Rave or Rant? - Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil

Hey kiddos!

As mentioned in my "June Favourites" blogpost (to read the post click here) I have been turned on to the idea of using a pure, natural oil as part of my night skincare regime and had gotten the opportunity to try one of the most talked about facial oils - Tarte's Pure Maracuja Oil.

I had received a deluxe sized sample with a Sephora Haul (to read about the entire Haul, click here) that I got back in May and I have been using it for almost 2 months now. Needless to say, that I have given it suffice time to do a real in-depth review, but I am not even half way through the bottle yet! My absolute favourite thing in life is happy, healthy skin. My second favourite thing in life is finding a bargain or stretching out my dollar as far as it can go!











Now a little information on the product itself -you can buy the full sized bottle (1.7oz) from Tarte (online only, website link at the bottom of this post) for $46(US) or at Sephora (online or in-store) for $55(CAD). Considering that its skincare, the price tag is fair. If you are put off about the price tag, let me just say that although its a lot to shell out at one time, the product will last you at least half a year!  If you think of it that way, its less than $10 a month. The price tag isn't so scary when you look at it like that!




The description on the Tarte Website of this product is as follows:
"This nutrient-rich oil contains Vitamin C and essential fatty axids to hydrate sensitive, dry and acne prone skin, leaving skin even toned and smooth without a greasy feel. Pure Maracuja Oil is a hydrating treatment oil known for its anti-aging and healing properties for firmer, brighter and smoother looking skin, and won't cause breakouts."









I've heard a lot of good things about this oil, especially for dry sensitive skin, but I was skeptical at first with putting an oil on my skin as I am a little acne prone. I was optimistic that it would help my dry skin feel a little more comfortable and heal some of the scarring and discolouration. But at the same time I was also scared that it would cause my acne to flare up. Since I am always on the hunt for skincare that works for my sensitive and acne prone skin, I gave it the benefit f the doubt and decided that I would give it a good 2 week trial before I make up my mind.

How I apply the oil in my nighttime skin routine - The directions tell you to put the oil directly on your skin after its been cleansed. I don't usually have the finesse with these oil products and would most likely apply it to my face and not be able to smooth it out, leaving the rest of my face dry and one super oily spot. Since I was already reincorporating my Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray into my day and night routines, I thought that it would be a good vessel for me to be able to smooth out the oil completely over my entire face and keep it light, without that heavy oil feeling. So after cleansing my face, I apply my night eye cream first, than I spray my entire face with my thermal water before applying a few drops of the oil to my hands then face. The thermal water makes it super easy to spread the oil, and in doing so I think I don't use as much product. I have only gone through half of the deluxe sample size, a Big Bang for my buck - just how I like it!

The packaging is super cute (deluxe sample sizes are cute little minions to their full sized counterparts!) and I love that the bottle is made of glass along with the dropper. Makes everything feel super luxurious and sometimes I feel as if plastic packaging is not the best for skincare products. (This may be my own fabricated paranoia, but if its not good to drink out of plastic bottles, than wouldn't it be bad for our skin to apply products from plastic bottles?) I love the natural glass bottle and materials and it does give it a vintage luxe feel to the product.

Unfortunately, I do not have any before or after photos of my skin. I sincerely apologize, I wasn't thinking things through and in all honesty I didn't think this product would work for me, so I didn't think I would need comparison photos. But what I can tell you is that it has drastically changed my skin for the better. My skin is more even toned and the texture is a lot more even too (no more bumpy, dry patches!). The size of my pores have shrunk and my reoccurring blackheads are barely there or noticeable. My dry, sensitive skin has been reaping all the benefits of this oil, super moisturized and I feel that I've gotten a little more bounce in my skin back. My acne flare ups are controlled, instead of having a huge patch of pimples or blackheads, I will have 1 pimple or two while I'm menstruating, which is a huge change from the erupting skin I would have during this time of the month.

