Holiday Nail Art Collab with Sam - Week 2


Hey everyone! The theme of this week's Nail Art collab with Sam of Gemstone Beauty is Holiday Treats!

I decided to include Candy Canes, Christmas Plum Pudding & the Gingerbread Man! :) I forgot to take a picture of the polishes used but here's the list:

- Red glitter polish: Essie - Toggle to the Top
- White Polish - grabbed it at Walmart for $2
- Brown for the Gingerbread man = I mixed it myself
- Christmas Plum Pudding Base = Illamasqua - Bacterium

I love how Sam also did Candy Canes in a similar fashion however she added a Green stripe - totally in tune with the festive season :)

Come back next Thursday to see what we have planned for Christmas Decorations!

XO - M.


Credits to Miracle10 Skincare for this amazing pic they took of the two of us!


Sam's festive twist on a Candy Cane nails and a delicious sugar cookie accent nail :) LOVE IT!

November Ipsy Bag

Hey Everyone!

I thought that I would share the contents of my Ipsy bag with all of you today, and I must say, after a few months of "blah" bags and almost at the point of cancelling my subscription, I must say that I am pretty happy with this month's bag ... FINALLY!! yayyy!! 


Contents:
1. Demeter - Roll on Pefume Oil in Pixi Dust
A sweet scent, almost like cotton candy, light and not too overwhelming. This is nice to just throw in my travel bag so I don't have to bring a big bottle of perfume.

2. Elizabeth Mott - You're So Fine Liquid Black Glitter liner
I love the consistency of this eyeliner, however, the smell of the liquid liner reminds me of burnt rubber? Did I get a bad batch or did anyone else have the same problem?

3. L.A. Colors - Chunky Lip Pencil
Sheer pop of hot pink, quite hydrating - no complaints!

4.Temptu Hilighter
I used a stippling brush to put this on the high parts of my cheek bones and it's perfect. 

5. Nicole by OPI - Nail Polish
Gorgeous and perfect for the holidays - it's glittery and just so PRETTY! ahh! 

I know I'm a bit late in posting this month's bag but it's just been quite busy! What did you all get??

XO - M.

Lunch with Anna Sui hosted by Dave Leckie

I had the absolute pleasure and fortune of being selected as one of the lucky people to have lunch with Anna Sui and Dave Leckie.

The event took place the past Friday at Arcadian Lofts in downtown Toronto (food pics below) and it was quite the event! Dave told us that he has never heard of Anna having a sit-down intimate lunch with just a few beauty lovers, bloggers and us everyday people...and I must say, it really and truly was an honor!

When I arrived, the room was decorated with Anna Sui beauty products and little gift bags for us. The tables had roses, which I learnt was her favorite flower and the reason to why her cosmetics are scented like roses. Shade 400 is her favorite lipstick, rightfully named as Anna Red. She describes it as not being too pink or orange, has a bit of blue and perfect for photographs.

Dorothy Draper was the inspiration behind her newly renovated makeup counters as well as her apartment. Her beauty advice for all: be comfortable with what you're wearing and have fun. Experimentation and fantasy play a key role and don't feel like you need to have the same look everyday - take advantage of all special occasions to doll up!

As you can see in the pictures below, Anna sat with us at our table and took the time to come to talk and take selfies/pictures with all of us. Dave did a short interview with her in the beginning of lunch, and also for CityLine and had our pictures taken at the Anna Sui backdrop. The lunch was absolutely delicious and I think all of us really were just in awe of how down to earth, sweet and approachable Anna was. I hope that you all enjoy the pictures below! Once again, Thank you Dave for this wonderful opportunity!!

Until next time, M. 





 








 

Our little goodie bags :)

Friday Favorite ft. Saje Natural Wellness

A friend of mine introduced me to Saje Natural Wellness and I am eternally grateful to her. She told me that she bought a small humidifier where you could put natural oils in it and it would lightly fill the room with the scent of whatever oil you have in it. Upon doing more research, I found out that it has plenty of other benefits including: air purifier, deodorizer, allergen remover and a negative ionizer. Price points for these little humidifiers range from $59 to $129 approx (with a lifetime warantee they said). Also, can we mention how sleek this looks? It's slim, elegant not HUGE and clunky like the one I have in my bedroom...This fits nicely on my cabinet in my living room.

They have several types of oils, including blends - I currently have treescents in my humidifier. Here's the description of treescents from their website:

" Enjoy the fresh, evergreen scent of holiday cheer without the hassle of a live tree. Fragrant pine, aromatic cypress, and earthy cedarwood capture the spirit of the season while boosting the immune system and supporting the respiratory system. Sweet cajeput essential oil brings clarity and energy, and cleansing, purifying lemon helps uplift and refresh. 100% natural Tree Scents blend creates a calming, centered" 

The one thing I was concerned about was that it would irritate Bentley, however, everytime I have this on, he drifts into a deep slumber and he doesn't snore like he usually does. Actually, he stopped sneezing - for a while, he was making these weird snorting sounds - and this little machine stopped it - Thank God. For those of you that don't know - Shih Tzu's are pretty prone to sinus problems.

If you want to check them out - their site is:
http://saje.ca/

Until next time! XO - M!

Holiday Nail Art Collab Series with Sam - Week 1

Hey Everyone! For those of you in the GTA hope you're staying warm after the snowfall we had yesterday!!

Speaking of snowfall...I think that it is the perfect time to introduce the 5 week Holiday Nail Art Collaboration with the lovely Samantha from Gemstone Beauty.

Attached below is the breakdown for each week's theme, we have one per week up to the week before Christmas and it's going to be ALOT of fun to see what we both come up with.

Below is my interpretation of the theme of Snowflakes/Snowfall. I used a gradient theme and placed glitter on the tips - added rhinestone accents for the snowflakes :) I had to use falsies this time because I'm experiencing some seriously short nails and knew I wouldn't be able to deliver the results I wanted to on my regular nails. 

Materials I used...


Samantha's entry - I love that we both used a glitter tip and how she really made the snow look so white and fluffy.. lol.. :) 

The two of us have some wonderful ideas planned for next week's Holiday Treats edition.. Hope you guys will come back then! We will be posting every Thursday :)

XO - M.

Halloween NPC Contest Prize and annoucement




As promised, here are pictures of my prize from winning the Nail Polish Canada Halloween Nail Art Contest... :)

Also! I'd like to take this time to once again thank everyone who voted, and also to tell you that starting this week, I will be doing a weekly 5 part Christmas Nail Art Collab with Samantha from Gemstone Beauty :) This will be my first collab so I am quite excited!!

I'll keep this post short and sweet! Til next time.. XO - M.



Mario Badescu in Toronto


I have finally found the coveted Mario Badescu products in Canada - Toronto to be exact :) This line of skincare is raved about in the Youtube/Beauty Blogger circle, and to my knowledge it was always sold in the US - at Ulta etc. I was at the distillery district a few weeks ago, walked into Jacob & Sebastian and at the back right of the store, stood a wall of Mario B products - *heavens part* and I ran to it ( no joke). For those of you who are not familiar with Mario B products, please read the blurb below that I've included which is directly from their website.

"The Mario Badescu name has been known for personalized, all-natural skin care treatments and products for more than 35 years. Growing from a small facility into a 36 room salon and day spa, we have always been one of the most trusted and respected names in the industry. Our clientele not only is made up of many actors, supermodels and showpeople, but thousands of men and women who realize the importance of good skin care." - MarioBadescu.com

The two products I decided to get (and also because I was out of at home) was:
1. Seaweed Cleansing Soap - mild and gently exfoliating
2. Seaweed Cleansing Lotion - non drying, non alcohol toner
Coming into the fall and colder season, I recommend all of you beauties to reassess your skincare products. Using a non-alcohol toner will mean that you won't dry out your skin and having a cream-based cleanser will assist with maintaining the moisture in your skin. Some of you may think it is excessive, but I have a skincare regiment for the colder seasons (fall/winter and beginning of spring) and another for the warmer months/season, due to my oily combo skin - I will be doing an indepth skin tutorial/post soon!


Until next time - XO, M.

Good Morning from Muskoka

Hey Guys...

This will be a short and sweet post as I am away on a mini getaway with my husband and furbaby in Muskoka. We have family here so we're quite fortunate to have a place to go to for some R&R.

It snowed a bit yesterday and when I woke up this morning we were faced with a beautiful snowfall. I just had to share these pictures with you guys since it hasnt started snowing in Toronto yet .... 

Now, gonna go watch some Netflix, maybe read some more Gone Girl and snuggle with Bentley with a cup of tea and some socks on... :) 

XO - Miranda

2014 SEPHORA VIB SALE HAUL

OH SEPHORA!! Why do you have to do this.. I mean, THANK YOU for the 20% off, but ow my wallet... I save up during the year and wait to stock up on essentials or necessities for the year.. Well, sometimes if I do find that one or two things I really love, but don't have the heart to buy, I take advantage of this time to treat myself. 

This year I decided to get some skin care items that I am out of:
1. Sephora Instant Moisturizer
2. Sephora - Soothing Cleansing Milk.
3. Algenist - Eye Renewal Balm (this really was a splurge).


Makeup Items I got:
1. Too Faced - Primed & Poreless Primer 
2. Laura Mercier - Setting Powder/Puff Set
3. Urban Decay - De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray
4, Dior Show - Iconic Overcurl Mascara (I picked up the last one at the store which came with a bonus eyeshadow set for the same price as a reg. mascara - YAY)
5. Laura Mercier - Caviar Shadow Sticks.
6. Too Faced - Mini Bronzer Set
7. Dior Star Foundation
and finally.... 2 Sephora Solid Soap Brush Cleansers that I did a post about...

MERRY CHRISTMAS to myself! A well deserved treat for a tough year!! 

What did everyone else get?? Please share! I've been looking through social media and found alot of good hauls... :)

XO - M.

NPC Halloween Nail Art Contest Winner!

Happy Monday Everyone!!

I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to all that have supported and voted for me for the FIRST ever Nail Art Contest I have entered! I have won the overall Reader Votes award which NPC customers, the public and bloggers/viewers vote for.....You guys are amazing and this motivates me to create more nail posts and not be afraid to post my designs!!! :)

When the prize comes, I will definitely share pictures with you guys - one of the prizes is the OPI Peanuts mini set.. I'm thinking of doing a peanuts themed manicure? :) 

Side Note: Sorry for the quick post, but it saddens me that I am starting my first day of my vacation completely bed ridden and sick with the flu I caught from the office. I was so successful fighting it the past 2 weeks, but I guess now that I finally get to take a breather, it all caught up to me. I spent all yesterday in bed with my netflix and tea...most likely do the same today... :( 


To see all the lovely entries please click the link below:

Once again, a HUGE Thank You to all :) 

P.S. - The Sephora VIB/VIB Rouge sale is finally upon us, but once again, like the psat 2 years, I never got the official e-mail for it... anyone else have the same issue? If I bring my VIB card, they honor the 20% off... weird... 

XO - M.