So, a couple of days ago I received my SpringLuxebox. I haven’t been overly pleased with them. When you receive four a year, it’s important that each one is full of stuff you can use, yourself. I’ve had too many products that don’t suit my skin-tone. Also, products a few products that were repeats.
This never used to be the case with Luxebox, so I’ve cancelled. I’m going to try Ipsybag for a while, starting in April. Also, from the research I did, it’s rated better than many other monthly or seasonal boxes.
Anyways, here’s what I received for Luxebox Spring 2018:
Tadaa!!
1. China Glaze Nail Lacquer with Hardeners – Worth $14.00/14 mL – Color is Orangy-Brown with Shimmer — I gave this to my Mom, it suits her Autumn skin-tone well.
2. LARITZY Cosmetics Eye Pencil (Laritzy.com) – Worth $18.00/1g (pencil) – White Shimmer — It’s a hard pencil, but a pretty color for tight lining on your bottom lid, and the corner of your eye, if you can soften it enough. So far, not much luck.
3. The Beauty Crop: GRLPWR Liquid Lipstick (@thebeautycrop) — Worth $10.00/14 mL – Deep Burgundy Red — This color was also quite brown. The photo is misleading. I gave it to a girl my Mom works with; it suits her skin-tone much better.
4. MANNAKADAR Beauty: Lash Extending Primer – $24.00/8g – White like most lash primers.
I’ve never found one I like, but I will give this a try as the formula includes proteins to strengthen hair follicles and moisturize your lashes. Sounds good to me 🙂
5. Voesh New York: Pedicure in a Box — Green Tea Pedicure – 3 pouches in a box — I’ve never tried this, but I’m excited too. One great item at least!
6. Professional Sebastian Shaper Plus Extra Hold Hairspray — 1.5 oz for Travel size.
The full-size is about $20.00 CAN at the Drugstore. I’ve tried it before and I like it a lot. The price is right, a full-sized spray bottle lasts a long time, and it’s hairspray you can brush out at night or if you’ve over sprayed. Two good items 🙂
7. Delectable Ultra Nourishing Hand Cream: Sweet Mint Cream — With Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Ana Aloe Vera – $6.00/6 mL
Again, not a bad item unless coconut isn’t your favorite scent. I’m not a huge fan. Nevertheless, hand cream is useful, and a great gift, as this is a full-sized product. It works fantastic too. My complaint is that I’ve received this almost exact same product in four different boxes.
Good Afternoon everyone. I’m back with some of my favourite beauty products I’ve tried since my Fall Beauty Haul. I hope you like the products and find some you can incorporate into your own beauty routine.
Benefit Cosmetics: Browvo Conditioning Primer (www.sephora.ca) – $36.00 CAN
This wasn’t a product I went out and bought, but I received the full-sized product with a coupon code from Sephora. Its a product part of Benefit’s recently revamped brow line since brows have become a big deal these past two-years where makeup is concerned.
I haven’t used this product long, only a week, but I wanted to include it in the Beauty Haul. So far I enjoy the product and it makes my brows feel soft. You don’t have to wear other brow products on top of it. If you want, you can wear Browvo alone. Basically, Browvo’s a pen and you squeeze some of the conditioning product out. There is a soft rubber comb you can use to brush it on your eyebrows.
The biggest feature I think of this is product, is that it is conditioning so if you have sparse brows, this makes them appear “fuller, thicker, and healthier.” Browvo is a “nutrient rich” conditioning formula with “keratin” and “soy proteins.” These ingredients are known to help brows appear fuller.
For women who have either over-plucked their own brows or gone to places to have their brows waxed and had them waxed and shaped too thin for a long time, Browvo is fantastic product for you to try out. Also if you find the pencil or gel you are filling in your brows with doesn’t last, Browvo is a brow primer and will aid you in keeping your brow makeup in place.
My brows have always been on the fuller side so even though my brows feel nice when I put Browvo on, it’s not a product I would purchase because I don’t think its a product marketed to me but to women who have sparser brows. If I needed primer on my brows I would use my usual face primer which is POREfessional primer from Benefit.
Benefit Cosmetics: ka-Brow Cream Gel Brown Colour with Brush -www.spehora.ca – $30.00 CAN
On a different makeup order, I received a full-sized sample of Benefit’s of ka-Brow. I’ve been using it a few weeks and its a great product actually. Ka-Brow is a cream gel product you use to fill in your eyebrows, instead of a pencil or other brow products. I’ve never used a gel product on my eyebrows, so I was eager to try ka-Brow out.
