Friday 28 December 2012

Im Feeling a Little Vampy!

Hey Everyone!! I LIVE! haha



I have a hubby to watch kiddies today and new make-up to play with so.... I did a LOTD make-up look for you guys!


I got a huge palette with so many colours it is a little crazy so I decided to just pick one and go for it! Today was this gorgeous BRIGHT red with a touch of orange. It just jumped out at me I had to use it. Hope you like the look :D


 

Also was kinda having an awesome hair day today too! My hair just air dried into that gorgeousness!! YES! lol So this look is a little vampy feeling so I kept the checks bright and the lips nude (well my lips are naturally pretty pink so my nude isn't very pale if you nude is pale I'd go brighter) Please excuse the crazy skin colour thing going on my web cam is not very flattering haha!

Lots of Love
xoxoxx

Monday 19 November 2012

Is It Worth The Hype? Eye Shadow Primer

So here I am again sorry about the long hiatus! Today we are putting eye shadow primer under a microscope! Is it worth it? Even on the cheaper scale? Do you really need it or is it just another step.

Those were just a few of the questions I asked about this product when I was first looking into buying some for myself. I decided to get some of the cheapest stuff out on the market because it seemed ridiculously expensive for such a simple product. I started out with the brand GOSH's primer and was not impressed. It was nice and it did make my eye shadow go on smoother, but the colour didn't last longer. I still had some streaks in my crease come the end of the day, and the promise of brighter bolder colours were not as amazing as advertised!

I was about to toss this product to the curb, but then I came into a couple free samples from some higher end brands. The much raved about Urban Decay primer in both Greed and The Original. Now I was skeptical about the original colour because it just looked like watered down concealer how was that going to help? So I didn't start my test with it, I went for greed because I liked the idea of a golden base. Man were my thoughts of it being a watered down concealer off! It was much smoother and softer and felt luscious  when I put it on my eyes. Now I only used taupes, browns, and golds with "Greed" but they were much brighter! They lasted all day and didn't crease or run and become raccoony. I loved it and decided that maybe the original colour was worth my attention.

I didn't try it though, I came into another free sample of benefit's Primer and decided to try it out first. It seemed very similar to urban Decay's primer but was a couple dollars cheaper in its full size version. (at least in Canada, in the states UD primer is on sale and is cheaper) Now I liked this product and it did it's job. My eye shadow stayed put, the colours were brighter, and it didn't crease come the end of the day.

My only problem with the Benefit's primer is that I used Urban Decay's primer in original after it. They are really very close as far as products go. Even their price point is only off by a couple dollars. I still like Urban Decay's product better. It just seemed to work a smidgen harder for me. The colours seem slightly brighter, and last a little bit later into the night. Either product is really nice, and I can't bring myself to recommend either over the other. I think I just like Urban Decay's product better due to personal preference and not based on the product.

So if I have a favourite does that mean I think it is worth it?

Well....

Not exactly. For everyday light "I'm running out for groceries" make-up it is just an extra step that seems unnecessary. I don't use it everyday and sometimes I do forget about it entirely. Do I notice when I don't wear it? Yes almost right away I notice, because blending is quiet a bit harder without this product on as a base. When I am going out or I am doing a more daring make-up look it is a must have.

So my final thoughts on this product are, if you wear bright colours, go out with more daring make-up, or just like to do make-up this product is a must have! If your make-up is more on the side of a simple everyday to get you by then you don't need this product. It is just an extra step. Quality does make a difference with this product. I would definitely invest in the higher price point brand's primer over the drugstore brands. You use so little at a time and they give you a fair amount it isn't a product you will be running to the store to buy very often. Which makes it a good value in my books.

Hope this was helpful!

Lots of Love
xoxoxx

Friday 28 September 2012

Not your little girl's PINK

I love revisiting my love for pink every once in a while. I remember the days where everything needed to be pink. Every accessory, every shoe, every lipstick, and every eyeshadow. It also needed to be covered in glitter ;) but that is a whole other obsession!

Usually pink's impact is dependant on it's hue. A light baby pink is for baby girls, a hot bright pink is for the punk in us all, and a soft brownish rose pink is for the sophisticated lady. I wanted to break that mold. Hot neon pink is a huge colour right now and I wanted to have a make-up look I could go to if I was having a pink kind of day. This is the result of that desire!







It is bold, bright and just the right amount of punch to catch your attention. I think this look would look great on darker skin tones, brown eyes, or green eyes. I think this look accomplished my goal quite nicely. What do you guys think? wearable mature neon pink or does it still need some tweaking?

