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An Everyday Lip Combination

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There are very very few things that I like less in life than bullshitting around the truth so I’m just going to cut to the chase; this post is only happening because a, I liked my makeup and b, I managed to get some decent shots of it and therefore it had to be documented here. However, when I picked up my pen and my moleskin book of blogging, inspiration struck me instantly — me, the girl who doesn’t tend to be faithful to daily routines and doesn’t really do that whole lip combination thing has found a staple one as of late and that begs for some sharing. I might even be converted to the realm of lip liner more than once a year.

Putting a balm down first, as obvious as it appears, makes a world of difference to sensitive chapped lips like mine and for this I like the moisturizing but not particularly glossy or fussy EOS Lip Balm in Summer Fruit ($3). These balms might not work miracles but they’re a nice hydrating balm that work without any sort of fuss.

I’m sure regular readers around these parts might be rather surprised about talking a lip liner as an everyday staple but rest assured, I have not had a personality transplant but rather the uber-affordable Annabelle Lipliner in 405 Demure ($4-5) has stolen my heart and might just have converted me. The creamy but precise liner is a warm muted rose that strikes me as the perfect cliched ‘my lips but better’ shade for me that can be worn on its own as well as a liner with other lipsticks etc. And if you’re wondering, this Canadian brand is available to you Americans on their website for affordable shipping rates…

The lipstick has been mentioned many times before around these parts, which should not be surprising in the least considering that MAC Patisserie Lipstick ($19)is easily my favourite lipstick of all time with its flattering hue — a slightly sheerer version of the above liner, a glossy rosy shade with some subtle understated brown to it that flatters my pale lips — and it’s actually moisturizing texture that doesn’t highlight dry patches on the lips or irritate them when they’re in the lovely chapped state. There is miniscule shimmer in this shade but I never notice it on my lips, even when these fade. I know for some MAC’s Lustres can be glorified and overpriced tinted balms but for me they’re the best balmy lipstick that still offers on the pigmentation front and sticks around without much fuss. I must pick up more… it’s clearly a necessity.

The trio is comfortable to wear but still sticks around for about four hours with some minimal eating and drinking in there. Aaaaaand without looking obvious on the lips, it makes my lips look sort of symmetrical and brightens the whole face. A few of the items here may or may not be gracing a monthly post at the end of the month, if you know what I mean. Spoiler Alert.

What’s your go-to everyday lip?
Maggie, x.

That First Nail Post

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I’m going to start (yet again) with something I’ve said before on multiple occasions: for most of my life I haven’t been a nail polish girl due to my inadequacy and general lack of skill at the task and its tendency to chip insanely fast on my nails after the effort was made. This in mind, while the Nails Inc. Nail Polish in Bakers Street ($11.50 CDN) isn’t flawless, the formula of this neon cobalt hue delivers the compromise on the fronts of my issues of application and longevity; the polish is easily the most opaque that I’ve ever tried, one of those one-coat wonders — but I wore two for good measure — and requires minimal talent to apply, drying quickly to boot and it might not last for a week like the best Essie shades, but it comes pretty damn close, wearing nicely for 4-5 days (I’m on day three here in the pictures).

It also doesn’t hurt that it is quite possibly the most quintessentially “me” kind of shade, vibrant enough for summer but with that different kind of edge that keeps things looking a little bit cool and less manicured to perfection and fussy. If you’re from overseas, I’m sure that these polishes are old news but now that they’ve come over to Sephora, this Canadian girl has got her hands on one and doesn’t plan on stopping with this one.

Have you tried Nails Inc polish?
Maggie, x.

P.S. I’m choosing to ignore the unfortunate gradual-tanner between-the-fingers situation.

Oops I Did It Again…

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Remember when I said that I was going to stop with all of that impromptu not-too-small drugstore haulage and instead be much more careful and contemplative about my purchases? Well that didn’t happen – whoops; it was a meh kind of rainy day and my friend and I were taking a casual stroll through Target so I’m sure you can surmise what happened. And I indulged my book-loving soul at Chapters (the Canadian generic bookstore if you were curious) because you can’t come out empty handed, obviously.

