Clips From February 2015

Since I'm too shy to vlog properly, I thought it would be fun to make short videos every month, containing a one second-long clip from every single day. I thought this would be a fun exercise because it's super easy to keep up with, and editing took me no longer than about 20 minutes.



February, overall, was pretty dull. It snowed like crazy and midterms got the best of me towards the end of the month. On a positive note, however, I celebrated my 22nd birthday with my family on February 25th, and I bought myself a few gifts!

I'm super excited to be starting March, because that means it's one month closer to spring :)

Target Canada Liquidation: Thoughts and Haul

The sad time has come. Target Canada is closing its doors. Unfortunately the American chain didn't do so well here, likely because the public's expectations were quite high. I don't think Target execs realized the fact that Canadians shop in the States so frequently, and are aware of how great Target is there, because when it arrived here we were welcomed with barren shelves and pitiful lack of variety. They failed to recognize how much we know and love American Target. They didn't prepare themselves well enough to have new and exciting products shipped over. They opened too many stores too quickly. They jumped right in when they should've had a test run first.

That said, I reasonably enjoyed Target Canada. Yes, it was poorly stocked half the time, but I did find certain items that I thought were worth buying. They had a great little home decor section, and stocked Elf and Sonia Kashuk in their makeup aisle. I found my use for Target, but apparently the same can't be said for the rest of the Canadian population. It's a real shame that they couldn't get it together, but after they announced their closing I knew that meant they would begin putting everything on sale, which I was definitely excited for.

A couple days ago Target advertised a massive liquidation: everything in the store was marked down to 10-30% off... Wait, 30% off? That's considered massive liquidation? I suppose they're going to gradually mark the prices lower as the store reaches its end, but it's still sad that they couldn't even get people excited for their final hurrah in Canada.

That said, I ended up buying some goodies because I figured I better take advantage while Target is still around. Here's what I bought.

Of course I hit up the makeup section and was pleased to find out that the cosmetics were 30% off (the better end of the sale spectrum), so I took the opportunity to buy three old favourites: the L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base, Essie Good To Go top coat (from $8.99 to $6.29), and Maybelline Stiletto Liner. I also got the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara and the Maybelline Age Rewind concealer which are new products for me.

Then in the home decor section (20% off) I found these interesting "sea urchin" wall decorations (from $19.99 to $15.99) that I thought would look cool in my room. Also from the home decor section (not pictured) I picked up a plain wooden 5x7 picture frame (from $5.99 to $4.79).

Finally I got this set of three shelves (from $24.99 to $19.99).

I think the sale was worth it for home decor and makeup because home decor is already quite inexpensive at Target normally, so at 20% it's even more worth it, and 30% off makeup can make a sizeable different so I took advantage. I'll probably end up going back in maybe a week to see if the sales got any better. But for now... RIP Target!

Latest Netflix Love: Friends

This is probably the latest I’ve ever hopped onto a bandwagon. To be fair, the show first started airing when I was exactly 1 year old and stopped airing when I was 10, so I definitely wasn’t Friends’ target demographic. Luckily, Netflix recently picked up all 10 seasons of Friends, so I can finally know what all the fuss is about. (SPOILERS to come)

At first I thought the show was kinda boring (eep!), but after three or four episodes I quickly became invested in all the characters. Exciting things started to happen, like Ross finding out his ex-wife was having his baby, or Phoebe searching for her last remaining family members. All these quirky but touching storylines make the show really endearing. And on top of all that, it’s funny. I’m four seasons in and I’m still not bored of the humor. I’ve read that it starts going downhill after season 5 but I’m still optimistic.

Since I’ve become so invested in this show and it’s basically all I’ve been watching lately, I thought it would be fun to give my opinion on each character.

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Ross is soooo lame. Like, if you think of an annoying, know-it-all, lame individual, Ross is it. I think he’s self-absorbed and his views of women are practically feudal (breaking up with Rachel because she invested time in her dream job? Please), but what I like is that he’s punished for being such a crap person. He has the worst luck, bad things are constantly happening to him, and his “I take thee Rachel” blunder is perhaps the best manifestation of television karma of all-time. So even though he annoys the hell out of me, the schadenfreude is high when I’m watching a Ross scene on Friends.

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Oh, I love Monica! She constantly teeters between being the most level-headed Friend, and also the most insane. I loved her relationship with Richard (they were so perfect!) but I’m excited to see what’s to come with Chandler because I think she’s one of the only Friends who can match Chandler’s dry sense of humor. Sometimes I feel like she doesn’t get enough screen time and that her storylines are a little half-baked, which is sad.

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Four seasons into the show and I still can’t decide if I like Chandler. I mean, there’s no doubt that he’s pathetic and has some issues, so I get why he acts the way he does, but sometimes I wanna shake him and be like, “snap out of it!” That said, I think the best thing to come out of Chandler’s storyline is Janice. I love their interaction. The episode where he had to fly to Yemen to get rid of her killed me. And, yes, I'll admit. Chandler is the main source of humor.

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I would say Phoebe has one of the most interesting personalities and storylines on the show, but she doesn’t get nearly enough attention. I hope we get to see her being Auntie Phoebe to her brother’s kids because I think that would be really nice. I also love when we get glimpses of Phoebe’s worldview (like how she doesn’t believe in evolution or gravity) because she expresses herself hilariously and she’s somehow always able to justify herself. Great character.

