New Year... New You?

With the fresh start to the New Year upon us, millions of people around the world will start making promises to themselves that they, most likely, will break within the first 30 days. I find that most people (myself included) have wanted to drastically change themselves over night just because we changed the last digit of the year. But, like any goal, if you set your eyes on the end result and focus on that too closely, you might get completely overwhelmed and instead of taking two steps forward you end up taking ten steps back. I have fallen into this category before. A few times actually. Sometimes, it sets us up for disaster.

However, if we determine what we want our end goal to be, or even the general direction that we want to go, we can start to map out the steps involved in getting us there. Personally, when I lay things out into smaller, bite size steps it makes it so much easier to tackle the giant goal that I want to reach. Whether it’s to lose weight, to climb Mount Everest, to move to a foreign county… any goal you have can be broken down into more manageable steps.

For example, I am currently obtaining my MakeUp Artistry Certification through SeneGence. In order to be certified, you must master many different makeup application techniques as well as be knowledgeable in products and the science of skin care. When thinking about everything required to become certified, it can be very overwhelming. However, if you break up the goal into manageable tasks, you can stay focused, stay on track, and obtain the goal. I have broken this out into categories such as eye shadow techniques (how to make eyes appear larger, rounder, smaller, etc) blush techniques (depending on face shape) science of skin (oily/normal/dry/combo) and so on. By focusing on each of these categories, one at a time, I am able to obtain the information and take the steps required to get my booty certified!

So, this New Year, instead of making a big, bold statement on a “New You” you want to become, maybe make a smaller promise to yourself that you won’t get overwhelmed with. Or, if you do go bold and make a big promise, break it into smaller, bite size chunks that won’t be overwhelming. Whatever it is that you want to do, I hope you do it! I hope you achieve any goal you put your mind to. You can do anything!

Until next time, goodnight my friends!

Xo
CherryTrish

Anastasia X Nicole Guerriero ~ Glow Kit

The second this palette was revealed, I knew I had to have it in my collection. The colours were absolutely stunning and for some reason, it spoke to me. I'm sure other makeup junkies would understand... like yourself! You feel me... It's not even because I have been a follower of Nicole's for a few years now, for even if her name wasn't on this palette I would still need it in my life. Keep in mind, too, that I don't own any of the other Anastasia Glow Kits. Something about this palette just hit me, and hit me hard. 

For those of you who don't know, Nicole Guerriero is a YouTuber from Tampa, FL. She's been making videos for over 7 years I believe, which means that she is an OG in the community. Not only is she amazingly talented with beauty makeup, she also has incredible Halloween tutorials that gets the world excited. Behind all of this talent is a personality that you are sure to love. Plus she loves cats.... so she's great in my books. 

This palette is a set of six stunning highlighters that can be customized to fit almost any skintone. I, myself, am fairly pale but I think I should be able to get away with four of the shades as is, and all of the shades if I mix them with Forever Lit. Forever Lit is a white highlighter with a slight blue reflect in it, however in my photo's it is coming off more blue/green. I was so excited to get this up for you guys that I had to take product shots at work which means that lighting is limited to office lights. Please forgive me! When I first opened it, I was in awe of the gorgeous colours that it offers, especially that orange shade. It will be hard for me to pull off with my skintone, but I will find a way to make that work. You can't own something that stunning and just let it sit there. When I looked a little closer I did notice that these highlighters are swimming with glitter. This always scares me as I'm going to be 30 this year and the last thing I want is to be walking down the street with glitter flying everywhere. However, when I applied this to my cheek to test them out, the glitter didn't look chunky. It just gives your skin a beautiful, almost wet looking, effect. As I mentioned, I don't have any of the other Glow Kits so I'm not able to compare to previous ones, however I can say that I will be keeping this palette and I am so excited to play with it over the next few weeks.

Swatches in artificial, office lighting.

 Swatches in natural lighting on a gloomy day.

Can you imagine those gold tones in the summer on bronzed skin? Mmm mmm mmmmmmmm! I can't wait. Until then they will make phenomenal eyeshadows to help make my green eyes pop. That's another thing I love about this palette. If any shades are too light or too dark for you, you can easily use them as eyeshadow. Can you imagine some of these on the inner corner? GIRL! 

Nicole and ABH, you both did an incredible job collaborating on this. The palette is stunning.

