“A mouth without lip gloss is like a cake without frosting!”
Happy Thursday friends & welcome to Chapter 4 of the COVID Chronicles!
With only 1 day left until the weekend, I’d usually be much more excited to spend some time at home, doing whatever my little heart desires. Anyone else find that their excitement for the weekend has … died…or dwindled at the very least?! Oh so instead of being stuck at home Monday – Friday, now I can be stuck at home for 2 MORE days!? SUPER!! I’m going to have to start getting creative as I’ve taken next week off of work… so I mean, the possibilities are endless! Perhaps I’ll take a wine tour …
Anyways, let’s get started with today’s post!
Pigmented, deliciously scented, comfortable on the lips, hydrating…OOYOO Beauty!
That’s right friends, today we’re talking GLOSSES!
During one of my pre-pandemic scrolls through Instagram (talk about a simpler time) I stumbled upon a brand I’d never heard of. I think I had commented on a post, saying how gorgeous one of their shades were because within minutes, Jessica had slid into my DM’s.
Who is this Jessica I speak of? Only the daughter + total #bossbabe in the Mother-Daughter duo behind the Toronto based beauty brand, OOYOO Beauty!
If you haven’t heard of them just yet, don’t worry, you will be VERY soon as they’re turning heads with their new makeup line which is currently filled with the most gorgeous lipsticks and glosses. I’ll let you in on a little secret, they’re expanding their range of products so stay tuned (eek I’m so excited!!).
As I was saying, after spending a few days going back and forth talking about our shared love of all things beauty, she asked if I would be interested in trying out a few of their glosses. I mean….I could have practically jumped through my little Apple screen to hug her, i was SO excited.
Now before we jump right into the glosses, let’s chat about OOYOO Beauty!
about the brand
Prepare to have your mind blown friends! Norma (the Mom in this Mother/Daughter powerhouse) founded Mendocino and M Boutique which I know so many of you are familiar with! I mean, I’ve been known to dabble in M Boutique over the last few years.
P.S. Jessica did let me know that OOYOO Beauty (pronounced “ew-yoo”) is being sold at their M Boutiques, so once the world re-opens, it’s definitely something you’ll wanna check out. In the meantime, stay tuned for the end of this post because I might have a little discount code for you so you can get your own OOYOO Beauty glosses RIGHT NOW! Anyways, more about that later.
Where was I?! Okay, so Norma Caron is a pretty big deal! With these boutiques flourishing since 1987, she knows a thing or two about the fashion world and what women want!
“Daughter, Jessica Kaplan, joined Norma over ten years ago and together, they worked with their teams to learn and change with the fashion marketplace. Mendocino and M Boutique still remains one of the only Canadian-owned, multi-brand boutiques in the city of Toronto. With Jessica’s passion for fashion and helping women feel their best, she completed her Medical Skin Care Therapist Certificate at George Brown College. Armed with the experience from Mendocino, and skin care education, Jessica and Norma have seamlessly come together sharing a love of beauty and experience in the fashion industry, to start OOYOO beauty. Their goal, to provide an easy to wear lip colour for all, no matter what stage of life, where you live, or where you’re going”.
I’ve been trying to be much more mindful in my shopping habits + spending. I mean, as much as I love a Marc Jacobs gloss or one from NARS, what OOYOO Beauty offers far exceeds anything that I’m purchasing from a big name brand.
I mean, they’re…..
1) Canadian owned (that’s right, these products are formulated + produced in Toronto, ON)
2) FEMALE owned
3) Cruelty Free!
4) Paraben Free
Now get ready for this…
5) OOYOO Beauty believes in giving back and helping the environment wherever + whenever they can. For that reason, they donate a portion of their sales to Ocean Wise (whose mission is to inspire the global community by increasing its understanding, wondering and appreciation for our oceans).
Honestly, find me another brand like this one! I can’t think of another company that parallels it with the incredible quality, mission and customer service that these ladies offer. Not to mention, I would feel SO much better handing over my money to a company like this!
Okay, so now that we’re all totally obsessed with these two women + their brand, let’s talk gloss, because they’re about to make all of your glossy dreams come true!
the glosses
As the self-proclaimed lip gloss aficionado that I am, I know a thing or 2 about all things gloss! All it took was one swipe of these glosses across my lips to know that it was love.
Now, when I think of the perfect gloss, I have a pretty specific set of requirements that they must meet if they’re going to come home with me!
I want one that’s …
COMFORTABLE
That’s right, you best believe I’m not lathering my lips with some sticky, tacky gloss that feels like I’m dragging a glue stick across my mouth! I want one that’s got the most perfect, glossy consistency (not one that’s oily or super thick).
MOISTURIZING & HYDRATING
As someone who takes VERY good care of her plumped pout, I need all of my lip products to provide some kind of hydration to my lips. One that’s going to fill in any little fine lines and make them look even more succulent than they already do (haha – yes I love lips). So, if a gloss is going to suck the living day lights out of these bad boys, get the *BEEP* away from me!
