Here and there, this and that :)

I'm finally done final exams for my post-grad certification! I am SO over school but I truly enjoy learning and will continue to do so :) It was a sad day saying goodbye to all my classmates and friends that I've made during our 8 month journey, but we had a lovely goodbye dinner and will definitely keep in touch! I'm going to miss going to class with a bunch of crazies! The following day I had to say more goodbyes at Cover FX and will definitely remember my days as a beauty intern and the awesome Cover FX team! Thanks for everything, I will miss everyone!

I'll be starting my new job soon, and picking up my new car soon (shocker!). Talk about responsibility and growing up! EEKS! Nevertheless, I'm super excited for what's to come in May!

I've been neglecting my blog terribly, and I hope do make a mini revamp of the layout/design. I'm also planning to dedicate some more time with my tumblr because of the instant inspiration I can get from there. But for now, here is one of my favourite posts - picture post!!

1. Lovely gold leaf ring from Aldo accessories.

2. Pho! YUM!

3. Marc Jacobs flats - hello, how cute are they?

4. Dontei! The dog that makes me happy and calm whenever I see him!

5. Cover FX goodies - Thank You Cover FX team!

6. Pretty damn good falafel!

7. Epic sandwich time >=]

8. Ninja earless Lindt bunny.

9. China Glaze - For Audrey. Everyone needs a little Tiffany blue in their life :)

10. Spotted at St. Lawrence market :P

11. Sushi clock.

12. I have a soft spot for ducks.

I will be going home sweet home this weekend and I can't wait to hang out with the fam jam :) Hope everyone has a great weekend as well!!

Thanks for stopping by :) xoxo

Cover FX Toronto Beauty Internship Opportunity!!

So this was the exciting news that I mentioned I was going to announce earlier. I will be starting a new internship in my field of study starting in May so I will have end my internship early at Cover FX. This is quite a bittersweet ending for me but I'm excited for the new intern that will take over!

This was an eye-opening and rewarding experience for me on the behind-the-scenes of a Canadian cosmetics company. I learned a lot in the areas of Social Media, PR, Marketing, Sales, and Training that I would have never had a chance to explore. Everyone at Cover FX was a joy to work with and get to know! They are one happy supportive family :)

Here are my past blogposts on my Cover FX experience:

First Day

Day 2, 3, 4, 5

Toronto Beauty Blogger Event

Latest Happenings

Interested?! Here is the job posting I'm copying and pasting from the Cover FX Facebook page:

Cover FX Beauty Internship (Unpaid)

Duration: May -July (2 days per week)

Cover FX an international makeup and skincare beauty brand specializing in foundation makeup with skincare benefits is looking for an intern who is a jill-of-all-trades, interested in getting their foot in the door of the beauty industry and learning about the various functions of the departments in a beauty organization.

Job Description (duties may include but are not limited to):

Marketing

- assist the marketing department with email marketing database management

- process contest fulfillments

- may include some administrative duties

Public Relations and Pro Department

- Update and create the Cover FX pro membership discount codes

- Research and update editorial calendars for leading Canada and US publications

- Organize and maintain PR library

- Assist in creating press kits

Training

- Assemble, coordinate, print and organize training material

Customer Service

- Create and compile list of FAQ information for CoverFX.com

Qualifications

- must be currently enrolled in a post secondary program

- must be interested in the beauty industry

- must have a can do attitude and an entrepreneurial spirit

- must be a team player

- posses good knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel

What you’ll get in return

- A product gratis (free products) to thank you for your time

- The opportunity to familiarize yourself within a department (marketing, PR, training, etc.) of your interest

- Letter of reference

- The opportunity to attend a Cover FX makeup school

- Build your professional network

Please submit your cover letter and resume to mshum@coverfx.com by April 22, 2011.

I know it will be a great summer experience for that one lucky person! Good luck!!

