Light & Lively: Marc Jacobs Splash
30 June 08
Since the temperature’s begun to hold steady in the 20-degrees-plus range, I’ve been obsessed with the airy freshness of this summer’s limited-edition Marc Jacobs Splash trio. The sorbet-inspired scents, Basil, Pear and Grapefruit, are refreshing sensory antidotes to heavy, humid weather. Read the rest of this entry »
Here I am beaming with L.A.-based personal trainer Harley Pasternak when he was in town recently to launch Nestea Vitao, a new line of natural, antioxidant-rich iced tea. A Canadian fella, he’s helped hone the physiques of Benjamin Bratt and Halle Berry. Read the rest of this entry »
Lipstick Jungle: Beauty and Candace Bushnell
26 June 08
I didn’t ask her a single thing about her skincare and makeup regime. Not a thing.
Doesn’t mean I didn’t figure a few things out about Candace Bushnell and beauty, though. Here’s what I learned about the author of Sex & the City and Lipstick Jungle at a P&G Beauty cocktail gathering this week: Read the rest of this entry »
I feel as bright and shiny as a new copper penny. I prefer copper over bronze (the usual colour of summer), actually. Copper has more golden undertones; it’s more flattering for a wider range of skin tones, including mine, and it’s aces for every eye colour. Read the rest of this entry »
I thought I made my wardrobe work hard, what with my unceasing demands that it make my Tweedledee figure-type look good. SunSoul ups the ante by promising to make skin look good, in a new-millennia having-your-colours-done* kind of way. Read the rest of this entry »
Hard water and styling products such as wax and gel sometimes gang up on hair to leave Build Up. Suddenly, curls aren’t so soft, the texture feels a bit waxy, the hair’s misbehaving and someone’s turned your shine factor way down. Time for an intervention: clarifying shampoo. Read the rest of this entry »
F is for “Friend:” Ditched for Ben Affleck
20 June 08
Oh yeah, I meant it. Yep, “friend,” as in “some friend she is.”
Let me introduce you: the girlie in this photo is my delightful friend Heather Buchan, Associate Editor for Hello! Canada.
Heather and I had a get-together planned for last weekend. We were going to get together to play with makeup in preparation for her wedding this Fall (she’s going to be the most gorgeous bride).
But I got ditched.
For Ben Affleck.
A skinny Ben Affleck.
A skinny, defined-jaw handsome Ben Affleck.
A tall, skinny, defined-jaw handsome Ben Affleck in Calgary last weekend to host a OneXOne event in aid of impoverished kids.
Heather had to fly to Calgary to meet with him for work instead of meet with me, apparently.
Some friend, huh?
Sheesh.
If Clive-O asks, we never had this conversation.
Estella Warren loves rich, gourmet meals.
That was not in the beauty-secrets swag bag I got at my coming out party. Read the rest of this entry »
Yes, it’s true, I’m about to advise valued beautygeeks e.mail subscribers to unsubscribe. And get this: I’ve unsubscribed as well. E.mail notifications are soooo slow! (I’m learning right along with everyone else new to blog subscriptions. Sheesh. And I can hear tech-savvy reader-subscribers having a giggle — dudes, I’ll say it again: I’m a beauty geek, not a computer geek!)
Instead, hit the “subscribe in a reader” line at the top of the right-hand column on the screen. Or, when you eventually get your subscriber e.mail, go to the second-last line, the one that reads, “Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version…” Then with just a click you can pop a feed reader into your bookmarks toolbar so that you’ll receive notifications within minutes of a new please-read post.
And thank you so much for reading!
Heart.
If you’ve left your sense of humour at the door with your footwear, go back and get it before you read this. Seems you’re never too young to be glam. To the max. We’re talking stilettos for tots (don’t freak, they’re just for fun). Read the rest of this entry »
The Lipstick Queen’s Oxymoron: Matte Gloss
12 June 08
I’ve always loved the fresh-faced, English-rose beauty: pale skin, flushed cheeks, bee-stung lips. It’s a just-woke-up prettiness. Of course, I’d like to wake up and looked like Kiera Knightley or Jennifer Ehle (Lizzy in the tremendous A&E version of Pride and Prejudice). But that’s just me.
