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.

____________________________________________________________________

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)

43

Do You Need That Eyeshadow Primer? YOU DOoOoOOo [A Comparison of Sorts]{Caution: Scary Eye Charts Ahead}

FIRST OFF, 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)

More than often, people will tell you to put on an eyeshadow primer when working with eyeshadows, otherwise "don't even bother", but I've always wondered to which degree they work. Also, we can't forget to factor in the amount of oil your lid produces, weather/environment, eye rubbing, longevity claims of eyeshadows, etc! Wayyyy too many variables, and I usually end up slapping it on 'just in case'.

I actually have a weird habit of only putting eyeshadow (sans primer) on one eye when I'm experimenting with eye makeup, and walking/lounging around the house like that for the rest of my day, so when my mom sprang the idea of going to the mall on me last weekend, I flipped because 1) I only had eyeshadow on one eye, and 2) I had just finished washing my brushes. UHM, HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO PUT AND BLEND DIFFERENT EYESHADOW SHADES ON WITH WET BRUSHES??!!/1/?? (...Don't answer that)

But then I smelled opportunity (actually, that would be a fantastic perfume name....right?). An opportunity to compare having an eyeshadow primer on versus no primer, and so voilà, accidental post, BAM! I'll also be comparing Urban Decay's 'Primer Potion' against Lorac's 'Behind the Scenes', because you know I love me some comparison posts.

24

Liebster Award! ಠᴗಠ

Jeebus, the emote in the post title looks creepier than I intended it to...
Also, what is this, award season? I'm being nominated for stuff from left to right (I don't mind though, heeheheheheheheh)

...Liebster Award! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT OFF THIS POST FOR A FEW WEEKS? NOMINATIONS STACK UP, AND THIS POST IS NOW SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER THAN I INTENDED IT TO BE ;-; (So you know, sit back, have a cup of tea or something?)

So I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by:
1) Maddie over at It's That Place Called Here, which is a relatively new blog, so check that out!
2) Pippa from Pippa Love, who, dare I say, is much more hilarious than I?
3) Lucy from Lucy's Lifestyle, who takes the most gorgeous blog photos (in my opinion?)
and 4) Jenn from A Beautiful Zen, who does wonderful recreations of makeup looks (in my opinion, anyways!)

Anyways, for those unfamiliar with the award, basic gist (stolen from Maddie, hehe):

"This award is aimed at bloggers with less than 200 followers. You have to answer 11 questions from the person that nominated you and then set your own 11 questions for 11 more bloggers who you are going to nominate (with under 200 followers of course)."

As if you guys weren't sick enough of my personal posts already! Haha, but anyways, here are the 43  questions both have asked (and jeebus, not even going to lie, these are some pretty hard hitting questions!)

(Also, I'll be skipping some repetitive questions, just so I'm not redundant, alright? c: )

19

Oi, I Revamped My Blog! Kinda...

EDIT: Oh man, most of you preferred the original header over the new one, so I revamped it with elements of both. Special + numerous thanks to Pauline/Addicted to Makeup for helping me make some intensive choices!! (Hopefully this new header will suit everyone, yeah?)


Yes, yes I did. 

It's been on my to-do list for the longest time now, and ever since I finished summer school last week, I decided to finish the girls in my header. Considering I created this layout during summer school season, well, a slight revamp was in order! Huzzah! 

(I mean, I was originally going to ask for input/have a poll with the old vs. new blog header, but I went, '2 heck wit dat, new is ALWAYS better')(Right...??)(......ANSWER MEEEEEEEEEEE)

And the blog now has more citron and guava coloured accents, so yay for that.

I still have some minor tweaks here and there, but also, how do you guys feel about social media blog buttons? And leave me some other input, because I'm still iffy about the blog header and that weird line separator and the girl on the left sdskgf,mdfkfhg

Also, I'm in the mood to doodle. First three comments get a quick doodle from me, yeah? (Plz don't ask for silly things like 'DRAW MY FASE' otherwise you'll probably regret it)

32

Hello Skincare Routine! {+A Bit of Heart to Heart} {Hello, Naked Face!}

SOME HEART TO HEART (or as my brother would say, 'reel shiet')
{SKIP AHEAD TO NEXT SECTION IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED IN READING}

I'm not even going to bullshit you--past/younger Vanessa was a bitch. I was like Regina George meets pageantry, as I used to pride myself for being the one my friends came to when they wanted an individual's appearance to be deconstructed, analyzed and criticized. Thankfully, those days are long, long, long behind me, and though I cringe and deeply regret those thoughts, I am lucky enough to learn to appreciate the gorgeousness in each and every individual's face, whether they have acne or flawless skin, or whether they consider their noses small or large, and I've come to empathize with those struggling with acne. (Thanks, tumblr and your social injustice awareness posts)

I've had acne for about 4 1/2 years now, and I can probably safely now say I'm on the road to recovery. There has been plenty of trial and error over the years, loads and loads of acne research and advice, and tons of personal support from my friends, and although it's so incredibly easily to fall into the despair trap (trust me, I know), the best advice I can give is: Don't give a sh-t about what others (and yourself) think of your appearance during your own process/routine of recovering from acne.

No one knows your skin and body better than you do (...except probably the dermatologist. Yeah actually, maybe the dermatologist), and it's so incredibly difficult not to beat yourself up over the condition of your face. You might even start believing that other people are judging your face, when maybe they're even understanding of your condition. Although you look like a hot mess with all that acne, I really want you to be comfortable and confident in facing and dealing with your acne, and stop being so self-aware, because I for one, will still genuinely think you're super gorgeous. 

Here are some of my top lines for a self-esteem + confidence boost that even I use from time to time. (Although it is in comic sans, the next time you need a confidence boost, I really want you to say some of these lines....minus the 'bopity boop' one because I don't know why it's there...but you know, you could say it)

But honestly, I'm not going to lie--seeing photos of myself with a significant amount of acne hyperpigmentation made me want to roll off the nearest cliff. Despite me being used to/comfortable with it on a daily basis, there will still be times where I go berserk, but then I remember it won't be so bad in 3 months to 2 years time (hyperpigmentation fade time). In the meantime however, I try not to let it get me down! 

(Selfies under the cut, and for more of acne experiences + 'advice', check out my post on lessons learned in acne)

____________________________________________________________________

Hello daily skincare routine!

Some tl;dr of the previous section:

- 4 1/2 years of acne

- Finally taking skincare srs 4 reasons (basically b/c wrinkles and hyperpigmentation)

- I think ur supergorgey (??)

Alright, let's get serious.

My real life friend recently discovered this blog and scolded me for the lack of skincare posts on this blog. I thought a daily skincare post would be a great way to introduce skincare back, and so here's what I use!

My skincare routine is nothing too fancy schmancy, because 1) I'm not one to pile numerous items on when a few products will simply do, and 2) I'm actually really lazy about skincare.( ._.'') I'm not one to try and speed up cell turnover to fade hyperpigmentation faster either, just because of skin sensitivity, and I honestly don't mind the wait.

1. Cleanse: I've been using Cetaphil for years now, and I think it is a great basic facial cleanser. At night, I'll pump olive oil onto tissue to remove my makeup, and follow with Cetaphil after. 

2. Tone: Ever since my Clinique toner ravaged my skin and made me break out significantly back in February, I've been skeptical about trying toners. I recently decided to try Thayer's 'Original Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera Astringent' after hearing fantastic reviews, plus it's also natural! So far so good! (Also, I'll occasionally apply ice to my face to close up pores after a hot shower)

3. Moisturize: Nivea 'Soft' is a great lightweight moisturizer for my sensitive skin, and I use Neutrogena's  'Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream Night' because I actually laugh a lot in real life, which is not fantastic in the whole LETS-MAKE-SOME-LAUGH-LINES-HAPPEN-YAY department.

Some occasional pick-me-ups!

Clarisonic Mia: Ever since I stopped using my Clarisonic regularly, I've stopped breaking out....(sorry, Mia!). I used to use it 2-3 times a week for about a year, but several months ago, I started using it once every two weeks, and my skin is faring so much better!

Masks/Spot Treatments: Whenever my skin is feeling pluggy, I'll use Queen Helene's 'Mint Julep Masque' to absorb the yuckies, and if my skin is feeling spotty, I'll use either of the above masks as a spot treatment.

And that's basically it! Nothing too fancy, just practical, somewhat inexpensive (except Mia and Origins!) products that get the job done for me, which is just what I need! What products do you guys swear by?

