Canadian Beauty

Thursday Threes: More Top Coats

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Henna

Have you guys checked out NailPolishCanada.com? They have almost every major brand of nail polish as well as lots of cult brands as well. Any kind of top coat or base coat or special effect polish can be found there and back when we couldn’t find Seche Vite at a salon, that’s where we went to order our stash.

This week, we paired up with them to review three top coats. I mean, we love our Seche Vite and Vinylux versions, but we wouldn’t be beauty bloggers if we didn’t try everything out there. For this post, we tried the Essie 3 Way Glaze, Orly Glosser, and Fast Forward by China Glaze. They’re all top sellers on NailPolishCanada.com (although nothing sells more than Seche Vite), and have decent reviews.

First we tried the Essie top coat because we were wearing Essie polish so much that it only seemed fitting that we try this. The Essie 3 Way Glaze works as a top coat, base coat, and nail strengthener. Already, I saw a possible problem with this top coat. In my experience, base coats and top coats work differently and dry differently. Most base coats I’ve used aren’t glossy so that the polish can stick to them, and the top coats dry glossy. Base coats also tend to dry more quickly so that you can apply polish right away.

In any case, I used the 3 Way Glaze before and after an Essie manicure. As a base coat, this worked fine… my polish definitely went on more smooth than it normally does. After two coats of the polish, I applied the top coat….. and it took forever to dry! After about 45 minutes, I got tired of waiting for it to dry (it wasn’t even set) and went to bed. Guess what? In the morning, while my manicure wasn’t totally ruined, it didn’t look great. There were definite smudges and marks on it.

I had major tip wear after 5 days, and on day 6 the polish was pretty much ready to come off. Although this top coat took forever to dry, I was impressed with the shine of it and the fact that it lasted as long as it did. Still, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Then, I tried Orly’s Glosser, and I’m happy to say that this top coat also dries rather quickly. It’s very thin in texture, however, and so it was a little difficult to apply evenly and fully to the nail – and I have rather small nails to begin with. Once I got the hang of it, I was apply to apply this evenly, and it evened out my nail polish and set it to a shiny finish.

Finally, coat we tried was Fast Forward by China Glaze, and I’m happy to say that this dried in a jiffy and was shiny to boot. It wasn’t as shiny as our Dior Gel Top Coat, but it’s shiny enough, and if you’re wearing a shimmery polish then you probably don’t need extra shine anyway. This top coat dried in about 10 minutes.

…and then I had a chip two days later (and it was sizeable), so I’m not going to give this one points for longevity.

All in all, it was surprising that the top coat I liked the best was the one that I still wouldn’t recommend. Who really has time to wait hours for their nail polish to dry. Around here, we’re still going to recommend top coats that are tried and true: Seche Vite, Sally Hansen, CND’s Vinylux. Dior Gel Top Coat are still our favourites.

Posted in Make-Up | Tagged China Glaze, Essie, Orly | Leave a comment

Swatch and Review: Love.Angel.Music.Baby from OPI Gwen Stefani Collection

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Henna

I couldn’t hep but reach for this golden shade from OPI’s collection with Gwen Stefani. Gold is just so… easy to wear. Love.Angel.Music.Baby is a new finish from OPI… it’s a semi-matte satin. It goes on super smooth and dries to a satin finish. Not as textured as the Sand finish, but still different from the usual.

Honey Ryder from their Bond Collection last year is a very similar colour, but this is a tad lighter. I like it because I’m feeling really light nail polishes right now but am not ready to commit to a bright white.

It is super pigmented and I needed just one coat to get the opaque effect you see here.

$10.95 at salons.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged Gwen Stefani, OPI, Swatch | Leave a comment

Guerlain Meteorites Blossom Collection for Spring 2014

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Henna

Highlights from the Guerlain Meteorites Blossom Collection include a brow kit ($55) which includes a highlighting shade, and three shades of brow powders (the darkest is suitable only if you like very dramatic brows). The powders are very long lasting and the nice thing is that you can blend the colours to make a shade that’s perfect for you (I find myself blending the lightest and medium shade).

The eyeshadow palettes are also beautiful, especially if you like satin matte shades rather than too much frost and glitter. The powder shadows are finely milled, go on so smoothly, and are easy to blend. 09 Two VIP is the duo ($51) and includes a lustrous bluish purple and a glittery purple that would work well for the weekend.

The quad, Les Tendres ($67), definitely offers more options because it has light and dark shades in it.