I’ll get the books out of the way first. Wait, that made it sound like they were a burden when in truth I love them as much as my favourite beauty items (shock-horror). Well, first I picked up a Father’s Day gift (for the father obviously, who happens to be quite possibly the most difficult person to buy gifts for because if there’s something out there that he believes is worth the $, he will go out and buy it for himself)– Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East— which I can happily report went over with great success as despite not being a huge reader like myself, he enjoys this kind of general knowledge and will converse on these kind of subjects frequently i.e. casually at the dinner table. Because there’s nothing as life-affirming as perusing the shelves of the bookstore and coming out with at the very least a few, I picked up two for myself as well. After picking up a few books that fit under the young-adult umbrella, some weeks back for the first time in ages, I was tempted to pick up the next book in Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian’s series, Fire With Fire, as despite the cliched names of the books in the series and how superficial they appear, they were actual enjoyable reads that aren’t anything resembling brainless and mindnumbingly adolescent and juvenile despite being centered around the lives of high schoolers who decide to seek revenge on those who have wronged them. The final purchase was a typical kind of selection from me, I’ll Be Right There,an introspective and seemingly poignant novel of a twenty-something woman coming back to face the traumatic events of her past, written by Kyung-Sook Shin.

Moving on to the Target purchases of the beauty variety, I stuck to more of a basic theme going for yet another foundation, a primer, a concealer and an everyday sort of lip-liner. Obviously I did not need another foundation (when do I ever?) but I couldn’t resist picking up the fairly new Revlon Age Defying Firming + Lifting Makeup ($16-18)that didn’t appear to have any SPF (here in Canada) and I had heard was a nice medium-to-full coverage foundation for drier skin types with a pump so when I saw this for less expensive there, I had to grab it. I went for the second lightest shade, 10 Bare Buff, which is the second lightest shade out of 11 and considering that there were no testers, I’m convinced I did a magical job as estimating my shade as it has slight yellow undertones and suits my skin with a wee bit of colour to it. I didn’t go for it for its anti-aging properties as I’m twenty years old so I can’t report but I have to say that thus far I’m impressed with this buildable-to-full coverage foundation with a natural finish that remains looking like skin even over dry patches. And, it’s lasting power is fantastic, hardly developing any shine without powder and not fading after 15 hours yesterday.

I’ve tried a few primers and have given them a good shot but I haven’t exactly found my one yet or even my verdict on their efficacy on my dehydrated skin suffering on the texture front and I’ve been contemplating actually purchasing one and giving it a go and when I spotted the Annabelle CC Colour Control Instant Perfecting Base in Luminous Finish ($15-17)and saw that it appeared to be formulated without the usual irritating ingredients, I overlooked its cliched status as a ‘cc’ cream and picked it up. It’s just a primer, to be honest, without any coverage but its silicone-based texture seems to help foundation glide over dry patches more smoothly and add a subtle shimmer-free opalescent glow to the face. Thus far, it reminds me of a more siliconey and subtle-in-a-good-way version of Laura Mercier Radiance Primer. 

Back to Revlon, I was interested in a heavy-duty kind of concealer that would be much more compact than my beloved MUFE Palette and I had heard good things about the Colorstay Concealer in 02 Light ($10)in that context so into the bag it went. I’ve only used this once so far but it seems to be a nice spot and pigmentation concealer – it’s a bit dry for underneath the eyes – and the shade seems impressive, moderately fair with beige-to-yellow undertones, especially in comparison to the offerings of other drugstore concealers in my opinion.

