Chalk Paint

Although I have a terrible habit of starting another before I finish the first, second and third; I love DIY projects! Lately I have been getting into a lot of furniture/accessory painting. Not only is it fun to take items from drab to fab, it's super cheap and exciting to see the ways that such ugly items can be transformed.

Through my Google sessions in search of products to refinish a coffee table (that I scored for $8.00 at a thrift store) I came across Chalk Paint. Chalk Paint is not to be mistaken for Chalkboard Paint - They are completely different.

Chalk Paint is extremely thick, almost gritty, wonderfully matte and beautiful. Of course through further investigative research, I decided that I just had to have it. Well, it turns out that there are only two suppliers in Canada that carry Chalk Paint. One in British Columbia and one in Ontario. The store in Ontario sells it for about $45/can. I just couldn't justify paying so much money for paint so I resulted back to Google in search of Chalk Paint dupes. I came up with nothing. I called designers, paint stores, hardware stores and department stores. Funny enough, no one that I spoke to knew what the hell I was talking about. No one had heard of Chalk Paint.

So what do I do when I can't find something that I want? I make my own...

I will be starting on one of my office book shelves today. Wish me luck that the paint I am making works!

xTx

My Top 27 Beauty Products Picks of 2011

As we wave adieu to 2011 and shake hands with 2012 I look forward to trying out some of the new and upcoming products that will be hitting the shelves this year. Although there are a ton of new beauty products on the horizon, below are my top 27 picks of 2011 in no particular order...

Urban Decay
Naked Palette

Naked is definitely my go-to palette each morning before work. I like a natural look for work, so my daily shadow routine includes Virgin for my highlight, Naked for my brow and Buck for my crease. Sometimes I add in a bit of Toasted or Hustle in to mix things up but I try to stay away from frosty colours during the day.

pürminerals

Pür Polish & Correcting Primer 

Pür Polish has done wonders for my skin. I started using this exfoliator late September/early October and have been using it ever since. You can read more on my 30-Something Skin here. The Correcting Primer is better than any other primer I have ever used, it works great with all concealers and foundations that I have tried it with and leaves your skin feeling silky smooth. I use the neutral primer but there is also a Colour Balancer and a Redness Reducer that both serve different priming purposes. 

Sephora

Sephora Makeup Palette and Makeup Brush Shampoo

The top of the palette has 33 different eye shadows and 3 eyeliners. On the left side there are 12 different lip glosses/lipsticks and the right side has 4 blushes and 2 bronzers. I really like that this palette includes 10 matte shadows. I also like that the colour pay-off on my skin is great. I had never tried Sephora's brand of makeup prior to this so I like that this cutsie little palette has given me the opportunity to try many colours at once and is absolutely perfect for travelling. This exact palette is Limited Edition so if you're looking to grab one you should purchase it quickly here. The Sephora brand Makeup Brush Shampoo is definitely a fav of mine. I find that many brush shampoos are heavy and I don't like washing my brushes with olive oil and soap because I feel that the oils hold bacteria. This shampoo is anti-bacterial, weightless and leaves my brushes with a squeaky clean brand new feeling.

L'Oreal Visible Lift

Smooth Absolute Foundation & Concealer

Honestly, when I hit 30 my skin started doing crazy things. I have never suffered from breakout's or anything of that nature but it seemed like the year leading up to my 30th birthday my skin started to change. I never wore foundation in my teens or 20's because I always felt that it was heavy on my face and looked completely un-natural. Foundations can be nice and flawless in photo's and on video but in person, I find that many look cakey, crumbly and just plain gross. I much prefer a natural look which is why I have fallen in love with L'Oreal's Visible Lift Foundation and Concealer. They are both soft and smooth, have amazing coverage and are both still in place at the end of the day when I am done work regardless of the temperature or weather outside. If you try them out, don't be alarmed when you look like you're 19 again!!

Maybelline

Instant Age Rewind Eraser Foundation & Concealer and Express Finish Nail Polish

Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind is almost an exact dupe to L'Oreal's Visibal Lift products except I find the Age Rewind to be a bit thinner. Although I love both of these foundations and concealer's, if I had to choose between the two I would go with L'Oreal's Visible Lift Foundation and Maybelline's Age Rewind Concealer. The Age Rewind Concealer is amazing! Babygirl and I are always trying out new brands of nail polish and I must say that Maybelline's Express Finish polishes are my absolute favourite. I much prefer them over any other high end brand. Not only are they cheaper than other high end polishes, the Express Finish polishes provide perfect coverage with 2 light coats, are quick to dry and can last me over a week without chipping. My favourite colour to wear is Sheer Pink #90 - It looks great all year long, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. A definite must-have in my polish collection.

M.A.C.

Mineralize Skin Finish & Blush and Satin Lipstick

MAC's Mineral makeup makes me so happy! I use the Skinfinish (the larger of the two pods in the colour of Soft and Gentle) for highlighting after I bronze. I often shy away from blushes because much like foundations I sometimes feel that they look un-natural but MAC's Mineralize Blushes are gorgeous giving off the perfect amount of colour. My favourite lipstick colour has been Spirit in Satin Finish since I was about 18 years old. I can't even tell you how many of these lip sticks I have gone through. Not only are the satin finishes hydrating but they last for hours even after countless lip gloss applications.

NYX

Eye/Eyebrow Pencil, Jumbo Eye Pencil and Felt Tip Liner

I'm new to the world of NYX. One night when I was browsing the makeup aisles at a Rexall drugstore I stumbled across their little NYX display. The NYX makeup was ridiculously cheap, I'm talking cheap as in all three of the above cost me less than $20. I have to admit, the prices scared me lol. I couldn't help but wonder if I would be wasting my money. WELL!! Was I terribly mistaken!! Where did this NYX stuff come from?! It's amazing! The white eye liner glides on so smooth, the jumbo pencil is so creamy and perfect for blending and the felt tip eye liner is brilliant! The tip is perfect, the colour is perfect and the lasting power is more than perfect. I don't go anywhere without eyeliner. Ever. So you can imagine how many liners I have gone through in my life. I have to say that these three NYX liners are the best I have ever used over any brand I have ever purchased, and I have used every liner made by every company that you can imagine. Amazing.
Givenchy
Hot Couture

Hot Couture by Givenchy. To me it has soft scents of vanilla, magnolia

and I have no idea what else. It smells so good. It's sophisticated. It's sexy. And it lasts for hours and hours and hours. Nuff said.

eos

Lip Balm Smooth Sphere

eos lippies are hard to find but I came across the two that I purchased at the same Rexall that I found my NYX cosmetics at. The lippy above is in the scent of Honeysuckle Honeydew. I also purchased the Sweet Mint lippy at the same time. Love! eos lip balms are 95% organic and 100% natural. I love that they glide on completely smooth and have absolutely no shine. Oh and they smell and taste so yummy. My lips need a lot of hydration in the winter so along side my 800 little pots of blue blistex you will now find my eos lippies.

Bourjois Paris

Effet 3D MAX

Bourjois's Effet 3D MAX lip gloss is very pretty. I love applying it over my MAC Spirit lipstick when I'm going out at night. I have colour #62 in Rose Gold which is a translucent soft pink with tiny little flecks of gold in it. I like it because it's not sticky. I can't stand it when my lips feel like they are covered in sticky goop. Not only does this lippy smell lovely but the shine is gorgeous and long lasting. A definite must-have if you love a shiny lip.

Rimmel London

Glam Eyes Mascara, Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Pencil and Natural Bronzer

I don't have a lot of Rimmel products but I love these three. Glam Eyes Mascara is by far my favourite mascara. The wand bristles are all plastic and spaced perfectly. My lashes aren't very long but with this mascara they double in length. The 1000 Kisses lip pencil is colour #47 in Cappuccino and it lasts all day long. I am a chronic lippy applier so that fact that I can apply this pencil in the morning and still see it after all of my gazillion balm applications throughout the day is saying something. I love the Natural Bronzer because it isn't powdery and it's completely matte which means no fakey mcfakerson sparkly tanned nonsense. #21 in Sun Light is beautiful. I use it all year long to set my foundation and for a pretty sun kissed glow. 

ZINN Beauty Collection

Argan Oil

I mentioned ZINN's Argan Oil in my 30-Something Skin post back in October. This oil is truly phenomenal. I apply it at night and when I wake up in the morning my skin is completely hydrated and looks so fresh and alive. It's like a little bottle of youth. Not only is Argan Oil good for your skin but it is excellent for your hair as well providing immediate shine, frizz control, colour protection and a plethora of nutrients. Love this stuff!

So, these are the top beauty products that I fell in love with in 2011 (minus my Spirit lipstick which I have used for years). I love each of these products and if I don't use them every single day I use them at least 2-3 times a week.

Do you have any favourites? Tell me about them!

xTx

Full Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own.

Happy 2012!!

I hope that everyone had a fantastic holiday and that you are all welcoming 2012 with open arms! I know I am!

I've been off of the bloggy radar for a little bit due to a whirl wind of events that have occurred in my life over the last couple of months. I haven't had time sit down and blog my heart out. With the new year settling in nicely and my resolution to blog much more, I am back! I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a good year.

Regardless of what it is that I am currently using; because everyone seems to make note of the products that I love, I will be back later this weekend with a blog strictly dedicated to my absolute favourite products of 2011 and possibly a Christmas show and tell.

Until then, I hope that you all have a fantastic weekend!

El mucho love-o from the snowy white Canadian north,

Tawns

P.S. I was nominated for Ninjamatics 2011 Canadian Weblog Awards in two separate categories - The first nomination is for Best New Weblog and Best Written Weblog. So I want to just take a minute to thank all of you for stopping by to read my rants and raves and for all of your kind words. Even though 99% of you don't have a clue how to comment on my blog, that's okay - Your messages via email and off line mean the world to me! I love you all! XO