June 26, 2012

Hi beauties! I had my baby shower this past Sunday and thought I share some pictures and details here.

My mom and two sisters hosted the shower at my parents place. In true Persian style, this was a pretty big party with around 70 women attending. I knew nothing of the details besides the date so I was super thrilled to see a couple of my friends attend from out of town (one from Victoria, one from Montreal and one from Toronto). There was a tone of food, the cutest cake and of course all the presents for the already spoiled baby girl.

I teared up a few times during the party especially when my mom did a toast for me and the baby. I'm much more emotional these days (blame pregnancy hormones). But the whole event was very humbling for me, being surrounded with all the love and kindness. It felt like the right passage into motherhood for me.

My hubby showed up at the end of the party with the cutest flower arrangement for me. It included 64 Hershey's kisses for the number of days I have left to my pregnancy. He also brought flowers for my mom and sisters to thank them for hosting the party. I love my hubs!!!

Here are some pictures:


Me and my 31 week pregnant bump. I'm wearing a maxi dress by Jessica Simpson.


with my mom and sisters


My dearest friend who came in from TO...she was also the maid of honour in our wedding 5 years ago


BFF's


My sweetest hubby with the most thoughtful shower gift <3

Hope you enjoyed this post and don't feel baby-overwhelmed ;)

June 25, 2012

Hey beauties! Another forgotten look for you. I'm still being consistent with getting my face done in the mornings but not as great as posting the looks. I'm usually too tired in the evenings to sit down and blog so I've fallen behind.

I'm going to try and get some of my reviews and swatches lined up this weekend. I also want to share picture of my baby shower and the updated nursery picture this week. Too many posts lined up, not enough time!!!

Anyway, hope you enjoy this post in the meanwhile.

Face
F&B Foundation - N3
Ben Nye Powder
Nars Irresistiblement Bronzer
Nars Deep Throat blush

Eyes
UDPP - base
Greenstroke p/p (DC) - base for lid
Lime e/s (Pro) - outter and inner crease
Plummage e/s - outer and inner v
Creme de Miel e/s (LE - sub Nylon) - highlight
Old Gold p/m - mid lid
BB Ivy Shimmer g/l - to line
Gosh Green e/l - lower lashline
Cargo 3 in 1 mascara

Lips
Guerlain Bengal Rose Rouge Automatique

June 21, 2012

Hey lovelies! I have another pregnancy update for you. So much has happened since the last time I updated (about 3 weeks ago). Let's have a go at it first with a bump picture:



Weeks pregnant: 30 weeks (7 months and 2 weeks), due date is August 28th.

Weight/body: I have now put on 11lbs which I think it's not enough. In fact I'm freaking out about it! For my BMI I'm supposed to put on 25-35 lbs by the time I give birth :/ My bump is still growing and all the weight gain is just focused on that area it seems.

Baby movements: she is moving as much as always but as she's a bigger baby now, I feel her all the time. Sometimes she even wakes me up at night with her punches and kicks.

Symptoms: I have mild backaches sometimes in the evening and also pressure on my rib cage as I carry high. My aquafitness classes have helped reduce the backaches significantly.


Cravings: I've been eating more generally within the last 2 weeks. Still have a preference for Mediterranean food but also eating tones of watermelon, cantaloupes and cherries in between meals.

Mood: strangely enough, I'm very much looking forward to labour. I'm not terrified of it and am very curious to see how the whole thing will go down and how I will cope. I'm mentally prepared and looking at it as a healthy and natural path to meeting my baby girl finally!

Accomplished these past weeks:
- Nursery is complete and just has to be tidied up and we have to hang the curtains. Can't wait to show you guys the pics in the next update!
- Registered for the hospital L&D tour and also got my admission card.
- Booked cleaning services for complete house cleaning for Aug 13.
- Got more baby stuff like bassinet, swing, bouncer and glider/ottoman.
- Finalized my birth plan and gave a copy to my midwife.