I just feel like I have control of my skin back, its so liberating and freeing because I used to feel like a prisoner from my acne. I always had to make sure I have some sort of foundation on at all times or I would try my best to hide an acne flare up which would usually cause it to become worse. But since I have been using the Maracuja Oil, I have been leaving my home without anything on my face and I'm not afraid to face people because my skin is looking so great! Now, of course, I still have some acne and dry spots and scarring, but the oil is helping all of those issues wonderfully and now I don't feel like I have to hide behind a mask of makeup. I can now bring my best face forward, literally, and feel good about it!

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the smell/fragrance of the oil. Now it's not a bad smell or fishy smell, its natural so there is no sweet or perfumed fragrances. I actually like it, but if you are someone who enjoys the perfumes or fragrances from skincare products, this might initially turn you off. It completely disappears once you apply it and it does not linger at all, so you won't have to worry about it leaving an odour on your skin.

Just because I am so pleased with my personal results with this product, I have to give it a 5/5.  From the pretty and natural packaging to the results and softness from my skin, this has met and surpassed all my expectations. Now, if you have naturally oily skin, without any dry or sensitive patches, I'm not sure if this product would work as well, although it claims to work well for all skin types. If you are super oily and super acne prone, I would still try this as the oil can help heal the acne and make acne scarring disappear, I would just maybe use less or use a thermal or charged water spray before applying to make it lighter.

Product Grade: A

As it is hard for me to find skincare products that control my acne while still soothing my sensitive skin, I am very happy to have found this. It has been really helping the overall health of the skin on my face and making makeup application (and life!) so much easier for me on the daily. I am definitely buying the full size bottle when I'm done this deluxe sample size and I can see it being staple in my skin care routine from now on.

Have you tried this product? I would love to hear what you thought and if it worked, in the comments box below! Sharing product experiences with peers is caring. What you think of a product can really help someone else decide if that product might be right for them. Please share your experience with this item, or if you use a similar item that you think is great for other reasons, in the comments box below! We all benefit from sharing information!

If you have any questions or concerns about this product or review, or if you have any recommmendations or suggestions on future reviews, be sure to email me (makeupmasochist@gmail.com). If you enjoy reading beauty product reviews, be sure to subscribe to my blog for future review posts (top right corner) and you can also follow my blog on Bloglivin' (Makeupmasochist). For more daily photos and videos, check out my Instagram and follow me (@fernonje).

For more information on the product and to purchase, please visit the links below:

http://www.tartecosmetics.com
http://www.sephora.com

Stay beautiful lovers, lord knows I'm trying!

xoxo
Ashley

My Summer Bucket List Book Reads

We are one quarter of the way through summer (already!?!??:/), so I wanted to give you all a little update on how I'm doing with my summer bucket list and which books I've chosen to read this season.



So far, it has been a little difficult to keep up with life AND making sure I'm sticking to my bucket list, to get the most out of summer. That being said, I think I've done alright so far with scratching items off of my bucket list (to read my original post, click here). For starters, I have been eating more fruit. I make it a point to always eat a few pieces, especially if its offered after a meal, I also have been finding ways to sneak in a serving or two with my diet. I do have to give most of this credit to my mother, who has been buying watermelons that are much to large for her and my father and in doing so, splits half the watermelon with me. ;)

As another task as part of my bucket list, I am getting to know different parts of Toronto and finding out what's services and restaurants that neighbourhood has to offer. Lately, I've been drawn to Eglinton's central and east neighbourhoods - Forrest Hill (Eglinton & Avenue Rd) and Chaplin Estates (Eglinton & Yonge St). We first had lunch at "Uncle Betty's", which is on Yonge on the north side of Eglinton, for Claudia's Birthday. We also had dinner at "Frieda's" (Review Post in the works), which is on Eglinton right after Eglinton West Station. Not to mention the numerous movies we have watched at the Silver City Theatre and visits we have made to the best cupcake shop in town - "The Cupcake Shoppe" (For a review of "The Cupcake Shoppe", click here). I have to say, its becoming one of my favourite areas of the city to visit!

