NEW BLOG: MEGAN|TAYLORED

Hey guys!
Just in case anyone still reads this, I thought I'd let you know that I started a new blog MEGAN|TAYLORED last month.
I'm really proud of the posts I've been doing there so far so go check it out if you're interested!
(In fact, you should be redirected there momentarily)
All the best,
Megan

MeganEats: Arepera du Plateau (Montreal, QC)

Today I'm extremely excited to bring you all a review of one of my favourite food gems I've found since living in Montreal: Arepera du Plateau! Tucked away on the corner of Duluth and De Bullion, this restaurant offers a local escape to Venezuela's caribbean ambience with hearty, exotic flavours, all at a rather reasonable price.

Ever since I had the option of a multiple-course meal at Arepera du Plateau following a Groupon coupon, it has become my go-to whenever I find a reason to reward myself with a comforting restaurant meal. Arepera's atmosphere is vibrant, fun, and exotic, exemplified through the restaurant's tropical (and tacky in the most wonderful of ways) decor. This most recent visit happened to be on October 31st, 2012, and Arepera did not shy away from a festive spirit.

Although Arepera's menu offers a couple of soup, salad, side and dessert offerings, the restaurant specialized in its namesake sandwich: the arepa! For any of you who have never had the privilege of trying one, an arepa is a round sandwich bun made out of cornmeal (and is therefore naturally 100% gluten-free). Arepas can be eaten on their own or with simple fillings but also make the perfect breading for flavourful and filling sandwiches, sort of like the Colombian version of a pita bread.

Catering to the younger, hipster dwellers of the plateau, Arepera du Plateau maintains a heavy presence on social media, and frequently features food-porn worthy photos, as well as a copy of their menu. The friendly staff also input your orders on an iPad, so I assume they're trying to leverage recent technology in order to be more efficient in statistic and conduct market research. I've had my fair share of sampling from the arepa options, but I chose to stick to a good o' favourite for this particular occasion:

My arepa of choice was La Llanera, described as "shredded stewed beef (flank) in tomato sauce with feta cheese and avocado" which cost $8.50 CAD. Each arepa also comes with a small watercress salad with avocado cucumber dressing. Neat freaks be warned: this meal is not for the faint-at-heart. In case you don't get the hint from the napkin dispenser that is placed at each table, it is very difficult to avoid being messy while eating this. And in my opinion, why bother? Embrace the mess, my friends, and enjoy every bite. As per always, this lunch hit the spot like no other, and managed to be wonderfully filling and comforting while the light cornbread arepa saves you from falling into a food coma. If the burst of flavours within the arepa just isn't enough, each table comes equipped with two sauces in squeeze-bottle dispensers: one "spicy" (but definitely tolerable) orange one and an avocado/cucumber one. I recommend squeezing them in as you go for some additional yummy messy-ness but pourquoi pas?

If South American flavours are completely foreign to your palette, I may recommend choosing one of my other favourites, the Pabellon arepa, that contains stewed beef, black beans, cheese, and delicious fried plantains. Arepera du Plateau also offers an assortment of fish and vegetarian sandwich options, some deconstructed arepa plates that come with rice, some freshly-squeezed exotic fruit juices, daily soups, avocado salad, and some varying dessert offerings. One of these days, I hope to have the guts to finally try the arepa filled with shark, and I'm sure it won't be long until I'm back again.

So what are you waiting for? Unless you're afraid of bold flavours or scared of a little mess (understandable for a first date I suppose), Arepera du Plateau is one of my must-visit delicious stops whenever I'm in need of a tropical escape from this winter wonderland.

Arepera du Plateau

4050 Rue De Bullion, Montreal, QC, H2W 1H1

restaurant website

BeautySnapshots: just some Face and Nails of the Days (F+NOTDs)

I'm slowly trying to get into the habit of maintaining a beauty/lifestyle blog. This past weekend, my best friend stayed with me while her school was on vacation which left me with no time to to devote to write up blogs to all the wonderful gastronomical adventures. However, I'm slowly remembering to take some quick snapshots of my daily makeup looks or the nail polish I'm wearing. Unfortunately, I still somehow think that I'll magically remember every makeup product I used on my face that day and that writing it down as unnecessary. Wrong. Regardless, I thought I might as well share some photos of daily makeup/nails that I've taken over the past couple of days and try my best to remember the makeup I was wearing. I've always enjoyed seeing others' faces and nails of the day simply to draw some inspiration and see which products others really use on a daily basis.

