Five things making my (beauty) life easier this holiday season ...

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is fast approaching so I have a fun list for you all today! 

Time is limited for a lot of people all year round but especially now.  With Christmas parties, family dinners and last minute shopping, December can get pretty hectic!  Here are five things that are helping me make the most of my favourite time of year by spending less time on my beauty routine and more time with my loved ones. 

1. Kenra Platinum Blow-dry Spray

Photo Cred: Amazon.com

Whether you have hair like me (SUPER curly, coarse, frizzy and hard to manage) or just normal easy to style hair, no one loves spending a lot of time blow drying!  I tried this stuff about a month ago after hearing that it can cut dry time in half and I was sceptical.  Knowing my hair I figured, no way but I did want to still give it a try. Well folks I am here to tell you it actually works!! Not only does it cut down dry time but it has thermal protection so it keeps hair healthy while using all that heat.  As if all that wasn't enough it smells amazing and makes my hair super soft and shiny!  I don't wash my hair every day anyway, but I find when I use this I can go even longer without a wash - it's that good. Definitely a time saver for any time of year! Click here to check it out on Kenra's website!  Through that link you can also find out where near you sells Kenra products. 

2. Sephora Formula X Base & Top Coat 

This base and top coat are my favourite and now that I've started using them I can't go back! I talked about the polish in my Spring Favourites post but I don't think I mentioned the base and top coat! The base coat is slightly sticky so it really helps bond to the polish to help with staying power.  The top coat dries fast and is super shiny!  I almost always get asked if I'm wearing gel polish when I use these and can get about a week of wear time.  Again during the holidays I don't have time to be painting my nails every few days so these really help.  Of course gel or shellac would also last long but I love being able to just use regular polish remover to do a quick colour change rather than soaking the gel polish off.  

3. Bold Lipstick or Tinted Lip Balm

Ok, let's set the scene ... you are working all day and have to rush to a holiday party immediately after, leaving you no time at all to run home to freshen up.  How can you amp up your make-up in one easy step?  Add a bold lip! Bold lips look gorgeous with a simple eye so you can easily create a neutral work appropriate eye look and just before you get to the party, throw on some lipstick to glam it up! Here are a few of my favorites right now: 

Top L to R: Nars Fanny, MAC New York Apple, Bottom L to R: Nars Dragon Girl, MAC Plumful & GC Jewel

L to R: Nars Fanny, MAC Plumful, Nars Dragon Girl, MAC New York Apple & GC Jewel

1. Nars Audacious Lipstick in "Fanny" - This raspberry shade is totally my go-to this holiday season! The price tag is high on the new Nars lipsticks but the quality is amazing so I say it's totally worth it. 

2. Mac Lipstick in "Plumful" - This is a more subtle bold and easier to wear if you are scared of the really dark shades.  Mac lipsticks are definitely a holy grail for me.  

3. Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in "Dragon Girl" - I love this matte lip pencil for the staying power and beautiful bright red shade (fun fact - this is Taylor Swift's go to red for her signature look!)

4. Mac Lipstick in "New York Apple" - This is a great color for those who want to experiment with red lips but don't want to go so bright.  This is described as a muted red with pink shimmer which makes it a little less scary! 

5. Gerard Cosmetics Lip Gloss in "Jewel" - This is definitely for those who want to go bold! This is a gorgeous rich ruby shade with tons of shine.  It's easier to maintain throughout an evening because of the little mirror and light on the tube! 

If you have a couple extra seconds, throw some champagne shadow (Stila "Kitten" would be perfect) on the inner corners of your eyes to really pull the look together! 

On the other hand, tinted lip balms are great for those busy shopping days where you are in and out of the cold trying to check everything off your list.  You don't have much time to worry about lip stick or gloss but want to keep your lips hydrated and still look put together.  I love tinted lip balms for this - you don't need a mirror you can just throw them on in seconds and hydrate your lips while giving them some life.  Here are my current favorites that give a really pretty rosy flush: 

L to R: Fresh Sugar Rose, It Cosmetics Lip Flush & Maybelline Baby Lips

1. Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment - Super hydrating, smells gorgeous and has a really pretty rose tint!

2. It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush Stain in Je Ne Sais Quoi - This is a clear and moisturizing lip balm that reacts with each person differently to create the most perfect "your lips but better" rosy pink stain to your lips.  

3. Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me - This one is easy as you can find it anywhere that sells Maybelline - I love the soft red stain this one gives the lips and the cherry scent is great! 


4. Stella & Dot Melanie Chandelier Earrings

Most of the chandelier or statement earrings from Stella & Dot transform from studs to chandeliers with little hooks on the back.  I don't mind spending a little extra on a piece that can be worn different ways and that's why I love Stella & Dot so much!  Check out these beauties, the "Melanie Chandeliers": 

These gorgeous studs can be put on in the morning and worn all day for work ... then when you're on your way to that Christmas party, simply add on the extra pieces to the earrings to create instant glam! 

It really doesn't get any more time saving than that!  You can check out all the other earrings that do the same thing (or any of the other amazing versatile pieces) at the following link:

www.stelladot.com/alisontysoski

 *psst ... the Peacock chandeliers (which also transform from studs to chandeliers) are on sale for Black Friday weekend!  

  

5. Benefit Gimme Brow 

Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium

My last time saving tip to share is a product I fell in love with a few months ago.  Benefit's "Gimme Brow" is a tinted brow gel with a teeny-tiny brush that also attaches little fibers to the brows to give some volume.  This stuff instantly fills in the eyebrows and gives them a fuller look.  I usually use this in a combination with a brow pencil but on days that I'm in a rush this does the trick alone! The gel holds my brows in place all day too which is great so as I'm in and out of the cold and windy weather I don't have to worry about messy eyebrows! This comes in two shades, light/medium and medium/deep. 

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If you're still reading this incredibly long blog post - thank you!! I originally planned this post to be short and sweet but as most people know, once I start talking about beauty related products I can't easily stop!  

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season creating new memories with friends and family!   

The BEST Make-up Setting Spray!

Hey Friends!

In honor of the upcoming holiday season and the many parties most people will be attending, I have for you today the BEST makeup setting spray out there to keep your makeup looking fresh and perfect all night long! 

That product is .... Model In A Bottle!

Photo Cred: www.modelinabottle.com

I discovered this stuff online when I was preparing for my wedding three years ago (time flies!).  I like to research products a lot before purchasing and read as many reviews as possible.  This had amazing ones so I knew I had to try it.  

I purchased it a few months before my big day so I could really get a chance to test it out and see how well it really worked. The day my bridesmaids and I knew it was a good product was the day of my bridal shower.  It was a long and busy day so I sprayed all of our faces before we left for the shower. Well of course my Mom decided to say a beautiful and heartfelt speech that had all of us in tears!! As we all looked at each other crying we all burst out laughing because our make-up did NOT move.  I tried it more throughout the months leading up to the wedding and was convinced it was an amazing product.  

I did my own wedding make-up at about 10:00 am that day.  It was an extremely hot and humid day in August (trust me ... ask anyone from that day - it was HOT!!) and through a day of heat (outdoor ceremony), tears, laughter, photos, speeches, dancing, etc ... my make-up didn't move.  I'll never forget my sister in law came up to me at the very end of the night (about 1:30 am by this point) and told me my make-up still looked perfect!! 

One thing to keep in mind is this does have a strong perfumed smell.  Some people love it and some don't, so if you are sensitive to smells they also make a sensitive skin spray that is unscented.  

To use this, simply close your eyes and spray your entire face.  Keep your eyes closed for a minute or so to let it dry (sometimes I add a little bit of translucent powder over the spray once it dries just to really set everything).  This doesn't clog pores, has never caused breakouts on me and uses Aloe Vera extract to add some hydration to the skin as well.  

I really recommend this setting spray - check out the photo of me below taken at the end of the night after attending a wedding.  I did my make-up on that day in the early afternoon and this is a photo of me and my hubby about 10 hours later at the very end of the night (the only thing I had re-applied was lipstick!)

Check out www.modelinabottle.com if you want to purchase this stuff for yourself! 

Wishing everyone a safe holiday season filled with fresh makeup that lasts all night long!! ;)  

Fall Essentials 2014

Hello! 

Once again I have unintentionally taken a big blogging break! I don't really know why - I'm not sure if I have just been uninspired or just didn't think I had anything to say that was blog-worthy. 

Well I remembered how much I loved blogging and have decided to put my mind to some new ideas and am going to start it back up with some fall essentials (I totally missed September and October favorites so I figured I would lump them all together!).  Fall has quickly turned to winter here in Canada - but since it is still technically fall, I will share some of my favorites with you! 

1: Nail Polish: Essie - Take It Outside, Bahama Mama & Penny Talk

L: Bahama Mama, R: Penny Talk

Essie: Take It Outside (I realized I lent mine to my Mom!) Photo Cred: nailsave.com

I have been wearing these three colors non stop this fall (and I'm not usually a repeat polish offender - I tend to always switch it up). 

"Take It Outside" is a neutral greige from the Essie Fall 2014 collection.  It matches with everything and manages to be the perfect fall shade without being too dark or too light (if you love the classic "Chinchilly", this is a lighter version). 

"Bahama Mama" is a gorgeous purple/plum shade from the regular collection so no need to worry about it being limited edition.  There is just something special about this color - it's a deep cream berry shade and somehow looks pink, purple, wine and plum all at once.  It applies beautifully in two easy coats and although it's deeper it doesn't feel like a dark scary polish.  This shade also looks gorgeous on any skin tone. 

How pretty is "Penny Talk"!!

"Penny Talk" is a polish that totally plays into the trend of the past year of rose gold.  Rose gold is gorgeous and although it felt like a fad early on I have a feeling it isn't going anywhere - I still love it just as much as ever.  Rose gold jewelry may not be for everyone but adding it into your life with a nail polish is a great way start!  It would be pretty any time of year but just screams fall and holidays to me.       

2. Lipstick: Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey 

Top to Bottom: One, two then three swipes - see how build able it is, you can  choose your intensity 

I love the Clinique Almost Lipsticks - they are like a mixture between a lip balm and lipstick.  The color "Black Honey" initially looks a little scary (it totally looks almost black in the tube!) but when you swatch it it becomes the most beautiful berry/wine stain that looks different on everyone.  This was developed to be the "perfect" shade for every woman.  I don't remember where, but I did read that it is almost meant to resemble dried blood (AAHH gross I know! ... Sorry!) and that is the reason it looks good on everyone.  It enhances your natural lip tone beautifully.  It is also really build-able -because you can lightly put it on for a sheer wash of color, or layer it on its own or with a lip liner to intensify the pigment.  This quickly became a holy grail lip product for me.  So easy to throw in your bag and just put on at any time!   Don't be scared by the tube - I almost was but asked the Clinique rep. if I could test it and once I saw it on I immediately fell in love. 

3. Eyeshadow: Clinique Black Honey & Urban Decay Naked Palette 

Clinique Eyeshadow: Black Honey

When I purchased the Clinique lipstick I also checked out the "Black Honey" eyeshadow.  It is a beautiful warm burgundy/brown shade with a satin finish.  Clinique describes it as a "super shimmer" but I definitely don't find the shimmer overwhelming.  It's a beautiful shade for fall and I like wearing it lightly all over the lid then deepening the color in my crease.  I then take any matte cream shade to my brow bone and I'm good to go!  Super easy look for fall. 

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I have also been using my Urban Decay Naked palette a lot this fall.  I use it all year round but it's just perfect for fall with the warm brown and golden/bronze shades.  I love using "Naked" and "Buck" in my crease with "Darkhorse" on the outer half of my eye and on my lower lash line.  I also like to take "Smog" (a gorgeous bronze) and just put it all over my lid and add mascara for a quick eye look.  "Half Baked" is also the most beautiful gold and always a favorite - another one that I love to put on my lower lash line just to make the eyes glow!.  

4. Blush: Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore & Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

Milani Baked Blush: Berry Amore

The Milani blush in Berry Amore is gorgeous all year but I have been reaching for it a lot this fall. It's a pretty shimmery berry shade with some gold flecks.  I forgot about it during summer but reached for it again a couple weeks ago and have been wearing it non stop since! 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting blush palette is not cheap, I will warn you of that now ... hey I gave you a drugstore favorite with Milani so you can't be mad at me ;) However ... it is gorgeous!  So, if you want to treat yourself to something special and you love blush I highly recommend this.  The Hourglass blushes are about $45 each, but you can buy this palette of three for $59.  I wrote about the Ambient Lighting palette in this blog post so you can check that out to learn more about the ambient lighting system.  Basically they are designed to make you look like certain types of light are cast on your skin. The blush comes with "luminous flush", "incandescent flush" and "mood exposure" and I really love them all!

5. Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream

 I purchased this face cream in the summer because I was in need of something new.  I am really loving this stuff and have been using it as both my day and night cream.  I usually have dry skin but can get more normal/oily throughout the day so typically I don't like to use a cream I would use at night, during the day.  This stuff smells gorgeous (almost like fresh cucumber) and just smooths out my skin. It doesn't irritate (I do have sensitive skin when it comes to scented face products) and keeps it nicely hydrated all day without feeling greasy.  My make-up applies so nice and smooth after using this.  I never thought I would be able to find something good for both day and night but I did with this and I justify the higher price for that reason.  Plus, I never mind splurging on skin care - I have learned it is so worth it and my skin has totally thanked me for it. 

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So there are just a few of the things I have been loving this fall! Let me know if you have tried any of these or some of your fall favorites! 

Thanks for reading and sticking with me and my blog through a lengthy break! With the holidays just around the corner I am definitely planning some fun new blog posts!