Poppie

I have an obsession with graphic Tee's right now from making my own DIY versions to scoring random gems like this little Tee. I was actually a bit disappointed with the overall fit of the shirt when it came in the mail, but it looks good under blazers and I love pairing the pink in it with my bright orange blazer. Please excuse how pale my legs are in these pictures. I planned on wearing my black ripped denim with this outfit, but I forgot to pack them and I took these pictures on a trip to visit my sister, so I threw on my trusted black dress shorts and my sisters boots..the only thing missing was my trusted St Tropez tanning lotion! 

Top @ Romwe

Blazer @ H&M

Shorts @ Le Chateau

Watch @ Aldo

Boots @ Pseudio

Stripes & Cognac

I wore this outfit to a dinner party this summer and felt comfortable all night in it. You can throw on a black blazer easily over top to take it from day to night. I really love cognac for accent accessories. I feel like its a brown that goes with anything from other browns, to black, and almost every color in between. This stripe top was so perfect for the dinner party because it hugs the waist where you want to look smaller and then flows out.. meaning I could still eat a lot and not worry about a bulge showing haha!

Top @ H&M

Pants @ H&M

Watch & Necklace @ Aldo

Booties (old similiar here) @ Aldo

Pajama Style Garden Pants

 

When I first started seeing pajamas as a trend on the runways I wasn't exactly sold. Sure, they looked comfy, but I mean the prints & styles were what I picture my grandparents wearing to bed. Then I found these PJ  style pants and I was sold. These silky pants are so comfortable and the pattern reminds me of a botanical garden you would find somewhere in Asia with all the Chinese tree pink blossoms. I wore them to work one day and everyone kept saying how wild my pants are, but I think they are so fun! What do you think? Would you wear these?

 



 

 

 

Silk PJ Pants @ Romwe

Tank & Blazer @ H&M

Watch @ Aldo

Black Heels @ Aldo

 

Tanning Bed In A Tube

Every gal's secret winter weapon, and mine for the past 6 or 7 years, is going to be Too Faced's Tanning Bed In A Tube. This delicious tropical smelling cream is an instant bronzing gradual self tanner that gives your skin an immediate glow and with constant use builds a sunless tan. It is super easy to apply, just squirt a dollop in your hands to smooth over legs, or I mix it with my face cream before I put make up on to bronze my face. Not only does it deliver a gorgeous glow, but it has Grape Seed extract & Safflower Oil to moisturize skin as well as a firming formula that stimulates collagen and elastin production, who doesn't want that?! Oh, and its vegan friendly! 

Too Faced: Tanning Bed In A Tube

Noisy May

Meet Noisy may

She's noisy, but she's nice.

I honestly haven't owned a pair of jeans I've felt comfortable in that I want to wear to dress up, or even dress down for years. Don't get me wrong, I've still bought some and worn them now and then, but I always felt like they were too tight, too low, and too uncomfortable. Jeans seem to be one of those things all women have a love hate relationship with, but I am here to tell you I have a new favorite pair of denim.  They are deemed the younger and louder sibling of Danish brand Vero Moda. When I first went into the store and told the workers I was looking for what they would consider "Mom jeans" all they could do was muster, why?? What they obviously didn't know is that not only are Mom jeans coming back in style, but they are so much more comfortable and attractive than low rise jeans (unless you're built like Miley Cyrus). So, after trying on probably 30 pairs of jeans I ended up falling in love with non other than the high waisted skinny's by Noisy May!

Jeans Noisy May @ Pseudio

Booties & Watch @ Aldo

Blazer @ H&M

Scarf @ Le Chateau

Unicorn Sweater

I bought this unicorn sweater a while ago on Asos and as soon as I saw it I just had to have it, but it was too hot until recently to really start wearing it. Asos was my absolute favorite website to order from while I was living in Europe, but when you order from Canada they charge you a lot in duties which makes ordering from there make no sense when lots of great sites don't charge.. but I still miss it. Either way, I love Fall and chill cozy Fall fashion like this super cute comfy sweater.

Unicorn sweater @ Asos

Blue Slacks @ H&M

Weston Bag @ Michael Kors

Nude Heels @ Aldo

Bracelet @ H&M

 

  

 

 

Skin Solutions

Of course there are certain situations that require more assistance when it comes to the skin, but there are also lots of easy great ways to get "younger", healthier, radiant looking skin and it really starts from the inside out. Whatever you put into your body comes out and part of those toxins are released through the skin. So, if you want your skin to look better remember to exercise, eat healthy, and drink lots and lots of h2o! Other than eating and drinking, here are some more tips to help maintain youthful wrinkle & acne free skin!

