Violet sunday!

I'm all about nail polish lately. And since winter is right around the corner (trust me, in Eastern Canada, it is!), I've been really liking darker shades, on rather short nails. Having long nails isn't really an option with my merchandising job, which requires a lot of various item manipulations.

So, yesterday I tried a Revlon nail polish that I purchased earlier this week (3$ on sale at ShoppersDrugMart).  Here's what it looks like :

 What is it?? Revlon Nail Enamel in No Shrinking Violet (#790)

This color is a gorgeous, metallic deep purple, perfect for fall and winter My heart swang between this one and the color Steel Her Heart, which is a gunmetal grey (metallic as well), but I didn't think that the grey would suit me as nicely. As much as I love grey, I'm sad to say that I can't pull it off all that well... Except as an eyeshadow, weird huh? Anyways.

The application is super easy, as it is very rich and pigmented. I applied two coats, but a thick one could have been enough. I just feel that, in general, two thin coats dry quicker, and give a more opaque and clean finish. That being said, any nail polish that takes more than two coats isn't worth my time! Overall, No Shrinking Violet is a fantastic find! I can already tell that it is going to be one of my favorites this season!

As a base, I used :

Sally Hansen Age Correct Strength 

Dry + brittle nail care

I really, really like this product. My nails tend to break and peel a lot, mostly at work, and this nail care is truly helping. It does protect my nails and makes them hard and really shiny when used alone. It also makes them look healthier and whiter, as the product itself isn't totally clear. Since it does such a nice job as a treatment, I use it as a base so that it keeps preventing any damage.

And as a top coat, I used  :

Revlon Multi Care Base + Top Coat (#965)

I've only used this as a top coat so far. It makes my nail polish look really shiny and it helps it stay longer. It pretty much does what it has to do... I can go for days before I notice any chipping. Unfortunately, I had to do some dish washing today, so it did go off a little bit (I use really hot water, btw), but nothing outrageous. You just have to be careful when using this, because the brush can pick up some of your polish color. The trick is to just apply it in light strokes and not press it onto your nail!

New products! Pictures & reviews! ;)

Well, hello!!

I am so excited, because October is coming soon... and October means Halloween!! Oh yes, I'm already thinking about it! I become a total child when it comes to costumes and anything Halloween related. And this year, we are hosting the Halloween party... So I've already started planning it! It is so hard to pick a costume... I do have quite a few ideas... I'd love to be a character that would test out my makeup skills... On the other hand, I need an outfit that wouldn't require too much work, as I'm not too much as a talented sewer. I might just buy a costume and modify it to my liking, which means I need to start haunting for it now. What are you girls going to be for Halloween???


On a different note, here are the products I mentionned in my last post!!

Revlon Super Lustrous Creme Lipstick - Pink in the Afternoon

My favorite lipstick of the moment! A gorgeous light pink, with the tiny hint of coral. It looks very natural, and has a super creamy finish. However, I recommend using a lot of lip balm before applying it if you have dry lips like I do! Otherwise it just sinks into the lines and makes my lips look horrible... But it has become my (almost) every day lipstick!



Annabelle Mono Eyeshadow -  Revolver (limited edition)

When I saw this color at the store, I just had to have it. I was in awe. Revolver is a shimmery, purple-ish grey eyeshadow. It did look darker under neon lights though, but with a base and enough layers, it just makes the prettiest smoky eye. I simply drool every time I apply it... it's just to die for!! I also use this to set my eyeliner, it's a lot more original than the usual black. I just fell in love with this eyeshadow... the pigmentation is good, but I do use a base underneath to make it last all day.  And it looks amazing on my brown eyes. The picture doesn't do it any justice... the lighting at my place is very bad. Which is also why I can't take decent pictures of swatches this late at night.

Along with this shade, I got three other limited edition products by Annabelle, from their fall collection :

Clockwise, starting from the upper left corner :

Rainforest (shimmery green), Revolver, Tutu (matte bright pink), Acid Reflex (shimmery yellow-ish green)

I haven't tried the green ones yet... but the pink one is just wow! Very pigmented and makes my eyes pop!

Other recent purchases :

N.Y.C. Ultra Moist Lip Wear - Wild Orchid

A cool toned lipstick that really impressed me! It has a mauve/pink color with a sexy golden shimmer!

NYX eyeshadow - Nude

"Nude" is the perfect name for it... it doesn't really show up on my skin, it is much lighter that I thought it would be... It is very soft though, and makes a nice highlight.

I do believe that's enough for tonight! I might start posting monthly faves...

Have a nice evening! ~

I'm alive!

Alright! I've been away for quite a while... Blame it on work, work and work. Ugh....

So what's been going on in my secret super extra girly life?!

The haul I was so looking forward to finally happened, and I've found my favorite eyeshadow ever. I also found a new (new to me, that is) lipstick that I'm totally in love with. It's nothing crazy or flashy but it amazes me every time I look at it. More details and pictures later this week! ;)

I'm also thinking about getting the Hillary Duff fragrance, With Love...? Not too sure though. Woody, oriental fragrances are my signature. But I'm very picky when it comes to perfume... The choosing process is so important to me, it is an extension to my personnality, kind of like giving a scent to my spirit... I can't understand how some people can wear so many different fragrances... But to which his own, right? I'll let you guys know when I make up my mind!

Well that's that for now, cupcakes... I'll post some reviews and swatches real soon!

Tag : Getting to know you!

So I just finished my workout [I'm trying to tone my muscles and just overall be in better shape because even though I'm tiny I'm such a terrible couch potatoe...  and it's so, so hard for me to stick to a routine!], and I found this cute tag... It's not beauty related, but I thought it would be fun to do so here I go...

(my answers are in no particular order!)

Things I’m passionate about :

Writing
The man I gnaw on ♥

Cats

The ones I love

Beauty in all forms

My job
Arts
Cooking

Things I’d like to do before I die :

Marry previously mentionned man

Have children

Publish a book (or many!)

Travel to Scotland, France and Russia

Learn foreign languages (such as russian)

Own an Abyssinian cat

Learn to drive!

Things I say often :

Hmmm!

Really?

I'm hungry

This is something that happens.

Books I’ve recently read :

A peek at my night table?

Sookie Stackhouse Series, by Charlaine Harris

Just as amazing as the tv series (True Blood)... But I had to stop reading the third book, because I was watching season 3 at the same time and the story in the series isn't always true to the books... which was confusing when I went back to reading.

Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon

I've already read them but I'm reading them again. I could never get tired of those enormous books, the story would make any girl dream... *sighs!*

Songs I could listen to over and over

Chris Cornell - Scream

Muse -Undisclosed Desires

Any Lady Gaga...

I have quite a few to be honest...

Traits I’m attracted to in my best friends

Kindness

Sense of humor

Cuteness

Empathy

Reliability

(All pictures, except for my night table of course, are from We heart it)

Let's say I'm tagging every one who feels like doing it! :)

Saturday night's never been this boring!

What a quiet evening! I'm just sittin' here, surfing around on the internet while my Gingerbread Man is at work... All I can think about how of boredom is food, and I'm feeling this urge to go out first thing tomorrow and get myself some makeup! Sometimes I just have to, you know? Makeup is pretty much the only treat I'm allowing myself these days, as I'm trying to save up... so it's not like I'm spending all my money on foolish things. I just need my girly shopping every once in a while, alright!

& Since I'm here, I could do a little review on the nail polish I've just painted my toenails with! At the beginning of the summer, I went on a quest to find THE perfect purple nail polish... I didn't know exactly what I wanted, all I knew was that this year, summer rhymed with purple nails - obviously, not litterally. So I tried a few, including this one :

The color is "Play Fair", by Nicole (by O.P.I., their "drugstore" line). Okay, so it's not purple, but I could give it a try, right? This polish is a light iridescent lilac. Not my Holy Grail, but still very cute. The only thing I don't like about it is that it goes on very sheer, so it's a bit hard to get an even application. It takes at least three coats to get what I want... Which is why I'm using it on my toe nails. Nobody's going to stare at your toes and try to see if your polish is even... It does dry pretty quickly though. But the color itself is very classy and girly (if that's possible).

