Toronto Makeup Finds

Since moving to Toronto, I have access to beauty products like never before. I haven't done as much damage as I thought - much restraint. With that said, "With much power (knowledge) comes much responsibility", so I feel it is my duty to share with you the vast number of fabulous makeup finds.

PIR- Praise Jesus Google Maps exists, or else I would not have found this little gem of a boutique. Tucked within Yorkville on a side street, contains a full hair salon and makeup store. Within it, contains niche products such as  Kevyn Aucoin, Eve Lom, Paula Dorf and Mario Badescu. 
http://www.pircosmetics.com/

R. Hiscott- Purveyor of theatrical makeup and wigs. Whilst its former digs was cluttered and cramped, the location on the Danforth is small but better laid out. They still provide incredible experience and knowledge with companies such as Mehron and Ben Nye. If you need Pros Aid or 1st degree, you can find it here.
 
Blur Makeup Room- Meeting the creator of Yaby cosmetics and the staff at this great little find, was a fantastic experience. I was able to purchase the ever elusive Embryolisse Creme Concentre as well as other lovely little products otherwise scarce; Yaby cosmetics, OCC, Graftobian, Bdellium tools, Lit Cosmetics, Stilazzi, Face Atelier and Kim Green line of bags.
Blur Makeup Room

Pacific Mall - It brought me back to my days in Korea. Love the stalls containing many health and beauty stores. Here is where I found true BB creams like my beloved Lioelle Waterdrop.

M.A.C. Pro Store- Before moving here, I visited this store whenever I was in Toronto. Love it and will always find a place in my heart for this one on Bloor Street West

Jealousy - Cute store on Queen Street West, where there are tons of Asian Beauty products but also Me, Me, Me line of cosmetics

Kryolan Makeup Store - Kryolan store with an Acadamey within the building. Knowledgeable staff and tons of products. Finally, found Z-palettes in Toronto!

Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques - the mega store is located in the Eaton Centre. It definitely received a make over. It is sleek and sexy, with lacquered black and stations intricately placed winding throughout the store. This has Darphin, Chanel, L'Occitane, Philosophy as well as the usual Biotherm, Clarins, Smashbox etc.

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

M.A.C. Fall 2013 Indulge

M.A.C.

Fall Colour is a surreal feast for the senses, where no taste is too extravagant and no behaviour beyond limits.

With models wearing ostentatious makeup and clothes; and bountiful amounts of decadent desserts, M.A.C.'s newest offering, suggests luxury and richness. Personally, I will be looking at the eyeshadows' textures to judge how truly "luxe" they really are.

Eyeshadow 
$18.00 Cdn
 
Gilty Morsel- glittery light gold (lustre)
Sex & The Oyster- mid-tone grayed blue green (veluxe pearl)

Three Ring Yellow- bright sulfer green yellow (veluxe pearl)
Divine Decadence- soft bronze (veluxe)
Beluga- dark charcoal with multi-dimensional pearl (veluxe)
Eat, Love -deep emerald (satin)
Deep Cravings - dark shimmery grey (veluxe pearl)
Palace Pedigreed - dark plum (satin)

Fluid Line
$19.00 Cdn
 
Black Track* - solid flat black
Deliciously Rich- shimmering dirty taupe
Gilt Gourmet - sparkling brushed gold


Mascara
$25.00 Cdn
 
Haute and Naughty*

Cheek - Creamblend Blush 
$25.00 Cdn
Tease Your Tastes - soft neutral pink
Glamour Feast - deep rose

Lipstick
$18.00 Cdn
 
Smash Hit - sheer gold sparkle (dazzle)
By Design - soft shimmery beige (frost)
Feed the Senses -mid-tone mauvey nude (lustre)
Just a Bite - mid-tone blue red (satin)
Sweet Succulence - deep glossy plum (lustre)

Lipglass
$18.00 Cdn
 
Ultimate Dish - light beige with pearl
Fashion Punch - mid-tone neutral pink
Liqueur - shimmering taupe
Lust For Life - dark berry
Utterly Tart - deep red

Nail Lacquer
$19.00 Cdn
 
Sinfully Sweet - sparkling champagne with gold pearl (frost)
Magnificent Feast -sparkling true gold (frost)
Discotheque- super glittery silver (frost)
Impassioned- bright warm pink (cream)
Screening Room - bright mid-tone teal (cream)

Rebel - mid-tone cream plum (cream)

Makeup Essentials

As a teenager I didn't really wear much, if any makeup. However, I started "collecting" makeup in my 20's, a little later than most, but I have made up for it, trust. In my day-to-day life,  I am asked quite often about the makeup basics - what are the essentials? I generally have to probe a little further and see their comfort level with makeup.

