Julep Maven Box: February 2013

This month's Julep Maven box is inspired by awards season (Golden Globes, Academy Awards, etc.) and all the glamour surrounding them. I decided to keep my "It Girl" style box, which included three shades from Julep's new Glamour Collection, as well as a complimentary bottle of their new Freedom Polymer Top Coat, which is supposed to have the shine and chip-free longevity of a gel manicure, but without the hassle of gel removal. The three shades I received this month are:

Joan, Rebel, and Marion

Joan is a medium-dark raspberry red jelly-like base with rose gold shimmer. It is named after Joan Crawford. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two thin-medium coats. It is darker with more shimmer particles than Zoya Tori, and lighter than Chanel Gondola.

Rebel is a light silver with holographic shimmer in a satin finish. It is named after Rebel Wilson. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in two thin-medium coats. It is slightly lighter and denser than Butter London Dodgy Barnett, and has finer shimmer than China Glaze Glistening Snow.

Marion is a medium-dark peacock blue with teal undertones and silver micro-shimmer. It is named after Marion Cotillard. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. It has high pigmentation and will reach opacity in one medium coat. It is lighter and less teal than Butter London Bluey, and darker and less holographic than Zoya Charla.

All three polishes applied beautifully across the board — smooth, fluid, pigmented, and completely self-levelling. Honestly, this is how all polishes should flow. At first, the shades don't seem all that unique, but it's the shimmer in them that sets them apart, because it makes them look like they're lit from within. Definitely appropriate to be apart of a collection called Glamour. I also like that the shades aren't really season- or trend-specific; I could wear these all year round. Totally pleased with all three polishes. I did also test the Freedom Polymer Top Coat, which came for free along with my box. I don't know if it really has a gel-like shine because I've never actually had a gel manicure, but I did notice that it dries relatively fast (about two or three minutes, give or take), and keeps my polish staying chip-free for longer. It doesn't dry as fast as Seche Vite (my favourite top coat), but it does keep my nails looking shinier for longer than Seche Vite. For the price ($18 retail), I would still buy Seche Vite over it, but it is a very, very good top coat, and I would definitely get it if it was an add-on option for future Julep Maven boxes. All in all, I'm totally happy with this month's box.

Survey Says...

This week's Survey Says... from Temptalia:

Last skincare product you finished? Philosophy's Purity Made Simple Facial Cleansing Gel & Eye Makeup Remover. This is my holy grail make-up removing cleanser. Takes off everything like you wouldn't believe, and it's super-gentle while still foaming. I'm someone who likes a multi-tasking cleanser (I like to take off my eye and face make-up at the same time in the shower rather than use a separate eye make-up remover), and this does the trick. Phenomenal stuff.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleansing Gel & Eye Makeup Remover

Last make-up product you finished? MAC's Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash Mascara. My holy grail mascara; I go through a tube every month-and-a-half. I've tried cheaper drugstore brands and expensive higher end brands, but I still go back to this one.

MAC Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash Mascara
Last haircare product you finished? Lush's Happy Happy Joy Joy Hair Conditioner. I originally bought it for the scent (orange flower absolute, rosewood, and grapefruit), but it didn't end up being hydrating or detangling enough for my hair. I also like thicker conditioners, and this one is so lightweight, it's almost runny. Made my hair smell good all day, though.

Lush Happy Happy Joy Joy Hair Conditioner

February Pick-Ups & Deliveries

I found myself having an influx of cash this month, and celebrated by — what else? — shopping. This is technically a haul post, featuring stuff I bought or received that didn't fit into any other posts. So, what'd I get this month?

Deborah Lippmann The Millionaire's Holiday Nail Lacquer Set: Sexy Mama, Easy Money, and From Rags to Riches

Philosophy Take a Deep Breath Gel-Cream and Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream with Super 7 Complex

AmorePacific Moisture Bound Rejuvenating Serum

MAC Lightful Marine-Bright Formula Cleanser, Softening Lotion, Essence, and Moisture Cream, and 100-Pack Wipes

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots (clockwise from bottom): Chilled on Ice, Let Me Pop, Vintage Selection, Frozen Violet, and Dangerous Cuvée

MAC Archie's Girls Limited Edition Yours Forever Tote

Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum (100 ml)

Bath & Body Works Fresh Picked Hand Cream in Tangerines, Apples, and Strawberries (on sale for 3 for $10!)

Bath & Body Works Lavender Vanilla 3-Wick Candles (thanks for finding them for me, Liz!)

True Grace Jasmine Tea Candle and Tea Forté Cucumber Mint Green Tea from Liz

OPI Euro Centrale Mini Nail Lacquer Set: Can't Find My Czechbook, You're Such a Budapest, Suzi's Hungary Again!, and Oy-Another Polish Joke!

Lush The Ex-Factor and Space Girl Bath Bombs from my Lush friend, Fran

Weeds: The Complete Eighth Season on DVD, The Perks of Being a Wallflower on DVD, and Drive on DVD + Blu-ray

Not pictured here: some new novels from Amazon (which you will slowly see in the "Currently Reading" and "Previously Read" sections on the sidebar), tickets to see Paramore in May, tickets to see Tegan and Sara and Fun. in July, a few bottles of my favourite Shiseido Supermild Shampoo and Conditioner (made a trip to T&T and had to stock up), and lots of fun underwear from Aerie (couldn't resist free shipping). This is, of course, on top of everything else already featured this month (MAC Archie's Girls and Year of the Snake collections, Butter London's Sweetie Shop collection, etc.). I promise I will have more self-control in March... 

TheBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

Top row: Lusty Lee, Envious Erin, and Racy Kacy

Middle row: Safe Bet Annette, Runaround Rebecca, and Come-Hither Heather

Bottom row: Open to Offers Olwen, All the Way Annie, and Guilty Gwen

So, sometime last summer, I purchased a bunch of products from TheBalm. The whole thing that spawned this mini shopping spree was their promotion that was going on at the time: Buy all three Shady Lady eyeshadow palettes for the price of one! And you know I had to jump on that deal. Of course, a week after I received these palettes, I sort of... forgot about them. But I promised myself to actually use all of my unopened make-up products this year, so I made sure to bust these guys out. Shady Lady Vol. 3 comes in a slim cardstock case and has a magnetic close. It comes with a mirror that spans the length of the lid. The cover design of this palette features a giraffe print background and the silhouette of a girl along with the name of the palette and the brand in light grey. Each palette contains nine eyeshadow shades, a total of 14.4 grams of product, and retails for $39.50 USD.

Lusty Lee, Envious Erin, and Racy Kacy

Lusty Lee is a light-medium cool-toned silver with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly cooler than MAC Electra, and much lighter and cooler than Urban Decay S&M.

Envious Erin is a pale warmed creamy white with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more white than Tempting Tara, and warmer than MAC White Frost.

Racy Kacy is a medium-dark copper-brown with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is much more brown than MAC Coppering, and lighter and more copper than MAC Antiqued.

Safe Bet Annette, Runaround Rebecca, and Come-Hither Heather

Safe Bet Annette is a light-medium warm-toned pink with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter than MAC Da Bling, and more frosted than Urban Decay Heartless.

Runaround Rebecca is a medium khaki-olive with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is cooler than MAC Sumptuous Olive, and lighter and warmer than Urban Decay Snare.

Come-Hither Heather is a medium-dark mauve-taupe with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and more grey than MAC Satin Taupe, and less brown than Urban Decay Bust.

Open to Offers Olwen, All the Way Annie, and Guilty Gwen

Open to Offers Olwen is a medium brightened teal-blue with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is brighter and more blue than MAC Steamy, and more muted than Urban Decay Deep End.

All the Way Annie is a dark red-toned violet with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is redder and more frosted than MAC Fig. 1, and darker than MAC Nocturnelle.

Guilty Gwen is a dark softened black in a satin finish with silver shimmer particles. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more pigmented than MAC Black Tied, and similar to Urban Decay Oil Slick.

The formula of these eyeshadows is phenomenal across the board — soft, smooth, pigmented, easily blendable. What I like about the Shady Lady palettes is that there is enough variety in the shades that keeps it interesting without being unwearable. They're great for those who want to experiment with colour but not overwhelm themselves, and these shades will work well on most skintones and undertones. Vol. 3 differs slightly from both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by having less neutral colours, but it still has a good mix of warm and cool shades. On that note, I do think this palette could benefit from more of a variety in finishes (all of these shades are frosted or shimmery) to make it even more well-rounded. However, the price is incredibly reasonable, even at regular retail price, and works out to be much less expensive than comparable brands like MAC and Urban Decay. I still don't understand why TheBalm isn't more widely available than it currently is; their products certainly perform at the same level or higher than many much more popular brands.

Sunday Video Love: Steel and Blood

Often times, experimental rock music gets too complicated, almost too experimental, and it becomes difficult to enjoy because there's just so much going on. I've been following Minus the Bear for the past few years, and whereas I enjoyed their music enough, I didn't really fall in love with them until they released Infinity Overhead last year. It still has their distinct sound (seriously, you can always tell that it's Minus the Bear), but it's not as eccentric or sporadic as their older albums. It has just the right mix of catchy and quirky, guitars and synth, rock and electronica — enough to launch them into the mainstream. And after nearly 12 years, it's really about time.

TheBalm Shady Lady Vol. 2 Eyeshadow Palette

Top row: Caught in the Act Courtney, Feisty Felicia, and Insane Jane

Middle row: Bossy Bobbi, Makeout Mary, and Just This Once Jamie

Bottom row: Mischievous Marissa, Tempting Tara, and Devilish Danielle

So, sometime last summer, I purchased a bunch of products from TheBalm. The whole thing that spawned this mini shopping spree was their promotion that was going on at the time: Buy all three Shady Lady eyeshadow palettes for the price of one! And you know I had to jump on that deal. Of course, a week after I received these palettes, I sort of... forgot about them. But I promised myself to actually use all of my unopened make-up products this year, so I made sure to bust these guys out. Shady Lady Vol. 2 comes in a slim cardstock case and has a magnetic close. It comes with a mirror that spans the length of the lid. The cover design of this palette features a zebra print background and the silhouette of a girl along with the name of the palette and the brand in light grey. Each palette contains nine eyeshadow shades, a total of 17 grams of product, and retails for $39.50 USD.

Caught in the Act Courtney, Feisty Felicia, and Insane Jane

Caught in the Act Courtney is a dark warm chocolate brown with red undertones in a satin finish with gold shimmer particles. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is less reddened than MAC Swiss Chocolate, and more golden than MAC Make Your Mark Pro Longwear Eyeshadow. 

Feisty Felicia is a blackened plum-brown in a satin finish with silver shimmer particles. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more brown than MAC Shadowy Lady, and more plum than MAC Handwritten.

Insane Jane is a medium taupe-brown with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and more brown than MAC Satin Taupe, and darker than Urban Decay Verve.

Bossy Bobbi, Makeout Mary, and Just This Once Jamie

Bossy Bobbi is a medium-dark teal-blue with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and more teal than MAC Deep Truth, and lighter and more blue than Urban Decay Hijack.

Makeout Mary is a medium yellowed olive green with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more green than MAC Sumptuous Olive, and lighter than Urban Decay Mildew.

Just This Once Jamie is a medium mauve pink with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is much lighter and more pink than MAC Shale, and slightly lighter than Urban Decay Bordello.

Mischievous Marissa, Tempting Tara, and Devilish Danielle

Mischievous Marissa is a medium muted orange with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and less red than MAC Coppering, and lighter and more muted than MAC Hot Paprika Pro Longwear Eyeshadow.

Tempting Tara is a pale cream with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter than MAC Dazzlelight, and warmer than Urban Decay Zephyr.

Devilish Danielle is a pale peachy champagne with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly darker and more peach than MAC Dazzlelight, and slightly lighter than MAC Jest.

The formula of these eyeshadows is phenomenal across the board — soft, smooth, pigmented, easily blendable. What I like about the Shady Lady palettes is that there is enough variety in the shades that keeps it interesting without being unwearable. They're great for those who want to experiment with colour but not overwhelm themselves, and these shades will work well on most skintones and undertones. On that note, I do think this palette could benefit from more of a variety in finishes (all of these shades are frosted or shimmery) to make it even more well-rounded. I'm also disappointed in the fact that Caught in the Act Courtney is included in both Shady Lady Vol. 1 and Vol. 2; I always think that if a company is going to release a series of eyeshadow palettes, they should always have completely separate shades in each palette. However, the price is incredibly reasonable, even at regular retail price, and works out to be much less expensive than comparable brands like MAC and Urban Decay. I still don't understand why TheBalm isn't more widely available than it currently is; their products certainly perform at the same level or higher than many much more popular brands.

Friday Five: Spinning

This week's Friday Five:

1. What's had you spinning 'round in circles lately? Bills. And boys (well, one in particular...).
2. When were you last on a bicycle? Probably three years ago? Like, a week after I bought it. And I'm not even sure why I bought that bike. I think maybe out of nostalgia, because I'd always had a bike and my old one was getting too rusty to use. But living where I live in suburbia, I always drive everywhere and don't have the need for a bike. And, let's be honest, I'm not exactly outdoorsy... But I really should take that bike out again, even if it's just to ride around my neighbourhood.
3. Who's the best storyteller you know? My friend, Anj. When she tells a story, I can so vividly imagine what she's describing, it's like watching it on film rather than just hearing about it.
4. How well do you handle carnival rides? Very well; I love carnival rides. Though I tend to go to carnivals more so for the food... I'm more of a roller coaster kind of girl myself. The more thrilling, the better.
5. What do you think of TV game show, Wheel of Fortune? I like it as much as the next person, I suppose. It's not my favourite game show, but it's entertaining when it's on. Of course, I rarely ever watch cable television to begin with.

TheBalm Shady Lady Vol. 1 Eyeshadow Palette

Top row: Caught in the Act Courtney, Shameless Shana, and Luscious Lani

Middle row: Jealous Jordana, Risqué Renee, and Curvy Cami

Bottom row: Jet-Setting Jennifer, All About Alex, and Easy Wheezie

So, sometime last summer, I purchased a bunch of products from TheBalm. The whole thing that spawned this mini shopping spree was their promotion that was going on at the time: Buy all three Shady Lady eyeshadow palettes for the price of one! And you know I had to jump on that deal. Of course, a week after I received these palettes, I sort of... forgot about them. But I promised myself to actually use all of my unopened make-up products this year, so I made sure to bust these guys out. Shady Lady Vol. 1 comes in a slim cardstock case and has a magnetic close. It comes with a mirror that spans the length of the lid. The cover design of this palette features a cheetah print background and the silhouette of a girl along with the name of the palette and the brand in light grey. Each palette contains nine eyeshadow shades, a total of 19.4 grams of product, and retails for $39.50 USD.

Caught in the Act Courtney, Shameless Shana, and Luscious Lani

Caught in the Act Courtney is a dark warm chocolate brown with red undertones in a satin finish with gold shimmer particles. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is less reddened than MAC Swiss Chocolate, and more golden than MAC Make Your Mark Pro Longwear Eyeshadow. 

Shameless Shana is a medium golden brown with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more frosted than MAC Texture, and less copper than Urban Decay Chopper. 

Luscious Lani is a light pinked beige with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more pink than MAC Jest, and lighter than MAC Naked Lunch.

Jealous Jordana, Risqué Renee, and Curvy Cami

Jealous Jordana is a dark cool-toned forest green in a frosted finish with gold shimmer particles. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more cool-toned than MAC Humid, and lighter and more green than Urban Decay Loaded. 

Risqué Renee is a dark smoky indigo blue with purple undertones in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more purple-toned than MAC Contrast, and dirtier than MAC Thru the Night Pro Longwear Eyeshadow. 

Curvy Cami is a medium-dark pinked plum with red undertones in a frosted finish with gold shimmer particles. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more pink than MAC Trax, and less brown than MAC Star Violet.

Jet-Setting Jennifer, All About Alex, and Easy Wheezie

Jet-Setting Jennifer is a light yellowed wheat beige with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly warmer than MAC Retrospeck, and more golden than Urban Decay Midnight Cowgirl. 

All About Alex is a medium-dark sage green with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is cooler than MAC Sumptuous Olive, and warmer than MAC Greensmoke. 

Easy Wheezie is a medium greyed cornflower blue with shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more greyed than MAC Moon's Reflection.

The formula of these eyeshadows is phenomenal across the board — soft, smooth, pigmented, easily blendable. What I like about the Shady Lady palettes is that there is enough variety in the shades that keeps it interesting without being unwearable. They're great for those who want to experiment with colour but not overwhelm themselves, and these shades will work well on most skintones and undertones. On that note, I do think this palette could benefit from more of a variety in finishes (all of these shades are frosted or shimmery) to make it even more well-rounded. However, the price is incredibly reasonable, even at regular retail price, and works out to be much less expensive than comparable brands like MAC and Urban Decay. I still don't understand why TheBalm isn't more widely available than it currently is; their products certainly perform at the same level or higher than many much more popular brands.

Survey Says...

This week's Survey Says... from Temptalia:

Best navy blue eyeliner? I love MAC's Petrol Blue Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner for its gorgeous creamy texture and shimmery metallic finish, and MAC's Night Trail Pro Longwear Eye Liner for its longevity on the waterline.

MAC Petrol Blue Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner and Night Trail Pro Longwear Eye Liner

Best navy blue eyeshadow? MAC's Lunar Extra Dimension Eyeshadow. Love, love, love the formula of these — smooth, silky, pigmented, and lightweight — and this is the most gorgeous navy with a slight violet-blue sheen.

MAC Lunar Extra Dimension Eyeshadow
Best way to complement navy blue eye makeup? A nude lip. When I do a navy blue eye, I like to keep the rest of the face neutral. I have a ton of nude lipsticks, but a favourite has always been YSL's Rouge Volupté Lipstick in #4 Sweet Honey (I think this has been discontinued, sadly). And I use MAC's Double Happiness Cremesheen Glass on top of all my nude lipsticks because it has just the perfect amount of peachy-pink in it to keep my lips from looking too washed out.

MAC Double Happiness Cremesheen Glass and YSL #4 Sweet Honey Rouge Volupté Lipstick

Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer in Fiver

After yesterday's -22ºC (with windchill) temperature, it feels like Spring is never going to arrive, but at least cosmetics companies are keeping us entertained with their Spring collections (by "keeping us entertained," I really mean "mocking us"). A few weeks ago, Butter London released their Spring collection, aptly named Sweetie Shop. There are a total of six new shades, all of them pastel shades in cream finishes (I told you I'd go back to creams, didn't I?). This is not a new trend for Spring, as pastels (or "Easter colours") are pretty common to be released this time of year, but I picked up a few shades because they were just too damn cute to resist. I was seriously debating whether or not I should pick up Fiver, but we all know mint greens are my weakness.


Fiver is a pale mint green-aqua with blue undertones in a cream finish. It has a fluid consistency without being too thick or too runny. It goes on fairly smoothly without any pulling or bubbling, but I did experience some streaking. It has high pigmentation and goes opaque in two medium coats, though a third coat may be needed to help with covering any streaks. It is more blue than Essie's Mint Candy Apple, less greyed than China Glaze's Re-Fresh Mint, and more green than Illamasqua's Nudge. There are a lot of good dupes for this shade, but if you're on the lookout for a mint green polish, this is a great option as it does have a better formula than most mint shades I've tried (which tend to be more streaky, uneven, and sheer). For whatever reason, the only thing I can think of to compare this shade to right now is Baskin-Robbins' Daiquiri Ice ice cream. I am seriously ready for warmer weather, guys.

Sunday Video Love: Future Starts Slow

Been jammin' to The Kills lately, one of my favourite post-modern garage/lo-fi/grunge bands. So glad they're finally making it big. (You know you've made it when your music's featured not just on Gossip Girl, but also The Vampire Diaries.)

John & Sons Oyster House

I met up with Liz yesterday for an early dinner (or, in my case, a late lunch) at John & Sons Oyster House:

Crab cake

Shrimp tacos

Since we got there early, they were still offering their happy hour menu, so we ordered the crab cake from the regular menu, and then three items from the happy hour menu since we wanted to take advantage of the cheaper prices. The crab cake was moist and packed with chunks of Dungeness crab, with a perfectly crisp and golden exterior, and served with a tart lemon aioli on top that complimented the crab well. But we both agreed that neither the quality nor the quantity merited a $15 price tag. For that price, the crab cake should have been at least the size of a hockey puck. The shrimp tacos that we ordered from the happy hour menu were beautifully presented, served with salsa and lime wedges on the side... but sadly, weren't as good as they looked. Texturally, I appreciated the contrast between the fleshy shrimp, crunchy cabbage, and crisp tortilla shell. But there was something missing. The shrimp was coated in a zesty-spicy marinade, and the cabbage was tossed in a tart vinaigrette, but there just wasn't enough sauce to hold it all together. It's like a sandwich that's too dry. Kind of disappointing, because they had so much potential.

Steamed mussels

Deep-fried oysters

The mussels were better, served classically steamed in a white wine broth with shallots, bacon, and fennel. I thought the quality of the mussels themselves could have been better — bigger, plumper, fleshier — but they were satisfying enough. We agreed that many restaurants serve mussels on par with these ones, though the quality and quantity might differ from the version on their regular menu. The unanimous favourite of the evening was the deep-fried oysters, golden nuggets of pure joy. The oysters were big and juicy, coated in spicy panko batter that gives off the perfect crunch, and served with the most addictive chipotle aioli (which I later spread on the shrimp taco to give it some more kick). I guess you should stick to oysters when at an oyster house, right? I'm not going to write off this place just yet because I don't feel like what we had tonight was really a fair assessment of the quality of their food, since their regular menu differs quite a lot from their happy hour menu. I mean, the place was packed by 5:00, so it must be popular for a reason. I think next time, I'll stick to the regular menu and try out the raw oysters while I'm at it.


John & Sons Oyster House
56 Temperance Street
Toronto, ON M5H 3V5
(416) 703-5111

Friday Five: Criticism

This week's Friday Five:

1. How well do you receive criticism? It really depends on what it's regarding, and who the criticism is coming from. If it's about a skill set (e.g. make-up application), I'd receive it well from someone who has much more experience in said skill (e.g. a make-up artist who has been in the industry for much longer than me). If it's about my intelligence, admittedly not very well. If it's about my looks... well, I suppose it's subjective, but as long as it's honest and not in a way to hurt my feelings, I'd take it well enough. In the end, it's all about the delivery of the criticism. If you're going to criticize, make it constructive.
2. When did someone else's criticism of you result in growth? It's usually from a teacher; like, when I was in make-up school, my teacher would tell me to alter a technique that I'd used for years to achieve a look in an easier or more efficient way. In terms of personal growth (as opposed to professional), I would say from my best friend, Ben. He's eight years older than I am, so he often has a different outlook on a situation, and he'd tell me to change an approach to something (e.g. relationships) if I was having problems with it (e.g. be less blunt so I don't come off as intimidating).
3. What do you think of film critics? I don't usually trust them. I've often enjoyed films that critics have generally hated (e.g. Gangster Squad), and I've hated films that they've lauded (e.g. District 9).
4. What's something you'd like to make a critical statement about right now? This is going to sound really silly, but... people taking beauty bloggers' opinions as gospel. Like, there are readers out there who will outright say they don't like something or won't buy something because one beauty blogger said she didn't like it or rated it poorly. This pisses me off, because one, most beauty bloggers aren't make-up artists or even in the industry — what makes them more of an expert on a product? — and two, these readers haven't even seen or touched these products in person, so they are judging the performance of these products solely through what they see online. Many beauty blogs create incredibly ignorant consumers.
5. Who's the most critical person you know? Probably me. And then Ben. Oh, and my mom, but she's mostly just critical of me.

Prihtee Paintz Nail Polish in Love Taco

A couple days ago, my friend, Fran, introduced me to her friend who owns an indie polish company called Prihtee Paintz. She had a box of her polishes with her, so I obviously had to take a look, and I bought two then and there (at $10.50 a pop, I could not resist... and, hey, I love supporting indie companies). I mean, come on, showing me nail polish is like showing an alcoholic a double shot of vodka. Anyway, she had some shades from her Valentine's collection with her, and when I saw Love Taco, I knew I had to have it. (I would also have bought the polish based on the name alone.) I'm not really celebrating Valentine's Day this year, but my nails sure are.

Love Taco (worn on top of Julep's Joan and Chanel's Rouge Noir)

Love Taco is a clear light pink base with neon pink large heart and hexagonal glitter, light pink pearl medium hexagonal glitter, red square glitter, and red holographic micro-glitter. Due to the intense amount of glitter, it does go on quite chunky and thick, and it does require some work to place the glitter pieces evenly. Because of the clear base and different sizes of glitter, it does not really reach opacity and should be used more so as a top coat (in the photo, I have used Julep's Joan on my index and ring fingers and Chanel's Rouge Noir on my middle and pinky fingers). I can't find an exact dupe; this has a lot more glitter than Nicole by OPI's Have a Heart. I used two coats on top of a cream polish, which seemed to yield a good amount of glitter per nail. This is one of those polishes that can be time-consuming to use because the glitter doesn't apply very evenly on the nail, so you might have to shift some here and there... But, hey, this has got to be one of the most fun polishes I've ever seen for Valentine's. It's like Cupid exploded all over my nails.

Happy Valentine's Day to those who are celebrating; Happy Thursday to those who aren't!

Shiso Tree Café

When Steph and I meet up for dinner, we usually try something more adventurous, a place that neither of us have been to before. But tonight, we were feeling nostalgic for our favourite Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant, so we went to Shiso Tree Café.

Nori Fries

We decided to bypass our usual pasta set (which comes with salad, soup, and dessert) and share an order of fries instead. For whatever reason, Shiso Tree Café is known for their Japanese-style fresh cut fries along with their pastas. I've tried their okonomiyaki fries before, but wanted to try a different variety this time around, so we decided on the nori fries. They take their fresh cut fries — perfectly crispy and golden — and toss it in their homemade wafu dressing and Japanese seaweed (or nori), and serve it piping hot in a large paper cone. Steph thought they were on the saltier side, but I thought they were just perfect. I love the savoury-tart combination of soy sauce, vinegar, and shiso in wafu dressing, and think it works wonderfully with fries (it's typically used in salad). I love the okonomiyaki version, but this one is lighter and more simple, which is a nice option as an appetizer.

Smoked Salmon à la Crème Vodka Pasta

For my pasta tonight, I decided on the Smoked Salmon à la Crème Vodka, which is exactly what it sounds like: Spaghetti tossed in vodka-based cream sauce with smoked salmon and fresh dill. For a little more decadence, it's also garnished with salmon roe and caviar (perhaps in an effort to make it more Japanese fusion). I think what I love about the pasta here is that it's not overly saucy. It has just enough sauce that each spaghetti strand is perfectly coated, not dripping or sloppy. The inclusion of vodka (which you can't taste, obviously) in this sauce cuts the cream so that it's not too thick, but still smooth and velvety. The smoked salmon adds a beautiful fleshy, silky contrast to the pasta, and the dill adds a fresh tart aroma that, of course, pairs perfectly with smoked salmon (dill is my favourite herb, so I might be biased here). Honestly, you can't really go wrong with this pasta. It's not really as adventurous as some of the other options, but it's one of those dishes that you know will taste good.


Shiso Tree Café
3160 Steeles Avenue East, Unit 1
Markham, ON L3R 4G9
(905) 479-9319

Survey Says...

This week's Survey Says... from Temptalia:

Least flattering blush on you? I find lavender blushes aren't really flattering on my skintone. They can end up looking kind of ashy and make me look a bit sickly because I have such yellow undertones... But I love them for blending into other blushes.

MAC Sakura Mineralize Blush and Full of Joy Powder Blush

Least flattering lipstick on you? Again, lavender. I love purple lipsticks in general, but lavender on its own makes me look like I'm dying. It's a very pale colour, and on my yellow-toned skin, it makes me look really sallow. But, again, I do love blending them with other lip products to create different shades.

MAC Viva Glam Nicki 2 and Lavender Whip Lipsticks
Least flattering eyeshadow on you? Light blue shades aren't the most flattering on me, but I don't find them to be particularly flattering on anyone, at least on their own. They're just too '80s, in the worst way possible. However, I do find them fun to use with other shades like darker or brighter blues, purples, greens, and yellows to create a "peacock effect."

MAC Sky Blue (PRO) and Aqua Eyeshadow, and MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadow