EOS Alice in Wonderland Lip Balm Set

EOS Alice in Wonderland Lip Balm Set

In my most recent December 2012 haul, (so long ago, I vow to blog more often from this day forward), I picked this up at Rexall along with a Prestige brow gel and 2 liners. I'll have a review on those shortly because they are super cheap and I can definitely recommend them.

I had no idea these were difficult to find, I honestly got them because I thought it would be the best value. I have never tried EOS lip balms before and I figured I could swap the 2 I don't use if I didn't end up liking them in the end. I actually got it for free and ended up only having to pay taxes, because I used my 95 Air Miles which got me $10 off! Retail was $10, $11.30 including taxes, so I paid $1.30 in the end.

I figure since I've been using these for a month now, I'd do a short review on them, since there is so much controversy around these balms. It seems that either you love it or hate it. Basically to sum things up I'm one of those people that love it!

The quote and inside of the packaging

Back of the packaging, I forgot to take a photo of the ingredients, will post it tomorrow.

L to R: Watermelon Wonderland, Sweet Vanilla Nonsense, Blueberry Potion

Comparison of a fresh balm and one I've been using for a month

As you can see I started with the blue first! I loved the creamy blueberry scent that it had to it. They all smelled delightful but I had to choose one to start. I've used it every day since I've brought it home (Dec. 20, for reference purposes, we'll see how long this'll take to appear in my empties, probably forever). So it has been about a month. It's very moisturizing and honestly, I like them better than my Fresh mini lip duos! They seem to be lasting a lot longer too. It is a very slippery balm, and glides nicely onto your lips. It stays on my lips for quite a while if I don't eat or drink, and I usually don't have to apply it too much throughout the day.

I have sensitive skin so it's no surprise my lips are probably sensitive, I haven't had a lot of balms work for me but the Fresh lip treatments did, however, they are just too pricey to purchase a full size of.

Size comparison of a Fresh Mini Lip Treatment to an EOS balm

Fresh Mini Lip Treatment - 2.2 g / 0.08 oz (VALUE: $14)   &   EOS Balm - 7 g / 0.25 oz (VALUE: $3.33)

Above you can see how much product has been used. I used the Fresh during December and the EOS during January. You can see that the Fresh lip treatment has broken off and I have to be very careful when applying. I also listed the product weight above. You can see that the EOS balm has much more product, about 3x the product of the Fresh mini, which is roughly $10 less than what the Fresh mini is worth!

My lips have drastically improved in colour, and texture, since I've been using the EOS balm. I can wear lipstick now without looking super chapped. I still have a bad habit of picking my lips and the balm seems to restore them overnight. I never knew these would be such a HG product for me, I honestly never gave them a second though before.

Using Fresh Lip Treatment

Using EOS balm

I'm not sure how well these photos show the difference in the way my lips look, but the colour has really lightened, and they don't look like they are going to severely crack when I smile. Sure they still aren't perfect, but I kind of blame that on my lip picking habit..

A+ I would definitely purchase these balms over and over again. 

Edit, July 2013: I notice a lot of people wondering if these are still available. I have not seen them in stores lately. I know they did show up in a few Shoppers a few months ago but I doubt you'd have any luck finding them now. If you really want them they are going for roughly $40+ on eBay!

Beauty Blogger Tag

My first beauty blogger tag post! I was tagged by Lucy of Simply Blushed to do this as I thought it would be a really fun addition to my blog. I don't have an 'About Me' section or anything of that sort yet so I guess you can get to know me a bit by reading this!

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

Straight and I hate it!

2. What is your natural hair colour?

Very dark brown 

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

Have died it myself since I've started. I went to a salon once to dye it black and it only lasted about a month…wasted $100!

4. How often do you wash your hair?

I try not to wash it too often. I usually wash it every other day, but if I don't end up having time I will put my hair up for the 3rd day.

5. Do you wear the same style every day or change it?

Well I usually only have time to leave it straight, I like to curl/wave it sometimes, and on bad hair days, put it in a pony or bun!

6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

Prefer to do it on my own. I usually get ticklish or it ends up hurting at the salon.

7. How often to you change your nail polish?

My nails are really brittle so when I wear polish for a week, I have to stop for another week so they can revive themselves hehe. I try to paint them as often as possible.

8. Do you polish your toes in the winter, too or just in the summer?

Only in the summer, unless I need to show off my toeseys.

