Preaches n' Cream

The Labour Day Long weekend is around the corner and it’s got me thinking beauty tips.

It’s pretty common to go to the cottage on the long weekend; it’s also pretty common to go up with your man or a group of party people that might include a future man.

Clearly this occasion requires you to look hot with minimal effort…Correction: minimal effort while you’re at the cottage; however, maximal pre-work is to be done.

The long weekend is for relaxing, swimming, sunning, drinking: you can’t wear makeup at the cottage-hanging out and prepping in the one bathroom allotted to 10 party people is a major cottage faux pas, plus makeup and done hair at the cottage is just plain weird.

If you’re not comfortable without makeup and a sprayed bouffant, this whole au naturel situation could pose a problem.

Fortunately, I’m your girl and I am here to rescue you:

Ideas to get you looking “naturally” beautiful, even if you are not-Cottage Edition.

• Go get a mani/pedi: this will make your hands and feet look clean and pretty. Choose a light colour like nude or clear for your hands because it inevitably will chip at the cottage. Go crazy with your toe colour, it’s pretty hard to chip toe nail polish, plus the Labour Day weekend is kind of like a last hurrah for summer colours. I say get “Pink Parka” in one last time before summer is out.

• WAX: Wax everything you can; your underarms, legs, bikini, eyebrows, toes. No one wants to take time to shave at the cottage and again facilities are usually limited. So wax what you would shave and forget about it: You’ll look smooth and sleek while everyone else is a stubbly mess.

• EYELASH TINT: Hello? Built in mascara? Yes. Please. Imagine emerging out of the lake with lush dark fluttering eyelashes. Or waking up in the morning and meeting everyone for breakfast looking like you’re just naturally gorgeous and just look that way all the time.  

• SELF TAN: Look like a bronzed goddess in your bikini. This also has a slimming effect, which helps if you’re drinking and eating hamburgers all weekend (not that I’d do that;). Check out this previous post for product tips. Please don’t mess up your self tan on your hands or feet; it’ll ruin the entire illusion. 

• Moisturize & SPF : Buy a cool double duty SPF cream, perhaps one that has sparkles or a self tanning element, at least get a good SPF-sun burns are so not sexy. Keep a great moisturizer on hand too, great skin is key when you’re traipsing around in a bikini.

• GLOSS: You can’t wear makeup but a shiny clear gloss is perfectly acceptable, paired with your dark tinted lashes and a sunkissed cheek, lip gloss will have you looking like an exotic cottage nymph day and night. 

• LEAVE IN SPRAY CONDITIONER: Keep your hair tangle free and conditioned while you’re in and out of the water and sun. Keep the bottle (along with your lip gloss) with you at all times. Spray condition freely, bonus if you have a wide toothed comb. You cant do your hair at the cottage, but this will at least help your hair look healthy and it’ll air dry quite nicely.

Good luck this weekend ladies…yes, it’s Wednesday and I’m already talking weekend, but you need to start your regime now in order to prepare. 

This may not be “New” for you, you may have been using this for the last three years and want to know what’s taken me so long to find this stuff.

Two reasons for taking me so long to find HD Microfinish Blush:

1. I banned myself from Sephora a while back and only went in yesterday for the first time.
2. I refuse to let myself buy new makeup until I need it, actually need it. Meaning: what I’ve been using is all used up. 

But now I’m almost done my NARS “Desire” powder blush and am ready for something new. By the way, I love NARS blush, Desire is a really hot pink in the case but looks really pretty on, it has served me well and there’s a good chance I’ll buy it again, however I’m in the market for blush and need to check my options. 

Here’s what Sephora says about HD Microfinish Blush:

What it is:A cream blush that naturally sculpts and highlights the cheeks for a healthy glow. What it does:HD Microfinish Blush combines mattifying and reflecting powders to create a soft-focus effect for a radiant complexion. Its ultra-fine, second-skin texture blends seamlessly, imparting a healthy glow that’s hard not to notice.

