week

Weekly Medley #8

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Oh, sweet baby jesus, the weather here has been temperamental. It went in between hovering around freezing, taunting us with the knowledge that there is something coming that we call spring that does not  require the warmest coats possible, and then gong back to blowing snow in all directions and staying at -10 plus whatever windchill going on. So the weather has been sort of unpredictable – understatement – and while I’m thankful that my skin hasn’t gone nuclear as a result (it has before) of all this cold-weather craziness, my skin has been a bit more dehydrated and irritated than usual, my eczema all broken out and my lips, once again in that wretched state.

In terms of the face, I turned to my rosehip oil from the brand, By Nature, and it sorted the irritation out, soothing the skin and providing intense nourishment. Note: I really need to stop being so lazy and remember to use this oil more as it’s a godsend.

Midway through the week, I finally succumbed and purchased the La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume, willingly shelling out the sixteen bucks for the healing balm  that I knew was missing from my life. True to its claims, it’s a multipurpose balm that has been a dream for soothing my lips and eczema patches. Because it’s not specifically designed to only be used on the lips, it does not have that typical lip balm texture, instead being a thick cream that can leave the lips looking ashy, but nevertheless it outperforms all other balms I’ve tried. It’s more of a nighttime treatment for sore chapped lips, if you ask me, than one to slap on pre-makeup. And it helps with eczema and all of its itchy glory without burning on contact. Can you tell it has this girl’s skin singing its praises?

Although you can probably gather that things are not exactly springy in my world, I found myself reading and rereading Lisa Eldridge’s “Lighten Up! It’s time for a foundation refresh”. From listening to the awe-inspiring makeup artist, I’ve learned the most on the makeup front, so her post debunking the mystery of the truth behind BB/CC creams slash revealing her lighter foundation picks was a breath of fresh air.

Continuing with that whole ‘spring is coming’ thing, Joanna’s “Spring Makeup Bag Contents” caught my attention. For one, I forever love reading these posts because I’m impaired at the whole putting together a small makeup bag thing but am interested in the endeavour nevertheless and secondly, the lovely and gorgeous, Joanna, has one of those blogs that you find yourself accidentally scouring through the archives of for hours.

Is it spring for all of you yet?

Maggie, x.

Weekly Medley #7

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Since beginning this series close to the beginning of the year, I feel like (and I’m fairly certain of this intuition) I’ve been consistently rambling on about the woes of being a stressed university student suffering from nothing other than sleep-deprivation but judging from the response here, you’re enjoying these more random life-centric posts and I’m glad. This week was a bit of a breather in a sense for me, although I still had to do the usual bump and grind but I managed to sleep in a way that resembles a functional human being. Interestingly enough, with getting a bit more sleep it’s been even more difficult to get up in the mornings and the routine could only be described as rushed. Hey, I’m not complaining – but unfortunately my productivity will need to greatly increase next week.

I had a few hours to kill in town and after I studied in the library until I wanted to scream and then hit the mall and did something shocking – bought things that were not entirely beauty related. Without making a conscious decision to do so, I had realized that it had been ages and ages since I did any sort of clothes shopping and it might be because of guilt from spending too much money on beauty-related products again but I also haven’t been in the mood. As I’ve said before (99.9% sure), I am someone with an interest in fashion and the desire to look polished (in an effortless manner) but I’m someone who picks comfort over all and tends to throw clothes on in the morning without any sort of thought and I’ve realized that the pieces I love and should invest in are those that satisfy these two different philosophies. So, I’ll attempt to get to the point now: after popping into Dynamite, a Canadian-based store (that ships to the US and also has stores there as well, I believe) that I don’t own a tremendous amount of clothing from, I spotted this breezy bohemian blouse in the floral-but-not-girlie print. I’m someone who really loves the look of blouses but can sometimes find the material rather uncomfortable but this one felt really soft. Also, I was pleased that I could size up in this for less of a slim-fit without the rest of the dimensions swallowing my small-boned frame. If anyone is interested for comparisons sake, mine is a size medium and it comes in a few other colours as well and some of the other colours appear to be on sale as we speak. This is a typical clothing-love of mine, comfortable, slouchy and effortlessly pairing with slim-fitting bottoms. Oh and I think this is a blouse you can actually wear if you have boobs, if you catch my drift. And it’s actually called the button-down blouse and retails for $32.90 CDN.

