Canadian Beauty

Kiehl’s Skin Tone Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Henna

Today’s BB Creams are basically just a version of your regular tinted moisturizers. The best ones leave skin looking better, completely flawless, and matte and Kiehl’s BB cream delivers on all of those.

This BB Cream has broad spectrum spf 50 which is a must for any BB cream – it’s not something I would choose to wear if I was getting photographed, but it definitely works for day to day wear.

The BB cream has a small amount of vitamin C which means that it will help with photo damage, but truly, if that’s your issue, then you’d be better off using a Vitamin C serum under the BB cream.

Other than that, this BB cream is quite lovely for many reasons: I have the medium tone which is a nice golden tan colour that looks natural. It starts off being quite fluid, but blends easily into the skin and then sets to a satin finish. I still like using powder on top, because the finish is slightly dewy for me, and it makes it easier to blend in blush or bronzer.

This BB Cream is available in three colours: light, fair, and medium and like all products available in few shades, whether you buy it should depend entirely if you can find a shade that matches your skin tone.

Available online, at Kiehl’s boutiques, or at Holt Renfrew for $39.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged BB Cream, Kiehl's, SPF | Leave a comment

The Blo Experience

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Henna

@bloheartsyou Blow Dry Bar has been in Calgary for over two years, but I never got the chance to go in, but over March break this year I seized the opportunity to get ready for the weekend thanks to Blo.

If you’ve never been to a Blow-dry bar, the concept is pretty simple: they do blow-drying and nothing else. No colour, no cuts, no mani and pedis. Because they specialize in just styling your hair, it’s what they do best, and they can do it fast. Also, because they don’t have to stock as much equipment or train their staff on different skills, getting your hair done at a blow-dry bar is often very cost effective. Blo charges $35 for a basic blow-out – $5 cheaper than most other places in Calgary.

From beginning to end, my experience there was great.

Before my actual blow out I got a 10 minute head massage (a $10 add-on) that transported me away from the crazy amount of snow that was falling outside.

When it came to the blow out, I had a choice of styles from Blo’s menu: I could get voluminous Hollywood-style curls, beachy waves, stick-straight hair, or a classically voluminous bouncy blow-out. I left the choice up to my capable stylist, and she thought I should go with the Holly-Would because it went so well with my red lipstick and black liner.

She made the right choice because the final effect was fitting – the blow-out just fit my look and my personality. I turned into a more glamorous version of myself in just an hour, thanks to my new-ish hair.

I loved being in and out of the salon and the transformative nature of my blow-out. I’m not the greatest at doing my hair, and the blow-out I received at Blo was much better than what I could have done myself.

Blo doesn’t just blow-dry your hair straight. They can do up-do’s, the latest braid, or even host parties for you and your friends. Check them out online, and find one in your city. There are two locations in Calgary. The one that I went to was on first street. An insider tip from the manager and the stylist: if you’re a return client, and need them to open earlier on occasion they’ll try to accommodate you. Speaking as someone who likes to have their hair done before appointments on a busy day (and as someone who’s a morning person) I find that to be amazingly flexible. If nothing else, then that’s where I’m going for my next Blo-out.

Posted in Your City | Tagged #yyc, Blo, Calgary | Leave a comment

Nars Matte Multiple

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Henna

On April 14th, Nars comes out with a matte version of its popular multi-purpose colours called Multiples. They’re cream-to-powder formulas that are made for use on eyes, cheeks, lips.. anywhere you want them.

Of the eight shades, three are bronze/tans, while the other four are rosy/pinky shades that would work well on lips and cheeks.

The formula is lovely for use on the face. It’s creamy yet matte, and not shiny at all. There’s no grease with these, and at the same time, they’re not overly powdery either. They blend into skin, and have a natural-looking satin finish.

I do wish that there was a bronze shade with a bit of grey in it so that it would work better as a contour colour. I tried contouring with Cappadoce and I found that it just looked like I had bronzer in the wrong place – not the look that I was going for. This would work better as a cheek colour and perhaps for some shading on the lid.

Siam is a beautiful coral/red shade that is uber-bright. It’s the perfect pop of colour for a night out and because I can use it on my cheeks, it means that I can coordinate my cheek and lip colour for a polished look. Siam doesn’t look great on the lips unless they are well-exfoliated and moisturized. The formula just stuck to dry spots and went on unevenly. This needs to be dabbed on with fingers or a small brush. It’s not the type of colour you throw on in the car.

Pick these up at Nars counters for $46.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged Nars | Leave a comment

Lady Speed Stick Nutra-Skin

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Henna

This has been the worst winter ever (and for some it’s not over yet!), but we have to believe that warmer weather is on its way and with it comes some…unwanted effects such as the need for more (and better) deodorant.

Of course, the effect of using more deodorant can mean dry underarms, especially after a cold and dry winter.

New Lady Speed Stick Nutra-Skin takes care of odor while conditioning the skin. Packed with powerful emollients as well as Vitamin E, this deodorant is actually made up of 30% skin-conditioning ingredients, making the label Nutra-Skin completely fitting.

The worst part about wearing deodorant is the possibility that it could show up on your clothes. Not only does this lead to an outfit change but deodorant is possibly the most difficult thing to wash out of your clothes. The best part about Lady Speed Stick is that the formula is Invisible Dry which means that it’s not going to show up under your arms or on your clothes. Pretty impressive for a product that has moisturizers in it since those can be potentially greasy and stick to your clothing.

What I found to really work for me is to apply just one swipe of the deodorant. I know I haven’t written about deodorant in quite some time, but the more you put on, the more of a chance there is that it’s going to end up on your clothes. Our zeal in application is probably due to us thinking that more will give us better protection, but actually if you’ve chosen the right deodorant you won’t have to worry about using more – one swipe will be just enough.

Available in stick (45 gram) and roll on (50 mL) format for just $2.99. For more info, visit ladyspeedstick.ca. Save $1 on your purchase by downloading a coupon at SnapSaves.com.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Lady Speed Stick, Sponsored Post | Leave a comment

Mommy Monday: Mushies

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Henna

Where @babygourmet saves me…

Feeding kids on the go is a challenge at the best of times. My little one definitely isn’t a picky eater, but she likes things that are easy to eat, and I like things that are healthy. More than once, these snacks have saved me: Baby Gourmet Mushies.

I’m writing about them, because time and time again, I meet moms whose kids haven’t tried these, and once they do, they love them!

Mushies are little melting fruit snacks made out of bananas, spinach and kale, and a binding agent. Get this: there’s NO SUGAR!

Pretty amazing, considering every other company that sells any kind of baby/kid snacks includes sugar or salt as an ingredient, and for a long time, I wanted to avoid both. Mushies are free of those ingredients are are organic.

They are $3.99 per bag, and can be found in the baby aisle of Loblaws or Superstore locations. They also sell them in the U.S. now or you can buy online from Well.ca (I often buy in bulk so that I always have them on hand). They’re not the cheapest snack around, but they’re the healthiest and easiest to transport.

Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged Babies, Baby Gourmet, Food, Kids, Mom | Leave a comment

Foodie Fridays: Garrett Popcorn

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Henna

This is my new thing: I’m a foodie, and I want to share my food finds with you!

Last week, I talked about Fiasco Gelato (even though it wasn’t on a Friday), and this week I want to share a little something about Garrett Popcorn.

Actually, Garrett Popcorn wouldn’t have been on my radar if it wasn’t for my sister and my mom. For the past few special occasions they’ve been sending me a huge tin of the Chicago Mix, and it is amazing.

Truth be told, I love any kind of pop corn and eat it all the time. I love that it’s relatively healthy, crunchy, and flavourful (even when it’s not flavoured). Of course, the cheese and caramel combo is definitely not healthy, but it is so delicious. I had never thought that I’d like a combo of cheese and caramel popcorn (I love those flavours separately), but actually they are pretty amazing. There’s a nice combination of salty and sweet going on in the tin, and none of the cheese flavour manages to get on the caramel which is important to me.

As far as gourmet popcorn goes, this is really good. You can tell that thoughtfulness went into the flavouring because the caramel has a bit of a burnt taste to it, which home-made caramel always has.

Garrett Popcorn is out of Chicago but they do take phone orders and ship to Canada. If you’re looking for a unique gift then this is the way to go. I certainly enjoyed receiving it.

Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged Garrett Popcorn | Leave a comment

Lancome Ballerine Collection

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Henna

Ballerina culture is in the air this spring, and that’s why we love Lancome’s Spring collection. Think pretty pinks that are totally wearable and that’s what you’re going to see at the Lancome counter this spring.

Lily Collins, whose grandmother was a ballerina, is the face of the campaign and wears all the colours of the collection so easily.

Her Audrey Hepburn like styling makes the entire look modern and aspirational.

The highlight of the collection is the Rose Ballerine Blush Highlighter ($52) that’s a light pink with a sheer gold shimmer. Because this is so shimmery, I think that it’s better used as a highlighter on top of existing blush rather than on its own. It is not very pigmented (see, more like a highlighter) and so if you do choose to wear this as a blush, you’ll need to layer.

This blush is also probably best suited for very light and light skin tones, but it works as a highlighter on almost everyone.

Pick it up at Lancome counters now.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged Blush, Lancome | 1 Comment

Thursday Threes: Selections from CND Vinylux Open Road Spring 2014 Collection

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Henna

Trying some of the Spring 2014 colours from Vinylux reminded me how much I really like this system. I used it without a base coat, and it lasted for much longer than any of my other nail polishes have recently, so the system really does work!

The colours included in the collection are: Powder My Nose, Sun Bleached, Desert Poppy, Clay Canyon, Mint Convertible and Sage Scarf.

I tried Powder My Nose, Sage Scarf, and Clay Canyon.

The colour I liked the best is definitely Powder My Nose. It is the perfect off-white shade and so on-trend of spring and summer. The only problem is that it went on quite streaky and I needed three coats to make it look good. Once on, however, it stayed put for an entire week and looked amazing! I kind of liked that the colour was a tiny bit sheer because then you can play with it a bit more. Despite the streakiness, Powder My Nose is likely going to be a go-to colour for me this spring.

Sage Scarf is a muted teal. It was extremely pigmented and easy to wear.

Clay Canyon is not as pigmented and is a peachy orange. It was also easy to apply and was almost like a variation of a natural colour on me.

The collection is awesome – I loved that there are new bright shades available for the spring, and the addition of Powder My Nose is awesome.

Pick up Vinylux polishes at salons.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged CND, nail polish, Swatches, Vinylux | Leave a comment

New Bliss Micro Magic Microdermabrasion Treatment

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Henna

I actually stay away from microdermabrasion treatments because I’ve found that the particles are so fine that they get into my eyes and really irritate them. I’ve also used enough scrubs that have particles that seem to stick on the skin and don’t wash off easily because the base is so sticky.

When I saw Bliss Micro Magic scrub had ground up pumice stone in it, I wasn’t sure that it would be great to put on my face, but when I squirted a bit on to my hand, I was completely amazed with the light whipped aloe-infused texture of the base of the scrub. It’s cooling to the touch, almost gel-like, and so fresh and light on the skin.

The ground up pumice is actually not too harsh on the skin because there’s not an excess amount of it in the scrub.

You only need to massage this scrub on to your face for 1 minute, and then rinse off. Yes, it does rinse completely clean and after using it tons, I can say that I’ve never gotten any of the tiny bits in my eyes, and there are none left on my face after I rinse off the scrub.

This is probably the best microdermabrasion scrub I’ve ever used.

$56 at Sephora.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged microdermabrasion, Scrubs | Leave a comment

The Skoah Experience

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Henna

Skoah is known for their facials. They even offer a “Skin Gym” membership which lets users purchase a block of facials at a discounted price, so that they come in regularly and so their skin stays in shape. Skin Gym members swear by the benefits of the regular facials – most therapeutic is that you can actually purchase the products that are used on you and ensure that your skin really continues to look its best.

I went in for a Skoah Fitskin facial ($80) (one of the facials that has you in and out in under an hour), and was impressed. What Skoah does differently is that they really believe in creating a cocktail of skincare just for you. A facialist assesses your skin and what it needs, and then goes from there. Whether you’re oily, dry, or both, there’s a specific facial just for you. The facialist incorporates masks to use on your skin, and while a mask sets on your skin, you’re treated to a soothing massage instead of just being left to your own devices in a dark room.

Facial regulars will wonder: are their extractions? Yes there are. While extractions are controversial because the harsh pressure can damage very delicate skin, I’ve never had a problem with them and I have to admit that my skin is quite strong.

That said, if you wanted, you could definitely skip the extractions and just go for the masks, toning, and moisturizing that your facial provider recommends and you would still have a thoroughly lovely facial experience.

I left my Fitskin facial feeling with glowing skin thanks to a dose of moisturizers (isn’t everyone’s skin super dehydrated right now?), and also feeling relaxed thanks to the neck and hand massage my facialist performed on me. I’d definitely go back – a Skoah facial is one of the best values for facials in the city and the quality of products (produced by Skoah itself out of Vancouver, BC) is top notch.

Find a location in your city – check them out online.

Posted in Skin Care | Leave a comment