LIEBSTER AWARD

Hello Everyone! I know, I know, did I disappear off of the face of the earth? Did I forget that I have a blog? Or did I forget about you guys? The answer is no, no and of course, no. Truth is, there are a lot of changes going on in my life right now that is taking me some time to adjust to, all of which I will address in an upcoming blog post simply to inform you guys about why I have been away. But first, I have some super exciting news that I am so grateful and so thankful for, to share with you guys.

The beautiful Mercedes Viera, creator of "Merzy's Corner" has nominated me, Brittney Mathurin (yes me) for the Liebster Award. I have seen a lot of these awards on other blogs, but I never thought that I would be nominated for one. Thank you oh so much Mercedes, you're such a sweetheart! Please head over and check out her amazing blog (Merzy's Corner).

The Rules:

• Once nominated, make a post thanking and linking your nominator's blog.

• Include the Liebster Award's sticker in the post as well (you can copy it from above).

• Nominate 10 other new bloggers that have 200 or less followers who you think are worthy of this award and include their links in your post. Also, make sure that you let them know they've been nominated by commenting on one of their posts. You can nominate the person who nominated you.

• Answer the 10 questions asked to you by your nominator (these questions should be on their post). And make 10 questions of your own for your nominees to answer.

• Finally, copy these rules onto your post.

Merzy's Questions:

Where are you from?

I am from the simply beautiful Caribbean island of St. Lucia!

What do your friends think of your blog?

Well, those that I have told about my blog are very supportive about it, and I am grateful for that.

Favorite makeup brands?

This is a hard question because living in St. Lucia it's hard to find the higher end makeup brands. The majority of the stuff sold here are drugstore brands so I would have to say NYX. 

Favorite part of your makeup routine?

My favourite part of my makeup routine has to be applying lip liner/lipstick. I just think the lip colour  that you choose is what brings your makeup look together. It is like the icing on the cake for me when applying my makeup. 

Why do you blog?

The reason why I blog is because I love makeup and anything beauty related and I also love writing, so finding a place where I can express my love for these two things at the same time, is the reason why I blog.

What colors are your walls?

My walls are an off white, creamy colour and forest green. I'm not really a fan of the forest green.

Where do you take your photos?

I take my blog photos on the floor in the balcony in my house, which is where I get the best lighting. As for selfies, I take those standing in front of my bedroom window with my pink flower curtains in the background.

Where do you do your shopping?

My favourite place to shop in my country is definitely M&C Drugstore cause they sell lots of really good makeup, skincare, and hair products there, and as for online shopping, I would say Amazon.

Favorite nail color to wear?

I love, love, love nudes, but my favourite nail colour to wear when I feel a bit extra is definitely a deep, plum red.

Favorite blogger?

My favourite blogger is Morgan Stewart, the creator of BOOBS & LOUBS. She is the type of blogger that many of us consider being a "lifestyle blogger", mainly because she posts about EVERYTHING! I just love how real and expressive she is when she writes a blog post. I just cannot get enough of her.

I Nominate!

Londonstagraam

Liza Tait-Bailey

Shy Nature

My Questions:

• What is one makeup product that you stock up on?
• What inspired you to blog?
• Coffee or Tea?
• Who is your celebrity crush?
• What is one makeup product that you regret buying?
• What is your favourite movie?
• Do you tweeze, wax or shave your eyebrows?
• What part of the world would you love to live in?
• Would you rather go one day without makeup or one day without your phone?
• What is your favourite thing in your room?

Sorry guys, but I couldn't think of 10 bloggers because those that I had in mind have already been nominated for this award, but I hope you guys enjoyed this blog post. See you soon in my next blog post! 

TROU AU DIABLE BEACH RESTAURANT

Hey lovies, I don't know if you guys have realised a few minor changes to my blog, like my new favicon (you know that little picture thingy in the address bar of my browser). Anyhoo, I recently went to Trou Au Diable Beach Restaurant at Anse Chastanet Hotel in Soufriere, and the experience was one that I surely had to share with you guys.

