A Small Haul

Hi all,

Last night I decided to check out the Rexall (a Canadian drug store chain) close to the University of Toronto. I read earlier this week that a few Rexall locations in Toronto are carrying some hard-to-find brands such as TheBalm, Cargo, Vasanti, Studio Makeup and much more. 

I was not disappointed! First, I have to say that the cosmetician at this location was, in a word, superb. Leia saw me at the NYX display that was empty of anything I was interested in, i.e. a good selection of Soft Matte Lip Creams (Milan, Copenhagen, and Ibiza specifically). As I came around the corner to the displays for The Balm and other mid-range cosmetics, Leia came up to me totally unobtrusively (thanks for that, Leia!) and we just started chatting about makeup. 

Leia, like me, was not at all interested in makeup, skincare and all of the things BOT is about until a bit later than most gals. She gently moved me from brand to brand, telling me her honest opinion about a few things that I was interested in, and once she got to know a bit about my preferences (she had my colouring down pat within 10 seconds!) she introduced me to new products from some amazing brands I hadn't known about. Check out the gorgeousness from Emani, a vegan, cruelty-free brand from California:

Emani Mineral Hybrid Cremes in (l) No Free Ride and (r) Co-Dependent

Emani Mineral Hybrid Cremes in Co-Dependent

Can you see the shimmer creams and pinks in the beige?

Leia can tell you, I actually gasped when I saw these.

Emani Mineral Hybrid Cremes in No Free Ride 

(horrible quality, but its' hard for the camera to focus on these!)

Again, the slight shimmer in the light greens and creams is just gorgeous. 

Next up, a selection of Cargo Cosmetics product is carried at Rexall. I've never seen it anywhere else except for the junky makeup islands at Winners and Marshall's. I have two Cargo liquid lipsticks in my collection and their Suited to a Tea palette. Suited to a Tea contains 12 cream eyeshadows that frankly, are disappointing. The colour payoff is minimal and they are all exceedingly difficult to blend. Leia told me that Cargo is used on photo shoots and film sets, so perhaps the professionals have better luck (read: skills)  than I. It is also aggravating that a Canadian company that is located in Toronto only offers free shipping over $50 to the US. 

In any case, Leia and I discussed the merits of Cargo's Jet Lag concealer (which, in a gimmicky yet kind of cool move, you get 30 frequent flier miles if you purchase this product for $30!) that Leia said is her holy grail concealer - and then she lost it. I think, when I'm wealthier, I'm going to have to replace it for her. I purchased the contour palette - out of stock on the website, and I got the peach colour instead of pink:

I have to say, the packaging is really cool. The palette is enclosed in what looks like a brushed stainless steel cigarette case. Cargo's logo is clean and unobtrusive, so the whole look is nice. 

I haven't tried this yet, but it looks like it will be nice. Leia knew the pink wouldn't work for me, so she made sure I got the last peach palette. Thanks, Leia! Just in case you're not sure what each product does what, Cargo has stamped it on each colour. Thanks, Cargo!

WHAT'S THIS?! A bonus gift with purchase!  

The Essential Lip Colour in Santa Fe - described as a deep apricot. See below for a swatch (one pass).

I am deeply in love with this deep apricot. This rookie lipstick went straight to the top and won a coveted place in my purse makeup case. Welcome to the big leagues, Santa Fe.

And that, my friends, is my first little haul post. Tell me what you've purchased recently that you like or even dislike, and how you're using your newest products. No restrictions! Makeup, hair, clothes, jewellery, I want to hear about all of it. 

Til next time,

Amanda

All About Lips!

Helloooo pretty!
(can anyone tell me what Doctor Who episode "Helloooo pretty!" is from? Bonus points if you can!)

It is ghastly and cold here in Toronto at the moment, and along with a request or two, these are the reasons I have recorded the following video all about lips!

Watch to see my favourite lip care products that are widely available. I also give a basics tutorial on lip lining and lipstick application. Check it out:

Finally, a decent thumbnail.

Here are the products I mentioned:

For Exfoliation:

• ELF Lip Exfoliator ($4CAD at Target)
• Make your own scrub with 1tbsp olive oil and enough white sugar to make a paste; store in the refrigerator. 

I know of at least two other lip scrubs. Frankly, the BITE lip scrub is basically cherry-flavoured chapstick with microbeads that do absolutely nothing to really exfoliate and at $21CAD, there is no reason to buy it. I don't have any experience with the Fresh lip scrub, so let me know what you think if you've used it. It better be a miracle for $26CAD for 0.6oz!

