Shu Uemura's "Drawing Pencil"

Did you know L'Oreal owns Shu Uemura? I only found out during my trip to the L'Oreal sale. If you live in Montreal, you know that twice a year L'Oreal holds an invitation only warehouse sale. This spring, the sale had added a tiny Shu Uemura table. Among the selection I found their "Drawing Pencil" in lilac.

I hesitated picking it up because I was worried it would be too bold for my fair skin. But it is actually quite soft.

Its a nice change from my usual brown eyeliner, but one can only tell the colour from up close. Would I have picked it up knowing its effect? Sadly, no. The pencil was $26, and personally I don't think the colour payoff is worth it. Sorry Shu Uemura! I am still open to trying more of their products though!  

OPI Avojuice Skin Quenchers

Since spring has been making an appearance, I've been in the market for a lighter body lotion. I came across O.P.I.'s "Avojuice: Skin Quenchers"  for a gift, and ended up buying one for myself.

They come in a variety of scents and in different formats, in 15ml for your purse, 200ml for your desk or locker, and in 600ml, the size I purchased.  I feel in LOVE with the jasmine scent. It comes in a light purple/grey toned lotion, that leaves your skin smelling yummy.

It dries fast, and without the sticky, globby feeling that a richer cream would leave.

It contains ingredients such as Vitamin E, aloe extract and avocado oil, so I know its doing my skin some good. I even purchased one in ginger lily scent for my kitchen! Find it at beauty supply stores or from your local aesthetician.

Nail of the Day

Orly has a new collection out called "Precious" and I picked up "Pure Porcelain" yesterday.

                                                   (indoors, with flash)

                                                   (near window, no flash)

I find this so different from the usual spring suspects: pastel colours! Don't get me wrong, I love my pastels, but I've been getting tired of seeing the same shades from every brand.
The shade is a cream that applies well with two coats. This colour somehow reminds me of linen pants that I have always wanted to own. I hesitated picking up "Ancient Jade" from the collection, because I worried it might be too similar to Essie's "Mint Candy Apple". I regret it now! :(   Ohh, and each colour from this collection comes in mini format too!

Nail of the Day

Look what I found!!!

So apparently, these babies are hiding at the obscure, hole-in-the-wall supply stores. "Shatter" was even hidden behind the counter!
I have played around with them a bit, and realized that thin coats work best; the thicker the application, the less shatter effect you will get. Here is Shatter over OPI's "Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous"

More pics to come!

Bath and Body Works' "Moonlight Path"

I'm addicted to having my environment smelling good. In my home there is always an oil burner in use, a candle lit or a air freshener in arms reach. On of those recent items to join the army against odor is a new favorite, Bath and Body Works' scented candle in "Moonlight Path".

I've already finished half of it! The website describes the scent as having "notes of French lavender, lily of the valley, oak moss and musk (that) are blended in this deeply romantic fine fragrance". I would describe is a clean, soap-y, feminine scent. And its not one of those weak candles that you can only smell when standing over it; this candle freshens up the entire room! Its really too bad I only bought the 113 gram jar..I don't want to use it up! This size was $12.50, but check back in B&BW for sales! 

Word on the Street

I just called my beauty supplier to inquire about China Glaze's "Crackle" polishes...and it has suffered a similar fate is OPI's "Shatter" in that it sold out in the US, so it won't be available in Montreal anytime soon. The next delivery date for "Crackle" is May. MAY! Oh how will we survive??!!

Nail of the Day

I borrowed this from a friend last year, and since I've returned it, I have been dreaming about it! For months I had been looking for a bottle to own. That day has arrived! This is OPI's "Do You Lilac It?"
(Inside with flash)

 

 (near window, no flash)

It is similar to essie's "Lilacism", but put side by side, OPI's version is a bit darker.

When my nails grow a little bit longer I'm planning to experiment with a gradient effect. Look out for that!

Nair: Cire Divine

I'm no stranger to waxing, I actually enjoy the process. But for the underarm area, I find the traditional strip waxing cumbersome. A while back a friend suggested Nair's Cire Divine no strip wax, and since then, I haven't looked back.

The box recommends it for facial hair, bikini and sensitive areas, effective even on short hair. The kit comes with 100 gram tub of wax, a tongue depressor and 3 towelettes. The tub is to be heated in the microwave for 3 minutes, left for a minute to stand, and then ready for use. Since I am sensitive to bruising, I apply the wax, pat it in, then stretch out the area and have a helper to pull. The directions are the same, apply wax, and pull in the opposite direction of the hair growth. This method works wonders for me! Done right, there won't be any strays and the area will be smooth for weeks. I don't use the towellettes, but apply some azulene oil to the area. Remember no deoderant for 24 hours after waxing, so use baby powder! I also like the smell of the wax, described on the box as summer honeysuckle. The kit is inexpensive, depending where you shop I have seen it at $8.95 and most expensive $13.95. There are downsides however. The wax does become harder to work with the second time you heat it; I only use about half the tub each session. My other criticism is the stringy-ness the wax gets. It looks just like melted cheese! 

At the point in the picture above the wax is no longer useable. No matter how long I reheat it, the wax at the very bottom just isn't workable. I will however continue to repurchase for its effectiveness!

Essie's Quick-E

So since my Seche Vite has gotten to the point of supreme gunk-ability, I've gone back to my Essie "quick-e" drying drops.

The box comes with a 15 ml solution and dropper and describes the product to "significantly reduce drying time and protect nails from smudges, nicks and scratches". The product can be used on natural, artificial and even sensitive nails. The directions to follow are to apply one or two drops to cuticles. I tried it today over CND's perfect red called "Bloodline".
This is a picture of the first, and only, coat of the polish, boo-boos and all:

After appling the drying drops, the nail area is wet and shiny.

The nails are dry to the touch after a minute. The only downside is that following the nail polish drying, your cuticles dry out as well. Some of the solution got on the skin near my pinky finger and thumb, that you can see it is severely dried out. You may also be able to make out a white-ish cast around my nails.

Will I keep using this? Yes, until I get a new bottle of Seche Vite that is!

Word on the Street

So OPI's "Shatter" has been a rumored phantom in the city of Montreal. I have pretty much stalked a selection of beauty supply stores, both open to the public, and for those open only to aestheticians and have come out empty-handed. I heard a whisper that it lived in Trade Secrets for an hour untill it was sold out. Well, recently I heard China Glaze was coming out with a dupe called "Crackle". And guess what? Its available in 6 colours! From the mouth of a supplier: It's due to hit stores in 8 days.
check 'em out here: http://www.chinaglaze.com/products/index.php?coll=50
You can bet your butt I'll be picking them up!

Nail of the Day

In following last week's attempt at nail art, I played around with 2010's IT colour "Mint Candy Apple" from Essie.
(no flash, near window)

What i used:

I used Orly's Instant Artist in "Crisp White", Colour Club's Art Club in "Black", LA. Colors's Art Deco in "Silver" and some "Ez Marberlizer" that I purchased at a beauty conference in October 2010.

Nail of the Day

So for love day I decided to go against traditional red nails and opted for OPI's "Glitzerland"
(no flash)

prettty eh?

At Home Body Exfoliation

Having great skin is important, especially glow-y skin for Valentines day! For the past year I've been making an easy concoction to prep my skin for special events. All you need is a few basic products and you can have an at home body exfoliation. What you'll need is a bowl, Demerara sugar, and an oil. As you've seen from previous posts I use sweet almond oil. Also, it is optional to add a few drops of your fav essential oil, to add scent. I opt for lavender. You can find these items at a health food store.

I had previously been using sea salt, but once I learned the jagged edges cause mirco-tears (causing redness, irritation, openings for bacteria) I switched to Demerara sugar, which do not cause such tears. Also, I keep this bowl separate from my kitchenware...just to be safe.
I normally eyeball the amount of sugar I use, but I measured it and came out with 1/4 of a cup. I always keep the ingredients on hand when I exfoliate, so I can add more if i need.

Next, add the oil of your choice, a few drops of essential oil and stir. Get it to a consistency of about this:

You don't want it runny, but that each granule is coated in oil.
To exfoliate, I begin with my legs, and work my way to my neck. I start with some in my hands and rub in circular motions, always moving upwards towards your heart. 
I have to warn you, it does get messy, so do it in the tub! I took a pic as an example..please don't mind my stubby toes!

I promise the mess is worth it! Besides, it all gets washed away when you rinse your body off! Your skin is soft and smooth, and no need to moisturize afterward due to the oil!
Please let me know if you try it and how you liked it!

Live Clean Exotic Nectar Restorative Shampoo

Like my skin, my scalp recently has gotten beyond itchy. Enough that i showed my cute, young doctor and he said I had a mild dermatitis on my scalp and prescribed me a cortisone cream. I wasn't really keen on filling the prescription but tried to find something to soothe it. I fell upon Live Clean's "Restorative Shampoo" from their Exotic Nectar line.

The bottle says it is 98% plant derived, pure vegan, sulfate free and paraben free. It is intended to gently clean and restore "natural shine and lustre". I purchased it because it contains argon oil, grape seed oil and olive oil, in the efforts to treat my scalp as I did with my skin by nourishing it with oil. It smells nice, and was a good price, $5.95 at Walmart. You don't need much of it, a little goes a long way. Plus it lathers really well. And those aren't the only perks. It works! For my scalp anyways. No more ich, no more flakes. Me happy. Did it do anything for shine and lustre? It looks, and feels, like second day hair, a bit oily and flat at the top. I don't mind it so much, as long as it keeps the irritation away.
Have you tried it? What do you think?

Nail of the Day

So a friend AND reader brought up how to use "Last Friday Night" from the Katy Perry collection. The polish alone gives a blueish cast, so I went with using it as a nail art decoration over a dark navy colour. These are the two possibilities I came up with.

In the first picture I just swiped two lines of silver with the sparkely blue in between.
In the second I just covered my ring finger with "Last Friday Night".
If desired you can add these to each nail, but I personally like the understated look. For these I used Maybelline Express Finish in "Eux-blue-rant", Art Deco's "Silver" and of course, "Last Friday Night" from OPI.

Anyone got any other ideas?

Too Faced Eye Shadow Duo

Winners has been pretty good to me. Before Chirstmas I found packets of Too Faced products for an unbelievely crazy low price! In one of those pouches came an eye shadow duo in "Full Frontal".

The first swatch is on bare skin, the second is on my inglot eye shadow base.
With flash:

Near window, no flash:

I like this! I have been using the brown as a crease colour. It only has a slight shimmer to it. I couldn't ask for more! The directions on the website about these duos say that the lighter colour can be used as a highlighter. The light yellowy-gold doesn't appeal to me.The packaging is adorbs, sleek, sexy and the lid magnetically closes, so no mess at the bottom of you makeup bag with this product! For my next duo, I have my eye on "Ohh & Ahh". ;)

Nail of the Day

To match the onslaught of unending snowfall, Essie's "Lilacism":

Near window, no flash

I used to have an aversion to pastel colours, feeling way to retro for my taste. But I've converted! I must buy it full size!

Nail of the Day

Since it looks like pure poop outside and we'll be shoveling for hours... (take a look at my porch:)

...I decided to get a little fun with my nails before I get to work with my shovel.
Items used: CND's "Raspberry Parfait" and, Art Deco's art polishes in "Silver" and "Ice Breaker"

So you can see I went for a fun french with glitter at the bottom. I did snuff up the pinky a bit..I can sometimes have a heavy hand when handling glitter. ohh and the Raspberry Parfait won Editors Choice Award for Allure Magazine!
Hi ho, Hi ho, its off to work we go..good luck Montrealers!

Nail of the Day

So I started playing around with "Teenage Dream" as a glittery topcoat. Here it is on top of Rimmel's Lasting Finish Pro in "Steel Grey".

So hard to photograph holo glitters! Not sure how I feel about this..thought I'd share it anyways!

ADDITION (Feb 10th 2011):
My dear friend, and reader Raisy tried this variation that turned out LOVELY! As a base she used Sephora by OPI's "Metro Chic" with "Teenage Dream" over it.

Pretttttttttty :)