BeautySpot

NYC Partying Pics + I Got Naked 2!

2012-02-02T20:27:00.005-05:00

February 2, 2012

Hey guys! I'm still slowly getting back into blogging so please be patient with me while I take my baby steps. Hubby and I spent last weekend in NYC for hubby's best's 30th birthday. My own 30th birthday is this coming Sunday so we were sorta celebrating mine as well.

The guys had booked us a table at "Big Black Pussy Cat" club for Friday night. Now I'm not the biggest fan of the name but the club was just amazing! We were in the Moroccan room and the decor was exquisite withe lush red velvet, gold accents and random angel statuettes. Here are a couple of pics from the night:

lounging

Hubs and I <3

Party-goers

We spent Saturday sight-seeing around midtown where we were staying a block down from the Rockefeller centre. This was my third time in NYC and I must say definitely the glitz and glam dies after the first visit. After that it's all about spending time with friends and dining, lol! We did have a 5-course dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant which was awesome!

I didn't do much shopping this time around, but I did ensure to pick up UD's Naked 2 Palette from one of the Sephoras. I own and love the original Naked and despite the good reviews for Naked 2, up until I saw it in person I was not planing on getting it. But as soon as I saw it, I had to have it! It's a lighter and cooler version of Naked. I find the colours of Naked 2 just work better for me. I've been using mine everyday since I got it.

I snapped some quick pictures for you guys. I didn't swatch it as there are already so many great swatches of it online. I especially like Temptalia's.

I even like the packaging for Naked 2 better, it's much more durable. I don't think I'll use the lipgloss or brushes much though. I would have liked to get another duo 24/7 liner like they did with Naked 1.

I would say my favourite shades so far are Tease, Pistol, Verve and Blackout. I'm not so thrilled about Half Baked being included again (even though it's a nice shade) and Foxy (the highlight) is too warm for my taste...pretty much yellow on my cooler skintone.

I used Naked 2 today again for a quick look with Pistol on lid and Tease in the crease. Lined with EL Blackened Brown kajal liner and added MAC Undercurrent pearlglide liner on the lower lashline. I finished with a dusting of Nars Madly on the cheeks and MAC Up the Amp on the lips; simple and quick FOTD:

Cordura Smokey Eyes + Bright Pink Lips

2012-01-26T08:09:00.004-05:00

January 26, 2012

Hello my loves. Another look in the same week, woohoo! I must say blogging again has been good for me. I used one of my most versatile Nars duos, Cordura, to create this brown smokey eye look. I also used Estee Lauder Blackened Brown kajal liner as my base and OMG I love these EL liners! I gotta go back and get some more. They're so soft and blendable yet they set they don't move. I will do a review on them soon.

I like warm brown smokey eyes with bright pink lips or very cool toned lips as opposed to standard nude most people do. I find it just more interesting. I typically use either MAC Snob, St Germain or Nars Roman Holiday with this types of smokey looks. Today I used Pink Nouveau, equally unexpected and I like unexpected....

Meanwhile, hope you enjoy this look guys :)

Face

Nars sheer matte foundation - Fiji

MUFE Full Cover - #6

Sculpt

Nars Madly blush

Shell Pearl bp

Eyes

UDPP - base

EL Blackened Brown kajal liner - base for lid and on lower lashline

Nars Cordura duo - dark shade on lid, lighter shade in crease

UD Buck e/s - crease

UD Virgin e/s - highlight

Gold Mode p/m - tear duct

UD Creep e/s - outer v

UD Baked 24/7 - inner lower lashline

Cargo 3 in 1 mascara

lips

Trimmed in Pink l/l

Pink Nouveau l/s

My Favourite Pink d/g/c

Indoor Lighting:

Finally Put on Some Makeup...

2012-01-25T12:32:00.000-05:00

January 25, 2012

Hey beauties! Thank you all so much for the nice comments on my last post and also the messages you've sent me since I talked about this rough period in my life. As I mentioned in that post, I'm better every day, it's just a slow process. I'm lucky to have the most amazing husband, family and friends who are helping me get through with this. And you guys are making me glad that I made the decision to keep blogging, so thank you...from the bottom of my heart.

Yesterday I finally woke up feeling like I wanted to do my makeup and I actually managed to do it. I did one of my old time fave looks with gray lids, blue lower lid and bright magenta lipstick a la MAC Rebel. Oh, and do you guys remember MAC Amorous dazzle glass cream from like 3 years ago? I hadn't worn it since then I think! Boy that is a gorgeous deep red. Very sticky texture but the colour is too beautiful to ignore. Gotta wear it more often.

Oh btw, I don't know if you can see in pics, but I got some subtle highlights in my hair now. I don't like drastic changes to my hair but I was bored with my current shade and also thought I looked a bit pale with my darker hair so the highlights are a welcome change for me. What do you think?

Hope you guys like this look :)

Face

Lancome Tenit Miracle - Buff 4C

MUFE Full Cover - #6

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Prim n Proper blush

Eyes

UDPP - base

Inglot AMC #401 - lid

Smut e/s - crease

UD Creep e/s - outer v

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

MUFE Aqua Cream #20 - lower lashline

Inglot Pearl #428 - lower lashline

GA Eyes to Kill mascara

Lips

Inglot #337 l/l (berry)

Rebel l/s

Amorous d/g/c

I'm Back with Chanel Rouge Allure Laque Swatches

2012-01-21T12:01:00.004-05:00

January 21, 2012

Hey beauties! I know I haven't posted in eternity it seems like. I have been going through some rough personal period and I have not fully recovered. I am better every day though....there was a time last week that I thought maybe I will sleep and not wake up ever again. Compared to that tough time I'm MUCH better, I even decided to start blogging again. Please send me some good vibes, I can definitely use them now.

So what better way to re-start posting than showing some Chanel swatches? Chanel Rouge Allure Laques to be precise. I recall telling you that these were only being discontinued in the US and not Canada (as I was told by my Chanel SA). But apparently I had been misinformed and they are actually being discontinued here too :( I currently have five of these babies and I will get the rest ASAP. You guys need to check out this amazing formula before it's too late....there are ABSOLUTELY NO better lipsticks than these!

You can see some of my FOTD's wearing the RAL's here, here, here and here.

Check out my babies all lined up. These are all part of the perm line with the exception of 707 (Empire) which was holiday 2012 edition:

75 (Dragon) - perfect blue red, hands down my fave red ever. This comes from a red lip addict!

72 (Coromandel) - gorgeous orange red, I adore this for making an impact in the winter

707 (Empire) - light warm pink, one of those colours that look good on everyone and go with everything

78 (Phoenix) - medium strawberry pink, this is THE perfect pink, has equal balance of cool and warm tones

73 (Imperial) - I would describe this as a dusty dark rose, surprisingly flattering on my light medium skintone.

Aaaaaand my swatches for your viewing pleasure - left to right Imperial, Coromandel, Dragon, Phoenix, Empire.

Indoor:

Outdoor:

Do you guys own any of the Chanel Rouge Allure Laques? Which one is your fave?

Subtle Green Smoke

2012-01-09T12:10:00.000-05:00

January 9, 2011

Hey beauties! I'm sorry I've been outta touch these days. The first week back from the Holidays is always tough for me so I tend to not be as inspired. I did do this look a couple of days ago when I finally felt like wearing more makeup than just eyeliner. I did a subtle green smokey look and paired it with banging orange red lips.

For this coming week, I'm planing on doing a review and also the next series of My Top 5 Products, which will feature Chanel this time. Hope you all have a great Monday.

Face

Chanel VA Foundation - BR20

MUFE Full Cover - #6

Ben Nye powder

Istant Chic blush

BB Nectar Shimmer Brick

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Crest the Wave e/s - inner lid

Humid e/s - lid

Inglot deep brown e/s - crease

Inglot nude e/s - above crease

Vanila p/m - highlight

UD Stash 24/7 - lower lashline

BB Chocolate shimmer g/l - to line

Marcelle volumizing mascara

Lips

Annabelle Flame l/l

Chanel Vertige RA

Nars Babe l/g

Bronze Smokey Cat Eyes

2012-01-02T18:23:00.001-05:00

January 2, 3011

I'm back to work tomorrow and the nice relaxed vacation at home will be over :( But I am looking forward to this new year and trying to fight the back-to-work blues.

I did this bronze smokey eye for a casual dinner/drink date with friends and made the wing longer so it looks also like a cat eye. Most of the time my smokey eyes have a rounder shape. What do you guys think of the change? Or do you prefer the classic smokey on me?

Face

Nars Sheer Glow foundation - Santa Fe

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Otherwordly blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Feline e/k - to line and blend into a cat-eye shape

UD Smog e/s - crease

UD Darkhorse e/s - crease

UD Virgin e/s - highight

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Saint Germain l/s

Clear l/g

NYE Look and Pictures

2012-01-01T14:06:00.004-05:00

January 1, 2012

Hey beauties! First post of 2012, woohoo!! I was reflecting on year 2011 yesterday and thought of the highlights for the year. Here they are:

1. I got my professional engineering designation

2. I was promoted to fully manage large scale projects at work

3. Hubby and I took and awesome and memorable trip to Italy

4. I was able to repair a broken relationship with someone close after 2 years

5. We fully renovated our basement and built a bedroom in there

6. I was able to lose one dress size and stick to a strict workout plan

So overall 2011 was a great year, though I have a feeling 2012 will be even better. Do you guys also make a list of what you did in the year as it gets close to the end? What's on your list?

Me, 3 hours or so before end of 2011

How did your NYE go? Are you the type to chill at home with loved ones or are the partying type? I mostly like to be out on NYE so hubby and I went to a party hosted by my bff who just bought a house not too far from ours. Awesome time was had with much dancing, eating and drinking!

Here's the look I wore...as you can see it's more on the neutral side but that's just what I felt like wearing for some reason:

Face

Cover FX Primer

MUFE HD Foundation - 118 (Flesh)

MUFE Full Cover concealer - #6

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Nars Madly blush

Pearl Blossom bp

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Chanel Quint - white shade on lid

Lise Watier Opale e/g - on lid

Copperplate e/s - crease

Smut e/s - outer v

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lise Watier Silver e/l - lower lashline

Lips

MUFE #12C l/l

Woo Me kissable lip colour

And we have some random shots from the night...I chose the decent looking ones for you guys, lol!

Wishing a prosperous and happy new year to all you guys! Thank you for your continuous support and interest in this humble blog :)

My Boxing Day Haul

2011-12-28T11:46:00.004-05:00

December 28, 2011

Oh how amazing it is to wake up on a Wednesday knowing that I'll be off for another week. This has been a much needed break for me and I've been fully indulging in a lot of sleep, eating and lounging on the couch with hubs. This is a picture I took from our living room window this morning:

Isn't it gorgeous? Most people I know hate winter, especially here in Canada, where our cold season is very long. But I'm a total winter baby. I adore snow and pretty icicles and always will.

Anyway, enough of that. I braved the crowds on Boxing Day and hit a few stores. I don't typically shop on Boxing Day but some years I make an exception. Hubby dropped me at the mall and picked me up later so not looking for parking made it much easier. I hit exactly 4 stores: Club Monaco, Zara, Nine West and United Colors of Benetton.

Club Monaco is one of my fave stores for basics. I also like that all their clothes fit true to size. I obviously prefer to shop there during sales season. On Boxing Day they were having 40% off of already reduced items.

I got me this cute fur scarf for a around $50CAD. It has a slit on one side so you can loop it around your neck neatly:

Here it is on me. I love me some fake fur:

I also purchase this pleated dark beige skirt there. I would say 95% of my skirts are pencil style so I was looking for something different. This is mostly wool material so great for winter and it was on sale for around $60CAD:

I like Zara for the variety of trends they hit and I know they are very beloved with the fashion bloggers. I however find them a bit overrated. I think it's mostly coz of my figure most things in store don't fit me right. I guess they just don't make most of their clothes for women with bigger boobs and hips. Half the time I don't even fit in their large shirts and dresses and honestly I'm not THAT large...like a size 8-10, lol!

Rant over! I did like this, oooops, pencil skirt though. I have a million skirts this style in my closed but they all get lotsa love. This one is navy with black colour blocking on the front and was on sale for $40CAD:

Nine West was having a 30-50% off sale so I went in though I was not in the market for new shoes. I scored this gorgeous pair of suede maroon platforms for $50CAD. Love love love platforms and the colour is fab:

Finally, I made my way to United Colors of Benetton. I love that store and think they're very underrated. Everything I've ever bought there has had amazing quality and lasted me a long time. Like Club Monaco, everything in this store fits true to size (for me medium or a size 8). They had 50% off the entire store.

I got me a gorgeous sheer snake print blouse. I love animal prints and this year was a good year to stock up on the old fave print. This blouse was $30CAD:

Did you guys go shopping on Boxing Day? What did you get?

Christmas Look + Holiday Photos

2011-12-27T10:05:00.004-05:00

December 27, 2011

Hey beauties! I wanted to spend the last few days with family and loved ones so I pretty much took a break from the Blogsphere but I'm back at it again :D I wanted to share my Christmas Eve Look as well as some random holiday photos with you.

I did a brown smokey eye for Christmas Eve and added some Antique Gold glitter to spice it up. I stayed away from doing red lips as I was wearing a red dress. Here's the look breakdown:

Face

Cover FX Primer

MUFE HD Foundation - 118 (Flesh)

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Prim n Proper blush

Shell Pearl bp

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Woodwinked e/s - lid

Goldmine e/s - inner lid

Espresso e/s - crease

Embark e/s - outer v

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Reflect Antique Gold glitter - lid

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

MUFE #12C l/l

Honeylove l/s

Chanel Aragonite glossimer

We always spend Christmas Eve at my parents and my mom makes her turkey and has a buncha people over. We also open some gifts then. Here are some pictures from the night:

Me and my two sisters (I'm on the right, lol), plus my middle sister's little pomeranian toy puppy

Hubby, sleepy puppy and me

On Christmas Day, my Guyanese born hubby makes a huge traditional Xmas Day meal and we have family plus friends who's families don't live in town over for brunch. We typically have shots of rum first and then enjoy a big buffet of Pepperpot, Garlic Pork, Fresh bread, various rice dishes, plus green and fruit salads. This was the 4th year we hosted our traditional brunch and we had about 18 ppl over at our place:

Our Christmas tree on the 25th, it also snowed all day, which made everyone pretty happy

Our brunch table almost set up

Me, hubs, my parents and sisters

Hope you all had a merry and blessed Christmas. I will be posting my Boxing Day Haul tomorrow :)

Bubblegum

2011-12-24T11:47:00.004-05:00

December 24, 2011

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! I'm heading out to buy some last minute things for our annual Christmas day brunch. Tonight though hubby and I will spend the Eve with my parents who typically host the turkey dinner. What are your plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

This look is from yesterday which was my last day of work till Jan 3, 2012. As you can see there's lotsa pink going there, lol! But I don't care! I love me some bubblegum bright pinks :D

Face

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - Santa Fe

Nars Copacabana Illuminator - mixed with foundation

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Pink Cult blush

Eyes

UDPP - base

MUFE Aqua Cream Pot #20 - base for lid

Plumage e/s - lid

Birds n Berries e/s - crease

Lucky Green e/s - above crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Aquavert e/s - inner lid

BB Cobalt Ink g/l - to line

Cargo Swimmable - blue shade on lower lashline

Cargo 3 in 1 mascara

Lips

Bubblegum l/s

For OOTD I went pretty casual as it was a Friday and the last day of work for the year. Bright pink sweater is by Espirit (sooo soft and comfy), straight legged jeans by DKNY and over the knee flat boots by Aldo:

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve with your loved ones :)

Smokey Purple Holiday Party + NOTD

2011-12-19T12:16:00.001-05:00

December 19, 2011

Hey beauties! I attended our company's annual Christmas party this past Saturday. I dolled up with smokey purple eyes, bigger hair than usual and a chic BCBG dress (BCBG is my fave place for buying dresses). What made the night better was that I won the grand raffle price for the night which was a 42" flat screen Samsung TV!! Yey, I never win anything so this was awesome!

