'TV Show ' and Tell: Cupcake Wars

Am I the only one who gets extremely hungry when watching the Food Network? I’ve recently become obsessed with one specific show called Cupcake Wars. On the show, four contestants compete for $10,000 by creating unique cupcakes based on that episode’s theme. 

  

 Summary:  

Each round a contestant is eliminated by a panel of judges who evaluate the cupcakes.

In Round One the cupcakes are solely based on taste. (Where do I sign up?)

Round Two calls for the contestants to step it up a notch with their presentation skills as well as taste. (So much effort goes into creating the exquisite details in each cupcake. They look almost too good to eat!)        

In the final round (Round Three),  two contestants compete to each make their own unique display for 1000 cupcakes to symbolize the episode’s theme. The judges then pick a winner!

In one episode, the contestant made a sleigh and Christmas Tree made of cupcake

Tune in Thursdays at 9pm on the Food Network if you want to check it out. My mouth is already watering…

Inspired Coppery-Peach Lips

I love being inspired by the things I see. Whenever I do see something that I like, I put it in something I call my Look Book (I’ll be doing a separate post about it very soon for those of you who are interested :) For this post I am going to talk about beautiful model Gia Johnson-Singh, who inspired me in the Tia Maria commercial. 

Gia Johnson Singh- Tia Maria commercial

 I think she looked absolutely stunning in that advertisement, but I especially like the lipstick she wore. I was determined to find my own version of this kind of color and I have found something that I am quite happy with.

 

The lipstick I am talking about is by Estee Lauder and is called “Tiger Eye”. I’ve had it in my storage drawer for so long because I was not a fan of the color in the tube (I never actually wore it).  Recently, however, I went through some of my products hidden in that drawer and decided to swatch the color. To my surprise, it was not what I expected to see. In fact it was a beautiful shimmery,  coppery-peach shade; my perfect comparison for replicating Gia’s lipstick.

Estee Lauder Tiger Eye

I think this color is perfect for the summer because it alone, warms up your face without having to wear bronzer. The color has a bronze undertone that gives you a sun-kissed glow. I absolutely love it! So I guess this is another one of those times when you learn something new:  Don’t judge a lipstick by its …tube color? LOL

What’s your summertime pick for lipstick?

Go-To Summer Scent

I’ve always been a fan of sugary, sweet smells like cotton candy and cupcakes when it comes to perfume. One of my first perfumes was the Britney Spears Fantasy perfume. I remember whenever I went to the department store I would spritz a bit of it onto my wrist and smell the sweet scent for the rest of the day. Eventually, when I made my purchase, Fantasy became by signature scent and I always got compliments when I wore it.

Growing up though, I’ve also become a fan of some more sensual and mature scents. Most recently I’ve fallen in love with Paco Rabanne’s Lady Million and Versace’s Versus. I have yet to purchase those ones, but for the summer time I have found my signature scent: Roberto Cavalli’s Just Cavalli for Her.

Roberto Cavalli Just Cavalli Her

 

 I would describe this scent as fruity (more like citrus) and a bit florally. Perfect for the summer!

As for the packaging, the bottle is kind of odd..It’s rectangular in shape with one side being plastic and extremely plain (smooth with the words “Just Cavalli Her” printed on). The other side has textured glass which gives it some design. At least the fragrance makes up for it! :]

Things You SHOULD Invest in: ‘Cosmetics’ Pencil Sharpener

That’s right ladies do not bother using your little Hello Kitty sharpener that you use for your pencils; use one that is made for eyeliner pencils.

I remember when I used to try to sharpen my eyeliner pencils with a regular sharpener and usually ended up ruining the pencil. The tip would be so rough and uneven that I would be too scared to even put it near my eye! Oh yeah, and sometimes the thing would keep breaking that I couldn’t even use it if I wanted to…

My solution was to invest in a sharpener made for an eyeliner pencil. At the time I was also having a dilemma with my NYX jumbo eye pencils as they were becoming quite dull, so I needed a sharpener that would accommodate them.

I went to Sephora and ended up getting the MUFE (Make Up For Ever) double pencil sharpener. 

Make Up For Ever Double Pencil Sharpener

Boy am I glad I did. I have not seen such a smooth cut on pencils in my life! Obviously this sharpener is designed for cosmetic pencils!  It works great on the NYX jumbo pencils too!

The best part is that very minimal product is wasted when sharpening. The blade sharpens so neatly and thinly that it mostly only takes off the wood part of the pencil. Tell me you aren’t in love.

Before- Dull NYX Jumbo Pencil

After- Take off the cap and voila! The shavings are so easy to remove!

The bottom part also comes off and there is also a little pick that you can use to take out product that gets stuck in the blades :)

For only $7 pick up yours today! Sephora- Make Up For Ever Double Pencil Sharpener

Grab the Deal!

Forever 21 Fab Knit Cami

Other than the bandeau, my other must-have article of clothing for the summer (and even throughout the seasons) is the basic cami. My favourite basic cami is from Forever 21 and is called "Fab Knit Cami". At only $2.50 you CAN'T go wrong with this essential top!
I usually like to wear them alone and also by layering them with other tops. I love wearing them when I go running because they are so light-weight.
The best part is they come in a variety of colors! So what are you waiting for? Stock up and grab the deal. Click the link if you're interested.

Forever 21- Fab Knit Cami

'TV Show ' and Tell: NY Ink

NY Ink on TLC

I thought I would expand on my blog and introduce a new element to talk about TV shows that I enjoy watching and that you might enjoy too!
I used to love watching Miami Ink so when I heard that Ami James was moving his business (sadly without Chris Nunez..*tear*) to NY, I knew I had found my summer go-to program.
I love how the show focuses on individual stories behind why each person is getting a new tattoo and what it represents. Some of the stories are really touching.
Ami James is a sick tattoo artist and he has brought along many other talented individuals to his new shop, including Tim Hendricks from past Ink seasons. Some new faces include Tommy Montoya, Billy, Chris Torres, and the only girl tattoo artist who is steppin' it up in the shop, Megan Massacre.
One of my favorite new guys has to be Robear. He is jokes. One of the memorable moments that first got me was in episode 2 (The Gloves Are Off) when Chris Torres rubbed off Megan's eyebrows. Here's the clip...

AMI JAMES: What the fuck is wrong with you people?
ROBEAR: "LOOK AT MEGAN'S EYEBROW!"
AMI JAMES: What. The. Fuck..happened to your face?..."

Definitely my favorite quote of the season so far haha. I give Robear's seriousness 5 stars!

Homemade Instant Self-Tanner?

CoverGirl Golden Sunrise Mineral Bronzer

Last year I purchased three of the CoverGirl TruBlend Minerals products (bronzer, blush, loose powder) because they were on sale. I thought I was going to like them because 1) the colors looked nice 2) a lot of product came in the packaging 3) how can you not like a sale?...but to my surprise I got overwhelmed by the shimmer.

I have said that I am a fan of shimmer, but not to this extent. (I can’t believe anybody would put on that much shimmer on their face, especially as a loose powder). After debating what I should do with them I simply put them away in my storage drawers never to consider them again…until now that is.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter

I have been using Vaseline Cocoa Butter for many years now (its my HG body lotion). I absolutely love the smell and it makes my skin ultra smooth. I had been thinking about ways to make my legs glow without using self-tanners (I hate the smell), and until I could tan them enough outside, when I discovered something that could work.

I tried to mix a bit of the lotion with my Golden Sunrise mineral Bronzer and applied it on my legs. To my surprise it actually turned out to my liking. I definitely got the glow I was looking for thanks to the shimmer, and because the bronzer was a darker color, my legs also looked like they were already tanned!

I would say I am happy that I have finally found a way to use the CoverGirl TruBlend Minerals products. I tried mixing the loose powder and it turned out to have the same effect as the bronzer, except that it was a bit lighter. As for the blush, I haven’t tried mixing that yet, but I will see how it goes. (I think because it is a very light color it might not look that great, but I might see if I can use it as a highlighter somehow…)

So, if anybody else has products in their drawers that they never want to look at again I suggest experimenting with them to see what good can come out of them. You might end up liking them after all!

"Summer Besties"

I recently saw a tag going around on YouTube called “Summer Besties” and decided to be “it” lol. The tag is basically about your favorite summer products for different categories.  Here are my favs!

1) Lip Product- Softlips Moisturizing Lip Balm (Vanilla) SPF 20

I love the Softlips Lip Balms, especially the vanilla one (vanilla and coconut are my favorite scents). Even though I like to use this product throughout the seasons its extra nice in the summer because it has SPF 20. My lips are pretty pigmented so I don’t always like to wear lipstick, so this is the perfect product to just keep them moisturized.

Softlips Moisturizing Lip Balm

 2) Blush- Mark Sunlove Glo

 My favorite types of blushes are coral and peachy colours. This blush is a mix of those colours. It looks great on tanned skin so I think it’s a must have for the summer months.

Mark Sunlove Glo Blush

3) Nail Polish- L.A. Colors Color Craze nail polish- Lightning 

To go along with tanned skin I love wearing vibrant neon colours both on my nails and clothes. I love this neon pink colour by L.A Colours. I always get compliments when I wear it.

L.A. Colors Lightning Nail Polish

4) Liquid face product- Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup

I don’t like to wear foundation too much when it is extremely hot outside, but when I do this Perfectly Real Makeup by Clinique is my go-to. It is lightweight and gives you a decent coverage. It also has a little bit of shimmer in it that makes your face glow.  

Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup

5) Powder Face Product- N.Y.C. Matte Bronzer- Sunny

To continue on with the tan look (well it one of the signatures of summer!) I love using bronzer to give a bit of more definition to my face. I love using the N.Y.C Sunny bronzer to contour.

N.Y.C. Sunny Bronzer

6) Hair Product- Frizz-Ease Hair Serum

My hair is naturally curly, so in these humid times I try to avoid using heat in my hair and just condition it really well. I apply this serum when my hair is damp. It smells soo good and keeps it shiny and tamed. 

Frizz-Ease Hair Serum

7) Eye Product-AVON SuperShock Mascara

If I had to just choose one eye product I would pick mascara. I always like to play up my eyes and make winged liner, smokey eyes, etc. but I think I could be happy with just long, full lashes. This mascara is waterproof so it holds curl well, and the brush is AMAZING! It’s pretty big, but that helps make your lashes full and long.

AVON SuperShock Mascara

8) Self Tanner (or any tanning item)- Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Lotion and Oil Spray

I swear by this stuff.  First of all, these things smell heavenly (like a coconut tropical vacation). The smell reminds me of my childhood vacations. I naturally have an olive skintone so it tans quite easily, and these products just contribute to making my tan a little more bronzy and even. Only downside is the low SPF… 

Hawaiian Tropic Tanning

9) Fashion accessory- Earrings

For everyday I would say earrings are my favourite accessories. I usually wear studs, but I think it’s nice to spice up an outfit with a pair of chandelier earrings sometimes. 

10) Clothing piece- Bandeaus

I think bandeaus are basically like bandeau bikini tops that you can wear under your clothes. I love these things for the summer. I have a lot of low cut, open back summer tops and I love to pair them with a bright bandeau top. This summer I’m really into color blocking with bandeaus. I love the contrast of a bright yellow bandeau with a coral pink top.  

So there you have it. My Summer Besties. What are yours?

ALDO- Free Shipping!

 I recently ordered some things from the ALDO website and thought I would share my purchases with you. Another good reason to order now is so you can take advantage of the free shipping offer with all orders! ALDO is one of my favourite stores for shoes, handbags, and accessories. I can't resist looking at the website every once in a while to see what new items they have. One thing I try to avoid though is paying "full price". I usually wait until the items go on sale and then grab the great deal.

As I mentioned previously, I like to do research on new products before I make my purchases. Even though there is not much to review about things like shoes, handbags, accessories, etc., I like to see what the product 'actually' looks like in real life compared to the picture given on a website. Hence, I usually try to search for the items using their description names and see if any bloggers have any posts about them. Most of the time I can't find anything, so I've decided to post my own ALDO purchases on my blog.

The first thing I bought was a new pair of high heel sandals called HAERTEL.






I had been on the look out for a nice pair of 'strappy' sandals for awhile, so when I found these gold babies I had to get them. Originally they were $80 CAD (typical price for ALDO shoes), but I was happy to see that they were on sale for $54.98. In addition to that, I have a SPC card (a discount card that can be used at participating stores) that gives me 10% off at ALDO. So before tax the total came to $49.48!

You can attach the handle on one side as a wristlet

The next thing I got was a gold clutch/wristlet (I guess I'm into gold lately?) . I was not planning on buying this, but the price was calling my name. Originally selling for $25, the WILLITZER was on sale for only $9.09 :O! I also used my SPC card for this so before tax I paid $8.18...Now do you see why I love ALDO and SPC?

I am quite happy with my new purchases and hope that you too will find something you like at a great price from the ALDO website. Go check it out and let me know about any of your great steals! :)

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs

After months of waiting for the warm weather, summer is finally here! I always look forward to the days where I can just put on a pair of shorts and head out the door. Living in Canada we usually only get to experience a couple months of the beautiful weather (and even then it rains a lot...). However, I try to make the best of it and just enjoy the days when we do have the sun shining.

Lately, I've had my eyes on the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs so I can give my legs a nice glow. Usually before I make a purchase I like to do a bit of research and read reviews. For the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs I read a lot of good reviews, but I also read a lot of reviews that mentioned how they miss the original formula because it does not include shimmer. Personally, I do not mind a bit of shimmer, especially on the legs because I think it looks quite flattering.

This week I am finally going to purchase this product. Rexall has it on sale with 20% off so I will pick it up and give it a try. Stay tuned for my review!

UPDATE! Check out my Review for Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs here:
http://anitabonitat.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-sally-hansen-airbrush-legs.html