Shocking News: Mariah Wins an Acting Award!

I often make fun of Mariah Carey. I mean, I had to watch and suffer through her movie "Glitter" and I don't think I could ever forgive her. But Mariah has discovered the magic acting trick: make yourself dowdy for a movie role and awards magically appear. Smart girl. So not only Mariah Carey has just picked up her first acting award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival awards, but she also looked...wait...GREAT! That shiny black dress is sexy, yet there is not too much skin on show.

As for Helen Mirren, she always looks fantastic. This women is well in her 60's and look at her! She's Cate Blanchett fabulous.

-Christelle-

Green Beaver Apres-Ski Winter Body Lotion & Contest

Green Beaver Apres-Ski Winter Body Lotion - 240ml - $11ish.  They aren't kidding when they call this "winter" body lotion.  It is all the things one desires in a lotion during the coldest months:  super moisturizing, soaks in quickly and feels comfortable on your skin.  My only complaint would be the smell - I expect it is the botanical ingredients.  I fixed this by adding a couple of drops of citrus oil to the bottle and now it smells great!  This is something I do often with body lotions with a smell I don't care for.  If you try this, just make sure you try mixing a little bit outside of the bottle first though to make sure the scent you add doesn't turn into something horrible when combined with the scent already existing.  This doesn't apply to unscented lotions of course! ;-)

For those of you not familiar with Green Beaver - the companies products are 100% natural.  They are also vegan, biodegradable and made mostly with Canadian ingredients.

Of course we think you should try some Green Beaver too so on with the contest!  Up for grabs is a Green Beaver winter survival kit containing the Apres-Ski face cream, Apres-Ski cheek balm and two lip shimmers. A $35 value!  The prize is NOT the body lotion - but the 4 great items pictured at the bottom of the post! (well only 3 are pictured but you get 2 of those lip shimmers!)

Entering is super easy, just join Beauty Crazed as a follower if you aren't one already.  You can either do it through Google or through Networked Blogs on Facebook - you can find both signups on the right hand side of the Beauty Crazed site.  Once you belong to our crazy family just leave a reply to this post letting us know you want in.  Including an e-mail address would be extra helpful and you can write it like this - info(at)beautycrazed(dot)ca - so the bots can't find you but we can!  Or if you prefer not to leave a public post, it's also fine to e-mail us - info@beautycrazed.ca, please put "Green Beaver Contest" in the subject line.  Winner to be decided by random drawing and you have until January 20th to enter.

You know you want it so what are you waiting for!?!

 

- Lisamarie -

Emma Watson Keeps It in The Family for Burberry Spring 2010

How Hermione Emma Watson has grown! She fronts the new Burberry Spring 2010 campaign, beautifully shot by Mario Testino. Her brother Alex shares some of her spotlight as he poses for a couple of campaign pictures. I guess connections do help after all!

 -Christelle-

New and notable at Shoppers Drug Mart! Vasanti Cosmetics, NeoStrata, Revlon & L'Oreal

After a wonderful day at Murale on Saturday what better way to follow it up on Sunday than spending some quality time at Shoppers Drug Mart?!  I was pleased to see that there were lots of new and interesting things and of course you guys are always the first ones I want to tell about them - well I did try to tell my husband, but he got this blank look on his face after the first 5 minutes which is about his limit for cosmetic excitement.  I know you all will appreciate it though!

Vasanti Cosmetics - this is a new line at my Shoppers and I was very excited to see that it is a Canadian owned and operated company and all the products are made in Canada!  How often do you see that anymore?!  I will have to do a follow up post on Vasanti, as lots of things caught my eye but I liked this in particular (you know how I feel about a palette) - Go Canada! Colour Palette $40 - celebrate your Canadian Olympic spirit on your face (without the maple leaf face tattoo from that moronic commercial I hate)!  Gold, silver and bronze eye shadows, white powder highlighter and a sheer red lipstick make up this super cute palette!  I swiped the shadows really quick to see what the pigmentation was like and was impressed, the powder is also really soft, which I like!

NeoStrata Skin Renewal Peel Solution and Skin Resurfacing Duo Bonus - $72.50 - you probably know by now how much Christelle and I love these two products and to get them together in the same package for the price of one is heavenly!  You can see our reviews here and here if you need some further convincing!  Run, don't walk to snag one of these, they will go fast!

Revlon PhotoReady Makeup & Powder $19.99 - It appears that I've had my head under a rock and totally missed all the buzz on these or I would have taken more time to test them out.  I am hearing them compared to Make Up For Ever High Definition so I will be picking one up this week to test that theory out.  I do like Revlon foundations if only for the colour range, they are one of the few drugstore lines that make a light enough colour for me.  If you are also light you will be happy to know that one of the two lightest colours should suit you, one has a pink tone, the other yellow.  If they can live up to MUFE HD or not, remains to be seen.

L'Oreal Roll'on True Match Foundation $19.99 and Double Extend Lash boosting mascara with lash boosting serum $16.49 or Lash boosting serum $16.49 - I gave the foundation a roll just to see what this new applicator is all about.  It really was like using a tiny paint roller.  I can't see this being practical, you would roller the stuff on but still have to use your brush/fingers/sponge to get into small, non-flat areas.  A cute gimmick but otherwise useless.  I am interested in trying the lash boosting serum either in the mascara or on it's own.  I'll get back to you with a review on that.

- Lisamarie -

DX5TS5A5M2GF

Diversity? More like Hypocrisy!

When I came across this picture from the latest Sportmax's campaign, I thought this model needed to eat a few sandwiches. Clothes do look better on tall, slim figures, and that's why models look the way they do and not like me. But models should look healthy and not like Biafran survivors. I mean look at those thighs, they are unreal.

On the other hand, I'm also sick of the "Big is Beautiful" mantra. No, big is not beautiful. That's why millions of westerners spend ridiculous amounts of money to lose weight. A little fat doesn't hurt and can be sexy but when I saw this picture, I just rolled my eyes:

Sure, her face is absolutely stunning. But how is that belly supposed to be inspiring? It's not healthy either. This photo shoot is not about diversity. Bull crap. This is more a case of making a bunch of overweight women feel better. If magazines were so concerned about diversity and representing their readers, where are the Latina, Black or Asian models ?

You know what, send me hate mail, I don't care: I don't want to see either of these models in my magazines. How about using healthy looking women instead?

-Christelle-

Benefit Brow Bar - 15 minutes that will change your life!

In December while I was at the Toronto Murale store, I was fortunate enough to meet Chelsea Meraw, Benefit's Brow Bar Executive Manager. Chelsea is so passionate about what she does that you can't help but get swept up along with her! This past weekend, Chelsea was kind enough to agree not only to take care of my never-before- been-professionally groomed brows but also answer a whole slew of questions!

Can you tell us a little about your background with Benefit?
I have been with Benefit for over a year as Benefit Canada’s guru on the world of Brow Bars and brow shaping. I take the lead on our training and education for aestheticians in Holt Renfrew and Murale.

What sort of training does a brow bar expert receive?
Benefit’s aestheticians all undergo a comprehensive Brow Bar induction training and have a flare of make-up-ista to them. We have our own unique approach to our method to shaping the perfect “Benefit Brow”. That being said, our training program is specific to the point where all aestheticians Bene-scan and shape brows the same way! You can go to any Brow Bar in the world and expect the same quality and standard of service.

What is the most common mistake (or mistakes) that you see people making with their brows?
My Top Brow “Don’ts”:
AVOID OVER-TWEEZING YOUR BROWS! -maintain the natural shape; thin brows make you look older -leave your brow shaping to the experts, just one or two wrong plucks can drastically affect the shape of your brow
AVOID TWEEZING BETWEEN YOUR BROW APPOINTMENTS: -This will allow your hair to be at an even growth pattern and provide easier maintenance between appointments
BROWS THAT HOOK DOWN: -I can spot these babies from a mile away! You know the ones that go down at the start of the brow? -These brows bring the eye down, we need to level off that hook, reset the frame and lift the eye back up!

How do you feel about male brow grooming?
Men should have two eyebrows, not one! For men we should really focus on the term “grooming” vs. “shaping” or “waxing“. Benefit has a growing number of male clients at our Brow Bars, yet many are still nervous to go forward with their “brow intervention”. Step one with grooming the brows is trimming; nipping off the long bits that exceed the natural shape of the brow. Step two is cleaning strictly the fuzz at the top, bottom and hairs in the middle.

Can you tell us about the process someone going to the brow bar would go through when having their brows done?
The most popular service at a Brow Bar is a brow arch for $23 and next to that is a tweeze for $19. We also do full facial waxing. As part of any waxing service a makeup application is included as part of your service. It’s really your one stop shop, you don’t even need an appointment; we always welcome drop-in customers! This is your perfect stop for that last minute on a Friday, as our wax is very gentle! It is an exclusive pearl wax we import from France. It adheres to only the hair not the skin and is still moisturizing and soothing. You are in and out within 20 minutes! A consultation is always included prior to your waxing service to measure out your brow, so we can determine the best brow for your eye! The brow should start at the corner of the eye, arch at the edge of the iris and extend to were the outer corner of the eye meets the brow. This will determine exactly where we need to wax, and we don’t forget to trim the longer brows! The Benefit Brow is a fuller, brow with a high arch and full extension. Next we are going to complete your service with some of our favorite products!

Can you tell us a little about the Benefit products you use for the brows?
We fill in the blanks and really “wow your brows” with some of Benefit’s products that will enhance the eye. Brow Zings is a great product to fill in the brows; it’s a compact with a wax and powder that allows you to fill in any sparse areas or to add extra definition. Next I would use our linen pink highlighting pencil High Brow. In a two step of draw and blend, it will be your instant eye opener to really enhance the brows! Brow Zing retails for $36 and High Brow for $25. Due to the popularity of our Brow Zings and High Brow, in July Benefit launched our “Brows A Go Go” our all in on kit for enhancing the eyes and Brows. It comes with 2 shades of brow powder, 1 shade of brow wax, High Brow, Eye Bright, a black kohl liner pencil and a mini pair of tweezers that are magnetized to the compact. This retails for $48 and is exclusive in Canada to Brow Bars in Murale and Holt Renfrew.

What is your favourite non-brow Benefit product?
My favourite non brow related Benefit product is definitely Crescent Row! Benefit launched 3 new Crescent Row fragrances geared to helping you find the scent to match your personality. There is “Laugh with me Lee Lee”, “Something About Sophia” and “Your Place or Mine Gina”. The fragrances were inspired from Bath, England’s Royal Crescent and are housed in Victorian flasks which are kept in a house resembling the personality of each of the girls. Take the Crescent Row quiz to unlock your inner sense! http://www.crescentrow.com/

What do you do when you aren't ridding the world of unruly brows?
During my downtime when I am not waxing brows, I am a huge fitness freak and love to spend time at the gym, my latest hobby I have taken up is golfing and if time permits I love to coach gymnastics classes for children.

Thanks to my RapidLash, Chelsea had something to work with! You can see that it isn't a drastic change, my brows just look more defined and polished, getting rid of the fuzzy bits and trimming the hair along the top is what made the biggest difference! You will be pleased or possibly disturbed to know that I also got my husband to give it a try ( I convinced him it was for the greater good of the blog). Chelsea did a great job with an obviously reluctant, ready-to-bolt man! Even he had to admit it looked great and the waxing was much easier then trying to tweeze the little hairs inbetween the brows. What was great was that she didn't mess with the brows themselves just trimmed the long hairs and then cleaned up all the stray hairs and fuzz around them. In the end he had nicer, manly brows! If you can talk your beloved into it, I highly recommend it, it's so much easier then chasing after them with a pair of tweezers! Chelsea was also kind enough to send me a copy of the Benefit brow graph so you can see how they map out your brow at the brow bar or should you want to try a Benefit brow at home.




the Benefit brow graph

the brow graph The beginning: • The brow should begin at the edge of the eye closest to the nose. (point A) The arch: • The arch should begin at the outside edge of the iris. (point B) The end of the brow: • The brow should end where an imaginary diagonal line from the corner of the nostril to the outside corner of the eye meets the brow (point C). The height of the brow: • Section the entire eyelid into 3rds. • The top of the lash line to the crease is 1/3 of the eyelid. • From the crease of the eyelid to the brow should be 2/3.

How to draw the graph The top line: • At the top of the brow, draw one line from point A to point B. • Draw another line at the top of the brow from point B to point C. The lower line: • At the bottom of the brow, draw one solid line from point A to point C, arching the line slightly upward at point B.

Image 1: A perfect Benefit brow graph                         Image 2: The end result... the Benefit brow!

What Chelsea said that sticks with me the most is that "brows are sisters, not twins" so I am going to stop obsessing that they aren't exactly the same and now be happy that they are now perfectly groomed! I highly recommend that you go check out Benefit's Brow Bar for yourself! You can find it at Murale and any Holt Renfrew that has a Benefit counter.

- Lisamarie -

Iman's "Second to None" Isn't My Number One.

So after my post on foundations for women of color, and in my quest to look as amazing as Iman I decided the try the "Second to None" stick foundation from Iman's makeup range ($27.50). I'm quite happy using Clinique but I believe the color could still do with some tweaking.

So let's start with the positive: despite the fact that Iman's line has only a limited color selection, I actually managed to get a really good match with my skin tone (well the Toronto Eaton center makeup artist did). Most foundations contain red undertones which gives them a slightly pinkish hue. The color I tried here (Clay Medium) had yellow undertones which works great for olive and dark skins. So the color matching is probably the best I've seen so far and the matte finish looks good.

However, I have a few issues with this foundation:

 - The packaging looks cheap: it annoys me to pay a similar price as my other foundation and see a cheap packaging and a "Made in China" label. Seriously, I don't know what it is with beauty products for ethnic women. It's like we can't appreciate a nice packaging that doesn't break after one use. Well, excuse me, but I do.

-  The stick foundation is not the most practical to apply. You cannot use a brush since it's a compact cream and using it is probably not the best if you don't want to spread bacteria all over your face. Hello? Pimples!

- The coverage is a little too light for my taste, but it's just my taste. It won't cover marks or blemishes. So I got the Iman concealer  ($27.50) to do that job and the combo works pretty well. But again, it adds more work.

So yes, the color is great but it's way too much work for my daily routine. Would I use it again? Probably, but I will keep on looking for better alternatives because I truly dislike using a stick.

-Christelle-

A better life, world and shoes in 2010!

What a novel concept!  If I could just embrace Calvin's philosophy, 2010 would be a much easier year!  Alas, I am still my own worst critic (next to Christelle of  course) so my yearly goal to lose 10 pounds (it never seems to happen but at least I don't gain 10 pounds!) and stress less will still be in effect!  This year I am also going to be less self centered and set some goals that will benefit my community/country/planet as well, who can't feel good about that?!  Feel free to steal any or all of these goals for yourself!

1. I resolve to keep trying natural and organic products.  Christelle and I had some great finds this year - lipstick, lip shimmers and shines, deodorant, body butter and even nail polish - and I know there are lots more out there for us to try!

2. I resolve to buy local.  This is a little harder in the winter when there is no local farmer's market for my fruits and vegetables but can be done all year round by supporting local businesses and artists as well as Canadian companies.  There are so many great ones it will hardly be a hardship!  Roots, Holt Renfrew, Marcelle, Cargo, Lise Watier, I could go on and on...

3. I resolve that some of my time and money will go to charity.  I find it harder to come up with the time than the money but I guess this is what makes it a goal.  And of course there is no reason you can't buy yourself something nice that will benefit a charity such as Lush's Charity Pot Hand & Body Lotion, MAC's yearly Viva Glam offering and all of the pretty pink things that come out during breast cancer awareness month.

Other things you can do to make the world a better place in 2010:

Get yourself a furry friend - pet owners live longer and have less stress.  Better yet, acquire your new friend from an animal rescue group (they exist for almost any breed of dog you can think of as well as for cats), the Humane Society or the SPCA.

Recycle - there is so little that can't be freecycled, recycled, or composted.  Laziness is no longer a good excuse.

Buy new shoes - it is a scientific fact that new shoes increase your happiness levels 200% - it would be criminal not to take advantage of this!

And I swear, once the hangover wears off, I will get right to work on these!

- Lisamarie -