fifteen years of the creation of beauty is art.

Fifteen years. That is not a milestone that crossed my mind when the creation of beauty is art. first launched. I didn't know if this blog would last a week, a month, or a year. I didn't know if anyone would read the words that I wrote or even care about the topics that interested me. There were so many unknowns. It all started during a transitional time in my life, when I was shifting from being a student to looking for employment in my field. There was a lot of uncertainty at that time, but this blog provided me with structure. It gave me an opportunity to write about all of the things that inspired me. It gave me purpose.

shop my stash: warm summer makeup look

Summer makeup looks tend to fall into two categories: bright and colourful or warm and bronze. I normally let my mood decide which one wins out. Recently, it was a warm and bronze makeup look that seemed most appropriate. There were certain eyeshadows that seemed to be calling to me and there were certain lip and cheek products that felt just right. The end result? A new shop my stash post here on the creation of beauty is art. It is time to check out a warm summer makeup look. 

four mini mascara reviews (mascara discovery collection)

Mascara is the ultimate finishing touch. It can add a little extra drama to the lashes, with lots of length and volume. However, not all mascaras are created equally. Some are bold and others are lackluster. Over the last little while, I have been putting some mini versions of popular mascaras to the test as part of the Mascara Discovery Collection. (If you missed that show and tell post, be sure to check it out here.) The set came with eight different mascaras and a voucher for one full sized version. I have been putting them all to the test in order to make my final decision, which will be revealed in a future post. For now, here are the first four mascara reviews, which includes products from Benefit, Yves Saint Laurent, Lancome, and Too Faced.

show and tell: mascara discovery collection

There are many different mascaras on the market. It can be difficult to know what ones work well and what ones fall flat. Over the years, all sorts of mascaras have been tested here on the creation of beauty is art. However, since the discontinuation (or inability to find) The Super Sizer mascara from Cover Girl, my mascara purchases have become more random. Some more recent standouts include Lash Without Limits from Essence and Exhibitionist Uncensored from Cover Girl, but there is no holy grail mascara for me at this point. The Mascara Discovery Collection could change that. During the holiday season, the Mascara Discovery Collection was gifted to me, and it includes eight mini size mascaras and a coupon that can be redeemed for one full size mascara. Essentially, you test out eight mini mascaras, choose the one you like best, and redeem the card for the mascara of your choice. It is a wonderful way to test out many different formulas. Here are all of the mascaras included in the set.

shop my stash: summer inspired makeup look

It is officially the first day of summer. Maybe you have all sorts of exciting summer plans. Or maybe you are simply hoping to get through the season without a sunburn. Wherever you fall, here is hoping the next couple of months will be memorable for all the right reasons. Lately, my focus has been largely on beauty products that I already own, so I went through some of my palettes to find one that had lots of seasonal colours. In the end, it was the 24K Birthday Collection Eyeshadow Palette from Kylie Cosmetics that won out. The eyeshadow palette includes all sorts of warm colours that are ideally suited to the season.

walt disney world week: beauty products i took with me on vacation

It is always hard to know what makeup items to take on a vacation. There need to be tried, tested, and true products on hand...but there also needs to be enough variety available so makeup still feels fun, creative, and expressive. To end this Walt Disney World theme week here on the creation of beauty is art. it seemed only right to highlight the different beauty products that I took with me on my recent vacation. Here it is, from primers to setting spray and everything in between.

too faced: hangover replenishing face primer (review)

It was several months back that the Back to School Beauty Bundle was posted here on the creation of beauty is art. The mini backpack included all sorts of makeup and skin care items...and even a mini Ariana Grande perfume! Over the last little while, these beauty products have been put to the test. That means it is time to start sharing some reviews. This one is dedicated to the Hangover Replenishing Face Primer from Too Faced. This is a brand that I am very familiar with. I have tried all sorts of products from Too Faced over the years and tend to like their cute themes and colours. That being said, this face primer was new to me. Find out how it performs and if a full-sized version will be added to my Sephora cart in the future.

