Sharing on Valetines Day

Happy Valentines Day!
I wanted to quicky share with you guys my new haircut! For most of my life, I've always had long hair. I just feel like you can do more with it - even though I'm usually a throw-it-up-in-a-ponytail type of girl, I like the security long hair brings me. My hair was getting pretty long and shedding everywhere (although, granted my hair sheds still even now), and I usually curled it (if I had the time to) or put it up in a ponytail/bun. I straightened it a few weeks ago and my hair was too long that it just looked odd on me. Like it was too much hair.

Anyways, I've been thinking lately that I wanted to cut and donate my hair, and decided to take the plunge last week! It was an impulsive itch to get my haircut, but I like the way it turned out.

Here's my hair before:



And here's the after:

I don't know much about the type of cut or what my stylist did, I brought in a few photos to give him an idea of what I wanted and he delievered! I really like it, and I feel it makes me look older too. ;)

The only thing I'm not a fan of is that I'll have to straighten it inorder to style it. Butttt, my hair dries a whole lot faster, and it takes me about 15 minutes to straighten my hair now anyways.

I'm going to have to look into learning how to blowdry my hair straight, because it'll help give me a sleeker look than just straightening alone does.

I ended up cutting about ~12 inches off.



Originally, I was planning on donating it to Locks of Love, but after doing some research, I learned that LOL actually sells the final wigs. LOL makes wigs from the donated hair to sell to children who have undergone hair loss due to a variety of medical conditions or treatments. A final wig can cost anywhere between $800-$1000, and the price that the patient pays is according to how much the child's parents make. So, if the child's parents have a low income, they pay less for the wig, if the child's parents have a higher income, they would pay a higher amount. Regardless, they still have to pay for the wig.

I don't think LOL profits of the sale of wigs, but I like the idea that a family going through the stressful period of cancer and treatments and recovery don't have to worry about an added cost for their child.

After doing some research I learned about Pantene Beautiful Lengths which donates the final wigs to women who have experienced hair loss due to cancer.

Unfortunately, one of PBL's donation requirments is that hair cannot be dyed with a permanent dye, which my hair has been.

After a little more research, I've discovered Angel Hair for Kids which also donates the final wigs and my hair follows the donation requirments.

I couldn't imagine undergoing hairloss at a young age, and I hope that my donation can help bring a little ease to a young girl or boy's life.

It might take a little more of an effort to do my hair now, but for a good cause, I don't mind.

I hope everyone takes today to remind their friends, family and loved ones how much of an impact that they make on your life. Happy Valentines Day! ♥♥♥♥ :)

My New Setup!

I posted earlier that I was in the process of changing rooms and reorganizing everything - and I wanted to share with you today my new vanity setup.

Looking back, nothing really has changed from my old setup - except for adding a few new elements - but I thought I'd share anyways.




On top of my vanity, I just have my palettes, brushes, NARS blushes, lipglosses, make-up wipes, MAC Charged Water, eye & lip pencils, alcohol (to sanitize), homemade brush cleanser, moisturizers and contact lens solution.

I repainted my vanity because it had gotten really dirty due to all the eyeshadow fall out and random make-up related stains. When I initially painted it the first time, I hadn't added a top coat/sealant to make it easier to clean. When I repainted it the second time, I had decided to go out and purchase a sealant to prevent it from grabbing on to stains as easily and to make it easy to just wipe down and clean.

My mom, on the other hand, had a different idea. She went out and bought a bit of clear plastic sheet (the kind you put on top of your table cloth on your dining table to make it easier to clean) and we glued that on the table top - you can see in some of the pictures the top is shiny.

I think that's a wayyyyyy better idea than my sealant topcoat, because it's an actual barrier. If that makes sense.



I had purchased these brackets and shelves from Ikea and my mom and I decided to put them up above my vanity for extra space. They don't hold anything make-up related, just random stuff.

And here's a look in the drawers:


Lipsticks and lipglosses, blushes and extra make-up wipes and eye make-up remover.

