Going to university

It's official, I'm going to university this fall with my boyfriend :D

We just got the news, we're both accepted and will begin a pharmacy doctorate here in Quebec city in two weeks!

This is so exciting :D I cannot wait to start! After 8 months off, I'm ready for school. There are already tons of events planned for our first month of school, sounds like we're going to be busy, but in a good way! There is a lunch on September 1st, 3 initiation days, and an official soiree at the end of September to officially welcome us into the program. I'm really excited to start meeting new people and make friends!

We have been waiting for this moment for several months now so I am utterly in heaven right now! Anyhow, I just thought I would let all of you know these exciting news.

This is the view from our new place, isn't it amazing?

Us celebrating the amazing news! The quality isn't great (front camera on our new Android phone is only 2 mpx, so it's not amazing), but the picture is cute anyway :D

Mini Haul : Bath and Body Works candles and coupons

I've been to Bath and Body Works for the first time this morning (technically it's the second time, I went to check it out really quickly last week with my mom) and I got a couple small candles! I have wanted to go for several months now, but there is no Bath and Body Works in Montreal. You can imagine how I excited I was when I discovered there is one in Quebec City!

They were only 5$ for three (the tiny 45g/1.6oz size) so that's what I got for now :) I wanted to try out the scents first and see if I like the products before I go nuts and get everything :P

I checked out the wallflowers too, but I wasn't sure what scent I should get and I was affraid I would regret it. Plus, they don't have the one scent I'm sure I love so far : Mint chocolate! It's a new scent so maybe it isn't out yet? I hope they'll make it, it's AWESOME :D

Here's what I got ^^

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I got the mint chocolate candle twice! To me, it smells exactly like mint chocolate chip ice cream which is my favorite ice cream flavor. YUM :D

This one, the salty caramel, was my boyfriend's favorite scent! It really smells just like the name, sweet caramel with a touch of saltiness. The scent is really potent on this one, I like that

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  

So far I'm really pleased to say that I truly enjoy Bath and Body Works candles. The scents are strong and varied and they are not too expensive.

The cashier also gave me a 20% off coupon on all merchandise, but the Wexler products (I don't know what they are?). I'm probably going to pick up a wallflower or Halloween/fall limited soaps and candles :D Yay for Bath and Body Works coupons :)

Bonus picture of my cat being adorable with my doll :P 

Makeup look : Vampy fall look

So I was playing around with my makeup the other night and I felt like doing something better suited for fall that is coming up quickly (here in Quebec City it is actually already quite cool). However, I didn't feel like doing a back to school look or anything like that! I felt like having fun with some of the darker colors that fall usually brings about such as red, black and deep purples.

This is what I came up with!

Products used :

♥ NYX Jumbo Eye Shadow pencil in Black bean and Milk

♥ L'Oréal Voluminous mascara in Carbon black

♥ BH Cosmetics 120 palette 1st Edition

♥ Annabelle Kohl liner in Mercury

Nail art design ideas

These are nail art design ideas I came up with and decided to share with you all. When I'm bored I like to play with fake nails and decorate them with nail art. It's much easier for me to practice and experiment with nail art this way since it's much easier to paint on nails that are not attached to your hand :P (right it's kind of cheating, because it makes it really easy!)

So I have accumulated a collection of nail art designs ideas I have made. It's good inspiration for when I actually want to do something on my nails. Some of my designs are a little messy looking, but I'm still learning :) Also, a couple designs are inspired by nail art tutorials I have seen in the past, so not all these designs are original!

What's is your favorite design? Tell me in the comments! Which one should I do a tutorial for? Do you have any other nail art design ideas you suggest I should try?

Hilary Duff makeup - Beat of my heart inspired

This is an Hilary Duff makeup - Beat of my heart inspired look. The other day, I was watching TV when I came across an Hilary Duff  music video playing on my local music television channel. The song was Beat of my heart. She has several different makeup looks throughout the video, but one in particular caught my eye.

This one :

I like the very cat like shape, the metallic blue/silver color and the smokey effect.

So I decided to try and reproduce the look (or rather to make a look inspired by it since my reproduction skills aren't quite there yet, especially when using only a photo as a reference). I've been searching for an Hilary Duff makeup look, but haven't found any that recreated this particular one, so I hope you like it!

This is how it turned out! I think it looks pretty good although it is definitely quite different from the original :P

No matter! I like my version also ^^

Please ignore my incredibly dry skin! It was so dry that day that the camera was actually able to pick it up :S

Products I used to create this Hilary Duff makeup :

Base : NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
Eyeshadow : A silvery blue, a black and a matte white from the Coastal Scent 88 Warm Palette.
Eyeliner : L'Oréal Lineur Intense
Mascara : Rimmel Lash Accelerator

Colorful Make Up Ideas : Mystical Melody

Colorful make up ideas can come from tons of sources. From animal,  to products, art, scenery, etc. This time my inspiration was a new product I have just gotten! 


I haven’t posted a makeup look in forever!

Actually, I haven’t posted anything beauty related for quite some time also!

Since my trip and my move, it’s been hard to find time to do beauty related posts for many reasons. However, I am now in my permanent apartment (by that, I mean that I won’t be moving again anytime soon!) which means I now have access to my full stash of makeup and beauty products once more.

There is still a lot to do in the new apartment in terms of cleaning and organising, but I have all I need nearby, which is more than I can say for the past few months =p

Just before I left Montreal, I went to the drugstore and purchased a new NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in the color Oyster. I hadn’t had the time to try it out yet, so it’s the first thing I went to when I unpacked my makeup.

The color is gorgeous and it’s a great base for purples and even blues. The duochrome effect gives the eyeshadows a beautiful sheen J

Here is a swatch of Oyster. Isn't it beautiful? You can't really see the duochromey effect it gives off in the picture though! NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow pencils always give me tons of colorful make up ideas!

I went for this deep purple eye today! I think it’s kind of mysterious and mystical looking. What do you think?

Would you like me to post more colorful make up ideas like this one? Tell me in the comments.

A day in Chinatown and Sumo Ramen

Right before we left for Quebec City, my boyfriend and I decided to go explore China Town one last time. We settled upon lunch at Sumo Ramen because we read good reviews about it. Also, we never had ramen at a restaurant before, only at home, so we really wanted to give it a try!

When we got there, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the menu also included many Japanese dishes we have wanted to try for some time. We decided to order takoyaki, gyozas and two ramen with the lunch special which included tea and an imperial roll (I think).

The menu

There was also a cute menu on the table :D

The takoyaki was phenomenal, really savory and fresh! The piece of octopus in the center seemed to be missing from some pieces though!

The takoyaki came with all the usual toppings of mayo, bonitos flakes and powdered seaweed, but lacked the okonomi sauce, which I would have liked to try! Next time maybe =D

The gyozas were also great and the sauce really complemented their taste.

yum!

For the main course, I chose the beef ramen with soya broth.

The soup’s flavour was mild, but tasty, but it lacked a bit of spiciness. Fortunately, the condiments at our disposal included some kind of chilli which I put to good use J The beef was excellent, the bean sprout tasted great and the egg was perfectly cooked. I was not too fond of the type of noodles used in the soup though. I chose the regular ramen noodles (you can add soba noodles if you prefer for 1$ extra), and they tasted alright, but the noodles themselves didn’t have that much flavour.

It was so big and filling, I couldn't finish it!

I went nuts on the chili XD

Mathieu chose the volcano ramen with peppered broth, which he really enjoyed.

I can't really comment on this one, but it looked tasty! I got to taste the meat though, and it was really flavorful and a little bit spicy. Nom ♥

Overall, great experience at Sumo Ramen and we would definitely return on our future visits to Montreal.

After the Ramen, we went to Swatow Plaza (their grocery store is amazing! I wish I had known about it sooner, not only a couple days before I move cities) and brought some ramen bowls and snacks! Montreal’s Chinatown, I will miss you! L We had a great day there and to my understanding, Quebec City does not have a proper Chinatown. Oh, well! I guess I will have to wait to visit my family to go there.

Have you ever tried authentic ramen in a ramen shop? Did you enjoy it? What’s your favourite type of ramen?

Rock climbing in Montreal

Rock climbing in Montreal is easy, but there are some steps to take in order to be able to do it independently. First, find a rock climbing gym (I think there is a couple), then before you can climb independently in a gym, you need to take a course and pass an exam to prove that you understand the principles well. We booked a class and both succeeded in getting our climbing licence J. 

Ever since, we have gone back at least three times to climb and have purchased most of the gear necessary. You can simply rent the equipment every time you go climbing, but if you climb frequently, the investment of getting your own gear is quickly returned.

We both got a starter kit, which included everything but the rope and shoes. We also got the shoes separately.

I really love climbing! Even though I’m typically afraid of heights, I feel like rock climbing is the perfect sport for me. It allows me to push my limits safely. Plus, it’s fun, exhilarating and an amazing workout! Your whole body works while climbing! I really glad I can do rock climbing in Montreal ♥

Anyway, here is a peak at the kit I purchased! I love the purple and grey scheme :D

My shoes =D

My harness kinda looks like an octopus here XD

Have you ever tried rock climbing in Montreal or indoor climbing? Did you enjoy it?

I am moving

I am moving again! I've been quiet since I've been back from my trip and I've explained the reason in my previous post, but another reason I have been busy is because I am moving again in a couple of days, this time in a brand new city, 3 hours away from my hometown.

I might have moved a few times already, but moving to a new city is a whole new challenge! Luckily, all of my furniture is in storage, which should make it all pretty straightforward. The most complicated part was going there to find an apartment we like, sign a lease and then arrange all of our services from here to be installed on our arrival. Also, the cost of moving to a new city is much more significant.

However, it's all for a good cause :) I am moving there (to Quebec City to be exact) because I will be attending university in the fall ♥ (I'm starting in pharmacy doctorate!) I cannot wait to start! The movers are booked for Friday, which means that by the end of the week I will be settled in my new apartment, in a new city! It's pretty exciting.

We found a nice 5 room apartment in a house right next to the St-Lawrence river. The neighborhood is very quiet and it almost feels like the countryside. I love it ♥ It's only a 15 minutes bus ride from the campus and has the advantage of including heating, hot water and electricity! I'm really happy with our choice! The rent is quite a bit cheaper than our last apartment too :) After three months living with my family I cannot wait to have a little place all to myself again! Spending time with my relatives was great, but I'm glad my boyfriend and I will have a place of our own once more. I cannot wait to decorate it ^^

Well that's all for this update! I hope to resume posting regularly as soon as I can access my makeup and all that!