This is the makeup I wore to a small party I attended last-minute on a Thursday night. I'd done my makeup earlier that morning, but had just touched up my eyeliner, concealer, and cheek products before I left. I'll try to do my best to remember the products I used, but (disclaimer) these may not be 100% accurate.

Face:

Skin79 Absolute Total BB Cream

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer

L'Oreal Magic Lumi Highlighter

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 Transparent

Nars Orgasm blush

Dior Matte Bronzing Powder in 002 Honey Matte

Lips:

Rimmel Airy Fairy lipstick

Eyes:

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

MAC Shale eyeshadow

MAC Naked Lunch eyeshadow

Urban Decay Zero eyeliner pencil

Maybelline's Colossal VolumeExpress Cat-Eye Edition mascara - review here 

Nails of that Day:

OPI's Ski Teal We Drop

This nail polish always gives me a sense of nostalgia as it was one of the first nail polishes I purchased at a specialized nail-supply store when I first starting become nail-obsessed a little over two years ago. This colour was featured in OPI's Fall 2010 Swiss Collection and  find it to be a perfect shade for this time of year. If you aren't able to get your hands on it anymore, then Nicole by OPI's Khloe had a little Lam-Lam from the Kardashian Kolor collection is almost an identical match.

---

The following day I went out for a fancy dinner in Montreal's romantic Old Port, or "Vieux-Port," to celebrate my brother's 21st birthday (restaurant review has been placed on the back burner but will eventually arrive!). This is how my makeup looked freshly done that morning, and I must say that I was quite pleased with how this simple look came together.

Face:

Skin79 Absolute Total BB Cream

Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer

L'Oreal True Match Touche Magique concealer

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 Transparent

MAC Fresh Honey mineralized blush

Dior Matte Bronzing Powder in 002 Honey Matte

MAC Forever Marilyn beauty powder

Lips:

Poppy King fot J. Crew

Eyes:

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

MAC Patina eyeshadow

Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing 

Gel CreamLiner - Blue Eyes (the navy one in the trio) gel eyeliner

Maybelline's Colossal VolumeExpress Cat-Eye Edition mascara - review here 

Nails of that Day:

OPI - My Private Jet

In a world of reds, pastels, and taupe-y nudes that make up the bulk of my nail polish collection, this shade always stands out as unique. I've always found wearing My Private Jet is the equivalent of having galaxies painted on my nails. The brown base is perfect for the Fall season, though the non-shimmery light specks make it a one-of-a-kind shade that would work any time of year. My Private Jet is part of OPI's permanent collection, and I'd definitely recommend picking it up since it would definitely jazz-up anyone's nail polish collection.

Hopefully these posts gave some insight into some makeup products I'm using and how they look on me. Considering the amount of makeup I own, I always try my best to use different products everyday and truly make use of my expansive collection. Doing my makeup and my nails is a real personal expression of creativity and I honestly have so much fun experimenting with different looks and combinations. 

All the best,

Megan

Getting acquainted with: Soap and Glory

One of the few annoying aspects about being Canadian, apart from a six-month long winter, is that we are taunted by our neighbours to the South (and sometimes those across the Atlantic) by the enormous variety of health and beauty products they have access to, often at much cheaper prices as well! The online beauty blogging community has opened my eyes to a world of products available in the States or Europe that is almost impossible to get my hands on (darn Aussie's 3 minute miracle). And don't even get me started on those shipping rates and duties...

So I'm sure you can all imagine the agony of watching some of my favourite beauty bloggers sing praises about Soap and Glory products and not being able to buy into the hype. Although I've seen some Soap and Glory products available at Shopper's Drugmart (Pharmaprix) for some time, they've always been rather marked-up compared to prices abroad, and the selection was limited to a select few products. My mom has constantly been on the lookout to get me Soap and Glory's famed Hand Food hand lotion after I'd scoured the aisles of ever Sephora and drugstore in Canada to no avail. I'd given up on the hope of every owning Hand Food until my dear mother surprised me with a Soap and Glory gift set that just became available at Shopper's Drugmart. If any fellow Canadians have been struggling to get their hands on this gem or are simply interested in sampling some of Soap and Glory's cult products without breaking the bank, then this gift set might be the perfect investment. (And just in time for the holidays!)

