Category — Beauty

Chanel Nail Colour
Azur
Orange Fiz

Orange Fiz as base colour and Azur  glimmer shine as top coat.

Color blocking and pops of brights are the order of the season and Joe Fresh Beauty‘s seasonal colors will help you coordinate your style.

Vancouver ladies!!!  This Saturday, June 18 the Joe Fresh store on Granville Street will be celebrating the nail colours of the season with mini manicures, beauty gift bags and fresh snacks, between 12 and 4!  Be sure to make it down and celebrate these amazing new shades for your nails!

The spring 2011 colours include Seashell, Marshmallow, Latte, Mocha, Eggplant, Papaya, Tin, Rainforest, Twilight, Apple, Crush, Pineapple, Mallard, Cobalt, Navy, Iris, Bloom, Cement, Hula, Lagoon, Wave, Cloud, Mist & Oyster. You can pick-up polishes for $4 CAD each or 3 for $10 CAD.

I’m dying to try Rainforest Green!

Also don’t forget to check out The Style Spy for your chance to win a $25 Gift card to Joe Fresh and  8 new Nail Colors!

I have a love/hate relationship with DIY hair tutorials! Love, because they can turn out so fabulous and I just saved myself $75 from going to the salon and getting it done. Hate, (okay hate may be a strong word, lets use dislike) because sometimes they totally don’t turn out AT ALL!

This one to my surprise was super easy, super fast and turned out super fabulous! Seriously it took my less then 5 minutes!

Below is the hair tutorial from the beauty department.

Last night I has the pleasure to attend the opening of North America’s largest Chanel makeup boutique! Located in The Bay downtown Vancouver, it’s gorgeous!! Every Chanel fragrance, skincare, makeup item your little heart desires.  Including ‘signature Chanel tweed’ blush, every nail polish shade, and the newly launched Rouge COCO shine lipstick! BUT my heart reached out to the huge bottle of Chanel No5, it’s my favourite ‘elegant’ fragrance! Unfortunately the bottle was only for display! Lucky for me, at the end of the night we were all sent home with a cute No5 Purse spray! It’s adorable, chic and versatile! The elegant tube transforms into a spray when twisted, with two extra refills to never let you down! No5 is my go to fragrance when I’m headed out on the town, now ideal for “touch up” sprays! The perfect travel/ purse companion! Thank you Chanel!

If you’re in Vancouver be sure to stop in for a visit! You’ll love it!

More photos of the boutique to come!

Happy Friday! Today I stumbled upon some fun fragrances from Anthropologie‘s luxary line of perfumes! Not only is the packaging adorable, but also 100% natural- certified organic by Ecocert!

3 to choose from:

Love Coco: Exotic freshness- Coriander & Coconut mixed with tonka bean, vanilla and white cedar. (FRESH)
I Love Les Carrotes: Auroma of  fresh carrots, sweet orange, butter, vanilla and patchouli! (FRESH)
Vamp A NY:  Blend of tuberose, rum and bourbon vanilla united by benjoin, perou and tolu balms (FLORAL)

Does your hair need total reconstruction, AKA- a face lift? Mine did 3 weeks ago… until my beautiful friend Garcy introduced me to Davines. I have no words. It’s unbelievable. I kept telling my husband to touch my hair, and see for himself how healthy and soft it felt! My bleach blond highlights definitely needed high maintenance, these products were the perfect solution. The Italian company crafts their products scientifically “engineered to work, and express” their distinctive style and spirit. “Quality to us means having the freedom to create the best with careful attention to and respect for our environment, using high grade, natural ingredients, and applying scientific rigor to every product”. There isn’t much more to say, but for you to try their products! Ahh-MAZING!

Below are four products that I’ve been using. Shampoo and conditioner that keeps my hair strong and up to par. The 15 min mask worked like magic to reconstruct my locks.  And the Crystal Fixative Lacquer is not only soft and weightless, but it also smells like Vanilla!! YUM!

The Side Chignon.