I went for another Annabelle product it appears and it was definitely induced by the bargain-price of the Annabelle Lipliner in 405 Demure ($4-6), my recent success with products from this Canadian brand and the nice selection of natural-my-lips kinds of shades. I’ve mentioned before that I haven’t found that perfect everyday shade and that I’m not much of a lip liner girl but this one seemed to have a bit more warm pink to its neutral-browny tone rather than the dull peach generic shade and I’m glad that I did. The liner is creamy and slides nicely over my drier-than-dry lips and is the perfect match to the my lips but better lipstick favourite of mine, MAC Patisserie. I’ll keep you updated on this one but I suspect all you will hear in the future will be overwhelmingly possible. You catch my drift? Oh, and below I’m wearing the lip liner alone all over my lips and the foundation and primer mentioned earlier…

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Have you tried any of these products? Have you picked up anything lately?

Maggie, x.

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly Medley #21

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(1) The notable trio of products (2) Tea drinking featuring Essie Absolutely Shore (3) The amazing Lisa Eldridge tutorial that I hung onto every word of (4) My mug with the featured products above (5) Notable and enjoyable weekly reading (6) Fringe, the show with the sci-fi edge that I obsessively watched on the wonder that is Netflix (7) Operation clean and move desk complete.

Another week has passed and regardless of how I might make it sound, nothing particularly groundbreaking in an exciting or catastrophic manner has happened and deviated from the usual pattern too much much – stressing about my whole jobless state but not doing anything about it other than consoling myself by staring at various beauty products and gushing about them in the archives here (and to anyone who can stand to listen in real life) plus the whole escaping the heat situation outdoors. Actually scrap that; this week my cousin’s family who own the house next door (and a pool), have returned for the summer (they have lived abroad for years) and have opened their pool this week which obviously lead to some swimming in the gorgeous water. However, in my typical clumsy fashion I managed to injure myself, at the very least straining a muscle in my arm preparing the pool for swimming, before somehow casually ending up locked in their basement bathroom for nearly half an hour without being noticed. Luckily someone else was looking to use the toilet and after they pushed on the door from the other side to unlock it, I was discovered with my lovely dark bruise on my thigh that I acquired in an actual attempt to break down the door. I wasn’t overly injured or actually in an anxious state so that’s a small victory for me especially considering that being trapped in locked spaces was a fear that plagued me as a child.

As much as I’ve enjoyed the change in pace with these posts away from a standard account of my standout products of the week, I’ve missed sharing a few of my staples so I thought I would go back to my roots and highlight a few. First there’s the Vichy Thermal Spa Water,one of those overpriced water mists that I swore I would never succumb to the allure of. In my defense, the mother passed this onto me after receiving it as part of a gift (so I didn’t actually spend money) and I’ve enjoyed using it in the place of an alcohol-based setting spray to help makeup sit on the skin in a more flattering way. The next product, the Now Solutions 100% Natural Shea Butter, follows along with the same theme of simplicity except without any of the gimmick. I have tried many many things to deal with my uber-itchy and sensitive eczema-ridden legs and this balmy texture works better than even coconut oil at soothing these patches. Plus, the thick-textured balm doesn’t leave that oily feeling for minutes afterwards so you know that it’s one to try. I swear I didn’t intend on this but the third is also of simple and nondescript variety but it’s definitely one I’ve come to appreciate in recent weeks. MAC Harmony Powder Blush, despite its name is obviously an ever-so-slightly warm toned contour powder that never fails to add natural looking definition and colour to the face without ever verging into that orangey or muddy territory.

So I’m now off to prepare for helping my cousin get ready for prom (hair and makeup etc.) and follow her around obsessively on this so-called big day in her life. Man, I’m starting to feel old…

What were the highlights of your week?
Maggie, x.

 

 

 

The Beauty Bargain: The “True Nude” Lipstick

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Following the usual theme here at beautylitandramblings, I really intended to bring you the second post in this series much sooner than this but obviously I agonized over what product deserved to be featured next and got distracted – at least I’m honest with myself. Like future-editions-to-come, I’m talking about a product that I’ve reviewed before but I believe still deserved its own mention in this new category of affordable beauty purchases. While the Maybelline ‘The Buffs’ Colorsensational Lipstick in Blushing Beige ($9 CDN)is a little bit too pale and too much of a true nude to be one of those less-traditional nude shades with more colour to them that can be even flattering with even the most minimal makeup (a la MAC Patisserie) but nevertheless, it’s the ideal shade to pair with an authentic smoky eye for that classic vibe.

