The Daily Face #12

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For some odd reason that I can’t actually articulate in any semblance of coherence, I feel compelled to state that despite the title of this post this isn’t actually today’s face – although it may make an appearance in a later post as it has that sort of warm-weather theme going on ’cause for once it’s actually really beautiful outside… This was actually the fairly quick but full-faced makeup I wore on Sunday during my essay writing and coffee-drinking marathon that was sort of laid back for me but was flattering, if I can say so myself.

Over the last few months, I’ve been gradually falling in love with the Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Makeup for daily use and obviously it was no day for experimentation. It’s a foundation that has some luminosity to it, offering medium coverage that also does not emphasize imperfections in the slightest so it has my vote. The Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer was dabbed underneath the eyes, as per usual, and I also had some redness going on around the chin area so I put some there as well. Having stress-reactive skin, I had some eczema-induced irritation bumpy things on my forehead and I spot-concealed with the trusty Make Up For Ever Concealer Palette, just using the standard shade that matches the skin, nothing fancy.

It shouldn’t be surprising that the (not shown above) product of choice for the brows was the ashy MAC Coquette Eyeshadow considering the number of times I’ve declared my love for it. I prepped the eyelids with the gorgeous taupe-y Maybelline Color Tattoo in Nude Compliment that I’m kind of sort of obsessed with at the moment. I’m still really enjoying the rosy warm tones of the Naked 3 Palette,  so I went for the peachy-champagne Burnout for the general lid area, the matte pinky-tan Limit to add some depth to the crease and all that jazz and packed the deep grey Darkside in the outer corner. Although I went for a fine but winged line of L’Oreal Lineur Intense, I also smudged some of the Annabelle Smoothliner in Brownie into my lower lashes. I didn’t skimp on mascara on the top or bottom lashes, using the L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess.

The interesting and actually somewhat low-key feature of the whole face was that I used only one product for the lips and cheeks both. I suppose I kind of forgot about the gorgeous warm rusty-rose Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Rose that I was using much more frequently last year and I’ve been digging it out again with pleasure. Forgoing the whole highlighter and bronzer shebang, I blended a few dots onto my cheeks and it gave that naturally rosy look that just works. On the lips, it works just as well, especially when a lip brushed is used and it looks like your lips are just naturally rosy.

Can anyone follow my general train of thought here? I’ll try to simplify: despite wearing a full-face of makeup, I liked the ease and simplicity of just going for products that gave a flattering effect that didn’t scream “makeup” without having to sacrifice on the overall efficacy of the routine.

What have you been reaching for lately?

Maggie, x.

Weekly Medley #12

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(1) Loving this overly-hyped blush from Hourglass (2) Sometimes I also have feelings for hair products, particularly when they work for my not super-curly but more-than-wavy-hair (3) Results of the hair-experiment featuring the DevaCurl Set It Up And Above (4) Coffee and I are in a committed relationship (5) Sometimes the weather acts like its springy self and I can wear flats without my feet turning blue (6) My day today… not unlike rest of the week (7) Hourglass Ethereal Glow in action… again, during said hair experiment

If you’ve glanced at just about any of my posts in the last week or two, I’m sure you’re well aware that that entity that we pretend is never going to exist called the exam period has begun. Monday was the last day of classes and it was a gorgeous day at that, then there were two spectacularly unproductive days “off” and thus the exam period officially begun and I survived my first exam. Well, I couldn’t write by hand until the next day but that’s kind of typical for these “short” essay exams…. So pretty much, I have one exam down and four to go but the more pressing matters seem to be this final research paper situation I have going on throughout the exam period. So, on Monday I have two research papers due and an exam later that night that I haven’t even thought about studying for yet. And two exams on Thursday that I’m only beginning to admit are actually happening. You may be wondering to yourself why I’m sitting here (on my bed if you’re curious) and writing this post when my time would clearly be best spent elsewhere, but blogging is good for the sanity of the soul and I’ve had a fortunately productive thirty-six hours – props to you, coffee.

I technically could have included one of my current obsessions, the luxurious-err-expensive Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow ($41 CDN) in last week’s post as I picked it up last Thursday, motivated by the promise of free samples and all that jazz at Sephora but I had done a burst of drugstore shopping earlier in the week that I had thoughts on to mention here and I wanted to be sure I wasn’t just loving that shopping high that turns into buyer’s remorse and suddenly can turn into feelings of self-hatred. Being an English student, I should be horrified by my use of clauses in that last sentence but if I have to edit another sentence for clarity and whatnot, I may hurl my psychology textbook out through my window. But it’s a cool-toned blush that is actually really flattering on me, brightening the face without any sort of shimmer.

