Hello Goodbye

it seems as though my relationship with blogger is coming to a close. I recently ran into some major issues with the blogger database. Basically, what happened is this: I can no longer upload anymore photos to my blog posts because I have apparently used up my quota of pictures (100GB) and can no longer upload anymore pictures to my blog posts through the blogger feed
I think this is a terrible problem for people who are trying to run a blog and honestly, I'm confused by the whole situation. 
This is not necessarily bad news.
I am in the process of switching my entire blog over from blogger to wordpress. This will also mean a new domain name. I will be sure to post all of the information to my new website once it is up and running
the whole process should take no more than 3 weeks. 
See you soon

-DarlingBuds

Music Monday #3: Holiday Edition

Some of my favourite Christmas songs of all time!

Elton John - "Step Into Christmas"

(gotta love a good ole' classic 70s Elton)

Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters - "Jingle Bells"

(there's something about the Holidays that makes me crave jazzy tunes)

Wham! - "Last Christmas"

however, another version of this song that I love is the one by Cascada

Britney Spears - "My Only Wish (This Year)"

another classic pop Christmas song

AND OF COURSE, WHO COULD FORGET THE CLASSIC

MARIAH CAREY - "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU"

And my new favourite song from Mariah Carey's 2011 Christmas album, "Oh Santa"

keep the music playing and bask in holiday cheer!

xoxoDarlingBuds

More Empties

It's so satisfying to finally finish up a product. I have been hoarding these empties for the special occasion of a blog post. Now that's it's finally done, I can't throw these puppies in the trash! 
I'm going to make this post as short and sweet as possible, because I have a lot of empties to get through. So for each product I'm just going to answer these two simple questions:

Did I like it?

Would I buy it again?

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Let's dive in, shall we?

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base

Did I like it? No. I found it to be too thick of a primer, and I didn't notice that it did anything spectacular in terms of making my makeup last any longer. I just noticed that it felt very heavy on my skin. 

Would I buy it again? NO.

Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream (full review here)

Did I like it? Yes. I think it's a very good drugstore BB cream, considering that there are lot of really bad bb creams available at the drugstore.

Would I buy it again? Probably next summer, the light/medium shade is too dark for my pale winter skin.

Laura Mercier Oil-free tinted moisturizer

Did I like it? YES!

Would I buy it again? YES! I'm already on a new tube of this product. I can't live without this in my makeup bag.

Neutrogena Natural Fresh Cleansing + Make-up remover 

(as seen in my skincare routine here)

Did I like it? Yes, it smells like granny smith apples.

Would I buy it again? Maybe. I really like the original foaming makeup cleanser from neutrogena (comes in a light blue bottle) so I'll probably be buying that one next. 

Neutrogena Natural Purifying Pore Scrub

(as seen in my skincare routine post as well)

Did I like it? It's a typical face scrub. I didn't notice that it did anything particularly outstanding for my skin.

Would I buy it again? Probably not.

Philosophy Purity made simple cleanser

(as seen in my skincare post as well)

Did I like it? This product is so over-hyped in the beauty community. First of all, it's not really that "pure" as the name would lead you to believe. I prefer cetaphil as a gentle cleanser.

Would I buy it again? No.

Neutrogena oil-free Acne Stress Control power-cream wash

(as seen in my skincare routine post here and "what's in my shower" post here)

Did I like it? Yes. I can feel it working and I see results after I use it.

Would I buy it again? I want to try the scrub from this range too, but I would buy the power-cream wash again.

Neutrogena oil-free Eye Make-up Remover

(as seen in my skincare post as well)

Did I like it? Yes. It effectively and gently removes all of my eye makeup

Would I buy it again? Yes. It's the only drugstore makeup remover I have found that really works for me.

Bioderma sensibio H2O (cleansing water)

(as also seen in my skincare post)

Did I like it? Yes. It's the most gentle way to remove makeup.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I prefer using bioderma to makeup wipe because I feel like I get more uses out of it than just the 20 or so wipe that come in a pack, but wipes are really good for travel.

Simple cleansing facial wipes

Did I like it? Yes. I noticed that these wipes effectively cleansed my face and were really gentle on my sensitive skin.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I like having makeup wipes around for quick cleansing and for travelling. I prefer the simple brand wipes to neutrogena ones, and they're cheaper too.

Bath & Body Works, Triple Moisture body cream (twilight woods)

Did I like it? Yes. Twilight Woods is my favourite scent from Bath & Body Works and I find that this lotion does an excellent job of hydrating my skin.

Would I buy it again? Not anytime in the near future. I'm really enjoying using the Vaseline brand cocoa butter lotion at the moment

Batiste dry shampoo

Did I like it? Yes - this is definitely one of the better drugstore dry shampoos on the market. Not only does it eliminate the look of greasy roots, but it also helps add volume to my limp, second/third day hair

Would I buy it again? Yes.

Sally Hansen nail polish remover, "maximum strength, moisturizing"

Did I like it? Yes. 

Would I buy it again? I've already repurchased this exact product and am using it currently

OPI nail polish, "Elephantastic Pink"

(see it on my nails here)

Did I like it? LOVE THIS COLOUR! This is one of my favourite nail polish shades of all time. It was the saddest moment when it dried up (I was careless and didn't screw the lid back on all the way).

Would I buy it again? I am definitely going to repurchase this nail polish!

Physicians Formula eye booster liquid eyeliner

Did I like it? Yes. It's actually a very fine brush applicator, and I found it to be super easy to use and get a perfect line

Would I buy it again? Probably not. Maybelline has since come out with an eyeliner similar to this, although it's felt tip, and it gives similar precise results at a much cheaper cost

Maybelline "The Falsies" volum' express mascara

(full review here and here)

Did I like it? No. This mascara does nothing for my lashes and I don't know why everybody loves it so much.

Would I buy it again? No.

Maybelline "One by One" volum' express mascara (waterproof)

Did I like it? Yes! This has now become my favourite mascara. Because it's waterproof, it holds a curl amazingly well and it doensn't smudge or flake at all. 

Would I buy it again? Yes, already have, and I definitely will again.

Garnier skin renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller

Did I like it? Yes. I found this to be a really simple and quick 2-in-1 concealing/anti-fatigue product

Would I buy it again? I think I would.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer (nude)

Did I like it? Yes. This was my go-to concealer over the summer (as you can see by the label, it was well used)

Would I buy it again? Probably. I want to try the touch magique concealer from L'oreal (same idea, different brand) and see which one I prefer, although they're probably nearly the same

Bobbi Brown corrector (porcelain peach)

Did I like it? Yes! This is my holy grail under eye concealer

Would I buy it again? I wouldn't buy it again in the shade porcelain peach, but I have already repurchased it in the shade light bisque

Lush Fresh Face masks: Cosmetic Warrior & BB Seaweed

Did I like it? Yes. Cosmetic Warrior is a mask that helps fight active breakouts. BB Seaweed is a mask that helps adds brightness and moisture back into the skin.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I would repurchase both of them.

I hope that was somewhat helpful. I think looking back on your empties are a great way of analyzing what products you really loved, or just used up to get rid of once and for all.

xoxoDarlingBuds

A Haul to End All Hauls

This is the most collective of hauls.
Over the course of the summer and fall, I've picked up a couple of new products here and there. There have been many-a-shopping excursion over the past few months aside from my recent Sephora Friends & Family Haul.
I picked up a lot of great stuff that I am absolutely loving, and some other things that I probably could have forgone. 

The product I am loving the most are these MAC Pro Sculpting Creams, part of the Face & Body collection they released this fall. 

Top: Pure Sculpture & Coffee Walnut
Bottom, right: [top] Coffee Walnut, [bottom] Pure Sculpture

I first got the colour "Pure Sculpture" (left) which is the more reddish/orange tone. This product is actually very comparable in colour and texture to my beloved Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel. However, for sculpting this was not a good colour match for me and I'm a little peeved that the MAC lady sold me on this. That being said, the second colour I picked up, Coffee Walnut (right), is an absolute dream! I also about this particular shade in my most recent Current Product Loves post. Coffee Walnut is a brownish/greenish shade and when applied to the hollows of the cheeks it just gives the most natural looking shadow. It's really a fantastic product and it was well worth all the hunting I did for it.

Another MAC product I've picked up is the 116 brush. 

I was looking for the 109 brush, but they didn't have it in stock and the MAC lady (a different one than the evil lady who sold me pure sculpture) offered up the 116 in replacement. I really like that it's a stiff, domed blush brush and I've gotten a lot of use out of it thus far. Happy purchase!

