I lied

Guys, I really am a hair snob. I just couldn't do it. Out with Outrageous and in with Pureology. With the amount I damage my hair (wait what? I'm totally this blonde....) the poor thing really does appreciate the extra TLC. I really could have stuck it out with the Outrageous but it left my hair so darn dry and seeing broken pieces fly every time I touch it was a little concerning. Please don't think less of me, I promise I don't look down my nose at you.

Ahhhhhhhh that's better

an inexpensive MUST have

I quite like the look of a defined winged eyeliner. This look is most easily achieved when using a gel/cream eyeliner and a brush, over a kohl or pencil liner. I have been using MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack and have been quite happy with it until I absent-mindedly left the lid off and it dried up a little. Boooo. It was nothing so terrible it had to be thrown away but it did change the consistency a little and and has been a bit finicky to use since. My friend Laura knew that I was soon in the market for a new liner as I had inquired after her using a drugstore product and how she liked it. She said it was a nice product but I decided that because of my MAC Pro discount it made sense for me to just stick with Blacktrack as it worked out to the same price as the drugstore counterpart anyway. UNTIL, until Laura told me that she had come upon a new drugstore line – Essence, and that they had a gel liner that not only got great reviews on my favorite makeup reference site Makeup Alley, but was an inexpensive alternative at only $3.50! I looked up the Essence gel liners and found a great YouTube video showing swatches and decided I wanted the color Midnight in Paris, a deep dark black. Laura had found the line at a local Shopper’s Drug Mart and said she would pick me one up when she went back to purchase some for herself (what a gal!)

Folks, you’ve got to get your hands on this stuff. I am over the moon about this product (I know, I get a little worked up about a good find). It is fantastic! This product is easy to apply, dark and pigmented, does not smudge, fade or flake and did I mention it’s $3.50?!! The only issue is Laura had to go to about 4 Shopper’s to find the Essence line and my friend Sarah who is now on the hunt for this stuff has been to about 3 and can’t find it either. I think Essence is new to Canada (as their website says “now in Shopper’s Drug Mart”) and my guess is not all stores are carrying it yet. I believe you can find the brand at Ulta in the States. It is absolutely worth the hunt.

I promise I'm happier about this liner than that - I forgot about the rest of my face - imagine a big toothy grin :oD

To compare Midnight in Paris to Blacktrack I would say Blacktrack is more of a paste, where this stuff is a true gel consistency. The packaging is similar, both in 3 mL round pots with screw top lids. The price point is where the biggest difference lies with Blacktrack setting you back $18 CA and Midnight in Paris coming in at $3.50. I don’t see myself using Blacktrack again, honestly, and not just because of the price difference. The Essence gel liner is deeper and a truer black than the fluidline and I genuinely find it easier to apply (and I am referring to my pre-leaving-the-lid-off incident.)

Essence Midnight in Paris on the left, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline on right

If you are a seasoned gel/cream eyeliner kind of gal I think you will be really impressed with this product and if you are a defined eyeliner beginner I think this is a great place to start – not only is this product inexpensive and not a great commitment to practice on, I truly feel it is easier to apply and work with than other cream liners I have used. I recommend this to anyone (everyone!) looking for a liner in this form.

Great work Laura.

smells like teen spirit

…or at least what my hair smelled like when I was a teen. If you follow my instagram you will know that I have recently come upon a hair product I favored when I was a teen - Revlon’s Outrageous shampoo and conditioner. I believe I used this stuff pretty steady for a lot of junior high and maybe into high school, I can’t remember. I loved the way it gave my hair bounce and volume and the smell, ooooh the smell. It actually makes me think of my good friends Jennifer and Laura, I seem to remember them commenting on the smell of my hair on more than one occasion.
 


While just leaving the hair aisle at Wal Mart these bottles caught my eye and I stopped dead in my tracks. I hadn’t seen, let alone thought of, this product in years. At a whopping cost of $1.96 per bottle I decided I could grab them for old time’s sake, and conveniently I was almost out of my current shampoo and conditioner anyway. I can’t say that I love them as much as my younger self did. Unfortunately (?) I have acquired a preference for professional hair products and believe that in many cases you get what you pay for. A few weeks of use into the bottles I am noticing that while I do get that same softness, this product does seem to leave my ends rather dry. As someone that washes my hair once every 5 or 6 days I am also noticing my hair is rather limp and lifeless by that point, which it usually isn’t. Having said that, I am not a hair snob and am committed to using these bottles to the last squeeze and am going to enjoy every sniff of my hair as I do.

