Lovely Lately - August 2014

Summer is winding down to everyone's dismay, and I'm not exempt from that sadness! I say this so often that it's nearly lost all meaning, but I truly have no idea where the time has gone. The past few months were pretty fantastic, so that's probably why they flew by, right?

I've worn significantly less makeup lately than ever before (with the exception of weddings, in which case, more is more), but that doesn't mean I am lacking favourite products to share with y'all. I now realize this is also a bit of a fall preview of sorts, since most of these products have yet to hit stores, but here are the products I couldn't imagine getting through August without! 

Deborah Lippman Dear Mr. Fantasy

I spotted this at the Murale Fall 2014 Preview and flipped out. It is my absolute dream colour for nails, as it's a vibrant purple-fuschia with a shimmer shot through, so it looks like glowing satin when applied. It's kind of crazy how much I love this shade and I'm going to buy all the bottles I can manage when it hits shelves. This is backup-worthy in my books. Lancôme has a similar shade or two in their fall collection (Vernis In Love in "Amethyste Brune" and "Topaz Rose"), so check those out if you can't stand to wait for this one (launching in October 2014, I believe).

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+

This is technically a relaunched product, but that doesn't make it less worthy of your attention. The formula was updated to now fight acne marks left on skin post-breakout. It actually prevents your skin from forming pigmentation where a breakout existed. Science! It can be used as an overall facial moisturizer (it wears well under makeup) or localized spot treatment. It's proved to be useful to me in fighting clogged pores and breakouts alike this summer, so I highly recommend it. I have a soft spot for most LRP products, and this is just another example of the brand's offerings surpassing my expectations. Snap this up at Shoppers or Rexall, y'all, as it's a product to keep on hand, which I find to be true of most LRP products.

Dior DiorSkin Star Concealer

This concealer isn't hitting counters until next week, but I urge you to scoop it up once it does. I've been living out of a bag for one reason or another lately, taking mini trips here and there to visit family (mine and my bf's) and I also live across from a very major construction site that seems to pride itself on breaking every Toronto by-law regarding noise pollution and construction start and end times *sighs deeply*, so suffice it to say that sleep has been inconsistent as can be the past few weeks. This concealer is a godsend for effective (medium to full) coverage of undereye darkness and it doesn't crease or settle into fine lines, even after hours of wear. I believe it's available in 5 shades, so do check it out if you're at all plagued by anything that robs you of sleep! 

Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm

L to R: Roly Poly Rosy, Robust Rhubarb

Expanding on their Chubby Stick business was just good sense for Clinique, as they have had wild success with their various lip iterations and their eyeshadow version. I am more of a cheek product fanatic than I realized, owning more blush, contour colours and highlighters than I care to admit to, but these are a welcomed addition to my stash. The stick factor automatically means portable and easy to apply - dab it on, blend it out with a synthetic brush or finger tips and you're on your way. My favourite aspect of this product is easily the subtle sheen these blushes give skin, thanks to microfine shimmers in the formula that don't settle in pores. Rejoice! 

Armani Eye & Brow Maestro and Maybelline Brow Drama

I haven't changed my brow routine much at all since this post, but I'm always open to straying from my old faithfuls to try new formulations and product types. I've dabbled in potted brow products before, starting with Laura Mercier Brow Definer in "Warm" maybe four years ago. It's a good formula, but it didn't give me the lasting power or slightly bolder colour payoff I was looking for. Upon first application of this Armani product, a hybrid brow and eye colour (wear it through brows, as eyeliner or as an eyeshadow), I was sold. The shade range for this product leans to the cool side, as I feel most brow products ought to, but the shade I have (shade 2, "Wenge Wood") has a barely visible reddish shimmer shot through. This makes sense to me, because hair is reflective in nature, so matte-finish potted brow products (looking at you, Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade) don't make sense to me. They really look painted on, instead of enhancing your brows. This product will be hitting Armani counters in the fall, so wait patiently if this is at all piquing your interest. If you have particularly unruly brows, you'll probably still want to use a brow gel in addition to this cream brow colour. My fave these days is Maybelline Brow Drama in "Dark Brown", launching in the fall in Canada, but I believe it's available in other markets already. Drugstore brow gel at its finest! 

Elizabeth Arden Prevage Lash & Brow Enhancing Serum

On a semi-related note, this lash and brow serum has really made a difference for me in the few weeks I've been using it. Every time a "brow expert" would look at my brows, they would exclaim, "You overplucked these areas!" and would demand I grow out the sparse areas I have on the outer top edge of both my brows. Like the dry person I am, I would flatly say, "I didn't pluck them this way, they've been like this since birth, so... any other suggestions?" No one suggested any specific brow growth product, so I tried this one and I'm happy with the results. My sparse spots have grown in considerably, which has made filling them in less of a challenge. Creating a good shape on a daily basis has become a simpler task and more of a joy when people see me and compliment me on my brows. Bless the peptide blend in this silver tube. It has done wonders for me. My lashes have also seemed longer and more fluttery, which I am absolutely NOT mad at.

Anyone want to share their faves of the last month or few? Do tell!

Slather'em On: LIP BALMS

Let me push the banal envelope and whine about the arctic temperature for a moment: JESUS CHRIST, IT IS COLD OUT THERE. And to me, that basically means abandon all lip colours and focus on proper balms that protect lips instead of drain them of moisture *glares at matte lipsticks*. I was reading through the comments section of a lip balm free-for-all post on IntoTheGloss and thought I could throw my two cents down (I'm giggling because we no longer have the penny)....! The temperature has been somewhere around the -40C mark more than a few times in the past week, so I thought it may be handy to go over some lip balms and products that may be worth your while if you're trying to nurse them back from a cracked or peeling state. Let's get right into it!

La Mer Lip Balm 

Okay, I admit this one is more luxurious than anything else, and it won't do too much for you in harsh weather, but I first bought this in the early 2000s and have repurchased it several times since. I've never been one to care about flavours of lip products because I don't lick my lips (yes, I'm superior to you like that - let's be real, it never was a habit for me and it just further dehydrates your lips due to the acidic nature of saliva, so...), but this one tastes pleasant for others, so I like to be considerate in that way, and it's pretty much the smoothest lip balm ever when applied on freshly exfoliated lips. It's known for containing the famous La Mer broth that is in the other La Mer skincare products. Famous broth aside, La Mer Lip Balm is pretty pricey ($60, at Holt Renfrew), but if you're in the mood for a small indulgence, let it be this one.
[Note: I exfoliate my lips every single night with a slightly dampened face towel and then apply lip balm. I started this ritual in high school and have stuck with it since and it helps immensely with both eliminating flakey, dead skin and lip balm absorption]

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask

Finally, a suitable and petroleum-free alternative to Vaseline, Aquaphor and the like! This thick, emollient balm is meant to be a leave-on "mask" for your lips, but really it's a balm that you can wear any time you jolly well please (I'm sorry, I just finished rewatching Seasons 1 through 3 of Downton)! It contains jojoba oil, lanolin, and the antioxidant that Bite Beauty is most known for, resveratrol (commonly found in red wine). This stuff is so soothing and comfortable, it's just what's needed for this heinous weather we've all been trudging through. The price point is rather fair. One downer: it's in one of those classic metal tubes so getting every bit out might be an absolute nightmare, but enough people have ranted about it that I anticipate a repackaging situation at some point... I hope. A solid bet for your money ($30, at Sephora), packaging aside.  

Elizabeth Arden Lip Protectant Stick SPF 15

I believe I grabbed one of these in a cutesie tube that had a cartoon drawing of the classic Elizabeth Arden Red Door on it at Duty Free in EWR on one of my various visits home a couple years ago and have been rather happy that I did. This lip balm ($23, at The Bay) is essentially a stick version of the heralded Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream, known as such because it was alleged by a customer that the cream healed her son's scrapes in 8 hours. The formula contains petrolatum (wah!), vitamin E, salicylic acid and other emollients. The lip balm in particular also contains SPF, making it a fine option for any day there's a fresh snowfall (fun fact: snow reflects light like crazy SO WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERY DAY, even in the winter). If you know the smell of the 8 Hour Cream, then you can probably conclude what this balm smells like ... herbal, at best, but man, it does a damn good job of soothing irritated lips.

