April 29, 2013

My bebe is 8 months old now and it's so amazing to see how much she has changed. Though she's still technically a baby, her personality is really starting to show. She's always shy at first but then start giggling and babbling to strangers.

Here's what my baby is up to these days:

Stat: Hovering around the 20lbs mark, no idea how tall she is though. She's still in some 9-12 months clothing but most of her outfits are now 12month plus.



Health: no more colds thank God. She had a diaper rash two weeks ago but it went away in two days time. Seems that she's finally getting a tooth!!!! Her bottom gums are very hard and I "think" I can see a white spot under them.



Eat - Sofia is still breastfed during the day every 3 hours or so. She is also still enjoying her purees but we have started giving her some finger food and hoping to switch fully to baby led weaning. She's starting to really fight being fed anyway so the time is right. She has had pancakes, pasta, avocado bits, crackers,...even some herbed Persian stew which she adored much to my mom's delight :D



Sleep - sleep through most nights from 7 pm to 7 am. Some nights she shuffles around 4-5 am but usually I don't have to get out of bed and she settles herself. She takes two naps a day from 1-1.5 hour each.



Milestones: quite a few this month

- crawls very fast now. Seems to enjoy getting to things she shouldn't get to (cables, statues, shoes....)
- can stand unassisted for a few seconds
- goes from crawling to sitting position and vice versa quickly
- claps her hands on demand. She uses this motion to express her happiness
- started finger food. Wants to feed herself and screams if we try to feed her
- stil LOVES music, moves her arms up and down when she hears a song or when I sing to her



How I'm doing:

- unfortunately still struggling with post partum insomnia. I'm going to see my doctor this week to switch to a lower dose medication.
- Besides that health is great! Still working out 4-5 times a week one of which is my Zumba class. I'm loving Zumba, not sure why I never took classes before. It's so me!!
- still breastfeeding full time but planing on slowly weaning her starting 9 months as I'm due back at work in August. Any tips on this moms?
- feeling nostalgic about having to go back to work in 3 months time. It has to be done but I will miss hanging out with my baby everyday.

April 28, 2013

Happy Sunday guys! It's rare for hubby and I to have a date night now as munchkin is asleep by 7 pm. So my of dates are daytime activities. Last week we had my sister babysit though and we went out for dinner, just the two of us.

I took the opportunity to glam it up of course. This look was created on the fly though. At first I wanted to do a brown smokey eyes hence the brown base. Then I decided to do some teal to go with my nails, Chanel Azure (see post here). Finally I settled on a lined cat eyes with teal as the main colour. I quite liked how it turned out :)



Here's what I used:

For lips: I lined and blended my lips with MUFE 2C Aqua Lip Liner (nude rose), applied MAC Honeylove lipstick on top and finished with a bit of Nars Stolen Kisses lip gloss.

I did a sock bun to go with the glam look. I usually wear my hair down or half up when it's still chilly out so this was new for me. I also wore my beloved leather top dress by DKNY. I adore this dress as it fits like a glove and it's so comfortable. It's so me, fitted, black and curve hugging:

Hope you guys enjoyed this look. 

April 26, 2013

Blogging is going great this week; 4th post in a row :D This look is from last weekend though. I had just got my hair dyed a lighter shade of warm brown and have also cut it to shoulder length. If you've followed me for a while you probably noticed that my hair is usually dyed a dark shade of brown or mahogany. I'm much more comfortable with darker hair but I was also bored so I welcomed this change. How do you guys like the new hair?

I did a super colourful 'POW' in your face look to go with my new hair. Nowadays my makeup is usually quite simple but I like to switch it off once a week or so. I wanted to wear MAC Ablaze lipstick which for some reason looks more coraly pink on me than true coral, damn it! All corals do this to me!!!






Here's what I used:

For lips: I lined and blended my lips with MAC Temperature Rising lipliner (LE- coral) and then applied MAC Ablaze lipstick (LE- coral) to the lips.

And here's some pictures with flash.

Hope you enjoyed this bright look. How bright would you go with your makeup?