1) TAKE IT OFF: Do NOT go to bed without taking your make up off!! Whip out your favorite face wash & remove your eye make up before you snooze (I love coconut oil to take my mascara off ). You don't want to be rolling around all night snoring and sweating clogging up your pores with yesterdays make up. For a DIY make up remover recipe click here

2) ROUTINE: Getting into a routine to start getting ready for bed before you're too tired to think will help. Take those 10 extra minutes to wash your face, apply toner, and a nightly moisturizer before bed and remember, whatever moisture your skin needs in the AM it also needs in the PM and vise versa. But remember that skin is not static, it is always changing meaning what worked for you last year might not work for you next year. In a nutshell, you're going to want to change up your products, but stay consistent to your routine. Pay attention to your skin and get check ups from professionals & treat yourself to facials! *wash your hands after using hair products before applying moisturizer or make up! Hair gels/sprays/treatments can clog your pores & cause breakouts!!


3) EXFOLIATE: Exfoliating your skin might be one of the best things you can do for it. It helps to get rid of dead skin and regenerate new cells, but you need to be careful not to be overly forceful with your skin you don't want to strip your skin of its natural moisture barrier, which can potentially accelerate the aging process. You can make your own exfoliant using salt, or sugar and keep it by the sink (sugar works great for lips & you can mix salt with yogurt for a body scrub, becareful not to overdo it with salt though because it can dry your skin out). I keep Beauti Control Spa Facial Exfoliating Polish in my shower. Its the perfect light scrub to use in the mornings to get the sleep off and start the day!

4) RETINOID + VIT C: If you're concerned about acne scars or wrinkles and you're not using a retinoid you should start. Certain types are only available through a doctor, but I use over the counter Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night Moisturizer and it really helps to clear up acne, make pores appear smaller, and repair fine lines. Also, keep an eye out for skincare products that include vitamin C which is an anti-inflammatory! 

Make Up For Ever Foundation Reviews: HD & MATTE

Every year when winter comes I start to update my wardrobe and my color palettes to get ready for the weather to get colder and my skin to get increasingly more pale and dry. Recently, I went to get my favorite brand of foundation and it was no where to be found, so I asked the ladies at Sephora to help match me up with a good product for Fall and ended up trying two foundations by Make Up For Ever.

At first I went home with MAKE UP FOR EVER Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation. This foundation comes in 16 shades and I matched up so perfectly to shade 25 that I ignored the warning that is was for oily skin and decided to give it a try anyways. Buyer beware, pay attention to the bottle. This foundation because it is a MATTE foundation does not work for dry skin. It has great coverage and colors, but it stuck to all my dry patches leaving the look on my skin like I had on a badly set powder and clumped to any rough patches. But, if you have normal, or even more oily skin this is a perfect foundation for you!

 

So, for the first time in my life I returned something to Sephora and went back on the hunt. I really wanted to try Laura Mercier's foundation for dry skin, but they didn't have any shades light enough, so I decided to give Make Up For Ever another run and purchased MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation. This foundation comes in a miraculous 26 shades and if you go to the website it will indicate for each shade what undertone is matches up with. I am a yellow undertone, so I went with color 117. I would say this foundation is a medium coverage and almost lives up to being invisible. Again, anytime you have dry skin medium to full coverage foundations are bound to show up a little on dry areas, but it is definitely more dewy than the matte foundation and I like the overall effect. It is a small bottle and costs in Canada about 40CAD, so I don't know if its the best bang for your buck, but I will stick with it and see how long it lasts both on my face throughout the day AND time wise over the next couple months.

 

 



 



DIY Chanel Tees: Two Ways To Wear

I took these pictures when I was at home visiting my mom & little sister. I made my sister Elly a few DIY tees and wanted to show you guys two different ways to wear them. My outfit is a little more dressed up with galaxy leggings & wedges where Elly's is a little more casual with boots, a scarf, and leather leggings. I love these pictures of Elly and make me miss home. Doesn't she have the best curly hair?? I would do anything for these curls. Sorry some of the pictures are different sizes/better quality. This is my first post ever uploading outfit pictures from my camera, so I'm still trying to get the hang of it! xo

 

 

On Elly:

Leggings @ Romwe

Jacket & Plaid Shirt @ Garage

Chanel T @ DIY

Brown & Black Boots @ Pseudio

Scarf @ Aldo

 

On Kade:

Leggings @ Romwe

Chanel T @ DIY

Fur Vest @ H&M

Wedges @ Aldo

 

 

 



Better Brows: Make Up Forever Aqua Brow Product Review

I am always on the search for ways to improve my too blonde too short eyebrows. Eyebrows can really make or break the overall look of your face because of how they frame your eyes and draw attention to the center of the face. After years of using pencils, I ended up with two favorite brands Lancôme & Too Faced, but hated dishing out 40 dollars on a pencil that I had to sharpen almost everyday and went through them far too much. So, I decided to try a wax powder kit and really liked the effect of Benefits Brow Zings. Brow Zings is a great product if you have the time and patience to prefect the look you're going for, but when I work early mornings I was ending up with too bushy/too waxy brows and went back on the hunt for the perfect brow product and ended up with this dream boat of a brow gel....

Make Up Forever Aqua Brow comes in four different shades and is the best brow product I have ever used. It goes on so easily to create the perfect look and stays put all day. It claims to be waterproof & I'm not sure that I would go that far because it does wash off really easily, but it creates the look of full brows and is completely smudge proof. I use the small brushes from the Brow Zings kit to apply it because they are so small that they deposit the perfect amount of product on the brows & I also finish the look off using the powder from the Brow Zings kit over top of the Aqua Brow gel to darken and soften the look. Aqua Brow is only 20 dollars and Sephora workers state it should last about one year, so we will see about that. Either way, its half the price of the pencils, it gives the perfect look, and stays on all day! I'll be using this product for a long time to come!
Suggested Use:

 -Using an angled brush, pretend there is a vertical line from side of your nose (you can take a pencil & line it up beside your nose to get an idea of where the imaginary line will start on both sides) and start to fill your brow in from that line outwards, continuing towards the arch of the brow and then make a thinner line down to the tail.
-Fill in sparse areas and blend. Top with powder to set if you wish.

Tip: When you first start to fill in your brows you might think you look like a werewolf, or fear that you look like you have a unibrow.. it is normal to feel that way if you aren't used to it, but do not worry you do not look that way and any time you need brow inspiration please look at top model Cara Delevingne and her amazing brows.

Winterize Your Beauty Routine

I for one am impatiently awaiting the first annual snowfall and by that I don’t mean that I want it to happen, but I know that its coming soon so I want to hurry up and get it over with. As the weather gets colder I want to stay in bed longer, my skin is getting dry and itchy, and I can’t go out with half dry hair expecting a frizz free unfrozen style anymore. So, I wanted to share my tips & tricks to winterize your beauty routine!

1.If your blow dryer isn’t almost blowing your head off your shoulders it’s not doing the job. Having a high powered blow dryer will significantly reduce your getting ready time, improve your hair health by not heat drying for long periods, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot! TIP: Make sure to blast your hair on the cold setting after blow drying. If your hair is still hot from the inside of the strands and you go outside in the cold it will be prone to get frizzy! Here are my favorite hair dryer picks that all include:

High performance motor and fan

3 heat settings / 2 speed settings

Ions

1875 watt power* (*this is the min. watt voltage to look for when picking a good dryer!)

Warrantees ranging from 2-4 years 

 

 

 

 

Remington Compact Chrome Dryer: 15.00

 

 

Infiniti Pro by Conair: $49.00

Nume Signature - Ionic Hair Dryer: $220.00

 

2. BB/CC Cream!! These creams pack a lot of power in one little tube. Take a look at the new BB by Revlon which combines moisturizer, primer, foundation, concealer, and sunscreen in one little tube. Of course you're still going to apply some touch ups with foundation/concealer but this little beauty balm will give your skin that extra moisturizing benefits and provide coverage all in one easy step!

Revlon Photo Ready BB Cream

 

 

3. New foundation. My advice? Take a trip into Sephora and get them to match you up. You don't want to be rocking your ultra tan summer shade of make up all winter long. Plus, some brands make kick ass moisturizing foundations to aid in keeping your skin healthy all winter long. Two great picks are Laura Mercier Moisture Supreme or Make Up For Ever HD.

 

 

Laura Mercier Moisture Supreme Foundation

 

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Invisible Cover Foundation