One more task that I am on my way to scratching off my list (I don't think I'm quite at the moment where I am comfortable crossing it off yet) is the task to make new friends. I say this because, I have been making an effort to go out more and meet new people, I have also started a new job and been introduced to a lot of great people with the same interests as I do, a
nd I had the opportunity recently to reconnect with a friend that I haven't seen since high school. I am open to friendships and experiences that I will/might have with all of these new people (and reconnected friends) that I have met and will continue to meet. I know there are great friends, friendships and good times to be had with some of the people in my life now and hope they will last.

And of course, as one of my tasks, I had to choose three books from my existing library that I have yet to read and finish them before summer is over. After much deliberation, here are the three books that I have chosen with a brief description of each:



To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It's where he was born and where he and his Ma eat and play and learn. At night, Ma puts his safely to sleep in the wardrobe, in case Old Nick comes.
Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it's the prison where Old Nick has kept her for seven years, since she was nineteen. Through ingenuity and determination, Ma has created a life for herself and her son, but she knows it's not enough for either of them. Jack's curiosity is building alongside Ma's desperation -- and Room can't contain either of them for much longer...
Told entirely in the inventive, often funny voice of Jack, Room is a celebration of the resilient bond between parent and child, and brilliantly executed novel about a journey from one world to another.
Learn more about Room at www.roomthebook.com/inside/video








No Saris. No scents. No spices. No music. No lyricism. NO illusions. This is India now. Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life - having nothing but his own wits to help him along. Born in a village in the dark heart of India, Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for a wealthy man, two pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the rich man's (very unlucky) son. Through Balrams eyes, we see India as we have never seen it before: the cockraoches and the call centers, the prostitutes and the worshippers, the water buffalotrapped in so many cages that escape is merely impossible, the white tiger. And with charisma as undeniable as it is unexpected, he teaches us that religion doesn't create morality and money doesn't solve every problem - but decency can still be found in a corrupt world and you can get what you want out of life if you eavesdrop on the right conversations.













The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves,  and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway - a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors.
Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love - a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.
True love or not, the game must play oput, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of the extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.
Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.






Here are the books that I will have my nose in all summer! I can't believe that I have yet to read these gems, but I'm glad that I had them for this reason! What are your summer reads or books that you have been reading lately? Anything you would like to recommend? Let me know in the comments box below, I would love to know what books you couldn't put down this summer!

For more lifestyle posts and to keep up with how I am doing with my Summer Bucket List, please be sure to subscribe to my blog (top -right corner) and you can also follow my blog on Bloglovin' (MakeupMasochist). Be sure to check back soon for the "Frieda's" review and more updates on how I am doing crossing tasks off my bucket list! For more daily photos and posts, be sure to follow me on Instagram (@fernonje) or email me makeupmasochist@gmail.com

I gotta get to reading!!

xoxo
Ashley

Maven Manicure: My Julep July Box

Hello lovelies!!

It's that time of month again! No, I'm not talking Mensies, I'm talking about that special day when a pretty little black box lands on my doorstep - my Maven box! I can't help it, I get so excited when I see that it has finally arrived! Even though I know its coming and I know what's inside, I still can't help that "Christmas Morning" feeling when I see it and tear into it like a shrieking school girl.

They had a lot of great options this month for mavens, tons of summer perfect colour combinations and Hair or Body Care products to try, it was very hard to choose one. After much deliberation, I (finally) choose to have the "Classic with a Twist" style box, as the colours are both creams ( I will almost always choose a solid cream colour over a shimmery or pearl polish) and it comes with this "Beach Tonic Dry Body Oil".

It was really hard for me to choose because there were other style types to choose from and some came with this "Sea Salt Texture Spray" for hair that I really wanted to try, and made deciding extra difficult. I had thought it over long and hard, and finally decided on the Beah Tonic over the Sea Salt Spray. I've always had to use moisturizers or body lotions daily, but it's so time consuming!! I do admit that I skip days because I just don't have the time or can't be bothered, but I pay for it later. The Beach Tonic won as I thought it would be a much more convenient and quicker way to get moisturized. Hopefully they will offer the Sea Salt Spray with next months maven styles. Fingers crossed!