1. Using a round brush, blow dry hair smooth and straight. Focus on the top section.
2. Curl your hair into waves from the ears down.
3. Build volume at your crown by teasing hair gently at the crown.
4. Gather hair into a low ponytail. Twist it along the nape of your neck, pining as you go.
5. Once you reach your ear, shape the remaining hair into curls, & pin them back over the twist. 6. Spritz strands in place. Try a volume lifting hairspray.
7. To add texture, gently curl and scrunch the wispy ends with your fingertips.

Whimsical Half down, half up!

1. Use a large-barrel curling iron to create loose curls all around your head, from the ears down.
2. Part your hair in the middle, & use your fingers to loosen & separate the curls.
3. Starting halfway down the party, begin spritzing your roots with hairspray. Continue at the crown.
4. To create heights & volume, tease the sprayed hair with a fine tooth comb.
5. Use a brush to gently smooth the teased hair, & gather the sides up into a half pony.
6. Secure the sides with pins, then use your fingers to gently shape the curls into place.
7. End with shine spray.

1. Extreme Hold, Volume and Shine: S Factor- Chic Shine Hairspray
2. Finish Shine: S Factor- Shine Spray
3. Extreme Hold humidity resistant: JoiFix Firm
4. Strong Feather Hold: Sebastian- Shaper Zero Gravity
5. Hair Repair: Its a 10- Miracle Leave in Product
6. Hair Repair: RedKen- Anti-Snap
7. Hair Repair: Kerastase- Masquintense
8. Hair Rapair: Moroccanoil- Restoration Hair Mask
9. Oil Treatment: Moroccanoil- The Original (Note for fine hair use Moroccanoil ‘light’)
10. Oil Treatment for color treated Hair: Kerastase-  Chroma Riche
11. Oil Treatment: Biosilk- Silk therapy
12. Volume: Big Sexy Hair- Root Pump

‘How to’ Hair images from marthastewartweddings.com

I’m such a yo-yo when it comes to eye creams. De-wrinkle! De-Puff! Brighten!  These words are more confusing than helpful when trying to pick the right eye cream.  I’m wondering if they even work. I’m not going to lie,  it’s become more of a hassle then a necessity!

You’ve probably heard girlfriends say that you should start using eye creams at the age of 21 in order to prevent signs of aging. Really?  Or is this just another marketing gimmick that we women have believed far too well.

What we do know is that the skin under the eyes is very thin and delicate, which is why we should take good care of it.  One of my favorite beauty books, Confessions of a Beauty Editor by Allure, states that eye creams are not even necessary! Gasp!!!  A bit of an eye opener I’d say! (no pun intended, or was it?) The editor claims that the skin around our eyes “does not require its own product. Regular moisturizer works just fine.” Hmm, really? All these years of  being stressed out with what product I should be using and now I’m suppose to forget and move on? Sounds like a bad break up to me!

I couldn’t part that quickly, so I’ve continued my search for what our eyes really need.  Is this claim a myth or the truth?

It’s neither the product nor the ingredients that make an incredible eye cream, it’s the vitamins in the product.  You want to look for eye creams that are full of natural antioxidants, which help to rejuvenate many elements of the skin.  These antioxidants are most effective in thin skin areas (around the eyes). You also want to look for creams that have plenty of Vitamin E.  Combine that with a diet consisting of brightly colored greens and oranges and you’re well on your way to healthy skin.

To get rid of dark circles, look for creams that have vitamins K and C. These vitamins will not only lighten dark circles but will also give your eyes a fresher and healthier look. Caffeine is great for reducing puffiness in the eyes, so you can check to see if the product has that as well.

That’s really all there is to it! Nothing to stress over, we just need to accept the fact that we live busy lives and we’re gonna be/look tired!  Try to get as much sleep as you can, and work from the basics. If you get desperate, you can never go wrong with a little concealer and big sunglasses :)

Do you have any tips? Leave a comment below- share with the rest of us!

I love having my nails done. Doesn’t have to be a fancy manicure- Just a nice fresh coat of nail polish. I have many favorite colors and wanted to share just a “few”. I constantly have girlfriends asking me what color I’m wearing, and sadly I never remember the names! So, I decided to dig into to my nail polish collection and find out for you! These are the main colors that I rotate through day in and day out! Hope you can find a shade that suits your true colors!

Fun tip to make your nail polish last longer:
Put your polish in the fridge an hour before you paint your nails. Works wonders!!! No chips for at least a week… or two!

