Nail Design of the Week: Gold Glitter

Essie "good as gold" 

Essie "rock at the top"

Nail Design of the Week: Snowstorm

Formula X for Sephora "Wham!"

Essie "Dive Bar" 

Sally Hansen "i heart nail art studs kit" 

Fall Nail Polishes

Today I'm posting about my favourite fall nail polish colours. I haven't really been following nail colour trends for the season so I am not sure whether or not these are fashion appropriate-- regardless I am in love with them. I haven't been doing many designs lately (I work at a clothing store and opening the packages of clothing tends to ruin my nails quickly) and instead I've been reaching for these 4 staple colours:

1. OPI's 'Uh-Oh Roll Down the Window'

2.  OPI's 'Get in the Espresso Lane'

3. Essie's 'School of Hard Rocks'

4. Essie's 'Bordeaux'

A little end of the weekend humour...

gimme brow

A couple weeks ago I went with a friend to get her eyebrows waxed. I admitted to my friend and the waxer that I had never had my eyebrows done before-- I always thought they were neat enough to just leave alone. I finally gave in and had my eyebrows done and although there wasn't a huge improvement I definitely liked the new look.

Today I made my first eyebrow product purchase: 'gimme brow' by Beneft. I've only been wearing it for the past couple hours but I am already loving how easy it was to apply and how natural this gel looks. I'd definitely recommend 'gimme brow' for any first time brow product users such as myself!

New ipsy Treats

noyah lipstick in "Deeply in Mauve"

épicé Purifying Exfoliant 

Figs and Rouge Nourishing and Soothing Hand Cream 

skone Tattooed Waterproof Eyeliner 

Cirque nailpolish in "XX"

My Favourite Blogs

I was originally inspired to start writing my own beauty blog just over a year ago after following a couple blogs fairly regularly throughout my time at university. I am going to discuss three of my favourite blogs below-- although I do follow many more, and constantly find new blogs as my interests change and develop.

1. Makeup by TiffanyD was the first beauty blog that I found. I had been searching for makeup looks using my new Naked palette and stumbled across Tiffany's YouTube channel. I quickly became addicted to watching all of her makeup tutorials and looking at all of her outfits on her blog. I love that this blogger uses a range of drug store products as well as very high end makeup. Her taste in clothing also seems to reflect this price range, making it really easy to mimic a lot of the looks that she posts.

2. Lauren Conrad I have been a fan of Lauren Conrad since her days on "The Hills"-- mostly because I thought she had the best fashion sense of all the girls on the show. I still follow Lauren for fashion and hair styles and love how helpful her website's makeup tips are (ex. find the best red lipstick for your skin tone). She even has recipes and home decor advise!

3. Eau de Cafe This isn't a beauty blog (although this blogger also has a nail blog featuring tons of awesome nail designs), but it is still one of my favourite blogs to keep up with. Eau de Cafe features cafes all over Montreal but also in other cities that the blogger travels too; the blog also discusses fragrances that the blogger uses. I have learnt a lot about coffee and found lots of awesome cafes since I started reading this blog (I went to school in Montreal), and would also recommend checking out this blogger's incredible nail designs. 

Nail Design of the Week

This was my first design with the new nails gems I ordered from Etsy. 

Other products used: 

Essie's 'mod square', Nicole by OPI's 'Confetti Fun', Sally Hansen's 'big matte top coat' 

Manna sheer glo shimmer lotion review

When I first received this product in my Ipsy bag I wasn't sure what I would use it at all. I assume that it was a product that is intended to be mixed in with your foundation before application-- which is something I don't need as my MAC foundation has a dewy finish.

One day after I left my makeup behind at a friends house, I was left without a highlighter so I decided to use my new Manna sheer glo shimmer lotion. I squeezed a small amount onto my finger and gently dabbed it onto the top of my cheek bone. The light pinkish tone of the lotion added the subtlest shimmer and tint, and immediately became my new favourite day-to-day highlighter product.

I would not recommend using this product if you are trying to achieve a more dramatic contour/highlight look as it is quite faint-- but I think it is perfect to wear to work (less is more!) I have not seen this product in any stores, but I will definitely be looking hard for it as I am sure my tiny sample will be gone soon. Thanks Ipsy!

