Friday Favourites

I'm obsessed with the peachy colour palette in these photos for a Valentine's Day gift guide.

I love this DIY idea for storing art supplies! It could even be cute for makeup brushes and other things!

I love this fox tattoo! So gorgeous.

I'm so in love with this photo series of flowers in ice cream cones.

I want to do my nails like this. Love them.

These illustrations are lovely.

A chocolate ampersand would be the way straight to my heart.

These catnip PSAs are so hilarious.

I love this song that MacKenzie Bourg (from The Voice) released this week.

I went to Sally's this week and picked up their gel glitter base and one of their new spring/summer nail polishes! I'll do a NOTD with this sometime in the next couple weeks!

I went to Menchie's this week and they were giving away free waffle bowls :). So tasty.

I bought this dress that I've had my eye on since December. It was marked down for over 50% off! I couldn't walk away from it.

I baked banana bread. It was so delicious.

Here's an instagram face of the day. I felt like wearing a red lip yesterday.

Nail of the Day: On A Trip

This is the second Wet n Wild nail polish that I got recently and hauled here. It is the colour "On A Trip" by Wet n Wild. This is my second Wet n Wild Megalast nail polish and I am super impressed with both of the ones I've tried! The formula isn't too runny or goopy, and the polish goes on opaque in 2 coats! The nail polish also has a wide, flat brush which I really like.

A day later I actually added some silver glitter to the tips of my nails and I really liked how that looked too! I used Sally Girl nail polish in "Glitzy"!

I filed my nails to be square shaped too when I did this manicure! The edges still have to grow out a bit more for them to be completely square, but I've been wanting to do this for a while so I finally did! Do you keep your nails rounded or square?

PS. This is also my 100th post! Yay!

Stila Merry & Bright Palette: Swatches, Review, + FOTD

I recently purchased the Merry & Bright palette from Stila on Asos.com because it was on sale for $8.85 and it was such a good offer that I couldn't pass it up. This is a limited edition holiday palette that Stila released in 2012. I've never owned any Stila makeup but have been wanting to try it for a while, so I was really excited when I saw this on sale at Asos!

Unfortunately, when I opened the palette one of the eye shadows had broken and gotten all over the rest of the palette, including in the cream blush/lip colour at the bottom. I contacted Asos' customer service right away though and they were great. Since the palette was out of stock by then, they refunded my money! So I literally got this for free! I can't really complain about it being broken then, I guess! It is still usable too.

After I cleaned it up a bit the palette was looking much better. It comes in a cardboard palette, with a mirror on the top flap, and it closes with a magnet. The palette is around the size of my hand. The palette includes 6 eye shadows, 1 cream blush/lip colour, and a lip glaze.

The eye shadows in this palette are gorgeous. There are three matte shades, and three shimmery shades. I love that they combined the two, since I love to mix textures in my eye shadow looks! And the 6 shadows included in this palette are perfect for creating neutral everyday looks.

The first 3 shadows are a deep shimmery brown, a matte cream colour, and a shimmery pinky-nude.

The other 3 shadows are a matte medium brown, a matte black, and a shimmery bronze. All of the shadows swatched beautifully, and have a really soft texture. I'm super bummed the medium brown matte shade is the one that broke, because otherwise that's probably the one I would use most! It's so versatile!

The cream blush is a peachy pink colour that I think would be flattering on many different skin tones. It isn't too sticky or dry, it's nice and creamy and applies very smoothly! There is no shimmer in this blush either, so this is a very natural blush colour. This can also be worn on the lips too!

The palette also came with a lip glaze in the shade Kitten. I'm not much of a lip gloss girl (I like my matte lipsticks), but this product could definitely change that for me!

Kitten is a light peachy-bronze colour with lots of golden shimmer. The sparkles aren't too big though so it doesn't look too glittery on the lips, but still provides a beautiful shine. This lipgloss was very comfortable too, and lasted for around 8 hours until I took it off!

Here's a look I created using all 6 shadows, the cream blush, and the lip glaze! I think this palette will definitely get a lot of use! It's also my first time using a cream blush and I love the look of it.

There's another Stila holiday palette on sale on Asos.com for around $11 and I'm tempted to buy that one too, but I'm worried about that one breaking as well! I might take my chances though, because I love this palette already.

Pros:

• Low sale price

• Mix of matte and shimmery shadows

• Pigmented and soft shadows

• Beautiful and wearable cream blush

• Wearable and comfortable lip gloss

Cons:

• One shadow arrived broken

March Wishlist

I surprisingly don't have that many things on my wishlist this month! I have bought quite a bit of makeup in the past couple of months though so I guess this is a good thing.

1. OPI Euro Centrale Nail Polishes in Polka.com, I Saw...U Saw...We Saw...Warsaw, and You're Such A Budapest - I've been drooling over this collection from OPI since the first photos of it got released. I would really love to get more than 3 polishes from this collection, but I think these are my top 3 that I want since I don't have anything in my collection like them. Polka.com is a gorgeous pink/purple/blue chunky glitter that I'm obsessed with. I Saw...U Saw...We Saw...Warsaw is a creamy navy blue, and I don't have a navy in my collection yet! I feel like it'd be a great staple colour for year-round wear. Lastly, You're Such A Budapest is a pastel periwinkle blue colour that looks so pretty!

