MAC Prep For Colour primes your masterpiece - I mean your face of course!

Every masterpiece starts with a perfectly prepped canvas, or in this case, face.  Protect it from the sun, brighten the tone, paint on a perfect pink pout and make your eyes stand out.  All I know is that lipglass is calling my name...

Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 - $36.50

Prep + Prime Skin Brightening Serum - $48

Lipglass - $16.50
Just Add Colour - fuchsia pink

Eye Shadow - $17.50
Hey - warm mid-tone beige
Prepped For Glamour - ashy/dirty brown
Sorcery - reddish mid-tone brown

- Lisamarie -

Lise Watier Youthful... Day After Day Challenge - Day 26! Contest!

Day 26 - LIFESTYLE - Help your neighbour!

Help someone out today!  Offer to help a co-worker or a friend who could use it.

I'm going to be treating Christelle to that therapy she desperately needs!

- Lisamarie -

If you are confused about what this is or how to enter, you can go here to see the original post!

Visa doesn't think you use your credit card enough so here comes Borderlinx!

I got the sweetest e-mail yesterday from a girl who works with Visa - she seemed very concerned that Canadians were losing out on lots of US shopping opportunities (we are) because of border issues.  She was also kind enough to share with me a new service that will help us poor shopping deprived Canadians get the latest beauty products at retailers that we normally can't shop at like Target.com, Macys.com, bloomingdales.com, and many more.  Here's the spiel:

Visa is pleased to bring you Borderlinx, a new service that allows most international shoppers to buy U.S. products directly from U.S. online retailers. It's simple and easy to use:

1. Create your Borderlinx account through http://visa.ca/visaperks/shopping/Borderlinx/index.jsp. By using your Visa card, Visa will waive the C$30.00 registration fee and offer 10% off shipping until May 31, 2010.

2. You shop online and fill in the shipping address form with your Borderlinx address.

3. You pay the retailer for the goods and local shipping and Borderlinx for international shipping, customs, duties and taxes.

4. You can share shopping lists with friends and consolidate shipments to save even more on shipping and have 30 days free storage.

Here are a video explaining how Borderlinx works:

 

Also, www.visaperks.ca has over 70 great merchant offers and discounts just for using your Visa card.

My husband will be thrilled to know that there is yet another way for me to bring more cosmetics into the house - he often comments how I just don't have enough...

- Lisamarie -

New and Notable at Shoppers Drug Mart - Vichy, Lise Watier, Burberry and StriVectin

Vichy has three new foundations:  Aera Teint Pure Fluid and Cream Foundations as well as a Mineral one.


Aera Teint Pure Fluid Foundation or Cream Foundation - 30ml - $27.95 - Comes in 5 colours:  opal, ivory, sand, honey and bronze - the first 2 are very light which is great for the pale amongst us who have trouble finding light foundation.  It's paraben free with a natural finish that lasts up to 12 hours.  Contains minerals and anti-pollution action with a fresh finish that helps skin breath.

Aera Teint Mineral Powder Foundation - 1.5g - $27.95 - with purifying minerals in 4 colours:  opal, nude, sand and gold.

With such nice light colours, how can I not give these a try?  Keep an eye out for my review coming soon!

I wish I had pictures of them because Lise Watier has the cutest skin care kits in.  They come in a clear plastic half-oval bag with hot pink trim and each contain a full sized moisturizer as well as several samples for each age range.

20+ Hydra Temps Eclat + - 50ml, Hydra Temps Eclat Night Creme-Gel - 15ml, Moisturizing Mask - 10ml and Sun Smart SPF 30 - 2ml - $35

30+ Résist-Age Youth Extender Day Fluid - 50ml, Résist-Age Cell-Matrix Metamulsion - 10ml, Moisturizing Mask - 10ml and Sun Smart SPF 30 - 2ml - $55 - or you could enter our contest and win this one!

40+ Lift and Firm Ultra Firming Rejuvenation Day Creme - 50ml, Lift and Firm Deep Remodeling Night Creme - 15ml, Moisturizing Mask - 10ml and Sun Smart SPF 30 - 2ml - $59

50+ L'Expérience Morning Potion Power Creme - 50ml, L'Expérience Nighttime Skin Rescue Creme - 15ml, Moisturizing Mask - 10ml and Sun Smart SPF 30 - 2ml - $65

Burberry Sport for Women EDT - 50ml - $72 - described as a fresh floral and features notes of mandarin, sea salt, magnolia, honeysuckle, petit grain, solar notes, musk and cedar.

Burberry Sport for Men - 50ml - $68 - a woody citrus includes notes of frozen ginger, grapefruit, wheatgrass, marine breeze accord, red ginger, juniper berry, dry amber, cedar and soft musk. I like the smell of this one a lot and would buy if for my husband (for my smelling pleasure of course).

StriVectin has two new offerings in store:

Instant Moisture Repair Daily Hydrator - 59.1ml - $68 - helps rebuild skin's moisture cushion layer by layer, instantly boosts skin's natural hydration levels and helps skin look, feel and act younger.  I think I am going to have to give this one a try in my quest for a new moisturizer.

Overnight Facial Resurfacing Serum - 25ml - $68 - contains natural plant-based exfoliators proven to even skin texture and tone.  Contains botanical brighteners proven to increase skin luminosity.  I have to say, the serum smelled really weird in the bottle but when I put some on my hand, the smell disappeared.

- Lisamarie -

Chanel Précision Hydramax + Active - a great line for parched skin!

I was pretty surprised at my last facial to be told that my skin is dehydrated.  It's never been a problem for me before so of course I don't have any products to deal with it.  But as a true beauty junkie I just accepted it as a chance to check out lots of new things to try and get some moisture back into my skin and educate myself.

