August 31, 2010

This look is actually from Sunday night but I now finally get to post it. We came back from the lake Sunday morning so I wanted to fully use my newly acquired tan and went for golden shades. It's a simple look but I love how it came out.

Hope you guys enjoy this.

Face
Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF45
Annabelle mineral foundation - Barely Beige
Nars Laguna bronzer
Nars Orgasm Illuminator

Eyes
Cash Flow p/p - base
Sugarpill Goldilux p/m - lid
Creme de Miel e/s - inner lid
Wedge e/s - above crease
Cork e/s - crease
Blanc Type e/s - highlight
UD Baked 24/7 - lower lashline
BB Chocolate Shimmer g/l - to line
LW Smokey Kohl - waterline
Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips
Naked l/l
Honeylove l/s
Nymphette l/g

August 31, 2010

Sorry for lack of frequent posts lovelies! I'm going through some things right now (emotionally and physically) and am not always up for blogging. I wanted to share this review with you for a while now though so here it goes:

I picked up Lise Watier's Smokey Kohl Liner in Black last month from Shoppers and found myself in kohl heaven! As a heavy user of kohl liner, I'm always looking for the next best thing. The new liner is limited edition I believe and comes in two shades, black and blue. The liner retails for $18 CAD and this is what it looks like:





This kohl liner is one of the blackest blacks I've ever seen. I compared it to MAC's ever popular Feline and it seems like LW version is slightly more brown where Feline is slightly more gray:

Feline on the left, Smokey Kohl on the right

The texture is super creamy and smooth. The liner goes on with ease and can be smudged for a smokey look or used on the water line. I find that the staying power of this liner is better than Feline. It lasts on my waterline for 2-3 hours where Feline disappears within the first hour. I would set it with black eyeshadow to add to longevity.

My only gripe would be the shape of this liner. As you can see it's looks cone shaped and cannot be sharpened as the kohl powder is very soft. It's next to impossible to maintain the original shape. Granted the shape is what drew me to this product initially after a few use it started to worry me. Overall, I still like this liner and been using it much more than my Feline liner. I'm hoping the shape change won't be a problem in the future.

Hope you guys found this review helpful. What is your favourite kohl liner?

August 30, 2010

Hubby and I spent the weekend with some friends of ours partying on a pontoon at a beautiful and peaceful lake two hours outside of Ottawa. We had also rented a couple of cottages to spend the night. We had an amazing time as it was a beautiful and sunny Saturday. We explored the lake, swam in the water, drank rum mixers on board and had an amazing buffet of Jamaican jerk chicken and grilled potatoes. Us girls also did some sun tanning (and unfortunately I burnt more than tanned, lol).

We got back to the cottage at night and did some BBQ'ing, drank wine and chatted till late into the night. Overall we had an amazing time and since there isn't much left of summer, it feels even better to have escaped one last time before fall.

Thought I share some pics with you guys. Hope you all had an amazing weekend :)


View from our cottage balcony at 7 am


Exploring little islands on the lake


This is when the guys were driving the boat super fast, it was awesome!


Group shot


yours truly!

August 27, 2010

Hey lovelies! It seems like our lake trip might be FINALLY happening this weekend! This is the third time we're trying to go, lol! What are you all up to this weekend?

I wore MAC's Earthly Harmony on my nails today. I must say I'm really impressed with the quality of the newer MAC polishes. I could really have done one coat but did two just in case. The application was a breeze and the polish dry time was quick. The colour itself is one of those mushroom type shades; a light taupe that has super tiny gold flecks in it, you can really only see it in sunlight. I really really like this shade. It was the first shade I chose out of my haul from yesterday and I know I will wear it a lot.

Here's a 2-coat swatch on my nails. Excuse my dry skin :/



Have you guys picked up this colour? How do you feel about the taupe trend?

August 26, 2010

I've said it in this blog before, but I absolutely adore fall shades for makeup and nail polish. I have a lil vamp living inside me that never sleeps, lol! My fave shades are burgundy, dark red, smokey purple... but really anything dark and sultry. Give all this, I'm already excited about fall. Ive been accumulating some nail polishes that fit the bill since the last two weeks, excuse the quality of pics, bad cloudy day today :/


1. Left to right: Midnight Mission, First Class Ticket and Ingrid all by China Glaze. I picked these up from Sally's.


2. Left to right: Out of This World, Lunar Eclipse and Galaxy Girl all by Orly. Orly's Cosmic FX is the best nail polish collection I've ever seen in a while! I got these from Sally's as well.


