FRAGRANCE | Demeter Foolproof Blending Kit #CBBCustomBlend

Earlier this year, Demeter and the CBB got together to make us all master perfumers (here) with the Demeter Foolproof Blending Kits ($45.00 USD). We all had so much fun that we have partnered up again for each of us to create our own custom scents from blending to designing our own bottle label (Yes, there may have been craft time involved!).

What I have always loved about Demeter's scents when I first started using them as a teenager was how EASY it was to wear just about ANY scent. From Birthday Cake to Dirt, it all seemed to work and was never too much or worse, too artificial. If anything, Demeter always had this uncanny ability to replicate every dimension of even the most uncapturable fragrances. When it came to choose my scents for this experiment in parfumerie, I decided to go with two scents that I love in real life: "Wet Garden"* and "Salt Air"* and one where I had no idea what to expect - "Gin & Tonic"*. There are duo and trio blending kits available should you want a little bit of direction instead of trying to decide from Demeter's extensive 300+ fragrance library!

FRAGRANCE | Demeter Foolproof Blending - Getting it Right Everytime! #CBBFOOLPROOFBLEND

I love fragrance and have always been fascinated by the mysterious art of perfuming. How do you even get into that line of work?  It all seems so complicated and even when I smell my favourite scents and read what their notes are, I can't even imagine knowing that those notes would go well together. What makes a good base, middle or top note?

Once again the folks at Demeter have made fragrance fun, approachable and personal. Demeter is known for their many, many singular note fragrances in comfortable scents of vanilla to rain to crazy zombie (for real). I mean, they aren't called the Demeter Fragrance LIBRARY for nothing! This year, Demeter is giving us the gift of becoming our own perfumer with the release of Foolproof Blending Trios and Duos that allow for the creation of a unique scent to call your own.

SKINCARE | Eco-Certified and 100% Naturally-Derived with Schaf Skincare #PracticeSafeSkincare

This year I am saying "YES" to good skincare. For the past year, I have been making a conscious effort to limit "random" skincare on my face and keep it as efficient as possible while keeping it interesting since I do appreciate the technology that goes into developing a good skincare product. I especially pay attention to Canadian skincare companies and even more so ones that have Eco-certified products (more about Ecocert here)!

Schaf Skincare is based in Toronto, Ontario and is all about using a unique blend of plant extracts to nurture and protect the skin. Intended for use by ALL skin types, Schaf products are individually eco-certified which is the ULTIMATE stamp of natural approval. Ecocert originated in France and is an independent body that meticulously researches the origins of every ingredient. They visit the facilities where products are made and ensure that ingredients and the steps taken to product the products are indeed "all-natural". You can imagine how much this must cost in terms of time and money so for a cosmetics company to submit themselves to such an audit is what set Schaf apart from a number of other companies in my mind. It is also interesting to note that it is NOT companies that are Ecocertified, but individual products so you might see some companies certifying only certain products in their product lines if there are 100 products.

MAKEUP LOOK | Charlotte Tilbury Transforms Me Into “The Rebel” #CBBLovesTilbury

She’s here. In Canada. And beauty lovers everywhere are lining up as of today in Holt’s on Bloor Street, Toronto. Charlotte Tilbury has long been one of those coveted UK brands that you watched YTubers like Zoella rave about and hoped that one day you yourself would have just a taste. Well, not only is the brand launching in Toronto today, but will also be coming to Holt’s in Vancouver the week of July 6th! To celebrate, myself and 9 other Canadian Beauty Bloggers are answering Charlotte’s questions of “Who Do I Want to be Today?” by recreating one of her 10 signature looks. I’m actually very tame day to day, but this virtual space is my playground and I almost always wanted to be a bit of a rebel with colour, but still look fairly feminine.

Today, I am “The Rebel”.

GUEST POST | Nail Art with Alanna from Classy on the Run!

Today I am thrilled to have Alanna from Classy on the Run guest-posting with some fabulous nail art! You all know how much I love nail art so Alanna’s post was definitely something I was excited to share with you all!

