OOTN: I could have been a princess, you'd be a king, could have had a castle and worn a ring

About two weeks ago, my friend Jennifer, who is studying cooking and wine, very kindly decided to host a little get together at her house to teach us the art of oenology. We were served tapas and we had a great time tasting all of those wines.

I don't havea FOTN to show you as I was in a rush after the job to be at Jenn's on time so all I did was add a quick swipe of eyeshadow before heading out the door, but I really liked my OOTN. Of course, my boyfriend and I were the last one to arrive... as always!

Cropped jacket - H&M | Striped tee-shirt - Wal-Mart | Destroyed jeans - H&M

These jacket and jeans must be my favorite items in my whole wardrobe. The jacket just goes so well with everything and it really adds an interesting twist to an otherwise boring outfit, as for the jeans, I have never owned a destroyed pair before and it's so comfy and fits oh-so-well! H&M definitely got a new fan in me (:

Lyrics are from Princess Of China, by Coldplay ft. Rihanna

Shopping: Walmart

I went to Walmart in search of some dog food for my 8 weeks old Yorkshire Terrier puppy but that was a waste of time because I was already aware they didn't have a huge selection, but it has been a long time since I last checked so I figured out I had nothing to lose. I had a clear idea in my mind of what I wanted to feed Peach (as in Princess Peach, from Super Mario!):

• food that isn't owned by a company that conducts cruel tests on animals (companies to avoid: IAMS/Eukanuba, Hills Science Diet, Purina, Pedigree and their divisions)
• food that contains chicken as the main ingredient (yes, dogs are carnivore; no, I won't feed her vegetarian food because I'm vegetarian myself)
• food that contains no by-products
• food that is affordable

I figured out the only alternative was Walmart store brand but after a quick look at the ingredients, I quickly realized they were all crap (would you feed your dog food with corn as the main ingredient? WTF?). I finally decided to have a look at Mondou (why didn't I think of that sooner?) and the super nice SA pointed me two brands (exclusive to Mondou and without cruel animal tests) that would fulfill all of my demands (I finally opted for Vetdiet). Mondou is great because they don't sell animals in their stores and they even have a cool rewards program that lets you exchange points for cash rewards (:

In the meantime, I figured out I would have a look around while I was in Walmart...

Original Carmex Jar $1.98 I keep hearing so many great things about this lip balm and being a lip balm junkie, I just had to try it. At $1.98 at Walmart, it was pretty hard to resist! I think I withheld for so long because I was afraid that camphor and phenol could make my lips react (what usually happen with lip-tingling formulas), but so far, I have nothing to report except that this is an amazing lipbalm and I'm so glad I finally decided to give it a try! Now I'm lusting after the cherry version... Oh, and do I really have to mention that Carmex is not tested on animals? (:

g21 by George long sleeves striped pulls on sale $9 each (instead of $14) I know, I should not have a look at the clothes everytime I'm in Walmart because I always find something interesting and affordable! Can you believe there was only one XS of the black and grey shirt left? But hey, I really needed long sleeves tops because I'm always freezing! Oh yes, you may have noticed that I have a thing for stripes =P

Shopping: The Body Shop, Wal-Mart, San Francisco & Giant Tiger

San Francisco knit cardigan on sale for $10.99 I never thought this store was carrying interesting things until I saw this rack of items on sale for only $10.99! Most of the clothes in this store are pretty pricey (well, at least for my budget) so you can imagine my surprise when I spotted this cozy cardigan and yes, they had my size! It's very soft but oh so warm, even if it appears to be made of a thin material. At first sight, I thought the cut looked strange (it doesn't fit close to the body) but I like to cinch it at the waist with a big belt.

San Francisco sweater on sale for $10.99 The problem with my wardrobe is that I don't have a lot of long sleeves tops, so when I spotted this sweater on the sale rack, I immediately grabbed an X-Small and rushed to try it and yey, it fitted! I wish it was a little bit longer so I could wear it comfortably with leggings but because of the opening on the front, it does look a bit strange. I still like the mix of black and purple though!

Betty Crocker scented candles on sale 3 for $10 I can never resist scented candles, especially at such a nice price! When I was flipping through Giant Tiger's weekly flyer, I immediately spotted them and I knew I had to have them! I never knew that Betty Crocker had scented candles (they aren't listed on their website) so that was a nice surprise, but there's always nice little surprises at Giant Tiger (: There was only three scents available so I picked one of each, even though Strawberry Shortcake was the one that smelled the yummier in the store, but I must say I was quite disappointed when I lit them once I got home as you have to litteraly stuff your nose in the jar to get the slighted hint of scents. The two other scents were Blueberry Pie and Cherry Pie, but please don't go wasting your money on these.

