Long Time Coming

I know that my blog isn't very popular or anything like that. But, it's a good source for me to share my thoughts and opinions on things that are going on in my life or items that I've purchased.

It's time to say goodbye. I'm not saying goodbye to life or anything (don't fret), but I am saying goodbye to blogger.

I started this blog in hopes that I would be able to inspire others and share my opinions on products that I've purchased or to share with others, items that I've been liking and such. However, blogger has shown difficulty for me to use and to be honest, it's really confusing. There are really not that many themes and I am frankly, no good at HTML.

Where is this post going, you may ask. I've moved to wordpress (sorry blogger, you weren't cutting it). I've begun a new adventure on wordpress and hope that whoever you are, will follow me there. I'll hopefully be posting a lot more with my thoughts and on recent purchases.

Here's to hoping a new platform will inspire me.

- h.

Hello

Hi All,

Clearly, I haven't made a blog post in the utmost longest period of time. And, for that, I'm very sorry. 

I haven't been in the mood for making blog posts for the longest time (clearly) and instead, have been making Youtube videos instead. Don't know why I'd rather show my face on the internet than write blog posts where I can choose to show my face or not to at all.

However, here I am again. Back.

A few weeks ago, my good friend Taryn sent me a Teen Vogue link to an article where it wrote about Youtube 'celebrities' (if you will) that were known for reviewing books. Now, if you have ever met me or encountered me in any day and age (after grade 8, that is), you'll know that I almost always have a book glued to my face, and if not, I'm juggling between reading 3 books. Most of the time, they'll be books about teen romance (I'm 20, and I still haven't grown out of that stage). 

If you ask my friends, the ones who have known me for maybe over a year, they'll tell you that I'm possibly the biggest hopeless romantic that they've ever met. Not only that, but it doesn't show on my exterior; I'm half an introvert and half an extrovert if you ask me. It really depends on the mood I'm in and the social situation that I've gotten myself into. But on the outside, I'm very opinionated, I'd say. If not opinionated, I'm quite obnoxious and don't really have a filter when it comes to my talking. This usually leads me to negative situations that I clearly get myself into. Rather than speaking of my lack of filter, I'm also quite...if you will, a bitch. There, I said it. I have quite the short temper, this is usually due to the fact that I'm too observant for my own good and get frustrated and mad at almost everything that happens to me on a daily basis when I'm out in public.

Anyways, the real reason for this post is not the tangent that I ended up in. But to update whoever reads this blog that, the Teen Vogue article has sparked my interest in blogging and probably making videos reviewing books that I'm currently reading or have recently finished. Thanks to Taryn, I found a part of YouTube that I'm quite interested in getting involved in. Rather than just talking about make up all the time, this opens up a new path for me to talk about my love for books and to express my hopeless romantic self to the world.

So, if you will, my first video and review will be coming up next Friday. 

Hope you stick around to read my post and watch my video about it.

- h.

November Beauty Haul 2014

If you're a frequent shopper at Sephora, a Beauty Insider, VIB or VIB Rouge member, then you'll know of Sephora's yearly discount sale. Which, is pretty much the only time you'll ever be able to get a discount at Sephora. So as a make up fanatic that I am, I went pretty crazy. And, thus leads to this blog post where I list out everything that I've purchased from that sale, as well as, drugstore and Lush pick ups. Get ready!

Part One

1. Urban Decay: Urban Obsessions, Beauty Insider Reward, 2. Balenciaga: B. Rollerball, 3. Nars: 2014 Holiday Collection Blush in Almería, 4. Too Faced: 5-Piece Bronzer Wardrobe Collection, 5. Nars: 2014 Holiday Collection Hardwired Lipstick in Deadly Catch.

1. Urban Decay: Urban Obsessions, Beauty Insider 500-Point Reward

This is the Urban Obsessions 500-Point Beauty Insider Reward, I have no idea which month it was supposed to be for because it was snatched up right away online. Luckily, I was in store making the above purchases and saw this when asked if I wanted to redeem my points for anything.

This little palette comes with 4 eyeshadow shades from neutral to smoky. From lightest to darkest, skimp, bust, guilt and oil slick; a travel-size 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (black), and a sample of their eyeshadow Primer Potion. 

