What it means to be Canadian

There are a lot of benefits to being Canadian if beauty is your game (or your hobby).
1) MAC Cosmetics is Canadian
2) We have a couple exclusive brands.
3) We live in a BEAUTIFUL country with every season (we get winter!)

But there are also some downsides..
1) We don't have target, walgreens, etc. and until recently, didn't really have a lot of Sephora (we still don't)
2) Sephora's online prices are inconvenient (they're in American)
3) Shipping gets ridiculously expensive to get it across the border.

SO. This blog is here to be a consumer's guide to Canadian Beauty. I'm not going to talk about things that you can only order online from the US and then will have to pay through the teeth in shipping.

so...
xoxoxxo
Canadianly Charmed

Accounting for Makeup

If you're like me, there's a good chance that you MIGHT forget about some of your makeup as you keep buying more and more. SO, As I'm an accountant and I like to track my purchases, I recently decided to make a makeup inventory on excel :) (nerd, much? hahaha)

This is actually a good idea, because
1) you're able to keep track of what you own before going out and able to easier identify what you "need" most.
2) It can keep you from buying multiples of things (I totally understand when things are LE, but you don't want to have 5 backup foundations, do you?)
3) It has a scary "sum" function that can get you to see how much you've spent on makeup (be warned)

SO, here's how I sorted MY makeup inventory.
1) Separate Sheets into:
FACE, EYES, LIPS, SKINCARE, BRUSHES/TOOLS, MISC. (read: nail polish)

FACE:
Foundation
Cheeks
Concealer

EYES:
Eye Liner
Mascara
Eye Shadow

LIPS:
Lipgloss,lipstick,lipstain

Skincare
Brushes

You can choose what you want your columns to be but I tended to stick with "name,color,type,brand,cost" but then for things i had multiples of I noted that, and for mascara I added "date purchased/opened", It's really good for keeping track of things!!

xoxoxoxox

Flawless Fate #5: Umm, why are you bringing the olive oil into the bathroom?

As you've noticed by my previous honey post, I love using seemingly unconventional things I have lying around the house for skin care routines, I mean, if I can just use something in my kitchen, how awesome is that and not have to buy something else??

So I stared using extra virgin olive oil to remove my eye makeup, my eye makeup remover was getting low and I realized how convenient it was for travelling so I started to look for other eye makeup removers to replace it. Then I came across this little amazing device.

1) It's super soft
2) It gets the job done! It's great for removing mascara and it gets off all my eyeshadow/liner in a pinch, I haven't used it yet for waterproof mascara but I'll update once I have.
3) You already have it (probably)

So, this is officially my eye makeup remover source, and I've managed to avoid funny looks since I tend to go to bed after people and I'm living in a house now, NOT an apartment, so you know, it's a different level of the house that I go to. And my fiance must just be really non-observant, because I had the olive oil sitting on the bathroom counter for a week back at our apartment and he didn't say anything, boys.

So it's an eye makeup remover....what about the rest of my face?

Oh yeah, I started using it on the rest of my face.

Basically, it's the first step of my routine, I just put a little bit on a folded tissue, take off my eye makeup remover and then turn the tissue around put a little bit more on and take off the makeup on my cheeks and forehead (not the oily parts of my face!) and then I cleanse, tone, and moisturize.

It is seriously doing WONDERS. I don't know if it's the olive oil or the toner or a combination of both, but I'm going to give credit to both since I've had a love-hate relationship with toner and this keeps my skin non-blotchy and really nice looking, plus I use them on different parts of my face so I think each can credit separately.

Anyways, if you're prone to breakouts, this is probably a BAD idea, but if you're not too prone, like me, this has done wonders for keeping my skin soft and smooth.

Just another home remedy from a 21-year old. But this seems like something your grandma would have done...

Flawless Fate #4: Toner, I love you once more.

I have a love-hate relationship with toner.

LOVE: I used up my small clinique 3-step sample and I loved it! But I was super broke and didn't want to spend the money on it so I never bought it.

HATE: I bought L'Oreal's and it did not do wonders for my skin.

HATE: I bought Khiel's and again...nothing special happened for me.

HATE: I bought Nivea Visage's Toner since I like their cleanser so much and was not impressed, my skin started to get all raw and red and it was not pretty :(

LOVE: I tried my Nivea Visage Toner again and I love it!! I think the trick is to ONLY use it on the parts of your face that are oily (I'm looking at you chin).

So why am I loving it so much right now? I just dab a little bit on a cotton ball, and swipe it along the oily parts of my skin or where it's been bad lately, like my chin, and I know that most people have oily T-zones but I've said before...my T-zone is perfect...I hope that stays that way. And then I'm done. I don't let it anywhere near my T-zone or my cheeks (where I've never had any problem with breakouts), just my chin and nose-sides. Then I moisturize underneath my eyes and cheeks and forehead and I'm done.

I'm also thinking about mixing things up with my combination skin, like buying cleanser for "dry skin" for the dry parts of my skin, and using the "normal to combination" cleanser on the other parts, this seems like an extra step though that I might want to skip.

Either way, my face is looking good. (or, better!)

NAILS: Stay Neutral!

Hello everyone who reads this,

SO. I've recently fallen head over heels in LOVE with neutral nail polish, my current favorite? "Sydney Sands" by Chinaglaze. It's discontinued (I picked it up for $2.99 at my favorite nail supply store :) ) but it's the perfect combination of beige with slight pinkness to compliment my skin tone.

I've decided to make a list of reasons why I love love love neutral nail polish.

1. Totally work appropriate, you don't have to worry about the color you're choosing to be "too bold", "too pink", "too red" (my friend's boyfriend said whenever she wears red nail polish it 'makes her toes look slutty' LOL!), it's neutral :)

2. It's one of the best ways to keep your fingernails pretty without dealing with acrylics or trying to give yourself a french manicure (I'm on a budget and i don't have enough skill to give myself one.)

3. I think that this would be best if you wanted to layer some really sheer colors but still get the effect, I think I might do that tomorrow.

I know it's summer so people probably want to get fun bright bold colors, and I've tried three different colors in the last week (OPI's "big lights, bright colors" (it's a gorgeous coral with gold sparkles!!), Princessa's "Champagne Dust", and China Glaze's "Platinum Gold") but I'm going on a job interview on monday so I feel like neutral is the best. It totally says "I'm a serious accountant."

xoxoxoxoxoxo

BEST
Ally

Flawless Fate #3: On the road again...

Well not necessarily "on the road" again, but I'm currently visiting my parents at home so I obviously didn't want to bring all my bottles with me. And I usually had the policy of using trips as an excuse to use all of the free samples I accumulate but I'm all out of cleanser samples so I decided to figure out a way to bring it with me.

I went to London Drugs, my favorite drugstore now! (Gooodbyeeeee Shoppers!) and bought these four tiny bottles:

They're perfect for traveling! They each can carry 3 oz. but I think I only maybe put an once in each because most of my bottles are 5-7 ounces, so if I filled them, it would be from 60% to 42% of my TOTAL bottle, and I don't think I'm going to go through that on a long weekend.

This is what I used them for:
- Nivea Visage cleanser for Normal to Combination skin
- Nivea Toner for Normal to Combination Skin
- Tres Seme Shampoo (silky)
- Tres Seme Conditioner (silky)

And then I brought my "estee lauder night cream" 14-day sample.

These are perfect for flights as they fit into the new liquid requirements.

My only con is that the cleanser is hard to get out because I didn't fill it and it's a gel.

Clean & Clear: Morning Burst In Shower Facial Review

Soo I bought this last Saturday after hearing good reviews about it, and I used it on Sunday and my skin was fine. There wasn't any major change and then I used it again on Wednesday (3 FULL days later) and it said "Use 1-3 times a week" so I figured, about 2 times a week would be fine, BAD idea. I used it right when I got up and it really irritated my skin! My face was splotchy red and it did NOT look pretty, I ended up having to pack on the concealer in order to hide all the redness. I wasn't impressed.

I understand it's an exfoliator but I'm not sure why it was so irritating the second time, and it's too bad it's not less abrasive for regular use.

I'll try using it again next Wednesday (I'm going to wait a FULL week!)


UPDATE: I'm using it again and it seems to be fine for my skin, I use it 3 times a week, with 2-3 days in between, and my skin isn't becoming raw, I recommend giving your skin some time if you don't exfoliate that often, but afterwords, my skin had less of a harsh effect and you can use it more often.

Also, I made myself another honey facemask tonight, my skin feels so soft!

Optimism: Not just for optimists.

I fully believe in looking at the glass half-full, but sometimes, it's a little crazy. People live ridiculously optimistic and I feel like you could keep getting disappointed. But, I'm also a firm believer in not being too negative.

Yes, you're really not pumped for that exam you have to write, but is worrying about how you're going to FAIL really going to help you? I'm not saying be blind to your situation, but at least have hope. Never give up on yourself.

Honey, Honey, Honey!

