Free Tech Wallpapers!

I will occasionally design myself a background to use on my phone or desktop, so I thought I would start sharing ones that I make here! These are all free to download and use for your phone or desktop. Comment with your favourite design, or pin it to Pinterest! If you end up using any of these, let me know! Also, leave any quote or design suggestions you have in a comment below and I might use it next time around! I might do these either seasonally or monthly, or just whenever the inspiration strikes!

 

Don't Quit Your Daydream - Download Phone Wallpaper / Download Desktop Wallpaper

  

Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do - Download Phone Wallpaper / Download Desktop Wallpaper

 

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost - Download Phone Wallpaper / Download Desktop Wallpaper 

What's In My Bag?

A few weeks ago my friend Courtney (of Cupcakes & Cateyes) tagged me to do a What's In My Bag post so I'm finally getting around to it! I've actually been meaning to do one of these for such a long time so I'm glad I'm doing it now! I always find it interesting to see what other people keep in their handbags, so hopefully this is somewhat interesting for you!

First off, let's talk about my bag! I got this handbag on ASOS a couple of years ago and it's been the bag I've used most often since then! I love the colour of it and the cute scalloped edge detail. It's also the perfect size, not too big and overwhelming, but still big enough to fit everything I need inside. It also has a nice long adjustable strap so I can wear it crossbody too! Since it is a couple of years old now it's no longer on the website, but there are some similar style bags here. Now, onto what I keep inside!

First is my new Kate Spade York Street Neda wallet. I ordered this online shortly after Christmas when there was a sale on the Kate Spade website and I am so in love with it. I've wanted a Kate Spade wallet for quite some time, so when I saw this on sale for such a great price I had to get it! It's originally $158 and on sale I got it for around $56 (plus shipping and duty fees). If you know me at all too you know how big of a fan I am of black and white stripes and gold accents, and this wallet has both! It also has so many pockets inside so it stays nice and organized and everything has a place.

One item that I can't imagine not having now is my Boostcase. This is a battery charging case for my iPhone and it holds an extra 150% battery. Whenever I know I'll be out all day without access to an outlet to plug in my phone charger, I make sure this is fully charged and put it in my bag. I have used it so many times and I love that it'll bring my dead phone right back up to 100% and then some when I need it! I also keep my iPhone 5s on me at all times of course, and right now I'm using a wooden and rose gold case I got on sale at Urban Outfitters (similar)!

A few daily essentials I like to keep on hand are an eos lip balm, Bath & Body Works PocketBac hand sanitizer, sunglasses (Forever 21, old), a pen (how cute is that lipstick pen from The Lip Bar?!), a pack of 5 gum, and a couple of band aids (because you never know when you or someone else might need one!). I also currently have a pair of gloves in my bag at all times since it's freezing cold out! These are the kind that allow you to use your touchscreen when wearing them too!

As far as beauty products, I try and keep that to a minimum. I don't really touch up my makeup during the day, besides my lip product and occasionally blotting when I get oily. I like to keep whatever lip product I'm wearing that day in my bag. On this particular day, I had 3 in my bag (which is still a quite low number of lip products for me to have in there if I'm being honest). I have the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Marvelous Mauve, MAC Faux Lipstick, and a mini size of Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lolita. All 3 of these are quite wearable shades! I usually keep MAC Faux in my bag at all times though since it is my go-to nude! I also keep a Revlon ColorStay Concealer, Maybelline Fit Me powder, and ELF Shine Eraser blotting papers for complexion touch-ups.

And that's everything I keep in my bag! I do switch from handbag to handbag fairly often and when I do I usually transfer most or all of these items. I've been thinking of doing a video or post on my handbag collection so if that's something you'd like to see let me know!

What essentials do you keep in your handbag?

Current Wishlist | H&M

Probably my favourite store to shop at is H&M. I'd say around 50% (or more) of my current wardrobe is from there! I love a lot of the items they sell there and I find them to be very reasonably priced. I thought today I'd share a few items that are currently on my H&M wishlist! I realize my picks are very monochromatic, but that's what I like!

Knitted jumper / Short-sleeved blouse / Textured jersey skirt

Short-sleeved dress / Waistcoat with a hood / Patterned scarf

Wool hat / Necklace with a pendant / Sunglasses

What are your favourite places to shop?

