Friday, August 30, 2013

HAUL | August BeautyBox Five




Are you telling me I managed to post an August beautybox post in August!? I wouldn't believe you.

Sooo... last month I had cancelled my subscription to Beautybox Five because I wasn't happy with the July box and I just didn't have the millions of dollars to spend on beauty boxes. But somehow this month, I received another one??? Regardless, here's my haul post for it! As usual, not getting into details because I'm going to be posting a full review of this box.

 I received:

  • Be A Bombshell Eyeshadow in Always a Bridesmaid ($14.00)
  • Swissco Nail File ($1.50)
  • H2O Plus Aquafirm + Micro-Collagen Moisturizer ($50.00/1.7oz)
  • Bask Heavenly Silk Daily Skin Lotion ($19.98/22oz)
  • Nubar Nail Lacquer in Faded Jeans ($8/0.5oz)
Did you get the same box? What's your take?

Ada xx

Thursday, August 29, 2013

NOTW Thursdays | Colourblock




I was on Tumblr last week scrolling as per usual, when I cam upon a gooorgeous image of nails. If I can recall correctly, the tops were gold and the rest were an off-white. Unfortunately I can't find the image again so you'll just have to imagine.

Anyways, I got super inspired and decided to do my own rendition! The nails were fairly easy to do, just a little bit tricky. I painted on two layers of the Wet Cement and let them dry for as long as I dared. Next I took a piece of tape and put it over top my nail where the cuticles are. I actually put too much 'cause there should be less grey showing, especially on the thumbs but oh well. I then made sure to smooth down the edge of the tape and then I went ahead and painted on Bahamian Escape on the ends. It applied really well so I only needed one layer. I messed up the first thumb cause the grey wasn't quite dry yet and so the tape took off a chunk of it so I had to carefully fill it in. Also, I let the blue dry, so when I peeled it off, it lifted what was on the nail a bit (if that makes sense?)

If you're planning on doing these kinds of nails, a) make sure you have time on your hands, b) make sure the base colour coat is dry (try running your nails under the coldest tap setting), and c) make sure to peel off the tape while the top colour coat is still wet.

I'm definitely planning on doing these nails again in different colours!

Ada xx

Monday, August 26, 2013

LIFESTYLE | Mint & Thunderstorms





What a beautiful day! Pouring rain and lots of thunder, I think I'm in heaven. I'm definitely one of those people that flourishes when it's a dark, gloomy, rainy day. My poor Azor, alas, is not. He's very scared of thunder and whines and scratches at things, trying to hide away, no matter how much we try to tell him it's ok. It's never ok to him.

Anywaaaays, about a week ago my coworker Mickey gave me a baggie with around 7 mint roots because her garden is overgrowing and she needed to clear some away. I love mint so much and I find it such a versatile herb for cooking and drinking - I'll mostly be making tea with it, but I know my mom will love to cook with it. While in Dollarama, I spotted a super cute flower pot and I just had to have it. They had various colours but this was my favourite one, plus it was ony $3! With some help from my dad, we planted the roots in 3 different pots (two big ones we keep outside). I watered them and cared for them and I feel like a mint momma now. Can't wait until the babies grow!

What's your favourite herb? Do you grow any at home?

Ada xx

Saturday, August 24, 2013

HAUL | FTB Beauty



Hello, hello! It's a good day for a haul day, don'tcha think?

I have been in dire need of a new face powder brush considering the old ELF one I was using was in horrible condition and the bristles were really not nice to my face. I did do some research on which brand to try out and I was going to order from Sigma, but I think their shipping was horrendous and I didn't wanna put myself through that. I'm a big Real Techniques fan, owning around 9 or 10 of their brushes, so I figured what's one more to add? I tried to find the original website I used to order the first few but apparently it's gone, so I had to go on the Real Techniques website and find another retailer. Good thing the other website disappeared because I really found a gem of a place this time. It's called ftbbeauty.ca and they have a small, but really great selection of various beauty brands, and they're located in Toronto so shipping was super quick, easy and inexpensive! I've already used the brush for a few weeks and I love it so much! It is soooo soft, totally incomparable to the old Elf one, and really gives a great finish to my skin. I paid $11 for the brush.