April 24, 2013

Hi guys! Leave it to Chanel to release at least one amazing nail polish per year to lure me back into their camp. Just after I sworn off buying Chanel products in Canada (we pay waaaaay too much for them here), I pass by their counter yesterday and see the summer 2013 collection.

I was immediately drawn to Azure nail polish:



Azure is a gorgeous metallic teal and is a limited edition shade released by Chanel Gods this summer. My Chanel counter at the Bay just got these in yesterday so if you like the shade, hurry and pick it up now before it's gone. I mean look at this!!!! And today is cloudy so I couldn't capture its true beauty:



I applied two thin coats and unlike other metallic shades I've tried in the past, this one doesn't leave any brush strokes behind; huge plus in my opinion. The colour itself reminds me a bit of OPI Teal the Cows Come Home but more complex due to its glow.



I only own 7 Chanel nail polishes but they all 7 have great formula. Azure is no exception; the brush is the perfect width and the formula doesn't bubble. It's splurge worthy ($27CAD) in my book :D

Will you be picking up Azure? What are some of your favourite Chanel nail polishes?

April 22, 2013

Hi guys! This is a long overdue look using my latest obsession, Sephora Blueberry Muffin eyeshadow. I'm quite impressed with the pigmentation of this matte darkened plum shade. It's ideal for a smokey purple look which is my favourite kind of smokey eye. I think I will get my paws on more of the new Sephora eyeshadows. I'm specially on the hunt for more matte and dark shades like this one.

Here's the look:



And what I used:

For lips: I applied YSL No.1 (Nude Beige) to my lips straight from the tube.

And a picture with eyes closed:

Do you guys own any of the new Sephora eyeshadows? Which shades would you recommend to me?

April 16, 2013

I'm not really the best at nail design. In fact I think I kinda suck at it. But every once in a while I feel like trying my hands at it again. I did a neon and neutral polka dot mani this past weekend that turned out ok. Here's a picture:



And this is what I used:

Essie Haute as Hello, Essie Sand Tropez, OPI top coat and a dotting tool from Sally's.

I first applied 2 medium layers of Essie Haute as Hello and waited for it to dry. Then used the dotting tool to do the polka dots with Essie Sand Tropez. If you want them to look symmetric and even, first do three vertical dots in the middle of the nail bed and then two dots on each side. I also found it was easier to put a drop of my dotting shade on a plastic surface and then dip the dotting tool. I finished with a coat of OPI top coat. It's rare for me to do topcoat as I change my polish every day. But when I spend the extra effort and do some design, I keep my mani for a bit longer ;)



I think I will do this again next time with more contrasting colours. This one here is more subtle and I wanted it this way as I was afraid it won't come out great.

What are some freehand nail designs you like to do on yourself? Feel free to share links to your nail posts on this :)

April 15, 2013

Hi guys! As a mom to a 7 months old, my makeup routine has become very simplified. I still have some makeup on most of the time but rarely ever do I get to spend the time and blend colourful shades on my eyes.

On this welcome occasion, Sofia took her nap at the perfect time for me to do my makeup :D So I took the opportunity to create a happy and colouful look. I forgot to take product pictures but here's the rundown:

For lips: I applied MAC Silly lipstick (LE - cool medium pink) straight from the tube. I find this shade a tad dry but still love it!

And some photos in natural light:

A few with flash:

Hope you all have a great Monday!

April 10, 2013

Hi lovelies! We're almost halfway through April and it's still friggin' cold here in Ottawa. I'm really itching to bust out my spring outfits but can't do just yet! At least I delighted myself in purchasing a few soft nail polishes and started painting my nails in happy colours already!

Here's my four pretties from left to right: Essie Bikini so Teeny, Essie Madison Ave-hue, China Glaze Keep Calm Paint on and China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's:



Essie Maddison Ave-hue was the first one I tried. This is a beautiful barbie pink with subtle shimmer. I thought for sure I would have a dupe for this but none could be found. The formula on this was amazing!