I’m sure I said this in the initial review here, but I’m mentioning how similar (yet improved) this shade is to the classic MAC Creme d’Nude yet again; it’s not quite as pale and has a much more forgiving and flattering formula on the lips but has that same strong peachy undertone that keeps things from looking ghastly or washed-out in the slightest. However, the scent is not nearly as nice as instead of that classic vanilla scent, you have to deal with that play-doh one but I don’t mind too much. The smooth formula doesn’t dry out my sensitive lips either and lasts for a good amount of time. If I were a lip-liner kind of girl (read: if I had the ideal my-lips-but-nicer shade in my possession), I would be tempted to go for it to add some definition back between the lips and the skin but it’s not completely necessary, if you ask me. And as one might expect, this warm-toned nude is not going to provide any teeth-whitening sort of favours.

P.S. I’m in shock that I managed to write this post without going overboard, actually hitting at just 300 words. I’m aware of my issues with rambling and concision…

What’s your favourite affordable drugstore lip?
Maggie, x.

 

 

The Stash Rediscoveries

 

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It’s not the first post of this kind gracing the pages of the blog but I hope it’s a wee bit more successful than the former edition of the ‘shopping my stash’ thing around here; while last time, the rediscovered products didn’t stick for long as there was a reason why the products were pushed aside in the first place – they weren’t quite ideal as staples, for me at least. Here’s the lowdown…

Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No7 Plush Eyeshadow in 204 The Starlet ($71) – review here

I’m afraid that I can’t take credit for the whole thought that this palette, a luxurious and very interesting metallic neutral palette is either unique in the worst way or the best, as I read it on another blog that I can’t seem to recall. If you know whose post I may be recalling, I’d love to hear who to give proper credit to for the idea. The quality of the shadows are impeccable and their only legitimate quality flaw is that the smooth and pigmented shadows do have the tendency to fall down but as they’re not ideal with their more interesting shades with metallic finishes as an all-inclusive everyday kind of palette but at the same time are interesting yet neutral shades. Now that I’m trying to at least spot clean my brushes on a weekly basis, I’ve begun to give the luxurious palette a go on a regular basis for a bit of a smokier smudgy eye. Today, I went for the pinky champagne shade with microglitter/microshimmer all across the lid to begin, blended the medium-toned copper shade into the outer half of the lid and slightly into the crease and smoked the charcoal into the lashline and outer corner, if you were curious.

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Bourjois 10-Hour Sleep Effect Foundation in 73 ($26) – review here

It’s not so much that I had fallen out of love with this one but rather, I picked up this shade shortly after the end of last summer when I unknowingly must have had gotten more colour than I thought (oops!) and so I haven’t been able to wear the shade that I have or been able to justify picking up yet another foundation without finishing up even one of the many in my possession but now that I’ve been gradual tanning and have been enjoying the weather outside (wearing SPF, of course) since, I’ve been able to go for this darker foundation offering and I’ve been enjoying doing so for the last couple of days. The lightweight foundation with seamless light but buildable coverage sits on the skin as lightweight as can be and imparts the skin with the appearance of naturally luminous skin with no sign of makeup in sight.

Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya ($9)

I’ve mentioned my mild dislike for the cult-favourite lip products that promise the moisture of a balm with the colour of a lipstick but this isn’t to say that they are outwardly bad products especially not in this subdued coral shade, they just are less moisturizing and buttery and more waxy for my liking – and aren’t the most flattering on lips in less-than-the-ideal condition. Regardless of these feelings, I have pulled this shade back out again, missing the gorgeous subdued coral shade that formula-wise is definitely the best performing shade out of the range that I’ve tried.

NARS Orgasm Powder Blush ($33)

I’ve been neglecting the famous pink-coral blush with golden shimmer in the last four or five months but the truth remains that this blush is the only one that I’ve ever hit pan on and is a long-term favourite product in my collection. For a good long while, this face-brightening blush has remained my staple blush and I’m getting to remedy its undeserving neglect. Here I go again, describing cosmetics as if they were animate objects, the usual.

I would love to hear your thoughts on these products as well as any recent product discoveries of yours!
Maggie, x.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The (Late) Monthly Roundup #6: May 2014

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Huh; it’s suddenly become clear to me that I’ve gotten into the routine of consistently putting out five or so posts per week and hitting above twenty posts per month, which was once difficult to produce on a frequent basis, but it seems to have become routine (somewhat) and I have to say that it feels good. On an expected note, it kind of blows my mind that we’re now into the sixth month and its equally as expected that it’s been a month of typical east coast weather fluctuations — the first half of May had a sunny day or two but the general theme was clearly overcast and/or rainy but the second half of the month quickly morphed into gorgeous hot summer weather. It was also strange in the sense that the stress of university was over but summer had not truly begun yet … or at least it hadn’t when I originally intended to get this post up.

01. The Evening Skincare Routine

To be honest, I included this post because I was happier with the associated photograph over the other posts included in this series but really the whole ‘skincare series’ in itself was a definite highlight of the month. After planning on doing skincare posts for months without action, I was satisfied with the results of the posts I brought out in the last month and hopefully you did too.

02. The Beauty Bargain: The Summery Bright Lip

This was yet another series I had been planning to add in the swing of things here for ages but in my usual fashion, I kept putting this off so obviously I was more pleased than not when I began bringing it into fruition and not only that, I was particularly happy with how the post came out in real life independent of the potential series.

03. Daily Face #14: The Usual + Unseasonal Lip Favourite

I was feeling much too self-indulgent here so I decided to feature perhaps my most-viewed post of the month, assuming that you enjoyed it in the same way that I enjoyed writing it. The deep red Revlon Lacquer Balm might have been as out of season as things get but it’s easy to wear and flattering so ‘who actually gives a damn’.

04. Spring Essentials

I must say that I struggled with selecting this post, not because it wasn’t one of my noteworthy posts looking back but instead because I’m not crazy about the associated picture. That aside, it was a post idea that had been spinning around my mind and seemed kind of difficult to make happen but somehow I managed to do a roundup of my favourite products of Spring rather than the generic kind of edit post.

05. An Apology to Rimmel Kate Lipstick in 08

It was exciting enough to rediscover the moisturizing lipstick that previously didn’t seem quite right on me but more than that, I enjoyed the more chatty, beauty-thoughts style of the post so much that I want to add more of these style kinds of posts that are neither full on reviews, edits or ‘looks’.

What were your May highlights?
Maggie, x.

 

 

 

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Weekly Medley #20

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(1) Me + The Camera: The Cliched Blogger Selfie (2) the pre-evening out face (3) My new love (and an actual instagram photo) (4) my new youtuber discovery, Allana Davison (5) evening out take two photo (6) wrote up my first daily highlights post (7) Monday’s Daily Face (8) delicious Mojito on night out with friends (9) the birthday beauty-related gifts

 

It’s been yet another week of gorgeous weather — enough so that it seems as Summer has sprung upon us a wee bit early. I mentioned in last week’s post of this variety that it was my birthday (on Sunday as I was writing the post) but it falls more easily into this weeks territory. I had a great low key day and a nice family supper out the night before in celebration and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wish that I had had the foresight to photograph the low-fructose fluffy ricotta cake that my mother baked for me but I imagine that your imagination will bring you close enough for all intents and purposes.

I’m really not the easiest person to please but I must say that I received some really lovely gifts from my family and close friends. Although my main gift was a wee bit late, I have to say that the Nikon D3100that I received from my parents and brother was well worth the hiatus. Prior to beginning this little blog here, I was not someone with any sort of interest in photography and certainly did not possess any sort of skill in the whole endeavour so its definitely still a journey in progress but I’m loving my camera (and the improved pictures IMO) as I’m learning. It was quite a generous gift even when my brother chipped in and provided his legitimate knowledge of photography.

