A Little Update

A week ago, I was unemployed and flew to Vancouver to stay here and work. This relocation meant finding a job. I found a job, and have started working. I am looking at a full time job, on top of family commitments and everything else, so I have elected to start posting every other day starting with this post. I just think that a full time 40 hours a week job, and family and other things could jeopardize the quality of my blog and what I want from it. Since I started this to find a way to relieve stress, not cause it, it makes sense for me to post every other day and have the day in-between to get another post ready, and make it worth reading.

Pinterest Finds: Does It Work? #1

I have come up with a running series, to take place every monday, where I find and test out DIY projects from Pinterest. As a Disclaimer: I am not setting out to disprove DIY finds, or insult their creators, just to try them for myself and see if they work for me.

For an inaugural post I have found a Face Mask to remove blackheads. This post originally posted on Fastmaza Here.

I deal with blackheads, like everyone probably does. By no means do I have problem skin, just a couple of patches with blackheads around my nose and in-between my eyes.

The recipe calls for 2 egg whites and a teaspoon of lemon juice. I modified this to reduce waste by only using 1 egg whites and half a teaspoon of lemon juice.

The website claims that egg whites are known to harden over time, while lemon juice contains natural acids to help remove the blackheads.

After mixing the ingredients and applying the mask to my problem areas I let it harden for 20 minutes.

After letting it harden for 20 minutes I removed the mask in pieces, peeling it off, not using a wash cloth- like the website instructs.

Results:

The mask did not peel off in pieces, I needed to rub it off (After a 20 minute drying time)

I saw no major differences, less visible blackheads were noticed.

This mask was kind of bust for me, perhaps it was the alterations I made to the recipe that is to blame.

Have you tried any pinterest masks? Do you find they work? Let me know in the comments!

Sigma Spa Glove Sunday: Cleaning my brushes

A Sunday post! Woohoo

Today I embarked on any makeup addict's least favourite thing to do.. washing makeup brushes. I use a wide range of makeup brushes spanning lower priced ELF brushes to higher end Sigma ones. Some are used for certain shadows that I have a harder time picking up colour from, others are for a desired effect etc. Like every other person who loves makeup, I do not clean my brushes near as often as I should.

What I need:
To clean my brushes I need my Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove , Baby Shampoo, My iPod, (Not pictured- a hand towel), and My Brushes.

 The ONLY thing I will use to clean my brushes is the handy Sigma Spa Glove. This glove literally cuts the time needed to cleaning brushes down, it only takes me about 10 minutes to wash all my regular brushes. It has two sides with specially designed ridges and patterns to really clean either Face or Eye brushes. Each side has three separate sets of ridges- wash, rinse and refine which are different depending on eyes or face.

I use the Johnson's Baby Shampoo to clean my brushes, it is soft enough that it will not damage the hairs, but still gets an effective clean.

Drying my brushes:

I use a hand towel to dry my brushes. I fold it in half, then roll one side twice to give a ledge. I point the brushes downwards while they are drying to excess water can get out of the barrel of the brush if any got in, and also shape my brushes better then just laying them flat.

What tricks do you have for washing your brushes without having to spend a whole day doing them?

MAC Alluring Aqua Lipsticks Review

A wise friend once told me, whenever you break up with a guy buy a new lipstick. I didn't follow the rules, but hey.. I got a new lipstick...

MAC recently came out with a new collection called the Alluring Aqua Collection. While the whole collection has been reviewed by numerous bloggers and vloggers alike, I thought I would add my two cents about the lipsticks.

While shopping for a bathing suit, and feeling slightly down about it, my sister was in The Bay obviously checking out the MAC counter. It's the only one in Barrie, therefore the most important stop on a shopping trip. When we met up again, she showed me the two lipsticks she had somehow managed to find herself having bought them. One look in my down mood, and I knew the solution- I have to buy a lipstick.

Needless to say, the packaging, the limited edition colours and the beauty of a new MAC collection made me buy one.

I purchased one of the same as my sister, a lovely "my lips but better" shade called Mystical. I would describe this colour as a slightly darker version of the Viva Glam V. I actually wore this colour on my Graduation day. I love it, and since it is a cremesheen it is a lot softer and more wearable on a daily occasion.

My sister bought one more colour, she's into darker bold lips, especially in the winter. She had been checking out the upcoming Lorde collection with MAC and loved the colour, but when she saw this one called Goddess of the Sea she liked it a little more because it was a slightly lighter option. This colour is also a cremesheen.

I love both of the colours but Mystical is more my style. I do enjoy the colour of Goddess of the Sea, but I don't think I would ever wear it, so I spared myself the agony of never wearing an expensive lipstick and skipped buying it.

Right: Mystical   Left: Goddess of the Sea

The packaging is completely amazing. It's very tricky. When you look at pictures of it online it looks like the drops of water that appear on the packaging and smooth and not actually 3D... well they are. It's such a cool feeling and truly unique. I love the colour and the texture of the packaging and love that it still maintains the signature MAC bullet style lipstick.

