Fall 2017 Beauty Trend: Twiggy Lashes

I've done a pretty thorough search of the makeup trends spotted on the runways for Fall 2017, and one that caught my eye was the return of Twiggy's iconic eye look. It's all about the thick eyelashes on both top and bottom, and eye-popping white eyeliner. The effect gives you a wide-eyed look, and even better, it's super easy to achieve!

You'll just need 3 drugstore products:

1. Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara
2. Maybelline Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
3. NYX Faux Whites Eye Brightener in Honeydew

Here's a closer look...

Maybelline Waterproof Liquid Liner

This is my all-time favourite liquid liner! I use this everyday for my cat-eye liner, and it never smudges at all (thanks to the waterproof formula). It's even survived crazy winter winds when my eyes were pouring out tears. Seriously. Amazing stuff. And it comes off easily with micellar water. Anyway, rather than my usual cat-eye, for this look, you want to just do a nice thin line, ending at the edge of the eye. Simple as that.

Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara

This is Revlon's brand new mascara, and as it turns out, it's perfect for this Fall look! Thanks to Influenster for sending me a complimentary tube to try out. This mascara is meant to give you an oversized lash look - exactly what I was looking for to give me big, Twiggy-inspired lashes. The innovative formula combines fibres and 360 degree tube technology, which extends and plumps your lashes.

For the ultimate Twiggy effect, I applied quite a few layers of the mascara on both my top and bottom lashes. I was really happy with how it turned out: clumping wasn't a problem, and even with the amount of layers I did, it wasn't flaky at all. The cone shaped brush was also ideal for getting in there along the lash line and coating the smaller lashes too. An added bonus: it's water resistant!

NYX Faux Whites Eye Brightener in Honeydew

No Twiggy look is complete without that pop of bright white liner. This time though, I'm switching it up just a bit with an off-white liner. NYX has these awesome liners for brightening up the waterline, and instead of just in white, they come in variety of light colours. Here, I chose the shade Honeydew which is a light yellow-green to match my green eyes. Pop! Automatically your eyes look way brighter, and the lash line is accentuated.

And there you go, one super easy trend you can rock this fall, with just 3 products! Let me know if you give it a try.

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

A Taste of the Holidays with Chapters Indigo (AKA My Gift Go-To)

I think I've mentioned it quite a number of times here and on my Instagram how much I love Chapters Indigo. I own what might be considered a ridiculous amount of items from Chapters - from tins of tea to home decor and beach towels. I also rely on them for a large amount of my gift shopping, whether that's birthday, mother/father's day or Christmas gifts. And in case you haven't picked up on it already, Chapters has a whole lot more than books in their stores. I'm talking amazing fashion, home decor, gift and novelty foods sections.

All of this to say, I'm always super excited for the Holiday Preview Chapters hosts in August, because it gives me a sneak peek of what I can expect for the upcoming (albeit a little ways away) Christmas season. And in the spirit of giving (ok it's a bit too early for holiday sayings, isn't it?), I wanted to give you all a peek too!

First of all, Chapters always has the more adorable Christmas tree ornaments, like the donut you'll see above!

Oh lordy, don't even get me started about the kitchen goods. I would own every single one of these if I could. See that plaid baking dish? I need that in my life. Badly. Wouldn't that also make a sweet hostess gift?

Chapters' fashion section is a favourite of mine. I can see that sparkly glitter clutch being the perfect accessory for all my holiday outfits!

I actually own a set of gold bar glasses very similar to the ones above here, from a previous season. In fact, I own an insane amount of gold-laden bar wear items from Chapters, which are featured on our bar cart year round. I also spotted a marble mobile charger that would make an awesome stocking stuffer, or a small gift for friends (especially marble-obsessed blogger friends!).

I swear I would actually bake more if I had sweet dishes like that Bon Appetit one above! Adding this to my wishlist.

Aren't these mugs so pretty? I love the light turquoise with gold. One for me, and one for everyone on my Christmas list.

Remember when I said my entire bar cart is from Chapters? Great, now I want all this bar wear too. That rainbow Moscow Mule cup!! Oh and then there's that Naughty and Nice glass and shot glass set. What a cute idea.

I know a few people who are going to loooove all this Canada-themed kitchen goodness!

The embroidery trend is still hot for winter! I'll take one of each phone case, please Santa. If it's not too early to send requests...

The best shopping buddies!

[Left to right: Aurora of Style By Fire, me, Vicki of Style By Fire, Alicia of Go Live Explore]

Now if you're like me and you're now already visualizing your Christmas wishlist, guess what?? Chapters has already started an Online Holiday Pre-Order Shop! So pre-shop your hearts out, folks.

Happy Holidays (just kidding..it's still August!) xo

~ Britta

Diner en Blanc in Vancouver

Labour day isn't here yet, so let's squeeze in a few more white dresses before then! Actually, to be honest, I have no issues breaking that age-old "rule", but it just so happens we had Diner en Blanc in Vancouver this week, so it was the perfect excuse to wear this summery white dress one more time this summer.

I know some people consider Diner en Blanc to be a bit pretentious of an event, but to be honest, when there's an event that offers me the magic of being in Paris right here at home, I'm not going to say no. We met our group leader and then were whisked away by charter bus across downtown Vancouver to our 'secret location', which turned out to be along Coal Harbour - a beautiful grassy park along the sea wall. All 6,000 of us brought our white tables, chairs, plates, glasses and meals with us to dine altogether al fresco with french music playing all around us. Oh, and of course, all dressed in white too. It's a pretty incredible experience to say the least. Especially in Vancouver, it's honestly quite amazing that 6,000 people managed to get their act together and all dress up nice!

For this year's Diner en Blanc I was so excited to wear this pretty Chicwish Echo of Exquisiteness Chrochet Dress. I bought it after spying it on Pinterest earlier this year. And I'm so glad I did!! Have any of you ever gotten hooked on a new fashion find after finding it on Pinterest? I love the chrochet detailing, and the bell sleeves are right on trend. If you have a party to attend, or even need a dress for a bridal shower, etc, this is such a unique dress for it! And at $54, it certainly doesn't break the bank (it's 23% off right now!). For reference, I'm wearing the size S/M. There's only a few left in stock, so I've linked up some similar dresses below too. If you're looking for something even cheaper, I found this almost exact match from SheIn: their Bell Sleeve Scallop Edge Geo Crochet Dress. It's only $30!

If you're looking for some tips on dressing for your first Diner en Blanc, make sure you check out this post and this post!

With Leeanne of LegalLee Blonde

Dress - Chicwish (similar)| Necklace - Olive + Piper | Shoes - Aldo (similar)

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

How to Look Like A Morning Person

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I'm not a morning person. Never have been, probably never will be. I need at least 9 hours sleep to feel refreshed, and sleeping in til noon on the weekend is a wonderful thing. That being said, there's this thing called 'work' that keeps me from sleeping in every day. So to get that roll-out-of-bed radiance, I've got a secret weapon: my Origins GinZing Faves beauty routine!

GinZing's key ingredients? Coffee and ginseng! Well, caffeine and ginseng to be exact. I may not be much of a coffee drinker (I'm a tea lover), but I do love the smell of coffee, and turns out it's pretty great for your skin too. It's known for its energizing benefits and its ability to help the skin look healthy and refreshed. Just what I need in the morning! 

Keep on reading below to see each of their awesome GinZing products to make you morning-ready...

Origins x Pintrill pins - aren't they adorable??

Origins GinZing SPF 40 Energy-Boosting Tinted Moisturizer *new*

This an exciting new addition to Origins! I love tinted moisturizers and BB creams. I actually rarely wear foundation anymore. I love the light texture, and now that my days of breakouts are long behind me (for the most part), I don't usually need heavy coverage. This GinZing Tinted Moisturizer hydrates, energizes, and perfects with a hint of colour match tint. Plus, it has SPF 40 to protect from UV, which is an abolute must for me. I sometimes have a hard time with tinted moisturizers because of my fair skin, but if I blend it in well, this one looks great! It comes out a very light cream-like shade, but when you blend, it turns into a nice neutral tint. And bam - 30 seconds later I look more awake! Oh and it smells great - like fresh oranges. Mmmmm.

Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturizer

I absolutely love the texture of this GinZing Gel Moisturizer. The gel has a lovely cooling effect, which feels great on the skin first thing in the morning. It's also lightweight, oil-free, and instantly hydrates to make the skin look radiant. I'm obsessed with anything grapefruit right now, so no surprise I love the scent: grapefruit, lemon and mint to invigorate the senses!

Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream

Now if you're going to pick one GinZing product to really wake you up, make it this one! Whenever I'm really tired, it always shows in my eyes (I think most people will agree that's the same for them). They're puffy and sting a bit. No fun. This GinZing Eye Cream has an awesome cooling effect that feels soooo good on the eye area and wakes them right up! The formula de-puffs and reduces dark circles, and Magnolia Extract brightens up the eyes so I look refreshed. Tip: it's also great stow in your carry-on if you're going on a long flight to give your eyes a pick-me-up!

Origins GinZing Brightening Mascara to Lengthen and Lift

If there's one piece of makeup that will make you look wide-eyed in a flash, it's mascara. This GinZing lash-boosting mascara gives lashes an instant lift! My first impression of a mascara is always based on the brush, and this one passed the test with flying colours. A nice big bushy brush! I love super-volumized and long lashes, and I find brushes like this do that best. I apply to both top and bottom lashes: just a light layer on the bottom lashes, and a few coats on the top lashes, zig-zagging my brush back and forth. I've got some close-up photos below so you can see just how volumizing and lengthening it is!

So, did I fool you? Do I look wide awake or what?? I've linked up everything below so you can look like a morning person too!

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Give your fabulous hair a UV Shield!

I had my hair lightened quite a while back now, and after some slow-as-molasses hair growing, it's turned into a nice ombré with light ends. During the summer, I like that my hair usually gets a bit lighter on its own naturally, too.

Recently, this new hair product just for blondes came across my desk, and while I'm usually pretty low maintenance with my hair, I was pretty excited to give this one a test drive. Joico's Blonde Life Brightening Veil promises to cover and protect your blonde hair from the damage of thermal stylers, chemicals, UV exposure, humidity, and dryness. And great news: it works on both natural and chemically processed blonde hair.

Whenever I curl my hair (using my all-time-favourite Conair Curl Secret), I like to use a thermal protection spray. But for summer, I like that the Brightening Veil also protect's against the sun's damaging UV rays! After shampooing and conditioning my hair, I sprayed the Brightening Veil onto my towl-dried hair, and combed through before blow drying. Then I was ready to start curling with my Curl Secret. The spray not only helped keep my curls for longer, but gave it a nice sheen (while also protecting against the sun and the heat of my Curl Secret!). I'm keeping this on-hand for the rest of my summer styling!

If you're a blondie too, this is how to treat your summer tresses.

 Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta