Fall/Winter 2013-14

Pumpkin Spice Lattes can only mean one thing, Autumn has arrived. With that, the leaves change, so too must our makeup. This year offers up the usual wine lips and velvet skin, with a splash of glitter and cat eyes. Gone is the smokiness of charcoal/black - Orange, plum and washes of grey dominated the models' eyes.


Glitter:

Hard one to wear and look professional and chic. There are ways around it with glitter liners and subtle sized neutral glitter, but I would forgo the pieces of sparkly confetti for work and leave it for a night out.

Photo credit:Imaxtree harpers bazaar

Photo credit:Imaxtree harpers bazaar

Cat eyes:

In every colour, why not?! One can go as loud or a demure with this trend. It can be soft with rounded edges or more graphic and striking with sharp edges. Either way it is work and night out appropriate

Photo credit:Imaxtree harpers bazaar

Photo credit:Imaxtree harpers bazaar

Wine lips:

This is more of a stain and polished look. It still is mysterious and vampy and luckily without the gloss. Use your finger to pat the lipstick on your lips or use a lip balm then lipstick.

Photo credit:Imaxtree harpers bazaar

Colour washes:

Oranges, plums and greys. Nice indeed and simple.
To accomplish this look, use a larger fluffy crease brush. It allows for a dusting of colour.

Photo credit:Imaxtree harpers bazaar

Photo credit:Imaxtree harpers bazaar

Photo credit:Imaxtree harpers bazaar

 Thanks for taking a look
xo Megs

2012 Favourites

2012 Beauty Favourites Part 1

2012 Beauty Favourites Part 2 - Makeup

Relaxing on my sofa and waxing philosophical about 2012, I found myself making a list of things I want to accomplish and change for 2013.  For instance traveling more, spending more time with friends, and eating less Jelly Belly jelly beans. Then there is my love and some say passion/obsession for makeup and beauty.  In 2012, this has only further intensified with starting my blog and new products on the market. So, without further procrastination, here are my favourites for this past year.

Hair

Hair- Kevin Murphy Angel Wash and Rinse

Treatment- Kevin Murphy Young Again

Face

Sunscreen- SkinCeuticals Physical fusion UV Defense

Mask/Exfoliator- Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant

Eye Cream- Nuxe Nirvanesque Contour des Yeux
Serum - Day - Korres Wild Rose Face and Eye
Serum - Night - Estee Lauder Advnace Night Repair

Face Cleanser - Korres White Tea Cleanser and Bioderma Sensibio
Primer - Urban Decay Primer Potion, Smashbox Photofinish
Foundation - Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum
Blush - Lancome Cedar Rose, Chanel Pink Cloud, Claris Multi-Blush Litchi
Eyeshadow - Patina, Copperplate, Coquette, Shroom, Brule
Eyeliner -MAC Coffee
Brows - Sephora Lash and Brow Gel

Mascara - Opulash Optimum Black

Liquid Eye Liner- Physicians Formula

Lips

Lip stick- MAC Gleam, Clarins Pink Lilac

Lip Liner - MAC Subculture

Lip gloss- MAC Florabundance

Tools

Real techniques brushes

Brush Guards

Shu Uemura Lash Curler

Beauty Blender Sponge

What are your 2012 favourites? Anything the same?
Take care,
xo Megs

The Who's Who of Beauty

As someone who uses and "collects" makeup, I have a habit of being a tad biased when it comes to some companies. I have always noticed, whether it was the packaging, texture or ingredients, obvious similarities between high-end and low-end cosmetics. This can be explained by who owns them. Now, most people know L'Oreal owns Lancome, Maybelline, Vichy and La Roche Posay and Estee Lauder owns Clinique and MAC, but there were some other brands that many do not know about. There are four major players on the beauty scene and these include Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) and Shiseido.

I have compiled lists of some of the companies and their brands:

Estee Lauder

• Aramis
• Clinique
• Smashbox
• MAC
• Prescriptives
• Bobbi Brown
• Origins
• Tommy Hilfiger
• La Mer
• Aveda
• Jo Malone
• Bumble and Bumble
• Michael Kors
• Darphin
• Tom Ford
• Coach
• Ojon

L'Oreal

• L'Oreal Paris
• Garnier
• Maybelline New York
• Essie
• Giorgio Armani
• Keratase
• Redken
• Matrix
• Shu Uemura
• Ralph Lauren
• Lancome
• Helena Rubinstein
• Biotherm
• Cacharel
• Viktor and Rolf
• Diesel
• The Body Shop
• YSL Beaute
• Vichey
• La Roche Posay
• Kiehl's
• Roger & Gallet
• Skinceuticals
• Stella McCartney

LVMH

• Benefit
• Acqua di Parma
• Guerlain
• Givenchy
• Marc Jacobs
• Christian Dior
• Kenzo
• Fresh
• Make Up For Ever
• Sephora's namesake line
• Fendi

Shiseido

• Ayura
• Cle de Peau
• Decleor
• Iso Hair
• Joico
• NARS Cosmetics
• Jean Paul Gaultier
• Issey Miyake
• Narciso Rodriguez
• John Varvatos

Bourjois/Wertheimer

• Bourjois
• Chanel

Clarins

• Kibio
• Thierry Mugler
• Azzaro
• Stock holder in L'Occitane

Revlon

• Revlon
• Almay

Coty

• Rimmel London
• Lancaster

Elizabeth Arden

• Prevage
• Fragrances such as Britany Spears

Surprising eh? So when we look at a Lancome mascara, just know that the L'Oreal mascaras have the same research/technology and ingredients behind it. Or when we look at the baked blushes at Bourjois and compare them to Chanel, they are going to be relatively similar, at a fraction of the cost.

Cheers,
xo Megs