June Favorites!!

June has already come to an end and that means it’s time for June favorites!!!

Revlon Color Burst 018 Fire

I love this lip gloss, it is very pigmented for a gloss, similar to a lip stain but doesn't dry out the lips. This gloss is SUPER glossy and it doesn't really dry after you apply it. It makes your lips look wet so you may have to blot a bit if you don't care for that look, but I like it! 

Essie: Bottle Service

This is a beautiful pink color by Essie, perfect for summer.

GVP Conditioning Balm

This is Sally’s Beauty Supply’s version (dupe) for the Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm. I don’t care so much for the smell but it is great for adding extra moisture to the hair and costs about $7.

Sinful Colors: Dream On

(I added the sparkles on top)

This nail polish dries matte which I don’t like so I add a shiny top coat. But I love this color!

Las Vegas Tote

I got this tote on my trip to Vegas and it is a great summer tote or beach bag. I love the chrome look and the colors.

Bath and Body Works Gel Sanitizer 

I can’t go anywhere without these little guys. My favorite scent is Twilight Woods but I ran out of that one.

Black Platform Pumps

I got these shoes from Charlotte Russe for about $40 and I love them. They are super high but the platform design makes them easier to walk in.  They go well with everything from jeans to skirts and dresses. 

Eco Styler Moroccan Argan Oil Hair Gel 

I got this huge tub of hair gel at my local beauty supply store for about $5. It works well to keep fly away hairs down when wearing a pony tail or neat bun. It can also give your hair the hold it needs without drying it out.  It is made with 100% argan oil, it leaves no flakes or residue and the jar says it helps add shine and conditions.

Ed Hardy Perfume

I love this Ed Hardy perfume !! All it says on the bottle is Ed Hardy but just remember that it is in the PINK bottle. This scent is sweet, light and perfect for everyday wear, one of my all time favs.

Wet n Wild Berry Shimmer blush
This blush is very pigmented, a little goes a long way and I love the color.

Little Penguin Merlot  

I have tried many red wines but I keep coming back to this wine.  I think it tastes great and it is made in Australia. It only costs about $11 but it is my favorite red wine. 

  Sharp Objects

My favorite book this month was called Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. She is also the author of the novel Gone Girl which was on my favorites list last month. My sister liked her writing style and bought 2 more of her novels after we read Gone Girl. I find that Gillian's stories are a bit dark and disturbing. They are also quite violent but also very intriguing. Her characters are all damaged women who have some sort of dark past and there is also an aspect of criminal investigations and a detective genre. If you don't like books that are bit dark then you won't like this one but I liked not knowing exactly what the characters were capable of and the psychological thriller and investigative theme.


So that is it for my June favorites  comment below and let me know what products you have been loving this month.

Fruit smoothie

I love fresh fruit so today my mom and I got out the blender and whipped up some delicious and nutritious smoothies. This smoothie is packed with vitamins and antioxidants and it contains no sugar or preservatives. 

Ingredients:

*Mixed frozen berries

*Fresh cherries

*Pineapple

*Fresh mango

*Unsweetened almond milk

*Very ripe banana 

What do you put in your smoothie?

Revlon Super Lustrous Creme Lipstick Review

I am definitely a woman who loves a good lipstick, gloss, stain or balm. Over the years Revlon has remained one of my favorite drugstore brands because they offer consistently good quality and excellent products. I especially enjoy this Lustrous line of lipsticks because they go on smoothly and are non drying. I love the formula of these lipsticks and they come in a beautiful array of colors for all seasons.

These lipsticks are creamy in texture and appear slightly shiny but they are non-sticky. My all time favorite color in this collection is Berry haute 660 which is a purple-pink color that can be worn through the summer and into fall. This color also compliments a wide variety of skin tones.

I usually wear the pinks, orange/coral, and reds in the summer and spring and I tend to favor the plums, deeper red-wine colors in the fall and winter. This line has been around for a while but I am hoping that Revlon adds a few more colors.

These lipsticks cost about $4.50-$7 depending on where you purchase them. Walmart usually has a good color selection.

