sweet like candy to my soul.

Despite the amount of makeup reviews on this blog, I've actually been forcing myself to cut back on my makeup buying habits. They may be slightly out of control! So, I'm trying to use what I've got. Okay, minus this new Hard Candy trio that I bought.....oops?

When it comes to glowy bronzers and blush shades, no one does it quite like Hard Candy. Their prices are super affordable and the products look stunning! In the past, I've added a few blushes and bronzers into my collection that I just love. As for their other products - like eyeshadow shades and liners, it's a hit or miss. But face products are a total win.

So, I picked up this trio. I actually already have one of the other trios in my makeup collection. It's got a highlight, a light bronze shade, and a deeper bronzey shade. This one is a little bit different. It's got a bolder highlight shade, a very light bronzer, and a soft coral blush shade. What drew me to it was the blush shade. It looked so beautiful! Glowy, feminine, and a totally gorgeous summer shade.

The standouts from this trio? Definitely the highlight and the blush shade. The bronzer is pretty - it's just very very light. It doesn't do a ton for my skin and I am super pale! On the other hand, the highlight totally stands out. It's gorgeous! It is a great way to add some pretty shimmer to your face and highlight the top of your cheekbones. It's super pretty! And that blush shade....amazing. As you know, I am a total blush addict, but this one is really wearable and looks great. It gives a subtle wash of colour.

Take a look at the swatches and let me know what you think!

Hard Candy is a drugstore brand that I love....and this highlight/bronzer/blush trio is one of the reasons why! Quality product, creamy texture, and gorgeous colours. What more do you need?

Are you a fan of Hard Candy? What do you think of this trio?

xo Shannon

every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness.

Earlier this month, my parents went away. They took an anniversary trip to Disney World and the Bahamas....totally jealous! As much as I would have loved to go along with them, they were nice enough to bring me back a couple of things from their trip. (That's the best part when someone else goes away: souvenirs from other countries.)

From Disney, they brought me back a Belle shirt and an Olaf pin from Frozen. Too cute! From the Bahamas, it was a pair of super cute sunglasses that change colour in the sun. And from Miami, which is where their cruise ship left from, it was a few celeb goodies.

If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you probably know that I am a Lauren Conrad fan. I love her style! Unfortunately, we don't have her clothing line here in Canada. So, my mom was nice enough to pick up a gorgeous pair of earrings from the Lauren Conrad collection. They're small, drop down earrings with a faux-pearl detail. I absolutely love them. They are super sophisticated but trendy, too. And I just love the subtle pop of colour. They are one of my favourite pairs of earrings ever. I just love them!

Ready to take a look? These are my new Lauren Conrad earrings:

Another gift from my parents? A pair of Jennifer Lopez shorts. So exciting. Again, not available in Canada, so this was another happy moment for me! I'm a big fan of her music, movies, and fashion sense....so this was definitely a wonderful surprise. The shorts are sports, oversized, and covered with flashy sequins. They're the perfect combination of laid-back and casual with glitz and glam.

Here are my new Jennifer Lopez shorts. I can't wait to wear them this summer!

So, there you have it. Some super special - and super exciting - gifts from my parents. They may have gone travelling, but I definitely felt like the spoiled one when they got back!

What is the last gift you received?

xo Shannon

there's something in the new york air that makes sleep useless.

I’ve done it again. You may remember a post I did a few weeks back about the NYC Individual Eyes palette. I was super impressed with the ease of use and the wearable shades. So, when I saw a display jam packed with their newest Individual Eyes palette….well, I couldn't resist. (How many times have I said that? And how many times will I say it again in the future? So many questions!)

Yes, I bought another NYC palette. This one is called “Best of Broadway” and was created for Brown Eyes. Okay, so I don’t have brown eyes, but I certainly love the eyeshadow shades! There was something about the earthy tones that stood out to  me. 

Like the other NYC palette, this one includes a shimmery cream illuminator and a neutral eyeshadow primer. Defintely a fan of these. It’s not that they're the best ever, but it’s nice to have them in the palette. So handy!

Now onto the shadows. There are four here: a highlighter, all over lid, crease, and contour shade. The highlighter is a shimmery champagne, the all over lid colour is a shimmery goldish peach, the crease shade is rust, and the contour is an olive green. The pigmentation is similar to the other palette I tried – quite good. Not incredible but there is definitely some good colour payoff. (Using the primer really helps to make them pop!)

The colours themselves are gorgeous. I love how the shades work together to create a dramatic but wearable makeup look. In general, I am a big fan of browns and bronzes, so these earth toned shades are definitely within my comfort zone. There is just something about the colours that makes me happy!

Want to see the makeup look I created with these colours? Here it is…."The Best of Broadway!”

