New Layout + June Favorites!

If you've been a reader of my blog for awhile, you know how quickly I can get bored with my layouts. I reached the point of saturation on my last one, so a new layout was in order! I have a current love affair with mint and wanted to include it in some way. I also wanted something eye-catching but simple at the same time. I hope it loads properly for everyone. :)

Now for my favorites of this past month! They are definitely varied, but these are what I've been hooked on all month long.

Target Mossimo tanks - The perfect length, especially if you're tall! I own 6+ of these in different colors and I want more. At $10, they're a steal!
Oikos Greek yogurt - So good!
Philosophy Pink Frosted Layer Cake bubble bath - The bubbles last for ages.
NARS Orgasm blush - Always a summer staple.
Fifty Shades of Grey triology - Got through the books in three days and wanted more. Sure, the writing left a little to be desired but it was still a (verrrry) steamy read. I hope the rumor of E.L. James writing the novels in Christian's point of view comes true.
Essie's As Gold As it Gets topcoat - I've been hooked on layering this over nude or pastel colors. It's gorgeous!

Have a great weekend! And a Happy Canada Day weekend to my Canadian readers!

MAC Snowglobe Eyeshadows in Warm (Christmas 2011)

I picked these up back in March at a CCO when I was in the States. I figured I'd swatch them because: A) MAC almost always repromote past shades and B) You can still find these in a few CCOs at a discount! As a matter of fact, the majority of these are repromoted shades. The only exceptions are Patina which is part of the permanent line and Midnight Flurry, which I believe was new to this palette.





This is a really nice palette of neutrals. I'm happy to finally have Patina in my collection and I love Magical Mist. I don't find Winterscape to have the best color payoff, but it's still a pretty shade. I've used it to layer on top of other shades to provide a little sheen. Urban Decay's Virgin is similar but with better payoff.

If you see this in your local CCO, I absolutely recommend it!

6/19/12- OOTD/NOTD and the Beach Boys!

Sorry to be so behind on updating this week. It's been such a busy week so far. I thought I'd share two of my Instagram pictures (I'm "wendybanner" on there) from yesterday when I went to the Beach Boys concert. Ever since I heard Kokomo when I was really young, I've been a fan of the Beach Boys and it's been a dream of mine to see them. I finally got my wish last night and it was amazing. They performed all of their hits plus some of my favorites. Can you guess one of my favorites? I admit that I'm biased in a very obvious way, but I love their song Wendy. ;)

I knew I wanted to wear something summery and Toronto is going through a massive heat wave right now.
Romper: Target (brand- Pure Energy)
Thin Crochet sweater: Old Navy
Not pictured: Havaianas flip-flops

Nails: I'm Wired by Sephora by OPI
Accent nail: Hot Gold pigment by NYX

What a great concert...they've still got it after 50 years! And coincidentally, a happy 70th birthday to Brian Wilson today!

DIY: Making Over My Bangles

I have a few bangles that look just alike, so I grabbed three of them and gave them a makeover. It was easy and only involved nail polish!



The polishes that I used were Revlon's Cloud, Revlon's Electric, and Essie's Peach Daiquiri. The above only shows one coat, but I think I'll add another one. Then, I just set it with a clear top coat. So simple and a cheap way to upgrade your costume jewelry!

Tony Awards 2012 - Best Dressed

Quite frankly, I did not like nearly as many as I disliked. There were some bad fashion choices for a red carpet, such as Marketa Irglova wearing those barefoot-type sneakers. You're telling me you couldn't have at least went with a sensible and comfortable sandal instead?! I digress.

Here are my personal three favorite looks of the night.

This royal purple looks fabulous against Bernadette Peter's skin and red hair!

This simple number looked ravishing on Cote de Pablo.

My absolute favorite of the night was Emma Stone. The turquoise earrings, beautiful cut-out back, and natural makeup just brought the whole look together. Beautiful!

Print Lovin' - Stripes!

I've been loving stripes lately! Maybe it's the whole summer nautical theme that always seems to be on trend and never goes out of style. All I know is that I'm hooked. :) Here are a few pieces that have caught my eye!

ASOS Baggu striped backpack - If you hate wearing stripes, wearing them on accessories still packs a punch!
Old Navy Striped Ruffle tube dress
ASOS Warehouse striped bag
TOMS navy striped shoes
Henri Bendel navy striped bangle
Old Navy boat-neck button-shouldered top
Old Navy striped sleep set - To dream of the water and boats, of course!

And this simple nail art from cutepolish (on YouTube) that I just know I'm going to try before summer ends!

In My Shower

Do any of you have that obsession that I do where you love to see what is in other people's showers? I don't know why, but I love it as much as I love seeing makeup storage posts and videos. Anyway, I was taking out scents that remind me of winter with ones that I like for summer so I snapped this picture. Do you do that with your bath scents or am I just strange? Maybe you shouldn't answer that latter part. ;)

Here's a few shelves of my organizers. I did a massive overhaul of some products that weren't getting used enough to take up space in my shower and kept the things in there that I love. There are some items not shown, but they consist of my husband's things for when he chooses to use my shower over his (mine is bigger) and shaving items. In other words, the products below are the prettier and the more fun things!

-I have a few different shampoos to use at all times, because they are all different types- clarifying, volume-boosting, etc. For conditioner, I typically only use Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle! For shampoo brands right now, I have: John Frieda, Neutrogena, Kiehl's, and Bumble and bumble.

-I also like to have different scents to choose from with my shower gels. In the lower right, I just have two Lush products that I'm trying to use up and my Soap and Glory body wash (LOVE). I also put in two of my favorite scents of Philosophy's 3-in-1s, a coconut one from Body Shop, and Country Apple and Charmed Life from Bath and Body Works.

-I keep some of my skincare in my shower. Not pictured is my Cetaphil. On the lower rack with most of my shampoos, I have some face and body exfoliators. A strawberry one from The Body Shop, a papaya one from Caryl Baker (Toronto based, I believe), and a St. Ives apricot scrub that is almost used up. Happy to see the St. Ives one go, because I am not a fan of it at all. I much prefer the Aveeno Positively Radiant cleansing pads!

-Then, of course I have my various loofahs and such below. There's an exfoliating cloth from The Body Shop, a few loofahs, exfoliating gloves, and a comb. I know I have loads of items that exfoliate, but it's pretty much necessary with my extremely dry skin.

If you want to do a post like this, link me to it. I'd love to see what kind of products you like to keep in your shower!