Amour, Annette

A New Start

2018-09-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

This feels like deja vu...

I've tried sitting down and writing this post (and others) many times over the past couple of years, but have not published any of those drafts. Something always got in the way, and it just didn't feel like the right time to come back despite me wanting to. But as with most things in life, there's never a right time to start something - or pick it back up, in this case - you might as well just go for it.

So here I am, taking the first steps to giving this blogging thing another shot. I don't know what direction I'll take with it, probably a bit of everything. But what I do know is that I've missed it dearly.

Whether you're new here, or have followed me in the past: Welcome. I hope you'll stick around. ❤

October Favorites + EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!

2015-11-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite things from October, as well as an exciting announcement!

What have you guys been loving lately?

September 2015 Loot Crate Unboxing - SUMMON Theme!

2015-09-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, fellow Looters!

Sometimes a crate comes along, that exceeds your expectations. That's what this one did for me. Granted, you might disagree (which is fine) but there's just one way to find out! Watch the unboxing of this month's SUMMON themed Loot Crate below!

Let me know what you thought of this month's crate! Did you like it or hate it? What were your favorite and least favorite items?

Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette Review and Swatches

2015-09-12T11:19:00.003-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you: the best nude palette (in the world)!

Shortly after the Kat Von D Shade + Light face palette was released, we got glimpses of another version, for your eyes. I basically squealed with excitement when I saw the previews, and counted down the days until its launch! Naturally, I ran out and picked it up the day it went on sale. It was love at first sight.

This gorgeous palette is marketed specifically for eye contouring, with 12 matte shades divided into three quads in neutral, cool, and warm tones. It is also cruelty free, and available exclusively from Sephora for $46.

The front of the palette is designed with beautiful embossed letters and gold detailing; the back outlines the pan placement, with each of the shade names.

Open up and we are greeted with a large, beautiful mirror with more gold detailing.

Each quad comes with one .08 oz (2.3g) base shade, and three .04 oz (1.1g) shades for contouring, defining, and highlighting. The three quads from left to right are: neutral, cool, and warm.

Neutral Quad

Laetus is a pale, creamy nude.

Samael is a light "fawn" brown.

Solas is a walnut brown.

Lucius is a soft beige.

Cool Quad

Lazarus is a light taupe.

Saleos is a rich, smokey brown.

Shax is a pitch black.

Liberatus is a cool ivory.

Warm Quad

Ludwin is a muted peach.

Succubus is a rusty copper red.

Sytry is a chocolatey brown.

Latinus is a light champagne.

Verdict

I've been using this palette daily for several months, and it has quickly become my holy grail. Do I think this is a must have? Definitely, especially you like playing around with nude mattes and/or incorporating them into your looks! Whether you're going for an everyday look, a sultry smokey eye, or anything in between... this is it! Every shade is soft, finely milled, pigmented, and blends beautifully. I also think that this palette is fairly priced at $46 for .60 oz of product. Bonus: it comes with an insert that shows you how to achieve different effects with each quad!

Basically, I love everything about it; well done, Kat Von D!

Bonjour!

2015-08-28T16:53:00.001-07:00

Hello, my lovelies!

Ah, where do I even start?

It has been quite some time since I've posted anything new here, and for that I am very sorry! Instead of giving you a long winded and rather boring explanation for my absence, let me just put it briefly: life happened, and I got overwhelmed.

But this isn't a woe-is-me post; rather, I wanted to let you know that I have recently updated the look of the blog (let me know what you think!) and that I am currently working on new content for you. Among new things are product reviews and swatches, tutorials, fashion posts, and lots more! I am very excited to get back into the swing of things, and I hope you enjoy what I have planned!

With that said, I value each and every one of you, and would like to know what kind of content you would like to see in the future. Let me know in the comments! Also, make sure to follow me on social media, bloglovin, and subscribe to my channel (links are in the side bar) so you don't miss out on anything new ^_^

See you soon!

Love,
Annette

July 2015 Loot Crate Unboxing - Heroes 2 Theme!

2015-07-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

This month Loot Crate introduced their first sequel theme, which is HEROES 2! I think this is a great idea, especially to cater to certain fandoms that have already been featured. Watch the unboxing below!

What are your thoughts on this month's crate? How do you feel about them "recycling" a theme, and will you be picking up the August VILLAINS 2 themed crate?

April 2015 Loot Crate Unboxing - Fantasy Theme!

2015-04-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

Ah, Loot Crate, you certainly know the way to a girl's heart! This month's theme is FANTASY, and I wanted to share the unboxing with you guys!

What did you think of this month's crate?

March Favorites!

2015-04-19T15:01:00.001-07:00

Come see some of the things my heart fancied last month! ^_^

What were some of your favorites during the first month of spring?

Sneak Peek! Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Weirdo

2015-03-27T16:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday, loves!

I wanted to give you a sneak peek of a product that I am in love with (love at first swatch!) and will be reviewing in the next few weeks! Isn't this Weirdo Velour Liquid Lipstick from Jeffree Star Cosmetics amazing?!

Lush Valentine's Day Haul!

2015-02-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

SheInside Clothing Haul + Life Update!

2015-02-14T09:54:00.002-08:00

Hey, loves! I uploaded a haul video showing you the things I picked up from SheInside recently, and figured I would also give you an update on what's been going on in my life!

December Favorites + GIVEAWAY!

2015-01-12T22:12:00.000-08:00

I wanted to show you the stuff I've been obsessing over (first time doing a video of this kind!) and to share some of it with you!

Make sure you check out the video to find out how to enter the giveaway to win a Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper, China Glaze in Meet Me Under The Stars, a mini paraffin hand cream from Bath & Body Works, and a snowflake Kati Cup!

Make sure you also follow this blog to be notified of future giveaways (some that will be exclusively on here!)

FOTD - Purple Smokey Eye

2014-12-14T16:17:00.002-08:00

Hiya! I wanted to make a quick post so you know I'm not dead (just sick with the flu... still), so here, have a FOTD!

I attended the wedding of 2 good friends last night, and went with a purple smokey eye to match my dress. Please excuse the photo quality... it was dark by the time we got home, and I didn't want to bust out my studio lights and Canon :P

I used:
Urban Decay Underland (Alice in Wonderland palette)
Urban Decay Vorpal (Alice in Wonderland palette)
MAC Carbon
MAC Gesso
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner

Bath & Body Works Black Friday Loot!

2014-12-03T18:33:00.001-08:00

First BarkBox! November 2014

2014-11-30T13:53:00.000-08:00

I thought this would be a nice change of scenery for my blog/channel, and besides, who doesn't like cute doggies? =)

Do any of you get BarkBox, or will you be signing up for one?

Zoya Entice & Ignite

2014-11-25T11:44:00.001-08:00

It has been so very long since I have swatched anything for you, but a few weeks ago Zoya was having a BOGO sale on their fall collections, and I jumped on it to pick up a few colors I have been coveting.

All of these are from the Entice & Ignite collection, which is split into 6 cremes (Entice) and 6 metallic shimmers (Ignite); however, as you can see I only got a third of the colors. With that said, lets move onto the pretties!

Sansa

Sansa is a stunning eggplant purple with gold shimmer. This is the one I was looking forward to the most ever since I saw the previews way back when, and it certainly did not disappoint. By far my favorite of the 4.

Yuna

Yuna is a pretty unique grey shade with green undertones, topped off with gold shimmer. I grabbed this one mostly out of curiosity and ended up falling in love with how the base color can't make up it's mind between green or grey.

Remy

Ah, Remy... a dark blue base loaded with green and gold shimmer. What a stunner! I have seen people compare it to Charla, and while they are similar, I like to think of Remy being Charla's older, darker sister.

Ryan

And last but not least, we have Ryan! This one is a dark navy creme, which looks nearly black out of direct light. I am a huge fan of colors that try to trick you into thinking they are black, but are still true to their "roots". Keep in mind that my swatch is in bright light, so you can see the blue, while it is actually darker on the nail (so hard to capture an in between photo!)

There you have it, pretty, shiny polishes to get back into the swing of things! As always, Zoya never disappoints and all of these went on smooth as butter (especially the creme!) and were opaque in 2 coats.

Which of these is your favorite, and have you picked up any polishes from the Entice & Ignite collection?

Lush Holiday Loot!

2014-11-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

Stopped by Lush the other day, and stocked up on a few of their holiday goodies, as well as some holy grail things!

Products mentioned:

Have you picked up any of the Lush holiday products? What has been your favorite?

Soon...

2014-11-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

♥

4th of July/Captain America Nails

2012-07-06T16:45:00.001-07:00

So, I realize that the 4th of July was a couple of days ago, but alas, I didn't get around to taking a pic and putting this up until just now. My bad. What's funny is that I started this with the intention of being an Independence Day mani, and after finishing I realized it has Captain America written all over it! Two birds with one stone, score! :)

Products used:

OPI Nail Envy Original

OPI Dating A Royal

OPI Alpine Snow

Sinful Colors Nail Art in Be My Valentine

CinaPro Dazzle Shapes

CND Super Shiney

PS- Let me know if you would like to see a tutorial for this!

Eco-Emi July 2011

2011-07-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry this video is up so late (9 days in fact...), but I ran into a few problems while editing it. Oh well, better late than never! :)

What are your thoughts on this month's Eco-Emi box?

I'm quite happy with it, especially since I finally get to try Fortune Cookie Soap (I've been meaning to try it, but just never got around to it) and the other goodies as well :)

July 2011 Birchbox

2011-07-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the special Cynthia Rowley curated Birchbox for July. As usual, there were a few different versions of boxes that got sent out, and this is what I got in mine! :)

Birchbox is only available in the US.
If you live in Canada, you can sign up for Glymm Box or Luxe Box.
If you live in the UK, you can sign up for GlossyBox.

I will agree with what several others have said about this box: I expected more from it, from all the hype that it got for weeks leading up to the box. With that said, I did like the contents of the box, even the KIND bar just for the sake of trying one (though I do think that something else should have been included).

What are your thoughts on the July Cynthia Rowley box? What did you get in yours?

OPI Pirates of the Caribbean

2011-07-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

I know I'm ages behind on these swatches, especially since I completely forgot about them and they've just been sitting around waiting to be put up hehe Oh, and please excuse the cuticles >_<

Stranger Tides

Stranger Tides is a light murky sage green-grey. This is such an awesome color, definitely different for a "pastels collection", as with the other two I got from it. I love that it keeps me wondering, is it a grey with green undertones, or a green that leans grey? Looks amazing with Nubar 2010 over it! 3 thin coats.

Skull & Glossbones

Skull & Glossbones is a very pale taupe, is how I think it's best to describe it. I would have gotten this just for the name even if I didn't absolutely adore this color (which I do!) I thought this would be a dupe for Zoya Dove, but they're different. 3 thin coats.

Mermaid's Tears

Mermaid's Tears is a minty-seafoam green. While the other two I got are the unique colors of the collection, this one is definitely the stunner! Just look at it!! Makes me wonder if this is what color mermaids' tears would be :) Oh and in case you're wondering, nothing like China Glaze For Audrey! 3 thin coats.

Silver Shatter

OPI released their first "metallic" shatter with this collection in silver. Like the black shatter before it and pretty much every other shatter polish, you apply one coat over completely dry polish and it shrinks and cracks to reveal an awesome effect! I was a bit disappointed to find out that this one also dried matte, which made it look...odd, but add layer of top coat and it turns into this fantastic, sparkly, foil! I'm in love. :)

Over Stranger Tides

Over Skull & Glossbones

Over Mermaid's Tears

Overall, I'm in love with the colors I got from this collection, as well as the shatter. The two pinks and lilac didn't particularly interest me, so I passed on them. These all had great application, and even though I used 3 thin coats of each, honestly only one of them actually needed a third coat to even out (unfortunately, I dont remember which one, but I want to say it was Stranger Tides..)

PS Mermaid's Tears and Silver Shatter were made for each other in OPI-heaven! <3

July 2011 Jewelmint Releases

2011-07-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

It's the first of the month, so you know what that means... new showrooms!! I thought I would show you what all of the Jewelmint pieces are for this month :)

You can join Jewelmint by clicking here.
Reviews and pictures of older pieces can be found here and here :)

(Click to see a bigger image!)

Do you like these July pieces? Will you be getting any of them? Let me know what you think!

I picked up the Mystic Secrets and Cavalier Crest necklaces which are definitely my favorites this month! I will also be getting the Scarab Ring (I love anything Egyptian!) and maybe the Opera Pearl Necklace. A couple pieces I like but wont be purchasing are the Pin Up Necklace and Forget Me Knot Trio... love the designs, but quite frankly there's only so much gold jewelry I can handle (fun fact: before Jewelmint, I only owned one piece of "gold" jewelry, but now I have a lot more of it) and I think they would both have looked better in silver :)

With my Jewelmint collection growing every month, I was thinking of doing a video showing you all the pieces I have so far and my thoughts on each one, is that something you would be interested in? :)

EOTD 6.29.11

2011-06-29T23:22:00.000-07:00

Wanted to share my EOTD with you, let me know what you think :)

Products used:
Sugarpill Tako
Sugarpill Dollipop
Sugarpill Poison Plum
NYX Glitter Mania in Apple
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero
L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara

June 2011 Birchbox

2011-06-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

So I know this video is weeks late, since most people got their Birchboxes in the second week of June, but for some reason mine was delayed and I didn't get it until the 20th! Here is my box opening video for it regardless :)