New Spiced Beauty Contributor: Alicia

Currently, my blog is growing rapidly. To keep up with the demand, I decided to look for contributors. Alicia is no stranger to the blog. In June 2012, she did one of my first guest posts on the Maybelline Colour tattoos. The post received a lot of attention and I had to approach her to contribute more. It's good to share products which work for various skin tones so I'm happy to have Alicia on board. I thought it would be good for you all to get to know her- check out what she has to say about beauty!

Why did you want to contribute to Spiced Beauty?  
I've been following Jenn on twitter for a long time, as long as I have been reading Spiced Beauty. It was great to be able to converse with a beauty blogger who was in my country. I find Canada doesn't have as many beauty bloggers as the USA or the UK and I like to research products before I buy them and see personal opinions. I wanted to be able to help other beauty nuts like myself to learn what products are in their area. Having the opportunity to contribute to Spiced Beauty was a no brainer who doesn't want to contribute to a blog that they read and write about products they would love to share.

Favourite Canadian Beauty Brand? 
Bite Beauty for highend and Annabelle for drugstore

Liquid, pencil or gel eye liners? 
Liquid liner, kohl for waterline

Tip to get the perfect eyeliner? 
Eyeliner is a tricky one. I find for me the trick is to not be rushed, if I am rushed I will mess it up. So my tip would be dont worry if you mess up just grab a pointed Q-Tip dip it in your foundation (or whatever base you used) and clean up the mistake.

Lipsticks or Gloss? 
Lipstick

My ideal mascara is ...
A mixture of mascaras, I like layering Diorshow mascara and L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes, I love a clumpy spider lash look - personal preference.

My favourite make up remover ...
Andalou Naturals Revitalizing Lash and Lid Make-Up Remover for eyes and Aubrey Organics Sea Buckthorn Nourishing Bath Bar for the rest of my make up.

My skin care routine ... 
My routine is probably complex to some and basic to others. It is what works best for my skin at the moment as I have combination skin that can get dehydrated and oily very easily. I wash my face with the products above, once my skin is clean I us the Andalou Naturals Blossom & Leaf Toning Refresher and then move on to my Indeed Labs Hydraluron as my face serum and Vichy Liftactiv Serum 10 Eyes and Lashes as my eye serum. After that I use Andalou Naturals Hyaluronic DMAE Lift & Firm Cream and my Nuxe Prodigieux Eye Contour cream. I then spray my face with Etival Ener-C Mist.

My nighttime routine is the same except I us rosehip oil as my night moisturizer and if need be I will use my La Roche-Posay Efficlar Duo. Once a week I use my Clairisonic in the shower with The Alba Botanica Nautiral Hawaiian facial cleanser. Twice a week I also do a mask it will either be the Nuxe Clarifying Cream-Mask with Rose Petals, the Andalou Naturals Kombucha Enzyme Exfoliating Peel or the Glam Glow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment.

Curly or straight hair?  
Wavy hair, like cocker spaniel ears. its flat on top and very wavy and big on the sides.

How many lip products do you have in your purse/makeup bag? 
At this very second I have 3 lip balms an hourglass liquid lipstick, a ysl lipstick and a rimmel lipstick and an annabelle lip liner so 7.

Up Close and Personal: Make Up For Ever Artisan Brushes

Every girl needs a great set of brushes. I always look for something that is high quality and made to last. How about some brushes that have been five years in the making?

Make Up For Ever has come out with a new line of artisan brushes.

If I had to think of two words to describe them- It would be sturdy and soft.

I decided to do this up close and personal post for anybody who is interested in the brushes 

but just want to see a little bit more before they purchase.

fter five years in development with makeup artists and fiber experts, MAKE UP FOR EVER Artisan Brushes are a revolution in brush craftsmanship. The 100-percent fiber brushes are available in a range of 76 handcrafted styles, each with the perfect balance of straight and wavy fibers that replicate natural hairs. Beveled tips create a two-in-one makeup brush and tool, while innovative hair density and brush head shapes optimize every stroke for ideal makeup application. To achieve the ultimate collection, every brush has gone through 25 production stages by 30 craftsmen and has been checked for quality 50 times.

There are 76 brushes in the line and I have three:

106, 104 & 160.

104

Small Foundation Brush ($40.00 CAN)
Straight Fibers.
This is a flat brush that works well with liquid and cream products.
It has a tapered top and the bristles are not too dense.
I love using it to apply my MUFE HD foundation.

106 
Medium Foundation Brush ($41.00 CAN)
Straight Fibers.
This is a rounded flat brush that can pick up powders, liquid and creams.
Similar to the 104 brush.
You can get a quicker application out of this brush because of it's size.

Comparison of the 106 on the left and the 104 on the right.

You can see the 106 has more bristles. That's why you can pick up powder products and it sticks.

The 104 is tapered around the edges. Which works well with the crevices of your face.

160 
Blush Brush ($51.00 CAN)
Wavy & Straight Fibers.
This is a sculpted blush brush to be used with powder.
Perfect for the application of blush. You could probably do highlights with it as well.

I should note: These brushes are made out of synthetic fibers that mimic the 

softness of natural hair brushes.

I also love the finish of the wooden ferrule.

Will you be picking up any of these brushes?

Caryl Baker Visage - Notorious Beauty Collection (Guest Post)

 The collection is called Notorious Beauty and from first glance I knew this collection was going to make me think of a film noir Greta Garbo type of evening.

The Notorious collection boasts Intense Colour, All of the Drama and Irresistible Glamour and I must admit I think Cary Baker Visage hit the nail on the head with these claims. The collection showcases a great selection of eye shadows, lip-glosses, lipsticks, lip pencils and blush in earth tone and plum/berry shades.

I was able to try an eye shadow trio, a lip pencil, a lip-gloss and a blush. There was also a single shadow in the mix from the Spring Awakening collection (I swatched it also cause it was just so darn pretty)

Left to Right: Caryl Baker Visage Lip-gloss in Corruption, Caryl Baker Visage Lip liner in Desire

Caryl Baker Visage Lip-gloss in Corruption
(Regular Price $17.50, Beauty Club Price $15.75)
The formula of the gloss is a tad sticky but it has some serious staying power I was sporting a ghostly heart shadow on my forearm for most of the night after I swatched it. The lip gloss smells much like other glosses of the same caliber (like a vanilla cookie) I’m not a huge fan of sparkle so chances are this wont be my go to gloss but the pigmentation is pretty great so maybe on a glamorous night out I might just bring this beauty along.

Caryl Baker Visage Lip liner in Desire
(Regular Price $15.00, Beauty Club Price $13.50)
I am super impressed with this lip liner. It is a solid texture but creamy and pigmented. At first I thought it was going to lean towards a cherry red but upon further inspection I noticed it’s much more of a deep raspberry. There isn’t much else I can say other than I can already tell this is going to be a go to for the holidays.

Left to Right: Caryl Baker Visage eye shadow in peachy, Caryl Baker Visage eye shadow in Silhouette, Baker Visage eye shadow in Sabotage, Baker Visage eye shadow in Smoldering, Baker Visage blush in Dial M for “Makeup”

Caryl Baker Visage Blush in Dial M for “Makeup”
(Regular Price $22.50, Beauty Club Price $20.25)
I would categorize this blush as a spiced rose colour. It is a soft matte pigmented blush and fromm what I can tell a pretty universal colour. I happen to be a pretty fair lady so to use it I would have to be light handed but a light hand is easy to do with a pigment as nice as this. This blush is such a great autumn colour and will really help to warm up you complexion as your sun kissed glow starts to fade.

Caryl Baker Visage Eye Shadow Trio in Silhouette/Sabotage/Smoldering 
(Regular Price $18.00, Beauty Club Price $16.20)
The eye shadow trio is a beauty at first glance but once you get into swatching you notice that there are some flaws. Silhouette is a light matte grey and a colour I would gravitate too but it is a bit chalky and doesn’t play the nicest with a shadow brush or a finger for that matter. I think its still usable but it will take a bit more work. Sabotage is a cool shimmery brown and is my most favourite. The shadow is buttery and very pigmented. Smoldering is a warm deeper shimmery brown and felt quite gritty in comparison to Sabotage. The trio its self is beautiful and the colours will look great together but there was a lot of fall out and the textures and formulation were not consistent.

I happen to live in an area that doesn’t have a Caryl Baker Visage location so this is my first experience with the brand. I have to say though the products are a pleasant surprise. I’m not sure that this collection is totally for me but there are certain products that I really do think will end up mixed in my regular beauty routine. I am also very certain that this is not my last time hanging out with Ms Baker. I cant wait to try more collections in the future.

The Notorious Beauty collection is still available while supplies last online and at your local Caryl Baker Visage location so I suggest if you feel like spending a little money on some glamour products you do just that.

Revlon: Do you match your Lips and Tips?

Have you ever matched your nail colour and lipstick before?

Revlon is celebrating its heritage of matching Lips & Tips with a fun activation on their facebook page encouraging others to share their photos of their Revlon Colour Authority paired Lips & Tips.

I thought it would be cool to get in on the action with my own Lips & Tips selfie!

I am rocking Revlon Nail Enamel in Fearless and Super Lustrous Lipstick in Rich Girl Red.

Love this colour and want to add it to your collection? 

