January Faves!

Woo! First monthly faves post of 2015! Let's do this! Surprisingly enough, there weren't that many new discoveries this month and instead I've re-discovered some old loves. 

For my base, I've really been loving the Clinique stay-matte oil-free foundation and my oh my, why did it take me so long to discover this? It's super light weight but it's got great coverage! A little goes a long way with this baby, and it stays put all day. If like me you've got combination skin that's acne prone, try this one out!

To add a bit of colour to my cheeks, I've been reaching for the STILA custom colour blush in sheer coral. This blush actually works with your skin tone (something to do with the pH and all that) to "create the perfect colour" that matches you. I'd always been quite cautious of applying blush cause I'm terrified of putting on too much, but this one takes all the worry away. Just apply and blend a little, and let the magic of this blush do all the work.

For eyes, I've fallen back in love with the Naked palette (the first one) that's got all the warm neutral colours that works wonders for all skin tones I think. As a quick everyday look, I like to put the Naked eyeshadow all over the lid and Buck in the crease, using the eyeshadow brush from Flower and blending it out with the Sonia Kashuk blending brush. If I want to add more depth, I apply a tad bit of Darkhorse to the outer-v, and voila! Done. Easy peasy. Eyeliner wise, I've been using the Anastasia eyeliner in Gilded if I can't be bothered to do the whole fluidline and brush thing. It's super easy to apply, so it's great if I'm running late!

To complete the eye-look, you can't forget mascara, and I've really been liking the Covergirl Full Lash Bloom mascara. It definitely makes my eyelashes look extra wispy and lengthened, though not as volumized as I like. So for the times where I want the extra oomph (and I have the time), I've been using the Ardell fake lashes in 105. I'd never applied fake lashes before, but these are super easy to use! And plus, they look quite natural, so it's perfect for everyday. Not too over the top POW! but it definitely makes your eyes pop. 

For lips, I've been on a whole red/mauve kick, so this month's round-up includes the Revlon lip butter in Sugar Plum (a nude-type mauve), the NYX lipstick in Thalia (a dark nude), MAC's matte lipstick in Stunner (deep blue-red, from the Nasty Gal collection) and MAC lustre lipstick in 5-Alarm (a sheer pink-red, from the Red Red Red collection).

My other favourites include the Bvlagri Jasmin Noir perfume (I've finally brought my big bottle back from the Philippines, woop!), the boscia luminizing black mask (the mini I've got has run out, and boy, did I rush out to buy myself the full-size bottle), the boscia clear complexion willow bark spot treatment and The Body Shop Vitamin E moisture cream (if you remember, I wrote about this one in my long-haul travel kit and since then I've bought the full size tub) which, as it says on the label, is super moisturizing. A little goes a long way with this (the mini one lasted a little over a month!) so it's super worth every penny.

For nails, I loved the Sephora Formula X polish in Wunderkind, and the Deborah Lippman mini polishes in Luftballoons (the multi-colour glitters) and Ya Got Trouble (a copper-burgundy metallic blend).

As for my non-beauty faves...

I've been using the Forever 21 faux-crocodile skin purse so much, and I'm in love. It may look small but you can fit so much in there! Love love love it! I've also been loving this scarf that's got Filipino sentences written all over it (Filipino pride yo!), this Nescafe Cappuccino sachets I brought over from the Philippines, and this Hot Buttered Rum candle from Bath and Body Works. 

And oh, how could I forget this yogi berry tea from David's Tea? The minute I walked into the shop along Bank and Third, I smelt it and knew I needed it. It's super fruity, and tastes amazing either hot or iced. And with a little milk too. If you love fruity flavoured teas, do check this one out! 

As for my jam? Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud. I know, I know, it's been out for a while now and yes, I listened to it then but I don't know - I wasn't crazy about it. Now I'm just really, really in love with it. Maybe it's cause I've had to listen to it on the radio so much and finally know what the lyrics are, who knows? And besides, the video is pretty kickass, so you know, if you haven't seen it yet, check it out (click the video above!) 

What have been your favourite discoveries (or re-discoveries) this first month of 2015?

Happy discovering!

Project Life

 Something I've really been into in the past is scrapbooking, and this year I wanted to really commit to it. I've made countless of ones from four-five years ago and only a few of them have really come out good, or completed! And because I've been on this "need to make my life better" kick for 2015, I've decided to sort-of document both the highlights and little things that make this year. What better way to do it than through Project Life?

Project Life is a simple scrapbooking system founded by Becky Higgins. I see it as a professional photo-album scrapbooking hybrid, cause you can purchase these albums (either 12x12 or 6x8) and the pages (with all sorts of layouts for your photos and creativity). It's also got all kinds of decorations you can purchase (either in store or online) like journaling cards, title cards, fillers and papers. 

I believe it's been around for about five years now, and the products are available in over 3,000 stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. (among other countries - you'll have to check out their website to see if their stuff is available in your country, and apart from the digital products, her shop doesn't ship outside of the States sadly). 

I'd heard of Project Life before, and never really looked into it until one faithful day in December when I walked into Michael's and spotted their gorgeous albums. One look at all the other items available, was all I need to know this had to happen. So here we are in 2015, and I'm so doing this. 

I'm pumped!

The scrapbooking albums were actually buy 1 get 1 free, so you know, I grabbed two of the 12x12 ones, a pack of pocket photo pages, a pack of mini paper and a mini kit. I didn't buy a buttload of the decorative pieces or additional scrapbooking stuff from Michael's mainly cause I've got some stickers and washi tapes lying around in my drawer. I'd previously had them for another scrapbooking project that well, never really took off. But now, things are getting serious!

I've dedicated one album to solely 2015 happenings, and the other one I'm planning to fill with photos and memorabilia from 2012-2014. Sort of a 'throwback scrapbook' if you will. 

I'd collected quite a lot of stuff over the past three years that I wanted to use for projects like this - admission tickets, brochures, airplane tickets, polaroids and so on - and they are finally going to have a home instead of the box I keep them all in. As for the bulk of my photos, well, I couldn't really be bothered to use up my own ink (because hello? Super pricey!) so I ended up going on the Shoppers Photo website. Essentially you upload all the photos you want printed, choose what size you want them, and poof! Shoppers prints them for you. Now, they do take about 7-10 days but they will drop them off at whichever Shoppers Drugmart location you prefer. The best part though? It only costs $0.19CAD per 4x6 photo. DAMN. To say I went a bit crazy on which photos I got printed would be in an understatement...

Sure, it's pretty pricey considering I spent over $70CAD on those bad boys, but man... so worth it. The quality is amazing and super sturdy, so you know your photos are going to be protected for hella long time. Investment? I think so!

Have you tried Project Life out yet? If yes, what'd you think? If not, well, you better. 

Happy discovering!