I've had Maybelline Eyestudio Color Explosion for sometime now. The product price ranges from $5.99 to $10.99. I believe it is a good deal for the money. The quality is also not bad, and is much better when used with eye-shadow primer. It doesn't hurt to try it!

This eye-shadow is a 5-shade palette that includes a liner shade, a light base, eyelid shade, crease shade, and a luminizing silver top coat.

The light purple base was not as pigmented as the rest of the palette, but overall, I was happy with final results. I can even wear the liner by itself. It's a nice deep purple colour.

PRODUCT LIST:

• DiorSkin Nude in 010
• Physicians Formula Gentle Cover Stick Concealer in Light and Medium
• Clinique Pore Refining Solutions - Instant Perfector
• theBalm blush in Hot Mama
• Rimmel Lipstick in Frosted 272
• Yves Saint Laurent Mascara in 01 Black
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel
• Spectrum Cosmetics Eye Primer
• Maybelline EyeStudio Color Explosion in Amethyst Ablazed

Since I have very long, thick and wavy hair, I'm in a constant need of moisturizing hair oils and extra-creamy conditioners that can leave my hair silky and manageable. Do you have a favorite hair product? Is there anything that worked for you?

I've been lurking in-and-out of Canadian drugstores and discount stores like Winners/T.J.Maxx, searching for something new and worth trying.

I've come across some items that seemed like worth trying. Here they are:

• Peter Coppola Argan Oil Treatment with Acai / 14.99
• Amir Argain Oil Moisturizing Conditioner / 12.99
• got2B Smooth Operator Satin Drops / 4.99
• got 2b Smooth Operator Smoothing Lustre Lotion / 4.99
• got2b Hottie Deep Rescue Conditioner / 4.99

So far, I'm loving got2b products! I'll keep you updated!

The March edition of Glymm Box arrived much earlier than expected - which made me quite happy to see that the service is once again improving. After seeing other blogger's boxes, I was hesitant and nervous to see the contents of my box. Many have received a lime green piece of hair that wasn't attractive at all.

Luckily, my box had red feather hair extensions and red nail polish - the color is glam and suits me very well. I was glad. The skincare items were also exciting and a pleasant surprise. I heard that the M. Asam product is too dark, but actually it blends in to match anyone's skin-tone and becomes transparent. It also smells great and feels heavenly on my skin. I would perhaps purchase it once I run out of the sample.

PRODUCT LIST

• M.Asam / Perfect Teint / $42 for 50ml / Sample size 5ml / Instant perfector. Fills in lines and evens out complexion
• M.Asam / Magic Fini / $38 for 30ml / Sample size 5ml / Silky tinted mattifying perfector that blends in with your natural skin-tone
• Nu-Me / Feather Hair Extensions / Full size at 3 pieces for $25 / Red, made from real human hair!
• Ocean Nail Polish in / Vibrant and intense, high quality nail polish / Full size at $12

Overall, this box was definitely worth my $10! The nail polish is lovely and something I can always wear. Red is always in!

Nu-me hair is the only item that I am worried about since I have absolutely no experience with hair extensions. I may need to purchase a hook to hook my hair into the small bead provided. It seems like a lot of work!

Overall, I would give this month a B+!

If you would like to try this service click here.

The big event that week was my 25th Birthday! I still can't believe I turned quarter of a century, or half way to 50! Wow... I didn't feel to depressed about getting old, but instead I tried to embrace aging.

Here is the cake that my momma baked me. It was chocolate layers with cream!

I also ate like a maniac! I love food.

 My mom gave me this wonderful, stunning gold necklace:

I have won this lovely Chanel lipstick! :) More pictures to come!

Lastly, my boyfriend gave me this wonderful gift! An amazing scanner!

The February Glymm box came in quite late, not until March 2nd, but it arrived with two full sized products and two exclusive product samples. Exciting!

The Sula Natural Shadow is quite pretty and creamy. It claims to keep your eyes looking flirty fresh; it's also long lasting, easy to blend, and made with natural ingredients!

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm was also in my box. This award-winning tinted lip balm gives just a hint of color and soft sweet flavor. I immediately felt it's conditioning effect.

Glamglow is something I have never heard of before, and I'm super excited to try it. It promises to give you super sexy, super radiant skin.

Lastly, there was a 2 in 1 oil blotting paper by Mai Couture that is also bronzing! To be honest, I fear I may end up looking like a clown if I wipe my face with such paper. Nevertheless, I look forward to trying it!

CONTENTS:

• Sula Natural Shadow in Why Not? / full sized product at 0.15oz / $8
• Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Tiger Lilly / full sized product at 4.25g /$8
• GlamGlow Tingling and Exfoliating Mud Mask / 7ml
• Mai Couture 2-1 Oil Blotting Bronzing Papier / 1 sheet

Overall, I would give this month a B+!

If you would like to try this service click here.

NOW CLOSED!
I have very exciting news! MizSpa, an online shopping site, is sponsoring this lovely giveaway. The prize is the Estee Lauder MagnaScopic Mascara Set + 2 Gifts.

The set includes:

• MagnaScopic Maximum Volume Mascara - # 01 Black 9ml
• Lash Primer Plus 5ml
• Gentle Eye Makeup Remover 30ml
• Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronized Complex 5ml

MizSpa carries all kinds of genuine luxury beauty products including SKII, Clarins, Lancome, and others. Here is a brief description about the company:

Mizspa.com is an ecommerce retail beauty shopping site. We provide hundreds of types of beauty products including skincare, cosmetics, and perfumes, of many of your favorite brands. We only deal in authentic brand name products. Our company is headquartered in Hong Kong, but as an ecommerce company we have the ability to reach consumers worldwide. Mizspa.com only sells genuine products. We do not deal in the fake or copy branded business.  We can confidently offer you a 100% money back guarantee that you will only find genuine products from Mizspa.com.