9. How long does it take to put on your makeup?

It usually takes me about 20-30 minutes. 10 if I am only going to the store or something. If I am experimenting or using a new product it takes me a bit longer.

10. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Hmm it's actually always different! Okay it depends how much of a rush I'm in. If I moisturize and am waiting for it to absorb into my skin I usually do my eyes first, also it's easier to wipe off fallout. I'd prefer to do my face first though because then I feel comfortable doing less drastic/smokey eyes, knowing that my blemishes are covered.

11. Do you "collect" makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I used to collect! Okay maybe I have collected too many shadows in the past so I've worked to throw those out or give them away. I TRY to only buy what I need but we all know how hard that is...

12. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

When I feel like it, only for special occasions. 

13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?

For school yes, but not on days I don't have class and weekends. 

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?

No not at all!

15. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Not usually. Honestly, I look much younger without makeup, so when I don't wear makeup I feel I get treated unequally or much different than when I do. The least I can do to feel somewhat comfortable is conceal blemishes and some mascara.

16. How many high end products do you have?

I have a lot more higher end products now and I'd have to say the majority of my stuff leans towards higher end. I am starting to purchase worthy drugstore products again though. (I made the mistake of purchasing too many bad drugstore products when I was younger.

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?

I get lazy, maybe once every 2 weeks. I don't wash them all at once incase they don't dry in time so I make sure I have a backup plan for the morning!

18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?

Well I usually think about one piece of clothing the night before so I have an easier time in the morning putting together the outfit.

19. How often do you change your handbag?

Very often! I have classes 3 days a week and not all require textbooks so I try NOT to carry my boring tote around every day.

20. What time do you get up & go to sleep?

Oh gosh.. let's say I have a bad habit of sleeping around 3-4 am.. and then having to get up for class at 8… I am trying to get back into normal sleeping habits and sleep around 12-1 am but it's harder than I thought!

21. How often & when do you workout?

I don't, I used to, and it seemed to help me gain weight. I lost a lot and need to start again, but my laziness has taken over me.

22. Left-handed or Right-handed?

Right handed. Funny I was suppose to be left but was basically forced to use my right hand as a child. I do most other activities with my left.

23. How tall are you?

5'2 or 5'3 I believe.

24. Do you speak a foreign language?

I can sadly only speak English… I've tried other languages, for some reason I just can't do it.

25. How many pets do you have?

I used to have 2 rats.. but had to give them up due to my aunt's allergies. One recently passed away, R.I.P. Butter ,<3

26. How often are you on Blogger?

I check it daily.

27. Do you read the comments posted on blogs?

I do when I am commenting, just to clarify the question hasn't already been asked. I read and respond to all comments on my blog!

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

Yes I definitely do this! I have a HUGE list on my computer and if it ever accidentally was deleted I would cry.

29. How did you come up with your blog name?

I'm not sure if I like it. I think I need reassurance here people! Hehe, I was making up a new username for myself.. I blush and turn red quite easily so I've been told, anywhoo, so I was hoping Cherry Cheeks but that name was taken as a username for like... every website ever. So I thought Cerise instead, but figured the 'Ch' looked better with another 'Ch'.. = Cherise Cheeks!

30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?

I use a Samsung WB600, nothing special, it also very much pisses me off and it's broken but hey it takes decent closeups.

31. How often do you clean your house? (Daily, weekly, other)

I only clean my room, my grandparents will fight me if I try to clean the house haha. I clean little things here and there daily.

32. What is your favorite colour?

I don't actually have one, I love all colours and it depends what it's for.

33. What is your favorite beauty/fashion magazine?

I don't read these anymore, they were a waste of my money in the past and now everything is accessible online! I trust blogs a lot more than sponsored ads.

34. Do you swear?

Yes and I shouldn't.. having quite a few friends that won't has helped me cut down but in certain situations it is necessary!

35. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Well it's 2 am… what did I tell you about me not being able to sleep haha. I am probably going to try and get some rest!

That's it! I hope whoever reads this (or at least parts of it) gets to know me much better! 

If you have a blog please do the tag as well and leave the link down below, I'd love to know more about you too.

December Haul: BNBW, EOS, Barry M, Prestige & Sephora Boxing Day!

Slatkin & Co. Candles: Apple Crumble, Holiday Gumdrops, Oatmeal Macaroon, S'Mores

So, I can admit that I really loafted on getting my hauls up, so I just made it into one big December haul. Missed a few things since I already scattered them around my room, so my resolution! is to get my posts up sooner. I take tons of photos and a month later I don't like them anymore haha. So my aunt got these for me, not sure when, but this is what started my candle addiction...

Which turned into this! I got 5 small candles for $25, and 2 minis for $5, used a 30% off coupon and paid $21 for these plus tax! I thought it was a great deal. I have only used up one so far, the Frosted Cupcake mmm. It probably has another hour left on it. I have to say, they burn for quite a while. They seem to never finish! Which is a great thing! I actually noticed that these are made by various brands, 'White Barn, Slatkin & Co., and Bath and Body Works themselves. I haven't noticed a different in the White Barn or Skatkin & Co. but have yet to try the BNBW Candles! Hope they are just as good.

From L to R: Fresh Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Duo, EOS Alice in Wonderland Lip Balm Set, Bourjois Bio Detox Foundation in N52 Vanilla, Barry M Ultra Moisturizing Lip Paint in 161 Flamingo Peach, Prestige Brow Perfection Revitalizing Clear Brow Gel, Anastasia Want You To Want Me Eye Shadow Palette, Below: (2) Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Deepest Black

Moving on.. I picked up these around the beginning of the month. Actually, most of it I bought online and had shipped to me, I only bought the liners, brow gel, and EOS Alice in Wonderland lip balm set in store (Rexall). 

The Fresh Sugar Kisses Duo speaks for itself.. I loved it so much in my Freebies post that I found and purchased one on eBay! It was pricey.. I wouldn't do it again. Impulse buy. 

EOS Lip Balms from Rexall I am in love with and will be doing a short review on them in my next few posts!

The next two items I had bought online from Asos, the Bourjois Bio Detox Foundation was terrible.. it was hard to apply as there is no silicone in the product so it is difficult to blend.. I managed to blend it at night but tried again in the morning over moisturizer and it completely failed and came right off. Will try it again, and put up a review of this as well as the Barry M Ultra Moisturizing Lip Paint, I love the colour of this but it was not me at all, I took lip swatches and will post a review of that as well.

The Prestige liners and brow gel are from Rexall as well, all on sale, and are definitely my HG products. I could not believe how well the liners work. They are dark, stay put, and glide on easily. Only paid $3ish each. Definitely would recommend. Review coming soon as well. 

Anastasia Want You to Want Me Eye Shadow Palette I purchased from Glymm and only paid $9 in total with shipping. I used my $40 credit from the Glymm Stocking Stuffer I received in December. I may be gifting this product or giving it away because I have enough eyeshadows, but we will see! It is a cute set but very tiny.

I think the best part of the day was certainly the samples. I was not happy with 2 out of the 3 of the products...

L to R: Buxom Lashliner in Sequins and Brush, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Flash, Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Highlight Duo in Amber/Elektron

 Buxom Lashliner in Sequins and Brush

Not happy at all with this product. Main reason, (see photo below) is that the product had already seperated from the sides of the container. I believe it is quite old.. some others have recognized the same problem and returned their product. The only problem is that if I return I lose VIB status due to them forgetting to count purchases made in November.. so I need to call them and figure out what is going to happen... 

The product is nice, you definitely need to go over with black shadow or a pencil liner to avoid smudging, it seemed quite sticky. Only problem is I got a small waterline pimple wearing this, so I'm not sure if it's this or the UD liner I was wearing but I'm almost positive it would not be the UD, since this product is visibly old. 

Product has shrunk away from the sides...

Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Highlight Duo in Amber/Elektron, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Flash

I love both of these! The Urban Decay is very pigmented when time is taken to apply it, and to me it's quite lighter than the colour in the pan. Now.. the problem is with the Tarina Tarantino duo... uhm... what are those little dots along the edges of the pan? It looks like spilt coca cola or something. These were final sale at $5 each so I'm not sure if it's exchangeable for something else or a credit...not sure what I should do. EDIT: I ended up bringing the Tarina Tarantino duo to Sephora, we found out the gooey stuff around the edges was the eyeshadow itself and they offered to refund my purchase :) 

0_0

But anyway! Here are the swatches. Swatched the duo anyway.