3. Left to right: Zoya Kotury (picked this from Trade Secret), Earthly Harmony and Jade Dragon both from MAC's new nail trend collection.

Overall, I'm loving this new vibe of small glitters in dark polishes. I have not worn any of these yet but I can see a common trend which I love! I picked up "cooler" toned fall shade this year as my stash is full of warm purple, burgundy and blood red shadeed nail polishes.

Here are some quick and dirty nail wheel comparisons. I will do full review and swatches of all these as I wear them:


1. MAC Rain of Flower (left) vs Orly Out of This World (right). I didn't pick up MAC as even though they are not dupes, I find the MAC shade just pales in comparison. Much more flat looking.


2. MAC Ming Blue (left) vs Orly Lunar Eclipse (right). Again I skipped the MAC shade. The base of these two is similar but Orly has more reflect glitters in it. You can't see it well in the picture but the orly almost looks like it has a purple flash to it IRL.


3. China Glaze Ingrid (left) vs MAC Earthly Harmony (right). These are in the same colour family of mushroom shades that have been popular since last year. They are different enough for me to justify owning both. The fine glitter is more visible in the MAC shade.

Did you guys get any new polishes lately? What are some of your favourite nail polish brands/shades?

August 26, 2010

Happy Thursday everyone! So happy this week is coming to an end; it has for sure been a long one for me.

I wanted to do a hair related poll as I want to add more hair posts to my blog. I'm in desperate need of a hair change (and I do get bored quickly with my hair). I will be dying my hair and trimming it come September. I was thinking of getting bangs at the same time too. I love having bangs and had them until I turned 18. Ever since then I cut bangs sometimes but not always. I last had my bangs in a full fringe last Februray and thinking of going for the chop again this September. Here are some picture reference:

1. Me with no bangs (July 09):


2. Me with side swept bangs (Sept 09):


3. Me with full on bangs (February 10):


Which one these looks you guys like best on me? Will you be getting bangs this fall? Please share in comments.

August 25, 2010

What a lame title that is! Don't mind me; I'd had one of the most stressful weeks at work so I'm not super creative with my titles. I'm surprised at myself that I can actually blog. I really need some time off. I've been so tired and stressed that my headache hasn't left me since Monday morning :(

Oh well, I like the look I did today so thought I share, hope you guys like it too. Oh and I loooove Going Casual creamsheen glass. It looks so great on its own and on top of so many of my pink lipsticks. Go get it if you haven't!

Face
Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF45
Annabelle mineral foundation - Barely Beige
Nars Laguna bronzer
Nars Orgasm Illuminator

Eyes
Rubenesque p/p - base
Creme de Miel e/s - inner lid
Amber Lights e/s - lid
MUFE #9 - above crease
Later p/m - crease
Blanc Type e/s - highlight
Designer Purple p/g - lower lashline
BB Chocolate Shimmer g/l - to line
Cargo mascara

Lips
VGVI SE l/s
Going Casual c/g

August 25, 2010

Hi lovely readers! In an attempt to constantly revamp my blog, BeautySpot, I decided to add a bi-weekly new series. I will call this series "Tried and True" and it will feature a product that I purchased more than 6 months ago (that is a life time for a beauty addict!) that based on great experience I see myself loving for the long haul. I'm aiming to feature a variety of high and low end as well as beauty and hair products. What do you guys think?

The first product I wanted to feature is Chanel's Rouge Coco lipstick in shade Cambon. I purchased this lipstick when the Rouge Coco's first launched mid February. I love the Rouge Coco formula as it's hydrating on my lips yet it lasts 5-6 hours without fading. The smell of roses is also very faint compared to Rouge Allure formula which is a good thing in my book. Cambon is a favourite of mine coz it's a red but a "young girl" kinda red. It has definite pink tones to it and just brightens my face (for reference, I wear MAC studio fix in NW25 and MUFE HD in shade 118). You can also wear this shade of red during the day without it being too much. For my full initial review, please see here.

Here are some pics:







Do you guys have this shade? What's your take on Chanel's Rouge Coco formula?

