Beauty Squared Round-Up - December 21, 2014

Happy Holidays, lovelies! Apologies for missing our Round-Up last week - things have been very busy. 'Tis the season, right?

If you've been busy, and a little stressed out, we hope that you'll take some time to relax for a few minutes and check out some of the beauty links we've compiled for you this week.

• This isn't a beauty link, but maybe it's relevant to more than just me right now. How to have a stress-free holiday.
  
• If you're fair-haired, this link is for you - eyebrow products for blondes.
  
• Holiday season is party-season. Whether you pull out the red lipstick for special occasions, or wear it regularly, here are some red lipstick tips and tricks.
  
• Traveling this season? You might come across one of these at the airport.
  
• Do you have lots of past-Christmas photos taken Christmas morning of everyone just awake and opening gifts? Not the most flattering photos, right? Here's a quick beauty look that you can do to look natural but refreshed in the photos from Christmas morning this year.
  
• Or, if you're travelling Christmas morning, or any morning, here are some in transit beauty tips and tricks, whether you're in the backseat of a car, or on the bus.
  
• Here's a simple and chic grey smoky eye that will look great at this time of the year or at any time!
  
• Full eyebrows have been in style for awhile now, and Beauty Editor wonders if Lea Michele presents a case for this particular trend not being for everyone. What are your thoughts?
  
• If you're seeking more natural beauty products, this link is for you - 4 Products for a More Natural Manicure.
  
• Makeup artist Troi Ollivierre, responsible for the slicked-back hair, clean, dewy skin and popping lip colour look of the J. Crew photoshoots, talks about the J. Crew beauty look.
  
• Damaged hair meets Kevyn Murphy's Born Again hair treatments.
  
• Cult beauty products to try (if you haven't already).
  
• Women who challenged the beauty status quo in 2014.
  
• Sephora is partnering with Pantone again for 2015's Colour of the Year. It's Marsala this time and here are photos and info of the colour collection.
  
• Remember Esther Honig's Photoshop experiment where she sent her photo to Photoshop artists around the world and asked them to make her appear more beautiful? Here's another where Bustle writer Marie Southard Ospina asked Photoshop artists to make her more beautiful. The difference is that Ospina is plus-size. Did the artists make her look slimmer? Click through to find out.
  

Beauty Squared Round-Up for November 23, 2014

Hello! There's a whole lotta beauty stuff to share with you this morning and I'm on my second cup of Yorkshire Gold, so let's do this! Hope you enjoy.

• Starting with a jolt, here's MUA Charlotte Tilbury recreates a starry-eyed look worn by Kate Moss. And I mean starry-eyed.
  
• What sort of beauty tips can you find in a 1932 beautician text book?
  
• Do you conceal your dark undereye circles? Maybe you shouldn't. Maybe none of us should.
  
• An interview with Frank Toskan, co-founder of MAC Cosmetics. If you love MAC, read this.
  
• A few weeks ago, we featured a Lisa Eldridge video where she did a Downton Abbey-inspired makeup look on Downton Abbey star, Laura Carmichael (she plays Lady Edith). In this video she takes that barely-there makeup look to an evening, red carpet look.
  
• Another video by Lisa Eldridge, this one a fantastic casually-chic evening look that looks great but doesn't look like you tried too hard.
  
• We all wash our hair, but how many of us are doing it correctly? Check out this Allure.com article about how to do it the right way.
  
• MUA Ashlee Glazer shows how to look holiday party ready in just 5 minutes, how to look great with a post-holiday party hangover, and how to look fresh after a long flight home for the holidays.
  
• Face mapping and how your breakouts are (may be) linked to your overall health and how to prevent them.
  
• 12 beauty products that can (almost) change your life.
  
• Here are some weird beauty tricks. Do you have any of your own?
  
• If you wear liquid or gel eye liner, you know how easy it is to mess it up, even if you've been doing it for years. Here's how you can fix it if you do.
  
• It's winter in Canada, so the air is colder (outside) and dryer (both inside and outside), and it's holiday season (food, drink, late nights, stress). Here are some beauty fixes to help you deal with the season. 
• How to fight dry lips, wine-stained teeth and everything else cold weather brings. 
• The end of liquid liner woes and how to achieve dewy skin in the winter.
  
• Alternative spa treatments (vibrating chairs, crystal healing, PEMF (electromagnetic energy)) that actually feel great.
  
• How to apply false lashes, step by step.
  
• How to get a sexy, youthful eyebrow, just with a spoolie brush and some brow gel.
  
• Makeup product names and marketing seem to be getting saucier and saucier. Remember when the name Orgasm (the iconic NARS blush) was risqué? Product names used to be Fire and Ice, and Dusky Heather while now more and more products have names like Snatch, Spunk, Bang, Perversion and Full Frontal.
  
• Four women have launched a class action lawsuit against Sephora after the disastrous 20% off sale a few weeks ago. The lawsuit alleges discrimination, that Sephora purposely blocked customers from making online purchases because they are of Chinese descent. 

Tokyo Milk Marque Deposee Dark Salted Caramel Bee Balm and Jasmine Lip Balm Review and Photos

Tokyo Milk is a line created by perfumer and designer Margot Elena. I've seen their perfumes, soaps and lip products over the years here and there, and admired the packaging and scents. But I've never bought anything. But recently, while in line at Sephora, I was tempted by the Tokyo Milk Dark lip balms. I chose the Salted Caramel one because, are you kidding? It smells unbelievable.

The lip balms, part of the Femme Fatale Collection are conditioning lip balms, made with bee balm and jasmine. From the Tokyo Milk website: 

Sweet temptation is beckoning. Remarkably uncommon essences infused in to a smooth, luscious balm. Elicit a kiss with lips tamed by a lush, silky blend of sweet Jasmine & Bee Balm laced with crushed extracts of hydrating Aloe Leaf & Vitamin E. Femme fatale incarnate. A supple seduction.

Not for the faint of heart: An unexpected mixture of fragrance & flavor. A remarkable lip elixir for a remarkably uncommon experience.

Flavor Notes: Sweet Cream, Sea Salt, Caramelized Sugar, Toasted Vanilla Bean

That's right. Not only does this lip balm smell divine, it tastes good too. 

This balm is thick, meaning you will have trouble applying it too heavily. It softens under the heat of your fingers and lips while you apply it. It stays well once applied since it's thick and let me tell you, it smells delicious.

If you're not into strong fragrances this is probably not the product line for you. I've applied this and had people ask "What smells so good?" not knowing it was my lip balm. It's that strong. 

There is a sweetness to it as well, but it's not so much so that I want to eat it off my lips. 

And it does an excellent job of keeping my lips smooth and soft since it stays on so well. It's also well-priced for the amount of product you get. I paid $8 for 0.7 oz. To compare, an EOS lip balm is .25 oz and costs $6. 

I would definitely buy it again. 

If Salted Caramel doesn't do it for you, you can also get the Dark lip balms in:

• Clove Cigarette (crushed clove, lavender rose, Saigon cinnamon, vanilla bean)
• La Vie En Rose (rosewater, sweet orange, peach, Tahitian vanilla)
• Coco Noir (dark rum, maraschino cherry, sweet milk, cacao bean)
• Absinthe (anise, mineral salt, citrus peel, crushed herbs)
• Cherry Bourbon (cherry brandy, whiskey, aged wood, clove)
• Dead Sexy (ebony wood, warm vanilla, citrus peel, rosewater)
• Smoked Salt (smoked sea salt, burnt sugar, molasses, vanilla bean)

For more information on Tokyo Milk, the Femme Fatale collection, and the Toyko Milk Dark lip balms, visit: http://www.tokyo-milk.com/t/femme-fatale

You can also buy them on Sephora.com here.  

Grade: A

C. 

Beauty Squared Round-Up - July 27, 2014

Good morning and Happy Sunday! Hope all is well in your part of the world today! Here are the beauty links in this week's Round-Up. Let's go!

• A no-makeup makeup look by Sephora. 
• Elle Canada has a round-up of facial sunscreens for summer. 
• 25 of the best beauty buy bargains for hair, skin and makeup, from Allure. 
• One simple trick that may change your opinion about wearing bold lipstick colours. 
• It's summer, so that means sweatproof beauty products and tips. Here's another list of beauty that should stand up to hot, humid days, featuring Tarte, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Maybelline and Living Proof. 
• Before you attempt that maybe-too-good-to-be-true Pinterest beauty tip, read this. 

Beauty Squared Round-Up - May 4, 2014

Hello and Happy May, lovelies. 

Here are the beauty-related links we've gathered for you this week. Enjoy!

• Retro curls can be worn with classic retro makeup or you can can pair yours with some of these modern makeup looks.
  
• What does your makeup say about you?
  
• Marlena of MakeupGeek.com shows you how to shop at and what to shop for at Sephora.
  
• Do you know what your skin's undertone is?
  
• Actor Gabourey Sidibe spoke at the annual Gloria Awards/Gloria Steinem's 80th birthday celebration last week about body image, confidence and pop culture. One of the first things people ask her is "Why are you so confident?" As if she has reasonsThink Rihanna gets asked that?
  
• Chantelle Brown-Young is a model, but click through to see what about her appearance sets her apart from other models.
  
• Have any young females in your life? They're probably being told all the time that they're pretty but perhaps that's doing more damage than good.

Ciaté Mini Kit: Beam Me Up Lottie, Social Elite and Mineral Positivity Review, Swatches and Photos

Ciaté is a UK-based nail polish company that has nail art and fashion in mind. You may have seen their nail kits at Sephora, most famously the Caviar Manicure, where your nails are covered in tiny beads and resemble the culinary delicacy.

I've always thought that such nail art was pretty high maintenance. I don't want furry, feathery nails and I certainly don't want tiny beads glued to my nails. I can only imagine all the hair snagging that causes!

But on a recent trip to Sephora I noticed that you can now buy mini bottles of some of their polishes. Three mini bottles (0.17 fl. oz./5 mL) for $22.50 packaged in a cute little box, which makes it perfect for gifting. You can make your own "kit" by choosing a regular nail polish and two topcoats, or two regular polishes and a topcoat. I took the opportunity to buy three shades that stood out to me, not for their ability to work together. In fact, the three I bought wouldn't work together very well at all.

The three polishes I bought are:

•  Mineral Positivity (Mineral Effect Onyx), a textured matte black with multicoloured glitter.
• Social Elite (Tweed), a multi-dimensional topcoat with gold micro glitter and blue and black shard glitter.
• Beam Me Up Lottie (Matte Glitter), a matte multi-dimensional topcoat with pink and gold chunky glitter.

L-R: Mineral Positivity, Social Elite and Beam Me Up Lottie

To give you a sense of the size of these bottles, I photographed them next to a regular sized Essie polish and OPI polish. The Ciaté bottles are tiny, but if I think about how often I actually finish a bottle of nail polish, I have no issues with their size.

Let's look at each shade one by one, starting with Beam Me Up Lottie. Beam Me Up Lottie has quickly become my favourite of three. It's a matte glitter shade comprised of chunky, jagged glitter in soft pink and gold/silver in a cloudy mattifying polish. 

The mattifying polish simply cuts any shine to the polish or your bare nail beneath, as below. The glitter has more shine when applied than it does in the bottle. The consistency is on the thick side and it can take some extra effort to apply depending on how much glitter you want on your nails. I found that it worked better to dab the brush on my nails rather than drag it across as I normally would with an ordinary nail polish. 

It was tough to capture the effect with the flash on my camera since it's so reflective. This is a very cool polish that you could wear if you just wanted a glitter polish or if you want to create nail art with it. I've been wearing it on top of dark purple and dark wine-coloured polishes but just on my pinky finger. It looks really cool, especially when my nails are longer than usual.

Two applications of Beam Me Up, Lottie on bare nail.

Two applications of Beam Me Up, Lottie on bare nail.

I love the chunky, jagged glitter flecks. The matte aspect of it helps to temper the GLITTER aspect, which makes me feel comfortable wearing it. Below, I applied it over two coats of Marc Jacobs Petra, which is fairly metallic and reflective itself. With Beam Me Up, Lottie on top the metallic sheen of Petra is masked but the colour comes through. This was two coats of Beam Me Up Lottie.

Beam Me Up Lottie on top of Marc Jacobs Petra

Beam Me Up Lottie on top of Marc Jacobs Petra

Beam Me Up Lottie on top of Marc Jacobs Petra

As I mentioned earlier, I've been wearing Beam Me Up Lottie on just my pinky nail over top of deep purple and wine-coloured polishes. If the rest of my manicure is super-shiny, like when I'm wearing my CDN Vinylux shade in Dark Dahlia, the matte of Beam Me Up Lottie is off, so I just apply a top coat over it to boost the sheen. Over time I find that the glitter gets dry and can start to lift up off the nail, which can be a bit annoying. Reapplying a top coat may be necessary.

Grade: A

Another of the three polishes I picked up that I believe is meant as a top coat primarily, is Social Elite, one of Ciaté's "tweed" polishes, meant to mimic the look of the loose-knit, woolen fabric. It's a combination of a tiny gold glitter in a clear polish with long, narrow bright blue and black glitter pieces. Like Beam Me Up Lottie, it's best applied with dabs of the brush, and not drags across the nail like with normal nail polish. This one is a bit more "solid" a polish though, with the fine gold glitter making it seem more opaque than Beam Me Up Lottie. 

Here is Social Elite applied on my bare nail, two coats worth. You can see how the fine gold glitter makes it look almost like a solid colour where the light hits it. 

Two applications of Social Elite on my bare nail.

In the photo below, I angled my finger so it showed the texture of the blue and black flecks.

Two applications of Social Elite on my bare nail.

And here is Social Elite on top of Sally Hansen's Jungle Gem, a rich and lovely dark teal. This was a particularly challenging polish to photograph. The glitter reflects and doesn't quite capture the texture of this polish, which mimics the weave of tweed fabric. The teal peeks through and adds some depth. This was 2-3 coats of Social Elite on top of two coats of Jungle Gem. 

2-3 coats of Social Elite on top of two coats of Jungle Gem

2-3 coats of Social Elite on top of two coats of Jungle Gem

Below I've angled my nail so you can see some of the blue/black texture. It really does have a tweedy effect.

2-3 coats of Social Elite on top of two coats of Jungle Gem

And here I've photographed it without flash to try to capture the texture. It's really quite multi-faceted and textured. Overall I find it a bit flashy with the gold glitter though I do like the texture and the tweed-effect.

2-3 coats of Social Elite on top of two coats of Jungle Gem

Grade: B

Last but not least is Mineral Postivity, the only one of the three that is not meant to be worn on top of another shade. Ciaté describes it as a Mineral Effect Onyx. Mineral Positivity is a thick, textured black and antique gold polish that reminds me of Butter LONDON's Gobsmacked. 

It's texture is thick and heavy and dryish. It goes on easily and needs probably only two coats to be opaque. It's not as coarse as Gobsmacked but it is just as rough at the edges which make it more prone to chipping and snagging on fabrics (one of my pet peeves). 

Two coats of Mineral Positivity

Two coats of Mineral Positivity

I was absent-minded and went ahead and started applying top coat to my manicure before realising that Mineral Positivity isn't meant to be shiny. I luckily figured this out after applying top coat to just my thumbnail. See below. I mean, it works fine, so if I wanted this to be a textured and shiny black-gold manicure, I could add a top coat. I personally think it looks better without. Also, it sucks up the top coat like crazy!

In the photo below you can see the rough edge along the nail tip.

Two coats of Mineral Positivity under one coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

And to compare, here's the un-topcoated polish. It has some shine, but it's muted. 

Two coats of Mineral Positivity

Two coats of Mineral Positivity

Two coats of Mineral Positivity

I like Mineral Positivity but, like Gobsmacked, it can be high maintenance. My nails were scratchy and snagged on things and I found I picked at the polish a bit in absent-minded moments. But it is a very cool, interesting, unique look. 

I can't see this being very effective in doing nail art though. It's a demanding polish and would be challenging to control applying on top of another polish, and sucking up any polish layered on top. But maybe I'm wrong - has anyone done nail art using one of these super-textured polishes?

Grade: B

Of the three, my favourite is Beam Me Up Lottie and I've worn it a few times since I bought them. I think this gift set idea where you pick your own shades is a great idea and wonderful for someone like me who hasn't tried Ciaté shades before. It's a great way to sample some of the types of polish they carry.

Are you a Ciaté fan? Tell us what your favourite polishes are!

C.

Beauty Squared Round-Up - January 12, 2014

Hello lovelies! It's Sunday so that means it's Round-Up time. Here are the beauty links we've rounded-up for your reading pleasure. 

• Are you a beauty blogger thinking about doing videos? Are you thinking of doing your own beauty blog? You should check this out.
• Tracy from Beauty Reflections reviews Sephora's new Upside Down Mascara. You've gotta check this out!
• Tips on trimming your own bangs. You can do it, but read this first! 
• Eyeliner! How to apply it. 
• More eyeliner! A video showing you how to change the shape of your eyes with eyeliner. 
• Are you a sucker for smoky eyes like I am? Here are some celebrity inspirations. 
• Founded in 1909, Max Factor's cosmetics line and techniques revolutionized makeup for film. This is an excellent article telling his story.  
• The wholly unhealthy thigh gap trend. 
• As much as the media, fashion and pop culture need to embrace a more inclusive ideal of beauty, it's not OK to claim one body type is more "real", "ideal" or "natural" than another. 

Formula X for Sephora Xplosives Top Coat in Turbulent Review and Swatches

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a relaxing holiday, mine was busier than I expected it to be but nice nonetheless. Now that the holidays are over I am (finally) tackling some of my Sephora VIB sale haul and all the nice beauty goodies I scooped up over the holidays.

One of the nail polishes I got during the sale was Formula X for Sephora Xplosives Top Coat in Turbulent ($15.00 CA/$13.00 US, permanent). Turbulent is a clear base filled with black and turquoise confetti that ranges in size from pin prick size flecks to large peppercorn sized hexagons. It has a rather thick texture, as can be expected from a confetti filled polish, and to apply an even coating of confetti, you will need to strategically blob the polish over your nail. Photos taken with flash, no base or top coat, 3 layers.

The formula dries fast and feels a little like sand paper on the nail, though not in an unpleasant way. It dries to a medium glossy finish, though because it is textured it won't shine like a flat layer of polish would. I found this polish lasted 2-3 days without any chipping (which is normal wear time for me) and I expect with a proper base and top coat or used over another polish it would last much longer.

Although I know it is designed to be worn as a top coat over another polish, I like wearing this on it's own - it reminds me of abstract expressionist painting and I think that's really fun and different. The one major downside to this polish (and any other glitter/confetti polish) is removing it is very difficult. I actually found the easiest way for me to remove it was to scrape and chip it off with the edge of a metal nail file! Now, I know most people would not want to subject their nail beds to that type of treatment, so you could also use the tin foil method of removal too.

Grade: B+

Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold Blush in Obsessed: Review, Swatches and Photos

When Sephora had their VIB sale recently, I picked up a polish (see my review of Petra, here) and a blush from the brand new Marc Jacobs make-up collection. The Marc Jacobs collection is available only at Sephora stores and Sephora.com and consists of foundation, concealer, powder, highlighter, bronzer, blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, lip gloss, mascara, nail polish and brushes.

The Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold Blushes (taken from the Sephora website) are vivid, silky and deliver bold colour and unprecedented vibrancy. They're inspired by Marc's tattoo and meld with your skin enabling you to sculpt perfect contours. The formula is infused with bio-lipids and essential amino acids, which create the powder's ultra lightweight, silky texture and ensures a seamless application. The blush comes in a silk faille pouch with a portable angled blush brush. 

They are 0.15 oz each and cost $36 CDN and $30 US.

The blush shade I chose is Obsessed. It's described as warm pink. 

Silk faile pouch

Blush compact and mini angled blush brush

The pouch the blush comes in is a nice touch. I have carried it with me in my purse and it nicely protects the compact and the brush it comes with. As for the brush, these I would normally toss in order to use my regular make-up brushes, but this one is different. It is tiny, yes, which is my only issue with it. You have less control with a small brush, I find. But the bristles are luxuriously soft and rather than just a even length brush, it's angled, which makes it perfect for applying blush. You can carry the blush and the brush around with you in the pouch and touch up whenever you need to!

I actually haven't used any other brushes with this blush yet, that's how well this mini brush works.

The compact comes with a little removable plastic cover (pictured over the blush in the photo above). It helps to keep the interior of the compact clean.

Add caption

Obsessed is a gorgeous, glowy pink with a hint of peach to it. It's got some shimmer to it, but it's just a beautiful shimmery shade. I couldn't resist it. 

Pigmentation-wise, it's on the low side. I have fair skin, so that doesn't bother me too much. It shows up pretty well on me, and with blush, a little goes a long way on me. 

It looks so pretty on the skin, not powdery or chalky. It blends beautifully and is buildable if you want more pigmentation. 

Here it is swatched on the inside of my forearm (NW15 skintone). 

As you can see, the shimmer is visible, but not heavy. It looks quite natural. The swatch above was done using the accompanying brush.

And here is it on my cheeks. 

Pretty, right? It's the perfect, barely-there cheek colour for pairing with a bold lip colour which is my make-up look these days. 

I used the side of the brush to gently dust it across my cheekbone and then used the top of the blush to blend it up and across my temple. I've been wearing it every day since I got it and I absolutely love it. It lasts on my combination (oily/normal) skin for approximately 10 hours before it fades away. 

I haven't tried the other blushes in the collection, but I suspect these would work best on fairer skintones as Obsessed does on my skintone. 

Grade: B (I love it, but it is low on pigmentation)

C.

Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer in Petra: Review, Swatches and Photos

Marc Jacobs recently launched his makeup line at Sephora and it's lovely stuff. During the recent Sephora VIB 20% off sale I picked up a few items. This post will look at one of his nail lacquers, Petra. 

The Marc Jacobs nail lacquers (according to the Sephora website) are superior polishes with an unprecedented finish and the shine of 30 coats of lacquer (presumably they mean non-fingernail polish lacquer here). Marc was inspired by his highly lacquered coffee table when he created the Enamored Hi-Shine Lacquer. It's formulated with patented bonding agents that deliver a plasticized, wet look, while the colour-rich creams and fine glitters ensure vivid, chip-resistant wear. Marc was also inspired by his favourite movies when he created the shades. The custom, curve-hugging brush optimizes application and the curvature of the bottle resembles a smile. Each shade is 3-Free: formulated without toulene, formaldehyde and DBP.

They are 0.43 oz and cost $18 US and $22 CDN. Available exclusively on Sephora.com or in Sephora stores. 

Petra is described as a dirty bronze metallic shimmer.

The first thing of note is the bottle. They look unlike any other polishes on the market (that I'm aware of). Wider and curved from the front and back, it's narrow on the sides. It feels good to hold onto. 

Here it is in my hand to show size. 

The colour of Petra is purpley-taupe with silver and bronze shimmer. It's a very changeable colour, sometimes looking dark and purple-grey and other times flashing with coppery-silver. I don't know of a similar shade out there like it. 

The photos below show the shade's variation.

The coverage of Petra is very good with only two coats (pictured below). I had trouble photographing my manicure, so I did some research and found this review on The Beauty Look Book which has some great photos of it.

The consistency of Petra is a little thick, so it takes some focus to apply. But it goes on smoothly and consistently and you probably won't need more than one coat. It takes a bit longer than usual to dry and you definitely don't want to rush the second coat. 

This is a gorgeous, gorgeous polish. It's changeability makes it suited for both warm (copper) and cool (purple, silver) skintones. I found myself admiring it frequently while I was wearing it, seeing how it caught and changed with different lighting. 

It is pricey, yes. But the quality is excellent and this shade is unique. 

Grade: A

C.