Slimshines!

The MAC Slimshines were never limited edition and so they have been re-promoted! The original 13 shades are still there, along with 7 new ones. I myself just picked one up in Pleasing (a dark purplish-raspberry) and Scant (a neutral pink). Though I'm not usually a lipstick wearer, I love these because they have a glossy finish and stay on for so long. Get them at your MAC counter or at MAC's website.

CoverGirl Outlast Lipcolour

Cover Girl's Outlast Lipstick has been reformulated and now comes in more colours. I don't have a lot of experience with long-wear lipsticks so I was a little wary of trying this.

I tried it in a berry and nude shade, and I'm happy to say that I liked both! They dry to a slightly sticky finish and I would say that you should give the product a few minutes to completely dry since the results are so much better when you let the product set. Also, be careful in applying the stain. Make sure you pay attention to where you're putting it on, and don't go over areas too much or the colour may appear uneven.

Finally, the top coat is slick and moisturizing and seems to last for a long time. Best of all, even when the top coat wore off, I wasn't left with overly dry lips.

L'Oreal Color Riche Made for Me Naturals - and a reader giveaway!

It's not difficult to see why L'Oreal would want to come out with a whole collection of nude lip colours. The success of the Aishwarya Beige lipstick which I and my readers fawned over many times means that women are looking for a lipstick that gives them just a hint of colour and goes with anything else they wear. Red may have been fall's colour, but everyone needs a nude lipstick.

In any case, L'Oreal now presents a selection of nude lipsticks as part of their Made for Me Naturals collection. The line has a group of lipsticks and each one is for a different hair colour. It makes sense - if you have dark hair, your colouring might need a darker lipstick than someone with blonde hair.

There are many options from which to choose, which means that there's a good chance that you'll find the perfect colour.

And here's a little help from me via the contest that I said I was going to be running: I have 4 L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipsticks and I'll give them away to 2 readers (2 lipsticks each). If you want a chance at winning, just join the Canadian Beauty Facebook group. I'll pick two winners from the members of that group tomorrow!

Bobbi Brown Raspberry Collection

Bobbi Brown's Raspberry Collection is now on counters everywhere. The highlights (for me, at least) are the Pot Rouges and Lip Crayons. Lets start with the former:

The Pot Rouge is not a new product, but the new colours are fab - they are more vibrant than most of the other ones. The formulation rivals that of my favourite cream blush, MAC Blushcreme, but these seem to set to a more matte finish. They are very highly pigmented, which is a must for cream blushes. This means that they look good on even dark skin tones and you are not piling product on your skin.

The Bobbi Brown Lip Crayons are similarly fabulous. They are creamy glossy lipsticks.

My only concern is that when you sharpen them you inadvertently waste some of the product as the pencil is shaped into a point. Still - if you need something that can double as a liner, then this is an excellent way to go. I did not find the crayon to be drying at all and thank goodness, it comes with a sharpener.

Stila High Shine Lip Color

Wondering what the goodie is that you get using the Sephora Bounce Back card from Muzik?

Take your card to Sephora and they will give you a Stila High Shine Lip Color. It's a creamy formula that's more like a gloss than your regular lipstick. The lipstick retails for $23 Canadian, so the fact that you get it for free is a pretty great deal.

New Website

I went to the SheDoesTheCity launch party and it was a good time. Note to PR people on how to throw a good party: pick a hipster location, have enough appetizers to go around, and give out a cult favourite product in the goody bag. In this case: MAC Russian Red lipstick, which makes sense because red is the colour of the season for lips and is the one lipstick that every MAC fanatic should own. It is a blue-based red and quite vivid.


Also: know how to tell whether that bright lipstick you're wearing is blue or yellow based? Put the lipstick on and smile - if your teeth appear to be whiter then it's blue-based. If not, then it's yellow-based. Easy!

Dior Creme De Gloss

Creme de Gloss is the latest offering by Dior. Essentially, it's a lipstick that's liquid enough to come in a tube. It's as pigmented as a lipstick and wears like a lipstick too! Besides the packaging, the difference is that it is so smooth. There aren't a lot of colours available but with a mix of brights and neutrals (including an orange-based red), there's something for everyone. This is perfect for those holiday parties when you want to wear a lipstick but don't want to wear lipstick. Get yours wherever Dior products are sold.

Lip Colour that Stays On

I like L'Oreal Infallible Lipcolour so much that I put it in my purse so I can use it everyday. It's that good. This product was a freebie that I got in my L'Oreal Fashion Week Media Bag. The colour - Amethyst - is slightly darker than my lips which suits me just fine. It doesn't stay on the entire day, but does have the ability to get me through lunch which is what I am looking for. The thing is that I think that this lipcolour is not meant to be used with anything oily - put a regular lipbalm on top and you'll notice that the formula breaks down and wipes off. Therefore, how long this lip colour stays on depends entirely on what you eat. Have a few cups of coffee and chances are that it's going to stay on and look pristine. Eat bacon and eggs, and the grease will cut through the stuff and you'll need to apply a new coat. Keep this in mind when judging how long your Infallible Lipcolour stays on.

I think the packaging is sheer genius. The coloured base and the slick gloss come in one mirrored case, which means that you won't have to go hunting through your purse to find each component. The gloss made my lips feel moisturized and was glossy enough that it made me look like I was wearing a lip gloss.

This item is already in drugstores everywhere - oh, and they have a colour named Henna, a pinky brown neutral.

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!

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: August 17, 2007

TGIF - and today is new product day. Here's a review of what's just come out on shelves.

Benefit That Gal
Yup, this primer is now on shelves, and the good news is that though it's pink in the tube, it actually adds hardly any colour on to your face and ditto with the shimmer. Yes, I did find that it smoothed out my skin slightly and made it appear brighter, but it's not silicone -filled so it's not going to give you that super-smooth feeling like some other primers do.

Oh, and if you've been wondering about the packaging - this is basically a cream product. The top of the tube has little holes in it and when you twist the bottom the primer comes out of the holes (sort of the same idea as cream deodorant). I don't know why they picked this method of delivery rather than just putting the primer in a regular tube, but knowing Benefit I bet it has a lot to do with the sheer novelty of the packaging. In any case, there's nothing wrong with it, and though this is a makeup primer, I'd recommend it for those people that aren't going to wear any foundation on top since any brightening would likely be lost once this primer is covered up.

Fresh Sugar GlossThis is a conditioning gloss from cult brand Fresh. This gloss is a spinoff on the brand's popular Sugar lipbalm and it does smell, but not taste, like sugar. It's glossy and comes in nice colours so if you're already a fan of the Fresh brand, then have a look at this.

Bare Escentuals
A lipstick that's 100% natural? That's what Bare Escentuals is saying with their bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipcolor. The lipstick contains no preservatives or unnatural pigments and the company claims that this will prevent your lips from drying out or becoming irritated. The lipstick itself is very highly pigmented and comes in a selection of beautiful colours. My favourite is Gingersnap which is a brownish pink with gold shimmer in it, but I found many colours I liked in the collection and they wear beautifully. Definitely have a look at these if you're thinking of getting a new lipstick and want something that lasts.

Link Love

Preview Creative's fall lacquer collection before it hits stores.

Bronze is all the rage this summer. Get the how to here.

Skin Care Review : Zensation Healing and Soothing Mask

Top Model Makeup

Top model Coco Rocha says that she's going to be wearing a darker shade of lipstick come fall. This she tells to Style.com. Let's just take a minute to picture this top model walking into Sephora and sorting through all the lipsticks until she finds her favorite. Perhaps Ms. Rocha will be sporting her lipstick with office clothes like the ones featured on the Peter Som ready-to-wear Fall 2007 runway.

Or perhaps she will wear it with evening wear like Natalia Vodianova below for Vogue. Either look will be quite pretty for fall with minimalist eye makeup and an almost 40's approach to dressing.

Aren't you so excited for winter?

Yeah, me neither.

Though I'm no designer muse, I'm not evening thinking about fall right now and am content to wear the colours of now. For that reason, may I suggest a lovely neon hue to brighten both your mood and your makeup palette. I'm especially loving MAC Lipgelee in She-Boom! which is a lovely bright pink. Also nice but not as neon is Lancome's Juicy Tubes Tropiques in Strawberry Glass.

