Sparkled Beauty

Weekly flyer deals

2012-01-27T13:08:00.000-04:00

Shoppers: Sat & Sun: Free surprised gift card (valued $10, $25, $50 or $100) with $50 purchase; Mon - Fri: Get 8.000 points with $50 purchase
- Olay Classic/ Age Defying/ Complete facial moisturizer: CAD9.99
- Neutrogena hair/ skin care: 25% off
- RoC Sublime Energy facial cream: 20% off
- No7/ Etival/ Yes to Carrots, Cucumber or Blueberry skin care: 15% off
- Maybelline Fit Me, eye/ lip: CAD5.99 (the pic includes the Colour Tattoos, so go crazy!)
- Maybelline Dream makeup: 15% off
- L'Oreal/ Almay (selected types): 15% off
- Revlon lip: 20% off
- Cover Girl (selected types): CAD6.99
- Rimmel (selected types): CAD5.99
- Annabelle eye/ lip liner: CAD2.99
- Quo brushes, sponge, implements: x20 points
- Balea 3-in-1 facial wipes (25's - 60's), eye makeup remover: CAD6.49.

Lawtons:
- Olay Total Effects/ Age Defying skin care: 20% off
- Garnier skin care: 25% off (including the Skin Renew BB cream)
- La Roche-Posay body care: 25% off
- Maybelline lipstick/ liner, nail polish, Colour Tattoos: 25% off
- Annabelle: Free Custom Quad palette and 4 eyeshadows (valued $22) with $20 Annabelle purchase
- Revlon beauty tools, nail polish: 25% off
- EcoTools: 20% off
- eos lip balm: CAD2.99
- Softlips Sweet lip balm: BOGO.

Walmart:
- Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin perfector: CAD15.97
- Rimmel WOW mascara, Lasting Finish lipstick, HD shadow: CAD4.48
- Almay Smart Shade Perfect & Correct primer: CAD14.96
- Garnier Ultra-Lift 2-in-1 Wrinkle reducer: CAD18.97
- L'Oreal Age Perfect Golden Balm Hydra Nutrition serum: CAD24.96
- Cover Girl Wetslicks Fruit spritzer/ Lash Exact mascara: CAD5.97.

Sears: Lancome 7-pc GWP of $34 or more, valued $145, includes cosmetic bag, brush set, choice of eyeshadow quad and lipstick, choice of 2 out of 3 skin care products and 2 Lancome favorites, until February 20. More gifts with $85 purchase or more.

Pharmasave: Double coupon day on Monday where you get double redemption value of any manufacturer's coupon. Not all provinces though, please check your store.
- Cover Girl Blast products, Last Exact/ Lash Perfection mascara: CAD6.99
- Cover Girl concealer: CAD5.99
- Cover Girl Eye enhancer single eyeshadow: CAD3.49
- Maybelline Instant Age Rewind face products: CAD9.99
- Maybelline Color Sensational lip colour/ liner, Shine Sensational gloss: CAD5.99 - CAD6.99
- Myabelline Eye Studio products, XXL Pro mascara: CAD8.99
- Revlon Custom Eyes mascara, eyeshadow, liner, cream/ powder blush, bronzer: CAD9.99
- Sally Hansen Complete Salon nail polish, nail art pen: CAD4.99
- L'Oreal face care: 25% off.

L'Oreal L'Or Infallible collection

2012-01-25T10:14:00.003-04:00

I'm feeling like crap today with a sore throat and lack of sleep, but I am very excited to bring you swatches of L'Oreal's special release of Infallible eyeshadows - The L'Or collection.

There are 6 brand new shades with this collection, and I believe they are LEs. The displays made appearance in Canada around the beginning of December last year. If you still can find them in stores, make sure to take a good look (and grab a few). Totally recommend that!

First row, from L-R: Bronze Divine, Sahara Treasure, Goldmine

Second row: Black Onyx, Golden Mahogany and Emerald Lame.

Swatches will be with flash first, then with natural light, as always.

Bronze Divine to me isn't a bronze but more of a golden olive which is totally gorgeous.

Sahara Treasure is an old gold shade, appears almost metallic when applied with a damp brush.

Goldmine is the sheerest shade in the bunch, but is a pretty gold nonetheless. It is up to you to build it up to the finish you are looking for.

See here, Sahara Treasure and Goldmine still show strong metallic sheen even without a flash.

I can tell you now that this collection carries true holiday spirit with intense colours and great finish. You'll see more of that later on.

Again, Bronze Divine is nowhere boring, despite of my pic. It is awesome as a dab right in the middle of the lids, makes your eyes pop. Love the shimmers it has.

On to the second row where more stars align. I am totally smitten with these 3 shades, I would marry them if I could.

Black Onyx is a charcoal black with strong and beautiful silver shimmers. More smoky eyes to come, I'd say :)

Golden Mahogany is a reddish plum, with a metallic sheen. I'm not sure how this kind of colour plays out with my skin tone all over the lids but it definitely works well on the crease.

And then there is the love of my life, Emerald Lame. A beautiful green with strong gold shimmers, a perfect holiday colour. Not recommend for regular day looks, as it is (again) very intense. I wore it in the FOTD: Marcelle BB Cream - Day 8 post, if you need a reminder.

Under natural light, the shimmers are toned down a bit. Here you can see the charcoal in Black Onyx and the base colour of Emerald Lame a bit better.

All in all, if you are a fan of bright colours and can wear them during the day, go for it. All 6 shades will deliver, and there are endless combination options among these and the core L'Oreal Infallible shades.

So add a bit of colours on your eyes and go to town! They are mood boosters, I swear.

One last pic to finish up the post, blurred out to show the shimmers. Crazy eh? At this stage, can you pick just one favourite? I can't :)

Thought I should note that I bought these myself. I was blown away by the core colours and made sure to collect all the shades L'Oreal come out with (with backups, except for the matte dull shades that nobody wants). I am not sure if this collection is available outside Canada except for a possible similarity between Goldmine and the US shade called Eternal Sunshine.

Ok, I have to go back to my cough drops. You can stick around staring at the swatches, if you please :)

NOTD: Icing Magnetix Gold/Green

2012-01-24T09:58:00.002-04:00

It was a peaceful Friday when I came across tweets about Icing Magnetix nail polish and I was like sitting on hot coal itching to go "fetch" them into my stash. And I did, bought all 4 shades they released.

Back in the day with L'Oreal Star Magnets, I always wanted magnetic polishes. Found some, saw some expensive ones too, then finding a magnet that work with those was another issue. Until now...

There is no individual names on these, unfortunately, I have no idea why not. So here is my first Magnetix: Icing Gold/ Green, lol. A blogger named it Tiger's Eye, which I think is very appropriate. Anyone wants to name this shade for me?

Will you look at that - the beautiful olive green (dark and light all in one shade), and the gold shimmers on top! If you only want 1 Magnetix, this is IT!

I am holding the bottle with the magnetic cap on. It has 2 raised edges where you can rest your cuticle on while trying to get the nail close enough to the magnet. When you remove the cap, you'll get to the lid with a (crappy) brush attached on the inside. The brush is the only thing I complain about with this line.

You'll notice my application was not on point with this mani. The brush was so bad, uneven and flared out weirdly. Like working with the magnet wasn't already hard enough, you see the proof on my pinky. It was not as visible on the nail, which was why I didn't fix it.

This is also a proof that working with magnetic polishes wasn't as easy as you think. I messed up bad on my right hand which luckily isn't my swatch hand. But still, I gotta say I love how it looks on the nail, finish and colour wise.

Those of you who said you weren't into crackles, what do you think of these?

The Magnetix line is sold at Icing for CAD10.25 each ($9 in the US), 0.33oz/ 9.8ml. Their cosmetics are always BOGO1/2, so I paid about CAD30 for all 4. Bonus: each bottle comes with its own (removable) magnet.

A quick comparison for you:
- Layla Magneffects: $15.50 (10ml), with individual magnet
- Nails Inc magnetic: $16 (10ml), with individual magnet
- LCN magnetic: $9.90 (8ml), magnets are sold separately
- China Glaze Magnetix: will be $10 (14ml), magnets are sold separately
- Color Club Magnetic Force: will be $12 (10ml), with individual magnet.

I'm sold on the Icing version, for price, strong shimmer finish and colour choices. Hope they'll come out with more shades like this.

FOTD: Marcelle BB cream - Day 8

2012-01-23T09:19:00.001-04:00

On this chilly Monday morning, I'm bringing you another FOTD and thoughts after using Marcelle BB cream for a week. Spoiler: I am still in love with it as much as I was with FOTD - Day 1 :)

Products for the face:
- Moisturizer and primer: Marcelle BB cream in Light to Medium
- Foundation: tarte Amazonian Clay Full coverage Balancing foundation SPF15 in Tan
- Under-eye concealer: Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle roller
- Blemish concealer: CoverFx Camouflage concealer in Light
- Blush: Clinique Blushing Blush in Breathless Berry.

I don't want to be extreme, but I can't find any bad thing to say about the BB cream. It does all the things it said it would do with no bad reaction on the skin. Love the fact that my makeup still looks good and matte at the end of the day

If there was something to add to this fabulous concoction, it's the SPF. And the good news is the SPF version is in the work, i.e. coming soon. And if you are still wondering what shade to get, I'll have the compasion swatches up soon as well, so keep an eye out for that :)

For the eyes:
- Base: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tenacious Teal
- Eyeshadows: L'Oreal Infallibles in Emerald Lame in the inner corners and All Night Blue in the crease blending out, Sahara Treasure as brow bone highlight
- Eyeliner: Annabelle Smoothies in Absinthe-Minded and BluBomb
- Mascara: Annabelle Le Big Show.

And lips:
- Annabelle lip liner in Jazz
- Annabelle Gloss Crayon in Fauvish.

After taking tons of FOTD pics, I came to realize that I always have to get rid of pics where I sported a smile. It sucks, but what can you do? Sorry you have to look at my serious face all the time on here, but promise I'm not this serious in real life. I do believe that smiles keep you young :)

A close up on the eye makeup. Emerald Lame is a really intense colour, with some sparkles. It is a must have in my book. Stay tuned for swatches of the whole L'Oreal Infallible - the L'Or collection. I am itching to show you how beautiful they all are.

Happy the Year of Dragon to those who celebrate. My dad called me pass midnight (his time) to wish me Happy New Year while trying to hold back the tears. It broke my heart, he never cried in front of me before. So if you are with family the moment the new year stroke, consider yourself lucky. Love you all!

Weekly flyer deals

2012-01-20T13:10:00.000-04:00

Shoppers:
Sat - Mon: Get 18,500 points with $75 purchase
Tue - Fri: Get $10 Shoppers gift card with $50 purchase
- St. Ives facial care/ Noxzema Triple Clean Anti-blemish pads: CAD2.99
- Nivea skin/ shave product: 30% off
- No7/ RoC/ Burt's Bees/ Olay Total Effects or Definity facial skin care: 20% off
- Vichy Normaderm/ Essentielles skin care: 30% off
- L'Oreal Double Extend Lash Booster serum, mascara, Studio Secrets Sculpting blush, primer, True Match makeup: CAD9.99
- L'Oreal Infallible eyeliner, Volume Million mascara, HIP duo eyeshadow, Colour Riche gloss/ lipstick/ balm: CAD8.99
- Maybelline Dream Airfoam foundation, Highlighting concealer, Bouncy blush: x15 points
- Maybelline Illegal Length mascara: CAD9.99
- Cover Girl (selected types): 10% off
- Revlon PhotoReady mascara, blush, makeup: 15% off
- Revlon ColorStay: 25% off
- Annabelle Eye makeup remover, eyeshadow, brow pencil, Waterproof eyeliner, lip liner: CAD4
- Marcelle makeup: 15% off
- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, Rimmel nail polish: CAD2.99.

Lawtons: Bonus Airmiles week
- Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift: 25% off
- Marcelle Revival skin care, coloured cosmetics: 20% off
- Softlips lip balm: BOGO
- L'Oreal Infallible lip: 25% off
- Cover Girl Nature Luxe: 20% off
- Vasanti: Free Lipshine with $30 Vasanti purchase
- LA Colors/ LA Girl: 20% off
- Revlon lip: 30% off
- LA Splash/ Milani/ Styli-Style: 20% off
- Bonne Belle Lip smacker: 25% off.

Walmart:
- Revlon nail polish: CAD4.17 (including the brand new display that has Whimsical)
- Maybelline Dream Air Foam, Dream Bouncy blush, Dream Lumi concealer: CAD12.96
- Nivea lotion: CAD5.97
- Pond's skin care: CAD4.97.

NOTD: Ozotic Pro 513

2012-01-18T11:52:00.000-04:00

Holographic nail polish to the rescue! It has been a crazy week with temperature fluctuating between -22 and +4 (-8F and 39F). I just desperately needed something cheerful.

And here it is, Ozotic Pro 513. Glad I got some Ozotics way back when so the bottle is round and fat, easy to hold (can't stand the new bottle design now).

The first 2 pics were taken with flash. Like a typical Ozotic holo, 513 shines like crazy when the strong light hits it.

Another angle that show the colour even deeper. I was so in love while taking pics, a big fan of this type of strong linear holo, and it's purple. We can't have too many shades like this.

However... yeah, there is a however with this one. If you remember my previous NOTD of Ozotic Pro 522, it was a liner holo through and through. 513, however, is a shy shade without the sun or yellow light. I only in love with half of how it shows up on my nails during the time I wear it.

This is how it looks indoor, with indirect natural light. You can still see the light holo effect which makes the shade pop a little, not totally flat. Just that it is not the crazy holo I saw under the flash. The same way in the bottle as well, I can tell the difference looking at 513 and 522 bottles, side by side.

If there is a nail polish fairy, I would ask to switch up the holo from 522 to 513, as I love purple a lot more than pink. This is to show that not all shades under one brand are created the same way.

FOTD: Marcelle BB cream - Day 1

2012-01-17T10:57:00.001-04:00

As promised, this is my first FOTD testing out the Marcelle BB cream and some other drugstore products that I fall in love with.

This was what I wore on Saturday running errands, oh glamorous me!

For the face:
- Moisturizer and primer: Marcelle BB cream in Light to Medium
- Foundation: MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC37
- Under eye concealer: Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle roller
- Blemish concealer: Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Medium
- Blush: Stilla Convertible in Peony.

I loved how easy my foundation went on top of the BB cream, and throughout the day, my face didn't feel dried out. Concealing flaws was also easier. Believe me, I have lots of those to conceal.

I did feel the Light to Medium shade was a smidge light for my skin tone, but once I applied foundation on top, my face and neck do not have different tones. Yay!

On the eyes:
- Base: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk
- Eyeshadows: L'Oreal Infallibles in Hourglass Beige in the inner corners and under brow bones, and Golden Mahogany in the outer corners
- Eyeliner: Annabelle Smoothies in Cocoaloco and Gosh Velvet Touch eyeliner in Banana
- Mascara: Le 2 de Guerlain mascara in Black.

It's interesting how Pomegranate Punk and Golden Mahogany are in the same colour tone, being from 2 different brands. They compliment each other well, but in general, you don't have to use the base the same colour as the eyeshadow. Hence you don't need to own all the Color Tattoos to use as base, thought I should point that out.

And on the lips:
- NYX lip liner in Purple Rain
- Revlon ColorBurst lipstick in Fuchsia.

Interestingly, Fuchsia doesn't look fuchsia on my lips but I don't mind a rosy pink, quite opaque too.

All in all, all products I tried out with this FOTD worked really well. I did anticipate some drawback but there was none. By the time I went to take off the makeup before bed, my face still looked pretty much the same. No creasing, only my blush faded a little, and lipstick of course. You know I'm always a drugstore kinda girl, this just confirms it even more.

By the way, you can see the red and purple in my hair with these pics. I had my hair ombre'd when I was on vacation. I quite like the way it turned out.

Marcelle BB cream

2012-01-16T08:39:00.000-04:00

Just take a deep breath and look at this Canadian beauty, ladies and gentlemen! I have never been so proud - THIS is Canada's very first BB cream from our trusted Canadian brand I love dearly, Marcelle.

If you missed all the buzz about this product when it was revealed at the brand's Premier event a while back, here's the rundown: It is a Skin Enhancer, as how the brand sees it (they said it on the packaging, lol). To me, it is a moisturizer, corrector, mattifyer and primer with self-adjusting pigments. We're done!

Just kidding :) But it is simply THAT, an all-in-one product that saves you time with the morning routine when you have to use less products but still achieve the same result.

Marcelle's BB stands for Beauty Balm, featuring a light weight formula, oil free, paraben free, perfume free, hypo-allergenic and non comedogenic, good for all ages and all skin types. Feel good already?

There's more, what are the good stuff in it?
- Hyaluronic Acid - helps minimize wrinkles, hydrates
- Aquaxyl - moisturizes and helps correct imperfections
- Glycerin - hydrates
- Vitamin E - an antioxidant
- Aloe Vera, Green Tea and Chamomile - soothe
- Soft Focus powders - reflects light, enhances complexion.
So cool, isn't it?

Also, A+ for packaging, a tube with an airless pump. A strong pump that is, not the flimsy one that takes a hundred pump to get the product out. You have perfect control over the amount of product you need. For my whole face, I only need one pump.

Here it is on the right, one pump, in Light to Medium shade. Next to it is MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC37, for colour comparison, which I know lots of you are wondering. I would say this shade is a neutral nude colour, not too yellow, not too pink.

Once rubbed in, the product is invisible on my skin. It moisturize my face, evens out my skin tone and primes and mattifies it for foundation application. No moisturizer before and no powder after, and I didn't need to blot all day. Told you it is easy!

Marcelle BB cream also comes in Medium to Dark. With the self-adjusting pigments in the formula, I don't think colour matching would be an issue.

The product will be in store February 6, retails CAD22.95 for 1.5oz/ 45ml. However, this post is up TODAY because it is the day you can grab this multi-tasker off the website for the Marcelle BB cream, if you don't want to wait 3 weeks. Limited quantities, and shipping is free with CAD25 orders.

I have a line-up of FOTDs featuring Marcelle BB cream and a few drugstore products from my hauls lately, so stay tuned :)

Weekly flyer deals

2012-01-13T11:38:00.001-04:00

Shoppers: Sat & Sun: Free $10 Tim card with $50 purchase
*** Sun & Mon: (might be Sat & Sun where you live, please check your flyer)
- Quo brushes: 40% off
- Revlon lip colour: CAD3.99 (selected types) - Limit 4 (after limit and rest of the week: CAD5.99)
- Garnier skin care: 40% off (rest of the week: 25% off).

*** All week:
- Marcelle skin care: 15% off
- Balea/ Life brand/ Bioderma/ Biore skin care: 20% off
- Jouviance skin care: 25% off
- Maybelline eye/ lip (selected types): CAD3.99
- Physicians Formula (selected types): 30% off
- Maybelline/ Revlon (selected types): 20% off
- L'Oreal/ Cover Girl (selected types): 15% off
- Rimmel eye/ lip (selected types): CAD4.99
- Gosh: x10 Optimum points
- Quo Mineral: x15 Optimum points
- Quo makeup (selected types): CAD15
- Revlon Colorstay nail polish: CAD7.99
- Sally Hansen Complete Salon/ High Definition/ Insta-Dri nail polish: CAD4.99
- Essie nail polish: CAD9.99
- Quo by Orly nail polish: CAD8.99
- Gosh nail polish: x15 Optimum points
- Lancome GWP (valued $62) of any basic moisturizer/ anti-aging cream or serum.

Lawtons:
- Nicole by OPI nail polish: CAD6.99
- Kiss/ Broadway nail enhancements/ accessories: 20% off
- Maybelline Shine Sensational gloss, Great Lash mascara: CAD3.99
- Revlon PhotoReady makeup: 20% off
- Cover Girl Clean makeup, blush, LashBlast mascara, ShadowBlast, NatureLuxe balm: 25% off
- NYX: 20% off
- Neostrata skin care: 30% off
- Marcelle makeup remover, cleanser, toner: 25% off
- L'Oreal Skin Expertise Youth Code skin care: 25% off
- Dermaglow skin care: 20% off.

Walmart:
- Cover Girl Professional mascara: CAD3.97
- Revlon PhotoReady 3D Volume mascara: CAD8.46
- Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow, Master Precise liner: CAD6
- Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips: CAD7.97
- Olay base and deep cleanser: CAD6.67 - CAD7.67.

The Bay: The Beauty Trade event until January 26: Bring in a skin care product (new or empty) and get a voucher for $10 off any $50 cosmetics or fragrance purchase. Or bring 2 and get a voucher for $20 off $100 cosmetic or fragrance purchase.

Edit to add:
Rexall: CoverGirl, L’Oreal, Revlon face product (foundation, powder, concealer, blush, bronzer): BOGO (the free item has to be the same brand and of equal or less value).

Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo review

2012-01-12T12:48:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you but this week has been a really long one for me. I felt like I didn't get much stuff done and time just dragged on. Winter blues, you would say.

These are the swatches of the Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadows that a few of you wanted to see when I posted my Shoppers Redemption haul. I bet by now you have seen quite a few reviews of them or have owned some yourself. But here is what I think about them.

First row, from L-R: Audacious Asphalt, Bad to the Bronze, Tough as Taupe

Second row: Pomegranate Punk and Tenacious Teal.

All in all, I think I got a good bunch of colours. Not all among 10 shades available are pigmented, I'm glad I had seen swatches before deciding on the purchase.

Here they are again with the lids off. I love looking at them like this, all smooth and perfect in the pot and feel bad when I have to dig my brush into them.

The pots all came sealed with plastic wraps which is a total plus. Nothing grosser than a cream product with someone else's finger prints on top.

Just by the look, you can tell 4 of the pots are shimmery, only one is matte. We all agree that Maybelline should bring out more matte shades. Maybe they will, after the first 10 colours to test the market. But I gotta tell you it is one good matte shade we have!

On to the swatches, in the same order as the pics above.

This is the coverage I got with a synthetic brush - which is my preferable way to apply cream eyeshadows, 2 swipes each. I also have swatches with a finger below for comparison.

As expected, swatches with a brush bring a sheerer finish, better for a base. So use your fingers if you want to wear them as eyeshadoes, but you still need a brush to blend them out :)

Surprisingly, for a non-neutral kinda fan, my ultimate favorites are Audacious Asphalt and Tough as Taupe, great for both regular and smoky look. Bad to the Bronze is the very close second.

Pomegranate Punk is a really pretty plum shade too, but it takes a bit of getting used to. And needless to say, Tenacious Teal is a bright pretty aqua colour to bright up all eye colours.

Oh who am I kidding? I love them all already!

Here are the colours, applied with my index finger, light handed.

The thing with using fingers is that you can control the pressure, hence affect the pigmentation which is also easier to build up in this case.

This pic was taken with flash, and the one below was with natural light. The flash did bring out more of the shimmery sheen but not too much.

Now, in terms of wear, these Color Tattoos last longer on my lids as base than by themselves as eyeshadows, which I expected. I avoid any possible creasing for days I need them to stay on extra long (say evening plans after work) by using a powder eyeshadow or pigment on the crease, blending upward.

I don't use MAC paint pots as base very often, so I won't compare them together - other than pricing.

MAC paint pots are CAD21 for .17oz/ 5g, which comes out to CAD123.5 per oz or CAD4.2 per gram.

Maybelline Color Tattoos are CAD8.99 at Shoppers for .14oz/ 4g, i.e. CAD64.2 per oz or CAD2.25 per gram. As drugstore products, these would go on sale often, and I saw these at Walmart for CAD6.96, so you can tell who wins over my wallet.

I am not a hard core MAC fan, so I would go with the product that delivers great result with reasonable price. Now I hope Maybelline would release more colours, including mattes in the future.

It is supposed to be messy later today with a mix of snow and (freezing) rain, so stay safe my local readers and those who have similar or worst weather forecast.

The nail polish tag

2012-01-11T12:06:00.000-04:00

It is sunny out today, wish I were at home swatching some fun stuff for you guys, but I'm not unfortunately. So I'm doing a fun tag to entertain you instead.

I was tagged by Comme3Pommes from It's a Girl Thing. You have no idea how exciting it is to find local blogger buddies, so thank you! The topic is close to my heart too, so I'm gladly to do the tag.

1. How many polishes do you have?
I did not dare to count, nuh uh. Let's just say my 3 melmers are full, the fourth one is waiting to be built. Nail polish sets, treatment, nail art supplies, backups/ extras are stored in separate plastic containers. This is before my vacation haul and collective haul, plus a few previous purchases that haven't been put away because I ran out of space, duh.

2. What is your favorite brand of nail polish?
China Glaze for their constant great releases, for now. Have lots of lemmings for indie brands and frankens made by talented ladies out there, so will be more than just one favorite brand, and it might change over time too.

3. Do you like crackle polish or do you hate it?
Liked it when it first came out, now I want something extra special - like the holo glitter crackles that China Glaze is coming out with this spring.

4. What is the brand of your first nail polish?
The moment I discovered nail polish blogs, my stash grew from 0 to 50 overnight (well, that's an exaggeration, but almost true), so I can't even remember the first polish I bought. It might be China Glaze though.

5. If you're going to have a nail polish line, what are you gonna name it?
The idea of something new and different is hard enough, not mentioning the name. Looks like brands are offering everything under the sun that we can possibly ask for. I'm gonna leave it to the genius experts out there to do their magic, and just hand over my wallet to them.

I do wish someone will come out with fabulous base and top coats that prevent all the staining and chipping and all that, so I only have to change my nail colour when I get bored with it. Oh, and a crazy linear holo top coat that can bring every single nail polish to life (and beyond).

6. What nail polish color does not compliment you?
Might not be the shades' fault, just my comprehension of them, but "mannequin hands" kind of colours make my hands look worst than they are.

7. What nail polish color compliments you?
Shades that have lots of blue undertone (not the blue colour itself, mind you), I assume. They make my skin tone look too yellow.

8. Name 2 of you nail art best-friend?
Don't really have one. I admire all the bloggers who master their nail art - watermarbling, freehanding, stamping, etc.

9. What was the best nail polish gift you have ever received?
Any nail polish is a great gift for me lol.

10. The original question was to make a speech about thanking the blogger who gave you this tag. I kinda did at the beginning of the post, so I'm gonna make up my own here: Why do you love nail polish so much? And don't you think you have enough?
Nail polish is a magical thing, you can have so many colours with different finishes, price points, brands, origins. It is a never-ending journey to discover new things in the nail polish world. And along the way, you make friends, have endless conversations about a particular shade or hunt for it like a crazy woman. It boosts my confidence, relax my senses, calm my mind - like yoga :)

I have more than enough, if nail polish is simply to add colours to my nails. But because it's a magical thing like I just mentioned above, I do not have enough of it!

Tags are a rare thing on this blog, but I thought this is a fun one to do. Feel free to do it on yours and let me know so I can go read.

NOTD: Quo by Orly True Love

2012-01-10T10:38:00.000-04:00

I'm back with another Quo by Orly colour today. True Love is a hot pink leaning fuchsia, looks really cute on the nails when you want to go for a girly girl look with a bright twist. Naturally it brings the cheerful effect to your eyes on days you need some emotional boost, which I do lately.

I have never been a pink kinda girl, not even red, when it comes to nails, but still can appreciate a good pink shade.

All these 3 pics were taken in the sun, which was quite a rare occasion. I was just lucky that day I guess, and the colour totally deserves it. This is 2 coats.

Sigh, my nails were still long then, had to cut them down after some breakage during the trip back.

Did anybody score the whole Quo by Orly set that was 50% off during Boxing Week? I did try to look but there was no sign of it in stores. I do enjoy having the set, even when there are certain shades that are not my cup of tea.

Couldn't help but notice the colour on my nails is a little more intense than in the bottle, not sure what the camera did there. Granted, at certain angle, the nails do look the bottle shade here and there.

Don't know how many of you read through my Collective Haul post yesterday where I asked if you were interested in a giveaway of the Twilight Beauty set. I didn't hear much of a response, so that's that then. Hope you still find the haul posts helpful in some ways. Have a great day!

Collective haul

2012-01-09T10:46:00.000-04:00

After more than a month being away, I was itching checking out deals around town. This is a bunch of purchases I did since I came back from vacation, hope they are helpful for some of you who are looking for the same things.

First stop was Lawtons as I love their clearance sale. I kinda miss it when I was away :)

Found all 4 bottles from Nicole by OPI Holiday Glitters collection which I passed when it first came out due to the high price tag. Gladly bought them now at half price.

From L-R: Snow-man of my dreams, Glitter in my Stocking, Orna-ment for Each Other and My Sleigh's in the Shop, CAD4.97 each.

Also found the 2 highly coveted shades for cheap - Revlon Topspeed in Mistletoe, CAD1.62 and L'Oreal Owl's Night, CAD2.97. There are OPI Grand Slam duos and China Glaze holiday sets on clearance too, if you are looking for those.

The luck didn't end there, as I found these Twilight Beauty's pack full of products, red-tagged for CAD9.99.

Product combinations are different in every pack, 6 products each ranging from face palette, eyeshadows, mascara, lip stain to nail polish.

By the look of it, each pack values at least $60, the nail polish itself already costs $7. Good steal, no?
I want to do a giveaway for one of these packs but only with enough interest, let me know.

Didn't want to miss Sally's Boxing Day sale, I went to the one near the bf's parents'. All red-tagged items were extra 50% off that day. Prices mentioned below are the tag price, before the extra discount.

I scored Orly's Birds of a Feather trio, with Sweet Peacock, Lucky Duck and Fowl Play, and a peacock feather bag, CAD7.99.

I also grabbed Orly Oui, CAD4.49, Finger Paints Comet's Collar, Silver Crackle and Red Crackle, CAD3.99 each. I scored a Caboodle black lace train case, CAD29.99, but already put it away, so no pic. It was really cute though :)

Last week I was lucky to be able to locate the Finger Paints Special Effects, with the help of the person behind Sally's twitter account. I got 4 - Twisted, Asylum, Motley and Flecked, passed on Flashy as I already have Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure and the likes. We do pay more in Canada, CAD6.29 each (with card, compared to $4.99 in the US).

Took advantage of this month's promo for a free China Glaze (excluding the Eye Candy shades) with a purchase of Seche Vite top coat (CAD9 with card). I picked White Cap as it is a fun layer shade. Looking back, this turns out to be an all white haul interestingly lol.

And lastly, if you haven't heard about the biggest sale at the Body Shop, you do now.

Holiday scents - Cranberry Joy, Candied Ginger and Spiced Vanilla (single products and gift sets) are 70% off (except the body butters being reduced from CAD18 to CAD10).

Online seems to have better stocks than in stores, but shipping is CAD7.95/ order or free with orders of CAD75 or more.

This is the Shower, Scrub and Moisture collection (I picked Cranberry Joy), reg. CAD25, now CAD7.50. Inside the hex tin box are a full sized shower gel, mini body butter and scrub, and a soap.

Was lucky to find this Body and Lip care collection in Candied Ginger (no sign of the other 2 scents of this), CAD45 down to CAD13.50.

I prefer this set than the above set, as it comes with all full sized products - shower gel, body butter, scrub and lip balm.

Like I said above, the body butter is not 70% off (CAD10 right now), so paying CAD13.50 for the set is a steal.

There is a Deluxe Gift box that is an upgrade from this set, adding a full sized shimmer lotion, a soap and a bath lily, CAD60 down to CAD18 but only the website has it. I couldn't find it in stores.

Note that your receipt will come with a coupon for $10 off your next purchase of $40 or more. Never saw this with TBS before :)

No pic of my Shoppers haul as all I bought were the L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows, as backups and gifts. CAD6.99 is the best price I have seen on these so stock up, if you haven't already. The 6 new shades from the L'Or collection are a little hard to find right now unfortunately, it took me 3 locations to find them. Hope you can take advantage of this sale before it's over. Happy Monday!

Weekly flyer deals

2012-01-06T12:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! It feels a little weird posting deals again after almost 2 months since the last deal post. Hope you guys are ready to shop :)

Shoppers:
Sat & Sun: Get a free $10 Shoppers gift card with $50 purchase
Mon - Fri: Get 8,000 Optimum points with $50 purchase

*** Sun & Mon only:
- Revlon/ Almay eyes (selected types): CAD5.99 (limit 4, CAD7.99 after limit)

*** All week:
- Olay skin care: 30% off
- Avene, Vichy Aqualia or Purete Thermale skin care: 25% off
- Dermaglow skin care: 20% off
- L'Oreal eye/ lip: CAD6.99 (pictures include the Infallible eyeshadows, so don't miss it!!!)
- L'Oreal Magic Smoothing Souffle, Sculpting blush, Visible Lift makeup: 20% off
- Revlon Photo Ready makeup: 15% off (buy 2 get 3,000 points)
- Annabelle: 15% off
- Rimmel (selected types): CAD5.99
- Softlips/ Carmex lip care: CAD2
- Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors nail polish: CAD8.99
- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail polish: CAD2.99
- Sally Hansen Ultimate Shield base & top coat, Complete Salon/ Diamond Shine/ Nail Growth nail polish: CAD4.99
- Sally Hansen Continuous Treatment: CAD5.99.

Lawtons:
- Annabelle lip: BOGO
- L'Oreal Colour Riche lip, mascara: 25% off
- Cover Girl: 20% off
- LA Colors/ LA Girl: 20% off
- Almay Smart Shade primer, Clear Complexion foundation/ concealer: 20% off
- Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor nail polish: CAD8.99
- Avene skin care: 20% off.

Walmart:
- Cover Girl LashBlast Luxe, Outlast lip stain, Lip Perfection lipstick/ lip liner: CAD6.97
- Revlon Photo Ready face: CAD16.96
- Rimmel Scandal Eyes mascara: CAD5.98
- Clean & Clear Fruit Infusions cleanser (266ml): CAD6.77.

NOTD: Hello Kitty nails

2012-01-05T11:44:00.000-04:00

This is a mani "from the vault" as I had it done when I was home with my parents. I was browsing some nail art ideas on the web and found this. Thought it was super cute, so I brought the pic to my nail girl.

Hello Kitty would normally be a little too young for me, but with the animal print, I think she looks appropriate on my nails.

The girl did a pretty good job, all free hand as always. All colours were from her, so I have no shade names. Wish we had better bow stickers for the Hello Kitty french so they could stand out a bit more. But other than that, I was pretty happy to wear these for almost a week.

I am still in catching-up mode with product reviews (including taking pics and stuff), hoping to have a few up soon for you guys.

I have quite a few exciting hauls from Boxing Day till now, but don't know how many more haul posts you want to see. I normally post them for my own purpose of keeping track of what I bought. Quite a few times the blog saved me from ordering the same nail polish or eyeshadow shades :)

It has been around -10 to -20 with windchill around here in the last day or two, plus flurries. Winter is a little late this year, so I shouldn't complain. I'm taking this week slow to get myself back to routine. If you found anything interesting products/ deals recently, don't forget to tell me.

100% Pure Eye cream winner

2012-01-04T12:10:00.001-04:00

Thank you all who entered my 100% Pure Coffee Bean eye cream giveaway. Random.org picked Cocovanilla as our lucky winner. Congratulations!

Please kindly reply to my email with your mailing address within 48 hours so I can ship the prize out to you, or a new winner will be chosen.

Thank you 100% Pure for sponsoring of this giveaway.

Edit: The original winner missed the deadline to get back to me, so the new winner is MissTwist. Congrats!

Shoppers Redemption haul

2012-01-03T11:20:00.000-04:00

I'm back home past midnight on Sunday, exhausted. Spent all day yesterday recovering, unpacking and cleaning up. Not much excitement to report, other than this awesome Super Mega Redemption haul from Shoppers that a friend was so kind to do it for me while I was away.

Now you don't need any more introduction to these Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr eyeshadows, right? I myself don't own many MAC paint pots (like 3), so I can't pass up the chance to get something similar for a fraction of the cost of MAC - CAD8.99 each.

First row: Tenacious Teal, Audacious Asphalt (which I heard is quite close to MUFE Aqua cream #1)
Second row: Pomegranate Punk (very similar to MUFE #17), Bad to the Bronze and Tough as Taupe.

I might swatch Bold Gold and Fierce & Tangy to see if I want them too. With 10 colours in total to choose from, you will find something you like with these :)

And then, I gotta have all the new L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows in the L'Or collection, CAD10.99 a piece :)

Third row: Bronze Divine, Sahara Treasure, Goldmine
Last row: Black Onyx, Emerald Lame and Golden Mahogany.

I gave up on trying to compare shades we have here with those released in the US (with totally different names, why L'Oreal, why?), despite the risk that I might miss an exclusive colour, if any. I believe I now have all shades in Canada (except for the 4 matte ones that I didn't care for).

The rest of the haul:
Bourjois Smoky set (CAD36) with:
- Effet Smoky eyeliner in Intense Black
- Volume Glamour mascara in Noir Ebene, and
- Smoky Eyes eyeshadow trio in Gris Dandy.

CoverFx Total Coverage Cream foundation SPF30 in M50, CAD39.

Cover Girl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 foundation in Buff Beige, CAD17.99.

I am really excited being able to redeem my points for these. There have been so many new products coming out for the holidays and upcoming season that will keep us, beauty bloggers, busy. Hope everyone has a good start of the new year.

Christmas nails

2011-12-27T01:03:00.000-04:00

Happy Boxing Day, everyone! I love Christmas morning for opening all the presents, and love Boxing Day for all the good deals. Hope everyone had a few relaxing days well spent with family and friends.

Me and the bf braved the mall today after I put through 2 online orders, got some good stuff but wish we had more time to complete the shopping list. As lines were long everywhere, certain deals/ stocks were over by the time we got to the store. But I won't complain, as all in all, it was a good Christmas :)

It's a little late for me to post this, but this is the festive mani I was sporting in the last few days.

Can't take any credit for this, as I had my nails done before I left home, by the same girl that did all my nail art when I was home 2 years ago. You can see what she did with Sally Hansen Emerald City, Revlon Sublime Strawberry, Zoya Elise and Sally Hansen Red Carpet. All free hand, no stamping. Wish I could bring her back here to do my nails all the time :)

I just went in and ask for something Xmas-y and she did the tree, the wreath and the snowmen. The white tips were sponged on to imitate snow. I know she had never seen snow or the wreath IRL before, but she didn't do a bad job at all.

The base for this mani is Milani 3D, the gold colour I always reach for when I wanted something festive. The gold looks a little washed out in this last pic, due to the angle and lighting.

Feels like I repeat myself a lot, but I love all the shades in the 3D Holographic line that Milani did couple years back. Need more of these.

You might or might not notice that my nails here are a little shorter than what I normally sport. 2 of my nails broke deep down to the nail beds for handling the suitcases at the airport at home. It took a while to grow them out.

What has you been wearing on your nails lately? Did you do well with shopping today? Online or in store? Spill the beans so I can envy your scores of the day :)

Nail polish hauls

2011-12-24T00:18:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday, everyone. I got back to Canada yesterday, thought it was about time to come back to the blog. A friend told me she missed my hauls, so here is a haul post for you all.

During the 4 weeks at home, I basically bought no makeup at all, as the price was not any better than here, plus there was hardly any sales. Within the last few days there though, I kinda wanted some nail polish from Asian brands that I don't have access here, so I went out and got a few. Please note that almost all Asian nail polish have numbers as names. Also, the prices I paid in local currency were already included tax, hence so are the converted prices in CAD.

First batch, in the top left and right are 2 shades from a brand I don't know (Diana Manicure), shade 1317 and 1913, both have shimmers, 12ml. These were given to me by a friend, so I don't know the price.

Top row, in the middle are the regular Missha in small size (6ml), a bit more than CAD2 a piece. From L-R: WN02, BR03, PP01 and KH02.

Bottom row, on the left are also from Missha but from the Lucid line, bigger size (7.5ml), almost CAD4: BK01, BL03 and VL04. On the right are 2 shades from Etude House: 42 and BL009, CAD4 each.

Missha and Etude House have stores scattered around the city but stock was quite limited compared to what the mother companies offer, which was a shame. These 2 brands have been known in the nail polish community for some unique shades that should be more widely available.

Another brand that I was looking forward to haul was Tony Moly. Unfortunately, the famous Galaxy glitters were not available here, so I only got some shades from their regular line. Top row, from L-R: WT01, PP03, TR05 and PP02, 10ml, CAD2 each. The brand name is printed on the top of the lid, so you can't see it in the pic.

And finally, the Face Shop, from 3 different lines based on bottle designs. First group on the left, from L-R: GR501, BL603 and GL112, 11ml, CAD2.50 each. The bottle with white cap in the middle is OR204, a bit over CAD2. And the 2 on the right are from the "FACE it" line, also are the most unique (and more expensive, CAD6 each): BK901 (looks like a multi-chrome in the bottle) and a purple holo shade given to me with the name sticker already came off, so I can't say what shade it is. There is another line called "FACE it Repair", the most expensive with nail treatment included in the formula, CAD9.50 a piece but I didn't want any.

The nail polish market there has a lot of potential but I feel like brand awareness is quite low. I was glad to find a few shades representing the brands I wanted to try out but wish they had more to offer.

Hope everyone is close to be ready for the holidays. I did a bit of shopping yesterday but was still jetlagged, didn't really enjoy it. Hoping for better on Boxing Day :)

China Glaze Hunger Games

2011-12-13T11:32:00.001-04:00

Like most of you, I have been really excited to hear about China Glaze releasing a Hunger Games collection, called The Colours from the Capitol. Then it was said to be cancelled, which broke my heart.

Today I found this link to the official info about the collection by Down with the Capitol - a Hunger Games fan site, with information about colours and their names.

I wasn't going to post about it, but after going though my Google Reader, most of the big nail polish blogs haven't mentioned it yet. So just in case, here are the collection, for your curiosity. I don't know about you, but there are lots of shades in here that I want. March can't come early enough.

100% Pure Coffee Bean Eye cream giveaway

2011-12-11T11:10:00.000-04:00

My lovely readers, I won't leave you hanging after my 100% Pure product review. The company had offered a prize for me to giveaway to you guys.

One of you will be winning the Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye cream, full size of 1oz, to try out, yay! I know this would be a great way for you to get to know the brand, if you haven't already.

The rules:
You have to be a follower of this blog. New followers are welcome, local or international. Please make sure my blog is listed in your profile under "Blogs I follow" section. It's the easiest way for me to check.

Please leave all your entries in one comment, with your email address.

Extra entries (optional):
1. Post about the giveaway (with the picture) on your blog and leave the direct link to your post.

2. Follow me on twitter and RT about the giveaway. Please leave the direct link to your tweet (Click on the timeline right below your tweet will get you the direct link).

The giveaway ends on Saturday, December 31, 2011 at 11:59PM ADT (Atlantic Daylight Time). The winner will be randomly selected from all qualified entries (through random.org) and notified the following days. He/ She will have 48 hours to get back to me with shipping information, or a new winner will be selected. I will be shipping the prize to you.

A big thank you to 100% Pure to provide the prize. Hope you all enjoy this giveaway, and good luck!

100% Pure review

2011-12-06T04:32:00.000-04:00

I have a review for you guys today. I tested the products with the hot weather where I am right now, a tougher test for sure.

I was offered some 100% Pure products to test out:
- Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye cream
- Luminous primer, Vitamins + Antioxidants with resveratrol
- Healthy Skin foundation with Super fruits SPF20 UVA & UVB protection, full coverage, satin finish
And some sample packets of body creams.

100% Pure has a website targeted Canada market, offering products with antioxidants for protection against the sun and all damaging free radicals (smog, smoke, cigarettes, etc. that cause aging, wrinkles, and cancer). They are said to be vegan, with no synthetic chemicals, chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances/ colors, harsh detergents or any other unhealthy toxins.

Furthermore, 100% Pure cosmetics are colored from fruit and vegetable pigments that house the healthy antioxidants and vitamins, like in their blackberry mascara or pomegranate wine lip gloss.

The 3 products I received all come in plastic bottles with a sturdy pump, bonus point for convenience.

Let's talk about the Luminous primer, the swatch on the left below. Infused with red wine resveratrol, vitamins and antioxidants, plus the light reflective pigments supposedly diffuse the look of lines and wrinkles, make skin brighter, healthier and glowing.

I tried the primer with the foundation (review follows) and they work really well together. It does all the jobs that a primer is supposed to do. Fine lines do look less visible but I can't say my skin glows because of it.

Ingredients: Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf (Aloe Gel)1, Jojoba Oil, Jojoba Wax Esters, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Extracts of Organic Camelia Sinensis Leaf Ferment (Green Tea)2 and Resveratrol, etc.

The product has 1 oz/ 30ml, retails CAD33.

Next is the Healthy Skin foundation in Golden Peach for tan, golden skin tones, swatch on the right above. Meant to be a rich and creamy foundation with full coverage, enriched with antioxidants, vitamins and other skin nourishing nutrients, it is supposed to conceal imperfections without looking heavy.

I do enjoy the cream to powder finish and the matte look it gives my skin. My first matte foundation, so it does take a little time to get used to. But like I mentioned above, I'm indulging in hot weather at the moment, and matte foundation has a benefit here. I'm not shiny most of the time, and the colour does not oxide on me, but as you can see in the pic, there are still tons of flaws on my face that the foundation alone cannot cover.

The SPF 20 is certainly a nice bonus. Also, the fruit pigments feel kinda nice on the face. However, the product is not one with full coverage, at least to my standard, compared to others I have tried. I can certainly build it up, but then it looks a little heavy. So as long as you don't expect it to be full coverage, this is a nice foundation to have.

Medicinal ingredients: 15% Titanium Dioxide, 10% Zinc Oxide.
Non-medicinal ingredients: Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice1, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Pigmented Extracts of: Prunus Persica (Peach) Fruit, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa Bean) and Lycium Chinese (Goji Berry) Fruit, etc.

The foundation comes in 7 shades, of 1 oz/ 30ml size, retails CAD41.

Lastly, the Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye cream, 100% Pure's top selling product that most of you have heard about already.

Sorry I don't have a swatch of this, but it looks like all other eye creams. It's what it does that is different. Like it claims, the anti-inflammatory, caffeine rich green tea and coffee in the cream de-puff and increase circulation to brighten dark circles. On top of that, there are the regular anti-aging vitamins, antioxidants that we have seen in the first two products, and rosehip oil to make eye area look more awake and youthful. This eye cream is a must for those long nights when I know for sure my eyes would look horrible in the morning. I would probably just call it Single mom's dream product :)

Ingredients: Organic Green Tea1, Organic Calendula Hydrosol1, Organic Rosehip Oil1, Organic Green Coffee2 Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate), Extracts of Coffee Cherry, Organic Rosemary3, Organic Oregano3, Organic Thyme3, etc.

Even though the bottle looks smaller, this product is of the same size as the other two in this post - 1 fl oz/ 29ml, sells for CAD25.

All 3 products have 6 month time to use once they are opened (indicated in the open jar symbol on the packaging). The 2 makeup items have 2013 expiry date, while nothing is said on the eye cream. 100% Pure makes an effort to use natural preservatives (anti-bacterial herbs: Japanese Honeysuckle, Thyme, Oregano, Goldenseal, Rosemary, Lavender and a high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants) which I appreciate.

