lovely, lazy, long weekend.

There are two words I love like no other. What are they? Long. Weekend. Yes, the long weekend is here (at least in Canada where I live). At last! All week I have been getting through the work days by reminding myself that three blissful days off were awaiting me. It made life seem cheery, exciting, and downright awesome. Now that the long weekend is actually here....I am over the moon.

I always love long weekends. It gives you the chance to catch up on to-do lists, spend time with loved ones, and have a bit of a break from all of the daily responsibilities. Over the Victoria Day long weekend, I plan on making the most of every moment. There will be a few musts and a bit of fun mixed in there! I think that is the best way to make the long weekend special: being productive and being adventurous.

Today will be spent finishing up some work, doing laundry, writing thank you notes left over from the bridal shower, and packing up more of my possessions. The Sunday will involve building furniture, doing a bit of planning for our Jack and Jill, and then.....a big fireworks display with friends! I am super excited about the fireworks. One of my favourite things about holidays are firework displays. My fiance and I bought a bunch of fireworks on a whim - and then invited a bunch of people to come watch us set them off. I am hoping it will be a really fun way to celebrate the holiday.

Monday will finish it all off by painting the living room and hallway of our new apartment. We recruited a couple of friends to help. Thank goodness! The day will finish off by lighting sparklers with my parents and brother. The perfect end to a lovely weekend.

So, that is how I plan to spend the Victoria Day weekend. Getting things done and spending time with people I love. How will you celebrate?

xo Shannon

any day is the perfect day for shopping.

Oh, shopping. Will I ever tire of it? Probably not. There is something exciting about it all. Spending time with a friend or family member....scouring the racks for something special.....the thrill of bringing it all home. It's no wonder so many of us love to shop! Despite my love of shopping, I have been doing less and less of it lately. Sigh. Most of my new items have been gifts or have come courtesy of my mom. One exception? A friend and I went shopping a couple of weeks ago and it was a blast. It felt good to have that experience again. (And to hit up Sephora, of course!) With shopping on the brain, I thought I would dedicate today's post to a few of the latest items in my life.

New music! When my friend and I went shopping, we ended the day by heading to a used music store. This is a dangerous place for me. Music is one of my biggest passions. There is nothing I love more than finding new music and filling in the gaps of my CD collection. During that trip, I picked up a few records (David Bowie, John Denver, and The Partridge Family), some CDs (Donny Osmond and a Fifties themed CD) and a movie (Friday the 13th collection). There were also a few others I picked up throughout the day as well. The new Jesse McCartney CD, a Ricky Martin CD, and a movie with Dolly Parton. It was a great day for entertainment!

New jewellery! Lately I have been massively obsessed with retro inspired pieces. You might remember a post I did a few weeks back about my shopping trip to Tatyana. Since then, I have been all over looks from the 50s and 60s. Love! What better way to get retro than with some cherry jewellery? These came from Claire's. (The cherry necklace is from Katy Perry's collection.) I am looking for the perfect outfit to wear them with. Because I absolutely adore these. They are so cute.

New hair products! Something else I picked up recently were a few new hair products. They were on sale - making it a great excuse to try them out. The Tre Semme Perfectly Undone Waves Shampoo promises gorgeous wavy hair (it works pretty well so far) and the Tre Semme Thermal Creations is a heat protecting spray. Which is always a good idea. I typically stick to the same old hair products so it was exciting to give something else a try. 

New purse! I was having a really tough couple of weeks. And a bad day in particular. Then my mom pulled out a package that had arrived in the mail. She had ordered Audrey Hepburn purses for herself and for me. It totally turned my mood around. It's funny how something so simple can mean so much. Especially when you are in the midst of a rough time. The purse is gorgeous - and it even has an Audrey quote written on the back. It was definitely a reminder to smile and feel loved.

New perfume! One thing my fiance loves to do is spoil me every now and again. Which is why he picked up this Katy Perry perfume randomly. I absolutely adore Katy Perry - so this was a really lovely surprise. The bottle is so so cute. The scent is gorgeous as well! It is absolutely perfect for a day out. This has a very floral and feminine smell to it. I just love wearing it on date night. This is one of my favourite new items. 

Shopping is great. And new things are always exciting. I definitely have been doing my best to curb my spending habit....and so far it is going fairly well. Thankfully, I have loved ones to spoil me along the way. That helps! 

What do you think of these items? What have you bought recently?

xo Shannon

YouTube: L'Oreal LA Palette 2: Review and FOTD

It's funny. I had no intention of filming a YouTube video today. Actually, I had a massive to-do list of things that needed to get done. After working my way through task after task, my mind started to wander. Where did it wander? To makeup, of course. Lately I have been totally addicted to the L'Oreal LA Palette 2. The gorgeous neutrals, the warm purples, and the soft texture? Yes, please! Before I knew what I was doing, my camera was set up, my makeup was done, and I was ready to start sharing my thoughts. Maybe that is the reason I am so excited about this video. And so happy with the way it turned out. That moment of inspiration made the process so incredibly rewarding.

Now...onto the video! As I mentioned, it is all about the L'Oreal LA Palette 2. This neutral eyeshadow palette comes with ten shadows. Some are matte and some are shimmer. Some are light and some are smokey and dark. That is the thing I love most about this drugstore palette. There is a great variety of shades. That means you can create a ton of different looks using one single palette. My favourite colours in the set have to be those beautiful purple shades. They are absolutely stunning! Take a closer look at LA Palette 2 below.....

As you can see from the picture above, there are tons of gorgeous shades to choose from. Everything from a shimmery champagne to taupe, bronze, and purple is included. I chose the LA Palette 2 as opposed to the LA Palette 1 for this very reason. The first palette simply didn't have the diversity or the originality of colours. In my opinion? Opt for this one rather than the first one. It is so beyond beautiful. (If you couldn't tell, I have been rather obsessed with this eyeshadow palette lately!)

Ready for the rest of my review? Want to check out my FOTD featuring the LA Palette 2? Take a look at my latest YouTube video. Please like, comment, and subscribe! 

I am not always impressed with drugstore makeup palettes. Sometimes, they are a hit or a miss. I do love that the drugstore is stepping it up lately, though! And the LA Palette 2 is a prime example. L'Oreal really outdid themselves this time. Want to see more? Take a look at the creation of beauty is art. YouTube channel to subscribe or check out my other videos.

Have you tried either of the L'Oreal LA Palette products? What do you think of them?

xo Shannon

lift up your head princess.

There is so much happening lately. The countdown is on....which is a little scary. I am getting married in less than two months. So, as you can probably guess, life is in overdrive at the moment. There is planning and packing and forms and well, the list goes on and on. Something else that has been taking up my time? Pre-wedding events. And lots of them! The most recent was the bridal shower. My mom hosted it at our house - and just about every one of my friends showed up. That alone was pretty wonderful.

The theme? Disney Princesses. Our house was transformed into princessland, with decorations, dolls, food, and more. It took a lot of work to get the place ready, but it was worth it! The highlights? Catching up with old friends and spending time with my bridesmaids. Honestly, there were some not so fantastic moments thrown in there as well....but I am choosing to focus on the good parts instead.

Which is why I thought that I would share some of my favourite pictures from the day. As I mentioned before, the theme was Disney Princesses. Trust me, I looked the part! My mom bought me a Cinderella costume so I would be dressed and ready for the day. I put my hair up in a bun, rocked my tiara, and created a makeup look with the Cinderella palette from Sephora.

Are you ready to take a peek at my Cinderella look? Here it is - along with some other noteworthy moments from the bridal shower.

The bridal shower was certainly an experience. There were wonderful moments and disappointing moments....but ultimately, it was a day full of love. That is something I will never forget. 

What have you been up to lately? How do you celebrate special moments?

xo Shannon

flowers are the music of the ground.

I love Flower Beauty. When the line finally hit Canadian stores, I went crazy, picking up a little bit of everything. Now that the dust has settled, I am still using the products I bought. Some more than others. One that I am using regularly? Secret Garden. I fell in love with the shades instantly....but now that spring is here, this quad is  getting more use than ever. It features a deep turquoise, soft pink, lilac, and a bright green. What could be more beautiful? The combination of those earthy tones is absolute perfection.

Like the other Flower Beauty Shadow Play eyeshadow quad I own, these shadows are stunning. They are nicely pigmented and super pretty. Best of all? They are silky smooth and easy to apply. Something that really stood out to me about this particular set? The range of colours. Typically, I stick to neutrals and smokey eye looks. This quad combined bolder (yet wearable) shades with softer spring colours. That gave it a good amount of versatility - and separated it from a lot of the other colours in my makeup collection. Here is a closer look at the shades included in the quad.....

As you can see from the picture above, the shades are absolutely gorgeous. And so perfect for spring! They remind me of walking through the park or looking at a well-kept garden. What could be better than that? Lately I have loved putting together different looks with this quad. Sometimes I am all about the turquoise and green. Other times I am obsessed with the lilac and soft pink. My most recent look was all about that stunning lilac shade. I felt so inspired by it. And when it comes to putting a makeup look together.....I go where the inspiration takes me!