I’m sure many of you — and certainly if you have that wave/curl thing in your hair — have heard about that whole Curly-Girl shebang and although  I haven’t talked about it much on the blog here, – but have deliberated on it an exhausting number of times in the head – I am somewhat of a follower of the whole routine. If you’re interested in some actual description and mountains full of info on it, head on over to naturallycurly.com, as I frequently do. I have that kind of hair that is wavier than wavy hair but not quite curly in that ringlet sense with much tighter curls in the bottom half of my hair and the ends in general that refuse to do anything other than i’s naturally tangly mess limp-but-crazy thing. I have that kind of hair that is sort of fine in texture and therefore can hang kind of limply in sections but has an insane quantity of hair that cumulatively has its own mind and in the cooler seasons I tend to suffer from blahh hair, despite following sort-of following the method – I avoid sulfates and that has been amazing but I just limit my silicone use to the kind that are either water-soluble or don’t build up in the hair for the most part.  If you have hair like mine, I’m sure you’re aware of how finicky it can be with products but also that products are necessary. Yesterday morning, the inspiration struck me to actually address that birds nest on my head and wash it – my hair doesn’t need to be washed too frequently – and I did the whole shebang, scrunching my wet hair with some good old standard holding product (mousse but uninteresting) but then deciding to go for the DevaCurl Set It Up And Above ($27 CDN) paste that I’d had for a while and liked but wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about, twisting my hair into ringlets – I remember that technique being helpful before – with a good deal of the product and then pinning up the top sections of my hair to relieve the weight of the sections with bobby-pins, although duckbill clips would have been ideal. It wasn’t miraculous or anything but it resulted in the best hair I’ve had for ages and I’d but it down to the strange paste product and the whole routine. If you were curious, the chopped off portion in the picture above would show you how cute the upper portions of my hair looked while drying. My hair had actual life and texture to it even higher up in it. It was awesome. I hope this paragraph resembles some form of English but I can’t be too sure. Not sorry. Just annoyed at my typical self.

This week was that weird mix of wholly-unproductive days with days that reeked of productivity and somehow this resulted in six blog posts happening: last weeks post of this variety was late because I felt like I was dying last Sunday but I think that’s excusable and I did manage to type out five others…. (1) Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush review, (2) an ode to my fave limited-edition Color Tattoo, (3) the Liebster Award post (4) a review for the L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess and (5) my beauty-based guide for surviving this time of year.

How was your week?

Maggie, x.

P.S. Sorry for the longest ramble ever on hair without information actually being given……..

 

Finals Survival Guide

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I’m less than half-way into that lovely time full of general life crises, experimentation in sleep-deprivation, inescapable stress and way too much to actually complete with some semblance of sanity left. The time I’m referring to is finals, exams, and whatever you want to call all that jazz. Well, I thought I would put together a little post full of my staples (with some of my questionable humor injected of course) and reveal the pathetic level of joy I get from beauty products in my life even at a time such as this. I have a weird attitude towards makeup at times like these — I’m perfectly fine without wearing it but putting a wee time into a beauty routine can bring a much-needed break from studying, release you from the stress from your impending doom and superficially uplift your spirit from this kind of blah-ness. I may or may not have two final papers due on Monday as well as an exam that evening and this is some of how I plan to cope. When I say some, this is the good majority of it.

The Do-It-All Cream Shadow: So, you feel disgusting and need to escape but you don’t have the kind of attention or balance to effortlessly select some colours to turn into a miraculously defined eye and rather than putting yourself through all that faff you can go for one of these Maybelline Color Tattoosthat help with the whole creasing situation while simultaneously depositing some gorgeous albeit neutral colour. My picks are first and foremost the permanent bronzy-taupe Bad To The Bronze, but the limited-edition-but-still-around Nude Compliment with more of a satin finish and a lighter taupey colour had to be mentioned.

The Two Foolproof Lip Options:The first one is a no-brainer — you know that lipstick shade that doesn’t look like lipstick and makes you resemble a functional human being that can be safely applied in moving transportation — and without dedicating a single post to it, I’ve rambled on about my love for the sheer pinky-brown warm nudey MAC Patisseriemore than anyone should ever ramble on about a single product so you might not be surprised that it’s my choice here. It might be strange to label a bold lip offering as foolproof but there’s nothing more uplifting than a bold lip but the last thing one needs during this loveliness is to worry about the state of their lips, exfoliating and all that so I recon that an option that doesn’t emphasize lip weirdness and require care is necessary. Although it’s completely out of season to go for such a deep vampy red shade, the amplified creme formula is a dream for gliding over my poor irritated lips, I don’t even mind that I’m wearing MAC Dubonnet in April. See pictorial evidence below:

Caffeine and The Agenda:I’m naturally someone who would scoff at the idea of writing down what you have to get done and breaking it down day by day as being helpful or necessary in any shape or form but I’ve found in times like these it’s particularly helpful when you’re as organizationally impaired as me. Caffeine is essential but my ideal form is the latte and it serves two precious functions in my life: (1) it can help me actually be productive for a few hours on end and (2) it makes that whole not-sleeping thing a whole lot easier. Lattes taste good and provide that intense caffeine rush to boot.

Dry Shampoo and Micellar Water:I find it difficult to remember to wash my hair and put on clothes before leaving the house during my regular daily life so actually washing my hair is a challenge during times like these and a little dry shampoo is in order. It’s just a bonus that the Dove Invigorating Dry Shampoohappens to also add some much needed life to flat, limp hair. Washing my face is generally a little easier for me but when I’m in a zombie-state like this it can be impossibly difficult and this is where Bioderma Sensibio H20 comes in; I normally only use it to remove eye makeup but it also doubles as a way to wash your face without the effort of actually washing the face or having to go all the way to the bathroom.

The Effortless Foundation: I have sensitive skin but not the kind that breaks out easily but rather the kind that becomes easily irritated and this irritation grows exponentially when I’m under stress so foundation can go all kinds of awry especially when I don’t have time or energy to make a real effort. The solution to this is the undetectable but brightening Revlon Nearly Nakedthat requires minimal work but provides light-medium buildable coverage that never makes my skin look like a pastry.

The “I’m Alive” Blush:Although I do naturally have some redness in the cheeks (this has been much reduced with skincare though), my face looks dull and really could benefit from some blush. Despite my self-admitted frustration with those illuminating cooler-pink blushes, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow seems to add life to the face without any chance of blush craziness occurring.

The Does-It-All Healing Balm:In the past I may have underestimated the value of the ultra-soothing La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume due to sheer stupidity. Having skin that suffers from stubborn stress-induced irritation on both my face and body, the anti-bacterial rich but lightweight balm instantly soothes these patches everywhere from the face to my eczema-covered legs. And this is the best lip balm despite its unfavorable cream texture.

The Overnight Mask:While to be honest, during makeup-free days while trapped at home studying and essay writing myself off a cliff, I have worn the soothing The Body Shop Aloe Protective Restoring Mask throughout the day rather than just at night, this overnight moisture mask kind of thing is a godsend for stressed skin and is just plain relaxing to boot.

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What are your staples for times like these?

Maggie, x.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara

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It’s rare that you’ll see a mascara (other than my beloved standard Maybelline The Falsies) mentioned here, but I feel that this L’Oreal offering deserves not just a mere mention but it’s own review post, solely based on its merit. While I can’t quite bring myself to say that the L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara has topped The Falsies in my ranking of mascara loves, I can’t say that it’s inferior to it in any significant shape or form.

It’s time for a fun fact: long before the birth of this little place that I call my blog, I used to use the Voluminous Million Lashes standard mascara, which did give me great results but seeing as it was on the difficult side to remove thanks to my beyond-sensitive eyeballs, I wasn’t ready to commit to it. So I went for the newly-launched sister mascara, the Voluminous Million False Fibre Lashes and man was that a fatal mistake; the mascara became the bane of my existence, stabbing the sensitive eyes with the fibres themselves and being even more impossible to remove, despite being the regular and not waterproof formula. So I held a grudge against L’Oreal mascaras for a while… until I heard everyone raving about the original Voluminous formula. You know how this one went, I tried it and used it up but wasn’t wowed.

But then I went for this one. As one might expect, it’s similar to the original Voluminous Million Lashes, however the wand is both longer and thinner, adding extra definition to the lashes. The change in wand here makes the formula great for the lower lashes as well as the upper ones, very separating and generally fantastic at giving the best-of-both-worlds big overall lashes. And the formula is not a particularly wet one, so it wins bonus points in my book.

Over the past few weeks, I have been receiving numerous compliments on my lashes in real life, despite being a glasses wearer. So that tells you its working. But I feel compelled to say that naturally I do have long and curled lashes that I complain are wimpy, but in the grand scheme of things I have pretty easy lashes to work with. But I really really like this formula, it’s flawless in my eyes. I can only find it in me to say that sometimes it flakes ever-so-slightly but in truth, this only happens when I’m too lazy to remove the excess of my lashes. I just wish this was easier to remove. Well we can’t have it all, alas…

What is your favourite mascara? Have you tried this one?

