Joe Fresh Style Powder Blue

I decided to test out some more of the new Joe Fresh Style nail polish that I was excitedly blogging about last week (here). This time I picked up the light blue shade, which is aptly named Powder Blue.

The application on this one was a little different from "Butter" (the shade I used last time). It was super streaky and I needed to really lay on thick coats to achieve a more even look. So annoying! On the plus side, it does seem like the brush quality in these polishes is consistent. There was hardly any spillover onto the skin around my nails.

However, although I was initially looking forward to trying this polish, once it was on I was a little less impressed. For some reason it was darker and not as "cute" as I was hoping. I did try and "jazz" it up a bit with some 3D nail art from Haute Nails but to be honest, it was still underwhelming! Maybe I am just not a baby blue person because I do think this shade could definitely work for other people.

Dine Out Vancouver 2010: Stonegrill

Tanktop: Wilfred (Aritzia) / Wrap: Delphine (Aritzia) / Leggings: Forever 21 Belt: Wilfred / Boots: Aldo

I finished exams and papers yesterday and I can now say I'm 2/3 of the way through law school... only one more year to go! Since I've been in "academic hibernation" for the past month, I was really excited to actually go out and be among people (haha). My bf planned a date night for us and showed up with a nice surprise:

It was very convenient that yesterday also marked the beginning of Dine Out Vancouver, an event where various Vancouver restaurants offer 3-course set menus in the sum of $18, $28, or $38. It's a great way to try out fancy/expensive restaurants for a reasonable price. My bf picked Stonegrill, which has been on our list (of restaurants we want to go to) for ages.

At Stonegrill, your food (usually meat although they do offer a veggie option) comes raw on a 400°C volcanic stone. As you eat, you slice off pieces of meat and cook them individually. That way you can cook it just the way you like it. No fats or oils are used and the "dry cooking" method results in a natural food flavour without burning. For my dinner, I selected the caesar salad, New York steak, and New York cheesecake for dessert ($38 Dine Out Menu).

The steak was soooooooooooooooo good. So tender and flavourful. The cheesecake was also delicious, as it was drizzled with white and dark chocolate sauce. My bf and I both agreed that this was the best Dine Out we've been to thus far (food-wise). Plus, the ambiance is really nice. The restaurant is in a great location with a view of the water. I would definitely go back!

Address: 1661 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC
Website: http://www.stonegrillvancouver.com

Green Beaver Après-Ski Winter Lip Balm

My lips have been incredibly chapped due to the weird weather we've been having recently, so when PR sent over Green Beaver Company's Après-Ski Winter Lip Balm, I couldn't wait to try it out! I am, after all, a huge lip product junkie.

Green Beaver is a Canadian company whose products can be found at natural health stores all across the country. They offer a wide selection of natural and eco-friendly personal care products from facial cleansers, shampoos, and lip glosses to more unconventional items like toothpaste. And everything is certified organic! (As a side note: I'm going to be reviewing their facial cleanser and makeup remover over the next few weeks so be on the look out for those posts).

The Après-Ski Winter Lip Balm comes in a portable tube with a slanted applicator tip. From what I understand, the Après-Ski line is formulated specifically to target the harsh conditions of Canadian winters, but I think you can use this lip balm no matter what the season. I love that it applies clear but with just the right amount of glossiness. And it's not sticky at all! Plus, the product is naturally flavoured; and is light and pleasant. This is perfect for days when you don't feel like wearing lipstick or lipgloss but still want a more polished look.

I'm definitely going to throw this into my "go-to" pile of products. Other lip balms I love include Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm (who can resist the peppermint?) and Smith's Rosebud Salve (which also acts as cuticle cream on the go!).

Joe Fresh Style Nail Polish

(L-R: Butter, Powder Blue, Petal, Faded Violet)

As many Canadian fashionistas already know, Joe Fresh Style is one of the most affordable local brands out there. The line, which was started by Joe Mimran of Club Monaco fame, provides stylish clothing and accessories at very reasonable prices. I've been a huge fan of Joe Fresh Style since the beginning and now, they've introduced a line of nail polish! I swear, this is seriously not helping my addiction!

I'm assuming these can be found at any Loblaws or Superstore where the Joe Fresh line is sold for only $4 a bottle or 3 for $10. Many thanks to my friend Sara for picking up these bottles for me while I was locked away studying for exams! You'll probably notice that I only chose pastel colours but there are actually 18 shades in the core line + whatever seasonal shades they come out with. Wide variety too, from metallics to sheers and everything in between!

Anyway, since my blog has quickly become overrun by nail polish posts (painting my nails is the quickest distraction when I'm supposed to be focused on school), I figured I'd review my first try of the Joe Fresh Style Nail Polish, a lemon-y yellow shade called Butter. Can I just say that this is one of the most unique shades currently available? Most of the other yellows I've seen have been much brighter and nowhere near the muted level of Butter. Love it!!

There are also some interesting things to note about the application process. In order to reach opacity I did three relatively thick coats. The polish got a little bubbly but that was easily smoothed over by my Seche Vite top coat. The best part about the polish (aside from the colour) was suprisingly the brush! I'm a huge fan of OPI's wide brushes but the Joe Fresh brush was also really easy to use (and I can't pinpoint the exact reason why). I had absolutely no problems with nail polish getting on the skin around my nails or even my cuticles. There was literally no cleanup! Miracle or what? I have no idea... I'll have to try out the other polishes to see if this holds true for the entire line or if I was just having a good nail polish day.

I Hate Having to Study on a Nice Day

Tunic: Wilfred / Leggings: Lululemon 

Boots: Urban Planet / Jacket: Mackage

April Wishlist

Clearly I've already got summer on my mind...

1. Swedish Hasbeens Peeptoe Super High
2. Betsey Johnson Lace Print Bikini
3. Jeffrey Campbell Cayman Sandals

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter™ Body Butter

Soap & Glory is an affordable line of beauty, bath, and body products that come in the most adorable, kitschy, retro, pink packaging. I'd been ogling the products for ages and finally decided to try the body butter, since it's apparently one of the items the brand is most known for. It was only $14.99 from Shopper's Drug Mart for a big tub!

According to the website, this body butter smells "like bergamot, strawberries and mandarin, with floral and fruity mid notes and musk, amber and warm vanilla notes on the bottom." According to me, it smells just plain yummy! In fact, my bf also commented on how good it smells so that's another positive indicator (even boys like it!). You can also skip spritzing on perfume because the scent is strong enough that it lingers but not so strong that it's overpowering.

I've been slathering this on every morning after showering since the instructions say you're supposed to apply it after a shower/bath when your skin is still damp. It seems to work pretty well -- I've noticed my skin is a lot less dry. Plus I love the texture of this stuff. It's thick as opposed to "watery", which is how I like my moisturizers. Now I can't wait to try out some of S&G's other products!

OPI Alice In Wonderland: Absolutely Alice

You can tell I have final exams/papers in a few weeks because I have been spending more time painting my nails than focusing on school. How convenient that I decided to start a blog to provide myself with endless distractions...

Anyway, back to the OPI Alice in Wonderland Collection, as I had planned (see my first review here)! This time I decided to try one of the glitters, Absolutely Alice. AA features a clear base with blue and silver glitter that once on, make your nails sparkle like crazy. It's quite distracting, actually! Unfortunately I wasn't able to get an accurate photo of my nails even though I tried different kinds of lighting and camera settings. I guess it's just one of those polishes you have to see in person.

As with all glitters, you need quite a few coats to reach opacity. Other nail bloggers have said 3 coats worked for them but I needed more (like 4-5 coats). I think this is because I started painting on the coats really thin so hardly any glitter came out. Once I figured out that I needed to paint thicker, the application process became much faster! The final result is quite grainy so going over with a top coat is necessary to smoothen it out (I used Seche Vite).

OPI Jade Is The New Black

Okay, so I know I'm supposedly in the middle of a 4-part review series of the OPI Alice in Wonderland Collection but I decided there's no harm in breaking up the reviews (and because I just couldn't help myself!). I've been dying to try Jade is the New Black from the new OPI Hong Kong collection since it's been getting rave reviews. The collection itself has a good mix of colours, from golds to reds and even a blue.

It's such a unique shade of green and really is reminiscent of jade! Unfortunately I found application rather annoying. I think it has something to do with the formula... thick but somehow streaky and almost watery at the same time? Weird. I only used two coats because I felt that adding another would make it way too thick. It came out opaque enough and the "flaws" aren't really noticeable except to my own eyes. I think I'll overlook how much I hated the application process since the colour is so gorgeous. I also got lots of compliments, which is always a bonus!