Makeup Look: Falling Leaves

The dark red lip is all the hype this fall which from last year is quite a bit darker. A red lip can be dressed down with minimal to know eye shadow, to something heavy and dark, or something in between which I am sporting in this look. Red lips are great if you want to feel a little more daring!

What I Wore:

La Roche-Posay Effeclar Mat Sebo-Regulating Moisturizer

Too Faced Primed and Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 100 Ivory

Maybelline Fit Me! Pressed Powder in 225 Medium Buff

Quo Faux Glow Bronzing Powder in Sun Kissed

Benefit Blush in Rockateur

Elf Baked Eyeshadow in Toasted

Company Lashes Mascara in Black

M.A.C Lip Pencil in Burgundy

Maybelline Lipstick in 435 Plum Perfect

Fall Lookbook: Feminine Chic - 2014

 This is my Feminine Chic Autumn Look which also includes five fall trends for this year!

1. Maxi Skirts. Maxi skirt have been a trending fad in the last few months and have carried on into fall. But since Summer, many maxi skirts have thickened in material and the styles are more aimed to Autumn. They are great pieces to stay warm in and also stay stylish.

2. Floral Prints. Floral prints usually make their come back each year in Spring and Fall, and this Fall is no exception! With dark hues and with everyone wearing them from me, the girl down the street and Keiko Lynn. Its a great little print to wear!

3. Knee High Socks. A great piece to give you a little more coverage to stay warm when your wanting to still wear those short skirts, and or shorts (also great with maxi skirts as shown above!). They are cute, and a definite classic piece!

4. Oxfords. Also a classic piece that are great when starting University (like me) or just giving yourself a bit more of a distinguished scholastic feel!

5. Poppy. The colour poppy red is HUGE this season. I am seeing it everywhere from, blazers, jackets and skirts. Its that beautiful pop of colour just like the leaves changing colour. Best part is, its great on almost every skin tone and can make any girl feel confident with that little bit of fire!

All of these trends are included in this cute chic look. This is one of my favourite looks because it is classy, yet simple and can easily be dressed up or down depending on the occasion compared to the last outfit that was more of a day look (you can find it here). This is something I will be wearing all Fall.

On another Note I do plan on doing Outfits of the Day (OOTD) on Instagram on a regular basis. So if you are interested in viewing this you can find a link on the side bar >>>

What I Wore:

Garage Ballerina Top in Burnt Red

Vintage Nicola Floral Maxi Skirt

Unknown Black Knee High Socks

Guess Poppy Red Structured Coat

Spring Brown Oxfords



Fall Lookbook: The Minimalist Grunge - 2014

I decided to do a little Fall series over the next few weeks, which will include two different looks (clothes), an Autumn makeup look, an Autumn haul and MAYBE a recipe (tbt)!

Fall is my absolute favourite season and I love taking advantage of this short and beautiful time of year. This year I thought "What better way to enjoy it then to share my love of it with my followers!

During the two fashion looks Ayla (my bestfriend) and I will be modeling Fall looks that fit our own personalities. She has always been a minimalist grunge kind of gal and I have always been more feminine chic gal. I want to give everyone options on what can work for them by giving you both styles. I will try to include as many fall trends as possible in order to give you some great idea's about how to spice up your fall ventures this season! So I hope you enjoy!

Ayla Mushinski (my beautiful and talented model) is wearing what I consider to be a grunge minimalist fall look. Which incorporates five Autumn Trends for 2014.

1. Plaid. Is always a Fall and Winter favourite. So you of course have to add that! This is a great grunge piece being a bit oversized; and with the ornate fall colours to really give it a urban feel to it by mixing orange, navy, white and black.

2. Tunics. This is a style which has been coming back recently. They look great with almost anything, on top of a skirt, over jeans, or with leggings. They are so versatile and comfortable!

3. The Blazer. This is a great piece to wear in Autumn since its a tad heavier then a sweater but still lighter then a coat. Perfect for those sunny windy days and very minimalist! And with nudes being very popular this fall as well. Its a great neutral colour.

