Pinterest Finds #3: Does it work?

For this weeks Pinterest find, I chose to stray away from DIY face products (my skin is kind of angry at me). I found a DIY Rosemary and Lemon Foot Soak and Scrub. I found this project on www.abirdsleap.com and I really enjoyed it.

The Recipe for the Scrub includes:
- Part Olive Oil to 3 Parts Epson Salts
*Specifically I used 1/2 cup Olive Oil and 1 1/2 cup Epson Salts, this made a small container of the scrub.

For the Soak the Recipe calls for:
- Boiled Rosemary branches in water
- 2 lemons cut
*Boil the water with the Rosemary, then add it to a tub of water and the 2 cut lemons

I again did this find with my sister (she's my guinea pig for a lot of projects) and we enjoyed it.

The soak was great, very relaxing and very soothing. The lemons and rosemary in the water were soothing and softening. When we took our feet out of the water we could not get over how soft our feet were.

The scrub was perfect. It was the right combination of moisturizing qualities as well as exfoliants. The salts helped scrub away dry skin while the oil replenished moisture.

Overall, we enjoyed the soak and scrub, I think pinterest finds are our new way to relax on a rough day.

Vancouver Greek Day and Granville Island

My family and I have always been on the go type people. Our family trips are often jam packed, and we love to see and explore amazing things. Since we have been stationed in Vancouver we have opted to make the most of it and experience as much as we can while we are here.

Every year Vancouver on Broadway Street has a Greek Day, where local Greek groups and businesses close down a large portion of Broadway and host a street festival. There is a lot of food, music and culture to experience on this day, for the first time since my family moved here, I was here for Greek day so my mom and I had to go.

My very first Macron.. I'm in love 

I bought 6, because they were delicious. 

Granville Island is a small little Artisan Market and shopping district in Vancouver, it is also a tourist destination. I usually beg my parents to take me every time I'm in town because the atmosphere is great. The island is very unique, it has a market, local artisans bring in their work and set up, and street buskers perform.

We were only on Granville Island for about an hour grabbing lunch, and finding a place to park took forever, so I only managed to get a couple photos.

Joe Fresh Eyeshadow

Joe Fresh is a brand that is sold in any store that sells President's Choice products in Canada. Retailers like Great Canadian Superstore have large sections of floor space dedicated to the brand, and Joe Fresh is also sold in stand alone stores. I've known about Joe Fresh for many years, wore their clothes as a child and even purchase some of their clothes now.

Joe Fresh is known for reasonably priced quality goods, like their clothing and shoes, and their makeup has good deals. I was checking out their aisle of makeup and saw a wonderful $4 each or 3 for 10 on their eyeshadow.  

I could not find a third colour that I liked as much as these two, so I opted for the $4 each, and considering that it is a great product I was happy to spend it. I picked up a light pink champagne colour and a sun kissed gold. Both of these colours are wonderfully pigmented and appear great on the skin, I pack them on a little more to really get the glimmer of the colours.

I wore these colours yesterday and could not believe they had hardly budged after a long day. I used Maybelline 24 hour Colour Tattoo in Barely Branded as a base.

Milani Brow Shaping Clear Wax and Brow Fix Kit: Review

I have strawberryblond-ish hair, it is fairly light, and since I was a child I have had light eyebrows. "Eyebrows frame the face" is what I have heard ever since I started watching youtube videos, and I never really believed it until the first time I filled in my eyebrows, it was almost like an ah-ha moment.

I have only used one product to fill in my brows, the Milani Brow Fix Kit in Light. Firstly, the packaging is perfect, it is so convenient with a set of tweezers, a highlight shade (and brush) and two brow shades (and brush).  Personally I use the lighter colour on the inside of my brows, because my hair is a little bit darker and they don't need to be fuller, and the darker shade on the tail of my brows because the hair is lighter there, and it balances it out. I've been using this product religiously for over a year and it looks like I barely touched it.

The second product is a new find, the Milani Brow Shaping Clear Wax. All it is is a pencil of clear wax, that you apply to your eyebrows before you use powder, it helps keep the powder in place. It is a new product from Milani and I'm enjoying it. My sister has been using it for a little bit now and she says that it is long lasting, and that she notices a difference when she does and doesn't wear it. I do notice that it holds the product a lot better, and keeps it in place.

Here is a before and after of my eyebrows.

Left: Filled using Milani Products Right: Without

Have a great weekend and comment with your go to brow products! I'd love to try more!

What's in my Ipsy Glam Bag? June Edition!

It's that time of the month again, my most favourite time, when a lovely pink bubble wrapped package arrives in my mailbox inside filled with themed goodies. This months theme was "Pretty in Paradise" (The bag says Rebbecca Minkoff).

Inside my bag this month was:

NYX Butter Gloss in Apple Strudel 

I've heard lots of amazing things about the NYX Butter Glosses but have NEVER been able to get my hands on them, I am slightly disappointed in the colour, just by swatching it just because I don't think it suits me that well. But I'm still going to wear it, test it out and give you my review of it. I know these have been out for a year, and I'm happy I finally have one!

