Festival Survival Kit Contest!

This post was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Inc.

Summer is my favourite time of year, and one part of summer that I've always loved is outdoor music festivals. I love that you get to be outside with good food and good friends, and that you can see several bands over one weekend. With long days and even possibly camping, it is helpful to head to a festival fully prepared. 

When I go to an outdoor festival I always pack a little backpack or a tote bag of all the essentials I'll need for the day. First on my list is a blanket to sit and relax in the sun. Next, it's always nice to carry a few snacks like veggies, fruit, and granola bars, and of course a bottle of water. Other things on my essentials list are sunscreen to prevent sunburns, bandaids to protect and heal scrapes and blisters (especially blisters!), Benadryl and Polysporin for pain and itch relief from bug bites, oil absorbing sheets to combat shine, and dental floss. The sunscreen, bandaids, and Benadryl are actually in my bag pretty much all summer long so that I'm always prepared whether I'm going on a hike, at the community lake, or heading to a festival. Below are a couple upcoming festivals to my local area that you might want to check out if you are also in Alberta. 

Calgary Folk Fest - July 23rd-26th

Big Valley Jamboree - July 30th-August 2nd

Edmonton Folk Fest - August 6th-9th

X-Fest - September 5th-6th

If you want more Calgary festival information, check out calgaryculture.com for more upcoming festival dates.

Today I am also sharing with you an exciting Festival Survival Kit giveaway brought to you by Johnson & Johnson Inc. I think the best thing about this survival kit is that it has everything you need in one convenient bag. The Festival Survival Kit is a $200 value,  and inside you will find…

AVEENO® Daily Moisturizing Body Wash
AVEENO® Daily Moisturizing Lotion Sheer Hydration 
AVEENO® Sun Protect & Hydrate 30 SPF
AVEENO® Positively Radiant Face Wash (Cleanser)
AVEENO® Positively Radiant Targeted Tone Corrector
AVEENO® Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15
AVEENO® Positively Nourishing Shampoo
AVEENO® Positively Nourishing Conditioner
BAND-AID® Brand Waterproof Tough-Strips
BENADRYL® Bug Bite Relief Itch Stick
CLEAN & CLEAR® Oil Absorbing Sheets
CLEAN & CLEAR® Night Relaxing All-in-One Cleansing Wipes
LISTERINE® Pocket Paks
LISTERINE® Total Care Whitening Easy Sliding Floss
POLYSPORIN® Complete
POLYSPORIN® Assorted Blister Pads
POLYSPORIN® Cracked Heel Cream
POLYSPORIN® Poly To Go
POLYSPORIN® Pain and Itch Relief 

Want to win this Festival Survival Kit? Just enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below! Good luck.

Contest is open to Canadian residents, excluding Quebec. Must be 18 or older to enter. A Winner will be chosen at random. The winner will be required to provide their contact information, sign a release, answer three questions related to Johnson & Johnson Inc. products, and answer a mathematical skill-testing question in order to receive their prize. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

As you probably know by now, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is here! What is different about this sale is that brand new Fall items are on discount for a limited time, rather than items that are going out of season. What I'm most excited for is that this will be the first Nordstrom Anniversary Sale in Calgary, and I can't wait to get over to Chinook Centre to check it out in person. I've collected a few of the items that immediately caught my eye. These are all items that stood out to me in the Anniversary Sale catalog which you can view here.

1. Vince Adley Sandal

2. Hinge Floppy Felt Hat

3. BP Trott Bootie

4. Vince Camuto Baily Crossbody Bag

5. Argento Vivo Initial Pendant 

6. Frye Heidi Fringe Hobo Bag

7. Hinge Stripe Cape

8. IRO Ajuma Chunky Knit Jacket

9. Laura Mercier "The Art of Colour" Eye and Cheek Collection

10. NARS "Blame it on Nars" Cheek Palette

11. Paul Green Delgado Ankle Bootie

Will you be checking out the anniversary sale? What's on your wish list?

xo Ashley

CBV | Sneak Peek

In my last post I wrote about the first Caryl Baker Visage opening in Western Canada at Sunridge Mall in Calgary. Well, I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the services and products before the grand opening happening today! The store has a beautiful atmosphere and a modern design, the staff were knowledgeable, and the customer service was outstanding. 

I was able to test out the HD Brow Design, and am so happy with the results! My brows were tinted a little darker, which I think has made a huge difference. My brows are naturally blonde, so if I want them to stand out at all I need to fill them in. Now with the brow tint my brows are going to be a lot less maintenance. This is something that I am definitely going to keep up! My brows were also waxed to clean them up, but the natural shape wasn't changed. The brow service aims to customize a brow look suited to you, and your Face Expert will work with you to come up with a shape that enhances your eyes and works with your bone structure and facial features. 

