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. 

* * * * * * * * * * 

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 Power of a Lipstick

www.breakupstomakeup.com

Last week I spent some time with my cousin/bestie in California after going through a rough couple of weeks. 

I knew we would be doing some major retail therapy and one item on the top of my list was a new lipstick.  I didn't want just any lipstick ... but a fancy lipstick.  I am a lip product lover in general but I knew a designer brand would be a way to feel kind of luxurious without totally breaking the bank.  Most designer lipsticks retail anywhere from $35-$45 (brands like Dior, YSL and Chanel, for example).  I could have purchased something else from one of these lines but to me, a lipstick was something I could use every day.  It is something I can pull out of my purse regularly and just feel a little more fancy while doing so.  

While discussing this, my cousin Paula reminded me of the story of the "Lipstick Effect".   The lipstick effect is something that happened during the recession a few years back when most retail sales seemed to decrease but surprisingly lipstick sales rose.   According to researchers at Texas Christian University, the University of Minnesota, the University of Texas at San Antonio and Arizona State University, the more insecure the economy, the more money women spent on beauty products.  Check out this arcticle from The Huffington Post for a little more info behind this theory.  

I didn't know about any of this but in my mind just knew a designer lipstick would be a fun new purchase.  I decided on a YSL "Rouge Volupte Shine" in the shade "8 - Pink in Confidence", a dusty pale pink that is perfect for every day wear.  I think when spending a lot of money on a lipstick you may as well get a shade that you can get a lot of use out of.  I didn't want something like dark red or hot pink that I would only wear on special occasions; I wanted something that I could put in my purse and be able to wear with any look.  Why spend $40 on a lipstick that I would only wear once a month!?   Although this was expensive, I know I will be purchasing more since the quality is so great.  The color is perfect and the formula is so creamy and comfortable on the lips.  It has long staying power and a beautiful shine to it.  I absolutely love the gold packaging and it definitely feels luxurious when I pull it out.  It almost reminds me of being a little girl and watching my Mom or other ladies pull out a fancy lipstick from their purse.  Being a lover of makeup my whole life, I remember being excited for when I got old enough to carry and wear a pretty lipstick.  

I've been wearing lipstick for a long time and have too many MAC lipsticks to even count, but this is my first designer lip product.  Maybe you think lipstick isn't your thing, but I'm telling you ... next time you're down, treat yourself to a new lipstick and see if it gives you that pick-me-up you might need.  Yes there's more to life than just lipstick and yes lipstick doesn't solve the world's problems ... but sometimes life doesn't need to be so complicated and it's OK to accept the fact that yes, a lipstick might make you feel better.  My new lipstick didn't solve my problems but it does make me feel confident when I put it on and that's good enough for me. 

Wishing you all a happy weekend! 

    

Kitchen Makeover: The After!

Finally I am back with my kitchen makeover after photos!! The project really didn't take much time at all but I didn't want to post photos until all the little finishing touches were complete.  

We are so so happy with this transformation.  A little bit of paint and some work put in totally changed the look and feel of this space.  The new paint gave it an update but the back splash and chalkboard wall helped give the space some character to match the rest of our home!  The painted counter top has held up amazing so far with only one little chip which was my own fault for not sanding properly in between coats (what can I say I got lazy and was excited to just be finished and start decorating - hehe!).  I will post a more in depth tutorial this week on how I painted the counters and what I used.  For now ... check out the photos! 

I'll post a couple before ones first just to refresh your memory: 

So as I said in my last post about the kitchen, it wasn't that bad ... but we were so excited for a change! 

Check it out!

*The knobs are all the same but we switched up the drawer pulls and love the look!! Such a simple tip!

*I love how the darker cabinets have totally refreshed the look of our white appliances.  Rather than just blending in and looking kind of drab they now look bright and white again!

*We decided to go with a darker grout to help showcase the tiles and break up all the white! This should help with kitchen stains as well - white grout may be much harder to keep clean.

*We kept the section of butcher block to avoid too much wear and tear on the painted counters!

*As you can see here we left these cabinet doors off to give the space a different look and store recipe books! It is now so much easier to just grab a book when needed.

*We moved the microwave here to make more room on the other counter for my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer! I was tempted to paint the stool and the table for the microwave but I kind of like how it warms up the space and matches with the butcher block section on the other side.

* I took these photos in bright daylight so the wall color is hard to see - but it is a really great basic "greige" colour. 

*One of my favorite parts is this chalkboard wall!  This gives the space some character and I can't wait to change up the quotes based on the season or holiday!

 

 

Paint Colors Used:

 

Walls: Behr - Mineral

Cabinets: Behr - Perfect Taupe

Counter Tops: Behr - Swiss Coffee

Chalkboard Wall: Rust-oleum Black Chalkboard Paint

Hope this provided some inspiration to you on how a little bit of paint can completely transform the look and feel of a space!! Happy Sunday! 

