I confess, I’m a product junkie ::: musthave beauty products

Before cooking or travel ever came into my life I was, and still am, a bona fide product junkie.

My beauty mantra:

∞ Do whatever it takes to take care of your skin (you can’t go back in time) and get facials as often as you can afford
∞ Flawless, but naturally glossy looking skin, is the only way to go
∞ Don’t leave the house without mascara, but that’s really all you MUST wear (and maybe a good lip gloss
∞ Bare eyes and bright lips are the way to go, at least now
 

I might try everything under the sun once {thanks Birch Box and NewBeauty Test Tube}, but I keep coming back to a certain few products. So here they are, my musthaves, that I repeatedly buy and live by.

Phytomer Oligopur Purifying Face Wash

Strivectin as a Night time Face lotion


Avene Thermal Spring Water spray

Dior Foundation in Sand

Sephora Pro Foundation Airbrush

Use this for the foundation above and your life will change

Guerlain hydrating bronzer 03

Nars blush in Deep Throat

Blush - NARS - Deep Throat

Natural/Nude LIP: Chanel Mythic number 69

One of my girlfriends introduced me to this color, and I can only ever find it at the Heathrow airport. I was there 2 weeks ago and couldn’t find it- help! Is this color discontinued?

Glossy Stain: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture 11 Rouge Gouache

Glossy, lasts like a stain, feels like a creamy lipstick, not sticky, almost too many colors to pick from

Perfect Red: Tom Ford in Cherry Lush

Costs a pretty penny, but the most luxurious feeling lipstick out there

Pink: Nars Schiap

My best friend introduced me to this color and I can’t get enough. So amazingly bright!

The Summer Season: NARS Schiap Lipstick

Best Colored Gloss: Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Sheer Candy in 06 Luscious Cherry

Mascara: Panthera Ultraflesh and Maybelline Falsies

(Top lashes: one coat Maybelline Falsies then one coat Panthera , Bottom Lashes: One coat Panthera)
Ultraflesh Panthera Mascara Black
Black Volum' Express the Falsies Mascara

Current Shadow Obsession: NAKED 2 Pallette Urban Decay

Plenty of options, both matte and sparkly. Normally when I buy palettes I completely forget to use them, something about too many colors that I don’t need. This one I’ve used every day since I got it, day and night.

Makeup Stash! » Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

What are your musthave beauty products?

::: keelymarie :::

Hong Kong ::: 吃 eat. 饮料 drink. 店 shop. 发挥 play.

The first week of October I had the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong for business for 3 days. Such a short trip to travel all the way to Asia, but I am so grateful I get opportunities like this for my career.

From the minute I landed I fell in love with Hong Kong. The layout of the city is built for walking around and everyone was really friendly if you do happen to get lost. Hong Kong just feels massive- the lights, the herds of people, the very lengthy escalators, the busy markets. Did you know there’s almost twice as many skyscrapers in Hong Kong as there are in New York?  {eh emmm… thanks HSBC}

Continue reading “Hong Kong ::: 吃 eat. 饮料 drink. 店 shop. 发挥 play.”

J’aime Paris ::: A few of my favorite things (so far)

Paris has been absolutely wonderful so far. I have so rarely traveled in Europe for anything other than work, so being able to wander and get lost among les Parisiens has been a dream.

I plan to blog some specific stand-outs from our Europe trip, but here’s an amuse bouche from Paris until then.

A few of my favorites things about Paris (so far)….



::: the macarons :::

They are everywhere in Paris! No really they are everywhere – they even have them at the McDonald’s (so I read while googling them today). In Paris macarons seem like the current cupcake fetish of the US, but to me these are so much better. Near where we are staying, a few blocks from The Louvre, there are tons of chocolate and macaron stores (Michel Cluizel, Ladurée , Pierre Hermé) that are very boutique and designer-esque. Ohhhhhh the colors (of the rainbow), the sizes (mostly bite size but some larger size), the flavors (unlimited), the textures (outside: light & airy, then crumbly/ inside: custard, fruit gel, or ganache)…I’m in love.

We’ve had a large-sized chocolate macaron (to die for, you can see it above), a box of many from Michel Cluizel (seen above: interesting flavors like rose (!), pistachio, strawberry, almond milk), and the hotel we are at brings up an afternoon snack everyday that’s typically some type of macaron. Hoping the stairs at the Arc de Triomphe yesterday helped burn some of them off…

::: the gardens and parks :::

Paris teems with beautiful areas to sit and contemplate life, relax, or read a book. I love turning a corner and running into a park full of people lounging, dancing, sunning, reading, making-out… you name it. Above is the Jardin des Tuileries next to the Louvre. I could live here on a sunny day.

Below is Place de Vosges, the oldest square in Paris (built by Henri IV in 1612), which I stumbled upon while roaming around Le Marais. Sorry Miami, Bayfront Park just doesn’t cut it in comparison.

::: the shopping :::

Maybe it’s just me and I have a terrible terrible problem, but I can’t seem to find a way not to end up shopping here. Damn you Peter for having to work this week! {he wouldn’t entertain it often} Fun fact: This week is Haute Couture week  in Paris so I’ve seen some women walking around looking straight off the runway.

Shopping in Paris is definitely too expensive and yes my money gets me almost nothing, but it is still incredible. There’s Goyard on Rue Saint Honore for those who are tired of Louis Vuitton, at least 2 Chanel stores in walking distance from my hotel (maybe 3, I’ve gotten lost a few times), and Colette is probably the coolest place I’ve ever been shopping.

I wasn’t as impressed with the stores on Champs Elysses as I thought I would be, but it was still a fun walk as it’s the “grandest” shopping street I have ever seen. To be honest I have been pretty good, but probably only because we are going to Italy next!

::: the history all over the city:::

This week I keep saying “I think I could live here,” one of the reasons being that Paris is so wildly rich in history in comparison to anywhere I have ever lived. You can feel it all around you and every corner you turn is a monument, an important building, or piece of history. I am sure it gets old as a Parisian, but to me it makes things feel more alive.

The city has been kept so clean and “new looking” that I don’t miss the modern looks that I typically love. It does remind be a bit of Montreal, as I thought it would, but it of course takes it to a whole different level. I was very touristy and bought the Lonely Planet Paris Walking Tour App for my iphone and have taken time each day to tour the different arrondissements. Here are some of my favorite shots so far.

Arc de Triomphe
Place Vendôme
Statue of King Louis XIII at Place des Vosges
Hôtel de Sens
The opulently architected Paris Opera building
Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis (1641)
inside Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis

Au revoir for now! Attempting to stay away from my computer until this vacay is over on the 18th.

::: keelymarie :::