All About Julep!

In this week's beauty related post I decided I would let you all know about another subscription box I have started.  My post all about 'Ipsy' last week was so popular I thought some of you may like to know more about another new favorite, Julep!

Julep is a nail polish brand that has now branched into nail care and beauty items and offers a monthly subscription box called "Julep Maven".  The box is $20 per month and you receive over $40 worth of polish and product every month!  Mavens always get free shipping and 20% off products at julep.com.  The polishes retail for $14 each and are excellent quality (I have 5 so far and all are wonderful).  

Similar to Ipsy and other subscription boxes, the first thing you do in the steps of becoming a Julep Maven is fill out a style quiz to find your Style Profile.  The style choices are: Modern Beauty, Boho Glam, Bombshell, It Girl and Classic With a Twist.  I was not surprised I got "Classic With a Twist"!  

My Julep Maven Starter Box in "Classic With a Twist"

My welcome box was actually free for signing up! I received it pretty quick and it contained two nail polishes, a cuticle serum and a makeup primer sample.   I also got some coupons and discount codes for the website!  My colors chosen from my style profile were "Myrtle" (a classic red creme) and "Zora" (a lovely pink pearl with a hint of shimmer).  Both colors applied beautifully and totally opaque in two easy coats.  I have been really impressed with the cuticle serum as well - it is said to transform dry, damaged cuticles and encourages strong, healthy nail growth.  My cuticles get dry in this lovely freezing winter weather and I find this stuff is really helps! 

Wearing the shade "Myrtle" - a gorgeous classic red! 

I was so in love with my February box - it was valued at over $60!  I received "Octavia" (an indigo blue creme polish), "Greta" (a gorgeous shimmery fuchsia/raspberry shade) and a special edition glitter in honor of Valentine's Day, appropriately called "Love" (a full coverage gold/pearl with fuchsia micro-glitter).  I also received a liquid eye shadow in a gorgeous taupe shade.  

I'm loving this shade! Julep "Greta"

Shade: Octavia

My favorite part about Julep is I feel like I get a lot for my money (considering what I usually spend on nail polish per month!) and I love how I can choose my box each month!  Julep lets you log into your account between the 20th and 24th of each month to view your box and change it if you don't like your monthly selections!  They have usually been pretty bang on for me but this month I decided to try a different box.  I received my email on February 20th for my March box and wasn't totally in love with my selections (one was just a simple white and the other was another red tone) - I wanted something different with *fingers crossed* warmer weather coming soon.  I will be getting two polishes (a coral and a lavender) and a really pretty coral lip gloss - perfect for Spring and Summer!  Also as I said, they always send coupons or extra little samples each month.  

Can I also say that the packaging is gorgeous!! For me, these little details mean a lot and make each box feel so special and worth my $20.  My February box was my favorite with deep maroon packing paper and shimmery black tissue paper - it felt so luxurious to open!

My February Julep Maven box - such pretty packaging!  

You can cancel Julep any time (no contract) - and you can also gift a box to a friend or even skip a month!  So let's say one month you don't know what to get someone for their birthday, you can gift your box to them! If you are having a tight budget month and want to skip - you can do that too!  Another perk is that there is always one box more "beauty related" than nails.  This way if you aren't really feeling the need or excitement for nail polish - you can choose the "Modern Beauty" box instead.  For example, the March "Modern Beauty" box contains a lip scrub and lip conditioner.  The February beauty box was a gel eyeliner, angled brush and the specialty glitter polish.  

Finally, (as if that isn't enough perks!) you accumulate "Jules" every month - basically points to go towards future purchases!  This month I cashed in my Jules for a free polish!

I know this is more money than 'Ipsy' (double the price), but I really love how you can choose your own box and you get a lot of product for your money! As a nail polish addict I already spend a lot on new polish each month so this has actually helped me cut down! Any time I am tempted I remind myself my next Julep box is coming soon.  