The lid comes of this product and you pull off the brush as well, to dip it into the brow gel container which is on the bottom of the product as you can see. It can be difficult to tell at first, how much of the gel you need to use to fill in your eyebrows. I found a little ka-Brow goes a long way. The brush is tiny and it’s easy to fill in your brow more naturally, with tiny strokes. Or to make your brows look more defined by using thicker swipes of ka-Brow on your eye brows.
The product promises to “fill,” “sculpt,” and “define brows.” You can build it from a “natural” look to a more “dramatic” one quite easily with ka-Brow as I mentioned. Ka-brow is also Waterproof and lasts 24 Hours.
I had never considered using a gel product such as ka-Brow to fill in my brows.I am quite happy to use a brow pencil which is soft but not too soft. I find despite using ka-Brow, I require Benefit’s blond brow gel over top to set the product.
I’m undecided about using ka-Brow over a pencil such as an Anastasia Brow Pencil I’d been using before trying this product. Ka-Brow can accidentally be put on quite too thick and I don’t know how long it lasts compared to a brow pencil. A good brow pencil such as one from Anastasia, lasts me three-months. So I’ll see if this product lasts another couple of months.
There is nothing wrong with ka-Brow. It works well, and I chose the shade o1 Platinum for blonds and the colour is perfect; however, it’s up to you what products you prefer to use on your eyebrows and how much you can afford to spend on a brow product for how long it lasts. I haven’t decided if I like this product enough to buy it again.
L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly INTENZA Waterproof Mascara -(www.ulta.com) – $8.99 US or at Shoppers Drug Mart $8.99 CAN on Sale.
I admit, I’m a mascara junky. Out of all the products I use, mascara is the one I change the most often. My last one from Make Up Forever, I ended up loving in the end, except that the brush which covered every tiny lash, made mascara go all over my eye area and the mascara didn’t appear to have such a volumizing effect as I was hoping for. So for over top, I bought this L’Oreal mascara from Shoppers Drug Mart and it worked extremely well to use over top the Make Up Forever Mascara and fill out my eyelashes.
I find myself consistently going back to L’Orealmascaras because they reliably, time and again, have well priced mascaras which do the same job as most mascaras in the $30.oo to $40.00 range.
For L’Oreal you are only paying around $10 CAN for their mascara. It’s a shame when you buy an expensive mascara and hate it. But if you don’t like a cheaper mascara it isn’t such a big deal if it doesn’t work out. The only difference I can say between say L’Orealmascaras and expensive mascaras such as Dior, is that mascaras such as Dior, have fantastic black or brown colour pigment.
However, I do tend to receive many beauty samples, especially in mascara. I will try out a new mascaras a sample from a more expensive brand, and put the L’Oreal over top to set a non-waterproof mascara (because it runs under my eyes) and to add a little extra volume if needed. I completely recommend this L’Oreal mascara and many other kinds of L’Orealmascara, as long as the mascara is waterproolipf.
Make Up Forever: Artist Plexi-Gloss in 209 Fuchsia – Pink -www.sephora.ca – $24.00 CAN
Lately, I find myself becoming more interested in lip products.For most of my twenties, lip gloss or lipstick in a light pink was fine for going out or during the day. Now I find I enjoy wearing a bit of colour on my lips because you can wear a bold lip and wear hardly any other makeup than a bit of mascara, eyeliner, and concealer.
Usually, I like to wear makeup but every once and a while, if I’m just running quick errands and than going home, I don’t feel like putting all the effort into doing my full makeup routine. My pet peeve about lipsticks and glosses is in a way, the same way I feel about mascaras: I hate when I buy a more expensive lipstick or gloss and it comes off right away, the first time you have a glass of water. Also, I hate that many lip glosses can be sticky.
This is not the case with Make Up Forever’s Artist Plexi-Gloss. It’s super amazing stuff and you can buy it many colours in a high shine finish or in a shimmer finish. The colour I bought was a Fuchsia Pink and it’s amazing. I’m not huge on bright red lipstick as you know, but this is my trade off. I love wearing this bright shade some days, and it stays on incredibly well through drinking, eating, and whatever else you’re doing. I’m so pleased by how long the colour lasts.
Besides the brilliant colours this Artist Plexi-Gloss has an artist designed foam applicator (a”superflex” tip) which is amazing for applying the gloss and having “precision and control,” while doing it. As well, I enjoy that the Plexi-Gloss is shiny but not super shiny such as many sticky lip glosses or moisturizing lipsticks. Plexi-Gloss is more akin to lipstick with shine, the colour is so intense. I highly recommend this lip product; it is most certainly worth the $24.00 CAN.
