I ♥ Spring!

I thought I would do the I ♥ Spring! tag that has been going around. I tag you all to do the same!

What is your favourite spring nail polish?

Well this is an easy one, and if you have been reading my blog recently, you would have seen it here. It is Pink Plumeria by China Glaze. However, I'm also really, really loving pastels, so a close second is the one I posted about here - Sugar Plum by Ciate. Of course I would never be able to choose just one...

What is your must have lip colour this spring?

Oh boy, another question that could have so many answers for me. I think that this spring a must have is one of the new Revlon Lip Butter shades. Out of the four that came out recently, I picked up Sorbet and Juicy Papaya. Both are so lovely and colourful - perfect for spring!

Show us your favourite spring dress.

I can't wait to wear this! It has been too cold so far, but I picked up this Marc by Marc Jacobs dress from shopbop back in February. It will be perfect for spring.

What is your favourite flower?

I love Lilacs! I love their smell, the gorgeous colour, and I love that they are low maintenance and keep growing from year to year.

What is your favourite spring scarf / accessory?

I think this would be a colourful statement necklace. I love incorporating these with simple t-shirts in the springtime. I've picked up two so far - one from Banana Republic, and another from J. Crew.

l to r: Banana Republic Bloom Necklace and J. Crew Crystal and Cabochon Necklace

On my wishlist for this spring is this one, also from J. Crew:

J. Crew Crystal-Encrusted Collar Necklace in White

What spring trends are you excited for?

Mint green! In general, I'm obsessed with all things teal, so for spring, a lightened up shade of blue-green is just perfect. I've already picked up a couple of blouses, a belt and a pair of flats (not all to be worn together, though!).

What is your favourite spring candle?

Honestly, I'm not much of a candle person. I'm kind of afraid of burning the house down, so I don't even buy them. Anyways, I prefer candles that are more of a spicy, woody scent, so if I did burn candles, it would mostly be during the fall and winter.

What is your favourite body spray / perfume for spring?

I'm in love with Stila Creme Bouquet. This is a very light scent that mixes vanilla, Pink Lilac, and Lily of the Valley. It is so pretty, but a bit too light for the winter, so I love breaking it out for the spring. It is a very wearable scent for daytime. 

source: Stila

What is spring like, where you live?

Eh, not that great to be honest. At least not so far. It has been cold and a bit snowy. I have high hopes for May though!

What is your favourite thing about spring?

The fresh air, the feeling of summer just around the corner, and the sun already starting to shine in the morning before I go to work.

Are you a spring cleaner?

Um, no. I'm never a cleaner. Have to work on that.

Any plans for a spring vacation?

Not yet, but there is still time to plan something!

♥

If you do the I ♥ Spring! tag, leave your link in the comments so that I can read your responses!

Thanks for reading!

I've Got the Monday Blues

In celebration of everyone's favourite day of the week, I went looking for all things blue in my makeup collection. I actually found a lot more than I expected. Not surprisingly, my blue items are some of my least used products, but I love having them on days when I'm feeling a little more adventurous.

top row l to r: Deep Night from the Laura Mercier Artists' Palette, Zoya Pixie Dust in Nyx, Cargo Swimmables Eye Pencil in Blue, MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow in Hint of Sapphire
second row l to r: OPI I Have a Herring Problem, Wet n Wild Color Icon Palette in Blue Had Me at Hello, Ciate Mini Paint Pot in Power Dressing, Bare Minerals Loose Liner Shadow in Jade
third row l to r: Lorac Baked Matte Satin Eyeshadow in Insider, Pur Minerals Dusty Sapphire Loose Eyeshadow, Chaos from the Urban Decay Vice Palette, Essie Blue Rhapsody
bottom row l to r: Essie Butler Please, Bossy Bobbi from theBalm Shady Lady vol. 2, Zoya in Blu, MAC Petrol Blue Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner

Happy Monday and thanks for reading!

