The pre-Holiday Party Skin Prep

The holiday season is upon us and that means tons of parties, nights out, and get togethers. This means many occasions for you to look your absolute best.  Any look begins with a quality skincare routine that will make you look radiant, glowing and as healthy as can be.

Here are the products I will reach for if I am preparing for a special event.

Nuxe Miscellar Foam Cleanser with Rose Petals 
I wonderfully gentle cleanser that won't strip the skin and smells deliciously of roses. A prefect way to start the preparation for a special event.

Ole Henriksen Walnut Complexion Scrub
The best way to make makeup look its best on the skin is by using a scrub and making sure the face is smooth and even. This stuff smells so delicious. A sweet scent that makes you want to just eat it all up. It's a nice scrub that froths up with water.

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster
During the colder months, my skin drinks up any skincare product that contains vitamin C. This serum is amazing. It smells very yummy and sinks into the skin rapidly.

Ole Henriksen Truth Revealed Super Crème SPF 15
A good moisturizer is essential and I've been loving this one, again by Ole Henriksen, that also contains some vitamin C.

Biotherm Aquasource Fragile Eye Contour
Perfect for sensitive eyes, this won't burn or sting if it gets too close to the eyeball. Love it under my makeup and during the day as a light, yet effective eye cream.

There you have it, the products I reach for when I want to make my skin look and feel its best for a special occasion.

xx

Manicure 101: Nail Care Tips and Tricks

Having pretty nails is important to most women. It is definitely important to me, but let's be honest, it doesn't always happen. My nails are very thin and prone to breaking. Plus nail polish does not stay on my nails very long at all, I'm lucky if I can get polish to stay on for more than a couple days. I use my hands a  lot I suppose and my nails just don't hold polish very well.

Although my nails are difficult, there are certain steps and products that have helped improve the overall lasting power of a manicure and I'm going to share these with you now :)

Gerard Cosmetics Lipglosses and Lipsticks Review

Gerard Cosmetics is a brand that has become very popular, very quickly amend the beauty gurus on Youtube. Their lip products, among many others, have fast become cult favourites. I decided to try a few of the products out seeing as there have been really great promotion codes floating around and it seemed like the perfect time to test some new lippies.

The one product I really wanted to try was the '1995' lipstick created by Youtuber Jaclyn Hill. I also picked up one other lipstick and two lip glosses.

Ipsy December 2014: Thinking of you

Here we go, the last month of the year, the last Ipsy bag. I really enjoy receiving my pink envelop every month and discovering what goodies are hidden inside. It's a fun way to try new products and treat yourself to a little something each month without breaking the bank (only $16 in Canada).

This month was quite a good one. The contents are for the most part really good and I'm excited to really try them all out.

Here is what my December Ipsy bag contained ...

Exchange Student Survival Guide no4: Starting to Plan the Trip

Now that you have applied and hopefully gotten accepted to the program, it's time to start planning the journey there.

If you did some research on bursaries and scholarships before this point you will have information about possible financial help during your exchange semester.  This will help you decide how to go about the following steps.

Naturebox November 2014

I received my second Naturebox a couple weeks ago and have been happily snacking on the contents ever since. I really like the concept of this box and I find it quite affordable, and could also make a wonderful holiday present for someone, because subscriptions can last from only 1 month up to an entire year.

The snacks are healthy, different and delicious, a triple threat ;)

Here is what was in my box this past month...

Sephora VIB Sale Haul

About three weeks ago Sephora had its annual 20% off sale. This event is always very awaited and extremely popular among beauty bloggers and YouTubers. It's the only time high end makeup, hair and skincare products come on sale and can be acquired at a lower cost. It is most definitely worth it to splurge a little during this even because some items you may have been lusting over for the past year are now a little bit more attainable and therefore that much more tempting. Also, this event, being in November, comes at the perfect time to purchase holiday gifts for others, not just yourself ;) So it's even easier to justify spending heaps of money on beauty products because they aren't all for you.

I had been creating my virtual basket on Sephora.com for many weeks now. There were a few products I wanted to try and others I had my eye on for gifts for friends and family. The sale was on in stores and online, but I prefer purchasing stuff online because I can use Ebates (a website that gives you cash back for shopping online), get free samples and special deals. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it was insanely popular, my order only arrived about 14 days after the order was placed. That is why this post is only going up now.

Here is a look at (some) of the items I purchased ...

November Favorites 2014

Another month gone and that means 2014 is almost over. I'm definitely excited for 2015, but right now I'm more excited to share my November faves :)

The cold weather has finally arrived in Canada, and we even had some snowfall in the middle of the month. It's no longer time for oil control and extra mattifying products. My skin has needed hydration , so the products shown here are mostly about keeping my skin winter happy.

Here are the products that made the cut this month...

Exchange Student's Survival Guide no3: Applying for the Exchange

Now that you have decided where you want to go, it's time to submit your application to your school. Every university will function differently and submission dates and such will vary, but essentially what I will be suggesting and the advice in the post is general and can be applied to most exchange programs in my opinion.

Bite Beauty Lip Love Kit Review

I bought this almost two months ago. I've been testing the products out almost everyday to see if they work well and if this set is worth purchasing. I have been on a Bite Beauty love fest for a little while now and I keep buying their products, especially value sets like this one because you get to try out several products for a very good price.

This Bite Beauty sets contains four products for the care of healthy and gorgeous lips.

Here are the products and my thoughts after using them for several weeks...

Cactus Skincare Review/First Impressions

About a month or so ago I ordered the sample pack of Cactus Skincare products. They offer a sample pack of four of their products catered to your specific skin type. Mine was for combination to oily skin. The pack costs 5 Australian dollars plus 3 dollars for international shipping. The samples are meant to last a week. I had heard many good reviews from Australian Youtubers and bloggers about this all natural skincare brand that I decided to try it out for myself.

Cactus Skincare is an Australian owned and made brand of all natural skincare products aimed at creating a moisture barrier for the skin to heal and thrive. The company was created by a woman wanting to heal her own very dry skin. Her name is Deborah and she created Cactus Skincare in the early nineties. Now her son Ryan is helping manage the company.

Their products are entirely made of natural organic ingredients which is wonderful because some brands claim to be 'natural' or 'organic' but often contain many chemicals and aren't at all good for the skin. Cactus Skincare is made with care and the people behind it truly care about their business, products and customers. I've never experienced customer service so prompt and helpful. A great company and I will definitely be ordering a bundle of their full size products in the near future.

Here's a look at the products I sampled...

Lemon Myrtle Cleanser 
A creamy yet not too thick cleanser that smells yummy and feels wonderful on the skin. It's a light cleanser, so one shouldn't expect it to remove makeup as well. It cleans the skin nicely without stripping it. I don't feel the squeaky clean and tight feeling on my face after using this and that's great.  You don't need much of this stuff either. It works with the tiniest amount, so a full size of this will last quite some time.

Light Balancing Creme
Once again, this stuff smells very good. A thick cream that contains ingredients for natural sun protection, which is just wonderful in my opinion. It goes on the skin very nicely and leaves the skin feeling ready for the day ahead.

Nature's Anti-Oxidant Creme
I absolutely enjoyed using this cream at night. The scent is very pleasant and it really feels as though it's good for the skin. I always woke up the next morning feeling as though my skin was doing well.

White Clay Mask
This I believe is their most popular product and it does not disappoint. It's definitely deep cleaning and leaves the skin feeling like a million bucks. It does need to be followed with a good moisturizer, but all in all a great product.

Final thoughts...
I LOVE this brand as a whole and these specific products were total gems! None of these caused me any problems with my often sensitive and acne-prone skin.  All the products are white, which means there is no colouring added to make the product somehow more appealing. All the fragrances are natural and come from the active ingredients used in them, there is no extra scent added.

I recommend these products 100% and I hope they keep their business growing for a long time!

Let me know if you have ever tried any Cactus Skincare products.

xx

Ipsy November 2014: Girl Meets Glitter!

Ipsy bags can sometimes be a total joy or a disappointment. This month I was very excited about receiving my bag because Ipsy's Instagram account had been showing sneak peeks of many products I had been dying to try out for a long time.  Unfortunately, none of the products I wanted arrived in my Ipsy bag, instead I got some products I've seldom heard of and aren't all that exciting in my opinion.

Exchange Student's Survival Guide no2: Deciding Where to Go.

As a young and ambitious high school student many years ago, I was already planning my eventual trip abroad to study while in university.  I knew for certain that I wanted to go to Europe. It's such an amazing place filled with history and culture, I knew that living there for several months at a time would be the absolute best opportunity in the world.

When I finally got to university, one of the very first things I did was get in touch with the person in charge of student exchanges. I was told to apply the following February (it was September), so I had several months to look at the partner schools and make my choice.

Seeing as I had chosen a major in Modern Languages studying French Literature and German, it was pretty much decided which countries I'd be going to.

Nature Box October 2014: First Impression and Review

Being an avid Youtube watcher, there are certain products and companies that you hear a lot about. One of these is Naturebox. After hearing about them over and over and getting serious snack cravings from watching these videos I really wanted to get my hands on this yum-filled box.

It's a California-based company that provides a monthly box of delicious and healthy snacks.  The US site offers its members the chance to hand pick the snacks they want to receive and how many.  There is a wide selection on the American site and pretty much all of the options sound delicious. There are savoury and sweet snacks as well to satisfy both kinds of cravings.

Truth Serum Collagen Booster vs Vitamin C Skin Boost

Last winter I tried out a very small sample of the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum. It lasted just over a couple weeks by using it once a day. My skin absolutely drank it up and improved dramatically after such a short amount of time. When it was all used up I knew I had to find something with Vitamin C to use in my morning skincare routine. Being in France at the time, I did not have access to Ole Henriksen products very easily, or affordably for that matter.

October Favorites 2014

October is already over ! What? This cannot be accurate. That means Christmas is just around the corner and I am not ready. But for now let's talk about what I've loved over the past month.

Exchange Student's Survival Guide no1: Intro

Here's a new kind of post I'll be doing once in a while.  Since this is a lifestyle blog as well as a beauty blog, it's time I start being more consistent with posting 'lifestyle' bits.

This initial post of this new Exchange Student's Survival Guide series will be an introduction to be journey into wanting to do an exchange and why I believed it was and still is a great idea. I really hope this new kind of post will be helpful and please you all.  Here goes nothing...

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer vs Maybelline FitMe Concealer

Finding THE perfect and most wonderful concealer is a never ending journey.

Last year, I discovered the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and completely fell head over heels for this stuff. It's thick enough to cover spots and blemishes, yet brightening enough to apply under the eyes. It's just perfect. However, it comes with a hefty price tag that isn't so appealing.  So, I wanted to find a drugstore equivalent to this NARS wonder to use everyday and keep the expensive stuff for special occasions.

That's where the Maybelline FitMe Concealer comes in. I decided to pick it up at Target the other week on a fluke and boy am I happy I did.

Here's a break down of the two products...

SWAP maquillage, soins pour la peau et plus

Finalement me revoici avec un post en français.  Ça fait un petit moment que j'ai écrit en français sur ce blog et je devrais vraiment le faire plus souvent je le reconnais.

Puisque j'ai une amie qui est aussi accro au maquillage que moi, c'était clair qu'à mon retour au Canada on ferait un échange de produits cultes de nos pays respectifs.  Donc tout au cours de l'été nous avons accumulé, chacune de notre côté, des produits que l'autre veut essayer ou simplement ne peut avoir dans son pays.

Je fus comblé à la mi-août lorsque j'ai reçu le colis qu'elle m'avait envoyé depuis la France. Elle m'a définitivement plus que gâté avec tous ces superbes produits.  En plus, elle a pris le temps de fabriquer elle même des petits noeuds pour aider à protéger les produits durant le trajet. Cela faisait pour un dévouement très coloré :)

Pourquoi ai-je attendu jusqu'à la fin octobre pour publier ce post ? La réponse est simple, Poste Canada est l'entreprise la plus lente. J'ai envoyé son colis au début du mois de septembre et elle l'a seulement reçu hier, tandis que son colis a pris moins d'une semaine pour parvenir jusqu'ici. Où est la logique ? Mais bon, maintenant nous avons chacune reçu nos colis et pouvons présenter nos fabuleux cadeaux.

Voici ce qu'elle m'a offert...

Ipsy October 2014: Beauty Candy!

This month's Ipsy bag's theme was all about candy and beauty treats. They wanted to convey indulgence and gorgeous products in lust-worthy bag. I think they nailed it! The bag is very cute and the products inside look and smell amazing. Definitely a treat.

Here's what was inside my Ipsy bag this month...

Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil

Last week I went to Sephora and as always got sucked into the rows of mini around the cash.  The products there are their best-selling in deluxe sample/mini format which means they are less expensive than full size products and therefore 10x more tempting to grab off the shelf and bring them home.

I decided to get this pack of Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencils because I have tried them out before, always swatched them in store and was always itching to purchase some. So when I saw this set of four colours that would suit me amazingly, I just couldn't possibly resist.

September Favorites 2014

Another month has gone by, and that means another monthly faves post must go up !

I've been on a neutrals kick for a while now and these products very well reflect that.

Here are the products I enjoyed using the most over the past month.

Fall Fashion Wish List

With the cooler weather slowly arriving, new styles are coming into our wardrobes.

Here are my top pics for this Fall season :)

Product Empties/Would I Repurchase?

This is a very popular thing for Beauty Gurus on Youtube to do, and I thought, why not accumulate some products after using them up and whn I have a good amount of empties lying around, I'll write a blog post about them all.

Turns out, I use up a lot of stuff, especially over the course of several months.  SO there are a lot of products here, I'll try to keep the reviews quick and to the point.

Here goes...

Ipsy September 2014: Street Style!

The September Ipsy bag has arrived folks and let me tell you, it's a great one! Some months are better than others when it comes to Ipsy and this is definitely one of them!

Here's what I got...

August Favorites 2014

During the month of August I've been loving a different variety of products.  For example a couple items I received in my Ipsy bag became instant faves and I've been using them non-stop all month long.  I have also rediscovered some products that have been in my collection for a while, but have either been overshadowed by other products until now, or simply forgotten.

Here are the products I couldn't stop using in August.

The Reading Habit Tag :)

While perusing some blogs on a Sunday night I found this great tag with fun questions about one of my favorite pastimes; reading!

I thought it would be a fun little thing to share with you all so here goes...

The 'ME' Colour

After seeing this post on essiebutton.com I immediately decided I had to do a version of it on my blog.

I have collected a fair amount of lipsticks since becoming such a makeup fiend and when I look into my lip product drawer, I find myself looking at a whole bunch of items that kinda look identical.

Ipsy August 2014: Beauty Schooled!

This month's Ipsy bag arrived earlier this week and it's now time to share with you what I received :)

Here's something I will start doing with my Ipsy posts, I will look up the actual retail price of each item and sum up the total value of the bag.

July Favorites 2014

To be honest, there haven't been that many new products this month that have become new favorites. However there are a few items that I just haven't talked about before that need to be mentioned in this post.

Candles and Tea

I was trying to figure out what to write about this week and I decided it was time for a non-beauty post.

There are two things that I use everyday while I'm getting ready that make the beginning or end of my day that much more special.  I'm talking about candles and tea.  Nothing is more pleasant than having a nice cup of tea and a candle burning.

Ipsy July 2014: Sensationally Sunkissed

Receiving my Ipsy bag each month is like having Christmas 12 times per year.  It's a wonderful thing to get five beauty products sent to you and to be able to test/discover new things constantly.

Asian Beauty Haul

A couple weeks ago I got the chance to shop some asian beauty and I took advantage !  I picked up a bag full of products.

June Favorites 2014

Here goes the second monthly faves post! I hope I can keep this up for the rest of the year.

Lip Product Addict!

After watching some of my favorite youtube beauty gurus create and film the Lip Product Addict TAG video, I thought it would be fun to write up a blog post about my best lippies!

Ipsy June 2014: Pretty in Paradise

I received my June Ipsy bag yesterday and wanted to get this post up ASAP.  I did not put up a post about the May bag, because since I got home in May and received the April and May bags within a week of one another, I chose to write about the most exciting of the two, which was the April bag.

OOTD: Grad Weekend!

This past weekend was my convocation from Bishop's University, so it was the perfect opportunity to dress up and be all fancy ;)

Here's what I wore...

Outfit details:

Blazer : FCUK

Romper: Topshop

Black pumps: Payless

And here's a bonus pic of me in full graduation regalia (and of course my diploma)...

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend:)

xx

Spring Blooms

Over here in Montreal, the weather has been quite wonky for the past couple weeks, there have been some scorching hot days, followed by cold and rainy ones.  This is typical Canadian weather, but it's never pleasant to have a yo-yo of temperatures and climates, especially when it's June and all anyone wants is to bust out the shorts and grab a bite and some drinks out on a terrace somewhere in town.

So I decided to put together a fun little post with some pictures of the flowers I've photographed in the past couple weeks.

Hope you all enjoy :)

    (tulip)

                            (lilac)

    (gerbera daisy)

    (phlox)

    (brunnera macrophylla)

                            (lily of the valley)


And here's a little bonus pic of my doggie chilling out while I take all these photos. :)

I hope this post succeeded in brightening up your day if the climate is as gloomy where you live as it is here, and if you live somewhere sunny, send some good weather vibes my way please!

Have a great weekend everyone and feel free to share posts, pics, links to anything to brighten up our moods and weather :)

xx

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