Pepperidge Farm scented candles on sale 3 for $10: I got fooled once again! I actually bought these at Giant Tiger before buying the ones from Betty Crocker and they smelled nothing, so I thought maybe I would be less disappointed with the ones from Betty Crocker because... I really don't know why as Pepperidge Farm is a well known brand too, but oh well, at least they didn't cost me a fortune, and it's always nice to have candles laying around the house. I picked up Verona Apricot Raspberry, Apple Caramel and Strawberry.

Mitchum Anti-Perspirant & Deodorants on sale $2.97 each: I went to Wal-Mart because I saw in their flyer that got2b products were on sale for $3.97 and I seem to be on a never-ending quest for their Powder'ful Volumizing Styling Powder, but once again, it wasn't available. I'm starting to think my local Wal-Mart doesn't even carry it. I also saw in the flyer that Mitchum anti-perspirants and deodorants were on sale for a nice price and in an attempt to go completely cruelty-free (which I doubt is really possible), I figured I would give them a try (Mitchum is owned by Revlon). As I'm enjoying my current Secret Scent Expressions gel (which is not cruelty-free) because it dries really fast, I decided to try Mitchum PowerGel Flower Fresh and Shower Fresh and as there was only one Advanced Control Utltimate Strength & Protection left, I guessed it must be good, so I picked it up as well.

My order from The Body Shop on sale 3 for $30 : I kept the best for last, of course! Yes, until very recently, I was a Body Shop virgin because as much as I've wanted to try their body butters, I always thought they were too pricey for me - come on, why would I want to pay $18 for a 200mL body butter that I can find at Wal-Mart for only $6 (I'm talking about SPAresource body butters)? I've always been happy with those drugstore body butters but I ran out of them and my eczema always seems to worsen in the winter and there's no way I will use a body lotion instead, it's just not enough moisturizing.

So I stumbled accross The Body Shop's 3 for $30 offer on their whole website, and I figured out it was the perfect time to give those mystical butters a try as they would cost only $10 each. Even the jumbo size (400mL) was included in the special and trust me, I would have ordered only the jumbo size if I could, but they were sold out except in Shea and Mango, so here is what I ordered, for a total of $68.35:

• Coconut 200mL
• Cocoa 200 mL
• Brazil Nut 200 mL
• x2 Shea 400mL
• Mango 400 mL

I chose to play it safe and order only the scents that were designed for dry or very dry skin because I really didn't want to be disappointed.

I placed my order on November 25 and I received a confirmation email telling me that my order was currenly being processed and that I would receive another email when my order was shipped - which I never got and I was a bit worried - and I received the package on Thursday, which is pretty good. I wasn't expecting such a big box so I was super excited to see it! I'm not sure how I feel regarding the Purolator man as I wasn't at home when he delivered my order so he just left it on the porch for everyone on the street to see and the butters were all hard and cold... oh well, at least I got them, and I didn't had to go to the Purolator office to claime my package! I love how the butters were carefully packed (:

L - R: 200mL and 400mL body butters

Even though I was warned, let me confirm that yes, the jumbo size are really jumbo! I wonder how long they will last me, I only hope they won't go bad too soon! I have started using the Shea jumbo body butter and so far, I'm loving it, the texture is dreamy - exactly what I was expecting! - and I can't wait to see if these butters will help with my eczema.

The body butters are still $10 on The Body Shop website and you get free shipping with any purchase of $40 (be sure to check out RetailMeNot for coupons before ordering!)

FOTD + OOTD: Tell me what you want so we can do just what you like

I recently started working as a sales person at a clothing boutique at my local mall (I won't discolse the name here, I don't want any problem, but if you really want yo know, you can tweet me) and I love it so far, it's very different from my previous jobs but I'm always up for new aventures and challenges!

The employees have a dress code to follow and I'm actually enjoying having to get dressed up for work - and we are also required to wear lipstick or lipgloss, which is cool because I don't have lots of occasions to wear lipsticks and I have so many! So here are my FOTD and OOTD for my second day at work.

Face

Benefit The POREfessional*

Sheer Cover Mineral Foundation FPS 15 - Bisque*

OLAY Regenerist Eye Touch of Concealer Eye Regenerating Cream*

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Powder - Bronzer

mark. Good Glowing Custom Pick Powder Blush - After Glo

Eyes

Rimmel Lycra Lash Extender - Black*

L'Oréal Voluminous Carbon Black *

ELF Eyelid primer - Champagne

Wet n Wild Coloricon Brow & Eye Liner - Taupe

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Quad - Natural Smokes*

Lips

Marcelle Rouge Xpression - Sentimental (pearl)

Lace cami - Stitches | Pink top - Giant Tiger | Grey cardigan - Giant Tiger | Belt - Giant Tiger | Leggings - eBay | Booties - Wal-Mart | Key necklace - Etsy

* These products are NOT cruelty-free

Lyrics are from You Make Me Feel, from Cobra Starship ft. Sabi

FOTD + OOTD: You had a lot of crooks tryna steal your heart, never really had luck, couldn’t never figure out how to love

I've been requested a look using MAC Surf Baby Cheek Powder in My Paradise that I recently won in Michelle's 100 followers giveaway (thank you again Michelle!) and I couldn't wait to show you how gorgeous it is!

Face

OLAY  Regenerist Eye Touch of Concealer Eye Regenerating Cream *

Marcelle Concealer Palette - Universal Beige

Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer *

Sheer Cover Mineral Foundation SPF 15 - Bisque *

Annabelle Zebra Bronzing Powder - Haute Gold

MAC Surf Baby Cheek Powder - My Paradise

Eyes

L'Oréal Voluminous Carbon Black *

Too Faced Eye Shadow - Sitcom Siren

Lips

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick - Pink In The Afternoon

L - R: only the blush color, only the overspray, both blended together

As I mentionned above, the sole purpose of this FOTD was to show you how gorgeous My Paradise looked once applied on the cheeks... but of course I forgot to take proper pictures before leaving for school, so I had to rush to take pictures with my phone once in my car, hence the crappy quality. I hope you can still see how gorgeous and shimmery it is? I have found the glitters to be quite chunky and hard to blend but I love how they tone down the blush a bit, because it's super pigmented.

Plaid shirt - Stitches | Striped tank - The Bay | Hurley Jacket - Winners | Miley Cyrus & Max Azria jeggings - Wal-Mart | Leopard print flats - Wal-Mart | Nail polish - Eyeko Posh polish

* Product tested on animals. You may (or may not) be aware that Gaby's Beauty Blog recently went cruelty-free. However, I hope it's understandable that I can't simply throw away the products I have previously purchased that have unfortunately been tested on animals - believe me, I wouldn't hesitate if I were rich! My goal is to use up those products but not repurchase them in the future. Also, Gaby's Beauty Blog will no longer accept for review purposes products that have been tested on animals.

Lyrics are from How To Love, from Lil Wayne

Shopping: Apothica, Wal-Mart, La Senza & Dollarama

Too Faced Leopard Love Complexion Perfection Kit ($29.70) I've been debating a loooong time wether I should get it or not because most of the reviews I read about this product agreed on one point: the shades are too sheer. I decided to order it anyway because I couldn't resist the leopard print designs. I plan to review this kit in another post so I don't want to talk too much about it here, but I still want to say that yes, the leopards are all very sheer.

L - R: Peach Leopard, Candy Leopard, Pink Leopard

Avène Cicalfate Restorative Skin Cream ($23.00) I have been struggling with dry and chapped lips all my life and nothing seems to heal them completely. I think it's due to eczema, but even if I use steroid creams and the irritation goes away, it comes back within a week and it makes me sick! I was discussing this issue with my friend Ariane who is a sale assistant in a drugstore and she recommended me this product as it's meant to restore the skin barrier and minimizes cutaneous irritation. I really hope this cream will help!

XEN-TAN Deep Bronze Instant Self-Tan (on sale for $19.28) I was very eager to try something from XEN-TAN but I always thought their products were too pricey. I finally decided to take the plunge when I saw this one on sale (it was originally $26). I was looking for a deep dark tan but I had no idea which self tanner to choose, there's so many to choose from! I read reviews on blogs and I finally decided to try the Deep Bronze Instant Self-Tan.

With every Apothica order you make come some samples. This time I received a sample of The Art of Shaving Pre-Shave Oil and some band-aids in a very handy little Avène packaging to keep in my handbag.

I'm very impressed at how fast my Apothica order was delivered - I made my order on July 6, it was shipped on July 7 and I received it the next Monday, July 11! How great is that?

Oh and if you plan to order from Apothica, use the coupon code PACK10 for 10% off (:

Leopard print heels (on sale for $5) Everytime I'm in Wal-Mart, I just have to have a look at the shoes section, and I remember lusting over those heels for some times now, but they were a little too pricey for me and they didn't have my size anyway. You can imagine my surprise when I saw them in the sale section last week and decided to try on one of the last two pairs left just for fun... and it fit! Come on, $5 for some fierce leopard print heels? OMG!

Clairol Natural Instincts Vibrant in Dark Brown (on sale for $5.97) I knew about the original Natural Instinct range but never actually tried it because the color is claimed to last only up to 28 shampoos, but when the new Natural Instincts Vibrant range came out, I knew I had to try it! What makes these hair dyes even more interesting is that in each box is included Clairol's first ever Week 2 Color Refresher, which is a nourishing crème formula that deposits color pigments 15 days after coloring, replenishing key tones that color loses over ime. How genius is that?

Cottonelle Fresh Flushable Moist Wipes (free) I had a coupon for a free tub of these wipes, yey! Moist wipes always come in handy for those early morning when I'm in a rush before school.

Panties from La Senza (on sale 10 for $30) I was in Montreal with my mother when we walked by La Senza and noticed the huge sign indicating the 10 for $30 sale... Who could resist new panties at such a nice price? We must have spent half an hour picking five panties each LOL

Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch Lotion Sunscreen SPF 45 ($2) The second I smelled this, I knew I had to have it! I have never tried Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen products before but I've heard a lot about them - especially about their scent - so for only $2, I thought, why not? I can't help it but when I'm in Dollarama, I always wonder why this or that product ended up there, and I've been told that most of the time it's simply because of the packaging (the color has been changed - even for the slightest - or the packaging has been completely redesigned). In the case of this product, I have looked up the website and I can't find the SPF 45 sunscreen in the list of products, so maybe it has been discontinued? 

Shopping: Wal-Mart

This is a little haul from around three weeks, but I wanted to share with you what I got from my last visit to Wal-Mart.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat On sale for $5.97 I'm about to ditch top coats for good as none seems to work, it's so annoying! Plus, I tend to use them so fast because I like to re-apply another coat every few days. A while ago, I asked for top coats suggestions on Twitter and this one seemed great, as it claims to dry in 30 seconds and promises no-chip shine for up to 10 days. The thing is, it does dry in 30 seconds which is amazing, but no matter which nail polish I used, my manicure absolutely didn't last up to 10 days! Sooooo disappointing ):

Aveeno Active Naturals Eczema Care Cream $9.62 and Cetaphil RESTORADERM Eczema Moisturizing Lotion $14.37 Nothing really seems to work for the eczema on my hands, and Karen keeps telling me how great these two lotions worked for her, but I was hesitant to pay that much for some hand lotions as I already have so many. I finally caved in after I got a $2.00 off coupon on the Cetaphil Restoraderm lotion, and I decided to grab the Aveeno lotion as well as I couldn't find it anywhere before. I know it's a little too soon to tell but so far, I'm a little disappointed. I had high hopes for these lotions as they have both earned the Eczema Society of Canada Seal of Acceptance but still, I always have to go back to my cortisone creams. I know eczema won't heal overnight (there is no cure for eczema anyway), but still, I'm so fed up of it!

Glad Sense & Spray Automatic Room Spray Free If you follow my updates on Twitter and on my Facebook page, you shouldn't have missed this coupon! I chose the last Hawaiian Breeze available on the shelf, it smells soooo yummy! I like that it's motion-activated, that way, there's no "waste" of perfume.

♥

I forgot to include this in my Monday post, but I just wanted to wish you a happy National Vegetarian Week (May 23 - 29)! Please try to have a ♥ this week!

Picture from PETA.org

Shopping: Wal-Mart, Dollarama & a warehouse sale

NYC Translucent Loose Face Powder $1.50 & Green Cover Stick $1.25 As soon as I spotted these in a "sale bin", I had to grab them! I don't have a translucent loose face powder and as I'm not a big fan of foundation, I thought I should give it a try. Also, I have never used a green cover stick and it got me really curious, and the price was perfect to experiment with it. I don't know if they were on sale because they are going to be discontinued? I've heard the face powder has a new packaging now...