Sally Hansen Top Coats

I have recently stumbled upon a pair of AMAZING top coats. The new Sally Hansen 'Big Shiny Top Coat' and 'Big Matte Top Coat'. First off, I've got to say that I love the packaging of these top coats. The packaging is what originally attracted me to the product as I hadn't heard anything about them before.

I don't have tons to say about these top coats other than the 'Big Matte Top Coat' makes any nail polish (that I've used so far) perfectly matte; and the 'Big Shiny Top Coat' makes everything suuuuuuper shiny.

I will be showing some of my matte nail designs in the near future!

My First Ipsy Bag

Sorry this post is coming so late... I guess I've been too busy enjoying my glam bag! My Ipsy bag arrive about 2 weeks ago in a shiny pink package. I love the element of surprise that is involved with the Ipsy glam bags-- subscribers do not know what is in their bag as each one is customized to the buyer.

The glam bag itself is white with orange polka dots on it, which I think is pretty cute!

My ipsy glam bag included the following five items: 

1. Klorane dry shampoo 

2. Manna sheer glo shimmer lotion 

3. Jersey Shore Sun Mongongo anti-aging lip conditioner 

4. Coastal Scents eye shadow sample 

5. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On-Eye Pencil in 'Asphyxia'

As you can see I have misplaced my Urban Decay eye pencil, and I really hope that I find it again soon because I am obsessed with these eyeliners and was really looking forward to using this product in purple. I will be doing individual reviews of each of these products; so far I have used the shimmer lotion, lip balm, and eye shadows and am already VERY impressed.

Nail Design of the Week

Rainbow dotted tips: using my Sephora Formula x 22 nail polishes

Isn't It The Truth...

My Hero: Makeup Setting Spray

I recently had a friend over before a night out, and as I finished applying my makeup I pulled out my MAC Fix+. My friend immediately asked what the product was and if it was worth it to invest in a makeup setting spray. My answer was.... YES.

Aside from my staple makeup products (BB cream and mascara) makeup setting spray is my most used product.  The current spray that I am using is the MAC Fix+, which I've got to say is not my favourite. The product works well, but I hate the application method. In the past I've used the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, which when sprayed applies an even mist across your face. On the other hand the MAC Fix+ does not spray evenly and actually leaves droplets of the product on my face. Once I am finished my bottle of MAC Fix+ I do not plan on re-purchasing, and will return to my original favourite from Urban Decay.  Regardless of the uneven application of the MAC product, I still believe that no makeup look is complete without a spritz of makeup setting spray- why put so much work into a look that may easily sweat or rub off?  

Happy National Lipstick Day!

Obviously one of my favourite days of the year-- I celebrated with one of my best lippies, and I hope you did too! ;)

Tickle Me Pink

Today's post is dedicated to my three favourite pink lipsticks. As you'll soon notice I haven't mentioned any MAC lipsticks. I've decided to take a departure from my usual rave about MAC and chose to instead focus on some other great brands. I own a lot of different shades of pink, but the three that I'm writing about in this post are all quite vibrant and bright. I don't own a lot of nude lipstick and often replace the traditional nude with a lighter pink colour. I'll write about these shades of pink in an upcoming post, but for now let's focus on the brighter side of things (it is summer after all)...

I'll write about the lipsticks from left to right, according to the picture above (they are not placed in any particular order-- just what I could find first). 

Lipstick #1- Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids in 'Shocking Coral'. I was obsessed with this line of lipsticks when it came out last summer. Every YouTube beauty guru that I follow seemed to jump on this new line and I was immediately hooked. I love that this particular shade has a slight tint of orange to it, which I find suits my skin tone. For a drug store lipstick it's actually quite long-lasting which is a fairly nice bonus. 

Lipstick #2- Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in 'Plushest Punch'. This post also seems to be dedicated to lipsticks with VERY LONG names. This pink is much deeper than the last, and is more of a true pink (although in the photo it looks very red). Out of the three lipsticks I am featuring this one was the most expensive, and yet is the shortest lasting.  I would never wear this lipstick out to a meal or even drinks because it rubs off far too easily. That being said I still love this lipstick's colour and how easy it is to apply.  

