FOTD: A Mad Men Inspired Look

Two friends of mine celebrated their 5th anniversary recently and threw a Mad Men-themed party for their friends. Me, I love any opportunity to dress up in a retro frock and practice my retro make-up.

I chose a fitted vintage dress, blue with white polka dots that I've rarely worn because of its high neckline (too high for a large chest). I bravely (perhaps foolishly) set about tailoring it myself the night before, cutting the neckline down to an open shallow vee. It's not perfect, but it's infinitely more flattering on me now.

A brooch, earrings, kitten heels and flipped hair and I was nearly ready. Now for make-up:

The key make-up of the time period (early 1960s) was liquid eyeliner and lipstick (red, rusts, pinks) so that's where I started from. I opted to go with a heavier eye look that you usually see on the show because I was going to a party and because my hair was more a late 60s flip than a Betty Draper or Joan Holloway style, a heavier eye look matched better. See my earlier post on the looks of the show here.


My base: Bare Escentuals in Fair, Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil, Maybelline Age Rewind Double Face Perfector (under eyes).

I applied blush (MAC Strada) to the outer corners of my cheeks and swept it beneath my cheekbones for a sculpted look.


I filled in my brows with a soft red-brown eyeshadow I got from my make-up school called Pigeon. I curled my lashes, applied a natural but full set of false lashes and used MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack to draw a long, thick line along my lashes and extended it out past the corner. I applied MAC Aria to my crease and smudged it beneath my lashes.

I applied two heavy coats of Maybelline Great Lash Blackest Black to my lashes.

On my lips I used JoeFresh's matte lipstick in Bordeaux, applying it with a lip brush to make sure I got it on as perfectly as possible and blotted, then applied another layer of colour.

Glamourous and so much fun! Joan Holloway eat your heart out.

C.

What is Your Morning Beauty Routine?

Now that I'm back in school (and not working), I seem to have a wee bit more time to put myself together in the morning. Being able to squeeze in time everyday to apply a bit of makeup has made my life that much more enjoyable - seriously!

All this thinking about my morning ritual gave me the idea that we should compare notes! So readers - tell us what your morning beauty routine is by leaving a comment.

Jill: I start the day by cleansing with whatever I have at hand & moisturizing (Biore's Dual Fusion SPF 30), I also use eye serum (Dior First Capture) . Then I wait a few minutes & apply a mattifying base to my t-zone, which is oily (Philosophy Never Let Them See You Shine or Clinique T-Zone Shine Control). I follow with under eye concealer (MAC Select Cover NC 25) and I also conceal any pimples if I might have them. I fill in my brows with a mix of MAC Espresso & Cork shadows & then use MAC Brow Set in Show Off to groom them. I usually use MAC Tecknakohl liner in Graph Black, curl my lashes with Kevyn Aucoin's curler and finish with Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara in Very Black. I finish with Chapstick.

To top it off I'll often throw lipgloss, blush or highlighter in the mix - but that depends on how I feel & how much time I have left before classes.

Catherine:

My morning routine starts in the shower. I don't always cleanse per se, but when I do I use Kibio Fresh Pureness Foam, an organic cleanser I get at Shoppers Drug Mart. When it's warmer I do this every morning, but when my skin gets drier (in cold weather) I don't cleanse in the morning. This is something I learned working at Lush. Basically, during the day your skin is exposed to dirt, oils, make-up, germs, all kinds of things - it's dirty by the end of the day! But while you sleep, your skin is clean and refreshing itself naturally. (This is why you should never ever sleep with your make-up on!) You shouldn't use the same cleanser in the morning that you do at night since your skin is nowhere near as in need of it in the morning.

Prep: After showering, I use the Boots No. 7 Restore and Renew serum all over my face, including my eye area. I use Kiehl's Tinted Ultra Moisturizer, then usually a primer - this varies, depending on what freebies I've gotten or what samples I've gotten from Sephora. I do like Bare Escentuals' Primer for everyday, Skin Perfekt for night's out and Dr Brandt's Oil-Free on hot and humid days.

