Vasanti Cosmetics is sun inspired for summer!

I find summer makeup tricky, especially when it's as hot out as it has been lately.  Of course I love makeup and want to wear it but I try not to do anything too bright because then it just becomes obvious when it starts sliding down my face.  The Vasanti summer collection is a great hot weather choice, the colours are more natural but still shimmery as summer colours should be - here's what's in the collection:

Manhattan 24/7 Eye Colour Palette - $40 - from pale pink to coppery burgundy all five shades in this palette are very wearable.  The burgundy also makes an excellent liner!

Casablanca Eyeshadow - $15 - shimmery champagne - this has become my "go to" colour for my lazy morning where I can't deal with anything more then an all-over wash  - it's a "you" but better colour!

The Bronze Age Shimmer Powder - $14 - I love shimmer powders and I love this colour but deep in my heart, I know it would look better on someone with a tan (or at least a skin tone with some pigmentation!)

Andres Blush - $15 - they describe it as slightly coral and it might even look coralish in the picture but I don't get that in person - I find it very nudish, it actually reminds me a lot of Urban Decay X - whatever colour it is, it's very subtle and wearable and would actually make a good bronzer for the very pale.

Tinted Lip Balm - $15 - Columbia - sheer summer brown or St. Lucia - neutral pink - enriched with mango butter for hydration - if you love a tinted lip balm you need to try the Vasanti ones - they look good, they have no smell and they are super moisturizing!

- Lisamarie -

MAC Digi-Dazzle - it's like a crayola box full of lipstick!

MAC feels bad that they haven't put out very many collections lately and they hope this will make it up to you!

I feel slightly appeased - lipsticks all together like this remind me of candy - yummy!

Dazzle Lipstick - $16.50
Baby's On Fire - deep red
Glaringly Hip - light peach
Hellraiser - light lavender
Hot Sass - bright orange
Infused With Glam - copper brown
Liquid Lurex - tarnished golden
Naughty You - neon pink
Smash Hit - white beige
Snazzy - deep plum
Sweet Bits - light lavender pink
Troublemaker - magenta
Wham - plum brown
Win-Win - light pink

Coming your way August 5th and you won't want to wait, who knows when MAC will come out with another collection!

- Lisamarie -

MAC Dare To Wear is a riot of colour!

MAC Dare To Wear thinks your bank account might not be quite empty yet and is here to correct that!  Lucky for me, many of these wonderful sounding eye shadows are matte, which doesn't appeal to me in the least - the lipglasses on the other hand...

Eye Shadow - $17.50
Louder, Please - bright fuchsia (matte)
Free To Be - creamy true coral (matte)
Going Bananas - soft lemon yellow (frost)
Lime - lime green (matte)
Sassy Grass - bright grass green (matte)
Aqua - subdued, pale grey aqua (matte)
Sky blue - robin's egg blue (frost)
Winkle - mid-tone cornflower blue (satin)
Zingy - bright sky blue (matte)
Atlantic Blue - bright sky blue (matte)
Crazy Cool - pale frosty lavender (veluxe pearl)
Shock-a-holic - deep purple (matte)

Lipglass - $21.50
Dare to Dare - light blue pink with multi-pearl
Bold & Brash - bright red with multi-pearl
Ban This! - deep purple with multi-pearl
Gimme That! - bright fuchsia pink with pink pearl
So Bad - mid-tone coral orange with pink and gold pearl
Wind Me Up - dirty bronze with pink and gold pearl

Available July 29th at all MAC locations.

- Lisamarie -

What Does Zara Have in Store for You? I've Got The Answer in My Purse!

Zara's new looks for Fall are almost around the corner, yet the Spanish label has come out with a few new summer designs. After a caramel and dusty pink color palette (yuck) early this season, floral patterns are making their appearance, inspired by the latest runway shows.

Prices are always a little tricky to find on Zara's website so I downloaded the Zara iPhone app and all the information you need is right at your fingertips: the app includes pictures and prices of all the garments, look books, what's new in store etc... the navigation is not great (it's quite slow) but it's a good shopping companion.

New in stores:

$109

Top - $49.90

Shoes $69.90

Green dress $45.90

Shoes $59.90 

Pictures: Zara

-Christelle-

Burberry Beauty set to hit the Toronto Holt Renfrew tomorrow!

There are three magical words that just make me so happy to hear - no, not "I love you" - I'm talking about "new makeup line" - just typing it makes me smile!  Iconic brand Burberry who has already added their plaid signature to just about everything you can think of, has finally made their foray into the cosmetic market - about time!  I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the line today and I had to be warned more then once to stop drooling on the products!

The line is divided into four components - Skin -  Sheer Foundation, Sheer Compact Foundation and Sheer Powder, Glow -  Light Glow - the blushers, Warm Glow - the bronzers and the Beauty Brush, Eyes - Sheer Eye Shadow, Effortless Mascara and Eye Definer and Lips - Lip Cover - lipsticks, Lip Glow - glosses and Lip Definer.

Sophia Perri, the National Makeup Artist for Burberry was on hand to give me a demo of the products and I now need her to come to my house every day and do my makeup - the look she gave me was so soft and pretty!  Which is probably a good description of the colours in the collection.  There is nothing bright or garish it is a soft, pretty and very wearable line.  And the packaging, well don't get me started you know how I feel about packaging!  Luxe is the word that springs to mind with wonderful attention to detail!  And of course the distinctive plaid is in evidence everywhere from the outside casing to even being embossed on the makeup itself - I told Sophia that I wouldn't be able to use it for fear of messing it up - which of course is bad news for me because I end up buying two of everything - one to use and one to look at!

I will be back to you soon with pictures of the whole line - I did take some pics today but my camera isn't cooperating and won't cough them up!  Until then, Toronto girls can get themselves over to the Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street starting tomorrow and check out the counter in person.  Vancouver girls will be able to find it at their Holts next week - for everyone else, well thank heavens for online shopping!

- Lisamarie -

Stila summertime and the living is easy!

Stila and I have a longstanding love affair that I blame on MUA (MakeupAlley.com).  When I first started going to the site, Stila was the big thing - talked about endlessly, swapped ruthlessly and getting your hands on a paint can was like winning the lottery!  When Stila finally arrived at Holt Renfrew, we were able to start our affair in person and in earnest - we've never looked back since.

Lethargy and general laziness makes me long to pare down my beauty routine in the summer -  Stila understands this and came out with three great new products this year to meet my unreasonable demands!

One Step Makeup - 30ml - $57 - available in 8 shades and by one step they mean that it contains your primer, foundation, concealer and powder all in one bottle.  It contains 100% natural mineral pigments, has a buildable coverage, is paraben and fragrance free, minimized pores and diminishes the look of fine lines and wrinkles as well as hydrates, balances and controls oil.  These seemed to be a tall order for one little bottle of foundation so of course I had to try it out for myself.

Right away I was pleased to see that there was a colour that was light enough for me as this doesn't always happen with foundations.  I was also happy to see that it was a pump container.  The formula is very light but not liquidy so it's easy to apply with a brush.  It takes me one pump to cover my whole face including a second layer in my redder areas.   Here's my opinion of the 4 components of the one step makeup:

1 - primer - For the first week I used it without a separate primer but I found that my face's amazing foundation eating properties were too much for this one and it was obviously being sucked in through my skin and being added to the giant ball of foundation in my head so I did start using my primer again and the foundation stayed all day.
2 - foundation - The finish is smooth and it does layer without being cakey.
3 - concealer - I didn't need to use a concealer under my eyes or around my nose, where I normally would to cover darkness and redness, I just added a little extra foundation in those areas.  I haven't broken out lately so I can't say how well it would cover pimples but the redness coverage is good so I wouldn't be surprised to know that a bit of this with a concealer brush would do the job for covering those bumps as well. 
4 - powder - It claims to keep shine away all day but for me it doesn't.  Powders that claim to do the same thing are also no match for my oily T-zone so I can't really say I'm surprised.  On normal-dry skin I suspect this would be enough, but for the oily, expect to have to powder your nose as per usual.

Despite it not really being a one step for me, I still like this foundation and would buy it again - the colour match, formula and coverage are all exactly what I look for in a foundation.

One Step PrimeColor - 10ml - $29 -  another multi-tasking product that wants to be your primer, eye shadow, lip colour and cheek colour.  It comes in 6 shades:  Bronze Babe - golden bronze, Capri Coral - peachy pink, Kitten - shimmering nude pink, Per Suede - tawny rose, Pop of Pink - light pink and Rosie Posie - bright pink.  PrimeColor hydrates and balances the skin to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. It's also paraben and fragrance free and infused with Stila's exclusive Youth Revival bio-Available Mineral Complex which consists of 15 ionically charged minerals that read and react to your skin's needs.

I was really excited for this one due to my new found love for liquid/cream blushes. The colour I tried was Capri Coral which is a beautiful peachy colour which I did use on my cheeks and lips but found really unflattering as an eye colour.  One of the bronzes or pinks might be better for me to wear in all three places.  As a cheek and lip colour though it was lovely.  The staying power was excellent on my cheeks and about the same as a long wear lipstick would be for the lips.  I did find that a layer of gloss on top of the colour on the lips made it much more comfortable as it felt too dry to me on its own.

Smudge stick Waterproof Eye Liner - $26 - I have really been looking forward to trying this one after seeing other people's reviews and colour descriptions!  Available in 8 shades:  Blue Ribbon - navy shimmer, Koi - metallic gold, Lionfish - brown shimmer, Moray - olive shimmer, Peacock - turquoise shimmer, Purple Tang - black with purple sparkle, Silver Dollar - metallic silver and Stingray - intense black.

So when I went to Sephora at lunch and tested them by swiping them on the back of my hand I actually forgot to wipe them off and went back to the office with them still there until my boss asked me what I had done to my hand.  I tried to wash them off with regular soap, no luck - I also tried windex and carpet spot remover and they were still there and since that was about the extend of cleaning products in the office, there they stayed for the rest of the day.  It was an excellent way to test their staying power and they made it through the rest of the day until I could get home to get them off with some waterproof makeup remover.  I used the Purple Tang on my actual eyes the next day and the colour is so pretty!  Don't be scared off my the description of sparkle, it's actually very subtle and adds just a little extra something to what would otherwise be a pretty ordinary colour.

Available at Sephora and Murale, get over there and try them out yourselves!

- Lisamarie -

MAC is In The Groove!

MAC was concerned that Alice + Olivia wouldn't be enough to bankrupt me so on Thursday they are also getting In The Groove - or I should say, I will be getting In The Groove - thanks a bunch MAC!

Lipstick (Cremesheen) - $16.50
Call My Bluff - mid tone creamy coffee
Jazzed - bright coral pink
Creme d'Nude - pale muted peach beige
I Like It Like That - deep blue pink
All Styled Up - bright yellow pink
Go For It - mid-tone blue purple

Cremesheen Glass - $21.50
On the Scene - light coral beige
You've Got It - dirty silver grey
Going Casual - sheer lilac
Fashion Whim - light beige
Right Image - mid-tone blue pink
Chillin' - light white blue

Mineralize Eye Shadow (Trio) - $23.50
Love to Love - satin beige/pearly bronze/satin brown
In the Groove - satin green/pearly burgundy/satin coral
Making It Easy - satin red brown/pearly beige rose/satin dark beige
Togetherness - satin lavender/pearly purple/satin grey
Style Influencer - satin silver/pearly deep blue/satin mauve brown
Soften the Mood - satin light brown/pearly rose/satin light blue
Fresh & Easy - satin pink/pearly burgundy/satin grey
Calm, Cool & Collected - satin deep green/pearly green/satin beige
Blue My Mind - satin light blue/pearly deep deal/satin black

Powerpoint Eye Pencil - $17.50
Stubborn Brown - deep rich brown
Permaplum - deeply plum with pink shimmer
Navy Stain - royal blue with shimmer

Mineralize Blush (duo) - $27.50
Happy Together - satin caramel/pearly beige
A Little Bit of Sunshine - satin light brown/pearly beige
Hang Loose - satin bright pink/pearly lavender
Band of Roses - satin blue pink/pearly light plum
New Vibe - satin deep rose/pearly bronze

Mineralize Skinfinish - $33.50
By Candlelight - golden pink
Stereo Rose - coral with golden bronze shimmering nuances
Comfort - golden bronze
Petticoat - pale rose with gold and amber veining

Coming this Thursday, July 8th to empty your wallet!  What will be in your shopping cart?

- Lisamarie -

Illamasqua Spring / Summer 2010 Collection - Body Electrics

If you weren't already convinced that there's a conspiracy against Canadians then the Illamasqua makeup line should make it very clear to you.  Weren't we all thrilled last fall when we learnt that Illamasqua was going to be making its way to Sephora? - I figured that even if it didn't appear in our stores we would at least be able to order it online.  Nope, for some unfathomable reason, it is one of those brands that Sephora won't let Canadians order.  There are other brands that we also get screwed on but they are usually skincare lines and I can only assume that there is some ingredient in those products that are on the Health Canada no-no list.  I can't imagine what could be in makeup that Health Canada would take issue with, but there you go!  Take heart, Illamasqua is still available on their website and they will ship to Canada!

If you haven't already checked out the Summer collection you really need to hop to it, lots of the products are limited edition!

4-Colour Liquid Metal Palette - $42.50 - contains 4 metallic shades that are rich and highly pigmented.  Can be used on eyes, face and body.  Solstice - gold, Enrapture - bronze, Surge - platinum and Phenomena - silver.  Can be applied with your fingers or a brush.

Gleam Cream - $36 - Flex - soft pink iridescent - a lightweight cream that is suitable for face and body.  Can be used on its own or mixed with foundation for a brightening effect. 

Liquid Metal - $26 - Surge - metallic steel or Phenomenon - metallic silver - highly pigmented cream for use on eyes, face and body.

Powdered Metal - $36 - Thalia - golden tan shimmer - loose metallic powder for face and body.

Powder Eye Shadow - $20 - Imagine - electric blue or Can Can - violet - a vibrant matte colour which makes a fabulous liner for a pop of colour.  The texture is very silky and glides on easily.

Pure Pigment - $24 - Static - white with iridescent pink and violet flecks or Furore - beige shimmer - a metallic, high-shine, pure-colour powder that highlights eyes, cheeks and brows.  Can be mixed with eye shadow, blusher on use on its own.

Sheer Lipgloss - $20 - Divine - hot pink

Bronzer Duo - $30 - Glint/Burnish - soft luminous peach/golden bronze - for a sun kissed shimmer

Canadian girls can get their fix at http://www.illamasqua.com/ 

- Lisamarie -

Yves Saint Laurent - Summer Look 2010

I love a vibrant summer collection and YSL has not disappointed me with this one!  And of course the packaging is heavy and beautiful and just so luxurious looking!  Any must haves for you from this one?

Terre Saharienne - new basic product - $60 - No1 - Sand - No2 - Copper Sand or No3 - Golden Sand - provide a healthy glow through the incorporation of "sun radiance" pigments - special effect pigments that capture the light and diffuse a golden reflection in all directions.

Fard Lumière Aquarésistant - $35 - No19 - Riviera Blue (new limited edition) or No5 - Golden Sands (new basic shade) - long wear, waterproof luminous cream eyeshadow - the model has used the blue one as a liner and it looks stunning!

Rouge Pure Shine - $35 - No93 - Pink Lychee or No94 - Blood Orange - both new limited edition shades

La Laque - $24 - No42 - Ultra Violet (new basic) or No142 - Ultra Orange (new limited edition) - I love how vibrant these colours are - that orange is screaming summer pedicure!

Mascara Aquaresistant - $36 - No7 - Blue Lagoon (new basic) lengthening, thickening and waterproof

Touche Brillance - $35 - No18 - Coral Sunset or No19 - Fuchsia Sunrise (both new basic) - make your lips sparkle with a convenient click pen.

Gloss Pur - $34 - No7 - Pure Sorbet, No8 - Pure Watermelon, No9 - Pure Hibiscus or No10 - Pure Redcurrant (all new basic) - gloss without the sparkle and a refreshing mango scent.

Available now at Holt Renfrew.

- Lisamarie -

MAC and alice + olivia - a hip + happy collection that will make my wallet empty + sad

Those sadistic geniuses at MAC, deciding that they hadn't sucked enough money out of me from To the Beach, have cleverly put together another collection that is calling my name.  A collection that they themselves have labeled irreverent and nonsensical - how can I say no to that?!  Designer Stacey Bendet of alice + olivia fame got together with MAC to come out with a collection to please the colour addict in us all!  And if MAC wants to save me some time, they should just deliver the whole collection directly to my house and send me a bill!

Pigment - $23.50
If It Sparkles - frosty white plus a touch of transforming pink pearl
Later - deepest black with a hint of transforming purple pearl
Partylicious - groovy turquoise mixed with silver sparkle

Dazzleglass Creme - $21.50
I.Want.Candy - electric yellow with a sparkling edge
If It's Pink - shimmering, hot to trot pink with soft multi-dimensional pearl
Sparklicious - creamy, softest pink with multidimensional pearl

Nail Lacquer - $14.50
Military - black matte with silver suede pearl
Morning.After - creamy, get-noticed turquoise
So Rich So Pretty - a party-ready purple with pearl

Coming your way on July 8th!  I wouldn't wait around on this one I predict a sell out!

- Lisamarie -