Moden Makeup

When I went through that "prove your credit card is yours" process in order to shop on Beauty Bay I asked the guy how possible it was to add a US shipping address to my credit card information. He said it was easy and I could do it right away. Little did I know how handy that would come in shortly.

All beauty lovers know about Sephora. It's the Mothership. Usually I bundle my orders with Sharalee's or enlist T.E.A.M Imports but this toss I wanted to go through the process to experience it.
What a glorious sight!
Sephora, like Nars, doesn't ship to our neck of the woods; and just like Nars they don't even have the option of entering anything other than a US address for your billing information. I called their customer service department about this and the very nice lady seemed shocked that that wasn't even possible. But alas, there was nothing she could do.

Following up with Laparkan, the guy who took my query said there's no fee to get a US mail box; y…

When Heidi said she was getting this for us to try I was elated. As I said in this post I've heard so much about this brand and this product in particular that I was anxious to get my hands on it.


From the website: "What is it? Comprehensive Radiant Cleansing Balm effortlessly dissolves all traces of eye and face makeup.  Includes 1 Muslin Cloth
What is it formulated to do? Clears congested pores, and removes impurities, leaving skin balanced, soft and radiant. Unique blend of Loofah Seed and Moringa Oil improve skin integrity by renewing the outer-layer skin cells while restoring the skin's flexibility and equilibrium during daily cleansing. With continued daily use, skin becomes velvety smooth and more luminous.

Formulated without:
Parabens
SLS/SLES Sulfats
Phthalates
Triclosan
Formaldehyde
PABA
Toluene
Benzene

Additional info you need to know: Youth-restoring Nigella (Blackseed) Oil helps to visibly improve compromised and problematic skin, while precious Marula Oil nourishes an…

Maybe it's the heavy YouTube marketing or maybe it's gluttony...or maybe it's both; but of late the trend in the beauty industry seems to be "you gotta catch them all". Even I have fallen prey to this. Getting numerous shades of one product in order to write an overview post for this blog. Then we wonder why we're always on the hunt for more storage :/ As I grew my blogger legs I got more leery of this trend though: on the one hand; with so many products something really has to impress me and on the other; luckily we now have The Marketplace where we can recoup some costs or swap for something we're really interested in.

This is kindda an anti Stash Status post. There won't be multiple shades in every lipstick range that you want right? Sometimes one is enough.

NYX Nude Matte Shadow 'Dance The Tides'

I'm not the biggest eyeshadow fan so this shouldn't come as a shocker but of the two crease/transition colours that Missy Lynn suggested f…

Disclaimer: do and wear whatever you want.

But that's also the moral of the story.

I don't know who started it: probably the fashion industry; but this whole notion of somethings are only suitable for x season has to be one of the most successful marketing ploys ever. I bet the fashion houses and beauty juggernauts make billions off of it annually.

hayleyhibbard.co.za image
Of course, as it relates to apparel some things are necessary. Coats, gloves and boots are to Winter what flip flops and tanks are to Summer. But who made the rules in the beauty industry? Pastels for Spring. Neons for Summer. Berry lips for Fall and shiny lids for Holidays. Don't get me wrong, I understand the premise of taking cues from nature but are these guidelines or hard-and-fast rules?
Just guidelines. In the Caribbean, we especially shouldn't fall prey to North American trends since we only experience two seasons: hot and hotter. I kid I kid; wet and dry...though Global Warming seems to be s…

Hi Mavenz!!

This topic crossed my mind while I was watching YouTube videos AND rifling through my own cosmetics bag.

Let's say that you have to rush out the door and while you don't have the time to apply your makeup prior to leaving you can do it in the car or when you arrive at the event. So what's in the makeup bag you carry?

Here are some of my essential products and the things I personally like to carry with me. Surprisingly I don't do the whole face in my cosmetics bag BUT for you beauties, you can take ANYTING!

Face primer:


Face primer is not only an essential it's a no brainer. My belief is that if you have your skin prepped and ready i.e. cleansed, toned and moisturized the products will absorb into the skin making the foundation application even more flawless.

This is my favourite primer of all time because it is VERY mattifying, a little goes a long way AND it leaves skin smooth and even, Great skin prep for the assault of the sun and elements. 

Brows: 
I&…

Never heard of Beauty Bay? Don't feel no way; I was clueless too. Until one day I saw Shakila mention something about it on Instagram. What automatically intrigued me is that the website stated: "Free shipping in Barbados on orders over $24".

The site boasts of housing over 200 beauty brands. I saw many that I was familiar with but unlike say Sephora, they don't carry the latest releases. At the time, a BOGOH promotion was happening on Colleen Rothschild products. Beauty vloggers I watch like Lisa and Natalie have been going on and on for months about how great her skincare line is. To say I was intrigued was an understatement. As luck would have it, Heidi had recently watched a 'Get Unready With Me' by Nitraa in which she raved about the now infamous Radiant Cleansing Balm and decided we had to try it for ourselves. Thanks again! All that to say I knew I was getting something from that line for sure.

A brand featured on Beauty Bay that I love is Louise Young…

Online shopping...the blessing and the curse.

Well to be honest I guess the only real curse is getting the products here without paying a liver and a kidney. Usually we wait until someone is travelling and ask them to do us a favour. But suppose you didn't have the time...or patience for that?

Usually I let T.E.A.M Imports or my fellow beauty product junkie Sharalee handle my overseas purchases. I prefer the no fuss option of hearing a final price, paying and getting my items. But recently I decided to go through the process myself to get an idea of what goes on.

First stop was Nars.com. Since my trip to the Bleecker Boutique in April I had my eye on a few things. So I loaded them into my cart and proceeded to check out. Nars doesn't ship internationally so I had to enter a sky box address I have access to as the shipping address. Gone to add my billing address now - which has to be the address on your credit card account - and there is no provision to enter an address outside…

Recently we got a question on The Marketplace page about the sell/swap procedure. The interested party was hoping to shed a very popular liquid lipstick that she had swatched and subsequently realised that she didn't fancy the shade. Unfortunately we don't carry products that have doe foot/wand applicators unless they're brand new. For sanitary reasons, yuh know...

This exchange reminded me of the lip products I'd gotten rid of/passed on not too long ago. As you Mavenz know, I buy a lot of lip products. A lot; whether it's for: overview, comparison, first impression posts or just cause I want to try the formula. So many lip products that I can't possibly keep them all. Lipsticks can easily be sanitized and placed on The Marketplace but I wouldn't feel comfortable passing on a lipgloss or liquid lipstick unless it was to a very close friend.


I try to keep my 'new in' lip products restricted to these two repurposed Bath and Body Works 3 wick candle ja…