I Miss This....

I haven't spent a ton of time online in a while, life gets in the way. I got laid off...blessing in disguise. I worked at Best Buy and although overall it may be a good company to work for the GM at my store was not someone I could respect. She did me a favor though. I now have a job at Sally Beauty Supply and while it is new and scary (just a bit) I love it.

Instead of any "real" content I figured I'd share a couple photos

For the record I did NOT kiss this spider, it was a dare. I do, however, LOVE this photo.

My boys and I visited the Burnaby Village Heritage Museum, it was pretty cool and if you are in the BC mainland it is free all summer. Look how big they are! The blond is 10 and the dark haired one just turned 9.

Here's an instagram shot of our first nice sunny day. Rainy BC never lets us down but occasionally we get some nice weather!

So HI! I'll be around:)

Urban Decay Sustainable Shadow Box

This was the second Urban Decay item I bought. It is also the only one I probably wouldn't repurchase, now don't get me wrong...I do like it. Just not nearly as much as most of the others. This palette is still available on the Urban Decay website and sells for $36US. It has 10 shadows that are each 0.56g which is less than half the size of a regular shadow 1.4g.

Now the packaging is very pretty, the shadows are encased in a bamboo cover with a butterfly and flowers (and other swirly type designs) You will notice there is a little silver screw in the top left corner...

Well that's because it slides up to reveal the shadows. I don't like this feature, it's fiddly, gets in the way and that silly screw gets loose ALL the time. There's also a tiny useless mirror (it would be hard to use because of the way it opens)

YDK and Midnight Cowboy Rides Again 

(these are both nice shades,rich and smooth, Midnight Cowboy is a bit glittery though)

Flipside and Flash

(probably my 2 favorite shades in the palette although they both sheer out and need to be built up)

Grifter and Oil Slick
(Pale glittery pink, it's not too bad,  Oil Slick I like as a liner with a wet brush)

Uzi ans Kiddie Pool
(Uzi is the epitome of awful...just bad, so MUCH glitter and barely any colour. Kiddie Pool is real pretty though!)

Twice Baked and Half Baked
(UD does amazing neutrals, I'm not big on neutrals but these are very good colours)

All in all this is a nice collection of colours but out of the 10 I really like 3 (Flipside, Flash and Kiddie Pool) and I despise Uzi. The rest are all kind of OK. If I wore neutrals more I'd have YDK, Twice Baked and Half Baked in my faves as well.

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box

It has been forever since I've sat down and bothered with anything resembling a blog post. Lack of inspiration, lack of energy, I could blame anything really.

Today I was sitting around and realised that I have an astounding amount of makeup and haven't really been paying much attention to most of it. I figured I may as well dig some of the older items out and re-explore them.

As luck would have it the Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box was the one that drew me in, so i sat down and started swatching the colours. Then I went online and saw THIS. Urban Decay has announced that they are expanding into China. They say they won't be testing on animals but isn't allowing your products to be tested on animals in order to be sold in a foreign country kind of the same thing? I'm not the type to get all wrapped up in controversies such as this. I do use products that are tested on animals, that doesn't mean I am for it though, and I'm not sure how I feel about a company who is so prolific about their anti-cruelty policies expanding into a country where it is mandatory.

I absolutely adore the packaging of this palette....aside from the fact that the purple velvet type fabric looks disgusting after being around for awhile.

Inside there are 2 sponge applicators (never used)and 9 shadows. Each shadow is 1.2g (regular singles are 1.4g) and I believe I paid around $35 US for this. It is still available and is now $38 US but I did buy it a few years ago.

 L-R Fishnet, Honey and Ransom

L-R Graffiti, Zero and Peace

L-R Shag, Scratch and Underground

My favorites are Graffiti (always a fan of greens) Peace, Fishnet and Scratch. I do tend to favour bright colours. However I have no complaints about any of the shades in this palette. None of them are overly glittery and all of them apply super easy and blend well. Of all the Urban Decay I own (6 or 7 palettes) this was my first and probably will always be my favorite.

