Guest Post: My Beauty Diary Honey Strawberry Mask ft. Julie

My Beauty Diary Honey Strawberry Mask featuring Hello Kitty! Hey friends of Jenn! I'm Julie from Swatch and Review, and I'll be hanging out on A Beautiful Zen today talking about one of my favourite things: FACE SHEET MASKS!

Getting Gel Nails at Home*

*Press Samples

You already know what a nail noob I am. Shortly after declaring this fact loudly and not so proudly to the world, L'Oreal dared me by saying, "Come on...you can't be that bad?!" and taunted me with their new Extraordinaire Gel-Lacque 1-2-3 Polish* line. I wanted to laugh in their face and say "YES I AM! and not even you, L'Oreal, can save me" but it's possible I might have met something that even I can't mess up.

Guest Post: Bright Summer Gradient Nails ft. Jayne

Meet Jayne, one of the bloggers who first encouraged me to start blogging! If her nail aren't the most enviable, then I'm not sure who's are.

Thank you Jenn for letting me hijack A Beautiful Zen for just one beautiful blog post! One thing you all don't get to see a lot of are Jenn's nails so pretend my hands are hers today. 

Guest Post: Makeup Brushes & Purchasing Philosophy ft. Quinn

Hey dudes, its Quinn's turn up on the blog. If you haven't been following her already why NOT?

I love reading about the background of brands; not so much about historical dates and timelines (snore…) but more about the brand’s specialties, and how they (hand)make their products in a delicate and detailed manner. I have watched videos from how Diptyque candles are made, to how diamonds are selected, to the Hermes scarf process (and I agree with comments about the price — once you understand the process, $500 becomes… well, if not palatable, at least somewhat comprehensible.)

My newest obsession is makeup brushes.

Guest Post: Sunscreen Options ft. Jen

Hi, everyone! It's Jen from Vibrant, Vivacious, Veracious Beauty Blog. Excited to be posting on A Beautiful Zen today! Though summer is quickly winding down (sob), the need for adequate sun care persists. We all know that protecting our complexions is a must, but most combination or oily-skinned gals know that so many facial sunscreens are simply a no-go. They can be thick, greasy, and pore-clogging, all of which just don't fly when your skin is on the slicker side. So today I'm sharing with you four of my favourite facial sunscreens, all of which get on quite well with my oily skin. Let's get to it! 

A Brief Announcement

Hey dude,

So I'm heading off to Saskatoon to visit the boyfriend's famfam. Fun times and lake lounging will be had by all. Because of this, I'm taking a breather from the blog so that I can spend more real people time with my guy and his family.

I'll be back in September and will most likely do a recap post. In the meantime, enjoy these scheduled and guest posts that I have lined up.

Jenn

August Guest Post: Laura's Favorite Purples

Hi everyone! I'm Laura from Beyond Blush, and today I'm very happy to be guest posting on A Beautiful Zen! This month, the CBB guest post theme is purple... so I'll be sharing my favourite purple beauty products with you today. I really love purple makeup, it's a colour I wear almost daily, whether it be as blush, eyeliner, or both!

Lancome Grandiose Mascara*

*Press Sample

 Since my world view on Lancome mascara's got turned around by their Hypnose Star Mascara, I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't a little interested when internet murmurs about a new Lancome mascara started. Thanks to Influester, I was in the first groups of people to try this new one out. 

Sephora Brush Sets (Face the Day: Full Face Brush Set and Gold Den Brush Set)*

*Press Sample

Brush sets are to makeup, what Bulk Barn is to my food pantry, a great way to pick up a lot of something for a decent price. These are especially great when you don't have a lot of brushes to begin with, not exactly a problem I have. Sephora offers more than a few options and two even newer options just popped into stores.

Some Stylin' People

Often tag posts ask for style icons. Often people cite Audrey. Often I don't know how to respond.

I use to have a giant girl boner for Kate Lanphear. I was all in girl crush love over her grungy designer rock style But lately she hasn't been as prevalent on my radar. Since I mostly read blogs instead of fashion spreads, I've finally given it a think and here are some of the people whose wardrobes inspire my own.

For the Eye Bags - Garnier BB Eye Miracle Skin Perfector*

*Press Sample

 There's something special about the mirrors in the bathroom at work. Nothing quite draws out the under-eye baggage quite like those fluorescent lights. You think you covered those babies up but your reflection during the morning work pee break makes you wonder if you need some sort of eye-bra to help you lift those bags. Add to some progressively smudgy eyeliner,  you may have started the day off at the ripe age of 26, but you're ending the day at the almost over-ripened age of 80.

