Make Your Shoes More Comfortable

I have this thing that happens whenever I wear high heels - the balls of my feet get tired after a few hours. This happens especially when I wear the patent styles of the season. But now I wear these Airplus Gel Steppies and let me tell you that they work. Put them in your most uncomfortable shoes and you'll extend comfortable wear by least an hour or two! You can find these at drugstores everywhere and I think they're a must for the holiday season.

Worth the Hype? The Foundation Brush

"Worth the Hype?" week continues.....

The foundation brush. It's not new to the makeup world and you know that almost every makeup counter you go to will try to sell you one. It claims to make foundation application easy and smooth but do you really need it?

I just got a foundation brush, actually, and mine is from Lancome. It's the #2 brush and is a good product.


From what I've seen, foundation brushes are more or less the same. The only difference that they may have is in their sizes so whichever you pick, just make sure that it's from a reputable line so that the bristles don't fall out before you're done using the brush.

The brush does have some advantages over a sponge. It doesn't absorb any foundation and that means that you'll waste less product. The tapered shape also gives you more control than a sponge might.

That said, I am finding that the brush is easier to use with liquid foundations than with creams. The powder finish of my cream foundation means that the brush puts on more product than I like and I have to spend more time blending it out. When I use the brush with a liquid, I really feel as if I am painting my face with foundation and I'm not sure how much I like that feeling. More often than not, I get medium coverage instead of sheer (which I prefer) and I feel like it takes more work to get the product into the contours properly.

Before this, I used my fingers to apply liquid foundation and I still think that the fingers are better at putting foundation on, but I like having clean hands when I'm done. I did not find any streakiness when I was finished so if that is your concern, it need not be.

So, the foundation brush, is it worth the hype? Yes and no. It's not perfect, but you waste less product and for that reason I'll be using my new brush instead of putting it away.

A Contest Prize You Need

Whoo hoo, time for another contest. This time for an amazing product that I don't know how I lived without.

Check it out: A picture of my makeup finally organized.

Oh yeah, I remember what I did before I had this. All the makeup that you see above was spread out all over my dresser, my desk, and my bathroom vanity. I'd move from area to area trying to decide what to use every day. In a rush, I'd just grab whatever was closest. There truly was a lot of clutter and I didn't know it, but what I needed was something that could help me organize my makeup. Now, all the makeup is rolled up into this neat roll: see below.

My makeup is so well organized and I can find what I need easily. The different pouches let me store way more than flat surfaces would have, and best of all, once I'm done with it, I roll up the case, and it's put away neatly.

Where can you buy this amazing product? Suzanne Promotions, of course. (Order Form) Suzanne Promotions is a Canadian company that makes all kinds of bags right here in Toronto. They come in fun prints and you can pick from different sizes, whether they're totes, cosmetic bags, or toiletry organizers all of which are not only great for keeping at home but also for travelling. Suzanne herself works out of her Niagara Street location which is located off of Queen Street in downtown Toronto. She's been in the business since 1985 and has also supplied the cute little cosmetic bags that cosmetics companies give you with their GWP's. She ships all over the country and internationally as well, so don't hesitate to order what you like from her site.

Now for the contest/free stuff part. I'm giving away a Suzanne Promotions Makeup Organizer and a cosmetic bag. The organizer you see is a little smaller than the one that I pictured above, but it still has tons of space to put all your goodies.

What do you have to do to win these two items? You know the picture above where I showed you all my makeup in the bag? Well your mission, should you choose to accept is, is to list as many makeup products as you can from the picture. Don't worry about exact colours or anything like that. Just list as many products you can. At the end of the week, the person who listed the most products correctly wins and gets the fabulous bag set.

Also, to make this contest even more fabulous, the cosmetic bag will contain some goodies selected by yours truly! It's a contest that you're going to want to win, and it's running this week only, so get your comments in as soon as you can! Good luck, everyone and don't forget to leave your email address!

Aaaand GO!

Canadian Beauty News: July 20, 2007

Interesting things are a-brewing in the beauty world, so lets begin!

First things first, the Poll!
A big thanks to everyone that voted! It's important for me to see what you all like! I'm going to have more polls in the future, and I'm just thinking about my next one right now...

