MAC Family and Friends Event!

MAC has been having a family and friends event where you can get 15% off if you bring in a coupon to the store, but now this offer is available online too!

The offer lasts today online, and the offer code is MACFF8. Head on over there now!

And if you don't already, sign up for MAC's newsletter so you can find out when they have sales and free-shipping offers.

The 411

I know that summer is officially here because my inbox is packed with invites to events around the city and on the web! Here's the 411 on what's going on and what's worth checking out. Ready? Here we go.


My friends Danielle and Carolyn have started a fun fashion site called RagsandMags which is basically about two fictional characters and their interaction with real world fashion events. It's pretty cool and witty and Danielle has done all the illustrations for it. Anyway their newest feature is to figure out what to wear to crash the Much Music Video Awards and they've asked readers to help them. The prize is pretty sweet, so head on over to their contest page to find out more!

As we're all probably painfully aware, Father's Day is fast-approaching, and quite honestly I find fathers to be especially difficult to shop for! Gosh just thinking about it kind of stresses me out, but here's a little something that your father might like by Every Man Jack. Please share, what on earth are you planning to get your dad for Father's Day?


Also, LIFT Beauty Boutique in Yorkville is raising money for cancer research on June 12th.. They're hosting an event where you can get all dolled up for a cover charge of $25, all of which goes towards Cancer Research. Peep the flier below and head to the event if you get a chance.


Nothing beats a good sale, and though there are many of them right now, RK is having a one-time only warehouse sale from June 12th to 16th so if you're looking for work clothes, head on over.

Also, the L'Oreal sponsored Luminato festival has officially kicked off and there are some fun beauty events happening as part of it! The festival is taking part in Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto, and from June 6th to 11th L'Oreal Paris will have a booth there where you can get your makeup done before you head over to the many cultural events taking place in the city. Eddie Maleterre will be there doing makeup so if you want to feel like a model at Toronto Fashion Week getting her makeup done, head on over and sit in his chair.

Biotherm is also having a cool-sounding event called Re-Energize and Feel Good during Luminato and its event will take place from the 13th to the 15th. In the words of the people at Biotherm: "Each visitor will select a “recharging” activity, ranging from an energizing pressure point hand treatment to street-art-inspired painting on a wall especially created for the occasion. Visitors will also be treated to personalized skin diagnosis along with the opportunity to obtain free skincare samples." Head over to this website to find out more information.

If you're a fan of Cake Beauty, you'll want to mark June 16th on your calendar because they're hosting a fantastic event called Beauty Bling and Bubbly in the distillery. The event co-hosted by Foxy Originals, the jewelry company, so if you're a fan of fun original pieces and want to support Habitat for Humanity, head on over to the site and rsvp (it says by June 6th but you might still be able to get in). I'll be there too, so let me know if you're going to stop by!

And speaking of Bling, I went to the launch party of this jewelry store called Made You Look on Queen St. West. All the jewelry is made in Toronto and some of it is even made on the premises in the store's studio! I was really impressed by the stuff they had, and what's great is that they work with precious metals such as gold and silver and you can also find pieces with precious stones in it! The jewelry is anything but junk and is a great destination place if you really want something original.

Phew, have I given you enough to do?

Origins Family and Friends Event!

Origins is having a Family and Friends event where you can save 25%!

The offer is good in Canada and the U.S. so head over to their website to order online. Offer code is: 0508FF

You can also sign up for their mailing list which will allow you to print out a coupon that they email you. Enjoy!

Bliss Sale

Blissworld.com is having a huge sale that ends on Feb. 24th. Many of the products are more than 50% off which means amazing savings. If you've always wanted to try some of their products, this is the time. And yes, it seems that they do ship to Canada.

Stila Winter Sale - 50% Off

Stila is having another sale. The products listed are 50% off, and I would suggest that you get one of their palettes if you've never had one. Their Kitten shadow is a cult favourite, and if you've always wanted to try it, get a Perfectly Kitten set for $25.60 (American) and it's a steal. Click on the flier to see the offerings. And yes, they only ship to America.

Smashbox Deal

This Smashbox deal from Ulta is ridiculously good. $9.99 for all the things in the picture.

Stila Warehouse Sale!

Um, best sale ever!

Link fixed, try now.

Tarte's Family and Friends Event

Tarte is having an awesome sale - 35% off! What a great time to stock up on stocking stuffers or cult favourites (like their cheek stains) for the beauty addict in your life.

