Manicure Monday - Jan 13 2014

I love glitter and wish I could afford more from this brand of nail polish.  This is the same and one of the two Deborah Lippmanns I own. The other one is not a glitter so I don't wear it much at all =/

I used two coats of Deborah Lippmann's Cleopatra in New York and I layered a Wet' N Wild Black Creme nail polish underneath to help with opacity of the polish. As shown in the swatches of my last post, the black base is not very opaque. I guess it helps the glitters show up against the black. 

As you can tell, I suck at this hand modelling business.

How often do you paint your nails?

Favorite Nail Polish Shades for the Winter && Current Manicure

I wear polish all year around, except for exam time. My polish collection consists of approx 80 polishes? I have stopped directly buying polishes. But there are always some colours that I do not own. Today I was be sharing some of the polishes that I will be and have been reaching for during this winter (at least the types of polishes). 

The two main categories are jewel tones & glitters. I love jewel tones, but I never thought of wearing green polish on my nails. Then again, red and green polishes are essential for the christmas season. I am not telling to you wear both colours together, but that is up to you. The purple polish featured was a gift from my boyfriend two or three years ago. He also got me some other colours, but I like this one the best. I think he deeply regrets buying me nail polish.

Going clockwise from the pink glitter.

• Essie's A Cut Above (part of the Luxeffects collection)
• Deborah Lippmann's Cleopatra in New York
• American Apparel's Rouge
• Sally Hansen's Plum Luck in the  Complete Salon Manicure formula
• China Glaze's Exotic Encounters (part of the On Safari Collection in 2012)
• Essie's Set in Stones (part of the Luxeffects collection)

My current nails:

The base colour is OPI's Dulce De Leche (second row, first polish on the right) & a Asian polish layered on top from Nail Colordium (from The Face Shop) (first row, middle polish)

I will try my best to participate in Manicure Mondays in addition to my other posts!

Do you own any of these nail polishes?

Lazy Make-Up

Since I woke up three hours before needing to leave the house, I decided to share what I wear or don't wear on lazy make-up days. :)

Foundation | Highlighter| Concealer| Eyeliner| Make-Up Setting Spray| Sponge*(I can't wear sponges)

Foundation
The foundation I am currently using is Revlon Colourstay for Normal to Dry skin in 150 Buff. I've had this foundation for a while now (over three months?) and I've only recently started to use it again. I purchased this at Walmart when I visited the states. I believe it is $10 or less there and $19 in Canada. This colour is a tad too light for me but since it's winter and I apply it with a sponge. Imo, it smells kind of weird.

This foundation was so popular on YouTube and I took probably like two years before I finally decided to try it. I like this way better than the Photoready that was too dark and too sparkly. I am fine with lighter foundations but I don't like ones that are too too dark.

Highlighter
I have the L'oreal Magic Lumi Concealer in Light. I thought it was just a hightlighter, but it's suppose to be both? I have fairly dark undereye circles so this alone is not enough. I don't remember how much it was when I bought it, but I got it with the liquid eyeliner in this post.

I also included a "friend" that contains both a highlighter and concealer,but unfortunately it is discountinued.

Eyeliner

My eyes cannot handle pencil liners because they smudge like crazy. They only thing I use now are liquid liners. It is so easy to fix mistakes, but they will also run if you get teary-eyed. I purchased the Line Stiletto from Maybelline and I don't enjoy this liner, it is not dark enough. I prefer the L'oreal Carbon Black Linear Intense. Felt-tip liners are quicker to use due to its larger tip, so I recommend the L'oreal one :) I already purchased a back up!

Make-up Setting Spray

I wear glasses, so the Urban Decay All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray helps me prevent getting make-up stuck on my nose pads. I suggest spraying your face once before and once after putting on your make-up. I love this spray because I am too lazy to put on powder and powder can create the cakey look if you put on too much. I love not having to worry when I use this spray. I also purchased the De-slick version, but I haven't gotten a chance to use it yet. This spray does not break me out *knocks on wood*

Make-up Sponge

I've tried stippling brushes, but I prefer this more. It provides a very natural finish and I can layer concealer and highlighter and more concealer! Using these sponges also makes me more conscious with cleaning them regularly :) Btw, these are not beautyblenders.

What do you wear on your lazy make-up days? 

2013 Christmas Gift Guide for Girls

I planned on posting on Saturday but it is nearing the end of my semester so I am occupied with schoolwork.

Anyways, I have started planning for my Christmas, so I thought that I would share my gift ideas. As a girl, I don't think that girls are hard to shop for because we can always use an extra "insert item".

I will have two categories: over and under $50. Over 50 will be posted on a later date since this I want to include my thoughts in the suggestions.

From Left to Right

These Midi rings are adorable from BaubleBar. There are several styles to choose from and they are currently on sale 2 for $34 from their online website. The best thing about midi rings is that you don't need to ask or find out their ring size because they are suppose to be fit higher up on you fingers!

I found these adorable gloves from Asos. They have free shipping worldwide and the antlers are what attracted me to them. They can go from gloves to mitten making them smartphone friendly.

From Sephora, I really want this eyeliner set from Urban Decay. It contains six eyeliners that black-based. This eyeliner set is actually wearable, I am not one to sport bright blue or even dark purple liners. And I've heard that Urban Decay makes some great liners.

This next item that I suggest can be found at other retailers (Sephora, their own website, etc).  But if you are from Canada, I suggest checking out Chapter's selection of colours. Butter London polishes are considered to be a high-end nail polish brand and they have the coolest names. The one in the picture is Cake Hole. They are on sale right now and they have a starbucks deal going on for all purchases made on the website. You can get someone a gift and earn a treat for a job well done.

A winter accessory that I cannot live without would be the infinity/ circle scarf. I hate regular scarves because the ends dangle everywhere. There are a million ways to style a scarf but sometimes it feels as though I am choking myself. Asos' scarf is HUGE and looks incredibly warm and cozy. And as a monochromatic lover, I am still missing a black scarf in my wardrobe. ;)

I am not sponsored by Chapters BUT I seriously considering buying these items.

It seems like I say this a lot.

But, happy Shopping!

Sephora Favorites SuperStars (Beauty Must Haves) - Preview

Hello there,

After watching Glamlifeguru's video on this set, I had to put it on my wishlist. I picked it up when I went to Portland. As a Canadian, things for overpriced for not a very good reason. This set retails for $75 USD but $89 CAD.

How I convinced myself to buy this set :

• I don't own any bronzers
• Eye creams are really expensive (in this case the eye cream is worth 37.50 !)
• I like liquid eyeliners and I would love to try more brands
• BB Cream appeared to be in the right shade for my skin tone
• Early Christmas present?

The set comes with 13 items (the too-faced product comes with 2 items) which means each item costs only $5.76. (75/13=5.76)

BEAUTY MUST HAVES - Sephora's top selling beauty essentials: From makeup to nail polish to fragance, this exclusive 12-piece beauty kit contains our must haves (including nine full-size products).

Price of the 9 Full Sized Products: ( in Canadian Prices)

Deborah Lippmann nail polish in Cleopatra in New York - 22
Josie Maran 100 percent Pure Argan Oil - 18
NARS Lipstick in Dolce Vita - 30
Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream to Brighten and Depuff - 37.50
Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in Light - 50
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner - 26
Too Faced Better Than False Lashes Nylon Lash Extension System - 46
Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sin & Mushroom - 22
VIKTOR & ROLF Flowerbomb Rollerball - 30

I actually do not have the NARS Lipstick. I have extremely dry lips and I can't wear any coloured lip products except lipbalm. I decided to give it to my friend already :)

My thoughts on the items I have actually used:

Deborah Lippmann nail polish in Cleopatra in New York
This is the first Deborah Lippmann glitter polish that I have used. It is not a combo that I would pick up. I am much more interested in Strong & 99 Luftballons type glitters.

99 Luftballons | Cleopatra in New York | Stronger 

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in Light
I don't have swatches for this BB Cream but it is too dark for my skin tone. I like that it contains SPF so I will be mixing it my other BB creams.

VIKTOR & ROLF Flowerbomb Rollerball
I have heard about this fragrance from many YouTubers, but I never got a chance to smell this scent. It's difficult to love a scent based on someone's description. My verdict is I prefer my Chloe and my boyfriend doesn't like it.

I may include more information once I get a chance to use these products :)

The entire set displayed at Sephora

I hope that this helped you to make your mind on this set. I am drugstore makeup user. Sephora is too expensive for me, but I couldn't pass up this deal. I forsee myself purchasing the 2014 SuperStars set.

Happy Shopping !