If you are interested in signing up for Julep, click here to get your starter box for free!  

*This is not a sponsored post - trust me, Julep has no idea who I am - haha! 

Bathroom Reno: The Vanity

As promised in my last bathroom renovation post, I wanted to share with you our beautiful new vanity.  

This step in the renovation process was just that - quite the process.  I can not tell you how many times we went back and forth on this decision due to the crazy  prices of vanities!  All of the vanities I even sort of liked were well over $1000 and that was #1 not in the budget and #2 just crazy to me.  The DIY-er in my knew there was a better way!  Even though we didn't want to spend that much on a vanity I still didn't want to "cheap out".  I wanted something good quality that would last us a long time as well as something with a lot of storage since our second bathroom only has a pedestal sink.  I was also struggling with the idea of possibly keeping our old vanity top (you can see photos of it here) since it was a beautiful granite top with a great Kohler faucet.  That idea just didn't excite me though so it was back to the drawing board.  

Jay and I have been wanting a vessel sink for a while that could sit on top of the counter - we just liked the look and thought it would be fun for something different.  Our original idea was actually to find an old vintage dresser and turn it into a vanity!  We wanted something that I could paint, maybe re-stain the top and add a vessel sink.  I still love that idea but knew it wouldn't provide us with enough storage.  We will most likely still do this in our second bathroom so stay tuned for that in future posts!  So, with this idea as our inspiration we finally came up with what we think was the perfect combination.  We decided to find a regular white vanity from Home Depot (something good quality but nothing too expensive), add our own wooden top and vessel sink, and freshen it up with new knobs and drawer pulls!  I love how the modern vessel sink combines with the more traditional and rustic feel of a wooden counter top.  I also love how the wood pulls together the feel of the first floor of our home which has a lot of original wood trim and doors.  I didn't want the bathroom to feel too modern and disconnected from the rest of the house.   

We started looking on Amazon  and found a sink we loved that was a white rectangle shape.  We found a great and affordable faucet on Amazon too!  I enlisted the help of my amazingly talented Dad in building the vanity top - he helped us decide on the perfect measurements based on the sink and the vanity size - then built and sanded it perfectly for us.  I stained the top then sealed it with a Polycrylic to protect the surface from future water splashes and cleaning.  Check out the photos of the process below! 

Unboxing the sink! Gorgeous! :)

Getting a visual for the final look

Staining the top! I used "Dark Walnut" by Minwax

We followed the directions from the sink for the installation of this!

Turned out better than we even imagined!

Adding your own knobs and pulls to a standard vanity is a great way to customize it and make it look more high end!

 

     Sink: Kraus KCV-121-CH White Rectangular Ceramic Sink

Faucet: 14" Chrome Contemporary Vanity Vessel Sink Faucet

Vanity: Glacier Bay Hampton White Vanity Cabinet

Stain: Minwax Dark Walnut

Protective Top Coat: Minwax Polycrylic Clear Gloss

So - with some creativity and a little extra work, we created a gorgeous vanity for less than $500! 

Stay tuned for even more updates on the bathroom renovations coming soon!  I also have a kitchen project coming up and I can't wait to share it! 

My First Ipsy Bag!

About a month ago my friend Lauren and I signed up for a beauty subscription service called "Ipsy" that delivers a small bag of five beauty related goodies to your door once a month!  

I first heard of Ipsy a while back and have wanted to sign up for long time but as things like that go, I forgot about it.  We were together one night and I started to inquire about it and fill out my on-line questionnaire and Lauren quickly got interested too!  The sign up process starts as I said by filling out an on-line quiz so Ipsy can get a better idea of what you may like including your skin tone, hair colour, eye colour, what type of products you are interested in trying and more.  

