FOTD: Autumn Neutrals with Mary Kay

"I'm so glad I live in a world where 

there are Octobers." Anne of Green Gables

I can't tell you how excited I am that the leaves are turning colours, falling, and crunchy. This upcoming weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. I have put together a make up look with the new Mary Kay Eye Shadows my previous post was about ( http://thoughtsfromamyr.blogspot.ca/2014/10/brand-focus-mary-kay-mineral-eye-shadows.html ). 

I used Sweet Cream as the base shadow.

 I used Hazelnut to start emphasizing my crease.

I used Truffle to add more definition to my crease. Blended into the Hazelnut colour.

I used Rosegold right under my lower lashline, to give more of a 'smokey' effect. Blend, blend blend.

I used Glistening Gold (the most sparkly shadow I purchased out of the whole lot) in the inner corners of my eyes to make them appear farther apart and I applied to the middle of my lid to bring attention to my iris and to make my eyes look bigger (gives an anime effect).

Lastly, I used Mary Kay's Lash Love Mascara in I <3 Plum. Plum is such an autumn colour and I thought it could spice the look up a little bit. It's very subtle, which is nice. You can only tell that the lashes are plum in certain lights - you could totally get away with wearing this at work. The formula of the mascara is just like any other Mary Kay Mascara - wet, pigmented, easy to apply, and it is lengthening as well. However, Mary Kay Mascaras...are a whole other blog post that will be coming soon! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

cheers && go ahead and try a different coloured mascara to spice up your thanksgiving FOTD.

amy xo

Brand Focus : Mary Kay Mineral Eye Shadows

Happy October Everyone! 

I hope everyone is enjoying their fall so far - we all know fall is a major season within the beauty world!

I happened to treat myself to a little neutral eye shadow shopping spree... I wanted to know what the Mary Kay Mineral Eye Shadows were like. I needed to see if they could compare to my oh so over loved Urban Decay Naked Palette. 

Let me tell you, I was not disappointed!

I photographed all of the pictures before I took the shadows out of their original packaging - this is how they would be delivered to you. (Mary Kay happens to sell THE most convenient, compact, magnetic palettes too!)

Swatches!!

Shades Left to Right (in all photos below): Amber Blaze, Sweet Cream (matte), Espresso (matte), Lavender Fog (matte), Driftwood (matte), Hazelnut (matte), French Roast

 Shades Left to Right (in all photos below): Chocolate Kiss, Glistening Gold (sparkle shade), Rose Gold, Copper Glow, Truffle, Honey Spice, Granite

 Overall Review:

Really good pigmentation, they don't crease, work really well on their own or with a base cream shadow/primer. Amazing dupes for the Urban Decay Naked Palette! All Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colours sell for $8.00 (that's a steal!!!).

The Mary Kay website says: "The mineral-based formula is famous for its oil-absorbing properties, ease of application and excellent coverage. Plus, these long-lasting, crease resistant, fade resistant shades look fabulous on every skin tone"  

In my perspective: definitely crease resistant (as I mentioned before), long wearing (I go from day time to night time without reapplying...ever), and I rarely notice any oil build up on my eyelids while wearing these - let's just cut to the chase - I am very impressed and the Mary Kay website is true to their word.

Happy October everyone and I will see you in my next post! 

cheers and go ahead and try a Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colour. 

amy xo.

The Body Shop: Chocomania Body Scrub

Throughout the summer months I have always found a good body scrub is a must have! It is THE greatest thing to use after a day at the beach, after shaving your legs, before using self tanner...or simply before you go on a hot summer date perhaps???

A body scrub is the easiest way to achieve nice, smooth, exfoliated skin.

I picked this body scrub up when The Body Shop was having a huge sale. These little babies regularly sell for $20.00 in Canada. I managed to pick it up for $10.00 - SWEET.

The packaging is is your regular The Body Shop style. If you are a chocolate lover, like me, you will automatically be drawn to this product.

Next you will open the tub to release its sweet chocolatey scents. It is very thick in consistency, much like any other type of coarse body scrub. It will definitely remind you of Lush's Cupcake Face Mask - it looks quite edible actually...we all know how that will turn out though, I strongly advise against eating this product...(lol).

After you purchase the decadent item, you will bring it home and give it a whirl. Chocolate lovers beware, you will want to smother your whole body in this! The sugar cane is what contributes to the scrubby part of it - there will be no hint of dead skin or gross particles left, once you attack it all with this! The cocoa butter and oils do the rest of the work, leaving your skin unbelievably soft! (When I tried this after I shaved, I had actually never felt my legs feel as soft as they did after I used this!) You would never think that a body scrub could be so moisturizing - I mean, scrubs always leave skin feeling very soft, but this is a whole other level ladies!

The only unappealing matter of this body scrub is the colour. Yes, we all understand that chocolate is brown...but when using in the shower be prepared to see a little bit of a brown mess... However, if you push past the messiness of it all, you will be pleased (I promise).

If any of you are chocolate lovers and if you absolutely want to have smooth skin this summer, I strongly suggest you give this a try!

