Updated Fall Looks

If you are on my blog you may have noticed a couple of things have changed a little bit! First, and the more obvious, is that I changed my blog design! I kept basically the same design I previously had but I changed it to be more autumnal colours. I also updated my little self portrait illustration to match my new hair colour! Yes, I dyed my hair purple. I used Vidal Sassoon London Lilac to dye it a couple of weeks ago and I am loving it. I'm a natural blonde, who went brunette, and then was a redhead for 4 years, so I decided to switch it up again!

I thought I'd make this little post to share my new blog design and show off my new hair colour! I've been terribly all over the place when it comes to making blog posts lately but I plan on making a schedule for myself to keep me more on-track in the coming weeks! I used a schedule in the first few months of this year and found it really helpful in keeping everything in order and planning what posts to make!

The Autumn Tag

A few weeks back, Lindsay of Have A Parade tagged me to do the Autumn Tag (which was created by Georgina)!

1.  Ok we're talking coffee's - what's your favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero etc?
I'm not a coffee drinker, but I do love that once fall comes around it's finally cool enough outside to start drinking hot chocolate again! I really enjoy getting a 1/2 Hot Chocolate 1/2 French Vanilla from Tim Hortons and later in the season, closer to winter, I love getting Peppermint Hot Chocolate from Starbucks! That drink to me is Christmas in a cup, but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself with that aren't I? I also love Nestle Coffee Crisp Hot Chocolate that I make at home - so yummy.

2.  Accessories - what do you opt for, scarf, boots, gloves?
For the past few years, each fall it seems I have a new obsession. Two years ago it was scarves, last year it was beanies, and I feel like this year it might be boots! I haven't bought any new pairs this year (yet) but everywhere I go I can't stop looking at all the cute fall ankle boots!! Last year I finally bought myself a pair of Dr. Martens boots and those will be my go-to footwear for this fall for sure!

3.  Music - what's your favourite music to listen to during Autumn?
I don't really switch up my music for the fall really. Just whatever new music comes out at the time! Right now I love Centuries by Fall Out Boy, Cecilia and the Satelitte by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, and Brighter Brightest's new EP, Arrow!

4.  Perfume - what's your favourite scent for this time of year? 
Last year for my birthday (which is October 19th), my parents got me Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume. I know it's a really spring/summer fragrance but it always reminds me of my birthday and the fall! So lately I've been wearing that again quite a bit!

5.  Candles - what scents will you be burning this season?
This year I've been attempting to put myself on a candle-buying ban since I've collected so many over the past couple of years and I've done quite well so far! So I'm currently working on finishing some of my fall candles I've collected. Right now I've been burning Pumpkin Apple and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin (both from Bath and Body Works) a lot!

6.  What do you love most about Autumn?
I love the cooler weather and being able to wear boots and jackets and scarves and sweaters. Summer is great but I really love getting to dress for fall. Also my birthday is October 19th so that's great too!

7.  Favourite makeup look? 
Light neutral eyes (the Urban Decay Naked Basics palettes are my go-to) with a cat-eye wing (as I always do) but with a deep lip colour! A few of my favourites are the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 107, MAC Rebel, and MAC Studded Kiss (which I bought last year but can't find!! It's breaking my heart).

8.  What are you looking forward to most in Autumn? 
I'm looking forward to the weather cooling off a bit more (we've still been getting quite a few warm days here in Ontario), my 21st birthday (of course), a couple of concerts I'll be seeing with friends, and going to Buffer Festival (which I'm working for this year as their graphic designer)!

Thanks so much again Lindsay for tagging me to do this!

The bloggers I tag are:
• Courtney at Cupcakes and Cateyes
• Rose at chatterboxrose
• Janine Maral
• Bailey at Beauty Munson
…and anyone else who wants to do it!

Urban Decay Naked2 Basics (Review + Swatches)

A couple of weeks ago Urban Decay released a new palette to their Naked range. They launched the Naked2 Basics! This palette contains 6 shades - 5 of which are matte, and 1 satin. The previous Naked Basics palette also included 5 mattes and 1 shimmery shade. The shades in the Naked2 Basics are cooler toned neutrals than the original and work beautifully with the cool-toned shadows in the Naked2 12-shade palette.

All 6 shades swatch and wear on the eyes beautifully. I do find the shades in this palette to be slightly powdery though so you definitely want to tap off your brush before applying them to your eyes. These shades can create gorgeous day-to-day neutral and natural eye looks, or something more smokey and deep.

Above I've compared the original Naked Basics palette with the new Naked2 Basics (the original is on the top and the Naked2 is on the bottom in the photos). There are some similar shades but no exact dupes. However, I find they still create quite similar looking makeup looks on the eyes. If you are a big fan of Urban Decay and/or matte neutral shades you might want to pick up both, but it is by no means necessary.

I'm a big fan of this new Naked2 Basics palette (as well as the original) and I enjoy using them each separately or together! They also both work wonderfully as some necessary matte neutrals when creating other looks with palettes that may not have some basic shades like these ones.

Do you have either of the Naked Basics palettes? Will you be buying the Naked2 Basics?

Garnier Fructis Colour Shield Review

A couple of weeks ago I received the Garnier Fructis Colour Shield box from Influenster. I've been using the products for a couple of weeks now and thought I'd share my thoughts with you!

I've been using only Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner for most of this year, but this was a line from them I hadn't previously tried. This year I've been using and enjoying the Triple Moisture range, as well as the Passion Splash range.

The Colour Shield shampoo and conditioner claim to keep hair "bold and brilliant, silky and soft". In using this shampoo and conditioner I haven't noticed my hair colour fading any less than it usually does when using other shampoos and conditioners. I dye my hair every 4-6 weeks and I started using these products about 1 week after refreshing my hair colour. It has now been about 3 weeks since I dyed my hair and the colour doesn't seem any more vibrant or dull than it typically does at this stage. While this shampoo and conditioner did make my hair feel soft and clean, I don't find it particularly fade-resisting.

The other product I received is the Colour Shield Shine & Care Spray. This product is something I've really enjoyed using. I shake this up and spray it all over my hair - focusing on the lengths, not so much the roots - after washing and towel-drying it. It helps make my hair shiny and healthy looking and I find it also helps to detangle my hair when brushing it out wet. Also, although there is oil in this product, it is very lightweight and doesn't weigh my hair down at all or make it feel greasy.

Overall I don't think I'll be repurchasing the shampoo and conditioner when I run out of them, but I do plan on continuing to use them until they're gone. They're not a bad shampoo or conditioner by any means, but I do prefer the Garnier Fructis Triple Moisture and Passion Splash shampoos and conditioners. For the Shine & Care Spray, I plan to continue to use it and will likely repurchase it!

Disclosure: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

August Favourites 2014

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Let's Get Naked // I picked up this lipstick in August and it has very quickly become my go-to nude lipstick. It's a perfect nude-pink that isn't too pale, too deep, or too nude (to where it looks like I put concealer on my lips). It is super comfortable and moisturizing on the lips too!

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Backstage Bambi // I love this lipstick. It's a matte bright, deep pink. It has a super matte finish, which also means it's quite dry on the lips, but it's comfortable enough that I can wear it for a whole day. It has great staying power as well!

Kat Von D Ink Liner in Trooper // Lately I've been trying a few different liquid liner pens from Sephora and I've really been enjoying this one so far! It's super black and has fantastic staying power. It has a nice felt tip that works great to create the perfect winged liner!

Julep Maddy // I got this polish in one of my recent Julep Maven boxes and it is gorgeous! It's a deep bright pink with subtle shimmer (the shimmer disappears once applied to the nails though). I wore this polish for about two weeks straight and it held up great with minimal chipping, and it only required one coat!!

OPI Incognito in Sausalito // This is a deep navy cream polish that's wonderful for the transition into fall. I'm really impatient for fall to get here so I wore this deep polish this month!

Lorac Pro Palette // I got this palette in July on my trip to the states and I can see why it's one of the most raved about palettes out there! All of the shades are so wonderfully soft and pigmented! I've loved using this palette so far!

Naked Flushed Palette in Streak // This has been my go-to cheek product this month! This palette contains a bronzer, blush, and highlight and I really love all 3 of them! It's so easy to only have to reach for 1 product to get beautifully contoured, highlighted, and blushed cheeks!

I hope you all had a great summer! What were your favourite products this past month?