Still have to do:
- Buy more essentials like breast pumps, crib mattress, sheets,...
- Pick up the stroller and car seat. Get the car seat installed and inspected.
- Pack the hospital bag, I want to have it done by week 35.
- Practice my breathing and massage techniques.
- Attend my prenatal classes (doing two condensed sessions in mid July)

Last but not least, my baby shower is this Sunday and I'm getting quite excited about it. My mom loves hosting parties and hence as the organizer she has invited the whole town, lol! I don't know any of the details but I know there will be a cake :D

Hope you guys enjoyed this update :)

June 18, 2012

Hey beauties and happy Monday! I have another smokey brown look to share with you from last week. I know I do this look a lot but it's so simple and always makes me look put together so I cannot resist it. After trying many different products I've concluded that Nars Cordura duo is my favourite way to achieve this look at least in the summer. Chanel Empire Rouge Allure Laque is the perfect light pink lipstick to accent a bolder eye like you see here:

Face
Nars Alaska TM
Nars Laguna Bronzer
Nars Madly blush

Eyes
UDPP - base
Estee Lauder Blackened Cocoa e/k - to line and blend up
Nars Cordura duo - dark shade on lid, light shade in crease
UD Virgin e/s - highlight
Feline e/k - waterline
Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips
Chanel Empire RAL









And here's outfit of the day. I like floral always and so happy the trend is back this spring/summer with less delicate and more abstract prints. I got this dress at Old Navy and am loving it. Love that my bump fits in it yet I can wear it later too. I added a light white cardigan and wedges from Guess:

Jun17, 2012

Hey ladies! This has been quite a busy weekend for us so far and it's only Sunday. We had a couple of events to attend yesterday and it was scorching hot out so I went for simple eye makeup and bold lips. I'm sure glad I finally got MAC Morange lipstick as it has become my staple these days. I get so many compliments on it too!

Here's the makeup I wore:

Face
Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - Santa Fe
Nars Laguna Bronzer
BB Nude Shimmer Brick

Eyes
Painterly p/p - base
Your Ladyship p/m - all over lid (LE - don't know a dupe)
MUFE #20 aqua cream pot - to line
Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara

Lips
Temperature is Rising l/l (LE - any bright coral or orange liner)
Morange l/s



This the dress I wore for both events. Hubby bought it for me when we were vacationing in Mayan Riviera as I just loved the print. It's so easy to wear and so comfortable with my now almost 30 week pregnant belly:



First we attended our neighbour's son's 1st birthday party. We're very close friends with our neighbour's and were super excited about it. There were about 40 people there not counting all the babies and toddlers so we both had a great time:

The yummy food and cupcakes:


Me, birthday boy, and his mama:


Me and a lil girl I met at the party. I thought our dresses sorta matched :D Can't wait to meet my own lil girl:


After that, we headed straight to another couple friends place. These guys are our closest friends and are now moving to Toronto because of the husband's job. We helped with the packing a bit and all had dinner and then chatted late into the night. It was a bittersweet weekend as it was so hard to say goodbye to these guys even though I know we'll see them often enough:



We're heading to my parents shortly for Father's Day BBQ and likley use my parents pool too as it's another hot day. Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend :)

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June 12, 2012

Hello my lovelies! I thought of doing a series of my summer time favourite products throughout the next few weeks. I will start with lipsticks, because well lipsticks are my favourite makeup products. Then I'll do one on face products and finally a nail polish one.

Since lipsticks are my favourite makeup products, this was the hardest category as well. Here's what I've handpicked for you:


Left to Right: Lancome Violet Coquette Rouge in Love, Chanel Super Rouge Allure, YSL Nude Beige (No.1) Rouge Volupte, Nars Heat Wave lipstick, MAC Morange lipstick, Guerlain Rose Bengal Rouge Automatique

And here's why each of them deserve their top spot:

Lancome Violet Coquette Rouge in Love - this is the perfect plummy purple shade and applies with pink undertones on my red pigmented lips, very unique shade to my stash. The texture is light but the product is pigmented. Not drying at all and wears amazing in the summer days. See my full review here.



Chanel Super Rouge Allure - I adore the rouge allure formula and love Super specifically as it is a bold fuchsia but the creamy texture keeps it from being too severe. This was unfortunately LE, wish Chanel would add it to their perm line.




