Beauty, Hair, Photos, Reviews

Hair Care: What You Need To Know

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What works for my type of hair are lightweight products that gives my hair body and substance. Otherwise if I just shampoo and blow dry, my roots get very limp. Here are my go-to products when I style my hair.

Big-Sexy-Hair-volumizing-gelBig Sexy Hair Volumizing  GelThis is a light weight gel that is to be used on wet hair yet it  doesn’t weigh down my hair. In fact it makes it have some sort of sustenance. It’s kinda crazy. I first got this in my October ipsy box. I’ve been using it all month long and I’m not even half way through the sample. A little goes along way for my hair type (fine and thin).

its-a-10-miracle-leave-inIt’s a 10 miracle leave-in conditioner
Not only does this nourish your hair, but it creates a smooth frizz-free finish and acts as a heat protectant before you heat style your hair.

Aveda ShampureAveda shampoo/conditioner
I always stand by anything by Aveda. I’ve been using their products for over 10 years and while I don’t buy their products all the time, I always end up going back to them. They nourish my hair like no other and is most definitely my holy grail of shampoos and conditioners.

Kerastase-ElixirKérastase Elixir Ultime
I use this in either damp or dry hair. It boosts shine and adds an amazing scent too. I reviewed the Kérastase Elixir Ultime last year and I’m still on the same bottle. A little truly goes a long way with this product. This product creates shine while hydrating your hair. It also tames those annoying flyaways. This elixir is silicone free so it feels weightless on the hair, which is one of the top contenders in a product that I look for, as I do have pretty fine limp hair. I can say for certain that the Kérastase Elixir feels much better on my hair than the Macadamia Nut serum, which weighed my hair down.

Batiste-dry-shampooBatiste Dry shampoo
I’ve been trying out this Batiste Dry Shampoo spray that was sent to me from Farley Co. Batiste has been hyped up about and is a huge seller amongst dry shampoos. It’s a nice product if you get the one specifically for your hair colour. I received the original spray which comes out white. Not exactly the best for brunettes – it took forever to blend the white/grey cast into my hair to look somewhat normal. There are different variations and colours out now suitable for a darker hair shades too. I would recommend this product because a little went a long way and it immediately soaked up any oily residue I had on my hair with one or two sprays. However until I can get my hands on the spray for brunettes I’ll stick to my Principessa powder dry shampoo.

Do you use a styling products on your hair?

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Beauty, Holiday Gift Guide 2013, Photos, Reviews

Eyeliner dupe: Marc Jacobs vs Stila

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holiday-gift-guide-2013My first dupe post! I finally found two products that are not exactly twins, but sisters in colour, texture and longevity.

Meet the bronzey eyeliners from both Marc Jacobs and Stila.

eyeliner-duplicateI know right? I was so excited when I purchased the Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon that I wrote about it immediately. But see for yourselves and then you can decide for yourself whether or not you should purchase one or the other. But considering that the stila colour outside the lines smudge stick waterproof eye liner set (mouthful) comes in a set of 5 for almost the same cost as a single Marc Jacobs eye liner, you’re decision is probably already made.

eyeliner-dupeLeft to right: Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon, Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof eyeliner. Both photos are taken in natural light. One was outside, the other inside by the window. There is a slightly more bronze showing through on the Marc Jacobs, and a little more deeper red in the Stila but if you apply it on your eye, there is no telling which colour you have on.

The only real difference you can tell between the two is application. The Marc Jacobs liner glides on quite easily, is a little thicker, and the Stila one is just like any other eye liner — easy to apply and has a more precise line.

For the person who enjoys playing with eye liners, this set would be another great gift for the makeup enthusiast. Look at all the colours you get in the set. Stila smudge stick waterproof eyeliner

Swatched left to right: Stingray (a super deep black), Lionfish (MJ dupe!), Aubergine (an easy to wear mauve), Navy (perfect for blue eyes), and Emerald (amazing for a pop of colour under your lower lashes). Stila-eyeliner-swatches

Marc Jacobs eyeliner is available at Sephora for $30// 0.1oz
Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner is sold at Murale for a set of 5 for $39 // 0.01 oz

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Beauty, Photos, Reviews

Get Ready To Hydrate Your Skin For Winter

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Now let’s get into the hydration issues I’ve been having lately. I really need to drink more water. Especially at work. I’ve always used “the bathroom is too far away” excuse. It’s true. It’s in a completely different building and I always hold it until I can’t walk without doing a little pee dance wiggle-walk shuffle to the washroom. Yeah. That’s a good visual I always wanted you to have of me.

My biggest skin complaint in the colder months is eczema on the body and dry skin on the face. Troy Jensen was right — ladies you need to swap out your makeup each season to cater to your skin type. It does change, and fast too man. I tell ya. A few days where I feel a little chilly in the morning, boom – the skin dries up, starting around my skin then cheeks. It’s incredible how much moisture gets sucked right out of the skin.

But it’s hard to me to relate to you how good a product works. Every one reacts to products.

Tips on how to stay hydrated throughout the winter:

  • Exfoliate on a regular (daily!) basis. If you follow it up with good moisturizing products you will not dry out.
  • Drink tons of water. This a given.
  • Limit the caffeine intake. This dries your skin out peeps!
  • Treat yourself to an at-home hydrating mask
  • Slather on the moisturizer. Not too much. K, maybe don’t slather. But apply it twice a day. Before your makeup in the morning, and after you cleanse your skin at night.
  • Use serums!

Do that routine every day, and report back to me in a week. Especially if you wear foundation or makeup on a daily basis. I mean nobody wants their foundation to accentuate dry skin on their face.

My summer foundation was a very light weight Dior BB cream and I’m already on my second tube of it. However, lately I’ve been trying out the Make Up For Ever HD foundation that was sent to me along with the complexion kit. make up for ever hd complexion kitIt’s definitely a completely different foundation. Much more higher coverage, a different finish, and way longer lasting.

I’ve always been too afraid to try out the HD foundation by Make Up For Ever. I never really wanted a high coverage product on my face. But with this one you can layer it, and apply as little or as much as you want to get your desired coverage. On a regular basis I just use 1 pump of the foundation and it gives me this sort of look:mufehdfoundation

Flawless application basically…kind of crazy, really.muf-hd-foundation

All thanks to these goodies, which were sent to me by Make Up For Ever to review on my blog. No problem folks. I’ll review that if it makes me look like I have perfect skin. Thanks! make up for ever hd complexion set

How do you prep your skin to get winter-ready?
Do you swap out your foundations when the seasons change?

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