In this week's installment of Laine has no self control, I make a completely unnecessary trip to the Toronto Glossier Pop-Up and spend all my money. I could literally be heard saying "I'm not really that into Glossier" right before voluntarily walking into the store and buying things. Multiple witnesses can attest to Sandra telling me "you probably won't get much use out of that" as I pay for Cloud Paint. But as it turns out, these products are all really good so here's my review.

Moisturizing Moon Mask:


I had just finished up my Laneige Multiberry Yogurt Repairing Mask so I was looking for a new moisturizing mask. I have combination skin that gets really dry and flaky in some areas so I like to do a moisturizing mask every week or so. This is a pretty standard rinse-off mask with a creamy texture. I really like this and I do feel that it makes my skin more moist even the morning after using it. It also has some ingredients I'm pretty into:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Dimethicone, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Urea, Butylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Squalane, Tropaeolum Majus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Cyclohexasiloxane, Mel/Honey/Miel, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Benzophenone-4, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Betaine, Polysorbate 60, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Beta-Glucan, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Hyaluronic Acid (from Glossier)

I really like urea in my moisturizing products because I feel like it makes my skin moist over time, not just right after applying. I also like that it has a lot of oils in it. Hyaluronic acid is the last ingredient on the list so there isn't much of it in there but it's still an ingredient I'm a fan of. Do note that "moon" is not one of the ingredients. Overall, I'm really liking this mask.

Lip Gloss:


I initially wasn't going to get this because it's literally just a clear lip gloss but guess who was sucked into the marketing? This girl! I'm glad I got it because I actually really like this gloss formula but let's be real, it's just clear lip gloss. In cute packaging though. The formula reminds me a lot of the Buxom Lip Creams, which is my favorite lip gloss formula of all time so I aint mad at this.

Cloud Paint in Beam:


This was another impulse purchase since I don't usually use cream blushes. I'm always afraid of cream blushes looking oily or breaking me out. But I kept swatching these and they were just too pretty to pass up. I feel like 2017 is going to be the year I embrace the dewy, glowy look so I'm going all in. Glossier calls these a "gel-cream" and I totally agree. My issue with traditional cream blushes is that they usually come in a pot that you have to stick your finger into and they tend to be a solid hard cream texture. The Cloud Paint comes in an adorable squeeze tube that is way more sanitary and also has a very light texture. It is super easy to blend out and doesn't look patchy on the cheeks at all. I've used it with both a sponge and my fingers and it works well with both. It gives a nice dewy "blushing from within" look. It can look very natural or be built up for a more intense look. I've also used it on my eyelids and it looks great that way too and did not crease. The formula does dry down to a natural matte finish and doesn't smudge once dried. Here are some swatches:


The lighter swatch is what it looks like when you use a little bit and really blend it out. The more intense swatch is less blending and more product. Beam is a perfect "in between pink and orange" shade. I guess this is called coral?? It has a white base so it has a pastel look to it.

And that about sums my Glossier review. I wasn't into Glossier before but I really enjoy all 3 of the products I tried so I'm definitely keeping an eye out for when they permanently come to Toronto. They were also giving out cute stickers and a tote bag with every purchase:


Tune in again next week to see just how little self control I have when I review Fenty Beauty products lol.

I've been interested in Deciem's various brands and products ever since their stores started popping up in Toronto so I'm super excited to finally be testing my first Hylamide product! Recently I saw that this primer was on sale because it had won some award for best primer so I decided it was the perfect time to try it. I'm not a regular primer wearer because I haven't found one that I really like yet and unfortunately, I don't love this one either.


This product is called a "prismatic blurring surface hydrator" but from what I can tell and what the sales rep in the store said, it's essentially just a pore blurring foundation primer. The texture is the standard silicone-y primer feeling that dries to a powdery finish.

The directions on the back say: Apply under or over liquid foundation. Can also be used without makeup. When I was in the store, the sales rep told me that it can also be mixed in with liquid foundation (this is also stated on their website). The website also says that powder products should be applied on top of the HA Blur.

The Claims (from the Hylamide website):

• Blurs
• Minimizes pores
• Hydrates
• Plumps 

The unique feature of this primer is that it uses hyaluronic acid powder as the blurring agent. This is supposed to make it compatible with all skin types (even dry skin) and all makeup. But note that this primer still has a lot of silicones in it, and in my opinion behaves similarly to other silicone primers.

Before I get into the review, I should mention that my skin is combination and sensitive. I get oily throughout the day but I also have dry patches around my nose and on my cheeks. This makes it hard for me to find face products that work because they need to be mattifying enough to control oil but also hydrating enough to not emphasize my dry spots.

I first decided to test this out on its own, without using any makeup. Here is a before and after:

Before HA Blur. I only have moisturizer on.

After HA Blur.

In my opinion, this primer didn't blur or minimize the appearance of my pores. But it did mattify and smooth out my skin. You can see that in the after picture, my nose and cheek is less shiny. When skin is matte, skin can look less textured and pores can look less noticeable. I do think the primer is hydrating and did a good job smoothing over dry spots. I've used it several times on its own and I do like the effect it gives and it feels nice on the skin.

Unfortunately, this product is all downhill from here. After liking it on its own, I decided to test it mixed with and under foundation. I didn't test it over foundation because I would never rub another product on top of my foundation since that would move the makeup around and make it look patchy. 

I mixed it with the Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation, which is one of the foundations I use regularly. I apply all foundations with a beauty blender type sponge because I find that fingers or brushes always leave streaks and emphasize dry areas. 

HA Blur mixed with Kat Von D foundation.

This is what it looked like after I had mixed it. As you can see, the primer gave the liquid foundation a mousse-like texture. I applied it with a damp sponge like I normally would and here are the results:


The first thing I noticed is that this primer emphasized the dry spots on my cheek. It kind of clumped up around these areas and made my foundation look very patchy. The primer mixed in also made my foundation very hard to apply because it would stick to the sponge but not transfer onto my skin. It looked ok from a normal distance but it looked significantly worse than just using the foundation on its own.

Next I decided to use it under my foundation like a traditional primer. I am using the Kat Von D foundation here as well. 




As you can see, it was a disaster. The primer under my foundation made my skin look incredibly dry and the makeup clung to every bit of dry skin. It looked especially bad around my nose and upper lip. These pictures were taken after a lot of blending and trying my best to make it work.

As a reference, this is what my foundation usually looks like without any primers:


In conclusion, I like the HA Blur when used on its own. It mattifies and smooths skin without making it feel dry. But I hate the way the product works when mixed with or used under foundation. It made my foundation look patchy and clumpy and emphasized dryness. This primer might work better with other foundations or with a different skin type but personally it did not work for me.

If you've ever wondered what's in my makeup bag, I'm going to tell you! I hate packing and the most stressful part of packing is always packing my makeup/skincare bag. Because I hate checking in luggage, I never do it. So that means anything liquid I carry must be 100ml or less. And of course, most of my regular skin care is 118ml. Of course. 

When I pack, my goal is always to pack as little as possible. I would like to think that I am a light packer but there are some things I just need, you feel me?


After much deliberation, these are the products I have deemed essential. Since I'm going somewhere tropical (AKA hot as all hell), I don't plan on wearing much makeup. But I still have to be prepared in case I need to look attractive.

The Makeup Lineup:

• Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette
• Makeup Forever Mat Velvet Foundation 
• Essence I <3 Stage Eyeshadow Primer 
• Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara
• Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss Mini
• Marcelle Translucent Loose Powder (in the Shiseido jar) 
• Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade 
• Kat Von D Tattoo Liner Mini
• Smashbox Lipstick Mini
• Makeup Forever Lipstick Mini
• Essence Silky Touch Blush 

I've traveled with most of these items before and they are my most trusted so they made the cut. The Maybelline palette is nice because it's neutral and has both mattes and shimmers. The foundation is very long-wearing and works well for my skin and dipbrow is my lifeblood.


The Skincare Lineup:

• Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion 
• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser  
• Coppertone Clearly Sheer Face Sunscreen SPF 50 
• Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water 

I was initially going to put my regular skincare in little travel containers but then I went to Walmart and they had these Cetaphil minis so I decided to try them out. I've tested them and they are very similar to the Cerave cleanser and moisturizer that I normally use so this saves me the trouble.

Sunscreen is absolutely essential, especially when traveling somewhere hot and sunny. Some face makeup does have SPF but it's not enough because you don't apply nearly enough makeup for the SPF to be effective. So make sure to pack a dedicated face sunscreen. I've been using this one for a few weeks and I like it. It's matte, smells nice, and doesn't make my face too oily throughout the day.

Micellar water is one of the best things to have ever happened to my skincare routine. I use it to cleanse, tone, remove makeup, do my taxes, etc. It's such a good multi-tasker. Some products that claim to do more than 1 thing actually suck at doing all the things but this is a true do-it-all product. I highly recommend. I don't think the Bioderma one is better than the cheaper options but Shopper's Drug Mart sells these mini Biodermas so it's great for travel.

Tips for packing your travel makeup bag:

• Pack only what you will actually use every day/night; skip the weekly treatments or extra unnecessary stuff.
• Pack products that you trust. This is not the time to test out new products that may not work for you.
• Go to Sephora or the drug store and see if you can find mini versions of products you use. Sephora, Shopper's Drug Mart, and Walmart have a ton of makeup and skincare minis that will make your life so much easier. 
• Only pack products with secure packaging. The last thing you need is your lotion or loose powder exploding all over your bag. 
• For makeup applicators, try to bring small compact travel brushes or one-time use sponges. This way you don't have to worry about washing brushes. 

Happy traveling!

My Sephora haul: House of Lashes clear lash glue, Tweezerman mini tweezers, Kat von D lock it foundation

Recently I got to go to my first ever Sephora VIB Rouge event and I figured I would share my experience. The best part of this whole thing was the fact that I didn't need to spend $1000 in a calendar year to go because I went as a friend's plus 1 (shout out to Sandra for hooking me up). I sincerely hope that I never make VIB Rouge because I already have a problem.

The event was basically a private shopping event. So they closed the store to the public and we got 2 hours to shop. If you spend $50 or more, you get a free makeup pouch with a ton of samples in it. I really wanted this pouch so I convinced myself that I needed $50 worth of makeup. It was very easy to convince myself. I ended up getting the Kat von D Lock it foundation, some mini tweezers, and lash glue. Praying to the good lord that the foundation is a good shade match for me because I somehow ended up with 5 foundations that don't match me.

Goodie bag: Bite mirror and amuse bouche lipstick in fig, Boscia luminizing black mask, NARS audacious mascara, Kat von D tattoo liner in trooper, Smashbox lipstick in legendary, Drunk Elephant virgin marula facial oil, Atelier Cologne citron d'erable cologne, Clean reserve parfum (not pictured)

I'm really glad I bought stuff and got the bag. The bag itself is really cute; it's red fake leather with a black pom pom and it says "Sephora VIB Rouge" on the front. The bag is actually quite big and totally usable. A lot of the times free samples are kinda boring but I think these are pretty good. A lot of these products are ones that I've heard a lot about and have been wanting to try. I cashed out around 1 hour into the event but it looked like they still had a lot of these bags left so I'm not sure if running out would be a problem. Since it's an RSVP event, I'm assuming they would have enough bags for everyone.

They also had these fancy individually boxed cake pops and bottled drinks, which was cute. There was also an Instagram contest you could enter for a chance to win 6 new products from various brands. I never win contests but I entered anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Other samples: Lancome genifique concentrate, Smashbox studio eyes primer and full exposure mascara, Living Proof perfect hair day overnight perfector, Make Up For Ever aqua lip liner in 2C, Glam Glow volcasmic matte glow moisturizer, Burberry black parfum

In addition to the free samples in the goodie bag, they were also giving away a ton of other free samples that you could get without buying anything. Employees walked around with trays full of samples that you could just take. They also put samples in your bag at check out if you buy stuff. There were a ton of different samples and I didn't get all of them but I'm really happy with the ones I did get. I really wanted to try that Glam Glow moisturizer so I'm really glad I got that. 

From left to right: Kat von D tattoo liner in trooper, Make Up For Ever aqua lip liner in 2C, Smashbox be legendary lipstick in legendary, Bite amuse bouche lipstick in fig

Overall, I really enjoyed this event and I would definitely recommend going if you get an invite (or if you can convince your cool friends to waste their plus 1 on you lol). I think the samples are completely worth spending $50 for if you already needed things from Sephora anyway. And let's be real, you always need something from Sephora.