After doing a bit of browsing, I was extremely happy to see they sell Seche nail lacquers. I have been wanting the Seche Vite for forever and couldn't find a close enough retailer or a reliable ebay seller. And the best part? It was $2 cheaper than usual selling price. I was also surprised to find it comes in a much bigger bottle than usual. A regular Essie polish is 13.5mL whereas the Seche Vite is 14.8mL and I only paid $8 for it! If you'd like a full review, please let me know!

I did some more searching and was pleasantly surprised they sell some NYX products. NYX is usually a hit or miss brand for me - I really like their lip products, but their eyeshadows don't really do it for me. I've been wanting to try their Lip Creams, but unfortunately FTB doesn't sell them, but they do sell their Matte Lipsticks, so I decided to try one of them. I did some research and looked at various swatches and I decided to go for a colour I don't usually buy: an orange with red undertones. This one is called Indie Flick and I paid $6.50 for it. I'm a little bit on the fence about the colour because it is so different from ones I'm used to, I think I need to wear it a bit more to get used to it.

Lastly, I decided to pick out two ELF products. When I first started using makeup, I wore a lot of ELF products because they were cheap and good for beginners, but as I got older, I found their quality poor and wanted to move on to bigger and better things. But, that was when they only had one collection, the Professional basic ones. Then they began releasing new ones and people started talking highly about a few of their products for a while. I never really had a chance to pick any up, and when I did, they'd usually be way overpriced in store. I was surprised to find FTB had a few, so I decided to get the Studio HD Blush in the colour Diva and their Studio Mascara & Shadow Shield, both were $4 each. If you'd like a review on either of these products, please let me know and I'd be happy to oblige!

My total, including tax (free shipping), came to: $37.86. I think I got a pretty great deal! I'm definitely planning on ordering from them again soon.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

Ada xx

Friday, August 23, 2013

Lifestyle | New Theme!

I have spent the last 3 days mixing and matching and cutting and pasting until I finally came up with a new theme! I have made everything myself, from the header to the background. I also went with an Arial font because I felt like the Courier was a bit difficult to read.

Ok, I'm done! Hope you all like it!

Ada xx

Thursday, August 22, 2013

NOTW Thursday | Pretty in Pink




Yay, an NOTW actually on time! I think this will work out just fine. SO, this week I decided I wanted to jump back to the 90s and go for something pretty and pink and slightly metallic. Yes, I know the movie is from the 80s but shhh. Also, the D has changed to a W because I change my nail polish weekly so it wouldn't make sense to call it a Nail of the Day.

As you can see by the mess on my nails, I went for 3 different polishes and ended up applying a lot of layers. With base and top cop, each nail ended up being 7 layers total. I don't think I've ever had that much polish on my nails.

So I started out with Nailtini's Frappe which ended up being two layers. I love this colour SO MUCH, it's probably one of my top favourites. The colour is a creamy very light pink that adds a healthy look to your nails if you want something nude but not a total naked nail. The consistency is on the thicker side but really great. I love the brand and am definitely planning on splurging on a few other polishes of theirs.

Next came the fourth and fifth layers which were done with Essie's Anniversary Gala. To be completely honest, I don't like this nail polish very much, mostly because it's very transparent and thin in consistency so you'd probably need more than 7 layers to get a sure colour. But, I do really like how it looks overtop Frappe. It reminds me of clothing worn in the 90s, those funky duochrome metallics. You can't see it in the pictures, but there is a greenish sheen to them in the light.

Lastly, I went over my ring fingers with Sally Hansen's Strobe Light. This is one of my most favourite nail polishes but unfortunately I cracked the lid and it'd dried out a bit and become really goopy and thick.

My last layer was the top coat by Seche Vite.

Ada xx

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

TAG | Liebster Award!

Hi everyone! So I just found out the lovely Harian (littlecoldcoffee) has nominated me for the Liebster Award and I was too excited so I'm getting to it right away!

1. Why did you start blogging?
I've always had a love for beauty and fashion and I've always wanted to share it with other people. Blogging is such a wonderful medium for people who are interested in knowing more. When I started my Youtube account, I never had a blog and then only got one because I needed to post everything I mentioned in the video somehow, right? But I soon found how much I enjoyed blogging and began looking forward to making that new post.

2. Who is your role model?
At the moment I have 5: the Olsen twins, Hilary Duff, Lauren Conrad and Miranda Kerr. I always go back to these five beautiful women because they are strong, independent women who know exactly what they want and go for it. The Olsen twins have made their own empires; they were childhood stars and could easily be in any movie, but instead chose to get into fashion and have killed it. Lizzie McGuire was the show when I was a little girl, and seeing Hilary now is just amazing. She's become this amazing woman. Lauren Conrad, I think, is an amazing role model for both young girls and older girls. I remember she was asked "What's your favourite position?" and she answered "CEO". To me, that says everything. She's not about The Hills and all its petty drama anymore, she left it to become her own person. And lastly, Miranda Kerr - she is probably one of my most favourite people out there. Not only is she modeling the right way (healthy eating, exercise etc), she has a beautiful family and her own skincare line. I don't know how she does it or even if she sleeps, but she manages to balance this crazy life and I really admire her for it.
3. What are your top 3 best beauty items?
Brow gel, mascara and a lip product. I think every girl is beautiful naturally, so they need to show it off whenever they can! I think using the basic 3 really brightens a girl's natural beauty without looking overdone.

4. What are you favourite beauty brands?
Benefit, MAC, Madison Street Beauty, Quo and Revlon.

5. When is your favourite fashion season?
Fall! Always Fall, no matter the question. The colour changes, the colder weather, the scarves and PUMPKINS. Fall is the season of layers and it's right between being cool and warm so you can rock that shorter skirt with a knit scarf.

6. If you could have any fashion related item in the world right now what would it be?
Hmm probably a Prada bag. Once at the restaurant this girl came in for a wedding and she wore 4 simple things: a beautiful dress, a pair of heels, a beige trench coat and a gorgeous Prada bag. I never saw anyone look so put together but so simple at the same time. I instantly fell in love with the bag but unfortunately could never afford the couple thousand it costs.

7. What your favourite book or magazine?
I never read magazines, mostly because I don't support what they stand for. My favourite book is definitely A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, along with the other 2 trilogies books. The book is about love, friendship, magic, betrayal and fighting the greater evil within and without.

8. Who or what is your inspiration?
You know, I always find inspiration at randoms times. As a writer, even the way someone looks at another will inspire me enough. When it comes to fashion or beauty, looking through blogs or various looks really helps get the inspiration train flowing.

9. What's your dream/ life goal?
To become an actress, be it small TV show or big movie, I don't care. I just want to be on screen and doing what I love to do. Also, to become a mother. I've always wanted a big family so I'm willing to go up to 12 kids if I can!

10. Where is the favourite place you've visited?
Unfortunately I haven't been able to visit many places, I've never even left North America! But, from the places I've been to in the USA, I'd have to say NYC and Boston. Those cities are just so beautiful that I never wanted to leave! I remember driving down Times Square and just seeing all the lights and brightness and was just in complete awe. Unfortunately the trip did not last very long and we mostly stayed in New Jersey so I didn't see much of the city. I've been dying to go back! Boston was just this beautiful and old city that had many hidden twists and turns. There was one street we parked on and it looked like it was filled with town houses but were only shops. There was a beautiful hat shop and a jewelry shops and everything else!

11. What's your travel essentials?
On the rare occasion that I do travel (for a week or more), I always bring my makeup and hair products (of course), a blow dryer, a book or two (or my Kobo), purse, maybe some knitting, my camera, phone, a blanket, my pillows, and other basic things you can't live without!

The people I nominate are:
1. Laura - http://www.lisforladybird.com/
2. Maya - http://spiderleglashes.blogspot.co.uk/
3. Eloise - http://simplynaturale.blogspot.ca/
The questions I'm asking are:
1. What is your favourite thing about a blog?
2. What is your favourite beauty item?
3. If you have to choose one beauty brand to only use, what would it be?
4. What do you think is the Fall 2013 must-have fashion item?
5. What is it about beauty that you love?
6. Favourite childhood memory?
7. Who is your role model?
8. If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it?
9. Why did you start getting into fashion/makeup?
10. If you could travel to one place in the world, where would you go?
11. Are you experimental with your makeup or do you stick to one look that works and use that?

Thanks so much for reading!

Ada xx

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

REVIEW | July Beauty Box Five


Hello beauties! As promised, today I'm going to be posting my review of the July Beauty Box Five. So within the box you will find:
  • Every Beauty Foot Smoother ($8.99)
  • Jean Pierre Cosmetics Nail Polish Remover Wipes ($3.99/10 wipes)
  • Be A Bombshell Lip Gloss ($14.00)
  • La Fresh Travel Lite Antibacterial Wipes ($1.99/8 wipes)
  • H2O Plus Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment ($36.00/1.7 oz)
The Be A Bombshell lip gloss paid me back alone, but then you got the full-size Foot Smoother and it was definitely worth the cost. To be completely honest, I wasn't as pleased with this box as I would have liked. Yeah, some of the items are ok and mildly useful, but they're not items I would particularly go out of my way to purchase.

The Every Beauty Foot Smoother is like a big pink sponge (if Spongebob and Patrick ever had a baby), and one side is soft scrubber and the other side is a harder scrubber. Now, on the packaging it says "For best results use dry on dry skin!", which caught me a little bit off guard because most of the foot scrubbers I know of need to be used wet on wet, but I went ahead and tried the sucker out (both wet and dry), and I was surprised to find I got the best results from using it dry. In no way is it painful and irritating, so I wouldn't really worry about that unless you have really bad feet and they're starting to crack. This item is definitely not revolutionary in terms of performance, but I think it's a pretty good buy if you're in the market for something new.

The Jean Pierre Cosmetics Nail Polish Remover Wipes are probably the most confusing items I got. The box gave me two sealed wipes (they kinda looked like the soapy wipes you get in fast food places). When it was time to remove my Summer Snowflakes nail polish, I was pretty much terrified of the results (we all know what sparkles are like), especially because I'm the type of person that hates wipes. I always find wipes are never soaked enough and that they're just terrible quality, so I was definitely not looking forward to this. The first thing I noticed when I opened the package is how little each wipe is soaked, secondly I was hit with the awful smell. Yeah, nail polish remover is pretty awful smelling but I can usually tolerate it, this stuff is some magical stench cause I had the window open and my face pressed up to the net. Regardless, the removal process began. Scrub, scrub, scrub, scrub and so it went for a few seconds until scrub turned to squeak. I lifted the wipe and was shocked to find the nail polish disappeared, sparkles and all. I was also shocked to find the entire wipe (smaller than the soapy ones) was enough to remove all 10 nails. If that's not amazing, I don't know what is. The biggest issue I have with these wipes is the really intense smell and the fact that it leaves this weird layer of oil or something on your nails and hands. I'm pretty sure it's meant to be moisturizing, but it's more annnoying than anything. I tried getting it off with soap: nothing, then with some of my Cetaphil: nothing, finally I busted out my shampoo and that seemed to do the trick. These wipes could be great if they got rid of the last two qualities.

Next came the Be A Bombshell full-size Lip Gloss in the colour Diamond, which is just a clear gloss. I do already own one of their glosses from an Ipsy bag in the colour Hot Mess, which is a really pretty bright red. I was really pleased to find this gloss in the box, but I was not overly pleased with the colour. Clear? Why? I have at-least 30! I was willing to accept that, until I found out some others had gotten different colours. Why me!? I guess someone had to take one for the team. Either way, I do have some experience with these glosses and can safely say they're really great. They are not sticky in any which way, and the only accurate way I can describe them is by saying they're watery (but like a thick water... yeah you know what I mean). If you're someone who doesn't like gloopy, sticky, messy glosses (like me), these are definitely for you. A full size gloss retails for $14 and they have a really great selection of lip glosses. Definitely recommend if you're in the market for something new.

The La Fresh Travel lite Antibacterial Wipes were another item I was indifferent about. I really don't need anything antibacterial because I'm always washing my hands, plus I hate the after-feeling of them. But regardless, I tried these out at work one day and was pleasantly surprised. They have a fresh, lavender-like smell to them and are well soaked (the first wipes I've tried to be so). Although they felt nice on the hands and were moisturizing, they did leave a tiny bit of tacky-ness (and by tiny I mean that you probably wouldn't notice it but my crazy OCD did) that did bother me a bit. On the BB5 info card, it says the wipes are biodegradable and have Aloe and Vitamin E inside, which are really great moisturizing ingredients. The retail price of $1.99 for 8 wipes is excellent and I definitely recommend them for anyone looking for new antibacterial stuff.

