French Manicure Sticker Test

Hey everyone!

Firstly- sorry this is going up late! Thought I had scheduled it but must have forgotten to hit publish or some other important button! Hope you enjoy this post!

Recently I tried out the method of using binder stickers to create the perfect French manicure. I used Essie's "Blanc" as the white shade, and regular binder stickers.

I pressed one onto each of my nails, and tried to layer two on my thumb because it was too wide. Layering two did not work out very well because it meant that the tip wasn't very rounded or even and instead had a pointed centre. 

When painted with the binder stickers still on everything looks good to go. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case for very long.

I peeled them all off- very carefully- and I just think it looks quite messy. Perhaps if I had peeled them off sooner so that they weren't as goopy, or maybe if I had waited until it was more dry, I'm not sure. Personally, I think I'd have better luck painting free hand, and that's not bragging, my very unsteady hand creates better lines than these stickers. Plus it's less wasteful.

So there's my negative review of using binder stickers for French manicure nail art. My advice is to just practice free hand and hope that practice makes perfect. Personally, it's not worth spending money on the stickers unless you use them in your binder, and it's not worth the waste.

Thanks for reading!

Megan

Clinique Moisture Favourites

Hey everyone!

Today I'm doing a quick review of a mini set I picked up from Sephora online. It's a set of three best selling Clinique products, 2 out of 3 I already own and love and wanted the miniatured for travelling.

They are all deluxe samples and I think a set like this is really great if you want to try some products out, without spending money on a full sized item.

Classic, simple Clinique packaging, which makes it pretty clear what to expect inside. This set comes with a Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief moisturizer, a Chubby Stick lip balm in the shade Super Strawberry, and a Moisture Surge overnight mask.

Here you can see that the sizes are quite good and perfect for travelling.

The Chubby Stick was the only item I hadn't already tried and so far I quite like it. It is relatively long lasting for a balm, and quite pigmented.

It isn't as glossy as I had imagined, but has a balmy sheen.

This is with one layer, but I have found that it builds up to a more pigmented shade if you reapply.

Thanks for reading!

Megan

MakeUpForEver Concealer Palette Review

Hey everyone!

Today I'm reviewing the MAKE UP FOR EVER "5 Camouflage Cream Palette". I bought this from Sephora in shade No. 1. I've only been using it for a few days but I think I've gotten used to how I should apply it and how I like to use it. I hope you enjoy this review!

First off, the package is pretty simple. I really like the sleek size and thickness of it, it's designed for professional makeup artists, so it has a slender design for a purpose. I think this makes it easier to carry in any makeup bag and not just a pro kit. 

I also love the 5 shade selection versus a massive concealer palette of 15+ shades. It's much more reasonable for personal use and is far less intimidating to a makeup lover rather than a makeup artist.

The packaging isn't just slim and easy to carry, it's also very lightweight and easy to see. The clear lid makes it easy to grab, especially if you own any of the other shades, and it's so lightweight that it's perfect for travelling- which makes sense because your concealer colour may change depending on the destination.

The concealers themselves are very buttery and creamy. The palest shade is especially creamy, which is nice because I often use this under my eyes or as a highlight. The rest still blend wonderfully, but I think they get creamier with more use. The pigmentation is also wonderful. These concealers are high coverage, but can be blended out to make them less so. For fuller coverage I like to use these best with my fingers, and then buffed in with a beauty blender, I think brushes aren't the best option for these products.

Overall, I really love this palette. It's versatile, pigmented, blendable and most importantly- portable.

I couldn't recommend this enough.

Thanks for reading!

Megan

Travel Diaries: Tobermory, Ontario

Hey everyone,

Todays Travel Diaries post is one a little closer to home in Tobermory, Ontario. It's about a three hour drive from where I live, driving on only two roads the entire time heading almost directly North. My friends and I had wanted to plan a camping trip for some time, but must have waited too long to book it because we could only get one night at the Bruce Peninsula National Park. Here's what we got up to in the short amount of time that we were there!

We started off our trip leaving early in the morning and stopping at a Tim Hortons for some breakfast. My breakfast included a powdered donut and a large cup of tea. My friends got slightly more sensible options, but it was a good start to the day.

We didn't stop at all while driving, but it was a relatively short drive and the scenery was beautiful. Here's the first picture we took upon arrival- this was a 2 minute walk from our site!

Of course we wanted to document it, so here we are laughing about something on the edge of Cyprus lake.

And here's how happy I was to be out of the car and starting my mini vacation!

We put up the tent and got in, looking pretty proud of ourselves and getting excited for a swim!

The water was beautiful. It was freezing, but beautiful.

We all swam, rockclimbed, and visited The Grotto which was incredible. I didn't document it because I didn't want to drop my phone into the crystal clear water, or down 'the chimney', which was a narrow hole in the rocks which I reluctantly climbed both up and down. 

Here we are after the hike to the Grotto, enjoying a little rest.

And this was taken at the end of the night, after visiting Tobermory for dinner and enjoying some icecream. 

I would definitely revisit Tobermory and the Bruce Peninsula National Park anyday! I would love to stay for longer and really enjoy swimming in the beautiful Cyprus Lake. It was well worth visiting and I'm sure I'll be back! 

Thanks for reading!

Megan

Queen Helene Mint Julep Scrub

Hey everyone,

Today I'm reviewing a product from Queen Helene, a brand I have never really come across before or ever tried. I have heard of their Mint Julep Mask, and I mistakenly bought this thinking it was the mask when it is in fact a scrub. So right off the bat you can tell I wasn't really too invested in this product, so much so that I barely read the packaging. Luckily for me, this was a really pleasant surprise. Firstly, it's a scrub that doesn't use horrible plastic beads. It's similar to the St. Ives Apricot scrub using walnut and shell powder. While I don't think these are particularly fantastic ingredients, I do think it is much better than synthetic beads.

It does have a nice minty smell which is really refreshing. It's a dense formula and a little goes a long way- and I do think if you put too much on it could be a bit stripping or drying. I also think if you have very sensitive or problem skin this would not be a good product for you. Teenage Megan would have never gotten along with this formula, however, my skin is balancing out and I do think if it's used correctly it is quite a nice product. I've really been in the market for some scrubs lately, and this is the harshest of the ones I've tried, but I really love using this a few times every week. Typically, I use this in the shower because it's really refreshing, 

Overall I would recommend this product if your skin is normal or at least predictable. Sensitive or irritable skin will likely not get along with this, and if you use too much it will be a bit drying. However, a small amount really smooths the skin and helps to get rid of dead skin and dry patches. It's a good budget buy, and proves that scrubs can be cheap and good without having plastic beads that are terrible for the environment!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Megan

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural Review

Hey everyone,

Today I'm writing about one of MACs most popular products and a repurchase of mine. Their Mineralize Skinfinish Natural is a very popular, well loved powder with a natural, skinlike finish that sets foundation and keeps oil and shininess at bay. I've used this before, and despite it being a shade too dark (2 years ago I was feeling ambitious about getting tanned), this time I've gone for my normal palest shade and love the results. I'm going to review the powder as well as the repackaging, so I hope you enjoy!

I bought the shade "Light" versus my previous shade "Light Plus". There's a good variety of shades which isn't unusual for MAC, so it's pretty easy to find a colour that suits you. 

Above is the old packaging with a clear lid and no mirror. Below is the shiny new compact.

As you can see the colour is definitely different. The new compact is definitely better suited to my skintone, and I really love the new packaging too. It's slightly smaller in diameter, but thicker which is a bit of a pain. Since it's a baked product its more raised than a normal setting powder, however, I do think the packaging could be a bit smaller and more purse friendly. 

You can see how beat up and well loved the old is versus the shiny new!

Here you can better see the difference in thickness.

MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural is a really lovely powder that requires a light hand. It doesn't get thick or cakey as quick as other powders, but it still has a tendency to cling to dry patches (something I'm quite used to!). The powder itself has a light coverage, so it does help reduce redness or discolouration if there is any leftover after foundation. I do really like this powder because it's very soft and smooth, finely milled and a little goes a long way. It's no wonder why it's so popular and why people continue to repurchase.

Thanks for reading!

Megan

Travel Diaries: Dublin, Ireland

Hey everyone,

Time for another Travel Diaries series! This week I'm writing all about Dublin, Ireland. I hope you enjoy!

Our first stop was a pub for a beer, Fraser and his brother, Alec, both bought a pint of Guinness, of course. We hadn't arrived at our apartment yet, but we were starving and got a cheese toasty and some vegetable soup.

Just outside of our rental apartment was this really cute flower shop, and since we had arrived shortly after the vote 'yes' for marriage equality there was amazing street art. I decided to take a picture of this awesome window decoration because I feel like it's truly a piece of history.

Of course we stopped of at the Guinness brewery and sampled a pint, it's not my thing but I did try it and appreciated the companies advertisements and history. It's worth visiting if you're in Dublin.

It was a beautiful day and we decided to visit St. Patricks cathedral and St. Stephens Green. At St. Stephen's Green I made a daisy chain and then we all fell asleep in the grass due to it being a lovely sunny day, and also because we were exhausted of travelling for three weeks.

At the end of the third day we flew back with Aer Lingus, the most Irish airline of them all. 

Overall, I would highly recommend Dublin, and Ireland as a whole. It's a beautiful city and country and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Next time I visit I'll make sure I'm there for longer. Between pub hopping and drinking a lot of cider and napping in beautiful public parks, there are also sites with loads of history and culture. I would recommend it to anyone.

Thanks for reading!

Megan

Camping Essentials

Hey everyone,

I went camping. I would consider myself more of a glamper than a camper, but I decided I haven't seen enough of Ontario, and thought a trip with the girls would be a blast. It was, and I will dedicate a Travel Diaries post to it soon, but for now, here are the items I took with me, and I will let you know whether I used them or not!

First, and most importantly, sunscreen. One for the body (SPF 30) and one for the face (SPF 40). I used the facial sunscreen but not the body one, turns out we didn't really need either due to the lack of sun, but I would bring them again just in case!

Miniature shampoo and conditioner, this was a just in case, and I didn't use them. I was only away for about 48 hours so it definitely wasn't essential, but again- just in case.

Toothpaste. The item on this list that I used most consistently. I did eat a lot of marshmallows.

Body wash from a Disney hotel. Didn't use, but glad I brought it because it could easily be a backup for handsoap or something else to freshen up. If I was away for longer I would have certainly used this.

I feel as though I bring cotton pads and Q-Tips anywhere I go, so this wasn't even especially for camping. I used the cotton pads for micellar water (see below) but the Q-Tips were for eye makeup emergencies only. 

I brought a mini sized micellar water from Avene to remove my eye makeup. I only wore makeup on the day of our arrival so although I only used it once, I'm glad I had it. It was also nice for a freshen up after hiking and whatnot.

Kiehls ultra facial moisturizer is a nice standard moisturizer which I used on my face and hands and would have used anywhere that needed it. It's nothing special but it does the job and I did use this quite a bit.

Deodorant. Again, nothing special, but very important when camping in close quarters with others.

I brought this Live Clean Restoring Serum spray in case I went swimming and my hair got really tangly or gross feeling. I didn't actually get my hair wet, but I know this would sort it out if I had.

About the only time I ever have makeup wipes, and I used one, once. Should have definitely bought a travel pack. Can you believe these cost $8.00?!?

And last, but not least, the makeup. Four items. A BB Cream from Maybelline with and SPF of 30, a lipbalm from Nivea with an SPF, a waterproof mascara from Tarte, and a brow pencil from Soap and Glory. I used all of these products once, so they weren't really necessary at all.

I hope you enjoyed this informal post about what I brought camping with me. Again, if I had gone for even a day or two longer I'm sure most of these would have come in handy, however this post has confirmed that I am a huge overpacker. Oh well, I don't see that changing anytime soon!

Thanks for reading!

Megan

Travel Diaries: London, England

Hey everyone,

These Travel Diaries posts are definitely taking quite some time! I hope you don't mind how they've replaced my regular Friday beauty posts, but I don't think I can stop now! Todays post will probably be of a little more interest to most readers than the other small towns in England I visited, so I hope you enjoy hearing how I spent my time in the capital!

Our first day in London involved travelling around and seeing some sights. We began in Trafalgar Square and then moved on to Buckingham Palace.

The street going down towards Buckingham palace was closed off for a marathon, so we got to walk right down the centre of the road and enjoy the view.

Next stop was Big Ben before a walk down the Thame River. 

Of course I had to make a stop at Selfridges and practically ran to the beauty hall and straight to the Charlotte Tilbury counter. I purchased the well-loved Filmstar Bronze and Glow which came in very luxurious packaging.

The next day we went back into London, and I spent my morning in Exmouth Market, oops I got a tattoo.

We then went over to Covent Garden and on the way back we found a private park, didn't realize until we were already in, and then pretended we lived in the expensive apartments and enjoyed the peace and quiet in central London.

Between the last picture and this one we actually did a 2 day trip to Dublin, but I wanted to keep all of London together in one post. So this was actually our last day of vacation, and we went to the Imperial War Museum (which I adore!) and then took a bus over to Abbey Road after a delicious ice cream break.

This was basically our last picture on our trip which is so sad! We had such a great time and I'd definitely go back again and again.

Thanks for reading!

Megan