Base: I swirl Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil all over my face, concentrating on the oilier spots of my face (around my nostrils, forehead, nose and chin). Mineral Veil is BE's version of a loose powder (although technically all of their products are loose powders) and it works UNDER the foundation as an oil-absorber and protects your make-up. It's pretty amazing. Then I apply my BE in Fair, using my fingers to apply it as concealer on any red spots or blemishes. Depending on how dark my undereye area is, I conceal using my Maybelline Age Rewind Double Face Perfector (a dual-tipped concealer/highlighter) or my Benefit Eye Bright pencil or the BE or a combination of all three. I swirl on the BE Mineral Veil on top of my foundation to set it.

Basic: My basic make-up is a brush and shaping of my brows with an eyeshadow called Pigeon. This also helps to tint my brows so they match my hair colour better. I always use a bit of blush since I'm so fair and because it does wonders to make you look healthy, rested and youthful - depending on the look I'm going for, but more often than not it's MAC Strada powder blush. I always curl my lashes since they naturally point down, using the Shu Uemera lash curler and then I apply a lot of black mascara - currently I love BE Buxom mascara or Benefit Bad Girl.

Eyes: I like wearing make-up, so I do wear eyeshadow every day. For work it's often a single colour (my favourites are Laura Mercier in Pewter, BE in Java and MAC Greystone) from my lashline to my crease. Another favourite look is MAC Vex from lash to brow and Laura Mercier in Pewter along my lashline (top and bottom) and on the outer half of my eye.

Lips: It's got to go with my eye make-up! For work often a medium-toned rose colour, occasionally in gloss, but usually a lipstick. I always have 3+ lip products in my purse - by the end of the week, there's usually 8 or so!

J.

JoeFresh Beauty Reviewed Part Two

Welcome to Part Two of my JoeFresh Beauty review. In this post I will review a JoeFresh Beauty Lip Stain, Lipgloss and Matte Lipstick. (Part One in which I reviewed a JoeFresh Beauty Cheek Tint and two eyeshadows can be found here.) All swatches done on NW20 skin tone.

First up is the Lip Stain. I bought it in Candy, which is also the name of the JoeFresh Lipgloss I happened to pick up on a separate shopping trip but as you'll see they're not really the same colour at all. OK, so lack of inspiration on JoeFresh's creative department on selecting unique names. With that being said, I do think the name Candy fits both products!

I quite like the packaging of the Lip Stains. They're chubby little felt-tip pens that feel solid in your hand. The felt tip distributes the stain well, although I do have issues with how the product flows.

Lip Stain in Candy (overcast day natural light)
Swatch (overcast day natural light)

Swatch (unnatural light with flash)

The downside to the Lip Stains is the application process. I have not run out of mine yet, but it does take some time for the product to seep out of the felt tip almost as if you're at the end of the tube. It's good that it doesn't pour out because that would be a MESS but they could certainly find a happy medium between the two extremes. I find I really have to press and massage the felt tip in order to get a good amount of product on my lips.

That being said, I quite like the colour of Candy. It's a bright pinky-purple that enhances the natural shade of my lips. I like to wear it topped with lip balm or under a lip gloss.

*I did the lip stain swatch, then rubbed off as much as I could before swatching the lipstick and the gloss. Look for the lip stain swatch next to the lipstick and gloss swatches in the below photos - this stuff STAYS on!

And here's the Lip Gloss called Candy. See, they're quite different shades! Candy lipgloss is an opaque, very shiny bright pink gloss. Despite the intensity of the shade and how opaque it is, it goes on quite sheer if you want it to.

Lipgloss in Candy (overcast day natural light)

Swatch (overcast day natural light)
*note the lip stain swatch still visible after being scrubbed at with a wet wipe
Swatch (unnatural light with flash)
*note the lip stain swatch still visible after being scrubbed at with a wet wipe

Candy the lipgloss is packaged in very thick, clear plastic tube. I don't know why I like the thickness of it so much, but there's something satisfying about not worrying if it'll slip out of your hands or snapping in two. It feels like it might withstand a hurricane - that's how solid and sturdy it is. The applicator is a brush, which isn't my favourite way of applying lipgloss especially since more inexpensive brands tend to use longer bristled brushes. It's harder to get an accurate application with these brushes, especially when the gloss is opaque and needs to be applied with as much accuracy as a lipstick. Often I find that the bristles can get bent in different directions making it even more difficult to apply with accuracy.

