Cover Girl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Polish in Ever Reddy

Good morning! Today, I bring you a quick post to show you a nail polish that has really impressed me recently. The Cover Girl Outlast Stay Brilliant nail polish in Ever Reddy is the most perfect shade of red. It's vibrant, yet doesn't pull too orange, or pink. It's a true bright red!

I wore this polish on a whim as I was fancying a red polish, and I didn't wear any base coat. I usually wear a base coat, but couldn't be bothered that day for some reason. I thought this would let the polish stain the hell outta my nail, but lucky for me, it didn't. In fact, without a base, I'm thoroughly impressed with its wear time. It wore very well for 4 days, and only after that did I start seeing a bit of tip-wear.

The polish was almost opaque in one coat, but I used two coat since I didn't use a base. I think I've found myself a new red staple polish to add to my collection!

*Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Looking Glass Spring 2014 Beauty Trends & a $50 WalMart Gift Card Givaway #beautyunited

Good morning and happy Monday my friends! Today I'm bringing you a little giveaway!

I was kindly asked by Proctor & Gamble to pick out my favorite Looking Glass Spring 2014 Beauty Trends video, and try to re-create it using Cover Girl and Pantene products. Never one to copy a look completely, I decided that my favorite look would be a mixture of the Glamourous Grunge, and Gilded Glory. I loved the idea of a fresh skin with barely there makeup, but with the pop of color of a berry lip. And I loved the sleek pony tail in the Gilded Glory look. So I got to work!

Here are the products that came home from Walmart with me, courtesy of Proctor & Gamble. I wanted to give the ponytail of the Gilded Glory look a try by blowdrying my hair and smoothing it over using the Pantene BB Cream. I've only used it a couple times, but I love this product! Then I went for the Glamourous Grunge flawless skin with the Cover Girl Tru Blend Foundation and the Tru Blend Fixstick Concealer. A no-makeup look needs a good brow, so I picked up the Brow & Eye Maker Pencil in Soft Brown. Then for the berry lip, I went for the LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Jam Twist. Just the name is alluring!

My products along with the two looks I was inspired from.

And the finished look! I used all the products mentioned, but also added a bit of dimension to my face with the Cover Girl Clean Glow Bronzer in Spices, and a lashing of mascara. This is definitely an everyday, fresh faced look, and I have to say I love it! The berry lip also helped me be more comfortable with so little makeup! I didn't have much in terms of headbands similar to the Guilded Glory look, so I used this one from Forever 21 I had laying around. I love the centre part of the low pony!

So now it's your turn! For a chance to win a $50 Walmart Gift Card, visit the Looking Glass on Youtube, and tweet with the hashtag #beautyunited to let us know which look is your favorite! Just let me know in the Rafflecopter below that you've entered by posting the link to your tweet! This is only open to Canadian residents and the giveaway winner will be announced on the 26th of February!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

*Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.

A peek at my collection...

Happy Valentine's day friends! Today, I thought I'd give you a peek into my collection! I say collection loosely, because I don't really "collect" makeup, it's more of a hoarding thing. Just kidding! But yeah, I do have a lot of makeup! These pictures were taken on a random night and I didn't tidy up my makeup before taking the pictures. So view at your own risk!

On a trip to Toronto a couple of summers ago, I bought the Ikea Alex Drawer Unit to store my makeup. I have to say, it's one of the best purchases I've made in terms of keeping things organized. I've added a cupboard liner to every drawer to make sure nothings slides around too much in there. It also keeps things cleaner. On top of the Alex unit, I keep my makeup brushes, my eyeliners, and various every makeup items such as my mascara (currently the Cover Girl Flame Out) and my Clinique Brow Shaper. I also keep lipsticks I want to try out on top of the unit. Most of my makeup brushes are stored in old candle jars I've cleaned out.

In the first drawer I keep all my eyeshadows, and apparently my eyelash curler and random kabuki brush. I've store things in random plastic containers I've found either at Winners or Dollarama. Individual shadows go in the plastic container in the middle, and palettes are left loose in the drawer.

Cream shadows and pigments

In the second drawer I hold all my blushes, bronzers as well as foundation, powders and concealer. It's not too neatly divided, but I try to keep each category as separate as I can. Again, things are divided with plastic containers.

And the third drawer has lipsticks and glosses! I found my lipstick holder at Winners, but I know these are also sold on Ebay for quite cheap. I store them label up to make it easier to see which color I want to wear.

If you know that the ALEX has 5 drawers, you might be wondering why I didn't take pictures of the other two drawers. Well truthfully, one is full of random makeup items, samples, and packaging boxes. It's not pretty to see. The last drawer has a ton of nail polishes and manicure items and it's terribly disorganized. I thought I'd spare you the horror.

But there we are, my makeup collection unedited! If you think I have a lot of makeup, you're right! But keep in mind that I do receive press samples from time to time and some of these products were gifted to me. In reality though, I bought most of these.

I hope this was fun to read for you, and might help you decide if you need the Alex unit. I personally love it and think it's a great little sturdy piece of furniture. If you don't have as much makeup as I do, you could even fill the drawers with hair products, or other beauty item you don't quite know where to store. It has done wonders with keeping my bedroom (where I store my makeup) neat and tidy!

Happy Valentine's day, and I hope you have a great weekend!

In My Shower At The Moment...

Today, I thought I'd give you a peek at what products are most often used in my shower. My routine is quite simple, and I tend to stick to the very basics.

Pantene Pro-V Everlasting Engs Shampoo & Conditioner* - My new favorite shampoo/conditioner combo. I know I shouldn't be using hair products that are not for colored hair, but I can help it! The smell is amazing and it makes my hair incredibly soft! And I find my hair is less greasy on the second day when I use these. Plus, you only need a small amount of shampoo for a good lather!

Aveeno Calming Body Wash - My favorite body wash... probably ever! I've been using this consistently for a few years now (switching scents here and there - I LOVE the Fig one) and it's become so important in my shower routine. First off, the smell is so soothing and calming, it honestly makes me happy! It's also quite moisturizing and it leaves my skin soft after using it. Definitely a winter staple!

Avène Cleanance Gel - I've been using this cleanser for a really long time now, and I have to say, it's one of my favorite. It does a great job a thoroughly cleaning any residue of makeup and a little goes a long way. It's a joy to use with my Clarisonic as it does foam up a bit, but not too much.

What are your shower staples?

*Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.