Canadian Beauty

Latest Perfume Obsession: The Aerin Fragrance Collection

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Henna

This month, if you head to the Estee Lauder counter at Holt Renfrew Bloor St., Yorkdale, Calgary, and Vancouver locations, you will find the brand new Aerin fragrance collection. Like everything that’s been put out by Aerin Lauder so far, the perfumes are hand-created and meant to represent and fit into Aerin’s uptown aesthetic. She has been influenced by the finer things in life, and the Aerin collection is an realistic way to get your hands on amazing products at affordable prices.

Any perfume lover will recognize the bottles from the Aerin fragrance collection: they are so similar to the Armani Prive bottles of perfume, just smaller and clear instead of being opaque. Both bottles have a bottle cap made of semi-precious stones.

There are 5 different perfumes that make up the collection: Gardenia Rattan, Amber Musk, Lilac Path, Ikat Jasmine, and Evening Rose.

I only have Evening Rose and I have to say that for this one the juice inside seems to be inspired by other great perfumes. If you’ve smelled Fredric Malle’s Portrait of a Lady, this scent is very similar to that although different. I would even go so far as to say that if you liked Portrait of a Lady but couldn’t afford it (I certainly can’t) then you will be satisfied with this. It’s not a dupe but it’s close enough.

The notes for Evening Rose are Rose, Cognac, and blackberry. The scent is rich and sharp but also super rosy. It’s absolutely amazing and has long lasting power and sillage. This is a scent that really stays on your skin and in your clothes which I like. I also find that it wears quite true throughout the day and doesn’t really warm up too much or get too sweet. It’s at once airy and sophisticated, unusual and surprising. It’s like Portrait of a Lady but not as spicy and a little more rosy. This is definitely a feminine scent. Needless to say, I enjoy wearing it and can’t get enough of it.

You can pick these up for $125 for 50mL.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged Aerin, Armani Prive, Giorgio Armani | Leave a comment

Hydrate in the Shower: Inca Oil Extraordinaire Cleansing & Revitalizing Shower Oil

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Henna

Cleansing oil. If you haven’t used it, you need to! Previously only for your face, this year Canadian company Cake Beauty has come out with a cleansing oil for your whole body! Called Inca Oil Extraordinaire Cleansing & Revitalizing Shower Oil, this is made with Inca Inchi oil which is the richest plant-based source of Omega 3,6,9 in the world!

This dispenses into your hands like an oil… but mixed with water lathers lightly like a soap and then washes clean. The fresh orange scent is unique and on the strong side, but also dissipates, leaving you with clean yet moisturized skin. This isn’t for you if you like lots of lather or skin that feels squeaky clean, but if you want a soapy cleanser that’s not too harsh this winter, then the Inca Oil shower oil is what you need.

This oil is 100 per cent free of parabens, sodium chloride, phthalates, GMOs, mineral oil, petrolatum, gluten and triclosan and packed with nutrient-rich oils, such as inca inchi oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, orange peel oil, avocado oil and buriti oil.

It is pretty amazing stuff.

$25 at Murale stores.

Posted in For the Body | Tagged Cake Beauty | Leave a comment

I Gave Myself a Caviar Manicure

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Henna

…using Dior’s Jewel Manicure Duo which is out as part of their Golden Winter 2013 collection.

The instructions are simple: apply gold nail polish included in the kit, and after applying the second coat immediately tap the clear mini beads directly on to the nail letting excess fall into tray provided. Let dry.

I did everything as follows and below are the results.

I wasn’t meticulous but the dipping worked pretty well for me. I did find that the beads didn’t fall neatly into the tray below my nail… they seemed to go everywhere, but a quick wipedown cleaned up the mess.

You do not need a top coat, and I tried applying one after and it really diminished the look and made it look sloppy.

It took about an hour to fully dry, and even then, I found that I lost beads throughout the day. If I was using this, I would do it directly before a big event or party, and even then, there’s no guarantee that I wouldn’t just pick off the beads myself.

The gold polish included is quite metallic and pretty all on its own, but the clear beads take this to the next level. I see no reason why one couldn’t use the beads with any other polish.

As with everything Dior, the packaging is beautiful – clear round bottles with golden caps. A gold funnel is included in the kit to help you pour the excess beads back into the bottle.

$39 at Dior counters, and apparently almost sold out everywhere.

Posted in Holiday 2013 | Tagged Dior, Swatch | Leave a comment

Tom Ford Noir Absolute For Eyes Gel Eyeliner

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Henna

Kids, I just got my hands on Tom Ford’s gel eyeliner, and as much as it pains me to say this, it’s just not all it’s cracked up to be.

This gel eyeliner comes in a generous wide-mouthed pot. The colour is a deep black with tiny flecks of blue shimmer that add brightness to the eye. The shimmer is very subtle and unnoticeable until you really pay attention to it.

Sadly, what I didn’t like about this liner is that it is much harder in texture than any other gel eyeliner I’ve used (most recently Nars, Bobbi Brown, and YSL). That means that you really need to work to pick up product with your eyeliner brush and even what you do manage to pick up, it’s difficult to spread the liner on your eye without some tugging and re-dipping into the pot. Effortless application this is not!

I also found that this did not last the whole day for me. If you don’t have oily skin, then you may not find this to be an issue.

I have to mention that I’ve read so many positive reviews of this liner online – surprising considering the price of the liner and how difficult it was to work with! Many people are so impressed with the subtle blue shimmer and how it really does make a difference in how the liner looks. Others may just love the name Tom Ford. While I definitely fall into the latter category, it’s just not worth it for me to use a product that needs so much work. People are also using a very stiff eyebrow brush to apply the liner, and I think that’s just too harsh for my eyelids.

Tom Ford is now available at Holt Renfrew Bloor Street and Vancouver. This liner is available in just 1 colour and is $40.

I have more Tom Ford makeup that I’m testing out and will be reviewing soon!

Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged Holt Renfrew, tom ford | Leave a comment

Babor Beauty Spa Opens in North America

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Henna

A little something about the perfect Christmas present. Clearly, I have lots of makeup and beauty products at my disposal, so there are just three other ways to my heart: presents for my kid, food, and a trip to the spa. Thankfully, recently I was lucky enough to be able to check out the newly opened Babor Beauty Spa.

You may already have heard of or used Babor beauty products. From Germany, they are known for their skin tonics, and so impressed the now owner of the spa, that she decided to come out of retirement to open the first Babor spa in North America.

The extremely chic spa is located in the trendy Mission district of Calgary and has treatments for the whole body. That said, Babor’s products are meant to prevent and address signs of aging, so facials are extremely popular at the spa and are highly recommended. They even do peels, which can not only target fine lines but can also take care of acne and scarring.

Facials start at $60, but go up to as much as $220. You can even add treatments into your facial such as collagen treatments or the aforementioned peel.

More in the mood for nesting, we went in for a full body treatment and got an extra large dose of moisturizing and exfoliating (body treatments start at $105). After being wrapped in a detoxifying mud, we jumped into the tiled shower to rinse off, and then received a moisturizing massage.

We loved Babor and you will too!

25-2500 4 St. S.W., 403-474-7213, baborbeautyspacalgary.com

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

New L’Oreal Elnett Sleekissime Hair Spray

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Henna

L’Oreal’s Elnett line has been hitting it out of the park recently. First there was the heat protecting sprays and now there’s this amazing new hairspray which is meant especially for ponytails. If you’re a ponytail girl, you know what you need this hairspray for: you want your hair to stay in place and be smooth and shiny, but still have movement. This is the hairspray that can give you that, but I’m going to add that it’s not just for ponytails; it’s also for preserving a blowout.

The Elnett Sleekissisme hair spray has micro waxes in it that help add shine and hold to your hair. There are also polymers that help block out humidity (I’ve yet to try this in Toronto over the summer, but you know I will!) and that’s what I find helps preserve a blowout. This hairspray helped my hair survive major splashing as my daughter took a bath, so I’m going to say that it could withstand a lot. I’ve worn it when I’m going out in the snow, and my hair survived, so I’m pretty impressed.

I apply this to my hair right after I straighten it and then try not to touch it for atleast 10 minutes so that the spray has a chance to set. It’s ultra shiny and not crunchy, so it’s difficult to overdo applying the spray. My hair is still soft and smooth to the touch, but it stays straight for a lot longer.

This spray also has a new rose scent but if you’re a regular wearer of rose perfumes, let me tell you that you’re not going to like this and it’s just going to smell like hairspray usually does. People in my house could not stand the scent of this hairspray, so I have to apply it in well ventilated areas.

That said, it is probably one of the nicest hairsprays I’ve ever tried and you can get it at drugstores for $14.99 this December!

Posted in Styling Products | Tagged L'Oreal | Leave a comment

Bobbi Brown Smokey Warm Eye Palette

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Henna

Here’s a good reason to invest in Bobbi Brown eyeshadow palettes – Absolutely No Fall Out! It’s pretty amazing, actually, especially considering the fact that there is a glitter shade in the Smokey palettes and glitter usually falls out. Not in this case!

This winter, Bobbi Brown has brought out a Smokey eyeshadow palette in two colour configurations: warm and cool. Both are a nice mix of matte, shimmer, and glittery shades of eyeshadow that are paired well enough to work together. Here’s a suggestion: if you’re of a cool eye colour go for the warm palette, and if you’re of a warm eye colour go for the cool palette. Using opposite-toned shadow will make your eye colour pop and if you’re doing a smokey eye, you want to draw attention to the eye area anyways.

I have the Warm Palette and it works if I want to wear the warm gold shades during the day. They actually don’t look overly “smokey” on me, and that’s the beauty of these palettes. You can wear the lighter shades during the day, but add glitter or the darkest shadows to amp up your look to make it smokey.

The shadows are really high quality – they blend beautifully, are highly pigmented, and as I mentioned there is no fall out.

$56 each at Bobbi Brown counters in Holt Renfrew, Murale, or Sephora stores.

Posted in Holiday 2013 | Tagged Bobbi Brown | Leave a comment

Boucheron Place Vendome

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Henna

I’m a sucker for good packaging – more often than not, when a company invests in the packaging it means that they’ve invested in what’s inside the packaging too. Plus, it’s always nice to have a beautiful objet on your vanity or in your bathroom because you also know that it’s going to last.

That’s just one of the reasons that I love Boucheron’s new Place Vendome.

This is a floriental woodsy fragrance that is light and wearable. The opening notes are of orange blossom and pink peppercorn, the main middle fragrance note is of jasmine, and cedarwood is at the base of the scent.

The bottle has a beautiful quilted glass look to it and has a rose gold stopper. It’s beautiful and looks hand-crafted, hefty but still with some lightness.

Posted in Perfumes | Leave a comment

Blush for Days: Nars x Guy Bourdin LE One Night Stand Cheek Palette

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Henna

This has been the year of HAC: Highlighting and Contouring, and this fall particularly, we’ve given you so many ways that you can practice this art on your own.

And now we’d like to share one more amazing tool that can help you get chiseled cheekbones without too much trouble: it’s all thanks to the Nars x Guy Bourdin One Night Stand cheek palette.

This amazing novella-sized palette contains 4 blushes, 1 bronzer, and 1 highlighter as well as a huge mirror. The colours included are: Blush in Laguna (diffused brown powder with golden shimmer), Deep Throat (flirty, sheer peach), Orgasm (peachy pink with golden shimmer), Mistinguette (bright pink), Goulue (medium pink), Devotee (highlighter).

More than anything else, I’m immediately drawn to the Laguna bronzer and Devottee highlighter which are paired in the palette and that’s how I knew that the bronzer was clearly meant to be used as contour. Now, I know what you’re thinking: Henna, there’s no way I can use Laguna as a bronzer, it has shimmer in it. To that I say just try it. I found that the shimmer is actually super subtle, and Laguna has just the right amount of brown and taupe in it to actually cast a shadow at the right places without it looking too obvious. The Devotee highlighter is a pale white shimmer that would look good on anyone.

The contour and highlight are so amazing that the blushes in the palette are just the cherries on top of this face powder sunday. All the really popular blushes are included: Orgasm, Deep Throat are there along with Mistinguette, which is a bubble gum pink that is matte and blends well with any blush, and Goulue which is a deeper pink. I find myself reaching for Laguna the most, along with the Deep Throat blush, but the great thing is that I’m able to blend blushes to create the perfect colour for my look each day.

This palette is selling out quickly everywhere – last I checked it was sold out on Sephora online, but I have seen it at stores. You can get Nars products at The Bay, and Holt Renfrew as well. This is part of the Nars x Guy Bourdin collaboration and is limited edition.

Posted in Holiday 2013 | Tagged Nars | Leave a comment

Fresh Life Eau de Parfum

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Henna

This winter, Fresh launches a brand new fragrance: Life eau de parfum.

In keeping with the rest of Fresh’s lineup and overall aesthetic, this perfume is, of course, fresh and easy to wear, although it seems more floral than what they have already.

Opening notes are strongly citrus: velvet bergamot, vanilla grass, and dreamy cypress. In the air, and from the bottle, all I could smell is the bergamot which is always nice and fresh. The bergamot quickly gives way to the subtle vanilla base, and notes of grapefruit and magnolia. The blend of grapefruit and magnolia is so pretty and this fragrance really divides itself over the floral and fruity notes. You get lots of both in each sniff which is very unusual. I was so pleased to see that the vanilla isn’t overly sweet and really just adds some mellowness to the scent and helps make the gourmand grapefruit stand out a bit more.

Amber, orange, and tonka flowers are in the drydown, and again, there’s lots of blending between the floral and sweet notes.

This fragrance is really unusual and super pretty. It’s completely unexpected for the winter and perhaps that’s why I like it so much.

If you are really in the mood for something different check out this scent. It definitely caught me by surprise. It would also be perfect to wear any time of year.

$44 CAD for 30mL and $92 CAD for 100mL.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged Fresh | 1 Comment