Urban Decay Keeps Your Make Up Beautiful

From top: Original, Sin (taupe shimmer), Eden, Greed (gold shimmer)

Well, the lazy hazy days of summer are behind us & it’s time to spiff up, leave the bronze shimmer at the beach & polish up your look. Fall 2012 makeup looks call for color on the eye, either strong & bold, or a soft wash of color on the lids or as liner. With any eye make up, there is nothing worse than oily creases on the lids or looking in the mirror to find your makeup half gone- before lunch.  If you have not heard of Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, then get thee to Sephora or Shopper’s Drug Mart STAT.

The new tube packaging is easy to use...

UDPP (to those in the know) is an indelible makeup base for your eyelids & it hugs your make up hard, until you take it off. I put a little under my lower lashes if I am lining there, and even on blemishes before applying concealer. It comes in several shades to match skintone, & even two shimmery neutrals that work perfectly as a base. A little goes a long way, & the new tube packaging makes getting the right amount easy. I use Eden, a matte nude, which is perfect for my medium-fair skin.

Swatch blended to the left of drop of product

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion is available at Sephora and select Shopper’s Drug Marts. I am wearing OPI Tickle My Francey nail polish in the middle photo, which Katie Holmes is wearing on the cover of August's InStyle Magazine- still an amazing neutral colour, perfect for fall.

Feel Beautiful While You "Glow"

That's what women do, right? We "glow"...we don't sweat. Yeah, right. ANYWAYS...It may seem a bit odd to do a beauty post about deodorants but I am going to anyways. As with everything in my beauty routine, the scent or perfume of my products is very important. When it comes to deodorants, I most often choose the unscented variety as to not have it interfere with the perfume I am wearing that day. I am the same way with body lotions, shampoos and conditioners etc. I am not opposed to wearing more than one perfume at the same time, as I am a big fan of layering my perfumes to make a custom scent to suit my mood. Its just that most deodorants (antiperspirants) smell awful. They are usually a plastic-y fruity mess or some artificial vanilla laden confection from hell. So unscented or classic scent Dove antiperspirant is the one I choose. One smells like nothing, and the other smells like Dove soap, and is also quite soft, which is fine with me. But there are some lovely scented products I adore!

Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant

This is actually a deodorant/antiperspirant. I’m sure many of you are familiar with this one. It is a huge seller and a major cult product among those in the know. It’s funny because Cashmere Mist is not one of my favourite perfumes and I find it a bit overly powdery and tenacious on me. It is a lovely scent and I have friends who wear it beautifully…just not for me. I adore Donna Karan Jasmine, but I digress. My friend and fellow beauty enabler Vicki turned me on to this stuff after her friend from LA turned her onto it! I was up for it! The amount of scent in this deodorant is absolutely perfect and it even takes on a slightly different feel than the perfume. It is simple and deep, and works well with many different scents like florals, richer woody scents etc. It keeps me dry as a bone without irritating my skin or staining my clothes. At around $25 it is more than I thought I would ever pay for a deodorant but it is a really dense quality product and it lasts at least twice as long as the Dove. I get mine at Sephora or Shoppers Drug Mart.

Elizabeth Arden Blue Grass Cream Deodorant 

Ok I know. Blue Grass? My grandmother wore Blue Grass! Well that’s ok. I love perfumes of all vintages and eras so if you know me, Blue Grass is not really a stretch. It has changed since I first recall smelling it, but it is pretty inoffensive. It’s a fresh clean outdoorsy fragrance, with soft floral notes and your basic cologne ingredients like lavender, orange blossom with a little spice thrown in. Fragonard created this scent and in 1936 Elizabeth Arden had licenced it, and named it Blue Grass, honoring her horses and Kentucky stables. It became a massive success. My local EA rep told me this is a best seller in India, and it gets pretty hot there, so I imagine it is an effective product. Its kind of retro in that it is a cream. The bottle top is smooth and round and, as you turn the base to release the product, a little stream comes out of a little hole in the center. It rubs in to become invisible and dries almost instantly. I LOVE this product.  It smells soft and pretty, much softer, of course, than the perfume. It’s a squeaky clean floral scent that is perfect in hot weather that also layers well with just about any perfume. I first bought it to take to Florida and fell in love immediately. I feel pretty and clean in this, and it is mild and gentle on the skin. At around $12, you can’t go wrong. I got mine at Shoppers Drug Mart but I imagine it’s available wherever Blue Grass is.

