Blogmas Day 7 - Top 5 Winter Lips

{left to right - Outlaw, Missy Fierce, Chai, 107, 111}

Good morning loves.

I'm not doing very well at this Blogmas thing am I?

Blogmas day 7 is my top five loved lips for Winter.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lip in Outlaw - I've spoken about this a thousand times over on this blog. It's the most perfect red although when wearing it winter make sure to use a balm!

Wet N Wild Liquid Lip in Missy Fierce - A newer addition and extremely comparable to Outlaw although maybe just a shade darker. This is my first venture into Wet N Wild's lip collection and I have to say for six dollars you won't be disappointed.

Bite Amuse Bouche Lip in Chai - A perfect dark mauve with a hint of berry. This lipstick is perfect for almost any look and is easy to just throw on and go.

Rimmel's Kate Moss Lipstick in 107 - The most gorgeous dark berry colour. This one is extremely popular within the blogosphere so I won't say too much.

Rimmel's Kate Moss Lipstick in 111 - Another stunning matte red.

Can you see a theme here? I really love reds and berries during winter. I don't know why but they match so well with the cold weather and the gold eyes we tend to see over the holidays.

What's your favourite winter lip?

Bri

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Blogmas Day 6 - Christmas Playlist

Good morning (afternoon) loves!

Ive been on holidays from work for about a week now and I'm already going stir crazy. Tomorrow the man and I are supposed to head to a hockey game!

I know I haven't done Blogmas posts every day but bear with me and I'll do as many as I can.

Today, I thought I'd share some of my favorite Holiday tunes with you. (in no particular order)

1 - All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey - A classic and one I'm sure many are sick of but not me!

2 - Mele Keleke Maka - Bing Crosby - It's the Hawaiian Christmas song and if you haven't heard of it yet please go give it a listen.

2 - Baby, It's Cold Outside - Michael Buble & Idina Menzel - There's a lot of controversy surrounding this song recently but it hasn't stopped me from loving it.

3 - You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch - A classic

4 - Let It Snow

5 - Frosty The Snowman 

6 - Last Christmas - Ariana Grande Version

7- Little Drummer Boy - David Bowie Version

8 - Santa Tell Me - Ariana Grande

9 - This Christmas - Chris Brown

10 - Santa Baby 

There it is ten of some of my most loved, most listened to Christmas tunes.

What's your favorite Christmas song?

Bri

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Blogmas Day 5 - Festive Nails

Hey loves.

Just wanted to share some festive nails I did up for the month of December. I'm no nail artist so some simple glitter accent nails is about as festive as it'll get from me. I hope you guys like this short but sweet post. I'm off work now for a month and have no idea what I'm going to do with myself!

What are you all getting up to this Holiday?

Bri

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Blogmas Day 4 - Gift Guide for the Pet Lover

Good morning loves.

I'm a dog lover through and through, sorry cat fans. My dog is my everything and I treat her better than I treat most people if I'm honest. For day 4 of  Blogmas what better to post than a pet (more of a dog) lover's gift guide.

Ropes - I have a big dog and she shreds these things but for the small amount of time she has them it's pure happiness.

Pet brush - Anyone who has a dog that sheds knows this is a NEED.

Pet Bed - You want them to have the same level of comfort as you right?

Ball - All dogs love balls, whether they play keep away or catch is a different story.

Treats - Need I say more?

Raised Feeding Dish - Big dogs tend to have hip problems in their old age and I'm starting to notice this in my own dog (*cries*) These help lower the risk of hip issues.

Shirt - This was more of a gift for me, this shirt describes all I want in life.

Do you buy your pets gifts?

♥

Bri

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Blogmas Day 3 - Favorite Christmas Films

 Hello loves.

Blogmas Day 3 is here and yes I know it's the seventh but as I said before I was not going to have all 25 days done but I would do as many as I could so bear with me.

I wanted to share some of my favorite holiday movies that I've been watching every Christmas since my child hood. I'm sure many of these on your favorites list too!