Mascaras, false eyelashes, lip balm, eyelash curlers, tweezers, brow trimmers, contact cases, eyebrow stuff, liquid and glitter liners, bobby pins & hair ties, and all my eyeshadows.

Primers and bases, face stuff, random eyeshadows, MAC pigments & samples, paintpots, fluidline, MSF & MSFN.

That's basically it! If you want a closer look at anything let me know.

I leave you with a picture featuring my sister that she wanted me to put up:


Till later!

Update + Giveaway Winner!

Sorry about the lack of updates guys. Blah blah blah *insert excuses here*. I've already chosen a giveaway winner (via random.org) and have contacted her so I'm just waiting for a reply back. If I don't hear anything from her in 3 days (which sounds reasonable) than I'll choose another winner. Sounds fair right?

I have a wholeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee bunch of post ideas but never get around to actually doing them. I'm trying guys! So bear with me.

In the meantime, you can check out some of the blogs I follow/read regularly on the right hand side to keep you entertained. :P

Backkkkkkkk + OOTD & Random FOTDs

I know, I know - it's been a minute! I've just been SOO busy lately that I hardly have time for myself, let alone makeup. I hardly even wear makeup anymore because I end up just sweating it off. If I had the time to even put it on, I wouldn't mind either way.

Excuses, excuses.

Anyways, last week Friday I finally had a day to myself so I went to Downtown Toronto to do some retail therapy. I hardly ended up getting anything which sucks for me, but is good for my wallet. I don't usually do outfit of the days or stuff like that because my "style" is usually boring, but I thought I'd share this.

I didn't have my camera, and my webcam on my laptop doesn't have a timer setting, so I just made a video and took screen caps from it.

Oh hai awkward screen caps.

Floral Dress: H&M ($19.99)
Cream Cardigan: Tommy Hilfiger (on sale for $29.99)
Wide Belt: Limite (around $7)

I love dresses but I have a big problem with them being too short so I never wear them. I found this floral dress at H&M and I really like it. It's almost a "baby doll" type of dress where it has an empire waist and flows out on the bottom and which isn't really flattering on my body. I decided to pair it with a simple 3/4 sleeve cardigan in a basic neutral colour - so it doesn't compete with the print on the dress and a wide belt to nip my waist in.

I wore these Mossimo heels that were custom purchased for me from Target. They're in a basic nude colour with a wood type heel and I LOVE these shoes. I can wear them with anything, it's definitely going to be a staple in my wardrobe. But since I was walking around a lot, I brought black gladiator sandals to change into.

Here are some random webcam FOTDs from those days that I muster up energy to put makeup on. I don't really remember what I used, but if you really want to know, I'll root around and try to figure it out.

I know I used MAC's Sweet & Punchy eyeshadow here. I loveeeeeeee Sweet & Punchy, I wouldn't think its a colour I'd get a lot of wear out of it, but I do surprisingly!

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, but we'll see how that goes. Thanks for sticking with me (:

Where The Magic Happens..

For the longest time, I've been looking for a nice vanity or table that I could do my makeup on and store my collection. If you recall here, I did my make-up on the floor infront of a full length mirror. I felt like I looked everywhere for something nice, simple, vintage-y and inexpensive, but to my avail found nothing - until one day..

I was rummaging through this old table my mom had in her bedroom, and it suddenly hit me. I stepped back, looked at the table, and realized that it was exactly what I was looking for in a vanity.


It was a table that the previous owners in my old house had left behind when they moved out, and my mom had just kept it in a closet to store random nick nacks and stuff. When we moved out, my mom took the table with her and kept it in her room kind of as a vanity.

So I talked to my mom about painting it and making it as my vanity, and she agreed. And this is what I ended up with..








Unfortunately, it's already gotten dusty and has stains from eyeshadow fallout and stuff like that, but I think during the summer I'm just going to repaint it, and add a sealant or something, so that it's easy to wipe down and clean, because I didn't do that the first time.