Orders on their site ship from California, shipping cost includes fees and duties so it might get expensive with smaller orders, until you get to CAD105 for free shipping. 100% Pure is also available on the Shopping Channel with slightly lower price and shipping, smaller product range.

NOTD: Orly Purple Velvet

2011-11-28T22:10:00.000-04:00

I'm back, kinda :) If you don't recall from my previous post, I am on vacation at my parents'. I can't promise to blog as often as I normally do, but I miss blogging (and talking to you all), so I'll pop in here and there if I have something exciting enough to show you.

This mani is not new, but it is cute. I was wearing Orly Purple Velvet here. It is a matte shade as you can see on all my nails except the middle finger.

This is 2 coats, and it is pretty opaque. It looks pretty both matte and glossy. As I grew to love purples, this Purple Velvet is a must have in my book.

I like Orly matte shades, they are quite unique and pretty. We all know how tricky matte nail polish can be, still that does not stop us from hauling some :)

I do have some review posts in draft and am hoping to finish them up to post. But for now, I am indulging in family love and home cooked food. I am home every 2 years, so I want to take full advantage of the time I have here.

Want to hear me babbling about the trip to get here? My flight was long, so I did a lot of people watching. I flew on a full Boeing 777 for 2 out of the 3 legs of the trip, and saw like 40 elderly people travelling with wheelchairs. It was quite a surprise, in previous trips, I saw many 2-3 wheelchairs max. Maybe it was near the year end or something, I don't know. Just hope I could still travel places like them when I get old :)

It was certainly a huge change from the quietness and the snowy weather of Halifax to the hot air filled with buzzing noise of Asia, so I'm staying in for the first few days. Hope you all are doing well.

NOTD: LA Girl Glitter Addict Provocative

2011-11-24T11:06:00.002-04:00

My lovely readers, I have abandoned you this week, haven't I? I have a really crazy last few days trying to finish work and pack for my extended trip home. Until I can put my feet up and breath, I won't be around much on here and twitter. But still leave me comments and messages, I'll get back to you, promise!

Let's talk pretty, shall we? This NOTD is featuring Essence Surfer Babe in Surferama, topped with LA Girl Glitter Addict in Provocative. They are a great pair made for each other.

As you can see the bottle shot above, Surferama is a darker fuchsia pink that I don't normally pick for myself - I got it as a gift. I don't wear much in the pink colour family, you see? However, once I wore it, I loved it. I believed I did 2 coats here for good measure, but you can get away with one if you only use it as a base.

And it is an awesome base for the glittery Provocative that I was itching to wear since I got it off Cherry Culture. The base saves me from using too much glitters, I'm too economical lol.

Lawtons does carry LA Girl but not the Glitter Addict line, and I made a mental note to collect them all. Looks like they are all in stock at the moment.

Do I need to say much of how pretty Provocative is? I haven't had any problem with application with any colour in this line, and they appear on the nails true to the bottle shade. Couldn't ask for anything better.

And did I mention they are very reasonably priced? Reg. $4, on sale for $2.50 each.

The glitters look crazy here and I love them :) The mani last about 2 days on me, reasonable. Plus I don't have many shades like this, they are keepers.

So I'm off tonight, won't be checking in till Saturday. Hope my US ladies have a great Thanksgiving and everybody has fun shopping on Black Friday. Don't forget to tell me what good stuff you get. I'm just thankful that I survived the snow storm last night with not too much trouble. Made it home to pack.

Final note: Just realized that Cherry Culture is doing 20% off Thanksgiving sale. There you go, this post is very timely appropriate :)

NOTD: China Glaze Golden Enchantment

2011-11-21T13:13:00.001-04:00

Do you know how beautiful China Glaze Golden Enchantment is, if you have it, and how equally beautiful it could make some other nail polish? Check this out!

I was looking for something dark to wear and opted for China Glaze Mummy May I. As you all know, I don't wear nail polish seasonally (i.e. I wear anything anytime, depending on my mood, not the season). And Mummy May I did not disappoint, but there is a reason this post isn't about it.

Well, the first reason is it isn't a new shade and you all have seen tons of swatches of it all over the blogs. I wasn't planning to post NOTD of it, originally.

Another reason is another nail polish had stolen the show - China Glaze Golden Enchantment.

This is one of the very first few China Glaze shades I bought when I started out with nail polish a few years ago. Back then, special effect shades weren't that popular, so everyone had to own it.

If you missed the boat on it, Golden Enchantment has sparse gold glitters in a clear base, like you see in the bottle of the second pic above. Nothing extremely exciting, I know.

When it comes out in the sun to play, it is a totally different story, and I didn't know this until very recently. The glitters actually shine in lots of colours - I can count red, fuchsia, green, gold, silver, and counting.

I was overwhelmed, and swore right there and then I would never abandon Golden Enchantment ever again. Now I'm wondering its cousin, Fairy Dust, would have the same effect in the sun. Have to test it ASAP.

More pictures, cause I simply can't have enough. A little blurry this time.

This feels like a city's night light horizon, or a Christmas tree with all the lights twinkling. I might have to wear Golden Enchantment again this holiday, hoping for some sun then.

Talking about the holiday, I am in stressful mode since the weekend, worrying about packing and everything that's left to deal with when you go away for a few weeks - pet sitting arrangement, mail/ packages pickup, bill dues, last minute gift purchases, etc. I love being with my family but am always stressed before I can actually make it home.

Last pic, I promise, with extreme blurriness. If I only show you this and ask you to guess the nail polish, would you say it's all Golden Enchantment's doing? I wouldn't, before this post :)

Anyway, posts will be off schedule from now on, until I'm all settled at home with good company and good food. Hope you are sticking around for vacation-oriented coverage :)

Weekly flyer deals

2011-11-18T23:40:00.000-04:00

Shoppers: x20 Optimum points with $50 purchase
*** Sat only:
- Quo brushes, implements: 40% off
- L'Oreal Wear Infinite quad, One Sweep shadow, Telescopic mascara, eyeliner, Infallible: 40% off (rest of the week: 25% off)
- Biore/ Garnier skin care: 40% off (rest of the week: 25% off)

*** All week:
- Vichy/ Olay skin care: 25% off
- Aveeno/ L'Oreal facial cleanser: CAD7.99
- Neutrogena acne care: 20% off
- Marcelle skin care gift set: 15% off
- Joico/ Matrix Biolage shampoo, conditioner (1 liter): CAD19.99
- L'Oreal Double Extend serum, mascara, Crayon Petite liner, Studio Secrets primer, Color Riche lip, True Match makeup: 30% off
- Maybelline eye/ lip: CAD5.99
- Maybelline Eye Studio cream trio, shadow quad, Fit Me: 20% off
- Annabelle: 25% off
- Almay Line Smoothing Hydrating, Smart Shade, Wake Up, Truly Lasting foundation: CAD14.99
- Rimmel Sunshimmer Maxi bronzer, Day2Night, Lash Accelerator mascara, Fix Perfect primer, Match Perfection, Lasting Finish foundation: CAD6.99
- Bonne Bell: 20% off
- Quo lashes: 3/ CAD15 or CAD7.50 each
- Nicole by OPI Kadarshian Kolors nail polish: CAD9.99
- Sally Hansen Diamond Strength/ Insta-Dri/ High Definition nail polish: CAD4.99
- Borghese nail polish: 2/ CASD19 or CAD13.99 each
- Gosh nail polish: 3/ CAD15 or CAD7 each
- Shoppers-exclusive Eye Studio Sampler: CAD39 with
4 deluxe sizes: Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lash Extending Treatment mascara, Smashbox Full Exposure mascara, StimuLash Fusion Lash Enhancing + Lengthening mascara and Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara
1 Quo liquid liner, and
A certificate for the full-sized product of your choice.

Lawtons:
- Revlon: 20% off
- Maybelline mascara: 25% off
- Milani: 15% off.

Walmart:
- Sally Hansen Inst-Dri: CAD3.97.

Rexall: Face product (foundation, powder, concealer, corrector, blush, bronzer): 50% off, exclude Elizabeth Arden.

Annabelle/ Marcelle warehouse sale hauls

2011-11-16T10:21:00.001-04:00

All stars align when two of my favorite Canadian brands have their warehouse sale twice a year, in Montreal. I was screaming and kicking for not being able to attend until Gaby over at Gaby's Beauty Blog offered me a CP :) This is a combination of 2 hauls from the spring and fall this year. Hope it is helpful if you plan to go next time in Montreal or for the Lisa's warehouse sale in Toronto which starts this weekend.

From the spring (April) sale.

All items were $1.50 except the eye cream for around $8, according to Gaby's memory :)
- Annabelle Sushi Box Eyeshadow palette in Wild Wasabi from the Tokyo Rush collection (Spring 2009)
How cute is that packaging? Very Asian-like with swirl gold patterns on red paper.

- Annabelle Studio Pigment Palettes in Magnet Eyes (left) and Eye Pop (right) from the Hype collection (Fall 2010), reg. CAD14.50 each.
Each palette has 4 mini pots of Studio pigments, awesome for travelling.

Close up on the 2 Studio Pigment Palettes.
- Magnet Eyes (top), from L-R: Dragonette, Cobalt, Magentini and Pure White
- Eye Pop (bottom): Matte Black, Karma, Greed and LOL. The order is backward cause I flip it around to take pics.

I only own about 3 out of these 8 colours, gladly add the rest to the bunch. Even with mini pots, there are more than enough for me to use.

The only thing with mini pots is that it's even harder to get through the little holes under the lid to get to the pigments. You will have to use a very small eyeshadow brush or pour the pigments out to use them.

I have to show you all the eyeshadow inside the Sushi Box palette, cause it is extremely pretty.

3 eyeshadow with lots of shimmers/ fine glitters in beige, aqua and green. I couldn't bring myself to swatch them, they are just sitting there being so pretty.

Come with the eyeshadows are the 2 mini brush, with the handles imitating a pair of chopsticks. There's also a mirror inside the lid, certainly a bonus.

And lastly:
- Annabelle liptint (hydrating lip colour) in Bare Beige and Coral Crush from the infraRED collection (Summer 2010), reg. CAD9.49 each.
- Marcelle Essentials 1st Wrinkle Eye Contour cream, reg. CAD27.50. My favorite eye cream.

Amazing saving, paired with awesome Annabelle and Marcelle products? You'd be crazy not to go if you live in the neighbourhood. Shop your heart out!

For this fall, Gaby went the last day of the sale, so stocks were low, but I'm happy with what she found. Prices are at the bottom of the post.

From top to bottom:
- Marcelle Essentials Soothing Cleansing water, reg. CAD14.50. My favorite makeup remover.
- Annabelle Multi-dome eyeshadows in Disturbia and Midnight from the Insomnia collection (Winter 2010)
- Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow pencil in Acaidasiac. Yep, backup!
- Annabelle Glossy Crayon for lips in Florish from Jungle Belle collection (Summer 2011), the only thing from this collection that I missed.

Price guideline:
- Annabelle/ Marcelle makeup items (including Skin True foundation) $1.99
- Sheer Tint, True Radiance, Matte finish, Moisture Rich and Satin Mousse foundation $9
- Brushes 2 for $1.99
- Essentials 1st Wrinkle Eye Contour cream $17
- Essentials Eye makeup remover (liquid, gel, milk), Clay mask $9
- Essentials Soothing Cleansing water $5
- AC Solution $5 except for the Imperfection Corrector 2 for $1.99
- Hydra-C toner/ cleanser $9, foundation $10, all creams $15
- New Age cleanser $9, foundation $14, all creams $17
- Revival day cream $15, night/ eye cream $21, serum $21
- Climatik cream/ lotion $7, lip balm $1.99
- Christmas gift set: Buy 2 get a free trial kit.

My wish list now: Skin True foundation, AC Solution Imperfection Corrector multiple backups, Hydra-C and Revival everything. Hoping for next sale!

Landbis Smolder Pencil Eyeliner review

2011-11-15T11:22:00.001-04:00

This is another review supported by KKcenterHK. I feel like I indulge myself in Asian makeup whenever I visit their site.

The product this time is Landbis Light Pink Smolder Pencil Eyeliner in Thicken Black. If you can't guess by now why I picked it to review, it has awesome gradient colours on the packaging - fading slowly from black to light pink. It is light weight, and the plastic sleeve it comes with is also in pink and black. Cute!

The eyeliner is supposed to be soft and creamy with rich color deposit, goes on fluidly and lasts all day without any flaking, smudging, smearing or streaking.

After getting pass the packaging, I like what I see inside. An automatic liner with black enough pigmentation. I'm not good with liquid liners, so I prefer pencil liners all the way.

Upon swatching, however, I see that it is more of a brownish black than a pure black. On the right is one swipe, on the left is built-up swatches to see how intense it could get. It did get darker, I would only use this liner as base to pop eyeshadows on the lid or when I need a more subtle look on the lash lines.

Once it sets on my hand, it does not survive the smudge test. It comes off a little easier than I want it too when I rubs. I don't think it is waterproof either.

All in all, I think the packaging format is ideal for travelling, and I only use the liner to touch up during the day, or as a base like I said above.

A quick EOTD to show you how I wear the liner - only on the lower lash line, smudged out a little for a softer look.

I wore this for about 5 hours that day, and the liner still stayed, didn't smudge or fade. Mind you that I managed not to touch/ rub my eyes which I normally don't when I have eye makeup on. If you do, or cry while you have the liner on, I can't guarantee it lasts.

The liner is 5g, sells for USD12.63 on the site, which I think a little pricy. So if you fancy a super cute automatic liner to tote around, it might be the answer. If you look for an intensely dark and waterproof liner, this is not it.

NOTD: Quo by Orly Cold Stone

2011-11-14T11:00:00.000-04:00

It feels a little funny having a NOTD post up today instead of Weekend finds as usual. It was a really lazy weekend, I did not do much shopping but lived vicariously though people's IMATS Toronto hauls over the weekend.

But it is a good NOTD, hope you guys are ok with it :) This is Quo by Orly Cold Stone, a brown-based charcoal with multi-coloured shimmers. In the bottle, at certain angle, it looks almost holographic but that did not transfer to the nails.

The flash in the first pic brought out the metallic sheen of the shade, but most of the time, it looks like the pic on the left here. Deep, dark, shiny, like a robot armour. I used 2 coats for this, good coverage and application, as always.

When the sun hits it, the shimmers show up better but nothing overwhelming. I wasn't able to catch the sun light for a pic, sorry about that (and the tip wear too). The new base coat I'm testing out doesn't seem to work very well at the moment.

Do you see the coloured shimmer in the bottle here? I wish there were more of them so the nails look more festive.

All in all, as long as you don't expect holo sheen or intense colourful shimmers, Cold Stone is a good dark gunmetal colour to rock. I didn't want to cover the shimmers by a flakie or glitter top coat, so I left it as is.

I'm hoping Quo by Orly will come out with flakies or duochromes next year, we are so deprived.

Weekly flyer deals

2011-11-10T23:44:00.000-04:00

I'm posting the deals early this week. It is supposed to rain a lot tomorrow, I am staying in to do chores, pack for my upcoming trip home and depress myself even more. Hope you have a better weekend than I am going to have, especially those who are attending IMATS in Toronto.

Shoppers:
Sat: Free $10 Tim Card with $50 purchase
Mon - Fri: Free $10 Shoppers GC with $50 purchase
Sat - Fri: x20 points on $50 purchase of dermatological skin care. Plus, it's the x15 the points for lots of brands (Quo, Etival, Gosh, Bourjois, Sally Hansen Natural Beauty, Soap & Glory, No7, Yes to Blueberries/ Carrots/ Cucumbers, Nip+Fab, etc.)
*** Sun & Mon:
- Olay Regenerist skin care: 30% off (rest of the week: 20% off)

*** All week:
- Aveeno skin care/ shave: 30% off
- Cliniderm Gentle cleanser, conditioner, shampoo, Soothing cream/ lotion: BOGO
- L'Oreal eye/ lip: CAD6.99
- L'Oreal Visible Lift makeup: 20% off
- Cover Girl/ Maybelline: 15% off
- Revlon/ Almay eye: 15% off
- Rimmel lip/ eye: CAD4.99
- Gosh: 10% off
- Annabelle eye: CAD5.99
- Marcelle eyeliner/ mascara: CAD7.99
- Revlon nail polish/ treatment: CAD3.99 (the picture includes Top Speed)
- Sally Hansen Nail art pen, Complete Salon, Nail Growth nail polish: CAD5.99
- Quo by Orly nail polish: CAD8.99
- Quo cosmetics: 15% off.

Lawtons: Free boxed candle (valued $12.99) with $30 purchase of cosmetics or giftware
- Physician's Formula: BOGO
- L'Oreal Voluminous mascara: CAD4.99
- L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle foundation, Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting base: 20% off
- Almay foundation/ powder/ concealer: 30% off
- Maybelline lipstick/ gloss/ lip liner: 25% off
- Vasanti: Free Lipshine with $30 Vasanti purchase
- Styli-Style: 20% off
- LA Colors/ LA Girl: 20% off
- Biore skin care: 40% off
- Vichy skin care: 20% off
- Marc Anthony Be Ageless hair care: BOGO
- ONYX nail polish remover: 15% off
- Layla Magneffect nail polish: 10% off
- OPI: 10% off.

Walmart:
- Rimmel Stay Glossy: CAD4.97
- Cover Girl (selected types): CAD6.97
- Nicole by OPI nail polish: CAD7.97.

Superstore:
- Revlon nail polish/ nail care: 3 for CAD9.99
- Sally Hansen Diamond Strength, Miracle Growth, Insta-Dri: 3 for CAD9.99.

NOTD: Quo by Orly Sapphire Sparkle

2011-11-08T12:26:00.002-04:00

Thank you everyone who tuned in for my Quo by Orly series. I am slowly getting through the minis for NOTD posts and hopefully will have a finale with links of each post as a summary at the end.

This is Quo by Orly Sapphire Sparkle, the second shade I tried from the set. Like I mentioned before, there are a lot of reds from the core line (and from this set itself) which makes me appreciate other colour families a little more. So I'm glad we have a blue today!

Sapphire Sparkle is a straight up blue shimmer, the colour stays true to what you see in the bottle. This is 2 coats, good opacity and application.

One thing to note though, it dries semi matte on itself. I would recommend a layer of top coat, unless you are after a non-shiny look. I didn't want to dim the shimmers, so I didn't try a matte top coat either.

This pic is actually my favorite, considering how crappy my camera is lately :)

This third pic on the left shows the shimmers best though. Low light, with a different angle did that. I couldn't grab any sun pics yesterday, so we have to make due with the florescent lights in my office.

So I like it, the colour and the shimmers on it, and the name. Another great shade, Quo and Orly! Whether it's worth getting in full size is up to you though, as it is a bit pricier than other drugstore brands. I'm happy with my mini.

What do you think of this blue? Darker, Fall appropriate?

Feel free to leave me a comment if there's a shade from the set you want to see next, to save me the dilemma of choosing :)

It's a gorgeous fall day around here today, not warm but sunny with clear sky. I couldn't wait to break out some items from the fashion haul I posted yesterday. You guys didn't seem to enjoy it though, let me know if I should just concentrate in beauty products instead, so I don't go on and on.

Haul medley

2011-11-07T10:35:00.001-04:00

This is a mix of multiple purchases that I didn't feel like posting individually, hence got piled up into a big post. Sorry about that :)

This bunch was from the one and only Bath & Body Works outlet in Toronto, where most of the items were 50 - 75% off. Depending on when you go, you might see a few items on 90% off, I didn't this time.

- Winter Value 6-pack Wallflowers refills, in Creamy Nutmeg, Cinnamon Stick and Fresh Balsam, reg. $34.50, I paid $6.

The rest were 75% off:
- Stress Relief Body cream in Eucalyptus Spearmint, reg. $18
- 2-pack Winter Garland Wallflowers refills, reg. $14.50
- Wallflower diffusers - Snowman ( reg. $10) and Pink Ladybug (reg. $7.50).

I'm hoping to find more good deals there after Christmas, didn't go too crazy this time.

Also hit up Sears with my bff while I was in Toronto during their extra 50% off red-tagged promotion, topped up with the a group buy coupon, which resulted in a 75% discount the last ticketed price for most items.

Found these Madden Girl wedged boots in the style Virtual at the clearance table, reg. $69.99, red tagged to $44.99 before all further discounts. I was looking for some wedges lately, so happy to find my size in these for $11. My friend found a pair of boots that was 30% off (not red-tagged), still a good deal after the group buy saving.

On to the jewelry department, I found some awesome pieces with red tags.

The pair on the left is from Jessica, I'm really feeling the stone-like finish. The necklace was $32 down to $19.99 on the tag, the earrings were $19 to $11.99, again before all discounts applied.

On the right is from Liz Claiborne, also with stone-like beads. Necklace was $26 down to $15.99, earrings were $18 to $9.99. Can't wait to start pairing them with some cool dresses.

The last necklace by Nevada was very Jewelmint-esque, with connecting metal pieces, reg. $26, red-tagged to $15.99.

Also found a pair of owl earrings from the same brand. They are too small in the pic for you to see the details, but my friend also got the exact same pair, as she thought they were too cute.

These are a steal - reg. $12 down to $6.99.

We walked out the door very happy.

This was my Cherry Culture order during their recent 25% off sale.

- NYX Nude on Nude palette, $20.99
before discount - my alternative to UD Naked palette
- NYX Soft Matte Lip cream in Addis Ababa, $4.99
- LA Girl Glitter Addict in Flamboyant, Provocative and Aqueous, $3 each. I'm trying to complete my collection of Glitter Addicts, but they are OOS quite often
- NYX Girls Turks and Caicos $1.99
- NYX Advanced Salon Formula in Forever Young, $4. New line, interesting Lippmann-like bottle shape
- NYX Slim Lip pencil in Orange and Purple Rain, $2.49 each.

Zellers had Jules + James shoes on BOGO this past weekend. I had no idea this brand has such cute shoes.

You know I am so into wedges lately, and this is by far my favorite pair. Laced for show in the front with zippers on the side for practicality. A little army-inspired, don't you think? The style is Wyn, in black, reg. CAD39.97.

These also come in beige with the wedge part in brown, but they don't look good on my feet and also defeat the army look. Might be an option for someone who wants some colours.

For the free pair, I picked this one, with a bit of heels but not mile high. Lorraine, in brown (also available in black), CAD39.97.

I failed to show you in the pic, but the boots are lined inside with animal print material. Totally added value, even though I might be the only one that see the inside print lol.

More fashion stuff :) Old Navy is running F&F 30% (both online and in store, with coupon) until Tuesday, so you still have time to check it out, together with the 50% off selected outerwear (in store only, until Thursday).

I treated myself a Wool-blend Double-breasted coat, reg. CAD99.94, 50% off. With F&F discount, it came out to be around CAD35.

I know that Old Navy might have even crazier sale after Christmas or at the end of winter season, but I want to hang on to this coat. Don't have anything this red, and it feels really nice on. The buttons come all the way up the collar so I can be snugly warm if I want to, or leave the flaps hanging like in the pic for not too cold days. Plus it has pockets. I had to pass on a beautiful coat with fake front pockets. Why do they do that?

Spotted this Performance fleece Black animal printed sweater on on of the tables, reg. CAD24.94, on sale for CAD15. Don't think it was an advertise sale (in their newsletter). Online it was CAD20, so I would suggest a trip to the store if you can this time, and go early.

Not bad of a price, in the print I wanted, in my size, what not to love? I can't have enough sweaters, always wear one at work.

There were other colours and prints to choose from, if you are picky :)

Squirt was one happy girl at Old Navy too.

We were excited to find some Girls' hooded Frost Free, Polar fleece lined jackets on sale for CAD20 - down from CAD59.94 regular price. That's more than 50% off. Of course we went for the animal print, glad it was in her size, so we can be cheetah twins lol.

