Tag Archives: Make-up

At The Stila Girl Canada Vancouver Launch Party

06/06/2012

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I had an amazing time last night! Thanks to Vitamin Daily Vancouver, I won VIP passes to the Stila Girl Canada Spring Summer Collection launch! They also were launching a limited edition Vibrant in Vancouver Travel Palette. The palette includes Vancouver inspired names and shades, and is available at Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques this month and are $21. Here is your peak at the party:

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I tested the BB Cream and their All Over Luminizer. The BB Cream made my skin tone nice and even, and the luminizer gave me a light natural glow.

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Krista tried their Self Adjusting Brozer, and it worked great on her. So subtle and beautiful!

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Also joining the party was Ardell Lashes. Krista and I both tried the glamourous line of real hair lashes.

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What do you think? Do we look glam?

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This is us at the end of the night. We met some great people, enjoyed great food and drank some yummy cocktails! We got to leave with a wicked goodie bag too! I’m looking forward to trying out all my new Stila make-up and Ardell lashes!

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Make-Up Tip of the Week: Coconut Oil

05/01/2012

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The other day I went into a store/restaurant here in Vancouver called Organic Lives and they talked me into getting coconut oil. The sales person helping me said she not only used it as a substitute for butter but also used it directly on here skin as a moisturizer. I quickly asked “You use oil on your face? Doesn’t that just make it shiny and more oily?” She said her skin has never felt better…hmmmm…It got me curious that for sure. So curious I figured I’d try it for myself. Lately my skin has been a bit bi-polar one week its dry, the next week it breaks out, so what did I have to lose trying coconut oil?

I purchased a large container from Organic Lives. This one goes for $20. (Make sure is PURE organic virgin coconut oil and not an imitation!)

I then took a tablespoon and put it into a new container for “face lotion” so that I could save some for cooking. I chose to add a little peppermint essential oil, because I prefer the smell of mint and I like how refreshing it makes your skin feel. Feel free to add in any of your favorite essential oils. Once the oils were mixed I put dime size dabs on my skin, maybe even less. You do NOT need a lot of this product, which means it will last you for a while! Start off with a small amount and work up from there.

When I came back from my Mexico vacation my skin was doing all sorts of peeling, not such a hot look, and coconut oil was the only thing that stopped it! Like I said earlier, my skin varies from dry to oily, and coconut oil not only worked well on my skin for moisture, I also didn’t have any extra break outs! I would highly recommend it.

You can use coconut oil on cracked heels, as a body and facial moisturizer and as a cuticle oil. I would not recommend using it in your hair, it is a bit too heavy for that. Have you ever tried using coconut oil before? What did you use it for?

BB Cream…Uncovered

04/19/2012

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It has come to my attention recently that all the rage is “BB” Cream. I wondered, what does the “BB” stand for? Some crazy cosmetic term? Some scientific discovery? Or maybe it has to do with a new vitamin that was discovered to help uncover new radiant skin? Nope BB stands for either Blemish Balm or Be Beautiful. Yes. Really! That interesting discovery made me dig a bit further, because it seemed like some crazy marketing ploy to get us all to buy some magic cream. I can just hear the PR offices saying, “Lets call it BB Cream- it sounds more scientific and important when you have initials!”

I decided to speak with a make -up artist about the hype behind BB Cream. She shared that it is to create radiance for aging skin, which is not really what someone under the age of 40 needs. So all you girls that read my blog- its unnecessary! If you want a product that is similar, I’d suggest a tinted moisturizer. It gives you a little color to even your skin tone, and goes on smooth.

I also uncovered that BB Cream is a mix of primer, moisturizer, liquid foundation and sunscreen. Hmmm…how many of you out there already own all of those items? Why not save yourself the $35-$60 that BB Cream can cost and create your own! I haven’t tried to make my own just yet- but here is the ratio I am planning on doing:

10% Sunscreen (make sure its for the face and that is has an SPF of 30 or higher. Neutrogena has a great product.)

10% Liquid Foundation

30% Moisturizer

50% Primer

The best part about creating your own, is you already know which products work for your skin, and you’re not introducing something new for your skin to react to. No need to worry about break outs or any allergic reactions!

