MAKEUP | Lise Watier Baiser Satin in Natural Kiss, Inferno Kiss and Red Hot Kiss Swatches and Review

I have been crushing on lip products lately and my theme has been "the brighter, the better"! With the beginning of the Lunar New Year this weekend, I feel even more invigorated to be more adventurous with lip colours though some mornings when it's 6am, it feels REALLY strange to be putting on a red hot lip!

While I have generally preferred wearing lipstick with gloss on top, the trend of ever pigmented liquid lipsticks continues and while I found the matte finishes finicky, the satin finish seems to be the happy medium that I can get on board with. The Lise Watier Baiser Satin ($28.00 CDN)) lipsticks are one of the most luscious formulas I have ever used! With a semi-matte finish the glides on smoothly, I don't ever find myself feeling the need to add moisture or exfoliate areas that are dry enough to peel!  

NAILS | Year of the Rooster Lunar New Year Nails

For those of you celebrating this weekend, Happy New Year! Growing up, it was just my dad, mom, sister and I, so New Year celebrations in my house were always fairly quiet. My dad was the one who loved to celebrate by decorating the house and getting all of the traditional foods. Back then, I thought it was all so cheesy, but now that it's just me and my husband I miss it. It's funny how you take those family things for granted until you start a family of your own and you realize it's time to make your own traditions. I have never grown up in a "super Asian" environment, but now I wish I knew enough to carry on traditions without feeling lost and awkward. Not speaking Chinese never bothered me until I started working as I realized how valuable speaking multiple languages really was. This year, I vow to recover a little more of my heritage and have taught myself a few commonly used Mandarin words and phrases so wish me luck!

MAKEUP LOOK | Celebrating the Lunar New Year with Charlotte Tilbury...and Blue Hair

I never really thought about the fact that I tend to do changes around Chinese/Lunar New Year. Last year, I changed my blog layout after 4 years and this year it seems I have gone blue. I will talk about my latest Aveda hair adventure after I see how the colour rinses out over the next few weeks, but for now you will have to bear with me as I struggle to find makeup and clothing that matches my Muppet locks!

Over the holidays, I had a Holt Renfrew gift card that I needed to spend which always leads me to the beauty section. I didn't want more skincare which meant makeup. Which meant the Charlotte Tilbury counter. I was a crazy big fan of the Hot Lips Lipsticks (review) and knew I wanted to add a beautiful red from the same series to my collection and it just so happened that Carina Lau was one of the newest additions to the Hot Lips celebrity family. Carina Lau is HUGE in Asian circles and though I haven't been following her career closely, all you have to do is say her name and everyone of all ages knows immediately who she is.

NAILS | Sally Hansen Color Therapy Swatch in "Therapewter"

Just a little swatchy swatch today to give me some time to think about some Chinese New Year nails! It is the year of the Rooster so I obviously want to draw a rooster somehow, but I'm not great at free-handing poultry so I may have to be "creative". I always love oddly coloured nail polish shades and Sally Hansen's Therapewter* is one of them! This is an olive, black shade with a metallic shimmer that is opaque in two lovely coats. It's a bit of a funny shade that I don't think everyone would wear, but its alien-like appeal is what I love about it.  

MAKEUP | MAKE UP FOR EVER Pro Sculpting Lip Pen in #40 Carmine Red

You know how I have this habit of talking about new things long after they have been out for what seems like eons in the beauty world? Well, this is going to be another one of those times with the MAKE UP FOR EVER Pro Sculpting Lip Pen ($32.00 CDN)*! Remember this from last year? I took my beloved product photos and then never wore this beautifully sensual deep carmine red until I coloured my hair dark again. Once I had darker hair, I suddenly started craving deep reds, purples, magentas for my lips! Essentially all of the colours that I used to be afraid of are now making their way onto my lips! 

NAILS | Chrome Half Moon Gel Manicure #ManiMonday

It was a REALLY long work week for me so I apologize for pretty much just showing you my claws instead of anything else all of last week. Then I broke a nail on my photo hand, but thankfully I went so crazy with gel polish nail art experimentation this month that I have this super cool chrome half moon manicure to share with you until my index nail grows back!