Lipstick Powder N Paint

We are in the heart of summer and I am constantly on the go, from morning to night. Meetings, product launches and seeing friends are on my daily agenda. I need my bag to hold the items that will keep me feeling and looking fresh all day long. Here are the 15 items that I currently cannot live without. What are your summer bag basics?

Sunscreen
I burn so fast that I need to have it on hand all the time. I use Kinesys SPF 30. It smells great, dries super fast and is non greasy.

Wallet
What would I do without money…not a lot! Mine was from Winners – they have a great selection and at good prices.

Note pad and pen
I keep it with me and write down the names of great restaurants, shops and any other pertinent info that comes my way. Notepad was $3 and pen was sent to me with my bombshell bargains order.

Sunglasses
Keeping those harmful rays out of your eyes is important. I am not sure where I purchased mine from as they are quite old.

Blotting Sheets
Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets are so fabulous. They soak up excess oil and cut the shine but they do not add any additional makeup or powder to your face.

Perfume
My favourite will always be my Chanel Allure Sensuelle. When it is a little sticky out or I am going from day to evening – a little squirt makes me feel and smell great.

Lip Balm
My current choice is Yonder and Green Moisturising Lip Balm as it keeps my lips feeling soft and supple. I like this product as they use high quality natural ingredients and I kind of liked the idea of it being vegan friendly too.

Cheek Stain
When I am going from day to evening and don’t have the chance to go home I dab a little Tarte Tickled onto the apples of my cheeks to add just a touch of colour to my face. This product is really easy to just pop into your bag and apply when needed.

Breath Freshner
I love those little Listerine Pocket Paks. So tiny yet so tough. No one likes coffee breath!

Headache Tablets
I am prone to migraines and headaches so I keep a little container of Tylenol Extra Strength with me at all times. There is nothing worse than being in a meeting and having a headache start.

Hand and Body Lotion
I have several travel size bottles of lotion that can be thrown into my purse at the last minute. My current favourite is J.R. Watkins Apothecary Aloe and Green Tea. It is very refreshing – perfect for hot summer days and evenings.

Gloss
Summer is all about gloss! I have two in my bag at the moment: Rimmel Light Beam in 100 in the Mix and MAC Lipglass in Young Spark. The Rimmel gloss is so funny – it has a little mirror on the side and it has a light inside so you can apply at night! What will they think of next?

Eyeshadow
I would not usually say that eyeshadow should be an item in my bag…but this dual-ended eyeshadow wand from DaLish is fantastic. Swipe a little on your lid and gently smooth and you are done. Smart!

Hair Smoother
When the weather outside gets a little humid – as it is not, my hair gets a mind of its own. I like to be able to smooth it down and stop those stray flyaway hairs from sticking straight up! Recently I was introduced to Herbal Essences Shimmery Nights and it is great for those naughty stray hairs and it also adds a little shimmer to my coif too!

Business cards
You never know who you are going to meet – whether it is a potential client, employer or cute guy

Every time M·A·C launches a new collection I get butterflies in my tummy! I just want to get my hands on it and try it out. Each is quite different and quite lovely.

Flashtronic is a collection that everyone can enjoy. With shimmering shades and a little luminescence thrown in, you can take this collection from daytime to sexy evenings out partying.

Flashtronic contains six mineralized powder eyeshadows that consist of up to four shades swirled together in one pan, three high-frost metallic powders – perfect for cheeks and four neutral lipglass colours that will compliment all skin tones.

I have been trying out this collection and really love it. My picks from the collection are:

Lipglass – Young Spark and Flashtronic
Eyeshadow – Quarry and By Jupiter
Skinfinish – Northern Light

For your information, here is the full collection listing:

Lipglass
Perfectly Pink: a creamy mid-tone pink (cream).
Flashtronic: a caramel bronze with subtle gold pearl (cream).
Young Spark: a neutral pink with subtle gold pearl (cream).
Electro-Lush: a creamy blue pink (cream).

Mineralize Eye Shadow
By Jupiter: a light taupe with beige and deep brown veining (frost).
Tectonic: a yellow gold with lime green, warm brown and black veining (frost).
Ether: a deep aqua with silver, black and gold veining (frost).
Mercurial: a yellow gold with lilac and chestnut veining (frost).
Lovestone: a raspberry with wine and copper veining (frost).
Quarry Sky: a blue with olive, coral and beige veining (frost).

Mineralize Skinfinish
Northern Light: a mid-tone pink with rust and grey brown veining.
Gold Spill: a pink peach with warm brown and cream pearl.
Global Glow: a mid-tone brown with gold pearl.

http://www.maccosmetics.com/

Two weeks ago I wrote an article on Lash Jewels and asked you if you had tried it and what you thought. Well my goodness did you tell me!

Last year I wrote about April Jacob and her fantastic cosmetic company Pink Beauty. I am a huge fan of this newer company and follow its every step.