This service is only $10 per month and as I said you receive five products. Ipsy calls these "deluxe samples" and as you will see they are much more than samples!! A fun extra is you get a cute little fabric bag each month - great for throwing some make-up in your purse or for travel!  I am a sucker for little travel toiletry bags so this part alone excites me! :)  

I think this is such a great way to try out some new products and hey, who doesn't like getting packages in the mail!? (especially ones in hot pink envelopes!!)

One last thing I love that I discovered after I received my bag was that you can review your products to give an idea of what you like or don't like.  For example, I was able to say that I liked receiving an eye liner, but did not like the colour I got (more on that later!).  This way I can try to avoid getting things I don't like in the future! 

If you have any interest in signing up for Ipsy or just want to check out a review on some new products then keep reading! 

*I should note ... this is not a sponsored post - I am just simply loving this service and was excited to share it with you! 

1. POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini in "Peony Petal"

I have heard of POP Beauty but never tried any products.  This was an exciting find and as Lauren agrees one of the best lip glosses we have ever tried!! It is so creamy, not sticky, and very highly pigmented.  I love the shade chosen for me any time of year but am excited to wear it in the Spring!  I don't mind sticky lip gloss because it usually means it will last longer (MAC Lipglass is my all time favorite and as anyone who tried it knows it is very sticky) - but this one is very long lasting considering how smooth it feels on the lips!  Again I would not consider this a "sample" - this will last a long time.  Check out my swatch below! 

2. ZOYA Nail Polish in "Odette" 

 

This is a gorgeous colour that is so wearable in any season.  It is described as an "orchid maroon cream" which is pretty spot on but I would probably describe it as a warm pinky/mauve to give you another idea of the shade.   I have never tried Zoya polish since I usually stick to my all time favourite brands like Essie, OPI and Julep - but have heard wonderful things about Zoya!  This polish applied beautifully and was opaque in just two easy coats.  I can't comment yet on the wear since it has only been on my nails for about a day but so far is great!  I'm not too worried though since I usually change up my polish every few days (it's my relaxing me-time and I just love doing it!) 

3. J.Cat brand False Eyelashes 

False lashes are so fun for a night out or special occasion.  Both Lauren and I didn't totally luck out with these as hers look extremely long and although mine are shorter, they are really thick and dramatic.  I do think these are a great addition to my make-up collection anyways and I will probably save mine for a fun girls night out!   Considering the price for all of this stuff was only $10 I'm not disappointed with these!

4. Mally Beauty Waterproof Eyeliner in "Starlight"

This was my "whomp-whomp" item. I was excited to see that I got a waterproof eyeliner but silver!? Not my favorite shade.  I will say that the formula feels great but I haven't tested the longevity of it yet. It isn't all that bad though - I'm sure I can make this work as an accent to a grey or purple smoky eye look!  Again I am a make-up lover and like to have a ton of variety so I'm sure there will come a day I will use this! In my review I was able to say I liked the eyeliner and brand but didn't like the shade. I love that I can give Ipsy some feedback so they can easier customize my bag in the future! 

5. City Color Be Matte Blush in "Fresh Melon"

This stuff totally makes up for the bad eyeliner!! I love matte blush because I can then add my own highlighter to my cheekbones - or none at all for the days I want no shimmer! This is such a pretty colour and again will be really great for Spring! When I first swatched this I was worried it looked too powdery and chalky - but it applied beautifully with a brush! I am not joking this blush sells for only $2.99! I would never normally test out a blush that inexpensive (I guess I just wouldn't trust the quality) so getting it in this bag was wonderful! I now know that I love the formula and pigmentation and will definitely be ordering more shades.  I also learned not to be so judgmental on something just based on the price! ;)


How great was all of that!  I know I've said this enough - but I can't believe I got all of that for $10!  If you want to sign up head on over to www.ipsy.com.  Unfortunately there is a wait list but when we signed up they asked us to share it on Facebook to skip to the top of the list!  So there's a tip if you are signing up - pay attention to the fine print! 