This palette will become available online at Sephora.ca/Sephora.com/Anastasiabeverlyhills.com this Friday, March 3rd and will be $52 (CDN) and I believe $40 (USD), but I need to confirm US pricing. It won't be in stores until March 15th, which feels like forever away! My suggestion is order it online, get it to you as quickly as possible, and start playing! 

As always, I want to know your thoughts! Did you grab this palette? What shade are you most excited about? Tell me! I'm dying to talk to someone about this... I think Will is getting tired of my makeup talk.... poor guy. You can find me on Instagram @cherrytrish, Twitter @cherrytrish17, and even SnapChat which is simply CherryTrish. I am always swatching and snapping.

If you want to check out Nicole Guerriero, you can find her at:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/nguerriero19

Instagram: @nicoleguerriero

Twitter: @nguerriero19

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nguerriero19/

Until next time, goodnight my friends!

Topher's Beard & Soap Co. ~ Bath Bombs & Bubble Bars

I am a very big fan of baths. There is nothing like laying back and letting hot water soak into a tired, aching body. When Topher asked me to test out some of his bath products, I was pumped. I live for baths and anything to make that experience better.... I'm all for it!

I had never used a bubble bar before. I love bubble baths, but I never understood how this ball could turn into the mountain of bubbles I crave. I was skeptical on this, but I very quickly became a fan. The idea of having a bar instead of a liquid inside packaging that will just be thrown away, intrigued me. I like the idea of minimal waste. Just rubbing this bar under running water for a few moments will quickly fill your tub with any amount of bubbles you desire. The longer it runs under the water, the more bubbles you will have. This bar has also lasted me quite a while. I actually haven't finished it yet and I've had three baths so far. These should be available on their website in the spring, but they are currently available at select retailers and also through them directly. These are only $5 (CDN) each and worth every single penny. I will be repurchasing these to keep in my collection. You never know when you need bubbles!

I was also fortunate enough to try a few of their bath bombs. At a first glance they are a bit smaller than the ones you might be used to, but they are more affordable as well. At $3 (CDN) each or 4 for $10, you can't go wrong! I was concerned that the slightly smaller size would affect how they would perform, however they still fizzed and completely filled my bath with natural ingredients that my skin could soak in. I do have some videos on my instagram showing these bombs in action. For you men out there, they now have bath grenades which have some of their most popular beard bomb scents. I know some of you men out there love a good, hot bath. Now you'll have a better excuse to enjoy them! I highly recommend these bath bombs and these too will be repurchased. I enjoy hot baths a couple times per week, so having items like this and the bubble bars on hand are very necessary... aren't they? These, too, are not available quite yet on the website, but are available at selected retailers and through Topher directly. They are definitely worth a try.

Topher's Beard and Soap Co. has many products on their website, even something for your fur baby! They are local, natural, and a lot of products are even vegan. If you are interested in checking out the products that they offer, their website and social media information is listed below. They are available in many stores across Canada and even a couple in the US. You can find a full list of retailers on their website, along with the products that each one carries. It is best to contact the individual retailer to confirm stock quantities. Of course, you are always welcome to shop online! They will ship worldwide as well (for my international friends!).

Topher's Beard and Soap Co.

http://www.tophersbeardco.com/

Instagram - @tophersbeardco

Facebook - Topher's Beard & Soap Company

Twitter - @tophersbeardco

As always, you guys can find me on Instagram @cherrytrish or on Twitter @cherrytrish17. I also do that SnapChat thing, which is CherryTrish. Let me know if you have tried anything from this company or are interested in trying anything. Did you enjoy these products as much as I did? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

And until next time, goodnight my friends!

Topher's Beard and Soap Co. ~ Dead Sea Spa Products

Over the past few weeks I have been testing out some items from Topher's Beard and Soap Co. They are a local company that started with beard care in 2015, but have expanded into bath products as well. They have a Dead Sea Spa Line which includes Detoxifying Dead Sea Bath Salts, Dead Sea Salt & Shea Butter Scrub, and a Dead Sea Mud Mask. I have been testing out the scrub and mud mask over the past couple of weeks.