I'm usually not big on spending my points for perks because I never find anything worth spending my points on, but after seeing this, I knew that I had to get it. First of all, I love Urban Decay products, there has not been a product yet that has let me down and the quality of their products are amazing. Secondly, they're very well-known for not testing on animals and are vegan products, something that I'm very happy about.

When trying out the eyeshadows, they never disappoint! Their pigmentation is amazing and a little goes a long way. Their eyeliner is very well-known as fantastic, this is also the first time I've ever laid my hands on it so I'm really stoked to try it out and see if it lives up to the hype. Something that's already fantastic about it is that it's waterproof which, is something that I really look for in a product. (I'd rather have the product stay on than racoon eyes)

2. Balenciaga: B. Rollerball

When looking for new arrivals at Sephora, the larger version of this perfume caught my eye. It's very different packaging from other perfumes that I've ever seen. As usual, it's a bottle, but the bottle itself is rectangular shape (big whoop) but the way it looks like some type of quartz crystal (I've got a geology minor). The packaging of the bottle got me curious to try this out, so I decided to go with a rollerball version since I've got two more perfumes that I should most probably finish before I decided to get another bottle to add to my collection. Anyways, this smells amazing, it's got notes of: Cashmeran Wood, Lily of the Valley Bell, Violet Green Leaves Accord, Green Edamame Accord, Iris Root, Cedarwood Heart, and Ambrette Seeds (whatever these mean...). But together, it smells close to the Daisy by Marc Jacobs perfumes (one of my favourites) but a bit more woody.

3. Nars: 2014 Holiday Collection Blush in Almería

At first, I didn't really think of getting anything from the Nars Holiday Collection. The only thing I really thought of getting was the cheek palette, but I got the cheek palette last year from their Guy Bourdin Holiday Collection so I decided to skip out on it, since a lot of the shades were similar. It wasn't until I got in store and saw this blush and decided to test it out. Nars blushes have become one of my favourite blushes, with their awesome pigmentation and pay off. I first thought this blush would probably be too dark for me, but as the winter months are coming around, it wouldn't kill for a stronger blush. For my type of skin tone, you barely need a lot on your make up brush just to show colour in your cheeks. This would definitely be something I would use on a special occasion, not on a daily basis.

4. Too Faced: 5-Piece Bronzer Wardrobe Collection

Milk Chocolate Soleil, Sun Bunny, Chocolate Soleil, Endless Summer.

I've heard so much about the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer and seeing that I would be able to try four of them got me wanting to test out all of them before settling on my favourite one. But yes, my favourite one so far is Chocolate Soleil. These do sort of smell like chocolate which, is a bit off putting because my face ends up with a faint smell of chocolate. But hey, chocolate smells pretty good! Something I like about these are that they're so small, you can carry them with you everywhere and there is variety between matte and shimmer bronzers. This set also came with a Too Faced Teddy Bear hair Flatbuki brush, I've heard a lot about their brushes so I'm excited to try their Flatbuki brush as a starter.

5. Nars: 2014 Holiday Collection Hardwired Lipstick in Deadly Catch

Nars has amazing lipsticks. Hands down. One of my favourite brands for lipsticks, they're super creamy and very pigmented. I thought this would be too bright for me at first, but then I realized that every girl should own a good bright red lipstick. This is a crimson red, so although it is a bright red, it is still on the darker side. I've got not much to say about this besides the fact that its creamy, super pigmented and one of my favourites.

Part Two

1. Ole Henriksen: Glow-On-The-Go Trio, 2. bareMinerals: Mineralixirs Cleansing Oil, 3. Hourglass: Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

1. Ole Henriksen: Glow-On-The-Go Trio

I've always wondered what these wipes were like. Even though its cheaper to get them individually full-sized, I decided I would rather get this trio pack where I can try small packs of each type. All three are different, the orange one is for brightening, it's called 'The Clean Truth,' which, contains 'vitamin C, CoQ10 and black currant oil to rejuvenate and hydrate for radiant, youthful-looking skin.' The purple one is makeup removing, stating that it removes waterproof make up as well. It's known as 'Nurture Me,' containing moringa seed oil, borage seed oil and essential fatty acids to nourish and unveil glowing, bare skin.' And, the last one, the blue one is for oil-free pore refining, known as 'Grease Relief,' it is formulated with glycolic, lactic, and citrus acids to thoroughly dissolve dead skin cells and purifying eucalyptus to absorb pore-clogging dirt and oil for clarified, fresh-looking skin.'

