A Quick New Year's Message.

Hellohello!! ʘ‿ʘ

It's so good to be back from the Christmas/holiday festivities, eh?
(I applaud anyone who has managed to consistently post throughout these past 2-3 weeks BECAUSE DO YOU PEOPLE EVEN ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS????)

I hope you guys are having a fantastical holiday so far, wherever you are, because I know you guys deserve it c:
(You guys have been my fancy chums for the past few months, and I really can't thank you guys enough for reading my nonsense and proceeding to comment on said nonsense...seriously)

As for me, I've basically spent the last week pent up in my bedroom, watching direct-to-tv Christmas movies (-coughcough-think Hallmark Channel/Lifetime Channel programs) until 3-4 am on the daily. It's a sobfest over here. 

Anyways, on behalf of Mittens (the secretary) and I, we wish you guys a Happy New Year!

We hope your New Year's plans are just as fancy as you guys are, and I hope 2014 brings you fantastical friends and some hella amazing experiences!

(From what I can tell from the 2014 tv/movie releases, I can already tell it's going to be one hell of a fantastic year...SHERLOCK?? HOBBIT?? VERONICA MARS MOVIE??!!! AWW YISS)

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The Makeup Collection + Wishlist

A few weeks back, Lillian of Mascaradise had an idea to for us peeps at the Beauty Bloggers group to 'showcase' our ~fabbity fab~ makeup collections, and since my real life friends wanted to do a gift exchange, I thought "Eh! Why not make it a makeup collection AND a wishlist post! #falseproductivityatitsfinest"

So huzzah! Here comes the trash + hot mess (literally)!

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The Blogging Team

..........how long haven't I updated my blog???!

Even now, it feels weird typing up a post. But to be fair, it is finals season, which means I am getting my a$$ whooped by an army of essays, assignments, quizzes, and exams so don't mind me. :(
(4 more exams to go! + good luck to all my fellow undergrads/anyone else during a stressful work period!)

Anyways, I thought I'd ease back into blogging by showing you guys the ~teams of products~ I use to churn out my posts + fancy things on this site. And I gotta say, blogging is one hella expensive hobby. The financial expenses, time, effort and dedication/commitment is nothing to be scoffed at.

Onwards!

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An ~American~ Haul

(The amount of hauls I've been pulling as of late is ridiculous. I feel like I'm just shoving my consumerism in your faces ;-;) (Also, excuse the lack of consistent posting, it's the final weeks of uni, which means PAPERS ASSIGNMENTS QUIZZES REPORTS IN YO FACE)

This past weekend, I took a trip to Michigan, and every time I go to the States for a shopping trip, I get so angry. 

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUQ, AMERICA??!??!!?" I would scream in my head as I stroll down aisle after aisle in Walmart, with aisle after aisle presenting the most outrageous and ridiculous products. Instant kettle corn popcorn? You got it! Have you even seen how many brands and varieties of frozen pizza there are in Walmart??? INSANE. WHY DO YOU GUYS EVEN HAVE 'OREO PIE CRUSTS'???? EXCUSE ME???

Can someone mail me a green card pls?

Don't even get me started when I finally found the e.l.f and NYX section at Target. I was ready to break down and cry on the spot.

Yabber yabber yabber, yeah, I know you're just here for the haul.

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2FANCY—It's GIVEAWAY Time! ʘ‿ʘ

Oi.

So I've finally reached 100 followers on Bloglovin'. 


DANCE PARTY COMMENCE!!!

Quite frankly, it is wayyyyy more people than I've ever expected when I first launched this blog back 5/6 months ago. 

(Seriously, I expected maybe max 50 people would subscribe...)

And I'm not going to lie, these past 6 months have been so wonderful, considering I'm pretty much a loner in real life, and if I could, I would fly out to meet each and one of you personally!

(Our dream ~meetup~ would consist of obsessively swatching makeup, marathoning fantastic tv shows, and overall just having a fantastical day ಠᴗಠ)

BUT ANYWAYS, ever since I started this blog, I've always wanted to host a giveaway!

And what better time to launch one than celebrating a milestone of 100 Bloglovin' followers?! ʘ‿ʘ

PRIZE: 

Win a MAC lipstick of your choice!

RULES:

1) Open to residents of Canada and United States ONLY. 

(So sorry about this, just can't afford international shipping right now! ;-;)

2) If you are under 18, make sure you have your parent's permission, as I will need your address! 

3) Follow the blog either via Bloglovin' or GFC. 

(Either is fine, but I will be checking accounts, so no cheating!)

This giveaway will run from November 11 to December 10 (roughly one month), and the winner will be contacted for details. I want this package to arrive in time for Christmas!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to all entrants!! 

In the meantime, which MAC products, or lipstick shade(s) have been on your wish list? 

P.S. Let's get my lovely (and under appreciated/underrated) friend, Pauline to 100 followers too!

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Tarte's 'Off The Cuff' Blush and Bronzer Palette {Review + Swatches}

I don't believe in love at first sight with people, but love at first site with material possessions? Too swoony.
When I first saw Tarte's 'Off The Cuff' blush + bronzer palette, I knew I had to have it, and so I set out in the same week to pick this ~badboy~ up. ʘ‿ʘ

(If only I had this kind of drive when chasing the opposite sex LOLLL)

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The ~Retail Therapy~ Haul

Alternate names for this haul:
- The 'Wait, Where Did My Money Just Go?' Haul
- The 'DAF-Q HAPPENED TO MY INHIBITION' Haul
- The 'SCHOOL STRESS MADE ME BUY IT' Haul
- The 'So I-Fail-At-Academics-But-At-Least-I-Still-Have-Nice-Things-To Pawn-Off-In-Case-Of Homelessness-In-The-Future' Haul

I had a report and four midterms that jacked my ~swagger~ last week. You know, the usual ~crushing of self-esteem-and-dreams-and-aspirations~ university season. No biggie. (don't mind my sobbing in the background)

But thankfully, retail therapy exists. Though it doesn't do the wallet any favours in your panic-stricken state, you can't deny you feel 1000x happier with your new shiny thingamajigs, and much more motivated to study to justify your spending. It's a win-win situation! (...nobody cares about you, wallet...)

(I keep thinking I'm not one for consumerism, and yet here I am with a giant stash of stuff that's only justified because a lot was on sale and I practically have backups for my backups now omg ;-;)

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Essence's 'Silky Touch' Blushes {Review + Swatches ʘ‿ʘ}

Blushes are basically the only products I get excited about. Well...and concealer. I just think it's so impressive that there can be so many shades of peach, pink, coral, plum and red, all to flatter the cheekbones for a gorgeous rosy glow!

After being unimpressed with Essence's 'Stays No Matter What' eyeliner (reviewed here), I decided to try again and buy one of their 'Silky Touch' blushes (because you can never go wrong with blush!), and you know what? I was so impressed that I ran back for more! ʘ‿ʘ

1st Row: Adorable (#10), Life's A Cherry (#60)
2nd Row: Sweetheart (#50), Babydoll (#20)

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As Of Late...{Life Update-ish}

#MIAblogger #lifeupdate #my mom is addicted to going to daytime talk tv shows #and I'm stuck with her #butatleastIgotmy5secondsoffame #I also bought a lot of useless stuff #21 so far has been about me buying useless stuff #partially because of school stress #lots and lots of school stress #gonna go cry now

You know how academic journals have an abstract? (aka, a short gist of the topic?) THAT'S WHY I PUT THE HASHTAGS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE POST, JA FEEL?

But yeah, if you didn't notice, I've been on a downhill streak since my ~liner-off~ post and MIA for a while (reading and responding to blogs), and I know some of you guys are happy because yay, I'm another blog you don't have to read. BUT TOO BAD, YOU'RE GONNA READ ABOUT WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO, AND WHY I'VE BEEN A BIT MIA, YEAH?

(If you follow me on twitter, you may already know about some of these events) (Also, I apologize for some of the low quality phone camera photos in advance!)

Between having existential crises and stress-induced breakdowns, I've engaged in loads of retail therapy and family/friend outings.

If you live in Canada, you might know some of the Canadian daytime television talk shows. My mom as of late has been dragging us to see these shows, and so far we've been to the Steven and Chris show and the Marilyn Denis Show (think Canadian versions of 'the Ellen show'). We're still waiting for CityLine! (If you know any other talk shows filmed in Toronto, let me know!)

Steven and Chris!

I look like absolute s--t here I can't even

AT THE END OF THE SHOW THEY WERE GIVING OUT FREE MINI FOOD PROCESSORS. LIKE CANDY I SAY. LIKE CANDY!!!

And earlier this week my mom and I went to the Marilyn Denis show...

My name is also in this month's (October's) issue of Marie Claire! 

(No blog affiliation though :<) (so basically no one knows who I am LOLLLLLLL)

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The Autumn Tag!

The amount of tag posts I have to do is shameful, so I thought I'd take a step back from all the makeup/serious posts and do a refresher. Hello autumn tag!

I was tagged by Lucy of A Little of Lucy (thank you Lucy!), so let the festivities begin! (like my answers are anything festive) 

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1. What is your favourite thing about Autumn?

Generic answer of sweaters, cozy knits (thinking about knitting matching sweaters for my dog and I--hers will read 'puppy' and mine will read 'human'), apple + pumpkin baked goods, stepping on crunchy leaves, etc.

For a less generic answer--FINALLY I DON'T HAVE TO SEE HALF NAKED PEOPLE (THX 4 DA UNWANTED FREE STRIPPER SHOW, SUMMER), AND ALL MY FALL TV SHOWS RETURNNNNNNNN :'D. 

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It's a Liner-Off!! {Part Two}

If I had to choose a favourite segment of this blog, it would definitely have to be my 'liner-off' series! :D

(If you missed my previous one, click here!)

AND TODAY,

IT 

IS

BACK!

GIFS. SWATCHES. TEARS (well, water test). FRICTION (smudging, basically...). 
WHO WILL BE AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL LINER?

INTRODUCING OUR CONTESTANTS FOR TODAY: 

ESSENCE'S 'STAYS NO MATTER WHAT' EYEPENCIL

MAYBELLINE'S 'MASTER DRAMA' EYELINER

MILANI'S 'LIQUID EYE' EYELINER PENCIL

RIMMEL'S 'EXAGGERATE' WATERPROOF EYE DEFINER

AND

RIMMEL'S 'SCANDALEYES' WATERPROOF KOHL KAJAL

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

MAY THE ODDS EVER BE IN YOUR FAVOUR

LET THE GAMES BEGIN.

Yeah, sorry for the ~dramatic~ intro...I'VE BEEN WATCHING TOO MUCH X-FACTOR DON'T MIND ME.

THE WHOLE SHEBANG BEHIND THE CUT!

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Review: Clinique 'High Impact' Mascara {+Birthday Bits!}

Confession: my eyes can't tolerate eye makeup. :(

.....yeah that's probably important to know.

OK OK, WELL, for the longest time I would blame my three year old mascaras (DON'T JUDGE ;-;) for the redness it would cause my eyes, but when I finally tried new mascaras (Almay, Maybelline, Rimmel, Benefit, Guerlain, e.g), the results were still the same--red, irritated eyes after a few hours.

I recently told a friend about this situation (hi Iriss!), and she asked if high end mascaras made a difference. I said it didn't, but after that, I randomly decided to re-try using Clinique's 'High Impact' mascara for a day.

And you know what?

Huzzah, minimal redness! :D

(Oh yeah, birthday dinner photos and the whole shebang under the cut!)

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This tube is actually a sample size I got with a Clinique purchase. The actual, full sized mascara retails for $19. This mascara does not claim to be waterproof. The formula is wet, and applies with a bristle brush.

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Eye charts!

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SHINY NEW THINGS! ʘ‿ʘ {A Collective Haul}

The previous week and this week has been a bit crazy in the ~spending~ department, mainly because it was my birthday last week (and with my birthday comes school stress), and Shoppers Drug Mart decided it would be a ~fantastic~ time to have an impressive makeup sale this week. Armed with coupons and the promise of sales, I made multiple journeys to Shoppers, and finally at last, I present to you my spoils of war. 

(I have to resist making a 'STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW WE'RE HERE' joke every time I mention Shoppers Drug Mart)

 My haul bag. Paper bags are the cutest.

SHOW ME THE GOODS.

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I genuinely thought these few items would be the only items I would be picking up for my 'birthday'. HAHAHA, was I ever wrong.

Anyways, I picked up:

1) Kate Somerville's 'ExfoliKate Intense Exfoliator' from Sephora. I got a free sample and used it recently and was so impressed by the results until I found out it was $105 CDN ($80 USD) for 2 oz. HELLLLLL NAW. But $25 for 0.5oz seemed more reasonable, so I picked it up.

2) Benefit Birthday Kit from Sephora.

3) A Brazil Nut Body Butter from The Body Shop. I am soooooooooooooooo in love with the scent of the brazil nut body scrub, so I decided to pick this up as it was on sale. Unfortunately, while it still smells fantastic, the scrub smells waaaaaaaaaaay better, and I really encourage you guys to take a whiff of the scrub.

4) Real Nature Masks (x4) from The Face Shop. I picked up Kelp, Aloe, Bamboo and Avocado. (Uh, my brother and I used up 2 before we could photograph them. It was exciting.)

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Shoppers Drug Mart has a Maybelline sale this week (in Toronto), with most products being half off (now $5-6 apiece), and with the purchase of certain items came 2000 extra points, so I went a little crazy.
(Today is the last day of the sale, so if you live in Toronto, you might want to check it out!)

Here are the items from Shoppers that I picked up:

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PSA: Sheer Your Foundation!!

Oh foundation. Such an vital step in evening out skintone and serving as a base for other makeup to make us look ~naturally gorgeous~.

Unfortunately, foundation is also one of those steps where it's so, so incredibly easy to mess up. Too much, and you'll be sent to Madame Tussauds' (or Barbie's Dollhouse), and too little will....wait, who puts on less than they think they need? But actually, a lot of people put on more foundation than they need! And often, as a result, it's very noticeable and ends up looking like what people refer to as a 'cake-face'. (Not that there's anything wrong with that if it's deliberate, in my opinion)

Struggling to find natural-looking coverage during my first few years of acne was my main concern, and in the early years, I would slather a thick layer of foundation all over my face, despite only having a few blemishes. Crazy once you look back, ain't it?

(CAN WE JUST TAKE A FEW MINUTES OF SILENCE TO CRINGE AT MY HAIR, FOUNDATION MATCH, FOUNDATION FLASHBACK, AND BASICALLY EVERYTHING UGH AWKWARD TEENAGE YEARS, MAN)

Earlier this year, I decided to mix my Revlon Colorstay and Maybelline BB cream, and you know what? Natural-looking coverage for acne hyperpigmentation solved. (I also did I post on that here, but who reads my older posts, right?)

Here's how:

1. Mix together a full coverage foundation and moisturizer/BB cream. If you're feeling fancy, throw in your primer and illuminator into this cocktail.

2. With a foundation/buffing brush, buff the mix onto areas you need evened out. 

3. For extra coverage, stipple the mix onto areas of redness, such as areas of acne hyperpigmentation.

4. Set with powder. (Or don't, depending on your own routine and skin type/needs)

Alternatively, if you've got relatively good skin, just skip everything and head straight to concealer and spot-concealing.

Incredibly easy, and easier to control the amount of coverage you need for different areas compared to using a full coverage foundation alone. (E.g. It wouldn't make sense to slap on full coverage on a patch lightened hyperpigmentation, right?) (WELL, IT'S LOGIC, BUT OBVIOUSLY WITH GR.11 VANESSA, IT WASN'T, OK ;-; )

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Alright, you may be like, "ALL TALK, NO ACTION. I WANT ME SOME COMPARISON CHARTS."
Or even:

To that I say "RUUUUDDE." (But Happy Endings anyone?)

But you know, it wouldn't be my post without a comparison of sorts.  (Grossness ahead, proceed with caution)

30

First Impressions: Laneige Sleeping Pack_EX

They say by the end of the first date, you'll know if you've found the one.

I've always been skeptical of this claim, since nothing crazy and life-changing has ever happened to me, and I'm a grump and skeptic at heart, but man, Laneige's 'Sleeping Pack_EX' may be what I've been searching for all my life.

'........waitwat...'

What? Can't a girl just date a product?

After reading June's review on the sleeping pack almost two months ago, I was intrigued, but it was only three weeks that I finally took the plunge! Laneige Sleeping Pack_EX is also actually my first Asian skincare item, and I figured 'HEY, I'M AZN, I SHUD PROBS B USING AZN SKINCARE STUFF IDK'.

I'm usually not one to post first impressions, or even Asian makeup/skincare products, because I hardly come by products that are exceptional, and first impressions usually change after a few months (-coughcoughPrideandPrejudice), but I've been really impressed by this product, despite only having used it regularly for three weeks!

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21

The Crap I Lug Around {aka What's In My Bag}

I felt like writing a light post today, and since I've never done a more "girly"/"feminine" post/tag before (YOU DON'T SEE ME TALKING ABOUT HANDBAGS AND SHOES, DO YOU?), I thought "Hey, bag post. Great way to start!" (Also, I like snooping around other people's bags, so yay!)

(I have to admit though....I've never been one for handbags! I always say I'm too ~masculine~ 4 dis, but recently I saw a Kate Spade bag that has changed my mind because UNF)

I got this tote from Chapters/Indigo when it was on sale, and I love the typewriter print! Makes me look ~quirky~ and bookworm-ish when I'm actually not. Here are the staples I lug around!

1. Sunnies! I saw these on ASOS and loved their shape, so I snagged them so I could be ~retro fabulous~. (Unfortunately, they are non-prescription sunglasses, so when I wear them, I am as blind as a wombat ._.'')(...Unless I wear both my prescription glasses and sunglasses at the same time)(like those theatre 3D glasses)

2. Camera and camera case! Yes--that's an eggplant! Originally a coin purse, but you guys know I'm a badass and don't play by the rules (w o w so hardcore)

3. Hair tie and bobby pins. So I don't look like the girl from 'The Grudge'/'The Ring' when it's time to eat.

4. Tissues. My face gets oily, and I have a habit of food staining everything. (This is why most of my clothes are cotton/why I can't have nice clothes ;-;)(I spilled juice on my prom dress and it's still there; recently I got sandwich sauce on my chiffon dress; last month I got strawberry and Cheetos stains on my woven shell tank.....do u c da problem)

5. Moisturizers! Ever since I named my blog 'Citron and Guavaberry', I feel like I'm in a contract/obligated to try/buy all guava/citron scented items (._.''). I keep Korres' body butter in 'Guava' in my bag as hand cream, and Maybelline Baby Lips in my bag because I love the balmy lip look. ('Quenched' in picture, and it's one of my favourite scents!)

6. Keys. It's funny because there's actually only one key on there and the rest is vacation trinkets/card fobs.

7. Transit tokens. I keep my TTC tokens in a Kinder Surprise egg! IT'S SO USEFUL AND I KEEP TELLING EVERYONE TO USE IT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW USEFUL IT IS FOR COINS. (HA, YOU AMERICANS WON'T UNDERSTAND)

8. The brick Wallet. Actually, I can't call it a brick anymore because I literally have no bills in there. Broke status, yo ;-;

9. Phone and headphones. CAN YOU GUYS GUESS WHAT MV WAS PLAYING ON MY PHONE WHEN I SNAPPED THIS PICTURE? GUESS GUESS GUESS. BECAUSE IT'S STUCK IN MY HEAD.
But yeah, I got this phone last month, and I'm in love! I can finally take selfies because it has a front camera take better quality pictures on my phone, play Android games, download apps (previous phone was a Windows phone), and all that other very very good stuff.

10. Not pictured, but water bottle! I always try to carry a bottle with me because $1+ for WATER R U KIDDING ME. I'm also nit picky about drinking from taps/fountains...because I have a special water filtration system at home.

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Inside the bag there's a pocket with this written:

So much hipster.

So much black and white...but hey, it matches my dog. ◡‿◡

SINCE MY BAG IS CANVAS, MY DOG'S FUR WON'T BE SO APPARENT ON THE BAG :D

What staples do you guys keep in your bag? Have I convinced you guys to use Kinder Surprise Eggs as token/coin holders? ʘ‿ʘ

Also, repeat reminder: Lillian of Mascaradise recently created a FB page to unite beauty bloggers, so check it out, and more information about the page here! (Basically a group for bloggers to ask various q's about blogging, communicate with each other, etc)

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