NOTD: L'oreal high tide

This polish has been sitting untried since last summer. I have finally gotten over my grey nail polish craze, so high tide was tucked away in the back of my stash.

High tide is a light robin egg blue, but it looks very grey in certain light. I couldn't seem to capture the dull grey color, it's more prominent in low light.

I've heard this is similar to Chanel Riva nail polish, but from looking at swatches I don't think Riva has much grey in it.

The finish of this color is really dull, not shiny. I think it's alright but it looks nicer in the bottle. High tide was limited edition for summer 2010, but you can still find it online for decent prices.

Winner of the Karmin G3 pro flat iron giveaway!

The super lucky winner of the Karmin G3 PRO flat iron is...

BlossomWind! Congratulations Blossom, I will email you shortly!

Thank you everyone who entered this giveaway, and don't forget to enter my 1 year anniversary giveaway here! There will be three winners for this one :))

Estee Lauder double wear gel eyeliner stay bronze photos and swatches

Estee Lauder recently released some new double wear stay-in place gel eyeliners. Stay bronze caught my eye because it's a very red toned 'bronze' and somewhat unique. This color is limited edition.

For $23 CAD you get a pot of liner and a tiny brush to apply it with. I think it's totally worth the price because once this liner sets it does not budge at all until you take it off.

One thing about this color that is interesting is that it looks completely matte, but once applied you can see extremely tiny gold micro shimmer all through it. I love it. It's very hard to capture the shimmer in pictures, but you can see it IRL.

swatches of stay bronze:

My EOTD wearing stay bronze with some neutral colored Kat Von D eyeshadow:

I actually used the little brush it came with and it worked nicely. For a thinner line you would need to use something like the MAC 209. This gel eyeliner is excellent, I think I'm going to pick up the black one next when I have the chance.

Do you like any Estee Lauder double wear products? I really love the cream eyeshadows!

Wet n wild 902C bare it all mega last lipstick photos and swatches

I just had to post about this lipstick since it's become a daily staple for me.
This is one of my favorite lipsticks of all time.

Wet n wild 902C swatch:

This color is perfection. It's a mix of peach and pink that suits my pale face nicely. I really do think it would look great on anyone though.
I like the matte formula of the mega last lipsticks. I use a balm underneath and they don't make my lips feel dry or uncomfortable at all. They last for a few hours of wear which is great.

swatches on lips:

This is very close in color to MAC honeylove lipstick (see my swatch of it here) . I like honeylove a lot, but I like 902C bare it all even better because it isn't quite as light or peach as honeylove.

902C With Estee Lauder peach fizz gloss over top:

I highly recommend this lipstick if you are looking for a nice neutral go to color. For the $3.99 price tag I promise you won't regret it.
If they ever discontinue this color I will be so upset. That's what happened with my other favorite lipstick from L'oreal called in the buff.

What's your favorite lipstick of all time?

I recieved the versatile blogger award!

I am honored to have received this award. The lovely Vulcan Butterfly ever so graciously passed it on to me.

Here is a list of blogs I am passing the versatile blogger award on to :

• Adora BatBrat - You would not believe the versatility of this lovely lady! She models, bakes goodies all the time, does inspirational makeup looks and she is even starting her own store. One of the most interesting blogs out there!

• Scrangie - Always has what I'm looking for. It seems I enjoy similar taste to the brands and swatches/reviews she posts. She does wicked eye makeup and lots of nice nail polish swatches.
  

• Productrater - This gal is non stop posting reviews of the latest and greatest beauty products. Her reviews are honest and I enjoy reading them.
  

• Bleeding Beauty - I love the random gorgeous products she features (like Etude House marble marble!) and her really cool EOTD's are always inspiring.

• Phyrra - I'm sure she's gotten this award before because her blog is one of the most versatile I've come across. From skin care to foundations to contacts she covers a lot of beauty related material and always has swatches.

Seven random facts about me:

1) I was born in Kitchener Ontario, Canada but through my life I have moved approximately 20 times. The most amazing place I have lived was in Orlando Florida. The weather, the ocean and the lizards everywhere were all so amazing.

2) Unlike most beauty crazed bloggers who claim to be 'obsessed' with makeup, I actually am. I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and I swatch so much stuff daily because it's more or less a compulsion. (I only actually post about 1/4 of stuff that I swatch!)

3) I love reading. I am naturally a book worm and I have a book on hand wherever I go.

4) My favorite animal is the great white shark. I am determined to see one in real life (hopefully even swim with one!) before I die.

5) I am kind of obsessed with the Apocalypse. I love zombie movies, and any movies or books that have to do with the world ending. It's weird I know.

6) I adore Japanese culture. Sushi, anime, circle lenses, doll eyed makeup, visual kei, harajuku and ganguro style and all that awesome stuff. I also love Korean horror movies and makeup as well.

7) My dream career is to be a tattoo artist, which is not as easy as people think. I am trying to find someone to apprentice with but I think I am just going to teach myself. For the time being I am a stay at home mom with an 18 month old son. It's the craziest job I've ever had!

I hope I didn't bore you too much, my life really isn't all that exciting!

Three great bronzers for pale skin with photos and swatches

Guess what? Pale girls can wear bronzer too. It's totally possible.

For the first time in my entire life I went out and bought some bronzers to play with. I've never bothered with it before because 1) I love vampire white skin 2) I never saw a need for it and 3) They always look so orange and disgusting on my skin.

Well, this winter I was pasty and white and felt I was just looking a bit dull. I needed some warmth in my face and blush just wasn't doing it.
That's when I figured I should try and find a bronzer for my skin tone.
When I tried it I actually saw my face come alive with some glow! I guess that's why bronzer is so popular.

For reference here is my face without any blush or bronzer, just foundation:

My skin is extremely pale, most foundations are way too dark. I have blue and green veins so my undertone is neutral (a mix of cool/warm).
My best match in foundation is L'oreal true match N1 porcelain ivory. It is the exact color of my skin. You can imagine how hard it is to find a bronzer that doesn't look orange on my skin!

Well here is me wearing MAC 'bronze' bronzer, (quite heavily) sorry it's blurry but I was pouting too much in the other shots:

Pretty big difference a sun kissed look can give! It definitely perks up my skin and makes it look more 'alive'.
Here are 3 different bronzers with different tones that I would recommend to pale ladies and gentlemen such as myself. They are all quite affordable and easy to find.

Maybelline bronzer 01 sunlight $7.99 CAD

This is the very palest bronzer I could find. It is a light golden tan with shimmer. It isn't very pigmented but it's great for a subtle look. The shimmer isn't over the top but it is noticeable, so if you don't like shimmer than this isn't for you.
This would suit fair to very fair neutral, warm and olive/yellow skin tones best.

Maybelline sunlight swatch:

Wearing sunlight:

New York Color smooth skin bronzing face powder in sunny 720 $3.99 CAD

I picked this up on a whim because it's so inexpensive, and it turns out that it's pretty great!
The base color is medium brown, and it's got some warm orange and red tones to it but they aren't too much. You can layer to get a more sun baked look, or use lightly for a little bit of color.
The finish is matte, no sparkle or shimmer here. It looks quite natural.
I think this would suit fair to medium warm, olive and neutral skin perfectly.
This might not work for cool skin tones as it could bring out any redness or pink undertones.

Wearing NYC sunny bronzer:

MAC bronze bronzing powder (pictured in limited edition packaging) $27.50 CAD

I think MAC bronze bronzer is my favorite of the bunch. I really like the finish, because it is a little shimmery yet not noticeable on the face. It looks more glowy than anything.
The color is perfect, it's a nice deep brown bronze with a very subtle golden orange tone.
I would have to say that this would suit almost any skin tone. It's quite neutral and can be layered to deepen the color. When applied lightly it can look great on even the whitest skin.

Wearing MAC bronze bronzing powder :

There are a lot of bronzing powders out there and they are hit and miss. It's challenging to find the right tone that doesn't make you look fake.
I find it easiest to apply bronzer with a large skunk brush, since it doesn't pick up much product. That way I can use just a little at a time to ensure I don't put too much on.
Sun kissed skin is beautiful, and using bronzer instead of tanning can save your skin from harmful UV rays and irreversible damage (like age spots and wrinkles!).

You can even use bronzing powder on your body in the summer, to achieve a contoured glow without risking your skin. Just invest in a large brush so you can cover more area.
I love to use Lush Charlotte island body tint. I mix it with my moisturizer and it leaves just a hint of color on my skin. It also smells like chocolate! It's very nice because self tanners tend to smell horribly. I will never touch them again with a ten foot pole because they make me orange.

I hope this has been helpful, I know it's hard for pale people to get a nice fake tan! But it is possible :)