Best in Beauty 2015: Face

Welcome back everyone!
I hope you all are doing well.
Today, I have part 2 of my Best in Beauty series, and today it's all about my favourite face products for 2015. Most of the products being mentioned may have full reviews that I will link to at the end the post.

Primer and Mattifier:

elf Cosmetics Mineral Face Primer

New Bottle

This primer is definitely my top pick for 2015. I always repurchase this primer. This primer blurs my pores, and helps my foundation apply more evenly.
Earlier in 2015, I fell in love with the Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer, but I haven't been able to repurchase it since it hasn't been in stock. However, the elf Mineral Face Primer is cheaper than the Rimmel.

Sacha Cosmetics Mattifier Face Primer 

I do have a full review of this, but to keep it short and sweet. This mattifies the skin beautifully, and keeps me less oily than I would usually be throughout the day. I love the squeeze tube packaging, and its flat black matte finish.

Foundation:

Maybelline Fit Me: Matte and Poreless 310 Sun Beige

I'm currently down to half a bottle of this foundation. I don't think I have anything bad to say about this product, maybe it can use a pump, then again most drugstore foundations don't come with a pump. This just blends effortlessly into the skin, it doesn't matter if you use a sponge or a brush.
My full review will be linked below.

Concealer:

L.A. Girl Pro Conceal in Pure Beige 

I've never really been into using concealer, but doing my Masters' Degree means long, and sometimes sleepless nights, and I also experience insomnia therefore under eye darkness is my old friend. This shade matches my complexion perfectly, and covers up any discolouration or darkness beneath the eyes.

Setting Powder:

Undereyes: Sacha Cosmetics Buttercup Loose Powder

Full review is available.
I have nothing bad to say about this powder. Sacha Cosmetics has greatly improved the quality of their products over the years.
This powder is silky, and just beautiful. I use it to set my concealer under my eyes.
Face: Maybelline Fit Me: Matte and Poreless Powder 

Maybelline Fit Me: Matte-Poreless 310 Sun Beige

Soft, blendable and keeps me matte. (Review will be linked below).

Blush:

Milani Powder Blush in Romantic Rose and City Color Cosmetics Be Matte Blush in Papaya

Both of these blushes are matte in finish, they are also very smooth and pigmented, so a little goes a long way. they blend out easily. Both colours are very neutral, and good for everyday wear.
These blushes wear for a full 8 hours.
The City Color Blushes are a lot cheaper than the Milani, they retail for approximately TT$22-TT$25, while the Milani ranges from TT$55-TT$65.

Milani Romantic Rose (left), City Color Cosmetics Papaya (right)

Setting Sprays: Sacha Fix It & L'Oreal Infallible Pro Spray and Set 

My go-to Setting Sprays

Both set my makeup beautifully, and reduces the "cakey" look that powders leave behind. However, the L'oreal truly prolongs the wear of my makeup throughout the day. The Fix It Spray, while it doesn't prolong the wear of my makeup, does a good job at just setting the face. I tend to interchange my use of these products, hence why they're both 2015 favourites.

I don't bronze, contour or highlight my face, therefore I have no favourites for those categories.


Thank you all so much for stopping by!
Next week, I'll be concluding this Best in Beauty 2015 with Lips. I'm also going to be beginning my second semester for my Masters' Degree, and I am anxious.
As always stay happy, healthy, and positive and I will talk to you all soon.

Bye! (^_^)/

Links:
Sacha Mattifier - http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/10/product-review-sacha-cosmetics.html
Maybelline Matte and Poreless (Foundation and Powder) - http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/07/maybelline-fit-me-matte-and-poreless.html
L.A. Girl Pro Conceal -http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/11/product-review-la-girl-pro-conceal-in.html
Sacha Buttercup Powder - http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/10/product-review-sacha-cosmetics_16.html
Setting Sprays - http://jsmindpalace.blogspot.com/2015/07/makeup-battle-royal-4-battle-of-setting.html

Product Empties #2

Hello beautiful! How are you today?  I hope you had a great week.
Today, I decided to post an impromptu product empties blog post because on Monday morning, while prepping my skin for my makeup, I ran out of my favourite face primer, so instead of chucking it in the trash, I put it aside and noticed I had accumulated a few products I've completely used up and figured it's about time for some empties. 
Now, I'm the type of person who usually only uses up a product if I absolutely love it, so these products are definitely favourites, and some I've actually repurchased multiple times, so let's jump right on in.

Makeup Essentials:

Makeup Removers and Face Primer

Absolute! Makeup Cleansing Tissues by Nicka K.
If you wear makeup on a regular basis, you probably go through makeup removing towelettes/makeup remover wipes constantly, because I know I do. I stated using the Absolute! Makeup Cleansing Tissues in October 2013, and I've never ventured to any other makeup removing wipe. These are sold for approximately $28-32TT, which is an absolute steal here in Trinidad, and they do an amazing job removing makeup. My favourite is the one with Pomegranate Extract, mostly because of the scent but there are a couple other varieties to choose from. It comes with 33 tissues and these things do not dry out. They are always wet and they don't dry out the skin or leave any weird residue.
Tip: Always store your wipes face down to keep the moisture from escaping!
I've already started on a new pack of these wipes, and I'm slowly trying to convince myself to give another brand a chance, but for the price and the quantity and quality of this product, I don't think I ever will turn my back on it unless it gets discontinued. 

Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Makeup Remover
I mentioned this a favourites post a while ago, and I can't say enough good things about it. It breaks down waterproof mascara and gel eyeliner like no one's business, all while being super gentle and non-irritating to the eyes. I haven't repurchased this yet, as I am testing out another drugstore brand eye makeup remover, so in a future post I'll do a head to head comparison between the two. I believe this cost me somewhere in the $50-60TT range, I can't remember exactly but to me it's worth the cost to have my extremely sensitive and temperamental eyes pampered by an eye makeup remover (doesn't sound spoilt at all) (-__-")...

e.l.f Mineral Face Primer
I have a severe love/hate relationship with face primers, but if you've been following my blog you know that I am head over heels in love with the face primer. It has been in almost every one of my favourites post! This primer is an absolute staple for me, so imagine how sad I got this past Monday when it decided to run out....(T.T)..WHY?!
I don't have a backup of this in my collection, so I'm holding out until I get a chance to repurchase this by using the Primed and Ready by Prestige, but it doesn't work as well as the e.l.f Mineral Primer. I am planning on trying out some more primers in the future because when you live in Trinidad, or any hot and humid country/region/state, face primer and mattifier is a must to keep your foundation looking flawless.  

Non-Makeup Related Empties:

Yes, really a pack of gum!

Nivea Invisible for Black and White 48hr Anti-Perspirant 
I love black clothing. I hate white anti-perspirant marks all over my black clothing! I also hate sweating profusely because I live in the hot, humid Caribbean...yay island life! Anyways, I bought this on a whim, trying to give myself a bit of a break from the search for my perfect deodorant, and I was pleasantly surprised. It didn't leave any marks on my black clothing (yes!), however, it has a very clean scent to it, and I am not at all a fan of clean scents. Most people love the smell of linen sheets (typical clean scent), I absolutely hate it! The scent, is enough reason for me not to repurchase it but also Degree recently released in Trinidad, their Dry Spray, under their Motion Sense line, which are hands down the best deodorant/antiperspirant I have ever used. It releases more fragrance as you move and sweat, like dude! I can't recall the price, but I'm sure it was somewhere around the $30TT mark, and it is a good product, so if you aren't off put by clean fragrances like I am, I say give it a try.

L'Oreal Youth Code Dark Spot Corrector Serum Concentrate
As a woman with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), I have had horrible acne, which led to serious hyperpigmentation. It made me very uncomfortable, and as a teenager, I never wore makeup, so it was out there for the world to see. When this product came out, I was super skeptical because I had tried multiple fade creams, lightening creams , d.i.y face masks and nothing worked...but this did.  I've been using this every single day for over 2 years and my skin just loves it. My hyperpigmentation has reduced and even after a fresh breakout, it takes less time for the dark marks to fade. I can not sing the praises of this product enough. It holds a hefty price tag $180TT, but to me it is so worth the money. I am planning on trying the day and night creams from this line, as well as a few more from the L'Oreal skin care line, because I tend to change up my skin care regime every 3-6 months, but this serum remains constant.

