When life gives you lemons...

Okay ladies now let's get in formation.


For those of you who live under a rock, the biggest star of our time BEYONCE released her newest visual album this past weekend. As I write this, I am patiently waiting for LEMONADE to download from iTunes. Then the rest of my night will be dedicated to sobbing hysterically whilst googling "Jay-Z Siberia Kidnapping Jail Time Estimate" as I watch it, hiding underneath multiple blankets and deleting Jay-Z songs off my computer. Ugh. I can't even go there right now. It's too fresh, too soon. I barely slept last night because I was so worried about Jay-Z and Beyonce's relationship. Yeah, CUZ I KNOW THEM. My delusion has reached new heights. Anyways... let's talk about something a little more BRIGHTER. And HAPPIER. And MAKEUP-IER.



I have been feeling a LOT happier in general lately. A lot like the old Bri of more than a year ago. Everything in my life has just been comin' together. I've never treasured my friendships more, my relationship with my kid has never been better or more close, and I have been loving life. So..... I decided to pull a Tom Haverford and "Treat Yo-self". I did a little damage on Sephora.com and ordered a few lip products that I will share with y'all today!

TooFaced Melted Matte liquid lipstick in Child Star

TooFaced Melted Matte liquid lipstick in Sell Out

TooFaced Melted Matte liquid lipstick in Cool Girl

TooFaced Melted Matte liquid lipstick in Drop Dead Red

This was a no-brainer. I told you guys I was quite intrigued by the new TooFaced Melted Matte liquid lipsticks. Naturally, after trying literally ZERO of them in person, I ordered four shades off the website. I feel like I'm gonna like them. Three colours are slightly varying nude tones and then I sprung for a deep burgundy that I feel will look HAWT. Stay tuned. These were purely just a "You deserve it girl. Treat yo-self" moment.

Gwen Stefani for Urban Decay lipstick in Wonderland

Gwen Stefani for Urban Decay lipstick in Firebird

Gwen Stefani for Urban Decay lipliner in 714

Upon perusing the sale portion of Sephora.com, I was stunned to see the Gwen Stefani lipsticks and lipliners listed for half price. I was also stunned that smoke wasn't rising off of my laptop keyboard as I set landspeed records for cart-to-checkout time. In all fairness, I was quite tame. I only selected two lipsticks I didn't already have and a lipliner. All at HALF OFF THE REGULAR PRICE. I felt like I was being played. Her collection only came out in December. Maybe that means NEW STUFF! Here's hoping.



If anyone has any suggestions for anything I absolutely need to have or try, feel free to send me and email. Link is at the top of the blog in the "About Me" section. I feel very open to suggestion right now, and I feel very open to change. Maybe it's because I am feeling so happy and free as of late.


Or maybe it's because I need a fresh start after this Beyonce/Jay-Z saga.

Selfies 'n Stila

You know when you do your makeup for the day and everything just works? Your foundation is on point, your eyeshadow is on point, your lipstick is on point and you are just feelin' it? Those days are just the best. You walk around totally feeling like Beyonce, hair flip and all, and you seriously feel like the world is your oyster. Well, I had one of those days last week and I just felt the need to document it. Now I need to clarify something right off the hop. I am NOT a selfie girl. Rarely do I take pictures of myself, much less post them on social media. A friend of mine actually told me the other day that she needs to keep checking my Facebook account to see if it's still there because my activity is so rare. But one day recently, I could not resist to whip out the old SnapChat and take a selfie. (I should add it was taken in my car parked in the driveway before I left my house, my neighbours pointing and laughing at me the entire time.)

