canada is a place of infinite promise.

To all of my Canadian readers....Happy Canada Day! I always love celebrating Canada Day. It's a chance to spend some time with friends and family - and check out some fireworks, too. For the last couple of years, my boyfriend and I have gone to the beach to check out the vendors, rides, and firework display. This year, things are going to be a little bit different.

My friends have organized a barbecue downtown, so my boyfriend and I are heading out to join them. It's exciting, for sure....but I will definitely miss our tradition of going to the beach. At any rate, it will be great to see my friends. I don't get the chance to see them nearly enough! I will be sure to update you all on my Canada Day experience.

However you're celebrating this year, I hope you have an amazing day. To finish off this post, here is a quote to get you in the mood. Happy Canada Day, everyone!

"I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, 

free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, 

or free to choose those who shall govern my country. 

This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind."

- John Diefenbaker 

Happy Canada Day! Be sure to let me know how you're celebrating.

xo Shannon

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