The other service that I was able to observe was the Extreme Lash eyelash extensions application. What's great about the eyelash extensions at Caryl Baker is they use medical grade adhesive and apply the lashes to the side of the natural lash to avoid weighing down your lashes. One thing that was conveyed over and over is that health and wellness matters to Caryl Baker Visage, and this could be seen in their hygienic standards in both the brow design and the lash extensions. 

So there is a look into my first Caryl Baker Visage experience! If you are in Calgary I definitely recommend stopping by the store and checking it out. I was also lucky to receive a few of their skincare and makeup products to test out so watch out for a review coming up in the near future. 

xo Ashley

(P.S. Click HERE to check out my last post for details on the grand opening)

Caryl Baker Visage Grand Opening!

The first Caryl Baker Visage has come to Western Canada and they will be having a grand opening event on Thursday July 16th at Sunridge Mall in Calgary. A VIP event will be held for customers on July 16th from 4pm - 9pm and will include a DJ, drinks, snacks, and professional before and after photos. 

Caryl Baker Visage is a one-stop beauty shop that creates high quality cosmetics along with trained certified face experts who are skilled at creating customized looks for individual clients. Caryl Baker Visage specializes in everything from the neck up including eyebrows, facials, and makeovers. At CBV you will find benefit boasting makeup, on-trend colours, and complexion enhancing textures, but they are best known for their HD Brow Design service. Something I'm excited to check out is the Extreme Lash eyelash extensions!

Above are a few of the current summer looks from CBV. I am especially liking the Bronzed Goddess look, and am definitely interested in checking out the bronzer! I think the concept that I like most is the CBV philosophy of "try before you buy". 

At the grand opening event customers can come in for free mini makeovers and receive a free Lip C Tint along with many other promotions such as 50% off skincare services, and three complimentary months when you sign up for the Beauty Club Membership. 

Sunridge Mall 

2525 36th Street NW

located on the upper level

Thursday July 16th

4pm - 9pm

Follow along with CBV on social media and watch out for a post coming later this week on my first CBV experience. 

Lip Liner Obsession

Rimmel Eastend Snob | MAC Soar | NYX Natural

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Pillowtalk | NYX Mauve

I'm not really sure where this lip liner addiction came from (actually I blame Kylie Jenner), but it's definitely taken hold. I have a few liners in different colours, but mostly I am loving the beige/pink/mauve lip liners. Initially it started with wanting Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, but it wasn't available in Canada so I started collecting lip liners that I thought could be somewhat similar. My favourite budget lip liners are from Rimmel and NYX (read my post on my Rimmel Liners here and Eastend Snob here). I'm sure if you are from Canada then you have heard the good news, but Charlotte Tilbury is now available in Canada! Of course I immediately had to get Pillow Talk! And it is everything that it's been talked up to be. It's definitely the creamiest and longest lasting of the lip liners pictured above. And the colour is the perfect 'my lips but better' colour. 

What do you think of lip liners? Do you have a favourite? Have you tried Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk?

xo Ashley

Revlon | Lipstick in Primrose

I pulled out my Revlon lipstick in Primrose the other day and couldn't believe that I forgot how much I loved it! It's a perfect pink for spring and summer. I actually took these photos last summer when I was head over heels for this lipstick, but completely forgot to post the photos! Primrose is a Super Lustrous Lipstick in the Creme formula and is described as having a silky-smooth and creamy texture, and is said to be infused with silk and vitamins. Primrose applies fairly opaque and does feel quite creamy when applied. It also feels moisturizing on the lips. 

Monthly Favourites | June 2015

I haven't done a favourites post in ages! This month I had a few beauty products that I definitely gravitated towards over and over throughout the month. Here they are:

Clarins Aquatic Treasures Summer Bronzer

This bronzer is absolutely beautiful. I love the pattern and the packaging. I also really like that there are four different shades in the compact, so you can customize your bronzer colour.

Clarins Instant Concealer

I started to run low on my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, and I wanted something a little lighter for the summer and the girls at Shoppers Drug Mart recommended this concealer for me. I find that it has pretty good coverage but feels very light on the skin. This makes it great for summer.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Radiance Bronze*

I have been loving this primer to sheer out and bring some radiance to some of my matte foundations. I've mostly been mixing it with the L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte 24hr Foundation and the NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation. I also have these foundations in colours for my winter skin tone, so the bronzing primer has helped to darken my foundations slightly for my now tanned skin.  

Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise Jean*

It's been so hot here the last couple weeks that I haven't wanted to bother with doing anything fancy with my eye makeup. The Eyes to Mesmerize shadow pot in Jean has been so easy to just add a wash of colour with no fuss.

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil

Again with the hot weather, this has been a breezy, little effort way to quickly do my eyebrows.

CND Vinylux Weekly Polish in Wisteria Haze*

I wore this colour on my toenails for my graduation ceremony in Seattle, and then painted my nails this colour twice in the month of June.

So there you go. My June favourites. What were you loving in June?

xo Ashley