Here's the makeup look:

Face

Cover FX primer

MUFE HD Foundation - 118 (Flesh)

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Azalea Blossom b/o

Eyes

UDPP - base

Blacktrack f/l - base for lid

Nars Pandora duo - black shade on lid, white shade as highlight

MUFE #92 - crease

MUFE #9 - above crease

Feline e/k - waterline

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Nars Sex Machine mvp

Going Casual c/g

And here's a picture of the dress. I cropped my coworkers and boss outta the pic for their privacy. I obviously forgot to take a nice pic of the dress :/

I also sported this blingy holiday inspired nail look for the night. It's one layer of ChG Rodeo Fanatic (dark teal from a couple of years ago) plus two layers of OPI Servin Up Sparkle (I think this is LE from this holiday). I loved how this came out, sparkles FTW!

Some Outfits From this Past Week

2011-12-17T11:47:00.001-05:00

December 17, 2011

OMG Christmas is almost here and this procrastinator has not finished her shopping yet! I always have my tree and decorations up early and then flake up when it comes to hitting the busy malls for gift buying. Gotta get down to it this weekend though.

I kept wanting to include my outfit of the days with my makeup posts and fail at it half the time. But I have for you a buncha looks from this past week. I'm more a of a colourful girl but for some reason last week I was all about the neutrals as you can see. I need a better area for taking pics though, the narrow hallway is not ideal and it's too cold to pose outside, lol!

Here we go:

Cable sweater by Esprit (I love Esprit for their basic winter stuff, I went in there last week and left with SIX sweaters), skirt by Zara (last season), tights by H&M, leopard print pumps by Nine West and necklace by Le Chateau.

Lace applique top by Bedo (I love Bedo and definitely have a problem with collecting lacy tops), camel pants by Dynamite, booties by Steve Madden.

Blush sheer top I found at Winners' (I don't usually like loose styles but this one works for me), suede dress from Le Chateau Outlet, tights by American Apparel, booties by Guess.

This look is from last weekend as you can tell by the casual vibe: long sweater by BCBG, leggings by Zara, vest I found at Winners' and the boots are my beloved riding ones from Italy.

Hope you guys have a great weekend :)

Simple Retro Look

2011-12-14T19:42:00.003-05:00

December 14, 2011

Hey beauties! Oh I cannot wait for the holidays, how about you guys? I totally feel burnt out and would love to be away from the office for a week...glad that's only 8 days away.

This is one of my go-to looks so you may have seen different variations of it on this blog if you've been a follower for a while. I like the good ole' white eyeshadow, cat liner and red lip thing all the time. Here's my take on it for this week:

Face

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - Santa Fe

Nars Copacabana Illuminator - mixed with foundation

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Bite of An Apple blush

Eyes

UDPP - base

Nars Pandora duo - white shade on lid

UD Naked e/s - crease

UD Buck e/s - just a bit of it on outer v

UD Virgin e/s - highlight

Blacktrack f/l - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Nars Dragon Girl vmp

What are some of your go-to looks?

Cordura Cut Crease

2011-12-13T18:55:00.003-05:00

December 13, 2011

Hey beauties! I wore this somewhat dramatic look to a friend's birthday party last weekend. I really wanted to do red lips and be bolder but since I was wearing a leopard print dress I thought it might be too much so I resisted.

Hope you like!

Face

Cover FX Primer

MUFE HD foundation - 118

MUFE Full Cover - #6

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Prim n Proper blush

Shell Pearl bp

Eyes

UDPP - base

Treasure Hunt p/p - lid

Feline e/k - to cut crease and on lower lashline

Nars Pandora - black shade to blend Feline

Nars Cordura - lighter side above crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Stila Jewel quad - gold shade on lid

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

MUFE #12C l/l

Blankety l/s

My Top 5 Products - Make Up Forever

2011-12-12T18:38:00.000-05:00

December 12, 2011

Hello beauties! Are you all ready for the Holidays? I personally cannot wait!! My brain is slowly shutting down already, lol! Hubby and I are staying home this year but have lotsa relaxation planned. Nothing better than chilling at home with hubs, eating comfort food and watching our favourite movies and series.

I have for you this week's edition of my Top 5 Products. This week, I will show you my go-to MUFE items. MUFE is one of my all time fave brands as I find overall they offer great quality for face, eyes, cheeks and face products. Once again, I had a hard time picking just 5, but here we are:

1. HD Foundation (118) - MUFE HD line offers a great variety of shades including different undertones. I usually have 6-7 foundation bottles in rotation and 3 years later, the MUFE HD is still my No.1 when it comes to looking great in photos. I always wear this foundation when I know I'll be photographed and my skin always looks flawless. See my full review here.

2. Aqua Cream Lipliner #16 - MUFE lip liners are hands down my fave of all brands I've tried. They go on very creamy, do not budge/bleed and are long lasting. I have a few of them but I picked #16 as it is the perfect bright pink for under all my fuchsia lipsticks. I have a more in depth review and swatches here.

3. Eyeshadow #39 - MUFE has a cult following for their #92 eyeshadow and I find all their matte shades to perform supremely well. The make amazing neutrals and brights alike. My most used one has got to be #39 as you can tell by the picture, lol! This is amazingly pigmented and a little goes a long way. I love this types of shades!

4. Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick #28 - ONce again, MUFE did not disappoint by offering a huge array of colours and finishes when they released their rouge artist intense lipstick line. I find these babies to be slightly harder than my other lipsticks as in you have to press them more onto your lips. But the colour payoff is amazing and I do not find even the matte shades very drying. #48 is my fave vampy red shade and my most worn MUFE lipstick.

5. Full Cover Concealer #6 - this concealer blends so well into my skintone I could not ask for a better product. It's creamy and light yet it does an amazing job of covering my small acne scars. I'm running out of this product and have to make a trip to Sephora ASAP!

Do you guys own any of these products? What are your top 5 MUFE products?

About Me Tag!

2011-12-07T18:10:00.005-05:00

December 7, 2011

Hey lovelies! I saw this tag over at the Beautiful Life of a Girl Next Door blog and thought I share with you. It's fun to do these every once in a while :) By the way, definitely check out Sonja's blog. I recently discovered her and LOVE her FOTD's <3

Vital Statistics:

-Name: Saadeh
-Nicknames: None that I can share here, lol!
-Birthday: Feb 5, 1982
-Place of Birth: Tehran, Iran
-Zodiac Sign: Aquarius baby!
-Male or Female: Female
-Occupation: Mechanical engineer, I do inspection of mechanical system/equipment in large scale projects like hospitals and airports.

Appearance:
-Hair Color: hmmm...I think my natural hair is brown with red undertones. I usually dye it a burgundy shade to bring out the red more but currently trying to get the red out to have just chocolate brown hair...so now my hair looks brown with reddish highlights :/

My random hair!

-Hair Length: long-ish (below my shoulders)
-Eye color: who knows!! Looks light brown from far and is olive green from close. I'd say amber or hazel
-Best Feature: I say my eyes, every one else (men and women) says my boobs!
-Height: 5' 7" 1/4 (don't forget that quarter!)
-Braces? Nope
-Glasses? started wearing contacts/glasses when I was 15. I had LASIK in January though so no more, yupeee!!
-Piercings: nope, not planing on getting one either
-Tattoos: None yet. And at this point I may be too old to get my first one.
-Righty or Lefty: Righty.

Your 'Firsts':
-First best friend: A girl called Nora and we met when we were both 5. We'r still in touch though we live in different continents.
-First Award: I think I got a spelling bee award when I was 7.
-First Sport You Joined: an actual sport I would say was soccer. I used to like playing soccer though now I only watch it (the only sport I actually care to watch).
-First Real Vacation: I spent my childhood in Tehran and my first vacation was a week stay by the Caspian sea, apparently I was 2.
-First Concert: NKOTB

Favorites:
-Movie: I'm super picky with movies. My top two are Pan's Labyrinth and Secret in their Eyes
-TV Show: I don't have cable and am not a TV fan. I do watch Dexter, True Blood, Game of Thrones and Mad Men on either Netflix and online though.
-Colors: My absolute favourite is red. I've been told that if I was a colour, I would be red...and I just happen to adore this shade. I also like other colours in the same family like berry, burgundy, plum...
-Song: well this changes all the time, right now i'm liking "Without You" by David Guetta

-Candy: not too big on candy...I like dark chocolate!
-Restaurant: I like little holes in the wall and avoid chains at all costs. I eat mostly at french, Indian, Thai or Chinese restaurants.
-Store: Nine West, Sephora, Banana Republic, BCBG
-Book: I read a lot of biographies or what I call "serious" books. Not big on chic books...LOVE Lincoln's biography
-Magazine: inStyle, Glamour
-Shoes: I wear heels 99% of the time and my faves are stiletto boots, platforms and pumps.

Currently:
-Feeling: Happy! I had a stressful day at work, but cooking with hubs, eating a delicious meal and having a great glass of Shiraz made everything better.
-Single or Taken: Married for over 4 years

Me and hubs, together almost 10 years, married for 4

-Eating: I'm still drinking wine, lol!
-Listening To: "You Got Me" by the Roots
-Thinking About: this tag
-Wanting: to check out Hautlook

-Watching: My screen
-Wearing: my forest green plush robe

Future:
-Want Children? ya....I guess sometimes in the near future
-Want to be Married: Already am
-Careers in Mind: currently quite happy with mine
-Where do you want to live? right here in Ottawa. My parents and my younger sister are here and my other sister is 2 hours away in Montreal. I like to stay close to family.

Me, my sisters, parents and hubs <3

Do You Believe In:
-God: undecided. Definitely don't believe in the God defined by Christianity, Judaism, Islam...
-Miracles: in a way yes
-Love At First sight: No.

-Ghosts: No
-Aliens: lol, definitely not!
-Soul Mates: no, you meet the person who has a lot in common and has similar goals and make the relationship work.
-Heaven: No
-Hell: No, unless you mean heaven on Earth
-Kissing on The First Date: I've always done it...hahaha!
-Yourself: I'm pretty vain so I love myself!

Ok, that's it! You guys are all tagged! If you do this, please post a link in comment coz I like reading these random tags :)

My Top 5 (sorry 6) Products - Nars Cosmetics

2011-12-06T18:37:00.001-05:00

December 6, 2011

Hey guys! I could never pick one brand as my most fave but Nars comes pretty close if I were forced to pick. Most of their products just work great for me, so this was another case were picking only 5 items was tough.....so I picked 6, ooop! I know I'm cheating but this is my blog so I'm allowed :P

Here we go:

1. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation (Santa Fe) - I've been a convert of this foundation ever since it was released a couple of years ago. It offers perfect light coverage blends right into my skin (I use my fingers to apply). Shade Santa Fe is a great match for my skintone.

2. Nars Irresistiblement Bronzer - aaaaahhh how I adore this product. It is the perfect bronzer when you want a natural glow vs a baked look. I use this product all year around and every single day in spring and summer. I know Laguna has a cult following (I own that one too) but I personally prefer Irresistiblement. See my full review here.

3. Madly Blush - Nars was made famous with their beautiful and pigmented blushes. It was so hard for me to pick one as my absolute favourite in this category but I have to give it to Madly, which is a beautiful warm neutral seashell pink shade. This blush goes with everything and is perfection on my skintone for a natural look.

4. Eurydice Eyeshadow duo - I think that Nars is genius with his duo colour combos; there are so many beautiful ones too chose from. I'm collecting them all slowly but my most used one has got to be Eurydice. Both the shimmery charcoal and the flatter raspberry side are super duper pigmented and you know I love my berry shades!

5. Niagara lipstick - this pink based coral has a satin finish which means you can go sheerer with one layer or easily build up the colour. Niagara is a sexy coral, bright enough but not loud...I would say a pretty and demure coral yet totally face brightening, LOVE!

6. Dragon Girl Velvet Matte Lips Pencil - I love the convenience of not having to line my lips with Nars chubby pencil and the matte yet satiny feel of these is to die for. Dragon Girl is the most perfect retro red lipstick I've ever had the pleasure of wearing. It's the same shade as MAC Ruby Woo, with a MUCH superior texture.

Do you guys own any of these products? What are your top 5 Nars Cosmetics Products?

My Tried and True Glam Makeup Looks

2011-12-05T18:24:00.000-05:00

December 5, 201

Hey lovelies! As the holidays are approaching, I had many events to attend this past weekend and ended up wearing my tried and true looks to all instead of experimenting with my stash. There are days when there is so little time to think and be creative but I'm not one to go for boring neutrals. So I thought I put together a list of my beloved makeup looks for other busy social bees out there who want to look glam this season.

Here are my top 5 short cut party ready makeup looks for any time of the year:

4. Cat Eyes + Retro Red Lip

I'm a red lipstick girl and always will be. There's no other colour that gives me as much joy. My all time #1 fave look and easiest way to glam is sporting my most retro shade of red (either Nars Dragon Girl or MAC Ruby Woo). I tend to wear a full on cat eyes with liquid liner like Lancome art Liner with this type of look, line the waterline too and add a tone of mascara.

3. Smokey Purples

There's something alluring about smokey eyes and purples are my favourite way to wear drama on my eyes. I like purples as they are playful yet sophisticated and always get me compliments. Inglot purple gel liner pot, MUFE #92, #9 and MAC Graphology and Poison Pen are my purple smokey eyes holly grails. I usually wear a pale pink lipstick with the purple drama on the eyes.

3. A pop of Bright Pink

I love the bright and flirty fuchsia lipsticks, the brighter the better. I find bright pinks to be an easy face brightening trick for most complexions. I prefer my bright pinks on the cooler side, so Nars Schiap is my all time fave. I keep the eyes neutral or smoke out just the outer edge and let the lips do the talking.

4. Burgundy Eyes, Lips, Anything...

I have a love affair with anything burgundy; on my eyes, on my lips and even burgundy dresses and tops. There's just something about what this colour does for my eyes, it really makes them pop. If you have hazel/amber eyes, try a burgundy liner, warm purple mascara or full on bordeaux smokey eyes and you'll be a convert. Some of my fave burgundy products are Nars Damned velvet pencil, MAC Smoke Signals pigment and Artifact paint pot, MUFE #11 liquid liner.

5. An Overall Rosy Glow

This is my kinda "neutral". And it's not really a neutral, it's just using a similar tone on cheeks, eyes and lips. I tend to do a rose shade for myself as it works best on my complexion which is light medium with cool undertone. I find using rosey shades give me a youthful and fresh appearance, so this is my go to look for daytime events like family brunch or office holiday lunch/secret santa events. I adore MAC Rose pigment, Jest eyeshadow and Nars Sex Machine velvet pencil for overall healthy appearance.

