OOTD #2: Keep on keeping warm.

Sometimes all you want to be is warm. 

FOTD #5: 'Cause we like berries in the winter.

I've been reaching for the same blush and lipstick combination all this winter season. I have to say, that I have found the best pair for a berry winter looks.

Winter Essentials!

Heyo! Happy Boxing Day! Hopefully you're either warm and snug in bed or out there braving the sales!

Winter is in full gear and the recent pick up in snow and wind, has forced me to change up my beauty routine. Here are a few winter essentials I’ve been using lately.

Just a quick note.

I'm really happy and appreciative of all the connections I've made through my blog and I just want to extend my heartfelt best wishes to you and your loved ones this holiday season!

Whether its Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings or Festivus for the Restofus, I hope the rest of your year and all of the next will be filled with the closest of friends and warmest of memories.

xJenn 

Bare Essentials Skin Bar

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

My mom and grandmother have excellent skin, however I'm not as lucky. I can only hope to have the same smooth bright skin that my grandma currently has at the age of 89! Considering that, I was very excited to be introduced to Bare Essentials Skin Bar ("the bar") located on Richards Street in Vancouver.

The Winter Tag

Thank you to Kate Spitz for tagging me with The Winter Tag!

12 Random Facts

- I'm left handed.

- I think chopsticks are a universal tool for every job.

- I'm always on time.

- I've been to the Osheaga music festival.

- I've started eating oatmeal for breakfast about 4-5 times a week.

- Did you see those leather leggings at Aritizia? I want a pair.

- I still have my grade 9 french school notes.

- Speaking of leather leggings, I also want a tee with leather accents. 

- Writing with purple pens is the only way to write.

- My freezer is usually impossibly full.

- I have a costco membership and think Kirkland products are generally amazing.

- Even though Ezekiel bread is $5.50 per loaf....I still want to keep buying it.

Kilian: The Art of Seduction in a Perfume

More and more I seem to be getting into perfumes. At least, that's what the small pile of perfume samples on my desk seem to be telling me. A stroll through Holts introduced me to a seductive brand and I was very intrigued to say the least.

In the Moment #2: One of Kind Show

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I absolutely love craft fairs so when my friend Yen asked if I wanted to go the One of a Kind show last week, I said a resounding yes!

Clean EVERYTHING!

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Since I had that eye infection issue thing (which has still yet to resolve itself), I went through a mini rampage through my eye products and decided to clean ALL THE THINGS!

OOTD #1: An office doesn't have to be boring.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about doing outfits on the blog. 

A Brand and A Cult Product: Kiehl’s and their Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Since we are all more than our blogs, Quinn from Desgettier and I decided to use our collective interests to investigate the hype around Kiehl's and one of their iconic products. 

Being not too unfamiliar with the odd science journal, I put my research skills to work in analyzing the ingredients from the Midnight Recovery Concentrate.

Quinn loves marketing psychology, so she chose to investigate how Kiehl’s creates hype around their brand and their products. Check out her awesome post here.

Tag Video: Beauty Things I Suck At

I was tagged by Nikki from Fairest Favorites and Pauline from Addicted to Makeup for the Beauty Things I Suck At Tag. When I filmed this intially I was only tagged by Nikki but I left posting it so late that Pauline had tagged me as well. Anyways, here it is...

The Problem with Candles: Candle Warmers and a Little Haul

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I've recently discovered the joy of burning candles. But that joy comes with a bit of a problem. What do you do with the wax at the bottom once the wick has burned out?

5 Minute Face

We can't all be perfect go-getters in the morning. Sometimes a late or restless night results in a bit of oversleeping and when the alarm goes off, you're morning turns into a tornado of activity as you rush out the door. 

Giveaway: Make Up For Ever Extravagant Glamour Set (ends Dec 20th)

Having hauled so much recently, I purposely bought something during the Sephora VIB Sale to share the joy of consumeristic tendencies with one of my readers. And in general I just wanted to make someone's holidays a bit more exciting with the chance to win a great holiday gift set from Make Up For Ever! (This giveaway is open internationally.)

