Okay so your friends tell you that they have tickets to the hottest New Year's Eve party. It's 3pm and you know all the nail salons are closed in 2 hours. They're is NO way that you can get an appointment- sooooooo last minute.
What do you do?
You head to your local Shopper's Drug Mart for the most painless alternative to salon fresh feet:
Bronzer is a product I always forget about. After years of searching for the right shade and failing miserably (they’re generally too dark, too chalky, too sparkly for me), I gave up on using a bronzer in my makeup routine. That is, until I discovered the Too Faced Little Black Book of Bronzers – which allowed me to try out a multitude of formulas.
The nude makeup craze is everywhere – from eye shadows to lipsticks to the new contour craze. The good news is that you don’t need to fork out over $50.00 for the newest Naked Palette (okay, they’re still quite dreamy) – Quo has lots of great nude-themed products for less in their 2015 holiday collection!
I love serums - I think they are the unsung hero of beauty. My advice: Never splurge on a moisturizer or a cleanser, but do your research and invest in a quality serum that will treat all of your skin concerns.
I was excited to have the opportunity to try the super luxe Rodial Bee Venom Serum. This serum promises to minimize signs of aging, even your skin tone and smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The plumping formula is composed of real bee venom serum (side note: if you are allergic to bees, this is likely not the serum for you), plant stem cells and Cyclopeptide-5. Rodial's trademarked MariMoist complex provides hydration for a radiant complexion.
This serum applies like liquid velvet - it is so supple and hydrating, without feeling heavy. It melts into the skin and you can apply moisturizer quickly after to seal in the serum. Since I started using this a few weeks ago, I've received so many compliments on how glowing my skin looked! You can really see results with this particular serum.
Let me start off by saying this is a BEAUTY. A true gem from their Limited Edition 24 Karat Gold Collection. This is totally the palette to have in your possession, if you're trying to get noticed this season. The Glitz and glamour of this six shade palette comes with four silky shimmer powders and two pigmented cream formulas.
What better way is there to doll up for the holidays than with some serious shimmer?
These Sephora lip gels truly do have a 3D, holographic effect, and are the perfect gloss to complete your holiday party look.
They are bold enough to be worn on their own or could be layered over a lipstick (pink or red would look amazing with this) for a glam look. Best of all? They apply well (it has an amazing doe foot application) and they are not sticky. They're also limited edition - so grab them while you can!
I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to attend Philosophy's Holiday preview back in October. Honestly, Philosophy has some great products that you need to get your hands on this holiday. I picked the three items that would make anyone feel gracious to have this season.
Philosophy has amazingshampoo, shower gel & bubble bathcombos ($21.00 CAN).
The scents are rich, lather well and long-lasting. These are great picks but I would buy gallons of Christmas Cookie. Plus there is an awesome recipe on the bottle.
As a beauty addict, I have a confession: I am absolutely rubbish at applying false lashes. I can never get the line of glue where I want it to be, and I can never get the falsies close enough to my lash line. I’ve tried a full set, individuals, you name it – I can’t do it.
This set promises lashes that will look just like falsies, without the glue. It comes with two products – a Prime & Seal mascara that primes your lashes and seals in the “falsies” effect (you use this as steps one and three) and Flexistretch Nylon Fibers that offer the “extension” effect (you use this as step one). How does it work? The Flexistretch Nylon Fibers cling to the tips of your eyelashes, providing a lengthening effect. When you reapply the Prime & Seal mascara, the mascara will cover the fibers, making it appear as if your eyelashes are insanely long.
I was able to get Stila Stay All Day® Liquid Lipsticks in Aria & Amore ($29.00 CDN) through my Scarlet & Julia order last month. I literally wear them every single day. I'm obsessed with liquid Lipsticks.
It's really hard to find a good matte, long lasting brand but Stila has it all!
I've heard three really good things about Stila Stay All Day® Liquid Lipsticks.
I was so excited to try this kit as Ole Henriksen has been one of my favourite skin care lines since I was a teenager – theirOn The Go Cleanser cleared up my acne, their POWER Peel™ PRO-strength Microdermabrasion/AHA Peel System taught me about the importance of chemical exfoliation (if you’re a newbie to it, this set is amazing to try it at home, rather than a $300 spa treatment. Pro tip – only use half of the product and double the number of treatments – store the remaining product in an airtight container). I was delighted to see that this set of five products included four that I have not yet tried – and one of my all-time favourite serums.
My favourite Christmas items are the sharable kind!
This Too Faced beauty contains three deluxe sized Melted Lipsticks with three coordinating deluxe Love Flush blushes.
If you don't know liquid lipsticks is 2015 "must have" product.
Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick is an all in one product that allows you to have that lasting effect of a lip stain and the pigmentation of a liquid lipstick. Pair the look with a matching blush! Too Faced Sweet Cheeks gives you everything you could want in a blush. Fade-proof, smudge-proof and last up to 16 hours.
Best Selling Melted Lips + Blush from left to right:
• Deluxe Melted Nude & Love Hangover, Deluxe Melted Peony & Justify My Love, and Deluxe Melted Fig & Your Love is King
I fell in love with makeup back in 2008, after watching a special effects video on YouTube. After watching which seemed like 20 videos, I stumbled on a “Golden Goddess” tutorial and that was it! I remember watching this young girl totally transform herself in less than10 minutes. I was hooked!
That’s what my obsession with makeup started. I started out with makeup from the dollar store (which I might add- wasn’t the best idea) then to drug store makeup items like Annabelle cosmetics and Maybelline. Lastly, graduating to Holy Grail MAC Cosmetics that all the gurus had. Looking back at those early pictures always makes me laugh. I looked decent but there was room for improvement. Like… my brows were way too thin and I was afraid to use liquid eyeliner!