What are some of your go-to glam looks? Do you have more than one signature party look?

Strawberry and Chocolate

2011-12-01T18:58:00.004-05:00

December 1, 2011

I was super late for work this morning coz I wanted to wear this fancy outfit. I ended up messing it up and let my hair down in the end...argh! One of those days when things don't work out. But I was happy with my makeup. I did a chocolate brown and strawberry look on my eyes and one of my berry shades, MAC Craving lipstick, on my lips!

It's almost weekend! Hope you all enjoy it. I have a tone of events to attend so it should be a fun one :)

Face

Chanel VA Foundation - BR20 (Beige Rose)

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Nars Desire blush

Eyes

UDPP - base

Nars Cordura duo - dark shade on lid

Poste Haste e/s - crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

UD Sin e/s - tearduct

UD Bourbon 24/7 - lower lashline

Feline e/k - to liner and blend

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Trimmed in Pink l/l

Craving l/s

I wore this dress by BCBG to work today and got so many compliments on it. I love it as it's very flattering on my big chest yet sits nice on my smaller waist. I'm always looking for styles that minimize my top and this one is perfect! The older I get, the more I want to look sexy without revealing much. It's funny that people are always looking to achieve the hourglass figure and there are a tone of dresses that create that illusion. Yet for us folks with a natural hourglass not too many dresses seem to fit right. Everything seems to reveal too much on top or too loose on the waist....well except for this dress, lol! The tights are by H&M and boots are by Nine West:

Recipe of the Day - Seafood Pasta

2011-11-30T20:59:00.003-05:00

December 11, 2011

Hey lovelies! I made this quick pasta dish yesterday and loved it so I thought I share it here:

Cook the penne and reserve a ladlefood of pasta cooking water. Also cook a small head of cauliflower in salted water for 8-10 minutes. Marinate seafood of your choice (I used shrimps and scallops) in a mixture vinegar, bay leaves, cloves, mustard, paprika, cardamom and ginger.

Meanwhile, melt 5-6 anchovy fillets in a large skillet covered with olive oil. Then add a few chopped vegetables (one hot chili pepper, one red pepper, few celery ribs, one onion and 3-4 cloves garlic). Season with salt and pepper and chopped oregano then add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, juice of one lemon, the pasta and cauliflower.

Finally, cook the marinated seafood in another skillet covered with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 1/3 cup of vermouth and let boil, then simmer.

Add the seafood mixture to the pasta et voila! Enjoy :)

La Sensuelle Holiday Look

2011-11-30T20:28:00.006-05:00

November 30, 2011

I cannot believe it's already almost December; this year just flew right past me! Since it's getting closer to the Holidays I feel like sporting more festive looks which means more red lips and glittery eyes; not that I'm stranger to bold lips, lol!

I used Chanel La Sensuelle RA Velvet for this look. I read in reviews that some folks find these new lipsticks drying. I still find them very comfortable to wear and not drying at all on myself. Chanel RA Velvets and Nars Matte Velvet Pencils are now my top two favourite matte formulas. I also used my trustee Urban Decay Naked palette. It's been a year since I've had this palette and I still use it a few times a week. Money definitely well spent!

Face

Chanel VA Foundation - BR20 (Beige Rose)

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Nars Madly blush

Chez Chez Lame powder - I cannot stop wearing this cheek combo, gotta do a post on it!

Eyes

UDPP - base

Treasure Hunt p/p - base for lid

UD Half Baked e/s - lid

UD Buck e/s - crease

UD Dark Horse e/s - crease

UD Virgin e/s - highlight

UD Sin e/s - tear duct

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Pure White c/l - waterline

Lips

Annabelle Flame l/l

Chanel La Sensuelle RA Velvet

Oh and I put up our christmas tree this past weekend. I'm a kid in candy store when it comes to buying ornaments and decorating a tree, just friggin love it! For the last few years I've been doing gold and silver ornaments but this year I went the purple and gold route. The two colours look so royal and festive together:

The Dramatic Eyeliner and MAC Night Violet Mattene

2011-11-29T12:19:00.003-05:00

November 29, 2011

Hello beauties! I tried something different with my eyeliner this past weekend. I went for a bolder Arabic style using MAC's Blacktrack fluidline as I hadn't done this style in a long time. My usual style is the cat liner but with a shorter wing that I wear on a daily basis. Not sure how I like this new dramatic style on myself though. I always find the more dramatic liners to overwhelm me as my eye shape is a bit elongated and tilted downward already. What do you guys think?

I paired the eyes with equally dramatic lips a la MAC Night Violet Mattene. Another one of my beloved vampy shades that makes an appearance every once in a while. The face is simple, just MAC Pro Longwear foundation in NW25 and Chanel Plum Attraction blush.

Hope you guys like :)

Do you wear dramatic eyeliner? What's your go-to eyeliner shape?

My Top 5 Products - MAC Cosmetics

2011-11-28T12:21:00.002-05:00

November 28, 2011

Alright here we go! First instalment of my new weekly series as promised on Friday. I thought I start with MAC as obviously they are one of the most popular brands (deservedly so) and also I've been buying MAC since I was 19 and went through a crazy collecting phase so it would be a fun one to start with. As you know MAC does many MANY limited edition collections. For the purpose of this series which is to recommend products I enjoy for you guys to go check out later, I will stick to permanent items.

This was a tough one though given the size of my MAC collection, but I did narrow it to my truly beloved top 5; some basic and some with colour intrigue:

1. Face & Body Foundation (shade N2) - I discovered this light foundation later in the game, about 2 years ago and I rate it as one of the best foundations of all times. Easy application, glowy finish and the price is right. Plus the bottle will last you forever. See my full review here.

2. Painterly Paint Pot - This is a nice basic eyeshadow primer that works for me better than any primer I've tried. I like the nude and pinked toned shade that goes with every colour I put on top and the creamy texture makes it so easy to apply. Paint pots last 10+ on me without creasing. This is my 3rd pot of Painterly and as you can see I'm running very low.

3. Plumage Eyeshadow - MAC is very well known for their eyeshadows and I must admit theirs are still my go-to after so many years. If I had to pick one though, I would go with the smoldering deep peacock that is Plumage. Great on its own for smokey eyes and awesome in the outer v and as a liner; the matte texture is a plus as it makes the shade more sophisticated. You can check out one of my many FOTD's featuring Plumage here.

4. 217 Blending Brush - The ever famous 217 is an amazing blending brush, ideal for depositing and blending colour in your crease and outer v. But it's also a great multitasking brush that can be used on your lids for a more diffused look and does a great job with creamy and liquid concealers. I've also used it to highlight/shade nose or chin area for more theatrical looks.

5. Impassioned Amp Cream Lipstick - aaaahhhhh I could write pages about this colour! But I would say that Impassioned is jut HOT! I have so many bright lipsticks and I always come back to this vibrant warm fuchsia. I like it in the summer with a tan and in the winter to give my complexion a boost. See my full review and swatches here.

Do you guys own any of these products? What are you top 5 MAC Cosmetics products?

New Series - My Top 5 Products in Different Brands

2011-11-25T22:11:00.003-05:00

November 25, 2011

Happy Friday Night everyone! I'm thinking of doing a new weekly series to spice the blog up a bit. I feel like lately I've only done FOTD's and not of much else. I need to squeeze in more fashion posts, reviews, hauls and food posts too....just like I did before.

But anyway, I'm going to do this new series every Monday starting Nov 28th. I will present you with my top 5 products of the cosmetic brands I use and why I like these products so much. I will be starting with MAC (as it's probably the most popular brand) and then continue with Nars, Chanel, Make Up Forever, Bobbi Brown, Stila and Inglot.

What do you guys think of this idea? What other topics/post do you like to see on my blog?

Lipstick Stash - MAC Please Me + Cut Crease

2011-11-23T18:17:00.001-05:00

November 23, 2011

Hey beauties! I'm going through a withdrawal period as my mother in law just went back to the Caribbean after staying with us for 3 weeks. It was a period of lotsa entertaining and packed social schedule and though I'm glad to have the house to myself again, I definitely feel that it's too quiet around here now.

Anyway, I did a cut-crease after a looooong time! I had forgotten how much enjoyed this edgier eye look. I paired the eyes with one of my fave lipsticks of all time, MAC Please Me. Please Me is a gorgeous matte permanent lipstick and the shade is what I'd call "sexpot pink", lol! It makes you look sexy so effortlessly.

Hope you guys like this look :)

Face

Studio Sculpt foundation - NW25

Sculpt

Pink Cult blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

MUFE #112 e/s - lid

Dark Diversion f/l - to cut crease

Smoke Signal p/m - to blend crease

Cranberry e/s - above crease

Vanilla p/m - highlight

Lancome Black Art Liner

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Please Me l/s

Lipstick Stash - Marcelle Paris Rose lipstick

2011-11-22T18:08:00.001-05:00

November 22, 2011

Hey guys! This is a quick post with mostly just the pictures from the FOTD as I'm running around today. I did use Marcelle Paris Rose lipstick which is an amazing creamy coral and definitely a drugstore gem. If you live in Canada, make sure you check out the new Marcelle lipsticks; this one and Cleopatra are two of my faves!

Face

Chanel VA Foundation - BR20 (Beige Rose)

Ben Nye powder

Bite of an Apple blush

Eyes

UDPP - base

Lise Watier Marin e/l - base for lid

Inglot dark blue shade - lid

UD Buck e/s - crease

UD Naked e/s - above crease

UD Virgin e/s - highlight

UD Sin e/s - inner lid

Lancome Art liner in black - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Mouth Off l/l

Marcelle Paris Rose l/s

Clear l/g

Lipstick Stash - MAC Strange Hybrid + Chanel Aragonite glossimer

2011-11-21T18:08:00.001-05:00

November 21, 2011

Hello my lovelies! I found one of my oldest MAC lipsticks in my stash for this look. This is Strange Hybrid l/s (LE) from 5 years ago I think. It's a frost lipstick which I don't tend to wear that often but somehow this nude metallic shade appeals to me still. I amped up the shimmery affect with Chanel Argonite glossimer (LE) from last holiday season.

I continued the metallic feel of the lips onto the eyes as well with shades of frosty peach, pewter and then some matte cobalt blue. Hope you guys like this look :)

Face

Chanel VA Foundation - BR20 (Beige Rose)

Ladyblush creamblend blush

Ben Nye powder

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

All that Glitters e/s - inner lid

BB Pewter e/s - mid lid

Royale e/s - outer lid

Blanc type e/s - crease

Cargo Swimmable deep teal shade - lower lashline

Lise Watier Navy e/l - to line

GA Eyes to Kill mascara

Lips

MUFE 12C l/l

Strange Hybrid l/s

Chanel Aragonite glossimer

Lipstick Stash - Chanel Precious Rouge Allure

2011-11-17T18:20:00.001-05:00

November 17, 2011

Hello my beauties! I have yet another Chanel lipstick to showcase for you today. This one is the berry gorgeousness that is Precious Rouge Allure. I adore shades of berry as though it sounds weird, they actually bring out the gold flecks in my eyes so I tend to get compliments when I wear them. As I mentioned before, I love the Rouge Allure formula as they are so comfortable to wear, they also last a pretty long time and there is a big array of colours to chose from. Just visit your Chanel counter and have a look ;)

Anyway, I paired the lips with my most used Nars duo, Eurydice. Eurydice is another great choice for those of us with green or hazel eyes. The berry shade is just divine for making my eyes pop and the gray is such a beautiful and intense shimmery gunmetal, pure love!

Face

Chanel VA foundation - BR20 (beige rose)

Ben Nye powder

Chanel Plum Attraction blush

Eyes

UDPP - base

Artifact p/p - base

Nars Eurydice duo - both shades, lid and crease

Prance e/s - inner lid

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

MUFE #11 l/l - to line

Chanel Cassis e/sl - lower lashline

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Annabelle Flame l/l

Chanel Precious RA

Lipstick Stash - Chanel Imperiale Rouge Allure Laque

2011-11-16T18:17:00.002-05:00

November 16, 2011

Woohoo, another FOTD from me! It's nice to be able to do my makeup everyday!

I'm really feeling the rusty lipstick shades these days which are a departure from my signature burgundy toned dark lips. I think the rust/cinnamon shades are very sophisticated though. One of my fave shades in that family is Chanel Imperiale Rouge Allure Laque. You know I love the RA Laque formula so I won't repeat myself. But this particular shade gets a lot of love coz though it may not look it, it's a very universally flattering shade. It's one of those warm shades that cooler toned peeps like me can wear with no problems.

Btw did you know that Chanel is DC'ing all their RA Laques? I'm so devastated! I need to pick the two that I don't have ASAP and encourage all lipstick lovers to check these babies out before they'r gone.

Hope you guys like this look :)

Face

Pro Longwear Foundation - NW25

Sculpt

Nars Sin blush

Eyes

UDPP - base

Benefit Strut cream shadow - base for lid

UD Gunmetal e/s - lid

Copperplate e/s - crease

Nars Pandora - black shade in outer v

UD Virgin e/s - highglight

Gosh Forest Green e/l - lower lashline

One Off e/s - lower lashline

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

Cargo 3 in 1 mascara

Lips

MUFE 12C l/l

Chanel Imperiale RA Laque

Hubs 30th Birthday Party Look + Pics

2011-11-15T18:46:00.001-05:00

November 15, 2011

Hey guys! Hubby and I hosted a big party saturday night for his 30th birthday and had about 40 ppl here. It was an amazing time as always with friends. I was wearing a lace designed dress from BCBG and kept the makeup soft yet sexy. Here's my Instagram pic, just coz I'm addicted to that app now:

And here's a list of products used:

Face

Cver FX primer

MUFE HD Foundation - 118 (Flesh)

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Pink Cult blush

Pearl Blossom bp

Eyes

UDPP - base

MUFE #15 - lid

Moth Brown e/s - crease

Print e/s - outer v

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Feline e/k - lower lashline

Stila Jewels palette - black shade on lower lashline

Lancome Black Art Liner

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Nars Sex Machine mvp

She Loves Candy l/g

And we have some random pics from the night:

Me and some of my girls, earlier in the night

Me, my sis and my hubs best bud

A bunch of us much later that night, many tequila shots later

A Little MAC Hauling after Ages!

2011-11-14T18:06:00.001-05:00

November 14, 2011

hey guys! I wanted to share my latest MAC haul with you. I hadven't been to MAC in I guess over 7-8 months as nothing really was a must have for me and I'm really not at the point where I NEED something from all their millions of LE collections.

I did want to get some Mattenes and I never got around to it as the collection came out as I got back to Italy. I placed an order online for a few items last week. Here's the lot. All swatches on NW25 skintone:

Royale e/s (LE) is a matte bright blue. To me, it has a hint of purple to it. I didn't have anything even remotely similar to this in my stash:

Treasure Hunt p/p (LE) is a beautiful yellow gold shade. MAC paint pots have always been one of my fave products they make and I couldn't resist getting one with my order.

I have two more gold-ish paint pots but they are not exactly dupes. Cashflow is more of antique gold and Rubenesque is a warm peachy gold:

Left to right: Rubenesque p/p, Cashflow p/p, Treasure Hunt p/p

Then the best part, the mattenes! I adore MAC mattene formula. They are one of the best matte lipsticks in the market (only rivals are Chanel RA velvets and Nars matte velvet pencils). I got two of darker shades as you know I love my vampy lips.