Snapshots | The Artist Project

Last Sunday, my friend Abby and I went to The Artist Project - a contemporary art fair - in Toronto. She was given 2 tickets by the studio she's currently interning at and she invited me to go along with her! I had never previously heard about The Artist Project but if it was a free ticket and something involving art in Toronto then I was definitely in. The show ended up being much larger and busier than I had anticipated, with 250 artists there sharing their work in booths set up throughout the building. I really enjoyed the show and I definitely plan on going again next year! Now I'll share with you some of my favourite works and artists of the show!

  I was really drawn to the intricate line work in James Smyyth's pieces. I particularly enjoyed this piece with an alien-looking pin up girl in a crowded city. I really like that he incorporated metallic gold with the flat black, white, and green palette.

 One of the booths I had the most fun viewing was the one of Paper Bag Beers. Their work was so unique compared to everything else at the show and had a really cool acidic colour scheme and some quirky pieces. Their booth was complete with a neon sign saying their name "Paper Bag Beers", as well as a "Scumland" banner.

 

This artists was possibly my favourite of the day - Andy Kittmer. I really loved his unique portraits. I loved his use of geometric and floral elements in his art.

 

One of the more fun booths Abby and I visited was Anna Church's booth. She had an amazing series of bison portraits portrayed as hipsters. She also had a project she was doing where you took a selfie with the hipster bison, and she printed the selfies out and will be using them for another artwork! I can't wait to see what she does with them and I'm glad that Abby and I got to be a part of it!

 Ramona Nordal had some really gorgeous portrait paintings. I loved her use of non-traditional colour palettes. The work on the right was one of a few paintings in the monochromatic palette with metallic gold stripes and a neon orange outline, and they really caught my eye!

 Another one of my favourite artists of the day was Kelly Grace. Her work was very vintage inspired and I absolutely loved these mini portraits she did of vintage-styled people doing their hair/makeup/etc.! I especially enjoyed the one to the right up there as I could relate to her winged liner ;)!

Those were just a few of the many amazingly talented artists whose work I got to see! Abby also did a post sharing some of her favourite artists and pieces from the day which you should go check out here!

Do you have any favourites from the pieces I showed above? What kind of art do you enjoy?

Portrait Illustration Commissions

I feel like there's a big part of me that I don't share too often on my blog, and that is that I'm a graphic designer and illustrator! I graduated from college last spring for Graphic Design and I've been freelancing since then. I'm currently trying to work my way up to being able to freelance as my full-time job! Right now my current favourite thing to do is create portrait illustrations! I've done some for some bloggers and YouTubers and I really enjoy making them! I made the illustration below of Essie Button and she very kindly shared it on her Instagram and Twitter, which helped give me a fair bit of exposure! I like including small illustrations of items relevant to the person surrounding them so you learn a little more about the person illustrated through the portrait.

I just thought I'd make a post about this since it is what I spend a fair amount of my time doing. If any of you are interested in having a portrait illustration done, or just want some design work done in general either for your blog or anything else, feel free to email me at laurenschroerdesign@gmail.com for a quote! You can also see more of my design work on my website! I'm thinking of doing a giveaway of some sort where the winner would win a custom portrait illustration by me, possibly when I hit a follower milestone! If that's something you'd be interested, let me know below!

Colourpop Haul + Review

I recently made an order from Colourpop and I thought I'd share what I picked up! I already own 2 of their Lippie Stix which I received as gifts, so I had to get a few more, especially at only $5 each! The shades I got (swatched L to R above) are Lumiere, Brink, Clique, and Heart On. Lumiere is a cool matte mauve shade. Brink is a warm taupe pink matte. Clique is a vivid orange red matte. Heart On is a bright matte magenta. In my order I also got a couple of their Super Shock Shadows since I've heard such great things about them. I got the shades Desert (a light warm brown with a satin finish) and La La (a rose gold shimmer). So far I love everything I got! The Lippie Stix are super pigmented and long wearing, and also quite comfortable for a matte lipstick. The Super Shock Shadows are nice and creamy and wear beautifully for 8+ hours. If you haven't checked out Colourpop by now I'd highly recommend you do!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie Recipe

Lately I've been really into making smoothies. They're so quick and easy to make and they're so tasty! Today I thought I'd share with you my current favourite smoothie recipe. It only takes a few ingredients and a couple of minutes to put together and it's absolutely delicious.

All you need for this smoothie is:

• 1 frozen banana (I freeze mine the night before, and I cut it into about 6 small pieces before freezing)
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (any brand is fine. you could even try almond butter, Nutella, or other spreads!)
• 1 cup of chocolate almond milk (you can add a little extra if you like the consistency to be less thick)

Then you just blend it together and serve! If you don't have time to freeze bananas you can use unfrozen ones and add a few ice cubes to make it cold and give it a thicker consistency, but I prefer just to use frozen bananas! You can also half this recipe for a snack, or make it this way for breakfast! This smoothie is so sweet and delicious, and will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!

What are your favourite kinds of smoothies to make? Any suggestions as to what I should try?

6 Pink Picks for Valentine's Day (All Under $15!)

Valentine's Day is just a few days away! I've never been a fan of the holiday, but it is a nice excuse to pamper yourself a little bit and have some treats! This year I thought I'd share a few of my favourite (and affordable) items that'll make you feel and look great this Valentine's Day.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub / Use this deliciously sweet lip scrub to make your lips super soft and free of any dry flakes. Follow up with a lip balm and your lips will have never felt smoother!

Sonia Kashuk Velvety Matte Lip Crayon in Candy Nude / This shade is anything but nude. It's a mid-toned pink with a matte finish, so it'll last all day long. If you're a fan of the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils but not a fan of the price tag on them, give these a try!

Julep Maddy Nail Polish / This is one of my favourite pink nail polishes. It's a beautiful raspberry magenta with a very subtle sheen to it. This polish also applies opaque in only 1 coat and lasts for days!

NYX Blush in Peach / I've been a fan of this blush for quite some time. It's a beautiful matte pinky-peach that gives the cheeks such a natural flush. NYX blushes are all fantastic, especially given the affordable price!

I Love... Strawberries & Cream Bubble Bath and Shower Creme / There's no time like Valentine's Day to treat yourself to a nice bubble bath! You can use this to enjoy a sweet smelling bath and be left with soft, smooth skin - which is especially nice in this dry winter weather.

Herbal Essences Cleansing Conditioner / This product has become a staple for me. It keeps my hair clean in between shampoos, and also leaves it soft and shiny. This also makes your hair smell amazing! I really enjoy that the bottle has a pump too!

What are your plans for this Valentine's Day?

New Year, New Hair!

After about a year of thinking about cutting my hair, I finally went ahead and did it a couple of weeks ago! I've been growing my hair out since I was in grade 4, so this haircut was a big deal to me. I'm so glad I got it done though because my hair is so much more manageable now! I got about 5-6 inches cut off my ends and kept it all one length but with some feathering done to the ends so it wasn't just cut straight across. My hair stylist did a fantastic job in giving me the exact cut I was after and I couldn't be more happy with it! Next time I get my hair cut I plan on getting even a few more inches cut off since I'm enjoying shorter hair so much!

Born Pretty Store Eyeshadow Palette | Review + Swatches

I recently got sent a couple of products from Born Pretty Store to try out and review. I have already reviewed one item here, and this is the second item! This is an eyeshadow palette that consists of 5 shimmery neutral eyeshadows. It has a shimmery white, shimmery yellow gold, shimmery rose gold, shimmery olive gold, and a shimmery charcoal. The swatches above were all done with no primer. These shadows swatch fairly nice and opaque but the formula isn't really smooth. It does take a bit of work to build the shadows up to their full potential, but considering this palette is only about $6, it's not too bad! My favourite shades are the 2nd and 3rd shadows, which would both look beautiful on the lids. This palette would be ideal to pair with something like the Urban Decay Naked Basics palettes to use some matte shadows along with the shimmery ones here! 

If you're wanting a few more shimmery neutral shadows to add to your collection without spending much money, I'd recommend checking this palette out! If you're interested in trying this palette or any other products from Born Pretty Store, you can get 10% off your order when you use the code TCH10.

*This item was sent to Lipstick & Lacquer for review purposes. All opinions reflect my honest thoughts of the product(s).*

MAC x Isabel and Ruben Toledo Collection | Haul + Swatches

This morning I awoke bright and early to head to MAC to check out the new MAC x Isabel and Ruben Toledo collection. Ever since the promo images appeared online for this collection, I was immediately drawn to the bold illustrated packaging and knew I wanted to add some items to my makeup collection! I ended up getting the Blush Ombré in Ripe Peach, as well as 3 lipsticks in the shades Barbecue, Oxblood, and Victoriana.