There's a mildly sweet scent, something like cotton candy, to the gloss, nothing remarkable but not unpleasant. Texture-wise it's smooth, sticky, glossy and basically everything you want a gloss to be. I like the brightness of the colour and the shine. It lasts a good length of time on my lips, nothing overly remarkable. Overall this isn't the best gloss I've ever tried but it's not bad and certainly not bad for the price. I'm more fond of the colour than anything else about it.

And finally we come to the Matte Lipstick in Bordeaux (apropos because of the wine-aux I'm becoming lately!). Housed in a thick, white tube, this is one great-looking lipstick.

Lipstick in Bordeaux (overcast day natural light)

Swatch (overcast day natural light)
*note the lip stain swatch still visible after being scrubbed at with a wet wipe

Swatch (unnatural light with flash)
*note the lip stain swatch still visible after being scrubbed at with a wet wipe

As you can see, the lipstick swatches lighter than it looks in the tube and it's a lovely, rich deep pink - brighter than a real Bordeaux (more like a Rose) but it's definitely not misnamed either.

Since this is a matte lipstick, it starts out mildly creamy in texture and then mellows to a drier matte finish. It's great to use for a stained look - simply apply with your fingers or dab gently on moisturized lips and then blot and blot some more until you're left with a stained effect. It can be difficult to wear matte lipsticks if you're a lip goop junkie like me who can't go long without something slick coating my lips for long.

Just like with Candy the lipgloss, it's the colour over the quality that makes me like this lipstick. It's a bold, lovely shade, perfect for fall and I can't wait to wear it on Saturday to my friend's Mad Men inspired anniversary/re-wedding party! (You can see it being worn here.)

Summary: Overall I like the JoeFresh Beauty products I've tried. I'm a sucker for their clothes and while the make-up doesn't quite match up, it's certainly no slouch in the inexpensive beauty product category. Check it out at a Loblaws, JoeFresh or Canadian Superstore near you!

C.

Korres: Jasmine Body Butter

As an artist and someone who has a touch of OCD, I have a habit of washing my hands extremely frequently. The frequent washing & very dry climate I live in results in extremely, and often painfully dry hands. Like Madonna, my hands look about 2 decades older than my face!

Because of this I make it a point to test the most luxurious, expensive creams & lotions out there. One day I happened upon Korres Jasmine Body Butter at my local Sephora. Let me tell you, it was love at first sniff...

Korres is an all natural brand out of Greece that eschews the use of any synthetic compounds in their products. Jasmine Body Butter is an extremely rich, fragrant cream that will parch even the most dehydrated, abused skin. The scent is divine - it smells exactly like a steaming pot of jasmine Chinese tea and has a very thick texture that tends to be a touch on the greasy side.

At $38.00 CA/$29.00 US for a 7.95 oz tube it is definitely on the expensive side. So expensive that I myself never bought it, but instead yearned for it & used the tester every time I went by Sephora. I have to give mad props to my good friend Jaqueline who finally ended my torment by giving me a tube for my birthday!

Despite it's high price and slight greasiness, I highly recommend this product. I only use a small amount on the back of my hands, so my tube will last me a long time. I like to use it right before bed so my skin has all night to absorb all the fragrant, beneficial essential oils.

I give this product an "A". Expensive, but worth it especially if you've got "lizard" hands.

J

LUSTING: Marc Jacobs Lola

Oh I'm drooling...

I own Marc Jacobs first fragrance Daisy in solid form in one of those delightful limited edition cocktail rings and now look at the gorgeousness that is this perfume bottle? It contains Marc Jacobs' new fragrance Lola, which I've tried a sample of and love, but what I want to know is can I wear that gorgeous blossom on top of the bottle?

Here's what Sephora has to say about Lola:

This warm floral bouquet conveys the free spirit of today's sexy, modern girl - she is playful, cool, and flirtatious. The long-lasting, day-and-night scent opens with pink peppercorn, pear, and ruby red grapefruit. Blooming midnotes of rose, fuschia peony, and geranium make a feminine statement. Layers of vanilla, warm tonka bean, and creamy musk create a sensous drydown.

This is the type of lively feminine fragrance that nearly anyone can pull off. Sultry, citrusy and feminine but without being in your face.

LUSTLUSTLUSTLUSTLUST...

Lusting.

C.