Keeping with the non-beauty theme, I finished a book this week; if you’ve been following me for a while or know me in real life, you could probably gather that in itself this is not entirely shocking but as I’m studying English in school, reading another book amongst all my readings is a feat in itself. Although The Lost Prince, written by Selden Edwards is not a novel that you instantly can’t put down. I had been reading it a month ago and was a few hundred pages in and put it down because I wasn’t compelled to finish it. The thing about this novel is that the backstory is mysterious and complex and until you near uncovering it, you can’t quite figure it out but that is the point, I think. I ended up picking the novel back up a few nights ago and finishing the entire thing in mere hours and being as critical as I am, I really ended up enjoying it. It was one of those books that was the perfect mixture of interesting to read and compelling while still having some sort of meaning to it. The main character has premonitions of when events will happen in her lifetime but the author deals with it in a very realistic way and sets it in a historical timeframe with individuals such as Carl Jung without sacrificing it as a whole. The ending was satisfying and tied all the ends together that were puzzling throughout. If this sounds like your cup of tea, I would highly recommend giving it a read.

As someone who never accomplishes a significant portion of what I set out to do, I was actually somewhat satisfied with writing five posts over the last week or so and despite the haul-esque posts being out of my comfort zone, I was pleased with how they turned out and I’m not one to  be easily pleased with myself. Shameless self-promotion aside, I really enjoyed Elle Fowler’s “February Favourites” video at the beginning of the week. She was the first beauty you tuber who I began to follow and to this day I do enjoy her videos – she has dry skin like I do, is a reading fanatic and talks about her sleep issues so I pretty much had to enjoy watching her. She might not post tons but I do really enjoy her recommendations, although my wallet might not necessarily. And on the post front, Amelia Liana’s “Anti-Fatigue Makeup” was an enjoyable one.

Er, now I suppose I should be getting to the beauty product loves of the week and thankfully I kept it quite edited so this post will not end up with the word record for being the wordiest blogpost in history. I’ve been wearing the bright watermelon pink Tarte Natural Beauty Amazonian Clay Blush ($31) and with less time to get ready in the mornings, this has been a quick way to add some vitality back into the face. It’s not my favourite formula ever but it does last for ages and will not emphasize texture or anything so I suppose I can’t complain.

After showing it in a post earlier this week, I haven’t put the MAC Layin’ Low Paintpot($24) down. The matte medium warm-toned brown shade has been really versatile and although it’s not infallible as a primer, it performs slightly better than the popular Maybelline shadows and has some more versatile shade options but still keeps makeup crease-free for much much longer – my eyes are naturally really crease-y and creasing is an issue for me regardless. The shade is nice on its own and I also love putting shimmery shades on top because then the look isn’t overkill. It’s safe to say that I kind of have a cream eyeshadow obsession at the moment…

Last night’s time change is killing me but nevertheless happy Sunday (if there is such a thing)!

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What were your standouts from the week?

Maggie, x.

Weekly Medley #6

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Roughly, I spent the first half of my week in autopilot-mode, somehow completing assignment after assignment to keep up with the tight deadlines but as not much sleep had been happening prior to that, the second half of the week was spent catching up on sleep for once. However, it wasn’t an entirely drab week. Well, the weekend wasn’t at least. Saturday night was spent with some of my favourite females in the world, watching The Vampire Diaries, laughing hysterically and having a few drinks in there too and on Sunday, rather than studying alone, I made it a wee bit more entertaining with my longtime confidante, Laura. It’s safe to say that tonight will be a low-key early one by the look of things and I’m sure you can relate…

With February ending this week and March beginning, there were obviously a wealth of entertaining favourites posts and videos but this month, the results were even better than usual. Towards the end of the week when I caught up on some much-needed rest, I spent a good amount of time lounging in my bed listening to videos and reading posts and I have to say I really enjoyed the whole experience. I’ve kind of been stalking her videos and her blog itself but Suzy from Hello October’s “February Favourites” was a particularly good video of hers;entertaining to watch, relatable and informative.

