Come Shop!

ChickAdvisor is hosting yet another shop crawl, and this one promises to be the best ever because it's on Queen West, an area that's full of fun and interesting stores with clothes that you really can't find anywhere else in Toronto. My favourite shop is Moda, which carries Vero Moda, a brand that's both trendy, good quality, and not too expensive.

The Shop Crawl is on Thursday, May 29th from 6-9pm and includes great discounts, prizes, and a meetup culminating the shopping. Get your ticket here.

Mother's Day Spa Day

If you're in Toronto, you may want to take advantage of this great spa deal from Vikaspa, one of Toronto's best spas! $250 for a whole afternoon at the spa. This is a great deal because usually just one of these services can cost you over $100, so if you're still scrambling for presents, this is a great option.

If you have your own ideas for presents, let me know in the comments!

Microdermabrasion

Lets talk about a cosmetic procedure that’s quite common and can be done by people of almost all ages: microdermabrasion.

The old kind of microdermabrasion was done using aluminum crystals that were put on the skin and pushed around to slough off the dead skin. The crystals were then vacuumed off (and sometimes recycled to be used again).

You’ve probably heard of aluminum crystals before. Cosmetic companies began to use them in over-the-counter sloughing creams that were often used with a hand-held scrubbing device. Remember Susan Lucci? She used to shill for one on television. The problem with these over the counter creams was that the aluminum crystals are so small that they’re liable to clog pores. Since there’s no sucking that’s taking place, as in a professional’s office, this was something that many people using the drugstore “microdermabrasion” kits saw.

Microdermabrasion has changed now, namely in that there's Diamond Microdermabrasion that is cleaner, and super efficient.

Now, there’s a ring-shaped head that’s attached to a machine that sucks up dead skins. The head has crushed up diamonds on it and they’re smoothed over the skin to take off dead skin which is instantly sucked up by the machine. Doing your entire face can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes and there’s virtually no redness or discomfort during or after the treatment. Your skin is instantly clearer and brighter.

Because you’ve taken off the top layer, any skin cream that you use afterwards will be more effective.

If you live in the Toronto area, I highly recommend Skinovation.

Model Search by Ford Models

Peep the flier below and if you end up going, I want to hear from you!

Guess Who I Ran Into?!?

Today at Shoppers Drug Mart, I ran into Elizabeth Grant!!!!

She was shopping with her daughter and was so nice. She told me to watch her on The Shopping Channel on the 21st because she's going to be showing her accessory line.

I have to say that she looked much younger in person and overall she looked just as she does on television.

It was kind of cool to run into someone who you only know from years of TV-watching!

Skinovation

Trust me I know - it is hard to find a unique concept in the cosmetic industry. There's just so much out there - celebrity endorsements, celebrity perfumes, celebrity makeup lines, anti-aging everything, and now with cosmetic surgery and procedures having made huge strides in the industry, it's even more difficult to figure out what works for you and what doesn't. Besides blogs and more traditional media outlets where can you turn for help?

You have to go to Skinovation, run by Noah Kiani, a cosmetic consultant. You tell him your skin problems and what you want to fix, and he'll tell you how to do it. He's basically like your own personal skin expert. If you want to try a cosmetic surgical procedure, he can help you find a good doctor and he'll even accompany you to appointments so that there's someone there to ask the right questions and make sure you're getting the treatment and answers you need.

His office is located at St. Clair and Yonge and believe me when I say that he knows his stuff. He correctly pointed out to me that physical scrubs don't really do as much for your face as chemical exfoliaters can, and he really really knows about all the latest ingredients! That is exactly what we need more of these days - people knowing what the active ingredients are and how to use them properly.

If you're scared that you might be bullied into getting a service that you don't really need, don't worry even a bit. I complained about the light acne scaring that I had along my jawbone and instead of trying to sell me a product or a service, he said that from where he was sitting, he couldn't see anything at all.

All in all, visiting Skinovation was a comfortable experience! I left educated and more knowledgeable about some of the procedures that are available today. If you want to book an appointment for yourself, call 416 928 0397.

I've got more to say about skin procedures and I learned so much at Skinovation that you'll be hearing more about it soon! In the mean time - got anything to add? Let me know in the comments.

Get Bronze

The sun is shining which means that winter is officially gone! Yesterday I saw people in shorts and T-shirts, and although I used to laugh at such optimistic behaviour, I have to admit that I started to wear flip flops as soon as the temperature hit the double digits.

I know that for many of you, revealing more skin is either on your mind already or will be soon. Some of you will want a summer glow before summer even hits, and as always, I would say that self-tanners are the way to go in that department.

Whether you like a real tan or a fake one, tanning salons can sometimes be unsavory places to visit in the city - they are usually in plazas or strip malls, sometimes require you to clean your own area, and can generally be places where you don't want to run into acquaintances.

All that is changing thanks to a new Toronto bronzing location called Bronzeado. It's a tanning salon/spa which means that it's ultra-lux, very clean, and has great service.


Besides having lots of new efficient tanning beds, I think that the best part is that they offer spray tans too, and from what I've seen, they are the best in the city. When you sign up to get a spray tan from Bronzeado, you not only have someone giving you a perfectly even tan, they first give you a scrub so that there's no dead skin, and they make sure that none of the tanning solution gets left on your hands or nails. If you decide to get a pedicure or manicure there, they'll also work that into your routine.

The best part is that once you're done, you'll be an even colour and your skin will be absolutely glowing. The tan lasts a week to 10 days and it fades evenly - better than most at-home solutions.

I think that the services at Bronzeado are priced so that you don't just have to get them for special occasions. A scrub and spray tan costs $85, and it's worth getting once or even twice a month or even as a pick-me-up for when you need it. If I was attending a special event, I would love to get this done the day before because of how healthy and glowing your skin looks immediately afterwards. If you want to book an appointment, call them at 416-987-1987.

Olay For You

Has anyone checked out Olayforyou.ca? If you haven’t then you really should - Olay has so many products out on the market, that it can sometimes be difficult to figure out which products are the ones that are best for your needs.

The website is great and easy to use, but if you’re not up for the virtual consultation you can experience it in real life for the entire month of April here in Toronto.

Olayforyou.ca is having personal skin care consultations at the Toronto Eaton Centre. They will take you through the web site so that you can learn to use it properly and you will be allowed to sample Olay products for yourself.

The times are as follows:

o April 18, 2008 – 12 – 8 p.m.
o April 19, 2008 – 10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
o April 20, 2008 – 12 – 6 p.m.

If you stop by the Olayforyou booth, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!

TRENDS

A couple of weekends ago, I had the chance to do a seminar for T.R.E.N.D.S. Trends stands for Teens Reacting Effectively and Discovering Style and is an organization that offers young women the chance to learn about fashion and style. They meet once a month and there are different guest speakers each time. My seminar was on makeup and beauty, of course!

My two hours at Trends passed by so quickly. I started by talking about eyeshadow, foundation, and blush, and then went on to discuss makeup brushes and how to care for them. More than anything I plugged some of my holy grails. The foundations I loved, and how to choose the right colour. Eyeshadows that lasted and how to apply them well. The difference between bronzer and blush and how to decide which one ot use and when.

The second part of the session was probably what the girls enjoyed the most - they played with my makeup! I did a few makeovers and guided the girls in picking colors for themselves and deciding what to use. This was their chance to play with makeup without feeling like they had to buy anything, and they got to try a lot of new things. Some of the girls couldn’t wait to show their moms what had been done, and some couldn’t wait to wipe their makeup off, but rest assured, everyone had a good time!

TRENDS takes place all over Canada, and if you are interested in attending a session, check out their website.

The Oxygen Facial

The Oxygen Facial is becoming the hit treatment of the new year. It was mentioned many times in magazines in 2007, and at that time it was mostly used by celebrities - the most notable one being Madonna.

It's unsurprising, really, that her Madgesty would be interested in such a service. It's completely non-invasive and natural! The facial is done using a machine called the Intraceuticals Topical Hyperbaric Oxygen System. It "delivers therapeutic-grade oxygen under hyperbaric pressure to infuse a hydrophilically (water-loving) active serum to the deeper layers of the skin. The serum has a base of hyaluronic acid, an ingredient found naturally in the skin and renowned for its superior benefits as an ingredient carrier." Basically, pressurized oxygen gets blown on to your skin with serum that contains hyaluronic acid as well as nutrients.

Well, now the facial is available in most major cities, and the Bay Dermatology Centre is the only place in Toronto where you can get one yourself.

I had a facial done and it was a great feeling - more than anything else, you will come out of there refreshed and rejuvenated. Your skin will feel great, and there's absolutely no pain, and no breakouts like there are with most facials. You can also opt to include a line filler with your treatment (I didn't) and that will leave you with skin that is instantly plumped.

The treatment is a must for this time of year - your skin is hydrated and looks amazing afterwards. Find a centre that does oxygen facials in your own city, and if you're from Toronto or the surrounding area, give the Bay Dermatology Centre a call. The facial takes an hour but I think you'll find that it's an hour well spent.

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!

Get Your Hair Done at Chiggy's Touch

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Chiggy's Touch at Davenport and Avenue here in Toronto. Chiggy's Touch is a hair salon that specializes in curly hair and I had the owner, Patience, style my hair for an event that I was going to attend later that night.