Ultimately, you could make your life easier and buy one product that will “do the trick” of 4 items, you could invest in a good tinted moisturizer or you can create your own. My personal vote is one of the last two. What is your opinion?  Have you tried BB cream? Is it something you’d never go without?

*Click the top image for another great opinion on BB Cream. 

Make-Up Tip of The Week: Knowing Your Skin Tone

04/16/2012

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In reference to my previous post- I thought I’d give my ladies a few great product ideas to help you pick out the best color and shade of make-up for your skin tone.

 Cool:

Warm:

Make Up Tip Of The Week

03/12/2012

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Has the “Spring Forward” time change taken a toll on your Monday?? Here is a tip to help brighten tired eyes: BLUE is your magic color. Blue has been known to brighten the whites of your eyes, and there are three ways that anyone can add a little blue to your daily routine.

1. Lightly line the tear duct line. (This is above your lower lashes and under your upper lashes) You might need to pull your eyelid up or down and line away. This requires a quality pencil, because that area is a little damp and if your pencil isn’t pigmented enough, it’s not going to work. My personal favorite brand is:

The best shade is either Majorelle Blue or Incandescent Navy.

If you don’t want everyone to just see blue- I often still like my eyes with black and put blue closest to the eye (the tear duct line) that way it just gives a hint of blue and still brightens the eyes.

2. Add blue mascara over top your black mascara. This gives the hint of blue- while still accentuating your lashes with black.

3. Go bold! If you love blue and are confident you can pull it off (looks best with brown or gray eyes) grab a liquid or gel liner and do a cat eye!

Get the Look: Lea Michele in Allure Magazine

11/15/2011

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Doing her best to channel the sexy ladies of the 1960′s, Glee star Lea Michele is owning the cover of Allure! She looks absolutely stunning! Dare I say, the best we’ve ever seen her?

Do you love Lea’s look? Want to create it at home yourself? Here are a few tips:

-Fill in your brows, no sexy eye is complete without a nice thick brow

-Find a good waterproof liquid or cream liner. Something that has a small pointed brush. Start your liner at the middle of the eyelid, go until just about the end of the lid, then open you eyes and use the angle of your lower lid as to were to finish the cat eye. Then go back and finish the line towards the tear duct. To find the best angle for that cat eye, take the wand of your brush and hold it diagonally against your lower lash line to meet with the outer edge of your brow. Check out a great tutorial here.

-Go for a nude lip. With such dramatic eyes, a nude lip is best.

-Curl large sections of your hair with a small barrel curling iron, do a light hairspray, then comb it out with a natural bristle brush. To avoid an overly fizzy style, finish off the look with some shine serum or mist.

This should finish off your look, so you too can be the next Sophia Loren!

Make Up Bag Essentials

09/21/2011

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Whenever the topic of fashion comes up with friends I always get asked what make up I am using or how did you do your eyeliner, or what concealer do you recommend? Maybe my friends know that I am addicted to Sephora? Or maybe they know I enjoy being make-up guinea pig ? Life gets boring if you never try anything new!

This post is for those who feel overwhelmed when heading into the cosmetics section. I will break down the basic Make Up Bag Essentials. These are your must haves!

Step 1- Moisturizer:

The most important step- you need a get good moisturizer, even if you have oily skin. It’s the base for your make up, and helps it glide on that much easier. I would highly recommend taking a browse through Sephora, because they nicely categorize all their skin care according to skin type. If you are unsure what would suit you best, then ask one of the sales associates. Sephora has very knowledgeable staff and if you’re not sure where to start they will offer you FREE SAMPLES!! Who doesn’t love a free sample?

Rachele’s Favorites:

Korres 24 Hour Mosture Brighening Cream, $35 at SephoraClinique Dramatically Different Lotion $24.50 at Sephora or The Bay

Neutrogena Oil Free Moisturizer, $9 at most drugstores.

