Ulta and Sephora Beauty Haul | America

Hello beautiful people!

On the weekend I took a little trip to Buffalo, New York with the family.

We were only there for one night. We drove up Friday afternoon and came back Saturday afternoon.

It was a little break for my dad before he has to work at the Panam games/ a Father's Day trip.

When it comes to crossing the boarder, I always look forward to buying makeup.

1. Because Sephora is cheaper in the States than it is here in Canada

2. Because they have better brands

My first stop was at Sephora and I was so overwhelmed.

I had a mental list of all the things that I wanted to buy, but the minute I walked through the doors the list just disappeared.

I was in there for over an hour just not sure what to look at or what to buy.

Thankfully, I found a nice lady who worked there and she was such a doll!

I bought a few things that I'm so in love with.

I just went back to the hotel and stared at them- ya I know, I'm weird.

The first thing I bought was the Bare Minerals, Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream in the shade 07 Tan.

I've had my eyes set on this for a while and I finally bought this because my skin is getting darker and I need a summer foundation.

When I got colour matched, I immediately fell in love with this. 

It's such a light weight foundation and I can feel the hydration. 

It has very little coverage, but it does say on the back of the tube that it can be layered for better coverage. 

I also really like the way it sets as well.

Once I start wearing this I'll definitely do a review, but as of right now I have high hopes for this product.

 This product could just make me cry!

It's the Bobbi Brown, Illuminating Bronzing Powder in the shade Aruba.

I have been on the search for the perfect bronzer that would actually show up on my skin and does a perfect job at making me look like a Sun Goddess. 

Let me tell you, when I tried this product it did exactly what I wanted it to do.

I did not care how much it was, I was gunna buy it either way.

I'm staring at the product now and looking at the shimmer and it's bringing tears to my eyes!

 This purchase was a very last minute one.

My friend Megan told me these were great, but I'm not really a make-up wipe type of girl just because I know they aren't really the best for your skin.

But the lady at Sephora used these to take make-up off my face and the scent was heavenly. 

These are the OLEHENRIKSEN, the clean truth cleansing and brightening cloths. 

They contain vitamin C and CoQ10- they brighten, cleanse and hydrate.

These wipes have a very citrus scent that smells so delightful and I don't have to scrub at my face to get all my make-up off.

These are so gentle on my sensitive skin which makes me really happy.

 This is the last thing I bought from Sephora and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

I was just swatching these for fun because my friend Stephanie has a huge fascination with them. 

It is the Marc Jacobs, Twinkle Pop eye stick in the shade Honey Bunny. 

What's cool about this is that it has such a pleasing cool feeling when you apply this product. 

The range of colours are absolutely beautiful, but I chose this one because of how gorgeous the shimmer is. 

In my mind, I'd wear this just all over the lid with black winged liner on a daily basis.

I'm just hoping it looks as pretty as I think it will.

Swatch of Honey Bunny

I don't think I'll be able to say whether or not I love this until I try it.

I didn't immediately fall in love with it, but it's cheaper than it is in Canada so I thought I'd give it a try.

The last place I went to was Ulta.

It was my first time going in there and I wasn't going to leave without checking it out because I wanted to buy all the Real Technique brushes.

So of course, it makes sense that I walked out with more than just make-up brushes.

 I bought the it Cosmetics Hello Lashes Extensions Mascara.

This is my first it Cosmetics product and I'm really excited about it.

The brush is similar to the Benefit They're Real Mascara and I hated that one, so I'm praying to the make-up Gods that this one is nothing like it.

I actually meant to grab the other mascara that I saw Lauren Curtis use in a First Impressions video.

But I will make the most of this and hopefully I'll fall in love with it because I'm always on the look for better mascaras. 

Lets all just take a moment and appreciate the fact that I have two more Real Technique Brushes to add to my collection.

I bought the blush brush from the original collection and the small tapered one from the Bold Metals Collection.

I wanted to try out one of the brushes from the new line before buying the rest of it because I'm way too obsessed with the packaging.

Like how beautiful is that rose gold?!

I also need a really good blush brush which is why I bought the blush brush from the original collection.

I am way too scared to open them or even use them.

These are my new babies!

I wasn't even this excited when I got my new car!

haha!

So that is all the beauty related things that I bought while in America!

Let me know if you've tried any of these products and whether or not you liked them!

I hope you guys are all having a beautiful day!

Hugs and Butterfly Kisses

xx

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser| Product Review

Hey everybody :)

Ever since all of my favourite YouTubers started using First Aid Beauty products, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them. It took a while for them to arrive in Canada, so it was a pain to purchase them in the beginning. 

Prior to trying this cleanser, I had their blemish control pads and Ultra repair cream and fell in love with them!

They were such amazing products and they gave me high hopes for this line.

I have a very easy time deciding how I feel about face products. They either cooperate with my face or they don't.

The only product line that my face has loved is Origin, but gosh darn they are essspensive! 

Normally, I have dry-combination skin but in the winter my skin is hella dry!

I also have to mention how sensitive it is.

I thought this would be a good product to use for my first review because it's one thing that I have very strong feelings about.

A lot of the time my feelings about a product switches.

This product claims to gently cleanse the skin because of it's airy cream. The formula is infused with a blend of botanical antioxidants to stave off abuse of the elements. It is well suited for anyone with sensitive skin.

I can agree with some of this...it's definitely an airy cream. It feels like absolutely nothing is on your face and it's definitely a gentle cleanse. 

The gentle cleanse was appealing to me because anything that is too harsh makes my skin react negatively. 

I've been using this face cleanser for over month.

I strongly dislike it!

To me washing my face with water is equivalent to using this product. 

It does absolutely nothing for my face. 

After washing it off my skin doesn't feel refreshed or clean which is something I look for in a face cleanser. 

It also made me break out badly: on my forehead and my chin.

It was terrible. 

As soon as I switched face cleansers my skin cleared up. 

This cleanser seems like it would be a drug store cleanser.

At Sephora the full size of this product is $25.00 which is absolutely unreasonable for the quality of it.

If you are considering buying this product I would suggest getting the sample size first to see how it works with your skin.

I really love cleansers that foam nicely (I find it super satisfying) and make my skin feel extremely refreshed and clean.

This product just didn't do it for me.

The First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser gets a 2.5/5 from me.

Let me know if you've tried this product and what your thoughts are!

Hugs and Butterfly Kisses

xx

Dear Me: A Letter to My Younger Self

Dear 13 year old me,

Don't give up. Forget about all the terrible things your "friends" are saying about you. Girls are catty and they always be. It's not going to change, but the sooner you realize it the sooner you will be able to brush it off.

Don't let those guys determine whether or not you're pretty. They are teenage boys who don't think with their head. They are jerks and you can do so much better than that. Remember that boy that broke your heart? Don't sweat a thing because he's not worth chasing after. You're young and have so much to learn about love. That wasn't love- that's the farthest thing from love. You're going to experience a lot more heart break and I can't help it. It's going to suck and you're going to cry...ALOT. But know that you are going to learn something from heart break-up and from that you're going to be such a lovely lady.

You know that girl who's bringing you down instead of being the friend that's supposed to build up your confidence? Ya cut her out of your life. She doesn't get any better. But trust me when you finally get the courage to walk away from her, you feel so much better. It's like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

I'm sorry to tell you but you're going to lose all of your friends once you get to high school. Don't let it discourage you because you find better friends that are going to remain your friends for the rest of your life. Those so-called "friends" couldn't handle your dance schedule, but don't walk away from dance because it saves you. Dancing continues to be your escape. & I know you've experienced some really shitty dance moments, but everything clears up. Don't doubt your decisions. If you need to move on- do it. Even though you will only have two more years- you GROW so much as a dancer and a human.

Are you worrying about your body image? STOP. You're beautiful and tiny. Realize your potential and realize your beauty because not having any confidence is going to eat you alive.

