How I Achieve Bare to Beautiful Lashes + Mini Haul :)

I guess you can say everyone has their preference of how they like their lashes. For me, I like my lashes to be separated, lengthened, and natural looking. My all-time favourite mascara has got to be Maybelline Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara because it holds my curl and doesn't smudge on me for the whole day. Most mascaras just love melting under my eye :( My favourite eyelash curler is the Shu Uemera because it conforms to the shape of my eye perfectly!

Here is how I achieve Bare to Beautiful Lashes:

1. Curl lashes at the base for 5 seconds

2. Curl lashes at the center for 5 seconds

3. Go back and curl lashes at the base for 10 seconds

4. Quickly brush waterproof mascara from root to tip in a zig-zag motion

Voila! Quick and easy way to achieve natural looking lashes :)

And now onto my mini haul . . .

1. Marc Jacobs Daisy Glitter Rollerball - Winners is my all-time favourite store for random things! I found this on clearance for $8 from $20! I wasn't going for the glitters but the fragrance itself. I've been a fan of this perfume but never had the $$$ to buy the full-size bottle :P

2. Seche Vite Top Coat - This was for $8 as well at Winners :) I've been wanting to try this since forever from YT guru raves!

3. Gap Linen Blazer - I never find blazers on sale, and particularly my size! This was on sale from $89.50 to $25.97! How could I resist? It's super comfy and still casual at the same time. I still regret not purchasing a cotton blazer from BCBG that was on a 50% sale for $113 :( This Gap blazer will do for now!

I finished LC's second book and recently finished the Twilight book. I am currently obsessed with the Twilight Saga (or more-so obsessed with Edward...) and I'm now onto New Moon! I'm also going to head to the beach tomorrow! Super excited! :D

Natural Skincare Oils I've Tried

I don't have horrible skin, in fact, I get quite a few compliments on my "nice skin" but as a very fair skinned girl, when rashes, pimples, and zits come out to play, they are a huge contrast on my skin. I've tried the usual, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, but they would just dry out my skin, create irritation, or make the case worse than before. I'm a huge fan of natural and organic products since they are definitely more gentle on the skin. I've tried out a couple of natural oils for my skin and would just like to share my experience and thoughts about them. I'm not a professional by any means, and with all skincare products, the way the oils worked on me may not work the same on you. Another perk with natural oils is that there are MANY different uses; however, I will only be referring to what I used the oil for :)

Tea Tree Oil

What I Used It For - Spot treatment for pimples/zits.

My Experience - There are lots of raves on the result of using tea tree oil on pimples and zits. It is also featured in many acne related skincare products. However, this did not work for me at all on my pimples. So now I use it to clean my eyeliner brush because it has natural antiseptic properties :)

Where to Buy - (~$7 for 10 mL) - The particular one I bought is called "100% Pure Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Oil" and I purchased it at a natural health food store. You should have no problem finding it at any natural health food store, but make sure it states it's 100% Pure as with all other oils.

Manuka Oil - *****

What I Used It For - Spot treatment for cystic acne

My Experience - I've always had random periods during the year where I would get cystic acne. My cystic acne would be deep below the surface of my skin and would take months to disappear. It would appear as a bump and the same color as my skin - they would also hurt when I pressed on them. Let's just say, they were SUPER annoying. Manuka Honey is different from Manuka Oil from my research online, but I don't really know the clear answer to this. All I know was the honey was a super messy application and I've always wanted to try the oil since it absorbs in the skin much easier. I used this in conjunction with Emu Oil (below) which was suppose to act as a carrier and effective for transferring the Manuka Oil deep into the skin.

I attacked my beast by using the oil during the day and applied 0.5% benzoyl peroxide at overnight while I slept. The results? The cystic acne slowly disappears! By no means did it magically disappear overnight but I gave it a couple of weeks and it worked!

Where to Buy - (~$17 for 10 mL) - East Cape Manuka Oil 100% Pure, from ebay, direct link here.

Emu Oil

What I Used It For - Spot treatment used in conjunction with Manuka Oil and Manuka Honey for cystic acne

My Experience - Not really sure if using this was more effective, but certainly did not irritate my skin in any way. Plus it provides fishy omegas to the skin :)

Where to Buy - (~$15 for 30 mL) - Kalaya Pure Emu Oil found at natural food store or Walmart.

Cod Liver Oil - *****

What I Use It For - Skin, Hair, Nails

My Experience - I actually was recommended to use this by Michelle from BeautyEditor.ca during a time my cystic acne on my chin was growing one after another and I was desperate to try anything I could get my hands on! She told me the wonders of Cod Liver Oil in terms of it providing Vitamin A (what Accutane is based on) and Vitamin D. She recommended me these capsules she purchased online and I quickly realized they were not cheap! I was also skeptical of using it because I had an allergic reaction to retinol (a form of Vitamin A) from an anti-wrinkle product I used previously.

This was not the first time I've heard good things about Cod Liver Oil, I knew people who took this daily who lacked Vitamin D. Pet owners also use this on their dogs to promote healthy shiny fur. My sister also forwarded me to Kandee Johnson's (YT guru) video on how she also used Cod Liver Oil to achieve flawless looking skin. I think after that video I was pretty much sold because the exact cod liver oil liquid Kandee was using was easily accessible for me and would not require me to make a purchase online.

I've been taking 1 tsp of this cod liver oil liquid twice a day (before lunch, and before bedtime) for about a month and a half now. Since then, I haven't grown any painful cystic acne and have only grown one unnoticeable cystic zit on my chin and one my forehead, which disappeared completely with my Manuka Oil and 0.5% Benzoyl Peroxide attack within 2 weeks. These two cystic zits were not like the others that grew before, they were what I'd call a MILD cystic zit, as in, it still hurt when I pressed on it, but it was much flatter and did not grow into a large mound, and the time it took for it to disappear was definitely much quicker.

This is quite an improvement since my cystic acne was non-stop growing one after the other, and they usually took about months to disappear.

Of course this is not a miracle oil, since many other factors come into play, like stress, exercise, and diet, but I just can't pinpoint it. This is the closest thing I've come to in treating those annoying spots! Taking cod liver oil is also more of a method of preventing acne rather than treating it after the fact it has grown. There is an extra bonus that taking this also provides Vitamin A and D & Omega 3. This also promotes healthy hair and nails :)

Where to Buy - (~$25 for 250 mL) - Carlson Cod Liver Oil Lemon Flavor, I purchased it at my local organic food store, direct link to the company website here.

You have to make sure the Vitamin A and D ratios are at the right amounts! The liquid form is more potent than the capsule form. The only reason I didn't purchase the capsule form because they usually contain soybean oils and soybeans may cause acne! Did not want to risk that :p

Camellia Oil

What I Use It For - Pre-mature wrinkles, dry patches of skin, rashes

My Experience - I actually only recently purchased this for the purpose of my forehead lines (yes I'm paranoid) and have been using it for 3 days, no drastic changes yet! I have used this on these dry red rashes I randomly get around my face and neck and it seems to be working quite great on those!

Where to Buy - (~$12 for 60 mL) - Silkia Camellia Oil 100% Pure, from ebay, direct link here.

In Conclusion

I know this was a long post but I just wanted to bring attention to alternative methods of treating your skin with natural and organic products in times of desperate needs! I'm definitely sticking to my Manuka Oil and Cod Liver Oil routine, and I really hope the Camellia Oil works wonders too :) These oils may take longer to work but they have great results and are much more gentle on your skin. If you have any other recommendations or questions, please let me know!

Eat, Pray, Love & L.A. Candy

I'm addicted to fun, quirky, girly books. It all started off with Sophie Kinsella Shopaholic books and since then I've read all of her novels and have reached out to authors with similar writing style. Of course, no one can write the way Kinsella does ;)! I love how books can just take you into another world. The bonus is that you can take everything you're reading and turn it into your own imaginary images...unlike movies where the story and vision is created for you. Does that make sense?! :p

Eat, Pray, Love

I can't believe I posted about finishing Eat, Pray, Love and didn't even mention how I thought of it! I thought this book would be a bit too mature for me but once I saw the previews for this in theatres I knew I had to read this! Gilbert writes beautifully, and the fact that it was a memoir made it even more personal. There are numerous quotes in the book that are relatable and worthy of jotting down. It was a feel-good read and definitely encouraged me to be more independent, stop worrying so much, and becoming more adventurous :) This memoir was a joy to read and I definitely recommend!

L.A. Candy

As a fan of Lauren Conrad from The Hills I've wanted to read her novel for a long time now. I started reading it yesterday and finished it...yesterday! This is a total shock because I'm a slow reader so that has never happened before O_O!

I started reading the first few pages and immediately thought her writing was really choppy and simple. I shrugged it off and continued reading and realized that her writing style was making it a very relaxing and easy read. The way she builds the characters is very impressive for a new and young writer. It was also interesting how she writes about the experience being on a reality tv show which lead to me linking some of her characters to characters in The Hills. I couldn't stop thinking that Jane was Lauren herself, Scarlett perhaps Audrina, Madison was Heidi, Gaby...I couldn't decide who. And Hannah was Whitney? No one quite perfectly fit into her described make believe characters so I decided to drop linking the characters to The Hills 1/3 into the book :p Sweet Little Lies is her continuation of L.A. Candy, and her third is called Sugar and Spice, coming this fall!

Onto Sweet Little Lies now! ;)

ELF and AE Haul + Other Loves!

About 2 weeks ago ELF was having a one day Birthday 60% off site wide sale which I could not resist! I haven't had the chance to try them out yet other than the shine erasers and the blending eye brush. My goodies include:

• Shine Erasers - i get sooOOoo oily in the summer T_T
• Blending Eye Brush - bought this before and lost it, works amazing!
• Small Smudge Brush - planning on using this for eyeliner application
• Powder Brush - lots of raves on this one
• Kabuki Face Brush - super soft!
• Brownstone Eyeshadow - love the neutrals!
• Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder - NARS Orgasm/Laguna Dupe?
• HD Powder - really hope this works!
• Shimmering Facial Whip Gift - for highlighting apparently!

My sister also ordered a few shine erasers and 2 brushes. I ordered all 13 items with shipping and tax for $19.50 CAD! Have any of you tried any of the above products? I will most likely will review some of these items - especially if they work great!

With fall collections arriving in stores, out goes the summer collections! There were oodles of sale items at American Eagle. I picked the two grey shirts with sparkly beads for $9.95 each and I couldn't resist the blue white and blue stripe shirt for regular price $24.50 :)

I also went to a Summerlicious restaurant (which is a Toronto event where many top restaurants participate in offering 3-course prix fixe menus). I went to EDO, a Japanese restaurant, with my boyfriend and here are just two of my favourite dishes that night! (Horrible picture quality because it was dark inside!) Assorted sushi and Green Tea Mochi :9 The food was good but not amazing for the price it normally would cost!

It was also my boyfriend's birthday this weekend and we went to Yang's Teppanyaki near Vaughan Mills which was pretty damn good! We also went to watch Despicable Me which was hilarious! I totally recommend the restaurant and movie!

I also recently finished reading Eat, Pray, Love. I'm an extremely slow reader but I really do enjoy reading! My next books will be L.A. Candy and Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Conrad.

Hope everyone had a great weekend :)

First FOTD + Revlon ColorStay Mineral Eye Shadow

This is my first FOTD! I usually don't even bother with eyeshadow but today I decided I wanted to try my Revlon ColorStay Mineral Eye Shadow ;)

Eyes

UDPP

UD 24/7 Eyeliner - Zero

UD Brow Box - Beige Betty

Revlon ColorStay Mineral Eye Shadow - Smoky Quartz

Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer - Light

Volum' Express Mascara - Very Black

Face

Clinique Blended Face Powder - Transparency 3

Revlon ColorStay Blemish Concealer - Light/Medium

Joe Fresh Blush - Bloom

Lips

Lip Smackers - Strawberry Banana

MAC Lipstick - Lazy Day

Onto my thoughts about Revlon ColorStay Mineral Eye Shadow:

Pros

Very fine shimmer, not specks of glitter

Easy to apply and blend

Great trio of colors - highlighter, all-over lid, and crease color

Lasts all day!

Cons

Sheer pigmentation - although I really don't mind :)

Can be a bit pricey for a drugstore brand

Overall, a very impressive product! Love the greyish-brownish color in the trio!

Korean Face Masks

My sister recently bought me some Korean face masks to try, one from C&F Cosmetics and a few from Missha. It was actually my first time using a mask but it sure was a nice way to pamper myself :D I tried the Tea Tree one from Missha, it sort of had this stinging feeling on my skin (which usually are signs of sensitive skin) but it lingered off. Once I removed the mask my face felt really tingly good, like my face was telling me "Mask me! Mask me more often!" Let me know if you guys have any other recommendations for face masks because the packaging on the Missha masks was in Korean and I really have no idea what the benefits and uses are =_=

Early last week I received a lovely gift from Sharlene from *I-LASHES from a giveaway I won a while ago. The Lush Bubble Bomb smells absolutely yummy! I can't wait to try everything out :) Thanks Sharlene!

I also started a new part-time position as a sales associate at a department store...a department store with lots of makeup counters...and I get a 10% discount...which is not a lot but still tempting! I must save though :( *sigh*

Winner of my Giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway! I entered all giveaway entries into my excel spreadsheet, cut them up into little raffle tickets, and shuffled them in a hat.

And the lucky winner is . . .

[photo credit: prilovegood]

. . . Babybubblz !

I'm going to send you an e-mail asking for all your information!

Please go check out her beauty blog, she has awesome and honest reviews :) If you didn't win this time, I'll definitely have another one very soon, so STAY TUNED :D