STYLE: Moon Cats Scarf in Eastern Elegance Review

I don't consider myself to be particularly fashionable but I try. And if there's one way to spice up my Michelin man winter outfits (8 layers and counting), it's with scarves. Moon Cats, an online store, dubs itself "the scarf expert" but they sell all kinds of winter accessories - from gloves to hats and head wraps to various types of scarves for both men and woken. I took the Eastern Elegance Scarf ($39.95) for a ride. 

Eastern elegance is described as a "rainbow paisley thick shawl". Drape this warm pashmina shawl around your shoulders for a classy unforgettable night out. This scarf will bring the feminine touch you need for a romantic beauty style. Its thick fabric will keep you warm in the evening breeze, and its dark colors will easily match your outfit.

The Good: The dark colours do in fact match all of my neutral (mostly grey) outfits. The patterning on the scarf is a nice bit of colour to my somewhat boring everyday style. The gold threading also has a nice shimmer too it, a total plus in my books. 

The Bad: It's definitely not thick. It's -11C today and this ain't going to keep me warm. This scarf is better suited for milder climates or for early fall nights. If only it were a touch bigger. The dimensions of the scarf are 20" x 58" and I wish it was more square (like a blanket) to add some warmth. Furthermore, the scarf doesn't feel like it's of the best quality. I poked it with a finger nail and the threads of the scarf frayed a little (I could see my finger through the other side). 

Ways  wear a scarf (1) hide underneath it (2) wrap it back wards (3) wrap it forwards (4) wrap it around your head as a hood. 

Overall, a decent scarf but it's definitely not built for Canadian winters. I'll be pushing this one to the back of my closet and bringing it out again next fall.

For staying until the end of this review I'll have you know some exciting news! Moon Cats has provided a coupon for 30% using the code FUNSIZEBEAUTY30OFF  (valid until July 31, 2015). This is not an affiliate coupon. :)

Moon Cats offers free shipping for US orders over $50 and it seems like shipping to Canada is a flat rate of $8, which isn't half bad. 

Check out Moon Cats: 

http://mooncats.com

http://instagram.com/mooncatsofficial

https://twitter.com/MooncatsUS

What's your favourite winter accessory? 



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Cute (ombre) Nails // Valentine's Day 2015

Faded ombre nails are so cute. Pink ombres, even more cute. I can't even handle it. In another life, I probably had ombre pink hair. I'm channeling that with this nail look. I opted for three pink-hued colours from Wet n Wild. I find nail polish ombres work best with three colours, as just two doesn't fade as nicely. 

How to ombre your nails: 

(1) Apply a white or off-white base colour. Since I did a pink ombre, I used a white with a pink tinge. Let it dry for 10-15 minutes. 

(2) Paint a stripe of each of your ombre colours onto a cosmetic sponge (the less porous the sponge, the better) and pat off the excess on a piece of paper.

(3) To transfer the color onto the nail, lightly dab the sponge on the nail bed. You can go over the each nail more than once for a more opaque ombre effect. 

(4) Seal in the deal with a clear top coat. 

Products Used: The Body Shop Nail Polish in Frosting Fancy, Wet N Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in 457E She Sells, 478E Lavender Creme, 450B Clear Nail Protector, cosmetic sponges

Have you ever tried ombre nails? 

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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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Flirty Nails (Take Two) // Valentine's Day 2015

This is a rendition of last year's Glitter for the Flirty Girl Nail Art, except a bazillion times more user-friendly and less messy. In essence, the look is a half cream polish, half glitter polish nail. 

Last year, I used loose glitter and clear polish. This year, I've just gone with a glitter suspended in a clear base, which is not quite as opaque but a bit easier to achieve and a lot less of a glitter-all-over-the-place mess (though there's not too much wrong with glitter everywhere, it's just annoying when it gets on your face). 

As easy as 1, 2, 3. (1) Bright pink base (2) two coats of a fairly concentrated glitter polish drawn diagonally at the top of the nail (3) top coat to seal in the deal. If you're hand isn't steady enough to draw in a straight line, try using some scotch tape. 

Products Used: Wet N Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in 478E Lavender Creme, 480C Sparkled and 450B Clear Nail Protector

I think I'm preferential to this year's glitter nail art - I love glitter but I'm not a fan of loose anything - glitter, eyeshadow, etc. 

Do you like loose glitter? 

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New York Color Expert Last Lip Color Mattes in Smooth Beige, Creamy Mauve, Pure Coral, Velvety Fuchsia & Red Suede

OUUU. AHHH. New matte drugstore lippies. The New York Color Expert Last Lip Colors ($1.99) are now available in 5 MATTE shades - Smooth Beige, Creamy Mauve, Pure Coral, Velvety Fuchsia, and Red Suede. All are pretty colours. But sadly, these are not matte. 

It's clear that there's a sheen to these lipsticks. I'd say the texture is more of a satin finish, not much different from the original New York Color Expert Last Lip Colors (reviewed here). Perhaps the shine is a tad less shiny and more opaque but hardly so. In general, the formula is the same for both products - comfortable wear for up to 4 hours, strong vanilla scent, and a slight drag on application. As per usual, the two lighter colours catch on to dry patches and I'm in love with the three most vibrant colors. 

448 Smooth Beige

449 Creamy Mauve

450 Pure Coral 

451 Velvety Fuchsia

452 Red Suede

Overall, the New York Color Expert Last Lip Colors are great budget lipstick buy. However, in the grand scheme of product quality, they are mediocre. The colours are pretty but not particularly unique and they are most certainly not as matte as I had hoped for them to be. 

Have you ever tried a matte lipstick that wasn't matte? 

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Make Up For Ever Ink Liner

Last month, Make Up For Ever released two new liners to offer the purest, deepest, richest blacks. One, the Make Up For Ever Graphic Liner ($29 CAD) - an all-in-one ultra-fine pen and two, a matte liquid felt tip liner - the Make Up For Ever Ink Liner ($27 CAD). 

If you know anything about me, I love eyeliner. Liquid, gel, pencil. And EYELINER MONDAY is back...temporarily!The Make Up For Ever Ink Liner has been a nice addition to my daily winged liner routine. The MUFE Ink Liner claims to have a flexible, ergonomically designed, calligraphy pen tip. The felt tip is precise and feels ergonomic in the hand. Flexible is not a word that I'd use to describe the tip. It's quite stiff compared to other eyeliners I've tried. 

Surprisingly, I enjoy the stiff tip (that sounds kinda dirty...). Instead of wildly flopping around, the stiffer tip helps with precision and complements a slow and steady eyeliner hand. 

As for the product formulation, it's ultra-matte. I'm not a fan of glossy liners, so this is a brownie point in my books. The liner isn't entirely fast drying. It needs 20-30 seconds to set or else the horror of eyeliner on my hooded lid ensues. While MUFE doesn't claim that its Ink Liner is water-proof, it does say that it is transfer-proof. I would agree. Do a little crying and you'll get it on your face, but on my oily lids it doesn't transfer throughout the day. 

In a nutshell, the good is that it's precise, transfer-proof and matte black. The bad is that it's not water-proof and takes a little time to dry. I'm no stranger to eyeliner and I'd suggest that if you're a beginner that you go for the Graphic Liner instead due to the nature of the felt tip. It's easy to use but not the easiest. Overall, I like this liner. It's not my favourite eyeliner but it's my favourite fully matte black liner. 

Have you come across a great matte black liner? Leave your suggestions down below! :) 

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I Love.. Strawberries & Cream and Raspberry & Blackberry // Valentine's Day 2015

Does your the boy/girl you like, like fruit? Consider wearing I love...'s fruit-scented bath and body products this Valentine's Day (or even better, ask the boy/girl you like to get this for your Valentine's Day prezzie). 

I love... is a UK brand that landed in Canada last year. The I love... range is minimal and easy to navigate. There are 3 products - bubble bath/shower cream, body butter, and now fruit spritzers. Each of the products are available in all four of their delicious scents - Coconut & Cream, Mango & Papaya, Raspberry & Blackberry and Strawberries & Cream. I love the adorable packaging of I love... cute and simple with lots of hearts and you can easily see the product inside the containers. 

Fittingly, for the Valentine's Day season, I've got 3 pink/red body products to share with you! 

Strawberries & Cream Bubble Bath and Shower Creme (400mL, $9.99)

While I enjoy the I love... Strawberries & Cream scent, the aroma is a bit artificial. Keep this in mind if you like "natural" smelling products. The Bubble Bath/Shower Creme itself is an interesting consistency. It's a little watery to be a gel and is thin enough that a little runs through the spaces between my fingers before I can get a chance to lather it up. The lather is a bit weak, thus I prefer the product as a body wash as opposed to a bubble bath. In terms of cleaning properties, the product is fairly mediocre

Raspberry & Blackberry Nourishing Body Butter (200mL, $9.99)

Again, it's not the most natural smelling, but I still like it! Compared to something like the Body Shop Body Butters, the scent of I love...'s is lighter, the moisturizer feels more whipped and thinner in consistency, and it absorbs more quickly and doesn't leave a residue with just as much hydration to the skin. All in all, a great option for body butters, especially if you enjoy the scent. 

Raspberry & Blackberry Spritzer (100mL, $4.99)

Oddly enough, I prefer the scent of the fruit spritzer to the body butter of the same Raspberry & Blackberry scent. It's slightly sweeter with a bit more punch. This fruit spritzer smells like spray-in-your-mouth candies that I used to use as a kid. I'm so tempted to spray the I Love.. Raspberry & Blackberry Spritzer in my mouth, though it probably won't taste quite as good as it smells as the ingredients include alcohol, water, and fragrance. The strength of the scent dissipates after 10 minutes to leave a lighter scent, which sticks around for a little over three hours. It's not the longest lasting but it's a good thing you can layer this with the body butter to smell extra fruity!

Overall, a great drugstore option for bath and body products. Now that I've tried the Strawberries & Cream and the Raspberry & Blackberry scents, I'm so down to try out the Mango & Papaya (as I prefer tropical scents over berry scents). 

I love... is exclusively available at Shoppers Drug Mart and PharmaPrix stores in Canada.

Have you tried I love...? What kind of scents do you like in your bath and body products? 

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