Overall, I am quite happy with this palette. I knew what to expect going in, so that helped. I just love these pretty shades. In fact, I think I prefer this eyeshadow quad to the first one I tried! It is definitely great when you’re on the go or need to get ready quickly. What can I say…..I love NYC!

Have you tried this makeup palette? What do you think of the colours?

xo Shannon

even on a bad day, there is always lipstick.

During the spring and summer months, I am all about colour. On my lips, at least! There is nothing quite as fun as rocking a super bold lip colour. Some of my favourite shades right now are purple, peach, orange, and bright pink. Enter the new Cover Girl Colorlicious Lip Glosses. Okay, so I don't normally reach for a ton of Cover Girl products or a lot of lip glosses....but what can I say? I'm all about colour.

There was a good variety of colours to choose from, including nude shades, lilac, pinks, reds, and more. But the colour I ended up with was Fruitylicious. Why this shade? It was so bright and bold! Plus, it was different than anything else I had in my makeup collection already. The shade is a bright pink with a slightly red-ish undertone. It definitely knows how to make a statement.

So, how was it? Not bad! Surprisingly enough, this product gives off a ton of colour. I can't speak for the rest of the shades but this one in particular packed a real punch. I was amazed by the level of pigmentation. It didn't take a lot of product to get that bright summery shade to stand out.

The formula itself was smooth going on but it did get a little tacky as time went on. As someone who isn't a huge fan of lip glosses, I didn't find this particular one to be super sticky or annoying to wear, though. The packaging for this product was nothing special. It had a standard sponge tip applicator and a twist off cap. It got the job done, though!

Want to see what it looks like in action? I created a makeup look around the lip colour. I kept the rest of my makeup pretty simple and went with defined brows and some look-at-me lips. Here it is:

For the most part, I was happy with this purchase. The colour is beautiful and it has great staying power. The only drawback is that the formula tends to get a little tacky the longer you wear it. Re-applying is a must! I don't know that I will be picking up any other shades, but I can definitely see myself wearing this colour throughout the season.

What do you think of the shade? Have you tried any glosses from this line yet?

xo Shannon

strength, determination, challenges and confidence counts your success.

Congratulations are in order! You probably remember the $10 necklace voucher giveaway for Eternal Girl I posted about last week. It was amazing to see so many of you super excited about those gorgeous henna inspired designs. Well, a winner has been selected, courtesy of Rafflecopter.

Drum roll, anyone?

The winner of the $10 necklace voucher is......... Megan Sweet. Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who entered and a big congrats to the winner! I know you are going to choose a piece that you absolutely adore. Even if you didn't win, be sure to take a peek at the Eternal Girl Etsy page for more of those gorgeous designs.

On that happy note, I hope that you all have a great weekend. Summer is officially here, so get out there and enjoy the beautiful sunshine! As for me? I'm heading to the zoo today and seeing friends tomorrow. Exciting!

What are your plans for the weekend?

xo Shannon

be careful you don't cut yourself. the edges are sharp enough to shave with.

It's amazing how much we take for granted. Like, being able to apply our makeup, for instance. This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. Why? A few weeks back, I managed to cut myself pretty badly on a metal shelf. Cue tetanus shot, medical glue (yes, it exists!), and wearing a plastic bag over my hand in the shower. Not fun.

While dealing with that, certain everyday tasks had become more difficult. I wasn't able to bend my thumb or really use it at all. That meant I totally had to change up the way I did things. Like the way I applied my makeup! Holding a brush suddenly felt awkward, using my beauty blender simply wasn't happening, and liquid liner? Talk about a total nightmare.

So, I decided to turn a negative situation into something positive. It was inspired by a conversation I had with my boyfriend in the car when he drove me home from the clinic. He said, "Why don't you do a blog post about doing your makeup without a thumb?" Well...that's not exactly what this post turned out to be. But it did inspire me to create a simple makeup look that can be done while (slightly) injured!

On that note, here is the look I ended up with:

How did I get around the application issues? Slowly! The key to applying my makeup was to do it very slowly and carefully. That way, I wouldn't end up bending my thumb or causing myself too much pain. I also skipped out on the eyeliner and toned down my typical makeup routine. I used the Maybelline Fit Me Stick Foundation and blended with my good hand, a bit of concealer, one coral eyeshadow shade applied all over the lid, some mascara, and one of the Colour Whispers lip colours. Everything I chose was simple and easy to use.

Whether you've been injured, have hurt yourself, or you just don't have a ton of time: keep it simple. Try to reach for products that can blend easily and aren't overly dramatic. Oh, and go slow! It'll make a big difference.

How do you apply your makeup when you've hurt yourself? Does it alter your routine?

xo Shannon

life is short. break the rules.

I love this time of year. Everyone is excited, enjoying the sunshine and ready to have fun. And I am totally ready for it! The winter was really harsh where I live. It didn't even feel like we got a Spring season. It just went from ice storm to freezing cold and then: bam! Summer. Now that it's here, I am trying to make the most of every single moment.

That is why I have been so busy lately. I've gone rollerblading, biking, to concerts, out to dinner with friends, to karaoke, bowling....and everything in between. Yes, my hectic social life has been a lot of fun. It has made it a little difficult to balance everything but it has definitely been worth it. I can only hope that the rest of my summer is just as fun and exciting!

I've managed to snap a few pictures here and there during my travels. So, I thought that I would share a few of my favourites.....

The first two are from an afternoon at the park. My boyfriend and I went on a bike ride around the neighbourhood and ended up stopping off at a park. We went on the slide and the swings. It was fun just being silly and acting like kids! 

Next up? I went to the Jamie Cullum concert in Toronto and it was absolutely amazing. I am such a huge fan of his. Over the past several years, I've seen him in concert plenty of times....and every time it's phenomenal. He is such a fantastic performer. Even though I went to the concert by myself, I had an incredible time. It was so much fun! Definitely a memorable evening.

And last up in this post? My friend and I went to dinner at a diner. We ate some great food, grabbed a few drinks, and caught up. It was really awesome. In fact, I spent most of the week looking forward to it! We failed to take any pictures but here is one of me pre-dinner. I loved the way my hair turned out for a change. Easy but cute. Score!

Well, there you have it! These pictures are a little sneak peek into my life lately. I need to get better at taking pictures of the little moments, I think. I'll work on that in the coming months.

What has been keeping you busy this summer?

xo Shannon

giggles can spread from person to person. so can blushing.

Lately, I have been trying to organize my life. That means my closet (an endless task, it seems!) and even the way I store my makeup. A little while back, I picked up a clear container. It had a bunch of compartments and a clear bin that went underneath. Perfect for blush storage! I figured the clear compartments would be more than enough to store all of my blushes....but I was wrong. Oops! It turns out I have an awful lot of blush. (What can I say? I'm a total blush addict.)

The solution? I ended up using both the clear container and the detachable compartments to store it all. I'm really happy with how it turned out. It's so much easier to find what I need. Plus, it makes it easier to actually see what I have. That saves me time, lets me get more creative, and saves me from re-buying shades I already own. Yes, I love this little piece of organization.

So, here is how I'm storing my blush these days:

It may look like a lot here, but the bottom container there actually sits right on top of the top container and clicks into place to keep it secure. Originally, I think this was meant for craft supplies or something - but hey, it still works! As you can see from the photo above, I have a lot of different blush shades and formulas. Some are high end, some are drugstore. Some are cream and others are powder. What can I say? I really love blush!

So, that is step 1 of my organization project. I am hoping to be totally organized by the end of June. It is (hopefully) a reachable goal. I will have to let you know!

How do you store your blush?

Also - Happy Father's Day to my dad and to all the dads out there! <3

xo Shannon

the best colour in the whole world is the one that looks good on you.

There are certain products I've passed over time and time again. It's true in Sephora and it's true in my local drugstore. For whatever reason, they just never caught my eye. Or maybe I assumed they wouldn't be any good. That happened to me with the NYC Individual Eyes eyeshadow palettes. I never even gave them a second glance. Then I heard a few beauty bloggers and gurus talking about how good they were. I was definitely surprised to hear it! So, I went to the drugstore and picked up one of the palettes.

I was a hesitant at first. I did my best to keep my expectations low....but there was no reason to. The colours were quite nice and I found the texture to be smooth. The set that I picked up was made for brown eyes. Now, I don't have brown eyes, but I do have a major love affair with brown eyeshadow shades. I just thought it looked nicer than the other two palettes they had for sale!

This NYC palette came with four eyeshadows, one eyeshadow primer, and a cream highlight. Here is a closer look at the set - and the swatches!

As you can see from the picture above, this set comes with: an off-white eyeshadow, a light brown, a deeper shimmery brown, and a maroon shade. I found the pigmentation to be pretty good. It's certainly not comparable to a high-end product but you can get quite a good colour payoff...especially if you use the primer that came with the set. It was super handy that the primer was right there in the set. I always find those little extras come in handy - especially when you're in a rush or you're travelling somewhere.

My favourite part of this whole NYC eyeshadow palette? That cream highlight. Shockingly enough, it works wonders! It's white and shimmery and adds a total pop to the inner corner. Layer on the lightest eyeshadow shade and you're good to go. I absolutely love it! In fact, I find myself using it even when I'm not creating a look with this eyeshadow palette. Definitely the stand out for me.

Want to see the palette in action? Here is the finished product:

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how good this NYC Individual Eyes palette was. The colours were good quality and blended well, the extras were wonderful, and it created a nice finished product. I would definitely recommend picking up one of these sets and adding it to your makeup collection!

