IMATS Toronto 2012 Experience + Haul

Another Toronto IMATS has come and gone. As per usual it was a day filled with vloggers, bloggers and beauty lovers! For the second time the venue was at Toronto Congress Centre which is located in Etobicoke. I got there a little bit later in the morning (around 11) and was shocked at the sheer number of people which was there. I came with a direct game plan and didn't stray away from my budget. 

First on my list was bdellium tools!  After hearing several bloggers rave about them, I know I had to get a few brushes from the line. Then off to Beauty So Clean and lastly finish off at Face Atelier to see what's new.

This years exhibitor list was much smaller than the earlier IMATS that I have attended.
That didn't stop groves of people from coming out to enjoy the beauty deals and watch the seminars.

Believe it or not, the ATM's on site ALL ran out of money before 2pm!
I was so happy that I traveled with cash.

Check out some pictures that I took of the show on Saturday:

I finally got to see one of my favourite bloggers/MUA Joy from Makeup Junkie.

bdellium tools booth set up.

I was debating whether I wanted the 957 or 958.
I should have just taken both!

If you're squeamish look away!
I couldn't leave without taking a picture. It's actually a replica of a full-sized man.
It was like 5'10! He even had shoes on!!

End result from the Make-up as Art seminar featuring M.A.C. Pro artist Melissa Gibson.

 OCC Skin on display.
Such vivid colors!

Emmy-winning makeup artist Eve Pearl doing a seminar on
How to Turn your Career into a Thriving Business

Last but not least my Haul! 

• Opi Drop it- drying drops+ free nail polish
• Opi Chipslip
• Beauty So Clean 
• Mascara shield
• bdellium studio line brushes in 957 & 949
• bdellium green bambo series brush set
• FACE atelier lip glaze in Obsession

Such a small haul but honestly at this moment I have everything I want.

Did you go to IMATS this year?

Pop-up Closets for Express Canada

This post brought to you by Express Canada. All opinions are 100% mine.

Retail is now evolving with the addition of Pop-up closets.
Express Canada will be holding a few pop-up closets this November.
You will have the opportunity to check out outfits, view accessories & win prizes.

The pop-up closets are to celebrate the Express Grand Opening event at Eaton Centre on November 21. Just in time for the holidays! I have several events coming up and I know that I will find an outfit or two in Express.

Express is the must-have sexy, sophisticated fashion brand for work, the weekend, or going out. It’s what’s new and what’s now for young fashion-forward women and men.

Location & time for the upcoming Pop-Up Closet:
Location: Eaton Centre (Level 1 across from MAC Cosmetics)
Date: Friday, November 23 – Sunday November 25
Time: 11:00am – 3:00pm

You have the chance to win:

• A 1MX selling men’s dress shirt (my boyfriend is constantly raving about how great they fit).
  
• An Editor and Columnist women’s dress pant (Available in sizes 00 to 14).
  
• A $25 gift card.
• A special offer.

I had the opportunity to visit the very first pop-up closet which was at Toronto Fashion Week.

This may sound odd but my favourite part was the mannequins. I loved seeing the outfits that were put together. It gives you an idea on what will work for you. I’m not the size of the mannequin but I can definitely go in-store and look for alternative that would suit my body type.

It's less than a week until the Grand opening!
Don’t forget to try your luck and enter the $1000 shopping spree.
Here is the contest entry form. Good Luck!

Holiday Shoe Options from Payless

The holidays are coming!

Are you ready for Christmas party or New Years?

I recently visited the Payless show room to see which shoes they thought were popular for the season.
I personally gravitate towards anything with glitter/sparkly, leopard print or studded!

I love heels.. I mean LOVE!
My closets are full of several pairs from low to high BUT I can't walk in them..
My alternative is a full wedge or flats.

I tried to take pictures of every style there was available.
Let me know which style is your favourite!