Top to Bottom (swatched over primer): Buxom Lashliner in Sequins, Urban Decay in Flash, Tarina Tarantino in Amber, Tarina Tarantino in Elektron

The liner takes quite a few tries to get it dark, my advice is to take a little at a time and slowly build the colour. 

Ps. Sorry the purple swatch is on what looks like a vein...! :p

Beauty Box 5: December 2012 Box

To be honest, I cancelled Beauty Box 5 for December, because I just wasn't happy with what they had to offer for October and November. Don't get me wrong, they are amazing and they've had awesome samples from various companies since they've started, but I think I just subscribed at the wrong time...because this month was awesome! I even liked it so much that I subbed for another 3 months, a quarterly sub (which allows me to save $6 yippee!)

I wasn't expecting to get mine so early, due to Christmas gifts and such at the border.. but I surprisingly got it Christmas Eve! Was a nice X-mas gift to myself :)

Ummmm did I mention I'm pretty sure the December box was all full-sized products!?!

The 5 products in my box!

Maskeraide Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask: Weather Warrior

I was breaking out around the time I tried this.. I used Benzoyl Peroxide and it really dried out my skin and didn't help things at all. This really helped moisturize it and bring the life back. My skin felt soft and smooth after using it. Not to mention there was a ton of product, the mask was covered in product! I like that it is not a peel mask either, can't do those! However the witch hazel may have irritated my skin (could have been the aloe vera, either or), the mask certainly did not help my breakouts and I noticed a toner I've been using with witch hazel and aloe vera seemed to make my skin worse. So I won't be purchasing this product, but I'd like to try the others that do not have these ingredients!

Full Size: 23g for $5

Demeter Roll On Perfume Oil - Apple Blossom

This is a super cute addition to the box! I do not like roll on perfumes or floral scents, (btw, my wrists are too boney to roll a rollerball over, ugh) I prefer sprays and fruity scents, but the apple in it kind of takes away from the floralness here I go making up words.. I like it as a scent, but not sure if I will wear it. I would really love to find their other scents though!

Full Size: 8.8ml for $10

Everyday Minerals Flat Top Brush

This brush is said to be suitable for applying both mineral/powder and liquid foundation, with super soft synthetic fibers. I've been in need of a new mineral fd brush, I've been using really old Bare Minerals brushes that are completely scratchy and probably were roughing up my skin. I love this brush. It holds the powder well, bristles are very stiff, but when applying I notice that the powder seems to go everywhere (including all over me) but I just figure to use it before changing haha! It gives good coverage, I use it with the Everyday Minerals foundation. It's also very tiny and travel friendly!

Full Size: $13 - CURRENTLY ON SALE for $8.45, click link above which will bring you to their website!

Shows the stiffness of the bristles

Jean Pierre Cosmetics Exfoliating Facial Cleansing Pads

Alcohol free, hypo-allergenic, removes dead skin cells and deep cleans. Contains cucumber, chamomile, green leaf, and aloe extracts. I was actually thinking of trying this product tonight. I thought I had an allergic reaction to chamomile so I will test them other and update here tomorrow! Although, they are a great price and I've seen decent reviews on them!

Full Size: 16 Pads for $1.99

Ofra Cosmetics 3D Loose Shadow - Diamond Glitz

This is a multi-tonal shadow that can be used wet or dry! It gives off a 3D effect using various colours. When I first swatched I noticed the shadow was purple.. then I thought it was green, but on primed skin it is brown with a 3D shimmer to it! On bare skin it doesn't show up the best, more shimmery and less brown. I can only imagine how much better it would look wet! This is another full-sized product and was very generous considering how well pigmented it is. View a swatch below!

Full Size: 4g for $19.90

Swatched without primer on top, with primer on the bottom (brown). Primer really makes a huge difference.

Total value of this month's bag was: $49.90

Sure I've had higher valued boxes before, but I can actually use all of these products and nothing will go to waste! BB5 impressed me and I know they will impress me for January as well as I already know 2 spoilers! Did you like your box? For those of you who didn't subscribe, would you have liked it?

If anyone is really interested in subscribing to Beauty Box 5, please use my referral link by clicking here!

Review: Revlon Selects

Sometime around mid November, Revlon Canada had a contest where they would choose 500 Canadians to participate in reviewing a few of their products which were then sent out to the 500 chosen. I was one of the 500 chosen to review a select few of their products! In return I was sent the products for review. I was honestly super excited because I thought that I would have never been chosen. I received my box sometime in December but I recently moved, so I could not find the time to blog about it until now! I think it is great that Revlon Canada is able to do something like this because they are really getting honest reviews and feedback from us.

Here is what I happily opened the box to...

After taking out a TON of these little paper confetti, I finally saw a peak of the products!

Products Received:

From L to R: Revlon PhotoReady Primer + Shadow in Metropolitan 501, Revlon Nail Art Expressionist in Vincent Van Gold 360, Revlon Nail Art Moon Candy in Orbit 280, Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede in Backstage 035, Revlon Glitter Silver Nail File Board.

Revlon PhotoReady Primer + Shadow in Metropolitan (501)

I thought it was cool that there was a primer in this palette, only to find out that it is the colour to the bottom left. It's meant to be swept all over the lid and to act as a primer but I found that it just worked best as a highlighter. I used my UDPP as a base and did a quick look with these eyeshadows following the instructions on the palette but I didn't like the way it turned out. The colours are great, but I don't think they work best the way the palette instructed. The brown base colour is amazing, and it applied very well but the sparkely gold (bottom right) was disappointing as it had a ton of fallout and did not apply well at all. The highlighter (top) was lovely and I think looks a little stronger over the primer (bottom left). I didn't find the silver shade very useful for a neutral look but I think it's best used in the inner corners or on top of a silver pencil or liner, as the pigment is not very strong on its own.

See swatches below!

Revlon PhotoReady Primer + Shadow in Metropolitan swatched over UD Primer Potion in daylight.

Swatches are in order of the palette from the top down.

Revlon Nail Art Expressionist in Vincent Van Gold (360)

I adore this idea! At first I didn't enjoy the colours we were sent, but I learnt to love them after applying them on my nails. The purple is a very pretty metallic which is a lot lighter on the nail than what's in the bottle. After applying the purple I used the metallic gold to add a bit of flavour! I decided to french tip the nails, only to find some photos on instagram of this other design that reminded me of tiger stripes. If I remember the u/n I will link it here.

Keep in mind that I only used 1 coat of the purple base (was clearly too excited to apply the gold!) and this was my first try using any sort of smaller brush for details on the nails.

Next is another nail enamel duo!

Revlon Nail Art Moon Candy in Orbit (280)

I didn't like this one as much as the other duo. I definitely think there should have been more sparkles. I didn't like the purple in the bottle of this one as well but on the nails it actually looked very cute and not dull as I was expecting! You can definitely use these colours seperately.. I want to try layering the glitter over a lighter colour and see if it will be more reflective!

I have to say I did not do a very good job and I made my cuticles look horrible (they aren't very nice to begin with though) because I didn't apply the glitter coat all the way to the cuticle as I was just focusing on placing the glitter the way I liked it. Fine..you can take a look...hehe..

You at least get the idea right!? Just don't look at the ugly cuticles! I really liked the way the glitter showed up under light but I wish it was brighter, or more reflective. My bf thought I made a mistake when he saw it from afar and I had to explain to him it was just the glitter.

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede in Backstage (035)

This was actually the very first product I tried out! I actually really like the formula and it really does stain the lips! I could only get this off with my oily eye makeup remover. I think I may purchase a few of the other colours of these as I won't have to worry about reapplying throughout the day. I only wore this at night so I'm not sure if it lasts a full day but I will test that out soon!

- Colour didn't transfer after it was set, took about 20-30 minutes to set. It was a bit sticky before it finally set so I'd suggest applying it a little before going out.

- Very deep red, I thought it to be an oxblood at first, but that's because I applied too much and my lips are very pigmented haha, it is much more of a wine red.

- Careful when applying, do not use too much pressure because it could cause it to be slightly darker at some points on the lips

- Felt slightly drying after having it on for a few hours but I just used my EOS lipbalm to make sure my lips were still moisturized.

- Great colour for all skin tones, I'm very pale right now and I think it looked great on my pale skin.

Don't know why I blurred this out so much, I added 2 more below but again it was much darker on me in person, I will hopefully take a daylight photo soon.

Revlon Ultimate Suede in Backstage lip swatch under artificial light.

Colour shows lighter than what was on the lips.

I would probably purchase the ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick, in a different shade, and possibly a Nail Art Expressionist in a different colour combo as well!

Thanks for reading my Revlon Selects review! I hope to have the opportunity to do more of these in the future!