Back to the Urban Decay in China thing....what are your thoughts?

I also notice that on the back it says it was filled in China....none of the other products I have were (they all say the USA, Dominican or Germany. For this product to be filled in China does that mean it may have been tested?

Literally LMAO

I got in a fight on FB.....well kind of I guess. They were fighting with me. I don't support counterfeit products in any way shape or form and apparently I should be "nicer" to the people who are trying to sell them in our local "swap and shop"

Here's a screen shot so you can see the convo for yourself. I did blank out important info of the others involved. I think they're a little oversensitive and honestly don't think I should have to be nicer in this situation. Perhaps I'm wrong but I think it's a bit ridiculous.

We Went To The Zoo!

And apparently I only take pictures of the weird animals... but the lion,tiger,leopard and giraffe were too far away to capture nicely with my iphone

Hi All!

I am still not used to working obnoxiously early shifts....

I wake up at 5AM and get home about 3PM everyday and can honestly say I am exhausted. Hopefully spring will rejuvenate me.

Here's a song for ya'll!

I love it and hope you do too.

PS...Sorry for the cheater post but the silence had to break somehow

It's About Time....Right?

Sooo...if you follow me on Twitter you may have seen me tweeting about searching for Essence Cosmetics today. Recently brought to Canada and (as usual) slow to launch in BC I finally located a store that had it. Now the displays are still not out but the wonderful SA there let me poke through the box she had out. I know I often complain about the crappy service in Shoppers but this lady wins all around.

essence Colour & Go Quick Drying Nail Polish  $1.49 CAD each

I bought the only 4 polishes I saw that were available.

-95 wanna be your sunshine

-86 a lovely secret

-98 walk on air

- 91 glamorous life

nail polish with flat brush-quick dry:trendy nailstyle within seconds!

The red is the only shimmer of the 4 and I thought it was kind of neat (!) that the bottle lid is also shimmery on just the one. The lilac and yellow both have kind of a pearl finish, as do the lids and the blue is cream, lid is reflective of that. I didn't swatch these so I have no comments on application but that will come soon.

essence Eyeshadow $2.49 CAD each

I only saw 3 of the single eye shadows so I picked up the 2 that appealed the most to me. 

-60 kermit says hello

-56 hyped up

super-soft and long-lasting eyeshadow

Swatched on bare skin. I imagine a primer would really make these shine. Pigmentation is definitely decent and they are soft and blendable.

essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil $2.49 CAD each and Gel Eyeliner $3.99 CAD each

-09 Cool Down

super soft and precise application, long lasting eye pencil

-05 Miami's Ink

high precision gel eyeliner, waterproof

I haven't tried either of these but the blue eye pencil is very pretty and retractable. I am an avid gel eyeliner user and this one I have here is a steel grey. Claims are that it is waterproof. We will see, and Iwill let you know.

essence Stay With Me Longlasting Lipgloss $2.99 CAD each

-08 Deep Rose

-09 Hottest Pink

colourful lipgloss for glossy lips

They swatch pretty sheer but that's typical of lip gloss. I did try the lighter shade earlier and it applied nice and smoothly, wasn't overly sticky and wore for about 2 hours. They both have a hint of shimmer but it's definitely not over the top.

essence Eyeshadow Brush $1.99 CAD each

(and QUO Deluxe Foundation Sponges $2.50 CAD for 2)

It's purple, very soft and a good size. Haven't used it much yet but I have very high hopes for it's performance. I was very interested in checking out the rest of the brushes so hopefully they are out next week!

PS Sorry about my extended absence....I really do not have an adequate excuse

In Store LUSH Purchases ( And Others)

So after my last online purchase I decided that it is just too much effort to go through it. I will take time out of my life to make sure to get to the stores. (It's only a 30 min drive, it's not that bad) My only qualm is that it seems to me the quality of service in store is on the decline as well. I used to feel so valued when I went in and now most of the time I kind of feel like I'm being treated as an annoyance.

