Trend: The Nude Lip

Anyone else notice the nude lip trend? I am all over it. I think it looks AMAZING with a great tan. Dark smoky eye with a nude lip. GORGEOUS! Jennifer Lopez works this look flawlessly.



My absolute favourite right now is Smashbox's Lip gloss in "Pixel". The formula is so moisturizing, I don't even need a coat of lip conditioner before I apply. It a very subtle light pink, almost iridescent. I use it for everyday.

Another wonderful colour is Nars Lipstick in "Sexual Healing". This one is an iridescent golden pink. If you haven't tried any Nars products, please do so. The lipstick, lip gloss, and eye shadows are fabulous. I love MAC, god knows I love MAC, but Nars takes it to the next level. Highly concentrated, wearable, beautiful makeup. However, in comparison to MAC, you will be paying well over $30 for a lipstick at Nars. You know in magazines where they do the "splurge" or "realistic" comparison? Well here you go. Eh, you live once right?



Another new colour Nars released from the Summer 2007 Collection-"Striptease". It's shiny, non sticky, and highly moisturizing. The lip glosses, come in over 35 shades. Nars is available at Sephora Toronto, and Holt's.



The nude lip look is freeing, refreshing and unpretentious. Try a pink-ginger tone if you're pale-skinned, or an bronze-gold tone if you are dark-skinned.

For the dark skinned ladies try MAC's Plushglass in "Wet, Wild, Wonderful". It's sheer lip colour with a pearlized high-shine gloss finish. It visibly plumps the lips to make them look luxuriously healthy and well-conditioned. Contains vitamin E for added environmental protection. Secret ingredient to plump lips? Cayenne Pepper. Just telling you what I heard from a MAC artist! Don't worry, it doesn't hurt, but it really plumps!! (Right Dani?)

It's summer ladies! Time to work it!

Just Plane Pretty

Travelling this summer? European vacation perhaps? Well, I am, and I am trying to decide what the heck to bring in my carry on for that 6-9 hours of travel. Being in the air can leave you dehydrated, tired and puffy. Not good.

Try to prepare. Try to eat lightly and exercise before travel. I try to avoid salty foods which can cause you to retain water and swell up. The night before get your skin ready for the stress of recycled air. Try a hydrating mask, tone, and ensure you wear a rich moisturizing cream for overnight. The next morning, cleanse and apply moisturizer to damp skin. Keep your makeup very light. Wear just the bare minimum. You are going to want to keep reapplying moisturizer throughout the flight, so skip the foundation. Instead, try a light cream blush, concealer, and a tinted lip gloss to trap moisture.

Drink up. No, I don't mean a cocktail. Your body dehydrates 3 times faster when you are in the air. Ensure you drink a lot of water, water, water. Buy a 1.5 to 2 litre bottle of water and drink it continuously over the course of the flight. Pack some tea bags for when the cart comes around. Your skin will thank you when you deplane.

What to bring:

My sister and I love the travel sized Evian Mineral Water Spray. Spray directly on your face and it instantly revives your skin, and counteracts travel fatigue.


Philosophy, (available at Sephora) has a wonderful set called "Miracle Worker" which has everything you need in travel sized bottles. It includes a facial cleanser, daily moisturizer, perfumed shower gel, shampoo & conditioner, and a foot and hand cream. Hands are also very important to keep hydrated. As long as everything fits in a sandwich sized ziploc bag, you are good to go.


Don't forget your body butter! I tend to skip the perfume and opt for a scented body butter. My favorite? Sephora's Body Butters-Whipped Body Delights. The Coconut Nectar scent is summer in a jar! So yummy!


Hair. Don't forget your baby travel brush, some hair spray, and hair elastics. When I'm basking in the sun in the French Riviera, you better believe my hair will be in a bun at the top on of head in a big ol' floppy hat. While in the ocean, protect your hair from the sun with Aveda's Brilliant Damage Control. Helps to protect against UV damage.

Sun Block. What's this? Well, considering when I go to the "sunblock area" in the drugstore, I go straight to the Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Oil, I thought I better do some research on sun protection. I hear the sun is very different in Europe. I think I may need a 30 SPF.

Other items that would be worth bringing in your bag: a small travel pillow. Do you really want to use the ones on the plane? No. Dirty. Face mask for your eyes for when you go for a snooze in total darkness. Toothbrush and toothpaste to brush before you land, and most importantly your iPod and a good book. If you bring a small part of the comforts of home, I find you will ultimately enjoy your experience a whole lot better.

Moonbathe-May 31, 2007

I'm overjoyed that MAC's Moonbathe will be launched in a couple of weeks. With summer here, these are the perfect colours to wear this time of year.

Here is what we have to look forward to:

Eyeshadow
Cranberry - Reddish plum with pink shimmer
Cosmic - Warm yellow gold with gold pearl
Saturnal - Deep olive with gold pearl
Firespot - Intense orange with gold pearl

Lipstick
Sunmetal - Warm bronze with silver pearl
Solar - Plum Berry with red and gold pearl
Eclipse - Deep rust with gold pearl
Honey Moon - Warm pink bronze with gold pearl

Lipglass
Dark Flower - Warm plum pink and gold pearl
Elaborate - Soft low karat gold with pearl
Crescent - Soft maple with gold pearl
Moonbathe - Sheer tangerine with white and gold pearl

Sheertone Shimmer Blush
Other Wordly - Warm yellow gold with gold pearl
Afterdusk - Sheer neutral pink with gold pearl

Glimmershimmer
Astral Rays - Sheer gold with white pearl
Ritzy - Peachy bronze with gold pearl

Liquidlast Liner
Molten Sol - Rich gold with intense metallic pearl
Point Black - True black

Nails
Golded - Soft peach with gold lay down
Fireball - Intense tangerine with gold and orange pearl

MAC SUNDRESSING

Wow, how can you tell summer is here? Considering my apartment's temperature wouldn't go down under 75 degrees, and the duvet is officially off the bed, and I'm going bare legged to work, I would say, yessss! Finally!

So, with that said, and you can tell from my recent posts, that I am completely infatuated in looking tanned. I love wearing white and bright colours this time of year to even heighten the "illusion" in looking darker than I really am.

Last summer, I bought 2 bottles of the MAC SUNDRESSING. It's an amazing product. Better than the Smashbox Body Lights Bronzer

It's a soft mousse formula, that dispenses onto the skin via a pump. DO NOT be afraid of this product. It actually looks like chocolate syrup when it comes out of the pump, but it blends so nicely, and it smells delightful! You can use this everywhere! Spreads easily over face, legs, arms, shoulders and décolletage and it's water resistant. It's wonderful for those nights out when you are wearing a skirt or shorts and you want your legs to look really dark. Don't bother wearing this product when it's extremely humid. It will pill off and make you look like you have DIRT on your skin! HA!

Available in 4 shades. Medium, Medium Dark, Dark and Deep Dark (best one). About $22.00 for the bottle at MAC.

Aveeno Continuous Radiance

I really enjoy Aveeno's Continuous Radiance lotion. The formula combines natural soy with a subtle color enhancer to help even out skin tone and texture while gradually deepening skin's natural color, for visibly healthy and natural-looking skin that's not orange or streaky. The exclusive formula also helps smooth out skin's imperfections -- bringing out skin's natural radiance.

I've tried a lot of moisturizing "gradual" skin enhancers, but I've found that they are really smelly, greasy, or you have to wait too long to see the colour. I've used the lotion for 3 days now and noticed the colour is nice golden brown. I use it on my face too.

It's a wonderful moisturizer for morning and before bed. I am fair-skinned, but I tried this in "Medium" instead of fair. At $8.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart or any drugstore, I think that is fairly priced compared to similar products. The product just looks like any other Aveeno lotion and is not in any special "tanner" location.

The creamy white lotion goes on smoothly and blends quickly. The colour is quite good, similar to the other "daily radiance lotions" I've tried but maybe a tad more brown/realistic on me (instead of orange or yellow-toned like some). It seemed to develop rather quickly and without any obvious streaks or blotches. I've been using self-tanners over a decade now and I must say that the daily lotions are perfect for a slight tan without a lot of mistakes and hassle, and they are also good if you are just starting to try self-tanning.

Let me know what you think?

Self Tanner for Men? Of Course!

Nivea for Men, has released Summer Look Moisturizer. Daily moisturizing care for facial skin, that gradually builds a natural looking summer tan, matching to your natural skin tone. Formulated with Nivea's CARE PRO TEC: the professional care technology that immediately activates and supports the natural functions of men’s skin.

Appearance Enhancing Facial Care
Effective moisturising formula with Hydra-Tan complex, Vitamin E, Provitamin B5 & UV Filters (SPF 8)
-Acts with skin’s own amino proteins to produce a even, streak free tan.
-Moisturizes and hydrates immediately.
-Protects skin against harmful sun damage and everyday environmental factors.

Results -Healthy & natural looking summer tan in 3 days.
-Moisturized, smooth and supple skin.

Skin compatibility dermatologically approved. Available at Shoppers. Not sure how much it is, but I would guess it's no more than $20.00.

Tanning Bed in a Tube?

Well, there is... sort of! A safe tanning bed. Introducing Too Faced's Tanning Bed in a Tube.
"Tanning Bed in a Tube" is an instant gel bronzer, with a gradual self-tanner built right in.

While, I'm a big fan of spray self tanners, this one is a gel, and I found the texture and the application very easy, and no streaks, which is OBVIOUSLY important!

Too Faced's Tanning Bed in a Tube is $22.50 at Sephora. I spent only 10 minutes at Sephora yesterday, however I managed to also check out the rest of the Too Faced Summer Line. Stay tuned!

Did I mention how much I loved summer and being tanned??? (Artifically of course, when I can.)

MAC's Moonbathe & Sunstrip!

Are you intrigued by the colour collections for Summer ‘07 ? What’s in store for summer you ask?

Moonbathe:
4 Lipsticks (limited edition with special packaging)
4 Lipglass (limited edition with special packaging)
5 Eyeshadows (limited edition with special packaging)
2 Liquidlast Liners (Repromote Point Black & 1 limited edition color which looks like a shimmery tan)
1 Pro Lash (Repromote Coal Black)
2 Sheertone Shimmer Blush (limited edition with special packaging)
2 Glimmershimmer (limited edition)
2 Nail Lacquer (Repromote Golded & 1 limited edition color)
1 Lashes (limited edition - red & black huge lashes which are shiny!)


Sunstrip consists of:
2 Bronzers (limited edition with special packaging)
2 Studio Mist Foundation (limited edition)
2 Brushes (Repromote #187 & #188 Duo Fibre Brushes)


The limited edition packaging that these two collections will be wrapped in is a pale shimmery gold that appears almost cream. There is also a “New Breed” of lipstick that has a new formula is called “Slimshine”. Slimshine lipsticks will be debuting in early May ‘07, with 16 new colors in the line.

Stay tuned to a more information on the new products! Photos to follow....