Essie Bikini So Teeny was released last year but I believe it's permanent to the Essie range now. It's a very light blue almost leaning periwinkle with subtle silver shimmer. The formula was good but I had some bubbling on the nail as you can see:



China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint on is a soft aqua shade. I have a few shades similar to this but no dead on dupe. Essie Mint Candy Apple is more pastel, China Glaze for Audrey is more blue. Application was a breeze and drying time quicker than most China Glaze polishes I own:



China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's is a gorgeous shade of peachy coral. It has enough pink to it to prevent giving me lobster hands though. Those of you guys with pink/red undertones probably know what I mean. This one is a lighter, more spring-y version of ChG Pink Plumeria:



I absolutely love all four polishes. If I had to pick a fvourite though, it would be Madison Ave-hue...which is strange as one would think pinks are common enough not to be my top choice.

Have you purchased any new spring nail polishes? What are some of your favourite seasonal nail polishes?

April 6, 2013

Hi guys! I was in the mall yesterday and decided to treat myself to a few new lipsticks. I may have a drawer full of them but lipsticks are an inexpensive way to make this mama happy. Here's the total damage:



First I swung by my local MAC store and saw that they had the fashion set lipsticks out. I know everyone was going nuts for Heroin but I'm not too much of a purple lips person. I opted for Silly and Ablaze lipsticks.

Here's Silly lipstick; a gorgeous cool toned medium pink:



I thought Silly which has a matte texture would be similar to Pink Nouveau but ended up being a touch cooler. Chanel Super is totally different texture but closer in colour. I love shades like this and believe that cool pink look gorgeous with smokey eyes or no eye makeup at all.

Here are some comparisons:


Left to right: Chanel Super, MAC Pink Nouveau, MAC Silly

And me wearing Silly with very subtle eye makeup:



Here's Ablaze lipstick; a beautiful matte red coral:



I think Ablaze is a universally flattering coral. It's not as neon as MAC Toxic Tale (LE) or as pink as Chanel Genial RA (LE). It has a slight sheen to it so you should be ok if mattes generally terrify you or you find them too harsh.

Some comparisons for you guys:


Left to right: Chanel Genial RA, MAC Toxic Tale, MAC Ablaze

And me wearing Ablaze with the same makeup as above. I'm not wearing a lip liner:



I left MAC to check out the new Nars Satin Lip Pencils at my Nars counter inside the Bay. I've been counting days to the arrival of these babies. You guys know Nars is my favourite brand and any launch of theirs always has my interest. Of course I was doubly excited coz I looooove their lip pencils.

I swatched and swatched and left with Luxembourg...well for now. I'm already a fan of this new product. It applies smoothly and is not drying. I actually tried every.single.shade available and there was not a fluke in the bunch. All are saturated shades even on my very red pigmented lips. I opted for Luxemburg as pinky reds are the best shades to brighten my complexion. I think this one is a safe bet for all complexions.

Here's Luxembourg Satin Lip Pencil; most sophisticated berry:



And some comparisons with lip products I though might compare. Chanel Palpitante RA is more red and Chanel Cambon is warmer. Luxembourg also has a much shiny appearance and is easier to wear without a lip pencil:


Left to right: Chanel Cambon RC, Chanel Palpitante RA, Nars Luxembourg

here's a shot of me wearing Luxemburg. My hubby loves this one on me:



So I left the mall happy and giddy. Nothing like a couple of lipsticks to make my day. Did you guys purchase any new lip products lately?

April 5, 2013

hey guys! Sorry blogging has been so infrequent. Just when I think I've adjusted to life with baby there's another curveball :D

It may be spring or even summer when all you live, but here in Ottawa we still have snow on the ground and temperatures hovering around 0Deg C.  Since it's still cold, I went for a soft smokey look with bold lips featuring one of my fave dark lipsticks of all time, MAC Love Peck kissable lip colour (LE). If you missed on this one, MUFE #48 Rouge Artist Intense is very similar. They both have that blood red tint that I enjoy so much going on.

Here's a swatch of Love Peck on my currently pale arm:





And a picture of the look:



Here's what I used:

For lips: I lined and blended my lips withMUFE #12 Aqua Liner and then applied MAC Love Peck Kissable lip colour to the lips.

One more pic:

Hope you guys have a great weekend. Is it still cold where you live too?