  The Nightmare Before Christmas - I honestly can't believe I'm not tired of this film yet. I watch it twice a year, once at Christmas and once at Halloween. It's a classic and one that if you haven't seen by some miracle yet, please watch it. I promise you won't be disappointed!

 Bad Santa - Fucking hilarious is all I have to say about this one.

 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas - I watch either the Jim Carey one or the original every year, again a classic Christmas film with a great story. Has anyone seen the new one yet? If  so drop a comment letting me know how it is.

 

Home Alone - Who doesn't love this movie?

 A Christmas Story - This is my all time favorite holiday movie. They marathon it every Christmas and I will gladly sit and watch it two or three times in a row. It's a great film!

 

The Santa Clause - Did everyone forget about this movie? I feel like it was incredibly popular when I was a kid, I went and saw every one of them in the theater with my Grandma but honestly you never hear ANYONE mention them anymore. Regardless I loved these films.

Some of you might be shocked that ELF isn't on the list but believe it or not I have seen that movie probably 500 times and I don't think I could watch it again. It's not a bad movie by any means I'm just really sick of it.

What's your favorite film?

♥

Bri

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Blogmas Day 2 - Beauty Gift Guide

Hello loves.

Blogmas day 2 is a beauty gift guide, I've already done a fashion one here.

Let's get to it shall we!

Tom Ford Lipstick - For me, these are too luxuriously priced to just grab on a visit to the shops so I would love to receive one as a gift.

ABH Mini Gloss set - I always love gift sets around Christmas time and these glosses look perfect for the holiday season. 

ABH Brow Duo - This is a great gift as the products are full size and are the same price for two as one normally is.

Fenty Mini Set - These mini sets are great for someone who's been wanting to try a brand but is hesitant to buy a full size product for fear of it not working out.

Lash Set - Lashes are always a great gift!

Stila Eye Glitter Set - Again, a nice way to try out a product without having to pay full price for the full size. 

What's on your Christmas wish list?

♥

Bri

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Blogmas Day 1 - Fashion Gift Guide

Hey guys!

So, this year I'm going to attempt Blogmas which I've never done before so please bear with me. I won't be doing a post every day of December but I will try to get up as many as I can for you guys.

The first being a gift guide for that fashion guru in your life. I've created this collection with winter and the festive season in mind.

Sequin Dress - A great idea for a daughter or spouse as most people like to get dolled up and go out to ring in the new year and sequins are always party approved!

Boots - I love receiving boots personally because for me I find them too pricey so it's nice to receive them as a gift and you can never have too many shoes.

Accessories - Can you really go wrong with jewelry? You know what they say, diamonds are a girl's best friend (wrong, it's dogs but a puppy didn't fit into this gift guide theme)

Scarf  - It's winter so you can't go wrong with this one.

Bag/Clutch - Another perfect gift for someone heading out on the town come New Years Eve.

Teddy Bear Coat -  I couldn't find am image of a shorter one which is what I prefer. These coats are super cute and warm to boot.

Well, there it is! I hope this gave you guys some ideas and I will be doing a beauty one as well so stay tuned.

♥

Bri

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Who to follow - Instagram #1

Hey guys!

I don't know about you but I love a good "Who to Follow" post as it gives me some new accounts to discover that I might not have on my own. I've done a few blog ones and a Youtube one so why not switch it up and do an Instagram one?

Well first off I'll recommend one my number one favorite

Samantha Ravndahl

 

colorpunch

beccaboo318

 

 milk1422

 

 

 zombaemua

All of the above artists, are extremely talented and I follow each of them for different reasons and they all have varied styles of makeup so hopefully you guys can find something you like.

Who's your favorite IG account?

♥
Bri

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A real 3 minute miracle?

Good morning lovelies!

I've never been good to my hair, I'll admit it. When I dye it I box dye it and I've never bothered to fish out more money for the more expensive hair care although the older I get the more I'm beginning to think it might be worth it. In the mean time though I've been on the hunt for affordable options to help bring some life back to it.