Ok, so, for those of you who don't know what I'm typing about - Julep is a cosmetics company that had gained a lot of recognition for their nail varnishes, but also offer a wide range of other beauty products. When you register on their website and subscribe to their monthly maven program, they send you a box of goodies (worth $40 or more) every month based on the style type you are. In order to figure out your style type they will have you take a little quiz to determine what colours and products they think you will enjoy from their collections. You also get a lot of other perks, like free gifts, secret sales and exclusive offers on products at over 70% off. With this program you also collect "Maven Rewards" with every purchase that you can use like money to get a product that you've had your eye on ;). It's a great program to try products and colours for a great price, I will leave links on the bottom of this post for more information.

This month the "Classic with a Twist"  box included two nail varnishes "Cassie" (a pastel coral) & "Alaina" (a light taupe or "graige" like my cousin Christine would say) and 104ml bottle of the Beach Tonic Dry Body Oil (which smells AH-MAZ-ZING!). When I was at checkout, they offered this robin egg blue varnish and I couldn't say no!  My free gift this month is a packet of 40 Green Tea Blotting Papers, they smell good too and are prefect for my purse. I love everything, needless to say. Such a pretty package, how can I not get excited for this every month?!

I decided to just do a simple manicure this time with the pastel coral and taupe colours something mostly neutral with a little pop of a cute summer colour. I could already tell before painting that the taupe colour is going to play tricks on me, it looks different at different times and with different light and probably different skin tones.



I got my nails prepped, removed old polish and debris and filed them to my liking. It's important to make sure the nailbeds are clean for the longevity of your manicure. I also like to put petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the skin around my nail beds for easy clean up later.






















I painted one coat of each colour...

And a second...

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I only needed two coats of the taupe and it left no streaks at all! The pastel coral is a little more sheer, so it needed another coat to make it opaque. It was still the tiniest bit streaky, even with three coats.

And voila!

Cute and easy colour combination for summer! The coral pastel colour is such a great summer colour and the lightness of the taupe nicely accents the brightness of the coral. You an really combine both of these colours with any other summer colour - mint green, baby yellow and robin egg blue or white.  I am going to do a DIY manicure with the combination of the three colours I got, I love them all together!

For more information on Julep products or their maven program, please click the link below this paragraph. For new mavens, you can get your first box free with code "FREEMAVEN" at check out!
Why not try it out?

http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/230456/

There's this months instalment of Julep joy, hope you liked what I got and the manicure inspired you to try it this summer. Are you a Julep Maven? I would love to hear your experiences with their products in the comments box below!

If you like manicure posts and ideas, please be sure to subscribe to my blog (top right corner) you can also follow my blog on Bloglovin' (Makeupmasochist). For more daily photos and videos, follow me on Instagram (@fernonje). I love to hear from my readers, if you have any suggestions or recommendations, you can email me at makeupmasochist@gmail.com .

Until next month! Eeek! I'm so excited already!!

xoxo
Ashley

Restaurant Review: Luma TIFF Bell Lightbox

Twice a year, Toronto restaurants come together to promote special items from their menu during a two week period every winter (Winterlicious) and summer (Summerlicious) for a fixed, discounted price. We had actually been to Luma TIFF Bell Lightbox before during Winterlicious and had  wonderful 3 course lunch for $20, so needless to say we needed to come back and try dinner for Summerlicious!

We had made reservations for last Sunday, which was a nice option as they are usually closed Sundays. Although it was raining, we made our way downtown to the TIFF Lightbox where Luma is on the second floor. (The TIFF Lightbox is the place to be every year during the Toronto International Film Festival.)

