Off to Japan!

I fly out tomorrow. The blog will (hopefully) still be updated (I've scheduled posts anyways) two times a week. I won't have the best internet access while over there but expect lots of photos when I get back!

Review: Stila Convertible Colour in Petunia

I picked up this blush from Stila recently to try out cream blushes. I had a hard time choosing which colour to get but my friend Christine from Starry Eyed Beauty recommended Petunia. Petunia is a pretty medium pink toned blush/lip colour that shows up nicely on my (very fair) skin.

I've tried applying this with my fingers, brushes, and my beauty blender and I have to say I like to apply it with a combination of my fingers (dotting it on) and then blending it out with my beauty blender. This gives me a very natural look. Using a brush with this doesn't seem to blend it in evenly.

While I do like this colour, I'm not 100% sold on cream blushes. I still need to play around with this before I invest in any others.

Review: Disney Collection A Whole New World Roller Ball

From Sephora's website:
Enchanting as magic itself, this alluring blend of exotic flowers and rich, warm woods is fit for a diamond in the rough. Empowering and seductive, this tempting fragrance will allow you to be the master of your own destiny. So go ahead, make your own magic. 
Notes: Carnation, Orange Blossom, Mandarin, Gardenia, Mimosa, Musky Accord, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Amber, Benzoin.

I picked this scent up on a whim one day while I was at Sephora. I've been trying not to buy new fragrances until I use up some of the ones I already have but I make exceptions for roller balls because they're perfect for traveling and tend to be under the $30 mark.  I'm not normally a floral scent person but this one intrigued me. This is the only item from the Disney collections that I have bought, they just haven't piqued my interest.

The bottle is pretty; fuchsia gradient with gold details and the words make your own magic embossed on the side. I like that sentiment, the idea of being in charge of your own destiny and not leaving it up to chance.

For the most part I don't like floral fragrances because the tend to be too big. They overpower the person wearing them. This could be largely because people tend to spray floral fragrances liberally which therefore results in a headache whenever I'm around them. Because this is in a roller ball version it stays close to the skin which I much prefer to being a walking talking garden that assaults people with scent. The sandalwood and vanilla mellow out the floral notes and bring them down to a pleasant (to my nose at least) level. 

This is going into my bag to come with me to Japan. I'm not sure what other fragrances I'll bring with me but I'll be sure to keep you updated!

FOTD # 1

I thought I'd share something different with you today. This is a look I wore to go for lunch with friends, it's simple and pretty. I used my Stila Convertible colour in Peony for the first time and I really like it. I have yet to perfect the art of applying cream blushes but I'm working on it.

I love the eyes on this look, simple and bronze. I've started to mix my Naked and Naked 2 palettes to create some looks, in this one I used Chopper from the Naked 2 palette with Buck and Darkhorse form the Naked palette. I love doing bronze looks in the summer because they really make my green eyes pop.

Products used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay Naked Palette
Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero
Maybelline Falsies Flared in Blackest Black
Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation in I20
Benefit Boi-ing concealer in 01
Nars Laguna Bronzer
Stila Convertible Colour in Peony
Dior Shimmer Powder in Amber Diamond
Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple

Drugstore Haul!

 On the weekend I had a chance to take advantage of a friends employee discount at a drugstore that carries some high end products (30% off? Yes please!) I restrained myself from going too crazy (because I happen to get 20% off as a mall employee at this location) and stocked up on a few items.

First up is my beloved Bioderma which came in a two pack for $30 (normally retails for around $24 in Canada) so this was a great steal. I love this cleanser and so far no other micellar water has held up to it's lofty standards (look for a review/comparison coming soon of the Avene version) This is a  great cleanser for sensitive skin.

Next up is Urban Decay's Naked Basics palette. I own both Naked and Naked2 but thanks to Essie Button I was talked into this one. Also at 30% off I couldn't resist. The packaging is compact and perfect for weekend trips. This has a guaranteed spot in my makeup bag for Japan. I also picked up another Urban Decay Potion Primer. This will be my third tube of the stuff in approximately 2 years and so far it's the only primer I've found that has worked for me... mind you I haven't tested that many.

Next up is the Urban Decay Smoked palette. This one I hemmed and hawed over because it's not practical like the Naked Basics. I had Evasion used on me when I had my makeup done at Sephora a month ago and fell in love with this palette. I figured I'd take the plunge with the extra 10% discount. This comes with a full sized perversion liner and a mini potion primer which I am so glad about, totally taking it to Japan. The salesgirl also convinced me to buy Urban Decay's grindhouse. At $12 it's not a huge investment and she really sold it to me by making the case that other sharpeners tend to chew up Urban Decay's 24/7 liners. At $23 per liner I want to make them last as long as possible so I figured this was a safe purchase.

Finally I picked up Stila's Convertible Colour in Petunia. I've eyed these a few times and my friend Christine at Starry Eyed Beauty raves about them. I texted her the night before and asked her opinion on which one to get between Lillium and Petunia and she told me to get Petunia. I've never used cream blush before so I can't wait to try this out.


This will (hopefully) be the last haul (excluding what I buy in Japan - vacations don't count) until Sephora's VIB sale in the winter. I think two palettes and a blush should tide me over until then. 

New Site Design

I didn't plan to rework the site design this morning but somehow I was inspired. I'm happy with this simple design after much tweaking and hope you guys enjoy it too.

Bad Blogger!

Image from weheartit

I have been a bad blogger for a very long time. I think I was trying to hard to do YouTube videos when I really wasn't that into it. It made me feel self conscious because I live at home and didn't want anyone to find out so I had to try and film in secret which took all the fun away from it. I've decided to focus on blogging. I'm going to try to incorporate more fashion into the blog with outfit posts (hopefully once a week) and some inspiration posts in addition to all the beauty posts readers are used to seeing. Even when school starts in September I'll be able to blog because I have gotten my schedule down to two days a week! This means I'll have more time to blog and work, which means more money, which means more goodies for me to play with!

Excitingly I leave in two weeks to go to Japan for three weeks. I'm going to be staying a suburb of Tokyo and will be teaching while I'm there. I'm so excited for this experience and I'll do some posts about packing/whats in my travel makeup bag. I'll also try to keep the blog updated with travel posts while I'm there. I'm really excited to try out some Japanese beauty products as well (Shisedo dream whip, Hakuhodo brushes, Yojiya brushes and makeup!) which I'll post a haul of when I get back.

I'm so glad to be back to blogging and thank you for your patience while I have been a negligent blogger.