FOTD #2

I did this look for my moms birthday party the other weekend. A bronzed smokey eye with a neutral lip. Something a little more polished and amped up than my daily look. I've been having a lot of fun with the smoked palette and just love playing around with it.

I put mushroom all over my lids with a bit of sin (from the naked palette) in the inner corner. I then put barlust in the crease and outer corner and blended with freestyle. I do wish the smoked palette had more medium toned colours, it's not a palette I can use on it's own.

Products used:
Urban Decay Smoked Palette
Urban Decay Zero Liner
Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation in I20
Maybelline Stay Matte powder
Urban Decay Potion Primer
Benefit Boi-ing concealer in 01
Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch
Maybelline Falsies Flared
Benefit Bella Bamba blush
Dior Amber Diamond
Chanel Coco Rogue Shine in Boy (not pictured)

Review: Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

I only really bought this product because it's great for weekends. Smaller than my Naked and Naked2 palettes it fits perfectly in an overnight bag with a couple of brushes so you can still look put together the next day without carrying around a ton of product.

This palette consists of 5 matte shades and one slightly shimmery highlight shade. Honestly the first three colours barely show up on my skin. I mix Walk of Shame and Venus for my inner corner and then use naked2 for my outer eye and faint in the crease. I don't see this as being a very versatile palette. While very useful it's not fun like the other Urban Decay palettes.

Honestly unless you do a lot of short trips or overnights I wouldn't recommend this palette. Not because the product itself is bad, the shadows perform like other Urban Decay shadows (though they are a touch powdery). It's just that this palette is boring. Which I guess is kind of the point when you have a basics palette.

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. 

Review + Swatches: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

I bought the Urban Decay Naked2 palette almost immediately after I got back from Italy and I really wish I had bought this before I went. This is the palette I would turn to for any holiday longer than a night or two. It's the perfect blend of neutrals for day to day with some gorgeous colours for a night time look.

 This comes with a double ended brush and a mini lip gloss that I forgot to take pictures of. I tried the gloss once and have forgotten about it until I started to write this post. I don't really use the brush as I have my MAC brushes that I love, but sometimes I'll use the blender side for a more subtle crease than I get with my MAC 217 brush.

The only colour I don't really use is Foxy but that's because I tend to use the same ones over and over. I love Verve for an inside corner brightening colour, it works amazing.  Blackout I use for liner or Busted if I want a brown liner. YDK is amazing for a lighter colour, I use it most of the time. Pistol is great for a grey smokey eye, I love it on my lower lash line and Snakebite for a bronzed smokey eye.

I love pairing Bootycall with Chopper or Half-Baked for an easy bronzed/ or coppery look and if I want to take it into a nigh time look I'll add Snakebite to the crease and lower lash line. For a more taupe-y look I love Tease, especially paired with YDK or Suspect. It just looks so lovely. Adding Pistol to the crease and lower lash line really makes this look stand out for night.

Packing: 5/5 and a large part of the reason I choose this over the original Naked palette. I love the metal casing as I feel it's super sturdy.
Pigmentation: 5/5 amazing, these show up so well on my skin.
Texture: 4/5 These are really soft shadows and I tend to get a bit of fallout and lots of dust from these
Longevity: 4/5 when used with my Urban Decay Potion Primer these last all day.
Application: 4/5 A bit of fallout, especially with the darker colours (Snakebite, Pistol, Blackout and Busted especially) but nothing some makeup remover can't fix.

Overall I would totally recommend this palette. It's an amazing value $60CAD for 12 eyeshadows, that's $5 each! When they retail for $22CAD for an individual eyeshadow. So while it seems like a lot of money up front, it really is worth it. I use every eyeshadow in this palette and if I go on any longer trips in the future I'm taking this with me 100%.

Overall Rating: 4.75/5

Massive Highend Haul!

So on Tuesday I posted about returning my Sephora + Pantone brushes, and because I was in Toronto I stocked up on a few other products that aren't easily found in my area.

I picked up the Laura Mercier Oil Free Flawless Face Kit ($80CAD) from Sephora. It's a really good deal as you get two brushes to apply product with, the foundation primer, a tinted moisturizer, the undercover pot (two shades of concealer with the translucent powder) and a couple of applicator spounges with this really handy makeup bag. I'm really excited to test these out as I've heard amazing things about the concealer and the translucent powder. Laura Mercier is a rather expensive brand, their translucent powder retails for $45 for a full size one.

