New favorite: lip & cheek velvet stick

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Once again, it seems like The Body Shop don’t know how to deceive me. Ever since I started using their products, I’ve been more than excited to try a new one because it seems like they really get me, my skin and my hair. They just do. And who wouldn’t fall for their cute packaging and the scent of their products. And let’s be honest, their stance against animal cruelty and community fair trade program makes them one of the best beauty product company out there. It’s good to buy from a company that care about the planet.

Now, let me introduce you to me new lil’ favorite from The Body Shop. The lip & cheek velvet stick, or YOUR NEXT PURSE ESSENTIAL. You probably know by now that I am a sucker for bold colored lips and I have an impressive collection of lipsticks. Lip crayon are definitely my favorites, and these new babies are most likely my new go-to colored lip sticks. And not only are they made for your lips, but you can also use them as blush on your cheeks! Big YAY! And the velvety texture and matte finish of them is to-die-for. They’re offered in 6 charming colors (I am wearing 20 Pink) and if you don’t know which one to chose, you can also have it in the universal shade. The stick is black and quite mysterious, but once you apply it on your lips or cheeks, it blends with you skin pH to offer a unique shade. Pure magic, I know! Gotta try it to believe it ;)

Oh and have you seen their new Smoky Poppy Collection? I’ve tried the body butter (perfectly rich for winter harshness), shower gel and body scrub so far and I am enchanted. The smell is simply divine! And I loooooooove the black packaging so badly.

XXX smack!

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My holiday beauty essentials

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Fake nails
There’s no way I can make time in my holiday schedule for painting my nails, waiting for it to dry, chipping the polish off and starting over every two days. No way. That’s why fake nails are a serious life saver when it comes to holidays. KISS released an awesome glittery collection that are just perfect this season! Check it out!

Blush
Blush is just such and underestimated power tool to add a radiant and lively vibe to any faces. Just a touch of blush on my cheeks (okay, and a little concealer!) will make all the difference on the 6th party in a row!

Fake lashes
Ever since I tried fake lashes, I’m looking for occasions to wear them. Seriously. And the Looks-so-natural collection by KISS is putting all of the others to shame! Their tapered ends blend seamlessly with your own lashes so no one will notice they’re fake. But everyone will notice how great your eyes look!

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Hair care
Winter is quite harsh on my skin and hair. That’s why I take extra care of them during these cold months. My #1 hair product this year is without a doubt the Split end mender by Marrakesh. I discovered it in my monthly ipsy bag, and it’s awesome! It’s a leave-on cream that instantly helps split ends, leaving my hair feeling sooo so soft and heathy-looking! And the smell is simply divine! Yay!

Lipstick
Christmas is the perfect occasion to wear bold lipstick some might not be willing to pull off at the office on any given day! For me this isn’t a problem, but it’s for sure a reason to take my reddest, flashiest lipstick out! I particularly dig the Colorbust lip crayon from Revlon (gotta love its matte finish!) and the lip stain I bought from Joe Fresh.

What are YOUR holiday beauty essentials?

 

Winter nailart with the body shop

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Winter is settling in and so is my stay-at-home-fever. One of my favorite indoor activities is to paint my nails. My friends & I do this a lot when we don’t feel like doing much and I think it’s fair to say that we enjoy it. Chatting about boys, gossiping about anything and everything while testing different manicures…  Girl business at its best, you know!

When The Body Shop sent me over some of their new colour crush nail polishes along with there new nail pen, I knew they’d take part in our girly get-togethers. The shades are great, the quality as well, but what truly blew my mind is that tiny little tool that makes it almost impossible to miss your nail art. It’s a twin-tip metal tool that you can use with any nail polish to create details like dots or lines (as suggested on the tool itself). One of the manicures we ended up doing was inspired by the first snow day. It’s as easy as quick, and you won’t believe how useful this little tool is!

How? You start by applying a first coat of nail polish. We chose 710 Big Smoke which is a charcoal grey. Let dry. When it’s completely dry, dip one tip of the tool (you decide if you prefer smaller dots or bigger) in a lighter shade of polish and paint small dots starting at the tip of the nail, just like little snowflake falling from the sky. TADA. You have it. The cutest winter-themed nails. I’m sure it looks as good in other color combination as well!

 


Oh, and speaking about The Body Shop, have you guys seen their Black Friday deal? For only 30$ you can get a tote filled with 8 customer favorites (like the Shea Body Butter, the Strawberry Shower Gel, the Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover and the Hemp Hand Protector…) with any 30$ purchase. It’s worth 120$ so that’s what I call a deal! Plus, there are others mix & match deals going on, so don’t miss out if you’re looking for awesome stocking stuffers or a little something to treat yourself !

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Eye emphasizers / fake lashes

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After taking the journey into fake nails, I decided to take it into fake lashes as well. I use to think fake lashes were tacky, simply because the only time I ever wore them was for Halloween. You know how we all want the flashiest, biggest and most incomfortable lashes, just because, well, you know, it’s Halloween, and we can be someone else for one night. It never occured to me that I could replace my neverending obsession with big bold mascara with a pair of those and two drops of glue, until KISS sent me some. THANK GOD. Now I’m tempted to were some every day and I sometimes have to remind myself that a stay-at-home day in a stay-at-home outfit is a waste of makeup, if you know what I mean.

They are made from 100% premium quality natural hair, which truly doesn’t make them look like Halloween accessories, and they come in various size and shapes. They come with a convenient lash applicator (very helpful!), but you have to buy the glue separately (which also mean you get to chose which one you prefer!). And most of all, they are contact lens friendly. BIG YAY. Oh, and you will find them at Walmart for a decent price. Now, don’t be shy, and step into a world of big bold glamorous look!

Do you wear fake lashes on a regular basis?

Julie is wearing KPLM01 (first picture) and I am wearing KPLM02 (second picture).

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Fake nails? Why not!

fake_nails_2fakenails_1I never wear fake nails, mostly because I am lucky enough to have long and strong nails, but also because I had a very bad experience with nail glue when I was younger. For some reasons, a drop of glue found its way to one of my eye and I almost lost it. Tragic, yes. A few weeks ago, I received imPress press-on fake nails from Broadway Nails, so I was happy I could finally try on cool & flawless manicures without fearing the wicked glue! ha! These are the most ridiculously easy fake nails to apply, I swear! At first my hands felt very weird but I ended up liking the feeling of such solid nails A LOT. Also, I wore them for at about a week before I decided to take them off (my nails had grown, pulling the artificial nail away from the cuticule). The quality of the product, the no-drying time factor (because seriously, aren’t you tired of waiting for your nail polish to dry?!!) plus the effortlessness of sticking them on are three major upsides that will probably lead me to wearing artificial nails more often.

Each set contain 24 nails (different sizes, but you can probably make 2 full manicures out of it), a cleaning towel and a nail file. You will find them at, among others, Wal-Mart, Brunet, Uniprix and Pharmaprix for about $10, which is WAY LESS than a salon manicure!

Here’s how to apply:

  • Cleanse natural nails with enclosed pad
  • Choose the size that best fits your nail and peel off backing
  • Align nail with cuticule and press down firmly in the middle, and on the sides
  • Repeat for each finger, and you’re done!

To remove the nails, simply peel off from sides! Very easy and damage-less.
I’m wearing the Night Fever set (second photo) and Roxanne is wearing Dancing Queen (first photo).

What do you think about fake nails?

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KISS Nail Dress Mix It Up

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Have you tried nail strips? Being a self-confessed nail art addict, I had been wanting to try these for a long time, but for some reason, I haven’t until this week, when I received two kits of NAIL DRESS MIX IT UP from KISS. They are pressure-sensitive adhesive that you apply on clean and dry nails to dress them with fun patterns and textures. Looking for a statement accessory? Try statement nails!

They’re easier to applier than I thought and easy to peel off, without any damaging acetone (hooray!). Mine lasted about a week (way longer than I thought in the first place!), but if you have an important event, I suggest you apply them the night before, to make sure they look their very best. Each kit contains two different designs (perfect to mix and match) and includes 40 strips (in 12 different sizes) and a nail file! You will find them at any Target store for less than $10! Have I told you how happy I am that Target finally opened up in Canada?

Here’s how to apply:

  • Prep nail with alcohol or nail polish remover
  • Choose the size that best fits your nail then apply near the cuticle
    and smooth away from center of the nail downward
  • Fold decal down over the edge of the nail and file off the excess
  • Ta-daaa! You’re ready to rock your manicure!
    (See this video for a visual tutorial on how to apply nail dresses! )

I’m wearing the golden ones from the Daiquiri pack (first photo) and Tania is wearing the Cosmopolitan, in the lightest shade (second photo). See those products here.

Are you going to try those? Where would you rock such a cool manicure?

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Oil pulling for dental care

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If you haven’t heard about oil pulling by now, you probably don’t dig through the Internet looking for beauty tips like I do! Luckily for me, I can convince you to try this weird dental hygiene trick.

I first heard about it through The Beauty Department, and my curiosity led me to search the whole web for reviews on that amazingly-rated teeth whitening technique. By the end of the day, I had bought a jar of cold-pressed coconut oil from the nearest natural product store (according to many reviews this oil is definitely the best, but you could also use sunflower or sesame oil).

Now, I guess you’re wondering what the hell I am talking about here, right? Oil pulling is a very old technique used to remove bacteria from your mouth and gums and also has the power to whiten your teeth. Natural and harmless? Yes! Here’s how:

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Beauty reviews / Best foundation so far

Best foundation so far

After years of wearing make-up on a daily basis, some products have gloriously reached the top spots on my very-favorites list. If there is one product I can’t leave behind it’s the MATTE Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 from bareMinerals. I have tested many foundation types and it’s the greatest yet. It comes in twenty different shades and it’s really easy to use. All you need is a good brush to apply the powder (don’t forget to clean it afterwards !). I like to use the Pro Kabuki Brush #43 from Sephora.

It ranks at the top best foundation because :

  • You can easily choose how much coverage you want;
  • It gives you a natural matte finish and the skin doesn’t feel overloaded;
  • It helps to minimize the appearance of pores.

To apply it like a pro, go check the “Tips & Tricks” section on the page product. Also, Sephora is now offering a free bareMinerals duo with C$35 purchase !

matte foundation broad spectrum SPF 15 / pro kabuki brush #43

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Beauty tips / Taking care of makeup brushes

Cleaning your brushes

Over the next few weeks, I would like to introduce you to some of my favorite products that you can use on a daily/weekly basis use. We clean our faces, but what about our makeup brushes ? We use them every day and don’t always take care of cleaning them. I think it’s essential to clean them in order for your brushes to last longer and it also prevents you from spreading bacteria on your skin.

These are my favorite beauty products for taking care of makeup brushes :

Daily brush cleaner by Sephora

You may spray a few pumps on your brush when you’re done using it, it dries quickly and then you can use the same brush to apply the next product. Doing this prevents spreading germs, plus it leaves a pleasant smell. Repeat after each use. With this cleaner, you can invest in a few good brushes instead of having one for each purpose.

Purifying brush shampoo by Sephora

In combination with the daily cleaner, this shampoo will help you preserve your brushes for a lifetime. Just make sure to follow cleaning instructions and to let them dry face down.

daily brush cleaner / background flowers 1 / background flowers 2 / purifying brush shampoo

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Crush of the moment / Biotherm deep serum

I’m soooo happy to introduce you to my friend Marie Pier, who recently joined this blog as a contributor. She is a graphic designer and web developper by day, and a pet lover by night. Her mind-blowing sense of details and taste for home decor leads her beliefs in the power of a gorgeous home. She’s here to share her passion for home styling along with her obsession with beauty products! Welcome Marie-P! May this be your second home. -M
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Aquasource deep serum from Biotherm

Hey Spring, you are finaly here ! I just wanted to share with you my crush of the moment and one thing that inspired M and I for the DIY concrete project we did last week (don’t worry you’ll see that soon enough). I really like that concrete console table, but it’s definitely out of my budget (443$ !). I may use it as inspiration in a future project! I love the whole concept of this room, especialy its brightness, maybe I’m just tired of looking at the dirty sidewalks.

Anyway, Spring has sprung and I like to take a particular care of my skin during this time of the year to be ready for Summer. I must confess, I cannot skip a day without using the Biotherm serum that I’ve been using for the last year or so. It’s a bit expensive (60$), but you don’t need much to cover your face (and a bottle lasts for about six months, on a twice a day basis) and you can easily save on your day/night cream (you’ll need less in combination with the serum). It really helps to prevent dehydration and it brightens your skin. How do you prepare yourself for Summer ?

room set up / console table / aquasource deep serum

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