Jenny xo

Cover FX Happenings

1. Gift baskets 101 lessons from Katherine :)

2. Completed gift basket for upcoming Women of Influence event :)

3. Perks of being an intern at Cover FX :)

4. Assembling press kits for a new product launch!

I also have some exciting news to announce in an upcoming blogpost! Keep your eyes open!

xoxo

Loose Button Luxe Box Review

So here is my quick review of the Loose Button Luxe Box. I found this through some research on an alternative to Birchbox because they do not ship to Canada (hopefully they will change this!). I saw reviews on the first Luxe Box and didn't think their samples were all that great so I hesitated for a while, but looked at their Upcoming Brands section on their website and saw some really good brands (NARS, Shiseido, Bobbi Brown, Chanel) . I figured if they really wanted people to join, they better have great boxes in the beginning to build a big hype. So I went and signed up to be on the "waiting list". Not sure the point of this because the next day I received my invitation. Sort of reminds me the concept of waiting in line at Aritzia on boxing day. The line-up is unnecessary, it's just for the hype! The box is $10 with free shipping but actually comes out to $11.30 with tax.

Part of the excitement of these sample boxes is that you don't know what you'll get. I ruined the surprise for myself and read a few reviews before I even received mine =_= Anyways, you get a e-mail notification prior to receiving the box that it will be sent on such and such date. So this is my box:

Nice sturdy box, cute ribbon.

Nicely wrapped with tissue paper, ribbon, and foam layering.

Pamphlet of descriptions of the products, and their retail price.

Stila Lip Glaze - Brown Sugar

Estee Lauder - Sumptuous Bold Volume

Elizabeth Grant - Biocallasis Gentle Cleanser

Elizabeth Grant - Lubricating Body Treatment

My thoughts:

I was slightly disappointed because I saw a full size Estee Lauder lip gloss in another blogger's box while I received a Stila Lip Glaze that's literally the size of a birthday candle, plus the colour was not exactly the most universal colour. However, I thought the Elizabeth Grant items and the Estee Lauder mascara were a very decent size.

The Upcoming Brands section is very deceiving, because none of the brands I received were even on that page. False advertising?

So was it worth my $10?

I'd have to say no. I love the idea of these boxes, but when I'm comparing with the Birchbox, these Luxe Boxes just don't come close in value. I can't help but feel my money is going into the packaging of these boxes. If the whole idea was knowing what you would get in your box and they put a $10 price tag beside the picture of my box, I wouldn't have purchased it - but yes, I know that ruins the surprise element!

Would you repurchase?

Not right now, but hopefully when they can get bigger and can actually include their "Upcoming Brands" - maybe!

Other reviews on the Luxe Box:

Lala of Surprises

Blush is the New Black

Mini Reviews of Past Hauls

I felt bad that I have made many hauls but with no update on what I think about the product. So here are my selected hauls of products that I've tried and my quick review of them!

BareMinerals Value Set

This kit was definitely worth the price of $25, allowing you to try their original formula, matte formula, a warmth all over colour, mineral veil, and a mini kabuki brush. I definitely love the way all the products felt on my skin, however, I really did not love it. It made my face oily quick. The mineral foundation coverage was sheer but I didn't mind that. I just felt like the products did nothing for my complexion, and I thought it had to do with the kabuki brush or technique but I did my research on both and it shouldn't have been the problem. The brush was also stiff and felt scratchy on my skin. I know a lot of people love this brand, but this is probably a brand I wouldn't go back to.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish and Highlight Powder in Rose Ole

I really wanted to love both, especially the Skinfinish because I've heard so many good things about it. The Skinfinish was so silky smooth on the skin and I loved how it was pressed and in a compact because it would be less messy than loose mineral foundation. However, this again made my face oily within an hour or less. I was very disappointed! I tried to make this work many times, but every time - same result! Rose Ole is LE from the ChamPale collection and I was so happy when I found it long after the collection came out. I love the colour in the pan, but when I tried it out, it hardly even showed on my skin. And if I intensified the colour, the colour just didn't work with my skin colour. I thought I could use it as a highlight, but that didn't work too well either. Both of them were returned back to MAC :(

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer is an amazing product! I used my fingers to apply this at first, but I felt a lot of tug and couldn't spread it easily. I stopped using it for a while and then decided later on to use my E.L.F flat top brush and it worked amazingly! The finish looked airbrushed and it felt light on my skin. It also helps to control oil pretty well. One touch-up/blot session a day was all I needed and so I use this for my long days at school. My tube also had no SPF in it but I think they only come with SPF 20 in it now? Anyways, my tube without SPF also looks great in flash photos. This is a must-have in my books!!