*sniiiiifffffff*  

some recent faves

I promised a post and I am here to deliver. I want to share with you just a few things I have been loving on lately.




1. Loreal Waterproof Gentle Makeup Remover – I got to the bottom of my usual Clean & Clear Foaming Face wash and decided that because I am currently treating my skin with a little ProActiv action that I didn’t really need a full face wash, just something to remove my eye makeup. I had seen this makeup remover before and was intrigued with it’s 2 phase system (it is not the packaging that makes it look like that, the liquids are separated and the bottle must be shaken to mix them together before using.) I do not wear waterproof makeup but I do wear a healthy dose of mascara and often have sticky gloss that needs to be removed. I picked this up and I am so glad I did. I am IMPRESSED. I wet (with water) my entire face getting my mascara good and running (haha, it's such a good look) and then get a little product on a cotton pad and barely have to wipe and my makeup is gone. Literally. I have used other products where you have to wipe and pull and wipe some more but this product is strong enough to remove all makeup without much effort but gentle enough that it doesn’t sting or burn my eyes as other removers have. I am really impressed with this product.

2. MAC 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush – (Don't mind the pic of my dirty brush!) My current favorite foundation is MAC Face and Body as I love it’s dewy finish. It is quite runny and up until recently I had been simply using my fingers to apply it. As I mentioned I have been treating my skin and as a result have found it a little more dry as of late. I was needing something to buff the foundation into my dry skin, as using my fingers was not leaving a nice finish on my changing skin. The MUA at MAC suggested this brush and I. Am. In. Love. I have NO idea why it took me so long to come upon this gem. I put a little foundation on the back of my hand and use this brush to dab into it and then stipple and buff the foundation into my skin. I get such even coverage and a beautiful finish with the foundation really worked into my skin instead of just sitting on top. You can use this brush for other products as well but I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fantastic foundation brush. 

3. MAC Eye Brow Pencil in Fling – I have been letting my natural brows grow in a bit more as I like a fuller brow and wanted to let my own brows do their thing - within reason of course. Like most people the inner points of my brows are fairly thin and definitely needed to be filled in to blend with the rest of my brows instead of looking like stray hairs. I had been using MAC Omega to fill in my brows and although that does a good job for the length of my brow it did nothing for the sparse little tips. I picked up a MAC brow pencil in the color Fling and have been using that to shape and fill in my brows instead. It has made a world of difference – they just needed something a little more pigmented and something that could define their shape. While I am happy with this product there are many different brands that make brow pencils and correctors and I’ve got my eye on a few I want to try. Do you recommend any?

4. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer – This is actually my girlfriend Sarah’s product. She told me to give it a try as she rarely uses it. I have a face primer from Hard Candy but I don’t use it often as I don’t really notice any results. The first time I used this primer I could tell a difference in my skin. I apply it with my fingers before I apply my foundation as I described above and I am left with a very smooth and glowy face. My foundation lasts all day and I think it helps my bronzer/blush wear longer as well. I do notice that my face feels a little more (I don’t want to use the word oily) glisteny but nothing that I can’t handle. I kinda don’t want to give it back to Sarah! :)

So there you have it, a few things I’ve been impressed with. Have you tried any of these? Do you have any products you’ve been loving lately?

an update {pic heavy}

Thank you to those that commented on my last post. I appreciate your words and that I’m not alone in thinking the heart can have many loves and many favorites. I didn’t want to make drama out of it but I wanted to say something. Thanks for the reminder that this is my blog and I can say what I want. I appreciate you reading.

Ok, let’s move on. I didn’t want the month of May to pass completely without another post. We have been having an awesome month and I want to show you what we’ve been up to!

