It’s that time of the month again ! This month I have some new products that I have discovered, that have quickly made it to holy grail status ! Also I have things that I’ve rediscovered, which I always enjoy doing, because it means SPENDING LESS !

1. ColourPop Lippie Stix : At the end of January, I discovered ColourPop Lippie stix, and have been obsessed with them ever since. Although I did order some darker colours as well, this month I’ve mostly been religiously using the more neutral colours ! Specifically Brink and Lumiere ! These Lippie Stix have amazing pigmentation, and a really beautiful semi-matte finish. I’m definitely going to be ordering more when I have the budget for it !

2. Nude Lipliners : Along with my nude Lippie Stix love, I’ve also been obsessed with nude lip liners all of February. I find that they’re super versatile because you could wear them under matching nude lipsticks, or under darker or brighter lips to tone down the look or change the colour altogether. The two that I’ve been loving are the Brink Lippie pencil from Colourpop, and Rimmel’s Exaggerate lipliner in Addiction.

3. Round Kabuki Foundation Brush : I know last month I was adoring the Flat Top Kabuki brush from this brush set for my foundation, but I’ve changed my tune and started using the Round Kabuki brush from the same set. This one is more similar to the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. As much as I loved the flat kabuki for really patting my foundation into my skin, this brush can do this same patting and buffing motion, but seems to be a little bit smaller so that I could use it to blend in my concealer as well ! I haven’t really been wearing much make up this month just because I’ve been sick for about 3 weeks now, so I’ve been really loving the efficiency this brush has been giving me.

4. Real Techniques Contour Brush : My first rediscovery for the month of February! There was a period of time where I started to use this brush for other things (blending in concealer, applying cheek highlight, applying a setting powder under the eyes..) but I’ve finally gone back to my roots and started using this to contour my cheeks again. I’ve just found that I like other brushes or tools for my under eye a little bit better, so I decided to try to use this for contouring again ! I’ve also recently been liking a more precise contour, which this is really great for !

5. Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer : Another rediscovery ! I went back to this concealer because it was at it’s last couple of squeezes, so I wanted to finish it up, but I’ve actually been loving it ! It works well for when I don’t want to use foundation, and just need some cover up for my under eye, but it also looks great on top of a full face of foundation as well ! I might actually have to go and re-purchase it once I’m finished with it.

6. Mask of Magnaminty : Sorry about the distorted lid in the photo ): WARNING GUYS : don’t leave Lush tubs in direct sunlight because they will distort and melt ! So, I started using this about a month ago, and I actually have a full review on this (which I shall link right here) so I don’t want to ramble on too much about it. But let me just say that this has been doing wonders for my skin ! READ THE REVIEW !

7. Grease Lightening : Another wonder product for my adult acne, this is officially my new holy grail spot treatment ! What’s great about Lush’s products is, since it is all natural ingredients, it doesn’t just temporarily get rid of spots, but it actually helps your spots heal properly ! I really have been seeing great results from this spot treatment, and will probably write up a full review about it soon !

8. Makeup Geek Eyeshadows : OHMYLORD. THESE EYESHADOWS <3. I totally understand why all the youtubers I watch now swear by these eyeshadows because DAAAAMN they are great. My favourites this month have been Peach Smoothie (DUH), Frappe, and Cocoa Bear. Ever since I’ve purchased these eyeshadows, I haven’t even been using my MAC shadows AT ALL. NOT EVEN SOFT BROWN. These were honestly life changing.

9. Fitbit Flex : I’ve also got a review for this coming up soon, but I’ve been loving my Fitbit Flex all through February ! It’s pretty much been on my wrist all month long (minus when I’m in the shower) and it’s been super cool to be able to track my progress with walking !

What products have you been loving in the month of February? Any that I need to try out immediately? Let me know !!

More soon lovers <3

Now I know what you’re probably thinking…. “WTH Angel, you took YOURSELF on a date? F’kin LAME.” But you know what ! You need to know when to treat yourself, and it was just one of those days. I started off at Pacific Centre, which is a mall in downtown Vancouver, and did a little bit of shopping. I bought myself the Aritzia blanket scarf that I’ve been eyeing down for a while now. It was on sale for $25 off the regular price, so I took it as a sign and hastily paid for it before I could regret it. Next I went into Lush and purchased some new skincare items. I’ve recently ran out of my acne care regime by Vichy, so I picked up a new toner and a spot treatment in replacement. I also grabbed a deep cleansing mask to really give my skin a treat. (I talk about them here if you’re interested in seeing what I bought)

After the mall, I wandered over to the Art Gallery area and just took a walk past the Robson Skating Rink. The picture at the very top of the post also shows this area. I think one big reason I have a slight obsession with this side of the Art Gallery is because of Gossip Girl. The steps (once again, shown in the picture at the top of this post) remind me a lot of the steps of the Met. where Blair and her minions would sit and have lunch. If you watch Gossip Girl you would know what I mean.

There are a lot of interesting structural designs in this area too. All the different sets of steps, the skating rink… It’s definitely a fun area to explore if you ever visit Vancouver.

Here’s another view of the museum. This photo was taken at the end of this little garden area that I feel like not enough people know about.

When it hit about 3:30 pm, I started making my way, by foot, towards English Bay. Even walking through the city, on streets I commute on so often, I was amazed by the beautiful details of my city that I was only just discovering. I tried taking twists and turns that I would usually not take by foot, and was aiming to see as much as I can en route to the beach.

I found myself arriving at English Bay almost exactly 20 minutes before the sun set that day. I took my time strolling through this little park I found south of the intersection of Bidwell and Davie street. And then finally reaching the beach, I planted my bum down on a bench and waited to see the first sunset I would witness in 2015.

I’m writing this post partially because I wanted to show you guys my beautiful city that I am so so grateful for, but also partially to remind everyone to just spend some time by yourself every once in a while. Take yourself on a date, go explore your city, buy yourself some gifts, take a long (and I mean LONG) walk… Do something solely for your OWN happiness for once. It’s great to spend time with your loved ones, but I think everyone forgets to really give themselves some quality alone time. I didn’t think about school. I didn’t think about what was stressing me out. I just focused on being present; Lived in the moment. I made sure I was giving my full attention to my surroundings and the activities I was doing at the time. And you know what? I discovered new quirks about streets I’ve traveled on my entire life. When I pay attention, my city still surprises me with new things that I’ve never seen before. And I appreciate that so much.

Love yourself, because honestly, you’re pretty damn great.

Cheers,

Edit: I’ve since tried a lot of other masks in similar textures! If you’re looking for a good alternative to the Mask of Magnaminty, my new favourite is the PureHeals Centella Green Tea Pack! It has even better ingredients and is a Korean skincare brand! The texture and colour is quite similar but the PureHeals one is more buttery and soft on the skin.

About a month ago, I went to Lush and purchased a few products to try out. Since my skin has been really acting up lately, I decided I would give some natural products a try and see if it would help. If you’re interested in seeing what else I purchased from Lush, you can check out my mini haul here.

The product I want to review for you guys today is the Mask of Magnaminty. I’ve been using this for almost four weeks now, and I’ve been loving it ! The Lush girl suggested that I try this out when I asked her for something that would give me a nice deep clean and would help with the clogging of my pores. And I’ve definitely been seeing results !

 Magnanimity definition : the act of being magnanimous; generosity

I have been using this hand in hand with the two other products that I bought (the Tea Tree Toner, and Grease Lightening) so those could also have had an effect in the state of my skin, but because one of them is just a mild toner and the other is a spot treatment, I can conclude that this is probably what’s helping my skin overall.

I try my best to use this bad boy at least 2 – 3 times a week, and if I forget, then at least once a week at the bare minimum. I originally thought that buying the smaller size ($12.95 for 125 g) would only last me a couple of tries before I had to go back to purchase another tub of it, but surprisingly this has lasted me quite a well. I’ve used it probably 6-8 times now and it still has a pretty substantial amount left in the tub.

The description on the website says

Mask of Magnaminty isn’t technically a daily ‘facial wash’; it’s actually a deep cleansing face and back mask. China clay and fresh peppermint reach deep down to pull the debris from your pores, giving you that delightful tingly-clean sensation. We add loads of aduki beans to exfoliate flaky or dry skin, vanilla absolute to calm redness and honey to soothe. Our inventors created Mask of Magnaminty to be the ‘ultimate face mask’, intense but not harsh or abrasive on the skin. We recommend using Mask of Magnaminty weekly to keep the skin in good condition.

The grainy texture from the added aduki beans was definitely a little strange to me. This was probably the first face mask that I’ve tried that has that kind of texture to it. It wasn’t until I was washing the mask off before I realized why the beans were there. When you are rinsing off the mask, the aduki beans helps you really gently exfoliate your skin. So as you rub the mask away, you are actually rubbing the beans against your skin. I really enjoyed this because they actually give a gentle (but not so gentle that it doesn’t work) exfoliating, instead of a harsh one like my St. Ives Apricot Scrub does.

Another thing that was slightly alarming was the peppermint. When first applied to your face, the minty-ness is definitely very prominent and almost a little off-putting. Let me just tell you now.. this is a VERY minty mask. And most other minty, tingly masks that I’ve tried, I didn’t end up liking because it always seemed to dry out my skin in the end. So right off the bat, I already thought to myself “Nope, not going to like this. Definitely going to dry out my skin.” BUUUUT to my surprise, this actually did the exact opposite. Not only did it make my skin feel exceptionally clean afterwards, my skin actually felt moisturized and replenished as well. I’m guessing it’s the vanilla and the honey in it, but my skin felt soothed and polished all at the same time. Oh and the minty-ness only lasts for a couple of minutes. After the couple of minutes has passed, the mask will no longer feel extremely minty, and just feel normal on your skin.

I don’t think I would use this mask every single day, because it does perform quite a deep clean for your skin, so I would assume that if used too much, it may strip your skin of some of its essential oils. But I will use this mask every other day, and I have no problems with my skin drying out from it. I naturally have extremely dry skin, so this is always a relief for me when it comes to cleansers and masks.

Overall, this mask seems like it’s been doing wonders for my skin ! After the first use, my skin had just felt well-cleaned, but I didn’t see much of a difference as far as my spots go. But after a few times of using this cleanser, I definitely noticed a positive change in my skin. My break outs have definitely lessened, and my skin has been feeling less dry and flakey, since it does a great job moisturizing, restoring and exfoliating it !

If you’re in the market for a new deep cleanser, or even just a nice mask to try, I would definitely give Mask of Magnaminty a go. It’s no wonder the Lush girl told me this is one of her holy grail products, because I know for fact I will definitely be repurchasing this one when I need a refill.

Not to mention it smells like mint chocolate ice cream… ♡

Hope this post was helpful !

More soon,

I recently went to Lush and purchased some new things to try out ! Alright so here’s the zinger…. Before this Lush trip, I’ve actually never set foot into Lush before. DUN DUN DUUUUNNNNNNN.

I know I know, what kind of blogger/youtuber has never tried Lush before. Unheard of ! Unbelievable ! Unacceptable !

But, I’m not going to lie, I’ve only been using these products for a few days, and I am already in love. I know I’m definitely going to be trying more things from them as soon as I finish these.

The only thing is, I really don’t want this to become a full on addiction where I go crazy buying products before I’ve finished the previous. Because 1) I can’t give you guys good enough reviews if I’m using too many products at once ! 2) Products will go to waste because I won’t finish them before their expiry date. SO. I’ve decided I’m going to learn the art of self-control and NOT go ham buying Lush products.

Bath bombs though… might be a different story. We’ll see.

Okay, Products that I bought : 

The first product that I picked up was Mask of Magnaminty. I’ve heard countless youtubers talk about this product, so when the Lush girl recommended it to me and my problematic skin (as of late) I bought it without a second thought. I’m going to be doing a full review and demo on this mask soon, so I don’t want to say too much about it. I will say however, that I’ve only used it once but I’m already loving it ! The smaller size (125 g), which is the one I picked up, costs $12.95, and the larger size (315 g) costs $24.95.

The next two products I bought both have Tea Tree as their main ingredient. My skin has been breaking out like none other for the past couple of months. I’ve already tried a bunch of different things to treat it but nothing has really consistently solved my issues. I’m just finishing up the last of some of the other acne-treating products I have, so I thought I would give Lush a go.

Known for it’s natural and fresh ingredients, I’m sure it will be a lot better for skin than trying out products with I don’t know WHAT in them.

So I bought their Tea Tree Water which is a toner. I bought the large size which is a 250 mL bottle, which costed me $21.95, but there is also a smaller size that is 100 mL for $9.95. I use toner every single day so I didn’t see a point in buying a small bottle of this. I also want to mention that I love that this comes in a spray bottle. It feels really good spritzing this on my face after I wash it, but also, when you eliminate the use of cotton pads with your toner, every last drop of the toner will be going onto your face. So you won’t be wasting none of it on the cotton pads !

The other product I wanted to try was their Grease Lightening Tea Tree Gel. This is a much higher concentration of tea tree oil, and is supposed to be used as a spot treatment. So when you’re breaking out or just have a spot, you rub a little bit of this on your problematic areas before you go to bed, and this will really help deep clean it as well as dry the spot out ! This only comes in one size, a 45 g bottle that retails for $13.95, but honestly this bottle will last me quite a long time. Because I will only be using this as a spot treatment, I only use a very minimal amount each time. And honestly, a little goes a long way with this!

So far I’ve only been using these products for what… 2 days? So I definitely want to continue using them for a while before I can give you guys my opinion on them. I will definitely be doing reviews on everything I try out from Lush from now on. I have seriously fallen in love with their company in the last couple of days. I’m really hoping these products work well with my skin because I would choose Lush purely due to the fact that they use so many natural ingredients and don’t do any testing on animals.

Not to mention their products don’t cost a ridiculous amount of money either !

I also tried out one of their bath bombs today, but it wasn’t one of the items that I bought, it was actually a gift. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of it as it was dissolving, so I think I will skip on a review on that particular bomb. But if you guys want to see reviews on other bath bombs definitely let me know !

ALSO, if you’ve tried any of the products mentioned above, let me know how you got on with them !

Seriously cannot wait to try more Lush products… GAH.

More soon,