"These boots were made for walkin'...."

Yes, yes they were!!!

Why I love these boots:

~ COMFORTABLE (I can totally see myself dragging around my makeup case on public transit in these bad boys)
~ All leather:) Not a fan of plastic boots....or smelly feet
~ Sophisticated with a side of edge
~ Wide heel for stability

I was walking around Yorkdale Shopping Center Monday evening with no intention of purchasing anything. (If you haven't been there in the past year and are looking for a good shopping haul, I suggest you stop by.)When I spot the Steve Madden store and walk on in. Spot these boots, ask for my size & they fit like a glove, so I can't say no.
The sales associate I was dealing is was very charming and good at conversing which made the experience even better!

Review on these shoes?! LOVE, LOVE LOVE! As a makeup artist my day off is obviously filled with errands. So I bravely put these beauties on praying they don't need breaking in. I was running around in them all day and they are OH-SO-COMFY!...AND stylish if I might add!;)

Although my style has evolved to a bit more on the conservative "good girl" side I always try to find a way to add some edge to my look on a daily basis with one item, because that's who I am. "Velvet paws hide sharp claws" - Polish proverb ;) 

I ended up pairing these booties with my Stradivarius low waisted light jeans, a silk earth green blouse from Dynamite and rose quartz crystal necklace!

Beauty Monday: November Favourites!!!

November is coming to an end, so what better way to end it then to talk about some of my favourites from the month of November. So excited to share with you all!

My number ONE : Formula X Nail Polish, awesome for the on-the-go girl! No chip for at least 5 days. Why do I prefer this nail polish over Shellac or Gel? Because even after you take it off your nails are in perfectly good shape! No wear & tear which is my fav thing about it. It is a 4-step process, but don't worry, it dries super fast! It comes with a Nail Cleanser, Base Coat, Colour & Top Coat.

My number TWO: I did feature this mascara on my blog last week, but I couldn't help myself but post about it again! I absolutely L-O-V-E "It's A Long Story Mascara"! It help grow my lashes, my lashes are healthier than they've ever been & it coats my lashes beautifully! If you would like the full article on the mascara please click on this link: http://nomadicbeauty.blogspot.ca/2014/11/beauty-monday-batting-my-lashes-with.html
                                 


My number THREE: Arbonne's Tinted Moisturizer, as the seasons change my combination skin does become dryer. So before I apply my "Got You Covered Powder Foundation" by Arbonne, I dab a bit of this tinted moisturizer to help with the dryness.

My number FOUR: Totally in love with Josie Maran's Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil. This past month my lips have really taken a beating from the dry weather. And by that I've been trying to stay away from lipsticks that sometimes tend to dry out my lips. So that mean no to colour:( 

But with this Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil I could have a sheer colour while still moisturizing my lips!!! 

P.S I've become obsessed with berry!

My number FIVE: Ok, I CANNOT rave ENOUGH about Benefit's High Brow in Champagne! LOVE LOVE LOVE! Perfect to highlight right underneath the brow and when I need a quick fix in the morning or just have a day of running errands I apply this pencil in my tear duct area to give my eyes a bit more luminosity and finish it off with so mascara EST VOILA! Perfect makeup in 5 minutes. I think this fat pencil has become a staple in my personal makeup. 

That's all for my November Fav's! I'm curious to see what products I'll discover for December! Stay tuned!

Nomadic Beauty

Fashion Thursdays: Stradivarius Winter Collection 2014

Totally digging the creative direction of this video for the 2014 Winter Collection! You generally don't think of the beach when you hear the word winter. Beautiful contrast by the cozy clothes on the beach paired with laid back music that reminds you of summer.

I'm totally loving the laissez-fair attitude with the hair and makeup. When not having to primp during the holidays we all love to be comfortable & cozy, especially once February rolls around. Right? Although I will admit some of those outfits are meant for warmer European winters, but they're still awesome for this in-between season in Canada between fall & winter! Also great for layering up! Which all Canadians know is the best trick to staying warm!

Take a look at this wonderful video created by Stradivarius :

"Stradivarius presents a nomadic and elegant winter collection with a touch of chic sophistication. A proposal that takes place in a white sand virgin beach and little vegetation that highlights the beauty of simple and refined lines of a young, fresh and trendy collection
One more season the tandem of photographers Bela Adler and Salvador Fresneda immortalize the beauty of the models Tess Hellfeuer and Ymre Stiekema, who repeat as campaign protagonists of a winter season full of white, modern and stylish feminine silhouettes." - Stradivarius

Beauty Monday: Batting My Lashes With It's A Long Story Mascara

When clients & models used to ask me about what the best type of mascara I would just give them names of my favourite Drugstore brands like L'Oreal's Volume mascara or Mabelline's Great Lash mascara which I had very good experiences with and used both in my kit and personal makeup. Because I never believed you should spend 40 bucks on a mascara, those were my go to's, although I once got a sample of Dior's mascara and really liked it...I didn't like it enough to spend more than $12 on a mascara.

BUT, after a month of using Arbonne's "It's A Long Story Mascara" for health reasons, I fell in LOVE! My lashes have grown & strengthened, I wasn't promised this so when I noticed I was pleasantly surprised! I'm a two coat girl cause I like the volume and it coats the lashes beautifully!
Without mascara my lashes feel healthy & hydrated, long & voluminous I absolutely LOVE it!

Arbonne's products are botanically based, vegan & cruelty free, which is my reason for switching over and paying a bit more for my mascara. It's basically the dirtiest thing you put on your eyes so you want to be safe as possible. "It's A Long Story Mascara" not only looks great but smells great too!

Nomadic Beauty

Fashion Thursdays: Classic Knits & Plaid

I just checked out Stradivarius(click on the link to view November's lookbook) and I am totally digging this lookbook for November. A mix of classic knits (MY FAV!) & plaid, which I would have personally never put together. But after skimming through this lookbook I feel like I will venture out into that plaid world! 

 Here are two of my favourite images from the lookbook! I love how the makeup is keeped pretty and simply with some eye contouring & cheek contouring with great brows and lip that just enhances her natural lip colour. Although the November lookbook is a bit more "rough" looking, the makeup balances it out!

Definitely looks like a comfy but fashionable transition into winter!

Nomadic Beauty

Beauty Monday: "You can OVER exfoliate?!" Wait...what does stripping mean?

We are always hearing about exfoliating, but rarely does anyone ever explain what it does for the skin.

Exfoliating is meant for the removal of dead/dull skin, to unclog pores & speed up cell renewal. 

Caution: Before you go all scrub crazy, if your under the age of 30 I suggest exfoliating once a week. If you are over 30 you can go 3 times a week, as skin renewal does start to slow by that time. Over exfoliating can lead to stripping the skin causing breakouts and irritation. Of course,everybody's bodies are different so it might take a bit of trial & error to figure out what works for you. 

There are two ways to exfoliate, mechanically & chemically.

Mechanically:

Electronics -  One of the more popular ones at the moment that beauty bloggers and magazines have been raving about is the Clarisonic brush. And yes, I love it too. It's beautiful. Leaves the skin feeling so good and clean. It has one brush but the inside of it and onside of it revolve in opposite motions, creating 300 movements per second. It even has a timer of 30 sec. per facial part (forehead, nose & chin and each cheek side) get 30 seconds. It's great and because it is "gentle" I was using it every morning (bad idea). My skin became stripped (when your have taken off more natural oils of your skin than needed), I knew because I was breaking out more than usual & my skin became more sensitive. I gave my skin 1 month to recover, now, I use it once a week.

Scrubs: like a cleanser, come in either gel or cream form with abrasive materials in it such as sugar or salt crystals, micro-beads, crushed almonds sheds, ect. Likewise, use this once a week, I love Arbonne's Exfoliating New Cell Renewal scrub because you can also use it as a mask. Which is what I do with it once a week. But remember when using a scrub don't rub rigorously as it will irritate the skin because you are already using abrasive products on your skin already.

Chemically: These are scrubs that contain salicylic acid, aglicolic acid, fruit enzymes, citric acid or malice acid. Strong concentrations are used by medical professionals and in lower-concetrations sold over the counter. 

Hope this gives you a bit of insight on exfoliating and understand how it works and how much of it you should be doing. 

        Nomadic Beauty

Something loveable about Stradivarius

First off, let's start off with how much I love their fashion videos. I love film & I love fashion! Stradivarius's videos give you the best of both worlds with their artistic angles paired with models sporting their latest collection. All this with the music they accompany it with? How could you not love their videos?

So I watch their videos for inspiration...and of course pleasure. But one thing that really inspires me is that include the different countries that their stores are in. Stradivarius was started in Madrid, Spain and is now in 57 countries around the world! They interview fashion bloggers from different countries (not just Spain) & show you cool places as well. 

I love to travel & I love diversity! This is one of many reason I've fallen for this company.

Here are a few examples of their videos.

Fashion Blogger from Berlin

Fashion Blogger from Amsterdam

Photographer & Fashion Blogger from Madrid

Blogger from Poland

Enjoy!

Nomadic Beauty

Lips are stained AND hydrated? Yes!!!

BEAUTY MONDAY!

Having fallen in love with Josie Maran's products & brand, I LOVE their new Coconut Watercolor Lip Stain & Shine. I had briefly posted about it on my Facebook & Instagram.

I had barely had to touch my lips the whole day, just some extra gloss if anything. At one side of the stick you have a pen (stain) and at the other gloss. Lips were stained AND hydrated all day! You can find it in 6 different colours from nude to red. Perfect vibrant pigment for November.