October/Recent Favorites

I haven't done a favorites posts in a while and since october just ended I thought it would be a good time for it! Since I haven't posted my faves for a little bit, I will also include a couple things that I have been loving for longer than just the last month. This time, I have a ton of non beauty favorites also :)

 Let's start with the beauty favorites for this month!

Beauty Favorites

Za Energy Mist : This is an hydrating spray for your face. I got this while in Thailand a couple months back. I like spraying this over makeup for a fresh less powdery look.

Glysomed Hand Cream : this hand cream leaves a fantastic feeling behind. My hands feel softer than with any other creams I have used before.

Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner (Blackest Black) : Great easy to work with and affordable gel liner from the drugstore. I like to use it with an angled brush, for a nice defined line.

Milani Liquif'Eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil (Black) : The creamiest liner I have ever tried. It doesn't tug at your eye while applying and is incredibly black. The staying power is impressive also considering how soft this pencil is. I actually like this better than the Urban Decay Pencils and they are a lot cheaper.

Wet n Wild Shadows : my favorites palettes at the moment are
- Silent teatment (I love the taupe lid color at the bottom best)
- Comfort Zone (I love every shade in this palette, but I would say my least favorite is the yellowish browbone color because it's not that pigmented and chalky)
- Walking on Eggshells (again I love every color of the palette)


Wet n Wild : these don't have a name, but as you can tell it's a deep shimmery red and a redish pink glitter.

Revlon Iced Spice : Love this orangey beige frosted color. It looks quite neutral on and very wearable.

Sally Hansen Greige Gardens : I love the applicator of these Sally Hansen polishes. Since I have large nail beds, it's perfect for an easy application for me. I've been wearing this color non stop lately. It's understated, but chic and looks polished.

Essie Shine of the times : Beautiful flaky (glass flecks) top coat over just about anything. The main colors that stand out are red, orange and green. Perfect for fall.

 Za Powder Foundation : love how finely milled this powder foundation is. It makes my skin soft, poreless and perfected. I have read that it can be worn either dry or wet, but I like the finish and the texture I get from using it dry over a BB Cream. The coverage is quite good considering it's a powder foundation too.

Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer : this isn't the first time I have included this concealer into my favorites. I still love and use it all the time and it's perfect for my under eyes.

NYX Round Lipstick in B52 : perfect my lips but better color. I have never tried a lipstick more moisturising than this one. I absolutely love it and I'm really glad I was able to find these in Quebec City.

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm : I love this lip balm so much, I am almost out of it. Not only does it have the perfect consistency, but it also leaves my lips moisturised even after it's gone.

Maybelline Clear Smooth BB Cream : Got this in Thailand in a 7-11 store (of all places lol), I like to use this to even out my skin tone when I don't want anything heavy on my face. The coverage is just what I need and it feels like I have nothing but moisturiser on.

 Random Favorites

Favorite movie

The Nightmare Before Christmas - I love watching this movie around this time of year. It's the perfect combination of Halloween and Christmas, my two favorite holidays!

Favorite TV Shows

Old favorites : New Girl, The big Bang Theory, True Blood, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, Lost

New favorites : Walking Dead, The Game of Thrones

Food Favorites

Lately, I've been into anything soup. I love rice and chicken or chicken noodle soup. I also love homemade ramen (especially the spicy kind) with seaweed strips and an hard boiled egg. I've also been loving japanese food this last month. I love sushi (as always), miso ramen and takoyaki. YUM ♥


Favorite Book

The Celestra Series [Addison Moore] : I've discovered this series this summer on Amazon while trying to find a couple books to bring with me on vacation. I am in love with these books. It's a romance fantasy series  about a young girl named Skyla. In the books she learns that she is an angel from a faction that is threatened by others for the power of their blood. Anyway, I don't want to give away too many details about the story, but it's really captivating. I believe there is 7 books (about 200 pages each) in the series. I'm currently reading the fifth and I can't stop reading. Anyway I recommend it if you like fantasy books like me!

Probably the most random thing in this favorites post : my chair cushion! I love this for lounging in bed, whether I'm reading or doing school work. It's super comfy, plush and cozy. ♥

Next random favorite for this month is my new phone the Samsung Galaxy SIII! I am so excited about this, I have been wanting a phone of my own for a while now.  I was waiting because I knew I didn't actually need one that much, but  I finally caved in! So far I love this phone. It's incredibly light and the screen is huge! The camera on there is great too, a definite bonus in my book. Do you like my Mario themed wall paper? I think it's adorable :D

 I chose this cover to protect my phone. I got this at Best Buy for around 30$. There wasn't that many different designs to chose from, so I'm glad I found one that I like. I might get more cases and switch them out according to my mood! I love the rhinestones and the transparency of this case and I love that it doesn't make my phone any bulkier.