SMELLS YUMMY
Now, personally, I love a scented gloss. If it smells like a slice of birthday cake, sign me up! If it smells like peppermint, I’m also IN! Beyond those two tasty scents, I’m not opposed to a scented lippie in general. I mean, I’m not into anything chemically smelling (but then again who is) and while the L’Oreal lippies remind me of the old school lipsticks my Grandma used to use…there’s such thing as TOO MUCH of a good thing. So all scents in moderation…unless it smells like a delicious vanilla birthday cake in which case I want that cake all over my lips.
STAYING POWER
Your girl does NOT want to have to keep reapplying a gloss every 5 minutes. Yes, I have the time for it now (#quarantinelife) but let’s be real, my arms are too busy stirring my Dalgona coffee, I don’t have time for both (If you missed that post, 1) WHY?! and 2) click here haha).
Those seem like reasonable requirements for a gloss right?! It’s not like I’m expecting them to sing and dance for me, although I would appreciate it these days, cause I’m hella bored (eww did I actually just say that?! haha)
ANNNNNYWAYS, when I find a product that checks off ALL of these boxes, you best believe I’m obsessed!
So, here’s what OOYOO Beauty currently has in their product range….
4 liquid lipsticks
4 lip glosses
1 lipstick
**As I mentioned, Jessica SO kindly sent me 4 glosses to try (seriously, THANK YOU!). Now, while these magical glosses were gifted to me, the opinions in this little review are 100% honest and my own!**
Okay, the first gloss outta the gate is #000 which is this gorgeous clear gloss. This one provides the perfect amount of shine, making the lips look wet + super juicy if you ask me. This one is going to be perfect for those no-makeup makeup days (which let’s be real, are all day, every day now) and would even be perfect to slather on on my way to Orange Theory (your girl can’t workout with naked lips).
The second gloss I had the honor + privilege of swiping across my lips is #006. OOYOO Beauty describes it as being a translucent + pearlescent gloss with a hint of shimmer. Please note that I’d like to include alllll of the heart eyed emojis next to this one. I definitely think this gloss is gonna be my go to summer gloss. A tan + #006 = bronzed goddess perfection!
Gloss three has my name written all over it as I’ve been known to have a lip collection ONLY containing mauve-y nudes. #002 is definitely that! It’s the perfect “my lips but better” shade and is the perfect day to night (office to night out) shade. It’s described as being a sheer but still there neutral pink-brown. And I’m obsessed!
The fourth and final product that OOYOO sent me is this gorgeous liquid lipstick. The shade #100 is the perfect, classic blue red shade that is guaranteed to suit all skin tones. Now, I’ll be honest, I don’t love liquid lipsticks. While they’re totally gorgeous in their little tubes, 5 seconds on the lips and I’m tapping out. In general, they’re drying and leave my lips looking less than plump…which let’s be real, is my own personal nightmare.
All of that aside, the shade is gorgeous!
final thoughts
Now, these glosses are thicker than a lot of other ones I’ve tried but I have to say, they’re thick but not in an uncomfortable way. You know that it’s there, but you don’t hate it. It also means that they’re staying put! I wear these glosses and it’s about 2 hours before I have to reapply (and you know I’ve been drinking ALL of the drinks in those 2 hours).
Now, let’s talk about coverage. In those swatches above, that’s after ONE.friggen.swipe! That’s right, one slick across the lips and you’re all set for the day (or at least the next few hours).
These glosses also take moisture + hydration to a whole new level. They’re infused with essential fatty acids, antioxidants, avocado oil, vitamin E, jojoba oil AND sweet almond oil! My OH MY!
Now, let’s talk about that smell. Yes, as I’m typing this I’m holding it up to my nose because I want to describe it as accurately as I can… I need to do this scent justice. It smells like a vanilla-y, caramelly pound cake. Some of you might be happy to know that once you apply these glosses to the lips, the scent seems to disappear. So for those of you who aren’t a fan of scented glosses, trust me when I say they might as well be unscented because you won’t be able to smell them once they’re on.
When I say that these glosses have made their way to being one of my top 5 FAV glosses, I mean it. If I liked liquid lipsticks I’m sure I’d be as enthusiastic about that one as well, however I just don’t like how they feel on my lips. Out of the 4 shades that I was sent, #002 + #006 will follow me around until they’re empty. And once that happens, you best believe I’ll be reordering them!
AND speaking of reordering, I hope you’re sitting down for this!
OOYOO Beauty has been SO kind to provide you all with a coupon code that’ll get you 20% off of your purchase! That’s right, head over to the OOYOO Beauty website (click here) and use code “THANKS20” for 20% off! These ladies are SO busy fulfilling orders so just give them time to send you your goodies!
And there you have it friends, Chapter 4 of 7 for this weeks COVID Chronicles! I have to say, once this week is over I’m going to have to come up with another little series to do because this has been so much fun!
What are your plans for the weekend? Perhaps also partaking in a little wine tour? haha
Thanks so much for stopping by & I’ll see you all tomorrow for another Chapter!
Stay safe,
xo