SOTW: From Roses

From Roses // Fences

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Xen-Tan Weekly Self Tan Lotion

Being new to the world of tanning, I wanted to try a brand ive heard many rave about, figuring it would have good results. I opted for the Dark Lotion Weekly Self-tan as it had good reviews. I also got a mitt for smooth, even application. 

I was a little afraid upon opening the bottle to the colour of melted chocolate(!), but just as it says, it leaves a natural olive under-toned tan to the skin. It looks like you've just come back from a tropical vacation on the beach for a week. Score. It doesnt look too dramatic on my previously ghastly white skin, and im sure this would work for most skin tones. The mitt really does help for a nice even result. It takes about three hours to see results, although I recommend applying before bed just to prevent walking around with blotchy or streaky skin if any mishaps.

This Week Im Loving.. #7

This week I started using some new body products from Naturally Upper Canada. Ive never heard of the brand but they had a deal on in Home Outfitters so I thought I would give them a try. I got both the Hand and Body Lotion and Wash in Cranberry Moro Orange. They smell really nice and have been a real treat to slather myself in. The scent doesnt really last long on the skin though, which a disappointment. For makeup application, ive been really liking blending my concealer in with the Sigma Precision Angle P84 brush. Its a dense, soft brush that can be used in any of the small areas of the face, but I really like it specifically for the eye area. The angle shape works makes it really easy to apply and properly blend concealer in the inner portion of the eye as well as under. Another brush from Sigma is the Small Duo Fibre F55. I use this for cream blush or more so for applying a hilighter. It may not be the right brush for hilighting, but its worked well for me anyhow. For a soft glow to the skin, ive been liking Elf's blush in Candid Coral. The peachy colour with the slight gold shimmer gives the skin a luminous look in the sun and is so pretty for the warmer days. Lastly, since ive been trying not to use my straightener on my hair as much and just let my natural wave do what it wants (more so on days when im not going anywhere), the John Frieda Frizz Ease Secret Weapon Finishing Cream has been a staple. I put a small amount in my hands, rub together and lightly pat down the length of my hair to tame frizz. It doesnt make the hair sticky or anything, which is what I really like. It really has been my "secret weapon". This is only a little sample but im going to be picking up a full size very soon.

SOTW: Here Now

Here Now // Sean Bones

 

Empties #9

Tigi Bed Head Uran Antidotes Recovery Level 2 Shampoo + Conditioner
I got this last summer and Ive enjoyed using it, but as someone who likes to try new things, I got bored of it after a while. I was using other shampoos along with it but over the last month or two I decided to just use it up and then go onto my other shampoos. It smells like fruity goodness and leaves my hair really soft. I would buy again but probably not for a while.

Poractiv Sheer Tint Moisture 
This has never been a match for my skin, as im sure you can tell. Its way to dark and ive never actually used it so im not sure why I felt the need to keep it around. Its so old that the colour is going off and I honestly dont know where it came from because ive never used proactiv.

Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Mousse
I got this back when I was in highschool, I dont even know how long ive had it. It smells nice but never really did anything for my wavy hair. Time to throw it away because I dont want to look at it.

Treseme Heat Protectant
Everyoine always raves about this stuff, claiming its the best heat protectant for your hair. I got this maybe a year or more ago and I was never a fan. It made my hair feel dirty and greasy so it wasnt something I wanted to use. Its about half gone and I think its time to stop trying to like it and just throw it away.

Loreal Sublime Bronze Spray 
This one actually comes with a funny story. A few years beack when I was getting everything ready for my prom, I thought id get some colour on my skin by sitting outside. I ended up with the worst tan lines  you can imagine. My arms had odd blotches around the shoulder, and to this day I still have no idea how that happened. Because I was wearing a strapless dress, it was going to look awful basically. My mom went out and bought this telling me to try and even it out. It didnt really do much to help and the colour was more on the orange side. I ended up trying a professional spray tan and looked so unbelievably dark I wanted to cry, that when I got home I scrubed my body for like twenty minutes to get it all off. I went to the prom with slightly darker skin and even more obvious blotches (see photo below). It was awful. Overall, I wasnt a fan of this.

