Spring Essentials Part 2

A continuation of spring's must have items!

The Asymmetric Skirt

Zara, $60

Zara, $60

         

Topshop, $70

The Floral Pants

Alice + Olivia, $300

H&M, $20

Zara, $80

The Pleats

Topshop, $100

Sparkle and Fade (Urban Outfitters), $60

Dorothy Perkins, $35

The Metal Toe Cap

Jimmy Choo, $375

Louboutin, $1095

Zara, $109

February Favorites

Sprung (Fashion Post)

This is my first fashion post on this blog! I'm thinking this is going to be a regular thing, so expect more of this! :)

Ahh, spring has come--at least, in our favorite retail stores. The weather in Vancouver has been nothing short of abysmal lately, so it's not time to bust out the spring dresses just yet. Here are some key pieces to invest in though, as I'm seeing nice-ish weather starting next week :) Also, you don't really need sunshine to rock that frilly skirt, do you?

SPRING STAPLES PART 1

THE PASTEL PANT

Topshop,  $55

  

  Zara, $49.90
  FAVORITE

J Brand, $215

Rag and Bone, $187

                           

THE WHITE SHIRT

Zara, $80

H&M, 12.95
DEAL!

Mang0, $60

                               

                                   

                                           T By Alexander Wang, $80

THE LIGHT BLAZER

Wilfred, $225

BCBG, $350

       

Zara, $160

THE DENIM JACKET

Topshop, $60

Levi's, SALE $50

TO BE CONTINUED....

HITS & MISSES: Misses

Here are some products that disappointed me in the past month!

Rimmel Extra Wow Lash Mascara 

I should've known better than to expect more out of a $5 drugstore mascara. Although, I've tried some inexpensive mascaras that are quite good. This Rimmel one isn't one of them. It did absolutely nothing for my lashes, and for something that has the word "WOW" in its name I expected a lot. It's not worth it, not even $5.







L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base


This "primer" does nothing that a primer is supposed to do. The texture is sticky and tacky, and does not feel good on the face at all. It feels like a thick layer of vaseline all over your face. I wore this for a day and it did not make my makeup stay on better. Putting this on is just like applying unnecessary gunk on your face. For $12 a pop, this was a huge waste of money.

HAUL PART 1: Nail Polish and Mac

What's In My Bag?

I haven't posted in a while! I am on vacation and have not been home for the most part. Anyway, I'm back now.

This is a What's In (makeup) My Bag? post. Basically, I have a makeup bag that I always have with me. It contains just the basic things that I use when I'm on the go, things that I need for just touching up.

1. Makeup bag - Forever 21 

2. Vanilla scented hand lotion - Cake 

3. Vanilla scented hand sanitizer - Bath and Body Works

4. Kabuki brush - Too Faced

5. Lip Balm - Maybelline Baby Lips in Quench

6. Studio Fix concealer - MAC

7. Blush - Bobbi Brown in Apricot

8. Translucent matte powder - Laura Mercier

9. Liquid Eyeliner - Maybelline by Eye Studio

10. Mascara - Covergirl Lash Blast Volume

Smell My Fingers

A great way to kick off the spring season is treating yourself to Dior's Garden Party nail polish collection for Spring 2012. Yeah, it might be too early to put away the boots and the coats... but you'll forget all about the nasty weather when staring at your lovely nails.


The 'collection' has two shades: Waterlily and Forget-me-not

Waterlily (left) and Forget-Me-Not (right)

Since I have never tried Dior's nail polish before, I was a little wary about getting both. Just because it is a high-end line does not mean that it will be impeccable. This was also my very first scented nail polish, and I didn't really know what to expect. I'm not a fan of anything scented, really. So, I decided to get only Waterlily for the meantime. 

Packaging

I am a little underwhelmed by the packaging. I suppose that it's simple and clean though, just like Chanel's 

Bottle & Cap cover

Keep in mind that I took these pictures with my 4s. I am way too damn lazy to take out my DSLR just to snap photos of a nail polish. Lol. That being said, the color that you see in these pictures don't even close to the real deal.

On my nails!

Waterlily is a gorgeous soft, jade green with subtle shimmer. Some people who have tried this polish are bothered by the floral scent. Personally, I don't hate it but I don't like it either. I thought that the scent would go away after the polish dries, but it actually lasts! I must have washed my hands at least 20 times since applying this yesterday, and the scent is still there. It is not a strong scent and can really only be smelled if you go and sniff your fingers.

I cannot really do a comprehensive review of Dior nail polish as I've only tried this one--which I DO like. Is it as good as Chanel polishes? In my opinion, no. The formulation is good, although I find that it's quite thick and heavy. I did have some difficulties applying it, but that might just be because I'm not used to it. The brush, however, is FANTASTIC. It is slightly larger than the regular nail polish brush and has an angled tip.

It's more than probable that I will go get Forget-Me-Not as well. It's such a beautiful purple! Also, I'm definitely not waiting until Spring actually rolls around to rock these babies!

Thanks for reading :)

Murderous Stare

I was finally able to find the Giorgo Armani Eyes to Kill eyeshadow. I've heard and read a lot about it so I was anxious to give it a try. They are available at the downtown Vancouver Holt Renfrew, the only place in BC that actually sells Armani cosmetics.

Anyways, I was flabbergasted when the saleslady told me how much that teeny tiny container of eyeshadow is. It came out to $47.50 after taxes. Keep in mind that the Naked palette is $50 USD. That being said, you can understand why I'm unable to justify the cost for this one eyeshadow.

Packaging

So I got shade number 6: Khaki Pulse. It's a beautiful golden bronze color with subtle hints of green.

"6 - Khaki Pulse"

Swatch

Despite the ridiculous price, I absolutely LOVE this eyeshadow. (This is dangerous because once I like one thing from a certain brand or line or collection, I end up buying more.) It goes on beautifully, does not crease and wears well throughout the day. Even just touching it is a magical experience. It's like touching powdered silk/cashmere. Lol. (Well, it is silk eyeshadow)

On my eyes

 So that is what it looks like on my actual eyelids. In this picture, I'm wearing only Urban Decay's primer potion underneath the eyeshadow. The pigmentation is great, I don't think that you need to use a base. It is very shimmery yet still appropriate for day time wear. I think that it's just the prettiest eyeshadow in existence. I look forward to playing around with it more and creating different looks.

Foundation: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation
Eyes: Giorgo Armani Eyes to Kill #6
Mascara: Covergirl Lash Blast Volume
Lips: Revlon Lip Butter in 'Lollipop'

If you like this eyeshadow but cannot shell out $50, try the L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows. They are similar in formulation and have an array of nice shades. Of course the drugstore counterpart doesn't even come close to the real thing, but the L'Oreal ones are the next best thing. You can also try the MAC pigments if you like how this looks on the eyes.

To sum up, I was thinking about returning this eyeshadow, but after putting it on...I simply cannot even think about giving it up. It's my new favorite, and I'm definitely going to pick up the other shades. It's unfortunate though, that they are all shimmery. I wish that they also came out with matte shades. Then again, I'd go completely broke...so yeah.

Anyways, thanks for reading! :)

Sephora, Drugstore and Nail Polish Haul

Another haul!
I tried keeping it shorter by having less products, but the in the end, there was only a 2 minute difference. LOL.
Anyway.

Again, it is much better to view the video on youtube instead of here.

!!!

Sorry for the hiatus! Will be back with more posts starting tomorrow! :)

MAC, Sephora, and Drugstore Haul!

Hey guys, so i FINALLY made a video. Lol. I don't know why but youtube somehow made the quality so horrible. It certainly wasn't like that when I uploaded it.

Also, I realize that my autofocus wasnt working so the products aren't focused when i show them. SORRY ABOUT THAT. I'll know for next time...

Anyway, my battery dies at the end of the video, so sorry about that. LOL.



**I think it's better to view the video on youtube rather than on blogspot. It just seems slower here**

Oh Coco

I. AM. DYING.

Dying over the new Limited Edition Chanel exclusive Knightsbridge collection! I'm pining over all of the products and doing my best to try to justify how much it would cost me. This collection is exclusive to the Chanel website.

photo from www.chanel.com

'Brompton Road' Highlighting Powder and Blush -$80

'Hyde Park' Rouge Allure -$32

'Belgravia' Rouge Allure - $32

'Kensington' Rouge Allure - $32

'Chelsea' Glossimer - $28

I want the Highlighting powder and blush soooo bad!

Skip it

I bought the new Sephora Prisma Chrome eyeshadow as soon as I laid eyes on it at the store, the sole reason being that it looked cool. Swatched it at the store, looked great on my wrist, so I decided to get it. However, upon putting it on my actual eyelids I realized that all it was was a facade of...well, coolness.

Prisma Chrome Eyeshadow in Bronze Brilliance

So yeah, that's what it looked like.

Anyway. I didn't like it AT ALL. The swatch on my wrist looked nice and pigmented, but this barely showed up on my lids. I had to pack it on like 10 times before it looked the way it did on my wrist. Maybe it's just this particular shade, maybe they're all like that... I can't say as I only got this one. For an $18 eyeshadow, it's totally not worth it.

SKIP IT.

If I Ain't Got You

After searching what seemed like all the corners of the world, I finally found the Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo Eyeshadow!!! I went to London Drugs on Granville St. after work today, went to the makeup section, almost cried because I did not see them at first until I asked the saleslady. Turned out that they were in this hidden section of the store... they were conspiring against me, i knew it!

Anyway, I bought two of the color tattoos, 2 more Revlon Lip Butters, and Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm.

BAD TO THE BRONZE

Can I just make a prediction? This will be one of my ABSOLUTE MOST FAVORITE THINGS OF ALL TIME. I  am completely in love with this color, being someone who almost always only does many variations of neutral eyeshadows. This will make the perfect base for a darker, smokey, neutral eye look. I would have to say that it reminds me of MAC's paintpots in Indianwood and Constructivist.

PAINTED PURPLE

Now, I can't say that I'll be using this color a lot since I barely ever do purple eyeshadow. However, the color intrigued me and I want to experiment with it.

I haven't actually tried these on my eyes yet; I've only swatched them. That being said, I will do a more in-depth review once I've played around with them! Super excited.

....

If I still haven't adequately expressed my love for Revlon's Lip Butters, let me just say it again: I freaking love them. So when I found myself in the Revlon aisle of the drugstore, I picked up two more shades:

SUGAR PLUM

RED VELVET

Again, sorry for the quality of my iphone pictures. You cannot even tell the difference between the two shades in these pictures. Not to worry, I swatched them for you, as well as the color tattoos!

BABY LIPS IN "QUENCH"

Oh, I almost forgot. I also got the new Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm. I'm wearing it now and I must say my lips feel amazing. This is perfect for those cold winter days and nights when the frigid air just make your lips dry as hell. I'll post more about it later!

As always, THANKS FOR READING :)

Oh, Canada....

Everything that I want doesn't seem to exist in Canada. All the brands that I like don't have shops in Canada, nor do they ship here. My question is:

WHY!!!!!!!!!????????????

Are Canadians not deserving of the great products that are available to every other nation in the world? 

Favorite Nail Polishes

These are my favorite nail polishes of all time. I managed to pick 7 out of 93... so yeah. Since I hoard nail polishes like a mad woman, I am sure that this list will grow every month. I'll be sure to update it.

I used my iPhone to take these pictures, sorry if they're not excellent in quality! Also, I just finished doing my nails so excuse the fingers lol.

Essie "Bold and Beautiful"
I must have gone through 3 bottles of this already.

Chanel "Graphite"
LOOOOOOVE THIS.  I always get compliments when wearing it.

Essie "Foot Loose"
It's not a hot pink! It has nice purple and blue-ish tones.

Essie "Topless and Barefoot"
The perfect nude shade

Chanel "Quartz"
A nice luminescent shade!

American Apparel "Manila"
The perfect summer yellow.

Rimmel "Steel Gray"
A nice taupe