No Makeup for a Month // the results of #nomakeupmarch

As a thought experiment, I wore no makeup from mid-February to the end of March. I explain why in my first #nomakeupmarch post (see here). As an exception, I attended 10 events in 13 days which equated to about 35 days total. I did not, however, wear any makeup on my birthday. 

I did a bit of thinking during my break from makeup and these are my conclusions: 

1. Nobody actually cares if you wear makeup or not. I wasn't being treated any differently with or without. The only real difference is that nobody's noticing that I'm lacking in the ridiculously bright coloured lipstick. 
2. Makeup makes your skin seem worse than it actually is. My skin is not as bad as I thought it was. Relative to wearing a heavy coverage foundation that provides doll-like perfection makes you feel like all your imperfections are a big deal when the fact of the matter is that there are people without food and here you are complaining about a puny pimple or that a spot on your skin is a hair darker than the rest of your face. 
3. No makeup = better skin. Pre-no-makeup, my skin was having a bout of breakouts around my mouth and on my cheeks. Now, my skin's just fine on it's own. No concealer necessary. 
4. Without makeup, being lazy is still not okay. When you go outside, there's chemicals and pollutants and all sorts of yucky stuff. So, it's still necessary to cleanse and moisturize. When I skipped a face wash my skin wasn't feeling so great. 
5. Sleep and diet show on your face. No sleep Stephanie = dehydrated skin, pimples and puffy eyes. On the other hand, lots of beauty sleep = fresh faced and bouncy skin. 
6. I didn't pick at zits/pimples as often. Knowing I wasn't able to cover up an irritated area on my face, I picked at my imperfections less.  
7. I became disinterested in reading/writing blog posts and watching Youtube videos about makeup. Maybe it's better that I wasted less time watching people put makeup on. It's hard to take part in mass consumption if you're not actually consuming. Hence why boys don't know the difference between foundation, concealer and primer. 
8. I missed makeup things - like having thick, curled eyelashes and wearing a different shade of my-lips-but-better every day of the week.

Overall, it was an interesting experience. I'm not saying that wearing makeup is good or bad, but it's definitely a positive thing to take a short break. I won't stop wearing makeup or change up my routine drastically. However, I'm fully confident that if I lost all my makeup in a mysterious fire or got stuck on a desert island, I would be able to survive.

How long could you ditch your makeup?

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Giving Up Makeup // #nomakeupmarch

AHHH It's my naked face. That's not even a justified reaction. For goodness sake, it's what my momma gave me. And there is all of zero reasons why I should ever be ashamed of it. But makeup. It's like a drug. I tell myself I don't need it but it's a quick fix to all of my self-confidence issues. 

Got a breakout? Hide it with your fullest-coverage foundation.

Tired eyes? Concealer to the rescue. 

Face a little dull? Add some blush to perk your face up. 

Feeing fat? Contour those cheekbones. 

Looking pale? Put some sunshine on your face with a heavy dusting of bronzer.

… and so on. Tricking myself into feeling like the unnecessary is necessary – such a human thing. We’re all smart enough to know that makeup isn’t key to survival and I could live with out it but I choose not to. 

To curb this issue, I'm going cold turkey. 

I've been wearing no makeup as of Wednesday, February 18th (Ash Wednesday). I can’t claim to be a Christian, nor am I an Atheist. However, I do see value in the observing Lent (or something of that nature). Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and is approximately six weeks before Easter Sunday. Per good ole Wikipedia, the traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance, atonement and self-denial.” In plain words, commit to giving up luxuries as a form of penitence. Some people give up everyday “necessities” like coffee or tea, chocolate, meat, social media... 

What do I expect to get out of this? It's a reminder to myself that I'm the same person, with or without some product on my face. Beyond that I want focus on what’s more than appearances (family, friends, career, life in general) without worrying about breakouts or oily skin or tired eyes. 

