Girls' Night Out - The Keg, Sephora and Yaletown

Vancity Girlfriends had a little hiatus with the busyness of life!  Thought it would be nice to share with our readers what we've been up to including our Girl's Night Out dates.  

I had a gift card for the Keg so we decided to meet at The Keg on Alberni Street downtown Vancouver which Carolyn also describes as the Shangrila Keg.  This was the first time I went to this location and I loved the atmosphere.  First we met at the bottom of staircase that led up to the front doors of the restaurant.  The staircase was lined with bamboo on both sides creating a natural and beautiful entrance.  I had made Open Table reservations for 5pm and that's also when the dining room and outdoor patio opened.  It was a beautiful sunny evening so we asked to sit in the elegant patio and dine outdoors.  

Happy Hour was from 3-6pm so we had time to indulge in $6 glasses of wine.  I had the white on tap and Carolyn had the red on tap.  Both were lovely blends that I would return to have again.  It was worth going for an early dinner just to be able to have $6 glass of wine.  

For our meals, we didn't order from the Happy Hour menu but instead had the Keg classic dinners which start with a caesar salad and the steak of your choice comes with grilled vegetables and a side of your choice.  I chose the Top Sirloin (8oz) steak with bernaise sauce and a twice baked potato.  The Keg Classic dinners did not disappoint.  We were both completely satisfied with our meals and the ambiance at The Keg on Alberni in Vancouver.  

After our meal, we walked down Robson Street and stopped at our favorite beauty store, Sephora.  I was looking for a new cleanser and moisturizer and found the Ole Henriksen A Brighter Truth skincare kit with the cleaner, serum, and moisturizer.  The brighter truth has vitamin c to help with the sun spots and age spots which I need so I bought the reasonably priced kit at $42.  It has a light fruity scent that is refreshing so we'll see how I feel after I test it for a month.

Then we continued our journey down Robson Street past the Vancouver Art Gallery where there was a busker playing music on the street.  We were both completely full from dinner so the evening stroll downtown was a way to walk off our dinner.  Since Carolyn needed to travel by the Canada Skytrain Line, we decided to walk to the Roundhouse Yaletown skytrain station.  Just outside the skytrain station we were pleasantly surprised with the Underbrella art exhibit.  Umbrellas in the sky.  It was the perfect way to end our girl's night out.  

Girl's Night Out - Earl's Restaurant Test Kitchen and Sephora

Girl's Night Out is our date night for Vancity Girlfriends.  We have a chance to catch up and go out on the town.  We decided to go to dinner and a movie and in between had time to make a quick stop at Sephora.  

Earls Restaurant was our first stop at the Earls Test Kitchen downtown Vancouver conveniently located beside the Scotiabank movie theatre.  We met early so we could go to Earls Restaurant Happy Hour.  Happy Hour is the perfect way to eat fabulous food at a fraction of the cost.  On Saturdays Frozen Lemonade is $2 off so we started with that and then we shared appetizers from the Happy Hour menu including Margarita pizza, Coconut prawns and Swordfish tacos.  

Frozen Pink Lemonade

Margarita Pizza

Coconut Prawns

Swordfish Tacos

Check out the Girls Night Out vlog to see which face cleanser Carolyn decided to try.  Was it Drunken Elephant Jelly Cleanser, Thomas Roth Foam Cleanser or ???  What did she buy at Sephora before we went to the theatre for popcorn, Timeplay and to watch the movie "IT".  The horror movie with a morale.  

Beauty: Urban Decay Naked 2

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

This week I've been struggling with my drugstore eye shadow that I bought on a whim to replace my old Naked 2 palette that crumbled to powder when one of the eye shadows broke and I didn't realize that if I didn't throw it out, it would powder all over the other colours.  Such bad luck!  

I thought that drugstore brand eye shadows would do the same job at a cheaper price.  Nope!  The eye shadows turned to powder after a short period of time and without a eye shadow primer the eye shadow smudged during the day.  Help!  I had to ask for advice.  

What was my Vancity Girlfriends recommendation?  1)  Use a eye shadow primer  2)  Buy eye shadow pallettes from Sephora

So that brings me back to Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette.  They have neutral colors that blend well and as long as you get rid of the broken ones, the palette lasts a long time and it has a velvety touch.  This makes neutrals exciting with the variety.  

They also have Naked Basics, Naked 2, and Naked 3 palettes to choose from.  My big question is if I am going to invest the $64 at Sephora on cosmetics.  Hmmm....I may just make do with what's in my make up drawer until the holidays.  In the meantime I can write about it and long that I had it back in my life.  Word of advice, take care of your cosmetics and pay for quality.  

Vancouver Event: Sephora VIB Rouge Event for November

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

Way back in August when I went to my first Sephora VIB Rouge event, my last sentence was something like "I'll go back again."  I had the opportunity tonight!  Vancity Girfriend Carolyn texted me immediately after receiving her Sephora VIB invite but my response was not fast enough for us to get into the VIB Rouge event at the brand new Sephora Robson Street store downtown Vancouver.  We were lucky enough to be able to return to the Sephora VIB Rouge event at Pacific Center Mall also located downtown Vancouver.

When we arrived at 7pm there was already a small lineup and a large banner that said the store was closed for the private event.  They checked our names on the guest list and then we were given a Shashi Sephora bracelet upon entering the store with an offer of a shopping basket.  On a small table when we entered there were Godiva chocolate truffles, bottles of water, and cookies.  

Sephora Shopping time!  I love the fact that they closed the store this time and it seemed like a special event.  At a back table they were serving non-alcoholic drinks in wine and champagne classes so you could enjoy a Raspberry Mojito, Strawberrry Lemonade, or Orange Passionfruit as you shopped.  

There were staff who were doing make up lessons and tips, helping find products, and of course cashing out the customers as quickly as they could so the line up was never really much of one.  

The best part about shopping at Sephora Rouge VIB events is that you get to bring home a bag of samples with your purchase.  This time everyone received an extra 20% discount from their purchase.  I love saving money so with that in mind I bought Buxom Lip Gloss (Mwah) and Dior BB Creme in Beige with SPF30.  The helpful Sephora staff helped me with my colour match.  

I know that you are curious so, let's take a look inside my sample bag:

1.  Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel

2.  Phyto Intense hydrating mask for dry hair

3.  L'eau D'Issey Eau de Toilette for Men

4.  Givenchy Mascara (4g)

5.  Bare Minerals BareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation

6.  GlamGlow hydrating face mask

7.  Dior Dream Skin Anti Aging skincare

8.  Clarins Multi-Active Day early wrinkle correction cream

9.  Nude facial treatment oil

10. Philosophy Purity 3-in-1 cleanser for face and eyes

11.  First Aid Beauty (FAB) Ultra Repair Cream

12.  Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 styling treatment

13.  Living Proof Prime style extender hair primer

14.  Cartier Declaration essence

15.  Aerin Iris Meadow eau du parfum spray

Dior BB Creme, Buxom Lip Gloss

Vancouver Event: Sephora VIB Rouge Event at Pacific Centre

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

As you know, Carolyn is an avid beauty shopper and she is my go-to person for beauty tips.  We are both members of Sephora's Beauty Insider as it is a free program and they give you freebies on your birthday!  I like that.  

Now when you shop and use your Sephora Beauty Insider card, you get points and if you spend $350 or more in a calendar year, you are a VIB (Very Important Beauty) Rouge member who gets invited to special events.  As a VIB Rouge member, Carolyn invited me a special event at Sephora in Pacific Center, downtown Vancouver.

We went in and signed up, got our names tags and then shopped at Sephora.  It was also the 4x points event and there were cupcakes, snacks, tea and coffee.  Sephora was busier than usual for a Wednesday night because of the event but that's the fun of shopping with others and a different buzzing feeling.  

Of course, we both didn't leave empty handed, in addition to our cosmetic bag freebies, we left with a few new products to try.  That of course is not a surprise!  It was a fun night and I'd go back to another VIB Rouge event.



The free cosmetic bag included the following samples:  
1.  Escada Born in Paradise Eau du Toilette
2.  Buxom Lash Mascara
3.  Make Up Forever HD Blush
4.  Algenist Eye Renewal Balm
5.  Living proof Perfect hair Day styling cream
6.  Clinique high impact mascara
7.  Philosophy Hope in a Jar moisurizer
8.  Benefit Watt's Up highlighter
9.  Black Sephora cosmetic bag








Carolyn's Sephora Buy:  "My go to hydrating primer that I love!  (Good for combination dry skin) and trying out the new instant revitalizing mask from Radical Skincare."  

Maria's Sephora Buy:  "Trying out the Shiseido Ibuki Gentle Cleanser for daily skincare and Two Faced Chocolate Bar eye shadow kit."

Bite Agave Lip Mask

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

I stopped by Sephora on my way home for my belated birthday present and ended up buying myself a treat on a winter's day.  

I roamed around the store browsing through the aisles and contemplating if I needed to buy anything.  Then in the center of the room were the latest beauty products.  There I spotted Bite's Agave lip mask  It promised smooth and repaired lips.  

This winter my lips have been dry and chapped.  So, I couldn't resist Bite Agave Lip mask to test out the theory that agave can make my chapped lips disappear for the rest of the winter.  Now at $30 a tube, you know it's going to be better than the ordinary dollar chapstick.  It glides on smooth and has a natural feel.  

Til next time,
Vancity Girlfriend Maria

Sephora: Marc Jacobs Beauty Released

Hello Vancity Girlfriends!
Have you heard the latest new?  That Marc Jacobs Beauty has now been released and is available at Sephora online.  I'll check my local Sephora store to see if it has debuted there yet. 
I like the marketing with catchy names for the beauty line such as "Lust for Lacquer" and "Remedy" (for the concealer pen), and Style Eye-Con 7 (eye shadow pallette of 7).  His flair for fashion seems to be lending into his beauty!  
Since I'm not a make up artist, or a beauty expert of any sort, instead I am the opposite.  A beauty beginner but still wanting to learn about the latest beauty trends, here are some articles about the Marc Jacobs Beauty collection. 

Examiner
Beauty World News 
Beautyzine


For US residents, you are lucky, cause there will be #MarcMonday Giveaway starting today.  
(Unfortunately it is not open to Canadians).