The Perfect Everyday Blush: Nars Deep Throat

Nars blushes are a cult favorite for a reason, the quality is pretty much unbeatable. The color selection is large and simply picking one can be quite difficult (who wouldn’t want them all). I know Orgasm is the one everyone recommends, but to me Deep Throat is the most perfect blush.

Both shades are actually a similar peachy-pink shade, but Deep Throat is ever so slightly cooler. The biggest difference between the two however is glitter: Orgasm has loads of shimmer and glitter while Deep Throat is glitter-free and only has very fine gold shimmer that creates a beautiful glow on your cheeks. To me, that makes it more wearable for everyday because it looks more natural.

What I love most about this is the color it gives, it creates the most perfect flush. The peachy-pink really brightens up your whole face. It doesn’t look too pink or coral so it works well with cool and warm tones. As for the shimmer, it really lifts your face! This is one of my most worn blushes because it always pulls my entire makeup together. Nars blushes are pricier but this one is definitely worth the investment. 

The Nars Blush in Deep Throat is available from the Nars website, their beauty counters and Sephora. 

Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion

For the past two months, Caudalie has been my go to brand for all things body care. While soaps and shower gels are easy to review I like giving body lotions a longer tryout to really see if they improve my skin. Today I can finally share with you my thoughts on the Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion.

According to Caudalie, this lotion will hydrate and firm your skin with the help of antioxidant grape polyphenol and ginkgo biloba to activate micro-circulation. Texture-wise, this is a light lotion that absorbs quite easily, though I find it stays on the skin a little longer than other ones. As for moisture I think it is pretty decent, but honestly if you have very dry skin you might want to have a look at the Vine Body Butter (here) instead because the lotion offers light hydration.

As you might be able to tell I was not initially blown away, that is until I paid more attention to my legs. See the ginkgo biloba extract is supposed to help give you the appearance of firmer skin because it helps increase micro-circulation which helps with water retention. I was super impressed to see how it really made my legs look firmer and slightly slimmer. With those results I am really interested to try their Contouring Concentrate (here), an oil that focuses on drainage and circulation.  

Now this is a decent body lotion, but there is one thing I really don’t like about it: the scent. This is very heavily fragranced and I am just not a fan of it. Honestly, except for all of the Vigne scents, I don’t really enjoy Caudalie scents. This one has a very strong fragranced natural scent and I thought it was quite overwhelming at first. Now that I am used to it, it’s fine but I would recommend smelling it first if you are sensitive to fragrance.

All in all I love the effects of the Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion, but I cannot say it is my favorite. I think the Contouring Concentrate might be worth looking into if you are looking for a firming product more than you are a moisturizer.

The Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion is available from their website and stores as well as in Sephora. 

Innisfree White Tone Up Sleeping Pack

Well I am back today with a much overdue review on what is possibly my favorite Innisfree product. See I pretty much love everything from the brand, but this item is something I cannot see myself without. Proof, I have two backups in my bathroom! Now let me tell you why the Innisfree White Tone Up Sleeping Pack is so amazing.

This is a gel sleeping mask that contains berry extracts as well as vitamin B3 to help brighten and refine your skin. It contains loads of antioxidants and I find that this specific mix on ingredients really gives me results every time I use it. My skin will look brighter and more radiant, it just gives this incredible luminosity to the skin. Now don’t be put off by the name “White Tone Up”, it does not actually make your skin lighter in tone, instead it lifts any sallowness so your face appears brighter. It also leaves me with significantly smoother skin, it feels baby soft! Being a gel formula, it feels very light on the skin and I think everyone would enjoy it.

So far all this is great, but the reason I love this mask so much is the effect it has on hyperpigmentation and redness. See on any spots or red marks (leftover from spots), this mask has an incredibly soothing effect. It tones down redness and helps fade hyperpigmentation (slowly but the effect is there), also any spots are less noticeable and I find it helps them heal a lot faster. In one night I see results and how can you not love waking up to better and more radiant skin every morning.

You can get the Innisfree White Tone Up Sleeping Pack on their website here. 

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara

I think fall really lends itself to slightly heavier makeup, from red lips to smokey eyes. I for one am always up for a bold lip but I do enjoy adding more definition to my eyes and while I am not big on heavy eye makeup and eyeliner, I think a great mascara can make all the difference. A favorite of mine is the Make up For ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara.

This mascara really does it all! The cone shaped brush helps you define every lash with the tip and the round base helps add loads of volume for dramatic lashes. I love how the formula gives you lots of length too so you don’t have to compromise anything or combine products. I was also very impressed by how well it holds a curl. Make Up For Ever could not have found a better name for this mascara because it truly has a smoky quality. I don’t know if it’s because the color is intense but my eyes look smokier without having to use liner or darker eyeshadows. I cannot think of a better mascara for definition and drama.

Now don’t worry even though it is smoky and lasts all day, it is not a pain to remove. It actually washes off super easily with a cleansing oil or a micellar water. Another great news (if you get it from Sephora) is that you can purchase a travel size version of the mascara, perfect if you want to give it a try before committing to the full size. I love this because I rarely finish mascaras before they dry out and this way I am always sure I have a fresh product to use.

You can find the Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara from their website and beauty counters as well as in Sephora. 

Innisfree Skin Clinic Catechin Sheet Mask

Innisfree recently released a new line of sheets masks called Skin Clinic Mask to replace their Skin Solution masks. I really enjoyed the previous line so I was quite excited to give these new one a go and see how they compare in terms of quality and results. To get me started I picked the Catechin Skin Clinic Sheet Mask.