Available at Guerlain counters January 15th, 2014.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged Guerlain | Leave a comment

First Look: Dior Trianon Collection for Spring 2014

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Henna

This collection is large, with a lot of new releases which I’ll be reviewing later, so for now, here’s what’s in the entire Dior 2014 spring colour collection. There are new polishes, a new shade of Lip Glow, new makeup primers, an eyeshadow primer and matte cream shadows. The colour palette is similar to Sophia Coppola’s movie Marie Antoinette – remember the cake scene/macaron/shoe scene? These are all the same colours: pale blues, pinks, greens, and golds all of which we’re going to be seeing lots of from other brands as well. The trick will be to find shades that look good on your own skin tone.

Dior’s popular Fusion Mono shadow, now comes in Matte shades ($32)… except for Nocturne, which is a matte base with silver glitter in it. These work so nicely for a daytime look, and even Nocturne makes for a wonderfully easy smokey eye. They suggest using it as a liner, but the fallout when I used an eyeliner brush was so bad, that I basically had to do my makeup over. With the number of cream eyeliners out there that work well, this doesn’t work well for that.
Shades are:

091 Nocturne: Black with silver glitter
121 Céleste: Lavender mauve (LE)
641 Fantaisie: Pale pink
761 Mirage: Chocolate taupe

The 5 shadow quint is called 234 Pastel Fontanges – with pastels it’s best to try on the colours before you buy, but the darkest shade is a beautiful taupe that would work well on many skin tons or as a crease shade when paired with the pastels.

The new colours of Dior Vernis ($26) are:

187 Perlé: Pearl frost (Limited Edition) – This is a top coat that has a shimmery matte effect. The shimmer is pink and blue which looks purplish from far.
204 Porcelaine: Cornflower blue (Limited Edition) – amazing colour
457 Bouquet: Soft peach (Limited Edition)
777 Bloom: Pure fuchsia (Limited Edition) – pass on this. If you like pinks, there’s a good chance you already own something like this.

I think it goes without saying that the Porcelaine is going to be the must-have shade from this collection.

The lipsticks and lip glosses are paired with the Bouquet and Bloom nail polishes, so you can have your lips and nails match.

Rouge Dior Lipstick ($36) colours are

531 Rose Crinoline: Coral
774 Allégresse: Fuchsia pink

While the Dior Addict Lip Gloss ($31) colours are

442 Pétillante: Peach
772 Exquise: Bold pink

Also worth checking our is a new coral version of the Dior Addict Lip Glow ($35) which is a sheer moisturizing gloss.

And premiering at Sephora is are two new primers from Dior – called Pore Minimizer and Glow Maximizer ($42 each). Both do a good job of helping makeup go on smoothly and stay put, but the Pore Minimizer is silicone-heavy, while the Glow Maximizer isn’t. As the name implies, the Glow Maximizer is a shimmery lotion, while the Pore Minimizer is a matte one. These will be available at Sephora on January 17th, and everywhere else on January 30th.

Finally, there’s Dior Backstage Prime, Dior’s answer to eyeshadow primers. It’s a matte tacky beige-coloured cream that is to be dabbed on to lids before applying eyeshadow. Just like most other primers, this one helps shadow stick to the lid, and colours show up brighter and more true. It really does work, but I did find that it was a little bit difficult to spread on the lid and dabbing motions were really the best way to apply it without too much tugging.

Check out the entire collection at Dior counters this month.

At this point, I have already tested out almost everything in the collection and am working through writing reviews and posting pictures, so if you want to know about something before heading to a counter, leave me a comment.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged Dior | Leave a comment

Body Shot

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Henna

If you’re into keeping your skin hydrated and conditioned but without any sort of heaviness, then you need to add an oil into your skincare regimen. They are super easy to apply and sink into the skin almost immediately. If you can’t wait for them to absorb, you can towel off the excess and still see your skin reap the benefits.

My latest discovery is from Waxon WaxBar in Toronto and is called the Bodyshot skin quenching body oil. It’s a light oil mixed from Coconut Oil, Calendula Oil, and Arnica Oil. It’s light yet super hydrating and a little bit goes a long way. It also doesn’t have an over-powering smell.

Winter has hit all of North America pretty hard, and I’m sticking to body oils because they’re so easy to use and I’m sometimes too much in a rush to apply body lotion. What are you using to hydrate your skin?