revisited review: too faced let it snow globe set

For many years, the Too Faced holiday releases have been highlights for me. I love makeup in general, but especially love when that makeup has a festive theme. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there will be a Too Faced holiday set in my near future. This year, the theme was okay-ish but the prices are high and the products don't look overly thrilling to me. (An example? The You're a Gem Eye Makeup Set. It just doesn't wow or stand out at all.) Since it will not be a Merry Too Faced Christmas for me this year, it made sense to look back and do a revisited review of the Let It Snow Globes Set that was released in 2023.

wicked theme week: r.e.m. beauty x wicked (ozdust palette)

So, what's the most swankified place in town? That would be the Ozdust Ballroom... It is hard to believe, but this Wicked theme week is coming to a close. What better way to end it than with a review of the new r.e.m. beauty x Wicked release? Clearly, the people in my life are well aware of my Wicked obsession - and my love of Ariana Grande - because my brother gifted me the Ozdust Eyeshadow Palette from r.e.m. beauty for my birthday. It was a thrill to receive. Ready to take a closer look at this themed release? Here is everything you need to know about the r.e.m. beauty x Wicked palette. 

#FOTD: fall inspired makeup look

Fall colours are beautiful. They are warm, soothing, and seem to make the whole world feel a little bit better. Orange, red, yellow, and brown are the most common fall colours, but warm greens are also associated with this time of year. I like to bring fall colours into my home with small decor items (like these coloured pumpkins) and also like to reach for fall inspired beauty products. For this latest #FOTD, the focus was on warm fall inspired colours and products already in my makeup collection.

 

show and tell: back to school beauty bundle

The words "back to school" have not been in my vocabulary for quite some time. Clearly, my student days are well behind me at this point! Despite this, the Back to School Beauty Bundle was seriously tempting. This set came with an assortment of skin care and makeup items all in a cute pink mini backpack. Keep reading to see what is included and what items I can't wait to try.

#FOTD: inspired by shirley partridge

Confession: I have been watching a lot of The Partridge Family lately. This is one of my all-time favourite comfort shows. I have had it on DVD for many years now and seem to come back to it on a semi-regular basis. I love everything about it: the 70s home decor, hair, and clothes, the wacky plots, the family connection, the incredible music, and of course, David Cassidy. While re-watching season one recently, I was especially taken by the makeup worn by Shirley Partridge aka the iconic Shirley Jones. Though the makeup style was fairly similar throughout the series (sometimes there was a little more colour and there were some bolder lines from time to time)....in season one specifically, there was one daytime makeup look that really wowed. It was simple, but still made a statement. Here is a closer look at that daytime makeup look and my own #FOTD recreation.

random things that are making me happy lately.

Life has been a little uneven lately. Truth be told, there have been a handful of stressful events in recent weeks. Like construction on our balcony and a massive apartment repair that will happen in the near future. (Ceiling repair...which means everything in our living room and hallway needs to be packed away and moved into another room for a few days.) There was also a celebration of life that was incredibly difficult. In response to all of this, I have been trying to focus on happy things as much as possible lately. Here are a few of the things that have been making life a little more beautiful in recent weeks.

#FOTD: blue and brown look (feat. disney villains palette)

Some days, a makeup look is inspired by an excellent makeup palette. Other days, a makeup look is created to make the most of a disappointing makeup palette. The latter is what happened most recently. I found an adorably themed Disney Villains Eyeshadow Palette a little while ago and was excited to put it to use. Since coming back from my Walt Disney World vacation, my mind has been focused on all things Disney, so it only made sense to reach for this themed palette. Unfortunately, the quality was not there. In fact, this is one of the worst eyeshadow palettes that I have ever used. The colour story is wonderful. The theme? Perfection. The shadows? Downright terrible. At any rate, I did my best to create a semi-colourful #FOTD.

