Beauty Squared Quotes

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye." - Miss Piggy

OCC Divine Lip Tar FOTD

This look is a bit of a before and after look. I went to IMATS Toronto with this look, apart from the lip colour. When I got home and tried on one of the OCC Lip Tars I bought - Divine - I loved how it looked all together, so I thought I'd photograph it for you.

Basically, it's a soft smokey eye (one of my favourite looks), soft blush and a lip colour with a soft pop of colour. Wow, an OCC Lip Tar can be soft and wearable like this? Who knew?!

My base was my usual base - Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, MAC Studio Fix Concealer and Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil to set it.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

On my eyes I applied a purpley-brown from a Sally Hanson Carmindy palette. I blended it all over the lid and slightly above the crease, softening it out as it got higher. 

Sally Hanson Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy medium shade in the Quartz Eye Palette

On top, I applied MAC Club eyeshadow, one of my very favourite colours. It's a red-brown with bottle green shimmer. At one angle you get the rich red-brown and at another angle you get a flash of metallic green.


I smudged Club along my lower lashline as well, more heavily at the outside of my eye and soft towards the inner corner. 

MAC Club eyeshadow

For a bit more depth, I applied MAC Smut (another favourite shadow) at the edges of the crease and blended it in. I also used an angle brush to smudge Smut along my lash line, because really, I can't help but smudge a dark colour along my lashline, ever. 

MAC Smut eyeshadow

A close-up of my eyes.

For a highlight colour, I used MAC Mega Metal Shadow in Peek-At-You, a vanilla shimmery shade. I applied this on my brow bone and a touch on the inside corners of my eyes. 

MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadow in Peek-At-You

To further smoke up my eyes, I applied MAC Technakohl Liner in Greyprint on my waterline. Using a grey on the waterline gives a much softer effect and the Technakohl liners are great for being less irritating to the eyes and long-lasting. 

MAC Technakohl Liner in Greyprint 

My mascara is a favourite of mine: L'Oreal's Voluminous in Black.

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara

For a soft cheek, I used my go-to blush lately, MAC's Stunner from the MAC Me Over collection a few months ago. I swirled it softly on the apples of my cheeks in layers and blended it towards my ear, blending it, blending it, blending it for the sheerest effect possible. 

MAC Blush in Stunner

OCC Lip Tars are like a liquid lipstick, intensely pigmented and the amount shown below on the tip of the tube is enough for two applications. It lasts for hours and is vegan. This shade is called Divine and it's a soft, slightly bubble-gum-pink. 

OCC Lip Tar in Divine

I applied a coat of Divine and then blotted it with a tissue. I didn't use a lip pencil, but you can if you have trouble applying this. You need to be careful, use a brush and start with a little and add more as you need. A very little of OCC Lip Tar goes a long way. 

This is great for a slightly-more-than-subtle day look but still smoky and sultry. 

See my IMATS post (with haul photos) here. See my previous post on my first four OCC Lip Tars here. 

C.

November Glymm Box

Glymm is a world-leading, luxury based beauty and cosmetics website offering the best new products, expert advice, and an exclusive beauty community combined with a revolutionary subscription service that facilitates a life more beautiful.

A Glymm Box is a carefully curated selection of 3-5 luxury samples that we’ve tried and tested ourselves alongside our panel of beauty experts. From your favorite brands to hidden gems, your samples will span a number of categories to beautify you from the inside out. From hair care to skin care, make-up to brushes and tools, your life will be so beautiful and you will love switching it up every month! - from the Glymm.com FAQs

I signed up for a year's worth of Glymm Box recently and received my first one last week. I've been getting the Loose Button Luxe Boxes for most of the year and wanted to see what another monthly box subscription service was like. Let's dig in!

Glymm Box is in shiny pink packaging - I'm definitely not a pink girl (unless we're talking lipstick) but it's what's inside that counts, right? 

Tied with a pink and white ribbon, Glymm Box comes with a note about fall trends and how the products inside fit with them. Product information is on the back.

Glymm Box has an online Beauty Boutique where you can buy full-size versions of the samples inside as well as other items.

You can also earn points towards purchases in the Glymm Beauty Boutique. One way you can do this is by recommending Glymm Box to friends.

And here's the good stuff, what's inside!

$10 off at www.brownsshoes.com

A little glass container of Jelly Belly jellybeans!

RGB Nail Lacquer

I'm not familiar with RGB brand nail polish. My Glymm Box information card tells me that it's L.A.'s hottest contemporary nail care line and is 3 Free (this is a good thing). 

A bold cherry-red. Not terribly unique, but a hot colour nonetheless. I approve!

Annabelle Smudge Paint in Plummed 

Annabelle Smudge Paint is a new product, a potted cream liner with a built-in brush in the cap.

Annabelle Smudge Paint in Plummed 

Annabelle Smudge Paint in Plummed 

Clever packaging, the lid comes apart into two pieces and reattaches into a usable brush. Well, somewhat usable, to be honest. As a brush, it's not great. For a thin liner line, it's too thick and for an all-over creamy eyeshadow application, it's too thin. 

Annabelle Smudge Paint in Plummed 

Annabelle Smudge Paint in Plummed 

Orlane Paris Light Smoothing Cream

Orlane Paris Light Smoothing Cream is a hypo-allergenic day cream infused with vitamins and minerals to protect your skin against daily toxins. 

Orlane Paris Light Smoothing Cream

And it apparently needs a few pages of instructions.

Lise Watier Flash Lift Radiance Vial

I got a sample of Lise Watier's Flash Life Radiance Vial in my October Luxe Box. I like it, so I'm not complaining I got a second one!

Rahua Luxury Shampoo and Conditioner

Rahua is a luxury, organic line of haircare containing Rahua nut oil sold in top salons around the world and used by Gwyneth Paltrow (who does have enviably long, shiny hair). I gave these to a friend since I don't have luxurious tresses (A.K.A. long hair).

Rahua Luxury Shampoo and Conditioner

So that's my first Glymm Box. I'm most excited about the RGB nail lacquer. 

What do you think? Do you get Glymm Boxes? What was in your November Glymm Box?

Sign up to receive your own Glymm Box here. 

C.

November Luxe Box

My November Luxe Box arrived late last week. I think this one might be my favourite yet! Let's see what's inside...

A note from Loose Button, a Teaopia gift card and a note from Olay.

Personalized sticker

Luxe Box goodies - I spy Lise Watier, Teopia, Moroccan Oil and Benefit!

Benefit Moisture Prep Toning Lotion

The Benefit Moisture Prep Toning Lotion is part of Benefit's new b.right skincare line. The sample bottle looks just like the full-size bottle too. Love Benefit!

Moroccan Oil Hydrating Styling Cream

Lise Watier Plumpissimo Le Gloss in Nude

Lise Watier Plumpissimo Le Gloss in Nude, swatched

Two Paco Rabonne fragrance samples - Black Xs and Black Xs For Her

Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex

Cactus Fig tea from Teaopia

Tea! Loose Button knows the way to my heart! I'm sipping it right now - it's lovely. Sencha green tea , fig pieces, aloe vera, sandalwood and orange flowers. Loose Button included some loose tea bags in the box as well, very thoughtful!

Cactus Fig tea from Teaopia

I love this month's Luxe Box. It's stuffed with goodies and there's not a dud in the bunch. 


To subscribe to get your own Luxe Box, check out Loose Button here.  To see what my other Luxe Boxes were like, here are the links to my June, July, August, September and October posts.


What did you get in your November Luxe Box?


C.

IMATS 2011 and Haul

NARS Kudoki Kabuki Lip Set

The 2011 IMATs (International Makeup Artist Trade Show) was held on November 12 and 13, 2011 at the Toronto Congress Centre. Brands like Make Up For Ever, MAC Pro, OCC, NYX Cosmetics, NARS, Cinema Secrets, FACE Atelier, Zuca and Yaby Cosmetics were there as well as a number of beauty product retailers.

Highlights for me included getting to swatch OCC Lip Tars, learning about Yaby palettes and Velour lashes, seeing the student competition in progress, people-watching (there was some crazy hair and makeup walking around) and the gorgeous and expensive squirrel and goat hair Hakuhodo brushes.

Here are some photos:

Lashes, lashes and more lashes. These were 7 for $10

Even more lashes!

Crowds

Hakuhodo USA brushes. The softest brushes EVER.

NYX Professional. This is just a fraction of the products they had available.

NARS lipsticks

Zuca Inc. - RAWR

Here's my haul:

Brushes, Lip Tars and Lashes, oh my!

Not a bad haul and I didn't spend too much money either! 

I'm in love with the OCC Lip Tars I bought a few months ago and so I was eager to see them all at IMATS. Of course, I couldn't resist picking up two more.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars

OCC Lip Tars in Divine and Anime

Divine is described as a bright pink flamingo and Anime is an intense, no-holds-barred neon pink. I love Divine and did a FOTD with it. 

Velour Lashes

Velour Lashes is a brand new Toronto-based company. Their lashes are made from mink fur and come in nine varieties of upper lashes and two lower lashes. Check out the lovely packaging!

I chose You Complete Me and Doll Me Up lashes.  

Velour Lashes in You Complete Me and Doll Me Up

Adorable packaging!

Velour Lashes. Top: You Complete Me. Bottom: Doll Me Up.

Bedellium brushes are high quality, antibacterial, well-made and very inexpensive. The most expensive brush I bought was the all-purpose blusher brush for $7. The least expensive brush was the flat top Kabuki brush for $1.  

Bdellium Tools Brushes

Bdellium Tools Brushes

Bdellium Tools Flat Top Kabuki brush

Bdellium Tools Flat Top Kabuki brush

I was also tempted by the Yaby Cosmetics palettes (see some palette photos and swatches here) and a Make Up For Ever Aqualiner in Diamond Burgundy (it's the second swatch in the photo here). 

This is certainly a show for makeup artists and it'd be easy to drop a lot of money here. Make Up For Ever had 40% off and there were deals in buying things in bulk. If you're a makeup artist just starting out, it's a great place to go to build a kit. 

Here's my friend Lucky, head makeup artist at MTV Canada, being silly in the IMATS book booth. The talented and charming Ricky Boudreau was also with us. Follow them both on Twitter!

https://twitter.com/#!/rickyboudreau

https://twitter.com/#!/luckymakeup

C.