The End of Blogmas | Christmas Eve Manicure

Merry Christmas Eve!! Today is the final day of Blogmas and I'm so happy I've followed through and posted every day this month! I figured since day 1 of Blogmas was a manicure, I'd end it off the same way. I just painted my nails for my family Christmas party that's happening today and I love how they came out! I'm wearing OPI Visions of Love with Julep Joelle and a Forever 21 gold glitter polish ombré-ed on top! If you want to check out all of my previous Blogmas posts you can do that here! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I'll be back in a few days with a new post!

December Favourites 2014

Time for the last monthly favourites post of the year!! I can't believe the year is just about over. I'm really happy I kept up with blogging for the whole year! Thanks to everyone who has followed or read my blog these past 12 months! Now, onto the faves!

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob // This is a lip liner I've heard quite a bit of raving about in the beauty community lately so I thought I'd try it out. It's a great nude pink for everyday and pairs well with so many of my nude and neutral pink lipsticks! I like how it's twist-up too so I don't have to sharpen it.

OCC Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Black Dahlia // This has been my ideal vampy lip liner this past month. I've worn it with a few of my favourite deep lipsticks and it helps to keep them lasting all day long! It's really nice to apply because it's creamy enough that it doesn't drag on my lips when I apply it but it's not too creamy where it slips off my lips either.

OPI Coca Cola Red // This is hands down the best bright red polish I've tried. With just 1 coat you get amazing bright red nails perfect for the holidays!

Avon Brushed Gold nail polish // This gold nail polish is amazing. It applies opaque in 2 coats and looks incredible on the nails. Gold glittery goodness!

MAC Faux // This has been my go-to everyday nude lipstick since I got it at IMATS at the end of November. It's a really nice nude-pink that pairs well with any makeup look. I've been loving wearing it with the Rimmel Eastend Snob lip liner too!

NARS Audacious lipstick in Charlotte // Hello, new favourite lipstick. I got this lipstick this month and the formula and pigmentation is everything I dreamed it would be and more. Not only is the colour absolutely stunning, but it lasts for hours on the lips and it's really comfortable!

L'Oreal EverPure Shampoo // This month I made the switch back to sulfate-free shampoo. I noticed my hair colour was fading quite a bit with the previous shampoo I was using but once I switched to this I noticed a significant decrease in my colour fading!

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser // On Black Friday I picked up the First Aid Beauty kit they had for $12 and I'm so glad I did. One of the products in it was the face cleanser and I've been loving it! It's super gentle on the skin but makes my skin feel really soft and clean!

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream // This is the other FAB product included in the set I got and I've used this every day this month. It's super hydrating and keeps my skin free of dry patches but it's not too thick to wear under makeup either. I love that this can be used on the face or other dry patches on the body too! When I run out of this I'll definitely be repurchasing it.

Alex & Sierra - It's About Us // Normally this time of year I'm all about Christmas music, but ever since I downloaded this album this month it's literally all I've been listening to. Alex & Sierra were the winners of the X Factor a couple of years ago and I loved them on the show. Their album is acoustic pop and so so good! Definitely worth checking out!!

That's it for my monthly favourites for the year! I'll be doing my 2014 favourites sometime soon so keep an eye out for that!

Mani Monday | Green + Gold

Today's nail of the day is a very simple yet festive one! Instead of going for the typical red and gold manicure, I used a Christmas-tree green with a gold accent! I used 2 coats of The Body Shop Color Crush Nail Polish in The Body Shop green, and 2 coats of Avon Brushed Gold on my ring finger! I really love this green shade for the holidays!

Instagram Catch-Up + How I Edit Photos

It's been a while since I've done one of these so I thought I'd do an Instagram catch-up today! Instagram has to be my most-used app as I love taking and editing photos. 

