BECCA Ultimate Coverage Complexion Crème

BECCA Ultimate Coverage Complexion Crème is a full coverage water resistant foundation that wears up to 24 hours (ew lol). With the launch of the BECCA Velvet Blurring Primer, I received 5 of the 20 shades of the Ultimate Coverage Complexion Crème (quite generous!) to go with.

In my opinion, it gives mainly a natural-to-matte finish to the face when applied (and I applied it with my Artis Brush but with the BeautyBlender you’ll achieve a more natural “my skin is like this with or without foundation” look) I don’t love it applied with my fingers, there’s something about it — doesn’t look good (on me at least). So use a tool!

Consistency wise it’s pretty similar in formula with a thicker foundation like Estee Lauder Double Wear, or the Burberry Cashmere Foundation. But I think the Estee Lauder DW has more coverage from the get-go. When you pump the BECCA foundation onto the back of your hand it’s like a creamy blob and doesn’t move, so I suppose in one way that’s a good thing if you’re clumsy like me in the a.m. it doesn’t go anywhere ha!!! So realistically it’s a slightly heavy, but creamy consistency that blends well with both a brush or a BeautyBlender. For all you full-time folks who wear makeup most of the day, this foundation will last you 9+ hours without further touch up. Then again, I never touch up my makeup. Ever.

To be fair, I do like a good full-coverage foundation but a lot of them don’t pair well with my dry/combo skin as many of you makeup wearers know, certain foundations can accentuate dry spots, or have a finish that is “too” matte, if you will. I actually prefer it applied with my BeautyBlender, to give more of a natural finish, otherwise it can look a bit too heavy on my dry skin. The thing is, although looking full-coverage, it doesn’t feel heavy on the skin. I’m pretty used to how my Estee Lauder Double Wear feels, and it’s not like that at all. Here it is, immediately applied using a BeautyBlender sponge. 

Did I photoshop my photos to make me look…. flawless? Heh. No sirree! Just a bit of brightening and the sponge tool (to get rid of that yellow-ish wall behind me). But in all seriousness, it’s finally a primer I can actually see a difference with. Friggen wicked! All others I’ve had given to me via PR have been re-homed to family and friends. I’m just not a primer-person. The BECCA Velvet Blurring Primer Perfecting Base (take my money, please) is a different story — this is probably the only primer I’ll keep around (and technically it’s the only one I have at the moment). It’s a liquid-to-powder blurring primer that instantly gets rid of any visible pores, and makes my 37 year old skin look 5+ years younger. Kinda velvety feeling after application. Pfth! I’ll take it! Bye fine lines. It’s a pretty solid product… recommended by me.

BECCA Soft Light Blurring Powder in Pink Haze call it Millennial Pink if you will. I’ll be honest (like always!), this isn’t my favourite packaging. I’d much rather a pressed powder. I’ve stated before I’m pretty clumsy (dropping expensive makeup in the toilet for instance. ugh) and when I’m getting ready there’s a butt-ton of products laid out on the counter and bound to get this powder knocked over. However, it is in a sifter-like-jar. Although, a bulky jar at that. I tend to set my makeup (when I want to) with the Hourglass Ambient Powder in Dim Light, in the travel sized of course because I’m obsessed with travel-sized stuff. So, the Soft Light Blurring Powder in the Pink Haze shade is pretty similar to that, I’ll admit. I know this will last me a lifetime.

Disclaimer: BECCA Cosmetics sent these products for me to try. 

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Creating Healthy Habits with Kiwami Greens

Thanks to Kiwami Greens for sponsoring this post.

Many people have tried to create healthy habits, mainly in the form of new years resolutions. Unfortunately, most have yet to stick to that resolution and are onto other alternate routes on becoming the best, healthier self they can be. Firstly, I’ll congratulate you on wanting to keep up with your resolutions whether or not you broke it. I gotta agree, it’s tough to keep up when no one is constantly pushing you to better yourself.

My friend Elisabeth have set a pact with one another — we are to go explore new trails weekly. One, it keeps me so motivated because I don’t want to cancel on our plans. Two, I love chatting and catching up with my friend when getting in a workout, whether we hike, run or walk the trail. And third, I’m always so enthused to head out weekly with my pal as it gives me encourages me to keep up, get stronger, and become more healthy overall.

I ain’t gettin’ any younger!

Have an on-the-go lifestyle and need balance? Consume Kiwami Greens as an everyday ritual for your modern life to balance both the body and mind. Seems like it’d pair well with my weekly yoga trips! I ended up bringing one on a walk with my friend Elisabeth the other day, and I gave her a few packets to try out as well since I know she’s really into that kinda stuff, too.


Kiwami Greens is inspired by Aojiru (ah-oh-ji-ru), a traditional Japanese greens blend known for its superior nutritional properties. Aojiru is a traditional Japanese drink for health and well-being. It’s harvested from young barley and ashitaba greens from the islands of Japan. It blends well with teas, sencha, and matcha for a smooth rich taste in the way of “kiwami”. Kiwami Greens is packed with calcium, vitamins B, C, and E, iron, fiber, and folic and amino acids. Ashitaba is a very unique plant that’s long been used in traditional Japanese medicine — it’s a rich source of vitamins B1, B2, and B6, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin E.

I’ve been drinking it for the past few days as I received a box of 30, and I gotta say I’m loving the simple, small changes I’m making. More greens in my life = healthier me. Having these easy to-go packets of Kiwami Greens is such a simple and convenient way to incorporate more greens into your daily diet, and stay healthy when you’re constantly on-the-go.

Simple health habits worth adapting (with Kiwami Greens!):

MAKE IT ENJOYABLE|

Find ways to make your healthy habit and lifestyle change as enjoyable as possible. As I mentioned above, exercise with a friend is always excellent and I’ve never regretted it. I really enjoy the taste of the Kiwami Greens, and just this past week I brought along a few packets for Elisabeth too on our jaunt.

SLOW AND STEADY|

Making slow and steady series of small victories is far more desirable in the long run. You’re basically training your brain to succeed. Start by skipping meat once a week. Next time, take the stairs rather than the elevator. Drink 1 extra glass of water per day. Or if you want to start running, do so only 10 minutes every day and gradually build up your time. Remember the push-up challenge one of my CrossFit coaches suggested I do a few years ago? I started with 1 pushup, and added 1 more each day, for a 30 day challenge. It was incredible how much I improved over that one quick month.

DON’T GET DISCOURAGED|

Missed one day? Don’t worry about it! Start up again, the very next. Don’t fret about occasional bumps in the road — your habit building can still proceed without a hitch.

START EARLY|

If you’re not a morning person I’m not talking about getting up and working out immediately. I’ve never been one to workout earlier in the day. But, for some their willpower is higher in the day and you can reap those rewards all day long. What I’m talking about is making meals or preparing for them ahead of time, so when you’re a starved gull you’ll have something prepped. Your past self will thank your future self.

Kiwami Greens are vegan, non-gmo, and gluten-free. I prefer the easy route of simply mixing it in with water and drinking it that way. However, you could always add it into milk or yogurt, and add it into your favourite juices or smoothies to disguise the taste if you weren’t a fan. It kinda tastes like green tea a bit!

If you’re interested in signing up for the monthly subscription box, you can save 10% by using the promo code SUMMER10. Promo code is for one-time use per e-mail. For subscription orders, the first order will be discounted and all others will be the original price.

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essie S’il vous play summer 2017 collection

Call me a convert but for the longest time I wasn’t a fan of the regular essie nail polish, only the essie gel couture was on my list. However after trying this new summer 2017 collection called s’il vous play, I have to say the formulation is fantastic. So fantastic that some of the shades were completely opaque in one coat. Okay essie fans out there, I get it now.

essie has come out with 6 new pastels for their summer launch inspired by sweet sugar Parisian confections adorably called s’il vous play. Three of the shades are more of a cream finish, while the other three are more of a shimmery finish.

essie sweet soufflesweet soufflé| a creamy white with a golden glow. An off-white shade that looks completely opaque in 2-3 coats.

baguette me not| a sweet lilac with hints of pink undertones. Looks like in the bottle it’d pull more lilac, but on the nails it has almost a touch of pink to it. It’s such a sweet colour.

blue-la-la| a dreamy sky blue. Surprisingly, this was opaque in one coat – though for the photos I did two.

s’il vous play| a fun, eye-catching metallic pink with a slight purple underneath. Although shimmery looking, still quite easy to apply with no streaking, and needed two coats.

fondant of you| a vibrantly sweet golden orange. This orange wasn’t as shimmery nails as I thought it was going to be. Gorgeous when I was rockin’ a bit of self-tanner ;)éclair my love| a bright berry toned red. This is one coat! Definitely pulls more red on my nails than expected, but it’s a pretty watermelon-red shade.

What do you think of the 6 new essie shades? Are you a fan?

Shop the shades for $9 each below:

Essie s’il vous play collection was sent for review

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