Again, quite a few colour/ pattern options for your kids' taste. The coat is not the thickest but is warm enough on top of a sweater.

Didn't plan to buy anymore shoes for her, but I noticed these on a mannequin in store.

Check out these Girls' Faux Fur wedge boots, CAD32.94, adorable! Still not sure about this purchase though, as it was not on sale (before the F&F) and only found Squirt's size in white - not the easiest to clean.

Note that Old Navy is still running the Super Cash promo. For each $20 you spend, you'd get $10 super cash to spend on a $20 purchase between November 17-22. I might check back in during that time to see if the boots are in stock again in tan.

Hope I give you a few shopping ideas with this post.

Lawtons nail polish clearance

2011-11-05T00:32:00.001-03:00

It was a rainy Friday, I wasn't planning doing anything after work other than my regular Lawtons round as usual. And oh boy, was I glad I did!

First off, some of you might have seen this display for L'Oreal Fall 2011 collection. That's what they call it for Canada, I am losing a bit of hope that we would be getting the whole Project Runway collection now. Why?

Because the 2 nail polish in this display - Cockatoo's Mystery and Owl's Lust are part of the Project Runway collection. Where is the rest? Nobody knows.

In the lower left corner are 3 brand new (matte) L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows - Sweet Strawberry, Coconut Shake and Pebble Grey. No testers, so I didn't swatch, but a blogger told me they have weird texture and aren't as good as the original Infallibles. Be warned!

Then, it was getting ridiculous when I got to the clearance corner, I couldn't believe it.

First I found the displays of Miss Universe and Nice Stem collections with red stickers. They weren't there last week. I did my best to control myself and only got It's My Year and I Lily Love You, CAD4.99 each.

It was late after Halloween, so the Wet n Wild On the Prowl display was all gone except Cougar Attack and Tangled in My Web laying around for CAD1.49 each. Mine!

Another shock. Remember I told you Lawtons got the whole display full of Del Sol Trick or Treat this year? Now the whole display was on 75% off. I got a few bottles to gift some friends. If you want it, let me know.

And lastly, not any less exciting, the Revlon Masquerade collection was there too. I grabbed Midnight Haze, Royal Cloak (gasp!) and Golden Charm, CAD1.37 each. So cheap!!!

Continuing with more LA Splash products being cleared out.

- From top to bottom: LA Splash liquid eyeliner in Tectonic Glitz, Sparkling Red Sea and Onyx, CAD1.74 each. I wanted to venture out with more non-traditional liner colours, even though I suck badly with liquid liners.

- From L-R: LA Splash Golden Moss, Starfish Silver, Abyss and Sparkling Wave, CAD1.24 each.

Note that only certain colours of these 2 product lines are on clearance, not all.

And Lastly, a LA Colors Color Craze mini glitter set, only CAD1.24 for Squirt to have fun with. No individual names. She also came home with some Halloween candy at half price from Lawtons too.

Hope this post is helpful for those of you who live near a Lawtons or are doing swaps/ CPs for friends. The staff told me they normally have LE or seasonal displays out for certain amount of weeks, then cleared them out. That explains why I keep having good luck finding great sales there. It takes a bit of hunting, as not all stores put clearance on at the same time.

Have a great weekend!

Weekly flyer deals

2011-11-04T15:39:00.000-03:00

Shoppers: till Fri: x20 points with $75 purchase of cosmetics or fragrances
*** Sun & Mon:
- Avene skin care: 25% off (rest of the week: 20% off)
- Revlon Colorburst/ matte/ Moon Drops/ Super Lustrous lip: CAD3.99 (rest of the week: CAD5.99)
- Quo brushes, sponges, implements: 40% off

*** All week:
- Vichy Liftativ, Aqualia, Normaderm, Purete Thermale skin care: 30% off
- No7/ RoC skin care: 25% off
- Balea/ Life brand skin care: 20% off
- Dermaglow skin care: 15% off
- Quo by Orly nail set: CAD32.99
- Cover Girl NatureLuxe Mousse mascara/ Blast eye: CAD6.99, NatureLuxe gloss/ foundation: 15% off
- Cover Girl Exact Eye Lights eyeshadow, mascara, liner: CAD8.99
- Revlon eye: CAD8.99
- Revlon/ Almay makeup: 20% off
- L'Oreal Double Extend mascara, True Match makeup: CAD12.99
- L'Oreal Studio Secrets makeup: 15% off
- Maybelline Color Sensation lip, Define-a-Brow/ Line, Fit Me makeup, Volume Express mascara: CAD7.99
- Maybelline Define-a-Lash, Eye Studio eyeshadow, gel eyeliner, Superstay makeup: CAD9.99
- Rimmel: 20% off
- Annabelle: 15% off
- Marcelle Hydra-C skin care, makeup: 15% off
- Lancome GWP with $34 purchase.

Lawtons:
- L'Oreal: 25% off
- Bonne Bell: 30% off
- Revlon nail polish: 30% off.

Walmart:
- Garnier Skin Renew/ Nutritioniste eye roller: CAD12.77
- Maybelline Great Lash mascara: CAD3.96
- Maybelline Fit Me makeup: CAD6.96
- Organix hair care: 2/ CAD10
- Infusium 23 hair care: 2/ CAD9.

NOTD: Quo by Orly Rock Show

2011-11-01T10:49:00.001-03:00

This is Rock Show, my first dive into the Quo by Orly 18-pc mini nail polish gift set I told you about, as requested.

Rock Show is a reddish pink/ purple with a huge amount of beautiful gold shimmers. The colours are complex under different lighting, it's hard to pinpoint just 1 shade. At times, it reminds me of those fall leaves on the trees down the street, some other times, it looks like a great holiday colour.

I have a hard time capturing the gold, but trust me, it's there, plenty of it. This is 2 coats, good opacity.

First close-up: with flash.

The flash brought out a lot of red and dimmed the rest, so this is not true to colour, be warned. However, this pic shows the gold shimmers the best, both in the bottle and on the nails, and trust that the gold is a lot more intense IRL. I'm sold on this one, for the fact that what I see in the bottle is exactly what I get, no surprise, no disappointment.

Second close-up: Direct (weak) sunlight, closer to its true colour. I would say Rock Show is the redder version of OPI It's My Year, based on online swatches - as I don't own the OPI (yet).

Some other findings about the Quo by Orly mini bottles: the rubberized cap offers good grip, so I have pretty good control over the brush which is short, but of decent width to cover your nails in 2-3 strokes like any other full sized brushes.

And last close-up: low light. This was taken in my office, the light source was not strong enough, but it shows the shimmers well.

Size wise, they are 0.15 Fl. Oz/ 4.4ml vs. 0.48 Fl. Oz/ 14ml full size. They might sound tiny, but are actually only a hint smaller than Essence Colour & Go bottles (5ml).

Price wise, they also cost just a hint more than the Essence - CAD2.17 a piece.

Last shot for cool effects, and I'm done :) This was my Halloween mani, not really in the spirit of the day, but I couldn't wait longer to bust open the box and try a shade.

Note that there is no individual names on the mini bottles, just on the box, so it's best to keep them in the original box or you have to make name stickers for each. The good thing is the box looks like a display case, pretty enough all by itself already.

Even though some shades from the core line have arrived in stores, quite a few in this set have not, so we get to try them out before deciding on the full sizes when they are available.

Halloween Light show

2011-10-31T10:57:00.000-03:00

Happy Halloween, everybody! I have been wearing Halloween nails all month, but don't have one on today as I am wearing one of the Quo by Orly minis. That post will be up soon, I had dead camera batteries last night.

In the meantime, enjoy this "little" light show, very entertaining.

Now a call for swap/ CP! November is an awesome month for great nail polish releases, most of them, unfortunately, outside of my Canadian reach.

You all have seen teaser pics of Model's Own Beetlejuice collection, coming out tomorrow. They charge flat rate for international shipping (£9.99) which is not cheap. It would only make sense if I order lots to make shipping worth it, but then I might get hit by custom charges :(

Can any UK ladies reading my blog tell me if postage is lower than £9.99 if I'm looking for a CP?

Another 2 November collections are Essence Vampire's Love and Add On Magic, plus the current Remix your Style collection, with awesome nail polish and top coat shades. It has been a long time ago when we got an Essence collection (Denim Wanted collection) around here, so I don't hold my breath. It sucks to have overseas lemmings, lol.

Anyway, polished or not, Halloween or not, hope you all have a good night tonight. I'll be trick-or-treating with my little Evil Queen in the cold.

Shoppers haul

2011-10-29T22:15:00.002-03:00

So, what is new at Shoppers? I couldn't wait and have to make an urgent weekend post to tell you guys about this. Take a look at the picture below and tell me you are excited. This is the biggest picture ever on this blog, for a very good reason :)

This is Quo by Orly 18-pc mini nail polish gift set, the target of my hunt this week. The moment I heard about it on twitter, I know I gotta have it. Retails for CAD39, the set has an awesome mix of 18 colours. We all know we hardly finish a bottle of nail polish ever, and why get 4 big bottles if you can try 18 smaller ones?

I have mentioned the 5 shades from the Fall release (Turquoise Moonlight, Celestial Star, Night Sky, First Class and Filthy Rich) on this blog before. If you haven't got any yet, they are also found in this mini set. And I spy with my little eyes some duochromes and beautiful shimmers in there too - Precious, Rock Show, Rock Star, Sapphire Sparkle and more.

I always use my own pictures on the blog, but this PR pic features the colours a lot better this time. Hope I am persuasive enough :) Swatches are coming soon. Redemption promo is still going on until tomorrow, so now would be a good time to grab a set.

After the rush and excitement of finding the above nail polish set, I could finally take my time to browse the isles. Found some skin care stuff :)

- L'Oreal 360o Facial cleanser for Acne-prone skin, on sale CAD7.99. Don't think I saw this particular one with orange packaging before, I'd assume it's a new addition to the line.

- Softsoap new Body Butter Indulgent Chocolate Body Hydrating wash, Body Butter Coconut Scrub Body Buff wash and Ultra Rich Shae Butter Cream Moisturizing Body wash, on sale for CAD2.99 each. These all smell so good, especially the chocolate. Give them a sniff when you see them in store.

And lastly, this is Vichy Your Hydrating & Fortifying Program gift set with:
- Aqualia Thermal Fortifying & Soothing 24Hr Hydrating care (Paraben Free - Rich), 50ml
- Purete Thermale 3-in-1 One Step cleanser, 100ml
- Eau Thermale Spa water, 50g, and
- Capital Soleil Mexoryl XL Sunscreen cream SPF60, 15ml.

Reg. CAD35 (as the retail price of the Aqualia Thermal, the other 3 products are free gifts in the set), on clearance for 50% off. Couldn't pass it up.

I was happy to find the stuff in this haul. I really needed it, as I was screwed over so bad today with public transit (2 of my buses were half an hour late, and it was cold out). Story of my life. Hope your weekend goes better than mine.

Weekly flyer deals

2011-10-28T12:47:00.000-03:00

Shoppers: Sat & Sun: Spend your points event (50,000 points = $100 or 95,000 points = $200), Thurs Nov 3 to Fri Nov 11: x20 points with $75 cosmetics or fragrances
*** Sat & Sun only: Revlon/ Almay: 30% off (rest of the week: 20% off)

*** All week:
- Nivea skin care: 30% off
- Biore/ Garnier skin care: 20% off
- Maybelline Volume Express mascara, Colour Sensation lip stain/ gloss, Unstoppable/ Define-a-Line/ brow liner: CAD7.99
- Maybelline Fit Me: CAD8.49
- L'Oreal Double Extend mascara/ serum, True Match: CAD12.99
- Revlon eye/ lip: CAD8.99
- Cover Girl Lip Perfection liner/ lipstick: CAD9.99
- Cover Girl Clean makeup, Lash Perfection mascara: CAD8.99
- Cover Girl NatureLuxe mousse mascara/ gloss balm/ liquid foundation: 15% off
- Rimmel eye/ lip: CAD4.99
- Physician's Formula: 30% off
- Quo by Orly nail polish: CAD7.99
- Nicole by OPI nail polish: CAD8.99
- Sally Hansen nail polish/ treatment: CAD5.99.

Lawtons:
- Cover Girl mascara/ pressed powder: BOGO
- Milani nail polish: BOGO
- Maybelline eyeshadow/ liner: 25% off
- Vichy cleanser/ toner: 20% off
- Marcelle, Annabelle: 20% off
- Crabtree & Evelyn (selected): 30% off.

Walmart:
- Cover Girl Clean makeup: CAD5.57
- L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick: CAD6.96
- Sally Hansen Salon Complete nail polish: CAD5.97
- Neutrogena moisturizer: CAD9.57 - CAD19.17.

Wembe soap review

2011-10-26T11:40:00.000-03:00

I'm not normally a soap girl, with the traditional/ old concept of "soaps = drying". I know the industry has moved along very well from there, and I was glad I had a chance to confirm that for myself.

I was sent two soaps from Wembe Amazonian Soul for review. What the company says about their products - "Organic, Vegan, Earth-friendly and Wild" - got me big time.

This is the Seaweed Cleansing blend, detoxing and relaxing, 3oz, $8.50.

According to the site, the blend combines salt, seaweed and essential oils. I normally count on seaweed to clear out impurities on my skin, and this isn't any exception. My face feels clean and moisturized, ready for the next skin care product to be applied. I normally use this soap on those tiring nights that I just want to collapse and sleep.

The soap is supposed to have a salt scent, to me it smells more like a herbal blend, refreshing but doesn't last long.

Ingredients: Vegetable essential oils, Cupassu butter (Theobroma grandiflorum), organic vegetable dye (Indigofora Tinctorea), Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis), Sodium Salts from Vegetable Oils, Seaweed (Porphyra yezoensis), Seaweed (Porphyra yezoensis).

On the package, the ingredients are listed in a different order - Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Oleate, Salt (Sodium Chloride), Jojoba Oil, Glycerin, Sugar, Seaweed extract, Seaweed (Porphyra Yezoensis), Cupassu Butter (Theobroma Grandiflorum), Organic Vegetable dyes (Indigofora Tinctorea), Essential Vegetable oils.

The next bar is the Citric Blending blend, antioxidant and purifying, 3oz, $7.50.

Also contains the essential oils of all citric fruits, the blend has orange and lemon juice freshly squeezed with their skins. Quite a way to energize your skin in the morning, which is exactly what I do those days when I have to drag myself out of bed, which is quite often.

Ingredients: Lemon juice, Vegetable Clay, Cupassu butter (Theobroma grandiflorum), Sodium Salts from Vegetable Oils, orange (Citrusrantium).

On the package: Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Oleate, Glycerin, Sugar, Cupassu Butter (Theobroma Grandiflorum), Lemon (Citrus Lemon), Orange (Citrusrantium), Essential Vegetable oils.

Both of these soaps are listed under Moisturizing blend category, and based on how they perform on my face, they prove the old concept of mine wrong. And what could be better than knowing that the soaps are green and bring you "a rain forest in the shower". Soaps don't have to be boring and bad anymore.

I like the option of having different soaps for different purposes and uses. There are tons of options on the site for you to browse. For now, the site is designed to serve US and Canadian customers.

All I need now is a beautiful soap dish with multiple compartment to store these in. They are quite decorating pieces. Be sure to check out their blog and twitter for more product info and promotions.

NOTD: Avon Golden Twilight

2011-10-25T11:52:00.000-03:00

Hi everyone, I have been bad with taking pictures of my nails lately. I have been wearing lots of pretty/ popular shades with blingy glitters and didn't stop to take any shots of them. Plus, I am still in the bright colour phase which might not be season appropriate, lol.

Anyway, a rare occasion where I wore a dark shade - Avon Golden Twilight. The name suggests some prettiness, doesn't it? Let's see.

Golden Twilight is a dark deep vampy purple shade (very close to black) with slight gold shimmers. An LE and is not around anymore, I'm afraid, as it was part of the 2009 Sparkle holiday collection from Avon. I grabbed this from a blog sale a long time ago.

Application and wear were good, nothing to complain. I only needed 2 coats for opacity. A winner all around, especially if you are a fan of dark shades.

If you are wondering why the colour on my middle finger looks a little different from the rest, I did add a coat of NYC Love Letters on that nail as an experiment. Look how pretty they look together, a duochrome eh?

Hope you all have a good day. This week is going to be long for me, but at least it's close to Halloween :)

Weekend finds

2011-10-24T11:22:00.001-03:00

One of the highlights of my weekend was finding a big jackpot of Cargo makeup palettes at Winners. I went hunting for them after seeing a tweet about their very first appearance at Winners, but was still surprised of how much there were and how cheap they were sold for.

This is a quick snap shot of what I bought, and these weren't all from the brand on the shelf, mind you. I wasn't sure what was worth getting, so I grabbed a few and check out the reviews later.

First up is the City of Lights kit, supposed to be an Ulta-exclusive 2009 holiday collection, org. $34, Winners' price $14.99.

The set includes an eyeshadow quad in Paris, an eye pencil in Boogie Nights, a Face and Body sparkle and a lip gloss quad in Tijuana.

The red metal case was very eye-catching, with the clear window to show the products inside. Totally holiday appropriate, so was the name. The shades (of both eyeshadows and lip glosses) are however not too bold, more for a shy holiday look.

The next 3 items were $19.99 each, as their regular prices were a little higher than the first set.

Here is the 7in7 Mini kit, reg. $39. Note that this is not the full sized kit which retailed $59 regularly.

The content includes mini size of:
- OneBase (concealer and foundation in one)
- Eyeshadow palette with 4 neutral shades
- Eye pencil in Brown
- LashActivator mascara
- Beach Blush in Sunset Beach
- Reverse Lip liner in 01
- Classic Lip gloss with Timestrip technology in Tobago.

Again, this set I found is aiming toward neutral/ everyday looks, if that is what you are looking for.

If you are more of a bold kinda girl, this it for you - the Catwalk kit, reg. $49, on sale for $34 on Cargo's site.

What it comes with:
- Essential Palette in Gray
- Blush in Big Easy, Rome and Topeka
- Medium bronzer
- 6 Button Eye Shadows in Emerald Green, Charcoal Blue, Shimmering Green-Gold, Golden Brown, Dusk Blue and Matte Purple.

I have wanted this kit since the first time I saw a picture of it, but could never fork out that much money to get it full price. Was really happy to pay Winners' price for it :)

And the last palette I got was the Dare to Play kit, reg. $45.

This one is also more colourful, with:
- Eyeshadow base in Sheer Nude, Shimmering Shell, and Soft Beige
- Pressed eyeshadows in Popsicle Purple, Iced Mauve, Teal, Electric Blue and Sparkling Green Tea
- Glitter-filled eyeshadows in complementary shades.

Now we're talking, the glittery shades are totally for the holiday.

It was a miracle that I found these palettes in great condition, nobody decided to test out the shades in store. If you are a fan of the brand, hit your Winners ASAP.

Continue my good luck streak, I found awesome stuff on clearance at my trusted Lawtons as well.

I was excited seeing these Annabelle Dust Lust pigment stacks a while back. They come with 3 pigment dusts and a small brush, valued at $30, retail $9.99, already a steal. A better steal is to get them at 50% off :)

These are, from L-R:
- Funshine Fever, with Solar, Cool Mint and Prism
- Disco Glow with Tidal, Limelight and Golden Pink
- Shimmer Vibe with Azure, Chiffon and Cool Mint.

Looks like this is a combination of permanent and LE shades. I can't confirm if Cool Mint was misplaced in one of the stacks, or it was intentional, but it is a cool shade to have anyway.

More joy to be had when I found these Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks in the clearance bin for 75% off.

I'd assume that they are LE shades being cleared out to free shelf space. No idea why one has off-white cap and the other two have red caps.

From L-R: Color Sensational lipsticks in Glisten Up Pink, Fuchsia Fever and Pink Satin, reg. $9.99 each.

Some LA Splash products were on 75% off as well. I tried to be good to pick out just 3 Diamond Dusts.

From L-R: Golden Smoke, Platinum Sand and Copper Glow, paid $2.24 a piece.

Lastly, I went to take advantage of The Body Shop 3/ $30 bath, body and hair products sale in the weekend. Good time to grab the Spa Wisdom products, as they are normally a little pricy to buy.

- Spa Wisdom Polynesia Monoi Body balm, reg. $24
- Spa Wisdom Morocco Black Olive and Argan Oil scrub, reg. $28
- Spa Wisdom Africa Ximenia and Salt scrub, reg. $28.

With the sale, these were more than half off, I was happy.

Could have got more, but I was a little disappointed as the 2 promotions that I wanted to pair with my purchase were not offered at my store. TBS tweeted that with $30 purchase from October 20 till November 20, we can get 6-month subscription of Elle magazine and a free Shimmering cube. The store said they ran out of the subscription cards, and the shimmering cube promo was meant for November, so I went home with neither.

Update: The free Shimmering cube promo requires a coupon from Elle Canada magazine (Health & Beauty guide), November edition. I have the magazine but can't find the coupon anywhere. Also, more subscription cards are sent to the stores, so they'll have more. For my sad little purchase, prob there isn't anything they can do at this point :(

Hope your weekend was relaxing and fun. I am still looking for the energy to fully unpack and put stuff away.

Shoppers haul

2011-10-22T18:45:00.000-03:00

If you haven't seen all my hunt tweets, this was what I had been running around all Shoppers last week trying to find: Annabelle Gypsyland Fall collection.

Besides the 3 cool-looking tie-dye eyeshadows (with different colour dots running through the center), a gorgeous tie-dye face powder, 3 Glitterama eyeliners, a new Volumelip gloss, there are 2 new Smoothie eyeshadow pencils that you know I love. The Smoothies are now a collector item, which means I gotta have each and every Smoothie colour Annabelle comes out with, some backups if needed as well.

I apologize for not having the post up sooner before the sale at Shoppers ended (on Friday night). The short trip to Toronto took the better part of me. So this post is more to let you know about the collection and what it has to offer. According to the company, LE collections only last about a month at Shoppers before being taken off the floor. Wanna see what I did pick up besides the ?

Items I picked up:
- Smoothies in In Mauve-tion (actually a purple with blue sheen, not blue like in the pic) and Down To Earth
- Smudgepaint in Skyline, the pretty navy blue that I have always wanted to pick up
- Skin True concealer with a bonus mini Skin True foundation, supposedly a Shoppers exclusive, good way to try out 2 products in one pack.

I paid $6.99 for each product, thanks to the said sale. I see that Walmart is running similar promotion on some Annabelle products but I'm not sure if Gypsyland will be available there or not.

Last week, Shoppers also ran some awesome BOGO sale for certain Quo products, first time ever I saw such a good discount.

I picked up Quo Smoky eye palette #1 (blue theme) and #2 (purple theme), 2 for $21 (reg. $25 each). An awesome steal, wasn't it? Quo brushes were also on BOGO (which is better than the quite often 40% off offer), I picked some up as gifts for friends. How about you guys, my Canadian readers, did you take advantage of the sale?