Step 2- Concealer:

Concealer can save your from revealing to the world that you were up all night watching re-runs of Sex In The City while eating a tub of ice cream! Puffy eyes much? You’re not alone, no one has perfect skin, everyone has dark circles, black heads, pimples and uneven skin tone- yes everyone! When purchasing a concealer you want to look for something oil-free that wont clog your pores. Also, if you are feeling daring you can get 3 different colours; a shade darker than your skin tone to detract light, a shade lighter to attract light, and one that perfectly matches your skin for those “zit days.” I like putting a shade darker under my eyes, and use a lighter shade as a highlighter on my brow bone. They key is not to put it on to heavy. No layering of the concealer. If you have a good foundation, you do not need to cake this stuff on!

Rachele’s Favorites:

Benefit Cosmetics Boi-ing $19 at Sephora or Shoppers Drug Mart

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat $40 at Sephora And Holt Renfrew

Make Up Forever Camouflage Cream Palette, $36 at Sephora

Step 3- Foundation

Personally I enjoy a mixed power/foundation formula. It looks like a powder but covers like foundation. This stuff will save you time, goes on light and still gives great coverage. If you use this formula you DO NOT need liquid foundation. However, if you want to cover wrinkles or if you have some skin discoloration, I’d recommend using a liquid foundation. My tip to you, make sure you purchase your foundation from a store that will allow refunds. It’s great to take your new product home, try it in your lighting at home and the lighting outside. Your face HAS TO MATCH your neck. Foundation is not meant to be used as self tanner! If you get darker in summer, and lighter in winter PLEASE switch your foundation!

Rachele’s Favorites:

Make Up Forever Duo Mat Powder Foundation, $32 at Sephora

Cover FX Mineral Powder Foundation, $35 at Sephora or Shoppers Drug Mart

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation, $26 at MAC locations or The Bay.

Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation, $40 at Sephora

Sephora Collection Perfecting Cover Foundation, $22 at Sephora

Step 4- Blush:

Even if you naturally have a flushed skin tone, its good to have something to use as a contour and if you are using a good foundation, it will take away redness. You know the trick of smiling to emphasize your cheekbones then dotting blush on the apples of your cheeks? It really works! Make sure again you are working with your skin tone. If you look best in browns, or fall colours you will most likely have a warm skin tone and will look best in peachy blushes. If you look great in blues, and purples you probably have a cool skin tone; you will look best in a pink based blush. It is possible that you look great in both, and if so you have a neutral tone, and you can rock whichever colour blush looks best with your hair colour.

Liquid or cream blushes work best with powder foundation, and should be applied BEFORE powder. I have a fair skin tone so I personally like this method because my blush lasts throughout the day.

If you prefer a powder blush, apply AFTER foundation either power or liquid foundation.

Rachele’s Favorites:

Make Up Forever HD Blush, $25 at Sephora

NARS blush, $27 at Sephora or Holt Renfew

Benefit Cosmetics Feeling Cheeky! $15 at Sephora or Shoppers Drug Mart

Step 5- Mascara:

Mascara is the best way to highlight your eyes. Eyes are the one feature on your face that others look at most, so we should always make time for a little mascara. I’ve tried quite a few brands in my time, and found that I like a voluminous look, with no clumping and that wont irritate my eyes. If you have light hair you should be using a light black or black/brown shade, if you have dark hair use the darkest shade of black. When applying, make sure your eyes are open and apply to all the lashes working from the outside in. I recommend using the tip of the brush for the inner lashes and the bottom lashes. Avoid putting mascara on the side of the lashes closest to the eyelid, this can often lead to smudging or mascara that looks too heavy.

Rachele’s Favorites:

Make Up Forever Smoky Lash, $22 at Sephora

Cover Girl Last Blast Fusion, $8 at most drugstores.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! $19 at Sephora

Step 6- Lip Gloss:

Some might argue that this step is unnecessary but I beg to differ. Just like you moisturize your skin, you should moisturize your lips. Lips can get wrinkly and dry too! I recommend a clear gloss for everyday use and a colour gloss that works with the shade of your blush. Again, I have tried A LOT of brands of lip gloss and prefer something that smells good and has a slight plumper.

