TBT: Wayback Machine

~ stashy ~ 28 Comments

I’ve been wanting to start some Throwback Thursday (TBT) posts for a while now, and I figured I’d start with a fun one: Internet Archive Wayback Machine
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If you’re not familiar, Internet Archive Wayback Machine started in 1996 to archive the World Wide Web, page by page. You just type in a url into the Wayback Machine and it will display a timeline with every instance that a snapshot has been made of the site:
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What’s great about the Wayback Machine is that it retains a fully functioning website with links and images (where available) as if time stood still.  I’m fond of nostalgia, so I could honestly spend hours looking up old versions of websites.  For fun, I dug up some old makeup sites!

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What’s in my bag?

~ stashy ~ 66 Comments

I saw this on StyledWithJoy and I thought it would be a natural follow up to the Handbag Day post.  I did do a “What’s in my makeup bag” post already here but this post is specifically about my handbag contents:
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Currently I carry the Coach Parker Leather Zip Shoulder Bag in Mushroom – it’s from the 2009  Parker Resort collection. This was one of few purse purchases I made on complete impulse – I bought it because it wasn’t covered in logos, it’s all leather, has a zipper closure, and has a comfy strap.  I also love the colour – it’s pretty seasonless and goes with almost everything without being black.  And 6 years later, I’m still using it!

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Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

~ stashy ~ 37 Comments

Yes, it’s already Thanksgiving in Canada.  We have it early compared to the US (second Sunday in October vs fourth Sunday in November).  People always ask me why, and I was told that it had to do with our harvest being earlier.  But now to my adult mind, I feel it’s not really true since our harvest is pretty much the same as Americans.  Turns out Canadians have been celebrating Thanksgiving longer than Americans – it goes back to 1578 in Newfoundland.  There are differences and similarities on how Canadians and Americans celebrate Thanksgivings:

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National Handbag Day: LeSportsac

~ stashy ~ 21 Comments

Today is National Handbag Day! I had this marked on my calendar just so I can talk about one of my other obsessions: limited edition LeSportsac bags.

It all started with a small shoulder bag in cute fruit print called Big Apple:
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(apologies for the crappy photo – I no longer have this bag since I re-homed it to my friend.  Here’s a clearer picture of the print on another bag style from an eBay listing)

I loved the cheerful print on a very functional bag.  Here’s one thing about me – I may wear head to toe black and grey, but I love me some colourful bags!

Before laying eyes on the printed LeSportsac bags, I had only ever encountered the solid coloured ones – which are often sported by little old ladies (c’mon, it’s true!)  LeSportsac started in 1974 with a focus on travel accessories. The appeal of LeSportsac bags are obvious: they’re super lightweight yet durable (made of a nylon ripstop material), easy to clean, and reasonably priced.  They started to change their image around 2002, to cater to a younger, more fashion-conscious customer.  That was the year where they had a Jonathan Adler print, and a collaboration with DVF.  In 2014, LeSportsac celebrated their 40th anniversary with a decidedly different image than what they started with.
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I reached the Optimum Rewards top tier!

~ stashy ~ 53 Comments

One of my unspoken goals this year was to try to hit the top tier of the Shoppers Drug Mart (SDM) Optimum Rewards Program – and I’m proud to announce that as of this past weekend, I did!
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This was no small task given my No-Buy.  For those who are not familiar with SDM or Optimum Points – SDM is the main drugstore here in Canada* – they sell everything from diapers to hair dye to granola bars. Besides drugstore makeup, SDM also carry high end cosmetics brands in their Beauty Boutique including Guerlain, Chanel, Clarins, Shiseido, Smashbox, Benefit, Lancome, Clinique, Anna Sui, etc.

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theBalm Instain blushes

~ stashy ~ 74 Comments

This post is dedicated to Rachael of Helpless Whilst Drying – she recently posted a review of the theBalm’s Nude’Tude palette and asked for recommendations on other theBalm products to try.  I recommended their Instain blushes, and she asked if I had a blog entry on them – I didn’t, so here it is!

theBalm Instain Long-wearing Staining Powder Blushes are offered in 6 shades and I own 4 of them:
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L – R: Lace, Houndstooth, Toile, Swiss Dot

They cost CAD $31 / USD $22 for 5.5g so they’re not cheap, but I love them so much that I’ll likely get the other 2 remaining colours.

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The Sweater Weather Tag

~ stashy ~ 58 Comments

I’ve seen this Tag on numerous blogs including: Hello Kaily, Polished by Amy,  rylie*style, chicandpolished, but to name a few!  I love Autumn and I intended to do this Tag at least a week ago, but here’s the thing about the changing season: it brings out the laziness in me.  This whole week it has been SO difficult to even drag myself out of bed – and I’m normally a Jump Outta Bed, Let’s Get This Day Started kind of person.  Alas, I was actually tagged to do this by Ryane Zamora Beauty and Natalie’s Beauty Base so I decided to finally jump into the proverbial pile of leaves as well. 🙂

Firstly, here’s a spooky photo I took in Capilano, BC during an Autumn visit a few years ago:
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I entered a calendar photo contest at work and I won with this entry and the image is appropriately for the month of October so I get to see this image all month long! 😀  Now, onto the Tag…

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Trash Stash: September 2015

~ stashy ~ 54 Comments

This month I seem to have finished up the core components of my face skincare products all at the same time – so odd how that happens.
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The sense of accomplishment in finishing up products never gets old!

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Review: Essie Gel•Setter Top Coat

~ stashy ~ 50 Comments

By now you’ve probably heard about the Essie Gel•Setter™ top coat – it’s fairly new on the market and promises “cushy, rock-hard shine of a gel, in a foolproof formula”. I was living under a rock and had not heard about this but stumbled upon a display while I was doing some birthday hauling. I picked it up mainly because at the time I had just recently got gel polish applied and loved the shine of the gel polish. Also, the top coat was on sale. 😉
Essie Gel Setter

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MAC Mineralize Skinfinish

~ stashy ~ 44 Comments

This post was prompted by the prospect of letting go one of my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (MSF) in my makeup purge.  By now, you will already know which one got the boot.  I only owned 3 of them in total, so the 33% reduction was a significant event.  I owned:
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish
Left to right:
Stereo Rose – Coral with golden bronze shimmering nuances
Petticoat – Pale rose with gold and amber veining
Rio – Bronze with bright pink pearl

Mineralize Skinfinishes are baked products with a marbled effect which makes them very eye-catching in the pans (they look like little planets to me!)  MAC describes them as “A luxurious powder with 77-Mineral Complex that adds highlights to the face and body”. MSFs can vary so much in their finish, level of shimmer and pigmentation from shade to shade.  There are some that are more of a highlight but some act more like a blush.  The 3 that I own I use as blush.

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