Recent additions to my collection

New make-up sketch! My most recent purchase was Urban Decay's Mini 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil Set -- Darks from Sephora, using a gift card I got for Christmas. 

I have the oily Asian mono-lid thing so despite my best efforts most eyeliners crease and migrate in short order. These mini pencils are exceptionally creamy and once they set actually stay on for a decent amount of time! They're a great base for eyeshadows, too. There is a second set of Brights, but "Corrupt" is in both sets. Why, Urban Decay? Whyyy? I don't think I'll pick up that other set anyway because I'm not a fan of blue eye make-up. These mini pencil sets are terrific because you get to try a bunch of different colours for a great price (basically the price of one full-size pencil!).  

My sister got me LUSH's Chilli Tingle Lip Tint for Christmas. It's a fabulous strong orange colour. It's translucent but the colour is surprisingly pigmented and shows up even on lips that have a colour of their own. Terrific product and a wholesome ingredient list. MakeupAlley, my favourite user-generated review site, loved it too! Sadly it was limited edition over the holidays and no longer available. 

A little while back I picked up Sephora's own Lip & Cheek Stain. Another well-received product at MakeupAlley (I never buy cosmetics unless I've done my research there first!). I recently started getting into lip stains because I wanted colour that wouldn't come off while I was out drinking bubble tea with my friends :P. This lip stain is a jelly that you can layer on to achieve your desired saturation. It can go on unevenly, but I think its texture and translucency helps it look a lot more natural than some of the super-strong lip stains out there (like the Joe Fresh ones I picked up, which I love for being so crazy-pigmented!). 

I got my first Joe Fresh Lip Stain (in Watermelon) last autumn. It was $6 at a Loblaws SuperStore. Like I said, this stuff is darn powerful. MakeupAlley likes it too, although because Joe Fresh is a Canadian brand that is just starting to make its way into the US there aren't as many reviews of their products. This is a  lip stain like my old Tokidoki ones and Josie Maran's. The price of these thing simply can't be beat. Mine hasn't dried out yet, which I hear is a common complaint about this marker-style delivery system. Last week I picked up Red, Peach, and Tangerine and they are all great colours. Peach is particularly nice if you don't want a super-strong lip stain colour; it's much more natural than the others I have.

Lastly, we have...

Fresh Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Duo is Sephora's latest birthday bonus for their Beauty Insiders. It is my favourite bonus so far. Fresh is a pricey brand, which makes it extra nice to get this little set for free! It looks a heck of a lot like this set, which they are selling for $22.50 USD on their site. Both sets are trial sizes, even. This set is great because you get two lovely smelling lip balms (one lemony and one rose) with SPF 15, one colourless and one with a slight pink tint. The lip balm tubes screw closed and just feel high quality. Be sure to pick this bonus up during your birth month, Beauty Insiders!