I have become an avid online shopper. Now that I've moved and I'm not within walking distance of the mall, the internet is my best friend. That's why I was so excited when I received an awesome package from the new online beauty destination Scarlet & Julia.
Your new one-stop shop that offers a variety products, tips from experts and exclusive bargins.
What you can get on the site:
Makeup
Skin care
Bath & body
Hair care
Let me also add that they beauty outlet section. No need to dig through bins and get your hands dirty. These limited-timed sales are easy to access. Just sign up and become a member for free!
Other notables:
Cash back reward in S&J credits
Free delivery on purchases of $75+
Free samples on purchases of $75 or more
1% of our sales is donated to Look Good Feel Better
I had the opportunity to visit The Beauty House. Located at 49 Stewart Street which is adjacent to the Thompson Hotel. They specialize in eyelash extensions, however, they have a few other services which are really interesting such a brow extensions. Remember over tweezing in grade 7??
Well they can fix that!
Looking for something more permanent?
Try Microblading or Feathering!
The first thing I did was look at the gallery on the site for examples of their work.
I close get 3D lash extensions because I loved how natural but glam the work was.
Plus I knew that it would literally cut down my get ready time by 30 mins.
The holiday's are coming and I thought it would be a perfect time to get a more content out on the blog. I'm lucky that I found a great contributor. Jessica is no stranger to the blog. She's been reading Spiced Beauty since her PR intern days and I'm excited to welcome her on board.
Check out what Jessica has to say about beauty, blogging & skin care.
Beauty Underground is a new beauty concept shop located on the concourse level of the Queen Street store and online at the Bay.com. This location is perfect for girls who love to grab and go!
I recently ran out my holy grail moisturizer so I decided to try out Canadian skin care brand Indeed Laboratories. They have a new product called fillume volumising moisturiser ($24.99 CAN).
It's suppose to refine the visual signs of aging.
Making skin plumper and smoother with continued use.
This formula has some unique ingredients such as sym3D.
Sometimes a product comes into your possession and changes your whole life. Brows are a tricky subject for me. I was born with super thick brows.
In grade 7, I found brow scissors and it was over. I had these horrible thin brows for years.
Nobody told me that they were bad... until my first day of my makeup course.
Once I grew them out, I was never sure what to put in them. Whenever, I'd find a product.. I'd get bored of it easily. Or I'd get overwhelmed. I refuse to carry around more than one product.
The best way to throw together a look is to add some blush! In school, we were taught that we only need two blushes in our makeup kit: Bubble gum pink and a rich orange. I've always gravitated to oranges. I love how warm it looks on dark/deep skin.
When I was sent Sleek Makeup's crème to powder blush ($8.99 US), I knew that it
would become a staple in my collection.
Sleek Makeup's Innovative Crème to Powder Blush offers intense colour with a dewy, satin finish.
Blending is super easy with this blush. The soft blush starts out as a creme.
Then dries to a nice light powdery texture. Perfect for any skin type: Oily, combination or normal.
I should also add that the nice sleek black packaging is perfect for your makeup kit or personal use.
SWATCH
HOW TO APPLY
Apply using a stippling brush or your fingers to the apples of your cheeks.
I'm so here for a Fall lip. The more vampy the better.
I remember when I used to be afraid of bold colours like these but once I had the opportunity to try different variations. For the first time, I had the opportunity to try out Arbonne Cosmetics.
Check out the Arbonne Lip Collection featuring these lovely 90's lip shades
which are taking over the runway!
Glossed Over Lip Gloss in Anise ($31 CAN)
Lip Liner in Berry ($28 CAN)
Smoothed Over Lipstick in Iris ($34 CAN)
Glossed Over Lip Gloss in Hyacinth ($31 CAN)
Smoothed Over Lipstick in Dahlia ($34 CAN)
Smoothed Over Lipstick in Aster ($34 CAN)
Key things to know about The Arbonne Lip Collection.
Smoothed Over Lipstick
-16 shades
-Creamy
-Contains fruit extracts to volumize your lip
-Stain Finish
-Hypoallergenic
-Vegan
-Paraben & Gluten Free
I love trying new makeup brands. When Neutrogena reached out to me, I thought it would be a great opportunity to speak about skincare. Especially when the brand is #1 Dermatologist recommended. Toronto dermatologist, Dr. Paul Cohen answered a few of my questions regarding the importance of a night time makeup removal regime.
1. Why is it important to remove your makeup at night?
When you go to bed with makeup, you are setting yourself up for clogged pores and in turn, a breakout. Why? Because your skin doesn’t have a chance to breathe and recover. Your skin is covered in pores, and those pores not only allow us to sweat, but pores also allow us to secrete sebum. Sebum is a waxy lubricant that helps moisturize and protect skin, and it also helps remove dead skin cells and other irritants from pores in the process. By leaving makeup on, it clogs pores and prevents sebum from doing its job -- instead, the sebum builds up, which can cause acne. My recommendation, if you know you are going out and will come home too tired to go through your normal routine, keep makeup removing wipes by your bed. I recommend Neutrogena All-in-One Makeup Removing Cleansing Wipes.
2. Should I use a different remover for eyes, face and lips?
You don’t necessarily have to use different make-up removers for eyes, face and lips – you can use the same one. The eyes can be more sensitive than the rest of your face, so you may want to use a different remover.
3. What is a good night time regime? (cleanser..toner..etc)
My recommendation is wash, medicate, moisturize! Cleanser, toner, exfoliant, treatment, moisturizer would be my suggested regimen.