I had been dying to try the Too Faced Better Than False Lashes system, and in July, I finally picked it up for myself. 

This lash system is a 3 step process: first and third involved using the bigger gold tube of mascara to coat the lashes, and the second step is the "nylon lash extension." The application is simple and not too time consuming, it also doesn't take a lot of effort to get the desired look. My lashes definitely did look longer, so it worked! However, because of the fibres, my top and bottom lashes had a tendency to get stuck together when I blinked. It wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but it was definitely a strange sensation.

Too Faced Better Than False Lashes: this is the wand for the "nylon lash extensions" - you can see the fibres coating the wand

Two random baubles that I picked up were the Wet n' Wild Idol Eyes eye shadow pencil in the shade Pixi and MAC Studio Finish concealer in the shade NC20. 

I like them both, that's all I can really say about these. They're both pretty generic products. The WnW shadow pencil is really easy to apply to the eyes, and it blends easily, although I do recommend using a base and topping it with a shadow because it won't last long on its own. The MAC concealer is also really creamy and easy to blend and I have been using it mostly as an under eye concealer to help preserve the longevity of my beloved Bobbi Brown corrector. 

I've been a slave to my eyebrows lately and I wanted to try some drugstore eyebrow pencils. For days when I don't have time or don't want to spend the time filling in my eyebrows with powder (MAC Omega) I wanted a pencil for quick and easy touch ups. 

I picked the Rimmel professional Eyebrow Pencil in the shade Hazel and the Wet n' Wild Coloricon pencil in the shade Taupe. I won't be getting a lot of use out of the Rimmel pencil because it is way too orange for my brows/complexion. Unfortunately, Hazel is the lightest shade they have and the next shade up is way too dark. I do love the Wet n' Wild pencil though. Taupe is an ashy blonde colour and it works really well with my eyebrows. The texture of the pencil is very creamy/waxy (because these pencils are also meant to be eyeliners) so I find that it tames my brows along with filling them in. I wish that it came with a spooly on the end, but whatever.

I guess you can say I went a little blush crazy over the past few months.

I purchased my first two ever Topshop cosmetic products. I went for two cream blushes because I've heard the best things about those. I picked up the shades Head over Heels, which is a coral shade (definitely super easy to blend it out and make it more muted) and High Five, which is a bright pink shade. Both of these cream blushes are easily blended to create a flawless flush on your cheeks. I also finally caved and bought my first Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in the shade Tipsy. Tipsy is the most orangey/coral shade offered in the range, and I bought it on recommendation from Vivianna Does Makeup (as per usual). These blushes are super pigmented and definitely worth all the hype they get, in my opinion. I don't think I'll be able to get a lot of use out of this blush during the winter months because I get super pale in the winter I don't think I'll be able to pull off such a bright coral. But for summer, this blush was lovely.

REVLON KISSABLE BALM STAINS!!! I know, I'm probably more excited about these than any normal person should be.

bottom swatches: Charms, Honey, Cherish, Rendezvous, Adore

I was so stoked when these finally showed up in Canadian drugstores. Right off the bat, I purchased Charm, Cherish, Honey, and Rendezvous - brighter colours for summer, and Honey and Charm being more neutral/everyday shades that would have the most wear. Most recently, I picked up Adore, a deep red tube but the colour of the product itself is a lot more orangey/red, but still really nice. Here's a picture of me wearing it that I posted to my instagram:

As you can see, it's not the deepest red, but it's still wearable, especially this season.

Last up, L'Oreal Colour Riche by Colour Caresse (unnecessary long name)

The swatches are flipped
swatches [right pic]: Sunset Angora, Pink Cashmere

I picked up two shades: 171 Pink Cashmere and 176 Sunset Angora. I don't get as much use out of these as the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains, but I still do like these lip products. They are very creamy and they have better pigmentation than Revlon Lip Butters. They don't wear too long, maybe only an hour or two before they need reapplication. These are not to be confused with a tinted lip balm because they are not moisturizing nor are they forigiving on dry lips. The square gold packaging is very chic and I want to look into some of the deeper colours from this range for fall/winter.

