A peek into my summer vacation : Buffalo, New York

Today I am going to share with you some pictures I took on my summer vacation. I think this is going to be part one, since I did have a few trips to different places.

My view from the hotel

Welcome to Buffalo, New York!

When I started  this blog, I didn't want it to be all about makeup. I wanted to actually share anything that was interesting in my life. So I hope you guys enjoy this series of pictures I took during this trip. It goes from pictures in the car on our way to buffalo, some sceneries, the cottage view, the aquarium, food and yea that is all!

So here we go!

I got so happy to be able to catch the sunset while the car was moving!

Here is some really pretty flowers right by the entrance to the hotel! So pretty and colourful. I love it!

These are the pictures I took on our way to the cottage. It seriously was such a beautiful day. I couldn't pass it up and not take picture of the beautiful nature around me!

I was so happy to be able to take picture of this view when it was sunny, foggy and rainy. It seriously was such a breathtaking view for me. I absolutely adore nature and I can honestly say I took about 50+ pictures of the view of the cottage! ha ha I just couldn't get enough of it.

I also love to take pictures of the raindrops on my window. It is just so unique and pretty. As you can maybe tell, I love taking pictures or in a fancier word photography! he he

look at this little guy! He came up to the glass, kind of posed so I took this picture and then went on with playing and swimming. so cute! 

Just look at that big eye! such a precious and cute fish, and so active. I could barely take a picture.

this little guy as well! it was so hyper that I barely took a decent picture.

I found Nemo! Can you spot him in there? He was kind of hiding. 

Can you spot the black & yellow frog? they seemed so unreal but it jumped so I was sure they were real. so tiny and cute honestly!

 The aquarium was really crowded so it wasn't the easiest to take pictures but I kind of managed. I also didn't get the chance to take notes on the names of different fishes and all that but it's all good.

Here is some unhealthy food we ate so you guys can just drool over the picture, because I sure am drooling myself right now as I'm typing this.

I am by no means a photographer but I love taking pictures and I thought to share it. I also share my kind of more personal (not that personal) pictures on my instagram account so you are more than welcome to check it out. It is my only account that I have on there so yea.

Did you take any vacation this summer?

Love, Dina

Maybelline The Rocket Volu'm Express Mascara - Review

Maybelline The Rocket Volu'm Express Mascara

First Look

I have the washable formula and in the blackest black colour. This also comes in the waterproof formula. I  have noticed that the washable formula has the pink bristle wand and the waterproof has the blue bristle wand. So it is pretty easy to point out the different colour packaging. This retails for about 7$ (Canadian Dollar) at Walmart.

Claims

"Explosive volume, even from root to tip" - on the packaging

"Explosive lashes, the formula loads on big, sleek volume instantly, 8x bigger, smoother. Keeps lashes smooth, fast glide formula. Zero clumps"

Supersonic brush (plastic bristle brush), pink inner with translucent bristles

My thoughts (Reality)

First of all, I love the packaging. It's so colourful and pretty and I actually really like the combination of blue and pink that is going on. I also really like the wand. It has the pink cord with translucent bristles. Unfortunately, when you actually dip the brush into the tube, you can't see the prettiness! ha ha

The brush is actually plastic bristles, which is one of my favourite type of brushes when it comes to mascara, obviously! I just prefer the plastic bristles more than the typical mascara wands that have actual brush hair, is that what they are called? I am not even sure but moving on!

Brush Comparison
Top: Cover Girl Lashblast Volume Blasting Mascara
Bottom: Maybelline The Rocket Volu'm Express Mascara 

As you can see in the picture above, the two brushes look pretty much the same even though they are from different brands. The brush of CG mascara is more of a rectangle shape but as in the Maybelline mascara, the brush is more rounded kind of, but I am not sure if that will make any difference in the whole application of the mascara and all that.

Brush Comparison
Top: Cover Girl Lashblast Volume Blasting Mascara
Bottom: Maybelline The Rocket Volu'm Express Mascara 

In these two pictures, you  can see how the brush is shaped and also compare it to the CG mascara in a closer shot.

Brush Comparison
Top: Cover Girl Lashblast Volume Blasting Mascara
Bottom: Maybelline The Rocket Volu'm Express Mascara 

I personally, like my mascara to be very separating. I do not like the look of clumpy lashes after mascara is applied and I like a little volume but volumizing mascaras tend to give the most clump to my lashes so those are not really an option for me. After all, I guess we could say that the thing I look for in a mascara is separation, length, and a little volume.

I don't have the most longest and fullest lashes of all time, but I would say mines are pretty good. My lashes are pretty long, but I have seen way longer, trust me. ha ha ..and also they are pretty full and I'll say again, I have seen way fuller lashes.

Before 

After 

I find that when I applied this mascara, I had to be careful with it. One of the first things I noticed was that this mascara can get clumpy and that can happen fast. I usually work with my mascara for a little bit but with this one, I had to be quick and after applying it, I kind of needed to go over my lashes with a clean mascara wand, type thingy to separate my lashes to the way I like them.

During the day, this mascara did not flake on me or smudge and I had the washable formula. I know mascaras tend to smudge on some people but I have never had that problem. Sometimes mascaras tend to flake on me and land on top of my cheekbones and under my eyes but I did not have such a problem with this mascara.

Taking this mascara was not hard at all. As usual, I used my eye makeup remover and it got removed as easily as any other mascara I use.


Things I liked and didn't like about this mascara

First of all, I LOVE the packaging. My favourite colour is blue and the packaging of this mascara could not get any better!! I love the plastic brush that it has and that was the first thing I saw and made me buy it. I like the look of it that it gives my lashes but I should say this is not my all time favourite, holy grail mascara for me since I do have to work with it a little to get the desired look. So this brings me to the parts that I don't really enjoy about this mascara. Well, first of all, this mascara can get clumpy in the first application. I would not even bother a second coat of it. But if you like a clumpy look then this might work for you. But for my personal likings, this is on the clumpy side.

I will definitely still use this mascara and finish it up but I am not sure if I will repurchase it. Maybe I would because of the pretty packaging??

So over all, I like this mascara and I will recommend it to those who don't mind a little clump on their lashes, or a lot of clump if that is what you prefer!! ha ha


Have you tried this mascara? What are your thoughts on it?

love, Dina

NOTD : OPI "A Butterfly Moment"

"Mariah Carey by OPI Collection 2013"

Flash Photography

Flash Photography

Flash Photography

Sunlight Photography

Natural Light Photography

Flash Photography

Colour

Peachy pinky-nude with golden shimmer

"A Butterfly moment" is a tan, pinkish nude with soft golden shimmer that can be seen depending on the lighting. I think this is the perfect nude shade that is classy and perfect for everyday. The pink/ tan shade is very delicate and pretty and goes well with anything in your wardrobe in my opinion. This polish has a frost finish to it which can look as a pearly pink with golden shimmer. Depending on the light, a golden glow can be seen and also the sheen in this polish gives it life, if you know what I mean.

Some neutral shades can come off as somewhat flat, but that is not the case with this polish.

I think this polish is the perfect office/work friendly neutral shade.

One thing I would like to add is that I think this polish can tend to look different on different skin tones. So I think you should keep that in mind before trying this polish, because I have seen some people who

Formula, application & finish

This polish went on as if it was a thick polish but the actual formula is more on the watery side.

First coat of this polish on your nails can look a little sheer sometimes and depending on how much there is product on the brush when it is being applied. Second coat of this polish and it fully covers the nails perfectly.

This polish has a nice formula, not way too hard to work with.

Removal

When removing this nail polish, I had absolutely no trouble. It comes off very easily and it does not need any hard work to get it off.

Pros

• Low maintenance, goes well with any colour of clothing

• Appropriate for any occasion, work friendly

• Makes the nails and fingers look long (this might not work for those who already have long nails/fingers.)

Cons

• It could clash and not look so good with some certain skin tones, basically like foundation, it needs the right skin-tone to look good on the nails.

Rating

10/10

Looking at all the facts and everything all together, I think this is a great polish. I absolutely love it and I think it  will definitely be in one of my top nail polish picks. The fact that it is a neutral but at the same time looks pretty and not too flat on the nails is great. Also, it looks very clean and fresh on the nails and I think this can be worn any time of the year. It really doesn't have a time limit as the colour goes but you know, it still depends on the person who is wearing it!

What is your favourite neutral nail polish?

Love, Dina

Cover Girl Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation : Review

About a month ago, I  was thinking of trying a new foundation from drugstore since I don't really have any drugstore foundation to be honest. Also I thought it is cheaper and when I run out of it, I just can run to the drugstore and pick it up instead of going all the way to Sephora since it is not so near me, unfortunately.

So one day, I was on YouTube and was watching new videos from the people I am subscribed to, and I came across this video of Itsjudytime that was on the Cover Girl's new foundation. As always, I trust Judy and love her videos so I was excited to try out this foundation!!

Itsjudytime Cover Girl Foundation Review

I kind of had a hard time finding my shade, because the drugstores that I visited had mostly the light shades and I am a medium to golden colour so I was looking around for a little while. So when I finally found my actual shade, only the testers was left so I finally decided to go to my very trusted "drugstore website", Well.ca and order it there.

 1 pump of the foundation

Barely blended the foundation

I got the shade 945 Warm Beige and what I noticed was that the number of the foundation had a 9 in the beginning in Canada and in US instead of the 9, it was 8, so I thought that was pretty interesting!

When I was testing out this foundation in the store to match it to my skin tone, I tried to go a shade lighter that my skin tone, and that was because in the review, Judy stated that there is a possibility for the foundation to oxidize and get a shade or two darker than the actual foundation colour. So I picked this one.

Claims

• Lasting power of a primer
• Coverage of a concealer
• Blendability of a foundation
• Shine-free

Reality

When I was applying it to my face, I skipped my primer to test how this foundation felt and looked on my skin and surprisingly, it was very smooth and did actually feel like a primer.

As for the coverage, the foundation itself was not liquid-y what so ever but it wasn't super thick either. I would say the coverage is medium to full and it is buildable but I would warn you that since it has a SPF 20, it can make the face look white in flash photography.

The lasting power was pretty good. The foundation did last throughout the day but I wouldn't say it was the best of the best in how the lasting goes. For a drugstore foundation, it was pretty good.

It did not make my face shiny so it was true about it being shine-free but it could also be because I tried this when it was pretty cold outside, and also my face doesn't get too shiny during the day. BUT, this might be different in the warmer months. I would keep that in mind as well.

Formula and Finish 
This foundation is in the thicker side. It is not runny but it isn't the thickest either. I would say it is a mix between the two.

The finish of this on my skin was very smooth, and after it was set, it didn't feel like a liquid foundation anymore. It felt more like a powder.

One thing that I wasn't very happy about was the fact that it kind of made my face look sort of dry. I have a normal/combination T-zone and my cheeks and down my chin are more normal to dry. This foundation made my cheeks and around my mouth look a little dry. Also, the undertone of this foundation is more like a neutral to pink so it didn't really match me that well since I have yellow/golden undertones. Also, I realized that this line of foundation is more for neutral to pink undertones so when trying this out, I would keep that in mind, because I didn't realize this! ha ha

Packaging
I like the packaging. I love how it comes with a pump and that is a huge plus because there are not a lot of drugstore foundations with an actual pump so that was pretty impressive.

This bottle contains 1 fluid oz which is a normal amount for a foundation.

Also the pump has a lock/unlock twist, so if you are planning to carry this in your makeup bag, I would say it is pretty safe when it is locked.

Price
The price of this foundation runs from 9-13$, and this price is according to the drugstores I went to.

I bought this foundation for 9$ from well.ca when it had a sale. It is originally 12.49$ in that site.

Pros

• Good coverage
• SPF 20
• Feels smooth 
• Pump with lock/unlock twist

Cons

• Pink undertone in almost all of the colours
• Made my skin look dry
• Not a  lot of different shades specially for darker skin colours, at least not in my drugstores
• Oxidises, the colours gets a shade or two darker that the original colour

Would I repurchase?
No, I wish it had worked for me but the pink undertone and the fact that made my face look dry, I don't really see myself buying this. In fact, I wont be even using this so, its a no!

Rating
6/10

Overall, I was a little disappointed with this foundation. I had high hopes for it since I saw that review. I have never tried any of Cover Girl foundations and this was my first experience and I wasn't really pleased. Looks like I have to stick to my higher department foundations for now until I find a new drugstore foundation that interests me!

Have you tried this foundation? What are your thoughts on it?
Love, Dina