Words of Inspiration: Beauty is within....

With all the images, stories, photos, ads and news we see daily, it can be hard to shake off all the judgement, gossip and noise.  We unintentionally absorb that negativity whether we like it or not.

I think it's important to think, share, speak, see and write with positivity.  I think it would be a great service we do for our souls if we can make the attempt to find the beauty in the everyday life and perhaps change the negative into positive.

I wanted to share some beautiful and inspiring quotes that I found that made me smile :)

 

  

Hope you enjoyed these!

Always Smile :) - Sand

Product Love: Vasanti Cosmetics Kajal Extreme in Purple Gem

I love colour and I love the amazing trend of Purple for 2014! Especially since this is such a gorgeous and flattering shade on everyone. 

My product love is Vasanti Cosmetic's Kajal Extreme in Purple Gem.  Here are the product features below:

• Waterproof 
• Includes a built-in sharpener as well as a Smudger
• Soft, smooth pencil for easy application
• Fade Proof & Long Wearing

This Pencil can be worn alone as a liner for the top and bottom of your eyes. It can also be smudged out all over on top of the lid.  Here is a pic of a look I did that incorporated this Pencil:

Always Smile :) - Sand

Welcome to 2014 - Resolutions or perhaps something new instead...

Happy New Year! 

I hope everyone had an amazing night witnessing the arrival of the new year.  With that being said, I also want to wish everyone happiness, love and the courage to go after your goals and dreams.

Here is an image that I love that really captures some amazing messages for life:

With the beginning of the New Year, the days and weeks leading up to the big night, everyone seems to discuss two things:

1. "What are your plans for New Year's Eve?"

2. "Have you made any resolutions for the New Year?"

Now for some of us, this can be a very tricky thing. The minute you verbally admit or acknowledge your resolutions, you are then held accountable by the same person that asked you to share them in the first place. For example if you said you are not going to have any sweets, the one time you reach for a chocolate pretzel or an M&M, you hear: "Someone is breaking the resolution!" Talk about pressure.

Resolutions are a great idea if you want to set a start date to something you have been putting off, or like the idea of starting something fresh at the beginning of the new year, since the excitement of January 1st can be breathtaking. 

However, if you do share your resolutions, the added pressure of everyone asking and holding you accountable can be down right frustrating and can actually make your new year start off not so great, which can result in breaking the resolution to soon.

If you are one who loves to have resolutions and are able to keep them, AWESOME! Keep doing it. But if you want to try a different approach for the new year, here are a few ideas that I have found that would be great:

1. Try doing something new

This can be so personal to each individual, whether it's trying a new class, riding a motorcycle, getting a tattoo, going back to school or trying a different cuisine.  Whatever it may be, pick that one thing that you have never done and just go out and do it. Let this not be limited to the start of the year but at any time of the year, even if it's on December 31st.

2. The best part(s) of my day

This can be done in a number of ways.  The old school way is to write in your journal, or writing these things down on pieces of paper and putting them into a jar.  Now there are so many tech apps that are at our fingertips so this one is the easiest to do.  The most popular is Instagram and of course FaceBook. List or photo capture all the amazing things that happened in the day.  At the end of the year, you can take a look back at all the good.

3. Take a look at your hobby and try something new with it

Whether it's cooking, baking, drawing, music or pretty much anything.  Figure out something that you haven't done or tried and promise yourself to do that before the end of the year.

4. Remember to take a memento 

With all the socializing we do, make it a habit to get a memento.  For example if you go out to restaurants a lot, take a business card and write the date and who you went with, if you travel remember to keep your boarding passes. Maybe you are a sports fan, keep the event tickets.  Then at some point you will have a enough and you can do something creative with it, by getting it all framed or start a scrap book. If you do all of the above, keep these items in a shoe box, and then take a look at it at the end of the year.

All of these things will make the new year a lot more positive and something to look forward to each day.  Hope some of these ideas can inspire you to try something new!

Always Smile :)  - Sand

EOTD: Glam & Dramatic - Holiday Look 2

The holidays have been filled with so much family, friends, parties and of course food!  Now that Christmas has passed, everyone is getting excited for New Year's Eve 2013!

Depending on your plans, if you are going to go out for dinner or to dance the night away, here is a fun dramatic and glam eye look.  Perfect for a night out to celebrate the new year to come.

PRODUCTS USED:

1. Prep - Apply Primer all over the eye area and underneath the lower lash line. 

2. Lid - Apply a Medium Grey Blue Shadow all over the lid, packing on the colour well. 

3. Crease - Apply a warm rose gold shade onto the crease, blend well into the blue.

4. Outer Crease - Apply a light soft brown into the corner edge and blend into the crease.

5. Water Line - Apply a bright blue liner which helps eyes pop!

6. Lower Lash line - Using the same bright blue liner, start in the middle underneath the lash line and apply outward and extend. This line underneath should be thick. Take a shimmer shadow in the same shade of blue and layer the colour on top of the created line. 

7. Inner Corner - Use a bright vanilla shimmer shade into the corner tear duct and blend out into the lash line, blending with the blue line, not going past the middle point.

8. Eyeliner - Take a waterproof black pencil liner and create a thin line close to the lower lash line from the inner to the outer corner.

9. Top Lash line - Apply Liquid Liner and wing out right above the blue line.  Apply 2 coats of mascara for extra drama!

10. Brow Bone - Using the same shade applied into the inner crease, apply to the brow bone under the brows.

Pair this look with a nude peach lip colour and top it off with a clear lip gloss for added dimension. 

Whether your dress is black, silver, gold, magenta, purple or any of the colours below, this makeup will look amazing with your dress of choice!

Source: Kdhamptons.com

Always Smile :)  - Sand

NEW for the Holidays: Giorgio Armani Eccentrico Collection & Holiday Gift Sets!

Check out the NEW Holiday Collection by Giorgio Armani that breaks the rules!  The Eccentrico collection is a reflection of bold and bright hues such as Pinks, Orange and Golden Yellows!

There are 3 NEW Lip Maestro shades, plus 3 NEW Nail Lacquer shades and a gorgeous universally flattering palette.

The limited edition shades are as follows:

• Pink Shade - Eccentrico #505 (In Lip and Nails)
• Grapefruit Shade - Dazzling #303 (In Lip and Nails)
• Golden Yellow - Clash #302 (In Lip and Nails)
• The Eccentrico Palette:  4-in-1 multi dimensional Illuminator with a pop of brightness for any cheek
• PLUS a new Eyes to Kill Quad #13 featuring lovely lilac, pink and purple shades.

Be sure to also check out these amazing gift sets, for anyone that is left on your list:

Amazing Giorgio Armani Fragrance sets!

The ever popular Giorgio Armani Lip Set in Nude!

The Classic Iconic Red Lip Set, shade #400, a must for the Holidays.

A perfect Travel Brush Set featuring the best selling brushes :)

Available at Holt Renfrew Sherway! Come visit THIS Friday December 20th, and get 20% of your beauty purchase back onto a promotional gift card valid December 26-31, 2013.

Some great ideas for you right before the Holidays. Happy Holiday Shopping :)

Always Smile :)  - Sand

EOTD: It's Vegas Baby!! :) - Holiday Look 1

When you hear VEGAS, you think of bright lights & good times.  There have been countless TV shows that have filmed episodes in Vegas that have been epic to watch and if you have been there you know how exciting of a place it is.

Vasanti Cosmetics came out with NEW Eyeshadow duo called "VEGAS STRIP" and it totally reminded me of my visit there! Here is a pic of the MGM Grand that reflects the tones of this fun Eyeshadow duo:

Check out the pics, product links and application details below:

1. Lid: Eyeshadow Duo in Vegas Strip - Light shade on 2/3 of lid, Purple shade on corner

3. Waterline/Rim: Kajal Extreme Eye Pencil in Black 
4. Top Lash line:  Cleopatra Liquid Liner in Black

5. Upper & Lower Lash line: Kajal Extreme Eye Pencil in Purple Gem

6. Outer corner: Used the Purple pencil and the purple shadow to blend into crease.

7. Lashes:  Long Lash Mascara in Black

{All products featured are by Vasanti Cosmetics}

This is a great and easy look to do for the holidays, especially for New Years!  Many more Holiday posts to come, stay tuned!

Always Smile :) - Sand

NEW Collection: Eye shadow Duos for bright eyes by Vasanti Cosmetics

Attention all Makeup junkies, especially for any of those who love to wear and discover Canadian products! Vasanti Cosmetics launched a series of NEW Eyeshadow duos with an array of new colour combos.

The eyeshadow collection is Inspired by must-see destinations around the globe, offering beautiful options and colours that will work on every skin tone.  The eye shadows are silky finish and velvety texture, true colour pay off and will stay put!  

I have picked my favourite 3 eye shadow duos below, which I will be using to create easy eye looks for my Holiday Looks in December posts!

Check out the images and shade descriptions below:

ANCIENT PETRA: This colour combo will look great for an everyday look! The pale yellow and the shimmery taupe will make any eye colour and eyes look fresh and bright!

ELLORA CAVES: What a delicious colour combination!  The metallic and shimmery aspects of these shades will make it a great go-to eye shadow option!  This duo will be a favourite for every makeup AND Chocolate lover since it provides a sweet finish to the eyes. 

VEGAS STRIP: The name alone makes this such a fun combination!  Purple is already the colour-du-jour for 2014, and it will be everywhere!  This plum/pink combo will look GORGEOUS on all eyes especially Brown eyes!

Stay tuned for additional posts on these shadows and for my Holiday Looks for December :)

Always Smile :)  - Sand