This set contains:

- 0.12 oz Rouge Artist Intense in 43 Moulin Rouge

- 0.04 oz Aqua Eyes in Matte Black 0L

- 0.23 oz Smoky Extravagant Mascara in Black

I love Make Up For Ever and I know a lot of people don't go for this brand just because of the price point. For me there's something special about using their products since many of them are geared towards not only lay make-up enthusiasts but make up artists as well. I hope I make your day if you win!

This giveaway is international  and open till Dec 20th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lancome La Vie est Belle Perfume

I honestly haven't been this crazy about a perfume since Kat Von D's Sinner.

FOTD 4: 'Cause I'm on Purple

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Continuing on my purple mood, I remembered when I took some FOTD shots for a purple eye look I did...probably more than month ago. Sometimes we just want to purple it all up, and a good way to go is with the eyes.

Sometimes I'm wrong: Purple Lipsticks

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

If you remember my Autumn Picks post, I had predicted that oranges and orangey reds would be my companions through the blustery days. But, what I've actually been reaching for, has surprisingly been a bit cooler.

In the Moment #1: Creatures of Habit

A reader mentioned that they would like to see more 'Day in the Life' posts. But whyyyyy??? Since this request is an easy one to fill, be prepared to be stupefied by the domesticity of my every day.

Royal & Langnickel Silk Pro C111-S Synthetic Blush Brush

In my haul video, I expounded on how much I loved a Royal & Langnickel Blush Brush. Considering how much I enjoy this brush, I thought it might be a good idea to do up a little post about it.

Collective Haul: David's Tea, Sephora VIB and IMATS Toronto 2013

One of the things you might want to know about me, is that it takes me a LONG time to decide on what to buy. (This is very very evident in the video.) But it seems...I didn't have that much of an issue purchasing things this past weekend. (I'm also a serial returner. So don't be surprised if I end up returning a few of these things). Watch in HD!

IMATS 2013: Get them game faces on!

OK Team.

The mission: IMATS

The objective: Whatever your little makeup heart desires

Battle Plan: Get them game faces on....

Above was the line at about 7:50am. The doors open at 8:30am. 'Nuff said. Thankfully I got there around 7:30am so managed to get a good spot near the front. 

Peachy Nudes? Yea...I've Got A Few...

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I seem to like my nude lipsticks. Or at least, that's what the little stash of nude colors in my lipstick drawer tells me. Since my lipstick challenge, I've been trying to pair down my collection and selling/giving away colors I don't use as much. Looking at my nudes, I started wondering if any in my stash were dupes.

50 Facts About Me Tag

Happy IMATS Day! If you aren't at IMATS why don't you check out the video I made! (Remember to switch the quality to HD)

Something Important: Polysporin Eye Ointment

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

OK. This is not a glamorous post. But it is a necessary one!!!

This is also an atypical post since it's more rambling than normal and there really isn't anything to it, except to vent my frustration. 

For the past three or so weeks, my right eyelid has been puffy, flaky and itchy. Has this happened to you?????? 

NYX Blush in Mauve

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

There are a lot of blushes out there. A lot. So it might be easy to overlook how spectacular Mauve is.  

Lolita Lempicka Perfume Coffret

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Sometimes I spend a bit of time at Sephora paying homage to their perfume wall and sometimes I end up discovering a new fragrance or brand. I came across a Ms. Lolita Lempicka and was pretty taken by her offerings.

The Halloween Tag

Thank you to Nikki at Fairest Favorites and Val at Making It Sparkle for tagging me for the Halloween Tag! Halloween isn't my favorite event but there are a lot of fun things that happen around this time. Plus, I also like the postive externality of having extra candy to eat when I don't hand all of it out. 

NYX Nude Matte Shadow: Blame it on Midnight

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Ever since that lovely camel color shadow from theBalm's Nude'tude Palette, I've fallen in love with camel colored eyeshadows. So when I did a little swatch-poo of NYX's Blame it on Midnight, I knew it had to be mine!

Shu Uemura Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

The Shu Uemura cleansing oils have a pretty intense following. Even before I got into cleaning oils, I knew about Shu's oils and thought it was the pinnacle of cleansing oil goodness. Purchasing it at the duty free during my Asia trip finally allowed me to cross it off my 'must-try' list.

Sample Stash #1

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

In line with the last post, I'm also trying to put a dent in the massive samples stash that I have. Yea...it's a little mountain of a problem..

So Close!!!

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I'm sure we've all had a few products that seem to cling on for dear life. Either you feel like you've been using them forever or you just can't believe how long it has taken you to finish a decent amount. I'm nearing the life of a handful of things and just wanted to share what I'm excited about finally finishing. 

Lookbook: NYFW Spring 2014 RTW

I use to follow fashion somewhat closely. I would look out people's Lookbook profiles, avidedly read fashion blogs, check up the latest runway shows. Nowadays, I find myself more captured by the world of beauty but that doesn't mean I won't pop by Vogue every now and then to see what's going on.

I especially like the fact that Vogue captures not only the clothes from the runway but the beauty looks as well. Here are some of my picks from the Spring 2014 Ready-to-Wear lines shown at New York Fashion Week. Enjoy!

Jason Wu

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Sometimes I just want a good matte lip ok? And can I please have it without drying my lips to shreds and with long lasting color? Well, NYX has answered my prayers. Hello matte lips!

San Paulo, Tokyo, Istanbul and Addis Ababa

PSA: Things to Think About Before Depotting

I hate clutter.  So, when it comes to make-up, I try and depot as much of my powder products as I can. Having gone through more than a few depotting parties (really, just me and a lot of music while I work), let me share some wisdom on things you should consider.

Blog Sale

Hey Everyone,

Just giving the blogsale thing another go. If you're interested just click here! Thanks for checking it out. :)

Jenn

Pimple Problems: Effaclar Duo and Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment

After speaking with my work colleague this week and one of my close friends, I realized that pimples are still a problem for us even though we are well over our teenage years! I can't believe that I still have to deal with breakouts and still have yet to figure out how best to tame my skin.

FOTD #3: 'Cause we don't outshine the bride

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

This FOTD is very very overdue! I flew back to Vancouver for a wedding in July and this was the look I wore as a bridesmaid.

L'Oreal 24hr Infallible Eyeshadows Roundup

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I did a roundup of the Maybelline Color Tattoos here so I thought I would showcase another eyeshadow line that I really enjoy. These are the L'Oreal 24hr Infallible Eyeshadows.

Marcelle Cream to Powder BB Cream

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Finally! The last of my Marcelle alphabet creams is up on the blog! This one had been siting on the 'to be posted' list for a long time!

Autumn Picks

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Ha, I actually didn't realize that I had pre-scheduled the clay mask post for Tuesday which was a happy accident since I still hadn't figured out my computer situation. Anyways, today I just wanted to showcase some of the products I predict I'll be grabbing most often in the Autumn.

Vedette Cocoa Clay Facial Mask

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I've always heard that clay masks are good for purifying the skin so when I saw these at the duty free in Vietnam I decided to pick one up. At $0.50CDN each, you really can't go wrong! (Sort of sad I didn't pick up more.)

Update

Heyo, 

Usually a more substantial blog post than this goes up on Saturdays. Unfortunately I've spilled water over my laptop and it has stopped detecting WIFI, among other things. Who's the queen of computer disasters? I am. (You'll know this is true if you know me real life.) 

Suffice it to say, there may not be posts this week. Typing furtively on my work computer isn't something I want to make common practice. Lol. Thanks for hanging in there in the meantime. 