You can purchase the oil online or at the Waxon WaxBar locations below:

120 Adelaide St. W.,Toronto, Ontario

1242 Yonge Street,Toronto, Ontario

$28 for 8 fl oz.

Posted in For the Body | Tagged Body Oil, Bodyshot, Waxon Waxbar | Leave a comment

L’Occitane’s New Ultra Soft Cream

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Henna

Ever since L’Occitane came to North America, I’ve been a huge fan of their Shea Butter formulations because they’re super hydrating. If you’re familiar with the brand, you know that their body moisturizers are the best but they can sometimes be difficult to spread just because of the amount of shea butter in the formula.

This winter, all that has been remedied with the launch of their new Ultra Soft Cream. Available in three scents – Rose Heart, Zesty Lime, and Vanilla Bouquet – these creams are easy to spread, non-greasy, and smell amazing. They’re still high in shea butter – 10% Shea Butter in each jar – but the light texture is at par with a heavy lotion.

Pick them up for $28 each at L’Occitane boutiques.

Posted in For the Body | Tagged l'Occitane, Moisturizer | 2 Comments

Nars Final Cut Collection

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Henna

The hottest trend this Spring is going to be coordinating everything. Cheeks to lips is a great place to start, and a beauty rule all the time should be that the tone of cheeks and lips should coordinate. Think: blue-toned blush with a blue-toned lippie, or warm cheek colour with warm lips.

Nars makes everything easy with their Final Cut Collection out this month. It’s lips and cheeks that are completely and professionally coordinated. We’re not just talking warm and cool tones here. We’re taking colours down to the pink.

The collection has four matte blushes and four Satin Lip Pencils in coordinating colours. For those of you who can’t live without the shimmer, there’s the Adelaide Illuminator which is a sheer shimmering pink.

The blush colours are:

Sex Fantasy Blush – Pale lavender pink (This blush is so pale and the lightest one in the collection. It would work only on very fair skin.)
New Attitude Blush – Cherry blossom pink (A medium-toned, easy to work with pink. The brightest of the bunch.)
Final Cut Blush – Peach coral
Love Blush – Tea rose (The deepest blush of the lot.)

Coordinating Satin Lip Pencil colours are:

Stourhead Satin Lip Pencil – Pale lavender pink (Again, more like a whitish pink, only suitable for very fair skin-tones.)
Villa Lante Satin Lip Pencil – Cherry blossom pink
Torres del Paine Satin Lip Pencil – Peach coral
Descanso Satin Lip Pencil – Tea rose

The blushes and lip pencils are both super pigmented. It’s definitely easier to apply the blushes with a light hand and build up the colour accordingly. The lip pencils seem to wear lighter than they initially seem so keep that in mind if you’re deciding on which to get.

For me, the New Attitude Blush and its coordinating pencil are products I can’t live without. They just complete my look and I love that the matching is already done for me. The blushes are really the stars of this collection – if you’re a regular Nars fan you know that they have tons of shimmery blushes and not enough matte ones, so it’s nice that the illumination is optional now.

$33 for the Blushes, $30 for the Lip Pencils, and $36 for the Illuminator.
Available exclusively at Holt Renfrew Nars counters.

Posted in Spring 2014 | Tagged Holt Renfrew, Nars | 1 Comment

Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Review

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Henna

In this extremely dry weather, I’m reaching for anything that might give my lips a bit of relief, and that’s why I ripped into a package of Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue. Said to provide “medicated care” and 12+ hours of hydration to my lips, I couldn’t wait to try this.

Unfortunately, this left my lips feeling even dryer than they already were, and caused some peeling too.

Leave this one on drugstore shelves.

I’m still loving Fresh’s Sugar Lip Therapy which is so much more expensive but actually works!

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Fresh, Maybelline | 1 Comment

Sayuki Foundation Update

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Henna

… so a little while ago, I posted a little bit about Sayuki foundation – which I still think is the holy grail of foundations just because its colour-matching can’t be beat. I’ve recommended the foundation to everyone I know, but with the following caveats:

– if you have oily skin, this foundation may not be for you

– be prepared to use a primer and setting powder or spray to get this foundation to stay put

– this isn’t a long-wear foundation

So I have those warnings because of my own experience with the foundation. As I mentioned, I got the Sayuki foundation for normal/combination skin. The foundation is creamy and easy to apply and basically went on like a luscious moisturizer. It looked great at the beginning of the day and I would wear it pretty much everyday to work; but, at the end of the work day, this foundation would pretty much be melting off my skin. My skin would look oily and very greasy – not a look I love, and I’m used to wearing long-wear foundation that never has this problem.