Lipstick #3- Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Cherish'. I have to admit that I only tried this line because Emma Stone became the spokesmodel... While I do not think this product qualifies as a lipstick because of it's nature as a stain, it is still one of my favourite pinks. I love how long lasting this product is (duh it's a stain) and also its minty taste when it's first applied.  This is perhaps the pinkiest pink that I own and although I do not wear it day to day, I fall in love with it all over again when I do wear it.  

Shellac: A Love/Hate Relationship

I know I joined the Shellac train a little late, but I don't frequently go and get manicures because I find it so much more fun to paint my own nails. I finally decided to try Shellac before my 3 week trip to Europe. Packing clothes and makeup for three weeks was difficult enough without having to choose what nail polishes and remover I wanted to bring, so I thought that having the same permanent colour for the 3 weeks would just be easiest. I immediately preferred getting a Shellac manicure to a regular manicure simply because Shellac nail polish dries instantly-- meaning there is no way that you'll mess up your wet nails when getting into the car 5 minutes after you leave the nail salon.  I also loved how shiny the Shellac manicure was.

This love affair ended after the second week into the trip when my Shellac started to chip. BUT because it was a Shellac manicure I couldn't buy a cheapo remover and take it off-- I would have to wait until I got home for that nightmare. Removing Shellac is perhaps one of the most tedious and horrifying experiences ever. After soaking my nails in remover and filing off the remaining polish, I swore to never again get a Shellac manicure (I didn't think my poor nails could go through that again). Unfortunately, I soon broke this promise when I went for manicures with my best friend for her birthday. Yet again I fell in love with the quick drying and shiny affect of Shellac. But, now that I was home and had access to my full range of nail polishes, I was bored with the colour after one week and wanted to remove it. I sucked it up and continued for another week until I simply could not stand the colour anymore. This time I went to a salon to have my polish removed-- assuming that they would have a better process of removing Shellac. I was VERY wrong. The salon I went to used the same soaking process and used a tool to shave off the remaining polish. My nails looked so sad and demolished after the removal process that I once again swore that I would never get Shellac.... Until the lady doing my nails asked if I was sure I wanted a normal manicure because it would chip easily and I made the rash decision to ONCE AGAIN get Shellac.

I have since removed my last Shellac manicure at home and have returned to the world of regular nail polish. I definitely see the appeal of a manicure that lasts so long for vacations, or women who do not have the time to paint their nails regularly. As for me I love being able to change my nail colour weekly, and do not want to put myself through the Shellac removal process again anytime soon.

Nail Design of the Week: July 24

Stripes and sparkles- inspired by a post on Pinterest! 

Fashion Truck Canada

I just came back from one of the coolest shopping experiences EVER! I'm sure you've all heard of food trucks, but have you ever heard of a fashion truck?

A local Turtle Jacks hosted a Girls Night tonight. This event promised cupcakes, martinis, and a fashion truck! My mom was immediately intrigued and invited my sister and I out for a fun girls evening.

Fashion Truck Canada sells incredibly trendy clothing, accessories, and bags for a super reasonable price. This shop on wheels was created by two super fashionable girls (Ashley and Emily), and carries a range of brands; including WildFox Couture and Free People.  I purchased a blazer, a sweater with leather detailing, a periwinkle blouse, and a graphic tank. I'll feature my pieces in future OOTD posts so you can all see how I choose to style them.

I cannot get over how awesome this truck and its clothing was-- I 150% recommend that you find Fashion Truck Canada on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram to find out where they'll pop up next.

ipsy.com

Hey fellow lovers of all things beauty! I am so excited about today's post! I have just recently signed up for an ipsy.com account. For those of you that haven't heard of ipsy, I'll explain... ipsy.com (and many other websites similar to it) sends subscribers a "Glam Bag" with large-sized samples of beauty products. Before you pay for your membership, you have to complete a quiz that tailors the beauty products you receive each month to your skin tone, eye colour, hair colour, as well as personal style preferences. For example my favourite beauty products are nail polish, lipstick, and mascara-- which I chose in the quiz. ipsy.com allows members to pay on a monthly or yearly basis. I went right ahead and signed up for the yearly (which was $110), because this was a purchase that I've been mulling over for quite a few months.

As I said before there are many other websites like ipsy that offer a similar membership.  I know that other websites are cheaper than this one, but the beauty brands that they send are not as high quality.  ipsy on the other hand sends out brands such as: Urban Decay, Benefit, L'Oreal,  MAC, Bobbi Brown, and SO MANY more. The website also allows members to watch videos advising how to use the products they will receive in each new month's Glam Bag.