The restaurant space and atmosphere is high class, artisanal - that's how I would describe it. It's modern contemporary with luxury fixtures and feeling, but with a hint on 70's Scandanavian with the tables a chairs. Because its on the second floor, the views of the city streets below and the CN tower on one side, make for exceptional fine dining. A great place to celebrate milestones with someone special or business lunches and dinners, its romantic but still contemporary enough for formal business.


The regular menu had amazing choices and variety with some of Executive Chef Jason Bangerter's best and most famous dishes, but since we participated in the Summerlicious promotional menu, I'll be talking about dishes from this menu. The menu itself had a great variety of dishes for every part of the prix fixe menu, something for everyone to try and enjoy. I found that the menu was very well balanced, really showcasing the freshness and lightness of summer foods and combinations. I ate a lot and none of it felt heavy, they really knew how to combine flavours for the ultimate summer experience.

Let's starts with our appetizers, I chose the Albacore Tuna Sashimi. This comes with fresh white tuna sashimi with fresh melon and cucumber slices, shiso and drizzled with wasabi oil. I love the plating, it invited you to have fun and make combinations of the different elements on your fork to have different variations of taste. The cucumber and melon make it so refreshing and then you get a little
hint of spice from the wasabi oil that brings everything full circle. A great start.

My partner chose to have the Chilled Sweet Corn and Onion Soup. This comes with this chunky basil and garlic- almost guacamole, and drizzled with chili oil. It's refreshing, not only because of the fact that its a chilled soup, but the sweetness of the corn make it really light on the tongue. The onion and garlic basil chunk counter play the sweetness of the corn making it very savoury. The creamy soup doesn't feel heavy and works with with the chili oil, to give just enough heat making it a full bodied soup. Very nicely balanced.

For my entre I had chosen the Roasted Chicken Breast. This came with roasted squash and zucchini vegetables, herb and garlic mashed potatoes and a roasted chicken gravy on top. Everything on this plate was absolutely Devine!! The roasted chicken breast has a lovely crispy skin, but was super moist and tender on the inside - it would practically fall apart when cutting into it. The vegetables were roasted perfectly, enough to soften them up a bit, but still keeping a nice crunch. The seasoning on the vegetables with the roasted flavour made them disappear quickly from my plate. My mashed potatoes were green, and although I thought they might loose their creamy-ness with the herbs and added garlic, they were dreamy creamy. So light and the subtle herb and garlic flavour was very welcome. They topped it off with the roasted chicken sauce, it gave everything on the plate some added flavouring and it was nice they put enough for me to enjoy my whole plate with. This is not your typical chicken, potato and vegetable plate, kudos for making it truly extraordinary.

My partner had chosen to have the Mushroom and Ricotta Lasagna. This comes with a several layered lasagna with ricotta and roasted mushrooms, with a white mushroom sauce, surrounded by  roasted mushrooms and a Parmesan foam on top, garnished with some chives. Again the plating is so inviting, making you want to dig right in, the presentation is just beautiful with that foam on top and I love that they had roasted the mushrooms in big meaty chunks. Very light with the ricotta and the airy foam, but surprisingly filling. The roasted mushrooms had this nice seasoning and oil to them, giving the dish a nice, meaty, earthy taste and feel. A super creative dish, that everyone (even people like me who are not big mushroom fans) will enjoy. Glad that they brought this back for Summerlicious! (I had the Winterlicious version for lunch last time with butternut squash instead of mushrooms. :D)

For my dessert, I chose (although it is very hard to chose just 1!) the Creme Fraiche Parfait. This came with a strawberry preserve in syrup and a lemon flavoured crumble, drizzled with olive oil and garnished with flower petals. I have to say I regret not having more room to finish this dessert, it was too yummy for words!! I love the whipped, almost mousse texture and the lemon crumble on the side gave it a nice balance of texture. The preserves in syrup were not too sweet, it's sharpness cut through the creaminess of the Creme Fraiche very nicely. I love the harmony of the Creme Fraiche and strawberry together, one not overpowering another - just perfect! It was a true injustice that I did not finish my dessert, normally I would have licked the plate clean.