4. Slit Knees. A current fashion trend is two slits in the knees of jeans. its very simple and fairly unnoticeable while standing up, but it does add that little bit of edge to pretty much any outfit to give it a more urban laid back feel.

5. Knee High Boots. Again! This is a great Fall and Winter staple and really never goes out of fashion. The boots are in a auburn brown which really warms up the whole outfit to really give it that autumn vibe.

Overall I think it is a great look to just throw on when going out to the market or for a lazy brunch. Its simple, urban and so very in style!

What Ayla Wore:

Tobias Brown Wool Blazer

Bank of Gypsies Plaid Tunic

Ardene Denim Jeans (with DIY knee slits)

Dynamic Black Tank Top

Vintage Impressions Knee High Boots

Vancouver Island - 2014

My family and I spent a week and a bit on Vancouver Island together before I started my first year at Univeristy (yikes!), and with a little fact about myself being that I love harbours and cold beaches, it was no doubt this was a perfect holiday for me. For me harbours hold such a majestic beauty; boats travelling out to see, to fish, to explore, ect; I'm in love with the audacity of it all and I could easily sit in a harbour for hours watching the world go by. 

We stayed in Parksville, it's a small retirement town on the island, great for family vacations. We stayed near a little bay, and right around lunch the tide would stretch way out of the harbour and we were able to walk along the ocean floor, there were often little tide pools with sand dollars, crabs and other sea life forms in them, it was so beautiful to see it all.

Sunglasses from The Place (Port Alberni, Vancouver Island)

Sweater from J Crew  (bought at a thrift store)

Dress from Mahina (Maui, USA)

Sandals by UGG (bought at a thrift store)

Dress from Mahina (Maui, USA)

Bracelet from Rebekah-Anne-Designs (Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island)

Boots from Spring

Eyeshadow from Loreal, Brazen Bolds Pallete in 559 What Happens in Vegas

Lipstick by Rimmels Kate Moss Collection in 01

Foundation by the Balm, Balm Shelter tinted moisturizer in light

Setting powder by Make Up Forever, Duo Mat in 201

Mascara by Cover Girl, lash blast length in Black Brown 

I generally tried to keep my outfits quite nautical, as we were staying my the sea, and I think I did a pretty good job of it, wearing mainly blue, white and red. I love dressing for occasions and for me this was the best excuse! I hope you can get some inspiration from this and I hope I have encouraged you to visit Vancouver Island, one of my favourite places in the world!

Chella Beauty Products

Working at a Beauty Counter gives me a complete in on all the new products, how products are best used, tips and tricks etc. and I was invited to spend the morning with Chella, a brown and skin company from California that is bringing their products in Canada! I was super excited to go to this workshop because I am definitely one of those girls who has a huge complex with their eyebrows (they are just never exactly the way I want them). So any time I hear anything about luxury brow products, I'm all in! 

We were given a small lecture on how the products were used and what was special about the company over others, and then we watched the representive do a small tutorial on one of the woman, after all that we got to test some of the products and we were given our own! (An amazing perk to the job). 

Now for a few facts about the company before I show you my goodies! This company is only available at London Drugs in Canada, so don't go looking for it at Shoppers, or Walmart. You won't find it. Chella is a 5 star product and is only sold at 5 start resorts and spas in the States. The packaging is in French and English since all their products are made in Europe (it's also nice for use Canadians who are bilingual). And lastly their company is paraben free and has never (and will never) test on animals! Yay!

The first products I'll talk about is the Chella Highlighter in Cinnamon (the swatch on the top of my hand) and in Ivory Lace (the middle swatch), this product is made in Czech Republic (for quality purposes) and is a cream based highlighter. The Cinnamon highlighter is great for woman with darker skin tones and for woman with lighter skin tones to use as a couture colour (which I did in the picture below)! The highlighters are super bendable and best when applied with your fingers or a sponge/beauty blender, this will give it a natural and soft look. The highlighters are very multi-purpose and can also be used as an eye shadow base. Some woman have complained that it creases, but if you apply a powder on top it won't. This product is about $20 Canadian.

Next I'll talk about the Brow Pencil which I have in Taupe (bottom swatch). These are also $20 and are mechanical and retractable for really easy use. This means no sharpening! The brow pencil is made in Germany and is waxed based. The wax base is great if you don't want to do the whole works of applying a powder and gel, since it is a 2in1 kind of product! The product is also water resistant. This means you can get your eyebrows wet, just don't jump into a pool and expect them to not drown with you. I really liked the colour the Rep. gave me, its just that perfect sandy brown colour, not to auburn, not to dark or light, just perfect (I sound like goldie locks..).

The best way to apply the brow pencil is by holding it near the end and applying to very lightly, this isn't the type of product where you need a lot of it, start light and build up, it will give you a better consistency and not make your eyebrows look like they will jump off your face.

Here is just a picture of myself using the brow pencil, cinnamon highlighter (as a contour) and the ivory lace highlighter. The eyebrow pencil worked perfectly applying it the way I suggested above and the highlighters seemed a bit dramatic when I first applied them, but after blending it in I think it looks amazing and really gave some definition to my fat little face!

TIP: Use these products gently against your skin, a lot can go along way!

If you guys have any questions about Chella or anything else, always feel free to ask!

Brittany Corrlaynn

Accepting Yourself

Remember when you were young; maybe 5 years old and you could talk to anybody you saw. Nobody was scary and everyone was fascinating. There's a story my mom likes to tell of when I was 3 years old in Maui. We were sitting in a hot tub one night and I was talking with this one lady, she asked my name so I told her and asked her the same question back. She then asked me where I was from, I answered and then I asked her where she was from. She then proceeded to ask me how old I was. I of course answered by saying I was 3 then asked her how old she was. She looked stunned for a moment then laughed and said "I should have expected that!"

In the same scenario I would have never asked her how old she was, I would expect she wouldn't ask me how old I was either due to my seniority at this age compared to before. But I just did what felt natural. I was just me, and I did what I did. When we were little we would tell other kids exactly who we were and exactly what we liked. Maybe it was because we knew so little in life so it was easier to keep track of what we did like and didn't like, and maybe we knew who we were so well because of the same reason. Nowadays its so hard for me to except all my flaws and difference compared to another woman or even a man when I am looking at them as a potential boyfriend.

The first date is like a test of our compatibility, we test each other on almost every little thing. What is your plan for the future? what type of music do you like? do you like camping? do you like hiking? have you ever tried yoga? do you go to the gym? These questions aren't actually what they are, behind it all screams ARE YOU LIKE ME?! and if we are then great! We will set up a second date and if not then we just lost another fish in the sea.

One of the last guys I was dating our first date was specifically at a tea shop, when I asked him why he choose this place over somewhere like the Roasterie or Higher Ground (well known coffee shops in the district) he said it was because he didn't like coffee. For me this was a minor red flag since I can't survive without my morning cup of joe. Ironically the day we broke it off, I asked him to stop so I could grab a coffee before he took me home. The last date I was on was at my graduation and my date and I went out to dance, he was amazing and I can't say I was as good but I held out pretty well and I had an amazing time. It was as if he was testing my skills at dancing, seeing if I could keep up with him.

I often find myself holding back information about myself from people these days. Because what if that is their breaking point. What if that one little piece of information I tell them makes them say "I don't accept you because of..." How can we accept ourselves when other people won't accept us?

Shouldn't the answer be simple? Ignore those losers and only hangout with the people that can accept you. But it's not that simple. Humans want to please other humans. We want to be accepted and liked by all, and when we're not we dwell on the small things that make us who we are. We should be able to accept these small these, but if we can't, maybe it's because we don't like that about ourselves. Then it would be appropriate to change that right?

I recently read the book "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion, about a man who falls in love with a woman and tries to change himself for her because he behaves differently then most people. As he changes himself he realizes that what he was before was just an act because he was different. The things he did such as dress horribly, follow rules exactly by the book and other things that astounded people was all in an effort to not act like a common guy and so he could stand out. But he also accepted the fact that, yes, he was different, but not as different as he thought. And he accepted that he could be and act like other humans while still knowing he was different and special in his own way like everyone else.

I should just accept the fact that I am obsessed with grape juice, and I hate folding laundry, and my attempts to cook dinner may turn out in take out meals in the future, that my favourite colour is purple and that I am wildly impatient and over think everything. I should accept these things about me. So why would I hide the 5 hugs juice boxes of grape juice, or shove all my clean unfolded laundry under the bed when someone comes over? Because I am scared I wont be accepted. I want to act ordinary. When really I am ordinary, and I am different, just like everyone else.

It may be hard to accept yourself, but maybe, just maybe, you can accept one thing about yourself at a time that you never liked before and you'll realise you are a perfectly ordinary and different person. I still haven't been able to do it, I'll still be hiding my grape juice but if I can accept it about myself one day, maybe someone else can too.

Ps. Maybe this doesn't even matter, because by the time we're all 70 years old we'll just accept who we are. But maybe I'm just over thinking all of this.

Review: ELF Moisturizing Lipstick

Canada started opening Targets a few years ago and to be honest, its not that popular among Canadian's but I do like the selection of makeup available. I recently noticed they carried ELF products and decided to buy 2 of the lipsticks because they are never in-stock online. They were both $4 each, which for the studio brand is an extra dollar (but you have to take shipping into consideration), but when I do buy online from ELF I usually spend about $40 and get a whole package of free makeup - so with shipping being only about $9 to Canada - is like $3.10 for each product I receive. So I'm still debating whether I'll buy in-store again.

I bought the Pink Minx (on the Right for swatches) and Rosy-Go-Round (Left) for the Moisturizing Lipstick, but there were only 3 colours to chose from (not much variety or selection in-store). The packaging is very attractive and not overly cheap looking. Very slick and modern. The lipstick rolled on easily and smoothly but I had to press fairly hard to get the colour I wanted. It also felt very thick and plastic like (not exactly what I am looking for..), but the lipsticks are both very pigmented and show amazing colour!

It's not something I would buy again and I'm not even sure if I'll get my use out of it. If I had an "out of 5 star" scale, it would be a 1 or 2.

Re-Do My Room: Painted!

Here are the finished painted walls! I am so happy with the results, and after years of Minnie Mouse wallpaper its a huge adjustment. It feels so empty but I'll just start putting pictures on the walls and once more furniture is back in the room then it will feel so much more comfortable and welcoming!  

Choosing a colour wasn't easy but not necessarily hard either. You just need to choose something that fits your personality. I was originally just going to re-paint the walls a simulare pink as before, but my bestfriend said "If you're painting it anyway, try something new." And since one of the main reasons I wanted to re-do my room was to make it more age appropriate and more "me", why not make the room more me with different coloured walls?

Once I choose the wall colour everything else has really fell into place. The two green shades I choose are perfect for me! So bright and bubbily but still a really nice down-to-earth colour! Hopefully, kind of like me!

The room is generally all put back together and I'm loving it! Once all the other little details are dealt with, I'll post a blog on the finished room! I am so excited and I am SO in love! A room should express who you are, especally at our age (18'ish) where it is one of the only personal space's we have. Now my room does and I never want to leave it! 

If you have any questions or anything you want me to talk about in the last post, tell me and I'll address it!

Brittany Corralynn

Falling into Social Norms

Today while painting my walls in my bedroom, my grandfather was watching me making sure I did it correctly. Of course I had insisted I paint the walls myself, it's my bedroom after all! I should do the dirty work! But me being me, I was horrible at it. Not because I didn't try just because painting is apparently not a skill set I have. My grandfather ended up taking over and left me standing there like an idiot watching him. I waited and watched and I knew I had to do SOMETHING to help out! I wasn't about to let him do all the work, I did the little things like moving the cans of paint, the drop sheet and anything else he needed done and by the end I was mainly still waiting and watching.

This is the point in the story where my inner feminist wants to burn myself alive. I was so fed up with doing nothing I asked my grandfather what he wanted for lunch and I made us sandwiches. Although I am happy I made it for him, I am stabbing myself on the inside for first of all, not being able to take control and be able to paint my room productively, then having a man take over the job; and then I subdued myself to sending myself off to the kitchen to make a sandwich! Am I really that much set into a traditional role that I couldn't bring out my inner man and paint those damn walls myself?

We see instances like these often in history and in modern day stories. One of my favourite examples of this is through Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel. Some people may be aware that before her fame as a fashion designer and the woman who launched modern day woman's clothing, she was a mistress. When she was struggling to support herself in life, she succumbed to a mans wish and became his mistress in order to support herself. Another man after that one later funded her venture into creating hats (another one of her lovers), this then led to the rise of Chanel the company. But without a mans help and him stepping in she would have never found her own economic freedom in the end. Arthur Capel, the man who funded her business once said "I thought I'd given you a plaything, I gave you freedom."

It was a man who gave her freedom. But it was she herself who utilised it. She allowed herself freedom, and although she also lived within the confines of social norms by living as a man mistress, allowed him to provide for her for many years. Chanel still became independent in the end. She did beat the social norms that held her for so many years.

And like Chanel when she was young, I needed someone to help me through life, fund my ventures (University) and such. Not because I am a ill minded woman who can only do house work but because I am still young and I am still learning to care for myself and paint my own walls. I may relay on a man to paint my walls now, and I may show my gratitude through making lunch. And in the future it may very well be the same. But I know who I am in this regard and I know that I am an independent woman who can still be on her own. Even if that means horribly painted walls or just leaving them white!

Graduating / Growing Up

This has to be the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. Graduating, and growing older. Although I am super excited to be done high school and moving forward in life, it's like looking into this black empty space, anything could happen. You have no clue what's to come next, because up to this point you have had a very set schedule for the last 13 years. Go to school, summer, go to school, summer. And with a daily schedule of wake up, get ready, go to school, hangout with friends, go home, eat dinner, study, relax, sleep, repeat. But now, now there is this ambience of cluelessness. Will I go to University next year? Take a gap year? Jump right into work? Move away? Anything is possible. It's a dream and a nightmare.

I have to say I have explored my options. university is a definite for next year. I'd really like to go into a journalism bachelor, minoring in fashion, then move on to a masters in multiple fashion certificates. Hopefully getting a job for a fashion magazine (This blog is like a trail for me on how I'll be in the fashion journalism industry). University would be amazing! Joining school clubs (swing dance club, newspaper etc), meeting new people, taking classes I actually enjoy and want to take. But I have to wait till July or August to find out if I'm in. And there's no definite. I may not be accepted. And if I'm not, then what? 

I gave myself a few options. 

1. Go to my backup University. Ugh. Not what I want at all. It's like when you have to wear your second choice outfit because you got coffee on your first one before you even left the house. Annoying and your not happy at all. I don't want that to my university experience. University is supposed to be the best years of my life. Not just something to trudge through and get done. I want it to mean more then that. 

2. Live at home, take a year off, work and upgrade my marks. This isn't bad. I can upgrade some of my lower marks, and make a bunch of money to buy some fabulous clothes for when I'm tight on money in University. I little bit of wonderful before I have to bat down the hatches and study hard for 4 years. 

3. Last options. Upgrade my marks then move to England for half a year. I really like this one since I can get a work visa in England fairly easily, it would be great to travel in Europe, work and just be somewhere knew for half a year. But I wouldn't get to save money for clothes and beauty products. But traveling ( drool...). 

Before I had conjured up these ideas in my head, I was so utterly lost, and almost close to depression (one reason my blog entree's have been so sparse lately) It was the worst thing not knowing what I will do with my life, what happen's after I finish my last day of high school. I started getting depressed, having horrible anxiety attacks and everything felt horrible in life. Making a plan for me was really important, knowing what my future will look like was really important. 

One thing that is really good to remember is, that this is your future. No one else's. You need to do what's right for you, not your family, your friends, your boyfriend or girlfriend, not what's right for your dog. You need to plan your life for you, because you're the one who will have to live this life. And the future you plan should excite you! Make you happy and want to strive to be there! And once you get there you can jump for joy! You can be the happiest you because you know it was all for you! Exactly what you wanted out of life.

You will have a lot of pressure from outside sources telling you what is right. But as long you explain to them that this is what is right for you. Why it will make you happiest, then they should understand. 

Just remember, growing up, is hard. And it is scary. But it is also an adventure, it's a journey you get to take on your own, and to find out what is right for you and what you will become as an adult. Remember, you should be your first priority at this age. This is your life. It's a little selfish, but you will be a better you for it. 

Brittany Corralynn :)

Ps. Any questions about growing up or graduating from high school, just ask!

Re-Do My Room: Wallpaper Gone!

Here is an update of my room! My friends Ayla, Jon and I spent a weekend ripping off wallpaper and sanding down the walls. It was surprisingly a lot of fun! We blasted music and killed Jon's ears with sappy girls songs from the early 2000s! Next step: paint the walls! 

Ps. If the writing is red and underlined. I have no clue why. So I'm sorry! And any questions about the room, or any ideas for re-doing rooms, just ask!

Review: The Sex Bomb Lush Bath Bomb

I'm sorry I have lacked in post lately. I have been super busy with school and life! But I am really going to work hard to post more!

This is an amazing bath bomb that I know a lot of bloggers enjoy. But. Its not my favourite. The smell is wonderful and girly. It captures that tangy rose smell perfectly and really softened my skin and made me feel so wonderful! 

I think the biggest issues for me with this bath bomb is I'm not a huge fan of rose smell. I prefer lemon and citrus sents. So for me, not in my top 3 but I would use it again. 

Brittany

Just One of Those Days

You know those day's when everything goes wrong? You slip on the spring ice scratching up your wrist on the way to school, staining your sweater with blood. Your teacher yells at you for being late because you had a panic-attack right after and didn't get to class till the halfway point. You wait for your friend after school to walk home with, 15 minutes later you call him finally and he tells you he went to another friends house. You walk to the train station alone and then forget your biology textbook at the train stop, go back to find it's gone? Ya. That was my day. I felt horrible. Got home and ate everything in the house that I thought would take away my sorrows. When food didn't 100% help, I got my mom to drive me to the local drugstore and her and I decided to have a mini splurge. I can't say this is the healthiest form of therapy, but coming home with some new cosmetics, putting on one of your new face masks and watching Sex and the City really does make you feels good again. Now. Lets move forward, looks towards tomorrow in hopes that my Bio teacher will let my homework slide given the circumstances...

What I bought on my Mini Drug Store Splurge

Stylize Claw Clip

The Balea Pore Refining, Hydrating and Skin Firming Face Masks

Covergirl Eye Enhancer Palette in 235 Pure Romance 

Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer in 125 Very Fair 

Re-Do My Room: Before Shots

So! I came to the conclusion that since I will be 18 in about 2 months, Minnie Mouse wallpaper and teddy bears were not appropriate anymore for my bed room anymore. I think this is a logical conclusion, and I have decided to completely re-do my room! Overall, we think it will take about 3 months to do just with taking down wallpaper, putting together furniture, organizing, etc! So it should be a lot of fun and the results I'm hoping will be amazing!

The next step for me was, where do I start? Obviously, I started planning out a room design, colour schemes, items to put in my room and such; but to be honest, the first step is de-cluttering. A very hard task for me since my family is pretty much all horders, especially when it comes to memorabilia. You remember how something came into your possession, or who gave it to you and your like, NOPE! Not throwing it away! And at the end of the day you're left with everything you started with, except that sweets wrapper and movie poster you never hung on your wall. With that in respect, I made a box for my memorabilia that is cluttering my room, a box of junk I'll never use, and then the stuff I plan on keeping. The box of memories is going into storage :) In the pictures I posted, I had already de-cluttered ALOT! And I still have so much more to go! So I hope you are all excited for the ride that is re-do'ing my room! And the outcome will be spectacular, I assure you!