Canadian Beauty news: June 22, 2007

It's been an exciting week here at Canadian Beauty - there's a new look to the site and it's not quite perfect yet, so we're still fiddling with it. I've received feedback from quite a few of you this week saying that you like the new look and I'm glad - I like it too! Thanks so much for all your support, comments, questions, and general feedback these past few months! And now for what else is new...

Body Shop Sale

The Body Shop is having a huge sale right now! They are selling many of their limited edition products at discounted prices (up to 75% off on some items) or at "buy one get the other half off". Products on sale include Runny Honey shower gel, and Peach Body Butter. If you're a fan of the Body Shop, you should stop by and stock up on the goods!

Chat with Eve's Makeup Artist

I don't normally listen to Eve's music but I do know that she's a MAC Viva Glam representative and it's come to my attention that they've used selections from MAC's latest makeup collection - C-Shock - for her new video Tambourine. Below is my favourite look.
For Eve's look, her makeup artist, JJ, used the following products:

Eyes: Saddle Eye Shadow, Electric Eel Eyeshadow, and Bang on Blue Eyeshadow, Technikohl pencil in Auto-de Blue
Cheeks: Fancy Ray Creme Blush
Lips: Cork pencil, Mega lipstick, Overrich lipstick (C-Shock collection)

I'm a fan of the bright eye makeup and the pale but natural looking lips. I might use the teal eyeshadow (Big T from the C-Shock collection) or liner instead of the blue here and try the same products for the lips.

What amazes me is that teal eyeshadow or liner always makes its way into a few summer collections every year. I've been sporting summertime aqua liner since high school and I still remember the comment I got from my sister when I showed it to her: "Going for the 'natural' look, eh?" Still, I love that bright pop of colour that goes especially well with a tan. Teal eyeshadow for the summer - count on it. It's one of the rare truisms of our time.

But that's not all. MAC is hosting a special event for its loyal fans.

MAC is hosting a live chat with JJ, Eve's makeup artist, from 5:00pm to 6:00 pm EST on WEDNESDAY, June 27, 2007! All you have to do is go to http://www.maccosmetics.com/EVE. Log in and talk to JJ - he used to be a MAC artist so you can ask him any makeup application questions you might have or ask him questions about the look that he's done on Eve! If you decide to check this event out, let me know how it went!

Gloves in a Bottle

You may have already heard about this product and I've given it a thorough testing before reviewing it: it's Gloves in a Bottle. The product is a shielding lotion and basically consists of silicons that not only relieve your hands of any topical dryness but also prevent them from getting dried out further. It's an excellent alternative to regular hand creams because it's not at all greasy and it dries and absorbs into your hands very quickly. I always have it on hand because I can put it on and then continue with my day. You can purchase the lotion online here.

Reader Questions:

I got the following question from C:

I am looking for a matte eyeshadow in a peachy/pinky/nude colour. My favourite shade is in the L'oreal quad "Woodrose", but I don't use the other 3 colours. I find it extremely hard to find a matte shadow, with absolutely no shimmer or sparkle. I have been told by a cosmetician at my local Shoppers Drug Mart to try MAC, but MAC is not sold in my city, and I am hesitant to buy online. Any other suggestions?

Well, C, I can give you a product that I have used in the past as a nude eyeshadow - it has great staying power and works nicely as a base to other eye makeup. Try L'Oreal Wear Infinite eye shadow single in colour 801 Sandy Shores. It's a light beige and goes on a little more lightly than the colour you see in the pan. I hope you're able to find it!

Next week I will be talking about my favourite eye shadows that stand up to the summer heat and stay on even without a primer!

I also got a request to suggest a face mask for oily/combination skin and in a couple of weeks I'll talk about my favourite masks to use in the summer!

Great Beauty Reads

A Touch of Blusher talks about Western skin care vs. Japanese skin care.

Michelle from All Lacquered Up discusses the summer nail trends and picks her favorites.

Elke finds some great bath & soap products.

One last thing...

I am wearing what is quite possibly the cutest outfit ever today. I've received innumerable (that's right, innumerable) compliments while I was out and about town! The dress is from Urban Outfitters and though it's long enough that one could wear it on its own, I had a luncheon
to attend today so I wore it with the leggings which are from American Apparel. This led many people to comment "love your top...er..dress...or top....". Anyway, I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and enjoys the sunshine!

Canadian Beauty News: January 9, 2007

I have a few tidbits to share so here we go!

First: are you lusting after the Spring 2007 Chanel collection? Well, here's a hint - just because it's not on display doesn't mean that you can't buy it. A trip to Holt Renfrew had the Sales Associate leading me behind the counter and opening up a drawer with the new items in it. Noir Ceramic? Still some left and available for purchase before the collection is officially released in Canada (and no, I didn't slip her a fiver to get her to sell it to me).

Second: Stila? Not coming out with a new collection until APRIL. I know.

Third: If you're too scared to go into Holt's to try on makeup and peruse, don't be! Despite Holt Renfrew's reputation for having snobby sales people, the makeup counter people in there are so friendly and I've been going in there since I was a teenager, so I know. This trip had a Bobbi Brown associate leading me to a Dior makeup artist for a lipgloss recommendation. That's sort of unheard of in the makeup department.
(Except if you're in England where the sales people not only tell you where a bonus is being offered, but give you directions to the store!)

Fourth: There's a Guerlain store on Bloor Street and if you like perfumes you have to check it out. Guerlain re-released a series of vintage perfumes and in the whole of North America, they're only available at the Toronto store. Again, friendly and knowledgeable sales people make the trip worthwhile, and because this is the only place you can get these perfumes, you know that they're originals.

Fifth: Speaking of perfumes, the downtown Toronto branch of Holt's also sells Creed perfumes. Thus far, you've only been able to buy them online but it's sometimes difficult to buy perfumes without smelling them first. Well now you can buy that scent crafted for a French queen after you've had a sniff. They actually started carrying the line last year and the salesman there is friendly as well. Check it out!

Sixth: You may have heard that MAC has changed it's policy on returning 6 empties. You can now get either a lipstick or an eyeshadow or a lipglass. Canadian readers - this only applies to stand-alone MAC stores and MAC-pro stores and not to the ones that are in the Bay. For stand-alone stores near you, check the MAC website.

Last: Body Shop is having a huge sale with some items being sold at up t 75% off. All their leftover Chrismas stock is going so if you liked something from the collection, you can stock up on it now.

And that's all for this week!

Shoppers Sale

This might just be the time to get products that you've been craving, such as a lux new moisturizer for the winter. I, myself, am a fan of Lancome's Aqua Fusion Cream-Gel which is lightweight moisturization that really works.

Also, yesterday I was at my local Shoppers Drug Mart and saw that they were setting up the Clinique counter! So now you can purchase Clinique products there too! I'm craving the Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliating Cream which I tried out recently and I found that it is lovely.

Happy shopping!

Bonus From Sephora!

Yes! Sephora is giving out an amazing 10-piece deluxe sample bag with every purchase of $50 US or more and the offer is availble in Canada! Go to Sephora.com and enter AMAZING4 at checkout. Note that the offer is only available online.

Click on this image to see what's included!

Note that this is your chance to try out many Holy Grail items such as the Smashbox Foundation Primer, Urban Decay Primer Potion, and Philosophy Amazing Grace Shower Gel! And incase you need help spending your $50, here are some great items that either make great stocking stuffers for any girl on your list, or great presents to have incase you get an unexpected present from a friend. All these products will work on every skintone so buy without fear.

Firstly, every girl loves a new luxury mascara. This year, give either the Dior Diorshow Mascara or Lancome Fatale. Either one makes a great stocking stuffer.

Next, try a palette that suits everyone: The Benefit Weathergirl Palette. The golden hued eye-shadows are very in this season and the neutral lip is great for everyday. Another one to try is the Pout Masque du Jour Palette which features smokier eye-shadows but nice neutral lip and cheek colours.

Then, there are gifts for the party person on your list: get the Federic Fekkai Sparkling Shimmer Spray (for your hair) or the Bliss Spaahh-kling Body Butter. Both are a luxurious way to shimmer into the night.

Finally, if you're in the festive mood, you can't go wrong with the Philosophy The Ski House set. It features a cocoa-scented body wash (it really does smell like rich chocolate cocoa), marshmallow body souffle, and pepperment flavoured pink lipbalm. This is a set that'll warm you up when you come in from the cold.

There you have my picks for great Christmas presents. Each is under $50 yet evokes a feeling of luxury and good-will. This sale might also be a great time to stock up for birthdays or the new year. Happy Sephora Shopping!

(All pictures courtesy of Sephora.com)