Get Free Glasses at ClearlyContacts.ca - Offer Ends Nov. 21

I've had the same glasses now for almost four years. My prescription was so low that my Optometrist told me that I really didn't need them. Being that I work on a dual screen computer daily, the glare really bothers me. Plus believe it or not I've always wanted a pair of glasses. Isn't that so nerdy! 

The current pair I own are hot pink. Fun... but I've always wanted a toned down black pair. A girls gotta have choices! With this deal from ClearlyContacts.ca, I can get a new pair for FREE!

Do you wear glasses? 

*This is a sponsored post*

I love Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder

Have you ever bought into a beauty "hype"? It's a product that you see a celebrity endorsing or a popular product blowing up youtube/blogs. I did a few months ago and I'm so happy I did.

Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder is liquid gold. Okay.. Maybe I'm over exaggerating but it's pretty awesome!  There was a time when this product was on back order on every website that it was sold on! Some ladies waited up to four weeks to get their hands on a bottle. How insane is that?!? It's all because Kim Kardashian's makeup artist featured it in one of his videos. I'm happy I purchased my bottle from Camera Ready Cosmetics before the true hype set in.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that Kim K and I are not the same color. We're probably at the opposite ends of the color spectrum. That's the beauty of the Banana powder. It can work for several skin tones. One tip would be not to use a large amount of it if your a deeper skin tone. I found that using a light amount and buffing it in works best(for me).

If you use a large amount, instead of a glow under your eyes you will have a serious white cast in pictures. If you get a good buffing brush, you're set!

I'll leave you all with a picture of me wearing the banana powder:

Under my eyes looks amazing!
Now I'm interested in purchasing other colors from the line.

Have you heard of this product and would you purchase it?

Support Movember with Annabelle Cosmetics

Annabelle cosmetics has come up with a cool way to get you involved in Movember! If you're like me and can't grow a beard, this is a great way to support with a "very feminine twist".

During the course of the month of November,Mo Bros are encouraged to “change the face of men’s health” by growing a moustache. It engages men in the concept of raising awareness of their own health issues and serves as a creative and innovative way to raise funds for research, education and continuing awareness. In their journey, Mo Bros have engaged “Mo Sistas”, women who support the Movember movement by offering their solidarity to the men in their lives who are growing a moustache during the month of November. Whether they are our fathers, our boyfriends, our husbands, our bosses, our colleagues, our fellow students or our brothers,Mo Sistas are surrounded by men. Annabelle is inviting all theirMo Sistas fans and cosmetic users to dress the part: put on a moustache this November for Movember!

How to contribute:

Annabelle smudgeliner in Oh my Goth

Using your favorite Annabelle lipliner, lipstick, lipgloss or even eye pencil, draw a moustache above your upper lip and snap a picture. Upload the picture on your own Pinterest board. 

For your participation to translate into a donation, you must use the hashtag #AnnabelleMovember in the Pin description and tell state which Annabelle product was used to draw your moustache. 

Annabelle will repin your picture onto their own Annabelle Pinterest “#AnnabelleMovember Mo Sistas2012” board and donate one dollar ($1) for every valid picture.

eBeauty Holiday Beauty Bag

Looking for a gift to give someone who has everything?

Try the eBeauty Holiday Beauty Bag

This is the perfect gift to give to one person or give to a few.
There is something for everyone in here!

• Perricone MD Hypoallergenic Nourishing Moisturizer
• CARGO Lash Activator Mascara
• Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask Packette
• Marc Anthony Macadamia Oil Treatment
• Lippy Girl Lip Love Conditioning Stick
• Nail Tek Hydration Therapy Colour - Vixen
• Strivectin-TL™ Tightening Eye Serum
• stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm
• Pur Minerals Jumbo Lip Pencil - Autumn Glow
• Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Face Moisturizer

It also comes in a cool makeup bag! 

 Can you believe this bag is only $25.00!

You can purchase the bag at ebeauty.ca.

