130/ BEAUTY & THE BREAKDOWN

I have been thinking a lot about beauty lately. I put this post on the back burner for a bit because beauty isn't something that I'm well versed in. I know the bare bone basics and I think I get by just fine, but I'm sure there's a ton of makeup fanatics who will gag while reading this post. Oh well, to each their own!

I have a bit of a confession to make: most of my makeup comes from either the drug or grocery store. #sorrynotsorry

I know that comes as a bit of a surprise as I'm always ranting and raving about how much I love lipsticks. I do have a select amount of designer, or higher end, products in my collection, but they are few and far between. If you know me, you know that I love two things: the first being a challenge and the second being a deal. I'm always on the hunt for the next great drugstore find, but the products that I'll be talking about today are my holy-grail, staple pieces that I will buy time and time again.

There are a few holes in this list, though. For example I haven't found a bronzer or a powder that I can't live without. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! I also added two high end makeup products to this list, but I'd be a liar if I left them out. And to give you a little breakdown about what I'm working with skin-wise: my complexion is fair, and I have horrible, oily and acne prone skin.

Okay, now onto the products!

NINETY-FOUR/ top five favourite lipsticks

I am not a ~beauty guru~ by any stretch of the imagination but I know a thing or two about lipstick. It's rare to see me with bare lips (even when you think I'm not wearing something - I'm wearing something) and I've built up quite the collection over the past few years.

The first lipsticks I ever owned were from Avon since my mother dabbled in being a sales lady when I was much younger. Since then my love for the stuff has snowballed into the borderline obsession that it is today. I've tried high end brands, drug store stuff and random "I don't know where this even came from" mystery lipsticks. Here are my top five favourite formula/colours/all around picks:

SIXTY-TWO/ insomniac

I'm currently writing this as I'm "sleeping" over at my best friend's house. I put sleeping in quotation marks because they're really doing more of the sleeping, I'm more of a night owl. It can be quite lonely or boring at times but hey, at least I'm doing something productive right now... right?

I've been wearing this jacket pretty much non stop since I bought it a couple of weeks ago. I know everyone owns one like it and it is in no way unique, but I really don't care. I absolutely love it. The pleather sleeves look insanely cheap but I think that they give the piece a certain charm. Maybe I'm crazy. I love how the pockets are big enough for me to fit bits and bobs like bus transfers, lipsticks, change and my cell phone. I also love how its not 100% black.

I've been wearing the jacket with my Burberry scarf because it's honestly so cold here and the scarf keeps me so warm. I've been mixing up my bottoms, shoes and handbags to keep the ensemble looking fresh.

Today I decided to pair it with my MICHAEL Michael Kors skinny jeans and beaten up Converse for sort of a casual feel. I just threw on my Marc by Marc Jacobs bag because it had everything I need in it and I was in a bit of a rush to go out and meet my friends.

My friends and I spent the day doing my two favourite things - shopping and eating. We checked out the new H&M that finally opened up in Ottawa (I might do a post on all my findings later) and got lost in the giant mess that is Bayshore Shopping Centre while trying to find our parking lot. We finished the night with a makeshift buffet of different kinds of junk food (pizza, wings and the like) and hot chocolate with mini chocolate chip biscotti.

JACKET/ Last Kiss SCARF/ Burberry London JEANS/ MICHAEL Michael Kors 

SHOES/ Converse BAG/ Marc by Marc Jacobs ACCESSORIES/ Various 

LIPSTICK/ Raspberry by Joe Fresh

* Photo credit: Laura Kidd

* Disclaimer: I decided to name this blog post 'insomniac' because insomnia is something that I truly suffer from. I understand that it is a very real disorder and that if affects many people's lives. I do not wish to glamourize it it any way and I'm sorry if the title comes across as that in any way. Insomnia is a horrible condition and I really wouldn't wish it upon even my worst enemy. If you follow me on Twitter, Tumblr or if you know me in real life, you'd know that I've suffered from this for years. I despise every second of it. It truly is torture but I felt as though the title reflected what I'm going through and gave a bit of insight as to why I'm the only person under this roof that is awake and the reason why I'm updating my blog at 1:40 in the morning as opposed to you know... a healthy time.

SIXTY-ONE/ key pieces for survival

We all have items that we simply cannot live without. For some people its their favourite sweater, their favourite brand of shampoo or their signature scent. For me, it's a whole mess of things. I'm so seriously brand loyal and once I find a product that I love - I stick to it. Under the cut here is a list of some of my favourite products (from fashion, to beauty, to food, to other) that make my life a little bit easier and make me a bit more happy. Although none of what I listed is crucial for survival, some days it feels like they are.

I decided to leave out some of the more obvious ones, like my iPod Classic, iPhone or my wallet - those are just no brainers. Please feel free to share some of your favourite items in the comments!

FORTY-SEVEN/ riri woo and nikes too

I think it's safe to say that I'm addicted to wearing a strict uniform of black and white with a pop of colour on my lips. I have been wearing red lipstick almost daily as of lately and I'm alternating between Raspberry by Joe Fresh (more of a purpely red) and RiRi Woo by MAC (pictured below). Both colours have an extremely matte finish and they're both absolutely phenomenal. It's weird for me to wear red lipstick this often, seeing as pink is my usual, but ever since receiving my RiRi Woo lipstick I've felt the need to wear this shade more often. Sometimes change can be good.

But with all that being said, my shoes are actually my favourite part of this outfit. I found them by chance at Winners and I freaked out in the middle of the store. I used to have the biggest collection of sneakers, especially high top ones, back in high school and I've been dying to get my current collection back to its former glory. It's becoming increasingly more difficult to find a unique looking pair of sneakers, that aren't wedges, so I knew I couldn't let these get away from me. Also, they're black and white... how could I say no?

DRESS/ Forever 21 SUNGLASSES/ Ray-Ban LEGGINGS/ New Look SHOES/ Nike ACCESSORIES/ Various VEST/ American Apparel (DIY from jacket)

* All photos were taken by Laura Kidd.