The first photo here is of my new bag I got from ASOS by New Look! I got it for the winter and I absolutely love it. / Next is from a day I tried out purple lips using the OCC Lip Tar in Rollergirl. / I recently got a new lipstick organizer for 36 lipsticks and I filled it right up! I'm pleased that I have enough MAC lipsticks to fill an entire row! 

I had the most festive hot chocolate in my adorable snowman mug from Target! / My hair was tucked into my shirt this way after putting it on and this is how I want to get my hair cut in the new year!! / I love my new Stay Home Club loose tee! I love everything from that company

This is a display of prints and frames at Indigo in Toronto and I love how it looks. / I saw this mug at Urban Outfitters and had to snap a photo of it, it's perfect for me. / I had my first Lush bath this past month and I can already tell it'll be a new obsession of mine!

 

The main two apps I use to edit my Instagram photos are Afterlight and VSCOcam. I mainly use Afterlight but lately I've been using VSCO more often too! The filter I most frequently use on Afterlight is Russ and the ones I like on VSCO are LV1 and HB1. To get the mirrored effect on my photos I use an app called FrameMagic, and I use that for any collage type photos as well.

What are your favourite apps? Also, follow me on Instagram @laurenschroer!

Makeup Bag Essentials | Holiday Season

With Christmas just around the corner I thought today I'd share with you my makeup bag essentials for the holidays! Of course I'd recommend to wear as many long-wearing products that you know and love so you don't have to worry about your look throughout the evening, but there are a few items that you could bring along for any needed touch-ups.

First off is a rollerball of your go-to fragrance. One of my favourites is Marc Jacobs Daisy. It's not the most wintery scent but I love this fragrance year-round. With all the dry winter air, a mini hand lotion is great to carry around to keep your hands from getting too dry! I currently like the Bath & Body Works Hand Cream in Vermont Sugar Maple - it smells like sugar cookies! I also like to keep a hand sanitizer on-hand if I'm out and about, and I really like this Bath & Body Works Winter Cranberry PocketBac. 

For complexion touch-ups I like to keep oil blotting sheets (I use the ELF Shine Eraser), and my concealer and face powder of choice (I use the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer and Pressed Powder). These will help keep any shine or redness away throughout any holiday party!

The one thing you want to keep in-check all night long is your bold lip look (if you're one for bold lips). First, I'd suggest choose a long-wearing lip product like the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01 Always Red. This product stays put on the lips and doesn't bleed or feather! It requires minimal to no touching up, but it's good to keep with you just in case! I also like to carry a lip balm if your lips need a little moisture! 

A couple of other small things that are good to have with you are a small hair brush for any hair fixes you may need, and of course a mirror (this Sephora mirror is fantastic!) if you are out and about and you or a friend needs one!

Of course not all of these items will apply to everyone out there, but I hope you may have found a few helpful things to keep your holiday makeup looking flawless!

Current Obsession | Lip Liner

It seems that lately in the beauty community, lip liners are all anyone's talking about. And of course if it's what everyone's into I've had to buy a few! I bought my first lip liner this summer and since then have collected a few more. Lip liners have really changed the lipstick game for me. They can change the appearance of a lipstick through layering different liners underneath, they can create the perfect crisp edge for a bold lip, and they make your lipstick last much longer! My preferred way of wearing lip liner is to apply it around the edges and then fill the lip in as well. In my collection I've gathered some nudes, pinks, reds, and vampy shades to cover all my bases.

The lip liners shown above are: Milani Color Statement Lip Liner in All Natural, MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Dynamo, Milani Color Statement Lip Liner in True Red, NYX Retractable Lip Liner in Plum, OCC Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Black Dahlia, and Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob. 

My personal favourite of the ones I own are the Milani Color Statement lip liners since they have such a creamy formula. I've also really been enjoying my OCC Black Dahlia lip pencil as well as it pairs beautifully with my favourite vampy lip shades!

Are you a fan of lip liner? Who makes your favourite formula?

