Sephora Mini Haul

So I stopped by Sephora the other day to finally use a gift card I received for my birthday in June! I had already done my research, so I had a pretty good idea about what I wanted to buy. Even so, I still got to check out all of the pretty holiday value sets, and that's always fun! 

Now that it's really starting to feel like winter here in Ottawa, I know I'm going to need to adjust my skincare and makeup routine. I don't like putting away makeup that's been three quarters used, so I'm planning on finishing up my current tube of Diorskin Nude BB creme before tossing it. I've also got about a week or two left of my CeraVe moisturizer, so I'll be finishing that up before I toss it away too! 

Anyway, without further adieu, here's what I got: 

Estée Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation
Available here at Sephora



I ended up deciding on shade 1.0 instead of 0.5 (which was exactly the same color as my skin) because I liked that it warmed up my complexion a bit. I don't like to wear very heavy makeup, so I'm happy that the foundation is considered "light" coverage. I have yet to give it a full day worth of wear, but I've got pretty high hopes that it will perform well!





Shiseido Ibuki Starter Set
Available here at Sephora

I'll be honest, a big part of the reason why I decided on the Ibuki skincare set is because I had hardly any knowledge of the product. Okay, so I knew it included a cleanser, serum, and moisturizer, but I didn't really know what ibuki meant or what the products were designed to target in terms of skincare issues. I did some research since picking up the set, and according to the Shiseido website, the word ibuki means "inner strength" in Japanese, and the products are designed to help "correct imperfections, dryness and roughness while providing optimal hydration". While I have yet to test them out, I am pretty excited to see what they're like in terms of performance! 

Everyday Makeup Routine

Makeup-free face! 

So now that the weather is getting cooler here in Ottawa, I've been having to switch things up a bit when it comes to my makeup routine. In the warmer months, when it gets very hot and humid, I tend to go fairly light on my makeup, focusing primarily on skincare and sun protection. Now that the humidity has all but disappeared, I'm finding that I'm having to be a lot more generous with my moisturizers! I've even been going out without any of my face powder lately because I've found it a bit too drying. 

I only have one makeup bag, although sometimes I wish I had two, so that I could do touch-ups throughout the day. Since my job is pretty busy and I'm constantly on my feet, I can't imagine that I would have much time to do that kind of thing though! In any case, the makeup I apply in the morning is all that I rely on to last me through the day, so I certainly demand a lot from it in terms of performance.

Diorskin BB Creme

After I've exfoliated, cleansed, toned, and moisturized, the next thing I put on my face is my Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme. I like that it gives me a very natural amount of coverage, and it blends really well. I am lucky enough to have decent skin, so I don't need anything too heavy when it comes to foundation. 

Next up, I tackle my brows. I am pretty happy with my eyebrows for the most part, although they are a bit too sparse in my opinion, so I use a pencil most days to fill them in a bit. The one I use is by NYX, in light brown. I don't pluck or wax, so they are just naturally thin unfortunately!

Best overall mascara on the market
in my opinion!

I can get ghostly pale in the winter, so I find blush and bronzer VERY helpful when I'm trying to not look like a corpse! The blush I've been using nearly everyday is by Tarte, in the shade Glisten, which is a warm shimmering peach color. 

I don't like to wear too much eye makeup on a daily basis, so I try and keep it simple with a sweep of nude shadow over my lids, followed by a thin layer of liquid liner before I put on my mascara. The shadows I use are from Coastal Scents. I tend to use Chamois Nude on my lids, followed by Sand Storm on the outer corners. In my opinion, mascara is the most important part. If I had to, I would skip every other step...but not mascara! I have to say, there are a number of fancy mascaras out there that have enticed me before, but I always come back to my L'Oreal Voluminous mascara. It's just such an excellent product...and the price is amazing! 

End result: casual, everyday makeup look!

Finally, I put a bit of Vaseline on my lips, and I'm good to go! I haven't been wearing any lipstick or gloss lately, but I'm thinking that will be changing soon now that I've been needing more color on my face! Lipstick is a tough one if you don't have the opportunity to reapply throughout the day. Instead, I find I tend to use tinted lip balms and stains for a more subtle, low maintenance look! 

How To: Clean Your Makeup Brushes

Something that most of us tend to neglect, is brush care. We use our makeup brushes (nearly) everyday, and yet they often don't get the proper TLC they need. 

After frequent use, makeup brushes become caked with makeup residue, oil, and dead skin cells, which create a breeding ground for bacteria, that you, in turn, end up putting right back on your face. Gross right? Well that's exactly why you're going to want to step up your brush cleaning game!


The general consensus suggests that on average, you should clean your brushes once a month. However, if you use your makeup brushes quite often, I would recommend increasing the frequency to bi-weekly. 

There are a number of brush-specific cleaning formulas out there, as well as many DIY or multi-use products that also do the trick. Here are my top three recommendations in each category: 

1. Brush-specific 

BlenderCleanser by BeautyBlender $9.95 

2. DIY 

In 1 warm cup of water, mix 1 tbsp of vinegar, and 1 tbsp of dish soap.

3. Multi-use products

Johnson's Baby Shampoo $3.95

No matter what kind of cleanser you decide to use, it's important to take into consideration the delicate nature of the bristles, which require special care when being washed as to avoid changing their shape. Once you've got your formula set, let your brushes soak for about 5-10 minutes. Gently run them under warm water to help wash out any residue, followed by cool water to settle the bristles. Avoid the barrel of your brushes, since if it gets wet, it can cause the bristles to loosen and fall out. If the brushes are extra cakey, a drop of olive or almond oil will loosen things up. Some people suggest gently blow drying your brushes to dry them, but I would strongly advise against this! Instead, place your makeup brushes flat on a sheet of paper towel, in a cool, dry place. They should be clean and ready for use in about 8-12 hours. 

River Walk

The other day, my fiancée (I love being able to say that now!) and I went for a walk along the river by our apartment. It was beautifully warm and sunny, so we headed out just before lunch to walk along the path by the river. 

I can definitely be a bit of a romantic at times, so I wanted to walk by the spot where he proposed to me last Saturday. Ryan was happy to oblige me, so we set off to return to our special spot on the path by the river. What I didn't expect, was that we would be lucky enough to see the swans again! This time though, we had our camera ready to snap a few photos of them! 

Beauty, Grace, and Love

I know it might sound a bit silly, but I can't help but think that seeing those swans on both occasions that we went to that specific spot, has got to be some kind of good luck or blessing of some sort! Of course, it's probably just a nice coincidence, but we still enjoyed it none the less. 

They weren't shy about swimming right beside us!

Throwback Thursday

This week I'm featuring a photo from about fourteen years ago. It was taken in my littlest brother's room, which certainly looks much different now than it does in the picture.

This dress was so fun and airy!
 I also loved the bright pink color!

Ever since I was a little girl, I absolutely loved to dress up and play around with clothes, accessories, and makeup (check out the lipstick and heavy pink blush!). I've always been a very creative person, so experimenting with fashion and beauty proved to be a really fun outlet for me. I didn't get it right all the time, but I always enjoyed dressing up and putting different looks together..and after years of practice, I absolutely still love it!

Beauty Products + Expiration Dates

 I was on BuzzFeed the other day, and came across a really interesting article about beauty products! I've seen plenty of other articles covering the same subject, but for some reason, this one really stuck out for me. 

Essentially, the article explains that instead of trying to remember how long your lipstick or mascara is good for (is it four months or six?), you can actually check for yourself on the product packaging. This way, you'll be able to know once and for all whether your MAC eye shadows really will last longer than your Revlon ColorStay quads. The trick is, you have to find the icon that indicates how long the product is good for. On most products, it resembles a small, slightly open jar, with a number in front. That number represents the number of months the product is guaranteed to be good for. Unfortunately, not every single product on the shelves has a clearly visible expiration icon, but luckily, most do!

Dior BB cream (12 months), Tarte Amazonian
Clay blush (12 months), Nars lipstick in Roman Holiday (24 months)

I know a lot of people who will use their makeup and beauty products after the suggested expiry date, and in some cases, this is perfectly fine. What you need to be careful about, is using your makeup products long after they've expired! If your blush expired last month but you still have a fair bit of powder in the compact, and it's not causing any skin irritation, I don't see anything wrong with using it. However, if you're using mascara that expired a year ago and is clumpy and dry when you pull out the wand, you really need to toss it! Ultimately, the most important thing to take into consideration is how your products are reacting with your skin. The expiration dates on your makeup are there to guide you, but if you're having trouble with any products at any point, it's always best to let them go. 

If you're interested in checking it out the original article on BuzzFeed, I've posted the link here.