The first one I have been trying is Chanel Précision Hydramax + Active Sérum Active Moisture Boost - 30ml - $121.  I have used Chanel skin care products on and off for years.  When I used to work downtown the nice lady at the Eaton Centre counter would call me whenever they had facial events so of course I would go and buy lots of stuff.  At the Chanel counter I go to now, the skincare is over on the other side from the makeup so I never really look at it.  This serum was a nice way to reintroduce myself to their skincare line.  It's light, it smells fresh and it soaks right into your skin and I do love a serum!  This would probably be great for me on it's on during the hot months, but when it's cold or if your skin is dry you will need something more.  Which led me to:

Hydramax + Active Nutrition Créme Nourrissante Nourishing Cream for Dry Skin - 50ml - $82 - At first I was a little scared, this stuff is super thick and as a normally combo skinned girl, I'm just not used to rich creams!  I use just a tiny bit of this on my dry areas - forehead and cheeks, a little goes a really long way, and on my skin I would never had said it was that rich in the jar - I feel a moistness to my skin but not like there is something on my skin, if that makes any sense.  The only thing I'm not crazy about is the smell, it's a little too perfumey for my taste but that is one thing I have always found about Chanel - some of their products have that certain smell that you either love or you hate.

Also new in the line is Hydramax + Active Nutrition Lip Care - 10ml - $45 which is my new favourite lip balm.  You may remember me saying that it is great over this season's lip stains.  I like that there is absolutely no smell and it goes on matte (they say satin, but it looks matte to me), so it keeps your stain moist without interfering with the smell or shine the stain already has.

The above products are available at all Chanel beauty counters.

Any advise from seasoned dry and dehydrated skin sufferers gratefully welcomed!

- Lisamarie -

Lise Watier Youthful... Day After Day Challenge - Day 25! Contest!

Day 25 - NUTRITION - Drink water!

Always keep a glass or bottle of water near you, and drink from it regularly.

Sounds easy but I find it so hard to remember to drink it!

- Lisamarie -

If you are confused about what this is or how to enter, you can go here to see the original post!

Obakki Designs: between Urban Goddess and Casual Fashionista

This Obakki Spring Summer collecion 2010 is always about draping, fluidity and classic shapes with a twist. The tank top becomes statement, draped, patterned, colorful. The pants high-waisted and lean.

The color palette is fairly soft and muted with the occasional burst of color. I am more into fitted garments but this line gives off a vibe of both quiet elegance and a sophisticated casualness.  

Most of all, the clothes are made in Vancouver! We like. Treana Peake, Obakki owner has also traveled to Africa and incorporated some of her inspiration back to her designs. She created the Obakki foundation which carries super cute outfits to support this foundation.

You can find Obakki in boutiques across Canada as well as in the US and online. You can now buy the fall/winter stock at a 75% discount!

Obakki has a menswear line as well...

Photos: Obakki - Spring Summer 2010

-Christelle-

Clinique High Lengths Mascara and Instant Lift for Brows Review

The Clinique Spring 2010 collection was full of all kinds of pretty things as well as two new additions to the Clinique eye line:

 

Clinique High Lengths Mascara - $18

The "willow" wand applicator is certainly unique so I was interested to try this one out.  They advise that for best results, to start at the base of the lash line with the curve of the brush against the natural curve of your lashes, then slowly comb upward through the tips of the lashes to extend and separate.  For added feathering and separation, use the tines towards the top of the fine-toothed comb to find and define smaller lashes.

What Clinique didn't count on was my super-spazziness!  I'm not the most coordinated person at the best of times and I thought this mascara had gotten the best of me!  But after a few tries I did get the hang of it and was happy with the results.  My lashes are noticeably longer and I never find the formula clumpy.  An unexpected bonus is that it also seems to curl my lashes - I looked and nowhere on the box or in anything I read about it has said it's supposed to do that so I suspect it has something to do with my (incorrect) wand technique.  I am totally okay with this side effect!  

If you like a lengthening mascara that doesn't add volume, has a funky brush-comb thing that possibly might curl your lashes too then you should give this one a try!

Clinique Instant Lift for Brows - $19.50

Everyone knows how important having well groomed brows is.  Well groomed brows can take years off your age, open up your eyes and just make you look so much more polished.  Instant Lift for Brows includes a brow filling pencil on one end and a brow bone highlighter on the other.  The pencil is designed to fill-in brows and even out sparse areas to create perfectly defined, natural looking brows.  When applied under the brow, the highlighter instantly brightens your appearance and gives the illusion of a lifted look, using light reflecting ingredients to highlight the brow.  It's a simple way to look years  without the fuss - instant gratification at its best.

The brow filler side is a wax-based formula.  It has a long-wearing formula that is supposed to last up to 8 hours without smudging or smearing.  It comes in three shades:  soft blonde, soft brown and deep brown.

The brow bone highlighter side is a warm pink champagne colour meant to be universally flattering and creates the illusion of a lifted brow when applied on the brow bone right underneath the brow.

The two sided pencil idea is genius.  I use both a brow filler and a highlighter on a daily basis so having them both together in one place makes life so much easier!  This was also much easier then the powder formulas that I usually use, you just swipe it on, blend a little bit with your fingers and it's done!  My only issue is with the colours offered - I'm a redhead and like to have my brow's colour be somewhere in the auburn family. Sadly, Instant Lift for Brows offers nothing for the gingers of the world so hopefully they will be addressing this short sightedness soon.  If you are of the blonde or brunette persuasion, or like to have brows of this colour, this is worth a try!

- Lisamarie -