Well.ca Haul

I love both the Revlon lipglosses - Pink Pop and Coral Reef with the latter being my favourite out of the two :) They are nicely pigmented and just enough sticky for good staying power. The Milani concealer is one of my favourite concealers now for covering under eye circles. It's really creamy and easy to apply under the eyes and does not cake up. Burt's Bee Baby Oil is amazing right after a shower, it smells like ripe apricots and feels nice really nice just out of the shower skin. Revlon cream shadows in Not Just Nudes is also very nice. Very creamy and easy to apply. Staying power is also thumbs up! Overall, I was really impressed with everything in this haul :) Milani concealer is a must-have!

Sonia Kashuk

The flat top Sonia Kashuk brush is super soft and I thought I could use this with my Laura Mercier TM, but it turns out that the top is much smaller and the wider E.L.F flat top brush actually works much better. The Sonia Kashuk cheek tint applies much better than the Benefit tints but I feel like the colour is a tad too sheer, and if more is applied it looks like my face is heating up from an allergic reaction! Thought I would love these products, but I actually don't reach for them as much as I thought I would.

Origins VitaZing

Great great concept. One word - allergic reaction. MakeupbyTiffanyD recommended and raved about this product and I really thought it was a great concept but after I applied this, I thought nothing about it until I took it off at the end of the day and patches of my face were red. It was nothing severe and I didn't even know at that point if it was this product. I thought it something I ate that day. I tried it again another time for a couple of hours and same thing happened, my face felt uncomfortably warm and so I had to wash it off right away. The coverage is actually quite nice and it really does change to the colour of your skintone, the reviews on this is very positive. However, it just did not work for me and was returned.

L'Occitane Red Rice Line

As some of you may recall, I actually bought this quite recently at Murale but I looked at the ingredients shortly after and realized why this line is cheap. The ingredients are not very skin friendly (uses cheap ingredients) and I'm trying to purchase more natural and organic products due to the ugly truth about safety of cosmetics. I returned this and I am currently trying a more safe and friendly skincare line. However, for those of you who are interested. I used this for a week and the smell of these products are really nice. Very light and clean (but also bad because of the use of artificial perfume). The foaming cleanser felt nice on the face, however, with the foam also meant the use of a sodium laureth sulfate that is a cheap foaming agent that is actually very harsh for your skin. The toner was a bit harsh for me, it gave me an uncomfortable tingly feeling. The Ultra Matte Face Fluid really does keep your face matte for a while (half a day for me) but it clearly states on the packaging that it only moisturizes your upper skin layer. This was a major turn off because oily skin can actually be controlled by providing your skin with enough moisture that your skin will not produce even more oil. Sure enough, I felt like my skin was not being moisturized enough and although my skin would be matte, my skin was craving for some hydration. This was also returned back to the store.

5 Lessons Learned:

1) I have super sensitive skin.

2) It's okay to be skeptical of what beauty brands claim. Most claims are exaggerated anyways.

3) Learn about bad ingredients for your skin (sodium laureth sulfate, perfume, polyethylene glycol). In general, if the chemical names are not understandable, complicated, and scary, they probably are bad for you.

4) Get samples whenever you can. If this is not available, find out about their return policy.

5) A product that works for someone else, or even 80% of the population just might not work for you.

If you have any further questions on any of these products, or other purchases I've made, please let me know!

Until next time xoxo!

Toronto Beauty Blogger Event!

This past Sunday I had the fabulous opportunity to attend the Toronto Beauty Blogger event organized by Farah! I dropped in with Melissa and Katherine the CoverFX team towards the end of the event but I did get to see the pretty venue at Loki Salon, the amazing gift basket giveaways and met some lovely bloggers.

Group shot of all the TBB that attended! *helloo!*

Note to self that I need to make a blogroll of these bloggers! I didn't know anyone there except for Joyce! We've been tweeting back and forth for a long time so it was great to finally meet her! I applaud her for going to the event wearing those 5 inch heels, plus the weather was pretty chilly! She also introduced me to Michele and Rica too and I also briefly met Jenn as well! And I can't forget about Lisamarie! She's hilarious. She sure knows how to make comments that make me speechless! lol!

Farah was super generous to give me one of the remaining swag bags left from the blogger event which I was very grateful for! Take a peek!

Makeup

Skincare

Perfume

Hair, Body, Shower

Gluten Free Truffles and Pamphlets

I hope I get to go to another TBB event so that I can actually chit chat with more of the bloggers! Oh and next time, like a lot of you mentioned, name tags with twitter and blogger names would be SO helpful! Thanks Farah for all the hard work putting the event together and Melissa and Katherine for taking me there :)!