Towards the end of the week, I discovered the blog, The Private Life Of A Girl, written by the lovely Sophie and I’m glad I clicked on it by chance. The layout of the blog paired with the phenomenal photography makes it a real treat to look at but it’s a fantastic read as well – don’t be fooled. When I discovered it, I kind of did that thing when I spent a good hour reading her posts and although it’s almost a month old, “Keep it Simple” was a fantastic read. I kind of am having a moment with minimalistic-makeup-centric posts, if you were wondering.

After, putting it onto the sideburner for its faff due to sheer laziness, I’ve recommitted myself to my By Nature Organic Rosehip Oil ($13/26 CDN). After reintroducing it into the routine, my skin seems notably more soothed and much less dehydrated and it has to be worth the effort. However, its amber-hue is disconcerting nevertheless. This oil also is a lifesaver on breakouts for healing them and soothing the irritation rather than irritating it further with the necessary harsh ingredients – and no, I do not mean chemicals; everything is a chemical when you think about it. This oil seems to be able to create the illusion of being well-rested when I’m so sleep-deprived that I can barely think.

Although my angst does definitely manifest to many areas of my life, my concealer angst that I’ve been facing in the last while has been notable – nothing was quite feeling right- and as a result this purchase happened a few weeks ago. Although I might not have chosen the most ideal shade for underneath my eyes, which is where I consistently need a well-performing concealer for, I’ve pleasantly surprised by the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in 125 Very Fair ($7-8 CDN) as it provides coverage without looking obvious underneath the eyes and on the drier red patches on my face. I can’t see any shimmer particles in the product but it is somewhat illuminating and this seems to suit areas of redness that I have after the breakouts are gone, matching my skin with its fair shade with a yellow tinge. If you’re buying a concealer to go underneath the eyes, don’t do what I did – actually go for a pink-toned shade but this can go on other areas of the face assuming that you’re not using it to cover spots with inflammation or notable texture.

Unfortunately in my exhausted and stressed haze, I’ve neglected to document a photo of me wearing the Bourjois Cream Blush in 04 Sweet Cherry ($20 CDN) but it has been a standout product this week nevertheless. Without lacking longevity, I’ve found that the warm rose shade shade in the cream-to-powder-but-not-chalky formula glides seamlessly onto the skin, providing that easy fresh bloom to the cheeks. I’ve had this since January but it hadn’t been receiving much attention from me and this week, this changed. Although the photo below is most definitely not from this week, I thought I would include it as it accurately shows the shade.

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What products have you been reaching for this week?

Maggie, x.

Weekly Medley #5

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This has been a week of impossible paradoxes – both productive and wholly unproductive in totality; holed up at home on “spring break” (neither of those words seem to be a fair depiction of the time) with nothing to do but be productive and accomplish what I haven’t had time for in the usual rushing about that we call life. However, somehow when all you have to do is be productive with no distractions I’ve found myself to be completely unproductive in doing anything of profit as I become so focused on my unproductivity and my already high anxiety levels skyrocket. It has gotten to the point where I miss the escape in going to school and all the exhaustion that ensues because it’s sort of an escape from the whole solitude with your mind as your only company that drives me at least completely bonkers.

For some reason that I cannot comprehend (rationally at least), I’ve always had this vendetta against brown eyeliner – I never quite saw the point of it, as I never found black all that harsh on me – and after trying the Rimmel one that everyone adores with disappointing success, I was not planning on picking up another one but it was surprisingly affordable and there was a tester and it swatched amazingly well. Because I’m so scatterbrained, I’m afraid that I forgot to provide any details about the actual liner I’m talking about – whoops. Well, it’s the Annabelle Smoothliner in Brownie ($6-7 CDN) which is a creamy pencil that you sharpen with a consistency, pigmentation and texture that reminds me of the Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners except slightly less waxy and creamier. The shade is actually a whole lot more unique than expected as it’s an ultra-dark espresso brown that provides enough definition to act as liner on my dark lashes without looking as harsh as jet black. I picked mine up at Walmart and it was actually on sale for a bit over five dollars and let me tell you, that is rare in Canada. Oh and it’s available at drugstores throughout Canada but the website ships to the US with very reasonable shipping.

The fact that I included the MAC Stereo Rose Mineralize Skinfinish ($35 CDN) as the sole blush in my top thirteen products of 2013 post should communicate the depth of my love for this shade but I must say that in my current zombie-like state I’ve been reaching for this daily. It’s a true coral shade with just a hint of pink to it – it pulls slightly orange-y – that imparts a gorgeous glow to the cheeks without emphasizing dullness and makes me look alive. I actually think this shade is worth the hype. Alert the media.

The Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Bad To The Bronze ($9-10 CDN) is one of those products that I always recommend to others even though I can go ages without using it without ny sort of problem. Everyone loves this taupe-bronze shade I know and it functions well as a base (but it does crease on me after a good days wear) but is one of those rare few shades that I can just slap on the lid on it’s own and then throw on some eyeliner and mascara and be satisfied with the look. I’ve been reaching for this loads lately, both as a base and as a standalone shadow on those all-to-frequent days when I’m suddenly running out of time.

I wasn’t expecting to include her post here but because of essay-and-assignment-craziness, this post is a wee bit late and I felt compelled. I love Suzie’s blog, HelloOctober (she makes fantastic videos though, too!) for it’s impeccable style and easygoing manner but today’s “Off Duty Makeup” stands out to me as a phenomenal one. Being someone who struggles with minimal makeup but is fascinated by it nevertheless, these kinds of posts hold my interest and seem to be valuable as they lay out the essential quick-fixes.

wearing the blush on the cheeks and maybelline as a base
wearing the blush on the cheeks and maybelline as a base

What were the standouts from your week, beauty or otherwise? Let me tell you I’m glad this week is over!

Maggie, x.

Weekly Medley #4

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This has been one of those weeks that requires limited elaboration so I’ll try to spare you my usual meaningless lengthy blabber. I’m pretty much in the same kind of zone as any other University student, stressed to the maximum with more work to do than she can handle. On top of this, I haven’t really been sleeping (at all) due to the stress of this and to be honest, I haven’t really been going for anything elaborate beauty-wise, as you can probably imagine. To be honest this has been one of those weeks when it’s a struggle to pull myself out of bed in the mornings.

After trying the much talked about Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation ($11-12 CDN) last week and using it on the daily since, I’m pleased to report that’s a foolproof slap er on kind of foundation that successfully masks the dreaded sleep-deprived and stressed face with minimal effort – and when you have about three minutes before running out the door, it can be applied with the fingers somewhat attractively in maybe thirty seconds. Score.

 

 

Generally speaking, I am a magazine fanatic and there’s always one that I’m subscribed to at any given time and at the moment it’s Elle Canada, which I subscribed to on a whim and I’ve been particularly impressed with the newly released March 2014 issue. While remaining on the affordable end of style/beauty magazines, it has interesting style and beauty content while still containing interesting and relevant nicely written articles as well. It can be difficult. It’s one of those rare magazines that seems to be written for those who have graduated from high school but do not quite have their lives sorted out yet for the next twenty-or-so years. This month featured a pull-out Spring/Summer 2014 Beauty Trend Report and as one would expect, I was all over it – I’m not a person who necessarily chooses makeup and other beauty products based on trends but I do like to see some inspiration, especially on dreary days like these. I particularly enjoyed the article titled “The Hits” that detailed ten spring fashion essentials.

 

 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve noted that I have been running dangerously low on mascara – not a hyperbole – and after dropping into Walmart last week and seeing this on for eight or so dollars I picked up the L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara ($9-10 CDN) and I’m really loving it (even though it is not dried out yet!) thus far. I tried the original Voluminous Million Lashes years ago which I liked for big lashes but found rather difficult to remove. I like that it’s not a particularly wet formula so with the synthetic brush you can achieve perfect separation with buildable volume and length without the potential of clumping. This one is also foolproof on the lower lashes, even without taking some of the excess off of the wand. However, it’s not difficult like waterproof mascara to remove but it is more difficult than most mascaras (such as my long-love The Falsies). But I note I naturally have long curled lashes that are much too wimpy for my taste so I don’t need a mascara to perform miracles per se….