 Since I just got a phone, I thought I would also mention the apps that I have been loving this month! I'd also love it if you guys could share your favorite apps for android, I'm always on the hunt for new games, photo editing apps, etc.

Right now my faves are :

PicsArt : this app is the best photo editor I have found so far. It has countless options and filters and there is even bokeh effects on there. [Free]

PVM (Pumpkins Vs Monsters) : Fun little game that is a cross between bejeweled and Plants Vs Zombies. Really entertaining and quite addictive in my opinion. [Free]

Anything from Kairosoft : here we have Beastie Bay and Pocket Clothier, but I have almost every single game of their series on my Ipod (I played non stop while I was in Thailand this summer). Their games are mostly management games except for Beastie Bay, which I think is new. Beastie Bay is a mix between pokemon and an exploration game. Anyway, I'm a total fan of all their games. I have finished around 10 of their games. [Light version : Free, Full version : ~5$]

 And these are some of my favorite fall accessories. The bracelets are all from Thailand and the Heart Necklace is from Forever 21.

 Another gadget I have been obsessed with lately is my Kindle. I have been reading like crazy for the past few weeks.

Here is a couple other random favorites of mine for this season :

Winnie the Pooh Blanket : this blanket is super cute and soft! I'm always wrapped into it whenever I'm lounging around the apartment. I just love snuggling into a blanket when it gets colder outside, so this is a definite favorite this time of year.

Bath and Body Works Three Wicks Candles : My three favorite scents at the moment : White Barn n1 Nutmeg and Spices, Pumpkin Cupcake and Pumpkin Caramel Latte

Thick Wool socks : Love these because the are cozy, but also a little feminine with the pink trim :)

Excel Mints : I bought two dozen packs of those at Costco the last time I went. I'm really addicted. They're regular mints, but they taste just like Excel gum which is my favorite. They have most of the Excel gum flavors in mint form (these Winterfresh ones are my favorites though).

Purse : I finally found a purse that I like! I have been looking for a nice medium brown, soft (fake) leather purse forever now. I'm quite specific with the purse designs that I like and I simply couldn't find anything that I was ready to fork out money for. I finally found this one in a small boutique in Montreal and I fell in love with the details on it. It was only 40$ and I'm really pleased with it.

And that's all! Phew, this was a super long favorite post! Hope you enjoyed this! Let me know your favorites for this season in the comments, I'd love to discover new things!

New Layout and Banner : Winter Themed!

/hihi
So obviously I'm a little early on the winter bandwagon with this snow themed layout, but I couldn't resist!

Plus, since Halloween will soon be over, and I always forget to change my layout for ages, it'll last me a while =P

Anyway tell me what you think (other than the fact that it isn't quite season appropriate right now! =P), do you like this?

Halloween Makeup : Candy Corn (Remake)

Last year I made this candy corn look for Halloween. At the time I was quite happy with the way it turned out, but seeing as I have gotten a little better over the year and since it's such a fun look to create in my opinion, I thought I would try to do it again, this time a little differently!

If you have read last year's post, you know that I have never tasted candy corn! I still have yet to taste it since I have never seen any sold anywhere near me. If anyone from Quebec City knows where I could find it, please let me know! I would love to try them :)

Anyway here is how the Candy Corn look turned out! I love the combination of yellow, orange and white with the crisp black cut crease.

Oh and this year I actually looked at the colors on the candy properly and discovered that the orange is placed between the yellow and white and not at the end. So I made it to look more like the real thing :D

Tell me what you think! Which version do you prefer? This year's or last year's? What Halloween looks would you like to see?

What's In My Travel Makeup Bag

Having moved to Quebec City for university, I have to go back and forth between Montreal and Quebec City quite a lot since my parents and friends are there.

Since it's a three hour drive, I will usually go from anywhere between a weekend to over a week, which means I have to pack some makeup if I want to wear any while I'm there.

First of, this is my makeup bag :

I Love the pretty pink color and the zebra print. I got this at the dollar store (bargain! :D) and it fits an inredible amount of stuff! ♥

And here is all that I carry. It's quite  a lot of stuff considering I don't wear makeup everyday, but I like having the option. :)

Here is a list of the products in case you are interested!

