Happy New Year!!

Just popping in to say… HAPPY 2013!! Have a Happy New Year and be sure to stay safe whatever you’re doing!

 I was trying to get a video up before midnight, but I’m not sure that will happen :(. Computer graphics card is having problems with editing and I’m trying to go easy on it. If I do get up a video, it won’t be editied :(.

Do you usually do resolutions for the new year? IF so what are they? Typically I don’t because change can happen at any time and to be honest, I always forget resolutions after January.

Anyway, I’m also going to go out and chill with my bf and my bff haha, so it should be an interesting night. I’ll see you in the new year!

Maybelline Baby Lips Review

Today I havea review of a product I think I will mention in my Favourites of 2012, if I ever get around to making one. I’m still compiling my list for that. I am a lover  of lip balms and this one I’ve heard mixed reviews of, but I still decided to buy it and try it out. I’m extremely glad that I did, because I think I am in love with this lip balm, the Maybelline Baby Lips.

I have the Maybelline Baby lips lip balm in #10 Peppermint which has SPF20 in it as well. That’s a good bonus because lips get sunburnt too! This lip balm was $6.75BDS which is a good standard price compared to others I have gotten here. I got it at Collins Pharmacy and there were also a couple other flavours as well as some tinted ones. For the price you pay you do get a lot of product, the twist-up tube is abosultely full of lipbalm and although I’m been using it a while, I’ve barely made a dent in it.

Peppermint is a clear lip balm that goes on smoothly with a nice sheen to the lips and tastes slightly of mint, however it’s nowever as minty or refreshing as the Victoria Secret Lip Rush lipgloss in peppermint I used to have like 3 years ago. That was just bomb. It felt like you had just brushed your teeth when using that.

 Anyway, the Baby Lips lasts I’d say 3-4 hours with the shine provided you don’t constantly lick your lips and it really does leave your lips feeling super soft and hydrated. As for the packaging, I don’t know if a more mature person would buy this, it does look like a teen’s lip balm, but it really does work. I don’t mind it, I’m still pretty young. The tube and it’s cover are plastic, with the cover being clear so you can see the lipbalm from the top. Similar to Nivea lip balms it has a slight click cover, which holds pretty securely, but I would still be a bit worried to just throw this in my purse without it losing it’s cap. It’s nice and compact though, definitely something you can slip in your pocket and not worry about when you sit.

 

The formula is not sticky, but it does feel like it remains on the lips for a while before it wears off. Exactly after wearing off, your lips still feel nice and moisturised, but what’s weird about using this product is that the feeling without it does not last. If it were to wear off in 3 hours and you don’t reapply in 1 hour or so, it feels like you’re in the desert or dehydrated… or something. I’ve never felt that way with other lip balms, not to the extent of this one, and if you know me, you know I’m always drinking water.

I have been using this since late October/ early November and I have recognised a difference in the softness of my lips. They don’t peel like before and they need less exfoliation, though I still do exfoliate a few times a week. The product does feel like it absorbs into the lips over time and that’s probably why it made my lips feel so much softer. You also don’t need a lot of the product. I put this on at any time of the day and I love to slather it on at night. I wake up with my lips feeling “baby soft”.

The Verdict:
Pros:

• Affordable
• Good amount of product
• Only need a small amount for usage
• Slight peppermint taste
• Gives lips a bit of shine depending on how much you put on
• Really make lips feel soft, and peel less

Cons:

• Packaging though bright and fun may not suit all ages
• Cover could get loose in a handbag

The Raw Sugar:
For a lover of lip balms like myself, especially since my lips are always peeling. i think this is a great buy and I can’t wait to go buy it in quenched and maybe the tinted formula. I like peppermint, but it’s not as minty as I had anticipated. However it does leave my lips extremely soft, I feel like rubbign them together all the time.

Where you can find it: Collins Pharmacy (Barbados)
Drugstores (USA)

 

 

Disclaimer: This product review was not sponsored, I purchased this with my own money. This is my HONEST opinion on this product.

 

 

Ginessa had Sour Grapes and a Purple Fever (NOTW)

Hey all! I painted my nails kind of special for my birthday, which was in October and I wanted to show you guys. Sadly time got away from me and I ended up posting more time appropriate posts, but I still had pictures of my birthday nails. BTW excuse my awkward nail posing, I’m still trying to get the hang of it. It’s not often that I paint these and tell them to pose.

I first started out with what is probably my favourite colour, Ginessa from Zoya, then I tried acetone marbling. Maybe that’s the name, but I saw it on one of the many nail blogs that I follow and decided to try it. I used my Sinful Colors Nail art polish in Sour Grapes and the technique involved painting on the colour, then dipping a piece of cotton wool in acetone and dabbing or swiping some of it off.
I did that to all of my nails, THEN I sponged on Ruby Kisses nail polish in Purple Fever, using a make up wedge, since I didn’t like how messy the acetone marbing looked.

Sadly I was not satisfied with the look that came of either, so I tried to savage it with my Maybelline color Show nail lacquer in Carbon Frost,which is a crackle polish. After I did that I still was feeling kind of iffy about it, but I decided to put on the top coat, because that was already 30 mins gone and I had places to go.

Surprisingly adding top coat make everything look better and I wondered why I hadn’t just dont that after I had marbled and sponged.

Ah well. Tell me what you think of the final look. BTW this is about 2 days wear, and I think I had a bit of tip wear. Surprisingly, this manicure lasted the entire week, but I got bored and started to peel away the polish (woops).

It kinda looks all one colour in pictures…

Seasons Greetings! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Image is not my own.

 

I’m up burning the midnight oil, not going to church in the morning or tonight, nor going to Queen’s Park to show off my Christmas best like most Bajans on this day. I’m at home in my PJs, writing this post as some pots of food are on the stove haha. Yip I’m cooking, but I don’t mind, I like the silence of the kitchen and the wonderful scents filling my lungs. My dad is up with me helping.. or may be I’m helping him, I’m not sure hahaha, but we’re doing separate things and working together.

We’re actually taking a break watching this church service as my dad hilariously jokes about the way the service is proceeding. We love God, don’t get us wrong, but it’s a little depressing to watch a Christmas service that goes as slow and dreary as a funeral service. We’re supposed to be HAPPY that Christ came on this day.

I’m not gonna lie a few days ago, actually for most of the month I wasn’t feeling very jolly, but the music, some events and maybe just the spirit got to me and told me to try harder to be happy about Christmas. If you watched my update video posted before this, you would know that I was not completely in the spirit of Christmas. I just kept thinking it was going to be horrible and for the most part it was, full of stress and arguments and I felt like giving up, but there was still that nudging feeling in my side, which told me to work a bit harder. After some really last minute cleaning, shopping and now cooking, I think I understand why. (usually I’m not a last minute person btw)

I think I wrote on it last year. The real meaning of Christmas, the coming of Jesus Christ. I may not be getting physical gifts this Christmas, but it has been a year filled with blessings from God, both physical and otherwise. I’ve had a year of ups and downs, and I would like to invite you to contemplate all the good moments you had, as I do the same and give God thanks.

I must get back to the pots now, I’m trying to get an early Christmas lunch this year. Usually the food is done by 3.. and I sleep like half the day because I dread it so much hahaha. Probably not this year. It’ll  probably still be a bit of stress in the morning, but I’m going to hope for the best! I’ll update you later if I’m not passed out from eating too much haha.

Happy Holidays everyone!!

Update Video and Get Ready with me!

Hey all!
Check out my latest two videos, as promised. Here is my update video, and a little extra! Get ready with me video, I was trying out highlighting too.Tell me what you think of it. I’m not sure it really showed up on camera that well.

7 things I’d love to receive! (Holiday Wishlist 2012)

Hey all! Gift guides are all out of the way, next is focusing on me! 🙂 Here are 7 this which I would LOVE to receive!

In my gift guide for her, I mentioned a skin polisher from Sigma Beauty which is affordable and great, but something that I’ve always wanted was the Clarisonic. After watching rave reviews of it (usually Favourites videos on YouTube), I checked it out on Sephora and thought the price was insane! BUT, the holiday sets look really good (maybe this isn’t even new but I digress)! This one particular set has the Clarisonic Plus in pink or white, with the regular brush, sensitive brush and the body brush. Along with a number of cleansers, serums and moisturisers from different brands. You also get the typical device stand, and a charger. Can I say deal for $225? I think it is compared to the price of the unit separately which is about $200 too.

Take your mind out the gutter, it is a curling iron hahahah! Just a few months ago, I straightened my hair and it’s been a while (2-3 years) since my hair was chemically processed, and a LOT has changed since that time. First of all, back then curling irons had clips and it was the in thing to have. But with this new age of hairstyling there are clipless hair stylers which give some gorgeous styles. This one is being sold on Flat Iron Experts by Cortex. I have seen so many different brands with these, but I like those with the interchangeable heads, because you can get a variety of curl sizes.

A cheaper and probably easier alternative to this would be theses hot setting rollers from Conair (one of my favourite hair styler brands). you can just roll a couple of these in and have a cute style in 10-20 minutes! I’m just about styling my hair in luscious curls :).

Somehow after tryign to wear more eyeshadow out to classes, I caught onto the neutral eyes bug, and worse yet, the Urban Decay NAKED palette bug. I don’t think there’s really a need for 3 of them, but who knows, I have changed my mind before. I really want to try out the original NAKED palette, because of the colours it has. Although the NAKED2 has a very nice black and more mattes apparently, something calls me more to the original, if not the NAKED Basics palette. A plus with the NAKED with me, is that I’d get to try their famed UD primer potion in the original bottle, which was phased out this year.

Speaking of make up, I’ve alway wanted to try Benefit products, so when I saw some one show this set with 6 deluxe samples of their bestsellers, I was stoked. I would love the “Sexy Little Stowaways“, because it includes the POREffesional face primer, the BADGal lash mascara and Hoola bronzer, which actually may be too light for me, but I’ve always wanted to try. There’s also their eye primer, “Stay don’t stray”.

I’m not much of a polisher, probably because my nail polish usually sucks and are in such similar colours, but I fell for this holiday set from Sephora by O.P.I. I’ve always wanted an O.P.I. nail polish, but the prices I’ve seen in Barbados have always been a turn off. This set is titled “Tinsel Town”, is sooo cute for Christmas! There are a wide range of polishes included in this 8 piece set, from glittery top coats to deep wine creme polishes!

 As I also mentioned in my gift guide for her, a lighted mirror is somethign also on my list. I saw this one by Jerdon (never heard of them) on the ULTA website. It looks like it could be pretty bright, and gives that glamorous feel. Although to me the oval Conair ones look very timeless, althogh they may not give much light.

FINALLY something that has been on my wishlist forever! Sigma Brushes!! I showed the Make me Crazy Brush set in the gifts for her post, which I have been lusting a while, but I think an even better and possibly more affordable kit would be the Essentials Kit. It includes the same brushes as the Make Me Crazy set, but there is no brush holder and it costs a bit less. ($99USD to be exact).
If you wanted to get me this, I also have a coupon code for 10% off your purchase DEC2012 and when you spend over $30, you also get a free gift! Yes, that is me hinting it at you once more haha.

Have a Merry Christmas and I hope that you get at least some of the things on your list! Tell me what you’re lusting after or really need in the comments.  Happy Holidays everyone!

Disclaimer: This wishlist is in NO way sponsored. Only Sigma affliate links are embedded in this post. 

7 Gifts for the "Person who has Everything"!

I don’t know if you might have realised, but I skipped out gifts for siblings, because mine are all a lot older than me and don’t live with me, so it’s really hard for me to figure out just what they’d need without being obvious. However today I’m going to do a gift guide for the person who has just about everything  which could apply to siblings. As well as parents, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, just about anyone. I’m not much into useless gifts, so as long as they serve a good purpose, I’ll give them as a gift.

I think a yummy-smelling or even an aromatherapy candle like those sold at Bath & Body Works, could be an inexpensive and thoughtful option as a gift for anyone. Sometimes filling a room with a comforting scent is just what you need, despite the tons of gadgets, books or other things the person may have. Here in Barbados, it may be a bit more difficult to find really nice scents, but there are some out there (check out Woolworth or grocery stores). In USA other brands also sell fragrant candles like Diamond Candles and Candles by Victoria. This is definitely a thoughtful gift, especially if you can pick out a scent which the receiver will love. If you’re a bit cautious about candles, you could also get them bottled room scents or a diffuser.

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What if the person is more on the arsty side? A cool painting, picture or even an ornament could make a great gift! Of course, some people would appreciate this kind of gift more than others, so if you choose to get something like this, do so wisely. If you know the person you’re gifting is interested in architecture, you can get them a picture of some amazing architectural design like the Eiffel Tower. If they’re into fashion or even make up, you can get them a colourful still-life or a portrait of one of their style icons.

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Do you have a person who loves food on your list? Why not get them a huge box of their favourite snack or a sampler tray of so they get to try a variety. For me some that I always would love to receive at Christmas are cookies. The original Danish butter cookies are the best. So while others are hooked on chocolate, those are my favourite thing, as they only come out for Christmas. Some people may like not only chocolate, candy and baked goods but I’ve even known persons to enjoy cheeses. Now honestly, I like cheese, but I don’t think I would enjoy a tray of like 10 varieties of cheese. That’s a bit much for me, hahaha. At this time of year there are all sorts or treats selling in bulk, so just check out your supermarket.

I think something that ANYONE would enjoy is a home personal massager. After the stress of the Holidays (or exams for some of us), it would be nice to sit back and relax those tired muscles. It would be a great year-round gift, which I think would be most greatly appreciated by older adults. You can get these in any store that sells home appliances most times. The one pictured is sold at Walgreens.

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If you have an enviromentalist on your list, you could plant a tree in their honour and I’m sure they’d love that! If I were to do this for my dad, I know he’d love me to plant a fruit tree, because it just makes more sense than planting a tree with gives nothing back to you but shade, haha. My dad’s hilarious. I think there are organisations which allow you to give the gift of a tree in USA, but here in Barbados, it’s as simple as getting a tree cutting or a sapling and planting it in your backyard.

Ok so I couldn’t help myself with this one. These serve no purpose, but I think that they’re cute and funny. Quite the gag gift, Moustache sunglasses! These are sold at the original Sun-Staches store and come in a variety of colours and moustache styles hahaha. I remember I first spotted Kandee Johnson (YouTube Guru) wearing these in her videos and I though t it was so hilarious. I think the concept was orginally brought about to celebrate Movember (November- Prostate Cancer Month), though I’m not completely sure.

Do y’all remember those advertisements, where they’d say “for everything else, there’s MasterCard”? I don’t think you can get another person a MasterCard, or would want to unless you’re really generous, but a gift card such as the Amazon gift card sure does feel like a Master Card. Amazon has a plethora of items for sale, meaning your giftee could buy their heart’s content. Books, jewellery, electronics, beauty items, food, appliances… the list goes on! In the USA, you could also get them a store specific gift card like a Sephora gift card, Walmart, CVS, Target. While for us here in Barbados you can get gift cards for Chefette, Cave Shepherd, Italia Coffee House, Super Centre, and even some clothing stores. So for the person who already has everything, when they need something more, they’d be able to get it, thanks to you!

Hope you’re getting all your holiday shopping done, if you haven’t finished already. I know how hectic stores can be during the Yuletide. It’s insane the amount people spend during this time alone. I would personally gather gifts year-round so that at this time you don’t have to be in with the rush. Sadly in Barbados, the best gift sets come out around this time (-_-) but I digress.

Merry Christmas and stay tuned for the next post. My personal Holiday wishlist!

 

Disclaimer: This post was in no way sponsored.

5 Gifts for Mom & Dad!

 

Parents are not always difficult to buy gifts, for especially when you’re living with them or keep in close contact. Once you listen closely, it’s pretty easy to find out what they want or need.

My mum has been craving hot chocolate lately, but has been getting lazy about putting on the kettle and waiting for the water to boil. An easy solution this is to get a Keurig K-cup coffee maker. It’s single cup use, literally no clean up and it takes about a minute to brew a nice warm or cold beverage. I think my mum would really love one of these. I’ve heard so many great things about this coffee maker all year. Not only is it fast, but there are tons of different flavours of coffee, hot chocolate, tea and other beverages, by a number of brands. Even Starbucks makes K-cups! You can find the Keurig coffee maker on the official Keurig website, on Amazon, or in stores like Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohls, Target and JCPenney.

