Call It Beauty's "Brands I Want To Try" List

I don't know about you, but when I'm broke, I think about all the lovely things I'd love to buy when I finally do have some cash to burn. So in the interest of further daydreaming about said lovely things, here are a few brands I'm thinking of trying out.

I became really interested in natural skincare products when I suffered through a pretty severe allergic reaction to Philosophy's products. As I continued to explore this new(ish) avenue, I came to the be interested in natural cosmetic products as well. Tarte is one of the brands that make all natural products. I've already tried (and loved) their Lights, Camera, Splashes! mascara and I can't wait to try others. 

Products (left - right):

EmphasEYES™High Definition Eye Pencil

EmphasEYES Aqua-Gel Eyeliner

EmphasEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush

Cheek Stain

The first thing that captures my attention is, of course, theBalm's packaging. Very retro, very vintage; it's both cute and chic. I've heard amazing things about some of their products, so I'm definitely eager to try some out.

Products (left to right):

TimeBalm Concealer

Cabana Boy Blush

Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter

Bahama Mama Bronzer

The first time I heard of Make Up For Ever, I actually thought it was a low quality brand, kind of like play-makeup for children. I guess the "For Ever" part made me think of children (bff, yo!). I believe I actually asked if the brand was "for real." Yeah... Anyway, now I know better and I'm eager to try out their products. Especially since MUFE is such a favourite among makeup professionals and makeup enthusiasts alike.

Products (left to right, top to bottom):

Aqua Cream

HD Microfinish Powder

Diamond Powder

HD Invisible Cover Foundation

12 Flash Color Case

Smoky Lash Mascara

I first heard of Sugarpill through YouTube makeup tutorials and I was astounded by how pigmented the eyeshadows were. I know there's a time and a place for sheer colours, but for the most part, I'm all about highly pigmented shadows. I have a feeling Sugarpill won't disappoint. 

Products (left to right):

Pressed Eyeshadows

Loose Eyeshadows

Bourjoir Paris is a brand that I first noticed because of their cute "round pot" products. At first I thought I'd have to wait til I make my dream trek to London to try these out but they're apparently available in Canada (Shoppers Drug Mart), though I've not seen them yet. I definitely need to look harder :p.

Products (left to right):

Little Round Pot Blush

10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation

Little Round Pot Eyeshadow

Best known for their Dazzle Dusts and Nail Paints, Barry M is definitely a brand I want to try. There's a Facebook campaign going on to get Barry M sold in Canadian drugstores and you can bet I "liked" that page :p. 

Products (left to right):

Nail Paint

Dazzle Dust

Lip Paint

Ridiculous product names aside, there's no denying that NARS makes good products. The packaging feels luxurious and the colours are gorgeous. However, I'm a "more for my money" type of girl so I always inwardly cringe when I look at the prices. Nevertheless, I definitely want to "invest" in some NARS, it's just a matter of figuring out which products to choose first.

Products (left to right):

Blush

The Multiple

Bronzing Powder

Sheer Glow Foundation

Eyeshadow Duo

Pixi is a fairly new discovery for me and I've been eager to try some of their products since I first heard of this brand. I know they're available at Target so I need to make a note to check it out when I'm there next.

Products (left to right):

Illuminating Tint & Conceal

Natural Mineral Kit

Lip Booster 

Any brands on your must-try list, lovelies?

Valentine's Day Deals From Sigma!

(photo from Sigma)

It's almost Valentine's Day! If you find yourself single this time of year, I suggest treating yourself to some great brushes from Sigma! Who says you need to have a boy pamper you? Pamper yourselves, lovelies. You're worth it :).

Click here to check out the Face & Eyes Kit.

Click here to check out the Complete Kit.

Click here to check out the Premium Professional Kit.

Click here to check out the MAXBag in Violet.

Click here to check out the MAXBag in Bleu.

Click here to check out the MAXBag in Noir.

Any products catch your eye? I definitely want the MAXBag in Violet! 

In other news, I'll probably be taking a bit of a blogging break to focus on my other life, a.k.a. The Performer's Life. Sounds like a bad reality tv show. But I've got some auditions and performances coming up and I want to give it a lot of attention as I'm a bit rusty. I'll still be posting, just not with the same frequency as I have in the past couple of months. I do hope you'll stick around and read my blog and leave comments (I love reading and responding to them!).

Happy Wednesday, lovelies!

Winter Staple: Lush - Mange Too Massage Bar

Intense moisture and a delicious scent, Lush's Mange Too Massage Bar has been a staple for me this winter. Among its ingredients are fair trade cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter, white chocolate, fresh bananas, and honey.

Don't worry, it doesn't normally look like the mess pictured above, which was a result of a pretty brutal week of high temperatures during the summer of 2010. In reality, it has a very cute honeycomb pattern on top.

(photo from Makeup Alley)

Because it's a massage bar, it does contain essential oils (peppermint oil & sweet orange oil), which means you'll be waiting some time for your skin to dry. It glides on the skin wonderfully and the scent stays quite long on the skin, which I love.

Also, according to Lush, this product is completely edible. I personally haven't taken a bite out of this bar though the utterly delicious scent makes it tempting :p. Nor do I have the inclination to lick my own body parts *eugh*. But for those of you who are more... Shall we say, adventurous? If you ever decide to test this theory out, do let me know if it's indeed edible! Haha!

Have you tried any of Lush's massage bars?

If so, which are your favourites?

Collection Spotlight: Matthew Williamson - Resort 2011

(photos from style.com)

- Those trousers! The colours are gorgeous (I'm now determined to find an orange pair for myself) and I love the darts. 

- Prints, prints, prints. Matthew Williamson is pretty much synonymous with the word "print" and I was kind of surprised that there wasn't as many to be seen. Still, what you see here is gorgeous, no? Especially that watercolour-esque, belted, full-length dress in the third set.

- Drape blazers. Love the peach one, it would be fantastic for spring! The first time I saw a drape blazer was in H&M sometime last year and I've been obsessed with it ever since. Seriously, I want that peach one!

- The last dress = divine. Love the draping, the weaving detail on the bust, and love the colour! 

Any favourites from this collection?

What Is Beauty?

I just read an insightful and thought-provoking post on Primp and Preen which really got me thinking. And instead of writing an essay on her comments section, I thought I'd share my thoughts here. I'm not going to go into what Rosalyn wrote because I feel like this post will be long enough as it is, but definitely check out her post prior to reading mine to get a bit of background.

1. On boob jobs and cosmetic procedures

So a young woman named Yasmin on the show Beauty and the Beast: The Ugly Face of Prejudice receives a lot of unwanted sexual attention due to her J cup breasts. Due to this, she is considering elective surgery to reduce the size down to an E cup. I also know that Queen Latifah has had her breast size reduced because she was experiencing back problems. In this case, I can understand and would even agree with elective cosmetic surgery.

In some cases (maybe even most), people spend ages researching and considering the consequences of cosmetic surgery, which is how it should be approached. However, in other cases, their intense insecurity drives them to have procedures done to their faces that are just completely unnecessary!

See, my philosophy in life is this: if you're not enough without it, you will never be enough with it. If I can't be happy now then I won't ever be no matter how much weight I lose. I won't be happy even if I have smaller thighs or bigger boobs or a thinner face. The thing is, when you spend so much time focusing on your flaws, the moment you have them "fixed," you may feel good about yourself for a time. But I can guarantee that you will transfer all that focus onto something else and you'll find other things about yourself you'll want to change. The cycle will never end. 

2. On imperfections and the beauty industry

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, truly it is. And only we can decide if we will allow the beauty industry to dictate what beauty should look like. Yes, I'm not perfect. Yes, I have moments where I wish I was more this, less that, etc. But I've always been a bit stubborn and there's an inner rebel in me that likes to say, "I may not have long lashes, I may not have a deep crease in my eyelids, I may not have cheekbones that can cut granite, my nose may be flat, but you can't tell me I'm not beautiful!"

Now, if only I can think like that all the time... 

We will always have insecurities, but we must learn to manage them and not be a slave to our bodies. I don't want to be like that woman I read about on Sephora's blog that wakes up before her man to put her face on so he doesn't see her without makeup.

3. On being a beauty blogger

The reason I love makeup is because I love exercising my creativity, I love the process of researching and hunting for products, and I love testing and playing with them. I blog about it because I wanted an outlet to share my thoughts and because I've always loved writing. 

Again, there are days when I succumb to my insecurities. But has being a beauty blogger made me more aware of my flaws? I'd have to emphatically say, NO. In fact, it has actually changed the way I see myself. My brother always told me I had a skewed sense of self image. I'm the kind of person who won't bother trying something on because I'm convinced it would look awful. But how do you really know until you try, right? 

As a performer, I've been doing my own makeup for many years and was all about making my eyes look bigger. Ask any Asian about what she would like to change about her face and I'm confident the vast majority would want bigger eyes. They even have this special glue that will create a crease on your eyelids. I fell into that myself. But as I continued doing makeup looks for the blog and really looking at myself properly, I realized my eyes aren't actually that small and I don't need to go to such great lengths to create that illusion.

4. On wearing makeup

I wear makeup nearly every time I go out (unless I'm just running errands) and the amount I put on depends on where I'm going. The mall or lunch with friends? Foundation, blush, and eyeliner. Dinner or church? I'll probably add eyeshadow, contour, and mascara. Performance? The whole shebang, baby! This is when I bust out the false lashes and such.

I understand that makeup can boost confidence, I wholeheartedly agree. It's also a matter of wanting to put your best foot forward. I don't know about you, but I don't like looking like a slob when I go out of the house. Even if I'm wearing sweatpants, I still make the rest of me look presentable. 

Also, makeup is FUN! I love the process of figuring out which look I want to do and I love creating new colour combinations. I love being more adventurous with makeup and wearing bolder or brighter colours to suit my mood. Like fashion, it's an extension of myself; a way to express my personality without words.

But are there days when I can't be bothered? Absolutely! Do I feel horribly self conscious when I don't wear makeup? Definitely not! But I wasn't always like this. I think that as we grow older and we become more comfortable in our own skin, we begin to realize that we're more beautiful than we thought we were.

4. Says who?

To end this ramble of a post, I encourage you to do this. When the media or your peers suggests that you need to do this, be this, look like this in order to be beautiful, ask "says who?"

I mean, seriously. Who decides that this is how it's got to be in order to be considered beautiful? The fact is, the beauty industry and the media will always have its say and most of us will fall prey to it. And as I mentioned above, only we can decide if we will believe what they say or decide for ourselves that we're beautiful just the way we are.

What are your thoughts on any of the topics above?

NOTD: Rimmel - Midnight Blue

As early as a week ago, the weather was quite spring-like and I got excited about the new spring colours that are coming out. However, this week the weather became very cold again and I decided to stick to something dark for my nails... To match the feeling in my heart... I'm just kidding :p.

I realized I hadn't used this shade yet, which is why I decided to use it. It's a gorgeous dark blue, almost black if you look quickly; but when you move your hand under the light, you definitely see the blue tones. The best part about this nail polish is that it turns opaque in pretty much one coat. Perfect for a lazy girl like me :p.

Are you still sporting dark nail polish,

or are you wearing bright colours in anticipation of spring?

Monthly Favourites - January 2011

Apologies for the poor lighting, Vancouver doesn't get a lot of sun in the winter.

I haven't been wearing a lot of makeup this month so my favourites all revolve around skincare and makeup tools. Skincare is so important, especially in the winter when the harsher climates can really take a toll on the skin. I've really come to appreciate these products because they've kept my skin moisturized.

1. L'Occitane - Shea Foot Cream

Although it's slightly thinner in consistency than its counterpart, it still absorbs fairly quickly into the skin and leaves your feet feeling incredibly soft and smooth. If your feet have taken a beating, massaging this onto your feet will definitely relax you. 

2. L'Occitane - Shea Hand Cream

My new obsession! This hand cream is so good that I've actually become diligent in applying it every night. It absorbs quickly so none of that oily hands situation we sometimes find ourselves in in the quest for moisturized skin. This is absolutely, the most perfect hand cream I have ever tried!

3. L'Occitane - Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream

Similar to The Body Shop's shea body butter only this is much richer. Like the other L'Occitane products in this list, it also absorbs quickly. So you get the ultra moisture but you don't have to stand around your room buck naked waiting for it to dry :p. Like the hand & foot products, it has a nice, light shea scent that I absolutely love. To read a more in-depth review of the L'Occitane products, click here.

4. Burt's Bees - Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

Another lifesaver! My cuticles are looking pretty fab since I first started using this, if I do say so myself. Not only does it work well, it's also inexpensive at $7.99 CAD! The next time you're in your local drugstore, definitely pick this up! For more info and to read my review on this product, click here.

5. Sigma - E30 Pencil Brush

I've been really loving this brush at the moment. The E30, formerly known as the SS219, is perfect for blending out eyeliner or applying eyeshadow underneath the lower lash line. It's soft too, so it doesn't irritate the delicate eye area. 

6. Sigma - F50 Duo Fibre Brush

I've used this brush with every single foundation I own, even with powder formulas and I always get a flawless application every time. The F50 is said to be "specially designed to generate an 'airbrushed' finish," and while I've never seen my skin airbrushed, I'd say the finish I get with this brush is absolutely beautiful. I pour some foundation on the back of my hand, swirl the F50 through, dot it on my face, then buff away in circular motions to blend. The result? A gorgeous, flawless finish.

7. Josie Maran - 100% Organic Argan Oil 

This oil moisturizes so well; it's not at all greasy or oily and it keeps my skin feeling perfectly hydrated. You can apply it straight onto dry skin, but I find it absorbs better when your skin is slightly damp. The analogy is this: if you put some product onto a dry sponge and a wet sponge, the product will seep in more quickly and more deeply onto the wet sponge. The same applies to your skin. So when you're applying your serums or moisturizes, make sure your skin isn't completely dry.

Anyway, I love that this product is 100% natural, organic, and is cruelty free (as are all of Josie Maran's products). If you have dry skin and want to stick to natural skincare, then I highly recommend this product! To read a more in-depth review, click here. 

What are your January faves?