3 Wet n Wild trios : Walking on Eggshells, Silent Treatment and Getting Sunburnt
1 Maybelline BB Cream (the tiny mint colored tube) - My main foundation at the moment
1 Urban Decay Primer Potion
1 ZA Powder foundation compact
1 Rimmel Stay Matte powder
1 Rimmel Blush in Pink Sugar
1 Milani Blush in Coralina
1 Canmake cream blush
1 Maybelline Mineral Power Concealler
2 Nyx Round lipsticks : Fig and B52
1 Maybelline Baby lips Lip Balm
5 Eco Tools brushes : Mineral powder, large shadow, 2 blending, small shadow and angled liner
2 Maybelline Mascaras : Colossal and One by One
1 Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
1 Nyx Eye Pencil in White
1 Milani Liquif'eye pencil in black (this stuff is AMAZING)
1 black liquid liner (from 7-11 in Thailand)
1 Hoola Bronzer Sample
1  Maybelline Gel Liner in blackest black
1 pair of tweezers

♥ 15 Things I love about fall ♥

Fall is my favorite season for many reasons. It's chillier than summer, but not as cold as winter. For some reason, fall always makes me nostalgic and reminds me of my childhood. It's my favorite time of year and I love that the holidays are around the corner.

Being the list maker that I am, I compiled a list of 15 reasons why I love fall!

♥ Fall fashion : Boots, scarves and thick knit sweaters
♥ The colors of the leaves
♥ Hot beverages to warm you up
♥ Chilly temperatures and blankets
♥ Halloween
♥ Hot Soup
♥ New school supplies
♥ Apple desserts
♥ Dark nail polish
♥ Fall scented things from Bath and Body Works
♥ New episodes of my favorite shows
♥ The days becoming shorter
♥ Staying inside on rainy days
♥ clothes with a nordic print
♥ Leg Warmers

I've been quite into Pinterest lately and I even made a board representing my love for fall! Check it out and follow me on there if you are into Pinterest!

http://pinterest.com/luhivy/what-i-love-about-fall/

And here is a sneak peek of how my board looks! I love gathering all the things I love in one place like this, it makes me happy and it's inspiring!

Do you enjoy fall? Let me know in the comments :) Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

Fall Haul : Bath and Body Works

So I have been stalking the Bath and Body Works website for a while hoping that the two for twenty three wick candle sale would be up soon. Today, when I visited their page, my prayers were finally answered! I practically launched myself out of the door and went to their store right away.

Unfortunately, here in Quebec, the sale is actually two for 25$ Which I cannot understand since, even when the canadian dollars' value is low, the conversion is nowhere near 20 $ USD = 25$ CAD. In fact, at the moment it's only worth 19$ CAD. Anyway, it's kind of a bummer. Also, here is Quebec, in order to benefit from the sale you need to buy an even amount, or you will pay full price for the last one.

Another thing that is kind of annoying with the candles here in Quebec is the packaging. Since we have a law that obligates merchants to have packaging both in french and english, there is no scent description underneath the candles like in the US. I suspect it's simply by lack of space, but nevertheless, I would like to be able to refer to descriptions when I'm shopping.

Anyway, I'm done ranting. Here is all I got!

There wasn't any White Barn n1 large candle left :( so I got three mini ones. It's probably my favorite scent right now!

I also got four large three wick candles :

1 in Pumpkin Caramel Latté
1 in Pumpkin Cupcake
1 in Cinnamon Nut Bread
1 in Frosted Cranberry

Also, the hand sanitizers were 1$ each. I got Brewberry and Vampire Blood

Finally I got a cute snow flake candle holder for 5$. I'll wait until december to use that one though :)

What are your fave fall scents? Let me know in the comments! I love trying out new scents in my home! ♥

EDIT : I was able to find the White Barn #1 candle in laval after all :) I picked it up and I'm almost through burning it already :P

SE Asia Beauty Haul : ZA, Canmake, Nivea, Maybelline, Biore, Essential, Majolica Majorca and more!

So while I was in SE Asia this summer, I really wanted to pick up some asian beauty products that I have been eyeing for a while. Turns out, most of it is quite expensive (especially the japanese brands), but I'm glad I can try them out! If I like them, I'll feel more comfortable paying shipping to get them later on. Plus, I got to swatch some of them and see which colors I like :)

Here is what I got!

