FOTD: MAC Aztec Brick Eyeshadow (Year of the Snake Collection)

Chinese New Year is just around the corner (it's this Sunday) and in celebration of 2013 being the year of the snake, MAC Cosmetics has released the aptly named Year of the Snake Collection. The snake-inspired collection is defined by a palette of vibrant shades and shimmering finishes; plus, both the powder and lip products are embossed with a gorgeous snake design. Personally, I think the embossed red lipstick in Cockney would make a great Chinese New Year present - aside from all those red envelopes, of course!

I was lucky enough to preview some of the products from this collection and received my very own Aztec Brick Eyeshadow to test out. This shadow is a re-promote from 2010, but this time around it's being offered in a larger format (3 grams versus the usual 1.5 grams) plus the aforementioned snake embossing.

The shadow is a gorgeous frosty copper shade that glides on like butter thanks to its Veluxe Pearl finish. Since I wanted to play up the copper as much as possible, I decided to keep the rest of my face quite neutral while adding some subtle pops of colour. For that, I used a few individual fake lashes interwoven with hints of purple from the new Katy Perry Color Pop Collection by Eylure (I've written about some of her other lashes here).

Here's the FOTD I came up with:

Face:
- MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance (here)
- Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Foundation (here)

Eyes:
- MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Let Me Pop
- MAC Eyeshadows in Aztec Brick, Satin Taupe (here), and Showstopper
- NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Alhambra (here)
- Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Rockstar (here)
- MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascara (here)
- Eylure Katy Perry Color Pop Lashes in Ka-Zaam!

Cheeks:
- Rock & Republic Contrived Pressed Blush in Tease
- NARS The Multiple in Copacabana (here)

Lips:
- Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge Lipstick in PK-3
- MAC Lipglass in Moonstone


HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR  (Kung Hei Fat Choy / Gong Xi Fa Cai)!

Julep Beauty Resolutions

I'm not typically one to make resolutions (and I do realize it's a bit belated to be posting about New Year's resolutions given that it's now February), but the folks at Julep recently challenged me to take part in a few of their beauty resolution campaigns. Beauty-related... now those are the types of resolutions I can get behind!


Strong & Healthy Nails

The first step towards achieving healthy, more beautiful hands and nails this year begins with feeding my nails the nutrition they need. The nail plate cells are made of keratin, a type of protein that gives the nail plate strength, resulting in a strong, flexible nail.

As part of the Julep Nail Growth Revitalizing System, the cutting-edge peptides in Julep Reveal Nail Growth Revitalizing Serum are supposed to stimulate keratin genes and cell proliferation to boost the growth of stronger nails, while Julep Nail Therapy strengthens and nourishes the nails with Vitamin E.

Both products are also super easy to use. You apply Julep Reveal twice a day to the cuticle area and underside of the nail tip (nails can be bare or polished) and you can use the Nail Therapy as either a basecoat or a clear polish.

Unfortunately I haven't been using either product long enough to notice a difference quite yet but I'm hoping with continued use that I will start to see some good results.


Play With The Colour Wheel

For my second Julep Beauty Resolution, I am being challenged to experiment with colour, and in particular, complimentary colours. By definition, two colours are complimentary when, mixed in the proper proportion, they produce a neutral colour (grey, white or black). Complimentary colours also have the ability to make each other appear brighter when placed next to each other.

For this challenge Julep sent me Mischa and Melanie, two complimentary nail polishes, each which takes on a slight variation from their original primary versions. Mischa is described as a "cherry scarlet micro-shimmer" and Melanie is described as a "pastel indigo metallic chrome."

I decided to freehand my own version of the typical French tip mani using these two colours and I think it turned out great. These aren't shades that I would usually gravitate towards but that's what this beauty resolution is all about: playing with colour!

P.S. For those of you who haven't become Julep Mavens yet, you can use the code INTROTWO to get two free polishes with your first box.

Grey Days

First things first, I'd like to say a huge "thank you" to Kate from Petite Adventures for featuring me in this week's Style Profile. Be sure to check out my post here to read my answers to her questions and learn a bit more about me.

Secondly, can I just say how happy I am to be back home? Since moving back from Calgary, I have been busy catching up with my friends and eagerly reimmersing myself into my former Vancouver lifestyle. Of course, no proper "reimmersion" would be complete without some typical grey and dreary weather. Thankfully I have my new Pieces Ellena Snood and ASOS Scallop Front Tab Across Body Bag. I received both as Christmas/New Years gifts from Ladbrokes to celebrate their winter slots games and think they are the perfect pieces to counteract the gloom!

Tee: Wilfred (Aritzia) / Jeans: Paige (similar) / Boots: Steve Madden (similar)
Snood: ASOS (c/o Ladbrokes) (here) / Bag: ASOS (c/o Ladbrokes) (here)
Bangle: Marc by Marc Jacobs (similar)