For dessert, my partner had the Lavender and Peach Cornbread. This lavender, yellow cornbread came with a spiced custard cream and caramelized peach halves with the caramel syrup drizzled on top. This again, was one of those plates and presentations where they are inviting you to have fun and play with the flavour combinations. The cornbread was light and floral along with the spiced cream gave it some depth and the caramelized peaches with the syrup gave it this amber flavour and sweet after glow. A simple country dessert that's enjoyed by all even the ones accustomed to the city.

All in all, I am giving Luma a well deserved 5/5! This restaurant exceeds all expectations, always! From food, atmosphere, service - everything is absolutely amazing. It will be an experience that you won't forget, I assure you! I recommmend this restaurant to anyone and everyone, for any occasion and all occasions! And you should definitely try them out during Summerlicious/ Winterlicious, it's a huge bang for your buck and you can't go wrong at Luma. Everything here is top notch and the food is truly an art form. A delicious art form... mmm...

For more information on Luma or other Oliver & Bonacini please be sure to visit the websites below.
www.oliverbonacini.com

And for more information on Summerlicious restaurants and events please be sure to visit:
www.toronto.ca/Summerlicious/

Well there you have it everyone, my experience with Luma TIFF Bell Lightbox. Have you visited this restaurant? I would love to hear your experience in the comments box below!! Tell me, are you participating in Summerlicious? I would love to know which restaurants you are planning on hitting up, or if you have any recommendations for a future restaurant review!

We are planning to take advantage of Summerlicious once more before its over, we have reservations for Frieda's on Sunday. So if you're curious to read that review or more reviews on other restaurants, please be sure to subscribe to my blog! (Top right corner ;)) For more daily photos and videos, follow me on Instagram (@fernonje) and you can also follow my blog on Bloglovin' (MakeupMasochist).

It's Summerlicious, Baby! Go stuff your face!

xoxo
Ashley

June Favourites!

Wow, can't believe that I am already posting my June favourites! Summer is flying by too fast!!

A lot of things have changed in my routines due to the warmer weather so I have a few new things to talk about this month in makeup, skincare and hair care.





















This past month I have been testing out and loving this Tarte Maraucja Oil in my nighttime routine. I got this as part of my last Sephora haul (to read that post, click here) as a Beauty Insider reward. It's a deluxe sized sample, plenty of product to really test it out before buying the full sized bottle. I've been using this for a month and I absolutely love it! A future review is in the works, but for a sneak peek - it has calmed my skin, changed and evened out my skin tone and I have not had an acne flare up all month! More information to come, as well as application tips on the blog soon!

Another change I have made in my skin care routine is bringing back my Avene Thermal Spring Water mist. After feeling like I might need more moisturization during the summer months and because it makes applying the Maracuja Oil so easy, I brought it back. I use this day and night, to give my skin a little more moisture and its been really helping. It's so refreshing!











In terms of makeup changes and favourites this past month, I have found the ultimate summer (and maybe forever!) foundation, I have been loving the bright bold colours of MAC's "All About Orange" Collection and using my Temperature Rising items to create a bronzed, everyday makeup look.

Lets start with my favourite foundation for June- Dior's Airflash Spray Foundation. (For the full review, click here). I couldn't say more good things about this foundation in my most recent review post - this stuff is AMAZING! I use it for all my make up looks, it's so quick and easy - not to mention it gives great coverage and lasts all day! I wanted something light and simple for summer and was pleasantly surprised with all the amazing benefits of this product. I have also been using it on some of my clients and they love how flawless it makes their skin look even after 8 hours of wear! This is not just a June favourite, its becoming an all-time favourite!

If you have been reading my blog for sometime, you know how much I have been loving my MAC Temperature Rising Collection items. This past month I created a look using my MAC Temperature Rising Collection for an interview that I had at MAC Cosmetics Yorkdale. I am happy to say that I was successful at landing the job and I have to think that this look helped a little ;). For the full instructional tutorial with all the products I used, please click here. This has been a favourite look for me lately, I do modify it a bit and use a different shadow here and there, but its mostly the same. I love it! What about you?

