Make Up Forever : Smoky Extravagant Mascara Review

I usually stick to drug store mascaras because I usually don't wear mascara on a day to day basis. This Make Up Forever : Smoky Extravagant Mascara retails for $28/CAD at a local sephora. I got this as a sample when I was shopping there.

This is an alright mascara, hasn't changed my opinions about switching to higher end mascaras.  It does add length and somewhat volume I found. But it doesn't hold curl. I've realized over my years of life, that the only mascaras that claim they hold curl, actually only hold curl if theyre waterproof. This is not a waterproof mascara, so I wasn't expected it to hold a curl... and it didn't. It's clump free.

One thing I did really like about this mascara is the shape of the comb. With the cone shape, the thinner end grabs the inner eyelashes perfectly.

It didnt flake at all on me, worked fine with my contacts in. It's more of a natural look, in my opinion. Washes off super easily. Didn't smudge and it dries fairly fast.

Overall, i found it to be a more natural looking mascara. It provided adequate length and volume, didn't clump nor flaked/smudge. I wouldn't purchase this again because its not worth the price.

Seoul Korean Restaurant - Saskatoon, SK

Beef Ribs and Japchae

Alright, let me be honest first... back in the day I was never a big fan or Korean Cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Korean BBQ - who doesn't?! But I could not like Kimchi or spice ... and I was also ignorant back then as well. I traveled to Korea a year ago and along with discovering how much they loved spice, I got to experience alot of interesting dishes. The spice made sense considering it was so cold outside when I went, there was no snow like Canada but that wind just bites! 

Now, I'm a changed woman. I enjoy kimchi and love a kick in my food. I've been to this Seoul Korean Restaurant twice since I've moved here. Each time, I have walked out more then satisfied.

Having experienced these dishes first in Korea, Seoul Korean Restaurant is authentic and delicious. No offense to Saskatoon, but I'm surprised this Seoul Korean Restaurant has survived since 2011 (earliest evidence I can find about it).  Usually smaller cities don't appreciate authentic cuisine and crave more of a fusion... so when I thought about the size and the demographics I was... happy(? not sure if that's the right word) that Seoul Korean Restaurant looked like it was being recognized for it's authentic dishes.

I've had a couple of dishes here:

Bulgogi Jeongol - It had lots of veg but still a good amount of beef included. Good flavor. It's a great comfort food to warm up with in the winter!


Pork& Beef Ribs - Please show me a korean restaurant that does not serve good Korean BBQ? They also offer to cook it for you in the kitchen if it suits your needs. Delicious!

Japchae

Japchae - One of my all time favorite dishes in life. And they do a pretty good job here, can't go wrong with sesame oil.They actually give you a fairly large portion as well.

Bulgogi Jeongol

Patbingsu - The dessert. Honestly, I'd pass. Nothing special - just ice cream and shaved ice with fruit + fruit loops. I think they did add sort of a red bean paste with it but it didn't really add any flavor, hence why I'm unsure if it was red bean.... But yes, this dessert isn't really as good or special as the photos make it look. Better off just going to menchies or marble slab.

They do offer a believe... three side dishes? A Sweet mash, bean sprouts and ... KIMCHI!

Prices are fairly reasonable, service is alright - pretty average. The restaurant itself is pretty spacey and only have a limited amount of tables. The second time I went during the supper rush on a weekday, people that came after us did have a short wait.

Good to see they embraced ipad menus, very up to date. I was surprised they didn't take our orders with iphones.

I would definitely be back when I'm craving some delicious korean food and will be recommending it to whomever.

The Face Shop - Pore Minimizer Controlling Emulsion

I've bought a couple items from The Face Shop since it's made it debut in Alberta. I have pretty big pores and it of course, does not help that I pick at them on a routine basis.

I picked up this emulsion since I've actually always been eyeing emulsions to try out. I didn't get one last time I was in asia and was happy to see that I could buy one here! From what I gathered, an emulsion is a very light weight moisturizer that is just to provide more moisture and protection to the skin. For any skin care routine, you of course apply all products lightest to heaviest. So this goes on after your serum but before your main face cream.

