Fanny Pack - ColorPop Stole My Heart

I'd heard the hype surrounding the brand Colourpop but never had the urge to look into their products as like always shipping to Canada was outrageous. They recently had a promotion however for free international shipping and I had some unused money sitting in my paypal account which led to my first ever Colourpop purchase.

I got their super shock eye shadow in the shade "Tinsel" which I haven't had a chance to try out yet and their super shock highlighter in 'Fanny Pack".

Say hello to my new favorite highlighter.

Fanny Pack is pure white with silver undertones and is stunning for fair skinned folks like myself.

 

It's a pearl finish and as you can see in the swatch is very subtle and natural looking with a barely there shimmer. Hooray for no glitter chunks!

Colourpop's formula is unlike any other brand/product I've tried, it almost feels bouncy to the touch. I've been unable to make this work using a brush but I don't mind using my finger for application. It's easily buildable if you want people to see your glow from outer space but also can look natural depending on how you apply it.

Being silvery white I find makes it extremely usable no matter what makeup look you may be rocking that day.

I've already almost hit pan so you can clearly see it's been well loved these recent months.

What would you recommend picking up from Colourpop?

♥

Bri

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{I will be doing a giveaway when I hit 25 followers}

Christmas Nails

 

Hey everyone.

I was feeling a tad creative today well as creative as it gets when you don't have the proper nail art tools. I wanted to create a Christmas inspired nail look. Originally I wanted to do alternating red & green glitter nails. After searching my polish stash I had no greens at all so instead I went with a red and white look, clearly inspired by candy canes and Santa's colors.

Using:

Essie's "Blanc" for the white

N.Y.C. Polish in "Imperial Red" 

& 

a dollar store glitter topper.

Hope you guys like it!

I definitely want to purchase some nail art tools to create better looks but for now simple will do.

♥

Bri

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Mini Haul

 

Hello again.

It's just going to be a quick post today. I came into some of my Christmas money earlier than expected so of course I headed to the mall for a little treat yo'self. 

I thought the limited edition Metal Matte palette by Kat Von D was long gone and sold out every where but no. As I was perusing through Sephora low and behold they had two left so I snatched one up immediately. This was a pretty pricey palette but it's HUGE. I'd say it's about double the size of any other palette I own and  it will take me eons to hit pan on any of these shades.  So far I've only used two of the neutral shades (Oak & Sabre) but I'm itching to get a full review up as soon as possible for you guys!

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Kat Von D designs all her own packaging as well and this one is extremely well done and very cool. When you flip the palette upside down it says matte but when flipped the other way it says metal which I thought was a very funky and unique design. 

 

These colors though, I'm drooling over here. There is a great selection of color and neutrals which I really like because with most other brands their palettes always consist of only neutrals or only colors so I love that Kat Von D has incorporated both making this really the only palette you'd need if you were say to travel and the mirror is huge if you like to use palette mirrors. I never do but it's nice to have if I end up needing it.

You're getting 13 matte shades & nine shimmers as well so an outstanding variety!

 

The next two items were from H&M.

I grabbed a pair of leggings with sheer paneling, which I completely bought in the wrong season but oh well. I'm excited for the weather to warm up so I can wear these babies.  The last item I purchased was just a flannel shirt, I think these are a great layering piece and while trying to find an outfit last week I noticed that I had given away all my plaid shirts and I think it's one of those staple wardrobe items so I picked up a new one.

♥

Bri

Christmas is only four days away. What are you hoping to get?

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Life Lately #1

 

Hello everyone! 

It's been a long month for me and I want to apologize for my lack of updates recently. With Christmas around the corner, I've been running my butt back and forth to the city for presents and family visits and everything else. It's been hectic the last week or so and will continue to be so until Christmas so I won't be posting much until January and I wanted to let you guys know that I'm still here! 

Just a few days ago we managed to get the time together to decorate our tree and I think it turned out wonderful. You guys, in four and a half years together this is the first year we've had a Christmas tree. He's a bit of a grinch but he's slowly getting there, haha. 

The photo above is my attempt at getting a nice picture with him and our dog Luna (who wouldn't look at the camera no matter what)

Of course, when you go Christmas shopping you always run into the exclusive limited edition sets at Sephora and last night I came across the ever hyped Kat Von D Metal Matte palette which of course I purchased for myself, more on that soon though. 

I hope you all have lovely holidays and a Happy New Year!

♥ 

Bri

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Liquid Silver

 

Hello everyone!

I'm sorry for the couple day break I took I've been busy what with Christmas being in the next couple of weeks.
I looked forever to find these discontinued Spartan Liquid Silver leggings from Blackmilk Clothing and was so ecstatic when I got my hands on them!
I'd also had this shirt sitting in my closet for months that I thrifted from my mom and was wondering how to style it so I figured I'd throw some different textures together to create a more interesting outfit. This shirt is extremely soft but it had shoulder pads, so lord knows how old it must be. Of course I cut those out before wearing the shirt as I don't need any added broadness to my shoulders.
I hope you guys like the look and if you haven't checked out Blackmilk you should as they're designs are one of a kind!

