The best products of 2013

From new beauty products to downright beautiful collections these are my favourites products of 2013.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

When my beloved Chanel Pro Lumiere got discontinued a couple of years ago I thought I would never find anything to replace it. I am happy to say Healthy Mix Serum has! Not only are the two very similar but also at less then half the price with more pale shades to choose from this is definitely my all time favorite. I would describe this foundation as a hydrating gel that gives a natural luminous glow. I highly recommend this if you have dry skin.

Essence Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara

Yes another discovery made this year and something I blog about every week. For 3.99 this beats department store mascaras right out of the water. This makes your lash’s look long and curly and overall pretty darn amazing. I can go on about this forever but if you haven’t tried this out yet, do!

Chanel Powder De Signee

Best highlight I’ve ever tried it bums me out that it was a limited edition product thou. This highlight makes your cheeks glow in the most naturally flattering way. It’s the kind of high light where people stop you and ask you “did you do something new?” If you have this powder, I hope you are enjoying it because she’s a beauty.

Clarins Blue Orchid Oil

Yup, another no surprise here!

This has been a savior to my skin this year it has the magical ability to calm my skin irritated skin, moisturize my dry patches yet still not break me out. Clarins makes an oil forever skin type so there’s one for everyone!

Nuxe Reve De Meil

When I heard everyone talking about how amazing this balm it peaked my interest. But when I heard Lisa Eldrige use it in one of her YouTube videos it silicified my purchase. What I love about this balm is it’s not greasy, or slimy yet it leaves your lips super soft. I like to use this before bed and it’s something that’s become a part of my nighttime routine.

There are a ton of great releases this year and still so many I am dying to try. I would love to hear what are some of your favorites over the past year so feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading,

Tanya

The Perfect Pallet Tag

I love reading these tags online so I thought I would participate.

  

Best Packaging

Inglot pallets hands down. The magnetic closure and hard plastic makes these durable and extremely travel friendly. The actual shadows inside don’t budge so you don’t have to worry about them falling out. In addition I like the black with frosted white top its very modern yet functional.

Best Color Pay Off

Urban Decay Anniversary Pallet! Every shade in the pallet is an amazing standalone vibrant color.

Most Versatile

I would have to say that my Urban Decay pallet is the most versatile because it has a wide variety of shades.  You can crease a soft subtle look to the darkest sexy smoky eye looks.

Best Traveling

Bobbi Brown Party Eye Pallet because it contains six beautiful neutral shades and it’s small thin durable packaging is perfect to fit in even the smallest makeup bag. 

Biggest Regret

MAC Hello Kitty pallet I originally bought because it was cute. I have to be honest with you the quality of eye shadow is horrible. All four shades lack pigmentation also the packaging feels cheap, unquestionably was not worth the money.

Best Color Names

Dior Earth Reflection

5 shimmery neutrals all creamy and richly pigmented in combination with a name like Earth Reflection just sounds magical!

Least Used

Shiseido Eye Pallet, in, I have no idea what color! Every time I look at this I promise myself I’m going to use it, however for one reason or another I never have.

Each shades is pigmented I like I just have no idea why I don’t bother using this?

Most Loved

Two Faced Man Eater Pallet it’s so loved that I’ve used it all. This pallet was one of my first makeup purchases and contained a selection of beautiful neutral eye shadows, lip-glosses and a breath-taking blush. So gorgeous breaks my heart it’s gone thou!

Dessert Island

My custom MAC pallet is by far my desert island pallet. It has not only my favorite MAC shades but also my favorite Urban Decay shadows too! I also like the mix of naturals and with some colorful shades too. I also have a ton of matte shades in here, which I like too!

Well that completes my Perfect Pallet Tag; feel free to join in on the tag. Let me know what some of your favorite pallets are in the comment section. 

Thanks for reading, hope everyone is having a lovely holiday!

Tanya

Ice Storms and Winter Delays

With the power off and using my phone as a source of Internet, I knew this would be an interesting Sunday post. Not only did our traveling plans get cancelled this weekend but the option of going out to see local friends and family got canceled too. So what is one to do? I have to admit, to have a weekend in the rush of the holiday season where you must stay at home might be a not the worst thing ever. So while missing our family, tv and power I thought I would share with you some of comforting products I have been enjoying.

There’s always light at the end of the storm right?

Sleep, Lavender Vanilla by Bath and Body Works

I got this cream so long ago and it’s a shame I haven’t used it because the scent is divine. I would describe the sooth scent a mix of sweetness, lavender and baby bedtime bath lotion. If you’re into the Johnson Bed Time Bath scent you’re going to for sure love this one. I have kept this bottle beside my bed and have been thoroughly enjoying it over the weekend.

