5 STEPS TO CREATING A BLOG DESIGN

BLOGGING BUILDING BLOCKS: BLOG DESIGN
Today is the first installment of Blogging Building Blocks! I'm delighted to be working with the incredibly lovely and talented Chaitra, from PinkPot, on this four part series. Each week Chaitra and I will be sharing tips on the fundamental elements of blogging. First up is blog design. I've got you covered with 5 steps to creating a blog design.

PREVENTING & TREATING REDNESS IN THE SKIN

A couple days ago a friend commented that I should do a post about dealing with redness in the skin. Now that I think about it I can't believe I haven't already. I spend so much time dealing with redness on a day to day basis it would seem only natural to write about it. This is a fairly large topic so I'm going to break it up into two separate posts: preventing/treating redness and covering redness. Let's dive into treating it for today.

10 MAKEUP TIPS: ROUND 3

I've spent the past few years trying to be a sponge for makeup knowledge. I've watched so many Youtube tutorials (Lisa Eldridge, Tanya Burr, the Pixiwoo gals, Chloe Morello, Sharon Farrell, etc.), read so many blog posts and attended makeup school. I just love learning about this stuff and I think it's always nice to pass on one's findings. This is the third installment of this series... I suppose it's a series now. You're welcome to check out the first two posts – 10 Thing I've Learned About Makeup and 10 More Makeup Tips. For now, here's what I've got!

OH HAUL YES I DID

I headed into the city yesterday with the intention of buying a new night cream. My second bottle of La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra finally ran out and, as much as I loved it, I thought it was due time to try something new. I did indeed find a new moisturizer... I just accidentally found a few others things along the way.

TARTE AMAZONIAN CLAY 12 HOUR FULL COVERAGE FOUNDATION

I purchased the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation about a month ago. I would have written about it sooner, but it took me the whole month to type out the name of the foundation. Bad joke, but seriously, it's like everyone's in some unspoken competition to out-lengthen each other in name giving these days. Anyone else notice that? So you guys know the drill by now. There's a new foundation in town (and by town I mean my drawer), which means imma give you the rundown.

DANIELLE'S MAKEOVER

A few months ago my friend Danielle came to me with a proposition. She suggested that I take her makeup shopping and then do a mini makeover on her for the blog. It seemed like a pretty fantastic idea to me, so we headed off to MAC and Sephora and showered the sales assistants in dollar dollar bills yall. Just kidding, but products were purchased. Yesterday we finally got around to doing the makeover portion of this endeavor and it was good fun. As per usual, I'll run you through what we did.

THE BEST FACE BRUSHES

To me, working with good makeup brushes is just as important as working with good products. You can't get the most out of a product unless you're using the right tool to apply it. As somehow who struggles with their skin (hyper-pigmentation, acne, large pores) I find this to be most pertinent when it comes to face brushes. I've spent a lot of time over the past few years experimenting with a variety of brushes in order to find what works best for what. Of course I like to switch things up every now and then and I'm always open to change, but I think I've got a pretty solid thing going here in general.

DRUGSTORE MAKEUP STARTER KIT

In the past few months I've tried to push myself to invest in higher end pieces that I'll get lots of use out of, but I still can't help loving roaming the aisles of London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart and even Real Canadian Superstore (because it's important to keep it classy). Drugstore makeup is my jam. Plus who doesn't love a good hunt? Actually, to answer my own rhetorical question, a lot of people don't. I have a few friends that I think tend to feel overwhelmed by everything out there, not knowing where to begin. So ladies, this one's for you.

MARVELOUS NETFLIX TV PICKS 2

It seemed about time for round two of the Netflix picks. Binge watching Netflix shows is one of my greatest talents. I know, I know, impressive. It takes years for some to accomplish what I have can in a mere few days. Oh dear, I need to get outside more. At any rate, these are some great TV shows.

ANASTASIA BROW WIZ VS DIPBROW POMADE

I've spent the past couple of months rattling on about how much I love the Anastasia Brow Wiz. Nothing's changed on that front. It's the best brow pencil I've ever tried. So in the sort of backwards manner that I operate in, I had to go and try something else – the Anastasia Dripbrow Pomade. What can I say? I was so impressed with the Brow Wiz that it got me curious to try the other cult status brow product in the line. I thought a run-through/comparison might come in handy for anyone out there wondering which one would suit them best.

WEEKEND GETAWAY MAKEUP

It was back to Victoria this weekend. I headed out with a couple of friends and the mantastic and we spent two days straight gorging ourselves with delicious food (Jam Cafe being a highlight) and basking in the sunlight. It was terrible. Who would enjoy such a thing? I kid. Of course I packed up a nice little baggie of makeup and I wouldn't be a self professed beauty blogger (i.e. with no credibility but my own word) if I didn't show you the contents.

NARS DIGITAL WORLD LIP PENCIL COFFRET

I've mentioned a few times how much I love me some Nars Dragon Girl, but the other day I was watching Tanya Burr's vlog and she was wearing Nars Cruella. Ooooh child. Lets just say I was a moth and her lips were a flame. Only lets say it in a less creepy manor. Well I'd been eyeing up the Nars Digital World Lip Pencil Coffret for months and my new found obsession with Cruella, which is included in the set, was enough to tip the scale. I love the idea of getting to try a load of mini sizes. I figured it was now or never because they're a limited edition Christmas set and they can't last much longer. Yup, I ordered out of fear. I am susceptible to consumer traps.

FEBRUARY FAVOURITES

Well, February happened. It just came and went. Despite the gloomy weather, it was actually a pretty good month. My anxiety levels were generally low, which is a huge relief for me. I've been enjoying going to badminton once a week, binge watching Friends on Netflix and listening to some sweet, sweet Hozier (I love him. When he had Annie Lennox come out and join him at The Grammys it was such a f*** yeah moment). I also massively enjoyed getting to work with Brittany on our collaborative Forever Repurchasing posts. She has become someone that I really love talking to and feel that I've made a genuine connection with. I only wish that we could meet up in person! It's a pretty amazing thing to have that come out of this whole blogging business. Anyways, sappiness aside, let's talk products.