Love Shoppers for all the promotions they run lately, if they could get all LE collections out faster so I didn't have to go to like 3 stores one after the other, that'd be awesome :)

Weekly flyer deals

2011-10-21T13:34:00.000-03:00

Shoppers: Sat: x20 Optimum points with $50 purchase, Mon - Fri: Free $10 Shoppers gift card with $50 purchase
- L'Oreal shave/ skin care: 25% off
- Olay Regenerist skin care: 30% off
- Reversa/ Vichy/ Bioderma/ Jouviance (selected) skin care: 25% off
- Avene/ RoC/ Dermaglow (selected) skin care: 20% off
- Marcelle Christmas gift set: 15% off
- L'Oreal Colour Riche lip, Voluminous False Fiber Lashes mascara: CAD6.99
- L'Oreal (selected): 20% off
- Maybelline Great Lash mascara, Expert Wear eyeshadow, Shine Sensation gloss: CAD3.99
- Maybelline (selected): 15% off
- Cover Girl eye/ lip: CAD7.99
- Revlon blush/ ColorStay makeup: 15% off
- Rimmel (selected): CAD2.99
- Gosh lip: 15% off
- Gosh eye: x15 points
- Sally Hansen Natural Beauty: x15 points
- Revlon nail polish, treatment: CAD2.99
- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail polish: CAD3.99
- Sally Hansen Diamond Strength nail polish: 2 for CAD6.99
- Rimmel 60 Seconds/ Lasting Finish nail polish: CAD3.99
- Nicole by OPI nail polish: CAD8.99
- Wet n Wild Tombstone nail polish: CAD3.49
- Quo by Orly nail polish: CAD8.99
- Travalo atomizer: CAD9.99.

Lawtons:
- Vasanti: Free Magic liner with $30 Vasanti purchase
- Maybelline mascara/ eyeliner: 25% off
- Revlon lipstick/ gloss/ lip liner: 25% off
- Garnier Nutritioniste: 25% off.

Walmart:
- Cover Girl TruBlend makeup: CAD9.47 ($2 off)
- Annabelle Smudgepaint, liner, 4Show eyeshadow: CAD6.96
- NYC (assorted): CAD2.67 (reg. CAD3.67)
- L'Oreal Telescopic mascara with bonus Le Kohl eye liner: CAD9.96
- Nivea Visage 1-2-3 regimen: CAD5.36 - CAD6.97
- Neutrogena Clinical day/ night/ eye/ serum: CAD9.97 - CAD24.97 (50% off)
- Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle nail polish: CAD4.47
- Live Clean bath/ baby/ hair care: 2 for CAD9 or CAD5.96 each.

Superstore:
- Cover Girl Clean liquid makeup: CAD5.99
- Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick: CAD5.99
- L'oreal HIP Bright eyeshadow/ Voluminous mascara: CAD5.99.

Weekly flyer deals

2011-10-14T11:37:00.000-03:00

This is a good week at Shoppers, with sales that I have been waiting for. I also include Rexall's deals this week, as I'm going to be in Toronto for a few days, thought it is relevant :)

Shoppers: Sat & Sun: Free $10 Tim Card with $50 purchase
*** BOGO:
- Quo brushes
- Quo Mineral Matters blush, Total Perfection foundation, Smokey Eye palette: 2/ CAD21
- Quo nail polish remover: 2/ CAD3.99
- Life Brand cosmetic pads (125's): 2/ CAD3.49

*** All week:
- Reversa skin care: 20% off
- Aveeno, Neostrata, Cliniderm, RoC skin care: 25% off
- Vichy Cellebiotic/ Liftativ/ Neovadial skin care: 25% off
- Garnier, Biore, Jamieson skin care: 30% off
- Marcelle skin care gift set: 15% off
- St. Ives facial cleanser, Noxzema Triple Clean pads (90's): CAD2.99
- Physician's Formula: 40% off
- L'Oreal Infallible, Studio Secrets, Visible Lift: 20% off
- Cover Girl Advanced Radiance, Simply Ageless, TruBlend: 20% off
- Maybelline SuperStay 2-step lipstick, Volume Express mascara, Dream makeup: 20% off
- Revlon eye: 2/ CAD18
- Rimmel Natural bronzer, Glam Eyes eyeshadow, Extra Super Lash mascara, Vinyl gloss: CAD3.99
- Almay Intense i-color eyeshadow, eyeliner, One Coat/ Intense i-color mascara: CAD7.99
- Bonne Belle: 15% off
- Annabelle eyeshadow, makeup remover, brow pencil, waterproof lip liner, Smoothliner: CAD4.49
- Annabelle Le Big Show mascara, eyeshadow quad, Smoothie eyeshadow pencil, Smudgeliner, Smudgepaint, Volumelip: CAD6.99
- Sally Hansen Crackle overcoat, Salon Effect nail polish strips: CAD7.99
- Sally Hansen nail treatment: CAD7.99
- Quo by Orly nail polish: CAD8.99
- Revlon Halloween nail polish: CAD5.99.

Lawtons:
- Olay base cleanser, toner, moisturizer: 25% off
- Olay Regenerist: 25% off
- La Roche-Posay: 20% off
- L'Oreal Dermo-Expertise: 25% off
- L'Oreal Infallible lip: 25% off
- L'Oreal HIP eyeshadow: 30% off
- Maybelline foundation, powder, concealer: 25% off
- Maybelline the Falsies mascara: 25% off
- Almay Intense i-color: 30% off
- LA Colors/ LA Girl: 20% off
- Revlon nail polish: 25% off
- Sinful Colors nail polish: 25% off.

Walmart:
- Rimmel Clean Finish liquid foundation, pressed powder: CAD4.97
- Maybelline Master Drama eyeliner, Color Sensational lipstick, Eye Studio eyeshadow: CAD6.76
- Revlon Volumizing Grow Luscious mascara with bonus Luxurious crayon: CAD8.46
- Olay Regenerist Premium moisturizer: CAD25.97.

Rexall:
- Cover Girl, Revlon, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Almay foundation/ powder/ concealer/ blush/ bronzer: 40% off.

Annabelle Black collection winner

2011-10-13T09:51:00.001-03:00

Thank you all who entered my Annabelle Best of Black collection giveaway. Random.org picked Ale and Cherz...master as our lucky winners. Congratulations!

Ale, you didn't leave an email address, so I have no way to contact you. Cherz, I will send you a tweet. Please kindly confirm your mailing address for your prize within 48 hours, or new winner(s) will be chosen.

Thank you Annabelle for the generous sponsor of this giveaway, and thank you my readers for the support.

Edit: One of the winners missed the deadline to get back to me, so the new winner is rasilla. Congrats!

NOTD: Del Sol Trick-or-Treat

2011-10-10T14:25:00.000-03:00

Judge by the name of this post, you can tell I'm getting into Halloween spirit? It is Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and I was by myself at home prepping this post. Gotta find motivation somewhere.

This nail polish totally deserves a post with lots of pics. Consider yourself warned.

This is Del Sol Trick-or-Treat, originally released last Halloween, limited edition. I was happy to grab it on clearance off Del Sol website last year, as the Del Sol store here did not have it. Happy to report that it's back this year, on their site and at Lawtons around here - with its own special display.

This is how Trick-or-Treat looks indoor, taken the night I painted it on, with flash. A cool orange with multiple-coloured fine glitters.

A blurry pic to show the glitters - I saw orange, green and gold, really pretty in the bottle. On the nails, it's more subtle, but still visible. This was taken near the window, no flash. Wish I could take a pic of this orange in the sun, I bet it would look awesome.

The colour is quite sheer, I used 4 coats but didn't mind it as I love it a lot. Another thing I like, maybe irrelevant to some of you, that the bottle has some spider web prints on it. Appropriate for the occasion.

Ready for the fun part?

This is right after I stepped out the door but was still in the shade. The colour started to change already, loved it. It happened fast though, I was snapping happy right on the grass near the entrance. Didn't want to miss the excitement.

Now I had a dirty orange, almost grey on my nails. The glitters were still there but not visible in the shade, like I mentioned before. I only saw this shade for a very short time, but wouldn't mind having it in a bottle for later :)

I tried quite a few Del Sol colours before but haven't been fascinated this much with the shades I see during the colour change.

Close up on the colour in the shade. This shows you the colour change the best. Note that the colour in this pic is darker than in the pic above, naturally, as the pics were taken a few seconds apart.

Look at the bottle, one side of it still looked orange but the other was already quite dark. And I wasn't even in the sun yet. Amazing, isn't it? Some readers did tell me that their Del Sol didn't change in the sun. I'm glad this one did, even though I haven't used it since I bought it last year.

It might still be early to tell you this (keep reading if it is), but you need this shade :)

This is 5 seconds after the first hit of the sunlight on the nails (and bottle), we have a sheer dusty purple.

Again, I love how the bottle shows the almost holographic glitters so well.

As there will be more pictures, I'll just let them do most of the talking.

About 10 seconds after, the purple got darker, like a franken when you keep adding black to the original orange.

Feels like I got a bargain, paid for one bottle and got many colours packed in it and taking turns to show up :)

10 more seconds, a vampy purple we had.

You can see the glitters on my nails quite well in this pic. Feel free to enlarge the pic for full view.

If you'll be in and out of the sun a lot during the course of the day like I did, the colour change goes crazy, mostly you'll see between the orange and this shade.

And THIS is Trick-or-Treat in full swing when you stay in the sun long enough. It is almost black, still with the beautiful glitters shining through.

It was just pure luck that I had a sunny day to picture Trick-or-Treat. We had a really cold front two days in a row, with the temperature dropping to -2 (28 Fahrenheit) windchill. I was getting ready for winter, but then it jumped to 25 (77 Fahrenheit) just like that. I'm not complaining.

Hope my Canadian readers have a great Thanksgiving. Squirt was having a sleepover, so I was all by myself. Miss my family.

Weekly flyer deals

2011-10-07T12:09:00.000-03:00

Shoppers: Sat only: x20 Optimum points with $50 purchase; Mon - Fri: Free surprise gift card (valued of $10, $15, $25 or $50) with $50 purchase
*** Sat only: Quo brushes, sponges, implements: 40% off
*** All week:
- Rimmel makeup, nail polish: 30% off
- L'Oreal One Sweep shadow, Telescopic mascara, Infallible eye/ lip: CAD10.99
- Cover Girl Line Exact Liquid Blast, Perfect Point liner, Intense Shadow Blast, Smoky Shadow Blast, Lash Blast mascara: CAD7.99
- Cover Girl Cheekers blush, Clean makeup, Wetslick gloss, Lash Volume Exact/ Super Thick Lash/ Professional mascara: CAD6.99
- Maybelline concealer, eye, lip: CAD8.99
- Maybelline Dial a Lash Pulse Perfection mascara: CAD10
- Revlon lip: 2/ CAD18
- Revlon Colorstay eyeliner: CAD8
- Revlon implements: 15% off
- Almay eye: 15% off
- Annabelle blush, Le Gloss gloss, Trio eyeshadow, Volumelash mascara: CAD4.99
- Annabelle Khol eyeliner, lip liner: CAD3
- Marcelle eye/ lip: 15% off
- Quo makeup/ eye: x15 Optimum points
- Neutrogena skin care: 30% off
- Vichy/ Olay/ Dermaglow skin care: 25% off
- No7 skin care: 15% off
- Quo by Orly nail polish: CAD8.99
- Revlon nail polish, treatment: CAD3
- Sally Hansen nail polish: CAD6
- Gosh nail polish: x15 Optimum points
- Borghese nail polish: CAD7.99.

Lawtons:
- L'Oreal Voluminous mascara: 25% off
- L'Oreal HIP eyeshadow: 30% off
- Maybelline the Falsies mascara: 25% off
- Maybelline Shine Sensational gloss: 20% off
- Almay Intense i-color: 30% off
- Vasanti: Free Shimmer powder of your choice with $30 Vasanti purchase
- Mavala: 25% off
- Revlon/ Sinful nail polish: 25% off
- Del Sol nail polish: 10% off (I spot in store the Trick or Treat display of the Halloween LE colour released last year)
- Neostrata skin care: 30% off
- Avene/ La Roche-Posay/ Vichy Normaderm skin care: 20% off.

Walmart:
- L'Oreal Classic moisturizer: CAD9.97
- Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes mascara: CAD4.96
- Cover Girl NatureLuxe gloss and balm value pack: CAD9.97
- Rimmel Max mascara with bonus Soft Khol pencil: CAD6.98
- Biore skin care: CAD5.97 - CAD11.97
- Garnier Skin Naturals Pure, Fresh, Moisture Rescue: CAD5.57 - CAD7.97
- Sally Hansen Salon Effects Halloween nail polish strips: CAD7.97.

bdellium tools sale

2011-10-06T21:27:00.000-03:00

Calling all fans of bdellium tools brushes or those of you who have seen my rave review of their Mineral 5-pc brush set and want to try the brushes yourself, there is a huge sale you don't want to miss!

For a limited time only, all 3 Bamboo brush sets are on heavy discount on bdellium store. Here is the detailed discounts:

- Mineral 5-pc set and Foundation 4-pc set (in the pic): reg. $49.50, now $9.95 (80% off)
- Smoky Eyes 5-pc set: reg. $31.90, on sale for $7.95 (75% off).

In my review, I mentioned that the best way to get bdellium brushes is at IMATS, where discount offered could be up to 50%. That still can't beat the discounts above, which is why I encourage you to check out the sale. There is no affiliate link or anything beneficial to me if you do, rest assured.

I just placed an order of some sets for me and a friend today, so I can tell you a little bit about the process. While the shopping cart is host on bdellium store site, once you hit the "check out" button, you'll be on Amazon. I did try to check Canadian shipping cost, but one of the items in my cart (the Basic Essential 7-pc set, Travel line, which I happened to find also on sale for 86% off) wasn't meant to be shipped outside US - I don't know why (the Bamboo sets are fine for Canada though), so I couldn't go ahead with Canadian shipping. US shipping is $5/set which multiples when you add more sets to the cart. According to bdellium twitter, you can email their customer service about combined shipping rate and they will consider it on order-to-order basis. This is my first time shopping via Amazon, so I can't confirm if they ship outside US and Canada.

I don't know how long the sale lasts, so if you want something, I wouldn't wait too long. Happy shopping!

NOTD: Quo by Orly Cotton Candy

2011-10-05T11:49:00.000-03:00

I'm kinda counting down the days for, you know, the release date of Quo by Orly, the core line. I am ridiculously anxious to see the colours in real life after seeing the PR spot swatches and trying the shades I was sent.

Seeing that the majority of the core shades is in the red colour family, I am still excited. Maybe partly because the shades I have the chance to try are all winners.

You have seen how pretty Quo by Orly Green Meadow was, today I will show you Quo by Orly Cotton Candy.

Yes it is a pink. I wouldn't have picked this colour by myself, but I'm glad I have a chance to try it. As it is a fact that I really like it :)

In most lighting, and in the bottle, Cotton Candy is more of a bubble gum pink, but in the sun, depending on how the light hits it, it can look a little darker (like in the first pic).

I'm glad I wore it last week to take pics for you, as we had great weather then (it has been raining in the last 3 days). I am wearing it again right now, as a base for an orange glitter, and it works well that way too.

I was in a cheerful mood and added a Hello Kitty sticker (from Born Pretty store) in the accent nail, if you can see it.

Quality wise, Cotton Candy is the same as Green Meadow - cream finish, good application, decent wear. It changes my expectation of the pinks and reds in this line. Who knows, I might pick up some more of these colours.

As I mentioned before, the line retails for CAD10 a piece, but there are always sales at Shoppers, if you are patient. This week, these nail polish are CAD8.99, if only the new shades are in store already. But I'll wait :)

Marcelle Hydra-C skin care line

2011-10-04T14:51:00.000-03:00

It is always refreshing to see new/ revamped skin care products at the drugstores, as you all know I'm always browsing the isles. It is the Marcelle Hydra-C skin care line that I'm talking about this time.

I remember being excited when I saw the press release, and the display in stores later.

I'm saving up for more, but for now, I have these 2 products for review for you, kindly sent to me a while ago: Ultra Light Matifying Fluid (left) and Cleansing + Exfoliating Cloths with Vitamin C + E (right).

I'm happy to report that they both live up to the brand's name (spoilers!).

First up is the Cleansing + Exfoliating cloths, moistened with vitamin C, E and B5.

I'm a big fan of exfoliation on my face, really enjoy the fact that the wipes have 2 different textures to do different jobs. The soft side cleans the face of makeup, excess oil and dirt, the textured side exfoliates, and no rinsing required.

The size is quite big, enough for the whole face. The cleaning was good, but the exfoliation was no joke. Depending on the pressure you use with the wipe, you could get a gentle or more intense scrub. My face feels smooth and fresh after. Perfect solution for late night makeup removal, as I have been falling asleep on the couch watching tv quite often lately and just wanted to get to bed as soon as I can.

The wipes are hypo-allergenic and perfume-free, good for all skin types. 25 cloths per pack, retails around CAD12.50.

Main ingredients: Water, Vegetable oil, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Polyglyceryl-2-Dipolyhydroxystearate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tocopherol, Ascorbic Acid, etc.

The Ultra Light Matifying Fluid also rocked my world, it is magic. The hyaluronic acid protects the skin from harsh elements from the environment and reduce sebum production. The product absorbed quickly and my skin was prepped and primed, ready for foundation in no time. It stayed that way all day.

I have been using this product all over the face, as a primer, instead of just my T-zone. Foundation application was just a dream with it, saved me time in the morning makeup routine which I really appreciated.

The formula is also rich in antioxidants, vitamins C, E and B5, aloe vera and cucumber extract, and I feel great giving my skin the extra help it needs. And believe me, it needs all that.

This product is also hypo-allergenic and perfume-free, good for combination to oily skin (me!). 1.6 Fl oz / 50 ml, retails CAD23.95. The pump is awesome, dispenses the right amount of product. Love the orange-themed packaging too.

Main ingredients: Water, Silica, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cycopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate, Camellia Oleifera Leaf extract etc.

So in short, I recommend both products, they do not disappoint, and the price point is great, especially with sales and the $2 coupons attached to the display. If it were up to me, I would rename the cloths Magical Hands and the mattifying fluid Magical (Matte) Primer, based on how they work for me. Feel free to add more creative names to the list if you try and like them.

Bloggers giveaways

2011-10-02T22:55:00.000-03:00

It's been raining the whole weekend. We braved it out yesterday to run some chores, but stay in today. Thought I could blog up some great giveaways for you to check out.

First up is Deuce Beauties' 900 Followers giveaway.

Prizes for 2 winners are in the pic. Get you into Halloween spirit yet? Ends October 4.
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Deuce Beauties also runs a 1000 Followers giveaway. It's amazing if your fan base could grow this fast eh? :)

3 winners to win:
- Chanel Graphite & Peridot
- Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air
- Butter London Wallis, West End Wonderland and British Racing Green.

You have until October 11 to enter.
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Sonildo's Nail Polishes hosts an awesome RBL polish giveaway.

You can win 3 Rescue Beauty Lounge shades of your choice (among 40 available shades on RBL site). RBL nail polish is of great quality (I heard) but I don't know any shade. Let's just say I want to win this :)

Giveaway ends on October 14.
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Join The Posh Polish's 100 Followers giveaway until October 15.

Prizes:
- Kleancolor Chunky Holo Fuchsia
- NYX Purple Ave
- Wet n Wild Lust from the Craze collection, and Night Glow from the Halloween collection
- Hard Candy Beetle
- LA Colors #52 Orange
- Island Girl Waikiki Sunset
- Two Art Deco polishes in yellow and orange
- A variety of cute Hello Kitty stickers.
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Valentine Kisses has a 500 Followers giveaway until October 16.

The prize pack includes more than 60 items, some noticeable ones are:

- Urban Decay Apocalyptic Nail Kit: includes 7 mini polishes in the shades Apocalypse, Big Bang, Fbomb, Grunge, Gunmetal, Meltdown, and White Widow
- Sinful Colors nail polish in Pinky Glitter, Dream On and Queen Of Beauty
- Orly nail polish in Here Comes Trouble
- Love My Nails nail polish in Crystal
- Color Club nail polish in Red-ical Gypsy
- Fright Night Claw Polish in Sinister
- Urban Decay Loose Pigment in Gunmetal, Graffiti, Protest and Rockstar
- Mini Make Up For Ever HD Setting Powder
- L'Oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paint in Commanding, Witty, Nervy and Lofty
- Wet n Wild Fast dry nail polish in Waves Of Enchantment and Gray's Anatomy
- Color Club nail polish in Fashion Addict, etc.
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The Crow and the Powderpuff has a September giveaway that ends October 17.

You can win:
- Glamour Doll Eyes Shadow, your pick of color
- Sample Baggie of Glamour Doll Eyes Twi-shadow in Black Ice
- Sugarpill Loose Shadow, your pick of color
- Wet n Wild Dancing in the Clouds and Enter a New Realm (Dreamweavers collection)
- Peanuts Halloween Candy Corn flavored Lip Balm, and
- Morgana Cryptoria mini lip gloss pot, your pick of color.
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Beauty Crazed has a serious Givenchy giveaway you don't want to miss. Enter by October 21.

Look at the prize and tell me you aren't going crazy for them:
- Le Prisme Yeux Quatuor in 76 Siena Silhouette
- Le Prisme Blush in 26 Fashionista Brown
- Phenomen'Eyes Mascara in 1 Extension Black
- Eye Fly Lash Extender Mascara in 11 Fly In Black
- Rouge Interdit in 13 Tempting Coral
- Rouge Interdit Shine in 02 Nude Shine
- Gelee D'Interdit Smoothing Gloss Balm in 3 Transparent Shine
- Lip Liner in 5 Lip Rouge.
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Join the Birthday giveaway at Lucy's Stash until October 27.

Prize #1:
- SpaRitual Love Your Planet set
- Color Club Untamed Luxury
OPI Don't Mess With OPI, Not So Bora-Bora-Ing Pink and Shim-Merry Chic
- Cetuem 194
- China Glaze Endurance
- Barry M Bright Red and Fuchsia
- P2 Summer Party
- Sally Hansen Vintage Violet - Crackle overcoat
- Bourjois 1 Second - 23
- Collection 2000 Wham
- Superstar Skinny Vanilla Latte, Soho Chic and Remember Me Red.

Prize #2:
- NYX Winter in Moscow Palette for Silver gray smokey look
- Greek Olive Oil and Honey Soap
- The Body Shop Coconut Lip Butter
- OPI Suzi Sells Sushi By The Seashore and Designer Series Extravagance.

Have a great day wherever you are, rain or not :)

Weekly flyer deals

2011-09-30T12:47:00.000-03:00

Shoppers: Sat & Sun: Free $10 Tim Card with $50 purchase
- Nivea Shave/ skin care: 30% off
- Etival skin care: 25% off
- No7 skin care: 20% off
- Balea Hydriance/ Radiance skin care: 20% off
- Marcelle Hydra-C skinc are: 15% off
- Olay ProX/ Regenerist skin care: 15% off
- Biore skin care: CAD9.99 plus 500 bonus points
- Spectro Jel bonus pack (500ml + 140ml): CAD9.99
- L'Oreal Colour Riche/ Crayon Petite lip, Extra Volume/ Voluminous Million Lashes mascara, Wear Infinite/ Infallible eyeshadow: CAD6.99
- L'Oreal HIP duo eyeshadow, Extra Volume Collagen mascara, Infallible liner: CAD8.99
- L'Oreal One Sweep Sculpting blush duo, Visible Lift makeup: 15% off
- Maybelline: 15% off
- Revlon Custom Eyes, Illuminance eyeshadow, Matte/ Luxurious/ Colorstay eye: 20% off
- Revlon Age Defying/ PhotoReady makeup: CAD15.99
- Revlon Grow Luscious mascara, eyeliner, Matte/ Super Lustrous lipstick: CAD6.99
- Cover Girl Intense Shadow Blast, Lash Perfection, NatureLuxe Mousse mascara: CAD8.99
- Rimmel eye: 25% off
- Annabelle Custom Quad eyeshadow, eyeliner, lip liner: CAD2.99
- Sally Hansen Nail Art pen, Crackle/ Nail Growth nail polish: CAD6.99
- Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail strips: CAD8.99
- Nicole by OPI nail polish: 2/CAD14.99
- Quo by Orly nail polish: CAD8.99
- Quo lashes: CAD6.99
- Yes to Carrots/ Cucumbers shampoo, conditioner: 2/CAD14.

Lawtons:
- Maybelline FIT Me: 20% off
- L'Oreal: 25% off
- Layla Graffiti Effect nail polish: 30% off.

Walmart:
- L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes mascara: CAD9.96.

Superstore:
- Revlon Grow Luscious eye, Colorstay liquid liner: CAD6.99
- Almay Intense i-color: CAD6.99
- Olay Classic, Complete, Age Defying, Total Effects: 25% off.

NOTD: Quo by Orly Green Meadow

2011-09-27T10:46:00.000-03:00

I am excited about today's post for a few reasons. First, I have been wearing this colour twice in one week - which does not happen very often at all, considering how many nail polish I have. Second, it is a colour that has not been released yet, from a Canadian line. Enough said?

This is Quo by Orly Green Meadow, an awesome colour that once again refused to photograph correctly. Please imagine it with more green than how it looks here, a cross between a forest green and a teal. Can't say I have something like this in the stash. You'll be drawn to it when you see it on the core display that Quo brings out around October 15.

This is two coats. Like I mentioned before, the brush is shorter than typical Orly brush with the same rubberized handle, which explains the easy application.

Orly does cream colours quite well, and it is not an exception with this Quo shade. I wore Green Meadow for 2 days, changed to some glittery colours for the weekend then came right back to it. Still have it on right now :)

Trust that I have tried different lighting and environment settings to show you the colour. Either I lost my photography "green thumb" or I need a new camera. I tried.

I have only seen a few soon-to-be-released colours, and Green Meadow took my heart. I like greens, but want something a little special, and this colour is just it. Unless you don't like green colours, I'd encourage you to check out this shade among the other 25 or so colours coming at you next month.

There will be some glitter and foil shades too, for different tastes. I am crossing fingers that Quo would consider flakies and duochromes in their seasonal releases. You know I love Shoppers and love the brand, so having awesome nail polish from them is just icing on the cake to my shopping trips.

We are having the third warm and sunny (summer-like) day in a row today. Felt like Fall somehow sneaked ahead and now Summer takes over for its lost time. I'm loving it!

Weekend haul

2011-09-26T11:02:00.000-03:00

Another Monday, at least we have nice weather. It was a crazy weekend, I found some good stuff, including the shoes at the Bay clearance sale. Before getting to the haul, just want to remind you guys about the Annabelle Best of Black collection giveaway, if you haven't entered already.

Alright, let's get started.

Yes, it is the magic of Lawtons' orange clearance tags again :) The Revlon Sweetly Seductive scented nail polish collection was on clearance for CAD1.62 a piece. I ran around town trying to find all 8 shades. This little bunch here wasn't from one store location, as a result.

First row, from L-R: Grape Fizz, Mint Fizz, Colada Fizz and Apple-tini Fizz.

Second row: Watermelon Fizz, Grapefruit Fizz, Orange Fizz and Pineapple Fizz.

I was gonna pass on this collection as the shades are quite sheer, but with this price, I collected them all.

The first two items are from the clearance corner at Shoppers:
- CoverFx Mineral Powder foundation in M50, CAD15.99 and
- Sally Hansen Natural Beauty by Carmindy Natural highlighter in Pink Luster, CAD6.99.

Also grabbed some items I wanted when they happened to be on sale, CAD6.99 each, with $2 off coupons:
- Maybelline Color Explosion eyeshadow in Caffeine Rush and
- Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Fifth Ave. Fuchsia.

More clearance items:
- Spectro Jel cleanser for Blemish-prone skin with bonus Daily Facial moisturizer, only CAD8.99. I'm not sure what the regular price is, have never tried the brand either. The SA said it was pretty good, and I wouldn't mind paying this price for 2 items.

- Olay Definity Deep Penetrating Foaming moisturizer, being cleared out for CAD5.99 (reg. around CAD35). I wasn't planning any skin care purchases, it just happened :)

With my purchase, I was able to draw a prize at the cosmetic counter and won some stuff:
- Black Zippo travel bag
- Gold Lady Million mini purse
- Vichy NutriExtra cream (Replenishing Nourishing Body care) and
- Vichy Thermal Spa water.

I always try to pay at the cosmetic cashier if I find the SA is friendly and helpful. The extra gifts/ lucky draws aren't available at all stores but are a nice touch for people who go to the makeup isle way too often, like me :)

I found Clarins items at Winners, quite a surprise. What I got are either quite unique or have good reviews on blogs. All products have traditional red Clarins packaging, and the compacts come in velvet red pouches with magnetic closure, pretty luxurious.

From L-R:
- Colour Quench lip balm in 03 Rose Pink, CAD6.99 ($20 on Clarins US website)
- Instant Smooth Compact highlighter in 01 Natural, CAD12.99 (compared to $32 regularly)
- Nude Inspiration Face & Blush duo compact, CAD16.99. Looks like this compact is part of the Nude Inspiration collection Fall/ Winter 2009. All the press releases I came across seemed to come from Asia, I'm not sure it was even available in North America then.

Close up on the Face & Blush duo, as it is a work of art.
This is the blush on the bottom tray, beautiful shade with awesome gold pattern on top. Can't say it's an over-spray or goes all the way down, and don't know if I would dare to bring my brush to the surface of this product. Anybody owns this?

And the face highlighter on the top tray. Magnificent!

I love the duo compact, convenient to travel. The red case and red velvet pouch are an awesome touch.

There were some Clarins lipsticks on the shelf too, but I wasn't drawn to them. I'm happy with what I got.

And lastly, a heads up for my Canadian ladies. The Revlon Expressionists by Gucci Westman display has arrived at my Lawtons (and also at Rexall, I heard).

I was surprised to find that we have a different selection of products on this display from the one in the US. There isn't any ColorStay Ultimate liquid lipsticks, and there are only 2 of the Diamond Lust Eyeshadows to choose from.

BUT we have one extra nail polish shade - and it is Carbonite, the famous Chanel Graphite dupe! There are 6 slots each for Facets of Fuchsia, Blue Mosaic and Smoky Canvas and 4 slots each for Carbonite and Starry Pink. Shop up as the display won't remain this full for long :)

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

The Bay shoe clearance haul

2011-09-25T00:05:00.001-03:00

There is this awesome shoe sale at The Bay that you should run and check it out ASAP (if you haven't already). Those shoes of less than CAD120 regularly are sold for CAD19.99 a pair, and those between CAD120 and CAD250 are CAD29.99. The sale is supposedly going on till October 2, but by the look of the shelves today, I don't think it would last that long.

This is what I could find late afternoon today, for sizes between 5.5 and 6 depending on the style, in the order of height, CAD19.99 each. If you are in sizes 8 and up, your chance is better than mine as it was very limited what I can find for my little feet.

Fergalicious (by Fergie) Queen wedges in Blue Denim, reg. CAD90, comes with a Thank You card with Fergie's signature on it. She said I rock, lol, how did she know? Just joking.

I was searching for a pair of wedges and saw these. At first the colour didn't really speak to me (it's darker IRL, true blue denim colour), but then the pretty pattern on the inside of the straps, plus the fun stitches running along the platform did make a good selling point. The wedges are quite high, I'll have to test them out longer to see if they are comfortable, but I liked them so far.

There were a few more Fergalicious styles but I couldn't find my size. Maybe that was a good thing, or I could have bought more.

Bandolino The Finest in Bronze, reg. CAD100, previously down to CAD69.99.

Squirt and I both agreed that I should get this pair, as it is really pretty and unique - to my shoe wardrobe at least. I don't have anything bronze, and the snake-skin pattern on the straps is awesome. The flowers (grey on one side and black on the other) add more spice on top of that, and I have my favorite shoes of the bunch. The picture can't even come close to showing you how awesome the shoes look.

Now the height would take some getting used to for me, as I don't wear heels often (weak ankles).

Expression Joplin sandals in Black, reg. CAD49.

This pair was the last one I found from a very limited selection in my size. I was on the fence about the light coloured woven soles, not sure they would be comfortable. But the chiffon flowers on the straps were pretty hard to resist (again). See a pattern here?

I don't know anything about this brand, but based on the original price, it is in the lower range than other brands I picked up today. Not that I discriminate the brand, just an observation.

Jessica Simpson Calkax sandals in the colour Frost, reg. CAD90, had been discounted to CAD69.99 before the sale.

The soles are in light beige/ champagne colour and the metal straps are white. I would vote for black soles, just so the shoes stay clean looking a little longer, but I like the style enough to put up with this colour :)

I left the paper padding in, as the embedded "jewels" and little metal beads would bring the straps flat down on the soles and you can't see the style. The sandals look a lot more lovely on, but I won't torture you with a pic of my feet lol.

So if you have a The Bay near by, check out the sale and let me know what you find. Stocks vary among stores, and staff told me they won't restock once stuff is gone. Good luck!

Weekly flyer deals

2011-09-23T14:45:00.000-03:00

Shoppers:
Sat & Sun: Bonus redemption 50,000 points = $100; 95,000 points = $200
Sat: Free $10 Shoppers gift card with $50 purchase
- Maybelline (selected types): CAD6.99 or 15% off
- Quo brushes: 40% off
- Quo bamboo collection: 15% off
- Quo Bijin: 15% off
- Quo lashes: CAD6.99
- Cover Girl Clean makeup, eye/ lip: CAD6.99
- Cover Girl NatureLuxe gloss, Exact Eyelight eyeshadow/ liner/ mascara: 2/CAD9.99
- Rimmel 1000 Kisses lip liner, Soft Khol eyeliner, Glam Eyes eyeshadow/ liner: 2/CAD7.99
- Rimmel eye: 25% off
- L'Oreal Double Extend mascara/ serum, True Match makeup: CAD12.99
- L'Oreal HIP duo eyeshadow, Voluminous/ Million Lashes mascara, Infallible liner: CAD8.99
- Revlon Custom Eyes/ Illuminance eyeshadow, matte/ luxurious/ Colorstay eye: 20% off
- Revlon Age Defying/ Photo Ready makeup: CAD15.99
- Annabelle Custom Quad eyeshadow, eyeliner, lip liner: CAD2.99
- Vichy Dermablend/ Aerateint corrective foundation: 25% off
- Sally Hansen Natural Beauty by Carmindy: 15% off
- Borghese nail polish: 2/CAD13.99
- Nicole by OPI nail polish/ treatment: 2/CAD14.99
- Gosh nail polish: CAD5.99
- Sally Hansen Nail Art pen: 2/CAD8.49
- Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips: CAD8.99
- Marcelle Hydra-C skin care: 15% off
- Olay ProX/ Regenerist skin care: 15% off
- No7, Nip+Fab, Dermaglow skin care: 15% off
- Garnier, Jouviance skin care: 20% off
- Vichy Cellebiotic day/ night balm, Neovadiol facial moisturizer: 25% off.

Lawtons:
- Cover Girl: 20% off
- LA Colors/ LA Girl: 20% off
- Styli-Style: 20% off
- Revlon foundation/ powder/ primer: 30% off
- L'Oreal lip: 25% off
- Physician's Formula: 20% off
- Dermaglow moisturizer: 25% off
- Vichy/ La Roche-Posay skin care/ body care: 25% off
- Neutrogena Clinical skin care: 30% off
- Olay Regenerist: 25% off
- Vasanti: Free Lipshine of your choice with $30 Vasanti purchase
- Marcelle skin care: 20% off.

Walmart:
- Garnier Skin Renew, Nutrioniste cleanser, Ultra Lift: 20% off
- Cover Girl mascara/ Lip Smoothers: CAD6.97
- Rimmel mascara (selected): CAD3.96.

Superstore:
- Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion mascara, LiquilineBlast eyeliner, Smoky ShadowBlast: CAD6.99.

Weekend finds

2011-09-22T11:43:00.000-03:00

So, the trip to Shoppers for their x20 point event last night didn't happen as I decided to do the redemption this weekend instead. I'm posting the weekend haul today.

Claire's was running 10 for $10 sale in the weekend, not sure if it's still going on. I found these 5 pastel nail polish shades with pretty bottle design, no individual names unfortunately. I wouldn't complain even if the colours suck on the nails, I just want to collect the bottles to tie me over until maybe one day I can grab some Ana Sui nail polish.

The rest of the loot was earrings, hair pins, Hello Kitty sun glasses (for Squirt), etc. Cheap accessories :)

Moving on to Lawtons clearance. These boxes each comes with 3 products and a $5 coupon to redeem toward a full sized product from the line. Retails CAD9.95, I paid half of that (the same value of the coupon). If I do use those coupons, I get my money worth. Good deal.

You know Marcelle AC Solution line is a staple of mine. The kit (right) has the Purifying Foaming Cleanser (50ml), Oil-free Moisturizing Balancing lotion (30ml) and Imperfections corrector (5.8ml, full size). Great for travelling.

Also wanted the Revival set as I have been enjoying the
Firming + Brightening Cream Serum, even when the line is meant for the 50+ age range. There is a Soothing Cleansing water (50ml), Intense Anti-Aging Day care (15ml) and Intense Anti-Aging Night care (15ml) in the box.

The New Age line is actually meant for my age range, the box has the Comforting Foaming cleanser (30ml), Anti-wrinkle + Firming Day cream and Night cream (15ml each). If you can't tell by now, I like the idea of these little travel sized sets.

BBW had the Home Scent even on Saturday. Squirt found the scent of her favorite ice cream - Mint Chocolate, so she begged for it. The large candles (14.5 oz) were on promotion 2 for CAD25, so I picked up Twilight Woods as well.

I'm not a big sweet scent fan, so I passed on the Halloween and Fall scents in store. But something else got me really excited about. Check out the pic below.

I had one of those $10 off $30 coupons by doing their survey, so I grabbed a few PocketBacs to make it to $30. In the pic are Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, Orchard Leaves and Charmed Life (with duplicates), 5 for CAD5. Also got a Glow in the Dark and a swirly blue PocketBac holders, CAD.50 each.

Promotion of the day was the free Bake Shop bag and 3 mini sized (1.6 oz) candles with any home scent product purchase. I love all 3 of the candles: Marshmallow Peppermint, Candied Sugar Plum and Holiday Gumdrop, for the pretty labels and pretty scents. This holiday is going to look good in the candle department. Someone stops me from going to BBW around Christmas time, please!

NOTD: NYX Girls Frizzy Spots

2011-09-20T11:32:00.000-03:00

Glitters on! I waited so long to get this nail polish, it was always sold out on Cherry Culture every time I browsed. I ended up finding this shade at a beauty supply store near where the bf lives.

This is NYX Girls Frizzy Spots, a murky greyish black base with multi coloured/ shaped glitters.

It looks black in the bottle, and I believe if I build up the colour on the nail, it would ultimately look black, but I was going for a lighter jelly look.

This is 2 coats of Frizzy Spots all by itself, no darker base. You can see the glitter colours better in the sun (above pic), but I like the sheer jelly look in the shade better.

If a glitter sandwich is what you are after, this would look great on top of a black. You can call this a lazy sandwich, when layering different polishes isn't necessary. And like I said, you can add another layer for opacity.

I like the square bottles in this NYX Girls line. The brush is standard, nothing to write home about, but colour selection is great, some gems to be found for sure. If you happen to come across this shade, I'd totally recommend it.

It officially feels like fall here today when I broke down and wore my shoes with socks. Didn't want to let go of my sandals just yet, but had to, as it was nippy this morning. And I saw on twitter last night, someone was complaining about the heat haha...

Hope you all have a great day. The weekend find post is delayed a bit, as I plan to take advantage of the x20 point offer at Shoppers tomorrow. In the meantime, go enter my Annabelle Best of Black collection giveaway. Participation rate is important to decide if I want to host more giveaways in the future, so don't wait.

Annabelle Black collection giveaway

2011-09-19T09:48:00.000-03:00

I have something fun to start off your week nicely today. I'm very excited to bring you a chance (my Canadian and American readers) to try out the Annabelle Best of Black collection. If you haven't heard enough from me, Annabelle knocked my socks off with many new products of theirs lately.

The prize: There will be 2 winners, each will win an Annabelle Black Box filled with:
- Le Big Show Mascara in Black
- SmudgePaint Gel-Cream Shadow + Liner in Tar
- Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in Licoriche
- Liquid Eyeliner in Black Spark
- Glitterama Liquid Eyeliner in Blast Off, and
- Smoothliner in Metal Daze.

The prizes come directly from the company, so I don't have a pic of it, am using products from my stash for illustration purposes. I don't have SmudgePaint in Tar, so I used Plummed.

The rules:
You have to be a Canadian or American follower of this blog. New followers are welcome. Please make sure my blog is listed in your profile under "Blogs I follow" section. It's the easiest way for me to check.

Please leave all your entries in one comment, with your email address. Tell me your favorite Annabelle product(s) or what you want to try the most.

Extra entries (optional):
1. Post about the giveaway (with the picture) on your blog and leave the direct link to your post.

2. Follow me on twitter and RT about the giveaway. Please leave the direct link to your tweet (Click on the timeline right below your tweet will get you the direct link).

The giveaway ends on Friday, October 7, 2011 at 11:59PM ADT (Atlantic Daylight Time). The winners will be randomly selected from all qualified entries (through random.org) and notified the following week. They will have 48 hours to get back to me with shipping information, or new winner(s) will be selected.

A big thank you to Annabelle to provide the prizes. Hope you all enjoy this giveaway, and good luck!

Big Day Downtown III

2011-09-16T21:56:00.000-03:00

Today is the day, my Big Day Downtown journey comes to an end. I was really tempted to check out another restaurant (I do have an appetite and a curious mind) but I do love something else beside food: beauty products :)

It was totally a surprise when I found out there was a spa downtown that carries a brand of nail polish that I haven't found anywhere: Spa Ritual. I won't say how many bottles of nail polish I own, but among that many, I don't have any Spa Ritual. So I headed out to Remedy Spa on Granville Street to check it out.

This is the nail polish corner at Remedy, the OPI nail polish (CAD11 each) and hand lotions on the top (there were more not pictured) and Spa Ritual (CAD13) on the bottom. Good selections of colours, and I totally saw Optical Illusion, a long lemming of mine.

The bottle totally stayed in my hand while I browsed around the product area. Remedy is also a big carrier of Dermalogica products. I even looked into booking a self-serve facial ($25) with Dermalogica products but timing didn't work out. There were some GWP (gift with purchase) for the line but I wanted to try something new.

Then I saw this! A beautiful basket on the counter, I didn't even see the side note that said "40% off" until I came close. Knowing the frugal girl that I am, I gotta take a peek.

I noticed the 2 different types of boxes in front of the basket, both from Jane Iredale. Now this brand is a stranger in my stash as well, as the price range isn't really within my reach. I certainly wouldn't mind owning a piece of makeup on discount.

The white one has a little wallet, a makeup compact and a brush, not my forte. The gold one, however, totally was.

This is Jane Iredale LE Sweet 15 palette, as a celebration the brand's 15th birthday, supposedly a Nordstrom exclusive for USD78. Retails at Remedy for CAD89, on 40% off.

The kit comes with 15 PurePressed eyeshadow shades, 3 PurePressed blushes and 3 Just Kissed lip plumpers in a dual compartment palette, with a large mirror underneath the first compartment.

First impression: I love the sturdy croc skin-like print on the gold packaging. The kit also includes some look cards for colour combination ideas.

First tray houses 15 eyeshadows, 1.2g each:
First row: Oyster, Peach Sherbet, Glimmer Gold,
Copper Brown.

Second row: Topaz Sparkle, Taupe, Aquamarine, Dark Suede.

Third row: Petal Shimmer, Pink Cloud, Sparkle Dust, Bubbly.

Last row: Silver, Supernova and Charcoal.

By the quick glance, Copper Brown and Aquamarine have beautiful fine glitters, the darker shades are pretty too. These look very promising.

Second tray has the blushes, 2.8g each: Cotton Candy, Whisper and Bronzer. My eyes were automatically drawn to Whisper, a peachy pink. Bronzer is the only matte shade, appropriate as a bronzer :)

The lip plumpers, 1.5g each: Milan, L.A. and Tokyo, supposed to be sheer. The tubes are so cute and tiny. They look a bit frosty, 2 pinks, one rosy shade. I'll confirm the finish once I get a chance to swatch them.

Even with a discount, this palette still costs quite a bit, so I really hope the shades are pigmented and of good quality. I have high hope with the brand.

Remedy is also clearing out the Repechage products - with seaweed for different skin types (I did my research before coming to the spa to check out the products in person). They have the Hydra Medic line for acne-prone skin that I am interested in.

These products have been used in the spa successfully, but they decided to concentrating on Dermalogica, hence the clearance. I found the Sea Mud Perfecting mask but it was all dried up, so I passed.

I'm glad I went check out Remedy. It was a neat place with cool products. And I was happy with the one purchase I made there.

The end! :)

Weekly flyer deals

2011-09-16T13:04:00.000-03:00

Shoppers: Sat - Tue: Receive 18,500 Optimum points with $75 purchase
- L'Oreal Dermo-Expertise/ Aveeno facial cleanser: CAD7.99
- Aveeno/ Olay Complete Ageless, Total Effects facial moisturizer: CAD19.99
- RoC/ Bioderma skin care: 25% off
- Vichy Normaderm/ Neostrata/ Avene Cleanance or Redness-Relief/ Etival skin care: 20% off
- No7 skin care: x20 points
- Almay Smart Shade, Wakeup makeup: 25% off
- Revlon Colorstay makeup: 25% off
- Maybelline Great Lash mascara: 40% off
- Maybelline Eye Studio Master Drama pencil, Color Explosion eyeshadow: CAD9.99
- L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Gloss, Infallible eyeshadow, Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting base, Voluminous Million Lashes mascara: 15% off
- Physicians Formula: 20% off
- Cover Girl: 15% off
- Sally Hansen Natural Beauty inspired by Carmindy: 15% off
- Quo: x20 points with $25 purchase
- Yes to Carrots/ Cucumbers shampoo, conditioner: CAD7.99 (x10 points)
- Blistex lip care: 20% off (x10 points).

Lawtons: bonus Airmiles week
- La Roche-Posay/ Vichy skin care, body care: 20% off
- Maybelline Volume Express Colossal, the Falsies, One by One mascara: 30% off
- Almay mascara, eyeliner, makeup remover: 30% off
- Mistura: 20% off
- Mavala nail polish: 20% off
- Rapid Lash: 20% off.

Walmart:
- Revlon nail polish (including Top Speed): CAD2.96
- Maybelline Dream makeup: CAD9.96
- Maybelline Volume Express Falsies, Flare, Colossal, One by One mascara: CAD5.76
- L'Oreal Age Perfect, Collagen, Wrinkle Decrease, Youth Code: 25% off.

Superstore:
- L'Oreal/ Garnier skin care: CAD7.99
- Rimmel nail polish: CAD2.99
- Sally Hansen Pro-Vitamin nail polish remover, Xtreme Wear nail polish: CAD2.99.

L'Oreal Color Infallible eyeshadows

2011-09-15T11:23:00.000-03:00

I found new love guys, I did. You are all familiar with these L'Oreal Color Infallible eyeshadows, so I don't think I need a serious introduction to them.

Before you protest, yes, I know that these eyeshadows are exclusive to the UK, Canada and Australia only, but you know I'm always here to help, if you want to get yours hands on some.

I was kindly sent 9 shades, swatches are below.
First row, from L-R: Hourglass Beige, Forever Pink, Purple Obsession and Burning Black.

Second row: Flashback Silver, Permanent Kaki, Unlimited Sky, All Night Blue and Time Resist White.

Spoiler: I have a mission, after trying out these eyeshadows, to hunt down the 2 shades that weren't included in this set - Endless Chocolat and Eternal Black. This proves how much I enjoy playing with them.

The eyeshadows claim to be long lasting (24 hour hold) with a waterproof formula that is smudge/ rub/ blink resistant, a cross between cream and powder finish.

They did last very well on my lids, can't say I know if they would last 24 hours but they did a good portion of the day till I washed my face after getting home from work.

These are Hourglass Beige, Forever Pink, Purple Obsession and Burning Black.

Swatch pics will be in pair, the first is in natural light, the second is with flash. Swatches were all done with a damp brush, no base.

I love the metallic finish these eyeshadows offered when applied wet. They were smooth and felt light like feathers on the lids, didn't require much blending either.

The company called it a "dramatic, prismatic effect" as a result of the ColourReveal technology after 4 years of research and development.

Whatever it is, I want more.

The eyeshadows are full of wins: texture/ finish, wear, colour options. And the fact that they are in a soft pressed form - not hard as regular eyeshadow, not loose as pigment - makes them a piece of cake for even beginners. Less fallout too.

And these are Flashback Silver, Permanent Kaki, Unlimitted Sky, All Night Blue and Time Resist White.

Need I tell you what my favorite shades are? Well they all are fabulous, but naturally I lean toward darker shades. Burning Black and All Night Blue are must-haves! And don't forget to pick a shade for brow bone highlight among the 3 - Hourglass Beige, Flashback Silver and Time Resist White, depending on your skin tone.

A little side note: Don't throw out the plastic stopper placed on top of the eyeshadow. It's there to help the eyeshadow stay "fresh" and smooth. It also works as a pressing mechanism if you happen to drop and shatter an eyeshadow (I did, with Forever Pink). I managed to recover it without too much trouble. After being pressed, the eyeshadow works just as well.

If you are lucky to live in one of the three countries where these gems are available, go check them out. They will be worth it! FOTDs are coming soon :)

NOTD: Quo by Orly Celestial Star

2011-09-14T10:32:00.000-03:00

I have to come clean and admit that I have been defeated by my camera. I wanted to bring this NOTD to you the moment I put the nail polish on but faced with tremendous issue of colour accuracy.

I have taken close to a hundred pics, in different light sources and white balance settings, it just didn't work. I was so frustrating, but decided to still post this, as there are information I want to tell you about.

This is Quo by Orly Celestial Star, the shade that I didn't already have the Orly dupe. It is breathtaking IRL, a deep deep sapphire blue with beautiful blue shimmer. At certain angle, the pink sheen came out slightly, beautiful, I tell you.

Under flash, too much green came out, and made the shade look like a teal. I tried my best, you just have to take my words on this one.

The next two shots were taken with low light, which somehow brought the colour a little closer to its true shade. You can also see the pink shimmer in the bottle with this pic.

What I want to tell you about Quo by Orly nail polish? It is awesome! Despite the fact that some colours in the line are existing Orly shades, they are of good quality. The shades I bought have beautiful shimmer which shows up on the nails.

Application was really easy, the brush is awesome - not as wide as OPI's but wider than Orly's, and stiff enough for easier manipulation.

And like I mentioned, the $10 price tag was a little more than that of regular Orly nail polish, while the bottle size is smaller than (14ml vs. 18ml). I would suggest watching the sale for the brand, as Shoppers put Quo products on sale quite often. And right now until October 7, you can earn 20 times Optimum points with $25 Quo purchase. However, also watch the display, as there are only 3 bottles of each shade on there :)

I will be bringing you more swatches of the line, so make sure to come back.

Big Day Downtown II

2011-09-13T12:31:00.000-03:00

Last month, I showed you a local incrEDIBLE picnic, today let's go up the hill to check out E-Pin (meaning First Class) Korean Grill House on Barrington Street, as my second Big Day Downtown journey. The restaurant has opened for a while now, being the very first Korean BBQ place in town.

Last week, they introduced a new menu, doubling the amount of items in the All You can Eat category with sushi and more ready-to-eat Korean dishes, and we were there for dinner, Squirt and I.

As much as I love the grill, it takes time for the food to cook, and the newly added items are perfect to fill in the wait time.

First arrived at our table were the starters. Across the top were chilly sauce, garlic, green chilli and soya sauce. We had kimchi, kimchi pancake and edamame to munch on. They were yummy. Lots of salad and munchies to choose from.

We got our grilled going with:
- Portobello mushroom, with ground pork and green onion sprinkled on top - it became really juicy after cooked, really a hit for me
- Bulgogi - a must
- Short ribs - not liking these
- Marinated tofu
- Squid (the 2 white sticks), and
- Sliced sweet potato - really yummy grilled, trust me.

I like the fact that there are vegetables for the grill (not all Korean BBQs offer them) - bell peppers, eggplant, zuchini, etc. The sweet potatoes are my favorite on the grill, one serving was plenty. Well, after the bulgogi of course - we ordered 2 servings of it. There were other meats on the menu, haddock too. To go with the grilled items, you can have steamed or fried rice, or lettuce leaves, soups, etc.

And to kill time, we had our sushi:
- Spicy crab roll
- Green Dragon roll
- Avocado roll, and
- Sweet potato roll.
Plus miso soup and chapchae on the side.

Given the fact that sushi is new to the menu, I still regret to say that the sushi rice was a little too dry to my taste, and as a result, it fell apart a little too easily. The fillings were fresh though. The best one on the plate was the sweet potato roll. The sweet potatoes were soft inside, crunchy outside, perfect "snack". I wanted to try the tempuras and teriyaki too but didn't have enough belly space, lol.

The chapchae was a bit heavy on the onion (and salt) and light on the noodle. Squirt normally likes her chapchae but she left all the onion behind with this one.

And another favorite item on the menu: deserts, chocolate ice cream for Squirt and black sesame ice cream for me (they ran out of green tea ice cream). The chocolate was just what you expected it, but the black sesame was interesting. It was smooth as any ice cream but you can feel the slightly grainy taste on your tongue. Nothing unpleasant though.

Not pictured was another serving of the mint chocolate chip ice cream, lol. We did want to try the menu thoroughly, you know. No need to mention, we left the restaurant stuffed to the gills.

The price: $26.99/ adult, half price for kids for the deluxe menu with roughly 70 items. There were options to have just the All you can eat on the grill, or just the All you can eat sushi, if you prefer.

All in all, the new menu was exciting to try, as we had so much more to choose from. Other than a bit more attention to the sushi rice, the place got things down right. In the food scene of Halifax where All you can Eat BBQ is not the most popular, I enjoy what E-Pin offers. My co-worker already decided to take me there soon to try the food out herself.

Quo by Orly nail polish

2011-09-12T11:35:00.000-03:00

Canadians, listen up! The Quo by Orly nail polish is here, exclusively at Shoppers :) To us, this partnership between the two brands is certainly exciting, as we get to call the line our own and our nail polish scene just get a little more exciting :) According to PR, the line includes 25 core colours, 5 nail treatments and a 5-colour Fall collection, retail CAD10 a piece, officially launched October 15. New colours and seasonal collections will be released throughout the year.

This is the first sight of the line at my Shoppers last night, I assume it is the Fall collection. From L-R:
- Turquoise Moonlight, a green with pretty shimmers
- Filthy Rich, a gold foil
- Night Sky, a dark purple with pink shimmers
- First Class, a rose gold foil, and
- Celestial Star, a dark navy blue with purple shimmers.

Pic was taken with flash, so the colours might be altered a bit. Also, my descriptions are based on bottle colours and can change after swatching.

The bottles don't imitate Orly's traditional design but still have (shorter) rubber caps with the letter Q printed on the top, 14ml each.

I bought 3 out of the 5 shades, Celestial Star, Turquoise Moonlight and Night Sky.

My first reaction was the price could be a little lower, considering Orly's regular price range, even though Quo had $10 price tag on their nail polish before.

The only thing I hope for is that if we are paying this price, we can expect something like what Orly offered in the Cosmic collection.

And funny how I said that. Check out this quick bottle colour comparison between Quo by Orly and the Orly Cosmic colours.

I don't have Lunar Eclipse, but by the look of online swatches, I'd say Celestial Star might be its dupe.

Turquoise Moonlight and Halley's Comet (in the middle) make a pair, and Night Sky and Out of This World (on the right) do too.

The other 2 shades on the display also remind me of Orly Shine and Luxe, but I can't confirm dupes as I didn't get them. It's probably safe to say at this point that there are some re-promotes, as Quo's attempt to bring more Orly colours to Canadians, with easier access. So if you missed out on Cosmic, check out your Shoppers in the neighbourhood. I'll be doing NOTDs to follow up about the shades I bought, so stay tuned.

Weekly flyer deals

2011-09-09T10:36:00.000-03:00

Shoppers: Sat & Sun: Free $10 Shoppers gift card with $50 purchase
*** Sun & Mon:
- Almay One Coat mascara: CAD4.99 (limit 4, after limit/ rest of the week: CAD5.99)
- Revlon ColorBurst/ Matte/ Moon Drops/ Super Lustrous lip: CAD4.99 (limit 4, after limit/ rest of the week: CAD5.99)

*** All week:
- Cover Girl Smoothers makeup, lip, eye: 30% off
- Cover Girl Exact Eyelights mascara/ pencil/ eyeshadow, Wetslicks lip, Clean makeup: CAD7.99
- L'Oreal: 15% off
- Maybelline: 20% off
- Revlon Grow Luscious liner, Custom Eyes/ Double Twist/ Fabulash/ Grow Luscious mascara: CAD8.99
- Rimmel: CAD3.99
- Annabelle eye/ lip: CAD5.99
- Jamieson, Biore, Garnier skin care: 30% off
- Bioderma cleanser, moisturizer: 30% off
- Vichy, RoC Complete Lift/ Retin-Ox skin care: 25% off
- Neutrogena acne care: 25% off
- Holista Tea Tree oil products: 25% off
- Avene, Jouviance, Reversa skin care: 20% off
- Etival skin care: 15% off
- CeraVe cleanser, lotion: CAD14.99
- Neostrata: Free original Anti-wrinkle Lip Enhancer with purchase of the new pink/ natural one (CAD38 value)
- Nivea body lotion, Visage facial cleanser/ moisturizer: CAD7.99 (x10 Optimum points)
- Infusium, Organix hair care: CAD4.99
- Yes to Carrots/ Cucumbers shampoo, conditioner: CAD7.99 (x10 Optimum points)
- Revlon nail polish, treatment: CAD3.99
- Quo by Orly nail polish: CAD9.99
- Quo implements, brushes, sponges: 40% off
- Sally Hansen Nail Growth nail polish: CAD5.49
- Sally Hansen nail treatment: CAD7.99
- Borghese nail polish, treatment: CAD7.99.

Lawtons:
- EcoTools: 30% off
- Maybelline: 20% off
- LA Colors/ Girl: 20% off
- L'Oreal True Match, Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting base: 25% off
- Revlon Age Defying DNAdvantage foundation: 25% off
- Annabelle: 20% off
- Vasanti: Free LipShine of your choice with $30 Vasanti purchase
- La Roche-Posay skin care set: 25% off
- Bioderma skin care/ body care: 25% off
- Vichy skin care/ body care, Avene skin care: 20% off.

Walmart:
- Rimmel Sexy Curves Full Body mascara: CAD6.98
- Neutrogena cleanser: CAD6.47 - CAD9.27
- Almay SmartShade/ SmartShade Anti-Aging with bonus concealer: CAD16.96
- L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting base, One Sweep blush: CAD10.96
- Bodycology: 2 for CAD10 (reg. CAD6.97 each).

Superstore:
- Aveeno Positively Radiant facial skin care/ body lotion: CAD7.49
- St. Ives hand/ body lotion, body wash, facial skin care: CAD2.99.

Weekly flyer deals

2011-09-02T12:47:00.000-03:00

Shoppers: Sat: x20 Optimum points with $50 purchase
*** Sat only:
- Quo brushes, sponges, applicators: 40% off
- John Frieda hair care: CAD6.99

*** All week:
- RoC, Reversa, Vichy Liftactiv skin care: 25% off
- Olay, No7 skin care: 20% off
- Neutrogena skin/ acne/ sun care: 20% off
- Revlon ColorStay lip/ eye: CAD7.99
- Revlon ColorStay makeup: 15% off
- Revlon eye: 2 for CAD17
- L'Oreal HIP eyeshadow, Voluminous mascara: 2 for CAD16
- Maybelline makeup remover, Expert Wear eyeshadow, Shine Sensation gloss, Volume Express/ Great Lash mascara: CAD4.99
- Maybelline Color Sensation lipstick, concealer, Color Explosion eyeshadow, Master Drama liner: 15% off
- Cover Girl Advance Radiance/ Simply Ageless/ True Blend: 20% off
- Cover Girl lip/ eye: CAD7.99
- Rimmel: 25% off
- Almay eye: CAD7.99
- Blistex/ Chapstick lip balm: CAD1.99
- Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail strips: CAD7.99
- Sally Hansen Nail Art pen: 2 for CAD12
- Sally Hansen HD/ Insta-Dri nail polish: 2 for CAD8 or CAD4.99 each
- Elizabeth Arden: GWP of $38 - Cheetah print tote with Prevage Eye and Day Ultra protection Anti-aging moisture creams (5ml each), Ceramide lipstick and Red Door EDP (5ml), valued $92.

*** For 2 weeks (till September 16):
- Quo lip/ eye: 2 for CAD20 or CAD12 each
- Quo makeup: 2 for CAD30 or CAD17 each.
For the lovely reader that asked me about Quo makeup sale, I'm hoping the smoky palette you wanted is part of this sale :)

Lawtons:
- L'Oreal Ombrelle sun care: 50% off
- L'Oreal Voluminous mascara: 20% off
- Cover Girl: 20% off
- Maybelline Dream Matte: 20% off
- Revlon nail polish: 25% off
- OPI nail polish/ treatment: 15% off
- Softlips Sweet lip balm: BOGO
- Herbacin hand cream: BOGO
- Witchcraft nail treatment: BOGO
- Garnier Nutrioniste: 20% off
- Vichy Anti-aging/ La Roche-Posay Effaclar K skin care: 20% off.

Superstore:
- L'Oreal/ Maybelline mascara, Revlon lipstick: CAD4.99
- Vaseline hand care lotion (96 - 325ml): CAD1.99
- Nivea skin care (100 - 250ml): CAD3.79
- L'Oreal Youth Code skin care: CAD19.99 (save $10).

Zellers:
- Revlon Superlustrous lip: BOGO
- Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick/ gloss/ stain, Lash Stiletto mascara: CAD5.99
- Olay Regenerist: 20% off
- Physician's Formula: 20% off.

Sears: Lancome GWP of $34, valued $178.

Annabelle SmudgePaint review

2011-08-31T11:49:00.001-03:00

Yes you have seen these Annabelle SmudgePaints in the same display with the Best of Black collection. So it is only fair that they get some exposure too, right?

I have the SmudgePaint in Plummed to review today. First, give Annabelle props for the fun packaging. Part of the lid comes apart to make the (built-in) brush, one that is actually usable. I use the flat side for swiping/ smudging the paint, and the thin side for lining.

SmudgePaints are supposed to be creamy gel shadows and liners all in one pot. They claim to be water and crease resistant, and long lasting, and I agree to all.

This is a few swipes to make the swatch wide enough for the pic, but not for pigmentation, as they are packed with a punch. You know I'm more of a pencil liner fan but I didn't have any problem applying this along the lash line. It was a smooth application, like a dream.

This first swatch is in natural light, and the one below is with flash.

It does look a little shimmery under the flash, but not noticeable on the lid, nor glittery in any case.

I'm a big fan of this eggplant type of purple colour, but if you aren't, there are 4 other colours to choose from. These retail around CAD10.95 each, 0.07oz/ 2gr. Note that the pots are smaller than regular gel eyeliners. For comparison, the Maybelline EyeStudio gel eyeliners are 3gr.

For those who need to know, main ingredients include: Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Polyethylene, Isododecane, Polybutene, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, PVP/ Hexadecene Copolymer, Ozokerite, etc.

A quick FOTD with Plummed on the upper lash line. I used the thin side of the brush for a very slim line along my lashes, which is not ideal for blog pictures. But I enjoy wearing it this way, not too noticeable but still creates a defined eye look.

Notice my new feather earrings? I got a few pairs, and some feather clips for my hair too, from a local seller. They will make appearance on more FOTD, rest assured :)

A closeup on the eyes. My next experiment would be a smudge eyeshadow look to see how this SmudgePaint behaves. But so far, I'm in love already. The only thing I might change is the small size, I want more of it in the pots if I am going to use it as an eyeshadow as well.

NOTD: Claire's Bright Skies

2011-08-30T11:14:00.000-03:00

I came home last night to no internet, frustrated! Irene got me one way or the other after all. And my home phone had no dial tone as well. If my cell phone died too, I would be cut off from the world. Scary...

Anyway, it's more fun talking about nail polish, and I have a beautiful blue to show.

You are probably all familiar with China Glaze Blue Sparrow, the gorgeous blue with pretty shimmer, shown pretty well in the bottle. One of the great old shades from China Glaze.

I didn't take a pic with only Blue Sparrow on the nails, but it stayed true to the bottle colour, for your reference.

I added something fun on top - Claire's Bright Skies. It has multi-coloured glitters in a sheer blue base, an equally pretty shade.

This is in direct sunlight. Bright Skies comes to life under the sun, showing the coloured fine glitters while in the shade, you only see silver. And I love both looks.

The sun altered the blue a little to a teal, which I found interesting. You can click to enlarge for better view of the shine.

The differences show a lot better in these last 2 close-ups, same order - in the shade first, then in the sun.

I enjoyed looking at my nails through out the day, felt like I have 2 different manis on, made life a little more exciting. And don't I need that recently? Have been bringing out lots of glitter shades to play around with - sandwich, glitter over coat, layering 2 different glitters, etc. Last resort would be nail art, lol.

Would you be able to pick a favorite if these are 2 different nail polishes?

My internet won't be fixed till at least tomorrow night, so I'm running on draft posts right now. Good thing I uploaded these pics on Sunday :)

It was a little chilly this morning walking out the door, guess summer is leaving us soon. I'm sad that we didn't get to do much in the warm sun, but do look forward to fall makeup and nail polish.

Hope you have a good day and the weather is nice where you are.

Weekend finds

2011-08-29T10:32:00.000-03:00

Guess where I spent 4 hours shopping at yesterday? Value Village :) They were having 50% off sale (Sunday for Super Savers Club card holders and Monday for everyone). Gotta say I have never hit such a big jack pot like this before, found dresses, cool tops for work and night-outs, jeans, fall boots, school clothes for Squirt and a few outfits for my baby niece. They all looked like new, I was so excited. We spent lots of time in the fitting room, lots of stuff to try on.

Alright, moving on :) If you haven't heard about the BOGO sale on certain Smashbox products at Shoppers (until end of October while supplies last), you do now. My store didn't have any sign about this promotion, so make sure you ask.

Technically, BOGO products include single eyeshadows, eyeshadow trios, Eyelights, Eye Illusions, single cream liners, Lash DNA and Camera Ready Full Coverage foundation. My store excluded the Lash DNA though, so I couldn't get the deal on it.

I got the Eyelights trio in Smokebox, reg. CAD45 (loved that intense black on swatching) and the Camera Ready Full Coverage foundation SPF15 (reg. CAD44) was free. The shade (M3-M4) was darker than what I wanted, but it was the only shade left. At this point, I'd suggest calling your store to find out what stock is left, as they are gone fast.

Also found this Smashbox Sultry/ Sweet Glam box from the Soft Box Summer collection, reg. $68/ CAD78, on sale for CAD50. It comes with:
- Limitless Eyeliner in Smoke
- Photo Op Under Eye Brightener
- Eyeshadow quad in Softly Seductive
- Hyperlash mascara in Blackout
- Reflection High Shine Lip gloss
- Lip Enhancing gloss in Tempt
- Cheek Duo in Sultry/ Sweet
- Photo Finish Luminizing Foundation primer (travel size).

You might have guessed the Cheek duo was what drew me in, it looked really pretty. I'm still on the fence on the price though.

At Lawtons, I got some stuff on clearance.

- Fresh Minerals are 75% off, I picked up the Mineral Long-lasting foundation SPF15 in Soft, CAD4.99. The line only has 4 shades and no tester, I don't even know if this is my shade.

- OPI Not Like the Movies, CAD4.99. Finally I found this shade on sale, to complete my little Katy Perry collection.

- Sinful Colors are BOGO this week, come out to be CAD1.99 each, which is their regular price in the US. Sucks to buy stuff in Canada sometimes. I went for glitters in shades that I don't already have, Agaci and Pinky Glitter.

The Nail Art Diva! Diva Elements collections (Nail Art Expansion Kits, with an image plate and 2 nail art polishes each) were on clearance for CAD.99 each. They are supposed to be used with the Nail Art Diva printer which I don't have/ didn't buy. We'll see if they work just with regular stamping and top coat.

The colour combos I got:
- Dark Seductions with Blood Red and Deep Midnight shades
- Glam & Glitter with Bewitching Blue and Shimmering Plum, and
- Christmas Dazzle with Jolly Red and Shining Star.

Walmart was exciting this week too.

Physician's Formula is on sale. I grabbed the Mineral Glow Pearls blush in Natural Glow, reg. over CAD11, on sale for CAD8.92. There is a $6 Mail-in-Rebate sticker on it, I figured it was worth getting.

And then, there's Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Flawless Complexion kit, with Talc-free Mineral pressed powder, Talc-free Matte Finishing veil and Talc-free Mineral blush. The kit retails CAD28 (valued over $50), on sale for CAD16.80. I got it in Light, as it'd be a gift to someone I know that likes this line :)

The star of the haul would be these Wet n Wild 8-pan palettes. A few of you have found them in Canada a while back but a Walmart near me has just recently stocked them.

I passed on the blues and went for Comfort Zone and Petal Pusher. The best thing is they are only CAD4.64 a piece, which is cheaper than what Walmart currently charges for the trios (CAD4.99). So go get your palettes before they are gone. One Walmart already sold out of these and didn't know when they are getting a new shipment.

Totally random, but I found these at Walmart as well. Aren't they Shape-Ups-ish? The tag said they are from Sand N Sun, called Walk, reg. CAD10, on clearance for CAD7. They might go lower as the summer clearance goes on, but I didn't want my size to sell out.

Despite the bulky look, they are light and comfy to wear. Come in black as well, and also in crocs design, if you want to check them out. We'll see if they do anything for my body :)

Irene is over, and we see sunshine around here. How was everyone's weekend?

Weekly flyer deals

2011-08-26T14:37:00.000-03:00

Shoppers: Sat & Sun: Surprise gift card ($10, $15, $25 or $50 value) with $60 purchase
- Free git with $75 beauty purchase
- L'Oreal Infallible lip, Telescopic mascara, Bare Naturale, True Match makeup: 30% off
- L'Oreal One Sweep eyeshadow, Studio Secrets Sculpt blush, Double Extend mascara, Lash Boost serum: CAD11.99
- L'Oreal Voluminous mascara, Infallible liner: CAD7.99
- L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes/ Extra Volume Collagen mascara, Crayon Petite lip liner, Color Riche gloss/ lipstick: CAD9.99
- Revlon eye/ lip: CAD8.99
- Maybelline XXL Pro mascara, Gel eyeliner, SuperStay lipstick, EyeStudio eyeshadow: CAD9.99
- Maybelline Cover stick, Pulse Perfection mascara, Unstoppable eyeliner, SuperStay concealer/ foundation: 15% off
- Cover Girl Blast liner, Smoky/ Intense Shadow Blast, Last Perfection, Last Blast Length/ Fusion mascara: CAD8.99
- Cover Girl Simply Ageless: CAD15.99
- Cover Girl Lip Perfection liner/ lipstick, Outlast lipstick/ lip stain: 15% off
- Rimmel Day 2 Night/ Lash Accelerator mascara, Match Perfection foundation: CAD7.99
- Rimmel (selected types): CAD5.99
- Physician's Formula: 30% off
- Annabelle Custom Eye quad, Khoh lip/ eye liner: CAD2.99
- Almay SmartShade: 15% off
- Gosh eyeliner/ mascara: 15% off
- Vichy Purete Thermale, Liftactiv skin care: 25% off
- Clean & Clear acne/ skin care: 20% off
- Neostrata skin care: 20% off
- Dermaglow: Free Glycolic Smoothing moisturizer (50ml) with purchase of 2 Dermaglow Radiance skin care products
- Olay Regenerist skin care: 20% off
- Eucerin skin care: 15% off
- Garnier Skin Naturals facial cleanser: 15% off
- Calgon/ The Healing Garden bath: 20% off
- Sally Hansen Nail Growth nail polish: CAD5.49
- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail polish: CAD3.99
- Sally Hansen Crackle top coat: CAD7.99
- Sally Hansen nail art pen: CAD6.99
- Essie nail polish: CAD8.99
- Nicole by OPI Justin Bieber nail polish: CAD7.99
- Revlon nail polish: CAD4.99.

