Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation Review

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Henna

It’s been a minute since I tried a Nars foundation, and then at Sephora I swatched their latest Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation, and I was reminded of why I love Nars so much.  Not only is the foundation offering variable coverage, but the shade range is awesome.  There are light colours, and the medium/dark shades have perfect yellow, orange, deep tones to them.

I’m Barcelona in this foundation and even in the dead of winter, it matches the yellow tones in my neck perfectly offering me a seamless foundation experience.

The foundation is a natural finish.  Satiny smooth, slightly light reflective, like well-moisturized skin.  Truly, this is like your skin but better.  I use it heavily on my chin and around my lips where my hyper-pigmentation is more, but sheerly on my cheeks where I want to show my freckles because that makes it look like I’m not wearing a lot of product.

One pump is all I need for my whole face.  The foundation is slightly runny but so pigmented.  The fluid nature lets you blend it out easily, and the level of pigmentation means that you won’t get any caking because you’re using such a tiny amount of product to really cover.

Truly, if you want an all-day, everyday, all occasion foundation, you can’t go wrong with this one.  I’ve even found that it lasts the whole entire day even on my oily skin.

Pick it up at Nars counters. $60.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Spring 2018 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

New Marc Anthony Coconut Collection

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Henna

Marc Anthony’s new Coconut line has something for everyone – all types of hair can benefit with some coconut oil because it’s the only kind of oil that can actually penetrate the strands of the hair and help improve its condition.  Whether you need volume, de-frizzing, or extra moisture or conditioning, all the products in the Marc Anthony Coconut line have some coconut oil in them, but are either heavy or light depending on what your hair needs.

I’m definitely in need of some TLC with my dry, color-treated, curly hair, so I was all about the Hydrating Line.  Even though the shampoo is Sulfate-Free, it still foams and gets your hair really clean.

You can find the entire line – which includes shampoos, conditioners, and styling products at drugstores.

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

Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Un-Nudes Review

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Henna

So meet my favourite new matte cream lip product: the Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Un-Nudes collection.  I’ll be clear, not all the colours work for me: I’m not into the greys, purples, and burgundies, and a lot of these colours go on super edgy, not pretty and pink as they look in the bottle.


But there are a few faves: #60 Ruler which is the reddish pink is an easy colour to wear, and I wore it in this video.

What the Maybelline SuperStay Matte Inks have going for them is that they’re creamy and super pigmented.  You can apply a little product and get a great wash of colour, or you can apply a full lip of product and get a very opaque and done finish.  I prefer the former on a daily basis, but if I’m going to have a long day then I like to apply lots.

These lip creams can also last though everything.  You can have your breakfast, lunch, and coffee and the colour will still be on, which is awesome.  My lip lasted through dinner and a workout and it only came off when I used an actual makeup remover.

Get this for your long days and you’ll be happy that you don’t have to worry about retouching your lip.

$11.99 at drugstores and mass merchandisers.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Spring 2018 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Transformative Cleansing Oil from Rocky Mountain Soap Company

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Henna

If you have oily skin, you probably can’t imagine putting more oil on top of it to clean it, but that’s exactly what Rocky Mountain Soap company wants you to do.  In fact, lots of skincare specialists recommend cleaning your skin with an oil because it’ll mix in with all the other oil and makeup on your face and then wash it clean away.  

In the case of the Transformative Cleansing Oil by Rocky Mountain Soap Company, the whole cleanser is made up of real oils that nourish and condition the skin as they clean.  

RMSC recommends using this on a cotton pad, but my preference just to use my fingertips and really massage everything in.  Once that’s done, I use a wet washcloth or muslin and wipe it all off.

$41.50 online  or at RMSC boutiques.

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

In-Shower Body Lotion is Still The Best

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Henna

It’s snowing outside again, so I feel lucky that these Avon Moisture Therapy In-Shower Body Lotions have come my way. 

Really, the main ingredient is mineral oil which helps seal in water on damp skin.  These thick creams don’t mix with water but glide on to your skin easily.  Apply generously and then rinse off.

Available on Avon.ca or via your Avon rep for $10.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in For the Body | Tagged | Leave a comment

New, Avene Serums

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Henna

I don’t think that it’s any secret that this winter has been the longest one we’ve had in a while, and the effects are certainly showing up on our skin and hair.  It ends up being perfect, then, that Avene is launching two new serums this March.

Avene is a high-end French pharmacy brand that uses real spring water in its formulations to hydrate the skin.  It’s gentle and recommended for skin types that are especially dry or finicky because it helps soothe the skin.

The Hydrance Intense serum ($44) is paraben-free and not oily but it manages to hydrate the skin for the whole day.  The best way to use a serum is right after cleansing – it’s the lightest product, and you want to use it first, give it a chance to absorb and then use a more moisturizing, heavy product like an actual moisturizer or an oil to seal everything in.  Not only is there 77% natural spring water in this, but there’s also glycerin, and silicone which makes this cream go on nice and smooth, making it especially perfect for priming the skin for makeup.

Avene is also launching a Hydrance Rich cream ($37.50) which would actually be the perfect thing to put on top of this serum.  It will seal everything in and will nourish skin even more with the addition of shea butter, glycerine, and of course, mineral spring water.  

They’re also launching the PhysioLift Smoothing Plumping serum which plumps the skin using hyaluronic acid.

You can find Avene at drug stores.

 

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

Dior Expands Their Lip Glow Line

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Henna

Dior Lip Glow has a cult following.  The original Lip Glow came in just one colour (pink) that turned in a pretty medium pink when you applied it on your lips.  It is one of those products that goes on clear, but then changes colour depending on your body chemistry. It’s fantastic, really, which is why people love it.  It makes your lips look fresh and healthy but without lipstick.

Well, now Dior has 10 shades of Lip Glow and also has it with holographic glitter in it which is so trendy right now. Shades shown above left to right are: 010 Holo Pink, 007 Raspberry, 009 Holo Purple and 008 Ultra Pink.  I will say that all these colours, including the Holo Purple, are super wearable and do brighten up as they warm up to your lips. They’re really pretty on and the shimmer is wearable and not too extra.

There are also grapes and bright raspberry shades so if you’re into more colour, then you can use those, and best of all, there’s now a matte option, so that you can have your wash of colour but without the shiny part.

Available at all Dior boutiques, $41.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Spring 2018 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Kerastase Resistance – For Weak Hair

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Henna

Weak and damaged hair needs some extra TLC.  You don’t’ want to wash it too much because the soap will be even more damaging to it, but that also means that you don’t want to put anything too heavy on it because then you’ll feel like you need to get the residue out.

My find has been that the Kerastase Resistance line keeps all of this in mind, and actually gives weak and damaged hair just what it needs.  I’m using the Bain Force Architecte ($45) as my shampoo and the Soin Premier Therapiste ($48) as my conditioner. Both are light and gentle so that you clean and nourish your hair, but you’re not weighing it down with product either.

The entire Resistance line has keratin protein, amino acids and wheat protein to help strengthen the hair and make it look and feel better.  It’ll seal up split ends and not make hair so prone to breakage. The line is perfect for color-treated and fine hair, or hair that’s been through a lot of styling and is ready to recuperate.  

Check out the whole lineup here, and find it at a salon near you.

 

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

Make Up For Ever Single Eyeshadows

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Henna

Take a look: Make Up For Ever now sells eyeshadows and their compacts separately, so that when you run out of your favourite shade, you can just buy the refill instead of tossing the whole compact out!  That’s actually better for the environment, so I hope more companies are going that way.  You can also take out the little squares and put them into a larger compact of your choice, of course, but I don’t mind the minis because that means that I only keep around the eyeshadows that I really want to use on the daily.

The shadows themselves are super pigmented and buttery smooth, and I really like the diamond colours because they’ve got lots of gorgeous glitter in them.

These Artist Color Shadows are $22 each, and the refillable palettes are just $2.

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

Benefit Badgal Bang! Mascara Review

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Henna

Sign me up for a new mascara every month, and the latest one in my makeup bag is the Benefit Badgal Bang! mascara.  This has the thinnest spikes on its wand and it’s absolutely great at grabbing all the lashes and applying lots of mascara on them, which is what makes it a great volumizing mascara.

Now, truth be told, if you wear a lot of moisturizer or day cream, or a greasy foundation or sunscreen, then this is going to smudge on you and you’re probably not going to like it.

But, if you have more matte skin, then you won’t have to worry about that, and it will make your lashes look amazing, especially once it dries out a little in the tube and doesn’t go on so wet.

This is a great mascara, and I can’t wait until it comes out in a waterproof, or water resistant formula because then it really won’t smudge in any condition.

$32 at Sephora!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Search for the Perfect Mascara | Tagged , | Leave a comment