Hello Kitty Nightmare

Moving On Out

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:34:31 -0400

In case anyone’s been wondering where the hell I’ve been, I’ve basically moved my Internet self on over to blogger. As much as I love Tumblr and (especially) all of you awesome people who follow me, blogger fits in better with the content and feel I’m going for. Thank you all for your support! If you have a blogger account and want to follow me over there, it’s http://hellokittynightmare.blogspot.com. I hope to see you all there! xox

A Little Activity and Some Tasty Lip Balm

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:29:00 -0400

Yesterday I finally got around to de-potting my MAC eye shadows. What is depotting? It’s pretty much what it sounds like. You take the metal pan that holds the actual product out of the plastic black packaging and put it into a palette. While there are many reasons to depot, I really did it for a) space conservation and b) because I LOVE the MAC recycling program (back to MAC) and knew I would probably never finish these shadows to return the containers otherwise.

You can buy palettes from MAC pro-stores but I had heard a couple of bad things about the quality of the 4 pan palette so when I saw this Annabelle brand palette at the drugstore for 3$, I had to take the risk and try it.

Sorry about the fingerprints! ><

A more accurate picture of the colours. I put in “Cloud” by Annabelle, “Nocturnelle” by MAC, “Sating Taupe” by Mac and “Handwritten” by MAC

I followed Miss Natty’s (http://nattyngeorge.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-de-pot-your-mac-eyeshadows-elf.html)

Overall I’m happy with the result because I like having these colours in the same place and now I have enough empties to get a free lipstick (!). I don’t think I would have done this if I was someone who carried my eye shadows around though, because as much as there are magnets holding the pans in, give them a good jostle and they’ll come loose.

On a side note, I also got a tasty lip balm.

I saw Hard Candy’s tinted lip balms at Wal-Mart and couldn’t resist. The packaging for the product is truly dreadful but I am pleased with what’s inside. The lipbalm has a nice smell (maybe vanilla or coco butter-ish?) and taste (vanilla) and actually does feel really moisturizing and nice. It is just barely tinted but I do like the colour it gives and for under 3$, you can’t really go wrong!

Happy weekend muffins!

Biz Caj

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:49:01 -0400

As I mentioned earlier this week, I got a new job. Of course, there are many, very important things to take care of before I get started. But what’s more fun to talk about: important, serious things to do or forming a new, work appropriate wardrobe? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

I’m actually very relieved and lucky because I am not, by any means, expected to wear a suit or any really “serious business” clothes. People dress more fashionably than anything else. The vibe is very business casual, so I’m looking for things that I can wear to work, but that I also won’t hesitate to wear on weekends.

I feel like this is going to get a bit picture heavy, so here we go.

Once source of inspiration is definitely Liz from Late Afternoon. She does professional but fashionable like a pro

Another recent addition to my reading list is Alex from HRH Collection. She is a total blazer addict and always looks put together.

You can’t see that well in this pic but she’s wearing sweet grey suede OTK boots. Comfy but polished.

Of course Zara people is a great source of inspiration.Check it out here

And a few items that are definitely on my wishlist:

I didn’t post any links because everything is basically from Zara and H&M who are both without a shop-able webstore for North-America :(:(

So what do you guys think? Am I forgetting anything? And what’s on your work-wear wishlist?

Hooking You Up

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:06:17 -0400

Last Winter, I fell completely, head over heels in love with the Acne “Pistol” boot after seeing them on http://vanillascented.freshnet.se/.

After a lot of ooing and ahhing, I kind of forgot about them because they are big munnies. BUT GUESS WHAT PEOPLE?! Aldo did us a major favor.

AND IN BROWN

http://www.aldoshoes.com/ca-eng/women/boots/ankle-boots/85666222-crisson/92. Check it.

Stripes and some news

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:41:59 -0400

I feel like I haven’t done an “outfit of the day” post in the longest time. To be honest, it has been anywhere between 30-35 degrees (Celsius), with the humidity making it feel about 5 degrees hotter than that, and the mere thought of putting on clothes is almost more than I can bear most days. Now that I’m done griping about the weather, here’s something I wore to lunch with my mom and brother, where we had a some champagne to toast some good news.

Blouse and skirt: F21, Necklace: Winners, Shoes: Target

Enough ambiguous-ness about this news. My kind of behind the scenes endeavor this summer was to find a job. But not like a job job, a somewhat career related, “big-girl” job. After many interviews and much stressful nervousness, I just found out that I got the job I really wanted. For the sake of keeping a semblance of privacy, I’ll just say that it’s in “the fashion industry” (as a vague, kind of pretentious sounding umbrella term) and I’m literally over the moon about it.

Happy weekend little bunnies!

If you have blogger, please follow me at http://hellokittynightmare.blogspot.com/!!!

Across the Pond

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:55:03 -0400

Unfortunately for me, I have really gotten into UK bloggers lately. I say unfortunately because it turns out that those clever British folk are really on their game when it comes to drug store (aka high street) cosmetics. Usually I would just go on over to ebay and buy whatever UK products I’m currently craving but there’s some sort of crazy law that has passed to protect French cosmetics and perfumes from counter fitting (or something) and LONG STORY SHORT all cosmetics have been blocked from my viewing on ebay. *Deep breath*

Lucky for me, my dear friend Erica is currently in France doing a summer program because she’s an opera singer (I know, how cool) and she’s going to pop into England to (amongst other things) get me a bunch of makeup stuffs (haha).

So, ladies, here is what I asked her to look for:

Barry M Nail Paints in “Blue Moon” and “Mushroom”

Collection 200 Lasting Perfection Concealer (I have read rave reviews)

17 Mirror Shine Lipsticks in “Beehive” and “Nudist Peach” (again, rave reviews)

Natural Collection lipstick in Apple Blossom (these are under £2!!)

Bourjois Blush in Rose Coup de Foudre (right) (supposed to be comparable to NARS’ Deep Throat)

Max Factor 2000 Calorie mascara

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (I didn’t actually ask my friend to get me this because I can order it on Asos.com. It’s made in the same factories as Chanel’s products)

So that’s my list! What do you think, UK girls, did I miss any must haves?! Have YOU ever done a UK swap? Let me know!

p.s. I got all of these pictures from google images and do not intend to claim that any of these are mine. If I have your picture and you want me to take it down please let me know! :)

Color Coded

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:38:27 -0400

I was going to paint my nails a couple of days ago and when I looked at my (kind of overwhelming) collection, Essie’s Turquoise and Caicos seemed to jump out at me.

Since then I’ve been constantly admiring my nails, and I realised that this polish would be perfect for a little color inspiration.

Liz’s turquoise bag (www.popcultureafternoon.blogspot.com)

Emily’s skirt (cupcakesandcashmere.com)

These J brand jeans

I thought the YSL arty ring would come and go like any other fad but it’s been a while and that thing still looks damn good.

Any of these would do just fine. Chanel Novelle Vague, MAC Peppermint Patti, Essie Mint Candy Apple, Essie Turquoise & Caicos, OPI Garguatan Green Grape (img from www.retailtherapy.onsugar.com)

Hope you guys are also riding the turquoise wave (zing!) (dad jokes!) ;) Have a great Sunday lovebunnies!

Early Bird

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:01:05 -0400

At the risk of being slightly UNPOPULAR, I have to say that sometimes mid-summer I get the hankering for fall clothes and more importantly, boots. While I love sandals and open toes and blah blah, I really can’t tell you how much I love a good boot. I’ve already spotted some particularly interesting specimens on the interwebz.

Got to love a leather Chelsea boot.

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-ANDRE-Leather-Chelsea-Ankle-Boot/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1591240&cid=4172&Rf900=1447&sh=0&pge=1&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Black

Adorable little lady boot.

http://www.asos.com/Asos/Asos-Alpine-Block-Heel-Brogue-Ankle-Boots/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1507035&cid=4172&Rf900=1447&sh=0&pge=1&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Brown

Stacked heel? Check. Motorcycle action? Check. I feel a full-blown obsession coming on..

