The Sunday Post, Vol. 25...

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.   Lao Tzu

Friday night watching television, I heard this quote and it stirred something in me. It made me stop and think. I'm not the kind of person who pins quotes on Pinterest and although I probably have a few, I rarely read the ones pinned by the people I follow. I guess I've heard/read most of them before and the ones about love make me sad more often than not, but not this one. It's been hard and still is but hearing this I felt like it gave me a second wind and I just wanted to share it with all of you.

I finally caught up on all the comments several of you were gracious enough to leave on posts from the past two weeks!!! It's been just crazy for me but I'm glad to say that in the next few weeks things should get back to normal... Erm as normal as possible I guess! :)

This week's makeup love... struggle...

Lashes and liner... Argh!!! 

So many mascaras and not one does what I want it to do! Thick curled lashes is what I want but it would seem that my lashes don't want to cooperate. Formulas that used to give me good results don't anymore and so it'll be Clinique High Impact mascara for a while (I'm still using the promotional size I got in a recent GWP but will probably get a full size soon). I will not spend $30+ for a mascara that won't perform unless I read it's the best thing since sliced bread! I am still loving Dior Iconic, it remains the best for my lashes so far but I can use it only about a month and a half due to the super tight bristles. Curse those stiff lashes of mine! 

Eyeliner? My issue is not with the product I use, L'Oréal Infaillible Lacquer Liner, but the state of my lids close to the lash lines. They're slowly answering the call of gravity! *cries* This means that I have to adjust my application to make the line even and this past week I've had to redo my eye makeup twice on one eye! :(

Still loving my Shu Uemura curlers reviewed here & here.

New additions...

On an "almost" no buy as mentioned last Sunday, I did spend a lil' somethin'... The Body Shop was having a sale hard to resist and so I got the shower cream ($5.00) and the body butter ($10.00) from the Brazil Nut like. The smell is amazing!

What I have my eyes on...

There is that Guerlain bronzer, again, but this week taking advantage of one of many sales I purchased a pair of black sandals instead! Smarter I think. Like I've mentioned several times already I'm rebuilding my wardrobe and so I guess I'll keep my money for whatever good basics I can find on special. Gotta be smart!

For your viewing enjoyment...

From Guerlain, a look I'm planning to try/master because it doesn't require eyeliner except maybe on the outer corners or the eyes. It could be faster to do this in the morning and so I'll try look 3 later today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J7U0a6PY4g

Aren't the Écrin 2 Couleurs stunning? I'd love to get my hands on Two Parisian, a lovely pink and smokey black but that would probably be too dark for me so I'll try this look with Diorshow Mono in Velvet (this is the shadow that gets the most love from me and it pops up in almost all my #fotd makeup pics on Instagram) and if I find it's not enough I can deepen it with others I already own. The Écrin 2 Couleurs are $51.00 a pop so there's no way I'll be getting one anytime soon especially since the colors I'm liking are somewhat dupable.


Have a great week everyone! Hélène xoxo

The Sunday Post, Vol. 17...

So many products to review and so little time!!!

These days I'm stuck with a pretty horrible work schedule which means that I hardly have any time during the week for blogging. Weekends? Well I do the most I can but there are chores to do and mostly I want to spend time with my daughter. A few weeks ago we played a game of Shrek 2 on the Wii and I think this afternoon it could be fun to bring out Crash Bandicoot especially since the weather is not so nice today. Grey and cold, again! 

Like I said, I have several new products to review and little time to do it! Oh well, I can only promise to do my best and hope you all stick around! :)

This week's makeup love...

I've been enjoying this new Dior Hydra Life BB Creme. Experimenting with layering these two Diorshow mascaras and kind of liking the Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kôhl Liner. Erm.. notice what's getting ready to make an appearance this upcoming week, Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise in Coral Glow... It's coming out of hibernation, yes it is!!!

Update... I'm allergic to my Shu Uemura lash curler!!! 

This doesn't surprise me but I was hoping that I would be ok with it like I was with Shiseido which did cause a reaction when I first started to use it but I guess I was able to build a resistance to it's type of metal. Not the case with Shu Uemura! Out comes the red nail polish to serve as a protector between the curler and my skin. The reaction I get is a type of reddish rash that kind of builds up over time. The first weeks I was fine but these past few days I've been starting to feel the irritation where the metal gets in contact with my skin, especially inner and outer corners or my eyes.

Years ago I used transparent nail polish but then wouldn't know if it had peeled off so a color works way better. I think I've put O.P.I The Thrill Of Brazil to good use. :)

New additions...

A Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kôhl Liner in Storm, Shiseido Sun Protection Compact and some Yves Rocher shower gels. I just can't remember the last time I went in one of their boutiques but these offerings were way too tempting at 3 for $15.00. For my hair which will soon start to go nuts with humidity, in fact it has a few times already, I got Phytodéfrisant by Phyto with which I'm hoping to see results in frizz taming and I also purchased a new hair brush which is suppose to resist the heat of the blow dryer better and be strong enough for my hair. We'll see...

What I have my eyes on...

So many beauty things!!! Guerlain Terracotta Sun Celebration Bronzing Powder & Blush, talk about a beautiful compact! I've been wanting that one for weeks but then I saw Terra Tropica! I believe (I'm kinda sure) one will be my mother's day gift to myself but which??? Then there are a few limited edition offerings from Chanel and Dior...  I know I won't be able to get everything I want but I'll sure swatch to my heart's content! Oh I almost forgot, there's Terracotta Le Parfum!!! This fragrance sounds positively dreamy with it accords of bergamot, coconut and tiare flower for a start and a heart of jasmine, ylang-ylang and orange blossom mixed in with musk and vanilla. This to me sounds like summer!

Guerlain Terracotta Sun Celebration

Guerlain Terra Tropica

Guerlain Terracotta Le Parfum

I think I should probably hand my wallet over to my Guerlain counter... but I need clothes and shoes!!! I did find a tote bag and a pair of jeans but now need tops and a few pairs of Capri pants. Last summer, clothes were not that important since I was still at home but I now work full time and so I do have to make myself presentable.

*Le Sigh*

For your viewing enjoyment...

While on the subject, how to apply bronzer by who else? Guerlain of course!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXE1mp0_mGA

Have a great week everyone! Hélène xoxo

Shu Uemura Lash Curler... I'm a convert!

Oh my, how could I have been so clueless???

If you don't feel like reading my ode to this amazing tool, just skip the words and enjoy my awkward pictures. If you don't already have this little wonder, go get it, now!

For the past few months now I've been obsessing about my lashes! I know it's like I have nothing better to do in my life...

Riiight!

My lashes have good length and although I would like them to be a little longer and it would be nice to have a bit more at this time I'm not that interested in lash growing products. Who has the time for those anyway?

Finding the right mascara has been a bit of a struggle and I think I've got that part nailed with Diorshow Iconic but on some days it was great and on others not so much. Lashes pointing down, not picked up by my Shiseido lash curler? I got the Shu Uemura S Curler to take care of that.

Shu Uemura S Curler next to the Classic Curler

Having to heat my Shiseido curler (mentioned in this post, here), on some mornings I just couldn't get that curl! You know that glorious smooth natural curl? I've been using it for about three years now and if I'm being honest, I've never been wowed by it. The fact that it's dark colored I can't really see my lashes through it and often ended up with lashes pointing in the wrong direction, all crimped up. Not a good look and so annoying. There's also the fact that it's not quite curved enough for my eye shape so most of the time the lashes in the inner corners of my eyes ended up not being curled at all.

Bows down to Shu Uemura Lash Curler...

To think I almost bought another! This curler is DA BOMB!!! The perfect curve for my eye shape and there's something magical about the silicone pad! Really, I'm not joking!

A few weeks back I changed the pad on my Shiseido curler thinking/hoping it would make a difference even if the old one didn't seem to show any signs of being out of shape. It didn't make any difference on the curl.

Half the time it didn't pick up the lashes on the outer end of my eyes, for some reason the left eye more than the right but I guess that was due to the way I was holding it. I'm still quite glad I got Shu Uemura S Curler but I knew still I had to change because I just couldn't take it anymore. Lash managment in the morning was starting to take way too much time.

On a Monday I got the S Curler (reviewed here) and on the following Thursday I got the classic Shu Uemura Lash Curler and now my life is changed for the better!

Really it is, I swear!!!

Here you can see the difference in the upper metal plates.

Amazed is what I am! On Friday morning I applied my mascara, waited a bit and then went for it! Using Shu Uemura for the first time with NO HEAT and I was blown away!!!

Used twice on each eye, holding it for about 10 seconds each time... Aaaaand it picked up ALL my lashes!

The curl was perfect and lasted ALL DAY!

*keels over from amazement*

Ok this was beginner's luck because the next morning I did have to use heat but that's ok since I'm used to it. It's still making me save time in the morning.

Do I recommend Shu Uemura Lash Curler? Really? What do you think? 

One of the best $24.00 I've ever spent!

Unless your eyes are "flat" Shiseido would be the one to go with to but I believe that for most eye shape, Shu Uemura will do a great job.

And here are my lashes essentials! Both Shu Uemura curlers, Diorshow Iconic mascara and my little Tweezerman lash comb which I use only a few times a week but is quite handy if for one reason I've piled on too much mascara and my lashes need to be separated...

Instant HG!


Are there any tools in your beauty arsenal that you just couldn't live with? 

Shu Uemura S Curler...

Recently I've been having major issues with my eyes. As some of you know there's been the watery eyes problem that I seem to have overcome but the other issue that's been almost as annoying if not more so, my lashes! Somehow I just couldn't curl the outer lashes on my left eye. Instead of curling up, they would curl down with my Shiseido lash curler!

Argh!!!

Shu Uemura S Curler...

This little baby is new and unlike a traditional lash curler is made to curl only portions of lashes. I had noticed it about a month ago at Sephora but at $27.00 found it a little expensive but then I got so annoyed with my left eye, wasting major time in the morning trying to "fix" my lashes that I decided to go back for it and give it a try.

How did it perform? Very nicely.

First off I would have liked it to be a little less wide but at the moment it's the only one of it's kind that's readily available in a brick and mortar store so I won't complain. The design makes it very safe to use and I haven't pinched my lids once. The fact that the upper plate is covered with a removable silicone protector still gives me the option to heat it but so far, after a week, I haven't had to do so. It gives a soft curl and definitely gives those lashes that keep pointing down, the upward lift needed.

Good to use on the middle and outer corner lashes, I did try to curl the inner corner ones but it was way too tricky. I just couldn't seem to get close enough to the base of those little lashes and I was afraid I would pinch my lids. I doubt this would've happened since the design is quite safe but I just couldn't do it. The pad is just a little too wide and combined with the way it closes on the lashes I doubt anyone will be able to use it in that area. Now of course, correct me if I'm wrong and just too clumsy!

Notice how the upper metal plate is designed, you can not pinch your lids 

unless you bring the bottom part "inside" your eyes.

It was designed for short lashes after all. There is no curve to it and no side bars so you could definitely use it to curl all your lashes but it will take longer than with a traditional curler and in the morning I want to be done fast. Now this makes me regret not getting the Urban Decay lash curler when it was available which was full sized with no side bars. I know it got some love but there was also a lot of women who didn't like it. No side bars is really a good idea if you ask me.

Here you can see the difference between the upper plates 

of the S Curler and the classic Shu Uemura Curler.

Do I recommend Shu Uemura S Curler? Yes...

As a complement to your usual normal sized lash curler or if you only want the outer lashes to be curled. For me it's too small to use on a daily basis as my sole tool. For the purpose I purchased it for, as I've said, I would have liked it to be a little less wide but I won't complain, it's better than having lashes pointing downwards that end up being almost itchy and annoying all day. The silicone pad is thicker so the curl is softer and more natural.

Maybe not an essential for some but if you have the same issue I have or have a hard time finding a lash curler that fits your eye shape well, the Shu Uemura S Curler is a nice tool to add to your beauty arsenal.


Do you use a lash curler? Would you go for a smaller one like the S Curler?