…read about what to expect from Calgary’s Heart Truth fashion show!
Click here to read my article in yesterday’s Herald.
Today in the Calgary Herald!
Department or Drugstore? The Thinnest (best!) Eyebrow Pencils
When it comes to eyebrow pencils, the thinner the better. A thin pencil helps you make strokes that look more like actual hairs so that it’s not obvious that you’re filling in your brows. For a daytime look, this is a must, but good thin eyebrow pencils can be difficult to find (even Nars’ option earlier this year was a thicker pencil).
Estee Lauder’s brow pencil ($32.50) is amazing because one end is a very fine brown pencil and the other end is a very fine shimmery golden pencil that’s perfect for highlighting. The only problem is that it’s so fine (because the other side has to be fine) that it takes a long time to highlight your entire brow bone and the nib has a tendency to break.
Thus, I prefer using this only for the brows, but for $32, there’s another option. If you’re interested in a thin eyebrow pencil, check out Annabelle’s Skinny Brow Liner which is only $9. It doesn’t have a shimmery highlighting end, but you have enough highlighters, right? Instead, there’s a cute little plastic comb on the end, so you can brush your eyebrows into place and then fill where needed.
The Estee Lauder eyebrow pencil is available at Estee Lauder counters, and you can find Annabelle’s version at Shoppers Drug Mart locations. Both are also available online (just click the links above).
Silk’n Flash&Go Permanent Hair Removal Device
So for $229 you could do your own laser hair removal at home. That’s what the Silk’n Flash&Go device offers you. If you’ve ever shopped around for laser hair removal, you know what a good deal this is.
I’ll cut to the chase: does this at-home hair removal device really work? Yes, it does.
The flash of the light is strong enough that it feels just like a laser treatment at the doctor’s office. In fact, if not used correctly, the laser has the potential to burn the skin as well.
But that’s why the Silk’n Flash&Go comes with a built-in sensor that actually scans the area before each laser pulse to make sure that the skin is light enough to use the laser on.
Like regular laser treatments, you need to use this repeatedly to see long-term hair removal and reduction, and the results are not often permanent. You will likely need touch-ups once a year or so. But, just like other laser treatments, you will absolutely see a difference after your first treatment and you’ll be so encouraged that you’ll continue to use this.
The Flash&Go is slightly different than the original Silk’n Sens that came out a few years ago. It has an easy-to-hold handle that lets you keep your finger on the pulse so that you’re emitting laser pulses regularly. There’s also no annoying beep after every pulse so you can do your hair removal in peace. The machine is large but it works and it works really well.
Overall, the treatment does take a little longer to do. The system recharges after each pulse of light and if you’re using it on the higher setting, then the recharging time is longer. It’s only 2 seconds between each pulse, but if you’ve been to the doctor’s office and seen how long it takes them to charge their laser, then you know that 2 seconds is a long time.
Still, in the time that it takes to drive to the doctor’s office, get the treatment, and drive back home, you could probably do your treatment area a few times over. The machine is quick and easy to use, and worth every penny.
Pick it up and replacement cartridges at London Drugs.
New Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Limon Verde
Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria line is a collection of perfumes that are light and fresh, inspired by gardens. The line has been around since 1999, and over the years there have been 31 perfumes, of which 4 have becoming permanent fixtures.
The latest is Aqua Allegoria, inspired by a Brazilian Festival. Equal parts festive and fresh, this is a sweet citrus blend.
Aqua Allegoria has notes of lime, green notes, fig, sugarcane, tonka beans, tropical fruit.
The opening of this scent is very fresh and clean. There’s a bright lime, and definite green notes. Unlike most fresh scents, the lime scent is so real that you can almost taste it. The result is super acidic smelling, but it’s still a nice change from most scents.
The lime eventually gives way to notes of fig, sugarcane, and there’s a dry down of tonka beans and tropical fruits.
Although the dry down sounds as if it should be sweet, it’s really not, and this fragrance doesn’t ever really go into gourmand territory. It remains fresh and mostly citrusy throughout its wear.
Limon Verde didn’t last a long time on me – but I like that I can get away with spraying copious amounts without offending anyone or getting sick of it, and it’s nice to be able to do that with in the warmer months. This is an eau de toilette so it is super light.
$67 at Guerlain counters.
New From L’Occitane Collection de Grasse: NÉROLI & ORCHIDÉE EAU DE TOILETTE
I love L’Occitane’s Collection de Grasse: it’s an awesome line of perfumes that work around basic notes. The scents all have an earthiness to them and smell simple and pure. The new Neroli and Orchidee collection is part of the Collection de Grasse and promises a floral sweet scent.
Neroli and Orchid are two white flowers that are beautifully summery and work well in this Eau de Toilette ($75). This scent reminds me of a mediterranean vacation.
The opening note is of orange which is quite sweet yet fresh. Neroli, peach, fig milk, and lily of the valley orchid make up the middle. The base notes are musk and iris.
You can tell by the notes that this scent is a little on the sweeter side, which is a nice change for something that’s based on white flowers.
If you think you’re into the notes, but maybe not the sweetness, check out the Fragrance Beautifying Cream ($36) that’s part of the same collection. This cream contains a blend of floral notes that go well with any scent and is meant to be used in conjunction with the eau de toilettes. When you spray the toilettes on this cream, the notes tend to stick to it, and last longer. It comes in a gorgeous, heavy, understated glass jar, and the perfumed cream inside is a floral earthy one. The cream isn’t overly moisturizing but it dries to a light silky finish that makes skin feel super soft and smooth.