 

THE MASCARA WITH MINIMAL EFFORT
THE MASCARA WITH MINIMAL EFFORT

 

A few weeks back I was enticed into picking up some products at The Body Shop and along with the body milk I picked up the Aloe Protective Restoring Masque ($22 CDN) – however it’s on sale on the site at the moment for $13.20 if you’re interested – in all honesty because I was feeling nostalgic wanting to try a product back from the line I used back in the day and for ages I’ve been wanting to venture into the overnight moisturizing masques but I’ve been non-committal. I’ve been using this a few times a week for the past few weeks and let me tell you, I could tell the difference right away – and that is not something I can say about a lot of skincare products. The tub is completely unhygienic and would be completely inefficient if it contained high concentrations of active ingredients but it is extremely economical, containing 100 mLs of the goo-like substance. It smells unenticing but I could not be more thrilled as it has not been fragranced-to-the-nth-degree as per usual at these natural sorts of stores (I might possibly be making reference to Lush here) but it’s not awful, but rather smells slightly medicinal like the gentlest unfragranced products. It has the texture of goo and is ultra-concentrated with moisture that stays in the skin after it has drunk it up. For the first half hour or so, the mask feels kind of tacky and gooey on the skin (due to its first ingredient aloe vera, I would hypothesize) but then the skin ‘drinks it up’. In the morning, I consecutively woke up dewy-looking and luminous skin that was quite soothed. It really helps to take down redness and irritation (particularly from breakouts I’ve noticed) and keeps the skin plump and hydrated even after it is washed off. And makeup sits so much nicer on the skin the next day, I’ve found.

 

Ummm, in terms  of post and video obsessions there’s one clear standout in my book: The Drugstore Beauty Chat with Lilly Pebbles on Anna’s channel (Vivianna Does Makeup). I always love their “beauty chat” videos as they are entertaining to watch, amusing yet helpful at the same time. I love the laid-back style of them and I’m constantly cracking up while watching one and this one was no different. There were some great additions to my wishlist as a result of watching but I couldn’t be happier. I just loooooove when these two get together and make these.

There are no words.

How was your week and what have you been loving?

Maggie, x.

holed up in the library again and indeed, I do wear glasses and warning I'm not actually wearing foundation here
holed up in the library again and indeed, I do wear glasses and warning I’m not actually wearing foundation here

 

Weekly Medley #3

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This week was when I admitted to myself (finally) that it was imperative that I get the ball rolling with schoolwork and the like. This was not particularly fun. Everything has been adding up and has transformed into some sort of psychological claustrophobia inducing mass. Unlike my school experience last semester (and the year before), it’s not a week or two of debilitating chaos that is messing with my mind but it’s constant long-term work that requires dedication, focus, attention and organization. Note: I would not say that I possess said skills in quantifiable amounts. Alas, – I’ve always wanted to say that in a post – I’m aware enough to be doubtful that I will survive the crunch if some sort of sorcery doesn’t occur now. Main point of this ramble: This week has been pretty focused on products etc. of the grab and go variety and quick destressing fixes.

During weeks such as these, I come to really appreciate my enjoyment derived from reading posts and watching videos (of the beauty variety of course) – this becomes quite apparent. Being as scatterbrained and unfocused as I am, I’ve taken to listen to videos while putt-ing (horrible golf reference) through my required readings (or at least most of them) and writing my papers holed up in the library and this has been rather productive method for me, oddly enough. I always adore Lisa Eldrige’s (otherwise known as the makeup goddess) videos – she’s an amazing makeup artist who has a great minimalistic aesthetic, is incredibly informative and has the most soothing voice – buuuuut I had a marathon watching her videos sneakily in the unpopulated corner. It’s a few years old but Lisa’s Minimal Makeup Tutorial – Rosy Flushhas to be one of my all-time favourites that I rewatched. She epitomizes gorgeous yet effortless makeup, need I say more?

Everyone reading this knows her blog, I’m sure, so this likely won’t be majorly interesting but Anna’s “My Edinburgh Edit”was an especially interesting post this week. She looked effortless and gorgeous in the post (anyone else noticing a theme here?), the post was impeccably laid-out as always and who doesn’t enjoy a daily face post, especially one written by the trustworthy and amusing Anna?

