October 26, 2013
I know every blog has been posting fall favourites for the past 2 months. But fall really started here about 3 weeks ago, and I live in cold Ottawa, Canada. By fall I mean actual cold weather (temperature below 10deg), leaves all turning orange and cold rain....so I'm "technically" not late with my fall favourites post :)
Some of these products are new (well to my stash) and some I've been enjoying for a few years. I just have rediscovered them:
1. Nars Brousse eyeshadow duo - This duo is a favourite because I love smokey eyes, especially softer shades of smokey for fall. I usually wear the black violet shade on my lid, the sable shade in the crease and then smudge a black liner close to my lashline. It's a very easy duo to wear and the result is HOT! This is a product I come back to every fall.
2. Chanel Plum Attraction blush - another old favourite, Plum Attraction looks very bold in the pan but I use a powder brush to apply a bit on my cheekbones and love the effect it gives. It goes very well with Nars Brousse on the eyes too ;)
3. Dior Etoile fusion mono eyeshadow - I've been eyeing the Dior fusion shadow for months and two weeks ago I finally pulled the plug on shade Etoile, a gorgeous shimmering white. Etoile looks amazing on the tearduct or as an overall wash on the lid with my favourite matte shade in the crease (usually UD Naked or MAC Plum Poison). I debated between the Dior or the nearly identical Chanel product but went with Dior in the end as this particular shade was more pigmented and also you pay less for more product with Dior.
4. Makeup Forever Aqua Liner #4L - I'm a huge fan of the MUFE aqua liner for pigmentation and durability and 4L in particular gets a lot os use as I adore burgundy with my amber shade eyes. I usually wear this liner on the lower lashline and then smudge with MAC 229 brush.
5. Annabelle Cherry pencil - This shade is totally me, it's a reddened plum and goes with all the makeup described above. I get a good 4 hour wear with these pencils and the pigmentation is phenomenal. Definitely a drugstore gem!
6. YSL #27 (Peche chera-cola) Rouge Pur Couture - Another product it took me a while to try but glad I did. It's a pricy lip product but I love how soft and creamy this feel on my lips and it truly lasts a long time. I also usually have a hard time with peach shade but this one is very flattering on cool complexions.
Some swatches for you guys:
Oh and in other news I put in an order over at Sephora with my friends and family 20% coupon. I caved in and got the Hourglass powder palette and one of Nars eye paints. Cannot wait to get them and play. Did any of you guys get something from Sephora lately?
September 19, 2013
Hi guys! I'm currently fighting some kind of virus and feeling absolutely miserable. It's tough being sick and having a baby but I find episodes like this really have built my character as a person.
This look is from a few days ago. As you can see I have chopped my hair quite a bit. The ends were getting pretty dry and I was due for a trim. I'm still loving the dark shade and the fact that this neon blouse is making me look quite a bit tanner than I currently am. I did an olive toned eye paired with shimmery coral lips to compliment the blouse (and the olive pencil skirt I was wearing).
For Face: I used a thin layer of Nars Tinted Moisturizer (Alaska) and set with Ben Nye's Translucent Powder. I contoured my cheeks using Chanel Notorious powder and added Nars Deep Throat blush to the apple of my cheeks.
For Eyes: I used MAC Painterly p/p as a base and contoured the eyes crease with MAC Velvet Moss e/s (DC). I then added a moist layer of OCC Lafayette pigment all over the lids. I highlighted the middle section of the lid with MAC Amber Lights e/s and the browbone with MAC Blanc Type. I lined the lower lashline with Lise Watier Black Gold e/l (DC) and added two coats of Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara.
For lips: I first lined them with MAC Temperature Rising l/l and then dabbed Chanel Teheran RC on top.
I'm trying to ease into the swing of the FOTD's so hope you guys liked this simple look. I have some fall lipstick reviews coming up for next week :)
September 14, 2013
Hi guys! I know it's been two months since I last posted. At least I have some excuses:
1. I have gone back to work and it's exhausting keeping up with a full time job, taking care of baby, cooking, cleaning, maintaining regular workout,... you get my point.
2. I just wasn't feeling "it" for the last little while. Blogspehere looks very commercialized to me these days; very different from when I started back in 2008. I find that all the jazz and light has turned me off a bit on commenting a lot of blogs I used to read and blogging myself.
That being said, I missed blogging and through the years BeautySpot has become such a big part of my life that I thought I should at least attempt to make one post per week. I'm so grateful for those of you guys who still commented/messaged even when during my absence. Interacting with you guys really is my favourite part of blogging.
HAIR Anyway, this wasn't just an apologetic post. I posted some pictures of my new "fall" hair on Instagram a couple of weeks ago but thought I share them here too. I got them dyed over the Labour Day long weekend to a dark red shade with a purple base. My mom is my hair stylist as usual and once again she nailed it! I had SO missed my dark hair. I meant the highlight was an ok change but I will always be a dark haired girl at heart.
Plus, this hair goes much better with my signature makeup style of dark/red lips.
Now I know everyone and their mother is showing their excitement about fall, but unlike many places here in Ottawa Canada the weather is actually fall-like. We are down to a high of 14C most days and I'm thrilled. I've never been a beach babe and am down with the return of crisp and cool air.
NAILS to celebrate the return of dark shades, I got myself a new nailpolish from Essie's fall collection. I do own quite a few polishes and even though I purge often, my collection is still spilling over :/ So I'm quite picky about what I buy. It has to be absolutely unique and I think Essie's Vested Interest is:
It's a dust green shade and on me, I see blue undertones. If you have cool undertones you will likeley see the same on you. Either way this is a great fall shade and should look good on about every single skintone. The formula on this is ah-mazing! Seriously Essie has been so consistent for me the past few years formula-wise. I'me never disappointed. This was pretty much a one coater but I did a second thin coat because old habits die hard:
Hope you guys enjoyed this random post. I gotta go get Sofia now who's been singing to herself in her crib. Will have some makeup post coming your way next week!
July 11, 2013
Hi guys! Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of weeks now. I'm still suffering from post-viral effects of the longest running cold I've had all my life. I've seriously been sick since middle of May!!! Now I have dry coughs that actually keep me up most of the night, NOT fun.
Anyhuw, time for another baby update, the 10 months one:
Baby stats: I have no idea how much she weighs, I would say around 22lbs. We did switch to size 4 Pampers a month ago and she's in 12-18 months or 18months plus clothing.
Health: Sofia also suffered with on and off cold this past month. Poor thing even has the post viral cough but not quite as bad as mine.
Eat/Weaning: Sofia has an amazing appetite. Her most preferred food is still meat but she eats everything we eat. I'm also still weaning her off the boob and right now she's only breastfed in the morning and has three bottles of formula for the rest of the day (at noon, 4 pm and 6:30 pm).
Sleep: still good, she sleeps through from 7 pm to around 6:30 am. When the cold was at its worth, I did hear her cough through the night but not enough to wake her up (just woke me up, waaaa). She also has two daily naps.
Teeth: still only the bottom two. No sign of any others.
Milestones: Let me see...
- more words: mama, dada, hi (all in context), also baba, nana, duh, poo
- cruising between furniture
- imitating everything we do and trying to say what we say.
- plays music on her walker and starts to sway (dance) from side to side. Gets psyched if I tag along :D
- waving hello to everyone and their moms, she even waves to dogs, pigeons,...
How I'm doing:
- I'm back to work in 2 weeks, eeeek! I'm excited but also sad. Made all daycare arrangements this past weekend and everything is ready to go. I will be doing two weeks of part-time before switching back to full-time work.
- Exercise is still on full force. I'm at my goal weight of 148lbs and have achieved a 6 pack (it's faint but it's there). I'm in the best shape of my life and happy that my efforts have paid off.
- I've been off sleep meds for nearly 2 months now. I still decently most of the time now but the cold/dry cough has put a bit of damper on that. I admit I'm tired about 50% of the time.
There you have it. Hope you guys enjoyed this post. I'm faaaar behind in my makeup/hair/nail posts but will try to squeeze a few in this coming week, Hope you all have a great weekend!
June 27, 2013
Hi guys! I'm very minimal with makeup these days but still love me at least a few beauty products per day :D Thought I share my early summer favourites with you guys:
Lip Products
My favourite category!! Summer is the only season where I actually wear lipgloss. I love Nars Babe as it's a gorgeous pigmented warm red gloss and is not sticky. Another rediscovery is my ancient MAC Sock Hop (LE - Heatherette, 2008) which is a beautiful light coral cream. When it comes to lipsticks, I also go for warmer and creamier. Guerlain Rose Bengal Rouge Automatique is a warm rose that applies with some shimmer but is not gritty. Chanel Antigone Rouge Coco Shine is a lightly pigmented strawberry red and MUFE #37 Rouge Artist is a loud pink coral that will definitely make your lips stand out.