Nobody said it was going to be easy. I’m predicting urges to smother lipstick all over my face. I might even have to sleep beside my favourite highlighter palette. No challenge is without rules (and a few exceptions). So I’ve set some realistic guidelines for myself:

The Rules: 

• No makeup until Sunday, April 5, 2015
• Makeup = foundation, concealer, mascara, highlighter, eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, bronzer, lipstick, lip gloss, etc. 
• Allowed = skincare, sheer tinted lip balms, blotting sheets

The Exceptions:

• Press events - because sadly, physical first impressions matter and what's a beauty blogger without a little makeup
• Weekends - for the purpose of reviewing, photographing and blogging ONLY - must remove everything if going out. 
• My Birthday (March 21) - just because

As for the blog, you can still expect regular makeup reviews written pre-no-makeup and perhaps a higher concentration of nail, skin, hair and body posts. 

Do you wear makeup daily? Do you feel like you need it? 

Nothing disclose. My face is my own (duh.)

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What's on My Face #3 - what he likes // Valentine's Day 2015

I asked my boyfriend to help me put together a post about makeup that he likes on me. Instead of the typical, "you look good without makeup"... puh-lease.His immediate answer was as follows: "Wear whatever makes you feel most confident, because when you're confident you smile more." Y U SO SWEET?? Say things like that and I don't ever need any gifts, just sweet, sweet words. 

Sweetness aside, he does have some preferences. So, we went through my dubious amounts of blog posts to determine what he likes on my face. Here's a few notes from our conversation: 

// eyes

- doesn't like too much colour 

- likes a soft brown in the crease

- likes winged liner

- HIM: I like your eyelashes in this post. ME: BUT I'M NOT EVEN WEARING MASCARA. 

// lips

- doesn't like hot pinks, light nudes

- likes neutrals

- if not neutrals, likes soft berry colours

// face

- likes a little blush

- likes a little bronzer

// hair

- likes the you just woke up look 

- if not, likes soft, loose curls 

What's ACTUALLY on my face: 

// eyes

- Shu Uemura matte brown eyeshadow

- Make Up For Ever Ink Liner

- Rimmel Wonder Lash Mascara

// lips 

- Benefit Posie Balm

// face

- Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow Sheer Foundation 

- Guerlain Meteorites Blush in Angelic Radiance

- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette 

The resulting look was soft and actually kind of angelic...sort of like my every day makeup! I usually dress up for myself, but it's always nice to do it for someone else, too! Special thanks to my boyfriend Charles - SHAMELESS PLUG. Check out his blog at stitchandcedar.blogspot.ca

What makeup will you be wearing for Valentine's Day? 

PS. This is an extension of a post that I wrote for the Fashion Magazine Beauty Panel

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What I Got For Christmas 2014

Hope you had (or are having) a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! I actually received all of my gifts prior to Christmas Day, so I was able to prep this post before all the hustle and bustle of Christmas and Boxing Day. A few Secret Santa's, as well as a couple gifts to myself made for a very merry Christmas. In addition to these goodies, I also received the monies from family and lots of love from friends :) 

This year, I participated in three Secret Santa's. For a $10 limit with a school club, I wished for and received the Shisedo cotton pads (because useable gifts are the best gifts!). For another school club with a limit of $30, I got a book that I've been meaning to read - Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami with an adorable little bookmark. Finally, for the Canadian Beauty Bloggers Network $30 Secret Santa, from the lovely Courtney of La Belle Sirene Blog, I got the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - After Dark Stained Gloss Test Tube Set, which I'm beyond excited to try. 

  

Holiday sales mean that I'm obliged to treat myself a little. From the Sephora Black Friday sale, I picked up the Bite Beauty Lush Lip Trio which includes the Bite Beauty Lip Lush Lip Glosses in Rambutan, Currant, and Strawberry. Since online orders require purchases of $75+, I caved and finally purchased the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette, which has been sitting in my Sephora cart since it was released. I justified it with the need for free shipping and by telling myself that if I use the palette every day for a year, it'll be totally worth it. 

Then, Sephora sent me a $15 off $50 coupon for being aweseome (being a Beauty Insider), and with that I stopped in-store for the Boscia Makeup Breakup Cleansing Oil and also repurchased the Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Foundation, this time in Natural Beige, a perfect colour match . 

With my online order, I received a load of 12 samples including the Benefit Stay Flawless 15-hour primer, Fresh Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil, Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Face Polish, Cover FX Calming Primer, Nude Perfect Cleanse Omega Cleansing Jelly, Jurlique Purely Bright Radiance Serum, Lancome Advanced Genifique, Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, Radical Skincare Skin Perfecting Screen, GlamGlow Dualmud Power Cleanse Treatment, and Living Proof Satin Hair Serum. 

On Christmas Eve, my grandparents brought over gifts that my aunt sent in from NYC - a box of books. The book for me was Sweet & Vicious: Baking with Attitude by Libbie Summers. Can't wait to try out some of the recipes. From my uncle, a gold camera necklace that doubles as an ACTUAL film camera. It's the Diana Baby 110 Gold, which comes with a 24mm and 12mm lens. I purchased some 110 film, which was quite the $$ to acquire, but I can't wait to test it out! 

Thanks to my wonderful family, all my Secret Santa's and Sephora for making my spend my university meal money on makeup. Want to see a review of something? Let me know! 

No press samples here, just purchases and gifts. 

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PURPLE HAIR DON'T CARE (fail)

I got this wildly #YOLO idea to dye my hair purple in the most understated way possible - a business in the front, party in the back kind of hair dye job inspired by a post on the Beauty Department. I picked up one the Vidal Sassoon Pro Series London Luxe Deep Velvet Violet ($11.99) permanent hair dye on a trip to Target, holla'd at my friend Rui to be #yolo with me and got to dyeing (as opposed to dying).   The dye box came filled with everything we needed to dye our hair - gloves, the dye, post-dye conditioner, and instructions. 

The process was pretty straight forward. Section your hair into a triangle formation on the back of your head and apply the dye as per the instructions. We used one bottle of dye for two people (we figured this would be sufficient, as we weren't dying ALL of our hair). To help the dye develop, we wrapped our hair in aluminum foil and even left the dye in for 15 minutes more than the 30 that was suggested.

The result? Almost undetectable. :( Not sure what we did wrong but the colour turned out wayyy more subtle than the box had suggested. 

Rui's results were a bit more obvious than mine since her already dyed hair was lighter. For myself, I now have one huge section of super shiny hair that reflects a hint of purple in direct sunlight. 

While the result of my attempt to be daring with my hair didn't turn out so great, the experience was both fun and funny. Perhaps next time I should just go all out and bleach my stubborn, black hair first before adding colour. 

What's the craziest colour you've died your hair? Do you have any tips for hair colouring? 

Special thanks to some special people (1) Rui for cooking French toast with me and then helping me dye my hair - all after pulling an all nighter! (2) My favourite triple threat fashion designer/photographer/boyfriend Charles Cheung for visiting me and taking photos

I got a *get one free* coupon to buy the Vidal Sassoon Velvet Violet hair dye through the #BeautyUnited Program 

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AWKS TALKS: GIVEAWAY + o.b. tampons #giveusoneperiod

I'm 100% a tampon girl (because pads make me feel like I'm wearing an adult diaper). For 5 days last month, I tried out something new and exciting... o.b. tampons! o.b. stands for ohne binde in German, which means "without napkins." The brand was invented 50 years ago by German gynecologist Dr. Judith Esser. 

So what's the difference between o.b. and all the other tampons out there? They're applicator free. Gross, bulky packaging begone! o.b. tampons fit inconspicuously into the palm of my hand and it's not awkward when I need to pull one out of my bag because it's TINY [or "fun size" if you prefer the use of that term ;)]

At first, I was a little intimidated by the whole "no applicator" thing. Sticking a piece of cotton up your va-jay-jay (or hoo-hah, if you prefer) with solely your finger does not sound like the most appealing or satisfying experience. Good thing o.b. has a solution: when you take the tampon out of the plastic packaging, you pull the little string to enlarge the base of the tampon, creating a little indentation for you to protect your finger from all your womanly liquids. Every time I've used o.b., it wasn't a particularly messy experience.

In terms of absorbency, I've been using the "regular" size which the packaging specifies as holding 6-9 grams for a maximum of 8 hours. The claims are pretty accurate for my "regular" days and I'd probably wear the tampon for 6 hours on a day that's heavier. Furthermore, with these tampons, I've found that no pantyliner is necessary unless you know that you'll be going over the absorbency that the tampon can handle. 

Overall, I think I might just switch to o.b.. I really appreciate the fact that there's less packaging and bulk. In turn, that means less waste and less environmental footprint compared to a tampon with an applicator. Other than that, o.b. tampons work similarly to your average tampon. 

Want to try O.B? :) I'm giving away 20 packs of o.b. tampons...which means 20 winners! Enter below. This giveaway is open to Canadian addresses only! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ALSO, you can get a coupon for an 18 count box of o.b. tampons for FREE (valued at 4.99) at http://www.giveusoneperiod.ca/ :) Follow the conversation using the hashtag #giveusoneperiod 

WINNERS: 

Anne T.

June L.

Sandy C.

Phoebe

Cahley T.

Robyn B.

Shauna

April

Bonnie

Yuen

Suzi M.

Charity K.

Erica

Marie C.

Teri Lynn I.

Angie B.

Kristi R.

Judy C.

Meaghan-Brianne M.

Jasmine G.

Are you a pads or a tampon gal? Have you tried o.b.? 

Press samples featured. 

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Lip Gloss, Stains & Liners GRAVEYARD + Swatches

The lip gloss collection is not nearly as ridiculous as the lipstick one. Thus, it's a little more manageable. Regardless, it's time to DE-STASH (for the full, unedited collection, see here). See last week's LIPSTICK GRAVEYARD here. 

A recap of how I'm going about this process: 

(1) keep items that are almost finished, items that are not yet reviewed, and items that have colours and formulas that you truly enjoy 

(2) don't keep items that have old lady scents (or are just old in general), colours you haven't worn in months and will likely never wear, products with shimmer/glitters/pearly finish

Anything highlighted in pink and an asterisk (*) will remain in my makeup collection. Items denoted with the letter (R) will be kept for future review purposes. EVERYTHING WITH A REVIEW IS LINKED! :) 

Nudes

NARS Lip Gloss // Turkish Delight*

Laura Mercier Lip Glace // Bare Pink*

Caryl Baker Visage City Slickers // Calm 

Annabelle Big Show Lip Shine // Beam*

Mary Kay Lip Shimmer // Pearl Rose

Grapeseed Age Protecting Lip Gloss // Dew*

Pinks

Mary Kay Nourishine Plus Lip Gloss // Celebrate

Buxom Lip Polish // Dolly*

MAC Lip Glass // Frozen Dream

NYC Big Bold Plumping Lip Gloss 

Mary Kay Glossy Lip Stain // Enchanted Mauve*

Annabelle Big Show Lip Shine // custom*

Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lip Gloss // Polka*

Reds and Oranges

Australis Mint Condition Lip Gloss*

Be a Bombshell Lip Gloss // Hot Mess*

Almay Liquid Lip Balm // 100 Just Plum*

Caryl Baker Visage Lip Gloss // Corruption 

Joe Fresh Lip Gloss // Poppy 

Shimmers

CoverGirl Lipslicks Smoochies // Rose Alegre* (R)

CoverGirl Lipslicks Smoochies // Violet Flare* (R)

Tarina Tarantino Sparklicity Lip Gloss // Parade

Balms 

Korres Lip Butter // Plum* (R)

Mary Kay Lip Lacquer // Pink Pagoda

Ageless Derma Satin Lip Gloss // Ruby

 Liners

Caryl Baker Visage Lip Liner // Desire

Saavy Nourishing Lip Liner // Brick

CoverGirl LipPerfection Lip Liner // 215 Passion*

Saavy Nourishing Lip Liner // Rose

Annabelle Stay Sharp Lip Liner // Java*

Rimmel Moisture Renew Universal Transparent Lip Liner* 

L'Oreal Colour Caresse Shine Stain // Endless Red*

L'Oreal Colour Caresse Shine Stain // Rose On and On*
Caitlyn Lip Stain*

KEEP - 21

GIVE AWAY - 8

TOSS - 3

Looking back, it's a LOT harder to let go of glosses than lipsticks. Glosses are the easiest way to wear colour on the lips without looking over the top. Thus, glosses are an everyday thing for me and I have a lot that I love even though I have less of them. 

Do you own more lipsticks or glosses? 

Press samples and non-press samples featured. 

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LIPSTICK GRAVEYEARD + Lipstick Collection Swatch-a-thon

You can never have to many lipsticks...or so I once thought. The fact is that less than 50% of what I've got on hand actually gets used. So... it's time to DE-STASH (for the full, unedited collection, see here). Today, I'll going over what's in the lipstick collection and what I'll be keeping and throwing out or giving away to family/friends. 

The Thought Process: 

(1) keep items that are almost finished, items that are not yet reviewed, and items that have colours and formulas that you truly enjoy 

(2) don't keep items that have old lady scents (or are just old in general), colours you haven't worn in months and will likely never wear, products with shimmer/glitters/pearly finish

Anything highlighted in pink and an asterisk (*) will remain in my makeup collection. Items denoted with the letter (R) will be kept for future review purposes. EVERYTHING WITH A REVIEW IS LINKED! :) 

Mauves (my lips but better) 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm // 200 Keep Mauving*

Revlon Colorbust Matte Balm // 225 Sultry*

CoverGirl LipPerfection // 323 Delicious*

CoverGirl LipPerfection // 395 Darling*

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick // First Blush

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick // Tuscan Rose

MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Natural // N9*

Nudes and Browns

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Crayon // Nudist*

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm // 710 Drive Me Nude

Tarte Lip Surgence Lip Lustre // Glitzy 

Mary Kay Semi-Matte Lipstick // Pink Moonstone

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick // Chocolate

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick // 672 Brazillian Tan*

Maybelline Color Whisper Lipstick // 15 Some Like It Taupe

Rimmel Apocalips // 100 Phenomenon

Corals and Oranges

CoverGirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm // 235 Coral Twist* (R)

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Crayon // Fuchsia-ristic*

The Body Shop Colour Crush Shine Lipstick // 18 Sunset Romance*

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick // Tangerine Pop 

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick // Coral Bliss 

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick // Exotic Mango

Ulta3 Lipstick // 030 Coral Reef* (R)

The Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick // 105 Coral Cutie*

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick // 828 Carnival Spirit*

Etude House My Jelly Lips Talk // JOR203*

IONI Matte Lipstick // Coral*(R)

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick // Citrus Flirt

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain // 040 Rendezvous*

Shu Uemura Tint in Gelato // CR04*

Pinks (crayons)

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm // 105 Demure

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm // 100 Give Me a Cuddle

Clinique Chubby Stick // 06 Woppin Watermelon*

CoverGirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm // 216 Cake Twist* (R)

Mary Kay at Play Lip Crayon // Perfect Pink

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm // 120 Vivacious*

NYC CityProof Twistable Crayon // 041 Ballroom Blush*(R)

Pinks (lipsticks)

L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick // 135 Ballerina Shoes

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick // 127 Chic Pink

Ulta3 Matte Lipstick // 030 Harem Pink* (R)

L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick // 185 Miss Magenta

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick // 014 Sultry Samba

CoverGirl LipPerfection // 327 Bombshell Explosion*

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipstick // 875 Vivid Rose

NYC Expert Last Lip Color // 443 Purple Crush

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick // Sassy Fuchsia 

CoverGirl LipPerfection // 350 Eternal*

Rimmel Apocalips // 300 Nova*

Darks

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm // 115 Whimsical

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain // 030 Smitten*

Revlon Colorbust Matte Balm // 215 Shameless*

Revlon Colourstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick // 035 Backstage

Mary Kay Semi-Matte Lipstick // Ruby Night

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick // 477 Black Cherry*

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick // Berry A La Mode

Reds

L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick // 260 Raspberry Rush*

CoverGirl LipPerfection // 305 Hot Passion*

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm // 500 The Redder the Better

Rimmel Apocalips // 400 Big Bang*

CoverGirl LipPerfection // 307 Seduce*

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Crayon // Plum Jam*

THE FINAL TALLY: 

Keep - 31/57

Toss - 1/57

Give Away - 25/57

Not Reviewed - 6/57

**NOTE - discrepancies between original count and this count of 66 lipsticks due to balm/lipstick/stain hybrids

LIPSTICK Realizations: 

- I love orange/coral lip products

- I like to keep pink lipsticks and never use them

- I enjoy products in crayon form

- I wear sheer lip products more often 

- I prefer minty or unscented formulas

- I never wear anything with shimmer or glitter

- I prefer glossy or satin finishes over matte ones

Some press samples, giveaway prizes won, gifts, and products that I've purchased on my own featured. 

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