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-ANGELES-Mid-Heel-Leather-Buckle-Ankle-Boot/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1591336&cid=4172&Rf900=1447&sh=0&pge=1&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Black

http://www.asos.com/Asos/Asos-Aiden-Leather-Lace-Up-Brogue-Boots/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1081126&cid=4172&Rf900=1447&sh=0&pge=2&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Black

Feels good to get that out of my system, guys. I think I can try and enjoy my flimsy shoes for a little while longer.

I had this thing to do

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:00:05 -0400

I wore this to this important thing I had to do… haha ominous much?? Ok Hopefully I will be able to discuss said important thing soon. For now just take the outfit.

Blouse: Thrifted, Skirt: Forever 21, Belt: Thrifted, Shoes : Collection Bulle (I think? I got them half price ^_^).

Ps I look like I have no lips? Lighting is a tricky, tricky thing. Have a good day e’erbody!

Budget Beauty

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:07:18 -0400

Okay guys, I have a confession to make. I’m a little bit of a beauty addict *shocked silence*.

Okay, maybe you already knew that. But lately, I’ve been getting really into drugstore makeup. I love that more and more, you can get good quality makeup for a great price, which is nice for addicts like myself. Here are a few things I got recently that I’ve been really happy with.

-Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Soft Nude: I mentioned this in my wish list post so I won’t talk about it too much but it’s a great dupe for MAC’s Creme d’Nude. I keep this in my purse at all times.

-Hard Candy’s Glamouflage Concealer: So amazing. Probably the most hardcore drug store concealer you can buy.

-Wet n Wild Cream Shadow Pencil in Pixie: I spotted this the last time I was at Wal-Mart and it reminded me a lot of NYX’s jumbo eye pencils. This is a great colour to just wear on its own or under eyeshadow to make it last longer and keep from creasing. And for less than 2$!!!

-Annabelle eyeshadow in #121 “Cloud”: These were on sale for 3$ at Wal-Mart and I loved this light taupey/grey colour. I’ve been really blown away by the quality.

-Revlon lipgloss in “Coral Reef”: These lipglosses are great quality and this colour is perfect for summer. Also a score because I got it half price ^_^

-Rimmel lip liner in “East End Snob”: This is my first ever lip liner! The formula is really nice and it’s almost the exact same colour as my lips

-Wet n Wild eyeliner in “Dark Brown”: I’m sure everyone had one of those back in high school, but I am glad to tell you that the quality is surprisingly nice and it’s about 1.50$ and probably twice the size of any other eyeliner I’ve had. Do you need more convincing?

-Rimmel Day2Night glam eyes mascara: It takes me a bit of time to get seriously into a new mascara but I am enjoying this so far. This is definitely good for anyone who looks dramatic lashes and I got a compliment on my eyelashes when I was wearing it last week. Good sign?

Now for the swatches:

In the shade

Left to right: Wet n Wild Pixie, Annabelle Cloud, Wet n Wild brown eyeliner, Rimmel East End Snob, Revlon Soft Nude, Revlon Coral Reef

Now go and be budget beauties! xox

Girl Crush

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:00:05 -0400

I fall in and out of love with blogs (seemingly) all the time but this lil’ lady (har har) caught my eye. http://tinyladylife.blogspot.com

She has great style

Great accesories

And great makeup

Talk about my kind of gal! All pictures are from http://tinyladylife.blogspot.com. Drool away.

1000 words

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 09:00:05 -0400

Just a few pictures I’ve accumulated over the past couple of weeks! Some are from my phone so don’t mind the crummy quality!

Just painting my nails outside. (P.s. I nursed that basil plant back to life!)

Breakfast restaurant coffee faces

And then I fell back asleep… nah just joking!

Undercover lover

EEEEE!

Doin’ up dinner right

Gregory the cherry tomato plant (who has already yielded tons of tasty tomates. What a good little guy)

Hope you enjoyed this random little post! Have a good week!

Desert Island

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:49:43 -0400

For a while now, I’ve been plotting (in the back of my crazy brain) to do a “nail polish collection” post. While I would personally be totally into that, some people might find pictures of 50+ nail polishes kind of… boring? So I decided to try and choose my 10 most beloved, tried and true, amazing, bring with me on a desert island nail polishes.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not someone who loves “modest” nail polish so you might not all agree with my picks!

Essie “Topless and Barefoot”. Seen many times on this blog. Nude nail polish is cool and understated without being boring. This is a great formula because it doesn’t take a million coats for it to look opaque.
Revlon “Lilac Pastelle”. The perfect light pink/purple-ish colour. So much more interested than a light dusty pink but still “modest” enough.
Revlon “Cherries in the Snow”. This is one of the first nail polish colours… ever. Like I said I’m not usually a fan of the “classics”, but by that I mean I don’t like just any old red nail polish. This one is an awesome, kine of retro feeling cherry red and if people have been wearing it for over 50 years, there must be something good about it.
Rimmel “Sunset Orange”. This is the perfect orange with a hint of pink. I love the formula of these polishes and I love that this colour almost has a jelly finish. Perfect for summer.
Orly ” Blue Collar”. I could have just as easily put Essie’s “Mint Candy Apple” here but I feel like it’s a bit played out. I just think you need a really cool, out of the ordinary colour that people will definitely comment on, and “Blue Collar” definitely does the trick.

Revlon “Plum Seduction”. I never ceased to be amazed at how great this colour looks on hands and toes, which is fantastic. Great formula, fun colour, you can’t go wrong.
Essie “Sole Mate”. I don’t own a black nail polish, not because I don’t like it, but because I think there are way more fun colours to wear that are almost black, but not quite. “Sole Mate” is a dark, vampy wine red which I love to wear in the fall and winter.
OPI “Lincoln Park After Dark”. I think everyone knows this one but again, it’s like black but better. In the light it’s a beautiful purple-y colour that seems to be universally flattering.
MAC “On the Prowl”. DISCONTINUED! SAD! I just love concrete gray colours and whether the gray trend is “over or not”, I don’t care. This colour rocks. Orly’s “Mirror Mirror” or Essie’s “Chinchilly” would work just as well.
Rimmel “Steel Gray”. This colour is so not steel gray. It’s a weird not brown/ not purple/ not gray colour, and yet it’s all of those colours… if that makes sense. It reminds me a lot of Chanel’s “Particuliere” and will have people commenting for sure!

So I guess if some of you DO want a whole nail polish collection post, “Like” this one and I’ll get right on it!

Beauty Wishlist (aka I can haz?)

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:25:42 -0400

I actually have this massive, scary, kind of crazy beauty wishlist sitting beside me and I figure I should share some of my current cravings with you fine people. I don’t think I’m going to post every item because it might be a bit much but I’ll post my most wanted and maybe you will want some of these things too!

To start off, a MAC product

MAC’s paint pots are essentially long wearing, cream eyeshadows. A lot of people use these as eye shadow bases because they are known to be budge-proof and crease-less all day. I like the idea that you can also wear these on their own if you’re in a rush but want a bit of colour.

Revlon’s colourburst lipstick in Soft Nude. My go-to nude lipstick is MAC’s Creme d’Nude but because it’s a cremesheen formula, it can melt if you keep it in your bag on a hot day. That’s 17.50$ out the window! At around 8$, Soft Nude seems to be a suitable option to keep in my purse and not have to worry about.

Everyone is raving about Tarte’s Amazonian Clay blushes because they are extremely long-wearing and don’t change tone throughout the day. I’ve been seriously into blush lately (uh oh..) but I feel like I’m really missing a coral colour. Tarte’s blush in Tipsy looks perfect!

Rimmel’s Glam Eyes Day 2 Night mascara has been getting extremely mixed reviews. I’m kind of intrigued/obsessed with these 2 step mascaras and I’m dying to try this one to see for myself. I just feel guilty having more than one mascara on the go because they expire so fast… Maybe I should just break my rule?!

