Pick-Ups & Deliveries: March 2014 — Beauty

Clearly, getting busier with work has in no way affected my ability to find time to shop. So much so, that my haul this month needs to be separated two posts, so this particular post will focus on the beauty items I've picked up this month. 
Hard Candy Nail Polish in Pop-arazzi, Mom & Pop, King of Pop, Bridal Party, and Party Central
Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blush in Living Doll and Bombshell, and So Baked Bronzer in Tiki
Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in Comfort Zone and Petal Pusher
Maybelline The Rocket, The Falsies Black Drama, The Mega Plush, and The Colossal Smoky Eyes Mascaras (on Rollback for $4.96 each from $6.96)
I've been particularly smitten with drugstore offerings recently, which all started with going to Wal-Mart to get some more of Hard Candy's glitter nail polishes and to check out the Rollback deals. If you're not familiar with the awesomeness that is Wal-Mart's Rollback, it's when they further reduce items to a price so low that you'd be stupid not to get in on that deal (assuming that that item is something you wanted and/or needed and/or were just eyeing). Of course, the trap of Wal-Mart is that everything is generally so cheap there, anyway, that you end up picking up tons of other things that aren't on Rollback but are awesome and/or over-hyped on the Internet so you want to get just to satisfy your curiosity. So aside from choosing five new Hard Candy glitter polishes, I also picked up two of their baked blushes plus a highlighter (it's under their baked bronzer line, but the Tiki shade is supposed to be a dupe for TheBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer). At my local Wal-Mart, the Wet 'n' Wild display is right beside Hard Candy, and the eight-pan palettes caught my eye. There's been a lot of hype over the Wet 'n' Wild shadows, and both of these palettes have gotten really good reviews, so I picked them both up, 'cause you really can't go wrong for $4.99. Finally, I picked up four new Maybelline mascaras because they were on Rollback (!) and because I couldn't decide which one to pick. Maybelline's really upped their game in the past year, and I've heard great things about their mascaras from other make-up artists as well, so I decided to try 'em out.

Milani Baked Blush in Corallina, Rose d'Oro, and Dolce Pink
Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstick in 14 and 17, and Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss Lipstick in 101 and 103
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, Sorbet, Juicy Papaya, and Pink Lemonade
I went to Loblaws for the sole purpose of getting Starbucks ground coffee, Orville Redenbacher's Sweet & Salty Kettlecorn, and the Joe Fresh Nail Polish Remover with a pump (because it's handy and refillable), so I had to make a detour into the cosmetics section. I picked up that Joe Fresh polish remover as well as a bottle of Seche Vite top coat because I'm running out, and then found myself right beside the Milani display. Now, I never thought much of the brand and I think the packaging is kind of ugly, but their blushes are raved all over the Internet, so I figured, "I'm a blush fiend, and a true blush fiend would give it a chance." I didn't pick up Luminoso (which is the shade that really made their popularity soar) because there was only one left and it was shattered, but I did pick up three other shades that caught my eye. I also stopped to pick up four shades of those Kate Moss lipsticks from Rimmel because they were on sale for $6.97 each from $7.99 and I've been curious about them for a while (despite there being some truly gorgeous reds, I ended up picking all nude or peachy-pink shades because I am in Spring-mode), as well as the four newest shades of Revlon Lip Butter because they were also on special for $5.49 from $8.99.
MAC Lightful Marine-Bright Formula Essence, Cleanser, and Softening Lotion, and Fix+
MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NC35 (x 2), and Blot Powder Pressed in Medium Dark
MAC Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash Mascara (x 3) and Eye Brows in Lingering (x 3)
MAC #129 and #217 (x 2) Brushes
MAC 15-Pan Eyeshadow Pro Palette with Inserts (x 4)
MAC Eyeshadow Pro Palette Refill Pans in Saddle, Cork, Malt, Contrast, Nehru, and Typographic
MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow Quads in A Glimmer of Gold, A Harvest of Greens, A Medley of Mauves, and A Sprinkle of Blues
MAC Patent Polish Lip Pencils
I went to the MAC Store to replenish my staples (Lightful skincare, Fix+, my foundation, mascaras, eyebrow pencils, etc.), get some new brushes for my kit, and picked up some new eyeshadow palettes to replace my old ones. After years and years, MAC finally came out with clear-lidded palettes so you can actually see the colours inside. When you've accumulated as many MAC eyeshadows as I have, this makes the biggest difference in the world. This is one bandwagon that I'm glad MAC jumped on. I also picked up some eyeshadow pans in some classic, must-have matte colours that, for some ridiculous reason, I didn't already have (plus Contrast, which is just a gorgeous shimmery deep navy blue that I don't have in a single pan form). I grabbed some stuff online as well, including four of the new Mineralize Eyeshadow Quads that came out earlier this month that I've already reviewed, and I just received my shipment of the new Patent Polish Lip Pencils that will be coming out in-store this Thursday (and that I will review this week).

Rainbow Honey The Summer of 199X Collection Part II
Rainbow Honey Mini Nail Lacquers in I Miss You, Tessie, Apple Kid, Mint Flavor, and Magic Cake
Rainbow Honey Sweet Talk Collection Part II
Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquers in My Girl, Lovebug, and Cutie Pie
Rainbow Honey The Midnight Garden Collection
Rainbow Honey Mini Nail Lacuqers in Foxglove Foxtrot, Cymbidium, Papillon, Sword Lily, Viola, and Evening Viola
Rainbow Honey Mini Nail Lacuqers in Metalmark, Tayabak, Sparkling Agave, Prussian Sky, Charaxes, and Midnight Fountain
Rainbow Honey March Mystery Box (with Lavandula Mini Rollerball, Nail Honey Cuticle Oil Mini, All My Stars and The Soirée Mini Nail Lacquers, and Nail Honey Hand Cream Sample) and March Limited Edition Nail Polish in Trifolium
Oh, yes, I finally made that gigantic order from Rainbow Honey. I love that they offer different box sets from each of their collections and in choices of minis or full-sizes, and for reasonable prices, too. I got The Summer of 199X Part II mini box set, The Sweet Talk Collection Part II box set (they didn't offer minis in this one), and The Midnight Garden Collection mini box set (because I love every single damn shade from their Spring collection). And because my order was over $60, they included one of their March Mystery Bags along with a full-size bottle of their March Limited Edition Nail Polish, Trifolium, for free! Such a huge, huge fan of Rainbow Honey; their cream polishes go opaque in one coat and their glitters are some of the most unique I've ever come across.

Atelier Cologne Cédrat Envirant Cologne Absolue
As you may have noticed in my What's in My Bag? post earlier this month, I bought a new perfume! I have been using Fresh's Sugar Lychee for years and didn't really find another fragrance that I loved enough to replace it (or rotate with it because it's still my all-time fave). I was just finishing another bottle and was ready to re-purchase another one at Sephora until I smelled Atelier Cologne's Cédrat Envirant. Inspired by the French 75 cocktail, it's described as "sophisticated, effortless, classic" and is "for lovers of lemon and gin notes." It's a very citrusy cologne, with notes of Moroccan cedrat (or citron), lime, bergamot, Chinese mint, Egyptian basilic, juniper berries, tonka bean, vetiver, and elemi. It's a fresh, bright scent that is long-wearing but isn't cloying and is truly unisex. Basically, it's totally up my alley. I'm incredibly impressed with the wear-time on this, too, because citrus fragrances are known to dissipate quite fast and this one lingers on for at least six to seven hours on me. It's really, really lemony at first, but once it settles into my skin, it's just a gorgeous fresh, clean scent. I love it so much, I splurged on the 100 ml bottle. 
TheBalm InStain Long-Wearing Powder Staining Blush in Lace, Houndstooth, Toile, and Argyle
NuMe Signature Magic Wand 25mm Curling Iron (on sale for $69 from $200!)
I was on the Nail Polish Canada site a couple weeks ago to see what was new and exciting, but mostly to see if they got any of TheBalm's InStain blushes back in stock. Not only did they get some back in stock, but they had a set of three including Argyle, Toile, and Houndstooth on sale for $46 from $72! I immediately put one in my cart because that's three for the price of two, and I knew that I was going to get all three shades to begin with, so it worked out beautifully. And I also picked up Lace (for full-price, sadly, because it doesn't come in a set). I would've gotten the other two as well so I could complete my set (I have been wanting these blushes for well over a year now, guys) but they were sold out of them at the time. I will get my hands on them soon, though! And finally, I bought a new curling iron. I used to curl my hair all the time but when my cheap iron from Shoppers finally broke (like, literally broke, 'cause the entire clamp came off), I never replaced it. I always meant to get a new one but became lazy and then just got used to wearing it up or straightened. But when I saw that NuMe was on sale at Hautelook a few weeks ago, I jumped on the chance to get a new one, and ended up getting the Magic Wand 25mm Curling Iron for 65% off. Best deal of the month!
What did you splurge on this month?

Sunday Video Love: Beating Heart

I don't think I have been more disappointed in the selections for a movie soundtrack than the one for Divergent, because the majority of the songs don't reflect the story, characters, or themes whatsoever. Maybe because I had been creating an epic soundtrack in my head since reading the first novel a few years ago (yes, I make soundtracks in my head while reading books, and I had included songs like Silversun Pickups' "The Royal We" and Shiny Toy Guns' "Starts With One" because both the lyrics and music reflect the overall story and mood of the novel), but I imagined it to contain more hard rock songs in general (like Veronica Roth had intended; she lists lots of alternative tracks in the back of the novels as her own personal Divergent playlist), rather than such electronica/synth-driven songs (with some incredibly terrible rap mixed in for good measure). Because when I think of "dystopian society," I do not think "dance music." It was like this soundtrack was made purely as a cash-grab, and I honestly think Ellie Goulding single-handedly saved it from being complete and utter crap. (Oh, and yes, I did watch the movie. And yes, the book is better than the movie. But that was to be expected, so I'm not going to be too harsh on it. Conclusion: It was decent-to-good, but not great.)

Instagram: Winter 2013 — Nail Edition

Another filler post until I find more time to take photos and write full posts — this time featuring nail polish! I haven't done as many nail posts here as I used to but you can be sure that, as a nail polish hoarder, I have been changing my nail polish with quite some regularity (though less now that I'm working more) and usually capture my favourites on Instagram, so I thought I'd post them up here. As you can see, I've been a huge fan of layering polishes recently (how can I resist Hard Candy's $4 glitters?). Again, for those who do follow me on Instagram already, I apologize in advance for the re-post.
Hard Candy's Mermaid Magic + Marc Jacobs' Blue Velvet
Hard Candy's So So Sequin + A-England's Ascalon
Hard Candy's Pop-arazzi + Chanel's Blue Satin
Hard Candy's Mom & Pop + Butter London's Poole
Hard Candy's Emerald Eve + Rainbow Honey's Emerald Weapon
Rainbow Honey's Foxglove Foxtrot + Rainbow Honey's Viola
What have y'all been wearing on your nails lately?

Friday Five: Contained

This week's Friday Five:

1. What's something you're keeping in a shoebox? I think the only things I actually keep in shoeboxes nowadays are shoes... I used to keep photos in shoeboxes but I transferred them to these big fancy cookie tins that I got when I went to Disneyland Tokyo a decade ago (obviously, they originally held cookies but the tins were too cute to throw out).


2. What's something you're storing in a plastic container that some food item was purchased in? I generally recycle all plastic food containers aside from Tupperware. 


3. What's a non-food item you're storing in a zippered plastic bag? My travel toiletries. Saves me the hassle of re-packing them every time. Oddly enough, I also have all my concert ticket stubs from the past 15 years bundled together in a Ziploc bag.


4. What originally came in some of the now-empty boxes you're hanging onto? I've kept a lot of boxes from beauty subscription programs (like Luxe Box and Glymm, which went bankrupt and caused quite a debacle — thankfully I opted out long before then), so they originally came with beauty samples and random cosmetic items. And now I use them to store lipsticks.


5. What's something you own that came in really cool packaging? A lot of my limited edition MAC products. Some of my favourites in terms of packaging are from their collaborations with Wonder Woman, Dame Edna, Archie Comics, Liberty of London, Hello Kitty, Fafi, Disney Villains, and Marilyn Monroe. I also loved the packaging from To The Beach, Year of the Snake, Holiday 2012, and Shop MAC, Cook MAC.

Apologies for the serious lack of posts here! Work has been kicking my ass and between that and going out for the occasional dinner to catch up with friends, I just haven't had much time to photograph or blog. But expect my end-of-the-month haul, quarterly empties post, and reviews of some new goodies that I've been very excited about in the next week!

Instagram: Winter 2013 — Food Edition

I've been ridiculously busy lately, so in lieu of a "real" post, I thought I'd share some photos of the awesome foods that I've had the pleasure of eating and posted on Instagram over the past couple months. I don't always bring my camera with me when I go out to eat but I tend to Instagram all those meals that I don't blog about here. For those who do follow me on Instagram, I apologize for the re-post here... but, hey, you can never get enough of food porn.

Dim sum at Crown Jewel with my mom: Steamed shrimp dumplings, steamed pork and mushroom dumplings with caviar, shrimp and chive rice rolls, and egg custard and milk tarts
Dinner with Thax at JOEY Markville: Raspberry Joey Burst, sirloin with mashed potato spring rolls, and my favourite apple pie with maple ice cream
Assorted macarons while having bubble tea with the gang at Green Grotto
Dinner with Wynnie at Go For Tea: My favourite popcorn chicken with rice
Dinner with Ronsee at Fushimi (part 1): Truffle white tuna, Shichimi salmon, and pepper beef tataki; BC tuna tataki; Fushimi and Volcano rolls; and assorted sashimi
Dinner with Ronsee at Fushimi (part 2): Whole BBQ calamari, walnut shrimp, vegetable tempura, and black sesame ice cream for dessert
Dinner with Hannan at Bamiyan Kabob: Sultani kabob dinner (filet mignon and ground beef kabobs with rice and salad)
Late lunch with Thax at Moxie's: Mosaic dip with naan bread, beef vindaloo, wild mushroom and truffle with crispy sage pizza, and mini white chocolate brownie with French vanilla ice cream
Dinner with the gang at Turtle Jack's: Lake Rousseau Butter Tart for dessert
Dinner with Steph at The Keg: Top sirloin steak with baked potato and veggies
Dinner with Thax at JOEY Markville: Tandoori chicken flatbread, Strawberry Joey Burst (for me) and Amaretto Sour (for her), Herb Crush Salmon, and my favourite apple pie with maple ice cream
Dinner with Steph at Bong Lua: Beef special pho
Dinner with Val at Moxie's: Chicken Madeira Rigatoni
Dinner with Steph at Linda Modern Thai: Traditional starter platter; chicken lemongrass skewer; deep-fried spring rolls; Royal Pad Thai with shrimp in egg crȇpe 
What have you been eating lately?

Friday Five: Bonus Questions, 6

This month, Friday Five is doing bonus questions every Monday and Wednesday:

1. What store's departure from your preferred shopping mall most saddened you? Bulk Barn. Two words: Cheap snacks. 


2. What's good to eat at your preferred shopping mall? JOEY! They opened last November and I've been there numerous times since, and they're consistently good in both food quality and service. I don't know about the other locations, but I love this one. In terms of food court food, I would say Harvey's. I don't know that many malls that have a Harvey's in the food court anymore, but their burgers are so, so good. And at the Markville location, when you ask for extra pickles, they give you like, 15 slices. Best.


3. What services (as opposed to goods) do you pay for at your preferred shopping mall? Nothing. I don't get my make-up done, I don't get my hair done, I don't get valet parking (yeah, Yorkdale, I'm looking at you). I go to the mall for straight-up goods.


4. What's a store you've never been inside at your preferred shopping mall? There's a ton: Aeropostale, Eddie Bauer, Fossil, Lids, Coach, Dynamite, Thyme Maternity, any of the children's stores (The Children's Place, Gymboree), any of the men's stores (Jack & Jones, Tip Top), any of the luggage stores, most of the jewelry stores (Peoples, Michael Hill, Mappins, Pandora), and any of the travel agencies (Flight Centre, Transat Travel). 


5. What kind of store would you most welcome in your preferred shopping mall? L'Occitane en Provence, Kiehl's, Topshop, Indigo (a full store, not "Indigo Spirit," which is tiny), Ten Ren's (because if I'm getting bubble tea, it has to be the legit stuff). And even though it's not a store, I would love a movie theatre there.


6. What did you most recently purchase at an office supply store? I honestly can't remember the last time I went into an office supply store. But I probably bought pens or Post-Its.


7. What did you most recently purchase at a book store? A Studio Oh! 2014 planner. I buy tons of novels, but I order them online from Indigo because it's cheaper, faster to browse, more convenient, and I get cash back through Ebates.


8. What did you most recently purchase at a drugstore? Does Wal-Mart count as a drugstore? If so, I went yesterday and got a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel Popcorn Milk Chocolate (I'm totally PMS-ing because chocolate is such a rarity for me), two bags of Orville Redenbacher's Sweet & Salty Kettlecorn, a bag of Teddy Grahams Chocolate Chip Cookies, bottles of Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Shampoo and Conditioner, two tubes of Crest 3D White Glamourous White Toothpaste, two Hard Candy blushes and a highlighting powder, and two Maybelline mascaras. 


9. What did you most recently purchase at a convenience store? Two packs of cigarettes.


10. What did you most recently purchase at a thrift shop? I think it was a Marcy Playground CD at Value Village like, four years ago. I don't really do thrift shops in general, though. They kinda freak me out.

Sunday Video Love: We Used to Be Friends

Obviously dedicated to the epicness that is the Veronica Mars movie.

MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow Quad in A Sprinkle of Blues

Two weeks ago, MAC released new Mineralize Eyeshadow quads "coordinated in a collection of looks for day and night." It features "Mineral-Rich Yeast Extract, a blend of 77 minerals that nourishes the skin while providing silky sooth coverage. Its sheer, lightweight application allows each shade to build lightly, layer after layer, for dramatic colour with a lustrous glow." It comes in six new and permanent colour combinations in "bold, blendable shades and gorgeous shimmer." They are packaged in black round mirrored compacts with magnetic closure. Each Mineralize Eyeshadow quad comes with 2 grams of product, and retails for $52. 
A Sprinkle of Blues
A Sprinkle of Blues — top two shades and bottom two shades, used dry
A Sprinkle of Blues — top two shades and bottom two shades, used wet

A Sprinkle of Blues #1 is a pale cool-toned white with iridescent blue shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. The texture is somewhat dusty and powdery, and can go on patchy and unevenly as a result. It has low-medium pigmentation and sheer to semi-sheer buildable colour pay-off. When used wet or over a base, it becomes more metallic and significantly more opaque. It is sheerer and more iridescent than White Frost, less silvered and more iridescent than Forgery, and cooler and more iridescent than Crystal Avalanche.

A Sprinkle of Blues #2 is a medium-dark muted smoky grey-blue in a frosted finish. The texture is somewhat dry and stiff, and can go on patchy and unevenly as a result. It has medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. When used wet or over a base, it becomes more metallic and significantly more opaque. It is lighter and more muted than Naval Blue Pigment, darker and more navy than Linger Softly Pro Longwear Eyeshadow, and lighter and more grey than Thru the Night Pro Longwear Eyeshadow.

A Sprinkle of Blues #3 is a medium-dark brightened cobalt blue in a frosted finish. The texture is somewhat gritty and powdery, and can go on patchy and unevenly as a result. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque colour pay-off. When used wet or over a base, it becomes more metallic and significantly more opaque. It is lighter and brighter than Deep Truth, darker and more navy than Freshwater, and more shimmery and less purple-toned than Cobalt (PRO).

A Sprinkle of Blues #4 is a medium-dark cool-toned grey with a blue-silver sparkle in a satin finish. The texture is somewhat dusty and powdery, and can go on patchy and unevenly as a result. It has medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. When used wet or over a base, it becomes more metallic and significantly more opaque. It is lighter and more sparkly than Print, cooler and more sparkly than Scene, and lighter with more iridescent shimmer than Knight Divine.

Those who like Mineralize Eyeshadows may like the idea of having four different shades altogether in one compact. As these are baked eyeshadows, they have a drier, lightweight texture and are meant to have buildable colour pay-off, so those who like their eyeshadows to be rich, pigmented, and buttery right off the bat may not have patience with these. What I like about Mineralize Eyeshadows is that they're quite versatile because you can use them both wet and dry, so you can execute anything from sheer washes of colour to full-blown saturated colour. These seem very similar in concept and formula to Chanel's baked eyeshadow quads, so if you're a fan of those, you may be drawn to these. I did find that this palette was harder to use than the other ones; these shades go on fairly patchy and sheer when used dry, so you really do have to use a good base or primer to get them to look smooth and pigmented. I also wish they had put in a medium or dark shade to create more of a contrast, because these can end up looking muddied when used together. That having been said, blues aren't the most popular eyeshadow shades out there to begin with, if only because they're not quite as wearable as many other hues — and that's not even accounting for the bad rep they've gotten from over-use and abuse in the '80s. If you love blues, you may be interested in this palette... but it does take some work and patience to use.