Sparkled Beauty

Back to routine today and I could hardly get out of bed :)

The weather has been so nice, almost summer-like, so I didn't realize yesterday was the first day of Fall. Accidentally, today's NOTD kinda fits.

This is 2 coats of Joe Fresh Ultra Violet. Not a new shade at all cause it was part of the Fall 2013 release, but it was left untried for a long time in the stash. I was in the mood for a dark purple, and Ultra Violet definitely is it!

I love the fact that it is so dark but still remains purple and does not lean toward black. Application was smooth and easy too.

To honour the warm sun that still makes appearance despite the arrival of Fall, I did the accent nail with the famous Gosh Holographic, also 2 coats.

I still can't get a decent wear out of Holographic, which is a shame against how pretty it looks. Just have to prepare to do another mani about 2 days after :)

Ultra Violet does not last much longer than Holographic, unfortunately. I guess they pair up nicely that way.

It has been a long week, I am so glad Friday arrives tomorrow.

Not much of a celebration but this is my birthday nails this year.

I have gone red on the nails and a darker red on the lips (Colour Pop Ultra Matte Lip in Avenue, review to come next week), and call it a celebration lol. Not too shabby eh?

Doing the honour is Joe Fresh Golden Rouge (Fall 2014 collection). It has taken me a while to "dip my toes", in this case my fingers, into this type of colour but the name drew me in.

Golden Rouge suggests a red with gold flash. Though it is not very visible under natural lighting, I game! I don't normally wear reds, you see, but I do know how to appreciate a good red, which Golden Rouge totally is.

Pigmentation is amazing with full opacity in one coat. The shimmers are subtle but enough to make the red base glow.

The gold sheen only comes off the bottle under flash, not on the nails. It would be fun to see some gold but I don't mind just this kind of darker cherry that brightens my skin tone.

Since Golden Rouge is part of a LE collection, it is on clearance at my Superstore. Maybe it would be at your store too.

Now if you excuse me, I'd go dreaming of the ice cream cake that I'll dive into tonight :)

Are you ready for the prettiness and the mess all in one FOTD? Here it is!

On my eyes, from Joe Fresh 5-piece Chubby eyeshadow set:
- the gold on inner lid - heavily layered, still not very visible
- the blue on outer lid and crease - applied, blended, repeated because it disappeared with each blending brush stroke
- the black as a liner.

You might not want to look closer at the "stripes" (i.e. creases) on my lids.

The black did not smudge or smear but only last about two hours on the lower lash line and a little longer on the upper lash line.

If I don't look all the way down, the eye makeup is not too bad, is it? :)

On the lips is the most pigmented shade from the 5-piece Chubby lipstick set - the darker pink. It is the only thing that saved this look a tiny little bit.

Other products on the face:
- Marcelle BB cream in Light to Medium
- Hard Candy Glamouflage in Medium
- ArtDeco Bronzing Glow blusher
- Vasanti All Star 2-in-1 face and eye primer
The primer did not help!
- Lise Watier Wow mascara in Black
- Wet n Wild ColorIcon brow & eye liner in Dark Brown.

After this look I could only test other eyeshadow sticks in this set inside the house. Nobody wants to see crease city, do they?

The creases again on the other side, if you are not persuaded yet. Ta-da! Again, maybe we can focus on the lip colour instead.

I was at Superstore yesterday and saw all the lipstick sets from Joe Fresh were gone, and quite a few of eyeshadow sets (and liner sets) left. I guess my local friends also like the lip stuff better :)

What are other positive things in your life that we can talk about to balance out the cold weather (or the bad eye makeup)? :) Fill me in!

If you read my Boxing Week haul, you know what comes after Joe Fresh 5-piece Chubby lipstick set right?

It's Joe Fresh 5-piece Chubby eyeshadow set. Same price point ($10 down to $4.94, then to $2.44), thinner twist-up chubby sticks compared to the chubby lipsticks.

The directions are even more entertaining this time: Tilt head back and bring eyes to half-open position. Draw a narrow line across upper and lower lid above lashes. Smudge for a smoky eye or apply all over lid for more dramatic effect. Create your own look by layering colors :)

Similar packaging, and here's the colours up close.

Sorry to say, no dramatic effects nor colour layering with these, unfortunately.

The colours look more lovely in the sticks than on my hand. I had so much hope with the gold and the purple, look what I got! :(

As you can see in the swatches, all shades, other than the black, are sheer. I have layered them quite heavily here trying show you the true colours, but it did not help much.

And the sad story does not just end at pigmentation. It continues with blendability and staying power.

The pencils go on a little slippery, which might explains why layering the colours does not increase pigmentation.

I would limit these to the lid area only, as they would disappear in the crease as soon as you try to blend them out. And within about 10 minute time after application, I had "crease city" on the lids.

For all those reasons, I cannot give this set any credit other than the black used as a upper lash liner. Here's a FOTD to show you what I mean.

The sticks are about 2/3 of the size of the lip pencils (0.06oz/ 1.7g each), also made in China. If you head out to Superstore, skip this set and check out the lipstick set instead.

More holiday gift sets, this time from Joe Fresh :)

Notably cute is the 5-piece Chubby lipstick set, reg. $10, was $4.94 during Boxing Week (see the yellow sticker below) and $2.44 (75% off) since last weekend at my Superstore.

Stock at my location is still plenty, so check yours if you want a bargain.

Thought I would entertain you with the directions printed on the packaging: Using soft strokes, apply the thick stick lip color pencil starting at the center of each lip working outwards to cover. Geez thanks :)

Here is the said packaging and how the pencils look without the clear caps. I was happy to find out they are the twist-up type. Brands are taking notes, aren't they?

There are no individual names on the pencils, so we will have to go with plain colour names.

If you can't tell, the orange red (far left) and baby pink (far right) are very sheer. The swatches have already built up, so I don't think they will get any better than what shown here.

The successful shades in the bunch are the nude and the darker pink, very creamy and pigmented.

The cool-toned pink is a little too cool for my skin tone but still wearable layered over a pigmented lip liner.

You can see the light sheen on the shades with flash here. They are not glossy by any means but not complete matte either.

The darker pink and the orange red do stain your lips a tiny bit, just a heads up.

So for $5 (or $2.50 if you buy it now), 3 of the 5 shades are worth it, in my opinion. If you like sheer lip colours then the whole set will work for you, even better.

The pencils are 0.09oz/ 2.5g each, made in China (if you care about that). Check out my FOTD with the darker pink shade. And if you are curious about the 5-piece Chubby eyeshadow set, follow the link for my review.

It's about time to show you what I got over Boxing Week, online and in stores. Being on vacation didn't stop me getting in on good deals :)

At Shoppers, Quo holiday collection was cleared out for 50% off. Beauty Boutique locations seemed to have more in stock. I already got my fair share of the Back to Basics (original and Matte) palettes so I only grabbed the All About Brows set (reg. $20).

Annabelle holiday Lipsies duos were half price too (reg. $7.95). I found 3 sets, from L-R:
- Flirty Candy Cane & Cinnamon Candy
- Yummy Gingerbread & Grandma's Peppermint
- Roasted Marshmallow & Hot Chocolate.

Quo Backstage brush set (reg. $65), part of the holiday collection, was also 50% off. Love the long gold handles, contrasting the black bristles.

If you don't know me by now, I could hardly ever pass up on a brush set clearance, especially with Quo and Sephora. And then put them on display, as the boxes are too pretty to use lol.

Found a gift set that includes my favorite Vichy Aqualia Thermal Night Spa, reg. $44 (values $59), 50% off. Basically I paid $22 for my beloved Night Spa and has a free gift (Aqua Thermal lip balm) to tote around in my bag.

I always plan my Shoppers trip with a x20 point event or a coupon ($10 off $50, etc.) which happens ever so often. Don't walk in the door without an offer :)

Walmart put Christmas items on clearance of 50% off starting Boxing Day, then 75% off after New Year for whatever left.

I got the Flower Beauty Color in the Lines mini Lip Chubby beauty set (reg. $9) online before it was sold out. None left in the stores when I checked.

There were still a few Eye See You eye beauty sets (reg. $19) left for the 75% off in store, so I picked up the rose gold set and the purple set.

Similarly, Joe Fresh had some lips, eyes and nails holiday gift sets on clearance at Superstore.