2. Real Techniques Blush Brush - I got the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush earlier this year and I've loved it so far, so I really want to try more brushes from this line! I don't really like the blush brush I've been using for the past year or so, so I would really love to try this one out!

3. ELF Eyebrow Kit in Medium - For the past while I've been using a L'Oreal eye shadow to fill in my brows, but the eye shadow is just about gone now and L'Oreal doesn't sell it anymore! So I guess it's time to find a new brow filler. I've read some great reviews on this eyebrow kit from ELF and it only costs $3, so I want to give it a try! It comes with a tinted wax on the left, and a powder on the right that you're supposed to apply after the wax.

4. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in Black Bean and Yogurt - I really, really love my NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk and I really want to get a couple more! Black Bean is just a basic black pencil which would be great to use as a base in the outer corner to darken it up, or even as an all-over lid base for smokier looks! Yogurt is a shimmery pinky-champagne colour that is comparable to the Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Sin, which would be a great base for everyday looks!

5. Cat Print Cosmetic Pouch from Forever 21 - I saw a larger version of this makeup bag at the checkout at Forever 21 a few days ago and now I'm regretting not buying it. I do prefer this smaller version of it though! I mean, how could anyone not want this adorable makeup bag? (Available online here)

6. Remix and Match Bag from ModCloth - I'm in desperate need of a new handbag. I have a few small cross-body bags, but I need a bag that's bigger for those days I need to carry more with me, like when I need my camera with me that day. The only other larger bag I have I bought over 5 years ago and is really worn out. I saw this bag on ModCloth and fell in love with the mint colour right away! I also love that it has a short handle you can carry it with, and also a longer strap so you can put it over your shoulder as well. And the inside has a really cute striped pattern! (Available online here)

What are some things on your wishlist this month?

February Favourites

Well, it's time for another monthly favourites post! I didn't get a whole lot of new makeup in February, but these are some things I've been loving!

L'Oreal Color Radiance Detangler // I picked this up at the flea market for $3 earlier this month when I ran out of my Tres Semme detangler, and I'm in love with it! After I shower and take my hair out of my towel, my hair is a tangly mess that is so hard to get a brush through. This spray is a miracle worker though, because it makes it so easy to brush through my hair! And it's supposed to protect hair colour as well which is fantastic!

Garnier Olia Hair Colour in 4.60 Dark Intense Auburn // I've been dying my hair since I was 15 or 16, and for the past couple of years I've only used box hair dye (usually L'Oreal Preference). When I was in WalMart sometime in January I spotted this new hair dye from Garnier and decided to try it out! It's ammonia free and uses a 60% oil blend so it seemed like it'd be much better for my hair since I dye it every month. Well I've used it two times now (mid-January and mid-February) and I am very happy with the results! I love the colour of it and my hair definitely feels softer and healthier after using it! I think it's safe to say this is my new go-to hair dye brand! It cost around $11 (CAD) at WalMart.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub // I'm so glad I picked this up last month. It's been so useful during this winter weather! I often like to wear matte lipsticks so having this lip scrub has helped my lips stay super smooth! No more dry, cracked lips!! And it smells/tastes awesome.

Essence Cherry Blossom Girl Nail Polish in "It's Peach Not Cherry" // I only painted my nails once with this in February but I'm so in love with the colour. It's the perfect creamy pastel coral, and I'm sure this will be on my nails a lot this spring and summer. (Swatched here)

Wet n Wild Megalast Nail Polish in "I Need A Refresh-Mint" // This is another new polish in my collection that I love! This is such a beautiful pastel blueish-mint that I can't get enough of. It's one of my favourite colours (and matches my bedroom walls as you can see) and this is another polish I'm sure I'll wear a lot this spring! (Swatched here)

CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara // I tried this mascara out last month and it's wonderful! It gives my lashes lots of length, volume, and curl, all without any clumps! I have a more in-depth review of it here.

Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Color Icon Palette // I've had this palette since sometime last summer and really only used it for a couple of weeks before it got put away and forgotten about. But I took it out again this month and have been loving it! I really am super impressed with the quality of the shadows in this palette, they're all incredibly pigmented and gorgeous!

Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick in 101 // I got this lipstick sometime in January and really got a lot of use out of it last month! It's a matte light pink that's perfect for everyday wear. And it has a sweet fruity scent too! I accidentally forgot to include this in the photo of all the products above because it was in my purse (where it has been most of the month!)

What were some of your favourite products in February?

Friday Favourites

I love this interrobang print.

These cats.

I would love to have a print of this beehive painting.

I'm still obsessed with foxes and these ones are adorable.

I love this illustration.

Mystery Inc. circa 1954!

fun. released a video for Why Am I The One? this week!

I went to Toronto with my mom last weekend and saw some ice sculptures.

I got my The Fault In Our Stars poster framed and hung it above my bookshelf!

I went to Toronto on Wednesday and saw the band Atlas Genius perform at The Edge radio station, and then my friend and I interviewed them for our webzine!

I also got to photograph the Atlas Genius and Imagine Dragons show in Toronto that night! They were both amazing live.