If you don't try anything else adventurous in the makeup department this season, I urge you to at the very least try on a very bright gloss. Make it blue-toned like the ones I've mentioned and it'll help make your teeth look brighter too! The overall effect can help pull you out of a makeup rut in a snap.

I'm not going to be even thinking about dark gloss until September or October but when I find the perfect one, I'll be sure to let you know.

Stellar

I just tried Lorac's Co-Stars and they're a must-buy in my book - Co-Stars is a long-lasting lipstick and it's pretty similar to some other options that are out there. What I love about Lorac's version though is the colour selection - all the colours offered are amazing. They're quite natural looking roses and pinks which means that you can't make a mistake. They don't look like long-wearing lipsticks when they're on your lips, they just look like rosy glosses. The guesswork of choosing a colour is eliminated and you know that even as the top coat wears off, what's left over is going to look natural enough. If you've been looking for a long-lasting lipstick but have had trouble finding the perfect colour (like me), I'm confident that Lorac will have what you're looking for.

Lancome Color Fever Shine

Buttery? Check. Smooth? Check. Creamy? Check!

What is it? Lancome's Color Fever Shine lipstick. Seriously, putting this on is like putting on a lip balm except that there's colour to it! It's not as sheer as you'd think - I got excellent colour payoff considering the creaminess of this lipstick and I absolutely love it. No stickiness, just a creamy smooth balm-like lipstick. You have to try it to see for yourself. My favourite colour is Tempt. Enjoy....

Canadian Beauty News: May 25, 2007

Toronto Week of Style

Wednesday marked the kick-off for Toronto Week of Style - I've mentioned it before, and the event is basically a slew of fashion shows of various themes. I went to the Bambumoda show on Wednesday. Bambumoda was supposed to be the show that would showcase trends that would be up and coming over the next few years. The clothes were nice, but I didn't really see evidence of what would be "in" later. It was more things that I had in my closet already so that was a little disappointing to say the least.

From a hair and make-up perspective, all I can say is that it was very current. Lots of gold eyeshadow and winged eyeliner. It was dramatic and fit the show itself. Below is a picture from the show - it came out a little fuzzy but it'll give you a general idea of the look that the show featured. To attend some of the shows and for more information, check out weekofstyle.com.


New and upcoming collections from MAC


You first heard about Tendertones and now there's more - June 11th will mark new collections from MAC, Sunstrip and Moonbathe. The latter is the most interesting because it's huge and features loads of new colours. Check out the list of new colours:

Lipstick

Sunmetal Warm bronze with silver pearl

Honey Moon Warm pink bronze with gold pearl

Solar Plum Berry with red and gold pearl

Eclipse Deep rust with gold pearl

Lipglass

Crescent Soft maple with gold pearl

Moonbathe Sheer tangerine with white and gold pearl

Dark Flower Warm plum pink and gold pearl

Elaborate Soft low karat gold with pearl

Small Eyeshadow

Cosmic Warm yellow gold with gold pearl

Saturnal Deep olive with gold pearl

Firespot Intense orange with gold pearl

Cranberry Reddish plum with pink shimmer

Claire de Lune Soft cream with pink pearl

Liquidlast Liner

Molten Sol Rich gold with intense metallic pearl

Point Black^® True black

Pro Lash

Coal Black^® Black

Sheertone Shimmer Blush

Afterdusk Sheer neutral pink with gold pearl

Other Wordly Warm yellow gold with gold pearl

Glimmershimmer

Astral Rays Sheer gold with white pearl

Ritzy Peachy bronze with gold pearl

Nail Lacquer

Fireball Intense tangerine with gold and orange pearl

Golded^® Soft peach with gold lay down

Lash

Sunsational Lashes Red metallic colour

I know that I can't wait to check out the blushes and lipglass! Anything with gold pearl is perfect for the summer since it warms up the skin and goes perfectly with a tan.

Revlon

I've mentioned a few times that slim glossy lipsticks seem to be the product du jour that all makeup lines are introducing and if you've been waiting for a drugstore product, check out the Revlon Super Lustrous Shiny Sheers. The formula itself is nice, but the problem I have with this collection is that every single shade has shimmer in it which makes it the least versatile of all the skinny lipsticks out there.

Still, you can't beat the price and if you were in the market for something with shimmer anyhow and you've liked the Super Lustrous glosses, then this might be something you'd like as well.

Great Beauty Reads

All Lacquered Up tells us how to get ready for sandal season and how to perfect and maintain a summer pedicure.

The Perfume Bee interviews Fragrant Fipperies' Patty Geisler.

Hello Dollface talks about the Pop Cherub collection from Lancome!

That's it for me! Have a great weekend, everyone!

MAC Slimshine

Slim slick lipsticks seem to be all the rage these days, and it would be unheard of for MAC to miss the trend, so they've introduced their own line. Slimshine is exactly what you'd expect it to be if all you had to go on was the name. It's a slim lipstick that's quite shiny! It comes in 16 beautiful colours that give you tons of options - there are neutrals and brights, creams and shimmers. The lipstick goes on very smoothly and as is expected with MAC, there's a great colour payoff. If you want a glossy lipstick for the summer, you should definitely check out this new line before it sells out!

Canadian Beauty News: May 11, 2007

The sun is out and shining and with the great weather come great new products and events!

Toronto - Global Capital of Style?

A couple of nights ago, I went to the Press Party for Toronto Week of Style. Happening in a couple of weeks, the week will feature fashion shows and styles aimed more at the public than the buyers of stores. The week is hosted by the Style Council of Canada and the shows are grouped by theme rather than designer. Bambumoda, for example, will showcase the trends coming up in the next 4 or 5 years, while Fashion Fringe will be more about undiscovered talent from all over the world. There will also be a Denim show, a show for swimwear, for lingerie, and best of all, one for pop culture.

I have to say that the best part of the whole event is that bloggers are given the same amount of respect as the rest of the media. Great seats, personalized attention, and complete lack of snobbery were features of the press party and made me glad that I had gone. This is likely the first of many posts that I'll write covering the event, so stay tuned!

Oh, and associated with Toronto Week of Style, is a campaign that says that Toronto is the Global Capital of Style. Is it? What do you think?

New Products from Duwop!

Duwop has expanded its product line and those products are finally in stores this week.

Lets begin with the E-lix-r-stix. Basically a pen filled with a gloss that tastes sort of like a cookie. These have a runny consistency sort of like Cargo's Purse Gloss but also go on smooth and semi-sheer. They come in 4 great colours that look natural on. I tried, I liked!

Next comes Blushbooster, meant to be layered on top of regular blush to add shine or... I don't know, layer on more blush? Really, I don't know why they'd call this Blush booster when it's pretty much just a regular blush. It comes in nice colours, has a smidge of shimmer (not too much), and goes on smoothly. It's not so sheer that you have to layer on tons to get good colour payoff, but it's not ultra-bright either.

Finally, there's Duwop Realipstick which is a nice normal glossy lipstick that comes in neutral tones only.

Overall, the new products add to Duwop's reputation of having products that provide a natural look. The products they offer are good and if you want lipsticks or blushes that look natural on your skin, and if you want a line that offers everyday basics in flattering colours, then Duwop is the line for you.

Laura Gellar Now IN

I know that there are those of you out there that may have had an eye on Laura Gellar products that have until now only been sold online or on TSC. Well, Sephora now has a truncated version of the line available - they have her most popular products in! The Spackle Trio, and Lip and Eye Spackle Duo are both in stores.

I also spotted the Bronze-N-Brighten, though for the life of me, I can't figure out why this is so popular. I'm not saying that it's not a good bronzer and that it won't brighten up your skin. I am just not wowed by the whole marbled compact marketing campaign. Look, once your swirl your brush in (or run your finger through) the compact, you basically end up with a shimmery pinkish bronze that you then dust on your face. Well, wouldn't putting that pinkish bronze shade (already blended, I mean) in a compact be a better idea because it would give you more consistent colour? Why the marbling? Oh, and don't even bother telling me that I can pick out just the pink or the brown and use them as eye shadows - who would actually do that? Anyway, perhaps you will like the pinky-bronze colour that this compact yields and let me know if you do. The powder itself is smooth and easy to apply.

New Estee Lauder Collection!

Listen up - Tom Ford has designed his final collection for Estee Lauder and Holt Renfrew is now taking advance orders for it!

The collection is called Azuree Soleil and has a range of pinky-plummy colours, called Soiree, and then a range of more bronze shades, called Bronzee. As can be expected from Estee Lauder, the formulations are amazing.

If you've been looking for a highlighter that's not too shimmery, you must check out The Face Sheen which goes on so smoothly and has just the right amount of shimmer and gloss.

Tom Ford has also created a new scent to go with the collection - it's called Tom Ford Azuree Soleil. Finally, a summer fragrance that doesn't smell like suntan oil or a margarita. The Estee Lauder website says that there are notes of Sandalwood, Gardenia petals, Coconuts, and Orange Blossom, among other things, but I couldn't recognize any of those when I smell it. To me, it just smells of the ocean and it's a nice pleasing scent - not too fresh and not too warm.

Great Beauty Reads

Ageless in Los Angeles talks about new Prom beauty.

All Lacquered Up tells us about the chemicals in nail polishes.

Pretty By Nature tells us about PhytoOrganics - a hair care line from Nexxus.


Alrighty, well that's all for this week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Canadian Beauty News: April 27, 2007

This week, some lovely new summer products are now in, so here's a rundown of what's on shelves and what's worth a peek:

Dior Event and Products:

I had a chance to go down to Holt Renfrew and took part in one of their Beauty Cuisine events, one run by the Christian Dior counter (the event continues all weekend) and was thoroughly impressed. My makeup was touched up by one of their national make-up artists (the girl who did mine was Erica, and she was really good), who knew all the products inside and out.

I had a bit of bronzer put on me from the new Dior Bronze Sun Couture palette and I loved the effect. Instead of being too orange or shimmery, my skin looked glowy and the tan was reddish because the darkest shade of the palette was used. The lip gloss is also really nice and matches tanned skin beautifully. This palette is now in stores, so if you're in the market for a beautiful bronzer, my pick is this one.

Dior has also added to their backstage collection by adding a line of blushes and eyeshadows. Check out the Pro Cheeks Ultra-Radiant Blush and Eye Show. Both products use the new mousse technology that we're seeing in all cosmetics these days. The formulations are nice and the products are smooth to feel. The blushes have shimmer but with the exception of the colour on the left (called Limelight) they don't have that much shimmer in them. The eyeshadows do, but that's to be expected I suppose. If you like Dior and you're a fan of mousse blushes and eyeshadows, you will probably like these products too!

New Benefit Line

Hate though I do their packaging, I love Benefit and could not wait to check out their new collection that just came out. Included in the line is a new kind of lipstick in many colours, 3 new blushes, and a range of cream shadow/liner.

The star of the collection is most definitely the Silky-Finish Lipstick. Before I had a chance to see the lipstick I thought that it would be something silicon-based and would glide on to my lips. It's not silicon-based and it's not really silky-finished either. This lipstick is more of a gloss with a medium amount of pigment in it. Like all glosses, the colour can be worn sheer or at full potential and the lipsticks have a high amount of shine and absolutely no stickiness. I truly had a difficult time finding a favorite colour because they're all amazing! Because the lipsticks go on so sheer, I found that I could pull of a variety of colours, from reds to raisins, neutrals to nudes. In the end, I found that my favorite colour was Candy Store which was a pink with a nice copper shimmer in it. Still, like I said, the colour selection is awesome and the lipstick goes on sheer and glossy so chances are that you'll find something you like too!

The blush is nice but it's a pretty standard cream-to-powder formula, and the Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner is a good option if you've been looking for a creaseless shadow that comes in dark colours. The pots that the shadows are in are pretty big too, so you do get bang for your buck.

Fragrance Winner

The 2007 Canadian Fragrance Awards were last night, and Tom Ford Black Orchid won the award for "Best Luxe Launch"! Congratulations Tom Ford Perfumes!







British Line Launched in Canada

Last week, I was flipping through this month's Glow magazine and I saw that Shoppers Drug Mart will not be selling No. 7 and Botanics in their stores. The advertising campaign says that this is a popular British line that is finally coming to Canada!

"Meh," say I.

Let me break it down for you: Boots is a British drug store much like our own Shoppers Drug Mart except perhaps more widespread as the market in England is larger. Both the No. 7 line and the Botanics line is Boots own line of products. There's nothing wrong with that, but what it means is that they're pretty much the same as Shopper Drug Mart's own Life Brand and Quo makeup lines.

