Aveda Nourish-Mint Lip Definer Review

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Henna

I’ve been wearing more lipstick just because I’ve been in the house more and I like to look like I’m going somewhere even when I’m not.  My lipstick doesn’t always stay put and if it’s creamy then it bleeds and feathers.

My solution comes in the form of Aveda’s Nourish-Mint Lip Definer. This is a vanilla and mint wax stick that creates a thick layer over your lips so that your lipstick has something to stick to. Though the Lip Definer is waxy, lipstick seems to glide over it smoothly and then just stays on.

The pencil is a sheer nude pink that neutralizes all other colours on your lips so that the lipstick colour is true and bright.
The comments on the Aveda site complain that this doesn’t have much colour and that it’s too waxy, and that’s true. The problem is that this isn’t a normal lip pencil and functions completely differently. It’s not supposed to provide a base colour for lipstick, and it’s waxy so that it can create a smooth layer on your lips.

When I use this I find that my lipstick lasts longer than usual, and wears more evenly so that after a couple of hours, all I need is a touch up. The best part is that my lips are moisturized the whole night even if my lipstick is super matte.

Pick this up at Aveda for about $30.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Make-Up | Tagged | Leave a comment

Oh Samples

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Melissa Shum @CoverFX

Samples have gone the way of hugs in pandemic times – take a walk through Sephora and you’ll see that there are no testers and no samples.  Maybe that will end, or they will have everything behind lock and key so that they can sterilize it for you before letting you try it, but I thought in light of the times, it was interesting to read this article written by my friend Melissa Shum when did PR for CoverFX.  Have a read and let me know what you think in the comments.

Oh samples, where for art thou?

For as long as I can remember I was totally one of those beauty customers who took the idea of product samples for granted. Not literally like… I want a sample for every product I thought about buying but I did think sample availability should and would never be an issue especially for beauty brands.

My logic was… it’s a great way to promote a product and it encourages customers to try it before buying especially for big commitments like perfume. So naturally there should be samples galore right?

Since joining Cover FX I’ve come to a whole new realization about product samples.

sample stashSamples are a scarce and safely guarded resource here. Contrary to popular belief and as much as we’d love to, we do not have the luxury of endless supplies of samples for our products at the office or in inventory. It’s not because we do not forecast enough or that we don’t want to allocate budget towards that area. It is the reality that we are still a small brand in the sea of great and big brands in the beauty industry and consequently must work within the limitations of a small sampling budget.

Unless we’ve made proclamations for them in the beginning of the year during budget submissions they are non-existent. Every single sample produced is already accounted to something (e.g. in-store events, retail samples, press, bloggers etc.) and the samples put aside for a slush fund are usually quickly used up by unforeseen events. This makes it very challenging to participate in awesome opportunities that come up on the fly (e.g. gift bags for major events) or do any major promotional marketing (although I did manage to get my hands on a couple HUNDRED retail sized samples of our new product launching in the fall for a MAJOR promotion…)

Anyways to cope with the limited supply of samples, a few of us have a secret stash hidden under our desks.

We order them as they are made available and guard them with our lives. Literally! Even if a co-worker came asking for a sample we can all expect a friendly interrogation of “what is it for and how many will you need?” Although we have samples allocated to each department from the beginning of the year, our final quantities are almost always cut because of production issues.

With all this being said I am currently putting together my “wish list” for the total number of samples i’d like for next year… key word – like. *Crosses fingers* 😉

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged | 1 Comment

Drybar’s Detox For Your Hair

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Henna

This is the best-smelling dry shampoo.  Periodt. Drybar DetoxDrybar is the LA-based blowout bar, and they have a host of hair styling products available in their salons and at Sephora stores.  

If you like smoky oriental scents, then you must stock up on their styling line because they have some of the best smelling hair products I’ve ever tried.  For that reason, I’m stocking up on their Detox dry shampoo ($29) and dry conditioner ($29) – one is made for the roots of the hair, and  the other is for the lengths of the hair.  Both provide dry options to style hair without getting it wet!

The Detox dry shampoo is perfect for absorbing oil at the scalp and for adding some extra body to your hair.  I love using it at night if I’ve had a busy (um, greasy?) day and I know that I’m not going to have time to wash my hair.  I spray the dry shampoo through the roots, and let the powders absorb excess oil while I sleep so that I don’t wake up to lank hair.  This dry shampoo is made of superfine powders so there’s no white residue and you can really build volume with it.  Spray it from arm’s length away lifting hair up as you spray.  