Maggie, x

P.S. I’m sure that you can figure out that in the picture at the top, the first photo is before mascara and those that follow are detailing the results. Oh, and it’s around the ten dollar range in price if you weren’t aware.

 

The Acquisition: Maybelline Color Tattoo in 90 Nude Compliment

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At the moment there aren’t too many things I can say without immediately starting to change my mind, but I know with certainty three things. I should be studying. I should be working on research paper number one. I should be working on paper number two. I guess there’s a fourth thing that I can say here. I shouldn’t be writing a blogpost but suddenly writing posts is so enticing that I can’t resist. And I’m convinced blogging is good for my sanity.

There’s an exception to every rule and in this instance I couldn’t be more thrilled about it; despite never ever being able to find limited edition drugstore things, I spotted this limited edition Maybelline Color Tattoo, not when I was hunting high and low for it, but in a quick trip into Lawton’s. Nude Compliment is one of the six shades available in the Spring 2014 limited-edition collection and it’s has transcendent beauty — I should be writing a philosophy-based paper of sorts at the moment so excuse my really really questionable terms.

I feel compelled, as I tend to do, to address the elephant in the room, that I’m entering that cliched beauty blogger territory, praising the cult-favourite cream shadows that everyone and their pet ferret loves. I know for a while I was going through a blah phase in terms of attitude towards these cream shadows but in the last few months my love has returned and it is strong.

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Nude Compliment isn’t entirely unlike the loved Bad To The Bronze, but it is different enough to justify picking it up especially because the formula is probably the best I’ve tried by Maybelline. If you’re anywhere as beauty obsessed as I am, it would be obvious that Bad To The Bronze is on the left but I’m letting you know anyway. I don’t know if I’m the only one who thinks this why but Bad To The Bronze has the most unfortunate 80’s glam-rock themed name and Nude Compliment has to be it’s less cliched sister with less bronziness to it an a cooler hue with more taupe to it. And it’s not otherwordly shimmery but instead has a satin finish — ohmygod the world is ending. Because I’m Canadian, I had to fork over $9 for this one; I envy you Americans….  But I’m glad to have picked up this one. Aaand I’m wearing it today (in the pictures obvs) with an additional shade in the crease and outer v but the lid is true to colour. The shade reminds me of MAC Patina without the gold shimmer and that’s certainly not a bad thing in my book, by the way.

Have you tried any of these? On a random note: is anyone as over-caffeinated as me at the moment?

Maggie, x.

 

 

 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow

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Very much like the powders of the same name, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes were a seemingly indulgent product that looked enticing but I was convinced that they were simply an expensive over-hyped product that would not change my life with their $41 price tag. But somehow I ended up with my first Hourglass purchase ever in my possession after I picked up a few things — I showed some impressive restraint, I must add — at the Sephora sale that began last week; I’m a blush hoarder and I hadn’t been too crazy on the buying front with them lately so I figured I would take advantage of the discount with a blush rather than another overpriced eyeshadow palette that I didn’t need at all. With my usual skepticism, I went over as one does with a beauty obsession of mine and began to swatch the blushes on the back of my hand and I was impressed, not by some sort of crazy pigmentation and inventive colours but because they had that texture that I live for, that soft powdery kind of feel that may annoy some but always ensures that they glide over the skin like a dream, blending into it rather than sitting on the top.  And contrary to what I had heard from the general blogosphere consensus, the blushes offered medium but buildable pigmentation that is just as flattering built up.

I’ve said before that I have issues with those cool-toned pink shades that seem to be gorgeous on everyone, offering that illuminating quality that never quite happens on me – take MAC Well Dressed for instance — so I decided to try out the cooler-toned pale pink in the range to see if I could get that whole pale pink flush going on, rather than going for another safe coral blush that I own way too many of by anyone’s standards. You can probably guess that the shade I picked up was Ethereal Glow,which claimed to be “a cool pink blush infused with Ethereal Light for moonlit luminosity”. You’ve probably heard this before but these blushes are marbelized combinations of the corresponding powder and a blush to provide the same effect as the powders (that I haven’t tried) provide.

The reflective rose-gold packaging looks expensive but it does not house all that much product. Despite the somewhat tragic price point, these blushes only have 0.15 ounces of product inside. However the product inside is beyond impressive. Presumably with the aid of the powders that the blush is infused with, it provides that luminosity to the cheeks that quickly brightens the face while remaining almost matte without any sort of obvious shimmer that highlights imperfections and textural problems. It has a satin finish, I’d say, with its gorgeous subtle sheen that actually does seem to give that soft-focus effect simultaneously. Despite its lack of shimmer particles, it does not require an additional highlighter, strangely enough.

The texture and formula of the blush is at least as impressive on the cheeks, blending effortlessly with the skin while providing that subtle blurring effect. While the blush is a cool-toned paler pink (but not as pale or quite as cool-toned as MAC Well Dressed), it’s flattering on me in ways that no cool-toned pale blushes have been before. It adds that rosy glow to the face that I’m always going on about, except without the obvious warmth of the corals I usually go for. While you might notice it shows up on my face not quite as cool-toned as it appears in the pan, my warm undertones do this with any sort of blush shade and this is as cool-toned as blushes will show up on me. Shown below is the swatch comparisons (from L-R), a light application of the blush, a moderate application of the blush and a heavy application of MAC Well Dressed. The swatches don’t do this blush justice; this should be noted.

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While still being pale, the blush stays on all day on me but this isn’t such an amazing feat given the kind of skin that I have been blessed with that holds onto face product like cement. However, pale shades do have this tendency to disappear on me after a few hours and I’m pleased to report that it isn’t the case with this one. Because I crave the definition from a contouring shade on a daily basis, I am wearing MAC Harmony through the hollows of my cheekbones for reference. And because I did a slightly built-up (but not that much) application above I wanted to include photos of more of a minimal application:

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Despite what one might expect considering the price and hype of this blush, it has not left my life forever altered but it has moved its way to the top of the ranks of this blush lovers favourites and that is quite an honour. The soft-focus effect that these provide with their lack of shimmer coupled with the luminosity they impart make them a standout for me and I might actually consider picking another one of these up for their full price on account of the stunning formula. And I’ve got an itch to actually try one of the original powders that pain me to think about forking fifty dollars over for… I didn’t believe in that whole magical soft-focus effect that brings a gorgeous glow kind of thing before purchasing these but I have to say its true. My bank account is cringing as I write this, let me tell you. Considering that I picked up the lightest shade and was impressed with the quality, I suspect that the rest of the lineup is to die for considering my personal struggles with pale pinks.

Oh and this might seem obvious but I think this shade would only be a standout on fair to maybe light-medium kind of skin but the darker options have the rest of the spectrum covered I presume.  I wrote just under a thousand words about a blush but I can’t find it in me to even be sheepish about it!

Have you tried any of these blushes or even the original Ambient Lighting Powders. If you haven’t will you?

Maggie, x.

 

 

 

Liebster Award

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This is long overdue and for that I’m sorry but things have just gotten out of hand as of late… I was surprised and pleased to read that Jessica from beyoutifulbeauty  had nominated my blog here for the Liebster Award, you know that award for those with less than two hundred followers. I was flattered for the nomination, let me assure you and it’s comforting to hear that people are enjoying your blog.

The award has six basic rules/principles: (1) you acknowledge the blogger who nominated you (2) you answer the 11 questions that the blogger gave you (3) you give 11 random facts about yourself (4) you nominate 11 blogs that you think are worthy of the award but have less than 200 followers (5) you let the bloggers know that you nominated them (6) you leave 11 questions for them to answer. And here are the ones Jessica asked me:

 

1. What is your favourite food?

Ahh, this is a tough one, as despite being a rather small female, I am a major foodie. Nothing beats the taste of homemade macaroni and cheese and I must say myself that my mother’s is delicious and I salivate whenever she decides to make it.

2. What is your favourite piece in your makeup collection and why?

This is an agonizingly painful one for one of those overly analytical thinkers such as myself. At the moment I’m tempted to say that my MAC Coquette eyeshadow is deserving of the honour; it’s a matte (but creamy and pigmented) ashy grey-taupe shade that is a godsend for my brows (for once it doesn’t make them look weirdly red) and is also a great multitasking shade for the crease.

 

3. What’s one quote you turn to when you need inspiration?

One of my many quirks is that I cannot stand inspirational quotes or anything cheesy of that kind. They kind of sort of make me want to puke, but with my strange and slightly problematic sense of humour, I quite enjoy these two Sylvia Plath ones. I do enjoy some good Sylvia Plath.

The strangely true one: “There’s nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends”

The more philosophical option: “If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I’m as neurotic as hell. I’ll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days”

Not inspirational, I’m afraid.

4. What’s one quirk about you that not many people know?

I’m attention-deficit and the strangest thing is that I wasn’t diagnosed until my first year of University. When I tell friend this, they’re always shocked but focus has always been a major difficulty for me.

5. If you could only watch five movies for the rest of your life, what would they be?

(1) Never Let Me Go (2) On The Road (3) Atlantis (yes, the animated film) (4) Zero Dark Thirty (5) Remember Me

6. What’s your dream job or career?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer but I’m not naive enough and far too cynical to believe that this will happen in reality. I’ve thought about either becoming a lawyer or even maybe doing this school thing for a while longer and becoming a professor.

7. What’s the one thing you’re most proud of on your blog so far?

Uhmmmmm, I’d have to say I’m proud that I’ve been able to figure out an attractive layout and how to take nicely done pictures with learning about lighting and all that jazz despite having no knowledge for that kind of thing or indulging in an expensive camera for the task. It’s definitely not perfect but I’ve made leaps and bounds of progress on this front. And prior to this post, I’ve reached 100 total posts in the 10 months I’ve been writing here!

8. What’s your favourite thing to do to help you relax?

Being a high-strung personality who does struggle with anxiety constantly, relaxation is a necessity for me. As cliched as it sounds, I’m a big fan of putting on some music or watching some youtube, put on a face mask and paint my nails. It sounds so simple but it’s one of those rare things that can give me some piece of mind and keep my thoughts from spiraling out of control. But reading as an escape is equally as important.

9. What piece of advice do you wish someone had told you when you first started your blog?

Don’t try to take yourself out of your blog. When I started writing and sometimes I do still feel this way, I thought that blogging was just supposed to be about the subject – beauty in this case – and I was terrified of putting too much of myself into it because of that whole insecurity thing. I’ve come to realize that the best blogs tend to represent the blogger with different aspects thrown in there and they are certainly the kinds I enjoy reading the most. As cliched as it sounds, remember that your blog should represent you.

10. What’s your favourite board or party game?

I can go ages without playing it but Rock Band has to be one of the most entertaining games to play in large groups of people. It’s an hysterical time in general and this only multiplies when there is alcohol involved.

11. Who or what inspires you?

This is actually a tough one. It’s everyday life, quite possibly the most ordinary and uninteresting things that inspire me but I’m heavily inspired by what I read, let it be books or glancing through magazines.

11 Facts About Me

1. Until grade 12, I used to suffer from agonizing anxiety attacks whenever I slept anywhere else than home. No, I was not homesick.

2. I’m frighteningly emotionally detached.

3. I have a dry sense of humor that has a tendency to be misunderstood by others.

4. I have a disturbing capacity to function under sleep deprivation.

5. I’ve never used an eyelash curler or even thought about buying false lashes.

6. I suffer from anxiety. There’s no other way to put it but I’ve had to live with it.

7. I have strangely large eyes, like they’re generally the first thing someone notices about me, I hear.

8. I analyze every aspect of my life and the what-ifs to pieces.

9. I really hate getting water in my eyes. This is hardly surprising considering how sensitive my eyes are.

10. I’m allergic to dander and I feel like I can’t breathe slash am dying in the presence of animals as a general rule.

11. I am quite possibly the clumsiest person alive.

I Nominate…

1. Gill from makeupintrovert

2. Annaliese and Caitlyn from myflatmateswardrobe

3. Sheekglam from sheekworld

4. Nikita from HighonBeautee

5. Stephanie from beautyblogging

6. Julia from juliasallure

7. Miss Miint from missmiint

8. N from justabeautyaddict

9. Makeuphacks from makeuphacks

10. Nina from ninarossbeauty

11. Lipglossandleather from lipglossandleather

 

My questions…

(1) What was the first blog that you could remember reading?

(2) What precisely was the reason why you decided to start your blog when you did?

(3) What’s your current favourite bargain find?

(4) What’s your current favourite worthwhile splurge item?

(5) What element of blogging do you find most fulfilling?

(6) Do those around you know about your blog? If so, when did you start telling them?

(7) What has been your biggest hurdle in the whole blogging adventure?

(8) What are three things you love as much (or at least close enough to) makeup?

(9) You only have three minutes to get ready in the morning, what do you chose to do with that time and what do you choose to skip?

(10) What is your greatest blogging cliche?

(11) Are you an early-riser, a night owl or somewhere in between the two?

Maggie, x.

P.S. I don’t know what was wrong with my computer but yesterday it decided that it didn’t want to allow me to post the picture despite my hours of attempts. Grr.

