October Favorites 2013

Hey everyone! I feel like I haven't done a "favorites" post in a while so an October one is definitely due. I'm personally excited to get on with November and then December, because it means Christmas is coming up!

Autumn Day candle by Bath & Body Works: This has got to be one of my favorites (if not most favorite) scents from Bath & Body Works. It's sweet and fresh and fills up the room instantly. It's also a universally enjoyed scent so it makes for a great gift!

Carmex lip balm: My lips have been crazy chapped lately because it's been reaaaaal cold here, so Carmex is a must for me. EOS has nothing on Carmex lol.

OPI "Bubble Bath": I recently got ahold of the Top Ten OPI minis set, and I'm going to dedicate a whole post to it as soon as my nail wheel gets in (why yes, I did order a nail wheel). My favorite so far is Bubble Bath. Even though it's pretty sheer, it's the perfect nude for my skin tone.

Maybelline Super Stay 10 Stain Gloss in "Ruby Indulgence": I made an entire post about this product so check it out HERE!

Smashbox "Vivid Violet": I've had this lipstick for quite a while now and every fall I like to bring it back to life for at least a couple days throughout the season. It's a daring color - pure purple - so it's not for every day, but it compliments my skin tone really nicely and finishes off an outfit quite well. You can see a swatch HERE.

Revlon "Lash Potion" mascara: Admittedly, this mascara is a pain to remove because it's super waterproof, but it does wonders for your lashes. It lengthens and adds volume without getting clumpy and gross. Definitely pick it up!

NARS "Sin" blush: I got this as a birthday gift back in February and have been wearing it a ton lately. It's SO pigmented that you only need a little to get a nice flush of color. It shows up less purple than how it appears in the pan - on my cheeks it becomes a deep pink shade. Very pretty.

Miley Cyrus' "Bangerz": So. I think Miley is really problematic (in terms of her persona/media influence), but this is a GREAT pop album. Some of my favorites are FU, 4x4, and #getitright. If you automatically rejected it but are generally a pop music fan, please give it a shot, you might be surprised!

Lorde's "Pure Heroine": Totally on the opposite side of the pop spectrum, Pure Heroine has also been a new favorite this month. At first I thought all the songs sounded the same but I came to really enjoy it. My favorites are Royals, Team, and White Teeth Teens.

Switched At Birth: If you're looking for a new TV show to start on Netflix, seriously consider Switched At Birth. I usually dismiss ABC Family shows since most of them are a bust (*cough* Secret Life *cough* Pretty Little Liars), but this one is fantastic. It's about two teens who were switched at birth and get reconnected. One of them is deaf, which adds a super interesting dimension to the show. I'm excited for the next season!

Now You See Me: Great movie. Great cast. Ending leaves a little to be desired but the storyline is so unique that I didn't mind.

What were your favorites this month?

Quick "Across-The-Border" Haul

Hey everyone! On Sunday my mom, brother, and I decided to head across the border into New York (state, not city) for a quick shopping trip. I didn't get too much stuff but I figured it's enough for a quick little haul. Enjoy!

TJ Maxx is the main store where we usually go so I stocked up on some summer clothes. Each of these were $12.99 which I think is fairly reasonable. The one on the left is just a one-size-actually-fits-all (*ahem Brandy Melville*) Roxy t-shirt. I thought it would be good to wear on days where I can't bother and just want to throw something on quickly. I thought the Paris tank would be nice to wear casually or even to dress up for nights out with a blazer or something. The last tank is definitely my favorite one - it's so fun and colorful and I can't wait to wear it!

Bath & Body Works was having a $10 sale on certain candles so you now I couldn't walk out of there without picking one up. Tiki Beach is one that I've been tempted to get for a while so I'm glad it was on sale! It smells so tropical and coconuty - love it!

I kinda restrained myself in Wal Mart during this trip and only picked up a few items. I got two Rimmel lip liners - one nude pink and one red. I honestly never really used lip liner before and the only one in our makeup drawer was a crusty brown one from like 30 years ago (thanks mom), so I thought it was time to rectify that. I would wear the pink one under neutral, pink, or mauve lips. I tried it under MAC Syrup and works really nice, and I tried the red one under one of the Kate Moss Rimmel lipsticks and it works perfectly!

Of course, I had to pick up this Revlon Nail Art Moon Candy in "Orbit" because I've been eyeing it like crazy. It was in my nailpolishcanada wishlist that I posted a little while ago. I'm actually ashamed to say that I've since purchased 6/8 things from that list.... Self control is clearly something I do not have.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this little haul :)

Nail Polish Canada Wishlist

Hey everyone! It's no secret that I'm obsessed with nail polish, which means I have a ridiculously large collection of it. That also means, unfortunately, that I can't justify purchasing any more. So, instead of buying the ones I want from my usual online store (nailpolishcanada), I figured I'd make a quick wishlist. Not exactly the same as making an order, but it'll have to do!

Photos from nailpolishcanada.com

First up is "For Audrey" by China Glaze. Surprisingly, I don't think I have a similar colour to this in my current collection. I have a turquoise but it's much more on the green side. I think it's such a cute shade and name - of course referencing Breakfast at Tiffany's. I feel like it would definitely be a staple in my collection if I were to own it!

Next is "Bouncer it's Me" by Essie. Of the newer Essie collections (including their Resort Collection, their new wedding collection, their new summer collection, and their neons), this is pretty much the only one that caught my eye. I don't normally gravitate towards blue polish anymore but this one is so crisp and shocking that I can't help it!

OPI hasn't really intrigued me with their new collections recently - I feel like nothing totally unique has been released and I'm not feeling their new liquid sands, but "Chic From Ears To Tails" is something I would like to own. I don't have a pretty, creamy pink colour, and from the swatches I've seen I believe this has a very slight glitter to it, so I think it would be really pretty on!

Models Own "Hedonist" is a colour I've been eyeing for ages. I don't know exactly when Nail Polish Canada started stocking Models Own, but I'm so thrilled about it! These nail polish are extortionately expensive on the Models Own site and on ASOS (presumably because they hail from the UK), so I'm really glad they're only going for $8. There are other Models Own polishes that I'm after ("Luis Lemon" and "Indian Ocean"), but they're unfortunately sold out. I feel like Models Own is the only company that has put out anything super unique lately!

Photos from nailpolishcanada.com

It's no secret that Seche Vite is my favorite top coat ever, but once you're about halfway through the bottle it does start to get gloopy. "Seche Restore" is a polish thinner that supposedly gets the top coat back to its original state.

Zoya "Godiva" is hands down the most gorgeous textured glitter that has been released in this entire trend - or at least of the polishes I've seen swatches of. It has the prettiest sandy texture and it looks so classy and elegant. I'm really sad that it's sold out at the moment but hopefully the site restocks soon! Otherwise I might have to pop Trade Secrets a visit!

Next is Revlon "Orbit Moon Candy", a nail art duo that has intrigued me for a little while now. I nearly picked this up at Wal Mart but, of course, decided against it because I can't justify more nail polish. The combination of the two polishes makes a really awesome, quick galaxy nail.

Speaking of the galaxy nail, NCLA released limited edition nail wraps in a galaxy print. I originally saw these on Little Black Bag (where I've just placed my first order!!! Expect a haul/unboxing soon!), but they were soo popular and impossible to trade for. They just look really cool, and I'm a big fan of the galaxy nail trend.

So there you have it! My Nail Polish Canada wishlist complete. Any nail polishes you've been loving lately?

First Ever Collective Haul

I never have enough products to do a proper haul on this blog, but yesterday I felt like I had gathered a good bunch of products lately so I figured today would be the day: my first haul post!

The reason why I haven't done a haul before is because I've been desperately trying to save up my money. If you've been a reader of mine since the very beginning, you'll know that I spent a portion of my summer in Italy, wherein I literally drained my bank account to $0 (come to think of it, it might be interesting to do a blog post on what it's like to be completely broke lol!).

However, upon entering tons and tons of giveaways, I have been able to keep up this blog solely on giveaway wins (incredible, right?), so I'll go through the products and let you guys know how I acquired each of them.