Stop worrying about all the little things and stop being such a drama queen. Have fun and don't take things so seriously. Honestly, you'll enjoy life a lot better. & most importantly don't be afraid to be yourself- so let that sass out ;)

Hugs and Butterfly Kisses
xx
20 year-old me

Self-Image

Hello beautiful people,

Self-image has always been a very important topic to me. It's something that I'm super passionate about because I know the impact it can have on young girls.

From a young age, girls are taught that skinny is better. "You want to look like a Disney princess" is what is planted into their minds and it sticks. Girls are constantly surrounded by images of skinny- Disney Princesses and Barbie Dolls. Whether or not parents are aware of it, they implement healthier meals to make sure their kids are smaller. I know it's a combination of being skinny and just being healthier in general. But because of society's standards, there tends to be more emphasis on being skinny.

It becomes particularly hard for teenagers to be happy with their bodies because they are experiencing many changes amongst a crowd of other girls. It's easy to be jealous of those who seem to have it better because you are so insecure. Trust me, I've been there. There is always going to be someone skinner than you, someone smarter than you and someone "prettier" than you. I feel like it's necessary to put quotes around the word pretty because I truly believe everyone is beautiful in their own way, therefore there is no need to constantly compare yourself to other people. Pop culture doesn't help young girls' self esteem because they only use women that meet society's expectations. So what kind of message does that send to young girls? It's extremely hard for girls to look at models like Cara Delevigne and still think that they, themselves are perfect. Celebrities are now trying to break these expectations, but I think it's a hard barrier to break and one that takes a while.

For me, I have been constantly and still am battling with my self-image and trying to be happy the way I am. I know it's harder said than done. I've been struggling with confidence since I hit puberty which was in the fifth grade. I was just never good enough. I wasn't a good dancer. I wasn't pretty. I wasn't skinny. But looking back at old pictures, I was skinny enough and I regret not being confident because I'm struggling more than ever now.

The past year has been really hard especially with my weight. Not dancing for three years is definitely catching up to me. It wasn't until 2015 that I realized I was trying to lose weight for all of the wrong reasons. I wanted to lose weight so I would be socially accepted. Do you realize how terrible that is! I would do anything- from just not eating at all to trying to make myself throw up after every meal. Ya, it got that bad. I hated being around my friends because they're model skinny and unbelievably pretty. It wasn't until this year that I realized if I want to be confident enough to go out and to just be confident in my own skin- I needed to lose weight for myself and only myself.

So when it came to New Years, I made a strict goal and very realistic New Years Resolutions. 2015 is my year without any sugar and for me that's a big deal because I have the biggest sweet tooth. In order to accomplish this, I have set little rewards for myself throughout the year that I can look forward to such as; a new pair of jeans, new shoes etc. If I am successful then at the end of the year I am rewarding myself with a iPhone 6. Now to be clear, my no-sugar diet is only cutting out the bad sugars like candy, pop and chocolate.
On top of that; I'm watching my language- trying to cut out the use of the 'F' word and trying to be more of a positive and happier person. To be successful in that, I think it's important to find that switch in your brain to allow you to think differently.

It's important for young girls to know that it's okay if you're not happy with yourself and want to change your body for YOURSELF. But it's not okay to change your body because society is telling you to.

I have some tips that have helped me keep my head on straight and motivated to reach my goals that I hope helps you all:

1. Set realistic goals for yourself
2. Surround yourself with people who are optimistic and are extremely supportive
3. Remember you are beautiful and you don't need to compare yourselves to others 
4. Find some alone time and think about your journey and what you want to accomplish
5. Don't forget to reward yourself

Obviously, I still have a long journey to go and it's not going to be an easy one. I hope that in the future, girls won't be so pressured to conform to what society wants. As more young women realize what I'm starting to realize, I believe that these expectations can be demolished.

I apologize for the lengthy post, but I am so passionate about this and I hope everyone enjoyed this. 

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day/night!

Hugs and Butterfly Kisses

xx

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