February 10, 2013

I went out with a few girlfriends to celebrate my birthday this past Friday. It was actually the first time I had gone out since giving birth so I was pretty excited. Daddy day care was open so I knew Sofia would be fine :)

A note of Exercising - Since about 3 months ago, I've become very serious about exercising. I always exercised in moderation but really took it to a different level when Sofia was 2 months old. It was first to tone up after pregnancy/delivery but then I started really enjoying working out so now I can't stop :D I'm only 5 lbs lighter than my pre-pregnancy but am now a dress size smaller than I was before. I usually wore a size 8 for pants/skirt and size 10 for dresses (damn you big boobies!). But now I'm at a size 6 for bottoms and size 8 for dresses while maintaining my curves. I do a combination of sculpting and steps bootcamp, lotsa weight training, DVD workout at home (Gillian Michael's Ripped in 30) and Salsa dancing classes.

I'm so excited about my accomplishment and thought I should share it. I wore a black mesh Marciano dress for the night out. I paired it with thick wool tights by American Apparel, Louboutin pumps and Aldo gold clutch. The watch is my new Citizen Ecodrive (gifted by hubby, I'm a Citizen snob):





And here's the makeup I wore. I wanted it to be dark yet colourful. I also wanted to wear my new MAC Prom Princess blush:



And here's what I used:

For lips: kept it soft and pink with a layer of Nars Sex Machine matte velvet pencil.

Here's another photo:

Hope you all have a great Sunday evening. I'm likely having another early night but will probably watch the Grammy's red carpet before ;)

February 8, 2013

Ladies! I did some damage to my wallet these past few days. It's rare for me to buy makeup nowadays so I'm super excited to share my haul with you:



MAC Archie's Girls - if you follow my blog, you know that even though I used to be a MAC girl and into collecting their LE things, that time has passed for me. But I was interested in some items in Archie's girls so I treated myself. I picked up Betty Bright lipstick and Prom Princess blush.



Betty Bright - is a bright yet light coral. It has strong pink tones and is perfect for spring. I love MAC's satin lipstick formula and this lipstick seems unique to my stash.


Left to right: Marcelle Paris Rose, Nars Niagara, MAC Better Bright

Prom Princess - is a beautiful shimmering raspberry shade. It's also very pigmented so you'll need to apply with a light hand. I don't have a dupe for this.

Nars Spring 2013 - This is the collection I've been looking forward to and will eventually purchase all of it. Thankfully Nars is not into limited edition crap so I can take my time buying. I started with Seduction blush and Dressed to Kill lipstick:



Seduction blush - holly molly this is pigmented. It's a deep wine shade perfect for fall/winter, but so pigmented that is hard to pull off on my winter complexion (NW20 ish). It's gorgeous though. I cannot wait to use this on my low maintenance days (as the only item of makeup I wear that day).

Dressed to Kill lipstick - as a red lover, this is a must for me. Though this is more of a red toned fuchsia with gold flecks on it. Gorgeous all year around shade and brings out the gold flecks in my eyes.


Left to right: MAC Rebel, Nars Afghan Red, Nars Dressed to Kill

Then I grabbed a few lipsticks I've been meaning to try out on my last trip to good ole Loblaws. I picked up Maybelline Vivid Colors in shades Shocking Coral, Vivid Rose and L'Oreal Colour Caress Shine Stain in Infinite Fuchsia.



The Maybelline Vivid shades are BRIGHT! I have already worn both of these and they look as pigmented on lips as they do in the swatch. They are not as long wearing as my high end lipsticks but they do the job. I think I may go back for more.

Shocking Coral is a great summer shade. Thought I would have an exact dupe for it but it doesn't look like it.


Left to right: MAC Vegas Volt, MAC Toxic Tale (LE), Chanel Genial (LE), Maybelline Shocking Coral

Vivid Rose is like MAC Impassioned and Girl About Town had a baby!