Early this week, my skin did this thing where it breaks out in more than a few irritated and inflamed bumps and this is hardly surprising considering how stressed I am at the moment. I have the misfortune of my skin depicting my inner state. Thankfully I knew better than to overdo the spot treatments and irritate things further (I can’t even  quantify the number of times I’ve made this mistake in the past…) and instead I pulled out the trustworthy Clinique Acne Solutions Oil-Control Cleansing Mask ($26 CDN) and it worked better than expected when I slapped it on before bed. My skin was not irritated afterwards and the morning after there was a remarkable decrease in inflammation and the underneath the skin pesky bumps. I’m not usually one to rave about masks but this one earned its mention here.

I cringe at the very thought of including this but even though I’ve rambled about it all week, The Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette ($62 CDN) deserves its mention as I’ve worn it every single day this week and more than that, I have been pleased with it each and every time. It’s one of those practical-yet-elusive all-inclusive palettes that create really nice eye makeup with minimal effort. It provides the warmth that prevents me from looking like a zombie (the brain hasn’t felt like shutting off enough to let me sleep for six hours as of late). The shades are cohesive and really suit my warm-toned skin and blue eyes.

a satisfying eye combination featuring the palette in question
a satisfying eye combination featuring the palette in question

I don’t give the MAC Powder Blush in Tenderling ($21/25 CDN) enough credit as it has been a godsend for me lately. It’s that neutral blush that looks like nothing to write home about in the pan that adds both shape and warmth to the face at once with its light rosy brown matte hue with you guessed it warm undertones. It’s a blessing to have as it’s a shade you can ‘pop’ on without even having to think about it – yes I’m aware that I spend entirely too much time watching British beauty videos.

the beauteous blush in question
the beauteous blush in question

On a more random note, I’ve been adoring my Lululemon Wonder Under Leggings ($82/92 CDN) this week – not that I don’t constantly adore them; I do wear them most likely more often than socially acceptable… Before you write me off as delusional listen to this: they are as gloriously comfortable while still remaining socially-acceptable and are a less depressing alternative to rocking the sweatpants. You throw them on with some nice tall boots, a long cardigan and top with a scarf haphazardly brought to the mix and bam you look pulled together while in the optimal frame of mind to be productive. Wearing these while working in the library legitimately made a significant difference in terms of my ability to function this week. Sometimes the effort of wearing pants is beyond you and at such times these leggings are a lifesaver.

What have you been loving this week? I’m always open to new products to justify purchasing!

Maggie,x.

Weekly Medley #2

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Not all that much has changed in my life in the last week so there’s nothing groundbreaking to add on that front … other than perhaps one of those lovely impromptu trips to Sephora with the girls, where you show them the copious amounts of products that they need and you allow them to help you justify purchasing your latest beauty lust(s). The impromptu trip to Sephora is a sacred institution in my world, allowing me to cling on the proper side of insanity in this blur of sleep-deprivation and stress.

The Products

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before and I hardly need to because I’ve mentioned anxiety before, but I do struggle with my sleep and there are too-frequent nights of exhaustion when I lay in my bed in hopes of sleeping four hours or so such sleep occurs. Keeping my computer on into the wee hours of the morning is a habit that I engage in all too often and it does not help the sleep situation and makes the quality of my sleep rather poor so I’ve been really loving my “notebook of blogging”. I’ve kept one for months but recently I’ve gotten really into using it and keeping it on me at all times. Taking notes for blogposts is productive in itself when my mind won’t shut off but also seems to help me get to sleep in these circumstances and a few of my recent posts were typed in here straight from the notebook pages. I’m someone who is struck by inspiration when trying to sleep in the wee hours in the early morning and it’s really helpful to write the ideas down.

I’ve been meaning to talk about Ren Hydracalm Global Protection Day Cream last month but I’ve never quite gotten around to it despite the fact that I really like it – however despite the heftier price tag I would rank it on par with my other favourites, the Caudalie Sorbet-Creme and Kiehl’s Stress Rescuer. It’s an effective, rich and nourishing but lightweight moisturizer that comes in hygienic pump packaging and does soothe the skin effectively as promised but it isn’t quite as gentle on my skin when it’s sore, flaking and irritated. Although it’s boasted as natural, there is fragrance in this one and potentially irritating plant extracts along with the beneficial ingredients. It leaves a wonderful energized luminosity to the skin and it helps for makeup to apply seamlessly to the skin. I’ve been using this constantly over the last little while. And if you were curious, it hasn’t been discontinued but rather repackaged with the Evercalm label – the formulation has not changed.

I’ve dug out my NARS Kalahari Eyeshadow Duo again and I’ve been reaching for the darker, mauve-y plum tinged taupe shade as my crease shade on a daily basis. It’s the perfect slightly-darker-than-medium toned shade to add subtle definition and smokiness to the crease along with the lower lashline. It’s not matte but it’s shine factor only verges into the satin-finish territory with the subtlest of sheens. It’s like MAC Satin Taupe with warmer undertones, less shimmer and with more of a mauve lean to it, if that makes any sense – and I do prefer it to the cult-classic MAC shadow.

the taupe in action in the crease
the taupe in action in the crease

Recommendations

If you didn’t figure this out before now, it  shouldn’t be a shock that I am one of those sad sad people who look forward to the end of the month slash beginning of the next because of the influx of favourites posts and videos which I adore – I do suspect some of this is due to my inherent nosy nature but I’m always curious to see what others are wearing consistently throughout the month and this influences my makeup buying … for the better I hope and here are an edited selection of the ones I enjoyed the most. In terms of videos, I’d have to say that my top pick would be Jaclyn Hill‘s as she’s so informative but hilarious at the same time and it doesn’t hurt that shes gorgeous. And postwise, I’d recommend checking out Girl With Makeup‘s offering.

So, I lied. I’ve also fallen in love with a new blog independently of my obsession with monthly favourites post and it’s called raspberphobia and is written by the British Annie living in America, an informative but concise and nicely designed beauty blog that deserves way more followers. This blog has quickly become a favourite of mine and if you like laid back posts with a beautiful layout, you’ll fall in love. I must acknowledge that it’s thanks to The Beauty Milk that I discovered her.

General Life Update

I’m aware that it is no longer January, but I’m still going through that kind of January blues of perpetual exhaustion, stress and a sense of blah-ness. It’s now getting to that time when it’s stress inducing merely thinking about what all I have to get done and it’s not short-term work per se but everything seems to be creeping up on me at once, leaving me little time to breathe let alone sleep.

How was your week?

 

Weekly Medley #1

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I’ve always enjoyed reading weekly favourite posts and videos of the same variety but I’ve thought that my selections would be a little boring and repetitive as I’ve not an unlimited supply of beauty products and thought better of the whole idea. However I’ve noticed that there are products that I’ve been wanting to talk about without donating an entire post to the effort that seem to go unmentioned and thus the weekly medley was born.

The Beauty Staples

A few weeks ago I picked up the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Creamy Cleanser and it has really impressed me with its balance of gentleness and efficacy; without containing fragrance and stripping detergents, it removes makeup – not of the most waterproof variety of course but double cleansing will remove all of my face products on the regular. This cleanser is affordable and easy to use with its pump dispenser and lightweight texture.

The gorgeous luminous Maybelline Master Hi-light Bronzer in Deep Bronze that I recently reviewed has blown me away this week. It’s a rosy copper that warms up the face, adding that elusive glow without adding a lot of obvious colour to the face. The texture of the product is smooth and it sits seamlessly on even my dry patches.

Even though it’s a nuisance to remove and requires frequent sharpening, I’ve gone back to using the cult favourite Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Perversion , but as I’ve said before it’s not my favourite for my inner rims because of the impossible to remove factor in my dry eyes and it’s gel consistency isn’t the easiest to apply but I love it on the upper and lower lash lines because of its intensity and ability to be smudged out without moving. Whether I’m going for a smoky eye or a subtle one, I’m someone who benefits from liner and this has been constantly reached for this week, even over my beloved L’Oreal liquid liner. *GASP*.

Blog & Video Recommendations

This week I rediscovered Lily Pebbles and stalked her recent blog posts and had a marathon of her videos that I’ve already seen but feel compelled to watch again. She’s one of my favourite beauty bloggers and she also makes the best laid-back beauty videos. If you don’t watch her videos or read her blog, she’s amazing and I highly recommend checking her out on both platforms. She’s one that I always trust for opinions on items prior to purchasing.

