Christmas Makeup Tutorial/Inspiration

With only a couple more days until Christmas (3, to be exact), I thought it would be fun to do a festive, Christmas-y makeup look. I don’t have step-by-step pictures for you, but this look is very simple to recreate, and I will give you a list of the products I used, and a quick description!

To start off, here’s the look:

Sorry this first one is so washed out… For some reason the camera decided my skin was pure white for this shot! I swear the rest will be better…

And a close up of the eye makeup:

Obviously, if you have similar colours, you can use whatever products you have at hand, but here’s what I used:

Lancome Color Ideal Foundation:

I honestly don’t think they make this foundation anymore, but I still have this and its still fine, especially since it has a pump so my fingers have never been in it. Anyways, I used this with my flat-top Real Techniques Buffing Brush in a thin coat all over my face. Followed by:

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Fair:

Under my eyes and in a triangle on either side of my nose to highlight the center of my face. I don’t have much in the way of dark circles, but this helps my makeup to look more flawless, and I feel like it—and the powder of top of it—help to keep my eyeliner in place. Next, I used my:

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Sandstorm:

Over my foundation and concealer to set and mattify everything, and to make sure it says in place all day. Next, I took my

ELF Eyebrow Kit in Light:

I used an Angled liner brush from Morphe with the gel side first to shape and darken my brows, followed by the powder to set the gel and fill in sparse areas. I like to do my brows first because then I don’t over do it on my eyes, and that way I don’t forget. After that, I used my:

Urban Decay Primer Potion:

To prime my eyes to make sure my makeup lasted, of course. Then I topped the primer with:

Urban Decay eyeshadow in W.O.S. (from the Naked Basics palette):

You haven’t seen the Naked Basics palette on my blog yet, I don’t think, but you will soon. Anyways, I just wanted to use a shadow that was basically the same colour as my skin to make sure my eyelids looked matte, clean, and bright, since I have thin eyelids. Also, I find that my eyelids are just oily enough to make my eyeliner transfer if I don’t wear it over eyeshadow, so this helped with that as well. Next, I used:

Wet’n’Wild H2O Proof Liquid Liner in Black:

To line my upper lash line and to create a wing, followed by:

Annabelle Glitterama Liquid Liner in Neon Green:

After drawing on the wing in the black liner, I traced just above that line with the green glitter liner. I had to do 2 thin coats to make it look this glittery and bright, but I really love how it came out. Next, of course, I added:

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencil in Zero:

To line my lower waterline. (If you find that liner in your water line tends to slide from the outer corners down into weird smudges, like mine loves to do, I would suggest using an angled brush and a matte black eyeshadow and press that into the edge of your liner, just below your lower lashes. I find that helps to prevent some of the smudging, if not all, and keeps my makeup looking cleaner, longer.) And to finish up my eyes, I added:

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Mascara in Black:

To make sure I had eyelashes! I used about three coats of this mascara, since I find it goes on fairly thin. The upside of this formula is that I don’t find it really ever creates clumps, even after three coats. But the downside is that I have to do three coats to make my lashes look how I want them to. I’m pretty meh on this mascara. I don’t hate it by a long shot, but I wouldn’t choose it again.

If you wanted even more drama, you could definitely add some falsies, but for this look I stuck to just the mascara.

Now that the eyes are done, there are just two more steps to this look:

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft And Gentle:

I used my Morphe fan brush and swiped this along the tops of my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, my cupid’s bow, and just under my eyebrows. I love this highlight, but if you use it, make sure to use the tiniest amount, since it is insanely shimmery! I just swipe my brush into the product lightly, tap it off, and that is more than enough for me to highlight everywhere I want to do so!

Finally to finish off my look I added:

Sephora Lip Attitude Lipstick in Chic:

Green and red is such a Christmassy combination, so to complete this look I figured a classic red lip was in order. This is my favourite red lipstick, but I’m not sure if it’s still available. It’s Sephora’s own brand, and the colour is Chic… unless it’s C27. Either way it’s gorgeous and I love it, but any classic-red lipstick will do!

And that’s all! Spritz with a makeup setting spray to make sure it lasts all day long (I use Urban Decay’s All-Nighter), and you’re good to go.

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This look is really simple, so I think it would be good for just about anywhere that you might want to wear it! You could also, substitute the green liner for gold or silver glitter for a slightly different look, but I really love the green and red together, since it looks so subtly Christmassy. Or maybe it’s not that subtle. *shrugs* I wore this out shopping at the mall today, but I think it would also be great for Christmas parties, Christmas dinner, or maybe even as a simple New Year’s Eve look!

Anyway, I hope you liked this or took some kind of inspiration from it for yourself.

Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2013 Wish List

It may be a little close to the date to be posting my wish list, but I’m gonna anyways. Mostly because I find it interesting looking at other people’s wish list. Anywhere, in no particular order, here’s some of the things I’d love to get this year, some of which are extremely unlikely and expensive.

1. Naked 3

Image from theblackpearlblog.com

I was fairly excited about this when I saw the promo pictures and YouTube videos… but it wasn’t until I got to see this in store and swatch it for myself that I fell in love. The colours are just so gorgeous, and I need it.

2. 3DS XL and Pokémon X

Image from zelda.wikia.com

Image from geekdad.com

Am I ten years old? Quite possibly. But my boyfriend has this, and my best friend is getting it for Christmas, and I don’t really wanna be left out >_>… Plus, you get to pet and play with your Pokémon like in Nintendogs. It’s possible I want this ~$200 present just for that. Shh…

3. Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Catfight

Image from phyrra.net

I honestly could have had this already, if I’d decided this was the lipstick I wanted from David, but I picked another one you’ll see in my Christmas haul (is it a haul if I didn’t buy it myself?). That said, at the time I wasn’t in love with it, and I already have the small sample size one that was a 100 point perk from Sephora a while ago. Buuuuut now I really want the full size!

4. “The Little Mermaid” DVD

Image from futureworld84.blogspot.ca

This was my favourite movie as a little kid, and my VHS is so used that it skips and is really ugly to watch. Since it was rereleased recently, I’d love to own a fresh copy, DVD style!

5. “Unico” by Osamu Tezuka

Image from goodcomics.comicbookresources.com

This is an adorable graphic novel/comic book type book I found in the manga section of Chapters a while ago, and it looks so amazing. However, I’ll probably never buy it for myself, since it’s about $35… It’d be a great present, though!

6. “The Fall of Arthur” by J.R.R. Tolkien

Image from geekdad.com

This is Tolkien’s version of the Arthur story, and since I love Tolkien and King Arthur, I’d love to read this, even though it is technically unfinished. Christopher Tolkien is probably just being silly releasing every little thing his dad ever wrote, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to read them anyways!

7. Via coffee and Vanilla or Toffee Nut Syrup from Starbucks

Image from amazon.co.uk

Image from starbucksstore.com

Y’all should know by now how much I love Starbucks, so why wouldn’t I wanna be able to make my own at all times!

8. White Lindor

Image from lindt.ca

These may be the best white chocolate ever, it’s just so creamy and fantastic. After my advent calendar I’m not craving milk chocolate Lindor, but I am craving the milk chocolate ones!

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I would have liked to have made this a nice even list with 10 things, but I honestly can’t think of one more thing to put on the list, unless I list something I already got or know I will get.

So yeah, that’s about everything! Let me know in the comments what you’re hoping to get for Christmas!

Sweater Weather Tag!

I’ve seen this on tons of blogs and YouTube channels, and thought it would be fun, even though fall is pretty much over. Besides, winter requires sweaters too!

1. Favourite candle scent?
I don't own it, unfortunately, but my favourite fall scent from B&BW this year was the Pumpkin Pecan Waffle candle. My current favourite that I do own, however, is my Marshmallow Fireside candle, as mentioned in my last Favourites post.

2. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
This is hard question for me, since I love all three. Especially tea and coffee. While tea is really versatile and varied, however, I think my favourite would have to be coffee, especially with all the holiday flavours from Starbucks!

3. What's the best fall memory you have?
My best fall memory is probably just the way it looked and felt outside in the morning before school in September and October. The light is just so pretty at that time of day, and it's cool and refreshing. I kinda wish I was the type of person who got up early enough to see that still, sometimes!

4. Which makeup trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged eyeliner?
While I love winged liner, and do it from time to time, dark lips are just about one of my favourite things, so I definitely have to go with that one.

5. Best fragrance for fall?
Chloe Eau de Parfum! Its so warm and comforting, and it's perfect for colder weather.

6. Favourite Thanksgiving food?
Either white-meat from the turkey, with the crispy skin on the outside, or else the mashed potatoes drowned in gravy... mmmmm! This is also my favourite Christmas food :p

7. What is autumn weather like where you live?
Cold, but less cold than other places until recently, when it's been literally freezing for like a week or so, and icy-cold wind with it! Usually it's cold and wet, but it's been pretty dry as of late. When it starts to rain, it's gonna be snow unless it starts to warm up!

8. Most worn sweater?
I only really own one sweater, as I'm usually more of a sweatshirt type of girl. As such, my favourite sweater is my nerdy bunny sweater!

9. Must-have nail polish this fall?
Anything dark and rich. Especially oxblood type colours. My favourites are probably Germanicure from OPI, Oxblood by RGB, and HRH by Butter London.

10. Football games or jumping in leaf piles?
I don't like football, so leaves win by default... though that's never been an appealing passtime to me. How about walking through and kicking around crunchy fallen leaves instead?

11. Skinny jeans or leggings?
Neither, usually, but if I had to choose, then Skinny jeans. Leggings aren't pants! >_< At least skinny jeans look good tucked into boots.

12. Combat boots or Uggs?
I hate Uggs immensely, which means I have to default to combat boots. But like the leaves question, I don't really like those either, so I'll substitute riding boots!

13. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype?
Absolutely! But don't forget about Starbucks' other delicious holiday drinks, like the Gingerbread latte, the Salted Caramel mocha, and the Caramel Brulee latte!! Mmmm, Starbucks!

14. Favourite fall TV show?
I don't really watch TV like that; I usually binge-watch shows on my computer. But I am watching Agents of SHIELD as it airs, so I guess that's my answer!

15. What song really gets you into the fall spirit?
Uh... I honestly can't think of any songs that are specifically about fall or make me feel excited about fall. I just like fall all on my own... How about “Fallen Leaves” by Billy Talent. It’s not really true, but it is vaguely fall-like. Haha!

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Feel free to answer the questions in the comments, or post a link to your post if you did this on your own blog or channel! Thanks for reading!

Maple Vox Box

So, after over two years on the site, Influenster has finally decided to include their Canadian users in the fun, with the Maple Vox Box!

If you don’t know about Influenster, what it is, is you basically answer questions and fulfill tasks in areas that you are interested in, or that apply to you, and influenster tries to figure out how important you are. The more influential, the more likely you are to get more boxes. The boxes are free, and usually full of full sized samples, though I think sometimes they are small samples. If you don’t know anything about them, you should check them out. Send me a message on Twitter or in the comments below if you’d like an invite link.

Let’s move onto the box:

Just like Glymm box used to, this box comes with a product card with discriptions and prices:

Skinny Cow Milk Chocolate Flavour Heavenly Crisp:

Retail Price: $1.29/bar, or $4.29/4-pack

This bar was really tasty; it’s light and sweet, and didn’t taste cheap or particularly healthy. Which makes sense, since the only reason this is really “skinny” is because it’s a small portion. I personally don’t think I’d pay $1.29 for this, when you can usually get a bigger, richer chocolate bar for the same or less, but it may be a good option for someone trying to cut calories who has a sweet tooth that needs satisfying. That said, 6 grams of this 19 gram bar were fats, and 3.5 grams of that 6 were saturated fats.

While I enjoyed this product, I don’t think I would ever repurchase.

Skinny Cow Milk Chocolate Dreamy Clusters:

Retail Price: $1.29/bag, or $4.29/4-pack

These are basically little clusters of rice crispies, caramel, and chocolate, and they’re actually really good. Unfortunately I lost the packaging for this one, but I can only imagine the fat content in these is even a bit higher than in the bar mentioned above. You get 4 pieces in a bag, and they’re delicious, but 4 is a very unsatisfying number. I know it would defeat the purpose, but a few more pieces would make this seem a lot more worth the price.

As it is, I don’t think I would repurchase this product either.

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-On Manicure:

Retail Price: $8.99-10.99

Although I haven’t yet tried out this package, you may remember that I tried out another version of this product a while back. If you want to read that review, just click here. This set is a lot shorter than those, and the pattern is much more exciting. However, the different coloured nails make it a little more difficult to pick the right nail for each finger. For example, I think it would look a bit odd if you had three yellow nails in a row and one purple and one orange nail. I will, however, post another short review when I get around to trying these out.

I have considered purchasing these in the past, and may again in the future, though they always seem so expensive.

Ice Breakers DUO:

Retail Price: $1.99

These are a very weird concept to me. I mean, I like raspberries, and I like mint… but I’m usually not a big fan of fruit+mint flavours. That said these aren’t bad. The mint isn’t too strong and overpowering, so these don’t end up tasting like a cough drop, and the raspberry is pleasantly sweet despite the fact that these are sugar-free. One weird thing to note, that really has no bearing on my opinion of these, is that I think my package was put together wrong; as you see in the picture, there is a “One” side and a “many” side, but my package has a huge opening for the “one” flap, and a tiny hole for the “many” one. Weird. I will point out that these are full of fake sweeteners, so if you have any dislike for or react badly to products like Sorbitol, Aspartame, Maltodextrine, or Malitol, you should know that those are some of the main ingredients.

I’ll probably finish the package, but I don’t think these would be the first mints I’d repurchase, as I’d much rather have a straight mint.

Montagne Jeunesse Red Earth Clay Spa:

Retail Price: $2.49

This is a one-use face mask, and they always come in these foil pouches. I’ve never tried one, but I have seen this brand plenty of times in-store. I haven’t tried this one yet, but it is a sheet mask infused with clay and other fairly natural ingredients. I really look forward to trying this out, and I may do a quick review when I get around to using it.

Considering the price, it seems likely that I would repurchase this product, assuming it gets along with my skin.

NYC New York Color Big Bold Plumping Lip Gloss:

Retail Price: $4.99

Before I talk about the product, I just want to remind you that I am not a fan of any lip glosses; I hate the slick, often sticky feeling of them on my lips, and I don’t like the super shiny look of them either. I did, however, try to give this one a fair, unbiased shot. It isn’t the worst lipgloss I have used. So I guess there’s that. It isn’t a super-sticky formula, and almost feels like it might be moisturizing. Also, the plumping effects of this gloss aren’t too over-the-top painful. It isn’t a nice minty tingle like, say, the Revlon Balm Stains, but more of a stinging feeling, but it isn’t really painful and it fade quickly enough. It is highly glossy, which is again something that I don’t like, but I’m sure lots of people would really like that aspect of it. I’m not sure how long it lasts, as I wiped it off after maybe 20 minutes, but the card claims it will last up to 4 hours.

The one thing I absolutely hated about this product, however, was the smell! It smelled to me sickly sweet, and a little like Turkish Delight, which is one of the least delightful foods on the planet. I think it is trying to smell like vanilla, but I just find it repulsive, whereas vanilla should be creamy and delicious. And this isn’t one of those scents that fades when you apply it. So gross.

All things considered, I would never repurchase this product, but I’m sure most lipgloss lovers would like it, unless you have an aversion to plumping products or Turkish Delight.

NYC New York Color Big Bold Curl Mascara:

Retail Price: $4.99

Try to ignore my awkward hand position in the second picture. The first thing I noticed about this mascara was the big, gorgeous brush. I have a history of loving mascaras with massive brushes. This mascara applies really nicely, and does seem to hold a curl as well as doing some nice volumizing. However, this mascara is not waterproof. At all; some products say that, but are passable, this one is really not waterproof. Like, don’t cry, don’t sweat, and don’t get caught in the rain. As such, I had a hard time liking this product completely.

I wouldn’t repurchase this exact product, but may consider it if they have a waterproof version of this formula.

Also, Influenster included two $1.00 off of two NYC product coupons in this VoxBox, which is nice. I may look into getting some nail polishes or lipsticks or something, and maybe give one of the coupons to my sister or something.

And that’s everything I received in this box. It was really cool getting to try out some new products, even if most of them aren’t something I would buy myself. I’ve been interested in the Skinny Cow brand for a while now, but I’ve never bought it before because I wasn’t sure it would be worth it. In my opinion, it isn’t, but I can see the appeal.

I’m definitely most excited about the mask and the press-on nails. =)

I can’t wait for another box. I hope Influenster has more opportunities for Canadians soon!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you got this box as well, and what you think of any of the products mentioned above!

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I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

November 2013 Favourites!

As you may have guessed, considering it’s the end of the first week of December, it’s about time for me to post my favourites from the last month! Just like last year, this will be the last normal monthly favourites post, and at the end of December I will be posting my All-Time Favourites of 2013! But for now, let’s get onto this year’s November Favourites!

1. Scarves

I loooove scarves! I wait all year for it to be cold enough to wear them. I just think they are so cute, especially with a leather jacket. Pretty much any outfit can look fabulous and put together with a scarf and a leather jacket. That said, I don’t like wool or most other kinds of knitted scarves, I just usually find them scratchy and irritating.

So that’s a bit of a staple in my wardrobe at the moment. That, and my next thing:

2. Lipstick

Recently, lipstick is a part of just about every single one of my outfits. I know this is similar to one of my favourites last month, when I said “bold lips,” but I have to be honest. I haven’t even really had dry lips, despite the cold weather setting in, since my lips have pretty constantly been coated in gorgeous, comfortable lipsticks! (Oddly enough, both of those pictures are me… not sure why one is so white and the other so much more tan…)

3. Out the Door Topcoat

This has already been a favourite in the past, but after trying a few different ones, I have to say that this is still the best one I’ve ever used. It’s shiny, doesn’t smell terrible, dries fast, doesn’t shrink, and lasts a looong time! Also, a massive bottle, like I showed in my last haul, cost me only $22 dollars, which is ~$3 for a regular-sized bottle. All things considered, it’s basically perfect!

4. Eyebrows

Not only do I love clean, well-shaped, and filled-in brows, but they’ve become a regular part of my daily makeup. As I proved to myself just the other day, when I somehow forgot to fill mine in, I just feel like my entire look is messy and unfinished without my brows done! It doesn’t matter how perfectly covered my skin is, how much I blend my eye shadow, or how well my mascara turns out, I have to do my eyebrows now!

My Non-Beauty Favourites:

1. Glee

Image from Fans-De-Series.fr

I started watching Glee about the middle of October, I think, but I am completely in love and I have been speeding through the episodes since then. I’m currently, at the time of posting, only three episodes from the season finale for Season 4, so I’m almost caught up! Which is actually a little depressing, because that means I won’t be able to watch episode after episode anymore! Anyways, if you, like I had, have been living under a rock up until now, and you like music, dancing, and/or musicals… definitely give Glee a try. I’m betting you’ll be totally hooked.

2. Reading

Surely I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately. I just finished two different teen, dystopian series, and am going back to Harry Potter, since GoodReads kept reminding me I only got halfway through Goblet of Fire last time I restarted the series! (The pictured quote is from “Allegiant” by Veronia Roth, which is the final book in the Divergent trilogy. If you haven’t read it, you should. And there’s a movie coming out in a few months or so.)

3. Marshmallow Fireside Candle from Bath and Body Works

I almost put this as a beauty favourite, but I’m not sure how a candle could possibly have anything to do with beauty, aside from the fact that it’s from a bath store and all the beauty bloggers love to talk about B&BW… but anyways. At the moment this is my absolute favourite candle. It smells all warm and smoky and comforting, but also a bit sweet and tasty. Mmm… If I didn’t have so many Christmas presents to buy, I’d probably pick up one or two more of this scent.

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And that’s everything from last month! Thanks for reading, and make sure to comment and let me know what your favourites were for November!