Bath Market Vanilla Hand Cream
This stuff was pretty in expensive. I was in need of a hand cream because as a stylist your hands are in and out of water, etc so they get dry easily. I picked it up on a whim and thought why not give it a try. I do love the scent of vanilla. But unfortunately this had the most sickly sweet scent it gave me a headache. The scent of icing is not something to be worn. I regret not smelling it before purchasing but at least it was cheap.

The Body Shop Shea Shower Cream
This is a lovely body wash. Because its a cream, its more moisturising then a gel, so it doesnt strip everything from your skin. Great for dry skin, especially in the the winter months when its cold and your skin gets tight and uncomfortable. Ill be getting this again for next winter. A definite recommendation.

The Body Shop Shea Mini Body Butter
Not my favourite body butters, but it does leave the skin feeling nice and soft. The shea scent is a lovely, and it lasts on the skin unlike alot of other body products.

Prestige Liquid Liner
I got this a while back when my beloved Annabelle liner was sold out. It was a nice liner but the brush like applicator was harder to work with then the felt tip im used to.

Wet N Wild Natural Wear Tinted Balm in 102
Either im blind of the lighting in the store was really bad because this is the ugliest colour ive ever bought. It is the shimmeriestt/frostiest colour ive ever seen and is an odd pinky purple shade. It might have been okay without all the frost added in. I dont know what they were thinking making this, and I dont know what I was thinking buying it.

Perfume sample and random body spray 
Not sure how many years this J Lo perfume sample is. It doesnt even smell nice. Why so I have you?! The body spray came in a little set with a hand cream and body wash inside a super cute makeup bag, which is the oly reason why I bought it. Its a really sweet scent and not something id ever wear.

Avon Purple Mini Mascara
My aunt got me this and I really did like it, but I never really had a place to wear a bright purple mascara. It didnt get much use unfortunately but I didnt enjoy the look of it.

Avon Moisture Effective Eye Makeup Remover Lotion
My holy grail eyemakeup remove that im used for years. Ive talked about this many times so I wont go to much into it. It doesnt irritate or sting my eyes and gets all my mascara and eyeliner off super easily.

Thats everything ive used up lately, and I leave you with a photo of my terrible blotchy skin.

Revlon Photoready BB Cream

BB creams seem to be a love/hate thing. This is the second ive tried and while theyre not my favourite base, I do like them. I am a big fan of the Revlon Photoready foundation, so I had a feeling this would be a good one to try. Part of the reason I picked it up was because they had a better colour range than the Marcelle one I have and like, but its a tad too dark for me. 

I got the colour light, which is a perfect match for my skin. It has a light, natural coverage but gives the skin a beautiful glow. It applies easily and is light weight on the skin, making this a great summer product. On days where I dont want a lot of coverage or im not really wearing any makeup, this is my go to product. I wouldnt recommend this to cover anything up as it doesnt give nearly enough coverage; BB creams arent supposed to anyway. Overall, I like this for lazy days, but I wouldnt recommend it for everyday wear unless you have no problems with your skin. 

Essie Ballet Slippers

Ive always been a nail bitter, but over the past few years ive been trying my best to rid the habit. I have somewhat long nails for a short amount of time, a few weeks to months, before I start one by one biting them back off again. I hate the look of unpainted nails on me, so for years ive been wearing a Sally Hansen polish in Pink Whisper on my short stubs to make my hands look a little nicer without drawing too much attention to them. That polish got all gloopy and hard to use, so I went on a hunt for a similar shade from Essie and found Ballet Slippers, which is basically an exact dupe, but doesnt require as many coats to be opaque and seems to last longer aswell. It is a soft off white pink, the kind of pink theyd use for a french manicure maybe. Its a great colour for something like a formal event, an interview, etc. Im really happy I found this and im sure this is going to get plenty of use.

