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4/30/2012

April Favorites!

Now I know that everyone says this, but I can't believe April is already over. It absolutely flew by and May is going to be a busy month! However, I'm excited to share my favorites with you all - so let's get into it :]


Starting with non-makeup favorites, my first is going to have to be the Quo Crease Shadow brush. It's absolutely phenomenal and I might just have to pick up an extra one. Everyone needs a good crease brush, and this is amazing - I use it to apply a wash of colour across my lid, apply crease shades, blend said crease shades, and even apply and blend concealer. Much like a MAC 217 (which I still need to try!) this is an all-in-one product. I even got it on sale. 


Quo Crease Shadow Brush, $7-$13, Shoppers Drug Mart
Only available in Canada - Sorry!

My next product is the Vaseline Cocoa Butter body lotion. I recently finished yet another lotion, and I pulled this one out of my stash to try again. After just a few uses I can really tell how amazing this lotion is. It's incredibly moisturizing, non-greasy and smells really good too.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter Lotion, about $5, drugstores
Moving on into makeup - face products. The first is going to be pretty surprising seeing as I'm pretty sure I mentioned how much I disliked this product in one of my Project Pan blog posts. This is the L'oreal HIP cream blush in Enamoured. The reason why I disliked this so much at first was because of the quality and how dry it was, but once I got through the first layer it got much creamier and blendable. It's a beautiful, wearable shade of pink that looks super natural on the cheeks, and the staying power isn't too shabby either.


L'oreal HIP Blendable Blushing Cream in Enamoured, assorted prices, Ebay, Amazon, All Cosmetics Wholesale, etc

My next face product is the Benefit Erase Paste concealer. This is a phenomenal concealer on a whole, and if I had the right shade I would love it even more. It is in medium (I got it from a set) and it's waaaaay too dark for me. However, I like to apply this underneath my foundation on any blemishes. I find it gives a way less cakey look because the foundation looks smooth, but my problem areas are still concealed. It's a winner for me.

Benefit Erase Paste in Medium 2, $30, Sephora
Last is something I don't know if I've mentioned yet. It is the Smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand in Pearl. This product comes in two shades, the other being "Gold", and it is absolutely gorgeous. The reason why I love this so much is because it is so natural - it has slight shimmer but mostly just leaves a subtle sheen on your face. I actually like this much better than Benefit's High Beam. The only downside is the steep price.
Smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand in Pearl, $37, Sephora
Moving into eye products, my first favorite is the Stila eyeshadow in Kitten. I love this because it has such great colour payoff and texture, and is absolutely gorgeous on the lids. I like to pair this with a matte taupe or brown colour, and I love the natural look I can achieve this way. 


Stila Eyeshadow in Kitten, $23, Sephora

Last for eyes is the NYX Eye and Eyebrow pencil in White. You can probably guess where I put this - on my lower waterline. What this does is it extends the whites of your eyes downward, so that your eyes generally look bigger and more open. The pencil itself isn't the creamiest but I like that because the white looks much more natural and subtle. It's also matte, which means it's more natural as well.

NYX Eye and Eyebrow pencil in White, about $4, certain drugstores and Ulta
Aaaaand I just realized that I forgot to take a picture of the eye pencil in detail. Sorry!

For lips, I have two products. The first is the Urban Decay lipgloss in Naked, which I got from my Naked 2 palette. To start, the packaging on this is AMAZING. It is the most gorgeous lipgloss tube I own. The actual colour is very pigmented, has a great consistency and scent, and there is something about it that just makes my lips look really good. It's like a my-lips-but-better colour.

Top: Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Naked, $23, Sephora
Bottom: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in 
Rosé, $22, Sephora
Last but certainly not least is the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Rosé. This my mom gave me from her birthday set (which was amazing) and I've found that I love it. It smells like lemons, and gives a very pretty, subtle pink tint to your lips. In addition, it is incredibly thick and moisturizing. If your birthday has not yet happened this year, I would recommend becoming a Sephora Beauty Insider (it's free!) so you could try out two of these for your free birthday gift :)

That's it! Thanks for reading :) What has your favorite product been this month?

4/24/2012

Perfume Collection and Storage

I recently reorganized how I store my perfume and such, so I thought I would share the storage with you all. It's located in my closet, in a small cubby-type of place. If I do a closet tour at some point, you will see where then. 

By the way, I'm sorry about how dark the photos are - my closet is quite a ways away from my window and it's a pretty dark area of my room.


This is an overview - as you can see, in the back right I have body sprays and mists, in the back left I have lotions, and towards the front are all of my perfumes.


This is the back. Some of my favorite products in here are my Glysomed hand cream and my Vaseline Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning Body lotion. These are actually all of my lotions and body sprays.


