9th Annual White Cashmere Collection

Did you get to see the White Cashmere Collection this year?

The collection was in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. I’m still in awe that these collections are made with REAL Cashmere bathroom tissue. Each piece was carefully crafted by some of Canada’s top Canadian designers. 

That’s pure talent!

 I fell in love with a piece by a designer named Label. 

I had the opportunity to “style” a pinterest piece around the dress. 

I love the pieces that I chose.
Of course I had to add sparkly shoes, ombre cake and a cute boy to match!

Check out this great video showcasing the whole collection:

Hey Ladies!
Can you please fill out this survey. Matchstick will donate $2.00 to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation for each survey completed.

Pretty in Mink: First Time Lash Extension Experience

I've been debating getting lash extensions for a while now. My first experience wasn't the best but it was totally my fault. Note to self (and others): Don't use OIL BASED mascara on them!!

Buytopia and Charming Media gave me the opportunity to get a full set of lashes to review my experience with you all. I totally did not know what to expect. All I know is that I didn't want to look like a drag queen!

No offense but overly dramatic lashes are not for me at all. I was so nervous at first! 

Would I like them? Would my lids get glued shut? Will they be office friendly?

My overall experience was great! Deborah, the owner of Pretty in Mink was very helpful with all of my questions. Trust me I had a lot! I love how she allowed me to tell her what look I was going for. I wanted a naturally full look which was office friendly.

Even though this wasn't my first time getting last extensions, I was at ease when showed me pictures of her clients to give me an idea of the work she does. Everyone looked gorgeous and I knew I was in good hands.

Since I knew the process would be 1 to 1.5 hours, I brought my headphones because I thought that she may be boring. We talked the whole time! 1.5 hours went by and we didn't even realize. Throughout the process I had no pain or discomfort as the lashes were being applied.

Final look:

They're gorgeous!!!

Day 1 to 3 (notables):
I lost a few lashes nothing to be concerned about.
I have sensitive eyes so it took my left eye some time to adjust.

Day 4 and BEYOND:
This is when you really have fun. My make up time has cut down significantly! On top of having amazing skin at the moment (I'll leave that for another post) my only issue is finding a great lip product for the day!

I want to share these tips with you all who are getting them for the first time.

• Know that some lashes will fall out. It's normal.
• Your lashes will grow out and some lashes may lift with them as time goes on. This is also normal. That's why you go for refills every 3 to 4 weeks. If your lashes grow extremely quick like mine refill every 2 weeks.
• Be gentle with them. It sounds obvious but pulling them would hurt and damage them! Only use water-based makeup remover on your lashes. Oil-based remover will break down the glue and they will fall off.
• Get acquainted with your lash technician because you will have questions.
  Especially if it's your first time!

Deborah was amazing! If I had an issue, I let her know. Even after she my lashes, I still stayed in contact if I needed some assistance. She always responded with the right answer (thankfully). I'd definitely would recommend Pretty in Mink to anyone in Toronto/ GTA surrounding area. 

I hope my post helps anyone getting them for the first time!
Let me know if you have any questions below.

$50 MAC or Sephora e-giftcard Giveaway

Can you believe that in December i'm celebrating my 4 year blogging anniversary!

I can't believe it! Time really flies when you love what you do. 

As a pre-celebration Rai from Glam-Morena and I are having a joint giveaway for a 

$50 MAC or Sephora e-giftcard.

Rules:

Must be a Glam-Morena & Spiced Beauty Google friend connect follower

Must be 17+

Must be a Canadian or USA resident 

Fill out the form below and good luck!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

How to Authenticate a Designer Bag

 I recently was sent a few tips by Shop Bella Bag founder Cassandra Connors
on how to authenticate a designer bag.

We all know that thrifting & buying pre-owned luxury items is on the rise. Nothing is worst that thinking that you got something authentic and getting home and realizing that it's a straight FAKE!

