EOTD: Sugar Smoke with Too Faced's Chocolate Bon Bons

As I'm writing this post I realize two things: First, I am very lucky to have such an awesome husband and two, I need to learn to take better close-up pictures of my makeup.  Let me explain...

This past Sunday was Mother's Day, my very first one.  See, I was still pregnant with Ben this time last year so this was my first REAL Mother's Day.  I was so excited to find out my hubby had not only made me breakfast, wrote in TWO cards (one from him and one from "Ben") but he had also planned a date night for just him and I.  I was so full of love that whole day and out of nowhere, he surprised me with the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bon Palette I'd been eyeing for months.  I'm a lucky girl!

I got all ready that day, full makeup and hair done, in anticipation of our date.  I decided to use my new palette and create a look from one of the "how-to's" that accompany the palette.  My choice?  Sugar Smoke.

I'm always drawn to dark tones and love the way a smoky eye can look if done right.  The greatest things about the "Chocolate" palettes are how easy the colors apply, how great they blend AND the smell.  Seriously, I smelled like candy and chocolate the whole night.  Loved it.

And here's the result WHICH you can hardly see because I am terrible with a camera.  I will say that the end result was almost identical to the card and I loved feeling glamorous for the first time in a long time.

I highly recommend this palette if you don't already have it.

   

My First Ever Starlooks StarBox - April 2016

I become quite fascinated with the Starlooks brand through Ipsy.  I'd actually never heard of Starlooks before joining Ipsy and can still not believe I had.

Truly, their products are pretty great.  And, better yet, they are not overpriced.

They offer two different beauty subscription boxed to both the US and Canada and I recently signed up for the cheaper of the two options.  The options are the PerfectSize Starbox Subscription (for a total of $17 USD) or the Full-Size Starbox Subscription (for $23 USD).  These prices include shipping.  I chose the PerfectSize box as I wanted to ensure I loved all the products before I upgrade my membership.

I received my first box in 2 days after placing the order which was amazing and it came with 3 PerfectSize items and a full-sized item.  Total surprise on the full-size item, to be honest.

 
I received a Starlooks Lip Gloss in Mad Crush, Starlooks Gimme More Volumizing Mascara, Starlooks Lip Liner in Dragon Fruit and a Starlooks Tender Gloss Lipstick in Pooh Bear.

Also, you can see a little card poking out underneath and it's a lifetime discount on all PerfectSize Cosmetics - This little care warrants me $4 off EVERY PerfectSize item I order from their site.  Not too shabby, if you ask me.

And, here are the swatches of the products. from left to right we have the lip gloss, liner and the lipstick.  I am beyond obsessed with the lipstick as I adore this color for summer.  Can't wait to have a tan and sport it.

What do you think of the goodies?  Worth the price?

    

Create A Spa at Home with BV Spa

I've been sent a number of products in my time as a beauty blogger.  Some things I've liked and others, well they weren't anything to write home about.  That's why these products I received from BV Spa by Bon Vital have completely thrown me for a loop.  They are so great, seriously, amazing.

I received 4 items ahead of the Canadian launch and the were all in the Lavender & Rosemary scent.  The items were body lotion, sugar scrub, salt scrub and a body butter.  I LOVE the scent so much as it truly makes me feel like I'm in a spa when I use them.  (Lavender has always been my go-to fragrance of choice when visiting a spa).

The body is BY FAR my favorite of the moisturizers.  Body lotion, I find, is too thin for my skin and my skin never feels quite hydrated.  The body butter, though, is thick, luxurious and slightly greasy, making it the perfect cream to use after a shower or a tub.  It's my favorite night-time moisturizer.

What surprised me the most were the scrubs.  I've used sugar scrubs for years and am so familiar with the grittiness and moisturizing effects BUT the salt scrub is something that's new for me.

The left is the sugar scrub and right is the salt scrub.  From the picture, you can see that they are almost identical in appearance.  However, the similarities end here.  First, the salt scrub actually smells quite salty (yes, I know, obvious) but the way it makes your skin tingle is a very new effect for me.  Plus, as we all know, salt on your skin removes impurities and buffs your skin to create a different type of glow.  I have truly been converted.  My skin has never been as smooth and, after using the scrub with the body butter, I feel like a whole new person.

Best part about this line is it's to be sold at Shoppers Drug Mart which means no ordering online!!  Woohoo.  You all have to run out and grab this salt scrub, at the very least.

    

Dreaming Of: A Weekend Beach Getaway

There is nothing better than making a run from the city over a long weekend, cranking the tunes in the car and singing at the top of your lungs, all the while driving to a beach locale to enjoy the sunshine.

Us Vancouverites are so lucky to live here because we have a ton of different beach venues at our disposal BUT but, of course, not everyone is as fortunate.  Sometimes a beach getaway isn't as easy to get to over a long weekend.  However, the fact remains that beach vacations are the best.

Piece created on Polyvore by pisces7

When it comes to packing for a beach getaway, I only need the 5 things listed above:
1.  My favorite printed bikini
2.  A gorgeous floppy hat
3.  A very high SPF sunscreen
4.  My go-to bronzer
5.  A bright orange lipgloss

If I had infinite space, I would be bringing a lot more items but these are definitely what I need for laying at the beach.  Once I leave the beach, I would say I need to pack more items like the picture below!

The perfect getaway by glitterlovergurl featuring beach home decor

Whether you're a hop, skip and a jump from the beach OR need to get there via plane, nothing beats a beach vacation.  If you're on the market for a getaway you should check out this AMAZING list of the best beaches (articles).  You never know where you'll end up next.

What are your 5 go-to items for a beach vacation?