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    Tracy

    September 7, 2009
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    My first “makeover” in RdL! Tracy wanted her eyes to stand out more, and look larger, so we used Ardell’s 110 lashes (see above) and a bunch of other monolid-tricks. As for everything else? Well, it’s pretty self-explanitory! No foundation, but I did use a touch of concealer and cheek products — which was hard, as I hadn’t brought my kit, and none of my friends are my skintone!

    Everyone thought I was crazy when I told Tracy she’d feel lonely when she removed the falsies, but no one believed me. When she took them off, though, Rae was proven to be right (yet again!) All you ladies who wear false lashes, or who have worn them in the past… you get what I mean.

    Before

    Brow cleaning (I was careful not to change the shape, but just to get all the strays from her previous shaping, as she was happy with their current shape.)

    After! Very “Asian,” yes, but I felt it was also very “Tracy” — thankfully, so did she!
    Eye shots

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    Tags: /Eyes, Other faces
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    Breaking free

    September 4, 2009
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    What: Korres Face Primer.

    Physical: This thick white cream/gel smells citrusy (probably due to the grapefruit oil), and goes on smoothly (if a bit thickly). It doesn’t give the same “slip” as a dimethicone-based primer, but does leave skin feeling very soft and healthy! I think that, for normal to oily skin, this could easily replace your morning moisturiser, taking out a step in your daily routine. It’s non-mattifying, but I do feel like it makes my skin look less shiny and more velvety on initial application. The packaging? Well, it’s alright — simple and clean, but a little boring. It’s like a tube of toothpaste: utilitarian, certainly not luxe, and it can get messy.Awesome stuff: This is free of a lot of things I’m trying to avoid for the sake of my sensitive skin, and my sister’s allergies: silicones, parabens, and fragrances (It’s also free of dyes, mineral oils, petrochemicals, phtalates, and GMOs.) The price is okay at $10 for .34oz, or $28 for 1.01oz, but still more expensive than my standby HG primer, The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Skin Boost. (I love the smell, packaging, and finish of that stuff!)

    The verdict: If you’re looking for a primer free of the above things, this is a pretty good one. However, if you’re okay with silicones and so fourth, I’d still recommend Skin Boost to you over this one! I’ll be reviewing Fyrinnae and Tarte’s primers soon (both are paraben-free as well) so stay tuned for those.

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    Tags: /Base, Moisturizers, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Silicone-free
    10 Comments

    What’s in stores: update

    September 2, 2009
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    • ck (the Calvin Klein line sold exclusively in Sephora) is being discontinued. So either stock up on favourites or check out their discounted stuff! I didn’t see anything that really caught my eye, but perhaps you guys will.
    • Winners in Canada has finally started stocking better stuff! I saw Essie (picked up a set with a mini hand lotion, two mini polishes, a mini cuticle oil, mini quick-dry topcoat, and mini base coat for FIVE dollars!), Lancome, Philosophy, Pop Beauty, and some other things that they had stocked previously (like Sexy Hair Concepts, kms, Wella, Joico, Paul Mitchell, Purology, Garnier, etc)
    • This year’s Guerlain Aqua Allegoria LE scents are amazing… I’m head over heels for them, and of course, completely distraught that they can’t become my signature fragrances! Damn limited edition goods. Either way, you ladies need to check them out.
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    Tags: /Shopping
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    Continued love

    September 2, 2009
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    What is it: Parissa’s Face and Bikini, and Body wax strips, part of their Express line.

    Why/the great stuff/the good stuff/ingredients — please see this post.


     Cost effectiveness: (prices from well.ca)

    • Face and Bikini: $7.59 for eight double-sided strips and a vial of azulene oil. (A bit cheaper than Veets, but with two less strips. Pretty close in price-per-use.)
    • Body: $10.49 for eight laaarge double-sided strips and a vial of azulene oil. One strip is pretty much as long as my (albeit short) forearm.

    The verdict? Like the Mini Brow Design strips, I loved these. However, they’re not quite as necessary — I’m not kidding when I say I will never live without my Parissa brow strips from now on, but I could live without these two. In basic English, though? If you’re on a super-strict budget, stick with the cheaper pot waxes… however, if you’d like to spend a *bit* more but still save money by buying strips instead of going to a salon, choose Parissa over the other companies. Trust me on this one!(no, I’m not just saying that to convince you to buy Canadian)

    (no, really. I’d even buy them if they were American.)

    (I’d feel more like I was selling my soul, though, and less like I was doing a good deed.)

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    Tags: /Hair, Other, Product Photos, Product Review
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    The Fairest

    September 1, 2009
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    Exits to the post on Jolie Nadine and the acutal site. Congrats on the launch, Nadine!!

    Also, anyone interested in joining — please give me a shout before you do ^^ They have a $10 credit that can be split ($5 for you and $5 for your friend) and I mean, hey… why not, right?

    I hope The Fairest does well, because I think it’s a great idea, and it’s nice to have something in the strain of Glit Groupe that is solely beauty!

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    Tags: /Link love, Shopping
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    *Aww, they tell you to "zip off" the strips. How cute is that?

    September 1, 2009
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    What is it? Parissa’s Mini Eyebrow Design Wax Strips
    Why: After last month’s Veet review, Parissa sent me these as well as their Face and Bikini kit to try out. Which, in my mind, shows great initiative in a company – not only do they recognize that bloggers are basically free advertising, they’re confident enough in their product to send out samples to someone who loves their competitor’s product. Beauty companies, take note!

    Ingredients

    The great stuff: For starters, Parissa is Canadian! BONUS POINTS! But with the product in mind, the main difference that I absolutely loved is that Parissa uses clear plastic instead of Veet’s soft white mesh. It lets you see exactly where you’re waxing, which is definitely handy. With the brow design strips, I was worried that it would be something along the lines of a pre-designed arch… thakfully, I was very wrong! Check out the photo below to see what I mean. These small strips make a great arch easy, and the white wax (not featured in their other products) make it even easier to see where you’re waxing.The good stuff: I preferred Parissa’s Azulene Oil, which comes in a luxe little glass vial, over Veet’s prepackaged wipes. The Azulene Oil (which is, according to this site, “the blue-coloured constituent of Chamomile Oil”) seems to “sink” into my skin better after rinsing it off, and I like being able to put a bit onto a q-tip or cottonball — Veet’s worked well, but were rough like tree bark (which, after you’ve waxed, feels like dead, dry tree bark) and had to be cut as to not get everywhere.

    Cost effectiveness: (prices from well.ca) $7.59 for 16 double-sided wax strips and a vial of azulene oil. I use about three or four double-sided strips every time I do my brows, which means I can do my brows four-ish times… basically, under $2 a pop. Take that, Benefit’s Brow Bar and your $23 price tag!

    (Keep in mind, though. If you desperately need major shaping, at-home waxing is not a good enough substitute for a brow arching.)

    Also they have a cute, comprehensible, helpful fold-out!

    The verdict? Parissa took something super easy (strip waxing) and made it even easier. I adored the two products I tried so much that I even picked up Parissa’s Body strips instead of my old standby sugar wax! (Tried the strips. Love ’em!)

    And a little note for Veet: your ass just got epically kicked.

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    Tags: /Hair, Product Photos, Product Review
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    Get your glow on (part III – luminizers)

    August 31, 2009
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    Luminizers
    These go all over the face, and can be broken down into two categories: ones that go under everything else, and ones that go over everything else! They’re pretty darn simple – they’re used just like a regular product (ie a luminizing moisturiser is used just like a moisturiser). All you need to know is that they should be less shimmery/have less of a sheen than a highlighter, in general, as they’re going everywhere!

    Luminizers that go under are primers, serums/fluids, or moisturisers, applied just like normal products in their respective categories. Ones that go over are powders or, rarely, sprays/airbrushes.
    Recommendations

    • For a liquid, see the list in part II — mix it with foundation, primer, or moisturiser and use each normally!
    • For a primer, try Fresh’s Twilight (ha, ha), Clarins Instant Smooth (a TON of bloggers rave about this one! It’s supposed to be pretty darn great.) or Benefit’s “That Gal”.
    • For a powder, play with Guerlian Meteorites, a BE All-Over Face Colour, or a Laura Geller Balance-N-Brighten.
    • For a tinted moisturiser, figure it out on your own! I promise I’m not being mean — a lot of TMs are luminous or have a luminous counterpart. Make sure to stay on the lookout for one if you’re interested and I promise… you’ll find a ton!

    Well, that’s all for now. Hope it helped some of you out (I know a lot of people irl that are confused about luminizers/highlighters as well! If you were confused, don’t worry: you weren’t alone!) And of course, as always, please don’t hesitate to email or comment with questions :)

    Have a great weekend, y’all!

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    Tags: /Base, Cheeks, Other
    2 Comments