Thursday, March 21, 2013

Winter Wedding Wow

I just finished two amazing trials today for two amazing upcoming brides that are getting married this Summer.  After doing their trials I realized I hadn't posted any brides in awhile and I thought this would be the perfect time!

Back in January I had the chance to work w/ a beautiful bride Adriana and her bridal party.  I had actually worked w/ Adriana previously on her engagement shoot so it was a lot of fun to see the photos from her wedding and her engagement shoot.

Adriana wanted to do a bit of a purple/grey smokey eye w/ a very slight winged liner and a nice soft pale pink lip.  To compliment the slightly vintage feel to the makeup I did a half up/half down hairstyle but kept it straight other than curling in the ends of the hair but I did give the girl some Lana Del Ray/Bridget Bardot style volume to the hair...this of course was helped by the handmade extensions I had made for her previously.  At first she wasn't sure but after everyone told her how fab it looked she was sold.  And she thanked me later b/c after she saw the pics and got use to the height she knew it was the right choice!  A good note for brides to remember is that hair often looks higher or fuller to us then it actually looks in pictures!

Pictures Courtesy of Nicole Duplantis of Eclipse Photography

 








Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Pixi Beauty Launches in Canada

With the long awaited arrival of Target to Canada also brings w/ it other exciting brands and beauty products to try and test out.  One of these exciting brands happens to be UK makeup brand Pixi!  Which is very exciting as I remember hearing great things about the brand from fellow makeup maven/bloggers Pixiwoo!

So when Pixi Beauty reached out to me to try their products I was very excited to do so of course!  I'll admit I got the products awhile ago (right before my trip to Singapore/Malaysia) so I didn't have a chance to blog about them then but I can say that I'm still using the products now and some of them even made it into my VERY condensed makeup bag while I was backpacking South East Asia!

First up!

Tinted Brilliance Balm: Just as the name suggests it's a tinted lip balm but it also reacts to your body's own PH levels and tints the lips a natural hue made just for you!  It is very nourishing and smooth feeling on the lips..not sticky at all which is great!  I got #1 Unique Pink which for  me personally is a little too natural or light...I would have liked something w/ a bit more punch or pop to the colour but it is great for someone who wants a very nourishing and soft/natural look to their lips.  I actually like to use the balm before bed as I always try to wear some sort of lip balm product before bed to prevent chapped lips.

Natural Brow Duo: The natural brow duo comes w/ a waterproof pencil w/ an angled tip and a tinted soft gel to hold unruly brows in place.  At first I wasn't sure about the colour as they only offer one colour and my brows are quite dark..it did take a few layers but I was able to get the intensity to a level that was dark enough to match my brows.  In which case this might be a great product for makeup artists that want to condense their kits and carry less products.  Use it lightly for a lighter shade or do a few layers to achieve a darker look!

Eye Bright Liner: Another great trick makeup artists who want to open a clients eyes and make them appear brighter and whiter use is to line the inner rim of the eye in a lighter shade - white can be too stark but this  waterproof nude shade liner does the trick!  Plus it's hypoallergenic, paraben-free, mineral oil free and suitable for even the most sensitive eyes...so line away and look light and bright...even when you don't feel it!

Last but not least my favourite product I received...and the one that is STILL in my daily makeup kit!

Flawless & Poreless: The only thing that comes slightly close to my obsession w/ my eyebrows is my obsession to find a great primer!  This is the one beauty product that I'm always trying out new ones and looking for the next, best thing!  I really liked this primer!  It's different than a lot of the primers I've been using recently in that it doesn't feel as heavy or siliconey but it does still smooth out my skin and help keep my makeup fresher for longer!  I was finding recently that my skin was getting really oily...like really oily really fast and I think part of that might of had to do w/ the silicone based primers I was using.  This felt light on my skin and even when I was over in Singapore and Malaysia where it's very hot my skin was staying matter longer!  It comes in one translucent shade so it's good for everyone!  Out of all the products I tried this is definitely my keeper!

So I'm definitely excited to see and learn more at the brand when I get to visit a Target...now open in TORONTO!!!


