My "Secret" to Long-Wearing Comfortable Red Lips

Red is my go-to for lip color, especially at work.  I actually wore a more neutral color recently and had a co-worker take a second glance before saying she barely recognize me without it.

My favorite reds of the moment are MAC Viva Glam I, which is a deep almost burgundy red with a matte finish, and the limited edition Rihanna Viva Glam which is another blue based red with a beautiful frosted finish.  It's the perfect  ruby-red slipper color. 

Viva Glam I (left) Viva Glam Rihanna (right)

However, since I often work 8 hour shifts I find that both of these colors can start to feel dry about half way through my shift...  I know some prefer a more "dry" matte lip and while I do both love and appreciate a matte finish there's a fine line between beautifully matte and uncomfortably dry.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a habit of rubbing my lips together which with a matte lipstick can result in a cake-y looking lip color- and nobody likes that... So sometimes my cherry pout needs a bit of a kick start!


I don't  like layering lip balm over lipstick because I find that it removes some pigment, and can move lipstick around creating an uneven look- that is UNTIL I discovered a solution to all my (first world) problems.

Its so simple, and kind of foolish but I swear by it.  What you need to keep your red lips looking fresh and feeling comfortable is actually a red tinted lip balm (duh Danielle).  I use my Clinique "Almost Lipstick" in "Luscious Honey" almost everyday now.  

  

I received  it in a free bonus gift with purchase from the Bay and I just may have to repurchase a full size when its gone.  The color is buildable and the texture is silky which adds moisture, but not a lot of shine.  Tons of other lines also have moisturising lip products that provide that sheer wash of color as well so I'm sure many of you probably already have a similar product at home or wouldn't have a hard time finding one in either the drugstore or department store.  I find that the tint of color just adds enough moisture for me to carry on happily without moving around and displacing the pigment from previous applications. 

Left to right: Viva Glam I, Viva Glam Rihanna, Luscious Honey

While I'm sure I'm not the first one to make this realization it was a game changer for me.

What do you do to keep your matte lips comfortable during long days/ nights?

xoxo

DIY: Gold Makeup Brush Holders to Brighten Your Space

Let's start off with my love for the color gold. Period. So anything gold catches my eye which is why that pinspiration attracted me to this project in the first place (don't even get me started with rose gold *dies*) I am absolutely loving the results of this DIY project.  Eeep! I was so excited to share.

The Supplies:

♡ Wax paper or newspaper

♡ Gold spray paint (I used Beauti-Tone, pictured below)

♡ Mason Jars

Beauti-Tone Metallic Lacquer (Gold)

The Process:

First things first, wash your glass jars in soap and water and thoroughly dry them.  

I then put down a sheet of wax paper (or newspaper- or any disposable surface to catch paint) *outside* and then set my mason jar *upside down* on it. Using short bursts of paint while holding the can about 6 inches away from my jars I coated them (one by one) in a light layer of paint. I then waited 5ish minutes for them to dry and repeated until the color was opaque. SO EASY.

The Conclusion:

I love this project.  These would look adorable on a white counter top or vanity stuffed full with makeup brushes and lip products, they would look good on the bathroom counter. I plan to keep mine on my bedside table. It's an easy, quick, and affordable way to give your current space a face lift.  I chose to fill the smallest jar with small pearl beads for an extra touch and I also chose to use jars that varied in size shape. 

Note: My naive assumption was that spray paint is spray paint and any kind would work but that is wrong.  I initially bought a cranberry color of acrylic paint (I think) as well which did not stick to the glass or dry at all. It left me with a sticky blotchy mess.  If you're unsure at all make sure to ask a sales person at your hardware store!

If you try this project I'd love to see! Link your results down below!

xoxo

The Liebster Award

Recently, I was nominated (3x !!) for the Liebster Award from bloggers from Natalie Simm at Big Society Girl, Jenna from Beautician Views, and Jen from Hello-Dreamer!  And while I was both flattered and excited I'm being honest when I say I also had no idea what it was... Oops.

