March Favourites

Monday, March 31, 2014


With temperatures reaching 9 degrees today, I'm so happy for April to come! Although, yesterday we did receive a huge amount of snow....will Ottawa ever see the sun and tulips?

This month I've been reaching for the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream daily since my parents brought it back for me from Flordia. It's great to wear alone or under a foundation as a primer. I love wearing it both ways - when my skin is looking clear I'll wear it on it's own with a tad of powder. Although when I want a bit more coverage because I have a long day at school, I'll wear it under foundation and it makes my foundation last so much longer. Such a great base and I really recommend it!

I am such a huge fan of blush the past 6 months which is so surprising as I have quite rosy cheeks naturally. I absolutely love my Tarte Blushes and I've mentioned them several times before, but this month I've been reaching for my NARS Deep Throat blush constantly! Deep Throat is a beautiful pink-coral shade with stunning shimmer running through it. If you don't own this blush - you need it!



A product I reach for every single day is the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in the shade Soft and Gentle. It's such a popular product from MAC and I can totally understand why. I've owned it for a little over a year now and it is still a huge favourite of mine. It give you a stunning glow on your cheek bones without being chunky glitter - I apply it to my cheek bones using the Real Techniques Contour Brush. 



Lastly, a perfume that isn't Marc Jacobs Daisy...who am I?!? This beautiful packaged perfume is Very Hollywood by Michael Kors. I bought it last Christmas at Shoppers Drug Mart for $19.99 so I'm assuming that it is discontinued or in the process of being so. I did look online and I read that they are still selling it in outlet stores - if you're near one I would suggest giving it a sniff! I am absolutely awful at explaining or should I say dissecting (scary) scents so this is what it says online:

This sophisticated, floral fragrance incorporates aromas of mandarin, frozen bergamot, moist jasmine, raspberry, ylang ylang, gardenia, iris root, creamy amber, white moss and vetiver.
It's so lovely and the perfect scent for a date night! It isn't too heavy or strong so I also wear it during the day and have received so many compliments while I've been reaching for it this month. I really do hope that you're able to get a hold of it online or at the MK Outlet.


What have you been loving this past March?

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Spring/Summer Nail Polish Picks

Sunday, March 30, 2014


I've mentioned before that I'm not able to wear nail polish whilst the school year is on as a Massage Therapy student - BUT I only have three more weeks of school then I'm on summer break for four months and my nails will be painted a new shade weekly! 4/5 shades are by Essie and the 5th shade is by L'Oreal - and I strongly recommend these nail polish formulas!

I've picked my 5 favourite spring/summer shades and I can't wait until I'm able to use them. I love wearing a pale pink on my tips during the spring and summer because it makes you look so tan! This shade is Fiji by Essie. To the left of Fiji is a stunning orange-coral shade which is named Tart Deco. It's such a stunning pop of orange to wear on your nails and really brightens up my mood! 

Next is one of my most worn nail polishes which is Turquoise & Caicos, I'm almost at that dreaded point where the brush can't reach the middle of the bottle! I find I can't always suit the popular Mint Candy Apple shade so this is my turquoise shade of choice. It's darker the MCA and is just so stunning. *Heart Eyed Emoji*  It looks lovely on your hands and toes and really just screams spring/summer to me!

The last Essie polish is a shade I always have on my toes, this is the shade Watermelon. It is such a stunning mixture of a hot pink and a creamy red. I realized that in the photo it isn't the easiest to see the true colour but I really recommend this polish for year round! Whenever I'm able to paint my nails I go straight for this beautiful pop of colour. I also wore this on Valentine's Day and my boyfriend commented that it's such a "pretty perfect pink". (cute)

Lastly, the one and only L'Oreal Colour Riche shade here is in the shade Tangerine Crush. The formula of these polishes are absolutely amazing! They're so pigmented and have such a lovely shiney gel like finish. I love shades that make me look tanner then I really am (confessions of a true pale girl...) and this shade really does do that. In fact...that majority of these shades make you look tan!

What polishes are you reaching for this Spring and Summer?


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The Empties

Wednesday, March 26, 2014


I watch several "empties" videos on YouTube and also love reading the blog posts with the same title. I think that it is such a great way to hear someones full review since they have finished or nearly finished the entire product!

