June Lifestlye Favorites

I meant to post this 2 weeks ago but I painted my room and got a new bed. Long story short, I wasn't living in my room for 3 weeks. Now this has turned into things I've been loving in June, which will include some things from July as well. Now, onto the favorites.

Books:
Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
I really enjoyed this book. If you're a fan of John Green you will love this book. I would describe this book as The Fault in Our Stars meets Looking for Alaska. It's about teens that have a fictional form of tuberculosis and are sent to this sanatorium to get better. Lane is an overachiever who has planned his whole life, and this was not part of his plan. Sadie is living in the moment. She and her friends know how to get around the rules of Latham House and Lane is fascinated by them. He befriends them. Lane and Sadie embark on an adorable love story. I won't say more because I don't want to give anything away. This book will make your emotions go on a roller coaster. You'll laugh, cry, be angry, sad, and hopeful. All I'm saying is you have to read it. I recommend that you check out the book trailer here because that is what convinced me to go out and buy it.

Movies:
In the month of June I watched the highly anticipated Pitch Perfect 2 and Inside Out. I loved both of them and I would definitely recommend them. I also watched A Gift of Miracles, which was a very nice Hallmark movie.

TV:
For the past month I've been loving My Kitchen Rules. The new season premiered a little over a month ago here. If you live in Canada and have the channel Gusto you will most likely know about this. If you live in Australia you know this show. It's a cooking competition where they're looking for Australia's best home cooks. It's probably my favorite reality TV show. From watching this show I've learned a lot about the geography of Australia and Australian cuisine. I blame this show for the fact that I desperately want to visit Australia.
The next show I have to mention is Suits. I never miss an episode. This season doesn't disappoint. I really feel for Harvey at the moment. I'm not liking Louis this season. Donna will always be my favorite.
I also have to give a shout out to Teen Wolf because it feels like I've been waiting for season 5 for a long time. There has been so much Stydia buildup in the promos of this season and I'm going to be livid if they don't deliver.

Music:

Glorious - BJ Putnam 

I Was Made For Loving You - Tori Kelly ft. Ed Sheeran 

Verge - Owl City ft. Aloe Blacc

Here Now (Madness) - Hillsong United 

Tell Your Heart to Beat Again - Danny Gokey 

Where It All Begins - Hunter Hayes ft. Lady Antebellum 

Food:

I have to mention this Creamy Greek Yogurt Alfredo Sauce. I love it because it tastes just like a traditional Alfredo sauce but it contains no heavy cream. It's a lighter version of a well-loved classic. 

If you have any book, movie and/or tv show recommendations please let me know. 

Sincerely, JoJo.♥

June Beauty Favorites!

June. What can I say about June?  Well, this month has introduced me to two products that were rarely present in my daily makeup routine: bronzer and highlighter.

Colourpop Highlighter in Smoke N Whistles 
I never really has the need for highlighter because I always wore shimmery blushes. Over the past 6 months I've been getting into wearing matte blushes and sometimes I feel like my cheeks are missing some glow, which is where highlighter would come in. I was never a fan of highlighter until I tried Colourpop. This is a product unlike anything I've ever tried. The texture is kind of like a mousse and it's very easy to apply. Smoke N Whistles is a cool-toned pinky champagne with silver shimmer. My favorite way to apply it is to tap my beautyblender into it and tap it onto the high points of my cheeks and it gives me the most beautiful glow. It looks so flattering. A little goes a very long way. It lasts all day, even on hot summer days (which are rare around here atm). I highly recommend these highlighters. Now I honestly want to buy every single shade.

Tarte Park Avene Princess Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer 
I've had a difficult time finding the perfect bronzer because I'm fair and a lot of bronzers tend to look muddy or orange on me. Not this one. I would described this shade as a neutral brown color because it's not too warm but not completey cool either. It's good for bronzing and subtle contouring for pale skin. It never looks muddy and I never have to worry about going overboard because it's not too dark. It also lasts all day on my skin.

Colourpop Lippie Stix in Brink
Yes, another Colourpop product. I placed my first Colourpop order this month and I've been loving their products. All the hype surrounding this brand is true. The only thing I don't like is that shipping to Canada can get expensive. Anyways, Brink is a  greatMLBB shade for me. It's more brown than Mac Brave. I would call this a brick colour. At first I thought it would be too warm-toned for me but it actually looks nice on me. It's matte. It's supposed to be the ideal Kylie Jenner lip. I don't think it is, but it's still a beautiful colour. The staying power of this lipstick is amazing. It lasts through eating and drinking. I'm amazed that even though it transfers it manages to still stay on your lips for a really long time. I'm impressed with these lipsticks.

MAC Faux
This lipstick is described as a muted mauve pink. On my lips it looks like a mauvy nude. It's a satin finish. When I first got it this past winter I thought it washed me out and I hated it. Now that the weather is warmer and my face has gotten some sun it actually looks nice on me. I think that this is a summer nude for me. I've been reaching for this a lot this month. People say that it's similar to Brave but Faux is better is you have cool undertones. I have cool undertones and I personally think that Brave suits me all the time. It works for any season or occasion. Faux is much cooler toned and only looks good on me when I'm a little tanned. At the moment I love both Faux and Brave, but if I had to pick just one I'd go with Brave because it's the perfect MLBB shade. I would say try both even if you're fair with cool undertones.

What's your favorite neutral lipstick?

Sincerely, JoJo. ♥

May Favorites!

The month of May has been a busy one for me. I'm actually surprised that I have beauty products to talk about because I wore the exactly same makeup for half of the month and rekindled my love for a beloved MAC lipstick. For the other half I discovered some new products.

L'Oreal La Palette Nude 1
Living in Canada I didn't think I would find this palette at my local drugstore because new launches can take a little longer to get here. I'm glad I found this palette because it looks similar to high end palettes. I seriously think the texture of the eyeshadows and their performance is very similar to Urban Decay. There can be some fallout but once you tap your brush it's all good. The lasting power of these shadows is decent with a primer. It is pricy for drugstore but it's a fraction of the cost of a high end eyeshadow palette. I'm pleased with this palette.

Milani Powder Blush in Romantic Rose
I bought this blush purely based on the fact that it's in the shape of a rose. The colour is a neutral, subtle dusty rose shade. It's more pink than Tarte Exposed. It lasts all day on my skin. I find it to be a little powdery though. I like that it's matte but I think you need to wear a highlighter with this blush because it can give your cheeks a flat look. It's a good choice if you love neutral pink shades.

Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue
I've been stalking both of the Sephora stores near me for the past few months waiting for this product to arrive. Last week, I finally saw it in store and snatched it up. It gives a light coverage than can be built up to medium without looking cakey. It's a good base when you don't want to wear much makeup but want to even out your skin-tone. It has spf 30 which makes it great for summer. When I wear think my skin looks healthy and glowy. When set with powder it doesn't make me look oily. I got the shade Opal which seems to match me perfectly. It's really hard to find a good tinted moisturizer. I may have found a winner for me but we'll see how it performs for the rest of summer.

MAC Syrup
During my internship this month I wanted to wear the most natural makeup possible and I found myself reaching for Syrup most of the time. (When I wasn't wearing Syrup I was wearing Brave). What I love about this lipstick is that it's the perfect MLBB shade for me. It's a beautiful mauvy pink. It's like my lip colour but 10x better. It gives my lips some colour and shine without being bold. It's subtle but it pulls any look together. This is actually my second tube of this, which proves how much I love it. I still recommend it to everyone.

Lifestyle Favorites 

TV Shows:
Brooklyn Nine Nine (Full Boyle for Jake and Amy. That is all.)
Girl Meets World (It's such a feel-good show.)

Books:
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West (It's a good light read.)

Sincerely, JoJo.♥

NOTD: Essie Topless & Barefoot

I've been MIA for the past month. That is because I was on an internship. It was a great experience and I'm glad I had this opportunity. I didn't have time to plan blog posts. Now that I have time to blog again I thought it would be a good idea to jump in with a NOTD because my love of nail polish is what prompted me to start my blog. 

Essie's Topless & Barefoot is describe's as 'a barely there soft beige pink.' It appears more nude in person. The flash of my camera picked up the pink undertones. This is one of the nudest nail polish shades that I own. I wore it during the first week of my internship and it went unnoticed. It made my nails look polished and put together, which is the look I was going for. This is the most appropriate work shade or for a professional setting. 

The formula is pretty good. You can get away with two coats. I added a third coat just to make sure it was completely opaque. If you're looking for a great nude or love nude polishes in general this is a perfect addition to any nail polish collection. This shade used to be limited edition but it was recently added to the permanent range. 

Sincerely, JoJo.♥

April Favorites!

April has been the month of lipstick for me. I've been switching up my daily lipstick to more spring-like shades and I've discovered many new shades. These are the three that stood out to me the most. 

Maybelline Color Whisper in Lust for Blush 

I've heard about this lipstick range when it first was released but I never got around to trying them. This particular shade was always one that I was meaning to pick up but it was always sold out so I forgot about it for awhile. This month I remembered to try them and got the shade Lust for Blush. It's a pale slightly cool toned pink, but because it's sheer it looks very natural on the lips and you don't need a mirror to apply it. After I bought it I read that it's a dupe for MAC Creme Cup and finding a MAC dupe is always a plus. This lipstick is basically a tinted lip balm because it's moisturizing and comfortable to wear with a hint of color. 

MAC Peach Blossom 

This lipstick has been on my wishlist for quite some time (blame ViviannaDoesMakeup). It's a peachy pink, more pink than peach, kind of a nude shade. It's a cremesheen which is not my preferred kind of MAC lipstick but this one feels different than cremesheens I've had in the past. It's quite sheer so it looks really natural. There is some shimmer in it but it goes unnoticed on the lips. The lasting power is about 3 hours but it's so pretty that I don't mind reapplying it. If you love MAC Patisserie you'll also love Peach Blossom. 

Clinique Pop Lip Colour + Primer in Plum Pop 

For this lipstick purchase I blame lilypebbles  for wearing it in a blog photo and ViviannaDoesMakeup for saying it's similar to MAC Syrup (my all-time favorite lipstick). This lipstick is quite opaque. You can get away with only one swipe or two. I've compared it to MAC Syrup and it's more rosy and brighter. It's the perfect lipstick for people who want to try bolder lip but are afraid. I'd say it lasts about 4 hours till you need to reapply. It's a beautiful lipstick. 

Clinique Plum Pop, Maybelline Color Whisper in Lust for Blush, MAC Peach Blossom