essence Spring/Summer 2014

I'm a little behind since essence has already started releasing many of these new items, but some of these items are so great that I just have to share them with you!

**Warning!  Lots of pictures **

Nail Treatment Review

Oh! Hey there blog! Haven't forgotten about you, just been busy.

Busy is more like equal parts busy and lazy. Lazy from being stressed. Buying a house is no walk in the park. But, the good news, we get the house in just over two weeks! Time seems to have flown by.

So to keep myself from pulling all my hair out, I've been watching lots of Dexter (I only discovered around Christmas and I'm now at season 7), played and beat Lego Marvel Super Heroes with the bf (seriously addictingly fun game) and Pinterest. I think my "home" board went from maybe 30 pins, to 229. Check it out if you want some ideas - For the Home and feel free to follow any of my boards!

Reason for recent Lack of Posts...

I just wanted to take a quick minute to apologize for the lack of posts the past 2 weeks. We just bought our first house so things have been a little crazy with doing research and looking for lawyers and all that fun stuff!

I should be getting back on track this week, and I'll be sure to have some posts scheduled for when we do the move.

The house will slowly go through some small transformations. Is anyone interested in before/after or how-to's & tips?

*hugz*

-Sam

Why you should clean your makeup

You often hear about the importance of having clean makeup brushes. But what about your makeup? Sure you know that you shouldn't share your makeup and that the shelf life of mascara is 3 months and powders are typically about 2 years, but lets face it, we spend our hard earned money on makeup and we're going to keep it until it's completely finished! (certain products I strongly advise against doing this).

We clean our brushes for two reasons: to clean old product/colors off and to get rid of the bacteria that they collect so that we don't smear that bacteria all over our face and eyes and lips. But clean brushes mean nothing if your makeup is dirty and harboring bacteria.

Influenster #Mysterybrand VoxBox

I've been having mail issues the past few weeks, so after hunting down the post office that had my mail, I finally received a few packages, including my Mystery Brand VoxBox.

L'Oreal, who owns over 25 global beauty companies, has teamed up with Influenster to give us a sneak peak at their newest product line to help repair damaged hair. The catch? We don't know the brand!

Real Techniques Core Collection: Review

There was a time where you would browse forums or Facebook groups and everyone was talking about the Real Techniques brushes and how to get their hands on a set in Canada. It seemed like the only store that carried them were constantly sold out. I wanted to know what the fuss was about, but didn't have the patience to stalk the stocking people at the store. Needless to say, when I was given the opportunity to try these brushes, I jumped on it and I'm quite happy that I did!

Turquoise Eyes

Because I work in an office, I usually keep my makeup pretty simple. However I've decided that I'm going to try to spice it up a little on Fridays. Need to have some fun! 

 

The hair saver: Batiste Dry Shampoo

We've all heard it, it's not good to wash your hair everyday. But what are you to do if your hair seems to get greasy & oily faster than most? Fake it by using a dry shampoo.

It's a woman's secret weapon. It'll help extend a blow-out, leave your hair looking fresh by banishing greasy-looking roots and add volume and texture.

You can often find dry shampoo in an aerosol can or in a powdered form, much like baby powder. Most are white, which are usually pretty easy to blend in, however if you have dark hair, it can make your hair look ashy if not properly blended.

NotD - Essie On a Silver Platter

Essie's Encrusted Treasure collection came out just before Christmas and it had me, like so many, swooning over the colours. Who can blame us? The collection features polishes with bar glitter, regular (gorgeous) glitter, texture, and a texture + glitter. With all that glitter, it was hard to miss. I've previously posted my thoughts on another Encrusted Treasure polish, Belugaria. You can see that post here.

I purchased On a Silver Platter as soon as I seen it in stores. It was love at first sight. 

Masks for Beauty - Montagne Jeuness Sheet Masque

Not long ago, I received a Dead Sea Mud Spa sheet masque by Montagne Jeunesse in my Influenster box. I gave one away for a giveaway several months ago, but I never tested it out for myself! I love face masks. I have 4 full size bottles of clay masks and several deluxe samples and a small box full of foil samples. So needless to say, I was very excited to try out this sheet mask!

It's never easy to take pictures

He thinks he's my assistant. He'll sit and watch as I type up posts. Sometimes he'll even have a little something to say about it. And of course, if he thinks the photo I'm about to take is lacking a little something, he'll make sure that he's in the photo to make it that much better.

Things just wouldn't be the same without him. My cat.

Here are a few pictures of him "trying to help me out".

Sally Hansen #CSMTKO - Complete Salon Manicure Review

Just about everyone wants to spend less time manicuring their nails. Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure definitely gives us hope for that.I was lucky enough to receive not just 1, but three beautiful colours courtesy of Influenster so that I can test & review them.

Red My Lips, Jaded, Pat on the Black

essence Trend Edition: Metal Glam

There’s no denying it, adding a hint of metallic can bring something from boring and innocent to edgy and fun.  essence, making sure that they bring the public stylish and on-trend cosmetics at low prices, has created a lovely Trend Edition (limited edition) that’ll help with bringing your look from day to night: Metal Glam.

NYC New York Color - Go big or Go home!

I recently received two NYC (New York Color) products, courtesy of Influenster. I've seen the brand at Shoppers on several occasions, but the display never drew me in so I've never tried it.

Like essence cosmetics, NYC has it's own little display, usually at the end of an aisle (not the end cap) and I believe their products range from $0.99 to $4.99.

I received their Big Bold Curl Mascara and Big Bold Shine Lipgloss.

Trend Alert – Stacking Rings (Guest Post)

As a new year arrives we kiss goodbye to last year’s jewellery trends and welcome the wealth of new designs and styles that are set to take the world of fashion by storm. However, there is one trend that won’t be going anywhere in 2014, and this is stacked rings. This eye-catching jewellery trend burst on to the scene during autumn 2013. It is only set to pick up more momentum as fashionistas experiment further with the fun of striking stacked rings.