have went to sleep.

A few hours after the Epic Rewards heartbreak and the rage still goin’ strong. Uh oh Sephora, looks like you’ve done one too many VIBs wrong. (Okay that was my Instagram caption but I felt so much like Gossip Girl writing that, I had to reuse the line!) An hour after rewards went live, people were still, possibly even more angry at Sephora now. You know when you’re mad at someone, but you talk to someone who is even more angry at the same person, and all of a sudden you’re 50x more angry than you were before? Yeah. Imagine every VIB across North America talking about Sephora.

Many people had the reward in their baskets, only to have it taken away from them at the point of checkout. Terrible. But not as bad as those who already placed the order, then had the reward back stocked. I read a few of these situations happening, and when they called to cancel the order, apparently Sephora has “already shipped the package”. Oh really? Cause whenever I make an order my items aren’t even processed until a few business days later. Nevermind shipped.

To say people were mad is an understatement. Many Americans opened an account with Ulta that very day. They emptied their Sephora carts and spent the money at Ulta. Us Canadians here, well, we have Murale in some provinces. And if that wasn’t enough, remember how I said people spent hundreds, some even thousands during the Multiply Your Points event? Well because they didn’t receive an Epic Reward, they planned some Epic Returns. I read one girl returned her $2000 purchase in full. 

So Sephora made a lot of money during that one week, but with all these returns? Ouch. Plus, they just lost a bunch of their most loyal customers across 2 countries. Not just any loyal customers, the very ones that spend thousands of dollars each year at their store. This definitely backfired on Sephora. And to apologize? Some people got some measly 250 points added to their account. Only some people though. But tell me, what am I going to do with 250 points when I already have 3000 sitting in my account?

Sephora recognized our pain and requested each VIB who participated and did not receive an epic reward to send them an email including their Beauty Insider account number or the email address associated with their account. I just got my email in from Sephora, and they have awarded me with $50 to spend online. And because I’m a Rouge member, shipping is free.

I’m actually thrilled with this. I mean, I stayed up for 14 hours and didn’t receive an epic reward, but I do have $50 to use on any product of my choice. So yes, it sucked, but it seems Sephora really is trying to make amends. $50 to each VIB is nothing compared to how much we spend there in the long run anyway. Smart move Sephora. I can’t speak for the rest of the beauty world, but I forgive you for now.

So that ends my very detailed post on Epic Rewards. If any of you tried for it, let me know what your experience with it was! But in the meantime, stay beautiful lovely people ❤

– xo cher

Sephora Series Part One: VIB Rouge, Is it Worth the Hype?

Hey lovelies! I thought I’d tell you a bit about Sephora’s Beauty Insider program. Okay, not a bit. A lot. I go into full detail on this one. So much detail that I’m making it into a three part series! The first part here, will be full detail on the Beauty Insider program itself and benefits to each tier. The second part, will be on the ever so controversial Epic Rewards mishap that happened on August 10th. And the third part, to end on a happier note, will be on the Beauty After Hours event I attended last week on August 5th and pictures of the event tote contents. I know I’m working a little backwards, just bare with me.

Every time someone finds out that I’m VIB Rouge, it’s guaranteed I get asked at least one question. How much did you spend? and/or “is it worth it?” are by far the most popular. Well, I’m crazy and it actually only takes me a few months to get there. I’m already renewed for next year. Yup, insane.

If you haven’t heard, Sephora has a free membership program with 3 different tiers. Their Beauty Insider program “BI” has no minimum spending requirement. The BI program gives you a free birthday gift that you can claim anytime during the month of your birthday. It contains 2 deluxe samples from a pre-selected brand, this year it’s Nars. The BI program introduces you to the club’s point system: for every $1 you spend before taxes, you get one point. Once you accumulate enough points, you can redeem them for product rewards. When you get close to spending $350 within one calendar year, Sephora conveniently sends you a little 10% off your next purchase coupon to help you get there.

Once you spend $350 before taxes, congratulations! You are now a Very Important Beauty or “VIB” member and you have a new shiny silver card. On top of your BI benefits, you now receive seasonal VIB-only gifts and access to the twice a year discount period. We all know the struggle of waiting until November for the yearly 20% off sale.

