Sunday Afternoon

In my opinion, there is nothing better than having a Sunday off.  For me, Sundays are a reset day; a day where you can stop thinking about the week you had and prepare your mind and spirit for the week ahead.  Sundays are for yummy snacks, hot baths, face masks, at-home manicures, Sunday night TV and comfy pants.  My Sunday started with a delicious brunch, followed by a stop at my favorite macaron cafe.  We then took our usual detour to Chapters and then straight home to the above-mentioned therapeutics.

Days like yesterday serve as a reminder that one day, if I'm lucky enough, I'll have Sundays off.  Today, I'm taking some extended "me-time" to stick my nose in my book, sip my delicious yet over-priced coffee and partake in some kitty snuggles.  Maybe I'll even get around to doing some at-home yoga, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

IMATS Haul

Despite the fact that IMATS is geared toward makeup artists who have kits filled with oodles of goodies, I still managed to find a few items I'm really excited about.  Mind you, I was one of the only ones not buying in bulk, and by bulk I mean some chicks had storage containers as shopping baskets...

I started at the Morphe Brushes counter and picked up their Eyebrow Brush M215, their Crease Blending Brush M441, their Face Buffing Brush M439 and their Contour Brush MB30.

I'd never heard of Morphe Brushes before but when I gave them a little feel-up at the counter, I was surprised at the quality.  The buffing brush looks similar to the Zoeva one I've been perusing online and the contour brush reminded me of the gorgeous Nars one everyone goes broke for.  Lets hope these brushes hold up!

While we're on brushes, I may have made a pesky litte stop at the Hakuhodo stand, where I know the brushes are of unreal quality.  They're Japanese and use real hair to give the softest and most flawless blend.  I picked up the Crease Blending Brush made with blue squirrel hair.  This brush may be made from poor little Bucky's fluffy tail but it it by far the softest brush I've ever felt.  Perfect for that quick and even sweep of brown through the crease to give your eyes some definition.

Onto lashes, I lunged at the Red Cherry #43s because they were dirt cheap and splurged on a set of Velour Lashes in Complete Me.  Velour lashes are made with real mink (I know this isn't exactly the most animal-conscious haul), but if taken proper care of, these lashes can be worn up to 25-30 times.  I'll admit they were pricey but these wispy little things will carry me through an upcoming wedding and many a night out.

After leaving IMATS, my craving for actual makeup wasn't satisfied so I made a stop at Sephora and let me tell ya, I wasn't alone.  Half the girls there had IMATS bags slung over their arms and didn't look the slightest bit guilty.

I've already gone through 2 of the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper but recently, I hadn't wanted to splurge on it.  I went for a drugstore liquid liner instead and the last time I was that irritable was when I gave up dairy and carbs.  I've now accepted it as something that needs to be in my makeup bag because it is by far the best liquid liner pen out there.

On my way to pay, I passed by the Nars counter and my eyes were drawn to this blush (isn't that always the way...).

It's the Nars Blush in Amour and it gives the most natural looking flush of color.  I swear by Nars blushes and this will be that perfect Snow White color for me in the winter months.

I don't think I did too bad, what do you think?

Let me know if you've tried any of these and your thoughts, I love hearing from you!

xo.

Sunday Photo Diary: IMATS 2014

This weekend, it was Vancouver's turn to host the IMATS convention.  For those of you who've never heard of IMATS, it stands for International Makeup Artist Trade Show; it's full of brands you can't find in stores and talks are given regarding careers in makeup.  This year was my first time going and I had a great time, not to mention some of the bargains I got.

I decided to take my camera with me and took quite a few pictures...

My face of the day consisted of a mix between Nars Sheer Glow in Siberia, L'Oreal True Match in N1, MAC Blush in Taupe, MAC Eyeshadows in Soft Brown and Cork, Nars Blush in Seduction, L'Oreal Lineur Intense, Maybelline Pumped Up Mascara and Almay One Coat Triple Effect Mascara (lower lashes).

Jo Malone London's Red Roses Cologne is the latest addition to my perfume collection.  The scent is so realistic, spritzing it is akin to walking into a fresh flower shop.  It's my new everyday scent!

For nails, I went with Essie's Go Ginza, the perfect lilac to give my outfit that mod look.

An easy-breezy outfit to make it through the heat wave; Top: Topshop; Skirt: American Apparel; Sunnies: Raybans; Tote Bag: Ted Baker.

Speaking of the Ted Baker Tote Bag, this is my first time featuring it on the blog!  I adore the look of this bag, not to mention the inside is lined with french bulldogs wearing pink bows...

The rose gold hardware is gorgeous and it holds a ton of stuff.  It's a little heavy for every day use but I'll be carrying it as long as my arm can hold out.

I stopped by a great little cafe for some breakfast, because let's face it, no one has time to eat while applying makeup.

On to IMATS!  There were some intense competitions going on with makeup artists who actually know what they're doing.

I may or may not have stopped to make a purchase at the Hakuhodo brush stand...

So many gorgeous brushes to choose from!

The Make Up Forever stand was awesome but let me tell ya, it looked like a watering hole on the African savanna.  Much like the mall scene in Mean Girls, it was savage.

Here are a couple of the things I threw in my bag for yesterday: a classic book to read anywhere and a sweater (yes, a sweater) in case the convention was a little chilly.

An afternoon snack that consisted of a perfect London Fog and the most amazing chocolate bar I've ever had.  As you can tell, my cravings are probably similar to Marie Antoinette's.

Outside the chocolate cafe, this woman was playing a public piano.  Her clothes happened to match it perfectly and she played it beautifully.  Unfortunately, I was the only person around.

I had an amazing day!  I'll be making a whole post this week with all the beauty purchases I made so keep your eyes peeled for that or go follow me on Instagram for notice.

Hope you're all having a good week so far!

xo.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick in Desirable

Ok, I'll admit it; the name of this lipstick is absolutely ridiculous.  I know because I've been asked a lot by women what lipstick I've been wearing (and because I had to go find the box to write the post title). Similarly to my last post, this purchase was inspired by another beauty blogger, in this case, Suzie from Hello October.  

Finding that perfect "pinky-nude" lipstick was difficult because of my skin's red undertones, not to mention my practically translucent skin tone.  Most nude lipsticks make me look washed out and well, corpse-y.  This is that lipstick that I can throw on without a mirror.  It's incredibly creamy, lasts for hours and tops off any makeup look.

Oh, and did I mention the case is magnetic?!  Yes, the cap is magnetized, so there's no chance of finding this lipstick at the bottom of your purse, cap-less and covered in dirt or leftover cracker crumbs. The future is now.

I promise that the painful price tag is worth the splurge and I'll definitely be saving my pennies for one of the more vampy shades for fall and winter.  Stay tuned...

What do you guys think?

Happy friday!

xo

The Single Product Smoky Eye

After watching Tati from GlamLife Guru's video on the new Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather Cream Eyeshadows, I thought to myself: "If she's impressed, I'll be impressed".  I picked up the shade Chocolate Suede because realistically, it's the only one I would wear on a daily basis and let me tell ya, I've been wearing it on a daily basis.  

Although it looks slightly metallic in the pot, it goes on matte and surprisingly, it blends well, like really well.  Not to mention the staying power; unlike the rest of my makeup, these cream eyeshadows don't crease, move or fade during an 8-hour shift, which is something I'd expect from a product that was 3x the price.

I love throwing it on when I'm in a hurry but need something on my lids.  I apply it with my ring finger and then spend a couple minutes blending out the edges with my Real Techniques DuoFiber Eye Brush.  After blending it out on my upper lid, Ill take what's leftover on my brush and run it under the outer part of the lower lid to even things out.  Remember kids, a properly blended eye look takes time, even if it's only one product.  On a Friday night, I'll apply a second coat on the outsides of my lids to deepen the color and add a little definition.

Often times I find that when I use several colours to do a smoky eye look, they disappear and it just looks messy.  With this, I feel put together and a little 'Keira Knightley-ish' if I do say so myself.  Fun fact: I've gotten several compliments on my eyes when I've worn this, which never happens.

Long story short: Affordable drugstore product with high-end results.  Two thumbs up from the girl late for work.

a day off

Not only did both T and I have a day off yesterday, but I also had a spontaneous motivation to blog, which you would know is rare if you've been visiting my page lately.

Unhappy thoughts and a busy schedule sure do stamp out motivation quickly...

We decided to visit Granville Island, which is technically, a tiny island filled with markets and quaint shops that sell the most interesting things.  From handmade leather-bound books to the freshest fruits and seafood, you can find all sorts of gems at Granville Island.  

Food-wise, we shared the coziest homemade chicken pot pie, followed by unreal donuts and cinnamon sugar donut holes.  Not to mention the freshly brewed White Tea Lemonade, the perfect refreshment on a scorching day by the water.

Hope your week is off to as good a start as mine!

xo

Top: H&M

Shorts: JustFab

Nails: Kiko #226

Bag: Longchamp

Sunglasses: Rayban

Shoes: Converse

Hair: Lazy-ass Pineapple Head.