May (and April) Favourites...

Is it the end of the month already? Jeez, May went by in one breath.

I figured I would do a post on my monthly favourites even though I've already written a lot about favourite stuff. Oh wells :) This is more of a recap so here it goes: 

1. Fresh Milk Body Lotion with Milk Proteins and Shea Butter-
When I bought this lotion as a treat to myself for Christmas I first wanted to savour it. But the consistency is so gorgeous that now I have to use it every day. It's very lightweight and milky (as it claims) but it is still so hydrating without being sticky. Perfection. A little goes a long way, I've been using this for 5 months and I still have just over 1/4 of the bottle left. It is definitely a treat as it's quite expensive. I want to try the Laura Mercier body cream next to see how it compares, I've heard great things about it too.

2. Aveda Men Pure-formance Composition Aromatic Oil- I've already blogged about this here so I won't ramble on too long. Basically it is great for conditioning your scalp and even to rub through your hair for extra moisture. It's not a heavy oil at all which is ideal, and it smells very earthy and refreshing.

3. Essie Nail Polish in Tart Deco- Such a pretty colour that looks fab on olive and darker skin tones. It probably would look great on lighter skin tones too. I love it so much and I get lots of compliments when I wear it. Take a look.

4. MAC Lipstick in Angel- Yet another product I have already blogged about here. I'm still loving it though. It's just so easy to wear.

5. L'oreal True Match Super Blendable Concealer in Warm- A great concealer that's more of a liquid consistency. It's like a super thick foundation. The colour perfectly matches my skin, and it blends like a dream... a great drugstore find. I would definitely recommend it if you're looking to cover redness and patchy skin, that's what I use it for anyway.

6. Clinique All About Eyes Serum- I've been using this little sample every day. It's feels soothing and cool when I apply it under my eyes, and will probably be great for travelling with. I wouldn't necessarily purchase this because it doesn't have any dramatic healing effects for under eye problems, but it feels nice and it was free!

7. MAC 168 Brush- The latest addition to my brush collection. I absolutely love this brush and I don't know where it's been all my life. It is the perfect bronzer/contouring brush, especially if you have a smaller face frame. I've been using it with my Laguna bronzer, which I'm desperate to use up.

8. NARS Laguna Bronzer- I've heard tons of complaints that this bronzer looks too muddy, but for more yellowy- olive skin tones it works great. I'm trying to finish this off before I get too tanned this summer and then I'll switch to Casino because it's a bit deeper.

Hope I didn't bore anyone to death :)

What are your favourite products this month?

xox

Alma

New Shirt, New Bag...

Oops, I went shopping.

It's ok though because both things were on sale. Right?!

Well I watched the latest Youtube video of one of my favourite bloggers ever, Sandra from 15 Steps Blog, and she got this shirt at The Gap for 10$. It looked really comfortable on her so I decided to get it myself.

While I was perusing the store, because who wants to be the cheapo who beelines to the back clearance section, I found this cute summery tote. I love that it is really light weight, and has two different straps so I can wear it like below with the two little handle straps, or with a single full length strap. And since the whole store was 25% off, this bag ended up being 40$. Not bad :)

I've been trying to keep my makeup simple lately because my skin has been quite sensitive. I think it's from working too hard :P 

Makeup: 

Face- Laura Mercier Primer, Chanel Vitalumiere foundation, MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural

Eyes- L'oreal Voluminous mascara, Dior Amber Diamond to highlight eyes on the lid, inner corner and eyebrows, MAC Carbon and Corduroy eyebrows and eyeliner 

Cheeks- NARS Laguna bronzer , NARS Orgasm blush

Lips- MAC Angel lipstick, Rimmel lip liner in Natural

I have a hair tutorial/ product review using Sally Hershberger Style Primer coming up soon, so stay tuned and thanks for checking out my blog! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far. 

xox

Alma

Favorite Nail Polish Summer 2012

I already know what's going to be on my nails all Summer long... and that is Essie Tart Deco. It is the perfect bright pinky peachy coral color. I love it.

 Ps. Has anyone ever had issues with painting nails in the sun? I did my nails out on the patio today and this polish was totally thick and streaky. Absolutely terrible! I hope I didn't do permanent sun damage to this bottle or else I'll have to get another!

What's going to be on your nails for this Summer?

xox

Alma

My Favourite Hair/Hand Treatments

Thought I'd do a quick post on some of my favourite products before I jet to work. I love that these have all natural ingredients, and great healing properties.