Lastly, I received the H2O Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment. This moisturizer is really interesting because you're supposed to use it on bare, freshly-washed skin while it's still a little damp. My regular face routine requires toner, serum and then my BB cream, so to just apply this treatment and then by BB cream was definitely odd. The product itself is a blue gel and has a nice, fresh scent to it that is not overpowering whatsoever. It rubs nicely into the skin and leaves a nice glow, but I found it did not give me the amount of moisturization my cheeks usually need. They felt a little dry and tight by the end of the day which was pretty disappointing. This treatment includes Marine botanicals, multivitamins A and E and "... time-released ingredients that keep skin looking fresh all day!", but $36 1.7oz, I can't say I will be repurchasing this moisturizer. I think it would be best suited for normal to oily skin.

Hope you found my review helpful! Have you received the July BB5? What did you think?

Ada xx

Sunday, August 18, 2013

NOTD Sunday (!?) | No, It's MY Empire



So obviously something is wrong here if I can't even get an NOTD out on a Friday as I should. My excuse this week is that I had a sleepover Wednesday night to Thursday with my cousin. When I usually paint my nails Wednesdays, I was busy all day and never had a chance to. Then I rushed them on Friday (hence the sloppy mess), and went to work. We had an early meeting so the second I woke up, I ate, did my nails and got ready and then I worked the rest of the weekend. Since Friday is not a good day for me, I'm going to switch it and do NOTD Thursdays now. I think it should be easier.

So anyways, on to this week! I'm using My Empire... My Rules from the Kardashian collection by Nicole by OPI. Honestly, I'm really not a fan of the Kardashians or anything, but I really liked this colour. I went to go look at the rest of the collection and it's very Kardashian, sparkles and bright colours, which surprises me as to why they'd chose a muddy army green to include in their collection. As for the entire collection (which I looked up online), my favourites are All Kendall-ed Up, Sealed With A Kris, and of course my current.

The polish is easy to apply, but is a little bit runny. You'd need a third layer to get a perfect opaque colour (I used two). The brush is large and is really easy to work with but, I wish it was flatter because it's quite round and thick, so it can get a little clumsy when working on the sides of the nails.

Can't say it's a favourite of mine, but it's definitely a good colour to wear when you want to go a little under the radar with your nails. Also, it'd be a beautiful fall colour. I'll try it again when the leaves turn red.

What do you think? Do you own any of the collection or are planning on it?

Ada xx

Saturday, August 17, 2013

UPDATE | Bloglovin'

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6710405/?claim=wz6mztu3sss">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Hi everyone! Just wanted to make a quick post saying that I've given in and finally made a Bloglovin' so you can check me out on there.

Ada xx

Friday, August 16, 2013

FOTD | Forest Finds



Hey guess what, it's time for another FOTD! I'm starting to embrace summer, just as it's coming to an end. Excellent. I really wanted to work with earthy tones to make a forest-inspired look. I wanted a reddy eyeshadow, but I also wanted some green, so this is the look I came up with!

I decided to work a reddish eyeshadow all around my lid and under eye, then I took a very dark brown and very carefully and gently worked it into my crease to really smoke it out and accentuate. I then took a sparkly dark brown and blended it into the outer v. Lastly, my foresty pop of colour went into the inner corner and I gently blended it into the reddish lid colour. I then took a light and sparkly beige and added it just into the inner corner overtop of the green just to brighten. I finished off with some black liner and mascara. I wanted to keep the focus on the eyes, so I used a shimmer, glowing bronzer and highlighter and just an almost-plum blush on the cheeks. The lips I kept natural and very lightly applied a pale skin-tone lipstick.

I used the following products:

Face:
  • Quo BB Cream in Light/Medium
  • MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20 (as a concealer)
  • Marcelle Loose Translucent Powder
  • Gotta B' Urban Mineral Bronzing Powder in Sunrise
  • Madison Street Beauty blush in Hydrangea
  • Benefit Watt's Up highlighter

Eyes:
  • Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
  • Madison Street Beauty eyeshadow in Mauve (lid)
  • Madison Street Beauty eyeshadow in Espresso (crease)
  • Madison Street Beauty eyeshadow in Cacao (outer v)
  • Madison Street Beauty eyeshadow in Wintergreen (inner corner)
  • Quo Nice palette eyeshadow, lightest colour (inner corner over-top Wintergreen)
  • MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
  • Rimmel Soft Kohl eyeliner in Sable (waterline)
  • Revlon eyelash curler
  • Benefit BadGal Waterproof mascara (top lashes)
  • Avon Super Extend mascara (lower lashes)

Brows:
  • NYX The Runway Collection in Champagne & Caviar palette (dark brown & black)
  • Quo brow gel

Lips:
  •  MAC Myth

Ada xx

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

TAG | My First Time

Hello, hello! I was tagged by the lovely Madeline Rose to do the 'My First Time' tag, and don't worry, it's not one of those things.


The Rules:
1. You must share the following firsts and give the story or the context behind them. 
2. You must Tag 10 other bloggers to do to the tag. 
3. No tag backs

First Best Friend - 
My first best friend's name is Allison and she lived right next door to me. I remember she had this rope swing in her backyard that always scared me but I loved going up there anyways. And she also had this tree house that I was really loved hanging out in. She was the one who gave my fam our first cat, Kit-Kat. She found him one day and just handed him off to my mom.

First Kiss -
Nopenopenope, skipping this.

First Concert -
I was late on the concert train. My first concert was Jonas Brothers when I was 15-16. Yes, it's true, I was a JoBro. I was sooo excited and had such an amazing time, especially when Demi Lovato made a surprise appearance. And I remember, I was with my then-best friend and we looked up towards the VIP rooms and saw few forms and waved to them and they were waving back and it turned out to be the opening act, Honor Society.

First Celebrity Crush -
Oh gosh, Aaron Carter. He was everyone's crush, wasn't he!? I had a huge poster of him in my room, eugh.

First Word - 
I have no idea, to be honest. 'Mama'?

First Pet - 
See 'First Best Friend'. He was an orange-coffee coloured calico. His name was Kit-Kat and unfortunately he was pretty feral. He attacked me a lot as a child and I had countless scars decorating my body because of him. I still loved him though, he was my first pet! He was very naughty, I remember as a kitten, he used to sit on the sill in our apartment and would knock over the flower pots with his paw 'cause he felt like it.

First Job - 
I was a babysitter for my next-door neighbour's baby for quite a while. She was a jewelry maker, so she would have me come over for an hour or two so she could get some work done. I remember him going from laying on his back, to crawling, to walking and running. They grow up so quickly!

First Phone - 
Is it embarrassing to admit I still have and use my first phone? Honestly, I was so late with everything! My parents are very old fashioned, so I actually didn't have a cell phone until I was 18. My co-worker had an old Blackberry World Edition phone she didn't use so passed it on to me. I don't actually have enough money to get a new one, nor do I want to commit to a 3-year plan. "Why don't you stop spending money on makeup and save up for a phone?" Shhhhhhh.

First Tweet - 
I literally wrote "Joining Twitter" on Jan 5, 2009

First Make-Up - 
Oh gosh, I'm pretty sure that was when I first started high school. I was SO excited because I really, really wanted to finally wear make up. I had gotten a super expensive powder and foundation that my mom and I were suckered into buying because the woman at Shopper's was on a commission. I also had bright green eyeshadow I wore. How embarrassing.


I'm going to tag my followers (that have blogs/haven't done this tag) and some others:
Laura
Eloise
Bryanellen
Dhara
Emily
Rachael
Kate
Lisa
Daphne
Josie

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

HAUL | July Beautybox Five




Hi everyone! So I'm late with this, as usual, but here's my July Beautbox Five! I'm so sorry about the quality of the pictures, it was really rainy and dark so I had a hard time getting any good lighting.