Leave me a comment with your thoughts!
Lots of Love
xoxoxx

Thursday 20 September 2012

Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara

Review time! Now if you have read any of my other posts about mascara you'll know I have a love hate relationship with the sexy black goop. I found the best way to keep my long STRAIGHT lashes curled was to use a waterproof mascara, but using waterproof mascara everyday can be pretty rough on your lashes. Plus with a new baby sometimes I just don't have time to do the elaborate clean up waterproof mascara needs! Which means I sleep with it on my lashes yuck! A friend recommended this mascara for me to try. Here is how it went!

Let's talk packaging first





Love the colours they used! The wand has a weird flex part to it which is neat in theroy but I found it didnt really do anything when applying the mascara. That being said it didn't make it harder to apply either. It really didnt do anything negative or positive. I could see it being handy if you have a hard time working product right at the root of your lashes, but I don't so I can say that for sure. The brush is big and full of bristles and I really enjoyed how it grabbed my lashes. It didn't clump them together or space them out too much. I felt like it provided the perfect amount of volume.

no product

light application (how I would wear for daytime)

When product was applied in multiple layers


How did the formula do?

It is lightweight like advertised, but not super lightweight. I'd say it is a middle-weight contender. The formula left my lashes really soft to touch which was really neat and comfortable. I couldn't get over the flexibility of this formula! In the heat (crazy hot heat to boot!) it held up beautifully. No flaking. No smearing. No smudging.

Did it hold my lashes curled all day?

Almost. I'll give it an almost. It didn't make it all day but it did better then most. Around late afternoon my lashes would start to droop, but I am usually done my day by then so it held up for the whole length of "MY" day. Plus, being such a flexible formula I could do a touch up curl without damaging my lashes if need be and it would make it until I removed my make-up.

no product/no curl super straight

curled/product applied nice lift and hold


Final verdict

As a daily mascara this one is a winner! It lasts through my errands in blistering heat. Held my curl well enough to not bother my eyes, and even if I did need to do some eye rubbing it wouldn't go anywhere anyways! I think it could be used in a night out look as well but like I said earlier it is more middle ground drama. So if you want super intense it might not be quite enough for you. It is pretty build-able though. I could totally see myself repurchasing this product! If your thinking about checking it out I suggest you do!

Lots of love
xoxoxx

Monday 16 July 2012

Is it worth it? Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

Full thoughts in video form here! swatches and summary of my thoughts below.

It has more of a muddy yellow undertone than orange!
Yummy yummy yummy! That right there sums up my love of this product right there! Who doesn't love smelling chocolate while applying their make-up!

Here are some detailed pictures and swatches of this product in the shade milk chocolate.
I built up the colour gradually form left to right










Retailed at sephora for 36$ alternatives range from $7-$20 so if you can find an alternative do it.

But! Alot of the drugstore bronzers are too orange for me personally, so because of that this product is worth it! If you have a bronzer you love already then stick with that. No need to spend more money just to smell like chocolate. If your feeling orange like me then most definitely try this product! It is the perfect shade for either a subtle contour or an all over sun kissed look!

Lots of love


xoxoxx

Friday 6 July 2012

Coral Shimmer


I am showing some love to the sunny shade of coral today! This beautiful colour has a shade for everyone and every shade is just as gorgeous as the last. I chose a golden coral infusion shadow for my eyes, urban decay "x". After an all over dose of that gorgeous colour, I used some "naked" shadow for a little bit of definition in my crease and on my lower lash line. With "x" being so shimmery I decided to make it pull double duty as my highlight as well.

Cheeks and lips I kept with the golden coral but went for colours that were more coral then golden. Nars "orgasm" for my cheeks, which has become my new multipurpose blush! Lips I used Maybeline "coral luster" lipstick and smashbox "boundless" longwear lipgloss.

This was a quick easy everyday look that I have been wearing alot this summer so far. Oh! I am also trying out maybeline's new B.B. cream with this look. A comparison review is on its way!

Lots of love
xoxoxx

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Is It Worth It? Nars Blush Orgasm

At $32 dollars I was very skeptical of the hype of this product!

But it's quality won me over. (that and the fact that the nyx and milani dupes were nowhere to be found for me! :O)

Here are some basic swatches of the product.

Left: blended swatch Right: swatch to show pigmentation
Natural Light Photo of Colour
Check out my YouTube Channel for my full thoughts via The "Is It Worth It featuring Nars Blush Orgasm" video.

I can't wait to give you guys my opinion on next month's "Is It Worth It" product! For a sneak peek at what product I am going to be evaluating click Here.

Lots of Love
xoxoxx

Drugstore Make-Up





Today's make-up look was all about my drugstore collection! I wanted something simple and sleek, that would travel well. By travel well I mean have as few items as possible. I have an upcoming road trip and need to start deciding what make-up needs to come with me!! Harder to do then I originally thought.

I only used one trio to get the desired look. I figured the fewer eyeshadow palettes I use the better. I just stuck with the suggested application for this trio. You know what I mean if it has crease pressed into the powder I did what it told me too. Applying some K.I.S.S. to this look. Here are the main items of this look ( I didn't include everything in this list because the other items I used are my few staple higher end products)

  • Wet n wild walkin on eggshells
  • Maybelline mega plush volume express mascara
  • Garnier skin renew bb cream light/medium
  • Covergirl blastlipstick duo in whisper
  • Maybelline bouncy blush in peach satin
  • *not in picture* Maybelline Drama eyeliner in brown


Hope you enjoyed this post! Have a great day.

Lots of love
Xoxoxx

Monday 11 June 2012

Teal and Purple

 Love this look. It is super bright and playful. (please ignore my hair it was having a rough day haha) Brighting up a classic neutral look of basic shadow and liner by switching it up to bright contrasting colours is the idea behind this look!




I chose a nude lavender lip to play up the purple on my eyes. I wish I had a violet toned blush to really vamp it up but alas I didn't so I stuck to a simple natural cheeks. I love this look and plan on trying different contrasting colour combos when I get a chance! Hope you like it as much as I did :D

xoxoxx
Lots of Love

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Purple is Golden on Brown Eyes



I wanted something bold, simple, and defining. Purple really should be my go to colour! Don't ask me why I don't wear it more, I could not tell you. This look is so amazing, and easy to tone down slightly for a more everyday look as well. If I used brown liner and mascara instead of black the whole look wouldn't be so crisp and seem more natural. Yes, even with the purple :D 




I had a small oopsie that might have turned into brilliance. I wanted to use my 24hr tattoo shadow in pomegranate punk within this look but it isn't the most blend-able product so it ended up turning into a base instead of a colour contributor. Which I loved! It was too late to make it the entire looks base but where I put it the purple has more staying power and a better pow! I will definitely be trying this look with my pomegranate punk as the eyeshadow base in the very near future! 

Lots of Love
xoxoxx

Tuesday 5 June 2012

GIrly Glam

 This make-up look was inspired by the gorgeous Coco Rocha's look for DKMS gala. I loved how the liner came under the eye a little bit. It is smokey and sultry but still very girly and pretty thanks to the pink lip! I want to try this look with brown liner as well to just soften it up a little bit more :D




Very simple glam look that could almost be a day make-up look if you skip the black and go brown!

Lots of Love
xoxoxx

My Birth Story


So my birth story starts out like my other two, heading to the hospital to get induced. I did want to go into labor naturally, but the stress of that happening well Jordan was at work and labor going really fast was enough to push me into accepting the induction. (haha push more like leapt at the idea!) SO... I get to the hospital and they ask me to do the routine pee in a cup, so I do. The nurse comes back shortly after exclaiming, “I’ve never seen this before so I have to show you!” I don’t think anybody wants to hear that when being admitted in the hospital. Now I can't remember exactly what specifically they test for but if positive you have an infection. A positive, appears as a very very very pale (very pale!!) peach, my positive was HOT pink! Eeeck! With that result not only are they positive I have a UTI but they are concerned it is in my kidney’s as well.

Now this wasn’t too surprising to me seeing as I have had a bladder infection for the better part of this pregnancy and after 4 rounds of antibiotics apparently still hadn’t beaten it! So this is where even though I really didn’t want an IV I needed one for the antibiotics. Though I didn’t need to have one the whole time just during antibiotics, as long as I was staying hydrated. So after that shock and some antibiotics, the induction process began. I started at a 0% effaced and 1 cm dilated so I knew this labor was probably going to be a little bit of a slow starter. I got into a groove and wasn’t too uncomfortable. They were just lightly causing discomfort so I could easily manage them. After I went into the shower they picked up and slowly started to increase in strength which was more exciting then painful. After the 6 hour mark the doctor wanted to check me to make sure I was actually in labor because if I wasn’t they would do another round of prostaglandin gel. At this point if I was anything 5cm plus I felt like I could keep pushing through without being disappointed.

I was exactly 5cm and 100% effaced. At this time the nurse also needed to do a shift change and wanted to have me monitored for about 15min so she could get a vibe for the baby for the intermitted heart rate checks. Those 15min were awful, because after the check my contractions picked up in strength again. I wish I had refused but I made it through and was desperate to get unhooked when the 15min were up. I went into the shower again with Jordan’s help and tried my best to get into my zone, but something was feeling off about the contractions. My baby wasn’t back to back and I was emptying my bladder regularly so why was I getting this ache that wouldn’t subside between contractions? I started to hit my wall at this point. My body was entering transition and the contractions I could manage it was this other pain. After I got out of the shower the contractions started to piggy back each other and this all over ache that wasn’t from or connected to my contractions was unbearable. If I drank water it got worse but without water the contractions would come non-stop. I was starting to lose my strength.  At the 7hr mark of labor, I started to make my decision.

