Find Me At My New Blog!

As some of you may know from my previous blog post, I've created a new blog and website! My new website is a place for me to share my love of blogging while also being a home to my design portfolio and services. My new blog will still have posts about beauty and lifestyle, but it'll also have posts about graphic design, social media, branding, and other topics I'm interested in! It's been so much fun here at Lipstick & Lacquer for the past few years, but I'm so excited about this new endeavor and I hope you'll join me over on my new site!

You can check out my new blog and website at www.laurenschroer.com and follow me on Bloglovin' here!

Blog Update

Hi everyone! Sorry for kind of disappearing this week and not posting! I've been hard at work on an exciting new project! 

I'm currently rebranding my blog and graphic design website and will be combining the two! I'll be relaunching my website and blog in 1-2 weeks! My blog will contain more design, blogging, and business related content, while still including beauty and lifestyle content as well! I feel like with my blog and design work combined into one website, it'll give readers a chance to get to know me better and I'll have a better opportunity to share more of my knowledge and interests too. My website will also be a place for me to share my design portfolio and services for anyone who's interested! I don't have a set date for the relaunch, but keep an eye on my Instagram and Twitter for any updates along the way! I'll of course post here when my new website launches too! I'm really excited about this new endeavor and I hope you guys are excited too!

Real Floral Manicure | Nail of the Day

For Easter weekend I wanted to do a fun, springy manicure! I came across this Ciaté Flower Manicure kit in Bada Bloom (such a cute name!) at Winners last summer, so I decided to finally try it out! It's a kit that comes with little dried pressed flowers, a nail polish, a top coat, tweezers, and a nail file. 

To get this look, I first applied Seche Base as my base coat. Then, I applied 2 coats of a pastel blue polish. The kit came with a Ciaté pastel blue polish in Ferris Wheel, but I found that after even 3 coats of it, it was still sheer and streaky in places so I ended up using a Formula X by Sephora polish in Infatuated instead. Once the blue had dried completely, I then applied a layer of the Ciaté top coat, followed by picking up and placing 1-2 flowers onto each nail. I used the back of the tweezers to gently press them into the top coat so that they'd stick. After doing each nail like that one at a time, I applied another layer of the top coat as they recommended. Then I took the nail file from the kit and gently filed any flowers down that were hanging off the top edge of my nails to smooth the edges. Once all my nails were dry, I felt like my nails were still quite bumpy and I could feel the flowers poking up through the top coat in places. To smooth them out as much as possible, I ended up applying another layer of the Ciaté top coat, and when that wasn't enough I went in and applied Seche Vite over the top. With those 3 layers of top coat my nails were much more smoothed out.

This manicure wore better than I expected over the weekend. After 3 days of wear, the purple flowers were all still in tact, but some of the pink and blue flowers had begun wearing off. I think this is a beautiful manicure if you have an event or just want a springy manicure for a couple of days, but it's not a super long wearing one. I think in the future I'll try just applying flowers to one nail as an accent nail, that way if the flowers wear off I can just repaint that one nail to go with the rest of my manicure. It was still a fun look to wear on my nails though and I got many compliments! People seemed to be really impressed that they were actually real flowers! It's a good manicure for people who aren't very good at nail art to try too, since all you have to do is place the flowers on your nails!

I don't believe these Ciaté manicure kits are still available, but it would be super easy to achieve a look like this with dried flowers you can find elsewhere. Ebay has a ton of inexpensive ones!

Would you ever try a manicure with real flowers? What other fun nail art decorations have you tried?

Also, I'm running an Instagram giveaway and it closes tomorrow! Check it out and enter if you haven't!!

Julep Maven Box | April 2015

I got my Julep Maven box in the mail the other day so I thought I'd show you what I got inside of it! I used my Jules points to get this box, so it ended up being free for me too which is always nice! I actually forgot what I had selected for my box when I received it, so opening it was a little bit of a surprise for me! I got the April Classic With a Twist box. This box included 2 polishes and a clear brow gel, which is new to the Julep product range. And, as per usual, I also got some candy in the box with a little packet of Gobstoppers (nail polish, brow products, and candy? Julep knows the way to my heart)!

The two polishes I got in my box are stunning shades for the spring and summer. I got Jenna, a tangerine creme, and Connie, a bright magenta plum creme. Both of these shades are quite unique to my collection and I'm really excited to try them out! I think they'd both make gorgeous toe colours as well. When swatched, Jenna applied evenly and opaque in just 1 coat, but Connie required 3 coats for an opaque finish because it had a slightly more jelly texture.

In this collection, Julep had quite a few new brow products available. I ended up choosing a box with only the clear brow gel because I wasn't particularly interested in the other ones since I enjoy my Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade so much. I'm always down to try a clear brow gel though, because it's such a daily staple for me! The product I received was the Lock Down Your Brows Iconic Brow Gel. It comes in a silver tube (which is always good, so I don't see how gross it'll eventually look inside) with a really tiny wand for precision. The brow gels I've used in the past have all had standard mascara wand type applicators, so I'm excited to try this small one to see if it works better for me! It claims to tame your brows in a natural way and last all day long without crunchiness or flaking. It also claims to condition the brow hairs and prevent breakage, as well as encourage regrowth in sparse areas. I don't know if it'll live up to those claims, but even if it keeps my brows in place all day I'm sure I'll be pleased enough with it.

I really couldn't be more pleased with this box. Sometimes in Julep boxes there are one or two products that I'm not super interested in, but this box was a hit. I really can't wait to use all of these products, and the fact that it was free just makes it even sweeter!

Sign up to get your first Julep Maven box for FREE!

(Because what's better than free nail polish?)

Pretty Pastel Polishes

Spring, to me, is a time for pastel nails. Especially with Easter coming up, I know I'll definitely be wearing some nice pastels on my nails. They're a fun way of having a colourful manicure without being too bright. You can even wear a different pastel shade on each nail for a fun Mini Egg-like manicure! Here are some of my favourite pastel shades!

Julep Kelsey / Julep Lilou / China Glaze In A Lily Bit / Essie Cascade Cool / Essie Bikini So Teeny / Essie Under Where? / Essie Fashion Playground

What are some of your favourite pastel polishes?

March Favourites | 2015

It's monthly favourites time once again! Today I have my March favourites to share with you! March was a bittersweet month for me. Some things came to an end like the Target I worked at closing down and Glee having its series finale, but I also have some new and exciting things in the works too! I'm so glad it's spring now, though it has been cold lately. Hopefully by the time I write my next monthly favourites post we will have had some nice weather! Anyway, onto the favourites!

MAC x Toledo Ripe Peach Blush Ombré / I know, this is a limited edition product, but I really did get quite a lot of wear out of this blush this past month! It's a beautiful peachy pink shade that gives the cheeks a nice healthy glow. I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of it over the spring and summer!

Colourpop Super Shock Shadows in La La and Desert / I finally got around to trying out the Colourpop shadows this month and the formula really is as good as everyone says it is! The two shades I got are both light, warm toned golden browns (one metallic, one satin), but they make for lovely everyday eyeshadow colours.

H&M Gold Bar Pendant Necklace / I've wanted a bar pendant necklace for a little while and I spotted this beauty at H&M this month for only $5.95! I've worn it quite a few times this month and I really love it! I hope to find a similar necklace in silver to wear on days I wear silver jewelry!

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge / I love this sponge. I've gone through a couple of them because they do stain and get a bit grubby looking, but they work so nicely at applying foundation! Lately I've been opting for a more moisturized and glowy complexion, rather than heavy and matte as I wore during the winter months, and this sponge helps me achieve that look!

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Marvelous Mauve / Apparently this is a highly sought-after lip product at the moment and I'm so glad I have it in my collection. I found this at Sephora at the end of February and managed to scoop up the last one in the store. Since then I haven't seen it in stock at any Sephora I've been to, so I'm lucky I got it when I did! It's a gorgeous neutral mauvey pink shade on the lips and it seriously lasts all day long. I now have 3 shades from this range and I'd love to get more!

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Bellissima / I've had this lipstick for quite a while actually (I hauled it last June) but I always thought it was too light of a lip colour for me. Well, I tried it on again this month and ended up loving how it looked! I even included it in my most recent Get Ready With Me video since I find it to be a beautiful colour for spring!

Sephora Formula X in Thrilling / I'm still on a nude polish kick, and I gave this one a try this month and really loved it. The formula and application were fantastic, and it also lasted over a week on my nails with very minimal chipping (and I was working with my hands quite a bit)! I'm so "thrilled" with this polish (see what I did there? ;) haha!).

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven / One of my goals this year was to read 1 book a month. Well, this was supposed to be my February book but I didn't end up finishing it until mid-March (whoops!). I did really enjoy this book though! It's said to be comparable to The Fault in Our Stars and Eleanor & Park (two books I enjoyed as well) and I can see the similarities in the book styles for sure. I'd say if you like YA fiction to give this one a read! It's also being made into a movie apparently so I'm excited for that!

Those are my favourites from March! What products have you been enjoying the past month?