So I tried out the ol' Google machine and this is what I learned:

The Liebster Award is an unofficial online award given to bloggers from bloggers who are new and have a following of under 200 people-ish (I definitely fit this category).  It's sort of in the form of a chain letter as you are nominated, then in turn nominate others.  Sounds kinda fun right?  It's a great way to network; be introduced to other bloggers and meet others as well. 

The "Rules"

Link the blogger(s) who nominated you.

Answer 11 questions written by said blogger.

Post 11 facts about yourself.

Nominate 5- 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers to accept the award next.

Here we go...

11 Facts: Get to Know Me A Bit Better

1. I live in Victoria, the beautiful capital of British Columbia, Canada where I attend University in order to become an elementary school teacher.
2. I have a pet fish named Charlotte who has been with me since I moved here (almost 2 years)
3. I've travelled internationally to Mexico (3x) and Europe (2x).  My most recent trip last summer took my roommate and I to London, Paris, and Barcelona for 3 weeks at the end of our summer.
4. I spent one short school year after graduation living off the Island (in the Okanagan) but returned quickly after.  I love the ocean.  
5. I spend a lot of time watching TV shows on Netflix or beauty vlogs on YouTube.  My recent addictions are Lost, Dragon's Den, and I just finished the 8 seasons of How I Met Your Mother that are available on Canadian Netflix.
6. I procrastinate in the worst ways (see #5), but as a result I seem to work well under pressure (silver lining?)
7. If I wasn't in the Education Program I would love to be a wedding planner or bridal consultant- involved in the wedding industry in any way really.  
8. I have one beautiful younger sister.
9. I collect Starbucks city mugs.  I buy them when I travel and family and friends now gift them to me as well... I have more mugs than any one person could ever need.
10. Speaking of Starbucks, I am most productive in busy coffee shop environments aaaaaand
11. I am a lover of country music !

Dying of happiness at EuroDisney

Since I was tagged by two lovely ladies I chose to do Natalie's questions (just because she was first):

What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve ever done?

Define outrageous.  I'm unsure how to even answer this question.

Are you a cat or dog person?

Cat probably but I could never say no to a puppy.

What’s your motivation behind your blog?

The motivation behind my blog was to connect with like minded people and share something I have a passion for- and honestly I never even imagined anyone would read my blog!  I chose to being blogging because I was so inspired by the girls I watched on YouTube but wasn't quite ready to go there.  I thought The Love of Lipstick would be a great way to dip my feet in and test the water.  I've been blogging for about a month now with no regrets. 

What’s your favourite app?

Oh AppWorld.  I would say my favorite app would be Instagram but if that's too easy then I would say Rookie, it's what I use to edit my photos before I post them.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

In five years time I see myself graduated with my teaching degree (hopefully) working in my own classroom but if not I'd be happy floating around on the TOC list for a while.  I will be a healthy, stable relationship ready to settle down but not necessarily start a family. 

Name your top 3 products you can’t live without.

Generally speaking: BB cream, blush, aaaaand mascara.

What’s your go to hairstyle?

My infamous sockless sock bun.  

What’s the most expensive item of clothing you own?

I don't know if it counts as clothing... but my large, black leather, Coach purse.  I'm kicking myself because I can't remember what line it's from but  I've been using it for a year and I absolutely adore it.  It's large enough to fit my computer or a textbook or two.

Quick tip: If you're interested in Coach handbags- subscribe to their email list! Quite regularly- about every few weeks- they send out a 25% off coupon which can be applied in store or online.  This is what I did and I got $100 off my purse.

Which subject during education has been the most interesting for you and why?

The most interesting? Probably Psychology 1100 in my first year and now the Ed. Psych course I'm currently enrolled in.  It's focus is on Leaner's and Learning Environments; how to motivate your students, different way children develop and learn, etc.  

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?

At this very moment I would die to be on a beach somewhere along the coast of Spain again. 

