Maybelline Illegal Lengths Mascara Reiew

 

There are always new masacaras to try, especially in the drug store market, and I'd been really curious to try the new "lash extenstion" kind from Maybelline. Last weekend I got around to buying it on sale for around $10. The slender flexible brush promises to offers "instant lash extensions".

Pros:

♥non clumpy formula

♥slender brush allows excellent root and lower lash application

♥non flaky

♥easy to wash off

♥inexpensive

Cons:

For a fibre "extension" product, it doesn't build as much as it should.

Over all, I do quite like this mascara. I didn't notice a huge difference however between using this fibre extension version, and any other regular mascara. I would put it in the regular mascara category, and think it's probably most similar to Mabelline's "The Falsies".

3.5/5

Have you tried this mascara? What did you think?

New Placement for My Vanity

Sunday night I got the sudden urge to see how my vanity, that was formally outside of the bedroom, would look in the corner. So I got Ryan to help me move it, and saw how perfectly it fit in between the shelves and window. A match made in heaven - why had I not made the switch before?

I moved the large full length mirror that use to be here out into the hallway, and it really opened up the space.

Above the vanity mirror is where I want my geisha drawing, and I think I may have found where I can get one ;)

To see everything inside my vanity, click here
and to see my old vanity from my old condo, clicke here=)

Do you have a special place to get ready, or does the bathroom counter suffice?

Dreaming of Paris

Paris has always been my dreamworld. From when I was a little girl, my answer to where I'd go if I could go anywhere, was always Paris with no hesitation. The cafes, the bakeries, the wine, the jazz, the latticed balconies and terraces, the romance, the flower boxes, the leisurely strolls to no where in particular ... the things I'd heard and pictures I'd seen had all done a fantastic job at painting the portrait of a city so beautiful I'd do anything to get there. At last the time is drawing near. For the past month I've become obsessed with planning every detail of mine and Ryan's week long trip to the city of lights in July.

Out of my obsession, which includes reading any book I can get my hand on about the magical city, the one thing I am spending the most time on is the hotel selection. I know that once we're there, everything we want to do will be steps or a short metro ride away, and while I definitely want to be out exploring Paris more than we are inside our hotel, I've been spending hours a night on trip advisor, researching the best hotels, comparing prices, watching the Euro, and emailing the hotel desks with my broken French to inquire about the best rates they can offer.

If money was no object, I would probably just book into the Paris 4 Seasons in the 5th, and be done with it, but where is the fun in that?

I've narrowed the area of our hotel down to the Latin Quarter, in the fifth and sixth arrondissement. Quite touristy, but I love how accesible it is to all of the things we want to do, all the cafes and bakeries, and some of the nicest boutique hotels I have ever seen. When I first looked at a map of Paris, I had no idea where to start, but I feel like I am slowly but surely figuring the city districts out. Google Street View is awesome - you can zoom right in to the areas and really get a feel for where you'll be ...

Here are our top two choices of hotels:

Hotel Saint-Jacques

I fell in love with the Classic Parisian decor:

A charming lounge with miniature bar in the corner^

Breakfast Room

Hotel de la Sorbonne

This one has a more modern and funky Parisian feel to it:

Entrance to the Hotel^

The room we'd be staying in^

Breakfast Room

Which one would you pick? They are both in the 5th arrondisement, and both relatively similar in price.

I have never been this excited to go somewhere in my life!

"In Paris, our lives are one masquarade ball"

-From the novel The Phantom of the Opera, made into a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

If you have been to Paris, or anywhere in France, please comment below and tell me everything about it!

Overcoming Jealousy (Your Own and Others)

jeal·ous (jls)adj.
Fearful or wary of being supplanted; apprehensive of losing affection or position.

Jealousy is a part of human nature. While some people are naturally more jealous/competitive than others, if they learn to deal with it in a positive way, they can rid themselves of the self harm and set themselves free.
I don't feel I'm an overly jealous person, but that doesn't mean I don't suffer from occasional pangs now and then. Here are some helpful ways I've found to deal with it:


When You are Jealous of Someone Else


1. Recognize You are Jealous
You can't begin to positively deal with anything until you recognize it first exists. Jealousy is truly an awful feeling, it sits in the pit of your stomach and eats away at you until you do something about it. It's ok to be jealous, it is human nature. I've found in these situations that outright admitting I am jealous to myself immediately lifts a bit of the weight off my shoulders.

2. Realize life is not a competition between each other.
We all have struggles and obstacles to face, and everyone has a story. Success isn't easy to come by. We're all humans facing the same battles, challenges and heartaches as each other. Seeing another fellow human being achieve something great should encourage and inspire you, not get you down. If they can do it, nine times out of ten, so can you.


 3.Use Jealousy to Your Advantage
Ask yourself why you are jealous. What is it that they have you think you don't have? Their wealth, their possessions, the relationships they have, the way they look, their charming personality? Instead of harbouring ill feelings, use these people's strengths to your advantage. Study how they've gotten where they are, learn as much as you can from them; seek their advice and pointers.Yes, it can be tough to put your pride aside but ask yourself, what will benefit you most? Emulating someone successful and vastly improving your own life, or wallowing in a bit of envy and pride and getting nowhere? 

It's really pretty straight forward: Putting nasty, negative, envious vibes out into the world won't further your cause. Be nice and respect people's accomplishments, chances are they worked their assess off for them.

When Someone Else is Jealous of You:
I've learned how to deal with jealousy, so it's bothersome when someone I know hasn't and tries to put down areas of my life. Here's how I've learned to deal:


1.Don't Let it Get to You
People are smart at masking their jealous feelings in subtle comments and jokes. Learn to recognize them, then let go of these toxic comments, and whatever you do, don't for a second believe them. People who stoop to this level want what you have, plain and simple. Jealousy from others means you are doing something great.

2. Lead by Example
Especially with friends - treat them the way you want to be treated. Genuinely validate, and celebrate their accomplishments, and they'll be more inclined to do so with you. Also, be modest. If you've achieved something great, of course you deserve and should be proud of yourself, but don't boast or rub it in people's faces. This is a sure fire way to create more jealousy towards yourself.


3.If All Else Fails
Cut the jealous folks out of your life. You deserve to surround yourself with people who are as positive, loving, and willing to celebrate success as you are. If your friends don't make you feel like a million bucks after you've achieved something great - find new ones!

Hope these tips will help in your next encounter with the green eyed monster!

Victoria's Secret Beauty Haul

Hi!

Hope you are all having a great weekend. I've been having a blast with friends and family, celebrating St. Patty's Friday and Saturday, my parents' 39th wedding anniversary, and my sister Brittany's birthday all yesterday.

Sidenote: the craziest thing happened at the pub my family has been going to for years. On Saturday, after me and Ryan left to head to Brittany's birthday, my parents were just sitting there finishing their drinks, and this random nut job came up and punched my dad in the head for NO reason. Didn't even exchange any words before the fist started flying and my dad had never seen the guy in his life.WTF? I couldn't believe it. Needless to say the rando was kicked out and banned from the bar, but still, what a gong show...

ANYWAYS

I also got some shopping in on Saturday afternoon at Victoria's Secret and Sephora:

From Victoria's Secret: Beauty Rush Bronzer, Glow Hot Radiant illuminating face powder, Baby Doll lipgloss, Voluptuous Mascara, free Beauty Rush lipgloss, free Gorgeous body spray and Love Spell lotion, free pink makeup bag, free cotton underwear, and Beach Sexy self tanner. I forgot how long I can spend in there looking at everything. Love that store!

I'm also about two years late, but I FINALLY got the Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette. The Naked 2 was also available, but I felt it would be best to start in order with the original. I'm loving it.

My Mother in Law actually bought this for me, she's the best! We both went shopping at Sephora for Brittany's (my sister in law) birthday present. Mom bought her an unfinished oak vanity and spent months sanding it down, painting it, and finishing it in time for when she turned 22. Yesterday I got to come along for the fun part of picking out makeup to fill the drawers. So much fun! We got Britt this Naked palette too, and then his mom threw one in the basket for me too. I'm so lucky. <3.

Of my Victoria's Secret products purchased yesterday, this one is my favorite:

It's SUCH a beautiful hilighter/illuminizer. It's so buttery soft to touch in the pan, and goes on so nice.

^It made my skin SO glowy and dewy, I love it! It was only $20, but it's a limted edition product so hurry and get it if I've peaked your interest. I highly recomend it for that youthful healthy look.

Have a great end to your weekend!

Blue Valentine

I've been wanting to watch Blue Valentine with Ryan Gosling and Michele Williams since it was released in 2010 but just never got around to until last night.

Ryan (my man) was painting at art so I decided to watch it by myself. I loved it! Best acting ever. I feel it was sold short as I know it didn't go 100% mainstream and most people I've talked to haven't seen it.

To me this is film making gold and I wish more movies were like it

.

The script was just amazing. I should say "what script?" It was like Ryan and Michele were just talking from scene to scene. You had no idea they were acting, they just became the characters which speaks volumes about their talent. There are definitely some steamy parts that first earned this movie the NC -17 rating, but it was tasteful and added so much more to the story so I didn't have any problem at all with it.

I think Ryan is my new favorite actor after watching this. I never really found him that smoking hot, although he's definitely not hard on the eyes, but holy #%*! can the guy act!

Same with Michele Williams. SUCH a good actress, in the leagues of Kate Winslet in my opinion.

And the director Derek Cianfrance, of course, has to be most credited. Kind of eerie how much he resembles Ryan Gosling:

I would definitely recommend this movie!

If I could describe it in one word, it would be "real". Every relationship has it's struggles and heartaches, and I appreciated that this movie was able to portray those in such a plausible manner.

Have you seen this movie?

Foundation Review: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse

♥Price: ~$11-$13 for 0.64 oz (18 g)

♥Coverage: medium to full

♥Texture: firm mousse - more like a foam to me

♥Finish: matte

♥Shade Range: 10 different shades

Although this foundation isn't in the very least a new one on the market, I still wanted to do a review on it because I think  it's a great cheap alternative if you're looking to save a few bucks on your every day products.

I've been using Mac Studio Fix maximum coverage foundation for about eight years; it is my holy grail foundation. It's a bit expensive but does last me months, so I can't really complain about it. I ran out of it the other day though and decided to try a drugstore foundation. I've used the Dream Smooth Mousse before and liked the quality for the price paid. However my skin is more oily than dry, so thought the matte version would be better suited to try this time.

This is how the foundation looks in the pot after a couple of uses:

It almost looks like wet sand.

They call it a mousse foundation, but it's much firmer than any traditional mousse consistency. I would refer to it as more of a spongy foam. Regardless of how it appears in the container, when applied to the face it blends perfectly and evenly into the skin like any cream foundation would.

Here is how it looks on my bare skin, applied with my finger tips. Here is just the foundation; no primer, concealer, bronzer or blush:

It blends very nice with my natural skin tone.

I apply this foundation as I would a moisturizer, with nothing more than my clean fingertips. It's quick and simple, and I don't have to worry about sanitizing a sponge every time I use it. The only down fall is that I can't do quick touch ups during the day like I would with a compact foundation that comes with a sponge without washing my hands every time before.

Here is how this foundation looks, still with no primer or concealer, but with my blush and rest of my makeup:

The only thing I don't like about this foundation, is that if you have larger pores like I do, it can settle into them and make them more visible. I also wouldn't recommend this product for anyone with overly dry, wrinkle prone skin. It's a matte product and will greatly magnify the look of wrinkles around your eyes. This foundation is best suited for youthful, medium to oily skin.

♥Pros♥

-affordable

-long wearing

-non messy - won't spill or drip like liquid foundations

-blends beautifully with just your fingertips

♥Cons♥

-Must wash hands/foundation brush before each application as doesn't come with compact sponge

-Can magnify the look of pores and lines. Not for overly dry skin

Over all, I LOVE this foundation, and will continue to buy it for an inexpensive alternative.

Have you used this foundation? Let me know what you think of it.

My Perfect Valentines Day .. (Pic Heavy!)

This Valentine's Day was by far the best I have ever had! I got home a little late after a rough end to the day, to hear the bath pouring. I walked into the bathroom and to my surprise saw a beautiful rose petal bath awaiting me:

It was JUST what I needed and the sweetest thing ever! I'm addicted to baths, but have never had one with real rose petals in it.

He placed a dozen red roses on the bath's corner edge for my bath:

And the very best part. He made me chocolate covered strawberries, and poured me chocolate red wine:

Chocolate Shop Chocolate Red Wine

"Indulgent ruby red wine infused with rich, dark chocolate."

The chocolate red wine (12%) was SO good, and it went so well with the chocolate covered strawberries.

He laid out all of my fave reading material next to the tub, even went out and bought me my bachelor gossip mags hot off the press that day=P

It was by far the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me on Valentines!

After I had a nice long bath with my wine and strawberries, I got ready for the dinner he was taking me to.

Since I had lots of time to get ready I decided to do a dramatic wing tip eye with a candy pink (Mac Saint Germain) lip. I loved how it turned out!

Ryan took me to the Keg. It's one of  my favorite restaurants, because no matter which one we've been to, it's always consistantly good. And I LOVE their martinis. I had the seafood sirloin which was SO GOOD:

And my present to Ryan:

I'm sure you've noticed by now that me and Ryan are huge winos. One of our favorite nights out is to attend a wine tasting. Winefest is Calgary's largest tasting/festival, and it only happens once a year, so I knew it would be the perfect gift for him, even if it's ten days after Valentines Day!

As soon as we were home from dinner, I did what I always do as soon as I walk through the door. Take off all my makeup and change into my pjs. Then we opened a bottle of ice wine that we bought on our honeymoon, and watched our tivo'd Valentines Specials of Mike and Molly and Two and a Half Men by the fireplace. So cozy, and that is honestly my favorite way to spend time with my man.

And of course, it wouldn't be Valentines without showing my babies some love.

I know it can seem sappy and silly to call my cats babies, and talk about them all the time, but I really can't imagine a life without them.

I love you Ryan, and I ALWAYS will! Thanks for the best Valentines Day Ever!