Essie Playa Del Platinum

Painting your nails goes hand in hand with electricity loss.

Is anyone with me?

Playa Del Platinum happens to be one of my favorite nail polish colors ever. There something about this pale natural grey that looks chic and clean on the nails. Plus I feel the color is very fitting for this weather.

A-DERMA EXOMEGA

This was a product that I talked about in my samples post. What I like about this is its much thinner then my very effective but thick cold cream making it perfect for day-to-day use. I have been keeping this beside my bed to calm the eczema patch on my forehead. Yes, not the most glamorous product ever, but we are in survival mode!

Some non-beauty essentials would be, cozy blankets, spare cell phone batteries, pretty scented candles and chocolate.

Oh yeah, water, canned food and flashlights too!

Well that is all for today! 

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and for people living in southern Ontario I hope you are all safe and sound.

Thanks for reading,

Tanya

What’s in my travel makeup bag, Christmas Edition!

I’m sure there more than one of you out there that have to travel to see family during the Christmas season. Packing makeup can be tricky for the holiday because you just never know where the Christmas festivities might take you! So I thought I would share with you what I’m taking in my makeup bag.

Skincare

We have now entered -20 weather in Canada so it is a cold dry desert out there. Because I have dry skin I have to bring skincare with me. Ladies with Eczema one tip I can share is don’t go without your soothing hydrating skincare régime. With me I have some bit’s left over REN skincare packaging which I have saved the very last bit for this weekend. I am also bringing a mini Purity with me because I know it’s a great cleanser that works well for my skin.

How can I forget … I’m bringing my Avene Cold Cream because when the weather is cold this is the best thing to prevent my Eczema from flaring up. I literally don’t leave the house without this ever!

Makeup

You can’t go wrong with good eye pallet. I love my Naked Urban Decay pallet because it has all the neutral shades you’d want. Plus it has a really nice dark black shadow, which you can use as liner or create a smoky eye look with. Another eye must have for me is a primer. For this trip I am bringing the classic MAC Painterly Paint Pot. I get great wear out of this because I like to wear it with eye shadow but its also nice worn alone too. Next thing I can’t forget is mascara! I know this will come to a shock but I will be bringing Essence Extreme Crazy Volume mascara.

Cheeks and face… well this is a no brainer! NARS Laguna, NARS Sin and my Chanel highlighting powder. For the face my Bourjois healthy mix and my Chanel Le Beige powder. Finally I finish my makeup selection by slipping in a couple of extra lip products. One I will not forget is a lip balm. I am bringing my NUXE Reve de Miel because it is my one of my favorites for this time of year.

Perfume

This is one of those things I him and haw over for days prior to traveling. What do I want to smell like? Sweet, Christmassy but fresh, maybe slightly hippy with a touch of rose? Decisions decisions…

I know that this weekend is going to be a mostly relaxed event so while I would love to bring my Dior Addict, I think its just way too sexy for these kind of things. Instead I’m going to bring along Narciso Rodriguez Her with me. This fragrance is a great combination of musk and warm notes of amber and vanilla, very lady like but not in the annoying relative kind of way.

Well that’s everything that I am bringing with me and believe it or not it all fits in my tiny makeup bag!

Feel free to leave a comment let me know what your travel essentials are in the comments section.

Thanks for reading,

Tanya

The real girls guide to: Office Party Makeup

As you may or may not know by now I work with all men in an industry that’s mostly all men. So while some of us like to do a glamorous smoky eye for their office Christmas party this look just does not work in my situation. Instead I like to opt for simple makeup looks with festive touches. So keep reading if you want to see my favorite simple but festive makeup tips.

The understated Christmas nail

I want to be festive but I want to be subtle. So instead of painting on a Christmas pudding on my thumbnail I’ve opted for a simple nail combination.

Featuring some pretty shocking colors… red and green

For Christmassy nail combination I have been adoring Revlon’s Bordeaux with China Glaze’s It’s Alive as an accent. They both have aren’t too bright, which makes them festive but not so in your face.

The Cheek Set Up

I’m going to get very honest here for a second.

Party for me means an over application of highlight, blush and contour, because we all want to have defined cheekbones? Is anyone with me?

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately …depends on how you look at this one. My party cheeks have been reinvented to something way more natural, a quick sweeping of bronzer. For my look I like to lightly contour the face with a light bronzer and skip out on blush and highlight. I find by just using the one product it gives my face enough definition but doesn’t look too overdone.

Eye Still Love Sparkle

Christmas and New Years just have glitter written all over it. While my previous looks have been dark and dramatic, this year I’m going for fresh and effortless. Because I can’t say no to a good sparkly eye shadow I apply Bobbi Browns Pink Blaze to my lid. This eye shadow was a limited edition color but there are tons of similar colors out there like Nars Fathom. Next for some definition I added a medium toned matte brown into the crease. I finished this up with a thin line of eyeliner and a good coat of mascara.

Lips

I’ve talked a lot about red lipstick as of late. I love red but for work I usually opt for sheer reds like the YSL Sheer Candy in Luscious Cherry. I have a whole post about these sheer Christmassy cherry red colors so I wont go into this in crazy detail. But YSL Luscious Cherry is my choice for this look.

Yes this might not be a glamorous look but its something that works for my office and also something I love wearing. 

Let me know your picks in the comment section. I would love to know what look your going for this year.

Thanks for reading,

Tanya

Snowy Sunday’s All About Body Care!

Winter can mean a lot of things to many different people, Christmas, hot chocolates, cute scarves and dry skin. Yes its dry skin season people! Body care is something I do throughout the year but it’s in the winter that I focus on it ingredients and ultra hydrating products.

Body Wash

My favorite for this dry dry season is the body shop Olive Oil range.  The body shop Olive Oil body wash features some amazingly hydrating ingredients. Whatever body wash you choose if you have dry skin I would always stay away from products with alcohol. In addition have a look at the ingredients if you see Shea butter, olive oil and other hydrating components.

Exfoliate

Exfoliating helps slough off all the dead skin cells and if you want perfect glowy soft skin don’t skip out on this step. There are great products out there ranging from every price point. You can even mix sugar with olive oil and make your own. But right now I have been loving the Arbonne Awaken sea salt scrub. This scrub contains avocado and sweet almond oil and smells like citrusy goodness and leaves the body super soft.

Moisturize

I finish my body care routine by moisturizing. As you may know I loving the Aveda Beautifying Body lotion but because that’s coming to an end it’s time for a new favorite. Newly cracked open is the NUXE 24 hour moisturizing body lotion. I’ve only been using this for a couple of weeks but the scent the quality I’m overall very impressed.

Also don’t for get to give the hands a little love too! My favorite for extremely dry hands is the Avene Cold Cream hand cream. This baby might not smell like French pastries and the packaging isn’t made of 24 carat gold, but this does the trick!

Well that’s all for today.

Hope everyone has had a safe weekend.

Thanks for reading,

Tanya

Winter Skincare

I thought I would quickly show you my recent switch in my skincare regime. 

While my original goal was to finish my previous products Lush’s Celestial started to really break out my skin. Now this would be my third black pot of this and it’s never done it before, so I’m thinking the formula has been changed? Because I didn’t want anymore breakout I thought it was time to bust open the new stuff.

As you may tell there is a whole lot of Nuxe in my routine. Although it’s to early for a review my first impressions with the Nuxe line is it smells really nice. The Comfort Cleansing Milk smells like roses, which I love, and the other skincare products smell like mimosa, which I really love too! All I can say right now is so far so good. 

Also another new addition is the Clarins Gentle Refiner. Again I have been using this for only a week but it’s been really nice. The scrubbers in this are very fine and exfoliate the skin brilliantly without causing irritation, thus far.

All in all I’ve been really enjoying this. Some might think I’m crazy for switching everything so quickly. Don’t get me wrong I am, but I’ve continued to use Bioderma Sensibio, REN eye cream and my beloved Clarins Oil to keep things a little consistent.

I love trying new skincare so I thought I would nerd out.

Please feel free to leave a comment I would love to know what your skincare winter picks are.

Thanks for reading!

Tanya

Little Luxuries

This post really holds up to the small things come in good packages philosophy.

But I wanted to focus on the little makeup luxuries that every makeup lover wants for Christmas but might feel a little guilty buying for them selves.

Chanel Nail Polish

I love Chanel nail polishes and getting one of these perfect colors in the cute little box just gets me really happy. I find that most colors have excellent pigment and wear time. At $27 dollars a bottle I limit my obsession with these so when I get them as a gift it’s always a special treat. 

These little babies are also great small enough to ship. While living away from home I sent some of my friends these for Christmas or birthdays.

Chanel Lip Gloss

Chanel produces some of the most beautiful lip-glosses ever. While I think the quality and overall original colors of these are like no other I happen to feel a little guilty when shelling out over 30 dollars for these. On the other hand the color selection and the variety of finishes make them perfect for gifting because there’s literally something for everyone.

