Valentine's Day Delight


As a kid, I'd love the idea of Valentine's Day. But over the past few years, I began to hate it. Not only because I never received a candy gram from a crush in high school, but because it just became a day to see what everyone's loved one has spoiled them with. I realize now, Valentine's Day isn't just for couples... it's a day for expressing affection to the ones you love and care about, whether it be a significant other, friends, or family.

Now having said this, I am still feeling a little grumpy today. And not because I don't have a Valentine..  I actually have 11 (heh, all friends), but because I am so exhausted from the stressful week I've had at school. Last night was my first night of more than 3-4 hours of sleep in the past few days. It felt great, but I can't help but want to stay home and sleep through the rest of today!

Even though I'm super exhausted, I will likely be going out with a few friends tonight for some drinks, as I'd promised them. I won't be doing my makeup until absolutely necessary (which means like, half an hour before I have to leave) so I unfortunately don't have a makeup look to show for. But I have posted some pink products above for a cute touch, and an idea of what I'll be wearing on my nails and lips tonight. I'm not totally sure if I'll be going with a nude or pink lip. But if I chose pink, it will definitely be more of a fuchsia.. only because I can't pull off any other type of pink...

Sending you all my love and best wishes, whatever you do today, stay safe and have fun! xoxo, 
What are your plans for Valentine's Day? Do you have a most memorable Valentine's Day moment?

Dyeing my Hair with L'Oreal HiColor in Magenta

As many of you may have seen, I dyed my hair red roughly near the end of September 2013. For some reason I've avoided blogging about it, but I'm finally going to share my experience with you all (from what I can remember!).

Pictured above are the main products I used. L'Oreal HiColor HiLights for Dark Hair Only in Magenta, L'Oreal 30 Volume Developer, & a measuring cup. Not included in the photo: brush, gloves, vaseline, mixing bowl, comb, old t-shirt, newspapers.

Why did I choose this colour? Well I was debating to go either a burgundy-purple colour, or do a balayage ombre. I knew that red faded quickly and so I wanted something a bit more vibrant - so that when it faded, it would be the colour that I wanted.


Now we all know the drill. Apply vaseline just after your hairline, neck ears (if you so please, I find it a bit of an annoyance sometimes). Cover your floor with newspapers, and put on those gloves!

I mixed one bottle of the hair dye with the required amount of developer. I don't remember how much, but there were precise instructions on the box! I actually bought 3 boxes, but I ended up only using 1 and a half. Anyone want the other box? :)
The colour turned a very bright red and I became a little unsure about this whole thing, but began anyway. It was a little annoying because it was a lot thicker than the box dyes I was used to, and it was so hard not to get the red dye on my skin.

After applying, I should have saran wrapped my head to keep the heat in, but didn't bother. That might have resulted in a brighter colour, for those of you who are aiming for that!

loreal hi color magenta hair dye dark hair red without bleach

Tada! The pictures do NOT explain how embarrassingly bright my roots turned out but I have a few photos below. I guess I left the dye on a little too long in certain spots... After applying all the colour I left it on for 40 minutes or so, but it took me an hour to cover my whole head, so certain spots were already being lightened.

loreal hi color magenta hair dye dark hair red without bleach
Before & After

loreal hi color magenta hair dye dark hair red without bleach

I wasn't able to get a perfect application probably because I did it myself. I had a lot of patchiness underneath the top layer of the back of my head and it can be seen in the top left in the photo above. I'll really recommend you get someone to help you or at least watch you so you know whether you have missed any spots.

Here are some photos with different lighting, and mainly taken using my phone throughout the first month or so since dyeing my hair. 

loreal hi color magenta hair dye dark hair red without bleach

The photos above were taken the same day I had dyed it. As you can see in the photo on the right the lighting from my classroom, or even the sun made my hair super bright, especially on the roots. 

The photos below were taken a few weeks to a month after dyeing.

loreal hi color magenta hair dye dark hair red without bleach
loreal hi color magenta hair dye dark hair red without bleach

The colour did fade a lot but stayed pretty red and never turned orangey on my hair. I quite liked it up until I had to dye it a few weeks ago because my roots were so terrible. Even my guy friends were telling me I needed to do them! Anyways, my overall experience with this hair dye was stressful! I wasn't comfortable using the red but it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would have. The colour was bright, but mainly on my roots. I have seen other bloggers and youtubers and their results seemed much brighter, and more vibrant. I was happy with the colour when it began to fade, as it reminded me of red velvet cake, and it was more of the burgundy I was hoping for! Also, it never stopped bleeding in the shower, so I'd recommend a dark towel, every time you wash your hair, and be careful with the clothes you wear while your hair is still wet! Will I ever do this colour again? Probably not as it is too high maintenance, and I am very lazy and low maintenance when it comes to my hair. But I do love having a red/purple tint, so I will likely be staying a dark burgundy!

Would you dye your hair a vibrant red, or burgundy? 
For those of you that have any questions please feel free to ask me in the comments below :)

Shop:

The Five Product Face Challenge

the five 5 product face challenge tag
the five 5 product face challenge tag

Hello Lovelies! Recently I haven't been able to post too often because of school starting up again. I am in my 6th semester and the workload has suddenly become extremely stressful! I mean, I have something due almost every day, sometimes multiple assignments due in a day. 

I really wanted to make time to do the '5 product face tag' because I thought it would be challenging. I usually wear a lot of eyeshadow because I am self-conscious of my eye shape. But after taking these photos, I surprisingly had the courage to go to school like this.

Products Used:
Face
 • Revlon Colorstay Foundation Normal/Dry Skin (Buff) 
 • Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer 
Brows
 • Maybelline Define-A-Brow (Dark Blonde) 
Eyes
 • Maybelline EyeStudio Gel Liner (Brown) 
 • Maybelline Rocket Volum Waterproof Mascara

In order of application; I used the Beauty Blender sponge to apply my foundation. Then, I used a bronzer all over my face to give it a glow and applied it slightly heavier on the cheekbones. To fill in my brows, I used define-a-brow in dark blonde; I don't like to use anything that will make my brows appear too dark. For the eyes I applied a brown gel liner and then curled my lashes and used a waterproof mascara. As you can see, I wasn't able to do my lips, hence why they are kind of 'nude', slightly covered in foundation. I also brought the foundation up under my eyes, because I wasn't able to use a proper concealer. I have listed all of the products above for your convenience!

Of course, I moisturized and primer beforehand. And I did use brushes and an eyelash curler. Hopefully these don't count as products because then I'd completely fail this challenge!
 I tag all of you that have just read this to attempt the 5 Product Face Tag!

Trend Trunk Mystery Gift Card Giveaway


For all my Canadian fashionistas! Do you remember the post I did on Trend Trunk at the beginning of December? I was introduced by Sean Snyder, the founder of Trend Trunk himself, to a new alternative in selling pre-owned jewellery, bags, or even beauty products! Click here to read the full post and learn a little more about Trend Trunk.

To summarize, Trend Trunk combines eBay, Kijiji, and consigning to allow for simple nation-wide buying and selling. It is easy to set up an account and post items for sale, and the fees are quite reasonable. Trend Trunk only charges a 20% commission whereas consignment shops can run anywhere from 40%-60%. Once your item is sold, Trend Trunk provides you with a pre-paid shipping label (which is initially added onto the cost of your item, so a flat rate of $8 is paid by the seller) and all you have to do is drop the package off at your nearest Canada Post! I think that Trend Trunk is a convenient service because there are no surprise/hidden fees, and the profit you will receive is shown to you at the start, right before you post the item for sale. The only inconvenience, is that they do not currently allow you to pay or receive money using PayPal. To receive your payment, you will need to do a direct deposit. However, I have been told that PayPal is coming soon *crosses fingers*.

MYSTERY GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the lovely people behind Trend Trunk, we were able to collaborate on a giveaway for my readers! Sign up for a free Trend Trunk membership by clicking the photo below and you will receive a gift card with a minimum of $5, that could be worth up to $250! This gift card is not redeemable for cash and will only be used towards your first purchase on Trend Trunk.

 If you do not already follow me, I'd appreciate a follow via BlogLovin or GFC (even Twitter!) before signing up! :)

Note: Gift card will expire 4 months after sign up. One card per email address. Canadian Residents only.

Mystery Gift Card Giveaway: https://www.trendtrunk.com/mystery/a-lovely-allure
& Check Out and Shop my Closet: https://www.trendtrunk.com/ALovelyAllure

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap Review

dr bronner's magic soap peppermint bar almond liquid review
dr bronners all in one castile soap peppermint almond review

I've heard so many rave reviews about this soap, and I finally took the plunge and ordered it off Well.ca! For those of you who don't know, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap has many purposes, 18 to be exact. But how many of those are realistic?

18 Uses For Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap:
"washing your face, body, hands and hair, for bathing, shaving, brushing your teeth, rinsing fruit, aromatherapy, washing dishes by hand, doing laundry, mopping floors, all-purpose cleaning, washing windows, scrubbing toilets, washing dogs, controlling dust mites, and killing ants and aphids"
- Made with organic oils, no detergents, and a vegan product.

So only a few of them sound a bit ridiculous. But realistically, we all know you want it for one reason- brush cleaning. Does it live up to it's reputation? Yes!

My brushes have been the cleanest they've ever been since I've begun using this magic soap. It was very easy to clean my eye and powder brushes, but when it came to liquid foundation brushes, I had to redo them a few times because of all the buildup my previous brush cleaner failed to remove. But the result was worth it, I have never seen my brushes close enough to white since the day I purchased them. I was impressed with how well, and quickly Dr. Bronners cleaned my brushes. You do not have to use a lot of product to get a good lather. I bought the bar soap for cleaning my Beauty Blenders (which also works great and saved me a ton of money), although I do use it for brushes too. The brushes feel a little too squeaky clean after washing but are back to normal and soft when dry. I also would like to mention that if you notice your brush has hardened when dry, it is because you haven't washed out all the soap. I'd suggest just giving it another rinse and squeeze!

I've also used this as a face wash to remove makeup. I was surprised to see that it did not break me out and took off my makeup very easily, without being drying. As for the scents, I have here peppermint and almond! They are lovely and smell quite accurate, however, don't expect them to smell once you have washed the soap away. The scent will not linger on the brushes, unfortunately.

The bar was $5.49 for 5oz and the bottle of liquid soap was $13 for 472ml/16oz which is more than reasonable when compared to the price of other brush cleaners, and in my opinion, does a better job. I'd definitely recommend this soap to those of you who are unhappy with their brush cleaner, or want an affordable, natural, alternative!

Empties #4: January 2014

I've finally finished up enough products to justify for an empties post! I haven't done an empties post in a long long time.. to be specific, since June. I'm going to begin to number these posts as I've seen a ton of other bloggers do because it is not making sense for me to try and do them monthly anymore. So with that being said, here are a bunch of empties!

empties 4 january 2014

Swisspers Organic Cotton Rounds: Picked these up for $2 at Walmart and I use them to remove my eye makeup. They work fine, I have no complaints, especially for the price!
Purchase: Yes 

Neutrogena All-in-One Make-up Removing Cleansing Wipes: Can't even remember how well/bad these worked, but I didn't re-purchase after this sample. I may try them again someday.
Purchase: Not for now 

Shu Uemura Anti-Oxi Cleansing Oil: I wouldn't repurchase because this cleanser is very pricey and didn't do anything much differently than other cleansing oils.
Purchase: No 

Sisley Gentle Make-up Remover (Face & Eyes): This removed my facial makeup well, but could only begin to remove the eyeshadow on my eyes. Would re-purchase if it was affordable.
Purchase: No, too expensive 

Aveeno Ultra-Calming Makeup Removing Wipes: Love these wipes, they aren't the softest but they do the job, are moist, and do not break me out. It does however, give my face a warm feeling after I've used it. I've repurchased already, but hope to find something more gentle in the future.
Purchase: Yes 

LA Fresh Travel-lite Makeup Remover Wipe: I'm not a fan of these wipes due to the fact that they have mineral oil as the second ingredient.
Purchase: No 

Yves Rocher Pur Bleuet Express Eye Makeup Remover: I've been using this oil-based eye makeup remover daily my entire life. It works quick to remove my mascara and instantly removes my eyeshadow.
Purchase: Yes 

Pure + Simple Sensitive Skin Face Wash: Reviewed this before and I loved it. Pure + Simple is a natural based company, and this removed my makeup without breaking me out. However, now that I've moved onto other skincare products, my face is doing better and I don't feel the need to repurchase this as it is an expensive facial wash that doesn't have skin-beneficial results.
Purchase: No 

empties 4 january 2014

Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Treatment Mask: I didn't have enough of these to notice a difference, so I think I will pick up a full box to actually put them to the test.
Purchase: Yes, to further test them out 

Montagne Jeunesse Masks: Love how affordable these masks are! I wish I could find the Red Earth Clay Mask as it was my favourite, but I find the Dead Sea Mud Mask to do a great job of deep-cleaning my pores.
Purchase: Yes 

Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque: I was quite satisfied with the results of this mask sample, and I also find it fun to apply because it is not a boring sheet mask. Although, Kiehl's has been sold out of this full-size for months, and I hope to see it in stock soon.
Purchase: Yes 

empties 4 january 2014

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich: This is a thick, hydrating, facial cream and I haven't seen it clogging my pores or breaking me out. I actually purchased the full-size in 'Light' because I found it easier to wear in the daytime under makeup.
Purchase: Yes 

Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Oil: This was way too strong for my skin, even when deluded with the right amount of water. I don't think it actually helped my acne, as my skin has been fine, probably better, since I stopped using this.
Purchase: No 

bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer: I hated this primer, it smelt plasticky and like silicone, and there were no skin benefits.
Purchase: No 

Algenist Pore Corrector Anti-Aging Primer: I didn't have enough of this to determine whether I really would like to use it or not, however, it does claim to have many skin benefits!

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer: I enjoyed trying out this primer, and I like that it is water based and doesn't smell silicone-y. It felt cool on the skin, however, I'd like to try out a few more samples before purchasing.

Fresh Umbrian Clay Mattifying Serum: I don't remember liking this, and I don't remember it doing anything beneficial to my skin. In fact, I didn't even finish the sample.
Purchase: No 

Nivea Mattifying Day Care: Light, but not sure if it was hydrating enough. Not enough product to determine whether I'd purchase, but didn't seem like anything special.

empties 4 january 2014

To be honest, I cannot usually determine whether or not I like a shampoo after using a packet sample, not to mention I used these so long ago... but I can say that I didn't go out and buy any of these products afterwards. I did like the Redken Color Extend, but wasn't sure if it was really working. I had higher hopes for the Matrix Keratindose and Bumble and Bumble, and was ultimately a little dissapointed with them. And the Vidal Sassoon seemed like a typical shampoo to me. 

empties 4 january 2014

Bare Escentuals Full Flawless Face Brush (x2): These brushes were so scratchy and too rough for me. I held onto them for so long but realized it's time to throw them out since they aren't doing me any good sitting there. I did use them a lot for mineral foundation in the past but realize there are much softer brushes out there.
Purchase: No 

Bare Escentuals Max Coverage Concealer Brush: I tried to clean this brush with a product that was mainly composed of mineral oil, and I feel like I completely ruined the brush! It is nearing the end of it's life anyway from being used so often. 
Purchase: No 

Quo Crease Blender Brush: This brush is too scratchy and rough for my delicate eyes. It was one of my first ever brushes, and it's time for it to retire!
Purchase: No 

empties 4 january 2014

Maybelline Rocket Volum' Waterproof Mascara: At first I was iffy about it, but I learnt how to apply it correctly on myself and have been happy with the results! I now use this daily and have repurchased already.
Purchase: Yes 

Palty Eyebrow Tint/Mascara: Lightened my eyebrows nicely, and I wanted to repurchase but couldn't find it anywhere! Although, there are a ton of asian brands that carry a similar product.
Purchase: Yes, but it might be discontinued! I cannot find it anywhere 

empties 4 january 2014

Softsoap Body Butter Heavenly Vanilla Hydrating Wash: I remember this body wash making me quite itchy. I think it was a bit drying for me so I won't repurchase.
Purchase: No 

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub in Coconut Lime: This scrub smells amazing, and I love that the beads are sugar and therefore are harmless when washed down the drain. It is gentle and fun to use.
Purchase: Yes 

LA Fresh Instant Body Smoother: I really don't know what the purpose of this is, and I don't think I felt the cooling sensation or relaxing aromas. It would be cool if this was an anti-bacterial or body cleansing wipe instead.
Purchase: Yes 

Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Sanitizer: I carry at least one of these with me 24/7. I will never...stop...using them.. *evil laugh*
Purchase: Yes 

Caudalie Fleur De Vigne Shower Gel: Smelt like fresh plants, I really didn't like the scent. I couldn't even use it anymore. I don't like that it doesn't lather.
Purchase: No 

Life Anti-Bacterial Wet Wipes: Great to have for cleaning or using on yourself when you need a bit of freshening up.
Purchase: Yes 

Summer's Eve Deodorant Spray: I do tend to get a bit sweaty down there and this works great to control and mask any odour!
Purchase: Yes 

Lady Speed Stick StainGuard: I don't find this to prevent stains on black clothing any better than my regular deodorants do. In fact, I actually like this deodorant the least. Am glad I have finished it but I unfortunately still have one more to go.
Purchase: No