Canadian Beauty

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Colors for Summer 2017

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Henna

It’s been a while since I tried Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polishes, but I couldn’t pass up wearing these beautiful colours.

The formula is beyond. It’s highly pigmented so that even one coat gives you amazing coverage. I’m wearing two coats of Tickle Me Pink below, but I could have stopped at one coat. I used my own base and top coat to make it even shinier, but the polish is pretty shiny on its own. You can see that it’s definitely more red than pink.

Here’s my image of all the colours. Peach of Cake broke, but it’s very bright, brighter than what’s in the image.

I love the wear and the shininess of the formula, but I will say that it takes a longer time to dry, so have your drying drops on hand if you’re in a rush.

Here’s Get Juiced:

and Grape Gatsby which is my favourite from this collection.

Each polish is $9.95.

The collection is in store now and available at mass and drug retailers nationwide.

Posted in Summer 2017 | Tagged nail polish, Sally Hansen, Swatch | Leave a comment

Saje Wellness Celebrates 25 Years

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Henna

Saje Wellness, the popular and fantastic-smelling Canadian brand from Vancouver, is celebrating its 25th birthday this year and with that comes the Saje 25 Limited Edition Pocket Farmacy Remedy Kit. This kit has 5 of the Saje essential oil remedy blends to help you take care of a variety of ailments you could face while you’re on the go. The kit includes:

Peppermint Halo Headache Remedy
Immune Germ & Virus Fighting Remedy
Eater’s Digest Digestion Easing Remedy
Stress Release Tension Reducing Remedy
Pain Release Analgesic Remedy

Not only do all the remedies smell amazing, but they’re also package in a super-cute case that zips up and keeps everything nice and safe. My favourites are the Peppermint Halo and the Stress Release Remedies because they instantly pick me up and make me feel better if I’m feeling sluggish. They’re also concentrated enough that you smell them after a little dab.

The Pocket Farmacy Kit is available at Saje Wellness locations and online for $59.95.

Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged Saje Wellness | Leave a comment

Fragrant Friday: Clean Reserve Perfumer’s Layering Collection

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Henna

Sets of miniatures are a fantastic way of trying out a whole bunch of scents that you might not otherwise get a chance to try. That’s one reason that I’m loving Clean Reserve’s new Perfumer’s Layering Collection, which is a set of six Clean Reserve scents in mini rollerballs. I mean, we love anything mini around here, so this is a set after my own heart. When Clean brought out its Reserve line of perfumes last year, I only got to try out 1 of the original 9 scents, so this was one way to check out 4 more.

In case you missed it, the Clean Reserve collection is meant to be higher end than the regular Clean line of scents. Where those were often one-notes, these scents are a little more subdued in their ingredients and impact, and the note combinations are a little more unique. For example, Sel Santal translates into Salt Sandalwood, and I’ve never smelled the two together, but this was actually my favourite scent of the set. And no, it doesn’t smell salty, but it might remind one of warm saltwater, out of an ocean, in warm weather, maybe around wet woods? That smells so good.

The layering collection has 5 scents in it:

Blonde Rose (which I review here)

Sel Santal

Citron Fig

Sueded Oud

Warm Cotton.

All the scents are fresh and wearable, without anything being too sweet, floral, or gourmand. They are meant to be layered because they’re all variations on the fresh note. Blonde Rose smells musky and floral, Warm Cotton smells like nice laundry, Citron Fig is a favourite because it’s a lemony fig scent. Sel Santal is another favourite which I just want to spray all over my room because it’s such a nice warm clean smell. Finally, Sueded Out smells like calm oud after it has been worn for a while.

You can pick this up at Sephora stores or online. $29.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged Clean | Leave a comment

CND Creative Play Sunset Bash Collection

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Henna

The concept behind CND’s Creative Play collection is colours that go beyond the ordinary. This summer’s Sunset Bash collection is no difference. Blues, oranges, and purples come out to play in a set that includes a base and top coat.

The shades in this collection are:

Teal the Wee Hours

Barefoot Bash

Party Royally

Shady Palms

Tangerine Rush

Skymazing

Express Ur Em-oceans

Fuchsia Fling

My favourite colour is definitely Express Ur Em-oceans because it features holographic glitter in a blue jelly base which is so fun for the summer.

Posted in Summer 2017 | Tagged CND | Leave a comment

Shu Uemura BB Blow Dry Beautifiers

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Henna

This summer, #gonudewithshu.

Blow-drying your hair doesn’t have to be a chore, and Shu Uemura has two new products that make it easier. The new BB Blow Dry Beautifiers help hair dry faster and smoother, but still have it look natural. It’s like BB cream for the hair because of the multitude of benefits that provides: it makes hair smoother, more shiny, easier to style by adding some slip, and even protects it from heat.

The BB comes in two variations: a thinner lighter lotion for fine hair (in a pump bottle), and a thicker cream for more coarse hair (in a squeeze bottle). Truly, I have fine hair but because it’s so frizzy, I like to use the cream and mix in some serum with it. It’s a little heavy if I air dry my hair, but if I’m blow-drying and using a straightener, then it’s perfect and my hair looks and feels perfectly smooth.

They also enable you to perfect your hair – if you make a mistake you can add more heat and fix it so your hair gets the perfect shape and can be re-shaped if you need.

Available at Shu Uemura salons and online at shuuemura.ca. $42.

Posted in Styling Products | Tagged Shu Uemura | Leave a comment

Book Review: A Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Henna

It’s summer time, and whenever the weather improves, I go back to reading more than just the news. I think it’s something about the slower pace of life that summer brings that inspires me to really want to get off technology and into a book.

A Book of American Martyrs is a best-seller and has been on my reading list for a while. It captures the American abortion debate. When a pro-life advocate brutally murders an abortion doctor, both their families are left without them, and the novel explores their feelings and lives in the aftermath.

What I liked about the novel is that while it sheds light on the stories of the two men, it also tells the stories of each man’s daughter and how she grows up in the shadow of her lost father. Oates creates characters who are realistic. They’re not easy to love but you feel for them because of their circumstances. Interspersed in the narrative are also interviews from people outside the story and their observations on the characters: these could be a girl’s teacher or classmate, or a family friend describing what they saw and how they knew the character. The development of families is also interesting and their struggles seem so real.

The book is lengthy, and the subject matter isn’t light, but if you like weighty books then this one is a good one to get lost in.

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged book review | Leave a comment

AlumierMD Launches HydraClarite

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Henna

Alumier means “to brighten” and one great way to brighten skin is to make sure that it’s hydrated. Oily and acne-prone skin types often have trouble with this because heavy moisturizers can cause more breakouts, but treatments for acne-prone skin can dry skin out. To help with that, AlumierMD has launched a new moisturizer called HydraClarite, specially formulated for oily skin.

The lotion comes in a pump bottle and is light and refreshing but still takes care of any dryness for an extended period of time. Plus, it’s full of antioxidants like Resveratrol, and peptides that improve the appearance of skin.

I love the lotion because although it’s hydrating, it has a satin, shine-free finish and it absorbs quickly so I can put sunscreen and makeup on top. There’s no pilling or additional greasiness and I don’t even have to powder my face afterwards, which is perfect. Best of all, it really does take away that tight feeling your skin can get after too many glycolic acids or peels, so that your skin feels comfortable all day.

You can find Alumier in select doctor’s offices and online at www.alumiermd.com. $60.

Posted in Moisturizers | Tagged AlumierMD | Leave a comment

Products to Beat the Heat for Under $10

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Henna

Thankfully, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to be ready for the heat this summer. Hard Candy’s Spring/Summer 2017 collection has lots of products for under $10, and they all actually work!

There’s the Fast & Fabulous Translucent Loose Powder ($6.98) which helps set makeup and mattifies skin. It instantly absorbs excess oil and even works throughout the day.

Then there’s their Stroke of Gorgeous Kajal Supreme Eyeliner Duo ($7.98). This is a beautiful dark black eyeliner that really does last through anything. Here it is after a particularly sweaty workout that I had. I used the pen side to do this cat eye and it lasted the whole day and through the heat of my workout.

Yes, I’m sweaty, but the eyeliner worked!

I also love the Look Pro! Metal Eyes palette ($8.98), which comes with a mixer and mixing well in the package. The colours are beautiful and actually wear just like they are in the pan, and the mixing liquid makes the powders set on the lids without creasing. If your makeup tends to melt in the heat, then these eyeshadows are for you.

Hard Candy is available at Walmart and Walmart.ca.

Posted in Summer 2017 | Tagged Drugstore Makeup, Hard Candy, Walmart | Leave a comment

Is Neutrogena’s New Sheer Zinc Sunscreen What We Should All Be Using?

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Henna

If you’ve ever used sunscreen for kids, you’ll know that it goes on chalky and white because of the great deal of mineral suncreen ingredients in it. These are known as physical sunscreens, and they’re used instead of chemical sunscreens because they’re less likely to break down in the sun thus providing better sun protection. They’re also not able to be absorbed into the skin, meaning that there’s less likelihood of them interfering with hormones and growth. Of course, these are all things that we look for with out kids, but adults don’t want to appear to be wearing chalky white sunscreen so the adult formulas usually don’t have these ingredients even though they’re proven to be better.

Now, as more and more people find out about the importance of sun protection, Neutrogena has released a whole new line of sunscreens called Sheer Zinc. They have a face and body version, both in SPF 50.

The Sheer Zinc sunscreen contains only zinc oxide as its sun barrier and promises to dry clear. It has a lot of silicone in it so that it goes on nice and smoothly without being too powdery. Although this did dry pale white (not clear) on my skin, it did so after lots of blending. Because I could see the whitish cast, I don’t think I would wear this sunscreen on its own to work, or on a day that I was going to be in pictures. That being said, my makeup glided well on top of this foundation, and I was able to colour-correct pretty easily through the use of foundation and bronzer. If you wear just sunscreen on a regular basis, you may want to apply powder on top of this to fix any colour issues.

The body version of this sunscreen is also a little whitish, but because you’re applying it all over, I find it’s not that much of an issue. The whitish cast is more of an issue for the face because you have to be really careful to blend it on to your neck, and then you have to be careful not to get any on your clothes. If I’m going to be spending a day out and about, I’ll use this sunscreen all over and the colour actually makes it fairly easy to make sure that I’ve applied it everywhere. It may not be the look that I want for myself, but atleast I know that I’m getting adequate sun protection.

Because of its use of safe ingredients, and better blendability than any other sunscreens that I’ve tried, this is the sunscreen that I’m using daily and until I can find a mineral suncreen that can appear sheer, I’ll continue to do this.

Pick it up at drugstores now.

Posted in Sunscreen | Tagged neutrogena, Sunscreen | Leave a comment

Vinylux is Now at Shoppers

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Henna

We just found out: a select range of CND Vinylux shades will now be available at Shoppers Drug Mart Locations.

Here are the shades available:

Vinylux is the polish system that promises to be chip resistant for 7 days. There’s no base coat, but the top coat is solar activated, so the longer you wear it out, the harder and more chip resistant it gets!

I love the system and I find that it really does last longer than normal polish.

You can read my whole review of it here.

$13.99 each.

Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged CND, Vinylux | Leave a comment