Summer Essentials

Long time no see?
I feel like when I write I need to have a refreshing beverage or coffee in hand, good tunes and have had a good work day.
Today was good and I have a cider in hand, so I am happy.

I hope everyone had a fantastic long weekend! Even though it was not sunny or hot here it felt like the beginning of Summer, therefore I needed to compile my list of Summer essentials.

This will mostly likely differ from my Summer favorites that will come in September but this the overall plan.  Enjoy and a let me know your Summer essentials in the comments!

 BareMinerals Complexion rescue, Fresh Tinted Lip Treatment Sugar in Rose, 'We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson, L'oreal Magic BB Cream, maison martin margiela Replica 'Beach Walk' perfume, Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzer by Chanel

1. Tinted moisturizer/BB Cream.  I usually go lightweight with my skin for any time of year but definitely for Summer. 
2. A lip treatment.  My go to is Vaseline which I feel like I talk about in every essentials/favorites post, but I do like the Fresh treatments as well and thought I'd sneak that in there this time.
3. A good book.  I hope to do a book post this Summer as I have been getting back into reading again as I now have the time to.
4. A Summer scent.  There are scents that smell like Summer and then there are scents that remind you of Summer (watermelon, a boy's cologne, bbq hot dogs, the ocean etc)
5. A go to bronzer, one that enhances your Summer tan or just makes you look like you were at the beach all day even though you were slathered in your SPF like me.

 L'oreal EverSleek Precious Oil Treatment, Essence All About Sunrise Eyeshadow, Stila Aqua Glow Serum Concealer, The Lumineers 'Cleopatra', TooFaced Hangoverx,Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara

6. A good hair product to keep your hair feeling smooth and silky after all those UV rays. 
7. Summer-y, shimmery eyeshadows for those days or nights you feeling like looking like a mermaid.
8. Lightweight concealers.  I tend to tan pretty well in Summer, so I do need to go a shade darker but at the same time I rarely need concealer so I stick to light coverage ones that will just make me look more awake.
9. Awesome tunes! A Summer playlist is a must-have for me and has been for years.  Let me know your Summer songs in the comments, I would love to know!
10. A primer, specifically a hydrating one.  I tend to ignore the fact that I have dry skin in the Summer as I am already looking oily from the hot days, but you shouldn't ignore your skin type even if you are a sweaty mess.
11. Natural looking mascara that will have people questioning if those are your natural lashes, oh why yes they are!

Maybelline Better Skin Concealer, Tarte Cosmetics Rainforest of the Sea palette, Hawaiian Tropics Silk Hydration Sunscreen, Stila Aqua Glow Cushion Blush in Rosewater, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer

 
12. SPF.  Sunscreen is a must for me.  It wasn't in the past, but as I near thirty I've realized the importance of it the last few years.  No more of that 4SPF tanning oil for me, okay well maybe but only because it smells so good and then I'll slather something more on over top.
13. I love having rosy cheeks, so a cushion or cream blush is perfect for the Summer. It looks natural and feels light on the cheeks.
14. Moisturizer.  Something to hydrate your skin before hitting the heat, as well as something for your skin to drink up at the end of the day.

So, go on let me know what you tend to reach for in the Summer months.

I hope you have a great week and I hope to talk to you soon!

How much is your makeup bag worth?

I was really inspired by this video on buzzfeed:



So I thought I would do this myself.
I'm only going to do my everyday makeup products, because if I did my whole collection I might cry.

I still might cry.

I'll include brushes too, and right there I know I'm already $150 in because I got a brush with a palette.

 Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Blush Palette, BH Cosmetics blush brush, Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector, Maybelline FitMe Matte Poreless Powder, Sephora Airbrush Powder Brush, Beauty Blender, L'oreal Magic Skin Beautifier, Besame French Vanilla Powder

 Lancome Cils Booster, Sephora Airbrush Shadow Brush, Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Palette, Toofaced HangoveRX Primer, Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler, Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyebrow Gel, Benefit Cosmetics Rollerlash

 Sephora Precision Foundation Brush, Vaseline Lip Therapy, Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Killer Cheek Bones Palette with Brush, Sephora Airbrush Concealer Brush, Nyx Microbrow Pencil, Mac Pro Longwear Concealer

And the grand total is:  $612.96

Yowza!

I'm a snoop, so let me know in the comments how much money you're putting on your face every day.
Have a great week!
Here we go. . .

New Beauty Buys

Wow, March already.
It's crazy to think in a week I will be twenty seven years old.