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Joey is a pretty one-dimensional character, but no matter how crazy things get with the Friends, you can always count on Joey being quintessentially Joey. He’s always getting up to something stupid and hilarious. I can’t say I’m a fan of the way he treats women either (dumb feminism always getting in the way of me enjoying 90s sitcoms, lol), but I can’t really deny my soft spot for Joey.

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And finally, the best of the best, Rachel. Seriously, the show would be nothing without Rachel. She seems to be the only one who has shown significant growth as a character so far. Her giving Ross a chance, going from broke to getting her dream job at Bloomingdales, and being the most open-minded about relationships and friendships makes her the undeniable best. And just the simple fact that she was strong-willed enough to know she didn’t want to marry Barry and go against all expectations of her?! Queeeen.

I guess the last thing I wanna say is that even though I'm not keen on every character personally, when they're all together it's just the best. I don't think I've ever watched a show where all the actors click so well. You can really tell they were all friends in real life. You should definitely give Friends a watch if you have some time to spare. It's worth it!

My Instagram Wall

Hey everyone! One of my new year resolutions is to continue redecorating my room. In my last post I mentioned that I repainted my walls, so now I'm motivated to keep adding decorative touches to it. I desperately need a desk and shelves, but that's a bigger, more expensive project, so unfortunately it'll have to wait for that, but meanwhile I can tackle some smaller projects like this one!

I think Instagram pictures are great. I love the filters, the 4x4 dimension, and of course, the memories that you can preserve. It just seemed like a shame to not have them printed out! So I headed over to Origrami, a website where you can order Instagram prints. The website is fantastic. You just log in with your Instagram account, select the photos you want to print, and voila! The prints are fantastic quality and the shipping is free, so you can't really go wrong.

I simply stuck them on my wall using some sticky tack, and outlined them with some neon pink duct tape that contrasts really awesomely with the colors of my walls. It's just a really fun and easy project that brightens and personalizes your room! I actually ordered some more prints that are on their way in the mail now, and I'm going to do the same thing on the other side of my door.

By the way, you should totally follow me on Instagram: here and here ;)

What I Did in 2014

I experimented with new lip colors

I got sad about the weather

I went to Disney World

I participated in my cousin's wedding

I did the Ice Bucket Challenge

I got a nail polish rack and installed it myself

I got my wisdom teeth removed (lol!)

I cooked & baked a ton more

I finally re-painted my room

I saw Demi Lovato in concert

I dyed my hair green

I studied hard

I went to the spa

I hung out with my friends

Overall, 2014 was really good to me! Excited to see what 2015 has in store.

Favorite Beauty Products of 2014

Welcome to 2015!!! Hope you all had a great holiday season. I thought I would fittingly start off my 2015 blog posts with my favorite beauty products of last year (and I'm sure they will carry into this year too!).

My favorite cleanser of the year was the Clean & Clean Morning Burst in the blue packaging. I think my favorite part about this product is the scent. It's so fresh but also fruity. It reminds me of the cucumber-melon soap that Bath & Body Works used to make. My only issue is that I personally don't think there are enough scrubbing beads, but it still works really well and I use it about 2-3 times per week.

My favorite eyeshadow primer of 2014 is the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. I got this sample version as a bonus in one of my Sephora orders and, gosh, I almost wish I didn't like it so much because I'm dreading having to splash out $30 for the full-sized version. It does such a great job at making eyeshadows stick to your lids, and I highly recommend it if you have oily eyelids.

My favorite mascara of 2014 is the Annabelle Big Show. I literally used this mascara all year long. I picked up another tube of it about a month ago and I found it unusually wet so I wonder if the formulation is inconsistent, but when it starts to dry out the mascara works like a dream. It only takes a couple swipes for me to be happy with it. It separates and volumizes my lashes amazingly.

My favorite blush of the year is Marcelle Blossom. This is probably the only blush I use during the fall and winter months. In the pan it looks underwhelming, but on the cheeks it turns this incredible crimson shade that looks beautiful next to a good bronzer. It also pairs perfectly with any red-burgundy lip.

Bite "Rubarb", Tarte "Energy", Marcelle "Blossom" blush

My favorite lip products of the year are the Tarte Energy Lip Surgence and the Bite Beauty lip pencil in "Rhubarb". For the spring and summer, the Tarte lip surgence was all I wore. It's a cross between a lip balm and a gloss, and the color adapts to the person wearing it. On me, it turns a bright juicy pink shade. Like I said, perfect for spring/summer. On the flip side, Rhubarb is such a nice burnt burgundy shade. It's reminiscent of the Kylie Jenner lip trend because it's on the brown side, but it's also not a nude. It's actually spot-on to the Pantone color of the year ("marsala"), so it's super trendy right now.

And finally, the absolute best makeup remover I have ever used: Rimmel Just Let it Go. I have tried expensive makeup removers from brands like Bioderma and Boscia and whatever, and nothing beats this! Nothing! It's just so good for removing eye makeup and you don't have to sit there scrubbing your eyes for 10 minutes. It's cheap and it works.

Also, I forgot to photograph it individually but my favorite concealer of the year is the NARS Creamy Concealer. I picked it up back in April and just wow. I have never been so pleased with a concealer. Sometimes I won't even wear foundation because the concealer is enough. It's pricey but I'll definitely be repurchasing it. I blend it out with the Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush which works phenomenally.

And voila! My favorite products of 2014. Can't wait to discover new faves in 2015 :)