What do you think of this NYC palette? Do you own anything from this brand?

xo Shannon

grab it now. tomorrow it might be gone forever!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned more than a couple of times that shopping with my mom can be....costly. It's kind of like when you were a kid and went grocery shopping with your parents. Ever notice how much fuller the cart seemed to be when you were around? Yes, shopping with my mom is like that - but in reverse. When I'm with her, I usually end up splurging way more than I planned!

As if I needed another example of this, here is my latest shopping haul. It features some great deals that I couldn't pass up. (Especially with my mom telling me how perfect/great/amazing they are! What can I say, I'm a sucker for compliments!)

Here are some of my latest buys....

To start with, this neon clutch from H&M. Being honest, the quality isn't the greatest - but the price was. This bad boy was on sale for $5. Yes, $5. What fashion lover could possibly resist? 

Next up - my new pair of sandals. Okay, these weren't the greatest deal...but they were a necessity. My old favourite pair of sandals were totally worn out. Such a bummer! So, I bought these to try and replace them. Hopefully I will fall in love with them just as much as the last pair! 

One random fact about me? I get cold a lot. Yes, even in the summertime. During the day, I'm usually pretty normal but the second the sun starts to dip down? I'm freezing. That's why I picked up this lightweight knitted sweater. It's baggy, cute, and can be tossed over anything.. 

Lastly, a couple more buys from H&M. The oversized leopard print top was on sale for $7 and the ice cream printed tank was just too cute for words!

Okay, so I love shopping. As much as I say that I am going to cut back, that doesn't seem to be very likely....especially now that the summer months are getting started. On the plus side, I'll be sure to look and feel great all season!

What do you think of these pieces? When is the last time you went shopping?

xo Shannon

i want everyone to wear what they want and mix it in their own way.

Do you ever have those days when you just feel good? There's no exact reason for it...it just kind of is? That has been happening to me a lot lately. Maybe it's the sunshine or maybe it's because things just feel like they're coming together. Whatever the reason, I love it! Every day, I wake up feeling positive and exited. I feel like that confidence and happiness is coming through in my wardrobe, too.

Lately, I've been gravitating towards colour. That's why I was so excited to grab a pair of tangerine coloured pants from my closet. I paired it with a cute 1D tee, a black blazer, and some dangly earrings. On my feet? A pair of leopard print flats. My makeup was all about some smokey brown eyeshadow, cat eye liner, and a bold fuschia lipstick shade. Love! I finished off the look with a top knot bun and ta da....I was ready to go.

Between the bright jeans and lipstick shade, I was super happy with how this outfit turned out. It was casual but fun. Ready to see the outfit itself? Here are a couple of pictures I snapped:

I think spring (and the promise of summer) has put me in a great mood lately. I hope that my wardrobe - and my confidence - continues to reflect that. Here is hoping this feeling lasts!

What do you think of this outfit? Is spring putting you in a good mood?

xo Shannon

clothes are like a good meal, a good movie, great pieces of music.

I'm pretty sure my mom is an enabler when it comes to my shopping habit. Case in point? My new Michael Kors sunglasses. They were on sale for a fantastic price - but I've been trying to cut back on my spending and focus on saving instead. And then she told me how perfect they looked on me and how they were an investment piece. Who could say no to that?

So...I ended up buying them. Oops? Here's the thing: I absolutely love my new sunglasses. They look great and totally suit my style. It's just hard to be good with money and curb my shopping habit when I go anywhere with my mom!  We both bond over shopping and fashion - which is great. Just not so much for my wallet!

At any rate, here are my new sunglasses in action:

Do you have any shopping enablers in your life? What do you think of these sunglasses?

xo Shannon

style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.

You may remember a post I did about a month ago on my new job as a fashion blogger for Style It Rock It. Since today I have officially been writing for Style It Rock It for a month, I thought I would give you all a little update.

So far, so good, I think! I have absolutely been loving it. Writing is such an important part of my life and having the opportunity to write about a topic I am so passionate about? It's a total dream come true. In fact, I find myself writing several posts ahead, just because I have so many ideas that I want to share. It has been really fun and I hope that feeling continues.

I've written a bunch of posts for the site since my last blog post about it. If any of them sound interesting to you, please take a look and let me know what you think!

Signs You're Emotionally Attached To Your Wardrobe
Fun With Floral
Are We All Going Fashion Crazy?
Staying Inspired - And Having Fun With Fashion
When Reality TV Takes Over
Crop Tops: Yay or Nay?
Why I <3 Betsey
Long Weekend Must Haves: Fashion Edition
Are You An Audrey or a Marilyn? 
The Impact of Technology on Fashion
3 Ways To Wear a Band Tee In Style
Snag Her Style: Lauren Conrad Edition

That is what has been keeping me busy lately! It's a great kind of busy though, so I'm happy.

What has been keeping you busy?

xo Shannon