Tuesday, May 28, 2013

HAUL | Sleek MakeUP



After purchasing and loving my i-Divine palettes and after all the great reviews about Sleek, I just knew that I needed to try more of their products. It also helped that their shipping was ridiculously cheap, something I don't exactly understand. I paid around $3.50 to have the package shipped from the UK to Canada, whereas shipping from the US to Canada would cost me $10+?

Either way, I went off to their website and began my browsing. There were 8 products that really caught my eye. I purchased the following:

  • Waterproof Mascara ($4.99)
  • Lip Pencil in Blackberry ($2.49)
  • Luminous Pressed Powder in 01 ($8.99)
  • True Colour Lipstick in Mulberry and Cherry ($6.49 each)
  • Blush in Pomegranate ($5.99)
  • Eye Dust in Vintage and In The Nude ($3.99 each)
Out of the 8, my least favourite product is the waterproof mascara. My most favourite product is the blush. I won't go into further details about these products because I will be doing full reviews on them later on, so stick around for those.

Ada xx

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

FOTD | Smoked Out



Experimenting with eyeshadows is probably my favourite part of doing my makeup. I always enjoy thinking up different looks and different ways of using my shadows along with different colour combinations. I've never done a look like this, but I have to say it's one of my most favourite.

That day we were going to have a wedding at my work, so I decided to dress up a little for the occasion. I pinned back my hair, added a pair of beautiful layered shell earrings and smoked out the eyes. I only wish I had the time to take better pictures, in order to see the look in its fullness. Unfortunately, I was running late so only had a chance to snap a few pictures by the window in my kitchen.

I knew I wanted my skin to look as luminous as possible, so I went for a rather shimmery bronzer, a bright pink blush and very luminizing highlighter. Because the eyeshadows I used were completely matte, I knew I wouldn't be a walking disco ball. Plus, any glitter in my face products was so sparse and thin that it didn't look overdone. For my eyes, I created a V on the outer corner with a medium-dark brown shadow and blended out. I then lined my top lashline and outer lower lashline with a dark sapphire blue shadow and smoked it out. I highlighted my inner corner but left the browbone alone. I didn't want my brows very strong, so I only lightly filled them in. I only finished the look off with a lipbalm because I knew I wouldn't have time to reapply a lipstick or gloss throughout the night.

Face:
  • Quo BB Cream in Light/Medium
  • MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20
  • Sleek MakeUP Luminous Pressed Powder in 01
  • Madison Street Beauty in Rose Bronze (bronzer)
  • The Body Shop blush in 03
  • Mai Couture Highlighter Paper in St. Barts(?)
Eyes:
  • Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
  • Sleek MakeUP i-Divine palette in Oh So Special (2nd row, 3rd shadow all over lid)
  • Madison Street Beauty eyeshadow in Espresso (outer-v, blend into crease)
  • Madison Street Beauty eyeshadow in Smoky Sapphire (liner)
  • Madison Street Beauty eyeshadow in Rose Gold (inner corner)
  • Rimmel Extreme Definition duo eyeliner (grey - waterline)
  • Shu Uemura eyelash curler
  • Badgal Waterproof mascara (upper)
  • Benefit They're Real! mascara (lower)
  • NYX The Runway Collection palette in Silk & Caviar (dark brown and black)
  • Quo eyebrow gel

Ada xx

Sunday, May 19, 2013

HAUL | Madison Street Beauty




If there one brand that I can rely on for the absolute best eyeshadows and blushes, it'll definitely be Madison Street Beauty. They're a little treasure I found on Etsy one day whilst looking for some bargains. And let me tell you, I found them! Every couple of months, they price all their items at 60% off, so not only are they incredibly priced, but once the sale price hits, one eyeshadow will cost $2.

I have ordered several eyeshadows from them before and have been so happy that I knew I needed more! This time I ordered 17 eyeshadows and 2 blushes, my total being around $40. I have just managed to try them all out and my absolute favourite is 'Opal'. When you see it in the container, it just looks like a simple nude, but upon applying, it has a beautiful purple/blue sheen to it. I have received many compliments on my eyeshadow upon wearing it. I also love it because it reminds me of my favourite discontinued (wah :C) MAC pigment 'Lark About'. I also really, really love 'Smoky Sapphie', a true matte navy blue that looks stunning smoked around the lash line.