Here I have my three full-sized perfumes. I have the Harajuku Lovers Music, Katy Perry Purr, and Ed Harvy Hearts and Daggers. I totally recommend every single one.


In this last picture you can see where I keep my samples and deluxe samples. I put them on two small, circular mirrors and I love the way that this looks. It's very elegant and sophisticated. On the mirror that is further back I have small samples with atomizers on them and my Sephora atomizer, along with the funnel that it came with. On the closer mirror I keep my Pacifica solid perfume and a few deluxe perfume samples. My personal favorite from these is the Escada Taj Sunset perfume (the orange bottle). 

I didn't get a picture of it, but one perfume that is missing and is usually to the right of the mirrors is my Marc Jacobs Daisy rollerball. It is slightly visible in the first picture, but I completely forgot to get a picture of it :)

That's my collection! If you have a perfume collection blog post then link it in the comments and I would love to see it!

Week In Pictures!

I've been gone for quite some time because I was out of town for a while and have been sick, so I thought I would show a few pictures I took from my week!

My friend's boyfriend took this picture. 
How Starbucks spells my name. I SAID "Gillian with a 'G'". They spelled "Gullten". 
A happy pig my sister sent me.
The most delicious pasta ever... :)
Cheesecake brownies. 

4/15/2012

Nail of the Day - 04/14/12

I finally took off my Sally Hansen Nail Strips (review here!) and I repainted my nails, so I thought I'd show you all what I used.

The nail polish I picked is my most recent purchase and I love it. People seem to love telling me, "that's quite the polish you've got on there". The polish in question is China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy. I have quite a few pros and cons for this product.



First of all, I love the colour. It's a bright highlighter pink and it is the kind of colour that makes even the palest skin (ahem - mine) look incredibly tanned and glowing. It's also really fast drying.

The cons - it's quite streaky. The first two coats I did were not very good because it was so streaky, but the third was quite good. One thing that I would watch out for - this actually dries more matte than most nail polish, which is a result of its rapid-dry capabilities. If you don't like top coats and you only wear high shine nail polish, then this isn't one for you. When a top coat is applied on top, however, it has a beautiful glossy sheen and looks amazing on the nails.



I'm quite a big fan of this nail polish, especially for summer. What's your favorite one currently?

4/11/2012

Requests!

Hey guys! I was just wondering if you had any requests for posts on this blog! I have a few ideas in mind but I'd like some input on what I should blog about. The sky is the limit :)

Thanks!

Quick Tip: Where I buy my jeans

I thought I'd quickly mention this topic, because I know that I have a lot of trouble finding jeans to fit me. Being 5'11 and a size 2-4, most jeans are much too short for me - I find that most places like Garage and Forever21 don't carry a wide enough range of sizes to fit all body types. While they carry plenty of different waist sizes, the length doesn't vary much.

This is especially troublesome in the area of coloured jeans, which I would love to get my hands on, but no one carries long enough sizes for someone as tall as me.

If you are on one of the extreme sides of height, and you're either quite tall or quite short, I would recommend taking a look in American Eagle for jeans. In most washes each size comes in a short, regular and long, and on the website an x-long size is available (something I'm definitely looking into). My only issue is that the coloured denim available in American Eagle, while great quality, is only available in the "regular" length in store. If you're looking for any other length, one would have to look online.

I definitely recommend these jeans to anyone. They're comfortable, come in a wide range of styles and washes, and are pretty affordable (compared to Hollister or 7 For All Mankind).

Where's your favorite place to get jeans?

                                                                              ~~~

This is not a sponsored post by any means. I just wanted to share my preferences for those who are looking for longer or shorter jeans and don't know where to go. :)

4/09/2012

Review/Nail of the Day - 04/09/12

I wanted to rave about a lovely product I've had on my nails for over a week - the Sally Hansen Real Nail Polish Strips in the shade 530 Aflorable. When I went to Victoria over spring break, I saw these and thought the print was adorable. Sunday of last week, I applied one of these to each of my nails.

Per package, you receive 16 strips (each good for one to two nails, depending on your nail length and width), a small wooden stick, and a nail file. 


The first thing I wanted to say was that the selection is absolutely phenomenal. The amount of shades that are available, ranging from animal prints to solids to florals to glitters, is amazing. No matter who you are, if you like nail polish, there will be a shade for you in this line of products.


These applied well - no bubbles, and were easy to file down and shape to fit the nail. I used a base coat underneath, and I think that made the strips stick to my nails better. Afterwards, I actually put on 3 layers of my favorite top coat - Konad's top coat. I know this seems like overkill, but it's actually worked out quite well for me.

For staying power, the box claims that these should last up to ten days. Though I can't say anything about that claim yet, it has been eight, and none of my nails have chipped. My only issue is not related to the product - there is a space between where my nail begins and where the polish begins, because my nails have grown during the time I've had these strips on. 

