Some quick updates!

Olympic update:
Canada is at 7 GOLD, 6 SILVER, & 2 BRONZE MEDALS!!

Beauty update:
I was recently given the privilege of reviewing a bunch of Marcelle & Annabelle products - so far, so good.  Over the next couple weeks, I am going to review each of these items and go in depth about what I love and don't love about them...to give you my honest opinion and unbiased opinion.

 

I will be reviewing:

• Marcelle LUX Gloss in "Whisper"
• Marcelle Hydra-C Radiance Eye Contour Gel-Cream
• Marcelle Hydra-C Radiance 24H Hydrating Fluid
• Annabelle Le Gloss in "Liquid Honey"
• Annabelle Le Gloss in "Supernatural"
• Marcelle duo eyeshadow in "Sahara"

Giveaway update:
I plan on starting up my own giveaway shortly (once I hit 50 followers) but until then, I will enter in other great giveaways!

I've just entered into a giveaway for the first time, and it just so happens that it's this bloggers first giveaway as well!  The blog?  Tina-Bobeena's World  Hurry, go take a look at her giveaway that's ending March 31st - there are some pretty awesome items in the package :)


Personal update:
My boyfriend & I both have a cold :( but at least we can be lazy bums on the couch and watch the Olympics together!

Flutter your lashes the moment you wake up

Gorgeous lashes can make a huge difference in your overall image - it could add more glow to your face, make you look more awake, or simply give you more to flirt with *wink wink* haha I was going to take that last part out but thought it was so awesomely cheese that I had to keep it in there.

Anyways...

I've done a decent amount of research on false lashes, eyelash extensions, and lash perms...and I'd have to say that lash perms are my favourite for the everyday type deal.  I've tried each of them and like them all, but some are better for certain occasions than others.  Here are my pros, cons & recommendations for each!

FALSE LASHES
>> [Application: 3-10 minutes] The ones you glue on directly above your lash line.  These would be most appropriate for clubbing, nights out and photoshoots.  You can buy them as individual or small clumps of lashes, half lashes or full lashes...and in a billion different styles!  I'm not really down with wearing dramatic falsies during the day, but when worn at night, I think they look absolutely gorgeous!

Pros:

• You can change how dramatic you'd like them for each occasion
• Several different styles, colours, etc

Cons:

•  If you don't put them on right, or without enough glue, they may fall off or look silly
• Some can be quite heavy on your eye

Recommendations:

• Shu Uemura - $20+ - lots of gorgeous styles, great quality lashes and their glue is really awesome
• Dai So ($2 store in Richmond) - $2 - large selection and for $2, how could you go wrong?
• Make Up Forever - ~$16 - decent size selection and some very dramatic styles like Shu Uemura

EYELASH EXTENSIONS
>> [Application: 1 hour] Where individual lashes are attached to your natural lashes.  You can choose how dramatic, how long and how curved you'd like them to be.  They usually last for about a month and they fall out gradually.  I prefer to get 12-13mm long lashes and have them quite curved (don't know the measurement) so that they aren't drooping like blinds over my eyes.  Extensions are best when you have a lot of events to go to (ie: during the holidays or around a friend's wedding when there are bridal showers, stagettes and the wedding itself) or whenever you know that they won't get in the way.  You have to be quite careful with them to make them last; no eye rubbing or touching them w/ anything oily.  Still, I think it's totally worth it when worn for the right occasion.

Pros:

• Long, curled lashes 24/7
• No mascara or eyelash curler needed
• Your eyes still look dramatic w/o eyeliner

Cons:

• You have to be extra careful when wearing extensions (but this doesn't necessarily have to be a con if you don't make it one)
• Depending on how long you make them, it can get in the way of sunglasses or prescription glasses

Recommendations:

• Noir Lash Lounge - $65 flat rate - friendly service, gorgeous store in Yaletown and they do an amazing job
• Amy's Nail Design (no website) - $45 flat rate - more affordable but to be honest, I wasn't as happy w/ the results as I was with Noir's

 LASH PERM
>> [Application: 1 hour] Using a fragile enough chemical, your lashes are permed to a desired curl.  You can give them a natural curl or a more dramatic one!  I went with in between last time, and dramatic this time...I was much more pleased with the more dramatic look.  The perm lasts for about 4-6 weeks and I use Double Lash and Rapid Lash to keep them healthy & growing!

Pros:

• Don't need to curl everyday, which could damage your lashes over time
• Still able to purchase mascara & use it (I love buying new mascara on a regular basis!)
• Lashes stay curled, instead of straightening throughout the day

Cons:

•  If you don't go somewhere you trust, chemicals could hurt your eyes

Recommendation:

• Kaori @ Annex FK Beauty Group - $30 - only place I've tried but I trust her because she's an authentic Japanese lady (which often means they are perfectionists and know what they're doing w/ the lashes), extremely sweet, cheaper than many other places and conveniently located Downtown

Here are some photos of my permed lashes!

Permed, without mascara

 

Permed, with mascara
 

I am always looking to improve the look of my lashes and having asian lashes, that can pose to be quite a challenge sometimes.  What do you use to make your eyelashes look gorgeous?

Nails for Chinese New Year, Valentines, & the Olympics (for any countries where red & white represents them)

As most of the world knows, we recently celebrated Chinese New Year & Valentine's Day (last weekend)...and everyone Canadian, other than the Olympic protesters, are showing their Canadian pride!  Since I was born in Kentucky, I've lived my life being quite impartial, never taking sides or showing patriotism...but once the Olympics hit, I own more Olympics/Canadian items that I ever thought I would.  Together, my boyfriend &I have bought: A big, plush Quatchi, Quatchi/Miga/Muk Muk stickers, Canada Hockey jerseys (got $25 ones from Wal-mart instead of the $135+ jerseys), a Canada hoody, the ever so popular mitts, and mini plushes & a Quatchi/Miga beanie for Kenny's nephew.  I really want the Canada scarf from HBC but I can't find it anywhere!

Anyways, the Olympics have been very exciting.  I got to meet Mary Murphy & Howie Mandel last Saturday!  They were walking around Downtown (separately) and my boyfriend & I got the opportunity to take pictures with each of them!  That was a very cool experience.  Over the week, I've walked around on my lunch breaks and it's been interesting to see all the festivities going on in my own city.  Vancouver is pretty damn amazing.

Canada's medal count: 4 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze

Well, onto the beauty part of my blog...A NAIL DESIGN FOR 3 OCCASIONS!

Last Friday, on the opening day of the Olympics and 2 days before Chinese New Year & Valentine's Day, I decided to paint my nails with a design that would suit all 3 occasions.  Easy - I'd use red & white!

What I used: Orly base coat, China Glaze's "White on White", Red nail art pen, CND's "Blue Ice Shimmer" and Seche Vite top coat.

From the photos, you should be able to see what I've done.  Basically, after using base coat, I applied white polish on the tips of my nails in a triangular shape...it's actually easier than the regular curved French style!  After that, I applied red polish along the lines.  I crossed the lines on my middle finger for a little extra style.  Okay, I admit, it's because I screwed up a little and used that as a fixer upper...and then I did the same to the other middle finger so that it'd be even!  After the red, I put blue ice shimmer polish on to dress it up a bit.  It made the red look a little more like fushia, but still kept the red colour enough to pass for a CNY design.

Tip: Whenever you mess up a little, try thinking of a way to change it so that it still suits your design, instead of taking it off and re-doing it all over again.  Your nails don't have to be identical, it actually makes it more interesting when each nail has it's unique look.  It'll also save you nail polish, time and effort...and prevent the possibility of messing up other nails while trying to remove the polish off one - trust me, I've experienced it.

The nail designs that I have shown are still quite simple, but I hope I've given you some inspiration to start creating your own designs!  Once I get my nail stand (which was sold out when I went to buy it), I will be ready to start designing on fake nails!  Exciting! :)

I recently visited Daiso (a $2 store in Richmond) and purchased a decent amount of items to add to my nail design collection!

 

What I bought: French manicure tape, nail art brushes, pack of 50 fake nails, nail glue & glue remover

I was quite excited to find a pack of 8 nail art brushes for only $2.  I never really considered using separate brushes...I just went for the easy route of buying a set of nail art pens so I wouldn't have to keep cleaning the brush.  But for $2 - heck, they can be disposable!

Well, I'm off to bed!  Thanks for reading & following my blog, everyone!

Ari Beauty Nail

I don't think I know a single girl who doesn't love to be pampered.  Sometimes, I feel a little guilty going, especially when I'm lacking the income, but that problem went away when I met Arezoo.

Arezoo is this super sweet woman who has a home-based spa up in Yaletown.  It's a short walk from the Stadium skytrain, and there's plenty of street parking right outside her building.  Her place is cozy, relaxing and very clean (that's important when it comes to mani/pedi businesses).

Every time I go, I'm greeted with a warm smile and offered tea to make my visit that much more relaxing.  I usually go for the Classic Manicure/Pedicure combo for $30... that's right, ONLY $30!  On my last visit, I added the Akzentz gel overlay option to my hands and it was only $15 more.  I prefer the gel overlay, rather than fake gel or acrylic nails, because it is so much lighter and the perfect thickness.

The amazing thing about Arezoo is that not only is she affordable and a great hostess, but she is also a perfectionist with her work so you will always leave happy!  I've sent several friends to her and every single one of them has become a loyal customer.  I can't express enough how excited I was to have found her after I had my first appointment with her.

MEET AREZOO:

How long have you been in this industry for? 3 years.

How long have you had your home-based business? Over one year.

What do you love most about your job? I love nails and communicating with different people and getting new ideas.

Where are you from? I'm originally from Iran and moved to Vancouver almost 16 years ago with my parents.

Any tricks or tips you'd like to share? For those in the industry, I make sure my customers are always happy with the service and recommend what's best for their needs.

Your favourite nail polish colour? Bright colours, there's a new Hong Kong collection that came out on Feb 3rd. (Arezoo introduced me to my fave colour - OPI's "Ate Berries in the Canaries")

Arezoo's contact info
Website: www.aribeautynail.ca
Email: arezoo@aribeautynail.ca
Phone: 604-818-0055

Don't forget to mention that Sheena sent you ;)

Olympics 2010 - it has begun!

Today was the opening day of the Olympics...what a crrraaazy day, but I mean that in good way!  I got to work early and then at about 8:10am, everyone went outside to watch the torch bearer run by our office building.  Even though we couldn't see anything, it was super exciting seeing everyone's Canadian pride.

Here's a glimpse at my day:

The torch bearer (I want to believe that it was Georges St. Pierre) ran past our building.  This was the best shot that I could capture!  He was running down Georgia St towards us, then took a sharp right to run to the Olympic clock (picture below).  Everyone then went to follow him, and then he turned around and ran back to the exact spot where we had been standing for the past half hour!...but because we moved to chase him, we missed him by about 10 meters!  Damn.  He totally had the crowd running in circles for him.

This is the Olympic Clock that sits infront of the Vancouver Art Gallery.  I took it before I went home, 42 minutes and 36 seconds before the opening ceremony!...which, by the way, was a huge disappointment.  I tried to tell myself that it wasn't that bad, but they made it really hard.  They scored points in the special/mystical effects category but the excitement/hype factor just wasn't there...at all.

They paperwall'd our Art Gallery!  At first, I thought this looked really weird and tacky, but it has started to grow on me.  I kinda like it now!  It's very oiginal...how many buildings have you seen with giant wallpaper tacked to the outside??  You couldn't even put this size of wallpaper in a home, the smallest flower on here would take up an entire wall! haha

Anyways, I'm very much excited about the Olympics now :) The atmosphere is amazing and the countries feel so united.

Now, onto makeup! :)

Kat Von D - True Romance Eyeshadow Palette ($34 USD)

1 x Cream e/s - True

7 x Powder e/s - Solitude, Meditation, Agatha Pink, Sugar Skull, Peggy, Hard Luck, Tijuana

So this was the 3rd and final thing I picked up (makeup-wise) on my Seattle trip.  The Kat Von D e/s palette!  I absolutely looOoOoOOoove it.  All the colours are super gorgeous and highly pigmented.  I have yet to try the blue cream shadow but maybe I'll use it when I go out next weekend...any tips on how to apply it?  As for the Powder e/s, they go on smoothly and are nice & creamy, no blotchiness whatsoever! My favourite is the yellow/teal combo, I actually used it while clubbing on Saturday!  For work, I've been wearing Meditation (3rd from the left).