Hair Must Haves from Marc Anthony & Giovanni

There are so many new hair products out there to keep you looking your best. I use these items on my natural hair and extensions. In this post I'm going to highlight two brands which are worth spending on this season.

Both of these products help eliminate frizz! Now that my hair is not chemically processed, frizz is my biggest issue. I try my best to stay away from my flat iron so both of these products prolong my hair staying "straight".

Here are my top four reasons to get the Marc Anthony Repairing Macadamia Oil Treatment:

• Smells amazing
• Very light
• Doesn't make my hair revert back to "curly"
• Controls frizz

How to apply: Apply 1 - 3 drops (depending on hair length and thickness) to damp or dry hair and distribute evenly from roots to ends. Do not rinse out. Style as usual. 

Here are my top three reasons to get the Giovanni 2chic Leave in Conditioning & Styling Elixir:

• Very light
• Controls frizz
• Can be used with heat

How to apply: Distribute evenly through damp hair for sleek, super-soft, shiny hair.

So far I'm loving both of these products!

 Have you tried any of these products before?

 

Roxy inspires girls to dream big

Founded in 1989, Roxy is a brand of Quiksilver, Inc., the world's leading outdoor sports lifestyle company, which designs, produces and distributes a diversified mix of branded apparel, winter sports equipment, footwear, accessories and related products.

“We have been trailblazers from the very beginning. By marrying fashion and performance we turned our world upside down and inspired a wave of girls to head out into the surf.We were born in the ocean and carved our way to the mountains -- and we're not done yet. This is our heritage and our future -- Ride strong and create the next big wave. This is a look our most inspirational Roxy girls from around the world including Olympic half pipe snowboard Gold Medalist Torah Bright, professional surfers, Kelia Moniz, Kassia Meador, Jen Smith, Monyca Byrne-Wickey, and Bruna Schmitz. We're all on this ride together…" 

Vidéo virale par ebuzzing

Those girls are amazing!
I wish I had the confidence to do that!

*This is a sponsored post*

The Body Shop Holiday Collections 2012

I recently got a sneak peak of the goodies that The Body Shop will be offering for the holidays.

Holiday Goodies

Every year they come out with a new and delicious smelling holiday line that I have to get my hands on. This year there is new special-edition bath and body ranges in Cranberry Joy, Vanilla Bliss and Ginger Sparkle. I can't forget the make-up. Expect a lot of sparkle and shine! Perfect for any holiday party or dinner date. They also have awesome products that can be given as gifts or stocking stuffers.

Look at some of the goodies they have in store for you this season: 

Vanilla Bliss

The Body Shop gift sets!

Ginger Sparkle

The Body Shop Beauty

What's you favourite The Body Shop Scent?

Soap & Glory is now sold in Canada!

As a Canadian, its hard to get my hands on a lot of beauty/skin care products which are not sold here. I have a few alternatives:

• Swap/get someone from another country to custom purchase it for me. 
• Buy it on ebay/amazon.
• Try to win it in a giveaway.
• Buy it on vacation.

All valid things to do but it's so much easier to go to my mall and pick up what I need. If it becomes a holy grail item, its easier to have it on my finger tips then wait.

I read blogs from all around the world. I Remember four years ago reading about great products from Soap & Glory from UK bloggers. I wanted to try it from all the rave reviews. When they came to USA, I got a Custom purchase of The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser.

Now I'm happy to say the line is found in Canada at Shoppers drugmart & Pharmaprix!

Check out some items from the line:

Hand Food
Hydrating Hand Cream

Key Ingredients:

• Shea Butter
• Macadamia Oil 
• Mashmallow Rose 
• Bergamot 

Clean on me
Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel

Key Ingredients:

• Natural Mandarin Peel Extract 
• "Lactic Acid 
• Plus Body butter built in 

Scrub'em and Leave'em
Body Exfoliator 

Key Ingredients:

• Babassu oil 
• Sea salt 
• Jojoba oil 
• Mandarin oil

Off your face
Cleansing wipes 

Key Ingredients:

• Poreshrink-rs acid free exfoliator.

