Merry Christmas!

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette

I just recently purchased the Smash box Full Exposure Palette from sephora for around $58 CAD. I've been eyeing the Lorac Pro Palette forever, but its always sold out and they took the brand out of stores.

The smashbox palette reminded me much of the Lorac Pro. Neutral colors with matte and shimmery shades.

I don't mind the shades, all neutral which I can't go wrong with. But honestly, the palette doesn't really stand out from all my others. I don't find the shadows too pigmented and the shimmery ones do have some fall out.

Overall it's an okay palette, not amazing doesn't make me reach for it everyday. Could have gone without it to be honest.

Meet Fresh!

Ahh, Meet Fresh. One of my favorite places that i went to in Australia. Wish we had one in Alberta. Meet Fresh is a Taiwanese desert chain that offers reasonable prices for their deserts. The name threw me off at first, i thought it was Meat Fresh - some weird butcher deli shop. But now that I look back, I laugh, Its a cute name.

Deserts with taro balls, yam balls, nuts, red beans, ice cream and grass jelly among the many. They provide you with the little packets of cream if you wanted to add it to your already yummy desert. Most people mix it all up but I personally, like to just keep it like it is.

You are able to order most of the deserts hot or cold, suiting the weather. I usually went to the one in Haymarket and it was always packed. Even though there is always a huge line, the staff is efficient and the line goes by quite fast.

My favorite part is the shaved ice with herbal syrup, its quite refreshing and tasty. Reminds me of my childhood.

They have a great menu, many items that you must try! One of those places I miss most from Australia.

Vaseline Spray On Lotion

Wanted to love it. It does what it says, is convenient - you spray and go! Its fast, the spray nozzle hasn't clogged on me yet which i am surprised.. it sprays an adequate amount and has a very fine mist. Only thing that i dislike about the sprayer is that when my hands are wet, its hard to get/keep a good grip on it while spraying therefore hard to get my back.

Its a very very light moisturizer with a wet formula (expected since it is coming from an aerosol can) so it does sink into the skin very easily without leaving any greasy residue. I bought the aloe version for around $6.00/cad at most places. Steep ass price. This is a pretty expensive lotion for the amount of product you get. I can see why the would hike up the price because of the spray but for the amount of product... not worth the price. It does go on sale every once in a while for around $4 at shoppers and walmart.
The aloe version has a nice aloe fresh scent that is not overpowering and does not linger for too long.


Sadly it did not perform for my skin. Felt like i didn't put any moisturizer on and that can't be happening for this canadian weather! And honestly, I don't find pumping lotion from a squeeze bottle time consuming, since after you spray it you still do have to rub in the lotion.. maybe not as much since its such a wet formula but you still have to rub it in. So for me the convenient part doesn't really apply. Honestly most likely will not buy it again.

If you are looking for something light weight, easy to rub in and you do not like pumping lotion from a bottle then this is for you.

Spray just a few inches from skin

Haul Time!

Haul from Sephora VIB sale and from ELF!

Blink Restaurant and Bar, Calgary Alberta

Stopped by here with a few friends a few weeks ago. First walked in and noticed the well decorated interior and was welcomed instantly by the friendly staff there.

My one friend tried the Twice Baked Cheese Souffle to start and loved it, they thought it was well balanced while for myself it was just a little too much cheese for my liking.  We also decided to start with a beef carpaccio dish which had a great balance of flavor.

For the mains, I decided to go with the salmon for the main, cooked perfectly to my liking (then again, its hard to screw up salmon) but I didn't like the sauce it came with but again personally I prefer my salmon by itself. My other companions tried their rabbit dish. Cooked perfectly, well balanced dish. It was a very comforting dish but not too heavy like most would be.

For desert we did try a strawberry shortcake with basil ice cream. The basil ice cream was a nice refreshing palette cleanser. Was extremely satisfied with this dessert.

Overall, I had no complaints. Well balanced dishes that change with the season, nice atmosphere in a very open spaced venue.

http://blink-calgary.com/

The Body Shop - Hemp Products

Back with a review on a couple products from the Hemp line by The Body Shop.
This line is popular for people with eczema or psoriasis, or just super dry skin! First off, i've had pretty bad eczema throughout my life. I'm slowly growing out of it as I get older but my skin is still dry and sensitive. For me, a good moisturizer is one where i only have to apply once or twice and I'll feel comfortable in my own skin. Most moisturizers I have to layer it up a couple times and then top it off with other products in order for that to happen :(
I finally tried this line out since there has been some buzz for it.
I dislike the smell of all the hemp products, smells like... plastic mixed with random incense.

Hemp Body Butter:
$20/cad per body butter.
Repurchase: No
I've used a bunch of body butters' from The Body Shop before. None are really moisturizing but i was suggest to try the hemp and that it will be more soothing and comforting.
Sadly, it was a no go for me. It wasn't any more moisturizing then the other body butters nor was it any help to my rashes or irritated skin. Didn't like the scent. Didn't like the price. Didn't like the moisturizer it provided (which is bare minimum by itself)

Hemp Moisture High Balm
$15/cad (not sure since it is not for sale anymore?)
Repurchase: No
This item is kinda like vaseline petroleum jelly except not as bad. Sadly I did not like this product, its very greasy - does not absorb into the skin easily. I thought it would help and dry flakey areas but it didn't do much. Preferably i would use an actual body oil for the dry patches since it would be more effective then this product. Another weird thing is that, I didn't touch the product for a few weeks and then when i went to try it again it developed a weird .. skin like film on top. Equivalent to if you left pudding out, you'd have to break through the skin to actually get to the pudding.

Hemp Hand Protector
$20/cad for regular size, $10/small
Repurchase: Most Likely Not
One of the Body Shops Best sellers! Its actually a pretty good hand moisturizer, doesn't take too long to soak in. But the smell puts me off, its different for body products since I usually can't smell whats on my arm. But i do smell my hands often (leaning my face against them, rubbing my nose etc) and the smell of this hemp line just isn't worth it. There are other good hand moisturizers for a lesser value that smell better.

Overall I've tried enough of the Hemp products in that line, to know I will not like any of the others....
None of the products really worked for me even if they did, the smell of the products would turn me off from using it.

http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/shop-by-line/hemp.aspx#/hemp.aspx

Benefit - Pore Minimizer

Back with a review on Benefit's Porefessional. Says to minimize apperances of pores. 

So you may have noticed, i got this in a kit from benefit, small sample but lasted me a long time!
I really enjoyed this primer. Made my skin super smooth before make up application, it did minimize my pores a bit but not overly.
It did make my make up last longer and well as controlled my oil while being lightweight.
Honestly its a great primer. Only downer is that it's a bit pricey $36/.75 oz BUT one good thing about benefit, is that they also have great gift sets for a great value!
A lot of value sets they offer, have either full size or sample size (which can last a while (2 months for me!)) with other products of theirs to try out!
If you want to try it out, I suggest getting a value set!
I would definitely repurchase!

Butterfly Weed Herbals - Green Wisdom All-Heal Salve

Hey there,

I've been using this for a few months now on my eczema, any rashes, cuts, dry itchy skin...
I love the idea of this, since the alternative that works is steroid creams which isn't too good for the skin in the long run.
I picked this up at Rocky Mountain Soap for about $16/CAD. Product was all made Canada, which is a nice change.
I love the smell of tea tree.. most people hate it. But that medicine smell of tea tree and eucalyptus... its comforting as odd as that sounds. The scent on this balm is very faint!

Overall its a decent product. It is moisturizing and does help the healing process!
The only thing is that it the Chickweed Herb works for anti-itching.. that part I didn't find work...
Little goes a long way.

I could see myself repurchasing this. I was looking at other products they offer, may pick up a few of those too!

Update March 2014 (Nine months of use); Would honestly not repurchase.. sometimes i find myself itching even more....
Update July 2 2014 : Have finished the whole product, recently my eczema has been flaring up pretty bad and i used up this trying in order to stop myself from using my steroid cream... it hasn't had much effect on my skin. Like i've mentioned before, I do find myself still being itchy in some areas or even at times, even more itchier. Won't be repurchasing this for the lack of performance it has shown in the long run...

http://grassrootsblog.ca/2011/09/butterfly-weed-a-herbalists-story/

Thai Express Review - Crossiron Mills, Balzac, Alberta

Hi there,

Was shopping with a friend at Crossirons and we were both craving some thai food!
I was feeling up for some Pad thai but wasn't a fan of the thin rice noodles they were using, I prefer the flat rice noodles though the photos did look appetizing.
We both ended up ordering curry, some spicy Green Chicken Curry for myself and mild Yellow Chicken curry (around $8-9 dollars/each) for my friend. She also ordered a salad roll for around $2.50/ 1 piece + generous amount of peanut sauce.

Yellow Curry with Salad Roll

Green Curry

The curries were pretty good, especially for their price. Personally I like a 2:1 ratio of rice to curry but many places put a ton of curry sauce and very little rice. Luckily Thai express puts just the right amount of rice & curry for this lady :) Good amount of meat and eggplant in mine, my friend's as well. Only thing was that for green curry, i expect it to be pretty spicy - clear my sinus' spicy! And i'm pretty sensitive to spice, a drop of sirachi sauce or a tiny bit of kimchi has my heart going! But the green curry there wasn't really that spicy, it was a "Oh I taste some spicy/thingly feeling on my tongue" which was a bit disappointing. As well as it wasn't .. green...
My friend's curry was mild, perfect for her liking - a good classic yellow curry. Another dislike is that I didn't really taste any coconut milk in the curry, every once in a while a hint of it..

Her salad roll was just a regular vegetarian salad roll, the peanut sauce was a pretty dark brown for what I usually see but it tasted fine. I always think salad rolls are expensive for what they are...

Overall for the price, its a good place to relish your craving for thai food!

www.thaiexpress.ca

Winners finds

I found these goodies at my local winners!

Weren't hugely discounted but enough to make  a difference then buying regular price at sephora. Depending on the product its usually 5-10 off regular price.
I usually never find anything at my local winners but these caught my eyes when i was blowing time there.
There was other popular brands there, from philosphy to stila!
For the eyeshadows and blushes, none of the colors suited me though.

The only thing that sucks is that alot of people open products that aren't cased up like the nars ones to swatch it or to try it out. So basically many of the products are used or have been touched.
They do sell elf there but its marked up vs online (can't remember the prices on the top of my head but it was usually 3-4 dollars more)

I'll have to stop by there more often!

Best Headache/Pain Reliever - Peppermint Halo from Saje

I'm not a big fan of popping advil or any of that pain medication. Nothing wrong with it but personally unless I had a fever I never really took Tylenol or Advil. Here comes a healthy alternative remedy : Saje's Peppermint Halo!
I do occasionally get the headache and cramps/stomach aches and realized that this peppermint oil does the trick! And not to mention I love the scent.

Saje Peppermint Halo Wand

I purchased this Peppermint Halo which as a mix of rosemary, eucalyptus, peppermint and a few other essential oils. I love how versatile this is, and everyone i've showed this too loves it as well!
Saje has this little concoction in a roll on form which makes it very easy to apply and easy to refill!
Instant relief from any pain or discomfort. I roll it on to any sore muscles, roll it on my sore throat, roll it on my headache, roll it on when i have stomach aches or cramps, roll it on when i feel hung over!
i love it! Its around $25 CAD for a roll on.

The only downside to this is that the smell is pretty powerful and sometimes I feel like i can't use it because the peppermint smell might bother others since its so strong. I love peppermint/eucalyptus scents, that cooling medically smell is comfort to me. But when you put it on, people know you put it on and some people just don't like that scent. So if i'm at work all day I don't or put very little on.

I think when I run out i'll try just regular peppermint and see if its different from the mix that saje offers.

Love this. Great alternative to Advil/Asprin.


Saje offers a numerous amount of natural wellness products : www.saje.ca 

Anddddd TV Shows are back up!

I watch wayyyy too much TV. TV dramas are like crack to me. Greys Anatomy, Scandal, Person of Interest, Game of thrones.. the list goes on and on.
Sure there are summer shows but none beat the real deal.
Let's just say, favorite thing about fall is that all the shows are back on air!

I quite enjoy the new show Marvel's Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Long ass name but the show is pretty witty and entertaining.
I'm a sucker for superhero shows like Alphas (WHY DID IT GET CANCELLED!?! AT LEAST LET IT HAVE A DECENT ENDING!) Heroes, Arrow so no surprise I fall for this show. Lets hope it doesn't have the get axed.

Yum Yum Korean Chicken & BBQ Cuisine, Airdrie, Alberta

Yum Yum Chicken lives up to its name, I am addicted to their chicken.
I've heard from a few family members that the chicken there is amazing, the skin beats kfc skin (Say whaaa? I find that hard to believe, nothing beats KFC skin) and with the raving reviews on Urbanspoon my next trip to Calgary, I decided I had to stop by in Airdrie to try out this yum yum chicken.

I went in around 6pm on Wednesday night and only a couple guys were sitting down waiting for their food. The cashier worker guy was pretty helpful and very patient with us trying to decide on which chicken we wanted to try. We tried the Spicy Fried Chicken, Shallot Chicken and Yum Yum Chicken. My favorite was the Shallot Chicken, it has a little spice to it as well. On all the Chicken, the skin was crispy, crunchy, delicious. 

The Yum yum chicken is lathered in their kind of sweet and sour sauce and then deep fried again. Spicy fried Chicken was spicy but not overly where I want to drown myself in milk.
I had extra of the Shallot chicken and bought it home, I was worried that the steam would ruin the crispy outside or when I microwaved it the crispyness would become soggy. But surprisingly it held up for two days in the fridge and through the microwave. The skin was still crispy, the shallotty spice was still preserved into the chicken. It was delicious as the first day i got it fresh, even a little better since I could taste more of the spice.

Price is reasonable, around $10 for a 2 piece meal, fries and a drink.. basically the same price as KFC. I ordered a small order of fries and it was a very generous portion!

Only downside of this place is that the to go containers, we ordered a half order to go and it was a generous size but it didn't fit into the little box they provided. There should be bigger to go boxes that cover the chicken adequately.     
I love this place, Yum Yum chicken lives up to its name and I will be making more stops here in the future. KFC you have some competition.


Yum Yum Chicken & BBQ Korean Cuisine
3 Stonegate Dr NW
Airdrie, AB T4B0N2
Phone: (403) 980-8303

Rocky Mountain Soap Body Butter

Hihi,
I've heard a lot about how natural and good rocky mountain soap items are! I decided to try it out the lemongrass body butter!
I love the scent of lemon grass, the taste not so much (had lemon grass chicken one time).
I was quite pleased with this product, you rub it on and then rub in it more with your hands. It does leave a residue on the surface that sinks in through the hours but you know it's moisturizing when...
The scent of this product is not too strong, it lingers for a bit.. Strong lemongrass scent.

Lemongrass Body Butter

When I was in the store, the sales associate said that they were all going to become organic, which is neat.
I liked this body butter and will probably repurchase it every once in a while.. Use it when I need that deep moisture by layering it on top. I prefer to use this at night so it sinks it.
For the price of the product ($13/55g) and it's size (I can see myself going through this pretty fast) it wouldn't be a staple in my moisturizers.
Thanks guys!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Eye Shadow in Antique Gold

Hi Hi,

I love cream eye shadows, I just find them easy to blend and easy application! Perfect for any fast looks!
I picked up Estee Lauder's Double wear cream eye shadow in Antique Gold.
The color is very neutral, good for a day to day look.

Its a more bronzey gold, with a bit of shimmer in it. Depending on my day, if its just an office work or class day it will last about 5/6 hours fading and creasing minimal but existing. With a primer it does last about 9 hours before any creasing or fading!

If i'm working in a restaurant, wearing it without a primer, the eyeshadow tends to start creasing and/or fading before the five hours which is still pretty good with all the sweating and heat from the kitchens.

Overall it lasts pretty good for a cream eye shadow, color pay off is excellent. Not too much shimmer. Classy packaging.
Can be a good base for other eyeshadows as well! I actually accidentally left the lid open one time when I aw was in a hurry and didn't notice it til the next morning. So 24 hours without the lid on during a winter day in Canada (Heater on the house going on constantly) it surprisingly didn't dry out. You can see in the photos the edges are a little dry but the product still was and is creamy! Impressed.

I bought it for around $20 CAD (I can't find it on the site anymore... guessing it got discontinued? Havent been to a counter in a while so not entirely sure! For the amount of product, I feel like its a decent deal and would purchase it again.

I haven't had a paint pot from MAC before but I'm guessing since Estee Lauder does own MAC. the formulas have to be some what similar...

Thanks for reading!

Menthol Lip Balms and Glosses

Hello! :)
You know what I love in Lip Balms and Glosses? Menthol. 

I quite enjoy that cooling feeling on the lips, and usually menthol is paired with a minty flavor which is an additional benefit! And with eczema, I sometimes have an allergy reaction on my lips, making them really itchy! Any one of these products does help that feeling!
When I see a product that boasts cooling or medical properties, I end up buying it and end up loving it!
Here a list of products that contain menthol:

EOS Lip Balm in Sweet Mint 
$3-4 CAD / 7g

Most product for its price, extremely moisturizing. Nice mint flavor.

Blistex Lip Medex
$3-4 CAD/ 7 or 3g

Alot of product for its price as well. Comes also in a Cherry flavor in a tube (10g)
I found that if I kept using this product consistently my lips became really dry whereas with other menthol based products that did not happen. But this really did heal my chapped and split lips faster then other products.

Burt's Bees Original and Medicated

$4-5 CAD
The medicated uses eucalyptus oil instead. I quite enjoy both of these products, the medicated one only comes in a tube form which can be very expensive, around $4.50 CAD. But i have found this product at dollar tree for only a $1.50 which is a great steal. 

And the original one uses peppermint oil for the cooling feeling.

Both are great products but pricey.

C.O. Bigelow's Lip Gloss Mentha's.
$8.00 for .05 oz
Lasts a while, never actually finished a tube. I do perfer lip balms vs glosses but these are very nice. Most cooling/refreshing out of all of them and the feeling does last a bit longer. Leaves a nice shine...
Its been a while since I've bought one but they did come out with tinted lip glosses in the same line.

There are usually Buy 2 Get 1 free which is a decent deal, $16 for three lip glosses.
I like using them when I am going out and want a cooling lip gloss. 

And thats all I have discovered so far! If you have any favorites, please let me know I would love to give them a try! Can't go wrong with a cooling, breath freshening lip balm/gloss! 

Estee Lauder - Double Wear Gel Eyeliner

Hihi.

This is the review do the Estee Lauder - double wear eyeliner. 

Its very creamy, doesn't dry. I love the packaging, very classy. Sadly, this bad boy smudges on me no matter what I do. Put on a good eye shadow primer, smudge. Set it with powder, ends up smudging at the end of the day. The only thing that keeps it from moving is with liquid liner on top... But that defeats the purpose. Might as well wear liquid by itself.

And I also feel like I need a lot more product vs other cream eye liners I have tried in order to keep it black. I find myself dipping back into the product more then twice per eye, its not a dry product but the pigmentation is a bit weak.
I I purchased this for around $25 CAD for 1 oz.
Because it smudges, it is why I would not repurchase this product.

I've been wearing the eyeliner for a couple hours here..

Til next time :)

St. Ives : Oatmeal and Shea Butter body lotion

Hey there!
Bought this a few weeks ago the St. Ives : Oatmeal and Shea Butter body lotion! Was on sale for around $4 at shoppers. You'll be able to find this around for a decent affordable value.
I love st Ives products, esp their infamous apricot face scrub, which I always have on hand! Thought I might as well try their body lotion that says it is naturally soothing and relieveing!
Sadly, I didn't fall in love with this product as much as I fell for the apricot face scrub.
It's not greasy but it is not moisturizing. It sinks into the skin easily, but disappears easily. Has the pleasent oatmeal scent, not irritating at all.
But the biggest problem a body lotion that isn't moisturizing in the tiny bit.
Lot of product for the bang, but I will not repurchase and will stick to the face scrubs!