Do you own any of these Lustrous lipsticks? If so leave a comment below and let me know which one is your favorite shade.

essie Grow Strong Fortifying Nail Polish Review

I love wearing nail polish but if I wear it all the time I notice that the chemicals in the polish wreaks havoc on my nail beds. My nails sometimes peel and strip and when that happens I know it is time for me to take a break from my polish. 

I wanted to find something that would help strengthen my nails and allow me to wear my polish as much as I want without damaging my nails. I saw this essie grow strong fortifying treatment and I thought I would give it a try since essie is pretty well known for their nail products.

One thing I like about this treatment is that it has a nice pink hue to it so you can still have a bit of color on your nails while you treat them. I also like that it dries pretty quickly.

After using this treatment on and off for the last year or so I did not notice any great improvement in the strength of my nails. I also didn't see any great improvement when my nails peeled from prolong nail polish wear. 

The only thing that actually helps my nails recover is not wearing nail polish for a couple of weeks and giving my nails a chance to recoup. I also switched to a less harsh nail polish remover which is in my NYC mini haul post. 

For nail growth one thing that did help my nails grow substantially faster was taking biotin supplements but I stopped taking them because of the negative side effects on my skin. I did do a review on biotin pills which you can look for by using the search box at the top right of this blog.

I do still wear this treatment when I don't feel like wearing a bright nail polish or any distinguishable colors. I wear it when I want a light wash of color and I often pair it with my essence sweet as candy polish which is a similar color.

Leave a comment below letting me know which nail treatments you have tried and which ones worked for you. 

Versatile Blogger Award!

Thanks to the gorgeous Lisa from Ameliorer la Vie I have been awarded the versatile blogger award! You can find her post here http://ameliorerlavie.blogspot.ca/2013/06/the-versatile-blogger-award.html and please take the time to check out her wonderful blog.

Rules of the VBA

If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Include a link to their blog.
3. Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly. ( I would add, pick blogs or bloggers that are excellent!) Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award
4. Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

So here are 7 things about me:

1. I detest orange juice, I don’t mind eating oranges but I hate orange juice so much that it makes me gag.

2. I have been intrigued with ancient Egypt since I was 7 years old. I love the architecture, the history, the culture, the myths and I find the civilization so rich.

3. I love doing adventurous things when I travel like hiking in the jungles of Honduras, going white water jet boating, riding camels in the desert, snorkeling, cave hiking etc...no matter how scared I may be I still do it.

4. I am afraid of falling, I am okay to go up in high buildings and airplanes but the thought of plummeting to the earth actually makes me nervous and sick...so no sky diving for me!

5. I have a very diverse cultural mix in my family from Irish, Indian, and Caribbean and I have family that live all over the world from Sweden, London, the U.S., the West Indies and more! I can’t speak any language besides English but I have always wanted my cousins to teach me Swedish.

6. I LOVE Italian food and I cannot wait to go to all the major cities in Italy. I think the Italian language is BEAUTIFUL. I also love the sound of the Japanese language. 

7. When I was younger I was involved in many different activities, I am a great swimmer (I even completed the lifesaving lessons), I took jazz,  karate,  gymnastics, figure skating, I played soccer and volleyball.

8. Here is a bonus fact about me: When I was younger my dream job was to be an actress! I LOVE the process that goes into making a movie; from makeup to special effects and of course good acting.

I nominate these wonderful blogs:

1. http://pashuntrisha.blogspot.ca/

2. http://www.jadeoak.com/

3. http://beautyismyheaven.blogspot.ca/

4. http://itslajosephine.blogspot.ca/

5. http://www.beautymadesimple.net/

6. http://glitzglamzebra.blogspot.ca/

7. http://eyeshadoweyeliner.blogspot.ca/

8. http://abeautymoment.blogspot.ca/

9. http://addisonelinor.blogspot.ca/

10. http://www.beautyandthetravelbeat.com/

11. http://bbubbles16.blogspot.ca/

12. http://brittneymarie02.blogspot.ca/

13. http://fivetwocertified.blogspot.ca/

14. http://glittertogold.blogspot.ca/

15. http://lifeasizzie.blogspot.ca/

Cleaning out my makeup collection

Every year I like to go through my makeup and de-clutter. I know many of us makeup junkies have so many products that sometimes things can get shoved aside and forgotten. It is easy for items to get lost and go unused; so on days like today when Toronto is under a heat advisory and it is miserably humid outside I took the time to go through some of my makeup and do some organizing.