So, we're still not quite finished moving in.  The majority is complete, but I still have some things at my parent's house that I've been too lazy to deal with.
We have a chair that should be here in a couple weeks and still have to decide on a couch.

Meanwhile I have been trying out some new things!

I recently bought the Bite Beauty 5 Night Fix for Lips which includes a cherry flavored scrub and their original lip mask.  This has been quite nice on my dry lips, but I'm not sure if I would purchase either again as I've tried alternative that work in the same way.  The Living Proof Instant Texture Mist is another one I decided to try as I've been on the hunt for a texture spray and I don't think this is quite what I was going for.  I purchased the smaller size, unsure if I would like it or not.  I've been wanting the Oribe dry texture spray to try but no where around here sells it and I can't find it online to buy (Canadian shipping).  I hate the spray nozzle on the Living Proof one, but I do get quite a bit of volume from it so that is a huge plus for me.  Maybe one day I'll buy the larger size, unless I find something else that I like. Anna at ViviAnnaDoesMakeup uses the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5 in 1 treatment so I bought Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5 in 1 treatment.  I actually really like this stuff.  I don't use heat on my hair often, so it's in pretty decent shape but this makes my hair better.  I don't know how to explain it.  It's just smooth, shiny, no frizz....just good hair but better.

I recently received The Benefit Cosmetics prive Topbox for my February box.  Topbox is a Canadian subscription beauty box and in my opinion it is the best one out there.  I think with taxes in I pay just over $13.  In that Benefit box I received a sample of the new Roller Lash.  I have a new mascara love.  I usually use my Dior Addict-a-lash, but the Roller Lash has shoved that aside at the moment.  I honestly thought that it was going to be gimmicky, but the separation and length I get with this mascara is unbelievable.  Definitely going to be my next mascara purchase when I run out.
I feel like everyone and their dog have been using Too Faced's Hangover Primer.  I didn't know what to expect when I bought it but I had to try it.  I love the coconut smell and it feels so light yet moisturizing on my face.  I don't know about makeup going on any smoother because I don't use foundation, but it is definitely a good one to use when you haven't had a good night's sleep.
The Peter Thomas Roth Un-wrinkle Peel Pads intrigued me.  I'm all about preventing wrinkles and anti-aging skincare.  I do enjoy these but I'm not sure if they really do anything or if it's my sample of Sunday Riley's Good Genes helping my skin. I think it's the latter.  Will I purchase again? Maybe.  But I would prefer to splurge on Sunday Riley's Good Genes (I'm in love with my small sample and am terrified everyday that it's going to be my last pump.)

The last things I purchased are from FTBbeauty.  I have been in need of a full brush set.  I wanted the Zoeva rose gold ones so bad, but I couldn't justify the price point...okay more like I didn't want to pay the shipping cost.  So I searched for some rose gold or even copper brushes everywhere and came across these ones from BH Cosmetics.  They are so soft and I haven't had any hairs fall out, definitely a good buy!  Next I noticed they also sold Beauty Blenders, I usually buy the Quo version from Shopper's Drug Mart but I haven't been able to find them and mine are starting to look pretty beat.  So, I made the investment in the Beauty Blender Pro (double pack).  The Quo sponges are good, but these are awesome.


Have you tried anything new lately?
Any recommendations?
Enjoy your Sunday!

2014 Beauty Favorites!

I've decided that every morning should be like this one.
Getting up early, eating breakfast, drinking many cups of coffee and blogging.

We're only two weeks into January but I feel a bit late on my 2014 Beauty Favorites. And I know I was supposed to blog on Monday but Sunday was busy and yesterday was a strange shift where I didn't get home until almost seven.  Excuses, excuses!

Moving on!
Here are my most loved beauty favorites of 2014.  And there are a lot.

I only recently bought the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette back in the early fall, but I have been loving it to bits for the all the holiday parties I've attended.  And I wear the highlight (middle shade) every day to work. 
Oh Maybelline, I do love your concealers the best.  I only tried one new concealer this year because I can't seem to leave my Maybelline Anti-Aging concealer alone.
I splurged on make up this year.

The TooFaced Chocolate Bar Palette, I didn't know you could love an eyeshadow palette this much.  I've been getting into eyeshadow a lot more recently, you know the whole blending thing, and I just love all the neutral colors in this palette!  I've been tempted to get the semi-sweet chocolate one, but that blue color in it is throwing me off.
Next on the far left is a L'oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Coconut shake, I just really like using this as a base or on it's own with winged liner. 

That mysterious black tube that you can't read the label on is the Dior Addict-It Lash mascara, I just got this in December and I've already pushed all my other mascaras aside for this one.  I like a drier formula and this has it and the brush is spiky and perfect for me....ah, love.
Amope, I just received this at Christmas from my parents and it's one of my favorite gifts.  I hate dry, calloused feet.  I am a true Pisces and care about my feet immensely.  So I use this little foot file thing about twice a week and it's like magic.
The Shu-uemera Eyelash curler, where have you been all my life?  This curls your lashes like no other eye lash curler I have ever tried.  It's expensive for what it is, but it lives up to the hype.
L'oreal Lumi Primer, if you like dewy skin this is definitely one for you.  Honestly, I hated this product when I first bought it, it separated and I didn't use it for a few weeks.  But my skin was looking dull and I decided to give it a go.  I gave the product a shake to see if that would help the whole separating thing and it did.  It's not sparkly and it just gives a natural glow under your makeup.

Starting from the top left in this picture are Essie nail polishes in "Recessionista" and "Bahama Mama" , very similar dark burgundy shades and they are my most reached for colors.
Under is the perfume Alien by Thierry Mugley, I just can't...I love my Prada Candy perfume but a new scent that smells divine? Sorry Prada, I won't be reaching for you for awhile.
TooFaced Shadow Insurance, I love this for canceling out the veins on my eyelids and it does pretty well at keeping my eyeshadow in place.
This was the year I decided to fork out the twenty seven dollars for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (in dark brown)..well I actually bought two, one in chocolate as well.  I don't know what I was doing with my brows before these.  I find it's so perfect for natural looking brows. I don't know what I would do without this.
Salon Grafix Play it Big hairspray, I love my L'oreal Elnett hairspray the most, but this Salon Grafix one was on sale and it works, the smell isn't over powering and I find my curls last quite a long time with it.
The Braun Silk7 epilator, I bought this bad boy in the summer after reading a review on a blog.  Let me tell you that this thing kind of hurts the first few times you use it.  If you don't know what an epilator is it's basically a bunch of tweezers spinning around really fast pulling out your body hair.  I refuse to use this on my legs anymore as I received tons of ingrown hairs from in, but this works amazing on the under arm area.  I use it 2-3 times a week and I find I don't get that ugly dark shadow under my arms anymore that I was so subconscious about.
Last but not least, I had to add a candle because I am a candle hoarder. 
Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar, I've always loved this one but this past year my anxiety was so bad and this was the best candle to relax me.  I'm always stocked up on this one.

A few extra favorites that aren't pictured are:
Maybelline Baby Lips, I can always rely on this to keep my lips moisturized while I'm at work.
Lush Magnaminty Face Mask, this makes my skin so soft and has pushed all my other face masks aside.
For a good eye makeup remover I keep going back to the Neutrogena Oil Free Makeup Remover.
And lastly, a blush.  Benefit's Rockateur, I'm scared I'm going to hit pan on this soon!

What were your favorites of 2014? Have any new favorites for 2015 yet?

Have a great week!

(Two) New Kids on the Block

Good morning!
So it looks like there are two new kids on the block.

From Tarte Cosmetics the Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette.
$53 Canadian at Sephora for VIB and VIB Rouge members.

TooFaced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette. $59 Canadian at Sephora for VIB and VIB Rouge members.

Which one will you be getting or will you be waiting for other Spring palettes to arrive?
I'm leaning towards the Tarte one at the moment, but I'm still unsure.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

The Sephora VIB Sale!

Today is the start of the Sephora VIB/VIB Rouge sale and I've been up since 5am trying to check out.
I finally narrowed down my cart to my most wanted items and clicked the checkout button.
International check out is down.
So at the moment I'm hoping it starts working later this evening or that the things I wanted don't sell out once it's up and running.

But I thought I'd share my wish list for now and later I'll do a little haul...if it works.

-Glamglow gift set. I can't justify paying $69 for the glamglow mask, but it feels a bit better getting three masks at $76 and 20% off, so we'll see.
-TooFaced chocolate bar palette.
-Stila Eyes Are the Window palette in soul
-Sephora All a Glow brush set
-Bite Beauty lip mask
-Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette. Like the masks it's hard to justify this kind of purchase.
-Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip brow
-TooFaced Everything Nice set

What's your wishlist or what did you get from the sale?

Here's hoping it's up and running soon!