By the way...

HAPPY CANADA DAY to all my fellow Canadians! Why not try using this in your summer routine today, before you head downtown to check out the amazing fireworks tonight!

Cheers!

xo. 

Brand Focus: Mary Kay

Hello All My Lovely Ladies!

I have some exciting news!!!

I have recently decided to become a part of the Mary Kay team! So life has become a little bit busier for me, which I am actually really enjoying! 

 I received my gorgeous Mary Kay kit in the mail the other day, I was totally in utter nirvana looking through all of the products/samples that were inside!

As you can see in the above and below pictures, some of the coolest products that were included inside my Mary Kay kit were these full size bottles from Mary Kay's 'Satin Hands' line.

Mary Kay 'Satin Hands Hand Softener'

Mary Kay 'Satin Hands Smoothie Hand Scrub'

Mary Kay 'Satin Hands Hand Cream'

The line is unscented, so for those of you who are sensitive to scents, this product will be wonderful for you!

For everyone else who isn't sensitive to scents, this product will still be wonderful for you as well! Mary Kay also carries a peach scented line for those of you who absolutely love scented beauty products! The peach scent smells delicious!

Before I started painting my nails, I figured I would give the products a try and give myself a full pampering manicure!

The steps are rather simple as well as very enjoyable! I took some photos of the entire process!

       

1. Optional, dampen hands (this is just for 

     added hydration) ...

      

2. Use 'Satin Hands Hand Softener' ... 

3. Massage cream into hands && between

    fingers ...

4. Use 'Satin Hand Satin Smoothie Hand

    Scrub' ...

5. Scrub, scrub, scrub! (Massage into hands &&

    between fingers)...

6. Resulting with a gritty, yet sudsy texture ...

           

7. Rinse well && pat hands dry ...

  

8. After hands have been patted dry, use 'Satin Hands Hand Cream' ...

                    

9. Massage cream into hands && between fingers...                                   

           

                                              

And you're finished!

I am totally in love with these products,my hands are now refreshed, renewed, and pampered!

This is a very simple way to achieve those nice soft, 'just had a manicure' feeling hands, all from the comfort of your own home. (This product is supposed to be dedicated to hands, but I find it does just as well on my feet or any other dry areas on my body, for example: elbows and ankles. This product will help smooth out any body part you are having a difficult time moisturizing!)

Now you're ready for the polish! <3

cheers && get to pampering! 

xo amy.

Simple, Neutral Valentine's Day Makeup Look

<3 Valentine's Day...

is just around the corner, and whether you want to go out, stay in, if you have a date, or not....there's nothing wrong with wanting to look pretty! This look is a more neutral one, I never usually like to go too too crazy on Valentine's Day. To be hones,t I am not much of a Valentine's Day person, I used to be when I was a lot younger...but now, I like to keep the day pretty simple. As long as I am spending the day with the love of my life, then I am good :). Even though I like to keep it simple,  I do still like to look pretty for him, of course. 

This look is inspired by the lovely Tanya Burr, she gave me most of the ideas for this look. She is a very popular YouTuber and blogger. 

I decided to keep it rather neutral, with a nice sheer red lip, nothing too heavy. You can always use a darker red colour, or a pink - anything really goes with this makeup look. However, I did do a very bold liquid liner and I made sure my brows were sculpted very well. Before I put any of my makeup on, I used my new "ARBONNE" primer, which I absolutely LOVE! My foundation is Covergirl's "Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1" in the shade "Ivory" and I patted this on my face with a damp "Beauty Blender". Pressed powder  is Maybelline's  Fit Me in the shade "120".

For my eye makeup, I used NARS' bronzer in the shade "Casino" as the base, used Urban Decay's shade "Buck" (from the Naked Palette) for the crease and under my eyes, and then to add some shimmer - I used my MAC's "Mineralize Skinfinish" in the shade "Soft and Gentle" - I made sure to put this in the corners of my eyes to brighten them up and along my brow bone. To fill in my brows I used my brow tint  kit from Visage, I mixed the lighter and darker colours together and I used my angle brush in order to make it precise (sorry I can't be more specific with that one, the labeling on the packaging isn't very clear). I tight lined my eyes with Covergirl's "Perfect Point Plus"eyeliner in the shade "Black Onyx". Liquid eyeliner is Maybelline's "Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner"  in the shade "Blackest Black"and for mascara I used L'Oreal's "Butterfly" mascara in the shade (surprise, surprise...)"Blackest Black" (love this mascara by the way).

For my cheeks, I used Milani's baked blush in the shade "Luminoso" very lightly on my cheek bones. For contouring I went very simple and used my N.Y.C  "Smooth Skin Bronzing Powder" in the shade "Sunny". For highlighting I just used my MAC "Mineralize Skinfinish"  in "Soft and Gentle" once again.

For my lips I used Revlon's "Just Bitten Kissable" balm stain in the shade "Romantic" (quite fitting, isn't it? lol). I didn't want to go too crazy with my lips.

