Annabelle Makeup For Fall 2015 | Review & Swatches

Earlier this week I shared some thoughts on a bunch of new releases from Marcelle Cosmetics, so to continue on the same theme, here are my faves from their sister brand Annabelle.

I've purchased many Annabelle eyeliners in the past, and they've all turned out to be consistently pigmented and easy to use. The two brands are known for their hypoallergenic, affordable and well formulated products, so I was thrilled to receive these as press samples back in the summer.

It's no surprise that my three favourite eye products right now happen to be from this collection:
The Brow Show Liner & Highlighter in light ($10), Smokey Nudes Eyeshadow Palette ($13) and The EyeInk² Liquid Eyeliner Duo in brown. Their efficacy is blowing my mind.

AMOREPACIFIC Color Control Cushion Compact | Foundation Review

Ever since I started to see BB Cream reviews all over YouTube beauty channels, Korean skincare has been a total love of mine.

One of my favourite products to date has to be the Skin79 BB Cream, and I've gone through 3 entire bottles over the years. I don't talk much about my favourite Korean products, simply because they aren't readily available in Canada. Now that mass retailers are beginning to stock more Asian brands, I'm thrilled that I don't need to turn to Ebay to get my foundation fix. 

I recently received an invite from AmorePacific to try out their Color Control Cushion Compact foundation, and I quickly replied with a surefire yes!

Glam My Mani Nail Vinyls | Review & Tutorial

I've become a somewhat lazy manicurist. I've been known in the past to come up with pretty wacky holiday-themed nail art, which would usually take 1-2 hours at best. I still love creating fun designs, but some weeks I can barely find time to maintain my cuticles, let alone paint my nails.

Welcome, nail vinyls from Glam My Mani.

Marcelle Cosmetics FOTD | The Best Canadian Brands

Canadian pride is bigger now than ever before, and if the current economy isn't enough of an incentive to shop local, these hot new makeup bits surely are.

While perusing the cosmetics aisle at any Canadian drugstore, sister brands Marcelle and Annabelle are found to be slightly more luxe than the typical Covergirl, Maybelline and Revlon products alike. I've tried many of their best-sellers in the past, and I've never been disappointed.

Face of the day (#FOTD) featuring Marcelle & Annabelle 

Glycolic Acid | The Skin-Brightening Ingredient

If you're wanting to make a visible difference to the tone and texture of your skin, look no further than AHAs and BHAs.

• An alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) is best suited for those whose main concern is dark spots and sun damage, since it exfoliates the skin's upper most layers.

• A beta hydroxy acid (BHA) is best for treating acne and blackheads since it is able to dissolve the oil that clogs pores. You could even layer the two ingredients at the same time for maximal benefits.

Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally derived from sugar cane. This chemical exfoliant has the ability to remove dead skin cells to reveal brighter, fresher skin, without scratching at the surface.

Glycolic acid is the most common exfoliant for a chemical peel, though there are other options for those with very sensitive skin. When I had my peel at Miracle 10 (documented here) they used a 20% Lactic Acid, and thanks to the great results I've been using their daily lactic acid cream ever since.

36 Questions To Get To Know Yourself Better | ELLE Canada

I'm an avid reader of ELLE Canada, and they're the one publication whose email list I stay subscribed to. Not only do they have fun and insightful articles, but their horoscopes are always on point. 

This past year has brought along many new opportunities, and in turn I have gotten to know myself a lot better. For example, working in my university's Student Affairs office has helped me to develop my leadership skills and find personal value in my work. With exams and deadlines creeping around the corner, we often become unexcited about school. Now that I'm getting more involved, I can say that the 12-hour days are truly worth it.

If you find yourself with some free time over the next few days, pull up these questions and see how they make you feel. I am feeling motivated to work harder, be nicer, and go that extra step to help those around me. 

36 questions to get to know yourself better - imperfections and all

By: Gary Lewandowski, Ph.D., professor at Monmouth University in New Jersey, and Brent Mattingly, Ph.D., assistant professor at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania. Source Link: ellecanada.com 

PART 1 – Your Essentials. Who are you today?

1. List five adjectives or traits that describe you.

2. List five roles that you fulfill.

3. List five of your skills and abilities.

4. List five of your possessions that provide insight into who you are as a person.

5. List five life experiences that have helped define who you are.

6. List five attributes that you think your family and closest friends would say describe you.
   

GO ONE STEP FURTHER - Actually reach out to your family and several of your closest friends and ask them to share the five traits that they think best describe you. Then compare and contrast these lists with your own. “People who know themselves well tend to have a list similar to what their friends said,” says Lewandowski. “Sometimes other people can see us more accurately than we see ourselves, and sometimes we define ourselves by how we think other people see us.”

Natural Remedies That Work | Lavender For Head Lice

Have you ever had head lice?

Believe it or not, I am one of the few 20-somethings who hasn't. Not even pink eye! What a blessing.

I can attribute most of it to pure luck, but my obsessive hand washing addiction definitely kicks in where school-borne germs are concerned.

Party Unicorn Halloween Makeup Look | Hard Candy Cosmetics

It's October, it's autumn, it's snowing, and I'm ready for it!
Kinda.

Halloween is coming up soon so the buzz around costumes and parties has definitely begun. I haven't really been dressing up over the past few years, but this one will be different. Though I'm not completely set on a costume, I know that Hard Candy has got me covered for fun and affordable makeup no matter what look I choose.

They recently sent over an ahdorable bin of Halloween treats, and I dug into it right away. I decided to create a unicorn-party-princess type look, and I'm so happy with how the colours turned out. These products pack a punch, and the under $10 price tags from Walmart makes me quite happy.

Stromae Visits Toronto

A concert on a beach, under the moon, with a beautiful fall breeze brushing through the crowd. Fooooormidable.

Visiting Montpellier, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille | Lauren's Travels

After a short hiatus due to a new job and various fall-time shenanigans, Lauren is back for her second instalment documenting her european adventure. Click here to see details from her first stop in Barcelona. 

Frioul Archipelago in Marseille

The next leg of our adventure brought us to a few cities in the South of France, a short train ride away from our starting point in Barcelona. With only a week to explore what may be one of my favourite parts of Europe, we decided to spend three nights in Marseille and three nights in Nice. These costal cities offered plenty of shopping and unique cuisines and were perfectly located for taking day trips, including an exquisite wine tour.

Montpellier

For $121 each, we took a high-speed train from Barcelona and arrived in central Marseille about 6 hours later. There were a few options when choosing our itinerary on the super user-friendly Rail Europe website, and we decided to go with a trip that included a 1.5 hour stopover in Montpellier, France.



Place de la Comédie, Montpellier

Masquerade | Multi-Masking Ideas

It's now BuzzFeed official that "multi-masking" is one of the hottest skincare trends of the moment. As a product tester extraordinaire, I had to get in on the action. 

I have finicky combination skin, which means that while my t-zone (nose, forehead, chin) is shiny as can be, my eye area and cheeks can get quite dry. To top it all off, I get flaky and "dehydrated" patches on and around my nose, especially when I'm not drinking enough water throughout the day. Have I mentioned my annoying breakouts yet? Well, this is how I combat all of it.

Multi-Masking Cheat Sheet

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