1. Weleda Skin Food Hand Cream.

Lately my hands have been so dry and cracked that my favourite coconut butter hasn't been sufficient for moisturizing. I needed something extra extra rich so I went to Whole Foods, my fav place for lotions. I'm totally loving it, it has been amazing for my eczema since it's so emollient and nourishing. It doesn't irritate my skin at all, but it is quite oily( I don't mind it). You can probably find it at any health foods store. This lotion has definitely become one of my favourite intensive hand treatments. It's the perfect size to throw in your bag so you have it at all times.

2. Aveda Men Pure-Formance Composition.

I went to an Aveda salon and my stylist gave me an oil scalp massage before my haircut. It felt so amazing I just had to have the oil treatment. I massage this oil into my scalp, and rub the excess into the tips of my hair. I'll do this right before I shower, or even if I know I'll be wearing my hair in a ponytail. I always feel more stimulated and energized from the citrus and spearmint, and my hair has been loving the extra moisturizing. This product is definitely a treat.

3. Ojon Revitalizing 2-min Hair Mask.

I've been testing Ojon products out lately and I have to say I am very impressed. It's on the higher end of hair products but my hair has definitely improved it's texture since using this mask. There are tons of essential oils like jojoba, olive, avocado, sweet almond, just to name a few. You'll easily notice the almond oil because it smells like almond extract and baby powder ( I love it). I would recommend this mask if you have course, thick and very dry damaged hair as it is very rich and heavy. I have been using this all winter and it has been fab. One of my favourite hair masks I've tried so far.


What body/hair treatments have you guys been using? I would love to know as these are my favourite kinds of products. Everyday is a mini spa day in my world :)

xox

Alma

Rainy Sunday Afternoon Boredom

Just my luck, it's finally my day off and it's pouring rain. I'm just waiting for my girlfriend to come over so we can gossip, drink caesars and do our nails. In the mean time I figured I'd show you all the items I tote around with me in my bag.

I've had this mustard colour, oversized Aldo weekender bag for 3-4 years now. It got lost in my closet some odd time ago but I recently rediscovered it last month and have been wearing it ever since. It has 3 main storage areas separated by 2 zippers and a magnet closure ( I honestly prefer one big open space to multiple compartments but oh well ). I love the mustard colour and the fact that it can hold my life in it. I used to lug this around as my university commuting bag and it has held up over the years pretty nicely.

Onto its contents...

1. Loose change  2. Hair ties and Bobby pins  3. Magazine  4. Chocolate  

5. Keys  6. Random jewelry  7. Name tag  8.  Pen

9.  Hand Lotion  10. Receipts and candy wrappers  11. Hand clutch  12. Makeup bag

As you can see I always end up with random bits and bobs at the bottom of my bag. I try to keep organized, I really do! I also like to have a magazine or book with me at all times because I never know when I'll have to kill time somewhere.

 I only carry makeup with me if I'm going to work, and since that's all I've been doing lately my makeup bag has accumulated a lot more products than usual.

Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes 2L
Makeup brushes: MAC 217, MAC 168 (love this brush) Royal & Langnickel C180
MAC blush in Style
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium Plus
MAC Mineralize e/s in Making it Easy
MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Calm Mode
MAC lipstick in Angel
MAC Dazzleglass in Funtabulous
Maybelline Baby Lips in Grape Vine
Hanae Mori Butterfly rollerball
Envelope with cash (random?!)

I didn't realize until now that I'm using a lot of MAC lately. I'm a keen observationalist. I also like to make up my own words :) I also really want to back to mac some stuff soon. 

Ok that is it for now. Thanks for stopping by.

xox 

Alma

Love for MAC Angel Lipstick

All month I have been addicted to this lipstick. I'm sure everyone has seen it. It's a pretty pink colour what else can I say? I have been wearing my makeup like this to work every day. Simple smokey eye and a pink lip with shimmery bronze skin.

The Makeup

Face

Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer spf 20

MAC MSFN in Medium plus

YSL Touche Eclat for under-eye brightening 

Eyes

Laura Mercier concealer and translucent powder to set

MAC e/s Carbon, Corduroy on my eyebrows

MAC e/s Copper Plate on lid, Carbon as liner, NARS laguna to blend in the crease

L'oreal Voluminous mascara

Dior Amber Diamond highlight on brows and inner corner

Cheeks

MAC Semi Precious Goldstone MSF

NARS Laguna bronzer

Lips

MAC AngelLipstick (frost)

Yep, I'm showin off my new watch. So obsessed with it <3

A Little Narcissistic?

Is it crime that I want this bag because it's named after me? Erhhmm I mean... we share the same name?

Louis Vuitton Alma Vernis Collection 2012.

I. want. it. now. Bye.

Hauling a bunch of stuff from the Outlets

Like I said in my last post, I went to the Seattle Premium Outlets recently and did a fair amount of damage to my wallet. I got some great stuff though!