Laneige: Multiberry Yogurt Repairing Mask – For All Skin – http://www.sephora.ca – $33.00 CAN
I’ve hardly ever had a problem with dry skin in my entire life. My problem has always been oily skin. Being a couple of years into my thirties, I find my skin is changing a bit. It has become more dry. The chilly -25 degrees Celsius weather we are experiencing in Alberta, Canada isn’t helping my dry skin either.
Having had troubles with many skin products in the past, I’m always hesitant about different face masks and other brands of skincare. But I’ve been so pleased with a newer brand to Sephora called Laneige. I’ve tried a couple small one or two day samples of their products. But also with my Sephora points, bought a large sample of Laneige’s Multiberry Yogurt Repairing Mask.
It smells wonderful, a bit as yogurt of course, but also as strawberries. The sample I received which was (0.6 fl.oz), lasted two-months and I’ve been used this moisturizing mask every two-days as directed. This Yogurt Repairing Mask is put it on after using your toner. You leave the mask on for five to ten minutes and then gently rinse it off your face with lukewarm water. After you can apply any other creams or your moisturizers you use to your face.
I wake the next morning after using this Yogurt Repairing Mask and my skin feels soft and hydrated. It’s not dry as my skin has often been feeling lately. I did go and purchase this from Sephora, it was highly worth it.
Laneige’s Multiberry Yogurt Repairing Mask delivers “nutrition” and “antioxidants” deep into skin. It is formulated to “remove dead skin” from the surface of your face. Its unique “fermented yogurt” formula provides “anti-irritation” benefits to the skin. Not to mention, I’ve never once broken out after using this mask the next day or any days after. I’m excited to maybe try other products from Laneige’s skin care line. I most definitively recommend this mask and I think for how long the product lasts, the price is reasonable.
Please stay tuned for Part Two of my Winter 2016/2017 Beauty Haul!
Good Morning! I’m thrilled to share with you another blogger and writer for my bi-weekly interview series. For personal reasons The DifferentOnecannot share her true name. But she is a talented blogger trying to find herself in life through her writing and blogging. Her blog is called: Standing Out As The ‘Real Me’.
I used to use the pseudonymAirg but now I go by The Different One. I’m from the USA but my origin is Indian. I can’t share a picture of myself for personal reasons, but I am a girl.
I attend school and afterwards I share my experiences during the day on my blog. I’m told a have a pretty mature mind for my age. Sometimes I act my age. I only let people who know me well see I’m your average girl. I suppose I’m afraid to see certain people’s response if I don’t act maturely most of the time. I’m smart and intelligent, but other kids didn’t especially appreciate this fact. Particularly, during my preteen and teenage-age years, life was tough for me.
Something interesting about me was that I wasn’t supposed to be born. There were issues at my birth. The Doctors said I’d lose an eye, lose a leg, or die during my fourth month of life. But this didn’t happen thankfully.
I was born two-months premature at about seventeen-inches, weighing only a pound. But despite having issues at birth and when I was a small baby, it doesn’t affect me now. I had a blood infection when I was born. But, I survived and today I’m your average girl.
2. So How Do You Feel About Yourself Today?
Some people receive gifts or talents such as strength, beauty, or intelligence. Although, I’m smart, I’ve never felt pretty. Sometimes you see people walk by and think, “That person is pretty.” But it isn’t the case with ME! I don’t pay attention to what others think of my appearance because beauty is not my gift.
I have a medium brown complexion, which I think is an unattractive feature for a person to have. I used to worry about it. At school even though people don’t particularly try to be rude, Ican tell by their facial expressions what they think of my appearance.
It is and was difficult to be a girl who isn’t attractive. I wanted to standout at school and be noticed for my looks as some girls are. But, one day I realized beauty isn’t important, nor what others thinking about my appearance. I’m just me. God gave me, myself as a gift and I’m satisfied with her.
By the way, I don’t believe in popularity and certain religious principals and beliefs. I do believe, however, God gave me life, guides me, and allows me to take a hold of my life in the direction I best see fit. I guess you can tell now, I don’t talk as a person of my young age usually does.
” [O]ne day I realized beauty isn’t important, nor what others think about my appearance; I’m just me. God gave me myself as a gift and I’m satisfied with that.” – The Different One
3. When Did You First Start Blogging and Writing? What Value Does Writing Have To You?
I started blogging a few weeks before my birthday on June 23, 2016. Writing means a way I can show people who I am. A way they can appreciate me for who I am. I write to share my experiences and journey through life. Perhaps I write to find the real ME, I’ve been searching for her for a long time.I want to be able to act like myself and not feel judged.
4. Where Do You Find Your Inspiration and Motivation to Write?
Whoa! This is tough! I started writing to find myself as I mentioned above. I was going through a stage trying to figure out my purpose and who I am; an experience everyone goes through at sometime. For me this stage occurred earlier than I expected. Nothing particularly, motivates me to write except myself sitting down and writing. I write for me, alone, if that makes any sense.
My inspiration is my cousin Nimi. She’s the reason I can say I’m happy to go through this stage I’m experiencing. We have always had this sisterly connection since I was six-years-old. In a way, she inspires me to be the person, the human being I am today. In this way she is an inspiration to me when I write. Other wise, I honestly don’t know what inspires or motivates me in my writing.
“Writing means a way I can show people who I am and they can appreciate me for who I am. I write to share my experiences and journey through life. Perhaps, I write to find the real ME I’ve been searching for, for a long time. The me I can’t act like at the moment, but I want to be able to act like.” – The Different One
5. What Time of Day Do You Most Enjoy Writing? Is There a Purpose To Your Writing? Have You Ever Had Any Writing Published?
Well after 3:00 pm is the best time for me to write because that’s when school ends. Mostly, I write from 6:oo pm through 10:00 pm. My purpose or project is to find my path in life, at the moment.
I have some writing pieces which I thought about publishing before. People at school used to try to act cool. To me it was as if they were acting so ‘sunshiny’ all the time; they weren’t authentic. They were hiding behind a shadow. I wanted to explore this shadow people hide behind and find out who they actually were. I approached my writing as if I was trying to get to know these people and their personas. I guess when I wrote, it fell into the topic of human psychology. But I don’t do that kind of writing anymore on people’s false personalities; however, I do plan writing more about human psychology, growing-up, life, and my beliefs in the future. That’s my ‘thing,’ my area of expertise.
6. On Your Blog, Do You Have Any Publishing or Writing Process You Go About? Are There Any Writing or Read Genres You Prefer?
I have no idea how I publish, even on my blog. I just write stuff and see what comes out. Publishing for real is something that will come much later for me. I have no writing process really. I am not writing as a professional. I want to write like me, to express myself and what I’m going through. I write,write,write and post it on my blog if I feel like it. That’s about it.
I enjoy writing about experiences in life, human behavior mostly. I always write something about humans and how they feel and react. I love reading biographies about famous individuals such as Anne Frank. I also enjoy reading realistic fiction or diaries which have been published.
“People at school used to try to act cool. To me it was as if they were acting so ‘sunshiny’ all the time; they weren’t authentic.They were hiding behind a shadow. I wanted to explore this shadow people hid behind and find out who they actually were. I approached my writing as if I was trying to get to know these people and their personas more.” – The Different One
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7. Do You Have Any Helpful Advice for Other Writers? Is There Anything Else You Would Like to Share With Us About Your Self or Your Blog?
I don’t specifically have any helpful advice for other writers because I know some people might not listen to my advice. All I can say is for bloggers and writers is to write whatever you want.Be who you are and write, even with mistakes and spelling errors. Simply write and whatever comes out, comes out. Write like you!
I feel my writing journey will end sometime. I won’t write until I die on my blog. Once I figure out who am and deal with the realities of life bothering me, than for me, I’m done. I’ll remember writing and blogging as a ‘finding me,’ exercise in life.
http://www.pinterest.com (TheDifferentOne)My best friend died about a year ago. March 15,2015. I remember it very clearly. My grandparents called and it was 11pm night in USA.It was awkward because they never call at that time, we would be sleeping, But,that day my family was busy with stuff.
Phone : Beep beep
Mom: Your grandma might be calling. It’s late!
Grandma: Saying stuff.
Mom: Aww. Poor thing. When? I can’t believe it. When we used to visit India it was always there. *******( my name) loved him. I won’t tell.
Me: ( I was thinking it might be about Tyson. He was getting old. And dogs don’t live that long) Mom anything happen? Tyson?
Mom: No,no, he’s fine.
Me: Mom c’mon!
Mom:(Saying in a language I didn’t know to my dad random stuff.) I heard Tyson’s name though.
Me: Tell me! Is he dead? I started crying a bit.
Dad: No! He’s just in hospital. Stop crying.
Me: Okay!