FOTD #8: 'Cause Sometimes We Want Vengeance

I know this looks already did a guest appearance on Steph's blog a while back, but I like it so much I'm going to put it on my own blog too.

"Red/white looks" was the theme July's BBloggersCA guest posting cycle and I had just finished watching Director Park Chan-Wook's Symptathy for Lady Vengeance (which, along with the others in his Vengeance Trilogy, including Oldboy, is a must watch). So there you go, inspiration!

Mom's Asian Remedies

The consequences of having an Asian mother are plenty but not always pleasant. You might have to bear her Tiger Mother tenancies or force down Foo-Cha when you're ill. But for every time your mom gives you a good smack down with the Gie-Mo-So, you know you're lucky enough to have her in your corner when the going gets tough and she's the first to give you those haw flake wafer rounds (Saang-Ja-Baeng) to make that nasty soup go down a bit better. 

Currently Reading

Jenn is a Noob: Nails

I know I have fooled you into believing that I am the complete fount of knowledge for all your beauty needs, the wikipedia, if you will, of the beauty world, and the strawberry jam to your peanut buttter. But I, albeit humbled by your fervent trust, am nothing but a noob and my noob status is no more apparent than when I do my nails.

Makeup with Mrs. Doubtfire (A Tribute to Robin Williams)

For every evil step mom and awful adopted parent that exists, I'm sure there is also a Mrs. Doubtfire.  She may near-burn her boobies (yes boobies) while trying to cook, play air guitar while trying to clean and might chuck fruit at your boyfriend, but I'm sure more than a few of us wished we had a nanny like her.  If you watched closely, you'd also realize that not only are there parenting tips to be learned but she's also a makeup and skincare genius. 

Tarte Exposed - The No Think Blush

For the longest time, I waffled on this product. In general, I'm a HUGE waffler. In a former life, I was a waffle iron. If I were in parliament, I'd probably filibuster until I ran out of breath in order to avoid making decisions. BUT one Gummy McGummerson made this decision so much easier when I snapped it up for something piddly like $8 from her Blog Sale. Thanks GUMMY (you enabler, you)!!!

Product Review Dump

I have a lot of good intentions when it comes to this blog. I diligently take photo after photo of the product side ways, then take photo after photo of the product from the top, from the bottom, from the inside, etc. I always have the intention to blog about them after I take the photos. BUT, but, I have been siting on GBs worth of photos of products waiting their time in the queue to be featured. They never are.  Their time has never come.

So! These Product Review Dumps are quick bites of stuff I've been meaning to write up properly but probably never will. Here we go. WHEEEEEEEE!

5 Looks with Maybelline Color Tattoos

*Some press samples featured

Just some ideas for how to use your Maybelline Color Tattoos.

Picks from Mary Kay Fall 2014

Mail orders. Pioneers trekking across America in their wagons, placing orders in that single general store and waiting for their packages of twine, cloth and household goods to come in. When I see an Avon or Mary Kay catalogue, I almost feel transported to when people ordered things before they saw them in person and hoped for the best when went to the local post office to pick them up.

Sample Killah Recap

You may recall that Kalyn Lord and company were having a massive sample killing spree this last July. Take a look at her recap post! I'm a bit suprised by how much of my own stash I went through as well though it took some creative uses to get through some.

Clarins Ladylike 2014 Autumn MakeUp Collection

Clarins?! What are you doing?! You can't have production photos like the one below and NOT make me want to be a societal Bostonian wife, a New Englander who brunches before heading to class at Yale or a diplomatic aide in foggy Maine. Somehow I have forgotten just how enticing and "ladylike" soft neutrals could be and I want to be in the "ladies who lunch" crowd goddamn it (but you know...the kind with a high powered job and a few degrees under her belt).

Good Soap by Alaffia

“This smells SO GOOD!” said every youtuber ever who described a scent without actually describing the scent. So, to avoid non-descriptive orgasmic proclamations, let me paint you a picture of why you need these soaps.

Empties #4

I've been sitting on this post forever. Partly because I wanted to turn it into a video since those are so much more entertaining than reading empties post. But then I got lazy. So here's a skim worthy post for you!