The gift set comes in a cute plastic cylinder covered in pink and red Ss and Gs. The three products inside are: a deluxe-sample sized Clean on Me body wash, a full-sized The Righteous Butter body butter, and a small tub of my sought-after Hand Food hand cream. I'll start off by admitting that I've yet to try the body wash as I'm saving it to bring to the Dominican Republic on my upcoming vacation. I've heard great things about the body wash itself, and I can now attest that it does smell as amazing as everyone had said!

The best surprise of the kit was the generously-sized The Righteous Butter. Body butters were first introduced to me at a very young age from The Body Shop, and since then I've gone through numerous tubs of their Satstuma/Coconut body butters and even sampled some other brands here and there. Needless to say, I'm a bit of a moisturizing addict and I've had my fair share (and many other people's fair shares) of body butters. I didn't really have the highest hopes of the Soap and Glory's body butter, simply because my expectations were all focused on that darned hand cream! However, this has quickly become my go-to body moisturizer when I step out of the shower. Easy to say I'm extremely grateful this product came full-sized. I must also note that this smells divine - a very mature, perfume-ey, feminine scent - and just feels luxurious on the skin.

And now, the product we'd all been waiting for: Hand Food hand cream! After all the hype, was this product able to live up to my expectations. I'm extremely pleased to share that yes, somehow Hand Food did not disappoint in the slightest. The hand cream has a very light floral smell, is extremely moisturizing, and still manages to avoid any greasiness on my hands. Considering the approaching winter season often results in some seriously-dry hands, I'd say Hand Food is going to be a serious must-have in my handbag from now on. Additionally, the small size of the tube makes it rather convenient for travel. I just wish I didn't have to be so conservative in my application for fear of running out too quickly.

Hopefully this accurately displays each product's size

Overall, I'd say that this little holiday gift set is the perfect introduction into Soap and Glory if you have no experience with the brand as it bundles up some seriously awesome products. I know this particular set retails for $24.99 CAD at Shopper's Drugmart, but let me know if you've been able to find it elsewhere (of if you've magically found Hand Food sold separately in Canada). For those who are slightly more price-sensitive, I believe Shopper's also sells a slightly-cheaper Soap and Glory kit that features four smaller-size products, though I'd argue that The Righteous Butter is surely worth the upgrade. Make sure to keep this set in mind when shopping for any body-product addict such as myself this holiday season!

Hope everyone's week is off to a wonderful start. Stay tuned for the millions of blog posts in the works (they're pilling up oh baby). Cheers,

Megan

If I'd had Instagram...

Ever since I've had a cellphone, I've had a blackberry. We've had our ups and downs, but overall I thoroughly appreciate the communication capabilities it provides me with. I've never been that tempted by all the iPhone hype...Maybe once I'm due for an upgrade, but gee I'm not sure I could do without my keyboard buttons. The Instagram app that the one element of iPhone usage that I always craved, and until just recently, the app was exclusive to the iPhone and Android users. In honour of Instagram announcement that they're finally launching web profiles, I thought I'd share some of my own cellphone pictures from the past few weeks that would have probably been Instagram-ed had I had that luxury...Enjoy!

Juliette et Chocolat - Peanut Brownie 

This fiat makes me smile on my daily walk

Smoked meat at Dunn's with my grandparents

Montreal love <3

PB & J on cinnamon raisin toast (crusts removed) #youngatheart 

Worth every cavity 

David's Tea winter collection - Be mine...

Hamlet referencing while struggling to get through Fifty Shades

My order @ MBrgr - The Little Big Zak + caramelized onions 

The boy's order @ Mbrgr - The Big Zak + Portobellos + Fried Egg

Giggling while Halloween shopping

Trying my first pork gyro @ Kojax

He was very proud to trade in for that $100 chip @ the casino

Sandy + pumpkins = squished

Finally got my own bedding! A little overdue...

Every great story has a beginning...

...a Middle...

