Nails Inc's Gel Effect polishes are quick and fast drying with amazing colour payoff. I'm spending the Summer in Ottawa with my boyfriend and one thing I forgot to bring were nail art tools, so I decided to try and create some looks without them.

I created a Pink Collar Look using Mayfair, a light muted pink. This polish required two coats and didn't come out streaky at all, something that I often find with lighter, white based shades. For this, all you have to do is paint a V shape on the bottom half of the nails. I initially wanted them to come out like half hearts, but the square tops were so much easier to do with the rectangular brush, especially when painting your dominant hand. I also think the square tops give it a bit of edge - pun intended

This may seem like a weird topic, but at 25 years old, I survived my first sun burn. I know people get sun burns everyday, but it was just one of those things I never thought would happen to me. It's not because I take good measures to prevent it, but I always thought: Pfft, I'm Asian, we don't burn. I've gone back to my homeland and have worked outdoors in the summers (Wonderland, anyone?) without applying sunscreen and I was fine. But then Life decided it had enough of my sh*t and gave me a huge one across my back and shoulders on my birthday. After going surviving my first sun burn, I thought it would be nice to share some products that helped me through it.

Holika Holika Aloe 99% Soothing Gel ($12)

A sunburn can be hella uncomfortable and made my skin tingly and super sensitive. Luckily, I had this Soothing Gel stashed away somewhere and it helped calm down my burn. Aloe Vera has been known for it's soothing and healing properties, but combining it with a gel formula was absolute heaven - especially since I kept it in the fridge to provide some extra cooling relief.

Nivea In-Shower Body Milk ($6)

It's so important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water as well as keeping your skin hydrated. Because I was using the Soothing Gel a lot, I didn't apply regular body lotion. Instead, I used this In-Shower Body Milk which acts like a wash off lotion, providing me some much needed extra hydration.

The Body Shop Mango Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub* ($6)

My skin started to peel the third day and because the sunburn was on my back, it was easily irritated by my clothing. This Sugar Body Scrub helped me a lot with the peeling because it gently exfoliated my back and removed a lot of the burnt and dead skin.

Everyone is different and every sun burn is different too. These are just some products that helped me with my sun burn and is solely based on my experience, but some products may work better for you. But prevention is always the best in this case, so be sure to slather on that SPF! I know I will.

Do you have a lifesaver for sun burns? Let me know below!

Up until last year, I didn't know much about Clean fragrances. I would see them in Sephora with their minimalist packaging and unique names like "Skin" and "Air", but didn't really stop to sample their scents. I know, I know, I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but I basically have ADD when I walk into Sephora - I CAN'T HELP IT, THERE'S SO MANY SPARKLY AND SHINY THINGS! Now, one of their fragrances has become a staple in my perfume collection. 

Wet n Wild's Lash Renegade Mascara ($7.99) was released earlier this year and hands down, it's my new favourite mascara. This mascara is formulated to provide volume, length, definition and curl to your lashes. I have short, straight lashes and seldom curl them, but this mascara definitely adds length and definition to my lashes. 

What makes this mascara my new favourite is that it claims to be smudge proof, ophthalmologist tested and safe for contact lens wearers. My eyes are super sensitive to eye makeup - usually after 6 hours of wear, my eyes sting and I cry off my makeup, or I have to skip wearing eye makeup for a couple of days. Surprisingly, I have yet to cry off this mascara and have worn it successfully for a week straight! Another issue I tend to have with mascaras is that they smudge on my lower lid, leaving me with racoon eyes. This mascara has minimal smudging and only does so when water is involved ie. rain or sweat.

I'm so happy that I've found my holy grail mascara and that it's produced by Wet n Wild, a cruelty free brand. It lives up to it's claims and it's only $7.99! Hopefully they come out with a waterproof version soon for those rainy and gym days.

What's your holy grail mascara?

Calling all Marvel fans! With the release of Spiderman: Homecoming this past Friday, Lip Smacker introduced a limited-edition Spiderman Collection. This collection includes a Spiderman Trio Cane ($5.95), Spiderman Tin ($12.95) and Spiderman Lip Balm ($5.95). 

The Spiderman Trio Cane contains three flavours: Crime Fighting Cherry, Ultimate Cinnamon and Vanilla Frosted Web. Bonus: the top of the Spiderman cane can also be turned into a keychain by removing the rubber stopper!

Not pictured is the Spiderman Lip Balm, a cute chibi style Spiderman keychain lip balm in the flavour Amazing Pomegranate. 

My favourite flavour definitely has to be the Super Strawberry because it brings back my childhood memories of Lip Smacker. I mean, who didn't own a Lip Smacker (or ten) back in the day? It's never too late to start either! This limited-edition Spiderman Collection is available throughout July at Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, Toys "R" Us, and Lawtons.

Have you seen the new Spiderman movie yet? 

As part of their Spring/Summer 2017 Collection, Essence launched a new line of Matt Matt Matt Lipstick. As you've probably guess by the name, it's a line of matte lipsticks and are available in 8 shades.

The below swatches are in order according to it's number (ie. 01 Natural Kiss, 08 It's a Statement).

These lipsticks are pretty pigmented and don't dry completely matte. The finish is more like a glossy matte, which I prefer because it doesn't make your lips look like a desert. Although these lipsticks claim to be long lasting, they definitely transfer easily and will most likely need touch ups throughout the day if you're going out and eating. The lipsticks do leave a light stain though in case you're not a fan of touch ups, but with a price of $4.49 each I'm not complaining

What's your favourite matte lip colour?

My favourite colour in the line has to be 02 Perfect Match - it's basically my MLBB shade.

These shades just about scream Spring and Summer and bring a bright yet subtle pop of colour. I'm wearing 75 Perfect Match, a lovely salmon pink that just so happens to match this season's Rock n Doll mascara tube. On my accent nail, I'm wearing 86 My Sparkling Darling, a pink fine glitter polish, layered on top of 82 Hula Hoop, a pale pink with a lavender undertone.

I have always been a fan of Essence's gel polishes - they're pigmented and dry fairly quickly. For $2.99, these polishes are a steal and do the job well.

What's your go-to Spring/Summer shade?