Say hello to Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle. There are raving reviews about this across the board. Of all the one's I've read I've seen maybe one or two negative thoughts. This was only four dollars so of course I was skeptical. Although it's formulated with silicones which are known to be bad for the hair that's not an issue for me. The moisture aspect of this was extremely subtle, the ends of my hair are still extremely dry and lifeless looking but it did bring slight shine and softness to the rest of my locks. I've only been using this once a week so I'm going to try using it maybe twice and see if that makes any difference in the moisture levels. The one thing I found this helped with substantially was that after using, my fine hair was so much easier to brush through and less tangled than normal and anyone with fine hair knows what a tangled mess it can become.

For four dollars I think it's definitely worth a shot and just because it didn't do wonders for me doesn't mean it won't for you!

What do you use to revive your hair?

♥

Bri

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Nail Collection

 

Hey loves.

Just a quick little post today showcasing my ever growing nail polish collection. Looking at this photo has made me realize that I really need to do a polish declutter. I'm embarrassed to tell you guys how old some of these are. I've done reviews on almost every single one of these on the blog already so I won't be going into detail.

Does anyone else have a ridiculously outdated and large collection of nail polish that rarely gets used or is that just me?

♥

Bri

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Covergirl - Tru Blend Foundation

 

 Good morning loves.

Another foundation review. I'm beginning to think I'll never find my perfect base.

Covergirl has recently revamped a lot of their products look wise. As for formula I'm not sure if any of these remain the same in terms of their original formulas. I've never tried the original Tru Blend foundation unfortunately so I have nothing to compare it to. The new packaging though is simple and sleek and housed in a glass bottle with a pump. The old packaging had heavy bold writing across it and didn't look as streamlined and neat as this. Since using this I've noticed bumps along my under eye area and along the tops of my cheekbones. I know it's not my skin care routine as what I'm currently using hasn't changed in months but I am using a new primer as well so I don't know if it's that or this foundation. I'll test the primer out with another foundation and get back to you guys!

Apart from the little bumps this is one of the better drug store options I've tried. It's easy to blend, sits nicely on the skin, and doesn't oxidize! I don't think I've ever used a foundation by Covergirl that hasn't oxidized so I was extremely happy about that! Coverage wise, it's buildable to medium and has slight creasing in lines. It's more of a demi-matte finish. I suffer with very dry skin and I haven't noticed it clinging to dry patches at all but it doesn't give a nice dewy look either. 

For now, I'm happy with this and am hoping it's not what's causing the little bumps on my skin.

What's your favortie Covergirl product?

♥

Bri

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Instagram Round Up #12

 

Hey guys.

Sorry, it's another IG post. I love doing these and I hope you enjoy them too! It would mean so much to me if you would head over to my IG @briannarue and give it a follow. 

{top left to bottom right}

 A look from my Halloween series, this one got a lot of love on my Facebook and I'm very happy with how it came out!

Second attempt at a neon skeleton. I did this last year as well but I had to improvise as I had no white liner so this years turned out a lot better although I do think there's still a lot of room for improvement. 

A gorgeous ring I was gifted by Secret Wood. Canadian Made featuring many of the beautiful landscapes Canada has to offer. I ordered mine too big so unfortunately it doesn't fit properly.

Cute little spider look I created. I loved this one.

Shape freckles? Honestly, I was bored and this happened.

Night time fall glam, again I was bored and playing with makeup is my favorite past time.

Leave your Instagram handles below so I can check them out!

♥

Bri

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Losing a family member

 

{Buchard Gardens, Victoria, BC}

 

{my Grandma in her younger years - 18, I belive}

 

 

                                    

Good morning loves.

This year was a hard one for me and an even harder one for my mom. At the age of 24, this was the first year of my life where I had to deal with someone close to me dying and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. 

On Valentine's Day, I lost my grandma. We had an extremely close relationship and I miss her more and more every day. She had been incredibly sick for a long time with neuropathy in her feet due to diabetes. Despite this she was still able to do most day to day tasks but when it got really bad it didn't take a long time for her to pass. It's awful having to see someone you love degrade away so quickly. I was lucky that I got to spend so much time with her before that happened and I'm thankful for that. I was pretty much raised by this woman as my mom was single and worked two jobs to give me a happy life. Having spent so much time with my grandma in my life we had an incredibly close bond. Grandma, I will always love you and miss you and I hope that somewhere you are watching over me.