MAC really went all-out for the packaging for this collection. The lipstick boxes all had sleeves, and the unique illustrations were also featured on the boxes. The lipstick tubes have a matte feeling (similar to NARS packaging) which feels really nice but I'll have to be extra careful to keep them clean and white!

 

Here is the blush ombré in Ripe Peach swatched. From left to right: peach shade,  pink shade, both swirled together, both swirled together and blended out. I'm so excited to have this gorgeous blush in my collection!

These are the lipsticks I got! From left to right there is Barbecue (matte vivid orange red), Victoriana (matte midtone pink red), and Oxblood (matte light peachy nude). All of the lipstick shades from this collection are gorgeous and it was hard to just pick 3! I tried to choose shades that would be unique in my collection, and I'm thrilled with my picks!

Will you be getting anything from the MAC x Toledo collection? What are your top picks?

Essie Maximillian Strasse-Her | Nail of the Day

After seeing this polish in countless Lily Pebbles videos and vlogs, I knew I had to buy it. Every time I saw Lily wearing it in a video my eyes were drawn to the shade and it seemed like something right up my alley! This is Essie Maximillian Strasse-Her. I found it at Trade Secrets and it was 40% off at the time too! I've been wearing this polish for a few days now and it has yet to chip, and just has a slight amount of tip wear. I am so impressed with this polish and I feel like it'll be a new go-to for me! It's right between a pale green and a gray, which makes it perfect for everyday wear!

A Stationery Haul

Yesterday I spent the day in Toronto with my friend Abby and I picked up some cute things I thought I'd share! I had a top I had to return to Urban Outfitters so I used my store credit to pick up a couple of items! First, I got this gorgeous wood and rose gold phone case, which was reduced from $69 to only $9.99! I also picked up a new pair of sunglasses. I have a couple of pairs of sunglasses in this shape, but these ones have a faux leather snakeskin-like texture on the arms of the glasses which make them unique to my collection! Last I got a gorgeous nail polish in the shade "Champagne Toast", which is a white and gold glitter polish, and it was reduced to $0.99! Abby and I also took some fun pictures in the photobooth in the store!

We also went to one of my absolute favourite shops, The Paper Place, on Queen West in Toronto. It's stationery heaven in there. I've had my eye on this floral garland by Rifle Paper Co. for a while, and I knew they stocked it there, so as soon as I saw it in the shop I put it in my basket. I also got some gold photo corners which will be perfect little accents for photos I put in my scrapbook I'm working on this year! I also got a little desk calendar which was on clearance for 75% off so it cost me just under $4! The last little bit to this haul is a set of buttons I got at the TBC Flea which was a little flea market held at TBC Vegan Bakery yesterday as well. The buttons say "I Love Chips" and "I Hate Sports" which perfectly sum me up, and they were especially fitting as it was Super Bowl Sunday!

Naked On The Run | Review + Swatches

I have a new addition to my Urban Decay Naked collection, the new Urban Decay Naked On The Run palette! This is an all-in-one palette that includes 6 new eye shadows (Dive, Fix, Resist, Dare, Stun, 5050), a blush, a bronzer, their Perversion mascara, a 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Stag, and a full-size Naked Ultra Nourishing Gloss in Sesso. 

The eyeshadows all swatch and apply beautifully with the smooth texture and great pigmentation that I've come to know and love with Urban Decay shadows. The blush is a really nice cool-toned pink and quite different from many other blushes in my collection. The bronzer is a tad orange for me but if used lightly I can make it work. I like that they included a black-brown eyeliner in this palette rather than a black, because most makeup lovers have too many black eyeliner pencils in their collections already, and the brown compliments the neutral shades in this palette. The Perversion mascara is a super black formula which lengthens and provides good volume to the lashes. I don't think it's a mascara I'll buy a full-size of since I have other favourites, but it is a good mascara that I will use up. The lip gloss is a nice neutral peach that would work on any skintone. I'm not a lip gloss person at all, but for times I would wear a gloss this is a shade I'd go for.

This set would be great to travel with, as it was intended for, since many of the steps in a makeup routine would be covered by the products provided! If you're in the market for some neutral products, or want to try more from Urban Decay's product line, this palette would be a great thing to pick up!