The infamous once-a-year Selfie

I wanted to quickly talk about the makeup I was wearing, as I was obsessed with it. My foundation will always be the same, the OG Lancome 24 hour Teint Idole along with my powder foundation, the Lancome Dual Finish. I finished it off with my MAC Studioblend powder to set it. The above products do not ever change. But what was different, was using my Beauty Blender to apply another round of foundation and giving myself a slight contour using the Marc Jacobs contouring powder and the Becca highlighting powder. It made such a difference and I loved it. My blush was the MAC mineralize blush in Gentle and my brows were filled in with my Anastasia DipBrow of course. The eyeshadow was done using a few shades from the Smashbox Double Exposure eyeshadow palette, my liquid liner was the Clarins 3Dot and my pencil liner was the Urban Decay Waterline eyeliner. But I have to say, what pulled the look so together was my lips.

Stila Liquid Lipstick in Baci

A few months ago I purchased a new Stila Liquid Lipstick in the shade Baci. Into a drawer it went, as I was all about my newfound Patina. The colours looked so similar in the packaging that I wasn't too bothered about opening up Baci and trying it. Until, one day last week, I decided to just give it a shot. THANK GOD. It is perhaps the greatest shade of lipstick ever created. Way better than Patina. It is a slightly lighter, ever so slightly more mauve than Patina and super super flattering. I am completely obsessed. I saw my friend Abigail that day and the first thing she said to me was "What lipstick are you wearing, it looks really good". Okay, for those of you who don't know her, Abigail's makeup always looks like she spent 8 hours getting it professionally applied. It always looks amazing. So for her to ask me that.... I was PUMPED. I knew it must've looked GOOD.


I can't urge everyone enough to try this gem. This liquid lipstick stayed on all day. I never reapplied it ONCE. And I was drinking a lot of water and talking A LOT. It never budged. This is definitely something I will ALWAYS have in my makeup collection.


I'm already having Hoarding Sweats about it.

April Favourites

I realize April is not yet over but I was just too excited to wait to talk about this month's Favourites. I don't know if it's because I have changed up my makeup routine slightly and given myself more time to get ready, but I have been really enjoying my makeup this month. Or maybe it's because I feel more at peace than I have been in about a year. Regardless, I have quite a few Favourites to share with y'all this month. Let's get into it!

Cinema Secrets Makeup Brush Cleaner

The first thing I want to talk about is the Cinema Secrets makeup brush cleaner. Dedicating an entire post to this magical stuff is something I will definitely be doing. I actually bought it because I heard about it from one of my YouTube girls and was definitely looking for a makeup brush cleaner that was quick and easy to use. For years I always used baby shampoo to clean my brushes. It was fine, but it took forever. Also, you had to factor in drying time, so I would have to time my cleaning just right so that my brushes were ready for use the next morning. The Cinema Secrets cleaner is pure magic. First off, it smells exactly like the Vanilla Cupcake candle from Bath and Body Works. I could pretty much huff that shit. So so so good. There is no rinsing whatsoever. All you do it pour some into a bowl, dip your brush bristles in about halfway, and literally watch the makeup come off. Then, I like to have an old tea towel nearby and then I just wipe the brush bristles off and voila, it is done. Plus, it dries instantly. So there's no waiting period to use your brushes. This is amazing for girls that don't have a lot of makeup brushes. For example, if someone only had one eyeshadow brush but preferred to use different eyeshadow colours. She could use one, clean the brush, and within minutes be applying a completely different colour with zero problems. I am so obsessed with it. It is only available online at Sephora.com. NOT in stores. Highly, highly recommended.

Tarte Powder Foundation Brush

My beautiful wonderful Tarte powder foundation brush. For about a year I was solely using the Dior powder foundation brush and I loved it so much. I thought that was it, I had found the perfect brush for all my powder foundation needs. I even repurchased it in October because it needed to be replaced I was using it so much. When I went to visit my family at Christmas, I just brought my new-at-the-time Tarte makeup brush set from their Holiday collection. I wanted to pare down my makeup bag as much as humanly possible to leave more room in my suitcases for shopping. Well, upon first use of this incredible Tarte powder foundation brush, I was completely in love. I have used it every single day since, and my makeup has never looked so good. It seriously makes your makeup look like it was airbrushed. Sorry, Dior, there's a new sheriff in town.

Beauty Blender

Keeping with the foundation trend, I have busted out the Beauty Blender this month and I have to say, it makes a huge difference with your foundation. I will admit, a few times I have caught myself literally staring at my makeup in any random mirror within close proximity. Maybe staring isn't the right word, more like ADMIRING. It adds on a few minutes to your regular foundation routine but boy, is it worth it. Your makeup looks airbrushed. I like to apply my foundation with my Urban Decay Optical Blurring brush as I normally would, and then I apply another light layer with my Beauty Blender. For someone like myself who needs their makeup to last a very long time during the day, this makes the difference. Next time I visit Murale, I think I may just pick up a Mini Beauty Blender for my undereye concealer. I'm sure it will make a huge difference as well.

Anastasia DipBrow Pomade and Brush

I have been loving my Anastasia DipBrow pomade and matching eyebrow brush. I am so excited to do my brows every day because this is such a dream product to work with. I get compliments and/or questions about my eyebrows constantly ever since I started using this. Even my friend Maegen loved my eyebrows so much she made us take a trip to Sephora so she could get a DipBrow for herself. She also started following Anastasia Beverly Hills on Instagram and regularly updates me on the latest mini brow tutorial they post. I'm so obsessed with it and use so much of it I actually had to repurchase another one just last week during the VIB Rouge sale.

Clarins Be Long mascara

Ahh, the Clarins Be Long mascara. Last fall I received a deluxe sample size of it to try. Well, I literally have about a million mascaras on tap waiting for me to use. I keep a little basket in the drawer of my vanity full of mascara minis. So, into the basket it went and stayed. About a month ago I needed a new mascara. I decided to give Clarins a try with no particular reason for that choice in mind. Thank God I did. It quickly became the BEST mascara I have used in a long time. It doesn't flake, it gives you amazing volume, length and separation and your lashes don't feel like you are wearing mascara whatsoever. I quickly became obsessed. I would tell anyone who would listen to my crazy rantings about it. My friend Amanda deserves all the credit for this Favourite as she was the one who loved it first and regularly urged me to try it. I am forever in your debt Amanda.

Good old Spotify. In our house we have music playing every minute of the day. I was late to the Spotify party and only downloaded it last winter. I am now a religious devotee of the music playing program. I have my favourite playlists playing all day long when I'm home. It's so handy as well to have on the old iPad as my kid and I spend a lot of time outside in our yard now that the weather is so nice. It can come everywhere in our yard with us. Obsessed.

Sex and The City is an OG favourite show of mine dating years and years back. I recently started watching it from the beginning again as I have all the seasons on DVD. It seems timeless, as girl problems dating 16 years ago are still the same girl problems my friends and I experience and discuss today. I've been loving it.




That's it for my April Favourites. I'm already looking forward to discovering more cool stuff to share with you next month for Favourites! I guess that means I'll have to go shopping.....

Linking up with Oh My Heartsie Girl Friday Features Linky Party for the first time!

She works hard for the money

I was inspired by my post from yesterday to talk about one of my favourite things: Value sets. Basically, as I was typing up my feelings on those gosh-darned mascara sampler sets, I was working myself up into a frenzy. A frenzy of emotion that could best be described as... Giddy. Euphoric. Crazed if you will. I felt as though I did not convey my feelings enough. They are seriously THE BEST THING EVER INVENTED EVER. It was then, as I sat wiping away tears of happiness and excitement after I had completed my thoughts on the fricken things, that I started to realize there were so many GOOD sets out there that needed to be discussed. I have always been a huge fan of value sets. Smashbox was probably my first memory of being hooked on makeup value sets. For a few years they used to make these limited edition "sets" usually containing an eyeshadow palette, a brush or two, eyeliner, mascara and a lipgloss. I remember being 20 years old and traipsing to Shoppers Drug Mart to "spend my points" on every new one they came out with. If my memory serves me correctly, they were usually around the $65 mark, with the total cost of each individual product being significantly higher than that. It's just a thrilling feeling, to be able to get so much more for what you spend. It's also a great way to try products you normally wouldn't. I decided to showcase a few of the value sets I have acquired in my possession recently-ish that I am super pumped about.

Smashbox limited edition lip palette

Why not get it rollin' with some good old Smashbox? Around Christmas-time of last year they came out with this wonderful number for their 25 year company anniversary. Expecting a run-of-the-mill eyeshadow palette or a little value set, I was thrilled to discover this is what they designed! I've been saying for the entirety of 2015 that SOMEONE needed to design a lip palette, as lip trends dominated the makeup world last year. Why not make a cool lipstick palette like so many eyeshadow ones that had come before? Well, SOMEONE was listening to my insane rantings because Smashbox premiered this lovely limited edition stroke of genius. It's absolutely perfect for the makeup artist that lies within, as you can create your own shades by custom blending whichever ones suit your fancy that particular day OR wearing each one individually. It was love at first sight upon our first encounter. As this is limited edition, it is no longer available. (Sorry.....)

Bite Beauty Lip Discovery Set

Continuing on with the lip trend, Bite Beauty was a brand that I completely fell in love with last year. I mentioned it in my VIB Sale 2015 post, and everything that I have tried from this Canadian WOMAN owned brand is absolute perfection. It is solely a lip product line, and boy do they do it well. Their lipsticks and lip pencils are incredible. So around November of last year when the infamous VIB Rouge 20% off sale kicked off into high gear, this was probably the first product that landed in my Sephora online "cart". Everything in this set is full-sized. That's right, full-sized lipstick, primer, gloss, pencil, scrub, lipstick remover wipes and pigment stick. The price? $59, which is what not even TWO of those products in the value set were worth. And that's not including my 20% off. I still can't talk about it without feeling light-headed.

Sephora Favourites Brow Kit

This next item is probably the one I was most excited about. I'm still waiting for Ashton Kutcher to come flying out from behind the couch and start screaming "HAHAHA YOU'VE BEEN PUNKED NOW PAY UP YOU PSYCHOPATH". During the very same VIB Rouge sale from November, the Sephora Favourites Brow kit came into my possession. I'm still waiting to be told, "Sorry, we charged you the wrong price and now you owe us, Honey". In this totally amazing value set, you will find 7 incredible items perfect for all things brows. My eyebrows are my life, and I am always looking for that next big thing that will be my can't-live-without-it lifechanger product. So when I stumbled upon this wonderful kit, I was filled with excitement. Everything in it is full-sized. That's right, ERRTHANG. You get the new Smashbox Brow Tech Gloss Stick, the Anastasia Brow Whiz, the Kat Von D Tattoo Brow, the Anastasia Brow Gel, the Benefit High Brow, a pair of Sephora tweezers and a matching mirror. It was $48. The Benefit High Brow alone is $36. The BEST part? YOU CAN PICK YOUR SHADE. Obvs, I got the Medium/Dark one. I seriously want to include this kit in my will, THAT'S how much I love it. Incredible value. Just.... SO. GOOD.

Tarte Holiday 2015 collection (highlighting brush not pictured)

Tarte. Oh Tarte. Like Beyonce, as time goes on you just keep getting better.  These next two pretties were again purchased during that very same sale in November. First off, the brush kit is just too amazing to even begin to comprehend. Five perfect full-sized Tarte brushes embossed in a glamourous gold colour and housed in the cutest case in the world. I use the powder brush everyday since I got it. The other set I chose is pretty amazing as well. 24 eyeshadows, a deluxe sample size mascara, and a removable travel palette containing a blush, bronzer, highlighter and 6 more eyeshadows also housed in the same ornate sequined case. I went to visit my family at Christmas-time and I chose to bring this to fulfill my eyeshadow/blush/bronzer needs as to not take up so much luggage space with makeup and I was happy with the decision. I was able to use the same palette and create several different looks for both day-time and evening wear. Sets like these Tarte ones are the reason why I get so ravenously excitable when they're launched. Beautiful and a bang for your buck. A perfect situation if you ask me.

I also wanted to include a picture of the 2016 Sephora LashStash I talked about yesterday. Again, it's just the best idea ever. If you were interested, I do not believe they are available online yet, just in store.


Wishing everyone a fabulous eyebrows-on-fleek week ahead!

When you wish upon a star....

The Sephora VIB Sale is this weekend and after a few weeks of utter chaos in my life, it was a welcome cause for celebration. Being a VIB Rouge member, I was treated to 15% off my purchases this weekend. Being a compulsive list maker as well, I put together a little "wish list" of some things I could justify getting. You know, because of the sale....    

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Highlighting Palette

The Tarte Rainforest of the Sea collection is really quite interesting. Tarte is rapidly becoming one of my favourite makeup brands, as I alluded to earlier in the Primer Post, and their newly launched Rainforest of the Sea lives up to the hype. I actually ordered the eyeshadow palette from the collection about a month ago, and although I haven't actually busted it out yet, I am super thrilled with it. Beautiful neutral browns and taupes, all shimmery and gorgeous and begging to be played with. The above highlighting palette is just too beautiful. I have been all about highlighting and strobing lately, and I feel this could be a welcome addition to the roster. 

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Highlighting brush

This is another piece from the new Tarte collection and definitely something I can justify getting. I've been using another Tarte brush from their Holiday 2015 brush set I purchased last year, but I'm not thrilled about it. I need an actual brush meant for highlighting and this one looks like it could do the trick. Plus.... 15% off. Need I say more? 



   

Too Faced Melted Matte Liquid Lipsticks

When I discovered Too Faced would be launching a new Melted Liquid Lipstick, I immediately launched into 16 cartwheels around my house. The OG Melted Liquid Lipsticks have a foam tip applicator and go on the lips by squeezing it and applying directly from the tube. If I had any criticism of them.... they don't really make for a flawless application. So when I saw these new little babies I was pumped. I can't wait to try them and see how they compare to my beloved Stila.   

Sephora Favourites Give Me Some Nude Lip

I have long been a fan of any value set or palette. It is the greatest "bang for your buck" and the best way to try new things without spending a million dollars. This set intrigues me greatly, as the nude lip continues to dominate any and all lip trends. In this set you also get some really cool lip products and they are all in my OG favourite lip shade. And the price? Can't be beat at 30 bucks. That's price for just one of the lip products available in this charming little set. Just. So. Good.   

Sephora LashStash To Go

This is perhaps the greatest thing ever invented. Earlier this week, I was having a conversation with my friend Amanda where we were discussing all things makeup. The conversation lead to mascara sampler sets. They are a work of complete genius and I can't even talk about them without hyperventilating from pure excitement. Both of us would probably have flags made with pictures of these things on them, and mount them on our vehicles and homes to show our pride and devotion. Basically, a mascara sampler set is a box with several different brands of mascara inside them, all in deluxe sample sizes, and a gift certificate for a full-sized one of your choice after you've tried all of them and chose a favourite. I couldn't find a picture of the Sephora 2016 one yet, so the above photo is the one from last year. I bought it during the VIB Sale around this very same time a year ago. They are just complete perfection. You basically have mascara for almost a year, and pay $30. Excuse me while I respond to the Call To Prayer to the mascara sampler God.     




The rest of the items on my VIB sale wishlist aren't as exciting as the ones mentioned above. Just repurchases of some necessities like the Anastasia DipBrow pomade, the Too Faced Shadow Insurance eyeshadow primer and some other must-haves. Feel free to let me know what's on your WishList.     



  I'm always up for a few jealousy purchases or two....