I could use primer – but I don’t like to because I find that the extra silicone always clogs my pores and makes me break out. I don’t like powder because it makes you look made up. Plus, I truly believe that products should be able to survive on their own for the most part – it makes getting ready easier and it’s the true mark of products that are quality.

So, what I did was go through ALL my foundation to find out which one was the closest match to my Sayuki colour. Without fail, almost every brand of foundation I tried was a fail. It was either too peach or too orange, whereas my Sayuki colour was more on the neutral beige side. I even took the foundation to the MAC counter and every shade was too orange. The MAC Face and Body foundation did have a possible match in the C3 or C4… a close match but not close enough.

Finally, I found the perfect match: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in #123. So I tried it on for a couple of days and now that’s the foundation I’m using. It can go on sheer or heavy depending how you apply it, and it sets on the skin and lasts the entire day. The colour is the perfect match so it doesn’t look like I’m wearing foundation, and there are so many colours available, that this is the foundation I’d recommend to you if you’ve had a difficult time finding the right foundation.

Skip to a few weeks in and I’m still using the MUFE HD Invisible Cover Foundation and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. It’s a beautiful formula that’s easy to work with and photographs beautifully too. This foundation is $49 at Sephora and comes in 26 shades.

What foundation are you using right now? Are you intrigued by Sayuki Cosmetics?

Posted in Make-Up | Tagged Foundation, Make Up For Ever, Sayuki Cosmetics | 2 Comments

Custom Blended Foundation

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Henna

Seriously, I have been telling EVERYONE about this: custom-blended foundation, courtesy of Sayuki cosmetics, exclusively at Holt Renfrew.

Forget about the now-defunct Prescriptives counter where foundation was blended by hand and the match you got depended on the associate who was mixing your foundation for you. Sayuki cosmetics has their own machine that takes a picture of your skin, and then has their computer create a colour of foundation just for you. Eight heart pumps dispense just the right amount of white, black, red, and yellow pigments to create your foundation colour. You can even choose what kind of coverage you want and the correct formula for your skin.

Sayuki is the middle name of Tracy Wells who started the company. After working in the cosmetics industry for many years, Tracy frequently saw clients who couldn’t find the perfect match of foundation and would sometimes even mix their own just to get the right colour. She finally thought: “What if I could have a machine that makes just the right colour foundation?”

She approached her father, an entrepreneur and manufacturer, who decided to come out of retirement and help Tracy figure out how to make her vision a reality.

Three years later, the machine was ready and Tracy has since opened counters in Bloomingdales and Barney’s stores south of the border.

I met Tracy at Holt Renfrew and went through the process of having a foundation created for me. I wanted medium-sheer coverage with a formulation for combination/oily skin. The colour of the foundation was spot on, and what further impressed me is that there’s absolutely no white flashback, and because the foundation was created for my skin color by a computer, it matches me no matter what light I’m standing under. It’s pretty impressive and far outshines any foundation I’ve ever been matched with.

The formulas of the foundation leaves something to be desired. Even though my foundation was supposed to be slightly mattifying, I am finding that the finish is very dewy and not long-wearing. It’s definitely something that I can fix using powder, but I do miss the long-wear of my Bobbi Brown foundation.

I compared the colour with the Bobbi Brown and Benefit foundations that I’ve used last, and found that my suspicions about those colour matches were real: the Benefit foundation is slightly too orange, and the Bobbi Brown one is slightly too light. The Sayuki foundation matches my skin-tone so well that I can layer it on and you can’t even tell!

The Sayuki counter can even make you a matching concealer or tinted moisturizer. If you go on vacation, they can make the foundation one or two shades darker. The best part is that you get a card with an ID number on it that’s stored in their computer system. If you want a refill of foundation, you can just order online. Or if you find yourself at Barney’s or Bloomingdales and without your foundation, just head to the Sayuki counter and give them your card to have your foundation made for you, or just get re-matched.

A bottle of travel-sized foundation is $62 and a full-size (which is quite large, actually) is $84. The price is steep which makes me wonder if I can find a foundation on the counter which matches this new one, but if you’ve ever had a hard time finding foundation, you’ll find this well worth the investment – I certainly did!

Posted in Fall 2013 | Tagged Sayuki | Leave a comment