Also, I had a giveaway this week! A big thanks to everyone who posted their Maybelline New York Great Lash story!

News

Firstly, I found this Australian article about a magazine that was offering free Softlips lipbalm to kids - the problem? The lipgloss was Tequila, Vodka, and Margheritas and so there was an outraged that alchohol-flavoured lipbalm was being given to kids. It seems that the outrage was because the lipbalm was being freely given to kids rather than because there was alcohol-flavoured lipbalm in the first place.

I, of course, was immediately reminded of Urban Decay's Cocktail Collection which features products that smell like Pina Coladas, Cosmos and Mai Tais. Though nobody is giving these away for free, we know that kids have the option of going into any Sephora and buying whatever they want. Why isn't there outrage over that?

MAC's New Collection

Yesterday, I showed you some of the products from MAC's new collection, but here's a list of everything that's included in it:

Lipglass

Perfectly Pink Creamy mid-tone pink (cream)
Flashtronic Caramel bronze with subtle gold pearl (cream)
Young Spark Neutral pink with subtle gold pearl (cream)
Electro-Lush Creamy blue pink (cream)

Mineralize Eye Shadow

By Jupiter Light taupe with beige and deep brown veining (frost)
Tectonic Yellow gold with lime green, warm brown and black veining (frost)
Ether Deep aqua with silver, black and gold veining (frost)
Mercurial Yellow gold with lilac and chestnut veining (frost)
Lovestone Raspberry with wine and copper veining (frost)
Quarry Sky blue with olive, coral and beige veining (frost)

Mineralize Skinfinish

Northern Light Mid-tone pink with rust and grey brown veining
Gold Spill Pink peach with warm brown and cream pearl
Global Glow Mid-tone brown with gold pearl

My favourite product is the Gold Spill Mineralize Skinfinishwhich I'm wearing today as eyeshadow. I've found that the mineralize eyeshadows are very glittery, and the skinfinishes are exactly what I'm looking for in daytime makeup. Also, you really can pick and choose different shades to use from each compact. Choosing an area with lighter coloured veining lets me use the compact as a highlighter, and darker veining can be used in the crease. This is exactly what I need at this point in the summer!

Product Find!

If you're in the market for new makeup cases, head over to The Burchard Collection and check their offerings out. They have everything you could need to organize your makeup neatly and compactly. The small case is great for traveling, but the large one is nice to have on hand at home. Just attach velcro to the bottom of the little plastic containers and they're safely stored in the case!

Great Beauty Reads

All Lacqured up shows us a really cool nail polish by Lancome!

Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at Olay Definity Cream!

Elke reviews the Cibu-Ph Finish Hair Spray.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Smashbox Eyeliner Brush

This one's for the rookies. I tried Smashbox Arched Eyeliner Brush and was thoroughly impressed with it. I usually don't use liquid eyeliner to line my eyes, and don't line on top, so I really don't have experience with the whole lining process, but when I used this brush nobody can tell. The problem that I have had when lining is that my brush is too long and bumps into the mirror as I go in close to see my eyes better. When I used this brush, I didn't have that problem and the line went on thin and smooth. If you know someone who is new to makeup, give this to her - I can't think of a better present to give to someone who's still learning to put liner on. Pair it with the Smashbox eyeliner (which is smooth and doesn't budge) and you're good to go!

Own an Original

It's that time of year - we're getting rid of eyeshadows and lipsticks that we haven't used for ages and cleaning our brushes before getting ready to apply work-appropriate makeup.

Why not get a new makeup bag as well?

If you want something beautiful and original check out Sweet T Original Makeup bags. They are handmade which means that each and every bag has been carefully constructed especially for you. My favourite one is the Habanera II (below). Not only is the outside fabric beautiful but all the bags are lined with matching coloured satin. The one below is lined in gold satin which makes it look especially lux. These bags are truly one of a kind.

Note that Sweet T also makes totes and wristlets. The company delivers to Canada as well. The shipping charge to Canada is normally $3.95, but until February 28, 2007 Canadian Beauty readers can get free shipping by using the code CDNBEAUTY at the checkout. Happy Shopping!