1.31.2012

Heartbreaker

Valentine’s Day Inspiration........

To: You
Love From: Us





We are suckers for Bliss Spa products. They smell delicious and well, they are really effective! I usually pick mine up at Sephora.


In preparation of Valentine’s Day......think about picking this up! I don’t know about you but this winter weather has done a number on my lips! The Bliss Fabulips treatment kit is the simplest way to get full, healthy, beautiful lips. It has an amazing lip scrub and balm! You lips will be soft and healthy!





We enjoy the sheerness and high gloss finish of Stila lip glaze as it’s not sticky. Check out this super cute limited edition kit that will get you glowy pink skin and super glossy soft lips just in time for Valentine’s Day. This kit has a 3 shade blush with subtle shimmer to give your skin that fresh glow and 2 shades of super wearable pink glaze.





New from Valentino (available at Holt Renfrew)... Perfect for a hot Valentine’s date!







If you want to rock a red lip for Valentine’s day....check out these stunning shades.











MAC has put together some really hot shades of red for Valentine’s day....it’s on their website under “A Shade of Red for all Hearts”.



Our favourite pair would be Cherry Lip Pencil with Cockney Lipstick. RED HOT!




Artist Tips to prevent lipstick from bleeding:

  • Blot face powder around the edges of your natural lip line. This powdery texture that absorbs will surround the creamy lipstick and help it from escaping!

  • Prime your lips with a smooth waxy feeling primer that contains silicone. It’s going to make your lips smooth as silk so that your lipstick goes on perfectly. It also fills any lines so that the lipstick doesn’t bleed into the lines and feather out past the natural lip line. Try Prep + Prime Lip from MAC.

  • Use lip liner first. Either in a shade similar to the lipstick or a more natural colour. Lip liner is not as creamy as lipstick and it’ll act as a barrier so that the creamy texture won’t slide past the more dry and dense lip liner.  

  • If you notice feathering escaping from your lip line, take a Q-Tip dipped in blot powder and run it along the outer edge of your lip line. This will clean up the spillage. The powder works hard to absorb any excess lipstick.

Voila....perfect lips!

We hope you have an amazing Valentine’s Day celebrates your life’s loves. xoxo

Dianna Agron - 2012 Golden Globes

1.13.2012

SPRING TREND: Strong Brows With Subtle Lips


Full sculpted brows are in full effect for Spring!

The best way to wear a bold brow is with a soft, neutral nude lip as seem at the Naeem Kahn show.  
We suggest a nude-toned pencil and matching nude lipstick topped with a sparkling champagne nude-beige gloss.




Limited Edition: Perfect Day Lipstick by MAC


Check out these looks from New York Fashion Week: Spring 2012

We noticed the strong brows (which is the direction to go in for Spring) were complimented with contoured eyes in natural shades, glowing luminous skin and pale lips at the Thakoon Spring 2012 show.






12.29.2011

How will you shine this Holiday Season.....with “Baby it’s Cold Outside” cheeks!



Create some “baby it’s cold outside” cheeks!



Sheer some fresh colour onto the apples of your cheeks to simulate a natural glow. Brighter blush is a super cute wintery frost bitten look that will brighten up your face even on the darkest gloomy winter day! The goal is to have it look more on the subtle side.

Check out this super gorgeous glowing look that was seen during the Imitation of Christ show at New York Fashion Week: Spring-2012! This is a look you can rock now, and it’s going to be around for Spring 2012 too! If you don’t have a brighter blush that pops, it would be a good investment now as it’ll carry you all the way to summer.




Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in Pale Pink is a great “all-purpose” product.






Benefit Posie Tint or their original Bene Tint which is more red looks great!



Apply these fun productas onto skin that's been lightly primed with moisturizer so that they sheer better and will give you a more natural result. Bobbi Brown’s is more of a cream and Benefit’s is more of a stain. Both equally nice textures that give you that rosey cheek look.

If you prefer to work with powders we love MAC’s Pink Swoon blush for light to medium skin tones. It's bright but quite clear. Gives you that natural glow which makes you look healthy and fresh faced!






MAC’s Dollymix is a bit stronger of a fuchsia but with a light application, it’s perfect for light to medium skin tones and darker skin tones can wear it as well.





For rich darker skin tones, try MAC’s Frankly Scarlet which is more red and looks amazing on dark skin.


This trend of strong blush will be a stand-out trend for Spring/Summer 2012 as seen at New York Fashion Week. We adore this look from the Tracy Reece show. Lots of pink and red colours were seen on the runway as well as peach and coral.


We also love this look from New York Fashion week...the Jen Kao model below had a gorgeous shade of peach with a bright coral lip. Perfect for NYE and you can rock it way into Summer 2012.

Try Peaches Powder Blush from MAC!

12.19.2011

How will you shine this Holiday Season...shine on with twinkling eyes!


Try a glitzy eyeshadow or eyeliner!

and Shine On with Twinkling eyes!





Want to sparkle this season...without looking like you’ve just finished doing crafts at the kiddie table?

To spice up your everyday look add a bit of glitz and glamour with a sparkly eyeshadow or glitter eyeliner.


NARS has a new eyeshadow trio called Arabian Nights that contains 3 gorgeous shades: black with red pearls, a black with purple pearls and a black with gunmetal shimmer bold black.


Sultry smoky eyes look gorgeous with a hint of sparkly. We also love NARS Night Breed which is a rich black eyeshadow with sparkly silver glitter. NARS also makes some pretty amazing soft eye pencils packed with glitter.


If you prefer eye-catching glitzy lids...try Urban Decay’s Stardust Eyeshadow which has a sheer wash of colour and delivers an incredible amount of twinkling sparkle.





 

One of the oldies but goodies is MAC’s Vanilla Pigment. Gorgeous on any skintone and has that right amount of sheen and glow.








One of our new favourite sparkly products is Sparklicity Pure by Tarina Tarantino.  This loose pigment has a microcrystalline sparkle pigment with no binder to get in the way of the luxurious and fantastical sparkling effects it creates. Its soft, muted shade layers perfectly with the rest of your makeup to accentuate the arch of the brow, eyelids, and even cheeks. These products come packed with soft opalescent colour, they are free of binders and they are made with reflex glitter that is more dimensional than those traditional glitters of the past.

So fun to play with! but be careful...it's a loose powder that flies around. Use a flat paddle-like brush instead of a fluffy broom shaped brush. You want to press the dust on strategically instead of it flying all over your face.

 For under $20... you can go to Sephora and pick up one of their gel-based eyeliners that pack some serious sparkle. Use it alone if you’d like but we prefer to use black gel eyeliner underneath so that it’s solid (creating some depth) with sparkles layered on top.




We love the eyeliners by Tarina Tarantino as they have colour behind them and sparkle. Tarina Tarantino's sparkling creations allow you to effortlessly indulge in a little elegant shimmer and shine.

We hope you find the twinkle in your eye this Holiday Season!

12.15.2011

How will you shine this Holiday Season...Polish your nails!





Polish your nails!

Nothing says the holidays like a crisp classic red coloured manicure! Red never goes out of style and it is perfectly feminine! Or try a textured top coat in a colour that mimics silver bells. Keep the nails short and manicured to look ever so polished!

We love the bright red-orange shade Big Hair Big Nail in OPI’s Texas Collection shown above. It’s a brilliant red! It is so glossy that it looks almost wet after it dries.





NARS makes a gorgeous line of Shimmer Nail Lacquers.

Space Odyssey is a perfect silver polish with lots of sparkle.




Nars also came out with a Limited Edition sparkly shade called Night Breed. If you can find it, snatch it up.



We enjoy the metallic grey MAGNETIC nail Lacquer from Nails Inc in a shade called Trafalgar Square . It’s a revolutionary magnetic nail lacquer used to create designs. Very fun! Find it at Sephora!


12.08.2011

How will you shine this Holiday Season...let me count the ways...



When the weather outside is frightful...Get a winter glow!

Start with your skin... EXFOLIATE and HYDRATE

If you don’t exfoliate on a regular basis you need to rush out and get an exfoliating scrub or an AHA night cream!

After sloughing off the dead skin stuck on the surface of your skin your moisturizer will soak in and do a way better job! All of the ingredients will be able to penetrate your skin instead of just sitting on top working on the dead skin. Invest in a richer than usual moisturizer for winter unless you get break outs.

