NOTD: August 31, 2015

This holo spacey mani is Sephora X in Juju (from this haul) with Wet N' Wild Party of Five Glitters (from this haul).

I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, 2 coats of Juju, and 1 coat of Party of Five Glitters on the accent, followed by Orly Top2Bottom as the top coat.

I couldn't quite capture the holographic effect of Juju, it was really strong in natural light, although not as stronger as the indie holos we see.

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: August 28, 2015

My very first skittlette mani!  This perfectly summery mani is three Sephora by OPI polish All That Jasmine, Havana Dreams, and Your Wish Is My Command. All That Jasmine and Your Wish Is My Command are both from this haul. Havana Dreams is from this haul.

I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, 1 coat of All That Jasmine, 2 coats of Havana Dreams and Your Wish Is My Command. I used Orly Top2Bottom as the topper.

Really cute right?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: August 25, 2015

This rather sheer mani is Orly Pink Lemonade (from this haul). I was drawn the pretty pink shimmeryness of the polish, but I'm a bit disappointed.

I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base coat, followed by 2 coats of Pink Lemonade, and topped with Orly Top2Bottom.

Still it's definitely summer appropriate, and hopefully I will find the perfect polish to wear under it!

Thanks for reading!

Fav Movies of 2010

For those looking for some viewing suggestions, here's my list of favourite movies from 2010



10. The Kids Are All Right: This critically acclaimed film (it won 2 Golden Globes and was nominated for 4 Oscars) is one of those quirky family films, centering on a family with 2 mothers and their run-ins with their children's biological father. This movie will make you laugh and cry, and appreciate your own family.



9. The Social Network: While the script was sharp, the acting and casting really made this film for me. Jesse Eisenberg is believably jaded and callous, poor Andrew Garfield is the friend just trying to do the right thing, and Justin Timberlake is a dick. Honestly, I had no interest in this film until all the critical acclaim swept in, and then I only watched it at the request of a friend. Definitely surprised by how much I liked this one!



8. Despicable Me: Confession, I LOVE Steve Carell, and besides the adorableness of the minions, he is the reason I watched this movie. I was not disappointed, not only is this a heart-warming children's film with a happy ending (oops...spoiler), this is hilarious and just all around awesome. You do not need to be a kid or have a kid to watch this film!



7. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: This was one of my favourite books as a child, I love fantasy, and I loved the idea of sailing to the edge of the world to find the 7 lost lords. Also can we just admire how truly terrible Eustace is? Even his name is awful! Anyways, as a huge fan of the book, I did manage to see this film in theatres (and 3D no less), and was sobbing openly at the end. While it was not a completely faithful adaption, it was beautiful in its own way.



6. Black Swan: Natalie Portman deserved that Best Actress Oscar, the role of the unraveling ballerina was perfect for her. She kept the audience guessing if what she saw was real or fabricated. The setting of the ballet only increased the tension for the twist ending. Definitely a film that people are still talking about!



5. Kick-Ass: I love fun films, and this one was perfect! A goofy concept, but it works overall! Can I first shout out to Mark Strong and Christopher Mintz-Plasse who were the perfectly hilarious villians. I love comic book movies, and this was the perfect balance of parody and heart!



4. Red: In the same genre as Kick-Ass, I loved Red as well! Perfect casting, with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Karl Urban, and of course the talented Helen Mirren. Bonus points in this movie for not only being hilarious and action-packed but also partially filmed in Toronto!



3. Easy A: Yes, I love chick flicks and teen comedies. But this one is actually good! Definitely in my top 20 favourite teen movies (oooo, that could be an interesting blog post). Emma Stone is her usual goofy charming self, she starts a lie, and her whole life blows up because of it. Lesson learned! Also love the throwbacks to 80's movies they slide in here!



2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I: So much happens in the film, and of course I bawled. Emotions all over from this one! A great film and an amazing cast and of course a fantastic story. Seriously if you still haven't read the books - drop everything you're doing and do it now!



1. Toy Story 3: Anyone who doesn't love this movie or rank it in their best of 2010 is either heartless or lying. FANTASTIC movie! All of the feels! Seriously, go watch it yourself and I dare you not to cry. I feel like this film hit us Gen Xers more knowing that we grew up with Toy Story and Toy Story 2, and Andy has now grown up with us *sniff*

Do you agree or disagree with my picks? Any movies from 2010 I should check out?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: August 20, 2015

This mirror-like mani is OPI This Color's Making Waves. It was picked up during a recent Winners trip and I'm not disappointed!

I used butter London Nail Foundation as the base, followed with 2 coats of This Color's Making Waves, and a topper of Orly Top2Bottom.

It's hard to capture this polish as it's almost a duochrome of blue and green, but with purple shimmer in it as well! Really pretty!

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: August 18, 2015

This is Clinique Hot Date (from this haul). I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, followed by 2 coats of Hot Date, with Orly Top2Bottom as the top coat.

This was a bit on the sheer side, and I might have to try using it for a jelly sandwich!

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: August 16, 2015

These polish look better together in the bottle than on the nail...

This mani started with butter London Nail Foundation as the base coat, one the pointer and pinky fingers I used 3 coats of Julep Amity (from this haul), on the middle and ring finger I used 1 coat of Julep Nancy (from this haul). I used Orly Top2Bottom as the top coat.

I was really loved Julep Nancy, however Amity was a disappointment, still sheer after 3 coats, so I guess I'll use it as a topper. Always great to find a 1 coater!

What was the last single coater you found?

Thanks for reading!

Rexall + Winners Haul!

A mini haul for you!

L to R: Squanorm Shampoo, Aussie Hair Insurance Heat Protecting Shine Spray, Essie Suite Retreat, Orly Pink Lemonade

As I'm sure you know, Squanorm is a staple for me to help control my scalp.

The Aussie heat protecting spray was on clearance for $6.20, I've been putting more effort into my hair recently, which does involve a fair amount of blow drying and straightening, so in order to keep my hair healthy, I figure this couldn't hurt!

The nail polish were $5.99 at Winners, and they both seem unique enough from the rest of my collection, I'm sure you'll see them in NOTDs soon!

Here's a closer look at them:

Have you picked anything up recently?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: August 12, 2015

This is one of my first jelly sandwich NOTDs! This is 3 coats of Deborah Lippmann Bad Blood (from this haul) with 2 coats of Deborah Lippmann 99 Luftballoons (from this haul).

So here's exactly how I accomplished this look! Step one: base coat butter London Nail Foundation, step two: Bad Blood, step three: 99 Luftballoons, step four: Bad Blood, step five: 99 Luftballoons, step six: Bad Blood, step seven: top coat Orly Top2Bottom! Whew!

I think it ended up being worth it!

Have you done a jelly sandwich before?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: August 9, 2015

Today's mani is a beautiful indie polish! This is 2 coat of Arcane Lacquer Erudite Charm (from this haul). I loved the Divergent series from Veronica Roth and as such couldn't resist this gorgeous polish! I love that it's a blue that borders on lavender or indigo, and the super fine bronze, blue, and purple glitter make it more complex!

I used butter London Nail Foundation as the base coat and Orly Top2Bottom as the top coat.

Did you enjoy the Divergent series?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: August 7, 2015

Today's moody purple mani is 1 coat of Sephora X Brainchild (from this haul) with 1 coat of Deborah Lippmann Let's Go Crazy (from this haul) over top on the accent. I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base and Orly Top2Bottom as the top coat.

I likely should've used 2 coats of Brainchild, as you can see some nail line, however it was pretty opaque otherwise! I also expected Let's Go Crazy to be more of a jelly, and I'm not sure that's the case, I will have to test that one out some more to figure it out!

Thanks for reading!

July Empties!

This month I had a good number of full-size items I finished up!

L to R: Degree Clinical Protection Stress Control Anti-perspirant, Neutrogena All-in-One Makeup Removing Cleansing Wipes

Degree Clinical Protection Stress Control Anti-perspirant: I still like Secret Clinical strength better, but I keep branching out and trying new deodorants! Will not repurchase

Neutrogena All-in-One Makeup Removing Cleansing Wipes: See review here. Still love and will continue to repurchase!

Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser: See review here. Still love! I will repurchase eventually but I have a big backlog of cleansers to get through first!

L to R: ROC Soft Smoothing Scrub, Aveeno Revitalize Shampoo

ROC Soft Smoothing Scrub: From this haul. I found this scrub to be more creamy than I expected, and less effective at scrubbing. I personally prefer Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash as my facial scrub of choice. Great in the winter when I felt my dry skin needed some additional moisture. Will not repurchase.

Aveeno Revitalize Shampoo: See review here. Still enjoy, but not my favourite by any means.

L to R: Secret Clinical Smooth Solid Anti-perspirant Light and Fresh, Laura Mercier Face Polish

Secret Clinical Smooth Solid Anti-perspirant Light and Fresh: Pretty much the same as the Waterproof review.

Laura Mercier Face Polish: From this haul. This foil packet got me 3 uses of the face polish. I actually really liked how luxurious it felt. Luckily I have another foil packet and a deluxe size sample to test out before determining if I'll buy.

What did you use up in July? Any new favs?