Melt Space Cake

I’ve been on the Melt Cosmetics mailing list for about a year. Every time I got an email from them, I read it anxiously, hoping, wishing, dreaming, of one thing: a Space Cake restock notification.

From the moment I heard of this shade, I knew I needed it. Everything about it spoke to me, from the beautiful mid toned cool grey colour to the sci-fi-esque name.

So obviously the moment I got the email I had to buy it.

When I checked my tracking and saw it was coming, I anxiously sat in the living room all morning, watching for the mailman. The moment he was out of sight, I ran to the mailbox and opened it to find a beautiful (if slightly damp from the day’s downpour) box.

It took everything in me to take pictures before I put it on.

Once the photography session was over, I ran to the mirror to try it out.

And I was slightly disappointed. With the $19 price point, plus conversion and shipping, I paid a fair bit for this lipstick. For that much I expected smooth application, no problems.  But it’s a very dry formula and it drags across your lips somewhat unpleasantly.

As is I feel like its best applied with a lip brush, as it’s quite difficult to apply neatly straight out of the tube. It would also really be nice if they carried matching lip liners, because I think that would be the best way for a really crisp looking line without all the effort of the brush.  Even with the brush I definitely needed to go back in with concealer to make things look perfect.

But as much as application was a little bit of a letdown, the colour wasn’t. I love it so much. It makes up for any other drawbacks.  And I honestly think it’s the most wearable shade in my collection of unusual lipstick colours.

It wore well for 9 hours, with a minor touch up after dinner and it was still in fine shape before I took it off to go to bed. 

Overall I'm very happy with this lipstick, and super excited to wear it again!

Fall 2015 Lookbook

Lately I've been trying to get out of a rut. Part of this process has been trying to dress really nicely whenever I leave the house. Another part has been asking my friend Mathuri to take OOTD pictures of me whenever we hang out. So I figured I should put them to use and make a little belated fall lookbook.

So let's get started!

This outfit was supposed to be very different. But then I spilled something on my other shirt and the bow tie I misguidedly tried to make in under an hour with no prior experience didn't turn out, so I just threw on a different button up and a cardigan and went with it. I definitely like this version better anyways.

shirt: American Eagle (similar) cardigan: Tommy Hillfiger 

(similar: Old Navy) skirt: home made (similar: Forever 21)

I'm slowly getting over my fear of shapeless clothing, and this dress is helping a lot. Nothing says "I don't need a defined waist" like a cute flowy a-line dress. The nice drapey cardigan doesn't hurt either. 

Also I highly recommend getting one of these ASOS oversized scarves, cause they're the coziest things ever and they come in lots of patterns and I wore mine as a blanket when I got cold at the grocery store last week.

dress: H&M cardigan: Walmart (similar: H&M)

scarf: ASOS (similar) boots: Call It Spring

Plaid = fall = plaid, right? Enough said. 

jacket: Marshalls (similar: H&M) dress: Marshalls (similar: H&M)

beanie: Journey's boots: Call It Spring

I wanted a dress with a hood, and I couldn't find one, so I made one. I'm considering selling them in my Etsy store because I feel like this is a niche in fashion that needs to be filled. 

jacket: H&M (similar) dress: home made 

sunglasses: Forever 21 (similar)

belt: Target boots: Call It Spring

What are your favourite looks for fall?

Review: Bandelettes

"Bandelettes® are sexy thigh bands designed to stay put and provide comfort and protection against chafing all day long." These things were all over the place last summer. Every plus sized fashion blogger I followed talked about them. When I finished last summer completely fed up with chub rub after trying a bunch of different products, I resolved to try these out when the warm weather returned.

I measured my thighs as 28" so I ordered the beige in Size D. But when I tried them on, they were, well not loose, but not as fitted as I'd like. When I wore them they stayed, but I felt like I still spent the whole day tugging at them. After some research, it seems like this is a common sentiment: they feel like they're moving, but they're really not. I don't know if this problem would be alleviated by sizing down or not though.

(also featured: my Captain Marvel tattoo)

They're very cute on. Most anti-chafing tips usually involve products that require constant reapplication in order to actually do their job, or bicycle shorts. So these are by far the most attractive option, giving more of a lingerie look than anything, while still getting the job done. 

I love these things. I've worn them three times now and it's just so nice to go out when it's warm and wear a cute dress and not worry about your thighs attempting to murder each other. All you have to do is stop worrying that they're falling off, and you can enjoy your day out in the sun, pain free (just don't forget the sunscreen!)

You can order Bandelettes from their site at www.bandelettes.com

Avengers: Age of Ultron Inspired Makeup

It's no secret I love superheroes. So I took today, the North American opening day for Avengers 2, to try my hand at some hero themed looks. Sadly my fav (Captain Marvel) didn't make the cut on this movie, so I had to find some other characters to be inspired by. I asked on Twitter what Avenger people would most like to see a look based on, and the top two were Thor and Hulk!

For Thor I took inspiration from his darker MCU costume rather than the brighter one from the comics. I went for a grey and silver smokey eye with bold winged liner (cause the man can fly!) And then I chose red lips for his red cape. I also went with a little bronzer, because Chris Hemsworth is always looking pretty tanned and beach ready. 

For Hulk I went all green! Green shadow, green liner, green lips, and then just a touch of purple on the lower lash line and on my cheeks for his purple pants. 

Who's your favourite superhero? Would you ever do a makeup look inspired by them?

Makeup Swap!

The other component of my hangout with Lauren and McKenna was a makeup swap. I ended up getting a lot of things that I'm really excited about. It's mostly lip products (no one is surprised) but there are a few other things that I feel like might be interesting. 

Rimmel Stay Blushed in Sunkissed Cherry: I've only ever used one liquid cheek product before so I'm interested to see how this goes for me. The colour is very pretty and I've been getting a lot more into blush lately so I'm excited. 

NYX Butter Lipstick in Little Susie: To be honest I'm not certain it's Little Susie? I'm not at home right now. Either way I really like this. I'm a fan of the formula, it's super creamy and hydrating. The colour is really nice too. 

CoverGirl Colorlicious Lipstick in Seduce: I tend to like CoverGirl lipsticks, and I love red lipsticks, so we'll see how this one compares to my other favs. 

NYX Round Lipstick in Chaos: Yet another red. Mostly I picked this for the name. It also swatched fairly different from the other red I chose, so I didn't feel as silly picking them both. 

Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Hot Pink Rage: It's so pink! Lauren didn't like this one because she isn't a fan of the Milani lipstick smell, but I like it. 

Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss in Nude Vinyl: I'm not really a lip gloss person. I'm not sure why I grabbed this to be honest but it just spoke to me for some reason. So we'll see how it goes. 

Benefit Posietint: Another liquid cheek product. I'm a sucker for cute packaging. Also the colour is really soft and pretty, so hopefully it will look nice. 

Sephora Collection Eyeshadow in ???: I can't find the colour name online, but it's a really nice lavender shade and I'm loving pastel purples right now so I'm super excited to give this a go. 

Nails and Sephora Sales

On Friday I spent the day with Lauren and McKenna, it was a four part adventure: manicures, birthday dinner, makeup swap, and Sephora sale. My post on the swap is coming later this week.

I haven't gotten my nails done very many times, this was actually my third ever manicure. The venue was Polish'd Nail Bar which is located in the PATH in downtown Toronto. Due to it's location their clientele is mainly business people on their way to and from work. The experience is tailored to this, with a small, minimalist space and quick service.

The girl who did my nails was adorable and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants was playing on the tv, so overall it was a great experience for me. The colour I got was Essie Flowerista, which is part of their Spring 2015 collection, which I didn't know until later but I'm excited that I chose a new and exciting colour.

shown here with matching lips (Maybelline Vision in Violet)

I had less luck at the Sephora sale. 15% off tends to bring out the animal instinct in the best of us. So it was crowded, I was anxious, and all the things on my list were sold out. 

Luckily the sale isn't just one day. So prepared to go into battle once more, I headed into my local Sephora. Luckily it was much less crowded, and though I browsed a little, I had my eye on the prize. 

My first pick was Clinique Cheek Pop in Cola Pop, which ended my search for a snow white blush. It's the perfect red blush, very blendable and buildable and soft and just. It's really nice, I'd really recommend it. 

But one of the things I excitedly grabbed was the NARS Audacious Lipstick in Janet. Which when I got home I realized was nearly identical to Covergirl Spellbound (if you're looking for a dupe I'd highly recommend it)

So once again I was off to the mall, this time exchanging Janet for Audrey (and returning a pair of shoes that didn't fit) And I couldn't be happier. Audrey is a much more unique colour, a sort of muted berry red. I adore it. 

(left: Cola Pop, right: Audrey)

FOTD: Sunset Lips and Cheeks

Last year, the trend was ombre hair, but this year, ombre is all about makeup. I've been seeing ombre lips all over instagram and tumblr, and yesterday I decided to give the look a shot myself.

I wasn't satisfied with a simple two toned lip, I also decided to go for a similar cheek look. The idea here is that it mimics the various stages of sunset, from orange and pink to pink and purple.

I went with a horizontal colour transition rather than a vertical one because I find it wears better throughout the day. Also I can't speak for all the CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipsticks, but Spellbound wears like a champ. It lasts a really long time and then leaves behind a really even stain that's actually kind of hard to get rid of. I was pretty impressed for a product under $10.

Products Used:

Face: MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NW15, Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer in Fair, Pixi All Over Magic in Bare Radiance

Brows: Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown

Eyes: Stila Stay All Day Liner in Moss, Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

Cheeks: Benefit Coralista, Colourpop Mochi, Lovely me:ex I Make You Brighter in 01 Pink Glow

Lips: Sonia Kashuk Lip Definer in Hibiscus, Colourpop Lip Liner in Leather, MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth, CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Spellbound