The Pursuit of Happiness

So this isn't cosmetic related at all. In fact, Sweetdarlingblog.com will no longer be just a beauty blog anymore. I want it to be a safe place to vent, share recipes, talk beauty and just take a few minutes to myself to post. 

Sorry that the following post is so long- it was very healing to put everything into words.

I created Sweet Darling Blog during the hardest time of my life. For the first time absolutely nothing was working out. Stress dominated me when my high pressure job demanded more or when I though of how I was going to survive my Bachelor's degree. My anxiety was uncontrollable- it felt as if no matter how hard I tried to breath my lungs would not accept the air. My relationship with Bb has always been a source of comfort but when everything feels as if it is falling apart there is only so much support one can give you. You have to be there for yourself.

Two days before Christmas my Grandfather passed away. It was the worst end, to the worst year possible. Although we were not very close, his death made me reevaluate my life (and trust me, sitting in a funeral home for three days gives you time to think). He was a man who spent his entire life blaming his unhappiness on those around him. Up until his death he blamed his wife for all his shortcomings. I didn't want to be the kind of person who spends their entire life thinking that everything is shit. 

On New Years Eve I made myself a promise. A promise to myself to do everything in my power to make things better; to be happy. I couldn't watch another year pass like 2012. 

I started 2013 off by taking a trip to the Dominican Republic. 

It was my first week in a long time without a single anxiety attack. I woke up at 6am to walk down the beach, I read for hours by the pool and the locals taught me how to bachata.
It was the perfect detox for my stressed out system. I came back ready to make some serious changes.

First thing I did was tackle my University issues. I had spent the entire exam period in tears and failed two of my core courses. Psychology was clearly not for me. On a whim I changed into Political Science and three weeks in love my program. It will take me much longer to finish my Bachelor's but that's okay- it is all part of the journey.

After adjusting one of the worst sources of stress in my life I changed little things. I cleaned out my closets, signed up for a multitude of things that make me happy (hello adult ballet!) and started to meditate again. 

The only thing left to fix was work. I still am currently working at the same job as prior to the New Year and it is still as stressful as ever. Throughout the holiday season I applied everywhere- begging for an opportunity to try something new. Despite 5 years retail experience I couldn't find a new job. 

After a relaxing evening with Bb (sometimes happiness is watching Discovery Chanel in a snuggie!) I opened my emails to find something amazing and frightening.
There it was.

An invitation to a group interview at Lululemon.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
I still can't believe my eyes!

The interview is later this week and I find myself questioning my opportunity. Negative comments come to mind and tell me things like "It will be just as stressful" or "You won't fit in".
It's hard to say what will happen.
It's just time to work with the theme of the year and just try to be happy.
I have to keep telling myself that it is just an interview- nothing binding. 

I wish I was one of those wonderful people who believes that everything happens for a reason.

(Delicious) Korres Lip Butters

Sephora makes the most amazing holiday sets. 
I grabbed this set of three full sized Korres Lip Butters Trio for only $32 CAD (usually a single butter is $16).
 

Usually I don't like pots of lip products because I can't use them when I'm outside of the house for fear of germ contaminated hands. I've heard so many good things about this product so I threw all those fears aside and decided to go for it anyways.

The colours are absolutely stunning and they give you a healthy little flush to the lips. Especially in the winter when we aren't as good to our lips as we should be a little colour goes a long way.
They are so moisturizing! I'm so happy I decided to go for it after all. These are one of the best things I've ever used on my lips.

The Korres Lip Butter set comes with the tints of Jasmine, Wild Rose and Pomegranate. 

The Jasmine is nice and light, just a little pink.
The Wild Rose is the darkest of the three and it just gives a kissing flush to the lips.

The Pomegranate is absolutely lovely because it has a light fushia pink look.

It's impossible to pick a favourite- they really are too beautiful.

Left to right: Jasmine, Wild Rose, Pomegranate.

Has anyone tried these lovely butters before? What do you think? What are your lip favourites?

They're (not so) Real!

A recent shopping trip to Toronto convinced me that I needed to try Benefits They're Real!