Dead Sea Salt & Shea Butter Scrub (6oz $12 CDN)

Dead Sea Mud Mask (8oz $22 CDN)

I started with the mud mask, which can be used on the face and body. I have combination skin, which leans more dry in the winter and oilier in the summer. I do also have very large pores with blackheads, so mud masks are usually something I lean towards generally. I was very surprised at how fine the particles were in the mud and how easily the mud spread across my face. I was quickly able to apply a thin, even layer. Immediately you could feel the mask start to work it's magic, but at no point did it ever burn or feel uncomfortable. Within fifteen minutes the mask was totally dry and ready to be removed. The part about mud masks that I really dread is removing them. It usually consists of scrubbing and pulling at your skin, which is NEVER a good idea. This mask came off so easily with warm water. There was no harsh rubbing required. Once the mask was removed my skin felt smooth, soft, and my pores visibly smaller. I will say that after the first use, there was a dry patch on my nose, however when I followed up with my night cream, everything was fine. I also relate that to the season we are in. After the second and third use there were no dry patches, my pore size has reduced dramatically and my overall skin tone has improved. I usually battle redness, which nothing has ever helped, but this mask has been able to reduce that as well. Compared to the L'Oreal mask I reviewed a few weeks back, this one is much more effective and is actually cheaper per oz (L'Oreal is around $15 CDN/1.7oz and this mask sells for $22/8oz). When you're comparing on the other end of the scale, there is GlamGlow SuperMud Treatment. This is a mask that is very hyped up in the beauty community that I did try a few months back and it was nice, but I do find better results with the Dead Sea Mud Mask. GlamGlow is also $79 for only 1.7oz!! Overall, I would highly recommend this mud mask for anyone looking for a pore purifying, skin smoothing result. I think that anyone could use this mask, however if you have very dry skin I would follow up with a moisturizer (which you should do anyways). I was so impressed that I will be repurchasing this mask in the future.

I did also try out the Dead Sea Salt & Shea Butter Scrub. When I saw how large the granules were, I immediately lowered my expectations as I thought that either a) the granules would be too harsh for my sensitive skin, or b) they wouldn't do much as they would be too large to exfoliate properly. I tried this product out on my arms and legs as I have dry skin all over and "alligator skin" on my elbows. As soon as I rubbed the salt over my skin I could feel an instant improvement to the texture. By lightly rubbing granules over my elbows, I was able to penetrate the "alligator skin" and moisturize the layers underneath. Within second my body was able to absorb the natural oils and sluff off the dead, hard skin. I then rinsed the area with water and I couldn't believe the results. I did not apply moisturizer after as I wanted to get the full effect of the oils. After 24hrs, my elbows did have some dryness, however that is a drastic improvement to the "alligator skin" that they were the previous night, and this was after only one use! My arms and legs also still felt just as moisturized, soft, smooth, and healthy as they had the night before when I rinsed the product off. I am very impressed with this product and the effect it has had on my winter skin. I highly recommend this for anyone in the winter months, especially those with very dry skin all year round. I believe this product will become your best friend. However, I will say that you do need to be careful when using this product in the bathtub/shower as the oils will make it slippery. I always have to give Will the heads up when I use this so that he uses extra caution when he goes in to bathe after me.

Overall, these two products were very impressive, especially the Dead Sea Mud Mask. If you are only wanting to try one item from Topher's Beard and Soap Co. first, I would recommend that, especially if you have oily skin. If you are on the drier side, try the Dead Sea Salt & Shea Butter Scrub. I am confident that you will be impressed!

Topher's Beard and Soap Co. has many products on their website, even something for your fur baby! They are local, natural, and a lot of products are even vegan. If you are interested in checking out the products that they offer, their website and social media information is listed below. They are available in many stores across Canada and even a couple in the US. You can find a full list of retailers on their website, along with the products that each one carries. It is best to contact the individual retailer to confirm stock quantities. Of course, you are always welcome to shop online! They will ship worldwide as well (for my international friends!).

Topher's Beard and Soap Co.

http://www.tophersbeardco.com/

Instagram - @tophersbeardco

Facebook - Topher's Beard & Soap Company

Twitter - @tophersbeardco

As always, you guys can find me on Instagram @cherrytrish or on Twitter @cherrytrish17. I also do that SnapChat thing, which is CherryTrish. Let me know if you have tried anything from this company or are interested in trying anything. Did you enjoy these products as much as I did? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

And until next time, goodnight my friends!

*NEW* From Bite Beauty!