Our Kitchen Makeover: The Before

So my husband and I have been itching to makeover our kitchen since we first moved into our new house almost a year ago.  At first glance when we moved in it seemed fine - the counter top was ugly but livable, and the cabinets were white which is one of my favorite looks for a kitchen.  We always thought we would just put in a new counter top, put a fresh coat of white paint on the cabinets, maybe add a back splash and be done! 

After living in the house a while we knew it needed more than that but also realized that other rooms needed more than we originally planned in terms of paint and renovations.  After completing those other renovations in the house we are pretty much sick of living in a construction zone and don't feel like putting out the money for a big renovation either.  With all this in mind our brains got creative and we thought up some other ways to make a big impact on the room with a small budget and small time frame.  Check out some 'before' shots below.  It's not terrible, but we know we want to be in this house for a long time so we just wanted to make the space feel more like us.

(please note the hideous counter top color!)

The previous wall color was not terrible but the yellow-beige just wasn't working with the rest of the house.

Planning a new home for the microwave to free up some counter space!

The white cabinets just didn't work for us in this space.  I like a bright kitchen but I also like a warm kitchen with a "homey" and almost craftsman or rustic feel.  Something about this particular kitchen with the white cabinets just felt cold.  We also use our side door as our main entrance and when you come up the stairs from the porch, the kitchen is the first room you see.  Because of that, we wanted the room to make more  of a statement when walking in the house.  I came across some inspiration photos on Pinterest with cabinets painted more of a taupe or 'greige' color and, well, it was love at first sight.   I also came across an aqua colored ceramic tray in the stationary section of Target (I think meant for paper or office supplies) and thought it would be a perfect tray to sit next to the sink to hold dish and hand soap.  See - keep your eyes peeled because inspiration can hit you anywhere!  Keep an open mind and you will find things or ideas for your home in unexpected places.  

That completed my vision and inspiration for the space.  We decided to go with a darker taupe or greige on the cabinets, a light greige for the walls and white for the counter tops. Did you catch that?  Yes we are painting our counter tops!  A few people I've told think we are a bit crazy but we are so excited!  We know that one day down the road we will do a complete renovation of the kitchen with new cabinets and such, so it is fun to experiment for now and try new things!  I am not afraid of painting and am excited to see the result.  The counters are not pretty right now so really, anything will be better! There is a section of butcher block beside our stove as well that we are keeping which I think will look great with the white and really contribute to that craftsman look I was talking about. 

The photo below is our paint swatches on top of that tray I mentioned which will be an accent color.  It is basically a visual for me of the final look to keep me on track.  

 

 That's all you get for now!  Stay tuned for some after photos coming later this week of the transformation.  I'll also do a tutorial on the counter top painting process for anyone interested in that.  It's amazing how for less than $200 we have totally changed the look and feel of the space - I can't wait to show you the results! 

Hope you all enjoy your week ... Happy Monday! 

A quick kitchen organization tip ...

So my husband asked if I would bake some banana bread tonight (probably just to use up some of the 50 bananas we have in our freezer!) and in doing so, I thought I would quickly share one of my favorite kitchen organization tips! 

I love baking and cooking and find this really helps me stay organized and quickly reach for what I need.  It's super simple ... I hang my measuring cups and spoons on the inside of a cupboard door! That's it! 

It sounds so simple and I have often been poked fun at for being too organized (ummm, I have to object ... you can never be too organized!) but this makes such a huge difference for me and I can't live without it!  When I moved into my new house I didn't have it up right away and anytime I tried to bake it drove me nuts so it wasn't long before I did it again. 

Here is a photo of what it looks like:

 

You can use different options for the little hangers but all I used were the 'Command Damage Free' hooks.  You can also drill small holes and screw in tiny hooks but I like the fact that I can easily remove these hooks if needed.  You do not need to use an actual label maker like I did but I do recommend labeling them somehow just to make it that much easier to distinguish.  You can use little stickers with handwritten numbers or even print them out on small printable labels.  However, if you have ever even considered  purchasing a label maker .... do it! I don't mean to condone bad spending behavior (haha!) but if you are the type of person who likes to organize or wants to simplify your life a bit, a label maker is a great addition to your family. :)  I use mine all the time!

Here are some more close up photos of the finished result:

Again it's a super simple tip and I'm sure you have seen this all over Pinterest! You can definitely be more creative to make it prettier (which I may do since I have a kitchen remodel project happening soon) but I also find it simple yet effective like this! 

Hope you all have a wonderful evening and enjoy the upcoming weekend!  With my kitchen project starting this weekend I think I will savor this downtime and pour myself a cup of tea and test out that banana bread I mentioned. :)  

 

 

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! 

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!