WHAT A DOOZY

That was a long ass post for a big ass haul.
So that's a pretty good overview of the products that I've purchased throughout the summer, some that I'm loving and some not so much.

xoxoDarlingBuds

Music Monday #2

Before Monday becomes Tuesday I want to get this week's edition of "Music Monday" posted. I think I'm going to try and make this a weekly thing. I'm going to post a song or songs that have been playing on repeat on my itunes. 
Enjoy!

ZZ Ward - "Last Love Song"

Ke$ha - "Die Young"

(don't shoot me...this song is really catchy!)

Nashville cast - "If I Didn't Know Better"

(I have been so obsessed with this tv show lately! It's awesome. It's the tv version of the movie Country Strong [Donna]. This song is a cover of The Civil Wars song, and is it shameful that I like the Nashville one better?)

keep the music playing

xoxoDarlingBuds

p.s. oops, I just realized I haven't posted anything since last week's Music Monday. I have so many ideas for posts, I just have to hanker down and get all the photos and writing done. Please be patient!

Music Monday #1

Here are some more songs that I'm currently listening to...

Ray Charles - "Georgia on My Mind"

an oldy, but an absolute goody

The Fray - "Never Say Never"

apparently, I've been into a lot of soft-rock moody tunes lately

xoxoDarlingBuds

Sephora Friends & Family Sale HAUL

In terms of shopping, Sephora Friends & Family Sale is up there in my top 5 favourite shopping excursions. 20% off makeup that never goes on sale any other time...um, YES!
This year, I didn't purchase any of the "typical" products that I would usually go for. I didn't get any eyeshadows. I didn't get any blushes. I didn't get any nail polish. I know, strange. Needless to say, I'm super excited about the products I did get and I'd like to share them with you. 
Firstly, one of the great things about the Sephora Friends & Family Sale is that it occurs so close to the holidays therefore all of the brands' holiday kits are already on the shelves!
From Korres, I saw this unbeatable deal: two full size products for literally $5 more than one of the products would have cost alone. WHAT A DEAL!

This particular gift set is called the "Radiance Revealed Wild Rose Brightening Duo" which sounded right up my alley. It's comes with two full size products: Wild Rose daily brightening & refining buff cleanser (left) and the Wild Rose + vitamin C advanced brightening sleeping facial (right). I've been wanting to try the sleeping facial for a while now, and I almost purchased it on its own but when I saw this duo I just couldn't believe the deal. To put it into context: the moisturizer on its own is $62.50, this packaged deal was $69. AMAZING! I'm so excited to start using these products. 

Another amazing deal Holiday deal from Korres was this little bundle 3 full size Korres lip butters, in 3 different colours/scents. One lip butter on its own is $16 - $18). I only tested this lip butter out once on my lips but it was really really nice. I've heard so much about these lip butter from YouTube beauty gurus claiming them to be a miracle product for your lips. I finally caved and I'm inkling to see how they fair 

FINALLY I purchased the Nars smudge proof eyeshadow base that I have been eyeing for a long while(haha, get it? EYEing).

I'm happy to have all of these products in my stash now, especially the eyeshadow base because that have been a long time coveted product. 
Did you anybody else take advantage of Sephora's Friends & Family Sale??

Until next time, 

xoxoDarlingBuds

The Most Festive of Birthday Nails

My birthday was on November 1st and I've developed this kind of tradition where I always paint my nails like this for my birthday. I use OPI's Birthday Babe as a base and then top it with Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday. I love it! It's just another fun little way for me to get into the birthday spirit 

xoxoDarlingBuds

Current Product Loves

Monthly favourites get a little redundant when I'm not constantly changing out my products every month. I found that I've been having to stretch what I've been "loving" as opposed to actually using. I've decided now to just to some random updates as to products that I'm currently loving; hence Current Product Loves

Twas the Halloween season. I'm not a huge fan of halloween, but I do love decorations. The only halloween decor my roommate and I had going on in our apartment was this:

Mini pumpkins, one of which I covered in aquamarine glitter. A little glass pumpkin tea light holder. An owl; and a cobweb/skull tea light lantern. Nothing too extreme, but enough to make it feel a little bit festive. Now that Halloween is over, I'll be switching out all of these decorations for Christmas! Let me tell you, I go all out for Christmas. 

here's a close-up of the cutest little glitter pumpkin there ever was. I just used Mod Podge and Martha Stewart craft glitter

In terms of beauty products, these are the ones that I have been using a lot of most recently.

the first two products kind of go hand-in-hand

1. MAC pro sculpting cream in Coffee Walnut

AND

2. Covergirl single eyeshadow in Brown Smoulder

I've been using these two products as contour shades. Firstly, I was using the covergirl eyeshadow. It looks super scary in the pan, and swatched for that matter, but because it's a matte eyeshadow, it did me quite well as a contour. I was finding that "contouring" with a bronzer was just making me appear more orange than anything. Brown Smoulder is a dark brown colour, with no red or orange understones - just your typical bear brown. I would use a really light hand of this through the hollows of my cheeks and it did the job of creating a shadow through my cheekbones quite well. 

Until I found the Mac pro sculpting cream in Coffee Walnut. This is the most frightening looking contour shade I had ever seen. It's a greenish-brownish colour, but seriously it's amazing! It gives the most perfect shadowed look to the contours of your face. I use this through the hollows of my cheeks, on my temples, and across my jawbone. It's a limited edition product from the Face & Body collection currently out now at MAC. I had a lot of difficulty finding this product, though, so when I finally did find it, it kind of made it all the more special. 

Top - Covergirl eyeshadow in Brown Smoulder
Bottom - MAC pro sculpting cream in Coffee Walnut

3. Dior Amber Diamond all-over shimmering face powder. The highlighter of the gods. I haul'd this a little while back (check out that haul here). I've been using this as my highlighter for the past month or so and it's a beauty. Subtle, yet oh so purrdy. 

4. Beauty Blender sponge. This is the ultimate tool for getting flawless blend to my foundation. I dampen the sponge, and then dab my foundation into place. I'm planning a "favourite beauty tools" post, and this will for sure be in it. 


5. Christian Dior crème de rose lip balm. Such a lovely product! It's rosy, and balmy, and lovely. I use this as a nighttime lip balm because it's nice and thick and has all night to settle in and smooth my lips by morning. I instragrammed a photo as soon as I got this puppy: 

6. Benzagel acne gel. I've been breaking out like a...I don't even know. Just bad. I've been using Benzagel as an all-over treatment on any problem areas. I found that spot treatments just weren't cutting it for this issue, so I turned to the big guns. Benzagel is a 5% benzoyl peroxide solution. For me, salicylic acid on its own doesn't do a whole lot. I have better luck with salicylic acid and something else, or just something else on its own. So far, this benzagel stuff is doing me some good. 

7. Collection 2000 concealer in 02 Light. A heavy duty, liquid concealer. Stays all day. Doesn't look cakey. I use the doe-foot applicator to apply this to any spots or discolouration, and then buff it out with either my beauty blender or a duo fibre brush. I wish they sold this concealer in Canada, but unfortunately, it's a UK only brand. 

8. Since I've been breaking out a lot, I've found that I've needed a heavier foundation for me to feel happy with my face for that day. I've been using Clinique Redness Solution foundation in the shade 01 Alabaster. I like this foundation, it does a pretty good job at covering the majority of my redness and it had very good staying power. The only critique I have though is that this foundation would not cater to pale, pale skin. I'm finding that as my tan progressively fades and I get paler, 01 Alabaster is becoming a touch too dark. I find it a little strange that a brand like Clinique, who supposedly is one of the top skincare brands, especially for people with sensitive skin, wouldn't have lighter shades of foundation, given that a lot of people with sensitive tend to be more pale. You know what I mean? Anyways, for the time being, this foundation is really helping me along. 

9. This is probably the most random product: Polysporin. Like I said, I've been breaking out pretty bad lately. I don't handle breakouts well. It's difficult for me to change my skincare and makeup routines to revolve around the changing texture and tone of my skin. That being said, I tend to pick. I always think that just getting rid of pimple by picking at it will solve all my problems. I'm totally not alone in this though, right? My picking has lead me to have some scars that I NEED to get rid of - hence the polysporin. I've been using this on marks I've left in my skin to help treat them quickly and to promote healing. I use polysporin at night, and Cicaplast from La Roche Posay during the day (which I mentioned in my Skincare Routine post which you can read HERE). 

And those are the products that I have been currently using and loving. 
That's it for now

xoxoDarlingBuds