Saturday, March 16, 2013

Life Updated - Singapore, Malaysia and Now Back To Reality!

Yes...Yes, I know it's been a mth since I last blogged.  Not exactly a great start to the year so far on the blogging front I will admit but you know I just can't seem to make myself blog while backpacking through Asia...probably b/c I would have to do it from my phone and well that's just a pain in the butt lol!

So I'm back from another world adventure...a little wiser, a little older...hopefully a little more interesting.  This time I was off to Singapore and Malaysia to reconnect w/ my travel buddy Ole from my India tour.  You may remember he's backing packing for a year around the world.  So interesting b/c I met him at the VERY beginning of his adventure and now meeting him 100 days in I can see the change...so relaxed, no schedule, no stress...travel suits him well.  Although I'm not going to lie..being that I had only 2 wk (and not a yr) I would have liked if he'd maybe planned one or two things instead of leaving it totally up to chance lol!

So after a long (but actually pretty stress free) journey over to the other side of the world I arrived in Singapore at 1:30 am...there I met Ole at the airport who also arrived on a late night flight.  We headed to our hostel which was definitely "no frills" but it's Singapore and it's expensive so you know I wanted to keep things on the "cheaper" side there...this was actually the only place we had booked beforehand...probably b/c I took care of it...and I'm a planner lol.

Singapore is very different from the rest of South East Asia.  It's clean and modern and expensive...all the signs are in English...almost feels like you're not in Asia anymore.  Therefore we only planned to spend 2.5 days there!

Our first day found us just exploring the waterfront and China town.  But that night we got to meet up w/ my photographer friend Todd Anthony Tyler (resident judge on Asia's Next Top Model) and his wife.  So crazy that our trips in Singapore overlapped by 1 day and we were able to meet up for a drink before he headed back to Shanghai!  Can't believe I've been back here in Canada almost 4 yrs now...man time flies!  For Ole and I it was a real back packer treat to meet up w/ Todd b/c we got to go hang out in the Executive Lounge of the Swissotel where he was staying and get unlimited free drinks and food...yeah nice start to my trip to say the least lol!

Getting our Free drink on at the Swissotel


Next day we hit up Sentosa island...visited a huge ass aquarium and had a great time at Universal Studios...I esp. enjoyed the Transformers 3-D indoor ride...we did that one twice!

My camera doesn't do these creatures justice




Before Transformers 3-D ride...I hated the movie...loved the ride - go figure lol!


Day after we hit up the Singapore Zoo...and unfortunately our zoo trip was a little condensed after we unfortunately were delayed by an hr b/c of a broken down bus!  After the zoo a quick trip back to the hostel to grab our bags and then off to the airport and Malaysia!






I have a perverse love for taking pictures of animals trying to have sex lol!


This animal was just lying there...look how close I got to be w/ him!  Not going to lie though was a bit frightened he had some big claws lol!

One thing all the travel books will tell you...and I will tell you now from experience is that Malaysia is known for food...lots and lots of street food!  It's yummy, it's cheap and it's greasy...so great for back packing...not great for waistline lol!

Ever chance I got I drank a coconut!

First stop in Malaysia was of course the biggest city Kuala Lumpur aka KL...we only stayed there for two nights which was cool w/ me b/c I have to be honest I was over the city life at that point...I wanted some adventure!

Twin Towers in KL that we never actually got to go up b/c the viewings were sold out for the day :(

The plan after KL was to hit up the Perhentian Islands for some much need Sun, Sand and Relaxation...the reality unfortunately was much different then that :(  Upon arriving in Kota Bhure (the port town near the islands) we were in for an awakening..in the form of piss pouring rain...that pretty much never stopped...the whole time we were there...

It was so bad at first we were told we couldn't even get a ferry b/c the waters were too rough!  I'm not going to lie..I got a little stressed out...and may have consumed an abnormal amount of Peanut M&M's to calm my stress lol.  You see Ole may have a year to do what he pleases but I only had 2 wks so of course I want EVERY minute of it packed w/ fun, adventure and good times!  After about an hr of sitting in a the travel agency office we were told we were in luck there would be 1 ferry that day - Yeah!

