December 20, 2013

I'll be back after the holidays ♥

Hello Beautiful People,

                  As you all know this time o year can be crazy busy. I have been working my fanny off at my day job and also trying to keep my social life alive. So, I will be stepping away from the blog for a few weeks just to let off some steam and to get this hectic season out of the way. I am thinking I will be back with a post around the 3rd or 4th of January. Never fear, I have a ton of reviews or you and a few special posts as well, already in the works. I shall see you all soon :)

Stay Safe!




December 17, 2013

Lush Cupcake Fresh Mask Review ♥

Hello Beautiful People,

          I was sitting around thinking about how I needed to write a post for you guys and I thought I would write a review on one of my new addictions, the Lush Cupcake Mask. So, shall we....

          First off, lets discuss the claims of this mask. This is a mask specially designed for oily, acne prone skin (in store they describe it as 'Teenaged Skin'). This mask contains, spearmint oil, vanilla absolute, Rhassoul mud and cocoa. This mask claims to calm, deep clean and prevent acne.

         Don't let the name of this mask fool you my friends. It does not smell ANYTHING like a cupcake. As this mask gets older, it actually smells worse. I think the smell is vomit-worthy in my opinion. This is a fresh mask which means it is made on premises, which means, it needs to stay refrigerated and it expires after 14 mere days. This mask is available in a 60g tub for around $7 CAD.

       So, was the smell and the fact that it expires worth it? Yes, yes and YES! I have horrible skin, I have large pores, acne scaring, acne and it freaks on me 80% of the time. For the first time EVER in my life, I have been told I have nice skin. This is a miracle! I actually looked back in shock at the first person who told me this. I had to do a circle check to make sure there wasn't someone else behind me. This stuff cleared up my acne and reduced my redness. I felt super confident with this product in my fridge. I did use this product after expiry and I will be honest in saying that the smell got 10x worse and the product lost effectiveness. This 60g tub looked small but I had more than enough left after 2 weeks.  I will most defiantly be repurchasing this product. I think it is worth every penny and if you suffer from acne then this is the mask for you!

I say go buy this and if you do not have oily or acne prone skin then pick up another fresh mask from Lush :)

Until next time...

* I am not paid or sponsored by this company. I never exchanged my views for money. This is stickly my personal opinion and does not reflect that of this company.

December 10, 2013

Deep & Romantic Makeup Look ♥

Hello Beauties,

           Welcome to tonight post and get ready to get deep and romantic. Around this time of year people usually have parties and gathering to go to and want a pretty and season appropriate look. This look combines reds, golds and browns on the eyes and a deep dark lip pairing. This look will suit anyone in my opinion. This look can also work for someone who doesn't like wearing alot of makeup because the look doesn't incorporate black harsh liners, instead it sports soft brown edges with a black mascara that helps the eyes stand out. Wanna know how I did it? Let's begin...

For the skin, flawless is best. I used a full coverage foundation and concealed under my eyes. I did not use too much cheek color because this looks works best on pale flawless skin. I did do a bit of contouring but nothing too hardcore.


For the eyes I used a total of 3 eye shadow shades. A metallic burgundy (Maybeline Color Tattoos in Pomegranate Punk), a gold (Real colors) and a cream shade (From my brown E.L.F palette). Also, I used a metallic brown eyeliner (Essense in Teddy Bear). And Finally a black mascara (L'oreal Voluminous)
-I begun this look by taking my burgundy on a small shading brush and applying just to the lid. I tried to create a wing shape towards the outer corners. Take this under the bottom lash line aswell
-Taking a clean blending brush, I softened the edges without completely blending the edges away
-Taking the gold shadow on a pencil brush, I make a triangular shape on the outer corners and blend to soften edges
-Taking a clean fluffy brush and your cream colored shadow, blend up into brow bone and blend into other shadow. Do this until you are satisfied with the blending.
-Take your eyeliner and line upper and low lash line
-Going back to the shading brush, smudge the line a bit to give it a softer look
-Line water line, curl lashes and apply mascara
To step this look up a bit I added falsies but that is completely up to your preference

As for lips, I used a deep lipstick but you can also go nude. I used Malani Lipstick in Sangria. I like to blot this lipstick to make it appear as more of a stain. I personally think the deep lipstick adds to romance of this look but if you don't like dark lipsticks then opt for a nude or lighter red shade.

I really like how dark and sultry this look is and it is great for the colder tempts. This look is great for a sexy updo or even some romantic curls.

I hope y'all enjoyed this look and will attempt to recreate it for all your winter events.

Until next time...


December 07, 2013

The Infamous Cream Contouring for Beginners ♥

Hello Beautiful People,

                     OK, so if your a 'pinner' as in, your addicted to 'Pinning' as in on Pinterest, then you have all seen the infamous cream contour pictures where the person starts off looking like a native in war paint, to a sexy chiseled model. They make it look so easy but you can't find all the products and when you do, you have to sell a your first born in order to afford it.  Well, have no fear, the Pretty Pauper is here. I really wanted to give this a whirl. I did my research and watched alot of tutorials and I came up with my own kinda...tutorial. When I say kinda, I mean it's more a cream contour guide to getting a cheap (yet expensive looking) contour, using all drug store products.