I'm not too happy with the area where my vanity is, because the lighting sucks sometimes, because it shines right on the side of my face (you can see in the pictures that there's a window to my right)

I can't put the vanity right against the window horizontally because there's heaters at the base of that wall, so it can't go right up against the window - there would be a gap, and I don't like that.
I think I'm going to rearrange my room again, and put my vanity somewhere else away from the window, and buy some good lighting sources or something.

I just wanted to show you guys that you can easily change the look of something to suit your needs without spending a fortune. Honestly, it cost me next to nothing to spruce this table up. My dad had extra white paint lying around, and I went to the dollar store and picked up some cheap paint brushes.

I'm definitely recommend looking at garage sales, or checking up on Craiglist for cheap or free furniture that people are giving away - because even if it's not in good shape, or it doesn't suit your needs, you have the option to give it a fresh coat of paint, or buying new hardware, or adding on to it to spruce it up.

I think I'm also going to ask my dad to make a hutch for me to put on top for extra space.

Just wanted the share this with you guys!

Last Post Of The Year? & Blog Anniversary?!

Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I've just been so busy lately with work and holiday hours and all that good stuff. But the holidays are almost over so hopefully everything will go back to normal soon. I hope everyone had a good Christmas though!

Anyways, here's a quick FOTD that I've done that was kind of "Bollywood inspired." It didn't really turn out that way but oh well. I had this Sally Girl eyeshadow in "Brick" that I bought a while ago and never got around to using, so I pulled it out for this look.

Used:
UDPP (as a primer)
MAC Painterly p/p (as a base)
MAC Woodwinked e/s (all over the lid)
Sally Girl Brick e/s (outer third of lid)
MUFE # 92 e/s (outer crease)
MAC Blacktrack f/l
L'Oreal Voluminous mascara

MAC MSFN in Medium Plus
MAC On A Mission blush
MAC MSF in Cheeky Bronze

MAC Brave New Bronze l/s
Annabelle Lipshine in Breathless

Also, I noticed I hit 100+ subscribers! I know everyone says this, but I never thought 100 people would be interested in my blog, haha! But, all jokes aside, I really want to say thank you to all you guys who read my posts and give me tips, tricks and comments and all that good stuff! And, my blog's anniversary is coming up in January!

I'm thinking of hosting a giveaway or a contest or something, but I'll definitely let you guys know. Till later!

Can't Think Of A Clever Title..

I just wanted to do a quick post before I head off to work. I've been loaded with school and work lately, and on top of that I'm not doing as well as I want to in school, so I definitely need to step up!

I recently went to a University Fair, which is basically all the universities in Ontario get together in a convention hall and students can visit all the universities in one convenient place and learn more about their programs and what not.

And can I say, school is expensive. Most of the schools that I was interested in were located far away, meaning I'd have to live on residence, which depending on the school and the type of dorm you want, can run up to $5,000-$8,000 a year. Add on top of that a meal plan plus tuition and all that good stuff, I'm looking at up to $10,000 a school year. So I'm in a rut because I'm basically going to paying for the majority of school myself.

Ughh, right now I'm just trying to focus on getting my marks up and savinggggg significantly. But, you know how that is.. haha.

Anyways, I haven't been wearing much make-up lately, just cause I'm too lazy to wake up early and try to put together a look. But here's something I was playing around with the other night:

Used:

UDPP (as a primer)
Annabelle Gleam e/s (in tearduct)
Faces # 5 e/s (all over the lid)
Urban Decay's Zero e/s (in the outer third/crease)
Annabelle Ebony e/s (matte black in the outer V)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline (liner)
L'Oreal Carbon Black Voluminous mascara
MAC Engraved e/l (water line)

I actually liked how this turned out, but the Faces eyeshadow that I used kept fading, I'm not sure if it was cause of the shadow or cause of the base I used. Has anyone ever tried Faces cosmetics? There's a little stand in my mall but I always walk past it, nothing really seems interesting to me. I just found this random grey eyeshadow that my mom had.

Since I'm suppose to be 'saving.' I decided to pick up one quick thing from MAC. A while ago, I remember reading on Lipstick Rules about the idea of getting one make-up related item from each paycheck, and I thought, that sounds pretty reasonable! So I picked up Naughty Noir Eye Bag. I figured, I need a new blacktrack fluidline, so why not try this out?

Included:
Blacktrack fluidline (full size)
Shimmertime pigment (full size)
Zoom Lash mascara (trial size)
209SE brush
Small makeup bag

I actually really like this collection, there's a lot of variety, so there's a lot to choose from. From lip palettes, to eye palettes, brush sets, etc.. The eye palettes do look smaller than ones from previous holiday collections though. I haven't gotten any good swatches of Shimmertime pigment, but it's a cool frosty pink. Not really sure what I would pair it with, but we'll see. I tried using it as a cheek highlighter yesterday, but I think I used too much.

Till later guys. My sister still has the camera, but I'm going to demand it for next week, since she broke mine. -.-

FOTD & Another 'Haul.' (:

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've just been busy with work and enjoying the rest of my summer. I have a couple of reviews and stuff lined up but by the time I get home from work, it's too dark to take nice pictures, or I'm just too lazy, haha.

Also, lately I've been feeling like my make-up is not on point, and that nothing comes together how I want it to. I should practice more, cause it seems like everytime I try something I end up with a 'what the hell did I do to my face' look, and then I just get frustrated and give up. :/

Here's a simple look I did the other day:

Used:
Eyes:
MAC Soft Ochre p/p
L'Oreal HiP Duo in Wicked (gold side used all over the lid)
MAC Espresso e/s (used in outer V and crease)
Annabelle Ebony e/s (matte black used wet as liner & to fill in brows)
Maybelline Clear Great Lash (on brows)
Urban Decay's Ransom e/s (on lowerlash line)
Wet n' Wild Glow e/l (on lower waterline)
Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara

Cheeks:
Jane Be Pure Mineral Blush in Rose Satin
NYC Chroma Faceglow in Moonstone (as highlight on cheek)

Lips:
MAC Bare Slimshine

(Sorry about the sweaty pictures, I took this after I came home from playing basketball :D)

Yesterday me and my family went to Niagara Falls, and I went to the Coach Factory there. They had 2 bags that I wanted to pick up, but my sister had got me one of them in the States for me already for a birthday present, so I just picked this little baby up:

I know I'm on a 'No Buy.' But I feel like I can't cut out buying things completely, but I have cut down from spending ridiculous amounts of money like I used to do. I think I'm gradually going to cut down, but I feel like I should treat myself once in a while instead of being so frugal with everything. I'm happy cause I haven't blown my paycheck like I usually do!

Ohh, and on Monday I'm going to do a little beauty investigation. I'm actually really interested in this, I'm not going to give you any details, but it should be interesting, haha - as stupid as this sounds right now.

Till later! (:

P.S - Thank you to all my followers, new & old, I love knowing that people are interested in my blog, and I love finding new blogs to read also! (:

Officially Summer Vacation!

So today is my first day of summer vacation! I had my last exam yesterday and now I'm freeee. Haha. Unfortunately I'm going to be doing summer school, and probably working after that, so I don't have anything exciting planned.

Anyways, here are some pics from my friends prom that I promised. I didn't go as all out as I did with my prom, but since it was a prom, I didn't wanna go looking informal or anything. My hair took like 2 and a half hours, but it ended up coming apart at the end of the night, and since my hair took so long, it left me rushing to do my make-up. Anyways, on to the pictures (:

His mom made that corsage, it was huge and sooo beautiful!

Anyways, I was tagged by Rai and so here are my answers:

What is your favorite make-up look?
I love bold looks, smokey eyes, dark colours, that whole thing. Even though I would never wear them out.

Do you have a beauty vice?
Hmm, not sure.

What part of your body do you love?
My eyes!

Who is your beauty icon?
Definitely Kim Kardashian and Megan Fox. I love the way that she can just wear mascara and a bright bold pink lip and still look fierce!

What beauty products make you feel instantly sexy?
If I had to pick one, I'd say lipstick.

How do you look after your skin?
Ahh, I do the bare minimum unfortunately. Hopefully now that it's summer I'll be more cautious.

What is your signature scent?
The Paris Hilton perfume and Britney Spears' Fantasy.

What are your haircare secrets?
I don't have any.

How do you pamper yourself?
Shopping of course!

What is your beauty pet peeve?
I hate people who don't complete their look with mascara. I see it a lot at school, girls who wear just eyeliner and no mascara. You don't need to clump it on, just one coat will do you good!

What would your desert island must-haves be?
Music, internet, and food!
Beauty related would be vaseline, deoderant and sunscreen.

Finally, do you have a beauty philosophy?
Experiment! It's just make-up, it'll wash off. (:

I tag anyone who hasn't done this yet. Be sure to comment, I'd like to see other peoples answers.

Till later guys!

Prom Look/FOTD & Update!

Sorry for the lack of updates guys. I got sick Sunday and I've been trying to get better, not to mention it was exam week. Luckily, I only have one exam left on Monday and then I'm out for the summer! (:

Technically this was suppose to be my graduating year, but I've decided to stay back a semester and work on my marks rather than going into university with a minimum average. My plan was to do a semester in high school, and apply for university second semester. But unfortunately that won't work out cause not a lot of university programs start in January and even then, my semester of high school would end in February. Soo, I thought I'd work full time second semester and apply for September, but, I think I might just stay in school for the whole year.

Anyways, enough school talk. On top of exams, my good friend, at the last minute, asked me to his prom which was yesterday. My friend did my hair, and I did my make-up. On Thursday, I did test run of what I wanted to do:

Face:
Revlon Colour Stay Foundation in #330
Jane Be Pure Mineral Blush in Rose Satin

Eyes:
UDPP
TFSI
Smashbox Photofinish Lid Primer
88 Matte & Shimmer Palette
UD Zero
MAC Blacktrack f/l
MAC Powerpoint e/l in Engraved
L'OReal Voluminious
Maybelline Great Lash Clear (for brows)

Lips:
Rimmel l/s in Airy Fairy
Rimmel l/s in Birthday Suit
MAC Dazzleglass in Bare Neccassity

Of course, the day of prom, my make-up was rushed so it didn't come out as neat as I would of liked it to, but it looked good none the less.

This was also the first time I did my make-up in a long time. A couple of weeks ago I lent my 88 matte & shimmer palettes to my friend along with some of my good brushes. She was going to do her own make-up for prom, and I decided to lend her some of my stuff cause she didn't have a lot. I'm happy to get my stuff back cause I was bored without make-up. So expect some more FOTD's. :D

I also bought a foundation for the first time. I picked up Revlon Colour Stay in #330 Natural Tan. I researched online and found out that MAC NC40 was equal to #330. The coverage is nice also. It's not going to be something I'd wear everyday, the main reason I got it was because I wanted to even out my skin tone for my friend's prom. When I get around to uploading the pictures from my camera, I'll be sure to post them here. (:

Unfortunately, I didn't get anything from the MAC Sumo sale. :( Did anybody order anything?

Till later!

Fixed The Comments!

I think I fixed the comments thing, I didn't know there was a problem before until Rai e-mailed me and told me about it. Hopefully it works now (:

I had my prom last night and it was AMAZING, I did not want it to end, and I was pretty satisfied with everything (in terms of my hair, makeup, overall look). I'm lazy to post pictures now cause I have to re-size and edit them and I have a buttload of homework, but I'll be sure to post a more detailed post about it within the next day or two.

Should start posting more..

I really should. I'm usually on the computer everyday for a couple of hours, usually reading other beauty blogs, but I never get around to actually posting on my own blog.

I got my wisdom teeth removed on Monday, and my mouth is kind of swollen and still sore, but luckily I have painkillers.

I'm gonna finally get around to uploading pictures and hopefully I'll update more (: