Amie Skincare | Naturally Kind Review + GIVEAWAY!

Bonjour mes amies! Newly launched in select Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Canada, award-winning British skincare line Amie (meaning “friend”) has blown me away with their product quality and at an amazing price. Created by Fiona Parkhouse, Amie is a healthy, and what I would consider to be a, “clean” natural (up to 95%) skincare line made with plant and botanical extracts. This means that all Amie products are free from parabens, sulphates, mineral oils, petrochemicals and is even suitable for vegetarians and vegans! On top of all this goodness, none of the products exceed $12! Crazy, right?!

Amie Skincare (2)

Guest Post | Fall Favourites with Jenn from A Beautiful Zen

Hey! It’s Jenn from A Beautiful Zen!

Fall Beauty Makeup

Well, it’s Fall again and my consistent inability to predict my season picks continues but I think I’ve got it this time! I really love diving into the cherry reds in the fall time and use Revlon’s Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic quite a bit. It featured in last year’s Autumn beauty picks as well.

*New* Softlips Cube | Vanilla Bean and Berry Bliss + GIVEAWAY!

Are you like me and have, I kid you not, 20 lip balms open at any given time? Well, you’re going to have to make that number 22 by the time I’m done with this review because Softlips has two new lip balms to add to their famous “skinny lip care line”! I have FOUR of the skinny French Vanilla lip balms so I know Softlips is the shizz. With cube-shaped packaging that brings to mind coolness and minty relief, Softlips Cubes ($4.99 CDN) currently come in two flavours: Berry Bliss and Vanilla Bean with 5-in-1 lip care and promises to: hydrate, replenish, smooth, protect and add shine to lips. 

Softlips Cube (2)

Vasanti Cosmetics Myeong-Dong Collection | Fall Makeup Look with the Lake Palace Silky Eyeshadow Duo (I LOVE IT!)

A few weeks ago, I posted with great excitement of the Vasanti Cosmetics Myeong-Dong Collection and today I will be sharing with you all a fairly straightforward eye makeup look for Fall using the Lake Palace Silky Eyeshadow Duo ($22 CDN). Composed of a slightly metallic gorgeous mushroom brown and a matte dark green, what I love about all of these duos for Fall is that at first glance the two colours seem to clash with each other, but after playing with them I realized that seemingly clashing colours CAN work!

Vasanti Lake Palace Silky Eye Shadow Duo Makeup Look (2)Vasanti Lake Palace Silky Eye Shadow Duo

Ipsy | July 2014 “Sensationally Sunkissed” Glam Bag

Here ye, here ye! Today we are looking at getting sunkissed and holiday-ready with Ipsy. I know quite a number of people who are either on vacation or honeymooning now in sunny countries so the July Glam Bag is STILL relevant! I loved the neon pink bag that everything came in and how well curated it was so let’s take a look, shall we?

July Ipsy Glam Bag

Revlon Parfumerie | Autumn Spice Swatches and Metallic Dotted Nail Art

*CBB FEATURED BRAND: REVLON*

In honour of our featured brand and overall Revlon awesomeness I’m going to be paying some love to Revlon until the end of the month (I know it’s already the 20th, but there is so much love I can STILL give!). I am starting with an obsession I had last year with the Revlon Parfumerie nail polishes (Italian Leather swatch here) in the form of the cinnamon-scented Autumn Spice which is opaque in really just 1 coat, but I have done 2 in these photos for good measure.  The scent is warm and definitely has that spiciness to it and even lasts through a top coat.

Revlon Parfumerie Autumn Spice Swatch

MAKE UP FOR EVER | Sculpting Kit in #1 Light Pink with Swatches and Contouring Attempt

Contouring freaks me out. I feel like if something goes awry it’ll look like I’ve had work done (not like there’s anything wrong with that, but I’m waiting until things go completely south before I go there). I’ve watched those Kim Kardashian contouring videos on YouTube and I am still at a loss for what to do. I need something really easy and foolproof which brought me to the MAKE UP FOR EVER Sculpting Kits ($55 CDN). With just two colours, I can naturally highlight and contour my face. Read on to find out if I succeeded in looking contoured or disfigured!

Make Up For Ever Sculpting Kit in Light Pink (2)

Make Up For Ever Sculpting Kit in Light Pink

Fresh | Sugar Lip Treatment in Ruby with Swatches

I think most of us are familiar with Fresh because of one product – the Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment. Coming in so many tints, these have been the ONLY tinted lip balm that I have used that actually give decent colour. It’s not just a MLBB tint, but a true display of colour that actually feels like a lip balm. The newest addition to the lip treatment family is the Sugar Ruby Tinted Lip Treatment ($26 CDN) that is the first lip treatment containing mineral pearl particles for an iridescent finish that is pretty perfect for those upcoming holiday parties (too soon!).

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Ruby

GOSH Cosmetics | Lip Lacquer in Funky Lips, Crazy Volume Mascara, Prime ‘n Set and Forever Eye Shadow Stick in Plum Review, Swatches and Makeup Look

I’m going to just say it. GOSH darnnit, I loved these new products from GOSH Cosmetics! GOSH is a Denmark-based beauty company that I am most familiar with for the coveted nail polish colour, Holographic Hero (swatch) so why I haven’t tried any other GOSH products is kind of shocking. Today I have FOUR products to share with you as well as a smokin’ hot makeup look that I wore to the grocery store just so I could test out product longevity. I was told twice by my husband and friend that I was “a little made up” for getting groceries, but if I’m going to get fruits and veggies, I may as well look big pimpin’ doing it.

GOSH

Shu Uemura | Richmond Centre Opening with Makeover by Taca Ozawa!

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the new shu uemura counter opening at The Bay in Richmond Centre and get my makeup done by the amazing makeup artist Taca Ozawa! Richmond Centre is a one hour drive for me so it just goes to show how much I wanted to go to the opening!

shu uemura (5)

I love cosmetics | Raspberry & Blackberry Body Butter and Strawberries & Cream Bubble Bath and Shower Creme

When it comes to things I love, food and bath products are right up there for me in terms of determining my happiness and when these two things are combined I am like a kitten on catnip! I have sniffed the I love… products while perusing the aisles of Shoppers Drug Mart and could never decide on a scent because they all smelled so deliciously edible! I love… is a company based in the UK that prides itself on paraben-free formulations along with only natural additives for their bath and body line of products.

I Love...

Rimmel London Rita Ora Collection | White Hot Love with Swatches and Gradient Nail Art

Today I have another nail polish (last review) from the Rimmel London x Rita Ora Collection along with a new taping gradient technique that I have been wanting to try out!

Taping Gradient Nail Art

#SinfulSaturdays | Sinful Colors Forget Now with Metallic Plaid Stud Nail Art

SinfulSaturdays

Being on the West Coast means there is STILL time for some Sinful Colors love! Today I have a glittery, pink jelly called Forget Now that I found a little watery and needed 3 coats to get the coverage you see here. I could have even done one more coat, but I personally draw the line at 3! As you all know, I can never leave a swatch alone, so for some added flair I added some metallic studs from Born Pretty!

Sinful Colors Forget You

Beauty Box Weekends #5 | Petit Vour June 2014 “Bon Voyage” Edition

“Bon Voyage” can now mean “goodbye to summer” when it comes to today’s edition of Beauty Box Weekends. It’s still sunny in Vancouver, which is rare, so I am grateful for every day where I can still slather on sunscreen and not whip out an umbrella. June’s Petit Vour had a couple of really solid products that had me pretty happy overall so let’s get into it, shall we?

Petit Vour July

Xpocity Vancouver Event and Giveaway!

Get ready for Vancouver’s FIRST Women’s Shopping Social!

Xpocity Vancouver

Say what?! I am unbelievably excited to share with you a truly unique event that’s happening right here in Vancouver on September 25th, 2014 at the Four Seasons Hotel! Hosted by the Socialettes, Xpocity is an expo that focuses on the 5 areas of a woman's lifestyle: Fashion/Beauty, Health/Fitness, Food, Home and Business/Career. This will be an evening of networking, shopping, connecting with female-focused vendors from Vancouver and getting access to Xpocity exclusive offers!

Now, for the extra exciting part! Xpocity is generously giving away The Girlfriend Package which grants you AND your best girlfriend access to both the networking and expo portion of the evening! This giveaway will be open to all Canadians, but if you’re from out of town I will leave it up to you to make it here on your own!

Xpocity Vancouver

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August Empties!

It was nice to actually see that I was steadily using products instead of being all over the place and having half opened bottles all over the place. Life was also a bit more under control this month with my “real life” being back on track. I was doing so well on empties that the hubby even wanted me to include his one! It’s sweet when the boys get on board the beauty blogging train.

August Empties

Finesse | Keratin Protein Colour Protection Shampoo and Conditioner

Last month, I fell in love with a new dry shampoo from Finesse (review) and today I have the matching Finesse Keratin Protein Shampoo and Conditioner which promises colour protection and strengthening of hair to prevent split ends. This hair care series also contains hydrolyzed keratin to provide extra conditioning and shine. I loved the dry shampoo, but did I love this duo?

Finesse Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner

Final Verdict: Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same love affair with the shampoo and conditioner as I did with the dry shampoo. I found the consistency of both products very runny. I can’t even store the conditioner top-down because if I pick it up in that orientation, all of the conditioner will literally “fall out” of the bottle. I have been using this duo for about three weeks and in the first week, my hair felt incredibly dry. It was a bit strange seeing as how this S&C were supposed to be conditioning…I stuck with using these until today and I did notice that my hair felt stronger in that it held wave and curl better, but the dryness didn’t go away completely.

I’m somewhat torn about this S&C because I like the stronger hair, but it didn’t feel very moisturized. I also find that certain S&Cs work better at certain times of the year so all I can say for now, is that if your hair is prone to breakage give this duo a try, but I wouldn’t look to it for any additional moisture.

Do you find that you switch up your hair routine just like skin care when there is a change in season?

PR samples sent for review.

Jayne’s August Favourites

I actually had quite a number of favourites for August, but I feel like if I list too many it gets somewhat confusing as each item loses its “pedestal-like” status as a “favourite”. I have some gems that I have definitely been consistently reaching for over the last month and possibly even now in September so they must be pretty awesome.

August 2014 Favourites

31 Day Nail Art Challenge | Day 1–Red with Lycopene Molecular Puzzle Nails

I have done this challenge in 2012, 2013 and now 2014! As usual, I will be going at my own pace and not doing a new set of nails every day, but I am aiming for a new design every 3-4 days. The theme for Day 1 is red so I chose to go back to my “roots” and do some molecular-themed nail art all about LYCOPENE! Lycopene is a bright red, antioxidant, carotene pigment that is found in tomatoes, watermelons and a few other red fruits and vegetables and among other health benefits, has been shown to be preventative against cardiovascular disease by protecting the blood vessels around the heart (How Stuff Works, Sept. 2014).

I started with two coats of Julep-Martha, a creme baby pink, and actually created the VERY LONG lycopene molecule by making a sandwich baggie decal, peeling it off, then cutting at the appropriate carbons and applying the molecule to each nail. The tomatoes and hearts were all drawn with acrylic paint and sealed in with top coat. The red dots represent CH3 groups.

Lycopene Nails (2)

Cleaning my Makeup Brushes with brushegg Brush Cleaner! Review, Video and Giveaway!

I was browsing on Instagram one night when I happened to come across what looked like a mini version of the Sigma makeup glove, which I think is a great idea, but horrifically overpriced. It turns out this super cute brush-cleaning tool was none other than the brushegg ($10 CDN) that has only recently started shipping to Canada. Made of high-grade silicone, brushegg is compact and really is just larger than the size of an egg!

brushegg Brush Cleaner

Ipsy | June 2014 “Pretty in Paradise” Glam Bag

So odd to be posting about June when the gears have already shifted into what’s coming for Fall, but luckily most of the items included in June’s Ipsy Bag can be carried over into the coming seasons. I don’t remember much about June only that I was starting something new career-wise and my brain was somewhat scattered. I DID remember being really excited that Michelle Phan decided to included the Korean brand Laneige in this months’ bag which is something you will never see a North American beauty sub do.

June Ipsy Glam Bag

Sinful Saturdays | Sinful Colors Dream On with Beaded Nail Art

SinfulSaturdays

In an attempt to get through some, *ahem* ALL of my Sinful Colors nail polishes, I will be joining up with some of the ladies from the CBB for Sinful Saturdays over the next couple of months. First up, is Dream On, which I have actually swatched before (here) almost 2.5 years ago, but this time around the pictures are MUCH better. Dream On is a bright neon fuchsia that was opaque in 1-2 coats and dries matte. I have never really liked matte finishes so a shiny top coat was added to not drive me crazy.

Chain Nail Art (2)

Chain Nail Art

*Summer Skincare* The Body Shop | Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet

I am already starting to feel my skin shifting with September here, but a moisturizer that I have been enjoying during the warmer summer months has been The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet ($20.00 CDN) for its mattifying and cooling finish. Similar in feel to the Body Sorbets (review), each jar of Aqua Boost Sorbet is said to contain “2 million hydrating aqua spheres” that promise to provide skin with 24 hours of guaranteed hydration.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet

Lush Bath Bombing | Granny Takes a Dip

NEW LUSH BATH BOMB ALERT!

Granny Takes a Dip ($6.95 CDN) is a 60s-inspired bath bomb made with psychedelic swirls (minus the hallucinogenic drugs) and a pink outer ring made of bubbly bar. With the scents of uplifting lemon oil, spicy black pepper and fresh ginger oil, this bath bomb is sure to provide a trippy bath time experience. May I also suggest listening to dub step while this is effervescing?

Lush Bath Bomb Granny Takes a Dip

Lush Bath Bomb Granny Takes a Dip

Final Verdict: My like scale of bath bombs ranges from “like to wish I could eat”and this one is “wish I could eat”! First of all, your bath starts off pink with spots of blue, eventually settling to purple. It smells citrusy and refreshing thanks to the lemon oil and left me feeling pretty rejuvenated. This bath bomb is fairly large in size so it will last you at least 2 baths depending on how generous you are. I love that this bath bomb is also very visually pleasing and is a great gift for yourself or for someone who you feel deserves it!

PR sample provided for bath time review.

Lancome | Grandiose Mascara Review with Before and After and Application Video (Yes, I Actually Speak!)

Surprise, surprise I am yet ANOTHER beauty blogger who is going to talk about the new Lancome Grandiose Mascara ($35 CDN) that has been the latest topic of conversation when it comes mascara innovation. With a revolutionary “swan-neck” that grants us access to uncharted eyelash territory, I am getting ready to be introduced to my inner corner lashes…

Lancome Grandiose Mascara

Mary Kay at Play | Triple Layer Tinted Balm Review and Swatches!

It may be September, but technically summer isn’t over until the 22nd right? I’m all about tinted lip balms in the summer because who wants to slather on a thick lipstick when the rest of your makeup consists solely of waterproof mascara and sunscreen? Mary Kay at Play Triple Layer Tinted Balms ($12 CDN) provide berry-scented fun in four shades: Atomic Red, Pink Again, Orange You Lovely and In the Plum. 

Mary Kay at Play Triple Layer Tinted Balm (3)

Mary Kay at Play Triple Layer Tinted Balm (2)

GODIVA | Limited Edition Mid-Autumn Festival Chocolate Mooncakes

The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in both Vietnam and China and is held on the 15th day of the 8th month according to the Chinese calendar. This year the festival takes place on September 8th, 2014. I have grown up knowing this holiday as the Mooncake Festival where we would eat mooncakes, round pastries with a thick crust. The filling would often be made of red bean or lotus seed paste and eaten in wedges with tea because they are incredibly dense and will probably make you very thirsty! On average, each mooncake is a whopping 1000 calories so they really become a treat as you get older!

In honour of the Mid-Autumn Festival, legendary chocolatier, GODIVA has debuted a new collection of limited edition chocolate mooncakes with new tea and fruit flavours capturing the spirit of this holiday. The mooncakes are presented in a luxe crimson-coloured gift box featuring Chang’e, the Chinese goddess of the moon.

Godiva Mid Autumn Festival Chocolate Mooncakes

Swatch It Up | OPI DS Titanium

One of the very first polishes that I EVER purchased was OPI DS Extravagance (swatch) and ever since then the DS line has always been one of my favourites with colours and finishes that are absolutely stunning. This Fall, OPI is releasing two new additions to the DS family with the precious stone-inspired hues: DS Tourmaline and DS Titanium. I will start with DS Titanium, a stunning glittery dark silver with blue, gold and iridescent glitter that is comfortably opaque in 3 coats. The formulation of these two new polishes is referred to as “polished quartz” as the natural finish is semi-matte with a diamond dust sparkle, but can be brought to a high shine with top coat. The pictures below are with top coat.

OPI - DS Titanium (3)

*New Release* Vasanti Cosmetics | Myeong-Dong Collection

I don’t normally share press releases unless I am really excited about a particular collection, but when I had a peek at the latest release by Canadian company Vasanti Cosmetics, I could not keep it to myself! Inspired by a trip to Seoul, South Korea, co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Pinki Gosal created the Myeong-Dong (“bright town) Collection after seeing all of the colour in the main shopping district of Seoul.

Vasanti

Lightning Liner Liquid Eyeliner ($18 CDN) comes in four matte shades to suit every complexion and eye colour. Wake Me Up – nude peach and works as a clarifier on the eyelids, Calm – periwinkle lavender, Storm – smoky grey and Thunderbolt – vibrant cobalt blue all work to instantly wake up tired-looking eyes.

Vegan Cuts | June 2014 Beauty Box “All We Want is Summer Sun”

It’s the weekend (specifically the long weekend) which means beauty box catch up time! I mentioned in my last beauty box post that I have since unsubscribed to Topbox, Petit Vour, Wantable and now Vegan Cuts. Not because they were bad, but because I just want some time to enjoy what I have been sent. My May Vegan Cuts box actually got lost in transit and customer service happily sent along another. As always, I really enjoyed what was inside and managed to score a nail polish that I’ve been lemming for!

Vegan Cuts May Beauty Box