Here's Seeds of Desire Mattene - a deep brown shade:

I have quite a few darker lipsticks but none to me are exact dupes as I don't typically wear brown based vamp shades. Chanel Rouge Noir Rouge Coco is the most similar but is less brown and totally different texture.

Left to right: Night Violet mattene, Kirch mattene, Nars Train Blue vmp, Chanel Rouge Noir RC, Seeds of Desire mattene

Here's Legendary Mattene - a cinnamon red:

I have a few shades similar to this but again none I would say are identical. MAC Red Pepper (Pro) is more red and Chanel Imperiale is more plum and again a different texture:

Left to right: Chanel Imperiale RA Laque, MUFE #29, Legendary mattene, Red Pepper

Do you guys own any of these products? What are some of your favourite MAC products?

Lipstick Stash - MAC Cream Cup

2011-11-12T15:33:00.004-05:00

November 12, 2011

Hello beauties and happy Saturday! I'm hosting a big party for my hubby's 30th birthday in a few hours but wanted to share a quick look with you guys before I started making snacks and buying alcohol for tonight.

This look is from sometimes last week when I did a simple brown smokey look with a pop of purple and paired it with one of my fave nude pink lipsticks, MAC Cream Cup. Now I'm not a huge fan of the creamsheen formula as I find it a bit slippery and uneven but I like this light pink enough to still adore this lipstick.

Hope you guys enjoy this look.

Face

Pro Longwear Foundation - NW25

Sculpt

Pink Cult blush

Eyes

UDPP - base

Annabelle Brown k/l - base for lid

Inglot dark brown e/s - crease

Espresso e/s - lid

Wedge e/s - above crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Vanilla p/m - tearduct

Feline e/k - to line and smudge

Designer Purple e/l - lower lashline

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

in Synch l/l

Cream Cup l/s

Lipstick Stash - MAC Show Orchid

2011-11-10T17:20:00.003-05:00

November 10, 2011

I'm a bit behind on my FOTD's as I actually did my makeup every day this week but didn't get to post them all. I thought I start with today's look though coz I loved the lips!

I wore a simple purple eye look with the bright pop of fuchsia that is MAC Show Orchid (pro). I adore this bright pink shade which is always a great way to make me look pull together without much effort.

Hope you guys like this look :)

Face

Pro Longwear Foundation - NW25

Sculpt

Pink Cult blush

Eyes

UDPP - base

Shishiedo H4 Hydra Power e/s - lid

Poison Pen e/s - crease

Graphology e/s - outer v

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Chanel Cassis e/l - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

MUFE 16C l/l

Show Orchid l/s

Lipstick Stash - Nars Montego Bay

2011-11-08T18:42:00.000-05:00

November 8, 2011

Hey guys! I have simple look to share with you today. The weird thing is I get the most compliments when I'm wearing my more simple looks. Makes me just want to be lazy and do the same look all the time, lol!

I used Nars Montego Bay matte lipstick (Fall 2011) for this look. I love this matte peachy shade. I tend to have difficulties with the colour peach but this one has strong pink tones so it works for me. It's also not as matte as some of the other Nars matte lipsticks so it is pretty comfortable to wear.

Hope you guys enjoy this look.

Face

F&B Foundation - N3

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Nars Deep Throat blush

Eyes

UDPP - base

Cashflow p/p - base for lid

Blonde's Gold p/m - inner lid

OCC Clove p/m - lid

Embark e/s - outer v

Wedge e/s - above crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

UD Stash 24/7 - lower lashline

BB Chocolate Brown g/l - to line

Cargo 3 in 1 mascara

Lips

Nars Montego Bay matte lipstick

Lipstick Stash - Chanel Teheran Rouge Coco + NOTD

2011-11-07T19:23:00.000-05:00

November 7, 2011

Hello beauties! I had a fairly busy weekend socially so I feel not so rested this Monday. I decided to keep it short and sweet with a simple FOTD and also show you my latest nail colour obsession.

Chanel Teheran Rouge Coco is part of the perm Chanel line (at least here in Canada) and is a beautiful shimmery pink coral. I would say this shade is more of a cooler toned one and is lighter than most my other corals. I bought this lipstick when the RC's were released about one and a half year ago and it's a special one to me as I was born in Tehran (or as the French call it: Teheran). I usually get compliments when I wear it too so it has become one of my go-to lipsticks.

Face

F&B Foundation - N2

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Prim n Proper blush

Shell Pearl bp

Eyes

MUFE Aqua Cream - #20 to line

GA Eyes to Kill Mascara

Lips

Mouth Off l/l

Chanel Teheran RC

I also am wearing my latest fave nail polish, Orly "Rock the World". This is a gorgeous red toned copper shade with multi-colour sparkles. It just glows in the light! Obviously, Orly's formula is amazing as always which is a plus:

Have a great Monday everyone!

Lipstick Stash - MAC Exxxhibitionist

2011-11-05T11:35:00.003-04:00

November 5, 2011

Hello beauties! It's such a gorgeous day out today that I'm sitting in our backyard wearing a few layer (it's cold too, -4deg) and blogging outdoors! I wanted to quickly share one of the looks that got missed from last week.

I'm wearing MAC Exxxhibionosit Kissable Lip Colour (LE) on my lips in this look. This liquid lipstick came out in Feb 2011 I believe and is a bright red coral. I love these kissable colours and bought a few when they came out; to me they are the closest you can get to the Chanel Rouge Allure Laques in terms of formula and pigmentation. I paired the bright lips with fall colours: burgundy, copper and warm gold.

Face

Chanel VA Foundation - BR20 (Beige Rose)

Sculpt

Cantaloupe blush

Chez Chez Lame powder

Eyes

UDPP - base

Artifact p/p - base for lid

Amber Lights e/s - lid

Jest e/s - inner lid

Coppering e/s - crease

Smoke Signal p/m - outer v

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

BB Chocolate Shimmer g/l - to line

Cargo 3 in 1 mascara

Lips

Temperature is Rising l/l

Exxxhibitionist kissbale lip colour

Lipstick Stash - MAC Saint Germain + Chanel Blossoms Glossimer

2011-11-03T19:18:00.004-04:00

November 3, 2011

Hello beauties! I dug out my MAC Saint Germain lipstick for today's shopping my stash post. I have no idea if this lipstick's made permanent now or not, but it was LE when I bought it back in 2009 with Sugar Sweet. It's a gorgeous barbie pick lipstick and completely opaque on my lips. It is on the extreme cool toned end of the spectrum so I wouldn't say it's universally flattering. I paired it with Chanel Blossoms glossimer, a gorgeous light sparkly pink lip gloss that came out last spring.

Hope you guys like this look :)

Face

Chanel VA foundation - BR20 (Beige Rose)

MUFE Full Cover concealer - #6

Ben Nye powder

Nars Desire blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Aqua e/s - inner lid

Winkle e/s - lid

Climate Blue e/s - outer lid and crease

Stars n Rockets e/s - above crease

Solar White e/s - highlight

Inglot gel liner #83 - to line

Gosh Cool Mint e/l - lower lashline

Cargo 3 in 1 mascara

Lips

St Germain l/s

Chanel Blossoms glossimer

and one pic with flash - shows the colours more vibrant:

Lipstick Stash - Nars Train Bleu

2011-11-02T19:37:00.003-04:00

November 2, 2011

Hello lovelies! Here we have another lipstick stash post. Though technically, I'm cheating here. This post isn't about an existing lipstick, but a brand new one I picked up from Sephora this past weekend...oooops!

I got tired of waiting for Nars Holiday to arrive at Sephora so I went back and had another look at Nars Fall. I decided I need the super dark and gorgeous Train Bleu matte velvet pencil in my life. It's no secret that I love dark lips and none of my existing darks shades are quite as purple. For such a dark and matte shade, Train Bleu applies really well and doesn't settle into lip lines....loving it!

I'm not wearing much else in this pic. Just my usual Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (BR20) on my face and a bit of Chanel Plum Attraction blush on the cheeks and then mascara on my eyes. I let this lips take centre stage.

Also, here's an outfit of day from last week when for once I remembered to take a pic. lace shirt by Bedo, pencil stretch skirt by America Apparel and of course my beloved Italian boots:

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet - The Best Matte Lipstick Eva!

2011-11-02T11:48:00.001-04:00

November 2, 2011

Hello beauties! It's been a long time since I've done a review on this blog. To be quite frank I have so much makeup that hardly anything ever impresses me enough to buy let alone review and rave about. But then came along the Chanel's Rouge Allure Velvets...aaaaahhhh....and here comes a rave!

As you know, I'm a lipstick fan and more than that, I love matte and bold shades. I'm always looking for the best matte texture in the market. I have tried and loved many: MAC Mattenes, Nars matte velvet pencils, Stila Long Wearing lipsticks, Nars Pure Matte,... and the list goes on. But never before the Chanel Velvets have I fallen head over heels in LOVE with a friggin lipstick!

The velvets are a new take on the matte formula. They are the most satin-y feeling matte lipsticks I've ever had the pleasure of wearing. They go on effortlessly and do NOT tug on my lips or settle into my lip lines. I get opaque colour payoff in just one swipe and up to 6 hours of wear time (including eating meals) out of these babies. Not even after a few hours of wear do these ever feel dry on my lips. How did they do it, I don't know! But I love Chanel for creating them.

The packaging is exactly like the usual Rouge Allure with the clicky tube. I find it pretty convenient personally and am glad they didn't change it. For now, I picked up La Sensuelle (deep red, has my name written all over it) and L'Exuberante (vibrant pink, gorgeous face brightening pink). But I know I will go back for at least two more. Thank goodness these are perm to the line. At Chanel pricing I couldn't possibly buy them all in one shot.

Here are some swtaches for you guys, all on NW25 skintone, naturally pigmented red lips:

top: La Sensuelle, bottom: L'Exuberante

La Sensuelle on my lips

L'Exuberante on my lips - this one was taken on a cloudy day sorry for the lighting

Have you checked out the new RA Velvets? What is your favourite matte lipstick formula?

Lipstick Stash - Inglot #89 + MAC Going Casual C/G

2011-11-01T18:55:00.001-04:00

November 1, 2011

Hello beauties! I wore this look for a trip to Sephora actually (ooops!!). I hadn't been in a few months and wanted to see what was new. I did end up buying a couple of things (double oops) but not anything too damaging to my pocket.

I paired this classic gold and purple eye with one of my fave pink lip combos: Inglot l/s in #89 and MAC Going Casual creamsheen glass (LE). The inglot is a medium bright pink and the creamsheen glass has blue undertones which makes the combo more cool toned (I prefer cool toned pinks on myself).

Hope you guys like this look. I have a few lipstick reviews coming up so stay tuned for those this week.

Face

Chanel VA Foundation - BR20 (beige rose)

Ben Nye powder

Azalea Blossom b/o

Nars Copocabana Illuminator

Eyes

UDPP - base

Inglot purple g/l - base for lid

Goldmine e/s - inner lid and highlight

Inglot gold/purple pigment - lid

MUFE #95 - crease

MUFE #9 - above crease

Graphology e/s - outer crease

Lancome Black Art Liner

Cargo 3 in 1 mascara

Lips

In Synch l/l

Inglot #89 l/s

Going Casual c/g

My Halloween Look + Pics

2011-10-31T11:57:00.002-04:00

October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween loves! I celebrated by attending a close friends' house warming party on Saturday. I did four girls makeup for the occasion and hence didn't really have time to do my own face, lol! I did wear a mask I picked up in Venice last month. It's a gorgeous red half mask and the design is all done by hand. Since the Venetian masks are made with papier mashe, this was actually quite comfortable to wear.

So, here's the look, excuse the cleavage, lol!

I have Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (shade BR20) and MAC Bite of an Apple blush on my face. The eyes are simple with Lancome Black Art Liner and Lancome Hypnose mascara and a bit of MUFE gold e/k on the lower lashline.

The lips are special; I used Inglot red l/l and topped it with Chanel Famous RA and Chanel Triomphal EDG (Both LE for this Holiday).

And here's my outfit: I've had this red dress for 3 years (bought it in a random boutique in Vancouver) and it's the second time I'm wearing it. The fishnet leggings are by American Apparel and the boots are the same ones I bought in Florence last month:

And finally, some random pics from the night:

Me and a friend - I did a zombie makeup on her.

Me and two other friends - the vampire makeup done by yours truly. This was the end of the night so she had already eaten her dark lipstick and fake blood, loooool!

Lipstick Stash - MAC Pink Nouveau + Snowscene

2011-10-27T12:27:00.001-04:00

October 27, 2011

Hey beauties! Yesterday, I was having one of those days when nothing works out. It got so stressful at some point that I felt the tears forming in my eyes so I just left work. It was just end of work day anyway. I think I need a couple of days of low to no stress to recover from these two weeks. I just don't know when it will be happening.

Either way, I did do my makeup yesterday morning. I wanted to wear gray on my eyes and thought of pairing them with Barbie pink lips. I used one of my fave pink lipsticks of all time, MAC Pink Nouveau. I have featured this lipstick on my Tried and True stash series before so look for more reviews under that tag. I layered it with MAC Snowscene l/g (LE) which has gorgeous multi coloured reflect that make any lipstick shimmery and beautiful.

Face

Matchmaker Foundation - #2

Sculpt powder

Stark Naked bpb (LE)

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Chanel quint (LE) - white shade on inner lid

Copperplate e/s - lid

Smut e/s - outer lid

Print e/s - crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Nars Pandora duo - black shade to line and blend

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

MUFE 16C l/l

Pink Nouveau l/s

Snowscene l/g (LE)

Lipstick Stash - MAC Pomposity + Magnetique

2011-10-26T13:32:00.000-04:00

October 26, 2011

Hello loves! Work stress continues over here. I've been pulling more than 10 work hours everyday and cannot wait for this period to be over. In the meantime, even though my eyebrows look nasty and need a reshaping, I did a FOTD for you :D

I used two of my beloved yet often neglected for the past year: MAC Pomposity l/s and MAC Magnetique l/g. Their both LE products that I'm happy I have in my collection. Pomposity is a frost but such a gorgeous fuchsia that I can get over the slightly gritty feeling of it. Magnetique is a warmer bold pink that looks great on top of Pomposity.

I paired the lips with bright green lids. I didn't care that I was on site inspection all day. If I feel like doing makeup one day, no one and nothing can stop me :P Hope you guys like this.

Face

Matchmaker foundation - shade #2 (testing this)

Pink Cult blush (LE)

Eyes

UDPP - base

MUFE #22 Aqua Cream - base for lid

Chartreuse p/m - inner lid

Kelly Green p/m - lid

Nars Dogon duo - dark shade in crease

Inglot acid green shade - above crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Cargo Swimmable e/l - aqua shade on lower lashline

BB Ivy Shimmer g/l - to line

Lancome Definicils Pro mascara

Lips

MUFE #16C l/l

Pomposity l/s (LE)

Magnetique l/g (LE)

Halloween Sugar Skull

2011-10-24T18:50:00.002-04:00

October 24, 2011

Hello beauties! I have another Halloween look for you that I did this past weekend. I've been VERY busy with work, pretty much starting at 7 am and going till 6 pm or so and when I get home I still have to do my reports from the day. So basically I haven't been in the mood or have had the time to do my makeup or read my blogroll :(

But thought I post this look from last week anyway. Here are the pics:

I used MAC Pure White c/l and MAC Gesso to whiten my face and lips. Then used MAC Delphic Liner plus Inglot #72 on the eyes. I also outlined the eyes with Lancome Black Art Liner and drew the gold circle with MAC Rose Gold p/m and mixing medium.