In terms of individual posts, Amelia Liana, the writer of the blog liana-beauty.com, brought out her “Glowy Not Sweaty” post this week and as always with her, it was fun to read and look at and she looked gorgeous – in the loads of posts I read and loved this week, this was the clear standout. You know how I feel about looking glowy….

Blogging Thoughts

I was rather proud of myself blogging-wise this week, putting up not only one review but putting up to. I’ll keep my shameless self-promotion to a minimum and link my review of the aforementioned Maybelline bronzer here.

General Life Update

The whole blizzard episode may now be over but it’s been freezing here, snowing constantly and the like so I can safely say that I haven’t been robbed of the authentic winter experience this year. Getting back into the whole school thing hasn’t been easy strangely and with the change in routine I’ve been perpetually exhausted but I’m pleased to report that I caught up on my sleep this weekend. This week I have been living in flannel pyjamas and I’m not ashamed that I wear them as much as I can possibly get away with. I’m afraid anxiety has gotten the best of me this month but there’s no remedy better that snuggling up in bed with a good cup of tea, book and makeup to stare at.

How was your week and what have you been loving?

Maggie, x

A Day in the Life: Lazy-But-Productive Sunday

the workstation
the workstation feat. comfy attire – aside: Lululemon leggings are heavenly

I don’t know about you, but I’m addicted to reading beauty blogs (pretty much a given considering that I write one) and my greatest addictions are ones that incorporate their lives into the mix as well, without completely veering off from beauty-related territory – Suzie’s Hello October, Amelia’s Liana Beauty and Alix’s I Covet Thee, to name a few.

I feel compelled to warn you that I have an extremely boring life and rather rarely do anything interesting so lower your expectations before reading further. For years, as I’m such a procrastinator, Sundays have been that day when I have to be productive but endeavour to do so in the laziest way possible. My general life philosophy is rather lazy and you might have already guessed that I write the majority of my blog posts on my bed and take a good number of my pictures without having to move. You caught me.

On the agenda today is the usual readings and assignments that I should have already done, thinking about cleaning the catastrophic state of the room and blog post writing and/or planning and doing something to fix the state of my nails – It’s screwing with my mind writing  a blog post about blog post writing.

the authentic "no-makeup face"
the authentic “no-makeup face”

Skin; while mine is nowhere even close to the realm of flawless, I have been receiving compliments on mine in real life and can easily say it’s the best I’ve had since I turned thirteen and I’ve been planning on doing a full-on skincare update for some time now but I never seem to get around to it. I thought I’d share what products I’ve been grabbing in the morning religiously.

I’ve been cleansing with the gentle but annoying to use on account of it’s lid, Bioderma Hydrabio Cleansing Milk ($25 CDN) in the mornings (although I use it on occasion at night as it removes makeup well) and I like it. It never makes my sensitive, easily-irritated skin angry looking afterwards and for that it might deserve a gold star. Unless my skin is particularly sore (which thankfully it is not at the moment) I use the most gentle chemical exfoliant, the Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion ($16 CDN) that (along with my nightime chemical exfoliants, Peptabright and the Neutrogena one) I attribute the increased brightness and radiance in my skin to, as well as the radical reduction in the pesky chin  breakout bumps and the clogged pore situation on the forehead. It works without irritating the skin whatsoever so my naturally-flushed skin is less flushed than it has been in ages believe it or not. The skincare trio was completed by slathering on a good layer of the soothing but not heavy Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer ($42 CDN). Sometimes I add an oil for good measure, but this is how it’s been in the mornings and I’m happy with the results my routine has given me.  Following with the laziness theme, I can’t be bothered to apply makeup – and this is a sign of skin improvement.

winter is not my friend when lighting is concerned
winter is not my friend when lighting is concerned

Now I fear I must conquer the frightening sight that is my neglected nails and move onto the more difficult stuff. x

most frightening application of Essie Sand Tropez and my latest love in tub form
most frightening application of Essie Sand Tropez and my latest love in tub form

Maggie

What did you do today?