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.

Clarins Multi-Blush Cream Blush in 03 Grenadine and 02 Candy - Swatches and Review!

Clarins has never disappointed me when it comes to blushes. One of my favorite blushes is their Blush Prodige in 02 Soft Peach. But today, we're taking a look at their new for Spring Cream Blushes. I was sent shade 03 Grenadine, and 02 Candy for review.

First off, the packing of these blushes is pretty much perfect. The blushes are quite small, compact and have no excess packaging. On top of that, the blushes have a mirror which makes them perfect for carrying around in your bag to add a hint of color to your face or lips during the day.

I have tried applying the blushes with my fingers and with a brush, and both work fine. I prefer using a flat top blush (I used a Sonia Kashuk one) as I do find it easier to build up the color that way. At first, I thought the compact size of the blush would make a brush application difficult, but it wasn't at all.

Both blushes do contain a bit of shimmer, but it's quite hard to tell in my swatches, and on my cheek when applied. I'm not a big fan of shimmer in blushes, but didn't find the shimmer in these blushes to be of concern - I only noticed it in certain lights, and it was actually quite flattering!

The texture of these blushes is quite different than any other cream blushes. They are very much soft to the touch, rather than creamy, but I wouldn't describe them to have a cream to powder finish. They are much creamier than powder blushes, but not quite a cream - they are somewhere in between I suppose.

On the left is 03 Grenadine, and on the right is 02 Candy.

I think both colors are lovely on the cheek, but my heart is set on Grenadine. My oh my, what a gorgeous color. It truly mimics my natural flush, and make me look like I just went for a brisk walk. It's absolutely gorgeous. Candy is also gorgeous as a color, but has a rosier tint than Grenadine. Both had no problem staying on my skin all day, with or without a foundation base. I do find them to be a bit drying on the lips, but I have naturally dry lips, and it's nothing the addition of a balm can't fix.

If  you're looking for a new cream blush, I suggest you pick up Grenadine. It's such a stunning color, and I think it would suit a lot of skin tones. This shade will definitely be a Spring/Summer staple for me! The blushes don't seem to be up on the website yet, but they are expected to be released for Spring 2014.

* I have received these products for consideration but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

Epicare, The Original Facial Hair Remover - A Review

Facial hair is such a hassle. Personally, I wax unwanted hairs on my face, but not before I have to wait for it to grow long enough to be able to wax! That stage can be incredibly awkward, and let's face it, embarrassing. When I was sent the Epicare Facial Hair Remover for review, I hoped that it would be the perfect buffer for that in-between phase.

The Epicare is a do-it-yourself manual threading device to remove unwanted facial hair. It's spring action removes unwanted hair from the roots (just like plucking) and does so without damaging the skin. Basically, you just have to bend the device (like the picture shows) and roll the ends gently with your fingertips. It's really that easy!

How did I get along with it? I actually quite like it! I found it to be really effective on the fine blond hair in between my eyebrow - Epicare removed it without a problem. Even my boyfriend gave it a go (twitter proof here)! I bravely tried it under my brows, but I wouldn't recommend it. The device isn't precise enough to make sure you don't take a chunk out of your brow hair at the same time. That isn't to say that with a bit of practice I might be able to!

I also tried this on my very fine chin hair - and by that I mean the duvet hair that every face has. This is where I thought it worked best - it removed hair I didn't even know I had! I had a harder time removing my upper lip hair. However, the little guide that comes with the Epicare gives you a tip to make this easier: just stretch your upper lip by pushing your tongue outward to maximize the effectiveness of the Epicare. While it did help, it wasn't able to catch every hair on my upper lip.

I really like the fact that this is very environment friendly - other than the packing the Epicare comes in, there's no waste other than your unwanted hair. It is super easy to maintain and clean - the instructions say to lightly tap the Epicare on a solid surface to get the hairs out of the spring and I found that to work well.

Practice really makes perfect with this tool - the more I used it, the better I was at removing hair. Still, this tool is quite hard to focus on one specific area - it's impossible to remove one hair! So I wouldn't suggest this tool if you barely have any facial hair - a tweezer would probably suit your needs better. But if like me, you're a waxing regular, and need something to tie you up in between waxing sessions, this is perfect. I'm hoping that with enough practice, I'll be able to ditch the waxing strips forever, and only use this eco-friendly little wonder!

For Canadian, the Epicare is conveniently available (in a variety of colors!) on the Nail Polish Canada website (link here), and for US based shoppers, the Epicare is available on their website, www.epicarehome.com.

* I have received this product for consideration by Nail Polish Canada, but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

On my nails this week: Essie's Mesmerized

Happy Monday friends!

Today's post is a quick one, just to show you what I'm sporting on my nails this week!

Essie's Mesmerized is a gorgeous deep cobalt blue that's perfect for winter. I love how vibrant the color is without attracting too much attention. For you Canadian ladies, I found this polish at Target for a mere $2.50! This picture was taken with one coat of (albeit a little gloopy) polish - I used one thicker coat, but you could use two very thin coats.

Hope you had a great weekend!