Texas Lash

I know, I know, you're thinking: two mascaras, both by Cargo, and both great? How can that be? Why would Cargo do such a thing?

But you know what? They have.

I'll be honest, I might not have tried the Texas Lash mascara if it weren't named after a food I love, and that is Texas Toast, an extra-thick slice of bread dripping with butter. It warms my heart that a mascara named after one of my favourite breakfast foods really lives up to its name.They could have also called this mascara the "one coat wonder" of course. Seriously, the formula is good enough that you just need one coat of this mascara to give you nicely defined thick lashes. And they really are thick - just like that toast.

I've got to mention the formula too though - it's similar to Clinique's Lash Power, Estee Lauder's Double Wear Mascara, and Lancome's Courbe Virtuose. That means that the mascara comes off easily just by wetting your lashes with water and pulling it off gently with your fingers. It's a cool formula and with this mascara, I'm able to see how thickly it really applies just by noticing how much comes off into my hands at the end of the day.

If you want a thickening mascara that stays put for a long time and then comes off easily at the end of your day, be sure to check out Cargo's Texas Lash - I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I Found the Best Mascara

Some times it can be a little difficult to make yourself even try products when you already have a favourite lying at home that works perfectly well. In this case, I am so glad that I had a little time to kill at Sephora last week and decided to pick up this mascara. I know that I've been a little wary of Cargo's newest collection, but this mascara truly is amazing!

I'm talking about Cargo's Blu_Ray mascara, that is available only at Sephora. I know that the wand looks a little strange, but I promise that it is super-easy to use and actually delivers amazingly thick lashes and even application of mascara.

This is definitely among the best mascaras I've ever tried. It goes on smoothly, layers nicely, and gives me the most amazing lashes I've ever seen.

If I have a complaint it's that my lashes looked so thick that they looked fake but I know that's because I applied 3 coats when 1 would have been sufficient.

If you like voluminous lashes and want to try a new mascara, get this one. It's awesome.

Hi-Def Makeup

It has been an uber-busy week for us over here at Canadian Beauty, what with post-birthday partying ("...so sorry I could make it to your fete, lets celebrate now") that has led us into post-post-birthday detoxing. In any case, as we sit here drinking our lemon water, our nails have been filed and buffed and now China Glaze's Hybrid dries on our nails in a rebellious move against all those dark and bright polish colours. At this point, we prefer the nude shades, s'il vous plait.

In any case, on to the matter at hand. Hi-Definition Makeup.

We were among the lucky few women who had a chance to attend a mini-info session held by Sharp that aimed to educate us about High Definition Television. As we sat listening to the logistics about what really makes high-def picture (you need a high definition set, such as a pretty Sharp flat-screen, and actual high-def transmission, it turns out), we had a chance to look at the difference between regular TV and high-definition TV.

There were two sets side by side and both were playing Enchanted which features Amy Adams. Now, I wouldn't say that the difference between the two sets was night and day, but the Sharp High-Def picture was definitely clearer and that meant that we could see Amy Adams' every freckle. She's a pretty girl, so it didn't make a difference to us, but imagine if it was an actress who had recently undergone some surgery? I am sure that we would have been able to see that in an instant.


The presentation led me to think about all the Hi-Def makeup that's on the market these days. Cargo and Smashbox are both trying to cash in on the trend, and it's only a matter of time before MAC has its own High-Def collection, and Dior issues a high-def limited edition compact. Just you wait, we'll be seeing more of this marketing tool... and that's exactly what I think these makeup collections are: marketing tools.

What could possibly be the difference between high-def makeup and regular makeup? For makeup to be suitable for high definition TV, it would need to be almost full coverage, so that we can't see any of the flaws that regular skin has, and it would need to be almost skin-like so that the makeup itself is not perceptible by the eye. Silky smooth formulations that deliver a punch is what we would need.

But think about it for a second longer.

High-definition picture means that what you see on the screen is comparable to what you would see in real life. That means that any makeup that provides a high level of pigment but remains good quality and un-mask like is high definition makeup. High Definition Makeup then is all around us, it's really just a matter of finding the right kind for your skin and your needs.

