Review: Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue

For quite some time now, everyone has been raving about the Maybelline Baby Lips, and I was never really amused or tempted to try it until the latest line (Dr. Rescue) came out. Now, the difference between the original one and Dr. Rescue is that Dr. Rescue is medicated and heals cracked/chapped lips. If you know me, you'll know that I hate putting things on my lips, yet I own a lot of lipsticks and what not. To be honest, I think it's just my laziness.

Anyways, I finally decided to give this product a try as it was on sale for $3.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart. So I got two, 'Too Cool' and 'Coral Crave.' As of right now, I have 'Too Cool' on and it gives your lips a sort of minty/icy feeling which is subtle and okay. It goes on quite smoothly unlike some other chap sticks which for some reason, do not feel like going over your lips smoothly, I have no idea why.

After a few weeks of using this, I realize that these moisturize my lips really well and I'm really happy that I decided to finally try them!

The label suggests you to only apply this to your lips a maximum of 3-4 times a day. I usually only apply it twice a day and it's already more then enough for me! My lips are definitely much softer and is ready for the winter. I'm really happy with these.

Photo courtesy of, BellBelleBella.

Boxing Week Shopping Haul!

With all the madness that was Christmas and Boxing Day, as well as the ice storm. I was finally able to find time during my busy schedule to do some retail therapy! So today, I finally went downtown which was my first time heading down since coming home, almost two weeks ago! I may or may not have done some Christmas shopping since I didn't have any time to before, but anyways, here's what I got!

Starting off with the first store I hit up, Future Shop because I needed to buy ink for my printer and a tripod. So I purchased the Dynex 60" Tripod that's on sale for $20 right now! I'll be filming my first ever YouTube video tomorrow so stay tuned for more details! 

Roots Cable Knit Infinity Scarf, $48.

That's not a very exciting store to hit up first but I got it over with and then followed by going to Roots to finally get the Cable Knit Infinity scarf that I've been dying to get! It was $48, but I got a $20 gift card during a gift exchange and ended up getting 20% off because I was a student! I ended up paying $27, which is fine with me! It's super soft and chunky, I'm so excited to wear it out!

Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base, $29.

Tarte Clean Slate Deluxe Primer Trio, $15.

Sephora was the next store on the way! I picked up the Tarte Clean Slate Deluxe Primer Trio for $15, it was one of those Boxing Week Specials. I figured that it was the best way to test out face primers and see which one was good because I've tried the Revlon Photo Ready one and am not very fond of it, nor the Bare Minerals Prime Time. My Urban Decay Primer Potion was running out and I heard good things about the Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base so I decided to give it a try because I like the doe-like brush more then having a tube and needing to squeeze the substance onto my finger. 

The Tarte Clean Slate Deluxe Primer Trio comes with the Poreless one which is a 12 hour perfecting primer, that is pore refining, waterproof and line filling. The Flawless one is a 12 hour brightening primer, is silicone-free, waterproof and brightening. The last one is the 360 degree Creaseless, which is a 12 hour smoothing eye primer, it also substitutes as a shadow primer and under eye base all-in-one, is waterproof and has a shadow lock formula. One thing I like about this primer trio is that all three samples are for different things and I'm able to test them all out! Bonus is that they're all waterproof!

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara in Blackest Black, $8.99.

I headed to Shoppers Drug Mart after my little spree at Sephora and sat that their L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara was FINALLY on sale for a decent price as it's their latest mascara and sells for $14.99 on a regular basis. It was on sale for $8.99 so I decided to test it out. I totally forgot that L'Oreal mascaras have that 'rose' scent, so I'm not sure how I'll be able to deal with that, but we'll see. I have high expectations for this, although I'm sure it'll be alright, I'm still looking forward to using it!

Talula Hertford Jacket in Black, $49.99.

