NOTD #1: Glitter Tips

Hey loves! I hope you are all having a lovely day. Today, I've just been spending the day at home, relaxing. I did also end up painting my nails so I thought I would share with you all what is on my nails! Also please don't mind my unhealthy yellow nails. It's a result of being a nail polish addict.

 Here's how they look under artificial light.

And here's how they look under natural light.

It's literally so easy to achieve this nail design/art that I don't even think it's necessary for me to talk through the steps. However, I will quickly go through what I did and what nail polishes I used.

As for the nail polishes that I used, they are all nail polishes that can be found in local drugstores. I bought mine from Shoppers Drugmart in Canada.

I first applied a base coat on my nails. Since I did not apply any coloured nail polish on top I made sure that the base coat I used was shiny. For this nail look I used PRO FX Complete 3. This is my favourite nail polish base coat because it is so affordable and on top of that it acts as a topcoat and nail strengthener as well.

As for the glitter tips, I used a gorgeous glitter topcoat from Essie. Using a glitter topcoat where the nail polish colour is clear makes it easier to create a gradient look since I also used a clear base coat as the main colour of my nails. The glitter topcoat I used is Essie's Luxeffects in a cut above.

Then to finish everything off, I simply used the PRO FX Complete 3 once more onto of each nail as a topcoat. This makes it less likely for the glitters from the Essie nail polish to fall off and makes it more smooth.

So that's the end of this post. I hope you guys found this interesting and hopefully some of you will try this out yourself! Anyways, have a lovely day and enjoy the beautiful weather outside!

For any requests, questions, or business inquires, you can contact me at lilacbeam@gmail.com 

♥

July Favourites 2013

Hey loves! I hope you are having a lovely day. Today, I'm back with a July Favourites post. I have a couple of beauty favourites along with fashion and some random favourites as well to show you all. This month I've really been trying quite a few new products and I'm super excited to share them with you. So let's get started!

The first product I have here to show you all is a perfume by Flora by Gucci in the scent Gracious Tuberose. It's such a lovely scent and I'm not even going to try explaining the scent because I'm terrible at that. However, click here to read how Gucci describes it. I've been wearing it non-stop since I've gotten it because it's not too strong of a perfume but still lasts on me all day long.

The second product I have here to show you is a sunscreen which can be purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart. I've been using Bioderma's Photoderm SPF 60 Cream for more than the month of July now and it would be insane not to include it in this month's favourites. It says it's Sunburn protection, moisturizing, and non oily. I totally agree with that and what I do is use this under my makeup every single day. I apply this after my morning skin care routine.

Now along the lines of face products, I have a mask that I've been absolutely loving. I purchase mine at a local supermarket called T&T. However it's also available for purchase online at sites like Sasa. It is the Royal Jelly Mask by My Beauty Diary. With this mask I find that it helps to reduce redness and leaves my skin feeling soft. Also, what I love about this mask is that I have really sensitive skin and this mask does not break me out all all.

This is the last face product I have to show and it is the Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12-hr Perfecting Primer. I've been using this primer every single day under my makeup and I love how it makes my makeup stay on all day. Plus it's waterproof which makes it great for those hot summer days. I also find that it does a great job at making my foundation apply on very smoothly. I purchased mine at Sephora.  

The next product here is a deodorant which is simply amazing. It is the Dove clear tone skin renew anti-perspirant deodorant. It's supposed to renew your skin and I've been using it for the month of July and so far I've been seeing some pretty good results. It's definitely lightening my underarm region which often gets darken from shaving. For those who have the same problem definitely check this product out! I bought mine at Walmart.

Another favourite I have for this month is a nail polish by Topshop in the colour Pillar Box. Recently I've been getting into red nail polishes again and this is the perfect shade of red. It's a true pillar box red colour. Definitely go to Topshop and check out their nail polishes even if this colour isn't your thing, they have a ton of their nail polishes on sale in store at the moment!

Next I have a hair accessory which I've been loving. I've been loving scrunchies. Totally retro but trust me on this one. It's perfect for anyone with thick hair. The scrunchies I find really hold up my hair well and plus they look cute on your wrists when they're not in your hair. They also don't have the metal part on it which means it won't damage your hair. Mines are from Ardenes but you can also purchase thicker ones at American Apparel.

That's it for my beauty and fashion favourites. Now I have some a music favourite for you. I've been listening to Rum Pum Pum Pum by f(x) non-stop. Definitely check this song out and their whole album called Pink Tape. It's absolutely amazing. #kpop.

And that's the end of my July Favourites. I hope you guys found this post interesting and definitely try out some of these products that I mentioned in today's post.

For any requests, questions, or business inquires, you can contact me at lilacbeam@gmail.com 

♥

My Everyday Makeup: Spring 2013

Hey loves, I hope you are all having a wonderful day. I'm finally done for the week as it's now officially the Easter long weekend. Super excited about that, and since I have time today I thought it's about time I make a blog post. Today I will be going through the products I have been using on a daily basis in terms of makeup. Some of these products I've been using since I was really young and still am using them, whereas some products like my foundation is relatively new and I haven't started using that until late winter. These products range from both high end to drugstore products and before I ramble on let's just get started.