Top Lip Products under $10

L to R; Revlon Balm Stain in Charm and Honey Revlon Matte Lipsticks in Mauve it over and Smoked Peach, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks in Berry Haute, Pink in the Afternoon, Demure, and Love That Pink, Mimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks in Nude Delight and Vintage Pink, Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss Lipstick in 03, Loreal Colour Riche lipstick in Cardinal Plume

Revlon have many great lip products, and are actualy some of my all time favourites. Their Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains are great for the gal who doesnt like or have time to touch up their makeup throughout the day( me). They have some great colours, my two favs being Charm and Honey. The balm texture is great- lipstick scares me sometimes because im afraid its ging to end up all down my face without my knowing. But with these, I never have to worry. Theyre easy to throw and and forget about, and last pretty well. I mean, who has time to worry about their lip colour throughout the day anyway.

Their Super Lustrous Lipsticks are really moisuturising and soft on the lips. Again, great colours. I have quite a few, my most worn being Demure, a very easy to wear peachy nude. A new favourite is one of their Matte Lipsticks in Mauve It Over. I dont usually get along well with mattes,  but this one doesnt settle into all the fine lines of my lips. Its a perfect everyday pinky mauve shade and lasts really well throughout the day. Smoked Peach is another nice matte shade but I dont wear it nearly as much as I should.

Rimmels Moisture Renew line are also great, again with a wide colour range. They dont feel like their going to slide all around your face and last fairly well. Id say they are a semi matte. I only have two of these but I quite like both. Nude Delight is a just that, a nude. Its more of a browny peach than a concealer lips kind of nude, which I personally prefer. Vintage Pink is a purple toned pink. I dont really suit most pinks with my fair skin, but this one works pretty well with my colouring. 

I only have one Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss lipstick but im a fan of the easy application and feel of the lipstick. I have 03, a pinky nude. It glides on so smooth and lasts well on the lips. Id love to try more from this range but I never remember when in the store. I have one from the new Matte collection that came out a little while back, but im not a big fan personally.

Im not much of a lipgloss wearer, but Rimmels Vinyl Gloss are fantastic. Theyre not sticky, dont have a weird scent and are really affordable. They feel smooth on the lips and have some really nice colours. My two favourites are Lovesick and Be Famous. 

The Loreal Colour Riche lipsticks have been talked about alot. They have 50% less wax than usual listicks and are a lot lighter and apply almost like a balm. I have the colour Cardinal Plume, a red. I find this to be an easier way to wear red because of the soft, balmy texture it doesnt emphasize any dryness. It gives a slight glossy look to the lips. It reminds me a lot of the Revlon Lip Butters, but more what id hoped they be like. Its almost an exact dupe of the colour Cherry Tart, but personally I much prefer to use the Loreal one.

SOTW: Waves

Waves // Portugal. The Man

This Week Im Loving.. #6

*This is a little late because my poor laptop died on me, but I have treated myself to a beautiful Macbook Pro tonight so posts should hopefully be more frequent now!

A new thing for me to do is tan. Ive been using the Xen-Tan Weekly Tanning Lotion (review coming soon). It gives me a a natural glow to my pale skin, which im really liking. So far no ones had a "Woah your tan!" reaction, so ill take that as a good sign. To go with my darker complexion, a darker foundation ive been trying out is Rimmel Wake Me Up in Ivory. I say darker, but I do think this is the lights shade they make. It never quite matched post-tan, so this is the perfect time to use it. I love the glow this gives my skin. It also feels light and not like it will rub off if I touch my face. Now I see my everyone loves this stuff. 

On the eyes I've been using a Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Barely Branded, either as an all over colour or as a base. It is my kinda colour; a goldy champagne shimmer that is just so easy to wear. For lips, my new favourite, Revlon Matte Lipstick in Mauve It Over. As I said in the post about it, I dont usually go for a matte lip because they settle into all the lines and sometimes arent the most flattering, but I havent had a problem with this on so far. The colour is just gorgeous and very wearable for daytime. Its been my eyeryday colour since I got it. Lastly is a hair product, Matrix Keratin Dose Pro Keratin Renewal Spray. I apply this to towel dried hair to help get a comb through it and  give my hair some added moisture and conditioning. Supposedly the hair is 90% more conditioned after one use, but I dont believe that to be at all true. Its definitely not my favourite product and I dont notice amazing results with it, but it is a decent product. 

