Estee Lauder Perfectionist!

I have to admit, I have a thing for Estee Lauder serums. They wear very well, leave your skin soft and smooth, and best of all, they layer beautifully under any brand of makeup.

Estee Lauder's recently launched a new serum, and this one is for the older set. Called Perfectionist the pretty purple glass bottle contains a thick serum that's full of peptides, antioxidants, and ingredients that help moisturize the skin too!



Perfectionist instantly makes your skin look smooth and polished and it's something that you'll want to incorporate into your skincare routine toute suite!

Estee Lauder Summer Collection - Bronze Goddess

In a sense all summer collections can seem like they're the same - lots of golds, bronzes, and similarly shimmery neutral shades. But this summer, you'll see a lot of "pops!" of colour.

In Estee Lauder's case, it's a pop of bright magenta, which I have to say I really like. You see, the mix always comes when you work with different finishes, and that's just what Estee Lauder does.

The collection is a great time to stock up on a bronze balm, if you don't already have one, but I love the magenta Pure Color Gloss. It's got a good amount of colour and will last you well through the summer. The best part is that it can brighten up even the most basic look. Many of you write in to me and say that your makeup smudges a lot, and I find that in the summer less eye makeup is just easier to maintain. In that case, a bright lipstick is a must, and this colour looks great with a tan so pick it up in your finish of choice!

Estee Lauder GWP at the Bay

If you're a fan of GWP's then this is going to be a treat for you - The Bay is offering an Estee Lauder Gift With Purchase until June 15th. Make a purchase of $35 or more and get the following products:

- Choice of one Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in the following great shades: Candy, Hot Kiss, Bois de Rose (a beautiful neutral colour) or Tiger Eye
- Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer with applicator
- New Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara in Black (This mascara is awesome!)
- Gentle Eye Makeup Remover (50 ml)
- Advanced Night Repair Protective Recovery Complex (7 ml)
- Choice of Red or Blue Tote with coordinating patent companion

Enjoy!

Estee Lauder Gift With Purchase at Sears

Estee Lauder is having Bonus Time from now until April 23rd at Sears locations all over the country. You spend $32 (CAD) and receive the following products as your fabulous gift!

The gift contains:

- Pure Color Lipstick in Sugar Honey or Candy (Sugar Honey is a great colour)
- Signature Silky Eyeshadow Quad in Ginger/Roseberry or Pink Dusk/Plum Sugar
- Projectionist High Definition Mascara in Black
- Idealist Pore Minimizer 7ml (I love this)
- DayWear Plus Crème 7ml
- Makeup Brush Trio (Eye, Angled Eye, Lash Comb)
- Pink dot pattern cosmetic bag
- Pink floral cosmetic bag

If you spend $75, you also get their full sized Mani/Pedi Treatment Cream.

If you get anything, I want to hear what it is!

Hydra Bright Moisturizer

I am loving this moisturizer. Not only does it smell fresh, but the creamy gel feels fresh too.

I’ve been going through a time where I had patches of dry skin and though I found other creams that worked this was the only one that really sank into my skin and made a difference by doing that.

It sinks in so that you can put your makeup or powder on, and makes your skin completely hydrated. It’s available at Estee Lauder counters everywhere.

Estee Lauder Ultra Light Gloss

Estee Lauder introduced a new gloss as part of its spring collection - Ultra Light Gloss (shown in Sparkling Shell). If you hate sticky glosses, then this one is for you because it's not even slightly tacky. The texture is actually slightly oily but the gloss does seem to stay on your lips. I will say that it wears off a little quickly, but that's to be expected.

New! Estee Lauder Double Wear Light

The Estee Lauder Double Wear line is makeup that's meant to last a long time, and there are some real winners. The regular Double Wear foundation is Estee Lauder's best-selling, and I love their new mascara.

And now there's a new great product that I absolutely love, and wear all the time: Double Wear Light Foundation.
It's got the coverage of a tinted moisturizer (meaning sheer to light) but it goes one step further: it stays on all day! Even if you have oily skin, you'll see that this does not break down or turn orange on the skin. It just wears and wears. Also, you don't need to apply powder on top of it because it sets to a matte finish, and you can almost look like you're not wearing foundation at all.

If you have normal to dry skin, I would definitely recommend moisturizing beforehand so that it doesn't stick to any dry spots. This foundation is going to be especially useful in the hot and humid summer months.

If you want it, head to your Estee Lauder counter soon, because it's been selling quick!

You may also be interested in the whole review of a gamut of tinted moisturizers that I've tried, and the review of the Estee Lauder Double Wear Powder Foundation and Estee Lauder Double Wear Eyeshadow Base.

Estee Lauder GWP at the Bay

Hello everyone! Starting today and running until March 16th, The Bay is offering an Estee Lauder Gift With Purchase. Spend $32 and you get the following products:

Pure Colour Lipstick in Sugar Honey or Candy

Pure Colour Lipstick in Autumn or Bois de Rose

Signature Silky Eyeshadow Duo in Cappuccino or Mocha

Artist's Eye Pencil in Soft Smudge Black or Brown

MagnaScopic Maximum Volume Mascara in Black

Resilience Lift Extreme Crème or Hydra Bright Crème 7ml

Dot-pattern blue cosmetic bag

White with blue polka dot bag

The best part (besides the fact that you get a MagnaScopic Mascara), is that the cleanser you get is full size!


What are you going to get?

Estee Lauder Bonus

When Holt Renfrew offers a bonus, it means you have to spend a bit more but you also get more product and a decent bag. This time, spend $55 and get a sample of Re-Nutriv Creme, Re-Nutriv Serum, a Hydra Lustre Lipstick, a mini More Than Mascara, a palette with shades for eyes and cheeks, and a cream tote.

I think you should pick up this mascara, a Pure Color Lipstick in Coral Reef, and perhaps even Idealist Skin Refinisher. They are all stellar products that will refresh your look. Enjoy! The gift with purchase is on until February 24th.

If you end up going to the EL counter, tell me what you got!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Mascara

Estee Lauder Double Wear Mascara is the newest entry into the Double Wear family. The brush on the wand is small, but not as small as this Clinique Mascara. Like the Clinique Mascara however, the Double Wear Mascara really does stay put on lashes and does not budge. When you wash it off with water, the mascara slides off in little clumps and really does come off quite easily.

But what you want to know is whether the mascara is any good.

It is!

This Estee Lauder Mascara is meant for lengthening rather than adding volume, but I found that my lashes did look thicker when I wore it. They also looked super long since the size of the wand let me get to every single lash from root to tip.

This is definitely one of my favourite mascaras these days.

Estee Lauder Spring Collection - The Highlight

Estee Lauder's Spring collection brings us what we've come to expect as far as spring colours are concerned: bright lipsticks, and slight hints of colours on the eyelids. The best part of Estee Lauder's Spring Collection this season is their Sparkling Shell powder. It is a shimmering light peachy-gold colour that looks great on a variety of skin tones. Ever since I got it, I can't stop using it - it instantly warms up my skin and and has just enough shimmer that my face looks like it's glowing.

Estee Lauder Pure White Linen

This spring, Estee Lauder is introducing Pure White Linen Light Breeze. It's a fresh fragrance that's a blend of floral and citrus (but mostly floral to my nose). The one thing that surprised me was that although it's fresh, it's strong and I found one spray to be more than enough. The lasting power is also impressive - I could smell it all day long. White Linen fans (and I know there are many) will enjoy this, I bet.

Estee Lauder Global Makeup Stylist

Even if you don't live in Toronto, call your local Estee Lauder counter at your local high-end department store and ask them when they're having events like this.

WHO: Estée Lauder’s Global Makeup Stylist, Rick DiCecca

WHAT: Makeup demonstrations throughout the day showing women the secrets to a flawless face & how to achieve a glamorous holiday look. From skincare & foundation to the latest in lipstick, Rick DiCecca will present the newest makeup trends seen on runways and celebrities this season.

WHERE: Estée Lauder counter
Holt Renfrew
60 Bloor Street West
Toronto Ontario
PH: 416.922.2333

WHEN: November 29, 30 & December 1
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Estee Lauder Holiday Collection - Into the Night

Estee Lauder's Holiday Collection - Into the Night hit counters a little while ago, and it is not to be missed! Gone is the emphasis on the smoky eye. Instead, Lauder gives you a twist on gold - gold-toned eyeshadows, lipsticks with lovely gold undertones and shimmer, and gloss flecked with bits of gold shimmer. The colours are absolutely gorgeous, warm, and work on a range of skin tones.

Now, you can wear metallic without actually wearing metallic.


Also, what you see in the picture above is one of the Estee Lauder highlighting powders - there's one offered in Rose Pearl and one in Gold Pearl. As the name suggests, these highlight with subtlety - with pearl rather than glitter. There's also a loose powder called Platinum Loose Illuminator Shimmer Powder that packs more of a punch. The three powders are limited edition so get them while you can!

I am also loving the Gold Berry Pure Color Crystal Gloss which is a lovely red colour with golden shimmer in it. It's sheer enough that you don't have to make sure that it looks perfect, and the gold warms up the red tone.

Estee Lauder Signature Lipsticks

Estee Lauder has released a new line of signature lipsticks. In a word: love. These are so creamy, very highly pigmented, and non-drying. Plus, as always the Estee Lauder packaging is supremely elegant. These lipsticks are slimmer than the old Estee Lauder packaging which means that they fit easily into your hands and your purse.

They are at the Estee Lauder counter now, so stop by and have a look!

Estee Lauder Compacts

Last week, I had the chance to attend an Estee Lauder cocktail party at Holt Renfrew celebrating the release of the new EL compacts.

Every year, Estee Lauder releases a set of collectible compacts. No compact is like any other and once they sell out of it, they won't be releasing the same one again. These compacts are jeweled with Austrian crystals, and are either filled with a solid perfume or a pressed powder (of which one can also purchase refills).

The compacts are always beautiful to be sure, but I had no idea that people collect them with such passion. I met a woman who has almost every compact ever released and has set them up in a very authentic-looking Estee Lauder display case in her home, complete with glass shelves, and museum-style lighting. Another woman keeps them locked up in a cupboard and only shows them to those friends that appreciate fine workmanship.

You can purchase the compacts at Neiman Marcus or Bergdorf Goodman, but Holt Renfrew's Bloor location has more than is available on those two sites alone. There's also a special compact that looks like a Holt Renfrew shopping bag. The compacts sell out very quickly, so if you had your heart set on getting one this year, run, don't walk, to the Estee Lauder counter and get it before they're gone.

Below: pictures of some of the compacts released this year. I am enchanted by the gilded cage.

Canadian Beauty News, September 21, 2007, Estee Lauder event, Aishwarya Beige Lipstick, Contest Winner Announced,and new MAC Collections!

First things first: L'Oreal's Aishwarya's Beige lipstick is in stores again! Every single time I see this item in drugstores, I go back two weeks later and it's completely sold out. Then I hear from a reader or 5 saying that they couldn't find the lipstick.

What can I say? If you want this colour (which is quite possibly the best nude lip colour ever made) go to the drugstore ASAP and get your hands on it. If you miss it this time around, just wait - it does so well that I'm sure it'll come back soon.

Also, if you're a newer reader to this blog, you can read my original rave review about this lipstick, or have a look at the L'Oreal Fashion Week Fall 2007 picture where they used this colour on some of the models.

New MAC Collections

September 27 sees the release of two new MAC collections - one called Matte Squared and the other call Mattene.

The Matte Squared collection features a set of matte eyeshadows that are said to be very highly pigmented and will provide a lovely burst of colour. There's also a set of Liquidlast eyeliners that wear without any fading or smudging. Here's a list of what's included:

Eye Shadow
Post Haste Bright berry pink
Poison Pen Deep mid-tone purple with grey
Newly Minted Rich sea green
Handwritten Rich chocolate brown
Flourishing Rich moss green
Blanc Type Creamy beige
Fig. 1 Eggplant purple
Copperplate Muted mid-tone grey
Prussian Deep sea blue
Clarity Rich Aqua
Brown Script Warm chestnut brown
Signed, Sealed Black maroon
Graphology Dark black grey with a hint of purple
Tete-A-Tint Caramel brown
Typographic Asphalt black

Liquidlast Liner
Inky Navy blue with low-level pearl
Inkspill Deep green with green pearl
Electrolady Electric purple with red pearl
Point Black True black
Coco Bar Deep chocolate brown

There used to be a time when I didn't see the point in matte eyeshadow, but I sure do now. They really do wear longer and allow you to create a more subtle eyshadow design. for example, it would be lovely to use the cream matte eyeshadow accented with some shading with a brown or a purple. The look would be perfect for daytime. Also, matte eyeshadows make much better liners so it's great that MAC has included a black to its collection.

Mattene, on the other hand, is going to be a collection of new matte lipsticks. Unlike the matte lipsticks of yesteryear (and the ones that MAC is so famous for) these will be creamy and soft not drying. They'll still be highly pigmented and will wear wonderfully. A list of colours follows.

Mattene Lipstick
Poise Clean yellow pink (Semi-Matte)
Composure Neutral bronze plum (Semi-Matte)
Flattering Beige pink (Semi-Matte)
Café Matte Rich caramel (Semi-Matte)
Orange Dare Bright yellow orange (Semi-Matte)
Seriously Rich Bright pink red (Semi-Matte)
Immodest Bright magenta (Semi-Matte)
Night Violet Deep purple grape (Semi-Matte)
40’s Pink Neutral mid-tone dirty pink
All Grown Up Deep chocolate brown
Tango Dirty coral
You Say Tomato Tomato red
Classic Dame Blood red
Rapturous Deep red berry
Powersuit Vibrant clean yellow pink
Rougette Wine berry

I have a feeling that I'm going to be gravitating towards the pinks in the collection, but I'll wait to see it before telling you which one my favourite is.

The Aerin Lauder Event

Here are some pictures from the Aerin Lauder event that was this past Tuesday here in Toronto.
I think it's so cool how much like Estee and Aerin resemble each other.
Aerin is also going to add a bath and shower gel to the collection as well as some other goodies. Stay tuned - there are going to be many more surprises at the Estee Lauder counter this fall! Note that in Canada, the only place that you can purchase the Tuberose Gardenia Private Collection is at Holt Renfrew.

Many thanks to Matthew from the EL counter for these pictures.

Contest Winner

The prize for this contest was the best I've ever had, but the contest itself was also a lot harder to win. Wisp of a Girl gave me the most number of products and so she won.

That blush that everyone thought was Annabelle, was actually Bobbi Brown! Wisp was also the only person that identified the Lancome Destiny Cube which is perhaps the best new product this fall. Here's where I talked about it.

Also, there are no MAC lip pencils in there. I just don't use lip pencils.

I do have a lot of MAC products in there right now, but that just seems to be what I'm using these days. I really like the Smoke Signals and Gentle Fume quad and use them on an almost daily basis. The lipsticks get almost no wear at all, while if you want to see what I'm using on my lips all the time, you'd have to look in my purse.

Anyway - Wisp get in touch with me (you didn't leave your email address) and I'll be sending you the package! Congratulations and good job!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone.

MAC, Aerin, and Contest

I was going to post a video today but it's not ready yet and there's just no time, so that'll have to come later.

Just a reminder: there's still a contest ongoing. Just look at the picture and list as many makeup products as you can in the comments. The person who gets the most number right will win a makeup bag set filled with some fabulous products!

Also, a reminder for Toronto readers that Aerin Lauder, the grand-daughter of Estee Lauder, will be at the Bloor St. Holt Renfrew today at lunch promoting the new Estee Lauder Private Collection perfume, Tuberose Gardenia. You can take pictures and get her autograph!

Another thing: MAC Viva Glam VI is out.


You can order the new lipstick and gloss at the MAC Website, and the new colour is supposed to be a terracotta peach. Regardless of the colour, it's a great initiative and your purchase helps people with AIDS and HIV.

I also have the latest on the next MAC collection that's going to be released, but you're just going to have to check back later for that one.

Have a great day, everyone!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Eyeshadow Base Review

Back when Estee Lauder Double Wear products were released, I was completely taken in by their powder foundation. It stayed on and absorbed oil so well - plus I found a perfect match for my skin.

The Double Wear Foundation line so blew me away that at the time I didn't even notice that the line also included an eyeshadow base!
I tried, I liked. Now, I want to say that this neutral-coloured cream turns into a powder, but it doesn't. It does dry but stays a little creamy on the skin. Nevertheless, I was able to blend eyeshadow on top pretty easily and I did notice that it "stuck" more than usual. The colours showed up as more vibrant and the colour of the primer didn't affect them at all (though the primer was nearly colourless on me).

All in all, this base isn't as "strong" as my Urban Decay Primer Potion but it's not as drying either. If I have a day in doors with the air conditioning on, this base is perfect. My eyeshadow lasts and lasts with minimal creasing. This product is available at all Estee Lauder counters, so ask for it by name.

Canadian Beauty News: September 7, 2007

Happy Friday. Key word for today's version of "news" is follow-up. I talked about a few products earlier this year and I have more news about them or they are finally on shelves! But first, I have the most exciting news ever.....

Meet Aerin Lauder!

Yes yes yes, you can meet Aerin Lauder, the grand-daughter of Estee Lauder herself!

Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia is now on shelves and Aerin Lauder is making an appearance at the Bloor Street Holt Renfrew on September 19, 2007 from 12pm-1pm. Call and make an appointment so you can attend the event, and if you get something from the collection, Aerin can autograph it for you. I personally would not want an autograph on my beautiful solid compact that I am planning to purchase, but it's a nice thought for the bottle.

The scent itself is a nice big floral and it's available in an Eau de Parfum that just lasts and lasts. Only available at high-end fragrance counters whether in Canada or in the U.S.A.

Nars The Multiple in Orgasm

I mentioned it here. Well it is finally out and only available at Sephora. Expect it on all Nars shelves a few months from now, once Sephora has had its fill of it.

Beautiful colour and it will work on almost everyone.

Mariah Carey M

Again, mentioned last week, and now on counters, sooner than expected. This fragrance begins with top notes of vanilla which is quite unusual - usually fragrances die down to that note. Nevertheless, the vanilla fades and leaves behind a floral.

Actually, I think that this fragrance to me really evokes Mariah herself. She's a girl that has a playful side that makes you think of caramel and candy and a sense of youth and fun, but you know that someone with seventeen number one singles is going to have some cash in the bank and with that come refined tastes. The vanilla and floral really make sense to me and go well together.

A Note on Fall Trends

I had a chance to speak with Julie Hanning, a stylist who works for Scarborough Town Centre here in Canada. Julie summed up this season's trends by saying that the natural look is definitely gone. Lips are darker, eyeliner is bigger and takes over the whole eye. It's winged out which brings the focus up to the eyes again. In eyeshadows, you see many bronze tons - Julie loves the Les Khakis collection by Lise Watier.

Of course, Julie mentioned nails too. Is black nail polish still in, people want to know. Well it's not, but that doesn't mean that nails are lightening up. Instead of black, the big thing this season is jewel-toned nails. Purples and plums are better than anything too goth, and since we see those colours in clothes too, the nails match up perfectly.

And there you have it, your fall makeup trend report! Thank you, Julie!

Later next week, look for a video....

Have a lovely weekend everyone!