There are soooo many other products that I want to try such as the Glow lotion and scrub your nose in it!

Have you tried the Soap & Glory line before?

Mini Sephora Haul

I recently got a friends/family Sephora ticket from Janella over at Boldnbeautifulmakeup. I had NO idea what to buy! I went in for a Clarisonic brush head but the head I wanted wasn't in stock. Since I still have my lash extensions, I was looking for a makeup remover I can use that is light and non-abrasive. While searching the Sephora brand isle, I found a face complexion brush that would be perfect for the bf.

After walking around the store for 30 mins, I couldn't find anything else I wanted. Mind you.. ALL the holiday gift sets were not out at the time. My hands would have been full if they were!  Can you believe each item was $3.00! With tax everything was $5.64. Honestly the price point wasn't the basis of my purchase but how awesome is it to get two great items within a budget of $10.00.

Sephora Collection Face Complexion Brush is the professional's choice for cleansing the face and neck. Gently exfoliates dead skin cells, leaving face fresh, clean, and soft. Gently massages and invigorates skin.

He can gently exfoliate his face to prevent things like ingrown hairs. Hopefully, he remembers to use it!

SEPHORA COLLECTION Supreme Cleansing Foam removes makeup and
cleanses the complexion in one simple step.

This remarkable cleanser tones skin while removing face and eye makeup. Its formula includes HydroSenn+, a natural ingredient proven to deliver immediate and long-lasting hydration more effectively than hyaluronic acid.

 Hopefully this product does everything I need it to do. The fact that it's paraben & sulfate free made me want to buy it. Plus its a great size that can be brought on the plane when I travel!

Have you shopped at Sephora recently?

Mary Kay: Vanilla Sugar Satin Hands Pampering Set

Having soft hands is very important to me. Especially when you attend a lot of meeting and events.
Nothing is worst than shaking someones hand that feels like sandpaper! Ugh.

I'm usually pamper my hands using a facial exfoliator.
It works... but why not get a product which was designed for your delicate hands?
I can not tell u how happy I was when I got Mary Kay's satin hands($51.00)!

"Fragrance-Free Satin Hands® Pampering Set is an easy, three-step system that helps keep hands feeling renewed, soothed and pampered."

This is also a great gift for that man in your life.
Especially if he works a jobs which requires a lot of manual labour.
Just give him the products and keep the cute bag to put your lunch in for school/work!

Here is a step-by-step guide how to pamper your hands using this product. I have also included pictures so you can get an idea of the consistency.

• Use the Fragrance-Free Satin Hands® Hand Softener to provide instant hydration by helping seal in moisture and leave hands protected and prepared for the next step. Hands will feel smooth, silky and supple.

• Apply the Fragrance-Free Satin Hands® Satin Smoothie® Hand Scrub to cleanse and exfoliate in one step. It removes dead surface cells while instantly leaving hands feeling soft, smooth, and looking healthier.

• Complete this pampering experience by applying Satin Hands® Hand Cream for up to 24-hour moisturization. This luxurious feeling formula absorbs quickly and provides a protective layer on your hands that lasts through several hand washings.

Immediately, after doing these three steps your hands will feel very soft.

Do you have a hand regimen? 

World MasterCard Toronto Fashion Week: Vawk/Vawkkin & Express

I love this picture!

It was done with a back light with no flash. I wasn't sure how it would come out but it's gorgeous!

EXPRESS comes to Canada!

This post brought to you by Express. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ladies! Have you heard? Express Canada is here! My boyfriend and I would always make a note to visit their stores whenever we were in USA. Last time we went they had a great sale and he came out with five ties! Now that they are local, we don't have to do the two hour drive.

I also had the opportunity to attend the EXPRESS Fashion show at Toronto Fashion Week last friday. They wowed the crowd with their Holiday line. I took a lot of pictures to share with you all!