By now, you’ve spent your hearts desire and don’t need any more make-up. But if you’re like yours truly, you’ll find something new and just keep on spending. And then you spend $1000 before the year is over and wonder why you just cannot pay off that credit card debt. You quickly find the answer with your pretty new red card that says Sephora VIB Rouge.

These were my personal Beauty Insider cards. They changed the VIB silver card since then and made them to look more like the VIB Rouge cards.

One thing I enjoy is the free shipping that comes with being a Rouge member. I enjoy it very much. Free shipping across Canada with no minimum cost. Moving away from home and having friends living all across the country, this really comes in handy for me. For my best friend’s birthday I just picked something online and Sephora took care of the shipping (fragile, may I add), I also asked them to wrap the gift and put a little note. Everything came A-Okay and she was super happy.

Another perk would be free makeovers. I’ve been a Rouge member since the start of the program, and I’ve only went in for a makeover once in the 3 years. I used it for the night of my 21st birthday. It was nice to have a make-up artist do your make-up. All you have to do is book an appointment. I should claim them more, but to be honest I get scared when other people do my make-up. Like do I trust you with my face? Do I? Just a warning though, they know Rouge members like to splurge on make up, so they will definitely use this make over as a selling opportunity! Brace yourselves and more importantly, your wallets.

VIB Rouge members also get a private concierge hotline to call. We get our very own “partner in crime”. They provide consultations and what not, basically will answer any questions you may have. This is definitely a perk that everyone forgets about. Has anyone ever called this line?  

Product wise, Rouge members get a little bit more in samples and what not. It’s usually not something I really care for, but nice to have. For instance, we get an extra item in our Sephora Birthday Gift. This October, I’ll be receiving a little eyeliner in my Nars birthday gift that BI and VIB members won’t. And each time we renew our status we get a little Rouge exclusive freebie, I got a red nail polish one year (I forgot what brand it was because I honestly never used it, pretty sure it was Formula X), the VIB Rouge exclusive Bite Beauty red lipstick another year (it’s actually called VIB Rouge Crème Lipstick), and a little tiny exclusive Marc Jacobs red lipstick in “So Rouge” last year. There are also some items that are sold exclusively to Rouge members.

And my favourite perk of all, the VIB Rouge closed door events! These events typically happen a few days before Sephora launches a promotion, and are kind of a kick off event. Meaning, Rouge members get early access to the sale a few days ahead of time. So if ever you go to a Sephora on the first day of a VIB discount period and wonder why some things are sold out, I can almost guarantee its because a Rouge member was there a few days prior. These events usually have some type of refreshment, some events better than others. And with any purchase, you get an event tote filled with samples.

So is it worth spending $1000 each calendar year to become a part of the “prestigious” beauty club? Probably not. If you don’t spend a lot of money on make-up, then it’s not something worth splurging and going insane for. But if you do spend a lot of money on make-up and skin care, you’ll probably get there without even realizing. If you do make it to Rouge, be sure to attend as many events as possible. These events are what actually make it worth it to be a Rouge member, and the free shipping if you use it. I mean, they just came out with VIB Rouge cake pops for the last event. If that’s not worth it I don’t know what is. Oh yeah, how about my $1000? It’s a program that’s definitely nice to have if you spend the money anyway, but don’t stress over becoming one. It probably won’t be worth it to be spending $1000 for cake pops and an extra sample here and there.

EDIT: I usually pre-write my reviews and have them sitting in my drafts before posting, and this one was written before the Epic Rewards disaster of August 10th. If this post wasn’t already so jam packed with information I’d squeeze it into here as well. Now, if you look into being a VIB Rouge member, you’ll see a bunch of brokenhearted, pissed off beauty lovers out there who have sworn off Sephora entirely because of this mishap. I’ll be writing about my experience, and I’ll have a post up about it shortly. xo cher.

Unbreakable Smile

Hey guys! I know, I know. I’ve been slacking. I’m having such a hectic week, but I’m planning to work in a regular blogging schedule once school starts. I have a bunch of beauty related blog posts coming up, but for now I thought I’d switch it up to a music post I’ve had queued for over a month haha.

