Chica De Belleza

Join me on Instragram! @cakeface_chronicles

2014-01-01T19:18:00.001-05:00

I'm still alive!

I apologize, I've been out of tune for what, 2 years? It's funny because I haven't stopped wearing makeup, I actually probably wear more of it now. I just fell out of blogging.

I remember watching YouTube videos, or even reading posts from bloggers apologizing about not posting because they've been so busy or it's so much work for them to put something up, and I would think "Really? It's not that hard.."

But honestly, it's a lot of work! Taking photos, editing, writing up a post, etc.. And when you lose interest in doing it, it makes it harder.

So what have I been up to?

I've been working full time, trying to figure out what I want to do with school and building a career, and taking care of my puppy!

Meet Roscoe :) He's 10 months old, a Maltese/Shih-Tzu mix, and the love of my life. I always end up on the "cute dog" side of the internet, and I'd always bother my mom about getting a dog.

With the reluctant approval from my mom, I got Roscoe when he was 2 months. I was at a stable place in my life where I had a predictable schedule at work, I had the time, money and energy and was ready to invest into a new member of our family :)

There's been a little of ups and downs with having a dog, especially a puppy, and when people say that having a puppy is a lot of work, it REALLY is. I don't have children, but I imagine it's like having a baby.

Roscoe has been such a happy addition to our household, and as much as my mom won't admit, she loves him. My parents greet him with hugs and kisses before they even say "hi" to my brother or sister or I.

Other than that, I haven't forgotten about Chica de Belleza or my readers. I just lost touch with the blogesphere and wasn't really interested in getting back in to it. I remember when I first started it was all about posting photos of your makeup and developing your artistry skills. Then it switched to sponsored posts and biased reviews, and I wasn't interested anymore.

But, I still get my makeup fix from Instagram. Don't get me wrong, there are still sponsored posts and biased reviews there, but a good majority is seeing what I enjoy most - pictures of makeup, skill and inspiration.

With that being said, I wanted to let you all know that I've made a new public Instagram account lately to quickly be able to showcase my looks to you.

If you're still interested, please follow me @cakeface_chronicles!

Will I still be posting on here? Probably not to be honest. I still stop by on blogger every now and then to catch up on my favourite blogs, but it's a lot more work for me to put a blog on her than posting a picture on Instagram - and let's be real, I'm lazyyyyyyy.

I want to thank you all for your continued support and messages asking me where I am and if I'm okay and I really hope that you join me on this (new) journey!

If you have a makeup account, or if you have any favourites you like to follow, please comment and let me know! I'm totally down for requests so I'd love to hear that too ;)

Thank you guys again! Wish everyone the best for 2014!
- Arezu

DIY Lipstick/Lip Gloss Organizer Using Foam Board!

2012-07-01T22:42:00.001-04:00

This post is long overdue, especially since I posted a "sneak peak" on my twitter months ago, but better late than never!

I went on an organizing spree a while ago, and after googling like crazy I came across this amazing DIY foam board lipstick organizer. Unfortunately, the blog that I think I found it from is private now, so you can't view her blog post, but I will link it here so you can check it out if she does ever unprivate her blog. I believe she also posted it on Luxx as well here as well.

Since I had a ton of foam board left over from previous projects - here and here - I decided to tackle this project as well.

It was pretty easy, just time consuming, and the perfectionist in me wasn't completely happy with the final piece because every spot wasn't pefectly square, even though I had measured everything out.

I made the length of the holder to fit in exactly so it didn't slide around everytime I open and close my drawer.

My lip products are nicely organized now, and I can see everything clearly. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold all my lip products, as some are too long to fit in that my drawer won't close properly if they're upright, but other than that, I love it!

DIY Nail Polish Rack Using Foam Board!

2012-04-23T21:59:00.000-04:00

I love foam board, seriously, I love it. I decided to tack another DIY project and organize my nail polishes.

You might remember my last DIY storage solution with my nail polishes here, but it wasn't working for me. It was ugly, and if I wanted to root through all my polishes to pick up a colour, I would have the pull each one out because I was just getting a birds eye view - not the colour of the bottle.

After watching TheEasyDIY's make your own nail polish rack YT video here, I knew that it would be something I wanted to do, and I did!

No, they're not all mine. Most of them are my sisters. No, this isn't all of them either. I had to make a second one, but that doesn't look as pretty. One rack holds more than 100 bottles.

It was relatively simple, and it took about an hour, an hour and a half tops. I was planning on making a tutorial, but I ended up using 3 pieces of foam board in total - and that's mainly because I needed to make the two side trims, but my remaining foam board was not long enough. If you follow the tutorial I linked above (here), you can make one using just two pieces of foam board.

I was spectacle about where I was planning to put my racks, because I didn't want it "out in the open", with the risk of my polishes being exposed to the sun/heat and drying out. I wanted to store them somewhere in my closet, but I didn't want to "hide" them either. Right now, they're just lying against the wall on a small table in my room, so they don't have a permanent place yet.

I kept mine as is, but you can customize yours any way you'd like. You can paint them, glue decorative paper, add embelishments, anything!

I purchased my foam board at Micheals, where they retail for $4.99 a piece, but according to Jess @ TheEasyDIY, you can purchase foam board at Dollarama. I haven't seen foam board at my local Dollarama yet, but I did see someone walking the other day carrying foam board with the Dollarama $1.25 price sticker on it, so you can try searching there.

I love my new set up, and I found that I'm more likely to paint my nails because I see all of the colours I have.

This seems like a better option than those acrylic racks, and I think they look better too! Like I said, mine are just laying against the wall, and I'm not too sure if you can hang them/if they would be able to withstand the weight of the heavy glass bottles. My dad saw them and did asked if I wanted to hang them, but I'm not too sure how I would do that. I would expect you have to drill them into the wall to get a steady hold.

How do you store your polishes?

ELF 32 Eyeshadow Palette - Quick Review & FOTD

2012-04-23T21:05:00.002-04:00

I bought this ELF 32 eyeshadow palette months ago from Winners for $9.99 CDN. I'm not really sure what compelled me to purchase it, but it ended up in my collection and untouched for months.

I was interested in blogging about this palette and reviewing it, but I hardly touched it. I used it once initally when I first purchased it, but I wasn't impressed - I really had to dig in and pack the colour on, and it faded unusually bad by the end of the day.

I finally decided to dust it off the other day and try to do a look using the palette:

Here is what I used:
» Using my finger, I primed my lid and brow bone using UDPP.
» Using my finger again, I applied MAC's Soft Ochre paintpot on my lid and blending it into my crease.
» Using a stiff eyeshadow brush - I used my SpaResource's Medium eyeshadow brush - and applied the first shade heavily on the inner two thirds of my lid, blending it slightly in the crease.
» Using the other side of the same brush, I packed on the second colour on the outer third of my lid and blended it in the crease.
» I blended everything using my MAC 217 brush.
» Using the same blending brush, I applied MAC's Omega eyeshadow as a blendind colour between the crease and brow bone.
» I applied MAC's Orb eyeshadow on my brow bone using the Quo All Over eyeshadow brush.
» Lined my eyes using the Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush and MAC Blacktrack fluidline.
» Applied Maybelline's Falsies mascara and false lashes (not sure of the brand or #, I mixed all my lashes up) with Duo's clear lash glue.

» For my face I applied my MUFE HD Foundation in #127 with my Sephora Professional #45 mineral powder brush and set it with the Tarte Amazon finishing powder.
» I contoured with my ELF Studio Line blush brush and MAC's Harmony blush and applied Essence's blush in Adorable.

The colours are pigmented enough, on a scale from 1 to 10 - 10 being very pigmented, I would give the palette a 6. However, once you start blending, the eyeshadow tends to fade, so you do have to go back and forth and pack the colour on.

I'm not a big fan of the colour selection, just because I feel it's hard for me to find colour combinations to work with - I usually tend to go for monochromatic looks though.

I think this would be a nice palette for someone who is starting out in make-up, these palettes retail for $5.00 on the ELF website. Which is pretty reasonable - but like I mentioned, I purchased my palette and Winners for $9.99 CDN. If you're someone who has an established collection, you probably won't reach for this palette often because of the fact you have to go back and forth to pack the colours on.

What I Want From You!

2012-04-07T22:12:00.007-04:00

One of the main reasons why I started my blog was to have a place where I could post and share things like my FOTD's and be able to chart my progress through the whole beauty domain.

I wanted a place where I could get inspiration and feedback regarding make-up and my make-up looks that I post.

One thing that I wanted to ask my readers is to be able to provide me feedback regarding the things I post on my blog, whether it be my FOTD's, nail posts, or other general stuff I post on my blog.

I wanted to do this quick post to let you guys know that I appreciate and encourage constructive criticisim on my blog. Whether it be stuff like "I would suggest blending out the harsh edges a little bit to get a more seamless look" or..

"I think when you line your waterline with black eyeliner, it looks kind of bare, try adding some colour to your lower lashline?"

I read every comment I get, and I appreciate every one, and I would really appreciate you guys voicing anything you had on your mind.

Obviously, there is a difference between constructive criticism and being rude, and being in the "blogosphere" for a while now, I know that it can be difficult to bring something up without hurting anyone's feelings or stepping on someones toes, but I promise I won't be offended.

Just a quick post, I have a few posts lined up, so I hope to be posting more frequently and often soon. One thing you might not know about me is I hate writing.

Dollarama Find - ELF Dramatic Lashes

2012-03-27T23:58:00.000-04:00

I wanted to do a quick post and share with you guys another one of my Dollarama finds.

I found the ELF Dramatic lashes at Dollarama for $1.50!
I actually didn't purchase any because I was in a rush, but this photo is from Square One's Dollarama (in Mississauga, ON).
I've purchased the ELF Dramatic lashes before off of the ELF website, and they're nice. I know they're a huge favourite among many beauty bloggers, and for $1.50, it won't kill you to try them.

Dresser Drawer Clothing Organization Tip

2012-03-13T13:29:00.004-04:00

One thing that you guys may not know about me is that I'm a huge DIYer and I love organizing. I love the satisfaction of having everything aligned and grouped together for easy access.

Recently, I had this huge urge to organize my underwear drawer. I don't have any "before" photos, but basically, it was a huge mess. Just a big pile of underwear floating around in a drawer.

I'm pretty sure most girls would be able to relate, but I have a ton of pairs of underwear. My drawer was just a mess, and I found that I always reached for the same pairs over and over again because it made things just so much easier than having to dig through and find a pair.

I decided to Google "drawer organization tips" and found a lot of useful information, but nothing as far as what to organize them in. A lot of people mentioned using shoe boxes or the like, but I felt I wouldn't be able to make the most use out of my space.

And then, it hit me. I had some foam board I had left over from a Chemistry project, and I decided to make drawer dividers out of them.

All you need is foam board (I purchased mine at Michaels for $3.99 CDN for a 20x30x3/16 inch piece), a ruler to measure out your pieces and a hot glue gun. Relatively simple and inexpensive.

I did not glue the dividers into my drawers, I used the hot glue gun to glue the dividers to each other. I just made sure the dividers were the right length so that they would just slide right in my drawer and stay in place on their own - this makes things easier incase I want to change any of my arrangments.

There was no real method to my madness, I just kind of did whatever, but I really liked how everything turned out. I ended up making 6 compartments, which I then divided my different types of underwear in to. I also went through everything and threw out any stretched out/faded underwear, or anything that I knew I wouldn't wear. That helped cut a lot of clutter.

I usually fold my underwear, and that made everything easier for me. Now, if I want to wear a certain style (ie: bikini, thong, etc..) of underwear, I can easily find it and pull it out. Also, when I'm finished my laundry and ready to put everything back, I put my freshly laundered underwear in the BACK of the pile, and I always reach for underwear from the front of the pile. This ensures that I actually wear/rotate everyone, instead of going for the same ones all the time.

I didn't just stop with my underwear drawer, but I decided to go through and organize a few of my other drawers as well, here are some photos to show you different ways to divide your drawers:

I wanted to share this with you guys to show you how easy it is to organize your clothing. After a while, I would seriously open up my drawers every now and then and awe over how everything was so neat, organized and easily accessible. There's no more rooting around in a rage trying to find someone. Everything has it's own place.

It's also made putting back laundry easier as well! I hope this was helpful to some of you, and I'd love to how you guys organize your dressers!

Urban Decay's Fishnet e/s FOTD

2012-03-09T00:13:00.007-05:00

I pulled out my Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box the other day and did a look with a colour that I wouldn't normally use - Fishnet eyeshadow.

It's this really pretty pink-purple duochrome eyeshadow, but not really my type of colour. I paired it with MUFE infamous #92 eyeshadow and I love how it brought out the purple of Fishnet. I only used 2 eyeshadows as well! (Well, not including the highlight).

I really loved this look, I didn't even want to take it off at the end of the day.

With Flash:

Without Flash:

USED

EYES:
» I first applied UDPP as a primer all over my lid up to my brow bone using my ring finger.
» Using my ring finger again, I applied MAC Painterly paintpot all over my lid and blending it up into my crease.
» Using my ELF $1 eyeshadow brush, I applied Urban Decay's Fishnest e/s all over my lid, staying under the crease.
» With my MAC 266 pointed crease brush I applied MUFE #92 e/s in the outer third of my lid, and blending it all the way across my crease.
» I blended any harsh lines with my Sephora Professional #29 blending eye brush.
» Using Quo's all over eyeshadow brush I applied MAC's Orb e/s as my highlight and blending it down into the crease colour. I also took the same color and applied it in my tearduct.
» I then lined my eyes using MAC's 266 angled eyeliner brush and MAC's Blacktrack fluidline.
» To keep the lower lashline from looking too bare, I applied Annabelle's Glitterama liquid e/l in Violet Venus just under my lashes on the lower lashline.
» I applied Red Cherry lashes - sorry I'm not sure if the # - using Duo lash glue.
» I blended my real lashes into the falses by applying Maybelline's One by One mascara.
» I then finished off the look by filling in my brows using Maybelline's Define-A-Brow eyebrow pencil in Dark Brown.

Quick FOTD

2012-03-05T23:19:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to do a really quick post featuring this look that I wore today. I was testing out a few new L'Oreal HiP duos that I purchased recently and have been really happy with all of my duos that I've aquired. Unfortunately, they don't get much love but I'm trying to pull them out more - but I think I'll save that for another post.

USED:
UDPP (primer)
MAC Painterly paintpot (base)
NARS Wicked Duo (left e/s in tearduct/lower lashline)
L'Oreal HiP Darkwave duo (right e/s on lid)
L'Oreal HiP Lively duo (right e/s on outer third of lid)
MAC Plummage e/s (outer V/crease)
MAC Omega e/s (blending colour)
Wet n' Wild Brule e/s (as highlight)
Benefit Erase Paste (to outline brows)
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (brows)
Bonne Bell Eye Definer e/l in Glow (waterline)
Maybelline One by One mascara
Red Cherry #213 lashes

MUFE HD Foundation #127
MAC Harmony (to contour)
NYC Mosaic Color Wheel in Rose Glow (blush)
NARS Albatross (to highlight)

Rimmel Moisture Renew l/s in Nude Delight
Annabelle Lip Shine l/g in Breathless

Grey & Purple Smokey Eyes FOTD

2012-02-23T23:33:00.005-05:00

After my initial success with Maybelline's Colour Tattoo 24 Hour eyeshadow in Painted Purple, I decided to pick up a second one in Tough as Tauple.

It's not a colour I usually wear, but I pulled it out for this look:

Without Flash:

With Flash

USED:
UDPP (primer)
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe (base)
MAC Electra e/s (on lid)
Annabelle Carbon eyeshadow (in crease)
MAC Omega e/s (blending colour between crease and highlight)
Wet n' Wild Color Icon Vanity Palette (matte black in outer V)
Wet n' Wild Brulee e/s (as highlight)
Annabelle Eye Kohl e/l in Fiesta (on lower lashline)
MAC Violet pigment (on top of Fiesta e/l)
MAC blacktrack fluidline
Red Cherry lashes
Maybelline Define-A-Brow in Dark Brown
Maybelline One by One mascara

I ended up adding the purple on the lower lashline, because I'm not a huge fan of grey smokey eyes on myself.

Surprisingly though, this look ended up creasing REALLY bad at the end of the night. Not sure if it was Tough as Taupe base, or because of the Annabelle Carbon eyeshadow in the crease. I've noticed that whenever I use Carbon, I have trouble getting an opaque colour, and I notice it creases/fades badly on me.

Valentine's Day FOTD

2012-02-16T16:40:00.005-05:00

I did this look for Valentine's Day. I didn't have any plans, or a significant other but I ended up doing my makeup and went for a bronzed look with a brown smokey eye.

I'm not a huge fan of pink/red eyeshadow, and I figured I would play on my features and glam myself up a bit.

Here's the look that I did:

USED
UDPP (primer)
MUFE Aqua Cream # 15 (base) - I got this from the lovely Lias @ Chica Bloggerista
MAC Espresso e/s (in the crease and lower lashline)
MAC Omega e/s (as blending colour)
Wet n' Wild e/s in Brule (as highlight)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Annabelle Eye Kohl e/l in black (on upper and lower waterline)
MAC Femme Fi e/s (on tearduct)
Maybelline Define-A-Brow in Dark Brown (to fill in brows)
Maybelline One by One mascara
Ardell 101 Demi false lashes

MUFE HD #127 foundation
Tarte Smooth Operator finishing powder
MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30
MAC Harmony blush (to contour)
MAC Cheeky Bronze MSF

Rimmel 1000 Kisses l/l in Natural
MAC Brave New Bronze l/s
Annabelle Lip Shine in Breathless

Did you guys do anything special for Valentine's Day?

Sharing on Valetines Day

2012-02-14T16:56:00.009-05:00

Happy Valentines Day!
I wanted to quicky share with you guys my new haircut! For most of my life, I've always had long hair. I just feel like you can do more with it - even though I'm usually a throw-it-up-in-a-ponytail type of girl, I like the security long hair brings me. My hair was getting pretty long and shedding everywhere (although, granted my hair sheds still even now), and I usually curled it (if I had the time to) or put it up in a ponytail/bun. I straightened it a few weeks ago and my hair was too long that it just looked odd on me. Like it was too much hair.

Anyways, I've been thinking lately that I wanted to cut and donate my hair, and decided to take the plunge last week! It was an impulsive itch to get my haircut, but I like the way it turned out.

Here's my hair before:

And here's the after:

I don't know much about the type of cut or what my stylist did, I brought in a few photos to give him an idea of what I wanted and he delievered! I really like it, and I feel it makes me look older too. ;)

The only thing I'm not a fan of is that I'll have to straighten it inorder to style it. Butttt, my hair dries a whole lot faster, and it takes me about 15 minutes to straighten my hair now anyways.

I'm going to have to look into learning how to blowdry my hair straight, because it'll help give me a sleeker look than just straightening alone does.

I ended up cutting about ~12 inches off.

Originally, I was planning on donating it to Locks of Love, but after doing some research, I learned that LOL actually sells the final wigs. LOL makes wigs from the donated hair to sell to children who have undergone hair loss due to a variety of medical conditions or treatments. A final wig can cost anywhere between $800-$1000, and the price that the patient pays is according to how much the child's parents make. So, if the child's parents have a low income, they pay less for the wig, if the child's parents have a higher income, they would pay a higher amount. Regardless, they still have to pay for the wig.

I don't think LOL profits of the sale of wigs, but I like the idea that a family going through the stressful period of cancer and treatments and recovery don't have to worry about an added cost for their child.

After doing some research I learned about Pantene Beautiful Lengths which donates the final wigs to women who have experienced hair loss due to cancer.

Unfortunately, one of PBL's donation requirments is that hair cannot be dyed with a permanent dye, which my hair has been.

After a little more research, I've discovered Angel Hair for Kids which also donates the final wigs and my hair follows the donation requirments.

I couldn't imagine undergoing hairloss at a young age, and I hope that my donation can help bring a little ease to a young girl or boy's life.

It might take a little more of an effort to do my hair now, but for a good cause, I don't mind.

I hope everyone takes today to remind their friends, family and loved ones how much of an impact that they make on your life. Happy Valentines Day! ♥♥♥♥ :)

Quick FOTD

2012-02-12T15:59:00.010-05:00

I wanted to quicky share this look I did the other day with you. Not much to say so here goes:

With flash:

Without flash:

USED:
UDPP (primer)
MAC Painterly paint pot (base)
MAC Expensive Pink e/s (inner third of lid)
MAC Woodwinked e/s (middle of lid)
MAC Sketch e/s (outer corner)
MAC Nocturnelle e/s (crease)
Joe Fresh Honeybell e/s (highlight)
Annabelle liquid liner
Red Cherry #111 lashes
Maybelline Define-a-Brow in Dark Brown (eyebrows)

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it.." My Experience w/ MAC Studio Finish concealer!

2012-01-23T16:10:00.007-05:00

After about approximently 1 year and a half of use, I finally finished my MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30.

I bought this on a whim during one of my trips to the MAC counter, and it quickly made it's way into my everyday routine. I don't think I have dark circles under my eyes that are that bad, but when I apply concealer it instantly brightens my eyes up and makes me look more awake.

Even if I stayed up all night working on an assignment I had 3 weeks to do, I just slap this on in the morning and I'm good to go! No, "damn you look tired" comments needed.

I love this concealer because it's opaque, I don't feel I have to pack it on, and it lasts pretty much all day for me! There is fading by 10-11pm, I do apply my make-up at 7am, so I ain't mad!

It does crease, but I think with any concealer that you apply under your eyes will crease - given that there's a lot of movement in that area and everyone has natural creases under their eyes that their concealer will set in to.

Once I started hitting pan, I started researching about other under-eye concealers that were top hits in the beauty community. Even though I had no problems with the MAC Studio Finish concealer, I just wanted to try something new.

But then I remembered the saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Even though there are a million and one different brands and types of concealer out there, I feel as a beauty blogger, and as a girl that gets bored of one colour nail polish a couple of days after, I wanted to experiement and try something new and see what else is out there.

But, if I'm happy with what I have now, why waste the time, money and energy in looking for something new?

Trying to stay in tune with my New Year's resolution of limiting the amount of makeup I buy, I didn't want to spend money looking for something I was already content with.

For example, I don't have a Sephora in my local mall, so if I wanted to search for a new concealer - I would have to drive or communte to closest one. (either Square One in Mississauga, Yorkdale or Eaton Centre) $$.

If I did do that, I probably wouldn't just shop at Sephora, but also other stores (ie: the MAC freestanding store, the bigger H&M, the Coach store, Brown shoes, Zara, Victoria Secret and VS Pink, Forever 21, etc..) $$. Also having to pay for lunch, and if my sister goes with me usually I end up purchasing something for her/paying for lunch, and that's more $$.

So at the end of the day, to me, a trip to find a new concealer at the closest mall with a Sephora would cost a minimum of $200.

That's not including if I have to return or exchange the new concealer that I wanted to try (or anything else for that matter).

All in all, I'm happy with MAC's Studio Finish concealer to use on my under-eyes, and I have no complaints. So really, if it ain't broke, why should I fix it?

Anyone else understand or feel my pain?

Haul: Lashes from Madame Madeline

2012-01-20T11:47:00.003-05:00

I wanted to quickly share with you my haul from Madame Madeline. I decided to place an order for false lashes after realizing that I always want to use them in looks but I never have the "right" ones. If that makes sense?

After a bit of research I was reccomended Madame Madeline because of their cheap prices and huge variety of false lashes.

I placed my order on January 2nd and recieved it on Monday, January the 9th. I was pleasantly surprised because I was expecting it to take a minimum of 2 weeks, since it was coming from California and I placed the order during the holidays so I was anticipating a slow shipping time.

I'm happy with what I ordered, and I can't wait to start using them in looks!

If you haven't heard of Madame Madeline, I definitely suggest you check them out. If you have a specific type of lashes you love, right now you can stock up on them and get a discounted price depending on how much you order - I know a lot of people are a fan of the Ardell 101 Demi lashes, and right now they have a deal if you buy more than one type of the same lash you only pay $2.60 for each rather than the regular $3.49.

I payed $3.49/each for the Ardell lashes, and $1.99/each for the Red Cherry ones. Shipping to Canada was also a reasonable $5.00

My sister placed an order after I recieved mine, and I think she used a 15% coupon that was flying around. If you do plan on placing an order, check their Twitter for any coupon codes, because there are usually always one floating around!

*This isn't a sponsered post, I'm not being paid to mention this site and they don't even know that I'm posting this. I recently ordered from this site for the first time and was really surprised by their quick shipping and cheap prices, that I thought I'd make a quick post for anyone who hasn't heard of this site already. I just wanted to clear that up, because I do realize that this does seem like a sponsered post - but it is not. (:

Review: Maybelline Color Tattoo e/s in Painted Purple

2012-01-11T20:03:00.011-05:00

A few weeks ago I seen a new display of these Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo eyeshadows at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. They had a nice range of colours, and they were reasonably priced at $9.99 CDN. I swatched the tester and was pretty impressed that these cream eyeshadows were nicely pigmented.

I didn't pick them up because I wanted to read reviews and see swatches before I purchased anything. If you follow my blog, you know that I have oily eyelids, and cream eyeshadows can be a hit or miss for me. Also, I'm trying to get into the habit of researching and checking out reviews about products instead of purchasing things blindly and potentially throwing out money.

I was surprised to see that no one had mentioned anything about these. Google came up with zero results. I was pretty shocked because it's usually guaranteed that someone would have swatches or reviews about a new product. So I decied to skip and wait until I learned more about them.

Butttt.. everytime I walked into Shoppers, I was immediately drawn to the unique selection of colours and thought if anything, I could use it as liner or something, but luckily I was able to show some restraint. ;)

Finally, last week I walked into Shoppers and noticed that they were on sale for $8.00 CDN and thought, maybe that's a sign I should pick one up to try. I originally was drawn to the neutral shades but I decided to go for Painted Purple because I didn't have anything similar in my collection.

On a side note: I really wanted to pick up more than one to swatch for you guys (this is before all the reviews came out) but as much as I would love to do that, I know I probably wouldn't use certain shades often and I don't want to just hoard make-up just to swatch.

Name: Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24hr eyeshadow
Colour: Purple Passion
Packaging: Glass container with a plastic screw top lid, see-through bottom which allows you to see the colour.
Amount of Product: 14oz/4g
Price: $9.99 CDN *reflected on the regular retail price at Shoppers Drug Mart

This product has a nice creamy consistency which makes it easy to apply and blend. The colour I chose is nicely pigmented aswell. However, I did notice that it applies kind of patchy. It's not that noticable, but if you do want a solid wash of colour, you have to work a bit to blend and pat on the product to get an even application.

It's also really easy to build up the intensity of the colour, which I love because it makes the product really versatile.

Swatches:

This is one layer of product. If you enlarge the photo, you can see patchyness in the swiped swatch.

This is two layers of product, this time, instead of swiping on top of the first layer, I patted it to try and get an even wash, but you can see it is still a bit patchy.

This product is marketed as a long-wearing eyeshadow, but I liked to use it as a base under eyeshadow. However, I definitely think you can use this as a cream eyeshadow and do a wash and not have to worry about creasing or fading at all.

Here is a FOTD that I did using Purple Passion as a base under my eyeshadows:

USED:
UDPP (primer)
Maybelline Color Tattoo cream e/s in Purple Passion (as a base)
MAC Digit e/s (in the inner third of my lid)
MAC Parfait Amour e/s (middle of the lid)
Indigio e/s from the 88 Matte palette (in the crease)
MUFE No. 92 e/s (in the outer corner)
MAC Orb e/s (as highlight)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Maybelline Falsies mascara
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (to fill in brows)

MAC Studio Fix powder in NC40
MAC On A Mission blush
MAC Harmony (to contour)

MAC Hug Me l/s

I did use a primer under this cream eyeshadow, but I wear a primer all the time regardless.

I was surprised when I came home 12+ hours later and my make-up looked just as good as it did when I first applied it. There was no oily/shinyness showing through or breaking down my make-up. I've never had that before, no matter what primer or base, or different combinations of primers and bases I use there is always is creasing/oilyness/shinyness on my eyelids sometimes a mere couple hours later after;

First Applied:

Twelve+ Hours Later:

You can see that my eyeshadows look just as intense as when I first applied them. There was a tiny bit of creasing, but noting noticable. There was no oilyness shining through either:

All in all, I was really impressed with this as a base, and I'm definitely looking forward to trying the other colours. These remind me of MAC paint pots, but for half the price. Like I mentioned, these were $9.99 (regular price) at Shoppers, and if you're Canadian, you know that Shoppers is on the more expensiver side, especially with cosmetics. I haven't looked at Wal-Mart (which I've read some people have found them at as well) but I'm sure it would probably be $1-$3 cheaper. Regardless, I wouldn't mind paying $9.99 for them.

I also want to mention, this is a prematue "review" since I've only worn this product once, but I'm planning on picking up a more neutral colour that I can use daily - if there are any changes or anything, I'll definitely keep you guys updated and let you know :)

2 Different FOTD's Inspired by 2 Lovely Bloggers

2011-12-29T23:22:00.013-05:00

Here's a look I did on Christmas eve. My family and I don't celebrate Christmas, but we took the opportunity to go out for dinner. I did this look after seeing a FOTD that Janella from Bold & Beautiful posted using MAC's Expensive Pink eyeshadow. I've recently discovered her blog and she posts a lot of beautiful looks. I have a few colour combinations that she's posted FOTD's on that I can't wait to try out. Expensive Pink eyeshadow is one of my favourite eyeshadows, and I loved the look she created so I decided to recreate it. Here's my take on it:

USED:
UDPP
MAC Perky paintpot
MAC Expensive Pink e/s (on the lid)
MAC Satin Taupe e/s (outer corner and crease)
MAC Sketch e/s (outer V)

MAC Studio Fix powder foundation in NC40
MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30 (as undereye concealer)
MAC On A Mission blush
MAC Harmony (to contour)
Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray

MAC Hug Me l/s

Sorry I didn't get any close ups of this look. But it's pretty simple and the placement is the exact same as most of my other looks.

Andddd, here's a look I did today. I've seen this photo on someones tumblr:

This photo is from a FOTD that Ronnie at Bows & Curtseys posted here (she also has a video tutorial here!). If you aren't fimilar with Ronnie's blog, I HIGHLY suggest you check it out. Her looks are stunning and I get a tonne of inspiration by just flipping through her blog.

I loved the rainbow liner. Bethany/iwanted2c1video on YouTube did a tutorial based on this here aswell. I decided to do my own take on it. I was actually heading to work today, so I didn't decided to narrow it down and use one of my favourite colour combinations - green, blue and purple. Here is my take:

USED:
UDPP
MAC Untitled paint
Wet n' Wild Color Icon e/s in Brulee (all over)
MAC Cork e/s (in crease)
MAC Soft Brown e/s (in crease)
MAC Femme Fi e/s (right under brow arch)
MAC Vanilla pigment (on tearduct and lower lashline)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Urban Decay Graffiti, Peace and Ransom e/s (as the coloured liner)

I didn't get any good close-ups once again, sorry! I was in a rush to get to work, and I think I need to play around more with my camera to see what settings/lightings work best for clear photos.

I got a few compliments on this look, and I really liked it!

I've been trying lately to get out of my comfort zone and try out new eyeshadow combinations and techniques, but it's a lot harder than it seems. If you guys have any favourite bloggers or gurus that you get a lot of inspiration from, please share! I'm always looking for photos or looks that other people to do try to recreate and get my out of my rut!

NOTD ft. Nails INC Magnetic Polish

2011-12-19T21:34:00.005-05:00

My sister recently purchased the new Nails INC. Magnetic Polish in House of Parliament from Sephora (retails for $18 CDN) and I thought I'd show you it as my NOTD.

To be honest, in my opinion, it's not really a unique polish, as far as the "magnetic properties" goes. I applied two coats of colour, and immediately after I applied the second coat of polish I hovered the magnet attached to the cap over my wet nail. For some reason the effect wasn't so prominent on my nails - despite hovering the magnet for varies amounts of time - but if I look really closely, it does have a cool 3D effect.

It's the second day of wearing this polish and there's some chip wear - which I don't normally see until around day 3 of my manicures.

Is it worth the $18? Eh.. not really in my opinion. However, it did look better on my sister's nails, and the effect was more visible. So maybe it's just a user error or a practise-using-it thing, but regardless, I wouldn't pay for it.

Here's what I used for this manicure:

Left to right:
Essie Disappearing Trick cuticle remover
OPI Nail Envy (original) - two coats
Nails INC. Magnetic Polish in House of Parliament - 2 coats
Seche Vite top coat - one coat
OPI Avoplex cuticle oil

Have you used the Nails INC. magnetic polishes? Did you have better luck with it than I did?

"Eyebrows are sisters, not twins.."

2011-12-06T14:57:00.008-05:00

We've all heard this quote before - and whether we're talking about eyebrows, blending our eyeshadows perfectly on each eye or applying equal amounts of blush on each of our cheeks, we know that obtaining symmetry is hard.

After cleaning up my eyebrows, filling them in and edging them with concealer to finish - I sat back and noticed that each of my eyebrows are noticably (well to me) different from eachother.

I went to look at myself in my larger dresser mirror, but I didn't see any noticable differences. However, upon closer inspection, it's clear that they're two different shapes.

Here's a photo of me looking straight on towards the camera;

Here's a photo I drew in Paint Shop Pro to outline the differences. My left brow (your right in the pictures) is more straight with a sharp angle, whereas my right brow (your left in the pictures) is nicely angled and tapered.

The first photo of my actual brows better depicts the difference, and the second photo I drew shows how it doesn't make a difference really because they both pretty much look the same from a far.

Being a perfectionist, it still bothers me.

So tell me, are your brows twins? Or more like sisters? Please don't let me be the only one that's so fixated on this, lol.

I just don't get the hype..

2011-12-04T11:07:00.002-05:00

Have you ever stayed up late one night and found yourself watching cheesy informercials? Pajama jeans, snugglies, fake cigarettes, etc.. There always seems to be something gimmicky in the consumer world.

Ever since I first got into make-up, I've seen a whole lot of things hyped up and seen them come and go. Whether it be products, brushes, palettes, etc.. there is always something that people rave about for a time period, and then it's totally forgotten about.

Something I haven't given into the hype is highlighters and highlighting products.

Maybe it's the fact that I have oily skin, and I feel that highlighting products can just emphasize that, or maybe I don't see the whole "glowly" skin that everyone seems to be aiming for?

I think it may be the fact that there are so many products marketed into giving you a glowy look, but I feel that there are so many other things in your collection already that you can use to achieve the same results.

I purchased a few of these products, for example, the coveted NARS Albatross, but I feel like what's the difference between using Albatross to highlight versus using an eyeshadow? Or a pigment? Or a pigment mixed into some moisturizer?

I have a few shimmery highlight eyeshadows and it's very hard for me to justify why I need to have a $30 highlighter when I have something already in my collection that I can use to highlight my face with.

I can't just throw out my $30 not-so-well-spent product in the trash, but everytime I use it, I think to myself, "I just don't get the hype.."

Atleast for me, I got it in a blog sale, so I didn't pay retail + tax.

How do you feel about purchasing products that are marketed solely for one thing? Like facial highlighters and illuminaters?

Brown Smokey FOTD

2011-11-19T22:41:00.005-05:00

I was applying some brown eyeliner the other day to switch from my just-mascara look I've been wearing lately. I added a little bit of a darker brown eyeshadow to it, and I didn't like how it looked so I decided to smudge it out quite a bit and get a little bit of a difference look.

Somehow, I ended up adding eyeshadow and coming up with this look.

I actually really liked it, and it seemed simple to met, yet it was defined, and I felt like it really brought out my eyes.

I don't remember the exact placement of eyeshadows because I was kind of just going a long with it and adding whatever I deemed fit, but I will list what I used.

Last photo was taken without flash.

USED:
UDPP
Annabelle Eye Kohl e/l in Chestnut
Annabelle Eye Kohl in Black
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s
MAC Cork e/s
MAC Espresso e/s
MAC Femme Fi e/s
Wet n' Wild Color Icon Vanity palette - matte black e/s
Wet n' Wild Color Icon e/s in Brulee
Maybelline Falsies mascara

Eyebrows: MAC Night Maneuvers e/s

Dollarama Find - Part 2

2011-11-12T09:27:00.008-05:00

I usually purchase my essentials from dollar stores to help save money. Q-tips, cotton pads, nail polish remover, etc.. So when I was at Dollarama to pick up a few of these essentials, I picked up these large cotton pads to use for removal of my make-up. I like the fact that they're bigger because it means less time spent removing my make-up, and less cotton pads used.

Swissper 50 count ultra-soft cleansing pads

I paid $2 and they contain 50 pads which are 4 by 3.5 inch rectangles. I love that these are thick and more durable than your average cotton pad - which means no tearing or leaving fuzzies on your face.

These cotton pads are quilted which makes them stronger and great for use with liquids.

What I especially love is that these have 2 layers that can easily be pulled apart, and the 1-ply layer is still pretty durable. (Think about 2-ply tissue, 2-ply tissue is more durable than a 1-ply layer of tissue - but the 1-ply layer of these cotton pads are just as durable as the 2 ply!) And since I don't wear face make-up and usually just eye make-up, I don't need a whole 4 by 3.5 inch cotton pad to take my make-up, so usually I cut them in half or quarters.

Pulling the two layers apart

The two layers

So from one cotton pad, I pull apart the layers to have 2 cotton pads, and I usually cut these in half which means I get 4 uses out of one cotton pad (granted that I use one to removal all of my eye make-up). 4 x 50 = 200! So out of one $2 package, I get approximately 200 uses.

Also, I'm 80% sure that I seen this exact brand and exact product at Sally's the other day retailing for $8.49 or something like that. I've tried searching on the Sally's Beauty website for this specific product or brand, but they don't seem to carry it.

Dollarama has definitely been upping its game lately and carrying more "drugstore" items. I've seen products from Sally Hansen, La Cross and E.L.F to mention a few at my local Dollarama with prices ranging from $1-$3.

Is it weird that I just posted about cotton pads?..

Switching My Looks Up - FOTD

2011-11-01T16:17:00.005-04:00

With the change of seasons comes a change of the eyeshadow colours that I use in my looks. I feel like with fall and winter, it's all about jewelled, earthy tones, where spring and summer is all about colour.

I did this look the other day based on this change and I loved how it turned out. I felt like the colours went well with what I envisioned "fall makeup" to be, but still had that pop of colour that I love.

USED:

UDPP
MAC Painterly paintpot
MAC Expensive Pink e/s (all over the lid)
MAC Coppering e/s (outer third of the lid)
MAC Soft Brown e/s (in the crease)
MAC Espresso e/s (outer V)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara
Forever 21 false eyelashes

MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30
MAC Prolong Wear foundation in NC35
MAC On A Mission blush
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny (to contour)

Rimmel London l/s in Birthday Suit
MAC Love Nectar l/g

I haven't been wearing much make-up lately because I haven't really had the time, and also because I don't wear contacts anymore so I feel like what's the point if you don't see much behind my glasses?

I also haven't been inspired much lately, if you guys could suggest any favourite YT'ers or bloggers that you get your inspiration from, I'd really appreciate it!

My Experience With Shellac!

2011-10-27T21:00:00.006-04:00

I love having polished, clean, well manicured nails, but I hate chipping nail polish, smudges and dullness that can come along with having polished nails. I'm hard on my hands, so usually my polish won't last more than 2-3 days (if I'm lucky!) before chipping. Lately all I've been wearing on my nails was a coat of clear nail polish.

