Dresses for Summer

Now that summer is here, I've put away my jeans and sweaters for more cooler, breezier wear. After doing a clothing inventory, I needed a few more items for this season. Dresses were priority number one.

Here are my most recent additions:

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Top (worn as a dress with black textured leggings and gold belt) purchased @ Goodwill. Close-up of pattern.

1950's style Cinched Waist Dress purchased @ H&M. Close up of ruffled cinched waist.

Black dress with Beige mini flowers, purchased @ Winners. Closeup of hem.

Multi-patterned maxi dress, purchased @ Winners, worn with crochet bolero. Close up of ruffle around the bust.

Blue (though the camera doesn't pick that up) patterned maxi dress, purchased @ H&M, worn with mustard coloured belt from Forever 21. Close-up of pattern.

Before I buy something new, I make sure I can wear it at least 3 different ways with items already in my wardrobe. By shopping with this rule, the cost per wear is a great as each item was less than $30 each. The yellow top alone was an absolute steal, only costing me $2.49!

The last two dresses are also my first ever maxi dresses. At 5'9", I had a lot of difficulty searching in different stores and online to find ones that were long enough and looked alright. The search has finally paid off as I was almost going to give up completely. :)

Summer '11 is looking like it will be much more fashionable!

China Glaze Devotion Swatch and Review

Now that I finally have A camera I can start updating my blog again. I took a one day shopping trip to Buffalo two weeks ago and ended up getting some China Glaze polishes. Did I mention they were ONLY $5.99? I HAD been paying $9.99 CDN at Trade Secrets in Toronto! I have no clue how they justify the $4 dollar difference in price but I have really learnt to be more vigilant about what I am WILLING to pay the "Canadian" price for. Interestingly though, I also stopped at a Walgreen's in Buffalo and it seemed that prices for drugstore mascaras are higher there than at a local Walmart. 

I haven't tried too many China Glaze polishes (more of an OPI gal) but they mostly seem to need two coats for a smooth, opaque finish. I definitely like the consistency of this one. Now that I see it the colour reminds me a lot of NARSFull Metal Jacket (which I wanted but could not justify since it really wasn't that unique a colour) minus the high price tag. 

Nail and hand care - Perfect formula Gel coat

I recently bought the Perfect formula gel coat from Sephora.com. I had initially thought that it was a TOP COAT but after two failed attempts at trying to use it as a top coat, I read the packaging *duh* and realized that this was just a fancy nail strengthener. Retailing for $24 USD it certainly is fancy. I had made up my mind to return it but after reading a few reviews on sephora.com about it being a fantastic base coat, I tried it out and I have to say I am impressed. I used OPI Don't mess with OPI and it seemed like I did not even need a second coat. I am not sure whether it was because of the consistency of the OPI nail polish itself because I usually need two coats or whether the gel coat had improved my application that much but it sure went on very smoothly. BUT, I don't think I would buy this again since $24 for a nail strengthener is far too much especially since I don't really have any major nail breakage problems.

Summer is coming and I think most of us will be wearing bright springy colours that attract a lot of attention to your hands and nails. Hence don't neglect your hand moisturizer just because winter is (almost) over. I have been moisturizing thoroughly with my Neutrogena Norwegian Hand Cream. It's so important to have nicely moisturized hands; even if your make up might be perfect, your hands always give away age. For some, it makes them seem older than what they actually are. The Neutrogena one is absolutely amazing and also comes in a non-scented version, although I prefer the scented one. When it comes to basics like hand cream, I am glad I don't HAVE to use an expensive one because this gets the job done and smells absolutely wonderful.

Looking For Me.

First post of the new year!! Yay :)

I've been on a search to find my signature scent. For a couple years, I thought it was Gwen Stefani's perfume line in the Harajuku Lovers collection called "G". I loved that scent like no other. It reminds me of marshmallows, and I love scents that remind me of food. When I was in my teens, I wore Yves Rocher's Vanilla Bourbon perfume until it was discontinued. However, I wanted something different and a bit more grown up. A fragrance I would go to forever, that I would be recognized for. So I started my search.

The thing I like most about perfume browsing is getting to sample before buying. I did have tips beforehand though which I read in a magazine (can't remember it's name). I wanted to make sure I knew what I was looking for. The first was not to be swayed by designer labels or beautiful ads, just focus on the scent. I don't want to wear something just because it has a glamorous name attached. Second was to wait at least a day before deciding for sure, so it's not an impulse purchase. With the many samples I had, I wore each fragrance around and let them adapt to my body chemistry so I could get how it would smell on me. Everyone's body chemistry is different, therefore, the same fragrance would smell different on everybody.

Mariah Carey's M, didn't work for me; I found it too floral. Clinique Happy was too "rubbing alcohol-y" smelling for me as well. The majority of the Body Shop's fragrances was a no. I thought I found the one with "Bodycology's Coconut Lime" body mist. Again, a scent that was food based. I just want to smell good enough to eat I guess, ha ha. Anyways, I wore it for a good couple months but got tired of it and now the almost finished little bottle sits on my dresser.

Then, on a whim during a trip to the mall mid-December, I went inside Lush Cosmetics. I've been there a few times before, but was overwhelmed every time by the tons of scent explosions going on, that I couldn't focus on what I was there for in the first place. Another thing about shopping at Lush, other than having "Fresh Handmade Cosmetics" and constant scent bombs, is the staff. It's impossible to walk in and not get noticed by a sales associate, ready to ambush you with a huge smile, introduce themselves and start the questioning on why you were there. On this occasion, I had the answers and a few questions of my own.

