I Can Haz: Another HKN wishlist

I really love seeing people's wish lists because it gets me excited about stuff that I might not have known about otherwise. Being a 20- something year old living on her own, I obviously can't pop out and buy every little thing that comes to mind so I like to make wish lists and when I have disposable income, I can refer back to it and buy myself a little sumthin sumthin! I want to cover cosmetics and clothing so bear with me here! (Aside: I actually had to google whether it was bear of bare because both seemed. Once sounds like an animal, one sounds like getting nekkid. Just sayin')
There's something for everybody!

• A new blush brush. My blush brush is looking really sad right now and I am in dire need of a new one.

I am a huge believer in Wal- Mart's Spa Resource brand brushes. This particular blush brush is made of natural hair and is only 8$!! I have two of those slanted blush brushes and can't stand them so I'm going back to the classic shape. So far I have loved the other brushes that I've purchased so I'll probably continue on with these.

• Joe Fresh Cream Blush

I'm on a real blush kick and I'm dying to try a cream blush so this works out just dandy. I've read great things about these and for 8$, I'm definitely willing to give them a go.

• Covergirl's Intense Shadowblast in Brown Bling

I bought one of these in "Forever Pink" and I've been using it most days ever since. It's waterproof and creaseproof so you can use it as a base for any eye shadow or just whip it on for a quick but finished look (key for early mornings before work). This brown-ish taupey colour is right up my alley.

• Essie's "Power Clutch".

img from lacquerwear.com

I love LOVE dark vampy nail polishes in the fall and winter but refuse to wear a simple black. What I really love are colours that are so dark, they're practically black. With it's green undertones, "Power Clutch" fits the bill. Plus, it doesn't look like anything I have in my large MASSIVE collection.

• Wet n' Wild's Party of Five Glitters.

img from cosmeticsaficionado.blogspot.com

I've been kind of obsessing over Deborah Lipmann's Glitter in the Air but there is no way I'm paying 30$ on a nail polish!

img from hrhcollection.net

I already have a great baby blue nailpolish and I think that with Party of Five Glitters on top, I can achieve a similar look.

Onto the clothes!!

• Rust coloured pants.

Because I rarely actually sit at my desk at my job, I tend to wear pants to be comfortable and to avoid flashing my goods when I'm on a ladder or hanging from the ceiling, or whatever. I have a pretty good array of basic pants but I'm looking for something a little ZAZZY. I love this colour for the fall.

• A loose knit sweater.

I love all of the awesome sweaters that I've seen so far this season and I especially love all of the metallic knitwear that's being shown. Such a cool twist. This particular one is from Love Culture.

• Simple blouses. Pretty self-explanatory, I think.

• Leopard Belt.

This is definitely not the first appearance of this particular item on my wish lists but I just can't seem to find the perfect one! Gahhhh!

• Dolce Vita Veselka.

This, to me, is really an ideal boot.

• Dolce Vita Sortland.

Could you wear these to work? Sure. Could you wear these to go out? Sure. Could you wear these everyday until they literally rot off your feet? I plan to do so.

• Loud Chain jewelry.

I'll let all that awesome shopping fun sink in. Hope you guys enjoyed! xx

Polka Dottie

It's been a while and for some reason I've been feeling rather disconnected from the Interwebz so I wasn't really sure how to get back into things. I had time to snap some pictures before heading out the door so that's what you get! I would love to show you some fabulous fall outfit but for now, it's hot as hell in Montreal so we're going to have to wait a little longer.

Top: Zara, Skirt: Thrifted and DIYed, Belt: F21, Shoes: Aldo

I am loving how practical these little wedges are! They're majorly on sale too! http://www.aldoshoes.com/ca-eng/sale/women/sale-sandals/84169005-pouche/28

Face:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in shade 51 light vanilla

Hard Candy Glamouflage Concealer

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

Maybelline Dream Matte powder

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish blush in Warm Soul

Eyes: 

Joe Fresh eyeshadow in Sugar

Sleek brown  and black matte eyeshadows from storm palette

L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid eyeliner

Covergirl Liquiline blast pencil eyeliner

Max factor 2000 Calories mascara

Lips: 17 lipstick in "Beehive"

Just a note on the makeup, I have to sing my praises for MAC's Warm Soul blush. It's the perfect neutral blush colour that I love to use when I have any redness of spots on my cheeks (which is where they tend to pop up). It defines my face without drawing attention to any of those flaws and for that I have to say it has Holy Grail status in my books.

Hope you're all enjoying the long weekend! xx

Rainy Sunday? Shopping it is.

An outfit post!!! I know, I can't believe it either. It feels like it's been a really long time! I was heading out with my lady friends this morning for a shopping adventure and I figured I'd snap a few pictures of my casual shopping outfit.

It was so dark today, it was really hard to get reasonable lighting but you can't win 'em all.
Brogues: H&M, Jeans: Don't know where I got those..., T-Shirt: American Apparel, Jean Jacket: F21, Leopard scarf: Simons.

Great lighting in the car though! Wowza!

Face: Skin79 BB Cream, Hard Candy Glamouflage concealer, Maybelline Dream Matte powder, MAC Warm Soul Mineralize Skinfinish blush.

Eyes: CoverGirl Intense Shadowblast in "Forever Pink", L'Oreal Lineur Intense Carbon Black liquid eyeliner, Sleek black eye shadow on bottom lashline, Covergirl Lashblast + Rimmel Glam Eyes Day2Night mascaras.

Lips: MAC's Creme Cup lipstick.

Blowing Up

Anyone who reads this thing knows that I have a MAJOR girl crush on Blair Eadie of atlantic-pacific.blogpost.com. Wouldn't you know it, Vogue loves her too. And she was featured in THE September issue. Can't believe it.

I don't think I've ever actually seen her eyes before. What a beauty. She looks amazing but most important so like HER. 

http://atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com/2011/08/september-issue.html

Look For Less : Apparently, the Leopard Edition

I've been on the Interwebz pretty heavily lately looking for fall clothing/accessory inspiration. What I've noticed is tons of "designer inspired" items (politically correct terms here). This isn't anything new, obviously. For as long as people have been coming up with ideas, other people have been ripping them off... er I mean being "inspired" by them. All this to say that most things are inspired by one thing or another along the way and if it helps the little guy (i.e. the monetarily challenged) get in on it, then I say let's keep this thing going! Onto what you really care about: the stuff.

Ah, the leopard print Celine bag. Truly a sight to behold.

My colleague and I were just gushing over the amazingness of this bag and wouldn't you know it, that very night, I stumbled onto this number

River Island Animal Print Double Handle bag

Obviously, this isn't an exact replica. But who cares? I think it's adorable and at 64$, a definite showstopper.

Jeffrey Cambell's Lita

I have to say I have a love/hate thing going with this shoe, because I am literally constantly flip flopping on whether it's the best or the worst, but in case you think it's the best:

Go Jane's Laceup Platform . Literally less than  1/4 of the price.

The show that legitimately haunts my nightmares: The Celine leopard print loafer.

A great alternative:

Steve Madden Madee. The only issue is that I so don't want to spend 120$ on these! Poop :(

Frye's legendary Engineer boot

Aldo's Neice. I'm going to keep a very close eye on these. Kind of obsessed.

I went to Holt's to fondle this guy once: The Rebecca Minkoff Morning After bag:

Once again Asos saves the day.

Is this as fun for you as it is for me?! Hope you guys enjoyed, xox.

2 for 1: Nail Edition

First week of big girl life complete! I've got to say, I'm feeling good! It's hard to get my act together to post after work but I'm gonna try and make it happen people! I have some fun nail polish pictures for you guys!

I am so into this adorable pink glitter manicure! Obviously, I'm not the first one to do this (click!), but it's such an easy and cute way to add interest to a subdued manicure.

I used my beloved Lilac Pastelle polish by Revlon, some really old loose cosmetic glitter from Adrene (I just knew that would come in handy some day) and a good top coat. I switched up my Seche Vite for Sally Hansen Insta Dry because, while Seche Vite has an amazing finish, it would literally make the nail polish peel off the nails by the third day. So far, so good for the Insta Dry! All of the super fast drying shinyness without the peeling.

On another note, I had my very first Asian cosmetics experience! A lot of Asian brands and products are getting huge buzz in the beauty community right now because of their amazing quality and I was anxious to give a few things a try. I went to C&C Cosmetics (http://www.cnccanada.com/) which is, as far as I know, the only place in Montreal licensed to sell this stuff. I can't give you guys an opinion on most of the products yet, but I did get a chance to try The Face Shop's lilac nail polish (shown in the picture above).

Sorry about my cuticles guys! At 3.99$, I am blown away by the quality of this product . It's everything I had hoped Essie's Lilacism would be. Beautiful lilac colour that doesn't give me dead body hands, and completely opaque in two coats. So far so good.

Hope you guys enjoyed another 2 for 1! Have an awesome Saturday!

GWAK

Hello love muffins! I'm trying desperately to adjust to this crazy new life schedule (i.e. the same schedule that all normal people have). So far my new job is fun and different every day so I certainly can't complain!
Ok now onto what you kitties really care about: the blog post. I'm changing it up a little bit here with a recipe.

Introducing: The most epic guacamole recipe.
I have to preface this by saying that I can't stand bland, texture-less guacamole. This version packs an incredible flavor PUNCH and has a great texture with it's tomatoes and onions.

This recipe is from the Holy Grail family cookbook: The New York Times cookbook, 1990 edition. My dad's copy (even older than mine) is reduced to torn and stained, tattered pages.
It reads as follows:

2 large ripe avocados
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp finely chopped fresh jalapeno chili
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small tomato, seeded and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh chopped coriander

Just peel and mash the avocados, add the lime juice (right away, to keep from browning), and then all your other ingredients! Mix it up and you have yourself a fresh and tasty appeteaser (see what I did there?) or snack!

2 for 1

Well lucky for you people, thanks to my lack of planning and general silliness, you get 2 outfits in one post! Rejoice!

Going out for a drink with my girl Dr. LB and I only had time to take a crumby mirror shot. And then the camera's battery died so I only got to take one crumby mirror shot. Lame. So here it is. Pleather shorts + New (old) leopard blouse + red belt +Farrah Faucet hair = recipe for a great night.
Blouse and belt: Thrifted, Pleather shorts: F21, Farrah hair: The 70s

OUTFIT NUMBER DOS

Top: Zara, Jeans and belt: Garage, Sandals: Aldo, Bag: H&M

Fun fact about these jeans: These are my second pair of these exact jeans. About a year ago I tried to repurchase them but they had changed the rise so that my bodacious butt (lol) would not fit. Flash forward to a few days ago and I realised they changed them back. Holy Grail jeans purchased once again. Balance restored to universe.

Maquillage: 

Face: Stila Tinted moisturizer, MAC Careblend pressed powder (light plus), Glamouflage Concealer (light), NYC Sunny bronzer, MAC Mineralize skinfinish blush "Warm Soul"

Eyes: Stila light pink eyeshadow all over lid (sorry dunno the name), MAC "handwritten" eye shadow in crease, Physicians Formula gel eyeliner in brown, Covergirl Lashblast mascara+ Rimmel Glam Eyes Day 2 Night mascara (epic mascara combo)

Lips: MAC Shygirl

Well this turned into a lengthy post didn't it! My bad...

A Little Activity and Some Tasty Lip Balm

Yesterday I finally got around to de-potting my MAC eye shadows. What is depotting? It's pretty much what it sounds like. You take the metal pan that holds the actual product out of the plastic black packaging and put it into a palette. While there are many reasons to depot, I really did it for a) space conservation and b) because I LOVE the MAC recycling program (back to MAC) and knew I would probably never finish these shadows to return the containers otherwise.

You can buy palettes from MAC pro-stores but I had heard a couple of bad things about the quality of the 4 pan palette so when I saw this Annabelle brand palette at the drugstore for 3$, I had to take the risk and try it.

Sorry about the fingerprints! ><

A more accurate picture of the colours. I put in "Cloud" by Annabelle, "Nocturnelle" by MAC, "Sating Taupe" by Mac and "Handwritten" by MAC

I followed Miss Natty's tutorial.

Overall I'm happy with the result because I like having these colours in the same place and now I have enough empties to get a free lipstick (!). I don't think I would have done this if I was someone who carried my eye shadows around though, because as much as there are magnets holding the pans in, give them a good jostle and they'll come loose.

On a side note, I also got a tasty lip balm.

I saw Hard Candy's tinted lip balms at Wal-Mart and couldn't resist. The packaging for the product is truly dreadful but I am pleased with what's inside. The lipbalm has a nice smell (maybe vanilla or coco butter-ish?) and taste (vanilla) and actually does feel really moisturizing and nice. It is just barely tinted but I do like the colour it gives and for under 3$, you can't really go wrong!

Happy weekend muffins!