December 18, 2015

NOTD: December 18, 2015


This vampy NOTD is Julep Judi (from this haul) with Seche Nostalgic (from this haul). I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, 1 coat of Seche and 2 coats of Judi and then topped it off with Orly Top2Bottom!

Given how great Nostalgic was, I will definitely try to buy more Seche polish!

Thanks for reading!

December 05, 2015

Sephora Haul!

With all the sales and promos on, I figured it was a good time to pick up some new stuff from Sephora


L to R: Tarte Noir Necessities To-go Kit, Bite Beauty Best Bite Rewind, Buxom Tokens of Temptation Mini Lip Collection, Tarte Power Pigment in True Love, Tarte Easy Glowing Deluxe Cheek Set

Here's a closer look at the sets:

First up Noir Necessities 500 point perk


L to R: Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara, Opening Act Lash Primer, Best in Faux Extending Fibers, Lipsurgence in Classy, Lights, Camera, Lashes Closeup Lash Liner

Best Bite Rewind: 4 Mini-Matte Creme Lip Crayons


L to R: Aubergine, Coulis, Torte, Cafe

VIBTOKENS Promo Code: Buxon Tokens of Temptation


L to R: Full-On Lip Polish in Erin, Full-On Lipstick in San Francisco, Full-On Lip Cream in Berry Blast


Tarte Power Pigment in True Love

Easy Glowing Set


L to R: Cheek Stain in Dazed, Amazonian Clay Blush in Enthused

Free samples:


L to R: Tokyo Milk Dark Tainted Love, Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine, Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer

All in all, I think this was a good haul! Picked up some great products that I really like: Classy, True Love, Dazed, and Torte!

Love the formula of the Bite products, Aubergine lasted almost all day on me - through drinking and eating even!

November 09, 2015

NOTD: November 9, 2015


This fall-friendly manicure is a butter London set I picked up last year (from this haul). I used butter London Nail Foundation as my base, 2 coats of butter London Tramp Stamp, 1 coat of butter London The 444 on the accent, and Orly Top2Bottom as the topper.

Tramp Stamp is a lot more red in the bottle, but as you can see here, more brown on the nail.

Thanks for reading!

November 07, 2015

BzzAgent Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara

Please note I received these products free to try from BzzAgent. My opinion below is my own and besides receiving these products for free, I was not compensated for my opinion.


Contents of my Bzzkit:


As a fan of Cover Girl mascaras in general, I was really excited to receive one free, I had the choice of: Full Lash Bloom, Clump Crusher, LashBlast Volume, or LashBlast Fusion. 

I've tried and like LashBlast Fusion in the past (see past review here) and couldn't resist using it again!

I love that it not only volumizes and lengthens, it also adds a hint of a curl to my stick-straight lashes!

I don't have to worry about smudging throughout a long day at work and yet it comes off quite easily with eye make-up remover!

The wand has short spiky plastic bristles which is easy to use and deposits the perfect amount of mascara without any clumping (don't you hate it when mascara clumps or hardens throughout the day to leave you with painful eyelashes?)

I would recommend checking out this mascara if volume and lengthen are most important to you!

I am definitely interested in trying one of the other mascaras out with the $2 off coupons BzzAgent provided me with!

What mascara is your fav?

Thanks for reading!

November 06, 2015

NOTD: November 6, 2015


Love this one! It's almost like a dirty chalkboard! This is 2 coats of Ciate Velvet Tuxedo (from this haul), I used butter London Nail Foundation as the base, and topped it with 2 coats of NYC Matte Me Crazy to give it that satiny finish.

What do you think? Are you a fan of satin finish manis?

Thanks for reading!

November 04, 2015

NOTD: November 4, 2015


This frosty mani, definitely looks like something Elsa from Frozen would rock! This is 2 coats of Julep Celia (from this haul) with Sparitual Looking Glass (from this haul). I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base and Orly Top2Bottom as the topper!

Pleasantly surprised with both polish! Celia changes colour a bit, it's more blue in direct light and more green in indirect light. Looking Glass is a solid frosty silver!

Does this remind you of Elsa too?

Thanks for reading!

November 02, 2015

October Empties!

Another month, and more empties! I did well this month with 4 full size products used up!


L to R: Cetaphil Fragrance Free Moisturizing Lotion, Aveeno Positively Nourishing Shine Conditioner

Cetaphil Fragrance Free Moisturizing Lotion: This is a very old product, I believe Cetaphil packaging has changed twice since this bottle. This is run-of-the-mill moisturizer, I used this primarily on my legs when they got dry. It does the job, but is nothing special. I prefer fragranced moisturizers, so it's unlikely I'll repurchase.

Aveeno Positively Nourishing Shine Conditioner: from this haul. I liked this conditioner, but it is by no means my favourite. It does the job of detangling hair, I don't know that it really added more shine, and it was the basic Aveeno fragrance. Unlikely to repurchase.


L to R: Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in Mad About You, Neutrogena Make-Up Removing Cleansing Wipes Night Calming, Givenchy Very Irresistible

Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in Mad About You: BBW describes the fragrance as soft peonies & black currant with creamy vanilla musk. I would say this is a floral fragrance with hints of vanilla, I like it! Also, BBW has my favourite formula of antibacterial gels, plus like a million scents to choose from! I would definitely repurchase, but half the fun is trying new scents!

Neutrogena Make-Up Removing Cleansing Wipes Night Calming: I like these wipes better than the Neutrogena basic ones! Love the gentle calming scent which in no way irritates my eyes! Effective and calming! Perfect step at removing make-up before bed (or before shower on non-lazy days!) Will always repurchase!

Givenchy Very Irresistible: from this haul. Sephora lists the notes of this fragrance as; centifolia rose, peony rose, fantasia rose, passion rose, emotion rose, verbena leaf, and star anise. While this is a floral fragrance (who knew about all the different rose scents?), I don't mind this one. While I wouldn't purchase for myself (since I have about 5 full-size perfumes on the go right now), it is a nice floral fragrance without any powder hints that I don't mind!

What products did you finish up in October?

Thanks for reading!

October 07, 2015

Winners Finds!

More Winners finds! This one was pretty good in my opinion! Great deals! 


L to R: Rusk Sensories Brilliance Color Protecting Shampoo in Grapefruit and Honey, Stila Creme Bouquet, Ciate Velvet Tuxedo, Laura Geller Color Drenched Lip Gloss in French Press Rose, Raspberry Roast, and Melon Infusion

The shampoo was $7.99, smelt fantastic AND I needed colour protecting shampoo as I have recently begun colouring my hair!

I couldn't pass up Stila Creme Bouquet as Musings of a Muse describes it as her favourite vanilla scent, I love vanilla and this was $24.99 - it had no price tag and I spent about 15 minutes waiting for the price and felt bad leaving without it. Love it! More of a warm vanilla and honey scent to me! Perfect for fall and winter!

The lip gloss set was $14.99, and I love Laura Geller's formula so of course I bought it too!

What have you picked up recently at Winners?

Thanks for reading!

October 05, 2015

NOTD: October 5, 2015


Another attempt at nail art! And I'm pretty happy with the result!

This NOTD is 2 coats of Sephora by OPI Fit For Royalty (from this haul) with Quo by Orly Instant Artist Foil Gold used to for the art. I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base and Orly Top2Bottom as the top coat.

I'm really happy with this result and will definitely try to use my Instant Artist polish is more upcoming nail art NOTDs!

Thanks for reading!

October 03, 2015

NOTD: October 3, 2015


A very fall-appropriate mani! I started with NYC Matte Me Crazy, and then 2 coats each of Julep Sawyer (from this haul) and nails inc. Oxford Street (from this haul). I then topped it all off with Orly Top2Bottom.

I am actually really surprised at how much I like Sawyer, but I do think it would look better with a red or green accent.

Brown nails aren't my thing, and I don't like Oxford Street for that reason.

Do you dig brown nails?

Thanks for reading!

October 01, 2015

September Empties!

I'm proud of myself this month! A solid month of empties!


L to R: Quo Brush Cleanser, ROC Double Action Eye Make-up Remover

Quo Brush Cleanser: My review of this product has changed since last time (see previous review here). I have since tried another brand of brush cleanser as well as regular old baby shampoo, and this no longer stacks up! While this is perfectly acceptable at cleaning brushes used with powder products, I don't feel it is that effective at cleaning my foundation brush. Will not repurchase as I'd like my cleanser to be effective at all types of cleaning.

ROC Double Action Eye Make-up Remover: Despite my previous review (see here), I did repurchase. It still does the job, but is greasier than I'd like and not as amazing as Lancome Bi-Facil.


L to R: Secret Scent Expressions Antiperspirant in Ooh La-la Lavender, Clinique High Impact Mascara

Secret Scent Expressions Antiperspirant in Ooh La-la Lavender: See original review here. No change to the review, like that it's clear, don't like that it doesn't keep my sweat and odour free!

Clinique High Impact Mascara: from this haul. I actually really really enjoyed this mascara! It was non-clumpy and added volume and length to my lashes! It also managed to last well without smudging throughout the day! I will try to pick up another one of these once my mascara stash diminishes a bit!


L to R: Ole Henriksen Nurture Me Cleansing Cloths Makeup Removing Moringa and Borage Seed Oils, Prada Candy, Ducray Squanorm

Ole Henriksen Nurture Me Cleansing Cloths Makeup Removing Moringa and Borage Seed Oils: from this haul.  These cloths have a gorgeous and refreshing citrusy scent to them! They are passable at removing eye makeup as well. However at $10 for 10 cloths, I'd rather stick to my Neutrogena favourites. These were fun to try out, and maybe I'll pick up when I need some pampering.

Prada Candy: from this haul. See review here. I still love this fragrance, and will keep my eyes open to purchase it on sale!

Ducray Squanorm: Still using and loving! See review here.

Not bad! 4 full-size, 2 deluxe, and 1 sample products down!

What products did you use up in September?

Thanks for reading!

September 30, 2015

NOTD: September 30, 2015


This mani is Julep Zoey (from this haul). It's one of those polish that changes its shade based on the lighting, here it's almost blue, in darker light it's more green, but mostly I'd call it a gray.

I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, 2 coats of Zoey and a top coat of Orly Top2Bottom. I did experience some difficulties with Zoey's formula, you can see some clumps/grooves.

I still really like this shade and its versatility!

Thanks for reading!

September 28, 2015

Arbonne Haul!

A friend of mine recently started selling Arbonne products. I was invited to a product party, and despite my hesitance around the whole network marketing aspect of it. I decided to put in an order.

For those who want to make up their own minds google the company, honestly it seems like a bit of a pyramid scheme in my opinion, and I was hugely turned off by having to pay for shipping (that goes against my morals!)


L to R: Pure Mint Deodorant, FC5 Cooling Foot Cream, Lip Save Sunscreen

I've been interested in testing out all-natural deodorant for a while, however I'm concerned about how smelly I'll be, so I'm saving this out for when I have limited exposure to people and it isn't so hot out!

Foot cream is something I know I need to add into my at least weekly routine to keep my feet soft and supple. I'll let you know what I think of this one!

And of course lip balm, because these are essential to nice smooth lips! Bonus of spf 30!

Keep your eyes out for these products in empties posts in the future!

Have you tried Arbonne? What are your thoughts?

September 26, 2015

NOTD: September 26, 2015


This vampy mani is 2 coats of nails inc. St. Martin's Lane (from this haul) with 2 coats of Deborah Lippmann Good Girl Gone Bad (from this haul).

I think these complement each other nicely! Also both had really nice formulas!

Thanks for reading!

September 24, 2015

NOTD: September 24, 2015


This is 2 coats of Color Club Lady Holiday (from this haul) with 2 coats of nails inc. George Street (from this haul).

This weekend I inventoried my nail polish stash, and now endeavor to use more of my already tried polish more regularly.

These 2 polish were looking slightly worse for the wear, Lady Holiday is starting to separate (see the darker gray at the bottom) and George Street gets a large amount of clear at the top. Hopefully by identifying these issues sooner I can get enough use out of the polish and maybe even fix them!

How do you keep your polish from thickening/separating?

Thanks for reading!

September 22, 2015

NOTD: September 22, 2015


Happy First Day of Fall! In celebration, here's a vampy red NOTD!

This is Deborah Lippmann Through the Fire (from this haul). I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, 2 coats of Through the Fire, and topped it was Orly Top2Bottom.

This was close to being a one-coater, but I wasn't careful enough.

What are you most looking forward now that's it's Fall?

Thanks for reading!

September 20, 2015

September Maven Box

Another month where I was tempted by Julep! It likely helped that my pile of untried was looking pretty small too! Such a hoarder :P

For more information on the Maven program, click here.

This month I opted for It Girl


L to R: Aubrey, Zoey, Delores

Love Delores - who can resist a purple holo?!? Aubrey also looks unique to my collection. And therefore by default I got the more boring Zoey as well. I refuse to switch to the $25 customizable box!

I also chose 3 add-ins, as there was a bonus gift offered this month, and a number of the add-ons where items I was interested in in the past


L to R: Sawyer, Paula, Casey

Paula I remember tempting me the month it was released, I'm a sucker for teals so Casey was an easy pick. Sawyer was my attempt at something different, we'll see if it works with my skintone!


L to R: Julep, London

Julep was the freebie added to everyone's boxes, and I love it! A perfect purple/pink hybrid! London was my bonus for 3 add-ons, and I am happy with the shade as well!

All in all I think I got a great deal with 8 polish for $47 (CAD). Look for these in upcoming NOTD!

Did you opt in this month? Will you be picking up the October box?

Thanks for reading!

September 05, 2015

NOTD: September 5, 2015


This gorgeous sparkley look is Illamasqua Fire Rose!

I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, 1 coat (!!!) of Fire Rose, and no topper to preserve the textured glitter of the polish (and also because I was lazy...)

I picked this polish up from The Bay for $8, a steal considering they're usually $18+ here in Canada. Definitely not disappointed, a girl can never have too many 1 coaters!

Did you pick up anything Illamasqua while The Bay was discontinuing it?

Thanks for reading!

September 03, 2015

August Empties!

A less successful month of empties, but empties nonetheless!


L to R: Live Clean Monoi Oil Strengthening Conditioner, Quo Cosmetic Pads

Live Clean Monoi Oil Strengthening Conditioner: I really liked how soft and strong this conditioner made my hair feel! The scent was so tropical too, a bit of coconut and something else I can't wrap my nose around. I also really like that Live Clean is a Canadian-owned environmentally company! I will definitely pick up more products from them!

Quo Cosmetic Pads: I think these might be my ideal cotton pads, these are cheaper than the "Luxury" ones, and yet strong enough to handle glitter nail polish removal. Will definitely repurchase!

What did you use up in August?

Thanks for reading!

August 31, 2015

NOTD: August 31, 2015


This holo spacey mani is Sephora X in Juju (from this haul) with Wet N' Wild Party of Five Glitters (from this haul).

I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, 2 coats of Juju, and 1 coat of Party of Five Glitters on the accent, followed by Orly Top2Bottom as the top coat.

I couldn't quite capture the holographic effect of Juju, it was really strong in natural light, although not as stronger as the indie holos we see.

Thanks for reading!

August 28, 2015

NOTD: August 28, 2015


My very first skittlette mani!  This perfectly summery mani is three Sephora by OPI polish All That Jasmine, Havana Dreams, and Your Wish Is My Command. All That Jasmine and Your Wish Is My Command are both from this haul. Havana Dreams is from this haul.

I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, 1 coat of All That Jasmine, 2 coats of Havana Dreams and Your Wish Is My Command. I used Orly Top2Bottom as the topper.

Really cute right?

Thanks for reading!

August 25, 2015

NOTD: August 25, 2015


This rather sheer mani is Orly Pink Lemonade (from this haul). I was drawn the pretty pink shimmeryness of the polish, but I'm a bit disappointed.

I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base coat, followed by 2 coats of Pink Lemonade, and topped with Orly Top2Bottom.

Still it's definitely summer appropriate, and hopefully I will find the perfect polish to wear under it!

Thanks for reading!

August 23, 2015

Fav Movies of 2010

For those looking for some viewing suggestions, here's my list of favourite movies from 2010



10. The Kids Are All Right: This critically acclaimed film (it won 2 Golden Globes and was nominated for 4 Oscars) is one of those quirky family films, centering on a family with 2 mothers and their run-ins with their children's biological father. This movie will make you laugh and cry, and appreciate your own family.



9. The Social Network: While the script was sharp, the acting and casting really made this film for me. Jesse Eisenberg is believably jaded and callous, poor Andrew Garfield is the friend just trying to do the right thing, and Justin Timberlake is a dick. Honestly, I had no interest in this film until all the critical acclaim swept in, and then I only watched it at the request of a friend. Definitely surprised by how much I liked this one!



8. Despicable Me: Confession, I LOVE Steve Carell, and besides the adorableness of the minions, he is the reason I watched this movie. I was not disappointed, not only is this a heart-warming children's film with a happy ending (oops...spoiler), this is hilarious and just all around awesome. You do not need to be a kid or have a kid to watch this film!



7. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: This was one of my favourite books as a child, I love fantasy, and I loved the idea of sailing to the edge of the world to find the 7 lost lords. Also can we just admire how truly terrible Eustace is? Even his name is awful! Anyways, as a huge fan of the book, I did manage to see this film in theatres (and 3D no less), and was sobbing openly at the end. While it was not a completely faithful adaption, it was beautiful in its own way.



6. Black Swan: Natalie Portman deserved that Best Actress Oscar, the role of the unraveling ballerina was perfect for her. She kept the audience guessing if what she saw was real or fabricated. The setting of the ballet only increased the tension for the twist ending. Definitely a film that people are still talking about!



5. Kick-Ass: I love fun films, and this one was perfect! A goofy concept, but it works overall! Can I first shout out to Mark Strong and Christopher Mintz-Plasse who were the perfectly hilarious villians. I love comic book movies, and this was the perfect balance of parody and heart!



4. Red: In the same genre as Kick-Ass, I loved Red as well! Perfect casting, with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Karl Urban, and of course the talented Helen Mirren. Bonus points in this movie for not only being hilarious and action-packed but also partially filmed in Toronto!



3. Easy A: Yes, I love chick flicks and teen comedies. But this one is actually good! Definitely in my top 20 favourite teen movies (oooo, that could be an interesting blog post). Emma Stone is her usual goofy charming self, she starts a lie, and her whole life blows up because of it. Lesson learned! Also love the throwbacks to 80's movies they slide in here!



2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I: So much happens in the film, and of course I bawled. Emotions all over from this one! A great film and an amazing cast and of course a fantastic story. Seriously if you still haven't read the books - drop everything you're doing and do it now!



1. Toy Story 3: Anyone who doesn't love this movie or rank it in their best of 2010 is either heartless or lying. FANTASTIC movie! All of the feels! Seriously, go watch it yourself and I dare you not to cry. I feel like this film hit us Gen Xers more knowing that we grew up with Toy Story and Toy Story 2, and Andy has now grown up with us *sniff*

Do you agree or disagree with my picks? Any movies from 2010 I should check out?

Thanks for reading!

August 20, 2015

NOTD: August 20, 2015


This mirror-like mani is OPI This Color's Making Waves. It was picked up during a recent Winners trip and I'm not disappointed!

I used butter London Nail Foundation as the base, followed with 2 coats of This Color's Making Waves, and a topper of Orly Top2Bottom.

It's hard to capture this polish as it's almost a duochrome of blue and green, but with purple shimmer in it as well! Really pretty!

Thanks for reading!

August 18, 2015

NOTD: August 18, 2015


This is Clinique Hot Date (from this haul). I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, followed by 2 coats of Hot Date, with Orly Top2Bottom as the top coat.

This was a bit on the sheer side, and I might have to try using it for a jelly sandwich!

Thanks for reading!

August 16, 2015

NOTD: August 16, 2015


These polish look better together in the bottle than on the nail...

This mani started with butter London Nail Foundation as the base coat, one the pointer and pinky fingers I used 3 coats of Julep Amity (from this haul), on the middle and ring finger I used 1 coat of Julep Nancy (from this haul). I used Orly Top2Bottom as the top coat.

I was really loved Julep Nancy, however Amity was a disappointment, still sheer after 3 coats, so I guess I'll use it as a topper. Always great to find a 1 coater!

What was the last single coater you found?

Thanks for reading!

August 14, 2015

Rexall + Winners Haul!

A mini haul for you!


L to R: Squanorm Shampoo, Aussie Hair Insurance Heat Protecting Shine Spray, Essie Suite Retreat, Orly Pink Lemonade

As I'm sure you know, Squanorm is a staple for me to help control my scalp.

The Aussie heat protecting spray was on clearance for $6.20, I've been putting more effort into my hair recently, which does involve a fair amount of blow drying and straightening, so in order to keep my hair healthy, I figure this couldn't hurt!

The nail polish were $5.99 at Winners, and they both seem unique enough from the rest of my collection, I'm sure you'll see them in NOTDs soon!

Here's a closer look at them:



Have you picked anything up recently?

Thanks for reading!