Canadian Beauty

Stella McCartney Summer Rose

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Henna

If you love rose fragrances, then for sure you must be aware of Stella McCartney’s fragrance, and this year, the new version is Summer Rose. The scent is lighter and more fresh than the original Stella McCartney, but it more or less smells the same. Because the scent is lighter, it’s perfect for a summer spritz because it’s not at all overpowering, and the freshness of a bit of citrus means that it’s refreshing as well as being the perfect rose scent.

$90 for 100 ml at Holt Renfrew, The Bay, and Sephora.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged Stella McCartney | Leave a comment

Armani Prive Goes Modern and Futuristic

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Henna

This look is actually one that you’re going to see sooner rather than later. Dark bitten lips and metallic on the eyes is what’s due for fall, and Armani Prive interpreted it by being more futuristic.

There are definitely things from this look that I’m going to take away. Dark lip colours are going to be huge this fall, and I like the lip stain because it’s easier to wear. I’m also going to be looking to silvery and cooler shades of eyeshadows rather than my usual neutral tones…. well, I’m going to try anyway, because neutrals are just so easy for me to reach for.

And on a side note: I love these bags. I’m going to be keeping my eyes peeled for them!

And looking at the bags made me notice the nails – vamp is the word for the colour, and if you don’t have it, you should pick it up now! It’s a timeless fall colour.

Posted in Fall 2012 | Tagged Armani, Giorgio Armani | Leave a comment

Blake Lively’s New Gucci Perfume Ad

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Henna

Gucci’s new scent, Premiere, is making waves, not because we know that it smells awesome (we know nothing of the sort yet), but because they’ve taken Chanel’s spokesperson and made her their own.

Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is. A spokesperson will go where the money is, and clearly there wasn’t a no-competition clause in Lively’s contract when she signed with Chanel a while ago.

Anyway, the ad is beautiful – not as beautiful as any of the Charlize ads which will forever be in all our memories – but beautiful nonetheless.

Also, methinks that the ad is mostly for a North American audience anyway, because how famous is Blake Lively, really, outside of America. Gossip Girl and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants has gone so far, right?

What do you think?

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged Blake Lively, Gucci | 1 Comment

Dior Eau Sauvage Parfum Review

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Henna

Dior’s Eau Sauvage first came out in 1966, and I haven’t smelled it, but this year, Dior has launched a new version of the original scent. The original was a citrus-based scent, and the new one has the citrus heart, but also features notes of Myrrh, Vetiver, and Bergamot.

The scent is spicy and fresh, and really reminds me of Viktor Rolf’s Spice Bomb which came out earlier this year. If your man liked that, there’s a good chance that he’ll like this scent too.

As you know, I liked the opening, but not the drydown of Spice Bomb, so I don’t think that this is a fragrance for me. I like the first spritz, but the drydown has sweetness in it, and I’m not a fan of that. I do like that there’s Vetiver and lots of it in this scent, but still the dark sweetness of the amber in this just doesn’t work for me.

You can pick up Eau Sauvage for men at Sephora for $96, and though the name is Eau Sauvage Parfum, this is really an eau de parfum – so it’s not as strong as a parfum, but definitely more strong than a cologne or eau de toilette.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged Dior | Leave a comment

Dior Summer Mix Nail Polish Swatches

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Henna

When I posted my review of the Dior Summer Mix collection, I hadn’t had a chance to do nail polish swatches, but here they are now.

The bright splash of colour we’ve been seeing on nails is going to go sheer and jelly-like, and these Dior polishes are ahead of the game.

You’ve already seen Cosmo:

Here’s Calypso, a candy-apple red.

Acapulco, sheer lemon yellow. This one wasn’t my favourite.

Lagoon is actually the least sheer of all of these, and has the most pigment. The colour was 90% opaque when I applied two coats. It’s a really pretty ocean blue.

These are $34 each at Dior counters.

Posted in Summer 2012 | Tagged Dior, Swatches | Leave a comment

Fame by Lady Gaga

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Henna

In case you missed it last week, @FlareFashion editior @LisaTant tweeted a photo of the highly publicized Lady Gaga perfume, Fame. Thanks, Lisa! Now we all get to see the bottle. First impressions? Leave them in the comments. Will you be picking up this fragrance?

Posted in Perfumes | Leave a comment

Dior Summer Mix Collection

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Henna

Matching nails and lips is the idea behind Dior’s Summer Mix collection, and the colours are charming enough to make you reach for them again and again. The collection introduces 4 new shades of Dior Vernis Nail Gloss ($24) (called “Gloss” because each shade wears like a jelly and is slightly translucent), and 2 new shades of Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss ($31).

Here’s a swatch of Cosmo #178 Nail Polish which is one of my favourite pinks to come out in a long time.

It goes well with Rose Bikini #664 lipgloss – also one of my favourites because it’s the perfect hot pink and so easy to wear. I like that it leaves a stain on my lips so I look polished even though the gloss has worn off.

The nail shades are Cosmo (above), Calypso (the candy apple red), Acapulco (yellow), and Lagoon (swimming pool blue).

Lipgloss colours are Rouge Croisiere #854 (sheer red), Rose Bikini (hot pink), Orange Pareo (from the Summer 2012 collection), and Gold (which is actually exclusive to the U.S.).

The collection is out already and is exclusive to The Bay.

Posted in Summer 2012 | Tagged Dior, Swatch | Leave a comment

MAC Fashion Sets and Snob Swatch

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Henna

A quick look at the facts tells us that MAC’s Fashion Sets are long overdue:

Spice – #1 classic best-selling lip pencil in Canada, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, UK, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, Thailand, India, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Travel Retail
Myth – #1 selling lipstick in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Estonia and Finland
Russian Red – #1 selling lipstick in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Singapore and Venezuela Snob – #1 selling lipstick in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Argentina and Travel Retail
Chestnut – #1 selling lip pencil in the US

Clearly, when something’s #1, it just begs to have accompaniments added to it, and that’s the thought behind the Fashion Sets. Now you can have Lipglass and nail polish to match your favourite lipsticks.

The one that intrigued me the most was Snob, because the light neutral pink lippie seemed it would translate into a nail colour that was perfect for the summer.

Unfortunately, the polish isn’t as great as the matte lipstick. It’s low on the pigment and wears slightly see-through. Still pretty and wearable, and definitely something I’m going to reach for, it’s just not the pale pink that I was hoping for.

MAC Fashion Sets will be on counters until June 28th.

Here are the colours:

Myth light neutral nude
Snob light neutral pink
Spice Mid-tone neutral nude
Girl About Town bright blue fuchsia
Russian Red Mid-tone neutral red
Rebel Mid-tone cream plum
Chestnut Rich chocolate brown

Lipsticks are $17.50, Lipglasses are $17.50, and nail polishes are $19.00 each.

Posted in Summer 2012 | Tagged MAC, Swatch | Leave a comment

OPI’s Minnie Mouse-Inspired Collection

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Henna

This June, OPI is releasing a collection of four nail polishes inspired by Minnie Mouse. It’s a quirky fun palette of shades that are vibrant and totally Minnie Mouse-like.

The shades are a pink crème lacquer, one frosted red shade, a shimmery fuchsia, and a heart glitter confetti. They will be called:

Nothin’ Mousie ‘bout It
Don’t squeak it – SHOUT IT! This confetti light pink is tops!

I’m All Ears
Tell me how much you love this magenta shimmer.

If You Moust You Moust
You gotta pink what you gotta pink.

The Color of Minnie

You had this little mouse at “red.”

Check them out at salons for $9.95 each.

Posted in Summer 2012 | Tagged OPI | Leave a comment

Dior Hydra Life Skin Perfect Pore Refining Moisturizer Review

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Henna

This is a truly luxurious product for those of you who want a primer and moisturizer for the summer. Dior’s Hydra Life Skin Perfect Pore Refining Moisturizer is a silicone-rich yet nonetheless moisturizing product that smells like roses. It has a texture that feels truly like velvet, and sets to a matte finish on skin. It provides immediate relief to mildly dry skin, and absorbs oil throughout the day. Makeup glides on top without any effort and stays put.

Instantly, skin looks more poreless and smooth. I found the effects to last throughout the day. There is a slight amount of shimmer in the lotion, and I found that nice because it made skin look a little smoother and flaw-free.

If you have oily or combination skin that needs a bit of relief from dryness at the beginning of the day, this would be perfect. If you have dry skin, you likely won’t find this to be moisturizing enough but it would make a great primer on top of your moisturizer.

Pick it up at Dior counters and at Sephora for about $88.

Posted in Moisturizers | Tagged Christian Dior, Dior | Leave a comment