Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray Review

I have been using the e.l.f. setting spray for a long time now before deciding that I wanted something a bit better. Before my trip to Dubai I thought it would be a good idea to invest in a makeup setting spray that would hold up in the desert and keep my foundation from sliding off my face. What better way to test a makeup setting spray than in extremely warm weather.

I purchased this setting spray from Sephora for $30 + tax. I actually narrowed my choices down between this Urban Decay spray and the MAC setting spray and based on consumer reviews I purchased this one.

I do like that the spray comes out in small amounts of mist and that it smells okay, a bit similar to hairspray. When I first apply it, my face feels a tad stiff but that feeling wears off quickly as the spray dries. 

My face does not feel sticky while I wear this product and it doesn't cause my face to look oily or sweaty. The formula is oil free, paraben free and boasts temperature control technology. It also does not irritate my skin which can be quite sensitive.

I wore this setting spray all day, while I made the 14 hour plane trip to Dubai, while I was riding camels in the desert and swimming at resorts. After all of that I did notice that the spray held up rather well. It didn't keep everything in place all day, but it did allow my foundation to last longer than it would have had I not used this product.

I did notice that if I sprayed too much the droplets of product left little round marks on my skin which I then had to go back and correct with makeup. 

This setting spray is great for going out in the evening when you need your makeup to last and stay fresher looking longer and for use during special events. In cooler temperatures and in less humid conditions this setting spray makes my makeup look freshly applied all day. 

Do I think this setting spray is worth the price? Well that really depends on how you use it and what you need it for. I expected excellent results and I got good results. The spray is suppose to last 16 hours but I would estimate that it lasted around 6 hours in humid weather and after that my makeup didn't look as fresh as when I first applied it. In less extreme temperatures it holds up a lot longer.

Is the All Nighter better than the $3 e.l.f. setting spray? Yes but not by leaps and bounds. It is better in that it makes my makeup look fresher for longer but it isn't extremely more advanced considering the price difference between the two. It does smell better than the e.l.f setting spray however but for everyday summer use the e.l.f. spray works just fine.

Inglot Palette: Peacock colors

So since I got my Inglot palette in Abu Dhabi I have been trying out different looks with it. I love how pigmented the shadows are and how I am able to build them up. The texture also makes them quite easy to apply.

For this look I used the first three colors in the palette. This look and these colors actually reminded me of  the blue and purple hues in a peacock feather. When my friend saw me with these shadows on the first thing she said was "I love your eye shadow, it looks like a peacock." 

Mushroom, cheese and onion sirloin burgers with mango salad & spicy sweet potato fries.

Hi everyone,
Today my sister, my mom and I decided to make Sunday dinner together and it was delicious so I am going to share the recipe with you.

Menu:

Lean ground sirloin mushroom and cheese burgers

Thai inspired mango salad

Spicy sweet potato fries

Mango Salad

Mango salad:

*3 large semi sweet mangoes

*1/2 of a large red pepper thinly sliced

*2 stalks of green onion cut into thin slivers

*Roasted cashews

*Red onion cut into thin slivers

 Dressing:

*1tsp chilli pepper

*5-6 leafs of finely chopped cilantro

*Juice of 2 limes

*1 drop of soy sauce

*1/4 cup vegetable oil

*3tsp granulated sugar

*1/4 tsp salt and pepper

 Directions:

* Peel and slice mangoes into thin or thick slivers (depending on your preference)

* In a bowl, mix ingredients for the dressing

*Toss mango with red pepper, green onion, red onion and dressing

*Garnish with cashews

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

Spicy sweet potato fries: (You can make these as spicy as you like)

*Peel 2 large sweet potatoes and cut into chunky fry shapes

*Place fries into a large ziplock bag and coat with: extra virgin olive oil, 1 and 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 and ½ tsp of paprika, salt (to taste), black pepper and chilli powder (to taste)

*Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

*Line a baking dish with parchment paper or foil and spread fries thinly onto dish

*Bake fries until crispy on the outside and fully cooked on the inside

Sirloin Burgers

Lean sirloin burgers with mushroom caramelized onion and cheese:

What you need:

*1.5 lbs of lean ground sirloin

*Garlic powder

*Hot and spicy seasoning

*Black pepper

*Salt

* 1tsp of light cream

*Brown cremini mushrooms

*Onion

*Green onion

* 2 tbs Barbeque sauce

*Bread crumbs

*1/2 an egg white

*Chilli powder

*Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

*Sauté sliced onions in a pan with oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper until caramelized

*Cook sliced mushrooms in a separate skillet with a sprinkle of salt and pepper

Burgers:

*Sprinkle meat with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chilli powder and hot and spicy seasoning.

*Add chopped green onion, light cream, bbq sauce, egg white and enough bread crumbs so that the meat sticks together to form patties

*Mix meat and ingredients together and form hamburger patties 

*Cook however you prefer your burgers (rare, med rare, medium, well done), you can cook the burgers on a barbeque, in a pan or in the oven

*Top with cheese, mushroom, and caramelized onion 

The Red Tour & a Relaxing Day Downtown Toronto

Hi everyone,
I hope you are all having a lovely weekend thus far. I had a wonderful time downtown with my sister yesterday and a fun time at Taylor Swift's concert.

We began the day by having lunch at Younge and Dundas Square on a rooftop patio. Dundas Square in Toronto is in front of the Eaton Centre-(a big shopping mall) where there are live performances and free concerts. In fact today Ludacris is set to do a free concert there. The square was rather busy later on in the evening as the Much Music Video Awards are tonight and many people are in town. Taylor Swift will be at the awards show  as well since she is nominated.

View from the street

View from the patio

We had a nice lunch at Jack Astors, lots of yummy junk food to commemorate the day.

Spicy chicken strips

And it isn't a celebration without a mango, strawberry twist with an extra shot

Then we headed over to the mall to do a little shopping before the show

Who doesn't love bracelets and nail polish!

After that we headed over to the Rogers Centre formerly known to Torontonians as the iconic Sky Dome

CN Tower

Rogers Centre

Taylor did 2 concerts while in town and our show sold out in about 10 mins! There were 45,000 Taylor Swift fans in the stadium last night. We didn't get great seats but we were lucky to even get seats considering the rush at the box office.

Sadly we didn't get any good shots of Taylor because the lights in the stadium illuminated the stage so much that in the photos it looked like a ball of white light. But the concert was fantastic! In fact it was one of the best concerts I have been to. 

Her show resembled her music videos in that it was full of theatrics and each song told a story which she acted out accordingly. She sang all of her songs instead of using the background audio to do most of the work like many performers do and she did a lot more dancing than I expected. 

One of the best parts about the concerts was how much of a performance it was. The show had circus dancers and even a beautiful carousel, a magician theme, lots of lights, fireworks and special effects. In-between sets she had a violinist, ballet dancers and musicians, so the audience was never bored. She also had some beautiful costumes.

Taylor was also very interactive with the crowd. She walked the length of the audience singing to her fans and even had a stage at the back of the arena so that those of us who couldn't score better seats when the mad dash for tickets occurred were able to get a bit closer to her. She also explained what her songs and the tour was about and what they mean to her, so the concert felt very personal.

It was definitely  a great day. What did you do this weekend?

Summer Sunset Inspired Eye Shadow: Highlighting & Warm Foundation

I decided to so something inspired by the beautiful colors in a summer sunset on a warm night because I love how the colors blend together in the sky. I used deep orange, deep red and corals. I also used pinks and a bit of silver to tie everything together. For this look I used my Coastal Scents palette and my Inglot palette. I also used some of my e.l.f. shadows.

 In total I used 9 different colors to get this effect and blended them together. I also used a warmer (darker) foundation and I tried to make sure the lighting was warm for more of a summer's evening bronzed effect instead of shooting in direct sunlight or with bright lights.

I used a lot of my Lorac Tantalizer Bronzer to give my skin a radiant glow (I did a review in a previous post about this bronzer).

Ultimate Pink

This is my favorite pink polish called Ultimate Pink by Color Essence. 

The 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty Tag

I was tagged to do the 7 Deadly Sins post by the lovely Jackie Washington from Beauty Made Simple. If you would like to check out her responses to the questions you can find them here:

http://www.beautymadesimple.net/2013/06/the-seven-deadly-sins-of-beauty-tag.html

Rules:

*Follow and Link the person who tagged you

*Answer the questions on greed, wrath, gluttony, sloth, pride lust and envy

*Tag as many people as you wish, and be sure to let them know

*Let the person who tagged you know by linking up in the comments

 Greed: What is your most expensive beauty item?

Right now it would have to be the Macadamia deep repair hair masque, only because it cost almost $40 and I have long thick hair and go through it very fast.

Wrath: What item do you have a love hate relationship with?

BB creams. I just don’t get it, if I have foundation and concealer why do need a beauty balm. I refuse to buy a BB cream and even if I did some of the brands have about 5 shades and none of them match.

Gluttony: Which brand takes up most of your collection? 

MAC, I found some products that I like and I am sticking by them.

Sloth: What product do you neglect the most due to laziness?

Face primer. I just forget to put it on and by the time I do my foundation is on and it’s too late.

Pride: What gives you the most confidence?

My MAC Pro Long Wear concealer. It is my favorite concealer and I can use it without even needing to apply foundation. It gives me full flawless coverage. I could probably give up everything else except this in order to walk out of my house with flawless looking skin.

Lust: Which item is at the top of your beauty wish list?

The Sigma kabuki brush set. I have been eyeing this set all year.

Envy: Which makeup product/ look is great on others but not on yourself?

White eyeliner on the lower water line. For some reason it just looks too harsh on me. I usually opt for a beige color instead.

I tag:

Jackie from Five Two Certified http://fivetwocertified.blogspot.ca/

Cookie from The Charming Cheshire http://charmingcheshire.blogspot.ca/

Glitz Glam and Zebra http://glitzglamzebra.blogspot.ca/

The Obsession With Weight Loss

We live in world where image and appearance seems to mean more than personality and humility. We live in a society that bombards us with images of thin, beautiful, airbrushed looking people who we start believing are what normal people should look like.

Every woman I know is on some sort of diet right now. You can’t eat carbs, you can’t eat after 7pm, you can’t eat sugar, only eat meat, don’t eat meat, live on carrot sticks....

I’m getting a bit tired of the constant talk about weight loss, the stream of exercise videos and new machines that twist you into uncomfortable positions promising leaner thighs and butts. I understand the need to be healthy in a world where everyone seems to have less time and drive-thru windows can’t bring out the food fast enough. But weight loss has become an obsession. You can go years without seeing or speaking to someone and the first thing they may say to you is “Oh you lost weight.”

My friend recently lost 50lbs and she looked beautiful and completely fine before she lost the weight. Even though she is now very thin she still obsesses over everything that she puts in her mouth. Even after the few pounds are shed the journey may not be over...the journey may never be over because now you have to work equally hard to maintain it and not fall back into old habits.

The sad thing is, my friend told me that after she had lost weight men began noticing her more. I feel an interesting sociological experiment about attraction coming on but I won’t get into that now. All I can say about this is that I find it sad because through her journey she remained the same brilliant, attractive woman she always has been, 50 pounds or not. Sometimes even after your body adjusts to its new image your brain does not. As my friend said “sometimes people can’t see the weight loss and they still see themselves as the heavier person they left behind while everyone else thinks they are thin.” If you don’t feel good about yourself before you lose weight there is no guarantee that you will after, and as cliché as it sounds you need to be comfortable with who you are inside and out.

So thin seems to be in. In the media there are people who are thin and told they look fabulous, people who are normal and told they need to lose weight, overweight people are made fun of, and anorexic people are told they look sick; there is just no pleasing anyone these days so why the heck should we even try?  It’s exhausting.

I remember doing a project in school about anorexia and how the disease is beginning to affect young people. In my case studies there were children as young as 5 starving themselves and eating bits of paper out of their notebooks to satisfy hunger pangs. If this isn't a sign of early body dismorphic disorders and a sign societies values need re evaluating I don’t know what is. At age 16 even I fell prey to an eating disorder and I can tell you first hand that being  malnourished is not healthy either.

We all have things we would like to change about ourselves and our bodies; feeling self conscious and having doubts is human nature. I am all for people doing whatever they need to  in order to be happy with themselves, I am not however okay with the idea that everyone should fit  into one standard mold of beauty based on a body type that 90% of the population doesn't have.

Be healthy and stay active but don’t hate yourself if you have a body type that can never fit into a size 2. Love who you are, embrace it and encourage others to do the same. Don’t perpetuate the impossible values set by society, just be yourself because YOU are BEAUTIFUL. 

Pearl of Argan Hair Cream and Conditioning Mask: Amazing Results!!

This is the Pearl of Argan hair mask with beta-carotene and argan oil. The box says that it: revitalizes and strengthens ALL hair types, leaving hair feeling light, restoring the hair fibre's optimal balance and preventing premature ageing. Argan oil which is rich in vitamin E (a natural antioxidant), defends your hair from free radicals, while beta carotene renews and protects against UV rays. Hair will appear incredibly soft, moisturized and shiny. This retails for $20 as well but it is $9.99 at Winners!

After using this mask I would recommend that everyone get down to Winners or Marshalls and look for it. I used it once thus far and my hair was probably the softest it has ever been!! My hair was so soft that it felt airy and light, almost fluffy (but not poofy), smooth, silky and bouncy. This conditioner definitely produced effects that I could see and feel right away!! It has become a staple product for my sister as well whenever she can get her hands on it. She raves about this deep conditioner mask and how it enables her to flat iron her hair and have it stay straight for days without needing to retouch with styling tools.

I will definitely be repurchasing this mask. 

This is the leave in cream with argan oil. The box says that it is ideal for curly hair to add more volume and elasticity. It also says that it contains amino acids and protein and that it will protect from heat, eliminate frizz and define curls. I found this at Winners it retails for $20 I got it for $8.99 I would suggest checking out Marshalls as well if you are interested. These products are from Italy and very hard to find even online.

After using this cream I did notice that my hair was softer and it smelled really great but I don't think it really did much for frizz.

I finally got Instagram!

Hi everyone,
I hope you are all having a wonderful Tuesday :)

If you take a look at my sidebar you will notice that I have a new Instagram widget! I have been wanting to get an Instagram account for a long time now but to be honest I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with juggling the social media sites I already have.
I felt like learning about and being active on a new application was a bit of a hassle and too much for me to take on, but I sucked it up and started posting photos and experimenting with the app.
It's actually quite easy to use even though the app on my Ipad is not the cutest.

I found out how to post this widget through another blog called Taking Time to Create. The link for that if you would like your own Instagram photo slideshow on your blog  Is: http://takingtimetocreate.blogspot.ca/2012/08/instagram-how-to-add-feed-in-blogger.html

So if anyone else has Instagram and would like to connect on there you can find me here
http://instagram.com/diaryofatrendaholic