I used Inglot g/l's #83 and #72 on the nose and the designs on the side of my cheeks. And then added more design with MAC Bright Fuchsia and Electric Coral p/m's. I also did my chin using MAC Smoke Signal p/m.

I drew the spider webs on my forehead and the stitches on my lips using Lise Watier Noir Intense e/l. Then set the whole this with Ben Nye Final Seal and voila!

Hope you guys enjoyed this look. Have a great week!

Halloween Vamp

2011-10-22T16:47:00.003-04:00

October 22, 2011

Hello beauties! It's busy weekend for me with work on the house and also "work" work (I know, I'm a loser for working on the weekend) but I still found time to do a Halloween look. I went for the classic vampier look and used MissChievous' latest vampire tutorial as inspiration. I'm not dressing as a vamp for Halloween this year, I just like to do one every year near Halloween.

Now, I still have a hard time erasing my eyebrows. No method seems to work for me so far. This time I used a Cinema Secret wax stick and I still was not happy with it. I ended up filling my brows with black shadow in the end and just making the end look straight. Anyone else with full brows having this issue? How do you erase yours?

Anyway, here are some pics:

First I "attempted" to erase my eyebrows, see above. Once done, I used my normal concealer on top of my brows.

I used one of my normal foundations, Nars Sheer Matte (shade Fiji) and dusted some MAC Gesso e/s on top to pale out my skin. Then I contoured using MAC Sculpt and Copperplate e/s.

On my eyes, I used MAC Artifact as a base and then put some MAC Graphology and MUFE #39 e/s in crease and lower lashline. I dusted MUFE #99 on lid and under my eyes. Used Lancome Black Art Liner to line and applied Lancome Hypnose mascara.

I lined my lips with Annabelle Bordaux l/l and then filled them in using MAC's Night Violete Mattene. I applied Nars Dragon Girl velvet pencil to the centre of lips only.

Finally I added some fake blood I got from Kroylan. That stuff is awesome, the most real looking fake blood I've ever seen!

What are you dressing as this Halloween?

Lipstick Stash - Chanel Coromandel + Nars Babe

2011-10-17T19:16:00.003-04:00

October 17, 2011

Yey, I'm excited to be back to my regular blogging. I did not enjoy being stuck in a funk. I don't even know how I got the mojo back but somehow it happened :D Anyway, I busted out one of my fave lip products ever, Chanel Coromandel Rouge Allure Laque. I've said it before but I say it again, Chanel RA Laque is the boss of all lipsticks formulas out there. It's long lasting, pigmented and the shade selection is beautiful! Coromandel is a bold orange toned red and I made it juicier by adding Nars Babe l/g on top.

Hope you guys like this look!

Face

F&B foundation - N2

Ben Nye powder

Bite of an Apple blush

Eyes

Rubenesque p/p - base

Expensive Pink e/s - lid

Saffron e/s - crease

Evening Aura e/s - tear duct and above crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Inglot gel liner #82 - to line

UD Baked 24/7 liner - lower lashline

Marcelle Power Volume mascara

Lips

Inglot red l/l

Chanel Coromandel RA Laque

Nare Babe l/g

And this was the outfit of the day that went with the look. It was super casual since I wore this look to a trip to the mall on Sunday. White long sleeve tank by Jacobs, Leggings by Zara, furry vest found at Winners and booties by Nine West:

Lipstick Stash - YSL Nude Beige

2011-10-17T12:10:00.002-04:00

October 17, 2011

Hello beauties! Fall is here on full swing and I thoroughly enjoyed a weekend or relaxation and entertaining at home. I glam-ed it up for running errands this past Saturday though I ended up keeping this makeup for the dinner party I was hosting the same night.

I reached for one of my fave nude lipsticks, YSL Nude Beige Rouge Volupte. I used to wear this lipstick a lot but given the number of nude lipsticks I have now sometimes it gets forgotten. Anyway, this pinky nude shade is perfection on my skintone and applies with the true Rouge Volupte characteristics: it GLIDES on and is super comfortable on my lips.

Hope you guys like this look.

Face

F&B Foundation - N2

Ben Nye powder

Prim n Proper blush

Shell Pearl bp

Eyes

Inglot gel liner #72 - base for lid

Nars South Pacific duo - on inner lid and lid

Blue Brown p/m - crease

Inglot dark brown e/s - outer v

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

BB Cobalt Ink g/l - to line

Marcelle mascara

Lips

YSL Nude Beige Rouge Volupte

Lipstick Stash - MUFE #15 and MAC Up the Amp

2011-10-15T10:45:00.003-04:00

October 15, 2011

Hey beauties and happy Saturday! I'm having some people over for dinner and running a tone of errands this morning but I thought I share another lipstick stash look with you first.

I use MAC Up the Amp quite a lot but I thought I combine it with of of my least used lipsticks, MUFE Rouge Intense Artist in #15. I love this slightly frosty purple shade but I'm still unsure of how I like it on myself. I think if I was either much darker or much fairer it would have looked perfect. But it looks good when layered with a bit of Up the Amp on the centre of my lips.

I'm not wearing much else makeup in this pic. Only a bit of MAC Face & Body foundation (N2), Ben Nye setting powder, Nars Sin blush and GA Eyes to Kill mascara in gray (LOVE).

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Lipstick Stash - Red Pepper

2011-10-12T21:29:00.003-04:00

October 13, 2011

Hello beauties! I know it's almost the middle of the month already but I've decided to start a new makeup challenge on this blog. Since I have way too many lipsticks to count and not really wearing all of them, I will be wearing a new lipstick each day from today till I go through them all once.

For the first shade, I picked MAC's Red Pepper which is a pro shade. Red Pepper is a gorgeous matte brown toned red and it applies very smooth and even. It is also unique to my huge stash of red lipstick. I paired this bold lipstick with bold eyes and cheeks too for once. I don't usually wear MAC X-Rocks blush once I lose my tan as it is pretty dark. I think it sorta worked out for this look but it would have looked nicer if I still had a tan.

Hope you guys like this look :)

Face

Pro Longwear foundation - NW25

X-Rocks blush

Eyes

Artifact p/p - base for lid

Jest e/s - inner lid

Heritage Rouge p/m - mid lid

Embark e/s - outer lid and crease

MUFE #15 - crease and above

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Lancome Black Art Liner

Lancome Definicils Pro mascara

Lips

Inglot Red l/l

Red Pepper l/s

Smokey Moss

2011-10-10T20:47:00.005-04:00

October 11, 2011

Hello my lovelies! I was craving for some smokey eyes so I did this muted green one for Thanksgiving dinner at my folks. I'm still testing my new camera so the settings will be different every post until I figure out what I like best.

Hope you guys like this look :)

Face

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua - BR 20

picked this shade up in Europe and it matches me better than B20 coz it's more pink than beige

Ben Nye powder

Nars Madly blush

Shell Pearl bp

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Marcelle Smudgepaint in Tar - base for lid

Nars Eurydice duo - lid

Velvet Moss e/s - crease

UD Naked e/s - above crease

UD Virgin e/s - highlight

NYX Black e/s - outer v

Nars Star Sailor - khaki shade on lower lashline

Illegal Cargo e/s - inner lid

Lise Watier Smokey Kohl in Black - to line and smudge

Lancone Definicils Pro mascara

Lips

MUFE 12C l/l

Woo Me Kissable Colour

Some pics in natural light:

And since Turkey Day was yesterday, here's some bonus food pics! I loved the cute stuffed pumpkins so much!

Latest Makeup Cravings

2011-10-10T16:14:00.003-04:00

October 10, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and followers! Hope you've beens pending an amazing long weekend with your family and loved ones. I'm still recovering from a flu so though I've been eating lotsa turkey, I'm mainly trying to rest and hopefully recover by tomorrow.

I haven't bought any new makeup in months but I have for your today a collage of the latest items I've been lusting over, here we go:

1. MUFE Smokey Lash in plum - I've ran out of my Chanel Inimitable in Rouge Noir and want to try this one as my new eye colour enhancing mascara.

2. Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Empire (Holiday 2011) - as soon as the holiday collection hits the Canadian counters, I will run down and grab this beautiful pink shade.

3. Nars Joyour Red l/s (Holiday 2011) - I know, another red lipstick! This one seems to be different from my other 100000 red lipsticks though. Can't wait to see!

4. Nars Arabian Night trio (Holiday 2011) - the texture of this trio is what's making it intriguing to me. I wonder if it'll be as awesome as my Chanel quint from last spring.

5. Guerlain Shalimar Rouge Automatique - I'm a huge fan of this Guerlain lipstick formula and this cool toned bright pinks with gold shimmer will soon be added to my stash.

What are some of your latest makeup lemmings?

NOTD - Essie Glamour Purse

2011-10-10T12:16:00.003-04:00

October 10, 2011

Happy Turkey Day Canadians! Long time no nail post! I bought a couple of polishes from Essie's Fall 2011 collection and I gotta say though I was a bit underwhelmed by the collection in general, I did like this particular shade.

Glamour Purse is a medium dark taupe shade. I like that it leans more gray and less brown as I do always have such a hard time with browner shades. It looks pretty chic and is very flattering on my skintone. The application was easy breezey; I did two coats as always but could have got away with just one:

Whatcha wearing on your nails today?

Reflects Antique Gold

2011-10-06T20:17:00.004-04:00

October 6, 2011

Hey lovelies! I just came back from performing one of my civic duties (voting in the Ontario Elections) and thought I post today's look before catching up on my blog roll.

I'm slowly getting back into doing my face more regularly and did this glittery eye look using MAC's Reflects Antique Gold which in my opinion is the prettiest glitter they make. I never did buy any of MAC's glitters in full jar (only samples) and think that samples of glitters are quite enough for an average consumer like me. Pigments though I've bought many jars over the years that I probably will have to part with at some point.

Anyway, enough rambling! Hope you guys like this look!

Face

Pro Longwear foundation - NW25

Pink Cult blush

Eyes

Cash Flow p/p - base

Woodwinked e/s - lid

Cork e/s - crease

Wedge e/s - above crease

Espresso e/s - outer v

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Reflects Antique Gold - on top of Woodwinked

Creme de Miel e/s - tear duct

UD Bourbon 24/7 - lower lashline

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

Marcelle Volume mascara

Lips

Nars Catfight

Smokey Brown Look + Leopard Print Dress

2011-10-04T18:51:00.006-04:00

October 4, 2011

Hey lovelies! I finally did an FOTD, yey! I've been so outta loop with makeup releases and generally uninspired with makeup lately. I guess after 4 years of constant hauling and doing my face, it was bound to happen just around now. But I still do adore makeup and enjoy making myself up. It's just not as frequent these days. I'm mostly happy with some foundation, a bit of blush, mascara and a bold lipstick.

Still, I felt like wearing smokey brown shadows today and came up with this look. Smokey eyes will always have a dear place in my heart. For this look, I used MAC's LE pigment the Family Crest which has this golden shimmer on a brown base that to me was perfect for this look.

Face

Pro Longwear Foundation - NW25

Nars Madly blush

Shell Pearl bp

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

BB Chocolate Shimmer g/l - base for lid

Family Crest p/m - with mm on lid

UD Buck e/s - crease

UD Naked e/s - above crease

UD Virgin e/s - highlight

Gold Mode p/m - inner lid

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

Lancome Definicils Pro mascara

Lips

Nars Montego Bay l/s - this is def my HG peach lipstick, such wonderful texture too!

And here was my outfit worn to work today. I love animal print so I'm pretty pleased to see this trend in most stores. I own many animal print pieces but this Calvin Klein piece is my favourite coz the print is pretty bold. It comes with the belt I'm wearing in this pic:

The boots you see in the above pic I picked up in Rialto Market in Venice, Italy. They are 100% leather and so friggin comfortable. I've already been wearing them everyday. Italian leather boots are definitely worth an investement. My mom still wears a pair she bought in Rome back in 1995 when we last visited Italy:

I love that the back is adjustable so you can even tuck wider pants in it:

Have a great Tuesday night lovelies!

Italy Trip Summary - Picture Heavy

2011-10-02T16:42:00.000-04:00

October 2, 2011

Hey lovelies! I'm back from my vacation and the first thing I did was to go through the many MANY pics we took. I have to say though I had visited Italy (Rome only) as a child of 11, it does not compare to seeing this beautiful country as an adult. I doubt any other land will ever top this experience for me. We stayed in Rome, Florence and Venice and did a tone of sight seeing (average of 12 hour walking per day), dining, wining, shopping. If you are a fan of renaissance art, gorgeous sculptures, top notch wine and pasta, super stylish clothing, sunshine, animated people and last but not least gelato Italy is the place to go :D

I came back refreshed and my mind full of so many beautiful pictures and memories. Here are my top 10 Italy moments in no particular order:

1. Having a gelato per day. My fave flavours were melon, pistachio and amaretto

2. Seeing Duomo and St Giavani in Florence for the first time. My mouth was literally hanging open

3. Standing in front of the statue of Michelangelo's David at Musei dell'Opera. I actually bowed to the master that is Michelangelo.

4. Getting out of the train station in Venice and seeing the Grand Canal with gondola's, taxi boats and Vaporetta''s (bus boats) floating about

5. Strolling on Ponte Saint Angelo with hubby at night. This is the most romantic bridge in Rome, especially gorgeous at dusk or dawn.

6. This is gonna sound cliche, but the expensive Gondola ride in venice was totally worth it. Seeing all the side waterways was serene!

7. The Coloseum was was one of the few sights I remembered from my last trip but it still didn't fail to amaze me. It's giant and it will take your breath away

8. Seeing the tomb of Galileo in Santa Croce in Florence made the hair on my body stand straight. What a genius, born sadly in the most terrible time for science.

9. Basilica di San Marco in Venice is the most beautiful church I've seen in my life. My neck was hurting from staring at the beautiful ceilings. I'm an agnostic but I know a beautiful church when I see one :)

10. Uffizi museum in Florence with works of the best of the Renaissance artist. Every painting and sculpture will leave you in awe.

Anyway, onto some of the pictures I selected for this post. Believe me, this wasn't easy, hahaha! And this is still a picture heavy post!

me looking at the Coleseum ruins in Rome

Standing in the main street of Roman Forums

Inside San Pietro's Basilica at the Vatican. Behind me is St Peter's tomb

Having my first Gelato of the trip in Rome....first of many

Enjoying my huge thin crust pizza at La Motecarlo in Rome

Standing in front of Duomo in Florence

Random sight street in Florence, I fell in love with this city

Enjoying my truffle and mascarpone filled ravioli in the Florence Market...best meal ever!

Hubs in front of Galileo's tomb

Inside Duomo, most beautiful neo gothic church evah!