The average person will eat 7lbs of lipstick in their lifetime. Let that sink in. Do you know what's in your lip products that you are ingesting every, single day? Bite Beauty is well known for using organic, nourishing ingredients in every, single lip product they make. The Founder, Susanne Langmuir, had a vision and was inspired by kitchen chemistry. Then, out popped Bite Beauty! I have used their matte lip crayons, glosses and the Amuse Bouche formula before, but I was lucky enough to receive the new Bite Beauty #TheLipPencil before they are even released! I am so excited to be able to put them to the test and give you my real thoughts. As you all know, my goal for this blog is to try things out and give you guys honest, unfiltered feedback so that you aren't wasting your hard earned money!

I have spent the last couple of days testing, playing and LOVING the new lip pencils from Bite Beauty. Typically, I was not one for lip pencils. I didn't understand the point. Generally, I was a liquid lipstick fan and didn't feel like a lip pencil was needed. Lately, I have been going back to the classic lipsticks. When using a standard, tubed lipstick, especially in a darker colour, I find a lip liner is very helpful. When it comes to nude lip liners, I love using them with a sheer gloss over top. It provides the long lasting colour with a beautiful, glossy effect.

When testing out pencil 044 today, with the Amuse Bouche lipstick in Whiskey, I had found it lasted three times as long as to when I just have the lipstick on. This colour might seem a little too drastic for some, but the shade is perfect and makes teeth look extremely white. That is always a plus as I find so many shades out there give teeth a yellow tinge and that's the opposite of what anyone wants. The lip liner is so smooth and applies so easy, yet stays on lips without sliding around. I have worn the lip liner on it's own as well and I find it a really comfortable, matte lip option. This combination will be my go-to dark lip if I want a vampy look. I have a feeling I will be wearing this a lot during the winter.

I also tested out the new lip pencil in 020 with the Amuse Bouche lipstick in Honeycomb. I can definitely see why this colour is a favourite in the beauty community! It truly is the perfect nude. I know that I will be wearing this lip liner alone, with Honeycomb, or with a sheer gloss over top. It's absolutely versatile. I'm going to wear this liner every day this week with a different topper. I will update everyone on Snapchat, Instragram or Twitter, so be sure to follow me on all platforms if you're interested in updates. 

These liners will be making their formal debut in Sephora this February, so keep a look out for them! I recommend getting a few colours as they are the best lip liner formula I have found thus far. I would get a nude, a dark, and a red. Those should have your bases covered. I would also highly recommend getting the Amuse Bouche lipsticks. They are creamy, pigmented, and not formulated with chemicals or anything yucky that your body doesn't need. I am really intrigued by Souffle and Persimmon. Hopefully they will bring out lip liners that match, or at least similar to these shades, and I might just have to pick those up. You can never have too many lip products, right?

Are you guys thinking about picking these up? Do you have any questions? LET ME KNOW! I'd love to chat! You guys can find me on Instagram @cherrytrish or on Twitter @cherrytrish17. Also, I do have Snapchat, if you're into that, and you can add me - CherryTrish!

Until next time, goodnight my friends.

{These products were sent to me for free to review via @Influenster and @BiteBeauty. As always, my opinions are my own and will never be swayed because of how I receive the items.}
#contest

WunderBrow.... Lasts for Days???

The first time I had heard of this, Tati (@GlamLifeGuru) was reviewing it for her channel. She gave it really good reviews! I have always loved exploring new ways to complete my brows, so I was intrigued. She had mentioned buying it online and I'm always skeptical on buying things through websites I'm not well aware of. When I went to look into the Morphe items at Showcase here in Canada, I was pleasantly surprised to see this there as well. I got it on sale for $25 (CDN) regularly $35 (CDN). I grabbed it and figured I would try it out for you guys!  

This product claims to create the "perfect eyebrows that last for days". It also says it takes "less than two minutes" and it will "last for days". If these claims were true, it would be a miracle! I don't mind going without makeup, but I find that my eyebrows have a little sparseness to them. Having something like this that is water resistant on a vacation would be incredible.

The WunderBrow came with the product, a spoolie, and instructions. The shade I purchased was blonde. I also wasn't sure about the applicator, so I purchase a dual ended ELF brush (spoolie/angled brush) for $3 (CDN) as I had thought it might be easier for a novice like me.

I have been testing this out for a few weeks now. The applicator the WunderBrow comes with is very difficult to use. It's basically a brush, similar to a small paint brush. I don't understand how they would choose that applicator for this product, but when I use the ELF brush it works wonderfully! First, I spoolie my brows in the general direction that I want them to lay. I have been loving fuller, more natural looking brows lately. I start by lining the base of my brow with WunderBrow using the ELF angled brush. After that, I flick up to blend in with my natural hairs and diffuse the harsh line. Using the pointed end of the brush, I start to create hair like strokes upward and outward. This helps create fuller and more natural looking brows. Using a spoolie, brush the product through to ensure there are no clumps. This will help your eyebrows seem more authentic. If need be, go back through filling in the sparse areas.

 This is a photo of myself (right) and my friend, 

Jackie, at her baby shower. I am rocking 

the WunderBrow here.

Now for the claims... I do believe this product wears for a long period of time. It will only come off when I go to take it off. I believe that I could go swimming or go to the gym and feel confident that my eyebrows would be in tact (at least for the most part). I don't believe it lasts for days, unless you just refuse to wash your face which I find a little unrealistic. This comes off fairly well when using a make-up wipe (as I usually do first) and then the remainder comes off when I use my face wash. You will need to reapply (or at least touch up) the next day. Also, I think that if you're an eyebrow pro you could get great eyebrows within two minutes. I, however, am not so it does take me longer than the claimed time.

Do I think this is a good product? Yes. I think that this is something I will continue to use on days when I have a little more time to get ready. During the week, I do a basic face of makeup and I use something like Benefit Gimme Brow to just add a little volume to my sparse brows. I don't generally have time of creams or pomades.

Would I repurchase this? Yes. I think when I run out of this I will repurchase. I think it's the best eyebrow product that I have used thus far and would be my vacation buddy if there were a beach or swimming pool involved. I really enjoy that it looks so natural, I could even wear it on days that I don't wear much makeup. That is what really makes it travel bag friendly. If I go to a beach, I want to wear SPF moisturizer, waterproof mascara, tinted lip balm, and this.

What are your thoughts? Have you tried this before? Did you enjoy it as much as I did? What did or didn't you like about it? LET ME KNOW! I'd love to find out more about the eyebrow products you're loving, especially for vacationing! Tweet me @cherrytrish17! Or, you can find me on Instagram @cherrytrish!

Until next time, goodnight my friends.

ColourPop ... Swatchfest!

Some of you have asked me if I would post swatches of my ColourPop items that I spoke about in my last post. Your wish is my command!

KathleenLights ~ Where The Night Is

SuperShock Shadow Quad

Top to Bottom:

Weenie

Midnight

Porter

Telepathy

No Kill Los Angeles

SuperShock Shadows

Raising Funds and Awareness for NKLA

Top (very faint):

Puppy Love

Bottom:

Cat Nap

Top:

Lunch Money

Highlighter

Bottom:

Central Perk

SuperShock Shadow

(Telepathy swatch in the top, right corner)

Creme Gel Pencil (Eyeliners)

Top to Bottom:

Mr Bing

Teaspoon

Fast Lane

Beesting

Honeydude

Top to Bottom:

Aquarius

Lippie Stix

Lumiere

Lippie Stix

November

Ultra Satin Lip

Piranha

Ultra Glossy Lip

There were two items that I forgot to swatch. One was my Lippie Pencil in Skimpy (which is just a basic nude) and my Ultra Glossy Lip in My Jam (which I purchased a few weeks prior at Showcase). My Jam is a very shimmery copper. I always think it looks like a brand new penny melted onto my lips. That does make it sound a little crazy, but I love it with certain looks! A nice dark brown, matte smokey eye would look beautiful with that lip choice (and we all know how much I love a matte smokey eye). If you guys would like swatches of those, I can get them this weekend when I have to natural light again. If you didn't know, I work full time during the week, so the only time I can get perfect lighting product shots is on the weekend. Kind of limiting, but I will always make it work!

Anyways, let me know what else you guys want to see! More swatches? More reviews? More Battle of Brands comparisons? If anyone finds any Pintrest hacks you want me to try, let me know as well! I'll be your guinea pig.

As always, you can find me on Instagram @cherrytrish or on Twitter @cherrytrish17.

Until next time, goodnight my friends.

ColourPop... too good to be true?

I have always wanted to try some of the indy makeup brands that are based out of the US. Morphe (see past blog post), Makeup Geek, and ColourPop were always on the top of my list. Being "international" has always held me back due to outrageous freight charges and customs fees as well as the exchange rate. A few weeks ago, ColourPop held a sale for four days, which was 20% off all KathleenLights favourites. That's pretty amazing as ColourPop is pretty affordable as it is. When I saw that they offer free shipping for international orders $50+, I was in. First of all, I ordered on the last business day before Christmas and I received my order within two weeks. That's amazing, especially as those two weeks are very busy with packages and there are government holidays in there. Shipping had me VERY impressed.

Not only did shipping have me impressed, but the packaging was amazing. The box was very cute and well-designed. Also, there was so much foam padding inside that everything made it to me safely. Well, one eyeliner had a piece break off, but that had nothing to do with the packaging.

Not only was the packaging amazing, my order also included a hand written note and a booklet which explains how to use each and every product that they offer. I was so incredibly impressed.

EYE SHADOWS

I ordered a few of their Colour Shock shadows to try out. Most people rave about the metallic ones but really don't enjoy the matte shadows. I actually really enjoy the matte shadow I chose. I used Central Perk and it's a beautiful deep burgundy. Smoking it out on the lower lash line is amazing. I also love to throw it in my crease for a more dramatic look. The texture of these shadows is very unique. The only way I can describe it is that it is similar to a pancake with syrup soaked into it. Yes, that's a very strange comparison, but there is nothing else I can compare it to. They're soft, slightly spongey, and a little moussy.... sort of? These shadows are best applied with a finger, but I love applying them with a synthetic brush for a smokier effect in the crease or lower lashline. I also ordered the KathleenLights "Where the Night Is" quad. It is SO beautiful. I created one of my favourite eye looks to date using it.

Telepathy ~ Lid

Weenie ~ Transition/Inner Corner

Midnight ~ Outer V/Crease

Porter ~ Lower Lashline/Above Crease

Mr Bing Gel Liner ~ Waterline

EYELINERS

I ordered a few of their coloured liners to try as they are another raved about product. I do really like these as they are pretty pigmented, last a long time, and are $5 each! That's so affordable! The only thing I noticed is they slightly irritate my eyes when I first apply them to my waterline, but it goes away within seconds. I don't use them every day, but when I need a punch of colour on an eye look, I will pull them out. I ordered a bright blue (Beesting), a bright green (Teaspoon), a dark teal (Fast Lane), a warm brown (Mr Bing) and a nude (Honeydude), 

LIP PRODUCTS

I wanted a variety of lip products. I got a lip liner (Skimpy), lip gloss (Piranha), satin liquid lip (November) and two lippie stix (Aquarius/Lumiere). The lip liner is very creamy and works amazingly. I don't use lip liners too much, but it's a great one to have in my collection. The lip gloss is nice, but not my favourite formula. It is sheer and something nice to layer over a nude lipstick, but I do generally prefer a gloss that isn't transparent. I will definitely keep this in my collection. The satin lip is another formula that is raved about. I find it.... ok. I love liquid lipsticks, but because this doesn't dry down matte it will transfer. I also find that this formula got thick on the inner rim of my lips, which wasn't pleasant, however I could have just applied too much. I will keep testing this out to see if my mind changes. The lippie stix were great! They have a scent that reminds me of caramel corn (especially Aquarius). I wear Aquarius all of the time. The cream formula is amazing and comfortable. Lumiere is beautiful and the formula is matte. This one wears longer than Aquarius and I find it almost as comfortable.

HIGHLIGHTER

I wanted to try one of their cheek products, so I decided to give a highlighter a try. It's the same pillowy texture as the eye shadows and I use my fingers to apply it to my cheeks. To blend it for a more subtle look, I use a duo-fiber brush to work it in. Lunch Money is beautiful for my fair skin. I also use it to highlight my brow bone and my inner corner with some eye looks. I love how pigments can be used for multiple effects. 

Overall, I'm very happy about this purchase. They are an amazing company, cruelty free, affordable and great quality. I was so excited when they announced they were coming out with pressed panned eye shadows. You know I was on that website today at 1pm EST ordering them as they became live. As soon as I test them out, you guys will be the first to know.

Have you guys tried Colourpop before? What are your favourite products? Is there anything that you would like me to try out? Let me know! I want to know what you guys want to hear about! I'm currently testing out different mascaras for an upcoming post. Stay tuned for that!

As always, you can reach me on Instagram @cherrytrish or on Twitter @cherrytrish17. Let me know what you guys think!

So, until next time, goodnight my friends!

Drugstore Face Mask.... is it better to splurge?

First of all, I want to apologize for being absent for the past few weeks. Between Christmas and New Years I got hit with a cold that morphed itself into a flu virus of epic proportions. I am just starting to feel like myself again, so I knew it was time to get back at it. Time to play guinea pig!

One of my goals with this blog is to try things out and give my unfiltered thoughts so that you guys (my friends) don't waste your money on things. It's so hard to to know the honest reviews of people on the internet, because there are so many sponsorships (both announced and hidden) that can alter how someone presents something. I will not do that. I'm hoping that you guys can look to me to find out the truth on how a product performs for me. As always, if you guys have any questions about products, please feel free to ask me via Instagram, Twitter or even as a comment here! I would love to help in any way that I can. This is my passion!

Now, onto the review.

Last night I tried out the L'Oreal Pure-Clay Mask, Exfoliating & Pore Refining. This is the one with the orange coloured clay. If you didn't know, I have the largest pores I have ever seen. I'm not saying this to be overly critical of myself, I'm saying this as it is an absolute fact. Anything that says "pore refining" or "pore minimizing" always gets my attention. They also have a green mask that is "Purifying & Mattifying" and also a black one that is "Energizing & Brightening". Everywhere I looked people were talking about how much they enjoyed the "Energizing & Brightening" mask and how it was a dupe for the GlamGlow masks. If that is something that you think would benefit your skin and you pick it up to try, let me know what your thoughts are on it! I moreso needed the pore shrinking variety which is why I swayed the way I did. Plus, I hadn't heard anything on it.... good or bad.

First, let's look into the claims that this product has. It is said to:

          ~ Unclog and tighten pores
          ~ Exfoliate dead skin cells and smooth skins texture
          ~ Draw out build-up of impurities, dirt and pollution
          ~ Refresh skin and allow it to breathe

Not only that, but it claims visible results IMMEDIATELY. These claims include:

          ~ Skin texture looks refined and smoother
          ~ Pores are visibly minimized
          ~ Dead skin cells, dirt and oil feel removed from skin

This mask was pretty simple. Apply a thin layer to your face, avoiding the eye and mouth area. Let sit for ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse off using circular motions to help exfoliate skin. Applying it was very easy, it has a really nice texture that isn't difficult to apply to the face. To me, it felt almost whipped with fine particles for exfoliating. It didn't burn or tingle at all, which was great! It was very comfortable.

I let it sit for the full fifteen minutes and began to wash it off. I will say that, because of the soft texture, it wasn't very difficult to wash off. One thing I dislike about most clay masks is that it takes you twenty minutes of scrubbing and harming your skin in order to get everything off. I don't like to use anything too harsh on my face and cause any damage.

Now, the results.... my skin did feel a little bit smoother and cleaner than before the mask, however my pores didn't look any smaller. I was slightly disappointed as my main goal was to minimize the appearance of pores, at least a little bit. My skin does feel like it can breathe a bit better, which was great when it came time to using my night cream. I felt like it really was able to penetrate the skin and get the layers nourished.

Would I use this again? Yes. I will definitely use this face mask until I use it up. It did make a slight difference in my skin and made it much easier for my night cream to apply. I did also notice that my makeup went on nicer today as well, however these results are typical of many other exfoliating face masks I have tried.

Would I repurchase? Most likely not. Again, these results are pretty typical to most other exfoliating face mask I have used. If I were to recommend a drugstore face mask that exfoliates AND shrinks pores, it would be the Black Sugar face mask by Freeman. You can get it at Walmart for around $3 (CDN) and it is amazing. This L'Oreal face mask was $13 (CDN) and that was even on SALE! Unfortunately, this didn't do enough to justify a repurchase. I may look into the "Energizing and Brightening" one as there is a lot of hype around that formula.

If you guys want me to give one of the other two a chance and review it on my blog, let me know! I would love to try any products you guys are curious about. Anything I can do to help save you money, I am down for. Speaking of which.... have you thought of any Pintrest beauty hacks you want me to try? Leave me a comment down below and I would be happy to look into it!

I hope this review has been helpful for you. I'm always up for trying new products or answering any questions that you have. You can reach me on Instagram @cherrytrish or Twitter @cherrytrish17 anytime!

So, until next time, goodnight my friends!