If you’re thinking of shopping the collection online, you could save some money on your L’Occitane purchase thanks to Flipit. Head to their website to get aL’Occitane promo code for a free Verbena product’ on all purchases over $80 and see other offers.
New MAC Studio Sculpt Shade and Line
Out on counters today!
Never behind the trend, MAC has brought sculpting to the eyes with their new eye shadow trios. I love that they’ve crammed three colours into one small eye shadow pot. You’re getting a little less of each colour in the pot, but since eye shadow is virtually impossible to finish, I’m okay with that.
The colours are completely coordinated, and there’s a base shade, a crease shade, and a shade that’s great for either emphasizing the crease or the base of the eyelashes.
The colours are:
EBONYBLEND white frost/carbon black/dirty blue-grey (pearl/matte)
VIOLETBLEND light white-pink/deep violet/iridescent cool pink (pearl/matte)
EGGPLANTBLEND soft light pink/deep plum/dirty silver-grey (pearl/matte)
ROSÉBLEND dirty washout pink/dirty blue-plum/metallic bright gold (pearl/matte)
APRICOTBLEND champagne beige/dirty berry brown/warm coral peach (pearl/matte)
OLIVEBLEND rich rose-gold/deep olive green/ dirty olive (pearl/matte)
ESPRESSOBLEND rich penny-copper/charcoal black/warm brown (pearl/matte)
INDIGOBLEND soft, clean sky blue/deep blue-teal/deep plum (pearl/matte)
Available at MAC counters for $25 each.
New MAC Pro Longwear SPF 20 Compact Foundation
MAC’s new foundation formula is out on counters tomorrow!
MAC’s Pro Longwear formula is my favourite foundation formula ever, and I’m so excited about their new compact version. Like the liquid, this version is SPF 20 and comes in a variety of shades.
The compact is a cream to powder formula that sets on the skin and stays put regardless of any excess oil that your skin might produce.
It comes in an air-tight compact and blends easily on the skin. You can use the accompanying sponge to apply, but I actually prefer my fingers (even though this might be a bit messier). A Beauty Blender type sponge also works really well.
Liquid or compact? I like the compact for foundation on the go, and have it in my purse. There’s a mirror in the compact, so you can completely apply it while you’re out and about. In the morning, I prefer to use a liquid foundation.
Available in 17 shades.
$37.50 at the MAC counter.
L’Oreal Enters the At-Home Gel Manicure Game
At-home gel manicures are everywhere these days. I’m constantly surprised by how many women actually own a gel-manicure kit – many, it turns out, and from Sally Hansen to Kiss Nails, it seems that if you have the patience, you can have gel nails at home.
That said, not all systems are created equal, and now there’s the Gel-Manicure without the lamp or the special removal kit. You apply these “gel polishes” like regular polishes, and don’t need to set them with a lamp. You then remove with regular polish remover. In essence… it’s not a gel manicure at all.
L’Oreal Paris now has Extraordinaire Gel-Lacquer 1-2-3 Nail Color. The 1-2-3 refers to a base coat, top coat, and colour that you apply in between the two. Nowhere on the box does it say that this system performs like a gel manicure… more accurately they say that it just looks like a gel manicure in that the polish is slightly cushiony when finished, and the top coat is super shiny.
When I tried the system, it certainly did not last very long on my nails. I probably had the same amount of chipping that I do with regular nail polish. I’m going to go on and say that if you normally don’t use a primer and top coat and then you switch to this system, you’re going to have much longer-lasting manicure.
It does say on the box that you should use the top coat and base coat only with the L’Oreal Gel-Lacquer nail polish, but if there’s nothing unique about it, I don’t see why that should be the case. the Gel-Lacquer polish seems to dry without much shine and does need a top coat to look good. I definitely wouldn’t wear that on its own.
All in all, the use of the word “gel” in the name implies that you’re going to get a super long-wearing manicure (most gel systems are meant to last atleast two weeks), but that’s not the case here.
This system is in drugstores now.
Shopbop Family and Friends Sale – Sneak Peek
Want to shop this Family and Friends event 1 Day early?
East Dane & Shopbop’s BIG Friends and Family Sale is here!
What: 25% Off Site wide sale
Where: Shopbop.com & Eastdane.com
When: Shopbop.com– April 15th through April 17th
Eastdane.com– April 15th through April 19th
You can have a special “sneak-peek” before the news reaches everyone else! The code and the “sneak-peek” starting time will be posted at the Shopbop facebook page at midnight April 14th.
I know I’ll be shopping the sale, so I thought I’d pass on the savings to you too!
Enjoy!
Aveeno Positively Radiant Targeted Tone Corrector
Aveeno gets into the dark spot correcting game with its new Targeted Tone Corrector. This tone corrector isn’t a CC product – it works gradually over time to lesson the spots and not immediately. That means there is no tint or shimmer in this, and you’ll still need to use a foundation product to even out your skin tone immediately.
The star ingredient is Vitamin A which has been proven to reduce dark spots and discoloration of the skin. It also contains Aveeno’s star ingredient – soy – which is a proven antioxidant. Antioxidants prevent more damage from happening to your skin, and if you pair this with adequate sunscreen, you’re looking at reducing dark spots in the long run.
I really love the texture and feel of this cream – it is light and fresh-feeling and dries down to a silky finish. Sunscreen or foundation goes on smoothly afterwards, and even seems to last longer – try it in place of your regular primer and see what a difference it can make.
$24.99 at drugstores and mass retailers everywhere.