Jacob recently released her latest collection, Beloved, which is perfect for the modern day glamour girl on-the-go.

“The look for ‘Beloved’ is fresh, flirty, natural, and specially designed to flatter any skin tone and enhance inner beauty,” says Jacob. “A woman looks best when she radiates from the inside out – this collection, with its soft neutrals and fresh vibrant color echoes that sentiment – I want women to not only look refreshed and lively but feel it too.”

I have tried several items from the new collection and love them all. My favourite product from Pink Beauty will always be their lip gloss and the new Glamour Glaze Lip Gloss is now a firm fixture in my beauty bag!

Live in Vancouver? Come meet the Founder and President of Pink Beauty in person. April Jacob will be at Holt Renfrew this Saturday and will be sharing her beauty secrets for achieving that glamorous look on the go.

Saturday, July 28th
10:30am – 5:30pm
Vancouver Holt Renfrew
Call 604-681-3121 to book a personal appointment or just drop by to
meet April.

http://www.pinkbeautycosmetics.com/

It is said that our eyes are the ‘windows to our soul’. If you believe that, and I do, then we want to make them stand out and look their best.

For me, mascara really brings out my eyes – I have short, light coloured, stumpy lashes and so I need the assistance of a great mascara to lengthen those puppies. Here are some mascaras that I have recently tried:

Brand: Avon
Product: Uplifting Mascara
Description: Revolutionary ‘flex-extend’ brush that bends to the perfect angle, allowing you to hold and lift lashes for dramatic results. Provides 75% more length and 100% more lift.
Colours: Black, Brown, Black/Brown and Navy
Price: $9.99CAD
Where to buy: Your Avon representative and online
Overall: Available in Canada October 2007. This brush really does bend! I was scared that I was going to snap it off – but no it’s still bending. Lashes look natural but have amazing length to them.
Would I buy? Yes most definitely. And with the price being so reasonable I can buy all the colours!

Brand: Besame Cosmetics
Product: Sculpture Lash
Description: A conditioning film for maximum curl, leaving lashes soft and supple, never stiff.· Silicone polymers to lengthen and thicken lashes for a full and natural look.· Pro-vitamin B5 and Keratin to moisturize the lashes.· Rosea Root Extract with anti-aging compounds to strengthen the lashes and hair shaft.· A fixing film that forms an ultra-luxurious water-resistant coating on lashes.
Colours: Plum, Black
Price: $26USD
Where to buy: Vancouver Holt Renfrew, Henri Bendel and online
Overall: I tried the black and it looked great on and felt good. I am not sure if it was me but I had smudges under my eye at the end of the day. I tried it a couple of days and same thing happened.
Would I buy? I’d try the plum and see if the same thing happens

Brand: Borghese
Product: Superiore
Description: Infused with a built-in, silk-powder foundation for superior wear, delicate lashes are coddled in natural conditioners while providing smudge-proof, flake-proof coverage. Enriched with Acqua di Vita ‘Living Water’ complex for stronger, more luxurious lashes. Suitable for contact lens wearers and sensitive eyes.
Colours: Black, Brown
Price: $18USD
Where to buy: Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Dillards, The Shopping Channel and online
Overall: I tried the brown. Colour was natural and lashes looked full and long. Product lasted all day without flaking or smudging. Slight chemical smell to product. Would buy this mascara.
Would I buy? Yes, but it is currently only available in Canada on TSC so far.

Brand: Benefit Cosmetics
Product: BADgal Blue
Description:This deep-blue-violet mascara makes eyes whiter and brighter: blue appear more blue; brown eyes more golden; and hazel eyes more lush green.
Colours: Blue (also comes in black)
Price: $19USD/$25CAD
Where to buy: Sephora, The Bay, Shoppers Drug Mart, Amazon and online
Overall: My lashes look full and long. The blue really brightens up my tired eyes.

Would I buy? I have both the blue and the black and love them. Yes.

Brand: Imju
Product: Fiberwig
Description: An instant drying formula creates a long lasting film coat around your natural lashes. Fiberwig imparts a perfect, smudge-proof maximum lash extension effect with a water-resistant formula that’s easy to remove with warm water, without risking damaging or losing your natural lashes. A jet-black fiber film coats the surface of each lash with long-lasting, clump-free, lash lengthening color that’s resistant to tears, sweat, and oil.
Colours: Black
Price: $22USD
Where to buy: Sephora
Overall: This mascara does not smudge nor clump as promised and it feels like I have nothing on my lashes. I did find that it lengthened as stated but I would love a little fatness too for my skinny lashes. I would highly recommend it for those that wear contact lenses as this product stays put. I have to admit the peeling of the mascara off my lashes was a bit messy in my personal opinion.
Would I buy? Yes but it does not seem to be available in Canada.

Do you agree or disagree with me? What are your experiences with these brands? I want to hear from you!