So, are you ready to take a look at my latest makeup look? This is Flower Beauty Shadow Play in Secret Garden:

This is one of those makeup looks that is quick and easy to do....but manages to make you feel like a million bucks. No wonder I keep reaching for this eyeshadow quad! It is definitely one of my spring favourites. I paired this eye look with my favourite NARS blush (Deep Throat) and a Flower Beauty lipstick (Petal Kiss). 

What do you think of this makeup look? Have you tried anything from Flower Beauty? 

xo Shannon

blue is the warmest colour.

It is amazing how easily makeup products get lost. I store them, try out new things, and forget about those old favourites. Perhaps this is the (only!) drawback of having a lot of makeup. It can be difficult to keep track of it all...let alone use it on a regular basis. Recently I have been buying less and using more. Rather than heading to the makeup counter, I've been digging through my existing collection. Which is how I came across a forgotten favourite, Blues Cafe from NYC. This eyeshadow trio is a drugstore gem, featuring a light blue, medium brown, and a navy shade. The unique combination of colours easily creates a bold yet wearable smokey eye.

Honestly? I haven't tried a ton of NYC products. The ones I have tried though, have really impressed me. The lipsticks? Beautiful? The primer? Winner. But the best of the best has to be the gorgeous eyeshadows. They are extremely affordable - but still have a really beautiful colour payoff. The same was true of the Blues Cafe trio. The shades were nicely pigmented and easy to build. That means a dramatic smokey eye in no time flat. Perfect when you are in a rush but still want to look great.

Now it is time to see those colours in actions. There is the light blue (which is more like a soft blue/white shimmer), the medium brown (which is a little bronzey), and that gorgeous navy. The swatch below will give you a better idea of what the colours look like - and the level of pigmentation.

Now for the makeup look! I used this eyeshadow trio to create a date night look. It was easy to do but added just a hint of glamour. I applied the brown shade all over the lid using a flat brush then used a pencil brush to start adding in the navy. I applied it to the crease and along my lower lash line. The light blue shimmery shade was used on the inner corner and just under the brow bone. The combination of these colours was gorgeous - and I absolutely love how the look turned out. To finish it all off, I created a dramatic cat-eye using my favourite black eyeliner of the moment (the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. So good!), and added on a bit of mascara. As for the rest of the face, I opted for soft rosy shades on the cheeks and lips.

Are you ready to see the finished look? This is what I created using the Blues Cafe trio from NYC....

I am feeling very good about re-discovering this eyeshadow trio. After all, it helped inspire this makeup look! As I continue to dig through my makeup collection - I am sure there will be plenty more re-discovered favourites making me smile.

What do you think of this makeup look? Have you tried this eyeshadow trio?

xo Shannon

why fit in when you were born to stand out?

Honestly? Things have been stressful and overwhelming lately. I have spent the last couple of weeks reflecting on my past and thinking about the future. What I want, where I hope to go, and what really matters to me. There are a lot of changes ahead of me - and I am in the middle of figuring everything out. Especially in terms of my career. For the last several years, I have dedicated myself to building a writing career, applying for jobs, and chasing after my dream. But it gets harder and harder to push through. At this point? I just want to live the happiest, most fulfilling life possible. So, I am trying to figure out the best way to make that happen.

With so much going on internally, I have dedicated more time to things that make me happy. Like doing my makeup, getting ready to go out, seeing friends, hanging out with my family, and reading. Those little things have reminded me that life is so much more than work. Life is about the memories you make, the people you make them with, and the laughs you have along the way.

Right now, I am trying to make the most of every moment. To focus on beauty both inside and out. Which brings me to today's post. Now that spring is here, I have been all about spring fashion. There is something about the joy, the colours, the fun, that has lifted my spirits considerably. The pastels, the layering.....yes please!

Even though spring is here, the weather has still been pretty chilly. In fact, it was snowing just a week ago! Hard to believe now that we are at the end of April. That is why I created an outfit that would keep me warm - but still embrace spring. I wore a fuzzy bomber jacket over a pastel pink tee with my favourite pair of skinny jeans. Paired with a simple bun and a smokey eye look, it was casual but seasonal. Ready to see my spring inspired look? Here it is!

Life is full of decisions and transitions. But ultimately, it is about finding happiness. Simple things (like putting together an outfit!) are making me happy right now.

What makes you happy? What do you think of this spring outfit?

xo Shannon