L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Fixing and Unifying Eyeshadow Primer

I was a bit confused by this product at first. It seemed weird that it was encased in plastic that you have to sharpen. It's really hard on the sharpener and on the plastic, which doesn't sharpen evenly. This is my major grievance with the product, which would all be fixed if they made it in a twist up/no sharpen format.

I'm really impressed with it as a primer though. For me it's quite long lasting. It gets me through the workday without any smudging, and a few hours after that too. It ends up being my eyeliner that smudges in the end! It works especially well with some creme eyeshadows that I have by CoverGirl- it somehow extends it's staying power.

One thing to watch out for is how fast it dries. It's rather thick to put on (so I wouldn't recommend it for super sensitive eyelids since it pulls a bit) and if I don't blend it immediately it becomes fixed where it is.

Because it's pigmented for colour correction, I don't really understand why there's only one colour option. I might actually go a shade darker if they had it as it seems to lighten up my skin a lot. It does a good job with coverage and evening skin tone though.

Mall Haul: Warm Drinks and Makeup edition

So I went to the mall to poke around and pick up some things, and I thought I would share what found it's way into my bag!

First off, I got distracted by the DAVIDsTEA display entitled "Steepy Hollow". I love Halloween so much and I love seeing all the different tea sets David's Tea put out through the year. The Book of Spells sampler box caught my eye immediately. And of course all of the teas have cute name plays (Forever Guts, Strawberry Boo-Barb Parfait, Banana Nut Dead, Chocolate Macadoom, The Spice is Fright, and Pumpkin Die). Unfortunately there's enough in there that I am "eh" about that I didn't get it, but I did pick up a packet of just the Chocolate Macadoom. I love that most of the featured teas in the box set had their tin on the tea wall done in a cute Halloween cover (which is black with eyes coming out of the dark).

I also picked up some Caramel Rooibos tea, which I feel is a must have for the fall season. It's just so earthy, and has the right mix of sweetness with the caramel! And I needed some new filters. So those got thrown in as well. (I have a metal strainer ball, but I just don't like the idea of having that in my tea as much as the paper filters. Not sure why.)

Then I went to Starbucks. I only went to get a present for my mother, which is the Starbucks' Pike Place instant coffee, because she likes it on the go. I can't wait until they come out with the instant Peppermint Mocha packets! I love having those after a long, cold day. Total de-stressor.

And I was good and resisted getting a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino while I was there! It was hard though. I did give in and get a Chocolate Caramel Pretzel. Starbucks was definitely ahead of the salted caramel trend when they came out with those. They've always been a weakness!

I picked up some more Carnation hot chocolate at the grocer's because I'm full throttle into the hot chocolate time of year. They were out of the tins but the packets were on sale, so I got a variety.

Next I went to Dollarama to get a new shower liner (random, I know), and I somehow ended up with a bunch of eyelashes. Someone had told me a while ago that Dollarama had stated selling eyelashes and while I was there I finally noticed and bought some of the Mariposa (which is Dollarama's makeup brand) false eyelashes. I got two of the more dramatic sets to try out.

I also browsed their Halloween section, and came across their feathered lashes that they come out with every Halloween. I've never actually tried them though, which is surprising considering my love of lashes. So I got a couple of pairs of those to try as well. (As an after thought in line I picked up a pack of those chocolate eyeballs with liquid caramel chocolate filling that only come out at Halloween. You may notice I have a slight addiction to chocolate and caramel...)

Last but not least I visited Shopper's Drug Mart! I went in with a list of things I've been looking for and I got almost everything. I was looking for a liquid matte red lipstick and I ended up with Stila's stay all day liquid lipstick. I also happened to pick up one of the new Le Matte lip colours by L'Oréal Paris. I'm loving all the matte lipsticks right now.

I also needed some red lip liner, so I thought I'd try something by Quo. I thought it was cool that it had the brush on the end. I was looking for brushes too, so besides that one I got the Lise Watier Perfecting Foundation Brush.

I find Shopper's kind of lacking for brushes so I'm obviously going to have to expand my horizons. Although Shopper's does have more of an Urban Decay display now, and their brushes look pretty good. I passed on buying a double ended one today though because I eventually want to own some of the pallets, which include at least one end of the brush I was looking at. (If I got any of the first three Naked palettes and the Naked Smokey pallet, I'd have both ends.)

And I got another eyeliner because I seems to never have enough. This is the intense eyeliner pen by GOSH.

I'll share more of my thoughts and experiences with these products when I test and review them!

L'Oréal Infallible Lacquer Liner

This is a product that I have used almost every day for the past six months. It was given to me by someone who wasn't having a good time with it and so it came a little roughed up and without the brush that is supposed to come with it.

It comes in a little pot and requires a brush for application, so I feel it takes more commitment or involvement. I use a small flat angled brush to apply. It works so much better if I wet the brush first before taking on product. Wiping off excess product on the edge of the pot before applying also helps with cleaner lines. And of course you have to wash the brush after every use because it will dry hard on the brush.

The reason I like it so much is that it is really black and goes on very solidly. It fills in the line quickly and evenly too. I also feel like I have more control over the line, and that I get a cleaner line.

It's downfall is that it doesn't dry well. Even after it sets, it still feels gummy. So I set it with a black shadow and that works perfectly for me. If I combine this and my Benefit Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer, I get a look that stays practically perfect until I wash it off at night, which is awesome.

Swatch of L'Oréal Infallible Lacquer Liner in 171 Blackest Black