As soon as we arrived we were greeted very nicely and placed at a table where we were able to have a pretty decent view of the sea. After scheming through the menu (because I was a little too distracted by all the boats and the amazing view of the sea, that I didn't take my time to go through it), a beautiful waitress named Vanessa, came to our table and she was so pretty, had a bubbly personality and was really kind. She took our orders and told us to wait for just a few minutes (which it really was a few minutes), and she would be back with our food. The decor for the restaurant was themed around my country's traditional madras which was used for the tablecloth, napkin and was worn by all the workers there. This made the place feel so much more comforting, bright and colourful.
P.S. I sincerely apologize for any mouth watering that these pictures may cause, but I am going to warn you guys about how colourful and amazing each and every meal looked.

                    Chicken Noodle Soup                                   Coconut Shrimp Beach Salad

For our first course, I had Chef Blackie’s Soup of the Day which just happened to be Chicken Noodle Soup and was served with garlic butter creole bread which was incredible. I literally had every last drop of that soup, and my mother had the Coconut Shrimp Beach Salad with farmers greens, pomegranate onions, nuts and citrus dressing and she was only able to eat half of it (that's how much salad that was in that bowl). 

                  Char-Grilled Chicken Breast                                    Line Caught Fish Du Jour

For our second course, I had the Char-Grilled Chicken Breast with sweet potato salad, local grilled vegetables and chimichurri sauce. I don't even know how to begin describing this for you guys because my mouth is already watering. That chimichurri sauce with that perfectly cooked chicken breast and oh so sweet potato salad had me dancing in my chair, and I don't dance in public so that should give you an idea of how good it was. My mother had the Line Caught Fish Du Jour with green banana lyonnaise, souscaille and caribbean pumpkin slaw. All she said to me was that the fish was the best fish she has ever tasted and that she would love to go home with a bowl of that sauce. Oh, that is chocolate drizzled on that plate (stop it Brittney, it's just food control your taste buds).

I also got a fresh, fancy looking glass of fruit punch which I couldn't finish because the food already did. I'm not to sure as to exactly what was in that glass, but I could taste lots of bananas, pineapples and mangoes. The banana added some sweetness to the fruit punch while the pineapple and mango added just the right amount of sourness to it.

 Painting of The Pitons (Historic Landmark)

We were all done with our meals and it was time for dessert. but we had to wait a bit. While we waited, I walked around and snapped a few pictures of some of the most beautiful wood carvings and paintings which were all carved and painted by the locals which to me is truly astonishing. I think this is a great way to add economic benefits back to the people of the area, which I later learned to be one of the main purpose of the restaurant and surrounding buildings.

Very Berry                                                          Coffee Loves Toffee  

For desert, we decided to have ice-cream. I had Coffee Loves Toffee which had lots and lots of coffee ice-cream and toffee, topped with a strawberry. I could not finish it all because of how strong the coffee was in it. My mother had Very Berry which as the name suggests, was filled with berries and chocolate and tasted really sweet, it too was topped with a strawberry. 

My mother was so fond of dessert that she asked the chef for a special plate of dessert to take home. She got a scoop of coffee ice-cream with nuts and a mini chocolate tart, and passion fruit drizzled all over her take away plate. 

I honestly had such an amazing time at this lovely beach restaurant and I would surely revisit to try out some of their burgers and other delicious eats.  

I also want to thank you all for over 2000 page views, and 74 followers on Bloglovin'. Whoop! Whoop! Thank you guys so much! 

REVIEW || BLACK OPAL

Hey lovies!! I know I have been away for a while and I haven't posted as much as I should, but I am trying to develop a schedule for posting. I am thinking two or three days out of the week including Monday and Friday. Those are not the official dates, but I will update you guys on the dates that I have chosen. Please comment down below if you guys have any thoughts or recommendations.