Rachele’s Favorites:

Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish, $18 at Sephora

Mentha 2X Supreme Lip Shine, $8 at Bath and Body Works

MAC Lipgelée, $14.50 at MAC locations or at The Bay

Bonus Steps:

If you wanting to do something a little extra feel free to add some eye liner, eye shadow and bronzer. If you are going to add anything other than mascara to your eyes I’d highly recommend using a primer as a base to the eyelid. It helps everything stay in place and not rub off throughout the day.

Bronzer is great to contour the cheeks and give some colour for those who don’t live in warm climates year round! It’s the safe way to tan! Just apply a small amount on the places on your face that would get the most sun: the apples of your cheeks, on the nose, a bit on the chin and a bit on the brow line. DO NOT go overboard with the bronzer- start off light and then check how it looks in natural lighting. If you think you can use more than go for it, but usually one swipe is enough!

Last but not least, have fun with your make up! Experiment with colours! Once you get used to these 6 basic steps it should take you only about 10 minutes to apply!

If you have any further questions feel free to ask.

Rachel McAdams…I’m on the fence.

12/14/2009

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Two looks from recent Rachel McAdams that I am on the fence about. Not too sure how I feel about them.

So what do you think of her look for the premier of  Sherlock Holmes?  I love her dress–I’m just not sure about the make-up and hair- its a bit strong for her.

Apparently Anna Wintour thinks she’s going to be something special with Sherlock Holmes coming out–cause she’s not exactly the caliber of actress they have been featuring on the covers lately; unless Anna ran out of celebs to feature since that’s all that has been happening lately. (BRING BACK THE REAL MODELS!)

Again- make up and hair is SUPER harsh. And what is that dot on the side of her face?? I don’t recall seeing a mole there before… Plus pink lips red skirt…hmmm….I would have opted for something a bit more neutral, cause of all the color on her top and skirt.

I must admit–I am looking forward to seeing the movie though. Will you check it out?

Anyone can wear red lipstick!

09/14/2008

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In case you haven’t noticed yet- come every fall everyone starts to wear red lipstick again. Have you always been intimidated by the bold red lip? I know I was. I thought I had to be platinum blond like Gwen Stephani to be able to pull it off. Turns out you just need to find your right shade! Even redhead’s like me can do it!

If you have a cool skin tone, you will look best in purple or blue based reds; like berry, plum, and cherry reds.

If you have a warm skin tone, you will look best in orange or gloden shades; like poppy, coral and rust.

Naturally if you are a brunette or a blond you can also get away with wearing more shades of red. But redheads, don’t fret! The same rule applies of warm and cool when finding the right shade. You also want to consider if your shade of red hair is warm or cool as well.

 

**Tips for holding your red lips in place**

- Start with clean dry lips and put a light layer of foundation on your lips as your base

- Only do up to 2 layers of lipstick, but blot your fist layer between tissue to make it matte, then apply your final coat

- Avoid putting any gloss on top

- Make an “o” with your lips and put your finger through, this will take off the the excess that can embarrassingly end up on your teeth!

- Matte shades stay on longer the shiny or glossy shades

- Don’t be afraid to re-apply throughout the night

-If you wont have time to re-apply, invest in a lip stain, instead of a lipstick

This product will be your best friend. It’s called She Laq by Benefit. It’s a make up sealer that holds in your mascara, eyeshadow or lipstick! You can now find most Benefit products at Shoppers Drug Mart or Sephora.

Make-Up Tip of the Week

08/21/2008

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I struggle with dark circles and bags under my eyes. Its a constant problem that I could never seem to minimize- but I have found a solution that I can work with.

To reduce the look of dark circles, use a concealer a shade DARKER then your skin tone. You must blend it really well! Light colors attract light (or shadow) and dark colors don’t, so this is the best way to neutralize those pesty dark circles. And, to lift/brighten the eye, make sure you highlight your brow bone with a perlescent pink or white powder–because this ATTRACTS the light…see, this is all making sense now right??

Make Up Tip of the Week

08/01/2008

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Tired of looking tired? Aren’t we all…

Well here is an easy way to brighten up your eyes. Try using BLUE MASCARA. It makes the whites of your eyes look whiter and works great with any eye color. If you are unsure about going blue all the way, layer it on top of your regular black mascara.