Lawtons:
- Sinful Colors nail polish: BOGO
- Nicole by OPI nail polish: CAD7.99
- Essie nail polish/ treatment: CAD8.99
- Ardelle lashes/ accessories: BOGO
- Maybelline Great Lash mascara, Shine Sensational gloss: CAD4.99
- Annabelle: 20% off
- Aero Minerale: 20%
- Aveeno Fresh Essentials skin care: 25% off
- Dermaglow: Free Glycolic Smoothing moisturizer (50ml) with purchase of 2 Dermaglow Radiance skin care products
- Vasanti: Free Lip & Cheek stain with $30 Vasanti purchase
- Mistura: 20% off, free pink clutch with $50 Mistura purchase
- La Roche-Posay Effaclar/ Bioderma Sebium/ Vichy skin care: 20% off
- Avene sun/ after sun care: 20% off
Fresh Minerals are being cleared out for 75% off at my store too.

Superstore: Fri & Sat: Tax free (might be different where you are, please check your flyer). There are also 2 pages of coupons included in the flyer, good until September 1.
- L'Oreal/ Olay skin care (selected types): CAD17.77
- Sally Hansen Complete Salon nail polish: CAD3.99
- Cover Girl Pro/ Maybelline Great Lash mascara: CAD3.99.

Walmart:
- Clean & Clear Morning Burst: CAD6.34 - CAD9.57 (reg. CAD7.54 - CAD11.57)
- SPAresource body butter/ lotion: CAD4.97
- Rimmel mascara: CAD5 (reg. CAD6.98)
- Physician's Formula mineral: CAD6.58 - CAD16.80 (reg. CAD10.97 - CAD28).

Sears: Lancome GWP of $34, valued up to $178. Spend $75: get an extra full-sized Nutrix Royal body lotion ($48.50 value) and receive $15 Sears cash card, redeemable on your next purchase of $75.

Big Day Downtown I

2011-08-25T14:01:00.000-03:00

It hasn't been a great summer around here, weather wise, up until the last week or two. I can feel the fall chill early mornings and after the sun goes down, but during the day, it is warm and sunny. I'm taking it all in.

There is another reason to enjoy the season, the Big Day Downtown event, hosted by Downtown Halifax. I am participating this year, and this is my first "downtown adventure".

Last Sunday, the IncrEDIBLE Picnic was in town, right on the waterfront, at Sands at Salter. Note the playing on words in the name. You'll see the sand at the end of the post, promise :) People come to the picnic to enjoy fresh picnic food prepared by local chefs with local ingredients. A great way to celebrate the land, right?

The picnics, happening at 12 different locations in the province, are organized by Select Nova Scotia. So was this humongous BBQ that grilled awesome corn cobs. First thing I did was to get my corn - as appetizer, free of charge, while sitting down in the tent with live music in the background.

Wait until you see my "entrees", lol.

Tada! On the left was a Norwegian waffle with blueberry (and supposedly cream but I skipped out), made on site. Mine was the second last one as they ran out of batter, but there were plenty blueberries left, so they said I could go wild with them. And I did, with fine sugar sprinkled on top :)

On the right was a salad roll, with crunchy veggies wrapped in a rice paper sheet. Dipping sauce was in the little container on the side. It was a bit big and hard to maneuver without falling apart, but I shoved it all in anyway. Delicious lunch, and did I mention it was fresh?

My dessert was one of the peaches from the basket on the left, from a local farmer. Felt like I handpicked them right off the trees. Nothing can compare to fresh picked fruits. There were fresh apple cider, ice cream, etc. but I couldn't eat anymore.

There was so much food there, I couldn't try them all. Some were already sold out when I got there, more than an hour in. I made a mental note to be there right when the picnic starts next year. It's a shame missing out on lobster rolls, seafood chowder and all the Maritimes goodies.

And this is the sand.

If you haven't been to our waterfront, it is lined with board walk for your leisure strolls. Seeing sand here is special. They even brought in umbrellas, plus the cool breeze coming off the water, I felt like I was at the beach. The only thing missing was the sound of the waves rushing to shore. I can dream of that part instead :)

My whole lunch cost less than $10, good food, with awesome view, music, friendly local people as company, I couldn't ask for more. Maybe they should make it a monthly thing in the summer, so I can have my picnic more often.

I do like it here :) Would you come visit?

Bloggers giveaways

2011-08-24T14:18:00.001-03:00

Haven't done this type of post for a while, hope you find some fun giveaways to enter, especially those from my fellow Canadian bloggers. Make sure you read the rules, as not all giveaways open internationally.

Deuce Beauties has a 500 Followers giveaway .

First prize: 1 Full Set of China Glaze Crackle Glaze Metals - Platinum Pieces, Tarnished Gold, Cracked Medallion, Haute Metal, Latticed Lilac, and Oxidized Aqua.

Second prize: Color Club Poptastic Collection, and

Third prize: Orly Rage, Here Comes Trouble, Bubbly Bombshell, and Royal Navy.

This closes today, August 24.

The second giveaway hosted on Deuce Beauties is to celebrate her 100th post.

The prize includes OPI White Shatter, Red Shatter, Black Shatter, Turquoise Shatter, Navy Shatter, Blue Shatter and Silver Shatter, and OPI Minis: Pirates, Summer Dreaming, Texas.

This one closes on August 26.

And the third giveaway is for 600 Followers.

2 winners will each receive a set of China Glaze Island Escape collection.

You have until September 9 to enter this one.
-------------------------------

Beauty Thesis has a Birthday giveaway until August 26.

You can win:

- Annabelle Smudge Liner Eyeliner / Ohmygoth!
- MAC Mineralize Skin Finish / Petticoat and Lipgelée / Saphoric
- Marcelle Rouge Xpression Lipstick / Enchantment
- Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara / Blackest Black
- Sephora Lip Gloss / Precious Pink (sample)
- Stila Precious Pearl Eye Shadow Palette
- Urban Decay Primer Potion / Original (sample size)
- Wet N Wild Coloricon Bronzer / Everything Under The Sun and Coloricon Trio / The Gilded Age
- MAC Glitter / Reflects Transparent Teal, Pigment / Partylicious (limited edition) (sample size)
- MAC PRO Pigment / Genuine Orange (sample size).
-------------------------------

Beauty Reflections also celebrates a Birthday giveaway, going on till August 28.

Prizes (all Canadian brands):

- Marcelle Essentials 1st Wrinkles Trial Kit-Foaming Gel Cleanser, SPF 15 Day Cream, Eye Cream
- Joe Fresh Matte Lipstick in Fuchsia
- Marcelle Multi-Colour Powder Blush in Timeless Charm
- Vasanti Eyeshadow in Cairo-a light taupe
- Joe Fresh Eyeshadow in Pebble
- Annabelle Smoothliner in Brown
- Marcelle Power Volume Mascara in Black
- Joe Fresh Fresh Glass Lip gloss
- Quo Angle Contour Eye Brush.
-------------------------------

Gaby's Beauty Blog hosts a Glymm box giveaway until August 29, for Canadians only.

Glymm provide monthly subscription where you get a box of product samples, might be a full sized as well.
-------------------------------

Lipgloss Love Affair has a Hello Kitty giveaway until August 31.

Prizes:

- Born Pretty Nail Stamper
- 4 Nail Plates (including a Hello Kitty plate)
- Hello Kitty Compact Mirror
- Hello Kitty Perfume
- Hello Kitty Beanie Baby
- Hello Kitty Nail Polish, Lip gloss, Lip Balm, Body Lotion, Chapsticks
- Hello Kitty Eyelash Curler
- Hello Kitty Say Hello Palette from Sephora
- Dollywink Liquid Eyeliner (Deep Black) and Eyelash No. 1 Dolly Sweet
- Hello Kitty Pencils, Jelly Bellies, Lip gloss Rings, Camera Case and Iphone 4 Cover
- Betseyville Sparkly Pink Make-up Pouch
- My Beauty Diary Limited Edition Hello Kitty Masks (Honey Strawberry)
- Skin79 Diamond Collection "The Prestige" BB Cream.
-------------------------------

Witoxicity has an awesome Catrice and Essence giveaway.

You can win:
- Catrice Welcome To The Jungle (from the Papagena Collection)
- Catrice Rusty But Sexy (from the Modern Muse Collection)
- Catrice Khaki Perry (ditto)
- Essence Grand-Plié in Black (from the Ballerina Backstage Collection).

You have heard how much I want Catrice's collections, they are so awesome. Be there by September 10 to enter this.
-------------------------------

Beauty Crazed has a big L'Oreal giveaway until September 16.

Check out the prize pack:

- Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base
- MagicSmooth Souffle Makeup - Natural Beige
- True Match Super-Blendable Compact Makeup - Nude Beige
- True Match Touche Magique - Warm Beige
- Studio Secrets The One Sweep Sculpting Blush Duo - Nectar x 2 and Poppy
- Color Infallible Eye Shadow - All Night Blue, Time Resist White, Eternal Black, Unlimited Sky and Purple Obsession
- Studio Secrets Color Smokes Eye Shadow - Blackened Smokes
- Studio Secrets The One Sweep Eye Shadow - Playful For All Eyes, Natural For All Eyes and Playful For Brown Eyes
- Voluminous Million Lashes - Blackest Black and Black
- Color Infallible Le Rouge Lip color - Blazing Sangria, Mesmerizing Merlot,
- Perennial Pink, Resilient Raisin and Rich Topaz
- Color Riche Le Gloss - Naturally Nude and Violet Attitude.
-------------------------------

Tara's Nails hosts her 500 Followers giveaway.

The prize includes Orly Happy Go Lucky collection and OPI DS Signature.

Enter by September 16.

-------------------------------

Sara Hassan's blog has a Sigma Flare giveaway.

The prize is, you guessed it, Sigma Flare palette :)

This closes on September 22.

-------------------------------

And lastly, Nails Stories hosts her 250 Followers giveaway until September 30.

Prizes:
- Claire's Chunky Glitter
- Mavala Violette, Simplicity
- Saffron Glitter No 44
- Miss Sporty Green Lemon
- Beauty UK Fuchsia, Electric Blue
- Risque Maca do Amor
- Nailene French Polish Guides
- Sally Hansen Emery Board
- Nail stickers and an assorted rhinestone wheel.

Have fun entering :)

NOTD: Joe Fresh Iris

2011-08-23T11:05:00.000-03:00

It has been pretty quiet at Joe Fresh makeup shelf since the release of 3 Spring nail polish groups. I am hoping they will come out with fabulous fall shades but so far, no words yet.

Iris was from the most colourful Spring Group 2. I didn't need anymore purples, but still couldn't turn this one down. The thing we do with LE collections, lol.

The flash brought out more purple than the shade actually has.

This is more true to colour, a little dusty and toned down lilac, I would say. Great for spring, and maybe even fall. Not a surprise to say I love it both ways.

Same as all Joe Fresh nail polish I tried, no problem with application or opacity with Iris. You can get away with 2 coats but I did 3 anyway.

I have tried quite a few eye makeup looks in the weekend but the face is breaking out like mad, so no pics till it heals :(

Just got the notice about the "Secret" x20 points at Shoppers for tomorrow, another way to suck me back in store. Maybe the Gosh clearance display would get the best of me, who knows. Any of you plan a purchase?

Shoppers haul

2011-08-22T10:51:00.000-03:00

Last weekend was an awesome time to shop at Shoppers. I mostly stock up on favorites or items I have been wanting to get, conveniently are on sale, plus the bonus redemption/ $10 gift card offer :)

First things first, backups of my Annabelle staples. Like I mentioned on twitter, there are $1 coupons attached to the Black Collection display, and bonus 2,000 Optimum points on the purchase of any 2 of these. Extra savings!

You recognize these, don't you: Volumelips in So Sanguine and Tangerina, Smoothie eyeshadow pencils in Acaidasiac and Licoriche, CAD6.99 each.

At the bottom is Gosh Velvet Touch eyeliner in Banana. Gosh is clearing out lots of shades and products from its current lines, to make room for new products. Lots of Velvet Touch/ Let's Twist/ Extreme Art liners, Effect powders, lipsticks, glosses, eyeshadows, etc. were on clearance for CAD7 each. I freaked out seeing Banana there, fearing it's gonna be gone forever. Let's just say I grabbed more than 1 :)

Other good deals:

- Maybelline Fit Me foundation in #235, CAD7.99. This is the lowest price I have seen on this product. Shoppers doesn't carry my current shade (#310), so I went 1 shade lighter, hope it works when my skin gets lighter in the fall.
- Marcelle Face Powder in Translucent Medium, CAD9.99 (reg. CAD13.95)
- Marcelle Pressed Powder, also in Translucent Medium, CAD5.99 (reg. CAD13.95)
- Vichy Dermablend Corrective foundation in 45 Gold, CAD21.99 (25% off).

Not pictured is CoverFx cream foundation, CAD39. The store didn't have my shade, so I had to grab the wrong shade for the sake of the redemption, then exchange it later at another store.

The Fragrance clearance corner has some interesting selections. I grabbed a few as gifts, CAD19.99 each.

- Guess by Marciano EDP, 100ml
- Pink Sugar EDT, 50ml
- Hummer and Hummer H2 EDT, 125ml.

I'd say the sale prices are awesome on these, but testers aren't always available. Now if only Katy Perry Purr would make it to this corner, lol.

Aveeno is 25% off, not a bad discount. I got:
- Aveeno Positively Radiant Dual-textured Cleansing pads (28's), CAD10.49. Not cheap for the amount of pads you get, but I've heard lots of rave on youtube about this, and redeemed for it, so that's ok.
- Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing lotion, 532ml, CAD13.49. Humongous size lol.

Hope you guys checked with my weekly flyer deal post and scored yourself some good buys.

I also did some damage at Joe Fresh summer clothing clearance sale. Prices were as low as $2 for Ts, $7-10 for dresses. The problem was finding size at this point. There's a coupon for a free reusable bag with any Joe Fresh apparel purchase, if you need a bag to bring your clothes home.

Color Club nail polish set winner

2011-08-22T10:05:00.000-03:00

As the winner of my Color Club nail polish set giveaway did not response, the new winner, picked by Random.org is Glogirl. Congratulations!

I'll be sending you a tweet/ email. Please kindly confirm the set of your choice and your mailing address within 48 hours, so NailPolish Canada could mail out your prize.

Weekly flyer deals

2011-08-19T15:17:00.001-03:00

Shoppers:
*** Sat & Sun: Redeem 50,000 points for $100 or 95,000 points for $200 on cosmetics and fragrances; or get $10 Shoppers gift card with $50 purchase
*** Sun & Mon: Quo brushes, sponges, implements: 40% off

*** All week:
- Vichy Normaderm skin care: 30% off
- Aveeno skin care: 25% off
- Life brand/ Balea skin care: 20% off
- Avene acne care: 15% off
- Yes to Carrots, Cucumbers, Blueberries skin care: x15 points
- Yes to Carrots shampoo/ conditioner: x20 points
- Nip + Fab skin care: x15 points
- L'Oreal Colour Riche lip, Voluminious Million Lashes mascara, Visible Lift/ Infallible makeup: 30% off
- L'Oreal Double Extend mascara, Infallible liner, One Sweep eyeshadow, Magic Smooth Souffle makeup: 15% off
- Maybelline Fit Me makeup: CAD7.99
- Maybelline Color Sensational lip stain, Define-a-Brow/Line/Lash, Eye Studio eyeshadow, Waterproof liquid liner: CAD8.99
- Revlon Beyond Natural, New Complexion, Photo Ready makeup: 15% off
- Cover Girl eyeshadow, Perpect Point liner, Professional mascara, Wetslick gloss: CAD6.99
- Rimmel 1000 Kisses liner, Lasting Finish lipstick, Natural bronzer, Professional brow, Soft Khol eye pencil: CAD3.99
- Vichy Aerateint/ Dermablend skin care: 25% off, Aqualia skin care: 20% off
- Marcelle (selected types): CAD9.99
- Annabelle SmudgePaint, Smudgeliner, Smoothie eye pencil, Volumelip, quad eyeshadow: CAD6.99
- Nicole by OPI nail polish (Justine Bieber or Texture Nail): CAD8.99
- Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips: CAD8.99.

Don't forget to pair your purchases with "30 Days of Beauty" Optimum point offers.

Lawtons: Bonus Airmiles week
- LA Girl/ LA Colors: 20% off
- L'Oreal: 20% off
- Maybelline foundation, powder, concealer: 20% off
- Revlon mascara, eyeshadow, eyeliner: 30% off
- Revlon Age Defying DNAdvantage foundation: 20% off (10 Air miles with 2)
- Almay foundation, powder, concealer: 30% off
- Marcelle Hydra-C skin care, foundation: 20% off
- Avene TriAcneal/ Cleanance: 20% off
- La Roche-Posay anti-aging skin care: 20% off
- EcoTools: 20% off.

Walmart:
- Maybelline Great Lash mascara: CAD4
- Cover Girl NatureLuxe Lip gloss balm: CAD5.97
- Clean & Clear Advantage Skin: CAD6.97
- Clean & Clear Fruit Infusions cleanser: CAD8.47
- Calgon Ageless bath pearl, soak, milk bath: CAD4.97.

Superstore:
- L'Oreal Voluminous mascara/ HIP duo eyeshadow: CAD7.99
- Maybelline One-by-One mascara/ SuperStay lip colour: CAD7.99
- Oxy, Neutrogena, Olay, Garnier, Cetaphil facial skin care: CAD6.99
- Olay Total Effects/ Regenerist facial skin care: CAD19.99.

Europe haul

2011-08-18T10:27:00.000-03:00

No, I didn't get to go to Europe but am lucky to have a big enabler that hunts stuff down for me where she lives and where she travels. You probably remember Marie from Mon Coin a Moua through my France swap last year. She is in a blog hiatus for a while now but we still keep in touch. She always offers to pick me up some stuff and send them over.

This first batch of stuff, she got from London a while back but couldn't send them to me because of the Canada Post strike.

I tried to be good and didn't ask her to get too much. There wasn't any LE Sleek palettes around at the time, so nothing for me there.

I got a beautyuk eyeshadow palette #2 and some MUA (Makeup Academy) £1 range: lipstick #7 and eyeshadows #2, #7, #12 and #14, all Pearl finish. It's silly with all numbers as names, but nothing I can do there lol.

And then, nail polish. Prices are for reference only, I'm shocked sometimes of how little these cost compared to the quality
- H&M Hunt Me Down - I couldn't find this shade at my store here, €3.50
- P2 Crackling top coat in Golden Rush, €1.75. This completes my main colour range for crackles
- Essence Colour & Go in Where is the Party? - duochrome goodness, €1.25, and a Nail Art magnet, €1.79, to work the few magnetic nail polish I have. We'll see if it works.

- Kiko #237 Rosso Glitter Sparkle Touch, #278 Viola Orchidea Microglitter, #255 Viola Microglitter and #231 Multicolour Paillettes Sparkle Touch, €2.50 each. Only numbers on the bottles but there are names on their website. I have always wanted to try Kiko, they aren't easy to get a hold of.

Catrice has been coming out with fabulous LE collections lately and I'm absolutely in love with how they look and even their names.
- From the Papagena collection: Tigerlily Crystal Clear Gloss Stick, €3.99. Same concept as the Maybelline Pop sticks
- Out of Space collection: Beam Me Scotty! nail polish €2.49, Supernova Skywalker and Back To Pandora baked eyeshadows, €3.49 each. There'll be more nail polish and eyeshadows from this collection coming my way, I wanted to collect them all
- Glamourama collection: Drama, Baby! and En Vogue Absolute Eye Colours, on clearance for €1.50 each, woo hoo! These 2 shades show up on camera brighter than IRL. Can't wait to do more smoky eyes with them.

The box she sent the stuff in was packed to the rim. See what she sneaked in as extras for me:
- Essence You Rock! collection: Cut Off the Beige, Love, Peace and Purple, Kings of Mints and Speed of Light Blue
- Essence Sun Club in BBC Splash Refresh.

How cute are those tiny little bottles (7ml)? They are slightly bigger than the Colour & Go line (5ml) but are still babies next to the Sun Club (11ml). Love the colours she picked for me, especially Love, Peace and Purple with the duochrome sheen.

Then there's more.
- Catrice Absolute Eye Colour palette in The Season's Must Have
- P2 Kiwi Cuticle Peeling
- P2 Me, Myself and I nail sticker
- Essence Blossoms Etc. eye pencils in I Like and Bloom-a-Loom
- Essence You Rock! lip stain in Your Pink is on Fire
- P2 Home Sweet Home Everlasting eye primer in Little Darling, and
- P2 Happy Blooming eyeshadow in Cheerful Lilac.

Besides cute names, the packaging is adorable too. Can I have these brands here, please? All of them? I'm clueless of what to try first, can't decide. What do you want to see first?

NOTD: Sally Girl pink holo

2011-08-17T11:54:00.000-03:00

It's sunny out, so let's talk holo nail polish :)

This is a surprise find at Sally. Squirt was asking for some nail polish for herself, and I thought Sally Girl would be perfect. I happened to pick up this little bottle before I realized it was a pink holo. And I of course have to test it out.

The holo effect is visible in the bottle and on the nails, but it's not in the face kinda shine. Considering the nail polish world not having enough holos, this is a nice addition, I might add.

Application with this polish was easy. I believe I did 2 coats here, no VNL. Despite the size (of the bottle and of the brush), I didn't have any issue painting my nails.

These Sally Girl are ideal for travelling. The tiny bottles didn't take much space at all, and if you happen to lose them, they aren't hard to replace. I used to carry quite a few (regular sized) bottles of nail polish with me, kept worrying they'd break/ spill, even when I carefully wrapped them up. Problem solved now!

You can probably see the shade a little better here. The holo is a lot more visible IRL, I just can't seem to capture it.

I think Sally Girl nail polish are $.99 in the US and CAD1.39 (or something) around here. They sometimes go on sale too. Pick a few up to try out, you'll have fun with them.

So, big and small nail polish companies out there, please make more of the holo goodness. We don't mind if it comes in tiny little bottles like this or big huge full sizes. The end! :)

Color Club nail polish set winner

2011-08-17T11:20:00.000-03:00

Thank you all who entered my Color Club nail polish set giveaway, sponsored by NailPolish Canada. Random.org picked Bailey from I Know all the Words as our lucky winner. Congratulations!

I'll be sending you an email, or if you see this post first, please kindly confirm the set of your choice and your mailing address within 48 hours, so NailPolish Canada could mail out your prize.

Have a great day, everyone!