It’s been over a year now since I’ve started using the Dermadry machine. Does it still work for me? Do I still use it consistently? Would I still recommend it? These are all questions that I’ve been getting consistently over the last year.

In this video, I share answers to all of those questions and more, and give you my honest opinion on how Dermadry has been working for me and whether or not I think it’s worth making the investment.

Beara Beara carries quality leather bags in classic preppy styles. When I was checking out I noticed that they offer engraving services. You can choose between a gold embossing or just regular embossed engraving. And I have to admit, I initially wasn’t sure whether or not this would turn out well. But after I received my bag in the mail I fell in LOVE with the gold initials. Now I kind of wish I could get my initials engraved on EVERY bag I own.

There’s something about seeing your name on a product that just feels…so satisfying. If you’re looking for a holiday gift idea, I think a customized Beara Beara bag is the perfect present. 

A huge part of what makes me LOVE fall fashion are the coats. I think my Stedman, a menswear-inspired wool coat by Aritzia, pairs perfectly with the studious vibe of the Santa Anna leather satchel. I chose the small size because I wanted something I could use on the day to day without worrying about it being too heavy or big. I used this bag for work today and it actually fit my agenda, a bullet journal, a laptop charger, a hard drive, as well as my essentials (wallet, keys, phone). I’m glad I got this size rather than the mini size because it’s still a versatile bag at this size.

BB was nice enough to offer me a 10% discount code to my readers. Just use the code ‘bbangel’ at checkout!

I actually got another bag from them that I am OBSESSED with as well, but we’ll save that for (another) rainy day.

Until next time,

Since I’ve been given the opportunity to explore this area a little more, I thought I would start a bit on my blog about some cool discoveries in Vancouver. It’s about time I expanded past just eating at Phnom Penh in Chinatown!

Harvest Community Foods is just a couple doors down from my workplace and it is one of my go-tos for days I don’t pack lunch. It’s a small neighbourhood grocery store that also sells signature fresh veggie and meat noodles in homemade broths. Harvest opened in 2012 and started as a community project in a empty space. “This Space”, the name of the project, had a goal to start a small community business that met the locals’ needs. After much research conducted in the Chinatown and Strathcona area, it was decided that a small local food place/grocery store was exactly what was needed at 243 Union Street. 

Harvest carries a variety of different goodies on its grocery wall. From artisan olive oils, to Earnest ice cream, to milk and cream. They also have a small kitchen area that prepares fresh bowls of noodle soups. They’ve got ramen, udon, and Rice noodles with different soups and toppings. They often have daily specials as well if you want to try something that isn’t usually on their menu. 

From their static menu, I decided to try the Udon with Sake Kazu chicken, shiitake mushroom, and watercress. The shoyu based soup (soy-sauce based) was rich and flavourful, and soaked in the sweet and distinct flavour of the mushrooms. Udon is one of my favourite types of noodles and I thought it paired really well with the soup. The only bone that I have to pick with this dish was the watercress. I wasn’t too fond of the raw watercress added on top as when I soaked the veggies to soften it, it gave the soup a bitter after taste. 

This is definitely something I would order again for lunch, especially since it’s literally 3 doors down from where I work! I’ve had one of their weekly special ramens as well which I LOVED. As someone who probably eats noodles way too often, I thought Harvest did an amazing job with their menu by serving fresh ingredients and delicious soups. 

I’ve got a few more food reviews lined up to write so stay tuned for that!

Until next time, 

Other than that I really love the shape and style of the Devon shoe! I think it’s a very classic oxford shape with an elegant feminine twist. Plus how LOVELY is the ‘Mushroom’ colour though? Perfect for the spring/summer. I’m going to stick a shoe stretcher into it and see if it helps break in the leather a little. Will keep you guys updated on how it feels!

If you want to check out these babies you can go here: http://www.shoeme.ca/products/hardy-womens-devonmushrm

Talk to yall soon! 

I’ve finally decided to splurge on a more high end foundation, so obviously I had to share with you my journey with it every step of the day ! I’ve been on and off about investing in a more high-end foundation for months now, researching which one would be the best bang for my buck. 

And to be quite honest, I had my mind set on the NARS Sheer Glow foundation for ages and yet some how.. I let my friends convince me that the Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide would be a better decision. 

Costing me $59 (before taxes) I damn well hope they were right  !

Here’s my first impression / demo of how this foundation applies to my dry skin ! 

Spoiler : SO FAR SO GOOD ! I think I might’ve found a new HG light weight everyday foundation ! 

Semi-Recently, Maybelline came out with a collection of matte lipsticks. Just from swatching them in the store, I was blown away at the quality and texture of these lipsticks. For matte lipsticks, or just lipsticks in general honestly, these babies were unbelievably buttery and smooth.

I’ve always had a love for Maybelline lipsticks. Even their regular line of lipsticks have great pigmentation and texture, and are not drying on the lips what-so-ever. For someone with exceptionally dry lips (..like I mean my lips are pretty much ALWAYS chapped) it is really important for me that a lipstick has a non-drying formula. Which is why I actually tend to stay away from most matte lipsticks.

But since I’ve been obsessed with Maybelline lipsticks for so long, I decided to trust their brand and purchase a few of these bad boys to try… and OH MY LORD am I glad I did.

These lippies are unlike any other mattes I’ve ever experienced. Not only do they not drag across your lips like most matte formulas do (cough, MAC’s Ruby Woo cough), but they actually glide on smoother than most of my regular lipsticks. They almost feel like you are applying a very soft, light layer of butter on top of your lips. Not in the greasy sense, but in a smooth application sense. And the best part, they aren’t drying AT ALL. Like I mean AT ALL. I’ve had no problems throwing these on, even when I have a little flakey-ness on my lips, because they don’t accentuate the dry spots at all. It just glides right over them and sits beautifully on the lips.

When I first applied these lipsticks, I actually didn’t think they were as matte as I liked them. However, with the amazing formula and price, I honestly didn’t care. They still gave off a gorgeous, almost velvety finish, which I was perfectly fine with. However, as these lipsticks wear on your lips, they actually get more matte as they settle! So if you swatch these in the store, and they don’t seem that matte to you, be patient, as the formula actually dries to be quite matte.

I think there were about 8-10 colours available at my London Drugs, but I only picked up four of the colours. They also had some great reds and pinks, but these four were the ones that caught my eye the most.

From left to right the swatches are : Mesmerizing Magenta, Lust for Blush, Daringly Nude, and Touch of Spice.

My favourite out of the bunch has got to be Touch of Spice. It is such a beautiful darker brown nude colour, and actually makes a great Kylie Jenner lip colour.

Have you tried the new Maybelline Matte Lipsticks? If you have, what do you think about them and what’s your favourite colour in the collection?

Until next time !

I purchased Michael Faudet’s book because it was recommended to me on Amazon when I purchased Lang Leav’s Love and Misadventure (I wrote about Love and Misadventure here). I’ve seen pictures of this book floating around blogs, instagram accounts and tumblrs for quite a while now, so naturally I had to join the bandwagon and see what the fuss was about.

I knew that it was a book of poetry but I had no idea how sexual this book was going to be ! But it didn’t bother me much, I actually quite enjoyed it still. It was a great read for a warm sunny afternoon. Despite the sexual nature of most of the poems, they were all written with an undertone of love. He addresses his feelings towards several (fictional) girls; The love, lust, and other emotions that came with it.

I think I personally preferred Love and Misadventure a little bit more, but Dirty Pretty Things was still a relaxing, great read. I’d say I give it a 7/10 on the scale of how badly you need to read this book.

You can purchase Dirty Pretty Things on amazon here (Dirty Pretty Things*) for $15.29.

and also Lang Leav’s Love and Misadventure here (Love & Misadventure*) for $13.55.

Until next time,

*affiliate links are included in this post.