I’ve been sitting on this video for a while – I took it during Fashion Week and finally had time to edit it properly. All the steps are there and I only taped her doing one eye so that the video was more concise. Note that all makeup is L’Oreal and easily found at the drugstore. Also note that the makeup artist used both pencil and liquid eyeliner and that she still used a light coloured eyeshadow as a base.
Enjoy!
This is definitely one of my favourite fall colours – I even have it on right now.
I really love the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure formula – it is so smooth and streak-free, and this creamy shade looked good in even one coat.
Find it in drugstores. $9.95.
While the fall is an exciting time for some, the truth is that with change comes stress as well.
There are lots of ways to deal with stress, but one that’s new to me – and becoming more and more popular – is that of using essential oils and aromatherapy. So when a new location of Saje Natural Wellness opened near me in Southcentre Mall (here in Calgary), I had to check it out to see what the fuss was about.
The appeal is apparent right from the time you enter into the store. You’re greeted with a live plant wall display, and you can hear water trickling. The scent, as you enter the store, is what adds to that immediate sense of wellness. The blend of plant botanicals and natural notes is a scent that’s at once grounding and uplifting!
Saje uses 100% natural products and remedies and there’s a variety of essential oils to choose from; you can search either by what appeals to you, or by what ails you.
And the remedies are really what Saje seems to do best – you can buy a first-aid kit that includes oils that can treat headache or indigestion, but also mood uplifters or relaxers. For those heading into stressful situations, a drop or two of the right oil applied on a pulse point can really go a long way towards improving mood and shifting focus towards deep breathing and personal wellness.
My favourite way of using essential oils is by applying them on my neck or the inside of my elbow – those are spots where others can’t smell them, but I get a whiff of them every now and then, helping to align my focus on to what’s most important.
I also love the idea that you can buy the pure oils and then blend them into carrier oils at home to create your own massage and body oils. It means that you control the strength of the scent so that it’s not offensive to you.
If you’re interested in Saje Natural Wellness, check out one of their many locations across Canada.
The Night and Day Remedy Bar shown above is $47.95 and available online.
Flashback to a beautiful makeup collection from @LancomeCanada – this was Fall 2007! Anyone remember it?
In just a few short weeks, the Lancome Mystery Collection will be on counters. I’ll just give you a minute to soak in the amazing picture below. Model Daria Werbowy showcases the collection.
Daria’s holding the Destiny Cube which you can see above and below. 
The Mystery Cube comes in two colour collections – the one pictured above, called Charisma, and then the one below, called Deep Fascination. 
The lighter colour of the lip duo in both colour collections is the lipstick and the dark colour is a sheer lip gloss. The duo work beautifully together, of course, and they give your lips just the right colour wen worn together. Natural and nicely coordinated with the eyeshadow. 
I’m sure, though, that the product that will create the most curiosity is the Baisser Baume. This is a lip balm! If you’re wondering what the texture of the balm is, imagine one of those little rubber balls that are used to play jacks with. Now imagine that every time you touch this rubber ball you get a moisturizer residue. Not only is it cool but it has a very faint sweet smell and taste.Also part of the collection are a pair of Kohl pencils and lip glosses. The Kohl pencils aren’t “normal” either, of course, and they come with a twist. One side of the Kohl is a gold colour while the other is a dark black or dark brown. The Kohl pencils are super-pigmented and really stay on. Using the gold and the darker colour, I was able to do a perfect smoky eye by blending the two colours.
See the funny shape of the Khol pencil? That’s so you can use it as a hair accessory! The entire collection is inspired by The Orient Express and to me it reflects some of the Fall 2007 Ready-to-Wear collections that were also inspired by the orient.
Also, this August’s Vogue featured a story with Amber Valetta, and her look is definitely one that you could achieve with the Charisma Destiny Cube. The grey eyeshadow all over the eyes and the neutral lips with a mostly plain face are easily attainable, and the gloss provided makes sure that you can make your lip colour as pink as you prefer.
… it’s never too late to buy sunscreen. I just picked this up. That’s right La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 60! 
My friend had warned me about this sunscreen, actually. She said that it turned blue on her skin, but once I rubbed the product in, it disappeared. It didn’t leave behind any oiliness either. It was just gone. I wasn’t at all concerned over buying this so late in the summer.
Best part: fragrance free!
Online and in drugstores: $29.50
Have you heard about Glacial Oceanic Clay? It’s new to me, but it’s a clay that you can only find in Canada! It’s different than Kaolin clay which absorbs oil. Glacial Oceanic Clay actually moisturizes the skin while it detoxifies.
Well, after using these Bl’eau masks, I’ve got to say that I’m a believer. I’m using retinol right now so my skin is dryer than usual, but I wanted to do a mask that would help pull out anything that was clogging my pores. I used the Bl’eau masks and they really are moisturizing. After you wash them off, they leave a bit of moisturizer on your skin and leave it feeling nice and comfortable.
The Bl’eau masks all use Glacial Oceanic Clay as a base and combine them with different key ingredients such as Spirulina, Algae, and Seaweed.
Of all the masks, I really liked using the one in the gorgeous blue tub. It has a mix of coconut oil, aloe juice, and glycerin in it so it really moisturizes your skin when you use it. Although all the masks have the same base, this one felt the most comforting to my skin.
You can find Bl’eau masks online. The original Glacial Oceanic Clay Mask is $59, and the other ones are $39 each.
August is over, which means that we’re firmly into Fall now. Here were my 5 fav products for the past months. I know I’ve talked about them so much and I kept reaching for them!
http://www.instagram.com/tv/B117xmchXqK/
They were:
@theinkeylist Glycolic Acid
@narsissit Brow Defining Cream in El Djouf
@givenchybeauty Prisme Libre Loose Powder
@narsissit Body Glow II oil
@dermae Concentrated Vitamin C serum
What new products are you into right now? Have you tried any of my favourites?
If you’re looking to start with retinol on your skin and you’ve never used it before, then going for a drugstore retinol product might be the way to go. Drugstore products don’t have as much retinol in them – in fact the percentage of retinol is never even listed on the tubes.
That’s the case with CeraVe’s Skin Renewing Cream serum.
Retinol is blended into a light formula of ceramides – present in all of CeraVe’s products.
For me, this is the perfect summer product. I already have oily skin so I don’t need a lot of moisturizer on it, and this serum is nice and light. It absorbs into my skin easily and works for morning or night. If you have dry skin, you could layer a heavier cream on top, but I find that I don’t need it. I do put sunscreen on in the day and that’s pretty moisturizing so it’s doing the trick.
$15.99 at drugstores and mass merchandisers.
This is just the amount of lip products that accumulated in my car this past year… and I finally cleaned it out so here they are. Some of them, I got rid of. Especially if they were from the drugstore. But some of the high-end ones were harder to part with. And I love a neutral pink so I kept those too.