                    A few words before we begin. One of the biggest things about this tutorial is that it won't change your ENTIRE look. You won't end up looking like a supermodel. This is a natural contour with a subtle glow to it. This look is very wearable. If you are looking for a drastic contour, this isn't the blog for you. That being said, you can alter the positioning of the shades to camouflage certain flaws. I positioned mine to hide a fuller face and double chin. You will need 3 foundations for this look, one a good 5 shades darker than your skin tone, one a shade or two lighter than your skin tone and one that matched your skin tone. So are you ready? Let's go...

I like to start with the lighter of the 3 shade and I smear on my forehead in three strokes, the down my nose, cupids bow, chin, the spot just below the hollows of your cheeks and just under my jaw line. Taking the darker shade I smear on temples, down sides of nose, hollows of cheeks, both sides of chin, spot under chin and then on my jaw line. Finally, I take my skin tone shade and fill in any spots where there is no product. This will help everything to blend nicely. Like I said before, you can change the positioning of the products to accommodate your features.



Taking a damp sponge, start stippling the products into skin. Do not Rub or you will whisk away all the products and your contour won't work. I like to take the sponge and roll upwards, the helps to blend the two foundations. Continue stippling until all the product is nicely blended. Hit some natural light if possible to make sure your contour is seamless. When finished I added to areas where I wanted a deeper contour and continued building until I was satisfied. I suggest starting off with less and working your way to more. To finish this look, I added a bit of blush to my cheeks.And Voila! You have successfully contoured your face!!!

I really like this form of contouring because it looks more natural than a powder contour. Powder contours can also have a 'dirty' look if you don't use the right products and it can be difficult to blend out. I also feel like this way of contouring has the potential to make a drastic change to your face shape. I did not cover that today but perhaps I will when I play around a bit more.

I hope this helped all you people who are scared to attempt the cream contour. This can be simple if you follow these few steps. If you have any questions or something was not clear, feel free to comment below! Also, show me your cream contour, perhaps a before and after?

Until Next Time...

December 04, 2013

Hair Products I Love ♥

Hello Beautiful People,

             Not to toot my own horn but I do get alot of people asking me how I keep my hair so healthy looking (when it's really not!) and what products I use to style. So, today I am going to share with you all some of my favorite products to style and keep my hair appearing healthy.

One of the biggest things when trying to keep your hair healthy is using a good shampoo. I usually like a shampoo with a slight (and I mean SLIGHT) moisturizing component. My favourite brand so far has got to be Biotera. This shampoo has several different lines for different hair needs. Right now I am using the Volumizing line and I really enjoy it. I also really like the smell of this product, it has a very clean and fresh smell. I personally can't stand shampoos that smell perfumed and heavy. This shampoo offers that light scent I am looking for.

Another component to hair that appears healthy looking is moisturizing. I like to use an oil based product on my ENDS ONLY! This helps to seal split ends and helps to nourish dry hair. My favourite one is the Mystic Divine Dry Oil Spray. This is a mixture of Argan Oil and Minoi Oil and offers moisture without being too preachy. Because it is a dry oil, it doesn't give your hair a greasy look and if applied to wet hair, the hair absorbs it nicely.

As far as styling goes, I like a good dry shampoo for my 'inbetween' days. Alot of people brush dry shampoo off because they believe it is a product that means they are skipping washes all together. WRONG! Dry shampoo is not intended to replace washing your hair. When used properly, Dry Shampoo can help prevent drying of the hair and fade of color. I use this on the third day. Because I have Black hair and color fades quickly I try to prolong my wash for 3 days. By the third day my bangs and roots look a little slick so I like to give them a shot of dry shampoo. My personal favourite is the Beyond the Zone Dry Shampoo for Medium to Dark hair. This one has a shot of pigment that helps to disguise roots and wont leave a white cast on dark hair. 

A new found love for styling is my Volumax Sea Salt Spray. What is all the hype surrounding sea salt sprays? Well, think about how luscious mermaid hair is...with it's carefree waves and effortless volume. Well, that is what sea salt spray is. If you don't want mermaid hair...step away from the sea salt spray! I usually use this after twisting my hair around a wand a few times. I spray it in and grab handfuls and scrunch upwards. It creates effortless looking waves and smells great!

The final step in all hair styles is a good hairspray. My personal favourite is a The VitaE Brushable Hold hairspray. It holds great without the crunch! It even holds my styles for a few days. A good hairspray will give you a good hold without being to crunchy! The only time you want a helmet like hold is when you are setting an updo of some sort. For daily use, you don't need something that intense.

Anyways Loves, those are a few of my favorites! I won't include a lot of pics because these are guidelines for products, they don't necessarily only come from the brands mentioned. Use whatever you like for your needs and hair type! That being said, if you have any questions regarding any of the products I use, leave a comment below and I will try my best to get back to you. Also, tell me about some of YOUR Favourite products!

Thanks for taking the time to read guys!

Until Next Time...





Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are that of my own. I have never accepted money for my opinions. These are thoughts that of my own!