Check out these five tips from Cassandra:

• Counting stitches. While tedious and somewhat frustrating, counting stitches can really be a deal breaking when it comes to authenticating a bag. Keep in mind that the real deals often have a much more complex stitching design that most knock-offs.

• Examine interior and exterior logo stamp. While knock-off logos might look like the real deal at a glance, a thorough examination is necessary to find the minor detail differences between the real logo and the knock-off logo.

• Trace serial numbers. Serial numbers almost always seal the deal in authenticating a bag. The serial number assigns a specific number to one designer piece that involves the history of the bag. A knock-off serial number will not show up in a designer database as it was most likely made up.

• Test hardware magnetism. This has a lot to do with the materials there are generally used with a specific brand. When the material used of the real deal is known, it’s easy to compare the differences.

• Inspect zipper heads. Each brand uses a different zipper brand, and almost always uses the industrial ones. Also, zipper head designs are almost always altered, and because the zipper is such a small details, it can sometimes be hard to catch.

I hope these tips help! Feel free to share them with a friend.

GRATiAE Exfoliating Body Scrub & Body Butter

As a child, I remember my mother having the most luxurious cream and perfume bottles.

Now that I'm older, I totally understand why.

I know I'm not the only one who buys things because of the packaging!
It totally makes you feel good.

That's how I felt when I received GRATiAE.

.

GRATIAE is a skin care line that has been designed with one purpose in mind: anti-aging. It successfully makes use of Gratiae's thermal spring water and combines it with exclusive materials, flora native to the Sea of Galilee and organic plants.

 I remember taking the products out of the box and my mother "ohh-ing" and "ahh-ing" about how 

great the packaging looks without knowing about the contents.

Exfoliating Body Scrub - Passion Fruit & Lime

This refreshing body scrub exfoliates and cleanses the skin, leaving you feeling invigorated and revitalized. It accelerates blood circulation and leaves your skin refreshed and soft.

I was totally not expecting literal sugar.

 It's best to take some out add a few drops of water and scrub in a circular motion.

 Body Butter - Passion Fruit and Ginger

This silky body butter is a rich, creamy, all-over body moisturizer formulated with natural and organic ingredients. Easily absorbed into the skin, it conditions, softens, and prevents dryness. 

This is a very rich butter. It melts into your skin without any greasy residue.
I don't think I've ever used a body butter like this before! I'm very impressed.

When applying it make sure to fully moisturize it into your skin and feel your hands after.

Look at my before & after:

Overall, if you're comfortable with paying a little more for a luxurious product I'd recommend GRATiAE.

I promise that you will be happy with your decision!

Beauty Link Love 06/10/12

Is that a new review, or are you happy to see me? Check out Krasey Beauty's review of the latest palette from Benefit, along with some awesomely bad pickup lines.

Shu Uemura has exciting collaboration coming up for the holidays this year, complete with a little Mon Shu Girl. Preview the Karl Lagerfeld for shu uemura collection at theNotice.

Phyrra whispers, That is not dead which can eternal lie, so check out the Geek Chic Cosmetics Strange Aeons Collection, inspired by HP Lovecraft.

Your favourite hair noob figures out how to get perfect voluminous curls on My Funny Valentine.

 Amy Antoinette features one of Benefit's new kit releases which feature all the best base products in one place - Benefit How To Look The Best At Everything Makeup Kit.

 It's a foregone conclusion that Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed with be a crazy old cat lady someday - in the meantime here's a taste of things to come with her Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes!

You better hold on to your socks while Beauty Reflections shows you the new Mark Star Status Eyeshadow Palettes!

Jenn from Spiced Beauty shares her favourite beauty and fashion items for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

After Lancome receives an FDA warning letter, My Lips But Better wonders: has cosmetics marketing gone too far?