The best deal I got hands down were these Nine West shoes. At buy one get one half off I ended up paying less than 60 bones for both. The sandals were a little out of my comfort zone but I think they will fit in with all the bold colours trending this summer.

I don't know why but I've never owned a spring/summer scarf, so when I saw this sky blue striped scarf at BCBG for 40$ I knew I had to nab it. 

 Another item I saw at BCBG, which was an absolute bargain at 50$ was this black blazer. It has small shoulder pads and a relaxed fit, which is very flattering. I can't wait to wear this out.

 I picked up a couple of cotton tops from J Crew. I love that store for the basics, I think they opened one recently in Vancouver but I haven't been to it yet.

Lastly, the most exciting purchase was easily my spankin' new Michael Kors Chronograph Gold Tone Tortoise watch. I've been drooling over this watch for a while now and I finally picked it up! Isn't it a beauty?

I easily could have spent so much more. I had to exercise a lot of self restraint, especially when everything is ridiculously marked down. However, this bitch is on a tight budget, I gotta save up for NYC! Anyway I am going on an extreme beauty ban for the next few months. No more shopping unless I run out of something important. Like toilet paper. That's considered a beauty purchase right? No? Ok bye.

In & Outs: Mother's Day Edition

Happy mother's day! I hope everyone had a nice day with their mummys. Some prefer to have breakfast in bed and a day at home with the family...my mom prefers to go shopping (I blame her for my shopaholic tendencies). The whole fam took a day trip to the Seattle Premium Outlets where I got some amazing stuff. Which leads me to my post.

IN: 
 - Outlet malls. I got 2 pairs of Nine West shoes for $60, and a BCBG blazer for $50. Amazing. I'll do a post on what I got later, I can't wait to share everything I got!

- NYC Summer 2012. I am so stoked. It will be 10 days of amazing food, art and architecture, and of course...shopping.

- Aveda hair care. My hair is getting in much better condition lately :)

- Warm, sunny days in Vancouver means early morning walks and breakfast on outdoor patios. Heaven.


OUT: 
- Realizing that my new Voluminous Mascara is waterproof. FAIL.

- My nail polish storage is a disaster zone. 1. it doesn't fit all my nail polishes. 2. it is a shoe box.

- I keep breaking out on my forehead and I can't pinpoint what it causing it. Maybe its my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. Or it might be my NARS foundation.

- Pretty much my entire wardrobe is out. I feel like I need a major update in my closet.

Saturday Night Homebody...

Yeah, I'm pretty much a big loser tonight, and I thought it would be more fun to crack a bottle of wine and surf the net than go out with my friends and actually have a life...

Anyway, I really haven't been Keeping up with the Kardashians, pretty sure I'm several seasons behind and honestly I'm kinda over that show. However, I still love Miss Diva Extraordinaire Kim Kardashian and I think her and Kanye make a great couple. <3

I was perusing some websites with Kim K's outfits lately... pretty sure I'm still obsessed with her style. I love her black on black outfit, it's perfect for work if you are restricted to black attire (like me). Can I please have her closet? Oh and her glam squad too so I can look perfect every minute of every day. Ok thanks bye.

Ps. Pretty sure I've overused the phrase 'pretty sure' in this post. Yep, thats the wine talking :S

xox

- Alma

More Food Lovin'

I am such a foodie. One of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver (mind you I am biased because my bf runs the show) is Burgoo Bistro. They basically do cheesy comfort food, like soups, stews and sandwiches, which is perfect for all the rainy days we get.  Everything is sooo delicious and they take the care to use quality ingredients. My all time favourite soup is the chicken harira. It's a hearty, spicy moroccan style soup. Ugh I love. Usually I'll have a salad to go with it, but today I'm a bad girl and indulged on a meatball sub.

Mojitos are my favourite drink ever. They remind me of summer 

He's working very hard behind the bar ;)

What are your favourite restaurants?

xox 

Alma

Drugstore Purchases

I strolled into Shoppers Drug Mart today and to my delight one of my favourite mascaras was on sale for $5.99! Now I can kick Maybelline Illegal Lengths mascara to the curb.
I also ran out of my beachy hair spray so I picked up this new product I've heard lots of good reviews about, Sally Hershberger Style Primer for wavy hair. I was a little thrown off by the whole 'primer' idea, but it is basically a mousse to activate your curls. I haven't used it yet, but it smells delicious, like summery coconut goodness <3


What are your drugstore favs?

Spring Wishlisting 2012

Here are some items I have been obsessing over lately. I'm planning a trip to the States soon so I'm restraining from shopping until then. I can't wait...New York City June 2012 here I come!

1. J Crew Ankle-Zip Toothpick Jean

2. YSL Rouge Volupte #30 Fauborg Peach. Such a gorgeous peachy coral color. 

3. Michael Kors Showstopper Chronograph Tortoise Watch I've been drooling over this watch for a couple weeks now. I love tortoise shell.

4. BCBG Woven Metallic Waist Belt

What items have you guys been lusting over for this Spring?

My favorite food ever!

Hi all, I just wanted to share with you guys what I had for dinner last night..mmm I love bruschetta! It is super easy to make as an appetizer to share or as a light meal on its own :) All it requires is tomatoes, basil, olive oil and lots and lots of garlic baked on top of crostini. I use an Italian artisan cheese loaf from Terra Breads...so freaking goodddd

<3 <3 <3 

Delicious...

Products that are all used up!

Don't you hate it when you go on a (several months long) shopping bender, and eventually accumulate a massive amount products that lie miscellaneously around the bedroom, bathroom, etc? My weakness tends towards buying conditioners, shampoos, moisturizers and body creams. I'm always curious about different brands, and I usually can use up these products much quicker than makeup, and there's usually always something on sale, so I guess that's how I justify my addiction.

Anyway I have made the conscious effort to stop the madness, work through what I own. I did a post a while ago about makeup items I'm trying to use up. Yeah. Still working on those. In the mean time I thought I'd share my thoughts on these other non-beauty items I've finished :

The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser

I got this cleanser as part of a christmas gift set in 2010 (I know it's been a long time). It lurked around in the back of my bathroom drawer before I decided to show it some love. Now I must say that I was quite committed to using this as my daily cleanser because I was not very impressed with it. It basically does the job that cetaphil does, i.e. it is a very gentle cleanser that does not remove any makeup. I would say it is more moisturizing than cetaphil as it has the vitamin e. I don't really like that it leaves my skin feeling slightly oily, and the fragrance is a bit overpowering. I don't like any fragrance at all in my cleanser.

Overall: 5/10...Would I repurchase this? No.



John Frieda Frizz-Ease Dream Curl-Perfecting Spray

I really like the John Frieda line, I think it's one of the top drug store brands in the hair department for sure. I don't have a ton to say about this product except that it does a fairly decent job of activating my waves (I know a lot of hair products don't actually do the job they intend to do). I wish the smell could be nicer though, but it isn't bad. I've done a hair tutorial with this product here.

Overall: 7/10...Would I repurchase this? Yes.








Cynthia Sylvia Stout Shampoo
When I saw Lush had a beer shampoo I just had to get it. I thought that was the most random thing ever because who wants to get their hair drunk :P. I also like how Lush has little mini bottles so you can test out a product without spending 20+ on something you don't know will work for you. Anyway I actually really liked this shampoo! You definitely can smell the stout, which might not be for everyone. But after I wash it out I get a lot of compliments on the smell of my hair. Also, a little product goes a long way and it works up a great lather. It is almost like a clarifying shampoo, but it is not stripping at all.

Overall: 7.5/10...Would I repurchase this? Yes.


Alaffia Virgin Coconut Body Cream

I absolutely adore this all natural, multipurpose cream. I use it for everything, from my daily moisturizer, to treating dry patches of skin. It is a very rich, thick, slightly oily cream and has become a moisturizing holy grail for me, I've already gone through 3 jars. The coconut and vitamin C helps calm redness, especially if you have some active breakouts. My teenage sister uses this and says her acne and acne scars have noticeably calmed down from using this cream. My only complaint is that the packaging is glass so it is heavy to tote around. Other than that, I can't live without this product I love it so much.
Overall: 10/10... Would I repurchase this? Obviously yes.


Maybelline Define-a-Brow in dark brown

Hallelujah! This is one of the original items I wanted to finish up...and I did! Before I bought this pencil I used to be ghetto and just use the residue of my black gel liner mixed with some matte brown shadow and that did the trick. It still does, but a brow pencil is definitely more convenient. I like that the Define-a-brow is much more affordable, but it doesn't last as long as my gel liner method. I want to try out some higher quality pencils and I've heard good things about MAC and Lancome.

Overall: 6/10...Would I repurchase this? Maybe eventually, if I were feeling cheap.




I love the feeling of using an entire product up. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. Haha wow I am such a consumer. Anyways, I hope you guys found this useful!

xox

-Alma

Style Obsession with Wendy's Lookbook

I am absolutely in love with Wendy's Lookbook. Her style is so chic, she just has a great eye for pulling pieces together. I drool over every single outfit. If only I had her wardrobe...I would die.


xxx