Resting between second and third coat. ;)

But I did at some point find my ideal nail polish for the summer :

Wet n Wild Megalast, in "Through The Grapevine", a bright grape-ish purple color! ♥


So... What was YOUR favorite shade of nail polish this summer???

While I'm at it...

...I might as well share this with you! Leanne is another YouTuber (and a fellow canadian!) that I really appreciate. She knows a lot about skincare and I've learned a lot watching her channel.

Many girls have self confidence issues because of the way their skin looks. This might actually help you! Skincare is the very first step, and is much, much more important than makeup if you are having issues with your skin! Check out her Skincare 101 series, it gives a lot of info on skin types and also on products and how to use them. We should always know what we apply on our skin, shouldn't we?

 

Think about it...

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is grab a cup of coffee or tea, some snack, and then get on the computer. Facebook, Blogger, Youtube... Youtube. I don't watch every new video made by the youtubers I have subscribed to. If the title catches my eye, I'll watch it. If your video is about... say, flat irons, chances are I'll skip it. There's no way I'll ever use a flat iron on myself... my hair is way too funky, I leave that to professionnals. But anyways. There are some youtubers that I do follow religiously, because I can relate to them the most. Sarah is one of them... She's the sweetest thing, her words are always so full of kindness and she's very talented. And this morning, after watching her latest videos, I knew I had to post this.

She speaks of beauty, and how our culture pictures makeup as something essential and promotes not showing any flaws that we might have. Her message is pretty clear : We're beautiful, even without makeup. Her videos just makes me wonder, what is the real purpose of makeup in everyone's life? In mine? She also challenges us to go an entire day without makeup. Could you do it? Do YOU feel beautiful even without any makeup on?

I'll be honest and say that I have those days where I just feel like only makeup can save me. You know those days where you go whoa, who's that looking at me in the miror? But really, is the problem really on my face, or just in the way I see myself? For me, makeup has two purposes :

1 - Covering up what's bugging me, like dark circles or the occasionnal breakouts, and
2 - Expressing who I really am and creating

So what fits in the first category? Face stuff : foundation, concealer, powder... The reason why I personally feel the need to use those products is that I've had uneven skin forever. I was part of the oh so lucky teenagers whose faces had to pay the price of hormonal changes. At first, I didn't bug me much, because everyone always tells you that it's only temporary and that your skin will get better as you get older, right? But here's the catch! Even though the pimples went away, I still have issues with my skin, and high school was over ten years ago. So I give myself the right to be annoyed with it and to camouflage what I can, and I do it for myself. And I don't use layers and layers of makeup, I just even things out... I hate feeling like I'm wearing a mask.When I was younger, I would use a lot more... But I guess as you gain more self-esteem, you shed some layers...

And all the fun comes within the second category. I'm not a professional make up artist. I do this for fun, because I like to try out new things and seeing what fits me the best. I enjoy enhancing my own features. I like having a pin up look one day and anime eyes the next. It's just exciting to me. What do you feel when you grab your makeup brush? Excitement? Or the need to hide your face, to change it into something else? Think about it next time you apply your makeup, and wonder why you do it. Feeling good in your own skin is so important! This is something I have learned not too long ago. It's never too late to learn! ;)

When I met my boyfriend, I didn't want him to see me without makeup on. I even slept with it on. I know, how bad is that... But now I realize how stupid it was, hey, he's a guy... I could grow a third arm and he'd go a week without noticing it. Just remember that no matter what you do, the girl who enters the bathroom to take her makeup off is the same that comes out of it with a bare face. Nobody's perfect, trust me. We should all embrace it and feel at peace with ourselves the way we are instead of pointing fingers. Be yourself and find your own beauty. :) And why not tell the others that they are beautiful too? That's what I did it yesterday. I was at  a club with friends, and there was this girl that I've seen before... And there's just something about her that is striking to me, I don't know what it is, but I just had to tell her that she was beautiful. And she was so surprised! It felt like she doesn't hear it too often... and she's far from ugly! So why not make others fell good too? :)