1 PRIME: After moisturizing and applying my acne medication I start off by using Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer. The one I have now is a little travel size and I've gone through one of these already after one year and now that I'm on the second one that I have, once I finish it, I definitely plan on getting a full size one. What I love about this product is that it's sort of a gel consistency and it definitely creates a smooth base for your foundation.

2 CONCEAL: Next I like to apply my concealer. The one I've been using for a year now is the Makeup Forever 5 Camouflage Palette in N 1. I absolutely love it. I use it under the eyes and on any blemishes I have as well. I use my concealer before foundation, but if I have a really big spot that day, I like to reapply concealer again after my foundation if that's necessary.

3 FOUNDATION: Afterwards, I apply my foundation. The one I've recently purchased near the end of winter and have been using ever since is the Dior Skin Forever Flawless Perfection Fusion Wear Makeup. It's a little bit darker than my natural skin colour because the foundation does oxidize  Which I wish it didn't, but it's okay just because I'm fine with my skin looking a tad bit darker as it's starting to get warmer outside, plus it's not that much of a difference and the problem is easily solved once I blend it down onto my neck.

4 EYEBROWS: Then I like to fill in my eyebrows. I've been using the Revlon matte eyeshadow in Rich Sable (009) to fill them in since almost 4 years ago when I first started playing with makeup. It's the perfect shade as it's not a complete black but it's also not too light. I've never really got along with eyebrow pencils, so I like to just stick with the shadows.

5 POWDER: After that I like to set everything in and soften my eyebrows by using my Korres Wild Rose Compact Powder. This powder isn't extremely amazing, but it does the job. However, I do plan on switching powders once I finish this so definitely leave any recommendations for good powder down in the comments below.

6 BRONZER: Next is bronzer. Like I mentioned early my foundation is a tad darker than my normal skin tone so as for bronzer I don't like to apply it all over my face. I just use the Nars Laguna Bronzer to contour my cheekbones and my nose.

7 HIGHLIGHT: The last face product is my highlighter, which is Benefit's What's Up I think this is a must for spring as it will give you that glowly, live skin. I got this from Sephora as a birthday gift hence the reason why it's a travel size. I absolutely love it and I use this on the bridge of my nose, cupid's bow, under my brows, and on my cheekbones.

8 MASCARA: Finally, last but not least, I curl my lashes using an eyelash curler from Revlon and apply my favourite mascara at the moment which is the L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes. It makes my lashes incredibly long and I find that it does not clump as long as you don't apply too much which goes for any mascara really.

So that is the end of this post. I hope you guys enjoyed it. This is basically what I've been using on my face lately, and I think I will definitely be using all of these products up until summer where it starts to get really hot and I prefer not to wear a foundation. Anyways, be sure to tell me what kind of post you would like to see next and I hope you all have a lovely Easter!

For any requests, questions, or business inquires, you can contact me at lilacbeam@gmail.com 

♥

Collective Haul-Urban Outfitters, Topshop, and more!

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Today I have a haul for all of you. I did a little bit of shopping this week and I didn't get too much but I did pick up some pretty good pieces so I thought I would show you.

The first store I hit up was Urban Outfitters. I got a really good deal on a denim studded jacket from their 'Urban Renewal' line. I absolutely love it and I definitely will be wearing this almost everyday in Spring.

Urban Outfitters-Originally $154.00 CAD on sale for $59.99 CAD

The next store is Zara. They were having a really amazing sale like they always do and I picked up this glittery sweater which looks amazing with a pair of light washed jeans.

 Zara- Originally $54.90 CAD on sale for $9.99 CAD 

I also went to Winners this week and I have to admit I love going to Winners. They have the best clothes for such an affordable price. I got this denim vest which I think will look great over a long sleeve plaid button up. It's such a great layer piece for Spring here in Canada where it can still be quite chilly in the mornings.

 Winners-$16.99 CAD

Next we have Topshop. I've heard a lot about Topshop's Joni Jeans recently. And i've heard both bad and good reviews so I thought I would just see for myself. I got mine in black and for references I bought mine in size 25 and when I tried them on they felt very tight, however they did feel really stretchy so I have a feeling they will be stretching quite a bit after I few wears. That's just my guess though.

 Topshop-$66.00 CAD

As for jewelry, I got a few from Forever 21, which I am very happy about. I got a set of earrings which will be very useful for everyday wear as they are simple and are studs. And then I also got a ring which is silver with a turquoise stone on it, which I think is just a very simple ring to wear daily as well.

Forever 21-Ring $5.80 CAD Earrings $6.80 CAD

And last but not least, I picked this cute thing up today. It's a cat phone case from H&M. I am absolutely in love with it, it's just so cute. H&M definitely has a few of the most stylish iPhone cases out there I recommend you go check it out! 

H&M-$6.95 CAD

So that's the end of the haul. Some of these pieces are still in store as I bought all of this just this week, so if you have time definitely go check it out. I hope you all have a lovely week!

For any requests, questions, or business inquires, you can contact me at lilacbeam@gmail.com 

♥