MAC Très Cheek {Spring 2012}

One of my most purchased beauty products is blush! Yup, for others a tube of lipstick or lipgloss but for me I can't seem to get enough blushes and bronzers (a tie really) some might consider same category. I know I don't post enough about MAC Cosmetics and its not for lack of interest its because there are many beauty blogs out there that concentrate only on MAC and do a great job. Plus, my favourite MAC products are the blushes and bronzers, do you really want only MAC blush/bronzer reviews? This April MAC releases Tres Cheek, a collection of bright shades that are perfect for a fresh Spring look. No beige this Spring! On my wishlist:

shade: Love Cloud (bright mid-tone pink in Satin finish)

shade: Immortal Flower (Bright Peach in Satin finish)

Collection release date, in North America April 5th 2012

retail $24.00

(images courtesy of maccosmetics.com)

beauty edit: travel must-haves {Travel Tuesday}

Today for travel tuesday instead of the usual post with images of places. I bring you the travel must-haves! Leave the majority of liquids at home, because as a frequent traveler the only way to travel is carry-on luggage, and airport security is not liquid friendly. Read another post from the past on airport security and other beauty essentials, here!

travel essentials by beautyparler featuring a hair shampoo

Basically, any beauty liquids that can be replaced with non-liquids. Think powder, solid balms, paper-infused products, etc...

• Skin-Care Facial Wipes: I prefer the dry kind that foam when water added vs. the wet wipes (as I find they dry up). My fave is the Olay Deep Cleansing Cloths.
• Facial Powder Cleansers: not easily found in North America, these are typically found in Asia (try any Asian Supermarket in your area as sometimes they carry amazing skincare lines from Asia). When writing this post I just discovered ebeauty.ca carries DHC, hello...why didn't I notice this before! ebeauty carries the DHC Powder Cleanser, haven't tried it yet but the DHC Cleansing Oils are great. My fave is the FANCL Washing Powder.
• Balms: anything in a balm formula! For eyes I love the Vichy Antiox Eyes.
• Dry Shampoo: I don't favor dry shampoos for daily use but for travel they come in handy...flight cancellations, delays, you never know where you'll get stuck!
• Blotting Papers: another product I don't really use daily but I see alot of co-workers use these so this recommendation is for those with oily skin.
• Facial Cloth/Paper Masks: very convenient as your skin can get very dehydrated from the flight these disposable cloth/paper masks are hydrating and relaxing. I believe Walmart now carries various versions.
• Vaseline: multi-use product, can be used for anything really! 

What are your favourite travel products?

a room to Blog {interior design}

a room to blog by beautyparler featuring Lancôme makeup brushes

Decorating my first home has been a bit...consuming. As I'm trying to stick to a budget (which is not always easy) most of my furniture has either been found on kijiji (an online buy & sell site) or at HomeSense (a discounted home store).  But now I must face the second bedroom which I am trying to convert into a blogging room. Here is where I want to store all my makeup, organize all my PR contacts, event dates on a paper calendar....am I one of the few that still buys calendars? Can't get the hand of using my Android phone to input important dates. I much prefer to visually see a calendar on a wall or in an agenda than electronically. Oh well call me old fashion!
The blog room will also be a place where I can showcase all my little World trinkets. And I've always wanted a map of the World to pin all the places I've been.
Any bloggers have their own designated blogging area? Or a designated makeup room?

Enjoy the weekend!

The weather has turned to overcast and not very pretty compared to this past sunny week...makes me want to curl up with a good book.

These two are my latest to my collection.

Happy Weekend!

xo

Personalized Skin Diagnosis {Vichy Event}

Interested in having your skin properly diagnosed? Head over to The Toronto Eaton Centre where the pop-up Vichy Health Care Centre will be until this Sunday March 25 2012. What makes this pop-up unique is that there are actual Vichy skin experts on hand who will use the proper tools to diagnose your skin-type, needs and concerns. You'll receive a Vichy skin prescription on which products will address your specific skin concerns.

Three different skin assessing tools are utilized;

1. the Hydrometer: tests for skin hydration levels (in my case dehydrated, which is no surprise considering I travel half the month on planes)
2. Microscopic Lens: determine skin needs & concerns (oh dear! Dilated pores, fine lines, and broken capillaries. Admittedly, very cool to see the extreme close-up) 
3. a UV Photo: shows the amount of UV damage which has accumulated under skin (Thankfully, not bad! The more freckles you see and dark spots means the more UV damage) I've been wanting to have a UV photo for years, only a few dermatologists will have this special camera on hand.

skin close-up

The Hydrometer and Microscopic Lens are tools widely available where Vichy is sold, properly trained Vichy experts are at these location to assess. So, stores in Canada such as Shopper Drug Mart do have these tools. I've actually seen the Vichy tools at the Shoppers Drug Mart boutique-style stores but never thought to ask for an assessment. However, the UV Photo assessment is only available at the event. The Vichy event is free & samples are given as is a coupon.
What is your skin prescription?
(images: Mackay&Co and beautyparler)

Hey Boys its a Dove Men+Care giveaway!

Its about time a beauty blog throws a male beauty giveaway, right? Us girls know you boys secretly love our beauty products, when we notice our products are no longer half full who else do we blame? But no longer is it necessary for us to share. Enter to win a Dove Men+Care package which includes;

NEW! Dove Men+Care Aqua Impact Antiperspirant & Deodorant

NEW! Dove Men+Care Clean Defense Body and Face Wash

Dove Men+Care Extra Fresh Body and Face Bar

Dove Men+Care Anti-Dandruff and Thick & Clean Shampoo

To enter all you need to do is let me know your favourite male beauty products? 
Ladies, you can enter for your male in your life too but you must answer the above.
(1) Only ONE winner will be chosen randomly
(2) Deadline April 1st midnight Extended to APRIL 9 due to an error in my comment moderation section of blog, a few comments were not published. Please enter again if your comment is not shown! Thank you for your understanding. xo
(3) Must be a resident of Canada
GOODLUCK!!

