THE I-FEEL-FANCY EDITION: WALKING THE EXTRA BEAUTY MILE

A couple of days ago I had a short chat with a very dear blogger friend and for some reason it made me reminisce about my younger days. Back when I was in my 20s, actually throughout my 20s, I pretty much dolled up every single night because well, my life was pretty much a decade long party.

How did I survive my 20s? I have no idea...

Fast forward to today, I do put in some effort for work but party? Date night? Those words don't even exist in my vocabulary. So now that November rolled on by and the festive spirit is in the air, this is when I try my best to walk the extra mile and dare I say, doll up?

SKIN PREP
skincare, beauty, Canadian beauty,

I usually start pampering my skin a couple of days before the special occasion and by now this should come as no surprise to most of you. My motto is to look my best the foundation, which in this case is my skin, needs to be at its best too.

Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion is a gentle physical exfoliator that not only smoothes out my skin, it actually makes my pores less noticeable which in return helps with my makeup application.

REN Wake Up Wonderful Night Time Facial is one of the latest products added into my routine. I bought it during the recent Sephora VIB sale and guys, the hype is real. This product has antioxidant and AHA in it and is applied after serum and before moisturizer. This has been my go-to when I need my skin to look fresh, radiant and clear aka prepping for a special date.

As I said on my Instagram, there are sheet masks and then there is the sheet mask and Instytutum Flawless Skin Mask* is the latter. I have used sheet masks for many years and I have come across my fair share of the good, the bad and the fucking ugly but none gives the amazing instant results that this mask gave my skin. I look like I just walked out of a $300 facial and had the best sleep of my life. I will be reviewing it on the blog soon!

To be fair, Emile Cordon lip pot* and Amopé Foot File* are in my rotation all the time and they are not reserved for only special occasions. I'm not going to gush about them here but if you want to find out why I am head over heels in love with both then read about Emile Cordon here and Amopé Foot File* here

MANICURE & PEDICURE
skincare, beauty, Canadian beauty,

I have always loved doing my pedicure but what I don't love is walking around awkwardly while waiting for it to dry. One wrong step and I have to re-do the nail which usually leads to me smudging the other toes and in the end, I am screaming like a banshee and cursing the universe that I live in.

If you are an impatient klutz like me then you will appreciate SensatioNail Gel Starter Pack*. It's basically everything you need for at-home gel mani/pedicure application. No more waiting to dry, no more smudging, no more me cursing and screaming like a banshee. 

I don't know why I didn't discover this sooner, I get a perfect, shiny, smudge-proof pedicure that lasts without fading or chipping within 10 minutes. Now that I have seen the light, I don't think it's possible for me to revert back to normal nail polish.

HAIR
skincare, beauty, Canadian beauty,

skincare, beauty, Canadian beauty,

I always get compliments on my straight hair and while that means I never have to do anything for it to look tidy and presentable, it also means it never ever holds a curl. 

Ever.

Until I recently unleashed the new Conair Infiniti Pro Curl Secret 2.0* on it! I haven't been this excited about a hair tool in what seems like forever. Usually it takes me 3 hours and 3 cans of hair spray (yes, I exaggerate but you get the gist) to get the curl you see above but the picture above was achieved within 15 minutes and without any curl products or hair spray.

No more stressing out about my hair for special occasions and as a bonus, I look like I fresh walked out of a salon. 

MAKEUP
skincare, beauty, Canadian beauty,

I'll let you in on one of my not-dirty little secrets, I rarely do crazy looks for special occasions. What I do concentrate on is flawless, dewy and radiant skin and my recent combo has been Milk Makeup Blur Stick* (received courtesy of Influenster) and IT Cosmetics CC Cream.

I think everyone knows how fabulous IT Cosmetics CC Cream is but Milk Makeup Blur Stick* on the other hand, has polar opposite reviews. It's either you love or hate it and fortunately, I really love it! The texture is weird, it looks and feels like a deodorant but it instantly blurs out my skin with one very light swipe. I have tested many foundations with it without any pilling and my skin looks like it has a filter on it! Not only do I reach for this on special occasions, I actually use it every time I work! 

Special occasions or not, these products are the ones that I know I can rely on whenever I want to look my best and I have a feeling that they are here to stay for good. That means mum, you're not getting my hair curler, not this one.

What are your most reliable, trusted beauty products?

*Products marked with * were received for free but my thoughts and opinions are 100% unbiased, honest and my own.  Post contains affiliated links. There is no place for any sort of BS here.

 photo Screen Shot 2015-06-24 at 14.47.43_zpsq1h6gc03.png
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Maira Gall