One doesn't need to spend an exorbitant amount on basics as the drugstore brands have some really great products. Honestly, unless you are willing to fork over $40 to $50 on a foundation, stick with the following:

Base:

This includes liquid foundation, cream,powder, BB Creams, tinted moisturizer. Depending on your skin type and desired look, a base is literally like your house's foundation. It is the base on which everything else relies and depends on. Be the pickiest with this and choose the proper colour, finish and type. 

For those with:

Normal to Combination-Oily

Revlon Colour Stay

Maybelline Fit Me stick

L'Oreal True Match

Marcelle BB Cream

Revlon ColorStay Whipped

Normal to Dry skin

Rimmel Wake Me Up

Marcelle BB Cream

L'Oreal Magic Lumi

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

 

If you want to "set" your base, which isn't always necessary and an extra step, I recommend Rimmel Stay Matte. 

Additionally, concealer is a girl's best friend. If you are blessed to have fabulous skin with minimal discolouration or spots, all you need is a concealer.

Rimmel Wake Me Up

Revlon Photo Ready - not under the eyes

Maybelline Age Rewind

Maybelline Fit Me

Mascara

Most makeup artists will tell you that mascara is the little black dress of makeup.While, I understand this, I didn't start wearing mascara until about 5 years ago. However, I believe if you want to draw attention to your eyes and wear the minimum, choose mascara.

Rimmel Sexy Lashes

L'oreal Voluminous

Maybelline The Falsies and Colossus

Drugstore mascaras are brilliant and they are so much cheaper than their high end counterparts. I do not like throwing away money and every 3 months, that mascara has got to go.

Cheeks

Once you use your base, you need to bring the colour back into the cheeks to give you some dimension. This is where the mass brands need work. Most do not carry cream blushers and the powder ones are chalky and not finely milled. However, NYX makes fantastic powder blushers as does Revlon. Most recently Marcelle brought out a Jelly Cheek Flush reminiscent of Givenchy's cheek product. Rimmel also makes a great matte bronzer.

Eyeshadow

I love eyeshadow and playing up my eyes. This is the easiest way to look "done". Cream shadows are so nice and new formulations make them easy to use and not crease. I personally love Maybelline Colour Tattoo shadows. Additionally, L'Oreal make fabulous loose powdered shadows that are smooth like butter.

Along with shadow, one can use eyeliners, but this is an accessory and therefore not necessary. Eyeshadows can be used as an eyeliner and they create a softer look than a kohl or liquid liners. However, you want to use an eyeliner, Rimmel ScandalEyes are better than most high end liners. 

Lips

Lest we forget the lips. Most brands have amazing lipsticks, glosses and balms. Honestly, depending on how sheer or opaque you want them, there is a product for you. Revlon's Lip butters are hugely popular and for good reason. They are sheer but still give you enough colour to be noticeable. Additionally, you don't need to fuss with them and they come in a variety of colours. Revlon also brought out the Kissable Lip Stains. They are long lasting without drying the lips. Another long lasting lip range are the Maybelline 24hr lip series- stains, lipsticks. Fantastic!

If you want a more lacquered and opaque look Rimmel just recently launched the Apocalips in Canada. I can't rave enough about them. 

L'Oreal and Revlon have always had great lipstick shades and formulations. However, I can't get over the fragrance. Therefore, it is hard for me to recommend them. With that said, they are trendy and smooth with some great classic colours.

Thanks for coming by

cheers,

xo Megs

Bridal Makeup/Long Lasting Makeup

I had the pleasure of doing my good friend's wedding day makeup and her bridal party, that would be 6 in total.....phew. It was so much fun to make each one of them feel beautiful and comfortable.  While the former is paramount, the latter is extremely important too. For instance, three of my girls did not routinely wear makeup, which can be slightly uncomfortable for them and tricky for the makeup artist. Whether it be extremely natural makeup or a smokey eye, to them any amount of makeup was going to be shocking. The key is to really keep the colours neutral and use their colouring as a guide. For example, look at their natural lip colour and go a little a shade lighter or darker. For the eyes, keep the colours soft and matte and use these colours to accentuate their eye colour. Remember to explain to them that flash photography with wash them out and that makeup is needed. I like taking a picture with a flash just to show them the difference.

