Grey is IN!

I got very excited when my manager forwarded this article from Toronto Star: Grey Hair is Suddenly In. It reinforces what I heard from Joy on the weekend - grey hair is becoming trendy!!! If you haven't met me in person, you probably don't understand what this means to me...Let me tell you that I started noticing grey hairs on my head at the tender age of TWELVE! I was probably the first of my friends to start analyzing my head, tweezers in hand, ready to pull at the first sign of white. As I got older, I noticed more silver strings sprouting from my scalp, but was always able hide it...until about two years ago. I remember waking up in shock one day at the patch of silver forming at the edge of my hairline. Since then, I've been dying my hair every 3 months to cover greys. While it has been good (it forces me to get a regular trim!), I noticed that my hair has become harder to style - it's way too silky and wont hold a curl to save my life. One of my co-workers suggested that the constant application of dye could be a reason for this, so in an effort to have great hair again, I decided to stop dying and start growing out my greys. Here's what I'm currently dealing with:

When I first started growing these babies out, I was extremely self-conscious. I thought I caught a few people looking at them and would immediately shake my hair to make sure they were covered. But over time I have become used to them, and actually don't mind pinning my hair back, or sporting a ponytail with the greys fully exposed. So you can imagine my excitement when I started to hear that grey hair was becoming stylish! After reading the article, I googled some pics to see how just how the celebs were doing it...

Kate Moss sporting grey roots:

Beauty Blogger, Tavi (she's 13!!!):

Stacy London with her signature streak:

Pink in Grey (2008):

The buzz around this trend is giving me more confidence to grow out the greys and rock a more natural (minus the blonde peek-a-boos) do'!

But I am curious to know...what do YOU think? Would you ever try a grey look? Or do you prefer a "younger" shade?

Pics: Toronto Beauty Blogger Meetup!

Yesterday I enjoyed one of the most fun brunches I've ever been to! Organized by Farah, some your favourite Toronto-based Beauty Bloggers and Cosmetics Companies came together to FINALLY meet each other in person, talk makeup and beauty, and check out some awesome products! We met at Milestones downtown (who by the way, had the nicest, most smiley waitresses I've ever seen) for our first official Beauty Blogger Meetup!

It was so nice to finally put real faces to some of the beauty gurus and makeup junkies that I chat with regularly. This group was fun, dynamic, outgoing, and super chatty - just the way they are online! The guest list included the following bloggers:

Faces by Farah
Makeup Junkie
Spiced Beauty
Nancy Power
Lipstick Rules
Beauty by Naz
Davida Gregor
So Very Fabulous
MakeMeOver Services
Lelo the Artist
WaterColourSky
Mariana
If I was a Rich Girl
Makeup by Delia
Dare 2 B Yourself
Love Lipstick & Lime

And some awesome reps from the following companies:
CARGO Cosmetics
Cover FX
Balmshell Cosmetics
Face Atelier
Vasanti Cosmetics
Annabelle/Marcelle
DaLish Cosmetics

We got some awesome swag bags full of product that I cannot wait to review, so stay tuned for some insights and details. I have to really thank Farah and all the company sponsors who went out of their way to ensure we had an amazing time. This was such an inspirational and fun event - I can't wait until the next one!

Here are some pics (very few) that I took with my camera...check out the other ladies' blogs for more feedback and pics from the day!

Farah & I

Nadia (Love, Lipstick & Lime), Farah (FacesbyFarah), Myself, Lelo (Lelo the Artist), and Michelle (Lipstick Rules)

Me with Joy (Makeup Junkie)

Jenn (Spiced Beauty) and I

Jenn (So Very Fabulous) and I

Michelle (Lipstick Rules), Jenn (Spiced Beauty), Myself, Davida (Davida Gregor), and Delia (Makeup by Delia)

Swag Bags and Coffee Cups!

Most of the girls have much better pics than I do...check them out!

Rock that "sn00ki" Look

Okayyyy....since I was sitting around with smokey eyes after my Smashbox post (read about it here), I just couldn't leave it as is. After applying too much bronzer and a nude lipstick, I felt like I should be listening to house music, doing back flips, and fist-pumping. So I decided to add the hoop earrings and pouf the hair - ohhhh boy, what has Snooki done to me?

This post is dedicated to all my fellow Jersey Shore watchers. If you are ever in a "Guidette" kinda mood, when all you need is some juice-head, GTL inspiration, I hope you can come to this blog post and feel the JS love...
Get ready for it...

...This is my Snooki Look!

The Real Snooki:

Yours Truly:

Lord help me...I hope I still have followers after this! Hahahahahaha!

Have a great night everyone :)

Smoke it UP using Smashbox Eyelights

About two months ago I did a mini (online) shopping spree and have finally had a chance to dip into some of the goodies! One of the first sites I browsed was good ol' Smashbox. Among other things, I picked up an Eyelights palette in Smokebox. What I love about these palettes is how well the three colours compliment each other - you can't go wrong by blending any (or all) of the shades together for an awesome look!

Smashbox's picture:

My picture:

Ummm, I guess the shades look a little different (lol). But keep in mind that my pic was taken in yellow lighting with the flash of my camera making it look brighter than it actually is.

Each of the shades can be worn wet or dry (I prefer dry) and have a metallic finish.
The first shade is a metallic cream - perfect for a shimmer base and highlighter.
The second shade is a metallic brown - can be worn in the crease to add depth to the eye or on it's own for a pretty brown colour.
The third shade is a smokey black with a little sparkle - an awesome shade for smoking up any look!

Here are the swatches:

You can see how pigmented and intense each shade is...that's my kinda palette :)

So I did some experimentation and came up with the following 4 steps to use these shades:























1) After priming the eyes, apply the cream shade all over the lid (see top picture)

2) Use a small fluffy brush to apply the brown shade in the crease of the eye - the line that is created when your eye opens (see middle picture)

3) Smoke it out! Use the same fluffy brush to apply the black to the outer corner and crease of the eyes (bottom picture)

4) Blend to your liking!

For a more complete look, I added eyeliner to the waterline and on top of the eyelid, one coat of mascara, a touch of highlight (using the cream shade) under the brow, and filled in the brow (using the brown shade):

Here is a look (using the flash) at both eyes:

See? Smokey isn't hard at all! Just follow the 4 steps I outlined above and practice, practice, practice! The Smashbox Eyelights palette in Smokebox is a perfect palette to create any smoke look. The formula is very smooth, very pigmented, and very buildable. For anyone starting out with this palette, I would recommend using only a little bit at a time, and blend like crazy - because the colours are so pigmented, it would be easy to apply too much and end up looking like you have a black eye...

Overall I love this product. It's definitely a kit essential (in fact, I used it for a bridal trial on the weekend!) and am very tempted to buy it in the different shades...if I do, you'll be the first to know!

Have you tried a Smashbox Eyelights palette? If so, which one? What did you think?

February Vasanti Events

February is a makeup-filled month! I am working three Vasanti events and just wanted to share the details - if you are in the area be sure to stop by for a FREE makeover and gift with purchase! Here are the deets:

Event 1
Date: Valentine's Day Sunday, February 14, 2010
Location: Rexall- 90 Copper Creek Drive, Markham ON
Time: 12-4pm

Event 2
Date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Location: Shoppers Drug Mart - Westney Rd. & Hwy 2, Ajax ON
Time: 4-7pm

Event 3
Date: Saturday, February 27, 2010
Location: Shoppers Drug Mart - 1840 Eglinton Ave W, Toronto ON
Time: 4-7pm


Some hot Vasanti products on my radar include:

1) The Go Canada palette (includes 3 eye shadows, 1 highlighter, 1 lip tint), $40CAD:















2) Denmark Lipstick (hot hot hot!), $15CAD:





3) The Hamptons eyeshadow palette, $40 CAD:









4) Andes Blush, $15CAD:
















Have you tried any of these Vasanti products before? What are your thoughts?

Remember to stop by one of my events if you are in the area - we can try these out on you!

GOSH Metallic Purple - Pretty or Tacky?

About a month ago, I had a craving for a light and pretty purple nail colour. I didn't really have anything like it at home, so I picked up Metallic Purple by GOSH. This is a line that I am always drawn to, but rarely buy anything from so I thought I'd give it a try. Here are the pics (please excuse the poor application...I couldn't find a Q-Tip to remove the excess polish!):


I was really happy with the consistency of the product...I had full colour with just one layer! But I'm a 2-layer kinda gal so of course I doubled up! I have to say, the product itself is amazing - vibrant, fast-drying, great colour...however it's not quite the shade I was looking for. I guess I should have taken a hint with the word "metallic". I think I wanted something softer and less flashy.

Personally, I think it looks a little tacky on my hands - if I had a lighter skin tone, perhaps it would look better. What do you think? I'll keep it on for a few days and see how it looks in daylight, but for now I am not sure that I would re-apply this.

Have you used GOSH nail polish before? What colours do you recommend?

Lippy Lundi & Valentine's Look

Looking for a sexy red lipstick for Valentine's Day? Look no further! I recently discovered Vasanti's Spain Lipstick and absolutely love it. Check it out:

It's a perfect goldeny-red colour with a hint of brown that makes it perfect for any olive skin tone. What I love most about Vasanti lipsticks is the Vitamin E content - it makes them super hydrating :)

Inspired by the lipstick, I created a warm "Golden Kiss" Valentine's look (hey, we've only got 14 days left!!!):

Ooops - someone needs to fill in her brows!!

Here are the products I used to create this look...

Face:
- Concealer - Vasanti V3 Liquid Coverup
- Face Powder - Vasanti V3 Face Base (I know, I was just writing about how difficult it is for me to use face powder other than MAC...and I still have to write about Lancome...but Vasanti is awesome and I wanted to try it out again)
- Blush - Pop Blush Cake in Natural in Nudes (review to come shortly)

Eyes:
- ummmm a variety of browns from my 88 palette...however the darker colour in the crease is Vasanti's Brasilia
- Vasanti Flamingo Fire Shimmer Powder
- noname brown eyeliner
- MAC Zoomlash Mascara
I started with a light brown base, added a chocolate brown to the crease, and lined the outer corner and crease with Brasilia. I then added a mix of a gold and an almond shadow to the top of the lid. I lined the top of the lid and waterline with brown pencil eyeliner, and the bottom of the lid with the pink-gold shimmer powder (I loved the extra pop it gave the eyes).

Lips:
- noname red liner
- Vasanti Spain Lipstick

Okay so that product list probably wasn't helpful...sorry about that! I'll be more specific (with pictures of my 88 palette) next time.

I think is look is perfect for a Valentine's night out! The brown/golden eyes create a warm, sensual look, while the red lips add a sultry touch.

What do you think of this look? Would you wear it on Valentine's Day?