Swatches:
Left to right: Guerlain Rose Bengal, Chanel Antigone, MUFE #37, MAC Sock Hop, Nars Babe
Eye Products
I'm currently a fan of one product only eye makeup and hence gravitate towards cream shadows and bright eyeliners. L'Oreal Permanent Khaki Colour Infalliable is a shimmery olive green that is great as a lid colour blended up. Maybelline Barely Branded Color Tattoo (light golden beige) is an awesome all over colour and eye brightener. Chanel Illusoire Illusion d'Ombre is a tres chic sparkling mauve, love this one smoked out with a dark matte purple for the night. Shiseido H4 cream shadow (DC'd) is a unique blend of warm pink with green flash that looks wet when applied to the eyes. MUFE #22 aqua cream pot is the most gorgeous emerald green that I love applying on as a liner, base for green shadow or for the sparkling Lise Watier Golden Green Eye Glitter. I tend to apply Gosh Blue Lagoon Velvet Touch eyeliner on my lower lashline to elevate a neutral look.
Swatches:
Left to right: LW Golden Gree, Gosh Blue Lagoon, Chanel Illusoire, MUFE #22, L'Oreal Permanent Khaki, Maybelline Barely Branded, Shiseido H4
Face Products
I'm super low maintenance with face products in the warmer months. Lately been loving my Lancome Teint Miracle foundation (I use shade 4C - Buff) as it's light and natural on. I also apply MUFE Full Cover concealer ins shade #6 under my eyes and on scars and go a bit overload with Nars Laguna bronzer (another rediscovery in my stash). I need to bronze a lot these days as I did a spray tan on my body and now my face and body don't match, lol!
Nail Products
I'm traditional so in the summer I go nuts over brights and neons. I've also been loving a full on white manicure using OPI Alpine Snow, so elegant and goes with everything. My current fave neons are Zoya Lola (gorgeous bright pink) and China Glaze I'm with the Lifeguard (super neon green, great on toes). I also enjoy the bright orange red that is Essie Meet me at the Sunset.
What are your current favourite beauty products?
June 25, 2013
Hi guys! Sorry I've been MIA this week. Both baby Sofia and I are suffering from a bad cold and I've been too tired to even read my blogroll let alone make posts myself. I'me getting better though so expect some makeup posts by end of this week.
Speaking of blogroll, I have a link to my blog on Blogloving on the right hand side here. Please follow me on there if you want to see any of my updated posts as google friend connect is going away as of July 1st.
Happy Tuesday!
June 17, 2013
As promised in the last post, I'm doing another series of Lipstick Stash. If you wanted to check out the previous set of lipsticks, here they are:
MAC Pink Nouveau, MAC Pomposity + Magnetique, Chanel Coromandel + Nars Babe, YSL Nude Beige RV, MUFE #15 Rouge Artist + MAC Up the Amp, MAC Red Pepper, Nars Montego Bay, Chanel Teheran RC, MAC Exxxhibinionst klc, MAC Saint Germaine + Chanel Blossoms glossimer, Nars Train Bleu mvp, Inglot #89 + MAC Going Casual c/g, MAC Stange Hybrid + Chanel Aragonite glossimer, Chanel Precious RA, Chanel Imperiale RAL, MAC Cream Cup, MAC Show Orchid, MAC Please Me, Marcelle Paris Rose,
I wear red lips all year long. I tend to gravitate towards deeper and matter lips when the temperature drops and shinier and pinker reds during the summer. I've been sporting this combo for the past few weeks on repetition:
I achieve this juicy pink toned red using two of my all time favourite products: Chanel Cambon Rouge Coco and Emoi Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss.
Cambon is a creamy red with strong pink tones. I know I have raved about it before so no need to repeat myself. Emois is a raspberry gloss with a creamy and non-sticky texture. It really helps bring out the pink tones in Cambon even more:
Oh, my highlights are growing on me now. I actually like them better when my hair is au natural (as in air dried and wavy):
How do you wear red lips in the summer?
June 10, 2013
I was bored with my hair again so I decided to add some sunny highlights for the summer. As usual my hairstylist/hair dresser is my mom. I'm not really used to hair this light but I'm warming up to it already.
So weird how all my pics are in my car :/ Here I had blow dried the do, which is something I rarely do...especially in the summer:
I will likely keep this colour until September and then go back dark. I also coloured my eyebrows as I don't like dark brows with light hair. What do you guys think?
Also, I used to have a series here in the blog posting looks using my neglected lipsticks called Lipstick Stash. I'm thinking of picking that up again as I'm falling into the habit of neglecting products again. So look out for new FOTD's with existing lip products once or twice a week :)
Have a good Monday everyone!
June 4, 2013
I will share a secret with you guys; I used to be terrified of the colour orange. I literally didn't own anything in that shade though I'm not colour shy. Only last year did I finally warm up to this warm hue. I found that it actually really helped brighten up my complexion in the summer months.
I don't feel that I should always be wearing full on orange lips though. There are subtler and bolder takes on the trend. Today I will show you my top five orange toned lip products:
From left to right: Nars Montego Bay pure matte lipstick, Lancome Miss Coquelicot Rouge in Love, MAC Morange Lipstick, Nars Heat Wave Lipstick
Nars Montego Bay (peach) - the subtlest way to orange is a light peach shade. This shade has enough warmth in it to participate in the orange trend in my opinion. I like the texture of Nars pure matte lipsticks as they are not drying. This shade will look gorgeous with a coral lipgloss on top:
Lancome Miss Coquelicot (tangerine) - tangerine is a great popping shade of orange that suits all complexions. The Rouge in Love formula is hydrating and feels great on the lips especially in the summer. If you are new to orange, start here :)
MAC Morange (bright true orange) - this is as orange as I could personally go. Morange still has some red tones to it which made it very wearable. I have tried more yellow oranges and they clash with my colouring. Morange makes a great statement lip and the amplified formula is very long lasting.
Nars Heat Wave (bright red orange) - aaaaah this is my all time fave warm red lipstick. Heat Wave is gorgeous in all seasons and works well with a cat eye or smokey eye. I adore Nars lipsticks as they're the only ones I find survive extreme heat/humidity and are melt-proof.
In all pictures, I'm wearing a thin layer of Nars tinted moisturizer in Alaska and blush in Deep Throat. On my eyes I have a blue eyeliner by Gosh and Maybelline Colossal mascara. Orange lips are actually very versatile though. You can wear them with grey smokey eyes for a tonal contrast or with warm brown shades for complimentary effect.
Are you a fan of orange lips? What are some of your favourite orange lip products?
May 31, 2013
Time for another one of these yet again! My baby's already starting to resemble a toddler when it comes to her temper lol! But she does still look like a baby <3 nbsp="" p="">
Stats: wears 12-18 months clothing exclusively.
Health: Poor baby has a cold again :( She's also been teething all last month and finally got her bottom two teeth.
Eat: Sofia is now breastfed 3 times a day and has a bottle of formula before bed. She has three meals with us and eats exactly what we eat. I've finished purreing about 3 weeks ago as she was resisting being fed. She's much happier feeding herself and it's a lot less work for me. I'm definitely a fan of baby led weaning :D
Sleep - sleeps through the night but is going to be a bit later now (7:30 pm instead of 6:30 pm). She wakes up around 7 am and has two naps (1 to 1.5 hour each).
Milestones: Oh boy, quite a few this month again:
- standing supported against her activity table or furniture
- two bottom teeth finally (though not sure this is a milestone)
- said mama in context first time on Mother's Day and "dada" in context a few days later. My husband is away on business this week so we talk on Facetime. As soon as Sofia sees her dad's face she yells "dada" and claps her hand with a big grin on her face
- waves hello and goodbye.
- shares her food with us with prompted. And when we thank her she claps for herself, lol!
How I'm doing:
- ughhhh, sleep is still a challenge and I can't even blame my sleeping 12h straight a night baby. I'm much better than last month but not quite back to normal. Right now I'm no longer on sleep meds which is great and I'm allowing my body to re-adjust to deeper sleep.
- I lost another dress size down to size 6 now, yeyyyy! Still exercising consistently - zumba, weight training, ball exercise, core workout.
- Had a meeting with my boss about my imminent return to work (in 2 months). He will be changing my responsibilities and I think overall I will be pretty happy.
- Feeling still sad about leaving my baby at daycare though. I've been taking her to the gym with me and letting the daycare there watch her while I work out and she seems fine with them. I think it's mostly the moms who suffer. Any back to work tips are appreciated :)
On another note, I have a few posts on the queue:
- Makeup trend: orange lips done three different ways
- My favourite beauty products of all time
- Favourite summer lip combination
.....have a good weekend guys!
May 24, 2013
Hi guys! Based on the feedback I got here and on Instagram, I'm in the process of drafting a post on my weight loss/get fit post baby. That post should be up early next week. In the meanwhile, here's a look from last week I almost forgot to post.
I have this old Inglot shadow in the twist up pan that I haven't used in years!!! I think it's called double sparkle 428 and is a dark indigo with purple undertones. I decided to incorporate it into a smokey blue eyes and also add the gold side of my shattered Nars Star Sailor. I resisted the temptation to do nude peach lips and went for shiny coral lips.
Here's a pic:
And what I used:
May 27, 2013
Hi guys! I wanted to make this post a few months ago but thought as summer is fast approaching, this is the prefect time for it. Before I start, I should mention that I'm by no means a nutritionist or a fitness instructor. I will just be sharing what has worked for me and hoping to help some of you guys :)
This can apply to anyone regardless of having a baby or not. It's never too late to change your lifestyle and be more healthy and fit :)
Facts:
- I'm not a skinny girl and don't want to be. I've always been happy with my curvy body shape but never motivated enough to make it fitter.
- I weighed 158lbs before I got pregnant and my height is 5'7" so I was in no way chubby but I could be better. I did not have a flat stomach since I was 18.
- Before my pregnancy, I worked out but only 1-2 times a week and not even always. I stuck to at home DVD's.
- I put on about 22lbs by the end of my pregnancy (below average for my BMI) but I was very much eager to get back into shape.
- My focus was not to lose too much weight (max 10 lbs) but get my muscle definition back.
The day I went into labour (39 weeks pregnant)
Early months post baby:
- Sofia weighed 8lb 8oz so by the time she was born and counting my water, tissues,...I was almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight. It took exactly 5 weeks for me to be back to around 156lbs.
- Breast feeding definitely helps shed the pounds and if you can, I definitely recommend it :)
- I started light exercising at 6 weeks after my doctor checkup. It was very slow at the begining. I mainly just walked around the neighbourhood and did light abs work on the exercise ball.
- I enrolled in a mommy and baby boot camp at my local gym at 2 months post partum. It was a great experience for me and I noticed that my belly was flat after a short time. It also got me into the habit of exercising outside the house.
- I also did Salsa Baby classes in which moms dance to latin beats while wearing baby in a soft carrier. It reminded me how much I enjoyed dancing and started dancing so on a daily basis at home.
With Baby Sofia at Salsa Baby class - 4 months post partum
5 months and more after baby:
- Started doing fitness classes 5-6 times a week at my gym. The classes include Low/Core, step bootcamp, 20|20|20, Low Fusion, Sculpt and Tone, strength mix, Body Ball.... I'm enjoying them so much that I wake up looking forward to going to the gym. Fitness classes have definitely been key to my love for exercise and fitness for the first time in my life.
- I'm doing Zumba once a week on top of the classes above. No cardio is as enjoyable as a dance cardio (at least for me).
- A few months ago, I did Tracy Anderson's Post Pregnancy DVD for a month. I 100% recommend it to tighten your abs muscles.
- I go for a brisk walk each afternoon with Sofia either in her stroller or worn in a soft baby carrier (we are loving the Ergo).
- I eat as healthy as I can. I do NOT count calorie and doing do would really stress me out. I'm also still breastfeeding. I rarely eat out and cook everything at home from fresh ingredients. I avoid soda's, chocolate, ice cream, bagels,....
Results:
- I currently weigh 150lbs which is still 3-4 lbs above my ideal weight. But the difference is very obvious in my body muscles and how my clothes fit.
- I have dropped to a size 6! I was wearing mostly size 10 before I got pregnant.
- I actually starting to see a 4-pack :D
- Eating well and exercising have now become part of my lifestyle and that is the best result. Getting here has been hard work but it is now actually work I enjoy so I would actually call it hobby :D
yesterday pre-workout, now in a size 6 clothing :D
More tips:
- If you had a baby, just accept that it took 9 months for your body shape to change and to gain all the weight needed to nurture your growing baby. Your bouncing back to original self would not be instantantenous. My instructor who is a mom herself told me to allow at least 8 months of consistent workout to reach at my fitness goal.
- On the same note, do NOT jump into doing sit ups soon after having baby. Your abs muscles are still lose the early months post partum and sit-ups can result in muscle separation.
- Switch up your workout. It's good to have a favourite activity, but I find it can get boring. That's why I like group fitness classes as there's always something new.
- Don't make excuses like "I'm too tired" or "I don't have time". I used to make the exact same excuses before I was a mom and now I'm 10 times more tired and have a lot less time. But I made the choice to be fit and if you want to, you can always make time.
- If you make eating healthy and consistent exercising part of your life style, you will never be too lazy for them.
- Exercise in the am if possible. Postponing a workout will make it likely for you to skip it.
