NOTD: Essie Romper Room

I've been searching for an extremely pale pink nail polish for the past few months. I noticed that pink was lacking in my collection. I wanted something wasn't a neutral. I didn't want to repurchase Essie Fiji for two reasons: just the thought of applying it to my nails stresses me out because it's so streaky and they reformulated it and the new colour is more of a bright pink. I knew about Romper Room since its 2014 release but I overlooked it at the time because I wasn't into pale pink shades. Now I'm glad I bought it because this is the shade I was looking for. Essie describes it as a pale tea rose pink. It's a white-based pink. The formula isn't the best. Application requires a lot of patience and I don't think it's a shade I'll reach for all the time because of that. I find that it needs four coats for complete opacity. The first and second coat were a little streaky. The third coat too away the streakiness but it still left some gaps. The fourth coat evened everything out and made it completely opaque. Fiji always needed four coats as well but it always looked streaky whereas Romper Room looks even. I think it's a beautiful pale pink that makes me think of Spring when I look at my nails. It's a nice chance from my usual neutral shades. This is also a nice shade to wear for Easter. Essie nail polishes typically last 4 days with minimal chipping on my nails.

Sincerely, JoJo. ♥

The Easter Playlist

This is a playlist of my favorite songs related to Easter. I listen to them all year round but they're all centered around the theme of resurrection and salvation. The meaning of Easter is that Jesus is alive. He died and rose again to save us. Life has meaning because of Him. On Easter Sunday we remember that He is risen!


He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ Luke 24:6-7

Happy Easter!

Sincerely, JoJo. ♥

P.S. If you only listen to one song on this playlist I suggest Man of Sorrows because it embodies the entire meaning of Easter.

An Ode to Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder

I love a good face powder. It's hard to find one that's going to keep you matte without making you look cakey. I used the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder for years and I always keep one in my collection because I know it works. The Maybelline Dream Matte Powder used to be my HG face power. I'm still disappointed that it's been discontinued. The Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder has been my go-to powder for the past 2 years. It claims to have an ultra fine and melting texture, 10 hrs matte finish and boosting radiance, and asian fruit therapy. The product contains sharon fruit, which provides hydration and yuzu fruit for anti-shine.

Pros: It does what it says on the tin. It's extremely finely milled. It never looks cakey on the skin. It keeps you matte without looking flat. Essentially, it mattifies the skin but your face still looks glowy. It has a light fruity scent but once it's on your face you don't even smell it, and it doesn't break me out. It's yellow toned so it does a great job at adding brightness and gets rid of any redness. A little goes a long way. It gives your skin a beautiful satin finish.

Cons: Limited shade range. As with most Bourjois products the shade range caters towards light to medium skintones with nothing for the very fair or the very deep skintones. I have the shade 51 Vanille Clair and it's a tad dark for me. The price is high for a drugstore item, but all Bourjois products are on the pricey side in Canadian drugstores. It's a quite delicate powder. If you drop it the powder will crumble to the point where there is no saving it. This is the case with all powders but because this one is so soft it's going to break if it barely hits a hard surface. I wouldn't recommend travelling with it unless you can find a way to protect it.

Overall, it's a great powder. If you can find a shade that works for you I highly recommend giving it a shot. It performs just as well as high end powders. This is my third compact and I use it almost every single day. I haven't found a powder that tops it (although I'm interested in trying the MAC MSF Natural to see how it compares.)

What's your HG face powder?

Sincerely, JoJo. ♥

February Favorites!

February went by rather quickly. I can't believe it's already March. Spring is nowhere in sight around here. It's snowing outside my window as I type this. Now, onto the favorites.

MAC Patina
When I first tried this eyeshadow I was disappointed because it was more pigmented when I swatched it on my hand than on my eyelids. Now, I actually love it to add a wash of color all over the lid with my 217 brush for a simple everyday makeup look. It's a frost finish but it looks natural on the eyes. MAC describes it as a taupe brown with golden pearl. I guess you could say it's a burnt gold. It's cool toned. It's a great shade to have in your collection for days when you want a golden eye look but don't want a bright gold or just don't have time to blend out a bunch of shadows. It makes me want to try more shades like it (Burberry Pale Barley I'm looking at you.)

Covergirl Plumpify Mascara
I have this in the waterproof version. This mascara give my lashes the same effect as Le Volume de Chanel. It's everything that I want in a mascara. My lashes are lengthened, voluminous and not clumpy. Once it sets it's not going anywhere. It's even difficult to take off. The brush is something I've never seen before and I was skeptical about it but somehow it just works. Covergirl is my favorite brand for mascara so I knew I would like it. I didn't think it would reach the same HG level as the Clump Crusher but it did.

Fleur de Force lip gloss in Written in the Stars
Fleur was one of the first people I started watching on Youtube. When she came out with her own makeup range I knew it would be good. Fleur knows her lip gloss. Written in the Stars is a beautiful MLBB shade. It works on no makeup days and full on makeup days. It's not sticky, has a nice sweet scent, and it feels light on the lips. I'm not a fan of lip gloss. The only glosses that I like besides Fleur's are the NYX Butter glosses. I definitely think any of the glosses from her range are worth it.

TV Shows:

Fuller House 
I know that this came out not even a week ago, but I binge watched it in a matter of hours. I've heard mixed reviews about it, but I loved every minute of it. I think that any Full House fan would love this, It has the same family feel to it. All your beloved favorite characters are back (except Michelle). Watching it is like seeing an old friend after being apart for many years. The first episode was so nostalgic and it made me cry. You also make new friends along the way. I love Max! The ending was a bit of a letdown. However, I think it's worth the watch. I would love for it to get a season 2. Update: season 2 has been confirmed.

K-Dramas:

Descendants of the Sun
I know that this only started last week. As I write this post I haven't watched episode 3 yet. I think it deserves a mention because the first episode got me hooked. I'm already too invested in the romance between the main couple. This drama is probably the most hyped up drama that's currently airing. I heard about it since the end of 2015. At the time I didn't think I would be interested in a military and medical drama. It's the romance (and Song Joong Ki) that made me keep watching. The OST is amazing. I can already tell that it's going to end up on my list of favorite dramas.


Music:
Those Magic Changes - Jordan Fisher (I think it was the best part of Grease Live!)
Amore Senza Fine - Giovanni Caccamo ft. Deborah Lurato
Always - Yoon Mi Rae
Dear No One - Tori Kelly (This song is literally my life.)

Sincerely, JoJo. ♥