Nivea Lip Butter

I have been a long-time user of Nivea lip products... probably more so when they were still Labello lip products and then bought out by Nivea, but whatever, I'm no stranger to the stick balms. You know, the light blue hydrating, the darker blue classic, all the wacky ones they've conjured up in the last couple years (chamomile? mint & minerals?)... I've tried them all! I've even gone as far as ordering weird fruity flavours from Asia via Amazon (it was one of those orders where I guess I kind of fell into an Amazon blackhole, but I'm pretty sure that's *all* Amazon orders, am I right?). When I saw a tin lip butter ($3.60, well.ca) was emerging from Nivea, I was rather enthused. Naturally, the Canadian market somehow got the shaft and only received two of the 4 SKUs that launched in US and UK markets. Typical! Either way, I went for the original and I'm quite pleased with it. While I'm admittedly skeptical of any balm with a whitish hue since I have pigmented lips and well, simple math: pigmented lips + whitish balm = gross greyish cast of colour, but that wasn't the case with this balm. This buttery stuff absorbed, and the formula is rich with almond oil and shea butter, so actual hydration is a thing that occurs here! Huzzah!



Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent from the company or their PR team for editorial consideration. For more information, please click here.

Hudson's Bay Yorkdale - A Whole New Retail Experience

Today, I had the delightful privilege of joining Shelley Rozenwald, HBC's Chief Beauty Adventurer (how cool is this title?!), and some fellow bloggers at Hudson's Bay at Yorkdale Shopping Mall for a guided tour through the new Beauty Hall that has just opened.

I'm no stranger to Yorkdale and had been to the department store a handful of times during renovations, but naturally, certain areas were partitioned off and weren't accessible, so to see the whole floor in all its glory was quite literally awesome. I was in actual awe of the sheer size of the beauty floor, as it actually went on much farther than I could see.

Chanel counter

The entire concept of the revamped Beauty Hall is hyper-focused on increasing the amount of time spent at the counter whenever possible, and personally, I'm a lingerer, so I ain't mad at it. The idea is that consumers can choose to engage further either with an automated guide (on iPads or large touchscreen system installed at certain counters) or an actual beauty specialist in order to properly assess their needs and desires pertaining to skincare, fragrance and colour cosmetics.

Dior counter

As a beauty fiend, I actually never really am an in-and-out or grab-and-go type of person when it comes to store visits. I'm all about the conversation that can unfold with different associates that I come in contact with throughout the department, so this setup is right up my alley, but the option to make a quick purchase is always there for anyone who prefers to keep to themselves, and brand logos are easy to spot all over the place in order to figure out precisely where you want to wander on the floor.

Clarins counter

Shelley guided us to the fragrance area and I was instantly infatuated by the way the fragrance department has been set up. Brands have dedicated areas (that I rapidly dubbed "fragrance nooks") that act as very small but very real fragrance shops, displaying a full array of fragrances available from the brand. In the Narciso Rodriguez nook, there was a set-up of essential oils that are central to the Narciso Rodriguez fragrances. This was reminiscent of the Chanel Les Exclusifs set-up at Holts Yorkdale and Bloor, so I definitely had an appreciation for the direction that Hudson's Bay is moving in as far as fragrance interaction goes.

Narciso Rodriguez fragrance nook

Hudson's Bay fragrance department

Thierry Mugler fragrance nook

Viktor & Rolf fragrance nook

In addition increasing the amount of time consumers spend at the counter, Hudson's Bay has cabines that can be booked for services with different brands. How great is that?! Fun secret: the Shiseido counter is actually equipped with their own cabine at the counter that's used for complimentary facials. Complimentary. Facials. You read that right.

Cabine space for services

New brands introduced to the HBC Beauty Hall include Giorgio Armani (yes!!!), Illamasqua (an absolute curveball, but welcomed nonetheless!), Bobbi Brown (Shimmer Bricks are essential), Anna Sui (the counter is modeled after Anna's Paris apartment) and Shu Uemura (Tokyo beauty at its finest).

Illamasqua counter

What did I conclude after exploring the 20,000 square feet of beauty retail space that I can probably alternately refer to as heaven on earth? That Hudson's Bay is absolutely bringing something back to beauty retail and that's a more full service shopping experience that is designed to be interactive and enjoyable while converting consumers into lifelong brand fans.

...and I'm here for that.


all images provided by Hudson's Bay Company