Simple Wedding Eye Look - Smoky Brown Eyes

I hope all my fellow Canadians had an awesome Thanksgiving weekend! I took a brief break and it was good to unplug and spend time with friends and family.

Yesterday was officially one month since my maid of honour got married! So, today I'm sharing with you the eye look I did on the bridesmaids. It's been highly requested, so I apologize for taking so long to finally write a post about it.

My maid of honour wanted me to do a natural smoky look that wasn't too smoky, but wore well from morning to night. I used 3 palettes to achieve a neutral, brown smoky eye - Urban Decay Naked Palette, Make Up For Ever Artist Palette Volume 1 - Nudes, and Bobbi Brown Warm Eye Palette.

I started off with patting Bone from the Bobbi Brown palette all over the lid, then layered on I-514 from the MUFE palette. Then, I took Naked from the Urban Decay palette and buffed it into the crease. To smoke out the eye, I mixed together I-544 and D-652 from the MUFE palette and placed it on the outer-v of the eye and along the lower lash line. 

For the finishing touches, I patted I-514 on the centre of the lids to bring light to the eyes. I used Virgin from the Naked palette as the inner corner and brow bone highlight. 

I then used the Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil in Black to line the eyes (this stuff doesn't budge!) and used S-102 (a matte black eyeshadow is essential in any eyeshadow collection) on top to set the liner. For mascara, I used Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl mascara on the girls, but Shu Uemura Lash Petal on myself. 

There you have it! A simple neutral smoky eye that will work for anyone. I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful for creating your own smoky eye for any occasion. 

Current Makeup Rotation: October 2015

September came and gone quite quickly, which means an update on the products I'll be using for the month of October.

Since I started my no-buy, I've been shopping my stash and seeing what I need to show some love to. In my earlier posts, I talked a lot about how much I love the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, then I tried out the Urban Decay Naked Concealer and loved it just as much, if not more. Well, I ran out of the Urban Decay concealer. Now, I'm back to using one of the back ups of the NARS concealer. I'm still somewhat tanned, so I'm currently using the shade Ginger. 

Though I'm shopping my stash, there are some new products that I've acquired in recent months that I'm trying to use more. I'm giving the Bobbi Brown Warm Eye Palette a rest and trading it for the Chanel Entrelacs Palette (review). I'm so hesitant in using this palette because of the beautiful embossing, but it would be such a waste if I bought it to collect dust. Then I made a cheeky little purchase - another eyebrow pencil. I know I already have so many other ones that I need to use up, but I really wanted to try it! Don't worry, I bought it way before I decided on the no-buy. It's the Burberry Effortless Eyebrow Definer in Ebony. It seems like the best of both worlds with the wedge shape that I like and a shade suitable for those with naturally black or very dark brown hair. 

For the complexion, I've switched out Tarte Exposed and rotated in the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette. For the fall season, I'm really liking Mood Exposure. My skin does tend to look duller when the weather gets colder and this blush helps brighten and give my cheeks a lifting effect. It does tend to look different on various skintones and looks more plummy on my cheeks, versus a cooler satiny pink when swatched.

Lastly, I'm rotating my highlighters. As much as I love the Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder in Candlelight, it's been a bit too subtle for my liking. In comes the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal for a more obvious highlight and glowy cheeks. Again, I'm tying to counteract some of the dullness I typically get in my skin when the cold weather hits.

Review: Irresistible Me Sapphire 8-in-1 Complete Curling Wand

This post contains PR samples

If you know me in real life, you'll know that I don't really do anything to my hair. Even for weddings and special occasions, I keep my hair straight, with maybe the exception of tying up half my hair. I like to think of it as being minimal and simple. But really, I'm just not very good at using hair styling tools. 

Over the years, I've come to own a flat iron and a curling iron and pretty much only use the flat iron. I've tried many times to master using the curling iron, but I can't seem to work out using the clamp and getting those perfect curls and waves that YouTubers and bloggers so effortlessly create. 

I recently had the opportunity to try out the Irresistible Me Sapphire 8-in-1 Complete Curling Wand*. I've always wanted to try out a curling wand, but couldn't bring myself to shell out the money for a curling wand that includes various attachments. So, how did this one fare with a hair noobie like myself?

First off, this set comes with 8 interchangeable ceramic, tourmaline infused barrels to create many different curls and waves of your choice. Also included is a glove, roll-out case and a heat-resistant stand. The 8 barrels are more than all I'll ever need to curl my hair! I personally would really only use the widest barrel since I like soft, relaxed waves.

For such a beginner with hair styling tools, I found this wand to be quite user friendly. It's easy to change the barrels, the cord swivels so you can curl your hair from any angle and the wand heats up within seconds. The digital display also tells you when the tool is ready to use when it lights up.

Below are before and after pictures of my uncurled and curled after. You can see that my hair is naturally very straight, with some wave due to the layers in my hair. For this post, I used the 32mm barrel. Also, excuse my makeup-less face in the after photo! I was testing out the wand after work and I like to remove all my makeup right when I get home. Side note: it's crazy how much of an impact makeup can have on how your face looks with just a bit of makeup.

I'm still getting the hang of using the wand, but it probably took around 15-20 minutes for me to curl all my hair! Which is crazy! I have a ridiculous amount of hair. Even the hairstylist at my maid of honour's wedding was passively complaining about how much hair she had to curl. Also, my hair doesn't hold a curl very well. I have to spray A LOT of hairspray and texturizing spray just to get my hair to hold anything for even a few hours. But with this wand, my hair somehow holds the curl by itself for 4-5 hours. You can also see the frizz in my hair is tamed after being curled.

And can you see how much volume my hair has? I find my hair is pretty flat, so any kind of volume in my hair makes a huge difference.

So, if you're looking to purchase a curling wand that does it all, try this one out! It regularly sells for $199, but it's currently selling for $149. For $149, I think that's a pretty awesome price for essentially 8 curling wands. If you're not looking for a curling wand, Irresistible Me also offers a flat iron and a great selection of hair extensions. 

The products included in this post were sent to me for consideration. I am not affiliated with the company and am not being paid for this post. Opinions expressed are based on my own personal experiences with the products. 

Samples Challenge Update #8

Not a lot of samples were finished again this month. It's all because of the wedding. I keep using the wedding as an excuse, but when it comes to weddings, you don't want to disturb your daily skincare routine the few weeks leading up to it!

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Advanced Eye Serum: I've always wanted to try out some Jurlique products, but they're quite pricey. So, I was pretty excited to try this sample. It claims to reduce signs of fatigue, minimize the appearance of fine lines and protect from environmental aggressors. Because this is a serum, it has quite a thin, runny texture and you don't need a lot of it. On its own, it's not hydrating enough, so I would recommend layering an eye cream over it. I have found that it has helped a bit with minimizing this one pesky wrinkle under my right eye, but I only started seeing this once I started layering it with the next sample I finished off. 

Purchase: No

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado: I've actually used up the full size of this eye cream and really loved it. After using up this sample, I remember why I love it so much. It's not too thick, but still hydrating enough. I've been told that my undereye area tends to be dry, but this really helps with putting that moisture back into the delicate area. As mentioned above, I really loved the combination of a serum and eye cream for my undereye area, but I really could do without the serum and just use this cream. 

Purchase: Yes

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate: I'm still trying to figure this product out. I love the scent and how soft it makes my skin after application, but it really is quite an extra item for the skincare routine. I thought my skin was doing really well while using this - I was getting less breakouts and thought this was why, then I pimples starting popping up. I'd say it's a good boost of hydration, but you really don't need this in your routine. I'll gladly use it if I have samples of it lying around.

Purchase: No

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Vitamin C Collagen Booster: One of my favourite serums, so I was sad to finish off this sample. It has helped with brightening skin and keeping it soft and plump. The scent and the fact that it sinks in so quickly are awesome bonuses of this product. I've already used up a full-size bottle in the past and I'm close to finishing another full-size bottle. 

Purchase: Yes, but I still have a lot of other serums I need use up! 

I've used up 62 samples now. There's still 3 more months to go this year, so I'm hoping to finish off at least 10 more samples. I hope you're all doing well in using up samples!

September 2015 Favourites

This year is seriously flying by! I can't believe there's only 3 more months left of 2015 and there's less than 100 days until Christmas! Crazy.

This past month, I wasn't too inspired makeup-wise since all I could really think about was the look I did on the bridesmaids for my maid of honour's wedding. What surprised me was how much I relied on the haircare products I'll be sharing about today.

I like switching up my shampoo every couple of months, or rotating shampoos after I've finished a bottle. I tried out a new one this month, the Live Clean Healthy Balance Shampoo. I really didn't know what to think of it, since I usually stay away from the clear gel-like shampoos and opt for the creamy ones. This shampoo, despite its somewhat odd scent, has been pretty awesome. I wash my hair every other day and use dry shampoo on the second day to try to soak up the oil, but my hair still ends up looking and feeling quite oily by the end of the day. With this shampoo, I can confidently leave the house with 3rd day hair.



I realized I haven't really featured any of the dry shampoos I use in my monthly favourites, so here they are! First is the Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. I've used the Oil Absorbing Dry Shampoo before, but this one has a tint to it, so it's supposed to be better for people with dark hair. I find they both work quite similarly, and they both blend easily into the hair. Second is the Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray. I love this stuff. My hair is quite slippery and can get weighed down very easily, so this helps with putting in the grit my hair needs to hold some volume. I also use this as sort of a dry shampoo on the back of my scalp, because I still haven't mastered applying white powder in a place I can't see.



My makeup favourites this month are pretty boring, so I won't get too into detail about them. I talked about the Bobbi Brown Corrector and the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder in my August Favourites, so head over there to read more about them.

Since fall is officially here, I've brought out the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed - one of my go-to's for the fall season. It's the perfect shade for a natural flush on the cheeks. To keep with the fall vibes, I've been reaching for the Bobbi Brown Warm Eye Palette. For fall, I do tend to go for a smokier look and that can be achieved with the various brown shades in this palette. To complete the eyes, I've been loving the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. I'm sure you're all sick of me talking about the Ink Liner, the felt tip version, but the Tattoo Liner has been pretty awesome. This changes my view on using brush tip liners! It has the right amount of stiffness and flexibility to make it easy to draw the lines you want. Also, how cute is this mini? I actually like how short it is! It gives so much more control for drawing lines.



Lastly, I've really liked using the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray. I used it on the bridesmaids for the wedding and their makeup stayed in place all day and night, with very minimal touch-ups. I also had longer work days this past month, so this spray really helped with keeping my makeup stay in place during the busy days.


What were your favourites for September?