Dior Creme de Rose

I’m sure everyone has heard about this at this point. Where do I even begin?

The packaging has that glamorous vintage, may have been left on Marilyn Monroe’s vanity feel and the product itself is a great formula. It’s one of those rare lip balms that you can put on at night but still feel on your lips the next day. Personally, I love the scent of roses but if who you’re buying for doesn’t steer away!

Sooo nice thou… which reminds me I am almost our of this so it’s on the top of my Christmas wish list.

Guerlain Rouge Automatique Shine

These are literally the perfect every day lipstick and for three very good reasons

-All shades the shades are sheer enough to be wearable but opaque enough to all look different

- The formula is like a balm so its very wearable and sparkly and not gritty.

- The golden packaging and the cool push up mechanism is enough to stop anyone out of there tracks. Including Jay (fiancé) who had to inspect this to see exactly how it worked … and my dad … and the guys I work with.

But at $40 dollars a tube … they are the ultimate luxury and the perfect little Christmas gift.

Well those are my four little luxurious, perfect for any makeup lover over the holiday season.

Feel free to leave a comment below I would love to know what are some of your favorite little luxuries.

Thanks all for reading,

Tanya

The New Christmas Reds

This is for the new generation of lipstick lovers who want color but don’t have time to line and fill out there lips perfectly. While I still love wearing Gabrielle I do have to say red lips are do require more maintenance. Because when red lips do start looking sloppy its not a cute look. So I have three easy to wear red lip colors that I know I am going to get lot’s wear out of this holiday season.

YSL Sheer Candy Luscious Cherry 

While Mouth Watering Berry is one of my favorite fall colors there’s something very festive about cherry lips.  Luscious Cherry is a true cherry tint that is easy to apply and has really nice shimmer too. This one is defiantly on the higher price point but YSL lipsticks are the ultimate luxury and are a pleasure to wear.

They just look so fancy to pull out of your purse too!

Bourjois 3D Gloss in Rouge Democratic 

Very similar in color to the Luscious Cherry, but a little bit difference in formula. This defiantly feels like a lip-gloss as where the Sheer Candy defiantly feels more like a balm. The shimmer catches natural light beautifully in this product and the easy application make it a winner for work during the holiday season.

L’Oreal Color Caress in Cardinal Plume

Again Cardinal Plume is amazing sheer cherry lip color that gives you that vintage look but without trying so hard. This color leans more toward the orange side of cherry as oppose to the two above with are both cool based. I put this product away for the winter but I’m glad I found it because it’s a great drug store lipstick and the shade is really pretty too. I would recommend these if you’re new to the whole lipstick game because there more pigmented then a tinted lip balm but less then lipstick.

Well these are my favorite cherry lip colors that are easy to slap on the lips during the busy holiday season. Please feel free and leave a comment I would love to know what are some of your favorite holiday shades.

Starting from the right YSL Luscious Cherry, L'Oreal Cardinal Plume, Bourjois 3D Gloss in Rouge Democratic 

Thanks for reading,

Tanya

Crazy Christmassy Sundays

I’m going to get very real with you ladies by saying I watched way too much vampire dairies last night. Which basically means I slept in an embarrassing amount of time and we all know the weekends leading up to Christmas are crazy busy. So this was one of those times where I had to get ready in 5 minutes and still look respectful. So keep reading if you want to hear my five-minute makeup look with minimal amount of product.

First off eyes, I quickly swiped the bronze shade from the NARS Kalahari duo across my lid and into my crease. Next the darker color I put on my lower lash line for soft definition.  I love this duo because it blends effortlessly and last forever too. Next moving on to mascara... because its one of those products I can’t leave the house without. I am using Bourjois Volume Glamour Holiday mascara which overall I like because the big brush coats my lash’s in only a couple of swoops. Next I added some Clinique’s airbrush concealer to my under eye area. This concealer doesn’t crease and is easy to put on with my fingers too! Next I dusted some Chanel Le Beige powder onto my face. I finished this look literally while walking out of the door by added some Dr. Rescue lip balm to my lips. 

And that’s my look!

Tonight I plan on doing a mask and painting my nails… I know its some exciting stuff. I absolutely love these products thou and thought they deserved some extra love. First of the REN Glycol Lactic Mask truly lives up to the hype. This mask makes my skin look and feel amazing. Next Revlon’s Bordeaux nail polish, I’ve literally been looking forward to painting my nails this color all week. The color the scent, amazing I highly suggest you try this one out.

Also… yes at this point this post is turning out to be rather random.