Firstly I finally finished up the Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer, as you can see it's in a plastic bottle with a pump which I personally prefer more then the new packaging that is in the tube. I really did enjoy this primer - it made my foundation stay on longer, make my skin appear more matte, and generally just really smoothed out my skin which made it a perfect blank canvas for my makeup. I would repurchase this primer, but I'm currently looking for a new one that can keep me looking shine free for longer. Do you have any recommendations?

I finished up another primer recently which is the famous Benefit Pore-fessional primer. I wasn't the biggest fan of this and I probably won't be repurchasing. I didn't really notice much of a difference. I don't have the biggest pores so I wasn't using it to specifically cover my pores...but I just found it really didn't even make my makeup last that much longer then without it! So for me, this will not be coming back to my makeup collection.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation...my oh my. I have such a strong love for this foundation and I saved the last few applications for special reasons (date night, Christmas, and of course another date with Ryan). I am so glad that my mom wasn't big on the use of foundation because that now means that I have hers! I wore the shade BR10 and it was such a perfect match, although when I repurchase I will just be going for B10 as I think it was a tad too pink for me. My mom wears B30 which has now been passed down to me and it is my exact shade after summer. So, perfect! I will be repurchasing my fall/winter shade as I really do love this beautiful light-medium coverage foundation that leaves a stunning glow to your skin while being matte in all the right places. Confusing? I recommend picking this up for yourself to see what I mean!

MAC Blanc Type Eyeshadow - If you watch my makeup videos on YouTube then you will know how obsessed I am with this shadow! I already repurchased the pan version that is now in my eyeshadow collection which I have done a post on here. It is the perfect brow bone shade that I also use all over my lid to start my shadows off with a blank canvas (which I use primer for on my face). If you own the Naked 3 palette it is very very similar to the lightest shade Strange. As I said, I already have repurchased and probably forever will!

Smashbox Halo Yellow Colour Correcting Powder - I was so so sad when I finally admitted to myself that it really is empty and I can't "grind" up anymore product as I do think it has been discontinued. I can't seem to find it online anywhere - but I'll keep searching! As it is a yellow powder it colour corrects any redness on your face you may have. I find it covered my red cheeks and blemishes so well. I really wish I could repurchase this powder - so if you know any good yellow powders do let me know!

Those are some of my current empty products!

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Makeup Medley #3

Sunday, March 23, 2014


Today I am so excited to say that I am finally meeting two fellow beauty bloggers today who have been so kind and welcoming to me since I have started my blog back in November. These lovely ladies are Celina and Alexandra!

For my base I started with the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream - I'm using this as my primer as well as my sunscreen since it has an SPF of 30. I have the shade light and it is actually almost too dark/orange because I'm honestly so pale! It'll match me really well in a few months once I have some tan to my skin, but for now it's my primer! For my foundation I'm trialing the YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation in the shade B10 (told you I was pale!). I'm really enjoying it so far and I find it gives such a healthy glow to my skin, I do powder between my brows as my skin naturally is slightly shiny there.



For my eyes I had to wear one of my favourite palettes at the moment which is of course the stunning Urban Decay Naked 3. I used the lightest shade Strange all over from the inner corner, eyelids, all the way to my brow bone. I then applied Burnout on my lid, Limit in my crease, and darkened my crease and outer V with Nooner. On my lower lash line I took the shade Liar on a small pencil brush and kept it close to my lash line. Then lined my upper lash line with my favourite liquid eyeliner - L'Oreal Super Slim Liner and then a light coating on my lashes of the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara!

What did you wear today?

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Long Lengths with L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara

Thursday, March 20, 2014


Buying a new mascara is something that just makes me so happy! I've had quite a few in the past that I've considered favourites (Maybelline Falsies and L'Oreal Voluminous) but this the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara is one that I used about two years ago, forgot about, and now am back in love!

The wand is quite thin, rubberized, and is very separating. I do have to admit that I find it quite weird that you can still see the pink of the wand although it is brand new and no where near drying out, but oh well! Also wanted to mention that after using it for two weeks now it is still quite a "wet" formula which can cause *slight* clumping, but the wand really is so lovely that it is so easy to comb them out.



I've mentioned before that I have been blessed with long lashes naturally, so most mascaras do tend to work fairly well on me length wise. This particular mascara doesn't really do much for fullness in the lashes but personally for me that is okay! If you wanted the amazing length this mascara provides, but you also want fullness I would suggest doubling up mascaras. I recommend Maybelline Falsies Mascara or my other favourite L'Oreal Voluminous for the volume and fullness!

Before mascara...
After mascara! I really do hate my eyebrows as their so "wire-y" so be nice about that! I already know they're awful!
As you can see this mascara really lifts my lashes and makes my eyes appear wider and more awake. I also only just realized as I'm typing this that I have mascara on my lid...but hey - what can ya do? I hope you give this lengthening mascara a try and let me know if you do!

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The Round Up: Drugstore Foundations

Tuesday, March 18, 2014


Foundations are something that I love buying and trying out. I do own quite a good amount between drugstore and high end, and although I own several I don't know if I have yet to find my holy grail forever repurchase foundation.

Today's post I thought I could do a round up of my drugstore foundations that I own and explain them to you a little better. Chatting about the coverages, my likes and dislikes, that sort of thing! I figured I would start from sheerest and make our way up to the fuller coverage.

L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream - I always reach for this in the warmer months where I want minimal coverage but beautiful glowing skin. I have the shade Light and it comes out white then once blended into your skin it adjusts to your skin tone. I have found the match to be pretty good but in the winter I find it may be a tad dark/orange so I mainly stick to this in the summer and while I still have my post summer tan.

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation- This foundation was hyped up a crazy amount when it was first released in 2013. It is definitely a wonderful foundation that is quite buildable to be a medium coverage. I usually stick to the one layer as I like the more minimal makeup. It really does let your skin show through and they have several colour choices so I'm sure you will be able to find the perfect match for your skin tone! As I do get slightly oily between my brows - with this sheer foundation that is no exception. If I powder I do get an extra few hours without oiliness before I would feel the need to blot. Which isn't a big deal for me as I really do love this natural foundation!

CoverGirl and Olay 2-in-1 Tone Rehab Foundation - I have mentioned this foundation several times on my blog as I really do find it such an amazing foundation! I find it doesn't get mentioned enough in the beauty community and that it is quite under-rated. It provides such wonderful medium coverage with a stunning satin finish that I don't feel the need to powder with. It lasts so well on my skin and I find I don't get very oily between my brows while wearing this! Honestly - if you haven't tried it yet, I really recommend it! It is slightly pricier for a drugstore foundation as I believe it is around $20.00 but it is so worth it!

Revlon ColourStay Whipped Creme Foundation - Oh my goodness. I love (LOVE!) this foundation! Although it is getting quite medium-full coverage which I don't usually go for, I just love the finish of it! Again it is a quite natural satin finish, awesome coverage, and lasts so long! It says on the cap 24hour wear which of course I would not know if that's true - but it definitely lasts 12 hours very well. The packaging is in a heavy glass jar which isn't ideal but I guess since it is a whipped creme there wasn't much of an option! I can't imagine this being in a regular bottle. This again is around the $20.00 mark but I do know that when I am done this foundation, I have about 5 more uses, I will be repurchasing. I have the colour Buff which is so spot on - I use this in the Temptalia Foundation Matrix to find my shades in other brands!

CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation - With this foundation claiming to be a hybrid of a primer, concealer, and a foundation... you know this is some seriously good stuff! The coverage is quite full and I use this on my long 12 hour or longer days when I want my skin staying lovely and matte. I think it is quite heavy so I don't recommend it for summer or spring days, unless your attending a wedding or a special event where you want to look flawless for hours. It has been several peoples holy grail foundations and one that they compare to more higher end foundations such as NARS Sheer Matte and Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Foundation. If you're into more full coverage with a semi-matte to matte finish, I'd give this one a go!

Those are all of my drugstore foundations, what's your favourite?

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Recently Loving

Saturday, March 15, 2014


I really love how Sephora will allow you to bring home samples of foundations/perfumes etc so you are able to decide if you really love the product before splurging money on the item.  I picked up a sample for the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in the shade Mont Blanc almost 5 months ago and I still have a lot of product remaining. I don't use this foundation daily, otherwise the sample would have been all used up about 4 months ago! I do like use this foundation sample probably around twice a week because I do own quite a lot of foundations and they all need their turn, you know what I'm sayin'?! Thoughout these past 5 months I have definitely made a bit of an opinion on this foundation. I do think it is so lovely and glowy, but I find when I wear it my skin produces more oils then when I wear other foundations...strange? The other small foundation sample shown here is of the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation in the shade "I'm pure 4 sure" which is a really nice light weight foundation that has a good light-medium coverage.

I'm not a big lip gloss lover - mainly because I find my hair always gets stuck in it as I'm walking from my car to the bus stop! This CoverGirl Wet Slicks lip gloss in Caramel Apple Splash is quite the exception though. I do own two other shades as well, a beautiful pink and a stunning red berry shade that was perfect for the fall and winter. All three of these lip glosses are so smooth and glossy without being sticky and plus they have some awesome colour pay off! You can view the more red berry shade in my Current Drugstore Picks post here.

I've been using the Maybelline Falsies mascara for quite some time now, and I thought it was time to branch out and use something new. While at the drugstore I picked up an old favourite of mine that is the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara - and wow...why did I ever stop? I have mentioned before that I do have quite long lashes naturally, but my gosh this mascara! I definitely prefer length sometimes over fullness and volume, and this mascara is all about length.

Lastly, the germaphobe in me needs to do a little shout out to the number one item that keeps my hands feeling clean, fresh, and sanitized! May seem a little silly to be talking about hand sanitizers on a beauty oriented blog, but washing and cleaning your hands often is very important! My absolute number 1 favourite hand sanitizers are these adorable ones by Bath and Body Works which have a sale going on right now for 5 for $5.00 where one is usually $2.00! These make your hands feel so squeaky clean while leaving such a beautiful fresh scent. A few of my favourite scents that I definitely recommend are Island Margarita, Sweet Pea, and First Bloom. I have emptied out a B&BW candle and put a ton of these sanitizers inside for storage while I work my way through some of the "almost empty" ones that I have going right now.

What have you been recently loving?

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Sephora Additions

Thursday, March 13, 2014


 My parents just recently went over to the lovely sunshine state that is sunny Flordia for a little over a week and I had asked my mom to pick me up two things in particular while she was over there. Now, you might be thinking "well there are three items in the picture?" - that's because she texted me saying how she was standing in Sephora and I ran straight to my computer and quickly typed in "sep" and my favourite site popped straight up, and I asked for one more thing... (insert a cute smiling little angel face here)

The two main things I asked for were the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream and the lovely Clinique Cheek Pop blush. I didn't mind which shade of blush I received so I let that be a surprise and lucky for me my mom picked the one I probably would have picked for myself! This stunning shade you're looking at is Peach Pop. It is a lot less orange then the website shows and it definitely has some pinky coral hues in it.

Then for the spontaneous item! My mom is really into using more natural makeup so she has gotten me really interested in bareMinerals. I absolutely love the Matte Mineral Foundation and I had been wanting a new bronzer, so I requested the bareMinerals Ready Bronzer in the light shade named The Skinny Dip. I just about never wear bronzer as I find almost everything I find is too dark! I do own the popular NARS Laguna and even that I find can come off too dark. The Skinny Dip bronzer is quite warm but on my pale skin it doesn't look orange at all! Since I only just received these products a few days ago, I can't say my full opinion on them just yet, but expect some reviews within the next few weeks!



A big thank you to my mom and dad for gifting these beauty items to me!

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Makeup Medley #2

Saturday, March 8, 2014



This past week I have fallen back in love with the Revlon Colour Stay Whipped Foundation. The shade Buff is the perfect colour for my complexion and I feel as if I've never found such a good colour match! It can be quite the thick full coverage foundation, which isn't usually my go-to choice. I've been using a small bit and blending it throughout my face to make sure it is more of a light to medium coverage. This foundation lasts ages and I can't get over how spot on the colour choice is! I bought this last year and I use it mostly throughout the winter months, and I'm sad to say the glass container is almost empty.

To set my foundation I have been using the Smashbox Halo Yellow Colour Correcting Powder, which I can't seem to find online anymore so I really hope it hasn't been discontinued. I do tend to get quite a pink tint to my skin which I'm not the biggest fan of and I find the yellow colour correcting shade of this powder sorts that out perfectly! If it is still available, I really do recommend this or a yellow powder in general. For blush it'll come as no surprise that I went with a Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush as I absoutely love these blushes! Today's blush choice was in the shade Exposed which adds the perfect subtle warmth back into my complexion.



