Nyx has my heart

A little Nyx haul comin' atcha on this lovely Sunday.


I have long been obsessed with Nyx makeup. At my first job, many moons ago (sob), we carried the brand and I remember loving everything I ever tried. It's hugely popular in the online beauty community and it's hugely popular for a reason. It's amazing. The quality of everything in the line is most comparable to MAC in my opinion. It's a makeup-y makeup line. It's meant for girls who LOVE makeup and who want the latest trends. My favourite thing about the line? The pricepoint is incredible. You're paying the same as you would pay for any of the brands on the mass makeup wall (Maybelline, Revlon, etc) but the quality is the same as any of the brands you would find in your Beauty Boutique or Sephora. I can't say enough good things about Nyx. My only issue with it is it has always been that it's hard to find. That is, it was hard to find until Shoppers Drug Mart started carrying a few weeks ago. I may or may not have screamed, gasped for air, waved my arms wildly around looking for something to brace myself on, and then promptly burst into tears when I saw it moved into it's new home on the mass wall. I couldn't wait to try all the new products I kept seeing on Instagram.

Nyx Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in SoftSpoken and Vintage

Sporting Vintage

The first items I bought were two of the liquid lipsticks in two very different shades. I have recently become unhealthily obsessed with the Stila liquid lipsticks and wanted to see how the Nyx ones would compare. Having only tried one of them so far, I don't feel like I am ready to review them as of yet. Stay tuned.

The Jewel of the Nile... Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen

Instagram is so important to me for finding out about new launches, new products and look ideas. I kept seeing so many posts about the Soft Matte Lip Cream lip products that I felt compelled to pick one up as well. Someone who also frequents the online Beauty Community told me that the shade Copenhagen was sold out everywhere, which meant that I set the landspeed record for stampeding to the section to see if I could find one. Standing in front of the little Lip Cream display, clutching my sides, wheezing and gasping for air as I began to raise my arms and fistpump in glory as if I had just had accomplished an Olympian victory was not one of my finest hours.

The Motherload

I went a little crazy last night and ended up purchasing a quite a few items that I am over the moon about. Their Contouring palette was one of the best reviewed items of 2015 and tears sprang to my eyes as I cradled it in my arms. I also chose the Strobing palette as well, as I have been REALLY into highlighting lately. The shade selection is incredible. 8 different shades come in the Contouring palette (which is insanity) and 6 come in the Strobing one. You can literally do any look you want, and it will work for every skin tone imaginable. As I type this, I am actually pounding on my keyboard because I AM SO EXCITED about these two products. A full review will follow if you're interested.


Brows are my jam right now, and I always am interested in trying anything new brows-wise. Their Brow Mascara intrigued me, and I knew I needed to give it a whirl. Into the basket it went. Currently I am also on the prowl for a new liquid liner, as the one I am using currently (Clarins 3 Dot) isn't completely thrilling me and it is coming to the end of it's life soon. I thought "Why not?" when I saw this liquid liner; Super Skinny Marker. Nyx actually has a few different varieties of liquid liners, but this one spoke to me the loudest. Rounding up the haul was an Intense Butter Gloss and a Matte Lipstick. Both colours are similar nudes. I swatched them both in the store and was super excited about the colour pay-off.


If you're interested, I'm planning on doing a full review of everything once I've had the chance to really play with everything. I have high hopes for everything I picked up and I am really looking forward to getting them into the mix.


Also, shout-out to the kid I drop-kicked out of the way during my Running of the Bulls to get to Nyx. I'm sorry about your luck, but maybe next time, don't stand in the line of fire when there's a Copenhagen Lip Cream with a world-wide shortage problem available to a crazy lady with a raging makeup problem and PMS. It will end badly for you.

Come into my makeup lair

Let’s get all up in my personal space y’all.  

As I alluded to previously, I moved last year. I moved into my very own HOUSE. In the town I feel should probably get a restraining order against me because I am so obsessed with it. My house is perfect for my kid and I. We have a good-sized yard, awesome deck, plenty of space and….. A MAKEUP ROOM. When I was in the process of moving in I had already reserved the extra bedroom upstairs for my Oasis. Normal thought process would be “This would make a great guest bedroom! For my guests! To be comfortable and sleep next to humans!” Normal thought processes evade this girl on the daily. My guests can sleep in the cellar. Mama needs her Tarte collection to be easily accessible.

 I knew I wanted to keep the master bedroom as decluttered and sleek as possible. In my bedroom at my old place, I had no other choice but to keep all my clothes, makeup and everything else all in the same room. As an admitted clothes, makeup and everything else shopaholic, this made for close quarters. To say I was in awe of all the extra space my current bedroom has is an understatement. It feels positively immense. It also comes with another bonus feature…. A Walk-In Closet. For years I was forced to ram my gigantic clothing collection into one closet, two dressers and two rolling racks squished together and shoved into a corner. Now I have So. Much. Room. Two closets between both rooms as well as a spacious bedroom for racks. As an admitted clothes, makeup and everything else shopaholic however, I had no problem filling up all the extra “room” I had.

 When I moved, I got rid of about half my makeup collection. I purged everything. Nothing was safe. It felt good in a way to be free of so much product that I wasn’t using, and was never going to. Not that I didn’t feel a panic attack heaving buckets of eyeshadows into the garbage. I just felt better knowing that everything I was keeping deserved to be kept. Plus, who am I kidding, that gave me MORE room to fill up with gorgeous gorgeous MAKEUP!  

A little sneak peek comin' at ya

This room is still slightly a work in progress but I feel so peaceful when I’m in it. At times I have literally exhaled “AHHHHHH” upon entry. It’s also given me time and space to really see what I have in my wonderful ALEX organizer “dresser”. As stated before, I still have some work to do with it. Some reorganization, decluttering and perhaps another purge. Having my own pure girlie refuge filled with all my favourite things has made me very happy.

And worry not, future guests. I’ll make sure I throw you an extra blanket for the cellar.

Re-Launch

I'm back bitches.

In a perfect world, you are reading this blog post while you tend to your shrine of me you carefully constructed in my absence. Perhaps you are even wiping away tears as you start blowing out all the candles, taking down the photos, and finally turning off Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You”  which has been on a continuous loop since I abandoned my precious blog 9 months ago.

Am I being delusional? Probably. But that is my middle name after all.

These past 9 months have brought many changes to my life. Before assumptions are made I can assure you these changes have not been of the “Offspring” variety. That would be an act of God if we’re being realsies. No, these changes have been kind of major, really. I started and ended a relationship after being single for a loooong time, I MOVED (to Casa de B&B, my perfect Bachelorette girlie oasis, which also happens to be in another TOWN), I went through some major changes in my professional and personal life, and I took two trips back to see my family. Since I last posted, I have pretty much gone through the entire spectrum of human emotion over the past 9 months. And one thing was for certain after the dust had settled.

I missed Shimmerette.

So many things to talk about. New makeup products, new TV shows, new EVERYTHING. I can’t wait to share what I have been up to and am looking forward to catching up with you on everything I have missed. And I promise I won’t abandon you Casey Anthony style again.

At least not for another 9 months. (Joke)

Weekend Warrior

Welcome back, Bri!

I took a little “Staycation” this past May Long Weekend and went off the grid. Sadly, this meant abandoning my sweet little blog as well. I didn’t even do anything cool, or go anywhere exciting. My son and I hung out around home, and we just relaxed. It was awesome but it’s back to the grind now. I wanted to highlight some random things I have loved over the weekend.

Snapchat with my new hat that I sent to my friends.... Aspirations for a Beaumont edition??

I have been loving Forever 21 lately. They have had some wicked “coupons” come through to my email over the past few months and I have been quite impressed with everything I have seen from their “new arrivals” portion of their website. Usually, I shop online for everything from Forever 21. There is such a sense of peace to be had from opening my laptop at my own leisure and casually trolling through the website. I have ordered COUNTLESS times from Forever21.com, so much so that I know my sizing in every different style of clothing like the back of my hand. I recently visited a new location of Forever 21 as it opened recently and I had an email discount code for 40% off a regular priced item. I was quite pleased with my finds: a cream coloured lacy tank, a brick coloured satin-y sleeveless top, and a floppy hat, perfect for wine day-drinking on a deck during the summer. Total cost for all three: $32. Score!

Sephora.com. It has been so good lately, and the free samples have been on fire. Whenever you order from Sephora, you get the choice of three samples, usually from around a selection of 10 or so. I always like to choose fragrance samples, as I find they are the most useful to me. However over the weekend they had a mascara sample and an eyemakeup remover sample available which I thought was amazing. It is a genius way to try new things without the risk of investing (a lot of) money in these products. More often than not, I have fallen in love with the things I have sampled. Wait. On second thought, this is actually a dangerous situation, and should probably be stopped immediately. You know, for the sake of my bank account.

Drinks in a pitcher. We had a Sunday Funday on the 17^th and hung out on the deck all afternoon while we waited for GOT to start that night. (I can’t even talk about that….) I decided to make summer-y type drinks to celebrate the beautiful weather outside but didn’t really have any specific kind of recipe to follow. I started with making mango juice from a Minute Maid frozen can, adding half a bottle of Sprite and half a 26 of Malibu rum. It was delicious and quickly disappeared. For the next batch, I made peach punch, also from frozen, and added the other half bottle of Sprite and half a 26 of raspberry vodka and blue caracao. It was beyond. It tasted exactly like a blue freezie.

The Mindy Project. I went on a Mindy Project bender this weekend and watched the entire third season again over the course of Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday night. I love that show so much, and am still quite upset it was cancelled. The episodes are so fast paced and jam-packed with dialogue, hilarious jokes and beautiful clothes. Everything I love. Also, Morgan Tookers might be my favourite character ever on a sitcom. Hysterical.

My True Religion jeans. I wore them every day this weekend and realized all over again just how much I love them. They fit like a glove, are perfectly “worn in” and feel beyond comfortable. “Truly” (get it?) obsessed.

MAC lipstick in Girl About Town

The Bachelorette. The new season started on Monday and my girl Kaitlyn was chosen to be the star! As I write this I am proudly sporting her signature MAC Girl About Town lipstick in her honour. I am pumped for the new season and by the looks of things, to quote Chris Harrison, it’s shaping up to be the “most dramatic season ever”.

Those were just a few of my most enjoyed things this past weekend. Looking forward to the weekend ahead where I can chill out again with my kid. And blogging everything, of course!

Ain't nobody fresher than my Clique (continued)

I asked my friend Marcy to complete this questionnaire as she is another makeup lover and one of the first people I told about my blog. I learned some new things about her when I read her answers and look forward to continuing our friendship. My favourite item of clothing I got this year (and there have been many...) was the kimono cardigan from Forever 21 she gave me. And yes, I am to blame for her recent Forever 21 addiction. (Sorry Marcy.)

When did you first start wearing makeup?

Grade 6 I was allowed to wear Bonne Bell “Lipsmackers” and a little bit of blush, but grade 7 I was able to wear whatever I wanted.

What is your favourite overall brand of makeup?

Depends for what. Eye shadow is The BodyShop hands down. Mascara rotates between Maybelline, Gosh, Rimmell, and L’Oreal. Foundation is Estee Lauder. Powder is Anabelle. Lipstick is TIGI.

Where is your favourite place to shop for beauty products?

Shoppers, they seem to have a little of everything.

One product you can’t live without?

Pond’s Cold Cream.

Who is your biggest beauty inspiration?

Ahh, changes every day. Basically anyone who can do smoky eyes, I have been trying to for years and fail miserably haha.

If you could go shopping with anyone, who would it be?

Probably my Mom. She’s brutally honest and has more style than me (wow that’s sad.)

What is your one favourite all-time TV show?

Eeek, I don’t watch TV. I did watch the whole series of Grey’s Anatomy…which I loved. I have a hundred favorite books though ;)

What is your “Happy Place”?

Lake McKenzie in Fraser Island

What is your favourite makeup product you have bought in 2015?

TIGI lipstick, just bought it from Chatters and am obsessed with it.

What is your signature look?

Subtle I would say.

Favourite colour?

Make up wise, brown.

Everything else, green.

Any bad beauty habits?

Using harsh cleansers & products when I was younger. And picking everything I feel doesn’t belong on my face haha.

Dream job?

Traveling Journalist.

Lastly, what are 3 things you would bring with you to a desert island?

A big pot, a very large knife and my dogs. 

I'm a Slave 4 U (My weeknight routine, that is.)

As my best friend Natalie likes to point out on (numerous) occasion, I am 800 years old. What she means by this, is that I am not a night owl social butterfly like her and her husband metamorphosis into each night after their kids go to bed. I am not the least bit surprised anymore when I call her at, let’s say, 8:30pm and she answers the phone with “Hey how are you? I’m just on my way to dinner in the city. I think we’re gonna go see a movie after too”.

And it’ll be a Monday.

Natalie has always been a subject of fascination with me, as I am still convinced she drinks the blood of virgins as her source of livelihood. Not only does the woman look nineteen, she also seems to not need any sleep whatsoever. After greeting eachother in the morning, I feel like it’s Groundhog Day every day when she tells me about her previous evening. “Oh, it was good. After the kids went to bed we went out to get coffee and stuff to make nachos, and then watched a marathon of Vikings till about 2am. I got up at 5 to go to Spin Class.” The woman is insane. Me? I lead a different sort of life in the weekday evenings. I am a slave to our schedule and routine. If I am not in my bed with my iPad, a cup of tea and a magazine by 9pm AT THE LATEST, I malfunction. It’s not a rare occurrence for me to be on the phone chatting away in my living room, puttering around on my laptop and watching TV and suddenly glance at the time, and almost drop my phone in horror. “OH MY GOD IT’S 9:01, WE’VE GOT OURSELVES A BARNBURNER HERE…. I GOTTA LET YOU GO HOLY SHIT.” I’m insane as well.

My little (weekday) nighttime routine is something I have grown to be accustomed to, and for that matter, love. After removing all my makeup with my favourite face cleanser from Neutrogena and my favourite eye makeup remover from L’Oreal, I change from my “fancier” comfy clothes that I don the minute I walk through my door after work. They usually consist of Lululemon yoga pants or Danskin fitted sweatpants and a lounge tee from PINK by Victoria’s Secret.  I usually change into PINK by Victoria’s Secret sleep shorts and a matching top. Actually, more often than not, I wear pretty little sleep outfits from the Forever 21 website that I find crazy on sale. Hey, just because I am single doesn’t mean I sleep in ugly pajamas.I actually started making it a point of buying pretty sleep sets about a year and a half ago. I do it for myself, and it makes me feel happy and beautiful even though I’m the only one who sees it. (This is going to a strange place…. Sorry Dad.) Anyways, I love cozying up in my bed with my iPad and watching the latest videos from that day of the Beauty Gurus I follow. And always with a hot cup of Tetley Orange Pekoe tea in one of my many girlie mugs. (I have a slight mug obsession…. Are you shocked?) After I finish with that, I usually pull up Netflix on my iPad and fall asleep to a show of choice. Currently I have been falling asleep to the show “Happy Endings.” Yes, I have seen it all before, but it is just too good. I am re-watching it all anyways. It is then that I am whisked away to dreamland….. only to be jarred awake by the sound of my alarm going off the next morning.

I know I’m not as exciting as someone like Natalie, but that’s my routine and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Some of my favourite sleep sets are from Forever 21

Another cute sleepset from Forever 21

Lipgloss for days

I have been on a bit of a lipgloss kick lately. And by “a bit”, I mean “a giant” lipgloss kick. It seems the trend of a bold lip is here to stay, at least for a little while. I have been all over the MAC lipglosses for the past few weeks. Yes, I have got some things from the newer collections, but I actually discovered a few staples as well from their core product lines. Lipglosses aren’t usually something I look at when I am in MAC. The new collections, the lipsticks, and the brushes are usually the usual suspects I browse through on my travels through the store. As I write this post, I am trying to remember the last time I even looked at their lipglosses. Probably when I was doing a “Back 2 MAC” a year ago and I grabbed another Snob and Saint Germain restock. The MAC lipglosses have been screaming my name it seems for the past month. I have hardly been able to control myself around them, and have been amassing them at a concerning (to some) speed.

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Japanese Spring and Pagoda

MAC Cremesheen Lipglass in Fashion Scoop and MAC lipstick in Catty

I picked up a few lipglosses from the MAC Is Beauty collection. Actually, three glosses and a lipstick. I stopped in MAC quickly about a month ago to see the new collection. I wasn't really into the eyeshadows, nailpolishes or eyeshadows that belonged to the new MAC Is Beauty collection. To be honest I didn't really like any of it at all. The colours were all quite pastel, and I do not enjoy pastel colours at all. However I took a liking to some of the glosses, or "lip glass" as it's known to MAC. I chose the shades Japanese Spring ( a lilac-y ice-pink), Pagoda, ( a deeper baby pink) and Fashion Scoop ( a pale baby pink). The lipstick needed to come home with me as well. The shade Catty is a peachy pink that will be great for summer. 

                                                  

                                                

   

MAC Lipglass in Girl About Town and Candy Yum-Yum

 

                                               

                                                             MAC Mineralize lipgloss in Tender

MAC Cremesheen Lipglass in Long Love Love and Full Speed Ahead

I also purchased some lipglosses from the core MAC makeup line. Core means that they always carry these shades and they are not limited edition. As I stated previously, I never give the lipglosses at MAC a second glance. However, as I have been all about lip products lately, I found some pretty glosses that I would've never even batted an eye at earlier. Kaitlyn Bristowe's new season of The Bachelorette commences on Monday and to say I am excited about it would be an understatement. I got her signature MAC lipstick when she was on The Bachelor, Girl About Town, and I was shocked to see they had a matching gloss. This was a no-brainer, as was the matching gloss to another great hot pink lipstick, Candy Yum-Yum. I also wanted to try a Mineralize lipgloss or lipstick, as I am in a love affair with the Mineralize blush. I chose the shade Tender because it is my signature shade of light pink, and I can never have enough pink lipglosses, right? Rounding up my lipgloss shopping spree were two of their Cremesheen shades, Long Love Love (a bright medium pink) and Full Speed Ahead (a deeper hot pink.)

It will be a loooong time before I let myself buy any more lipglosses. I think I have enough just with this haul to quell the makeup demon that lurks within.

At least for the next week, anyway.