Hope you enjoyed this fun little post!  Tomorrow is Family Day here in Canada so Jay and I are excited to spend the day with each other and our pup Ivy - hope you have a great day too!

Easy Valentine's Day Date Idea

Hello loves!! 

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching so today I'm sharing a budget friendly date idea!  My husband and I have been together for 10 years this month (crazy!!) and this is something we have made a tradition ... anyone that knows us well knows this is what we do!

It started out because our second Valentine's Day together we were students starting University and therefore on a major budget!  Valentine's Day also always fell around reading week for us and we loved using that time to plan a trip (again leaving less money to spend towards Valentine's Day).  We never go crazy on gifts this time of year; we are just happy spending some extra time together doing something special ... and maybe a small gift (i.e.: a DVD, a small bottle of perfume or cologne, Dior Creme de Rose lip balm .... *hint hint - haha!).

Anyways, our favorite way to spend V-Day for the past 10 years has been to spend the night at home cooking some homemade pizza - and the super corny part is we always make it heart shaped!  Again I know you're probably rolling your eyes but you don't have to make it heart shaped - or you don't have to make pizza at all!  Maybe order some take-out or make a different favorite meal together.  But - that is what we do ... we put on some music, drink some wine, cut up all of our favorite veggies and meats, make some pizzas (homemade crust and all!) and usually watch a movie!  Some years I even go the extra mile and make some chocolate fondue with some cut up fruit for dessert!  Perfect excuse to bust out the fondue pot! 

I know a lot of people dislike Valentine's Day but I look at it as a chance to celebrate love - love with another person, love of your friends or family, or most important love for yourself! So if you are single or even if your significant other is out of town, etc ... why not plan a date night with some friends!  If I were single or if Jay was out of town, I would probably do one of my favorite things and have a spa night at home.  The point is, do something that you love to do!  It doesn't have to be all about hearts everywhere and the color pink - maybe your V-Day treat to yourself will be a latte from Starbucks!  Just saying - treat yourself or the ones you love with a little something to show them you care.

Now for some cheesy past photos of the homemade pizza making!   

*Don't forget the champagne! Hey - life is short so I use any chance I can to pop open some bubbly!

*hmmm, looks like we have a little guest!

 

Wishing everyone a lovely Valentine's Day whether it is with your honey, some friends, or a day to pamper and spoil yourself! 

Bathroom Reno: My Process in Picking Paint and Tiles

Continuing on in my bathroom renovation series; today I thought I would share how I came up with the design of our bathroom including colors and tiles.   

Since we ripped everything out of the bathroom I was able to start from scratch in terms of colors and styles so that was good. Well ... sort of.  I love that I had that freedom but my mind tends to go crazy when I am designing a new space.  I get so many ideas at once and it usually takes me a few days to settle my mind on one.  This one took me a few weeks!   

I was struggling with the idea of keeping true to my character home, but adding some modern touches too.  I love the balance of mixing vintage and rustic pieces with some modern flair.   I wanted a "spa-like" feel to the space so I knew I wanted a green or blue on the walls mixed with lots of clean whites and natural elements.  I knew I wanted the fixtures chrome with curved and rounded edges.  These type of fixtures feel very vintage to me and I love that.   

So - since I knew all of that, at least I could narrow down my choices.  First thing I did was head over to the paint section at my local Home Depot and pulled some swatches of blues and greens.  I found a ton that I liked and brought them all home.  It is so important to do this and look at colors in your own home and light.  A few I liked were definite "no's" when I brought them home!  Some were too blue, green, light, dark, etc ...  I narrowed my choices down to three and taped them to the bathroom wall and left them there for about a week. Throughout that week I moved them around, took one or two down, and finally decided on one.  I picked "Southern Breeze" by Behr and below is a swatch! 

Home Depot started putting little tags next to Behr paint swatches saying "popular colour" and I love that!  Every colour looks different in every home but in a world with so many thousands of swatches its nice be able to narrow down your search that way.  Knowing that this shade by Behr was a popular choice convinced me to take a swatch and I'm so glad I did because it's just perfect!