I was praying to god about the pain, confused why it felt so different, and looking for wisdom on what to do to get past it. I decided to get checked again because after these kind of contractions I thought maybe I was close and that’s what the extra pain was. The nurse check me and I was for the most part the same. Maybe a little closer to a 6 but still 5cm dilated and baby’s head was still pretty high. As soon as she said that it hit me, my bladder and kidneys! After all the contractions and the infection they were inflamed or irritated and the baby couldn’t move past my bladder! The reason you want to keep emptying your bladder is because it can slow labor down and get in the way, but with me even when empty my bladder was still screaming something’s wrong and was getting in the way. I was in transition I knew these contractions from Ellie’s birth but if I couldn’t find a way to relax my bladder I was going to be fighting an uphill battle. I just knew it. 

 SO... Here is where I made a decision that I had never even consider during my last labors. With Samuel my labor was 7hrs long and at about 5hrs into it I asked for something to help me relax a little. I was absolutely horrified of the epidural and even though I couldn’t manage the pain anymore it wasn’t even on my radar. After my body relaxed during sam’s labor a couple hours later I had him. Now here I was 7hrs in with this labor only half way and my body was fighting an uphill battle that only took an hour last labor. I was done. With the meds that I got with Samuel’s labor they were burned off before I was even pushing, but I still felt the effects and it was like being on a cloud. I knew I didn’t want to go through that again. Plus I knew that if I could relax my bladder and corresponding muscles I was gunna have this baby quick. So after thinking and praying about all this in super speed in my head all my fear of the epidural was wiped away and I asked for an epidural. The minutes waiting for the epidural my contractions stepped it up a notch again and I was barely holding it together. 

My mom who has had 5 spinals for 5 c-sections was the one whom I got to lean on and she couched me through it. Within minutes I felt relieve. I could eat and drink again without being in fear of aggravating my bladder even more. I relaxed ate some salad my step-dad brought for us and started to get settled. After about an hour I started to feel the contractions again. With the accompanying ache of my bladder. The nurse came and said usually at this point that’s normal because it’s time to turn the pump on. If they persist in 5mins to give her a call again she might need to turn it up for me. Well in 5mins they weren’t getting better but worse, so we called her. She suggested that she check me again because sometimes increased pain well on an epidural can mean progress. Okay let’s see if my instinct about needing to relax were right. pfft... was I right? Well with about 4 mins of pushing Jericho Colin Munro was born weighing in at 8lbs 12oz and measuring at 21.2inches. I don’t know if something else could of been done, but I do know that what I did choose to do worked for me. I didn’t tear, still got to hold my baby right away and was probably the most present during birth then either of my two previous labors. I got discharged from the hospital after my second round of antibiotics the next day after lunch.

I think if I didn’t have that bladder infection I probably would’ve been able to push through, but labor is painful enough, when my bladder and kidneys started to add to the pain I just couldn’t cope anymore.  

Im proud that I made it through 8 and a half hours of labor (longest labor so far haha) Almost all of it still pain med free. I wouldn’t change anything (except maybe the bladder infection) about this birth, and am very glad that the last hour of my last pregnancy was soooo enjoyable well on the epidural.

Wednesday 2 May 2012

Simple doesn't mean Boring!

I am in love with the pop of colour look! Such a fun way to keep your make-up sophisticated but still fun and young! Today's colour is
.......
......

GREEN!





I extended the green along my lash line and up into my crease to really shape my eye. This shade of green is a personal favourite of mine. I will most definitely be wearing this make-up look again! It is soo gorgeous! I am really proud of it. I went peachy on my cheeks to keep a warm complexion against the cool green. Then I went will a pale pink lip to sandwich in the warmth on my cheeks. I love how the pink on my lips makes the green pop and vice versa. 


I had alot of fun designing this look, hope you guys like it as much as me :D

Lots of Love
xoxoxx

Tuesday 1 May 2012

Orange Creamsicle Eyeshadow

Today's make-up look is a bold colour pop! You can do this with any colour you heart desires. Keeping everything else about the make-up low key splash a bold colour all over your lid keeping your crease nice and clean. I added some brown under my eye to give a little more definition to my eyes because the colour I choose washed me out. Depending on skin tone and colour used this step is optional. 

 
 I really love this look, even if orange is a little bright for me I still think I will do this look again. Actually with my colouring a really bright green of any shade would be a great way to do this look as well. This is a little bolder than just a simple colour pop but not too over the top that you couldn't wear it for an everyday look.

The trend this spring is all about those neon colours. If doing it in accessories or colour blocking isn't your style try playing with the trend within your make-up!

Hope you enjoyed this make-up look!

Lots of Love
xoxoxx