Trident White
I love chewing gum. It's a good stress reliever and not as dangerous as alcohol (I don't drink!) or smoking (big no for me also). I tend to go for Trident gum more than any other, not because of the whitens teeth claim, there's Crest 3D White for a reason, but because the flavour of the gum tends to last longer and be more subtle than others. Dentyne Ice gum, is a smack to face when you first start chewing but the flavour fades quickly, however, Trident White is like dipping your toe into the pool and the water is just the perfect temperature, so you can just relax and enjoy.

Now I know the gum was pretty random, but what can I say, I felt like putting something weird in this post, so there you go. Anyways, I haven't done any InstaReviews this week, because I'm still in the process of testing some things out and deciding whether to do a full blog post or just a quickie review. Also, my hair is full on purple ombré now, which makes me super happy, and luckily my boss and supervisors have no problem with it! (Yay for working in research!)

Mother's Day at Grandma's

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Stay happy, healthy and positive and I shall see you next Friday!
Bye loves!
(^w^)/

Makeup Battle Royale: Face Primer Edition - e.l.f Mineral Face Primer vs. Prestige Primed and Ready Face Primer

We about to showdown!!

Hey guys, today we will be having another battle royale. If you are new to the blog, hello there, it's nice to meet you! Basically this is were I compare two products, from two different brands and tell you which I prefer of the two. This is my second battle royal the first was about 'drugstore' eyeliner pens,which can be found in my blog archives. 
 Let's get ready to rumble! 

The e.l.f Mineral Face Primer became my favourite face primer late last year, but I kept wondering if I can find something a bit better. Don't get me wrong for an affordable face primer it works amazing well, but since I started my blog, I've felt more incline to test out new things, rather than just sticking with my ride or dies. So for my birthday in December, I went on a little makeup purchasing spree and picked up the Prestige Primed and Ready Face Primer (which came with a free sample size Primed and Ready Eye Primer, that will be reviewed in a future post).
                                                          

Packaging: 
I prefer the packaging of the e.l.f mineral primer over the Prestige. The e.l.f primer comes in a frosted glass bottle while the Prestige's is a hard plastic. The e.l.f primer just looks a lot more expensive and almost higher end, compared to the Prestige. 
The nozzle of the e.l.f primer is slightly wider than the Prestige, so you can get the perfect amount of product with just one pump, whereas the Prestige, one pump isn't enough but two is far too much product.

Cost: 
e.l.f Mineral Face Primer - TT$50-60 
Prestige Primed and Ready - TT$65-70

Prestige (Creamy White) on the Left, elf(transparent) on the Right

Product: 

The Prestige Primer comes out as a creamy white liquid, while the e.l.f is completely clear. They have a similar consistency, both have silicone feel to them and they both blend in smoothly, evening out the complexion.

Effect on the skin: 

e.l.f primer : 

• Blurs pores and any fine lines on the skin
• Keeps skin matte, controls oils well 
• Helps foundation to blend smoothly and evenly 

Prestige Primer: 

• Blurs pores
• Creates a smooth and flawless canvas
• Helps foundations blend in smoothly  

As you probably noticed I didn't mention anything about the Prestige primer it's oil control ability, and that's simply because I still get extremely oily when I wear this primer. Unlike the e.l.f primer which tends to keep my oils at bay for 3-4 hours after application, the Prestige primer only controls my oils for 1-2 hours at most, which sucks! I absolutely love the way my skin looks and feels after applying the Prestige primed and ready but the fact that I still get extremely oily when I wear it, makes me reach for it less than the e.l.f Mineral primer.

However, despite the lack of oil control, I still truly like the Prestige primer and I think for dry to normal skin types, it will be awesome. I will continue to use it but I will have to pair it with a mattifier. 

Results:

Who wins this face primer battle royale?!!!!

e.l.f Mineral Face Primer!!! Go one with your bad self! 

This truly has become my favourite face primer I have ever tried and I will continue to repurchase it. If you're in the market for a face primer but don't want to spend a lot of cash give the e.l.f primer a try. 

That's all from me for now. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a great upcoming week. I can't believe January is finished already (O_O). As usual stay happy, positive and healthy and I will see you Next Friday.

November Favourites!

December is upon us, Christmas is almost here, my birthday is quickly approaching *sighs*, the year 2014 is almost at its end....someone find me a TARDIS ASAP! I don't know why time is in such a rush, slow it down a bit. Anywho, let me stop yammering due to my denial that I'll soon be 23 (o_o) and get on with this November favourites post.

We got a little bit of everything this month, so let's me jump right in! 

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Violet....errrrmerrrgerd!!! It's absolutely beautiful! Quite possibly the best lip product I've ever worn! It's creamy and highly pigmented liquid lipstick and the colour is gorgeous. It is my first purple lip product and it won't be the last. 

Avon Ultra Luxury Lip Liner in Rosebud is a soft, creamy rose colour lip liner which looks beautiful on its own when used to fill in the lips. This past month however, I've been using this liner in conjunction with Wet n Wild's Bare It All lipstick, talk about the perfect my lips but better lip combo!

elf Mineral Face Primer and elf Complexion Brush.

elf may be "cheap" to many but most of their products that I've tried are worth so much more than their price. The elf mineral primer is my Holy Grail primer, beating out both the MAC and Revlon primers I owned previously. It has a silicone texture which I enjoy, often times non-silicone based primers do nothing to smooth out/blur  the appearance of pores. It truly creates a barrier between your skin and your makeup and allows for your foundation to buff out perfectly. It hasn't clogged my pores or caused any breakouts or weird skin reactions, so this primer gets a huge thumbs up. 

elf Complexion Brush is the best multitasking face brush I've used. It's great for applying your setting powder and I also use it to apply my blush. Its bristles are fluffy,soft and slightly tapered so it allows for light application of powder products.

Finally the eye products.

1) L.A Colors Volumzing Mascara in Clear: This bad boy keeps my eyebrow hairs on lock down. It helped to keep my brows in place and smudge proof all day long. 

2) Mini-Sephora Palette: This was given to me as a gift from one of my best friends a few years back and it's become quite a staple in my daily routine. The dark brown eyeshadow is perfect for filling in the eyebrows. The medium mauve shade, smack in the centre of the palette is gorgeous!! My favourite  all over lid colour. My only complaint is the dark blue, it applies beautifully but when blended out it becomes patchy and loses its vibrancy, however when used to set a navy blue liner it stays. 

3) Revlon Photoready Concealer in 005 Medium Deep: I use this strictly to clean up around my eyebrows. It has a creamy consistency and has a medium to full coverage which is perfect for hiding to fine hairs around the brow that just don't want to be plucked. 

4) Avon Big Daring Volume Mascara: hnnnng! This gives my lashes life, it looked fits and volumises and the small bristles get to the whimpiest of lashes and makes them look awesome. I am in love with this mascara. It definitely beats Maybelline The Falsies for me. 

5) Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick in Bad Girl Bronze: Super creamy, blendable but it stays put without an eyeshadow primer...in the Caribbean. I don't know how it stay so well in humid as hell Trinidad, but it did and it blows my mind. It's a quick and easy option if you don't have a lot of time in the morning. 

6) NYX Angled Brush: I've had this brush since I was in secondary school and only now has it fulfilled its purpose. This is my go to brush for filling in my eyebrows. It's thin and sharply angled, so the brows are never too thick or too thin.

7) elf Eyeshadow Brush: This  brush is a tool of beauty. The bristles are soft and packed tightly together allowing for precise application of eyeshadow onto the lid. My go to eyeshadow brush for packing on colour and it's extremely affordable. Highly recommend this brush to everyone, newbie to pro, it is amazing and deserving of all praise. 

This post has come to an end, now excuse me while I go wallow in the fact that soon I'll be 23.....or go play more World of Warcraft!

Please let me know some of your favorites from November in the comments or tweet them to me, links are to the right hand side of the blog. 