Jesse's Girl Liquid Eyeliner in Black

Jesse's Girl is a brand I haven't heard of yet, but I am impressed. Swatching it on my hand, I barely touched the felt tip to my hand and it makes the smoothest line, it doesn't bleed and the colour is so pigmented. As far as eyeliner pens go, I'm enjoying it, and think it's the best thing for this liquid eyeliner inept girl!

Dove Pure Care Dry Oil with African Macadamia Oil

I have never used oil treatments on my hair, for being a girl with curly hair naturally my hair isn't dry, the ends aren't dry. Which means I have been lazy when it comes to caring for the ends of my hair (especially with how long it is). The instructions on the back of this tube say to use 3-4 drops on the ends of hair to mid-length. I have not tried this yet, but will have a review up when I do!

Ole Henriksen Truth To Go Wipes

This pack of 10 Ole Henriksen wipes is perfect to try. I have heard lots of good things about this brand from around the online beauty community but thought they were too expensive to just try. I am enjoying them though- I have used two. So far so good!

Laneige BB Cushion 

I haven't heard much of this brand or product either. I am excited to try it, and really like that the sample size has a range of colours to try, along with a sunscreen. It comes with a light, medium and dark, as well as the sunscreen giving me lots of options. I am letting my sister (who is a darker skin tone then I am) try the medium one, while I sample the light, just for a different perspective when I consider if I may ever want to purchase it. The beauty of this product is that it is available at Target, which means i would be easier for me to purchase.

*For those of you who may not be familiar with what Ipsy is, it is a company founded by Michelle Phan, where for a monthly subscription a themed bag filled with deluxe sample sizes of products are mailed directly to your door. They ship to the United States and Canada, for a fee of $10 a month (In Canada it is $17 after exchange rates and extra shipping costs). You fill out a questionnaire when you sign up, describing your personal style and the bag is customized to you. More information on their website here

Recent Purchase: Benefit Coralista Box

Recently I made a Sephora purchase I deemed a reward for getting a new job. I have always been intrigued by the Benefit Boxed Blushes and Bronzers, but have never been able to justify the hefty $26 for a blush. I was largely interested in the Benefit Coralista Blush but was still taken aback by the price.

Right above the boxed blushes and bronzers were lovely kits, containing every benefit product I have never tried. I purchased the Benefit "Go Tropi Coral". This product retails for $34.00 and is available online here

Inside the kit are travel size items of Cha-Cha Tint, High Beam, Coralista Blush, a mini brush, and the Coralista lipgloss. I have been curious about all of these products, and figured that spending $34.00 was worth getting the travel sizes rather then buying a regular sized bottle and not enjoying it. There is also a little pamphlet inside that has some tips and tricks for using the tints and high beam.

The sizes for the travel sizes are standard deluxe sample sizes, and the tips and tricks book is really helpful for someone who had never used tints before.

Thus far (I've had this for a week) I have used it every time I have worn makeup, the corals are perfect for summer, and the lip gloss is amazing. I am totally in love, and see myself by the end of the summer purchasing some full sizes of these products. I will have to post pictures of me wearing everything, when I wear it next!

What are your favourite Benefit boxed products or tints? I am now completely in the market for some more!

Pinterest Finds #2: Does it work?

For today's Monday Pinterest Finds Post I have found an easy 2 ingredient recipe for a DIY Face Scrub! All you need is Coconut Oil/Olive Oil and Baking Powder. It can be found Here

There are no specific measurements, she recommends equal parts if you plan on mixing up a large batch to keep in your shower or something.

What I did, was use a small amount of Baking Powder and a small amount of Coconut Oil just in my hand, I did this because if it does not work or I do not like it I haven't wasted a lot of materials.

Coconut Oil                                               Blended with Baking Powder 

I mixed the oil and powder in my hand just using my finger, before applying it to my face.

Rubbing the concoction onto my face in circular motions, before rinsing off with warm water.

Results:

I did this find with my sister, we both LOVED it. We found that because you are adding in the exfoliating ingredients (Baking Powder) you can customize it to your preference. I like a more aggressive exfoliation while my sister likes softer, since we have different preferences we could still use the same ingredients but in different quantities.

While I like a more aggressive exfoliation, I like to feel it working right away (I'm a taad impatient). It was still soft and moisturizing enough that it didn't leave my skin feeling sore and angry.

I will definitely be making this scrub part of my routine!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Father's Day

In Canada, Sunday is Father's Day. That one special day you're supposed to treat dad. This year my sister and I were a little short on cash for mother's/father's day, so we opted for homemade on a budget things that truly played to what our parents love, and also something more unique.

My parents love homemade things, they always have. So for father's day we played to that and his love of chocolate.

We took 6 boxes of Reese's Pieces

Added them to a container (we chose a chinese takeout container, available at craft stores like micheals)

Wrote out a hint and added it to the card

And voila- Father's Day present on a budget that is perfect for ANY chocolate loving dad!

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?