July 21, 2012

Hit the Ground Running


(H&M dress / Michael Kors purse / H&M flats/ vintage charm bracelet)

At the moment, this is one of my favourite dresses. Bright, fun, cheap and cheerful. The purse you see is beyond old. My writing skills are beyond rusty. 

These posts will (hopefully) get better but for now, let's just give the boyfriend a virtual pat on the back for having the patience to snap these photos for me. 

Happy weekend, lovelies! 

xx
Elise


December 15, 2011

Because they're worth it


It's 6am and I still haven't gone to sleep. I figure I have to be awake in half an hour anyway so why bother sleeping?

Anyway...

I love beautiful packaging. Guilty. The prettier the compact, tube, bullet or bottle, the more I'm willing to pay. However, sometimes the product itself just doesn't live up to its beautiful packaging. It's basically the equivalent of meeting a really attractive person with zero personality. Incredibly disappointing.

These are the products I own that have beautiful packaging and are worth (almost) every penny:

1) Guerlain lipsticks
Out of all the high end brands I've tried, Guerlain easily has some of the most moisturizing formulas. Incredible packaging, beautiful shade selection and formulas that are to die for. Out of the three formulas I've tried, I would have to say I like the Rouge Automatique the best. You do have to careful if you don't like frosts though; many of their lipsticks have a frosty finish. 

2) NARS lipsticks
NARS lipsticks have always been among my favourites. They don't dry your lips (not even the matte finishes), have so many shades to pick from and of course I love the packaging. Many don't like the black rubbery compacts/bullets, but I'm actually pretty fond of it. My newest obsession is NARS Red Lizard - perfect red!

3) CHANEL glosses
I went through a short obsession with Chanel cosmetics. The habit became a bit expensive though, so I kicked it to the curb. However, their glossimers and Rouge Allure glosses are still my favourite high end lip glosses. They aren't sticky, never goop up into that nasty white line you get when you talk too much and have the most perfect glittery shine (at least the glossimers do). If you're looking for a gloss that's pigmented enough to be worn alone, try the Rouge Allures. The glossimers are also fun on their own but I prefer wearing them with a lipstick because they're really quite sheer. 

4) YSL lipsticks
I will admit I originally bought these lipsticks based solely on the beauty of the packaging. Wasn't a huge fan of the formula or the smell but forced myself to use it because it cost me $38 ($43 with tax) and wasn't about to waste that money. I de-scented the lipstick, used a tissue to blot and applied loose translucent finishing powder on top to get rid of the silky feeling. Talk about making it work. I feel like the formula has changed since I bought my first one though because I'm in love with the lipsticks now! They don't dry out my lips, don't have a scent nearly as strong as the first one and definitely don't feel as slippery on the lips. #2 and #10 are my absolute must-haves.

5) Guerlain blushes
Guerlain and YSL definitely have the most beautiful packaging. Their 4 Eclats Sculpting blushes are seriously drool-worthy. They smell amazing, are unbelievably smooth and blend easily. The only downside is the shade selection. I find Guerlain face products a bit tricky. Many don't work for me because I have a lot of yellow in my skin. I have Rosee Du Printemps and Lueur D'Automne. 

6) Bond No. 9 Chinatown
I only recently bought this fragrance so I don't want to give a full review just yet but this is serious stuff. It lasts 10-12 hours on my skin and is way more complex than what I'm used to. This is probably the only fragrance I have that I can actually smell a distinct difference in the opening, middle and dry down. Love it. At $185 for 50 ml, I had better love it. 

Those are just some of the products in my collection that I think are worth the seemingly obscene prices. Don't get me wrong - a lot of what I use is from the drugstore. Sometimes it's fun to splurge though. 

Do you think I've left anything off this list?
What do like splurging on?

xx
Elise

November 22, 2011

Foundation Review: L'Oreal Visible Lift


I was trying to record a haul video but it wasn't going so well so I just decided to snap a few photos for the blog instead. I bought L'Oreal's Visible Lift foundation for normal to dry skin about two months ago and have been trying it out so I thought it was time to do a quick little review. 

I believe this foundation is meant for someone more mature. The words on the front of the bottle are a dead giveaway: serum inside, line minimizing, visible lift. Of course I'm not trying to minimize any lines but I purchased it because it's supposed to be suitable for dry skin. 

The coverage is a bit too heavy for my liking; it's a medium to full coverage foundation. You can definitely sheer it out if you apply an oil to your face beforehand (I use Josie Maran's argan oil). I've tried a regular flat foundation brush, a duo fibre stippling brush and a flat top powder brush, but I find it looks best when applied using my fingers. 

What I do really like about this foundation is the finish. Many foundations meant for dry skin are really dewy and don't seem to ever dry. I used to love a dewy finish but I've come to realize a matte finish (or at least a satin finish) look a lot better on blemished skin. A dewy finish can really show uneven skin.

Here are some more pros and cons I've found:

PROS:
- good coverage
- photographs well
- lasts over 8 hours

CONS:
- doesn't sink into skin
- oxidizes after 3 hours
- there is no pump
- shade selection isn't great (I bought 107 Natural Beige but probably should have gone down a shade since it oxidizes)

Cost/Size: $20 for 36 ml

This foundation isn't really a staple in my collection. I use it probably once every week and a half. It isn't terrible but I definitely have others that I would pick over this one. If it didn't oxidize, I would say give it a try but the fact that it does oxidize after 3 hours is a bit of a deal breaker. Unfortunately, I think this is one product you can probably afford to pass on. 

Hope you girls found this useful!

x Elise


August 01, 2011

Peach + Coral Favourites

About a year ago, I went through a phase of wearing only peach and coral toned products. As a result, I have quite a healthy collection of coral and peachy blushes, lipsticks and glosses. These are some of my absolute favourites!

Laura Mercier Lush Nectarine
Hard Candy Honeymoon
Guerlain 02 Brunettes 
Tarte Tipsy
NARS Gilda
LORAC Peach

Revlon Just Enough Buff
Rimmel Nude Delight
MAC Freckletone (a very melted version)
YSL Peach Passion #13

Dior Lip Polish 001
CHANEL Glossimer #148

Revlon Coral Me Wild


I hope you had a great weekend!

x Elise

July 13, 2011

Rings!




I have always loved rings. I mix and (don't) match my jewelry and strongly believe in over accessorizing. Most people would think it's tacky or gaudy but I love it!

I hope you're all doing well!


x Elise