I don't think if we knew what that ferry ride would have been like if we'd been as excited lol!  I'm not going to lie...I thought we were for sure going to tip or sink or something at some point during this 1+ hr ferry ride. I don't know what was better - me sitting inside dry but w/out a life jacket (as there weren't enough to go around) or Ole sitting outside getting soaked but w/ a life jacket.  The whole time in my crazy mind I was planning my escape route and how I would swim to shore when this boat was overtaken by a wave (which I felt was imminent)...After getting the chance to go in the water and play in the waves off the shore the following day I now realize this was very naive of me as I most surely would have drowned had this boat actually tipped...so thankfully it didn't lol.

So life on the island was not the paradise I would have hoped for...It pretty much rained NON STOP for 2 days straight.  There was a few hrs of dryness the first day and we enjoyed going for a walk around the island and playing in the water.  Most of our time though was spent in Ewan's cafe on the resort.  Very friendly staff, yummy food, cheap prices and wifi so I guess it wasn't a AWFUL.  But I'm not going to lie it wasn't great lol...this was an alcohol free island...there are only two things you want to do on an island when it's pouring rain - drink and have sex...I was partaking in neither activity...


The day came to leave the island and I was just hoping we'd be able to!  Thankfully the waves weren't bad so we actually took a speed boat back to the mainland...again a wet and windy journey to say the least...but we did both get life jackets this time lol...and it was MUCH quicker than the ferry!

During the boat ride off the island...YEAH we're leaving!

Yeah I have a life jacket this time!

Yeah for waterproof mascara ;)

After the island we wanted to do Cameron Highlands but unfortunately monsoon season was holding out longer than normal this year and the weather was not looking great there either...I don't think I could take another Perhentian debacle so we decided just to spend the rest of our trip on the West coast of Malaysia in Penang.

Penang was broken up into two sections:

Georgetown...where we enjoyed some much needed nightlife and alcohol after our "dry" time on the island...only thing that was dry on the island I  might add.  Met some interesting locals during late night walks back to the hotel, had great times at Monkey Bar and even met a crazy, old Australian who showed us a really good night at Slippery Senoritas - booth, bottle service...the works!  Plus we even made time during the day to visit the Butterfly Farm and Penang Hill...and of course visit the street hawkers for more food!

Looking like high rollers w/ our piles of money...only maybe $100 Canadian lol!



After the island I needed a drink so bad I got TWO!  Happy Hour Special ;)

Night Club Adventures


Blue Steel

Not going to lie I was not expecting, nor dressed for a night club event...I felt really gross and sweaty lol!

Penang Hill...Gorgeous Views

 Butterfly Farm




That "leaf" is a butterfly!


The butterflies LOVED Ole...I couldn't get them to land on me no matter how much I tried :(  He HATES this pic...exactly why I'm posting it ;)

Batu Ferringhi...where I ended my journey and spent the last few days getting that much needed sun and relaxation that I wanted so bad. Unfortunately, I think I tried to get a little too much sun a little too quick...my Canadian skin is definitely a lot more sensitive then it was in my youth and instead of achieving a nice golden brown I quickly became a painful lobster red :(

Giant Coconut!

By the pool..before the burn :(

This does not even begin to capture the level of red my skin was...I tried taking this of my back myself in the bathroom lol.  Love how the bikini top strings are even burned into my skin :( lol

Final Night Drink!  Thankfully my face didn't burn as I wear so many cosmetics that have SPF in them...see makeup is good for you ;)

And that is where the trip ends...a very different goodbye than last time...Ole continues on his journey currently in Cameron Highlands (jealous) and then off to Cambodia and Vietnam...even more jealous.

I'm not going to lie...it was definitely not the trip I was expecting or hoping for.  It wasn't India...but nothing ever will be...and it's somewhat sad to try and recapture a moment in time b/c you can't.  It's better just to leave it there and remember it fondly for what it was.  So if nothing else I walk away w/ another life lesson learned.

It was it's own journey...and there are some good memories and times w/ it as well so like many things in life it's better to just appreciate it on it's own terms then try to make it into something it's not.

And now back to reality...MANY updates to come!