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Christmas Holiday Nails!

December 7, 2014

Christmas radio playlist on repeat, planning holiday parties for work, and some Home Alone movie nights later, it is safe to say that I am getting into the holiday spirit. Last night, when I was sick at home and watching Home Alone 2 (it never gets old), I had the sudden urge to repaint my nails. Then, I realized that I should paint them in the holiday spirit!
Here is what I ended up with! Pretty simple and classic, but with a holiday twist. Depending on what angle you look at them, it can look a bit more sparkly or not 🙂 Random fact about me, whenever I watch movies, I can’t just sit still and watch the movie… I always have to be doing something, which is why I painted my nails. I’ll also be working overtime tomorrow at my company’s holiday party for our members, so might as well have pretty nails at the registration table and show some holiday spirit.
I applied two coats of Revlon’s Colourstay in #130-Velvet Rope. It was my first time using it, I thought it was very pigmented and had a really deep, rich, and red colour. One coat would have been sufficient, but I normally do two coats of colour. I found that the drying time of this polish was a bit longer than I was used to, but I was just watching a movie as I was painting so I didn’t really mind.
I could have stopped there, but I love glittery and sparkly things and thought that sparkle polish would really add a Christmas twist and holiday magic to it. I used the Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in #305-Shine On. I’ve always had great experiences with Sally Hansen polishes, it’s my favourite drug store nail polish as it doesn’t chip easily, easy application, has great pigment/colours, and is very affordable.

Originally, I was debating if I should just paint the tips of my nails or just one nail for accent, but I decided to paint all of them because I love the sparkly look. The sparkles reminded me of tiny snowflakes, or little stars in the night sky. I always used to paint my nails a deep, dark blue or black, and use glitter polish on top to look like the sky so this is just a Christmas version of that. Something about the starry night sky is just so pretty to me and if I could capture a bit of that on my nails, I don’t mind at all.

I’m already thinking of the next holiday themed nails! Maybe I’ll share that too. What are your favourite holiday themed designs to do?

-Carmen

Black Friday Sephora Mini Haul!

December 1, 2014

It’s funny that I’m doing this post, because I wasn’t planning or even wanting to go Black Friday/Black Friday weekend shopping. My friend and I had planned a girls day out, and only on Thursday did we realize that we accidentally planned it on Black Friday weekend. Ahhh! I really did not want to step inside a mall during Black Friday weekend, dealing with crowds and swarms of people fighting each other to get the cheapest prices. Anyways, since we had been planning our shopping trip for a few weeks, we didn’t want to reschedule so decided to just suck it up, and pray for the best. If it got cray cray, we figured we would just leave and find something else to do LOL.
I am happy to say though, that it didn’t turn out as crazy as we thought it would be. We went shopping on Saturday instead of the actual Black Friday, which probably really helped. Most of the stuff I bought was at Sephora (no surprise there hah), so I’ll just be focusing on what I bought there. Please keep in mind that I didn’t try any of these products fully yet, I may write a detailed review on some of these products after I’ve used them for longer.

Walking into Sephora, the first thing that caught my eyes at on the Black Friday exclusive shelf was the Kat Von D Lip Love Set. Admittedly, I tried to buy this from the safety of my laptop on Friday but just as I was about to check out my purchases, all of the items I wanted were sold out! So you can imagine my happiness when I found this in store, I grabbed one right away! This set is a Sephora exclusive and limited edition. I’ve always wanted to try Kat Von D lip products because I absolutely love their tattoo liner. It came in a lip gloss and lip stick duo, with pre-selected shades. Right after we left Sephora, I tried on the lip gloss. My first impression was that it was very pigmented, and the shade was a lot brighter and lighter than it looked in the tube. For the first few seconds, my friend and I were absolutely horrified at how bright it was but after applying it all over my lips, it didn’t look as bad and I actually ended up really liking the colour on my skin LOL. It stayed on for a few hours until I took it off at dinner. At $12CA for both, the lip love set was an amazing deal and I’m glad I was able to pick one up.

Just like the KVD lip love set, I was also hoping to buy this online on Friday, but it was sold out by the time I went to the online check out. Lesson learned, do your online shopping quick during huge sales. I’ve been looking for a new face wash, and read pretty good reviews on this. This was the Bliss fabulous foaming face wash, a 2-in-1 cleanser & exfoliator. From first glance, the formula looked very thick and gel-like. A lot of reviews that I read said that this does an amazing job of removing face make up immediately, and that was exactly what I was looking for. An amazing cleanser that will remove foundation right away, because let’s face it- after a long night out, there is nothing better than changing into cozy pajamas and letting your skin breathe and be makeup free. I know that when you sleep with makeup on, or get makeup trapped in your pillow cases (so gross), it is really bad for your skin so I don’t take any chances when I’m already susceptible to breaking out. Which is why I also don’t wear foundation on a daily basis. This was half price for their Black Friday sale, I got it for $12CA!

As I was about to leave the Black Friday shelf, the Buxom Power Players set caught my eye. Darnit, haha! Considering that it came with a full sized Buxom sculpted lash mascara, which retailed for $24 Canadian, AND a waterproof eyeliner, for $12 Canadian, I knew that it was a sale opportunity that I could simply not pass up. My friend gave me a gel pot liner from Buxom last year, which I really liked. I’m hoping that I’ll like these two products as well.

Time just disappears when I’m in Sephora, and before us girls knew it, almost one hour had passed by… we decided to finally go and pay for our things, but we had another tempting obstacle to overcome… the last minute product shelves they have while you’re waiting in line to pay. I was really wanting a darker lip colour ever since my possibly haunted experience with the Too Faced melted lip stick, and the colour in the Make Up Forever Redefining Red caught my eye. The duo also came with a colourless lip liner, known as their lip line perfector and claimed to prevent lipstick from smudging. And at $17 for two MUFE products, I thought it was a good deal.

As a bonus, I also received my birthday gift from Sephora! It was also MUFE, but with their mascara and other lipstick instead. I forgot to pick my gift up last year, which I’m still mad at myself for, so I’m glad that the cashier was able to give it to me even though my birthday isn’t for awhile. Since I’m a late December baby, did anyone pick this up already? How did you like it?

I am quite happy that I bought all these products on sale. And before you judge, let me just say this. If there wasn’t a sale, I probably wouldn’t have bought anything. Most the time I go into Sephora, I browse and end up walking out without anything. It may not look like it because my blog focuses on a lot of purchased beauty products, but I only buy products that are on sale and know are a good value for what you receive. You only see half the picture, and don’t know what else goes on which is completely okay because I like to keep some things personal. I usually don’t buy this much in one visit, but I wanted to take advantage of their sale because deals this great don’t come around often. I don’t want you guys to think that I have a habit of consistently blowing money for no apparent reason, because I am quite the opposite. I think carefully about my choices before I buy and am conscious of how much I spend (which is one of the reasons why I spend so long in Sephora, debating if I should actually get the products or not haha!). I know, and can distinguish when I can or should spend money, versus times that I shouldn’t. Okay that’s all, thanks for reading that blurb 🙂

-Carmen

SpookyEyes.com Coloured Contacts Review

September 15, 2014

Disclaimer: These contacts are FDA and ISO approved, and sterile. FDA means that they are approved for use in the States, while ISO is the international health standard institution. The ISO was formed since countries have their different standards of “safe” for many products, so it’s a way to harmonize the requirements for safe contact lenses wear.

I definitely would not be reviewing this product if I did not think it was safe, if the site looked questionable, or had any further doubts about putting these into my eyes whatsoever. Rest assured, although these contacts were sent to me on behalf of the company, they are completely safe to wear compared to other contacts and I would never risk the health of my readers or misinform you guys. With that said, I do know that compared to regular contacts, coloured contacts have a higher chance of drying out your eyes. As with all products, be careful and read the ingredients properly,and use your judgement.

——-

Helloooo everyone! Today, I will be reviewing a product that I never wear – coloured contacts! My relationship with contacts, both regular prescription and coloured have not been great, to say the least. That is because my eyes tend to dry out really fast, making wearing contacts uncomfortable if I wear them for long hours.

I have tried many different contact lenses, different contact solutions, etc, which have helped on some days, but for the most part, they are not comfortable for me. Fast forward to the present, I only wear the daily disposable contacts probably 3-4 times a month as I find those are the most moisturizing, comfortable, and convenient.

Anyways, I was contacted by UK based sister companies DreamEyes.com / SpookyEyes.com to do a review of their coloured contacts. For simplicity’s sake, I will be referring to them as Spooky Eyes. I haven’t worn coloured contacts for over two years, so I figured I could give them a chance again and if it does work out, I can order a pair of Halloween contacts soon! Here’s how it turned out.
I was told to select three coloured contacts that I would like, and one of them would be mailed to me. I was quite excited to see which colour I would end up with! My contacts came roughly three weeks later from the UK. I received the colour green sparkle.

I was happy to learn that the contacts are manufactured in South Korea, where coloured contacts are extremely popular with the female population. That fact reassured me as I know from prior knowledge that South Korea makes great quality coloured lenses.
Here is a screenshot from the website, and what I received. Compared to the picture online, I feel that the green shade in real life appears a bit softer and lighter, which I actually prefer.

There are many different shades of green, brown, blue, and purple on their website. I’ve always wanted to try green contacts with my Asian skin and brown eyes, and I felt that these weren’t too dramatic or harsh.
I did not have any trouble putting these inside my eyes, they were like my standard contact lenses. When I first put these on, I was shocked at how my eyes looked. Although these contacts did not specify that they will enlarge the appearance of your eyes, they definitely will!

I was not used to seeing myself with enlarged pupils, let alone green eyes. This picture was taken in natural sunlight. Luckily, the colour matched my skin and eyes pretty well. If it was the green shade as seen on their website, I don’t think it would have looked as soft. I also liked how there is a bit of sparkle to it as well in the sun. How do they look in your opinion?

Since these contacts are only for cosmetic purposes, I still had to wear my glasses. These two pictures were taken outside as well, I try to use natural sunlight when possible. With my glasses on, I don’t think the green is as noticeable at first glance, but if you look longer, you can definitely tell.
Oops, I forgot to take a picture of my eyes before the contacts so here is a picture from a previous post, taken in the same spot where I took the picture above. Since I have naturally dark eyes, coloured contacts may not always turn out the way it appears, or it may not show up at all!

I’m glad that I didn’t have this problem with these contacts. I ended up wearing these for a bit over five hours, and had no problem at all with them! I actually forgot that I was wearing them until I got in the shower, and my eyes started to sting a bit when water got in.

They were super comfortable to wear, and remind me of a smooth, gel-like material as opposed to thinner, plasticky feeling contacts.
Pros:

Very comfortable to wear, smooth gel-like contacts
This specific shade was not too harsh which I preferred
Colour will show up even on dark coloured eyes
Lasts one year and retails for $28 US
Made in S. Korea, a country known for great quality and comfortable coloured lenses
Great for cosplay or costumes but the softer looking coloured lenses are good for daily wear too
Free shipping!

Cons:

Does not currently offer prescription lenses

In conclusion, I am really satisfied with these contacts, as they are really comfortable and I like the colour. They also have a vast assortment of coloured contacts, with all the possibilities imaginable. White out, UV, devil, cat eye, sparkle, anime… they have them all. Here are some I picked out on SpookyEyes:

Check them out at DreamEyes.com and SpookyEyes.com!

I’m curious, let me know what are your favourite contacts on their site and if you would you consider wearing coloured contacts for fun in the comments!

These contacts were sent to me free of charge from SpookyEyes, and I was not paid to write this post. Everything in this post is my personal opinion and was not altered by the request of the company.

-Carmen

Estee Lauder Fall/Winter 2014 Media Preview Event (Part 1/2!)

September 1, 2014

Hi readers!

Two weeks ago, I was invited to Estee Lauder’s Fall/Winter 2014 Media Preview Event. It was a lovely afternoon spent learning many new facts about the Estee Lauder brand and meeting other people with the same passion for beauty!

This two-part post is going to be more focused on the event itself rather than a review of all the products. I will try to write reviews of the complementary products that I received in the coming months!

There were staff from Estee Lauder, as well as the PR company that invited me to attend this event. Staff from both parties were really welcoming and made us feel comfortable. In particular, I had a great conversation with the makeup artist on-site, Fiona! Props to great and kind service from both ends, I was very impressed.
We were first greeted by breakfast platters, and a variety of different drinks!
Some of the products Estee Lauder has lined up for the upcoming season! Our host told us that each one of those eyeshadow palettes were inspired by the pictures behind them. I really enjoyed all the shades and palettes that were there, as well as the packaging of the eyeshadows.

The palettes had either a lipstick or nail polish shade that complimented the colours in the palette. Furthermore, the lipstick packaging is actually magnetic, so no need to worry about not putting on the cap all the way by accident and ruining the whole tube.

Moving on, the picture at the top left is a closeup of one of the new eyeshadow palettes. It was my favourite, since I loooove golden and champagne tones. At the top right, is a preview of a new line released by Estee Lauder called AERIN.

I believe it might be launched already by the time my post comes out, but the line is created by Estee Lauder’s granddaughter, Aerin Lauder. The AERIN line is more youthful, simple and neutral, as Aerin herself prefers simplistic makeup.

The bottom left picture shows the night repair lotion, day lotion, and BB cream. Last but not least, the one at the bottom right is their new cream, made with the natural antioxidant benefits of the lovely pomegrante fruit. Like the AERIN perfumes, it smelled absolutely lovely and was my guest’s favourite product that day.

Anyways, that’s it to the first part! The second part will include a revolutionary foundation brush, gold infused foundation, and a makeover! Keep posted and thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Summer 2014 Favourite Moisturizers

August 30, 2014

This idea came to me suddenly a hour ago, and I am in the mood to write tonight 🙂 I have had a busy week and wasn’t able to blog as much as I hoped, but I’m glad I have this long weekend to wind down and take some time to myself. Lately, my skin has been quite dry so I have been relying on my lotions a lot. I have developed a devotion to certain lotions and wanted to share them with you today! Some of these are second or third time purchases that I have been using for a long time, while others I have just started to love. Let’s get started!
These are the main moisturizers I use in my daily routine. Anyone have the same products and love them as much as I do? 😀 When my skin gets dry, it also gets really itchy at the same time, so all of these have been amazing at getting rid of the itch and quenching my skin (well, apart from the lip moisturizers haha). Let’s divide these moisturizers into separate categories and go into further detail with each!

BODY
1) St. Ives Daily Hydration Body Lotion: Out of all my current favourite moisturizers, I would not have expected to like it as much as I do. My mom bought this as opposed to our usual Vaseline body moisturizer, and I didn’t really think much about it. But I love how fast absorbing and non greasy it is. This lotion also has a very neutral but clean and crisp scent to it that I think would be suitable for males as well.
2) The Body Shop Body Whip in Mango: I’m not too sure why they changed their brand of body lotions to body whip, it kinda sounds strange to me. Anyways, I am in love with the smell of this lotion, as with most Body Shop scents. Again, this moisturizer is very absorbent and leaves my body smelling like mangoes. It’s also very lightweight, and a little goes a long way. I alternate between the two, and honestly, it just depends on which room I’m in when I feel like my skin is getting dry. The St. Ives lotion is stored in our washroom, while TBS one is in my room.

Face

The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream: You guys, I have fallen in love with this facial moisturizer. I recently just finished my first jar, and wasn’t planning on buying another one because I love trying new products. However, as I was in between facial creams, I realized how much I missed this one. Initially, there is a cooling sensation when you apply this, which is great first thing in the morning as it wakes you up. Secondly, it does a great job at combating oil and making sure your face does not dry out the whole day. This lotion is best suited for those people like me who have combination skin type.

Hands:
Crabtree & Evelyn Pomegranate Body Lotion: I also received this as a gift two years ago, but never actually used it because I had a lot of other lotions to use and I didn’t want to “waste” this product as I know that it is pricier than most lotions I buy. Anyways, I started to use it two weeks ago and I really like it. It t has a mix of fruity and floral notes which I loooove. The scent lasts on your skin the whole day, even after washing your hands! This is actually a body lotion, but I treat it like a hand lotion because of the size.
Lips:
1) Vaseline: If you don’t know how amazing Vaseline is, this classic video of supermodel/ex-talk show host Tyra Banks going absolutely crazy on her studio audience can explain its wonders. I remember watching this on TV as a pre-teen and not being able to find words to describe her crazy and hilarious sudden outburst on Vaseline. OH MY GOD I just re-watched this video and was almost dying of laughter.
2) EOS Lip balm: I used this a lot back in high school, but I stopped cause I didn’t like the sphere design and dust kept getting trapped inside. I still don’t like the sphere design because it’s not practical, but you have to admit that it does look pretty cool aesthetically speaking. I have the melon one, and I love the smell and taste of it. The EOS balm keeps my lips hydrated longer than most lip balms I have used (apart from Vaseline of course).

Well, there you have it! I love all of these moisturizers for a variety of reasons, from their lightweight, non greasy formulas to their fantastic scent. Which moisturizers are YOUR favourite? Let me know in the comments down below 🙂

-Carmen