I've checked out Cargo's Blu_Ray Collection "created especially for filming in high-definition" and honestly, I can't figure out what makes it different from other makeup products. The powder and blush only come in one colour and those colours are not universal. Both are silky in feel but they don't last a long time and there's nothing else that's special about them.

The Mattifier, as far as mattifiers go, is good, but again, mattifiers are a dime a dozen and I don't know what makes this especially suited for high-definition television. Furthermore, if I was working on a film that I knew would only be viewed in high definition, I wouldn't bother with a mattifier and would just apply more makeup after every take - and that's pretty much how sets operate. The makeup always looks perfect because it's constantly being touched up - and in a perfect world... no, nevermind, we would not want someone touching up our makeup constantly.

In any case, high definition makeup marketing is just beginning, and I think that we, the consumers, should be wary of any such endeavors to pull us into stores and to the makeup counters.

Sharp's presentation was wonderful in that it made us realize that high definition picture is definitely a way of the future, and if we were ever considering purchasing a high-definition flat-screen, Sharp would probably be the television we would get. When it comes to makeup, though, as always we go with the best colour match and whatever really strikes our fancy.

Canadian Beauty news: August 31, 2007

My apologies for this later version of Canadian Beauty News. Today I have tons of new products to talk about - products that are already on the market and products that are going to be released soon!

Before we go on, however, many thanks to everyone who entered the Mary Kate and Ashley Perfume giveaway! I love holding contests and there's going to be a great new one soon, so be on the lookout for that.

Bobbi Brown Metallics Review



The hype was built up for a while, and the collection is finally out. The Bobbi Brown Metallics collection is now on counters everywhere and the collection's main feature is 4 palettes of eyeshadows. In person, the shadows are just as velvety as they look in the pictures. The colours are super highly pigmented and go on so softly. The colours are beautiful too, but I love the texture of the shadows. It feels a lot different than any of the others that are a part of the Bobbi Brown collection and for that reason, they're worth having a good look at.

Cargo Eyelighter

The Cargo Eyelighter has been around for a while, but the greatest thing is that now it's available in GOLD!

The gold isn't a bright jewelry kind of gold, it's more of a pale gold.
If you're unfamiliar with this product, and are looking for a natural looking highlighter, you should check this out. One side has a sheer matte powder while the other side has a sheer shimmery powder. Use the matte powder for daytime and the shimmer for night!

New Colours - Laura Mercier Eyebrow Pencil

Laura Mercier has also introduced new colours - in her eyebrow pencil! Now the pencil also comes in fair blonde, soft brunette, and warm brunette. The colours are sheer enough that they don't look obvious.

New York Fashion Week

I'm going to have to write more about this later, but I just wanted to mention that every season Lancome pairs up with a designer and creates a special lipstick colour just for them and their runway. The colour then appears on Lancome counters in limited numbers and usually sells out quicker than people even know about the colour. There's been a Behnaz Red for Behnaz Sarafpour and Proenza Pink (from Proenza Schouler) was the last colour that everyone was going gaga over. This year's designer is Peter Som. No word yet about what the colour will be but I know that that's the show that I'll be waiting to see pictures of.

Upcoming Perfume Releases

Phew fragrance month is over. It was much more of a challenge than I thought it would be, and I know that I didn't get to cover even half of what I had planned. That means that I'll be writing more perfume posts when I get a chance.

There are some new perfumes that will be out on counters soon, so keep an eye out for them.

The first is Badgley Mischka's Fleurs de Nuit which will be on counters very soon. Barring everything else, the bottle is absolutely beautiful.

The fragrance will have floral top notes and amber and wood base notes. In Canada, this fragrance will be available at Holt Renfrew.

Also being released soon is Mariah Carey's new scent. This scent will be a floral with a dark base. Mariah Carey's "M" will be on counters in October.

Believe it or not, Britney Spears is also releasing a new scent. It's going to be called Believe. Top notes will be of guava and tangerine, middle notes of linden blossom and honeysuckle, and base notes will be of patchouli, amber, and pink praline.

Expect to see this one on counters in November of this year. Apparently, this will be Britney's last fragrance release.

This fall is also going to see the release of another addition to the Estee Lauder family of fragrances. Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia will be on counters soon. Besides the regular sprays and creams, the collection will also include a scented powder and a solid perfume that I will be dying to get my hands on.
Gardenia and Tuberose are my two favourite flower scents so I cannot wait to smell this. Can't wait. In Canada, this will only be available at Holt Renfrew, so look for it there.

Also being released is a new scent from Diesel!

There's going to be a version for men, which will be a "powdery fougere" while the version for women will be a "floral chypre". I actually can't wait to have a sniff of this one either, since floral chypres are my favourite. Notes will include Jasmine, pepper, and patchouli. Can't wait part two.

Anyway, that's it for this week. Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Canadian Beauty News: June 1, 2007

New Lipglosses!

Lip glosses are everybody's favourite, whether you're beauty-obsessed or not. They're all different, easy to use, and if you buy the right colours you know that you can wear them with almost everything.

The newest addition is one I reported on last week - MAC Tendertones. They're smooth, sheer, and smell yummy. My favorite colours are the pinks - they're so perfect for summer.

I also really love the new offerings from Bourjois. They've introduced 4 new formulations: Eau de Gloss, Fresh Kiss Minty Lipgloss, Baume de Nuit Night Lip Balm, and Duo Lip Scrub and Baume. I found the minty gloss not sweet enough and it didn't taste like anything so I'm thinking that it would disguise bad breath more than anything else. The scrub was good but the accompanying gloss was too pale for my highly pigmented lips so it didn't suit me, the night balm is excellent, and the Eau de Gloss is definitely the most intriguing of the lot.

Eau de Gloss is mostly water but the formulation itself isn't watery at all. It goes on more like a gel and is very sheer. I was very surprised and impressed by the staying power of the gloss - it's not sticky at all but manages to really stick to the lips. The gloss feels slightly cooling when you put it on due to the amount of water in the gloss and it's a very pleasant feeling.

Smashbox has also introduced a new lip gloss that's in a pot - available in four colours, these balms are soothing and have a hint of tint - almost like Smashbox's own cheek tints. These little pots are easy to carry around and expand Smashbox's already thorough line of products.

I think that the reason that these balms are being introduced in the summer is because consumers may not feel like wearing a heavy lipstick in the heat of the summer. You want to look carefree and have light easy makeup and putting on a thick layer of matte lipstick doesn't really help accomplish that. It's lip gloss all the way!

Prescriptives: The Nudists

I also had a look at the new Prescriptives collection this week - The Nudists is the exact opposite of The Vibrants of course, but the same rules apply when it comes to looking at colour. The collection is everything you could hope for in a nude collection - natural looking lipsticks and blushes, which a bit of colour coming from the eye colour. They've also helpfully divided the collection into warm and cool toned colours so if you're at a loss at how to match colours, I would just pick the side you like best and go with that.

I myself liked the cool collection because it features a new colour of my favourite Moonbeam Reflective eyeliner - a pretty shade of purple called Beaming Twilight. They already had a violet eyeliner but it went on very light and silvery and this shade is darker. It's a nice balance with the nude look that the rest of the products provide. If a very natural sheer look is your style then this collection might have everything that you're looking for!

Readers' Questions

Last week, I received the following email from A:

I would like to use a bronzer, preferably matt so I can wear it to work on days where I have to do presentations to executives.

Do you have one you can recommend?

Well, A, I think that you're definitely on the right track when you want to find something that's matte. As much as I like products with shimmer, I find that they draw attention to your makeup and are least obvious when used at night. For daytime, I would recommend using Cargo bronzer - it comes in a skin-true colour and the tins are huge, ensuring that your brush gets a nice even dose of bronzer.

Note as well that there are two ways to wear bronzer: the first is to dust it where the sun would naturally fall - on the bridge of the nose, on the forehead, and at the tops of your cheeks. The second way is to dust a layer only at the perimeter of the face. This make the center of the face look brighter and it looks as if it is glowing. You might want to experiment with both methods and see which one works best for you.

I would like to answer readers' questions every week so if you want a product recommendation or are just wondering about a product, email me at: henna@canadianbeauty.com or leave a question in the comments section of any post!

New Look Coming Soon!