First of all and most exciting is that my dear friend Sarah arrived at the beginning of the month. Sarah and her family are from Vegas and we met our first summer selling in Winnipeg. We became fast friends as we share a love of makeup, the same sense of humor and now both have 2 little boys. I missed her terribly last year as they took a year off from selling but this year she is back and better than ever and we have been enjoying each other almost daily. This gal makes me happy and keeps me sane. Love her. So glad she and the other wives are here, we have a sweet little group this year.

In other exciting news I purchased a pair of green skinny jeans. I told you, exciting right? I’ve been looking for a pair of colored skinnies to rock this summer and when I came upon this lone pair in my size at Forever 21 I obviously had to make them mine. They are more of a cropped skinny and not exactly what I had in mind but I love them just the same. The color is adorable and goes with a lot in my wardrobe. Great find. And I can keep looking for longer skinnies too right? Don't mind the blurry photo and my horse-face. 

We had a week of really warm beautiful weather. Because we are in a home this year we have full intentions of taking advantage of the backyard and extra space we have. Neil took the boys to Wal Mart to pick out a pool and they came home with this – a cute little pool with slide and spraying seals. So fun. The boys spent the better part of the week out in the backyard playing and splashing. I’m so happy to be in a house and feel like my boys can run and play and breathe. Willow is enjoying it too!

I spent last Saturday with these beautiful sisters in law of mine. We are lucking enough to all be in Calgary this summer and try to get together as much as possible. We spent the morning shopping (what else do ladies do when they get together?!) and then enjoyed a scrumptious sushi lunch. I love these gals and wish that our other 4 beautiful SILs could join us too!

I had the pleasure of doing grad makeup on this pretty face. Erica doesn’t typically wear a lot of makeup but didn’t want to hold anything back for grad. We did a beautiful purple subtle cut crease eye and added the drama of false lashes. She wanted to go all out and we had a lot of fun. She looked absolutely stunning all put together.

And like a total creep I stole this picture from her Facebook.  She's got it goin' on, no? 

Sarah is such a fun mom and always has these crazy ideas. She came over one afternoon with a box of washable markers and said we were going to do some face painting and let the boys color all over themselves. Um ok. It was SO FUN! The boys went to town drawing all over their faces and tummies and then asked us to draw pictures on them too. The markers washed off in the tub without any scrubbing at all and the boys had such a great time. Once I got over my hesitation it was a blast and we’ll be dong it again for sure.

This month my Rigby learned  how to put his shoes on all by himself. This is the most adorable picture of him right after he did it for the first time. He’s getting to be such a big boy. *sniff*

The boys love going to look around the Disney store in the mall. It’s about the only reason we go to the mall since actual shopping with them is a serious headache. This is the best picture I could get of them playing with the Avengers gear. Porter was Thor and Rigs was Captain America. They call the store Disneyland and if that’s what they think Disneyland is my wallet is relieved, haa.

 

We spent this past Saturday afternoon at Calaway Park and it was more fun than I was even expecting. I couldn’t believe how many rides there were for little, little kids like Rigby and Maddox. The boys rode rides by themselves and had so much fun running from place to place checking it all out. We bought passes and will be going back lots this summer.

And last but not least, Willow is as sappy as ever. She certainly believes I am actually her momma and snuggles up to me whenever I sit down for 5 seconds. She is really great with all the people that come and go from our place and has made some great new friends *cough, Sarah, cough* even if they don’t feel the same way. Haaha.

We are really having a great summer. Our home is beautiful and spacious, the wives I get to spend my days with are fun and happy and Calgary is a really great city that I am slowly learning my way around. Neil’s team is growing each week and we are happy with their progress. Life is just good. Oh, and the Bachelorette started and who doesn’t enjoy an hour or 2 of one liners and awkward moments? This gal does. :)

Thanks for stopping by. Come back this week, I want to share with you some products I’m loving and also my favorite new app that makes you even hotter than you already are! Yes please.

lesson learned

I somewhat feel the need to apologize to those of you I offended when I recently posted a love note for my sister's birthday. I find it unfortunate that there are those that feel because I love one person it must mean I love others less. The love of the heart is not a balance scale, where one goes up the other goes down. I can see how my use of the word "favorite" does seem exclusive, but does not every relationship have their own dynamic and everyone have many "favorites" in different aspects of those relationships? It was not my intent to hurt feelings and certainly not make anyone feel less-loved. I understand that such a demonstration of adoration may not be appropriate for public display because of this and I will keep future demonstrations personal. I just feel bad, I guess I'm better with lipsticks than people.

depotting eyeshadows and a back 2 MAC

I have been growing my MAC eyeshadow collection for quite some time. I started out buying the little pots but more recently have been purchasing the refill pans to stick into palettes. It is neater, more compact and saves space in my makeup kit. Plus I really like to pull out a palette and see all the shadows at once instead of have to dig around looking for a shade. I had 12 shadows that were still in pots and last week I decided that it was finally time I depotted them and put them into a palette.