Benefit "Benetint" Lip & Cheek Stain: I've always been super intrigued by this product because it's the one that Benefit Cosmetics built its company from. It originally started out as a nipple stain for a stripper (!?) and then a whole line of cosmetics grew from there. Being a big fan of Benefit, I knew I had to try this product at some point in my life, so when @BenefitCanada was doing a Twitter giveaway, I entered immediately and won! Yay! :D

Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Conditioner: If you read my previous wishlist post, you will know that this product, along with the Revlon balm stain and Rimmel Stay Matte powder were on there. Well, I was having a terrible day on Sunday, and yesterday, my mom surprised me with them! She literally came on my blog, wrote down the products and went out to buy them for me! Best mom award. Anyway, I'm going to write a proper review of this product in the next few days (I'll try it when I shower later today!).

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in "Honey": Again, this a product my mom surprised me with. I'd been looking for this baby for weeks and weeks and could never find it in-stock. I should also mention that, according to my mama, this product is marginally cheaper if you buy it at Wal-Mart as opposed to Pharmaprix (or Shopper's Drug Mart if you don't live in Quebec).

China Glaze "Prism": Alright, so I purchased this product along with the NYX eyeliners using $25 PayPal I won in a giveaway. The giveaway was originally for a Sephora e-gift certificate, but because those aren't eligible for use in Canada, Meredith (the girl I won from), was nice enough to wire me some PayPal money. I should also mention that she doesn't advertise her giveaways very much, so your odds in winning are very good: http://nycmakeuplover1.blogspot.ca/p/giveaways.html. Surprisingly, I have a total of 0 glitter polishes so I knew I should invest in a good one!

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in "Pacific" and "French Fries": So I got these with my $25 PayPal money as well, and the website I purchased them from is BeautyJoint.com. I can't remember how I found this website, but they sell brands that are difficult to get in Canada (or at least Quebec) like China Glaze and NYX, and they only charge a flat rate of like, $3.50 for shipping. Incredible. I'm definitely going to be purchasing more of these because I can already tell I love them.

Essie "Bahama Mama": In addition to my wishlist surprises, my mom also picked up this nail polish for me. Now... How on Earth did she know that this is the fall nail color? I have no idea. Anyway, can't wait to wear this because I've heard so many great things about it.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder: Tanya Burr talks about this product non-stop, and I'm running out of my current pressed power, so I'm very excited to try this out. I love the way it makes her skin look in her tutorials!

Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Pomegranate Punch": This is probably the only product on here that I purchased with my own hard-earned money (not bad, huh?). I got this one at Shopper's about a month ago when I was in Ontario. It was about $9 as opposed to $3.50 at Wal-Mart (insane), but it was out of stock there and I was dying to have this shade after seeing Amarixe's swatches.

Sally Hansen Kwik Off (not photographed individually): This is kind of boring, but I like using this product as a nail polish remover and we were out so my mom picked up a new one. Not very exciting but I thought I'd throw it in lol.

Here are some swatches and initial impressions of these products...

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in "Honey": It's a little more on the brown side than I hoped for. Have yet to swatch it on the lips.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils: These babies glide on amazingly. I'm probably going to use French Fries on a daily basis, and save Pacific for spring and summer. Also, I may or may not have picked one up for an upcoming giveaway.......

Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Pomegranate Punch": I adore this color for fall! I can't believe I haven't seen any beauty guru use it in a tutorial yet. Maybe I can be the first? :O

Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain: Admittedly, this isn't a life-changing product and the color is very, very subtle. I'll use it on a day where I'm feeling a little pale.

I hope you liked my first ever haul post! Let me know if you want to see in-depth review of any of these products in particular because I would be happy to do so.

Fall/Winter Bold Lip Picks

Hey everyone! I felt like showing you guys a few lipsticks that I would wear in the fall/winter months, so here they are. I have one plum-purple color and two red-based ones.

Here are the swatches. I'll go through the formulations and colors individually but this gives you a really good idea in terms of color comparison. 

So the first lipstick I have is this Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in the shade Vivid Violet. This one applies incredibly smoothly and can be built up for a really dramatic look. The only thing I'm not crazy about is that this formulation seriously clings to any dry skin you have on your lips (you can see a few spots in the photos above). BUT, if you use a scrub and a balm before application, it doesn't really matter.

I feel like these photos make it look a little more fuschia but I can assure you that it is a very deep plum color (as you can see if you look at the photo in the top left corner of the bullet). Lately, I've been wearing this to school dabbed on very lightly and then smoothed out with clear lip balm. The effect is really subtle and pretty.

Okay, so, now I have the Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet and, admittedly I wasn't too crazy about this color at first. If you can recall that far back, I even included it in my "products I regret buying" post. To be honest, I really didn't expect the color to be so dark (which doesn't translate well in the photo, but if you scroll up to the swatch, you'll understand). It's an almost-brown lip color and even though it's considered a "butter" this can be seriously built up. This is also the glossiest of my three picks. I think I'd save this color for more of a night out.

Last but not least, I have the infamous Russian Red by MAC. This is one of MAC's matte finishes which makes it very unique from the other two. The reason it's so used up is because my mom and I both use it (she more than I, lol!). I have to say that it applied really nicely and I would quickly like to mention that MAC lipsticks are not overrated in the slightest. They cling to the lips like it's meant to be. I suggest using a lip liner, applying with a thin brush, or lining the edges with concealer to give it that crisp finish. Also, it's a blue-based red meaning the undertones are not orangey or brownish, so it'll make your teeth look super white :)

Here's a (low quality) photo of myself wearing Russian Red last fall with some lip gloss overtop (can't remember which one!).

Nail Polish of the Day: September 5

Hey everyone! Today's nail polish of the day is a Revlon Colorstay in the color "Rainforest". I picked this up at Walmart the other day (I got a few other things too but I'm going to wait for some online orders to come in to show you guys what else I got last weekend). I felt like I needed a new fall color in my collection and I thought this was a very unique color.

For some reason I had trouble taking this picture which is why the focus is not too good, so I apologize for that. Anyway, Rainforest is an amazing black-green polish with very fine emerald green microglitters. It's hard to tell in this photo, but in real like the glitters aren't so "individual" as you see them here, if that makes any sense. To the bare eye, it just looks like a very shiny green color. It reminds me a lot of Elphaba in Wicked which is partially why I bought it (in case you didn't know, Wicked is one of my August non-beauty favorites lol!).

Just a quick life update: today was my first day of university! That means I obviously won't be posting as much as I did last month (every day), which makes me really sad. This weekend I'm going to work on drafting up a bunch of pre-written posts that way I can keep up with my blog semi-regularly. Also, I discovered that laptops are banned from class and consequently, the wifi in my building is blocked which must be some cruel joke... But anyway, hopefully I'll get on some sort of posting schedule because I love blogging and I desperately want to continue!

Products I Regret Buying

Hello everyone! I figured I would do a post on products I regret buying because I feel like it could be very helpful. My reasons for regretting buying these products range from problems regarding price, packaging, quality, and sometimes just personal preference--so just because I didn't end up liking them, doesn't mean you won't either! These are just some points to take into consideration before buying.

The first (three) products I regret buying are these American Apparel nail polishes. I have one in the color "Hunter" (a deep green), one in "California Trooper" (a really gross light tan color), and one in "L'Esprit" (a pale purple). Alright, so my problem with these nail polishes is their liquidy consistency. I find them incredibly hard to work with because they're so streaky, so you definitely need 2+ coats as well as a top coat. Also, the middle color (California Trooper), is really not what I thought it would be. It's just the most unflattering color in the world and it makes my hands look sickly, if that makes any sense. Anyway, I'm probably going to use these in an NOTD at some point because I'd like to show them to you guys.

These retail for $9 CDN each.

The Makeup Forever HD Foundation & Microperfecting Primer are probably the products I regret buying the most. For the record, I am SO against buying high-end foundation. I really can't justify the price I paid for this stuff. It's almost embarrassing. The story is that I had a Sephora giftcard and I happened to run out of my foundation so I figured I'd give these a shot. The guy at the Sephora recommended them, and I'd heard a lot of good things, so I went ahead and purchased them. Now, you might be wondering what the white bottle on the left is. As it turns out, this line doesn't have a shade in my color, meaning I had to purchase the primer as well. The primer is blue which cancels out the redness of the foundation. It made sense at the time, I guess.

What doesn't make sense, however, is how much I paid for such a low-quality product. The foundation itself is decent. Decent coverage and durability. Fine. The packaging... Not so much. When the product finally came to an end, it was just a mess. The foundation even starting coming out of the base of the lid. It was terrible. Also the cap is incredibly flimsy and it pops off easily, making this foundation super difficult to travel with.

The foundation retails for $42 CDN and the primer retails for $34 CDN totalling $76 CDN. I'm cringing.

Alright, I have a love-hate relationship with LUSH. I can't say I've ever purchased a product from there that I was absolutely dazzled with, and their Solid "Gorilla" Perfume in Karma is no different. This one basically just comes down to preference.

I was really intrigued by the idea of solid perfume so I went ahead and tested a few out before choosing Karma. Now, assuming you've ever been within a 5m radius of a Lush store, you'll know how scented the place is, so testing out perfume in there is no easy feat. I sniffed a couple before getting to this one and I just couldn't smell them, so when I got to Karma, I was like "Oh! Citrus! I can smell it!" And to be honest, it didn't smell terrible! So when I got home from my little shopping trip I pulled this out and smelled it again... DAMN was it CITRUSY. This little thing smells sooo strong, it's enough to give me a pounding migraine. It also has a certain spiciness to it, so that in addition to the citrus... Man. Not for me.

Anyway, lesson learned. Before buying perfume at Lush, put some on, leave the store, walk around, and then see if you still like it.

This retails for $10.95 CDN.

The next product I regret buying is this Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Red Velvet. To be honest, I feel bad for not liking this. It's gotten so many incredible reviews by beauty gurus it makes me feel almost guilty for not liking it! This is one is a matter of personal preference as well. As a lip butter, I didn't expect it to go on so opaque with just one swipe. But maybe the fault is on me for buying such a dark shade. My rationale was that I wanted to try out a darker lip color but not commit to the intensity of a lipstick.

I have to say, it looks pretty decent in the photos but in person it's so dark, it's almost brown. This one is entirely my fault though and maybe I'm just bitter because I haven't had the guts to wear it out yet. Oh well.

This retails for about $10 CDN at Canadian drugstores.

The next product on the list is Maybelline Great Lash mascara in the color "Blackest Black". I think my problem with this one is just that it is overhyped. It's been around for so long and magazines claim it to be the most timeless, best mascara in the history of ever. Meh. I disagree. But I guess it depends on what you look for in a mascara. My problem is the consistency--I just don't find it thick enough. I find myself brushing on 6+ coats before my lashes are how I like them. And not to say that I like that spidery clumpy look, it just takes that many coats before it even looks like I have mascara on.

This product retails for about $5.99 CDN.

My final product is the ever-talked-about Urban Decay Primer Potion in original and "Sin". I wasn't sure if I should include these on this list because I wouldn't necessarily say I regret buying them... As opposed to the other products on this list, I do still use these. I'll start by discussing the original primer potion which is in the purple bottle. I received this with the Naked palette (which I adore, by the way), and I'm just not a fan. If your eyelids are on the oilier side, applying this just feels like slapping on more oil (yum). It's very buttery and slippery and I don't actually notice any difference when I use it.

All to say, I use Sin a lot more often. I like using it when I'm applying shimmery eyeshadows because I do feel like it makes them stand out a little more (which is why I purchased the full size of this as opposed to the original one). My only problem is that you literally only need half a dab of this to prime your entire eyelid, meaning I'll have this product for the rest of my life. I guess that's a good thing considering you get your money's worth, but I feel like it's a little wasteful. I wish the Sin primer came in the same packaging as the original (Sin is a squeeze tube and the original has a wand).

This product retails full-size for $20.00 CDN. (Note: I just checked out the Sephora website for the price and look at this awesome deal: three primer potions in the "vintage" packaging for $22.00 (online only)!)

Alright so that's the end of the products I regret buying! Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed reading this/found it helpful at all :)