We went back and forth for a while on tile choices but one thing always remained constant and that was we wanted the shower enclosure to be white subway tile.  This is my absolute favorite type of tile because it is timeless.   The subway tile dates all the way back to 1904 when the NYC Subways were in need of a long lasting and good looking material.  The white, rectangular ceramic tile was chosen for its' durable and stain resistant nature.  These tiles have truly stood the test of time in the design world and I am a huge fan because they are classic and the white will match with anything.  I also love that you can completely change the look of these tiles by using different colored grout!  Although we went with white grout, I do love the look of dark grout with white subway tile.  Because we live in a character home built in 1920, using subway tile brings back a timeless feel to the space in the midst of our added modern elements.  A bonus is that subway tile is usually one of the cheapest options out there! 

                                                     Donald Uhrbrock/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

We decided to build our own shower floor out of tiles rather than use a pre-made shower floor because our space was an odd size.  As pictured in my first bathroom renovation post, we wanted the shower to reach from one wall to the other and the best and cheapest way for us to do this was tiles!  We also prefer the look and again aren't afraid of a little DIY.  We decided to go a little fancier for the floor and picked a small hexagon shaped mosaic tile in a light grey and white marble.  We chose a grey grout with this to give it some character and help keep future cleaning easy! White grout + floor = no thanks!  This is a great way to add a little more luxury to a room because a shower floor doesn't require a huge number of tiles which means it won't totally break the bank!  

Finally for the floor tiles we found a beautiful porcelain that looks like planks of wood. They have no shine to them so we liked how this brought some warmth back into a space surrounded by shiny white tiles and a marble shower floor.  Again, I love the mix of clean whites with something more rustic, distressed or vintage.  These being porcelain is also great for durability rather than having an actual wood floor in the bathroom.   

*we chose the one on the right!

We bought a couple different variations of the tiles and brought them home to look at the colors in the space.  The floor wood-style tiles came in a few shades ranging from light grey to a dark walnut.  We compared these with the white subway tiles, the marble shower floor tiles and the paint swatch.  

We finally settled on what you see below!  

*these photos were taken pre-blog so I apologize for the bad quality ;)

It is so worth it to take your time on these decisions because tiles are so permanent.   I am a huge Nate Berkus fan and I will always remember his advice of choosing simple tiles in neutral colors.  Trends come and go and you can always change the feel of a room with different paint shades or decor items ... but tiles - not so easy!  Sure I would have loved to add a sea-glass mosaic tile to the shower walls as an accent - but knowing me in a year I'll probably be so over the aqua colors and want something different!  If that time comes all I need is some new paint and new towels to transform the space.  If you take anything away from this post, I hope you take your time on your next large project and really compare items and colors until you find your perfect choices!  And try to stick with simple, classic tiles and add fun accents elsewhere!   

Stay tuned for my next bathroom renovation post all about our vanity!  

    

  

January 2014 Favorites

Well the first month of 2014 has come and gone - yay!! I don't mind January, but the fact that it's over means that warmer weather is coming soon and the month of love, February, is here!  

I thought I would let you all know some of the things I have been loving this past month!  As I told you in my "weekend getaway packing tips" blog post, my husband and I took a trip to Minneapolis a couple weeks ago.  I finally got to try out some things I've been eyeing for a while and you definitely will see some of them listed below - they have quickly become new favorites.  