“It’s Jane Austen beauty,” says Poppy King, the woman behind The Lipstick Queen. “You look like you’ve just fallen in love.” And in love or not, you can get that look with King’s newest lip creation, Oxymoron Matte Gloss. Read the rest of this entry »
Who needs a present? Beautygeeks has a giveaway! You could WIN one of two “Herbal Essences Hair to Toe” gift baskets. Post a comment on what makes you a beautygeek, and you could snag a bundle of stuff that includes shampoo, conditioner and hair colour, plus Olay body treats, CoverGirl nail polish, either a Braun Smoothstyler cordless flat iron or curling iron, a pair of flip flops, a hair towel and spa accessories. That’s a present worth about $180 and a big hug, by the way. The winning names will be drawn on Friday June 20.
If you don’t win a basket, Herbal Essences will give you a present anyway. Until the end of June (or while quantities last), buy any two specially marked Herbal Essences shampoos, conditioners or hair-colour kits, and you’ll receive a voucher for a free manicure or pedicure at a local participating salon.
In case you missed the discreet link above, you can get deets on the mani-or-pedi offer at www.herbalessences.ca/manipedi. Do the general public a favour and set an example with pretty feet in your flip flops: choose a pedicure! Or give your voucher to someone in need of a beauty lift (and a foot polish). That’s a present that keeps on giving.
Herbal Essences, Olay, CoverGirl and Braun are available at drugstores and mass retailers.
Okay, so I’m not the quickest person in the bathroom in the morning — or ever for that matter. Good thing I don’t have to share. (Clive-O has his own place across the pond. Keeps the romance alive.) Still, I do appreciate a time saver in my A.M. routine. Dermalogica Age Smart Skin Resurfacing Cleanser hits the mark by cutting out my need for a separate exfoliant.
Exfoliation is key to keeping most skin types clear, bright and youthful. Got dry skin? Slough off the flakes and your skin will absorb moisturizer better. Prone to breakouts of uncomplicated acne? Regular gentle exfoliation to remove oily build-up and debris will help prevent eruptions. Dull complexion? Yup, it’s layers of dead cells lazing about on your face like teenagers sleeping in on a weekend, and it’ll get worse — the skin’s natural shedding process slows considerably as we age. Routine exfoliation picks up the slack and encourages faster cell renewal, which leads to a smoother, brighter complexion.
Dermalogica Age Smart Skin Resurfacing Cleanser ($45.50) gets rid of lollygagging dead cells as it cleanses thoroughly. Instead of scrubby beads or grains, lactic acid (an alpha-hydroxy acid) does the work in a non-drying formula gentle enough to use twice a day on my slightly sensitive skin. The product info promises a noticeable difference in smoothness and brightness after just one use, but I’m a regular-exfoliation geek, so my gauge was whether my skin would remain smooth if I swapped my usual face wash and exfoliant for Skin Resurfacing Cleanser. My skin actually feels smoother — whoa.
And of course because I exfoliate regularly, I use moisturizer with SPF 15 or higher every morning and stay out of the sun as much as possible. Removing dead layers from the skin gives a girl a fresh complexion, but also makes her more susceptible to sun damage if she doesn’t use protection.
If only I could figure out what to do with all that extra time I’m saving every morning.
Dermalogica Age Smart Skin Resurfacing Cleanser is available at select spas and salons; visit www.dermalogica.com to find a retailer near you.
Venus Embrace: Smooth Pins
09 June 08
I’ll never really freak about a bad haircut. My hair grows insanely quickly: two weeks and everything’s better. But quick-grow hair isn’t always a good thing.
I get 5 o’clock shadow.
On my legs.
No wonder my dating life sucks.
I wasn’t clever enough to inherit no-arm-or-leg-hair genes from my Chinese mum. Oh no. Instead I take after my half-Portuguese/quarter-English/quarter-French dad. Sheesh.
I am clever enough, though, to make the Gillette Venus Embrace my new bff. That spring-loaded, five-blade razor delivers the smoothest shave ever. The blades are so close together that they feel like a single edge as the cartridge glides over the skin in a clean sweep. The finish is close, too: I actually get an extra couple of hours of lasting smoothness.