The sales associate/interrogator that was with me was very helpful. After telling her I was looking to find a signature fragrance, I was brought over to the Gorilla Perfume station (I wonder what was behind that name being chosen...). The next part was like being at an optometrist. With my eyes closed, scents rotated under nose. Did I like 1 or 2? 2 or 3? 2 or 4? And so on, going through the complete collection. My instincts/nasal preference kept going back to two scents: Karma (also their best seller), and Tuca Tuca. I was surprised because I thought the one I would like, based on visuals, would be the food based fragrance, Vanillary. My nose just didn't like that one at all. I told the associate that I was torn, so she suggested wearing my picks on each arm and go about the rest of my day. So I thanked her and went about my day.

Those two scents battled it out for the #1 spot. A gust of wind would bring Tuca Tuca to my nose bringing a smile to my face one minute and the next, Karma would sneak on in, with it's sigh inducing loveliness. It got to a point where the scents seemed to blend and I thought of just combining the both of them and wearing it. However I wanted one scent and decided to sleep on it, hoping I would know once I woke up.

I woke up, and found my scent.

From Lush.ca:

Retro yet ageless, Karma is a powerful, spicy and unique patchouli and citrus perfume. It's a strange slow-burner for some; you fall for it without realizing what's happening. Others love it from the first sniff as they are transported to the age of freedom.

So Karma it is and I'm very happy with my choice.

It's a simply packaged solid perfume, which is a first for me and, despite the size, a little really goes a long way. I dab a tiny bit on my wrists and on the back of my neck, and I'm good to go. I'm really in love with how it smells and I hope it stays that way. It definitely showed me why it's one of Lush's bestsellers.

Photos: My own.

Addictions and major hauls

Recently, I have been feeling the need to pretty much buy everything. I am not sure if it is because of Christmas coming up or all of a sudden, I have developed greater needs but I have bought something or the other almost everyday the last month or so and let me tell you, it is NOT good at all for my bank account.

I am lusting over Illamasqua like nothing else. So far, I have ore pure pigment (two of them!), intense lipgloss in temper which unfortunately, turned out more red than orange and I have the pure pigment in Alluvium and liquid metal in Resolute being shipped to me! I know, insane right? I have acquired all these in less than ONE month of knowing about the brand.

I have also been on a nailpolish buying kick. I was at Trade Secrets a week ago and although I had gone in to buy Zoya Crystal, I ended up leaving with three bottles of nail polish instead because of a buy 3 for 20 deal (Zoya costs $9.95 per bottle and it was a good deal). Now I am looking at getting Butter London nailpolishes in Marrow, All Hail McQueen and Stroppy from the Jelly collection.

And how about all these collections coming out from MAC in January? How amazing are the colours from MAC stylishly yours?! I know I am getting AT LEAST 1 lipstick and 1 cream colour base (both in purple) if not more.

Do you feel like you are buying more than usual this Christmas? What's on your wish list right now? Do you ever feel like you are addicted to shopping?

Illamasqua - Art of Darkness - ORE pure pigment

I know I am not very frequent with my posts but when I get excited about something, I find the best course of action is blogging about it. Let me introduce you to my newest obsession - Illamasqua. It is a UK based make up brand, sold exclusively by Sephora in the U.S. BUT not shipped to Canada due to certain restrictions. Although I had come across the brand previously, it wasn't until I saw their Art of Darkness collection on Temptalia that I took notice.

For those of you who read Temptalia, Christine is certainly not easy to please but when it came to this pigment she wrote "You have to see it to believe it" and like countless other make-up fans out there, I was sold. Painstakingly, I finally got my hands on Ore pure pigment from the collection and it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pretty!

It is a bronze gold, with flecks of gold and green glitter (tasteful) in it. Temptalia mentions seeing red as well but I only see the green. I was trying to compare it to MAC gold stroke to see if it was similar, but it is completely different. After all, MAC is much cheaper, gives more product and is readily available for those of us who live in Canada than Illamasqua.

I am so scared of using it now because I know I won't be able to get my hands on another one if I do finish this one up. It is a mere 0.04 oz whereas MAC pigments are around 0.15 oz :(.

Ever since I got Ore, I have been constantly looking up swatches of Alluvium pure pigment and Resolute liquid metal from Illamasqua. I have seen several bloggers use Ore on top of Resolute and it looks absolutely gorgeous. BUT, once again, getting my hands on resolute is a bit out of the question now since Sephora doesn't ship Illamasqua to Canada and getting it shipped from UK is just BEYOND EXPENSIVE (for me, anyway).

If you want to see more pictures of Ore and Illamasqua in general, I would suggest visiting:

www.illamasqua.com

www.temptalia.com

www.theglossgoss.com - UK based blogger Tali is a huge fan and uses Illamasqua products for a lot of her looks. I adore the looks that she creates. Definitely worth a look!

I have a new travel destination...

The Shoe Galleries, at Selfridges in London.

A snapshot of Selfridges' Shoe Galleries.

Some details, which is all I need to write:

• 5000 shoes on display in "galleries"
• At least 55,000 shoes in stock at any given time
• 35,000 square feet
• A photo booth where you can take a picture of yourself with your favourite shoe

I'm booking a plane ticket as soon as I can!

(That is; once I have enough money and get over my fear of flying. :))

photos from here and here