View of Plazza Ducale from top of San Marco church in Venice

Enjoying another gelato in Venice, no matter where you stop you have a great view

The beautiful ponte Rialto in Venice by night, this is Venice' oldest bridge and the liveliest neighbourhood

Hubby and I on our Gondola about to tour Venice the touristy way, haha

Best view of the Grand Canal from a Gondola

Salute church in Venice, what amazing architecture

Hope you guys enjoyed this post. Will get back to makeup post promptly ;)

Off on Vacation - Bella Italia

2011-09-21T18:16:00.002-04:00

September 21, 2011

Hello my lovelies! I know I've been a terrible blogger the last couple of weeks but I have been very overwhelmed with work and life in general. On top of that, my camera broke on me so I couldn't really take any FOTD/OOTD pictures. Life has just been hectic lately, sigh! But, at least vacation time is here:

I'm leaving for Italy tomorrow for 10 days. We'll be visiting Rome, Florence and Venice. I have been to Rome as a child with my folks but hubby's never been to Italy. And I am especially psyched about Florence as I'm a big admirer of Renaissance art. Can't wait to eat lotsa pasta and gelato and drink galons of wine, lol!

Will be back to frequent blogging when I'm back home. Talk to you all soon!

Bordeaux Lips

2011-09-12T19:34:00.003-04:00

September 12, 2011

Hello lovelies! We attended a close friend's 40th birthday in Montreal this past weekend and of course as always with Montreal, had a blast. I wanted to do dark lips soooo much and had missed them that I couldn't take it anymore and did a subtle eye/dark lip look for the outings.

I love MUFE Rouge Intense Artist in shade #48 for the ideal bordeaux shade; but paired with a red lipgloss (I used MAC Cult of Cherry - LE) it becomes even sexier. If you're a fan of vampy lips, try it and trust me you won't be disappointed.

I cannot really remember what I had on for the rest of my face but it was all too simple. This look was mostly about this lips anyway. Here's a pic:

And here's my outfit of the night - a plum dress by Express and shoes are by Roberto Vianni. Pic taken in my sister's apartment in Montreal:

And here's a picture of me and my sis, at the start of the partying part of the night (also right before I lost my camera...booooo):

Do you wear dark lips? What are some of your favourite vampy shades?

Gimme Gimme - Fall Wishlist!

2011-09-09T18:20:00.003-04:00

September 9, 2011

Hey lovelies! Fall is finally here, yeyyyy! I can feel it in the air every morning and evening and the temperatures have now dropped to a high of 18C and low of 10C here in Ottawa. I am excited coz I absolutely LOVE fall for makeup and fashion. There are no better seasons.

I'm very happy to see some of my favourite trends coming back bigger and better than ever this fall, i.e., red everything, lace, animal print, romantic and feminine appliques... so my shopping list is big! I put together a collage of my most wished items for the new season, here they are:

1. H&M Flared Crepe Skirt - I'm excited to try out the new fuller and longer skirts this season. About 90% of my skirts (and I wear skirts most of the time) are pencil style. I'm ready to branch out though.

2. Zara Lace covered Mini - I'm a big fan of mini skirts. I have long and toned legs and I believe in "got it flaunt it" saying, lol! And I've always been a huge fan of lace so there you go!

3. Chanel Prelude quad - I love the different take on the smokey eye this palette offers. I will probably order mine from US though as I prefer the non-baked quads and we only get the baked ones here in Canada :(

4. Nars Mascate matte lipstick - I already hauled from Nars fall but will go back from this lipstick as, who was I kidding, I can never resist a red lipstick. Especially a darker one with flawless matter texture.

5. United Colors of Benetton Red Flare Pants - back to what I said above, I love the colour red. I'm happy to see this colour all over the place this fall. I need me a pair of great fitting red pants and these Benetton ones seem to fit the bill.

6. BSBG Leopard Print bootie - yey for animal prints being bigger and better this fall. These are just one sexy pair of heels, I need them like yesterday!

7. Banana Republic Rosette Skirt - this comes in black also but I'm gonna try and branch out and get the beige one instead. Aren't the rosette appliques cute?

8. Steve Madden Thronne booties - this fall I will get me a pair of laced up booties. I'm loving this camel shade Steve Madden's.

What are some of your most wished for items for this fall? Feel free to share?

Annabelle Smudgepaint Review + Smokey FOTD + OOTD

2011-09-08T12:03:00.001-04:00

September 8, 2011

Hello beauties! As you know, I love a little drama on my eyes. I do bright and colourful looks here and there but my first love has always been (and will always be) seductive smokey eyes. And for that reason, I'm always on the hunt for a great smokey eyes base. A good dark base that does is easily smudge-able yet stays put is the fastest way to gorgeous smokey eyes. I test drove my brand new Annabelle Smudgepaint in Tar for this exact purpose this weekend. Here's what I got:

Face

MUFE F&B - #32

Ben Nye powder

sculpt

Prim n Proper blush

Shell Pearl bp

Eyes

Annabelle Smudgepaint in Tar - base and to line

Nars Eurydice duo - charcoal shade on lid

Copperplate e/s - crease

Smoke n Diamonds e/s - above crease

Illegal Cargo e/s - tear duct

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Diorshow mascara

Lips

MUFE 12C l/l

Glamour for all l/g

The Smudgepaint comes in a small glass container with a plastic handle that includes an eyeliner brush:

The brush is ideal for multi-purpose lining AND smudging so you won't have to use your fingers or dirty up another brush. I find the product to be very smooth and it spreads easily and doesn't set to quick so there is enough time to get a nice even layer of paint on your lids. I loved this product for it multi-taksing and innovative packaging.

The only con I can think of was that it does not hold well on waterline. I guess it is because it's meant to be a smudge-y product. It excels as an upper/lower liner or as a base for smokey eyes though as seen above. At $10.95 CAD a pop, this is a great steal to me. I will be picking up other shades soon!

And just because I remembered, here's the simple outfit I wore with this look (well, simple for me, I meant!). the lace tube top is pretty old (think 2003) and I believe I got it from Le Chateau. The skirt I scored in end of summer sales at the Gap. I don't know what the heck I'm doing with my right arm so ignore that, lol!

Fall Nailpolish Haul

2011-09-07T12:16:00.001-04:00

September 7, 2011

Hello lovelies! I hadn't picked up any nail polishes besides the occasional Chanel here and there in a while. I decided to stop by the new Sally's that just opened on my way from work and check out the new collections. Turns out they actually had most of the new and LE China Glaze and Orly in so I treated myself to some pretties :D

Left to right: ChG Concrete Catwalk, Orly Rock the World, Orly Rock It, Orly Goth

China Glaze Concrete Catwalk is part of their fall 2011 Metro Collection. I have a few gray polishes but none this dark and most of mine are more taupe than gray. Excited about this shade!

Orly Rock the World is part of their Mineral FX collection that was just released. I'm a huge fan of Orly in general and especially their FX formula. I have a few FX finish Orly's from previous releases and they're all amongst my fave polishes of all time. Rock the world looks like a rose shade with multi-toned glitters. Will need to wear this one first!

Orly Rock It from the same collection is a gorgeous wine shade with what looks to be pink and red glitters. I love this kinda shades as you know I love my red/wine/burgundy nail shades:

Last but not least, I picked up one of my longtime Orly lemmings, Goth. I love black nail polishes with a twist and this black base with silver glitter seems to fit the bill:

Do you guys own any of these shades? What are some of your favourite fall shades?

One Last Summer Day

2011-09-06T12:22:00.001-04:00

September 6, 2011

Hello beauties! I attended one of my good friend's daughter's birthday this past Saturday. The little one turned one and the party was complete with lotsa food, cake, candies and of course a pinata.

It happened to be a very hot and sunny day on Saturday and I thought I take the opportunity and wear sunny shades on my eyes and lips. I liked how the whole thing came together and even got compliments from some of the little (and old) girls, haha!

Face

Lise Watier 12h foundation - Neutre

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Cantaloupe blush

BB Apricot shimmer brick

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Nars Star Sailor duo - gold side on inner lid

Goldmine e/s - outer lid

MUFE #18 (orange) - above crease

MUFE #149 (red) - crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Siahi f/l - to line

Lancome Definicils Pro mascara

Lips

Guerlain Bengal Rose l/s

Chanel Venus glossimer

And here's outfit of the day - floral top is by Marciano, beige pencil skirt by Le Chateau and shoes are by Tommy Hilfiger. I picked up these cool red earring in a street fare in Montreal last month. They're made of some kinda Argentinian nuts and then dyed. They're very light and make any outfit pop...and as always I adore red :)

And finally, here's a picture of me and the birthday girl. Isn't her puffy pink dress adorable? She's such a little princess. Once in your life you can wear a puffy pink dress :D

Perfectly Girlie

2011-09-04T15:00:00.002-04:00

September 4, 2011

Hey beauties! How's everyone's long weekend going? I tried to keep our free of social events but as usual I did NOT succeed, lol! We had a birthday party to go to yesterday and today we spent the first half of the way working on the basement room (we're building it with my dad's help). Right now I'm heading out to see a movie with hubs and tomorrow we have a big family brunch to attend.

This look is from last week sometimes (not sure when). I wanted to wear a very girlie pink look and so I went alllll the way pink, haha! Nothing wrong to be girlie girl sometimes (or often in my case). Hope you guys like this look :)

Face

Pro Longwear foundation - NW25

Nars Desire blush

Nars Copacabana Illuminator

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Her Ladyship p/m - all over lid

Expensive Pink e/s - outer lid

MUFE #26 - crease and above

Poste Haste e/s - crease

Chanel Cassis el/ - to line

Diorshow mascara

Lips

Please Me l/s

Chanel Blossoms glossimer

Sometimes Less is More

2011-08-31T12:09:00.001-04:00

August 31, 2011

Hello beauties! These days I'm all about using less products on my eyes and trying to achieve the best affect. I've been loving my Nars Jolie Poupee even more recently for an easy purple eye so I used it again in this look. I also love love love GA Eyes to Kills in #2. This is definitely my favourite eye makeup product. I love that is glides on so smoothly and excels at smokey eyes and as a liner.

Hope you guys like this simple yet glam look :)

Face

Pro Longwear foundation - NW25

Stark Naked bpb

Nars Copocabana Illuminator

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Nars Pandora duo - white shade all over lid

Nars Jolie Poupee duo - lavender shade in the crease

GA Eyes to Kill #2 - outer v and as liner

Chanel Rouge Noir mascara

Lips

Up the Amp l/s

I wore this look to a casual night out with some girlfriends. We started at one of the friend's place for pre-drinking and ended up in a pub nearby. Always a great time with the ladies :D

Small and Satisfying Haul

2011-08-30T12:13:00.001-04:00

August 30, 2011

I don't really post hauls anymore. It's probably because I don't really haul as much anymore. I focus much more on quality of what I buy and only look for things that are unique to my collection. This past weekend's haul may not be huge in number of items but it was soooo satisfactory. I got pieces I know I'll use over and over again.

This is what I came home with last weekend:

I had a call from my Chanel counter that they had received a re-stock of the Chance Eau Tendre body lotion spray. Chance Eau Tendre is my favourite spring/summer fragrance and I was psyched by the idea of my fave scent in form of a lotion spray. However, by the time I made it to the mall to get mine a few months earlier, all the malls in my city were out of this product. I got it finally though *happy dance*

Once I paid for my new lotion bottle, I was told that I had enough Bay points to get a $40 gift card. I used the gift card right away to get one of my most wished for items, Chanel Coco Eau de Parfum. I have always wanted a bottle and never got around to getting one. I prefer Coco 10x more than Coco Mademoiselle. It's a lot sexier and more of a notice me kinda scent. My SA agreed that Coco was more "me".

Then I went to the newly opened Sephora in the Bayshore mall (2 mins drive from my house). I'm glad I don't have to go all the way downtown to get my Sephora fix anymore. I checked out Nars Fall collection finally and picked up Montego Bay matte lipstick. I wanted to get more stuff but I'm also saving for our trio to Italy next month. Montego Bay is a gorgeous peachy shade and will look good with everything:

I also picked up MUFE Aqua Cream in #2 which is a gorgeous pewter shade. I lovee MUFE aqua cream as they apply smoothly, are pigmented and long lasting. This will be a gorgeous shade for fall. I really am totally excited about the change of season:

I also reached my 500 Sephora point and they gave me this Bumble and Bumble sampler package. I've never tried B&B products before so I'm excited to see how my hair likes this stuff:

And last but not least, I FINALLY reached enough points to become a Sephora VIB Member, yey!! Looking forwards to all the perks :D

Do you guys own any of these products? What was your latest or most satisfactory haul?

Jewel Toned Smokey Eyes

2011-08-29T11:53:00.000-04:00

August 29, 2011

Hello lovelies! I'm back to enjoying my smokey shades on my eyes. I hadn't worn my Sugarpill Royal Sugar pigment in forever so I thought I use that gorgeous shade and create jewel toned smokey navy eyes.

Hope you all like this look :)

Face

Lise Watier 12hour Foundation - Neutre

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Cantaloupe blush

BB Apricot shimmer brick

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

MUFe Aqua Cream #22 - base for lid

Prussian e/s - crease and outer lid

Sugarpill Royal Sugar p/m - lid

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Aquavert e/s - inner lid

Winkle e/s - above crease

NYX Black e/s - outer v

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

MUFe #12C l/l

Honeylove l/s

Live n Dye l/g

So I wore this look to my folks and when I was there, my mom trimmed my hair and I got bangs again. I can't not have bangs for too long, lol! I always go back to them :D

Late Summer Brights

2011-08-25T11:59:00.001-04:00

August 25, 2011

Hello friends! I was in the mood for bright shades but also needed some smokey-ness. So I went with bright shades but smoked out the outer corners of my eyes with my beloved MAC Plumage e/s. Plumage is by far my most used dark eyeshadow. It looks great on its own for smokey eyes, gorgeous as a liner and it blends well with greens, blues and purples.

Is anyone else is feeling fall in the air? I find the morning and nights much cooler and the breeze during the day has definitely "fall" written all over it. I'm excited about change of season though. Fall has always been my favourite season :)

Hope you like this look.

Face

Pro Longwear foundation - NW25

Nars Madly blush

Chez Chez Lame Powder

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Woodwinked e/s - inner lid

Inglot Matte #372 - mid lid

Plumage e/s - outer lid and crease

Inglot Matte #379 - above crease

Vanilla p/m - highlight

UD Covet 24/7 - lower lashline

Lancome Definicils Pro mascara

Lips

Marcelle Paris Rose l/s

Perennial High Style l/g

And a couple of pics in natural light:

Daytime Drama

2011-08-23T12:11:00.001-04:00

August 23, 2o11

Hello lovelies! I was in the mood to wear purple eyes AND matte red lips yesterday for work so I just went for it. As I mentioned before, my work is not very picky about my makeup. It's probably because I work with men and it's not like they get it anyway, lol!

I used my favourite purple combo found in Nars Jolie Poupee duo plus some other existing MAC shadows. Hope you guys like this look.