I tried in on in a colour called “Truth or Dare”, another hot pink (hot pink seems to give me natural glowy results for everyday use).             

You need the worlds smallest amount for this stuff, like I’m talking a bit more than a pin drop for each cheek.

I rubbed it in with a make-up sponge (provided by Sephora) and I couldn’t believe how pretty it was. It was creamy in texture but didn’t look creamy or cakey on my skin. It really glowed prettiness. 

It also stayed on for the day giving me a healthy complexion and I want to say dewiness, but not shine.

I could see this working everyday for every occasion. With a full face of makeup or just on it’s own, HD Microfinish Blush is up for the job.

If you’re anywhere near a Sephora or a MAKE UP FOREVER counter and you’re in any form interested in being good looking, you have to stop and try this stuff for yourself.

More product info and reviews here.

Happy Birthday to meee.

I’m not a big birthday person, contrary to writing a post about it and letting the entire world know it’s my birthday, I usually keep things pretty lowkey and just have a me day.

So I’ve started the day with a proper roller set in my hair, obviously good hair is in order on ones birthday, Ill put on some makeup, a cute outfit and go out into the world to see what I can do. 

Already this morning at 12:04 am I opened a present from my man. A new 13” Macbook Air! Eeeeeeee, my boyfriend loves me <3 I’m pretty damn excited about this gift, it means I’ll be able to blog all over town…and right now from under my duvet. 

This gift brings me to my first item on today’s shopping list:

A Macbook Air case.

I think this is a seriously fun accessory to shop for, function meets fashion, it’s an item that I’ll always have on me so I’ll need a good one to really express who I am to all the other people in Starbucks:p

I found this one here on Etsy. I think it’s SO cute and inline with Fall’s obsession over Navajo styled prints:

Oooo, I just noticed this one in the same Etsy store. I love black and white, this might be a more timeless choice:

Another gift pour moi is a Gucci belt, perhaps like this one:

Although, I’m really feelin’ this one:

Oh! and I gotta find me some of this:

I think that should be enough to keep me busy for the day. Happy Birthday to meeee.

I do this every spring and every fall; fetishize over Dolce & Gabbana cardigans.

I need one to be complete: 

One transitional piece that I really have my eye on for going into fall is a vest.

Seems like there are lots of options for this piece this year, here are a few I am considering: 

Option #1: Glittery Cargo

This would be great with a pair of jeans and a T or dress shirt underneath, I really love the sequined shoulders but would definitely swap out the belt: 

Option #2 Long H&M Vest

This is pretty versatile, could go with a dress, skirt,  jean or trousers and it’s from H&M so the price is right:

Option # 3 Fringed Badass Vest

This vest is sort of versatile, it can be dressed up or down, it might be too memorable though, like everyone would remember it and if they saw it twice would wonder if it’s all I own…but I love fringes…and it is badass:

Today was a lazy Friday, no posts about beauty or fashion, but I FINALLY made my way to Pizzeria Libretto on Ossington…and I went with my most beautiful and stylish friend; so I think that counts for something. 

Super yummy arugula salad to start…I had a glass of vino with lunch…I’m so tired now…

Green!! 

Nom Nom Nom

Espresso Cinnamon Gelato, yes please:

Got home to walk this guy:

<3…decided we needed a pic together:

Attempt #1: What’s my mouth doing? 

Attempt #2:

Attempt #3:

Oops…

The 10 Spot isn’t new, but if you’re new to the neighbourhood or have always been curious about this charming storefront let me tell you a little bit about what I’ve experienced.

I’ve been to The 10 Spot on Queen West numerous times, they boast a full menu of beauty possibilities in a clean, fresh & friendly environment.

The services I’ve had have included Manicures, Pedicures, Lash Tinting and Waxing…and IMHO Waxing in the style of the Brazilian is where they shine.

By now, we all know what a Brazilian is and that there are variations on styles. The 10 Spot offers cute character drawings of the different styles you can get and makes the entire process very calming and comfortable.

