LITTLE PIECES OF LUXURY

Sometimes it's nice to splash out on something that makes you feel luxurious. I don't do it a lot. I'm not someone with drawer upon drawer of high end makeup, but I do have a few pieces that make me feel kinda fancy when I crack them out. They don't always have to be super expensive (though, I'll be honest, most of mine are on the pricier side), but there's something about them that just hits the spot.

THE SOFTEST HAIR

I have beaten the crud out of my hair in the past few years. It's basically hanging on for dear life at this point. I've bleached, dyed, permed (I don't have an explanation for that one), relaxed and heat styled it to hell and back. I should be ashamed of myself. But hey, I like changing it up and I'm probably not about to stop anytime soon. So when I discovered this product combo that helps makes my hair feel somewhat like hair again I was pretty happy.

BLOGS I'VE ENJOYED RECENTLY: ROUND 3

It feels like there's a lot of love going around today I wanted to jump on in. The great thing about writing about blogs that you enjoy reading is that, not only do you get to let people know that you've noticed their awesomeness, but it also gives others an opportunity to see it too. There's so much talent out there. It needs to be mentioned! So here I go, mentioning it.

THE CLEANSER RUNDOWN

Sooo I've got a fair few cleansers on the go here. A few more than I realized. They're one of those things that I love trying out, probably because I don't tend to stray too much with any other part of my skincare routine. Since I've got such a mountain compiling, it seemed like the perfect time to do a run through of the advantages of each one. Maybe you guys will find something you fancy.

HOW TO FAKE FRECKLES - THE VIDEO

When I first started this ol' blog of mine, I did a post on how to fake freckles. I said I'd do a video tutorial at some point. It may be a tad later than intended, but here it is...

THE REAL USE FOR THERMAL WATER SPRAYS

I always looked at thermal water sprays and wondered what the point of them was. They can't possibly infuse any moisture into the skin – they're just water. And spraying an expensive can of water on my face to cool down seemed excessive. But a short while ago my lovely friend Danielle made a trip over to France and, to my surprise, decided to return with a massive loot of skincare for me (love you Dan). One of items in the loot was, you guessed it, the Avène Thermal Spring Water. And well, I was wrong.

REPURPOSING BEAUTY PRODUCTS

I recently bought a product that was way too harsh for its intended use. I can't stand wasting a full bottle of something, so it got me thinking about how else I could make use of it... and then that got me thinking of interesting ways to use other beauty products I have stashed away. Long story short, I've got some ideas of how to make use of unloved beauty products or even just get a good two for one out of a product.

KEEP THE BRONZE A-COMIN'

Summer is truly gone and the last of our glorious tans are fading. While I generally embrace my pale skin in the winter, every once in a while (usually when I've been watching one of Tanya Burr's Victoria's Secret Super Model tutorials) I feel the urge to bring some warmth back into my face. I think the most natural way of doing that is to layer up a variety of products. As always I've got a few suggestions for you guys to pick and choose from.

HELLO YOUTUBE - FAVOURITES OF THE MOMENT

Hello! I've got something different for you guys today. I've been meaning to put up a video for a long time now, but, well the nerves have got the best of me up until this point. Who am I kidding? I'm still incredibly nervous. I hope you guys enjoy the video nonetheless. I should be back soon with another video. Hopefully I'll be able to get some tutorials going soon. I just have to get a better hang of filming first.

10 WAYS TO BUILD BLOG READERSHIP

I know some people might feel like it's a faux pas to talk about building readership, but let's face it, it can be an important part of the whole blogging shebang. A lot of us dream of being able to do this as a career and having people actually reading your work is an essential and, not to mention, hugely rewarding part of that. Of course you should always write about what you love – that's what makes it a dream job – but there are a few things that I think are worth thinking about if you want to build your readership. 

THE AUTUMN LOOK

I love when fall comes around. Suddenly I've got an excuse to drink infinite cups of tea, never get out of my pyjama pants and binge watch The Killing (ah, it's so good). Okay, I was definitely doing that before anyways. Putting aside the crisp air and the beautiful mix of colours on the trees, fall means getting to have some fun with makeup. Out come the deep, sultry shades and pale skin reigns once more! Yuss. A good vampy lip and a bit of definition in the eyes is what I've gone for this time around.

THE FIRST MAC LIPSTICKS (WITH SWATCHES)

A few weeks ago something arrived in the mail. Something that would make any makeup fanatic giddy. My friends, I speak of the glorious MAC Pro Card. Hoho baby, I knew I spent thousands of dollars attending makeup school for a reason (I can't emphasize enough how much I am kidding). Now the temptation was to go absolutely nuts and buy everything I'd ever heard any blogger talk about, but I was slightly more sensible and limited myself to only three products. Two of those products happened to be lipsticks. I don't know how I've managed to go this long loving makeup and never having bought a single MAC lipstick. It seemed about time to put an end to that madness (first world problems at their finest). I'm pretty darn tootin' pleased with the two I picked.

THE BODY SHOP IS BACK

I was down to the dregs of my Ren Evercalm Cleansing Milk so I decided to place an order with The Body Shop to stock up on some more cleanser... and then somehow other things found their way into my basket too. What? Who put those there?! Anyways, most satisfyingly, the day that my Ren Cleansing Milk bestowed upon me it's final pump, the package from The Body Shop arrived. And cleansing was had once more. As well as some shampooing and spraying of good smells. So what did I get you ask? (Please ask). Well my friends, let me tell you!

SEPTEMBER FAVOURITES

October is here! That makes me so excited. October means Thanksgiving (Canada... we're different here) and Thanksgiving means mushroom gravy and pumpkin pie... not together. And I think this year I may have to adopt my beloved friend Flora's tradition of binge-watching all of the Thanksgiving episodes of Friends. But before I slip into my Thanksgiving sweatpants, I first have to tell you what I enjoyed for the month of September!

HOW TO DO COME HITHER EYES

Look away Mom and Dad because today is about bringing the sexay. Nothing says sultry to me quite like a smoked out cat eye. For this kind of look it's really not about lifting or widening your eyes – no flicking your wing up. It's about drawing everything outwards and keeping it soft and smudgy. You want your eyes to look like you can barely keep them open because you're so ready for bed... only you won't be sleeping. Oh my. So how does one get this look? Follow along!

HOW TO KICK OILY SKIN IN THE NETHER BITS

I have oily skin and I'm sure anyone else with the same skin type will feel me when I say it is flinging flanging annoying. There are up sides to having oily skin. It tends to age well – less fine lines and whatnot. But for the meantime I intend to do something to keep the shine at bay. So I've got myself a little three step program that I thought I'd share with you guys.