SKINCARE | Welcome Certified Organic Odylique Skincare to North America! (Plus a Positively Glowing Review!)

The quest for good skincare is never ending and in the last 2 years, my awareness for what REALLY is "natural skincare" has been at its peak with so many companies saying what we want to hear. For those of you that may not know, I took my love of skincare to career proportions when I dove into the beauty industry headfirst last year and eventually ended up becoming a rep for a well-known truly natural skincare line (I am no longer in the beauty biz, but that story will have to come later). I have never been the average skincare consumer and even though I repped one brand, I made sure I knew about all of the others. I used that biology degree to decipher, decode and determine what made GOOD skincare. I am not a green beauty snob and could never exclusively use only natural products, but what I do know is that since last year, when I started using at least ONE natural product in my routine, my skin stopped breaking out even during that time of the month. I kid you not, I have had TWO pimples in the past year.

SKINCARE | *First Impressions* of the Dr. Wu Hyalucomplex Hydrating System

When it comes to skincare, Asia is always 10 steps ahead than the North American market. During my stint in the skincare world, I rarely would come across an Asian client who didn't already have a fairly rigourous skincare routine. Being Asian myself, I can tell you that I take it all very seriously and I am curious to see whether any of this pays off in the next 10 years!

I am not one to rush skincare reviews, but there is a promo going on for the renowned Dr. Wu this Thanksgiving long weekend that you should ALL definitely take advantage of so let's DO this first impressions review! 

MAKEUP LOOK |#BeBold with the MAKE UP FOR EVER Jamie Chung Eyeshadow Palette Review & Swatches

This past summer, MAKE UP FOR EVER launched a campaign that caught my attention not only for its message, but for the faces they chose to represent the “Be Bold. Be Unexpected. Be You.”  message. I have been following Andreja Pejic for a little while when she was known as the highly androgynous model, Andrej. Right now, there is quite a bit of chatter about being transgendered and though I applaud MAKE UP FOR EVER for selecting Andreja as one of their ambassadors, I love that the focus is all about self-expression and being true to yourself. The second face for the campaign is none other than Jamie Chung aka my apparent alter ego. My husband has often commented that he sometimes has to do a double take on Instagram as we look similar from certain angles. I love seeing what she’s wearing on her blog and thought she was SO BADASS in the movie Sucker Punch. Each of these lovely ladies has teamed up with MUFE to create two signature eyeshadow palettes featuring the perfect Artist Shadows to create a signature look.

Press sample

Seeing as how Jamie and I are of similar colouring, I opted to try the Jamie Chung Artist Shadow Palette* ($56.00 CDN) and try my hand and creating the two-toned lip makeup look!

NAILS | New Bloggers Collaborations from Picture Polish! First Up is Bordeaux by Nil Nails!

I have a feeling only nail polish lovers will be aware of this, but while Picture Polish has some of the BEST polish shades and formulations out there, one of the most exciting collections they have are the blogger collaborations! Partnering with well-known nail bloggers from all over the world, Picture Polish has released some incredibly unique and STUNNING shades! Over the next month, I will be sharing some new shades just released this past September at Nail Polish Canada!

Press sample

Some polishes are too pretty to tamper with nail art and the absolutely mouth-watering (yes, nail polish can do that!) Bordeaux by Nil Nails*($16.00 CDN) is just that for me. A juicy two coat deep wine polish with holographic glitter, this polish is truly a beauty, but really comes alive = in sunlight, elevator light (yes, I checked) and though I don’t use it much, direct flash. I just love seeing those holographic particles come to life!

Which Picture Polish blogger collaboration would you love to wear? And remember, free Canadian shipping over $25 at www.nailpolishcanada.com!

BATH & BODY | mark by Avon Body Oils (One of the BEST Things to Enter My Shower This Year!)

I have always liked Avon products, but ever since the introduction of their more youthful mark. line, I have been watching their product releases like a hawk. Introduced this past July, four new limited edition body oils have joined the mark. bath and body family promising silky smooth hydration without that oh-so-lovely greasy feeling. Coming in delectable scents like: Crushing on Coconut*, Dreaming of Jasmine*, Passionate for Plumberry* and Sweet on Lemon Sugar* (200mL/$14.00 CDN), these body oils have become a real treat to use as part of my nightly “pamper-me” routine.

NAILS | A Starry Sky with the Dior Cosmopolite Darling Blue and Miroir

I have always believed that nail polish was meant to be more than just for swatches, but there are some polishes you don’t want to mess with TOO much. I know it’s a bit sentimental since “vernis est vernis”, but whenever I wear a Dior polish, I really want to show it off. I have a penchant for blue polishes and when I received Dior #791 Darling Blue* from the new Fall Cosmopolite collection, I just wanted to stare at this two coat shimmery marvel all day. Without taking away from the colour, I hand-painted some stars with #001 Miroir*, a mirror-like silver, to give this manicure a little something extra.

 

The Dior Cosmopolite collection is available now.