I haven't received my first Glam Bag yet, but as soon as I do I'll definitely be posting about all of the goodies inside!!

JOTD- Chandelier Earrings

Couldn't take a decent picture of these while I was wearing them... Got them last night in a haul at Forever 21

Trend I'm Loving...

If it wasn't obvious from all my previous posts: I'M OBSESSED WITH JEWELLERY. A trend that I've spotted frequently on Etsy and Pinterest lately has been slave bracelets. For those of you that don't know what a slave bracelet is, they are bracelets that are connected to a ring by a chain that often has a bead or charm on it. Even the simplest of these bracelets look so awesome and trendy.

My favourite jewellery artist Nic's Knacks has also started making slave bracelets and I recently purchased one for a friend. As soon as she put it on she fell in love with it-- and so did I. I have recently started layering lots of bracelets at a time, and I find that slave bracelets achieve a similar look, but instead of wearing multiple pieces you just have to wear the one. I am particularly fond of slave bracelets with the hamsa hand (like the bracelet on the left) and infinity charms. I don't have one of these pieces yet but I plan on buying one ASAP (and of course featuring it in a JOTD ;).)

JOTD: Spikes ft. Denim

Gold and silver spiked necklace from H&M 

Favourite MAC Lipsticks

I absolutely love MAC lipsticks. I have more lipsticks in my collection than I'd like to admit (waaay too many), but the MAC ones are for sure some of my favourites. I love MAC lipsticks because they look and feel like very high end products- but the price is NOT that of other designer lipsticks. While Chanel lipsticks can be $40 a pop, the MAC lipsticks range from $16-$22.

MAC lipsticks come in a variety of finishes such as Frost, Cremesheen, Matte, Amplified, and Lustre.  I have tried most (but not all) of the finishes and personally prefer the creamier finishes.  I find that Matte lipsticks are too chalky and drag as you apply them, and I prefer the look of a lipstick that has a hint of shine to it.

I have selected my top 3 favourite MAC lipsticks to feature in this post, two of which are Cremesheen and one of which is a Lustre.  The three lipsticks that I have chosen are the shades that I find myself reaching for daily; I love them because they are easy to apply and can be paired with any and all eye makeup.

From left to right: Speed Dial (Cremesheen), Viva Glam V (Lustre), Sunny Seoul (Cremesheen)

Sunny Seoul is a my favourite summer lipstick.  This subtle (yet beautiful) peachy pink lipstick applies very easily and appears slightly shiny on my lips, making it appropriate for day and night wear.  

Speed Dial was given to me as a gift (from a fellow blonde), and matches my skin tone perfectly.  This lipstick is slightly darker than Sunny Seoul, and is a truer pink tone. 

Viva Glam V appears sparkly in the tube, but does not apply rough in any way. It is my favourite day-to-night transition lipstick and is easily my most-used MAC product. 

Anyone else feel this way?

#dreamjob 

Special Post: Nic's Knacks Jewellery

I am constantly looking for unique jewellery pieces to add character to all of my outfits. Luckily, I happen to work 4 floors above an amazingly talented jewellery artist who allows me to custom design any and all bling that I want. Nic's Knacks offers a full range of jewellery including: necklaces, earrings and slave bracelets. While my co-worker is still busy working away to add more photos of all of her creations, her startup Pinterest page has a sample of what she has made (and sold) so far.

I fell in love with her designs after she wore an adorable tea themed necklace to work. After my first purchase I was hooked, and am constantly sending her new designs of things I'd like her to try out. I may or may not have become her most demanding customer...

As you can see I've become a fan of her necklaces with beads-- although I've got lots more of her stuff which I'll feature in a future post! So go ahead and buy into my shameless advertising and check out her Pinterest page. The stuff really sells itself though as it is completely AMAZING.

