Wednesday Wants: Summer Makeup

Urban Decay Makeup Setting Spray //  NARS "All Day Luminous" Powder // Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer // Clinique "Stay Matte" Foundation // Tarte Clay 12-Hour Blush 

Benefit Brow Volumizing Gel // Stila Anti-Shine Balm // Fresh SPF 15 Tinted Lip Treatment // Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick

I have a rather strict requirements for my makeup and have been on the hunt this week for products that:
a) are work day appropriate
b) last the entire work day, and;
c) don't melt in the summer weather!

After a lot of internet digging I've rounded up the above products as my "wants" for this week. All have great reviews that look like they would pass my test! I am especially loving that Stila Tinted lip treatment with SPF. Somehow I ALWAYS burn my lips in the summer, so protecting them with SPF is a must. If you have ever burnt your lips before, you feel me! They swell up and I look ridiculous for at least 2 days.

Have you tried any of the above products?! If so, let me know your thoughts! I'd also love to hear what other products you love to get you through your day in the summer!

linking up with: what i wore // style me wednesday // oh hey girl // trendy wednesday //throwback thursday

 

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Beauty & The Boardroom

Boss Lady Mug ~ All photography c/o Ally fotography

Makeup for work can be tricky. Today I wanted to share with you my work day makeup routine. There are two requirements I have: 1) The makeup needs to last all day, and, 2) it needs to take 10 minutes or less to apply. Here is my fool proof work makeup step by step:  

Work Day Makeup that Lasts All Day 

1. Skin/Base:

 

First, I start by applying Photo Finish Primer to my entire face. This gives my skin an even look and helps my makeup last all day.

Second, I apply pore professional to my nose. I have massive pores - and this product is a game changer.

Third, I apply erase paste underneath my eyes. I always seem to have dark circles (permanently sleep deprived!) and this covers them without sinking into the creases and looking cakey.

Next, I apply Estee Lauder Double Wear. This is seriously THE best foundation in the world. It is worth every penny. I tried it out last year after seeing so many beauty bloggers raving about it and now it is the only makeup I will use. If you are looking for makeup to last your whole work day this is definitely it. 

Finally, I apply my Makeup Forever powder & Agent Zero Shine. BOOM. Skin is flawless and will stay this way all day long.

2. Eyes/Eyebrows:

 

Next I move on to my eyes. Eye makeup should be kept subtle for the work place- so for me that means a mix of pale nudes, pinks & browns.

To get this "mix" I have always loved the convenience of eye shadow palettes - but I hate how there are always some colors I never use. The Buxom Customizable Eyeshadow Kit has thus become my new favorite (makeup) thing. You can pick your own six buxom colors to customize your own palette. I have one of these for my workday makeup and one for evenings/more fun makeup!

After applying my neutral eye shadow, I curl my  eyelashes then apply Annabelle pencil eyeliner in the thinest possible line I can draw. This is super cheap drug store eyeliner - but I have found it stays in place better than any of the expensive liners I have tried. It goes on really smoothly as well!

After eyeliner, I go for mascara. I am *obsessed* with the L'Oreal double extend - another drug store find. This cheap mascara is the best for elongating your lashes. I swear by the primer side of it! I also really like that the mascara side is that new formula of 'tube' mascara - so it makes removing my makeup at the end of the day so. much. easier. No more raccoon eyes!

Finally I move to my eyebrows. I have pencil thin eyebrows due to overplucking (thanks for that 7th grade me...) I love the Anastasia brow powder duo to fill in my brows. I find pencil fillers to be far too strong for the work place, whereas this powder just adds subtle fill/dimension in line with your natural brows. perfect. 

I finish up my eyebrows with a quick swipe of Anastasia's clear brow gel. My eyebrows naturally point downwards, so I love this gel to just set all the hairs in the exact shape I want.

 

  

3. Lips:

Lipstick for work should be understated. There are two lipsticks that I alternate between. They are soft shades and they also are the best texture! These are NARS "Audacious" in "Anita" and YSL "Rouge Volupte" in "Opera Rose". The NARS by some crazy amazing miracle of science lasts me ALL DAY LONG. Even when I drink my coffee with it on!

And done! That takes me between 5-10 minutes (...depending on how tired I am while doing it haha) I'll put a recap of all the products I used below. I hope you all have an excellent Monday ahead of you. See you back here on Wednesday!

Follow me on Bloglovin' to make sure you don't miss any posts - you'll get an email straight to your inbox (just 1!) with post recaps of all the blogs you follow. It makes it so much easier to find and read posts you are interested in! 

Work Day Makeup Products:

Face:
- Makeup Forever Powder 

- Erase Paste
- Photo Finish Primer

- Pore Professional

- Estee Lauder Double Wear

- Agent Zero Shine

Eyes:
- Buxom Customizable Eyeshadow 

- Annabelle Eyeliner 

- Anastasia Brow Powder 

- Anastasia Brow Gel

- L'Oreal Mascara  

Lips:  

- NARS "Anita"
- YSL "Opera Rose"

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Rodan & Fields

**Photography: JayJay Photography**

Similar Chambray Shirt // Jeans (my favorite skinnies!)

Today I want to talk to you about skincare. I recently have fallen in love with Rodan & Fields. Most of you probably don't know that I have struggled with my skin my entire life. I had TERRIBLE acne in middle school - so much so, that between the 6th and 10th grades I was on three different acne medications - including the really serious Acutane. I still struggle with breakouts, but being in my late twenties, I now also have concerns such as preventing & treating wrinkles. Enter Rodan & Fields!

Rodan & Fields was created by two dermatologists (the ones who created Proactiv) and, as such, the line is backed by medically sound knowledge and expertise. R&F is now the 4th most popular skincare line in the United States, and, luckily for us Canadians, it is now (finally) in Canada!
 
 

I was introduced to the Rodan & Fields UNBLEMISH line. Unblemish is great for women like myself who still fight breakouts, but want to start ensuring their skin ages well. My current skincare regimen is: the UNBLEMISH three step routine (face wash, toner, acne treatment), the REDEFINE eye cream, and the ACUTE CARE strips - All in the evening. In the mornings, I simply rinse my face and apply sunscreen. 

While I have been extremely impressed by the UNBLEMISH line, by far I am most impressed with the ACUTE CARE strips. I have been using these awesome lil band-aid looking guys for a week *only one week* and can see a major difference. These have been nicknamed "at home botox" since they are a topical, at home way to treat wrinkles- but give the results of botox (without the horrible side effect of a fake, frozen looking face!) I am extremely self-conscious about 3 wrinkles I have on my forehead. I have been using the Acute strips on these and the results are already visible!

My photos from day 1 and yesterday (day 7):

Because I am a semi-crazy person who can't seem to stop taking on new things, I have officially become a Rodan & Fields consultant! You can purchase any of the products off of my webpage here. There is a "solution tool" that determines what skincare regime is best for your personal skincare needs. I highly recommend using this tool.

If you have any questions about any Rodan & Fields products I would be more than happy to answer them. You can leave me comments below, email me, or message me through my Rodan & Fields website. I am also looking to add more women to my team of consultants so if you are interested in learning more about this, please let me know! If you are in Canada this is a particularly huge and exciting opportunity (find out why by asking me!)

Thanks so much (as always) for reading everyone! I hope to see you back here on Monday for a new outfit post. Have a great weekend! And to my American friends - happy belated Thanksgiving! Hope you had an amazing day yesterday! 

Here is my round up of the BEST Black Friday deals for anyone in Canada:
Steve Madden: 20% off with free shipping (code OMG). This includes these amazing boots which are look-a-likes for the Stuart Weitzman ones - at 1/10th of the price (literally)

Banana Republic: 50% off sweaters and 40% off the rest of your purchase (code BRFRIDAY)

J.Crew Factory: 50% off everything and free shipping to Canada if you spend $50 or more (code SHIPGIFTS) 

J.Crew: 30% off everything, 40% off some (code HOLIDAY). My favorites are this gorgeous sweater, and this shirt dress.

ALDO: 50% off sale and 20% off new arrivals (only until noon EST!) (code BLKFRI)

Tory Burch: Today they have free shipping to Canada! This NEVER happens! Also, if you spend $250 or more you get 30% off your order. (code THANKS). I finally bought These classic black boots that I have had my eye on all season! 

Happy Shopping! 

Linking up with: flashback fashion friday // casual friday // fab favorites // the style files // friday favorites // forage fashion // favorite fashion friday // style saturday 

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Fashion & Beauty Tricks (aka. life hacks)

For a little something different today I wanted to do a post on my top 5 fashion & beauty "tricks". I show you so many of my office looks - the outfits, the hair and the makeup. What I thought you may be interested in is the little 'life hacks' I use to get these looks quickly and easily. Ie. The little tricks I've found that help me out in terms of my beauty and fashion.

I've got five key tricks (...for now!) that make my beauty routine and my 'outfit selection' easier. I hope these tips help you out! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

1) Make a List of Work Outfits:

My friend Natalia actually told me about doing this, and oh my gosh has it ever been a huge help in cutting down my time in the mornings! Growing up I always heard "lay out your outfits the night before" but seriously, as a fashion lover, who the heck can do that!?! My fashion is entirely dictated by my mood so I definitely can't pick something out the night before. This, however, is totally different. 

Spending 20 minutes one day writing a list of outfits I can make from my wear-to-work wardrobe means I have a bunch of ideas of outfits already picked out, but, I still have choice in the morning as I can pick off of this 10 outfit list (..and cross them off when I'm done so I don't wear the same outfit again in the two week period). Such a simple but awesome fashion trick! 

2) Glitter Tip Nails:
 
Shhhh.. don't tell anyone that these "i-look-like-i-just-got-my-nails-done" nails are actually my totally lazy way of extending my manicure. Whenever my nail polish starts chipping at the tips I just put glitter polish on the tips and voila! Fresh nails that people always compliment! You may have noticed these nails in my outfit posts here & here.

3) Phone Log:

Something I always do when I have a particularly "tough to match" item of clothing or home decor, is snap a picture on my IPhone so that when I'm shopping and think I see something that would work with it, I can check the colours, details, etc. in the picture with the item in the store and make sure it matches.

4) Heat Your Eyelash Curler:
 
I have naturally long eyelashes, which is great, but they are pin straight. There is zero curl to them at all, and after years of eyelash curling to no avail I discovered this little trick. Regular eyelash curling curls my eyelashes for an hour or so, and that's it. Heating the eyelash curler a bit before curling makes them stay curled all day. Win!
*If you try this yourself please be very careful!! You can burn yourself if you heat the curler for too long.

5) Separate Everyday Makeup and Other Makeup:
  

Anyone else's makeup drawers a disaster? Mine looked like a Sephora fulled tornado and a MAC hurricane had a makeup baby. Rough. Then, I realized that most makeup in my drawer I used once a week or less. So, I cleaned out my drawer so that only the items I use everyday are in it, with all other makeup stored in makeup bags beneath my sink. 

This keeps my makeup drawer less messy, with my makeup easier to find when I'm rushing out the door in the morning. Also, I sometimes forget the makeup I have in my bags and thus get excited when I find say a red lipstick I totally forgot about. It's like getting new makeup haha. 

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