Daily, House & Home, How I Style, Photos

How we get ready for house guests

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House-Guest-PrepWe had our first house guest a few months ago, when The Guy’s best friend came down on his work trip, but he stayed at our place a little less than 12 hours. After that I thought it was time for another few house guests to make their arrival to California.

I facebook’ed my two sister-in-law’s (The Guy’s sisters), and asked them when they were planning to come visit us. Last time we saw his younger sister, was at our wedding. The last time I saw his other sister was when I was home in Newfoundland.

To my surprise, they both booked flights, and were here in California at the same time.

Needless to say, I wanted to have the house in presentable shape, as The Guy and I tend to drop things on the floor instead of putting them away. I spent one full day organizing our main floor, rearranging a few things, deep cleaning the kitchens, and took the vacuum to the floors. Our house is a little bare at the moment with little artwork on the walls, but it feels a lot more spacious after I moved a few furniture pieces around.

I’d show you our guest room, except it’s not exactly a guest room. The Guy has taken over that room for all his bike stuff, so it’s not as decorated as I’d like, whatsoever.

Preparing-for-house-guestsAfter a flight or long haul, I know that I love to just take a long shower/bath and simply relax. I like our guests to feel at home, or at the very least feel relaxed like they’re at a spa or hotel. Regarding the bathroom, I like to give them our spare bathroom and make it feel very hotel/spa like. I bought a few towels at World Market, and I already had the striped towels from Pottery Barn a few years ago. They were all freshly washed and folded like you’d see at hotel, all fancy like.

Guest-basketI gathered a few more goodies at World Market — we don’t have a store like that, that I know of in Canada. It’s one of my favourites around here, and it doesn’t help that it’s almost across the street from me. Inside the basket is a hand towel, a few face clothes, a candle, hand cream, body wash. Then I picked up some disposable razors from Daiso and added them to the basket. All topped with a few chocolate truffles.

Face-masks-for-guestsSince I love spoiling people, I couldn’t help but add a few more touches to the basket and towel. I added a few mini makeup items (cuticle oil, nail file, perfume, lipstick, and mascara) for the girls, and some face masks on top of the fresh towels.

House-Guest-Prep-2Adding a new hand soap was something I wanted to do, too. That was bought at TJ Maxx.

philosophy-shower-goodiesThe shower had a few travel sized items that I snagged at a hotel a few months ago. The cleaning lady and I shared a little bonding experience over the philosophy goodies, and she hooked me up big time. Now, I save them for our guests, ha!

A fresh and clean bathroom all to yourself as a house guest is pretty sweet, isn’t it? I’m so glad they both managed to book trips down to see The Guy and I. I’ll do a recap on what we did throughout the little while they were here, in the next few posts.

Krista and Shauna, I miss you both already!

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Beauty, Photos, Reviews

BeautyBlenders are amazing

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BeautyBlenderI bought a Beauty Blender.

Then it sat in my make-up drawer for two years without being used. I was very skeptical on a silly little pink sponge being a life altering change to my make-up routine. But I already saw what the hype was about after using it just two times.

This sponge will cost you anywhere between $15-$20. Purchase it anywhere from Nordstrom, Amazon to of course, Sephora. I can only find fake ones at Target and Ulta. I’ve never used a sponge to apply my make-up in the past, so I cannot compare any other replica to the Beauty Blender itself. From what I’ve heard on YouTube, no replica compares to the Beauty Blender. I don’t know why.

BBlendersHow to use the Beauty Blender

You can use the Beauty Blender wet, or dry. I prefer dampening the tear dropped shaped sponge under water for it to absorb and grow to twice its size. Once it’s wet and springy, wring out the excess water, and apply foundation to the back of your hand. Bounce the blender onto your liquid foundation, and use the rounded bottom and start dabbing the foundation onto your face. Don’t swirl, just dab. Using the Beauty Blender when it’s damp creates a more dewy, flawless finish. I haven’t tried using it dry, but I can imagine it being patchy. Don’t quote me on that.

The base of the Beauty Blender sponge is ideal for the larger areas of your face. I leave my concealer for last, and use the pointed tip for precise application in your hard to reach areas, like the under eyes or around the nose.

If you want fuller coverage, Beauty Blender’s website suggests to stipple and twist the sponge over stubborn areas.

Why I love the Beauty Blender

  • Because hellewww it creates a flawless finish no brush has ever given my complexion, you really do get an airbrushed effect. I don’t know what it is, but I thought my Real Techniques brushes were the epitome of make-up brushes (even my high end ones didn’t compare), and I’ve been using those since last summer.
  • I don’t get brush strokes or lines on my face when I use a brush, yet I can’t even explain the way the Beauty Blender makes your skin look. If you’re interested in it that much, just go for it and I guarantee you another Beauty Blender, you won’t be disappointed with the finish it gives you.

Cons about the Beauty Blender

  • It is a $20 sponge that will only last a few months.
  • Just as any tool you use when applying make-up, you need to be vigilant about keeping it clean.
  • Using the Beauty Blender is a little messier than slapping product on a brush, and swirling it around your face. Since you have to wet the sponge before each use my hands are all slippery, and wet then I have to lay down the blender on a tissue to not get and dust, dirt or hairs on it, apply my foundation to the back of my hand, and dab the sponge into it.
  • The sponge is still damp when you’re finished applying your make-up for the day. I end up wrapping it in a clean tissue, and store it in my make-up bag. Kind of a waste, but I have no idea where else to put it.
  • I have found that the Beauty Blender uses more foundation than using a make-up brush would.

BeautyBlender-spongesHow to clean the Beauty Blender

I understand you would probably want to clean the Beauty Blender sponge after each use. But 100% of the time, I don’t feel like doing that. You can use this Beauty Blender solid cleanser, make up remover, or plain old hand soap like I do with all of my make-up brushes (and now sponges). Note that a damp sponge left to sit, is a breeding ground for bacteria and mould, so you’re going to want to clean it often and air dry it well.

My results are in. I’m completely sold on the Beauty Blender and how it trumps any make-up brush I have ever tried. But being completely honest I’m not sure I’d go out and drop $20 each time I required a new sponge every few months. We’ll see how it goes.

How do you apply your make-up?

Have you ever used the Beauty Blender?

Do you use liquid, mineral, or powder foundation?

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