Product Review - Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar

So I'm a little late to the game on this one - I just got my first Lip Tar! I'm so late that Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is now releasing newer versions of their Lip Tar that are glossy, metallic, and probably others. Oh well, better late than never. I picked this up in the shade Memento, which is one of their more wearable shades. These things come in an impressive shade range that includes blue (RX), green (Power Plant) and even black (Tarred and Batty)! The whole point of these, is that  you are able to buy multiple colours and then mix your own custom look, so I guess the black would be quite helpful in achieving a deeper evening look. For now, I just purchased the one colour.  

I have to confess - I didn't love this at first. Yikes, I know these are so popular, and I had such high expectations, but it was a lot more liquid-y than I had expected. With a name like Lip Tar, I expected a thicker, more tar-like consistency. When I applied the product to my lips, it just felt kind of slippery and strange and was travelling around like crazy. I don't know, but I didn't really think I would pick it up that often.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Memento

But, out of some strange coincidence, the next day, there was a tutorial posted to Sephora's You Tube account showing how to properly apply the Lip Tar, and I realized the problem was that I was using way too much product. This is extremely easy to do, however, as the product comes out of the tube very quickly, and is quite liquid-y, as I mentioned. So I gave it another shot and the results are in the above photo - not to bad, right? 

Later, I checked the OCC website and found the following directions:

DIRECTIONS: Apply the tiniest bead of Lip Tar with our newly-included #010S Short-Handled Precision Lip Brush for complete, opaque coverage, either mixed with other shades or on its own. Applying too much product can result in feathering outside the lipline, so remember: a little goes a very long way!

Well, I should have looked at that from the beginning!

The OCC website claims that this product has the longevity of a lipstick with the ease of application of a lipgloss. I would definitely agree that the lip tar has a good amount of staying power. I've been wearing a lot of creamy lipsticks these days, so I'm actually used to lipsticks that do not last very long at all, so for me, the Lip Tar lasts a significant amount of time. I would not say that the ease of application is that of a lipgloss. First of all, they do supply a little brush, but this is not good for taking with you in your purse - what do you do with it once it has been used? If you put it back in the little pouch it come with, you smear product allover, so it always has to be tissued off. It's just not convenient. So I will be using my retractable lip brush instead. Further to this, the beauty (to me) of a lipgloss, is applying on the go without even needing a mirror. You will most definitely need a mirror for applying Lip Tar. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of.

Anyways, overall, I'm glad I picked this up. I'm interested in trying a coral shade, so I may pick up another at some point in the future. I might pass on the black though!

Have you tried the Lip Tar range? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading!

Top 5 - Lipsticks

Part 2 of my Top 5 series is lipsticks. Lipsticks are probably the most fun product to shop for as there is so much variety, and you can really have fun with colour. However, my favourites always end up being pretty safe choices. 

l to r: Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Airy Fairy, Dior Addict Lipstick #583 Backstage, Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Plum, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine #54 Boy, Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Spice Spice Baby

As you can see, these are all fairly conservative choices that can be worn with a variety of eye looks, and in any situation. I can reach for any of these colours without worrying about looking inappropriate, or like I'm overly made-up.

You might have seen my post on Rimmel's Airy Fairy here. It is a fairly nude shade, but with pinky-mauve undertones, it is very flattering. I usually stay away from true nudes that are more towards the concealer-lip look as I find it does not suit me at all. Airy Fairy looks great alone, but even better with a gloss layered over it.

Dior's Backstage is the lipstick that I bought for my wedding. It is a sheer berry that is so pretty. The formula is so moisturizing and easy to wear. I just love this lipstick. I posted a picture of it on my lips in this post.

Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Plum is actually a fairly deep shade on my lips. With a couple of swipes, the shade could easily be worn for evening. But of course, one swipe is definately appropriate for day. I bought this because I read somewhere that this colour is very similar to MAC's Syrup. I don't own Syrup, so I cannot say how close they are, but I do love the Revlon Lip Butter formula for an everyday lipstick.

Chanel's Boy is an extremely popular shade. I'd been hearing about it forever before I actually picked myself up a tube of it. I got it in a duty free shop when travelling as I love to treat myself to a high end makeup purchase when I'm in international airports. I really don't think the prices are actually any better than at home, but it's just a fun treat. Boy is a "my lips but better" shade for sure. It is very sheer and on my lips, it looks very natural. It is somthing that I can apply with any makeup look and it just always works. 

I just posted a review on Too Faced La Creme lipsticks here. While I love both of the colours I purchased, Spice Spice Baby is the one that I reach for more often and will likely be something I repurchase when I run out. It is a gorgeous, wearable, everyday colour and the formula is moisturizing and extremely comfortable to wear. I just love it.

top to bottom: Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Spice Spice
Baby, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine #54 Boy, Revlon Lip
Butter in Sugar Plum, Dior Addict Lipstick #583 Backstage,
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Airy Fairy

I have actually purchased a couple of new lipsticks recently that I'm really loving, but I have not had them long enough to be considered favourites. It will be interesting to revisit my top choices in the future to see how they change!

What are your current favourite lipsticks?

See my Top 5 - Blushes post here.

Thanks for reading!

Nail I'm Loving - YSL Jade Imperial

This is my first YSL nail polish ever. I don't normally buy a lot of high end nail polishes unless I feel like the colour is quite unique, as I'm generally quite satisfied with my Zoya's and OPI's. But... I'm so glad I picked this up! I was really impressed with the formula of this YSL polish. After one coat, the colour was opaque. I did apply two coats, but one could definitely be sufficient. I did apply one coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast top coat because I'm very impatient in waiting for my nails to dry.

I applied this polish on a Saturday, and as I am writing this, it is already Wednesday and there is absolutely no chipping. So that is quite impressive in it's own. I love it when I change my polish not because of chipping, but simply because I am ready for a new colour.

So the application was great, and wear-time is great, but I haven't even mentioned the colour. Jade Imperial is such a pretty green! It is a muted, dusty green that is quite sophisticated. Green is one of the colours that I have next to none of in my collection (see it here!). Actually, if you do not include mint (which isn't really a true green, in my opinion), I have no greens. So this is a welcome addition. I just love this colour and often catch myself glancing down at my nails throughout the day.

I'm pretty sure this was a special release for the spring, but if it is still available at your YSL counter, I would highly recommend it!

Thanks for reading!

Product Review - Clarins Ombre Minerale Mono Eyeshadow

Recently I picked up three shades of the Clarins Ombre Minerale Mono Eyeshadow. This was my first time trying anything from the Clarins makeup line, so I thought I would post a review on how these worked out for me.

Clarins Ombre Minerale Mono Eyeshadow
back (l to r): Taupe, Silver Green
front: Nude

I knew right away that I wanted the Nude and Taupe shades. They are just beautiful neutrals that can be combined with anything on a daily basis. But as far as a colour to make a bit more of a statement, I wasn't really sure what to choose. There are a couple of gorgeous purples in the collection (Aubergine and Vibrant Violet) and a pretty blue-grey (Slate Blue), but I ended up selecting Silver Green as I don't normally pick greens. This green is more of a neutral grey-green that is not overwhelming for those of us who are unlikely to jump right into an emerald green eyeshadow. I don't mind wearing bright eyeliners, but I normally pair a bright eyeliner with a more neutral shadow. 

Swatches on fingers (l to r): Taupe, Nude, Silver Green 

Below are the swatches - applied dry, you can see that these shadows are quite sheer.I had to apply a very thick swatch of Nude because it is extremely close to my skintone and was not really photographing very well.

Silver Green, Nude, Taupe

Applied Wet:

Nude, Taupe, Silver Green

I've already worn these shades as a trio a couple of times and they looked really pretty. Of course I layered them over a primer (currently using Benefit's Stay Don't Stray), and the shadows lasted all day. I mentioned above that the shadows are quite sheer, but  I actually hesitate to call them sheer, because the colour payoff is quite nice. Perhaps it is better to just say that the colours are muted. You will likely not reach for these for a dramatic evening look. but they are very appropriate for an everyday work look, so overall I'm happy with these and will turn to them often.

Thanks for reading!