August 24, 2010

I bit the bullet and coughed out $25 for Chanel's Paradoxal nail polish. I don't usually spend this much on a nail polish but I loved Paradoxal so much! It's a complex colour too; I would say like a purple toned gray in cream finish if that makes any sense. The application was a breeze. I could have done one coat only but went with two.

Here's two coats on my nails:


I cane see Paradoxal quickly becoming a fall favourite of mine. What are some of your favourite fall nail polishes?

August 23, 2010

Happy Monday everyone! We ended up not going to the lake yet again! It down poured on Saturday and it was freezing cold so we had to call it off :( But hubby and I saw one of the best movie I've ever had the pleasure of seeing, "the Secret in her Eyes". Definitely recommended to all artsier types and those who enjoy something outside Hollywood's signature popcorn stuff. We then went to one of our fave bistro's downtown and ended the night at our friends' place with wine and great company. It was a great Saturday overall!

This is Saturday's look which definitely was inspired by Jen who has been doing lotsa brighter liners lately. I haven't done a bold lower lashline look for a while and quite like the end product here.

Let me know what you guys think.

Face
Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF45
Nars Sheer Glow - Medium 1 (Punjab)
Ben Nye Powder
Sculpt
Prim n Proper blush
Shell Pearl bp

Eyes
Painterly p/p - base
Blanc Type e/s - all over lid
Wedge e/s - above crease
Cork e/s - crease
Espresso e/s - outer v
Solar White e/s - highlight
Aqua e/s - inner lid
MUFE Aqua Cream #22 - lower lashline
One Off e/s - lower lashline
BB Ivy Shimmer g/l - to line
Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips
Temperature Rising l/l
Fleurry of Fun l/g





and with flash

August 22, 2010

We're having cooler temperatures this weekend in the capital. It's rainy, chilly and dark. Hubby and I are having a low-key kinda day involving running some errands and hitting up our fave Vietnamese restaurant. I got inspired by the weather and did some dark and vampy lips. I loooove vampy anything but I do prefer this look with my paler winter skin and not my summer tan, lol! I still think it came out ok.

What do you guys think?

Face
Annabelle Mineral foundation - Barely beige
BB Nude Shimmer brink - lightly on cheeks

Eyes
Dirty GPS - base
Creme de Miel e/s - inner lid
OCC Clove p/m - outer lid and crease
Nars Bali e/s - outer v
Blanc Type e/s - highlight
LW Black e/k - to line
Cargo Mascara

Lips
Annabelle Bordeau l/l
Night Violet Mattene





and with flash:

August 20, 2010

Finally this long week is coming to an end. Since we didn't get to do our lake trip a few weeks ago we're going tomorrow instead. We're leaving Saturday morning and coming back Sunday afternoon. It's supposed to be sunny so I'm pumped. I'm gonna get as much tanned as I can since summer is really coming to and end :(

I did this look yesterday as I wanted to do a smokey daytime look for a while. I must say I don't really dig it! I honestly do not like brown shades on myself, I think they make my entire complexion kinda dull :( Oh well, the idea was good it just didn't work out in practice. I post it anyway as I had already taken pics. Hope you guys like this more than me.

Face
Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF45
Annabelle mineral foundation - Barely Beige
Nars Laguna Bronzer
Otherwordly blush

Eyes
BB Chocolate Shimmer g/l - base for lid and to line
Painterly p/p - base for above crease
Blanc Type e/s - highlight
Wedge e/s - above crease
Bronze e/s - lid
Cork e/s - crease
All that Glitters e/s - inner lid
Nars Cordura duo - dark side to set liner and blend
Lise Watier Black Kohl - waterline LOVE THIS, will review soon!

Lips
In Synch l/l
Cream Cup l/s
Going Casual c/g

August 19, 2010

Happy Thursday dear readers! For today's poll, I thought of a question I often ask myself when I get ready, either my everyday makeup or my more "special occasion" face.