Canadians! Save $2.00 off your next: Revlon purchase
Check out more Lips & Tips combos over on Revlon Facebook page!

Shiseido Ibuki Line Launches October 1

As I get older, skin care is very important to me. My goal is to have perfect skin. Yes.. a pimple or two many shine through but I'm more confident with blemish free skin.

Back in the end of August, I got my hands on the Shiseido Ibuki line.

Ibuki builds skin’s inner resistance for consistently beautiful skin now and for years to come. Our exclusive technology super-hydrates cells and enhances the skin’s resistance to harsh elements. The result is smooth, ready-for-anything skin with a healthy, more radiant glow.

 I've used the line in the past but never really stuck it out for more than a week. Nothing against the line- I just have so many products that some items get put on the back burner.

This time, I promised myself to stick with it straight for four weeks. As a beauty blogger, that's like light years!

The line features two cleansers, a softener, three moisturizers and an eye cream. The products can be grouped into two different skin care categories- Normal/dry & oily.

My skin type is normal but sensitive.

My winning combo:

Gentle Cleanser $25 CDN
A little bit goes a long way. This cleanser is gentle but lathers up quickly.
An extra gentle cleanser that lathers quickly into a rich foam to remove impurities and harmful excess sebum without stripping away skin’s essential moisture.

Softening Concentrate $30 CDN
This is like a toner. I use a cotton square and apply this all over.
By supplying skin with generous moisture, this deep-infusion formula helps deliver immediately effective ingredients into the skin for a softer, smoother feel.
Formulated with PhytoResist Complex which boosts skin’s strength to resist problems.

Protective Moisturizer $52 CDN
Probably the lightest moisturizer out of the bunch. I just dap it on and then rub it all in. It has SPF.
This multi-action daytime formula with soft reflecting powder intensively corrects the appearance of unevenness such as visible pores, breakouts/blemish marks and skin roughness by building skin’s strength to resist problems. Renews the skin surface to reveal an incredibly smooth, uniform texture, providing lasting hydration.
Formulated with PhytoResist Complex which boosts skin’s strength* to resist problems.

One tip I'll give anyone starting a new skin regime is to start with fresh skin. For the first two weeks- I wasn't receiving the maximum benefits from the products because my pores were clogged!  I got a deep exfoliating facial. After that I personally thought the products worked better with my skin.

The only con I have about the products is that they do have a light scent. Nothing over powering but I just want to put it out there for anyone who is sensitive about scents.

Overall, I would definitely recommend these products to anyone looking to get their skin back on track. My skin looks healthy and I'm now prepared for winter!

Flare Trends Shopping Event at Markville Shopping Centre

It's been a while since I've been to Markville Shopping Centre but I'm happy I went. It's gorgeous! They recently did a $111 million dollar revitalization! Yes $111 million dollar facelift! Markville Shopping Centre introduces new designer brand retailers and all over luxury.

With over 250,000 square feet of commercial space re-merchandized with high-end brand-names, Markville has welcomed Zara, Zara Kids, J. Crew, Michael Kors, Coach, Loft, Aritzia, Express, Sephora, Little Burgundy and Browns, with Victoria's Secret and PINK opening soon.

To celebrate the re-launch of the new Markville, the Centre partnered with one of my favourite Canadian Magazines Flare. Tomorrow- Saturday, September 28, shoppers are welcome to attend the Flare Trends Shopping Event! 

What is it? 

A day full of style consultations from a Flare stylist. 

There will be makeovers & exclusive in-store offers. 

Where:
Centre Court, lower level, entrance #10

Time:
11:00am to 3:00pm

I was lucky to be VIP at their shopping event on Wednesday. 

So many cute Fall inspirations!

Check them out:

What type of ring do you want?

Everyone wants one of those engagement rings that you fall in love with every time you see it! C’mon! It will be on your hand everyday for years. Plus it’s one of the first things that you see went you meet/greet someone.

Some girls like to be surprised but there are some like me-who are so picky and just know exactly what you want. Sometimes you have design in your head but can’t find it in stores. Frustrating! I know. What if I told you that you can design your own ring. Yes! With no hassle.

All you have to go is get your significant other to check out Anjolee. What are you in love with? 3-stone engagement rings? Diamond Solitaire Engagement Rings? What about my favourite Diamond Solitaire Engagement Rings With Side Accents! They have it!

The site features drop down menus starting with:
Jewelery Collection > Total Carat Weight > Stone Shape > Setting type

I should also add they have yellow gold, white gold & platinum. If you receive your item and your not satisfied. They have a great 30- day policy “If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you may return any item in its original condition within 30 days of receipt and we will gladly provide a refund, replacement, or an exchange. All customized orders can be returned for full refund within 30 days of receipt.”

Happy ring hunting!

*This is a sponsored post*