...and End

My daily mango

Last minute tacos and cheese/sausage creation courtesy of a hungry boyfriend - Tequila Taco

I'm constantly amazed by how far technology has managed to revolutionize modern networking and communication platforms...and I'm embarrassed to admit that I thoroughly enjoy stalking others via their picture diaries. Personally, I try embracing social networks to a healthy extent while still enjoying the realities of the physical world. Its all about balance!

Here's to a relaxing and enjoyable weekend ahead,
Megan

Quick Mini Haul + Review: Lush bath bombs and face maks

Mini rant: McGill University's healthcare system is wack and has me wasting my Wednesday afternoon waiting over an hour to see a doctor simply to get my prescription renewed. They only provide prescription renwals by appointments made in advance. I had to wake up early and call the centre on October 15th for November appointments, stayed on the line for eighty minutes to receive the "earliest" appointment of 3 weeks later (today).

Silver lining: Might as well write a blog post in my spare time. I don't like wasting time being stressed/upset so my method is to let it out completely and quickly and move on!

Today I bring you a mini haul and review on some beauty acquisitions from everyone's favourite fresh handmade cosmetics store: Lush. Now in the past I've sampled a couple of Lush products here and there (a soap, fresh face masks, body butters, massage bars, lip tints, spot treatments, etc.) and had some mixed but mostly-positive experiences. However, I was always unable to sample their famed bath products since I grew up only having a shower in my bathroom. Now that I'm living on my own for the first time, I have the luxury of my own bath tub and I'm very slowly getting used to the concept of taking baths again. (Okay I've only taken 2 in 3 months but it takes some getting used to). A couple of weeks ago I decided I was in need of some serious pampering to reward myself after finishing my international marketing and accounting midterms. Naturally, this meant a little Lush trip was in order:

I did a bit of research beforehand to get a general overview of the different types of bath products Lush offers as the enormous selection can be overwhelming. There are 3 main types of bath products available: bath melts, bubble bars, and bath bombs. Bath melts contain the most moisturizing properties (lots of shea butters and the like) and I imagine as being creamy and soothing; ideal for the upcoming winter. Bubble bars are pretty self explanatory; they're scented and coloured bars which you run under streaming water to make a pretty bubble math (Note: one bubble bar can often provide multiple uses). Finally, bath bombs are sort of a complete-package bathing experience once they're dropped into your tub. Each bath bomb looks completely unique and offers different features: one/multiple colours, scents, glitters, moisturizing properties, etc. After much debate and discussion with Lush staff, I decided the bath bombs would be the perfect introduction into the world of lush bath products as they seemed the most original and fun. I managed to narrow my selection down to two bath bombs: Dragon's Egg and Phoenix Rising.

Lush - Dragon's Egg

Dragon's Egg was the first bath bomb the sales woman helped me pick out. She sold me on this one by saying it was a great introduction into the world of bath bombs. Described as having a "refreshing sherbet-y citrus scent of lemon and bergamot," Dragon's Egg turned my bath a bright shade of orange, accompanied by oozings of gold glitter that filled the water. The entire bath bomb took about five minutes to fully dissolve, and I was left with a citrusy, glittery, orange bath to enjoy. While the bath bomb did perform true to its description, I must admit that Dragon's Egg sort of left me wanting more. I had probably built my expectations too high, but when the bath bomb fully fizzled out within the first couple minutes of the bath, and I was just left with a bath (albeit a glittery one that smelled nice). However, simply knowing that you're treating yourself to a fancy sparkling bath was enough to make me feel very pampered and relaxed. I took some pictures after the math in an attempt to capture the colour and glitter of the bathwater:

Pretty sparkles

The other bath bomb I picked up was Phoenix Rising. Also orange when dissolved (apparently), Lush describes the fragrance of this one as having "the spicy scent of cinnamon [...] t for stimulating tired minds and bodies." I was intrigued by this bath bomb not only because of the beautiful purple colour and gold glitters, but also because the saleswoman told me that Phoenix Rising has a particularly long lifespan. Hopefully this bath bomb will provide the extended dynamic bathing experience I was missing with Dragon's Egg.

