The Ordinary: top picks

Published on by Sameera1 Comment

The ordinary recently opened a location in Soho and while browsing in their Uber cool space, I made a list of what to try if you’re new to the infamous brand.

1) Glycolic acid toner

This is my HG toner. I’ve been on a mission to find the best toner and I’ve found it in this toner with a 7% glycolic acid content. We all know how much I love glycolic acid so this isn’t a surprise. This toner doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin and helps gently exfoliate while helping all my other products penetrate deeper into the skin.

2) Coverage foundation

This $7 foundation that broke records for the longest waitlist in the beauty industry was indeed worth the wait. It gives me the perfect amount of coverage while not being too heavy. It comes with a pump and has beaten out all my other drugstore foundation favorites.

3) AHA + BHA peel

I was late to this peel party. The main reason I was skeptical was due to the purple content and I’ll be honest, because of the word “peel”. I’ve seen too many YouTube videos of women with recovering faces who had peels which made me run in the other direction the first time I saw this. I’ve completely changed my tune though as this peels isn’t anything to be scared of. It felt slightly tingly the first time I put it on but after I rinsed it off after the recommended 10 minutes, my skin was glowing!

4) Buffet

For all my girls out there who can’t be bothered to slather on a cocktail of serums each night, this one’s for you! The store associate claimed this serum like the name suggests is a buffet of all the best skincare ingredients. I use it in the mornings and have been loving the results.

5) 2% Retinoid

This is another HG in my skincare cupboard. As a skincare junkie, retinol has been something I’ve been dying to incorporate into my routine. It’s one of the few things that actually works on the skin but my skin always had adverse reactions to any kind of retinol I tried. That was until the beautiful people at Deciem created the retinoid which does everything a retinol does, without any of the irritation. I use it religiously and love how smooth it keeps my skin.

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What are some of the products you guys love from the brand?

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Byrdie Beauty Lab

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So today was kind of a great day. Not only did I get to meet two women who I deeply admire within the beauty industry, I also got so many great luxury deluxe beauty samples!

So Byrdie.com, the online destination for all beauty trends and news, has a collaboration with Nordstrom in the form of a pop up beauty lab!

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This was such an innovative idea and leave it to the fabulous gals at Byrdie to execute such a stunning pop up. You walk in to a “lab”, curated with the best of the best brands, laid out to be played with on beautiful tables. They are merchandised by hair, fragrance and makeup and you get tons of space to move around and try out brands you won’t normally find in stores.

Continue reading “Byrdie Beauty Lab” →

Top 5: Eyeliners

Published on by Sameera1 Comment

 

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5. NYX slide on eye liner

This is a great eyeliner if you’re in between paychecks and can’t justify that $57 Tom Ford eyeliner (yikes!). It’s really smooth and easy to apply, and at $8 can’t be beat! It really reminds me of the Urban 24/7 and just feels a little bit less “glide-ey” than the cult 24/7 liner.

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4. Laura Geller gel liner

I received this in an allure beauty box and I LOVED IT! It was so so so dark on me which as an ebony skinned women, was miraculous! I’d tried sooo many “super pigmented” black eyeliners before this and never found them to be as pigmented. I tried rebuying it  and making it a staple and found the $20 price tag just a tad too steep at the time ( I was a broke college student y’all). I am however going back to this and can’t wait to have super pigmented kohl lined lids!

2798304_fpx.tif.jpg3. Urban Decay 24/7 glide on

This $20 eyeliner is one of the most popular eyeliners in the beauty community and for good reason! Like the name suggests, it lasts a really long time and glides on very smoothly. The only negative I have about this is that the other colors in the range aren’t as smudge proof. I highly recommend the black shade (perversion), as it’s highly pigmented and lasts forever on the lids.

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2. Benefit Push up liner

This uber famous liner which had one of the best launch marketing strategies (in my humble opinion) is phenomenal!! I fell in love with it in my quest to master winged liner and it was the best decision ever! The tip which was created to help make creating winged liners easier is so helpful. I used to wear the best, fiercest, thickest cat eyes when I wore this every day. The only downside to this liner is the amount of product that comes out each time you twist the bottom. It’s so long lasting g and so dark and I honestly don’t know why I’m not currently using it!

 

url.jpg1. Wet N Wild

THIS! I found this eyeliner so randomly on a comment on a random beauty post and haven’t looked back since. I wish I could remember the person who mentioned this because I’d treat her to the best overpriced brunch ever! This $3 liner is so pigmented and so easy to use, it’s honestly such a surprise that it’s not a cult favorite. It’s also TRULY waterproof and lasts until you grab that eye makeup remover and swipe it off. I love the ease of the wand which makes creating delicate cat eyes so easy. I love this so much and hope some of you try it and love it as much as I do because at $3, it’s honestly a steal!!!

What are your favorite eyeliners?

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Attn Glossier Fans: New Fragrance Launch

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Like any beauty brand mogul, Emily Weiss, is letting everyone know that she didn’t come to play. Please meet her fresh new ‘cool girl’ fragrance that just dropped this morning; Glossier you

 

The $60 fragrance is being described as “the ultimate personal fragrance”  and features a Creamy, sparkling, clean, warm scent that “smells like you”…intriguing

The three base notes are…

_ambrox: smooth, salty, animalistic
_musk: long-lasting, addictive

with the top notes being…

_iris root: earthy, green, woody
_pink pepper: spice, sparkling

I don’t know about you guys but the minute I get off work, I’ll be marching myself to the Glossier showroom in Soho to pick up a bottle because this is Emily’s world and we’re just living in it.

Have you guys smelled it? What product do you think the brand will drop next?

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New launches

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MAC liptensity relaunch
 

MAC brought back their liptensity lipsticks which launched last year with Lipliners this time around! I love the liptensity Lipsticks my favorite being masala and I’m psyched to pair these with their lipliners! Lipstick $21 lipliner $

The ordinary serums

    The wonderful people at Ordinary blessed us with more serums this month. They brought out an update on the favorite retinoid 2% and 3 brand new antioxidant serums that you didn’t know you needed. 

    • Granactive retinoid 5%
    • Grananctive retinoid 2% in squalene 
    • Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%
    • EUK 134 0.1%
    • Alpha Lipoic Acid 5%

    These serums range from $6.80-$13.90

    The main one I’m super excited to try is the Ferulic acid as I’ve been curious about the Skinceutical one for ages!

    Twilly by Hermès

    My mum turned me unto Hermès fragrances and I haven’t turned back since. My favorite scent is jour d’hermes but I’ve been meaning to try a new one from them for ages! Thankfully I don’t have to wait any longer because they just released a fun new one! It’s called “Twilly” and is described as being for the young woman. 

    “Fragrance story: The scent of the Hermès girls, a daring fragrance woven with striking ginger and sensual tuberose. A floral, spicy and oriental eau de parfum.”

    Style: Oriental floral.

    Notes:- Top: Ginger- Middle: Tuberose- Base: Sandalwood 

    Super excited as Sandalwood is my favorite note in fragrances! This is launching at $79 for the 1 oz , $100 for the 1.7 oz and $130 for the 1.7 oz!

    little MAC Lipsticks


    Another exciting launch from MAC is the mini versions of their top 10 Lipsticks! I love these cute minis and find them so useful for nights out or just to try a new shade. Best part is they’re only $10! 

    Which launches are you excited for this month? 

      Top 5- Fall Lipsticks 

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      MAC retro matte liquid lipstick in ‘Uniformly Fabulous’

      This is my favorite dark lip for this season! It applies so opaquely and stays on all day post greasy lunch and dinner! I usually have to reapply post lunch around the edges but it doesn’t leave my lips feeling tight and uncomfortable.

       

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      NYX soft matte lip cream in ‘Vancouver’

      This is the perfect purple soft matte lipstick. It doesn’t last all day like the MAC retro matte lipsticks do but it feels so comfortable! It is also very flattering for a wide variety of skin tones and makes me feel like a purple unicorn each time I wear it!!

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      Colorpop matte liquid lipstick in ‘Lax’

      As far as liquid lipsticks go, color pop were the OG. They also have one of the lowest price points and have one if the widest shade ranges out there. They’re not the most comfortable but last all day! This shade, especially makes me feel like a baWse whenever I wear it!

       

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      MAC lipstick in ‘Rebel’

      This was my first dark lipstick ever and it has stood the test of 7 years of repurchasing to be in my faves! I love the berry purple shade of this lipstick and the stain it leaves behind! I’m nota fan of satin lipsticks but this one feels like a velvet matte finish and lasts longer than a typical satin lipstick.

       

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      NARS velvet matte lip pencil in ‘train bleu’

      This is my favorite NARS lip product mainly because of the incredible aubergine color and the ease of application. It doesn’t last as long as I’d like but the fact that it’s a pencil which means I don’t need a lip liner before applying makes it easy to take it and reapply all day!!

      Honestly, 75% of the reason why I love the fall season so much is because I get to wear all the deepest darkest lipsticks without anyone batting an eye! To be honest, I do wear ‘uniformly fabulous’ during the summer months however, I feel way more comfortable wearing these lipsticks while snuggled up in all the burnt orange knit sweaters, leather jackets, and Chelsea boots!!

      What are your favorite fall lipsticks?

      Top 5- September

      Published on by Sameera1 Comment

      September was a pretty stressful month with moving out and into a new place. These were my five favorite beauty products that I reached for during the very hectic days when everything was in boxes, and all I had was five minutes to get ready. 

      1. Bare minerals bare pro foundation 
      2. Benefit roller lash mascara 
      3. Chanel lipgloss
      4. Glossier priming moisturizer
      5. Chevrefeuille by Annick Goutal

      What were your favorite products for the month? 

      Top 5 Summer Foundations

      Published on by Sameera4 Comments

      With the arrival of summer comes all the shine. As a combination oily gal, I have spent a lot of $$$ looking for the one foundation that will stand the test of the New York humidity! Find your new fave below! Continue reading “Top 5 Summer Foundations” →

      BeautyCon NYC 2017!

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      It honestly was very different to what I was expecting and I enjoyed every minute of it! I got to see and even meet some of my favorite beauty vloggers and even got to breathe the same air as Gabrielle Union for a few hours!

      Makeup By Mario class, without the price tag!20170520_131413

       This was one of my favorite parts about the event. Makeup by Mario classes retail for $500-upwards! I was so happy to see him and happily absorbed the main tip he gave which is to always stay classic with your makeup irregardless of all the trends.**ehem, holographic unicorns ehem ***

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      Monica from Monicastylemuse was such a doll! She was so nice and sweet and she said I smelled Nice 🙈

      Khoudia Diop looked amazing at the seventeen booth. It was great to see so many different kinds of beauty being celebrated. She looked effervescent 

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      I discovered a makeup brand that I’d never heard of before at the event!  A J Crimson. They have a grand opening in the City later this month and I’ll be picking up some things to review!

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      Entered a bunch of giveaways

      20170524_200800Stood in line for an insane amount of time for a unicorn that wasn’t free 20170524_200821Got some free lip oils at the Clarin’s truck

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      Basked in the presence of Gabrielle Union. 44 never looked so good. Plus she has a haircare line out: FLAWLESS20170520_142316

      I pretended to be back in Paris 20170520_123905

      All in all, beautycon was pretty great. 

      Have you ever been?

      DE SLICK! Best Mattifying Primers

      Published on by Sameera1 Comment

      As summer is right around the corner, I’ve had a clear out of my makeup drawer and have since put away all the hydrating products and replaced them with mattifying ones. Post clear out, I went on a mission to find the best mattifying primer and I’m glad to report that I have found the one! Continue reading “DE SLICK! Best Mattifying Primers” →