Today I’m going to be talking about an artist that I absolutely love listening to: Tori Kelly.  I have been supporting Tori Kelly for a while now, being a fan of hers since her YouTube cover days. Now, while she is getting more attention from the media (you may have seen her perform Nobody Love at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards), she is still a very underrated artist in my opinion.

Tori Kelly, is a 22 year-old American singer songwriter who started her career on YouTube. Her YouTube channel consists of many song covers, and a few of her original compositions.

One thing that sticks out to me about Tori is how humble and down to earth she is. You may think “of course, they always start out that way”. But I feel Tori Kelly really is as down to earth as she seems, and it shows in her songwriting.

The following are lyrics from her song Unbreakable Smile:

Stir up a little scene ’cause isn’t that what you want?
For me to mess up, so you can dress up some story
Saying, Tori this’ll sell more records
But I’d rather make ’em yawn than be a pawn on your chessboard
So call me boring, call me cookie cutter
Call me what you want
A matter of fact
Just say it loud and don’t st-stutter
‘Cause I know who I am, yeah I’m still the same
Just a California girl with big dreams
Thinking maybe they’ll let me sing songs about real things
And baby who knows maybe I can sell out shows without taking off my clothes
God made me sexy I don’t care if only I know

Tori makes it perfectly clear to her fans and to the rest of the world that she’s still the same California girl we all fell in love with, and won’t be changing anytime soon despite landing a record deal.

And that leads me into her debut album Unbreakable Smile. An album that was released not too long ago on June 23rd, 2015 by Capitol Records and Schoolboy Records. The record contains songs in the pop, R&B, and soul genres.

I obviously was already sold on the album before the release date but HMV also seems to think she’s pretty awesome. It was a nice surprise walking in and seeing the No-Risk Disc Guarantee on the album stands. Which means if you buy the album, open it, listen to it, and somehow decide that you don’t like it, you can return it and they’ll give you a full refund. Sadly this promo is over, but it was pretty cool to have it in the first place.

It would be hard to choose a favourite song on the album, because I can never just pick one! But my current favourite is a track called First Heartbreak. The title of the song pretty much gives away what the song is about, but oh. my. god. In this song, Tori really gets you right in the feels. So go ahead, grab a tissue and click the link below for a listen.

Tori Kelly – First Heartbreak audio

Other honourable mentions from the album would be the rest of the album itself. Kidding just kidding? Okay but seriously, Expensive is a song that I blast while getting ready for my day. It’s one that never fails to get me up and dancing. I’ve also really been digging the bonus track Personal.

For all you Ed Sheeran fans, Tori Kelly actually has a duet on the album co-written and sung with Ed Sheeran himself. What?! The love song I Was Made for Loving You is such a calming song for one of those deep “late night thoughts” kind of nights.

Prior to her official studio album, Tori has released 2 EP’s: Handmade Songs by Tori Kelly in 2012 (which btw, was all written and recorded in her bedroom), and Foreword in 2013. My favourite song from the first EP would hands down be All in My Head, with Stained being a close second. Dear No One would have to be my favourite from the second EP Foreword.

fun fact:  Tori Kelly opened for Sam Smith during one of his UK tours, and he has admitted to crying to Tori Kelly’s song Paper Hearts.

All in all, Tori Kelly is a great songwriter with an amazing set of vocals. I get so excited when I’m shopping and I hear Nobody Love on their playlist. I heard it playing at a SportChek once and it made my day. I’m absolutely thrilled she’s finally getting the recognition she deserves.

I hope you guys give it a try and listen to one of her songs, or even just one of her covers on YouTube. I promise you, she’s amazing. Let me know what you guys think!

– xo cher

MUST HAVE: Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

Can I just say Oh. My. God! I have found the holy grail of make up removers. It is the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter from The Body Shop. This product is amazing and I don’t know how I’ve lived without it.

What it claims to do:

• Gently melts away make-up
• Leaves skin feeling clean and petal-soft
• Removes all types of make-up
• Suitable for sensitive skin and contact lens wearers

And I can vouch that it does all that. Yup, it really does. The concept is simple: It’s a make up remover in the form of a butter, because we all know how much The Body Shop loves to put everything in butter form (not that I’m complaining, the stuff is truly amazing).

Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter retails at $16 CAD for 90mL/2.7 oz/76 g, and comes in a flat, round metal tin. The product has a consistency similar to Vaseline. The balm to oil like consistency makes it very hydrating. It has a light and pleasant smell to it that I can’t describe, but I like it. It is made of chamomile after all.

It’s so easy to use and it removes waterproof eyeliner and mascara like a dream, and lip stains? No more! I used to scrub my lips for what seemed like forever after using a long lasting lip stain. It got to the point my lips were so swollen you’d think I was Flappy Bird. Does anyone still remember that game? But now, I just apply the cleansing butter with a cotton swab as if it were another lip product, and the lip stain comes right off! No scrubbing required. Still don’t believe me? Here’s a little step-by-step demo:

Remember my Rimmel Provocalip’s Review? Well, time to clean off the swatches! And just to prove to you how well this product works: along with the 7 lip stain colours, I’ve thrown in some of my bold felt tip eyeliner pen, liquid waterproof eyeliner, and half a pump of Kat Von D’s Lock-It Tattoo Foundation. If you’ve heard anything about that foundation, you’ll know that’s enough to cover your entire face and neck. But for fun, I packed it all into that swatch right there.

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Let everything dry a little, and here we go!

STEP ONE: Start by applying the cleansing butter directly on the area you want to clean (do not wet your skin, it works best on dry skin). I accidentally grabbed way more than I hoped for and didn’t want to put the cleansing butter back for sanitary reasons. You’ll probably only need a pea sized amount, at maximum. Yup I put way too much! You’ll see in the next picture once I warm it up it’ll start dripping off my arm. Oops.

STEP TWO: Rub the butter around to warm the product and massage into skin. Rub a dub dub.

STEP THREE: Take a cotton pad and start wiping the area down, gently rub away any leftover make-up stains.

STEP FOUR: Wipe away excess product, and ta-da! All done. You’re all ready to move on to the next step of your skin care regime.

It’s great to toss in your gym bag, it’s slim and won’t spill. And because it’s solid, you won’t have to worry about it when travelling. I have never been so impressed with a product in my life, and I need it in my life everyday. And you need it in your life everyday too.

Alright lovelies, that’s all for today. I know there are a lot of products out there, and a bunch of homemade methods, let me know what you guys use to remove your make up! But for now, stay beautiful lovely people ❤

– xo cher

My Sincerest Apologies

EDIT: All pictures have been re-uploaded and visible across all devices 🙂

It has come to my attention that on certain devices, some of my pictures do not appear. The pictures always show up fine on my laptop and on Safari on my iPhone, so I didn’t think there were any issues. But when I viewed my post on my tablet and the WordPress app, my swatch pictures did not show up! Why WordPress, why? I trusted you.

So I am on a crazy mission trying to figure out what’s wrong. I’m on, no joke, 3 different devices editing my blog posts to make sure the pictures show up properly. It has been a long day and it is currently midnight but I promise, I will not go to sleep until the issue has been dealt with and fixed.

To those of you who could not see a few of the pictures in my previous posts, I am truly so sorry. The pictures will be up very, very soon.

If there are any pictures that are not showing up for you, please leave me a comment below and I’ll fix it ASAP.

-xo cher

LOVE IT: Rimmel Provocalips 16HR Kiss Proof Lip Colour (+Swatches!)

Hello lovelies! As promised, I will be doing a lip stain review and today I’ve chosen Rimmel London’s Provocalips line. I’ve heard some good reviews on this product on YouTube, so I went out and went on some crazy hunt for them.

Being a drugstore product, it’s hard to find ones that have not been tampered with! There are 10 colours in this line, and I’ve purchased 7 of them. The other 3 were pinks that were either too light or too bold for my skin. These lippies retail anywhere from $7-$11, I got mine on sale at my local Shoppers Drug Mart for $7.49 CAD each (or technically, 4 of my local Shoppers Drug Marts, told you I went on a crazy hunt for them).

According to the Rimmel London website, the product claims to be:

• Kiss proof, transfer proof, trouble proof high impact endless colour.
• No tight feeling or dry lips. Lips feel smooth and moisturized all day long.
• Easy removal with Oil based makeup remover

And it is! I’m single like the cheese (Kraft Singles reference if you didn’t catch onto my lame attempt at a joke), so I can’t vouch for the kiss proof. I did do “the kiss the back of my hand to see if it will transfer” technique though and sure enough there was no transfer. There was also no transfer onto my coffee cup. Excuse me while I secretly cry tears of joy as my wishes have come true.

