Mini drugstore haul!

Earlier this week I had to make a stop at my bank, and half an hour later I found myself walking out of the drugstore next door with a bag full of goodies and no recollection.. OOPS. This happens too often..

I actually needed this magazine for class, so this isn't TOO bad..

Love me some baby lips! So soft!

On the left/top is Coral Crush, and the right/bottom is Peach Kiss

I feel like everyone in the beauty community and their mum have raved about these bad boys, so I had to grab another colour! Revlon Lip Butter in 040 Red Velvet - swatched

And the colour on - couldn't resist a selfie ;~)

Kate Moss for Rimmel lipstick in 04; I loooved this colour on the swatch..

..on my lips, not so much, quite scary upon initial application

But I really liked it once I blotted it down quite a lot, so this will definitely be high maintenance for me

And finally, Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara; The brush (R) compared to the original Great Lash mascara (L)

The brush is tiiiiiny, so cute! I liked it a lot for my bottom lashes and my harder to reach inner/outer top lashes, but I couldn't use this on the regular, I'm verrrrry particular about my eyelashes, keep that in mind. I like them very full and natural looking and I feel like this didn't really do that enough for me to repurchase, but I'll definitely use this one, and as always I'll repurchase the original Great Lash mascara - it's the drugstore mascara I swear by!

xLB

2013 || Week 07/08

face mask | foundation lid keeps breaking waa | selfie | steaming spinach

reading in bed | FOTD | OOTD | nails: mint candy apple

stir fry yum yum | new reads | on the subway | love my city!

chipotle, MY FAV yummm | dinner date in with my sister | playing with my dog | video making

weird pose, love my disco pants | dragonfruit, yummy | coincidentally matching w my sisters | fro-yo

sisters in the trunk lol | oops.. bought yet another new lipstick | soup/salad w sisters | my puppy 

gift from my sister, she knows me too well | hamster time | made dessert | cook-off with my sister

chinese food, yum | my puppy hehe | freaks and geeks & soup | selfie

made banana bread | yay, arrived in the post | dreamcatchers | RUTR 1/1!!

Recipe: Vegetarian/Vegan Buffalo Wings

You may or may not know this, but I am hardcore vegetarian - almost to the point of vegan. I'm also very health-concious when it comes to eating and am obsessed with my juicer! That being said I'm really into finding new and exciting recipes that fit in with my lifestyle. Something I've recently been loving is this Buffalo Wing Cauliflower. It never ceases to subsidize my craving for chicken wings - the one thing the "fake meat" industry hasn't quite gotten yet, or at least that I've found.

These are super quick and easy - the only thing that takes time is the cauliflower baking, the prep is super simple. I recommend not tossing them in the sauce until you're ready to eat them as they can get a bit soggy once they've been in long, and personally I like them crispy :~)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head of cauliflower  
• 1 cup of milk (substitute for vegan options)
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of butter (substitute for vegan options)
• 3/4 cup of Frank's red hot sauce 
• blue cheese for dipping

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 450F
2. Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces
3. In a shallow bowl mix together the milk, flower and garlic powder
4. Dip the cauliflower into the batter
5. Place onto a greased baking sheet
6. Spray the tops of the cauliflower with cooking oil - this makes them crispy
7. Bake for ~18 minutes
8. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat
9. Mix in the hot sauce, stir together
10. Once the cauliflower is ready, toss with the sauce
11. Serve with a side of blue cheese dressing

xLB

HELLO // BONJOUR // ALOHA // HOLA // YASOO // HALO // NAMASTE

Just wanted to say HI I'm still alive :)

I haven't posted in nearly a week! I got really caught up in school, then ended up having a family emergency which involved me flying to Texas for the weekend, and Monday was a holiday here so it was a long weekend but YEAH rambling done.

Proper post up in a few hours I think xx

Cheers
xLB

9 Feb - NYFW || AW13 RTW 03

Jill Stuart

I thought this show was so cute; I loved the fabrics used. These were my favourite four outfits and I'd wear them all in a heartbeat as they are shown. I thought the last one really different.

Mara Hoffman

To me, this show was so refreshing! I was starting to get bored of seeing the same trends over and over again so this show completely exhilarated my thoughts. 

Band of Outsiders

I loved the structure of the garments in this show. All very clean-cut, and very classic. I also quite liked the bursts of colour - very subtle, which is right up my alley. Loved the plums and navy's. 

xLB

Ipsy Bag -- February 2013

For me, one of the most thrilling things every month is looking into my mailbox and seeing that gorgeous little pink package! Then of course running back to my room to try out all my new goodies!

This months theme was Red Carpet Ready!

First thing is first - the bag. Ipsy needs to step it's game up with the bags! Although the black patent is super cute and chic, I'm in the midst of the winter blues and need some bright, cheery colours instead of the monochromatic bags we've been receiving. 

The contents of this months bag..

1. Pixi Flawless & Poreless Primer - To be honest, I feel like I'm awful at reviewing primers.. how does one review a primer? Okay, well, it's oil-free and hypoallergenic which I LOVE, great for sensitive skin. It is a coloured primer which I'm not used to at all! I've only ever used clear primers on my face, but it blends very well and I'm excited to keep using it!
2. POP Smoky Lash Kapow Mascara - So far, this to me seems like any mascara. I'm not impressed with it, but I'm not disappointed with it. Not something I'd repurchase, but definitely something I'll continue using, especially for travel. 
3. Lash Card - When I heard this was in the bag I was kind of like um.. really? I just don't see the necessity of this. I get Ipsy is good for trying new products, but after years of makeup application I definitely do not feel the need for lash cards.. probably something I'll wind up giving to my little sister.
4. MicaBeauty Gel Eyeliner - For me, this one was the star of this bag. I've been wanting to try gel liner for the longest time, but as I'm awful with eyeliner (I use powder, sooo much easier) I haven't looked into it much or purchased any, so this was great! It goes on very fluidly and thick which I love and with the right brush you get so much control. Stay tuned on longwear.
5. Coastal Scents Shadow Palette Sample in Glitz & Glamour - When they said sample they weren't kidding.. each of the shadows is roughly the size of a dime. Probably smaller. But when I think about it, I highly doubt I'll end up using them all up anyway. I've heard mixed reviews about Coastal Scents so I'm excited to try it out a little more. Upon first impression, I really liked the colours I got. There is a taupe-y colour that I can't wait to incorporate into my daily makeup routine, and I'll definitely get use of the others for nights out. They are fairly pigmented and really soft and creamy, which I like.

The Lash Cards.. um.. 

Swatches; Gel Liner on the left, Shadows (Clockwise) Gunmetal, Candlelight, Ashen, Incognito

For a grand total of 14.95$ paid (10$+ shipping) and ~50$ in products this one was definitely worth it. I  would say for the gel liner alone I got my money's worth. I'l definitely continue with Ipsy - probably one of my favourite subscriptions! 

Breakdown:

1. Pixi Flawless & Poreless Primer - 15$ for 15mL (Half of full size)
2. POP Smoky Lash Kapow Mascara - 11.10$ for 0.17oz
3. Lash Card - 2.80$ for 4
4. MicaBeauty Gel Eyeliner - We weren't given size specs for this one, but the fullsize retails for 30$ and is 5g.. so super close if not that size.
5. Coastal Scents Shadow Palette Sample - a 1.3g pan retails for 1.99$, so this quad is worth ~3$ or 2g

xLB

#BellLetsTalk

Today, 12 February, Bell Mobility (A Canadian service provider) is holding their third annual Mental Health Awareness day. What's so great about this is that for every tweet (on twitter) hashtagged with "#BellLetsTalk" they donate 5c (which converts to ~3p for you brits) to Mental Health Programs! 

In the past they have raised MILLIONS with the initiative.

As you may or may not know, this is a cause I hold very dear to my heart, so to me this is absolutely incredible. There has been an overwhelming response so far, and halfway through the day we are at 1.5M which is incredible in itself! BUT how about we raise even MORE!?

For the next 10 hours hashtag ANYTHING you tweet on twitter with #BellLetsTalk so we can get the word out and raise awareness for mental health, while also raising money for such an incredible initiative! 

I also did some Q&A with CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) so hopefully you can check that out too! In the meantime check a blog post we did here.

Thank you in advance, and I really hope some of you are able to take some time out of your day to support an issue you, or someone you know, has gone through.

xLB

twitter: @bell_letstalk
my twitter: @lbechkos17
some of my mental health story here

8 Feb - NYFW || AW13 RTW 02

Kate Spade

This collection was definitely all over the place - but in all of the right ways. Bright, colourful, cheeky prints are shown, as well as dark neutrals, and finally some more masculine silhouettes. My favourite outfit was the very last one as it is definitely something I would wear. I also quite liked the third outfit - so fun!

Jason Wu

Wu set out to create his most grown-up collection to date, and I think he's definitely succeeded with that. Still very feminine however, there were some great, straight, masculine cuts. It was all very monochromatic, with only bursts of red. My favourites from the collection were the third and last outfit.

Rebecca Minkoff

Definitely not one of my favourite shows - I just wasn't wowed by it. There was definitely a tomboy vibe to the collection with all of the layering going on. A highlight was definitely the outerwear which I would agree is Minkoff's strong suit. Again we're seeing lots of knits and leather, which I'm quite excited for! My favourite outfits were the first one and then the last three - love the blues! 

What are you thoughts on NYFW so far? Any trends you're loving?

xLB

GLAMGLOW mask

Recently I was sent a sample of the luxurious celebrity cult face mask, GLAMGLOW.

GLAMGLOW was founded in 2010 exclusively for the entertainment and fashion industries. It became a celebrity favourite and only recently has been made available to the public. That being said, it is a very high-end mask and retails for 69$ USD, or you can purchase samples for 11.95$.

It was designed as a 10-minutes facial in a jar for immediate camera-ready skin. The mud base originates from the France Mediterranean Sea, and the moisturizing collagen synthesis is for men and women. Recommended for use a couple of times a week, or just whenever you need "GLAM-tastic skin".

Some of the impressive ingredients in the mask

Upon the initial application the mask went on very dark and muddy, as anticipated. It was very easy to apply and there was no discomfort whatsoever. 

It was fun to watch it slowly dry, as you can see by the dots - my roommate joked that I looked like a cow! hahah.

Overall, I really liked this mask. You could feel the luxury of it and my peers noticed my glowing skin the next day, and I recieved plenty of compliments! As it is a bit pricey as face masks go, I would definitely recommend purchasing the sample first, then the tub for a nice treat for your skin! For me, it was definitely worth the hefty price tag. 

GLAMGLOW retails at Sephora, SpaceNK, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrum, Selfridges and Harrods.

xLB