Spring Julep Beauty Giveaway

In honour of the new season, I’m giving away Julep nail and lip products in pretty spring shades.

Products include Julep Reese Nail Polish, Julep Annalise Nail Polish, and Julep Admired Lip Gloss.

You can enter to win by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

Review: Sigma Beauty SigMagic Brushampoo

This month, I had the exciting opportunity to try out an innovative product from Sigma Beauty, the SigMagic Brushampoo*.

Before I tell you my thoughts on the product, I want to let you in on a little secret: I don’t deep clean my brushes nearly enough, and by nearly enough I mean almost never. With the brush cleansers that I’ve used in the past, it took quite a while to remove all colour from the brushes, the brushes were slow to dry, and they always felt like they were left with a residue no matter how long I rinsed them. So, I gave up on deep cleansing and resorted to a quick spot-cleaning routine that left me with dull, partially-clean brushes that were not performing to their full potential.

Luckily, I found a solution for my brush-cleaning issues the day that I received my bottle of Brushampoo.

Fall 2016 Beauty Giveaway

I’m giving away these bronze, peach, and plum toned beauty products in honour of fall (my favourite season)!

Products include Teeez Tend Cosmetics Head Over Heels Nail Lacquer in Cadmium Rush, Chella Passionate Pink Moisturizing Lip Pencil, Epic Blend Premium Lip Balm in Hemp Blueberry, Hikari Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Haze, So Susan Cosmetics Concealer Quad, Manna Kadar Radiance Bronzer & Highlighter, Cargo Cosmetics Water Resistant Blush in Coronado, Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, and Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eyeliner Pen in Plum.  

You can enter to win by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. 

Eight Spring Nail Art Designs

What will you be wearing on your nails this spring?

For some inspiration, check out the spring nail art designs that I have created over the past few years. I have a full blog post on each design that explains the products that I used and how I created each look. Click on the mint green text below to learn more.

Eight Valentine's Day Nail Designs

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! What will you be wearing on your nails?

If you are looking for some inspiration, check out the Valentine’s Day nail art designs that I have created over the past few years. I have a post for each design that explains the products that I used and how I created the look. Click on the links below to learn more.

Valentine's Day Beauty Giveaway!!!!

I’m giving away these colourful and shimmery beauty products for Valentine’s Day. Whether you love February 14 or consider it your least favourite day of year, you are more than welcome to enter this giveaway.

Products include De Bruyere Paris Red Lipgloss, Prestige Cosmetics Total Intensity Eyeliner, The Beauty Crop Glamazon Stick, Lollipops Paris Nail Lacquer in Voyage A Paris, Manna Kadar Cosmetics Lash Primer, Face Stockholm Lipliner in Yvonne, and Marsk Mineral Eyeshadow in You’re Toast.

You can enter to win by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

May 2015 Birchbox

Last month, I made my first Birchbox post (see what I received in the April box HERE). I really enjoyed the box that I received and decided to continue subscribing for a few more months.

Each monthly Birchbox contains five samples from a range of categories such as skincare, haircare, fragrance, lifestyle, etc. You can also fill out a beauty profile so that the company can get to know your beauty preferences. Subscriptions cost $10 per month plus $4.95 shipping.

The May 2015 box is extra special because it was curated by Emily Schuman from Cupcakes and Cashmere. The theme of the box is Elevate Everyday, which focuses on simple products that can have a profound impact on our everyday experiences and transform our moods. The outside of the box is very uplifting with its orange and gold design, and the products are very interesting and energizing.

The first three products really caught my attention with their sleek packaging. The Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream is an old favourite of mine. I have used this product in the past and loved how hydrating its shea butter formula is.

Also for a luxurious shower is Not Soap, Radio, The Stuff that Cupid Dips His Arrows in Body Wash, a rich cleanser with ginseng that’s meant to increase attraction. I love trying new body washes and can’t wait to use this one.

The sleek white tube is The Expressionist Bio Extreme Mascara from W3LL PEOPLE. This all-natural, pro-grade mascara lifts and lengthens lashes without chemicals or dyes. I’m really looking forward to trying this since I have a difficult time finding mascaras that do not irritate my sensitive eyes.



The last two items are for the face and lips. Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer is organic and uses fruit stem cells to firm and smooth fine lines and wrinkles. I think my mom would love this product, so I will pass it on to her.

Yes, you read the tube correctly; the final product, by Dr. Lipp, is called Original Nipple Balm for Lips. While the name seems a bit strange, it’s understandable since this product was originally made for nursing moms. It can also be used on parched lips, cuticles, and elbows as needed. I will definitely be trying this on my dry hands, cuticles, knees, and elbows.



Overall, I am quite impressed with this month’s box and feel as though my beauty preferences were considered (for the most part) when my products were selected. Like I mentioned last month, I’m still not sure how long I will continue with my subscription but will be trying it out for a few more months. It’s affordable and I have received some useful items so far. I look forward to seeing what I will receive in months to come.

What did you receive in the May 2015 Birchbox?

*This post contains referral links

My New Blog Design and Features

You may have noticed by now that writingbeauty.com got a new look. If you haven’t been reading my blog since the beginning, you may not know that this isn’t its first makeover.

When I started blogging back in February 2011 I had very little design skills and was not at all familiar with the mechanics of blogger. Instead of trying to create a unique design by myself, I downloaded a template that I felt had a classy look and a simple colour scheme. It looked like this.



After using the template for a few months, I not only began to feel that it didn’t fully capture the beauty theme of my blog, but I also noticed that many technical issues were arising on my blog due to the layout. Eventually, I went on the search for a designer who could help me achieve the design I was looking for and found Ana from Peaches & Cream Designs. I had a wonderful experience with her that resulted in a beautiful pink and grey design that looked like this.



I have a previous post that outlines the entire design process HERE if you are interested. I really loved this design (and still do), but after a few years I thought it was time for something new, so I got in touch with Ana and told her what I was looking for this time. I wanted something with a bit more white space so that my photos would not have to compete with a colourful background, a design that would include shades of black, grey, and mint (my favourite colour!), features to showcase recent or favourite posts, and a menu bar that would be more reader-friendly. As you can see from my new blog design, Ana incorporated everything that I was looking for. She also helped me learn how to use the new features, since, even after all these years, I’m still not an expert when it comes to blogger. If you are looking for a blog designer, I definitely recommend checking out peachesandcreamdesigns.com

I hope that you enjoy all the new features of my blog. If you like reading nail-related posts, the Nails tab offers Nail of the Day posts that include photos of nail swatches and reviews of polishes that I have tried from a range of different brands, Nail Art posts that feature pictures of my nail art designs and instructions for recreating them, Nail Polish Favourites that include pictures of polishes that I have enjoyed during specific seasons, and Nail How TOs that give nail-care and nail design tips.

Next is the Beauty tab which focuses on other aspects of beauty such as makeup and hair. In this tab, you will find posts on Makeup How TOs, Makeup Favourites, and Hair How TOs. As I add more content to my blog, I will add more categories.

My Giveaways tab is still in its usual spot. I will be hosting some giveaways soon with pink and grey beauty prizes to introduce my new design and honour my former pink and grey design.

The Recipes tab is still there is well, but I have reorganized it into categories to make it easier to find certain types of recipes, including Desserts, Snacks, Breakfast, and Lunch/Dinner.

I have also added categories to my Reviews tab. The first is Subscription Boxes. If you are a regular reader, you will know that I review a few subscription boxes each month. To keep everything organized, I have separated this category into Beauty Boxes, Nail Polish Boxes, Food Boxes, Pet Boxes, and Lifestyle Boxes. Aside from Subscription Boxes, the Reviews tab also includes the following categories: Makeup, Nails, Hair, Skincare, Fragrance, and Fashion.

While it took quite a while to filter all my posts into these new tabs and categories, I really enjoyed the process as it allowed me to rediscover former posts that I had forgotten about. It brought me back to my first days of blogging and reminded me of why I started this blog in the first place—to literally put beauty to words.

I hope that you will continue to join me on this beauty blogging journey and enjoy the new blog design and features.

~Beauty Writer