____________________________________________________________________

A Bunch of Acne Selfies view at your own risk, srsly

33

Favourite High End Makeup vs. Favourite Drugstore Makeup {Caution: An Excess of Selfies}

The other week, I randomly thought to myself, "You know what would be fun? Having drugstore makeup on one half of my face, and high end on the other to compare quality and longevity. Yeahhhhhhhhh........that would be the bomb diggity ʘ‿ʘ" (...I obviously have no sense of 'fun'). 

So I finally found time this Monday to do just that...and even though taking selfies is the actual worst for me, I braced myself and did it. You know, for reasons 'science'. 

On a serious note though, I really do feel like the quality gap between high end and drugstore makeup is narrowing, which is fantastic because it makes quality items more affordable. But it got me thinking, why do we even pay for high end items anymore? Which items are worth it? And while my high end makeup collection isn't quite extensive, I set out to compare my favourites from both high end and drugstore categories against each other. 

Here's what I used for high end (not pictured - Benefit's 'Coralista'): 

And for drugstore:

Did you guys notice I didn't use eyeliner? Because I totally forgot, but I went 'eh' because the darker eyeshadows 'lined' my eyes anyways.

Swatches are fun (lolnotrly,justryingtobecomprehensivehere)

I tried to get the colours as similar as possible, BUT OBVIOUSLY I DID A PISS POOR JOB. With the blushes I thought, 'OK CORAL, BOTH ARE CORAL IN THE PAN, LET'S GO'. Obviously, from the swatches above, they are two different types of corals, yikes.

Brace yo'selves, selfies ahead.

Also, guess what? I realised I forgot to apply something after I took most of my selfies. Can you guess what I forgot?

...Mascara.

Selfies fear/lack of mascara/lots of hair flyaways horror face.

41

A Bit of Makeup Organization

A few weeks ago, I asked you guys how you stored your makeup, and those ideas were fantastic. I did have a bit of an idea in mind when I posted it though, and I ended up buying it/sticking with it. And I thought, why not show you guys anyways...but in a typical ~infomercial~ way? Enjoy/Sorry in advance! 

(You guys are probably sick of silly/frivolous posts, so posts of actual substance coming this week, yeah?)

__________________________________________________________

Some glowing testimonials from our customer!!

"Before I bought this desk caddy, my makeup collection was more ratchet than my hair! This caddy has solved ALL my problems!" - Vanessa N.

"Before I bought this caddy, my facial toner was always in the middle of my makeup collection. I kept thinking it was a bottle of water! Thankfully, this caddy has separated and organized my makeup from my skincare items, and now I won't accidentally drink my toner!" - Vanessa N.

"This desk caddy looks beautiful on the dresser! It matches all my makeup packaging, and it was less than $10 at Walmart!" - Vanessa N.

Look at these glowing testimonials! You life too, can be transformed with this fantastic desk caddy! What are you waiting for, head out and get one todaaaaaayyyyyyyy!~~~~~~~

__________________________________________________________

Yeah, I'm done with myself ._.''

I really do like desk caddies though, the only downside I see is dust collecting on the actual products if I don't put regular use to the products, and that it doesn't hold all my makeup. I have a few displaced items that'll need to find a new home, heh.
I used a bit of stuffing to elevate some products, for example, the foundations, since that back wells are incredibly deep and it will be hard to reach without a bit of elevation and with it being out of sight.

Also, since I worked these photos in reverse (as in, my makeup was organized in the caddy before I started this post), my table is now a hot mess because I had to photograph the 'before' pictures. ಠ_ಠ

ALSO, I ASKED MY REAL LIFE FRIEND TO EDIT THIS POST, AND MAN IS SHE EVER STRICT. BRB, POSSIBLY FIRING HER, LOL

24

The Versatile Blogger Award!

Still working on my paper due today, thanks
Brb, writing an acceptance speech because yay, award. I was scared I'd end up like Leo Dicaprio...what

ANYWAYS, I've been nominated for 'The Versatile Blogger Award' by the lovely Lupe over at Punky and Bubbles Beauty and it's actually my first blog reward ever! So thanks, Lupe, for this award--it actually means a lot!

Rules

1. Thank the person who nominated you & link their blog.
2. Each nominee must name 7 things about themselves.
3. They must nominate 15 blogs or bloggers they've recently discovered or follow regularly.
4. Inform the nominees about their award.
5. No tag backs!

__________________________________________________________________

Seven Things About Myself

1. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada....for the most part...

2. You ain't got nothin' on me when it comes to watching TV (Unless you do, then I'm sorry!). Here is a list of all the shows I've seen, or am currently watching (in no order...I think):

30

A Literary Feast

(This is a scheduled post and if you are reading this, I will probably be off gross sobbing somewhere because I have a final paper due on Wednesday and will be frantically working on it, yay!)

I love books. Before I collected makeup, I collected books, and in three years, I had built the reasonable and realistically sized library I had always dreamed of. My collection will eventually grow larger as there are still some books I've yet to pick up, but for now, I am content. And I'm here today to share what's on my shelves, and I hope you appreciate my collection as much as I do!

8

All Eyes on Revlon! {A Revlon Eyeliners Review}

Years ago, a friend of mine said, "Are you one of those Asians that buy Sony everything?" I laughed mainly because I didn't even realise how many Sony products I had at the time--camera, TV, laptop, etc. Fast forward a few years and I never thought I'd end up getting so many Revlon products, especially the Colorstay eyeliners. It was unintentional, and I picked all of these up before I had even started blogging.

But that's not the point! Revlon seems to produce the best drugstore quality products, and today I'll be reviewing their automatic liner (Colorstay Eyeliner) (which I also talked about here), their liquid eyeliner (Liquid Eye Pen), and their gel liner (Creme Gel Eyeliner).

Hello swatches!

The automatic liner and the cream/gel liner isn't the blackest of the black with one swipe, but I personally have no issue with that. Smooth and does it's job.

The liquid liner comes in a stiff felt tip pen, which makes it easy to control the thickness of the line. Very black ink leaves a crisp finish that doesn't bleed.

The cream/gel liner is a very creamy grey-black, comes with a brush and is easy to apply. There is a very subtle amount of sparkle in this product, which I had never noticed in my 3 years of owning this product until I did a hand swatch ._.
Also, I kid you not, their cream/gel liner smells like COCONUTS (or Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen) (It may just be me though, since I've yet to find anyone who thinks it also smells like coconuts...YES, I like smelling products don't laugh ;-;)

________________________________________________________

Nothing like having liners endure some hard work, so here is a smudge test, because curse those eyelashes that fall into your eye from time to time, resulting in a smudging hassle ಠ_ಠ

Oh boy. ._.''

You poor, poor liquid liner.

Can't say too much about the gel/cream liner, it did hold up pretty well considering it's creamy consistency.

And again, the automatic liner clings like iron.

________________________________________________________

"BABY WON'T YOU TELL ME WHY, THERE IS SADNESS IN YOUR EYES" Sorry, been serenading my dog with that song all day--but you get the drift--it's a tear/water test. 

Eyeliner gods HAVE MERCY ON THIS LIQUID LINER WHY??!

Ink literally ran off into the sink in a heartbeat.

The other two liners still held up pretty well with a small amount of water applied with rubbing/smudging motions though. There still is some additional smudging, but nothing significant and extremely noticeable.

________________________________________________________

EDIT: THIS IS WHY I'M NOT A SCIENTIST, I make conclusions without finishing/trying all possibilities, damnit Vanessa.

The automatic eyeliner can actually be built up pretty dark, and I've compared it to my other black eyeliner, the Rimmel Soft Kohl liner, as well as the super dark liquid eye pen.

Final Thoughts/Comments

- Damnit Revlon, you did a terrible job with the liquid liner. Which is a shame too because this liner is so incredibly easy to use. Unfortunately it smudges, is definitely not waterproof, and goes crazy on my oily lids. -sigh-

- The gel/cream liner is fabulous, and I personally like the brush + glass packaging, but if you're after the blackest of the black gel liner, skip this one.

- Today I found out if you do two layers of the automatic liner, you can get a pretty decent black instead of just a grey-black achieved with one swipe as seen in the photos above. EDIT: Actually goes pretty dark!

- Also totally unrelated, but I found out Facebook has Pusheen the Cat conversation stickers and now I can't stop using them

Sorry not sorry.

Anyways, I hope you found this post interesting? Insightful?....lousy? Either way, suckers, you got to the end of this post HAHAHAHAHA.

38