If you use foundation, prevent it from looking cakey during the winter by mixing it with a few drops of moisturizer to sheer it out! Another option is to try a tinted moisturizer instead of foundation. The extra moisturizing ingredients will hydrate your skin as well as provide that coverage you are looking for. The coverage will be more sheer than most foundations but the payoff is amazing! If you find it doesn't cover quite enough...dab some concealer where you need it. We love Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20. If you like the model's skin in the Laura Mercier photo above....try this creamy lush product to even out your skin and give you that gorgeous natural glow...


To catch the light, dab illuminating lotion or shimmering powder on the upper corners of your cheekbones, brow bones, and the inner corners of eyes. These steps will give you glowing skin even in the cold dry brisk weather that is dehydrating your skin and making it look dull!

If you have warm undertones or a darker complexion try a gold illuminator. If you are quite fair try an icy light pink or a pale gold.


When in doubt go with a shade that looks good on any skin tone: Check out Orgasm Illuminator by NARS

11.18.2011

What’s caught our eye for FALL?

Perfectly lined eyes for ALL!



50’s and 60’s bombshell eye makeup is back! The winged eyeliner seen in the 50’s and 60’s is making a huge come back this Fall/Winter!


The easiest way of adding a bit of vintage glam to your every-day or holiday look is by wearing black eyeliner. You can sport a little wing or a more bold shape that covers the lid. There are so many choices!






I don’t know about you but I love fall/winter clothing and makeup! It’s the season where we layer clothing, bundle up and trade in our lip-gloss for ultra lady-like lipsticks! Prep your pressed powders and pull out your blackest eyeliner and pucker up for those red lipsticks!



The Alice + Olivia FW 11/12 show had some great examples of 50’s/60’s-inspired makeup.










The makeup looks have a touch of retro but are still very modern and wearable. 


50’s red lips are everywhere you look this season. From blood orange to crimson and berry.














The models at Diane Von Furstenberg had a very retro glam look.  What a perfectly beautiful look for New Years Eve! Gorgeous black sparkly retro gown, great eyeliner and stunning crisp red lips. Gorg!






My favourite retro inspired aspects of a 50’s makeup are: silky matte skin, defined brows, winged black eyeliner, and drop dead gorgeous matte red lips. Classics!


You can't get any more glamorous than this classic 1950's Marilyn Munroe look. Sultry bedroom eyes with bold black liner, structured brows, silky eye shadow, false lashes, flawless matte skin and deep red lips. Perfect look for a holiday party or for sipping champagne on NYE!


Red lips are both classic and hot right now but if you are too scared to rock Marilyn's red lip of the 50’s, swap it for a nice pale modern 60’s nude which will pair perfectly with dramatic eyeliner.






When Audrey Hepburn burst on the scene in the 50's she was instantly recognized for her style...her strong brows, clean liner and perfect skin are her signature look.

Throughout the 50's and 60's women looked towards Audrey Hepburn for style inspiration. We still look back and are inspired by her style!





Audrey is stunning in the 1950's movie "Sabrina"...Givenchy designed her dresses in the movie and from that movie her style became defined and widely recognized. The designer also created her outfits for many other films throughout her career including her famous little black dress in "Breakfast at Tiffany's".


Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina





















Who can forget this iconic look in the 1960'S movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's".....



The crisp black liquid eyeliner seen in the 50's transitioned into the swinging 60's....women started to experiment with different eyeliner shapes and different false lashes. False lashes became a part of a women's regular beauty regimen.

Twiggy is a 60's beauty icon...... 







1967 Paris Vogue
Known for her girlish charm... flirty bedroom eyes in shades of matte greys and pale blues, strong black eyeliner, lots of lashes on top and a ton of lashes on the bottom....

Twiggy had a dramatic but yet charming, polished and lady-like look.









Famous for her lashes!




Twiggy inspired eyeliner and eye shadow looks are also being seen on the red carpet, runway and in magazines this season.

Nicole Richie
The 60’s  popular cat-eye shape and a defined brow are something every girl can pull off effortlessly.

One of the most stunning bombshells of the 60’s is BLONDE BOMBSHELL Brigitte Bardot....








Brigette Bardot's signature look is dishevelled hair, perfect makeup with dramatic cat eyes....effortlessly gorgeous!















Kristen Stewart's W cover and spread is a beautiful take on a 60’s Brigette Bardot makeup inclusive of Brigette's effortlessly tousled bedroom hair....



The popular cat-eye shape from the 60's with a defined brow are something every girl can pull off effortlessly. Having your eyes be the focus of your look is a trend that will never fade!




Even the Diane Von Furstenberg ad campaign is inspired by 60's bombshells!









What you will need to get started:
My favourite gel eyeliners are MAC’s Fluidline and Bobbi Brown’s Long Wear Gel liner.





 
Bobbi Brown's Gel Eyeliner colour palette!



MAC's 266 Brush! A must have!
My favourite brushes are the 266 at MAC and the Classic Angled Liner/Eyeliner Brush #15 at Sephora.

You can always have Q-tips and makeup remover on hand for mishaps!
Practise makes perfect!

Eyeliner might seem a little tricky at first but fear not, take your time, use the right tools for the job...and you will succeed!


MAC's Fluidline...amazing! smudge proof!
To achieve the timeless eyeliner look that is back for Fall/Winter try a gel eyeliner!

Over the decades formulas have evolved! Amazing! Gel textured eyeliner is a slightly firmer formula, which allows for more accuracy and more play time than the general liquid eyeliner. Gel is much easier to apply and I find that most of the formulas are waterproof and transfer resistant.

Liquid eyeliner traditionally is runny, wet and generally harder to handle. Beginners will find it will bleed before it actually dries.




The How to:

Start by lifting your chin and looking down into a mirror (you can have one on your counter to look down into). This will ensure that you can see the entire eyelash line without having to close your eyes. It will keep the eye surface smooth and stretched. If you tilt your head back slightly (while looking down into a mirror), you will have 2 free hands to work with. You can then use one hand to draw your eyelid taut (try your non-dominant hand) and one hand to hold the brush.


Remember to place the eyeliner as close to the lashes as possible to avoid a space between the eyeliner and lashes. Draw a line across the upper lid on the lash line as close to your lashes as possible, this creates the desired illusion of having thicker lashes. If you prefer liquid liner, allow it to dry before opening your eyes all the way, or the color may transfer into the crease of your eye.



When you reach the end of the line at the outer corner, slightly extend the line upwards and outwards. You want the wing to turn up...(not down) to lift the eye. The winged eyeliner gives your eyes a youthful look.  If you are not sure where this wing should be drawn on your upper lid take a look at your bottom water line. Whatever direction your outer water line is pointing up...is the same direction you should draw that wing. One tip is to draw your wing on the more difficult eye to reach. If you do the “easy” eye last it’ll be easier to mimic what you did on the first “tricky” eye. Another suggestion is for you to take a light coloured skinny eyeliner and draw the shape first. Then go back and fill it in with your gel eyeliner. This will allow you to achieve the most perfectly winged line!

 


The trend is to have sharp and clean crisp lines. It’s very neat and tidy makeup.


Like anything...it’ll take practise to get a perfect line. 




To make this line even more sultry and seductive, apply a little black or grey eye shadow over the line to make it look slightly smudged and blurred. This will create a softer, more romantic feminine look.

Skin in the 50’s and 60’s looked flawless so use a foundation with fairly good coverage.


Diane Kruger rocks the winged liner look!
If you want the winged eyeliner to be the focus of your eye makeup... sweep a champagne shimmery eye shadow over the lids and brow bone for a natural look. You can create more definition by adding a light beige/brown matte shadow in the crease to add some depth to the eye socket.



Kim K in a dramatic 60's inspired look!
 
   

If you love the glamorous looks of the 60’s you can take the liner even further....




Take the liner and cover the entire lid for a more dramatic look. You can extend the wing out even further and you can make a line on the bottom lash line as well. The black can come all the way up to your crease. You’ll need black or charcoal eye shadow for the crease and a whiter shadow for the brow highlight.  



Finish either look with curling the lashes and adding a few coats of black mascara. If you want to bump this look even more va-va-voom apply some false lashes.


Meeeee-ow!