For the price of $17.50 US, it cost me $21 CAD to purchase the lipstick- and like other MAC lipsticks it was money well spent.

Have you tried any of MAC's other recent collections? What other favourites from the Alluring Aqua's collection do you like?

I Graduated University!!

As I write this post, I am sitting in the airport, waiting for my flight to Vancouver for the summer. Yesterday was a surprisingly big day (and very tiring) as I accomplished something no one else my family has done.. on my dad's side at least.. I GRADUATED UNIVERSITY.

I've taken up introducing myself as "Hi, I'm Mikayla, I have a degree." It hasn't really sunk in yet, but I was so nervous about tripping before hand that I'm glad it's over. As you saw in my last post, we had to stay in a hotel, which meant a tad of an uncomfortable sleep and makeup applications using tiny mirrors as all the other ones were taken.

Shaking hands with the Chancellor, I'm officially a University Graduate

My Best Friend, who helped me every time I considered giving up

My Grandpa, Dad, and Poppy

Me and My Parents 

My sister and I

One of my favourite Profs

All of my Grandparents and I

My nana couldn't be at the ceremony, so we took a picture when we got home

My mom made these cute little Grad Caps- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and my school colours

Life Update

This post was supposed to go up on Monday, but the internet in the hotel was non-existant so I couldn't post it :(... I have pictures though I promise!

I was really busy this weekend. My parents and sister flew in on thursday so friday we spent the day hanging out.

On friday my mom, sister, nana and I went for pedicures and chicken wings at Wild Wings.

Saturday my family and some cousins (aunts/uncles included) went to Wasaga Beach which is right near Barrie, about a half an hour drive, and we've been going there for as long as I can remember. 

At Wasaga Beach there is this ice cream shop called Mr. Norm's Nephew, it was Mr. Norm's until his nephew took over the business. At this shop there are menu boards, like you would see at a fast food restaurant with all different flavours that you can mix and match to create your own unique ice cream, and they make it with fresh ingredients right before your eyes into a cone for you. 

I got Chocolate, Fudge-O and Oreo 

It was some of my cousins first time, they really enjoyed it.

Monday was a day of travel. My university graduation was on tuesday, and because of the two hour drive my grandparents live from the school, and the time of the ceremony we had to spend the night in a hotel.

My friend from school and her son came over to the hotel to go swimming in the pool. We had an amazing time. He is so adorable and is currently begging his mom to come swimming again.

Summer Fashion Trends: Guest Post by Elle Charie

Introduction:
Hello my name is Marie from Elle Charie and I am posting a guest post. Read on for what products to look for this summer 2014.
The Light Wash Jean Shorts:
A staple must-have item for your summer wardrobe. The great thing about light wash shorts, is that they attract less sunlight due to the lighter colour and therefore will keep you cooler during the summer. The minimalistic style is very popular so pair with a white/off white top.


Photo credits here and here. Best stores to purchase high waisted light washed shorts? Try Urban Outfitters or Topshop.
Crop Tops:
The 90's are back! And much like last summer crop tops are in-trend! Get ready to bare your midriff, of if you're like me and like to with a more conservative approach I recommend high waisted shorts/jeans/skirt and a nice crop top to boot.

Photo credits. Best place for cheap crop tops? 100% Forever21.
Crochet Everything:
Basically crochet is super popular this season. Get ready for crochet dresses, tops, and shorts. Pair them with a bright colour for extra impact. Some style inspiration photos below.


Photo credits here and here. Get great crochet clothing at Free People or Forever21.
Boxy, Light coloured Purses:
Purses in light coloured pastels with a boxy frame are really popular right now. Try getting a purse in an off-white colour, or mint.

Photo credits here. The purse in the above photo is by Kate Spade. If you are looking for something more in budget try Forever 21, Aldo or Spring.
Gold is Everywhere:
From Gold Watches to gold bracelets, we are going to be seeing a lot of statement gold pieces everywhere. So get your gold game on!

Photo credits here. Grab amazing gold watches from Michael Kors!
The Fedora Hat:
The Fedora Hat was traditionally for males but now is an iconic hat for women of all ages. The Fedora Hat is great for making you look stylish while protecting your eyes from all those nasty UV rays.

Photo credits here.  Grab a Fedora Hat from your nearest Top Shop or even Ardenes!
Other notable fashion trends for the summer? Maxi Skirts, wedges, & ankle strapped shoes. Can you think of any other notable trends? Leave a comment below!
If you like this post check out my blog Elle Charie for more beauty & fashion. You can also follow me on bloglovin.
--> Also don't forget to enter my Beauty Product Giveaway. <---

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How great is this post? I did a post on Elle Charie's Blog check it out Here

I love doing posts with other bloggers! If you are interested send me an email at northernjoli@gmail.com