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5/22/2011

Forever21, American Eagle, Garage and Sephora Haul

I was doing some online shopping and I actually purchased something this time - which basically never happens. I also went to a couple of stores recently, so...

Starting with Forever21. The first thing I got was just a plain v-neck tee, in this really gorgeous colour.


It's quite soft and has long sleeves considering it's a short sleeve tee, which is a major selling point for me. The only negative thing I could say about this is the neckline of it dips down quite a bit lower than I would like, but for $5 (give or take), it's a steal.

The next thing I got were these cuffed denim shorts.


These were the most expensive item I got from Forever21 - not saying much, since they were $12.80. I was worried that they wouldn't fit (the sizing was different than what I am used to) but they are super stretchy and fit perfectly.

The last thing I got from here was an eyelash curler.


I can't say much about this product - I got it for $1.80, which explains it's quality. However, for a first eyelash curler, I don't think that matters too much. For anyone reading this - any tips to help me curl my lashes? Much appreciated.

The next place I went to was Sephora, to pick up just one thing.


I'd been wanting the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Electric for quite some time and I finally picked it up. It wasn't cheap at $22 but the quality of it is absolutely amazing and the colour is gorgeous. Swatches to come.

Next I went to Garage - a Canadian clothing store. The first thing I got was actually a bathing suit that I'm really fond of.



In total this bathing suit was about $40, which is a total steal. The top is a bandeau type top that twists in the center. It has a bit of padding which is good for those who are small chested (namely, me). I love the nautical theme of this bathing suit, and the fact that it has removable straps is also a plus. To balance out the stripey top, I went with a solid navy bottom that matches the navy in the top. It has keyhole sides and ties, which is a really nice added detail. All in all I'm really liking this bathing suit.

The last thing I got from there was a really cute pair of shorts.


I think with a nice white tank top these would look amazing - a gorgeous plaid print and they have a removable tie around the waist. These were $20, because they were on sale.

And, lastly, American Eagle. I'd been looking for one particular pair of skinny jeans in stores but they never had them in my size (jeans come in short, regular, and long, and these jeans weren't stocked in the long size). At 5'10 I can't wear even the regular size because I'm so tall, so I basically gave up on finding these jeans. However, when looking at the American Eagle website recently I was amazed to find that online, they are stocked in my exact size. Immediately upon seeing this I ordered them and anxiously awaited my package in the days that followed.


I've been wanting a pair of distressed jeans for quite a while but never got the opportunity until now. These jeans fit perfectly and, like all American Eagle jeans, are fairly soft and stretchy. They were the most expensive jeans I have ever purchased from this store, coming in at $50, but I don't regret a thing. No words can express my happiness upon finding my distressed jeans :)

Hope you all enjoyed this haul, and comment below if you have requests or want to see more of any certain blog posts. Thanks for reading. :)

5/08/2011

French Manicures.

Yesterday I had this odd yearning to paint my fingers, but not traditionally - I really wanted to do a french manicure. Some steps to doing one?

1.) Apply your favorite base coat (I've been doing this every time since my yellow-stained nails incident, which you can read about here. I fixed that by the way - it required quite a bit of time spent with a nail file). I like Witchcraft's Nail Whitener.
2.) Apply 1-2 coats of a pale pink, light purple, or clear nail polish. I did one coat of OPI's Kiss on the Chic.

3.) Using a white nail polish, paint a line across the edge of your nails (creating that classic french tip). If your line isn't as opaque as you'd like, add another coat. I used Loreal's French Tip Manicure.

4.) Apply your favorite top coat to keep your manicure lasting longer and add shine. I used OPI's Top Coat.

And it's as simple as that.

Don't mind the writing on my hand, but here's a picture of the final product:

April Favorites.

I was trying to think of a blog post to do today since it's been a while and I was struggling. Then I realized it's May, so would be a good time to do an April Favorites blog post. :) Enjoy!

The first item I have been loving this month is my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.

This is the most amazing, lightweight lotion I have ever used. First of all, it comes with a pump which is handy and keeps it clean. I used up two sample sizes of this before I went out and purchased the full size, and I must say I couldn't be happier. I use this underneath my main moisturizer, which just adds that little bit more to your skin. On its own, it doesn't leave an oily or greasy feel to your skin, and absorbs really well. It doesn't smell particularly outstanding, because it really doesn't have a smell (which can be really good for sensitive skin). All in all, for $25-$30, this is a really great buy.

My next favorite is my Loreal Voluminus Million Lashes.

This distributes the perfect amount of mascara to your lashes, without clumping or smudging too much. I tend to have issues with mascaras that leave black streaks underneath my eyes, and I like this because if some of it does come off, it flakes off (which is something easy to just brush away). The name also describes the product - basically, lots of lashes. It's lovely, really. I love this product, and it's available at drug stores (I'm not sure how much, but probably $10, give or take).

The next item I want to pay tribute to is my Too Faced Natural Eye Palette, and a similar palette - Almay's intense i-colour trio for blues.

Both of these create similar looks, but I think they both have some really good shadow colours. The Too Faced shadows are absolutely amazing quality and the colour Silk Teddy is positively gorgeous, while the top colour in the Almay palette is also really good quality and a gorgeous colour. I love both of these for a nice, neutral eye look (my favorite one to rock). However, the price of the Too Faced palette is a bit of a turn-off - I got mine for about $40. If you have a lower budget, I'd recommend going with Almay's - available at drug stores.

I've also really been liking my Maybelline FIT me! Concealer.

I did an entire review on this product a while back, so if you'd like to read that post then you can click here.

Perfume-wise, my favorite has got to be the Harajuku Lovers Music perfume.

I got this for my birthday a couple of years ago and I have barely used half of it, despite two spritzes every day. It smells absolutely amazing - this floral, sweet scent. I'm not really good at describing things so this is what I found: Music was developed by perfumer Honorine Blanc, with notes of clementine, pear, jasmine sambac, sweet pea, honeysuckle, vanilla, skin musk and sleek woods. It's not exactly a cheap scent at $25 for 10 mL or $45 for 30 mL but it isn't particularly expensive either.

Two products left - the first, a brush. Quo's Crease Blending Brush, to be precise.

This is the perfect all-purpose brush - you can place colours on your eye with it, blend them in, apply crease colours, and highlight. There's not much more I can say about this brush - it's just amazing.

The second - an acne treatment system. For those of you who haven't heard of it, SkinID is an acne system formulated especially for the treatment of your skin type. One only needs to fill out a quiz (here) and 3 different products are selected to best suit your skin type - whether it be dry, combination, oily, or normal.

A wide range of products are available from this brand, including cream and gel cleansers, a toner, a moisturizer, an anti-acne treatment, and more.

The claim is that you will see better looking skin in two weeks - and this is totally accurate. I use this morning and night and I haven't had a single breakout in quite a while. How it works is every three months you are sent a shipment of your products for $49.95 (I believe) and you can cancel at any time. Upon your first, intial order you will also recieve a small tube of acne spot treatment and a little blue bag to hold all of your products in (which has proven to be quite helpful). All in all, this is an amazing idea and (in my opinion) a much better purchase than Proactiv or some other expensive treatment system. If you've tried this out, let me know in the comments what you think about it.

And that concludes my April Favorites. Sorry it was so late, but I've been quite busy. For those reading, what was your favorite product this month?