January 31, 2010

Grammy's Red Carpet: Back to The Future

 
 

I know this dress is clearly out there, yet I find it strangely awesome. Lady Gaga collaborated with Armani to create this unique look.


Her eye makeup is pretty gorgeous too. Drag Queens of the world, you've found your match!


I was seriously distracted by her crazy weave when Beyonce performed "If I were a boy" but I loved all her outfits tonight. This Stephane Rolland dress is beautiful although this is definitely not the best color for her.

 Mary J. Blige keeps it sexy in Gucci.

 
Thank god, Britney was there to bring crazy to the party! I fail to see how this D&G outfit is attractive or innovative. Plus Britney's fishnets are ripped! Her hair is the most beautiful I've seen in a long time, though.


Blinding. Wait. Let me grab my shades. No, she still looks like a crazy hippie lady.
All she needs is a goat and a flute.

Now, some dude from Jersey Shore brought a touch of class to this red carpet. Finally!
 
Looks like the open shirt thing is a new red carpet douchebag trend, as Katy Perry's (Katy is dressed like your grandma, again!) boyfriend demonstrates in the background. Pictures really didn't do justice to Rihanna's Elie Saab gown. She did look stunning on stage. Overall, this red carpet was much better than the Golden Globes'!

-Christelle-

Pre-Grammy's Fashion Disasters

If the pre-Grammy's party is any indication, tonight's show should be a display of horrid dresses, and should keep us pretty entertained!

Rihanna
Katy Perry dresses worse than a grandma on acid
 
I kept the best for last: Kelis at the Data Awards (yeah, I don't know what it is either!) in a latex suit and looking just...well different, but not in a good way.

 Yes, it's even more amazing than you thought.

-Christelle-

January 30, 2010

Vapour Organic Beauty brings you Shopping Channel porn Sunday!

I have been tying out a new makeup line that I am loving called Vapour Organic Beauty.  I am not quite ready to review it yet but I just found out that they will be appearing on the Shopping Channel tomorrow and want you all to have a chance to check it out.  Cosmetic hours on the Shopping Channel are my idea of porn - totally decadent!

We of course are big fans of organic beauty here at Beauty Crazed and I am especially impressed with Vapour because their products feel so light on my skin - like I have no makeup on at all!

Eric Sakas, makeup artist and Vapour co-founder will be appearing on the Shopping Channel tomorrow (Sunday, January 31) to introduce you to the entire Vapour collection.  If you are an early bird you can catch him at 8am for 15 minutes during the Style Mixed Hour.  Or for a preview of the whole collection he will be doing full hour slots at 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm and 11pm.

- Lisamarie -

Pucker up for some scented lip balms from North American Hemp Co., Burt's Bees and The Body Shop!

So I have this weird thing (let's be honest, one of many weird things) where I am incapable of having bare lips.  During the day I wear lipstick or gloss, overnight I wear a treatment of some kind and when I get home and take off my makeup I have to put something on my lips or they feel naked!  I generally go with a colourless lip balm and am always on the hunt for the best smelling ones - these are my favourites right now: 
North American Hemp Co. - all natural lip balm - Canadian Maple - $6.99 - It also comes in Green Apple, Berry Sublime and Mint-o-Licious.  The maple smells amazing!  Exactly like Dare Maple Leaf Cookies (did you know they have a Facebook page here?)  So much so that on my next trip to the grocery store after I started using this I was compelled to buy the cookies.  So I probably don't recommend this balm if you are trying to diet and have a weakness for cookies!  Also great is that it is totally non-waxy - you know how with some balms you have to dig your finger in to the pot to get some of it on your finger.  With this one you just swirl your finger around on the top and the product just melts onto your finger - I totally love it!  It's made with organic hemp seed oil as are all the products from this company - I will definitely be checking out more items from this line and will keep you updated!

Burt's Bees Super Shiny Natural Lip Gloss - Sheer Lemon & Juicy Peach - $9.99 - These are the two new shades for the line.  I know they aren't really a lip balm but there are so many different oils (sunflower, sweet almond and natural citrus essential oils) in the ingredients that I find it just as moisturizing as a balm and I like a shiny lip!  They are also 100% natural.  I'm partial to the sheer lemon because it smells like lemons!  Strangely, the juicy peach also smells like lemons.  The peach also has a bit of colour so if you want to glam yourself up for the cable guy's service call, it's a good choice!  I also use these over lipsticks when I want to shine them up!
The Body Shop Lip Butter - Wild Cherry - $8 - I do find this one to be a bit on the waxy side but the smell is so good that I let that slide.  My other favourite scent is Satsuma!  Pucker up buttercup!
- Lisamarie -


January 29, 2010

Come on people, plastic bags are so 2007! Credo Bags has your solution!


I am proud to say that I haven't had need of plastic grocery bags for years now.  Way back when, when Loblaws introduced their "bin" shopping we bought 3 of the bins and have never needed a grocery bag since.  Could I be doing better?  Of course!  Fruits and vegetable, bulk foods, breads all go into those thin plastic bags that aren't even good for reusing so into the garbage they go!  Those clever folks at Credo Bags have come up with an entire eco-shopping system!  You may never have to touch a plastic bag again!














100% cotton canvas Tote - $18 - It comes in other designs as well.  This is a strong durable tote that is machine washable which is what I like most about fabric bags - when they get gross and dirty, you just throw them in the washing machine.
















100% cotton mesh large (12x15) Produce Bag -$7 - these also come in a medium (10x12)size - $5.50.  They have a drawstring closure and are machine washable.  I think these are brilliant!  Not only do you not have to waste those plastic produce bags anymore you won't have to stand in the aisle for 5 minutes trying to get the stupid thing open.  I also just realized that this would make a great bag for machine washing your delicates in!



100% cotton muslin Wine Bag - 2 pack - $14 - these would be wonderful to use as a wine gift bag for that eco-friendly giftee in your life.  These would also be great to take to the LCBO to carry your wine home in.  All they give you are those lousy paper bags with no handles now!  Now if Credo would make ones like these that said "Vodka" Christelle would be all over them and buy caseloads!

Also available are various sized bulk food bags, snack bags, lunch bags and even baguette bags!

For some reason this one really tickles me - 100% cotton woven String Market Shopper - $12 - If I was the sort of person that shopped in farmer's markets I would totally get one of these, they seem so chic and french.  I would also need a beret and to start smoking so maybe I will just pass on that.  Remember this bag is only good if you eat nice, healthy stuff - I mean, do you really want everyone to know that you buy Ben & Jerry's in bulk...?

Credo Bags are available in store and online across North America.  You can go here to find the location closest to you.



- Lisamarie -

RapidLash Alert!!!

A million apologies RapidLash fans - I have been holding on to this info for a week and totally forgot to tell you that RapidLash has been spotted in the GTA!  When I attended the Urban Decay event last Satuday, the Whitby Shoppers Drug Mart actually did have RapidLash and the manager told me that he does try to keep it in stock and usually has it.  You can call them first before you trek out to Whitby and make sure they have it in stock.  The number is 905-430-6967.  I grabbed myself a backup as I still haven't seen it anywhere close to me!  If anyone else has a RapidLash sighting, please let us know in the comments section!  And if you aren't familiar with the wonderfulness that is RapidLash you check out my review here.

- Lisamarie -

Paris Fashion Week: Where Was The Love?

There was very little color during Paris Fashion Week. Chanel used an abundance of white and silver with occasional pastels, while Armani Privé presented black and white designs based on a lunar theme, and Givenchy, despite using a few vivid colors, kept its collection mostly monochrome.
I'm not going to lie, I wasn't too crazy about any of these collections, and even if I had a few gazillion dollars to blow, I'm not sure I'd buy much. The garments -in terms of craftmanship- however, are as amazing as ever.

Chanel does white and silver. 
 
  
 That would be quite a wedding!


 Armani Prive goes to the moon...and back.


 
Hmm no. Givenchy makes a see-through mess .
 
I actually like this outfit even though it looks like Lisamarie when she forgets to shave.
At last! A gorgeous Givenchy gown, worn by Nadia Vodianova.

-Christelle-

January 28, 2010

Just because Blake can get away with it doesn't mean you should too!


Blake Lively can wear a robe outside, carry a pillow and still make it work - the Tesco branch in Cardiff's St. Mellons does not apparently appreciate such a casual approach to shopping. The BBC reports that the store has posted a "customer dress code policy" notice reading: "To avoid causing offense or embarrassment to others we ask that our customers are appropriately dressed when visiting our store (footware must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted)."  A Tesco spokesman told the BBC that the store was merely addressing the evidently serious St Mellons pyjama shopping problem, and wasn't considering extending the ban to keep out other scruffy-arsed riff-raff who also might lower the tone of the establishment.  He said: "We're not a nightclub with a strict dress code, and jeans and trainers are of course more than welcome"

What do we think must have been going on at this grocery store to cause such a ban?!  I have a mental image of shoppers roaming the aisles in footy pyjamas, terrycloth robes and hair rollers.  Maybe a nylon babydoll or two?  It boggles the mind!  I recall in university that the students that lived in residence would sometimes show up for lectures in their pyjamas but I'm sure I've never seen it in public since.  I'm appalled and amused!  Blake, go put some clothes on!

- Lisamarie -

Kaia Naturals - the green way to be lazy!