I looked up some depotting instructions on YouTube, combined a few of them using the steps I liked, and got to work. I didn’t take pictures of the depotting process as you can find a thousand videos of how to do it and use whichever instructions you like depending on what tools you have on hand. I have put this off for a long time but found it a lot easier than I thought it was going to be and it went much faster than I anticipated.

(Please forgive the camera phone pictures with a bedspread background. So professional right?)

Before and After

I have 2 full 15 shadow palettes and have organized them into neutrals and colors. 

As I’m sure you are aware MAC offers a recycling program where you take in 6 empties to get a FREE lipstick, eyeshadow or lipgloss. As you know I hit bottom on my beloved Creme d' Nude so I took this opportunity to ‘back 2 MAC’ 6 of my 12 empty eyeshadow pots and picked up a new Creme d' Nude lipstick.

It was pretty satisfying to turn this into this.

Getting rid of those 12 pots freed up a lot of space in my kit and I am enjoying the reorganized and no-longer-overflowing compartments. As I mentioned I really enjoy pulling out a palette to see all the shades at once and find it much easier to create looks when I can see everything in front of me instead of trying to remember what I've got. Knowing how simple the whole process was I find it a little silly I waited so long to do it. C'est la vie.

Do you prefer your eyeshadows in individual pots or in a palette?


Note: it is not recommended to depot MAC eyeshadows as there is a risk they will crack or shatter in the process. I did not ruin any of mine but I feel I should mention there is the chance of ending up with a table full of powder and that. would. be. SAD.

a visit from my parents

We were lucky enough to have a visit from these nice folks this past week.



We really had a great visit. It rained pretty well the whole week which means we hung out at home quite a bit and that was nice. We got to enjoy some great visits and the boys loved having Grandma and Grandpa to play with all day long.

My mom always brings a “Magic Bag” for each of the boys. Every morning and through out the day she will put something inside the Magic Bag and leave it for the boys to find. (Isn't she adorable?) They love spotting the Magic Bag and pulling out their toys and treats. One morning the Magic Bag held some moustaches and we all got in on the fun.

 

The boys weren’t the only ones enjoying having Grandma and Grandpa around. It didn’t take long for Willow to decide my dad was pretty ok and snuggled herself up next to him often.



My mom and I snuck away for an afternoon to treat each other to Mother’s Day goodies. We went to Frilly Lilly to smell all the yummy things and bought each other a pair of earrings. We finished off our outing with a trip to a cupcake shop and shared lemon and chocolate raspberry cupcakes. She is one of my very favorite people to go out with, and it's not cause she always buys me things. :)



We thoroughly enjoyed their company all week. We did some baking, swapped some recipes, went for a drive, played, played and played, watched some shows, ate treats and then ate more treats, planned our trip to FLORIDA for the fall (eeek!), and just loved being together.

I appreciate my parents for how supportive and interested in our lives they are. Neil and my dad stayed up till all hours of the night (literally!) chatting and talking. They always want to know how we are doing, how things are going and I appreciate how much they care. They help with the dishes, bathe and put kids to bed, and my momma folded my laundry and mopped my floor. Aren’t parents the best? I think mine are.  I am a lucky gal.

Thanks for coming, we miss you already!

my eyeshadow consultant

I genuinely don't know how I stumbled upon this site but thank you, lucky stars that I did! If you are a MAC eyeshadow fan then you're going to love it too. Makeup artist Zabrena has put together an impressive directory of MAC eyeshadow combinations complete with pictures, and called it My Eyeshadow Consultant. Simply click on the name of the eyeshadow and up pops a portfolio of photos pairing that eyeshadow with other MAC shadows. I have been perusing her site for only a few days and I have come across some great combos that I am excited to try. Zabrena says that although she appreciates the artistic side of makeup her goal is to keep all her looks wearable. I find she is not afraid to use unlikely shades together which proves that thinking outside the box can create really beautiful looks. I am loving this site and have been inspired to start using a lot of my shadows in ways I hadn't thought to before.