Get Ready With Me | Navy Liner + Peach Lips for Spring

Hello everyone! I've been wanting to make more videos lately so yesterday I filmed a Get Ready With Me featuring this spring look inspired by a photo I recently posted on Instagram. I really love this look and will definitely be wearing it a lot this spring and summer! I love the subtle hint of colour the navy liner gives and the peach lip is so nice for the springtime. If you have any more video ideas for me, let me know! I'm thinking of doing a spring lookbook when it's a little bit warmer out too!

GIVEAWAY! Win a Custom Portrait Illustration!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I am doing a giveaway on there! I promised that when I reached 1,000 Instagram followers I would do a giveaway of a custom portrait illustration, and I finally reached 1,000! If you didn't already know, I'm a graphic designer and illustrator and have been doing a lot of these custom portrait illustrations this year (you can see some on my Instagram and my website). So, one person is going to win a custom portrait illustration by me! I also do commission based illustrations and design work so if you're interested in that then feel free to email me at laurenschroerdesign@gmail.com!

If you'd like to enter, here are all the details!

Sonia Kashuk Monochrome Eye Quad in Textured Mauve | Review + Swatches

On a recent trip to Target, I picked up this beautiful Sonia Kashuk Monochrome Eye Quad in Textured Mauve. I've been trying more from the brand lately since Target Canada is shutting down so everything is a really great price! So far I've loved everything I've tried from the brand and hope to get a few more things! I've had the Sonia Kashuk Eye On Neutral matte palette for a while and I really like that eye shadow texture, so I was hopeful about this one!

This quad definitely did not let me down. It includes 4 mauve shades in varying textures. There's a matte dusty mauve, a more peach-mauve matte with very slight shimmer, a shimmery pink-mauve, and a glittery mauve that works well as a topper shadow. All four of these shadows are so beautiful and are swatched above with no primer!

This is a look I created using the quad. I also used a deep plum shade from the Tartelette palette to slightly deepen the crease, as well as a shimmery champagne as an inner corner highlight. Though these shadows are all gorgeous, this palette can't really create a good variety of looks and it definitely benefits from being used with other shadows, especially highlight shades and deep coloured shadows since this palette is all mid-tone shades.

What other Sonia Kashuk products should I try? I'd love to know your favourites!

Nail of the Day | Gold + Monochrome

A couple of weeks ago I did this manicure and I never got around to sharing it on my blog! I really liked how it came out since I'm a big fan of black & white with gold accents! I hadn't done nail art in such a long time so it was kind of fun playing around with it again. For this manicure I used the Sephora Formula X polishes in White Matter and Dark Matter, as well as the Avon Brushed Metals polish in Brushed Gold.

Have you ever experimented with nail art? What are some of your favourite patterns or colour combos?

The Deep Nude Lip

One makeup trend that everyone seems to be talking about lately is the perfect nude lip. Today I thought I'd share a slightly different take on a nude lip - a deep nude lip! This is a nice way of accenting a look with a neutral lip, but still having some colour on the face. A lot of these have berry or brown-pink undertones and they can look lovely on nearly any skintone. Here are some of my favourite products to achieve a deep nude lip!

First is the Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme lipstick in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. This is probably the most pink of the bunch, but it's a beautiful creamy deep rose nude shade. The formula of this lipstick is incredibly smooth and pigmented, and is so comfortable on the lips! I just have a sample tube of this lipstick but I'd love to check out some other full-sized shades!

Next is an incredibly popular shade lately, the Kat Von D Studded Kiss lipstick in Lolita. Lolita is a midtone dusty rose. This lipstick has a matte finish but is still comfortable on the lips. I also have a sample size of this lipstick but it's one I can definitely see myself finishing! I'd like to try the liquid lipstick version of this shade as well.

The next option is a bit more sheer and easily wearable for anyone. This is Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in N9. This lipstick has a sheer, glossy finish on the lips but is really beautiful. This is a rose shade with slight warm undertones. I have the sample size that came with the Sephora birthday gift from last year, so many of you might already have this in your collection!

Another favourite of mine is the Sonia Kashuk Velvety Matte Lip Crayon in Mulberry Nude. This is a long wearing matte lip crayon that is quite similar to the formula of the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. This is also a great budget-friendly option! This one has a slightly more berry undertone than the others.

A great way to wear a deep nude lip is with a lip liner! You can wear them on their own, or underneath another lip colour to help it stick around longer or slightly alter the colour! Two of my picks are the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in 018 Addiction or the Midnight Cool M1617 lip liner* from Born Pretty Store. The Rimmel liner offers a more neutral deep nude colour, and the Midnight Cool shade is more pink. Both of these look great on their own or paired with any of the other lipsticks mentioned above! You can also get 10% off the Midnight Cool lip liner from Born Pretty Store with the code TCH10!