TRICKS

Use waterproof makeup wherever you can! Companies have some excellent products that keep that makeup from going anywhere.
Make Up For Ever aqua eye liners are fabulous

Layer, layer layer- this means using an eye pencil then going over it with a similar eye shadow. Use lip liner and then a lipstick, blot, lipstick ,blot, lipstick.

PRIMER - using a face primer and an eye primer is essential for any long lasting makeup. I love using Smashbox Photofinish Primer. They are all oil-free and great for making the skin smooth and flawless.

FOUNDATION when it is hot and you want it to last, I love using Cover FX Natural FX and MAC's Face and Body. These babies last under most conditions. Be warned - if you have super oily skin proceed with the aforementioned with caution. They do not work as well.

SETTING SPRAYS - Urban Decay De-Slick is an excellent one and MAC's Fix Plus

Wedding makeup is definitely individual. However, I am a firm believer of having the Bride looking like herself but glamorous.
xo Megs

Kohl Rimmed Eyes

We all know that the eyes are the windows to the soul and with a little Kohl those windows bring the heat. A little bit rock n' roll, sexy and smokey,the kohl rimmed eye dates back to the ancient Egyptians where it was used to protect the eyes from the sun and ward of the Evil Eye. Other parts of the world used it as a cosmetic. For instance in India, kohl brought attention to the eyes and dancers' movements. Whether you call it kohl or kajal, the look creates a sensual look and both sexes have been using it for years. Look at johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow or the past punk and rock n' roll gods - it draws you in, creates mystery and wantonness.

 
Skip to now and the sexiness of it isn't going anywhere. Just hit a club or a couple out on a date, the eyes will be smoked out with the blackness of kohl or a variation of it. The way kohl was made was a little suspect, now modern formulas are safe and beautiful. It comes in variations such as the traditional powder and the ease of a pencil. Such companies as Guerlain make an ornate packaged powdered version that intimidates me. For me, the pencil version is the easiest and gives me the desired look. Rimmel makes a fabulous version, as do MAC and Lancome. Be forewarned kohls are soft and will smudge, but that is what makes it sexy ;)

Recommended:

Guerlain Terracotta Kohl

Rimmel Kohl Kajal -Black

M.A.C Kohl - Feline and Smoulder

Lancome Le Crayon Khol - Black Ebony, Black Lapis

Thanks for dropping by.

xo Megs

Newly Tried Companies: LIT Cosmetics

I have never been much of a glitter girl, but having watched a few YouTube videos where Lit Cosmetics were either mentioned and/or used, piqued my interest in this Canadian company. Lit is a Calgary- based glitter cosmetic company and Jodie ,the owner and creator, seems like a free-spirit who believes in the power of sparkle and shine.

I browsed through the online catalog, which is very extensive in colours and sizes.There are four sizes of glitter S1 to S4. S1 is a microcut glitter and more refined, S2 is the most popular size and small cut; S3 is large cut and S4 is the largest. It also comes in different textures - Solids, Electrics, Metallics, and Shimmers. Furthermore, ordering a kit of is a better deal plus you receive glitter glue, a brush and a puff that removes any stray glitter. So I ordered three stackable colours - Punk, Fire Cracker and Beach Baby.

The colours are beautiful and the base is sticky at first, but after a few blinks you don't even feel it. It is also relatively easy to remove. The thing that stands out with this company is the customer service. At the time of ordering, Jodie and her crew were going to be in NYC at the IMATS so my order was going to be delayed. She wrote me and indicated that she threw in some extra goodies for me. When my package arrived a handwritten note accompanied it. Nice touch ;)

 Overall, great Canadian company and if you want a little glitter in your life, check out Lit.

www.litcosmetics.com


Price per glitter $12.95
package of 3 $68.95, includes puff, glitter base and brush

Take care,
xo Megs

Loving Now: Make Up For Ever

As a makeup artist, I have access to a variety of brands. One brand that most people have heard of but has not made a lot of hype is Make Up For Ever. On par with M.A.C., Illamasqua, Kryolan and Ben Nye, this French company is known to pro- artists as well as those who enjoy a good eyeshadow.  I feel that the lack of accessibility and less glamorous collections make this a slightly overlooked company.

For me, their HD foundation is a must. A natural finish and a fantastic colour range, makes this base one of my favourite foundations. Additionally, their eyeshadows are pigmented and so smooth. Great colours and versatility. Most like their Aqua Eyes liners and cream bases. I concur and add that their aqua black is a phenomenal liner, espeically for the water line.