Night Treatment:

• Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips is cruelty-free! Yay!
• Lansinoh Nipple Balm (also available at drugstores)
• BITE Agave Lip Mask At $30CAD for 0.52oz, I think most people can pass on this and use either Dr. Lipp or Lansinoh. 

Lip Liners:

• Rimmel Moisture Renew Universal Lip Liner (001 Universal) is available at drugstores where Rimmel is carried; most drugstore brands offer a transparent lip liner. It's made out of Shea Butter and is not a petroleum product. 
• MAC Prolongwear Lip Liner in Absolutely It

Lipstick is MAC Satin Finish Lipstick in Amorous

Have a great day!
Amanda

BOT Video! Basic Face Makeup

Hellllooo!

I have been working on this video for a few days, and most of the trouble has been with recording a voiceover. I am learning so much about making videos, building the site, connecting to the social media channels and trying to produce good, relevant content. I highly appreciate any feedback or suggestions you have, perhaps you've seen some of these thing done really well on another blog. Send me links and I will check them out and apply any best practices to make this site and its associated channels your go-to place to learn about beauty as you (and I!) experiences changes associated with getting a bit older and a little wiser both personally and professionally. 

Without further ado, here is Beauty Over Thirty: Face Makeup 

(UGH! YouTube chooses Horrifying thumbnails!)

Over time (or so I'm told), the time it takes for me to do this will get shorter. I'll post a new video when I've got it down to five minutes. 

I can't say this enough: when it comes to getting colour matched for foundation (the first step in finding your holy grail foundation), go to your nearest MAC standalone store or counter in your department store. I have never found a better way of shade matching, not even the Sephora thingy /sarcasm. I say why in the video ;) Here's what you can do:

1. Tell the artists (staff) nicely in the store or at the counter that you are looking for your holy grail foundation and it is essential that you get matched to MAC's system. They will be delighted to help you out. 
2. Tell your artist what kind of skin you have, e.g. oily, combination, normal, dry, etc. Your skin type matters a good deal in matching you to the right line. 
3. Tell your artist if you are looking for a liquid or powder foundation. This comes down to preference. I love liquid foundations, but I think that's because I just don't have a lot of experience with powders. If you don't have a preference, get the artist to try both!
4. Make sure they try at least one shade in each of their product lines (Studio Sculpt, Prolongwear, Studio Fix, etc). The first time I went to go through this at a MAC counter the artist only tries one shade in one product. Not good. 
5. Th artist will apply each product on your face where the jawline meets the neck. This is to make sure the shade is the right match not to your face (I didn't know this a month ago) BUT to your neck/chest. Neck particularly is your real skin tone. 
6. It will become obvious which one is a match to you under the atrocious makeup store/counter lighting. Run outside with a mirror and see if it works in real light. Doing this would've saved me a second trip.
7. Give your artist feedback and keep testing in store until you have a good match or two. Ask for a sample (which comes in a small plastic clamshell pot, like your paint came in when you were 5) of each match to take home. My artist not only gave me the foundation sample, but also a sample of Strobe cream (does anyone have experience with this? What is it supposed to do?) and a few mascara samples. Neat!
8. Use the samples over the next week and you should have a finalist within a few days. You can then go back to MAC and buy the matching shade OR... (here comes magique...!)
9. You can go to Sephora, Shoppers, local boutiques...anywhere that sells the foundation brand you like (perhaps by formula or coverage or weight). Tell the cosmetician or "Cast Member" (Sephora) what MAC shade you are and they should be able to pick out a fairly close match in your preferred brand; maybe a shade off, but definitely in the right vicinity. 
10. At Sephora (not sure about elsewhere...let me know if you know please!) you can ask for samples of as many foundations as you want. All you have to do is tell them your MAC shade and that you want to try some other brands. 
11. If the Cast Member offers the Sephora SkinIQ, I would politely with a stern face say "no thanks" and ask for samples of matches to your MAC shade in the brands you want. I got Guerlain, Make Up For Ever and Hourglass samples and they are simply divine. 
12. Alternately, you can check the Temptalia Foundation Matrix for your highest rated matches, take a trip to Sephora, get a few samples of Temptalia matches, and bob's your uncle! You are well on your way to finding your holy grail. Woot!

PRODUCT LIST

• Benefit "The Porefessional" balm for pores
• Smashbox Photo Finish Primer in Colour Correct & Adjust (green, travel size is much more economical!)
• MAC Prolongwear Foundation in NW15
• Benefit "Hoola" bronzer
• Chanel Joues Contraste in 59 Imprévu
• Guerlain Les Météorites in 02 Clair

I hope you enjoyed the video. Please give me some feedback about what kind of videos you want to see, if you know some blogs that are seriously kicking bum at this stuff...Bam! Learning!