Christina the Glitterholic is ready to spread some Holiday cheer again! See how you can help! Gouldylox turns the returning 90's brown trend around and makes it modern. Get the look for yourself, here!
--- Is you hair starting to thin? Of maybe you just need to inject some life into it? Prime Beauty has your solution! Enter to win a Keranique Hair Care System!

Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Glosses + Swatches

This Fall, Maybelline launched their Color Sensational High Shine Glosses. There are twelve pigmented shades to fall in love with. I was sent three colors to try out from the line. How gorgeous are these shades! 

Appropriate from the porcelain white to dark ebony. 

They are very buildable! I prefer to swipe them 3 to 4 times to get maximum color payoff. 

From what I can see the line is a mix of creams and shimmers. 

Raspberry Reflection and Captivating Coral are gorgeous creams. Mocha- Amazing is a light shimmer. These are great fall glosses because are very moisturizing. They apply smoothly and are not sticky.

Swatches:
Captivating Coral 

 Raspberry Reflection

 Mocha- Amazing

Which color is your favorite?

 

Bio Seaweed Gel Nails

Have you ever heard of Bio Seaweed Gel Nails?

It's a revolution in nail gel polish that rivals all other brands with it's safe and healthy formula that promises chip free shine, long lasting color and the fastest soak off time in the industry.

This is actually my second time getting Bio Seaweed Gel nails. 

The first time I got it was totally by a fluke. I stepped in my local salon and fell in love with their colors.

 I also remember my nails growing a lot in 14 days and the polish lasting a really LONG time!

Comes in over 100 colours, contains calcium, vitamin E and aloe and helps your nails to
grow stronger, faster and longer with every application!

You can use a UV and LED light to cure the gel or you can use direct sunlight!

One of their biggest selling points is how thin the application is.

Most gel polishes are thick which can lead to them chipping quickly.

Bio Seaweed nails are buildable without looking fake. 

As you can see in the picture below.

 

Secondly, the soak off is quick! Just use to my "How to remove Gel polish" tutorial 

and it will come off with NO damage. 

Here is picture of me wearing the nails on day 21. 

This is one week over the 14 day wear time.

 As you can see two of those nails were in pristine condition!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Today marks the start of Breast Cancer Awareness month! Cancer is a serious issue for me because it has affected so many individuals in my family. I would honestly do everything in my power to help out the cause.

In this post I'm going to highlight three amazing causes which you should support:

Rethink Breast Cancer, a charity that speaks to the needs of young women, has collaborated with top beauty, fashion, and lifestyle companies to design products where proceeds benefit breast cancer education,support and research programs. From nail polish and hair products to bracelets and watches, we encourage looking good for a cause this October! 

Elegant Touch - Envy Wraps & Bling Review

I am not a stranger to nail wraps. 

It's the quickest and easiest way to do your nails without any hassle.

I recently got my hands on some products from the Elegant Touch nail line that sells at Ulta in USA. 

I loved the designs and decided to try them out on my mom.

These wraps are shiny and totally fashionable. 

I loved the effect but I'm on the fence about the product.
Here are my pros & cons:

Pro:

• Fashionable prints
• No drying/smudging time
• Straight forward directions on application.

Con:

• Not individually packaged.
  The wraps are all on one sheet. If you have a curvy nail bed, its hard to measure which wrap is for you. I kept on applying a bigger or smaller wrap which didn't fit her nail. Smaller sizes left a gap and the bigger ones bunched at the sides.
  
  
• Both sides of the Nail file are rough.
  
  
• Not suitable for Really long nails.
  I'd recommend these for short to short/medium lengths.

Overall, I think I will try them again with a few modifications. I'm going to cut the wraps off the sheet, get a milder nail file and use them on myself when I have short nails. I also have another idea of cutting themup  and making them super funky nail art. I know its extra work but I love the prints and I want to try them again.

Am I crazy for trying a product again that I'm on the fence about?
Let me know your thoughts below.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge #8 Love!

Do you remember my post on the Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge #8 launch? I loved the color but wasn't sure that I could wear it. It looked awesome on Gina Brooke but how would it look on me!

