Hair Model in a Bottle | Alterna's Caviar Cream

I've seen a lot of "do-it-all" products over the last year or so and I've gotta say, none of them appealed to me.  I've always had problematic hair that never does what anyone wants it to; my curls fall and my straight hair goes wavy in a matter of minutes.  Not to mention, it's not smooth or shiny, not even after a conditioning mask.  I'm the "before" girl with hay-like hair in shampoo commercials.

Enter Alterna's Caviar Cream 10-IN-1 Leave-In Hair Perfector *deep inhale to regain breath*.

Again, this is not a product I would've picked on my own; I was given a travel-sized bottle as a 100 point perk at the Sephora counter about a year ago that I only used when away at a wedding recently.  After towel-drying my hair, I applied a small amount starting at my ends and working up, then I added a tad of straightening cream for extra frizz fighting and I blow-dried my hair with a round brush as usual.

And.....

BAM.

My hair stayed tame all day despite the heat; not to mention, I danced until 2 am and left without looking the way one does after a sweaty highschool dance (you know exactly what I'm talking about...).

Needless to say, upon our return, I hit up Sephora and picked up a full-sized "Hair Model in a Bottle".

It's not sticky, doesn't weigh your hair down, makes your hair soft, smells amazing AND you can add a little bit to dried hair as a finisher.

Sold yet?

If not, go to Sephora and ask for a sample!  They can put a little squeeze into a container for you, enough for one use.  (HINT: Get a sample and save it for a night out, you won't be disappointed!)

xo.

Tiny Tattoos and Treats

Yesterday was a dreary, rainy day in Vancouver and it seemed like the perfect time to go get some new, mystical ink.  I've wanted to get a simple crescent moon for quite some time and yesterday it just felt right.  Tristan and I hit up The Fall Tattooing on Seymour St. and although we didn't have the best experience, I was happy with how it turned out and glad I could get it done on such short notice.

Afterward, we went to our favorite spot for freshly-made macarons and liquid chocolate, a splurge money-wise and sugar-wise that neither of us ever regret.

I decided to sport my cozy new Fisherman's Sweater from American Apparel; it's exceptionally soft and I'm relieved that I decided on the medium size rather than the small.  My skinnies are from Zara and my ankle boots are from Aldo and both are also ridiculously simple yet comfortable.  I may have also managed to make a quicky stop at MAC for some new shadows...

The sun peaked out from behind a cloud toward the day's end!

Talk soon, sorry for the latest absence, new job and all...

xo

Berry Breakfast Smoothie

Lately I've been trying to get out of a "bad food binge".  Diet-wise, this summer was probably the worst I've ever treated my insides.  I wouldn't eat before a shift at work and I wouldn't get off until 2AM, when the only place still open was McDonalds.  It turned into a vicious cycle and I would wake up the next morning feeling absolutely wrecked because of my lack of proper nourishment and dehydration.  I had zero energy, I was surviving off of espresso shots and lets not even discuss my skin situation.  

I think a lot of us forget how good our bodies are actually supposed to feel.  Part of my plan for this September is to start eating better and what better way to start with a tasty breakfast?  

This one is great for all of you who are on a budget because it only actually has 4 ingredients.  

Just blend together ice, a whole banana, frozen berries, and almond milk.  I like to top mine with fresh blueberries.  That's it.  I'm probably one of the last people I know to hop on the almond milk train on account of how skeptical I was about the taste but it really just tastes like, well, almonds.  I think I'm slowly going to switch over and start putting it in my tea as well.  Other than the milk in my tea, I don't drink milk or use it for anything else.

Heck, you can add protein to this smoothie, chia seeds, hemp hearts and all that healthy shit if you wanted.  Great for all you kiddies goin' back to school or for those who are looking to put a little more effort into your health and daily routine.

Have I mentioned I've also started running again?  What's gotten into me...

Cheers, m'dears xo.

Fall Beauty Edit Pt 1: Lips and Nails

This year, I thought I'd do a series of "Fall Edits" to highlight some of the new products I'll be incorporating into my routine this fall.  For Autumn 2014, I plan on styling a very basic, monochrome wardrobe with some blood-red beauty bits.

My first pick is a product that I actually purchased back in the Spring; Lime Crime Cosmetics released their Clueless Witch Collection back in March and come release day, I was fumbling with my keyboard desperately trying to get my hands on one of the new Velvetines.  I knew right off the bat that the deep, blue-toned blood red Velvetine Matte Lip Color in Wicked was the one for me.  

I loved the long-lasting formula so much that I couldn't wait until Fall and actually wore it a couple of times this Summer.  P.S. You'll need a very efficient makeup remover to get this stuff off, unless that smear-y Joker look is what you're going for.  Here I paired it with a little bit of MAC Patina Eyeshadow and lashings of mascara for a quick, yet mysterious Fall look.  

For nails, I saw this brand new ruby red color by Essie in the drugstore and since I picked it up, I haven't been able to find it again.  Unfortunately it comes off as a much brighter red on camera but don't be fooled, Essie's Macks is blood red, like the kind that Morticia would wear.

Let me know what you think of these in the comments!  I'll be making more Fall Edits so keep an eye out for those.

P. S . In case you're wondering what the book in the second picture is, it's a handmade, leather-bound copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula that Tristan and I found in a little shop.  Flawlessly creepy.

Click here to check out LimeCrime's Velvetines.

xo

Welcome, September

September: The leaves start to fall, pants become a more regular thing and you start craving things like fresh stationary and pumpkin flavoured goods.  Well, I'm already there.  To tell you the truth, I was there like, two weeks ago.  This will be the first Autumn I'm not school and it already feels weird.  

A quick life update: I quit my job.  It was bad, it turned me sluggish and made me unhappy.  However, I found a new one!  It doesn't start up right away so I'm taking a brief work-free moment to cleanse my thoughts (as well as my apartment).

I thought I'd share with you a few simple tricks on how to move past summer toward autumn and new beginnings.

First, buy a bloody planner, agenda, whatever you want to call it.  People remind me on a daily basis: "Hey, you know you can put all that information in your phone, right?!".  Yes, I know you can but there's something about having it in front me, concrete and tangible that is much more satisfying than pushing the backspace button once I've accomplished something.  I just purchased this new Paperblanks Moroccan-style hardcover pocket agenda from a nearby bookstore.  It goes all the way till the end of 2015, has two page marking ribbons and a pocket at the back for notes and receipts.  Not to mention it looks like an old spell book, bonus.  When in doubt, write it down.

Second, I bought some new candles and they're actually not from Bath and Body Works.  After a few years, two candles for $25-$30 sounds a little ridiculous.  I made a brief trip to Ikea and bought some floral-scented candles.  Some of them even came in little ceramic floral pots; perfect for storing jewelry once it's burnt out.

Third, do yourself and your coffee table a favor and go buy The September Issue.  You shouldn't need to know what magazine I'm talking about.  Just go buy it, for the good of your soul.

Fourth, change your iPhone case and background to something a little more seasonally appropriate.  I ditched my floral case and background for a plain, black leather case and an artsy fall background.  Little changes work wonders so try changing your phone and desktop background once a week for a change in scenery.  After all, the thing is probably glued to your hand.

Last, read a damn book.  Not a book required for a class, not a magazine, not a blog, a real book.  Be it fantasy, sci-fi, fiction, self-help it doesn't matter.  I find reading books very therapeutic and I very much regret not setting aside time to read them while in university.  You wouldn't believe how many books are out there.  My personal favorites are historical fictions like the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness.  It's one of the most well-researched historical fictions I've ever read and am likely to read again.  Witches, vampires, daemons, love, alchemy, drama, everything I could want in a book.  Go read them, seriously.

Well that's my advice to you on this rainy September evening.  I can barely contain my excitement for fall!  Pop by later this week and I'll show you some new fall additions to my beauty routine; HINT HINT: It's gonna be a dark one ;)

Farewell, my pretties.

xo

Sunday Afternoon

In my opinion, there is nothing better than having a Sunday off.  For me, Sundays are a reset day; a day where you can stop thinking about the week you had and prepare your mind and spirit for the week ahead.  Sundays are for yummy snacks, hot baths, face masks, at-home manicures, Sunday night TV and comfy pants.  My Sunday started with a delicious brunch, followed by a stop at my favorite macaron cafe.  We then took our usual detour to Chapters and then straight home to the above-mentioned therapeutics.

Days like yesterday serve as a reminder that one day, if I'm lucky enough, I'll have Sundays off.  Today, I'm taking some extended "me-time" to stick my nose in my book, sip my delicious yet over-priced coffee and partake in some kitty snuggles.  Maybe I'll even get around to doing some at-home yoga, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

IMATS Haul

Despite the fact that IMATS is geared toward makeup artists who have kits filled with oodles of goodies, I still managed to find a few items I'm really excited about.  Mind you, I was one of the only ones not buying in bulk, and by bulk I mean some chicks had storage containers as shopping baskets...

I started at the Morphe Brushes counter and picked up their Eyebrow Brush M215, their Crease Blending Brush M441, their Face Buffing Brush M439 and their Contour Brush MB30.

I'd never heard of Morphe Brushes before but when I gave them a little feel-up at the counter, I was surprised at the quality.  The buffing brush looks similar to the Zoeva one I've been perusing online and the contour brush reminded me of the gorgeous Nars one everyone goes broke for.  Lets hope these brushes hold up!

While we're on brushes, I may have made a pesky litte stop at the Hakuhodo stand, where I know the brushes are of unreal quality.  They're Japanese and use real hair to give the softest and most flawless blend.  I picked up the Crease Blending Brush made with blue squirrel hair.  This brush may be made from poor little Bucky's fluffy tail but it it by far the softest brush I've ever felt.  Perfect for that quick and even sweep of brown through the crease to give your eyes some definition.

Onto lashes, I lunged at the Red Cherry #43s because they were dirt cheap and splurged on a set of Velour Lashes in Complete Me.  Velour lashes are made with real mink (I know this isn't exactly the most animal-conscious haul), but if taken proper care of, these lashes can be worn up to 25-30 times.  I'll admit they were pricey but these wispy little things will carry me through an upcoming wedding and many a night out.

After leaving IMATS, my craving for actual makeup wasn't satisfied so I made a stop at Sephora and let me tell ya, I wasn't alone.  Half the girls there had IMATS bags slung over their arms and didn't look the slightest bit guilty.

I've already gone through 2 of the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper but recently, I hadn't wanted to splurge on it.  I went for a drugstore liquid liner instead and the last time I was that irritable was when I gave up dairy and carbs.  I've now accepted it as something that needs to be in my makeup bag because it is by far the best liquid liner pen out there.

On my way to pay, I passed by the Nars counter and my eyes were drawn to this blush (isn't that always the way...).

It's the Nars Blush in Amour and it gives the most natural looking flush of color.  I swear by Nars blushes and this will be that perfect Snow White color for me in the winter months.

I don't think I did too bad, what do you think?

Let me know if you've tried any of these and your thoughts, I love hearing from you!

xo.