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.

Haul // Topshop & American Apparel

Hey readers!

I thought I'd share with you guys the few things I've gotten from Topshop recently as well as my one purchase from American Apparel.

Because of my intense dislike for hot weather, my purchases are mostly hybrid pieces that can be worn in either winter or spring when paired with the right layers.

On another note, sometimes I shop in the Men's section at Topshop.  I'm not the type of person to draw a line between clothes "meant" for women and clothes "meant" for men.  I also have a strong obsession with anything plaid and for years I've been searching for the perfect red plaid shirt.  The ones in the women's section are always "boyfriend fit" and fit me like a tent, not flattering.

I was stopped in my tracks in the men's section of Topshop when I laid my eyes on the most beautiful red plaid shirt I've ever seen.  Red with a hint of green and yellow, fits all my "personal plaid requirements" and guess what?  It was slim fit and incredibly flattering.  My brother picked up the same one...

In the warmer months, I tend to bring plaid shirts out in the evenings instead of cardigans and/or tie them around my waist.  The toque is also from the men's section and I just loved the color.

T-shirt, toque (men's), socks and crop top all from Topshop.  This post does nothing but solidify my love for basics.  Also, this is the softest t-shirt I've ever worn.

Plaid shirt (men's), hat and shoes all from Topshop as well.  See what I mean?? Perfect...

WARNING: DO NOT break these shoes in on a day you'll be walking around for hours.  They're adorable but my feet are still paying the price.

I grabbed this phone case on my way to the register; my relationship with "pre-cash" goodies is a love/hate type of deal.

This top was from American Apparel and it too is a contender for the softest shirt I've ever worn.  It's a 'one-size fits all' and though it looks like a crop top, it doesn't show any of my stomach and the sleeves are super baggy.  I'll be wearing this all year, guaranteed.

I also snapped a few pictures of some of these puppies in action.

Coat: Zara

Bag: Coccinelle, Italy

Ring: Pandora

Jeggings: American Eagle

Lips: Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in San Paolo

Thanks for reading!  Send me links to your spring hauls, I'd love to see them.

My next post will be a little different ;)

xo/

Delicate Necklaces from Brandy Melville

A while back I decided to pop into Brandy Melville to kill some time and stumbled across the accessory section.  I don't usually go in, mostly because I'm not a massive fan of crop tops and shorts where your butt hangs out.

I don't normally purchase pendants either but these two caught my eye immediately.  I love their simplicity and I also have a thing for crescent moons, can you tell?

I usually pair mine with a plain sweater and black jeans, which is my everyday outfit.  The only shame is that they didn't have them in silver.  My skin tone suits silver much better than it does gold, but I was willing to look the other way this once.

What do you think?

xo.

January Haul

Hi everyone!

As I mentioned in my last post, I've collected quite a few new additions during the month of January.  I haven't had any of them long enough to make a 'January Favorites' post but I figured I'd throw them together into a small haul.
Some of these were things that I'd been lusting after for quite some time and others were nice surprises. Hopefully I'll get the chance to do face-of-the-day posts with some of them because so far I've been absolutely loving everything!  Go get a cup of tea though, this is gonna be a long one.

Despite the fact that I have a beauty product problem, I have never owned a foundation that wasn't from the drugstore.  Actually, I hadn't even used foundation up until about a year and a half ago.  I didn't mind the foundations from the drugstore but I'm so freakin' pale that they never quite seemed to match my skin tone.  They were usually too pinkish and most of the time, even the lightest shades available were too dark.  After watching my favorite beauty gurus it dawned on me that many of them also sport a banshee-esque pallor.  I decided to bite the bullet and splurge on the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in the color (you guessed it) Siberia.  

Now I don't need too much coverage but my one concern was that it would enhance my pink undertones rather than conceal them.  After the girl matched it to my skin, I took one look in the mirror and thought "Wow, my pale skin actually looks kinda...pretty", which is something I never thought I'd be O.K. with.  The slight yellow-hue cancels out my redness completely and gives me an all-over glow as the name would suggest.

This foundation is best applied using your fingers to warm-up the product and spread it easily onto the skin.  The Verdict?  I don't know if I'll ever go back to drugstore.  Well O.K., I might go back to drugstore, but I'd feel knots in my stomach cheating on this bad boy.

I never thought I'd purchase makeup from the Body Shop, but after killing time in their small cosmetics section over the holidays I realized that some of their products are pretty great.
I picked up their All-In-One Cheek Colour in the color Bubblegum, which swatches beautifully and can be built up or applied more sheer (bonus for all you other pale girls).  It's a gorgeous, babydoll pink, perfect for spring.
I also checked out their eyeshadows which are so finely-milled that they feel like butter and blend better than some I've sampled from the high-end brands.  I picked up the shade Oh, Honey which has just the right amount of shimmer in it for that eye-brightening, no-makeup look.  I'd wear this as a brow highlight or on it's own as a all-over lid colour.
P.S. They've got a 'buy one get one 50% off'/'buy two get one free' deal going on, I suggest you move your butt and get on that.

I'm not usually one to ask for take-home samples, I either like something or I don't.  When it comes to the GlamGlow Supermud Mask however, I'm ashamed to say that I returned several times before special occasions to grab a sample with enough to cover my problem areas.  This mask is crazy pricey but I'm siding with the majority of people who have tried this when I say that it is worth the hype.
I've got dry skin with clogged pores and most masks that suck all the crap out are way too harsh for my skin.  This one however, uses the magic of "insert long-ass ingredient list here" to vacuum out all the evil skin trolls that clog up your pores.  Even better, the mask dries to a light grey but the "skin baddies" remain dark grey...so you get to see them.  When the awful day comes I will be scraping this pot dry.

If I do a haul there's a 99% chance I went to Victoria's Secret.  Long story short, their makeup bags were 75% off.  Need I say more?

As much as I tried to convince myself that I didn't want to spend this much on soap, I smelled them again and spent a lot of money on soap.

It makes for sexy-scentsy shower time.

One thing I love about the Victoria's Secret PINK line is that they make clothes that are crazy comfy yet acceptable to wear outside the confines of your cave.  This crewneck is perfect to wear with the "every day tights and boots" uniform.

I wore this for several days straight before someone brought it up.

The last item is a sneak peek at something that I received for my birthday.  I thought it a little much to dedicate a post to a birthday present but this is special.  Rather than giving it all away up front, I figured I'd slip it into an outfit post, so stay tuned for that!

My fingers are out of breath.  After this it has now occurred to me that this could have been broken up into several posts.  

Maybe I'll do a makeup look with the some of the products I purchased?  Would anyone be interested?

If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading!!

I'll be posting again shortly!

xo, J :)