I love the scent of this product, its very fresh and clean smelling yet not overbearing. Has it minimized my pores? Not that I've noticed. Nor has it actually improved the moisture of my skin, it's very light weight and I feel like maybe I'd notice more of its performance during the spring/summer... but as of now it's not holding up/aiding in my main face cream with these Canadian winters.

I also adore the packaging of this, it comes with 130 ml and let me tell you, i've barely made a dent in the past 3 months I've had it. It's such a light cream that you actually don't need much of it to evenly spread across your whole face.

Overall, I would recommend this to people that are just looking to add a bit of extra moisture to their routine but don't have overly dry skin. Its not too expensive and you do get a good amount of product.

I would give the other products in this line a try, purely because of how much I love the scent. Hopefully the other product in this line provide a better performance for my skin.

Too Faced - Better than Sex Mascara

 I love mascara samples, they [usually] last a couple weeks and you don't have to fork out heaps of money to give it a try.

For christmas, my gift to myself (along with many) was the Too Faced "Everything Nice" Holiday Palette, a small sample of Too Faced "Better Than Sex Mascara" came with it.

Bare lashes

I adore these scandalous names that companies give their products - its creative and humorous. I was of course, very curious to see if this mascara was, well... better than sex. ;)

With Better Than Sex

If you've read any of my previous mascara reviews, I mainly use waterproof mascaras since they are the only ones that have enough wax to hold the curl of my very straight lashes. And I usually don't spend money on high end brand name mascaras purely due to the product life of a mascara - its a costly product to keep repurchasing every 3 months. I'm already drowning in debt with student loans, I don't think its the best idea to add to that debt with beauty products... handbags on the other hand, well, thats another story.

This is an alright mascara, nothing amazing or a must try. It provides great volume, pretty decent length - you'll have fairly thick and "fluffy" lashes. I did notice a bit of flaking by the end of the day, it didn't bother my contacts or anything but it was still there and I feel like for some other people it have more of a negative affect.

One thing that I did notice while applying this mascara is that, i'm not sure whether its the shape of the wand or it's size but it can be at times very difficult to apply. Meaning it took me a little longer to apply this mascara than compared to others. I think its a mixture of its shape and its size... hm. Also, depending on your application, your lashes can clump together.

Overall, its a decent mascara. I wouldn't recommend to go buy a full size of this product to try, if it comes in part of a set that you've been eyeing - I'd say go for it. It gives you thick, fluffy lashes but be careful of your application because it can cause some clumping or it may take more time to apply this mascara.

Rock Creek Tap and Grill - Saskatoon, SK

The Guacamole Brie-wich

I'm not a big beer fan... or alcohol in general. So I can't really comment on the beer selection.
Food wise... not impressed. We were seated promptly and I must say, when we walked into the dining area, I was impressed. It's very well decorated, modern and provided a very relaxing ambiance. Great atmosphere.

Nothing really crazy that stood out on the menu for me, pretty similar to Earls/Moxies I would say. They did have a feature menu, which I love when restaurants do that.

My friend ordered the "Guacamole Brie-wich" which sounded really tempting to me as well, but I opted for the "Organic Meatloaf".

The Guacamole Brie-wich was, I must say, a disappointment. Sounded great on the menu, but once you get it... it just wasn't what you expected. It was a more boring dish then expected. She also ordered a side of Salsa and we both found it to taste rather.. intense. And by that, I mean when you take a taste of it, its like you just sipped some rubbing alcohol.
One weird note was that there was less then a handful of fries.

Organic meatloaf sub mash potatoes

The "Organic Meatloaf" was alright, pretty generic. You can't really screw up a chunk of meat. It was under the "Comfort Food" Section, which is fitting. I love meatloaf, its a nice hearty dish. This dish was alright, smaller portion then I'm use to when ordering meatloaf at a restaurant... but I guess when I order Meatloaf it's usually at a dinner or a more casual family dining restaurant. It said on the menu that it has a sweet spicy chilli glaze... but I'm not sure if the glaze was that red ketchup heap on top of the meatloaf. The heap wasn't a glaze, it looked like ketchup and tasted like ketchup... so i'm going to say its ketchup. I'm use to more of a slightly ketchupy/brown sugar glaze on my meatloaf. I'm not the biggest fan of Ketchup, i mainly use it to mask the taste of items. There was a little too much of the sauce on the chunk of meat loaf for me. It also came with some pan fried zucchini and carrots... very greasy for my taste. You can see the oiliness of that side already spreading on the plate in the photo. I also subbed for Mash potato since I was craving a more comforting heavier starch. It was some weird cajun chive mashed potato. It was... okay. I prefer my mash to be creamy and garlicy. This was lumpy and a bit dry. I love spice, but it just didn't taste right in mash. I wish they offered a regular version.

Service was alright, average.

Overall, my first experience here wasn't anything really special. Great ambiance, very modern interior and well spaced. Boring/disappointing food. Personally, wouldn't be a place I'd be really voluntarily visiting nor recommending

The weird salsa

.

The Face Shop - Volcanic Clay Nose Strip

I love biore nose strips.. when they work properly and who doesnt? I love clearing those nasty ass black heads, popping those deep zits. Yeah, yeah, shouldn't touch those pimples but it's so hard to resist.

Nose strips are always fun! This one.. not so much. I usually like The Face Shop's products, they recently opened up a store in West Edmonton Mall which I'm happy to see a korean company expand past Asia and into the western side.

This one didn't perform. I've had the biore strips leave some residue before on my nose, but it's white and less messy. This one was messy. The black "volcanic clay" transfers when it's wet to your hands and when you rip it off your nose it does leave black residue on your nose. It didn't work for me, it didn't pull anything out of my pores. It was messier then the biore strips. I will pass on these nose strips. 

 

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 AID BEAUTY Ultra Repair Concentrate Review

At first, I did not like this product at all! I thought it was greasy and did not moisturize my skin..
But, after a few weeks, during a very dry winter and a bad eczema flare up, I gave this cream another try... and I love it! I felt bad how I treated this product when I first got it and I do hope it forgives me! You can purchase the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Concentrate for around $35/Cad at Sephora.

This is great for eczema, it does a great job moisturizing... just need to give it time to sink in!

It is a bit greasy but then again its a concentrate and at times when I apply too much, I feel a residue on top of my skin... Sort of when you use those heavy body butters and sometimes it can be a bit sticky. I don't use this all over my body, only on extreme dry spots and on my face. You really have to take the time to rub this moisturizer in. It is a bit calming, I noticed it soothed the red or itchiness overnight.. it doesn't completely get rid of the redness or itching when you apply it but it does help.

Overall, it adds a long lasting moisturize to your skin, can be a little greasy at times and you need to take the time to rub it in... best to apply it at night. But it is a great product for dry skin and I will definitely repurchase it. I'm really curious on other products by First Aid beauty as well..

Elizabeth Arden - Visible Difference Refining Moisture Cream Complex Review

It's been a while since i've done a review on moisturizers. With winter coming my skin has already been misbehaving.

I have not noticed any differences in my skin since I've used this. I was assuming this would be like Cliniques "Even Better" moisturizer, which i have briefly used in the past and thought it worked wonderfully, the price on the other hand was not wonderful. I've gone through almost a whole bottle (refer to photo) and I feel like it's long enough to give a review.

First off, its barely moisturizing. My skin doesn't feel moisturized after using this. It doesn't leave a sticky residue or a greasy feeling at all. It has a faint scent, not bother to me. It's light weight.

I bought mine for around $30 dollars at costco for 2 jars. This goes for reg price @ $52/usd on their website for one jar. 2.5 oz/ jar. 

To conclude, I would not recommend this, I have not noticed a difference in my skin since using this and I find this to not be moisturizing. Pass.

I've seen this at multiple costco locations. I would check it out to see if your local location carries it before forking out $52 for a jar. 

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