JoeFresh Beauty Reviewed Part One

JoeFresh, in the few years since its inception, has become one of my go-to stores. It's the brainchild of Joe Mimran, who was behind such such fashion lines as Alfred Sung and Club Monaco. The clothes are well-made, very chic, extremely inexpensive and new styles come in every week. The clothes are very very cute, and reminiscent of what Club Monaco used to be (for a fraction of the price).

In spring 2009, JoeFresh introduced a line of beauty products with the same chic and affordable branding. JoeFresh Beauty is available in a few JoeFresh stores but in most Loblaws and Canadian Superstores and includes foundation, concealer, powder, brushes, blush, eyeshadows, eyeliners, lipstick, lip gloss, stains, tints, lipliners and a variety of accessories including manicure sets and blotting paper.

I decided to buy a few products I was interested in and do a review for you. Here's my stash (all swatches done on NW20 skin tone):

Top L - R: Cheek Tint in Pink Rose ($4), Matte Lipstick in Bordeaux ($6)
Centre L - R: Eyeshadow in Bronze, Eyeshadow in Midnight (both $4)
Lipgloss in Candy ($8)
Lip Stain in Candy ($6)

I'll start with the Cheek Tint, the first product I bought and I've got to say outright that I LOVE THIS STUFF. It's become the blush product I reach for every morning more often than not.

Cheek Tint in Pink Rose (natural light)Swatch (overcast day natural light)Swatch (unnatural light with flash)

The texture of the cheek tint is creamy and smooth and it goes on easily. It's quite sheer and can be used for a natural flush or built up for a more intense look. For best results, I recommend using your fingers to apply it and building until you get the look you want. Because it's so sheer, you can top it with other colours for a variety of looks and textures.

*The cheek tints are teeny enough to toss in your purse for touch-ups during the day or for a quick hint of colour if someone tells you you look tired or ill (I get that ALOT).

On to the eyeshadows:

Eyeshadow in Bronze (natural light)

Swatch (natural light)

Swatch (unnatural light with flash)

Bronze is a medium toned metallic cool brown with a creamy, smooth finish. It goes on a bit heavily but is the type of colour and texture that could be quickly smudged across the lids with your fingers if you were in a hurry or for a messy, sexy effect. I love eyeshadows like this, it's very easy to look sultry with a creamy metallic soft brown like this.

Eyeshadow in Midnight

Swatch (overcast day natural light)

Swatch (unnatural light with flash)

Midnight is a mid-toned cool grey with a hint of blue. Compared to Bronze, it's got a somewhat subtler sheen, light sparkle and is a touch more powdery and matte. I would imagine that JoeFresh Beauty's more matte eyeshadows would be similar but like the Bronze, Midnight has a smooth, creamy texture and goes on quite well, less heavily than Bronze. I've worn it along my upper lashline smudged up to the crease for a smoky daytime look and it could be obviously used for a more dramatic smoky eye.

*One downside to the JoeFresh Beauty line is that there aren't testers for all the products. Lipsticks - yes, cheek tints - yes, but not for the lip glosses? Not for the foundation? That's one way the JoeFresh line is a bit too cheap. I haven't seen a JoeFresh Beauty display where there's not opened products.

Stay tuned for part two of my JoeFresh Beauty Review where I'll tell you all about the lipgloss, lip stain and lipstick I bought!

C.

Chanel: Eye Gloss Autumn 2009

Have you ever wanted something really beautiful but totally impractical? Like that pair of stilettos you can barely walk 2 blocks in. Well such is the case with Chanel's latest fall offering - Eye Gloss Luminous Cream Quadra Eyeshadow.

The iconic black, double C case opens to reveal 4 shades of gloss: a shimmery pearly white, a light gold shimmer, a black creme and a dark red "rouge noir" creme. All photos taken in natural light on NC 35-42 skin.

The shimmery white and gold glosses when swatched are pigmented but on the sheerer side. The black and red glosses are incredibly pigmented. All glosses have a thicker texture on account of the pigmentation, but are not sticky.

Because these are glosses, not cream shadows or paints, these will not set and therefore will smudge and crease.

So why buy these? If you're a junkie like me and you want to experiment with different textures and products, you might like these. People with shallow eye creases, or flat eyelids will probably also have better luck with this type of product as the skin folds on the eyelid will interfere less with the product as it sits on the skin.

Hot, wet editorial eyes here we come!

J.