Hello there!  I am thrilled to be doing a guest post today.  I am a student at U of T, born and raised in Toronto.  My blog, Classy On The Run focuses on beauty, lifestyle, some travel, and other beautiful things!

 

I had a hard time coming up with something green to do for this post, so I decided to do a post about my Claddagh Ring, and then share some nail art that I did inspired by my little piece of Ireland.

 

Growing up, St. Patrick's Day was always a big deal in my family, complete with cake and cards for my Grandpa, who immigrated to Canada from Ireland when he was twenty years old.  When I was about twelve he gave me my first Claddagh ring which he bought in the Irish Store down the road (also a great place to get British Cadbury chocolates).  I have since outgrown the ring, but I keep it in a safe place.  I purchased my second ring when I went to Ireland with my boyfriend last spring.  It is hand made my a local Galway artisan, fits me perfectly, and always reminds me of both my heritage, and of a beautiful trip I shared with my boyfriend.  I couldn't imagine a more perfect ring.

 

My Claddagh ring.

 

The Claddagh ring is a traditional Irish ring with two hands (friendship), a heart (love) and a crown (loyalty).  The ring originated in the 17th century in Claddagh, which is a small town located just outside of Galway.

There are four ways to wear a Claddagh ring.

(1) On the right hand, with the point of the heart facing out.  This means one is looking for love (single).

(2) On the right hand, with the point of the heart facing in.  This means one is in a relationship.

(3) On the left hand, with the point of the heart facing out.  This means one is engaged.

(4) On the left hand, with the point of the heart facing in.  This means one is married. 

 

All polishes I used were from Julep.

 

I used Kam as my base colour.  Kam is a pretty mint green.  Then I used Devon to paint the hands, heart, and crown.  I topped Devon with Coretta on the heart, and Esmerelda to top off the crown. 

 

To make a heart I suggest making two dots and then dragging them together with a toothpick.  I also used a tooth pick to create the crown. 

 

Inspired by Ireland.

How did you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

 

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CBB GUEST POST | Trysh from Prairie Beauty Love Shares Her Beauty Resolutions for 2015!

Everyone welcome Trysh from Prairie Beauty Love!

 

 
Hello! This is Trysh from Prairie Beauty Love and I'm really excited to be Guest Posting here today about my Beauty Resolutions for 2015! Admittedly, I'm about as good as keeping resolutions as anyone - Read: Terrible - but this is a great time of year to really put a focus on those things that you've wanted to do for a long time and just haven't. When it comes to beauty, there are always things that I know I should be doing, but knowing and doing are two different animals. Here's my brief list of things I want to focus on this year in Beauty!

1. Be As Aware Of What I Put In My Body As On My Face
It's really easy to default to thinking that skin, hair and body care is all about the creams, lotions, oils and cosmetics that you put on it, but at the end of the day so much of it is really about nutrition and what you put into your body. I try to eat healthy and drink a lot of water, but in 2015 I really want to put a focus on nourishing my body from the inside out. I plan on drinking more water, especially since I do need to counteract my coffee addiction, as well as really putting a focus on including large amounts of healthy fruits and vegetables in my diet and taking my vitamins in a little less of a fairweather fashion than I generally have been in recent years. Of course, there's also the flip side of the coin where I should cut down on coffee and curb my sweet tooth, but that'll come in time.

2. Focus On Natural Products
This really started in 2014 as me and my boyfriend started really focusing on using natural products around the house and in the shower. I don't think I'll be able to make a complete transition into all natural, because I have so many products that I absolutely love that don't fit into that category, but where I can I'm making the switch and I plan to keep that up for the rest of 2015 and beyond. So far I've switched my toothpaste, deodorant, and body washes and have brought some new natural makeup products into the mix, and I plan to really expand that this year.

3. Be Diligent About My Skincare Routine
You know those nights when bedtime comes and all the energy you can muster to take care of your skin is to quickly take your makeup off with a wipe and hit the pillow? I definitely know those nights, as well as the ones where even the makeup wipe gets ignored and I commit the cardinal sin of going to bed with makeup on. I've noticed that I can actually see the issues that doing that gives my skin, within a couple of days my pores are clogged and I get some little breakouts, so in 2015 I'm going to try to be better about committing to a nightly routine that includes: Double cleansing (cleansing oil or balm followed by a traditional cream, liquid, gel, etc. cleanser), Toner, Serum, Moisturizer, Eye Cream. It can feel like a lot of steps, especially after a long day, but when I'm diligent about it I always find that my skin is clearer, brighter, and just overall easier to deal with. Worth it.

4. More Frequent Brush Care
I feel like this one of those things that most of us don't admit to, but are absolutely guilty of. I don't wash my brushes often enough. Bobbi Brown says that concealer and foundation brushes should be washed once a week, eye brushes twice a month, and other brushes at least once a month. I am not doing as Bobbi says, but I'd like to be better. We all know that a build-up of bacteria on our brushes is bad for our skin, but sometimes when faced with the task of washing a huge collection of brushes it just seems like a better plan to have a snack, watch Netflix, and leave the brushes for another day. Not in 2015! In 2015, my goal is to wash my brushes as often as Bobbi Brown says I should... because she knows her stuff, right?

5. Nail Care!!!!!
My nails have been a mess recently and I know it's all my own fault - with a little bit of help from the bitter cold of a Canadian winter. I know that I need to take better care of my nails, so I have a plan this year to give my hands what they need. First, I'm going to always wear gloves when I wash the dishes. I know this should be a no brainer, but sometimes gloves are just a pain and I skip them. Not this year. Next, I'm going to try to use more gentle nail polish remover when I can, leaving acetone completely out of the mix unless I'm dealing with chunky glitter, and try to take change my nail polish less frequently. Finally, I'm going to be diligent about caring for my cuticles and applying hand cream during those dry days in my office and after I wash my hands. All of these things are  very doable... I just have to do them.

So there you have it, my 5 Beauty Resolutions for 2015. What are your resolutions this year?

Thanks again to Jayne for having me here for this guest post! 

Thank you Trysh for sharing what your beauty resolutions will be for 2015! I know that I am also guilty of not washing my makeup brushes as frequently as I should be so I will be doing what Bobbi Brown says as well!

 

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Guest Post | Natalie from Ivory Avenue Shows Us How Cool Blue Eyebrows Can Be!

It’s CBB Guest Post time again so let’s welcome Natalie to Cosmetic Proof today!

Hey cuties! My name is Natalie, and I blog over on Ivory Avenue. I'm taking over Cosmetic Proof today as part of the CBB monthly guest posting!

The theme of the month for November is blue and silver for winter, and I immediately started freaking out. I could do some nail polish, but nothing too exciting since I am terrible at nail art of any sort. So I started thinking about makeup. I could do a blue and silver eyeshadow look for sure, but I decided to take it a step further. Why not just colour my whole face?

I was thinking something along the lines of The Capitol meets Blue Vanessa. Simple enough, right? Well, yes. Except I had to scrub my face for a long time afterwards...

I thought about what I would colour blue or silver:

My eyes? Obviously.

My lips? Sure, why not.

My eyebrows? Well, ever since a Twitter chat where we talked about coloured eyebrows (shout out to Jenn who totally pulled off coloured eyebrows) I've wanted to try it, so sure, why not.

My cheeks? Well, why not go all in!

CBB Guest Post | Halloween Sugarskull Makeup Look by Exquisitely Chic!

Halloween is such an amazing time for those who love playing with makeup so I am delighted to have Cassandra from Exquisitely Chic show us all how to create this awesome Sugarskull look!

Hi Cosmetic Proof Lovelies! Today I'm doing a look that I came up with after much deliberation. I wanted to do a masquerade look but I also had requests for a Sugarskull look. So I figured out would combine the two! Let me know what you think!

I mostly used face paint from Shoppers Drug Mart (mixing colours to get the pink) and I used my Lancôme Grandiose mascara and Femme Fatale Mr Demille lashes. I added some jewellery to finish off the look and quickly did my hair in a messy updo to grasp the day of the dead look.

Guest Post | Fall Favourites with Jenn from A Beautiful Zen

Hey! It’s Jenn from A Beautiful Zen!

Well, it’s Fall again and my consistent inability to predict my season picks continues but I think I’ve got it this time! I really love diving into the cherry reds in the fall time and use Revlon’s Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic quite a bit. It featured in last year’s Autumn beauty picks as well.

Revlon Parfumerie | Autumn Spice Swatches and Metallic Dotted Nail Art

*CBB FEATURED BRAND: REVLON*

In honour of our featured brand and overall Revlon awesomeness I’m going to be paying some love to Revlon until the end of the month (I know it’s already the 20th, but there is so much love I can STILL give!). I am starting with an obsession I had last year with the Revlon Parfumerie nail polishes (Italian Leather swatch here) in the form of the cinnamon-scented Autumn Spice which is opaque in really just 1 coat, but I have done 2 in these photos for good measure.  The scent is warm and definitely has that spiciness to it and even lasts through a top coat.

CBB Guest Post with Sarah from Workaday Ramblings| Purple Eye Makeup Looks

Are you guys in for a treat today! I am absolutely delighted to have Sarah from Workaday Ramblings share with all of you some fun and totally wearable purple eye makeup looks that will leave you feeling regal and empowered as the colour purple should! Take it away Sarah!

Hello, I'm Sarah from Workaday Ramblings. I'm taking over Jayne's blog today to talk about purple.

I love purple everything. Purple eyeshadow, purple eyeliner, purple nail polish, purple clothes. I'd wear purple every day if I didn't think I'd get sick of it. So today I'm going to share a smudgey purple eyeliner look that I've done with two different sets of products.

In this look, I used only eyeshadows on my eyes. I started by applying The Body Shop Colour Crush Eye Shadow in Oh Honey all over my eye lids.

I then added a thick line of L'Oreal Infallible in Burning Black. I used a brush to smudge it up into the lighter shade. The name of this shadow is a bit misleading as it's a gorgeous dark maroon-purple.

I finished with some mascara, and my eyes were done.

Guest Post | Heat Proof Makeup with Julie from Swatch & Review

Everyone let us welcome Julie from Swatch & Review who I have always admired for her beautiful photography, easy to read and honest reviews and her wonderfully sparkling personality! Today she is going to share with all of you some ways to make your makeup last through the summer heat! Take it away Julie!

Hello friends and fans of Cosmetic Proof! I'm Julie from Swatch and Review here to talk to you about making sure your makeup can last through the warm Summer days. Because there is nothing worse than a melty face at an outdoor festival or family picnic!

First, prime your face to make sure whatever foundation you choose to use goes on evenly and stays put. I like MUFE HD Primer, which now comes in a variety of shades to help correct your skin tone first.

 

I can only assume you'll be wearing sunscreen which can leave your eyelids extra oily. Creating a good base for your shadow to stick to is key to a smudgeproof eye look. I've been using MAC Painterly Paint Pot for years to keep my shadow in check.

Finding a good waterproof eyeliner pencil can be tough, I have tested at least 20 and the Avon No Place to Run line is the only one that can outlast a good cry.

Sometimes mascara can flake and smear all over your face if you're perspiring. Try Cover Girl Flamed Out mascara in the Waterproof formula for volume, length and long wear.

A good lip and cheek stain will give you a finished look all day long. Benefit's liquid lip and cheek stains have lasted on me even after going snorkeling! This month I'm rocking Posie Tint!

The last step to locking in that makeup look is to use a makeup setting spray, like MAC Fix +. Not only does this spray lock in your makeup, but it also has antioxidants and caffeine to keep your skin looking great.

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