Moving on to the fun stuff!

I am branching out a bit. The only repurchased item was the Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb. I also picked up 4 Lil LUSH Pud (stupid name....) they were the only holiday items left save for soaps, none of which I wanted.

 I listened to all the recommendations and grabbed a Buffy Bar and a tin to keep it in. I find it to be a touch too abrasive for my skin so next time I may get the Aqua Mirabilis.

 I absolutely LOVE Snow Fairy (surprised right?) so I had to grab some Godmother. I'm not normally a fan of the soaps but figured I would try again. I previously have purchased Rockstar soap, I find it smells delightful but it makes my skin so dry and itchy I have to use it as just hand soap.

I also purchased the cult favorite Lemony Flutter.....I HATE IT...SO MUCH.... It smells absolutely vile to me. It's going back, end of story.

I had every intention of purchasing a shampoo bar while I was there as well. However the ones that had scents I would have enjoyed were not for my hair type and the ones that were I wouldn't want to use. I was most interested in Trichomania but the S.A told me it was very moisturizing and best used on really dry hair. She said because my hair was fine it would likely weigh it down too much. Fair enough I guess....She did offer to send me home with a sample so I agreed. Only problem is she failed to tell me the sample was going to cost $2 (not a big deal but I would have liked to have been notified) As it turns out this shampoo bar is the exact opposite of moisturizing ...it stripped all moisture out of my hair and I ended up with a squeaky matted mess that was snapping while being combed...Do not like:(

Luckily I also purchased this!

What a lovely product set this is. I love the smell of banana and this shampoo/conditioner from The Body Shop delivers soft silky locks and you don't need to use much either. It was on the buy 2 get 1 free promo so I also picked up a hair mask. It;s decent as well although I'm not sure I will repurchase it. The Banana Shampoo and Conditioner will become a staple for sure!

LUSH BOGO Haul...And Why I Probably Won't Order Online Again

Maybe I'm impatient....Nah scratch that, I AM impatient. That is why I chose the 2 day air option when I ordered online from LUSH at the Boxing Day Sale.

I wasn't actually expecting it to arrive on the 28th but I feel it took too long. That is more UPS's fault than LUSH's though...Delivery was scheduled for Jan 2 and I just received it an hour ago. Apparently my address doesn't exist (according to the driver, who I can only assume does not know how to use a map or google) There was more to the delivery drama but it's long winded and rather asinine so I won't go into it.

All that aside I was still very excited to FINALLY get my new bath goodies!

I was rather surprised to see it all wrapped in paper. I've never ordered online before but I always thought they used the little packing peanut things. No bother though, it was packed very nicely and everything made it with the exception of one cracked bath bomb ( to be used tonight)

And here we have it...5 Golden Wonders and 5 Candy Mountains. Mostly everything was sold out by the time I got to a computer. I was a little disappointed but at least I got a few things. Candy Mountain is new to me but it smells delicious (I'm a fruity sweet scent kind of girl) I have bought a few Golden Wonders over the holidays this year so I was pleased to get a few more. I love all the glittery shimmery bombs that LUSH has so it was bound to be a fave of mine! I also got a little sample of Figs And Leaves soap and while I'm not fussy on the scent in the package I will try it wet because it does tend to be different.

Also on Friday I will be visiting a LUSH Store and am looking for recommendations other than bombs and bubble bars...soap maybe? Rockstar soap dries me out really bad but I do want to try others. Godmother and Banana Moon are the 2 I'm thinking of. Also considering trying a Buffy bar...not sure though

What are your favorite LUSH items? Let me know in the comments

Orly Birds of a Feather Giveaway Winner!

I'm actually "on the ball" for once!

I didn't know if I would have time to get the results up but I have them for you!

I had to use List Randomizer because my Rafflecopter account wasn't set up when I posted this. Next time though I will be using the other service:)

And the WINNER is!

Joann @ LuckyDuckyLoves

I have msg'd the winner and she has until Jan 3 2012 to respond.

I would also like to thank everyone who entered!