Tea & Topaz

A few months back, I blogged about an Essence blush . Today I thought I would share a new beauty favourite with you, which happens to be another Essence product.   Essence is without a doubt the most affordable drugstore line at my local Shoppers Drug Mart, with products ranging from about $1.99 to $5.99. The product range almost looks a bit juvenile due to the packaging (and its low price),which may make it seem like not a serious cosmetics line. However, the Essence products that I've tried are among the best drugstore products I own, and definitely rival products from Revlon and Loreal, the "high-end" brands of the drugstore. Their I Love Extreme Volume Mascara and Gel Eyeliner are cult beauty favourites. I recently picked up Essence Lipstick in All About Cupcake and Like a Lady for $2.49 each. All About Cupcake is a cool toned pinky nude while Like a Lady is a cool toned dark pink. Like a Lady is not on Essence's website, which makes me think t...

Physicians Formula isn't the most popular drugstore makeup brand by any means, so today I am devoting this post to their Talc-Free Mineral Correcting Powder . This little gem has been one of my go-to products for years. This product seems to be completely one of a kind as I'm not aware of anything similar, either drugstore or high end. Physicians Formula describes this products as a 3-in-1 corrector, primer and powder that "colour corrects the most common skin imperfections, smoothes skin texture and evens out skin tone." It is available in four shades, Translucent, Creamy Natural, Buff Beige and Natural Beige, and it costs $19.99. Each shade combines yellow, pink, green and beige coloured powders. Yellow cancels out purple/blue under eye circles on olive skin tones, pink highlights and cancels out purple/blue under eye circles on fair and light skin tones, and green cancels out redness. I use this powder as a primer. Every liquid primer that I've ...

Today I wanted to share with you a blush that I picked up over the weekend from Shoppers Drug Mart. If you're not familiar with Essence , it is a super affordable makeup brand that has excellent pigmentation and lasting power. This blush is part of the Kalinka Beauty Collection. It comes in one shade only, East Side Story, which is a gorgeous and highly pigmented coral colour. According to Essence's website , this collection was only available during March 2014. However, the Shoppers location that I visited (which is a very busy location in a busy Toronto neighbourhood) had a full display case. Hopefully you can find this product! It is worth buying just for the adorable packaging! Essence Kalinka Beauty Blush in 01 East Side Story, $3.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada, and Ulta, Walgreens and Fred Meyer in the USA

Today I wanted to share with you my latest and greatest drugstore find. Kit Detoxifying Mask is nothing short of amazing. I picked up a few packages of this mask last week at Rexall (sorry international friends, but it seems that this product is only available in Canada! I will update this post if I find a suitable substitute for you) having never tried it before. I was quite excited to try a skin care product that contains algae extract as  algae is known to fight free radicals, inflammation and blemishes . I am so happy that I gave this product a try! When you apply the mask, you will feel a tingling sensation, which is due to the algae extract detoxifying the skin. After you remove it, you will notice that your skin looks brighter and instantly refreshed. This mask is extremely affordable at $1.99 per package! I am finding that one package provides enough product for two applications.  Kit Detoxifying Mask, $1.99 at Rexall chain drugstores