Saturday, June 29, 2013

June Favorites!

June was a very busy month for me! Lots of work, stress and things to do, that means less time to put my makeup on in the morning and less time to take care of myself. Nonetheless, these products helped me to get throught this month. Let's take a look!



Three products that saved my life (or should I say, my skin?) this month were Origins Charcoal MaskREN Micro Polish Cleanser and Hydraluron (which I did a review about if you want more informations). My skin felt really dull and lackluster recently so I had to take my skincare routine up a notch. The Charcoal Mask by Origins is a wonderful product if you have clogged pores, blackheads, whiteheads or breakouts and all that shebang. It acts like a magnet to draw out any dirt hidden under your skin and leaves it smooth and glowing. Leave it on for a good hour, remove it gently with a flannel and bam, big difference! The Micro Polish cleanser is more of an every other day cleanser, it contains physical and chemical exfoliants which are a perfect pick-me-up for dull skin. Every night I have been applying the infamous Hydraluron, a hydrating serum, to help my skin feel plump and hydrated. Thumbs up for these products!

As far as makeup goes, I kept it fresh and simple with my DiorSkin Nude BB Crème as my everyday base. Slap it on with your fingers, blend it out and you will be left with a wonderful light, long-lasting and dewy finish. I am in l-o-v-e with it (did I say that I love it?). My lip products were kept natural aswell, nothing too flashy. I have rediscovered MAC Ravishing and fell in love all over again! It's an orange/coral creamy lipstick that is a great everyday summer shade (looks amazing with a subtle tan). When I wanted something a bit less high-maintenance, I went for Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in 02, a lipgloss/balm hybrid with a subtle peachy tint that leaves your lips looking ten times better!
My last one is Bath and Body Works Poolside Candle. I had no candles left since I burned them all so a trip to BBW was required and this is what I ended up with! It smells like summer, sunscreen and coconuts, who wouldn't want that?

I hope you all had a great month, if not, July will be better for sure!
What are your favorite products for June?

xx
Laurence

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Benefit Bottled Goodness: High Beam And Cha Cha Tint!

Have you noticed my love for Benefit Cosmetics since I started running this blog? I sure have! I remember years ago, Bad Gal Lash mascara was my first ''high-end makeup'' purchase and I went crazy over it. I still feel the Benefit love in my heart and have tried a great amount of their products. I guess the adorable packaging and pin-up feel is what sucks in every girl into this brand. Needless to say, High Beam is my most used makeup product of all time (third bottle here). Mixed with you foundation, applied onto the high points of the face or used as a primer, this gorgeous liquid pearlescent pink highlighter never fails to deliver a glow from within/dewy glow that I will never get tired of! On the other hand Cha Cha Tint doesn't get that much love from me but I still quite enjoy it during summertime. A bright orange/coral stain that looks gorgeous on the cheeks and lips when I have a bit of a tan going on. It lasts all day aswell even during the hot humid weather.

Have you tried these products?
What are your favorites by Benefit?

xx Laurence

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Bringing A Spotlight On: Dior Makeup

Surprisingly, Dior has been right up my street recently! I always said to myself that it was a bit of a ''granny brand'' but they came out with such great product in the past months/years that I just had to try a couple. 







DiorSkin Nude BB Crème is my base of choice at the moment, probably my all time favorite light coverage foundation I shall say. It makes my skin look incredible: it evens out redness and blotchiness, packs a bit of glow and lasts all day. I have the shade 002 which is the perfect summer shade for me. I am definetly going to get the lightest shade to use it in the wintertime (yes, I love it that much). If you are hesitating to buy it, I say go for it, you won't regret it!

A product that was on my wishlist for-e-ver is Dior Rose Diamond. I recently got it and felt a bit guilty since this is not cheap at all and I already have a handful of highlighters that I love. I got home and opened it and felt less guilty when I realized this is not only a highlighter but a blush and it can be used as an all over face powder. It is phenomenal applied all over: glowy, healthy and not shimmery/glittery. The packaging screams luxury and the product itself is pretty darn good! If you are looking to treat yourself go for this baby (or of course its sister, the gorgeous Amber Diamond).

Now, I have to say, I am no fan of sticky/gloopey lipglosses, I am rather picky about them but the Dior Addict Lipgloss in Glow is near perfection.  A pretty neutral beige shade that I have nothing bad to say about. It keeps my dry lips at bay and makes my them look flawless and plump. Good for lazy days when you don't feel like applying anything super flashy on your pout!

Friday, June 21, 2013

My Love Affair With Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains!

I will admit, I have an addiction to these chubby lip crayons. They are simply the best in the morning when I need something that will last all day and also will be easy to touch up during the day. These are stains so they last up to 8 hours (at least for me) without drying your lips at all. They feel feathery light while delivering an awesome buildable pigmentation. Basically, the color you see on the bullet is the color you are going to get on your lips after a couple of swipes. If you love minty flavored lip products that are easy to apply, last all day and have opaque coverage with a beautiful semi-glossy finish, these are definetly for you. But beware, if you get one and like it, you will want every single   shade (yes, it happened to me!).



The shades I have here are Sweetheart (a bright medium pink), Lovesick (cool toned bright fuchsia), Rendez-Vous (a true orange/coral) and Charm (a peachy nude).

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The Mid-Week Break

As you may already know, I live with my boyfriend and work five days a week so obviously, I sometimes need a break from the boy and the job. I decided to take this wednesday afternoon off to enjoy some time alone, relax and go outside by this beautiful weather. I realised that I don't do this often at all. The reason why is, I used to fear going out alone, I had big issues with social anxiety. I started to enjoy some alone time outside of my house pretty recently and I have to say it feels great, I had no reason to fear this. When you are alone, you have nothing to think about but yourself, of course it may sound selfish but oh well. I just walked my dog for a good thirty minutes, went to Starbucks to relax and enjoy a delicious ol' coffee (and of course write this post!), after this I will probably go and treat myself to a makeup product of some sort. The whole point of this (random) post is reminding you that it is good to unwind, relax and breathe. Treat yourself to a little something, we all work really hard to pay our bills and maintain our social life but we sometimes deserve to stop for a second and enjoy life by our own! As for my stupid social anxiety I had since I was a little girl, I just kicked it in the butt and I promise to myself I won't let it take over me anymore!

(The picture above has no point really but I finally got a vanity table, yes!)

I hope this was helpful, inspirational even to some of you.
To all of you beautiful people out there, have a great week and weekend xx
Laurence

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Currently Loving #2: Clarins Daily Energizer Cream

Since the weather is getting warmer and sunnier, my dry skin has settled to being normal/a little oily so my winter moisturisers didn't make the cut anymore. After doing my searches, I finally decided to go for the Clarins Daily Energizer Cream. At first, I wasn't too sure about it but the more I use it, the more I fell in love with it. This particular range from Clarins is targeted towards younger skin that needs a boost of radiance, they also have the same moisturiser but in a gel form, great for oily skins! The reasons why I love this cream so much is mainly because it sinks in super quickly and makes my skin glow without looking greasy. It smells really fresh and fruity, if you are sensitive to fragrances this might not be the best for you. I use it in the mornings only and it creates a smooth base for my makeup, for nightime though, this isn't rich enough for me. Finally, it is pretty affordable for a product that is on the higher end, 25$CAD. I really like it, it's a great day moisturiser for summer time!

Saturday, June 15, 2013

What's In My Makeup Bag: The Summer Edit!

-Benefit Makeup Bag
-DiorSkin Nude BB Crème in 002 Light
-Make Up For Ever HD Powder
-Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Ivory
-Hourglass Illume Crème To Powder in Sunset
-Benefit Watt's Up Highlighter
-Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara
-Benefit They're Real Mascara
-Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers
-Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Black
-MAC Ravishing lipstick
-Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in 02
-YSL Rouge Volupté in Lingerie Pink

Monday, June 3, 2013

The Wishlist #3

Recently, I have been working my butt off at work and I realized that I don't really treat myself enough with the money that I make so I decided that I am going to indulge in a couple of things I have been lusting over for a few weeks! 


1.Hourglass Illume Creme To Powder Duo in Bronze Light
Just look at this! It is an absolutely gorgeous product, I don't own anything from Hourglass and I'm in an urging need for a new bronzer since summer is kicking in!

2.Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturizer:
My skin has been a lot less dry recently due to the hot and humid weather and I think this lovely new release from Origins is going to be great for this time of the year.

3.Hourglass Ambient Lightning Powder in Luminous Light:
This baby is getting a lot of hype these days and after a lot of researching I decided to go with the Luminous Light. I am going to give my MUFE HD Powder a little break!

4.DiorSkin Nude BB Crème:
I am looking for a light yet not greasy or too dewy foundation/tinted moisturizer and this one made the cut, it's going to be perfect for summer!