Essence Cosmetics makes my favourite mascara but even I have to admit that it’s a bit smudgy. But now they’ve got a tubing mascara that’s new for the summer. It doesn’t have a deep dark inkiness that my favourite mascaras have, but it stays put and volumizes my lashes so I like it.
Watch the video and let me know what you think! What are your favourite mascaras right now?
http://www.instagram.com/tv/CCC2-hcJ9VZ/
So many people ask me if Powder Sunscreens work and the research says that they do. They’re great for applying on top of makeup because they up the sunscreen protection factor without disturbing your foundation.
I got my hands on Laboratoire Dr. Renaud Loose Powder SPF 50 in the dark colour and I’ve had it with the sunscreen lineup on my dresser so that I can try it when I’m getting ready to go outside. And you know what? This is the sunscreen that I reach for the least. Not because it doesn’t work. Not because I don’t like it. It’s because I can’t be sure of the coverage that I’m getting when I apply this. It goes on totally sheer and weightless and it’s unlike anything that I’ve used before.
When I apply a cream, you know exactly where you’re putting it – not that I don’t still miss spots – but I just feel more secure when I use a cream sunscreen.
That being said, I’ve applied this Dr. Renaud Loose Powder sunscreen on a bare face, and totally forgot that I had it on because I couldn’t see it on my skin. When I went to wipe my face later in the day, I was surprised at the brown powder on my tissue because I could have sworn I didn’t put makeup on that day. But it was this sunscreen, so I did get adequate coverage.
I’m going to be using this all summer – it’s getting the stamp of approval even though I didn’t use it that much so far.
It comes in 2 colours: light and dark. You can get it online for $57.96.
I know that many of you have been following along with my book reads this year, and I finally read The English Patient which has been on my must-read list for a while. All I can say is that it is probably the best book I read this year. The story of the patient in Italy totally drew me in, and it was nice that a couple of the characters were from Toronto, my home town. I usually don’t love Canadian fiction but this is probably the best I’ve read. I can’t wait to read more by Michael Ondaatje.
My new thing is to use heat protectant to air dry my hair and I am having fabulous results.
First off, I started using Kevin Murphy Ever Smooth spray on my hair because it smells amazing. Like cedarwood and sandalwood, this spray has a nice dry scent that lasts in your hair. It’s almost like perfume.
Anyway, you can watch the video to find out more.
I wrote about organic perfumes in 2009. Are we done with that trend now? I think so…
It seems that organic perfumes are becoming more and more the rage these days, with many mainstream lines coming out with their own offerings. The motivation, I guess, is the understanding that the scent molecules are eventually ending up in the environment and with more and more people developing scent allergies, perhaps organic or natural is the way to go.
But a few years ago, before it was trendy, L’Artisan Parfumeur came out with a scent called Jatamansi and it is 100% natural. The trade-off is that this spicy citrus fragrance has not a lot of staying power and wears off before the day is up.
Jatamansi is based on is based on the scent of an Indian herb of the same name – they say that the herb calms the mind and makes it clearer. The herb was used in ancient Ayurveda medicine and still grows in the Himalayas in rocky and cold regions.
The scent Jatamansi is peppery and fresh. It has top notes of grapefruit, and then quickly moves to pepper. The full drydown is mostly peppery with traces of rose that seem to pop up every once in a while. There are times when I almost smell cardamom but it’s not very strong.
It seems that L’Artisan did understand that the lack of lasting power of this perfume would be of concern to some wearers, and perhaps that’s why they’ve created the accompanying products for it. There’s a shower gel, a body cream, a body milk, and of course the scent itself. Used together, the scent does last longer and becomes clearer on the skin.
I would call this a unisex fragrance because it doesn’t seem too floral or too citrusy. Head over to the L’Artisan Parfumeur site to order, or if you’re in Toronto, go to Noor at the bottom of the Four Seasons Hotel. They carry the full L’Artisan range, and the owner, Nahla, can help you find your signature scent!
Wrote this in 2008 and thought I’d post it again – this was written pre-instagram and Youtube…
I don’t often do this, but once in a while I get all reflective and inward-looking on you guys. Now, it takes something to put yourself out there in this way, so let me just start by saying that any comments you leave will be appreciated.
So, I wanted to talk a little bit about how this blog has changed my life – obviously, I have access to a ton of products now, and I get some of them for free which is fun. One of my friends told me one time that she thinks free products make people biased (she didn’t know about my stash) but I had to set her straight. I used the example of an expensive cream. Now, if someone pays an exorbitant amount of money for a face cream, and they really saved up for it because they thought it would work, wouldn’t that make them biased? Wouldn’t they want the cream to work so that they could justify spending so much on something that most people couldn’t afford? Wouldn’t that consumer perhaps be more biased than someone who got the cream as a freebie?
Bias is something that’s nearly impossible to take away – it’s something that’s so intricately tied to our own experiences and I think with beauty products the only way you start becoming less biased is if you educate yourself and try a lot of things. You notice a trend in which products really work and which ones don’t work at all.
It’s kind of amazing how much I’ve learned about products in the last little while. A couple of weeks ago at a party, I ended up getting into a discussion about beauty products with a doctor and it culminated with me explaining to her why Retin-A works and why she should start using a glycolic acid product on a regular basis. It was kind of funny actually.
The best part is that people love asking me for recommendations and since they already know that I’m kind of “into” products, they feel no shame in coming up to me and asking me what I think about their favourite products or ones that they’re considering buying. I’ve had interesting conversations with women and men of all ages and backgrounds.
I will say that generally speaking, I’ve seen that people are absolutely obsessed with two things:
1. Red Lipstick
2. Getting rid of dark circles.
With the red lipstick question, I always recommend MAC’s Russian Red. It’s a cult hit because it really does look good on so many people, and if you don’t own it already you should! If you find that it didn’t work for you, check out Dior’s collection of reds – there are more to choose from and you may find something that works better for you.
The second question is much more difficult for me to answer. Honestly, the best way to get rid of dark circles is to get more sleep and drink more water, but nobody wants to hear that. Everyone would much rather have a quick fix, and I wonder what it says about our society (or maybe just my friends?) that people want to look good but are unwilling to become more healthy for it.
The second best option is to use a concealer. You cover up the circles and if you’re smart, you’ve picked a concealer that looks natural. Unfortunately and totally unsurprisingly, most men and women also don’t like this solution. One woman even said: “Ugh, that means that I have to wear makeup!” Um… yes. But it’s a solution!
In any case, being seen as a beauty “authority” was first something of a novelty and I must admit that its cachet certainly has not worn off and will hopefully only increase. Continue to send in your questions, comments, and letters because I enjoy reading them!
This Pantene collection is sulfate-free, and makes me appreciate how far Sulfate-free shampoos have come in the last few years! They used to not lather, and sometimes didn’t even really clean your hair, but now they make your hair clean, but are so gentle.
The Pantene Miracle Moisture Boost Shampoo and Conditioner has rose water in it and has a gentle floral scent. It is super gentle on your hair, so it’s perfect for those of us who wash our hair frequently.
Watch the video for the rest of the review.
I’ll be the last person to say that you can use just this shampoo, because the truth is that most dry shampoos have the same ingredients – a starch or a combination of starches that absorb oil in your hair so that it doesn’t look as greasy. This Colab dry shampoo has aluminum starch as its main ingredient, so it goes on a bit light, but then you just rub it through and it disappears. It smells like roses and actually scented my whole room when I sprayed it. You definitely want to use it in an area that’s well-ventilated. Best of all it’s just $7.99 at the drugstore.
Spoiler alert: it’s not totally free of the white residue but it does blend into my black hair super easily and it smells like nice perfume not hair product, which is perfect because at least a little part of a dry shampoo’s job is to make your smell better and not let everyone know that you didn’t wash your hair that day.
The main ingredient in Colab’s shampoo is aluminium starch which is sometimes in skincare too. The effect of the starch is to absorb oil, which it does really well, and give a matte effect but feel silky on skin. It’s often in matte sunscreens. It’s also clear so it really is an awesome ingredient. And it works well in this dry shampoo, because although the initial little puff you might spray will be a touch on the white side, you can rub it in easily to dissipate the residue. I like to spray this in places where I’m not parting my hair so it doesn’t show but still absorbs some of the oiliness.
Pick it up at drugstores.
I have oily eyelids in the winter so I’m really always looking for a mascara that can last without smudging. Essence Bye By Panda Eyes Mascara is made especially for that, and I put it to the test.
Turns out that even when I have tons of sunscreen on my face, this mascara does not smudge. It holds up and looks pretty all day, because it’s a “tubing” formula so it washes off easily with just warm water, that’s why it doesn’t smudge with oil.
Vegan and cruelty-free. Available at Shoppers Drug Mart for $4.99.
Coppertone has a line of sunscreens called Clearly Sheer and if you’re picky about your sunscreens and done with the goopy and hard-to-use formulas, then you’re going to want to pick these ones up.
The sunscreen comes in a continuous spray formula, a body lotion, and a face lotion – all in SPF 30 or SPF 50. I’m avoiding the spray formula because my kids are usually around and I don’t want them to inhale any of it, but I love the lotions.
The lotions for the body and face are identical and use a mix of sunscreen ingredients as well as dimethicone and aluminum starch to give a silky smooth feel after the sunscreen is rubbed in. The face lotion comes in a hand pump bottle which makes it easy to dispense an appropriate amount of sunscreen for your face, but if you’re traveling out and about, you can just take the body lotion with you and be secure in knowing that it has the same weightless feel as the face lotion so you can use it on your face if need be. The starch gives the lotion a silky powdery feel, and the dimethicone makes it look matte but also helps it absorb oil as the day goes on.
What’s great about this lotion is that it’s clear almost as soon as you start to apply it on your skin and you can use lots without any whiteness of the lotion on your skin. It leaves a matte feeling on the skin and makeup goes on top quite easily.
This is definitely one of the best new sunscreens I’ve tried this year. You can find it at drugstores and mass retailers. I found it at Canadian Tire this year!