The Detox dry conditioner is one that I use in the morning.  It smoothes my hair without adding extra weight or any oiliness.  It’s still a dry finish but not as dry as a dry shampoo.  I love it for adding some piecy texture to my hair but still being light and workable.

And, I’m finding myself skipping the perfume because both these products smell absolutely amazing!

Check out the entire line online or at Sephora stores.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Shampoo and Conditioner | Tagged | Leave a comment

Glossier Solution Review

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Henna

If you want a 10% off discount code at Glossier, here it is.

When I heard that Glossier was coming out with a glycolic acid toner, I was ready for it.  I mean, this is the one product that makes or breaks my skincare routine, it’s glycolic acid.  It makes my skin so smooth and really gets rid of breakouts and scarring, which is basically what I need all the time.

So I splurged and bought this: it’s $29 on the Glossier website, which is more than what Neostrata costs at the drugstore and kind of not as convenient because I don’t need to wait until that comes to me.

The packaging and look is amazing.  I love the pretty pink plastic bottle, and it’s amazing that nobody has ever thought of putting toner in a nail remover bottle, because it prevents you from spilling the solution when you’re trying to get it on your cotton pad.

The solution itself is 10% mixture of glycolic, lactic, and gluconolactone.  The blend means that it’s not 10% glycolic acid only, and that there’s actually less than 10% glycolic acid in here.  They also say that there’s salicylic acid in there, but it’s a tiny amount: just .5%.  That’s not going to make a real difference on your skin, so the other acids are doing the work when it comes to exfoliation.

Honestly, this might work but I found it too sticky to keep using on a regular basis, and I haven’t had that experience with any other glycolic acid toner.  The sticky feeling was annoying and the finish is kind of – well, glossy – so I didn’t like using this in the morning.  This would be fine under sunscreen or a moisturizer if you’re going to use it that way.

You can get Glossier products from their website.

I’ve also reviewed the Glossier Hand Cream here.  I loved it.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Skin Care | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Perfect Pairings from Mickey Contractor

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Henna

This collection came out in January 2011, and I need to dig out the products.  Stay tuned!

Proof that the MAC + Mickey Contractor collection rocks?

Check out these images: perfect pairings from the colour cosmetics section at MAC.

The first picture has Sur blush with Mehr lipstick.  Both are neutral pinks – Mehr is described as a Dirty Blue Pink, and Sur is a Dirty pink brown.  Both look natural on the skin and have no shimmer to them, so they are long-wearing and matte.  Think your natural skin but prettier.  All the colours work incredibly well together to give a polished look that’s anything but boring.

Finally check out the eyeshadow palette in Athma.  Yes, it’s all neutrals and the black is a repromote called Carbon, but the colours go wonderfully together and are neutrals with an oomph.

The collection has sold really well – both the lipstick and the blush are sold out online but they may be available at the MAC counter.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Make-Up | Tagged | 2 Comments

Do You Wear Sunscreen Everyday?

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Henna

Just thought I’d ask… do you?  I do, and if it’s cloudy, then maybe just a foundation with a sunscreen.  But I have to have some sort of “protection” on my face.

How about you?

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Skin Care | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The $980 Face Cream

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Henna

supremya nightThere’s a face cream on the market and it costs $980. Of course, I’m talking about a cream only available at Holt Renfrew, and that at the Sisley counter.  Sisley’s new Supremya has a Phyto-Complex that purports to help slow down the aging of skin and keeps it supple and smooth.  It also helps reduce damage caused by UVB radiation.

All this means is that there’s something in Supremya that helps it resist stress and repair itself.

The cream smells amazing, makes skin looks like it’s glowing, and hydrates like a dream.

If you’re looking for the best in skin care, you can’t go wrong with Sisley, so try it for yourself.

As I write this, I do wonder how many of you would be willing to spend this much on a face cream.  And if not $980, how much is the most you can spend?  Do you spend on La Mer?  Dior?  Lancome?  or are you happy with your Olay?  Share in the comments, I’m curious.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Skin Care | Tagged | 10 Comments

Mad Men Makeup

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Henna

Have you binge-watched Mad Men while you’ve been at home on quarantine?  I have, and it’s a great show to really inspire your makeup looks.  Here’s a Q&A with Lana Horochowski who was makeup department head of Mad Men for season 3, from 2009. 

Q&A with Lana Horochowski
Mad Men, Makeup Department Head

joanQ: You’re the new department head at Mad Men for Season 3, will you be making any changes to any characters makeup?
A: Since we are moving a little forward into the future, we have changed up the color palette for each character to go along with the time period.

Q: When you were preparing for this season, did you do any research for inspiration? If so, what most inspired you?
A: Weeks and weeks of meetings and research. I love looking through the old magazines. They are a great reference and a huge source of inspiration; however, we do try to keep the characters looking like real people that do their own makeup and not like movie stars with a makeup artist standing by. Magazines and old movies are a great guideline for a basic look and color selection.

Q: How would you describe the looks of each one of the characters? How do they differ?
A: Joan Holloway- always put together, very sassy and sexy
Betty Draper- although she is a housewife she is an ex model, so her makeup is clean but very current for the period
Peggy Olson- Peggy is a young and fresh faced business woman of that period, she is a very clean natural makeup

Q: What are your key products for creating the makeup looks for the main female characters?
A: Joan Holloway- We do a heavier eye on Christina, so the key products would be eyeliner and strip lashes.
Betty Draper- Betty has 2 distinct looks, her at home look and her going out/evening look. For home she is very natural, basically a sheer foundation, think black eyeliner and mascara. Evening Betty goes a little thicker on the liner and a brighter lipstick, but always coordinated with her clothing.
Peggy Olson- Since the key to Peggy’s look is to appear as though she is wearing no makeup, a great foundation is super important. Also, a natural cheek and lip stain is applied to give her a little color.

Q: What are your favorite M·A·C products for each character?
A: Joan Holloway- Cream Colour Base in Virgin Isle, Fluidline in Blacktrack and Rich Ground, brown and black, and Eye Shadow in Soft Brown.
Betty Draper- Cream Colour Base in Virgin Isle, Blushcreme in Posey, and Lipsticks in Vegas Volt, Lip Pencil in Redd and Cherry
Peggy Olson- Eye Shadow in Orb, Vanilla, and Soft Brown and Blot Powder

Q: Everyone always notices the lips on the show, but brows seem to play a very important part to the look. Can you talk about the brows on the show?
A: Women of the 60’s had a stricter code of style and etiquette, so people tended to follow the trends closer to the book. Nowadays, women have a variety of different brow styles so we are constantly tweezing, shaping, and filling the brows to recreate the look of the period.

Q: Each character has the most perfect lashes framing her eyes. What are your favorite lashes to use to get that perfectly plump line of lashes?
A: We love the M·A·C individual lashes as well as the traditional strip lashes.

Q: Do you collaborate with the hair and costume departments when coming up with a look?
A: Absolutely! We have at least 3 meetings per episode to create the look as a unit. I could not do this show without Lucia Mace (hair), Janie Bryant (costumes), and my fabulous key Ron Pipes!

Q: There seems to be a lot of making out on the show, how many times do you have to redo those red lips? Does it get messy?
A: We do what we can to seal the lip color, but we still have to go in every take to perform a minor clean up.

Q: What can real women take away from the show’s look and incorporate into their everyday look?
A: Well, a great start would be lining the top lash line only with a gel liner like M·A·C Fluidline. We love this product for recreating the perfect 60’s eye. Also, replacing gloss and sheer or shimmer lipsticks with matte reds, bright pinks, and corals help create a more retro look. Lastly, instead of a powder blush try using creme in pinks and corals to create a flushed looking cheek. For evening, strip lashes are always a bonus.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Make-Up | Tagged | Leave a comment

Dr. Renaud Anti-Aging Sunscreen Lotion

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Henna

It’s only spf 20 which I know isn’t everyone’s favorite but this Laboratoire Dr. Renaud Anti-aging Sunscreen Lotion has a light cream formula that feels especially refreshing as you apply it. It’s also clear which is amazing!

Now, I know that it says that it’s for the body, but I also use it on my face and it feels amazing. You could use it wherever you need and you would have great results. It’s moisturizing but not overly heavy and it makes a nice, glowy base for makeup.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Sunscreen | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Can You Use Products from Different Lines Together?

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Henna

Can you use products from different lines together?

Absolutely.

Although most brands will suggest that you buy an entire range of products from them, the fact of the matter is that many brands don’t offer all the solutions that a consumer might have.

Use your own judgment and don’t be scared to disagree with a salesperson at a counter trying to sell you a complete line.  You might instead want to go into a place like Sephora or Shoppers Drug Mart, and find a knowledgeable sales person who can take you through the store and find you the treatments and products you need from a variety of lines.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged | Leave a comment