Göt2b rockin' it encore fresh Dry Shampoo This was a gift from my boyfriend, even though he absolutely don't seem to get the point of dry shampoos. In the store, he was like "But I always see you washing your hair in the shower, you never use that! What's the point?" Ah, boys, boys, boys...  Anyway, I rushed to Wal-Mart as soon as I saw this dry shampoo and the Powder'ful Volumizing Styling Powder in the flyer, but of course, it wasn't there. I didn't even see an empty space where the product should be )=

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in White On I decided I needed a white nail polish after seeing this one on a blog (can't remember which one). This was marked as $1.97 but it scanned at $2.94 so I got it for free, yey!

Mainstays 5-piece Jar Candle Set in Pear $7.50 and Fern Apricot Tea Votices $2.80 You know I can't resist scented candles, especially when they are on sale! They both smell yummy, but I don't think I have ever smelled something similar to Apricot Tea. Yum!

Jenere Peppermint 99.9% Natural Lip Balm $1.00 and Lavoris Mouthwash Whitening Rinse $1.00 I love to browse the beauty alley in Dollarama as I always find amazing deals! I know I have plenty of lip balms already but I use them so much so I like to stock up when I find a great deal, and how could I say no to almost all natural lipbalms for only $1? I've also been a little obsessed with whitening mouthwash lately and while I'm sceptical this one is actually good, I figured out that for $1, I wouldn't complain.

Lendan Look Forms Solution-11 Rinse-Free Styling Mask with UV Protection 2 for $5.00 There was a warehouse sale near where I live this week-end and it was filled with professional hair products, so my mother and went went to have a nosey. Most of the products were overpriced for my student budget and I didn't really need something anyway, but when my mother spotted this leave-in conditioner (which was on sale for $3.50 or 2 for $5.00) we decided to grab one each. I swear by leave-in conditioners, and I hope this one will lives to its claims.

Lendan offers solutions for hair conditioning and easier styling with products that act progressively to achieve shiny, silky, healthier hair. Solution-11 combines the renewing effect of treatment with eleven natural extracts, including avocado oil and quaternised honey. It also helps achieve free moving, lively hair with great body, thanks to the Provitamin B-5 it contains, Do Not Rinse Solution-11's sun filter protects and screens hair from ultraviolet rays.

Shopping: Wal-Mart

Garnier Belle Color in Dark Brown: This hair dye was on sale for a little less than $5 and I had a $2 off coupon, so I paid less than $3 for it. I don't have high hopes about it as it looks kind of cheap in my opinion, and I think I have already used it in the past.

Holiday Time Vanilla Cookie Candle Set (5 pieces): I have always loved scented candles, so I figured out I would take advantage of the Boxing Day sale at Wal-Mart to get some. I got this set of 5 candles for only $5, and they truly smell amazing! I hate to buy scented candles only to find out later that they smell nothing once lit, but I'm happily surprised by these, especially at this price. As I'm typing this, the smell still lingers in my room, and the candle isn't even lit up!

Clairol Nice 'N Easy in 123 Natural Soft Black: I have used this shade for the first time in August, and I really liked the results as it's more of a very dark brown than black, and it doesn't fade as quickly as other brown shades I've tried. Those were on sale for $5.96 but I had a $3 off coupon on two Clairol hair dyes, so the total was around $9.

Holiday Time Vanilla Cookie Votives (6 pieces): These are actually a gift from my mother. I believe they were $0.75 each? I can't get over the smell.

Maynards Juicy Squirts Sour: My favorite candies, and they were on sale! =D

Johnson's Shea & Cocoa Butter Baby Lotion: I had a coupon from Save.ca for a free Johnson's Baby 266 ml or 444 ml product, so I decided to use it on a lotion, and this one smells yummy, and I love shea and cocoa butter.

 Excuse the neon bra LOL.

g21 short sleeves stripe shirt: I really need new clothes (especially tops) because my old ones all seem to be wether too small or too large, which I don't understand why because I don't put them in the dryer or anything. Anyway, I really love this new clothing line from George called g21, because everything is beautiful and so inexpensive! I got this for only $7.

Leopard print umbrella: I was definitely due for an update because my old one was broken and it was becoming dangerous to poke someone in the eye with it LOL! As soon as I saw this one, I knew I had to have it! It's medium size, which means it's more portable than the original size umbrellas. It costed only around $8, and it has a lifetime limited guarantee.

Flex Frame Fusion Wiper: My current ones are rubbish and totally useless against snow! Those look interesting with the Ultimate X Water Repellent Technology, and they were only $19 (but I think the cashier made a mistake because I bought a 19" and a 24" and they are not supposed to be the same price).