First MAC Eyeshadows!!

      Exciting news: I've finally taken the leap and ordered my first MAC eyeshadows!... What?... I know everybody and their grandmother are way into/over the whole MAC thing, but for a drugstore makeup junkie like myself, this is exciting! (Hence all of the exclamation marks) I've been building a list for a while now, but the allure of free shipping made me pull the trigger. I do have a MAC store at the mall that I go to, however, since it's a 45 minute drive and I have two kids that make me fear going into any store geared towards anyone over the age of 8-years-old, online was really the only option. 
     I got the shades Kid (which looks like an amazing crease colour that also happens to be on it's way to discontinued), Ricepaper, Satin Taupe, and Sketch, along with the MAC palette. I don't have a Z palette, and the MAC one was only $10, so what the heck. I DID try to grab some MakeUp Geek shadows, but the site wasn't working on my phone, and I was NOT about to make the trip from the couch all the way across the room to the computer. It was 11pm, and I was comfy, so congratulations MAC. I almost bought a lipstick, but decided that would be too much of a gamble, given my pale skin and the fact that only 1 or 2 shades out of 20 actually compliment my skin tone. I'll find a babysitter and make the trek to the mall when the time comes to finally jump on that bandwagon. (I'm actually afraid to buy my first MAC lipstick. They're like a gateway lippie. It starts with one, then I'm elbow deep in Nicki Minaj- limited edition shades, and suddenly I'm exchanging sexual favours for the new NARS Audacious line... Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration I know. But seriously. Not much of a stretch.)  
     Now that I'm thinking about it, I might make that MakeUp Geek order in a couple of weeks. They are half the price, but shipping and exchange rates doesn't make it that different... Oh, great. There it is. I already need another hit. Look what I've started! 

Better Late Than Never?

Okay, finally, I feel like I have the chance to review the Julep 'Sweep Photogenic' palette. I'd been eyeing this palette since day 1; I am in love with Julep's polishes, and their makeup is just as beautiful. I have the first Sweep palette, which is a collection of 5 neutral shades. They have the softest texture, and pigmentation is really good. So when they came out with a palette with a wider colour range, I was all for it. Of course, I waited for a deal-- the palette is priced at $54 originally, but goes on sale from anywhere between $38 and $24. I got mine when it was $24 and used a discount code and got $7.50 off. Which made me love it even more!

Excuse the terrible quality; I only had a picture on my instagram, and THIS is how it copied. 

I was not disappointed. As soon as it arrived, I dove in; it's a cardboard package with a magnetic closure, and comes with a really well-made 2-sided brush. One end it a pointed shadow brush. I'm not actually too fond of this side; I feel like it comes to too sharp of a point. I wish they'd made it more like a flat shadow brush. But the other side is a great fluffy blending brush. I find myself using that side for most of my makeup, even when I'm not using this palette. 

     The shadows are very soft, super-blendable, and are a nice mix of satin shades and shimmers. There aren't any mattes, which is something I always like in a palette. But the shades in this are all pretty enough to make it work. 

 There had been complaints that the palette in the pictures on Julep's sites wasn't true to colour. I agree, the pictures made the shades look a little different, but I'm not disappointed at all. The shade Flash (satin) matches my skintone perfectly ( as you can tell by the apparent lack of a swatch. I assure you, it's there. I'm just really pale). It a great shadow to use all over the lid, to make everything blend together. the shades Focus (satin), Filter (satin), Sepia (satin), and Selfie (shimmer) are really nice crease shades.

Pose, which is a deep eggplant colour, and Icon, a chocolate brown, are both shimmers as well, and look really pretty on the outer V, blended into the crease. Debut and Star are what I think of as the 'colours' in the palette; a kelly green and dusty midtone blue. Fame is the star of the show, a really true deep black satin. Not a grey black, not a weak, navy black, but an actual BLACK shadow. (The picture doesn't do it any justice, my lighting is not the best.)

OVERALL An incredible palette. I couldn't be happier to have this in my collection. The fact that the colours and textures are just as great as the pigmentation makes it's place in my collection very welcome. I would suggest this palette to every makeup lover, and the fact that it's not crazy expensive makes it all the more worth it. I can't wait for Julep's 2015 lineup! :)

***Nik's Bits*** 

-I'm so happy the holidays are over. They were fun, not extremely stressful, and fun for the kids, but it seems as if there's never enough time for breathing. And also my kids are driving each other (and my husband and I) absolutely bonkers. My oldest goes back to school tomorrow! 

-I'm in the process of redesigning my bedroom. I have 8 paint swatches to choose from, and find myself constantly straining not to buy decor for the unfinished room. 

-2015 Goal: get healthy again. I've let myself go back to my old eating/not exercising habits. I'm breaking up with my gut.

Late to the Party feat. itsjudytime Palette

So I finally pulled the trigger on BH Cosmetics. Which isn't supposed to sound so homicidal; I haven't ordered from them before because I'm hesitant to buy makeup online before testing it in person, so I thought I'd take a stab (hey-oh!) at one of their palettes. I was watching an itsjudytime video and she was announcing her palette was going on sale-- the lowest price ever of $8.95 each or two for $14.95, I believe. I never gave it much of a thought before, but the whole "low price, now or never, limited edition" thing had my heart doing flip flops. So after reading all of the reviews and watching tutorials, and deciding that this needed to be in my life, I grabbed one (the deal for 2 was good, but I wasn't going to risk paying for 2 of something I didn't like, and I don't know any makeup lovers. I'm the ONLY one) feeling like the sale price justified the $8 shipping. I HATE when American companies charge so much for shipping. I have yet to order from ColourPop because I REFUSE to swallow that $15 shipping fee. C'mon ColourPop!... Anyways, back to the palette: it arrived a few days ago, and I ripped into it immediately and was very impressed on first look. 

Eee, so cute!!

Ugh, come on with the gorgeous colours

I dipped my dirty little digits into the shadows and found the matte shades to be creamy and pigmented with, surprisingly, little to no fallout. And the mattes were what turned me onto this palette. I was surprised that this little gem could do what the Naked Basics 2 couldn't; make neutral matte shades without stirring up a bunch of shadow. 

The shimmer shades are a different story. Not as pigmented, and the shimmery-er (yep, just made that up. I stick by my decision) shades had chunky glitter that kind of gets whisked away the more you swatch. 

TOP ROW, sorry for the crappy lighting. Although my skin IS translucent and absorbs colour more than shows it

The top row is my jam. The first (cream), second (ochre) , fourth (pink-toned brown) and fifth (espresso) shades are the mattes, and they are buttery, soft, blendable and pigmented. The third shade is a shimmery gold/champagne colour that shows up better in a swatch than on the eye, and the sixth shade is a dark brownish gold with gold shimmer. The shimmer kind of separates from the colour, so it's more of a fine glitter, which is what happens with the rest of the more shimmery shades.

Bottom row: I hate to say it, but MEH.

 The bottom row is probably going to be the less used end of this palette. The only matte is the fifth one, a light indigo, that's a little chalky. The first and second shades are shimmers, a rose-gold and a bronze colour. These go on light, but can be built;more with the fingers than a brush. The third shade is the big let-down; it looks like a beautiful burgundy in the pan, but swatched is a weak black with red glitter that leaves at the first swipe of a brush. The fourth, a satin lilac is also too light, and the last shade is this amazing navy shimmer in the pan, but isn't pigmented enough. Big womp-womp for the burgundy and navy. I had high hopes for those guys.

So all in all, not a total bust. I essentially wanted this for the matte neutrals, and they are the best ones. They work wonderfully together and blend like a dream. The darker colours just don't work very well. Although if you really pack them on, maybe use some Fix+ they'll behave. I still love this palette for what it is. And considering it's sold out on the website (and the price is back up to $20) I'm glad I purchased it. 

I think I might order some more from BH Cosmetics. The Dark Rose, Wild Child, and Forever Nude palettes look really pretty. 

NEXT WEEK: Julep's Sweep Photogenic Palette. Be prepared for the obsession that is Julep.

***Nik's Bits***

-Christmas is in full swing in my house. Which means I've put a whole box of candy canes on the tree, and only three remain. Thanks kids.

