Adore Me First Haul/Experience & Review

I've seen quite a few posts on instagram with a haul featuring "Adore Me". Adore Me is essentially a site that sells lingerie. They offer 'show rooms' each month featuring new/old products that fit your style (You take a test at the beginning). Its sort of a monthly subscription service but it's not mandatory to make a purchase each month.. which is something I enjoy.
I've been looking at their items every once in a while but never found anything worth committing to, especially for the price since I've never seen the quality of these items. But on black friday they were offering a special deal, your first set for ... wait for it...$8 dollars! Well 7.95 , but you just round it up to $8. I saw this really cute teddy, 'Ieesha' and thought , why not for $8 good way to try this out.

this is the product i ordered

I just received it in the mail, and must I say... It's barely worth the $8. I rarely shop at La senza, only when they have underwear for $3. La Senza bras are low quality and have low support for bigger busts and I feel like Adore me is at a lower level then La Senza

The color that it came in, did not represent the item that was shown on their site. As shown in the pictures I have attached. When i was purchasing the item, it did not show any offers for any other colors.
The 'cup' fabric is very flimsy and thin, the cut is not flattering and the straps do not provide support and are very cheap. I understand this is lingerie and support is something that rarely comes with it, but I've shopped at winners and have had better quality items. Overall this item is of cheap quality, did not look anything like it was suppose to online and worth maybe five dollars. I was very disappointed at the quality, the site has a vast inventory on very sexy and cute items that look like they're made of good quality fabrics.

 I may give Adore Me another try and actually try a bra set... if there was a good deal on it. Currently I feel like they are misrepresenting the quality and color of the items. I would not recommend it to any of my friends or family.

The Body Shop - Vitamin E Overnight Serum Oil

Dry skin will always be my worst enemy. Moving to Saskatchewan has not helped it at all. I've been using it a couple months now, almost done the bottle and thought its time for a review.

This is one pricey bottle for $28/CAD for a 28 ml. I've tried other brands such as Josie Maran Argan oil, which I will review later.

This is an alright product. A little thicker/ not as light as the Argan Oil and not overly greasy. It didn't last me as long as I thought it would, I bought it back in September and I am just about finished with it. Its not as moisturizing as I thought it would be, which maybe is why I've been using more product. Others I've talked to about this have said that they've had a bottle for over a year. It has the signature Vitamin E rose scent that is present in their Vitamin E line.

I like using oils before my moisturizer every night but personally this one didn't really do any priming for me. It's not really moisturizing and for it's price I can get a bigger bottle of just regular Vitamin E oil... which I'm planning to do.

I wouldn't recommend this product, it's pretty pricey and doesn't have a great performance.

TARTE Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara

Hello Hello!

To start, I normally don't wear mascara anymore on a day to day use.. usually only on the weekends if I'm working or on night outs. I did wear Tarte's Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara which I received in a little set I bought. By itself this mascara ranges for $24/CAD.

This is a great day to day mascara,  it didn't weigh down my lashes, provided a decent amount of volume and length.. very natural looking. I wouldn't say I noticed my lashes looking healthier, but I did feel like it did less damage then some mascaras I've worn out in the market (not crunchy, easy removal if you get what i'm saying) Only dislike i found was that it doesn't hold your curl... but many mascara's are unable to hold a curl. And I did find this to try up faster then my other mascaras, and i do not mean dry up to the point of unusable. But you can notice its a little drier during application. I didn't notice any smudging with this mascara.

If i wanted mascara that was natural looking, easy removal, overall a good day to day mascara.. I would repurchase this. But seeing as I don't really wear mascara and when I do, I go for more dramatic ones that are able to hold a curl, I would not repurchase this mascara. Good product just not for my personal taste/wants.

First Julep Maven "Modern Beauty" Box

This is just a quick post about the "Modern Beauty" box I got! This took a lot longer then I expected to receive, they did send me a promo code for a free nail polish to apologize for the delay because I guess they realized it got sent out late. I was not sent this box, purchased it with my own money.

