Hits & Misses

When you're in the habit of trying new things you're bound to discover some real gems, but not without bumping into a couple of duds along the way; I'm always a sucker for recommendations from other bloggers and for the cute mini versions of popular products that you'll find when you're queuing to pay at the shops.

Photo courtesy of: www.soapandglory.com

Product Name: Soap and Glory Trick & Treatment Concealer

Love: I loved that the one colour took the guess work out of figuring out what colour to buy (although this could prove tricky for others no doubt) and that it had a full coverage but easily blendable formula.

Hate: The formula was quite dry for an under eye concealer, considering under eye skin tends to be a bit drier and delicate than the rest of the face, I found that after a couple of hours it wasn't just settling into fine lines but it was also flaking right off my face.

Overall Rating: Miss.

Photo courtesy of: www.sephora.com

Product Name: Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads

Love: N/A

Hate: TMI WARNING! So I get really bad ingrown hairs in my bikini area, I'm talking really bad. Waxing is no fun, shaving is even worse and due to some tattoos laser is completely out of the question so when I heard great things about these I was so excited to have possibly found the solution to all my problems, alas that was not to be. I bought the smaller 10 to try them out and found they made absolutely no difference for me whatsoever, so for now I'm still on the hunt for a good in grown hairs solution, if you've got one let me know!

Overall Rating: Miss.

Photo courtesy of: www.sephora.com

Product Name: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Love: FINALLY! An under eye concealer that actually works for me! Full coverage and so creamy and hydrating it doesn't crease or flake, no one has asked if I'm tired since I've picked up this bad boy which is massively impressive thanks to some sketchy genetics.

Hate: I mean the $32 price tag is less than desirable but since it's taken me so long to find an under eye concealer that does the job, I'm not about to complain.

Overall Rating: Huge Hit!

Photo courtesy of: www.sephora.com

Product Name: Bumble and Bumble Pret-a-Powder

Love: N/A

Hate:  So I went into Sephora looking for a new dry shampoo and the girls there were ranting and raving about the new Bumble and Bumble one and while the $31 price tag was significantly higher than the $8 I usually pay for my Batiste dry shampoo, I've loved everything of Bumble and Bumble's I've tried in the past so I figured I'd give it a try. It's the absolute worse. Fails as a dry shampoo - I started with just a little bit, did nothing, so I gradually added more and eventually wound up with a greasy mess full of powder. It added no volume, if anything it weighed my hair down, extremely unimpressed with this product.

Overall Rating: Massive Miss!

Photo courtesy of: www.firstaidbeauty.com

Product Name: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

Love: I've been putting off trying this for ages because I have so many hand creams and none of them seem to help my dry, itchy alligator hands, but I finally caved and bought this a couple weeks ago and I'm so in love! It's super hydrating without being greasy and has made the scaly rash on the backs of my hands disappear, thank god!

Hate: That I didn't try this sooner.

Overall Rating: Hit!

Photo courtesy of: www.ebay.com

Product Name: Tarte Maracuja Oil &Tarte Maracuja C-Brightner Eye Treatment

Love:  I picked up the mini set of these from Sephora because well, miniature and Tarte, need I say more? The Maracuja oil has since replaced my normal facial oil in the morning and I love it so much because it's super hydrating but sinks into the skin quickly so it doesn't affect the wear of your foundation.

Hate: Unfortunately the extreme amounts of Vitamin C in the C-Brighter Eye Treatment severely irritated my sensitive eyes so I can't attest to whether or not it really helps with dark circles but if you're a sensitive sort like me proceed with caution.

Overall Rating: I chucked the C-Brighter in the bin but went and bought the large Marajuca Oil, so a little hit and a little miss.

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Monthly Favourites: April 2014

April was a good month for discovering new treasures even though I tried to reign in my spending habits, it seemed I finished off a lot of products I had been using regularly and moved onto to something new that I'd squirreled away.

Skincare

I finished off my Delarom Revitality Cream earlier this month so I reached for the Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate that's been sitting in my skin care drawer since Paris back in January. This is the perfect spring cream because it's lightweight while still super hydrating AND it doubles as a primer, no wonder all the beauty bloggers call it their holy grail.

Tarte's Maracuja Oil has bumped Fresh's Seaberry Moisturizing Facial Oil from my morning regime to my evening regime as Tarte's oil is more readily absorbed and lightweight than Fresh's making it the perfect base for a flawless foundation application.

First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream this stuff is seriously amazing. I picked it up from Sephora on a whim (again, I just can't say no to miniature products!!) and it's the only thing preventing my hands from falling apart right now. For some reason at the change of every season the backs of my hands breakout into a dry, itchy, painful rash (it's seriously gross, and I put my hands in peoples faces for a living!!Eek!) after only a couple days of using this the rash dissipated into a massive dry patch and then a few days later was gone altogether, after lingering around for almost 3 weeks prior to using this cream.

Make Up

I was super excited to try Jouer's Matte Moisture Tint after seeing Estee talk about it in her videos for what seemed like months I ordered it (in the colour Linen if you're curious) as well as the Luminizing Moisture Tint (which I for some reason ordered a colour WAY too dark and looked like an Oompa Loompa, I have no idea what I was thinking when I ordered it...) and I've been wearing the matte moisture tint every day since it arrived. It gives great coverage without being too heavy, the added SPF is really nice and it's a natural matte which I always find much more flattering than a full on matte. It can be worn on it's own for a nice glow or you can set it with a light powder if you're looking for a more matte finish, I find the coverage so great I rarely need concealer.

My other staple this month isn't new to me but the use for it is and it's a life saver! You've probably heard all about the MAC Prep + Prime Highlighters and how they're great for a natural matte highlight, blah, blah, blah. But do you know what they're really awesome for? Colour correcting, especially if you've got dark purple circles under your eyes! A light bit of the Bright Forecast highlighter applied will counteract the purple so that when you apply your concealer afterwards you get an even better coverage! The colour you use will depend largely on the undertone in your under eye circles and your skin tone, but for a fair gal like myself with purple bags this is the best trick ever!

Fragrance

Bittersweet No.83 from Tokyo Milk's Dark Femme Fatale Collection is the best chocolate scent ever, usually artificial chocolate smells just that, artificial. This has a rich dark cocoa base that gives you a dark chocolate scent without the cheap alcohol smell that many others are full of. I've been using this every day for probably three weeks now, so so very in love.

Life's Bits and Bobs

Life: Got away to Columbia, MD for a couple days to see the boy and had a wonderful time playing tourist in Washington, DC.

Tea of the Month: Midsummer Night's Dream by David's Tea, the only way to describe it is it tastes like love, try it and you'll understand. To the lovely gal at the David's in the Toronto airport that introduced me to this tea and dried my tears during a missed flight and boyfriend missing sadness induced meltdown, thank you for everything and for dealing with my crazy like a pro.

Book of the Month: Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon clearly when I saw a book with Downton Abbey in the title at Costco last month I had to pick it up, what can I say, I'm obsessed. What I didn't expect was what I got from this book, a non-fiction written by the current Countess of Carnarvon from the archives of Highclere Castle (what is Downton Abbey in the show) as well as first hand stories from those who knew the family well. Sometimes the true stories in this book are even more dramatic than those fictional events in the television program! And the Countess' writing style just makes the book so easy to devour.

Netflix Obsession of the Month: Well considering they put the third season of Downton Abbey up that was binged watched clearly and then keeping with the current trend of British period dramas I seem to be enjoying I also watched Mr. Selfridge which was based off the real life events of Harry Selfridge the American the founded London's Selfridge Department Store. 

Blogger/ Vlogger of the Month: I couldn't pick just one this month but I figured since they were friends it could count as one, right? Lily Pebbles who you can also find on YouTube here, and her lovely friend Vivianna from Vivianna Does Makeup who is also on YouTube.

What were you lovelies loving this month?

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What's Oil the Fuss About?

Oh man that was a punny title! I hope we can still be friends after that, but seriously, I LOVE beauty oils. Whenever friends or family ask me what the biggest change I've made to my skin care routine is it has to be oils and serums, but so many people don't know about the majesty of oils or if they do they're terrified about putting an oil on their skin for fear of breaking out, so I'm here to dispel that fear for you!

Cleansing Oils

Let's start with the oils that most people would be a little more open to since you're going to rinse them off and not sleep with it on your face overnight. I love cleansing oils because I'm lazy and hate spending forever taking my make up off at the end of the day, with a little bit of cleansing oil the job takes seconds, even waterproof eye makeup comes off without a fuss, simply pump a little bit oil into your hands, massage it onto your dry face and then wipe away or rinse clean.

Past: MAC's Cleanse Off Oil/ Tranquil was the very first cleansing oil I used, a nice basic cleansing oil with some added botanical oils to soothe sensitive and redness prone skin. I found it did a great job of removing my makeup without being astringent but it didn't really do anything else for me.

Present: Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi Skin Refining Cleansing Oil this is my new favourite as it does everything that the MAC cleansing oil did but with the added bonus of brightening my dull complexion by removing and protecting against environmental pollution that can dull the skin.

To Try: The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil a couple of my favourite beauty bloggers have been singing the praises of this particular cleansing oil lately and with a price point of only $16 it definitely makes it the most budget friendly of the bunch, so it's high on my list of products to try once my current cleansing oil is through.

Body Oils

Still on the side of least scary oils we have the body oils, a great way to hydrate your skin before and after a shower (a little oil massaged into your skin 30 minutes before a shower will do wonders for dry skin!)

Past: Nuxe's Huil de Prodigieuse I first picked this up back in January and am already on my third bottle I love this stuff so much, it's a dry oil meaning it leaves your skin soft but not sticky which is a total plus! I use this stuff after my shower every morning.

Present: Caudalie Divine Oil I picked up the little $10 bottle of this at Sephora the other day because I can't resist anything miniature, I like that this seems to be slightly more hydrating than the Nuxe oil but I'm not a fan of the slightly greasy residue that it leaves on my skin, this would be best used before a shower or before bed, a little too sticky for every day use for me.

To Try: Aromatherapy Associates Relax Body and Massage Oil I am a bath junkie, there's nothing a like more than slipping into a hot bath full of LUSH products at the end of a hectic day to unwind, now if I had a body oil designed to soothe the mind what could be better? I've heard great reviews about the relaxing properties of this oil and the simple act of massaging oil into your skin is quite soothing; this gem is in my current Cult Beauty order that's somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean right now... (sidenote: if you're hesitant about ordering from Cult Beauty let me just tell you now that they are probably the best online store I've ordered from in a LONG time, free shipping that doesn't take months to get here and their returns department is probably the nicest, most accommodating and punctual return department I've ever encountered! So good in fact I sent them a card saying just that...)

Hair Oils

Hair oils are still fairly new to myself as usually I just slap some coconut oil on my hair before bed and call it a night but I got these samples and decided to give it a go; these are merely first impressions as I haven't been able to make the samples last longer than one application.

Agave Healing Oil Treatment I got this sample in my Birchbox a little while ago and finally decided to give it a try; it's designed to be used on dry or damp hair pre-styling, as my hair tends to get greasy I figured I'd use it pre-bed that way if it made my hair gross I cold wash my hair in the morning. The smell of this stuff was AMAZING, it didn't make my hair greasy or heavy but I also didn't notice it do anything all too special for my hair either. First impression: Didn't hate it but didn't love it.

Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil this was another hair oil that was just ok for me, maybe I'm just not a hair oil person? It tamed fly aways and made my hair shiny as claimed but I found my Difiaba Luminessence Shine Mist did the exact same thing but was lighter on my hair. First impression: meh.

Face Oils

Now this here is my jam, I freaking love face oils so let me get into this!

I'm always a little skeptical when a cosmetics company branches out into skincare but Tarte hit the nail on the head with their Maracuja Oil; it's lightweight and absorbs so quickly that I can use it in the morning under my make up and it won't affect my foundation application and it delivers that little bit of something extra to leave my skin looking soft, hydrated and supple. Also, how adorable is that packaging?!

In the evening is where I go a little bit buck wild with my Full of Grace, Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil concoction; I've already talked about this trio in a fair amount of detail so if you're keen you can read more about them here and here.

To Try: 

If you're oily: you can help limit sebum production in oily skin by using a face oil regularly; here are some to try! Bosica Tsubaki Beauty Oil, Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil or Kate Somerville Dilo Oil.

For first signs of aging: Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Nude ProGenius Treatment Oil or Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum.

Do you guys have any favourite oils? Let me know in the comments section below!

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All About Orange!

While Radiant Orchid is supposed to be the colour of the year; Spring 2014 seems to be all about the orange, and I'm totally ok with that. I remember the day orange make up was a terrifying prospect for me but Lady Danger lipstick by MAC was still red enough that it wasn't orange (who was I kidding, it's totally orange) and from there it was all down hill, so I for one am super excited to see more and more companies and designers embracing the orange trend this spring.

Top 5 Orange Picks:

MAC's Powder Blush in Modern Mandarin

theBalm's How 'Bout Them Apples? in Crisp

Zoya Nail Polish in Arizona

Mac's Lipstick in Vegas Volt

Butter London Nail Lacquer in Trout Pout

I also registered for my first ever Tough Mudder event that will be happening this September; aside from being a badass mental and physical challenge it is also a fundraiser for The Wounded Warrior Project which helps care for injured servicemen. Right now there is a big emphasis on treating PTSD, as someone with many friends in active service who have completed several tours I know what the face of PTSD looks like, it looks just like me and you, you can't see it and so often it goes untreated with deadly consequences. If you'd like to make a contribution THIS is my donation page for the event, and it will be linked at the bottom of all my posts as "Tough Mudder" until September. 

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My Fragrance Affair

It's no secret I have a fragrance obsession, at this point I guess it's almost on the verge of a hoarding problem so I figured I would show you guys what I've stocked up on, and talk a little bit about the science of perfume (yeah, I'm a nerd, get over it!)

I first got into perfume at a really young age because my older sister was always wearing Calvin Klein's Obsession and being the little sister I wanted to be just like her, so I pestered my mum for years to let me wear perfume (sneaking into my sisters room to use hers as well, shh....) and finally for Christmas one year, I was about 13 I think, I opened my very own bottle of Obsession and it's all been down hill from there...

The Layers of a Fragrance

Let's talk a little bit about the science of perfume so my fragrancy jargon isn't lost on you; a perfume is fundamentally made up of three layers:

Top Notes: These are usually what you smell first and make up the majority of the scent, they're usually quite strong but tend to recede after about 10-15 minutes.

Middle Notes: After the top notes have gracefully bowed out this is when you'll really begin to smell the middle notes (or heart notes as I've heard them called and we all know I love every thing heart related!) These acts like a transition from the top notes to the base notes, not quite as strong as a top note but instead of fading away all together they tend to melt into the base notes.

Base Notes: This is the foundation of your fragrance, long after the others have faded away the loyal base note still lingers on.

The Body Sprays

Body sprays are a nice addition to your fragrance collection because they allow you to layer your fragrances without adding so much perfume that you get a headache. They're also a great way to freshen up your scent on the go and usually a much more budget friendly option.

• VS Vanilla Lace - Top notes of Vanilla & a base of Musk
• VS Love Spell - Top notes of Cherry Blossom & a base of Peach
• VS Amber Romance - Top notes of Amber & a base note of crème anglaise
• B&BW Snow Kissed Berry - Top notes of Juniper and Cranberry & base notes of Amber  and White Musk
• VS Passionate Kisses - Top notes of Cherry & a base of Vanilla, Amber and Musk
• B&BW Dark Kiss - Top notes: Bergamot, Incense, Mirabelle Plum, Black Raspberry, mid notes: Amber, Burgundy Rose, Geranium, Peony, base notes: Dark Vanilla Bean, Labdanum, Vetiver, Balsam and Musk
• VS Ravishing Love - Top notes of Blackberry, a heart of lilac and base notes of aloe and chamomile 

I tend to stock up on my body sprays whenever Victoria's Secret or Bath & Body Works has a sale one...

The Little Guys

These wee perfumes I picked up from Victoria's Secret ages ago and they're perfect to keep in your purse or for traveling, they provide more of a scent pay off than a body spray but still not quite as much as some of the more high end perfumes and are still very budget friendly.

• Love Spell - Top notes of Cherry Blossom & a base note Peach
• Secret Craving - Top notes of Black currant & a base note of Vanilla
• Coconut Passion - Top notes of Coconut, mid notes of Lily of the Valley and base notes of Vanilla
• Amber Romance - Top notes of Amber & a base note of crème anglaise

The Fresh Scents

• Vera Wang's Princess - Top notes of Water Lily, Apple, Mandarin and Apricot, heart notes of Guava, Tuberose and Cacao with a base of Vanilla, Amber and Wood. (This particular treasure made my March Favourite's List)
• Katy Perry's Meow - Top notes of tangerine, pear, jasmine and gardenia, heart of honeysuckle, lily of the valley and orange blossom with a rich base of amber, vanilla, sandalwood and musk.
• B&BW Midnight Pomegranate - Top notes of Pomegranate, Citrus, Dewberry, Anise, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, heart of  Blackberry, Jasmine, Raspberry, paired with a Base of Musk, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Tobacco and Patchouli.
• Betsey Johnson by Betsey Johnson - Opening with Top notes of grapefruit, pear, black currant and tangerine, a heart of freesia, lily of the valley and red apple, while the base finishes with cedarwood, sandalwood, praline, amber and musks.

The Warm Scents

• Fragonard's Fleur de Vanille - Opens with fresh vanilla flower, melts into a heart of vanilla, ylang-ylang, heliotrope and rose and finishes with a cozy base of chocolate, cacao and musk. (I've also been using and abusing this fragrance so much lately it landed a spot along side Princess last month)
• Calvin Klein's Obsession - Top notes are composed of mandarin orange, vanilla, peach, basil, bergamot and lemon; the heart is rich with coriander, sandalwood, orange blossom, jasmine, oakmoss, cedar and rose; and the base notes are amber, musk, civet, vanilla, vetiver and incense.
• Katy Perry's Purr - top notes of peach, apple, gardenia and bamboo with the heart of jasmine, freesia and Bulgarian rose and the base of vanilla orchid, sandalwood, white amber, coconut and musk.
• Tokyo Milk Dark's Bittersweet - A very prominent top note of cacao, a creamy heart of cake flour and osmanthus, finishing with a base of musk.
• B&BW Dark Kiss - Top notes: Bergamot, Incense, Mirabelle Plum, Black Raspberry, mid notes: Amber, Burgundy Rose, Geranium, Peony, base notes: Dark Vanilla Bean, Labdanum, Vetiver, Sensual Balsam, Musks
• Nuxe's Prodigieux Le Parfum - Top notes are orange blossom, bergamot, mandarin orange and orange; middle notes are rose, magnolia and gardenia; base notes are vanilla, coconut milk and pebbles.
• Tokyo Milk Dark's Tainted Love - Top notes of orchid and tea with a base of sandalwood and vanilla.

One of my favourite fragrance websites is Fragrantica; it lists the notes, reviews, where you can purchase it and recommends other fragrances you may like based on a particular perfume.

What are some of your guys' favourite fragrances you think I should check out?

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