pretty: and we have a winner...

I don't know about you but I'm the type of person who enters select contests never thinking I'd win. I've never been lucky...or maybe not as lucky as some other people I know. When it comes to online contests, I enter and forget about them, figuring I'd receive an email if I won or some kind of social media alert. I entered an Instagram contest by Cult Nails (@cultnails) and guess what? I WON! All I had to do was repost their image, tagging them and entering their specific hashtag. I never thought I would win but I thought something was weird when I woke up one Saturday morning with all  kinds of Instagram notifications. Here's their winner announcement:

After some short communication with John (@jmorockstar), I received an email notification that my package was on its way--wahoo! Here's my winning box:

Hand hiding my address

And Mischief checking out the goodies inside:

Mischief decided that he liked the red tote the most. He used it to step on, stretch on and sit on before I could unwrap all the polishes and take a proper photo.

Here's everything unwrapped minus Mischief:

One half of the polishes and tote bag. The polishes are (left to right): Wicked Fast (speed dry top coat), Charlatan, Just Because, I Got Distracted, Masquerade, Ms. Conduct, Nevermore, Tempest (this one doesn't have a label on the bottom so I did a comparison on the Cult Nails website) and Doppelganger,

 

Second half of the polishes plus nail file and t-shirt. Polishes are: Feel Me Up, All Out, Be Loco, Captivated, Evil Queen (a gorgeous red I can't wait to try), Riot, Hypnotize Me, Party Time and Get It On (base coat).

 

I had a hard time deciding between which polish to use first...yellow or red for the end of summer or brown for the beginning of autumn? In the end I decided that I was done with summer and ready for autumn! I painted one coat of Ms. Conduct followed by one coat of Masquerade and top coat.

The Cult Nails polishes are free of DBP, formaldehyde, toluene and camphor. I found the two polishes I tried to be one coaters, though you could do two thin coats if you really want to. The polishes dried fast but not too fast that I didn't have time to smooth things out. One thing that I found truly remarkable is that I am SO used to the Pro Wide Brush with OPI polishes that I find myself having a hard time applying polish with other brand names (Essie, I'm looking at you). I'm happy to say that I didn't have the same problem with the Cult Nails polishes even though their brush isn't wide like OPI's. The bristles on the CN brush fan out rather nicely and considering I have wide nail plates, I found applying the polish a breeze. A non-wide brush is a huge pet peeve of mine since I can't seem to apply other polishes properly without one. Regular polish brushes never really even out on my nail plates and just leave my nails looking like a streaky mess. As you can see above (aside from some clean up that needs to be done but I was too excited to do it), applying the Cult Nails polish was rather easy.

I am so happy that I can now add these 18 polishes to my collection of Cult Nails polishes, which previously consisted of one, lonely polish, Feedback. Thank you so much Cult Nails for giving us the opportunity to win and fall in love with your products! I see a lot more manis with Cult Nails in my future :)

life review: customer service

I've been having some great luck with customer service lately and just wanted to share my experiences. It seems like we never forget to post about our negative customer service experiences and share them with friends and family, but rarely do we rave about the great experiences so here I am sharing mine.

Company: Metro (in-store)
Product: Selection White Cake Box Mix
Issue: did not perform as expected even though directions were perfectly followed. I emailed Metro about the issue and didn't really expect anything in return but I received an email from their customer service with a specification that someone would follow up with me via mail. A few days later I received a letter in the mail from Metro stating that they were sorry I had a negative experience with their store-brand product, told that all their Selection and Irresistibles items come with a full money back guarantee and given a $5 gift card for my trouble and as a sign of good faith.
Resolution: I was extremely pleased. I didn't expect to get a $5 gift card in return for telling them about a poorly performing product and the gift card always didn't sway me to shop at Metro more in the future (I already do most of my grocery shopping at Metro or Loblaws) but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless.


Company: Topbox (online)
Product: Topbox July box
Issue: I received a Neostrata package, which would've been awesome, except that I have no use for anti-aging products (yet). I ended up posting my Neostrata package to Instagram and someone alerted me to the fact that there was a shipping error with July's boxes. Topbox confirmed the error on IG and told me to email them with the correct package that I had selected.

Resolution: Topbox sent me a brand new package, the one that I had selected, and the entire issue was dealt with in a weeks' time (including a weekend for postage). The best part is that Topbox didn't request that I send the Neostrata package back so I gifted it to a friend's mother who loves Neostrata anti-aging products!

Company: Julep (online)
Product: Nail Polish in Misti
Issue: Nail polish arrived dry and half full. It was completely unusable.
Resolution: I emailed customer service and notified them about the issue, asking for a replacement or credit to my account. I received an automatic reply saying that their CS was busy and that a reply would arrive in 4-5 days, longer than the usual (which I think it 1-2). I received a reply six days later saying that they would send me a new polish and asked if I could send them photos of the polish in question. Don't be worried about the photo request as I was the one who offered to take and send them. I received an email notification that a replacement polish was sent and an estimated arrival date. Since Julep's shipping takes a long time (about two weeks), it took almost a month to resolve my issue. Personally I feel like that's a bit of a long time, especially the extra day or two delay for someone from customer service to get back to me. I've heard a lot of negative things about Julep's CS but this experience resulting in a positive for me, albeit a little bit slow.

So there you have it...all within a month, I had three company issues but all were very friendly and helpful in their responses. 

pretty review: more mascara!

I am so excited about this mascara that I just got today that I'm actually publishing a second post in the same day and doing this instead of making dinner! Today I used some of my Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum points to save $30 on the following:

NYC Show Time Volumizing Mascara (which I got too excited to try so there's no packaging), Revlon Eclectic nail polish (mid-mint colour), L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Waterproof Mascara and L'Oreal Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. The last two L'Oreal iteShocms were purchased by recommendation via Michelle, one of my former co-workers.

So I think I've found my holy grail (HG) mascara and it's the L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Waterproof mascara in black (L'Oreal TSEW)! I say this because the results I achieved are extremely close to the results I achieved with my beloved Shu Uemura Precise Volume mascara but at about one-third of the cost! I'm beyond impressed. I had heard good things about this mascara and wasn't really expecting much but the results blew me away. My lashes were lengthened and volumized with just two coats. Best of all is that the brush picked up lashes at the inner corner of my eye that I didn't even know I had! Either they're new or I just never bothered to apply mascara the REALLY proper way. The brush really is great. It's small, with plastic bristles that aren't too long. The bristles are actually shaped like a spider's legs around the plastic wand "body." I'll be sure to add pics when it's not 8 at night and then sun is setting but take my word for it now because I have nothing else to add! L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Waterproof Mascara for the win!

And now I have to go make dinner because I said I was going to do that two hours ago!

*****

Update here! Okay so I probably shouldn't have gotten so excited after one application of L'Oreal's Telescopic Shocking Extensions Waterproof mascara. I clearly should've waited until I had tested it out at least a couple more times so I could give a more clear view of my opinion.

It turns out that the Shocking Extensions Waterproof mascara isn't quite my HG mascara, afterall. Don't get me wrong, it does a great job of volumizing and lengthening my lashes but on my second run with said mascara (I am SO tired of typing out the entire name and copy 'n paste just came to my mind right now), it didn't hold  my curled lashes as well as it did the first time. It's still pretty good but I think I like the L'Oreal Miss Mang Mascara better at this point. I'm going to try out the two throughout the next week and post back!

Oh and here are pics of the Telescopic mascara that I promised yesterday:

Trying to capture the "spider body" wand shape

Four rows of plastic bristles on each side

My only complaint with ALL L'Oreal mascaras is that the packaging is so thick and bulky and awkward! They're definitely not what I would consider travel-friendly, even the Original Voluminous Mascara comes in a fat tube. It's like...is that mascara in your pocket or an extra-long, heavy flow tampon?! No one knows!

pretty: manicure monday (glittery water decals)

Here's my first attempt at a manicure using water decals. If you're not familiar with water decals, they work the same way temporary tattoos do; you cut the image you want, soak it in water for 10-20 seconds, slide the image away from the soaked paper backing and then place it onto your nail. Okay, so it only sort of works the same way temp tattoos do, ha! I was wary of using water decals because it seemed like a hard procedure but let me tell you, it was super simple! As long as you have all your materials ready to go, applying the water decals is a snap!

Here's how it works:
Prep your nails and apply a base colour. I used three thin coats of OPI Gargantuan Green Grape followed by Essie To Dry For to speed up the drying process. I then gathered all of my water decal materials and got to work.

Tools to gather:
- water decals
- small bowl with warm-ish water
- scissors
- tweezers



Here's a close-up of some of the decals I used:

Make you sure submerge the whole decal in the water because if you just drop the decal in, most likely it'll float and the decal won't come off the paper backing properly.

After 15-20 seconds, remove the decal from the water with your tweezers, place on a fingertip and separate from the paper backing with a slight rubbing motion between your thumb and index finger. Another option is to use your tweezers to slide the decal to the side of the bowl and using your index finger, slide it off the backing. I hope that makes sense because I have no image of that. Anyway, this is what it'll look like on your finger:

Carefully place the decal on your nail trying to get it into the correct position on the first attempt. Don't sweat it if you can't because you can slide the decal around as long as it stays slightly damp. It's best not to mess around with it too much in case you end up tearing the decal, which I definitely ended up doing, oops! Once your decal is in place, give it a few seconds for the remaining water to dry and then smooth out any wrinkles.

Apply as many decals as you want! Here's my finished water decal manicure including a glittery accent nail in OPI Spark De Triomphe from the Serena Williams Grand Slam series.

I also decided to add a little glitter using OPI Pirouette My Whistle. Here's a close-up:

So add a little bit of decal pizzazz to your mani and let me know how it goes!

hungry: watermelon cucumber popsicles

Recently, Sean and I purchased a watermelon that was a little bit on the unripe side. I was so disappointed as a juice, ripe watermelon is a taste that can't be beat during the hot days of summer. I didn't want the watermelon to go to waste so I scoured the internet for a recipe that contained watermelon and one that would be cool and satisfying. I came across the following recipe for watermelon and cucumber popsicles from a pin I kept on Pinterest. Yes, I do actually refer back to the things I've pinned!

From The Comfort of Cooking, this recipe requires only four ingredients and makes great use of a popsicle mold. This is the one I purchased from Amazon for less than $20. It makes 10 3-ounce popsicles at a time and comes with two dozen popsicle sticks to start you off. This one is also another great option and has higher reviews but wasn't available in Canada when I was looking or a popsicle mold.

Watermelon Cucumber Popsicles with Mint
from The Comfort of Cooking

1/2 English cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
1 small watermelon (approx. 1lb), peeled and cut into chunks
1/3 cup simple syrup
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl or large liquid measuring cup to remove solids. I recommend a measuring cup as this makes pouring easier.
Pour mixture into your popsicle mold, leaving a little room at the top for the mixture to expand. Freeze for 1 hour. Insert sticks and continue to freeze for another 4-5 hours, at least.

One change to the recipe I made was to use agave syrup instead of simple syrup. This is simply because I had the agave around and didn't feel like making simple syrup--even though it is a simple enough recipe. I probably used about 2 tablespoons but this really depends on how unripe or ripe your watermelon is. 

pretty: manicure monday (glitter gradient)

So technically it's Tuesday but it's always glitter time! Here's one of my favourite glitters of all time, Fluffy Macaroons from Loaded Lacquer. From the Loaded Lacquer website, Fluffy Macaroons is described as a clear base with "plum, periwinkle, yellow, marigold, cotton candy pink, purple and white hex and squares and holographic sparkle." It is unbelievably awesome! All kinds of pastel shades and shapes in a clear base. I decided to do a gradient with the glitter polish using OPI Skulls & Glossbones as my base. It's a fantastic grey that isn't too dark or too light. It's pretty much the perfect shade for any nail art including stamping, glitters, etc.

Matou wanted the check out the glitter action.

I don't know about you but the easiest way for me to do a glitter gradient is to start with the smaller glitter on the brush and applying that about halfway from one end and then let it dry slightly and slowly build up more glitter. I tend to have a problem getting the bigger pieces on and it's even harder for me to fish them out of the bottle so I swirl my brush around the bottle then wipe the excess on the inside of the neck of the bottle. That way I can then "pick" up the specific glitter from the neck of the bottle. I hope that makes sense. Maybe a video would be best in this instance because that's the best way I can explain it.

 Here's a sort of close-up of the finished mani. Photographing glitter in the sun with one hand is actually really hard!

This is more of a "true" colour swatch of the OPI polish.

That's it for this Monday!

pretty review: mascara wars!

If you're anything like me, then you love mascara. I've spent hundreds of dollars over the past decade alone trying to find a mascara that would work magic on my short, straight, slightly downward-pointing Asian lashes. Oh how I covet Sean's long and curly lashes! From high-end to drugstore brand, I've probably tried the majority of mascaras on the market and have avoided the ones that I know just won't work (CoverGirl, I'm looking at you). Join me in this long and photo-heavy post as I run through a recent sampling of my path to the perfect mascara.

The contestants for this round.

Let's start from the beginning. On days when I plan on wearing makeup, mascara is a must. I always curl my lashes beforehand with my trusty Shu Uemura eyelash curler, which really does wonders for Asian eyelashes. I've tried the Western brands with various outcomes and always come back to my good, ol' trusty SU eyelash curler. I've gone through at least five in my lifetime but I don't really know what the general rule is for changing up your eyelash curler or just the pads really.

So after using the eyelash curler in which I do the "3-step method," I apply my super reliable and trusty Shu Uemura Basic Black Mascara, now discontinued. It was super duper in the way it held the curl in my lashes and lasted all day. It wasn't clumpy and didn't look too over-the-top for daily use. It was perfection! And then they discontinued it :( I then started using Precise Volume Mascara by SU as well but as you can imagine (or maybe not, it's kind of gross), because of the price tag I used that mascara for years! YEARS! I actually still have it but can't remember the last time I bought a Shu Uemura mascara. All I know is that it was from Sephora but do they even carry Shu products anymore? I have no idea. I should probably not think about it. The reason I couldn't let it go is because it was the perfect replacement for Basic Black. It was waterproof, provided volume and length and made my lashes long and voluminous without looking too "done." And that's what I look for in a mascara: volume, length and waterproof. The only downside with Precise Volume is that it was a bit difficult to remove. Unless I used a creamy, slightly greasy (oil-based) makeup remover, there were always little bits of mascara left on my lashes and in the morning I'd wake up with a bit of mascara on my lower lash line.

Only recently did I think about tossing my beloved Precise Volume Mascara for something similar but without the steep price tag. And so here begins the Mascara Wars! Photos of the tube as well as the wand are available and then my review of each mascara. Sit back and relax (preferably with a drink because this is a long one).

Revlon Lash Potion Volume & Length Waterproof Mascara by Grow Luscious

I felt like this mascara was going to be promising. Volume, length and waterproof? Sign me up! This wand is triangular in shape with triple grooves (according to Revlon's website). The pros to this mascara were that it did lengthen and amp up my lashes, however, the waterproof formula left a lot to be desired. Waterproof formulas tend to be less "wet" and therefore set quickly but this mascara surely didn't. My curl died within a minute. Boo.

Dior Diorshow Waterproof Mascara

After I had read all the rave reviews about Diorshow Waterproof mascara, I had to try it out for myself. Promising to curve lashes to the nth degree, how could I resist? Sadly, this wand was so big that while it did an awesome job of lengthening and thickening my lashes, no matter how widely I opened my eyeballs to let the formula set, it smudged onto my eyelids. It was impossible to avoid. Even after the formula had set, the monolid "set in" and my curl was gone. So I don't think that this waterproof mascara was waterproof enough for my lashes. Oh and here's a look at the super big brush wand:

Another disappointment especially considering how many people rave about this mascara. If you have lashes that are already slightly curly and are just looking for volume and length, this is definitely for you. If anyone out there with a monolid has had luck with this mascara, please tell me your secret!

Shu Uemura Precise Volume Mascara

As you can see from the photos above of the brush wand, there's a thick and thin side which makes application a breeze. You can customize your look with the help of the wand and the formula from this mascara was perfection! It was glossy and waterproof and held my curled lashes all day long. I loved it. I loved it so much that I probably used the same tube for a good three years. Shocking, I  know. Even I'm shocked now that I hear you're supposed to change your mascara every three months. Here's the wand up close which shows just how perfect the bristles are. They grab your lashes and keep them volumized while also clump-free.

Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara

A tried-and-true favourite amongst makeup artists and consumers alike, I think I've given this mascara a try at least thrice in the past. Usually one of the cheapest mascaras in the beauty department of any drugstore, I purchased mine at $5 from Walmart, but I know I've paid a couple of dollars more in the past.

The formula for this mascara is super black and glossy and the brush is a lot smaller compared to Diorshow Waterproof. It's a bit like an oval: bigger in the middle than the sides though you can't quite see that in the photo above. It's a nice formula but again, the same old problem happens, the formula doesn't set fast enough for my curled lashes to hold. The become a straight but volumized and lengthened mess in minutes. For the price and the size of the brush, this is a great lower lash mascara for my almost non-existent bottom lahes.

Anna Sui Super Mascara DX Waterproof 
Oh Anna Sui, you always have such pretty packaging! The AS line has a few mascaras to choose from but I chose the waterproof version for obvious reasons. You can see how long and thin the brush is...perfect to get those hard-to-reach short end lashes.

The thin brush is great and the formula is super black and glossy. The only problem I had with this mascara is that it really is waterproof. It should be called mega waterproof or something like that because one coat throughout your lashes is probably all the time you're going to have before it sets in place.

Be A Bombshell Lash Out Mascara

I received this  mascara in my June Ipsy Glam Bag and while it did great stuff for my lashes, which I'll get to in a moment, it does have a very chemically scent to it.

I did use it on my lashes despite the scent because I wanted to know if it worked. Described as a "rich pigmented mascara...that offers a multidimensional look," I have to say that it did what it said it would. My lashes were noticeable longer and thicker though I didn't notice that "multidimensional" look because I didn't apply it to both sides of my lashes as directed by the instructions. I felt like that would have weighed down my naturally thin lashes. It didn't keep my curl one bit but I really liked the formula. If they added waterproof version to their line and removed the chemical scent, I'd definitely be a future buyer. Another interesting thing I noticed when removing this mascara is that it came off in "tubes" similar to Blinc Mascara. I don't know if that's what was supposed to happen with the mascara but it was a welcomed surprise and made mascara removal easy peasy!

L'Oreal Illegal Lengths Fiber Extension Mascara

I had read great reviews of this mascara for women with straight, thin lashes. I went out and bought this on those recommendations and let me tell you, it's great! It lengthens your lashes to a whole different level. I could actually see and feel my lashes pushing back against my eyelid. A bit bizarre but the length was definitely there and the brush does a great job at keeping your lashes separated. The brush is actually kind of like a triangle. The bristles come to a slight point on three sides. I suppose this is to keep your lashes separate and clump free but I normally don't have that problem since I only typically apply two coats. The only negative is that it tends to make my eye sting a little bit. I don't know if that's normal as it only happens to one eye (my right) but it happens every single time. A little bit of a sting and then my eyeball wants to tear up.

L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Waterproof Mascara
So I was really planning on waiting to purchase this mascara until I had read more reviews of it but when faced with the numerous online ads, magazine ads and poster ads for this in-store, I couldn't help myself. "It's all in the name of research" I said to myself as I stood at the wall of mascara in Walmart. The first thing I'll say about this mascara is that I hate the packaging. The tube is so wide and fat that it hardly makes for stashing in your purse. It would practically take up one-third of my evening clutches with little room for my phone.

 

But then I say, look at the wand! See that little notch in the applicator about a third of the way down? That's what L'Oreal calls its "360 degree Flexor Brush" that allows maximum application to upper and lower lashes. I have to say that it does a great job and applying mascara on both the bottom and lower lashes but it does take some getting used to. It's kind of springy in its application and though it probably does move back and forth quite easily, it doesn't with my lashes. There's just the slightly bend where the notch is. Even so, the mascara applies like a dream, separating and lengthening my lashes as it holds the curl with its waterproof formula. I love it the mascara. I hate the tube.

Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara
Gifted to me by Sephora via their Beauty Insiders program, I actually selected the Tarte set because of its bronzer, Park Avenue Princess. I tried out the mascara and while it claims to offer all kinds of health benefits to your lashes over use, it did nothing to hold my curl. The brush is really nice too. I don't know if this is the regular brush as I received a sample, but it's got a nice shape and size to it. I also really like the fact that it doesn't contain GMOs, triclosan, petrochemicals, synthethic fragrances or dyes and the like so I'm really interested in trying the Lights, Camera, Splashes, Waterproof mascara that Tarte offers.

Phew, well I think that's it. There was just a quick sampling of the nine different mascaras I've tried in the recent past. I have a few others on my list, specifically L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Waterproof Mascara which I'm currently having a hard time finding. Until then, let me know what your favourite mascaras are!