Fall: White Jeggings

So I've been sitting on this post for a while and realized I really need to get this out, before there's snow on the ground!

I've wanted white jeggings/skinny jeans for a while and scooped up a Mavi pair on sale. Finding white jeggings in my budget that fit me well has been tricky--the thin material + white means some pairs I've tried on are slightly see-through, but these Mavis are pretty opaque.

Originally I was planning to wear them with a pair of colour-blocked stilettos, but I couldn't find them! So I wore them with my Reebok Skyscape Harmony flats--they're like Toms, but with a neoprene-like upper, and more cushiony and durable if you ask me. This is the more "honest" representation of my style anyway, because I'm rarely in heels haha.

Fall Favourites Tag

I first saw this tag on Tracy's blog, but wasn't planning to do it because I just didn't have good answers lol. Then I saw that Larie had subbed out favourite fall movie (???) for favourite nail polish and I was like YES I am on board with this. All spellings of "favorite" have been Canadian-ized :P

1. Favourite fall candle
I seem to collect candles instead of burning them... (I'm bad at handling lighters and matches.) The closest "fall" candle I have is BBW's London Calling, a tea- and lemon-scented one that I obviously had to have when it came out last year.

2. Favourite fall lip colour

Sephora Rouge Cream in Crush / MAC Fashion Revival / Annabelle TwistUp in Royale / Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Shameless

The short answer: vampy, with a red-based purple lean to it. Long answer: Annabelle TwistUp in Royale was sent to me in a PR package at a time when my eczema was really bad and I was feeling down about the way my lips had become discoloured as a result of battling it. Royale totally worked with my blue-tinged lips and an obsession was born. Since then, I've picked up a few more (Sephora Crush and MAC Fashion Revival swatch almost identically, btw) but that's the one that got the ball rolling. The stronger blue tones in Revlon Shameless almost puts it out of my comfort zone, but I recently wore it all day (work and then to a media thing) and I felt boss.

Pretty things from LUSH Christmas 2015 Preview

The recent LUSH Christmas media event was fun as always! Christmas is serious business for LUSH and they've cooked up fun new products in addition to bringing back some classic favourites.

LUSH also had someone from their manufacturing team making a batch of their new Don't Look At Me fresh face mask. This mask contains silken tofu, rice milk, and rice syrup, all blended up before our eyes!

Snow Angel bath melt is a long-running LUSH Christmas product. If I actually took baths, I would definitely be all over this marzipan-scented, cocoa butter-based bath melt to hydrate dry winter skin.

Empties #5 (decluttering edition!)

Well, technically not empties. You know how sometimes your closet gets so full of old clothes you don't wear anymore that there's no room in there for the clothes you actually wear? My makeup stash is like that. Lots of super old stuff tucked away neatly in drawers while products I'm actually using were scattered everywhere on my dresser. I went through my stash earlier this year (you can see the beginnings of it in Empties #4) and tried to be a little more ruthless/a little less sentimental in an effort to make some room.

Tackling my bathroom:

Daiso Nose Pack - a charcoal-based mask you apply all over your nose and peel off to remove blackheads. This is one of those things that are simultaneously fun and gross to do with friends and family to compare your results, but I quickly forgot about it. The contents of the tube have become super super thick, rendering it unusable.

Nivea Eye Make-Up Remover - it had more of a lotiony texture so I thought it would be hydrating for my eye area. It burned. Stopped using it immediately but stubbornly (hoardingly?) didn't throw it out for some reason. I don't think they make this one anymore.

Actual empties:

Marcelle Ultra Gentle Cleansing Gel (press sample) - I really like this one. It's called a gel but it's more of a lotion or lightweight cream that doesn't leave my skin feeling too tight. It's the one I use on no-makeup days or as a follow-up to a cleansing oil. This one was a press sample but I've since purchased another one during a sale.

Marcelle Essentials Soothing Cleansing Water - I liked this one so much that I literally called my review of it a "love letter". It's since been repackaged as Marcelle 3-in-1 Micellar Solution, which I've also repurchased. Amazing for sweeping all over the face to catch any leftover makeup, or removing non-waterproof eye makeup and lipstick.

Moody fall burgundy

I got really caught up in the vampy mood of ArtDeco Couture Mystical Heart nail polish and decided to complete the look with even more burgundy, purply things >:D

From my vampy lip collection, I pulled out Milani Color Statement lipstick in Sangria, a deep plum. I really layered this one on to get the most intense lip look out of it, although it looks a bit brighter here than it does in person. This lipstick is one of my favourite shades and is an amazing value at about $6 CAD, but it has a weird plastic-y smell.

I'm also wearing one of my lazy-day favourites, a super relaxed, oversize H&M burgundy sweater. In real life, I feel like Milani Sangria is closer to the colour of this sweater.

By the way, I got a sample of Too Faced Born This Way foundation and am wearing it here! Natural Beige is a good match for my skin post-Hawaii. The coverage is on the fuller side of what I normally prefer, but the finish is pretty natural and it cooperated better than expected with my normal-dry skin.

Hope your week is going well! The Sephora sale for VIBs starts Thursday, what's on your list?

ArtDeco 700 Couture Mystical Heart

ArtDeco's Fall/Winter 2015 collection invites you into their Mystical Forest with muted and earthy hues inspired by a "misty autumn forest". Out of everything I received, of course I had to try the the nail polish first.

ArtDeco 700 Couture Mystical Heart is a deep, deep, moody burgundy. It's darker and has more red to it than Layla Pro Purple Vamp, but still falls into that vampy colour family I love wearing in fall. Couture Mystical Heart has a slight jelly finish and looks fabulous in two coats. The consistency of the polish allows it to settle easily over the nail and isn't so thin that it'll flood the cuticles if you're not careful.

A good, flexible brush is always important so that you don't get nail polish on the cuticles. It's especially important with a dark colour, because it's extra conspicuous if you don't clean up every last bit. ArtDeco doesn't disappoint here: the brush is flexible and fans out nicely with light pressure to create a good curve at the cuticle. It is slightly too wide to be ideal for me, though.

At $14 CAD it's on the pricier side, sitting somewhere between OPI and NCLA, but you definitely get a quality product: the consistency of the polish and the brush make a nail polish that is smooth and easy to work with. ArtDeco is a German brand carried in Canada exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart.

What colours do you love wearing on your tips in the fall?


Available at Shoppers Drug Mart: $14 CAD / 10 ml

David's Tea 24 Days of Tea Advent Calendar: photos + value breakdown

David's Tea's holiday collection hit stores and online this past Sunday and I couldn't resist picking up their 24 Days of Tea advent calendar! I wasn't too interested in the selection of teas included in last year's advent calendar and passed on it. However, this year has a couple I've been meaning to try (Sweet Almond Green, Moment of Zen) and some of my confirmed likes (Buddha's Blend, Cherry Blossom). The tea advent calendar sold out super fast last year, and after some brief mental math on the value, I caved haha.

I'm going to try to be good and open each one day by day like I'm supposed to, but I decided to make a post talking about the value of the set and take lots of photos of the beautiful packaging. JOIN ME AND GET IT.

The 2015 advent calendar is packaged in a sturdy teal box, book-style, with a satin ribbon to help pull it open.

LUSH No Drought Dry Shampoo

I've always been super lazy when it comes to hair. I'm hilariously inept when it comes to any sort of styling and my recent attempt to DIY dye with an at-home kit probably belongs in a sitcom. However, since this summer when I started dying my hair, I've been a lot more conscientious when it comes to hair care and the products I use.

I recently tried a few hair care products from LUSH, and while Veganese conditioner and I Love Juicy shampoo (which smells awesome, by the way) weren't right for me, No Drought dry shampoo is a new favourite.

Washing hair (or water, generally) is terrible for dye; I am always so sad when I see that my dye has turned the water purply-red and it's all going down the drain, or seeing my dye in my hair towel. The simple solution was to obviously stop washing my hair as often. Although my hair doesn't get oily as quickly as it does for other people, washing my hair only once a week meant some greasiness was inevitable.