What's your favourite nude lipstick? Have you tried a deep nude lip?

*This item was sent to Lipstick & Lacquer for review purposes. All opinions reflect my honest thoughts of the product(s).

Born Pretty Store Brush Set Review

Born Pretty Store recently reached out to me wanting to send a few products for me to review! One of the items I chose was this 7 piece brush set*. To be honest, when I received it in the mail I thought the brushes seemed really cheap and not the best quality, but I gave them all a try anyway and I was pleasantly surprised! This brush set comes with a blush brush, medium flat brush, small flat brush, lip brush, angled liner/eyebrow brush, a sponge tip applicator, and a lash/brow comb. All of the brushes have very soft synthetic bristles. When testing this brushes I didn't experience any shedding. 

I used the blush brush to apply powder blush and highlight, and it could also be used for bronzer, contouring, or other powder or cream face products! I found the small and medium flat brushes to work well with powder eye shadows, but I especially loved them with my Colourpop Super Shock cream shadows! From now on these will be go-to brushes for me for cream shadows. The lip brush worked well to smooth out and even the lip line when applying lipstick, so I was pleased with that. I used the angled brush to do my eyebrows with the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade, and though it worked well I found it to be a bit too small for my liking. I might try it with gel liner though! I did not test the sponge tip applicator or the lash/brow comb as those are not the types of brushes I typically use, though they would work for some people I'm sure, I personally will not likely use those two.

Overall I was pleased with the quality of these brushes! They also came in a lilac brush roll, though I found it to be quite cheap looking and feeling. If you're in the market for some new brushes but don't want to spend a lot of money, you might want to check these out! If you'd like to try this brush set out, or anything else from Born Pretty Store, you can get 10% off your order with the code TCH10.

What brand makes your favourite brushes?

 

*This item was sent to Lipstick & Lacquer for review purposes. All opinions reflect my honest thoughts of the product(s).

Julep Maven Box | March 2015

A few days ago I received my March Julep Maven box in the mail and I thought I'd share with you what I got inside! I decided to go with a box that didn't have any nail polish this month because I really don't need any more nail polish in my collection, and I was curious to try some of Julep's makeup products! I got the March Modern Beauty box which contained the Fluid Eye Glider, Get In Line Invisible Lip Liner, and the Light On Your Lips Lipstick in Chit Chat. 

I've only swatched the products on my hand so far, but I don't really know how I feel about them. The liquid liner does not appear to be waterproof because with a quick swipe of a damp finger tip it smudged right off. Also, the lipstick is claimed to be a "full coverage creme" formula, but when swatched on my hand it certainly was not full coverage and required a few swipes to build up. I'll still be testing these products out on my face because they could potentially perform differently, and if you'd like to see a review on any of these, let me know!

Products Worth Repurchasing | Makeup

There are some beauty products that I always end up repurchasing. I guess you could consider them "holy grail" products to me, but I just can't go without having them in my collection! A lot of them are complexion products, but there are a couple others in here too! Once I find something that works for me I often like to stick with it.

First is a recent repurchase, the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob. I only got this liner last November, but about a week ago I came to the end of it! I looked and realized this has much less product in it than a typical standard lip pencil which is why it was used up so fast. But this colour and formula both worked really well for me and I used it multiple times a week! Since it's a drugstore item and only a few dollars I really didn't mind having to repurchase it, and I'm glad to have it in my collection again!

The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser is quite a popular concealer in the beauty community, and for good reason. I used one of these up last year and went quite a few months without one. When I eventually did repurchase it again, I remembered why I love it so much! I definitely won't make the same mistake of waiting when I run out of this again. It has such a lightweight formula but has great coverage for undereye circles or any discolouration on the face. If you haven't tried it, I'd highly recommend it!

The Rimmel Stay Matte Powder has been my favourite setting powder since it came on the market. I've repurchased this time and time again! It's such a nice lightweight powder that mattifies the face without it looking too flat or feeling heavy. And since it is a drugstore product, it's only around $7!

My go-to foundation for the past year or so has been the Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation. It's a matte medium to full coverage foundation that also has an SPF. I love the formula, the staying powder, the coverage, the pump - everything about it really! This foundation also mixes great with other foundations such as the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation or Revlon Colorstay!