Each box has $40 worth of product, it costs you $25 dollars. I always passed on these boxes since I have no interest in nail polish. But I recently saw that they do offer make up products, so i decided to try it out. The "Modern Beauty" box comes with two full sized products each month.

The first "Modern Beauty" box comes with one pencil gel eyeliner and a small neutral eyeshadow palette. I thought the palette looked larger online, but its pretty small in person. Nice neutral tones, surprisingly pigmented. The pencil gel eyeliner was really smooth, I've never used gel liners in pencil form before but so far am impressed. Ill have a more detailed review on both these products later.

On the way to check out, they of course entice you to other items for a good deal. And I am a sucker for those promos, so I picked up the "Konjac Cleansing Sponge" for $6.99 where as the reg price is $12.00. First thoughts: I've used a cleansing sponge before, only from Saje. I loved it and was hoping this would be the same deal. Except this came already wet/soaked in a cleanser? Where as the one at Saje is a dry sponge that poofs up when under water. I also picked up the "Blank Canvas Mattifying Make Up Primer" for $13.99, where reg price is $28.00. Also have more detailed reviews on these products in the upcoming future.

At the moment, I don't see this box being worth $25 dollars a month or $20 /month for a 3 month plan. I only went for one month just to see the products performance by this company. I ordered this on October 2nd and I got it October 31, they did notify me and apologize that my package would be 2-5 business days behind schedule, they also offer tracking for each package, which comes in handy.

I'll keep you updated on product performance and my thoughts!

Size comparison in my hand.. 

Light swatches of eyeshadows

 

NYC Cream Blush in Berry Newyorker

 HELLO!!!! Happy Canada Day!!!

Back with my opinion on these NYC creme blush sticks. These things range for around $3-4/cad in "Berry Newyorker", great bang for its buck. I love the convience of these, swipe it on and the quickly blend it out. The only thing is that im a bit tan and it doesnt show up as pigmented on my skin. It is very buildable with a few quick swipes of product. It seems to hold up for about 4 hours.

These are very affordable blushes, great for anyone starting out in make up and want to try cream blushes.

Heads up.. sorry for my displacement of photos.. I have the worst time centering/placing photos on here :S Cant seem to figure it out smoothly...

unblended

blended

Burts Bee's Herbal Blemish Stick vs Saje's Zap Blend

I love these herbal blemish sticks! I first discovered it from Saje and fell in love with their blend, recently I was shopping around and saw that Burts Bee's offers one for a bit cheaper. I ran out of the one from Saje so i thought might as well give Burts Bee's a try, since most of their products are a hit with me!

Saje on Left, Burts Bees on right

Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick clocks in at 12.99 / cad at most retail stores. Saje's Zap blend comes in at 19.95/ cad. It has a more potent scent, much more stronger / lasts longer then Saje's Zap blend. The scent is so much more stronger, If i put it on my cheek or around my nose I really have to watch how much i put on or the ecualyptus/tea tree scent hits my eyes and makes them water. Blemish/zit diminishing power wise, i found it took longer with Burts Bees vs Saje's Zap. It does diminish blemishes and clears up zits but not that fast. maybe a week or so to get rid of a significantly large zit. Simple packaging, glass roll on with white lid where as Saje has a more sleeker apealing Packaging. Dark Brown glass.
Saje clock is at .30 oz while Burts Bees at .26 oz

Overall, I prefer Saje's Zap Blend. It clears blemishes much more faster I found then Burt's Bees. As well as the scent wasn't as potent. I would have to put it right under my eye for the tea tree/eucalyptus blend to make my eyes water. It's more expensive but in the long run you'd use less product making it be worth the price.