Pros:

• Gorgeous looking case
• Creamy, well pigmented eyeshadows
• Nice selection of colours - for day & night
• Big mirror - great for travel

Cons:

• I can see the case getting dirty easily because of it's rubbery outside
• Brushes supplied are pretty useless

Overall, this eyeshadow palette is freakin' sweet!  It makes me want to buy her other ones because of the quality.  7 shadows for $35 USD, not bad at all.  I am very happy with this purchase.

OH and before I go, I just wanted to correct myself from yesterday's post.  I did a review on the L'oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara and one of my Cons was that it didn't keep the curl in my lashes once I applied it.  Well, I checked out my lashes tonight (11 hours after applying it) and my lashes were still perfectly & happily curled!  I don't know what happened the first time, but I have new faith in this mascara.  If it keeps this up, I think I can fully replace my tube of L'oreal Voluminous mascara.

G'night, ya'll.

My glam goodies from Seattle...

Hey everyone!

Apologies for being so MIA for the last 11 days!  Time flies... originally, it was because my internet was down, but it's up & running!  Then, it was because I was super sick but because I had to tough it out for my new temp job, I had to sleep whenever I could (and resist blogging) in order to get better faster.  But NOW, I am good to go.

So this past weekend, I went down to Seattle with a bunch of friends!  My boyfriend had to stay in town because he had prior engagements, but I wanted to party, shop, watch UFC and visit our friend who lives down there...so I went anyways :)  I was planning on buying a sh*tload of make-up so I could be busy reviewing them forever, but by the time we got to Sephora & Wal-mart (my 2 fave places to purchase makeup), I had spent most of my shopping budget at Forever21 & Love Culture!  Oops.  I still bought a couple of awesome things though, and I will share with you my purchases...I'll even share my thoughts on them!

Foundation/Concealer Brush from Wal-Mart (~$3)

I wasn't shopping for a brush but this one was so dirt cheap that I couldn't resist.  I got this size brush to blend in any remaining streaks that I have after using my usual foundation brush.

Pros:

• Super affordable
• Looks nice with the black shaft
• Soft bristles
• Multi-purpose (foundation & concealer)

 Cons:

• Doesn't blend THAT well
• Bristle quality lacks

Overall, I think it's worth it if you don't have high expectations for a brush!  I don't think I'll need to us this brush that often, so for $3, how could I go wrong?  What I really want for foundation is a stippling flat-top brush!  I'm just trying to find the right one.  Does anyone recommend the one at MAC?

L'oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara (~$6)

I think I buy a mascara just about every time I go down to the States, it's my own little tradition, I guess!  So far, my fave has been the L'oreal Voluminous mascara...it's called "Voluminous" for a reason.  I was about to grab it again (it's very rare for me to get the same mascara 2x in a row) but then I decided to try something else out...it's far more exciting that way haha  Anyways, I ended up with the Extra-Volume Collagen mascara.

Pros:

• Shiny, smooth black look
• Easy to apply
• Sleek packaging
• Lengthens the appearance of lashes
• Zero clumps

Cons:

• Doesn't make lashes look full
• Lost the curl fast (but I can fix that problem w/ my lash perm next week!)

Overall, I really like it!  It's a nice clean look and once I get my lash perm (appt is on Monday), keeping my lashes curled w/ this mascara will be nooooo problem.  I liked my Voluminous mascara because it gave a very dramatic look and kept my lashes up quite well, but it was very clumpy.  I think I will use the Collagen mascara for day and Voluminous for night - they're both great!  We all know that asian girls have the hardest time finding a good mascara because our lashes are shorter and straighter - do you have any suggestions out there?

I will post my final Seattle makeup purchase tomorrow, because it's time for me to put on an episode of Scrubs and get to sleep.  The Olympics starts tomorrow and the torch is being passed in front of my work at 8:40AM!  Cool, eh?  Downtown is going to be crazy busy but I am looking forward to all the excitement!

But before I go, one last thing...

I painted my nails on Friday, January 29th.  This is how they looked on Friday, February 5th.  A week long with Seche Vite Top Coat and the only real damage to the look was my nail growth!  I don't know about you, but my polish used to crack like crazy by day 3.  I seriously swear by that top coat! haha

Alright, g'night, everyone!