The next product is something I technically haven't repurchased yet, but I know the minute I run out of it I'll be going to buy another. It's the The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in 01 Light Matte. I got this sometime last summer and has been a daily staple for me since then. Since I have such fair skin, a lot of bronzers tend to look too dark or orange on my skintone. This bronzer is the perfect shade, and also has such a smooth, blendable texture. If you're fair-skinned and struggle with finding a bronzer, you should definitely check this one out!

One product I just repurchased yesterday is the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper. My current one is running low so I thought I'd pick up a backup for when my current one stops working. This is another very popular product among the beauty community. It's a super black long-wearing liquid liner pen with a tapered pen-nib like brush applicator. I find application with this pen so easy and quick, and it stays without fading all day long!

Another product I have yet to repurchase but 100% will be is the NYX Control Freak clear brow gel. I've used a couple different eyebrow gels in the past but found them to be too wet and make my brows feel crunchy. This gel doesn't apply too much product to my brows and keeps them in place while still looking and feeling natural. I also appreciate that it has a white tube, because we all know how gross brow gel in a clear tube starts looking after a while.

This is a mascara I've been using for quite a few months now. It's the Tarte Lights Camera Lashes mascara. I've used up 2 sample sizes of this over the past while, and I still have 1 more sample in my collection, but once that one is used up too I'll definitely be buying the full size! I've never bought a mascara that wasn't from the drugstore, though I've tried many sample size ones from Sephora. Of all the samples I've tried this one has worked the best for me and I love it! It makes my lashes nice and long and voluminous without looking clumpy or smudging at all.

What are some makeup products you always repurchase?

I think I'm going to do a post like this on my holy grail skincare and haircare products too! Let me know if that's something you'd like to see!

50 Blog Post Ideas for When You're in a Rut

We've all been there. It's come time to get another blog post up, but you just have no idea what to post! I like to try and plan blog posts a little bit ahead of time so I don't get stuck with no ideas, but I've made a list of blog post ideas for when I need a bit of inspiration! Whenever I get an idea for a blog post I add it to my list that I keep in my phone, and today I'm sharing what's on that list with you! Some of these are blog posts I've done before or plan on doing, but I thought it might be helpful to some of you!

1. Current favourite beauty products
2. Makeup organization tips
3. Favourites from a particular brand
4. A-Z of things you love
5. Favourite bloggers
6. Favourite Instagram accounts
7. Favourite YouTubers
8. Budget beauty picks
9. Beauty dupes you've come across
10. Products with your favourite packaging
11. Products you have repurchased
12. Products you've used up
13. Favourite iPhone apps
14. Music favourites
15. Favourite TV show/movie of the moment
16. A book review
17. An everyday makeup routine
18. An everyday hair tutorial
19. Your skincare routine
20. A monthly playlist
21. Home decor wishlist
22. Beauty product wishlist
23. Fashion wishlist
24. Your blogging tips
25. An outfit of the day
26. Share your workspace
27. A day in the life
28. Your blogging process, from ideas to posting
29. Host a giveaway
30. Nail of the day
31. Your red lip picks
32. Colour themed favourites (i.e. all pink products)
33. Seasonal beauty picks
34. A get ready with me video
35. Books you want to read
36. Your favourite magazines
37. A travel diary
38. A favourite recipe
39. 10 facts about you your followers may not know
40. A what's in my bag post
41. A review of a product new to your collection
42. Your tips for perfect (insert product here) application (eyeliner, lipstick, etc.)
43. Your goals for the month/year
44. A nail art tutorial
45. Photos from an outing you took to a place you enjoy (cafe, shops, etc.)
46. Fashion picks for the season
47. Disappointing products
48. A fun tag for your followers to get to know you better
49. A haul of things you've recently bought
50. Your own list of blog post ideas!

Where do you get inspiration for blog posts when you're in a blogging rut?

Home Decor Wishlist

Lately I've really been into home decor. Though I don't have a place of my own to decorate (I live with my parents), I dream of one day having my own apartment to fill with all sorts of lovely home decor! I still have been buying home decor here and there to decorate my room with which has been fun. I also love to window shop and browse online to get inspiration for decor for whenever I do eventually have my own place! Pinterest is a great source for home decor inspiration, or just browsing decor sections of websites. I thought I'd share with you today a few items I've had my eye on lately! I really love metals and geometric pieces lately!

T-Bar Jewelry Holder / Geometric Frames / Bronze Wire Basket / Marble Ceramic Dish / Glass Terrarium

Sephora Formula X in Thrilling | Nail of the Day

As I mentioned in a post this week, I've been in love with neutral nail polish lately. Sometime last summer I picked up the Sephora Formula X "The Twenty-Two" set, which contains 22 mini bottles of their Formula X polishes. I'm finally getting around to trying out the shades in it and I really love the shade, Thrilling! It did take 3 coats to be fully opaque and even, but it was worth it for the end result. This colour is really unique. It's a really light gray with very slight mauve tones in it, and it's really beautiful on the nails! I might have to end up buying the full size of this polish because I feel like this will be a new go-to neutral polish for me!

Have you tried the Sephora Formula X nail polishes? What's your favourite shade?

My Favourite Free Fonts

As a graphic designer, I have hundreds (if not, thousands) of fonts on my computer. It seems I'm always downloading new fonts to play around with. Today I thought I'd share with you some of the free fonts that I enjoy using! Though there are some really lovely fonts out there to buy (I might do a post sharing some of these too!), you can still find great fonts that are free to download as well if you don't have the money to be buying them (it took me a while to get used to the fact that I was spending money on digital letters, but sometimes I can't resist!). These fonts can come in handy whether you're design graphics for your blog, making DIY projects, or just experimenting with design a little!

End of the dream / Verb Light / Aleo / Wisdom Script / Cheddar Jack / Salome / Mission Gothic / Mission Script / Cac Champagne / Edmondsans

What are some of your favourite fonts (free or not)? I always love checking out new ones!

Instagram Lately

1. I got a cute mug that I'm using to store my favourite makeup brushes.

2. I also got a spinning brush holder for the remainder of my brushes!

3. A #latergram from last summer when I flew to the states to visit a friend.

4. I saw these cute flowering cacti in a store and had to take a picture!

5. A little shopping haul. I got the coat and blue sweater at Old Navy, the black top at H&M, and a Sephora lip cream!

6. Drinking my current go-to strawberry banana smoothie while working and painting my nails.

7. A Kate Spade store will be opening in the Eaton Centre!

8. I got these cute boots and I can't wait to wear them this spring!

9. Gathering inspiration for an upcoming project I'll be working on. 

10. A light afternoon snack of fresh strawberries!

11. Planning blog posts for this month in my Kate Spade planner.

12. A sneak peak of an upcoming giveaway I'm doing on my instagram!

I've really been into Instagram a lot more the past few weeks, and that's saying a lot because I've been really into it for years now. I've started putting more thought and effort into the photos I've been sharing and I've been enjoying it a lot! Also, as I mentioned above, I'm currently planning a giveaway on my Instagram! Once I reach 1,000 followers I'll be hosting a giveaway and I'm really excited abotu it. If you'd like to take part then follow my account, @laurenschroer, and keep an eye out!

What are some of your favourite Instagram accounts?

The Neutral Nail

Lately when painting my nails or browsing through nail polish displays in stores, I am the most drawn to neutral shades. There's something about a neutral manicure that is just really clean and classic looking. Don't get me wrong, I still love my bright nail polishes and fun nail art, but sometimes it's nice to just have a simple pretty neutral manicure. OPI makes some really great neutral shades including Don't Bossa Nova Me Around (a classic pink toned nude), My Vampire Is Buff (a clean ivory creme), and My Boyfriend Scales Walls (a white creme with a slight gray tint). Another polish that is quite different to everything else in my collection is The Body Shop Colour Crush Nail Polish in Meet Me At Dusk (a dusty peach rosey nude). Taupes are another great way of wearing neutral shades on the nails without going with a classic nude shade. Two of my favourites are Julep Margit (a light taupe with slight rose shimmer) and Essie Chinchilly (a purple-toned gray taupe creme).

Are you a fan of neutral nail polishes? What is your favourite colour to wear on your nails?

February Favourites | 2015

Time for another monthly favourites! The end of February really snuck up on me, but I've put together some products I've enjoyed using over the past month.

COLAB Dry Shampoo / This is a product I've heard about from quite a few bloggers over the past 6 months or so as it's a dry shampoo line by YouTuber and model, Ruth Crilly of A Model Recommends. As far as I know this product is only available in drugstores in the UK, but I happened to find a few cans of it at my local Marshall's so I had to pick it up to give it a try! Before this, the only dry shampoo I had previously used is the Batiste one. I find this one left my hair feeling like it has less product buildup in it after using it compared to the Batiste dry shampoo which I really liked. It also gives nice texture to the hair and smells fantastic!

Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso / One of my favourite YouTubers, NikkieTutorials, has recently started using this blush a lot and after all her raving about it I finally decided to pick it up. I've actually heard nothing but good things about this blush over the years but for some reason had always put off buying it! I'm so glad I've finally bought it though, because it really is beautiful. It's a gorgeous glowy peach blush that really adds dimension and a nice flush to the cheeks. I think this will especially be gorgeous in the summer time!

Sonia Kashuk Velvety Matte Lip Crayon in Pinky Nude / This range of lip pencils from Sonia Kashuk have become some of my favourite lip products over the past month. As some of you may know, Target Canada stores are closing down, so while I still have the chance to I've been buying some Sonia Kashuk beauty products to (finally) try since it is a Target exclusive brand. These matte lip pencils are practically dupes for the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils!! I'll be doing a post and possibly a lip swatch video featuring these sometime soon!

Essie Chinchilly / This is a new polish to my collection this month and it's absolutely gorgeous. It's the perfect balance between taupe, gray, and purple and it's stunning on the nails. I've really been into neutral nail colours lately and this is one of my new favourites!

Ikea SINNLIG Vanilla Candle / When I went to Ikea a little while ago to buy new furniture, I also picked up this vanilla candle because it was under $2. I started burning it this month and it smells absolutely amazing! It's not too strong of a vanilla scent but it has the most deliciously sweet fragrance! Next time I go to Ikea I'll definitely be buying some more!

Sonia Kashuk No. 29 Brush / This is another Sonia Kashuk product I've picked up in the past month and it's the most perfect blush brush! It's super soft and I love how the shape of the handle sits in my hand when using it. It's also just the right size for blush, not too big or too small like some of my other blush brushes are. If you're looking for a new blush brush I'd highly suggest this one!

Those are my favourites from the past month! What products were you loving in February?

Free Tech Wallpapers!

I will occasionally design myself a background to use on my phone or desktop, so I thought I would start sharing ones that I make here! These are all free to download and use for your phone or desktop. Comment with your favourite design, or pin it to Pinterest! If you end up using any of these, let me know! Also, leave any quote or design suggestions you have in a comment below and I might use it next time around! I might do these either seasonally or monthly, or just whenever the inspiration strikes!

 

Don't Quit Your Daydream - Download Phone Wallpaper / Download Desktop Wallpaper

  

Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do - Download Phone Wallpaper / Download Desktop Wallpaper

 

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost - Download Phone Wallpaper / Download Desktop Wallpaper 

What's In My Bag?

A few weeks ago my friend Courtney (of Cupcakes & Cateyes) tagged me to do a What's In My Bag post so I'm finally getting around to it! I've actually been meaning to do one of these for such a long time so I'm glad I'm doing it now! I always find it interesting to see what other people keep in their handbags, so hopefully this is somewhat interesting for you!

First off, let's talk about my bag! I got this handbag on ASOS a couple of years ago and it's been the bag I've used most often since then! I love the colour of it and the cute scalloped edge detail. It's also the perfect size, not too big and overwhelming, but still big enough to fit everything I need inside. It also has a nice long adjustable strap so I can wear it crossbody too! Since it is a couple of years old now it's no longer on the website, but there are some similar style bags here. Now, onto what I keep inside!

First is my new Kate Spade York Street Neda wallet. I ordered this online shortly after Christmas when there was a sale on the Kate Spade website and I am so in love with it. I've wanted a Kate Spade wallet for quite some time, so when I saw this on sale for such a great price I had to get it! It's originally $158 and on sale I got it for around $56 (plus shipping and duty fees). If you know me at all too you know how big of a fan I am of black and white stripes and gold accents, and this wallet has both! It also has so many pockets inside so it stays nice and organized and everything has a place.

One item that I can't imagine not having now is my Boostcase. This is a battery charging case for my iPhone and it holds an extra 150% battery. Whenever I know I'll be out all day without access to an outlet to plug in my phone charger, I make sure this is fully charged and put it in my bag. I have used it so many times and I love that it'll bring my dead phone right back up to 100% and then some when I need it! I also keep my iPhone 5s on me at all times of course, and right now I'm using a wooden and rose gold case I got on sale at Urban Outfitters (similar)!

A few daily essentials I like to keep on hand are an eos lip balm, Bath & Body Works PocketBac hand sanitizer, sunglasses (Forever 21, old), a pen (how cute is that lipstick pen from The Lip Bar?!), a pack of 5 gum, and a couple of band aids (because you never know when you or someone else might need one!). I also currently have a pair of gloves in my bag at all times since it's freezing cold out! These are the kind that allow you to use your touchscreen when wearing them too!

As far as beauty products, I try and keep that to a minimum. I don't really touch up my makeup during the day, besides my lip product and occasionally blotting when I get oily. I like to keep whatever lip product I'm wearing that day in my bag. On this particular day, I had 3 in my bag (which is still a quite low number of lip products for me to have in there if I'm being honest). I have the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Marvelous Mauve, MAC Faux Lipstick, and a mini size of Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lolita. All 3 of these are quite wearable shades! I usually keep MAC Faux in my bag at all times though since it is my go-to nude! I also keep a Revlon ColorStay Concealer, Maybelline Fit Me powder, and ELF Shine Eraser blotting papers for complexion touch-ups.

And that's everything I keep in my bag! I do switch from handbag to handbag fairly often and when I do I usually transfer most or all of these items. I've been thinking of doing a video or post on my handbag collection so if that's something you'd like to see let me know!

What essentials do you keep in your handbag?

Current Wishlist | H&M

Probably my favourite store to shop at is H&M. I'd say around 50% (or more) of my current wardrobe is from there! I love a lot of the items they sell there and I find them to be very reasonably priced. I thought today I'd share a few items that are currently on my H&M wishlist! I realize my picks are very monochromatic, but that's what I like!

Knitted jumper / Short-sleeved blouse / Textured jersey skirt

Short-sleeved dress / Waistcoat with a hood / Patterned scarf

Wool hat / Necklace with a pendant / Sunglasses

What are your favourite places to shop?

Snapshots | The Artist Project

Last Sunday, my friend Abby and I went to The Artist Project - a contemporary art fair - in Toronto. She was given 2 tickets by the studio she's currently interning at and she invited me to go along with her! I had never previously heard about The Artist Project but if it was a free ticket and something involving art in Toronto then I was definitely in. The show ended up being much larger and busier than I had anticipated, with 250 artists there sharing their work in booths set up throughout the building. I really enjoyed the show and I definitely plan on going again next year! Now I'll share with you some of my favourite works and artists of the show!

  I was really drawn to the intricate line work in James Smyyth's pieces. I particularly enjoyed this piece with an alien-looking pin up girl in a crowded city. I really like that he incorporated metallic gold with the flat black, white, and green palette.

 One of the booths I had the most fun viewing was the one of Paper Bag Beers. Their work was so unique compared to everything else at the show and had a really cool acidic colour scheme and some quirky pieces. Their booth was complete with a neon sign saying their name "Paper Bag Beers", as well as a "Scumland" banner.

 

This artists was possibly my favourite of the day - Andy Kittmer. I really loved his unique portraits. I loved his use of geometric and floral elements in his art.

 

One of the more fun booths Abby and I visited was Anna Church's booth. She had an amazing series of bison portraits portrayed as hipsters. She also had a project she was doing where you took a selfie with the hipster bison, and she printed the selfies out and will be using them for another artwork! I can't wait to see what she does with them and I'm glad that Abby and I got to be a part of it!

 Ramona Nordal had some really gorgeous portrait paintings. I loved her use of non-traditional colour palettes. The work on the right was one of a few paintings in the monochromatic palette with metallic gold stripes and a neon orange outline, and they really caught my eye!

 Another one of my favourite artists of the day was Kelly Grace. Her work was very vintage inspired and I absolutely loved these mini portraits she did of vintage-styled people doing their hair/makeup/etc.! I especially enjoyed the one to the right up there as I could relate to her winged liner ;)!

Those were just a few of the many amazingly talented artists whose work I got to see! Abby also did a post sharing some of her favourite artists and pieces from the day which you should go check out here!

Do you have any favourites from the pieces I showed above? What kind of art do you enjoy?

Portrait Illustration Commissions

I feel like there's a big part of me that I don't share too often on my blog, and that is that I'm a graphic designer and illustrator! I graduated from college last spring for Graphic Design and I've been freelancing since then. I'm currently trying to work my way up to being able to freelance as my full-time job! Right now my current favourite thing to do is create portrait illustrations! I've done some for some bloggers and YouTubers and I really enjoy making them! I made the illustration below of Essie Button and she very kindly shared it on her Instagram and Twitter, which helped give me a fair bit of exposure! I like including small illustrations of items relevant to the person surrounding them so you learn a little more about the person illustrated through the portrait.

I just thought I'd make a post about this since it is what I spend a fair amount of my time doing. If any of you are interested in having a portrait illustration done, or just want some design work done in general either for your blog or anything else, feel free to email me at laurenschroerdesign@gmail.com for a quote! You can also see more of my design work on my website! I'm thinking of doing a giveaway of some sort where the winner would win a custom portrait illustration by me, possibly when I hit a follower milestone! If that's something you'd be interested, let me know below!