Along with this passing my uncle passed away three months later. Luckily for me, he had always lived far away so was not an uncle I had a close relationship with but none the less it still hurt.

Life gets hard sometimes and unfortunately death is something that will never be less painful to deal with and I just have to remember that.

♥

Bri

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Neutrogena - Eye Makeup Remover

Hey guys.

I know, it's been awhile but I've been busy trying to create Halloween looks over on my Instagram which I would love if you gave a follow - @briannarue

I wear quite heavy eye makeup on the daily so a lone cleanser just doesn't cut it for me. I need an eye makeup remover to help remove the majority of it before going in with my cleanser. This is an oldie but a goldie. As often as I've seen this across the blogging community this is the first time I've thought to pick it up and give it a go. I'm pleasantly surprised with this, it's extremely affordable and works well at getting that tough gunk off the eyes. I had no issues with it stinging or burning my eyes which I've had with some other so called "eye makeup removers" although I don't suffer with sensitive skin either so I can't speak to that. There's really nothing special about this product but it gets the job done effectively which is really what I was looking for.

What do you use for that pesky eye makeup?

♥

Bri

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The Pet Chronicles - Luna

 

Good morning loves.

I've got a different type of post today. I wanted to talk about my big, old beauty of a dog Luna.

My whole life I wanted a dog and she came to us at a time where we honestly weren't really in the position to own a pet as we didn't have our own place and didn't really know where we going to be in the next year.

Her previous owner could no longer keep her and although she was supposed to be with us only for a weekend on a trial run her owner never came back. Fast forward four years later and we now have our own place with a big yard for her to run back and forth playing guard dog. She definitely has her quirks, she's extremely protective of her people and space and gets very anxious if left alone for any period of time. Due to her separation anxiety she gets to come along on 99% of trips we take and it;s not easy lugging around your 120 lb dog. I couldn't be happier that she popped into my life when she did and I'm glad we found a way to keep her. She's the sweetest most loving dog I could have ever asked for and it breaks my heart to know she won't live forever.  

This post has turned into a love note for my dog, but who doesn't treat and love their pets like family?

Tell me about your pets down below.

♥

Bri

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Instagram Round Up #11

Oh, hello loves.

Another Instagram round up for you - follow me @briannarue

I'm sorry but I love showcasing my makeup looks as well and these posts are great for that!

{top left to bottom right}

Pastel Eye - the liner on this was extremely difficult to do but I love how it turned out.

Halloween Look #1 - Inspired by a face chart I found on insta.

Harley Quinn - Cliche I know but it's cute and wild all at the same time.

Clown - Another cliche Halloween look

Who else is excited for Halloween?

♥

Bri

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LUSH - Turtle Immersion

 

Hello loves.

I love Lush, I mean how can you not? 

Just look at how cute this little turtle bath bomb is! Looking at the website it looks as though this is a fairly new product to their store as there are zero reviews on it which I've never seen on another product before this one. It's larger in size when compared to their average range of bath bombs and has balls of agar, agar which is a jelly like substance formed from red algae. According to the Lush website these are meant to represent the major plastic problem our marine friends face living in the ocean. I have to say it represented it well because I got quite annoyed with the jelly sticking to me and the sides of my tub! It slowly fizzed away leaving the water a lovely shade of green and like most Lush products left the skin feeling smooth and silky. Although I found it annoying I do like that they included the jelly balls as a reminder that we need to start taking better care of our planet and the creatures within it. Lush is a fantastic company who is doing their part to take care of the world by being cruelty free and using fair trade ingredients. 

If you've been living under a rock and have never set foot in a Lush store, go now! What are you waiting for?!

♥

Bri

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Perfect Reds #1 - KVD Outlaw

Good morning loves!

Red lipstick is my signature. I love red lips and can be found rocking one at least four out of seven days a week. I figured why not start a series called the "Perfect Reds" which highlights my favorite reds from my ever expanding lipstick collection.

The first one I want to talk about is Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lip in the shade "Outlaw."

It's a very bright matte red, which you can't see in the swatch as I didn't let it dry down completely.

It's absolutely stunning especially on pale skin tones. The only gripe I have with KVD liquid lipsticks is that they are one of the most drying formulas I've ever tried so I'd recommend using a lip balm before applying. 

What's your favorite Everlasting Liquid Lip shade?

♥

Bri

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Milani - First Experience

Hello loves.

Well, I've tried yet another disappointing foundation. Maybe it's my skin, honestly I have no idea but no foundation I've tried to date looks good. Milani has been a brand that I've always been curious about and my local Wal-Mart just started carrying it so I thought why not give this a go since I was out of my current foundation. I wanted to love this so badly. The formula is nice and creamy and does offer a full coverage finish that upon initial application looks flawless but not even two hours later it starts settling into my pores and separating around my nose and chin. It looks awful and not only that but it does oxidize which is a subtle problem compared to how badly it separates. On the above photo you can see how it's already been settling into the fine lines on my hand. I suffer with horribly dry skin but I've seen other reviews where people with oily skin have been having the same problems. I won't say I had a poor first impression with the brand as like I said I just can't seem to find the perfect base. I'll happily try other products from Milani and will hopefully have a better experience.

What Milani products do you recommend?

♥

Bri

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LUSH - We All Live In A Yellow Submarie

Good morning beautiful people.

I love baths. If I'm sad, mad, anxious or sleepy I will 100% of the time take a bath to cure my woes. I live in a rural area and suffer from serious LUSH withdrawals so on Friday while I was in the city I popped in for a little look and walked away with some treats. 

I tried to pick up stuff I hadn't tried before and the Yellow Submarine bath bomb was one those cute products I've always overlooked.

It of course, looks like a submarine and when dropped in the tub floats around like a boat releasing a beautiful combination of pink, orange and yellow making almost a sunset like scene. It took much longer to fizz away completely unlike their other bath bombs and smells like citrus which is a scent I can never get enough of. After it's completely fizzed away it leaves the water a lovely orange with flecks of glitter throughout. Upon finishing my bath my skin was left feeling soft and smooth. Yellow Submarine was a pleasurable experience and I would purchase this again.

What's your favourite bath bomb?

♥

Bri

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Cover FX - Highlighting Drops

Hello loves!

  

On my last Sephora trip I used my points to grab a sample of the Cover FX Custom Enhancer drops. The only shade they had available was Moonlight which although looks quite dark straight out of the tube is absolutely beautiful when blended. The full size retails for $52 CAD which is quite expensive if you ask me. With how little product you need to use though it would last you ages. This sample alone will probably take me a year to get through. This is such a stunning highlight that can be subtle (as subtle as a metallic highlighter can be)  or out of this world, blinding. I prefer a blinding highlight myself but that's what makes this so great is that it can be used however you like. You could mix it in with your foundation or moisturizer as well but I think it's a bit too glittery for that. We don't want our whole face shining like a disco ball, do we? Maybe some do but not I.
I would consider buying the full size even though I don't agree with the price point because it's one of my favorite highlights I've ever tried. I'd love to try out the shade Halo next.

What's your favorite highlight?

♥
Bri

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*Esqido Gel Liners

  

 

 

Good morning loves.

Esqido is a lash company who has a gorgeous selection of mink lashes ranging from natural to glamorous. They recently launched gel eye liners and I was lucky enough to receive them free of charge. I want to say a big thank you to Esqido for allowing me to be a part of their PR list. You can read all about my first experience with the brand here. 

I had a lovely experience with their lashes and expected the same from these liners. Upon first opening them I had a hard time getting the plastic off and ended up breaking the tip of the black one. We'll call that an operator error nor was it a big deal as these twist up so there was still lots of product left to play with. These are fairly pigmented but weren't quite as creamy as I expected and can pull along the lash line if you're not careful. I had no issues with these running under my eyes when used on the water line and I love using the black to tight line as it lasts all day and doesn't smudge.

Gel liners aren't something I use on a day to day basis but after trying these out, I'm thinking I should start.

You can purchase these at the links below

Black

Brown

What kind of eye liners do you like to use?

♥

Bri

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