I wasn't actually supposed to get this box, but I forgot to cancel my subscription so... whoops. I'm not going to be commenting on the products in the way of opinion because I will be posting a full-on review of everything. Inside the box came:
  • Every Beauty Foot Smoother ($8.99)
  • Jean Pierre Cosmetics Nail Polish Remover Wipes ($3.99/10 wipes)
  • Be A Bombshell Lip Gloss ($14.00)
  • La Fresh Travel Lite Antibacterial Wipes ($1.99/8 wipes)
  • H2O Plus Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment ($36.00/1.7 oz)
I'm on a tight budget at the moment, so I don't expect to be purchasing any more beauty boxes for a little bit, no matter how badly I want them.  I was thinking about renewing a 3-month membership to Luxebox again, but I do also want to try new boxes such as: Beautylishious, Blush Beauty Box, Candid Box, Glitter Guilty Pleasures, Julep Maven, Lip Factory Beauty Kit, Starbox, Topbox, True Beauty, Vegan Cuts Beauty Box and Wantable. So obviously, I have a lot of money to save up in order to feed this addiction.

Stay tuned for the review!

Ada xx

Sunday, August 11, 2013

NOTD Sundays? | Summer Snowflakes



I know, I know, my post is late. I've been working all weekend and haven't had a chance to take any pictures or make a blog post. So here I am, better late than never. This week I wanted to go for a brighter, white nail polish but I didn't want a flat, white-out colour. I chose OPI's Kyoto Pearl as a base white colour. I wasn't sure whether I'd want to do anything else, but I had purchased Ceramic Glaze's Vegas Vixen so I knew that I did in-fact want silver sparkles. Who wouldn't? The decision here was how I'd apply these sparkles. I considered applying them to the top and fading them down, but that was a look I'd done before. I then had the option of only painting my ring fingers in full sparkles, or even do full ring fingers and fade the rest of the nails. I went lazy crazy and just did everything in full sparkle.

Unfortunately, some hitting happened and the thumbs got a little banged up, but other than that, the nails are in great sparkly condition. I know OPI is one of the most known and used nail polish brands, but personally, I think it's overpriced and not the best. GOSH has some of my favourite nail polishes (and Forever 21, duh).

As for Ceramic Glaze, I've never heard of it but Shopper's had it in a bin with other OPI colours for $5, so I decided to give it a shot. I do already have a silver sparkle nail polish from Forever 21, but they're chunky glitters and there's not as many.

Ada xx

Sunday, August 4, 2013

HAUL | JustFab





Hello hello! It's been a very long while since I've done a haul post (for me at least), so here I am, back with another. I've been on a strict budget because of my new (and unnecessary) MacBook Pro splurge, so I've been having a real hard time telling myself "no" to spending money on things I don't need (but really, really want).

A few weeks ago I was on JustFab.ca and browsing through their selections, when I spotted the first clutch. Literally, I gasped. I mean, I know everyone on Tumblr is always "screaming" and "crying" when they're just sitting at their computer with a neutral face, but my reaction was 100%.

I've been crazily obsessed with black and white vertical stripes, mostly on bags, pants and tights. So with that being said, it was something that I knew I just had to have. Unfortunately I was at work when I saw the bag ($39.95), and I was not going to enter my credit card information there, so I closed the window and eventually forgot about it.

Recently, I opened up an email from JustFab and noticed that they were having a summer clearance. Of course I was interested in cute items for sale, it's my second nature (especially when on a budget)! So when I was looking through their bags, I was pleasantly surprised to see my striped bag (appropriately named Yacht Club) to be... wait for it.... $10!!!! I'm telling you, it was destiny. When I ordered I was so excited I forgot to check the material of this bag, but I was hoping it would be a soft material. When I got it, it turned out to be a faux leather, but I'm honestly glad now because if it were a material, the white would get filthy in seconds. The purse is a perfect envelope-style and is very slim, so it won't fit a ton of stuff, just the needs. It's larger, so it fits nicely in the hand.

I was going to checkout and run, but I kept browsing and then spotted the second bag (Dare You). Do you guys watch the show Girls? There's this character named Jessa. She's British and beautiful and has traveled all her life. She's gathered all these different cultures within herself and become this very dimensional and interesting character. I feel like the second bag reminds me of that. It looks very cultural, different and unique, which is exactly why I love it. Plus, it only cost me $15! It came with a long, gold chain that can be removed in that it to be a true clutch. I've been wearing it all week as a regular purse, and find it to be very large and roomy (except my wallet is so big it's taking up 90%).

I just checked their website right now and they still do have these bags, only in different colours, so if you want them, run!