My bf and I had a date night a couple weeks ago and I knew that this would be the perfect time to try it out.

I loved it! It didn't budge at all for the whole night. I ate, drank and talked my head off. Left the restaurant with my lip color in tact... SCORE! 

This is everything a lip stain/ lipstick should be. I can't wait to try out new colors from the aqua line!

 Would you wear this color?

Short Hair Envy

Back in 2009, I sat down in the hair dressers chair and did the most drastic thing ever. I told her to cut it all off. If anyone knows me they will know that I plan EVERYTHING I do. I remember getting the cut and thinking what in the world would I do with short hair. So many questions came to mind. Would my boyfriend like it, is it cut the way I want it and most importantly, how will I maintain it on my own!

My decision came after seeing ladies like Rihanna & Estelle rock short styles with confidence.When you have short hair everything matters. I always wondered if had the right earrings or the right hair accessories?
I know that several North America ladies went insane and cut it all off after Rihanna came out with the cropped do in “take a bow”. I will never forget how her deep black hair looked with that sexy red lip! I knew I had to have it.

I can only imagine the amount of ladies who searched for Hairdressers in London who can do this exact hairdo from Estelle. She was rocking it way before Rihanna did. She also has the perfect face structure to carry this short style.

My experience with short hair was really difficult at first. My hair grows extremely fast and it was hard to maintain the back. I remember gelling down the back of my hair and hoping that it would last all day!

My top three short hair accessories:

1. Hats
At that time I had those loose beenie hat in every color. I always made sure that I had an extra black one. I was also able to wear them in the office!

2. Bobby Clips
If your hair is not laying right, these are a God sent. I always kept a few in my car, desk and purse. The best part about bobby pins is that you can get them at the dollar store! Remember to stock up.

3. Silk scarf
Every girl needs a silk scarf! I won’t get into the details, I’ll save that for another post but they help your hair from breaking. Especially at night when you move around a lot in bed.

I hope these tips helped. Also my UK ladies who took the plunge remember that you can always find Hair extensions in London to change up your look!

This is a sponsored post.

L'Oreal Paris and TIFF Festival

A few weeks ago, L'Oreal held a cocktail party to celebrate the opening of TIFF. A few Canadian Beauty Bloggers and I had the opportunity to attend. The venue was the Panorama Lounge in the Manulife Centre. Definitely a place that you should attend if you have the chance. 

The view there is gorgeous!

We were joined by a special guest Johnny Lavoy. 

He's the Consulting Hair Artist for L'Oreal Paris and Lead Hair Stylist on Project Runway 10.

Honestly, he's one of the funniest people ever! I'll get more into that after.

The event highlighted red carpet looks and the upcoming trends in hair.

After the presentation was done, I visited the "Get the Look" stations featuring celebrities with L'oreal hair and beauty products. Each look incorporated one of the new hair products coming out in Fall. 

Frieda's look suggested using the Hair Expertise Nutrisleek Precious Oil. 

Perfect product to add to your hair regimen. Especially if you use a lot of heat on your tresses. 

I had to share this picture because it's hilarious! 

Johnny and I were going to take a picture but we couldn't decide who should be on the left. Since we both like taking pictures on the left side, he decided that we should do a prom picture.

This totally caught me off guard and I started to laugh really hard.. this picture of taken in the process.

Classic!

Thanks L'oreal for the invite!

TDotTV TIFF Lounge

A few weekends ago, I spent my Saturday downtown for TIFF events. After getting dolled up at the Murale suite, my photographer and I went TDotTV Tiff lounge at the Bata Shoe Museum. The venue was very intimate but trendy. It was invite only event open to elusive guests in film, television, music, fashion, sport, and the media. Being a small Toronto beauty blogger, I was humbled to be in the presence of all these people. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming.

 While inside the event I found my weakness! Delicious cupcakes and macaroons from We bake in heels. Every time I'm in Vaughn Mills I get a cupcake from them, sooooo yummy. 

Inside the venue, there was little tables set up with products from various companies such as Rebekah Price Designs, Lazypants, Cheeky Monkey and Equinox Fitness Club. 

 During the event the TDot TV team interviewed Celebrity guests. If you don't know my full-time job is actually producing, directing, camera work and editing. 

 I loved the set layout and the camera they used. 

 Thanks TDot TV for inviting me to such a great event.

The Body Shop NEW Pulse Boutique + Ontario Giveaway

The Body Shop Toronto Eaton Centre recently opened it doors on unique browsing experience. The latest location in Ca nada to launch this new innovative shopping environment. With skincare, makeup, bthe opening ody care and values centre stage, Pulse Boutique creates a unique and memorable experience that engages, educates and informs. 

 An innovative range of products inspired by nature, bursting with ingredients that tell a rich human story and additional in-store campaign-led events will capture the imagination of customers to actively participate in The Body Shop community, aiming to make the world a better place.

The flagship store in the Toronto Eaton Centre is the eighth location of The Body Shop in Canada to showcase the new Pulse environment. Other Pulse Boutiques include: Mapleview Shopping Centre, Burlington, Masonville Place, London; Rideau Centre, Ottawa; Corner Brook Plaza, Corner Brook; Polo Park Shopping Centre, Winnipeg; Regent Mall, Fredericton; and a new location in Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Check out some awesome facts about the new store:

Story Selling Tables
Get playful! Pride of place in the middle of each Pulse boutique are our twin tables displaying our finest products which encourage you to interact, be informed, experiment and try new looks. Life is about trying new things, so go wild!

Community & Values Walls
Get involved! Every Pulse store will have a bulletin board with news on our global campaign, posters and information, and a Values wall which tells the story of our Values in words and pictures. Got a question about what’s going on? Ask our Values Ambassador, our resident expert on our Values.

Wood for Good
We’re using FSC wood throughout. This means that our wood is responsibly sourced and our boutiques look great. We’re also going Wood Positive with our paper and cardboard-based packaging. This means we plant more trees than we use to create the packaging in the first place

Free Makeovers
Fancy a change? Every Pulse store will have dedicated Makeup Artist and Skincare Experts who have undertaken rigorous and specialized training programmes to help you look and feel your best. Activating self esteem has never been so easy.

I want to Celebrate with my Ontario readers.

$100 Vineyard Peach Giveaway! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Givenchy: Noir Couture 4 in 1 Mascara

If I was stuck on an island and could choose only one item, I would choose Mascara! My obsession started at 12 years old. Fifteen years later, I think I have tried every brush type there is out there. There is very few that impress me out there but Givenchy has come out with something new and revolutionary.

Noir Couture 4 in 1 Mascara
$35.00
A four-in-one mascara that creates intense volume,
strong curl, infinite length, and complete lash care.

Packaging:
The packaging is gorgeous and fashionable. The silhouette reminds me of a building. It's tall, dark and has a glossy silver accent.

Brush:
I love the idea of the three spirals. I own nothing like this in my collection. This brush can used in many different ways: Use all three spirals, use two or just just one. Whatever your comfortable with! If you want volume this brush will definitely give it to you. Since I already have super curly lashes, I can't tell you if it gives a strong curl.

Formula:
The consistency is perfect. Its not dry nor is it too wet. Each application is smooth. On a simple day, one good application is enough to last you one whole day. If you want sky high lashes wait 2 minutes after every coat.

 This multitasking mascara is formulated with Givenchy’s exclusive Lash Booster Expert Complex that provides nutrition, revitalization, fortification, and protection.

Overall, I'm in love with this mascara. I've been in a mascara rut and Noir couture has pulled me out of it! I'm so happy that I got to try and I can't wait to see what Givency has coming out for Fall/Winter.