Canadian Beauty is revamping its look! Now is the time to let me know what you think about the site - leave me a comment with your feedback!

Canadian Beauty News: May 4, 2007

Thankfully, the weather is definitely warming up and with that come tons of new products out on shelves! Here are some highlights of what's new on shelves!

Shoppers Drug Mart News:

There's a brand new Shoppers Drug Mart Boutique that just opened in Toronto and I'm sure that there will be others opening around the country soon. This new one also carries a brand that's been missing - Estee Lauder. This is exciting because if you wanted to collect Shopper's points or spend points or what have you, now you can.

Also, in honour of their 1000th store opening, Shoppers is selling a kit, if you will, of Lancome mascara with their BiFacile makeup remover and an eyeshadow duo. You can either choose from Hypnose mascara or L'Extreme. I've tried the Hypnose before and I liked it - it's a full-volume mascara that really doesn't clump so you can put as many coats as you need. The price of the kit is $29 which is amazing considering that's usually the price of the mascara alone! If you're going to be needing a new mascara soon anyways, then be sure to get one of these packages.

New Eyeshadows!

On to the more exciting world of all the new eyeshadow sets that have popped up in stores this week!

First: the Stila Summer Eyeshadow Trio is now in stores. Of the three palettes offered, my favourites were the Mazatlan and the Vallarta. The Mazatlan (in picture) adds to the plethora of gold palettes that are already out there, but the bronze shade in it has a tinge of green in it which makes it different.

New Cargo palettes are also in shop - the ones I looked at were Paradise Island and Ibiza. Ibiza has your standard range of golds and bronzes, but Paradise Island is a nice range of neutrals that I'm sure would suit a variety of eye-colours and skin-tones. The palette is on the right and I love the middle colour which is a taupy-lavender shade. The crease shade is also nice because it's not too dark or obvious looking.

Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation Review

Laura Mercier is the first of the department store brands to come out with her own line of mineral foundation - it's available in five colours plus a bronzing shade, and there are no colours for darker shades. I was matched to the second darkest shade (I'm a medium tone anyways) which still wasn't a perfect match for my skin tone.

The foundation still gave me medium coverage and felt like nothing on. It wasn't shiny but wasn't completely matte either because of the pearl pigments in the powder. What was amazing is that the foundation stayed on all day, and even absorbed some oil! At the end of my day, my face had a glow to it but I didn't think that it was so much that I needed to touch up my makeup. I thought that was pretty amazing.

The downside is definitely that there are nowhere enough colours offered but I have to commend Laura Mercier - if she can't make the colour great, she won't make it at all. Why make darker shades if they're only going to be ashy or too pink? You may as well stick to making the foundation in the colours that show up well and will match people's skins. The foundation I tried was a little too pink and not warm enough for my skin but I'm sure it would match someone with pink undertones.

I say that if you can find a good match in this foundation, then pick it up. It's a great choice for mineral makeup.

Great Beauty Reads:

Toya tries Carmindy's (from What Not to Wear) 5 Minute Face.

eBeautyDaily tells us how to fix a common hair-colouring problem.

All Lacquered Up shows us candy coloured nail polishes from Zoya.

Finally,

Elke interviewed me for her blog, so if you've wanted to know more about me and Canadian Beauty, read the interview!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone! Remember to wear sunscreen when playing in the sun!

Cargo SupersEyes Mascara

Next, I tried Cargo SupersEyes Mascara - it comes in 6 colours: teal, navy, violet, brown, blue, and of course black. I tried the violet because I have brown eyes and I've seen that purple shadows usually make them pop.

The mascara itself went on very dark - it was very nearly a black colour. The formula,a bit od length and no volume to my lashes. Colour or no colour, the mascara was not a favorite of mine.

Canadian Beauty News: January 19, 2007

Lets start this week's edition of Canadian Beauty News by talking about Black (or dark) nail polish. Chanel's introduction of Ceramic Noir pretty much seals the deal - this trend is around for another season.

A full six months after the trend began, Canadian Retailers are saying: "Hey! You know what we need to stock? Black nail polish!!!" The result is that we are (finally!) spoilt for choice when it comes to picking that perfect shade of black. Why choose plain black when you can have OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark which is a lovely eggplant colour. Some stores (Trade Secrets, for example) are even carrying the whole OPI Deliciously Darks collection, which also includes Black Onyx (a black shade) and Espresso (a beautiful purply brown colour - my favourite from the collection). I've even seen Essie's Wicked (sort of like Chanel's Vamp or Rouge Noir) in some stores as well as an array of dark shades from other brands (including Orly). If you haven't been able to find some dark polish yet, chances are that you will be able to get some now so go out and grab it while you can.

Black lacquer marks the return of nail polish. How many of us just didn't bother with nail polish at all because it chipped so easily? It was so much easier to just get a french manicure because you couldn't see it growing in. All that has now changed. Turns out, when there's a fashion statement to be made, we can be bothered with topcoats and base coats. Black nail polish isn't just a polish. It's a fashion accessory as essential as your purse or boots. Black nail polish is ubiquitous now - forget about the celebs or university kids; dark lacquer is seen on everyone from bank tellers to school teachers to high level professionals. If they can pull it off, you can pull it off. Just don't forget the primer and topcoat. Oh, and this is not a look for long nails. Going black is daring enough - the last thing we want to see is black talons.

Noir Ceramic also marks another trend: metallics which are in for spring. But don't go rifling through your 80's makeup for that silver eyeliner just yet. The key is to blend it into your everyday look. Bronze eyeshadow or a blush with gold in it will do the trick and keep your look updated.

In other news, this Saturday new Cargo products will finally be available in Canada! The best of the new products is a portable version of Cargo's popular (and absolutely not sticky) lip glosses. Aptly titled PurseGloss, this cult favorite can now be taken everywhere you go. I got a sneak peak of these glosses and my personal favourite was Montreal which even had the Cargo representative oohing and ahhing as I tried it on.

Cargo is a Canadian brand which helps explain why their colours are always spot-on. Multiculturalism is an integral part of Canada's national identity, and I'm sure that the creators and developers of Cargo colours are subconsciously inspired by that fact. The result is that they make foundations and concealers for all skin tones. Definitely check out their amazing line of blushes which include matte and shimmery colours. There's something for everyone. Even their bronzers come in skin-true shades and have become hits with makeup artists. Saturday will also see the launch of their new SuedeBlush which has just the right amount of shimmer and leaves your skin with a lovely glow.

Cargo is also pledging a commitment to the environment and is launching a series of lipsticks that are available in biodegradable containers. Now usually when I think biodegradable, I think icky cardboard containers which decompose in your purse or a steamy bathroom. Well, these are completely different. The containers actually look and feel like plastic! I almost couldn't believe that they were environmentally friendly. It turns out that the containers are made out of corn and decompose in 47 days if they're left in a compost! Cargo is the only company that makes these containers and they're hoping to inspire other brands to do the same. Oh and the colours? Five of the lipstick shades are designed by celebrities, including one by Evangeline Lilly!

You can buy Cargo Cosmetics at select Bay stores or at Sephora.

Another new debut is Giorgio Armani Beauty's spring 2007 line which is focused on berries. The winner of this collection is the berry lip palette. Unlike most palettes, this one does not feature glosses or lipsticks. The products are actually more like stains that feel super-comfortable on your lips. As you can see from the picture, the palette features a reddish colour, a medium pink, and a white. When I first saw it I didn't think it would work for me but I let the makeup artist do his thing. It turns out that the colours are beautiful. The red goes on quite sheer and the white layered on top adds more depth to the colour and just a hint of shimmer. I should have guessed that the palette would be wearable - Armani always delivers perfection. The new eye shadow colours are nice too and feature shimmery beiges and taupes that are signals of the metallic trend and happen to work well on a variety of skin tones.

Giorgio Armani cosmetics can be found at Holt Renfrew stores nationwide.

Did you know that Sephora stores have skin consultants who are trained to diagnose skin problems? You can make an appointment with one of these consultants and they will help you choose products that match the needs of your skin. Just call your local Sephora store and tell them that you'd like to make an appointment!

As a final note, I should say that most new collections at Sephora and your local department store aren't in yet but will be launched in the first couple of weeks of February.