I have yet to try 'The Clean Truth' and 'Grease Relief.' I tried the purple one, 'Nurture Me' and it burned my eyes. Now, I wasn't wiping my eyeballs with the wipe but my eye make up. It started giving some stinging around the eyes and within the eyes. This never happens with my other make up wipes so I don't know if I'll be big on using the purple one, nor the rest of them if this is what happens.

2. bareMinerals: Mineralixis Cleansing Oil

If you've seen my YouTube videos, you'll know that I'm a big fan of the Shu Uemura cleansing oils. Since it began to make an appearance at Sephora, much more cleansing oils have hit the shelves. I started running out of my Anti/Oxi cleansing oil by Shu Uemura and decided it was time to try something else. This is where bareMinerals comes in, they've been releasing a lot of new products and I'm impressed. So, I decided I would give this a go, it's a little bigger than the Shu Uemura bottles (the smaller ones, that is) and a bit cheaper if not the same price. The reviews on this are fairly good so I can't wait to give it a go!

If you've been wondering if I've tried any drugstore ones, I've tried the L'Oreal one and it broke me out and was really sticky so I stopped using it.

3. Hourglass: Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

Luminous Flush, Incandescent Electra, Mood Exposure

I love Hourglass products, their packaging, their quality, everything. I was lusting over this when it was only available to VIB Rouge members (I wasn't VIB Rouge back then), but when it finally hit stores and was available to everyone, I couldn't justify the money to get it. But after reading reviews, and of course, the sale, I decided that I would get it. And boy, have I fallen in love! Besides me getting paranoid with getting fingerprints on the pristine packaging, the blush itself is soft, pigmented AND they feel like pillows if you ever so slightly swipe your finger across them. This is definitely a must have for anyone who's looking for a good blush with variety. 

Part Three

1. Dashing Santa Bath Bomb, 2. So White Bath Bomb, 3. Christmas Eve Bubble Bar

I'm not a big fan of glitter, so pardon the lack thereof. When the Christmas collection from Lush came out, I couldn't wait to try everything that didn't contain glitter. I tried with their Sparkler bath bomb, I really did, but after leaving the bath sparkling like Edward Cullen, I concluded that I was not a fan of the glitter products from Lush, well anywhere actually. So I decided to stick with a limited few that I thought smelled heavenly and would actually enjoy using.

1. Dashing Santa Bath Bomb

Dashing Santa, smells citrusy, like oranges. And, I, am a fan of citrus products. This is pretty much all I have to say about this bath bomb, besides the fact that I'm excited to break it apart and use bit by bit, also the fact that it's not actually a 'bomb' looking bath bomb, makes me more excited.

2. So White Bath Bomb

Apples. That is all this bath bomb smells like. SprinkleofGlitter (Louise) from YouTube goes crazy over this bath bomb! This is a favourite for many Lush customers so it comes back every Christmas. Theres a surprise pink centre and I'm just SO EXCITED to take a bath with this apple smelling fantastic thing-a-ma-jig. Something else that's fantastic? LUSH PRODUCED A SHOWER GEL VERSION OF THIS LITTLE THING OF HEAVEN!

3. Christmas Eve Bubble Bar

Christmas Eve Bubble Bar, has calming properties, like jasmine and ylang ylang. It's definitely something that I'll be using after I finish my exams this term! It'll be nice to be able to kick back and destress with this bubble bar! Who doesn't love a good bubble bath anyway?

Part Four - Finale

1. Lush: Tea Tree Toner Water, 2. Got2B: Beach Trippin' Waving Spray, 3. Korres: Body Butter in Guava, 4. Tarte: CC Park Ave Princess Coloured Clay Bronzer Blush, 5. Tarte: Lights, Camera, Splashes Waterproof Mascara, 6. Too Faced: Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Peach Beach, 7. Laura Mercier: Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation in Dusk, 8. Hourglass: Ambient Lighting Palette, 9. Maybelline: Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Dark Brown

1. Lush: Tea Tree Toner Water

I finished up using my Breath of Fresh Air toner and was really liking it but I have always wanted to try the Tea Tree Water so when it was finally back in stock, I decided to get a small bottle of it so I could decide on which one I liked the best before giving in and buying a full bottle. I recently got into taking better care of my skin, and with that came in toner. I never really found a point in using toner throughout my time growing up but now, I realize that it helps with keeping your skin clean throughout the day.

2. Got2B: Beach Trippin' Waving Spray

I remember wanting to try this when it first came out but was skeptical since a lot of the drugstore sea salt sprays haven't impressed me. But after watching a lot of videos and reading a lot of articles, I've given into trying this out. A lot of people have used this product and seem to enjoy using it. So I decided to give it a go since it was on sale.

3. Korres: Body Butter in Guava

To be honest, I wasn't planning on getting this but I was so close to free shipping (always with the free shipping catch), so I decided to give it a go. Back when Korres actually had their little spot within Sephora stores in Canada, I never thought of trying them out, but now that they're so hard to find (occasional Shoppers Drug Mart locations), I've given in to trying them out. Their body butter is something that has been spoken of highly. And well, you can never have too much body butter, am I right?

4. Tarte: CC Park Ave Princess Coloured Clay Bronzer Blush

A bronzer AND a blush in one?! Is it really that good to be true? In fact, it is, because I'm in love with this. I used a Tarte blush way back in my high school days for prom and always liked that they used clay and that it always gave good pigmentation. Tarte has really impressed me over the past few years and I'm a big fan of a lot of their products. This bronzer blush just adds to the list of something that I'm really impressed with, it gives nice pigmentation and I know this is definitely something I'll be using a lot during summer. It's got a few sections that have shimmer which is nice because it gives a little highlighting effect besides the bronzer and blush.

5. Tarte: Lights, Camera, Splashes Waterproof Mascara

This is hands down, my favourite mascara ever. It was such a disappointment when I got some bacteria in it and started getting eye infections (I know, so gross). But not to fret, of course I'd get myself a new one. This is literally the best waterproof mascara I've ever used, a lot of the times, the only thing I look for in waterproof mascaras is that they hold my eyelashes up (Asian eyelashes hold nothing up). But this has given volume, separated my lashes and is insanely waterproof. The other waterproof mascaras that I've used are barely waterproof, they're waterproof enough to hold my eyelashes up but other than that, with one make up remover wipe, they're gone. With this mascara, I actually have to rub a little bit more to get the product off. I will most likely be purchasing this product in the future again and again.

6. Too Faced: Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Peach Beach

A lot of people have given high reviews on this blush and I wanted to know why. (If you haven't realized, I purchased a lot of cheek products this past month). Well, Too Faced is known for their doll like, feminine products and I really wanted to know what all the hype over this blush was about. It's super shimmery so I wouldn't recommend swiping your brush through the product unless you want your whole cheek to be shimmering. (That's up to you, but not for me) This gives a really nice warm glow and is really good for the winter glow. I really wanted to try their other one, Candy Glow, but thinking about it now, it might be a bit too pink for me.

7. Laura Mercier: Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation in Dusk

I was browsing through Sephora, keeping in mind that my Urban Decay Naked foundation only had a life span of 6 months, if you may. This is me talking about those little symbols on the back of high-end beauty products letting you know how long the product should last or should be kept before getting thrown out. Drugstore products don't have this which, bothers me to no end. (Thank you Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual for educating me). I did the Colour IQ thing a while ago and seeing as I haven't really gotten that tan nor lightened up that much, I figured I'd be around the same shade (4Y08), I decided to test out the new Laura Mercier foundation because while, I did enjoy the Silk Creme Foundation, it just wasn't something I would be willing to spend my money on. Testing this in store, I really liked how it felt on my skin, it didn't feel heavy and didn't make me look like I packed on a bunch of make up on my skin. Its very light-medium coverage which, is possibly the only type of foundation I can handle, if not no foundation is fine by me. 

Unfortunately, the downside to this foundation is its packaging. Upon receiving it, I opened the box at the top, and to my surprise, the foundation bottle was upside down, which, only made me think that it had been opened and used prior to me receiving this. Nevertheless, excitement got the best of me and I decided to test it out on my face, after I opened the product, it was evident that it was not the best packaging since the product had spilled out (you're told to shake the product well, which is what I did). It spilled into the cap and around the nozzle (left picture). My first thought was that I would exchange the product for another one but I read the reviews on Sephora and many other customers had the same problem so I realized I wasn't the only one and could only store this product upside down, just like the way I received it.

8. Hourglass: Ambient Lighting Palette

Dim Light, Incandescent Light, Radiant Light

I always liked this palette since it was released but never really knew why I would need three shades of the Ambient Lighting Powder. But thanks to Ashley, I realized that they were each for different types of lighting. And, now I'm learning which one is best for my occasion and it only makes me more excited to try this out more and find a reason to use it.

As said earlier, Hourglass is one of my favourite brands. They're on the pricier side but from what I own from them, I'm obsessed. Their pigmentation is amazing, packaging is lovely and never lets me down. Once again, this is something that you should own if you're looking for some sort of lighting powder/highlighter.

9. Maybelline: Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Dark Brown

I was possibly the most excited person to see this in stores when it was first released. A tinted brow gel by a drugstore brand?! No way! I have been using the Tarte Coloured Clay Brow Gel for the past few months and while I do like it, I'm not obsessed and don't see much of a difference when I use it on my brows versus when I only use pencil on my brows. So, obviously upon my arrival at home, I had to open this and test it out. It definitely puts a lot more product on your brows which, is much more evident in comparison to the Tarte one. The brush is just plain weird, I'm not going to hide it. It's also a larger brush than the Tarte one. This creates some sort of struggle when applying the product, because if I want more product, I would try to use the longer and thinner end of the brush and to brush it out, I would use the ball looking end. This concludes with me getting product around my brows, and its just a weird formatting of the brush, but I figure I could deal with it or figure out some way to handle it.

This concludes my November beauty haul, which, is possibly the biggest haul I'll have all year, seeing as it's almost December. And due to all these new products, I doubt I'll need any more new ones for another year. But alas, here is a blog post (finally!) Sorry I've been away for so long. I'm also in the middle of trying to figure out if I should make a video for this, it'd be about 20 minutes long (ridiculous, I know.)

Anyways, until next time!

- h.

Hiatus.

Who knows how long I've been without a blog post? According to blogger, it's been since June 20th, 2014. Which is about 4 months and 11 days from today. During this time, I have made a lot of purchases and a few haul and favourite videos, as well as my very unsuccessful attempts at vlogging. During these past few months, I have also finished my summer jobs, my summer course and have moved back to school and have started a new job there. A lot has changed in 4 months, and during the whole course of things, I've somehow managed to not lose my head. 

Now, I'm not going to say that moving back to school and starting a new school year was all that fun and exciting, of course it's always exciting and fun for the first few weeks of school but then your courses start cracking down on you and you're constantly trying to stay afloat with the piles and piles of assignments that need to be complete with all the notes you need to study for midterms and quizzes. 

Yet, in all this mess that has come my way, I've still managed to find myself and keep myself sane. Starting with a new skincare routine that I (thank God) have somehow managed to maintain for the past month. If you've ever hung out with me or have ever met me, you'll know that my skin isn't perfect nor is it flawless (pretty much the same thing). Somehow, I managed to break out on my cheek, which, is something that rarely ever happens throughout my teenage years, my acne was always on my forehead and at this rate, I'd rather it stay there. But stay, it didn't. My acne decided that it was time for my cheek to suffer and to this day, it bothers me to no end. 

I guess, this leads me to discussing my skincare routine, I've made slight changes over the month and I think I've finally found the one that works best on my skin and is actually starting to help my acne. 

In the beginning, I would do my usual routine when removing make up, I always use waterproof make up because my eyelashes aren't capable of holding up mascara unless its waterproof and I never liked non-waterproof liquid eye liner because it always smudged. Now that, that's out of the way, I would use a cleansing oil, I've been trying out the Shu Uemura cleansing oils because they've been spoken about so much, I have used the 'High Performance Balancing' and the 'Anti/Oxi Skin Refining Anti-Dullness.' I haven't noticed a difference on my skin between the two, so I guess you could say that all they really do is just clean the waterproof make up off your face. That used to be my only routine. But recently, I realized that my skin needed something else to help combat the acne problem. I finally decided to try out my Murad 'Skin Smoothing Polish,' this product has microbeads that help exfoliate the skin and claims that it 'helps relieve congested pores.' Along with this scrub, I began using 'Breath of Fresh Air' a toner water, by Lush. I would clean the make up off my face with the cleansing oil, followed by the scrub and ending with the toner water. In addition to this, I would use the Neostrata 'Oil-Free Smoothing Lotion Level 3,' this product is an AHA exfoliant that is said to even the skin, it stings a little bit but the stinging goes away. 

Anyways, that was my night routine for a good few weeks, and then I realized my cheeks were possibly getting worse, so I decided to switch out the Murad scrub for 'Ocean Salt' by Lush. The scrub consists of some citric ingredients which, I know help with combatting my acne, so I began using that and since it's a fairly harsh exfoliant, I also stopped using the Neostrata Smoothing Lotion. This leads me to my current routine. In the morning, I use my Korres 'White Tea Gel Cleanser' and my 'Breath of Fresh Air' toner by Lush, and then follow up with my make up routine. And, at night, I wash off my make up with my Shu Uemura cleansing oil, followed by my 'Ocean Salt' scrub by Lush and finish off with my 'Breath of Fresh Air' toner. 

It's taken a while to figure out what's good for me but I think this is the best routine, I've got this far to help me with my acne.

If you must know, the Neostrata Smoothing Lotion and I go back about 4 months when Holly first recommended it to me and said it was her holy grail. I was then tempted to try it but after a few tries, didn't notice anything different so I stopped, only to start up again and stop, and so on and so forth. So here I am now, not using the product after I used it for a good 2-3 weeks without noticing a difference. 

Anyways, it's been quite a long blog post, I just figured I'd keep whoever even reads this, up to date on my current skin routine. I know I've been gone for a while and I'm sorry about that. I'm going to try to post more here whenever I can and find the inspiration. 

But in the meantime, feel free to check out my Youtube videos, whether you want to see what I've been purchasing or what I've been up to in these past few months.

http://www.youtube.com/TheHwonggg (for hauls and make up related videos)
http://www.youtube.com/hwonggglogs (for vlogs)

Until next time,

- h.

Major Haul of the Summer!

I know, I know. It's been quite a while since I was last here and posting. If you haven't done so, check out my vlogs for when I'm not working and what I've been up to! Don't fret, vlogs aren't the only thing I'm doing this summer. When I'm not at work or I'm on my way to work, I've been shopping (what else is new, right?) So, I've accumulated quite a bit of items and decided to make a huge post about them!

MAKE UP
So, on the make up/cosmetics front, I've purchased quite a bit of items, all thanks to new products and/or shopping with Ashley from Flux & Xoulis!

Eyes

1. L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black, $12.99. 

After trying a few L'Oreal mascaras, I was pretty hesitant on trying this one because once again, it's a L'Oreal mascara, and I'm not the biggest fan. But after seeing it all throughout the week at Shoppers Drug Mart, on sale for $6.99 from its regular price of $12.99, I decided to add it to my shopping list. Also, thanks to Ashley from Flux & Xoulis for trying it first and claiming its one of her 'favourites,' which gave me the final push to actually try it and get it. I will admit that it's not my favourite mascara but it is decent. It's also a plus for me that it's waterproof.

2. Maybelline Pumped Up Colossal Waterproof Mascara in Classic Black, $9.99. 

I own both the waterproof and non-waterproof mascara for this since it was on clearance for $5.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart because the location I go to was going through renovations so they had a lot of stuff on clear out. I've wanted this ever since it first came out and I'm liking how it applies on so far, it's pretty much like the Mega Plush, which, as you may know is one of my favourites but the wand for this isn't as flexible.

3. Urban Decay Ink for Eyes in Perversion, $24. 

I got this when it was first released at Sephora, it is quite a splurge but it's waterproof. I've heard many mixed reviews on the Stila Stay All Day liner, so I decided to try this instead. I definitely like it a lot and it's very similar to the Maybelline Liner Precise that I'm always using, I feel that this UD liner is much easier to get product out than with the Maybelline one.

4. The Face Shop Lovely Me: Design My Eyebrow in Brown, $4. 

I decided to finally purchase items from The Face Shop during one of the shopping trips Ashley and I went on. We had browsed around before and were both taken aback from the cheap prices, but after hearing good reviews on their products, we decided to purchase a few items. I've been looking for an eyebrow pencil for a while and after trying the Hourglass one, I was a fan on the design but not on the price. Finding this, for $33 cheaper than the Hourglass one was godsend. It works exactly as well as the Hourglass one and is much cheaper with more colour selection. 

Cheeks

Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Streak, $35. 

I remember when this first came out in one shade, I thought to myself "why would anyone get that?!" And well, now that there are a total of 4 shades, here I am. I had heard many good things for the shade Native, but settled on Streak after trying out the shades in store. I'm more of a matte person than a shimmer and glitter person, which explains why I would choose something with a matte bronzer. I also really like the shade for the blush since it's not as bright as the one in Native. I'm really liking that it's an all in one and is much more compact than my Nars X Guy Bourdin cheek palette, which makes it so much easier for me to carry around this summer!

Lips

1. Revlon Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, $8.99. 

I already own two of these (Candy Apple & Juicy Papaya) but couldn't resist when they went on sale for $5.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart, I'm really like corals and bright pink-reds, so I settled on Wild Watermelon since it's pretty bright but not a super attention grabbing colour, I really like that they moisturize the lips and are so easy to apply on and use.

2. Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, $8.99. 

Beside the favourite, 'Peach Parfait,' I had heard many good things about Tutti Frutti, and since there's no shimmer or glitter, I decided that it'd be a nice subtle shade for myself. It's not super bright and attention grabbing like Candy Apple and Wild Watermelon but it's a good everyday shade.

Face

1. Korres White Tea Facial Fluid Gel Cleanser, $26. 

I really wish I jumped on the Korres bandwagon much earlier because it's pretty much impossible to find Korres in Toronto. After Sephora stopped selling their products, I found them at selected Shoppers Drug Mart locations and couldn't even get my hands on the Milk Proteins Foaming Cream Cleanser, but upon researching, the White Tea Facial Fluid Gel Cleanser didn't get bad reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I'm really liking the smell, it's really soft and nice for summer. Plus, you don't need to use a lot and it doesn't dry out the face but leaves it clean feeling and soft.

2. The Face Shop Volcanic Clay Nose Strip with Aloe, $1. 

The Face Shop is THE place to go for cheap but good quality face products. I've used the Bioré nose strips and don't really think they do much but for the price I'm paying for the amount I get, I'm pretty positive that The Face Shop sells much better value ones. They sell them individually or in a package. I settled on getting individual ones because I wasn't sure if I'd like them or not. I got one with aloe because it'd soothe the skin and wouldn't be too harsh.

3. The Face Shop Volcanic Clay Nose Strip with Charcoal, $1. 

After going to Iceland in January of 2013, I fell in love with using charcoal and having it as an ingredient in face products. It should be no surprise that I decided to get this nose strip as well since it's got charcoal in it and would be a nice exfoliant.

Hair

1. Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, $29.50. 

If you know me pretty well, you'd know that I'm a beach gal and I love anything related to the ocean and beach. I've never been able to deal with my natural hair (straight at the top with wavy kinks at the bottom), so I settled on purchasing a travel size bottle of this stuff since so many people rave about it, and well, here I am with the full size. It definitely works better with damp hair, but I like that it doesn't give my hair a huge crunch and doesn't completely dry it out, which many surf spray products do. It also smells good!

2. Bumble and Bumble Prep Spray, $8.50. 

I have yet to try this because I'm not done using my Living Proof Prime Style Extender, but don't fret, the day will come soon when I'm using this! I settled on a travel size because I have no idea how much I'll like this. It's pretty much a primer for your hair before you start styling it.

3. Nume Classic 25mm Wand, $145. 

Nume has been a brand that I've been dying to try out, all thanks to the many YouTube videos I watch and all the gurus that use it and rave about it! It's also a known fact, that their sales are ridiculous and they have so many discounts! Trust me, when I say that I would pay full price for this (I got it on a BOGO sale). This wand heats up so fast and is so easy to use, PLUS it comes with a glove to protect yourself from burning your fingers! I'm able to create waves, which was pretty hard for me to do before with my Conair hair curler. I totally recommend this product for anyone who's looking for a good hair tool to use!

4. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo, $13.50. 

This is also a big favourite of many people who like to clean their hair from all the products and gunk build up in their hair. I don't use many products in my hair but feel that once in a while, I need to rid my hair from anything that has been built up in it. I usually use this once a week and you can definitely feel that your hair has been stripped of all the yucky stuff that's been collected throughout the times you've washed your hair! This is part of my 'hair growing' routine and I think it's going well so far!

Clothing

1. Babaton Gavin Coat, in Royal Navy, $225.

I've been looking for a new spring/fall jacket for a while and settled on this one since it has a water-repellant coating and wasn't like all the jackets that I've ever had before. It's also something different from what I see from everyone on campus at school. I chose a navy colour because it's not as serious as black and the other colour was a military green and I've already got a canvas jacket in that colour. I know the price is a bit steep, so I decided to wait until it went on sale (bless Aritzia for their private sales of 20-40% off).

2. Wilfred Free Anmari Dress, in Heather Tempest, $60.

This dress material has been made into so many different styles and cuts of dresses at Aritzia and I never really understood the hype until I found a cut/style that I actually liked and tried on the dress. It's a super soft and stretchy fabric, which is totally amazing. I'm loving the cut at the top, right above the chest but under the collar bone area. This dress hugs your body in every way which makes it so amazing! Once again, I purchased it during the Aritzia sale, now if only I got my hands on the other colours before they were all sold out...

3. Talula Alyssa Blouse, in Winter Melon, $40.

My sister was in need of business casual clothing and since I apparently have more of a fashion sense than she does, I settled on a camisole that could be worn on a regular basis or with business apparel. (To be honest, I'd probably wear this more). I'm liking the material, it's super soft and has adjustable straps as well as tiered layers at the bottom to add some sort of wow factor since it's simple but not too simple. Its a silky fabric, but realistically, it's just polyester. 

4. Abercrombie & Fitch High-Waisted Denim Shorts, with crochet sides, $56.

Forgot the name of these shorts and its regular price but they're already sold out. Something I'm really disliking is the lack in stitching quality on the crochet sections. I threw it in the wash and right away, the threads loosened up and now the crochet is coming apart, so I need to stitch it back onto the shorts. I'm happy I purchased these when they were on sale because they're definitely not worth the regular price if this is going to happen.

5. Lululemon Speed Short *2-Way Stretch*, in Spray Dye White Blue Tropics/Black, $54.

I'm a big fan of running and exercising in general and have fallen in love with the Lululemon Speed Shorts. I love that there's a liner inside and that they fit amazing and have a great stretch. They're totally comfortable and I wear them as lounge shorts sometimes. I've had no problems with mine thus far, and would definitely pay full price for these.

Miscellaneous

1. D&G 3 L'Impératrice Perfume, $85.

I'm not a big perfume or scents person but hey, a girl should at least own a perfume. So I decided to finally look for a scent that could be called 'mine.' The visit to Sephora was during the Beauty Insiders/ 3x the points on fragrances, but the trip actually gave me such a headache on the amount of scents I had to smell, we had to leave the store and go back after a break. Originally, I had wanted something by Marc Jacobs because I thought all the scents smelled good but thanks to one of the workers at Sephora, he was able to find me something that was a subtle but sweet smell. This perfume is very fruity smelling with slight hints of sandalwood, which, is something that I'm really liking.

2. The Face Shop Face It: Milk Calcium Nail Pack, $2. 

I thought it was weird that nail masks exist, but my nails have never been in the best shape after I stopped biting them, and for $2, why not try this out. It comes with 10 little covers for your nails and you leave it on for about 10-15 minutes before removing them and having your nails absorb the leftover product. I'm looking forward to trying this out.

This concludes, my haul that I've accumulated thus far. I'm sure that there will definitely be more throughout this summer, but I'm sorry that I've been MIA for quite a while. There will be a "What I'm Liking This Month" post and video coming soon after I've filmed a video for this haul, which should be up in a few days. But until then, make sure to check out my vlogs!

Stay tuned and have a great Summer!

- h.