Revlon 'Mauve It Over"

Ive never been one for matte lipsticks, but id heard about this colour from Revlons Matte lipstick line many times over the years, so when I was having a look through the aisles one day, I saw it and thought it was actually my kind of colour and would give it a go. Im not sure I would call this a mauve really- its more of an apricoty brown pink. Does that even make sense? Regardless, its actually a really nice shade for my colouring and is quite easy for me to wear. It doesnt settle into all the fine lines in my lips and doesnt look too matte on its own.Its quickly become my go to colour and it really does go with anything.

May Favourites

The month has flown by, I cant believe its already June. Ive been loving a lot of things this month and will start off with the makeup items. During the warmer months, I dont like applying too much to my face as with the heat I feel like if I touch my face im just wiping everything back off. So to combat my dark under eyes, the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Hilighting concealer if my go to. Just as it says, it hilights the area( making it a no go for blemishes) to brighten as well as conceal under the eyes. It really does help to brighten my face up and make me look more alive when ive gotten little sleep. Eyeshadow is something ive always been a bit lazy with. I either apply a champagney shade all over and call it a day, or add some form of brown in the outer portion of the lid aswell. This month Mac Wedge and Mulled Cider both blended through the outer half of the lid has been my go to. Ive also been liking Annabelle Goddess, a gorgeous bronze, although this is not a good colour for me if I look really tired. Rimmel Lash Accelerator is an old favourite that I started using again. It is definitely a mascara that gets better with age. I prefer a dryer formula for my lashes, and the older this one gets the more dramatic and full my lashes look. 

On the cheeks, you guessed it, Annabelle Rosewood blush. I dont know how many times ive mentioned this but its just such a wearable colour. Revlon Super Lustrous in Demure was a rediscover from my collection of lipsticks I barely look at. Its a really easy to wear peachy nude that goes with anything and everything. Fuss free and very me.

Ive been giving lots of care to my skin lately and the three stand out products for me right now are Hydraluron, This Works Perfect Skin Super Moisture and Perfect Eyes Recovery Cream. Ive done a whole post on these so ill just link that here for you to read if you so chose, rather than repeat myself. Ive also been really enjoying laying in the bath and having a good read. A body scrub ive been loving is The Body Shop Shea Sugar Scrub. Its not an abrasive scrub like some of the others ive tried, nor is it oily. It leaves the skin feeling soft (not red raw), and smells amazing. For lazy days when I dont want to do my hair- actually this is everyday but I mean when im off work- I put a pump of two of the Catwalk by Tigi Curlesque Curls Rock Amplifier. Thats a mouth full. Its a cream product to help define your curls and that it really does. I never usually leave my hair natural without a) wanting to straighten it after or b) tying it up. But with this stuff, the curls are more shapely and its not frizzy. Even after ive slept on it and that never happens. I was pleasantly surprised with this stuff. If you have curly or wavy hair like me, I recommend giving this one a go.

One non beauty favourite is The OC. This used to be my favourite show when it was on tv and I missed it so ive been rewatching and enjoying the Ryan/Marissa drama and awesome music. Im currently on season two and loving it.

This Week Im Loving.. #5

Ive had a boring week so I havent been using many products. When I dont really want to wear makeup but want a little bit of coverage, Ive been liking the Revlon Photoready BB Cream. The shade light matches my skin well and gives a natural glow to my skin. Mascara wise, ive been enoying the Rimmel Lash Accelerator, which I used last year and remembered I liked. Its definitely one of those mascaras that get better the longer its been open. It gives nice length( not that I need it for my lashes), though not quite as much volume as id like but still has a nice look. On the lips, I rediscovered an old favourite- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Demure. An easy to wear peachy nude that I can throw on with any look. 

 A non beauty related favourite this week is a book by John Green called The Fault In Our Stars. I read this in about three days, I liked it that much. A Fantastic read that I recommend to everyone. In short, its about a girl with terminal cancer who meets a boy at one of her support group sessions and changes her life. Go read it right now if you havent.

SOTW: Human

Daughter // Human