The verdict? Amazing. The selection is amazing, the staying power is amazing, the application is amazing, and I've gotten tons of comments on how cool my nail polish is. Best of all, I have 7 strips left over, so I'm going to paint all of my nails except my ring fingers one colour, and wear a strip as a sort of "colour pop". I might even do a NOTD post on that :)


The last thing I do want to mention is the price. Now, in Canada, these retail for around $12 - the same price as a full-sized OPI polish. Though the staying power is great, I don't think these are worth that much of a splurge. However, for a one-time thing, I whole-heartedly recommend them!

Would you try these?

DIY Inexpensive Brush Holder.

I wanted to share a little tip I have about brush holders - and how I saved a little money making mine. I haven't actually seen anyone who did this like I did, so I thought I'd share my way today!

One of the most popular ways to hold brushes is the "Sephora-esque way" - having your brushes standing straight up in a container filled with clear plastic beads. This is how I did mine.


You're going to need:

1.) Brushes


2.) A small package of clear plastic beads (available at Michael's craft stores)

3.) A Slatkin & Co. 3 Wick Candle (preferably empty, and available at Bath and Body Works)


1.) Finish your candle. I already had mine and I finished it up, and this was when I realized I could use it to hold my brushes. Clean it out using hot water, but make sure to scrape out the left-over candle and throw it out! If you pour the leftover hot wax down the sink, it will solidify and clog your drains.

2.) Fill with the beads. I found one package was the perfect amount to fill the container.


3.) Put your brushes in! I find that this holder fits just enough brushes for me, since I have very few. If you had a larger brush collection, you might need two or three candles.


I love the way this looks on my vanity. I just turned the holder so that the candle label was facing the wall, and it's a simple yet elegant storage method for my brushes! If you already have any sort of candle (Yankee candles would work also, as well as the single wick candles from BBW) then you can do this for a very low cost - you just have to pay for the beads. 

Of course, candles can get pretty pricey - the Slatkin & Co. three wicks retail for about $20 per when you don't get them on sale - but as I said above, if you already had a candle, then this is a good way to make use of the container as well.

Thanks so much for reading! How do you store your brushes?



4/08/2012

Wishlist - 04/08/12

These are all the things I wish I had money for right now! :)

1.) Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, about $55 CAD, Chanel counters

This is something I've had my eye on for quite some time. I know lots of people love it and when I run out of my current foundation, I would love to try this.

2.) Chanel Blush Horizon de Chanel soft glow blush

Chanel Blush Horizon de Chanel blush, about $74 CAD, Chanel counters

This is BEAUTIFUL. And I really don't need a reason to have another blush but I absolutely love this. I have no idea if it's still available - I believe it was limited edition - but if I could get my hands on it, I would love it.

3.) NARS duo in Tzarine

NARS duo in Tzarine, $34 USD, Sephora

I've wanted this eyeshadow duo for a very long time. It comes with a beautiful champagne colour and a deep blue, and I love both colours. I think this would be nice for something a little different from my typical neutral brown shadows.

4.) ASOS Quilted Lock Across Body Bag

ASOS Quilted Across Body Bag, $27.41 CAD,  www.asos.com

I know this bag is incredibly popular, but I love it just the same. I don't know exactly where I would wear it but it would get use, since it is so gorgeous.

5.) American Eagle Crossbody Satchel

AEO Crossbody Satchel, $24.42 CAD, American Eagle

I'm really into crossbody bags, in case that was not yet clear. I love this one because of the worn feel and the different colours on the outside flap. It's also fairly affordable, and since I work at American Eagle I could get a bit of a discount on it!

So that's everything! I'm still on a bit of a spending ban when it comes to makeup, but I do plan on getting a new foundation when I run out of mine. If you're reading, what is your number one item on your wishlist right now?

4/07/2012

Update: Why I've Been Away.

I thought I would quickly explain just how much I've been up to as well as share a few pictures I happened to have on my phone from my travels :)

I regret not blogging at all for so long, because I love it a lot. Last night I realized just how neglected this blog was, so I revamped it a little - new URL, new name, new banner... But I do feel I should share where I've been.

In addition to my normal school workload, I've taken on quite a few other projects. I'm in the pit band for the spring musical at my school (Beauty and the Beast), I started taking flute lessons and have been practicing like there's no tomorrow, and I've had a few photoshoots along the way. :)

A week ago I took a short trip to Victoria to check out the university -a lot of the pictures included are from that. I've also been busy eating, spending time with my family, and reading (which I haven't done in a while).

I'm glad to be back! I definitely missed blogging and I got my break, so look forward to lots more posts to come.

Tea, my flute, and music - a good night.

Desserts at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC (YUM).

Four different kinds of meringues. 

Tea at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC.