Essence from Europe | Make Up

As many of you probably know, I spent some time in Europe in May.  If you want to read a bit about my trip, check out my post about it here.  Today I wanted to get into a bit more detail about some of the Essence products I purchased while I was in Germany.  Essence is a German brand, which means it was not only cheap and easy to find, but it also came with a huge selection.  In Canada we are limited to an end cap at Shoppers, in Germany the Essence selection is as wide as the Revlon selection is here.  I tried my best to only purchase European exclusives while I was there, but it is my understanding that many of the products I purchased there are either currently available, or will be available soon in drug stores across North America!

Stila Aqua Glow Watercolor Blush in Rosewater

Sometimes brands come out with innovative new products that you know you have to have.  Other times, brands come out with new products that are a little strange, and that you know you had to try.  This product was definitely the latter for me.  Something about a water based blush both intrigued and confused me.  Keep reading for my thoughts, swatches, and to see me wearing it!

Shark Week | My Favourite Soap Bars

Its SHARK WEEK!  The week that terrified me as a child, the week that people around the world watch Discovery to explore the depths of the ocean, and the week that Lush lobbies against shark fin soup.  In the spirit of Shark Week, my two friends Shark 1 and Shark 2 (open to naming suggestions) will be helping me test and review products.  Today I will be sharing with you three of my favourite bars of soap.  All three bars are from environmentally friendly companies!  Good for you, and good for the environment.

Skincare From the Inside & Out | Dermalogica Overnight Retinol Repair + Juicing*

Earlier last month I had the opportunity to attend an event with Dermalogica.  The focus of the event was talking about the importance of the ingredients that you put on your skin, but also of the ingredients you put in your body.  It really was about skincare from the inside out!

Ipsy | June 2015

This month's Ipsy theme is "Swim Into Beauty" and where better to talk about it than sitting at the side of my pool (I've been doing a lot of that lately...sorrynotsorry).  This month had some hits and misses for me, so keep reading to see what I got and what I thought!

No Buy July

Do you ever feel like you have been spending too much money lately? That’s sort of how I feel right now. My boyfriend and I are eating out a lot less, and enjoying home cooked meals a lot more often, but I still think there is some space to trim things from my monthly budget. This month I will be attempting a “No Buy” (get it? No Buy July, because it rhymes?) where I will cut back on the useless spending I have been getting into lately. Every week (probably on Saturday) I will do an update post to keep myself accountable. I will grade myself on the 5 metrics (Makeup, Lunch, Clothes, Junk, Uber) and if I succeed in my goal for the month I will let myself pick one (reasonable) thing off my beauty wish list!

Sephora Favourites | Bronze Bares-All

So I have some good news, and some bad news.  The good news is that this is an amazing set.  The bad news is that it is no longer available on Sephora's website or at any of the locations I have been to recently.  While normally I think that sharing a post about something you can't have is pretty mean, I decided to go ahead with this one because all of the products are still available full size at Sephora.  Recently I posted about another Sephora Favourites set, and I am back with another.  I love these sets because they let you try a mix of full and deluxe sized products at a fraction of the cost of buying each individually.  On a more practical note, I appreciate the smaller size as I never really finish any make-up.  I'm more so the kind of girl that has 1000 minis on rotation at any given time than the girl who has one or two core basics of each product type.  

Celebrating Canadian Beauty (brands & nature)

Happy Canada Day!  Happy 148th Birthday Canada! Today Canadians from Coast to Coast to Coast will take the day off and celebrate all the things that make Canada the amazing country that it is.  Officially, we celebrate the the anniversary of the enactment of the British North America Act (or for those who passed grade 10 history, the BNA Act, 1867).  However, to me, the day is all about celebrating contributions to Canada's success, Canada's diversity, and Canada's strength.  While not on the same levels as the introduction of universal healthcare, joining NAFTA, or building a railroad to connect the country, today I wanted to celebrate some of my favourite Canadian beauty brands and lifestyle stores.  The founders of these companies created Canadian jobs, and give us Canadian beauty addicts something to celebrate when talking to our friends in the States and Europe.  To celebrate the other side of Canadian beauty, at the end of this post I have included some photos of my favourite places I have been in Canada!