I usually have backup items stored away in a drawer so that when I am running out of something I don't always have to run to the store or order the item.

Usually I find old items that I either have never liked or no longer use. Some makeup is older and needs to be tossed which is great because it makes room for new things! 

I usually also take this time to go through my brushes, toss out the old ones that are no longer usable and clean the ones I use regularly. 

If I have MAC empties I collect them because they have a wonderful recycle program at the store where 6 empties = a FREE product and who doesn't want free makeup?

I always have older nail polish that either needs to be thrown out or tweaked with some nail polish thinner.

If I have items that are still in good shape, new items, or just things I don't want I usually give them away. My mom usually gets the numerous bottles of MAC foundations or concealers that were never a good match for me and have passed their return date at the store. She also gets things that didn't work for me like those Xpress stick on nails that were too short, and things that I don't need (right now) like anti-aging skin care samples. If I have anything else I give them away as well.

What do you do with your unused makeup? Do you clean out your collection often?

How to make a bun out of a leg warmer

I really like that high buns are trendy again. I think they look super cute, especially with the right shade of pink lipstick and some cute earrings but the problem I had was that the bun contraptions in the stores were always a bit too small. I have thick long hair and I wanted a nice big bun so I devised a way to make my own large bun using a leg warmer. I like the shape and size of the bun when I use a leg warmer and it holds up very well.

This is one of the easiest tutorials ever!

I used a nice long, thick leg warmer to make my big bun. If you don't have long or thick hair and you need a smaller bun you could cut it in half or to the size you need. 

1. Start off with a leg warmer in the length you want. If you don't know what length you will need continue with all the steps first, try out the bun and then readjust.

2. Fold one end of the leg warmer down a few inches.

3. Keep folding downwards making sure the folds are about the same size

4. Fold all the way to the other end

5. You may end up with a small piece of material left over that cannot be folded in an equal part

6. Fold the excess over your bun securely. 

And that is it!! you are finished. Your bun should look something like this

Now here is a short demonstration on how to use the bun once you have made it.

1) Put your hair in a ponytail and brush the front and any stray hair around the ponytail. You can use gel and bobby pins/clips to hold your hair in place. 

2) Next take the bun that you  have made and put it over the hair band that you used to make your ponytail.

3) Flip your hair up and around the bun on all sides so the ends of the ponytail are hanging over the bun to cover it.

4) Take the ends and wrap them around the bun while tucking them under. Keep wrapping the hair around until all the ends are tucked in and then apply a hair tie over the bun to hold the ends in place or bobby pin the ends to secure them.

You should end up with a bun that looks similar to this. You can also make your bun neater if you like I made this one a tad messy but I like the look.

A special thanks to my sister Amanda for sitting through this bun tutorial for me and so that I didn't have to spend 2 hours flat ironing my hair to do this post :)

Color essence Stay With Me Lipgloss & Lipstick Review

essence is known for their affordable cosmetics and decent products. I don't have many products from this line but I do really like the mini quick dry nail polishes and their pencil eye liner. They also have some beautiful eye shadows, although we don't get many products here in Toronto; our selection is limited to a small display usually tucked away in a corner of Shoppers Drug Mart. 

esssence stay with me long lasting lipgloss

These lip glosses are great for when you want something lighter on your lips. They aren't very pigmented when you apply them, the deepest and most pigmented color of the three is the color Pretty Witty which is a beautiful  pink-mauve color; while the others give a light wash of color that is a bit more transparent.

They say long lasting on the tubes but I haven't noticed that they last any longer than an average drug store lip gloss.

The glosses are about $1.49 each and they are a tad sticky on the lips. I find myself grabbing for these when I can't decide on a color or when I don't want to wear a heavy lipstick shade. I also wear these to the gym to keep my lips looking good and prevent them from getting dry.

Below are the colors I purchased

essence xxxl shine lipgloss

This lipgloss is rather thick and a bit sticky. It is also very shiny on the lips and I prefer the stay with me long lasting glosses. I didn't care very much for how this gloss appeared on my lips.

essence lipsticks 

The essence lipsticks also cost about $1.49 each and I only have two colors because the color selection was a bit sparse and I didn't see any other shades that I liked. These two lipsticks give a really nice color pay off, they are non-drying and they have average lasting power. I Like that the formula is creamy and that they apply glossy. 

Leave a comment and let me know what essence products you have tried and which are your favorite?

Recent Trends: Hot or Not?

Today I am going to do a post on recent popular trends and how I feel about these different looks. I invite you to leave a comment below and let me know what you think about each of these trends.

Leggings

These days women have adopted the casual style of wearing leggings everywhere. You can see leggings at the grocery store, at the gym and even in the work place paired with a dressy top and blazer.

 I understand the need to feel comfortable but I also think that there is a time and place for leggings. I don’t consider them business or formal attire so outside of casual wear I think the leggings should stay in the drawer. I also think if you are going to wear leggings they should fit properly and you should pair them with the proper top that flatters the entire look. Women should also be a bit more careful about purchasing see through leggings.

The hi-low trend

I like the hi-low trend within reason. I think the dresses in this photo are good representatives of the trend but I dislike when the trend is overdone. Pairing a high-low skirt with a high-low top can be a bit too much. 

Animal Print

Animal print has gone out and come back in again more times than I can count. I remember being 16 and loving animal print and then watching it go out and feeling like a leopard during hunting season when I left the house. I think animal print can be nice when balanced with neutral items like the photo above. I do however think that head to toe animal print including nail polish and shoes is just too much!

Skull Print 

This is a trend I found a bit odd. When I think of skulls I don’t think cute, I think of death and morbidity. I don’t quite know how this trend caught on but this is one I will skip.

Colored jeans

Nothing says summer to me like bright colors. I love these colored jeans! They often come in a variety of beautiful colors from pastel to vibrant and even neon. I think they can be dressed up or down and as long as you get the right fit for your body type they tend to look great.

Mustache jewelry 

This is another trend that left me baffled. What is up with the mustache fascination? Are they supposed to be cute? Funny? I’m not sure what’s going on here but this isn't a trend I understood.

Wedge sneakers

The first time I saw this trend was on vacation in Puerto Rico; there were a bunch of street dancers dancing to Latin music and all the women were wearing these wedged sneakers. I like them for occasional casual wear, and if you are going to wear sneakers (which I only wear to the gym), then why not get the benefits of heels too.

Studs

I will admit I love the stud trend. Like every other trend I don’t think it should be overdone, I don’t really care for head to toe studs, or shoes that are entirely studded. I do however like a few thoughtfully placed studs on my accessories. There is just something about studs that screams edgy to me.

Peplum

I think peplum is a trend that can flatter many body types. It’s cute and can be done well with tops and skirts.

Tribal Prints

I like a cute tribal print especially when it comes to bangles or skirts. I do however think that when overdone it can be a bit much and two different tribal prints shouldn't necessarily be paired together, I much prefer them with solids.

Owl Jewelry 

This is a trend that I was surprised took off. I am all for owls and I think some of them are rather cute. I don’t really have a problem with this trend but I doubt I will be buying owl print anytime soon.

Leather

Leather is making a comeback, although certain leather items like a cute leather jacket never goes out of style. I like leather but I don’t know if I would be wearing a full leather dress in the summer when humidity can make it stick to your skin. I prefer leather pieces rather than a whole leather outfit.

Stacking accessories

I love the look of cute stacked accessories! Especially when they are uniquely different yet somehow go together well.

Chevron Print

Chevron print is quite popular and like any print it can be done well if not overdone. I like this multicolored maxi skirt.

Lace

Lace has been around for ages but designers are always coming up with creative ways to give it new recognition. Lace dresses, skirts and shorts can be very stylish when paired with the right accessories.

(All these photos were taken from Pinterest, for more clothing trends you can follow my board at http://pinterest.com/ericachristina/clothing-and-accessories/  )

What do you think of these trends? Which do you like or not like? Are there any trends that I did not mention that you love? Leave a comment and let me know.