Braided Bridal Options from Moroccanoil

One of my bridal blunders at the moment is will my hair be up or down? I love the elegance of an up-do but down is so bouncy and fun!

Decisions! Decisions! I recently came across this email showcasing bridal hair design by Antonio Corral Calero, Moroccanoil® Artistic Director for the Monique Lhuillier Fall 2014 Bridal Collection.

Antonio designed six different variations of braided looks: “The attention was on the matte texture of the hair and the intricate details of each braided bun, parted side or center, with minimal volume on top.”

Products used:

Moroccanoil® Treatment (MSRP: $43.00 / 100ml)

Moroccanoil® Root Boost (MSRP $29.00 / 250ml)

Moroccanoil® Boar Bristle Classic Brush (MSRP: $72.00)

Moroccanoil® Molding Cream (MSRP: $28.00 / 3.4 fl. oz.)

Moroccanoil® Luminous Hairspray Medium locks (MSRP: $22.20 / 330ml)

First Look

• “To begin, I combed all the hair towards the back of the head 
• “I then created three large parts: right, left and back.” 
• “Each of the three parts became a braid. The right and left sides were inward French braids and the back braid between them was a standard braid, which would serve as the base for the chignon.”
• “I pulled the left and right braids around the back of the head and then wrapped them several times around the back braid.They wrapped about halfway down the back braid.” 
• “I pinned the bottom part of the braid inwards, towards the nape, and created the chignon.” 
• “To give the chignon a more romantic and uneven look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid slightly within the chignon.”

Second Look

• "First, I parted the hair to the side."
• "Next, I divided the hair into three parts: right, left and back"
• "Each of the three parts became a braid. The right and left sides were inward French braids and the back braid between them was a standard braid, which would serve as the base for the chignon."
• "I pulled the left and right braids around the back of the head and then wrapped them several times around the back braid. They wrapped about halfway down the back braid."
• "I pinned the bottom part of the braid inwards, towards the nape, and created the chignon."
• "To give the chignon a more romantic and uneven look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid slightly within the chignon."

Third Look

• "For this look, I combed all of the model’s hair towards the back and used Moroccanoil® Luminous Hair Spray Medium to help control and eliminate fly-aways close to her face. Moroccanoil® Luminous Hair Spray Medium is the perfect tool for this look: it gives the right amount of hold to keep
• the hair in place, and leaves it looking beautiful with natural shine."
• "Next, I divided the hair into three parts: right, left and back. "
• "Each of the three parts became a braid. All were standard braids, which would serve as the base for the chignon. 
• "I crossed the right braid with the left towards the back of her head, and clipped it into place." 
• "Then, I took the back braid and twisted it towards the outside, rolling it towards the crown. I used clips on all three braids at the bottom of the chignon, to hide the ends. 
• "As a final step, to give the chignon a less tight, more romantic and slightly uneven look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid slightly within the chignon."

Fourth Look

• "For the fourth look, I combed all the hair towards the back of the head and used Moroccanoil® Luminous Hair Spray Medium to help control and eliminate fly-aways close to her face."
• "Next, I divided the hair into three parts: right, left and back."
• "Each of the three parts became a braid. The right and left were lace braids. The back (middle) braid was a standard braid, which would serve as the base for the chignon."
• "I pulled the left and right braids around the back of the head and then wrapped them several times around the back braid. They wrapped about halfway down the back braid."
• "I pinned the bottom part of the braid inwards, towards the nape, and created the chignon."
• "To give the chignon a less tight, more romantic and slightly uneven look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid slightly within the chignon."

Fifth Look

• "I began by parting the model’s hair to the side." 
• "Then, I divided her hair into three parts: right, left and back." 
• "I created two braids: one on the right and another on the left. One was a regular braid, and the other a French braid. 
• "The back (middle) part was turned into a ponytail, which I back-combed slightly."
• "The right braid was crossed with the left, towards the back in a circular motion around the back braid until mid-ponytail. "
• "Next, I pinned the bottom part of the braid inwards, towards the nape to create the chignon."
• "As a final step, to give the chignon a less tight, more romantic look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid within the chignon."