The best part of this look, that I like most, is the lip recipe. I love combining  "Altered Beige" and layering "Soft Serenede" on top. I've always loved a nude lip (especially with a tan) and the sparkle in the lip gloss heats things up just a bit!






















Of course I used my favourite brushes this month from Simga, the Duo-Fibre Powder/Blush Brush (F15) for my blush and the Large Angled Contour Brush (F40) for my bronzing and contouring. I have been using these brushes the most lately for all my looks and on my clients. The F40 brush makes contouring so easy and the F15 brush helps soften and blend blush so beautifully. Loving these brushes for my flawless skin look!

With the release of MAC's "All About Orange" Collection in early June, I have been given a lot of time to really get aquatinted with my items. As mentioned in my original haul blogpost (click here for the complete haul and review) I thought it was really smart for MAC to spotlight such a great colour for summer and make it wearable for all. There were 7 shades of lipsticks to chose from, a colour for every skin type and tone. I picked up 4 lipsticks, but I have been using some more than others - a clear indication of favoritism. The lipsticks that I have been using most from this collection are:

Sushi Kiss - I love the almost "black light" effect that this lipstick gives me, especially against my tan. I did initially think that it would be more Orange on me, but was pleasantly surprised that it was much softer on. I love to use this lipstick with neutral looks or with a heavy winged liner. A must have colour for summer!

Razzledazzler - What I love most about this lipstick is the intense colour payoff, but its so easy and comfortable to wear! As some of you know, Lustre formula lipsticks are my favourite to wear, so naturally I would love this lipstick! The colour is so dreamy, I love to pair this with with a pop of green or blue eye makeup or a bronzed smokey eye. It makes everything seem effortless!

Along with the lipsticks, I have been loving the Nail Laquer "Ke Ai" from this collection, and put it to work with a summer manicure as soon as I got it! It's such a pretty, feminine pink that made me feel like a school girl and I almost shrieked with joy while painting it on! Soft pink with a bit of shimmer, great for summer manicures or even all year round!

Along with my "Ke Ai" manicure, I also introduced my Julep monthly manicures and my moon manicure this past month. Heres a little summery of this months manicures.

I have to say I am very impressed with my Julep Nail Polishes, they are a great product and pretty reasonable in price. (To see my June Julep Manicure, click here). The nail polish lasted days before I saw a single chip and I love the colour variety they offer! The glitter polish "Paris" was super sparkley and reflective the the dark cobalt blue "Millie" really complimented the glitter. I loved it! If you sign up for their monthly subscription, it gives you the opportunity to try different colours and even body products for a bundled price (which means you save big $$). If you would like to start your subscription, click on the link below, and be sure to use code FREEBOX at checkout to get your first Maven box free!
http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/230456/

I managed to squeeze in one more manicure, My Superhero Moon Manicure that I did for my Godson's Superman party. I used my Nail Laquers from MAC's "Wonder Woman" Limited Edition Collection - "Wonder Woman" (red) & "Obey Me" (blue). I know it's a Superman Party, not a Wonder Woman party, but the colours work just the same. For a complete tutorial on this manicure, please click here.) Super fun and easy manicure to do at home with materials from home. I got a lot of compliments on this manicure, I will definitely try it again with more colour combinations!

Well there you have it dolls, all my favourites for the lovely month of June, its been a great month for beauty and a great way to welcome the summer! What were your favourites for June? Be sure to let me know what you loved in the comments box below, or tag me #makeupmasochist on Instagram or Twitter!

For more beauty related posted, please be sure to subscribe to my blog (top right corner of the page), you can also follow my blog on Bloglovin' (Makeupmasochist)! For more daily photos and videos, follow me on Instagram (@fernonje) and if you have any questions or suggestions, email me at makeupmasochist@gmail.com

Let's hope next month won't creep up on me as fast.

xoxo
Ashley