I hit up Queen Street West after Shoppers because Eaton Centre was getting a bit crowded and uncomfortable for me and way too warm. So shopping outside in warm weather was a great feeling for me. I went to the Aritzia location there because I figured there'd be less people, in which I was sort of right...it was also a smaller location so a bit more squishy but nothing I couldn't manage. I had seen this jacket online but didn't know how I'd feel about it. I've been looking for a jacket where the zipper was diagonal for a while and so when I saw this, I had to try it on! It originally sells for $120 and was $70 off! It was such a steal! Especially for Aritzia too, so I was super glad they had my size. The torso is a bit short, more so on my waist, but that's nothing I can't deal with and the sleeves are about an inch past my wrist which is fine with me!

All in all, I think it was a good shopping day, not for my credit card but the retail therapy was nice after such a hectic work schedule these past few weeks and the ice storm madness which caused my house to have no power for a few days. It's also good to have internet back!

Happy Holidays everyone! Stay safe, and stay tuned for my first YouTube video being filmed tomorrow with Ashley from Flux & Xoulis!

Sephora Haul!

Since I'm a VIB at Sephora, I received the promotion that was $20 off when you spend $50, so, my friend and I decided to order items together since I didn't need much and this offer wasn't stackable (doesn't go $40 off when you spend $100 and so on) so she just got the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, while I got the Nars X Guy Bourdin Blush in Day Dream and the Nars X Guy Bourdin Cinematic Lipstick in Full Frontal.

To maintain my VIB status for next year, I still had some money to spend before being able to maintain the status, so I hit up the closest Sephora store to me yesterday and purchased the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Foundation in 6.0 and the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in 01 Black. I got matched to the Skin IQ of 4Y07 a couple weeks ago at Sephora and didn't have much options when it came down to a foundation that fit my skin tone, the Marc Jacobs and the Lancôme one didn't match at all and only the Laura Mercier one matched. But, I wasn't a big fan of how my face felt with the Laura Mercier one, no matter how well it matched my skin tone. So I decided to go a shade darker, to 4Y08, and got a few more options, like the Nars Sheer Glow (which my friend has been raving about) and the Urban Decay Naked Skin Liquid Foundation which is something I've been dying to try since it came out.

So, I tested it out on my hand in store and it blended really well and was a nice texture with light-medium coverage so I decided to get it, knowing that if it didn't end up working, I'd always be able to return it (one of the best features of shopping at Sephora, returning items even if they're open).

Starting off the the Nars X Guy Bourdin Cinematic Lipstick in Full Frontal, it's a dark-ish magenta shade, I'm really liking that it's creamy and moisturizing. I definitely thought it'd be much brighter then it already is but it's not. It's fairly nice and since I'm trying to get into this lipstick faze, this will be perfect for days I feel like making my lips stand out!

It's a bit glossy and shiny, and I would say more pink than purple. It goes on smoothly and I'm very impressed. This is my first lipstick from Nars and I'm really happy with it. I can't wait to try out more products from them!

Next is the Nars X Guy Bourdin Blush in Day Dream. It's pretty much the same thing as the cult favourite Nars Orgasm blush but less sparkle. It's still glittery but not as much as Orgasm and definitely not as much as Super Orgasm. 

After I got the Nars X Guy Bourdin Cheek Palette last month, I've been completely obsessed. Blush can be put on very subtly or very noticeably and I'm really happy that Nars' blushes are buildable, they're not super noticeable when only one brush stroke is put on. I really like that this is less shimmer as I'm not it's biggest fan, but it is really nice for the Winter time, I'd say its more of a day to day kind of wear, whereas I feel that Orgasm and Deep Throat are for special occasions, to say the least, I'm not one for wearing a lot of make up.

As you may know, I'm a big fan of mascara. I've been trying to find a bottom lash mascara for the longest time and since most of my mascaras are drug store brands, it's obviously difficult to find one besides Maybelline's Big Eyes Mascara that is a 2 in 1. Using regular mascara just makes me look like a raccoon eye, so when I saw MissGlamorazzi's (Ingrid Nilsen) video using the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara, I knew that I had to try it!

The brush itself is really small and definitely good for the bottom lashes, it grabs each lash and coats it lightly, and isn't too heavy which is good because who wants to have raccoon eyes anyways?

And finally, the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Foundation! (Such a long name...) So I got this in the 6.0 shade, the shade's that end with ".0" are for warm or yellow-based undertones whereas the ones ending with ".5" are for cool or pink-based undertones. Since I got this a shade darker (4Y08, instead of 4Y07) it does make my face a little darker but the rest of my body is pretty dark and my forehead itself is another story. (My friends said my face was ombré) I'm really liking this, it gives a light-medium coverage which is good for me as I'm not big on feeling a lot of product on my face, it's light and gives a soft natural look with a nice feeling that's not super powdery or cakey kind of feel. I'm looking forward to trying their Naked Skin Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powder soon!

So this is it for now, but there will definitely be more haul posts coming up as it's the holiday season and sales are my best friend.

Happy holidays!

Home.

So I finally finished exams and am finally 'home.' But, what does 'home' really mean? My parents have been on this divorce thing for a while and finally separated in the beginning of this month. As much as I'm happy for the two of them to move on with their lives, it's also difficult to wrap my head around the idea that I now have two homes in the city and one in Kingston. 

It's weird that I'm coming 'home' to a place that I've never seen beforehand and is new to me, so really, what is considered a 'home'? I know that it's usually "home is where the heart is" but is my heart really here? Like, I've never been here and I just come home for the holiday and suddenly this is 'home.' 

No doubt this takes a little bit of getting used to and I love the place, it's hardwood flooring, spacious and simple. It also has a bar, which is something I've always wanted. My sister and mother decided to get fancy looking bar stools but I always wanted a simple wood one, which is why I'm guessing we have one... The bedrooms are a bit small, but I'm barely going to be here anyways, so I can deal with that. It's nice to be 'home' for the holidays. This feels more so like a temporary place to sleep, almost like a hotel, but it'll eventually be called home. Just not now.

So this is the living room...I'll probably be spending a lot of time here because theres a wooden bar stool that I am in love with and a bar that I can actually hang out at. It's also nice, I've always been a person to sit on the floor so there's also that. This also leads to the ginormous balcony we've got, it's currently covered in snow and has no footprints on it yet, but it will...sometime soon.

Happy holidays everyone! 

Idea: January Make Up Challenge

So, as you probably know by now, I'm a make up junkie that doesn't really wear make up. So for the month of January, I have come up with a challenge for myself. In order for me to actually be able to say that I have used a product that I own, I will challenge myself to wear make up everyday for a month, but the catch is that I need to use all the products I own, at least once. 

I actually don't know how motivated I will be to actually do this but it doesn't hurt! At least then I'll be able to say that I have used the products I own. I feel like I'll be doing a lot of smoky eyes since I recently mastered the technique...I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Stay tuned for this challenge! :)

Exam Week

It's finally the week that everyone in universities have been dreading all semester long, exam week. Just when I was getting super excited on going home, exams had to wiggle their way into my life and ruin it before I could enjoy the freedom of not having to worry about my grades.

This year, I'm taking four courses and have an exam in each of them. Good thing my exams are separated nicely but sadly, it doesn't allow me to go home any earlier then I'd prefer. (Going home on the 18th).

My first one was last Wednesday for a course called Cities: Geography, Planning and Social Life. It was pretty much an urban geography course twisted with a lot of politics and history. I totally did not like it at all but good thing it got out of the way because my second one is no better. It's called Geographic Information Systems, and as much as I love mapping and stuff like that, this course is way more technical and definitely not my cup of tea. The exam for this GIS course is today at 2 pm and I'm sitting here typing this out because I'm in no mood to review and study prior to the exam, also, I'm hungry.

My last two exams fall on the same day, one in the morning of the 17th and one at night. The first one is The Dynamic Earth, it's a geology course and basically touches base on everything from glaciation to earthquakes/plate tectonics to groundwater. I really enjoyed it even though I had to memorize 50 rocks and minerals for my midterm. Thankfully, the first half of this course isn't on my final and I had a lab exam a week ago, so my memory on a lot of this course is still fresh and will only need some refreshing and some more additional information. My last exam is for my course Race and Racism, I really enjoyed this course and learned a lot about what goes on a daily basis and what can be considered racist and offensive to someone. It definitely opened my eyes to the occurrences in the world and what goes on around me. Our prof for that course already gave us exam questions to study and I feel like the information would go through my head way easier than these first two exams (they're so dense and UGH) but it'll definitely be a lot harder to memorize the discourses and such. Oh well. 

Hardwork always pays off, I'm rewarding myself by going to the gym after this exam and a shopping spree when I get home on the 18th.

Good luck to all you exam writers and happy holidays!

November Favourites

So as November comes to an end and December begins, Christmas decorations officially come out. But before I can start talking about the holidays and how excited I am to go home, the November Favourites post must come out! 

A lot of my make up products will repeat throughout my monthly make up posts, (most likely), I am an university student after all, and we can't always afford expensive stuff! 

Make-Up

In November, I used a few new products and changed up my make up routine for days that I actually wore make up. 

• Maybelline Rocket Volum' Express Waterproof

This was a definite must for November! Being in Kingston, I realized that it's ALWAYS super windy and with the wind comes the tearing of my eyes. Often, I end up tearing up when walking to campus and look like a mess because it's as if I just got my heart broken or something. Thanks to the Maybelline Rocket Volum' Express, specifically the waterproof one, I'm able to arrive on campus with no raccoon eyes, that is, until I take off my make up. Also, I recently realized that this mascara holds up my eyelash curls really well, which is definitely another plus for me! (Nothing ever holds up my curled eyelashes)

• Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner

I've been using this eyeliner for quite some time now and find it much easier to handle then the previous eyeliner I used. (L'Oreal Lineur Intense) I find that this Maybelline Eyeliner dries much faster and has a much smaller tip for days when I don't feel very adventurous (which is most days) 

• Urban Decay Primer Potion

After realizing that one of my eyelids is evidently smaller than the other, I finally realized the use of primer and I swear by it every time I use eyeliner. Before using primer on my eyelids, my eyeliner would always smudge or smear somewhere close to my eye (this is the small eye we're talking about). By using the primer, my eyeliner no longer smudges around my eye. I'm not a big fan of the tube application, although it is more sanitary, I still prefer the doe brush. (I plan on testing out the Nars Eye Primer soon)

• Nars X Guy Bourdin Cheek Palette

As you readers may have read, I purchased the Nars X Guy Bourdin Holiday Cheek Palette! It was my first ever Nars product and I had heard so many good things about the cult favourites that I had to get this and try it out! Although the cold wind of Kingston already gives me evident blush on my cheeks, there's always no harm in applying some more for when you're indoors and feel like looking a bit more holiday-like. When it comes to using this cheek palette, I find myself most often using 'Orgasm'. Don't get me wrong, 'Deep Throat' and 'Mistinguette' are really nice but they're more out there and for class, I don't need a very obvious and eye catching blush on my cheeks, so Orgasm does a good job at being subtle but evident.

• Lasting Perfection Collection 2000 Concealer

This concealer does not sell in the States nor Canada, but I got it in the UK while I was studying abroad last year. It is what Tanya Burr swears by and it works really well. They only sell four shades, and I've already got the third shade, so...there's not a great variety. Anyways, it works really well and stays on all day. It's really creamy and it does not dry out the skin. I'm a really big fan of it so far!

What I've Been Listening To

Moving onto music, I'm not much a festive music person, by saying that, I'm sure a lot of people have gasped. But yes, I'm not big on the traditional Christmas songs and carols that are played EVERYWHERE in the month of December. But in November, a lot of new albums came out or I just got a lot of new music on my iPod.

• Hedley - Wild Life

Personally, I really like Hedley. I'm proud of how far they've come from Jacob Hoggard being on Canadian Idol to creating the band and their hit single 'On My Own' on their first album to creating their fifth. Their sound hasn't changed much and their songs are still really catchy. No matter the craziness of their videos, they are still able to come out with better and better songs while maintaining around the same sound.

• A Day To Remember - Common Courtesy

This album was supposed to be released a few months back but due to a lawsuit, it wasn't released until recently. I love A Day To Remember, I haven't been a fan of them for as long as other people have (i.e., the beginning) but I've been listening to them for a few years. This album is definitely worth it and their new songs on the album are maintaining the same genre that they've always been singing

• One Direction - Midnight Memories

Not the biggest die-hard fan of the boys, but really, who could resist them. My friend got me more into them this past year and I will admit, their songs are catchy and really good. I went to their concert in London when they were filming the movie, and they're REALLY entertaining live. Plus, who doesn't like British accents, it's always a plus. This album was released near the end of November but I don't care, I have it and it's pretty damn good. And, if you must know, I've got floor tickets to their show next August! (I had to rub that in...)

• Katy Perry - Prism

Not the biggest fan of her latest album, but I must admit, there are a few songs on it that I find really good. 'Dark Horse,' 'Love Me,' and 'This Moment,' I feel are the best songs on the album, she's kind of switched out of her pop genre, well I guess you could say she's still in it but she's switched sub-genres and I don't think I'm the biggest fan of it, but hey, you win some, you lose some!

Clothing
As the winter months near, I've been wearing more and more sweaters. My current favourite is the heather white coloured Beaver Canoe hoodie that my boyfriend got for me from Target; it's super cozy and thick which is a definite plus to these colder months. Something else I've been wearing a lot my leather boots, they've been keeping part of my leg warm throughout my days in the wind. To get me through the cold, I've been relying on my grey TNA St. Moritz parka, it's really warm and much cheaper than a Canada Goose! 

As, whoever read my blog knows, I've been hitting up the gym lately, and I used to get really bad shin splints, which caused me to drop out of running a marathon earlier this year, but I finally decided to use my orthopedics in my running shoes, and boy, have they made a difference! The last time I ever got a shin splint is when I was speed walking to class in my Chuck Taylors which, don't have orthopedics in them. (Guess we found the solution). Anyways, instead of me buying a random pair of running shoes I liked, I actually went to the New Balance store and got them to narrow down which shoes would be best for the way I walk, so I ended up with a bright pink pair of New Balance Barringer 890v3. They're rather bright but I like them! Plus a portion of the money went to the Breast Cancer research fund.

Something else, I've been really liking during the really cold days is my 'Positive Vibes' beanie that I got from Charlavail! She's a really talented artist and I've been looking up to her for a few years now. She's from Florida and makes a lot of cool art pieces as well as takes really cool and artsy pictures. She's definitely somebody that I'd really like to meet. 

Food & Drinks
Due to the colder weather, I find myself lazier and lazier to cook actual food so I've been relying on eating tacos quite a bit. I'm a really big taco fanatic, and actually don't mind eating them all the time but honestly, there's only so much a university student can afford and cook. In November, I mostly ate tacos with the occasional poutine made or just plain spaghetti. 

RED CUPS ARE BACK AT STARBUCKS, I absolutely love Starbucks, no matter the location, I love the interior of it, it's so comforting even within all the chaos that occurs during rush hour. You know the holidays are nearby when Starbucks begins serving their drinks in red cups. As usual they have their yearly holiday drinks like Eggnog Latte, Caramel Brulee Latte, Peppermint Mocha and their Gingerbread Latte. I love it when the holidays come around. So is it evident that I'm always at Starbucks yet? Because it really should be.

P.S. I feel like this is a not very good favourites list...but hey, it's my first one! So there's definitely room for improvement, I'm also trying to figure out how I want to organize things, so that'll definitely be something to be fixed upon...until then, you'll just have to deal with me :)