Jan 13, 2011

Smashbox Cream Liner Worthy of Big Bucks

Last weekend, I made a quick trip to Blaine, WA to pick up an "accidental" online purchase. (Accidental being the keyword here. I don't know if this has ever happened to you BUT I am always pretending to purchase online, going through the motions, waiting for that final page that shows your shipping charges. Then, usually, once there, you have an Order Confirmation button that verifies your order. If you don't hit that button, then you haven't made the order. Well, this time, I ordered something without hitting that button....)

Since we were WAY too early to pick up my parcel, my friend and I decided to hit the Duty-Free Store on the way. We walked in and beelined for the cosmetic area, which you, of course, can't miss. Either way, they were having an additional 15% off sale as long as you spent $90. (Seriously, the best deal ever.) So I bought one of the greatest little compacts I've ever seen and a whopping price of $18.70: Smashbox's Cream Eye Liner Palette.

This petite case houses 10 best-selling cream eye liner shades and a handy mini liner brush. These liners are fabulous because they don't flake, run AND are extremely easy to apply. I have always been a huge cream eye liner gal since I can not, for the life of me, apply liquid liner. If you are in the same boat as me, this palette is for you. They also have an updated Metallic palette for those wanting a more vibrant look!

Make the drive to the Duty-Free shop and check them out...

Jan 12, 2011

A Favorite Gone Missing

I don't think there's anything worse than having your favorite beauty product discontinued. Seriously...think about it for a second. Imagine, finding that one product that fully completes your beauty routine. It either goes with everything, or accents your skin/cheek/eyebrow (you get my drift) perfectly or gives you that perfect shimmery look and then, when ordering it online, you see that only a few weeks ago, the manufacturer discontinues the whole line.

If you haven't guessed, that exact scenario happened to me quite some time ago, and yes, I am still trying to get over it. The product is Revlon Skinlights Face Illuminator Loose Powder and the incident occurred almost four years ago. I was working downtown Vancouver at the time and I remember the exact date because my work was located above the
Drugstore I purchased the product at and it had been a very interesting day. I would routinely shop there on my lunch breaks and purchase this powder from that location because it always seemed to be on sale. (Bad sign number one.) I walked in, this particular day, and noticed the display stand that housed the powder had disappeared. I asked the woman working what had happened to the display and she said that they just got word that it was being discontinued. (Even writing this I still get the chills.) She said she had 4 powders left in my color and I purchased the lot for 50% off. However, as time went on, I used the powder and, about a year ago, found an ebay shop online that still carried them. I ordered another four and went on my merry way. But, seeing as how I'm on my last two, I've had to start thinking about finding a replacement. (Ack, it makes me cringe.)

I love this powder because I love glowing skin. I use this illuminator as a dusting powder, applied only after my loose powder is on, and only around my cheeks and neck. Seriously, though, the powder is so pigmented, that it reflects the light causing your skin to glow and illuminate. In the past four years, I've found nothing that even compares to this product...Until now that is. Though the two products I'm about to name have bronzers in them as well, they also have a skin illuminator that actually works.

1.) Mark Touch & Glow Shimmer Cream Cubes All-Over Face Palette. Extremely long name, I know, but this Avon product is fabulous. I use this instead of my Revlon Illuminator, blush and bronzer because this little palette covers all of the above. It has pinks, creams, bronzes, and dusty roses' all in one which blend together giving you instant color and shimmery skin.

2) Marcelle Graphic Face Pressed Powder in Prismatic Neutrals. I found this in a bargain bin and wasn't too sure what to expect. I brought it with me to New York and fell in love with it instantly. The blend of the four colors works perfectly with my skin tone and not only did I glow, but I felt radiant. I get a lot of compliments on my skin when using this compact.

I know that nothing will ever take the place of my Revlon Illuminator, but boy, do I love these two pressed powders. I can fit them in my purse (which I couldn't do with the Revlon powder) and they pack a powerful punch. As sad as the discontinuation was, and still is, it's eased the pain having these two products around.

Question, is there a product you use to create that subtle glow? If so, I'd love to hear about it.

Jan 11, 2011

Fantastic EcoTools Deals

I woke up this morning and was completely stunned that it's January 11th.


JANUARY 11th!!


This means it's been quite some time since my last blog post. So, not only am I going to blog about a fantastic deal I discovered BUT I'm also going to explain what I've been up to in the past couple weeks. Christmas came and went with Allan and I spending our holidays in Toronto and Stratford. (See, it was our turn to spend Christmas break with his family this year and we had a blast THOUGH there wasn't any snow....slightly weird but still a very fun time.) Then, I was working like a beaver attempting to make my December 31st deadline at work AND, last but not least, Allan and I are looking to buy a place. That's pretty much the most exciting news of the lot....ha

So, because we're going to be first-time home buyers in the next couple months, a deal on cosmetics or accessories is definitely needed. I was walking through London Drugs the other day and found the greatest set of make-up brushes (4 to be exact), including a hemp bag, for only $9.99. (YAY...under $10!!!)


For those that aren't too familiar with the brand EcoTools, check out my friend Ariella's guest blog here. Alicia Silverstone doesn't add her name to just anything and being a HUGE animal rights activist, helped create a line that is not only 100% cruelty-free but also kind to the earth. These brushes are actually one of the best deals I've found since they last a long time and hold their shape extremely well. And best of all, they're soft on your skin.


Check them out ladies. Not only are they kind to your wallet but the earth will love you a whole lot more too!

Dec 17, 2010

My First-Ever Dior Surprise....


My last post ended with a regret. I know, not a great way to end a blog post.

My regret was NOT purchasing this gorgeous Dior palette I saw at the Duty Free Shop on the way to New York. When I saw it, I thought, "I can't buy something here in CANADA when I'm going to NEW YORK..." So I left the shop, empty-handed, thinking that worst-case scenario, I can buy it on the way home at the airport.

BUT....

They didn't have the palette in New York. Needless to say, I was pretty upset. So imagine my surprise when I saw it sitting on the kitchen table this morning, while making coffee. (Gotta love the boyfriend who actually remembers the exact palette you want AND buys it on his way home from a business trip.....Ahhhhh, I'm a lucky girl.)

Ladies, this palette is FABULOUS. It's called the Dior Travel Studio Makeup Palette and it contains everything you need for a perfect on-the-go style. The kit contains three different shimmery color combos for eyes, three lip glosses, a beautifully smooth powder foundation, an eyeliner, lip liner and the essential Diorshow mascara. (Such a flawless combo.)

If you're going to splurge on a palette this year, (or any year for that matter, since Dior comes out with multiple travel palettes...) definitely grab this one. At only $65, you are getting an amazing deal!

xo

Dec 16, 2010

The Shortest Vacation Part 2

Were we ever tired the next day...

All that walking around REALLY tuckered us out so we slept in, ordered room service and finally left the hotel room around 11:30 am. First stop was, of course, Manhattan but, particularly, 5th Avenue.

As my to-do list said, I was desperate to see the Tiffany's on 5th Avenue. So, we hopped on the subway and arrived at 5th Avenue about 20 minutes later. If you aren't too familiar with 5th Avenue, this is the street that has everything from Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, MAC and even an Bergdorf Goodman. (They say that this strip is the most expensive shopping street in the world.) Having said that, IT WAS SO BUSY!! It was filled with tourists all doing the same thing as we were: window-shopping and celebrity seeking. I, of course, was pretending not to be interested in whether or not there were famous people around but, come on, I wore my sunglasses for a reason. ( I was really trying to find Beyonce or Sarah Jessica Parker...) Either way, we found the Tiffany's store, which is 6 floors high and still has it's original elevators and walked into the coolest store called Henri Bendel, this trendy boutique that carried everything from handbags, to jewellry, to dog collars. I was IMMEDIATELY drawn in this store because they had the most AMAZING ballerina display. They were literally hanging from the ceiling. Check this out:

From there, we went to the Financial District by the World Trade Centre to seek Century 21, the biggest discount designer department store, ever. This shop was packed! You could hardly walk around. It was much too busy to actually shop but Allan lucked out and bought two blazers for only $80 a piece. (Regular price about $300 a piece.) Amazing.


From there, we went to this little diner/deli for a sandwich and, of course, beer. We downed out drinks and food/fuel, only to carry on to the Flatiron District because this is where the Museum of Sex was. Yes, I really really really wanted to see this exhibit and even printed off coupons for it. It was a blast! There was tons of people and even had a cute little bar in the basement called the Aphrodisiac Cafe. I highly recommend this place if you ever go. Check it out here


After this, we were sooooo tired. We walked outside and all we wanted was a dive bar and an alcoholic beverage. So, within stumbling distance was this pub/restaurant that advertised creole food and whiskey. We were sold. We walked in and the entire restaurant was covered in plastic SO we take a seat at the bar. The bartender, this cute bubbly brunette, promptly said "we have no food and no draught beer." So, I , of course said, "do you have vodka?" A quick nod was all it took and Allan and were downing doubles within the next 10 minutes. The bartender, we'll call her Jane, was hilarious. She's pouring us shots like crazy and my doubles turned into vodka on the rocks, without the rocks. We left about two hours later and could hardly walk. It was excellent.


That night passed by in a blur. We went to a comedy show after the drinks, then for dinner, then to a bar called Houlihan's. We stumbled back to the hotel around 3:00 am and promptly passed out, sleeping through the hotel fire alarm, which went off at 4:00am. (Lucky for us it was a false alarm and unlucky for everyone else who had to stand outside, in the cold, for an hour....)

We were both very sick the next day and, since it was my last day there, AND we were scheduled to see a NY Rangers game at Madison Square Gardens, we dragged our sorry butts out of bed and left the hotel around 3:00pm. On the way to the game, we realized that a beverage was absolutely necessary (I know you understand what I mean...) so found this AMAZING pub called the Houndstooth Pub. It was just down the street from MSG and the decor (and food menu) just totally struck a chord. After the game, which the Ottawa Senators won shall I add, we went back to the Houndstooth Pub with some of Allan's co-workers and had some drinks and ate dinner. (If you're wondering, I had ribs and they were totally worth the heartburn!!!)

That pretty much sums up the shortest vacation ever. Oh, my only regret was not purchasing the awesome Dior palette I saw at the Duty Free Shop in the Vancouver airport. (For some reason, I thought they would have it there in New York...but, alas, no...) Oh well, maybe my next trip I'll pick it up..

xo (Sorry for the lack of pictures, we didn't really take too many on the second and third days.)

PS - this picture has nothing to do with our second day in New York but I forgot to post it the other day. Check this out....Allan ordered deep-fried macaroni and cheese balls with cheese sauce for dip....it's a plate of heartache and it was so yummy


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