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2/20/2012

Wizarding World of Harry Potter Haul!

First of all, I'm sorry I haven't posted in forever - I was really busy the past few weeks and I just got back from Orlando, Florida :)

I come to you with my haul from America, where I was planning on getting a few things and ended up just getting some random items that I'm quite pleased with. The first is actually something I got before I went and I LOVE it. It's this faux-leather jacket from Garage. Considering the fact that it is a jacket, it's really well made, and I've gotten so much use out of it already, it was a bit of a steal ($60). It's a deep chocolate brown colour with a grey lining, detachable hood and a few pockets here and there.


Getting into the US stuff, I first visited a surf shop that was inside Universal Orlando, along the main street (City Walk, if you know what I'm talking about). I went there a total of about three times and got three different things.


First I got these earrings, which I was really excited to pick up since I honestly don't have a lot of earrings that aren't studs. They are a teardrop shape with cream, brown and teal coloured thread wound around them. 


On my second trip, I got this shirt, which I also love. It's a Quicksilver shirt, and it's long enough to wear leggings underneath. It has short sleeves with buttons on the sides, and is navy and white striped, which is a look I really love. It also has the sort of bottom that is shorter in the sides than in the front and back, which I know has a name but I honestly can't remember it. 


Lastly, on my final trip, I got this button-down shirt. The sleeves came rolled up, and it is almost a gradient type of shirt with different cream and pink stripes. I love this shirt because it fits well, and isn't anything too bold - it's soft and feminine and super comfortable.


Getting into some more of the fun stuff, I went to the M&M world in the Florida Mall, and I got about a pound of premium M&Ms. In case you were wondering, I got some of the peanut butter, the coconut, the baby blue regular ones, and the mini ones. And I have eaten some (I couldn't help it).


This is actually the design on one of the coconut M&Ms. So cute!


I also went to Sephora and I was planning on picking this up - it was on my list. I got the Naked 2 palette! I'm not going to get into it too much here - I'll do a post with swatches and my initial thoughts later. Oh, and by the way - I am still on project pan. I was actually planning on also getting a concealer when I was down in the states just because these are things I have a harder time getting in Canada, but I never got around to it. I got the Naked 2 now, while I'm on project pan, because it was $10 cheaper in the US and I'm not planning on going down there again anytime soon :) but I'm still not buying any makeup in Canada.



Getting into the Harry Potter stuff now. I got two Chocolate Frogs and a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, because of the packaging. Plus, the frogs come with cards inside.



I also got a little keychain to put on my car keys that is the Deathly Hallows symbol. This was probably one of my favorite things I got.

One last thing I got from the giftshop was this mug - I thought it was absolutely gorgeous and I know what I'm going to be drinking my tea out of from now on!


Last but not least, I got a pumpkin juice to try (I love the bottle. Definitely keeping this and washing it out when I finish the drink) and I also got a butterbeer. I decided to get one in the plastic mug instead of the cup that you throw away just because I could reuse the mug this way. By the way, I decided to try the iced butterbeer - and it was really good. If you are going to the WWOHP anytime soon, I definitely recommend it.



In all, I had an amazing time. I tried all of the rides and went around Universal Orlando quite a bit. It was a great vacation but I'm glad to be back :)

For those reading, have you ever been to a theme park like Universal? What did you think of it?

2/05/2012

Review: Clinique Gel Blush in "Black Honey"

Second post of the day! I'd like to review for you all a blush that is a little bit different and a little bit out there. It's a gel blush, which is a particular type of blush that MAC carries. However, the MAC gel blushes are actually in a pot and are more of a solid consistency, where as this blush I am about to show you is very much a liquid.

This particular blush is by Clinique and it's part of their "Black Honey" line. These are very, very dark colours in their packaging and are incredibly sheer when you apply them - like the Almost Lipstick that many people rave about. The packaging is alright - it's just held in a small plastic tube that you squeeze out the product from.

So initially when applied to the back of your hand it's an incredibly intimidating colour. It's a deep plum shade that almost looks black when it's this opaque. 


However, once the colour is blended out (and a little goes a long way!) it's quite pretty. It's not exactly a blush colour I would typically go for, but it looks even better when applied on the cheeks. 

The colour is a sort of purple-pink, but it's very muted and deep. One other thing I did want to mention with this blush is though you have to be very quick to work with it before it dries, once it does dry it does not budge, and that is something quite important in a blush. The staying power, therefore, is pretty good compared to a powder blush.


What do you think? Would you wear a blush this colour?

Nail of the Day - 02/05/12

Hooray, another nail of the day post! I love doing these because they're quick, easy, and fun to write up.

So today I have for you all a polish that is a little bit different than the ones I'd been wearing earlier. This is China Glaze's "Flyin' High", and it's a beautiful, creamy, blue-turquoise colour. In the bottle, the polish looks a bit more like a sky blue, but it's a little more green-toned once applied.



