Review: MAC's Face and Body Foundation

Every year in September, my university has a big Sidewalk Sale as part of the Freshmen Orientation Week where a bunch of vendors, all our clubs and organizations, and our school's retail outlets set up shop on a street. Last year, I came across a small MAC kiosk where the lady was giving out samples of its Face and Body foundation. I picked up the shade C3 and then months later, decided to buy it. 

The foundation itself is great. It is a natural, satin finish foundation which means that it's not the best at coverage. You can hope to get low-to-medium coverage so don't pick it if you're prone to break out. My skin does break out easily during exam season and especially in the summer so I haven't been using it as much recently. 

Another thing to note about this foundation is the satin finish. I wouldn't recommend this foundation if your face gets really oily. Because of the satin finish, it gives a dewy effect on my skin, which is not a big deal during the winter. Summer is a different story, however. My face is more prone to oiliness because of the heat so I stay away from this foundation. And if I use it, I make sure I'm carrying some compact powder to fix up my face throughout the day.

However, it's a very lightweight formula (as you can see in the swatch) so it's great if you want to even out your skin tone before you apply any other products. I mostly used the product during the winter when my face was otherwise clear of any breakouts. 

Regardless, this is a great foundation and I would highly recommend it. It blends beautifully and I absolutely love that it's not very heavy on my skin. 

What do you guys think? What's your favourite foundation currently?

NOTD: Essie's Eternal Optimist

I've realized that I haven't updated about beauty in a while. There's been too many random posts but I think I know just the way to get back into beauty blogging.

I've been obsessed with painting my nails a pastel color. I don't know if pastels are supposed to be trendy this season but I can't resist me some pastel nails. I've also discovered the wonders of Essie. For the longest time, I couldn't rationalize spending more than $4-5 on a nail polish and the first time I tried Essie, the color began to chip in like 4 days. However, my local drugstore was having a sale on Essie nail polishes and I couldn't help but pick up a few.

One of the ones I picked up was Eternal Optimist. It's a great soft-pink color that almost borders on nude in certain lighting. I absolutely love this color, especially if you're in the mood for something a little girly but don't like darker pinks or hot pinks. I put on two coats; I find that Essie nail polishes always require two coats. The only thing I don't like about these nail polishes in general? The brushes aren't wide. I've found that my hands are much more stable if the brush is wide and a little flat but it's not that big of an issue.

Here's the color in better lighting. 

What do you guys think? What's your favorite nail polish shade?

A Day of Strawberries and Buskers

This past weekend, Kingston played host to the 25th annual Kingston Buskers Festival. If you don't know what busking is (I sure didn't), it's basically street performing. My parents also visited on Saturday so it was a perfect time to visit. We spent the whole afternoon by the water and watching as many performances as we could. It was a searing hot day but it was very nice.

Earlier that day, I'd also gone strawberry picking at a local farm called Fruition Farms. It was the last day that the strawberries were open for picking by the public and I'd been dying to go after my housemate went a week ago. Aside from being bitten by bugs (and partially terrorized by a bee), it was a perfect early morning start to a beautiful day! I went with my work supervisor, Katie, and we had just the best time. Also, isn't that just the cutest license plate? I love it.

We got driven out to the strawberry field by a giant tractor and then were left alone to pick as much as we wanted.

I really wanted to fill up the small 2L basket as well but the heat was taking its toll on both Katie and I so I called it quits after filling up the big 4L basket. 

All in all, it was a fantastic Saturday! 

A Summer Night Out

With temperatures rising up to high 20s and low 30s, it's getting increasingly hot and humid here. I don't like it. At all.

So today I've prepared a 'Summer Night Out' set. Kingston summers mean less than a quarter of the students are in town but that doesn't mean those of us that are here will stop going out at night. Now I know that going out at night in the summer means dresses, dresses, and oh yes, more dresses. But I've always been a shorts and jeans girl.

1. Billabong I'm Staying Here Tank

2. Brave Soul Dip-Dyed Studded Shorts

3. Zatchels Leather Saddle Bag

4. Balenciaga Studded Bracelet

5. Zara Simon WTF Gold Ring

6. Art Youth Society Triangle Ring

7. Jeffrey Campbell Litas

I've been loving the nautical theme this summer and I simply cannot stop looking at the Jeffrey Campbell Litas. Ever since I saw the beautiful Kavita from 'She Wears Fashion' rock her Litas (from Ebay), I have been obsessed with them. If I could buy everything in this set, I would. 

To me, this is exactly what I would wear on a night out. It's so effortless to wear and looks so comfortable (yes, even the heels). I especially love pairing something nautical with leather and studs. 

What do you guys think?

Toronto Pride Parade 2013

This post is a long time coming. June 30th marked the end of Toronto Pride Week and was celebrated with a massive parade in Downtown Toronto. According to my parents, I'd gone to the parade before but since I was too little to remember, I dragged them Downtown for a looksie.

The Pride Parade is one of my favorite celebrations. It's full of people not being ashamed of who they are and absolutely rocking themselves. There were many boys in speedos, old men in leather, and of course, a fair bit of nudity. 

...That last bit wasn't awkward to watch at all.

Here are a few highlights!

These men were the cutest! They had a whole routine planned out. It was the best.

Hey, look! The Pope supports the Pride Parade ;)

This is where things got a little awkward...

Overall, it was a fantastic day! I wore my 6 inch wedges, which got painful after a while but at least they added some needed height so I could actually take pictures and get a decent view. 

Let Me Lust: Topshop's Cross Back Playsuit

Summer is hitting us full force here in Kingston. It's been hot and quite humid for the past couple of days.

This does not please me for two reasons. Firstly, I'm not a summer girl. Winter's more my season. Secondly, heat and humidity means that I can no longer shimmy on my skinny jeans in the morning.

Most days of the week, I'm at my summer volunteering gig at a research lab at my university. This means that I need to wear something comfortable and easy to move around in. Sadly, skinnies are not the answer.

But I think I may have found the perfect solution.

This gorgeous number is from Topshop and you can find it HERE. At £34, it's not exactly cheap but I'd say it's worth the investment since you can easily dress it up or down. 

You can easily pair this with a thin braided belt, some stunning heels, and of course a pair of colorful sunnies for a date night out.

What are you lusting after this week?

Haul: Bits and Pieces

Monday was Canada Day for us Canadians. This meant a long weekend which I could spend at home. Going home meant one thing for sure: shopping. Aside from my clothes (I'll put that up later), I collected some bits of jewellery and some pieces of make-up (namely, lipstick).

Both the earings and the rings are from H&M.
I love the rings because they have such a cool Aztec-type motif going on.
The set of bracelets are from Spring and I just love the nautical theme!

 This is a Rimmel lipstick (Kate Moss's line) in shade 12.

These lipsticks are both Wet & Wild.
The first shade is Just Peachy and the second shade is Purty Persimmon. 

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