Sothys Escale Estivale Collection

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Henna

I haven’t tried a lot of makeup by Parisian brand Sothy’s, because I see that they’re geared more towards skincare which I haven’t been sold on (it might take a facial for me to see the benefits!).

But now I’ve checked out their Spring 2015 collection, Escale Estivale, and I’m impressed.  The packaging is black and luxe (heavy mirrored compacts) and the powders are finely-milled and go on so smoothly.

sothys spring collectionThe Escale Estivale collection is old-school spring-summer beauty.  Hints of colour, with bronze and pinks that are easy to wear.

The bronzing powder ($59) seems golden brown, but the gold is actually just an overlay and can be used or wiped off.  The brown underneath is true to skin-tones and works on the high points of the face to make it looked sun-kissed.  Because it’s so brown (yet sheet) it’s not great used as contour, but works as a true bronzer.  The golden shimmer didn’t work for me, but the bronzer works so well as a touch of summer.

The eyeshadows ($36 each) are in a vanilla and bronze-taupe shimmer, the blush is a coral-pink, and the nail polishes ($18.50) are in orange and hot pink but in a glaze formula that’s slightly transparent when you apply just one coat.

My favourite products are the lipsticks ($31.50).  One colour is 140 beige Garibaldi and 141 corail Vivienne.  The Beige is more like a pink-beige, and the coral is super sheer so it works with the pink of your lips and just looks amazing.  These lipsticks are so moisturizing and go on just like butter on the lips.  They melt with the heat of your lips and are shiny and wearable because they’re slightly transparent.  The final effect is a juicy one and super pretty and the moisture factor is just what I love in a lipstick.  It just makes me want to use the lipstick more and more, which means that my lips always look pretty and feel moisturized.

Sothys is only available at Sothys beauty consultant locations.  This collection is on counters this month.  If you want to find it near you, call 1 800 361 3004.

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New Clarins Everlasting Foundation SPF 15

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Henna

Clarins Everlasting FoundationClarins new foundation lasts and lasts, but unlike a lot of long-wearing foundations it’s different in that it has an amazingly smooth silky soft feel.  It goes on thin and sets to an almost skin-like texture quite quickly. 

The foundation also comes in 10 colours so that there are options for almost every skin-tone.  I got 110 Honey which dispenses as a lovely warm golden shade, but unfortunately blended out as having a pinkish/grey cast that might have been due to the SPF in the foundation.  

If you head to the Clarins counter, be sure to try the foundation on just a small portion of your face and then head out into sunlight to see if it’s a match.  

$41 at Clarins counters.

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New Marc Jacobs Beauty New Nudes Sheer Lip Gel

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Henna

marc jacobs new nudes sheer lip gelThe no-makeup makeup look this spring requires that you not only have your contour and highlight on point, but that you also have the perfect lip colour that’s natural looking.  This is where the New Marc Jacobs Nudes collection comes in. 

Seven shades of their Lip Gel offer a neutral shade that’s perfect for everyone. The lip gels contain Monoi butter and have a lovely vanilla scent (but no taste).  The packaging is sleek and gorgeous – it’s a lipstick that looks so pretty being pulled out of your purse.

$38 each at Sephora.

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Nirvana Black and White perfume compacts by Elizabeth and James

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Henna

Elizabeth and James Perfume CompactsIf you’ve ready my most recent perfume review, you may remember that I bought a perfume oil and had mixed feelings about it.  I love working with an oil because it means that it really works with your body chemistry, but I missing being able to spray it all over the place with abandon… which probably isn’t a good thing anyway especially for those that live with me!

In any case, when I saw that the Elizabeth and James Nirvana perfumes now came in a solid compact, I had to get my hands on them and try them because they’re going to be awesome for travel and for stashing in a makeup bag!  And I’m right.

So Nirvana White and Nirvana Black now come in compact solids each of which is a heavy gold-lined rectangle that’s smaller than a credit card.  It’s a cute art-deco type accessory that looks just as cute sitting on your vanity as it will when you pull it out of your bag to freshen up in the middle of the day or night.  The Solid Compacts feel like collector items because of their heft, and mimic the same black/white and gold packaging of the original Nirvana fragrances.

Rub your fingers on top of the waxy oily solid and dab wherever you please: the wrist, inside of the elbows, behind your ears, and into your scalp to smell like the heady mix that is these fragrances.

Nirvana Black is more woody and definitely more my style.  It’s got some musk and apparently some vanilla but its sweetness doesn’t make much of an appearance. 

Nirvana White is a blend of Peony, Muguet, and Musk.  On me, it smells much warmer and sweeter without having any obvious sweet notes, so it’s not really my thing.  It’s definitely the one to pick up if you enjoy more feminine fragrances, but if you like your scents more unisex then Nirvana Black is the one to try. 

The perfume solids are good quality – the scent lasts and lasts, and they don’t seem to wear away quite as quickly as a spray might which is awesome.  The face that they’re oil-based means that they blend into your skin and really work with your body chemistry so that you end up with a scent that’s all your own.

Elizabeth and James Nirvana

The solids are limited edition and $58 each at Sephora.  If solids aren’t your thing, then I highly recommend the Perfume Oils!  They are in small-ish bottles with a dropper dispenser so you can apply them one drop at a time on your skin.  In this form, Nirvana Black and Nirvana White also blend well together so you could wear a drop of each, although both of them seem to have a lot of musk in them which means that you will get a lot of musk in the final product.  The perfume oils are $42 each.  It might seem like a small about of product for the solid and/or the oil, however you need just a little bit to get the benefit of the scent, and it’s likely that these will last a long time. 

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Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipsticks

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Henna

Urban Decay Sheer RevolutionUrban Decay has also just released a new lipstick called Sheer Revolution.  Actually, these lipsticks are not so sheer.  They aren’t highly pigmented, but I would say that they’re in the middle range when it comes to pigment.  One coat of the lipstick lets you sort of still see your lips, while another coat provides opaque coverage.  

I have the colour Sheer Ladyflower which is a kind of bright fuchsia pink.  For daytime, it’s best to wear just one coat, while two work for night-time wear.  The pigment is long-lasting, however the lipstick does wear off with regular eating and drinking.

Pick them up for $26 at Sephora.

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Lipbalm of the Moment

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Henna

SL-Cube-Spring-2pack

My fav lipbalm right now are the Softlips cube which now come in a two-pack (one for the coat, and one for the car), and in two new flavours!  Pomegranate Blueberry and Peach Mango.  These also have a slight minty tingle to them which is typical of the Softlips products (they were always known for their mintiness, in addition to making your lips super soft).

They also have SPF 15 which makes them perfect for spring.

$6.49 for the two-pack.

 

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My New Foundation Brush: Sephora Pro Airbrush Blender #78

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Henna

IMG_7677I hate getting my hands dirty when I apply foundation in the morning because then I have to wash them and that leads to drier hands.  Instead, I use a foundation brush most days, and these days I have religiously been using and then washing my new Sephora Pro Airbush Blender #78.

This is a very fat synthetic brush that works very well at distributing foundation to the face.  Because it’s so fat, you won’t be able to get the smaller areas like the side of the nose or the inside of the eyes, but if you like to apply foundation all over anyways, then this is a brush that will work for you as it does for me.  Its size lets me quickly spread and blend foundation and I apply foundation to my eyelids, so I can dab it on there as well.

The fact that the top of the brush is rounded means that there’s less streaking than with a traditional foundation brush, and because it’s so thick, it does a great job of blending foundation in a relatively small amount of time. 

$48 at Sephora stores.

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A Match Made in Foundation Heaven

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Henna

IMG_7732So I’ve figured out the recipe for long-lasting flawless makeup, and you don’t have to spend a fortune for it.  It all has to do with finding some products that work well together and with that, I’m going to help you.

First, you need some sort of primer for your face.  I resisted the idea of primer for many many years because I thought I didn’t need it, but you know, often-times primer can come in the way of a good moisturizer, and that’s something most people can relate to.

Because I have oily skin, I save the heavy moisturizing for night-time, and these days I’m opting to use an SPF under my makeup because of the more daylight hours that we’re getting.  My SPF of choice is the L’Oreal Sublime Sun Silky Sheer SPF 50 Face Lotion.  This is an extremely light formula that really goes on smoothly and feels slightly oily and slightly moisturizing, but sets to a pretty matte silky finish.  If you wear this on its own, you’ll be surprised at how smooth and silky your face feels every time you touch it, and it goes on without a white residue despite having an SPF 50. For about $13 at the drugstore, it’s worth the price and the tiny bottle will mostly likely last 2-3 months.

Then I use a matte-finish foundation.  As much as I like a little glow sometimes, I like to have the option of adding that in, instead of having it as a default.  My foundation of choice these days is the Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless foundation.  It doesn’t have tons of coverage (medium-light) but it comes in a colour that matches my skin exactly – I wear 220 Beige, which is warm without being yellow or orange so I love that.  It blends easily on top of the sunscreen and seems to last a while.

After that, I powder with L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte powder foundation, which doesn’t have the coverage of a real foundation, but I use it sparingly and mostly just on my forehead and nose. 

Then I use a setting spray: again, turning to L’Oreal Infallible again because the Pro-Set and Spray works and I’ve gotten a little attached to it.  It’s light and refreshing to spritz on and doesn’t have a shiny finish like some setting sprays can have.  You really can’t over-do this one so feel free to get it on everywhere.

Try out these products and let me know what you think!

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Addicted to Hand Soap

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Henna

Live Clean Exotic Nectar Hand SoapWith a little kid who loves to wash her hands in the house, it’s an understatement to say that we go through a lot of hand soap, and after trying so many different products, we’re quite opinionated about what we like in our hand soaps too.  It’s always a good sign when company leaves the bathroom and says “mmm I love the soap you have in there right now!”  It’s even better when the soap has a nice feel because that means it’s going to get used more.  We don’t like anything goopy or thick because it’s harder to spread around which means that it doesn’t work well when you’re in a rush.  We like soap that lathers well and washes away without making our hands feel like sandpaper. 

Well, the hand soap that’s met all that criteria is the Live Clean Exotic Nectar Argan Oil Hand Soap.  I truly was planning to be underwhelmed by this drugstore brand of hand soap but it’s beat out a lot of other brands that I’ve tried.  I’m a fan of Live Clean products, of course, I love that they’re more on the natural side and still work well, but I just never thought that I could find a hand soap that was this good.  It smells nice and is moisturizing too, and it’s so nice on the hands that nobody hesitates when it’s time to wash their hands.  

It also comes in a huge 500mL bottle so you can use tons and you’re not constantly replacing it.  

Pick it up at drugstores for $6.99.

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Shampoo Bars

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Henna

Honey I washed my hairIf you’re going to do any amount of traveling over the spring break, then you need to invest in a shampoo bar instead of going with the traditional shampoo bottle.  Think of all most-needed aspects of shampoo compacted into a dry bar of soap which isn’t liable to break or get messy on your travels.  A shampoo bar is also ideal for gym bags, because you’re going to have way less clutter and junk to carry with you. 

If this sounds like it’s something you need, then you need to head to Lush and check out the six new shampoo bars they just launched.  There’s something for everyone: sensitive scalps, coloured hair, dry hair, and lack-luster hair. 

I tried Honey I Washed My Hair – yes, it smells a lot Honey I Wash The Kids soap bar, but maybe not as sweet.  It’s kind of an addictive floral honey scent that I can’t get enough of, and I really wish that it lasted and lasted in my hair.  However, the soap bar lathers up as you rub it on your scalp, and then you just use your fingertips and hands to distribute the suds.  My hair was left clean and shiny – I used my own conditioner afterwards but just on the ends, and I felt that my hair had all the moisture that it needed.

At about $10 a bar, each solid shampoo has enough product to last 80 washes – quite a few months for me, since I don’t wash my hair every single day.  

Pick it up online or at Lush stores.

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