I wanted to purchase the REN exfoliator but I don’t live close to a Sephora and for some reason Sephora site hates my credit card. With that being said I picked up the Clarins Gentle Refiner, which I’m super excited to try out tonight too. Let me know I’ve you’ve tried this one out I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Well that is all for today!

Yes, this was a bit of a random one today but I just feel like I had so much to share.

I hope you all had an excellent weekend. 

Feel free to leave a comment and thanks for reading,

Tanya

Give the gift of relaxation!

Let’s me honest ladies Christmas can be one heck of a stressful time. So one of my favorite gifts to give is relax inspired gifts. Sure you can do spa gift cards but I like to get a little personal and give relaxing inspired gift packages. So keep reading if you want to know what my relaxing gift package includes.

Bath and Body Care

This year I love the Aveda Beatifying set. This is a limited edition Aveda set that contains body oil, a luxurious body wash and a body lotion. All three products smell like rose, bergamot and lavender.  If you have no idea what those would smell like think …spa! All three products are amazing but the composition oil is the star of the show. This is definitely a great gift to give for anyone who is in need of a spa like escape and is on the top of my recommendation list. With that being said Bath and body works do a great aromatherapy line that with help achieve similar results.  They do excellent box sets too!

Candles

The second part of my kit is Candles, because burning a candle just gives the room a more relaxing vibe! What I like the most about giving candles is that you can purchase them at any price point (like anything in this gift guide). For more fancy options you can go for a Dyptique candle, which is on the top of my Christmas list this year. Or you can go for a more affordable price point candle like the bath and body works candles. One of my favorites is the Eucalyptus Mint scented candle.

A Throw

There is nothing nicer then on a cold winter day snuggling up to a nice warm throw. This is where my inner grandma comes out!

 One of my favorite places to get throws is Chatpers/indigo.ca not only are they soft and wash incredibly well but they also have excellent specials throughout the year.

I think these three gifts make a really nice set for any one in need of a relaxing escape. But what I really like about this is you can tailor it to the person your buying for and to your budget. And we all know Christmas can get super expensive!

Well that is everything today; hope you are having a great Saturday!

Tanya

Baby Lips Dr. Rescue

I have a strange fascination with these.

I mean the quality of these is decent and there perfect to keep in your pocket too.

I saw the mini bandage… I had a cold… it was all very cute so I ended up purchasing the brand new Baby Lips Dr. Rescue.

First off this tastes like 100% cough drops. I don’t think this would appeal to everyone but I kind of find it soothing. Unlike my other baby lips this has a creamier finish then the other formulas. Which kind of sucks because I find it doesn’t last that long. On the other hand this has a minty feeling like Blistex, which I love so I don’t mind applying this every 30 min at all!

I would say Baby Lips are good lip balms. Yes, there are more moisturizing choices with better formulas but I find baby have that fun element. That same sort of chapstick fun I had when purchasing Lip Smackers years ago. Yes, this sort of ‘fun’ would not appeal to everyone but if your into sheer lip balms that smell and tasty yummy you might want to party with Dr. Rescue.

November Favorites

It is December already! It blows my mind that the year is almost over and Christmas is just around the corner. Where does time go?

Without getting too philosophical I thought I would just jump in and tell you what my November favorites are.

Revlon Parfumerie Nail Polish in Bordeaux

I love this color! What makes the polish even better is it smells like candy and wears for days without chipping. I want to seriously try all of the colors from this line I’ve had such great luck with the ones I own.

Espresso does smell weird thou.

Chanel Le Beige

Yes I reviewed as well this month but I have been using this like crazy! With one easy swoop across my face it keeps my makeup looking fresh all day. This doesn’t cake up or make you look too matte either. Le Beige powder is also impossible to over apply making easy apply even when you’re in a pinch.

Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir

Pomegranate Nior is a fruity scent sort of scent that starts off with patchouli, fruit and incense. There is something so edgy about this yet so beautiful. I find this rich scent is best worn with a warm sweater on a cold day. If you’re into dark scents like Black Orchid but are looking something fruitier I would give this a go.

  

ELF Complexion brush

I know I haven’t had this for over a month but the quality of this brush is shockingly good. The brush feels soft against the skin and also grabs product with ease. I have used this to apply everything from powder foundation to blush and it hasn’t let me down yet.

Lip Favorites…?

I’m sad to report none this month. I’ve been sticking with the Guerlain Rose Pompon and the Chanel Merveille all month. I’ve wanted to expand out but I just love these two. 

Just a random bit… but Merveille is a permanent color in the Rouge Extract de Gloss line!

Well just a quick one this month!

Let me know what your favorites are in the comment section below.

I hope you are all having an amazing week.

Tanya