Canadian Beauty

New Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Limon Verde

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Henna

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.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged Guerlain | Leave a comment

New From L’Occitane Collection de Grasse: NÉROLI & ORCHIDÉE EAU DE TOILETTE

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Henna

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.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged l'Occitane | Leave a comment

New MAC Studio Sculpt Shade and Line

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Henna

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.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged Eyeshadow, MAC | Leave a comment

New MAC Pro Longwear SPF 20 Compact Foundation

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Henna

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.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged Foundation, MAC | Leave a comment

L’Oreal Enters the At-Home Gel Manicure Game

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Henna

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.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged Gel Nail Polish, L'Oreal, Review | 2 Comments

Shopbop Family and Friends Sale – Sneak Peek

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Henna

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 15^th through April 17^th

Eastdane.com– April 15^th through April 19^th

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!

Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged Shopbop | Leave a comment

Aveeno Positively Radiant Targeted Tone Corrector

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Henna

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.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Aveeno, Dark Spots | Leave a comment

Make Up For Ever HD Blush

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Henna

@PerilouslyPale said it best when she said that 2014 is year of the blush, and it is SO TRUE. This is the year that we’re getting cheek products in a big way. The new trend isn’t just on colour – it’s formula so innovative that blush blends easily and looks natural. If this is a step that you normally step, then you need to add atleast a hint of hit back into your regimen.

Make Up For Ever is of course at the forefront of product innovation and they’ve reformulated their cream blush so that it’s now in a pan instead of in a pump. The cream blends into the skin easily and can be worn sheer or heavy. If you want sheer coverage, just blend blend blend with your fingers, and for more pigmentation just tap it into the cheek instead.

There are 16 colours to choose from: I got 315 Peach Beige which is really a rusty beige that looks really natural on me.

Even without powder, these have amazing lasting power – mine lasted 12 hours easily with just a bit of fading, and when I powdered my skin there was no fading at all.

Because these are so pigmented, they’re not at all heavy or greasy on the skin. They’re much lighter in feeling than MAC’s cream blushes, and a bit more waxy than your typical cream to powder blush. Once on, you forget that it’s there, and that’s what you want out of blush anyway.

And if you’re a novice at blush application then check out this application guideline. Cream blush is the perfect product to practice with since your fingers really give you the most control and you get a true idea of where you’re placing product.

The blush sets to a glowy satin finish – nice for everyday and especially nice if you have dry skin.

Pick it up at Sephora stores across Canada (Sephora.ca), MAKE UP FOR EVER Boutiques for $31.

Posted in Spring 2013 | Tagged Blush, Make Up For Ever, Review | 1 Comment

Essie Spring 2014 Collection

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Henna

Okay, I’ve found my holy grail pale nail polish shades for this spring, and they’re part of Essie’s Spring 2014 Collection.

The colours (in the order above from left to right) are Style Hunter, Spin the Bottle, Truth or Flare, Romper Room, Fashion Playground, and Hide and Go Chic.

Romper Room and Spin the Bottle are must-haves. Spin the Bottle is a pale nude, while Romper Room is a pale pastel pink. Both go on without streaks and offer creamy opaque finishes with just two coats. Unlike some other pale polishes we’ve tried this spring, none of the colours look flat on the nail and are perfectly chic for the season.

At $11.99 a bottle, you can afford to grab both colours and even the mint green Fashion Playground or Blue Jay Egg Blue Truth or Flare while you’re at it.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged Essie, holy grail, nail polish | Leave a comment

Benefit The Big Easy Review

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Henna

Imagine if someone took your favourite primer, added a hefty dose of tint to it, and formulated it with SPF 35. What you’d end up with is Benefit’s The Big Easy Liquid to Powder SPF 35 Foundation.

This is a dimethicone-based foundation that has light coverage and goes on like a primer. It does have a powdery finish that doesn’t need to be set before you add blush or bronzer on top. The foundation lasted all day on my combination skin – and looked flawless even after a workout (although my eye makeup was a little worst for wear that day).

The only downside to this foundation is that it only comes in six shades and they are all either peachy or orange. I’m a medium skin tone and I use the darkest colour, deep beige – which is slightly orange, and not deep nor beige.

I was ready to hate the orange-tone, but for some reason it really works with my skin-tone and just makes me look well-rested and bright. I always get compliments the day I wear Benefit foundations and so I keep using them even though they’re not usually an exact match on my skin.

Because this is SPF 35, you are likely to get lots of flashback when you wear this, and so I would avoid it on days that you’re going to be photographed. For daily wear, this is a winner, if the colour and texture work for you. Although I did get many compliments on my skin when I wore this, when I looked closely at my skin in the mirror, I felt that The Big Easy looked a little mask-like. This was undoubtedly due to the heavy silicones in the formula and the fact that it wasn’t an exact match to my skin and so you could see where I hadn’t applied it (like on my eyelids). Keep that in mind when you’re choosing.

$46 where Benefit products are sold, including Shoppers Drug Mart.

Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged BB Cream, Benefit, Review | 4 Comments