I got a Majolica Majorca mascara (680 baht, about 22$ ouchie :S, hope it's as good as I hear), a ZA hydrating spray, Biore Cleanser (and mini makeup remover), Essential shampoo, conditionner and hair mask, Vaseline moisturizer, Nivea deodorant and cream, ZA powder foundation and compact, Maybelline BB Cream (it's tiny) and Canmake cream blush (also really expensive, can't remember how much exactly, but around 10$)

I haven't given everything enough of a go to review it yet, but if you would like an in-depth review of any of the products here, let me know!

In the mean time, so far, I have been really liking the ZA foundation (it's milled incredibly fine and makes my skin super soft <3), the Vaseline moisturizer, the Nivea deodorant, the ZA spray and all the Essential hair care which are super creamy and moisturising (although I'm not a big fan of the floral smell).

That's all I got in SE Asia (well Thailand really). If you are curious, I got most of these either at Boots (I was super excited to go there, we don't have it here), 7-11 (they have a couple cheap beauty products) and Watsons. Sadly they didn't have any of the british cosmetic brands there. I would of liked to try out Sleek and Collection 2000 (now just called Collection I think).

Anyway, I really should be studying right now, I am procrastinating at the moment :S I'll update soon with Halloween looks, favorites and more :)

Summer 2012 Recap : Update on my bucketlist

Remember the bucketlist I posted before I left for SE Asia? Well I thought I would share how I managed! Keep reading if you are intered in knowing whether or not I suceeded in achieving the goals I set for myslef for this summer :)

1) Dive in Koh Tao

Status : Success

Yep :D we went for a total of six fun dives in Koh Tao, all of which we're amazing. The reef is beautiful and there are so many fishes. Loved my experience and loved Koh Tao <3

2) Eat Pad thai


Status : Success

Well that's kind of an obvious one. I did even better than only eating it though. I went to a cooking class and learned how to make it. I will be making it at home quite soon! Would you all like to see pictures of the result?

3) See Angkor Wat

Status : Success

We went to Angkor wat and we quite enjoyed it even though it was a very hot out and there were pretty impressive crowds. The ruins are beautiful and the carvings are really well preserved.

4) Go to half/full moon party

Status : Success

We went to the full moon party. It was a blast! There were 9 bars along a huge stretch of perfect white sand beach, all playing different kinds of music. I got a neon dragon on my arm and danced in the sand until dawn. So much fun <3

I just realised I forgot to blog about Koh Phangan entirely :S oops! Here's a pic of me at the Full Moon Party though!

5) See "the beach"

Status : Success

We did and unfortunately it's really not that impressive. Don't get me wrong, Maya Bay is quite nice, but it's way too crowded and honestly, I've seen quite a few nicer beaches in Thailand. It was cool to be where the movie was filmed though!

This is Maya Bay, about one hour before sundown :)

6) Drink juice in a bag

Status : Success

Check! I had some juice in Hanoi from a street vendor. It ended up tasting gross (to me anyways) so I gave it to Mathieu after a few sips. Does it still count? XD

Not my best shot, but I had to get proof XD

7) Have coffee in a can

Status : Success

I had Nestlee coffee in can at least 10 times. I love the stuff. I wish we had it here.

8) Eat from street carts

Status : Success

We did it at the very begining of the trip. We had chicken on sticks from a cart. After that we had a bad experience with beef which smelled like poop (no kidding!) so we laid off the street food for the rest of the trip. :P

The offender

9) Go to Hanoi

Status : Success

While writing this list, I had no idea how much this particular item would mean to me later. Hanoi was simply a place I had heard the name of. Now that I have been, I can say it has been my favorite place in Vietnam by far. Hanoi is an amazing city.

10) Go on a multiple days hike

Status : Failed

I didn't do this one. Didn't really feel like sleeping in a village in the jungle. We did a one day hike though!

11) Leep my pack under 20 pounds

Status : Failed

I was almost going to check this one until the very end of the trip. However, with all the souvenirs I bought along the way, when we left Vietnam my bag weighed bit above 20  pounds (23-24 pounds). To make matters worse, once we arrived in Bangkok I bought a second smaller backpack to carry all my shopping and I filled it to the brim XD.

12) Take food pictures

Status : Success

This one doesn't need any explanation. I have about a million food pictures. I'm sorry to all who do not like seeing them. I must have aggravated you like crazy lol.

And in case you were not sick of food pictures yet, here is some banh cuon :P

13) Get in better shape

Status : ???

I'm not sure! lol I probably haven't gotten worse, but better? Who knows. Let's say I did, it can't be worse than the couch potato I was before I left, can it? :P

14) Go to a night market

Status : Success

We went to the Chiang Mai night market and I got a couple souvenirs there :D

15) Eat Pho

Status : Success

Again, I even learned how to do it! I love pho especially with loads of bean sprouts and rice noodles. Yummy <3

16) See the Mekong Delta

Status : Failed

We decided against it. Going there would have meant traveling south of Saigon, which was in the opposite direction of every other destination on our itinerary. We could have booked a day tour from Saigon, but we heard that the cheap tours were rip offs and the pricier alternatives were really expensive T_T.

17) Go to Halong Bay

Status : Failed

Almost! We got all the way to Cat Ba island near Halong Bay, but the weather was horrible. We stayed one night and left right away in case the weather worsened. We were afraid that if the weather got any worse we would get stranded on the island until it calmed down.

18) Go back to Chiang Mai

Status : Success

We went twice on this trip. Once at the begining and another time one month later with our friend from Quebec who had never been. I just love Chiang Mai. The atmosphere, the food, the people, the activities. Everything is great!



19) Drink a bucket

Status : Success

I had more that one :P (never by myself though!)

My total : 15/19 

Not bad :P

SE Asia Travel Series : Bangkok and Krabi (The Conclusion)

So this is the last installment of my SE Asia travel series! I've been back for three weeks now and it's been somewhat of a challenge to get past the jet lag and get back into the swing of things. We started university two days after our return which didn't help. Anyway, now I'm all better and my energy is starting to come back which means I'm motivated to make blog posts again!

So let's pick up where we left off last time. We were in Hanoi just about to fly back to Bangkok. That night we had pizza and I bought a Vietnamese hat ( I had to carry that thing around for almost two weeks, such a pain in the rear). The next morning we left for the airport of Hanoi and one hour later we were in Bangkok. We didn't do much in Bangkok except hang around the MBK Center Mall all day, playing arcade games, eating ramen pretty much every day and going to the movies once or twice (I believe we went to see Total Recall and Ted).

We also spent some time on Khao San Road. Funny story, we heard that one of Quebec's local celebrities had opened a poutine shop (for those who don't know it, it's a dish from quebec consisting of french fries with gravy and cheese curds on top) in Bangkok recently so we decided to check it out. We ended up meeting him which was really cool. We obviously had some of the poutine which was really good and reminded us of home.

MBK Center :D

One of our favorite places to hang out and have a drink : Black Canyon Coffee :)

Most days I ordered tea which always came with crackers!

DJ Max Technica, this game is so hard X|

Another music game, also ridiculously difficult, lol

We love Pump It Up <3

One of Mathieu's favorite mid after noon snack : matcha ice cream :)

The menu at the poutine shop! We tried the schnitzel poutine, the hot-dog poutine, the italian poutine (missing from the menu apparently :P) and the bacon and onion poutine. All equally yummy!

The poutine place

This would be the bacon and onion poutine!

Hachiban ramen's menu. My all time favorite ramen bowl <3

 
 

The Tom Yam based ramen

Not 100% sure, since on the menu it's simply called "soup", but I think this is shoyu ramen with japanese style roast chicken. My fave <3! I must have had this bowl at least 10 times over two weeks.

I love gyoza :D

Mathieu with the poutine shop owner! He's a well know comedian in Quebec :)

Last but not least : Shabu Shi! I love this place. It's a all you can eat, shabu shabu. You choose your ingredients for the soup from a rotating conveyer belt. There is also a sushi buffet, drinks and ice cream. Love!

From Sha Shi's buffet

Right before I started making my soup

Night out in Khao San

Takoyaki!!! I can never get enough of this

After about six lazy days in Bangkok we left for Krabi on an overnight bus to conclude our trip with a bit of beach time. Unfortunately it rained most of the time we were in Krabi, but the few sunny days we got, we really took advantage of. We went rock climbing on the breathtaking limestone cliffs of Rai leh beach (it rained for at least half of the time we were there, but we had time for a couple climbs before the walls got too slippery) and we went on a island tour to a couple amazingly beautiful beaches. After that we went back to Bangkok, shopped around for souvenirs (and myself for some asian makeup :P) and flew back home!

Rai Leh Beach

Getting ready for some rock climbing in Rai Leh

In retrospect, I think it's safe to say that this trip was my favorite so far. It was unbelievable from begining to finish and we did so much, learned so much, saw so much. It was truly and incredible experience. Oh, and Thailand has the most gorgeous beaches I have ever seen. I really recommend anyone to go there sometime!

 Anyway that is all for this travel series. I hope you all enjoyed following me in yet another backpacking adventure :) Tell me in the comments if you would like to see more of these and what you did this summer! I would love to know <3