Nars Fairy's Kiss Palette

A few weeks ago I spotted the Nars Fairy's Kiss Palette on a blog and I instantly knew I had to have it. I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking at swatches online and checking the Sephora website to see if they had it in stock (they don't). I finally decided it would be best to see it in store so I headed to Holt Renfrew and let me tell you, the palette is even more beautiful in person.

Once I saw it in real life there was no hesitation. The palette consists of six cool toned shades with four of them shimmer/frosted and two of them matte. I always choose neutral shades and I tend to prefer cooler colours so I am pretty sure I will get a lot of use out of this palette. This is actually my first introduction to Nars eyeshadows so I am very excited to put this to use. 

What do you think?

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Insta-Life #6 {Colombia}

When in Colombia do as the Colombians - Heading from Medellin to Santa Marta / Fresh watermelon juice to welcome me to the beach / My cousin, sister and I having some fun in the pool / Trying to be creative with our Instagram shots!

The only way to start the day on the Colombian coast - Arepa de Huevo - There is nothing more delicious! / Testing out my new hat / Catching some rays by the pool with my new Leonisa bikini / Cousins!

What have you been up to lately?

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Selma Goes To Colombia

I flew from Toronto to Bogota and then on to Medellin, Colombia in late July for a family reunion and I always like to travel comfortably yet put together. Long gone are the days of sweatpants and sweatshirts for flying and I seem to have (sort of) reverted back to my childhood when my mother put us in nice clothing for travelling (something about needing to look respectable while flying). Although you won't catch me in a dress on an airplane anytime soon I do think it's best to look like you put a little effort into your appearance. I stayed comfortable with my American Eagle Jeggings, and black Joe Fresh basic t-shirt and put together (and warm) with this blue blazer from Smart Set which I picked up in July for only $15 (such a steal!) My Yosi Samra flats make the perfect travel companion because they fold up which makes them easy to stuff into suitcases and they feel like slippers which is perfect for long flights. My handbag of choice was my Michael Kors Selma Satchel (which may not be the most practical travel bag) but I thought it looked great with the blazer (and that's what's most important, right?) 

What do you like to wear when travelling?

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Bourjois Cream Blush in Rose Tender

Like most bloggers I was pretty excited when Bourjois released their cream blush. I was hoping that they would release it here in Canada but unfortunately they have not. Thanks to Asos.com (and their wonderful free worldwide shipping) I was able to get my hands on all four colours and I decided to try out shade 3 Rose Tender. 

It is a beautiful dusty rose colour that I think would work on most skin tones. It also has some hints of shimmer in it but it is very subtle. I am not a huge fan of glitter on the face and this isn't chunky or very noticeable.  I really like the texture of the blush as it doesn't feel sticky or greasy once applied to the skin and it blends into the skin and looks quite natural. 

I haven't tried a ton of cream blushes but I really like this and I'm tempted to try out the other colours as well. I also really like the packaging because it is small and no fuss which makes it easy to toss into a makeup bag.

What is your favourite cream blush?

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A Walk In the Colombian Countryside

I spent three weeks in July and August in Colombia visiting family which accounts for my lack of online activity in the last little while. I did have blog posts scheduled but apart from some Instagraming I wasn't online very much. My grandparents house is in the countryside and it is a beautiful backdrop for photographs. On this particular day I set out with one of my aunts and two cousins to see some baby rabbits down the road (they were very cute). 

I was wearing my Blank NYC skinny jeans, a striped Joe Fresh sweater and my black Tom's which is perfect farm attire. Some might be surprised to see me wearing a sweater but the days (especially if cloudy) can be cool and the evenings cold due to the higher altitude. Even though we are close to the equator the altitude is around 2100m above sea level which means its spring all year round. With that being said sunny days can be warm but I always err on the side of caution while packing because I hate to be cold! (My favourite farm footwear just so happens to be my trusty Ugg boots, which I didn't pack this trip and obviously regretted).

Thanks to my Tia Luli for taking these photos!

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Insta-Life #5 {Colombia}

Headed to Colombia for a family reunion / My cottage socks came in handy for hammock relaxing (which is the best kind of relaxing) / Exotic bird sighting / Massage circle with my cousins

The countryside of Antioquia is absolutely beautiful / Sancocho (a traditional soup) on the fire being prepped for lunch / Riding time / Another gorgeous view (I'm so lucky to be able to call this my second home)

What have you been up to lately?

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The Black List: Disappointing Products

We all have products that we purchased because others said they were great and once you get your hands on them you are somewhat disappointed. I thought I would share some of the products that I just didn't work for me. I have also filmed a video to go along with this and you can what it HERE or down below. I'm pretty sure every beauty blogger loves Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation and their Stay Matte Powder. Sadly I do not. The foundation is much too dark for me even though I have the lightest shade they sell. It also doesn't sit very well on my skin and seems to settle in dry areas even though my skin isn't very dry at the moment. When it comes to the powder it somehow made my skin produce more oil (if that is even possible). I have given this a good try and I always feel more oily when I use it than when I don't. It also can leave you looking very powdering if you aren't careful applying. I definitely prefer a loose powder because they are more finely milled and blend into the skin much better.

I was talked into purchasing the Bourjois Express Eye Makeup Remover while I was in Shoppers Drug Mart and I am sorry to say it is not worth the money. It says that it removes waterproof makeup but it does a very bad job of it and I have stopped using this as it just isn't worth the effort. To go along with the makeup remover I have two mascaras that are on the black list. First up is the L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Waterproof Mascara which smudged so much I just gave up using it and second is Rimmel's The Max Volume Waterproof Mascara which I used to love but it has recently started to smudge on me (not as badly as the L'Oreal, though) so I have given up using it as well. Finally we have Deborah Lippmann's Call Me Irresponsible. I only used this once but that was enough for me. It is an incredibly watery formula and  after four coats I still had streaky nails and the colour was not opaque. It was pretty bad.

What are some products that didn't work for you?

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Insta-Life #4

Food truck trout that was delicious / I have one good eyebrow (just one) / Some very stormy skies over Toronto (filtered, of course) / A relaxing Saturday morning with coffee in hand

What have you been up to lately?

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Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang and Stellar

Bloggers in the UK have been raving about Rimmel's Apocalips Lip Lacquers for ages now and they have FINALLY made their way to Canada. I picked up two shades to test out and I couldn't wait to see if they lived up to the hype. There is something about seeing people talk about products you can't try that makes them seem all the more appealing and this was definitely one of those situations.

 These are definitely long-wearing liquid lipsticks and I was impressed with how opaque they were (no need to double dip the wand). The formula is a bit tricky to apply and you definitely need a mirror if you want to keep the product within your natural lip line but the colour pay off is pretty incredible. I did notice a bit of bleeding after a bit of wear but perhaps I had applied too much product as I haven't heard anyone else mention this issue. There are two other colours in the collection that I have my eye on but at the moment I am going to stick with these two.

Have you tried these? What did you think?

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July Favourites

 I spent most of July glued to twitter checking to see if Baby Cambridge was on its way. Literally I was on pins and needles starting July first so lets just say it was a long month. When I say I am royally obsessed it is not an exaggeration. Moving on. This month I fell in love with two products from Sleek that were new to me. The Sleek Contour Kit and the Sleek Blush by 3 in Sweet Cheeks are both fantastic palettes. I was very pleasantly surprised by the highlighter in the contour kit. I was expecting it to be chalky with glitter but there was no glitter in sight and I don't have a champaign highlighter in my collection so it will get a lot of use. I have also been using the blush trio pretty much everyday this month and I think that it is great quality especially at the low price point. It really can't be beat for the price. I also shopped my stash this month and started using MAC's Eye Shadow in Hold That Pose again which was from their Fire and Ice Collection a few years ago. 

This month I was also loving the Tony Moly Egg Pore Nose Pack. I got these on eBay and I just feel that they are stronger than the Biore ones that I had been using. I also have been using two nail polishes pretty much all month. First is Rimmel's Lasting Finish Pro in Sunset Orange and the second is Revlon's Coral Me Wild which lasted an astonishing 11 days without chipping on me. The final product that I have been loving this month is Garnier's Curls and Shine Mousse. I have been using this when I want straight hair because it does a great job of keeping frizz away on humid days (don't ask me why I bought the one for curly hair). I normally put the mousse into wet hair and then blow dry and straighten it. 

What products have you been loving this month?

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Insta-Life #3

A special delivery via Royal Mail from the UK / An old photo that defeats the purpose of INSTAgram but it's such a great photo I had to share / Taco night with my roommate / After twenty-something years my parents finally have patio furniture in the backyard (and a garden)

What have you been up to lately?

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