Inglot | My Very First DIY Palette

As I mentioned earlier this month, I went to Inglot at Yonge and Dundas Square in downtown Toronto earlier this fall to check out their brand and test out their products.  While I was there I ended up falling in love with eyeshadows 326, 344, and 46.  After testing them at home, and being more than satisfied with the results, I went back to complete my palette with 420 and 153.

Before I get into talking about the actual quality of the shadows (which are, by the way, fantastic), I wanted to first explain why I love the concept so much. I don't know about you, but I reach for my shadow palettes way more often than I reach for my singles.  Its so much easier when everything you need is right in front of you.  However, I know that when I buy a palette that there are almost always colours I don't use.  For me, these are usually the super sparkly ones, or the very dark ones.  I have also often caught me critiquing palettes-- to each their own.  Too much sparkle, too few mattes, I wish there were more purple-taupe shades...enter, the Inglot Freedom System.

326 (Matte), 420 (Satin), 153 (Satin), 344 (Matte),  46 (Shimmer)

Holiday Sets | We Wish You a Lush-ful Christmas

I have a secret.  I never knew how flawless the Lush holiday line was until I got into this whole beauty blogging thing.  I never knew how pretty the items were, I never knew how delicious they all smelled.  I never knew what I was missing out on.  The other day I walked past the Lush at the Toronto Eatons Centre, and the line was so long that it wrapped through the whole store and into the hallway.  Rather than deal with that stressful mess, I went to the large, open, crowd free location on Queen West.  There I was able to ask the staff questions, smell each item on its own, and really make sure I was getting the very best goodies.

Such pretty pretty bath goodies!  And the smell?  Perfection. 

Holiday Sets | Julep "Dancing" Lipstick Trio

A number of months ago Julep had two mini lipstick sets, Paris and New York, as the beauty product of the month.  One of those sets ended up in a mystery box which I ordered, and I really enjoyed them, so I was happy to see Julep bring back a similar product.  I also want to take a moment to apologize in advance for all the Julep reviews this month!  It was a combination of some great coupon codes, 12 Days of Christmas deals, and an abundance of $15 referral codes.  So, please do use my link if you intend on getting a Julep subscription.  It keeps this blog with lots of content, and helps add to my makeup stash.  You can sign up here!

Seasonal | The Only Three Manicures You Will Need This Christmas

Lately I have been building up my confidence in my nail art abilities, and have been sharing them on my personal instagram.  For my poor followers from my personal life they get a mix of my nail designs,  professional life, my boyfriend's cats, and diet coke cans.  Let me be clear, my dream boss "<3" my nail art photos in Insta.  Do you know what that's like?  To see your professional life and love of nail polish collide?  Its a bit terrifying, but over all a great reception.  When I explain it as my hobby and my outlet people just tend to think that I can do magical things with glitter.  // end rant.

Okay!  On to my special holiday themed manicure post!

For Parties: Dipped In Gold

I am going to let you in on a little secret.  When I was a kid, I loved glitter nail polish!  When I started getting back into nail polish last year I couldn't figure out a way to make glitter look all grown up, until I figured out how to do glitter tips.

Start with your usual filing, base coat routine.  Then paint your nails either a nice silky navy or a to die for berry shade. I decided to use Julep's Lupita.  As for the glitter I used more of a bronze-gold glitter: Essie's Luxe Effect "Summit of Style".  Next carefully freehand a triangle with glitter.  Since you are using glitter it doesn't need to be perfect.  I recommend 2-3 coats of glitter so you can get a full coverage look.  Finish off with two coats of top coat and ta-da!

Lupita and Summit of Style

DEAL ALERT: Updated Sephora Sale Section

I was casually browsing the Sephora Sale section this morning, when I noticed they had updated it to include some pretty fantastic items!  You can shop the sale here.  I encourage you to check it out and see what they have, here are my picks:

(All prices are in CAD.  Lucky for you US ladies, things are likely all cheaper)

Bumble and Bumble Make It Big Set
$55 Value - $32.75 Regular Price - $26 Sale

Kisses | Tony Moly

Memebox opened my eyes to a whole world of Korean Beauty!  One thing I have learned from my time with Memebox is how fantastic Tony Moly products are! When I saw this beautiful little lip balm at an end cap in Sephora for $11, I simply had to have it!

Holiday Sets | Julep Pop the Bubbly!

This was one of the holiday duos that Julep released this season!  As usual it contains one old polish (Noelle) and one new polish (Irina).

Both of the polishes in this duo are Satin finishes which are matte with shimmer.  In other words, entirely beautiful.

Noelle is the light shade in the middle, Irina is the pink to the right of Noelle.

Holiday Sets | Wild Argan Oil from The Body Shop

The Body Shop (TBS) always has amazing gift sets available, and since this isn't a limited edition holiday set, its not reeeeeally a holiday set.  However, I bought it around the holidays.  So it is a holiday set in my books.

I am a huge supporter of taking part in points programs.  At TBS you get 1 point for every $25 purchase and 2 point for every $50 or more purchase.  4 points gets you $15 off, 8 points auto-renews your $10 membership and gets you $25 off.  No matter what, you get 10% off everything, which makes your membership free if you spend $100 or more there a year!

Julep | The Countdown Collection December 2014

Julep has been killing it with their collections this fall!  The September Art Walk Collection was the closest I had ever come to making a larger upgrade...until this month!  Can I jut say...wow.  Those eyeshadows, the metallic and sparkly polishes, just simply wow.  This collection was very well put together.

My box arrived as a massive box filled with more crinkle paper than I could imagine.  My Polish Lovers Upgrade came inside another box.  the gift for taking 3 add-ons this month was the lip plumper.  I also added on Nell-- and can I just say, she is my new favourite!

Opening this massive box was pretty fun.

Holiday Sets | Julep's Gem Collection

Let me begin this post by saying that paying the full price of $98 for this set is insane.  There is no need ever to drop $100 all at once on nail polish.  I bought this set when it was marked down to $50.  At $50 there is still no need to buy that much nail polish.  However I had a spare 50% off code which meant that I actually paid $25 for this set.  Now, $25 for a set of 12 polishes is a sweet deal.

Birchbox Canada | December 2014

This month was a crazy good month for Canadian Beauty Box subscribers.  Not only did Birchbox finally make its way into the Canadian market place, but so did Glossybox!  I don't know what this means for Topbox and Luxebox, but the laws of economics mean one of two things will happen. Either they will step up their game, or they will bleed clients and eventually close.  Or, the Birchbox and Glossybox will go back home.  The only reason I do not include Ipsy in this equation is that Ipsy already competes with these two brands in the United States.  I personally don't think the Canadian beauty box market is big enough to sustain all of these companies.  We're only 1/10th of the size of our neighbours to the south.

Welcome to Canada!

Explore Toronto | Hot Tea and Yummy Eats

Now that exams are over (thankfully!) I have had the chance to grab lunches and coffees with some of my friends who I otherwise don't often get to see!  In doing so I have had the chance to re-explore some of my favourite places, and I wanted to take a moment to share those places with you.  Oh and cats.  I wanted to share some cute cat photos too.

Kitty wanted my purse.

Empties | MEGA 56 Product Post

I haven't done one of these in a while.  However when I went to add a second Bioderma makeup remover bottle to my empties box it was actually overflowing, so I figured I should do a post.  It also feels fitting to get rid of this trash to make way for the goodies that Santa has under the tree for me!  And for the insane amounts of Julep I have ordered in the last week or two.  Oops?

GUEST POST | Unsung Heros 2014 with Prairie Beauty Love

Hi, Readers! My name is Trysh and I blog over at Prairie Beauty Love. As a part of the Canadian Beauty Bloggers Network, I'm here to write you a guest post on some of my favorite products from 2014.

Inglot | Trying New Things And Falling In Love

When was the last time that you had a chance to play with make-up.  Not just do your make-up, but I mean actually take some time, test out some new products, and just have fun?  Well I did just that last week.  Inglot, a Polish cosmetics company, just opened a store in Toronto near the Eatons Centre.  I meant to go to their blogger event, but I was just too busy both nights.  Instead, I picked a quiet afternoon to head over to poke around.  I think that was for the best as it really gave me a chance to get to know the products and the brand.

I was met with friendly staff, and a plethora of products and colours to dive right into.  I was immediatley drawn to their "Freedom System" which includes variously sized empty magnetic palettes.  From there you take around a magnetic board and you figure out exactly what you want to go inside it.

Shadows and brushes and lipsticks oh my!

Sephora Black Friday | Tarte

I was really impressed by this year's Sephora Black Friday deals.  I ordered a few different ones that I am slowly working my way through testing.  I decided that rather than just do a haul post that I would go into a bit more detail about each one.  I ordered this set because I was pleasantly surprised by another set of minis I ordered from Tarte earlier this holiday season.  

All Sephora Black Friday sets retailed for $12 CAD/ $10 USD.

First, how adorable is the packaging?

Friendsgiving | Julep November 2014 Review

November was the "Friendsgiving" Collection from Julep!  The colours were a mix of delicate neutrals and deep shimmers.  I found this whole colour palette beautiful, and wanted pretty much all of it.  The products this month were a lengthening mascara, Length Matters, and a volume mascara, Go Big. I ordered both, but the Go Big shipped seperate.

Luxe Box | Winter 2014 Unboxing

I am pretty sure I forgot to do my last Luxe Box review.  Either way it was pretty un-exciting.  And here I am again, and tis official.  With Birchbox on the horizon, and a renewed sense of savings goals, something has to go, and, well, this is it.  Maybe I will come back in a season or two.  So, enjoy this final review (for now).  I haven't hated this subscription, I just haven't loved it.  It is a bit expensive, and lately I haven't felt thrilled.  I have decided to skip next season, and maybe I will give it another shot in the summer.

My box!

Girl Meets Glitter | Ipsy November 2014 Review

Dear Santa,

I would rather a lump of cole in my stocking this Christmas than another Be a Bombshell product.

Love,

Ipsy and Topbox and Luxebox Subscribers everywhere

xoxo

Blerghhhhhhh on one hand I am sorry that my Ipsy review is so late, and on the other hand I'm not because this bag was a big pile of meh.

So let's start with the bag its self.  Silvery glitter with hot pink trim.  One of the prettier bags I have seen as of late, but still quite childish.  On one hand I want to keep it and on the other hand I want ti give it to my 5 year old cousin for Christmas with her brand new Disney store Elsa crown.  Decisions, decisions...

Look at the little zipper heart I made!

#besties | What to Get For Your Girlfriends

The girls you go to for advice, the friends you go shopping with, the ladies you talk about one day going bridesmaids shopping with, you know the amazing women I am talking about.  Your best friends, the ladies who can be like sisters, and the girls you go to firs tho talk, vent, gossip, or just chat.

Here are my top, generally budget friendly picks for you to wrap up for them this Christmas!

Holiday | Gift Buying Tips

Hey lovelies!  Christmas is simply my favourite time of the year.  The music, the food, the time with loved ones!  Over the last few years I have finally hit that beautiful point in life where I love giving gifts just as much as I love getting them.  There is such a a wonderful feeling about knowing you found the perfect gift for somebody and knowing how much they will love it!

As I am sure we all know, the holidays are a wonderful, exciting, stressful, busy, and expensive season!  With out giving some thought to what gifts you will be giving, you can easily spend much more than you originally intended.  So, here is how I go about gift shopping!  I hope it helps you as you begin, or maybe even finish up your gift giving!

Hourglass | Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

Lately I have been really into rose gold.  Add to that my life long obsession with blush... and yeah well this set was obviously going to be a ~$70 problem for me.  I was really, really good about self restraint, until the Flowerbomb bonus set came along.  A chance to get my favourite perfume and my dream blush set? Well at this point I have my Christmas gift shopping for me done.  

A Merry Julep Christmas: Sugar Plum and Stroke of Midnight

This Christmas Julep used my love of new colours and pretty packaging against me!  I hate it when they do that.  So, I opened up my wallet and waited a long while and then these little pretties arrived at my door curtsy of the nice people at Canada Post.  Poor guys-- with the amount of things I have ordered over the last two weeks they will be visiting my home a lot... 

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  With a full time job, and being a full time student, I haven't had much time for the fun things in life lately.  Now, don't you worry.  I've made lots of purchases, I just haven't had the time to sit down and photograph them.  I know I have said this before, but I am going to try to produce one post, every day from now until Christmas.  Some posts will be long, some will be short, and some will be mostly photos.

Recently I purchased some soap making supplies, so I am even going to give that a try over my Christmas break, which officially starts on Wednesday!  I'm thinking of sharing tips on how to wrap beautiful gifts, in addition of course to the (far too many) gifts I have bought my self.  But actually this Christmas will be great.  My mom asked me to do baaaaaasically all of her shopping so not only did I get to walk around the mall with more bags than I ever have in my life, but I also got to pick up gifts for me, from her/Santa as I went.  Hello Caudalie, Ole Henriksen and Smashbox Christmas gift sets.  

But on to the task at hand!  Julep has put together a ton of beautiful Christmas sets.  Typically they include a mix of new and old colours.  Which means that to get the new colour you want you have to help them get rid of extra stock.  Sugar Plum and Stroke of Midnight were both priced at $28 originally.  No thank you!  

This post will focus on Sugar Plum, because it is all together special and unique, where as Stroke of Midnight is basically a navy polish and a silver glitter topper.  Pretty, but far from unique.  But a pretty gift and I am such a sucker for navy.

I used the code 10off when these went on sale for $20, and ordered one form my account and one from my mom's meaning I got each set for $10.

Look at how pretty the Sugar Plum box issssss <3

Unboxing | Rapunzel Memebox

Today I decided to try something new!  I made an unboxing video on Youtube.  Check it out here, and let me know what you think!  Should I do more videos?  Stick to regular old blog posts?  I would love to hear!  You can check it out on youtube here!

In short.. here is the box I received:

I am most excited about the Argan Hair Mask!

What was the best item you received in a Memebox?

The Friendsgiving Collection | Julep October 2014

Click here to see Julep's post on this collection.

All photos are from that post.

This collection had me totally on the fence.  On one hand... mmm neutrals.  And mascara... On the other hand...I have all of the neutrals ever, and more mascara than I will ever use.

Of course the logical thing was then to order both neutrals and mascara, but I digress.

So pretttttttttttttty with golden glitter and sparkles and perfection.

Julep you know me so well.

Top: Shari, Sawyer, Marzia

Middle: Kiki, Joanne, Jessie

Bottom: Isla, Fazia, Devon

Julep, why so many pretty navy blues?

Julep encouraged mixing these two mascaras. I am looking forward to giving it a try!

I finally settled on Marzia, Kiki, Isla, Shari, Devon, Bonnie (champange shimmer add-on) and the two mascaras.  I am the most curious about trying Devon.  99% of me said not to order Isla, since I have a whole whack of navys, but I love navy...so.  Thankfully I had a bunch of Jules to apply to this order!

These colours remind me of a pretty fall walk, with a Starbucks in hand and a shimmery circle scarf.  Maybe walking around campus with friends?  Either way I can not WAIT to wear these next month!

What did you end up ordering?

xoxo

Pretty in Pink | A Julep Order Just Because

This week was midterms, which were pretty brutal.  I was pretty happy to find that an order I made "just because I had a coupon" arrived probably on the day I needed it most.  Sometimes life is sweet like that.

I ordered Julie (the sparkly pink October Birthstone) and Ava, a frosted pink with a hint of shimmer.

How stunning is Julie?

I found doing 1 mani took about 1/5th of the bottle which is disappointing.  I used Jules as a base and then did two or three coats of Julie depending on the nail.  she gives a beautiful almost foil dipped effect with all the differently sized and shaped glitters.  For everyday wear I found her pretty annoying as she snagged on things.  A top coat really helped on day two.  I think Julie (named after the ever so graceful Julie Andrews, aka Mary Poppins aka Queen Clarice Renaldi of Genova ... <3 aka the Queen in Shrek...) is the prefect special occasion shade!  

I finally found a use for the Julep cat stickers I ordered!  I found the cat to look pretty sweet as an accent nail on Ava.  Ava is more baby pink than frosted, with a subtle shimmer.  This was a back up bottle for me-- one of my all time favourite Julep shades!

What was your latest "just because" gift?

Soft As a Bunny | Tarte Holiday 2014 Set

When I saw this beautiful little set on Sephora's website for $53 CAD I had to have it.  Unfortunately somewhere between ordering it and testing it out enough to report on it disappeared off their website!

This set contains the Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush, which is $42 on its own.  I was already considering purchasing it, so getting this kit was a great deal!  It also contains a general foundation brush, a blush brush, a concealer brush and a double ended eyeshadow brush all packed up in a pretty purple and gold case.

As somebody who ends up packing up every other weekend to go see her boyfriend, I appreciate that I can do a pretty decent face using only these brushes.  Further, the case has enough space to fit everything I need for the weekend.  Not everything I need for a larger event, but there is more than enough space to create a pretty day-to-day look that is enough to give that extra "glow".  

How pretty is that design?!?

Look how nicely things line up!

The quality of these brushes is unreal.  No shedding, soft as a bunny on my face, and just the right size to get the job done.  I use the flat foundation brush to apply my foundation, the concealer brush where needed, and then buff and set it with the larger brush.  From there I use the blush brush for my highlighter, blush and contour, making sure to buff out the leftover colour.  I finish up with the eyeshadow brush.

I love that I can actually do a full face using only this little set.  I wish it was still in the store so I could purchase a second set!

And that is what heaven on earth looks like. Kidding.  But isn't the set pretty?

I am so thrilled with this purchase.  If it pops back up in the store don't hesitate to order it!  I've never been a Tarte person before, but these brushes totally exceed expectations.  I will be checking out their other products, particularly their blushes, as Christmas approaches!  

Happy shopping! xoxo

Ipsy - Beauty Candy | October 2014

Yawn.

My relationship with Ipsy is always on again off again.  I want so badly to love it.  But with the product and brand repeats it can get difficult.  Add to it that the spoilers went from confusing, to cute, to painfully obvious....The bag itself has gotten cheaper, the products smaller, and of lower quality.  

The bag is teal plastic with squares quilted on.  Not exactly "Beauty Candy".  It feels cheap and honestly, it will be finding a new home.

On the bright side I was able to add on a Bare Minerals BB Cream Eyeshadow in Elegant Taupe for 1000 points.  Pretty pumped about this.  I love the product and the formula!  Really great for a "no make-up make-up day".

I appreciated that my nail polish came wrapped in extra bubble wrap.  

Nicole by OPI "Feeling Very Cherry"

Over all a higher end drugstore brand in a colour on point for late fall.  This dark oxblood shade will look cozy and vampy come November.  I will probably maybe almost sort of get some use out of it if I don't love my Juleps more.  But hey, decent value!  

Épicé Purifying Exfoliant

My skin care regime is already right where I like it, and I don't want to mess with a good thing.  This will more than likely find a home in my gym bag.  The product is lacklustre, but gets the job done.

Figs & Rouge "Rose Berry" Hand Cream

Smells like roses and berries.  Makes my hands softer.  It works, not that I need any more hand creams that come in oil paint tubes.  As it gets colder I am sure I will be reaching for this in my purse!

VolumEYES Mascara

When will it end?  So.  Much.  Mascara.  I have 42.  Count it.  Forty-two unused mini mascaras in my drawer. All of them top off on my list to use well before this one.  I haven't even touched it, but will end up gifting it to someone, somewhere.  This is a weird "bigger than a deluxe sample but smaller than full sized" product.

Starlooks Lip Gloss "Guilty Pleasure"

This is a really pretty little gloss that tastes like cupcakes.  Too bad it is sooooo sososososo tiny. It makes Julep look full sized!

Look at the products spill out of my bag artistically onto a scarf!

My first 1000 point perk!

So yeah not much to love about this bag.  I didn't even want to test half of the products because they looked just so...bleh.  Here's to hoping that next month is better!  I will be sticking around for Christmas, but after that will likely take a break for a few months.  In more exciting news, I picked up some stunning brushes to share with you next!

<3

The Black Magic Collection | Julep October 2014

I was pretty nervous to open the massive box that my order came in.  What if they totally screwed it up?  What if the box is empty?  Julep has had some awful shipping issues lately and I was getting rather concerned.  Thankfully every single item I ordered arrived in my box in perfect condition.  Sure-- it took a while to arrive, but it arrived whole and in good shape.  I was pretty excited to get my hands on DeAnn and the Night Shift mask.

 

Tia, DeAnn, Ledi, Night Shift Mask, Splendid Lip Gloss, Dana, Karmen, Catrina.  I also ordered the cat and chevron stickers.

Karmen and Catrina were the two fee polishes for ordering 3 or more add ons.  Karmen is delightfully shimmery (similar to the Wanderlust collection) and Catrina is a stunning taxi-cab yellow.  I was excited to get these two because I would have never ordered them for myself, but I think they are so pretty in person.

"There is no beauty without some strangeness" - Edgar Allan Poe

My whole entire order.  Complete with nothing missing!

Tia -  Tia is a beautiful black jelly loaded with gold and copper glitter.  I think she would look beautiful onto of a black polish as a topper, or even on her own.  This colour is a bit outside my comfort zone!

DeAnn - A flawless creme (what Julep does best!).  I would describe her as a deeper version of Lupita from last month.  She is a perfect holiday cranberry shade that I can't wait to wear in the fall and winter.  She matches the Cherry Coke Zero can of pop that I am drinking as I write this!

Ledi - I normally shy away from black polish, but I thought the pearl version would make it a bit softer.  When I put this colour on I felt like a bit of a bad ass.  I love how the pearl in it makes her more of a deep grey than a true black.

Dana - Juelp says this colour is black light reflective.  Unfortunately I don't have a black light on hand...this penalized white has a bit of a blue sheen to it.  This was my first time wearing a white polish and I loved how crisp it was.

Wearing Dana!

Splendid Lip Gloss

Despite packaging issues (some girls complain that the bottles shatter), Julep makes some amazing lip glosses.  I miiiiight have five of them.  This colour is deeper and warmer than most of their other glosses.  A perfect shade for apple picking and pumpkin carving.  It is in the "My lips but better" family, and is pretty light on the sparkle.

Night Shift Sleeping Mask

This mask is designed to be used after you wash your face and applied before bed.  It is a thicker than average white cream.  I found that when I put it on that a little went a long way.  At first it felt like any other cream, however when I woke up in the middle of the night for a glass of water my skin felt tight.  I found that by rubbing it in to my skin a bit more that the problem was fixed.  When I woke up it had absorbed pretty well.  I used a wet cotton pad to remove most of it before my shower.  It left my skin bright and soft.  Not a miracle product, but I enjoyed using it and would use it again!

Karmen and Catrina were the free gifts for ordering 3 or more add ons.  Karmen reminds me of shimmery falling leaves and Catrina looks like a taxi cab.  I don't know if I would wear these on their own, but I think they would be great for nail art!

My boyfriend thought I was crazy for ordering two sheets of cat stickers.  But how cute will these look on Dana for Halloween?  I mainly wanted them because they were cats...tehehe.  The chevron stripes are good too.  I'll eventually use them :)

Over all the winner of this month was DeAnn!  Flawless 2 coat coverage and a deep cranberry shade <3

What was your favourite item from the October box?