 

Weekly Medley #11

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1. The nail polish beauty – Nails Inc Baker Street 2. The obligatory selfie 3. The new cleansing oil love 4. Last week’s March Favourites post 5. Organizational inspiration, courtesy of Tamira. 6. The drugstore eyeshadow discovery, courtesy of L’Oreal
 This week — now last week thanks to my weekend of no productivity — was one of those calm before the storm kind of weeks, with classes wrapping up with only exams and final papers to follow. But I know I’m letting myself be lulled into this false blanket of security, as there aren’t any deadlines looming over me at the moment but I have to admit that the next few weeks will be all sorts of exhausting. I’m fortunate for this slowing pace, though, because I am suffering through quite a cold at the moment but it seems to be on the way out now. Being someone who rarely gets sick enough to interfere with my everyday life, I didn’t realize what the sudden fatigue was about but as soon as the runny nose, sore throat and cough came, it sort of dawned on me. I know I am not someone who is pleasant in any way to deal with when they aren’t feeling so great, so some time to breathe and sleep was kind of a necessity.

I’m hesitant to declare my love for any sort of product, but this is especially true for those of the skincare variety, shortly after picking it up as I feel my thoughts could take a nosedive once the novelty subsides but I feel confident about speaking of my newfound devotion to the Garnier Clean + Nourishing Cleansing Oil. At the beginning of the week, I finally spotted the affordable $9-10 CDN cleansing oil and being dangerously low in my Boots Cleansing Balm, so it was completely justified that I picked it up. Contrary to what the marketing of the product would suggest, however, the main ingredient in the formula is mineral oil, that controversial ingredient that I luckily do not react to that is one of the gentlest makeup removers out there. This is my first cleansing oil and I haven’t yet braved trying to use it to remove my eye makeup- using anything other than Bioderma for this tends to be a recipe for catastrophe – but I can say that it removes everything when massaged into dry skin and then emulsifies with water to rinse clean. There isn’t a residue in the strictest sense left behind but it does leave my skin soothed and hydrated afterwards. It has my seal of approval.

In the same shopping trip, I went for the L’Oreal Colour Riche Eye Shadow in Sultry Seductress and I’m pleased to report that it can be filed under the successes. I’ll spare you the ramble but feel free to click on over here to hear the details; essentially it’s a plummy-hued quad with impressive quality shadows offering a variety of finishes rather than the usual uniform glittery-frosty mess. The pearly shade is very shimmery but that’s not necessarily a bad thing…

Oh, and I told myself that I wasn’t going to include this often-raved-about polish, the cobalt Baker Street from Nails Inc. because I only picked it up on Thursday with a few other bits and bobs from Sephora but I was in the mood to paint my nails that night and it was instant awe. The formula is undoubtedly the most opaque I’ve come across and forgiving simultaneously to boot – I was lacking the energy to bother with a second coat but the polish does not even need it. There’s something about this shade that can’t be put into words.

It’s times like these with such craziness ahead that I tend to turn to yet another attempt at organization — which is near impossible for me to achieve — and along with this, I returned to planning in an agenda. I’ve been putting in more effort-based goals and this has helped to not get disillusioned by the failure of actually doing what you set out to do in a particular day. I wanted to figure out an efficient layout for my plain old blogging notebook and I remembered the inspirational Tamira, of Lipstick With Some Sunshine’s post a few months back and I’ve been giving her layout a go and so far it’s working.

How was your week last week? I hope it was exponentially more productive than mine…

Maggie, x.

 

The Monthly Roundup #4: March 2014

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Despite how March was not fun, I managed to write 19 posts here and even to my pessimistic self, this isn’t another example of failure. March was the kind of month that characterizes the whole University as suffering ordeal. I was exhausted but I survived without any major regrets. On the positive side, I was blessed with good health aside of the stress. As I write this, I’m suffering through that one horrendous cold that I get per year that leave me feeling like I haven’t slept in two days when you’ve woken from a long night of sleep along with the usual headache, runny nose and cough. So, I’m lucky to be someone who doesn’t tend to get dragged down by the bugs of others, thankfully, but I’m frightening myself at the moment to be honest as well as anyone who tries to communicate with me. On a less overdramatic note, I can’t seem to shut my brain off so here’s my belated monthly roundup post.

 

1. March 2014 Favourites:

I know ever since starting this series I’ve included my favourites posts consistently but I promise its just that I’ve been particularly pleased with my favourite product discoveries and the posts themselves as of late and this one is no different. The post itself is veering into essay territory hitting significantly over the 1k mark…

2. Weekly Medley #9:

Being someone who bores easily and tends to abandon things about as frequently as I start them, I’ve been proud of myself for sticking to my new series of (unoriginal) weekly roundup posts. I was beginning to feel somewhat trapped into a mundane routine, so with this addition I gave the whole series a kind of revamp of sorts and while it’s not perfect, I’ve been pleased with the results.

3. Hello, Spring:

It’s kind of funny looking back on my premature enthusiasm now, claiming that because it was regularly rising in temperature about freezing that the whole beauty routine needed a bit of a shake-up in terms of the changing seasons — little did I know that the next week would bring a blizzard and some stereotypical good old Canadian weather… But nevertheless, I was pleased with this restrained edit of mine.

4. The Basic Smudgy Eye:

This blog has no shortage of ‘what’s on my face’ kinds of posts, detailing the makeup that graces this square-shaped pale mug on a daily basis but I’ve been kind of intimidated by writing posts on a specific feature of my face, wanting to share my thoughts but not wanting to be  interpreted as thinking that I have some sort of makeup mastery by giving the lowdown and this was the post I finally went for a focused eye chat (with details of what I did and the like) and I was pleased with it.

5. An Ode to the Neutral Blush: MAC Tenderling

I will admit that I’m not thrilled with my less-than-stellar application of lipstick here but after having this blush for a while, I finally got around to reviewing it and was happy with the result. I’m making an active effort to get around to writing more full-on reviews this year and I made progress this month, this being a prime example of said progress. Oh, and I love the product in question – spoiler alert.

What were your highlights of the month?

Maggie, x.

P.S. If I sound slightly delirious through my writing, it’s cause I am. No cause for concern. Really.

 

The Daily Face #11

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I noticed that for once, I didn’t give one of these posts a subtitle after the colon, in case you were driving yourself insane with philosophical questions of intention; I just couldn’t give this an exciting name, as it doesn’t differ from the norm too much — you can hardly call wearing a shade that isn’t champagne over the lids and going for a new blush that in fact is not coral deviating. I’m coming down with a cold, fatigue and crankiness in all — more on this in an upcoming post, I’ll bet — and can’t really be bothered to think about what I’m doing or spend excessive amounts of time doing it so it’s simply a brightening but simple kind of affair. And it has an exciting and hyped new blush purchase to be discussed…….
FACE: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 100 Ivory, MUFE 5 Concealer Cream Palette in 1, MAC Powder Blush in Harmony, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow, MAC Eyeshadow in Coquette (not pictured and in the brows as alwaaaays)
EYES: NYX HD Eyeshadow Base, MAC Prolongwear Paint Pot in Layin’ Low, L’Oreal Colour Riche Eye Shadow in Sultry Seductress, Lancome Le Crayon Khol in Black Ebony, L’Oreal Lineur Intense in Carbon Black, L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara
LIPS: MAC Lipstick in Patisserie

With the unfortunate cold coming on, my face has been a bit irritated with those unsightly eczema-bumps on my forehead and on the sides of my cheeks, so I went for the failsafe Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation, which provides medium coverage with minimal product and just seems to work. With the whole said bumps situation, I did the whole spot concealing thing with the handy MUFE Concealer Palette and thanks to the creamy texture, was able to double up the same product (in the lighter shade) underneath the eyes.

So, yesterday was the first day of the Sephora sale and despite not being initially convinced that the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes were overrated, I had a peek at the testers and was compelled to give on ago on account of their smooth texture and the 15% discount on the steep $41 dollar pricetag. Instead of going for my usual coral that I tend to love universally, I went for the cooler-toned pink, Ethereal Glow, and trying it for the first time, I’m impressed. It’s not as cool toned as say Well Dressed, but it is on the cooler end of things and has good payoff despite its light shade. Obviously I will have to report back.

Having heavy-lidded eyes that have a lot more creases than the average eye, I suffer from creasing on my lids despite not being oily and lately I’ve been pleased with today’s duo, the Nyx primer and the MAC Layin’ Low Paint-Pot. After trying out the L’Oreal Sultry Seductress Quad yesterday and being instantly impressed with the variety and quality of the shades, I picked it up again without thinking. Rather than going for the pearly shade across the lids, I kept it in the inner corner and wore the Satin-Taupe-esque shimmery taupe shade across the lids and blended upwards a bit and it was nice – slightly darker than my usual without being dramatic. The dark purply shade was too stunning to resist and I put it in the outer corner as one does.

I’ve been in a lashy mood of sorts lately, constantly going for the budget-friendly L’Oreal Lineur Intense for the kitten flick and going for the dramatic mascara from the same brand – I’ve been enjoying this mascara as it’s dried up slightly (like I typically do) and I’ve gotten loads of compliments about my eyelashes when I’ve used it lately so it must be doing its job. I’ve been going for the no-fuss Lancome Le Crayon Khol for lashline definition, but I was feeling like something even more lash-focused so I lined my inner rims as well.

With the whole coming down with a cold situation, my lips aren’t looking their best and I did what I always do what this happens – went for the my-lips-but-better shade MAC Patisserie.

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What makeup have you been reaching for as of late?

Maggie, x.