Bonjour Mes Amis

It's been awhile.

I have completed all of the necessary courses for my Master's degree, and now only have an internship left. Well, that is if you don't count the fact that I also have to carry out a massive research study and write an even more massive thesis on it. But that requires discipline- something that isn't my strongest point. Clearly, I would much rather write on my neglected blog than worry about some silly research project. :)

To those of you who are new here, WELCOME! To those of you who are not, I'm sorry! Please don't hate me!

I put the following look together a couple months ago, so the entire thing may be completely out of style now. BUT, I still quite enjoy it and that's gotta count for something.

I feel like this is a "classy lady" kind of look. Very feminine and chic. If you live in New York, some might call it "office appropriate attire." Personally, I've never seen anybody in an office dress in a way that comes close to paralleling this. I'm not even sure what kind of situation I'd have to be in to wear this, maybe a fancy dinner at a fancier restaurant? It's tough for a girl like me, who prefers practical food over fancy food. Alas.....

Nude Frill Front Shirt - $43 CAD - www.missselfridge.com

Black Satin Look Lantern Skirt - $46 CAD - www.missselfridge.com

Charlotte Olympia Suede Leaf Open Toe Ankle Boots - $1220 CAD - www.luisaviaroma.com

Guiseppe Zanotti IB9111 Clutch - $725 CAD - www.endless.com

Amrita Singh Allie Bangle Set - $105 CAD - www.amritasingh.com (often sells on Hautelook)

Vintage Chanel Gold Tone Drop Drop Logo Round Earrings - $475 CAD - www.asos.com

Gloss Pur, 47: Pure Peach - $31 CAD - www.barneys.com

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips & Cheeks - $23 CAD - www.nordstrom.com

Black False Lashes - $6.23 CAD - www.mydivascloset.com

Satuesque Eyeshadow by Lancome - check local Lancome counter - (MAC's carbon would work just as well)

NARS nail polish in Zizi - $17 CAD - www.barneys.com

So basically, it's pretty, but where on earth would I wear it, realistically? Where would you wear it, or would you at all? I think all of the pieces individually are quite wearable actually - but I just feel like if there's anything worse than being underdressed, it's being overdressed.

I hope to do a blog post in the near future about some of my favourite YT personalities (makeup and fashion-wise, of course). I watch a lot, but there are just a handful whose videos I get excited to see showing up in my subscription box.

Love!

Everyday Chic

I want this outfit.

I wanted to create a combination of casual and chic and I think I achieved that!

This is totally wearable. Or, something I would wear - at least!

I know some of the pieces are ridiculously expensive, but hey, there are always ways to "get the look for less" and it's usually pretty easy to find cheap(er) substitutions. Because let's face it, not too many sane people (rich or not) are insane enough to spend almost $2000 on a handbag. Even one that happens to be as fabulous as the one above.

• Cardigan: American Eagle Outfitters - $31 CAD
• Ruffled Top: www.karenmillen.com - $145 CAD (I have a similar one from JCrew that was cheaper)
• Skinny-leg jeans: J Brand - $165 CAD
• Silver pumps: Christian Louboutin - $1,190 CAD
• Black bag: Alexander McQueen - $1,825 CAD
• Studded bangle: H&M
• Black heart cross earrings: Black Pill Red Pill
• Diamond ring: Blue Nile - $1,670 CAD
• Peach lipstick: Barry M - $6.72 CAD (I just got "Ravishing" lipstick by MAC, and it is a GORGEOUS peach lippie, perhaps I'll do a blog about it in the near future. Peach lipstick is all the rage!)
• Taupe nailpolish: O.P.I "Over the Taupe"

MAC Haul & January Favourites!

Hello beautiful people!

I got a package from MAC a couple days ago! In that package were a bunch of great little treats.

My haul consisted of:

-Brush cleanser

-e/s in Electric Eel, Deep Truth, Print, Mylar, Soft Brown, Texture, and Espresso.

-Blushers in Well Dressed, Pinch 'O' Peach, Pink Swoon, and Dollymix.

-Paintpot in Painterly

-Blacktrack Fluidline

-Lipstick in Viva Glam II (pretty AND proceeds go to a great cause)

-MSF in Soft and Gentle

-MAC wipes

-3 brushes: MAC 109, 195, 231

I am pleased with my purchases so far! Nothing beats getting awesome packages in the mail. The anticipation alone is worth it!

And these are some of my favourite products of January:

O.P.I. n/p in Puerto Vallarta Violeta

Essie n/p in Sole Mate

O.P.I. n/p in Dusk over Cairo

NARS duo e/s in Earth Angel

NARS duo e/s in Paris

NARS duo e/s in Eurydice (anyone know how to pronounce this?)

NARS single e/s in Mekong

Benefit velvet eyeshadow in Buckle Bunny

Stila kajal eye liner in Onyx and Topaz

Stila smudgepot in Black

So yes, basically, a LOT of eye products! But, I hope you like the way I arranged them for the picture. Not contrived at all. haha ;)

I have a new video up that goes into more detail about all these things, and has me looking like a bit of a d-bag when I can't pronounce anything. But in any case, you can view it here.

Have a great night/day!

-Laura Rae-Lynn xoxo

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Feminine Motorcyclist

I think I have made it pretty clear already that I have a love for trying out new makeup products. What you may not know about me is that I also love fashion. I had a lot of fun creating the look above. Coming up with an entire look from scratch (makeup included) makes me happy - the possibilities are endless! So, I fully expect to show these little outfit creations on a regular basis via this blog!

I've always loved rocker-chic meets feminine-delicacy. That's what inspired the look above. I think there's a perfect balance of harsh and sweet. The makeup is huge here, especially the lipstick. I wanted a pop of colour and that lip colour certainly pops! Also, I thought about leaving out the falsies as I really wanted to include the glasses, but then I thought: "hey, people who wear glasses get to have pretty lashes too!"

Dress - D&G

Leather Jacket - H&M

Multi-Strap Sandals - Miu Miu

Santi Clutch - Chinese Laundry

Earrings - Chanel

Fancy Feather Headband - Forever21

Eyeglasses - Chanel

Stud Dome Gold-Plated Ring - Stephen Webster

Bronzing Powder - Chanel

Lipstick (in Centrifushia) - Candyfuture

Black False Lashes - From www.mydivascloset.com

Gold Nailpolish - Barry M

XOXO

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Oscillation Mascara

Hello beautiful people,

Question: What do you think of oscillation mascaras? Are they legit, or simply a gimmick?

A couple of months ago I went to my nearest Lancome counter to pick up the Defincils mascara. I had never tried a mascara by Lancome in the past, but had heard good things about this particular one and decided that I definitely needed it. When I got there the saleslady was really quite effective in convincing me that I absolutely had to have Lacome's oscillation mascara instead (which, of course, just happened to be more expensive).

I paid over $40 for this baby. Ridiculous, right? I mean - I should not be paying $40 for a mascara when there are drugstore brands that already do the job quite well in my opinion. Nevertheless, I succumbed to the pressure. She made it seem like I would just have to gently glide it over my lashes once and my lashes would give Megan Fox's a run for their money.

So in the above photo you can see that at the top of the mascara there is a little button. You just press in on that and glide the applicator over your lashes. No shimmying of the wand required.

When it comes to the applicator, whatever the opposite of a fan is, I am that. And to be completely honest I'm not fussy about the formula either. I find the coating it leaves on my lashes to be rather - well - strange.

Now if I can get through applying this mascara without making a huge mess all over my face, I am able to achieve some relatively dramatic results. HOWEVER, that is providing that I go back with tweezers or something equally as annoying to separate my lashes manually. Manual eyelash separation? No thanks. Applicators built to separate eyelashes? YES please!

So, this one was kind of a miss for me. I find myself reaching for this only because I know that I can't keep it for a lot longer and I don't want to be wasteful. But most of the time I am wanting to use one of my other products.

What about you guys? Are there any oscillation mascaras you like? Personally I kind of feel like I'm quite content to apply my mascara sans vibration, but then I've only tried the one product, too. Let me know if you've had similar or dissimilar experiences!

Have a lovely day and until next time....

Laura xoxo

P.S. I also have a new video up on YouTube, and you can view it HERE.

Soft Pink Lips

Hello beautiful people,

I just love when drugstore products exceed my expectations!

Lately, approximately 85% of the time, when I look inside my lipstick drawer I end up reaching for this:

Yes, it's the infamous "Pink Please" lipstick by Maybelline.

I heard another guru mention it a couple of months ago, and since I love me some soft pink lips I thought I would venture out to my nearest Wal-Mart and get one for myself!

I find the formula to be creamy, smooth, and non-drying to my lips. And the colour... ooooh... the colour:

The only thing I'm not a huge fan of is the packaging. The casing feels a little cheap (maybe because it is?) And the rectangular shape makes it a little too bulky for my liking - I would prefer it to be more sleek.

But for me, what really makes something a hit or miss is the product itself. And in that regard, I'm sold.

Product: 5/5

Price: 5/5

Packaging: 3.75/5

Laura xoxo

Contest Giveaway!

Well hello beautiful people,

I LOVE blog giveaways! I mean, I say that loosely since I have never actually been involved in a blog giveaway before - but I look forward to the day when I have enough people willing to read my junk that I can start giving things away! :)

A fellow beauty blogger who I have just recently discovered, her name is Kate Gene, has reached 100 followers here on Blogger and as such is giving stuff away! Yay stuff!

For one, who doesn't love Korres lip butter? I've never tried any Philosophy products but have heard only great things!

So, if you're interested in checking out a great beauty blog (she's a fabulous writer, which is a plus in my books) AND entering a contest with amazing prizes, you should check out Kate Gene by clicking here: Kate Gene's Blog

Stay beautiful!

-Laura XOXO

Romantic Purple

Hello beautiful people!

The other day I filmed a tutorial entitled: Purple Romance.

I have always loved the colour purple. It evokes a sense of mystery, mysticism and romance. It was for those reasons that it was my colour of choice and I thought it would be such a great colour to go with for a Valentine's Day tutorial. I hope to film another Valentine's Day tutorial before Feb. 14th just in case there are any people who weren't so much feeling the purple. :)

I really like the look because it is sexy without being too overdone. And if you've been following my videos on YouTube then you know I'm not a huge fan of overdone, unless I'm going to a costume party or it's Halloween! Natural beauty > fake beauty. Makeup should enhance our features not mask them.

I loved pairing the purple eyes with soft pink cheeks and lips. Very feminine, flirty, and girly. Like I said, perfect for Valentine's Day!

To watch the tutorial you can click here: VALENTINE'S DAY TUTORIAL: Purple Romance. You will find a list of products I used in the sidebar. Also, you can go to my channel: Laura Rae-Lynn's YT channel to watch the rest of my videos and perhaps subscribe so that you'll know when I upload a new one!

I have recently decided that if and when I become blessed with an abundance of subscribers on YouTube or followers on my website, I will have to invest in a better camera. I'm aware that the built-in camera on my MacBook is not really conducive to filming fabulous tutorials because quite frankly it does a terrible job of picking up colour and whatnot! Also, these pictures were taken with that same camera so they too are not really doing the look justice. I still haven't figured out how to take self-shots using the SLR, but in due time, little ones, in due time!

I wish you all a happy Sunday!

Stay beautiful,

Laura Rae-Lynn XOXO

P.S. Follow me on Twitter! laura_raelynn

Grand Opening

Hello beautiful people!

Welcome to the grand opening of my beauty blog: The Beauty Box by Laura-Raelynn!

Blogging is like second-nature to me, I've been doing it for years. Yet, when it comes to this one I'm a bit like a baby colt learning how to walk: I am a beauty blog virgin.

But hey, I figure that since I love blogging and I love all-things-beauty, I should find my legs pretty fast. :)

I have recently begun filming makeup videos for YouTube. I was inspired to do this after watching videos made by other beauty gurus. I am quite enjoying it so far, and am up to 41 subscribers already! Okay, I know that is nothing compared to JuicyStar07's over 200 000, but I'm working on it!

I have to be honest, though I have always loved makeup, I have only recently begun to collect it. My collection feels so incredibly itty bitty when I compare it with that of other YouTube gurus. I mean to the point where I find myself even questioning my adequacy. But I quickly snap out of that when I realize that having too much makeup is not only wasteful, but sad. When I look at some of these people's collections my first thought is usually: "I want! I want!" But then I always begin to recognize that if "I had! I had!" I would inevitably wind up feeling like crap after thinking about how many people I could have helped feed with the cost of a single tube of lipstick.

I'm not downing on any of the gurus - I know a lot of the stuff they get sent for free. I just think that my collection, albeit small, is really serving me well. I have nearly every colour eyeshadow I could ever want or need (thanks, Coastal Scents!) and am able to create billions, if not gazillions of different looks from what I have, sans wastefulness.

I really admire lollipop26 for her "project 10 pan." I know that she must have a lot of makeup already in order for her to even think about embarking on a project such as this, but at least she is thinking about it and addressing the problem. Because of this she currently earns the top spot as my favourite makeup guru. Plus she seems intelligent. Plus she follows me on Twitter. Plus her name is Laura.

Okay, the point is, nobody needs more makeup than they can ever use. I am continually reminding myself of that fact.

So what's going to happen around here? "The Beauty Box" is going to consist of reviews, contests/giveaways (once I get a large enough following) finds, favourites, the works! And I won't just stop at makeup, oh no! I love clothes nearly as much as I love make-up. Makeup will probably dominate the majority of discussions, but I fully intend to poke a garment in here and there as well.

The most important thing I can share about myself is that there is much more to me than an obsession with all things beauty, style and fashion. My little motto is: "eat, breathe, and sleep beauty, style and fashion (among other things!)" That last little bit is important. I am a graduate student, a thinker, a writer, a nature and animal lover, and a musician. Beauty is not my life. I realize that in keeping up with a beauty blog and filming beauty videos regularly I run the risk of being labelled as shallow. All of these material things are nothing more than a hobby to me. A creative and artistic outlet, a way for me to relax and have fun. Please do not read too much into it.

So, without further ado.... shall we cut the ribbon?

*************snip snip*************

In any case, I hope you join me on this journey of mine as together we explore the art of beauty from the inside out!

Stay beautiful,

Laura Rae-Lynn XOXO

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Subscribe to me on YouTube: http://youtube.com/lauraraelynn

Follow me on Twitter: laura_raelynn

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