MAKEUP | MAC Vibe Tribe Gleamtones Powder in Dunes at Dusk Review with Swatches

Initially, I wasn't sure how I felt about the MAC Vibe Tribe Collection, but after much beauty soul-searching I decided that I must have ONE thing and one thing only - the Gleamtones Powder (7g/$38.50 CDN)! In one tribal style colour-blocked pan is a quartet of highlighting and bronzing powders ranging from coral to champagne and shimmery pink to bronze. There is a little something for every occasion!

NAILS | BCD NAIL ART CHALLENGE WEEK 14 "Sweet Tooth" aka "Donut Love"

I am about a month out with the BCD Nails Challenge, but all three of us are still at it and I know we will finish it by year's end, I know it! I love having weekly inspiration as I get incredibly overwhelmed with what to try and or do because let's face it, THERE IS SO MUCH AWESOME NAIL ART IN THE UNIVERSE! One awesome manicure I have always wanted to try was donut nails (doughnut?)! This week's theme was "Sweet Tooth" and while there were a number of things I wanted to try, donutticures kept calling to me!

SKINCARE | Farmacy Invincible Root Cell Anti-Aging Serum Review

Back in December, I was very impressed by the green beauty brand Farmacy (review of the New Day Exfoliating Grains is here) in terms of results, ingredients and overall company practices. If this is your first time reading about Farmacy, the key ingredient in every one of their products is the patented Echinacea GreenEnvy™ which is a variant of Echinacea purpurea grown on a farm in upstate New York. Echinacea purpurea has a very high concentration of cichoric acid which inhibits the enzyme hyaluronidase from breaking down our beloved hyaluronic acid (HA) in our cells and also protects collagen from free radical damage. Both are things that no one should say no to!

NAILS | "Linear Love" with Trust Fund Beauty #ManiMonday

In a galaxy far far away, I was introduced to a then relatively unknown brand called Trust Fund Beauty in 2014 at a blogger lunch and have reviewed a couple of TFB polishes in the past (here) with the holos being some of my favourites. Fast forward to just two years later and this Montreal-based vegan brand has exploded and expanded to include even lipsticks in their product line up! TFB has always had a sense of humor and fashion savvy vibe to their polishes so I wanted to do a chic, slick manicure that captured that brand essence! 

SKINCARE | Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask Review with Bubble Face Photos!

Back in November of last year when I reviewed the Laneige Water Bank Serum, I vowed to review more Korean beauty products. Fast forward to now and this is only my second Korean product review, BUT it is a goodie! I could not resist trying out the latest in Korean skincare entertainment and picked up the Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask! This is a detoxifying charcoal clay-based mask with an extra fun property - it BUBBLES!
  

MAKEUP LOOK | Dior Milky Dots 5 Couleurs Polka Dots Eyeshadow Palette in #366 Bain de Mer

Post may contain affiliate links.

It is now officially summer and all of those summer collections from Spring can now be enjoyed in their entirety! The Summer Dior Milky Dots collection has been one of my favourite summer releases so far and after reviewing the Milky Tints (here) and two of the Manicure Kits (here), I am happy to finally have some time to put together a makeup look, swatches and review for the 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Bain de Mer* ($73.00CDN). There are two eyeshadow palettes in the Milky Dots collection, the second of which I will be showcasing next month. Bain de Mer looks like a mini rainbow and as pretty as it was in the package, how was I going to make this work for my Asian skintone?

NAILS | Ceramic Glaze Impulsive Swatch

I am keeping it real simple today with a swatch of Ceramic Glaze Impulsive from the Botanical Oasis collection. This polish reminds me so much of China Glaze Flying Dragon that I am going to have to dig it up from my stash to do a side by side comparison! 

SKINCARE | I Love My Bella Aura Routine!

It takes me FOREVER to write skincare reviews like this one with multiple products, but that is only because I have never been one to give a brief overview. I am sometimes sickeningly long-winded, but when I like or believe in a skincare product, I as an educated consumer want to know what sets this skincare product apart from the others. I adore skincare so while I would never wholeheartedly dedicate my life to just one brand, there are brands that I keep in what I call my "911 Skin-mergency Kit" when my skin needs a break, repair or reboot. These are products with ingredients that I have complete confidence in and set my skin back to the "happy" setting.

MAKEUP | Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation in Y235, Y245 and Y255 Review, Swatches and Pretty Face Photos

Post my contain affiliate links.

This review is so incredibly overdue I can't even begin to explain myself. I picked up the reformulated Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation (30mL/$52.00 CDN) from the MUFE peeps in August last year when I was visiting Montreal. Yes, it has been that long, but that means I can safely say that I have been using this foundation quite a bit! The previous HD Foundation (review) was formulated to keep skin looking flawless under HD cameras. Now, HD is a thing of the past and 4K technology is the present so it made sense to reformulate for conditions that leave skin completely vulnerable to every flaw and imperfection!   

NAILS| The Turquoise Stone Blobbicure #ManiMonday

I have been loving the look of textures and creating more "organic" manicures lately and one technique that I have been wanting to try is the infamous "blobbicure"! A blobbicure is quite literally nail art that has been created using blobs of polish (see video by Simply Nailogical). I wanted to create a turquoise stone-like effect so I used some of the shades from the Ceramic Glaze Botanical Oasis collection which worked out perfectly to give this mani the look I was going for!

NAILS | The Perfect Pedicure with Avon Footworks and Planet Spa

This has been a busy week for beauty. There were a number of media events this week which happened to coincide with my eight days of work at my day job all in a row. While I would never complain about getting the opportunity to attend such amazing events, the extra long days have taken a toll on my body and after another stretch of work this weekend, I look forward to my three days off in a row next week to recuperate. I haven't done my nails in a week and don't even ask me about my toes! Let's just say that the other night, I asked my husband to shape my toenails because I was too tired to reach and he actually did a great job! I feel like he may have missed his calling!
  

Lush Limited Edition Father's Day Collection

When it comes to the beauty world, men often get neglected even though I have always thought beauty products were genderless. Thankfully, when it comes to Father's Day Lush has made sure that all the men in your life will get a chance to learn all about indulgence with a mix of skincare and bath products!

NAILS | BCD NAIL ART CHALLENGE WEEK 13 - Dry Water Marble with the Ceramic Glaze Botanical Oasis Collection

I'm sorry everyone, but I have been so tired for what feels like two weeks now. Work has been quite busy and I honestly have felt too tired to even eat dinner this past week. Thank goodness I have a husband who believes in cooking, but oh my gosh has this week been exhausting. Week 13 of the BCD Nails Challenge should have been up a month ago, but I think all of three of us have fallen behind at this point, but I love seeing what Naomi and Traci come up with as well as some additional participants who have been joining us on Instagram!

Let me just start my saying that this is my first attempt at the dry water marble technique, which is "dry" due to the absence of water. I find the traditional water marble very messy and time-consuming so after seeing enough videos, I wanted to take the plunge and try this dry water marble manicure myself!

MAKEUP | Burberry Eye Colour Contour Smoke & Sculpt Pen Review, Swatches and Look

This post contains affiliate links.

As much as I love playing with colourful eyeshadows, when it comes to my day to day makeup I am a neutrals gal. If I worked in the beauty industry it would be different, but even my balayaged hair pushes certain boundaries in my current work environment as I am the only younger person who styles her hair and wears actual makeup. The other day an older very straight male coworker commented on how good my brows looked. Needless to say, if I wore any other eyeshadow colours than neutrals there would be some chatter which is why my morning routine always involves a neutral eyeshadow stick. I hate mornings so even taking a brush and using powder is too time-consuming sometimes which is why I am always on the lookout for long-lasting waterproof shadow sticks like the Burberry Eye Colour Contour Smoke & Sculpt Pens ($32.00 CDN)! They actually fit the contours of my eye socket perfectly and last all day!

MAKEUP | Avon True Color Perfectly Matte Lipstick Review with Swatches

Hello, new favourite lipstick. Avon, you need to stop it (or not!) with coming out with more makeup that makes me need to find an Avon consultant in my neighborhood! I love the look of a matte lippie, but we all know that wearing a matte lipstick means some lip prep and dryness as the hours go by. The first matte lipsticks I ever tried left my lips feeling parched, but along the way I have found a few different ones that are a compromise between intense lasting colour and comfort. Now, I have found a matte lipstick that feels like I am applying layers of cloud on my lips! Avon's True Color Perfectly Matte Lipsticks ($10.00 CDN) has honestly renewed my faith in matte lipsticks and today I have seven delicious colours to rave about!

NAILS | BCD NAIL ART CHALLENGE WEEK 12 - The Negative Space Chevrons #BCDNAILS

I absolutely love the nail art designs that Mari, from Mari's Nails, comes up with and when I see a soft sweater and perfectly executed nails in the photo I know it's her hand! Last year, she had a really chic negative space mani on her blog that fit perfectly with Week 12 of the BCD Nail Art Challenge which was CHEVRONS!

MAKEUP | Dior Addict Gloss in #613 Cygne Noir and #322 Sparkle Review with Swatches

Last weekend, I went digging through my photo stash and found these Dior Addict Glosses from the Holiday 2015 State of Gold Collection! The holidays are always a bit of a crazy time and though I tried to pump out as many posts as I could, November and December at work are just incredibly busy so I guess these little guys missed the posting boat so let's thing of today's post as more of a throwback.
 

MAKEUP LOOK | MAC Future MAC Collection Review with Swatches

Post may contain affiliate links.

I don't know how all of you can keep up with MAC's many releases because there always seems to be something new from them that I want to have at least a few pieces from whether it's for the limited edition packaging or for the actual shades (in limited edition packaging!) I have taught myself to be mindful of which MAC collections I have to have and Future MAC resonated with my love of sci-fi. Tron, The Fifth Element and Battlestar Galactica are all things I have watched over and over again both for the storylines and makeup. I'm hoping people in the future still do neutral looks, but from what we have seen in most movies and TV shows, futuristic makeup is often shimmery and glowing while aliens look wet to the touch like the Borg Queen. Future MAC is just that and though I don't look like the Borg Queen, I thought I'd try a few different products that normally wouldn't make their way onto my face!