Think what that’s gonna do for my dating! Think Clive Owen is the jealous type?
$15.99, including shower pod and replacement cartridge; at drugstores and mass retailers.
New URL: www.imabeautygeek.com
08 June 08
beautygeeks has a new official URL: www.imabeautygeek.com.
The name of this site will remain beautygeeks; just the URL is changing. You’ll still get here with beautygeeks.ca, but the new dot com is the official e-ddress.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to change the details on Feedburner so your e.mail subscription works. I’m mighty confused about that stuff.
Would anyone who knows how to use Feedburner like to help me figure it out? After all, I’m a beauty geek, not a computer geek. *grin*
Just Geeking: Dreamy Jason Lewis
08 June 08
So last night I had a seriously hot dream involving a seriously hot man: Jason Lewis who plays “Smith Jarrod,” Samantha’s boyfriend in Sex & the City.
There we are, all cuddled not quite under the covers, he all smooth and perfectly built, me all dream-skinny and sexy, and Jason turns his amazing face to me and says oh-so-tenderly, “I love you. As a friend.”
I’m having a fight with my dream editor right now. I say leave out the last part of dreamy Jason’s declaration. She says, “NO. The truth makes the story better.”
Sheesh.
F is for Fitness: Nike+ SportBand
06 June 08
Yup, it’s Friday, “F is for…” day (or at least it was when I posted this — my bad for being so late). And today F is for fitness, and for freaks. Freaks would be the folks who can go for a run without tunes. They puzzle me.
The new Nike+ SportBand is for freaks — I mean, for runners who run because they love running. Runners who enjoy marathons (no music allowed for those) and… just running. Read the rest of this entry »
Sometimes I am just going to geek out about something that has zip to do with beauty or style because whatever it is rocks that much. I have to marry Nigel Lythgoe. (Clearly, this is one of those times.)
I’m a bit addicted to “So You Think You Can Dance.” The show is so much more about insane talent, drive and fearlessness than about egos, sensationalist drama and ridiculous on-screen personas. “So You Think” is good reality tv, inspiring. Down-to-earth talented judges celebrate each contestant’s success, deliver compassionate, constructive criticism, and express real disappointment each time a contestant leaves. As for the contestants, once it’s down to the final 20, there’s no unbridled tabloid drama here. It’s passion, commitment, fire and kicking fear’s ass. Read the rest of this entry »
Olay Definity: A Complexion Pick-Me-Up
04 June 08
Olay Definity Refining Lotion with UV Protection (SPF 15) makes my skin look happy. Anything that makes my skin look happy makes me happy.
I must confess to a few very late nights since hitting the office-free lifestyle. In part it’s because I’m rather a night owl. And in part it’s because I can — tee hee! But late nights have an effect on this skin. It starts to make snide comments about my not being 20 any more. Sheesh.
Olay Definity Refining Lotion shuts my skin up in the nicest way: with compliments. Somehow the P&G Beauty folks have managed to produce a moisturizer with a light-reflecting finish that doesn’t scream for the spotlight. Read the rest of this entry »
Know THIS About Laser Hair Removal
02 June 08
This isn’t a bad image to see on a Monday morning, huh? No, it’s not a gratuitous inclusion of spiffy male bod, it actually relates to the subject matter. I did crop most of the chippie out, though. My boss made me do it.
I’ve heard many folks grumble that neither laser hair removal nor electrolysis has solved their pesky hirsute issues. Nicolette Oakwell-Morgan, director of operations at OMI Hair in Toronto, has heard the same thing. “We see so many clients who have spent thousands of dollars elsewhere on laser hair treatments without any significant results,” she says, citing misinformation and lack of education in the industry as key problems.
When it comes to permanent hair removal, your body hair’s growth cycle is important but so is your skin and hair colour, hair texture and location. As well, according to Oakwell-Morgan, few people know or advise consumers that the follicle needs a certain level of natural moisture to be vapourized effectively by a laser, and that each treatment has to be carefully timed to catch each cycle of growth just as the hair starts to show. And it turns out laser technology isn’t the final answer to a hairy situation. Read the rest of this entry »
