Navy Polish

I'm wearing OPI's Light My Sapphire, and I have to say that regardless of all the hoopla about navy polishes, from afar this one just looks like black. So: why even bother purchasing a new colour when it looks just like what I already have? My all time favourite dark polish is still Lincoln Park After Dark.

Interlude

Last week, I keept trying to describe the exact colour of the OPI nail polish called "Happy Anniversary". I found a suitable picture online but it wasn't really what the polish looks like in real life and on the nails. And then I found a spitting likeness of the overall multi-coloured yet silveryness of the nail polish in the unlikeliest of places - on the head Pussycat Doll. See below: the dress she is wearing is exactly like the OPI polish.

Oh, and being able to show you the exact colour has given me an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. Plus the dress is nice also.

Canadian Beauty News: April 20, 2007

Well the weather here in Toronto has warmed up a little, and summer cosmetic collections are on their way, but unfortunately not much has hit the counters yet on this side of the border. Here's a rundown of what's new in stores and fresh on the shelves:

New Nail Polish:

OPI's new summer collection has been spotted! Hard to find in spas and nail shops, the best place to get the newest colours is Trade Secrets! Featuring a mix of dark and light colours the collection has everything you could want for spring and summer. My favourite colour is "I Only Drink Champagne" which is a light gold shade that shows up as almost white on the nail. I also love the shimmery silvery "Happy Anniversary" shade from their 25th Anniversary collection. It has multi-coloured shimmer in it but when you put on two coats, it shows up as silver. A pretty fun shade for the summer. To the right is a picture of it, but the shade is much nicer in real life.

Benefit's New Collection

New products from Benefit have also hit shelves or will later this week for some stores. The problem I found was that testers were still unavailable so I was unable to really get a glimpse of any of the colours or try any of their new products so I'll have to post an update later.

Look Fab Studio

Last week I talked about the Look Fab Studio that opened on the 13th in downtown Toronto. Has anyone had a chance to check it out for themselves? Thoughts? Experiences? Share them in the comment section below. You all know that I was blown away by the studio but I'm interested in knowing what other people might think.

Reader Questions:

A couple of weeks ago, M asked me the following question:

One quick question, do you know if i can buy Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque here in Toronto.

After a bit of searching, I came upon the mask in a health food store. My suggestion would be to check out the health food store in your neighborhood and see if they carry it. Because many of these stores are quite small and sometimes family run, they might be able to bring in the mask if you request it.

I also received this question last week from H:

I have dark undereye circles and after reading a number of reviews, decided to purchase the Bobbi Brown corrector and concealer kit (as well as the undereye moisturiser). I even e-mailed a Bobbi Brown makeup artist. I am following the application instructions religiously, but still end up with the product drying into a powdery finish and settling into fine lines. I never thought I had a lot of lines around my eye area, but when I laugh or smile, the product now highlights these lines. (I even e-mailed a Bobbi Brown makeup artist and I have had no joy following her instructions.)

The product seems to work for many people and I would love to know the secret.

I too have heard so many things about the Bobbi Brown corrector and concealer. It's hard not to buy into the hype. Bobbi Brown is great at what she does for the most part, the products are flawless. That said, the one thing that bothers me about the Bobbi Brown makeup counter is that they don't offer any samples. You can try the stuff on but there's no telling whether you will be able to duplicate the same look at home, and whether the foundation or concealer you tried on will look good in the lights you have at home.

I think that the concealer and corrector combo is nothing out of the ordinary. Why do I need two products to do the job of one? Theoretically, the corrector is just going to mix into my concealer when I put it on, right? So why can't I just have a concealer that fixes what the corrector would have?

As for the product settling into lines - I feel that the problem is that the concealer is just too creamy. The concealer is so creamy that it needs to be used with a powder which could just make it into a paste which then settles into fine lines. My advice is to try skipping the under-eye cream which may be adding to the creaminess of the concealer. Save the cream for night time and hopefully it will make a difference. Without the cream, you may not need to add powder on top of your concealer so see if you can go without it. If it still creases, then try it with the powder. If you still see creasing, try a different powder such as MAC Blot Powder which is specifically meant to reduce oil and shine. I use it to set my makeup and find that it lasts a long time.

Finally, if that doesn't work - ditch the Bobbi Brown products. I know it's hard because they're so expensive, but there are plenty of cheaper concealers out there on the market, so you might not feel bad doing it, if you can find a stellar replacement. I swear by MAC Select Cover Concealer and have never had a creasing problem with it. I hope that helped, but keep me posted on your results!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Black Nail Polish

Dear Readers,

I feel like it's time to re-assess the black nail polish trend. Are you still wearing black nail polish? Should you be? And if you haven't bought a bottle already, is it worth buying one now?

Though the trend seems to be on its way out, I am still seeing celebrities and regular people wear black nail polish south of the border. Up here in Canada, it's much the same. To me, what that means is that black nail polish is definitely still "in" if only for a few more months.

There seems to be an abundance of black nail polish bottles available in stores which sends me mixed messages - it could be that people aren't buying the polish anymore because the market has been saturated which means that everyone is wearing black nail polish which means that the trend isn't as cool as it used to be. What it also means is that if everyone is wearing it then you can wear it too.

The other thing to consider is that it's now spring and we're quickly moving into summer. Wearing something so dark just doesn't go with the breezy dresses and cotton pants that we're going to be wearing. Tunic tops and dark nails? Sure, it's a match of opposites but the mood just doesn't feel right to me.

So where does one go from here?

Well, it's been forcasted that the next new trend will be silver nails (or any metallic if you don't like silver). The only problem is that I've looked everywhere for a nice silver polish and I've had a hard time finding a good one. The only good choices lie in OPI's Birthday Collection which has two shades of silver in it though both are rather light. For the summer it might be a good idea to opt for a light gold or a light silver instead of something dark.

Still want to be more au courant than the rest of your friends? Opt for a navy blue hue instead of black or dark. Navy blue polish is pretty much impossible to find and therein lies the rub. Solution? Remember Trind Nail Brightener? Well slick on two coats on top of your regular black polish and the ultraviolet will turn that black into a dark blue colour. Problem solved!

It seems that now is a transition time - anything goes. Wear a dark polish but if you don't want to then you're not horribly out of style either. Wear something metallic and you're already on the next trend. Wear blue and you're daring. Wear nothing at all and call it giving your nails a break. In any case, I have a feeling that nothing will be as big of a fashion accessory as black nail polish was in its prime back in Fall.

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.