 I've been a Bad Lash Gal for years but when the Sephora sales associate told me that this would make my lashes even more luscious than Bad Lash I had to give it a try. Especially with the combo pack of one full sized They're Real! with the smaller travel size for just under $30 CAD- how could you go wrong?

Benefit is one of my absolute favourite makeup brands and I expected a transcendent lash experience from They're Real!. I was slightly concerned that it was not snow proof and it would cause smudging (in Montreal snow right now is major makeup hazard).
If you look below you can see the revolutionary brush that They're Real! is famous for.

As you can see from the photograph there is already some clumping action on the brush.

After giving this highly anticipated mascara a try I was very disappointed. 

Although it did give my lashes beautiful volume and length but there was a lot of clumping and within a week my bottle had started to dry out and flake. In all fairness though, it was snow proof after all and after walking downtown for a day it didn't look runny.
This product is great for anyone who wants the va-va-voom lashes but also has the patience to use the brush to separate each individual eye lash.
Unfortunately I do not have that kind of patience and They're Real! found its way back to Sephora and was returned.

This was one of those products I really wanted to fall in love with but it just wasn't meant to be.
Any hyped up products that broke your heart after trying them?

Sexy Red Nails

Last Christmas Bb gave me this lovely nail polish in my stocking. I was lusting over sexy red nails and had yet to find the perfect shade. Amazingly Bb had found it all by himself.

Not too dark, not too light OPI Vodka & Caviar is definitely it.
This is from OPI's Russian collection and it's a beauty!
In between turning pages and highlighting them in my textbook I treated myself to a quick manicure.
Ah, it's just so festive and long lasting!

 How can you go wrong?

OPI Vodka & Caviar

5 Essential Products to Survive Exams

Tis the season for exam stress. 
Two exams down and two to go. I'm about ready to call it quits and work minimum wage in a shop for the rest of my life. This year has been the hardest academic year of my life. I'm absolutely dying to change programs but until then I can only attempt to survive exams. 

The following post is a list of essential cosmetics to help get you through exams.

1. Lip Balms/ Lip Butters

It's winter, we're all stressed and our lips are taking a beating!
We bite them when we're stressed, we are dehydrated from countless cups of coffee and the cold air doesn't help. So keep those lips moisturized by regularly applying a lip balm or lip butter to ensure that they stay soft and flake free.

My Current Favourite Lip Products: Caudalie Lip Conditioner, Blistex Lip Medex, Korres Lip Butter and Izzi Lip Balm.

2. Hand Cream/ Cuticle Butters
When I am stressed I have a terrible tendency to bite my nails. So for those of you out there who have the same habit (you know who you are), you should be applying hand cream and cuticle butter regularly to help keep your nails and cuticles healthy.
Even if you aren't a nail bitter turning textbook page after textbook page can leave your hands incredibly dry. So take care of those mitts so you won't have itchy dry hands to ruin your concentration!

My Current Favourite Hand Products: Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Hand Cream, L'Occitaine Lavander Hand Cream and Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter.

 (BONUS: Lemony Flutter can also be used on the lips!)

3. Makeup Remover

When I'm sleep deprived and have been studying for the past 6 hours the last thing I have the energy for is to remove my makeup. Exams are a time when taking care of myself takes second place to my GPA. Even when I'm ready to die from exhaustion I at least try to using makeup removing wipes at the end of the day. I leave a pack of Say Yes to Blueberries Cleansing and Moisturizing Wipes next to my bed so even when I'm too tired to wash my face at least I can remove some dirt from the day.

The last thing anybody needs is clogged pores.

My Current Favourite Makeup Removers: Philosophy Just Release Me, Say Yes to Blueberries Wipes, Bioderma Sensibio H2O, Caudalie Cleansing Water.

4. Dry Shampoo

In my stressed out, sleep deprived state the last thing I want to do is take a shower. Those precious extra 20 minutes in bed are worth more than anything. Yesterday when my alarm went off at 5am I was ready to give up my first born child for the chance to hit the snooze button.
Dry Shampoo is an excellent solution because it helps refresh your hair in between showers. So you can indulge in your extra snooze time and still make it out the door looking pretty good. 

My Current Dry Shampoos : Oscar Blandi Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray (it is amazing!!!), Cake Satin Sugar and Lush No Drought.
(Cake Satin Sugar and No drought are products that I've been using lately but I'm really not impressed with the whole powder dry shampoo.)

5. Deodorant
 I know what you're thinking. 'Isn't it obvious that I should wear deodorant?' Well apparently it isn't because too many people seem to be suffering from sweat stains and body odor. Exam time is stressful, if you are the type of person who sweats when they are nervous it is time to invest in a clinical type of deodorant. I use two different deodorants- my everyday one which is aluminum free and then a clinical strength one for when I get really stressed.
Keep dry during exams, for the sake of your own comfort and the comfort of those around you.

My Current Favourite Deodorants: Lavanilla Vanilla Grapefruit Deodorant and Dove Wild Rose Clinical Strength Deodorant.
(As much as I love the Lavanilla Deodorant it really cannot handle exam pressure.)

Good luck to everyone who are suffering through their exams right now. 

It's the final stretch and soon it'll be the winter holidays.

What products are essential for you during exams?

Exam Hiatus

I've been awake since 5am.
In the past week I've pulled an all nighter, cried several times and I am now in a Starbucks crying into my Pumpkin Spice Latte just wishing for the end.
Yes, you've guessed right- it's exam time.
Sorry for the lack of posts but between university killing me and working too many hours there has not been much time to post.
I'm going to try and post within the next 48 hours.
You know, if my Anthropology exam coming up doesn't kill me.

Who else here is fighting the good fight?
Good luck to everyone in exams. I'm feeling your pain right now.
Dec 21st couldn't come fast enough.*


*Meaning exams will be over, not the end of the world.
 If the world ends as soon as I finish exams I'm going to be so upset.

Sephora 500 Point Gift: NARS

Whoa! Sorry for the little hiatus from posting. My first batch of university exams are coming up and I'm feeling the stress (along with an intense urge to take bubble baths, eat chocolate and sleep for 18 hours). I'll try to post as much as possible throughout the crazy times.

When I saw that Sephora was carrying a 500 point Beauty Insider NARS gift I couldn't help myself. I needed it! I've been DYING to try their blush in the shade of orgasm.

Oh my, my, my- what a kit!
It contained...
 Nars Blush in Orgasm
Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover
Nars Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer
Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

First let's start with the Nars blush in Orgasm. The second I saw it I knew I needed to own it.

It has a pink-peachy colour with a little bit of shimmer in it. It looks amazing on almost every skin type. It is one of those iconic products that needed to find a home on my vanity.
Even just the name orgasm makes me feel sexier wearing it.
When you feel sexy you look sexy.If you're going to try one Nars blush make it Orgasm. It is absolutely worth the hype.
Long lasting, highly pigmented- you just cannot go wrong with Nars.

Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover
This lip pencil has made a permanent home in my purse. Not only it is a stunning shade (Strawberry pink with hints of gold) but it is so easy to apply! I can even apply it on public transport and not worry about sticking my fingers in a pot of something.
The gold warms up any complexion and it goes beautifully with the Orgasm Blush.

If you wanted to go all out with Nars you could use the Super Orgasm Blush which contains gold flecks inside of it. That is a sexy hot mess of a look. This lip pencil makes the addict in me crave the Nars Blush in Super Orgasm.

Nars Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer
I was really split on this primer. I wanted to love it with all my heart with the passion of any Nars addict but my opinion is really split it half.
I love the way it sets my makeup but the texture just feels wrong.
I hate gel anything and unfortunately this product is no exception. It does get bonus points for being oil free so it wont make oily faces greasy. Probably will not purchase this product once the sample is over but you never know.

Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
I haven't given this product a try yet. I very rarely wear eyeshadow because it will inevitably crease on me. This eyeshadow base claims it will stop the creasing and the smudging that makes me just say 'forget it' when it comes to eyeshadow on an everyday basis.
We shall see! Fingers crossed for an eye primer miracle. If not I've heard amazing things about the Urban Decay primer.

This was by far the best 500 point gift I've ever seen Sephora carry.
The only real complaint I have about the gift is that Nars products are very prone to getting dirty because of their cases but it's part of the Nars charm. No big deal. Lovely gift!

Anyone ever snag a really fantastic beauty insider gift? If so, what did you get?