Luxe Lip Balm

Do you know about By Terry? It’s actually a French brand that’s best known for their ultra-lux Rose Balm, a lipbalm that is rose-scented, and often imitated. Reviews of the balm are mixed – many of the people who have shelled out the money for it absolutely adore it while some think that it’s not worth the money. Honestly, yes, it smells very nice but I don’t think it does anything extraordinary.


But, like most makeup, you get this balm because you want it, not because you need it or it does something extra-special. The packaging really is pretty and like most high-end products, the balm has quite a weight to it.


My friend Liza recently picked it up on a trip to NYC – you can’t get it anywhere in Canada, so I thought I’d post some pictures of it. The consistency is gel-like and the rose scent isn’t very strong or overpowering. It worked well but I don’t know if I would buy it.

What do you think?

In the days of Laneige and and other amazing balms, is this one worth it?

$76 online.

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La Mer The Cleansing Oil

Everyone has dry skin on their face at this time of year – even us combination skin gals need something a little extra for our faces and that’s why I’m going to recommend that you try an oil cleanser. It sounds strange, I know, but the newest cleansers rinse clean and leave no residue!

Try La Mer The Cleansing Oil.


It is great. You massage it into your dry skin and it dissolves any makeup or impurities that were there. As soon as you add water, the texture of the oil changes and it dissolves into something else and rinses away. It’s great. Your skin is soft and clean without any additional tightness at all. You must try this.

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Tatcha Hydration Obento

If you’ve always wanted to try Tatcha skincare but didn’t know what would work for you, now is the time to try it all because Tatcha’s holiday packages are here.  Such as this cute little Hydration Bento which has all of Tatcha’s moisturizers in mini sizes.

The Bento includes:

The Silk Cream – This one is smooth and soft with a silky finish.

The Water Cream – oil-free and hydrating.

The Dewy Skin Cream – super rich and glowy.

The Indigo Cream – comforting for sensitive skin.

Keep this if you’ve always wanted to try the Tatcha collection or perfect for gifting.

$33 online.

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Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Hot Oil Concentrate

This is what I’m using to try to fix my dry and damaged hair. And it’s pretty damaged right now because I keep straightening it. And I don’t think I’m going to stop right now. So this Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Hot Oil Concentrate is here at the perfect time.

Each box contains 4 of the hot oil concentrate vials that have LOTS of product in them. If you were just going to use this on the ends of your hair, you could share it with someone. I have medium-length hair and I find that when I use this, my hair is basically dripping with the oil. You warm it up in hot water – hence the cup – and then it gets liquidy and you can put it in your hair.

The instructions say that you only need to leave the oil in your hair for 1-2 minutes, but I left it in for an entire workout and then washed it out. I needed 2 shampoos to make sure that all of it was out of my hair. This concentrate has a blend of 6 oils in it, including coconut oil and argan oil, both of which are great for your hair.

The final results were that this made my hair so much smoother and easier to style. I’d get it again and keep using it.

$39.

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L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Contour Palette

I posted about a great mascara being on sale a couple of days ago, and now I know that my favourite contour palette is on sale too.  It’s $13.99 at London Drugs down from the usual $20. 

The truth is that I’ve had this palette for a number of years, but I only pulled it out recently and only that because I liked the size of it.  You can see how worn it is now because I use it everyday.  The contour colour is totally matte, and the highlight colour is not glittery or overly shimmery but just gives you a super subtle glow that’s only apparent when the light  shines on it directly.

The palette is totally usable and practically fool proof.  The powders are finely-milled, light-weight, and blend on to foundation easily.  My only problem is that it’s really hard to get my contour brush to pick up just the contour colour – I would prefer it if both the colours were separated, but… I’m still using the palette, so it’s obviously not bothering me too much.

Available in drugstores. $20 usually, but on sale sometimes.  I have the palette in medium, but it’s also available in light and dark.

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Cargo TexasLash Mascara

I’ll be honest, I might not have tried the Texas Lash mascara if it weren’t named after a food I love, and that is Texas Toast, an extra-thick slice of bread dripping with butter. It warms my heart that a mascara named after one of my favourite breakfast foods really lives up to its name.They could have also called this mascara the “one coat wonder” of course. Seriously, the formula is good enough that you just need one coat of this mascara to give you nicely defined thick lashes. And they really are thick – just like that toast.

I’ve got to mention the formula too though – it’s similar to Clinique’s Lash Power, Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Mascara, and Lancome’s Courbe Virtuose. That means that the mascara comes off easily just by wetting your lashes with water and pulling it off gently with your fingers. It’s a cool formula and with this mascara, I’m able to see how thickly it really applies just by noticing how much comes off into my hands at the end of the day.

If you want a thickening mascara that stays put for a long time and then comes off easily at the end of your day, be sure to check out Cargo’s Texas Lash – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Available online, $20.

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Nars the Multiple

I feel like Nars The Multiple is such a cult favourite. You always want one and they come in many great colours. Copacabana is probably the most well-known colour and it should be. It’s the perfect highlighter. It’s a pearl kind of colour which means that it looks good on everyone and if you’re careful with it, the look is so natural. If you like highlighters, you must try it.

I also have a Multiple in Palm Beach which is a rich bronze colour. It’s great used as a bronzer at any time of year.


The Multiples are not at all greasy. They are a cream-to-powder finish and blend effortlessly. They also last forever.

When you use them, don’t smear them on directly from the tube. Instead, use your fingers to pick up pigment and dab and blend it where you need it. You’ll have more control over where you place the product this way, and won’t be wasting any either.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what I think of the Multiple in Orgasm… I have to say that I like the powder better in this case.

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From the Archives: L.U.C.I. from Lancome

A collection of products in packaging so unique that I’ve held on to it forever.

gucci westman
daria makeup
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The star product of the L.U.C.I. collection is a shell that holds two beautiful eyeshadows – one that provides a pop of colour and the other that gives a more subtle effect. The collection was designed by Gucci Westman-Neville and she can do no wrong. The shadow compact and its mates are inspired by seashells – hence they fit into your hand compactly and light up your skin with shimmer and pearl.
shell makeuplancome shelllancome luci
The advertising campaign shows an ethereal futuristic look but when you use the products, that doesn’t have to be what you end up with. If you ask me, the collection gives you something perfect for the Spring season – a way to wear not too much makeup, but to accent your look with as much colour as you want.

Like the Mystery Game collection last fall, the eyeshadow compacts have a certain strong weight to them. They are substantial and though meant to be used, are ideal collector’s items. The beautiful mirror inside with a pearl attached gives this collection substance and style.

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I love the white shades in the shadow compact. Yes, you can use them as highlighters, but wearing them alone on the lid of the eye instantly wakes up your look yet adds colour to it.

Besides the eyeshadow, there’s also a shimmery highlighting powder called Photonic. It is sheer and completely wearable every day.

highlighter Do click on the above pictures to see all these lovely images in their full glory. All the parts of this collection truly are a magical.

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Essie Mani Thanks Swatch

Today’s nail swatch is perfect for the holidays: Essie’s Mani Thanks which is a glitzy gold with a bit of pink shimmer mixed in.  It’s like a neutral – if you’re glam and like shimmer. I’m wearing 2 coats, but you can see a bit of my nails through it.

What do you think? What are you wearing for the holidays?

Essie polishes are available at Shoppers Drug Mart for $11.99 each.

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Wyld Konjac Sponges

If you’re looking for a clean and natural way to wash your face, check out the Wyld sponges available through the Holt Renfrew H Project.

These sponges are made of 100% Konjac so they’re all natural.  The little pink one is for your face and is infused with pink clay, so it absorbs oil as it works on your skin.  The facial sponge also comes in a charcoal version which is great for troublesome skin.

Wyld sponges are available at Holt Renfrew.  $15 for facial sponges, and $18 for the body loofah sponges.

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