Top Essie Summer Polishes

I recently had to hide my favorite blood-red nail polish in a drawer to keep myself from using it weekly seeing as how people were starting to comment on how "it's not winter, Jessie, give it up".  Not that I'm concerned with what other people think but I did think it was time to switch over to some lighter shades...temporarily.

Clockwise from top left, I have Essie's Mint Candy Apple, a favorite that I've had for years; it's that perfect "Tiffany Blue" and can really emphasize a tan (if you're lucky enough to have one).  Essie's Topless and Barefoot is great for making your phalanges appear longer; it's definitely my "Duchess Kate" polish, everyone has one, right?

The gorgeous peachy-pink is Essie's Van D'Go; this one takes a little more effort for an even application but once you've got it on, it's the perfect summer pink.  Not to mention it looks amazing as a pedicure pick.  Essie's Peach Daiquiri is definitely a brighter one; it's somewhere between a hot pink and a raspberry red.  This one is a great bright polish for those of you who like me, can't wear colours with a yellow undertone such as orange-y reds.  Last is a year-long favorite, Essie's Lilacism; this pastel periwinkle is just adorable in my opinion.  Sometimes I'll even do Lilacism with Van D'Go or Mint Candy Apple on my ring fingers.  Sign me up for the next My Little Pony convention...just kidding, interesting bunch those "My Little Pony People"...very interesting.

What are your favorite nail colours for summer?  Let me know in the comments!

xo

P.S. Summer is officially halfway over-ish.  Rejoice.

50 Facts About Me | Video

I decided to make a new video yesterday and thought that the "50 Facts About Me" would be a good one to do seeing as how blogging only reveals so much about a person.

I really want to start making more videos so don't forget to subscribe to my channel and stay tuned for some more beauty related posts coming within the next week!

Enjoy and talk soon! xo

Contouring Fair Skin

ATTENTION PALE GIRLS: Are you tired of gazing upon the masterfully sculpted cheekbones of supermodels?  Sick of watching Youtube videos with girls who can actually contour with bronzer??  Look no further...

As a first line player for the Alabaster Angels, I've been searching for quite some time for a shade I could contour my cheeks and temples with that didn't make it look as if I'd rolled around in the mud.  Darker foundation powders were always much too warm and don't even get me started on sparkly, orange bronzers...

Allow me to introduce you to the MAC Pro Palette Blush in Taupe.  Yes, unfortunately, this shade is only available for Pro Palettes; however, if you've already got a palette or if you buy a decent amount of MAC products, this is spot on for you.  Unlike many of the products used to sculpt out cheekbones and foreheads, this one is not too warm yet not too cool toned.  It has taken a spot in my every-day makeup routine and even if I'm in a mad hurry, I still find the time to throw some on.

Like any other contour powder, I apply a little to the hollows of my cheek bones, making sure not to blend it past the corner of my eye.  I then apply some to my temples and up onto the sides and top of my forehead and then lastly, I apply a small amount to my jawline.

Although it doesn't look like much in the photo, it's just enough to keep my face from looking like a beach ball and I'm not sure how I went so long without it.  Not to mention, I also use it in my lid crease to define my eyes.

For the rest of my face I used: Nars SheerGlow Foundation in 01 Siberia mixed with L'Oreal True Match in N1; A little MAC Mystery in my brows; MAC Soft Brown and Taupe Contour Blush on my Lids; Maybelline Pumped Up Colossal Mascara in Black; Milani Blush in Dolce Pink; Tanya Burr's Lipgloss in Afternoon Tea.

What products do you use to contour?

J xo.

Canada Day

Happy Belated Canada Day to all my fellow Canuck readers!

This year, July 1st also marked the day I wore shorts for the first time *collective audience gasp*.

I hated them just as much as I remember, from peeling my thighs off a bus seat to constantly pulling them down to cover that fabulous "under-butt" we all love so much.

Now that it is July, I fear I will have to succumb to wearing shorts again in the near future.  The countdown to pumpkin spice lattes is now on...

On a less melancholy note, Tristan and I had a relaxing Canada Day, we headed out for drinks and then downtown to catch a glimpse of the festivities before realizing we were too tired to sit around and wait for the fireworks.  Not to mention we hate crowds.

People were crowding the fireworks-watching area hours before they even began.  As modernly obscure as it may be, I quite like Vancouver's "Big Blue Drop".

The man behind a lot of my photos :D

The Olympic torch was lit last night!  Look at those beautiful stormy skies..

This is how my henna turned out and I absolutely love it!

Gelato down by the marina

Food carts and fairy lights..

I hope you all had a great holiday and to my American readers, your turn is coming!

xo

Sunday Photo Diary #2: Mimosas and Henna

I had an amazing day on Sunday with some family and friends; it was the perfect one-day "break" I needed from everything.

We started our day at Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House for brunch where I may have indulged in an Atlantic Lobster Eggs Benny supplemented by more than one mimosa.  Our charismatically awkward waiter saw me taking pictures of the food and brought me a second Mimosa for being "one of those foodie bloggers".  I just went with it and needless to say I was happy go-lucky by the time we left.  

 Due to cloudy weather (or as I call it, perfect weather), I finally got to wear my new Project Social T LA crew-neck sweatshirt from Topshop; arguably, the softest sweatshirt I'll ever wear.

After this we took a trip to the Lower Mainland's "Little India" to have some henna done.  We were all first-timers and overall, pretty impressed!

This was my finished henna before I flaked it off.  Body heat helps deepen the color and unfortunately, I was freezing all afternoon so some parts weren't as dark as I'd have liked but the girl who did it for us was nice enough to give me some henna cones to take home so I'll be experimenting with those!

I loved the way having something on that part of my arms looked, which gets me thinking to some more permanent additions... ;)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend xo

DIY: Coffee Body Scrub

Coffee scrubs have been making appearances on several beauty blogs, particularly the "Frank" brand coffee scrubs that come in the adorable, minimalist brown packaging.  I was intrigued after watching Karissa Pukas' Skincare Routine Video, where she uses the Frank coffee scrub as pre-tan exfoliator.  After visiting the website, I realized how friggen' pricey it was for a bag of compost-worthy coffee grounds.  

Funny thing was, after reading the ingredients list I thought to myself: "I have most of these things in my cupboard for peet's sake".  Although I improvised a little with the measurements, I was surprisingly impressed with the results.

I used about 4 tablespoons worth of coffee grounds (the amount needed to make a 2-cup cup of coffee), 1 teaspoon of coconut oil, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

You can also get creative and add some cocoa and lavender oil, but I decided to keep it simple.  

As far as directions go, it's a body scrub...you scrub your body with it.  However, I do have several tips.  Before you even head to the shower, grab a cloth and some grease-fighting dish soap.  Because of the oils, the floor of your shower or bathtub will get very slippery and the coffee grounds are going to make a huge mess.  After I've scrubbed my body, I like to give the shower a quick wipe down so that the next person who gets in doesn't slip and break their neck.  So unless you've got a personal vendetta against your roommate, clean up after yourself.  I apply this scrub to dry skin but I do so standing in the shower/bath tub.  As I said, this stuff gets messy.

I scrub my whole body but I omit my face, making sure to take my time especially in dry areas such as my elbows and my knees, allowing the oils to sink in and work their moisturizing magic.  I wash my body with a nice soap and a lufa afterward to remove most of the oily residue and I finish up by slathering on a nice, thick moisturizer or body butter.

I would suggest doing this before you shave or apply self-tanner.  I've used this several times now and it leaves my skin incredibly soft; I actually prefer it over the other scrubs in my bathroom.

Let me know if you give this a try and what you think!  

Stay smooth, ladies.

xo, J.

The Nude Pastel Nail

New jobs: great for income, bad for blogging.  My latest bout of blogging absence has been due to my new job, which so far, has also resulted in a lot of late nights and mediocre outfit choices.  Recently, my health has also had it's ups and downs with one malady leading to another.  Long story short, the only beauty aspect I've managed to maintain for more than a few hours has been my nails.  

I recently made a quick stop at Sephora and was desperate to try their Formula X nail polishes I've heard so much raving about.  As I didn't own any, I decided to start with a beautiful basic color that could carry me through the entire year.  I chose the Sephora Formula X Polish in Thrilling, a lovely cashmere shade that is part of their new range of Nude Pastels.

This. Color. Is. Lovely.  Not to mention, my hands take quite a beating at work and these nails survived well over a week with no more than one chip on each hand.  The application was smooth, opaque and I didn't struggle with streakiness whatsoever.  To boost the staying power and add shine, I used my holy grail Essie Good to Go topcoat.

Thrilling is perfect for giving your nails a break from louder, summer shades.  Not to mention the nude color makes your fingers appear longer.  This is the perfect sophisticated polish and I'll be wearing this through Summer, Fall and next Winter.  Perhaps I'll even add a hint of silver glitter...

What do you think?

xo J.