         

 

Nail Design of the Week- June 8

Essie's 'jazzy jubilant' and Formula X For Sephora's 'Eureka'

JOTD: Bracelets

Venetian Marble from Venice

Gold Spike Bracelet from dailylook.com

Gold Spike Bracelet from stella & dot

Double Zippers from Celadon 

Gold and Black bangle from kate spade

OOTD Venitian Chic

Spiked Necklace from H&M 

Shirt and Skirt from Forever 21 

OOTD Versailles

Necklace from boutique in Paris 

Dress from Forever 21 

Converse- Chuck Taylor All Star Fancy

Olay Fresh Effects

Today's post is dedicated to my newest obsession in skin care: Olay Fresh Effects. As a side note, I will shop for makeup without budget, but when it comes to face wash I am shockingly stingy.  I am definitely not one to go searching for expensive facial products because I find that this involves far too much research, and quite honestly I'm just too lazy.  I always choose face wash from whatever packaging looks most appealing on the shelves of Shopper's Drug Mart. Which is exactly how I stumbled across my new favourite line of products (the flowery/white packaging caught my eye immediately.)

I love the "love your own skin" trend that drug store brands are using in their ads, and Olay is following this trend with their Fresh Effects line stating: "You never hid who you are, what you say, or what you do. So don't settle for filters when it comes to your looks."

Advertising aside this is a great line of products because not only do they smell fantastic (another draw for me) but they also make my skin feel amazingly clean. Drug store face washes usually leave my skin quenched and very dry, but this line just leaves my face feeling refreshed.  So far I have purchased the {Shine, Go Away!} cleanser, the {Out of this Swirled!} exfoliating scrub, the {Bright on Schedule!} eye awakening cream, and the {Long Live Moisture} lotion. I prefer the exfoliating scrub to the cleanser, and just recently discovered that this face wash comes in three scents! I am currently finishing off the 'Honeysuckle and White Tea' exfoliator and am determined to try the other two after I am finished this bottle.

All in all I believe I may have finally found a life long love in the drug store-- and I cannot wait to see what else this product line has in store for me ;)

Everyday Makeup

My favourite part of getting ready to leave my house is always doing my makeup. Unfortunately, I start work every morning at 8 and have to leave the house by 7:20, which means that I don't often have enough time to spend applying a full face of makeup.  After lots of experimenting with all of my products I have finally found a combination that doesn't take long to apply but gives me full coverage for an entire day. While I'll sometimes try to change some of the products, I always return to these staples because I think they work the best.

Step 1: Apply an even lawyer of Garnier BB Cream (I use the shade light/medium). I really took a chance with this product as I bought it in a 3-pack from Costco-- but I was immediately happy with my choice! (phew...)
Step 2: Brush a layer of MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation all over my face with a large powder brush
Step 3: Use a bronzer brush to apply bronzer to my temples and directly under my cheek bones. (The bronzer that I use for this step is discontinued from a previous MAC collection)
Step 4: Apply a peachy toned blush (also from a discontinued MAC collection) to the apples of my cheeks
Step 5: Lightly brush MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in the shade Soft and Gentle to the tops of my cheek bones
Step 6: Line and tight-line my eyes with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in the shade Perversion
Step 7: Lastly I quickly apply mascara (I own at last 4 different mascaras from L'Oreal which I use interchangeably) and I'm all ready to go!

     

Nail Design of the Week- January 26

ciaté "Tweed and Tails" and Loreal The Magic Top Coats "the pure gold"

Ciaté mini mani month

Hello fellow makeup lovers! Sorry for my very long absence from this blog, but my resolution for 2014 has been to write much more often. I'm going to start the year with a review of one of my favourite Christmas presents: the Ciaté mini mani month nailpolishes.  For those of you that don't know what I'm referring to, the mini mani month is essentially 24 different nailpolishes from Ciaté.  This collection also includes loose sparkles, glitter, and the famous Ciaté nail pearls/caviar.

Having never tried any of the Ciaté nailpolishes I was extremely excited to have these sample sized polishes to try a number of their popular colours. So far I have tried a number of their polishes, and have used both of the loose sparkles.  I haven't found a great way to apply the sparkles, as thus far I've merely tapped the sparkles on using my fingers. I am too nervous to dump sparkles from the bottle though, because I don't want to waste any!! I haven't been brave enough to try the pearls yet, but I think I will dedicate an entire post to those once I have.



The formula of these nail polishes is absolutely perfect! They aren't too thick and the brush is the exact size of my nail which has made application very easy.  Once this sample pack runs out I am definitely going to back and buy some of the full sized polishes!

My favourites so far have been: Tweed and Tails and Boudoir.