Product Review - Too Faced La Creme Lipstick

Too Faced La Creme Lipstick - Spice Spice Baby and Naughty Nude

After hearing so much buzz around the Too Faced La Creme lipsticks, I was really interested in trying them out. I even had them on my wishlist for quite sometime before getting around to making the purchase. Well I'm really happy that I finally picked them up because they are really, really nice.

I chose the shades Spice Spice Baby and Naughty Nude. Both of these shades are incredibly neutral and wearable but give a really healthy, polished look. Perfect for everyday, especially for those who work in an office environment. Spice Spice Baby is a more rosy toned brown-nude, and is pretty much a shade that I would classify as "my lips but better". Naughty Nude is a more neutral brown-nude that is not pale at all. Nudes are hard for me to wear as I find they look quite dead on me, but these are perfect.

Spice Spice Baby and Naughty Nude

As you can see, there is a bit of a sheen to the finish, so a gloss is not necessary. But of course, that is up to you. 

The scent of these is quite interesting to me. I've never come across a lipstick that smells like this - it is kind of a spicy smell. I'm not sure how else to describe it. But it does not bother me at all, I actually quite like it. 

These are not long-wearing lip colours by any means. The creamy texture is lovely, feels moisturizing on the lips and just looks just as moist, so of course the trade-off is wear-time. Without eating or drinking, I would say that these last on my lips for several hours, but as soon as I sip on a coffee, I know that I will have to reapply. That is fine with me though. Especially with these neutral shades, it is not really a problem as I can easily reapply without a mirror.

Spice Spice Baby

Naughty Nude

Can I also say that I love the packaging? The packaging is really pretty and sleek. I appreciate details like this.

Have you picked up any of the Too Faced La Creme Lipsticks?

Thanks for reading!

MAC In Extra Dimension Collection

I wasn't planning on picking anything up from the new In Extra Dimension collection from MAC, but as I was browsing the counter on my lunch break last week, these two beauties caught my eye. I have an Extra Dimension highlighter from the collection that was released around the holidays that I have been enjoying, so these were quite tempting to me. 

I purchased the Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in Smoky Mauve and the Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Shape the Future.

The eyeshadow is so pretty - a soft purplish-taupe that shimmers, but isn't sparkly. It is very wearable for everyday, in my opinion.

The skinfinish is great because you get two shades that can be worn separately as a blush and highlighter, or swirled together for a shimmery cheek, which is how I tend to wear it. I love products like this that give you a couple of options. I can see myself reaching for this a lot because it is very neutral and can be paired up with a wide variety of eye and lip looks.

Smoky Mauve allover lid,
blended with Clarins Taupe

Sorry if this collage is a bit creepy looking, but I wanted to show you how the colours looked. This look turned out quite soft and pretty. I applied Smoky Mauve all over the lid, and then blended Clarins Ombre Minerale Mono Eyeshadow in Taupe into the crease. I lined with liquid liner and smudged over it with a matte black shadow.

Smoky Mauve layered over
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk

I played around with the Smoky Mauve shade again the next day, only this time I layered it over my Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk and blended MAC's Cork into the crease and I really liked how this turned out. I just lined with Tarte's Skinny SmolderEyes Liner in Onyx and blended it out with a matte black shadow. On my cheeks, I used Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blushing Bride that I mentioned here.

Have you picked up anything from the new MAC collections that are out right now?

Thanks for reading!

Goodies I Picked Up in Asia - Part 3 - Etude House

Another brand that I was excited to look for in Asia is Etude House. This is a super popular brand - what is not to love - cute packaging, reasonable prices, and the products that seem to work quite well. I saw several stand-alone stores, but made the mistake of going to one in a busy district during the early evening. The store was packed! The last time I saw a store this busy was when H&M finally opened in Canada! But, I think this was just a normal evening at the Etude House store. So I dove in and elbowed my way up to the lipstick testers. I managed to pick up a few items:

• Shini Star Clear BB Lotion - according to the description of this BB Lotion, it provides sheer to medium coverage and prepares the complexion for foundation.  Well, I didn't read this until using this as my actual foundation for several days. Honestly, for a light complexion, you really don't need much more than this if you want a medium coverage. This product comes in only one shade: clear. So I suppose if you had a darker skintone, you would use this just as a base. These days my preference has been to use something with medium coverage and then go back in with concealer where needed, and this product really does the trick. I'm really obsessed with Asian BB creams as the coverage is beautiful.  Shini Star is a product that I would repurchase for sure.

