Summer Beauty Review: It's A Coral Kind Of Summer!

This summer has been all about the corals. My lips have been rockin' everything from orange corals to pink corals. Here are some of my favourite picks this season! (Will have to update with swatches - still no memory card! :()

(Counter clockwise)

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Mega Melon ($19 CAD): These chubby sticks bring me back to my kindergarten days when I used to rub crayons on my lips for colour. These balms will drench your lips with moisture. Love the colour pay off too. I was expecting it to be sheer, but the colour payoff is similar to a glossy lipstick. Mega Melon is a beautiful shade just right for bronzy summer skin. It leans more orange than pink so it gives the skin some warmth. I also love the twist-up feature. I hate sharpening gloss pencils - just too messy. Available in 8 shades.

Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Nahema ($35 USD): Luxury in a lipstick tube. Guerlain's signature gold casing and interesting packaging screams luxury. This is the first time my lips have ever been touched by Guerlain and unfortunately I'm in love. The texture is unbelievably creamy. For a long-lasting lip colour, it doesn't dry out your lips and keeps them hydrated. I love the flip-top applicator. No need to take off the cap - just push up and your lipstick pops out. And isn't luxury all about convenience? Nahema is a bright coral sheen. It has a nice mix of both cool and warm undertones so it will work for many skin tones. If you love collecting uber chic and luxurious lipsticks this is one to add to the collection! Available at Sephora.

Revolution Organics Freedom Gloss in Vibe ($26 CAD): You all know my love affair with Revolution Organics so I'm sure it's no surprise I'm featuring the brand again. Vibe is described as "fresh warm peach", but it looks more like a flat orange in the tube. Before trying it I wasn't too keen on this shade, but once it was on my lips I fell in love. There is a slight shimmer and it has beautiful undertones of coral and peach. With the Freedom Glosses, you never feel like you're wearing a gloss. I never have to apply a lip conditioner before applying these glosses. They contain organic plant proteins, oils and shea butter that moisturize and heal the lips. 

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bolero ($24 USD): New for summer, Bolero is described as "pink cantaloupe". The bright pink swatch on the website is deceiving. Do go to the counter and test this out. I'm featuring this not because I'm totally in love with it, but I think it's an interesting shade for summer.

What I love: 

• The matte texture is a nice alternative to the usual glossy lips for summer. When you wear shimmer on the eyes and face it's important to keep one area non-shimmery. A matte lip is the perfect compliment.


• It accentuates your tan. This shade will look different on everyone. On paler skin, more of the pink undertones will come out. On bronzy skin, it will look edgy and you'll look more golden. Reminds me of day glo lip balms with sunblock. Deeper skin tones should be wary though - it might make you look ashy. 

What I hate:

• The matte texture. My lips can get extremely dry and chapped. The combination of this texture and shade just accentuated the dryness even more. But with a little lip balm, it wore pretty good but settled into my lines. 


• You have to sharpen the pencil.

Stila Convertible Color in Petunia ($25 USD): Petunia is such a pretty pinky coral shade. It looks amazing with a bit of bronzer and really perks up the skin. The finish is creamy and gives the skin a lovely glow. It'll never look overdone because it melts right into the skin. The shade is highly pigmented yet it's very easy to blend. You can wear them on the lips, but I find it dries mine out too much. But it works great as a base for glosses. If your skin needs a good pick-me-up or you're in a rush these are perfect, but don't expect it to last in humid sticky weather! Tip: Make it last a little longer with translucent powder or a powder blush in a similar shade.

Have you tried any of these lovely corals? What colours have you been wearing a lot of this summer?

Products were sent for editorial consideration and I truly love them.

Summer Beauty Review: Don't Sweat It...Off With tarte's Amazonian Makeup

Is it true? Is this Makeup Junkie finally emerging from the sleepless world of motherhood?? It's mid-August and I still have lots of summer favourites to share with you! In the next few weeks I will try and bang out my summer must-haves (with Baby Z's permission). Then I can share with you all my Fall/Winter collections that I've fallen in love with (stay tuned for new Chanel reviews!). As much as I love Fall, talking about fall collections seems too soon right? Where did the summer go? Another bummer - my memory card is broken and I haven't had a chance to get a new one so no swatch photos for now (insert sad face).

Has the summer been sticky enough for you? Thank god for water-proof products that actually work! The beauty world is all over tarte's Amazonian Clay blushes because of the high colour payoff and long-lasting texture. I am in love with the Amazonian Clay products. These products couldn't have come at a better time! With the lack of sleep and feeding Baby Z every 2-3 hours, I literally have minutes to swipe on my makeup. Once it's applied it's gotta last all day because touch-ups are not an option. 

tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner ($18 USD, Exclusive to QVC): Sorry to my Canadian readers, but these are exclusive to US beauties. I believe the emphasEYES aqua-gel eyeliner is similar in quality. Infused with magic ingredient, Amazonian Clay, these liners are incredibly pigmented and long-wearing. The best part? These actually last on the waterline! And not just for an hour but a good 6-8 hours. The twist-up pencil is a convenient no-sharpening liner. You can wear it close to the lash line or thick for a dramatic effect. The texture is super smooth and glides easily along the lid. Available in 3 shades: Plum, Brown, and Black. 

tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Shadow ($22.80, Exclusive to QVC): I love shadows that I can just swipe on with my finger. I have been wearing these religiously since I received them. Again, colour is highly pigmented and your lids will stay crease-free. All shades are shimmery and highlight the eye beautifully, but you can tone down the shimmer with a matte shadow. I love wearing them on their own for a sheer wash of colour or as a base for my powder shadows when I need the eyes to look heavier. The pots are small (0.1 ounce), but a little goes a long way. My go-to shades have been Beach Bronze and Slate which are pretty everyday shades and go with everything, but all are gorgeous and work with every skin tone. Available in 5 shades: Moss, Beach Bronze, Slate, Shimmering Plum, and Seashell Pink.

tarte emphaEyes Waterproof Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner W/Shadow-Liner Brush ($22 USD, not shown above): Thankfully these are available to Canadians too! Love these little pots of heaven! These are slightly bigger (0.08 ounce) than the cream shadows, but are pretty much the same product. I love the little crease brush it comes with. It allows you to pack on the colour to your desired intensity and gives you precise application. My favourite shade is Bronze (surprise, surprise), but Indigo is gorgeous too. Bronze is the only metallic shade and the rest are matte so they are very wearable for everyday. These work great as a liner but even better as a shadow for when you want something dramatic. Tip: Close the cap tightly to prevent drying out.

Have you tried these Amazonian Clay products? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Want 'em? I will do an update post with swatches!

Products were sent for editorial consideration and I truly love them.