I also ventured into their flash palette. This little gem contains creamy, smooth pigments that would be similar to M.A.C's chromaline, chromapaint and chromagraph line. It is also similar to Kryolan's pigment palette. For the daily makeup user, I don't think this little package is needed, however for those of us who love  and are deeply embedded in this art form, I recommend it.

I have also used their Stardust loose pigments. I have the black powder with black glitter..... uh gorgeous! Fallout is a slight problem, but with pigments that is always the case.

Other products that I recommend is the Face and Body foundation. Whilst, the fragrance is off-putting, the finish is beautiful and lasts all day. The texture is almost gel-like and lovely to blend. 

In Canada, Make Up For Ever can be found at Sephora. Additionally, head office is in Montreal and boutiques at some Sephora stores that carry pro products.

Thanks for reading and let me know, what Make Up For Ever products are your favourite?

xo Megs

Jennifer Lawrence Makeup Tutorial

I will admit it, I have a crush.....a girl crush on Jennifer Lawrence. Honestly, these days, who doesn't?! One can't help but like this young, talented and endearing actress.

She wears a smokey eye for most glamorous events and keeps it simple for other outings. This look is fabulous if you have a hooded eye. The keys to this look is to extend the wing, go lower on the bottom, go slightly above the crease and keep the upper lash liner thin.

Enjoy and take care,
xo Megs

Faves and Fails

Faves and Fails....

Faves
M.A.C Opulash Optimum Black Mascara
M.A.C. Pro Conceal and Correct
Revlon ColorStay Whipped Foundation
Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre
Bioderma Sensibio
Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal
OCC Lip Tars
M.A.C. Lip Mixes
Caudalie S.O.S Vinosource
M.A.C. Prep and Prime Lip Conditioner
Lush Sweet Lips Exfoliant
Nuxe Reve de Miel
Vikings - History Channel
The Following- TV show
If I Had a Heart- Fever Ray

Fails:
Essence Fine Eyeliner
Physicians Formula Felt Eyeliner
NeoStrata Toning Solution 1
L'Oreal True Match Foundation
M.A.C In Extreme Dimension Mascara

Thanks for dropping by. I hope you enjoy.
xo Megs

Beauty Things I Suck At - TAG

Beauty Things I Suck At TAG

Shop and Share #2

Okay, I did it. I broke down and purchased the Make Up For Ever Flash Palette. Its gorgeousness and creaminess were calling my name, I couldn't stand it any longer. But I didn't stop there..... MUFE brow corrector, YSL Le Tient Touche Eclat, M.A.C. Japanese Maple and Sophisto lipsticks, Urban Decay De-slick setting spray, Butter London Thames and British Racing Green, Essence nail stamp, M.A.C. Pressed Pigment Light Touch and MUFE Aqua Black.

Reviews to come.......
Thanks for dropping by,
xo Megs

S/S 2013 Trends - Ethereal/ Healthy Skin

Listening to the strings of Vivaldi's Spring, transports me out of the greyness that is the lingering winter and inspires me to write about Spring and Summer Trends. Graphic liner and colours aside, the main focus seemed to be beautiful, glowing and radiant skin. Bring out your highlighter guys and gals because nothing is more youthful or more of a metaphor for spring, then shedding the winter layers of dullness to expose fresh and ethereal skin. Matthew Williamson, Marni, Theyskens' Theory and Balmain captured this perfectly. Along the same lines, is the ubiquitous bronzed glow. However, this season it is healthy and natural looking. Gone is the spray tan a la orange, it is replaced by a subtle refined bronze.

www.allure.com

While not looking difficult, this look does require the illusion of perfect skin. So taking care of it properly along with a great moisturiser, foundation and concealer are imperative. Following a good base, is placing a cream highlighter strategically. If you are going for a bronzed look, use cream bronzers as they blend into the skin better and thus create a natural look. Keep eye makeup to a minimum and use creams. Cheeks should also be restrained and creamy.

Suggested Products:

Make Up For Ever- Uplights
M.A.C. - Strobe cream, Pearl Cream Colour Base
Hourglass - Ambient Lighting Powder
Kevin Aucoin - Celestial Powder Candlelight
Chanel- Soliel Tan de Chanel
Rimmel - Wake Me Up Foundation
Revlon - Nearly Nude Foundation
Shiseido -Radiant Lifting Foundation
Benefit - Watts Up

What do you think of the dewy skin for spring and summer? What products do you enjoy using to look radiant?

Thanks for reading
xo Megs