Nailing It! Essie Mirror Metallics in Penny Talk

With the summer Olympics just beginning, I can't imagine who isn't pumped to represent their country and root for their favourite athletes! The Olympics always bring a cheerful mood and it's really amazing to see all those athletes win their hard-earned and well-deserved medals! With this theme in mind, I'll be bringing to you one of the latest colours from Essie's Mirror Metallics collection, Penny Talk. This is a metallic finish polish that exudes the colour of a brand new penny!

Two coats, with Sally Hansen base + top coat

I rarely rave so much about a metallic polish because the finish can be tricky to work with at times, which is true with this polish as well. With this shade, you have to be extremely careful in application not to go over the same spot twice, until you are sure it is ABSOLUTELY dried and won't budge, otherwise you will end up spreading the polish around, creating unsightly lines and bubbles! That being said, it achieves opacity quickly and no more than two coats should do the trick! The only reason it looks chipped and worn here is because I went to a family friend's farm yesterday and they got a little beat up...I plan on redoing these babies ASAP but I just couldn't wait to share the Penny Talk love!

However, I feel that the rose gold finish of the shade, combined with its uniqueness in the nail polish market, definitely make it worth the slight struggles with application. While metallic finishes are still not my fave (I prefer cremes and jellies) this polish holds a special place in my collection!

Bonne Bell lipblushes!

Today I'll be reviewing a fairly new product from Bonne Bell called lipblush. I think pretty much everybody's jumped on the bandwagon with nifty letter styling, including the all-lowercase trend! These are listed as a new product on Bonne Bell's website, plus I haven't seen many reviews for this product, so I'll go right on ahead and share with you all you need to know about this lippie!

lipblushes are a lip balm that gives a very slight hint of colour, hence the aptly named lip "blush." It really does just give a flush of colour that's very bare; I have the shade Cheerful Cherry and it is bold in the tube, but applies practically clear. The colour does not colour my lips; seeing as I have one pigmented lip (nice and red) and one that's not (dusty and natural pink) it adds a slight sheen but you have to really scrutinize my "natural" lip to see the red tint. That being said, this product smells AMAZING and the cherry smell is not overwhelmingly cough-droppy or artificial. Bonne Bell always made their Lip Smackers true to life, and I really appreciate this as a grown up product from them! It may not be the most original, but it definitely does bring back nostalgic memories of having quite a few of their products as a young girl!

Here is a picture of the lovely, grown-up packaging! It's so sleek and the colour strip lets you check shades/scents easily!

This is so true to tube colour! How pretty (though sheer!)

I hope this new lippie brings back some classic preteen girly moments for everybody! Having a balm/gloss to indulge on back then was truly fun :)

Battle of the Gel Eyeliners: Avon SuperSHOCK vs. essence Gel Eyeliner

So with the hot weather on the rise (these are the dog days of summer, after all!) I've found that minimal makeup is DEFINITELY the way to go. If I really were to choose the most essential items to use to complete my makeup look, eyeliner would definitely rank high on that list! I've recently begun trying gel liners in lieu of my beloved pencils, simply because of their rich pigmentation, ease of use (as opposed to liquid liners) and promise to not fade or smudge.

In this post, I will show you a comparison between the two gel liners I have: Avon's SuperSHOCK gel liner in Blackened Metal versus essence's gel liner in London Baby. For some weird reason or another, I am not a fan of black liners, even though it's such a classic beauty must-have item! Instead, I use a lot of dark browns and taupes that are dark, but not as strong as a black liner would be. As you can see in the pot, it comes out a strong brown with a hint of taupe, which is just right for me!

essence gel liner in London Baby

As you can see, the packaging is definitely similar, with the tubs differing only slightly in shape and height. However, I have to note that the essence packaging is definitely lighter, as the glass bottom on the Avon liner is really dense and heavy. That being said, the most important part is really the formulation! To make a long story short, essence wins in all aspects, HANDS DOWN. I've read other reviews about it being a really creamy liner that's soft to the touch, and this makes it really easy to pick up product onto the brush, which is so true! It made application a dream, although you do have to wait 5-10 seconds afterwards for it to dry. If you open your eyelid before that, as with any gel or liquid liner, it will smudge your lovely lid makeup! With the Avon liner, I had to scratch into the product and I've created several ruts on the surface...it reminds me of a farmer's field, to be honest! Pigmentation on London Baby was also superior to that of Blackened Metal, and with both being advertised at a price of $3.99, I'd strongly recommend the essence gel liner!

Summer Haul #2!

So summer is passing by as quickly as you can say "Back to school sale," and it's inevitable that we'll all be heading back to fall routines soon! However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy our summers while we have the time to do so! This week, I would like to share the lovely items I got that will become staples in my clothing and makeup collections this year. I look forward to using and enjoying them a lot!

The first item is a grey Jersey Blazer. I got it from Zara for $30, regular $80, which is unbelievable! I love the zippered pockets which make it handy to store small items like cards, a lip product or two, and my phone. The cute cuffs make the sleeves extra special too! :)

Another item I got with my Victoria's Secret PINK purchase is one of their lovable mini dogs! It's my first mini dog, and I love anything coral and red, so my new puppy fit right in! I love how he can stand up on his own so I can place him with my other stuffed fluffies!

Next, we have a pretty big Sephora haul...of a lot of the same item! As you might know, tokidoki is being cleared out because it was a limited time product line, but it was absolutely cute! I love, love, LOVE the graffiti style characters that make up the theme of this brand. I think this collection definitely attracted my attention over Hello Kitty or other similarly-styled collections! I got two tokidoki mirrors with a cute zebra print and assorted characters, as well as the Vegas Arte palette. It comes with a wearable purple colour scheme and a peachy pink blush. For $6, what a steal! I will probably use this in a later review! As well, I stocked up on some to give to friends as gifts, as you can see!

Any other items that I should take a look at that are great for a summer haul?

This Week's Faves!

Hey everybody! This week I've had a lot of favourite things to share with you. Whether it be a good meal, or a fave beauty item, this is it!

The first item is one of my all-time fave seafood snacks: a Panko Crabcake. This yummy crunchy ball of goodness is covered in a delicate panko breadcrumb crust. Did you know panko is technically made from a type of Japanese bread made WITHOUT crusts? It's made by running an electric current through it, rather than baking it traditionally in an oven. The filling was generous, and they're made fresh by a local café near where I work. A great treat to have once in a while!

The second item I have for you this week is the Nivea Lip Smoothie in Cranberry and Raspberry. These lip balms come with an absolutely delightful, smooth, creamy marbled pattern that delivers. It's not intensely moisturizing, but applied daily, you'll notice your lips stay smooth thanks to the vitamin complex. As well, the smell of these balms is TO DIE FOR. A truly fruity scent where I can smell both flavours, and it lasts for quite a while after application. However, if you layer another lipstick or gloss on top, the smell diminishes a lot. There are two flavours, the other being Açai and Wild Apple but I chose this one, which comes out as sheer as any clear balm on my lips.

A close-up of the tube! How pretty is that?!

A slightly blurred photo, because I didn't want the flash to distort the colour. This is the true colour of the balm, although it applies sheerly.

These two are just some of the simple and small things I was able to use (and eat!) this week. As for new products, when I use them, I will write more reviews! What about you all? Have you had any small summer treats?

MLBB: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss (Nude Lustre)

Haha, the title pretty much says it all. I've heard so many people say good things about this gloss, and I'm still on the search for the absolute perfect MLBB. I already have a fave gloss in The Body Shop's makeup line, but if I could just choose one aspect to further refine, it's adding SPF. In today's day and age, SPF is much needed, especially since your lips are the thinnest layer of skin you've got! I know I love to eat and drink stuff, so my lips are always exposed to lots of things and need thorough moisturizing and TLC.


Enter Revlon's Super Lustrous SPF 15 Lip Gloss in Nude Lustre! This lipgloss is amazingly smooth, and while it's not the most pigmented formula out there, it makes up for it with its glossy, moisturizing finish! I've worn this gloss twice today (wiped it off for eating, but before that the wear was already great!) and each time it applied like a dream. It feels almost like a smooth cushion of gloss, and it has no cloying scent, even with sunscreen in the formula. It is a bit sticky, but definitely not bothersome. The cap also locks shut, so for those of you afraid of the infamous purse-gloss-leak, this is definitely up your alley!

Revlon Super Lustrous SPF 15: Nude Lustre

I love this lipgloss and it is definitely a MLBB! It adds just a hint of natural colour, but no pink tones. A great formula and a definite winner in my book! 

What do you think of Revlon Super Lustrous SPF 15 glosses? Do you have any great shades to share? Do let me know!

Nailing It! Sephora by OPI in How Cute is That?

My rule of thumb for buying a good polish of course involves price, ingredients (3 Free!) and ease of application/removal. However, one of the most important aspects, is, of course, colour! Any shade of nail polish can change easily with opacity and the range of tones I like to use varies with each season. For summer, I like to keep it simple with pastels and bright colours that evoke thoughts of the warm weather and bring a tropical feel. This shade is a perfect coral mix of strong yellow-based pink undertones and orange. On my NC30 skin, it appears more frequently as an orange. This picture was taken in artificial lighting so my skin appears dark, but the polish is true to life.

I did these nails in two coats for a nice opacity, you can barely see the nail whites afterwards! I also used Sally Hansen Ultimate Shield as a base and top coat. I wore it for five or so days and there was no chipping whatsoever. As an added bonus, it's really easy to remove and goes off with a few swipes of remover! I think I will be wearing this a lot!

Summer Haul!

Hello everyone! Today I went to the mall and was able to grab some nifty items that are great for summer! Recently I've acquired a lot of new summer tops, but the key is to be able to layer them together when the weather gets cooler (which it can do VERY QUICKLY around these parts!) so that you can have chic, trendy, and most of all, affordable outfits!

The first item I got was a Talula Bustier with Lace Panels in Birch. I love the side panels because they add a pretty amount of detail without going overboard, and it's not in the least bit gaudy. I would usually associate bustiers with casual clothes, but because the lace kicks it up a notch, I'd wear this with a nice cardigan in slightly dressy events like dinners out with friends for pretty pictures :)

The second item of clothing is a Dynamite Aztec Lace Top. This top is a pretty shade of orange-red, almost like a bold coral (think Pantone's colour of the year, but with a touch more red in real life!) I love how if I wear a solid coloured tank underneath, and I put this on top, I can see the zig-zag patterns and diamond crochet lace stand out. I also love the front chest pocket, even though it's completely useless! It's a nice decorative touch!

I hope to be able to coordinate these with other clothes to create nice OOTDs! Maybe I will post some of those ideas soon!

xoxo

The Wonderful World of Blogging!

Hello everybody! I thought I could bring to you all a blog that talks about anything and everything pretty and beautiful! Not only do I love sharing my opinion, I also love to hear the feedback of others and look forward to using my new blog! 

xoxo