As for how it applies, this is ONE COAT. That's it. I love this polish because it's just thick enough to cover your nail with a nice, opaque finish, but it's not so thick that it's streaky and difficult to work with.

China Glaze's "Flyin' High", one coat

In all, this is an amazing polish. What do you think? Would you wear bright blues like this in the winter?

2/04/2012

Quick Tip: Get Rid of Static

So today I've got a really quick tip for everyone out there who has really static-y hair. I'm definitely one of those people who has pretty fine hair, so it's constantly frizzy and full of static. This gets particularly bad in the winter when it's quite dry.

My tip for all of you suffering from extreme static is to carry around a dryer sheet in your bag. Yes - a dryer sheet. When you put these in the dryer, they remove static from your clothes so that you don't have to deal with static in that regard. When used on your hair, it's the same idea - they just remove any static so your hair sits flat again.

I just recommend pulling it out every so often and running it through your hair. You might get a few weird looks, but it works really well!

So that's my tip :) for those reading, what do you do to get rid of static?

2/03/2012

January Favorites 2012!

Alright. So today I have my January favorites to show you all (yay!). I'm pretty excited about the products I have picked out.




Starting with non-makeup favorites, first is the TRESemme Fresh Start Smoothing Dry Shampoo. I actually hauled this a little while ago (to see the haul, click here) and since that haul I've used it quite a few times. It contains cornstarch, which is a fantastic natural dry shampoo, so it soaks up oils really well. It also has an amazing smell, which really helps to make your hair smell fresher. $4, Wal-Mart.



My other non-makeup favorite is the Clarisonic Mia. I have the original Mia (I know they came out with a Mia 2) and it's perfect for me. It has just one speed but I feel like it has really cleared out my skin just by combining it with my cleanser at night. It's also great for exfoliating and ensuring all of your makeup is completely washed off. $119, Sephora.


I have two face makeup favorites. First is my Revlon ColourStay Foundation in the shade 110 Ivory. This matches my skin tone perfectly (I'm pale, I know!) and it has really great full coverage. However, this foundation still looks pretty natural on the skin. I also like that it's almost moisturizing since I have incredibly dry skin, and most foundations just make my skin drier and tight. $13, Drugstores.

Next is my L'oreal Touche Magique Concealer. This is actually a product from my project pan (to see the blog post on that, click here). This concealer is great because it's really light and is perfect for brightening up my undereye area. $12, Drugstores.


Next is a blush. Now, I know this is really dirty and gross looking, but I'm hoping that says just how much I love this blush. This is a sample size (which is huge!) of Benefit's Dandelion Boxed Powder. It's a beautiful light pink colour with some subtle shimmer and, incidentally, this is actually a part of my project pan as well. I tried to swatch this but it didn't come off very well on my hand, because it's such a light colour. I have incredibly pale skin, so it applies like a perfect, natural blush on my cheeks. Full size $28, Sephora.


Getting into eye products, first is a sample size of a brow gel. This one I got from a Glymm box (to see the haul, click here). It's the Anastasia Clear Brow Gel and the first thing I noticed about this is that it has the exact same wand as the Maybelline Great Lash. This is a perfect brow gel - it keeps your brows in place for an incredibly long time and still looks perfectly natural. Full size $21, Sephora.


My favorite mascara of the month has been Revlon Custom Eyes. This is a part of my project pan and I absolutely love it - it gives a good amount of both volume and length without clumping, and it has two different settings for different looking lashes. The formula is also amazing, and doesn't smear underneath the eyes at all. $12, Drugstores.


Next I have two bases. The first is Urban Decay's Primer Potion, which I have a small size of and I love. It's perfect for preventing your eyeshadows from creasing, making them more opaque, and ensuring that they last all day. $20, Sephora.

The second is a Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow in Too Cool. I picked this up this month because I had heard so much hype about these shadows and I figured I may as well take a look. I wasn't very impressed with most of the colours because they were all super bright and there were no light champagne shades or anything (my favorites!) so this was the only colour I got. I absolutely love this - it's an amazing shimmery white that I like to use all over the lid under my shadows to make them appear brighter. $7, Drugstores.

Next are two eyeliners from Urban Decay - Their 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencils in Ransom, which is a bright purple, and Bourbon, which is a brown. Both are pretty shimmery but look fantastic when applied just to the upper lashline. I love the amazing staying power of these as well. $18, Sephora. Set of two $14, Sephora.

Last but not least is this Clinique Long Last Lipstick in All Heart. I love this because it feels so moisturizing on your lips, lasts forever, and is a gorgeous raspberry colour as well. $15, Sephora.

So that concludes my January Favorites. For those reading, what has been your holy grail product this month?