Sunday 19 October 2014

Lazy Autumn Sunday Pamper Day: LUSH, Mary Kay, Bath and Body Works, and More!



Sunday Funday Lazy Day!

My favourite Sundays ...gloomy, autumn day = lazy pamper days!
Every girl needs a little pampering in her life, and it doesn't always have to be super expensive either.


First things first - gotta set the mood. Light a couple candles and can't have a proper pamper day without the correct tunes...lol - the app Sonza helps me with this. I chose from the playlist Winding Down (was perfect!).


For my shower: I use my Clear Scalp and Hair Beauty Therapy Shampoo - I use the Damage and Colour Repair. Then I use my Lee Stafford For Hair that Never Grows Past a Certain Length Treatment. I use a generous amount, from the tips to the roots of my hair, let my hair really soak it up for a good 5 minutes then rinse thoroughly. My hair always feels so soft after I use this combination. (P.S. I have really noticed quicker hair growth since I started using Lee Stafford's line.) 


Always shave my legs when it's pampering day. I use my Venus Embrace Sensitive razors and Satin Care shaving gel in Floral Passion. The scent of this shave gel is so perfect for a pampering day - it's so girly, floral, and fresh (it's pink too...). This combination leaves my legs super soft and smooth. Next I use my body scrub from The Body Shop in Chocomania on my legs. This helps lock in moisture and smooth my skin out even more. I have a blog post on this already in case you are interested: http://thoughtsfromamyr.blogspot.ca/2014/07/the-body-shop-chocomania-body-scrub.html


I make sure my face is thoroughly washed by using my Mary Kay 3 in 1 Cleanser. This cleanses, exfoliates, and refreshes all in one step. I massage the exfoliating beads into my skin with a circular motion and I concentrate most on my blemished areas.


After I dry off, I use my Bath and Body Works Triple Moisture Body Cream in Pumpkin Latte and Marshmallow Comfort. This is such a perfect scent for the fall season! I let this soak in - I'll read a few magazines, catch up on Instagram, finish up my laundry all whilst drinking this amazing tea from Davids Tea: Pumpkin Chai Latte.




Then believe it or not, I go back for some more relaxation. LUSH bath bombs are the perfect addition to any day dedicated to pampering.

I chose to use the bath bomb Northern Lights from LUSH's fall collection. It was MAGICAL...









After this routine of pampering, my mind is clear, my body is relaxed and ready to take on the next week.

cheers && try to set aside some pampering time for yourself on this sunday.

amy xo



Thursday 9 October 2014

FOTD: Autumn Neutrals with Mary Kay



"I'm so glad I live in a world where 
there are Octobers." Anne of Green Gables

I can't tell you how excited I am that the leaves are turning colours, falling, and crunchy. This upcoming weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. I have put together a make up look with the new Mary Kay Eye Shadows my previous post was about ( http://thoughtsfromamyr.blogspot.ca/2014/10/brand-focus-mary-kay-mineral-eye-shadows.html ). 




I used Sweet Cream as the base shadow.

 I used Hazelnut to start emphasizing my crease.

I used Truffle to add more definition to my crease. Blended into the Hazelnut colour.

I used Rosegold right under my lower lashline, to give more of a 'smokey' effect. Blend, blend blend.

I used Glistening Gold (the most sparkly shadow I purchased out of the whole lot) in the inner corners of my eyes to make them appear farther apart and I applied to the middle of my lid to bring attention to my iris and to make my eyes look bigger (gives an anime effect).





Lastly, I used Mary Kay's Lash Love Mascara in I <3 Plum. Plum is such an autumn colour and I thought it could spice the look up a little bit. It's very subtle, which is nice. You can only tell that the lashes are plum in certain lights - you could totally get away with wearing this at work. The formula of the mascara is just like any other Mary Kay Mascara - wet, pigmented, easy to apply, and it is lengthening as well. However, Mary Kay Mascaras...are a whole other blog post that will be coming soon! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

cheers && go ahead and try a different coloured mascara to spice up your thanksgiving FOTD.

amy xo

Wednesday 1 October 2014

Brand Focus : Mary Kay Mineral Eye Shadows



Happy October Everyone! 

I hope everyone is enjoying their fall so far - we all know fall is a major season within the beauty world!

I happened to treat myself to a little neutral eye shadow shopping spree... I wanted to know what the Mary Kay Mineral Eye Shadows were like. I needed to see if they could compare to my oh so over loved Urban Decay Naked Palette. 

Let me tell you, I was not disappointed!

I photographed all of the pictures before I took the shadows out of their original packaging - this is how they would be delivered to you. (Mary Kay happens to sell THE most convenient, compact, magnetic palettes too!)






Swatches!!

Shades Left to Right (in all photos below): Amber Blaze, Sweet Cream (matte), Espresso (matte), Lavender Fog (matte), Driftwood (matte), Hazelnut (matte), French Roast




 Shades Left to Right (in all photos below): Chocolate Kiss, Glistening Gold (sparkle shade), Rose Gold, Copper Glow, Truffle, Honey Spice, Granite




 Overall Review:

Really good pigmentation, they don't crease, work really well on their own or with a base cream shadow/primer. Amazing dupes for the Urban Decay Naked Palette! All Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colours sell for $8.00 (that's a steal!!!).

