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. 

Goody Spirals into a Beautiful Bun

Hot on the heels of my Goody Modern Updo pin, Spin Pins (review coming soon) is the Goody Simple Styles Bun Spiral pin, pictured above next to the mini Spin Pins. Isn't it neat? It is so new and hot that it hasn’t even made it onto the Goody website yet or I would link to it J Anyhow, those of you with longish to long hair probably do a pony tail or the messy bun in an elastic band trick when you want your hair up. Fine and functional, but not really pretty. I love the look of a bun but find the struggle with bobby pins a bit much, and even if I buy some, I rarely have enough on hand to make a nice bun. It just feels, well, formal, and requires more work than I am up for.

I feel like Black Swan kicked off a ballet style fashion kick that I love. Soft and feminine without any of the countless hours of practice or sore toes. I covet the cashmere outfits that Natalie Portman wore and love the elegant look of the ballet bun. It showcases the neck, making it look long and, well, swan-like- in a good way not a crazy way. The bun is a perfect look coming into warmer weather and a stylish and chic way to deal with a bad hair day.

slightly messy with a rogue section but I love it!

So the Simple Styles Bun Spiral pin is super cool and makes a pretty bun a no brainer. The way I used it is to start with a pony tail, high up on the back of my head. Using a wide tooth comb or fingers I back comb the pony to give it some texture then twist loosely into a bun shape. I squish the bun through the Bun Spiral (with the red tips facing down) and twist and turn the pin clockwise until it hits scalp. It doesn’t pull or pinch and holds even my thick heavy mop in place. I suppose if I was plié-ing and pas-de-deux-ing around it might wiggle loose but for my purposes it works perfectly! 

I can hardly believe I made this bun in less than 2 minutes!

One of my favourite things about the Simple Styles line is that they are metal. My hair is thick and I have lost track of the number of plastic hair accessories that have just snapped into pieces while I try to secure them in place. Not an issue with a solid metal piece, this will last forever. There is nothing to snag or pull on your hair so it is gentle and comfortable. Verdict? Love.

see how cute? easy to toss in my purse

As with all the Goody Simple Styles tools, this comes in light or dark colours to best compliment your hair, and in Canada is available at Shoppers Drug Mart and Walmart (where I got mine) for around $7. I saw them on sale for $2.99 at Shoppers last week though so it’s worth keeping your eyes peeled for deals. Have you tried the Goody Simple Styles tools? 

Batiste Dry Shampoo Means Beautiful Hair Every Day

This is a Public Service Announcement for those of you who don’t have Batiste Dry Shampoo spray in your bathroom cabinets. People! You are blow drying more than necessary! Put down that blow dryer and read on...

Dry shampoo sprays are everywhere now. Every hair product company seems to have one out these days, as I think we have finally realized our unhealthy obsession with washing our hair too much and how too much blow drying and straightening is bad for our hair. I frankly like slightly dirty hair as it styles better and looks more natural. But flat greasy hair is Not Good and a dry shampoo is a perfect solution. I have tried two kinds- a hair powder and a powdery spray. I prefer the spray as it allows more control of the product and you can direct it right at your roots where it is needed.  A nice wide pouffe of spray is also good as it covers more hair and is less concentrated in one area. This is a good thing because these are powdery products and overuse can give you whitish grey roots. Although for blondes, it really helps when those roots start to look darker when you haven’t shampooed.

Most dry shampoos range in price from around $7 (the WORST, TreSemme, made my hair look dirtier and smelled like plastic melons)-  to around $30 (Ojon and Oscar Blandi- good but not better than Batiste, why pay more?). I have wanted to review Batiste for awhile but wanted to try a few before doing so. I have tried around 7 of them and finally gave up. Not one was better than Batiste, and at around $8 I will happily stay with this one. It is an older product that has been around for “ages” but I couldn’t find out exactly when it was launched. I have contacted the company and hope to hear from them. The Original Batiste spray has a soft lemon scent (think Jean Nate) that disappears within minutes of application. The Blush is more floral but again, quite benign and doesn’t last long enough to interfere with any perfume you might be wearing. However they both are effective at making your hair smell and look clean and fresh. A great way to eliminate cooking smells as well.

One terrific added benefit of Batiste is that it adds texture and body/thickness to your hair. That 70s semi matte natural yet slightly big hair look that is everywhere this season is helped along wonderfully with Batiste!  The biggest proponent of Batiste is my daughter Emilie. She has fine silky gorgeous hair but an oily scalp that contributes to flat hair if not washed all. The. Time. I have seen her wash her hair twice a day because it make her so crazy. Since Batiste she can go three to four days. Seriously.

If you are like me, you spend time and/or money getting that gorgeous blow dry. And, I don’t have time to do that every morning. Grab yourself a cute vintage-y looking shower cap and leave that shampoo for another time! A few spritzes of Batiste and your hair is fresh as a daisy. Now go get some, you will thank me for it!

I got my Batiste at Shoppers Drug Mart but Sally Beauty has it and I have even seen it at Winners for $6.

Soap & Glory...& Beautiful!

I have always loved the Soap & Glory product packaging. I love retro stuff and their pink kitschy bottles with the cheeky names have always appealed to me. I had yet to try any of their products, not sure why, I guess there is always Something I need when I wander into the pharmacy and I somehow managed to pass them by. I am so glad I took the time to give them a try. I was out of bath bubbles- yes bubbles- and needed a replacement for my well loved Vitabath. I wanted something different, moisturizing, that smells nice and that makes lots of bubbles. A luxurious bath to me has bubbles up to my chin. I also needed some shower gel  for myself and my daughter- again, something that would smell nice, feel gentle and give some good lather on the pouffe. I decided to give the Soap & Glory products a go, and after doing a little sniffing of the line, ended up getting the Calm One, Calm All bath bubbles and the Clean, Girls body wash.

Calm One, Calm All is simply a wonderful product! Bubbles galore with just two capfuls and the scent is a cross between the nostalgic and clean scent of J&J Baby Shampoo with just a touch of something that smells a little like Coco Mademoiselle meets Miss Dior Cherie. Soft, floral, and soapy and very girly. I am very choosy with scent, and this was soft and benign enough to not interfere with my perfume, which is very important! It is a calming scent for sure, and my bathroom and surrounding areas smelled all day. It has a lovely creamy pink consistency that adds to the luxe experience. I considered not draining the tub to make the scent linger longer. It most definitely has skin softening properties as even after a hot bath (I know, not a good idea in cold weather…can be drying…blah blah blah) my skin was smooth and soft and not remotely tight or dry. The scent lingered on my skin in the subtlest of ways, I imagine it was along my hair line as I almost submerged myself. As I warmed up under my scarf and coat I’d catch comforting little wafts of clean & pretty from time to time. At $10 for a 500ml bottle and at two capfuls a bath, this is an amazing value and no-brainer for lovers of warm bubbly and luxurious baths.

Clean, Girls is just as lovely as the bubble bath. It shares a similar scent as well, and is also a thick creamy consistency. It has a touch of a pearlescent colour to it, which is pretty, but does not leave a glittery or frosted residue on the skin. It comes with a handy pump, which makes dispensing in the shower a breeze. Just a few pumps was all it took to lather me up from head to toe and again, pretty much scent my whole ensuite zone. It is moisturizing for sure, and again, I noticed that I did not feel a panic to get to my cream after drying off as my skin felt smooth and soft. The scent lingers gently for a few hours, less so than the bubble bath does, but either way the scent is so agreeable that I am ok with it. My daughter loves it too, although she is less picky and pretty much uses whatever I give her, Miss Dior Cherie was her perfume for the last year and so the scent is a win with her. She is not a big moisturizer so the added moisturizing properties are just perfect. Again, at $10 for 500ml this stuff is going to last forever, and the pump makes sure you don’t waster or overuse the product.

I got my Soap & Glory products at Shoppers Drug Mart. Nothing like a little good clean fun!

Olay Classic Moisturizing Cream is Simply Beautiful

As with most women, I have one criteria for my beauty products. I like them to work. So I don’t discriminate between high end department store lines and the more humble drugstore lines. Olay Classic Moisturizing Cream (not the lotion in the bottle but the jar of cream) is one of the humble products I love.   I’ll get this out of the way immediately- it has some unpopular ingredients ( if you scroll down on the page I linked above there is a full list of ingredients). And, while I try to avoid silicone and mineral oil as they make me break out, somehow, miraculously, they don’t seem to be an issue in Olay Classic. And, even La Mer has silicone so lets not get crazy here.  The silicone I avoid is the thick spackle-y make up primer type, which is thick, feels uber slippery and covers your face like a mask. Hello zits!

I used Olay on my neck twice a day after cleansing, and around my eyes. I have yet to find an eye cream that impresses me enough to re-purchase. I’m still trying but so far- nada. I also use the Olay on my décolletage with a low or plunging neck top. When the weather gets as vile as it has been lately, with temperatures plummeting and indoor heat making my house drier than the Sahara, its time to bump it up a notch, moisturizing-wise. I use a serum under my daily lotion for extra moisture (more on those in another post) but when it “feels like” minus 35 outside I have to get serious. Once I’ve done my routine, and before doing my minimal make up, I take a small amount of the Olay Classic Cream and rub it between my hands like one would do with La Mer. Making sure it is well emulsified and warm, I then gently roll and press it into my skin, all over my face. It really feels amazing and does not sit like a layer of grease on the skin. It sinks in and feels soft and dewy and makes a nice smooth canvas for my make up.

I have a sample size jar (from Sephora) full of Olay that I keep in my purse and have been known to re-apply halfway through the day. Especially if I haven’t been able to drink and feel/look dehydrated. Added bonus- if you use the Olay Classic Cream that is pink and lightly scented, you will briefly smell like powdery roses. I don't know if my mother or aunt used this but it somehow takes me back... I love the scent but I can totally see that some people would not, so there is an unscented "sensitive skin" version. So, feeling dry? Get thee to Shoppers Drug Mart and go nuts- spend $11 for a pink jar of goodness that will last months and months.

LipFusion Objects of Desire Are Beautiful for Holiday Lips

I love LipFusion Lip Plumper. It is the only lipgloss I keep on hand at. All. Times. Nothing gives a better softer lip while conditioning and giving me full pillowy lips. Some come close, but none match the performance, texture, taste and feel of LipFusion. I have the standard milky/clear tube as well as Sweet and love them both equally. I am a gloss girl through and through and just don’t do lipstick. I often use Benefit Benetint under the LipFusion with fantastic just bitten rosy lipped results.

I saw the Objects of Desire Collection at Shoppers Drug Mart and the first thing I noticed was the pretty packaging and that it was priced less than the usual LipFusion. At $40 for the usual, this was enticing. Yes this is an expensive product, but delivers and frankly a tube lasts me a long time.  The Objects of Desire are actually smaller than the original but I didn't notice that until after I purchased. I suppose if I also wore lipstick I’d be less keen to spend this much on gloss but….So the packaging seemed Holiday-esque and I had been looking for a berry pink for my lips after seeing THIS post.  I quickly grabbed Show Off (2nd from the left in photo), a deep raspberry tone, and was quite excited. It is very pretty, and frankly the perfect shade of raspberry. Just enough of a blue tone to give that white teeth look but doesn’t wash me out. 

My only complaint is the frost. I feel at a certain age (cough cough) you can have shiny or you can have a hint of frost. But you can’t have lots of both in the same product, it’s just overkill. Less is more, as I have said before. So this would have been perfect if it had been the normal LipFusion formula with a raspberry jelly tone. I will wear it, as the colour is so lovely and my daughter told me I looked pretty, but I will use a light hand, and possibly dab to eliminate too much of the frosty look.

Because too much frost is not a good thing

                                                                                   

Olay Firming Masks for Beautiful Baby Skin

On the advice of my beauty gurus Michelle at BeautyEditor.com and Janine at imabeautygeek.com, I decided to try the Olay Pro-X Firming Masks. They had been singing the praises of “cotton moisturizing masks” and I was intrigued. Beauty writers can be a jaded bunch. Their job is, as Gaia over at The Non Blonde says, “to try products so you don’t have to”. I’ve had products do nothing, right up to products that make me break out. I prefer the products that make few claims but that have loyal followings. So. The masks.

They are a soft flannel type cotton, and according to Olay, have been soaked in the equivalent of an entire bottle of firming/moisturizing serum. They are folded in the package and are quite wet and a bit drippy so I recommend applying them in the bathroom. They feel cool and a bit clammy and take a tiny bit of patience and practice to apply. There are cut outs for your eyes and nose and a long piece to go under your chin. After the first one, you will have a better idea of how to apply it. Again, the sensation is cool and wet, and I don’t actually love the “wearing” part of the mask. My little thought was to perhaps put the package in a bowl of hot water before application but I’m not sure if that would be good for the product. I’ve contacted Olay about that so stay tuned. That said, a little bit of cool and damp is well worth the real results I see.

The mask stays on for 10 minutes. I have worn one while soaking in a scented bath, or while watching my TV boyfriend Jon Stewart on The Daily Show before going to bed, but for the most part anytime would work. It is best to sit still while wearing it though, as it can move around and slip, and before bed is nice for that reason. When the mask comes off there is excess product on your skin- I just rub it all in on my face and neck as to not waste a drop. The effects are dramatic, to say the least, and I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself. If you feel your skin could use a pick me up, these masks are just what you need. The words “dewy” “plumped” and “smooth as a baby’s bottom” come to mind as I examine my skin in the mirror after the mask. The effect is remarkable and there is actually a palpable glow. Fine lines disappear and I literally put on my glasses and leaned in to the mirror to get a good look. Wow. Just, wow. 

These are perfect for travel, winter dryness and anytime you need a boost and want to look dewy. I have been using one mask a week as I am concerned about shocking my acne prone sensitive skin, but before a party or special event would be perfect as well. You will look like you slept for hours and woke up with a “special glow”. For $25 for a box of 5 masks, sign me up.

Olay is available at most drugstores. I got mine at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Beautiful True Red- Essie Fishnet Stockings

My daughter Emilie and I are constantly searching out nail polish. We love the new collections and the myriad of “it” colours that come out each season. We love cool and interesting colours, and colours that compliment our skin tone. And then there is the search for The Perfect__________. You know what I mean. We always want The Perfect Mauve,  Greige, Pink, Teal- you name it. She told me ages ago that she wanted to try Essie Fishnet Stockings, that it was allegedly The Perfect Red. Apparently it is Dita Von Teese's signature red and if anyone knows a classic feminine red nail, it's Ms. Von Teese. Not too brown, not too blue, that it works with all skin tones and was a the perfect classic red and that “we” simply had to get it! She is a pretty smart girl and is usually right about these things. 

Lo and behold, months later, we are shopping at Canada’s favourite drugstore, Shoppers Drug Mart (one of my beauty Meccas, but that is another post…), and find a little stash of Essie nail polishes in the nail section. Not only that, but they were $6.99. And much to our surprise, there was one lone bottle of Fishnet Stockings! Of course we grabbed it and Emilie loves it. Seeing as how the 4 bottles of Red I already have, while lovely, haven’t been Perfect, I figure I need Fishnet Stockings. Happily, I stumbled upon another $6.99 bottle at yet another Shoppers.

From left: OPI Red My Fortune Cookie, OPI The Thrill of Brazil, Essie Fishnet Stockings, OPI  Manicurist of Seville,  OPI Quarter of a Cent-Cherry

I’m wearing it now on fingers and toes, and can attest to Emilie’s expert opinion. It is a clear clean red, application is flawless and looks pretty amazing with two coats, although I went for broke and applied three. Along with my Lippmann Hard Rock to protect it, of course. It IS The Perfect Red.

Kristina's Beautiful Blushes

I would venture to say that we all want the perfect blush. The best ones I have seen are never too obvious. It’s got to look like a natural flush, one bestowed upon you by your good genes and the graces of God (naturally).  Luckily, some of the most beautiful blushes I have seen on beautiful women are not naturally bestowed so there is still hope for us all. In my long search for the perfect blush, I have experimented with all sorts of colours, textures and application styles. Interestingly, in this search, I’ve learned not to judge a blush by its cover (or colour in the pan). Some of the very best shades I’ve ever tried are garish in the pan.

EXHIBIT A

Ok, that’s what it’s really called! Exhibit A by Nars is truly a frightening shade of coquelicot orange-red. I hardly ever see this blush in Sephora’s Nars counters which is astounding to me. The colour alone is so compelling, so vivid, that you can’t help but be drawn to it. Maybe this lusty shade of red has been deemed a niche blush. Well, if your niche is the perfect, passionate flush, I guess you should seek out Exhibit A. Like other Nars powder blushes, this blush is richly pigmented and buildable. It would suit many skins tones, but the amount you apply will really depend on your preference and skin tone. The texture of this blush is quite unforgiving if applied with a heavy hand. If you want that fresh from the outside, winterey,  rosy-cheek look, try this out with a skunk brush or a light hand. I also tap the pan with my finger, lightly pat on my cheekbone below the eyes, and blend, blend, blend. Oh lord. Exhibit A is a beauty. If you like the effect of cheek tint, but want to try something a little different, do a little detective work and find this blush. 

Now, for my everyday no-fuss blush, I want to introduce another top-notch contender: Clarins Multi-Blush Cream Compact in Apricot.

According to the product description, these blushes (available in three shades) can be used on the cheeks, eyes and lips. The colour I have is Apricot, a burnt orange in the pan. I have quite fair skin so while I love a great pink, I tend to look for peachy tones or pinks with a little soft taupe in them to avoid making my face any redder than it already is. Another part of my peach-love has to with a weird makeup obsession that started for me watching the movie Cry-Baby starring Johnny Depp and Amy Locane, all those years ago. So many amazing looks in this movie, but I was always a little smitten with Amy Locane’s natural orange hued blushes and eyeshadows. 

The Clarins Apricot Multi-Blush spotted me in a crowded Shoppers Drug Mart and called me out and immediately, I thought of Amy Locane in Cry-Baby. 

What is makeup if not a little bit of inspiration culled from the various corners of your memory? This blush is a bit creamy but not oily or slick 

and softens immediately into a powdery, smooth finish on your skin. There is no shimmer in these blushes that I can see, but it does imbue your cheeks with a lovely soft glow. I would almost say it’s matte, but there’s something else going on here that gives that je-ne-sais-quoi vibe. What I love about this blush is the ease of application (this is so key for me), the lasting power, and the perfect pale orange flush of colour. Again, a colour some people might shy away from at the makeup counter, particularly when it’s placed next to a cotton-candy pink or a classic rose or bronze. 

Please consider this post a public service announcement. When you see a blush that is a bit hideous in the pan, or maybe just a little scary, give it a test run. The perfect blush is out there!

Guest Poster Kristina is 26 and is a secret make up and skincare fanatic.