Patience used Pureology shampoo and conditioner in my hair and then followed up with glossing serum that left my hair so soft and super shiny.

What I loved about Chiggy's Touch is that she told me how to take care of my hair and worked with what I had in mind. She also stocked products that were specifically for curly hair which meant that I had an appropriate product selection to choose from as I was making my way out of the store.

Visit Chiggy's Touch to get your hair done for the holidays - there's an amazing promotion going on right now where you can get a colour, treatment, and styling for $99. Visit Chiggy's Touch to find out more.

Snow Day

It's a snow day here and I really wanted to take a picture of the snow but it was dark by the time my camera was charged. I know I have readers from the islands and the south, so here's a picture of snow that I took a few weeks ago.

Stila Beauty Lounge at Muzik

Last Saturday night, I attended the launch of the Stila Beauty Lounge at Muzik. Muzik is a large club but walk through it and all the way at the back is a swank room where a chandelier hangs from the ceiling, white drapes line the wall, and hair and makeup stations line the perimeter. I recognized the iconic Stila illustrations instantly and it turns out that they've been done specially for Muzik.

My first thought was that it reminded me of backstage at fashion week, I told Zlatko, the owner. "That's exactly what we wanted!" he says.

The Stila Beauty Lounge is one-of-a-kind and was the brainchild of Zlatko and Stila Cosmetics. The line of makeup is upscale and so far has only been sold at Holt Renfrew and Sephora stores. Now, you can have your makeup done by Stila trained artists and then purchase the products if you're happy with them by going into a store.

That's not all. Upon leaving Muzik, every girl gets a goody bag that has a bounce-back card in it for Sephora where she can get a free Stila gift. She then gets a Muzik bounce-back card! Everyone wins.

So I got my makeup done first. The girl doing it asked me what I wanted and went according to my directions. I then wandered over to the other side and had my hair done too. Why not, I figured, since I was already there. All I had to decide was whether to get an updo or not, and the hair person there went to work. Did I mention that the whole process is completely free and will be offered every Saturday night?

The Stila Beauty Lounge at Muzik is a cool concept but I don't know how many girls would rather go to the club without any makeup on and just have it done there. It does, however, add another layer of fun to going out with the girls and that, coupled with the awesome goody bag, might make it worth choosing Muzik as your clubbing destination for a Saturday night.

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!

Toronto Fashion Bloggers Brunch (Part the 7th)

We're bloggers who brunch and we want you to join us. Save the date - I already have! RSVP to tfbb.eventbrite.com.

Day 4 of L'Oreal Fashion Week - Zoran Dobric

The Zoran Dobric show was another one of my favourites. The look for makeup was quite subtle. Sheer eyeshadow done with just L'Oreal Wear Infinite eyeshadow in 910 Pure Silver.









The lip was done using simple L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in 714 Blush Scarlette from the L'Oreal Star Secrets Collection. You can see that the look is fresh and natural and definitely something that you could do everyday.

Day 4 of L'Oreal Fashion Week - GSUS

GSUS is actually a European retail brand. Their collection was targeted more at a junior customer - say teenagers or those in their 20's. The models were all young and the look was cute and fresh. The skin was fresh and the girls had flushed cheeks.


















You can see in the pictures that this show was big on black eyeliner and pink lips. The gloss used was L'Oreal Glam Shine in 114 Quartz Strass. The eyeshadow was sheer and didn't show up when the girls were on stage because of the intense lighting. Still, the look was modern and very fresh and went with the feel of the show. Below is an after-show shot of some of the models - you can see that they're a hip and fun bunch.

Day 4 of L'Oreal Fashion Week - Saniya Khan

The Saniya Khan collection was clearly for an older customer so the look was accordingly toned down and sophisticated. The team used a variety of earth tones for some subtle shading with eyeliner applied under and on top of the eyes to give the lashes a lush full look. The lip was kept very natural with a gold gloss being applied on top of the lipstick. The hair was beautiful and flowing. This was a very natural everyday look.

Day 4 of L'Oreal Fashion Week - Kavi Kavi

Day 4 of L'Oreal Fashion Week started off with the Kavi Kavi show. The look was once again dramatic - more smoky eyes and a pinkish purple lip. To the left are Eddie Maleterre's notes on the look.

The team used L'Oreal Wear Infinite in 910 Pure Silver as the base and then shaded with 920 Lush Raven (a black eyeshadow). The lip colour was L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in 620 Mica.

You can see that the hair was in an updo - the look was for the evening and was classic. The models looked very pretty and sophisticated.