I haven’t had these for very long, and haven’t even tried all the colours I own just yet, but OMG I love them so so much. And they last so long, so super stinkin’ long. Honest to God (and I’m Catholic), I swatched all the colours on my wrist at the drugstore before I bought them; and the swatches stayed on my wrist for, no joke, 2 days straight. Even after scrubbing my wrist in the shower with some soap and a loofah.

The first day I wore it just happened to fall when I exfoliated my lips, so the product just came off with the dead skin. But the second day I wore it? I wanted to exfoliate my lips again because it just wouldn’t come off! My lips were so swollen by the time I was finished scrubbing. Yikes. I look at the website now and it says to use an oil based make up remover. Oops. But thankfully, I have found the perfect make-up remover to melt away all the make up on my face. I have a fun review of it coming up very soon.

And it’s time for swatches! I’d say they’re pretty true to colour in comparison to the tube, with the exception on Kiss Fatal, which is much lighter and more pink than the dark plum I expected it to be. It’s still a pretty colour though.

Swatches in natural daylight

Some swatches appear matte because I didn’t bother applying the clear topcoat, but here are the names of the swatches from L-R:

• 700 Skinny Dipping
• 730 Make Your Move
• 750 Heart Breaker
• 500 Kiss Me You Fool
• 550 Play With Fire
• 230 Kiss Fatal
• 200 I’ll Call You

Swatches with flash photography

Now let’s talk application. The lip colour comes in a 2-step tube. Step 1 is the actual lip colour and contains 0.14 fl oz or 4 mL of product, and Step 2 is a top coat to moisturize and seal the colour and contains 0.10 fl oz or 3 mL of product. Both steps have a doe tip applicator, which surprised me because usually the second step comes in the form of a lip balm stick.

I’d say my lips are in pretty good condition. They’re always soft and moisturized, but even I felt like I needed the moisturizer after applying step 1. Step 1 is just so drying, so much that sometimes I’m tempted to apply step 2 before the colour has even dried. Don’t do it.

Precautionary tip: if you plan on applying a lip balm before hand, make sure it is completely dry before you apply the product, otherwise IT WILL TRANSFER. SUPER EMPHASIS ON THIS.

STEP 1: Apply colour and let dry. Avoid any contact with lips until product is dry.

I like to add what I call STEP 1.5 which is completely optional. After the colour dries, apply another layer of colour for best colour pay-off (could I say colour one more time?). I find that I always need a second layer to enhance the colour (just did) and to make sure the product is applied evenly on all parts of the lip.

STEP 2: Apply topcoat to lock the colour, moisture and add shine.

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And that’s a wrap! If you weren’t able to tell already, I love this product and recommend it to everyone out there. I hope they never discontinue it because I need them in my life. Need them. Let me know if any of you have tried these lippies and what you thought of them because I am truly amazed with this product. But in the meanwhile, I hope you all have a wonderful day, and stay beautiful lovely people!

– xo cher

NEW: Urban Decay MATTE Revolution Lipsticks

Hey guys! So I’m super excited to share this post with you because it’s been a product I’ve had my eyes on for a while now. Urban Decay is coming out with a matte lipstick line that will launch in Canadian stores tomorrow (July 31st). YAAAS! 

The new line has 9 different shades to choose from:

  

Now I was lucky enough to be able to grab a few today before tomorrow’s official launch. I chose the colours: 1993, a beautiful nude that I absolutely love already; Bad Blood, a true red that I totally got solely for its name (any Taylor Swift fans out there?!); and After Dark, a purplish-pink shade that I actually find pretty sheer rather than matte.

  
This picture was taken literally right after I swatched it and I was a bit surprised at how ..non-matte they were. But after setting in a bit it starts to mattify (After Dark just says sheer though, maybe a few more minutes?)

  
These swatches are in natural daylight about 20 minutes after I first swatched the products. Sorry if it rubbed a bit. I’m totally writing this on the train because I was too excited to wait til I got home lol!