Until next time, sty holy, stay healthy and stay positive and I'll talk to you soon.

Byes (^_^)/

Graduation 2014 : BSc. Psychology (Special) w/ Criminology Minor

Friday 24th October 2014 - My UWI Graduation Ceremony

Me!! XD

3 years have come and gone since I first entered The University of The West Indies BSc. Psychology (Special) programme and it was by far one the most stressful  but rewarding experiences of my life. A lot has happened in those 3 years, that helped me grow and become the person am I today. I've made some amazing new friends and reinforced some of my oldest friendships through it all. I'm so grateful for the support of all of my family and friends over the years and I will continue to pursue Psychology til the very end. Clinical Psychology Masters programme I look forward to you in September of 2015, until then....I need a job!

So now that sappiness is over with let's get onto the makeup! I kept the makeup and hair fairly simple, not because I overslept and was running behind time *facepalm* I had one job! 

shameless selfie!

Eyebrows - 

• Milani Powder Single Eyeshadow - Brownstone
• L.A Colors Mascara - Clear 

Eyes - 

• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
•  Beauty Treats 88 Professional Palette - Matte Soft Brown (Crease), Shimmery Light Golden Peach (Lid), Matte White (Under brow and Inner Corner)
• L'Oreal Infallible Lacquer Liner 24 hour- Blackest Black
• Avon Big and Daring Volume Mascara - Blackest Black

Face - 

• elf Mineral Face Primer 
• Milk of Magnesia (Mattifier)
• L'Oreal True Match Foundation - W7 Caramel Beige 
• Tres Belle Cosmetique Rice Powder 
• Avon Ideal Luminous Blush - Antique Rose

Lips - 

• Avon Ultra Luxury Lip liner - Rosebud 
• Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate (Red Packaging) - 107

In the next post I do I will post the pics of the specific products I used since they are all favourites from both the months of September and October. Until next time, stay positive, healthy and happy and I'll talk to you soon. 
Bye (^__^)/

Makeup Haul!!! Collective Haul for June.

My name is Je Line and I am a makeup addict!!! 

I love makeup and especially love buying and trying new products out. Now for a little clarity, I live in Trinidad so most of the drugstore makeup available in the US unfortunately is not available here .....or so I thought. I recently took a trip to Starlite Pharmacy and I won't lie I found my mothership. Elf cosmetics, Rimmel and a few other brands that aren't readily available in Trinidad lined the perimeter of the store....it was love at first sight. 

The eyelashes and eyelash adhesive were purchased at my uncle's variety store. I've never used false lashes before so I didn't want to spend a crap ton of money on them. Each pair cost me $35TT which is cheap here in Trinidad. I'm very excited to try these bad boys out! They are by the brand Sassi.

Sassi America Eyelashes

Next the products I picked up at Starlite.

I've been wanting the Real Techniques Fine Liner brush for ages and I'm super happy that I was finally able to get my hands on it! I also picked up some elf (eyeslipsface)products, the elf Complexion Brush, elf Cream Liner in Plum Purple and elf Single Eyeshadow in Wild Wheat.

elf Complexion Brush and Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush

elf Cream Liner in Plum Purple

elf Single Eyeshadow- Wild Wheat

Rimmel is finally being imported to Trinidad so I managed to pick up my second Rimmel by Kate lipstick. This shade number of this lipstick is 107.

Rimmel Kate Moss 107

Last but not least, I picked up a Prestige Single Eyeshadow in the shade Golden Retriever. I've heard it's a dupe for MAC's Goldmine but I'm not 100% sure about that.

Prestige Eyeshadow in Golden Retriever

I found some Rimmel products on a random day out with my parents. Seeing that I already own a couple of the Kate Moss lipsticks I decided I would try some of their eye pencils to see how they work.

Rimmel Eye Pencils

Rimmel Scadaleyes Eyeshadow Crayon in 003 Bad Girl Bronze

Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in 230 Deep Ocean
and
Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Liner Pencil in 071 Pure White

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my blog, hopefully I don't get too caught up in the World Cup and post things more regularly but until we meet again stay positive, stay happy and I'll speak to you soon. :)