Stronger, fuller, thicker looking lashes! {L'Oréal Lash Boosting Serum giveaway}

Who doesn't want stronger, fuller, and thicker lashes? Not you than no need to enter but if you said yes enter my L'Oréal Lash Boosting Serum giveaway. I received a couple to giveaway to my friends and since I consider you all my friends I decided to give ONE away here on my blog. Use it for 4 weeks and lashes are to appear fuller, stronger, more lush, and less eyelash lost. The formula contains; a pro-keratine complex + pro-vitamin B5 + pro-peptide + arginine and centella asiatica, all ingredients that aid in healthy eye lashes. Test it out for yourself as I am still in the process of reviewing the L'Oréal Lash Boosting Serum.  

Rules:

(1) Open to International readers

(2) If your the winner would love to get your feedback on the product

(3) Hopefully, you follow my blog

(4) Enter before April 1st midnight

(5) Leave a comment, "what are your eye lash concerns?"

GOODLUCK! One entry per person please:)
(image: lorealparis.ca)

get covered {Smart Cover Concealer review}

Do you have dark under eye circles like me? Most beauty junkies have heard of Smart Cover Cosmetics and for those that haven't its a product that covers not only dark under eye circles but acne marks, tattoos, varicose veins, basically anything that you feel needs covering. I can't attest to the latter but in terms of dark under eye circles this product passes the test. What I like about the concealing creme is that its exactly that, creamy. Doesn't cake or crease and looks natural. Its also waterproof so perfect for brides to be! Thankfully, I received the Smart Cover-Up Kit in the light combo:

3 concealing shades-light beige, medium beige, dark beige + a colour corrector

1 Moisture Primer Lotion

1 Cover Stick in Natural beige

1 Vitamin cover stick (no colour)

2 blending wedge sponges

1 camouflage brush

& a clear travel plastic bag

= $29.75 US

For all those products that's a great deal, sure you get alot of product but the idea is that you can mix the shades with the colour corrector depending on your skintone & the season to find the colour match for you. The Light Beige was a good match for me so I didn't need to do any mixing. What to do with the other two shades, just mix it in with either the Moisture Primer Lotion or your own moisturizer to make a tinted moisturizer. Also, a little goes along way, seriously I suggest a dot for under each eye. What really peaked my interest in wanting to try Smart Cover was that its has been used by celebrity makeup-artists in Hollywood (check out the link & actressses). In the future another of their products that interests me is the Perfect Touch Camouflage Creme & the Bronzer (have I mentioned that I'm hooked on bronzers), but those purchases will have to wait I'm suppose to be on a "no-buy" policy. Yikes! see how long that lasts.
Have any of you heard of Smart Cover Cosmetics? Thoughts?
Dislcaimer: although I received the products for review I was not influenced to write a positive review nor was I paid.

a girl and her makeup sale {Estee Lauder Warehouse event}

This past weekend I went to my first ever Estee Lauder Sale, by invite only, in the Toronto area. Luckily, I went on Friday (the first day of the sale) and found most items that I wanted in stock. I also went mid-afternoon missing the morning and evening rush, perfect! The event was very well-organized and calm. My plan of attack...nothing really. I didn't know what to expect but I did have a budget that I went over by a "little".

Here's the list:
Origins Clean Energy Gentle Cleasning Oil (awesome stuff!)
MAC Charged Water skin Hydrating Mist in the Youth Aura version (liking this too!)
haven't tried any of the other items yet
MAC Nail Lacquers in Seasonal Peach, and Love & Friendship
MAC pigment in Blue/Brown
MAC eye shadow in Apres-Ski
MAC shadestick in Pink Couture
MAC blushcreme in Sweet William
Bobbi Brown Luminous Moisturizing Foundation in Beige
MAC lipsticks in Hue, Way to Love, Party Mate
Estee Lauder lipstick in Tender Mauve
MAC Charity bag (minimum donation of $5.00) came with 4 items & depending on what day you went it varied, all MAC items:
lipstick in Hipster, eye liner in Fly-by-Blu, blush in Notable, eye shadow in Glamour Check
Free Gift:
MAC mineralize skinfinish in Perfect Topping
Have any of you've been to cosmetic warehouse events in your area? Any of your favourites in my list?

new uniform

When I'm not in uniform I love wearing jeans thus this look is my new uniform....

the only thing I would add would be a berry coloured lipstick. Perhaps if I added a silk scarf I could get away with it looking like my work uniform...now that would look cool. Coffee, tea,.....

image via the Sartorialist

Across the Pond {just a few things}

Last week while in London I picked up just a few things...just a few! Most of you must think all I do is shop but I will add that I rarely shop while at home because I love purchasing items in other countries for two reasons (1) I won't be caught wearing the same thing (2) I love a bargain. The second reason is not always true but if I can get cosmetics and skincare items at duty-free shops than I tend to save for those trips (I also get an airline crew discount at most duty-free). Also, depending on the exchange rates, bargains are to be found even in London where the Canadian dollar doesn't go very far! And for no other reason sometimes there is not much to do on a layover, especially if I've already done the tourist thing, thus "window-shopping" keeps me company. Atleast that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

A new discovery for me in London was Primark (all my co-workers rave about this store) and I had never been. I almost walked out when I got to Primark, why? It's a madhouse!! Imagine ants everywhere in search of crumbs...but I endured and found a few cute items. Lets be honest here, stores like Primark are for those looking for fashionable disposable clothing and as I get older I'd rather shop for quality over disposable. However, if you know your textiles you can find decent quality pieces that won't tear after the first use. Purchased, a flower t-back loose tank and a sleeve-less rainbow bright light-weight sweater which can also be worn as a mini-dress with leggings or bare legged. After that I crossed Oxford street and found makeup of course! Originally I was hoping to buy Jemma Kidd makeup but the SpaceNK I went into didn't carry the line so I walked into Boots Pharmacy.

Items purchased:

Boots Botanics Quick Fix cleansing wipes

Vaseline tinted lip balm in Rosy Lips (never seen these in Canada) Love it!

Bourjois bronzing powder in #52 (fantastic shade & looks like a chocolate bar, slight sweet fragrance)

Sleek blush in Flamingo (looks like NARS mata-hari blush...hot pink!)

Any makeup purchases lately?

hecho in Colombia {accessories haul}

Colombia, not just for coffee lovers! Medellin, Colombia unbeknowest to me is a textile hub. Which also means I did quite a bit of shopping! One shopping mall in particular that I love is El Tesoro Parque Comercial, this mall is one of the nicest I've seen in the World. A few shops that I fell in love with were:
NafNaf (a French brand, no free-standing stores in Canada) I purchased a gorgeous pair of pleated tapered at the ankle jeans
StudioF
Tennis (lots of great basic tee's & jeans)
Chevignon (another French company which is very popular in Colombia)
Touché (gorgeous swimwear)
Leonisa
Ondademar
Velez
GEF (denim, basics, clothing for the whole family)
And now onto my favourite purchases (I haven't included clothing or swimwear because it would be too many pics):

hand-made leather sandals by SergioTomani (these actually look much better on the feet)

purse by Limon Piel

Any favourite brands/stores that you love which you can't find in your hometown?

Keep it Simple {Dove Beauty Bar}

Sometimes the most simple is the best...and that means Dove beauty bar. Always on the hunt for body washes one item that is a staple in the bathroom is a bar of soap. Although I favor liquid soap (especially Dove Cream Oil shower wash) over bar soap due to the convenience of travelling with it bar soap is a household staple. In this case, Dove Beauty bar has been around for over 45 years, the folks at Dove must be doing something right! The Dove beauty bar won't dry out your skin nor leave a film, contains 1/4 moisturizing cream, pH neutral, and milder than ordinary soap. Best of all its inexpensive!

Who else uses Dove beauty bar? I actually know a few co-workers who use it as a facial cleanser, never tried on it on my face, just curious if any of you have?

top picks for the month of February

february faves by beautyparler on Polyvore.com

Although I kept my beauty routine simple (in my terms) for the month of February I still managed to come up with my favourite beauty products of the month. So not much was used and instead the focus was on the skin, no eye products (except for the eye cream I purchased in Colombia), makeup was kept to a minimum.
Items:
Olay ProX Restorative Cream Cleanser (amazing cleanser, very gentle, does not strip skin, and did I mention AMAZING)
an old fave Dermalogica Sheer Tint Moisture in Medium (light tinted moisturizer that feels like your wearing nothing on your skin)
Marcelle Vita-Lip Plumping Gloss in Nude (great gloss with a hint of colour)
LUSH Yummy Yummy Yummy body wash (as the title suggests Yummy but not for your Tummy)
Vasanti Cosmetics blush in Swiss Alps (a great blush to get that flushed look)
a classic fave Elizabeth Arden 8hour cream (I've mentioned this alot before, just get it!)
NARS Multiple in Portofino (awesome shade & cream texture for a natural "no-makeup look")
What were your beauty faves for February?

Have a great weekend!

Wishing you all a great weekend early as I'm off tomorrow for London, England (for work). Yes, being a Flight Attendant might sound glamorous to most of you but this sure ain't the 80's anymore...no such thing as 3-day layovers. Nope! I have less than 24 hours to schedule my time;

(1) take a nap on arrival

(2) eat! Which can be a bit of a challenge in London

(3) shop (have to keep within a budget) On the list: TopShop, Selfridges (check out Illamasqua), check out Barry M cosmetics at Boots and Jemma Kidd at SpaceNK 

(4) tea

(5) sleep

(6) wake-up at a ridiculous time (time-zone difference) & look fabulous for work...someone has to do it

= I love my job!

Upcoming posts:

Dove Bar

SkinMD

more posts on Colombia (clothing haul)

Lise Watier Cosmetics

Vasanti Cosmetics

Noir Cosmetics

Olay skincare

Mary Kay

February beauty favourites

etc...

(image:darkroastedblend.com)

the "holy water' of skincare {SK-II Facial Treatment Essence review}

Referred to as the "holy water" of skincare, SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, is one of my new holy grail skincare products at the moment. All it takes is a sprinkle in the palm of your hands and pressed into the skin and voila, dewy moisturized skin is at your finger tips. But hold on a sec! Don't expect instant results, I've been using this since January and it took about over a week to see a difference. What was the difference? Being that the weather is cold and dry here in Canada (minus the time I was away in Colombia) I noticed that my skin didn't feel as dry. Instead this product gives me glowy hydrated skin and I actually don't feel the need to wear foundation, instead a tinted moisturizer is all I've been using lately. Yes, I have mentioned that due to my eye surgery I haven't worn makeup except as of late, however, I also believe that this product contributed to evening out my skin tone. SK-II as most beauty junkies know is a splurge item! Thankfully I received this product for review (no, I'm not paid to post a positive review nor receive commisson) and since I'm almost finished my bottle I hope I get a layover soon in Asia so that I can purchase another. If only SK-II could come-up with a travel-friendly spray bottle.

And the secret ingredient:

Pitera, the seemingly magical ingredient found in all SK-II products, helps restore vital balance by promoting the skin's natural 28-day surface renewal process. This singular blend of vitamins, amino acids, minerals and organic acids produces a seemingly miraculous rebirth of skin's appearance. Over 90% pure Pitera, Facial Treatment Essence is the 'heart' of every SK-II skincare ritual. Rely on it daily to moisturize instantly, and renew skin's surface for a smoother texture. Skin absorbs the benefits almost on contact. The result is supple, smooth, radiant skin. (source:SK-II)

 Have any of you tried SK-II products? I'm curious about their other products too.

backstage beauty {Spring 2010}

a few inspirational Spring 2010 makeup looks from backstage...

Giambattista Valli 

Prada

Christian Dior

Chanel

Anna Sui

Karl Lagerfeld

(images: style.com)

Kaleidoscopic Colours {M∙A∙C Liberty of London}

Just looking at the release pics of M∙A∙C's Liberty of London Collection and I'm super excited! Spring 2010 makeup this year means I might have to hide the wallet as I'm loving M∙A∙C's Liberty of London's shades of pinks, purples, and peach. Included in this collection is one of my old faves, Peachstock lipstick, when you see the packaging of this collection you might just want to add it to your kit. Ok I guess I'll limit myself to just a couple of items!

Available in North America March 11, 2010 & Internationally in April 2010.

MAC's Liberty Of London Wishlist:

Beauty Powder in Summer Rose

 Nail Lacquer in Blue India

(images: maccosmetics.ca)