Burts Bee's Herbal Blemish Stick:
alcohol denat., calendula officinalis (calendula) flower oil, borago officinalis (borage) seed oil, achillea millefolium (yarrow) oil, carum petroselinum (parsley) seed oil, aqua (water, eau), salix nigra (willow) bark extract, melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) leaf oil, citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel oil, foeniculum vulgare (fennel) oil, juniperus communis (juniper) fruit oil, eucalyptus globulus (eucalyptus) leaf oil, citral, geraniol, limonene, linalool
Reference: Ingredient List

Saje's Zap Blendingredients: essential oils of lavandula angustifola (lavender), melaleuca alternifolia leaf (tea tree), anthemis nobilis (roman chamomile), pogostemon cablin (patchouli), myrtus communis (myrtle), eucalyptus globulus (eucalyptus), pelargonium graveolens (geranium) and thymus zygis (white thyme).
Reference

Make Up Forever - HD Invisible Coverage Foundation in 128 Almond

Start of the day make up! 

The highly coveted MUFE HD foundation!  There's a reason why its so popular, its amazing. I'm on my second bottle and my sister (who i converted to this) in on her third!

Its a flawless coverage foundation with medium to heavy coverage. At first i was a bit skeptical because i've read its not that great for dry skin and meant more for oily skin... but i saw pictures of the finish and just had to try it out.
I have really dry skin and usually have to lather my face with some moisturizer. This foundation doesn't dry my skin, sure it's not moisturizing and it is a matifying foundation but it doesn't dry out my skin. As long as you have a good moisturizer on it'll still look great on your skin. If you do have flakey skin, it does show up with this foundation but it in no way enhances it like it has happened to me with other foundations....

They have an extensive line of colors, so you're most likely to find a very close match to your skin tone. It photographs pretty well and doesn't have any white cast that I've noticed. It's extremely long lasting. I've worn it for over 12+ hours, at work and then out at night and it still looks basically flawless...

Four/five hours of wear

You can find it for around $50 dollars CAD in shade 128 almond. Its about the average price for any high end foundation these days. A little goes a long way for this foundation and the price is worth it.

In the photos, i had class for half the day, then work later at night for around six hours serving. And with serving, most of the time you are running around from the kitchen to the dining area. Your make up does get a little runny from all the heat in the kitchen and the mini workout. You can notice in the photos, around my nose and forehead after a couple hours from class it was getting a little shiny. And and the end of the day it has dried up/caked up around my nose a bit and not that you can really tell in the lighting but my t-zone was a bit shiny. No finishing powder was used nor touch ups! And no primer!

The only flaw i have noticed is that it dries quiet quickly and sometimes i do not blend it out evenly enough and if you look closely enough you can see it be a little patchy/uneven however when i say look closely enough in my terms it means basically having your nose to the mirror... but other then that it's my HG foundation. I see myself having a back up of this foundation at all times. Everyone must try this foundation at some point! I think it lives up to its hype!

End of the day, around 14 hrs of wear

End of the day after school + work!

Nivea Soft Face Cream

Hey there,

Back here with a review for my new holy grail moisturizer! The Nivea Creme line! Love the scent of it, reminds me of my childhood since my mom would always use that cream.With this product, you get your bang for the buck! A tub lasts for a very long time!
I love the original version, Nivea Creme (around $10 CAD / 200ml) which is extremely moisturizing. It was perfect for those Canadian winters when your skin takes a beating! Especially with my eczema its harder to keep my dry skin contained, this works perfectly!
For the summer I was looking for something a little lighter. I decided with Nivea Soft Moisturizing Creme for around $10 CAD/200ml. Was super happy with my decision, it was still moisturizing and had that signature scent! As well as it was easier to moisturize into my skin and was not as thick as the original.
Light weight, non greasy, sinks in easily, moisturizing and smells wonderful? HG summer item!

I love Nivea Cremes and how it hasn't changed throughout the years. My mom has used the product, and now I do... I think this shows what a consistent wonderful product this is in the market.

http://www.en.nivea.ca/products/NIVEA-Soft

• 
  

Sephora - Makeup Made Simple Palette

Was eyeing this "Makeup Made Simple" Palette when it came out but passed. Recently went to Sephora and it was on sale for $18 CAD from $34.

