curiouslycarmen, Author at Curiously Carmen

Stila Foundation Haul & Review

August 29, 2015

Following the fall/holiday event I attended for Stila, I was generously given a few samples of their new products to try out! I’ve mentioned the ‘perfectly poreless’ line briefly on my event recap post but today, I will be doing a more detailed review after using the three products for almost a month now.

I was first introduced to this line by Sarah Lucero, the Global Executive Director of Creative Artistry at Stila who led us through all the new products that day. The products I will be reviewing today are seen on the far left of this photo.

Starting off with the new Wonder Brush, I really liked this brush at the event and was quite happy to see it in my sample bag once I got home! As the name suggests, the Wonder Brush is a versatile brush, which you can use for a multitude of different foundation steps. It was also designed by Sarah herself – how cool is that?!

I liked how dense and soft the brush was. I wish that it came with a cap so that I could bring this around in my purse for touch-ups though.

Secondly, is the perfectly poreless putty perfector. This product is a combination of a cream foundation and loose powder. The best way to describe this product would be ‘bouncy’ but also slightly more dense due to the cream ingredients in it.

Although it feels very bouncy and slightly dense, the product does go on lightly and is very smooth to the touch. I was quite surprised at how lightweight the product felt, considering that it felt and looked pretty dense in the case!

Thirdly is the Stay All Day face and body bronzer’. You might be familiar with the Stay All Day liquid liner from Stila, which I really love! This bronzer is an addition that line.

I really love the detailing of the product and how both foundations can be easily brought on the go. Both feature a mirror inside, and feel very sturdy so you don’t have to worry about the product accidentally opening in your purse or cracking!

I used the Wonder Brush to apply my foundation. The foundation applied very easily and was pretty lightweight on my skin. The foundation is a light to medium finish, depending on how much you put on as it is very, very buildable! On some days, I used this for a light finish but on days where I wanted more coverage, I simply applied a bit more.

Afterwards, I used the bronzer to contour my face. The bronzer goes on pretty light, which I prefer because I’ve owned some bronzers that look too harsh. Also, you can easily pick how much product you’d like, making this bronzer super buildable as well. For each cheek area, I swiped the brush three times in the bronzer.

If you are new to contouring, I would recommend using this brush as you can easily put it on an angle and swipe bronzer on your face, then blend the product out. Since the brush is so dense, it delivers a nice and even colour on the first swipe.

I always use primer before my foundation, but I decided to test these products out by eliminating it. After a whole day of shopping, I noticed that my foundation was still on but it was not as smooth looking as it initially was. As with most foundations and my slightly oily skin, I touched this up in the evening and it was as good as new!

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In conclusion, I really enjoyed incorporating these foundations into my routine and will be continuing to use them. I like how lightweight the two products felt, and how easy it was to apply and contour with the Wonder Brush. You could use these products daily, as they look very natural but you can easily build the coverage up if you would like.

You can find these products at Shopper’s Drug Mart and Murale.

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co.

August 26, 2015

Sometimes, the boyfriend and I are in the sudden mood to try out a new restaurant. More often than not, we will already have a list of restaurants we want to try together so it is a matter of deciding which one. It is a task that might not be as easy as you think! On one particular warm sunny evening in June, it was Rocky Mountain Flatbread that we decided to finally check off our dining list.

There are two locations in Vancouver, we went to the one on Main Street. I should make it a goal to try all, if not most, of the restaurants here!

Walking in, the atmosphere was fantastic and really set the mood for the rest of our visit. The patio was open, with the sunlight graciously pouring throughout the mid-sized restaurant. There was also a live band playing in the corner of the restaurant, featuring an amazing acoustic singer. The ambiance here was very warm, as well as the friendly service.

To start, we ordered the homemade iced tea and lemonade. Both were not very sweet. I would have preferred my lemonade to be sweetened a bit more because it tasted like concentrated lemon water (which I know is essentially what lemonade is… but more sugar would be nice). It was definitely a drink where you take occasional slow slips because of how sour it was.

I ordered the ‘parma’, which came with organic tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, cured ham, arugula, mushrooms, and mango. Perhaps the most interesting topping on this was the mango, but I was very intrigued and had a good feeling that all the flavours would go well together. Was I correct?

A million times yes!! Everything was really fresh, and the mango gave it a bit of a ‘spark’ to an already awesome flatbread. The sweetness of the mango enhanced all the other flavours, this dish was just brilliant. 12/10 would order again.

The boyfriend ordered the Italian sausage, which came with pesto, mozarella, Italian sausage bits, and spinach. Again, this dish was executed very well and we enjoyed it. The ingredients for both flatbreads were very fresh, while the dough was soft and chewy but crispy on the outside.

I am really glad that we finally tried this place out, and I feel like we would come back here again. From the ambiance, to the service, and the food, everything was simply wonderful and we had a great time. I would recommend coming here with a group of people, so that you’re able to try more of the flatbread varieties they offer.

ACI Beauty Fall/Holiday 2015 Media Preview – Part 2/2

August 23, 2015

In early August, I was invited to the ACI Beauty event to experience their Fall/Holiday 2015 collection! I already mentioned this in part 1, but just in case you haven’t read that yet, ACI Beauty is one of the biggest beauty distributors in Canada. ACI Beauty works with many reputable beauty companies to help their products get on the shelves for us beauty lovers.

At the event, we were guided throughout some of their newest products for next season. Welcome to part 2/2!

I have seen some CLEAN products in Sephora before, but never had the chance to learn or test them out until that day. We got to smell some of the perfumes that day, and I enjoyed all of the different scents. If you’re someone who likes light and neutral scents, then this is the line for you.

I had a few friends that came over and played with the samples, and all of them said that the perfumes smelled like ‘clean laundry’.

I currently keep one of the rollerball minis in my purse,the light blue one in the middle of the box named ‘cool cotton’. It smells very refreshing and wakes me up a bit when I first put it on. The size is very convenient, and good to use on-the-go.

I also found that the CLEAN products are very gender neutral, maybe it’s just moi?? By that, I mean they don’t have a distinct ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ scent – it just smells like very clean soap! Although these products are catered towards women, I think that men would be able to wear this as well.

This product was highly raved about with the ACI ladies, they use this almost every day at home!

The Bliss triple oxygen instant energizing mask initially goes on your skin as a gel, but slowly turns into a foam as you rub it on your face. The foam expands on your face depending on much dirt or oil you have, so the foam size can vary each day. It also has a very nice grapefruit smell to it.

I posted this on my Instagram already, but am I ever in love with this Paul and Joe lipstick! This lipstick is part of Paul and Joe’s Fall 2015 ‘Cafe Parisien’ line.

To make this cute cat lipstick, Paul and Joe uses a Japanese candy-making technique called Kintaro-ame, which depends on two separate tubes – one columnar and one cat-shaped. This ensures that the cute cat faces remain visible until the lipstick is used up, so you don’t have to worry about the cute cat print going away!

Also on the topic of lipstick, here are the new shades for Anna Sui. I called these the ‘shooting star’ lipstick because of the way the lipstick is shaped inside the tube! The colours are very rich and make a good transition for the Fall season.

The Anna Sui loose powder, which comes in a new beautiful design, is pictured in the back. It comes with a fluffy purple puff, and looks so classic and elegant. I could picture a princess using this powder on her vanity table. Beside it is the Anna Sui BB Cream.

I showed this picture in my Anna Sui nail colour review post already, but here are the new nail colours and a new bottle design! It features a birdie on the top of the brush, while the bottle has an intricate ball gown design to it.

All of the Anna Sui nail products also have an amazing scent to them! The one I received smelled like lemons, and other scents include rose and lychee.

I also really adored the mini ‘latte’ eyeshadow pods that Paul & Joe had, featured on the left. The swirl and creaminess of the colours, coupled with a cute little foam tip brush is reminiscent of that a perfect, smooth latte on a chilly afternoon. I am a big fan of champagne/gold shades, so the eyeshadow pod is right up my alley.

Also featured are the pressed powder pods, which are purchased separately from the packaging. Beside the pressed powder pods are the moisturizing foundation and makeup primer.

The last station we were introduced to was Bliss’s regular collection (not the holiday gift set collection as featured in part 1). For myself, the most interesting product here was the ingrown eliminating pads, I am very curious to see if they will help with my ingrown hairs.

I mentioned this above already, but try to get a chance to try their body butter and soap, which are pictured in the back! The smell is absolutely amazing and will make you feel happy =)

I also did a review of the Bliss fabulous gel to oil cleanser, pictured in the middle beside the Fat Girl Slim products. You can read that post here.

I had a great time at the ACI Beauty event, thank you for having me. I learned about a plethora of new products and am very excited to try them out! Keep your eyes posted for upcoming reviews on some of the products that I have mentioned here.

Which product was your favourite from this post? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

ACI Beauty Fall/Holiday 2015 Media Preview – Part 1/2

August 18, 2015

Following Stila’s fall media preview event, I had the pleasure of attending the ACI Beauty fall collection preview event as well. After doing some research, I found out that ACI Beauty is one of the biggest beauty distributors in Canada and work with big beauty brands such as Anna Sui, Ardell, Bliss, Ceramic Glaze, Clean, Paul & Joe, Stila, and more.

As a result, I was able to see a variety of different products from all the brands that ACI works with. I left the event with a lot more knowledge about these different brands, and am excited to see the 2015 Fall/Holiday collection in stores.

All the different brands were beautifully placed inside the room, I will be discussing the products in the order that they were presented to us in by the wonderful ACI ladies.

The first product we were introduced to were the new holiday collection line from Bliss. The gift sets come in different sizes, which is convenient if you are just looking for a stocking stuffer or a larger present. You can either get a set of lotion or skincare products, which are the two bigger boxes.

We sampled the grapefruit body butter, shown in the big blue box in the middle, which smelled amazing.

I’ve only recently seen Paul & Joe products on social media and other beauty blogs, but this was the first time I’ve seen their products in person. I am absolutely smitten by Paul & Joe’s packaging. It is a mix of classic elegance, with a touch of cuteness.

Pictured here is a makeup bag, with all the contents spread out. This would make a good gift to someone over the holidays, or a great way to be introduced to the brand as it comes with a few of their different products.

All of us beauty bloggers were in awe with the elegant and innovate packaging for their eyeshadow samples. I’ve never seen them be presented like this before so it was definitely really cool. There is a definite cat theme going on this season – this is for all you cat lovers out there! Meow =)

The next table featured some of the Fall 2015 Anna Sui products. Starting on the left is the limited edition miniature fragrance gift set. The fragrance set includes the new perfume, ‘Romantica’ along with other returning favourites. All of the bottles are so beautiful!

Beside the fragrance set is the limited edition moisturizing set. This comes with nail care oil, rose hand cream, and moisturizing balm.

On top of these two is the customizable makeup box, available exclusively at Hudson’s Bay. It comes free with any cosmetic purchase of $80 and you are able to choose from Anna Sui favourites.

All of these products will be available in stores in October 2015!

Following, we were introduced to Cargo Cosmetic’s eyeshadow palette. I love the darker shades of this palette, and it feels very romantic to me. This palette would be great for holiday parties – look at all the shimmery gold tones! The pinks would look nice as a office day time look as well.

Behind the palette are some Fall 2015 nail colours from Ceramic Glaze. Just like Cargo’s eyeshadow palette, the rich and darker shades would pair very well with an evening party dress for holiday parties. I can’t believe I am talking about the holiday season already! =P

Ending off part 1, we were also introduced to Paul and Joe’s bath & body collection as well! There are two bath & body collections – Arlequin and Columbine. Both smelled very luxurious and feminine – I would love to take a bath with these bath salts!

Which products are you most excited for?

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for part 2 of the ACI Beauty Fall/Holiday 2015 Media Preview!

-Carmen

Press samples featured, all opinions are my own.

UYU Ice Cream Parlour

August 15, 2015

The newest addition to premium soft serve has made its way to Gastown by the name of UYU Ice Cream, which means ‘milk’ in Korean. After eyeing this place on social media, the boyfriend and I decided to give it a try as they have a soft opening promotion deal until tomorrow (Sunday).

I rushed home to write this review, so that you can hopefully read this before the deal ends tomorrow!

After a satisfying lunch at Tuc Craft Kitchen just a couple of blocks down, we set out to look for UYU! Initially, I thought that this place was deeper inside Gastown but turns out it is across from Tinseltown, on the same block as The Pint and Prado Cafe.

We totally unknowingly walked pass this place when going to Tuc, and surprised at how close it was to Tinseltown! But to be fair, we were walking on the other side of the street and didn’t know that it was on the outskirts of Gastown.

It wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be, but I’m sure this place will become more popular as the weeks go by. That, and plus the fact that it’s a bit chillier and colder than usual today! The lineup was halfway to the door when we got there, but the space here is quite small.

The designers of UYU also designed Small Victory Bakery in Yaletown. I could definitely see the resemblance in the minimalist design here as well. There are also no tables or chairs for customers, only a small window ledge that you can lean against.
When we went today, UYU had three flavours of soft serve to choose from – Belgian chocolate, Earl Grey, and original, all are made with organic milk.

After ordering with the cashier, your receipt with your name is printed out and put in the queue. There are then two other workers who then call out your name, and ask which soft serve flavour/ice cream bar you would like.
Here are the many toppings you can choose from. The soft serve comes with one topping, but you can add up to three toppings for 0.50 cents each.

The freeze fried fruits seemed to be the most popular from what I saw other customers eating or on social media, but what caught my eye was the chocolate almond bark in the back!
After the toppings are finished, your soft serve is completed with a complementary drizzle!
I ordered the original soft serve with milk chocolate almond bark and caramel drizzle, which was $3 with the soft opening special. Originally, this would cost $4.75 without the promotion.

The original soft serve was very creamy and smooth, but not too rich. It had the perfect amount of sweetness for me, and the caramel drizzle was a nice touch! There was a nice milky taste as well.
The boyfriend ordered the Belgian chocolate soft serve, with coconut flakes and honey drizzle. He really enjoyed his cup as well, being the crazy dairy lover he is. Seriously, I have not met anyone who loves milk and cheese more than him, LOL.

Again, the Belgian chocolate soft serve was very smooth and milky. There were also pieces of Belgian chocolate that are finely grated inside the ice cream, it looked like little brown dots!

We both enjoyed our soft serves a lot, and glad that we got a cheaper deal on them with the soft opening promotion. I would recommend checking this place out if you enjoy having soft serve.

Compared to Soft Peaks, which is also located in Gastown, UYU’s soft serve is slightly sweeter but Soft Peaks gives out more toppings. Both places are excellent at making quality and organic soft serve!

Which flavour would you pick – original, Earl Grey, or Belgian Chocolate?

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen