SOTW: Staying Up

Staying Up // The Neighbourhood

Stella by Stella McCartney

Can we just take a moment to talk about how great rollerballs are? Not only are they great to carry around with you on the go, but if you love trying new scents theyre perfect so you dont have twenty bottles of perfume taking over your life. I always find scents I like but dont want to deglect the others I have or spend a ton on something I may decide I actually dont like all that much (im looking at you flowerbomb).
I decided to go for Stella, as I hear about this possibly more than any scent and was very curious as to what it smelt like. I was undecided in the store, but figured the rollerball was a good way to try it out and see what I thought. I believe it was around $28 at Sephora. I find it to be very feminine with notes of rose, peony, mandarin, rose absolute and amber. Its different from my usual fruity scents, but I think the mandarin in there that helps tone down the floral, which I wouldnt usually go for. Im awful at explaining scents but I have been liking this and now I know why everyone and their mother has it. Although its not beat Honey at being my most worn lately. 

Video: Mini Drugstore Haul

Just thought id share with you a video I did today for my new youtube channel. A small, random haul featuring a lot of awkward faces and berry lips.

This Week Im Loving.. #14

Ive been using Revlon Nearly Naked again lately as ive seem to of developed quite a few foundations. This ones great for a natural glowy look, which is what I always go for. Its not heavy on the skin, but it is a tad darker than I need it which is my only complaint. On the eyes ive been going quite simple- a champagne shadow, liner and mascara. My fav shadow is something new, Mac Shroom, a gorgeous champagne shimmer. Yes I go for alot of champagne, barely noticeable shades but I think they make my eyes pop without much fuss. With that ive been loving Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in blackest black. I go back and forth between loving this. Along with another favourite, Sephoras Pro Bent Liner brush, this is a lot easier to apply than it was with other brushes ive tried. The angle makes application really easy. I can keep my eye open and look in the mirror while applying to make sure the line is straight and not too thick. The liner itself is really easy to work with, super black and lasts all day. together these are a perfect match for me.

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray

Ive been on the hunt for the best products for enhancing natural wavy hair and have been wanting to try B&B's Surf Spray for years. Ive been playing around with it trying it on wet/dry hair, alone or with other products and think I have found my favourite way to use it. Alone is okay but I find my hair is a bit frizzier than id like. But with a small amount of Its a 10 Miracle Leave In Potion followed by around ten sprays to towel dried, unbrushed hair, or with my favourite Tigi Catwalk Curls Rock Amplifier cream and a few spritzes of B&B to finish, I get both a nice wave and tamed frizz. Although when im really lazy and not doing anything special ill just use this alone and do get a pretty decent curl. 

Overall I think this is a pretty good beachy hair spray but probably not my favourite product ever. 

Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer

Ive had a lot of long days lately, and something as someone who doesnt like to reapply makeup throughout the day, primer has become an important step to make sure my face is fading away as the day goes on. My go-to the last month or so has been Laura Mercier's Hydrating Primer. There are a few different ones, but this one is targeted more towards dry/dehydrated skin, which I definitely get this time of year. It helps your makeup glide on, fills in pores and really does hydrate the skin. A little goes a long way, so even though its kinda pricey, it should last a long time. 

All in all this does exactly what its supposed to do. It keeps my makeup on for hours and hours. I especially notice how my blush lasts until I take it off, where as by the night its usually fades away to almost nothing. This is especially good for me as it keeps my pale skin looking more lively. It is a silicone based primer so if your skin doesnt get along with that, this probably wont be the product for you. Overall this is my favourite primer ive tried so far and it is definitely worth the high price tag. 

This Week Im Loving.. #13

What a busy week this has been! I worked six days and have basically had no time to do anything else. My room is top of the list when I get some free time. Ive been liking painting my nails because theyre finally growing long again. Ive been loving some colours from Rimmels Lasting Finish Pro line, which are really nice drugstore polishes that are opaque in one coat. I wore Red Rock for a while and changed it over to Steel Grey, an old fav, just a few days ago. Both are nice fall colours, a deep red and prupley brown.
On the eyes ive been enjoying some Maybelline products. Ive been lazy with eyeshadow and using a bit of the Colour Tattoo in Barely Branded all over the lid and lining with Eye Studio Lasting Drama in black, which I rarely use just because it takes a lot more effort and patience to apply it correctly. But it is a really nice long lasting liner. On the cheeks ive been using Nars Sin, of course, and on the lips Mallygirl gloss in Starburst. I dont know why ive all of a sudden been into gloss, but this one isnt sticky and the colour is a natural peachy pink thats easy to just throw on.

Thats it for this week, Happy Thanksgiving if youre celebrating!

September Favourites

I was in Scotland the last half of the month, so I didnt use or get to try many new things. My favourite scent was Stella by Stella McCartney. I purchased the rollerball for my trip because I wanted something travel friendly and always hear about the scent and wanted to try it. Its different from the scents I usually go for- more floral than fruity, but nontheless a nice scent. 

To keep my makeup lasting all day, Laura Mercier Hydrating Foundation Primer has been my go to. Its helps my makeup to glide on and keeps it looking frsh all day long. I especially notice that my blush stays on, and speaking of blush I have two favs this month- Mac Peachtwist and Nars Sin. Peachtwist is a gorgeous burnt orange with a gold shimmer, a great fall colour, probably my favourite for this time of year. Sin is a little more wintery of a colour as its really good for warming up the skin. Its a lovely mauvey plum with a slight shimmer. A must buy.For lips, ive been wearing an array of colours but really loved Revlon Matte in Mauve It Over. A really easy everyday shade, good fall. 

Hair wise, ive been using some new things. Redken Extreme Conditioner is protein based, used for damaged/ split hair. It smells nice and leaves myhair realy soft and manageable. I really want to try the shampoo and will definitely be buying the conditioner again in the future. Lastly, is Batiste Dry Shampoo. Ive tried the Treseme one and wasnt a fan of the scent of feeling it left my hair with. I could tell something was in my hair because it weighed it down and made it feel worse than before. Batiste actually works well at getting rid of the oil and added a bit of body to my hair. It also didnt leave a white residue on my hair that I could tell which is really good. 

Now that I am back, I hope to get back into blogging again. I have quite a few things to do posts on so theres should be plenty of posts soon! I hope you had a good September.