Biotherm Deo Douceur 

This is an anti-perspirant as well, in the old roll on formulation. It is uber sheer and light and disappears almost instantly on the skin. It leaves almost no residue when it dries, and skin feels soft to the touch as well. It has the softest of rose scents upon application but it disappears pretty quickly. It has a luxurious feel to the product itself, even if it is a bit "wetter" than I am used to. Perhaps the fact that summer has been so hot and sticky, that after a nice long shower the Biotherm Deo Douceur actually feels cool and refreshing going on as opposed to cold and yucky? Maybe I won’t love it so much in the depth of January but right now I love it. The rose scent is uplifting, the product is gentle and it also effective. Keeps me dry and comfy with no dry skin. At around $25 it is again kind of pricey, but has a good quantity and a little goes a long way. I got mine at Shoppers Drug Mart, but I’m sure anywhere with a Biotherm counter has it.

One thing I love about these products is the luxe factor the offer. I found I like the feeling and idea of using a fancy deodorant sometimes. Why is that important? Because I believe that luxury in the little things we do for ourselves is a good thing. It feels like a treat, and elevates our daily routine, even if just for a minute. 

Benefit b.right Foamingly Clean for a Beautiful Clean

I have been eyeing the new Benefit skincare line for awhile. The packaging is pretty with that signature Benefit retro style and quite appealing actually. The sky blue glass jars or plastic tubes with the burled wood look to the caps remind me of antique glass with hobnail detailing. They have a tactile appeal as well as visual- which I love. Practical as well, as they don't slip right out of your hands if they are wet or creamy due the little knobs. And, b.right, bright and be right- get it? Cute!

I was recently shopping at Sephora perusing the Benefit counter, when I ran into an old friend who I knew from when I worked in the perfume biz. She is gorgeous and smart and I respect her beauty opinion and she convinced me I HAD to try the cleanser as she was using it and loving it. Like me, she has combination skin, albeit younger less lined skin, and that she was really happy with the results she was getting from the Benefit Foamingly Clean cleanser. It didn’t take a lot of prodding for me to toss it into my basket and take it home. At $21 for a big tube, and only using a tiny bit, this will last me quite a awhile. I also put back my Shiseido Benefiance Eye Cream (GASP!) and decided to also buy Benefit It’s Potent! Eye Cream- that review is here.

The whole b.right line emphasizes radiance- no matter if we have dry, oily, combination, young or aging skin, we all want it to be radiant, right? Benefit has cut to the chase and targeted that “one” aspect, which is rather clever. Radiant pretty much covers all our skin needs and wants, across the board.

Now THIS is radiant...am I looking in the mirror or what? 

Using the Benefit Foamingly Clean is wonderful luxurious cleaning experience. It has a very soft scent, barely noticeable and does not linger on the skin. But it’s the texture that is really something else. I like the old school cold cream feeling it has as it really seems like it is getting every last bit of dirt and make up off my skin. I have tried using Pond’s Cold Cream cleanser and really like the way it takes off every last drop of everything, but was not keen on the oily residue it left behind. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, but it just didn’t feel clean enough to me. Foamingly Clean has a magical formula that emulsifies beautifully as you rub it into your skin. It feels rich and lovely yet magically foams (not big soapy foam) and rinses away clean. My skin feels clean, not oily and not remotely dry or tight. My oily sensitive skin has not protested and I am very happy with this. I have been using it at night to take off the make up and grime of the day- which includes sunscreen and “stuff” as on sunny days I drive a convertible. Who knows what is on my face by the end of the day, but after a lovely cleansing with Benefit Foamingly Clean all the bad stuff is gone. Love this!

