Quick and Easy Summer Look Ideas: Cheeks

To reiterate from last time: Since summer has come along, my make-up routine has definitely swayed to simplicity. The easier the better, but I also want something that brightens. So I sorted through my makeup and came up with some of my go to items thus far this summer!

Kind of small, my blush stash doesn't amount to much. However, inspite of this, I took out some and the result was this. All these colours are great for summer, both sheered out and built up brightly. A pop of colour is especially easy to get with Peaches Blush by Mac (The coral-orange one). Peaches is classified as a sheertone. Mac Angel blush (matte) is a nice subtle pink or bright glowy pink on darker skins. Well Dressed I suspect would also work well for the same look.
The Joe Fresh blush is quite pigmented for the amount of money (around $5) and creates a lovely subtle warmth to whatever look you happen to be wearing. The Clinique shade is also very pigmented and its the only shimmery blush I've featured. The shimmer is very fine and can create a lovely pink-peach glow from within cheek.
I've also found on days when I'm lazing around I skip cheeks altogether and focus more on my lips or eyes. I do have to be careful not to overdo both though otherwise I just look incomplete.
What are your favourite summer cheek colours? What about textures and finishes?

Quick and Easy Summer Look Ideas: Eyes

Since summer has come along, my make-up routine has definitely swayed to simplicity. The easier the better, but I also want something that brightens. So I sorted through my makeup and came up with some of my go to items thus far this summer!

Eyes! Definitely my favourite thing to play up or down. These are all colours that are brightening simple ones that I love to wear as quick wash over my lid. For darker skintones try to pick colours a shade or two lighter than your skin colour for the same look.
From top to Bottom: Gosh Waterproof Eyeshadow stick in Love that Beige (an Ivory colour); Mac Shadestick in Nurture, a peach-pink; NYX eyeshadow single in Apricot Moose; Mac eyeshadow in Vex (my all time favourite Mac eyeshadow grey green with pink duochrome both subtle and beautiful; and the really sheer but lovely textured Revlon Matte eyeshadow single in Vintage Lace, an Ivory shade.
The whole point is something quick, easy and brightening around the eye. Nothing shocking but because the colour is lighter than your skintone or even similar should bring light to your eyes. And of course, it takes less than 30 seconds to do. What are your favourite easy but flattering eye looks when your in a hurry? (Or just lazy?)

Quick and Easy Summer Look Ideas: Nails

I know that since summer has come along, that my make-up routine has definitely swayed to simplicity. The easier the better, but I also want something that brightens. So I sorted through my makeup and came up with some of my go to items thus far this summer!
First up is nail polish! (You can click on the image to see it bigger!) I find that nail (and toe!) polish can really effect my mood and I love to have some nice colours on especially in the summer. Who doesn't love showing off there toes in sandals? I tried to pick colours that I thought would look good on every skintone and colour as well as bright shades and more subtle work appropriate shades. I also included my favourite top coat (China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat which Really speeds up drying time) and base coat (Revlon Multi Care Base and Top Coat), because I think just shiny nails have a lot of impact too.
In the picture starting at the China Glaze top coat and going clockwise is Sephora by OPI Just a Fairy-Tail a shimmery silver glitter with flecks of blue; NYX Fire 136, a subtle but beautiful peach-pink with blue-green duochrome; OPI Rumple's Wiggin' a soft cream lilac colour (this is a particularly popular colour this season and many brands have similar colours out there like Revlon Gum Drop and Essie Lilacism); Down in the bottom right corner is Lagoon-a-Beach another Sephora by OPI nailpolish that is a baby blue with silver glitter; next is Leaf Him at the Altar a gorgeous leaf green with subtle silver shimmer by Sephora by OPI; One of my personal favourites is next Breathe Life by OPI a shade put out by the company in support of the Lung Cancer Association. This is a difficult shade to describe because as you build coats it changes it's base colour. Its a baby blue with violet-purple and pastel green duochrome. It's also very sheer so it's a great subtle pop of colour.
The final two colours are Finger paints Art Dealer Tealer and OPI's Pearl of Wisdom. Art Dealer Tealer is a bright Carribean Water blue with green duochrome and Pearl of Wisdom is an Ivory with pink reflects and very fine silver glitter. Both very different but wonderful summer colours. What are you're favourite nail polish colours for summer? Especially the ones you wear to work?

Alice is Back! (For a little while anyways)

For those of you who loved Alice and Wonderland, but missed out on the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland there still is a chance for you to pick one up if you live in the United States. Urban Decay is offering an Alice's Favorite Things collection for a whopping $211 USD. All hope is not lost though if you do like Urban Decay; because they certainly make it worth while with the sheer amount of other products they included.

Besides the 16 eyeshadow palette, the mini Sin Primer Potion and the two travel size 24/7 eyeliners in Burbon and Flipside there is also full sized:
- Honey Body Powder; a gold sparkling body powder with poof, that looks smells and tastes like Honey (They are designed to be edible)
- Eden Primer Potion; a matte yellow nude finish primer potion based off the original- despite being matte it has a lovely uplifting effect I found once sheered out on my skin when I swatched in store
- Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in Midnight Cowboy; A gold chunky glitter liner (I've never tried it, but by the size of the glitter in the picture I think this would have issues with fallout)
- Kirk Pocket Rocket Lipgloss; A sheer nude colour with an adorable picture of a guy named Kirk on the top. From one angle he's casually dress, from another he's in rather fetching blue underwear :D
- Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Setting Powder; A translucent powder that is Urban Decay's answer to a HD setting powder. It comes with a sponge attached to the lid.
- De-Slick in a tube; A clear matifying gel that is designed to control oil both under and over make-up.
- Big and Fatty Mascara; A black thickening mascara.

When the prices of all the products are added together (including the original price of the palette when it was first released) the worth of the kit comes to exactly $211 USD. Which means Urban Decay is selling everything to you for full price, which in my opinion is a bit stingy on behalf of the company.
All in all if you feel you must have the Alice in Wonderland palette and you like Urban Decay products, (which are usually nice quality) go for it. However, if you're someone like me who already has several shades in the palette as well as a setting powder, opened mascara etc., it's not really worth my time. (And even if I was interested there are some palettes being sold at or around the original price on ebay).
If you're interested to see the details click here for a link to Urban Decay's page:
Here!
Rating: 6/10

Review: Summer Sun Protection you CAN'T feel! (Finally!)

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Water-Light daily face sunscreen (SPF 60), oh how you have revolutionized sun care for me! Being pretty pale I tend to burn if left out in the sun too long; especially on my cheeks, forehead and shoulders. I also hate the continuous sticky, greasy feeling of most sunscreen; in fact all sunscreen up until this point.


Having a consistentcy slightly thicker than water, it needs to be applied quickly; however the nozzle tip makes squeezing out the product fairly simple. Although still slightly greasy on initial application (I put it on over top of my day-time acne treatment) it soaks in quickly and the feeling completely vanishes when I apply my primer. At SPF 60, with both UVA and UVB protection, I know that I'm getting the complete coverage I need during the hot Canadian summers (I haven't burned yet!). On top of this I get no white cast, no pilling or flaking beneath my make-up and its in a really travel friendly size.

Some cons however, are that the packaging is a hard plastic tube so pressing the sides to release the product is slightly difficult, and most likely will make it difficult to get the product out once it gets low. There is also no way to tell how much you have left as the bottle is opaque. In addition, make sure you don't get it in your eyes! This realllllly stings, so be slightly careful around your eye area when applying.

Now it also says on the packaging that its waterproof, which would be great if it didn't go on to say (on the back of the bottle) "Reapply... after swimming, towel drying, perspiring heavily or washing." Just for that I'm dropping the rating a point. *Shakes finger at Neutrogena for false advertising.


On the plus side the tube should be able to take some rough treatment and in the bottom of the container is a metal ball to break up sunscreen clumps if they happen to occur. I've also had no reaction from my skin in terms of dryness, oil production nor acne, which in my book is always a huge plus.

Something to note is that this is a chemical sunscreen and so if you are allergic to them this isn't going to work for you. In addition to this, this product contains Helioplex which is a broad range sun protection by combining avobenzone and oxybenzone together to decrease the breakdown of the sunscreen's effectiveness over time. If your interested in learning more you can check here or Here. for more details.

Active Ingredients: Homosalate (10%), Octocrylene (7.5%), Oxybenzone (5%), Octisalate (5%), and Avobenzone (3%)

Rating: 8/10 Overall I'd have to say worth the money for the product (even if you do have to reapply!) At under $20 Canadian you can bet I'll be purchasing this again when it runs out.