Canadian Beauty

The Best Way to Try Beautycounter Skincare

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Henna

There’s something about mini things that makes them infinitely appealing. I mean, did anyone see Francesca flip out over the “miniatures” in the pharmacy in the second season of Master of None? They are for sure collectibles and just so nice to have.

That’s just part of the reason that Beautycounter’s skincare trial sets are so appealing. They package miniatures of their own three step skincare system in smaller versions of their beautiful packaging: a mask, mist, and facial oil in one neat box. It’s a great way to try skincare and see if it’ll work for you, without any pressure to use up a whole bottle of something.

That being said, one by one, the facial mist and facial oil of the Balancing Collection I had on my counter went walking when my family came to visit me this weekend. The mist is so fine that it’s truly refreshing on your skin, and the facial oil is truly luxurious, it’s not hard to see why they’re appealing. The Balancing Mask with Charcoal and Kaolin clay is a little drying, so it’s best for people with oily skin, so that’s why it’s still on my counter – I’m the only one in my family with oily skin, so I have it. It really sucks out impurities and makes skin smoother as you wash the charcoal away.

$160 on Beautycounter.com.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Beautycounter | Leave a comment

Nars x Charlotte Gainsbourg Summer 2017 Makeup Collection

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Henna

This is an amazing collection of products that can supply a whole look that’s easy and summery. It makes sense: Charlotte Gainsbourg is a French personality who’s known for her effortless look. French beauty does always seem a little more lived-in and smudgy. A smudgy glowy look is so much easier to achieve than a matte cat eye, and so it’s perfect for the summer because you don’t have to worry about maintenance

First in the collection is the Hydrating Glow Tint which I’ve already written about. It’s easy to smooth on with my fingers and it stays on the whole day. It also works well with your existing sunscreen, so that makes it even more easy to use. As much as I loved it, I realized that the colour Medium was a bit darker than the Medium 1 (St. Moritz) in my Velvet Matte Skin Tint, so I’ve switched back to that. I do love the formula of the Hydrating Glow Tint, so if they come out with a colour in between the Medium and the Light, I’ll have to try it.

My other favourite pieces in the collection are the Multiple Tint. The colours are Jo, Jeannette, and Alice: light pink, red, and berry. These are sheer balms made for lips, cheeks, and eyes, but in the shades offered in this collection, a punch of colour really only works well on your lips and cheeks. I actually use this on my lips on the regular, and they kind of wear like a pigmented but weightless lip balm. Lighter than a lipstick because you can see your lips through it, but more creamy than a typical stain. They’re not drying at all, and qualify for taking on vacation or to the beach because you can pat them on and be done with your makeup. My favourite colour is the berry one (Alice) because it seems to be the most pigmented and the colour actually shows up on my lips.

But strictly in the lip categories are the Lip Tints which are a favourite with me. Again, they’re lighter than a lip balm but they do provide a pigmented wash of colour. Again, they’re easy to wear and aren’t thick or sticky like regular lip glosses. My favourite colour is Ephelide which is a berry stain that goes well with tan skin.

I also love the Kohliners that are a part of this collection. They come in three colours: dark green, grey, and navy. They are perfect smudge on the eyelid as an eyeshadow or very close to the lash line as a soft definition. They staying power is amazing.

The eyeshadow duos are Old Church Street (champagne and deep teal), and Rue Allent (frosty white, and shimmering forest green). The shimmer factor on these is intense and just a small amount goes a long way.

The collection is out on counters now.

Posted in Summer 2017 | Tagged Nars | Leave a comment

New Live Clean Face Mineral Sunscreen Lotion

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Henna

Live Clean has a mineral sunscreen that’s SPF 45, and if you want sunscreen that’s “safe”, with ingredients that are not as harmful to your body, then this is one that you want to check out. In case you’re wondering, those ingredients are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which are used in sunscreens but typically in a smaller amount because they often show up white on the skin.

Live Clean says that this sunscreen is not going to be white on your skin, but I have found that it needs a lot of blending for that to be true. In fact, to be safe, I like to blend it into my neck too because it really does show up that white on my skin. To be fair, if you’re wearing foundation on top, you may not have to worry that much because the foundation tends to cover the whiteness, but still, the fact that I have to worry about it at all is not nice.

This is a nice moisturizing sunscreen that really does a great job at blocking all kinds of UV rays on the skin, and a great bit if you want a mineral sunscreen.

At drugstores for just $15.99.

Posted in Sunscreen | Tagged Live Clean, Sunblock, Sunscreen | Leave a comment

How I Set My Makeup

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Henna

Makeup setting is something that I did without for a long time – I figured that if a foundation was really good, then it would be able to stay on, but right now the foundation that I really like isn’t exactly long-wearing, so a bit of a setting powder is needed, and it goes a long way.

These days, I’ve been using Make Up For Ever’s Ultra HD Microfinishing Pressed Powder, which is so much easier to use than a loose powder. It doesn’t go all over the place, and you don’t have to worry about getting too much powder on your brush. You literally dip, and then press into your makeup.

I’m actually using a Make Up For Ever Powder Brush for it, and it’s so soft that it blends the powder perfectly. It is the 128 Precision Powder Brush, which is a big brush but tapered so that you can place powder next to your nose or under your eyes. Love the Make Up For Ever brushes because they’re just so soft and can be used for liquid or powder.

This Pressed Powder is literally the softest most buttery one I have ever tried. You put your finger over it and you can’t even tell that you’re touching it, it’s so soft and smooth. It’s literally like touching silk! Even though it’s so nice, there’s still a decent amount that comes on to your brush, and there’s not a lot of fall out either, so it works perfectly.

I use the colour Banana, and it subtly brightens up my makeup without really adding colour. There’s also a peach and a clear available in this powder.

$45.

Posted in Summer 2017 | Tagged brush, Make Up For Ever, Pressed Powder, Setting Powder | Leave a comment

Face Oil that’s a Serum from Province Apothecary

Posted on June 11, 2017 by Henna

Before I get into the review, my mom was visiting and asked me for a face oil, but one that didn’t leave her face greasy. She looked at me, and asked “what do you use?”

My face wasn’t greasy at all…and I had used Province Apothecary’s Rejuvenating and Hydrating serum! It’s a blend of oil but it absorbs into skin, so it acts more like a serum!

Province Apothecary’s face serums are actually made up of a blend of oils, which really signals the way that people think about face oils now. They’re no longer greasy and annoying. Instead, they’re light and absorb into your skin and can be used before a thicker moisturizer or on their own if your skin is oily.

Check out the ingredients for Province Apothecary’s Rejuvenating and Hydrating Face Serum:

Apricot Kernel Oil*, Camellia Seed Oil*, Pumpkin Oil*, Avocado Oil*, Jojoba Seed Oil*, Calendula Flower Extract, Borage Oil*, Raspberry Seed Oil*, Rosehip Seed Oil*, Pomegranate Seed Oil*, Vitamin E, Sea Buckthorn Oil, Neroli Oil, German Chamomile Oil, Frankincense Oil*, Rose Otto Oil, Myrrh Oil. *certified Organic

I love that all the ingredients are natural, and the majority of them are organic.

The main ingredients are all oils, but this serum is super-light. The Vitamin E, Sea Buckthorn oil, and the Frankincense are proven anti-oxidants that help reduce fine lines. The Rosehip oil helps increase hydration and makes skin more clear.

The best way to use this is to give your skin a nice massage on your face until it’s absorbed. If your skin feels dry afterwards or if you find that your skin just soaks this up, then follow-up with a moisturizer to really lock everything in.

$26 available online at Province Apothecary.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Province Apothecary, serums | Leave a comment

New Vichy Mineral 89

Posted on June 10, 2017 by Henna

The latest moisturizers promise to be light and refreshing but still help get rid of dry skin, thanks to the addition of hyaluronic acid which can pack more than its own weight in moisture.

Now Vichy has new Mineral 89 Moisturizer that has only 11 ingredients which hopefully means that there’s just active ingredients and nothing else. It’s called Mineral 89 because 89% of this gel is made up for water. The rest is Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerine, and probably whatever else is needed to turn all this into gel.

Mineral 89 is perfect for oily or normal skin. It adds a dose of moisture on the skin, and because it absorbs without any greasiness or residue, it’s fantastic under makeup or under a sunscreen. It also works well under facial oil at night time. It would also be good for people with sensitive skin because it has so few ingredients.

If you want a moisturizer that’s basic and easy but still more than just your typical water and glycerine formula, Mineral 89 is a great choice. It’s also paraben, oil, silicone, alcohol, and fragrance-free.

Available in drugstores now.

Posted in Moisturizers | Tagged Vichy | Leave a comment

Vita Liberata Body Blur

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Henna

Luxury tan brand, Vita Liberata, not only has great self-tanning products, but it also offers you the possibility of a temporary tan that makes your skin look great. Think of it like body makeup!

Body Blur is just that – it’s transfer resistant, slightly shimmery formula for body and face that makes skin look flawless through the use of pigments and light reflective particles. It adds glow and radiance to your skin without look too obvious.

I use it while wearing skirts and dresses, and as long as I wait for it to set, I’ve found no transferring on to my clothes. It does seem to come off on my hands if I rub them on my body, but only slightly, and if it wasn’t for the shimmer on my hands, I might not have noticed.

Body Blur comes in three colours: Latte Light (for fair skins), Latte (for medium skin tones), and Mocha (for darker skin tones).

I identify as medium most days, and I found Latte to be slightly pink on me, but it still made my skin look so good! I put it on one leg, stepped back to see how it looked, and it was so flawless that I proceeded to use this all over. It’s hard to mess up with a colour since you can put a little or a lot to get the perfect effect. It actually helps increase the look of muscle definition too which is a nice perk.

The ingredients include glycerine, shea butter, and silicone, so it’s moisturizing as well. There’s no self-tanner in this, so it’s purely to be used like body makeup.

Pick up Body Blur at Sephora, $50.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Vita Liberata | Leave a comment

Sothys New Youth Serums

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Henna

New for the summer, la Maison Sothys, Paris has a set of 6 new Youth Serums. They’re called Youth Serums because they’re made especially to combat signs of aging.

The serums are:

Wrinkle-Specific: Helps visibly fill existing wrinkles, smooth the skin surface and limit signs of ageing.

Detoxifying anti-free radical: Protect the skin against free radicals and optimise cell renewal.

Reconstructive: Envelopes the skin and intensely nourishes it, bringing greater density and vitality and improving all the signs of ageing.

Firming-Specific: Helps to limit skin slackening to tone, firm and visibly lift the features.

Unifying: Helps to reduce the appearance of colour imperfections and all types of pores, and to visibly smooth wrinkles on the skin surface.

Perfect Shape: To reshapes and protects the facial contours, and smoothes the décolleté.

I have the Detoxifying and Reconstructing Serums – chosen for me so that I could have a serum with antioxidants, and one that could intensely nourish and hydrate my skin. Sothys says that it’s best to use the serums with their moisturizers, and that may be the case for people with dry skin, but I find it more useful to use them on their own because my skin tends to be so oily.

The serums are light and fresh – they absorb into your skin and work well with makeup and susncreen.

The Detoxifying Serum have dandelion, green tea, and prickly pear extracts and a more glowy texture for refreshed skin. It has more of a gel-serum texture and is super light on skin.

The Reconstructing Serum has hyaluronic acid, Ellagic acid, and omegas 3,6,9 to nourish and plump skin. It looks and feels like a lotion and feels more moisturizing.

The serums can also be used together, of course, to gain multiple benefits.

All the serums actually have different ingredients to help the skin in different ways. The best thing to do is to head to a Sothys salon to find out which serum is the best for your own skin type.

$132.50 at Sothys Institutes and spas across the country.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged serums, Sothys | Leave a comment

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Henna

Summer moisturizer has to be just so – it needs to be light enough to work under sunscreen and makeup, but heavy enough to actually be able to take care of dry skin.

The light summery gels is what I’ve been turning to lately, but when I need something that’s a bit more heavy duty, I’ve been turning to this cream. It’s heavier than a gel, but it still absorbs into skin super quickly and relieves any dryness. Let it sink in – and it will – and then go ahead with face oils, sunscreen, or foundation. There’s no greasiness or pilling, but just nice smooth skin that doesn’t have any more dryness.

Like the rest of Fresh’s Youth Preserve line, it smells like fresh cut cucumbers which makes it refreshing to use.

Available at Sephora in 2 sizes: $20 for 15mL or $56 for 50mL.

Posted in Moisturizers | Tagged Fresh | Leave a comment

AERIN ROSE COLOGNE COLLECTION

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Henna

I’ve been a huge fan of the Aerin brand for a whle now – I love the simplicity of her concepts and the entire obsession with florals in all things really speaks to me. The gold packaging is classic and chic, and missed in a time when so much is black and very trendy.

The latest launch from the brand is a Rose Cologne Collection, feature the beautiful scent of roses in three different incarnations. Obviously, if you’re not a Rose fan, then this isn’t for you, but I’ve loved the smell of roses since I was a little girl and saw my mom and grandma cultivate various varieties in their own gardens.

There are three scents in the Rose Cologne Collection: Garden Rose, Linen Rose, and Bamboo Rose. The collection is available in huge bottles of cologne, meant to be spritzed generously because it’s so light, but the collection also includes rollerballs, and tinted lip conditioners in three shades.

I have the Garden Rose cologne, which is abright sunny floral that’s got a hint of amber which makes it a little sweet, and a powdery musk that grounds it. The scent really reminds me of Stella McCartney’s Stella perfume, which I wore for many many years because of its rose heart, but this is more light, fleeting, because it’s a cologne. I can’t wear it as a body mist or excessively because I’m just not that kind of perfume wearer, but I like this sprayed lightly on clothes to refresh or on hair where it’s less likely to warm up the way that it would on my body.

The big bottles of the Eau de Cologne are $215, Lip Conditioners are $34, and Rollerballs are $36.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged Aerin, Estee Lauder | Leave a comment