Kerastase Chroma Sensitive: I don't recommend this Shampoo

Earlier last month I went to my salon I got hot pink highlights put in my hair. I bought $41(not including tax) bottle of Kerastase Reflection Chroma Sensitive Caressing Cleansing Balm. It says it helps prevent fade for demanding colours.

I used this shampoo on and off for 3 weeks and every time I used it the colour did not wash out. It doesnt have much of a lather to it and my hair had a film on it after rinsing for 10 minutes. My hair became extremely greasy the next day, making it hard to manage. Overall this was not worth it.

The Gluten Free Diary

I wanted to share a few new gluten free finds. Rudi's bread vs. Udi's. I recommend to eat just plain, with butter and defrosted or toasted. It's fluffy texture and butter sweet taste is just delicious. Rudi's has a nice texture, but it burns easily in the toaster and isn't as soft as the Udi's brand. Overall both are nice.

Rudi's GF Bread can be found at Fred Meyers. Udi's GF Bread can be found at Whole Foods, Save On Foods.

This week I will be visiting a chocolatier in Vancouver to do a review on some chocolate and my favourite dessert ever! Macarons at Leonida's Chocolates.

Yellow Trend Alert

Affordable additions for your spring & summer wardrobe.

Olive & Oak $35 at Loehmann's

Lulu $12 at Nordstrom

Candace Skirt $48 at Need Supply Co.

Soprano Blouse in Lemon $25 at Loehmann's

Aeropostale $17 Sale

Delia's $40

Aeropostale $6 Sale

Crinkled Cotton Gauze $25 at Lori's Shoes

Banana Republic $20

Aeropostale $5 Sale

Easter Jelly Bean Nail Art

What you will need:

Toothpicks
Plastic disposable dish
4-6 shades of nail varnish
My picks for this tutorial are:
Color Club - Forsythe
Essie - Turquoise & Caicos
Sally Hansen - Power Pink
Anna Sui - 239
Rimmel - Nail Tip Whitener
NYX - Pastel Lavender
Avon - Apricot Mystery

Choose a base colour for each one of your nails. Choose random colours and textures. The more random the better they look.

For the Paint Splatter design:
I used a toothpick and a dollop of Forsythe in my plate. I swirled it around until it started to thicken and get all stringy. I pulled strands of the polish and arranged them on my nail. Dotting and dragging the toothpick along the nail in random directions. Let dry and apply two coats of top coat.

For the Ditsy Dots design:
I used a clean tooth pick and a dollop of Rimmel Nail Tip Whitener in the plate. Best used when nail varnish is liquid form. Apply random dots all over your nail, then go back and apply dots next to the first dots. Twin them! Apply two coats of TC and voila!

What's for Dinner: Gluten Free Lamb Stew with Mustard Greens

I added quarter red radishes in my version.

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, lean lamb stew meat, cut in 1 in. cubes
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 cup all potato starch
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 lg. (1 cup) onion, sliced thin
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

• 4 cups mustard greens
• 3 tbsp. Tamari sauce
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Lamb Preparation:

Sprinkle lamb with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Coat with potato starch. Heat oil in an oven safe pot over medium-high heat. Brown lamb a few pieces at a time in the hot oil. Remove to slow cooker. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly golden. Stir in the water, scraping up the caramelized bits on bottom of pot. Transfer onion mixture to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on med/high for 4 to 5 hours, adding peas during the last 30 to 45 minutes.

Greens Preparation:

Using the same pot, pre-heat to medium/high heat, place freshly rinsed mustard greens and water into the pot. As the liquid steams the greens add tamari sauce and sugar. Stir to coat the greens with the liquid, reduce heat to medium/low. Place a lid over the pot and let stand for 3-5 minutes. Shut heat off and your greens are ready to serve as a side with the lamb.

Girly Nail Polishes for Spring/Summer 2012

A nice Rosy colour for every day wear.

I've never owned a pale purple nail polish before, so this is the cool toned purple that I chose.

Such a beautiful apricot/nude shade, it will compliment any skin tone.

 

 Anna Sui 229 is a pale purple with glitter and this polish smells like Lychee

Silver Shimmery Lilac Shade looks gorgeous for painting designs, shimmery french tips or worn alone.

February/March Haul Highlights

This scarf was purchased at Bluenotes which was also known as Thriftys in it's earlier days. This may still be available online at www.blnts.com I quite like the thin gauze like texture and the colour contrast of oranges, greens, yellows and black; it will be great for the warmer weather just as an accessory piece.

Pandora-style Bracelet and Charms were purchased on Ebay from various vendors, if you're interested please leave me a comment.

Danier Leather is a North American Leather company. This lusciously soft lambskin leather jacket has been the splurge purchase of my February/March Collective Haul.

Floral Scarf from H&M, SaMo

While I was vacationing in Los Angeles, it was very cold and windy during the 1-2 day rain storms. I didn't bring any warm clothing as I thought the weather would be quite warm. So I purchased this scarf at the H&M on 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, it kept me warm while I traveled back to Los Angeles.

Double finger ring by Forever 21, SaMo

Sterling Silver Swirl Ring from Kohl's, SaMo

Nail Polish in this photo is Turquoise & Caicos by Essie. I really love this nail polish it has a built in gloss finish, the applicator is quite nice and sturdy as well. I didn't use a base or top coat, only used 2 coats of the nail polish to cover my nails and it lasted a week without any chipping. I just had to remove the nail polish due to my nail growth.

Cape Coat from Kohl's, SaMo

I was extremely excited to find this coat in Santa Monica as I've been searching for the perfect cape coat for about 2 or 3 years now. I found this one in a size M/L, luckily it had adjustable straps on the inside to make it smaller. It's got lovely pockets and large button detailing. <3 it!

Bodycon Knee Length Skirt from Forever 21, SaMo

I was looking for a nice striped bodycon skirt. I was extremely surprised to find it in the knee length style also, especially at Forever 21. As their skirts are usually minis, I'm not a huge fan of them as I cannot wear them to work or on a daily basis. They just don't work out for my lifestyle.

Mini Lush Haul: Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask, Mint Julips Edible Lip Scrub, Grease Lightning Cleanser (smells divine).

 I used the Love Lettuce face mask about once a week to soak up some oil and to exfoliate with the almond shell grainy bits. It's a lovely mask and I recommend it for oily combination skin.

I finally purchased a Mint Julips lip scrub after watching MissGlamorazzi talk about it and how good it tastes. I just had to try it out and I agree 100% it tastes delicious and it works really well.

I also use the Grease Lightning gel as a toner before bed, in the morning I mix it with my moisturizer and apply it before make up. I don't find it helps zap my spots too much, but it surely does help with oil control.  

February/March Favourites: Maybelline Baby Lips in Peach Kiss, EOS Lip Balm in Peppermint, Lush Honey Trap Lip Balm, Revlon Colorstay Foundation in 250 Fresh Beige & Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait.

At first when purchasing the Baby Lips in Peach Kiss I thought it would have more pigmentation to give me a nude or shimmery sheen on my lips. But it didn't, it is more of a lip balm sheen, overall it is very moisturizing and smells quite lovely. I don't really like the taste of it though, it has a sweet wax-like taste. But I'm open to trying the other shades/scents/flavours.

The EOS Lip Balms have been the big hype on YouTube for a lot of the beauty gurus. From my personal experience I find the overall efficiency of this lip balm to be hit or miss. I find it moisturizes when you apply it, but it wears off fairly quickly. I love the packing of the product and I may purchase another scent just to compare the two.

Lush Honey Trap Lip Balm is so moisturizing, it smells like honey and roses and it tastes divine. I find the tin quite hard to open, I wish it came in one of those lip scrub jars with the screw top. I will definitely recommend this and purchase again.

Revlon Colorstay has been great with my acne-prone, oily combination skin. It has a full coverage with a dewy finish. On days where I prefer the light to medium coverage I tend to mix a small drop of this foundation with Lush Grease Lightning and my moisturizer to make a tinted moisturizer. I apply it with my clean fingers or sometimes when I'm in a hurry I will use my ELF powder brush to buff it into my skin. I recommend this product as it caters to many different skin types. I use the oily combination skin version of this product and I love it.