Most recently, I entirely finished up The Body Shop's Japanese Cherry Blossom eau de toilette. The bottle was finally emptied after using it a few times a week for a year. I'm honestly impressed with how long this 50ml (1.69oz) bottle lasted! At first, this fragrance smells great, can be worn daily, doesn't irritate the people around you, and is very affordable. However, it only lasts up to 3 to 4 hours on my skin, but much longer on my clothes.

The Japanese Cherry Blossom is made with community trade alcohol made from organic sugar cane in Ecuador. Overall, the scent is very refreshing, spring-like, light, and not too fruity nor overwhelming. 

PROS:

• Light, floral, and woody
• Neutral, and perfect for the office
• Not too strong, good for those with allergies
• Fresh, feminine
• Affordable

CONS:

• Doesn't last long
• Boring design, doesn't come in a package
• Has an alcohol cloud

Value: 4/5
Quality: 3.5/5
Lasting Power: 3/5
Packaging: 3/5
Price: $$

Overall: 3.8/5 

Would I buy it again? Maybe if it is on SALE!

I am excited to announce the winner of my first giveaway!

The lucky girl is Alex from Ontario!

Check out her blog. And Follow her on Twitter!

She's won brand new the Muppet Show palette as well as Joe Palette.

Here are photos of the ones I use myself:

P.S. I have two upcoming giveaways that I'm hoping to start on Sunday!

I am proud to say that I didn't buy too much in February. The majority of my purchases consisted of skincare products, and essentials like BB cream and everyday lotions. I have found the best possible deals you can find in Vancouver, Canada. For example, St. Ives 600mL lotions were on sale for as low as $3!

PRODUCTS:

• Ten Color Palette by Nicka K Cosmetics in Anaconda / Works so well!
• Pre de Provence Verbena Soap & 20% Organic Shea Butter Hand Cream / Luxurious!
• c. Booth Derma c24 Travel/trial Set / toner, lotion, moisturizer, and cleanser!
• Bonne Bell Eye Mascara in Classic Cafe, Eye Shadow Stick in 14K Gold, and Eye Define in Midnight Bark / I got this as a set!
• Kiss Premium Eyelashes in 07 / I can't wait to try them!
• Yardley London Oatmeal and Almond Soap + Martina oatmeal soap / For my boyfriend!
• Wet n Wild Color Icon eye pencil in White
• Missha M BB Cream in #13 / This is my second container! :) I love this stuff
• St. Ives lotions in Collagen Elastin, Skin Renewing, and Intensive Relief / $3 each!
• Boots No7 Quick-Thinking 4-in-1 Wipes 30 pk. / I use them at the gym

I am now sharing my mobile photos with you. Enjoy! :)

Last week's big event was Valentine's day. I've indulged in a lot of sweets! Yumm...

It's been raining quite a bit, and while I've been feeling down, I thought it would be a great idea to cheer myself up by adding a hint of bright purple eyeliner to an ordinary look. This look in fact is very simple and took me about 15 minutes to achieve! :)

I've almost finished this product, so it's time for a review! Clean & Clear Morning Glow claims to moisturize and instantly brighten skin. The verdict? Yes, it brightens my skin, but it contains shimmer that feels like very finely-grained sand. It works, but I am not a fan of such grainy feeling on my skin. It feels weird at first, but fine after putting on foundation.

Overall, it's a decent product and after reading other reviews it seems like it's liked by 60% of its users. Personally, I use it mainly as a sunscreen, and had been using it regularly during summer/fall.

So, I happen to have a tiny jar of Vaseline. Honestly, I avoid using petroleum jelly, aka Vaseline, as a moisturizer, and especially not for my face, since petroleum is a by-product of gasoline. Yikes! It's not the best choice for a healthy moisturizer.

 
I've also recently found out that it is a sealant, and doesn't get absorbed by the skin:

"studies have shown that Vaseline has no medicinal effect nor any effect on the blistering process, nor is it absorbed by the skin. Petroleum jelly's effectiveness in accelerating wound healing stems from its sealing effect on cuts and burns, which inhibits germs from getting into the wound and keeps the injured area supple by preventing the skin's moisture from evaporating."

But there are ways when petroleum jelly may come in handy, for instance:

• It can soften rough skin on elbows, knees, or heels
• Use it as a makeup remover to lift mascara and liner
• Tame wild eye brows. Tap the product along the brows, then comb
• Use it as hair pomade to prevent fly-aways and split-ends
• Moisturize and heal dry, cracked cuticles
• Mix it with your lipstick to create tinted lip balm (just don't eat it)
• Use Vaseline around your eyes to prevent skin damaging effects of windy/cold weather

I've also found out via Reader's Digest, that the jelly can be used for manicures! The information is quite interesting and something I may try in the future:

No more messy manicures. During home manicures, it’s hard to keep the nail polish from running over on your cuticles. Petroleum jelly can help your manicures look more professional. Dab some along the base of your nails and the sides. If polish seeps off the nail during the manicure, all you do is wipe off the petroleum jelly and the sloppy nail polish is gone.

Also, what counts when buying this jelly is its purity. Pure petroleum jelly is considered to be safe and not as carcinogenic.

A makeup jargon, hitting pan is when you use a product so much that you hit the pan that the makeup is packaged in. I am always incredibly happy when I hit pan with my products! yay!

Here's what I've finished up in the past few weeks:

I am already looking forward to Spring/Summer! It's only a month away.

Here are some fresh ideas straight out of my Elle Canada February 2012 magazine:

Retro + the Shirt dress
Yellow + Athletic
Boho + Crochet + Prints
White + Tribal
Pastels + Pleats