Friday, May 30, 2014

May Favorites 2014

Hi everyone and welcome to what I hope will become a monthly instalment on my blog : favorites!  Every month I will share the products I have been loving and explain why these products are simply amazing and deserve to be mentioned.



Let's get started...



Real Techniques brushes
I absolutely love these brushes. They are inexpensive, synthetic, really soft and work amazingly at applying makeup.  Simply put, they are the perfect makeup brushes.  Plus, they were created by a you tuber and purchasing these brushes supports them instead of a huge corporation, which is always better.



Victoria's Secret Bombshell Eau de Toilette
Since I was in France for seven months, I wasn't able to bring all my perfumes with me.  One of the ones I decided to leave behind was the Bombshell eau de toilette from VS.  I thought this scent was more of a summer fragrance and since summer is right around the corner, I figured it was finally time to whip it out. It's described as a "glamorous blend of purple passion fruit, Shangri-la peony and vanilla orchid", which if you ask me, sounds delicious! Every time I have worn this scent, I have gotten compliments, which is always a good sign that the fragrance suits me. If you have a chance to go to a Victoria's Secret store, go check out their fragrances, there'll definitely be something there for you.



Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Cream
I had ordered the Sephora favorites kits with many deluxe sample sizes of the bestselling skincare products.  One of these was the Dr. Jart+ BB cream.  I decided to give it a try earlier this month and was very very very happy with the results.  It give pretty good coverage, especially for a BB cream, it lasts ALL DAY, and it does not irritate my skin.  Pretty much the perfect product in my eyes.  I'll definitely be purchasing the full size of this stuff once I run out.  The only downfall is that it only comes in a single universal shade, which is pretty light, so if you are quite tan or dark-skinned, this won't be for you.


 (Musk)


(Lychee)

Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick Duo in Musk and Lychee
I picked this little coupling at Sephora in the middle of the month and I absolutely love it!  The duo has a perfect nude shade for my skin tone, and a darker pinky brown that's great for nights out and will also be a great Fall and Winter color.  Both shades are very pigmented, it only takes one stroke to coat the lips and the formula is very moisturizing, which is always a good thing.


MAC Peach Blossom Lipstick
Along the same lines as the previous product, this lipstick is a nude that will go with anything.  It's creamy and adds just the right amont of color, without washing me out either.  A definite must for the summer since it's also more on the coral side. I am a bit obsessed with MAC lipsticks, and will probably never have too many, but this is a classic, everyday shade that will probably run out quite rapidly.



Ren ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser
Earlier this month I got it into my head that I needed to add a toner to my skincare regimen and decided to purchase one from Origins, unfortunately it made my skin very irritated and unbalanced and left my skin in dire need of some TLC. So I went back to Sephora and was advised to try the Ren ClearCalm 3 Clay Cleanser, because it wouldn't strip my skin, but would still help fight blemishes. I was sold. The first time I used it, I felt as if my skin let out a sigh of relief, it was so soothing and my skin has been happy ever since.  It's not cheap, but to keep my skin happy, I'm glad to pay the price.  Plus, I haven't used much of anything else since I've been using this cleanser, it's a true miracle worker. I definitely want to try more products from Ren !


There you have it folks, my first monthly favorites post!

Let me know what you have been loving :)

xx

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Mon séjour en Italie!

Bonjour à tous et à toutes!  Voici mon deuxième "post" en français sur mon blog!  J'ai décidé que ça serait une bonne idée de refaire mon article sur l'Italie, mais cette fois-ci en français bien entendu.

Ma bonne amie Patricia et moi avions décidé de prendre des petites vacances et de passer un court séjour en Italie, plus précisément à Cinque Terre (cinq terres) .  Les cinq terres sont Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, et Riomaggiore.


Journée no. 1: Après-midi à Milan, pizza, et souper tardif à Cinque Terre

Nous nous étions entendue pour se rencontrer à Milan, donc c'est là qu'on est arriver chacune de notre côté. Tout de suite nous avions très très faim alors ce fut en route pour la place de la cathédrale (il Duomo) pour voir cette majestueuse structure et pour trouver un petit resto où déguster une bonne pizza à l'italiano.

(Il Duomo)

(Délicieuse pizza dégustée à Milan, par contre ce ne fut pas la meilleure de la fin de semaine)

À la fin de l'après-midi, nous avons repris le train en direction de Cinque Terre.  Nous avions réservé une chambre dans une auberge à Monterosso al Mare.  Nous sommes arrivées vers 21h ce soir là donc nous avons manger rapidement puis nous sommes allées nous coucher.

Deuxième journée : Pluie, mets italiens, petite randonnée

Le matin de notre vraie première journée à Cinque Terre n'était pas des plus merveilleux car il pleuvait et il faisait froid, par contre, cela n'a guère gâché notre avant-midi car nous nous sommes promené et avons beaucoup mangé :)

(Monterosso sous la pluie)

La propriétaire de l'auberge où nous sommes restée nous avait suggéré le restaurant d'un de ses fils pour dîner, donc c'est là que nous avons mangé.  Le repas était très bon et assez bon marché.  (Pour voir des photos des plats allez me suivre sur Instagram).

L'après-midi nous avons finalement vu des rayons de soleil apparaitre et nous avons pu se promener sur le sentier qui relis Monterosso à Vernazza (la prochaine terre).  Nous n'avons pas eu la chance de faire le sentier au complet à cause d'écoulements de terre, mais le petit bout de piste que nous avons pu découvrir en valait largement la peine.

(Vue de la Méditerranée depuis le sentier entre Monterosso et Vernazza)

(Moi sur le sentier)

Ce soir là, nous avons mangé des trofies dans un bon petit resto à Monterosso, puis c'était le temps de se coucher.

Troisième journée: Portovenere, Vernazza, soleil!

La troisième journée se commença très bien, car le soleil brillait et le ciel était clair et bleu.  Nous avons décidé de prendre le bateau et se rendre jusqu'à Portovenere, question de pouvoir visiter un peu plus la région.  Le trajet en bateau fut très amusant et cela nous a donné des superbes vues des autres terres de Cinque Terre.

(Corniglia vue depuis le bateau)

Nous sommes arrivée à Portovenere juste avant midi, donc nous nous sommes promenée dans les rues étroites du village pour trouver un endroit où manger.

(Rues étroites de Portovenere)

(Portovenere)

Après dîner, nous avons profiter du soleil et de Portovenere avant de devoir reprendre le bateau et retourner à Monterosso.

Sur le trajet de retour, nous avons fait une courte visite de Vernazza.

(Citronnier à Vernazza, ces fruits sont partout en Italie, et pas seulement dans la cuisine)


(Moi à Vernazza)

Nous sommes retournées à Monterosso après une superbe journée à Portovenere.  Nous avons mangé une très bonne pizza pour souper et nous nous sommes couchées tout de suite après.

Le lendemain c'était le temps de reprendre le train et de retourner à la maison.

Ce fut un voyage formidable et je recommanderais l'Italie à tout le monde, c'est certainement un pays à voir!

Dites-moi si vous avez déjà visité l'Italie, et quels endroits recommanderiez-vous?

Merci!





Thursday, May 15, 2014

Ipsy April 2014 : Beauty Rocks!

Last summer I decided to give a beauty subscription service a try.  After watching several Youtubers unbox several different beauty boxes, I chose to go with Ipsy.  The value always seemed really good and for $14/month ($10 in the US), you just can't go wrong.

What is Ipsy? It's a monthly subscription service that sends you deluxe samples and full size beauty products.  The value of the box is always higher than the amount you paid, which is always a good feeling.  It is also customized just for you.  When you join Ipsy, they make you take a quiz to see what kind of products you like, or don't like, what skin and hair problems you want to deal with, etc.




This month's theme was Beauty Rocks! and here are the products I received in my bag:



1) Caylin Tinted Lip Balm in 12. Apple Pink


This tinted lip balm is actually really pigmented!  It's a lovely nude/coral shade that is absolutely perfect for summer! The packaging is also quite cool, a little bulky, but I'm not complaining.  The top section is actually a brush that can be used to apply the product, and I think it's a good quality tool as far as applicators that come with products come.

2) Such a Tease Eyelashes in So Seductive


These lashes are simply gorgeous! They feel really nice and appear to be quite good quality.  They are also cruelty free :) 

3) Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet


These eyeliners are quite well known in the beauty community as being amazing quality and having a really good staying power.  I had never tried any of their liners, because the price is a little cheap and one can easily find drugstore alternatives for a fraction of Urban Decay's high prices.  So, I was quite excited to get my hands on one of these and get the chance to try it out.  I tried it on my upper lash line and in my water line and both stayed put the entire day.  I can't really say anything bad about this product.

4) St. Tropez Gradual Tan Anti-Ageing  


I have yet to actually try this product due to the fact that it isn't quite summer yet here in Montreal, and that the rest of my body is still pasty white. But I'm excited to give it a go and see what all the St. Tropez hype is all about. I swatched the product on the back of my hand, it blended well and did not irritate my sensitive skin, so this stuff seems promising.

5) City Color White Gold mousse eyeshadow


Before receiving this in my Ipsy bag I didn't even know that mousse eyeshadows even existed.  There's a first time for everything, so now I get to try this revolutionary product and see what is so special.  It is very pigmented and the colour is true to its name, a white gold. Love this stuff and will be great for summer nights out. 


Overall, I have always been really satisfied with my Ipsy bag and would recommend this service to anyone.  Unfortunately though Ipsy only ships within the US and to Canada, so if you live anywhere else, it's unavailable to you.  

Let me know what you guys got in your Ipsy bag! or if you are subscribed to another service, let me know what you think :)

xx

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Easter weekend in Italy !

Let me start out this post by saying how good it is to finally be able to post on my blog with my computer, the last couple posts were made with my iPad, which meant the quality was lacking.

But now I am reunited with my computer, which I had spilt tea on and had stopped working and I was without it for about two months (it didn't take that long to fix, but I had to send it back to Canada while I was still in France... anyway a long boring story).

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the trip!

I had never been to Italy before and have always wanted to go, so when my friend Patricia suggested we spend Easter weekend in Cinque Terre, I jumped on the occasion.

Day 1 : Traveling to Cinque Terre via Milan

We spent a really quick afternoon in Milan, because that is where we
decided to meet up, and then we took a train together from there to Cinque Terre.  All we did in Milan was see the Duomo quickly from the outside and eat some pizza.

(Piazza del Duomo, Milan)


(The pizza I devoured in Milan)

Then we took the train from Milan to Monterosso.

The first day we arrived around 9 pm, so all we did was eat then we went straight to bed.

We stayed in a lovely little Bed and Breakfast in Monterosso al Mare, which is the first of the Cinque Terre (five lands).  The other four are Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.


Day 2: Rainy day, eating, short hike 

The following day we woke to a rainy Monterosso, but that didn't stop us from walking around, taking some pictures and eating A LOT of delicious italian food.  The woman who owns the B&B where we were staying recommended we try her sons' restaurants in Monterosso, which we did and thoroughly enjoyed :)

(if you would like to check out some pics of the food I ate while in Italy, go check out my instagram, I posted many food pics there from my trip)

When the sun finally made an appearance in the late afternoon, we were able to go on the hiking trail and make our way towards Vernazza. We didn't go all the way to the other land, but we did walk for about half an hour and were able to take in some wonderful views of Monterosso and the sea.

(A view from the hiking trail )


(Me on the hiking trail)




(Monterosso al Mare)

Day 3: Boat trip to Portovenere

On our third day in Cinque Terre, the sun was out and it promised to be a beautiful day.  We woke up early and bought our boat tickets to Portovenere, a slightly bigger coastal town a little east of the Cinque Terre.

The boat trip was really fun and I would recommend it to anyone, because it is the best way to get a good look at all of the five lands.  If you have enough time, you can even get off the boat and visit the other lands, except for Corniglia, which is only accessible by train.

(Corniglia, now you see why this town isn't accessible by boat)


(Manarola)


(Riomaggiore)


In Portovenere we walked around and fully enjoyed the lovely sun and warm weather.  We had a delicious lunch of focaccia sandwiches.  They were so good that we ordered a third one to split.

(Portovenere)


(Boat in Portovenere)


(View of the Cinque Terre coast and the sea from Portovenere)

After lunch we walked around some more and at the end of the afternoon we took the boat back to Monterosso al Mare, but we made a pit stop in Vernazza first.

(Vernazza)

That evening we had another yummy meal in Monterosso (pizza and wine), and went to bed, because the next day we had to get up early and take a train home.

Quick tips: 

1) Water is not given out for free in restaurants, you always have to pay for it.

2) Be aware of an extra fee for sitting and eating in a restaurant.

3) Try the gelato!


I really enjoyed my weekend in Italy and I really hope to get the chance to visit the rest of this beautiful country.