Wednesday, March 27, 2013

L'opera Parisian bakery

There always is room for pastry in my stomach. Even though I try to stay away from gluten French bakery is my weakness. My love for pastry is probably as strong as my love for make up.
In Vancouver there are few reputable bakeries I like to visit: Tomas Haas, Bel Cafe, Thierry and Fabourgeou and Beaucoup.
In recent Internet search found that there is a new Parisian bakery opened just a few streets from me and today went to grab a few goodies. Picked up 3 macarons at $2 each,  a croissant $2.75 and a mille feuille $5.80.
The croissant was amazingly light and buttery and flakey all at once. It was crunch on the outside with soft almost pillowy middle. I enjoyed this so much (and with homemade strawberry jam no less). 
The flavors of the macarons I got were black sesame and blueberry cheesecake  (sweet and creamy) and passion fruit (tangy and sweet).  The cookies were a bit softer than I was used to but figured it's because was made today. Would be perfect the day after - as would with all macarons.
Oh so yummy can't wait to try other baked goods! 
Apparently this bakery is run by a mother daughter team - the daughter seemed very young and both were very nice. I appreciate the little things like the sticker on the bag and the beautiful embossed bag.
It's open Wednesday to Sunday 9-6. They also have high tea for $25 that you can reserve 48 hours in advance. Gotta try that soon too. Yummy in my tummy!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

LORAC & Kat Von D foundation review

LORAC performance foundation:
Bought on a whim as was looking for a long lasting foundation. The SA at Sephora swore by it and unlike my usual self bought it without any research.
The bottle is a clear plastic with pump and air free which I like. And the color matched me very well but that's where the love ended. It applied pretty easily with my fingers but felt tacky and wet for a while until it set. The foundation did not last on my T zone and made my whole face super greasy. Also it settled into my already visible pores making them look worse. It clung to any dry parches which was not attractive. And the foundation did not last any longer than other ones I own. Definitely not keeping it.
Kat Von D Lock it foundation:
Now I am not a fan of Kat Von D nor do I desire to look like her. When I heard she has a make up line I was very skeptical. Then I started watching and reading all these amazing reviews of her foundation. Since was disappointed with Lorac one I was a little weary of getting this one. I am happy to report I love this. It again is in a plastic bottle with a pump which I like. The shade I got is L48 (medium with beige undertone). Thought M5 (medium with warm beige undertone) may be a better match for me but this foundation runs a little darker than in the bottle and seems to match well.
This foundation is very thick almost like a cream. Instead of my usual fingers I use a damp Beauty Blender to tap this on. The lasting power is over 12 hours (minus my nose which needs blotting in about 4 hours) even without setting power and the color does not oxidize. And since its long lasting it makes the blush stay on my face longer as well. This is a definite repurchase worthy. I am going to have to try the concealer which I have also been hearing is very good.
Note: due to its popularity the stock is scarce at Sephora and Sephora.com. If you find your shade in stock you better pick it up. $34 usd or $41cdn
Beauty Blender:
I really thought that it was a crazy hype to buy a $19 sponge. But happy to say it really works to blend the foundation on skin beautifully. It removes the cake and heavy look that can result from foundation not being blended well.
You run the sponge under running water, squeeze out the water then squeeze with a dry towel to use it. The sponge almost doubles in size and is very bouncy. I use the round bottom for most of the face and the pointed end for under the eyes and sides of the nose. I am not sure how long this is to last. Hoping with care it will last at least a year. Sephora sells it for $19 but have seen it in Amazon.com for much cheaper.