I grabbed the 5-piece Chubby lipstick set and 5-piece Chubby eyeshadow set on 75% off (reg. $10 each).

I saw a few sets of holiday nail polish but the colours didn't really wow me on the spot, so I am still thinking about it. The price is great though.

Winners didn't have much new stuff, so I only bought 2 things from the clearance section:
- China Glaze All Aboard set for $18 (reg. $24.99), mainly because of Choo-Choo-Chose You, and
- Real Techniques Retractable Bronzer brush $11 (reg. $14.99).

I recalled seeing a lot of holiday gift sets at Winners before I left for vacation. Guess those were sold out right away on Boxing Day :)

Last but not least, Sephora! The extra 20% off sale item promo was definitely nice, but I panicked and got a few things (noted below with a *) before the code was sent out, fearing they would be sold out quickly.

Bite Beauty Deconstructed Rose lipstick trio* ($40) made an appearance for a split second before selling out. Considering these lipsticks retail $32 a piece, the trio is definitely a steal.

Sephora Favorites SummerStash set (reg. $54) landed on the sale page for $36, so why not? :) I'm excited about the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor cheek gelee in Pink Escape and OCC Stained Gloss in New Wave.

Make Up For Ever Studio Case (reg. $68.50) was discounted to $45 the day I went to use my $25 VIB Rouge credit, so it turned out to be the best deal I had. Wanted it for so long! Still missed out on the 30 Color set, but it would probably never be back.

Also eyed Stila Merry & Bright set (reg. $38, on sale for $26) for a while but I held off until 20% off. Main focus was the Convertible in Tulip but the jeweled headband was a nice touch :)

Same situation with Sephora Eye Look book set (reg. $35, on sale for $25). It would look good on a book case too, as the 4 little palettes (The Nude, the Smoky, the Party and the Metallic eye look) sit snugly in a case like books.

Benefit 3 Scoops O' Sexy set* (reg. $50, on sale for $30) sold out quite fast. I didn't have any tints or balms from Benefit, guess the set was a good opportunity to try them. I have high hope for the Lolli duo, my type of colour.

Last but not least, the big ticket item - Sephora 24 Karat Gold Mine brush set* (reg. $106, on sale for $56). It would be nice if I could grab it with 20% off but what can you do?

The gold detail definitely intrigued me but the selling point was the long ferule that ran along the handle. Very classy and luxurious. Again, don't know if I have the heart to break them out of the box yet :)

Still on the way to me are Josie Maran Winter Dreams Argan Color collection ($36 from $43 reg.) and OCC Colour Pencil Essentials set ($24 from $54 reg.). Shipping took some sweet time this time of year.

What have you been hauling in the last week or two?

This was a forgotten polish that deserved so much love - Joe Fresh Cinnamon. The sad thing is this was a LE colour, you can no longer find it on the shelf unless there is an on-going clearance bin at the cosmetic section.

If you have this shade in your stash, it is the best time to bring it out again. Cinnamon is darker than a typical red for the holiday but still festive and bling-y enough to make the mani special.

It is a deep burgundy red (darker than shown here under flash) with those gold shimmers that like to play a little "hide and seek" at times.

I applied two thin coats here, good pigmentation and colour payoff. I don't have anything to complain about Cinnamon, other than the short brush with the rounded top, a little hard to hold, typical with Joe Fresh nail polish.

Can't believe I have been on vacation for 2 weeks already. It didn't feel that long at all. I hate to remind my mom of the timeline, as she gets upset, so I'll just embrace each day that I'm here. We are heading off to the beach today, I am excited!

How are things with you guys? Halifax got lots of rain yesterday, I heard, but no "snow situation" yet.

If you haven't seen Joe Fresh Future Effects polishes (Fall 2014, $6 each), this is the first shade you might want to check out :)

Joe Fresh's very first (gentle) holographic nail polish - a charcoal called Granite Glow, 2 coats, first pic in the sun.

I like the shade enough, but "gentle holo" means it would look quite dull in the shade. I wish Joe Fresh could take an extra step to bring Granite Glow to the next level of holographic, to justify the price increase. I guess special effects cost more to make, but still, why stop half way, right?

The 2 pics below were with flash, I am glad to see the glow was still there.

