So apparently I’ve been loving purple.
I rocked a smoky purple eye a few weekends ago during a night out and for the day I’ve been loving a light flush of the shade with some mascara. So why the sudden obsession? It all has to do with a shadow.
A couple weeks ago I received a couple new products from MAC, including their new In Extra Dimension shadow in Stylishly Merry and one of their lipsticks from the new Wash & Dry collection. Stylishly Merry is a mid-tone dusty violet, which leans more on the orchid/lavender side of purple, making it easy to wear in the day. You can also really layer it on for a night look, but for the most part, I’ve only ever worn this when the sun is up.
MAC’s In Extra Dimension eye shadows are a modern hybrid formula that combines the smoothness of a cream, the blendability of a liquid and the finish of a powder with long-wearing colour and prismatic reflections. Its creamy, silky, near-fluid formula creates luminous, well-defined eyes in finishes from sheer crystallized light to stunning metallic. They retail for $20 USD or $24 CDN, and are available in 18 different colours.
Compared to the shadows from their regular line, I do find these are more creamier to apply. They also last a long time on the lids; I believe the time billed is six hours, but I usually get an all-day wear (keep in mind I layer these over a base). MAC released Extra Dimension eyeshadows a couple years back, so I’m not sure what the difference is between those and the In Extra Dimension shadows. I know though that these are now part of their permanent line, whereas the other ones were limited edition.
For this particular look, I laid down MAC’s Paint Pot in Nubile (limited edition, but Painterly is a good dupe; basically you just want a neutral colour). Then, with a flat-top shadow brush, I packed the colour on. After, I skipped the liner and just curled my lashes and applied a few coats of mascara (CoverGirl The Supersizer). I left the lower lash line bare, just coated my lashes in mascara, then put a nude liner along my waterline.
Now since purple is such a bold colour to wear, go light on the lips. Every year I get overly excited about a few MAC collections, and Wash & Dry is definitely one of them. This breezy bronzing collection is inspired by bright fresh hues perfect for a full spin or quick tumble. Best of all, the rainbow packaging really pops in any bag you toss the item in. There are an abundance of products in the collection, but I always gravitate towards the lipsticks. The lipsticks from the collection are all pretty much part of the permanent line, but I just couldn’t resist Creme D’Nude, a light beige-pink nude. This lipstick is a cremesheen, making it sheer but buildable, moisturizing, and somewhat glossy. Since the eyes take all the attention, it’s the perfect nude to complement the look. If your local counter is out of this colour from the collection, ask them for the regular packaging since it’s such a universal nude.
I didn’t think I would end up loving this shadow as much as I did. Although these do retail more than their normal shadows, I did enjoy the consistency of the product. I only received the one shade, but the formulation is enough to have me stopping by my nearest make counter and taking a peek at the other shades.
I wouldn’t necessarily wear just purple shadow every single day, this is a great shade for blue eyes, as it really makes them pop. If you are into creamy shadows, definitely give their In Extra Dimension line a look.
Have you picked up any products from the Wash & Dry or In Extra Dimension lines?
Please note, I was sent these products from PR. All opinions are my own.
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This month is crazy with travel. Between work, this blog, and vacation, I’ll be going on four trips in June alone. In fact, I just got back from the Okanagan this past Friday. With so much travelling, that means that I need to keep organized and basically have stuff ready to go.
Usually when I travel I just throw stuff into an oversized tote or in those big Ziplock bags, however, this isn’t the best method for keeping things organized (and definitely not the prettiest). Well luckily Mytagalongs sent along some of their items just in the nick of time since their stuff is perfect for travelling and hitting the beach.
I’ll be staying in lots of hotels this month, and although I usually just use whatever they supply, I often find my hair dries out either from the different water, or the products, or both. These compact travel bottles ($10) are great for bringing your favourite shampoo, conditioner, lotions, body wash, etc. on the go with you. Available in a set of three (all of them hold two ounces of products), these are refillable and have a flip top, making them perfect for travel. The best part? They’ll be carry-on approved because of their small size. For my trip last week, I threw in my Federic Fekkai shampoo and conditioner, as well as a Yves Rocher body wash.
I used to be a huge sunglass snob, AKA I would only wear designer shades. I’ve recently eased up since there’s so many cute sunglasses out there (and really, I’ve broken the same pair of Dior sunnies two times, you think I would leaner by now..), but the only thing about cheapie sunglasses is that they usually don’t come with a case. So instead of just throwing them in your bag, I love this sunglass case ($8), which is quite sturdy making your sunglasses more secure in any bag you throw them in.
For jewellery, and any other little items you may travel with, Mytagalongs has a two-pouch stretchable neoprene ($15) set that holds whatever you throw their way. For the small pouch, I threw in some earrings, a necklace, and a lip balm. In the larger one I kept all my sunscreens (very important for the beach!). Plus, the material is the same stuff they make wetsuits from, so you know it will hold up well either in your suitcase (accidental spills) or at the pool or beach.
Finally, one of the most important items to travel with are your phone charger and earbuds. Usually I’ll just throw it all in my bag, but then the stuff gets tangled and you have to dig around for it. It can get really annoying, really quick. So, you can imagine my excitement when I got the ear bud case ($8), which is also made from neoprene, making it simple to store electronic chargers and earbuds. Aside from the mesh pocket that I used to store my phone charger, it features an interior tab to wind your ear bud cord around as well, preventing those annoying tangles.
I’ll be heading to Vancouver, then Vegas, then Montana next week (they are literally all back to back, I hop off one plane and then catch another in the same day), so these items will definitely be coming in handy this month.
Do you have any summer travel plans? How do you keep your items organized?
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I’m a huge fan of smokey eyes, but since it’s such a dramatic look, I don’t often get to sport it. Two weekends ago I went to ‘da club, so I thought I would do something different. Although I’ll often rock a grey or bronze smokey eye, I chose to go with a purple one instead to make my blue eyes pop and prove that purple can be easy to wear.
The real gem behind this look are the Sephora collection Colorful Shadow & Liners, which give crazy colour payoff and are super smooth and blendable. I have these in three colours, two of which you wouldn’t necessarily use for everyday wear (hello, pink and purple). Regardless, these pencils made this look easy and fast to do, and really made the shadows pop.
1. With Sephora Colorful Shadow & Liner in Downtown Girl, apply this to your lids and then blend it out.
2. With a matte purple (I used Fascination Street from the Kat Von D Star Studded palette – limited edition from the holidays) apply this over the purple base.
3. Using a fluffy crease brush and a darker purple (I used Gothica from the same palette), work this into the crease to soften up the edges.
4. No liner is required for this look since the eyes are so dark. Instead, apply some mascara and falsies. I went dramatic with the lashes and used Kiss EZ Lashes in 05.
5. I wanted to make the lower lash line a bit lighter than the purple on top so it’s not too dramatic, As a base I used Call Girl.
6. To soften up the line, I applied CoverGirl Shadow Pot in 305, then lightly applied Fascination Street near the edges to ombre the lower lash line. After, I lined the waterline with the Sephora Colourful Shadow and Liner in Secret Boudoir (a must-have in my opinion). After, apply some coats of mascara to finish up the look.
And that, my friends, is the final look. I really liked this particular look because it’s not as harsh of a smokey eye that lots of people are used to. Also, if you have blue eyes, purples and pinks really make them stand out. For the lips I chose to nude to keep all the attention on my eyes. I’m wearing Too Faced Melted lipstick in Melted Sugar.
What’s your favourite shade of smokey eye?
Please note, products were sent by PR. All opinions are my own.
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