Maybelline’s Dream Matte Powder is another raved about product. I’ve always loved MAC’s powders but I’m always willing to try a cheaper/drugstore alternative in hopes of finding something amazing. My only concern is whether the lightest shade will be light enough (pale girl problems).

INGLOT PALETTES! SCREEE! Just looking at them, I feel over-excited. You can build 2,3,5 or 10 colour palettes. I LOVE the idea of building a 5 colour palette that literally holds every colour, from beginning to end, that I would need to do an everyday eyeshadow look. It’s also WAY less expensive than building a MAC palette and their palettes are much sturdier (just sayin’).

Ok guys, until I become a billionaire, let’s stick with that. Hope I got you guys on the “I WANT IT” bandwagon too!

(Relatively) Healthy Raisin Scones

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:00:06 -0400

I was poking around for a raisin scone recipe that wasn’t shockingly fatty and I fell upon a great recipe on www.skinnygourmet.blogspot.com.

img courtesy of skinny gourmet

They were incredibly moist and to be honest, I’ve never had anything with whole wheat flour that tasted that good. Someone commented on the recipe that they substituted dried cranberries for raisins and added a bit of orange rind and that it turned out great! I can’t wait to try my own substitutions! Ok on to the recipe:

To make 6 medium scones:

1 cup + 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp butter, very cold
5 tbsp buttermilk (I used the low-fat kind)
2 tsp Mexican vanilla (I just used the regular stuff)
1/4 cup (packed) raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves (I passed on this, can’t stand cloves)

For topping:
1 tbsp buttermilk
1 tbsp sugar in the raw

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and stir well to combine. Remove the cold butter from the fridge or freezer (I use mine directly from the freezer). Using a knife, cut or shave the butter into small pieces. Then rub the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles very coarse sand. Add the buttermilk and vanilla, stir to combine. It will come together into a wet dough. Add the raisins and stir to distribute well. The dough should be sticky and wet, but firm enough to hold its shape and not runny.

Roll the dough into a ball and then press gently into a disc about an inch thick. Place the disc of dough onto a well seasoned baking stone or a parchment lined baking sheet. Cut the dough disk into six wedges. Separate the wedges so there is at least an inch between each of them. Working with your finger or a pastry brush, brush the tops and sides with 1 tbsp buttermilk (total for all) and sprinkle generously with the coarse sugar.

Bake at 400F for 15-18 minutes, until lightly browned.
Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm with butter.

Enjoy!

Pink Spots

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:00:06 -0400

Getting my leopard on, ya’ll.

Dress: Lush, Vest: Zara, Belt: f21, Bracelet: Vintage

I wore this while I was running some errands and gathering supplies. I made some AMAZING whole wheat raisin scones for my charming boyfriend and I think I’m going to post the recipe because I can’t believe how well they turned out!

Hoping that you can see my sweet blue eyeliner in this picture! I’ve been wearing it on my lower lashline so much because it really does give dark eyes a cool sparkly kind of thing but I also coincidentally bought a waterproof one, which is perfect for summer! (For reference it’s the Rimmel Exaggerate waterproof eyeliner in “Deep Ocean”)

Inspired

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:58:21 -0400

Whenever I feel like I need some sort of fashion inspiration, antlantic-pacific.blogspot.com never fails me. Blair’s ability to layer and re-wear the same item of clothing and to make it look completely different is literally unmatched.

And even when she’s dressed simply (at least by comparison) she still looks incredibly put together.

Serious fashion envy!!

Everyday Face

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:00:06 -0400

After poking around the makeup blogs the other day, it occurred to me that while I show makeup products all the time, I’ve never actually shown (all together) the things that I use every day. My regular readers will have seen a lot of this stuff already but I figured I should really go through it step by step. You’ll have to excuse the weird picture placements, it was pouring rain and that was the only place in my house that had the slightest amount of natural light.

Some of you might think this is a shocking amount of stuff, but to be perfectly honest I thought it was going to be a lot more (ha).

Face:

After I’ve cleansed and moisturized my face, I apply my Garnier anti-puff under eye roller. I really love this thing! If you’re not big into under eye products, this is really all you need. I bought one for my mom and had her put it under one eye and not the other and she was actually amazed by the difference.

Because it’s the summer I’m not using a liquid foundation right now, I bought Stila’s Oil Free Tinted moisturizer in the colour “bare” at Winners for 20$ (down from 43$) and I’m really happy with it. You can’t expect miracles from tinted moisturizers but this brings down the redness and feels really nice.

That being said, concealer is a must. Hard Candy’s Glamouflage (in Light) is a recent purchase but I love it. I’ve never used such a heavy duty concealer. It’s perfect for any manner of blemish or discolouration and it’s a total bargain.

I use MAC’s powders to set simply because I know I’ll be able to get a pale enough colour. There’s nothing worse than orangey setting powders. Right now I’m using Careblend powder in “Light Plus” and I do really like it, though I’ll probably go back to Mineralize Skinfinish.

NYC’s Sunny Bronzer is a real must for me right now for contouring. Some days I’ll forego the blush altogether and just stick to this.

NYC’s colour wheel in “Rose Glow” is a great natural looking blush. Completely shimmer free and has amazing colour payoff. I’ve read that Kim Kardashian uses these colour wheels (just sayin’).

Eyes/ Eyebrows:

I like products that do double duty. I like to lightly fill in my eyebrows with eyeshadow and as long as it’s a cool toned, matte brown, it works for me. I just bought this Limited Edition eyeshadow palette at The Body Shop on sale for 10$ (!) and it’s amazing for everyday eyes. The brown on the lower left is good for brows (always use a lighter colour than you think) and they all are great for creating an everyday matte brown eye look.

I then use Maybelline’s clear mascara to set my brows because they can be kind of long and unruly.

I have been all about gel eyeliner these days because it seriously will not budge all day. If you use it in your waterline, you can forget about smudging or fading. I also really love brown eyeliner for summer so I’ve been using my Physicians Formula gel eyeliner trio (black, brown and purple) every day.

Covergirl’s Liquiline blast are also great eyeliner pencils and come in fun colours for the waterline. A great buy.

I never really thought curling eyelashes mattered until I got this MAC Curler for xmas. I never skip this step now, followed up by a very healthy dose of Covergirl’s Lashblast mascara.

Lips:

In the summer I really like to use easy, low maintenance products. Blistex lip conditioner is an absolute necessity for moisture and SPF. I love products like Burt’s Bees tinted lip balms and the Body Shop’s Delipscious lipsticks because they add a nice amount of colour but are very moisturizing. You don’t need to worry about re-application or anything, they just do their own thing.

I’m really excited about this post because I think that now (maybe more than ever) most of my products are affordable and easily accessible. You don’t need to be a millionaire to be into makeup, you just have to know what to look for.

Hope this was interesting!

Change of Scenery

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:19:41 -0400

On my way to breakfast with a charming man yesterday

Oh my god a different background! Sorry, didn’t mean to blow your minds.

Shirt: F21, Skirt: Thrifted, Shoes: Spring, Bag: Cole Haan, Sunglasses: AJ Morgan

Pretty much all set for the wedding now. I’ll play show and tell soon.

The beautiful people

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:46:25 -0400

I just read about this on becauseimaddicted.net and I think this is an AMAZING idea. Zara started a section on their website called “people” where they feature self-submitted pictures of normal people wearing Zara clothing.

I totally have this blouse!

It’s like they combined my two favorite things: street style and affordable/attainable clothing. EEEeeee!!! And talk about outfit inspiration for the items you already own!

Check it here

http://www.zara.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category/us/en/zara-S2011/69502/PEOPLE%2B

P.s. I feel now is a good time to say that Zara has started their annual kick ass super summer sale. Time to stock up!