My 2012 Beauty Favorites!

Well hello there, I can't believe that it's 2013 already! I really felt that 2012 flew by really quick like in one finger snap. And with the whole thing about the world is ending, I'm glad to say that I'm made it through and happy to be blogging right now =D Anyways, there's gonna be a lot of " 2012 favorites " going around so I thought I would join in with the fun! 

** I should say that this is going to be a lengthy one so if you wanted to grab some popcorn to snack on, I suggest you do that! ** 

My 2012 favorites! 

** There are some items that I forgot to include in the photos but I will mention them at the end! ** 

I don't have individual pictures for some of the products so I'll just do a mini review of them right now. 

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation: I remember during the time I was purchasing this I was on a hunt for a good coverage foundation so this foundation just went on the market where I lived and I have been wanting to try out Lancome products so I thought it was the perfect opportunity and they were also having their gift with purchase ( double bonus! ) Let me tell you, this is probably the best foundation that I have tried so far! It gives me medium to full coverage that I've been looking for, it doesn't look cakey after you have powdered and everything, it lasts for at least 12 hours ( that's the max I would have my makeup on! ) and the consistency of the foundation is not too heavy.  So if you were looking for a new foundation with medium to full coverage, I would definitely recommend this! 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation: I bought this because it was the most reviewed item at the moment on Youtube and I'm glad that I picked it up! This is totally different from the Lancome foundation because it's a light to medium coverage, very liquidity, doesn't last as long ( maybe 6 to 7 hours? ) but what I love about this is that when it's on your face, it doesn't look like you're wearing much makeup; it's very natural looking let's put it that way. I think this is perfect for the spring/summer time when you don't feel like wearing much makeup. 

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touche Concealer: I have been using this for the past two months and I have learned to love it! This is perfect for covering up your dark circles, any imperfections you may have, and then I would just powder the areas and I'm all set to go for the day! I'll definitely be purchasing this again in the future because it's a drugstore product so I can always get it on sale ;) 

I'm sure that this item is a no brainer and it has probably pop up in some of my monthly favorites post: Urban Decay Naked Palette . I do have the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette but I haven't really been reaching for it as much as I do with the original Naked palette. 

Like I have said in most of my posts that this palette is definitely great for someone that loves neutral shades or want to more shades then just the typical 4 shades. I would recommend this to someone that is getting into makeup that wants to spend a little bit more money and have something that will last them a while. This is also travel friendly so if you're someone that travels alot then this is something that you should look into! 

I like all of the shades in this palette but if I had to choose my very favorites it would be: 

Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Darkhorse & Toasted 

Swatches! ( In the same order as mentioned above! ) 

If you have been a long time reader of my blog then you know that I love my blushes like LOVE! Like if I had to choose just one specific makeup item it would probably be blush because I love all the pretty shades that it comes in and how beautiful it looks on the cheeks, it just makes me happy! =) haha! 

This was totally not intentionally but all of my favorites are from MAC =o I should make one of my beauty resolutions to be to use more blushes from different brands! lol anyways the ones that I have are: 

Subtle Breeze ( LE ), Pinch O' Peach, Melba & Pink Tea ( LE )

Mini Review! 

Subtle Breeze: This was part of the " Naturally " collection that came out during the spring time I believe and I knew that I wanted to get my hands on it. It's a beautiful rose-y mauve-y color and it's nothing that I have in my stash, and I do apply with a light hand because it's pretty pigmented for a mineralize blush. When you hear mineralize you would think " sheer, glowly " but with this blush, it applies matte which was kind of a nice surprise. 

Pinch O' Peach: This has been a long time love for me, and I believe that this was probably one of the first blushes that I ever bought ( and I'm not even close to hitting pan on it -___- ). What I like about it is that it's a pretty light peachy pink and when you apply it to your cheeks it gives a nice flush that's not too over-whelming. This is definitely a go-to blush for me when I don't know what blush to wear! 

Melba: I didn't get this blush till September or October and I wore this blush for a month straight and I seriously fell in love with it! It's a coral peach shade and when I apply it to my cheeks, it's dark enough that I could use it as a contour shade when I don't have my bronzer on me. 

Pink Tea: I pick this one up from the collection " Tres Chic " back in the summer or fall time I think and this was one of the more natural looking ones so of course I had to pick it up. I would describe this as a dusty rose shade and when this is applied to the cheeks, it gives it a nice flush like you just ran a marathon or if you were outside playing in the snow during the winter time. 

Swatches! ( In the same order as mentioned above! ) 

I will say that I wasn't into contouring until recently and I have been reaching for the beloved Benefit Hoola and I can honestly say this is the only bronzer that I have been using for contouring. What I like about it is that it's matte ( no shimmer whatsoever ), very blend-able, won't make your face look dirty ( if your face does look dirty then you're doing something wrong lol ) I have been trying out different contouring products, but I always go back to this. 

Totally forgot to get a swatch picture, sorry! 

This year I have getting into more bold lipstick colors and I'm glad that I did because then I wouldn't have discover such wonderful products! I wasn't into lipsticks at all until two years ago until I made myself try one and I definitely don't regret doing that! 

Some the lip products that I have here are: 

Maybelline Baby Lips in Quenched 

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Lollipop

MAC Creamsheen Lipstick in Hot Gossip 

Dior Addict Lipstick in 333 Nude

If I were to choose my very favorites out of this bunch it would have to be: Maybelline Baby Lips and Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter.

 I'm sure you're wondering why, well it's winter time where I live and I'm part of the chapped/dry lips group and I need to have my lips moisturize at all times and the Baby Lips have definitely saved them! It does live up to the hype that was building around it when they first came out and there's atleast five different flavors to choose from so I'm sure that you'll be able to find your favorite! 

As for the Lip Butter, this shade " Lollipop " is definitely a color I had to step out of my comfort zone to have confidence to wear it and I'm so happy that I did because the first time I wore it, I got a lot of compliments! =) I would describe it as a bright fuchsia with little glitter bits, and it glides on really well but I do have a suggestion is that you should moisturize or do a lip scrub before putting on the product because it fill in the cracks if your lips are dry and that doesn't look pretty. lol 

Swatches! In the same order as mentioned above! ( Without the Baby Lips! ) 

There are some products that I would like to mention but I didn't have time to take photos or I didn't have the actual product with me. 

- Physician's Formula Eye Booster 2 in 1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner 

- Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain in #17 Encre Rose 

-Maybelline One By One Mascara 

- Loreal Linear Intense Liquid Eyeliner 

- Maybelline Define A Lash Mascara 

- Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer 

Well that's all that I have for you! I know this is a pretty lengthy one so if you stuck by and read the whole thing then I will give you a virtual hug! =) And I would like to thank everyone that has stuck by me by reading and commenting on my posts, if it wasn't for you guys I wouldn't be doing this so thank you so very much! Definitely expect to see more from me in the new year! 

Tiny MAC Haul & New Years Resolutions?

Hello my lovelies! I hope that you guys had a wonderful Christmas and got everything that you asked for! And hopefully for some of you guys found some amazing deals on Boxing Day! I honestly dread that day yet I want to go and score some awesome deals =) Haha anyways I thought I would share with you guys what I bought recently.. 

Left: Warm Soul Right: Stereo Rose 

When I heard that MAC was re-promoting " Stereo Rose " I will admit that I got a little bit excited because when they re-promoted last year, I missed my chance and the sad part was when I was at the MAC counter at the time, almost every customer that was there was buying it and when it was my turn, there was one left but I didn't care for it. But when I got home that day I was bummed out cause it was the most hyped product at the time.. Sigh but I'm glad that I'm finally able to get my hands on it =D 

First Impression: At first I thought I was able to use this as a blush because it looked like there was alot of color in the pan but was I wrong, it came off as a light peachy gold color so I use it as a highlight like all MAC mineralize skinfinish is used for or I would use it to enhance ( AKA glow ) the blush color that I'm wearing that day. 

The final item that I picked up was " Warm Soul " and I have been wanting this for atleast a year now and I don't know why I waited so long to pick it up, probably because of the raise in price cause I remember the mineralize blush use to be around $26 but now it's $28 D: why do they have to do that!!   But I picked this up because I've been watching youtube videos and who ever had this on looked gorgeous and it's definitely a unique color cause it's a very light brown-y color but on the cheeks it looks a little pink which I thought was kinda cool. You'll have to try this color out for yourself! 

Well that's all that I have! Did you guys pick up " Stereo Rose " or anything else from the collections? 

Now let's talk about New Years Resolutions.. 

I will have to admit that sometimes it's hard to keep these resolutions implanted in your brain but for me this year, I'm determined to make it work! So I pretty much only have one right now and it's probably on everyone else's list and that is to lose weight ! I already have taken the first step to a healthier lifestyle and that is signing up for a gym membership! I have also taken another step and that getting workout clothes and I'll tell you, buying workout clothing is expensive!! I spent $300!!! Not gonna lie I almost had a heart attack when I saw my total at the cash register but it's okay because now I'm gonna push myself even more because I've spent so much money so I'm gonna get my money's worth out of it! 

Anyways, that's the main new years resolution that I have right now, I'm sure that there'll be more to come so stay tuned! But I want to know what are your new years resolutions? =) 

Updated Skincare Routine! ( December 2012 )

As the title says I will be sharing with you guys the products that I have been using and it's been pretty good to my skin and of course no breakouts ( so far * knock on wood * ) and the last time I shared with you my skincare routine was almost a year ago and things have definitely changed! 

The Products!

- Pond's Cleaning & Exfoliating Towelettes in Citrus Scent 
- Chanel Lotion Purete ( Toner ) 
- Benefit's Total Moisture Facial Cream 
- Clarisonic Mia
- Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream 
- Biore Warming Anti-Blackhead Cream Cleanser 
- Biotherm Hydra-Mineral Cleanser Toner Mousse 

 Steps!

1) I would take the towelettes from Ponds and remove as much makeup as possible and I will say that I like this one out of the ones in the market because it's doesn't burn my face and it removes most of  my makeup with one towelettes and I also like the scent of it as well. And the towelettes actually has two sides, one side is smooth and the other one has little beads/bumps to help you get more makeup off without rubbing too hard. 

2) I would take Biotherm cleanser or the Biore cleanser ( sometimes I would use both of them if my face is feeling really gross ) to clear off all of the makeup. What I really like about the Biotherm cleanser is that it is a mousse texture so it's not harsh on the skin and it feels my skin feeling soft yet clean which is awesome. And for the Biore cleanser, it does the same thing but it has some ingredients that will help with fighting the acne and it really does work. 

* I added my Clarisonic Mia in here because I sometimes use it with the Biore cleanser when I'm feeling lazy and I don't want to use my hands, and what I like about it is that when I use the Clarisonic Mia, I feel like it's doing a better job of cleansing my face compared to when I use my hands. * 

3) Then I would take my Chanel Lotion Purete and make sure that there's no more dirt or makeup left on my face. What I like about this product is that when you apply it to your face it has a cool, tingly feeling and when I feel that, I feel like the product is working. 

4) Final step is applying my face cream! Lately I have been loving my Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream because it's light weight, absorbs into the skin quickly, leaves your skin feeling soft and there's no scent. But now that winter season is here where I live, I need to have a heavier face cream and the first one that came to mind was Benefit's Total Moisture Facial Cream and I loved this last winter so I decided to bring it out again. 

Well I think I covered everything! Yeah I don't think my skincare routine is that complicated which I like but I'm sure I'll be adding some anti-aging products into my routine pretty soon.. HAHA anyways hope you guys have a wonderful day! 

Bliss & Ciate Haul!

Hello my lovely friends! I'm here with another haul! And you guys should definitely expect another coming up pretty soon because here in Canada, the day after Christmas it's BOXING DAY! ( It's kinda like Black Friday ) So I'll probably be picking up some things ;) Anyways let's get to the haul! 

I will say that these two Ciate nail polishes are impulse buys, but they are good impulse buys. I have been hearing good things about this brand so when I saw them at my local department store ( The Bay for my Canadian readers ) I thought I would add some to my purchase. Lately I have been looking for a nice nude that will look good on my fingers so " Ivory Queen " was the one that popped out in my mind when I saw it on the stand. It's a gorgeous light nude with gold flecks in it, you'll have to see it in person. And of course I couldn't let the infamous Tiffany blue shade get away ;) " Pepperminty " looks like a close dupe but we shall see. P.S! Don't you love the little bow detail?! =) FYI: These are the full sized ones. 

First Impression: I will have to say that I'm a fan of this brand already. I like the formula ( it's not too thick or too thin ), the brush is nice and big ( that's what she said.. HAHA I just had to do that =P ) Now I'm testing out how long it'll last.. I will let you guys know later. 

So... this is the main reason why I'm posting this haul! I have heard good reviews on Bliss but I ever really looked into. So when I saw this set, I thought why not and I will that everything in this set is full size so it was definitely worth the price tag. 

FatGirlSlim: So I'm not too sure what this is but apparently it's suppose to help you with your trouble areas that are a little bit " out of shape " like your legs, your arms, your stomach so basically any body part. You're suppose to rub this product over the areas for about 20-30 seconds and it'll help you slim that area. I'm not sure if this will work but I guess I'll give it a try. 

Lemon+Sage Body Scrub: Since it is the winter time here I thought I would get my skin a little bit of love so when I saw this in the set, I knew I was excited to try it out. Now I thought the scent would be  a little weird ( be honest, if you looked at this scent would you think it would smell nice? ) but it's actually a nice light scent, not too heavy, I like. 

Lemon+Sage Body Butter: I think this will help make my body feel even softer after using the body scrub. I have already tried this out on my hands and I'll say that I like it so far. It's not too heavy and it has the light scent which is lovely. 

High Intensity Hand Cream: I know that I have heard great reviews on their hand creams, so when I saw that this was in the kit, I was excited to try it out. And I will say that I probably have the driest hands in the world during the winter time and that yet cute HAHA! 

Oh, I forgot to mention so for the Bliss set, to remind you guys everything in this set is full size and I got it for $72 CAD but I calculated the actual retail price and it would have costed me $127 CAD!! That's a difference of $55, that's almost one of these items =)  

Well that's all that I have! For right now that is! I definitely love the Christmas time because this is when companies comes out with great gift sets at a great or decent price tag. 

I also want to know if you guys have tried any of these products? Or anything from Bliss? 

Just Some Essentials..

This is definitely going to be the shortest blog post that I've ever done =) So here's it is! 

I was browsing around MAC and checking out there new collections and I didn't really see anything that I liked and you know that feeling when you really really want to buy something? Well that's what I did, so I started looking at their permanent eyeshadow collection stands and of course I go towards the browns/neutral shades.

I remember hearing good things about " Swiss Chocolate " and " Sable " and so when I swatched them I wanted to get them. ( There are definitely alot more shades I want to get haha ) 

From Left to Right: Swiss Chocolate ( Matte ), Sable ( Frost )

As you can tell from the pan that Swiss Chocolate is a brown with reddish undertones while Sable is a gold-plum with bronze pearl as MAC describes on their website. I have used these two after purchasing and I will say that I'm a fan of Sable but not so much Swiss Chocolate, I find Swiss Chocolate a little bit hard to blend and I'm not sure if it is because it's the matte formula or maybe I just got a bad one. I'll still be testing it out so I'll let you guys know if it gets any better =) 

Well that's all! I told you it was going to be a short yet sweet post! What are some of your recent MAC purchases? Or if you purchased something else? 

I Have A Thing For Accessories..

Well it's been a while since the last time... But can you guys believe that Christmas is arriving in 9 days?! This year has honestly flew by for me cause it feels like it was just summer yesterday ( okay not really with all this snow here.. ) Anyways.. I had an idea of maybe start blogging about fashion here and there because I'm honestly running out of ideas to blog when it comes to makeup, and I have been really into buying new fashion items more then makeup ( GASP! lol ) So I guess here goes nothing! 

If you guys follow me on my Twitter or Instagram then you know what the " big purchase item " is!

 TADA! 

Yup! I finally caved and bought myself a Michael Kors watch. I have been wanting it since last year ( I blame Instagram for this haha ) and when there was a pretty good discount at my local department store, I of course jumped at the opportunity!  When I was lusting over for one of these, I was deciding whether I wanted a full rose gold one or a full silver one, but when the sales lady showed me this silver with rose gold details I knew this was the one I wanted. I can finally post arm candy pictures with my Michael Kors watch! Haha just kidding.. maybe.. 

If you would like to purchase it, it's called the:

                  Michael Kors Mid-Size Silver Color and Rose Golden Stainless Steel Blair Chronograph Glitz Watch

Well isn't that a mouthful! 

I think it's been a year since I saw these floating around the Youtube world and the blogging world and I'm so happy that I can finally get my hands on these because they are available at my local department store ( aka The Bay for my Canadian girls ) 

I thought these were really adorable and they looked awesome in the photos that I've seen. There's just something about these bracelets that made me get four of them.. They would be great to wear alone or with other bracelets or a certain watch * cough Michael Kors cough * =D 

Last but not least, some items that I got from J.Crew Factory store. If you guys don't know what J.Crew is, it is a store that sells items that is overpriced for what it is, for an example a plain black cardigan for $70 now I'm not willing to spend that kind of money. So when I saw that there was a J.Crew Factory store by where I live I knew I wanted to check it out! And I'm glad I did because when I went they were having 40% off everything PLUS 20% off the total on your purchase so that was basically 60% off everything of course me and my sister went a little crazy. 

I thought these jewelry pieces where somewhat unique and they weren't badly priced, and I definitely love the earrings! I don't own anything like this so I was happy to have purchased these =) 

Well that's all for my big accessories haul! What did you guys think? Should I keep going with this? =)  

Sephora VIB Haul!

Hello hello! Well I'm sure that you guys waited long enough for this post so here it is! I'm gonna share with you guys what I have purchased from the Sephora VIB event that was held I think three weeks ago? I'm such a bad blogger... :/ Anyways let's get into the post! 

All the items that I got! 

This is probably my best purchase out of everything! I'm sure if you have read my blog for a while then you that I'm a nail polish fanatic ( or should I said hoarder haha ) and I'm always looking to try out new brands and I've heard pretty good things about this brand so when I saw this set at Sephora I knew I wanted to get it. I think this set is pretty worth it for the price tag ( I believe it was $60 or $70 CAN ) and the color range is wonderful too! I'll be doing a review on this when I have tried it out =) 

So Sephora always has amazing sets during the holiday season and it's a great way to try out different brands for a somewhat low price so I obviously went to go check it out and my sister picked up this lip set cause she wanted more lip products and I thought it was a good set as well so I got one as well. I believe this set was around $30 CAN and it's well worth it because the Tarte lip product is basically $31 CAN alone and you're getting five other products with it. I will try my best to do a review! 

When I first saw this Urban Decay Feminine Palette on Temptalia back in the beginning of the year and I knew that I wanted to get my hands on it. At first I thought it was just being sold online and I'm not really the online kind of person so when I saw it at my local Sephora I picked it up right away. What attracted me to this palette was that it was on the neutral side but it has some colors that would make your eye look pop. 

I have been wanting this perfume since last year and I finally bit the bullet and put it in my shopping basket. I'm really bad at describing scents so I'm not even gonna bother but all I can say is that it's on the lines of floral so if you're in to that then I suggest giving Chloe a smell. 

We're almost done this haul yay! So the last two items that I got from the VIB sale was MUFE Full Cover Concealer and Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish in Sandy. My sister has gone through atleast three or four tubes of the MUFE concealer and I wanted to see if it was really good and I have already tried it out and I have to say that it's pretty good. 

Well that's everything that I got from the sale! =) What did you guys get from this sale? Or what were some recent beauty items that you've picked up?