Blushing over brushes: Sephora fall brush sets

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Let’s talk brushes for a second here.

No matter how much makeup you have, or how the quality is, I cannot stress having the right tools to apply it. It’s kinda like having all these paint cans but with no brushes to apply it with. If there’s one thing you need to invest in when it comes to your makeup collection, it’s some brushes.

My brush collection is pretty large by now, all because the days of buying single brushes are over.  Why pay an incredibly large sum of money on one single tool (although depending on the brush, this still may be a necessity).  There’s tons of places you can go that offer great brush sets for reasonable prices.  Obviously one of these places is Sephora.

Although they have already launched their holiday brushes (where has the time gone?), they still have some incredible ones available as part of their fall collection.

Gold brushes

Face brushes can be some of the most expensive ones there, luckily Sephora released their Sephora Collection Flexion Perfection Brush Set (C$56), which includes four specialized shapes and a tutorial for how to use each brush.

Included in the set:

  • Ridged Foundation Brush, which creates smooth and even base coverage around imperfections
  • Pointed foundation brush, which works around the contours of the face, chin and nose
  • Blemish Concealer brush, which covers and conceals imperfections without disturbing foundation
  • Concealer brush, which can be used around the nose and eye area.

All the brushes come housed in a gold envelope case, making them perfect for travel.

Rose brushes

If you are looking for a more basic set, then try the Sephora Collection Gold Edge Brush Set (C$65), which includes four soft, full-size eye and face brushes that were curated to create any makeup look. These come housed in a limited-edition pebbled vegan-leather pouch with chic gold edge details.

Between the two sets, I would definitely go with the Gold Edge Brush Set, because I feel like you would get more wear out of those brushes, as opposed as the Complexion Perfection set.  I always feel like Sephora creates some weird looking brushes sometimes, and although this set includes all face brushes, the only one I would get regular wear from would be the concealer one. The Gold Edge set has one less brush, but trust me, you’ll all of those everyday. That set would have been absolutely perfect if they included a crease brush. Maybe next season…

makeup bag Brush cleanser

If you love the look of the Gold Edge set, then they also offer some matching bags for your makeup. I have the Still Life Escaper Bag, which is great to load up on travel-sized stuff for when you’re jetting off.  They also offer larger bags, a train case and compact mirrors as well.

Finally, since you got all these new brushes, you’re going to want to wash them to keep them in good shape. Try Sephora’s Perfect Condition Brush Conditioner ($18).  This formula gently conditions brushes to restore life into your brushes and makes them look new again.  Work a small amount into the brush, rinse throughly and a gently squeeze out excess water.  I’ve actually never used a brush conditioner before, I always use either shampoo or Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap, so it’s nice to use something that’s actually formulated for washing makeup brushes.

With Halloween and the holidays coming up, you’ll need to be on point with your brush game.

Where do you buy your makeup brushes?

Please note, product sent by PR, all opinions are my own.

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The suite life: NBA Global Games in Winnipeg with Marriott Rewards

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset So I had a serious case of FOMO this past weekend in Montreal.

Last Wednesday I posted about the upcoming Timberwolves versus Bulls game happening last Saturday in Winnipeg as past of the NBA Canada Series.   If you aren’t familiar, the NBA is holding a bunch of preseason games here in Canada (Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Winnipeg) and one of the sponsors is Marriott Rewards.  Marriott actually reached out to me to help spread the word about their rewards program and promote the fact that members get special opportunities to events, like the NBA Canada Series games going on this month.  They also gifted me with a pair of tickets, a meet & greet with NBA legend Robert Parish, and tickets to the exclusive afterparty.  The only problem was I extended my work trip to Montreal to include the weekend with my boyfriend. So what’s a girl to do when she can’t go?  Enlist her bestie and another friend to go in her place, set her up on my Twitter account, and enjoy all the perks.

Usually when I get invites to things like these, the tickets are pretty good. Little did I know that my friends would be sitting in the Marriott Rewards suite at the MTS Centre, get jerseys and hats, food and drinks, and basically live it up WAG lifestyle for the entire game. I can’t even tell you how many times my boyfriend was like “how much do you wish you were at the game right now” while we were eating dinner in a Montreal hotspot.  I basically had to stop looking at my phone.

food game jerseys jess and jordyn

In case you aren’t familiar, Marriott is teaming up with the NBA as the official hotel partner of the 2015-2016 NBA Global Games and will be rewarding its loyalty members with exclusive access to NBA games and events in Canada.  Marriott International, Inc. and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced back in July a partnership that makes the global lodging company the official hotel of several marquee NBA events around the world, including NBA Global Games 2015-16, NBA Africa Game 2015, and NBA Canada Series 2015. Marriott Rewards is a frequent traveler program that rewards exclusive membership privileges when members travel, as well as a choice of frequent flyer miles in preferred airline programs, or points towards free vacations. Delta Privilege joined Marriott Rewards earlier this year.

My friends chilled in the Marriott Rewards suite with reps from Marriott, Delta, and select rewards members who got the opportunity to be there courtesy of the reward program. So how did they get the golden ticket?  I’m told an email went out to members in the area that said the first five to respond would get access to this amazing event. Just a heads up, there are two more games coming up, October 14 in Ottawa and October 23 in Montreal.  If you are a Marriott Rewards member in either of those cities, make sure you check your emails!!

Robert Parrish

Not only did they get to chill in a private suite (which would totally be enough for me!), but during halftime, all the people in the Marriott Rewards suite were taken to meet Robert Parish, one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.  I’m told only the people there with Marriott Rewards were lucky enough to meet him.

After the game ended, my friends made their way over to District Stop in the Exchange District for the official afterparty, which was hosted by Ciroc and Foot Locker. Since my friends got hocked up with afterparty tickets, they were taken to an elevated level of the club.

afterparty ticket afterparty

Like I said, I had such bad FOMO the whole night, but if you don’t want to miss out on an amazing opportunity like this one, join Marriott Rewards, it’s completely free and you’ll get amazing opportunities like this one. Because who wouldn’t want to enjoy an NBA game in their own private suite?

Are you a Marriott Rewards member?

Please note, this post is sponsored by Marriott Rewards.

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Sweet & mysterious: A fall makeup look + a look at the WSO’s Mahlerfest and win tickets

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Thanksgiving means fall is in full swing. Which means let’s talk about fall makeup. But before we get to that, we’re gonna chat about the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s (WSO) Mahlerfest.

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Mahlerfest is a week-long dedication that features two main concerts celebrating the life and work of Gustav Mahler. Mahler was an Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation.  Mahler is one of the most frequently performed and recorded composers of all-time.

In celebration, the WSO is performing two of his symphonies, Mahler’s 2nd Symphony (October 23 & 24), which is a crowd favourite and includes a large choir, plus solo singers; as well as Mahler’s 10th (October 30 & 31), which is the Winnipeg premiere of this version, which will feature Norman Lebrecht, award-winning author and musicologist as the guest host of the concert, with a Viennese-style masquerade following the October 30th performance.

Since I’ll be at the October 23rd concert (and you can too, keep reading!), I did my homework and listened to the work. Although I’ll be hearing the 2nd symphony, I wanted to listen to his 10th. It starts off dark and mysterious and then expands into this beautiful medley, perfect for this time of the year. From that I was inspired to create this fall look, which features a soft eye with a bold burgundy lip, which reminded me of Mahler’s 10th and plays beautifully into the fall season.

final 1 Steps

1. With a frosty pink cream eyeshadow, apply this to your lid area. I used Lise Watier 24Hrs Glam Eyeshadow in Sexy Glam.

2. Using the Urban Decay Naked Palette, I grabbed the colour Sin and placed that all over my lid area.

3. With the colour Hustle, a deep purple, and a crease brush, lightly work this into your crease. Be careful not to go too dark, you just want to add some dimension and shadow.

4. Since the lips are the main focus, skip liner and curl lashes.  After, apply a couple coats of mascara and apply some wispy falsies. I used lashes from the Kiss Ever EZ starter kit (I love these).

5. Using Hustle, apply this lightly along your lower lash line and then apply Virgin (the champagne colour from the palette) in the inner corner of your eye. After, apply a nude-coloured liner to your waterline (like Sephora’s Colourful Shadow & Liner in Beige) to open it up and then apply some mascara to your lower lashes.

6. For the lips I used Kat Von D Studded Lipstick in Mercy.

In addition to the two symphonies, there are other events going on throughout the week as well.  Check out the WSO’s website for info on other Mahler events going on throughout the city during that week, as well as for tickets (by the way, if you’re a student you get a discount price).

If you want to check out Mahler’s 2nd Symphony on October 23 I am giving away two tickets to the concert.  All you have to do is leave me a comment below with what your favourite thing about fall is. Winner will be chosen on October 19, good luck!

Also, don’t forget to enter my Escents giveaway!

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