I have to admit, I don't actually remember the last time I bought a pressed powder that wasn't one of those really finely-milled, super lightweight, translucent powders to set my undereye concealer. Over this past summer, though, as I pretty much entirely stopped wearing foundation and instead just used a very lightly tinted sunscreen, I wanted to find a powder that would add a bare bit of coverage and give me a really smooth, slightly blurred look. I don't actually remember whose review I saw of the Covergirl Clean Fresh Healthy Look Pressed Powder on Youtube, but it inspired me to pick it up and give it a go. 

Keep reading for more!

If there was one drugstore release that I think sent everyone spinning recently, I'd say it's definitely the Wet N Wild Photofocus Collection of complexion products. With the cost of drugstore foundations seeming to be ever crawling higher, truly affordable foundations from the drugstore are starting to be like unicorns - if unicorns came in a limited shade range and were always sold out! I was thrilled when I found out that we were going to be getting these in Canada and literally stalked my local Superstore waiting for the new display to be put out - and then went mad with power grabbing everything literally 2 hours after it did.

Anyway, for my thoughts on these products, keep reading!

Hey guys! I'm super excited for this year's favorites posts - which is why I skipped monthly favorites this month and went straight to working on my yearly favorites. I decided to go with a High/Low kind of a favorites this year, choosing a high end favorite and a drugstore favorite in each category. I really sat down and thought about what I've really been loving, what stands above other things in my collection, and what I would give my recommendation to without question for this list of favorites. Some of these products are quite new to me and some have been staples in my collection for ages.

Without further rambling, let's start with Part 1 of my 2016 Favorites - Complexion Products!

So, you guys know that I lovelovelove VICHY skin care products. I find that my skin really loves them and I always like how my skin looks and feels while I'm using them. Because of my love for the brand, it'll be no surprise to anyone that I pretty much lost it when I first saw the display of the new VICHY Teint Idéel makeup products at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. I went mad with swatching power and instantly wanted to try everything. Luckily, I got the chance to try almost all of the products through PR and I've been testing them consistently to get a solid opinion on all of them. The first one I wanted to talk about is the VICHY Teint Idéal Illuminating Powder Foundation* and - SPOILERS! - I'm obsessed with it.

Keep reading for more!

First off, I'd like to apologize for my absence from blogging for the past week or so. The end of October seems to be crazy at work every year, and this time around I had the added bonus of an iPhone in the toilet situation that has rendered me somewhat flustered. But here I am, my phone seems to be functioning as well as can be expected after a swim and three days hanging out a pantyhole foot inside a bag of rice and I've got a review that actually seems somewhat timely. It always seems like times of stress are times where I need a little midday powder pick me up to make me seem less shiny and out of my mind. 

This product actually came recommended to me by a friend to whom I'm usually the one giving recommendations. She and I both share a love for all things Essence, so whenever one of us finds a real winner product from the line before the other it has to get the nod. I picked this up a couple of weeks ago now and I've been putting it to the test pretty vigorously. 

Keep reading for my thoughts...