These lippies retail at $26 CAD each, and are available in stores nationwide starting tomorrow. 

Let me know if you guys want to see an in depth review of these lipsticks. But for now, stay beautiful lovely people ❤

– xo cher

Cher vs The Not-Cute-at-All Lipstick Transfer

Hi guys! So I have this terrible problem of getting lipstick all over my teeth and it’s been ruining my life. Just kidding. But for a girl that eats and snacks and drinks every waking hour of the day, it has been a constant struggle to reapply lipstick and make sure none of it gets on my teeth. But the lipstick wins the battle. Every time.

With my problem you’d think I would have started using this particular beauty item ages ago but ironically, I am probably one of the last people to jump on this band wagon. Lip stains!

For those who haven’t heard of them, lip stains are just that. They are a lip colour that stain your lips. As a result, there is no transfer. Doesn’t get all over your teeth. Or your coffee cup. Or your boyfriend. Or in my case, stuffed toys because I don’t have a boyfriend.

These babies are my absolute favourite right now, and to be completely honest I’ve gone a little crazy and picked up as many as I can. I’ll be reviewing them in a bit, but in the meantime, stay beautiful lovely people ❤

– xo cher

Unboxing: Bronze of the Champions!

Hi guys! I’m sorry for not posting in a while, I’ve just been super busy with my new job and such that I just haven’t had the time! But anyway, the delay is over and here we go: PS this post is a long one, I tried to condense but I just had so much to say! If it’s too long, just jump ahead to the end for a quick summary.

So I made a recent purchase online from Sephora and I’m so excited that it’s here! I bought the Bronze of the Champions set from Benefit Cosmetics.

Now, the main reason why I chose to buy this little set (aside from the super cute packaging that Benefit always seems to nail) is for the Hoola bronzer. I’ve heard Hoola makes the perfect contour. But every time I see it in stores it just looks way too light. So what about for darker skinned girls like me? I have a medium-dark skin tone and Hoola always looked like it could replace my foundation. So when I saw the Bronze of the Champions set with all the little travel-sized samplers, I whipped out my credit card on the spot and made my order. I’m so impulsive, I know. It’s becoming quite the problem.

I also bought a second set for my best friend for her upcoming birthday. It was cool to compare and contrast our thoughts on each of the products because her skin tone is much, much lighter than mine. I’ll do a quick comparison at the very end of the post.

Anyway, the Bronze of the Champions set comes in an adorable bronze box with a magnetic closure. It’s made to look like a little book, and on it’s “spine” there are “Beautrition Facts”. If that’s not the cutest thing ever, then I don’t know what is. Okay, puppies are. But you get my point.

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As for product the little kit includes:

• Hoola (bronzing powder) – 3.0 g net weight 0.1 oz.
• Ultra Plush Hoola (lip gloss) – 6.5 mL / 0.22 fl oz.
• Watt’s Up! (highlight) – 2.5 g net weight 0.08 oz.
• Creaseless Cream Shadow in Bikini-Tini (cream eyeshadow) – 3.2 g net weight 0.11 oz.
• Longwear Powder Shadow in Thanks-a-Latte! (powder eyeshadow) – 1.2 g net weight 0.04 oz.
• They’re Real! (mascara) – 3.0 g net weight 0.1 oz.

With flash, don’t worry, the Hoola isn’t that light I promise

And a picture I took in daylight the next day (which is why the brush is suddenly dirty lol).

The kit comes with Tips and Tricks attached to the box (in English, but there’s an additional leaflet for other languages). The cute little guide describes what to do with what products, and has the illustrations to match.

I honestly didn’t read the tips and tricks when I first opened the box, so I didn’t see the mirror behind the rest of the tips. It’s a generous sized mirror, I really like it.

Benefit also gives you a little brush to apply the bronzing powder with. I love how soft it feels, but mine started to shed as I was using it. Bummer.

Let’s move on to swatches! Here are some quick swatches I did without using primer. I wanted to see the pigmentation of the product on it’s own. I just could not capture a good picture of the swatches without flash (that’s what I get for taking pictures at night, couldn’t wait til the next day!). But I tossed it in there anyway in case you wanted to see it.