If money was no object, what kind of lifestyle would you have?

Right now in my early 20's I would travel a lot- let's say every two or three months and have a beautiful home to come home to.  And I'd eat really good organic food all the time.  Yum.

There you have it !  These are the beautiful little blogs I've chosen to nominate:

Everybeauty Talks  

Graceyblossom 

Lucy Jane 

The Girl Called Jay 

Laura Elizabeth 

Questions: 

1. What's your favorite season? And why.
2. Where do you consider "home"?
3. Salty or sweet?
4. If you had an extra hour in every day what would you do?
5. What is the last movie you watched in theatre?
6. What inspired you to start your blog and how long have you been blogging?
7. Where do you find your inspiration?
8. Do you wear toe nail polish all year round or just in the warmer months?
9. Are you a coffee drinker?
10. Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
11. Do you have a favorite genre of music?

If I've nominated you and you chose to participate please send me your link so I can read your response! Thanks again Natalie, Jenna, and Jen!

xoxo

The Lust List: Products I'm Drooling Over

I feel like there is so much I've been lusting after lately (daily emails from Sephora telling me to #LuxeItUp aren't really helping)  I don't see myself shopping much in the near future with exams coming up, 11 assignments due in 3 weeks (yes you read that right), and working much more than I'd like to be right now.  Intead I've been "window shopping" online quite often to procrastinate so I felt like sharing what I've been drooling over lately...   

Lips:

I've never actually tried any Buxom products!  I've heard great things though and I am such a sucker for value packs.  The one pictured above is limited edition for Spring and is their Lips So Luxe set which features deluxe sample sizes of their "Full On Lip Cream" (Creamsicle), "Full On Lip Tarnish" (Wardrobe Malfunction) and "Full Bodied Lip Gloss" in (Boo Ya)  Cutest names, am I right?  I love sets like this that let you sample a variety of a brands products and allow you to get a better feel than if you were to just purchase one full sized product. 

Also for lips, I've been obsessed with the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in #8 Pink Confidence.  I tried it on in store and they aren't kidding when they say these are pure buttery goodness.  It nearly broke my heart to leave without it.  

Finally, last on my hit list is Heroine from MAC because a girl can never have too many purple lipsticks.

Cheeks:

I'm on the hunt for the perfect plum or berry toned blush for quite some time.

I don't usually go for Tarte products because I'm not very attracted to their bulky wooden packaging. However, these three are part of their Amazonian Clay 12- Hour Blush line.  One of my favorite girls on YouTube is always raving about her Tarte blush so I felt I would investigate a bit further.  When I looked online I managed to narrow it down to three.  Once again I was looking for a plum tone but their neutral shades like "Exposed" (top left) look beautiful.  Also above I have "Dazzled" in the middle which is described as a "soft rose" and "Blushing Bride" which fits my plum-y criteria.

When I saw the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure ( bottom middle) I thought I was in love but then realized I had never really looked at the original line of Ambient Lighting Powder.  I'm glad I did because I love the look of the Mood Light powder (bottom right) probably more than the blush.  Sephora describes it as a "soft, sheer lavender pink powder" *sigh*  I also featured "Radiant Light" on the left in the photo above because it looked like such a beautiful golden light bronze.

Blushes and powder products like these are some of my all time favorite beauty produts.  I just want to go play with these powders and swatch them all in store.  That would make a decision easier, right??  Probably not.


Skin:

Finally, my roommate has been on a Lush kick lately and I'm totally into it.  I've never actually bought anything from Lush because after about 5 minutes in their store I get overwhelmed and a headache from all their scents and excuse myself.  Perhaps if I went in with something specific in mind I would be able to accomplish something. 

It seems I may be missing out on something when it comes to the Lush Lip Scrubs because almost every person who commented on my DIY Lip Scrub post said they love them.

I then came across the Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub- who doesn't need an all over body exfoliator? Yummy.

And oh the Mask of Magnaminty- described on the website to "reach deep down to pull the debris from your pores, giving you a delightful tingly- clean sensation."  Does this not sound similar to what GlamGlow Mud claims?  Except get this: 11.1 oz of Lush's Magnaminty Mask retails for a third or what 1.2 oz of the GlamGlow Mud retails for.  Don't get me wrong- I have been loving my GlamGlow masks but would love to compare the two... Perhaps this is something that could become a more afforable alternative for when I eventually use up all my GG.

There you have it, "The Lust List".  

Have you tried any of these products? What's on your Wish Lists? I'd love to see! 

Tweet me or comment down below.

xoxo

EOTD: Happy St Patricks Day!

I hope everyone had a fun (but safe) St Pattys day yesterday! 

I posted this photo on my Instagram last night but I got so many compliments on it and loved it so much I wanted to share it once more with a breakdown of what I used to achieve my gold and green St Patricks day look! 

Base: 

Urban Decay Primer Potion in "Eden"

Estée Lauder Double Wear Cream Eye Shadow in "Golden Sands"

Lid: 

MAC "Orb"

Victoria's Secret "Soft Gold" (Holiday Glamour Eye Kit 2012)

Outer V/ Above Crease:

Victoria's Secret "Deep Emerald" (Holiday Kit 2012)

Brow Highlight: 

Urban Decay "Strange" (Naked 3)

Liner: 

Maybelinne Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner "Blackest Black" 

Arbonne "Olive" (lower lash line)

Lashes:

Benefit "They're Real"

Too Faced "Better than Sex"

I wish I had a better photo but I only took a quick one because I was busy at work! 

Did you celebrate St Patricks day with festive makeup? I'd love to see! Comment down below with links to your Instagram/ blogs if you have a look you'd like to share!

xoxo

Inside My (Weekend) Makeup Bag

This weekend, for the first time since Christmas (!!!) I was able to go home to see my family.  Even though my university is only a two hour drive away from my home town but it seems like I'm so busy between school and work that it's almost impossible to find the time to come home and visit.  

I wanted to share with you what I packed for an easy/relaxing weekend at home!

Disclaimer: I have a serious attraction to deluxe sample sized products and promotional "Try It" kits so when I travel I try my best to pack my smaller products which will maximize space in my suitcase.  I even marked every item that is either a deluxe sample or that I transferred into a sample pot for travelling- just so you have an idea how much I love mini products. They're just SO CUTE. 

Skin:

Clinique "Rinse-Off" Foaming  Cleanser

Clinique "Clarifying Lotion 2" Toner
Clinique "Even Better" Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer *
Clinique "Take the Day Off" Makeup Remover *

GlamGlow "YouthMud Tinglexfoliate Treatment" *

Face:

Smashbox "Camera Ready" BB Cream (Light/ Medium) *

Sephora "8 HR Wear Perfect Cover Concealer (Medium Peach 26)

MAC "Pro Longwear" Concealer (NC20) *

Smashbox "Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder" (Light/ Medium) *

Cheeks: 

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (Medium Deep) *

MAC Mineralize Blush (Warm Soul)

Cargo Blush (Amalfi)

Eyes/ Brows:
Urban Decay "Primer Potion" (Sin) *
The Balm "Batter Up Crease less Cream Eyeshadow" (Home Plate Kate)
Arbonne Eyeliner (Olive)
Benefit "They're Real" Mascara *
Too Faced "Better than Sex" Mascara *
Marcelle "Duo Eyebrow Pro" Pencil and Tinted Gel (Brunette)

Lips:

Essence Lip Liner (07 Cute Pink)
MAC Lipsticks (Fabby and Pink Nouveau)
Elizabeth Arden "High Shine" Lip Gloss (Pink Pout)
Revlon "Super Lustrous" Lip Gloss (Sugar Violet)
Covergirl "Lip Perfection" Jumbo Gloss Stain (Ballet Twist)

Tools:
Mac 109 Small Contour Brush
Estee Lauder 2F Blush Brush
Pink Beauty Blender

Sephora Collection Face Complection Brush 

Wow! Seems like a lot but I promise it's not. All of the above fit in 2 average sized makeup bags! See what I mean when I say how great deluxe sample sizes are!! I hope everybody had a great weekend with their family and friends also.

xoxo

DIY vs Fresh Sugar Lip Polish

They say the secret to a bold lip is smooth/ exfoliated lips, but in my opinion the secret to any lip color is a polished base. When lips are exfoliated color not only goes on smoother but they will absorb moisture better, allowing for your lips to look and feel healthier.

A little over a month ago I purchased the Fresh Cosmetics "Sugar Lip Polish" from Sephora because my lips were in desperate need- I was really hesitant at first because of the steep price tag but I eventually went for it anyway because who doesn't love to try new things?

"What it is:

A sweet treatment that that leaves lips incredibly soft and smooth.

What it is formulated to do:

This unique formula is enriched with real brown sugar crystals to gently buff away dry flakes. It nourishes the lips with the oils of meadowfoam seed, jojoba seed, and grapeseed while shea butter provides long-lasting moisture."

This being said I still wasn't sold on the $26 price tag! However- I did decide that it would be a good opportunity to compare it to a (much more affordable) DIY lip scrub you can make at home using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. If you're considering splurging on the Fresh Cosmetics Polish but sitting on the fence my experience may encourage you to try an at home remedy before opening your wallet.

After some quick research on the Pinterest machine and found tons of at-home scrub recipes which were all very similar (people are so crafty).  The one I chose to try seemed simple and called for 1 part olive oil, 1 part honey, and 1 part brown sugar.

After mixing it all together I wasn't completely happy with the texture so I decided to tweak it a bit and ended up using around double the amount of brown sugar than in the original "recipe".  Therefore all together I used 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1 table spoon of olive oil.

So why do these ingredients work??

Sugar acts as a natural exfoliant- which is why it is the common ingredient in both scrubs.
Olive oil is rich in vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids which allow it to nourish and rejuvenate and protect skin.
And honey acts as a glue, holding all the ingredients together and also has moisturising qualities of its own.

To use either of these products simply rub a small amount into your lips for a few minutes then rinse away any excess sugar with a warm wash cloth.  Apply lip chap as needed and only use once every 2 or 3 days.

Direct Comparisons:

	DIY	Fresh Cosmetics
Scent/ Taste:	Sweet	Citrus-y (contains "Citral")
Texture:	More gentle exfoliant	Coarser
Shelf Life:	About a week	Unknown (similar  Lush scrubs have a 14 month shelf life)

The bottom line: While I hate to say it...considering I spent almost $30... I think I actually preferred my DIY version (biggest facepalm) because it was more gentle on my lips.  If you're interested in a more "intense" exfoliant you can simply replace brown sugar with raw sugar and get a coarser texture.  I found both do a great job and left my lips moisturized and smooth- therefore I can't justify the price difference when the results were ultimately the same. I guess I was hoping there would have been some magical ingredient or blatant different in my Fresh polish that would have made it obvious I didn't waste my money. For my own purposes it would have been wise to compare them earlier, before it was too late to return my purchase to Sephora.

This being said is the Fresh Sugar Lip Exfoliant a good product? Yes
but is it worth $30 when you can make one in your kitchen for a fraction of the cause? Absolutely not.

While I am suffering from a small dose of buyers remorse I will continue to use and enjoy my lip scrub from Fresh, although it will not be a re-purchase.  I learned that there are so many other natural scrubs you can make at home! I'm considering using the remainder of my home made sugar scrub on my legs, although I think body scrub recipes call for a different ratio of sugar to oil and honey.  We'll see how it turns out.

Have you ever made a scrub at home? What are you favorite recipes?

Products That (Recently) Disappointed Me

Yay Thursday!
When I wrote my monthly "Favorites" post last week I initially wanted to include an additional "Unfavorites" or more appropriately "Products I Was Disappointed With" portion; however, when it came down to it combining Favs/ Unfavs into one post had the potential to be longer than some of the research papers I've written in University.  I made the executive decision that collectively it was far too long.   
  

On with with it then...

My Elizabeth Arden "Precision Guide Lip Liner"... the color Red Door Red  01 is perfect  and exactly what I was looking for- a true cherry red lip liner that I could use almost "universally" for the majority of my red lip shades to help with both longevity but more importantly to prevent bleeding. My first issue was the price- it cost $26CDN for around .35oz of product but I thought "hey! Elizabeth Arden- that's good shit- probably worth it".  It does not prevent bleeding at all.  Actually, I found that the liner itself bled.   It just really did not do what I wanted it to. *Sigh* I wanted it so bad.   

Second, I tried the new Cover Girl "Flamed Out" shadow pencil.  I loved the color of this (I think mine is Ginger Flame) and wanted to use it to smoke out on my lower lash line but I used it twice and I don't know what it was but my eyes were incredibly sensitive to it! They watered and stung so bad I just had to lay down with my eyes closed until it went away.  I don't normally experience any type of sensitivity so this was new to me (anyone else have this problem?) I think I'll pass it to my sister and see if she has any luck with it.  

My final disappointment was from The Balm.  I wanted to try more of their products as I love their "Lou-Manizer" collection.  I picked out their "Batter Up" Cream Eye shadow- once again I was sucker in by the packaging (I think I have a problem- weren't we always told not to judge a book by it's cover?) It has the cutest little MLB themed label and I got the shade "Home Plate Kate" which is a gorgeous champagne pinky-neutral color.  My thoughts were that it would make the perfect base for my Naked3 palette but once again it was the formula that killed me on this one.   It's not smooth or creamy at all but it has a really stiff texture and you really have to work with it in order to get a smooth or even application.

Anyone have better luck with any of these products?

8 Useful Ways to Reuse Sample Pots

Talking about depotting lipstick last week got me thinking about other ways that you could reuse little jars you get from Sephora, MAC, or any other cosmetic counter.  When I have used all the product I always clean mine out using water, makeup remover and a Q-tip, then I reuse them for a variety of different things.  

1. Get more use out of those "single use" foil packets:  this is my favorite way to recycle sample pots.  Often times when you get a foil sample there is enough product for more than just a single use but after opening it it just gets thrown away. Transfer the remaining product into a small jar and you'll be able to prevent it from drying out before you use it again.  I did this with the Urban Decay "Primer Potion" samples that came with my Naked3 palette and I've been using them quite regularly since Christmas - there's a lot of product in there! 
2. Travelling: instead of bringing a whole bottle of concealer or foundation pump the amount you need into a pot- they should hold enough concealer for a week or more and foundation for a weekend.  This will not only free up space in your bag but also make it lighter!
3. Similar to this, if you're one who likes to carry some makeup with you on-the-go, instead of constantly putting products in/ taking them out of your purse just keep a small pot in there permanently and refill it as you need.  Or, what I like to do is keep small amounts of products at my boyfriends house so whenever I'm over there I don't need to worry about remembering my daily makeup/ skincare products.  
4. Customizing shades: I love this.  I sometimes mix a liquid highlighter directly into my foundation or concealer so I once again reuse my baby sample pots instead of doing this on the back of my hand and wasting product.  What's great about this is if you're really creative you could mix  lipgloss/ lipstick to customize your look, and you can do the same with loose pigments. 
5. Speaking of lip products, you can always depot your lipstick!
6. Make your own samples to share with friends/ family. 
7. They make great mini pill boxes to stash in your purse, car, or for travel.
8. And finally, for those DIY Queens out there- they are the perfect container for home-made lip balms!

Is this something you already do? What are the ways you reuse your sample pots?

 Happy Tuesday everybody!