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)

in case your in Spain {BAZAAR is coming to a magazine stand near you}

If your a fan of Harper's BAZAAR magazine as I am but live in Spain you'll be happy to know that Hearst Magazines International along with SPAINMEDIA is launching BAZAAR Spain. Supermodel Carmen Kass graces the cover of the premiere March 2010 issue. I love international magazines so I'm looking forward in grabbing one and practising my Spanish!
“Harper’s Bazaar is a world-class fashion magazine and we are confident that it will appeal to stylish, sophisticated Spanish women,” said Andrés Rodriguez, CEO and founder, SPAINMEDIA. “With the success of men’s magazine Esquire, which we launched in 2007, we’ve seen that global magazine brands truly resonate in our country.”
Harper’s Bazaar is a fashion resource for stylish women around the world, with editions in 31 countries outside the U.S. , including Australia , China , Mexico , Singapore , Russia , the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates .
“There are fashionable women all over the world and our goal is to reach as many of them as possible with the Bazaar brand,” said Edwards. “In the past few years, we’ve launched Bazaar in Romania , Dubai and India and hope to continue to expand into other markets. We’re very pleased to be entering Spain and have high hopes for Harper’s Bazaar’s success there.” (source: hearstmagazines)
Anyone else love reading foreign magazines? Even if I can't read the language I love looking at fashion and beauty trends from around the world.
(image: Harper'sBazaar, hearst.com)

mini beauty haul {from Colombia}

With the hot weather in Medellin Colombia being over 30c my skin went into overdrive! Coming from a dry and cold climate it was only natural that my skin would get oily so I wanted to try a product that I could use in the Summer months here in Canada too. I purchased AnaMaria skincare products from a natural health store, on the list Eye Cream and Cucumber Facial Cream. Of the two products I love the eye cream, although I couldn't use eye cream near the eye I dabbed a bit on my brow bone and below the eye area. Love that it has calendula and vitamin E. Feels refreshing and soothing! As for the Cucumber Facial Cream, not my favourite. Although it states it's for Oily-Combination skin I found this better suited for dry skin. So I'm actually using this now that I'm back in Canada. Not my favourite product here either as its very thick, not sure if I'll continue with it.

I fell in love with these neutral nailpolishes from Ghem and Masglo, ok so the third nailpolish (shade Preciosa) doesn't look that neutral but its actually sheer so it just gives a hint of colour to your nails.
Have any of you used any of the above products or heard of them? Anyone else love buying beauty products during their travels?

what's in my bag {my beauty travel essentials}

Before I get into what I purchased from my recent trip to Medellin Colombia lets look at my skincare routine for this specific trip. First, I kept it simple! As I was getting PRK eye surgery I didn't want to complicate things. I didn't wear any makeup prior to my trip and only recently have started to wear blush and foundation, no eye makeup yet (although I've read that you can after 8 days I've also read to wait a month so I'm opting for the latter). I had the surgery done within the first couple days I was there which meant no getting water near my eyes. Hence, the facial cleansing wipes come in handy! I use facial cleansing wipes regardless, especially when I travel, so no big sacrifice here. In this case I used Dove (which I finished) and Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Wet Cleansing Cloths (not around the eyes), although I didn't wear makeup I did feel the need to wipe my face as the weather was hot and to get rid of city grime (pollution). During the day I wore Arbonne FC5 Oil-Absorbing Day Lotion with SPF 20, this stuff is pretty amazing! Doesn't feel like I have anything on, no sunscreen white film, and leaves skin hydrated not oily. At night I used SAMPAR Fluide Ultra Hydratant, perfect for my normal-oily skin (due to weather), a lightweight lotion that doesn't clog pores. Towards the end of the trip I decided to add a bit of a tint to my face by using Dermalogica Sheer Tint Moisture SPF 15 in shade Medium, a staple of mine.  Not wearing any makeup was hard at first as I'm accustomed to putting on my face! Although, most my friends would say that I hardly wear any makeup anyways (that's the trick) I felt so naked without it. But my skin does look better!
What are you travel essentials? 
Where to buy products mentioned:
Olay (most mass-merchandise stores, pharmacies)
Arbonne (I purchased mine from a co-worker)
SAMPAR (Sears, ScienceandNatureOnline)
Dermalogica (most Spas & specialty skincare stores)

sweet candy {happy Valentine's Day}

have a lovely Valentine's Day...love, peace, and lots of kisses.
xoxo
Monica
(image: flickr.com)

I'm back...

Hello all,

I just got back yesterday from Medellin, Colombia. I had such a great time, Medellin is not only gorgeous but the people are the most welcoming. Oh! And the shopping...wow! I bought so many nice things, just have to photograph everything, posts will be coming. My Lasik surgery went really well, I had PRK done on my Birthday, and I'm so happy with the results. If you want more info or have questions email me and I'll be glad to share my experience, this means that I can't promise to post as often as I like for the next few weeks as I want to limit my computer time while my eyes adjust. Off to try to photograph everything. Wishing everyone a happy weekend!

Kisses,

Monica
(image: ColombiaModa, models wearing the Colombian brand Leonisa)