So, without any further explanation, here are a few of the things I've been loving in January:

1. Josie Maran 100% Argan Oil

I have been wanting to try this for a long time so while I was at Sephora I purchased a travel size.  The regular size is about $50 so I figured it was worth it to buy a smaller size and test it out before spending that much on an oil.  I have never been afraid of using oils on my face (I used to only use baby oil to remove my makeup) so I was excited to try this.  I have read so many great reviews on Argan Oil and its' benefits for your skin.  The "Josie Maran Argan Oil" claims that it is "a lightweight oil that can be used as a daily moisturizer or treatment for skin, hair and nails".  You can read a more detailed description of the benefits of argan oil here.  I have really dry skin this time of year so I have been using it both morning and night. At night I use a heavier layer all over my face before I put on my night cream.  They say you should pat oils on rather than rub them in so I like to rub some between my hands and pat it all over my face.  Because it has been so cold here and my skin has been extra dry, I mix a little of the oil in with my day cream for some extra hydration in the morning.  I usually wait about 10-15 minutes before putting on my makeup to give it enough time to really sink in to my skin.  I have noticed a huge change already - my skin looks brighter and the texture has really improved.  My skin feels hydrated but never heavy.  Those with oily skin shouldn't be afraid to use this either - just stick to using it only at night.  If you are properly hydrating your face and adding some oil to it, you skin won't feel the need to over-produce oil.  If you're nervous to use this, try starting by adding it to your regular moisturizer at night and go from there!  I will definitely be purchasing a larger bottle of this!! 

2. Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser

I have heard about this cleanser for a long time and finally decided to try it.   It is a simple  and effective cleanser that does the job in taking off any leftover makeup and really cleaning my skin.  It is gentle, moisturizing and non-irritating.  I was loving my old cleanser but found it was pricey for the small amount and since I like to wash my face morning and night I was going through it so fast.  The price is really great for this stuff and it comes in a variety of sizes.  The bonus is my husband has been loving it too since it's simple and doesn't have any girly smell to it.  We will definitely be repurchasing the larger 24 oz. bottle of this once our 8 oz. size runs out.  Click here to check it out! 

3. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer - Medium/Deep

This is a matte bronzer that I have been loving for contouring and adding an all over glow.  **BONUS - because it has real cocoa powder in it - it smells like chocolate!  I probably could have gone with the "Milk Chocolate" version which is a little lighter, but the bonus is I need such a tiny amount so I know this will last me a long time - plus it will be a perfect shade for me in the summer.  It blends so beautifully and creates such a natural looking contour.  If you like matte bronzers definitely give this one a try! 

4. Sigma F25 Tapered Face Brush

I am planning a full post on my love for Sigma brushes (and the amazing customer service I experienced) but for now I will let you know about one of my favorite brushes.  This one is perfect for contouring because of the pointed tip but is nice and fluffy for blending the lines or dusting bronzer all over the face.  I thing I may purchase another one of these to use with my setting powder because the point makes it really easy to pat into the corners of the nose and under eyes, but again is so fluffy it allows for a nice light coverage (which is what you want with setting powder to avoid a 'cakey' look).  Check out Sigma's website here!  If you like Mac makeup brushes, these are the same (or better) quality for a lot less money!  As  I said I am planning a future post about all my favorite brushes from Sigma so far.  

5.  Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

You might remember me mentioning the Naked 2 palette in a previous post and I recently got my hands on the Naked 3.  I thought I couldn't love an eye shadow palette more but oh yes ... it happened.  This palette is filled with the most beautiful rosy neutrals and I can't get enough of it.  You may think this wouldn't be very wearable but I have found myself reaching for this every day.  The rose toned shades create such a pretty, romantic look and I love the versatility of the matte, shimmery, light and dark shades.  On most days I do a simple matte look with the shade "strange" all over my lid and then use "limit" and "nooner" in the crease.  On days that I want to be more adventurous I usually just experiment with some of the other shades and have found so many combinations I love.  I like that the smokey eye you can create with this palette has a softer look to because of the pink tones.  


I originally wrote my list and realized there were, like, twenty things I have been loving this past month!  So to avoid this blog post turning into a novel, I will update you throughout the next month on my other favorites in some smaller posts.  :)

Happy Tuesday everyone! Enjoy the rest of your week - almost halfway through! (woo!!)