Sixth Look

• "To create the final look I began by combing all of the model’s hair towards the back of her head. I used Moroccanoil® Luminous Hairspray Medium to control any fly-aways close to her face."
• "Next, I divided her hair into three parts: right, left and back."
• "The right and left parts were turned into feather braids. The back(middle) part was turned into a slightly back-combed ponytail."
• "I then crossed the right braid with the left towards the back of the head, circling the back part until mid-ponytail."
• "Next, the bottom part of the braid and ponytail were pinned inwards towards the nape to create the chignon." 
• "As a final step, to give the chignon a less tight, more romantic look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid within the chignon.

What do you think about having a braided do for your wedding?

My Top Five Favourite Products for Fall

Time for me to get back on track with my monthly favourites. This month was really good for me. I kept my makeup at a minimum but have five favourites which I brought with me everywhere! Thank God I carry a large purse.

Mary Kay® Kohl Eyeliner in Golden Illusion ($18.00 CDN)
In almost every makeup look I do, I highlight my inner corners. I love using rich golds because they make my eyes pop. This kohl applies so smoothly. Which is important when you're dealing with delicate areas like your eyes! Plus it's smear-proof.

Victoria Secret Sheer Body Lotion ($24.00 CDN)
I wash my hands a lot. It's Fall and I'm trying my best NOT to get sick! I love the scent of Victoria.
Key notes are: Red berries, Victoria rose and crème brûlée. Isn't that yummy! It's a sweet and sexy scent which is not too powerful to be worn in the office.

Almay color + care liquid lip balm ($8.95 CDN)
I've been in love with these for months. I got a sneak peak  back in June at an Almay event. LOVE them! They're non-sticky, shiny, conditioning and pigmented. They also show up on pigmented lips like mine. I should add that they are gluten-free & hypoallergenic.

Clinique Superprimer Face Primers ($29.99 CDN)
It's very important to use a primer when you're going to wear foundation. Primers make your foundation last longer and usually have some additional benefits. Clinique has come out with a long list of primers. I should add that there is one that colour corrects dullness in deeper skin tones!  It's not chalky like other primers and it's very lightweight. In the formula, there are very tiny micro-crystals which I assume make your skin took more illuminated.  I would definitely add this to my list of top 5 primers for dark skin.

L'oreal Super Slim liquid liner (10.99 CDN)
I love slim liners. They give me more precision to choose the type of liner I want. This formula is quick drying and long lasting. This is really important in the winter. It's also suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Have you tried any of these products?

NEW Hudson’s Bay Yorkdale- Beauty Department

Have you had the time to take a visit to Hudson's Bay in Yorkdale?

They have done a revamp and it's now a beauty lovers paradise! 

I'm serious! It's absolutely gorgeous.

Back in October, I had the opportunity to get a very intimate and exclusive tour of the new space with some fellow Toronto Beauty Bloggers.  First thing, I noticed is how luxurious, inviting and interactive the counters are. Most of the counters you can go in there get assistance and swatch products. Can you believe the total square footage of the cosmetics floor at Hudson’s Bay Yorkdale is 23,300?! 

Here are a few images & highlights from the department.

Thierry Mugler 

MAC Cosmetics

Bobbi Brown

Illamaqua

Anna Sui

Shiseido

Gucci

I think Hudson's Bay did a great job on the revamp!

I would suggest you visit them at Yorkdale, when you start your holiday shopping.

You're in for a treat!

Hourglass Cosmetics: Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil & Femme Nude Lip Stylo

Hourglass Cosmetics state that they exist at the revolutionary intersection of science, beauty and luxury. They are a cruelty-free brand that for the most part produces products without parabens, gluten and animal-derived ingredients (I say for the most part as these three things do depend on the product you purchase BUT Hourglass does list their “free of” ingredients on their website).

I’ve tried a few hourglass products in the past but this post is going to be dedicated towards the Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil – Soft Brunette and the Femme Nude Lip Stylo – Nude No. 6.


Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil – Soft Brunette
Free of: sulfates, phthalates, synthetic dyes, fragrance and vegan friendly.

I really enjoyed this brow pencil. It combines both powder and soft wax to create a natural fuller brow. This brow pencil is more of a flat triangle shape in an automatic casing, which means no need to sharpen, and it can be twisted down back into the casing for easy travel. There is also a concealed spoolie on the end of the pencil.

I happen to have very light brown eyebrows; I would almost call them taupe (the grayscale end of taupe at that). They require a light brown hue but one that casts a bit green. This is a very hard colour to find. Normally I just use a separate powder and wax or if I am lucky there is a Lise Watier brow pencil but it’s not always easy to find and chances are outside of Canada you wont find it. This is where Hourglass is amazing its accessible. It only comes in 3 shades (blonde, soft brunette and dark brunette), which is a bit of a let down as there are far more shades that could be utilized by consumers. That being said if you fall into the category of the 3 shades mentioned you should really try this product out. I can actually admit that this product has become my new Holy Grail eyebrow pencil!

Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylo – Nude No. 6
Free of: Nothing was listed on their website for this product.

I have a love/hate relationship with nude lips. I so very much want to be able to wear a nude product but I happen to have very pigmented lips that are more mauve/berry in colour so I end up looking like I applied concealer to my lips or like I’m just wearing a pink lipstick. The nude lip style in #6 though being the darkest shade is actually the best shade for my lips.

The femme nude lip stylo is a full-coverage formula with a satin finish. It comes in 6 shades:
Nude No. 1 – a pale pink nude (lightest)
Nude No. 2 – a honey beige nude with a warm tint
Nude No. 3 – a medium rose nude, with a hint of pink
Nude No. 4 – a pink beige nude, with a touch of deep rose
Nude No. 5 – a golden peach nude with luminosity
Nude No. 6 – a mauve nude (deepest)

This lip stylo is creamy and soft but with minimal staying power. You are going to want to pack this in your purse cause you only get about an hour or 2 of wear. That’s perfectly fine though cause the packaging is so upper crust that you will want to take this out of your handbag and show it off a little.

The stylo is scentless and yet it reminds me of what lipstick used to smell like. Hear me out on this; do you remember being a child and how when your Mom gave you a kiss her lipstick had this certain fancy vintage lipstick smell? Well that’s what this lip stylo smells like. I really enjoy this product and I think others will too. I’ve even added this to my Christmas shopping list. Don’t tell her but I’m 100% certain My Mom is getting this in her stocking.

Head to your local Sephora and take a gander of these beautiful gems.

Canadians: Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil Rosehip

Last month, while on vacation- I got a horrible scratch on my back. Which healed quickly but left a scar. I totally thought nothing about it until I started to look through wedding magazines  I seen some cute backless dresses but all I could think about was that damn scar.

Yes... I can add concealer and set it with powder and it won't budge but what about long term?

I'm going to start a regime using Palmer's new Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil, Rosehip.

Advanced multi-purpose skin perfection product that can be used all over the body and face. This preservative-free, phthalate free, lightweight formula contains an exclusive blend of key ingredients formulated to help improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks, dry, damaged skin, uneven skin tone, aging skin and fine lines and wrinkles. 

One of the key ingredients Rosehip oil- is an essential oil with 80% fatty acid and a high vitamin c content. Perfect for aging skin or scars.

Key reasons I am using it is:

• It smells pleasant.
• Very Light-weight (I can apply it. Then put on a shirt and it doesn't leave marks.)
• Affordable at $9.99 CDN when I need to refill.
• There is a pump! 

To see maximum results the bottle states that you have to "Gently massage it into affected area 3 times daily or as often as needed". I have a horrible memory when it comes to stuff like that. I wonder if I can handle- Morning-Once home from work-Before bed?