And a closeup to show the rainbow in Granite Glow one more time :) To be fair, for $6, I can't complain, but if you are looking for a strong holo, this is not it.

The accent nail (and the bottle shot in this pic) is a test run of Joe Fresh Kaleidoscope, another shade from the Future Effects line.

Just a heads up, I would not recommend Kaleidoscope on its own. It is still sheer after three coats and turns a little goopy. But it is super pretty as a top coat, so don't dismiss it just yet. Stay tuned for more details on this shade :)

I am in flakie heaven!

Wasn't planning on posting 2 NOTD posts in a row, but I thought I should finish the "Joe Fresh week" on a higher note with this flakie duo. I did hint of how cool these 2 individual flakies look. What can be better than that? Them, 2 flakies, layered :)

Joe Fresh Gold Rush, appropriately named, has gold flakes and Joe Fresh Twinkle, also a great name for it, has silver and blue flakes. Together, one coat each, they are explosive!

I was totally in photographing zone, trying to catch the setting sun, and forgot to switch the prop, so Gold Rush got full bottle shot attention in these 3 pics.

Did anybody tell you how hard it is to photograph flakies? Well I tell you now. They go into hiding under flash or direct sunlight, regardless how blingy they look IRL (see the last pic below). So the best option is low light, which blurs out the pics a bit. Gah I can't win.

Hope the pics I managed to get here give you enough motivation to try them yourself still :) And if you are wondering, the base is Catrice London's Weather Forecast, just one coat.

Did I get you guys curious about Joe Fresh Spring/ Summer nail polish from the haul post?

The main focus of this NOTD is Joe Fresh Nude Glaze. but I know you notice the flakie glory too, so I'll talk about them all :)

It probably goes without saying that I like colours and hardly ever buy anything nude, makeup or nail polish. But Nude Glaze is a special nude and perfect for occasions when I need a toned down mani for work without compromising the sparkle effect!

Here is Nude Glaze on my thumb, ring and pinky fingers, 2 coats. It is pretty much a perfect nude on me. A bit of VNL which contributes to the natural look - like I have no nail polish on - but with saturated gold shimmers.

As always, if you are looking for a more opaque nude mani, put down a pigmented nude, beige or off white first, and one coat of Nude Glaze on top will do it. So yeah, it is a perfect work colour for those of you who do not mind shimmers.

On to the guest stars on the accent nails - Joe Fresh Gold Rush on the index finger and Twinkle on the middle finger, 2 coats each, on top of Cinnamon, an old LE shade.

The flakies do not look super dense in the bottle but are very noticeable on the nails after 2 coats. I did not need any more flakie top coats in the stash after 2 Finger Paints flakie collections, but it has been a long time since Joe Fresh's very first flakie Twilight and I have to have the new ones, don't I? :)

The flakies will have their own NOTD coming up, but for now, here are the closeup bottle shots - Gold Rush on the left, Twinkle on the right.

I couldn't help but show off the little fuchsia number from Joe Fresh Spring Summer 2014 collection I told you about yesterday, so here is the FOTD :)

Again, no introduction needed, Baie Sauvages is on my lips to make a statement. It is bright, like summer bright, and pigmented, so it does not take much to cover the lips. Staying power is good too.

On the cheeks is the mousse blush in Rose. Being more subtle, I think it pairs well with Baie Sauvages :) I only dare to dab my brush in once and lightly apply on both cheeks. Anything more than that would be too much.

The natural look reminds me of Make Up For Ever HD cream blush, just with a different texture. Gladly have both in my stash.

Other products I used:
- L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector serum concentrate
- Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Tone Correcting moisturizer SPF15 in Light to Medium
Decided to skip foundation for a day, I was lazy :)
- Hard Candy Glamouflage in Medium
- Maybelline Color Tattoos in Too Cool and Pomegranate Punk as bases
- Maybelline Eye Studio eyeshadow in Ivy Icon and Cle de Peau Satin Eye color in 106
Stole this luxurious CdP shade from mom's stash as I don't normally go all high end with makeup, I love it!
- Annabelle Smudgeliner in Vortex Violet and Rimmel Scandal Eyes waterproof kohl kajal liner in Light Blue
- Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara
- Wet n Wild ColorIcon brow & eye liner in Dark Brown. 

I don't change up basic products in my routine as often as I should, considering how much stuff I have "collected" over time. Believe me, it gets overwhelming :)

Makeup aside, how have you been? We had beautiful weather in the weekend. I threw some big $ out the window for some patio furniture, but at least Squirt and I were out enjoying the sun while doing that. Gloomy sky came back for the week though.

A heads up: Costco has China Glaze City Flourish 6-pc set for $19.99, $10 less than Winners' price tag. If you haven't had these shades, go now! Their Popcorners are great too, if you need some snacks lol.

Hope you guys enjoy the giveaways I posted on Friday. Check them out if you haven't already, they are for you!

Joe Fresh 2014 Spring/Summer collection has been out for a few weeks. I meant to check it out for a while now but didn't get a chance to until this weekend. Found some gems, yay!

The very first product I wanted to try when I first saw the pic of the collection was the liquid lipsticks - 6 shades in total, $8 each (on sale for $7 until May 7). I of course went for the fuchsia called Baie Sauvages.

Next, a mousse blush in Rose, the delicious reddish pink from the lineup of 4 shades, $6.

All products have tight plastic wraps, with colour-coordinated packaging, which helps in cases of opaque jars like the mousse blushes.

I also grabbed an old product (from the 2013 Spring/ Summer release) - a Rose gloss in Berry, reg. $6, on clearance for $3.04.

Here they are with the caps off, gorgeous colours! Note the font change on the brand name. Looks like emphasis is now equal on "Joe" and "Fresh", not just on Joe like before lol.

Swatches of the mousse blush up top, with a finger on the left and with a brush on the right. It takes the smallest amount for pigmentation and looks very natural on. Absolutely awesome.

The liquid lipstick needs no explanation here, does it? Super pigmented and gorgeous colour. It is very comfortable to wear as well, not sticky.

The rose gloss has beautiful swirls of colours in the pot, shows a hint of colour on, great for non-pigmented lips if worn alone. It feels a little thick and carries a plastic-y scent, unfortunately, which I assume because of the tight lid for a year (since it was released).

Check out the FOTD I did these products. It is bright :)

The nail polishes are on sale right now 4/$10 (reg. $4 or 3/$10), which I definitely took full advantage of.

I bought 3 shades from the Spring release - Nude Glaze, Twinkle and Gold Rush (flakie top coats), plus Amethyst from the 2013 Spring/ Summer collection.

The new font looks more slick on the small bottle, don't you think? Check out the NOTDs for Nude Glaze and for Gold Rush & Twinkle here.

Other Spring shades include Faded Violet, Baie Sauvages, Salmon, Poppy, Azure, Ultramarine, Bare. Rose Gold and Sugar, if you need a shopping list :)

It is craziness time on the nails again, it's Hard Candy Emerald's Eve from the Fall release.

It is an awesome combination of gold, aqua blue/ green and holographic glitters in a clear base. In most pics, the holo effect did not show up well, but it is there and gives a lot more depth to the mani. Not really a typical colour theme for fall, but the combination was just too crazy that I wanted to see it on the nails ASAP.

Again, I wish the base were tinted and opaque enough to wear without a colour base, as I am too lazy to layer, most of the time. The glitters are quite dense, I did some dabbing all over with the first coat and went for an extra coat on bald spots.

Still on the aqua blue theme, I chose Joe Fresh Aqua, also a Fall release, as base. It needed two coats, and it was beautiful. I don't remember if I had something like it in the stash.

Now I wanted Emerald's Eve and Aqua together in one bottle, can it be done, brands? Had anyone done glitters in a cream base, or even better, a duochrome?

I might be asking too much, but I want to dream far ahead. While looking at the beautiful shelf of Joe Fresh nail polish, I felt like they have done almost every colour under the sun, so I'd love to see them branch out to different finishes beside cream.

Closeup look at the glitters, they almost look like fish scales on a mermaid's tail, don't you agree?

How have you guys been? My life has got so busy, the first thing I think of every morning is what I have to do for the day and hope I wouldn't forget anything. And even with getting up earlier than before, I still find the day goes by in a blur.

Busy calendar at work, combined with Squirt's school schedule and other activities..., I start feeling like a machine, even with makeup, which is not good. I need to slow down, if only life lets me.