If you guys have not heard about Black Opal, then continue reading my review all about it.
Black Opal is a brand which specializes in makeup for darker skin tones like myself. Since I leave in the Caribbean I haven't experienced a problem in finding the right shade of foundation but finding a good quality foundation is a much larger task. Black Opal's products are very affordable in St. Lucia and you can find it at numerous beauty supply stores.

On another note, I tried a little bit of blogger type photography. I am not a professional at all and you guys know that I am a new blogger (noob lol), so I'm still getting used to this new blogger lifestyle. I'm not to sure if I did great a job or not or if I have succeeded, but at least I tried and did a little something. "Practice makes perfect", so I guess I'm gonna keep on trying. If you guys like the pictures please let me know in a comment down below.

I've been wearing makeup for almost two years now, and I remember the first foundation that I used, my mom bought it for me and it was Black Opal Creme To Powder Foundation. I remember how smooth and airbrushed my skin looked and the first time I ever wore it to go outside, I remember getting a lot of compliments from my cousins and neighbours. To this day, I haven't repurchased it because my shade "Beautiful Bronze", seems to be the most common shade in my country, which means they run out of it very quickly. Instead, I decided to buy the Black Opal True Color Creme Stick Foundation, and I haven't been its biggest fan. The foundation is great, but I just don't like it as a stick. For me, it was hard to blend it out into my hairline and my neck using my beauty blender. I don't use it anymore but my mother uses it and she seems to like it more than I do. I'm happy with the coverage and it does remind me of the Creme To Powder Foundation.

Please note that a lot of these products are not in my correct shade. The Black Opal Even True Concealer was actually on sale when I bought it (lucky me). Mahogany was the lightest shade that was available at the time so I had to get it, and did I mention that it was on sale? As a concealer, I would not rate it a ten or anything close to a ten. If you're seeking for a light coverage foundation then this product is a great replacement for your foundation. One of the things that I am not a fan of was the roller ball application (I think that is what it's called), where you press the ball onto your skin as you roll it all over where you are applying the concealer. Sometimes you have to press really hard for the concealer to come out, which hurts (ouch!!). This product also has a very watery consistency which makes it very easy to blend but after a few hours the concealer seems to disappear, not literally disappear, but it doesn't appear as prominent as it should.

The last Black Opal product that I own is the Black Opal Oil-Absorbing Pressed Powder. This product actually belongs to my mother hence the reason why it is in the shade "Truffle" (which is not my correct shade). Although it is a bit dark for me, you can't really tell when I apply it very lightly over the Black Opal True Color Creme Stick Foundation. Overall this is my favourite Black Opal product because it does exactly what it is meant to do -which is to absorb oil- and it lasts for a very long time. By the end of the day, when I need to freshen up my makeup, just a few dabs of this product and I honestly look brand new. This product is definitely up for a repurchase but in my correct shade of course. 

Thank you all for reading my posts and for all of my 60 followers on Bloglovin'. Air hugs and kisses to you all!!

DISCLAIMER:

All of the items listed above were bought with my own/parents money, and these are my personal opinions about each product. 

Feel free to use my pictures, but I would appreciate giving credit.

MY FAVOURITE LIP COMBO

Hey lovies, I have been on the hunt for the perfect brown lipstick and let me tell you, this hunt has not been easy. The colour that I am looking for is one similar to Lime Crime's "Salem" and is sort of a dark brown colour. If I do get my hands on Lime Crime's "Salem" I will be beyond excited but it is a bit pricey. I have not found a lip product exactly like what I am looking for but I have gotten close. I found that if I combined these two inexpensive products, I will get something that is not exactly the same but close enough for me at least. This combo has become my mostly worn and favourite lip combo of all time!

I first use NYX "829 Hot Cocoa" to line my outer lip, then I apply it all over my lips. This colour is a very dark brown but works perfectly with the next lip product that I use.

I then apply Jordana "32 Milano" -which is supposed to be a matte lipstick but is far from it- over my lips. This lipstick is of a brown colour but with a visible red undertone.

