I Heart New York! (Warning: Photo Heavy)

Well look who's finally back with a blog post!

Firstly, I must really apologize for my absence these last few weeks. Life was kicking my butt prior to leaving for NYC, so I decided to take a bit of a break to just focus on what needed to get done. Unfortunately, that meant blogging needed to be put on the back burner for a little bit. But hopefully, I'll be getting back into the swing of things very soon.

In the meantime, I thought I would regale you all with some stories from my amazing trip.

This trip was definitely very spur of the moment; my friend Kim and I literally did not book anything until the Tuesday before we left! Still, everything worked out for the best, and we were able to spend 4 glorious days in beautiful New York City.

Friday morning was spent lugging my suitcase around NYC (up and down subway stairs, too!), checking into the apartment, buying groceries, freshening up, and eating breakfast. Then we headed to TKTS to buy tickets for our first show - Seminar with Alan Rickman.

After we purchased, our tickets, we took the subway to the NYU area to meet up with none other than Xiao of Messy Wands! We ate at this amazing place called Ippudo (it's so amazing, people start lining up to eat there half an hour before they even open) where the employees like to yell... A lot... They were very enthusiastic about their yelling!

I'm so glad I was able to meet Xiao! There was a lot of laughing and fangirling involved and we had so much fun that night!

Me and the "fiancée"

The most amusing tip box sign I've ever seen

After helping Kim's friends with Godspell lottery (more on that later), we headed to the John Golden Theatre on 45th Street for our show. 

It. Was. UNBELIEVABLE!

When Alan Rickman walked out onstage during the second scene, the 3 of us girls literally clutched each others hands! His stage presence is incredible and he was so intense in one scene in particular that I felt like I was holding my breath. It was so personal, I felt like I was intruding on a very private conversation and I thought that I should probably walk out to give them privacy or something :p.

The other actors (Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater, Hetienne Park, and Jerry O'Connell) were also fabulous. I especially loved Lily and I think I have a girl crush on her now. The writing was hilarious, too!

Yes, that's Alan Rickman. Yes, he stood right in front of and looked right at me. He's quiet, but very nice in person. We mentioned that we came from Canada to see him, which he was appreciative about. Then he asked us where in Canada we were from; we answered with Vancouver and he said he loved Vancouver (come to Vancouver, Alan!!!). So if you're at stage door, let the performers know you're from out of town, they will love it!

"1, 2, 3 - Wait... Why am I counting?" 

If there's anything Xiao now knows about me, it's that I can be unintentionally hilarious :p.

Kim went to see her family in Long Island on Saturday, so I roamed around Times Square and the Theatre District until the matinee show of Sister Act. It was during this time when I was mistaken for a New Yorker by a fellow tourist. Not only that, she also said I looked like "a young star going to work."

... She became my favourite person ever after that exchange...

Sitting on the red steps in Times Square

Inglot! 

"We'll start with the riding crop..." My fellow BC/Sherlock enthusiasts will get this :)

Fell in love with this show!

Sister Act was amazing! It was so funny and the songs were so fun and catchy! I think I was stupid-grinning through the whole thing. So many amazing voices on that stage, too <3.

After Sister Act, I lined up at TKTS again because Kim and I wanted to watch Seminar (again). It was here that I realized that I basically lose all eloquence when speaking with a good looking man. Must work on that ASAP. :p

Seminar the second time around was actually even better. Alan Rickman's monologue was INSANE on Saturday night! Way more intense than the previous night; in fact, he was practically growling! O.O

Stage door'd again

<3 :)

Jerry O'Connell was so lovely at stage door! He offered to take a photo with me (I feel awkward asking performers for photos, so I never do), which was so nice of him, and even crouched down while I tiptoed so we could even out our height difference! :p

I raved about Sister Act enough that Kim wanted to go see it, too. So we watched a matinee performance on Sunday and it was just as amazing as the performance on Saturday. Gosh, I love this show! 

Later that night, we decided to try our hand at the Godspell lottery... For those who are unfamiliar, most (if not all) theatres will reserve the front row seats for lotto. You have to enter your name and email address and are then given a ticket stub. After all entries are received, a staff member will pull up X amount of tickets and if you "win," you get to purchase up to two tickets at a ridiculously good price. I paid around $64 for two tickets, which is less than one ticket bought at TKTS. 

I must say, I was incredibly surprised by Godspell. I saw the first few minutes of the film and wasn't intrigued by it. But I went along because my friend wanted to ogle Hunter Parrish (who wouldn't, though?). The show was fantastic! The cast's energy was amazing, the songs were so catchy, and it was much funnier than I expected it to be. I would gladly watch it again and again, actually.

After Sunday comes Monday (after which, comes Tuesday), which meant we were leaving #SadFace. So we took the time during the morning and afternoon to just roam around the city. We walked to 60th, through Central Park, up to the Lincoln Center, and back to the apartment before heading to JFK.

Tangent: I'm no animal rights activist, but some of these horses looked so sad and defeated, 

I just wanted to free them! </3 :(

If you are ever in NYC, you *need* to go to Serendipity 3 on 60th and try their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. It is so flipping' good! <3

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that this is a beauty blog!

Of course, I couldn't leave New York without getting a few things... Well, technically I could, but... Ah, never mind...

So excited about these latest purchases! I'll be testing them soon and I can't wait to share my thoughts with you guys!

Anyway, that is my ramble of a post about the city that I luuurve <3. I hope I haven't bored you all too much!

Happy weekend, lovelies!

All About Eyes - Mermaid

Products Used:

Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow - Turquoise Shimmer 83, Purple 92 & Black 4

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Eyeliner - Mat Black 0L

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara - Blackest Black

So I figured I'd finally use some of the MUFE eyeshadows from my kit in a look.

My kit contains 8 neutral shades and 4 brighter, colourful shades. I had already used one of them on another look I've posted on the blog, another one is yellow and I wasn't in the mood to do yellow. That left teal and purple, so that's what I went with. It's totally not because teal and purple are my favourite colours, guys. </sarcasm>

Also, I think Turquoise Shimmer should be called Teal Shimmer. But that's just me...

Anyhoo! To start off, I applied the "teal shade" on the lid, ending just above my crease (if you can call it a crease :p). Then, I blended the matte purple shade above the teal shade, creating a V shape at the outer corner and keeping it really soft at the inner corner. Next, I applied the matte black shade just on the outer corner for a bit more depth. Then with the teal shade, I applied it just to the centre of the lower lash line and applied the matte black shade softly on either side. Lastly, I applied eyeliner on the lower water line, upper water line and very sparingly on the upper lash line, then finished off with two coats of mascara on the upper lashes only. 

Hope you guys like this look!

"The Beauty Blogging Effect"

"As a beauty blogger, I definitely have to look at my face a lot. Whether I'm testing products or creating makeup looks, I need to examine myself critically. Of course, there are days when my skin is so bad that I don't even want to look at myself. But by and large, the constant scrutiny of my own face has made me accept what I have been born and blessed with."

To read more of my latest She Said Beauty article, titled The Beauty Blogging Effect, click here.

Many thanks to the lovely beauty bloggers who so kindly lent their words to my article!

Has being a beauty blogger changed your perception of 

yourself in any way?

Kate Moss For Rimmel London: A Winning Combination

When I first saw that the Kate Moss Lasting Finish collection for Rimmel was available in Shoppers Drug Mart, I must've stood in front of the display for 20 minutes swatching and looking at reviews on my phone (ahh, technology!). Finally, I decided on two shades: 01 and 14, which I purchased at $6.99 each.

I love the matte black packaging - it's lightweight and the handwritten name adds a cute touch. I do wish the cap would close more securely, though. The cap doesn't snap close very well and feels quite loose; I imagine it would come off pretty easily if you throw it in your handbag, so be careful with that.

The first thing you will notice when applying this lipstick is the scent. It smells fairly strongly of bubblegum and you'll continue to smell it even while you're wearing it. If you're scent sensitive or have an aversion to bubblegum scents, make sure to get a whiff first before purchasing.

The Lasting Finish Lipsticks promise up to 8 hours of wear; which I cannot confirm, because as I have mentioned before, I like to eat :).  That said, it does adhere to the lips really well and I've noticed wear just on the inside of the lips after a light snack. Of course, when I ate a full meal, a touch up was needed; but I don't know of any lipsticks that don't require one after eating.

As the hours go by, I notice that it loses its sheen and starts to take on more of a matte finish, eventually looking more like a stain. Being a long lasting lipstick, it's not really moisturizing; but it's definitely not as drying as other lipsticks I have tried, which has been a pleasant surprise!

Shade 01 is a gorgeous cool-toned red and shade 14 is a lovely cool-toned nude. Its texture is not as thick as other lipsticks I own, but it's not exactly lightweight. Which means there's some feathering going down if I don't use a lip liner.

01 is so, sooo pretty and it's probably my favourite out of all the reds in my collection... Which makes it sound like I have a lot of reds, but I actually don't. Still, it's my fave! Now, perhaps I was having an off day, but I had a bit of a hard time applying this shade. With most lipsticks (even bold/bright shades), I can apply it straight from the tube; but I needed to use a lip brush for this one. Nevertheless, that little bit of effort is totally worth it because 01 is such a sexy shade and is a great pick me up for when you're having kind of a blah day. I even wore it yesterday just to go to the grocery store!

I've seen reviews of 14 on YouTube and it looks absolutely stunning on women with olive skintones. Unfortunately, mine just does not support this colour as well. It has a blue, slightly ashy tone to it, which kind of makes me look dead. And unless I'm trying to blend in with the Zombies in a Zombie Apocalypse, "dead" isn't really a look I try to go for... That said, I wonder how this would look on me when I have a tan?

I also swatched a number of other shades that this collection carries and I must say, I'm really impressed by the pigmentation! 01 and 14 apply opaque instantly, which I love! These lipsticks are not advertised as being limited edition, so I'm making the assumption that they really aren't. Which means that in around 4 months time, (or even 1 month, since April is birthday month), I shall be picking up some other shades; 05, 08 & 12 are the ones that have caught my eye. They're so gorgeous!

Have you tried any lipsticks from the Kate Moss collection?

Monthly Favourites - February 2012

Goodbye, February! Hello, March!

You know Spring is on its way in Vancouver when it's sunny one moment, then hailing the next. Then there's the fact that it's warm one week, then cold the other; and out of nowhere, it starts snowing! If there's one thing I learned from living in Vancouver, it's that I need to be prepared for all weather eventualities.

Well, wherever you are, I hope the sun is shining for you!

And without further ado, here are my favourite items from this past month...

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

This was my go-to foundation for most of January and February. It looks very natural and provides pretty good coverage. I do require some blotting throughout the day, but that's the norm for most foundations I use.

Royal & Langnickel Round Kabuki Brush

After applying Healthy Mix Serum foundation, it's important for me to set my foundation. Though sometimes, I just want to add a touch more coverage. This kabuki brush is what I use to get the job done. It's ridiculously soft and hasn't shed since I purchased it last year. Love!

David Babaii for WildAid - Bohemian Beach Spray

Now that (the right side of) my hair has grown out enough for it to sustain curls, I've been using this spray to style my hair after every wash. It gives my hair body, curl, texture, and never makes it look overly done. It has a very light, coconut-y scent and holds a curl really well.

This product, as with all David Babaii for WildAid products, is sulfate, paraben, petrochemical and animal product free. Plus, ten percent of all profits go to WildAid. How amazing is that?

LUSH - Sultana of Soap 

This soap is creamy and smells absolutely divine! It contains real fruit, which I actually don't like (they just fall off!), but it sure makes the soap look pretty, no? My skin always feels so soft and smooth after using this and I think it's ranked up at the top along with Honey I Washed The Kids as my favourite Lush soap.

Marcelle BB Cream Beauty Balm

This product in one word: awesome! 

I haven't tried any North American BB Creams on my face, though I did swatch some on my hand and so far, Marcelle has been the only brand to get the texture right. BB Creams are not tinted moisturizers, yo! 

This shade matches my skin perfectly, gives good coverage, evens out my skin tone enough (I still need some concealing, though), and is so easy to use. While I was running late last week, I ended up applying this haphazardly all over my face (like a moisturizer) and it still looked amazing. I do need some blotting throughout the day, but I'm so impressed at how well this baby sticks around. 

I've been having "good face days" thanks to this BB Cream and I think I may have found a product that will truly become a staple in my modest arsenal.

What are your February favourites?