And the winner is....

Charles!

Please email me your address & Congratulations!

Thank you to all that entered!

xo

(images: HarbingerIdeas)

Spring ahead {Happy St. Patty's Day}

I love Saturday 'no work' days and today is perfect to lounge around...weather is foggy, damp, and cool. Maybe a green beer later to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! But first lets look at how to introduce one of the hottest Spring 2012 hues into focus....MINT! What are your plans this weekend?

a minty Spring by beautyparler featuring mint green shoes

February Favourites

February Beauty Faves by beautyparler featuring Almay beauty products

Physicians Formula: Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in shade Rose. This paraben-free, hypoallergenic blush is highly pigmented & long lasting which is perfect for those long work days.  I find the packaging a little teen-like looking but I love the product so that's what counts! Claims to have "Happy Boost Blend" to promote happy feelings, not sure about that but am sure about the great shade for flushed, healthy radiant cheeks!

Neal's Yard Remedies Power Berry Facial Wash Cleanser
Oh what a find this product was at Winners!! Being a fan of Neal's Yard but not the price, I've been wanting to try this cleanser which has ingredients such as acai, wild rose hip, bilberry and more. Very gentle, doesn't strip my combination skin type, not the best for eye makeup remover so seperate product needed. Would be great for sensitive types.

Almay Clear Complexion Foundation in shade Sand
Hands down this foundation has been added to my "best drugstore finds", especially considering that I'm a drugstore foundation snob. Bought this on a recommendation from a co-worker after I asked her what makeup she used. I admit I never look at Almay products, displays just don't attract me neither does their packaging. This foundation not only comes in a glass pump dispenser (my fave) but contains salicylic acid which is great at reducing clogged pores, not sure how effective really in a foundation but my skin is left looking smooth and doesn't even look like I have foundation on.

Clinique Almost Lipstick
If you haven't heard of Clinique Black Honey lipstick (a cult beauty favourite) than your not that well-versed in beauty products. One of Clinique's most famous lipsticks because of its "almost there" barely there stained lips. Hands down all shades are perfect for Spring, for that natural "I didn't try" makeup days!

Vichy ProEVEN Daily Dark Spot Corrector
Gentle, non-irritating, brightening skin lotion. Can be used with another moisturizer for drier skin types but I found hydrating enough on its own. Skin is luminous + the Vit C is added bonus.

All Natural Skin Cream by Hans Martin
evatheresestudios.blogspot.com
This all natural cream made with olive oil, well water (from Martin's backyard), beeswax, is AMAZING!! First, let me add that my fabulous hairdresser Eva has the best skin I've ever seen & she's a wealth of knowledge with regards to natural products for hair and skin. So when she told me her uncle Hans has been making this cream for over 30 years I had to try it! Truly an amazing cream that can be used on face and body, just a little goes along way. I'll be posting more about this cream in a later post!


What were your beauty favourites for February? 

a decorating Sunday afternoon

via Desire to Inspire

mixing up frame styles

Today was one of those Sunday's spent at IKEA buying a few accessories, mainly buying Ribba frames to put great etsy prints I've purchased recently.  Can't wait to share my new home with all of you, but first a few finishing touches are still necessary. 

I love spaces with old charm mixed with modern influences. For me its all about those little touches, now that the main furniture pieces are in place its all about positioning of art work on the wall. Do I go with a gallery wall with an array of frames or a just a select few. Mix old charm picture frames with modern frames, oh the endless possibilities. 

via The Purple Bow

keeping all the frames the same

scrape the gallery wall & having only a couple of pieces of framed art

via H&H

How do you display you framed pieces?

Diefenbunker {Travel Tuesday}

This Tuesday I'm taking you a little closer to home....Carp, Ontario. Perhaps not as exotic as Bali (which I haven't been to yet) but we sometimes forget that travel also involves getting to know the country we live in better. And surprisingly not many Canadians know about the Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War Museum. Built during the Cold War to provide shelter for the Canadian Government in case of a nuclear attack, the Diefenbunker, is a time machine back into the 1960's.

on a side note how fabulous are those Eames chairs, would look amazing in my kitchen!

pretty swanky digs for being four storeys underground

midnight snack

imagine blogging on that thing...

no internet?

Do you travel within your country or do you tend to travel outside of it?

a Veet-erific giveaway! {Veet giveaway}

Spring is around the corner Ladies and are you ready for the warmer months? A Veet giveaway is a perfect way to start you off to smooth hair-less skin. Veet carries an extensive range of hair removal products, depending on which hair removal system your comfortable with there is a Veet product for you.
Giveaway worth approx. $100:

Veet's new EasyWax Electrical Roll-On Kit 

Veet High Precision Facial Wax

Veet Hydro'Restor Hair Removal Cream

Veet Ready-to-Use Wax strips for Face & Bikini

Veet EasyGrip Ready-to-Use Wax Strips

One winner will be randomly selected

Must be resident of Canada

Leave a comment, tell me what is your favorite hair removal method?

deadline March 21 midnight

GOODLUCK!

Now Closed!
and the winner is....

 SUMMER WALKER 
Congratulations! And thank you for entering. Please email me your address.
(images Veet.ca)