Of course this site is most helpful if you have an extensive collection of MAC shadows, but with the pictures Zabrena provides you can see the colors she uses and find dupes from your own collection to recreate the look. This site could also be used to help you decide which eyeshadows to buy when you walk into MAC and feel overwhelmed at the collection. Zabrena is expanding her site to include Urban Decay eyeshadows with what seems to be a heavy focus on the Naked palettes.

If you choose to do so you can pay a small fee and register with the site which will give you exclusive access to more eyeshadow combinations, newsletters, email replies and for another fee - even one on one Skype time with Zabrena. I am impressed with the extent she has gone to to provide inspiration for us makeup lovers.

Why are ya still here? Hustle on over there and I hope you have some time cause you're going to need it!

A look inspired by Zabrena using Greensmoke and Patina. I have had Greensmoke for quite a while yet I rarely reach for it. Using it in this way gave me a new love for it. I enjoy rediscovering shadows I already have in my collection. I hope this site can be useful to you too.

Mr. Green: a sad story

The other day we were asked to watch 2 pet birds for a friend of ours. He was leaving the birds with us just for the day and would pick them up before bed that night. When he arrived that morning to drop the birds off he only had one bird and explained that the other bird had been sick all night and he had dropped him off at the vet before he came over and that the bird was staying there for care. The bird we were to watch was Mr. Green, the other one at the vet being Mr. Blue. We put the big cage up on the table and the boys immediately ran over to admire him. Mr. Green had food and water and so we had to do very little for him during the day. We had a busy afternoon out of the house and returned home around dinner time. I was in the kitchen making dinner and the boys were sitting at the table talking to Mr. Green. Willow was in the living room laying on the couch and the boys soon joined her to watch a show while I finished getting the meal ready. Out of nowhere I saw Willow dart off the couch and run into the kitchen where I couldn't see her but could hear her nails scrambling all over the floor. Assuming she had got herself stuck on something and was trying to get out of it, I came around the island to see feathers flying and Mr. Green laying on the floor flapping. I shooed Willow away and scooped up the bird and returned him to his cage which was already open. I looked him carefully over and couldn't see any outward damage although it looked like he was holding one leg up and his one wing wouldn't move when the other one did. I was upset. Obviously. We were asked to watch this bird for one day and now we've crippled him. He climbed around his cage and made his way to his food and water but moved very gingerly and looked quite lame. The only thing I could deduce was that while the boys were over admiring him Rigby had opened the door to the cage and then walked away. Mr. Green had obviously made his way out of his cage, off the table, onto the floor and down the hall when Willow spotted him. I was sick with worry and guilt for injuring our friend's poor bird, all while his other pet bird was at the vet sick! When he got to our house that night I told him what had happened and begged him to take him to the vet and get Mr. Green checked over as I really didn't think he was ok, and to let me pay for the whole ordeal. He agreed he would take him in the morning as the vet wanted to look him over anyway as he had probably contracted the same sickness Mr. Blue was being cared for. I texted him in the morning but got no response. Later that morning Neil came up and told me that Mr. Green had been to the vet and that he had suffered some serious fractions and because they don't do surgery on small birds they had had to put him down. OH. MY. GOSH. Worst babysitter ever. Our friend was more than kind about it and explained it was just a $15 dollar bird he had only got a couple months ago and that it was no big deal or heartbreak to him. Seriously though. The guy trusts me with his pet and we kill it within hours. My word.

What would you do to apologize to our friend? We have taken care of the vet bill and even though our friend is over it all I feel I should do something more. I don't know that replacing the bird right now is the best plan but is a pan of brownies really the best way to say "hey, I'm sorry we killed your pet?!" 

Sigh. Help! 

I just so happened to snap a photo of sweet Mr. Green earlier in the day. 

RIP 

Mr. Green 

We're sorry.