From the parental unit, I also received a gorgeous rose gold necklace that actually excites me, the girl who generally speaking has a no-jewelry policy, a few other odds and ends that aren’t coming to mind and those hair products that I had hinted that I wanted to restock on – the litre size of the firmer hold gel, the DevaCare Arc AnGel and another bottle of DevaCurl B’Leave In. From other family members and friends, I got a gorgeous maxidress, a few Essie polishes, a lovely new teacup, a heavenly selection of magazines, an intriguing book and a much-appreciated gift card. I’m not an ‘it’s all about the gifts’ kind of girl but nevertheless were they lovely.

The evening out photos above were from Saturday night when I met up with my best friends from university and we had a low key and hilarious night out featuring delicious pasta, wonderful cocktails from Morris East, brownies cooked by my lovely friend (who got me the book) and a later night full of nostalgia, watching early episodes of The Vampire Diaries. It was my kind of night, obviously.

I’m definitely repeating myself by saying this here but I’m going to risk the redundancy; as a little (HA!) birthday gift to myself, I picked up this little beauty of a foundation by Chanel when perusing the recently moved local Halifax department store, Mills — with absolutely fantastic service, I might add. I might have possibly slightly fallen in love with the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation.It has less alcohol content than its sister product, feels like nothing on the skin in even the hottest conditions, provides surprisingly good coverage and with its luminous but matte finish, doesn’t cling to my dry patches in the slightest. Win.

How was your week?
Maggie, x.

The Daily Highlights 06.07.2014

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Sometimes a girl just wants to ramble on about her noteworthy beauty products along with a random one or two highlights of her day without following any sort of other structure. Sometimes may just be today, if I wasn’t transparent enough in the sentence above. This is for the most part another low key Saturday but with the addition of meeting my closest friends from University who I love dearly out for dinner and it shall be fabulous.

Milani Baked Blush in Red Vino: This hella pigmented and affordable blush might have been passed over and neglected in recent months but last summer in the early days of the blog, I instantly fell out of this one but then about of month after I fell out of love, being as fickle as I am. The texture of the warm rusty berry shade with golden shimmer is a little dry and difficult to blend so unless it is applied carefully to your cheeks, it can go more than a little patchy, especially if you’re on the fairer side of the spectrum like me. Because of how wrong this blush has the potential to go when applied, I cast this aside early last Fall and have only just picked it up again on a whim. I’m careful to apply the blush sparingly with either my fanbrush that I’ve had for ages or the lovely Real Techniques Stippling Blush and I’m left with a flattering rosy flush that lasts for ages and ages on the skin without fading that looks kind of like the skin is naturally blushing but infinitely more attractive.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Smooth-Effect Makeup in 10:Are any regular readers of the blog surprised? Earlier in the week in my daily face post, I kind of revealed my newfound obsession with my first Chanel purchase and it has only grown. The funny thing is that this isn’t a foundation I would expect to like with skin that lies on the dry and dehydrated side of things and balks at anything close to resembling a matte finish particularly if there is some alcohol content in the formula. I actually was interested in this one initially because there was notably less alcohol in this formula than the Vitalumiere Aqua and I wanted to try one of these weightless bases that just look like skin. While feeling like there’s nothing on your skin and not clinging to dry patches or the like despite the semi-matte finish, the liquidy base provides medium coverage that is buildable without looking dull and heavy fast. Also, the semi-matte finish also leaves some glow to the skin despite quickly setting to the velvety powdery finish and truly does look like skin. In my trials of wearing this thus far, it seems to be the perfect foundation for the summer heat as it holds up so well and feels like nothing. Plus I wore this and did some running and had less than a negligible sheen three hours later on my normal-ish t-zone. You can expect more raves on this soon and so many that you’ll be sick of me it appears.

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black Rollerball:Fun fact — I’m not much of a perfume girl, not because I don’t love nice scented things and the whimsy of it all but because I’m kind of selective with my obsessive beauty-related hoarding and spending. I’m not someone who loves the strongest fragrance in the world and who isn’t generally bothered by fragrance in everyday life but gets headaches from being in mere proximity to Bath and Body Works and the like and also can’t be bothered to add an extra step to remember but after picking this one up as one of those lovely point perks at Sephora, I’m enjoying it. It’s definitely more of an evening or done up scent for me but man is it one that I’m considering breaking my self-imposed rule for. It’s not stereotypically girlie in any way – especially not in that fruity way that I abhor – and has a slightly musky element to it paired with the warmth of vanilla but doesn’t go into too masculine territory. It’s not a shy delicate kind of fragrance but instead is one that is meant to be a little  bit stronger in the most understated way, giving of an air of that effortless cool aesthetic that I strive for. I hope some of this was written in comprehensible English but I wouldn’t bet on it per se…

Club Monaco Pastel Open Jacket (last year):Certainly within the last month (but I’m not sure exactly when), I talked about my interest in looking like a presentable human attire-wise and incorporating some style tidbits in with the beauty so here I am making good on this offer. This is definitely as splurge-y as things in my closet go, even though I got it on sale with my additional student discount as a special occasion gift but it’s one of those special pieces that fit like a dream and somehow seem worthwhile. The jacket itself is a muted seafoam shade with silver zipper accents on the sides and its open nature gives the jacket a laid-back kind of feel without compensating on the mega-flattering fit. I’m not one to delude myself into thinking that I have the means to spend this kind of money on clothes but the layout of the stores and the amazing clothes seem to have me wondering in on occasion against my own will – sort of. At the moment I weirdly have a thing for pastels so I couldn’t be happier to have invested in this piece.

Have you tried anything in this assortment?
Maggie, x,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly Medley #19

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(1) the weekly product highlight (2) yesterday I upgraded my blog and have begun to make a few changes (3) the pre-birthday-supper face (5) soaking up the sun in short-shorts (4) I speed-read another book in the guilty pleasure series of mine (5) there’s nothing that compares to lounging outdoors in the heat with a book in hand (6) another post in my skincare series (7) another gorgeous day

This week was marked by Saturday’s one year anniversary of the blog here – it feels so strange to write that as it seems like yesterday – and today was actually my twentieth birthday, as well. This week was nothing particularly noteworthy to be honest but the constant gorgeous sunny weather had me pleasantly surprised and frequently lounging outdoors, reading and planning posts in my little book of blogging. More than that it was actually hot which is not exactly standard here on the east coast before later June but I’ve been enjoying it

Although I have only used the product once since picking it up, the Herbal Essences Naked Moisture Cleansing Conditioner has impressed me enough to deserve mention as a weekly love. I picked it up on impulse on a rare trip to Target as it seems to be the only place where its stocked near me and it was economical, priced at six dollars for its 500 mL container that actually came with a pump. With a nice minty herbal scent, the cleansing conditioner was hydrating but lightweight, catering to those with finer easily-weighed-down hair than those that I had tried before. For me, the only real negative to the product is that it contains the silicone that builds up in the hair titled dimethicone but at the very least it’s nowhere near the top of the ingredient list. In a nutshell, this provided nice curl formation and gentle cleansing with no limpness occurring either.

In honour of having my blog for an entire year, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade my blog to “premium status” or whatever, getting my own domain (and consequently having to change my blog title because the ‘beautylit’ was actually taken but I’m not opposed to the new name), more customization options and all that jazz. There will be a few more changes going on in the next little while but I’m sure you can see that I also switched up the layout quite a bit here. I’ve had the itch to do this for months but I talked myself out of it time and time again so I’m glad that I finally went for it. I’m sure you know the drill in regards to my indecisive nature by now.

There are few things in life (beauty included) that I enjoy as much as lounging lazily and reading a good book so the fact that this week consisted of loads of this, I’m pretty satisfied. Although I actually read three or four books, I thought I would give you the highlights. I read the brand-new City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare and pretty much devoured it which is unsurprising considering that this series has been the fuss-free guilty pleasure series for years. I also am still enjoying Middlemarch and have made significant progress on the less than brief novel.

How was your week?

Maggie, x.