Lush - Phoenix Rising

The last item I picked up was a new Fresh Face Mark called Love Lettuce (or Laitue D'Amour in french). In my opinion, the fresh face masks from Lush are one of their most unique and successful offerings. There are a variety of masks available made from all-natural ingredients that have wonderful skincare-properties and are each tailored to various different skin types (sensitive, oily, dry, aging, etc.) The downfall of the masks is that they need to be kept in a refrigerator (due to the limited shelf-lives of natural ingredients) and expire after only two weeks. You could probably get about 4 solid uses from one mask, but I usually stick to 3 thick applications simply because I don't want to over-cleanse my skin within that brief two-week period. In the past I've tried the Brazened Honey mask, which I was very pleased with albeit its slightly clumpy texture. I have relatively normal-oily skin and don't suffer from regular breakouts (thank god), so I chose to pick up Love Lettuce as I'd read many positive reviews online, and Lush describes it as their most exfoliating mask to refresh, cleanse and balance the skin Sign me up!

Lush - Love Lettuce

Quantity of product inside and its appearance

Love Lettuce definitely met and exceeded my expectation from a face mask. Though I wouldn't consider myself a connoisseur of skincare by any means, I know that my face felt amazing after each application of this mask. Since Love Lettuce is refrigerated, I experienced a tingling coolness sensation when the mask was initially applied. After spreading the smooth, thick mask on my face and enjoying the relaxing scent for ten minutes, I washed it off with warm water while gently exfoliating the beads into my skin. Afterward, my face felt so wonderfully refreshed, revitalized, and clean! I can't say I noticed any substantial differences in oil production, tone evenness, or texture, but all those natural ingredients have to be doing good things for my skin, right? Personally I think simply the whole face masking experience is so wonderfully luxurious and girly and I look forward to trying another Lush Fresh Face Mask when I'm in need of a little treat or TLC.

I am definitely guilty of buying into a bit of the Lush hype and for the most part the products have not dissappointed I definitely enjoyed my first bath bomb (though don't expect any life-changing display of colour and scent), and can't wait to try Phoenix Rising before exploring all the other bath offerings! Lush bath bombs vary in price; Dragon's Egg and Phoenix Rising cost $6.25 and $6.95 CAD respectively. I definitely recommend the Love Lettuce face mask as it is a real treat and suitable for all skin types. However, make sure to check out the whole selection of masks depending on any personal specific skincare needs.

Lush products are sold at Lush retail stores throughout America and the US. Though they provide online shopping, I recommend visiting the store if given the opportunity in order to get a real feel for smells as scent is a critical aspect of many bath products. Additionally, Fresh Face Masks can only be bought at physical stores due to their necessary refrigeration. If you feel the need for a Lush trip in your near future, I'd head out ASAP since they just started selling their limited edition holiday products - have mercy!

Hope you're all having wonderfully wacky Wednesdays and staying warm and happy wherever you may be,
Megan

Review: Maybelline the Colossal VolumeExpress Mascara Cat Eyes Version

Happy monday everyone! Damn, I must say, keeping up a blog is a much harder feat than I'd anticipated. I have so many post ideas and pictures taken but I'm just so lazy when it comes to the write-up - New respect to full-time bloggers. This morning I woke up super early to conduct an interview for school and holy moley was it frigid! I went there - I busted out that Canada Goose that's been patiently hibernating all summer, gotta love Montreal! Although bundling up has officially begun (thank heavens for scarves and mittens), momma has recently spilled that I might be heading to Dominican Republic for my birthday and ringing in the new year! Somehow the snow is all that more bearable now...

What I'd give right now to be back by the pool with a tequila sunrise and a girly magazine <3

Today, I bring a very delayed review of the Maybelline Colossal VolumeExpress Mascara - Cat Eye Edition. I purchased this mascara on sale about a month ago, so I've really had a great chance of testing her out.
Now for a bit of a personal anecdote, mascara (specifically Maybelline mascaras) and myself go waaay back. Before I ever even knew what eyeliner or eyeshadow were, I used to steal my mother's Maybelline Great Lash mascara in that wonderful green and pink tube - and I loved it. My eyes are undoubtedly one of my better features, and they're usually where I focus my everyday and dramatic makeup looks. Surprisingly enough, mascara was the only makeup item I ever used to wear until about three years ago. Since then, I've managed to experiment with a whole slew of different mascaras, including the infamous DiorShow (disappointment), Benefit's BadGal (overrated), and plenty of drugstore options: L'Oreal, Rimmel, Physicians Formula, Covergirl...you name it. Yet somehow, I always go back to Maybelline's affordable and more importantly, high-quality, tubes.