holiday highlights: too faced popcorn balls bite sized palette

This is always a strange time of year. All of the Christmas decorations are still up in my home (though those will be coming down shortly) and there are all of these hopes, dreams, and resolutions to focus on for the year ahead. I feel a little out of sorts, with one foot back in 2023 and one foot firmly in 2024. So, while I am in this in-between, it only makes sense to focus on a few holiday highlights. These posts are all about seasonal items that were in heavy rotation during the last month or so. One example? The Popcorn Balls Bite-Sized Eyeshadow Palette from Too Faced. This compact, limited edition, holiday themed eyeshadow palette has an adorable theme and eight different eyeshadow shades inside. Ready to find out more? Here goes...

review: too faced let it snow globes three-piece eyeshadow palette

How are you all settling into January so far? It's hard to believe that December is behind us and a new year has arrived. 2023 was not my favourite year ever, so I am currently holding on to hope that 2024 will be much improved. One way to kickstart a shiny new year? Talking about makeup, of course. I mentioned the Let It Snow Globes Three-Piece Eyeshadow Palette Gift Set in a revisited review last month...and now it is finally time to share some thoughts and some seasonal makeup looks. The Let It Snow Globes set has been in my makeup collection for the last few months, but I wanted to make sure there was familiarity with all three palettes before I wrote down my thoughts for a post here on the creation of beauty is art. Ready to take a look at these holiday themed eyeshadows? Find out how each Too Faced palette performed? Keep reading for all of the details. 

revisited review: too faced christmas bake shoppe makeup collection

It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little Too Faced holiday makeup. This year, I was gifted the new Let It Snow Globes Makeup Collection ahead of Christmas, and those mini palettes are currently being put to the test. (Expect a full review of that collection early in the new year. It will be one of my first posts after the holiday festivities.) Something else that has been in heavy rotation lately? The Too Faced holiday release from last year, the Christmas Bake Shoppe Makeup Collection. There were two posts dedicated to that set on the creation of beauty is art. (See them here and here). At the time, those palettes made me very happy indeed. Do they still? It is time for a revisited review of the Christmas Bake Shoppe Makeup Collection. 

warm winter makeup look feat. kylie cosmetics canadian kiss

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful....Is it obvious that I have been listening to Christmas music non-stop recently? Between records, CDs, cassettes, and the radio, something is playing Christmas music at all times. My house is essentially my own personal North Pole at this point. While listening to "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" the idea popped into my head to do an icy winter makeup look and a warm fireplace inspired look to mirror the iconic opening line from the song. Since warm makeup looks are in my comfort zone, it made sense to start there. Especially since I had a couple of lip products from Kylie Cosmetics to put to good use. It is time to feel festive with this seasonal makeup look.

ultimate to-go product: NYX it's a barbie party mini palette

Barbie is always on my mind these days. I have seen The Barbie Movie several times at this point (and would love to see it again but it is probably best that I wait for the eventual DVD release) and am continuing to enjoy all of the various Barbie themed collaborations. Take the NYX x Barbie collection that was released recently. To be honest, every single item in the collection looks fabulous. All of the products are so fun, colourful, and well themed. Though it would be amazing to have it all, ultimately, it was the It's a Barbie Party Mini Palette that was added to my makeup collection. There is so much to love about this teeny tiny travel friendly release. Ready to find out all the details? Here is everything you need to know...

2 looks 1 palette: kvd moongarden vegan eyeshadow palette

I remember hearing about the KVD Moongarden Vegan Eyeshadow Palette when watching a Lauren Mae Beauty video on YouTube. It wasn't a palette that I had seen before then...but it was love at first sight. After all, there was a lot to love. Just look at the stunning design on the front of the palette. Talk about remarkable. There was a similar design on the inside as well, with butterflies, flowers, and crystals all over. This design was so different to anything else that I had seen. It just felt magical. The colour story also excited me. To be honest, the Moongarden Vegan Eyeshadow Palette was something that I did not imagine finding at all, let alone at Winners of all places, but I did, and it was immediately purchased. For just $20 CDN, the palette that had knocked my socks off was finally mine to own. Keep reading for a mini review and two moongarden makeup looks.