For my eyes I primed with my Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in the shade Birthday Suit which sadly I forgot to photograph, and then I reached for my Urban Decay Naked palette and selected the shade Sidecar which is almost the exact shade as the Benefit Birthday Suit. I find layering these two together make a beautiful taupe shimmer shade without all the fallout that Sidecar has on its own. I then took the shade Virgin and placed that on my inner corners of my eyes and also on my brow bone. Then with a small pencil brush I took the shade Toasted and ever so lightly placed that under my lower lash line for a *slight* amount of colour. Then lining my eyes with my L'Oreal Super Slim 12 Hour Eyeliner and adding a light coating of Maybelline Falsies Mascara my eyes were complete.

On my lips I used my Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte lipstick in the shade Nude Beige which is number 1. I did a review of this lipstick, which was actually my second ever posting on this blog, and you can read it right here.




What makeup did you reach for today?

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February Favourites

Monday, March 3, 2014


With my beautiful once red roses from my lovely boyfriend Ryan deepening into a dark plum, it's officially March. February wasn't a big beauty month for me as I was quite sick from a cold and was basically glued to my textbooks studying for exams - you can read more about being a massage therapy student here.

To help my cough and sore throat that I had for a long two weeks I relied on the Halls cough drops in the flavor Soothing Honey to do just that - soothe my throat! As I found myself often having dry lips from having to breath though my mouth during the night (literally the worst way to sleep), I was reaching for the Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub and my Vaseline Lip Therapy to help my lips. I love this combo as the lip scrub makes your lips so so smooth and the Vaseline Lip Therapy is such a rich conditioner that you can have some of the softest lips ever!

My makeup was quite minimal - if I was even wearing any! The week I had off school for our study break I think I wore makeup only twice, which felt great for my skin. On my eyes I loved doing a quick wash of the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in the shade Birthday Suit. This shade is quite taupe with some beautiful shimmer. If you're familiar with the Urban Decay Naked Palette (the original) then it is very similar to the shade Sidecar, just in a cream formula and no glitter! As many of you know if you read my blog often or follow my Instagram, then you would have heard/seen my deep love for the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blushes. In February I picked up the shade True Love and it is absolutely stunning! A lovely watermelon reddish pink that puts the most beautiful flush on your cheeks. It's very pigmented so be sure to use a small amount before applying.

What are you February Favourites?

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Makeup Medley

Saturday, March 1, 2014



 I always instagram my makeup choices for the day, but today I thought I'd write a post and explain the products in a little further detail.

For my base I used one of my favourite drugstore foundations that honestly doesn't get enough love in the beauty world! This is the CoverGirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Serum Foundation that I talked more about in THIS post. In a nutshell, it provides amazing coverage, has a beautiful satin skin like finish, and feels absolutely amazing on the skin.


On my eyes I used the Smashbox Encore Eyeshadow Palette which just might be Limited Edition from a few years ago as I can't seem to find it online. Although the shadows don't look like they have much of a dent in them in the photo, this is actually quite a well loved palette! For today I used the first shadow in the top row all over my lid and on my brow bone, followed by the second shadow in the second row in my crease. In my outer corner I added the first shadow in the second row as it added such a beautiful cranberry warmth to the makeup. Smashbox has some AMAZING eyeshadow quality as they are so pigmented, buttery smooth, and blend so well. 

I then lined my upper lash line with my L'Oreal Super Slim eyeliner with a thin line and my usual small flick at the end. I've talked so much about this eyeliner, but if you haven't tried it I would definitely say you should go to your local drugstore and pick it up! For mascara I used my beloved Maybelline Falsies Mascara as it provides wonderful length and fullness.


























For my blush today I used MAC Mocha and it really tied the look together with the cranberry shade in my eyeshadow. This is quite a pigmented blush so I just lightly tapped my brush in the pan and blended well on my cheeks. Lastly on my lips I didn't want anything too bright but still adding some shine and pigment - so I went with my MAC mini Lipgelee in the shade Glosspitality. Also quickly wanted to mention that this lipgloss is quite thick and feels more of a balm then a gloss, and isn't sticky at all! So lovely! It is looking quite bright in the photo but on my lips it's more of a sheer watermelon colour which is wonderful for todays makeup choices.

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