I now want to try the Moisture Prep Toning Lotion and of course, the Ultra Radiance Facial Re-Hydrating Mist, because I love me a good facial mist. Have you tried the Benefit b.right Radiance line? 

Beautiful Tarte LipSurgence Lip Stains

These lip tints are my most recent obsession. I love a bright lip but most lipsticks tend to turn the lip makeup step into quite an event. If I am out and about, I usually have to pop into bathrooms or take a peek at a compact mirror to touch up (which can involve removal, exfoliation, balm application, re-application of the lipstick, and even gloss application etc…).

For me, most lipsticks are reserved for special events. What I love about LipSurgence natural lip tints is that they are easy (and beautiful). First of all, they are of that great pencil applicator style which makes application easy. The “gel” formula glides on and does not accentuate dry lips (which is why I tend to shy away from most lipsticks). On the contrary, the skinvigorating ingredients actually significantly moisturize your lips and the peppermint oil gives a nice cooling and calming effect. The best part of these pencils is that they are a tint. I am really over the moon about this! The lovely colours last even after the product is gone.

             

So far, I have tried two of the colours from this line. “Charmed” is an adorable bubblegum light pink that is great for summer and beautifully subtle and soft. “Enchanted” is a deep rose colour that is perfect for evening or dressing up.

Charmed

Emilie in "Charmed"

  

Enchanted   

Emilie in "Enchanted" & with trimmed bangs- love them!

Tarte also has two other similar lines of pencil tints; LipSurgence natural lip luster, which has some glitter and sparkle in the product, and LipSurgence natural matte lip tint. Overall, these lip tints are the best of two worlds: soft and moisturizing like a great balm, a beautiful colour and glow like the perfect lipstick with the added bonus of a long-lasting tint. I definitely recommend popping into a Sephora and giving these a go. I guarantee you will be sold – I cannot wait to try the other colours!

by Emilie, using her own Tarte products

Terax Crema Conditioner for Silky Beautiful Hair

In my efforts to purge silicones from my hair routine I ended up revisiting an old favourite hair conditioner. You know, the products you love because they do exactly what you want and expect them to do, but that you set aside one day because something allegedly better comes along….then time goes by, more products come along, and the fabulous product you loved so much gets forgotten. Such was the case with the cult favourite (for a Reason) Terax Crema Conditioner. Now, I am often let down by “Cult Favourites” as my expectations are unreasonably high. But Crema did what it should do, which was make my hair smooth and soft and not weigh it down. It actually claims to alter the PH of the hair, making the cuticle somehow more open to moisture. I’m dubious on that claim and wonder if some ad copy translator took a liberty or two. Terax is an Italian company and seems to specialize in products that work well on thick  hair that has been processed, and/or spent a lot of time in the sun and the sea.

I’ve written earlier about my love for Living Proof but I do have an issue with their smoothing/straight making products. They build up in the hair. Its so light that you can’t feel it, it doesn’t add weight. But after 10 days to 2 weeks of continual use my hair becomes flat, dead and dry as I feel the ends cannot be conditioned properly due to the build up. So, I might use it if I plan to blow dry and want a smooth look for a special occasion, but not more often than that. And if you have been paying attention to the style mags, stick straight F L A T hair is thankfully passé. While I may not be keen on the frizzy styles that I have seen, a more natural bouncy and yes, even slightly poufy look is “In” right now. Can I get a hallelujah?

One thing has most definitely changed since I first tried Crema 15 or so years ago. The scent. Um- what the heck. The only way I can describe this…scent, after some help from my hair twin /15 year old daughter is, um, wet dog. Amazingly unpleasant, blessedly short lived and not lingering. I just don’t get it and wonder if some ingredient they used in the past became unavailable. There are conflicting reports of the scent online which makes me wonder could it be a weird musk scent, as musks are notorious for being shape shifter that are unbearable for some and invisible to others. I read a review that said it smelled like “beef”? I don’t get that at all, just an odd funk but as I said, it disappears almost immediately upon application and the fact that it turns my hair into silk helps. There is a soft lingering cream like scent but it is almost unnoticeable.

Look ma, no straight iron!

Now that I am being more analytical and practical with my approach to the functionality of beautyproducts, I have yet to find anything that comes close to the efficacy of Crema. I have a secret though, and those of you with dry, frizzy hair, processed, thick and/or strawlike hair need to know. I use Terax Crema as  Leave In Conditioner as well. This was a game changer for me. We all know why a silicone is a nice “idea”, put it on your wet hair, then as it dries it won’t frizz or pouffe up. Sadly, over time silicone just accumulates and then none of your conditioners can touch your hair and you have to use harsh shampoos to get the silicone out, only to start all over again. Silicone gives you a false sense of soft hair, if you will. Not the case with Crema. After I take my hair out of the towel and before combing it out (with a wide tooth comb) I take a dollop the size of a quarter and rub into the ends of my hair. Taa-daa! Softer and silkier than any silicone could muster up, and I can almost feel my hair soaking it up.

Smooth & silky but not pin straight aka dead looking

Another neat thing about Crema is that a little goes a long way. Some conditioners just disappear into my hair instantly requiring massive amounts in order to cover all my hair. Not Crema. And, it offers daily aka regular conditioning if left on for 1-2 minutes or, deep conditioning if left on for 15 minutes. Gotta love the multitasking properties of this product. Regular, deep and leave in conditioner= WIN! 

Natural & fun hair...FTW

I use this with Neutrogena Clarifying Shampoo (once every couple weeks, to remove build up from hard water etc) or, more regularly, with the bargain-o-rama Live Clean Moisturizing Shampoo. I love the Terax Shamp Latte clarifying milk shampoo as well but it’s hard to find. For a more moisturizing shampoo they have a honey line, Miele, which is lovely and gentle, and from what I recall, smells really good. I buy Terax Crema from my stylist but I have also seen it at Winners. Sephora has it on their website. A 17oz jug is around $48 but seriously, it will last forever. I have hair halfway down my back and shampoo twice a week and would say maybe 4-6 months with one jug. I get the smaller tube for travel and just refill it. Perfect!

Glass Files for Beautiful Nails

If you aren’t using a glass file on your nails you should be. I have suffered from peeling and chipping fingernails forever- I've switched nail polish removers, used strengtheners and taken extra vitamins but nothing helped. I don’t like to keep them any longer than my finger tip and I keep them in a nice chic squoval shape which helps to keep them strong. What I learned is that emery board styled files have large sand like particles that are used to file down the nail. The size of these particles cause tears and jagged edges in the nail that make the nail prone to splitting, tearing and breaking. Who knew? Glass files are so fine that you almost wonder how they will actually file the nail but in desperation I bought one after finding this one at Sephora.

Using a glass file takes a little practice. The best way to file your nails and to keep them strong is to drag the file in one direction only- NO sawing back and forth as that causes even more tears in the nail. The glass file makes it hard to go back and forth and so you are forced to master a gentle filing action in one direction. Add too much pressure and you get a weird scraping that is akin to nails on a blackboard- not pleasant at all. The key to using the glass file correctly is to use very little pressure, almost just breezing it across the tip of your nails. Once you get the hang of the glass file it is very easy to use. I find that I have to file half as much as when I used emery boards- perhaps this is because my nails aren’t breaking and peeling and therefore keeping their shape between manicures.

You can clean your glass files as well so they are hygienic. If you want to file your nails down a little more add a drop of water to the file to increase the effectiveness and strength. I’ve tried this and was amazed at the results. Now while there are obviously many advantages to the glass nail file there is one obvious con- they are glass and therefore very fragile and will shatter if you drop them. 

The one I use from Sephora comes in a handy little plastic sleeve which helps protect it. I can’t imagine using any other kind of file at this point as the difference in my nail condition is so dramatic. There are also crystal nail files but I haven’t been able to determine the difference. What does seem to be important is that the ground surface is part of the file and not not glued on. A little soap and water and a nail brush and it’s a good as new. I got my glass file for $8 at Sephora and love it.

Have you tried a glass nail file? Do you love it?