Winter Beauty Essentials

Winter is a time where everything seems to be lacking in moisture. Today I thought I'd share with you some products that help keep my skin, lips, hair, and nails moisturized throughout the winter months! 

First off is the Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter. Not only does this product have an adorable name, but it does wonders for dry and cracked cuticles and nails. Whenever I do a polish change, or I feel my tips are in need of some moisture, I massage a little bit of this cuticle butter around each nail and it makes them so much softer. And like the name suggests, it smells deliciously of lemon!

Now, for the lips. As a frequent (almost daily) matte lip wearer, it is critical that I keep my lips moisturized and flake-free at all times. Two of the products that help me keep them that way are the ELF Lip Exfoliator and the Jack Black Moisture Therapy Lip Balm. I use the lip exfoliator every morning as part of my routine to get my lips soft and prepped for any lipstick to follow. I love that it's formed like a lipstick so it's super easy to use and not as messy as other lip exfoliators that come in a pot. At night time is when I like to apply my Jack Black lip balm. This balm is quite thick and intense, so it's not one you can wear under a lipstick. However, if you apply this at night before going to bed, you wake up with nice soft lips and I can sometimes still feel the balm on my lips in the morning!

For skincare I have 2 products that are fairly new to my routine but I've been loving both! First off is the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. I've heard countless rave reviews for the First Aid Beauty products and I've finally picked up a couple to try! I've been using this as my daily moisturizer before I apply my makeup and it works wonderfully. It has a thicker consistency of my previous moisturizer, but it's much more moisturizing and makes my skin nice and soft and free of dry patches! This cream also works on the hands and body too which makes it the perfect multi-purpose product! The second product is something I mentioned in my November Favourites and that is the Julep Bare Face Cleansing Oil. Not only is this product great for removing all of your makeup, but since it's an oil it helps add moisture to your skin rather than strip it away.

Lastly I have two products by Marc Anthony to share. The first of which is the Marc Anthony Healing Macadamia Oil Body Butter. This body butter is so moisturizing and is a great step to take after showering or having a bath. I like to apply this to my arms and legs, focusing on any drier areas that need more moisture. It also smells amazing! The final product I have to share is the Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Treatment for hair. I apply 1-3 pumps of this to my ends to help keep my hair looking soft and smooth. This product also smells great and helps with frizzy dry ends!

What are some of your winter beauty essentials?

Holiday Nail Polish Picks

Today I bring you my nail polish picks for this holiday season! Around Christmas I'm all about red and deep rich colour creme polishes with glittery and metallic accents! Here are some of my favourite nail polishes for this time of year. 

Let's start off with the reds! First is the best plain bright red creme polish there is, OPI Coca Cola Red. This one is from the Coca Cola collection from earlier this year and it's an amazing red that goes on opaque in just 1 coat! Next is a deeper slightly more berry red, Julep Anisa. This red is good if you want something not as in-your-face as a true bright red, but is still nice and festive! For those of you who like dark deep shades, Essie Sole Mate would be the polish for you. It's a deep berry red creme polish that is just gorgeous.

Next up, the cool jewel toned creme polishes. I've chosen a new polish to my collection, The Body Shop Colour Crush nail polish in The Body Shop Green. This is a gorgeous deep Christmas tree green that's perfect for this time of year! And the other polish I've chosen is an all-time favourite of mine, OPI Ski Teal We Drop. This one doesn't scream "Christmas" as much as the other polishes but it's such a gorgeous colour for the winter and looks lovely paired with glitters and metallics!

Lastly, you can't do Christmas nails without some sparkle! The first one I've chosen is OPI Goldeneye, a bright yellowy-gold glitter that looks amazing layered on top of a polish or worn with a few coats on its own. Next is a more neutral gold, Avon Brushed Metals in Brushed Gold. This shade is a great champagne-gold that would be a perfect accent nail to any Christmas manicure. And lastly, Julep Joelle, one of my favourite glitters! In the bottle it may not look like much, but on the nails this super fine holographic glitter is a real eye-catcher!