My dad loves music and the news. He especially loves to watch or listen to his beloved Cricket. Although he can be very tech saavy, he likes to enjoy the simple (and sometimes old-fashioned) things. I think the perfect gift for him would be a portable radio like this one from Etón or this one from Midland,  which are perfect for storms too. My brother also had one of these and my father was always fascinated by it. These are solar powered and there’s a dynamo so you never really have to use electricity. You have a digital display with an alarm clock, and you can use the tuner to find radio stations. Not only that, but there’s even an LED flashlight, a USB charger for your phone and auxiliary jacks for headphones.  So this is truly a multifunctional radio. I can definitely see my dad keeping this in the car in case of emergencies.

 

My mum would love something like Zumba to exercise at home. I think she’d especially enjoy the dancing, so it doesnt even feel like exercise. Sometimes she can make quite a bit of excuses to not go out and exercise or walk after work. If you have Zumba or other home exercise methods, then when ever you’re free or bored you could throw in some exercise. you dont have to feel uncomfortable because it’s just you at home. Who knows, might even end up being a family thing!

My dad is a carpenter and is also skilled at a number of handy trades. He’s always in the hardware store picking out a new tool or something. Here in Barbados, some of the hardware stores allow you to sign up for a royalty card that you could use the points to purchase items from the store. Carter’s General Store Barbados is like that.You could sign up your dad for one of those royalty programs in his favourite hardware store, or better yet get him a gift card to shop there, so he can treat himself to a new tool. I know my dad would love that!

Picture taken from Divi SouthWinds Beach Resort

Finally, a gift that both your parents would enjoy, Relaxation. I think a Staycation as we call it here in Barbados would be great, because your parents would get to kick back and relax as the hotel would take care of their every need. Or is a hotel is a bit too pricey, you could give them a certificate for a Spa day, where they will be pampered all day and would be able to relieve some stress. Groupon always have spa deals, soit doesn’t have to break your pocket to give a great gift. And for us here in Barbados, staycations have special rates for locals during certain months, so you can get a nice vacation for a more affordable price.
Another great option is to treat them yourself again home. You could make them breakfast in bed, a special meal, or give them massages. You can even take them out to a special dinner. It all depends on what your parents appreciate and what you can afford.

I’d love if you’d tell me what you get or are getting your parents for Christmas. If you were a bit clueless, I hope this guide helped. Stay tuned for more I should have at least 2 more of these up before Christmas eve.

5 Gifts for Him!

 

Guys are never easy to shop for, trust me I know! They think it’s hard to shop for us girls, but boy are they wrong. This guide should hopefully make it easier for you to get the perfect gift for your guy friend, boyfriend or husband!

 

Sometimes guys feel a little intimidated buying skincare, but they know their acne is flaring up and don’t know what to do otherwise. I remember being in the skincare aisle and this mature man was standing there looking absolutely petrified and telling the sales assistant this is all women stuff, he doesn’t know what to get. Thankfully, she corrected him and told him it’s SKIN stuff, something that more guys should know and pay attention to. It’s not like they are immune from skin problems, we’re not telling you to put on mascara either, but at least take care of your skin, you’ll have it for your whole life.
A number of brands such as Clinique and L’Oreal provide a men’s care line (no cute, girly packaging) that would be a great nudge for the man in your life. You don’t have to buy the whole line either, just one or two products. I suggest an after-shave lotion, acne spot treatment and a moisturiser at least. Of course it depends on what your guy needs. I know the Clinique Scruffing Lotion is very effective at clearing up clogged pores and preventing ingrown hairs. It’s actually sold here in Barbados at Cave Shepherd, so if you think your guy needs it, that’s the quickest way to get it.

A clothing item like a hoodie or a nice sweater that your guy can wear on chilly days always makes a great gift. It’s comfy and versatile and everytime he wears it, he’ll be reminded of you. Forever21 has some really affordable male outwear. You can also find some sweaters at Hollister, which are  a bit pricey, but is probably worth the price. If your boyfriend is a WWE lover like mine is, you could totally get him one of these WWE sweatshirts from his favourite wrestler. (They ship internationally too!)

Guys always seem to wear out wallets soo fast. I guess it’s because they are constantly sitting on the wallet, it bends and eventually zippers are falling off and there are coins spilling everywhere. So you could always get your guy the classic gift of a wallet. As played out as getting a wallet may be, it’s always nice to get a genuine leather one. It may be a bit of a splurge, but the quality is outstanding. Otherwise you could get a wallet with a nice design like a cloth wallet. It may not be a sturdy as a leather wallet but it is nice to look at. You can get male wallets from outlets like Asos where they sell a variety of  more affordable brands, while Nordstrom has a selection of higher-end brands. In Barbados you can also pick up QuikSilver, LAND and other brand of wallets for guys in Cave Shepherd. I like this one from Volcom, the pattern is really captivating.

A Watch. Not like he doesn’t know you’ll usually be running late, but guys who wear a watch always look more put together. I  think the same of women, sadly my watch batteries are always dead, so I never wear one haha. You can get him a really nice watch that is waterproof, sturdy and has a bunch of cool functions, like the Citizen Eco-Drive, which amazingly never dies. There are a range of different modes with varying price points, so it could be either an affordable gift or a nice splurge. I love the one above from Citizen. In Barbados you can also get great watches at just about any jeweller.

 

Now your guy is looking sharp and to top it off, you could get him a cologne, something special. Maybe he’s had a particular cologne and it’s been running out on him. You could do him one bette and get a gift set. Honestly, I don’t go testing out men’s fragrances, so I don’t really have any particular suggestion, but a good-smelling guy is always appreciated. I know I love when my guy wears his signature scent. I like the look of this bottle of Gucci Guilty Intense by Gucci, it’s really sleek and simple.

Hopefully something on this list has got your gears moving and you can figure out just what to get your guy friend. If you have any more suggestions for gifts guys may like, you could leave them in the comments!

Disclaimer: This post was in no way sponsored.

Apologies & a HUGE UPDATE!

Hey all! I had actually filmed a video with this update, but I think I may re-film it then post it here. My absence merits no excuse, besides that I was busy with life. I’m really sorry the posting during these last 3 months haven’t been very consistent. I did try to, but I’d run out of ideas, haha. (woops)

As some of you may know, I’m in my final year of university and this semester, although I was doing less courses, the workload was still just as intense. Late hour labs, studying for tests, doing time-consuming tutorials (boy, does it take a while to get used to reading Science journals). On top of that, I had taken a position in the faculty’s student committee, so I have to attend meetings sometimes. It is an interesting experience nonetheless.

Between going to school and coming back home usually more than 8 hours some days, I’d even up studying or doing assignments until late that night, not leaving time to blog or edit videos. Then I had a PC issue somewhere between there :(. It’s weird but, I don’t think my graphics card can handle editing with my current video maker, so I’m trying to work my way around that, until I could try to get another computer, maybe a laptop for editing. Suggestions would be appreciated! But for now, I updated a few drivers and I’m going to try editing again, maybe tonight.

Along with spending more time at school or just away from home, I’ve also been spending some more time with my friends. When I don’t have too much work pending that is. This may be the last time we’re in a setting like this, it’s kind of sad, but hey life goes on.

I also picked up an activity besides the student committee. Something I’ve always wanted to get back into. Swimming. So almost every Saturday I’ve been doing that and pushing myself to get better. Some days it’s really hard because the water is so cold, haha. But it’s fun with the people around you to support you.  Definitely not a Olympic record swimmer, but I am happy I hadn’t lost the knack for it completely.

My exams just finished and if I don’t get a job this vacation, you’ll probably be seeing (more likely reading) a lot more posts. I have a Holiday gift guide in the making. Trying to have that all up before 24th December, so you can get in all that shopping. I also had one last year which was very extensive, so you can check that out as well.

Until next post, I hope you’re all doing well and I hope you spend the Holidays safely. If you still are having final exams, I wish you the best of luck, it’ll be over soon!