Without flash. L-R: Bikini-Tini, Thanks-a-Latte!, Hoola (bronzing powder), Watt’s Up!, Hoola (lip gloss)

With flash. L-R: Bikini-Tini, Thanks-a-Latte!, Hoola (bronzing powder), Watt’s Up!, Hoola (lip gloss)

I’m not sure how well you can see it, but above the five swatches there’s actually another horizontal swatch. This is of the Hoola bronzing powder again, but a little more built up this time. Either way, the Hoola bronzer is just way too light for my skin tone. It almost blends right in, and that’s just the underside of my arm. It will definitely blend into the colour of my face. But it is summer right now, so maybe I’ll try it again in the winter when my skin is a bit lighter.

As for the Creaseless Cream Shadow in Bikini-Tini, I personally don’t see myself using this often. I’d use it as a primer or base shadow, or just within the inner corner of my eye for that highlighting pop of colour.

Thanks-a-Latte! is a beautiful eyeshadow that I could see myself wearing in the near future. It’s very buildable, which I love.

Watt’s Up! Omg, can we all take a moment and look at that swatch?! Perfect for the eyes! And the travel sized one makes it perfect for the inner corner. But wait, this is made to be a highlight isn’t it, not for the eyes? Doesn’t that look too extreme for a highlight? I know, it scared me too. Blend away my friend. Once you blend the crap out of it, you’re left with a very shimmery and glittery glow. Personally this is too light for my skin tone, I’d only use it under the brow and my inner corner of the eye. Make sure to warm it up first, otherwise blending it in will be a chore. I feel like this is the definition of a hit-or-miss product.

Almost everyone knows that the mascara brush makes or breaks the product. I haven’t tried it yet so I’m unsure of the formula, I thought I’d throw in a nice big picture of the mascara wand so you can see for yourselves. I’d probably do a terrible job of describing it to you haha.

This post was supposed to just introduce the products and a few swatches, but I couldn’t help myself and decided to do a quick first impression of the Hoola lip gloss. Lip gloss really isn’t my thing, I just hate how sticky it is. But the Hoola gloss surprisingly isn’t all too sticky. It has a slightly sweet smell to it, which is always a plus for me. I tried to capture its consistency of it in the swatch. It’s a little thick, and it’s great for moisture. But looking at the spot where it’s thinned out, there is no colour pay-off. So unless you really want to build up your lip gloss and wear a super thick layer (which I’m guessing you won’t), don’t expect this gloss to give your lip any colour. It also doesn’t last very long. The shine goes away in, no joke, about five minutes. If it’s not giving me any colour and barely any shine, wouldn’t I be better off with just a chapstick? Because I feel like that’s what this product is doing. It moisturizes with no colour pay-off. I’m not sure if it’s just my “I don’t wear lip gloss” mentality, but I would never buy this product on it’s own. 

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OVERALL:

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’d do a quick comparison on overall thoughts my best friend Angie (light skin tone) and I (medium-dark skin tone) had on the set.

• Hoola bronzer
  • Cher: matches skin tone perfectly in summer, blends right in (waiting until winter to try again)
  • Angie: very reddish
• Watt’s Up! highlight
  • Cher: too light, very shimmery. Probably will only use under the brow very sparingly.
  • Angie: already uses it, perfect for her skin tone
• Thanks-a-Latte eyeshadow
  • Cher: loves it, something I would wear often
  • Angie: loves it, really nice colour
• Bikini-Tini cream eyeshadow
  • Cher: it’s alright, not something I’d use a lot
  • Angie: hasn’t tried it yet
• They’re Real! mascara
  • Cher: hasn’t tried it yet but likes the mascara brush
  • Angie: already uses this mascara, I assume she likes it and now has a second haha
• Ultra Plush Hoola lipgloss
  • Cher: love-hate, nice to have but would not pay for it. Loves: not sticky, very moisturizing, sweet smell. Hates: no colour payoff, doesn’t last very long.
  • Angie: hasn’t tried it yet

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Alright guys, that was a long one. I’m excited to see how these products will work for me in the long run, and if I’ll actually repurchase any of them in it’s full size. Thanks to all of you that stuck it through and read it all. I’ll try to keep the blog posts more consistent from now on. But for now, stay beautiful lovely people!

– xo cher