YSL Nude Beige Rouge Voulpte - I love the creaminess of the Rouge Volupte formula but I find them sometimes a bit too creamy, lol! In the summer though I consider it a plus. Nude Beige is an awesome nude for my skintone (currently NW25) and I am reaching the end of my tube :(


Nars Heat Wave Lipstick - Heat Wave is the boss of all orange toned red lipsticks! I kid you not I have tried plenty and always come back to this. Nars makes a winner formula lipstick generally (I adore all sheer, semi matte and matte versions). Their lipsticks also don't melt or change even in the most extreme of heat and humidity. MAC Lady Danger is similar but I prefer Heat Wave.


MAC Morange Lipsticks - this one is not for the faint of heart. I resisted this bold orange shade forever and finally caved and got it and boy am I glad I did. It has definitely become a summer staple and I love the creamy texture of MAC amp cream lipsticks. See my full review here.



Guerlain Rose Bengal Rouge Automatique - This one is a beautiful shimmering rosy coral, that's the best I can describe it. It's very unique to my stash and the weartime is awesome (7-8 hours). And I must say I love the packaging, no lid required!


Some swatches on NW25 skintone:



Left to Right: Lancome Violet Coquette Rouge in Love, Chanel Super Rouge Allure, YSL Nude Beige (No.1) Rouge Volupte, Nars Heat Wave lipstick, MAC Morange lipstick, Guerlain Rose Bengal Rouge Automatique

What are some of your favourite summer lipsticks?

June 11, 2012

Hey lovelies! This is a look from last Friday worn under the scorching run. I went for simple outfit and makeup and popping red retro lips!

I'm literally living in my maxi dresses and skirt but this BCBG light jersey number has got to be my favourite! It's soooo comfortable on my preggo belly and is high waisted so the light stretchy band covers my entire belly. I paired it with a simple tank top from Smart Set and my flat leather sandals from Gap (which you cannot see in pic):



For the makeup, I kept it glowy and simple all over and went bold on the lips. I'm wearing one of my favourite lip products ever (and that is a tall order), Nars Dragon Girl. I only have a third of it left and cannot rave enough about this gorgeous retro red. The texture is awesome and despite owning more than 20 red lipsticks now, this remains one of my top 3 reds. Highly recommended to bold lips lovers!

Face
Nars Alaska TM
Nars Irresistiblement Bronzer
BB Nude Simmerbrick (LE - can't think of a dupe)

Eyes
Painterly p/p - base
UD Smog e/s - inner lid
Rose Gold p/m (pro) - mid lid
UD Toasted e/s - outer lid and crease
UD Dark Horse e/s - to smoke out crease
BB Chocolate Shimmer e/l - to line
Marcelle Power Volume mascara

Lips
Nars Dragon Girl matte velvet pencil

June 10, 2012

Happy Sunday beauties! This was a super productive weekend again for me. I got a tone of baby stuff done and also spend quality time with hubs, my folks and also close friends. Got nice and recharged for another week of work!

I was sending out a package at the Canada Post in Shoppers when I noticed that they have a few Gosh items on sale. Gosh is one of my favourite drugstore brands especially for their eye liners, lip liners and lipsticks. I gotta say my biggest weakness is their Gosh Velvet Touch Eyeliner. If I see them on sale, I always snag a few:


Bottom to top: Girl Power, Copper Girl, Green Devil, Blue Lagoon, Ice Blue

If you've been following BeautySpot for a while, you may have noticed that I routinely use the Gosh liners on my lower lashline and even as base for eyeshadow. I love that they draw a smooth line effortlessly, are pigmented in one stroke, last 7-8 hours on me AND are waterproof.

Let's just say I'm a fan, and on $7.00CAD each I couldn't resist but grab five of them:


Left to right (NW25 skintone): Copper Girl, Girl Power, Green Devil, Blue Lagoon, Ice Blue

Copper Girl - medium copper shade, lighter than UD Copper
Girl Power - shimmery bunt orange, not sure how I'd wear it yet but I like :D
Green Divil - gorgeous deep grassy green, the smoothest one in the bunch
Blue Lagoon - creamy bright teal, sooo beautiful!
Ice Blue - very light silvery blue on me, will probably be great in tearduct area

Do you guys use Gosh Velvet Touch Liners? What are some of your favourite inexpensive liners?

June 7, 2012

I'm on fire this week with FOTD's! Funny enough my stressed out self is more imaginative and creative! Weird but it works for the blogging I suppose....

I'm a fan of looks that can achieve maximum impact with minimal number of products used. For that reason, I love me some cat shape smokey eyes. I only used two eyeshadows for this look; an all over look plus the purple to draw and fill in the cat eye. I left it un-blended as I wanted the cat eye to be dramatic and more high fashion, hahaha! It took a lot of effort not to blend the line though, I literally had to hide my MAC 217 brush!!! I also wore my beloved MAC Snob l/s, AGAIN! I know Snob is not really a fan fave but I love it on me and currently half way done my second tube. One of my first MAC purchases and still a fave of mine with weekly use.

Btw, if you follow me on Instagram, you probably see these looks a day or so before I post them here. My Instagram user ID is shadowy_lady.

Anyhuw, here's the look, hope you like :)

Face
Prolongwear foundation - NW25
Azalea Blossom b/o (LE - cannot think of a dupe sorry)

Eyes
Painterly p/p - base
Solar White e/s - lid (LE - sub Vanilla pigment)
MUFE #92 e/s - to draw and fill in the liner
GA Eyes to Kill mascara

Lips
Snob l/s
Clear l/g







Outfit of the day is this paisley dress from Smart Set (super old) that you've probably seen me wear a lot. It's one of the few non-maxi dresses that still fit my preggo belly. The white denim jacket by Gap is also a summer staple of mine. I'm not a fan of blue denim jackets but the white I wear over and over again. Nude sandals are Nine West's:

June 7, 2012


Hi guys! This is going to be a vent post but mostly just for fun so I hope it doesn't offend anyone. I've been having a mostly smooth pregnancy and am so grateful for all the help and advice I get here and there. This baby is the first for both my husband and my family sides so the amount of attention is unbelievable!

However, there are some things I want to get off my chest. I think many pregnant women share some of the same rants, lol! I thought it'd be fun to put them in a blog post:

1. Rant #1 - choice of birth/delivery: by far my biggest pet peeve has been the amount of judgment I receive regarding my choice of birth and delivery. I want to try and attempt a natural birth. I have been doing my research since the start of my pregnancy and this is my preferred plan. However, most of my friends and their male partners have been extremely discouraging in this regard and tell me I cannot do it or I'll change my mind. It's frustrating especially coming from men (who have no uterus, lol). I know natural birthing is not as common in North America but I don't appreciate being judged or being told I won't get a medal for going the natural route. I don't want a medal, I just want the best for me and my baby. I didn't judge anyone or second guess their choices when it was their time, so I appreciate the same from people. This is obviousely not everyone but common enough that's got me worked up!

2. Rant #2 - hot summers: This exact conversation below, happens every single day:

Random Person A, usually a male "so when are you due?"
Me: "August 28th"
Person A "boy it's gonna be a looooooong hot summer for you. I don't envy you!"

ughhhhh, yes I appreciate being reminded that our bodies run hotter when we're pregnant!!! Didn't know till you sympathized with me!

3. Rant #3 - you're too small!: This other conversation, this happened twice today already:

Random Person B "so how far along are you?"
Me "almost 29 weeks, so 7 months and a week"
Person B "wow you look so small for 7 months! Are you sure the baby's measuring ok?"

yea, so my belly is not as big as most pregnant women as far along as me. But my baby's ok and I'm ok. Every pregnant woman has a different body shape so stop comparing me to yourselves or wives/girlfriend/friend!


This is me with my 28 weeks belly btw

Rant #4 - choice of baby name: People telling me they don't like the name we've picked for our daughter or suggesting some other random names (without being asked). Ok, so first of all I'm sorry I shared the name with anyone, big mistake! Second of all, you either already had kids and got to pick their names or will have your own one day and your name picking time will come. We like our baby's name and we're sticking to it!

Rant #5: - horrible birth stories: having to hear other women's horrible birth stories. If your birth was bad, I may not necessairly have the same experience. Please share only the positives as the media already bombards us with how unnatural and horrific birth may be. I want to go in with a positive outlook on the whole process not be scared off the negatives.

Rant #6 - yummy mummy!: "Men" telling me I will be a yummy mummy!!! There's only one man who should tell me that and you're not that person. Thank you for reminding me that I may still be attractive after giving birth :/ Don't mind women telling me the same though, lol!!

