OOTD: Scene Queen Chic!! Plus Beauty Haul!

Since posting this picture the other day I got quite a few questions regarding the outfit and where i got it so I decided to do an OOTD on it.

I absolutely LOVE this outfit because it is super cute, bright and a little funky. The best part? Every single piece of it was a steal of a deal!! Here's the breakdown..

OOTD: Scene Queen Chic!

Hello Kitty Sweater: Giant Tiger (Little Girl's Section!) for 12$

Distressed Black Skinnies: Urban Planet for 34.99$

Black Halter (Underneath Sweater): Urban Planet for 12$

Neon Leopard Ankle Socks (LOVE them!): 3pk for 12$ Got them from my sis-in-law, not sure where she got them though. Will check and update...

Hot Pink Pumps (3' heel) Size 8- Suzy Shier for 25$

Dolce & Gabbana Sunglasses (knockoffs!)- Bought for 15$ off Kijiji (They have a leopard print on the arm..I <3 Them!! Can you tell I LOVE animal prints!)

Black Bow Barrette (In my hair...Kind of hard to see...) Dollarama for 1$

Black and Silver Necklace: Urban Planet for 6.99$

Silver Beaded Bracelet: Urban Planet for 5$ for pack of five

DID YOU KNOW???

You can now shop online at Urban Planet and Suzy Shier, along with many other stores including Bluenotes, Aldo and La Senza, with your debit/Interac card!! This is awesome because I don't have a credit card, nor do I want one, yet I love shopping online. All you need is money in the bank and an online banking account for your bank (If you don't already have online banking simply ask your bank how to set it up, it usually only takes a few minutes and is so much more convenient). I have already purchased a few things this way and they arrived very quickly and the best part is each of the sites have a "Sale/Clearance" page:) For a full list of online retailers who accept Interac CLICK HERE! And don't worry, there are no fees to shop online with your Interac, unless they are fees by your bank, but I know I didn't pay any.

So, I recently went on a little shopping spree for some new makeup and ended up picking up quite a few things. My camera is among the missing right now so I apologise for not being able to take pics, but I am going to use pictures from the good 'ol Internet so you can still see what I got. I will include prices and stores purchased at when I can.


Beauty Haul:

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation with SPF 20 in shade 005 Natural Beige, 30ml: Shoppers Drug Mart for 13.99$ I am hooked on this foundation! It truly does give you an airbrushed look and covers blemishes very well. I like that you can apply more or less layers to customise the amount of coverage you need.

Lise Watier Mineral Compact Powder in shade Naturel- Shoppers Drug Mart for 34.99$ (Lucky for me I didn't actually pay that, I bought it off someone for 5$ brand new:) This is my new fave powder hands down. It also comes with oil blotting papers right in the compact in a little flip open tab...It sets my foundation perfectly, doesn't cake and is Canadian made!! It is a bit pricey but it is totally worth it!

L'oreal Paris True Match Roller in shade C3 Creamy Natural- Lawtons for 14.99$ (I got it on clearance for 3.99$..STEAL!) I really like this roll on foundation, it offers great coverage but doesn't go on super thick like you would think it would. I feel kind of funny basically rolling foundation on my face like I am painting a wall but the end result is fabulous coverage! (You should have seen hubby's face when he saw me putting it on for the first time, just rolling away haha...)

GOSH Perfect Lift N Shape Mascara in shade Black- 12.99$ Bought of someone also brand new, not sure where it was from.You can buy it off the GOSH site though, but I don't think they sell it in the USA.
Overall its a pretty good mascara, goes on sleek and clump-free. I never use just one mascara though, I always layer on two different kinds. When it comes to lashes I believe in Go BIG or go home:)

 
Rimmel London Extra Super Lash Mascara in shade Black- Shopper's Drug Mart for 9.99$ (Got it on sale for 5.99$) Loving this mascara. It goes on super dark and doesn't clump, plus is allows you to build as many coats as you want for thick and flirt lashes without clumping or sticking together. I have been using it as my everyday mascara (layered with GOSH Lift N Shape) since I bought it.

Wet 'N' Wild Silk Finish Blush in shade 171 Threesome- Dollarama for 2$ (!!!)
I am so psyched that my local dollar store carries Wet N Wild Cosmetics right now for...get this...2$ each!! I went and stocked right up:) They are actually very good quality considering they are so cheap. I have been using them every single day. This blush gives a perfect rosy glow and it is my new everyday blush.

Wet 'N' Wild Bronzzer Powder Compact in Shade 741 Bali Bronze- Dollarama for 2$
Again, you can't go wrong for 2$ bronzer. It works pretty good and doesn't have a lot of shimmer as most bronzers do, which I like because it looks much more natural. I think this shad may be a bit dark for me during the winter months but during the summer will probably be perfect. Luckily, at just 2$ I got one of each shade!

Wet 'N' Wild Ultimate Minerals Loose Powder in shade 270 Fair- Dollarama for 2$
I was pleasantly surprised by how well this powder works. It goes on very smooth, provides great coverage and sets my foundation very well. I grabbed it when i ran out of my old powder (before i got my new one) and actually really like it. I still can't believe I got it at the dollar store!!

"Neon Orange" above left and "Sunshine Disco" arrow on right.

Cherimoya Vernis Classique Nail Polish in shades 'Neon Orange' and 'Sunshine Disco' Lawtons for 6.99$ each I am hooked on these polishes. For one they are neon (They yellow polishes is the exact shade of a yellow highlighter) and I LOVE neon anything. They go on very smooth and the color is very intense and pigmented. I absolutely love the look, they are almost jelly looking when dry and have a high shine, plus they one require one or two coats for full, even coverage. They are featured in my Neon Leopard Tutorial above...


If you are into beauty then you should definitely check out TAAZ. It is a beauty website with an amazing makeover tool that allows you to try on hundreds of different makeup looks and hairstyles. Unlike some makeover tools this one is actually super realistic looking. It is definitely addictive. The site also features your own profile page and allows you to give and get beauty and fashion advice, share deals, post how-to's, share images and videos, earn badges for your participation and Follow people whose style you like! It is one of the best beauty communities I have tried thus far and I love it. Be sure to check it out. You will have hours of fun (Or at least I did!) trying on hundreds of crazy hairstyles! Great tool if you are thinking of trying  a new look but not sure how it will look. You can even try on celebrity looks like Rihanna's infamous red hair or Katy Perry's blue locks she sported while in Paris recently. Check out one of my makeovers below!

That's all folks!!Parting question: Which hairstyle or look have you have always wanted to try but don't have the balls to go through with?? I have always loved Rihanna's short hairstyle but don't have the jam to cut my hair that short...Although I used to have super short hair in middle school (Seriously, like less than two inches) but that was my mothers genius idea. To be fair it didn't look that bad but I don't think I would ever do it again...

Paper Bag Rudolph Puppet

Okay, I know I am a little bit late on this one but it was so adorable I couldn't pass it up.

Plus, I had promised my kids we would do a Christmas craft and they bugged me every single day so I couldn't say no. I don't really consider the holidays done until after New Years Eve anyways. That is when the tree comes down, officially marking the end of the holidays, so we are still allowed to do holiday projects until then.

Don't worry, I confiscated those scissors he is swinging.

While perusing the web for Holiday crafts that were easy enough for my kids to do and also did not require a lot of costly supplies, I stumbled upon this adorable little project. It is super easy for even very young children to do. My two year old had a blast making it although I did have to assist her with the cutting parts. My five year old did the whole thing no problem without assistance. If you have younger kids I would pre-cut everything beforehand so that they can do the whole project themselves.

Supplies:

-Brown paper bags (the kind used for lunches)
-Construction paper of various colors. (We used yellow for antlers and white for the eyes).
-Pompoms (Red if you are making Rudolph, black or brown for other reindeers)
-Scissors
-Glue sticks
-Markers (Pencil crayons or crayons would also work)
Optional:
-Small bells
-Ribbon
-Any other embellishments you wish to decorate them with.

HOW TO MAKE:

Step 1: Trace you child's hands onto construction paper (whatever color you wish the antlers to be)and cut them out.

Step 2: Glue the cut out hands on each side of the backside of the paper bag, to look like antlers.

Step 3: Cut out two circles from white construction paper and glue onto the front of the paper bag (On the piece that would be the bottom of the bag if it were opened) for eyes. Then create irises by either cutting out smaller circles from black construction paper and gluing them on the middle of the white circles. You could also just draw them on with a black marker.

Step 4: Glue a red pompom onto the paper bag underneith the eyes for Rudolph's nose.

Step 5: Now you can add further embellishments if you wish such as a ribbon color with bells on it. For the younger children simply allow them to decorate their Rudolph puppet with markers or crayon. The possibilities are endless!!

Step 6: Now for the fun part!! Open up your Rudolph bag puppet and put your hand inside.The kids will have a blast making their Rudolph puppets "talk" and putting on a puppet show. If you are feeling particularly inspired you can create a puppet for all of Santa's reindeer!! Maybe even a Santa puppet!!

Coder was super proud of his Rudolph!! I made one to and it was actually pretty fun. The kids love arts and crafts so this was a hit with them. Here is what the finished product looked like.

Nelly's (left), Mommy (middle), & Coder (right)

Do your children enjoy doing crafts? What types of crafts do they enjoy the most?

This post is linked up at the Today's Creative Blog Tuesday Crafty Linky Party. I encourage you to link up your projects as well:)

Simple Pinecone Door Decor

With Christmas just mere days away I couldn't help but notice that my house was lacking as far as decorations go. 

Sure I had lights up and the tree but that is pretty much it. I was feeling pretty festive and was brainstorming easy ways to add some finishing touches to the house. As I pawed through my ornament box (courtesy of my mother-in-law) I came across some adorable faux acorn ornaments. I knew I wanted to use them for something but I wasn't quite sure what. Then I remembered a cute idea I had seen a while back. Don't ask me where I saw it because I honestly have no sweet clue. The pine cone craft I had seen had them hanging at different lengths with the ends gathered and tied in a knot, so it was a bunch of pine cones hanging from ribbon. I decided to try my own variation of the craft and instead hang them one at a time at different lengths. I apologize for the crappy photo quality. I have once again had to resort to using my sons Vtech kids camera until I can pick up some better batteries. This camera really doesn't do it justice. It looks so much beter and more vibrant in real life. The ribbon is a bright red and the tops of the cones have green leaves and red bows, but you can't really tell from the pictures. It is an easy way to add some sparkle to your door and is a welcome change from the standard green wreath. For more inspiration I managed to find a how-to for the exact same craft as the one that inspired me. You can check that out HERE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

All you need for this insanely simple project is:

• four pine cones  (Or as many as you wish.You can also use either real or fake pine cones, you can pick fake ones up at your local dollar or craft store for a couple bucks).
• Ribbon (Again the color and width are up to you).
• Scissors
• Thumbtack or tape (Whichever you prefer to hang the ribbons. I used tape myself cuz the tacks were to hard to push into the top of the door).

Step 1) Cut a strand of ribbon for each ornament. Leave a couple extra inches past how long you want it to be so you can hang it over the door.



Step 2) Tie one end of each strand of ribbon to the top of each pine cone. (This was easy for me because these cones already had loops at the top of them but you could also glue the ribbon in place with a glue gun).

Step 3) Arrange them over the top of the door so that they hang down the front of the door. Play around with the spacing and different lengths until you are satisfied then either pin or tape them in place on the back of the door at the top.

**If you are feeling particularly ambitious there are many other variations to this craft and ways to further embellish it. You can dip the pine cones in glitter, spray paint them, add flowers, beaded strands, lace. The possibilities are endless. Feel free to put your own creative spin on it. This craft is going to be added to my Christmas lineup for the coming years but I am definitely going to gussy it up even further next time with glitter and some different color ribbons. This would also be adorable as a fall/autumn craft or you could change up the ribbons to fit almost any holiday (Pale yellow, blue and pink with white glitter cones for Easter, green ribbons with green glitter cones for Saint.Patty's, orange and black for Halloween, etc). Please share your own twists that you added!!


Enjoy your new simple and frugal decoration!!