OPI:
Tickle My France-y,  Vodka & Caviar, Over The Taupe, Bring On The Bling, Manicure of Seville

Chanel:
Black Velvet, Khaki Vert, Khaki Brun, Khaki Rose, Dragon

Essie:
Topless & Barefoot, Sugar Daddy, Island Hopping, Shop Till I Drop, Guilty Pleasures

Wouldn’t we all like to get up every morning leaving the house looking “au naturelle” …with no help at all?

I’m not going to lie, I need all the help that I can get!  Just my luck I have a few best friends (ie: makeup products) that help me out every morning. I love the natural look of wearing nothing at all, with highlighting some natural features and maybe some extra sun kiss here and there!

I’m getting closer to mastering “the look” of my favorite faces celebs, including Olivia Palermo, Blake Lively, Lauren Conrad and Kate Hudson… just to name a few!  Here are my favorite top 10 products that I find give me the most flawless natural look!  

1. MAC Eye shadow: Ricepaper, Omega, Copperplate, Print
2. Blush: MAC- Blushbaby, NARS- Orgasm
3. Eye Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion- Original & Sin
4. Foundation: Clinique- Super Balanced Makeup
5. Eye Brightner: Benefit- ooh la lift
6. Powder: Laura Mercier- Mineral Powder
7. Black Eyeliner: Bobbi Brown- Long Wear Gel: Black Ink , NARS-Eye liner Stylo
8. Mascara: L’Oreal- Voluminous- Carbon Black
9. Face Primer: Urban Decay – Complexion Primer Potion Brightening
10. Lip Gloss: Micheal Kors-Roller Ball

Face:

Ahhh, primer where have you been all my life? Start of your morning with a primer!! (Well after your moisturizer of course!)  It will help keep your makeup on all day and leaving you with a flawless, airbrushed look! My top choice is Urban Decay’s ‘Complextion Primer Potion’. Then I apply just a little bit of Clinuque’s Super balanced foundation, sealing it with Laura Marcier’s Mineral Powder.

Finish it all off with some blush!  When I want a little bit more shimmer, NARS’ Orgasm is ideal! For a more subtle finish, MAC’s ‘blushbaby’ is the way to go! Oh and then of course for that sun-kissed look we all love… we must not forget the bronzer. It should have made my top 10… so I’ll add it in here:NARS bronzer ‘laguna’. Its’ great for a boost of color or just some extra contouring!

Eyes:

One of my girlfriends just told me about Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. One word…AMAZING. Apply this primer potion to your eyelids before applying your eye shadow.  Not only will your eye shadow last longer but it will be more vibrant and completely smooth… yes, no creasing! Your eye shadow will survive allllll day. What more could you ask for?

My absolute favorite eye shadow mix is between these 4 shades from MAC.
Apply ‘Ricepaper’ all over my lid, adding ‘Copperplate’ in the crease, as well as ‘Print’ for a little more depth…or for a more dramatic evening look. Then to blend up to the brow using ‘Omega’.

When it comes to eyeliner, I’m again tied with two!  When I have a little more time to get ready, I like to use the Bobbi Brown for a smooth finish that will last all day!  Though when I’m in a bit more of a rush NARS’ stylo does the job fast; with its felt tip it’s super easy to apply with an ideal finish.

Then finish off with some black mascara- preferably waterproof to last all day and no raccoon eyes! I seem to always go back to L’roeal’s Voluminous mascara.

For some extra trips, I asked the lovely Brianne from Eva Terez Makeup Design, to give us her top three secrets for a fresh and flawless face!

This is what she had to say!

1. Use a cream coloured blush instead of a powder for a more natural dewy look it will look just like your not evan wearing makeup just your natural skin beauty!

2. Instead of using black eye liner, use a brown shadow and an angle brush as close as you can to the lash line, it will still define your eyes but give them more of a fresh, less harsh look.

3. Use a tinted moisturizer instead of a heavy foundation, it will still even out your skin tone while also giving you a more natural day time look, if you have blemishes then start by using a concealer just in the desired areas not everywhere and continue by putting the tinted moisturizer on top. I highly recommend Laura Mercier, who won best tinted moisturizer in 2010.