Vacation Must-Haves

Hey Guys!

We just got back from Cuba yesterday and had a fabulous time! Sometimes packing can be a little stressful for people "What will I need?" "Will I like this on once I get there?" "Have I packed enough?" the list of questions goes on and on. These are three things I ask myself while packing clothes... 

1. Have I worn this in the last two months?   

Because if you haven't, it's likely that you wont wear it on vacation.

2. Is it comfortable? 

To me, comfort is extremely important. Especially on vacation, the worst is bringing a bunch of items that you actually find more trouble then they're worth. Usually comfort has a lot to do with fit. If something fits  well its usually very comfortable if it's too big here or too small there you may fidget with it, which is never comfortable.

3. How many ways can I wear this?

It's important to pack items that can be worn all together. I like to pack things that I know I can wear a couple times in different ways. Creating a new look each time. 

Now for some of my must-have travel items... 

Tide Travel Sink Packets 

As I mentioned earlier, I like to make sure I'm able to wear one item with a few different outfits. Now you may not have to wash the item after wearing it depending, but just incase of a spill or excessive sweating its nice to have to option to do a quick hand wash if need be. I swear by these little guys, you just fill up the sink or bath with warm water and do a quick hand wash of a couple items, rinse and hang to dry. 

Tide to-go Stick

Tide to-go sticks are a life saver! I always have one in my purse even when I'm not traveling. But they are especially essential when traveling. During a long day of eating meals on the go a little stain or spill is somewhat bound to happen. I absolutely hate walking around with a stain on my clothes so it's great having one of these on hand for a quick fix!

Beautifying Oil

I'm a moisturizing freak. Especially when I'm vacationing some where sunny. After a long day in the sun all I want to do is shower and drench myself in oil or moisture from head to toe. This Beautifying Oil from the Body Shop is SO convient and amazing. It can be used on your hair, body and face eliminating the need to pack three separate items! It comes in many different classic Body Shop scents. With a very affordable price point of $14 CAN for one bottle!

Jewellery Bag

I love to accessorize so cutting back on the jewellery I pack isn't really an option. But what is an option is packing it in a way that saves a ton of space and is super convient to sift through once you unpack. I have an amazing one from Stella and Dot that I received as a hostess gift for having a party. They sell a ton of great options, I love the Multicoloured Striped Jewellery Roll...

Manicure Set

If you are like me, before I go away I usually get a manicure and pedicure to ensure long lasting groomed nails. But the worst thing is getting a hang nail, breaking a nail, chipping a nail and having nothing to fix it with! So I always bring a little travel manicure set as well as a back of polish (either the colour that your nails are painted or one close to it, to fill chips or repaint if needed). Ton's of options for sets, check out some Sephora offers here.

Now, when it comes to makeup - some may be shocked by this - but I pack extremely light and only bring a few key items. This list only pertains to tropical trips/some where warm and relaxing. Where I know wearing a lot of makeup is just not what I want to do. Now if this was a trip to NYC or Boston, completely different story! I'd probably pack my whole kit ;) 

These are the items I pack, click on each to see some of my favourites! 

Tinted Moisturizer

Bronzer

Bronzy brown cream eye shadow (or a colour that suits you well)  

Blush 

Blush/Bronzer Brush 

Eye brow powder/brush to apply it 

Cream Highlighter 

Mascara/Liquid Liner 

...That's it! 

Hope this helped you guys out and maybe gave you some ideas on what to pack for your next vacay! Happy long weekend my lovlies :) Thanks for reading! 

Lash Extensions!

Hey Guys! 

So as you all know from my last post, I'm off to Cuba tomorrow and thought I'd get some lash extensions for my trip! For those of you reading from London Ontario, I got them done at The Lash Queen of London. The owner and founder Deneen, does a fantastic job.

She used to work at Hollywood Tan for those who might be familiar! I have posted about Hollywood Tan (owned by the talented Dina Mansour) in the past, I get all my airbrush spray tanning done there. Best airbrush spray in the city, hands down! 

Deneen has moved on and continued to grow as a female entrepreneur, starting her on business! She is located in the Byron area with a super cute little studio, also carrying jewellery and skin care. She is a perfectionist (which I appreciate being one myself!), as well as extremely experienced and certified for the job! Check out these amazing before and after photo's from my appointment today! 

Out of the Office...

Hey Guys! 

As you all know I love to blog but I'm also a free lance makeup artist! Prom and wedding season has begun and I have been letting my blogging slow down. I promise when I have a free minute I will post reviews, step by steps and all the things you love! With my blog you will notice there will be tons of posts during my slower season and not as much when things get crazy. I apologize for that but a girls gotta make a living :P! 

I also wanted to let you guys know that I will be away on a vacation with my husband May 10-17 and will be replying to emails when I return on the 18/19/20 (no later then the 20th will your email be responded to!). This will be applying to my email address as well as any contact inquires submitted on here. I hope you all are enjoying this beautiful weather we are having and I look forward to returning and getting back into the swing of things! 

Lot's of product 411's, step by step looks and all things pretty coming your way upon my return! Thank you all again for your continued loyalty and support on my blog and for my business! Muah! oXo 

PS

I'm always instagraming so need a quick fix come follow me there @makeupbybrit! I plan on gramming while I'm away if I can find wifi ;) 

Lip Liner: How to wear it

Hey Guys! This post is to help you out with using lip liner and making it more wareable for your everyday looks!

Lip liner has had it’s fair share of hits and misses over the last couple decades. Just like fashion, makeup has trends that come in and out of style. A dark bold liner with a pale lipstick is definitely a trend we have seen come and go... personally, very glad to see it go! Today I’m going to talk about my current uses for lip liner and ways to wear it that are modern and current.

First up...

Choose a lip liner in the same colour as your lipstick and apply it all over the lip. This will be beneficial in multiple ways. One, it will prevent bleeding onto the skin around the lips and two, it will help create a super long wearing colour.  This is especially helpful with bright bold colours. Here is an example of matching lip liners to lipsticks (they don’t have to be dead on and they don’t have to be the same brand or shade!).

 

Secondly...

Lip liner is a great way to neutralize the lip. Creating a colourless base to add colour to. Reasons for doing this would be if you have a naturally red lip and wish to create a pale nude lip. Sometimes, when you apply a nude lipstick onto an already naturally red lip you get a muddy or “off” colour. To avoid this, take a lip colour that is a shade or two lighter than the lips and fill in the lips with it, then go ahead and apply the light nude lipstick over top.

 

Finished result, the perfect nude pout...

Lastly, use liner to subtly enhance the lips to make them appear slightly larger. To keep this look modern and chic you want to avoid over lining. Use a lip liner that matches your lip colour and line on top of or just outside of the natural lip line. This will make the lips appear larger but not unnaturally larger. Either fill in the lip with the liner or pop on a lipstick of your choice.

Lip liner is a small detail in your look that can really add that polished “professionally applied” looking finish. Lips are that much more precise and defined whether it be a nude lip or a bold lip. Hope that helped you guys out!

Spring Giveaway Winner!

Hey Guys! 

I truly wish I could give you ALL something! But of course, I just can't :( I will continue to do giveaways more frequently so please, keep trying if you didn't win this one! Once again I used random.org to generate a winner for this giveaway to ensure it was fair and square! 

The winner of the Spring Giveaway is Yoda Olinyk! Congrats Yoda! If you can send me your mailing address I will send it out to you within 5-10 business days. Contact me on here or via any other social media outlet! 

Again, please don't get disheartened if you didn't win this one - many more to come so stay tuned! 

Have a great weekend! 

oXo