Tooootally Tubular, Dude!

Sorry, sorry, SORRY. I started a new job in a garden centre for the summer, and it is surprising how much it is taking out of me. I'm hot all day, I have to wear a lime green shirt that is not flattering with my skin tone and matches nothing in my closet, and my boss is anal retentive (and possibly autistic) and basically screams at everyone if they so much as breathe wrong. Yesterday he got mad at me for carrying my water bottle. I was on my lunch break.

Thus, I haven't had much time or energy to devote to this site for the last couple of days. But, working there gave me the opportunity (or the excuse, which ever way you want to look at it) to try out some new makeup, which I can now offer up as a procrastination tool for you guys.

The problem: The humidity and heat in the greenhouse was doing funny things to my mascara. It was flaky and smudgy when it hadn't been either before I started working. Plus, it got wet, and then bled down into the corners of my eyes. And none of my co-workers told me. All day.

What does this tell me (besides the fact that everyone working with me are assholes)? I needed to find a new, more durable mascara if I wished to keep my dignity at work. That's what.

So I combed through Apocalypstick Now's archives, and as that woman can do no wrong makeup-wise in my eyes, I decided to try out some tubey mascara on her recommendation.

I've explained the trouble with finding 'good' brands of makeup, and it was 9:45 p.m., so I went to Wal-Mart and picked up L'Oreal's Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara. It is a double sided wand with primer on one side and mascara on the other. The mascara is not like any other that you have used before. It quite literally makes little tubes around each lash. You can see the little hollowed out tubes when you wash it off. Speaking of which, washing it off is a breeze. You wet a wash cloth, press it down gently on your lashes, then splash water on your face a couple times. This combination of pressure and water is the only thing that removes the tubes, so you can indeed cry in it and nap in it (as Apocalypstick pointed out), without worrying that you'll frighten pets and small children afterward. No racoon eyes, no mess. Simplicity is beautiful, my friends.

The primer isn't anything special on the top lashes. Actually, the first time I used it, I thought it looked like it was laced with rat hairs (BellaSugar said that it looks like 'lash lice'. Ew.). It was generally clumpy, and made my lashes look brittle when the mascara went over top. I also couldn't see any real difference between the 'primed' lashes and the 'unprimed' ones when I tested it sans-primer. But, when used on the lower lashes, the primer really delivered. My bottom lashes were about half as long as my top lashes. They were so long they brushed the bags under my eyes. The primer also makes removal much easier, if you have trouble getting the lower level mascara free.

What I've found works best is applying my regular old mascara as a primer, then giving them a second coat with the tubey formula. Yeah, my BadGal Lash is now just a very expensive primer, but combined with the Double Extend, it looks like I've got fake eyelashes on. I think this trick would only work with a wax based mascara (BadGal, Maybelline's Full 'N Soft), as other types would be too hard by the time you swiped on the tubes and would result in may-jah clumping. The tube mascara alone works pretty good, but not so awsome that you should chuck out your old stand-by. But, if you have been having trouble with the staying power of regular mascara, but don't like the damage and hassle of water proof formulas, you should walk in the way of the tube. I'll have to try out some other brands and report back. Even at this early stage, I think I might be hooked.

Listening to: Back To The Start - Lily Allen

Feel Gross? Curl Your Eyelashes!

Soooo...I'm sick with the ickiest tonsillitis in the world. The last thing I want to do is look like I'm feeling sick. Y'know what I mean? If I leave myself to be greasy, uncombed, unwashed, and uncared for, I feel way worse and all I want to do is curl up in a ball and die. But, if I force myself up, run a brush through my hair and swipe on some mascara, I feel at least 60% better. That is a statistical fact, you can check it yourself.

But lately, my lashes haven't been holding any curl. I'm using BadGal Lash by Benefit right now, and when I first put it on, everything curls right up and my lashes skim my eyebrows. But 5 minutes later, I'll catch a glimpse of myself and see that they have fallen completely flat. I might as well have done nothing at all. So, I asked myself: is it the mascara that is failing, or my crap $3 lash curler that I got at the grocery store? I picked the one that was cheapest to replace (and the words "got it at the grocery store" tipped me off that something might be amiss here).

So off I went to everyone's favorite big box store, took a gander at all of the torture tools, and was immediately caught up by LaCross' Double Curl Lash Curler. Double the curling points with half the work? And it's pink? Six Dollars? Pink? Done!

So basically, what this little gem does is crimps your lashes in 2 places with only one squeeze. That means you don't need to walk the curler out to get a graceful sweep of lash. It also means less chance that you will curl your lashes properly at the base, but then move the curler out for a second curl, hit in the middle of your lashes, and give yourself square lashes. It also helps if you want the curl of a heated lash curler, but are afraid of sticking hot things near your eyes (and so you should be!).

So...long story short, turns out that it was my crappy curler and not my mascara that was the problem. I know, big surprise. I now have curly, flirty lashes that stayed all the way through an evening date last night. I may have looked better than I felt, but I certainly would have felt much worse if I hadn't looked that good. Or...does that make any sense?...er...you know what I mean... Now excuse me, but I need some hot tea and a Strepsil. Big, flirty tonsils are not nearly as hot as big, flirty lashes.

Feel A Little Blue To Get Red-Hot

I love the idea of fire engine crazy red lips. I only ever pull electric cherry in my dreams. In reality, I usually just swipe on some pumped up version of my natural lip or a muted wine. It's pretty...but so boring. So, my fantasy Jenni is going to rock some rock-steady red. Yup.

Speaking of rock-steady and red, I have a tip from Gwen Stefani, the queen of the crimson pout: Use a sheer blue gloss over your red lipstick. It adds a blue tint to the red (but does not turn it purple) that amps up the colour, makes your lips look fuller (due to the shine reflecting off the curves of your lips), and (supposedly) makes your teeth look whiter. Whatever, if that's how Gwen gets those crazy red lips, I'm all for it. CoverGirl makes a blue gloss called Happy Hour. It's part of their Amazemint line, so it also gives a minty tingle. Mmmm minty... and I promise you won't look like you've got hypothermia.

Listening to: Bathwater - No Doubt

Rime Of The Ancient Mints

Just a quick update on the Plus White 5 Minute Speed Whitening gel I've been using.

I'm gonna say this stuff works. Yes, I know, it looks like a product you would buy from The Shopping Network or off an infomercial at 4 in the morning during a moment of sleep deprived weakness. I know it is literally the cheapest whitening product on the shelves (after whitening toothpastes. But those are crap that made the skin in my mouth peel. Ew.).

I'll admit I sort of forgot about this mission for a couple of days, so I haven't reached optimum whiteness yet. But there has been a definite and noticeable lightening of my tooth colour using this gel twice a day for about 10 minutes each time. Not quite whites-of-the-eyes white, or paper white yet, but brighter and whiter than I've gotten them before using Colgate's whitening gels.

The gel is really thick and a bit hard to spread over your teeth with q-tips, but it dries pretty quickly and does not hurt my teeth, gums, or lips if I accidentally get some on them. I have to bare my teeth for the duration of the treatment, since saliva loosens it and then you get this uncomfortable clump of gel sitting and swishing behind your lips. I will say that if you choose to try this out, you should buy the $14 package with the tray. I wish I had now, but since this was an experiment, I went the cheap route incase this stuff didn't live up to its hype. To use, brush and floss your teeth, dry them with a piece of tissue or a clean washcloth, squish this stuff on, and ignore the fact that it tastes just like those 10 year old scotch mints your grandma keeps on her coffee table.

Now I need to go do my Political Science paper...no more procrastination!

Listening to: Be Mine (Ballad Version)- Robyn

Making Things Easier For Them Workin' Girls

Holy Sweet God, I don't know who came up with these things. I'm torn between feeling absolutely horrified and thinking these are AMAZING! They are like those transfer tattoos that I used to put all over myself to look badass, but grown up. They also look like they were created just for Ru Paul. These are idiot proof cream shadows in crazy-pants designs on transfer papers. So, for only $25, you too can look like a prostitute/clown fetishist applied your makeup for you. I almost want them!

To get a final opinion, I showed these bits o' fabulous to my dear boyfriend; he laughed, asked me if I remembered that Simpsons episode in which Homer invents a makeup gun, and then shouted "Whores, Whores, WHORES!" like a carnie at the fair. I guess that settles it. On the topic of whores, here's something to make your day.

Listening to: Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright

I Think They Got Blind Children To Name These

I am always on the hunt for a good, true brown eyeliner. Whenever I find a liner that looks like it might be ok, it always turns out to have a heavy red pigment to it that makes me look like I've been crying, or it is just a tad too soft and makes my eyes look recessed.