Ada xx

Friday, August 2, 2013

NOTD Fridays! | Electric Pink



Hello beauties! I'm going to be starting a new weekly "theme" that I'm calling "NOTD Fridays" (if you haven't noticed yet). I usually paint my nails every Wednesday, but because of a sloppy job, I need to give them a few days to relax and get all that extra nail polish off my skin. Plus, Fridays are always fun!

This week I surprised myself by choosing this nail polish, Electric Pink by Revlon, because when I purchased it last summer, I wore it once and hated it. I was riffling through my collection for a summer colour and spotted this one (although I'm sure you can spot this one from a mile away). I decided "What the heck" and went for it. I have to say, I'm very pleasantly surprised and have been loving my nails all week.

Now, I'm not one for fake nails (or fake anything else for that matter), so I think the fact that I trimmed my nails short really helped me like this nail polish that much more.

I'm gonna be honest here, as much as I love Revlon, I've never been a fan of their nail polishes. I've always found them to chip away 2 days after, but that was back when I was doing my old nail routine. Recently I've started up a new one and it's been SO much better for sustainability. The main thing I do is not applying any cream to my hands, I wash them with soap and water, wipe and then apply the nail polish. Adding cream to your hands (as soothing as it is), puts a layer of oil on your nails so the nail polish has trouble sticking. Ever have your nail polish peel off in one chunk? That's why. Also, when I apply my base and top coat, I put on A LOT (but not in layers, just at once). And lastly, once I apply the nail polish, I run my nails under the coldest setting on the tap. The cold water really helps harden up the polish so you don't get weird imprints.

With that said, my nail polish lasted all week with minimal chipping. The formula is nice and smooth and I only needed 2 layers for an opaque finish. The dry time was much quicker and better than I would have expected. I applied the nail polish at night time (something I don't usually do), so I was expecting to get imprints in the morning from sleep, but I was surprised to find it completely smooth and shiny.

Ada xx

Thursday, August 1, 2013

HAUL + REVIEW | Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters



Peach Parfait
Berry Smoothie
Lollipop
Sugar Plum
Cherry Tart
 A few months ago when the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters came out, I was definitely intrigued. What most caught my attention was that they're like tinted lipbalms, but so much better. I do admit, the beautiful colours and packaging were definitely the selling factors for me. The very first one I bought was the colour Berry Smoothie. It was the perfect berry pop of colour that can match virtually any skintone and makeup. The second one I got was Peach Parfait. The only real problem I have with this balm is that it has some chunky glitter in it that really doesn't feel nice on the lips, but I really like how it looks.

Recently my local Shopper's Drug Mart was having a summer sale and I noticed that the Lip Butters were on sale for $3.99 each (usually around $8). Obviously I went a little wacko and wanted to buy the entire collection, but after a few breathing exercises, I picked out two that I've been wanting for a while: Lollipop and Sugar Plum. Lollipop is a gorgeous fuchsia colour that can really pop on any skin tone. I really love how it looks with basic black eyeliner and heavy mascara. I think it'd be the perfect colour for a very light/platinum blonde. Sugar Plum is probably my favourite out of all 5. It's true to being a lighter plum colour that I think is perfect for the fall time (but I will probably disregard that and wear it all year round). I also think it looks the best with my hair and skin tone.

That night, I went back and got Cherry Tart because I couldn't get it out of my mind and I knew I'd regret not buying it. It's a lighter true red that wears really nicely because it does have a sheen to it. As Lollipop, I also think it wears nicely with a black liner and heavy lashes.

My sixth sense must have kicked in because the very next day I needed to pick up a few things at Shopper's and found the Lip Butters back to their normal price. I'm glad I didn't wait to buy them.

As a product, these are my favourite lip products to use. They're super easy to apply and wear, and very comfortable. Because they're like a lip balm, you don't need to apply a base of balm to prep the lip. I think the colour range, although it covers the basic colours and a little bit more, I think Revlon could work on expanding it (if they're wanting to evolve the collection). I think if you're one of those girls that wants to just throw something easy on the lips and not fuss with it, but also get a stellar look and colour, these are the right ones for you. As a value, I think $8 is a little steep for them, but they're often on a sale, so you can't go wrong. The packaging is gorgeous and I do not have any problems with the lid falling off, it stays on nice and tight. I'm definitely planning on expanding my collection.

Performance: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Quality: 9/10

Definitely recommend!

Ada xx