-My husband and I made the dumb decision to go Black Friday shopping (sorry, I made the decision. He drove.) We got to Target at 10 am with smiles and hot coffee and left with NOTHING I had hoped to buy. We still got some good deals, but the craziness that was running through that store was not worth it. Cyber Monday next year.

-My skin is acting horrible. I'm getting dry flaky patches on my chin and cheeks, around my nose. Time for a new winter moisturizer. And tons of Lypsyl. Best lip balm EVAR. 

Becoming Katy Perry...

     Ah, Halloween. That one time of the year when us 'basic' girls get to wear wigs and rhinestones without fear of judgement and odd looks. This year I've decided on the task to be Katy Perry. In the beginning I was going to be Nicki Minaj because, let's face it, aside from the bountiful behind and slightly darker skin tone of Ms Minaj, are they not the same person, visually? No. Not really. But I want to wear pink eye shadow and bright lipstick, so they were my immediate reactions. 
     I've bought leopard print pants and a whole bunch of jewels, so hopefully I can do my best. I did a test run of the makeup, and I think I've got it down. Eyelashes hold up, black brows are impeccable, bright lips on lock. The wig, though. Ugh! I've bought two, and the both have thick hair on the top, and one layer of long hair. It's a mullet. I'm stock-piling mullets. So I'm ready to be an extra if the remake 'Deliverance' in my area. 
     I'm going to try to bedazzle the crap out of these pants. Fingers crossed! 

***Nik's Bits***

• For the first time in forever, while in the shower, I grabbed the shampoo instead of it's identically-bottle conditioning counterpart. Does anyone else feel like that's a small victory?
• The string ripped off of my tea bag. Sad face.
• I found some Rimmel Show Offs/ Apocolips at my dollar store. $3 a piece. A steal considering they're still $7 at Walmart (my comparison store for anything). I picked up 'Nova' and 'Stellar'. I'm heading back tomorrow for more. And more rhinestones. They're going to think I'm making a Liberace showroom in my living room.

Back in the Saddle Again

Oh, so happy to be sitting here again. What a crazy summer. I'm so glad that it's over and that fall is here. Not only because I'm currently in love with dark matte lips and chunky sweaters. It was quite a taxing few months on the home front. I'm sitting in the living room of our new house. We've downsized from a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom to a 2 bedroom, one bathroom (and a room with a shower stall). We originally sold the house because of cost and our marital situation was really rocky at the time. But luckily we've worked things out in terms of our relationship (or I should say we are working things out. It's a process) and bought this house for much more than originally looking. But we love the house, and are saving some money as opposed to what we were paying. It's a lovely home with a lot of great details, but also needs a lot of finishing work done. Which we are planning to do together, so it should be exciting. Or one of us will go at the other with a nail gun. It's a toss up. 

Also, I'm extremely excited to get a new makeup station set-up! The bedroom is a lot bigger, and has ample room for a desk and shelves. It's going to be my project for the next few months. And my closet is AMAZING!! And yes, I say MY. There are 2 in the bedroom. D gets his own, which he can put his 7 sweaters and 3 pairs of jeans (he says his small wardrobe keeps him "humble") and he has graciously let me have the long walk in/walk though. It is incredible. As soon as I get it organized and find somewhere to put the extra boxes and spare mattress that are in it :/ I'll post some pictures. I've already emptied a whole pack of Post It's into my Ikea catalogue. Eeee! 

I'm really going to make an effort to post more often. I'm still trying to figure out how to do it from my iPhone. I find myself being out and about and suddenly something happened that I want to post and then remember, Oh wait, I'm technologically inept. Dang. But give me time. :)

I'm also going to start including "Nik's Bits" at the end of each post. Not only because it sounds naughty, but it will give me a place to put all of the odds and ends that are floating around in my mind. It will be a list of brain farts, essentially. :) Like so:

***Nik's Bits***

• I have succumbed to the 90's Lip craze. ((I will NOT call it the 'Kylie Jenner lip'. She was born in '97. She spent most of the latter part of the 90's pooping her pants.)) I've been using Revlon's Rose Velvet over NYX's Nude Pink liner (my favourite liner anyway, I can't get enough). It's perfect. I have swatches on my Instagram.

• I'm in the process of trying to make a weekly meal plan. So far it's meatloaf and meatballs. Apparently we're big meat fans

• The weather today was gray and wet. It's like it was dreary and 5pm all day. Yuck.

Bee Stings and Lipstick

Ahh, summer. Time for sun, friends, and annoying stinging insects. Yep, I've got myself a lovely bee sting. The last time I had one, I was 9 and playing baseball when I fell and my hand landed on one. A traumatic experience, I assure you. One that came rushing back to me this afternoon. I'm wearing a really pretty sundress, quite proud of the fact that it's not gathering and rolling in places due to my sometimes strict workout. I felt something on my back, underneath my dress, so I naturally go to scratch my back. Until I feel an excruciating sting. I swear I lost my eyesight for a fraction of a second. Yes, that's dramatic, but I'm allowed to be, I GOT STUNG BY A BEE!!! So I hike my dress up in the bathroom mirror, and sure enough, there's a couple of angry red welts on my back. I thought bees could only sting once before they die. Apparently I got the over-achieving one of the hive. Needless to say, when I saw him writhing around on the ground near where I had been standing, I quickly put him out of his misery. Now I'm waiting for someone to check for a stinger. How exciting. This day is getting better by the minute. Oh, did I mention I'm on vacation? It's only a 3-day-weekend thing away from the current events at home, but this is not what I imagined. Thankfully my kids are with me, whining and fighting all day. I don't want to get too spoiled.

FYI That NYC Expert Last lipstick in 'Smooch' looks amazing on top of NYX's lip liner in 'Nude Pink'. It's my new favourite thing in life. Topped with Julep's lip gloss in 'Charming'? Ugh. Don't even. LOVE. Pure love. I'm also trying out Maybelline's 'The Falsies' waterproof mascara. So far I'm liking it. It does plump up my lashes. I'm going river-tubing tomorrow, so we shall see how the waterproof claims hold up.

It's Where The Heart Is...

It took almost 30 years, but I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up: a real estate agent. No, it's not just some spur-of-the-moment decision. I've been thinking about this as a career for about 4 years now. I haven't pursued it because, quite frankly, I'm not a very confident person. I've thought that all of the other agents I've seen must have something I don't, some 'in' that I don't have, more talent, better personalities. But I've realized, I do have ambition, and passion. I know this isn't just something I can dip my toes into, test the waters, see how it goes. It costs a lot of money, and you're being relied on by people to find a home. But that's what I love the most about it. Helping people to find a place to raise their family, shelter their children, build and keep memories. It's not about buying a house, it's about selecting a home. I remember the excitement I felt when we were looking at homes to buy; you immediately latch onto the things you love, think about what you can fix, place pictures on the walls in your mind. Or you walk into a house that you cannot, under any circumstances, live in. Houses speak. I honestly believe this. They have voices, pasts, memories. It's about finding one that you can love enough to listen to, to place your own memories in. So I'm deciding to share my passion, to help others in any way I can to find their own 'dream' home. It's going to take some time, but I'm in for the long haul. And it's been a while since I've been this excited about something. I'm lucky enough to have a few friends in real estate, I may start study sessions. :)

I took my kids to the carnival in town. It seems inflation has hit everywhere. I spent $40 on 2 rides, a bag of cotton candy and 2 small stuffed animals. Who charges $10 for a 2-year-old to catch a plastic fish?! 

Maybelline Colour Sensational lipstick in Born With It and Peachy Scene are my obsessions at the moment. And I'm in the market for a new facial cleanser and moisturizer, my Garnier ones are getting low. 

I'm going back to gluten-free. I did it last year- felt great, lost weight. Then Christmas came, I went on the biscuit train and never got off. I've felt really bad for the last couple of months, getting stomach problems after eating bread, pasta, rice, etc. I started again last week with all of my favourite GF foods, and I feel really good. It's not a fad, I know. And I haven't been diagnosed by a doctor. But it feels good for me, so I'm running with it. I have this great book 'The Fast Metabolism Diet' by Haylie Pomroy that has a lot of great information about GF and general well-being. Good read.

The recycling man goes through our blue bin and picks out the beer cans. Apparently they're not being paid enough by the city.