Few days later I go on Facebook. But, now I don’t have it anymore. I see a post from my uncle’s account. It was posted March 17,2015 12:56 pm or am. It had a pic of my dog wearing sunglasses. It said something like” not forgotten”. I was like” huh”????? In the comment section everyone was saying “Rip”. I was like wtf. Something is totes wrong!
I called my uncle even though it was 2am in India. I screamed and cried. He said no no. They were kidding. Nothing happened. And all that shit. But, I believed it though.
That summer when I went to India I saw my uncle. I asked him at the airport what actually happened to Tyson. He told me this shitty story about a doctor having a lot of loans, so he took all the animals and ran away, Tyson was with them. I’m like stop! Tell me. But, at that point I knew he died. I just wanted to hear it from my uncle’s mouth. He said Tyson is dead. I started crying.
The whole 2 hour drive I cried. When I reached my grandparent’s house my face was crispy and dry, gooey at some edges.
I visited his graveyard and prayed. I learnt that he was sick one day. He threw up. And usually my grandma cleans it up. But,she just came from the hospital ,so my grandpa did. And he was staring at my grandma. Then he slept for a while, and wasn’t replying. My uncle was on tour. And my grandma called him immediately and said something happened to Tyson. And Tyson was my uncle’s son. He rushed back home but 6 hour drive though. My uncle’s friend came and in a blanket carried Tyson to ambulance.
After a few minutes in the ambulance, the thingy that shows if they are breathing normal was going straight. Then the nurse said,” Sir he is no more!” My uncle’s friend came with the bad news. And everyone cried. My grandparents fell sick because they were in grief.
My grandma closed his eyes and after my uncle came back they did his funeral. They dug him up near a field near our grandparent’s house.
Every time I go there,I see his graveyard and pray and cry.
But, time goes on. I can’t go on praying to God to see Tyson one more time. It won’t work. I kept saying,” Take my life. Not his”. But, c’mon guys. He’s gone alright. Gone.
This summer in India I got a key-chain with a piece of rice. It had his name on it. I put all my sadness in it.
The day before yesterday our family went to the beach. It was 8-9pm. I took the key-chain put all my emotions in it and threw it away. It kept coming back though, so finally I took it out of the box and threw it. I realized that he’s not dead to me anymore. He’s a part of me from now on. I shouldn’t be sad because I can’t see him. I believe he’s always there watching. When I grow up I’ll realize he wasn’t watching, I said that to make me feel better. I do know he isn’t. I know he’s dead. But, who said I can’t lie or believe in something to make me feel better about him.
I buried a letter about him in the sand. Whoever reads that years from now on will know about this foolish girl and her best friend.
Yes, yes, a dog as a best friend is foolishness for all of you guys. But he was my closest buddy until I was 3 years old. Don’t you all think I loved him like crazy?!
His death or absence made me look at animals differently. I don’t get too attached anymore because I don’t have that much left in me to get hurt. I am not tough, or strong physically and emotionally. I’m sensitive and emotional. I can’t go through anymore deaths.
I don’t believe in having multiple BFF in life. Have one for once and for all. Tyson will always be my best friend forever. Humans, nah, anything could happen. Lol. To be safer and happier I’d stay with one forever.
9. Here Are A Couple of Additional Links to A Different One’s Page:
Thank You To A Different One For Sharing With us her writing views and her journey to find herself and her path in life through her writing. I wish her all the best and hope that she finds writing not only helps her as she struggle through a difficult time now, but as she grows older. Once again here is a link to The Different One’sBlog:
Thank You for coming back and reading my bi-weekly interview series. I so appreciate your visits and those of you who have participated sharing about yourselves and your writing processes, whatever part of life you are in. If you would like to be featured in my bi-weekly interview series please reach-out to my on my contact page. Thanks and see you in two-weeks.
Belinda was a nasty middle-aged woman, but her behaviours were characteristic of someone older.
She was mentally and physically sound; however, the pucker of her frown never left her face. Wrinkles indented themselves deeply into her forehead, around her eyes, and around her mouth; her skin was pasty white.
She pretended to walk feebly; but when a neighbourhood child or dog was near her property she ran out screaming, wearing stodgy Victorian gowns, no skin showing but her face and hands. Her hair was always severely pulled back in a tight bun.
Besides a cat or four, she disliked everyone. She made known she had cut her family out of her will. All her money would go to a stern Catholic congeragation she had terrorized since she was four.
An old trailer and burned-out truck from a cousin who had lived with her, remained on her lawn, even after the cousin disappeared. No one who entered Belinda’s house came back out, only her cats.
The neighbours thought this had been occurring for some three-hundred years, having heard the same stories from their great-grandparents and before.
Was Belinda a ghost? A banchee? A witch? No one knew. But every now and then someone disappeared inside her doorway and everyone knew that person wouldn’t be returning.
Welcome to Part 2 of my Fall Fashion Picks. Today’s picks are on the shoes, boots, jewelry, and bags to go with yesterday’s clothing and scarves. Enjoy!
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Everyday Bag and Bright Blue (www.mattandnat.com)
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Another Everday Bag in Grey (www.mattandnat.com)
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Brief Case in Brown (wwe.mattandnat.com)
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Classic Black Brief Case (www.mattandnat.com)
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Burgandy/Red Purse (www.mattandnat.com)
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Purse in Camel (www.mattandnat.com)
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Clutch in Beige (www.mattandnat.com)
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Cute Black Clutch (www.mattandnat.com)
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Light Blue/Green Clutch (www.mattandnat.com)
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Hanging Gold Necklace (www.anthroplogie.com)
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Gold Moon Earrings (www.anthropologie.com)
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Necklace with White See-Through Stones (www.anthropologie.com)
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Casual Black Leather Flat Boots with Detailing (www.poppybarley.com)
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That’s it for Part 2 of my fashion series. Hope you liked some of the styles and colours I chose.
Remember to spray your shoes/boots/purses twice with a weather protectant spray at first, and every so often throughout winte to keep them looking new and fresh. Suade finishes require a special type of protectant — see any local shoe store.
Also, remember you can make shoes fit better with heal cushions, liners for the insides of your shoes, and grippy stick-ons to make your shoes/boots stop slipping on the bottom. There are also cushions which can be put at the front of your shoe bottom on the inside or only the back on the inside.
Joshua saw his Papa going out to the brick shed. He saw that Papa left the door ajar. He knew Papa and Nana would be mad at him for taking a look inside the shed, but Joshua couldn’t help but peek.
Joshua gazed in awe in the shed. There was an elephant inside, chained up by his leg.
Terrified brown eyes stared down at Joshua as Joshua placed his hands gently on the elephants trunk and started to pet him. The elephant closed his eyes in delight. Joshua whispered to the elephant that he would come back and set it free. He also named the elephant George.
Later, when Nana and Papa thought he was asleep, Joshua went on his phone and called his Dad, who was in disbelief. Everyone went out to the shed the next morning, Papa laughing at Joshua’s suggestion that he was keeping an elephant locked inside.
Papa hesitated opening the door and Joshua’s Dad took the key from Papa. To Joshua’s Dad’s surprise when he opened the shed, a great elephant stared down at him sadly. Joshua went and hugged George before his Dad could stop him.
The police and a special vet from the zoo were called out to Papa and Nana’s farm and George was set free. Once his chain had been cut off, George trumpeted and began to flap his ears. He waved his head joyfully.
“How could you do this, Dad?” Joshua’s Dad asked Papa.
“It was something beautiful that I could keep.” Papa admitted. “I never wanted him to leave and I could never let him free because someone would know.”
Joshua’s Dad shook his head at Papa. “Dad, an elephant isn’t meant to be held captive and he needs to be with other elephants.”
Later, Joshua’s parents took him to visit George at the zoo. “Is George free?” Joshua asked his Dad. “Yes, unlike Papa and Nana,” Joshua’s Dad replied. ” George will never be a wild elephant but he’ll be happier at the zoo with other elephants around.”
Joshua watched George play, happy George had elephant friends.
Hey, I have some new makeup products (new to me) to share with you today for an early March 2016 Makeup Beauty Haul. I hope you enjoy the piece and maybe even find you take a look at some of these products when you’re at the Drugstore/Sephora/ or shopping for makeup online. The first couple products I have to share with you are from a brand called Smashbox.
Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer (www.sephora.ca)
1. Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer – (www.sephora.ca) – $32.00 Canadian.
I have found Smashbox products to be ‘touch and go’ for me. Smashbox was one of the first makeup brands to come out with a face primer to make your make up last longer. A facial primer is vital if you are a woman whose makeup melts off all the time by 5:00 pm or you want your makeup to last all night long. If you are trying to smooth out imperfections on your face (such as pores and blemishes) before putting onfoundation or BB Cream, face primer is also useful. Although, Smashbox primers feel nice on my skin, I hated wearing the original Smashbox face primer more than a day because my skin would break out due to the oiliness of the face primer. Despite the fact the makeup counter lady who recommended it to me, said it would help makeup stop melting off my then oiler skin. Smashbox has improved on their original face primer. You can find Photo Finish primer in Primer Light, Colour Correcting Foundation Primer, Hydrating Foundation Primer, More than Primer Blemish Control, and Oil Free Foundation Primer Pore Minimizer. I have tried most of them in a samples kit except the last one which would probably be the best one for my skin type. Nonetheless, I wasn’t impressed with any of the other face primers in this brand. Most of them cost around $50.00 in their biggest size. As a side note, I much prefer a primer that I use from Benefit. I use POREfessional face primer. It smooths out and fills in your face creating an ideal base for makeup and is light enough that it doesn’t make a person with oily or combination skin break out, even in the heat of Las Vegas. Even though I’m not a fan of Smashbox’s face primers, I have found that the Hydrating Under Eye Primer by Smashbox, works wonders.
Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer is amazing. I love this product because it is a light product you apply under your eyes and it hydrates that delicate skin, and it also acts as a fantastic under eye primer. I find this product useful because as I’ve complained before, my mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow –you name it — comes off my eyes, even when I wear waterproof eye makeup, because the skin around my eyes is oily. This Smashbox under eye primer stops these other products I’m wearing on my eyes from travelling all over the place under my eyes so I don’t look a raccoon by the end of the day. As well, the concealer I apply under my eyes stays put when I use this primer underneath. My dark circles stayed covered so I’m a happy woman.
This under eye primer by Smashbox I like and would recommend it to you if you want an eye-cream and under eye-primer in one tube to keep your eye makeup and concealer in place day or night. A bit of this product goes a long way. I have a tiny 0.17 fl. oz. tube of it and it has lasted me longer than a year and I use it every morning.
2.Smashbox Full Exposure Waterproof Mascara – (www.beautyboutique.ca) -$25.00 Canadian.
I decided to try Smashbox Full Exposure Waterproof Mascara on a whim. I had to spend a
Smashbox Full Exposure Waterproof Mascara (www.beautyboutique.ca)
certain amount of money to use my Optimum Points over Christmas and I wanted to use them instead of paying cash, so I quickly chose this mascara. I’m always on the eternal search for the best waterproof volumizing mascara. Although, I an fond of the Dior Black Out Mascara I was using before, I disliked how it smudged around my eye area. The colour was vivid black which I adored. Smashbox’s Full Exposure Waterproof Mascara is nothing special, it is comparable to many mascara’s in the $25 to $35.00 price range. I better buy would be a Clinique Volumizing mascara which is a few dollars cheaper and still waterproof. Mascara ends up around my eye area a bit, with this mascara but I am easily able to clean it up with a Q-tip. I use it over a non-waterproof mascara that I love called Hello Lashes by IT cosmetics. It has the perfect mascara want to reach all your tiny lashes and it is a 5 in 1, clinically proven mascara that has made my eyelashes licker. To me, the Full Exposure mascara is merely a second coat of mascara that works so the mascara I wear underneath, will stay on my lashes and become waterproof.
Additionally, I have tried this Smashbox mascara alone and it’s not bad but not great either. My lashes look decent, longer, volumized, and the brush is nice and thick. But I’m not so thrilled about Full Exposurr mascara. The product didn’t capture me. The $9.00 L’Oreal mascara I use sometimes, would do the job just as well to make my favourite IT cosmetics mascara waterproof, and as mascara on it’s own. If you purchase Full Exposure, you won’t hate it, but I don’t think you’d love it either because it’s not worth $25.00. Luckily, I paid in Optimum points. I couldn’t find this mascara on the Sephora website. I only found the same kind in the non-waterproof product. You will have to look at Ulta in the states if you still want to truth is mascara after my so-so review of it.
3.Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Intense Black – (www.beautyboutique.ca) – $29.00 Canadian
Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, Intense Black (www.beautyboutique.ca)
This waterproof eyeliner by Stila was also an Optimum points purchase made this month at Shoppers Drug Mart. I was so disappointed because Lancôme changed their Liquid Artliner formula and I have been using it for six-faithful-years. The Artliner product Lancome made to replace my old favourite with is see-through, the brush doesn’t pick any sign of black liner and the colour I picked was noir. Also, the new Artliner took forever to dry on my lash line.
I went into Shopper’s Drug Mart searching for a new eyeliner. I was looking at some Quo liquid liners trying decide if I wanted a thicker or thinner eyeliner line, when the lady at the makeup counter said: “Here, try the Stila Black Liquid Eyeliner, it’s a customer favourite.” I was not going to buy another Stila liner because I tried Stila’s old Liquid liner that was in the form of a felt tip liquid liner and I wasn’t happy. The black liner wasn’t black enough and the liquid inside the tube wasn’t liquidy enough for a liquid eyeliner to form a line at the lash line well. The makeup lady showed me on my hand the boldness of this black liner and how much better it worked than Stila’s first eyeliner offering. She was one-hundred-percent -right. The new Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Intense Black is amazing. I can make a thick or a thin line with the felt tip. The liner stays on and doesn’t smudge off, but at the same time it is easy enough to make a correction with a little bit of concealer on a Q-tip, to straighten your line or make it thinner for example. I’m glad I used my points on this product, it is super. And the makeup lady at Shoppers Drug Mart said the liquid liner would last around five or six-months which is longer than my old liner lasted me and at a cheaper price point. Beauty Boutique has about seven colours online of Stila waterproof liquid liners, including black. I’m not sure if the other colours are as vibrant, but I’d be willing to try them based on my experience with the Intense Black liner.
3. Benefit Longwear Powder Shadow in Call My Bluff – (www.beautyboutique.ca) – ($26.00)
I bought this colour of shadow around a year and a half ago for a particular reason. Every
Benefit Longwear Powder Shadow in Call my Bluff (www.beautyboutique.ca)
once and awhile, I purchase an eyeshadow pallete. I like to use browns a great deal because they causr blue eyes to pop. The problem is with whatever brand of palette I buy, it would only have one light-skin coloured eye shadow in the palette a woman could use as a base or highlighter colour (depending on your skin tone).
I only use darker colours (especially browns) to darken my crease, make my lid a bit darker, and/or on a night out, when I might dip into blackish brown or dark-purplish shadows for some depth and/or s smokey eye.
My point is, there is never enough base colour when you wear brown eyeshadows ot buy brown eye shadow palettes. This Call my Bluff colour is the perfect colour to use when you have gone through that one light colour in the palette you used for a base colour or highlight. Benefit eyeshadow has excellent pigment. The eyeshadow lasts a long time, and you will get your money’s worth because you can use this shadow with any palettes you purchase that no longer have that light -skin coloured hue of eye shadow — whether the palette contains, more Browns, purples, or pinks which appear to be in this Spring. There are also other colours available in Thr Long Wear Shadow, if you prefer individual eye shadows to palettes for a great eye shadow look. Benefit has about ten colours available in this eye shadow line on the Beauty Boutique website.
4. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink Pout 002 Matte and in Silver City Pink 405 Pearle – (www.ulta.com) – $7.99 US
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick – Silver City Pink (405) Pearl (www.ulta.com)
I also bought these lipsticks with Optimum points at Shopper’s Drug Mart after Christmas. I was looking for some everyday lipstick colours, near my natural lip colour that didn’t come off easily. I thought originally that higher-end makeup brands such as NARS or Two Faced would meet the requirement: that the lipstick needs to stay on your lips as long as possible, but even though I love the colours I bought from those two brands they hardly stay on my lips more than a couple of hours. I knew Revlon had good lipstick because I used their lipstick in high school. I have never been big into lipstick, until a bit lately. I think I have maybe five or six all together but these two shades from Revlon are beautiful and they stay on your lips without wearing off quickly. Since my lips have a blue undertone, the colour Pink-Pout is almost exactly the same as my lip colour it is only matte and a bit more purply. It is my favourite shade because it goes with everything.
Revlon Lustrous Lipstick – Pink Pout (002) Matte (www.revlon.ca)
The second colour I picked up was Silver City Pink and it is a lighter pink and is shimmery with a Pearl finish. It is great lipstick for in the day and also when I want a lip that is pink but a bit more glitzy. So far I have found the best lipstick is cheap. I don’t know about Dior or Chanel lipstick. One day, I might try one of their lipsticks Maybe it stays on even better, but I’m not huge into lipsticks in makeup. I would prefer to spend more money on other products which are worth buying to make your skin, healthy, and young looking. Plus, I hate having to reapply lipstick all the time. So look at Ulta or in your local drugstore for Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks.
Thanks for taking the time to read about these products I’ve tried. Hopefully, you’ll take a look at them if not purchase one or two of them yourself next time you need a few beauty items.
A landscape can be a beautiful image. Rundle Park use to be a garbage dump; hence, why it is so hilly. But it is a great park to go for a walk through, to take your kids to play on a play ground, has trails to bike on, and is a lovely place to play with your pup. It is most beautiful in fall when you can see all the colours of the leaves; however, by this time of year much of the grass and leaves have turned to mud. This picture is a couple blocks from my house. The area is also, a giant frisbee golf course.
Mandibelle16 
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