The Mary Kay website says: "The mineral-based formula is famous for its oil-absorbing properties, ease of application and excellent coverage. Plus, these long-lasting, crease resistant, fade resistant shades look fabulous on every skin tone"  

In my perspective: definitely crease resistant (as I mentioned before), long wearing (I go from day time to night time without reapplying...ever), and I rarely notice any oil build up on my eyelids while wearing these - let's just cut to the chase - I am very impressed and the Mary Kay website is true to their word.

Happy October everyone and I will see you in my next post! 

cheers and go ahead and try a Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colour. 

amy xo.

Tuesday 1 July 2014

The Body Shop: Chocomania Body Scrub

Throughout the summer months I have always found a good body scrub is a must have! It is THE greatest thing to use after a day at the beach, after shaving your legs, before using self tanner...or simply before you go on a hot summer date perhaps???

A body scrub is the easiest way to achieve nice, smooth, exfoliated skin.

I picked this body scrub up when The Body Shop was having a huge sale. These little babies regularly sell for $20.00 in Canada. I managed to pick it up for $10.00 - SWEET.


The packaging is is your regular The Body Shop style. If you are a chocolate lover, like me, you will automatically be drawn to this product.


Next you will open the tub to release its sweet chocolatey scents. It is very thick in consistency, much like any other type of coarse body scrub. It will definitely remind you of Lush's Cupcake Face Mask - it looks quite edible actually...we all know how that will turn out though, I strongly advise against eating this product...(lol).


After you purchase the decadent item, you will bring it home and give it a whirl. Chocolate lovers beware, you will want to smother your whole body in this! The sugar cane is what contributes to the scrubby part of it - there will be no hint of dead skin or gross particles left, once you attack it all with this! The cocoa butter and oils do the rest of the work, leaving your skin unbelievably soft! (When I tried this after I shaved, I had actually never felt my legs feel as soft as they did after I used this!) You would never think that a body scrub could be so moisturizing - I mean, scrubs always leave skin feeling very soft, but this is a whole other level ladies!


The only unappealing matter of this body scrub is the colour. Yes, we all understand that chocolate is brown...but when using in the shower be prepared to see a little bit of a brown mess... However, if you push past the messiness of it all, you will be pleased (I promise).

If any of you are chocolate lovers and if you absolutely want to have smooth skin this summer, I strongly suggest you give this a try!


By the way...

HAPPY CANADA DAY to all my fellow Canadians! Why not try using this in your summer routine today, before you head downtown to check out the amazing fireworks tonight!

Cheers!

xo. 



Saturday 29 March 2014

Brand Focus: Mary Kay



Hello All My Lovely Ladies!

I have some exciting news!!!

I have recently decided to become a part of the Mary Kay team! So life has become a little bit busier for me, which I am actually really enjoying! 

 I received my gorgeous Mary Kay kit in the mail the other day, I was totally in utter nirvana looking through all of the products/samples that were inside!

As you can see in the above and below pictures, some of the coolest products that were included inside my Mary Kay kit were these full size bottles from Mary Kay's 'Satin Hands' line.

Mary Kay 'Satin Hands Hand Softener'

Mary Kay 'Satin Hands Smoothie Hand Scrub'

Mary Kay 'Satin Hands Hand Cream'


The line is unscented, so for those of you who are sensitive to scents, this product will be wonderful for you!
For everyone else who isn't sensitive to scents, this product will still be wonderful for you as well! Mary Kay also carries a peach scented line for those of you who absolutely love scented beauty products! The peach scent smells delicious!

Before I started painting my nails, I figured I would give the products a try and give myself a full pampering manicure!

The steps are rather simple as well as very enjoyable! I took some photos of the entire process!


       


1. Optional, dampen hands (this is just for 
     added hydration) ...







      

2. Use 'Satin Hands Hand Softener' ... 











3. Massage cream into hands && between
    fingers ...










4. Use 'Satin Hand Satin Smoothie Hand
    Scrub' ...










5. Scrub, scrub, scrub! (Massage into hands &&
    between fingers)...










6. Resulting with a gritty, yet sudsy texture ...





           





7. Rinse well && pat hands dry ...









  
8. After hands have been patted dry, use 'Satin Hands Hand Cream' ...

                    







9. Massage cream into hands && between fingers...                                   
           
                                              









And you're finished!
I am totally in love with these products,my hands are now refreshed, renewed, and pampered!
This is a very simple way to achieve those nice soft, 'just had a manicure' feeling hands, all from the comfort of your own home. (This product is supposed to be dedicated to hands, but I find it does just as well on my feet or any other dry areas on my body, for example: elbows and ankles. This product will help smooth out any body part you are having a difficult time moisturizing!)


Now you're ready for the polish! <3

cheers && get to pampering! 

xo amy.