• Magic BB Pact in #2 Natural Beige - I have been using this to set the Shini Star Clear BB Lotion. It is advertised as an oil-absorbing, long-lasting powder with a moist and dewy finish. I don't know if I would say it has a moist and dewy finish, but it doesn't leave me with an extremely powdery look. It provides quite nice coverage. Also, this product is talc, oil and wax-free.

bottom left: Shini Star Clear BB Lotion, applied thick
bottom right: a pump of Shini Star Clear BB Lotion and a swatch of Magic BB Pact pressed powder

• Hand Bouquet Rich Butter Hand Cream - this is a nice hand cream. Smells pretty and does the trick. Not much to really say about this.

• Magic Tint Balm #1 Magic Red - this is just a really pretty sheer red glossy balm. I've been carrying a retractable lip brush around though because I hate sticking my finger straight into the product. But l love the look this gloss provides.

• Dear My Blooming Lips-talk in shades PK001 and RD304 - the lipsticks are my disappointments with the Etude House line. I was excited about these because everyone talks about how cute the packaging is, so I really wanted to love these, but the colours just aren't fantastic. I feel like they look like a lipstick you might have as a child. The colours are opaque and kind of flat. No real dimension. Also, when I rub my lips together, they get a bit patchy, with my natural lips peeking through. I'm going to work with them, and try wearing them with different glosses, but so far, I'm not in love. Also, there were no English names for the colours on the packaging, but I'm assuming that the PK means pink and the RD means red.

• Free gifts - since I spent a certain amount, I received a package containing five mini-sized products. The package contained Collagen Moistful Cream, Real Art Cleansing Oil, Precious Mineral BB Cream, Nymph Aura Volumer (?? have to google this one, as I'm not sure what it is for), and Wonder Pore 7 in 1 Freshner (?? not sure about this either). I haven't tried any of these yet. 

So, I went to Etude House with the intentions of picking up cute lipsticks and blushes, but the real standout products to me were the BB Lotion and the BB Powder. My happiness with these more than makes up for my disappointment in the lipsticks. I actually didn't even try any of the blushes because they didn't appear that pigmented, although I didn't get much of an opportunity to look that closely since the store was so busy. 

Have you ever tried Etude House?

See Part 1 - Shu Uemura here.

See Part 2 - Skinfood here.

This concludes my posts related to Asian beauty products! Hope you've enjoyed them!

Thanks for reading!

Nail Polish Haul, Review, Swatches

As spring is just around the corner, I decided my nail polish collection needed a little freshening-up. Of course I don't really need any more nail polishes, but I found a few that I just really wanted to try. I have a hard time finding a wide selection of polish brands where I live, but I found Nail Polish Canada to have great selection and quick, cheap shipping (free over $25), so that is where I picked these up. All swatches are three coats unless I note otherwise. 

Pink Plumeria by China Glaze

This polish applied beautifully, and lasted a whole week without chipping (with topcoat). I highly recommend.

Keep Calm, Paint On by China Glaze

I thought this would apply nicely since I had such good luck with Pink Plumeria, but it was a bit thick and goopy. I was disappointed by the application, but I'm going to try putting in a drop of nail polish thinner to see if that helps. The colour is really pretty, and even though the application was thick, and not perfect, on the one day that I wore it to work, I got three compliments on it. Everyone is loving the mint this season!

Daul by Zoya

This colour is so pretty! The gold fleck is quite prominent and really catches the eye, more so than what you see in the swatch. Application was smooth and it wore well on my nails.

Champagne Kisses by China Glaze

One coat

This is pretty high up on my list of favourite glitters. I think Champagne Kisses and Butter London's Rosie Lee are my faves. Very pretty, but chipped quite quickly on my nails.

Thanks for reading!

What's In My Z-Palette? AKA - My Favourite MAC Eyeshadows

I've been loving my Z-Palette, especially for travel. I have a bunch of palettes that I had purchased, thinking they would be good for travel (Lorac, Urban Decay, etc.), but it is really nice to be able to pick and choose what colours you want. I selected my most wearable favourites from MAC to take with me on my last vacation, and it worked out perfectly. I used the small size Z-Palette that fits nine MAC shadows. I don't have any depotted MAC blushes, but if I did, I would probably take out four of the shadows and insert a blush instead, if I was trying to travel light.

You can see in the above picture, just a peek of my larger Z-Palette in which I store my depotted Wet n Wild shadows. 

from l to r: top row: Woodwinked, Cork, Dazzlelight
middle row: Satin Taupe, Star Violet, Orb
bottom row: Shadowy Lady, Mystery, Mythology

I find that these shades are very neutral and wearable, but can still be built up for a more dramatic look. 

For a bronzey neutral eye, I like to use Woodwinked all over the lid, Cork in the crease, Mystery in the outer V, and a mixture of Dazzlelight and Orb as a highlight.

For a pretty, taupey neutral eye, I like to use Satin Taupe all over the lid, Cork in the crease, Shadowy Lady to darken the outer V, and again, a mixture of Dazzlelight and Orb as a highlight.

Another look I like is Mythology on the inner third of the lid, Star Violet on the outer two thirds of the lid and blended into Mythology and then darkened into the crease and outer V with Mystery and a bit of Cork for blending.

As you can see, these colours provide so many different combinations, so it is great for travel. I also get a lot of use of these colours on a daily basis.

top to bottom: Woodwinked, Cork, Dazzlelight

top to bottom: Satin Taupe, Star Violet, Orb

top to bottom: Shadowy Lady, Mystery, Mythology

What are your favourite MAC eyeshadows?

Thanks for reading!

Product Review - Stila Countless Color Pigments

left: all shades swirled together, center: mid-toned orangey-brown, right: deepest brown

This was an impulse purchase at the Sephora VIB sale. It was not on my list, and I had never actually seen this new and limited edition product before (also, according to Sephora's website, this product is exclusive to them). But once I touched it, I was sold. The texture is so silky soft and I knew that it would blend nicely on my eyelid.

The version I chose was the most safe (most boring?) option - Groupie is basically a trio of neutral brown shades. The collection also included a bright pink, some purples, a turquoise, a blue and a reddish/brown combo. 

I immediately assumed these were just for the eyes, but they are marketed as pigments, so I guess that would imply that they are multi-use. In fact, I read a couple of reviews on Sephora's website later that night and someone mentioned that she uses the pink shade as a blush. I probably wouldn't have thought of that, but it's always great to get more than one purpose out of a product.

So far I have worn this on my eyes twice only. It definitely goes on smooth, and I enjoy using it, but I really didn't need to pick this up, especially considering all of the neutral browns I already have in my collection (especially, due to this). I actually wish I had been more adventurous and picked one of the more colourful selections such as Lyric, Tie Dye, or Light Show. I guess that is what you get for making impulse purchases!

Stila Countless Color Pigments in Lyric

Stila Countless Color Pigments in Tie Dye

Stila Countless Color Pigments in Light Show

Thanks for reading!

Nail Polish Collection

I don't know what it is, but I've been on a real nail polish kick lately. I'm guessing that I'm not the only one though as it seems like nail polish and nail art popularity is running extremely high. For a long time, I couldn't even find a wide variety of colours and brands at stores near me, so my selection was limited to Sally Hansen. Now, Essie is sold at Shoppers Drug Mart and I can find OPI, China Glaze and Zoya at Chatters. But I don't even find myself buying in person - most of my polishes are bought from www.nailpolishcanada.com (I have no involvement with this company, I just love it!). Anyways, this is just a quick post because I spent some time last weekend organizing my collection. I actually thought that I had way more than I did - but the majority of my collection fit on my new acrylic nail polish rack that holds 60 bottles (I managed to fit 64). I wasn't going to purchase a second rack, in attempts to limit future purchases, but I just submitted an order for a couple of the new Zoya Pixie Dust Collection Matte Glitter polishes. So we'll see. 

Thanks for reading!