5 Minute Face

*everything mentioned in this post has been purchased by me*

Hey Guys,

It’s no secret that I am NOT a morning person. If you’re anything like me, you will take every second of sleep you can get.  I would love to lounge around all day in my pajamas if I could but my job requires me to look somewhat presentable.

So I have come up with a “five minute” morning makeup routine with just a few products that works perfectly for me on busy mornings.

After I wash my face in the morning I start by dabbing some moisturizer all over my face, before I rub this in I also dab on a little bit of MAC Prolongwear Concealer and blend with a Beauty Blender.

Because I will be wearing this makeup all day I like to set it with a powder, I use MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. I prefer to use a pressed powder for this because it’s less fuss when I’m in a rush. After that I just throw on some bronzer and blush to add some colour back into my face. I use only one brush during this process, the one I tend to go for the most is the Real Techniques Multi Task brush. (pretty sure it was made just for this)

I was blessed with bushy brows so I don’t have to worry about filling them everyday. However I do like to use a tinted brow gel... Like I said, they’re bushy. They need to be tamed.

To finish, I just pop on some mascara and whichever lip colour I decide on and…

 VOILA!

A full face of makeup in under 5 minutes! 

XOXO,

J 

My Top 10 High End Makeup Products

*everything mentioned in this post has been purchased by me*

Hey guys! It's been a while since I've posted so I'm trying to get back into the groove of things. I thought I would take the opportunity to share some of my favourite high end makeup products. It was very difficult to narrow it down to 10 but I did it! Here goes... 

1)      Benefit- The POREfessional
This primer is great to fill in pores. I only like to used it in very porous areas such as around my nose.

2)      Giorgio Armani- Luminous Silk Foundation
I finish of this foundation is perfectly flawless! It is kind of pricey but in my opinion it is absolutely worth every penny.

3)      MAC-Pro Longwear  Concealer
This is such a great multi purpose product, it works great for everything from under the eyes to covering a blemish. One of my favourite ways to use it is to mix it in with a little bit of moisturizer to create a sort of tinted moisturizer.

4)      NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
I use this product as a highlitghting concealer, as the name states it does leave your skin with a beautiful radiance.

5)      LauraMercier Translucent Setting Powder
This is a more recent find. I purchased it specifically because I noticed a lot of beauty bloggers talk about it. This is the powder that I use to bake my face.

6)      Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow wiz
this is pretty much the only brow product I use aside from a brow gel so it’s definitely a must for me!

7)      NARS“Madly” Blush
This is a great neutral blush, I love layering blushes and this is perfect to layer with any other colour but also amazing on its own.

8)      Mac“Soar” Lipliner
I live for this! It has been my everyday lip colour for the past 6 months or so (thanks to Kylie Jenner) I usually wear it on its own but it looks great under a clear gloss as well.

9)      TheBalm – Mary Lou-manizer
I’m sure every single one of you has heard about this by now. This highlighter is EVERYTHING!! *insert angels singing*
It is by far my favourite cheekbone highlight and also looks great on the inner corners of the eyes.

10)  UrbanDecay Naked Palette 

I definitely wanted to include some eyeshadows in this list and for me it was a toss up between the original Naked palette and the Naked 2 palette. The original made the list simply because I feel like the colours are more universal and look great on all different eye colours.  

Collective Haul: Planner Supplies

*Everything mentioned in this post was purchased by me, with my own money*

I have been completely OBSESSED with my Erin Condren Life Planner ever since I received it! 

Up until now I have been using only my Staedler Triplus Fineliners to write in it.

Of course I had seen all the beautiful page layouts on Instagram and Pinterest and I couldn't wait any longer to decorate and personalize my planner!

I started with Etsy! 

Where else would I be able to find fun, cute stickers that are designed for planner junkies like myself?

My first purchase was from a pretty well known etsy seller.

OhHelloStationeryCo

My second sticker purchase was from 

MareBearCrafts

I can't wait to start using all of these they are just too cute for words! 

Lately, I have been noticing a lot more people using stamps as a way to decorate their planners.

This is also super cute and maybe a little more cost effective than re-purchasing stickers that you use often.

I had to look around a bit for inexpensive stamps that would fit my needs. I ended up purchasing mine from 

Sweet Stamp Shop

Plan Home, Plan Work, Plan Women

Of course you can't use stamps unless you have ink! So I did a little research on recommended inks for planner stamping and this was my favourite of the bunch.

I purchased mine from Michaels but wasn't able to find the link online. 

For this particular kind of stamp (photopolymer), you will need an acrylic block to adhere the stamp to before use. I decided to pick up a set of four. 

Recollections Signature Acrylic Block Set

And last, but most definitely not least....washi tape!

Every planner junkie needs washi tape! 

 I have started my own little collection of washi tape but really wanted thin tape to seperate the weekend in the weekly spread. 

Washi Tape Dispenser

XO

J

How Much Does My Face Cost?

I came across this tag on Lipsticks and Coffee and knew I had to participate!

It is essentially a tally of how much you spend on the makeup that you wear daily.

I put together a list of products that I use in my "everyday makeup routine" (I don't actually wear makeup every single day, but this is my routine when I go for a wearable day look.)

Of course my lip products and blushes change sometimes so I went with the ones that I gravitate to the most. All products mentioned in the post were purchased with my own money.

Base:

Maybelline Fit Me Matte Foundation $7.96

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer- "Ginger"    $35.00

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Medium Dark  $32.00

NARS "Casino" Bronzer  $45.00

NARS blush- "Madly" $35.00

Eyes:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz  "Dark Brown" $27.00

NARS Larger Than Life Eyeliner  $29.00

L'oreal Voluminous Mascara $4.96

Lips

Blistex Lip Balm $2.94

MAC "Soar" Lip pencil  $16.00

=234.85

WHAT?!!?! I thought for sure it would be less than $100.00! I get that most of these products should last me a fairly long time but this is crazy! And it doesn't even include my skincare or brushes!

This was a fun (and insightful) tag to do. I tag everybody reading this to participate. How much does your face cost?

xo

J

Target Canada- Sonia Kashuk Haul

*All products in this post were purchased with my own money*

As you may know, Target Canada is closing :( 

They are in their last few days now and I am incredibly sad about this-- but on the bright side, they are clearing out their stock and everything is on for 40% off (or more in some cases) and who doesn't love a good sale?

They are clearing out their inventory so i didn't have many options in terms of colour choices. But seeing as i got most of this stuff for under $5.00, I wasn't too picky about colours. 

I haven't tried many Sonia Kashuk products aside from the Eye Makeup Remover which I quite liked and was lucky enough to repurchase on this trip for 40% off! I'm super excited to start playing with all my new products and decided I would share a little photo haul with you.

Primer Base- Perfecting Brightening Primer

Perfecting Translucent Illuminator

clockwise from top left --

"Glow" - Chic Luminosity Bronzer/Blush Duo

"Goddess" - Chic Luminosity Bronzer

"Golden" - Sunkissed Pressed Bronzer

"Rich Bronze" - Undetectable Crème Bronzer

"Chestnut" - Undetectable Foundation Stick

"Sparkling Sands" - Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick

Undetectable Loose Powder

"Petal" - Crème Blush

"Sheer Juicy Coral" - Shine Luxe Sheer Lip Color

"Barely Nude" -  Satin Luxe Lip Color

xo

J

What's in my Travel Makeup Bag?

*All products in this post were purchased with my own money*

I've been making a lot of weekend trips lately so I thought I would share a little peek into my makeup bag.

I Picked up this cute little Isaac Mizrahi makeup bag from Marshalls late last year. It looks small but surprisingly fits quite a lot inside. 

Now let's get to the makeup...

I'm a bit of a sample hoarder, but often forget to actually use them. What better time to use them then while travelling.

Primer- Right now, I have 2 small sample primers -- I use the Benefit Porefessional in the area where I have the most visible pores (around my nose). On the rest of my face I use the Make Up Forever HD Primer. 

Lip Conditioner- Blistex Lip Conditioner SPF 15

Foundation- Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation 

Powder- Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Powder

Concealer- 

MAC Studio finish concealer NC35 (for blemishes on the face)

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - Ginger (for under the eyes)

NARSissist Blush, Contour and Lip Palette - This is a great little palette for travelling it contains 3 blushes, Laguna bronzer, Albatross Highlighter and a pretty pink lip gloss all housed in a cute mirrored palette. 

I love to keep things super simple for my eyes while travelling, so I usually just take a small MAC palette and switch out colours depending on my mood and weather or not I will be attending any evening events while I'm away. 

The shadows currently in my palette are Honesty, Mulch, Sumptuous Olive, Carbon. 

For an easy low maintenance brow routine I stick with my trusty Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Dark Brown.

A basic black eyeliner is a must! NARS Larger than Life Longwear Eyeliner - Black

Mascara- Sample sized Laura Mercier -Full Blown Volume Mascara

and of course an eyelash curler.

I usually have (on average) 3-5 lip products in my purse at any given time so I don't worry too much about putting lipstick in my makeup bag. But for the purpose of this post I have added 

MAC lipliner in Soar

MAC lipstick in Twig

As far as brushes go, I tend to grab whatever I'm loving at the moment and/or whatever is clean!

So there you have it, a peek into my makeup bag. 

What are your travel must-haves? Let me know in the comments below. 

xo

J

  

Erin Condren Life Planner

*everything mentioned in this post was purchased with my own money*

IT'S HERE! and it's beautiful!!!!

Seriously, I could not take my eyes off this thing when I received it yesterday. I had read tons of reviews before I purchased my Life Planner but you don't know how good the quality is until you actually hold it in your hands.  In reading reviews and researching this planner I had also come across a few horror stories about spelling errors and upside down pages... :|

 and I am glad to say mine is PERFECT! 

I absolutely cannot wait to start playing with this baby!  I have accumulated a small stack of washi tape and have also placed a couple etsy orders for stickers :) 

As mentioned in a previous post, I wanted to use this planner as a place to plan for my daily to-do's aswell as a blog planner. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to use the planner to suit me in the best way possible. 

At the moment, I am using a section of the planner to make a mini checklist as a reminder to post on social media and comment on other blogs. I am still fairly new to blogging and want to be able to promote my blog as much as possible and be more present on social media. Working a full time job and maintaining a home can keep me busy enough to forget to actively post on social media. So giving myself a checklist is a perfect way to stick to it. And let's face it, who doesn't like checking things off? 

I also plan on tracking Bills, Paydays, Work, To-Do's, and because I am a TV enthusiast I will also include the schedule for some of my favourite TV shows.

How do you use your planner? 

Let me know down below in the comments. 

xo 

J 

I Bought an Erin Condren Life Planner!

I've mentioned before that one of my New Year's Resolutions was to be more organized and so far it has been the only resolution that I've been able to stick to!

I did a bunch of research beforehand to figure out what kind of planner would work best for me and that was when I first discovered the Erin Condren Life planner. But I just couldn't bring myself to pay the 50+ dollars for something I wasn't even sure I would use regularly.

I knew I wanted something significantly cheaper but also equally as pretty so I went for the Kate Spade Small Planner.  I have been using it to keep track of all my appointments, bills, and daily to-do's.
So far, this has been working great for me, but I found that I was starting to grow out of it. With the addition of a blog schedule to keep track of, this agenda just wasn't giving me the space I needed to plan for the blog as well as everything else happening in my life.

I frequent the Erin Condren Website quite often to admire the pretty planners and supplies and noticed that the 2015 Life Planners were 25% off! So I did it! I got myself an Erin Condren Life Planner! YAY!!!

I'm sorry, I just can't contain my excitement! I'm anxiously awaiting it's arrival and to be embarrassingly honest, I check the website multiple times a day to check the status of my order.  A week later and it's still pending.... It's making me crazy!

When I'm not checking if my order has shipped, I'm on Pinterest, Instagram, and Youtube checking out cute ways I can decorate my planner when I do finally receive it.

I seriously CANNOT wait until I get my hands on this planner! I've already developed a mild obsession with washi tape and am well on my way to becoming a sticker junkie!

What are your favourite ways to decorate your planner? Let me know below in the comments.

See you soon
-J

5 Tips to Make Time for Reading!

I love to read. For me, reading is a way of escaping real life and getting lost in a whole different world for a little while. But with a full-time job, maintaining a home and now blogging I have been finding it a little difficult to actually find time to read!

So I put together a little list of helpful tips to make time for reading.

1) Choose books you actually WANT to read
          This is probably the most important tip. I find that when you are in a reading slump and you pick up a really good book that you are very interested in, it is hard to put down. You are more likely to make time for reading if you can't wait to find out what happens next!

2) ALWAYS carry a book with you
           I'm one of those people who always carries a fairly large handbag so I can lug my book(s) around with me. If you don't want to carry a heavy book around try an e-reader, or a book app (I use ibooks) on your cell phone. You never know when you will have a few minutes to pull it out and read. I take public transit to and from work so for me that is when I get most of my reading done. I also read a lot when I'm waiting for appointments.

3) Set a daily reading goal and keep track
          Sometimes it is easier to get through a book if you break it up into smaller sections. Set a goal for yourself to finish one chapter a day or 30 pages a day. You can use sticky notes to section these off so you don't feel like it's such a daunting task. It also really helps me when I keep track of how much I'm reading each day. I use the Goodreads app to track my progress.

4) Set a time for reading
          Schedule a time for reading each day, and treat it like an appointment you cannot miss! This doesn't have to be the exact same time each day. But if you know you have a break in your schedule use that break to read. Or read for 30 mins before bed every night.

5)Try an Audiobook
          If you are super strapped for time, are always on the go and have absolutely no time at all to sit down and read a book then try listening to one instead. I listened to my first Audiobook on Audible this year, and found I quite enjoyed it. I did miss actually holding a book in my hands but it is so convenient to be able to listen to it when you are cleaning, walking, driving or doing anything else that your busy life entails.

Thanks for reading and I hope you found these tips helpful!
How do you make time for reading? Let me know down below.

-J

Current Favourites

Hey Guys,

I wanted to share my favourites with all of you! I don't think my faves change enough for a monthly favourites post but here are some of my current favourites.
These aren't just going to be beauty related, it will consist of a little bit of everything I'm loving at the moment.
Disclaimer: *everything mentioned in this post was purchased with my own money*

Beauty:

Palettes:
 Urban Decay Naked on the Run Palette: I have been using this palette so much during this past month and have been really enjoying it. Check out my full review here: http://lipglosslibrary.blogspot.ca
 Tarte- Tartelette palette: When I'm not wearing the naked on the run shadows this is what's on my eyes! I am absolutely OBSESSED with this palette. The consistency of these shadows are soooo smooth! Which is sometimes hard to come by with matte shadows.

         

Blush:
I have been using the same blushes consistently for the past few months. These are some of my favourites for the autumn months

 Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush- Adventurous ( I received this is a holiday set, not sure if it's available for individual sale)
 MAC Mineralize Blush- Lovejoy
MAC Powder Blush- Coppertone

Highlight:
My go-to highlight at the moment is
The Balm- Mary-Lou Manizer
Contour:
BECCA- Hilight /Lowlight palette

Lips:
I have pretty much been wearing one lip colour for the past few months and that would be
MAC Lip Pencil- Soar
Another more recent favourite is
Urban Decay Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss - Sesso (from the Naked on the Run palette)

Brushes:
I have been in love with real techniques for a long while now so its no surprise that my favourite brushes at the moment are both Real Techniques.
Real Techniques- Expert Face Brush (for applying and buffing foundation)
Real Techniques- Setting brush (for applying highlight)

Some of my Random/Lifestyle Favourites:

Scents:
Bath & Body Works- Wild Madagascar Vanilla Shower Gel
Viktor & Rolf- Flowerbomb

Book:
My most recent favourite read was The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend- by Kody Keplinger
It was a super quick read and was the perfect thing to get me out of a reading slump. It was fun and fast-paced. However, it was probably not a book i would have picked up if I wasn't one of those
"I need to read the book before I watch the movie" type of people.




Movie:
Once I read The DUFF I knew I needed to see the movie. The movie was VERY different than the book which is usually a pet peeve of mine, but it this case it was perfect! I loved this movie, it was light and fun and focused on a lot of issues that teens face today. And what can I say, who doesn't love it when the underdog comes out on top.

TV:
Anybody who knows me knows that I watch way too much TV for my own good. Which makes narrowing down my favourites extremely difficult.

How to Get Away with Murder- This is one of those shows where I cannot miss an episode. If you don't watch this, you NEED to! The first season just ended with the most insane season finale ever!
Empire- This show is a new find for me. I saw a preview for it and set my PVR to record immediately. I recently marathoned all the episodes i had recorded and I am OBSESSED! There is so much drama in this show but not enough to be overwhelming. The cast and the guest stars of the show are amazing.


Drink:
I'm back on the green tea bandwagon. My favourite right now is
Tetley- Honey-Lemon Ginsing Green tea
I'm also trying to up my water intake and it helps when you're drinking out of something pretty
Starbucks Tumbler

Agenda:
One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to be more organized. And I am very proud to say that I have been sticking to it!
So my Kate Spade Agenda and my FriXon Erasable Markers have been favourites for the past few months.
I haven't started really decorating my planner yet because I wanted to force myself to actually use it first. But I plan on experimenting with that soon.

Stay tuned for planner decorating :)

What are your current favourites? Let me know down below :)

                                      -J

Urban Decay: Naked on the Run

I recently ordered this product from Sephora online and was so excited when it was delivered. 

I have been testing it out for the past couple of weeks and am really enjoying it. 

The palette provides most of what you would need for all the finishing touches of your makeup look.
*everything mentioned in this post was purchased with my own money*

The packaging is Beautiful! 

I've been obsessed with rose gold for a while so I was all over this as soon as I saw it.

It is a little bulkier than most other palettes I've seen which was easily excusable given how much was inside of it. 

Eyeshadows : 

The colours of the shadows are all pretty flattering

(3 shimmers, 2 mattes)

 I would have preferred if there was a darker colour that was a matte finish

They also include a shimmery champagne colour that can be used as a highlight 

Blush/Bronzer:

The bronzer in this palette doesn't make me jump for joy but I don't have anything negative to say about it either. It's very smooth and applies easily to the skin so that's a bonus!

The blush is very pigmented, I was a little surprised when I applied it for the first time as it is a lot more pink than I am used to. 

So apply this one with a light hand. 

Lipgloss:

The lipgloss is probably my favourite thing in the palette. It's the perfect pink toned nude to fit any skin tone and it's so smooth! It goes on like a dream.

Mascara/Eyeliner

The palette also includes the Urban Decay perversion mascara which is a lengthening and volumizing mascara. It seems to both of those things just fine.

I was happy to see that they included the 24/7 glide on eye pencil in this kit because these are some of my favourite eyeliners out there. They are very easy to work with no matter what look you're going for. 

The palette retails for C$64 which may seem a little steep to some, but for all that it includes I think it is totally worth it. It's the perfect gift for someone just getting into to makeup or just discovering the Urban Decay brand. And it gives the opportunity to try out multiple products within the brand.

Talk to you soon,

-J

Follow me on...

After doing loads of research on starting a blog, I decided i should take one of the first key steps in establishing a blog following... 

Social Media

I have gone ahead and set myself up on some of my favorite social media sites.

You can find me on... 

Pinterest:

 https://www.pinterest.com/lipglosslibrary/

Instagram:

 https://instagram.com/lipglosslibrary/

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/lipglosslibrary

See you soon,

           -J

Welcome to LipglossLibrary

Hey Guys,

Welcome to my first blog post EVER!

LipglossLibrary is a way for me to share my obsession of all things makeup, and the books I'm currently reading/loving with the world!

I'm still figuring out this whole blogging thing so you'll have to bear with me.
I will be posting on a schedule once i figure out what works best for me, hopefully it doesn't take me too long to get into the swing of things...

Please feel free to leave any tips or suggestions in the comments section.
Thanks for reading, and following!


-J