The original Skin Solution masks featured an amazing natural cotton sheet that looked almost transparent on the skin and it also adhered better than regular sheet masks. Thankfully, the Skin Clinic mask stays on the face just as well and it does have the same discreet look when on the face so you are less likely to scare people. The sheet is made of 100% natural cotton and I find it helps your skin absorb the essence better and keeps the mask soaked longer.

Now let’s talk about that catechin essence. This is basically a green tea extract and it is supposed to make your skin firmer and help even your skin tone. I personally found it super hydrating in a non-oily/greasy way. What I enjoyed the most however, is how it really smoothed my skin and diminished the appearance of little dehydration bumps. I was actually really surprised to see that the results were long-lasting and my skin has been better ever since I use it. Also this mask was very cooling, it actually lowered the temperature of my face and it felt cool to the touch after use. This is great after a long day at work or whenever you need a refreshing kick. 

I have to say, I am super impressed with the new Skin Clinic sheet masks and I cannot wait to try more. The Innisfree Skin Clinic Catechin Sheet Mask is available on their website and currently part of a buy 5 get 5 promo.  

Austenland: the funniest romantic comedy of all time

In order to get rid of my current writer’s block, I thought a nice little chat about one of my all-time favorite movies would be good. I have always been more of a TV girl to be honest, but some movies just stay with me and I can watch a hundred times without ever getting bored. That is the case with the amazing Austenland, and incredible British-American romantic comedy.

The premise of the story follows Jane, a 30-something woman who is a fan (you could say slightly obsessed) of everything Jane Austen that decides to go on holiday in an immersive Jane Austen themed resort. While the estate is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, it is also full of charming kooky characters. The movie made me laugh like I hadn’t in a long time, it is full of funny moments and while you to get the sweet/romantic scenes, I thought it was heavier on comedy part of a rom-com.

Keri Russell, Jennifer Coolidge and Georgia King are hilarious and the supporting cast really elevates the whole movie, it’s a hoot! I don’t think there was a lot of publicity when the movie came out a few years ago, but it is so worth watching. Yes it is a bit ridiculous at times, but it is in the best way possible and really it is quite charming and heart-warming.

You can watch the trailer here! 

You can find Austenland on DVD on Amazon and it is available on iTunes. I really cannot recommend it more, I am sure you’ll have fun watching it!

Innisfree Sea Weed Capsule Recipe Pack

With the current weather change, I have been trying really hard to keep my skin in great condition. This means I have been digging into my stash of face masks much more frequently in the past weeks. While I have quite a few capsule sleeping masks from Innisfree I wanted to also give their wash-off masks a go. So the newest addition to my skincare routine has been the Innisfree Sea Weed Capsule Recipe Pack.

Honestly the only reason I got this was because I was curious to try a seaweed mask. On its website, Innisfree describes this as a “self-warming mask to remove dead skin cells with heat and microfine scrub granules”. In the pot you will find a thick green gel with tiny little black particles. Also don’t worry it does not smell weird or like seaweed at all.

Upon application there is a warming sensation as you massage it in and the little granules provide a very light and gentle exfoliation. Obviously this is not a very heavy scrub so I don’t find the exfoliation I get from it ground breaking. That being said, every time I use it, my skin feels more deeply cleansed and clearer. I think it is perfect for days when you have been wearing a lot of makeup or if your skin feels congested. The warming sensation is very pleasant and I love that the gel is not sticky so removing it is super easy. To be honest this mask turned out to be quite a nice surprise and I will be repurchasing it in the future. Also the capsule is great, it is both very affordable and contains loads of product, enough for at least five applications.

You can get the Innisfree Sea Weed Capsule Recipe Pack on their website and from any Innisfree stores. 

Bath and Body Works Fall Candles

The weather as suddenly gotten quite cold here in Canada, so it is the perfect time to start lighting candles. I usually like to light one up for a little while, just so my room smells nice without the scent being overpowering. For this purpose I love Bath and Body Works candles and today I thought I would share with you the reasons why I think they are so great.

Obviously with candles, the most important thing is the scent and Bath and Body Works have an amazing range. There really is something for everyone and most of the scents are seasonal, so I find they are always weather appropriate. For the fall, my personal favorites are Mahogany Teakwood (here) and Leaves (here), two classics from the brand. I actually have three backups of these so I feel a bit guilty about buying new ones this year. That being said I really liked Autumn (link), Autumn Sky (link) and Lakeside Sunrise (link) when I went to the store.  

Equally as important as the scents is the quality of the candle and these always deliver. I love how they burn really well so you don’t get an unsightly ring around your container. The scent kick off is also powerful, so you don’t need to let it burn for hours in order to fill a room with the scent. This means your candles will last longer and while they are not the most expensive candles on the market, it is nice to know your investment will not be gone in a matter of hours.        

Lastly, I love the look of these candles, the glass jar with a metallic lid always looks super chic and luxurious. The labels are also really pretty and have pictures that match the seasons so they make great decorations. This applies to all the sizes, small and large, with the medium ones coming in a cute more jar-like container. To add even more to the home décor touch, they also sell super cute candle holders, you can have a look at them here.

The Bath and Body Works candles are available online and in stores. They also frequently have discounts and promotions so it is worth having a look frequently.