You basically get three mini palettes which are portable, they include a little travel case for a palette which is super handy. 27 eyeshadows, .028 grams each. 6 blushes/bronzers. No eye catching colors though. Super sleek packaging.

Most of these eyeshadows are pretty pigmented, comes with a variety of colors. Comes with a couple face charts that show you a couple looks.

The removable palettes that you can snap onto the compact case is a huge seller for me!
If you find it on sale I would definitely recommend you pick one up!

Side note: has anyone else seen Captain Phillips? Tom Hanks = amazing actor. 

Joey Chinook Calgary

Stopped by Joey's since we were at the mall and ready for food but didn't feel like going to the food court.

First off, rant: i'm probably the only person to complain about this but I must! I'm a petite person. And i find the seat/table height ratio at Joey's bothering. The booth/chair thingys are comfy and my feet do firmly touch the ground but when i first went to sit down, I underestimated how low it was and basically just flopped into my seat. The tables are rather high compared to the seats,  halfway past my chest high.
I'm use to tables being halfway up my stomach and barely any inches between my thighs and the table top. But there was a good 9 inches from my thigh to the table. I thought it was an awkward position. Why must you put those chairs so low and the tables so high up?

Putting aside that, the food at Joey's is pretty good. Worth its price. The service on the other hand... could be a little better. 
They were adequately staffed, by that I mean i saw plenty of hosts/servers wandering around especially regrouping at the host stand. I don't mind if they're chatting and all but they could have actually been more attentive towards the guests. We were seated right away, but our drink orders took a good while. At first we thought our server was going to stop by asking for our drinks but then after a while a different hostess came by to take our drink orders (three waters). A while longer, our server came by with our drinks. And i noticed the same thing happened to other tables. It wasn't too busy in there...
Other then the table/chair heights annoyance (First time this has happened) , I get annoyed when my water/drink is constantly empty. I drink a couple cups of water during a meal and if I have to ask multiple times for more water, especially if they have looked at the table a couple of times, i'm not overly impressed. Nor am i impressed when hostesses are wandering around that are capable of filling drinks/collecting plates, or when we asked a different server for a refill but she never did return with water...

... maybe i'm a little anal about my water. :P But seriously, our glasses were empty during the entire time of our mains before we could finally get our server to refill them.

FINALLY, the food part! 

We had the Lettuce Boats with Chicken to start. They will give you extra lettuce boats if you want them too. They were pretty good, nothing that made it different for me then any other restaurant with lettuce wraps. Slightly spicy sauce, nice crunchy noodles.

I had the Steak frites as my main. Loved the seasoning and the parsley butter on top. It was very tender. Only thing is that I asked for a medium rare steak and i found it to be ... pretty rare for a medium rare. Not complaining, as long as it is not blue or well done, I will eat it! Because it was pretty rare, it was pretty juicy as well. Love the fries that come with the meals, it reminds me of the fries at earls... thin and crunchy. Mcdonalds fries except 10x better.

(after some googling on Joey's Tomatoes I found out it is part of the earl's family, which explains those fries!)

Steak Frites

Medium Rare Steak

Panang Prawn Curry Bowl

 Had a bite of my friend's Panang Prawn Curry Bowl, I didn't find it too spicy but then again I do love spicy.. or maybe my bite just didn't have any since the others did say it was spicy. Nice creamy curry. I find the plating to be a little odd with that tower of rice...

My other friend had the Chicken Souvaki and said it was decent.. the chicken was well seasoned. Personally, I didn't see it to be worth the try...

Chicken Souvaki

To conclude, pretty good dishes, the chairs and table heights bothered me, it seemed the hostesses don't do much from my point of view, my server or rather the whole team could be a more attentive. Worth the go.


Joey's AB Menu