The eyeshadows I got are:
  • Manzanita
  • Wintergreen
  • Cacao
  • Opal
  • Australian Gold
  • Taupe Luster
  • Espresso
  • Toasted Coconut
  • Chai
  • Bronze Sand
  • Smoky Sapphire
  • Galaxy (looks brown but is a stunning deep purple)
  • Chestnut
  • Mossy Mauve (MAC's 'Blue Brown' pigment dupe)
  • Fern
  • Golden Olive
  • Turquoise
And the blushes I got are:
  •  Hydrangea
  • Peony

Ada xx

Monday, May 13, 2013

HAUL | Books
















My job can be one of either two things: super stressful or super boring. I never know which it will be, so I always carry a book around with me. It also helps having one on the bus. One day at work, it was a pretty slow shift so I whipped my book out. Beside my hostess stand, there's a black futon with funky mirrors above on the wall, ones that people love to look at because of the crazy, circus distortion it does to your reflection. A little boy came around to look at them and his dad followed. His dad asked me if I was reading for school or pleasure. "Pleasure," of course I answered, considering I'm not in school. "Good for you," he replies. Honestly, it kinda shocked me. I had forgotten how little people read for fun these days and it's actually really unfortunate. Books are incredible - little mind televisions. I have learned so many life lessons just from reading my whole life, going through what the characters go through.

I only read fiction, mostly fantasy and science fiction. I love escaping to a reality so unlike my own. I also only write fiction, but any genre, really. I do own a Kobo, and as much as I love its handy, portable-ness, I did miss the physicality of books. Unfortunately, Canadian books tend to be quite expensive, especially hardcovers (though I prefer paperbacks), so I went to find a shop that would sell me less-expensive ones. I ended up finding http://www.bookcloseouts.com/. I love this website! They have any and all genres with supremely cheap books.

I ended up buying 9. The other books I purchased at a thrift store near me. The books from BookCloseOuts are:
  1. Lures by Sue Goyette
  2. After the Snow by S.D. Crockett (read)
  3. The Castings Trilogy by Pamela Freeman
  4. Grievance by Marguerite Alexander
  5. Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet (read)
  6. Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine (read)
  7. Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger
  8. Masquerade by Nancy Moser
  9. Black Swan Rising by Lee Carroll (read)
The books from the thrift store are:

  1. A Map of Glass by Jane Urquhart
  2. Cat's Pilgrimage by Marilyn Bowering
  3. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
  4. One Fith Avenue by Candance Bushnell
  5. Loser's Town by Daniel Depp (current)
  6. Birds In Fall by Brad Kessler
If you'd like a review on any of these books, please let me know!

Monday, May 6, 2013

HAUL | JustFab




I'm one of those people that's pretty good with buying things. I can ask myself "Do I need it?" and if I don't, I can put it away. But, there are those times that I spot something and I just know that I have to have it, or it'll plague my mind. And although I know I won't have very many chances to use it, for my lack of social life, I enjoy looking at it, stroking it, singing to it. Just kidding.

On the website, the bag is Louis Vuitton-inspired, which I think is the main reason why I loved it so much. LV is my favourite designer with my not-so favourite prices, so I think this is a great alternative without having to buy a fake. I loooove the pleather and gold detail strap at the front and the fact that it opens up like an envelope, but it also has a zipper inside just to be extra safe. I'm always supremely paranoid about the contents of my purse falling out, so it's nice to know they're good and safe. I also love that inside there are the two compartments for a phone and whatever else. Clutches don't usually offer that luxury, but I'm glad this one does. Considering I usually fill up my purses, it's nice to have my phone in a consistent spot so that when I need it, I'll know where it'll be. And finally, I love the fact that it comes with a chain and that it's such a large bag. I love big clutches that I can cling to, but it's nice to know that if my hands get tired, I can just snap on that chain and swing it onto my shoulder.

Ada xx

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

FOTD | Christmas in Spring?



I have recently.... accumulated a lot of makeup products, so I've been doing a lot of different looks everyday, trying out these new products. I later realized that the look was more Christmasey than I had expected, but considering the cold weather we were getting at the time, I suppose it was in-season. But now that the sun's out and the birds are singing, I'll be doing more Spring-related looks!

The products I used were:
-Quo BB Cream in Light/Medium
-Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! Foundation in Honey (sample) Only used under the eyes, around the nose and on spots around the face
-Marcelle Translucent Loose Powder
-NYX The Runway Collection in Silk & Caviar (dark brown and a bit of black for brows)
-Quo Eyebrow Gel
-MAC Surf, Baby! Studio Careblend/Pressed Powder in Lush-Light Bronze
-The Body Shop Brush On Radiance Highlighter
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-Sleek MakeUP Eye Dust in In The Nude (lid and inner corner)
-Madison Street Beauty eyeshadow in Taupe Luster (outer corner)
-Sleek MakeUP Waterproof Mascara
-Sleek MakeUP True Colour Lipstick in Cherry

I decided on not using a blush because my mom would always tell me to never wear a blush with a red lipstick, but because times have changed now, I considered wearing a blush, but decided the look didn't need it.

Ada xx