I'm currently in LOVE with honey! So I just thought that I would list some of the amazing benefits of this miracle ingredient. (Obviously I'm not saying to eat it to excess, doing that with any food is a bad idea)

- way better than sugar!! or artificial sweeteners. Basically, it's the best sweetener out there.
- if you take a spoonful at night before bed (and obviously before brushing your teeth) it actually helps you LOSE weight because it gets your liver working (increasing metabolism) without having to digest anything.
- Honey + Cinnamon + Boiled Water = Delicious!!
- It will NEVER expire! (It's already been digested by bees so it's not chemicals thats making it indestructible.
- the beauty uses of it
- can be used in a face mask (makes your skin feel soo soft)
- can be used as a lip conditioner
- anti-aging.

MAC Math

MAC has the awesome option buy pro palettesand fill with all of your favorites! (FYI all my prices are in Canadian!)
PROS
1) It's convenient for applying makeup, especially eyeshadow when you usually are using multiple ones at once.
2) It's easier to transport instead of having 15 awkward pots, you just have one cool
palette!
3) Price!

CONS

1) If you just need ONE color, you need to bring the entire palette.
2) You need to buy multiple pieces to justify the cost of the palette.

Alright, now I'm going to do the math.
Back2Mac Math!


You have 3 Options:

1) A 4 eyeshadow palette
Palette cost =$6

Eyeshadow pan cost = $13
Eyeshadow pot cost (reg.) = $17.50
Savings per eye shadow = $4.50

No. of eye shadows you need to buy to justify the cost = 2
Savings by filling it: $12

Cost to fill it = $58

(FYI, if you're thinking about buying 4 4 eyeshadow palettes instead of 1 15 you're total savings is $28.50, which is 22.50 LESS than the 15 palette.)





2) A 15 eyeshadow palette
Palette cost = $16.50

Eyeshadow pan cost = $13
Eyeshadow pot cost (reg.) = $17.50
Savings per eye shadow = $4.50

No. of eyeshadows you need to buy to justify the cost = 4
Savings by filling it = $51

Cost to fill it = $211.50






3) A 6 Blush palette
Palette Cost = $16.50

Blush pan cost = $22
Blush pot cost (reg.) = $18.50
Savings per blush = $3.50


No. of blushes you need to buy to justify the cost = 5
Savings by filling it = $4.50


That's right, you NEED to buy at least 5 blushes to justify the cost of having a palette. Because of this, I don't really think it's worth it. I understand the need to have multiple blushes, but at least 5? At once? Maybe it's just me, but I tend to stick with a few blushes (I usually just use ONE every day, am I a freak?) and I don't know if I need this many, and you don't save that much.

There's the math!

STAY BEAUTIFUL

Flawless Fate #2: Honey, I masked my face!

When researching all the best skincare products (I'm a FIRM believer in researching before you buy!), I found a website that listed #2 as the best product as....honey!

"Honey's natural antioxidant and anti-microbial properties help to protect the skin from the damage of the sun's rays, supports the skin's ability to rejuvenate and refresh depleted skin, leaving it feeling silky soft and supple."

SO tonight, I gave myself a honey mask. It's really easy to do!
Here's the recipe:
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
-1 egg yoke

Tasks:
1. Add all the items in a bowl and mix until creamy.
2. Put a warm cloth over your face to open up your pores.
3. Apply the honey mask, leave on for 20 minutes.
4. Rinse, splash your face with cold waters to make sure your pores are closed.

Voila! My skin feels really soft and I like it so far. I left it on for 25 minutes because I was on the phone, but I don't think that would cause a huge problem?

What do you all think?

I'm going to do this once a week. Probably on the weekend.


XOXOXOXO
Ally

Flawless Fate #1: My (lack of) skin care routine.

I'm currently on the lookout for ways to get flawless skin so this will be a series on my blog about this quest! I don't have a lot of acne, just a little bit around my nose and on my chin, but my skin isn't perfect, it's uneven and I'm getting married in a few weeks and I want it to look amazing, my "flawless fate"!

I have a combination skin, with my T-zone being pretty dry but the rest being a little oily.


Currently my routine is as follows:
MORNING
- I splash my face with water ($0!) and then I apply makeup (MAC NW15 Studio Sculpt Concealer, Chanel Pro Luminous Foundation, Bare Escentials mineral veil).

EVENING
-Nivea Visage Clear&Refreshing Gel ($10 at drugstores)
- FACE Eye Makeup Remover ($7 from Sephora)

And that's it! I have bought the St. Ives Firming Mask ($7 at drugstores) and I wasn't very impressed, I used it a few times and I didn't see any change.

SO this is my goal. This is the beginning!

I'm getting married in a few months too.