October Favorites

i.d. bareMinerals All Over Face Color in  Warmth (and brush)

I can't believe how orange this looks in the picture! That's terrible. It really is very brown, quite a dark brown. I only use a little bit to give me a sun-kissed glow. I am in love with the all over face color in Warmth! It contains super fine shimmer (mica I believe) so it gives off a beautiful glow without being too sparkley or chunky glitter like other shimmer bronzers. It's not muddy on me. And I think because of the formulation, the minerals and it being a loose power, it's a dream to blend it onto the skin; I'll use it on my face, neck, chest, or/and anywhere else I feel I need it.

MAC 168 Contouring brush

I have been using and loving this brush for my blushes!

Red  Earth Cherry Blossom Blush in Cheeky Flirt

Too bad Shoppers Drug Mart no longer carriers Red Earth Cosmetics. I bought this blush a year or two ago when it was marked down for clearing out. I bought some other items as well and it really is a great brand. However, nobody gave it any attention before (myself included) until everything was marked down. This shade is a matte light mauve color.  Hopefully I can find a good dupe or at least another new favorite :)

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly

This should be in my favorites every month, but I'm not going to do that. This one will go without saying. I think this is a must-have, especially for any beginner's makeup bag. It's a matte skin-tone color to even out the eye lid area. It's lovely alone by itself or to enhance eye shadow colors and their longevity. I hear that not all MAC paint pots are creasless (like Blackground, however I haven't tried it for myself) but you don't have to worry about any creasing with Painterly.

Sally Hansen Salon Strength Nail Polish Remover 

The best nail polish remover ever! It removes any last traces of dark nail polishes effortlessly. I got mine at Wall-mart. I find moisturizing formulas are pointless. I have to use more swipes to get the polish off as oppose to 2-3 easy swipes of a stronger remover. Eventually, a moisturizing remover is drying my nails out after all the rubbing I have to do.

Sally Hansen Vitamin E Moisturizing Nail and Cuticle Oil

I need something to treat my nails after all that acetone. Any nail cream or oil would surely work just fine. I've had this one around for a while and I always use it. I paint the oil on and massage it in until dry. My nails are quenched and healthy looking. I only use polish again the next day if I'm going to paint my nails again.

Color Corrector Slimline

I got this from Sally's Beauty Supply. This truely does beat the q-tip-dipped-in-nail polish remover trick. The tip on this polish corrector is hard and it's not dripping with remover like a q-tip would. So it's very precise and you're not removing more color than you had wanted.

Botanics Skin Conditioning Body Scrub

This is an "invigorating salt scrub with moisturizing ginseng extract" and it really works. I tried some salt scrubs from The Body Shop but I found that it disolved too quickly while in the shower. This formula here is thicker and doesn't dissolve so easily. I was able to scrub longer and slough away those dead skin cells. The scent isn't amazing, but it's not bad either nor strong. Although I'm not too concerned about the fragrance anyway because this stuff does the job wonderfully. My skin is really soft afterwards.

Samples

And finally, who doesn't love samples!? Especially free samples? The only sample I paid for was the argon oil from Sally's Beauty Supply. And by the way, those Benefit samples (Erase Paste & Some Kind-a Goregous) are super generous sizes!

I hope everyone has a safe, fun, and happy Halloween! I can't wait to see everyone's costumes in pictures tomorrow! I'm not dressing up this year :( I'm actually going to see a David Copperfield show tonight. Anyway, take care!

♥M

My First LUSH Haul

My first online purchase from Lush! Unfortunately, there is no Lush store in my province and the nearest one would be 3 hours away. I was super excited to get my package in the mail; the box smelled scrumptious!

There was a promo online to receive a free bubble bar ($8-9 value) with your purchase. I choose The Comfort. It was huge and I was so excited to try it out! And I did just that. That's why you'll see that this is the only one not pictured in the haul photos because I had used it right away that evening.

I've only tried the one bubble bar so far - which I'll be posting a review on very shortly - and so far I'm quite satisfied. Even with the scents of these products alone  make me happy. My favorite scented items that I received include cinders, lush lil pud, jacko (which smells like candy and autumn spices). And Mr. Butterball smells great, too (vanilla & musk). I think Mr Butterball is going to be a good one in the tub, I read a lot of good reviews on it.

Here's all of what I got this round:

Bubble Bars

Holiday

Flosty Gritter

The Comfort (freebie)

Bath Bombs

Lil' LUSH Pud

Satsumo Santa

Christmas Party

Jingle Spells

Cinders

Jacko Ballistic

Mr. Butterball

Other

Snow Fairy Shower Gel

Jungle Solid Conditioner (free sample)

Honey Waffle Soap (free sample)

The Satsumo Santa

Lil Lush Pud, Cinders

Flosty Gritter, Holiday

Jacko Ballistic

I think the next thing I'll try is the Jacko Bath Bomb on Halloween day (tomorrow)! So deliciously appropriate.

Free bubble bar promo ends Nov 2nd '09 Promo code: BBSFREE

♥M

A Beautiful Nail Color for Fall & Winter: Manicurist of Seville, A Review

A quick, quick post/review featuring my nail color.

OPI's Manicurist of Seville from the Espana collection

I love this color so much! It is a deep purpley red.

I got this a while ago (a couple months) and this is the first time that I'm wearing it. I painted two thin layers and, true to form of OPI, the pigmentation was fantastic! As well as the fast drying aspect of this laquer, as I am not one to wait for my polish to dry. And with any polish, just be sure to use thin layers, otherwise, it will never dry. Go over it if you need to 2-3 times. However, with this color, you only need one coat, but I used two to be sure it was opaque.

I sealed the color with a top coat from L'Oreal. I've only been wearing this for 2 days, but so far, no chips. I don't realize how rough I am on my nails until I paint them. I tend to use them as tools sometimes and which is not good. But when I paint them, I'm more attentive to what I'm doing so that I don't ruin or chip them.

My Verdict? I would give this a 5/5. The color is beautiful, a unique twist on your classic red. It dries fast. And the pigmentation is outstanding.

Here are a few snapshots I took using my built in Macbook webcam. So I do apologize about the lack of quality. And it is a little bit darker in person; the 2nd photo is more true to the real deal.

♥M

Hair Care: Protect Your Hair Against Heat 2 in 1 Review

In keeping with the "theme" of my previous post, hair care, I will share with you the heat protectants I'm currently using. I try to use heat minimally but I will always use something to protect my strands. Note: I will spray a nourishing de-tangler (like that of John Frieda's), air-dry about 80% of the way, and finish with a blow dry.

What I typically use on wet hair - beacuse it is a silicone serum - is Cherry Bomb, 'your blow drying buddy'. I love its sweet smell of cherries, like candy. I'll use about a quarter-sized dallop - for shorter hair you wouldn't need as much, I have long hair - rub it on both hands, and smooth throughout my damp hair. I'll blow dry it & then curl or straighten. Sometimes I don't add anything else after the blow dry, before I curl/straighten my hair. And then sometimes I may add just a tiny bit more or I'll use the Toni&Guy spray on the ends after its dried. But I try not to ruin the smell of cherries with the Toni&Guy mist. The Cherry Bomb does work great for me, it leaves my hair smooth and shiny.

You can find the Cherry Bomb exclusively in drugstores or beauty boutiques. I searched around the net, in case you were interested, and only found the one place to buy it online. Unfortunately.  But check out your salons and beauty boutiques.

Next up, from the drugstore, is TONI&GUY Protein Protection Mist. This is about $8-$11 (CAD) at the drugstore. I have to say, I'm not a fan of this product's scent. It's kind of gross. It smells like a man's cologne. I don't want my hair smelling like that! I rarely use this because of that one factor, its disgusting fragrance. If you use this, your hair will definitely  reek of the scent long afterwards. But the stuff works. It doesn't leave my hair shiny or smelling as lovely as the Cherry bomb.

My Verdict? Cherry Bomb = YAY. TONI&GUY = NAY.

Other heat protectants that do the job well:

Redken Satinwear 02 Ultimate Blow-Dry Lotion

TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray

I hear these are good too:

Retro-Chic Glazz

CHI 44 Iron Guard Thermal Protection Spray

Have you tried any of those mentioned above? How do you feel about the product?

What is your favorite one to use?

♥M

Hair Care: John Frieda Root Awakening Health Kick Detangling Spray

I've been using this product by John Frieda for about a good month or more now and I just had to share this with all of you.

This is going to be a product rave for the Root Awakening Health Kick Detangling Spray. I got this one, along with some other John Frieda products (a mousse and curl spray), because they were on sale/promotion at my local drugstore for a little more than 50% off. John Frieda products are pretty good quality but are a little more on the expensive end for a drugstore item.  I've tried other leave in detangling products, including the Sleek & Shine Leave In Conditioning Cream from Garnier Fructis which didn't cut it for my hair. The Root Awakening Spray is about $10 regular price (CAD) and similar products, like the Garnier Fructis, is about $3-4 (CAD). So, I got the spray at a great price but I would absolutely pay full retail value for this (but I'll still look out for the sales and stock up then, because that's just me).

First of all, the texture of my hair is rather course, dry, and dead-looking. It's not curly but it has a bit of a natural wave. And I've only dyed my hair twice in my lifetime. My sister once said to me "I wish I had dead hair so I could do stuff with it, mine's too healthy". Lol, Thanks, Sis! My sister really does have silky smooth hair. And I wanted my hair like that! Funny how we always want what the other one has. I tried all sorts of different things with my hair, but this Root Awakening has truly done it for me.

Claims: Nourishes & protects from roots to ends for healthy-looking hair; with heat protection. With natural Eucalyptus. Health Kick Detangling Spray, with vitamins, nourishes hair from roots to ends from dramatically silkier, more manageable hair.

I notice now  that my hair is actually silky, shiny, and smooth to the touch. Albeit, it's been a month but I see the difference now! My goal with my hair is to grow it as long as I can or down to my bum and to achieve this I am air drying it more often and using as little heat as possible. However, once my hair was air-dried, it was so frizzy and course. Not pretty. So I always carried a frizz cream to smooth it down.  But with this spray, I think as long as I use it regularly, I won't have that problem. So far, so good after a month.

I spray this all over my damp hair, focusing on the ends. Then I rub it in and through my hair with my fingers. And then I let it air dry. If I am going to style with heat, I'll air-dry it 80%. The spray is from the line Root Awakening, which comes with it's matching shampoos and conditioners, but I didn't use those. I just stuck to what I was already using (Yes to Carrots and Herbal Essences). The spray also has a nice scent, but if you're sensitive to fragrances, I might steer clear. Although, It's not overly strong.

My Verdict? It works. Well, it worked wonders for my dry, course, frizzy hair! I'm very pleased with this product. Therefore, after I've finished the bottle, I'll be going back for more. FYI, I still have half a bottle left of product (bottle is 175 ml) and I've been using this for a month on my long thick hair. Not too bad. I would recommend this if you suffer from the same hair type as I do.

If you have already tried this out or you plan to try it out, please let me know what you thought and how it worked for you.

Thanks for reading! And have a good one!

♥M

Update!

I have pretty well neglected this blog. But I have been in dispose, you could say. Allow me to explain.

First of all, I had sprained my ankle about a month ago now and it's still under recovery. It is still too painful to walk in heels, which makes me quite sad. I hope   the ankle will be good to go for November 7th, for the wine festival. So I was bed-ridden/couch-ridden for a couple weeks and so I didn't get up much nor do a whole lot.

Secondly, just as my ankle was starting to feel better, after 3 to 4 weeks, my throat started to feel sore. I thought it was just a regular sore throat, the beginning of a cold or whatnot. So I was taking lozenges, but it wasn't helping at all. After a few days I decided to take a look at it for myself. Sure enough, there was some white stuff in the back - a throat infection. It even hurt to swallow my own saliva (tmi? my bad). Soo, got a prescription for some meds to help the curing process.

Lastly, I find out that I'm actually allergic to these meds - the hard way! I break out in hives all over and mouth was swollen. So I took allergy relief meds for just a day or two, which makes you super drowsy.

But now, we're all good in the hood! Therefore, you can expect to see more posts coming up! And not all MAC related either. Speaking of MAC, I'm really not diggin' the Holiday '09 collection, Magic, Mirth, and Mischief! What I am looking forward to, though, is this collection ! I absolutely adore the packaging!

Below are just some snapshots from this morning, me putting on my face for the day. I look pretty tired (hello under eye bags, gaah). And this first picture looks like it says "bi", hehe, but it's i.d. mineral foundation.

♥M

Another MAC Haul (DSquared2)

Here I go again with the MAC purchases. It's not my fault MAC comes out with a collection every week! But seriously, this should be it for a while. Where have we heard this before? Anywho, moving right along.

I got some things from the Dsquared² collection, the regular line, and a Dazzleglass Creme.

Dsquared² 165 Tapered Cheek/Highlight Brush

I haven't used this yet, but I will probably use it for contouring and highlighting. And I would like to see how well it applies blush as I had been looking for a smaller blush brush and this may be it.

Dsquared² Lip Erase in Dim 

This simply pales out the color of your natural lip pigmentation. It's a fleshy beige shade. It's matte meaning it is shine and texture free. You could wear it just like that, just matte, or I would put a nude and light pink color gloss over top of it. It's a great product for those who love the nude lip.

My bare lips (L or top) Lip Erase (R or bottom)

Dsquared² Lipstick in Nude Rose

It's a pretty, light neutral pink that goes on sheer. I find you can't really build up the color too much as it is quite sheer. It is different from Hue, for example, as it's not as pigmented, Nude Rose is glossier, and not as pale. I really like it though, it'll be good.

Dazzleglass Creme in My Favorite Pink

This is a pretty bright pink in the tube but I don't think it's really that pigmented on the lips. It may be more pigmented than the original Dazzleglasses. However, I've had other glosses in which are a lot more pigmented and brighter than the Cremes like the L'Oreal Paris Colorjuice in Tutti Fruitti. Although the Colorjuice is quite sticky and does not have that sprakle like the Dazzleglass. I chose My Favorite Pink because it's a light blue pink, which might make my teeth appear whiter! What I've done is put a bit of the Lip Erase on and then the Dazzleglass to make the pink appear brighter.

Nude Rose (L) My Fav Pink (R)

Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe

This color is a taupe brown with silvery bronze and I love this shade! I'm so happy I've finally got it! I think this will be an everyday color. I would probably pair it with Esspresso and Shroom for an everyday look.  Pretty!

Let me know if you've picked up anything from any of the recent collections and how you like them (or not). Thanks for reading lovelies!


♥M