Hey everyone,
I wrote a piece for the Calgary Herald about my favourite fall trends! Check it out here.
Essie 2013 Fall Colour Collection
This, my friends, is a collection I love because there are so many rich colours in it. Three creams, two shimmers, and a holograhic oil slick shade that is just perfect.
Colours are:
for the twill of it — medium brown with reflective green shimmer (this is the oil slick shade. Trust me when I say that it doesn’t look brown at all but instead is a hazy blend of grey, green, and blue shimmer.)
after school boy blazer — deep midnight blue (Gorgeous cream shade but nothing truly original. This is so dark that it almost looks black.)
twin sweater set — vibrant crimson red
cashmere bathrobe — true flannel gray (Gray with a touch of grayish silver sparkle. Understated.)
the lace is on — toned pearlescent fuchsia
vested interest — cool grey teal (The more original, and in my opinion, the best colour from the collection. Perfect even from summer to fall transitioning.)
Below: for the twill of it, cashmere bathrobe, and vested interest.
Here’s my swatch of After School Boy Blazer.
And For The Twill of It, Cashmere Bathrobe, and Vested Interest seemed so similar to me that I had to wear them all together.
Finally, Twin Sweater Set is the perfect fall red. If it looks a little like a jelly to you, that’s because I only used one coat. The colours are so pigmented that one coat was all I needed for opaque coverage, but the colour will be a little darker with two coats.
All the shades are very pigmented and easy to apply. There was no streaking at all, and most of the time I could have stopped at just one coat of polish.
Available at drugstores this month.
Perfume Review: Estee Lauder Modern Muse
“A Modern Muse is strong and confident, enhanced by her own intrinsic femininity and individual style. She is the heroine of her own life, always following her own instinct. She is an independent spirit who possesses a natural magnetism that draws people in, inspires them with her smile, and speaks to them without saying a word. She is memorable, a force of creative energy, a true inspiration to others.”
… that was the inspiration behind Estee Lauder’s new scent, Modern Muse.
It has notes of Mandarin, Honeysuckle Nectar, Dewy Petals, Jasmine Sambac, Tuberose Fleur, Fresh Lily, Madagascar Vanilla, Amber Wood and Musk.
Available as an Eau de Parfum, the scent is strong on the amber and musk notes, and you can smell them right from the opening.
Unfortunately, there isn’t that much modern or inspiring about this scent. It smells an awful lot like Sensual Nude (which I actually loved, but I don’t need another of it), and other amber/vanilla blends on the market. I didn’t get any of the fresh notes in the opening, and I think that’s a bit of a shame.
Modern Muse is now available at Estée Lauder counters nationwide and online at www.esteelauder.ca beginning September 2013.
100ml is $115.00, 50ml is $90.00 and 30ml is $65.00.
Lancome Teint Visionnaire Review
Teint Visionnaire is the latest foundation from Lancome. Actually, it’s also their latest concealer because this is a bottle of foundation that has an extra compartment on top filled with a matching concealer. This is a “skin correcting makeup duo for dark spots-pores-fine lines,” according to Lancome. The foundation and concealer is supposed to be a combination of skin care and concealing. Think of it as an advanced BB cream: more coverage, coverage you can customize (thanks to the concealer), and balanced skin.
The SPF 20 formula is a blend of oils and pigments so it just glides on to the skin. Although it does have oils in it, I didn’t find the foundation to be particularly oily and I was able to wear it although I do have oily skin. I also didn’t find that it made me break out in the week that I’ve been trying it out.
It also has Vitamin C in it, however the foundation is housed in a clear tube, so I’m not sure how stable the vitamin C will remain over the long run. The foundation is hydrating which makes it suitable for people with dry to combination skins. Because it combines skincare and coverage as well as SPF, you may find that you can skip applying your regular skincare products and just reach for this foundation.
I’ll cut right to the chase and say that I really love this foundation.
It is light coverage with a slightly dewy finish. The attached concealer matches the foundation very well which makes the duo super easy to use. In fact, the concealer is pretty much a more pigmented, concentrated version of the foundation. It’s not great if you need major color correcting (yellow for dark spots, or green for redness), but if you’re out to cover the odd blemish or even prime your eyelids, then this concealer will do the trick. I found that it didn’t cake up or get into the fine lines around my eyes either.
The foundation really does make your skin look poreless: actually, it just looks like a better version of your own skin which is why it’s so great to use. For once, a foundation isn’t just correcting colour; it’s also correcting texture. It feels quite like there’s a primer built into the foundation, which is kind of awesome.
I did mention that it sets to a dewy finish which isn’t great for oily skins, including my own. Because my skin gets dewy on its own, I prefer not to use anything that adds that effect, but I found that I could just powder over the foundation and it looked great. I did have oily-looking skin after a few hours, but even though my skin looked oily, the foundation itself was in tact which means that it can hold its own against oil. It’s really up to you whether you’d like to sport a dewy look, and I rather like it because it just makes skin look so healthy.
The foundation is quite liquidy and very easy to apply; I really liked using my Beauty Blender sponge (I hadn’t used it in ages!) because it sheered out the foundation nicely and I could add more to where I needed it. As I mentioned, this is a light coverage foundation so you do see your skin through it but it’s also buildable.
The kicker: this foundation is SPF 20 which means that it doesn’t photograph particularly well (at least it doesn’t on me). I did find that flash kind of bounces off the foundation and makes me look a little paler than I’d like, but if you’re not running into a camera very often, then this might just be the foundation for you. It does come in 18 colours which is a huge improvement compared to other brands – even some MAC foundations only come in 16 colours, so this is pretty awesome. I was able to find one that suited me nicely.
$60 at Lancome counters.
Avon Brushed Metals Nail Colour
High shimmer is trending on eyes and nails, and we love Avon’s new Brushed Metals collection. The polish has a matte finish and is super shimmery but is still easy to remove!
We swatched Brushed Gold, Platinum, and Dusky Copper.
The other colours are Lilac Quartz, Textured Topaz, and Burnished Copper.
$6.99 available this month at Avon.ca or through your local Avon sales representative.
Thursday Threes: Three Looks from NYFW Spring 2014
This year instead of going through as many looks as possible from New York Fashion Week, I just went through the ones that were from brands and designers I actually buy (…and want to buy more of). It’s interesting to me to see what the designers visualize as the wearer of their clothes.
First up: Rag and Bone. I resisted buying Rag and Bone jeans for such a long time, but once I got a pair that I really loved, I was sold on the entire collection, and have their Harrow Boot too. The Rag and Bone girl for Spring 2014 is way cool. She doesn’t need glamourous hair, and can get away with just a bright lipstick when it comes to makeup (… and some major contour under the cheekbones, but you’re not supposed to see that). .. and also, my favourite look featured overalls, so I guess those are still going to be in.
The makeup was done by Gucci Westman, which means that this orange lipstick is by Revlon.
Second:BCBG Max Azria. Truth be told, I haven’t bought anything BCBG for atleast a year – there seems to be too many prom dresses to wade through whenever I go in – but I do always go into their stores and keep an eye on each collection. The breezy number in pale blues below stood out to me, and I’ll definitely be checking out their spring collection. Beauty-wise it seems the Azria’s prefer a girl to work her natural look as much as possible. Hair was wind-blown but not beachy or unkempt, and makeup was subdued to say the least.
Finally: Kate Spade New York. I love Kate Spade because the brand always uses colour and prints and sometimes those can be difficult to find. Where other designers were using a lot of white, black, and not much else, KSNY did the opposite and had lots of colour in their collection. The opposition also applied to their beauty: where there was very little in the way of makeup for most designers, the Kate Spade girl has heavy eyeliner and seems to stick to her own quirky look. While the natural nail reigned on the runways, the Kate Spade girl loves the white polish from this past summer and keeps wearing it. Stuck in the past or just in her own ways, it’s nice to know that there’s a space for those who want to do their own thing.
Another round-up coming next week!
And with the change of every season, there comes some resolutions – a chance and will to do better and more. This fall I’m drinking more water, watching what I eat, and getting back into the gym after a long time. I’m taking with me my new Rainbow Active Top Collection by SIGG because it has a straw that lets me drink water without even tilting the bottle.
$28.99 at various retailers.
Coming Soon: MAC Retro Matte
My all time favourite lipstick colour is MAC’s Ruby Woo ($18). When I wear it, I get stopped in the street and people ask me what colour it is. It’s that amazing. It’s just the absolute perfect shade of bright red (MAC describes it as: “very matte vivid blue red”) and it goes well with lots of skin tones.
What makes it even more amazing is the formula. It’s a Retro Matte finish, meaning that it’s supposed to resemble the very dry red lipsticks they used in the ’20’s. The lipstick goes on very smoothly but then definitely sets and stays put for a long time. It’s pretty amazing. Ruby Woo has a cult following because the combination of colour and formula makes it the kind of red lippie that you just can’t find anywhere else.
And because it’s time, MAC’s new Retro Matte line will introduce SEVEN NEW LIPSTICK COLOURS in the same formula.
Here are the colours in the new Retro Matte collection:
Steady Going light pink matte
Runway Hit light nude matte
Dangerous orangey red matte
Relentlessly Red bright pinkish coral matte
All Fired Up bright fuchsia matte
Flat Out Fabulous bright plum matte
Ruby Woo very matte vivid blue red
Fixed on Drama rich wine matte
All the colours are permanent. I want to get my hands on pretty much all of them… except of course Ruby Woo, because I already have that one! A really nice matte formula is hard to find (my other favourite is by Rimmel, actually) and I think this is a nice collection of colours that should be in everyone’s kit.
The collection also has new Pro Longwear Lip Liner colours ($23). The entire collection is on counters September 12th.
Kiss Nail Dress Nail Strips
We tried Kiss Nail Dress Nail Strips.
These come in lots of bright colours and prints, but we’re sorry to say that they’re not the best we’ve ever tried. The strips are thick so it’s difficult to smooth them out and apply them without any bubbling. The best nail strips are thin (as thin as a couple of coats of nail polish in some cases), and so are very easy to apply.
They lasted a couple of days and then started peeling off.
They are available at drugstores.
Marcelle Xtension Plus Mascara Review
I’m going to come right out and say it: this mascara is crazy good! From the formula to the wand, it’s an amazing volumizing mascara that’s long-wearing and gives you the perfect black lashes.
What’s great about the formula is that it applies thickly so that your lashes actually look thicker. It’s also quick to set, so there’s no smudging, and no matter how much you’ve applied, there’s no flaking.
The brush is actually dual-sided (1 brush, 2 kinds of bristles). There are longer comb-like bristles on one side, and shorter bristles on the other side. The two kinds of bristles makes it extremely easy to apply the mascara thickly and then separate any clumps (using the comb-like longer bristles). So, even though the formula is thick and goes on thick, there’s no clumping in your lashes, and they just look amazing.
I was very impressed by this mascara and use it daily. You can get it on the Marcelle website (and at drugstores) for $12.50.
Back to School Skin Care Products
Back to school time, lovies! Here’s what I recommend for Back to School skincare… because going back can be a wee bit stressful. (As posted on Stylelist.ca.)
1. Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Treatment Mask. Late nights can leave skin feeling and looking tired, but this new tissue mask promises to hydrate and brighten skin in one step.
2. Clean and Clear Advantage Daily Soothing Acne Scrub. Keep skin clear by exfoliating regularly. We like that this scrub contains salicylic acid to take care of acne, but aloe and avocado to take care of our skin.
3. Neutrogena All-In-One Makeup Removing Cleansing Wipes. Having these wipes on hand means that even on your longest day, you have no excuse for not removing your makeup.
4. Biotherm Lait de Gommage Milk Scrub. We love that this scrub doesn’t wash down the drain when we use it in the shower. It’s also ultra-hydrating and contains olive oil and vitamin E to protect skin.
5. Avon Clearskin Pore Penetrating Toner. This chamomile-containing toner removes all residue from your skin to keep pores from clogging.
6. Mary Kay Clear Proof Pore Purifying Lotion for Acne-Prone Skin. 2% salicylic acid prevents pores from becoming clogged and the light lotion even helps skin feel moisturized.
Posted in Skin Care
Tagged Avon, Biotherm, Clean and Clear, Garnier, Mary Kay, neutrogena
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