When you do your makeup, do you have a preference for bold lips or bold eyes? I notice that I do one or the other and sometimes both. I don't see anything wrong with going bold overall; though I must admit I have never done a bold look AND added bold blush. That's something I should try at some point. Most people tell me I can do bold looks overall but they prefer me with natural look or with red lipstick. I still experiment though, I would be bored with one or another. I do stick with red lipstick when I'm in doubt but want to look great.

here's a picture of me with bold smokey purple eyes:


another one with bold (in this case red) lips:


one where I did both:


and here's a more natural and glowy look:


When going bold, do you prefer bold lips, bold eyes or bold cheeks? Do you break the "rule" and do all of them at the same time? Do you mostly stay away from bolder looks? Which type of look do you think I look best in? Please share your answers in comments :)

August 18, 2010

Hey guys! The summer is coming to the end and though it's still pretty warm here, I feel a bit of "fall" in the morning breeze. So I'm milking my summer tan as much as I can and sending lotsa warm toned looks down the pipe. Nars Scorching Sun duo is a great product for creating a subtle orange-y eye look like this.

Hubby and I just came back from the best Vietnamese restaurant ever and now enjoying a glass of wine in front of our respective labtops. I love our quiet date nights. This summer has been very busy for us so I love the simplicity of nights like this.

Hope you like this look.

Face
Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF45
Annabelle Mineral blush - Barely Beige
Nars Gilda blush
BB Nectar Shimmer Brick

Eyes
Rubenesque p/p - base
Nars Scorching Sun duo - lid and crease
Blanc type e/s - highlight
Creme de Miel e/s - inner lid
BB Chocolate Shimmer g/l - to line
UD Baked 24/7 - lower lashline

Lips
Mouth Off l/l
Nars Niagara l/s
Perennial High Style l/g

August 17, 2010

I picked up a couple of the new Makeup Forever Rouge Intense lipsticks last week and been testing them since. I thought I share my thoughts and swatches with you guys here. Let me start by saying, if you don't know already, I love my lip products bright, pigmented and creamy. Keeping that in mind, I love the new MUFE lipstick formula. Here's why:

I get 5-6 hours of wear out of these without the colour fading. There are three finishes: satin, matte and pearl. I favour the satin finish as it's creamy and non-drying. The packaging is slick and black with the exception of Moulin Rouge which has its name embossed on the tube. There's a faint smell of roses to these lipsticks but not enough to bother me. The price is right for me as well, you pay $22 for these which is slightly higher than MAC's lipsticks but they are longer wearing.

MUFE includes a colour wheel with these lipsticks that assists you in selecting shades that best suite your complexion and hair colour so it helps if you know your MUFE HD shade. The wheel is divided into shades: beige, pink, olive and golden with the option of hair colour blond, red, black and brown. I have light beige skin (MUFE HD-118) and brown hair. I browsed through the recommended shades for me and picked up #37, #34 and #43. Obviousely you don't have to use the colour wheel but I found it very helpful.

#37 - is a coral toned bright pink. It's fairly similar to MAC Impassioned with Impassioned being a bit more "pink".




Left to right: MUFE #37, MAC Impassioned and Chanel Genial

#34 - is a strawberry pink shade. I love this type of colour as it enhances the natural colour of my lips very well. I don't have anything quite similar to this in my stash.




Left to right: Chanel Phoenix RA lacque, MAC Craving, MUFE #34

#43 Moulin Rouge - the red lipstick fiend in me couldn't pass this one up! It's a blue based red, similar to MAC Ruby Woo but with creamy texture:




Left to right: MAC Ruby Woo, MAC Liza Red, MUFE #43

Hope you guys find this review helpful. Let me know if you have any of the Rouge Intense Artist lipsticks and how you like them :)

August 16, 2010

Happy Monday everyone! It's extremely humid today in Ottawa and I barely made myself wear makeup, lol! I haven't used my Bio Green e/s (Pro) for a long time and thought to incorporate it in an all green look today. Also, I never seem to get enough of my Deep Throat blush, no matter what I always go back to it.

I'm not sure if I pull off an all green look but here it is anyway, hope you guys like it!

Face
Neutrogena Dry touch SPF45
MUFE F&B #32
Ben Nye powder
Nars Deep Throat blush

Eyes
MUFE Aqua Cream #22 - base
Gorgeous Gold e/s - inner lid
Bio Green e/s - mid lid
Emerald Green p/m - Outer lid
One Off e/s - crease
Blanc Type e/s - highlight
BB Ivy Shimmer g/l - to line

Lips
Blankety l/s
Fleurry of Fun l/g