Oh so Pretty

As always, we’ve continued to have our eye on gems ever since the Annabelle-inspired beauty tutorial a few months back. Since March’s birthstone is the beautiful blue/green aquamarine (one of my personal favourite stones) we decided it made sense to try channeling it into a beauty look as well.

Bold colours can be hard to translate into the world of beauty without accidentally giving yourself a blue “bruised” eye look (don’t even get me started on the pink eye challenge), so we kept things simple with a few key products and a lot of blending. You can find the step by step below!

Scroll down for the full tutorial

DSC_3360

DSC_3395

DSC_3410

What we used from Annabelle //

Blue Hue Trio eyeshadow palette
Pearl Twist-up eyeshadow crayon
Self-Sharpening eye pencil in Ocean & Midnight
Big Show Waterproof mascara
Lipsies Diamond Lip Balm in Marshmallow

How we did it //

Start with a fresh clean palette, we recommend a thin layer of primer, covering the eye lids as well, we used Laura Mercier’s Foundation Primer. Use a light pressed powder like Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Finish to even out complexion and get rid of shine as needed.

Our go-to eye illuminator is Charlotte Tilbury’s Miracle Eye Wand.

DSC_3424

DSC_3449

DSC_3458

DSC_3465

DSC_3453

Using Annabelle’s trio eye shadow palette, Sweep the lightest shade across the whole lid and up toward the brow bone.

Follow up with the medium shade in the crease of the lid making sure to blend, use the darkest shade in the very outer corners of the eye.

Use the Pearl eyeshadow crayon to highlight the inner corners of the eyes as well as the bottom outer corner. You can also apply it to the brow bone and cheeks as an illuminator.

With the self-sharpening eye liner draw a cat eye along the lash line and underneath the eye, we used a combination of Ocean and Midnight. Add some extra glittery-touches with Urban decay’s Heavy Metal Glitter liner in Distortion.

Apply a light dusting of an iridescent loose glitter powder, we used Limited Edition Shu Uemura’s Shupette Glitter Collection but try out Make up forever’s in Diamond

We recommend finishing the look off with some Big Show Mascara and Lipsies Lip Balm in Marshmallow.

DSC_3499

Oh so Pretty

Love in in the hair! Ermmm, I mean, air! Since we’re celebrating love all month long (and time is almost up) we didn’t want to miss the chance to get creative with a love-themed beauty look as well! Putting on a swipe of red lipstick can add confidence, style, and an element of fun to any old day, so we came up with a mega cute red lip look with Annabelle that literally lets you wear your heart on your kisser!

Scroll down to get the tutorial!

DSC_0626

What we used //

Blush in Rosebud
Twist-up lipstick in Flirtini
Big Show lip lacquer in Adore Simply
Big Show lip lacquer in Love Fiercely

DSC_0542

Start with your usual primer and foundation routine, apply this directly onto lips as well.
Now apply Rosebud to just the apples of your cheeks. You’ve set the stage for the perfect doll-like Valentines lip look!

Use the twist-up lipstick as a crayon, luckily it’s perfectly shaped for the job, starting in the centre of the lip working outward start to draw a heart shape onto your mouth. Use the top points of your lip as the top of the heart and colour just the centre of the bottom lip in. Don’t go all the way to the outer edge of the lip. Now use a cotton swab to blend around the edges.

DSC_0544

Add a swipe of the Simply Adore lip lacquer to the whole lip, this will help blend as well. Now finish it off by dabbing some Love Fiercely lip lacquer back into the middle of the lip to make your heart lip more bold and glossy! We recommend finishing off the look with a simply cat-eye.

DSC_0569

DSC_0603

DSC_0550

DSC_0611

Oh so Pretty

It’s a brand new year, and instead of focusing on getting glowing skin or exfoliating away 2016, we’re making a resolution to have more fun with beauty. Why just stick to the basics every day? Bright colourful makeup can be one of the best ways to put some life into your look, especially if the rest of your outfit is buried beneath winter layers.

We love Annabelle’s affordable vegan and cruelty-free products, so you can expect to see a monthly look with them this year! First up, we decided to channel one of our favourite gemstones into a dreamy lavender eye makeup tutorial. The stone of sweet dreams and wisdom, add some extra sparkle to your eyes with the glittery magic of the amethyst!

Scroll down for tutorial details

DSC_8187

What we used //

CC Perfecting Base

Annabelle Single Eyeshadows in: Cloud, Violet, and Aura.

Stay Sharp Black Metal Metallic Eye Liner

Lash Launcher Supernova Mascara

Start by applying a thin even layer of primer all over the face and eyelids, this will keep your quartz-coloured powders from going anywhere.

DSC_8218

DSC_8221

Apply the darkest shade, Violet, to the outer corners of the eyes and into the crease of the lid. Use Cloud in the middle of the lid and blend well with Violet. Use Aura as the lightest shade to highlight the upper lid and inner corners of the eye.

Use a smaller brush to draw a thin line of Cloud along the outer bottom edge of the eye.

Now use the Self-sharpening eyeliner to draw on a cat eye, the primer will keep the shadow in place while you slide the pencil over. For a more bold look try the Metallic Amethyst pencil.

Finish it off with the Lash-launcher Supernova Mascara and you’re ready to go!

DSC_8199

DSC_8258

DSC_8237

DSC_8228

DSC_8191

DSC_8249

Special thanks to Jeanine Brito for modelling!

Oh so Pretty

Though we blog about everything here at RAOP, our team isn’t exactly what you’d call a group of beauty experts. If we’re being totally honest with you guys we’re just as lost as you when it comes to cuticle maintenance and “strobing”. That said we know a good product when we see one, and nothing beats good + cruelty free in our books.

The year isn’t quite over yet, but we’ve made so many amazing beauty discoveries over the course of 2016, and we couldn’t wait to share some of our favourites! The best part? Every brand on this list is cruelty free and vegan friendly, which makes them beautiful inside and out!

1. Annabelle //

dsc_3612

By far the most affordable brand on our list, Annabelle is a super accessible way to shop cruelty-free beauty if you’re scooping up some new products at the drug store. Our current picks are their mascaras and lip liner pencils.

2. Tata Harper //

dsc_3616

We recently went to a Tata Harper breakfast where we had the pleasure of meeting Tata herself, and honestly if you’ve seen that woman’s amazing skin you’ve probably already rushed out to buy her entire all-natural skincare collection!

3. Love Fresh //

dsc_3626

Handmade right here in Toronto, Lovefresh has incredible scents like Key Lime Coconut, and we can’t get enough of their awesome pink pomegranate sugar scrub!

4. Too Faced //

dsc_3620

Sometimes it’s impossible not to judge a book by its cover, especially when the cover looks *this* good! Too Faced always has us melting over their adorable pink sparkly products, and their new holiday-scented palettes basically have us in little puddles on the floor!

5. Charlotte Tilbury //

dsc_3644

Rose gold and delicate details? Yes please! Charlotte Tilbury is one of the only luxury cosmetic brands that guarantees 100% cruelty free ingredients… and it’s all just so pretttyyyy!

dsc_3631

dsc_3596

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2059388″]

Dear Diary

August has always been a bittersweet time for me. On one hand, it’s the end of summer, which always hurts my heart a bit as a sunshine girl, and growing up I knew it was only a matter of time till I would have to head back to school. On the other hand it’s the gateway to Fall fashion, it’s a great month for local produce, and it just so happens to be my BIRTHDAY MONTH!

I’m not going to lie: August’s list of favourites is a bit of a mashup due to my mixed feelings about this time of year. It’s a little bit back to school and a little bit sugary, but mostly it’s a farewell to Summer as told through some of my best finds from Summer 2016:

DSC_9419

DSC_9432

Sorelle & Co. Bakery //

I cannot repeat enough how much I adore this bakery. Brand new on the scene here in Toronto, Sorelle & Co. is completely vegan, gluten free, soy free AND nut free! I had the pleasure of attending their opening event and in all realness everything from the blended iced tea slushes to the grilled cheese sandwiches was crazy delicious. I couldn’t have been more excited when they sent not one but TWO birthday cakes for my party this past month, and they absolutely did not disappoint. Whether you have dietary restrictions or not, I highly recommend you try everything you can from this beautiful spot.

DSC_9465

Ban.do Stationary //

I always had a soft spot for Back to School – there was something so wonderfully exciting about picking out my new stationary and lunch box, curating each year into specific themes and colour schemes. When Ban.do sent me some pieces from their amazing new collection, I felt like an excited schoolgirl stocking up on pens and notebooks all over again.

DSC_9463

Sunnylife Decor //

Sunnylife has been on my favourite brands list since last summer when the flamingo pool float first stole my heart, but it wasn’t until this past month that I finally came into ownership of a few of their cute items! My current top picks? Their adorable ice cream ice cube trays and matching ice cream candles!

DSC_9450

David’s Tea Summer 2016 Collection //

You know what’s great about tea? You can make it iced or hot depending on the season, which means it’s something you can look forward to all year round. It was love at first sip when I tried the David’s Tea summer collection earlier this season, and I can’t wait to rediscover these flavourful blends as hot teas in the Fall.

DSC_9441

Good Day Hair Products //

Locally handcrafted and sold in Kensington Market, Good Day’s line of hair products is totally cruelty free, perfectly packaged, and oh my word do they ever smell crazy good! I mean really, does it get better than a bottle of shampoo with a unicorn on the label that smells like orange creamsicle? No, no it doesn’t. Side note: this is also where I get my hair cut and coloured by Jaymi and I can’t recommend it enough if you’re in the market for pastel locks!

What where your favourite Summer finds this year?

DSC_9482