Tattoo #2.

Hey everyone,

So while in London, England I got a new tattoo. I had thought about it for a long time beforehand and had emailed the artist back and forth for a few months before the actual appointment. I had decided on a mandala with a mendhi style rather than a geometric or dotwork design. Here's some pictures and what I thought! 

Here's my arm before the tattoo, a picture taken to show my future children and for my mother who probably likes a small reminder of how it looked before! 

I had my tattoo done at The Family Business tattoo parlour in a really nice area of the city. 

It was a really cool place and everybody there was really nice. Unfortunately I had to go it alone because you weren't allowed to have friends come with you, but the artists made you feel comfortable and at ease. 

  

My artist was Ricky Williams, an incredible guy who obviously has a very steady hand. Definitely follow him on Instagram @ricktattoo

  

Here's a closer picture of the detail in the tattoo. I really love the line work and how perfectly symmetrical it is. 

  

Here's how it looks on my arm and the overall placement. 

I used tattoo goo and dove scentless soap to clean it. It did bleed for a few days and my arm got pretty swollen, but after about a week it was completely fine and healed perfectly. 

I hope you liked this post! 

Thanks for reading. 

Megan 

Cauldalié Moisturzing Toner

Hey everyone,

Today I'm reviewing a purchase I made in a Parisian pharmacie, so before I even tried it out it was extra special. It's the Caudalié Moisturizing Toner which is described to cleanse and revitalize the skin, all while preparing it to benefit even more from the rest of your skincare regime. 

I didn't buy the full size because I was travelling, and also because it was more expensive but this is a very good sized amount. I love that it comes with a pump dispenser, two pumps is usually enough to cover my face and down onto my neck. 

It does have a slight scent but it's not too overwhelming or perfume-y. It's refreshing and light with some citrus and earthy notes so it doesn't interfere with anything else you want to put on your skin. 

I think this is a really nice toner in the summer, and I find it especially refreshing and nice to use in the morning and I think if has helped with retaining moisture and keeping my skin cleaner and clearer. It's very gentle, although I don't use it on my eye area so I can't say how it works on the eyes (it does say it can be used on the eyes though). It leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh and I think it's worth trying out. I'm not sure if I'd rush to repurchase, but I definitely have enjoyed using it so far.  

Thanks for reading,

Megan 

Travel Diaries: Paris, France

Hey everyone,

I'm writing this post to continue with my travel diaries from Reykjavik which seemed to go over really well, and lots of you read it which was really nice to see. I'm not a travel expert by any means, but I do love travelling and I think writing about it all gives me something nice to look back on. In my previous post, which you can read here, I left off by flying out of Keflavik airport at 1am. We arrived in Paris at 6am, feeling like 4am Iceland time.

 We stayed in a very Parisian feeling one room apartment found on Air Bnb. The landlord was fantastic and the place was great. This was our view from the big french windows which I loved! We arrived super early and luckily we could get into the apartment right away. We napped for a few hours and then began exploring the city.

One of our first stops was the Eiffel Tower. We actually the best view from furthest away in a little park directly facing the tower, but we wanted to see it up close. It's quite overwhelming for quite a small landmark, but because there aren't any skyscrapers or buildings taller than the tower in Paris, it has quite an effect.

 The lightbulbs in our apartment were orange, so you'll have to excuse this picture. I later stopped at a pharmacie and had a mega skincare haul. I'll write some reviews soon, usually I like to wait on skincare to really give it a good try. Anyway, the gentleman working there was incredibly professional and lovely to talk to, and he gave me loads of samples- perfect for my next trip!

That night we met with some friends, Andrew and Jess (who was also featured in my Chicago post!). We walked over to Notre Dame, before leaving because there were rats on the street and also because there was a jazz bar/ex-torture chamber calling our name. After a few too many we sat on the patio of a typical French restaurant and ate a plate of crepes. Not a bad day at all.

 The next morning we met with Andrew, Jess and our friend Geoff, who was studying in Paris at the time. He gave us a walking tour of the city and we decided to look at most things from the outside and didn't visit any museums since our trip was so short. We had a picnic featuring baguettes and cheese at Luxembourg gardens and then separated for suppertime before reuniting at our apartment for the evening. 

We all had drinks at our apartment, and it was really nice to be reunited with some of our best friends. We drank Icelandic vodka and played games, the whole time I said "we must see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night!". We had decided to leave for midnight, but lost track of time. Luckily, Jess came running out of the bathroom saying "It's 11:50!" so we ran down the streets and turned the corner to see this. It was breathtaking and beautiful, and we bought two cheap bottles of champagne and sat around having the best time on our last night in Paris. We stayed until the lights turned off at 1am and wandered back and separated for the night, ready to reunite for a hungover breakfast at a cafe by our house. 

The next morning we drank tea and coffee, while Geoff auctioned off his textbooks to us by describing them and hoping we'd bring them back to Canada for him. I didn't eat much, but what I did have was delicious and then we parted ways and headed to the Eurostar headed for London.

I hope you enjoyed another Travel Diaries post. I love having these to look back on and I hope you enjoy reading it!

Thanks,

Megan

Burt's Bees Lipgloss Review

Hey everyone,

Today's blog post is reviewing the Burt's Bees 100% natural lipgloss in the shade Summer Twilight. It's a sparkly deep berry shade that is quite sheer when applied. 

It comes in 10 shades and is packaged in a standard lipgloss tube with a doefoot applicator. 

It didn't have too much of a scent and applies evenly. While it is sheer (as any gloss would be), it still applies a nice amount of colour and shine. 

This particular shade has some gold flecks and a warmer toned shimmer to it. It's very flattering and not as dark as it looks in the packaging. 

I think it makes a nice everyday gloss but has a bit of pigment if you want something a bit darker than usual. It's a perfect transition for a new lip colour wearer, or for someone who prefers a gloss over lipstains or lipsticks. 

I hope you enjoyed this review!

Thanks for reading. 

Megan 

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Review

Hey everyone,

Today I'm reviewing the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in the shade Moonstone. I opted for the liquid version over the powder because I wanted the option to mix it with my foundation and I already have a few powder highlights that I'm loving at the moment (more on that later). Here's my first impressions on the cult favourite product! Enjoy! 

My immediate impression was that I loved how the shimmer isn't glittery or chunky- instead it's a really pretty pale gold glow. My second impression was "wow this is super expensive". I purchased the full size and it cost $50.00 CDN which I think is a lot, but there is 50ml, 20 more than the standard foundation size, and you really only need a pump or less for good results. 

When it's described as sheer, I think it means in texture rather than pigment. I found the product to provide a really lovely golden glow without adding colour but adding some wonderful highlight to products you already have and love. I've tried it mixed with foundation and I loved the results, but for a more intense glow I think it applies wonderfully on its own. 

The packaging is really nice, which is expected for a product so expensive. It has a pump dispenser which is great, and the bottle itself is a nice, weighty design with a standard Becca lid. 

I tried to swatch this product on a few different occasions but I've come to the conclusion that I can't do it justice using my phone camera. It's a very beautiful soft, pale gold which adds warmth without any bronziness, and even works well on my pale skin. 

Overall, I think that if you like a glow you will like this product. Although it's expensive, I think it could be used in a multitude of ways and for the amount yo get its a pretty decent price. 

I hope you enjoyed this review. 

Thanks for reading. 

Megan