Face

MUFE F&B - #32

MUFE Full Cover -#6

Ben Nye powder

Chanel Plum Attraction blush

Nars Copocabana Illuminator

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Nars Jolie Poupee duo - lid and mid lid

Graphology e/s - outer lid and crease

Vanilla p/m - highlight

Inglot Purple g/l - to line

Diorshow mascara

Lips

Nars Dragon Girl mvp

Rant - Mad Men Collection @ Banana Republic

2011-08-21T16:00:00.000-04:00

August 21, 2011

Arghhh this is gonna be a non-makeup related post; more on the fashion side of things (my other interest). I'm a huge fan of the show Mad Men. It's smartly done and I can really relate to the character of Joan (the gorgeous curvy red-head) on the show. I also love buying my clothes from Banana Republic. So when I found out Banana Republic was doing a Mad Men inspired collection, I was absolutely thrilled! I could not wait for the collection to hit the stores here in Canada. I must say I was a bit disappointed that the used a skinny girl to model "Joan Inspired" clothes but it didn't bother me that much.

I went to my local BN this past Friday to see the collection in person. As expected, I loved many of the pieces inspired by Joan and took a few items to dressing room to try on. This is when the problem started. Many of the fitted dresses did not fit my ample chest. Frustrated, I called one of the SA's for help and see if I can get a size bigger. His answer was "sorry sweetheart, but we don't really cut for girls with a big chest." Now that is where I got pretty annoyed. Half of this collection is supposedly inspired by Joan who like me has an ample chest. I'm not really a large girl. I wear a size 8, have small shoulders and waist but a big bust. I was really hoping that this collection would be ideal for me.

I ended up getting a couple of tops but still left the store annoyed. The more I thought about the incident, the more angry I got. Was this collection for girls to feel like Joan or was in for girls who actually had a similar body to hers? I'm not one who believes in slogans like "real girls have curves" but real girls come in all sizes and I had been so excited about a collection that finally seem to cater to my body type only to be disappointed right away.

What is your opinion on this? Am I overreacting or expecting too much here?

A Look for My Mom's B-Day Party

2011-08-20T12:21:00.005-04:00

August 20, 2011

Hello lovelies and happy Saturday! I had a pretty busy start to the weekend last night with my mom's 52 birthday party. She had a pretty big party with around 50 ppl in attendance that started in their backyard by the pool, then followed inside for dinner and then the basement for dancing and cake. Here's some pictures from that night:

Me and my two sisters by my parents pool at the beginning of the party:

My cute parents before cutting the cake...this was probably around 11:30 pm:

Now onto the look: I was wearing a water-colour inspired satin dress and did my makeup to match it slightly. Check out the look:

Face

Lise Watier 12 Hour Foundation/concealer - Neutre

Nars Gilda blush

Azalea Blossom b/o

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

MUFE #15 - inner lid

MUFE #112 - mid lid

MUFE #5 - mid lid

Poste Haste e/s - outer lid

MUFE #39 - crease

MUFE #18 - above outer crease

Vanilla p/m - highlight

BB Ivy Shimmer g/l - to line

UD Stash 24/7 - lower lashline

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Trimmed in Pink l/l

Chanel Phoenix RAL

Chanel Blossoms glossimer

And here's my outfit of the night, hubby told me i was loving myself too much in this shot, lol! Dress is from Banana Republic and shoes are by Sam Edelman.

And here's a closeup of the shoes cos I luff them! I wear a lot of nude heels but I was really feeling this rose coloured number. Different from my sea of nude shoes!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Let's Get Loud!

2011-08-19T14:45:00.002-04:00

August 19, 2011

Hello beauties! I've had an interesting week over here, first bad things started happening all around me and then all of sudden I finally got some good news yesterday. I can now start the weekend on a good note. I'm heading to my parents for my mom's birthday party in an hour or so but thought to first share this look with you.

I wanted to wear bold colours but this time instead of bold shadows I used a bright fuchsia eyeliner and paired it with loud orange lips. I actually like how this came all together. It does help that I'm pretty tanned now too though. Not sure if I could wear this look with my fall/winter complexion. Hope you guys like this too:

Face

F&B Foundation - N3

Ben Nye powder

MUFE #18 e/s - used as blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

UD Sidecar e/s - lid

UD Naked e/s - crease

UD Virgin e/s - highlight

Bright Fuchsia p/m - with gel mm as liner

Cargo 3 in 1 mascara

Lips

Temperature Rising

Stila Outrageous long wearing l/s

Lakeside Wedding Look

2011-08-16T11:51:00.000-04:00

August 16, 2011

Hello beauties! Hubby and I attended a couple friends of our wedding this past weekend. The wedding was in Midland Ontario, right by the Georgian Bay which is an absolutely picturesque area. The ceremony was held at the groom's parents lakeside house and reception was a 5 hour bat cruise on the Goergian Bay. Both hubby and I had an amazing time; even though it was just the weekend it felt like a vacation for us.

I did a smokey plum look for the wedding as this is my go-to glam look when I don't want to be fussed. The beautiful weather and healthy food had made me lazy so I spent quite some time napping, lol! So makeup had to be done in under 15 mins!

Face

Pro Longwear foundation - NW25

Nars Sin blush

Nars Copacabana Illuminator

Eyes

GA Eyes to Kill in #2 (Red Lust) - lid

Painterly p/p - base for above crease area

Solar White e/s - tear duct

Cranberry e/s - crease

Graphology e/s - outer v

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Lise Watier Noir Intense e/l - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Inglot #63 l/s - I think this has replaced Snob in my heart!

Some pics in natural daylight:

And here's a snapshot of my dress. It's a maxi bright pink number by BCBG Max Azria. I loved this coz it was so comfortable and went from ceremony to boat cruise to after hours dancing. You can't see my shoes but I was wearing pewter shade flats by Guess:

And finally one of the happy couple during their ceremony:

Precious Metals and Strange Hybrid

2011-08-15T19:08:00.003-04:00

August 15, 2011

Summer is nearing its end and I'm maximizing the use of my metallic summer colours while I can. I'm not too upset though. Fall is hands down my favourite season (coming from an ex.Goth haha). But I'm working with my tan right now and rocking metallic finishes of all colours.

MAC's Amberlights e/s looks soooo orange on me! I don't know if it was always like this or it's because of my tan. Does it look this orange on any of you guys? I also hadn't used my MAC Strange Hybrid lipstick in nearly 3 years I think :/ Another sign I have too many lipsticks, my no-buy was not for no reason, lol!

Hope you guys like this look.

Face

F&B Foundation - N3

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Otherwordly blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Amberlights e/s - inner lid

Lancome Colour Design Metallic in Silver - mid lid

Birds n Berries e/s - outer lid

Plumage e/s - outer v

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Cargo Swimmable e/l - teal shade on lower lashline

Lise Watier Marin e/l - to line

Diorshow mascara

Lips

Strange Hybrid l/s

Chanel Argonite glossimer

New Loves - Chanel Peridot and Graphite

2011-08-15T12:22:00.001-04:00

August 15, 2011

Hello my lovelies! It's been a while since I've visited cosmetics counters as I'm on a self imposed low-buy. I haven't even missed buying makeup, but I made an exception for two of Chanel's new nail polishes for fall 2011, Peridot and Graphite:

Now here in Canada we get the Chanel seasonal collections almost a month later than the US. Totally not fair and for those of you in the US, this post is old news. But I AM so excited about these two polishes. It's been a long time since a cosmetic product has had me excited, lol! I haven't worn Graphite yet but it looks like a gorgeous dark shimmering slate gray in the bottle. Peridot though I wore right away and I'me in awe of this beauty:

Peridot is a complex shade. These pics were taken in a cloudy day so it looks more greenish gold. The base colour is gold but it can look antique or green/gold in some lights and a metallic teal in others. Yep, you heard it right, it can even look TEAL!! I absolutely adore this polish. I must say I have over 170 bottles of nail polish and none look remotely similar to Peridot.

Ok, your turn now...have you picked up any of these two nail polishes? What is the last beauty product that just made you jump with excitement?

Happy 4th Anniversary to My Love

2011-08-11T11:19:00.001-04:00

August 11, 2011

4 years ago this exact day, I married my best friend. The most patient man I've ever known and the only one who ever really understands me. The one who stands by me during my highest and lowest and the one who inspires me to be the best version of myself without ever questioning me.

We've been married 4 years and together almost 9 and it has not been a day that he hasn't smiled when he sees me.

us at our wedding 11/08/2007

Un-basic Pinks

2011-08-10T17:04:00.006-04:00

August 10, 2011

Hey lovelies! I felt like wearing in your face hot pinks today though I was scheduled to be on site all day. I opted for bright MUFE shades and finished the look with hot pink glossy lips. Hope you guys like this.

Face

F&B Foundation - N3

MUFE Full Cover - #6

Ben Nye powder

Nars Desire blush

Nars Copacabana Illuminator

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

MUFE #75 - lid

Fuchsia p/m - crease

MUFE #92 - outer crease

NYX Black e/s - outer v

Prance e/s - tearduct

Vanilla p/m - highlight

Designer Purple p/g - lower lashline

MUFE #15 liquid liner - to line

Diorshow mascara

Lips

MUFE 16C l/l

True Babe l/g

Accidentally Sunburnt

2011-08-09T19:53:00.005-04:00

August 9, 2011

Hello my lovelies! Still trying to find my blogging mojo! I am struggling through my super heavy workload and the always packed weekends (I've been away every weekend since late June and will continue till late August probably). I did this look when I came back from the girls cottage trip. I usually am very good at applying sunscreen. However, I still always get badly burnt due to my friggin red undertones. So despite applying SPF 50+ on at the beach every other hour, I still came back with badly burnt shoulders and chest that are already peeling....boooo!!!

But I was inspired by my red and orange shoulders to do a sunny look, lol! I also used a frosty gold highlighter as opposed to my typical ivory matte shades. Hope you guys enjoy this look :)

Face

F&B foundation - N3

Ben Nye powder

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Bite of and Apple blush

Eyes

Rubenesque p/p - base

Rose Gold p/m - lid

Creme de Miel e/s - tearduct

Spectacle of Yourself e/s - crease

Off the Radar p/m - above crease

Nars Bali e/s - outer v

Goldmine e/s - highlight

Cargo Swimmable e/l - green shade on lower lashline

BB Chocolate Brown e/l - to line

Diorshow mascara

Lips

Temperature Rising l/l

Exxxhibitionist kissable lip colour

Fun in the Sun Pics

2011-08-08T12:17:00.001-04:00

August 8, 2011

Hey lovelies! As I mentioned in my previous post, I spent the weekend at a girlfriend's cottage for her birthday. There was 8 of us girls and we drive in two cars. She has a cute 4 bedroom cottage 20 mins drive from the main beach by Lac Simon. We spent Friday night drinking wine and chatting on her patio and hit the beach on Saturday. We spent almost 7 hours at the beach. The water was amazing and the weather beautiful. I did get an annoying burn on my back and shoulder (despite wearing SPF50) but now I got a nice tan :) We made a big BBQ dinner on Sat night, ate on the balcony again.

Thought I share some quick pictures with you guys :)

Thought I share some picture with you guys. Hope you all had a fab weekend!

Me lounging at the beach, one piece suite is from American Apparel:

Me and bestie before hitting the waters:

Group shot of some of us before heading out:

Old Gold

2011-08-07T18:55:00.001-04:00

August 7, 2011

Hey lovelies! I feel like I haven't blogged forever (but it's probably only been a few days). I went to a cottage with 7 girlfriends this weekend and had a blast! I also came back nice and tan, haha! What did you guys do this weekend?

I'm just chilling at home today so I thought I catch up on the blogging with this look from last Friday. I used Old Gold (one of my fave pigments) in combination with the gorgeous burgundy that is Heritage Rouge. Hope you guys like it.

Face

F&B Foundation - N3

Ben Nye Powder

Nars Irresistiblement bronzer

Nars Deep Throat blush

Eyes

Cashflow p/p - base

Old Gold p/m - lid

Heritage Rouge p/m - crease

Later p/m - outer v

Creme de Miel e/s - tear duct area

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

MUFE #112 - above crease

Dark Diversion f/l - to line

Diorshow mascara

Lips

Trimmed in Pink l/l

Chanel Emoi

Fuchsia Focus

2011-08-04T12:08:00.000-04:00

August 4, 2011

Hello my lovelies! I'm not that inspired when it comes to makeup these days. I blame my still super heavy workload. I don't seem to catch a break and I'm always too tired to inspire myself. It doesn't help that I also fell off the exercise wagon two weeks ago (booo, i know!!!). I'm hoping things will lighten up around here soon though.

Anyway, when all fails, a bright fuchsia lipstick always saves the day! My fave is still Nars Schiap and despite its brightness, I think this lipstick goes with everything! Hope you guys like this simple look.

Face

F&B Foundation - N3

Ben Nye Powder

X-Rocks blush

Eyes

Painterly p.p - base

Chanel Spring Quint - Peach shade on inner lid, gray shade on outer lid

UD Naked e/s - crease

UD Virgin e/s - highlight

Inglot gel liner #82 - to line

Lips

MUFE 16C l/l

Nars Schiao l/s

Climate Blue Look

2011-08-03T19:18:00.000-04:00

August 3, 2011

Hello beauties! I already put my new Inglot goodies to use and am very happy with my small haul. Gone are the days that I bought 5-6 items per Sephora/MAC trip. Now I buy a lot less yet I'm a lot happier with my purchases. I think I've finally found my balance.

I did this look for a movie out with a couple of girl friends on Monday. Now I probably looked too glam for a movie night but whatever I'm always too glam for where I'm going anyway, lol! My friends have gotten used to it. I did wear flats instead of heels though so hopefully that helped casual things down a bit!

Face

F&B Foundation - N3

Ben Nye Powder

Stark Naked bpb

Azalea Blossom b/o - purple side on the apple of the cheeks

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Inglot #83 gel liner - base for outer lid

Stars n Rockets e/s - inner lid

Top Hat e/s - mid lid

Climate Blue e/s - outer lid and crease

Winkle e/s - above crease

Prussian e/s - outer v

Poison Pen e/s - inner crease

Your Ladyship p/m - highlight

Lise Watier Noir Intense e/l - to line

Lancome Definicils Pro mascara

Lips

Inglot #68 l/s - love love love this already!

and a couple in natural lighting:

Small Inglot Haul

2011-08-03T12:05:00.000-04:00

August 3, 2011

Hey lovelies! While in Montreal this past weekend, I made sure to hit the malls for some (not much needed, lol) shopping. Of course I had to make my way to the Inglot Store as well. Now, Inglot costs so much friggin more here than the US :/ I was surprised by that. I don't buy as much makeup anymore but I picked up two things: Gel Liner #83 (blue purple) and lipstick #64 (blue based medium pink):

Gel Liner #83 - I have two of the Inglot gel liners from my trip to NYC and had a great experience with them. They wear very well (as well as my Bobbi Brown liners) and come in such fun colours. I picked up this blue toned purple as it's unique to my collection:

Lipstick #64 - The packaging of this lipstick is quite similar to MAC's Slimshines or Mattenes. But the texture is like neither. This lipstick has a gel like feeling to it. It wears comfortably and lasted on me over 7 hours. There was no settling in lip lines which is a plus. The finish is creamy and there is no frost/glitter, yey!

I went for this blue based pink as cool pinks are generally the most flattering on my skintone. This one leans slightly purple but not too much so. I compared it to some of the other pinks in my collection that I thought might be similar. Luckily there are no dupes! Check it out:

Left to right: MAC VGV SE, MAC Snob, Nars Roman Holiday, Inglot #64, Up the Amp

What are some of your favourite Inglot products? What is your general thought on the brand?