The Aesthetician’s rooms are super clean and inviting, the chair/beds are comfortable and there’s always a tv playing…it’s always something funny and attention grabbing, which is key.

The ladies who work there are young, friendly, attractive, hip and professional. They’re also chatty and  able to walk you through the process of what they’re doing step by step, even down to explaining the type of wax they use, which is comforting…and that they never double dip (it still happens in other “establishments”!). Somehow they’re able to minimize pain, however; I still take a couple Advil’s an hour before my appointment (TIP).

This place is a great and much needed addition to the Queen West strip. The long weekend is coming up, maybe the last hurrah at the cottage needs to go out with a sexy bang.

…book your appointments soon because this place fills up.

Just walking through the neighbourhood and passed the Pia Bouman School for Ballet & Creative Movement, a local non-for-profit dance school. 

Their exterior has been tagged with some yucky black spray paint tags and they have addressed it by putting up the following letter:

I like this letter, if I were the one who spray painted the dance school I’d feel like an idiot after reading this; that may be asking too much however…

I hope this letter works out for the dance school. 

After watching this video I started looking at the labels on my make-up and skincare products. Some of the ingredients listed seemed odd, but honestly I’m not about to ditch my most beloved products because they have an ingredient that I don’t recognize or understand. However; everyday, head to toe, I am using  products with chemicals that I can’t even pronounce or recognize; this might not be good. 

What I decided to do was to try to go natural where I could find comparable product substitutes; so far I have only been able to switch one thing because I really am happy with the results I get from my beauty products that have strange ingredients. 

Fortunately, where I am able to make the switch is significant: body moisturizer. 

I use it every day (sometimes twice a day plus spot checks) and I use it over my entire body which to me would mean my body would be absorbing the most chemicals through this type of product.

Yesterday I finished my last bit of pink scented body moisturizer and I switched over to Almond Oil.

Almond Oil is readily available, I got mine at a health food store. It’s about $20 for a bottle, but the bottle is pretty huge and since its oil it’ll last forever. If you Google this stuff you’ll find nothing but great reviews. Plus, there are so many different beauty uses for it and I LOVE a great beauty multi-tasker as they save money and space. 

REVIEW:

My first impression is a great one: I used it on my legs and feet yesterday right after the shower (you’re supposed to apply oils while your skin is still damp), it absorbed after a few minutes (not exactly “quickly”), had no scent and really gave my skin a nice sexy glow (not shine). I had a second shower before bed, didn’t bother reapplying and this morning my legs and feet feel so soft…this might sound gross, but even my little prickly leg hairs that grew in over night are softer! So far SO good; I’m going to keep using it and I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

One of the best things you can do for your appearance is whiten your teeth. It makes you look happier and healthier and other people will notice both consciously and subconsciously. I have reasonably white teeth and when I originally went to the dentist for a whitening procedure he looked at me funny and said I didn’t need it. Of course convincing him was easy because it was money for him plus a happy patient. After I had my teeth whitened I was constantly complimented on my beautiful smile and beautiful teeth; it was a new compliment that I’d never heard before and I don’t think people really realized that it was my pearly whites that they were actually complimenting. 

There are so many products on the market that there is no excuse not to do it, even dentists are offering group coupons for teeth whitening-check out One Spout every once in a while for this kind of deal, and really, for the brightest whitest and long lasting results you should go to the dentist.

If you’ve tried whitening before and found that your teeth get too sensitive just do it a bit less often or find a milder product. 

One of my favorite off the shelf products is Listerine Whitening rinse and it’s my pick because: 

1. it achieves natural white results (you don’t end up with Ross from Friends teeth)
2. it costs about $10
3. it’s fast and easy to use.

 For best results:

1. floss 
2. swish with Listerine for 30 seconds
3. without using toothpaste brush your teeth to really work in the whitening solution
4. brush as usual

Teeth whitening is not a big investment, it’s easy to do and quite frankly for the awesome aesthetic results achieved you should be able to take the extra step in your beauty routine. 

Cheese! My teeth, they look just a bit whiter, but not crazy fake white: