October Favourites +

Wow. The last time I did a favourites was a year ago - last October! It is not that difficult of a thing to do, so I'm disappointed that I don't do it more often. I am so sorry (for anyone who reads and for myself) that I don't update very often. I am juggling my degree/going to classes, working 25 hours every weekend, and working credit hours through the week. It's tough to get to do everything I want to do! I've definitely bought and tried new things in the last little while and planned on posting, but it's all lost on me now. I am going to force myself to post once per week at the very least now! :')

1 ♥ Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain, Lovesick

Perfect. I thought it would be too bright, too fuchsia, but it's a nice cool pink. Very pigmented/ true stain, lasts absolutely hours on me.

2 ♥ Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain, Charm

These swatches had me convinced I needed this colour. I always have trouble finding nudes that work for me. I have a little trouble with application; it isn't as smooth as Lovesick. I like it a lot, anyways! 

3 ♥ St. Ives Hand Cream

A drugstore in my city was closing and they had everything 70% off. This was practically free, and I just grabbed it because my latest Nivea hand cream was just about empty. It's my new favourite. It smells amazing, I can't even describe it - fresh? It isn't greasy, and my hands feel soft. 

4 ♥ Essie Grow Faster

As I've mentioned since the dawn of time, I have a hard time keeping my fingers looking pretty. I am over the nail biting, though the picking and biting my skin is different story. I use this as a clear polish for work and I would say the claim to make nails grow faster is true. I wouldn't really care if it did or didn't, it's still a good clear/base/strengthening polish. 

5 ♥ Avon Skin So Soft Body Lotion w/ Argan 

I like Avon lotions. SSSs are always great. They have a few different ones these days, so I decided to try one. I've used it every day since I got it and no complaints! 

6 ♥ NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream, Amsterdam 

I bought this in January and didn't really wear it after I first got it. I'm a bit shy about lipstick (especially reds and brighter colours) since I'm just in class and at work most of the time and sometimes I notice people will comment and say something stupid like, "why are you wearing makeup?" if I wear lipstick. I decided that I do not care what people think anymore and I will wear my red and bright pink lipsticks proudly. This one lasts a long time, just starts to look flaky and separated once it starts wearing off. 

7 ♥ Hand Candy Primer, Perfecting

My Mark primer ran out and I didn't know what to try next, so I grabbed this one from the drugstore. It's pretty. Totally different consistency than Mark's, but it does make my face quite smooth. I am definitely looking to try something else next time. 

Well, this has been a 3 am post! I am exhausted and barely slept this past week, but I am always wanting to do things I enjoy really late at night... 

xx

Skin So Soft Satin Glow

I'm a white girl. Like, I'm so pale that people sometimes comment about how I don't look well. Sorry, that's just my face.

Anyways, I'm not one for going tanning. I love the summer and I love going outside and especially laying on the beach, but nothing happens to me. I am red for the day/night that I'm outside, and then I'm white again the following morning. I can't burn or tan. The only hope I have for any colour is self-tanners.

I started using Skin So Soft in high school, maybe around grade ten. I used to just use it for the spring/summer when people would be seeing my legs. I decided I liked it just as a lotion/moisturizer and the "gradual glow" was just a perk. I have used it year round for the past 3-4 years, and I've gone through a few bottles of it. I realized I should get some more because my last bottle was getting low. I already had to go through the trouble of figuring out which foundation replaced Avon's old Smooth Minerals liquid foundation, and.. you guessed it.. I had to do the same with Skin So Soft. SSS has been around for a long time, but they are always changing their formulas and bottles and scents and whatever. The new bottle looks completely different, contains less product, is not the same formula at all, yet has the same name.

left: old bottle/formula, circa 2008.

• thick cream/lotion
• dries/absorbs quickly
• light and pleasant scent (not the tanner scent that many people, myself included, aren't too fond of)
• leaves my legs so smooth and soft (jojoba seed oil!)
• does its job in every other area described on the bottle
• sometimes leaves streaks; be sure to apply evenly and allow to dry completely
• also available for Medium/Dark skin tones

Here's the new one, pictured on the right up there.

• added a fourth purpose/benefit of minimizing the appearance of hair
• formula looks and feels completely different; watery/runny, clear gel (comes out quickly and can be messy, and packaging is the same for both bottles)
• dries/absorbs quickly
• stronger scent
• different ingredients

I am going to have to use it more often and see how it goes. 

Isn't it just so sad when your favourite products get made over and completely changed?

October favourites

I've had so much school work in the past couple weeks! I haven't had a lot of time to blog. I also have a couple packages with new things at my mum's house, so I'm waiting for a bigger post when I finally go pick up my new things. I ended up getting the Kat Von D palette I've been whining about, so look foward to that!

I joined a Zumba class this week and I've gone twice and it is AMAZING. If you want to work out but not pay for a gym, or you just want to keep active, or, hell, if you just want something to do.. I highly recommend it!

Anyways, these are some of the things I found myself constantly reaching for this past month.

Coconut Body Butter ~ The Body Shop
I think a lot of people are familiar with The Body Shop's Body Butters. Coconut is my go-to scent for pretty much everything.. lotions, shampoos, whatever. I've had this since last December (I bought it for myself when I was Christmas shopping). There's so much product for $20. I know a lot of people go through the full size Body Butters in no time, but I just can't, and that makes it so much more worth it to me. I'm not spending $20 to replace this super often; it's awesome. I like the smell and the forumla.

Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief Moisturizer ~ Clinique
Unfortunatley, this is just a sample bottle. I am actually convinced that I will buy the full size product when this is gone, though. I love it. I have normal skin and it makes my skin feel so smooth and moisturized. A little bit goes a long way!

Lip Glace in "Popsicle" ~ No7
I am not a lipgloss person. I am so picky with what I put on my lips. If it tastes like plastic, do not want. If it doesn't last, what's the point? You guys know the drill. I borrowed a different colour from a friend this summer when I went to Canada's Wonderland and applied it TWICE during a whole day of talking and eating and roller coasters. It's a little bit sticky, but a good sticky. It doesn't budge, it's long-lasting, but it isn't drying at all. It smells sweet, but it's not exactly flavoured. And it's SPARKLY! I just love it so much and used it so much this month.

i-Mark Custom Pick Eyeshadow ~ Mark
I like palettes, and I usually don't pick out my own eyeshadows. I know with palettes you usually get a shade or two you don't really use, but I find it more annoying and expensive to buy everything individually. I decided to stop being such a bum and bought a Mark Mezzo case (fits two blushes OR one blush + 2 shadows OR four shadows) and four shadows:

• Latte - matte pinky brown 
• Biscotti - shimmery cream/champagne
• Minx - shimmery taupe/silver
• Night Owl - shimmery navy

They are very well pigmented and fit into the case with magnets. They are $6 per shadow, with the case being something like $8. They have new sizes/names for the cases than what I have, but they're very similar. Anyways, I love these four shades together. I can leave out Night Owl and have the perfect neutral look, or make things a little more dramatic and smokey if I include all four colours. I take this one with me when I travel or stay overnight somewhere. I'm pretty sure I used Biscotti every single day in October. It's a very versatile colour and good for highlighting. I recommend all four of these colours and the other i-mark shades available. I have several other shadows and many of Mark's palettes that they've released. I might do a post on them some other time.

Anybody else really loving Mark products? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one. There needs to be more Mark/Avon love online. 

Unexpected shopping

I stopped in a Superstore in my hometown tonight to see if coffee was on sale and decided it might be worthwhile to check out their beauty/cosmetics department. I have been in the store a million times and never thought about looking at shampoo or makeup or whathaveyou because.. well, it's a grocery store. I don't think about makeup when I'm buying food. But I'm really glad I went because I found some of the On The Prowl Wet N' Wild polishes I've been looking for!

My tiny haul: Nivea Smooth Replenishing hand cream, Wet N' Wild Cougar Attack, Maybelline Great Lash (BIG) mascara (Brownish Black).

























I don't know about anyone else, but this Nivea hand cream has been the only thing I've used besides The Body Shop Body Butters all year. They're usually about $5 in any drugstore. It's not greasy and it SAVED my hands last winter when I used it for the first time. I'm prone to dry skin and rashes during the winter since I always work in drive thrus and have my hands stuck out in the wind and cold and snow. I'd recommend it since it's cheap and works for me!

Cougar Attack has bee on my wishlist for a couple weeks now. It wasn't sitting on a shelf or in any display, just on its own in a random section, so I snatched it up. I think they also had Ready To Pounce, Tangled In My Web, and Behind Closed Doors. I didn't really think of grabbing anything else at the time because I was so happy to find this one, but I'm going back to double check and buy some more tomorrow.

Ugh, it's so perfect. The colour is a medium, sheer brown and the glitter is small and copper/orange. This was two coats, no base and no top coat. My nail polishes and stuff are at school right now and I'm only home for the week and didn't bring anything along. It's really bumpy without a top coat; I'd recommend one. It dried really quickly. I just love it so much! I apologize for my sad, chewed up fingers. I'm still trying to ditch the nibbling habit.

I just bought the mascara because I needed a new one. I didn't really choose it for any particular reason. I'm not picky with my mascaras. I like the colours of the tube and my "regular" old Great Lash worked good enough last time I bought one. I know, those are probably junky reasons. Oh, well.

Well, that was what I did before coming home for a boring night of pizza and Tumblr. I want to buy more thingssssSs. I really hope I can get Tangled In My Web, because I came up with an awesome idea. I'm not sure if it's been done (it should be, because the theory/mental image in my head looks so cute), but I want to do a half moon manicure with the bottom green and the rest of the nail pink, with TIMB over the pink part. Boom - watermelons.