What are some of your favourite polishes for the holiday season? Let me know below!

The Christmas Tag

I was tagged by Rose to do the Christmas Tag she put together! She used questions from a bunch of different tags and put them all together to create this new one!

1. Do you like to stay in your PJ’s, or dress up for Christmas?

On Christmas Eve my entire dad's side of the family always gets together and I like to dress up nice for that, but on Christmas day I usually just stay home with my family so I'll stay in PJs or comfy lounge clothes!

2. Do you open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Any gifts I get on Christmas Eve from my extended family I'll open that day, but any presents from my parents/sister I'll open Christmas morning!

3. What’s your favorite Christmas meal or treat?

I don't get too into the whole Christmas dinner thing, since being a vegetarian and quite the picky eater it mostly consists of mashed potatoes, veggies, and bread. However, I love Christmas desserts and sweet treats! I love anything consisting of chocolate and peppermint especially!

4. What’s your favorite holiday movie (or specials)?

Every Christmas I watch The Polar Express with my family and it's such a great movie that holds a lot of good memories for me. I remember reading the picture book as a kid and I'm glad that I still get to experience that story every Christmas!

5. Have you ever made a snowman?

Growing up in Canada, I have made many a snowman. I haven't made one in probably about 10 years though! I'm not the biggest fan of snow anymore, it's too cold!

6. Show us an embarrassing Christmas Card photo!

My family has never done Christmas cards or Christmas photos!

7. What holiday tradition are you looking forward to most this year?

Getting together with my extended family on Christmas eve! It's always so much fun.

8. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Fake!

9. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

The past couple of years I've really gotten into finding the perfect gifts for my friends and family. Before that I never really had the budget to shop for many people, but I've really loved picking out gifts lately! But who doesn't love getting presents too?!

10. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

I would love to visit New York City or London during the holidays! Those are my top 2 places I'd love to visit anyway, but something about Christmas time makes them seem like they'd be even more amazing!

11. Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?

No, nothing that I can think of! I do enjoy doing some holiday baking and making sugar cookies though!

12. Most memorable Holiday moment?

I'm not sure! Growing up, every Christmas was always the "Best Christmas Ever!" according to my sister and I, so I've had a lot of great memories over the years.

13. What made you realize the truth about Santa?

I think just as I got older I realized Santa's handwriting looked an awful lot like my mom's and I kind of just figured it out. I don't think I was too upset by it though.

14. Favorite Christmas songs?

Ooooh I love me some Christmas music! I love Baby It's Cold Outside from the Glee Christmas album, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, White Christmas, Merry Christmas Baby by Brighten, Ho Ho Hopefully by The Maine, and Yule Shoot Your Eye Out by Fall Out Boy to name a few!

15. Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you stick to them?

I've never been too committed to making New Years resolutions but the past couple of years instead of making resolutions I just write down a list of a few goals I've set for myself for the year. I make sure to make the goals something realistic, but I do put a couple of harder to accomplish things on there too just to see if I do them. I usually manage to do a few of them and it makes me feel like I've accomplished something!

16. What makes the Holidays special for you?

Spending time with family and friends. I just love everything about the holidays too from the music, to the lights, Christmas movies, and everything else! Christmas is always such a wonderful time of the year and I love it!

I tag Courtney, McKenna, Lindsay, and Maj to do this!

Mani Monday | Greige + Glitter

Last week when I was at Target I noticed a ton of their nail polish was on 70% off clearance, so of course I had to pick up a few bottles! The two shades I used for this manicure were two polishes I picked up! I didn't initially think about combining them, but when I was trying to come up with a fun manicure for the coming week I tried swatching these two together and loved the subtle neutral glitter look it gave! This is Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 300 Greige with Nicole by OPI Pick of the Glitter layered on top! I also used my OPI Glitter Off base coat and I tried out my new Julep Oxygen Performance top coat! This is such a unique colour combo and I absolutely love how it came out!

Christmas Wrapping

I am all about cute stationery and paper products. So, as you may be able to guess, I get really excited about cute gift wrap for the holidays! This year I'm really pleased with how my gift wrap items came together so I thought I'd share it here on my blog! I got the polka dot and fox gift wraps, the baker's twine, and the red glitter tape all from Target and the Happy Holiday's card from Indigo/Chapters! I love mixing patterns but staying within a colour scheme and the adorable foxes on that wrap make me so happy! I also enjoy using fun tape to make the gifts more special as well. I'm so excited to finish wrapping all my Christmas presents for friends and family and to give them their adorably wrapped gifts!

My Shoe Collection | Video

 

I know I said I wasn't going to make videos all the time now but I downloaded Final Cut Pro and I really wanted to play around with it so I made this video! This was very much inspired by one of my favourite bloggers/vloggers, Lily Melrose's shoe collection video! It was a lot of fun to edit this and I'm really pleased with how it came out!

Nars Audacious Lipstick | Charlotte

Last week Sephora had a deal for VIB's where if you spend a minimum $50 you get $20 to spend in the store so I took the opportunity to splurge a little and finally buy myself one of the new NARS Audacious lipsticks! Ever since these were launched I've been dying to try them and I'm so glad I did. I chose the shade Charlotte, which is a deepened berry-toned red. The formula of these lipsticks is amazing. It's so comfortable on the lips with a semi-matte creme finish. It's also insanely pigmented and with one swipe over the lips it's fully opaque. The packaging is so nice too, with a sleek black matte tube with magnetic closure. For Christmas my friend Abby (hello Abby, I know you're probably reading this ;) haha) got me a Sephora gift card as part of my present from her and I'm thinking of using it towards another one of these lipsticks but in a nude shade for everyday wear! If you've been holding out on trying these lipsticks I say it's totally worth the hype and the splurge!

Julep Maven Box | December 2014

I got my Julep Maven box in the mail a couple of days ago so I thought I'd show you what I got! I chose the Holiday Soirée Box which includes the polish in Logan (a deep aubergine shimmer), the Oxygen Performance Top Coat, gold stripe nail decals, and the Dancing Mini Lipstick Trio. I mainly chose this box because I really wanted to try out the lipsticks and they all swatched beautifully! I'll definitely be trying these all out in the next month as they're gorgeous winter/holiday shades! The texture of them is somewhere between a creme and a matte. I'm excited to try the Oxygen Performance Top Coat as well!

Sign up for Julep Maven and get your first box for free!

Get Ready With Me | Everyday Glam

I was playing with my new camera the other day and I thought I'd try filming a video with it! It's not perfect but I'm happy with how it came out considering it was my first time trying the video function! I did a get ready with me video featuring the look I wear most often. This is my go-to makeup look because I know it'll always look good for any occasion. The eye look is neutral as well and looks great with any lip colour! I might start making a couple of videos here and there but this blog will still remain primarily regular blog posts, it won't become all videos so no worries! Let me know what you think below or if you have any other video ideas!

SNAPSHOTS: TBC Flea on Bloor St. W.

This past Sunday my friend Abby and I took a trip to Toronto! The main purpose for this outing was to check out the TBC Flea, which was held at TBC Vegan Bakery on Bloor St. W. There were lots of yummy treats to purchase and a few local companies were there selling some of their merchandise! The main company Abby and I were excited to see was Stay Home Club. I've been a fan of the brand and a member of the club (I have a membership card and everything) for a couple of years now and it's always fun getting to see their products in real life rather than just browsing through them online. The brand is right up my ally and I ended up getting myself a shirt and totebag with the logo on it (the logo has 3 cats in it how could I not?!).

I also bought myself a new DSLR this past week! I've been wanting to upgrade my camera to one that can film video for a couple of years now and I ended up getting a really fantastic deal on the camera I bought. I got a Sony a37 DSLR for anyone wondering. Anyways I used this trip into the city as a chance to try out my new camera and I'm really pleased with some of the shots I got! Check out my snapshots from our afternoon below!

Mani Monday: OPI Miss You-niverse + Julep Mia

Today's nail of the day is slightly less festive than last week's but still a nice wintery manicure! I used 1 coat of OPI Miss You-niverse on most of my nails and applied 2 coats of Julep Mia on my accent nails! I had to quickly do my nails before running out the door and I'm really pleased with how this manicure came out! I love the purple and metallic combo.

The Christmas Sweater

This year I was determined to get a Christmas sweater. For the past few years "ugly Christmas sweaters" have been quite the trend this time of year and I didn't want to let another year pass by without me getting one! The other day I managed to find a couple I loved (shown above). I found these sweaters in the men's section of H&M and I couldn't pass them up. I don't mind getting the odd sweater or shirt from men's sections of stores, to me a sweater is a sweater! Also I found these two sweaters to be less expensive than the ones on the women's side of the store! The Oh Deer! sweater was just $9.95 and the pug sweater was only $14.95. Below I'll show you a few other sweater options I've found and love! 

H&M Ornament Jumper / H&M Deer Sweater / H&M Tree Jumper

ASOS Reindeer Jumper / ASOS Dogs Christmas Jumper / ASOS Polar Bear Jumper

Do you have a festive Christmas sweater? I think they're so fun!

The 'Me Time' Tag!

 

I've been tagged a couple of times to do this tag (once by Rose and once by Lindsay of Have a Parade) and I've finally got around to doing it! This tag was created by EssieButton and AmeliaLiana (I love both of their YouTube channels) and it was a fun tag to do! I'll list the people I tag at the end of this post!

THE QUESTIONS:

What do you watch or read during me-time?

During me-time I watch YouTube videos mostly! I'm subscribed to so many people on YouTube so I spend a little time every day usually catching up on my subscriptions! And lately I've been watching a lot of Vlogmas vlogs! I'll also watch whatever TV shows I record on my DVR or sometimes I just put on the Food Network and watch whatever's on at the time!

What do you wear during me-time?

The minute I’m home and don’t have anywhere to go I’m always putting on leggings or sweatpants with a big cozy sweater and either socks or my slippers. I love being as comfy as possible!

What are your me-time beauty products?

Some evenings I’ll spend a little extra time on my skincare routine and throw in a face mask but I don’t really have any go-to things! Lately I’ve been using the Freeman Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress mask or a sample of a Glam Glow mask that I have! I also just recently started getting back into taking baths and I've really enjoyed playing around with different bath products!

Current favourite nail polish?

My nail polish favourites change so, so often. I don’t have any specific shade favourites that are coming to mind but I’ve really been loving any deep red or purple cremes lately!

What do you eat/drink during me-time?

I’m a snacker. It’s rare you won’t find me in the evenings on the couch snacking on something. I love snacking on Pringles (Original flavour, of course) or nachos and sipping on a Coke Zero or Dr. Pepper (super unhealthy, I know. But you've got to treat yourself)!

Current favourite candle?

Last month I picked up the Pumpkin Gingerbread candle from Bath & Body Works and it is incredible. I've been burning it almost constantly lately. I've also been loving 'Tis the Season (also from B&BW)!

Do you ever have outdoor me-time?

I’m not really the outdoorsy type but I do enjoy walking around downtown Toronto (if it’s not too cold out) and checking out some shops!

Would you ever go see a movie alone?

Yeah, I would! I’ve never been to a movie alone but I definitely would not be opposed to it!

Favourite online shop?

I love browsing ASOS and Modcloth! They both have such a huge range of items to look at and are constantly adding new things! I have an ongoing wishlist for both websites!

Anything to add? What else do you do during me-time?

One thing I often do is go to the mall alone. It’s nice because I get out of the house but still get to have some me-time. I like shopping alone sometimes so I can take as much time needed browsing in stores like H&M or Sephora!

I tag Courtney (Cupcakes & Cateyes) and McKenna (genderwitchswampclub) to do this tag!

ASOS Wishlist

It is already day 5 of Blogmas and today I bring to you my current ASOS wishlist. ASOS is a site that I visit pretty much daily. I don't order from them too often but I always love browsing through the site for outfit inspiration and to see what's new! Here are a few of my current favourite items I've come across on the site. As you can see, I really love monochromatic black and white clothing.

Y.A.S Waza Jumper / New Look Textured Floral Dress / Y.A.S Maggie Long Cardigan

 ASOS Coat / Closet Floral Skater Dress / Oasis Check Skirt

 Johnny Loves Rosie Perry Necklace / ASOS Oversized Check Scarf / ASOS Roxy Chelsea Boots

See you all tomorrow for Blogmas Day 6!

Face of the Day: Chocolate Smokey Eye + Nude Lip

Today I thought I'd share a face of the day with you. Lately I've been experimenting more with doing eye makeup without winged liner. I know for most people it'd be a bold thing to try wearing winged liner, but for me it's the opposite! I've worn winged liner almost daily since about 2007 but I want to expand my makeup looks I do on myself and I've enjoyed a more smokey look lately without my signature cateye.

I used Tarte's new Bon Voyage kit eye shadow palette on my eyes along with a sample of their Lights Camera Lashes mascara I have and I really love both! This palette has been my go-to palette lately, it's gorgeous. For this look I mainly used shades from the 2nd row down, so the warmer chocolatey brown neutral shades.

Products used:

FACE:

Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12-Hr Perfecting Primer

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in 805

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent

Tarte Pin Up Girl Blush Palette (shades Breathless, Embraced, and Irreplacable mixed)

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 01 Light Matte

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle

Urban Decay DeSlick Setting Spray

BROWS:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Soft Brown

EYES:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude

Tarte Bon Voyage Set Palette

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

LIPS:

Milani Color Statement Lip Pencil in All Natural

MAC Faux Lipstick

I will see you all tomorrow for day 5 of blogmas!

Products I've Used Up #3!

 

I've been hoarding empty products in a bin in my closet for months now and it keeps slipping my mind to do another empties post, so here we finally are! There are a ton of products to go through so I won't go too in depth with these (especially since some are re-purchases and have been in my previous empties posts).

Bath & Body Works Country Chic Creamy Body Wash // I got this ages ago during a semi-annual sale. I like the formula and lather of the creamy body washes but I wasn't too fond of this scent.

Garnier Fructis Color Shield Shampoo & Conditioner // I got sent these products from Influenster for review purposes and though they were a decent shampoo and conditioner, I believe they both contained sulfates which did not help preserve my hair colour. I've recently made the switch back to sulfate free shampoo and I've noticed such a difference already!

Garnier Fructis Passion Splash Conditioner // I love the smell of this conditioner. It's also super moisturizing! I believe it does contain sulfates which is no good for my coloured hair, but if that's not a concern for you I'd highly recommend it!

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product // This is a holy grail status hair product for me. It does 10 things in one and helps keep my hair tangle-free and smooth, as well as protects it from heat and does multiple other things!

Biore Blemish Fighting Astringent // Another holy grail product for me, I use this every morning and night and it does a great job of preventing breakouts and clearing up any spots I get!

Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover // I've been using this eye makeup remover as long as I've been wearing makeup. It's so great and can remove almost anything, and it's really gentle and doesn't irritate my eyes whatsoever.

Elf Eyebrow Kit in Medium // I do enjoy the Elf Eyebrow Kit and I've gone through a few of them, however I always run out of the tinted wax side way faster than I do the powder side, so the majority of the powder half of the product just gets thrown out. I've recently made the switch to Anastasia's Dipbrow Pomade so I don't think I'll be going back to Elf's brow kit any time soon again.

Elf Brow & Clear Mascara // I used to use this to set my brows but lately I've been using NYX's new brow gel and I much prefer it. This worked okay but it made my brows too crisp and crunchy.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder // I don't need to say much about this powder. Holy grail powder. I use it daily. I've already repurchased and have backups!

Beauty Secrets Acetone // It took me about a year and a half to get through this huge bottle of acetone nail polish remover and I have since repurchased! It works great and doesn't dry out my nails too much since it's the nourishing formula!

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer // I really enjoyed this concealer! Right now I'm using the Maybelline Fit Me concealer but I think this is one I'll definitely repurchase sometime!

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation // I really like this foundation! It's not super longwearing but it's really great for day-to-day wear. It has great coverage and a matte finish which I enjoy!

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation // Another holy grail product. I've used up a few bottles of this foundation over the past year or so and it's amazing! Has fantastic coverage, is long wearing, and has a nice natural matte finish on the skin. If you haven't tried this foundation yet you need to!

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser // This is a great primer for filling in any fine lines and pores. Lately I've been using a sample of Benefit's Porefessional primer and I have to say I'm preferring that one, but this Maybelline one is a good budget-friendly option!

Too Faced Shadow Insurance // It took me a good 1.5 years of using this eye shadow primer daily to use it up and I already have another. You need the absolute tiniest bit and it makes your eyeshadow last all day long without creasing!

Urban Decay Ink for Eyes Liquid Liner // This liquid liner pen was pretty good. It was super black and very long wearing. However, the felt tip on it wasn't my favourite so I don't think this will be a product I repurchase.

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara // I love this mascara. I've been using it for a couple of years now and I think it'll always be a favourite mascara for me!

Bath & Body Works Candles: Pumpkin Cupcake, Pumpkin Apple, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, Marshmallow Fireside // All of these candles smelled amazing! I've had them all since last fall but I burned them up this season and really enjoyed them all!

Well, that was quite a long post. I'll see you all tomorrow for another day of Blogmas!!

MAKE UP FOR EVER Beauty Kit

This is a set I picked up at Sephora on Black Friday and it was so gorgeous and such a great value that I thought I'd share it with you! It's still available on Sephora's website here as well.

This set includes:

- 0.16 oz HD Primer
- 0.035 oz HD Powder
- 0.018 oz Aqua Eyes in Matte Black
- 0.13 oz Smoky Extravagant Mascara in Black
- 0.018 oz Aqua lip color in Red
- Full size (0.12 oz) Rouge Artist Intense lip color in 43 Moulin Rouge

A full size Rouge Artist Intense lipstick costs $23 CAD, and this kit is only $31 CAD, so basically you're getting all the extra items for $8, such a steal! I only bought my first Make Up For Ever product about a week ago at IMATS (I got the HD foundation), so I'm glad I'm getting to try a bunch of their most well known products for such a great deal. This set would be such an amazing Christmas gift for any beauty-lover. It has some great essential products that can be used to create a glamourous holiday makeup look! I really can't wait to try the products in this kit. Let me know if you'd like me to do a review/first impressions on any or all of these products!

BLOGMAS! (+ Nail of the Day)

 

I've decided that I'm going to do Blogmas! Many YouTubers I watch are doing Vlogmas this year (vlogging every day leading up to Christmas), so I thought since I'm not a vlogger, I'll do that on my blog! I'm planning to post on my blog every day until Christmas!

Today I thought I'd start with the manicure I did today! I want to have Christmassy nails all month long, and I kicked off the month with a pretty festive manicure. I'm wearing OPI Coca Cola Red with OPI In True Stefani Fashion on top - just one coat of each! I'll likely be posting a new manicure about once a week this month so keep a eye out for those!

If you have any requests or suggestions of blog posts I should make this month, let me know in a comment below!