Ooh La Lavanila

I am constantly using this body butter from Lavanila to keep my hands from drying out this Winter. It's free from any nasty chemicals, which I love. But it also actually works! It's nice and thick, but also fast absorbing. And you can see an instantaneous improvement in your skin after you put it on, as well as long-term benefits. My favorite is vanilla coconut, but vanilla grapefruit is also a great scent. Sephora has a smaller 2.75oz size for $12, if you're unsure about spending $25 for 8oz. Or better yet, try the 3 x 2.75oz sample pack for $30, and get the 3 best-selling fragrances!

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Glossy Goodness

I think I'm in love. With a lip gloss. I've been having an affair with Tarte lip gloss for nearly two years now. And why would I ever want to stay away from something this good? Free from parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, phthalates. Your lip gloss does end up in your mouth eventually, and I don't know of anyone who likes to snack on petroleum products. It comes in three pretty colours, as well as a set of 15 mini-glosses, which you can give as gifts or keep all to yourself (I'm very possessive of my lip gloss lovers, so naturally chose to keep them all). They all have subtle, pretty scents, are very moisterizing, and long-wearing. They are also great to layer - a little for a sheer look, a lot for bombshell. While each full-sized gloss is $21 at Sephora, they are always having site-wide sales, and it ends up being a good bargain, as the tubes last quite a long time. Plus, if you sign up with a site like ebates, you get 4% back from your purchases. Oh l'amore. Read more

Greasy Hair Be Gone!

Do you have greasy, limp, lifeless hair? Tried harsh shampoos to fix the problem, and no luck? Well then this post is for you!

The secret to non-greasy beautiful hair lies in moisturizing your scalp. Now you may be saying to yourself as you read this "But why the heck would I want to moisturize my scalp if my hair is greasy? Won't that just make the problem worse?". Not so, disbeliever! Similar to the face (read my tips in 'Glamour to go') when the scalp and/or hair close to the scalp is dry, the scalp will start secreting oils to moisture itself. The drier your scalp gets, the worse the problem will be! Which means that you should always follow a shampoo with conditioning. If after starting conditioning again your hair still needs life support, it's time to take it one step further in the conditioning department. Try a deep conditioner, such as C-system hydrating conditioning, by Modern Organic Products. Switch to a milder shampoo, that won't strip your hair of all it's moisture (try C-system hydrating shampoo). Start using a leave-in conditioner. I recommend Pantene Pro V Restoratives Breakage Defense Detangling Leave-in Creme, and Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk-Touch Leave-in Cream. I apply the leave-in cream directly to my scalp first, then massage some throughout my hair, concentrating on the ends. Hair still in need of some TLC? Try a conditioning mask, or a product like V05 hot oil 1-2 times/month. Read more

An order of beauty with a side of glamour to go!

No time for spending hours in front of a mirror painting your face? New to makeup and have no clue where to start? Enter the reluctant fashionista with a quick can't miss makeup routine to save the day!

Moisturize that beautiful face
If you do nothing else, apply a moisturizer specific for the face with UV protection. This is your best defense against pre-mature aging caused by sun damage. Think you don't need sun protection on over-cast days or in the winter? Think again. Clouds filter little UV rays, and ever bit of exposure you get adds up over the years to contribute to skin discolouration and wrinkles. It is never too early or to late to start!No time for spending hours in front of the mirror obsessing over makeup? Make sure to get a product specific to the face, as facial skin is different and more sensitive than the rest of your body. Feeling pale or need an extra glow? Try a sunless tanner (again, look for one specific to the face with UV protection). Moisturizers are ideal for all skin types, not just dry skin. By skipping a moisturizer, your skin will get dehydrated, which will cause it to secrete more oil to compensate, with makes for oily skin, clogged pores, and increased acne breakouts!

Some products I would recommend are:











Cetaphil: dermatologist recommended, hypoallergenic, non-irritating, and fragrance-free.

Dove day lotion for sensitive skin: nice, light-weight
SPF 15 moisterizer

Oil of Olay touch of sun daily UV facial moisturizer: nice light scent, goes on smoothly for even application, natural-looking tan

Curl those sexy eyelashes
Squeeze the curler at the base of the lashes for a few seconds, then with gentle squeezes work your way out to the ends of your lashes. Finish with another firm squeeze at the base of your lashes. If your lashes don't hold curl well, try heating up the curler with a blow dryer (test temperature with your hand first - no one likes scorched eyelids!), and setting the curl with a water-proof mascara. Nervous about curling? Try a mini-curler, which has less pinch-potential. One last note: always curl lashes before applying mascara (it's messy, and has the potential to stick to lashes and pull them out)!