Rant #7 - Breast comments: Being told "oh thank goodness your boobs haven't got any bigger!" Enough said!

I feel so much better now, hahaha! If you've already had kids or are pregnant, let me know some of your common pet peeves. Otherwise, hope you enjoyed this post still :)

June 6, 2012

hey guys! Despite stressful things happening around me these dayes, I've actually been doing my makeup every single day so I have FOTD's to post :D

I like the idea of shimmery almost liquid eyeshadows paired with flat matte lips, especially in the summer. Even better if the lips are very bold and the eyes are pretty neutral. So this is what I did for my look yesterday. I used one of Shiseido's Hydra Eyeshadows win a pink shade with green duochromes. I haven't seen these around lately though...does anyone know if they've been discontinued? I hope not! I really wanted to grab a few more. They're the ideal product for achieving an almost wet eye look. I used Nars Heat Wave, one of my all time fave summer lipstick, to punch up the lips.

Anyhuw, here's the look, hope you like it :)

Face
Prolongwear foundation NW25
Prim n Proper blush (LE - sub Blushbaby)
Shell Pearl bp (LE - use any peachy highlighter with low shimmer)

Eyes
UDPP - base for upper lid
Shiseido H/E - light pink shade all over lid and lower lid
MUFE #112 (light pinky coral) - crease and above
Cork e/s - very lightly in outer v
Blanc Type e/s - highlight
Added Goodness f/l (LE) - to line (sub any taupe liner)
GA Eyes to Kill Mascara

Lips
Inglot red l/l
Nars Heat Wave l/s







Outfit of the day was this bright blue maxi dress purchased at Winners earlier this spring. I added a light weight white cardi from Smart Set (old) and a yellow linen scarf also from Winners to cover the cleavage and the exposed back for work. This was a super comfy outfit, and got me compliments from the girls in the office :)

June 5, 2012

Hello beauties! I noticed my last few looks have been a bit more "bland", at least for me. I know some of you guys prefer even more neutral looks but when I do simple or neutral looks for too long, I feel like I've lost my edge or something.

So I did this more colourful look using the gorgeous MAC Clear Sky Blue Pigment (Pro). Clear Sky Blue is a light blue and has a matte texture. I find that the application is still fairly easy despite the matte loose shape. I spiced it up with some golds and added peachy lips.

I also decided from now on, if I use any product that is LE, I will suggest a sub or describe the shade so you can duplicate the look if you'd like. This is especially helpful coz I have a lot of older MAC LE products that I'm sure cannot be found anymore but there are prob many dupes out there for them.

Face
Pro Longwear Foundation - NW25
Sculpt powder
Cantaloupe Blush (Pro)
Shell Pearl bp (LE - sub any glowy peachy gold highlighter)

Eyes
UDPP - base
Clear Sky Blue p/m (Pro) - inner lid
Old Gold p/m - mid lid
Blue Flame e/s (LE - sub MAC Deep Truth) - outer v and crease
Blanc Type e/s - highlight
Blacktrack f/l - to line
Lancome Hypnose drama mascara

Lips
Nars Montego Bay pure matte lipstick
Live n Dye l/g (LE - sub any creamy light peach gloss)





My hair wasn't behaving so I did a quick rope braid very high on my head. Rope braids are super easy to do and a great way to change your looks if you usually do regular or french braids:



Hope you enjoyed this post :)

June 3, 2012

Hi beauties! I've mentioned a few times already on here, but I love love love Nars eyeshadow duos! I think the colour combinations are genius and always work so well together. I have accumulated quite a few through the course of years and use them all frequently.

One of my fave Nars duos has got to be Dogon which has a taupe side with green duochromes and then a deep matte black navy side. I think Dogon makes a great smokey eye for day and night time and both colours are a breeze to use.

This is how I wore mine:

Face
Nars TM in Alaska
MUFE Full Cover #6
Pink Cult blush (LE)

Eyes
Painterly p/p - base
Nars Dogon Duo - darks shade on lid, light shade in crease
Aquavert e/s - inner lid
Blanc Type e/s - highlight
Cargo Swimmable e/l - dark teal shade on lower lashline
Lancome Black Art Liner - to line
Marcelle Power Volume mascara

Lips
Bubblegum l/s (LE)
Going Casual c/g (LE)