Left to right: MAC Girl About Town, MAC Impassioned, Maybelline Vivid Rose

I was incredibly pleased with how long L'Oreal Caress Stain lasted on my lips. I had planned on getting a few YSL lip stain but at their price point I think I'll stick to L'Oreal. Does anyone have both to compare? Infinite Fuchsia is a colour I would wear a lot, reminds me of Chanel Emoi but pinker:


Left to right: MAC Strawberry Blonde (LE), MAC Magnetique (LE), Chanel Emoi, L'Oreal Infinite Fuchsia

Do you guys own any of these items? What are your thoughts on them?

February 7, 2013

Hi guys! This is my take on a multi-toned smokey eyes that is appropriate in the cold weather like this. I wore this during the day but I could see how it would be more of a night time look for most people.

I did some makeup haulage after a while yesterday so look up for that post coming up in the next few days. In the meantime, here's my "daytime" smokey look:



What I used:

February 5, 2013

Every year it snows on my birthday, every single year! I was born at 2 am on Feb 5th, 1982 in Tehran, Iran. My mom said there was such a big snow storm they had difficulty finding a cab to the hospital. Of course only few hospitals were open to patients at that time. It was war time and air raids were making the situation more difficult.



31 years later though, on this fine morning of Tuesday Feb 5, 2013, I woke up from a peaceful 9 hour sleep (courtesy of my hubby doing Sofia's night feed) and noticed that it's sunny out!!! How amazing is that? I mean it's cold as hell (-25Deg C), but the sun is shining, it's not war time and I'm happy :D



This year for the first time since I remember, I actually didn't buy myself anything for my birthday. I already have all I need in my life. I'm healthy, I have an amazing husband and the most beautiful baby girl and live in a country that promotes peace. I know most people give thanks on Thanksgiving, but I'm grateful everyday, and especially today.

Will post my birthday makeup/outfit later on. Have a happy Tuesday!

February 4, 2013

Sofia is 5 months old already! This past month she has learned to do so much I almost feel like she's a different baby, lol! She also went from being a carbon copy of my husband to looking a little bit like both of us :D

February 2, 2013

Happy Saturday guys! I've been browsing makeup forums and something has caught my eyes after nearly 2 years. I have enough makeup to last me an eternity and beyond and it is so rare for me these days to get excited about beauty products. But look at this:


photo credit: http://zannaland.com/new-sephora-disney-princess-jasmine-collection-images/

Sephora is doing a Princess Jasmine collection, OMG!! As a middle eastern and a huge fan of Aladdin and especially princess Jasmine, this excited me so much that I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning. When I was a kid, I was told by peers that I reminded them of fairer princes Jasmine, it used to make me feel so beautiful! And I remember wishing I had her tan and gorgeous long black hair :)

The Jasmine collection is to be released in March 2013 (yey, on time for Persian New Year) and is actually quite of a large collection. Based on what I read, there are:

- Large eyeshadow palette Jasmine Storylook Volume 2 including a 15 eyeshadows,  a bronzer and a blush
- Eyeshadow quad including three glitter shadows
- Nail polish set (Sephora by OPI)
- Eyeliner trio
- Perfume
- Body shimmer powder
- Mirror

Credit: info taken from Specktra.net and Beautezine.

Hubby saw my excitement and told me he would pick up the items I was the most thrilled about. I love my hubs!! I think I want both palettes and the eyeliner trios.

Have you guys seen the info about Princess Jasmine Collection? Are you as excited as me?

February 1, 2013

It's February, my birth month!! I know most people hate February, but I love it. I always look forward to my birthday even though I'm no longer in my 20's ;) I also don't really mind the cold so I celebrate everyday.

I wore this super bright look on Wednesday. It so happened that Sofia had a bad night and I woke up looking like a zombie. At times like this, I beat my face to feel better. Here's the result:



And this is what I used:



For Face: Used Nars Sheer Matte (Fiji) as my foundation a dusting of Ben Nye Translucent Powder. Then I used MAC Sculpt Pro Powder to contour and MAC Prim n Proper blush (LE-rosy nude) on the apple of my cheeks.

Hope you enjoyed this bright look. Have a great weekend!