November 29, 2009
beauty for my ears {a little Sunday listening pleasure}
November 28, 2009
revisiting a few oldies {November faves}
Hello all! This November I've been using a few products I already own. There's no reason why I shouldn't include a few "oldies" in my monthly favourites posts because quite frankly I don't always buy beauty products every month when my vanity is fully stocked. And I have lots of favourites already in my stash! Perhaps I will have to take a few pics of my stash, makeup porn anyone? Let me know if you'd like for me to snap a few pics of my makeup collection and I'll post them in the future.
Onto the list:
Rosebud Perfume Co. Salve
Avon Brillant Shine Lipgloss in gleaming mauve (gorgeous shade with a hint of blue shimmer, also lightly mint scent)
Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream (read my review here, perfect for the drier weather)
Scott Barnes Chic Palette in Samba (love! Scott Barnes blush palettes I also own Honey. I wish he would continue his makeup line.)
MAC eyeshadow in Satin Taupe (this shade should be in everyone's makeup kit)
Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal eye liner in 040 purple passion
MAC blush in Sunbasque (one of my staples)
What are your favourite beauty products from November?
November 27, 2009
a quickie {beautyparler poll}
November 25, 2009
a colourful time at IMATS Toronto
the rainbow shot! (top: Ben Nye, bottom left: Naked, bottom right: OCC)
November 22, 2009
Its officially time for a "no-buy" policy {mini-recap of IMATS haul}
That's it, no more beauty product purchases until I start making a dent in a few of these products! For someone like myself who isn't a makeup artist I have way too much makeup. I guess that's why I have a beauty blog, addictions can be a bad thing on the wallet! Perhaps its time for a beauty blog sale? But just so you all know, writing a beauty blog is my hobby thus I don't reap the benefits of a paycheque, nor am I paid for my reviews, and although I do get products sent my way periodically I purchase the majority of my items. And now I know that IMATS can be bad, very bad on my finances. But very good because I got to meet lots of beauty bloggers and product reps. (A post will follow with a recap of the event) Here are all the items I purchased and most were discounted:). At a later date I will post reviews & individual pictures. If there are any items in particular your interested in me reviewing let me know:
Crown Brushes-a few
Eve Pearl; the Eye Pallet (Pretty 'n Pink), Blush Trio (Sassy Cheeks), Kisses of Pearl lipgloss (Baby Doll/Honey Bunny), freebie~Kohl lip liner & Brush Combo (Cosmo)
Face atelier-lipgloss (Prim rose)
Embryolisse Laboratories 24 Hour Miracle Cream
Kryolan High Gloss (Crystal Rose)
CoverFX Mint Glaze~freebie
Evalyn Herbal Maskin Cleanser (a trial size pack)
For further info on any of the above click on the image & polyvore.com will link you to their respective sites.
Anyone else at IMATS that I didn't get to meet? What did everyone get?
November 19, 2009
Goodbye dry skin...{a few face moisturizers worth a try}
A friend emailed me today asking for recommendations on face moisturizers as she was having a dry spell. So I thought I'd share with you a few products that I recommended to her. I haven't listed serums, facial sprays, primers, etc. only products that are basically easy to use and one-step. Not everyone wants to use more than one product and/or has the time therefore I thought I'd keep it simple. Also, sometimes there's no need to use alot of steps to achieve the desired outcome, in this case banishing dry facial skin. Aside from drinking water and keeping your insides hydrated (as we all know), a humidifier is a great tool to have in your bedroom, and of course topically applied moisturizers. For reference I have combination skin that tends to get dehydrated (due to my job) and drier in the Winter. Keeping that in mind the above products have worked for me in the past. I'm currently using the Arbonne FC5 Moisturizing Night Cream and Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 with SPF as my daytime moisturizer. If I'm extremely dry I'll use an oil dabbed onto drier areas. Oils I like are Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil (which is better for oilier skintypes), and Camelia Seed Oil (which I purchased in Japan but am sure you can find this and the above oils at health food stores in the skincare/hair section). On a side note, the Nivea in the blue tin has to be the formula made in Germany (yes there's a difference in ingredients & is said to mimic Creme de la Mer I can't confirm or deny this). It can be difficult to find the German made version in North America. I do know a place that sells the German version in Toronto, if you'd like to know leave a response in my comment section & I'll write back:)
Items listed:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Arbonne FC5 Moisturizing Night Creme
Olay Total Effect 7-in-1 Cream
Kiehls Ultra Facial Moisturizer
LUSH Celestial Moisturizer
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Moisturizer
Nivea Creme
Any other face moisturizers you'll like to recommend? Let me know. Have any of used the above? Leave your mini-reviews in the comment section.
November 17, 2009
For the love of Makeup {IMATS Toronto}
Winner of The Body Shop Giveaway
Nelia, her answer:
I'm loving these contests!!! :)I like their body butters!
Congratulations!
email me your snail mail!
{winner selected using random.org}
Winner of the Marcelle Essentials Eye Cream
November 15, 2009
Ombra Gift Basket Giveaway
November 13, 2009
CG TrueBlend MicroMinerals {reviews}
November 12, 2009
on board the Beauty Board {BlushPretty presents...}
the goody bags, a few Olay products to play with
Dermaglow products on hand & their reps were there too with lots of info to share
(BlushPretty button property of blushpretty.com)
a few favourite hand creams {a short review}
hand creams by beautyparler on Polyvore.com
November 11, 2009
back to regular schedule
Long story short, last Thursday I got to shake hands with a real Prince. My boyfriend's in the Canadian Army Reserves therefore I received an invitation to an event here in Toronto. Of course these last few days the weather has been sunny and mild for this time of year but not last Thursday...no....I froze my butt. For 3.5 hours I sat on the bleachers of Varsity Stadium, first there was sun (so that was ok), after snow pellets (thank goodness for the umbrella & Tim Hortons' tea) and lastly clouds & cold. Brrr! But it was worth watching my boyfriend parade in his uniform:) After sleeping all day today I think I finally beat this bug! Hopefully tomorrow I can resume with regular posting and playing catch-up with past due posts.
Lets Remember! (poppy pic bing.com)
(pics are not to be reproduced without my permission)
Thank you for the Lovely Blog Award
I was given my first blog award from the lovely blogger Ashwini from ClearlyBeautiful! Thank you! I had seen these blog awards around & always wondered about how they got started. I'm assuming by other bloggers, which is a great way to get bloggers to post about others.
I have to pass this award onto 15 newly discovered blogs (ok I like alot of blogs so this was difficult & not all are newly discovered & not in any order):
styleblog
the GlossGoss
Pass on the love!
November 07, 2009
Who doesn't like a contest? {Heiko Gift Basket Contest}
November 04, 2009
Yorkdale is...Nelia {vote}
*cough* If you win Nelia, Yorkdale Gift Certificates make great stocking stuffers! *cough* OK a coffee will do:)
(image property of yorkdale.com)
November 03, 2009
They're Back...{The Body Shop brings back the Originals + giveaway time}
Banana Conditioner
Green Apple Shower Gel
Dewberry Body Lotion
Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel
Is that Vintage or just Old? {The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping}
Have you ever gone vintage shopping only to discover that you don't know what to look for? I have. In The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping, vintage clothing dealer Melody Fortier helps you thru the process of buying vintage. Fortier has created a cute little handbook that is easy to read, lovely to look at, and easy to carry. I own very few vintage pieces because quite frankly I know very little about labels and value of items. Of the few pieces I own; Gucci purses and a few silk YSL scarves, were the only items that I was able to distinguish quality and price. To this day I can spot an authentic vintage Gucci purse from a mile away, and although I only own three I plan on adding more to my collection. I'm also a fan of bakelite jewellery! Aside from that I've always been sceptical of buying other items because I wasn't sure what to look for. OK so I'm not exactly clueless but this handbook surely helped. My favourite is Chapter 6 Labels & Pricing; labels because they're like a garment's birth certificate and price because basically you don't want to get ripped off $. If vintage shopping is one of your pasttimes check out The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping, you might learn a few things.
To learn more about the author Melody Fortier check out her vintage store, Tangerine Boutique and her blog! You can order The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping from her site here or Quirk Books.
You've got Mail {Swap goodies}
Thank you Tali! Can't wait for you to get my package.
Have any of you ever done a swap? Share your experiences in my comment section.
November 01, 2009
Eye spy Eye cream {Marcelle Essentials 1st Wrinkles Eye Contour Cream} + {Giveaway}
*Moisturizes deeply and long-lastingly
*Reduces puffiness
*Reduces dark circles
*Lessens the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
*Leaves skin soft, supple and revitalized
A few worthy mention ingredients: Indian fig extract, olive oil, caffeine (stimulates lymphatic drainage & reduces puffiness), Gatuline (smoothes the skin & reduces appearance of expression lines & wrinkles), Heliomoduline (slows down cellular aging, stimulates the natural DNA repair & restricts cellular deterioration), Regu-Age (increases microcirculation, reduces puffiness & dark circles) (marcelle)
Why I liked it! Hydrates under-eye area well without feeling greasy. Works great as a base for my concealer (Bobbi Brown concealer), does not irritate my eyes. Although its a cream its not heavy, in fact its an ultra-light lotion/cream. Eye area does feel smooth & refreshed. I have really bad under eye circles (the brownish kind) so although I didn't see a huge difference perhaps with longer usage they would diminish more. Now the wrinkles! I'm in my early 30's and often get mistaken for being 10 years younger so obviously I'm doing something right (ok genetics play an important role too) therefore I don't have deep eye wrinkles but lots of laugh lines that aren't going anywhere. In my opinion as long as you keep your eye area well hydrated with a good eye cream (like this one) you'll see results in the long run, the key is consistency. I give this eye cream a vote YES! Because its fragrance-free, didn't bother my contact lenses, kept eye area moisturized, concealer didn't fade or run with this cream as a base, and has all those good ingredients. Long-term usage is key! Retail price $27.50 CDN
For the giveaway!! Marcelle not only sent me one but two of these goodies so I'm giving one away! Rules (sorry only open to Canadian residents as Marcelle is only available in Canada) deadline November 16!
(1) your name & age (this product is targeted for those in their early 30's but no worries enter if your age is not in that range)
(2) your current favourite eye-area product
(3) Show some love! Its easier to follow my giveaway if you Follow or Subscribe to my blog (as I'm still waiting the response of a winner of another giveaway) but I'll still let you enter if you do neither:) GOODLUCK!!
(image: marcelle.com)