I have a terrible confession to make - no I didn't kill anyone (yet) it's far worse than that, it's one of the big beauty sins - fine I'll just come out with it - sometimes I go to bed without washing the makeup off my face!  It's terrible, I know!  And before you gather the angry torch bearing mob, I swear I have reformed!  Okay maybe reformed is too strong a word but I have found a way to work with my lazy nature - pre-moistened cleansing clothes!  Now I know they have been around for years but they have always seemed, I don't know, so lazy - I was obviously in deep denial!  To help mend my wicked ways, I have been trying out lots of different cleansing cloths which I will be reviewing in the coming weeks and I thought I would start off with the greenest of my finds.

Kaia Naturals bamboo facial cleansing cloths - $17.99/30 cloths.  There are two things I liked about these right off.  The smell and the recyclable plastic container they come in.  The smell is fresh and slightly sweet and the plastic container just makes them so much more convenient to use and easy to store.  Considering the cloths place of residence is the floor beside my bed, I'm not worried about the container leaking on the carpet!

The ingredients are all-natural and include 8 pure citrus essential oils, organic Canadian honey and sunflower seed oil.  The cleansing cloths contain no alcohol, no synthetic fragrance and no parabens or sulfates.  The cloths themselves are made of 100% natural bamboo - which is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, as it reaches maturity in 3-4 years versus 70 years for most trees.

The cloths are meant to be a 3 in 1 product - clean, tone and remove your eye makeup all in one go and I was pleased with their effectiveness.  They are also supposed to remove waterproof eye makeup and they did take off my waterproof liner so I am sure they would take care of waterproof mascara as well (my mascara isn't waterproof so I couldn't test that theory).  They are also very soft. My only complaint would be that they are too small.  I would love it if they were big enough to cover my whole face at once but it's only about half that size.  I end up using one side to first clean my eye area and then I turn it over to the other side to clean the rest of my face.  The cloth is pretty dirty at the end of it, if I wore more makeup then I do I probably would need two cloths to get my face totally clean. - I've just been informed that this is totally the correct way to be doing it and what was intended.  There is even a You Tube video demonstrating it - I tried posting it here but the code isn't working so here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrWj5tejSwc


So if you like the idea of cleansing cloths and want to stay as green as possible, these are a great choice.  I especially like that the used cloths go in the green (compost) bin and not the garbage!

Kaia Naturals are available at stores across North America, you can go here to locate one.  They are also available online at www.greenbeauty.ca

- Lisamarie -

BCBG by Max Azria: Summer 2010 Will Be Bright and Sexy!



When I first saw this spring/summer 2010 campaign from BCBG by Max Azria, I gasped. Look at these beauties! I'm not talking about the models. Look at these fantastic shoes, they are seriously, no wait, seriously sexy! The rest of this collection is a mix of bright colors and floral patterns with geometrical, asymmetrical hemlines.


















-Christelle-

January 27, 2010

Clinique Spring 2010 - Juiced Up Colour - mouthwateringly pretty!

 I think spring collections are my favourite ones of the year - the colours always seem so bright and happy especially after trudging through slush for the past few months.  I'm pleased to see that Clinique's spring collection is living up to my expectations!

Fresh Picked Allover Colour - $38.50 The centrepiece of the collection and my personal favourite of course!  It is limited edition and it's pink, what more can I ask for?!  I love the fruit pattern and I expect the three colours will mix together nicely to create a beautiful allover glow.  If I was going to do something crazy like ruin it by touching it I might know this for a fact, but it seems unlikely this will happen!  I will be first in line to get me one of these!
Fresh Picked Eye Shadow - Fresh Picked Berry & Fresh Picked Pear - $22.50 - Also limited edition and also on my must have list.  They include a soft shimmer base shade along with an accent shade pressed into a fruity goodness pattern!  So pretty!

Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour - Pink Me Up, Goodness Grapecious, Nude-tritious & Mango-thon - $22.50 - I don't know about you but just the names are making me hungry!  Inspiration for the spring collection came from this product which is full of "good-for-you" ingredients.  It improves the condition of lips instantly and over time.  I haven't tried one yet so I will have to get back to you on this but they are said to be non-sticky and highly moisturizing with stay-true colour, buildable coverage and complete comfort - sounds good!
High Lengths Mascara - black - $18 - New mascara for lengthening and lifting.  It has a really interesting looking curved "willow" wand applicator to separate and define the lashes while the curved fine toothed comb gets at the tiny baby lashes.  It's appropriate for sensitive eyes so I think this will be a fun one to try.
Instant Lift for Brows - soft blonde and soft brown - $19.50 - New dual-ended pencil is a brow filler on one end and a brow bone highlighter on the other.  I think it looks really good so I am excited to see this in person.  This would be so much handier to throw in my purse than a brow powder is!
The Juiced Up Colour collection will be available in February at Clinique counters across Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart and Murale.

- Lisamarie -