Together these products make a great lip combo and the great thing about them, is that they are both inexpensive and does not cost as much as Lime Crime's products but still gives me a colour almost similar to "Salem". I hope you guys enjoy this new post and thank you so much for reading.

DISCLAIMER:

All of the items listed above were bought with my own money and these are my personal opinions about each product. 

Feel free to use my pictures, but I would appreciate giving credit.

TRIP TO MARIGOT BAY

Hi loves, I've been doing some site seeing and travelling all across my beautiful island (St. Lucia), and I decided to share some pictures from my adventure with you guys to make my blog a little more interesting. I recently went to Marigot Bay with some of my family's closest friends and I had a blast. I had so much fun and many new experiences, that my fingers are so excited and jumping all across my keyboard in typing this.

The sandy area with the tall coconut trees that you see is the part of Marigot Bay that persons go to bathe and enjoy the beach. It looks tiny in the picture, but it is the perfect place if you are someone who does not like crowded, loud beaches. 

Because of where the area is located we had to get a boat to get there. This was my first time stepping foot on a boat. Can you believe that an eighteen-year-old girl, born and raised in the Caribbean has never been on any type of boat? Well not anymore. Since I have never been on one I always feared them, but it was not that bad and felt like I was at the back of a very slow pick up truck.

When we got there, the warm sand felt amazing rushing through the gaps between my toes, the coconut trees made the perfect beach umbrellas and the view of the bay was perfect. This little area was absolutely beautiful.

I got to see so many boats up close, playing reggae music with tourists dancing and partying and some were really calm while they enjoyed the view. Seeing other people enjoy my island is truly amazing and gives me that feeling and awareness that I am blessed to have an island that I call home.

The sea was crystal clear and warm. The way its colour's cascades from clear to green to blue is absolutely beautiful.

In less than no time I had to go for a swim (even though I couldn't), but it doesn't hurt to try in shallow water right? I went in the water twice because I wanted to enjoy every bit of it.

When I got out of the water the first time, I got to see some cool art pieces that other locals like me made. This one is actually a bird feed made out of dried coconut. How creative is this? I even gave him the idea of painting them to give it a more realistic feel. You can even play around with all the different parts because you could move them around.

Excuse my raisin fingers -evidence that I stayed in the water way too long. Of course, I had to eat a fruit while I was there so I opted for a sweet, juicy mango. I ate two in fact cause they were that good.

After eating my mangoes, I stayed in the water for a little bit more but then it was time to leave because the sun was beginning to tell us goodbye. All in all, this was truly an amazing day, and goes into my book of 'Some of my best days ever'. I definitely recommend visiting there but be sure to bring food with you.

HASK DEEP CONDITIONER

Hey lovies, I recently went on a mini shopping spree -even though I bought four items before my money ran out. I needed to get some pampering products for my hair, and what better product to pamper your hair with than a deep conditioner, so I bought two deep conditioners by HASK. They were very inexpensive and I bought them at the M&C Drugstore.

The first deep conditioner that I got is the "HASK Naturals Repairing Masque", this is the first time I have tried this deep conditioner and when I opened the packet I was so surprised. The smell of this is so amazing that I literally stood there smelling it. If you're wondering what the smell or scent is, it is somewhat of a tropical, floral scent. 

The next deep conditioner that I got is the"HASK Monoi Oil Nourishing Deep Conditioner". This one also has an amazing scent. The scent for some reason reminds me of Coconuts. HASK doesn't seem to disappoint with scent. I've used this once before and it made my hair feel so soft and easy to detangle. My hair felt moisturized and soft for an entire week, which is rare with my natural hair, and it made my hair smell like coconuts too. This is why I repurchased it and decided to try out some more HASK Deep Conditioners. I have used other deep conditioners like the "Creme of Nature Argan Oil Intense Conditioning Treatment" and it only made my hair feel dry which caused my hair strands to snap and break off. I'm loving HASK Deep Conditioners and I don't see myself using anything else.