So that's all there is to what I am going to be wearing this Valentine's Day...very simple! You could make it a little more drastic by adding a darker colour to the crease of your eyes...or even totally change the colours up by adding some pinks or rose golds to your lids in order to make it a little more girly and flirtatious! 

<3 cheers, and I hope all of your Valentine's Days 

go just the way you want them to <3.

amy, xo. 

Brand Focus: ARBONNE

Monday

     Monday

             Monday...

Two very different ways of looking at the first day of the week...either you can totally hate it because it is the first day back into the grind, back to work or school...relaxing Sunday is officially over. OR you could look at this day as a fresh start to the week, a new beginning - if you had a crappy last week, oh well, it is Monday - time to have a good week :)

With that in mind, I have a new brand to share with all of you. I have recently been introduced to this particular brand. ARBONNE has made its way to Canada and I have attended a few parties that were dedicated to introducing the brand. 

ARBONNE is very focused on creating healthy products that everyone can use. There are a lot of people in my family that have certain allergies, which cause them to react to some things that are found in makeup and skin care products. ARBONNE has made it so they do not  have to worry about these things. This brand has promised that their products are completely free of: animal products/by-products, parabens, formaldehyde, PABA, synthetic dyes, Triclosan, Hydroguinone, and Gluten. As much as I am a beauty product fanatic, I do realize that a lot of products have unnecessary additives that are injecting our bodies with things that are not so healthy for us. Such as Parabens...chemicals that have been scientifically proven to be connected with cancer (especially breast cancer). A lot of makeup and skin care companies use these chemicals in order to preserve their products. I am not going so far as to change all of my skin care and makeup products over to this brand, simply because I just love to collect and try everything in the beauty world. However, I figure even if I change a few of my beauty products over to ARBONNE, can make a bit of a difference.

I purchased some of ARBONNE's shampoo and conditioner, everyone at the parties were raving about this shampoo and conditioner and how it made their hair feel really soft, even if it was colour treated. I have recently started highlighting my hair again, and so my hair has become a little bit brittle. I have used this shampoo and conditioner for a week now, and I do not notice much of a difference, I don't know if I have to use it a little more to get the "soft hair" effect. I am going to see how the rest of the bottle goes before I completely give up on it. The scent of both the shampoo and conditioner is quite refreshing and naturally citrus-y.

I have never owned a very good toner before, but I have been getting some pretty bad break outs around my chin area, and I noticed that after I took a shower or washed my face...my skin would be quite red. This "Clear Advantage Clarifying Toner" (this particular toner is directed towards acne treatment, ARBONNE has toners for other skin types as well) has totally made a difference! I am absolutely in love with this product. It has helped with both the break outs and the redness! There is no scent to this product.

Oh ARBONNE, your makeup primer is supreme! It leaves my face feeling so soft and smooth, completely filling in any pores, creating a flawless surface before I apply any makeup. I give this makeup primer about 10 thumbs up! This will be a holy grail product within my skin care routine. There is no real scent to this product either. 

Lastly, I needed a new body scrub, so I decided to give this a try. It really isn't anything too special, the scent is very refreshing (nothing I would rave over though) and the exfoliating beads leave my skin feeling very soft and moisturized. Just like any other scrub...but remember, the bonus is there are no additives whatsoever!

OVERALL

I am quite happy with these purchases, obviously I am more excited over some than others...but I think I am planning on purchasing more from ARBONNE, I am definitely open to give it all a try :)

T'was a long post again, thank you for sticking with me!!

cheers && here's to starting the week off fresh!

amy xo. 

Revlon: Color Burst Matte Balm

Welcome to December Everyone!!

Hope everyone's month is going GREAT so far!

Mine has been super busy, finished with school, until next semester anyway!!

Officially on holidays for school, but still working a lot :(

Since the holidays are just around the corner and a lot of events are popping up all over the calendar, I have been wearing some very festive beauty products.

Including this little beaut, the Revlon Color Burst Matte Balm.

This little guy happens to give me the best and most classic red lip, which is perfect for around the Christmas Holidays!

I do agree, matte is not for everyone, but luckily Revlon has included a variety of colours in a matte formula and a lacquer formula within this line.

I just happen to really like matte right now, and immediately knew I had to have this particular shade:

Revlon Colorburst Matte Lip Balm in "Standout" (250).

The crayon tip makes it really easy to use, I don't use lip liner with this and I don't get any feathering or bleeding. 

This is what the lip colour looks like in regular room light.

This is what the colour looks like in natural day light.

As you can see the product is very matte, so I usually put a lip balm underneath it, just to prevent my lips from looking chapped or drying out. Without the lip balm, the product does start to feel a little bit dry...however the lasting power is am-ahhh-zing, does a very good job at staining the lips. Only have to reapply once throughout the day.

I definitely have fallen in love with this colour and the overall quality of the product. Now, just have to go out and purchase some more colours to add to my collection!

Tomorrow is Friday! One more day until the weekend everyone!

* cheers && make sure to wear a festive coloured lip throughout the holidays!!*

amy xo.