The Basics

What you see here is a picture of an eyeshadow trio that I've come to use on a regular basis.


It's by Annabelle, and the colours are such that they go with absolutely anything and everything. Good quality eye shadow, and lasts a really long time even without a primer.

Bits of Sparkles

I have a thing for new textures and I'm smitten with MAC's Solar Bits from the Solar Field collection. My favourite colour is Black Ore which you see below. It's a dark shimmery metallic and the texture is as if water was melded with pigment so that it sticks together.

Put a bit on your brush or your baby finger, and smear it on your lid to make a different shimmery smoky eye that only a MAC product really can deliver.

I find that the Solar Bits really stick to skin and crease much less than regular shadows, which I love. The Solar Bits are selling out super-quickly and I'm not surprised, they're so great to use and can step up your makeup game.

Colour!

Remember those pops of colour I told you about? Well Lise Watier serves them up in eyeshadow quads from its summer collection called Toscana. We have Terre on the one hand that has shades of green in it.

While Mer features a lovely bright blue.

But Henna, I hear you complain, I can't pull off colour, I don't want something so bright on my lids!

Relax. Peep the quads again. There's a reason that Lise Watier makes sure that there are neutral shades in each, and that's so that you can work them into your look.

I wouldn't use the bright colours over my whole eyelid unless I was going out. What is cool, is if you take the brighter colour and either use them on the other edge of your eye or use them as liner on the top. That way, you get a bit of colour that just adds a little something extra.

Still not convinced?

Well then try the balms - especially the orange one (it's on the right-hand end)! Orange lipstick was seen on all the runways for this season, and I've had a hard time finding one that I can really get behind, but this is it. It's pinkish-orange gloss that lets your lipcolour show through so it doesn't look overly orange.

Whatever you choose, the Lise Watier summer collection offers something for everyone. There's also a great blush and bronzer that are a part of it and both have a hint of pink in them so that they still look natural. Enjoy!

Oh and one more thing: my own pictures of the lovely quads.

I See It Every Year

I see it every year. Retailers get us.

They know that in the summer, it's all about quick and easy makeup that has a certain amount of lasting power. All those picnics, barbeques, and the occasional wait at the bus stop or blizted A.C. doesn't necessarily mean well for makeup and so we want something that lasts.

And that's why every year, I see cream shadows launch or re-launch in the summer. Stila, Bourgois, and Clinique are among the brands that have released new ones this year, though MAC, Benefit, Fresh, and Shiseido have similar options available too.

One thing that you might not be aware of: these are cream to powder. I actually had to explain this to a makeup artist friend of mine who had never used them and was scared to. Once they're on your lid, they dry and stay put. They are even virtually water-proof and only come off when you wash your face.Cream eyeshadows are great, and if you want a tip, they are best applied with your fingertips rather than the applicator. My only qualm with them is that they are very shimmery and only come in light shades, but the good thing is that you can layer regular shadow over them to give the shadow more lasting power. If you haven't played with these before, you definitely should. Light colours are likely what you'll be reaching for this summer anyhow, so give these a try!

Nars Eyeshadow Duo

You asked for more coverage on Nars products, so here it is! I actually own three Nars blushes, yes three! Orgasm, Sin, and Desire. I like them all, but I find that I always come back to Sin. It's the perfect berry colour because it has gold shimmer in it.

My recent acquisition is a Nars Eyeshadow Duo - the one I have is called Alahambra. The duo has a champagne shade and a beigey pink shade, and the both work well together or separately. I like them because they're the perfect neutrals.

The quality of the shadows is good too. They're very finely milled and easy to blend. A little bit goes a long way, which is the true sign of a good shadow. You don't need to use a lot to get the perfect glowy colour and you certainly don't need to layer. That said, the Nars shadows are on the expensive side, and they're not necessarily products that you can't get anywhere else. However, the colours are always unique and spot-on, and you won't find a match for them easily.

New York Fashion Week - Alexandre Herchcovitch

Yesterday I told you that Fall 2008 would be all about pops of colour. The lips would be stained with shades of cerise, plum, berry, and wine. The beauty of a stain is that it's very difficult to mess up and is so natural looking that it suits everyone!

The colour doesn't have to be just on the lips - don't be afraid to add colour on your eyes as well, like Philippe Chansel of MAC Pro did backstage at Alexandre Herchovitch.



Chansel told me that the look was influenced by pop art and that the different models would have different colours of eyeshadows on their eyelids. The artists took a colour and painted it on the lid in the shape of a half moon.

I love the addition of the thick black eyeliner. One might not know how workable it would be, but it makes the eyes look bigger and the lashes look thick. The colour is bright but hardly distracting at all. Just beautiful.

Duwop Payoff Hullabaloo

There has been a great deal of fuss over Duwop's Payoff on Makeupalley message boards. (If you've never been to the site, check it out, it's a must visit for any makeup lover). A member posted a picture of eyeshadow using Duwop Payoff and without using the product. The swatch that had used Payoff was bright and vibrant while the other was not. Many people rushed to Ebay (I don't know why, but I think it was just cheaper) and bought the product on the spot.

I finally checked it out for myself. The effect is indeed real. When I used Payoff with my regular gold shadow, the shadow was suddenly vibrant and the colour was almost opaque. But: I get the same result using Urban Decay Primer Potion which I already have! Plus, I know that I can rely on the Primer Potion to be crease-free for the whole day, and Payoff does not have that track record behind it. Furthermore, I know that many people do not like the opaque eyeshadow look, and like even their brightest shades to be sheer on the lid. It's a personal choice, to be sure, but just think twice before you jump on any makeup bandwagon.

Update: I was not using the Intensifier as a primer - it's not meant for that. But I saw that using it had the same effect as using a primer. And the eyeshadow I tried it with was from a Dior palette. I'll post pictures up when I get a chance.

MAC MetalX

MAC MetalX line has been out for a week now, and the highlights are the cream shadows. These shadows have the texture of mousse and provide intense colour, only the way a MAC product can. What I love about the shadow is that a little goes a long way. Favourite way to use it? As a highlighter. Try Fusion Gold or Virgin Silver depending on your colouring and you'll be set for a night out on the town, or mix with your moisturizer for a more subdued effect.

The MetalX line is limited edition so get your hands on the colours you want now, because once it's gone, it's gone for good.

L'Oreal Fall Colour Collection - Timeless Seduction

I have to say it: L'Oreal's fall makeup collection is one to rival any department store makeup brand's. The colours are beautiful, the products are of high-quality, and it's all at a price that makes it worth your while to refresh your fall makeup bag.

Lets start with a staple item: lipgloss. L'Oreal Colour Juice glosses are slightly sticky but they stay on for a long time. Blushing Berry is my favourite shade and it's great if you're looking for a dark pink lip colour. Touch of Nude is a light coloured gloss that has the perfect amount of pigment - it won't wash your lips out, but it'll match your smoky eye beautifully.
Speaking of Smoky Eye, L'Oreal is introducing these new lovelies.
Scared? Don't be! These crayons are so fun to work with and with them you can do a smoky eye so easily. These are like compacted shadows. I like using them wet. You get great pigmentation, and they stay in place without the help of a primer! My favourite colour is the first one, Bronze Foil. The colour is a dark pewter shade that's shimmery. Since I've gotten it, I've been using it every single day to line my eyes. You can even sharpen the crayons in order to get more precise lines. If I didn't have brown eyes, I'd get the black crayon. It will really help light eye colours pop and can even be used to help darken shadows that are too light.

You could, of course, just use the L'Oreal eyeshadows if you wanted.

I would say that these are pretty much the best quality shadows that one can get at the drugstore. They barely crease and the colours are absolutely beautiful. The palette on the very right isn't one that I'd normally go for, but the colours are so wearable! The yellow shade is actually a golden colour and it works nicely when the darkest green is used as a liner.

Lastly, don't forget about nail colour! The silver and gold are nice departures from the dark colours of the season. Gold is going to be huge during the holiday season, and this gold is sparkly and anything but boring. I love the blacks. There's a Gold Patent and a Silver Patent - both are black nail polishes with gold and silver shimmer respectively. I am loving the gold one - it warms up the black and makes it pretty! The Pro Manicure line also has a high level of shine and stays on for a reasonably long time. I think that gold is going to be the colour of the season, so if you're over the black, that is the one that I would get. You know that these products are going to be in limited numbers so pick up the line before it's gone!

As a little extra, here are my pictures of the line. I sharpened the black crayon and you can see that the loss of product is so minimal that it's worth it to sharpen the crayon if that makes it easier to use. You can also use a damp slanted brush to pick up the colour and use it to line your eyes or a regular brush to apply colour on the whole eyelid.

Canadian Beauty News: September 28, 2007

Happy Friday, loves. It has come to my attention that the launch dates for the newest MAC collections have been pushed back.

Matte Squared (the collection of eyeshadows) was on counters yesterday, and also new to the MAC counter was Plushlash, the newest MAC mascara. Both these items will be part of the permanent MAC collections.
Mattene (the matte lipstick collection), on the other hand, won't be on counters until October 4th.

In other news, it's Nuit Blanche in Toronto tomorrow! That means that instead of the usual TFBB, we're having a Toronto Fashion Bloggers dinner.
It's short notice, I know, but come out if you can.

Have a lovely weekend!

MAC Flashtronic

Check it out: MAC's Flashtronic Collection is on counters now and though the collection includes lipglasses as well, it's the Mineralize products that are drool-worthy. Click on the above pictures to enlarge and see for yourself - gorgeous, no? I've had a look at the swatches of the actual products and the difference between these shadows and regular shadows is that the Mineralize ones seem to go on with a multi-dimensional effect. They're shimmery and don't have solid matte colour. The Mineralize Skinfinishes can be used with a brush and buffed over the skin to highlight - all the colours offered are warm and pretty - indeed, whether it's the Skinfinishes or the Eyeshadows, in the pots themselves the products seem almost too pretty to use!

Canadian Beauty News: June 29, 2007

This week: Lorac products are finally in, and Sebastian introduces a new hairspray for Hairspray the movie!


The Lorac Look
I feel as if I've been waiting a long long time for these two products - the Glam Rocks (left) especially have been hyped to no end so I was anxious to try them.

Lorac Glam Rocks is basically eyeshadow that comes in three different colours - a pewter, a copper, and a creamy white. Each colour is intensely sparkly. Worn sheer, the effect is sparkles on your eyes, but worn layered, the look is wet glossy metallic. I quickly figured out why this product is called Glam Rocks - when you dust it into your hand, it comes out looking like tiny rocks. I found that the best way to apply this eyeshadow was using your fingers. That way you have control of where and how much you're applying and the sparkles don't get all over your face. Because of the sheer sparkliness of the product, it's definlty best for night so if you were looking for a copper shadow for work definitely skip this.

The Carribean Heat Bronzer on the other hand is genius. It quickly and easily gives you a glowy look as if you've been out in the heat for the day. The colour on the very left is a sheer shimmery peach that is perfect for highlighting, and it's easy enough to skip it all together if you want a look that's more natural. Needless to say, the accompanying brush is useless.

Sebastian Hairspray
Check it out - Sebastian Professional Shaper Hairspray is the official hairspray for the movie Hairspray and will be shown in the movie as "Ultra Clutch." The hairspray is actually perfect for the summer - it provides hold but isn't at all sticky or crusty. It's perfect for setting your hair and preserving your styles from the summer humidity. You can find this product wherever Sebastian products are being sold.

Great Beauty Reads

Face Candy introduces us to Benefit's new primer.

A Touch of Blusher gives us a summer makeup roundup.

The Indie Perfume Blog tells us where essences are sourced from.

Coming up soon: masks reviewed so you can take care of your summer skin, new products from Olay, and a focus on mascaras! Have a lovely weekend!

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Eyeshadow

If you've been looking for a long-wearing eyeshadow in matte colours, then you must check out the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Eyeshadow. My favourite colour is Suede (pictured above) because it matches the colour of my skin, but there are similar offerings in peach and bone shades. The eyeshadow does stay on and does not crease. The finish isn't quite powdery but that's of no matter if you're using it alone anyway. The colour selection grows every season so keep your eye on the Bobbi Brown counter for her latest offerings. This summer she offered a selection of nude/neutral shades that work well with a summer look.

MAC Paints and a Reminder!

Any discussion of crease-less shadow is never without the mention of MAC paints. It makes total sense, really. These paints really do last and last. They can also be used as a base to make regular eyeshadow stay on longer.

Don't forget: there's a live chat today with Eve and her makeup artist. The chat takes place between 5-6pm EST. Just head over to www.maccosmetics.com/eve at that time.

Fresh Eye Luster

The Fresh Eyeluster is what I first started wearing when I was wearing eye makeup, and I return to this shadow again and again. I have this in Eldorado which is a lovely bronze colour that can be worn sheer for a natural look or opaque if you'd like it to look more metallic. It lasts the whole day and gives a cooling sensation to the eye. Best of all, it's just shimmery enough to draw attention to your eyes without drawing attention to itself. Fresh also has beautiful packaging and this product is no exception.

L'Oreal HIP Pigments

So, I've realized that it's not always possible or useful to wear a primer before putting eyeshadow on. There have been times that I've gone on vacation and left my primer at home or there have been times when I'm just not thrilled with adding that extra step into my makeup routine. Sometimes you want to put a colour on and go on with your day, am I right? Which leads me to the focus of this week: eye shadows that stay put without the aid of a primer. I'm picking my favourites here and they're going through rigorous testing for the most part: a full day out and about topped off with a 30 minute cardio workout (it's not that I put the shadow on to workout, just that I don't wash it off before hitting the elliptical). In my life this equates with a night out on the town - both can render your eyelids a greasy mess that should be avoided at all costs.

So we begin with a surprise winner: L'Oreal High Intensity Pigment Bright Shadow Duos.
I put on the lighter shade from the Flare duo (pictured above) and went on my way. I can sometimes pull of eyeshadow without a primer in the winter, but I did not expect to be able to do it in the summer time. Well with this pigment, I can! Really! No creasing, no smudging. Just pure colour without a mess all day long. I'm thinking of doing a smokey eye with one of these duos for a night out and I'm confident that it will work just as well.

Sneak Peek: Estee Lauder Signature Silky EyeShadow Duo

Estee Lauder is launching a slew of new products this July and among the bunch is a collection of Signature Silky Eyeshadow Duos. The idea of the line is to offer duos that you could wear daily and know that the duo you're buying is perfectly matched. Each compact features a light coloured shadow for the entire eyelid and a darker shade for lining and contouring the eye. There are choices for everyone in this line because it features cream shadows and shimmers, as well as warm and cool tones. The shadows really are unbelievably silky and smooth. If you find that you're at a loss when it comes to choosing makeup and you want new eyeshadow in everyday, wearable shades, check out the line - it comes out in JULY.

Canadian Beauty News: June 8, 2007

This week on Canadian Beauty news: a Philosophy product review, a few sneak peeks of products that you should see on shelves soon and a review of L'Oreal's HIP pigments. Here we go!
Philosphy - I love Grapefruit
Philosphy has introduced its own contender in the grapefruit scent of products - the I Love Grapefruit line. As can be predicted, the products smell like grapefruit but this scent is a little sweeter and definitely not as strong as the offerings by Fresh or The Body Shop. I love Philophy body butters, and if I was picking up a product, that one would be my choice. They are less greasy than most and still very thick.

Estee Lauder After Hours Collection - sneak peek.

Click on the picture to make it larger.

Estee Lauder fans, pay attention - come July, there will be a new collection to fawn over. The After Hours collection is meant to help you achieve a dramatic look. The line features some of the following products:

Pure Color Eyeshadows in Silver Moon, Pale Moon, and Mocha Cup (pictured, Pure Color Eyeshadow in Mocha cup, a shimmering greyish taupe)

Double Wear Stay-in-Place ShadowStick in Pink Pearl and Silver Pearl (shown: silver pearl)

Pure Color Lipstick in After Hours Red, Bois de Rose, Midnight Rose, and Midnight Pink (shown: Midnight Pink which is a pearly dark pink almost red colour)

Limited Edition Brilliant Shimmer All-Over Powder (pictured - large tri-coloured compact). [If you look closely at the picture above, you'll see that there's a large shimmery smudge near the powder - that's the colour it looks if you blend all three shades together. The three smaller smudges is each of the shades separately, with the lightest shade barely visible against the white of the paper. It's a goregeous opalescent colour that's perfect for any skintone. The whole compact gives a lovely coral-bronze glow to the skin that would be suitable day or night.) I adore this compact!

I think that this collection is perfect for the summertime weddings and night parties that might be coming your way. The dark mouth is easier to pull off with pale eyeshadows and the collection offers you reds and pinks to choose from in the lipstick category.

Stay tuned for more Estee Lauder product peeks coming later this week!


L'Oreal HIP Eyeshadows


FINALLY! These eye shadows are now available in Canada and can be found at your local Shoppers Drugmart! Above is the picture that I took of the eye shadows. They come in two formulae - Bright and Concentrated and I've labelled the picture so you know which formula the colours belong to. Both are excellent and give you great pigment payoff in just a few swipes. Click on the picture to see the eye shadows in all their beautifully pigmented glory. I especially love the gold in the Flare duo - it's got a hint of holographic orange in it and makes it stand out. I'll also be lining my eyes with the blues in the Showy duo. The best part is that they also come with a mirror that's tucked underneath the compact. I have to say that the mirror is really lux - it's full sized and a real mirror - an excellent addition for a drugstore product.


That's it for this week! Here's a preview of upcoming reviews and news here on Canadian Beauty:

- a sneak peek at more Estee Lauder products
- a bit on a highly anticipated perfume
- a full feature on a product that usually doesn't last in the summer heat

Stay tuned!

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!

NYC Sparkle Eye Dust

Maybe one of the best thing about NYC products is their price point - seriously, where else can I buy either an eyeshadow or a lipstick for less than $5 and they're both products that seriously perk up my mood and my lipstick wardrobe. Next time you're in the NYC makeup aisle, check out their Sparkle Eye Dust. It's shimmery, it's fun, and it comes in terrific colour including my favourite "Champagne" which can either be used to perk up the brown bone or on its own as an eye-opening colour. I've also used the purple shade on top of some black eyeshadow to create a brighter version of a smoky eye design. The colours are very shimmery, however, so keep that in mind when you're making your choice.

Note the fancy jar too. The top opens up and you stick your brush into this slender slot so that the powder doesn't fly everywhere and only gets on the tip of your brush. It's pretty cool and more companies should use the design for their loose powders.