Video: My Every Day Make Up Routine

Can you guess what this post is all about?

Yep, my every day make up routine!

Disclaimer: I am by no means a make up artist or even a video guru for that matter ; ) You will see that below in my super quick make up video.

Here are some of the products I use pretty much every day. Usually on the weekends I don't wear much make up at all, but since I work full time, I like to wear a little bit of make up at least so I don't look like a walking zombie, ya know?

You can find all products from Sephora! The gold palette and "bling it on" blush palette are from Tarte cosmetics as part of their 2015 holiday collection. I don't think you can still get the full pack in store, but you may be able to find it online if you are curious.

When it comes to make up, I am simple. Like, so simple it hurts and people probably wonder why I never do anything different with my face. Well guess what, people? Sometimes I do a bit of a contour with that "social butterfly" shade above. I didn't in this video, but I felt the need to throw that out there so you didn't think all these products go to waste ; ) Lol. When it comes to eyeshadows, if and when I use it it is always a neutral colour. That's why you don't see anything crazy in here!

In this video, I used the shade "beaming" from the bling it on palette. It may be hard to tell from the picture, but it is my most loved shade, closely followed by prim.

My skin is super picky, and so far the Sephora brand of foundation is working out well for me. It is in shade Light 14, and the Nars concealer is Light 2/Vanilla.

So, onto the video!

See? That's why I don't do the YouTube ; ) I am already wearing a bit of foundation in the video, so it is not a complete routine that includes my skin care regime, but you get the idea. I love me some highlighter, and I often rotate between the "pink champagne" shade shown above, and a highlighter from Becca in the shade opal.

P.S. I apologize for the poor lighting! I used my laptop camera, and Lord knows how good that quality is. I will definitely consider getting a better camera if I plan to do future videos!

Here is the finished look (sans mascara on the lower lashes): Simple & easy!

Let me know in the comments if you have any make up recommendations! Despite only using a handful of things in the morning, I do love make up shopping. I just hate spending money on it ; ) LOL. What are your go to products?

Until next time!

Beauty Tuesdays: 6 Step At-Home Manicure

Today's Beauty Tuesday post revolves around nail care and at home manicures. Since weekly manicures aren't exactly in my budget, I generally take the matters into my own hands (haha) and do it at home myself. This way I can also try 100 colours of polish on without making any spa staff frustrated at my indecisiveness (or wasting polish). 

Here is my 6 Step At-Home Manicure!

Step One:

Exfoliate hands. I picked up the Freeman hand scrub from Walmart, and my only complaint is that it could be a tad bit more moisturizing. It is quite dry, but it exfoliates well.

Step Two:

Remove any old polish & oils off my nails. I use any nail polish remover - some are formulated for brittle nails, extra moisturization, etc, but I find they all kind of work the same. I got my Equate polish remover from Walmart (their no-name cosmetic brand).

Step Three:

Apply a coat (or two) of OPI's Nail Envy Nail Strengthener. This stuff does wonders at making my nails grow longer and stronger. While it is rather pricy, you can often times find it in salons in value packs (coupled with cuticle oil or a bottle of polish) so it's more of a 2-for-1 deal.

Step Four:

Apply two coats of nail polish. On Friday when I painted my nails I opted for the pink China Glaze shade above which is called Naked. I thought Naked would be, well, a nude shade rather than bright pink, but whatever works!

Step Five:

Apply a top coat. I never realized how important a top coat was, but it truly does wonders to make your manicure last. Plus it makes your polish look extra shiny! This Seche Vite top coat dries SO fast and adds a crystal-like shine to your nails.

Step Six:

Moisturize your hands once the polish has dried. Most spas and salons will do the moisturizing part before polish and just use extra remover to remove any oil and residue on the nails, but I prefer it at the end. It's like the finishing touch! Any lotion will do, but right now I am loving any of the body butters from The Body Shop. I actually came across this by accident while cleaning out an old purse. Treasure hunting!

Hands sans-moisture. Notice my owl pajamas? They are a hoot! Lazy Friday's at their best.

Of course, since my nails are still fairly short, they don't require a ton of filing or technical work. I do however make sure they are even with no jagged edges by gently filing them, and once a week(ish) use a nail buffer to buff out any ridges on my nails and shine then up if I'm going au naturel.

What are your nail care tips?

Favourite polish colour!?

I am loving anything bright for summer, although I am excited for deep fall colours. Dark inky blues, reds, woohoo!