Recently, I walked past a nail salon looking at my raggedy nails, and I wondered if they could cut my cuticles. I do have a cuticle cutter at home, but they usually end up looking even more raggedy that before. So I thought, I'll have my cuticles "professionally" cut and then go home and give myself a manicure. Simple right?

Photo credit here - Found via Google Images

Wrong.

Somehow I ended up getting talked into getting a Shellac manicure.. I wanted to share my thoughts and experience with you, because I haven't seen many people talk about this type of treatment.

What is Shellac?

Shellac is a UV set gel nail polish by CND that is marketed as being able to provide you 14-day wear, a mirror (shiny) finish with zero dry time and and no damage to your natural nail.

Anyone who paints their nails have at least once suffered the inevitable smudging or nicking before your polish is dry, or that big noticable chip the day after painting your nails, and for many (like myself) this is what discourages one from going through the trouble of painting your nails in the first place.

However, Shellac is suppose to diminish all of that.

Shellac polishes come in 30 colours, but keep in mind that your salon may only carry a few colours instead of the whole range. With that being said, Shellac is a treatment that can only be done at salons and not at home yourself.

The Process:

My experience at the salon I went to is that it was a basic manicure (cutting/filing down nails, cutting and conditioning my cuticles) and instead of regular polish they used Shellac. Between coats, they have you place your hand under a UV light (similar to what they do when you get acrylic nails) for a few seconds to "cure" each layer of the polish.

I had decided to go for it and get a French manicure. Here is a photo after I had gotten home. Don't mind my short nails, this manicure wasn't planned and like I mentioned they had cut/filed my nails down during the manicure.

Sorry for the awkward photo, this was the best I could get :P

I decided to opt for a French manicure because it's simple, classy, always in fashion, and goes with everything. I was also surprised by how shiny my nails were.I was curious to see how long this manicure would last on my nails, especially since I am so hard on my hands.

A week after my nails were still intact with no chipping whatsoever, they were also still shiny! The only problem I had was that as my nails were growing, the edges of the polish were starting to lift and peel. It wasn't a huge deal - especially since I had opted for no colour on my nail, but I'm not sure how this would have looked if I had gotten a bright or dark colour. I also noticed that on my tips, the polish was starting to "crack." It wasn't chipping, and it wasn't noticable unless you really looked up close at my nails.

I tried my best to capture the peeling of the edges and the cracking, but it was difficult. If you enlarge the photo and zoom in you might be better able to see what I'm talking about. (On my middle finger you can see a bit of the cracking).

As far as the claim of causing no damage to your natural nail - I haven't noticed any difference in my nails. I do have brittle, thin, peeling nails, but I did notice that while I had Shellac on I didn't experience any peeling of my nails - which usually occurs when I have polish on. So that was definitely a plus for me.

All in all, the manicure ended up lasting approximently 3 weeks before I started picking at it, which I was really surprised with. If you're someone who like me, loves the look of polish but hates the up keep with it, try Shellac out. One downside however is if you are someone who likes to switch up your nail polish often, you'll probably get bored of the colour you've chosen after the first week.

Another downside is you have to go into a salon to have Shellac removed, which will end up being an added expense (you'll have to pay for it). If you decided to go into a salon and have another manicure done with Shellac, I'm pretty sure they would remove the existing Shellac polish you have and then continue with the manicure - so, I'm not sure if they would include the price of removal in the manicure or what.

However, according to the CND website, Shellac is removed with acetone. If you aren't already aware, acetone nail polish remover has been taken off consumer shelves because it was discovered to be a carcinogen (linked to causing cancer). You can buy acetone nail polish remover at Sally Beauty Supply, but you probably won't be able to find it at regular stores like Shoppers Drug Mart, Zellers or Wal-Mart. You also won't be able to remove this with regular nail polish (I've tried!)

EDITED (October 30th) - 100% pure acetone is available at Wal-Mart (the brand that they sell is called Onyx), however, I cannot find it at Zellers or Shoppers Drug Mart. So apparently it is still available to consumers.

However, I've tried acetone to remove the remainder of my Shellac manicure and it didn't work very well. I didn't try the foil method because its just a little bit on my nails and I felt that the acetone would be more damaging.

Would I get a Shellac manicure done again? Probably. I love how long it lasted, I was constantly checking my nails for any chips and was surprised that it lasted so long.

2 FOTD's

2011-08-15T18:12:00.006-04:00

I know, I know, I knowwwwwwww. I was trying not to sit here and come up with excuses, but the biggest thing is that I haven't been wearing much make-up lately! The most I've been doing on a daily basis is mascara and concealer. That's it. *shrug*

I haven't really played around with make-up since June, the last time I distinctly remember is when I did my make-up for my friend's birthday - and I did this look:

Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Teal Pigment (on the lid and lower lashline)
Star Makeup Haven In A Bind e/s (on outer corner/crease)
Wet n' Wild Vanity Palette (matte black in outer corner)
Wet n' Wild e/s in Brulee (as highlight)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (to fill in brows)
Maybelline Falsies mascara

MAC Prolongwear Foundation in NC35
MAC Pinch o' Peach blush
And a little bit of NARS Laguna bronzer

Probably Annabelle's Lip Shine in Breathless on my lips

Today is finally the first time in a long while that I put some actual eyeshadow and make-up on, this is the look I'm currently rocking:

Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Naked pigment (all over the lid)
MAC Cork e/s (outer corner/crease)
MAC Espresso e/s (outer V)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara
NYC Kohl Eyeliner in White (on waterline)
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (to fill in brows)

MAC Prolongwear Foundation in NC35
MAC On A Mission blush
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny (to contour)
NARS Albatross (to highlight)

Annabelle l/l in Cherry
MAC Russian Red

I trying hard to get posts up, and I apologize to those who have been checking back for updates.