I picked up the Nars Laguna/Orgasm bronzer/blush duo which retails for $50. I forgot to take a closer picture of it, but I will post a review + swatches in a month or so once I've given it a thorough test drive. I've been using it for a few days and I have to say I love it so far.

 I also snagged a little travel version of Urban Decay's All Nighter Spray for $14 and cashed in 100 Beauty Insider points for a really nice sized sample of Benifits Watt's Up highlighter.

Unfortunately there is no Chanel counter near me (the nearest one is 45 minutes away) so I took advantage of the fact that I was right by one to pick up the Vitalumiere Aqua foundation in the colour B10. This is a rather expensive foundation at $49, but I've heard such amazing things about it from so many YouTubers I respect (Pixi2woo, Missglamorazzi, FleurDeForce) that I really wanted to try it. I've been using it ever since I got it and I adore it.

I also picked up a Coco Rouge Shine in the colour Boy that my friend Christine of Starry Eyed Beauty told me to buy when we did our shopping day together. I took her advice and bought this super pretty shade but almost had a heart attack when the lady rung me in. It was over $30 for a lipstick! I think MAC lipsticks are expensive at $18 but this was huge sticker shock for me. While I really like this product and packaging I just don't think I can justify spending that kind of money all the time on lipstick.

The bonus of buying my Chanel products at the Bay was that I received a $10 off with $50 spent in the beauty department gift card for my next purchase! I had also been given a $50 gift card for looking after my neighbors pets for a few days for my local mall, which thankfully has a Dior and MAC counter in the Bay.

So I just had to buy the Dior Diorskin Shimmer Star in Amber Diamond which retails for $45. This has been mentioned by just about everyone as an amazing highlighter that you can also use for your eyes and I've been lusting after this for a while. So I was $5 short and while the Dior Lipgloss in Sari Pink is on my wish list I really didn't feel like paying $30+ again for a lip product in a week. So I went over to the MAC counter and picked up the cremesheen in Creme Cup! I haven't purchased a MAC lipstick in so long and while I have a ton of things to depot so I can b2mac them I decided this was one of the least expensive beauty purchases I could make so I could get that $10 off.

I also ordered online these two palettes from Stila, the Rome and the French Rivera sets. These are an amazing deal as you get 3 full sized Stila eye shadows + a holder for $18CAD when a single eyeshadow retails for $22CAD. Rome is now sold out, but there are still four other sets to get. I'm on the fence as to order the other three sets as these are such a great deal. In the Rome set there is Kitten, Golightly and Java. The French Rivera set has Kitten, Grace and Mahogany. Yes I did end up with two kittens but as my friend A- said you can never have too many kittens. I prefer the French Rivera set to the Rome trio as I find it easier to wear during day (the colours are a bit lighter). Both are great investments though, I can see these becoming my go to palettes for weekends getaways, simple pretty neutrals. I'll post a review and swatches really soon as I've already taken the pictures I just want to wear them a bit before I post a full review.

I had quite a bit of sticker shock while buying some of these items (ahem- I'm looking at you Chanel, Nars and Laura Mercier) but I'm really happy I took the plunge and bought these products. I couldn't wait to try them once I got home and I'm loving every one of them so far. I don't normally spend this much money all at once on makeup, but as I'm planning a purchasing ban from September until IMATS and most of these products had been on my wishlist for months I figured I would get a good back to school shopping haul in.

July 2012 Favorites

July has been a boring month for me after the excitement of Italy in June. My courses are picked for the fall, but book lists aren't up yet. I've purchased some great fall pieces for my closet on sale, but the weather is still too hot to wear them. I've spent my days working, going to movies or curled up on a lawn chair reading, kind of boring really. While I love summer I hate not having a purpose while school is off. Anyways here are the products/things I have loved/used to keep me sane so far this month.

1. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette $60CAD

I hesitates to buy this because of the cost, but I'm so glad I did. I use this almost everyday to do my makeup. Standout colours from this are Tease, Snakebite, Pistol, and YDK, but I have used every single colour at some point. I'm going to try to get a review + swatches of this up by the end of August.

2. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

I think this retails for around $13, but I've seen it on sale for as cheap as $8. This is my first ever BB cream so I have nothing to compare it to, but I love this so much. It gives great lightweight coverage without feeling greasy. The colour actually matches my very pale skin, which is hard to do. Unlike some foundations/tinted moisturizers I've tried I don't feel this on my skin after I apply it, something I can't stand. Miss Glamorazzi posted great comments about this as well and she has much more experience in the BB Cream department than I do.

3. Sephora Collection Microsmooth Bronzing Duo in Spicy Heat $23CAD

 I keep my face slathered in sunscreen during the year, so in the summer it tends to be a couple shades lighter than the rest of my body. So when I went to Sephora to find a bronzer back in April, I was surprised the sales girl chose this for me. I asked her to apply it in store so I could see how it look and I fell in love. I love this bronzer  because I can make it lighter or darker depending on my needs. It also gives a very subtle glow to my skin without looking like I've doused myself in glitter. I've been using this since April (when I had zero tan) to now (when I have a bit of a tan) and it works perfectly no matter what shade my skin is.

4. Revlon Lip Butters

I love the Revlon Lip Butters, they're moisturizing and the colour payoff is really great as well. I've been wearing the colour Peach Parfait a lot lately, as it works really well with any looks I create with the Naked 2 Palette. I think these retail for around $10CAD but I got mine on sale for $6. I haven't seen a good sale on these for a while now so I haven't picked up any new shades.

5. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries!

I love Pride and Prejudice, it's one of my favorite books. I read it at least once a year, and watch the 2005 movie version at least twice a year. When I stumbled across this YouTube version I fell in love. If you feel like a modern take on a beloved classic, this is for you!

June 2012 Favorites

Here a some of my favorite products I've been loving in June.

1. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion $24
I got this before my trip because I was tired of my makeup creasing and a friend (as well as pretty much everyone else) highly recommended this primer. Wow were they all right! This kept my eye makeup looking flawless for the whole day (I'm talking 8am till 2am) with no touch ups or creasing. While it's a bit pricey, you only have to use the tiniest amount of product on your eyes and it really does work wonders. I've used this everyday since early May and I still have over half the tube left.

2. The John Frieda Luxurious Volume collection
I have used this lines root booster for years and love it. I decided to try out the shampoo and conditioner (as it was way smaller than my bottles of tresemme) while I was in Italy and I love them. They made my super fine hair feel thick and luscious all day and even allowed me to wear my hair down with second day hair. This is something I have never been able to do because while I have a ton of hair, it's all really fine. Definitely will be buying this again in the future.

3. Essie nail polish in Sugar Daddy
This is the perfect nude pink nail for me. It doesn't have a ton of colour payoff but it makes your nails look perfectly polished without being in your face. I wear this colour a lot because I'm not supposed to wear nail colour to work but with this no one notices that I have some on.

4. St. Ives Triple Butters Creamy Coconut body wash
Love the smell of this super creamy bodywash, it turns my shower into a tropical beachy paradise! It doesn't leave my skin feeling tight after I get use it either which is always a plus.

5. Pretty Little Liars
PLL is back finally for its summer debut and I am so happy! I'm loving Hanna's new short hair and the fashion this season is just fantastic. I've loved this show since the first season and never disappoints in the drama department. 

Sephora Haul!

I have an obsession with makeup brushes at the moment and when I saw these strokes of nature brushes by Sephora in collaboration with Pantone I had to have them! My obsession with teal is legendary so these fit in perfectly. Seriously though, at the airport on the way home from Italy without trying to I was carrying my bright teal luggage, wearing a bright teal hoodie, with my new teal purse. It was a little embarrassing because I didn't realize until it was too late for me to change out of such a matchy matchy outfit!

These brushes are so pretty in person, honestly I love them. The bristles are super soft and I will post a review as to how they stack up to my MAC brushes. These are such a good deal, you get 5 brushes for $46CAD. To put that in perspective my favorite MAC 217 brush is $27CAD for just one brush.

There is a story behind why I got the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette (which at $60CAD is a big splurge). I have terrible friends, I've been back in the country for two weeks now and had plans on 3 separate occasions with 3 separate friends and they all bailed on me! For legitimate reasons, but still! I figured I would have spent around $20 each (at least) getting dinner or drinks with these friends and therefore I was going to spend the money I saved by buying the Naked 2 palette. Because makeup never stands you up.

I had a really hard time choosing between the Naked palette and the Naked 2 palette. I swatched both (which covered both of my forearms, I looked a tad silly in the store) and stood there for about half an hour trying to decide. I've really been loving grey tones lately so I went with the Naked 2 palette, but I think I might save up and by the Naked palette for my birthday in September.

I really love that every colour in the palette is something I would wear, I feel like this would have been amazing to have had with me in Italy. I can't wait to play around with it and create a ton of looks to share with you guys!

Ok so I feel like all I'm posting lately are haul posts lately, so I promise my next post will be something other than a haul.