Smokey Jewels

2011-08-02T11:51:00.002-04:00

August 2, 2011

Hey lovelies! Hope you all had a great long weekend. Mine was fabulous! I had a girls night out with 10 other girls on Friday night that started at a steak house and ended at the Whiskey Bar downtown. Then on Saturday hubby and I went to Montreal for the last weekend of Just for Laughs. We stayed at my sister's and attended one of the shows plus the street parade. As always great Italian food was had in Montreal too :)

This look is from the girls night out on Friday. I was wearing a lace applique dress (ughhh I always fall for anything lace, you guys should see my closet :/) and did smokey eyes to go with the dress. I used my beloved Stila Jewels palette for the black base. I know not everyone liked this palette but I adore it. It applies easily and pigmented for me. Hope you guys like it:

Face

Pro Longwear foundation - NW25

Sculpt powder

Pink Cult blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base for upper lid

Black GPS - base for lid

Jest e/s - inner lid

Stila Jewels Palette - Black shade on lid

MUFE #39 - crease

Illegale Cargo e/s - inner crease

UD Naked e/s - above crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Lise Watier Noir Intense e/l - to line and blend

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Blankety l/s

Glamour for All l/g

And for OOTN I wore this lacy BCBG Mac Azria dress with simple black peep toes from Steve Madden. I must happily report that my hair held the straight look through all the dancing :D

And a picture of me and some of the ladies sitting pretty at some point on Friday night:

Rare Appearance of Straight Hair!

2011-07-29T12:59:00.003-04:00

July 29, 2011

Happy Friday everyone! I had a tough week and it might have been apparent in my last few blog posts. But I just got home and am so excited about the weekend! I have a girls night out tonight and tomorrow hubby and I are going to Montreal for a couple of days. Monday is a holiday too so long weekend should help me relax, yay!

I touched up my roots last night and also got my hair dresser (my mom) to straighten my hair for me. I rarely every wear my hair straight so I thought I share a picture with you. My hair is actually quite fine (but I have a lot of it, which makes them appear thicker) and wavy but I'm way too lazy especially in the summer to use a flat iron on them:

What do you guys think? The makeup is simple here. I know I had my summer staple cheek duo of Nars Irresistiblement Bronzer and Deep Throat blush on my face and my HG summer lip combo of Chanel Genial RA and Venus Glossimer on lips.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Pink Ruffles

2011-07-27T12:40:00.002-04:00

July 27, 2011

Hey lovelies! I'm coming down with a random summer cold with totally sucks! I can't even take any sick days coz I'm so friggin busy at work. So the stress is not helping with my cold going away any faster. On the up side, this coming weekend is a long weekend and hubby and I will go to Montreal for the last weekend of "Just for Laughs" festival. It should be a nice break for me

I did this look to go with my ruffled pink shirt on Monday. I love brights pinks (as you may have noticed). I didn't want to do pink lips though so I went for creamy corals. Hope you guys like this look.

Face

F&B Foundation - N3

Ben Nye Powder

X-Rocks blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Post Haste e/s - lid

Coppering e/s - crease

Embark e/s - outer v

Ego e/s - inner lid

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

UD bourbon 24/7 - lower lashline

Dark Diversion f/l - to line

Marcelle Power Volume mascara

Lips

Mouth Off l/l

Marcelle Paris Rose l/s

And for outfit of the day, I wore this cute hot pink ruffled top by Banana Republic. I really like ruffles but I have a larger bust so I have to be careful with them. This shirt fits fine though and doesn't over accentuate anything luckily. Navy linen pants are by Mexx and wedges are by Nine West:

Eurydice Smokes

2011-07-26T12:16:00.001-04:00

July 26, 2011

Hey beauties! I have another look from this past weekend for you. Hubby and I attended a close friend's engagement party held at a beautiful state house in Perth. I was wearing a purple dress and wanted to do smokey eyes (but not purple) so I went for plum and gray. Nars Eurydice duo is one of my favourites for creating a smokey eye with a twist and I find both sides unique in my collection.

Hope you guys like this look :)

Face

Lise Watier 12 hour Foundation - Neutre

Sculpt

Azalea Blossom b/o

Eyes

Fresco Rose p/p - base

Ego e/s - inner lid

Nars Eurydice duo - raspberry shade on lid, gray shade on outer lid

Copperplate e/s - crease

Poison Pen e/s - inner crease

Nars Pandora e/s - black shade on outer v

Reflects Very Pink glitter - lid

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Nars Roman Holiday l/s

Going Casual c/g

And here's a picture of the outfit of the day. Dress is by BCBG and shoes by Nine West. I really like this flowy dress though it's not something I'd go for typically. It's a different shape for me (I'm more of a shift/form fitting dress kinda girl). But hubby loves it on me so I like it too ;)

My Look for a Balmy Evening Celebration

2011-07-25T11:55:00.005-04:00

July 25, 2011

Hello lovelies! Hope you all had an amazing weekend. Mine was certainly quite busy. On Friday, one of my closest friends had her baby about two weeks early so we went to visit her right after work. He's the most adorable little thing ever! Then on Saturday I went to another friends birthday which started in her apartment and ended on the dance floor at her favourite bar.

Now Saturday night was a super humid balmy night so I really didn't even want to wear makeup. But I did it anyway. I just went simple on the eyes and wore a bright lipstick a la Nars Heat Wave. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasures.

Face

Lise Watier 12hour foundation/concealer - Neutre

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Nars Madly blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

UD Half Baked e/s - lid

UD Naked e/s - crease

UD Buck e/s - outer v

UD Virgin e/s - highlight

BB Chocolate Brown g/l - to line

Lancome Definicils Pro mascara

Lips

Inglot Red l/l

Nars Heat Wave l/s

Nars Babe l/g

And I did a french braided updo for hair of the night. It could do with less fly-aways but it was way too humid for anything to hold sleek. The do itself held through all the drinking, dancing and jumping though, lol!

And here's a picture of me attempting to sit pretty in my friend's warm and over crowded apartment:

And here's a pic of me and the birthday girl much later that night:

Green and Pink Contrast

2011-07-21T12:07:00.000-04:00

July 21, 2011

Hey beauties! I wore this look to go see "Horrible Bosses" with hubby. We both loved it! I def recommend it as a light comedy that will make you feel good. I know I've done looks similar to this before but it was too hot to think of anything super creative. I cannot wait for fall really!!

Hope you guys enjoy this look. It's simple but still pops.

Face

F&B Foundation - N3

Ben Nye powder

Sculpt

Nars Desire blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

MUFE #93 - lid and crease

Golden Olive p/m - mid lid

Vanilla p/m - highlight

MUFE #183 - outer lower lashline

Lancome Black Art Liner - to line

Cargo 3 in 1 mascara

Lips

Trimmed in Pink l/l

Pink Nouveau l/s

Palatial l/g

Beach Bronzed + Dramatic Liner

2011-07-20T12:14:00.002-04:00

July 20, 2011

Hello beauties. I had almost forgotten about this look that I did last Saturday. We had a few friends over for dinner so I took the opportunity to glam it up! I went for an overall bronze look and added gilded shadow and a dramatic eyeliner shape. Summer is the perfect time for this types of bronzey looks and I'm taking full advantage of my newly acquired tan.

Hope you guys like this look.

Face

F&B Foundation - N3

Ben Nye Powder

Sculpt

Otherwordly blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base for above crease

Cashflow p/p - base for lid

Sugarpill Goldilux p/m - lid

Blonde's Gold p/m - inner lid

UD Naked e/s - crease

UD Virgin e/s - crease

UD Buck e/s - outer v

Blacktrack f/l- to line

MUFE 6k e/l - lower lashline

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Bronzilla l/s

Gold Rebel l/g

And this was my outfit of the night. Continuing my love affair with maxi dresses, I picked up this sort of animal print maxi on the sales rack at Winners last week for $20, score! Though I think the dress is a "bit" short but whatever at that price I didn't care :D

Chanel Exces is the Perfect Summer Red

2011-07-19T17:16:00.003-04:00

July 19, 2011

Hello beauties! You all know I love my red lips, I wear them day and night and regardless of the occasion. They're the easiest way to glam and incorporate nicely with my daily wardrobe.

I picked up Chanel's Exces Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss on a whim this past weekend. I must say I'm already in love! I've been wearing this two days in a row and I think I'll sport it again this weekend. I already loved the Extrait de gloss formula (I have Emoi in my collection) as it's non sticky and pigmented, looks great on top of a lip liner (with no lipstick) and it makes my lips soooo juicy!

Face

Prolognwear Foundation - NW25

Nars Sin blush

Pearl Blossom bp

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base

Sheiseido H4 Hydro Powder e/s - base for lid

Inglot AMC #72 - crease

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Chanel Cassis e/l - to line and smudge

Diorshow mascara

Vanilla p/m - tearduct

Lips

Inglot Red l/l

Chanel Exces Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss

And here's my hair of the day which was braided again; this time into a side french braid started from the back. I'm obsessed with braiding my hair this summer. I mean I always like braids this time of the year but this year it's like every other day. It's easy and keeps hair outta my face though, and we're still going through a heat wave here :( oh and try and ignore the random flyaway, lol! I only noticed it after:

Tag - 10 Most Used Products

2011-07-19T11:57:00.003-04:00

July 19, 2011

Hey beauties! I've meant to do this tag a long time ago and just never had a chance to photograph these products till last weekend. The lovely Ev at Mozarella and Makeup tagged me to do my favourite products. I changed it to 10 most used as I figured whatever I've used a lot has got to also be a fave :) Alright, here we go:

1. MUFE Face & Body foundation - I only have 1/4 of this amazing light water foundation left. I love the cooling feeling MUFE F&B gives to my face upon application.

2. MUFE Full Cover concealer in #6 - this concealer covers EVERYTHING! I mean it, I've never have seen a better concealer for my old acne scars.

3. Nars Deep Throat blush - have had this blush for nearly 4 years and use it about 3 times a week and you still cannot see the pan! Deep Throat is a gorgeous peachy pink, awesome on light medium skintones.

4. Lancome Hypnose mascara in Black - this has been my HG for 6 years now! I usually have about 7-8 mascaras in rotation and none ever get even close to the awesomeness of Hypnose. It adds volume to my long lashes, is super black and feel light and never flakes off.

5. Chanel Cassis e/l - this is the best smokey purple kohl liner there and I love that it's very blendable, does not smudge, does an amazing job of making the hazel peepers pop!

6. MAC Blanc Type e/s - can you see that I need another pan soon? Lol! I use Blanc Type as my daily brow highlighter. It's a great matte ivory shade, applies smoothly and blends well.

7. Bobbi Brown Cobalt Ink g/l - This dark navy gel liner is my preferred way of defining my eyes (I like it better than gel black). BB does superior gel liners that do not budge ever!

8. MAC Painterly p/p - this is my 3rd jar of Painterly which is my everyday eyeshadow base. I only have a teaspoon left too, lol! I like MAC's cream formula paint pots and the flesh pink shade of Painterly is great for my skintone and all my eyeshadows.

9. Chanel Chance Eau Tendre - The lighter version of Chanel Chance is my summer fragrance and you can't see in this pic but I def need a new bottle soon. It smells fresh and slightly floral (not too much so though, I don't like very floral scents) and like Chanel always does them, CHIC!

10. Nars Niagara l/s - The pinky coral shade of Niagara makes it a summer staple but I also wear this lipstick year around. It's on the sheerer side but incredibly buildable. This is a shade that will suite most skintones.

Alright my dear readers, you're all tagged. Feel free to do a post on your top 10 most used/fave products. Let me know if you're doing the tag so I check out your post :)

Summer Trends: Maxi Skirt and Colour Blocking

2011-07-18T11:56:00.002-04:00

July 18, 2011

Hey lovelies! I have a quick post for you featuring an outfit of the day plus a simple summer FOTD.

Maxi length in dresses and skirts is all over the place this summer. As a relatively tall girl (I'm 5'7") I fully embrace this trend since maxis never seem to overwhelm my figure. I also love the easy breezy feel maxis have about them. I'm incorporating another trend in this outfit of the day by going for colour blocking. I kept it subtle by staying in the same colour family. Teal tank top by Le Chateau, maxi navy dress by BCBG, leather flat sandals by Gap, China Glaze Custom Kicks is on my nails:

I did super simple look for the last day of work before weekend. I used my beloved MUFE aqua cream in #20 to line my eyes, added Lancome Hypnose mascara to the lashes, wore MAC F&B (N3) and Nars Deep Throat on my face and added subtle colour to my lips using Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Antigone:

What are some of your favourite summer trends?

Summer Faves - MUFE Aqua Cream Liners

2011-07-17T18:42:00.001-04:00

July 17, 2011

Hey beauties, hope you've enjoyed your weekends so far. It's a pretty hot one here in Ottawa and made me think of another summer fave to blog about, gel liners:

When it's hot out, we all want to wear less makeup. One of the ways to look put together and summer appropriate yet not pile on products is to wear a bright eyeliner. I would say at least 3 times a week this is all I do, bright gel liner + mascara and head outta the door. My go-to liners this summer are Makeup Forever Aqua Cream Liners in #20 (gorgeous bright blue) and #22 (emerald green).

MUFE #22 on left and #20 on right

I love the MUFE aqua creams as they are bright and opaque in one stroke (I typically use MAC 209 and line around my eyes, upper and lower lashline). You get quite bit of products for the price which is $25CAD and the most important plus, they last all day long on me. I'm not a believer in using eye base when just applying eyeliner. These babies stay put through heat and humidity from morning to evening. I'm quite practiced with lining so it really takes me 2 minutes to do both eyes and yet I get so many compliments when I wear either of these two shades and no other makeup.

Here's some swatches on my hand for you gals:

MUFE #20 on top and #22 on the bottom

Hope you guys enjoyed this post. Have you tried the MUFE Aqua Cream Liners? What is your fave way to accentuate your eyes in the summer?

Gold Stroke + Fishtail braids

2011-07-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

July 15, 2011

Hey lovelies! Wow, we're already in the middle of July! Time went by very quickly for me this summer. It's probably because I don't even have time to breath at work. Sometimes I'm surprised at my own ability to still keep up with the blogging through this stressful time. But I guess it makes me happy.

I used one of my favourite pigments, Gold Stroke, for yesterday's look. I wanted to red lips initially but decided to keep things a bit more muted. You probably also notice that I wear a LOT less face products these days. I just don't like the feeling of layered stuff on my face in the summer. So I do sun block + foundation + one blush most days.

Hope you guys like this.

Face

Pro Longwear foundation - NW25

Nars Sin blush

Eyes

Painterly p/p - base for above crease

Artifact p/p - base for lid and crease

Prance e/s - inner lid

Gold Stroke p/m - lid

Smoke Signal p/m - outer v and to set liner

UD Naked e/s - transition shade

Blanc Type e/s - highlight

Dark Diversion f/l - to line

Lancome Hypnose mascara

Lips

Nars Sex Machine mvp

She Loves Candy l/g

In the summer, I keep my hair away from my neck as I have VERY low heat tolerance. I alternate between various updos and braided hair styles. Since I prefer my hair on one side of my face vs behind my neck, most styles I do start with a low side pony. For this particular style, I did the low pony and then wrapped a section of hair around the elastic and hid it. Then fish braided the rest of the hair, voila! Super simple and cute, hubs loved this style :D