Scarf: Aldo Accessories
Shirt: Thrifted {Mom}
Leggings: Blackmilk {Discontinued}

What are your favorite ways to style different textures?

♥
Bri

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Drug Store Surprise - COVERGIRL Quad in Goldmine

 

Cover Girl for me is not a special brand and isn't one whose collections or new releases really ever excite me. For me they've always been an okay brand with sub par products. When I wondered into my local drug store I had a $2 off coupon for Cover Girl eye products and didn't want it to go to waste so naturally I took a gander over to the Cover Girl section and decided to pick up one of their Eye Enhancer Quads in the shade "Goldmine" 

The shades in this little guy do not give me any sense of a Gold Mine. If I were to think of a palette inspired by a Gold mine it would certainly incorporate a gold shimmer, a bronze a smoky gray and either a gunmetal or black shade but I digress. 

The shades albeit not looking pigmented in the swatches apply beautifully to the eyes and blend out incredibly well.

The green is my least used shade as I don't have a need for an iridescent green. I did use it once in the Spring when I first picked it up but this shade really blended into nothing, just a wash of sparkles.

The other three though I used today and the lightest pink, when packed on the lid looks stunning! I was pleasantly surprised. They truly do apply so much better over primer nor do they come out patchy like their swatch counterparts. I used the mid tone brown shade in my crease which on my skin looked very orange but not a bright orange more of a pale orange cream color and then in the outer v I used the purple brown color which for a darker matte blended like a dream.

For the price I paid I was quite happy with how well they worked for me but I wish there was either another brown or purple or maybe even a dark pink in place of the green, which aside from the name of the palette is my only other gripe.

Maybe I'll start testing out some other Cover Girl shadows. I do like the looks of the new Tru Blend palettes {The Tru Nudes, Roses and Jewels}

What's your favorite Drugstore Eyeshadows?

♥

Bri

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First Foray - Contouring & Highlighting

Firstly, let me apologize for the not so terrific photo quality. With it being winter natural light has not been in my favor and I struggled for a good hour trying to take these making for a very frustrating experience.

I picked this up last week and I've never owned any other Contour products making the Shade & Light palette my first foray into the world of contouring & highlighting. I've been using it steadily for a week now and thought I'd share my thoughts and first experience.

It's composed of three light shades for highlighting and three darker shades for contouring, both which are meant to help bring dimension to the face. It included a sheet detailing where you should highlight and where you should contour to help define your features which for someone like me whose never done it I found it to be a very helpful addition.

The third lightest shade matches my skin tone perfectly making me unable to use it for highlighting and the darkest shade is far too dark, I did make attempts to use it but I would have been blending for days for it to even look slightly natural.

My favorite shade to highlight with is Lyric as I have yellow undertones in my skin and for shading I like to use the first two bottom shades (Sombre & Shadowplay) although if I use too much of Shadowplay it can start to look muddy on the face. 

These don't swatch as well as they apply to the face. When applied to the face they are smooth and buttery although I find it does take a bit more work than I'd like to blend them out and if using a brush there is slight fallout, some shades being worse than others (the two middle shades ) Using my Real Techniques Complexion sponge  while wet I find makes everything blend easier. I use Lyric as well to set my under eye concealer as it really brightens up the area and helps the concealer underneath to not crease but if you don't use a good moisturizer it can be quite drying.

You can easily mix colors together to get a color perfectly suited to you. This is a universally flattering palette that is great for beginners like myself and if like me you can't find a use for a certain shade on your skin these could be used as neutral eye shadows so they don't go to waste.

Creates a lovely natural look, great for everyday. 

Although it may be a gimmick I would like to try it out with the Kat Von D shade and light contour brush as well to see how it fairs.

For my first experience in the world of contouring it was pretty good but I would like to try other kits as well, maybe the Cream Contour kit from Anastasia Beverly Hills will be next.

What is your favorite product to use for contouring?

♥

Bri

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StyleWe Giveaway

Hey everyone!

I have some exciting news for you all I've teamed up with StyleWe an online fashion retailer with some stunning pieces. I created a collage with some of my coveted favorites below.

STYLEWE by brirue featuring a bomber jacket

Check out StyleWe on their Facebook & Instagram

If you'd like to win an item from StyleWe ($50 Value) Go share an item from the StyleWe website that you're interested in to any of your Social Media channels or visit their Blog for one entry!
There will only be one winner and they must be from either  USA, UK, Australia, Germany, Italy, Canada, or France. StyleWe will be responsible for prize fulfillment. Once the prize has shipped out there will be no returns, refunds or reimbursements.

For extra entries, please see below.

The giveaway will run for one week starting today, December 8th and running until December 15th.

Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

♥

Bri

MAC: Nutcracker Sweet Nude Lipstick Collection

Good morning lovelies. 

Christmas is lurking right around the corner and I just finished my shopping, thank goodness. The earlier the better I say!

With the holidays looming ever so near I thought why not review a Holiday oriented collection. I won't lie to you guys, as much of a frivolous spender as I may be this year has been much tighter on funds meaning I've been trying very hard to keep my eyes and wallet away from any new Holiday releases. 

A girl and I at work got into a conversation about makeup (lipstick, mostly) which led her to mention that she just picked up MAC's Nutcracker Sweet Nude Lipstick set which includes four nude lipsticks {Kinda Sexy, Nouvelle Vogue, Creme Cup & Whirl}

She decided she only liked Creme Cup so ended up gifting the other three to me. What an incredibly sweet gesture that of course I was very thankful for. 

{left to right: Kinda Sexy, Nouvelle Vogue, Whirl}

Kinda Sexy has brown and pink undertones. Nouvelle Vogue is more on the pink side of things where as Whirl (a popular shade thanks to Kylie Jenner) is much darker than both and quite brown toned.

Swatches {left to right: Nouvelle Vogue, Kinda Sexy & Whirl}

Nouvelle Vogue: A dark pink with a hint of plum in a matte finish. This wore well and wasn't overly drying. The colour is nice for everyday as it's a subtle dark pink so if you're looking for something more noticeable for the office but not over the top this would be a good choice. Suited me well and I'm very fair but I could picture it working on a wide range of skin tones.

Kinda Sexy: This shade didn't mesh with my skin tone at all, it looked awful to be honest. It's a matte finish and is a pink/brown almost coral looking nude.It seems that any lipstick with a hint of coral in it doesn't suit me as much as I wish I could pull it off I will be giving this to someone else. Great colour pay off but found it to be a tad more drying on the lips than Nouvelle Vouge.

Whirl: Usually browns don't suit me but I loved Whirl more than any of them. Of course like the other two it's a matte finish. It's a dark brown nude and is perfect for Fall & Winter. I'd heard so much hype surrounding this colour and now I know why. Beautiful Colo that goes on opaque in one swipe. It does create a very dry finish however so be sure to prep lips with a sugar scrub and some balm before application. I didn't have high hopes for me pulling this off but it looked surprisingly gorgeous against my pale skin. Whirl will be getting good use this winter.

I have a vast collection of MAC's lipsticks in an array of finishes but I'd never tried these and the matte finish is my absolute favorite so a big thank-you to Barb from work, I love them and they went to a good home. Kinda Sexy was a flop for me sadly but my little sister is all into the makeup at the moment so I'll pass it off to her.

What is your favorite shade & finish from MAC?

♥

Bri

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LUSH - Butterball

Don't mind the pink spots, my Candy Mountain bubble bar rubbed off on this while in the bag.

The LUSH Butterball bath bomb is wonderful for any dry skin sufferers like myself. If you're looking for an exciting color show, this isn't it.

But if you want nourished, supple skin this little bundle of joy will provide you with all your wildest dreams. Infused with chunks of cocoa butter this fizzes away filling your bathroom with a subtle vanilla scent. It's simple but leaves the skin feeling nourished. 

I've never had softer skin after a bath using anything else.

What are your favorite LUSH products?

♥

Bri

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Everyday Bag Essentials

You ever change out your daily bag and go somewhere to find out you're missing that one thing in your bag that you ALWAYS have with you?

I've been there more times than I'd like to admit which is how this post was born.

There are some items in my handbag that are complete staples that I couldn't live without.

1 - Wallet (this is a given) I don't understand how some people can go without a wallet. I have a rewards card for almost every store as well as my more important cards (driver's license, debit & credit) I'd be lost without it honestly.

2 - Travel make-up brushes. Being a blogger and a lover of makeup having a pack of brushes on hand is great for on the go touch ups. Mine includes a powder brush, foundation brush and three eye brushes. I'll be honest I really only use the powder brush while I'm out. Is there anyone who actually uses eye brushes while they're on the go..? I could see maybe using the foundation brush for a concealer touch up but that's about it.

3 - Phone charger. All my iPhone users out there will know this is a necessity as Apple is not known for their long lasting battery life. If I use my phone steadily for two-three hours I've already drained about half the battery. Apple if you read this please fix your batteries.

4 - Keys, self explanatory. 

5 - Powder. I've mentioned on many occasions how dry my skin is but I do get the odd oily patch so having a powder on hand is essential if my skin happens to be acting up that day.

6 - iPod - I despise riding trains or walking somewhere in silence. I've never been able to handle white noise, even while at home there will always be a T.V., laptop or radio on. Music is a great escape from the world.

7 - Nail kit. Who else hates those pesky hang nails or getting a chip in your nail that you can't file away. I always carry a mini nail kit for times of need to keep them in tip top shape.

8 - Tampons, I'm a woman so these are a definite essential. You would never want to be caught without these in a time of need.

What are your bag essentials?

♥

Bri

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