My favourite all-time Maybelline mascara is without-a-doubt the original Colossal VolumeExpress, but I've also tried The Falsies, Great Lash Blackest Black, and more recently MegaPlush. Naturally, I didn't waste any time before grabbing the Cat Eye version, and eagerly anticipated the 3-month expiration of the non-impressive MegaPlush.

Beyond the leopard-print packaging, there are some other aesthetic differences between Colossal Cat Eye and its original counterpart. Namely, the brushes. Both mascaras feature plastic brushes with several bristles of various sizes, but the Cat-Eye has much smaller bristles on the whole, and the curved wand that is aimed at achieving the wonderful "cat-eye" effect.

Close-up of the wand

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with curved wands, but I have to admit that it works here. I often find them to be quite a cop-out, assuming there to be a "one size fits all" eye shape that the brush naturally adheres to. I have a rather meticulous mascara-applying routine, where I'll manipulate the wand in all directions to really reach every single lash. Realistically, the curved wand doesn't offer me any additional benefits, but I have really appreciated the smaller bristles as I'm able to avoid making as much of a mess on my eyelids. I'd say the mascara is actually the closest in form to Maybelline's The Falsies, due to the volumizing properties and the curved wand - though I prefer the Colossal formulation anyday. Below are some before and after photos - please excuse that I had not had my eyebrows done in quite a while and the bags below my eyes (I'm in university, it happens).

Before

After

First off, the positives: As you can see, the mascara has added a lot of volume, and quite a lot of length for a "volumizing" mascara. These photos were taken after one thick layer, but more can be added to achieve even thicker lashes. The effect really is quite wonderful, and I've gotten many a compliment on the "false-lash" effect this mascara gives. When compared to the original Collosal VolumeExpress, the Cat Eye edition is easier to manipulate, yet doesn't give as much volume as the huge bristles on the original. The formulations, however, are almost identical. Owning both is not essential, but if you're a fan of Maybelline's wet formulation and like the original mascara, you might want to try out Cat Eye and see if you prefer the new wand.

The cons: As with other Maybelline mascaras, Colossal VolumeExpress Cat Eye does clump, a lot. This is the trade-off you have to make with many volumizing mascaras, and one I'm more than willing to make. However, if you prefer a natural everyday mascara look, you may want to save this one for more-dramatic nights out. Also, as with the original formulation, I experience hell-a fall-out by the end of the day under my lower lashline (though the volume does withstand a full day's wear). I can't speak much on its ability to hold a curl, since my eyelashes happen to be curved with or without mascara. The overall staying power is tolerable, though I'll often add an extra layer by nighttime if I'm going out to freshen it up.

The picture below was taken a couple of weeks ago when I noticed that one of my lashes had managed to go completely horizontal - resulting in a full 360 degree lash effect. The picture also provides a good example of the mascara's lasting power as it was taken about eight hours after it had originally been applied.

Fortunately I'd gotten my eyebrows done by this point...

All in all, I'd say Maybelline has another successful mascara in their repertoire. No matter what other brand I try, I always have to go back to Maybelline's mascaras when I'm seeking some serious volumizing action. The Colossal VolumeExpress Cat Eye mascara is a nice lovechild of other cult-favorites, the original Colossal VolumeExpress and The Falsies. If you're willing to forego some occasional clumpage and a little evening lower-lashline fall-out in exchange for some major volume and lengthening, this may be the mascara for you.

Maybelline's The Colossal Volume Express Cat Eye mascara should be found at any local drugstore or discount retailers. Prices may vary (I believe I payed around $6.99 CAD) but I would wait for a sale before purchasing since Maybelline mascaras are often marked down.

Hope everyone is doing well and surviving the cold, or recovering from Sandy (barely hit Montreal but I my thoughts go out to all that suffered). Remember to smile and enjoy everyday, and if you're in need of a temporary happy place:

Punta Cana, December 2011

All the best,
Megan