Jenn 

The Autumn Tag - a chatty post or ALL THE MUSICS

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Though many people enjoy Summer and many enjoy Winter (though perhaps, a few less), I have to say that the transition months are where it's at for me. In particular, I absolutely adore Autumn! For many years, Autumn meant the beginning of the school year and a new start. Now I focus on the lovely sun bathed days with crisp breezes and clear skies.  It also means chillier nights and warm snuggles under the blanket. I love the mixture of weather in Autumn so thank you Maddie and Lucy for tagging me in the Autumn Tag.

Photo Credit to Flowerdrop at Fanpop

Goodbye Summer! Ft. MAC Trace Gold

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Well I think we can officially say that Summer has left us. The clear crisp breeze of fall has arrived and the leaves are starting to change colors. In deference to Summer's departure, I'd like to pay tribute to something I've used almost everyday since I got it mid-summer. That is, MAC's blush in Trace Gold.

The Balm Nude'tude Palette

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

There are a plethora (yes plethora) of neutral palettes out on the market and you can easily find one that suits your coloring and needs. The Balm's nude eyeshadow palette is yet another option! Let's see how well it performs.

What's on your bedside table?

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Usually my bedside table is a mass of disorganized products, books and pieces of clothing strewn haphazardly over the lamp. As you can tell, I love reading so there's usually a pile of books stacked up and I have my Kobo on the go all the time. Of course there's a photo of the bf. There's good reason why I keep some products near my bed, it makes it much easier to reach for just before I go to sleep. 

Missha 3D Essence Sheet Mask: Milk and Honey

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Doesn't milk and honey sound like a wonderful combination? When I think of milk and honey I have images of soothing warm concoctions drunk in a cozy bath robe. I can't really enjoy milk so I guess I'll never know how it will taste but I can put it on my face because of this mask (ha.)

Hello Pearl Finishes! Ft Revlon Super Lustrous Pearl Finish Lippies

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I usually gravitate towards the satin/cream finish for lipsticks and sometimes dabble with matte.  A lack of pearl finishes was rectified when there was a $5/ Revlon lipstick sale on at Rexall.

Marcelle Complete Correction CC Cream Review

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

When I purchased the Marcelle Daily Defence DD cream I also wanted to try out their CC cream. Check out my review for the Marcelle DD cream here. I've tested the CC cream out for a week or so, here are my thoughts.

Major Collective Haul - All the Things!

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I have to admit that I've been pretty bad these last couple of weeks. Whenever I do something I regret or feel like I've gone overboard on, I usually 'confess' it to my boyfriend. Thankfully I can transfer some of my guilt and confessing onto you guys! I guess you guys can all enjoy shopping vicariously through me. Let's get on with my hauling confession.

Roundup: Maybelline Color Tattoos

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I've expressed my love for Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk before so I thought I'd do a little feature on the colors I have in my stash.

Marcelle Daily Defence DD Cream review

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I've tested this product out for a good two weeks and have worn it a couple of different ways. Here are my thoughts on Marcelle's Daily Defence DD cream.

The Skincare Tag

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I contemplated showing my ugly mug for the post cover photo but decided that my blotchy skin might scare you all away. Instead, I opted for a snap of what I'm using these days. Thanks to Daphne Shen from Peanut Butter and Chocolate Life for tagging me! I enjoy her blog horrendously and you will too so click click!

Scared of dark lipsticks? How to wear your darker lipsticks all year round ft. Covergirl Euphoria and Rimmel Apocalips Nude Eclipse

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Sometimes, wearing vampy dark lipsticks will elicit raised eyebrow and remarks of "What's with that lipstick?" from those nearby, especially in the spring/summer time. Here are a few ways I managed to avoid those situations while doing my lipstick challenge. (But really, you should rock that color for those of us who can't.)

Lipstick Challenge Recap - Lots of Swatches

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I decided to do a lipstick challenge and force myself to use a different lipstick each day. Was I successful...?