DISCLAIMER:

All of the items listed above were bought with my own money and these are my personal opinions about each product. 

Feel free to use my pictures, but I would appreciate giving credit.

MUST HAVE TUESDAYS

Hey everyone, welcome to 'Must Have Tuesdays' where I post every Tuesday items from makeup, food, jewelry, nail polish, etc, that I cannot live without or that I have been loving. This is first out of many ideas that I have in store for you guys and I'm really excited to post and express my love for each individual item and many more items to come. If you haven't noticed, I become obsessed with things very easily. So for the first 'Must Have Tuesdays', there are 3 things that I just cannot let go of or I find myself repurchasing and they are:

Dove Orignal Anti-Perspirant Deodorant

This is the first spray deodorant that I actually like, I have tried or used some other brands and by half way through the day I'm back to being a sweaty, smelly mess, which is why I have avoided spray deodorants for the stick versions instead. This deodorant actually lasts all day even to the next morning/afternoon when I have one of those days where I take a bathe at 3pm. I love it sooo much that I only used it for special occasions, that's how delusional I am but also that's how much I'm in love with it.

Ruby Kisses Lightning Top Coat

The next amazing item that I love is the 'Ruby Kisses Lightning Top Coat'. I have repurchased this twice and keep on loving it. This is the product that helps my nail polish last for a really long time, like an entire week. Although it enhances my laziness for doing nails, but that is something that I cannot be upset about. This product is actually one of two Ruby Kisses nail polishes that I own.

Tea Tree Oil

The last item is 'Tea Tree Oil'. My skin has been on a roller coaster lately and this helps my skin ALOT. I tend to break out more above my upper lip and this product is like magic. It doesn't get rid of the pimples immediately, but it helps to get rid of it faster, and it's all-natural so that's a plus.

That's all for my 'Must Have Tuesdays' lovies. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Feel free to comment and please subscribe to my blog for updates and follow me on my social media outlets, you can even email me to provide me with blogging ideas and I might just post about it.

I hope you all had a wonderful Good Friday and Easter, God Bless and see you in my next post!

DISCLAIMER:

All of the items listed above were bought with my own money and these are my personal opinions about each product. 

Feel free to use my pictures, but I would appreciate giving credit.

BEAUTY SUPPLY STORE HAUL

Did a little damage to my wallet today well my parents wallet since I'm still in school but these are the items that I bought from a local beauty supply store called "Wings of Love" and drugstore called "M&C Drugstore". Can you tell that they are my favourite stores? Here are the name of the items that I purchased:

Kleancolor Iconic Eyebrow Gel in Dark Brown. I haven't tried it out yet since I haven't done my eyebrows (I'm growing them out), but I promise that when I do I will definitely do a review.

Jordana Best Length Extreme Lengthening Mascara in 303 Black. I love this mascara, one coat of this and my eyelashes look amazing, it is definitely not waterproof and rub off very easily, which is a good thing when it's time to take off my makeup but a horrible thing when I'm having a really busy, sweaty day. Other than that they work great in lengthening my eyelashes.

NYX Lip Liner Pencils

1) 809 Mahogany 

2) 839 Dolly Pink

I don't really need to explain my love for lip liners anymore, but I really do like these colours. Dolly Pink is different from all the lip liners that I own since most of them are nudes, so I am a little big excited about trying it out. Mahogany is like a brown but with a redish undertone which I didn't like at first but I am slowly falling in love with it.

Santee Plus Nail Lacquer in M62A Baby Pink. First of all I'm horrible at applying nail polish but other than that I really enjoy this colour and I'm thinking of putting it to great use for Easter.

Sacha Lipsticks

1) Maroon Glaze

2) Matte Me Coral

Love love love these lipsticks and I definitely will be speaking about them more in an upcoming posts so stay tuned for that.

DISCLAIMER:

All of the items listed above were bought with my own money and these are my personal opinions about each product. 

Feel free to use my pictures, but I would appreciate giving credit.