Why Shoppers would want to peddle the products of other drug stores is absolutely beyond me. They're introducing a line that competes directly with their own! All the lines usually carry cheaper imitations of regular products - for example Quo has a makeup primer that is a lot like the Smashbox one - it even comes in a similar-looking bottle. No. 7 (the makeup line) and Botanics (body care) usually play by those same rules - they'll have imitation bronzers, self-tanners, serums, etc. that are cheaper and packaged to fool you into thinking they're the same. How they stack up against the products they copy is yet to be determined but you get the idea.

The British brands are also offered south of the border, but I still don't see what the fuss is about. Yes they're good but they're not exactly anything revolutionary. If I'm going to buy a cheap(er) drugstore brand of anything (and I do once in a while) I'm going to be sticking to the Canadian Life Brand or even Quo.

Great Beauty Reads:

Elke reviews the Nivea Microdermabrasion Kit.

eBeauty Daily tests the GlowFusion spray tanner.

Ageless in Los Angeles tells us about the PureOlogy Serious Colour Hair Products To Help Fight Ovarian Cancer.


That's all for this week! I'm going to continue to review a few more coloured mascaras next week so I'll be back to reviewing those tomorrow! If you haven't seen the mascaras reviewd so far, click here to see the coloured mascara reviews! Have a lovely weekend.

Lipstick with Water

When Almay advertises that its new lipstick has more water in it than any other, I have to believe it. Almay Hydracolor lipstick is the coolest lipstick that I have ever tried. When you put it on your lips, it feels like you're wetting them with water! There's no cooling sensation - your lips really and truly feel wet YET when you look at them in the mirror, they look like they're just been coated with regular lipstick! It's pretty amazing. The colours offered in this new lipstick are sheer and very pretty, so I suggest you try them out and pick one up if you haven't already, if only for the amazing sensation of coating your lips with water. For real: you have to try this one out for yourself.

Canadian Beauty News: March 23, 2007

Yes, after a week's absence due to L'Oreal Fashion Week here in Toronto, Canadian Beauty News is back!

Product News

There's a new celebrity lipstick colour out at MAC but it hasn't been as heavily promoted as some of the other lines - it's a colour by Paulina Rubio. The colour itself isn't available at stores here in Canada, but you could have ordered it from the MAC website (Canadian or American), but it is now sold out. The shade is called Rubia and it seems to be a shade that would work well for women who have warm undertones to their skin.

Colour aside, the launch of this lipstick sheds some light on the nature of celebrity-endorsed/inspired colours, at least for MAC.

About the new colour, Rubio says:

"I was thrilled when M.A.C approached me to create a new shade of lipstick and I instantly thought it should be a bold, vibrant matte lipstick that will look sexy on all women."

It's interesting because the colour is anything but bold and on the MAC site, it's described as being: "Midtone brown peach with gold pearl (Lustre)" Certainly not bold by any stretch. Perhaps Rubio wanted a bold colour and MAC decided to do a colour that would look good on Rubio and the majority of Latin women (who presumably would want the lipstick because of its namesake). I've long suspected that celebs have almost no say in the shades inspired by them, and this seems to indicate just that.

In other product launch news, Stila's Spring Collection is now out! Personally, I don't think that it's anything exciting - there are three eyeshadow palettes. Each one focuses on one colour and has three eyeshadows in varying intensities of that colour. There's a palette of pink eyeshadows, green eyeshadows, and blue eyeshadows. They all have coordinating Kajal Eyeliner, so there's a shimmery rose , a shimmery green, and a shimmery blue colour. If I wanted to add a punch of colour to my look, I'd pick up one of the pencils and use that, but to each his own - let me know if you like the collection and how you plan to incorporate it into your look. As always, the new collection is available at Holt Renfrew stores across Canada.


Reader Question

This week, I had a reader ask a question through the comments:

Hey Henna!I was wondering if you've ever heard of/used Imju Fiberwig
mascara? Do you know when it can be bought in Canada? (Called Sephora, they said no)Thanks!

After doing some research, it seems that the mascara is a Sephora exclusive here in North America. What that means is that chances ar