New Make Up For Ever Artist Acrylip

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Henna

Bright lips are a definite pick-me-up any time of the year, and I love that brands are experimenting with formulas other than the matte smudge-proof lip products that we saw last year.  Make Up For Ever Artist Acrylip are intensely pigmented paint-type glosses that don’t dry to a matte or stay-put finish.  These are so intense that you can tap a little on to your lips like a lipstick, or put on lots to have it look like a wet pigmented gloss. 

The colours that the Acrylip come in are super bright so they’re perfect if you’re looking for a bright lip. 

Because these are glossy, they wear more like traditional lipstick.  They last on the lips, and stain too, but if you eat or drink anything, do so with the knowledge that your lip colour is going to come off.  

I like the intense poppy red of the Acrylip and although I prefer a matte lip, I can wear this as a stain, which I love just as much, because it doesn’t look as deliberate.  

Available at Sephora stores, $29.

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Posted in Spring 2017 | Tagged | Leave a comment

My Most Favourite Protein Powder

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Henna

I’m kind of into working out and taking care of myself right now. I aim to hit the weights at least four times a week, and in my need to refuel quickly, I’ve turned back to protein powder.

I know people shy away from using it because they think that it tastes bad or that it has an after-taste, but you just have to look for the right kind.

I’ve started using this Genuine Health Proteins + powder.  It’s made with fermented Greek Yogurt and is chock full of probiotics which makes the protein a little bit kinder on my tummy, and the vanilla flavour tastes so good that I can put it into smoothies or pancake batter and still have it taste amazing.

Yes, I said pancake batter.  If you want an easy way to incorporate more protein into your diet, you need to try adding this into baking or cooking, but of course, it tastes just as good blended with a banana and peanut butter, or with some strawberries and milk.  Try it for yourself!

I’m also in love with the protein bars from this same brand – they actually taste good, with no funny after-taste!  I’ve tried a couple of flavours of the Quest bars that everyone loves, and I couldn’t get behind them, but these I could gobble up and quite enjoyed.

Visit www.genuinehealth.com to find a store near you.

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OPI’s New Updated Infinite Shine ProStay

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Henna

I absolutely swear by the long-wearing primer and topcoat system that is OPI Infinite Shine.  Whether used with Infinite Shine colours or just regular polish, I find that the final effect is that my nail polish really does stay on for a full week with hardly a chip in sight.

Of course, when they launched a whole new Infinite Shine ProStay system, I had to jump on board.

I’ve used it now three times – twice with an Infinite Shine polish and once with a different brand of nail polish.  All three times, I had really long-wearing nail polish and I was happy with the performance of the system as a whole.

The biggest difference that I can see is that the ProStay top coat feels and looks a little bit thicker and is much shinier than before.  It’s an awesome effect, because my nails seem to even stay shiny after I use the top coat.

OPI promises that the system can give you up to 11 days of shine, but I think after 7 days, an at-home manicure just starts to look old.  Either you do have some wear on your nails, or the shine is minimized, or your nails start growing out and your polish line looks really obvious.

Pick this up at salons and spas or at The Bay.

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New Dior Capture Totale Dream Skin Advanced Perfect Skin Creator

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Henna

Oh, how I wish that I had skin so good that all it needed was a little moisturizing, mattifying, glow, and that’s it.  Alas, I am a regular foundation user, and I just can’t quit using foundation. 

But, as it happens, Dior’s new Capture Totale Dream Skin Advanced Perfect Skin Creator is perfect for using as a primer too.  

Dream Skin tries to truly give you dream skin.  It works as a light moisturizer, smoothing skin and softening wrinkles.  It has superfine glowing pigments in it making skin appear brighter and more glowing, but without being shimmery or obvious.  Use it and your skin looks healthy and glowy – like it’s well-rested and moisturized even if it’s actually not.  

Best of all, it does all this and is weightless and easy to use.  You can use it under makeup as a primer or you can use it on top of made up skin, just patting on gently with your fingertips to refresh makeup.  

This is a best-selling Dior product and for $150, it’s a large pump bottle that will last a long time.  I normally don’t like to use a primer but I like the slightly shimmery finish this gives me under my makeup – it just enhances everything and makes my skin smoother before foundation.

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New MAC Lip Scrubtious Collection

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Henna

If you’re struggling with dry lips that peel off, then you need a lip scrub.  MAC Lip Scrubtious is five flavours of lip scrub made up of sugar, grape seed oil, and shea butter to help hydrate and get rid of dry flaky lips.  I don’t normally use a lip scrub, but I like using this before I apply a matte lipstick so that my lips are super smooth and soft.  

Flavours are Candied Nectar, Fruit of Passion, Summer Berry, Sweet Brown Sugar and Sweet Vanilla.  

$19 each.

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My All-Time Favourite Daytime Moisturizer

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Henna

I didn’t used to use moisturizer in the day, but when I started using sunscreen everyday, I would find that the sunscreen would actually be a little bit drying on my skin, so I’ve since switched to a moisturizer that contains sunscreen.  My favourite one is Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost gel cream with SPF 15.

This is a super light gel that has light reflecting particles in it (not glitter! but maybe a pinch of microfine shimmer) so it makes your skin look and feel all healthy and glowy.  The SPF 15 in it is the cherry on top, and it’s what keeps me reaching for this instead of the more expensive primer it sits next to in my bathroom.  

If you want a good basic and affordable sunscreen option that works well under foundation, then this would be my pick.

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Lancome ReDefines Mascara and Eyeliner

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Henna

People always ask me how to apply liquid eyeliner, and I always say “practice, practice, practice!” because the truth is that I’ve watched dozens of videos of famous makeup artists and Instagrammers applying eyeliner, and I don’t do it their way.  I do it my own way and it seems to come out fine but I’ve practiced lots and that’s the only way to really get a steady hand so apply a nice clean line. 

Nevertheless, Lancome has tried to make it even easier to apply liquid eyeliner by rethinking the wand applicator.  The Grandiose Liner ($40) has a wand that pivots in the middle so that you can apply eyeliner more intuitively.  You can bend it 35 degrees to adapt to your own eye shape and apply a perfect line.  I think the super-thin tip helps me more than anything, and the tip also has the perfect amount of bend so that you can create a cat eye with the eyeliner just so. 

The formula is gentle and smooth and it doesn’t flake or smudge throughout the day.  It stays put and washes off when you need it to, which is perfect if you have oily eyelids like I do.  

Pair it with the Grandiose Extreme Mascara ($36) which also lets you apply in different ways, and has a super long-lasting finish that doesn’t flake or smudge throughout the day.  

Both the Grandiose Extreme Mascara and the Grandiose Liquid Liner come in lots of colours – brown, blue, and purple in addition to the original black – which lets you play with your look.  I have the mascara in blue, and although it looks really bright out of the tube, it actually dries to almost-black which makes it easy to wear during the day.  I like the eyeliner in brown because it’s not as harsh as a regular black liner.

Both are available at Lancome counters now.

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Posted in Spring 2017 | Tagged | Leave a comment

New Video: Nars Wildfire Collection!

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Henna

Happy Friday, everyone!

The Nars Wildfire Collection is new for Spring 2017 and features colour for the eyes, and more subdued tones for the lips.  It’s a contrast to the light, pretty, floral-inspired makeup that we usually see this time of year, but it’s still on-trend – especially since aqua and teal shades of eyeshadow are back in style.  

My favourite products are the Thessalonique eye palette, because it has two colours that are quite wearable – an icy vanilla base, and a silver-infused taupe/violet.  I found that the silver glitter seemed to make it a little difficult to blend, but like most glittery shadows, this is best applied by tapping it on to your lid with your finger-tips.

The other shadow duo is called Chiang Mai Duo and is a contrast of shimmering sea blue and copper.

The Bumpy Ride powder blush is also something that I’m finding myself reaching for again and again.  It’s a shimmery coral colour that’s lighter than what I usually wear, but is great for brightening up any collection.  

The Asphalt Jungle Lip Gloss is described as a shimmering sangria, and the Aragon Lip gloss is described as red chestnut.  There’s also the Kiss Me Stupid Lipstick (burnt sienna) and the Breaking Free Lipstick (coral).  I love the shimmering lipgloss – it’s a deeper colour than I normally wear but it’s good for a more formal look.

Check out the full video if you’d like to see more swatches and such!

The collection is available right now at Sephora and Sephora.ca, and will be available at all other Nars retailers February 2017.

 

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New Make Up For Ever High Precision Lip Pencil

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Henna

Make Up For Ever has the Aqualip lip pencil, which glides on to your lips and then sets to a waterproof finish, but now they have a more traditional lip pencil as well which is called the High Precision Lip Pencil.  Available in a range of natural, completely wearable colours, this lip pencil is perfect for those people who want a natural lip under their lipstick.

My favourite is #20 which is a pretty bright pink – my lips but much better.  I use it to line my lips and then fill them in.  It’s a dry matte formula which make it sometimes difficult to put on very dry lips, but it lasts through breakfast, so that it’s still on when I go to work, so that makes it worth wearing daily.

This is a lip pencil that you need to sharpen, and that means that you can bring it to an exact point, hence the name high precision.  You can really get a fine line with this lip pencil, so if that’s how you’re going to use it then it will work well!

$22 at Sephora.

 

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Estee Lauder Double Wear Nude Cushion Stick Radiant Makeup

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Henna

You will have seen a lack of reviews on the popular cushion makeup that’s come out in recent years. You can find it at Sephora, the drugstore, or the department store, in the form of a usually watery foundation that’s housed in a compact with a built in cushion.  You tap the cushion and then apply foundation on your skin.  Because the formula is so watery, the foundation applies smoothly and looks like skin.  Honestly, I’ve been sent some samples but can’t seem to find a perfect match for my skin tone. 

Until now.  

Welcome Estee Lauder’s answer to cushion makeup – a Cushion Stick instead of a compact, available in their Double Wear Nude formula, which is the antithesis of cakey long-wearing makeup of the past. 

Because this Cushion Stick comes in 15 shades, I was able to get the perfect match to my skin – it’s so good that it doesn’t even look like I’m wearing makeup and I can even apply it only on areas that I want covered (typically under my eyes). The formula is weightless but not watery.  You take the cap off the tube, and then twist the bottom up until the foundation comes through on to the cushion.  It applies like a cream, and you can blend it into your skin using the cushion, or apply in dabs and then blend using the tool of your choice – I use my fingertips.  If you The makeup is radiant because it actually reflects light just like skin would – I powder on top to make it wear a bit longer, then go on my way.  At the end of the day, my foundation is still on my face, so I’m happy with the wear. 

If you’re worried about continually using the cushion to apply the foundation, you can twist it off, wash and dry it, and then twist it back on.  I only use it to dot the foundation on to my skin, so I’m not too worried about it being very dirty.

This foundation really works if you want natural-looking foundation without too much coverage – I like it so much that I’m almost done my tube.  

Pick it up at Sephora or Estee Lauder counters or online. $46.

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