Maximize those peepers with eyeliner

It only takes a few minutes to add some eyeliner, but the effect is larger-looking eyes and fuller-looking lashes. Eyeshadow applied with an angle brush can have a similar effect, and makes for one less makeup product purchase. Start by applying a dark/rich colour to the upper lash line. Make sure to get right against the lash line, or there will be a noticable gap between the line and your lashes. Have trouble drawing a straight line? Make a series of small dashes. Next, take an angle brush and gentle smooth it over the line to create a softer look. With a dark colour at the base of your lashes, you instantly have a thicker lash line! Black for day is too harsh for most people, so try a deep colour that contrasts with your eye colour, such as emerald, olive green, or navy for brown eyes, burgundy or brown for blue eyes, and amethyst or violet for green eyes. I sometimes add liner on my bottom lashline, from the centre of the eye to the outside corner. This is optional, but is particularly useful for enlarging and emphasizing the eyes. I always put on eyeliner first, since some flaking may occur, and you'll need to lightly brush your eyelashes (with your finger, a q-tip, or an eyelash comb) to remove the flakes prior to adding mascara.

Paint your way to longer lashes

A little mascara goes a long way. Stick to the top lashes to avoid flakes and smudging under the eyes (aka racoon eyes). Because of my fair complexion, I usually choose brown-black, but black is also perfectly acceptable for day. Unhappy with a red- eyeThe technique for long, lustruous lashes is to start at the base of the lash and wiggle the mascara wand slowly to the edges of the lashes. For every full sweep of the wand, turn the brush to expose another side with fresh mascara. This will help you get a maximum application of the product. I use the tip of the wand for getting into hard to reach places like the inner and outer corners of the eye. Finally, I spend more time on the tips and the outer edge of my lashes - if done correctly your lashes look twice as long! Be sure to pick a marcara less prone to clumping. These are usually the products with small, fine wands. My advise is to stay away from volumizing mascaras, or those with a priming base coat all together if you are a clump-a-phobe. My favorite is Mabelline's lash exact. No clumps, one year and counting!

No one will know you aren't perfect

Back to my secret weapon, the q-tip, for fixing those inevitable makeup mishaps. Pay carefull attention to the under-eye area, where there is bound to be some loose eyeliner and mascara. Wet one end of a q-tip, and away you go!

Stay up all night, you crazy thang

Banish under-eye circles forever with an under-eye concealer. Opt for yellow for excessive purple-ness (opposite colours neutralize each other). If discolouration isn't so much a problem, go for light pink, which will bounce the light under your eyes and give you a dewy-fresh glow. I recommend products by Benefit (a favorite of Carmindy from TLC's What Not to Wear), which are available online or at the Bay.

Left: You're Bluffing, yellow concealer stick, by Benefit. Right: Eye Bright, pink pencil, by Benefit.

Perfect your pout

Call attention to those sultry lips of yours with some simple gloss, or up-the-ante with lipstick. Shades on the blue side of the spectrum (think purple-reds instead of orange-reds) enhance the look of your smile, making your teeth look whiter!

Universal beauty secret

The final and best beauty tip I can give you is to love yourself, have confidence in your beauty, and hold your head up high! You don't deserve to take a backseat to anyone!

Stay beautiful,

RF

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My secret weapon

Little-known secret to whisking away makeup smudges and mistakes - Q-tips! Since they are so small, q-tips can get into hard to reach places and won't disturb the rest of your already applied makeup. They are perfect for cleaning up mascara mistakes around the eye, and mascara/eye liner crumbles or racoon eye underneath. I like to wet one end of the q-tip, and use this followed by a swipe with the dry end to remove any makeup mistakes!

They are also great if you have habitual dry facial skin. I wet a q-tip and use it to gently exfoliate any problem areas, then go over the area with a good daily UV moisturizer or Cetaphil lotion.

Happy beautifying!

RF Read more

First-aid for chapped lips & dry hands

Hello fashion fanatics!

My latest discovery that everyone should know about is something that will cure your super-chapped lips, works as a super-moisturizing lip gloss, and in most cases will also cure eczema and really dry, cracking hands. What is this miracle product, and where can you get it?

It goes by the name Prevex, and can be found at most drugstores for about $12CA. My dermatologist recommended this to me for my chapped lips and dry hands and let me tell you, it's worth it's weight in shoes! It is a vasoline-based product, fragrance-free, non-irritating, and hypoallergenic. A dime-sized dab is all you need. Be careful of applying too much, since it can be greasy in excess. Kept in an upright position, the cream becomes more liquidy and is idea for a moisterizing lip gloss on it's own, or over your favorite lip stick. You can also try it as a base beneath lipstick, especially when your lips are too dry for lipstick to go on smoothly. This product is SO much better than typical chapsticks, as it does not contain any alcohol, which makes your lips tingle for a few seconds at the expense of drying out your skin! Also try it on your hands and elbows (I use it every night) and you will have baby-soft skin in no time :-)

Until next time,

The Reluctant Fashionista Read more