GOSH cosmetics makes a good stick liner called Metallic Brass, which is neither metallic nor brass coloured. It is a dark dark brown with teensy tiny flecks of gold in it. These flecks did not irritate my eyes at all, and are honestly hardly noticeable once this is on your eyes. Metallic Brass is part of their Velvet Touch Waterproof line, which they claim will not budge after it sets. It definately does not move for love or money from dry areas, like my the back of my hand, so if you are dry around the eye area, this will probably be super for you. I'm a bit oilier, but even then it only smudges a tiny bit, and creates sexy bedroom eyes when I apply it "oriental" style. And this stuff is very waterproof, so you will have to use some oil based remover or cold cream to get it off. GOSH has also included vitamin E and Jojoba oils to "moisturize", although how much moisture you'll absorb from your eyeliner is a bit dubious. They do apply really smoothly and don't look waxy, so I guess GOSH is onto something with their wonder formula. In addition to Metallic Brass, GOSH makes 26 other liner colours, all with stupid or misleading names and online swatches that are not even close, making me wonder about GOSH's ability to correctly identify and represent colours. Ah well, at least their products are good!

Listening to: Three Little Words - Frankmusik

A Steal Of A Peel

With the demise of the KMF Peaches and Creme AHA lotion, my hopes for an AHA product that works also died. However, being a resilient creature, and hopelessly addicted to beauty products, I recovered my broken heart and returned to the cosmetic aisle of my local drug store.

I love checking out the bargain bin; my love of finding a deal and constrained finances combine to give me quite a thrill when I find something that is actually good in the bin of separated nail polishes and broken powder compacts. During my most recent foray into the bin of lost retail hopes, I found St. Ives' Peel Off Hydroxy Masque for $1.99. I figured this was a pretty acceptable price for something that might just end up shoved to the back of my vanity, bought it, and rushed home to slather my face with goop.

The first time I opened the cap, watery gel rushed out. I'm going to suggest that you don't do that. Shake the bottle very thoroughly and carefully squeeze out a bit at a time. The consistency is a bit thin, so to prevent breaking when I peeled it off, I let it dry for about 7 minutes and then applied a second thin coating. This stuff smells like slightly fermented apples and what I can only describe as acid...something like what you would imagine a mad scientist's laboratory to smell like. And the vapours wafting up while my face dried made my eyes water. I'm serious, this stuff burns the eyes like it was made from the urine of satan's minions.

But for all of the terrible parts of this masque, it works wonderfully. It didn't burn while on my skin, and didn't give me any type of chemical burns along my cheekbones (where I usually get burned from bad products). It is actually pretty gentle when you peel it off, I didn't wince or have to pull slowly. It comes off fairly easily, and doesn't give you the impression that you just applied superglue to your face. My skin was smooth, radiant, and not at all red from over exfoliation. I also didn't feel too tight, and didn't need moisturizer after peeling the translucent masque from my face. And my acne scars and pores seemed diminished, probably from the salicylic and lactic acids. I've now used it twice a week for 2 weeks with no ill side effects or breakouts.I have to say I was suprised and impressed.

Here's the bad part: St. Ives has discontinued this product, so if you want to try it out, get it quick. They started to phase it out in January, so bottles of this should still be around, and should be super cheap. Go get some and join me in the disgusting fun found in peeling this crap off your face and then peering at it to see if any gross pores came loose with it. Repulsive but soooo satisfying...

Listening to: Eyes On Fire - Blue Foundation (Yes, from the Twilight soundtrack...you want to make something of it?)

Scrub A-Dub-Dub

I am a bath addict. I mean it. I crave baths during the day, and some may call me gross, but I will take a bath over a shower any day. I like to soak and then scrub the bejeezus out of my skin. As a result, I have silky smooth skin, even in winter (just so long as I moisturize after!).

My current favorite scrubbing tool is The Body Shop's exfoliating skin towel. Apocalypstick Now talked about a similar scrubbing cloth, the Salux Beauty Skin Cloth, back in February, and as I was reading it, I was going "Heeeeeey, I have one of those! She's right, they ARE magic!". Whichever brand you use, they are made of a rough, loose woven nylon cloth that scrapes gunk and dead skin cells from your body and satisfies every urge to itch your back, but they are still pretty soft and don't hurt. They dry very quickly, making these more sanitary than loofas, sponges, or washcloths, since germs don't have time to grow in the lovely wet environment. And these things are loooong. I cut 4 washcloth sized pieces for facial use out of mine and I still have a hefty long strip that I use to scrub my back and can ball up to make a loofa-style scrubber for body use. They come in all sorts of colours (The Body Shop one comes in green, orange, cream, and white), and they retail for about $5, so you can get several for different members of your household. That way you don't have to worry about contaminating yourself with someone else's cooties. Aaaaand these are washable, so chuck it in the machine on cold, or rinse out with some tea tree soap, let air dry, and you don't have to worry about rubbing your own dead skin across your body. Urgh.

A final word of warning: after exfoliating, no matter how you do it, please moisturize, or all of your insistent, border-line OCD scrubbing will go to waste. That lovely fresh skin will dry out extra quick if you don't slap some humecant lotion on there stat.

Listening to: Layla - Eric Clapton

Play That Record One More Time

I'll admit, I'm not much of a makeup snob. I live in a small city that just got a MAC booth at the Bay a few months ago, and 'high end' makeup is hard to find here. I'm also a student, living on a student's budget, so even if the makeup is available, I can only stare wistfully at it. Going to Sephora in Edmonton is a trying experience for my boyfriend, since I can never make up my mind on what product I want (and can afford) and flit around. It's probably something akin to having a mosquito on a leash.

Anyway, last year when I had a full time, well paying job, I discovered that BeneFit cosmetics were available in my city, and I got very excited. BeneFit cosmetics were formerly found only in very large centres in Canada, like Vancouver or Toronto, and I had lusted over them for some time.

I finally went and bought BeneFit's Some Kind- A Gorgeous foundation, and I'm glad that I did. It is one of those skin matching foundations that you always look at and go "Well, that looks orange in the tin...Skin matching my ass". The S.A. assured me that it would still match me, swiped some on my jawline, and handed me a mirror. I puzzled over it, because it was not orange, it did indeed match my skin. I thought maybe it was the florescent lights in the store, and went outside to check it out. It still matched. Hmm. I was convinced, shelled out the (rather steep for me) $33 for it, and went home to play with my new toy.

I've used it off and on for a year, but I always come back to Some Kind-A Gorgeous to take a break from my newer foundations, or to supplement my mineral powders. I like to use it as a concealer, since it is light and pretty sheer, so my blemishes don't look obviously 'covered up' the way they can look with heavier creamy formulas. I've even used it this winter, and I am ghostly pale. It still matches up.

Don't buy this if you are looking for heavy coverage. This foundation is good for looking like you're not wearing much makeup; skin tone, muted rosiness, and freckles still peek through. It is a great summer foundation, but does require me to use blotting sheets a couple times a day. Definitely not mattefying. And the sponge they supply you with is absolute garbage. Use a foundation brush to get it even and to ensure that you aren't wasting a whole schwack of product.

Do you know of any cosmetics available in Canada for me to try? I'm always curious...

p.s. I just went on the BeneFit website and saw Hello Flawless...restrain me!

Beating Around The Blush

I love love love blush. I'm pretty pale, so a little splash of pink on my cheeks during the winter months really brightens my whole complexion up. I normally use Too Faced Hibiscus Breeze (deep purple in the tube, hot pink on the face) and Quo's Cheek Tint in Blush (a knock off of Tarte, for half the price with more pigment!), but unfortunately these are both discontinued. They will probably take me ages to use up, so I'm not too worried, but I only like to wear them on bare skin. I just don't like the heavy feeling on my skin that layers of moisturizer, cover up, foundation, and blush cause. And this stuff gives a dewy look, which becomes a shiny, greasy look by afternoon. It's too bad, because I like the sheer, realistic look gel blushes give, and generally don't like powder blushes. I just haven't found a powder blush that was sheer enough, and didn't contain enough sparkles to illuminate my entire face. I manufacture my own 'glow', thank you very much! I don't need shimmery crap to make me look plastic and ultra greasy at the same time.

Fortunately for me, Revlon was thinking along the same lines. They have come out with the Matte collection, featuring no fake sparkles and sheer, buildable colours. I picked up the Matte powder blush in Rose Rapture, and I think I have a new love...

This stuff has no shimmer to it, just very fine pigments that spread over your cheeks, and will probably cause people to wonder what you've been doing to look so great. The colour is sheer and blends in well, making it believably realistic, which is a big plus for me, since I like to look like I'm not wearing makeup. If people think I'm just that gorgeous without help, I'm fine with that...

I think my precious gel blushes might be pushed to the back of the makeup bag until beach season. Sorry guys, I've got to do what's best for me...you understand, don't you? It's not you, it's me...Just let me go, ok? I've found someone new.

Listening to: Happiness Is A Warm Gun - Across The Universe OST

Mission Update + New Products

Ok, so It has been a while since I started my skin regimen, and I figured I'd better give you an update.

Things went good for the first couple of days, although the KMF Peaches and Creme lotion made me super greasy by about halfway through the day. I'm talking makeup meltingly greasy. Then, I started having HUGE red zits pop up on my cheeks, chin, forehead. I got a little freaked out, but my skin is known to react from new products, so I toughed it out for a few more days. But, instead of going down, the zits made little zit colonies and got really red. I figured it might have been the lotion, and that I may have changed too much at the same time.

So, I cut my routine down to just the Pond's Cold Cream and the Oxy Benzyol cream. Things improved, but not by much. Then, 2 days ago, I was looking at Lush's Ultra Bland Cleanser (Which is basically a hipster version of Pond's) and some of the reviews said that customers didn't like this stuff when they just washed it off with water, but when they followed the DIRECTIONS and used a wash cloth to scrub it off, it worked wonderfully for them. When I looked at the directions on the Pond's cream, lo and behold, they instructed me to use a warm washcloth.

What a difference that has made! I used a cloth that night, put on my BP, and slept soundly. In the morning, my face was so much better, and the big red monstrosities had already started to shrink down. And here's something a little on the gross side... After srubbing with Pond's, my sick blackheads on my chin and nose come out like nothing else...apply light pressure, and they slide right out, leaving squeaky clean pores...

Even with this improvement, I feel like my skin needs to be cleaned in the morning. I'd like to continue to use the Pond's for nighttime makeup removal and cleansing, but I have this nagging need to have a thoroughly washed face in the morning.

So, I've bought ClayMedicx French Green Clay Soap to try as a morning cleanser. I've had success from bentonite masques before, so I'm hoping this soap will have similar results. Even if it doesn't, this soap has an amazing peppermint-vanilla scent (much more on the peppermint side though) that I would be more than happy to use as a bath soap. It has pretty minimal ingredients, just bentonite, honey, olive oil, glycerin, and essential oils. Nice and simple, and it is also hypo-allergenic, free of colouring, cruelty and animal testing free, and all natural.

Let's hope my successes with the coldcream-BP routine can be mixed in with my need for a cleaned face... fingers crossed...

Listening to: My dog snore...

Just Pretend That There Is Sand Between Your Toes...

Suffering from winter scalies? Feel like you need a tropical vacation?

I have a cure for you!

Alba's Kukui nut oil is light, smells like a beach house in Hawaii, and works wonders for parched winter skin. I throw some in the bath and slosh around (I believe this sloshing is very important in ensuring your body is covered in the oils evenly. And it's fun!).

Or, when you hop out of the shower, put a dot of oil on each limb and massage in. The mini massage you give yourself will work the oil into your skin and get your blood flowing, giving you a glowy, healthy look from inside and out!

To get your vacation, use the Kukui Nut oil in any way you choose, make yourself a Rum Punch, drag your lawn lounger out from storage, throw on a bikini, and turn on a lamp. Close your eyes and dream. See, instant vacation! Don't say I never did anything for you guys...

You can find Alba products at London Drugs, Save-On-Foods, Zellers, health food stores, etc. It used to be pretty limited in its distribution, but now it's everywhere...you just have to look.

Listening to: Gimme Gimme Gimme - ABBA

Pick Up One Of Them Red Dirt Shirts, Too!

When I was little, my family would make the trip from the prairies to Prince Edward Island on the East coast of Canada. My mom's family lives there, and we would spend a couple weeks at my grandparent's house. My cousins would come over and we would run around eating strawberries and concocting potions made from my grammie's garden. My grandparent's house is in a small community that consisted of a crossroads, a church right across from their house, about 4 homes, and a tiny soap shop. Not exactly a bustling area of the island. So, when we had nothing else to do, my cousins and I would go over to the shop and spend the afternoon sniffing the wares. My favorite was always the minty one.

We didn't come back to visit the island for a few years, and by the next time we did, the soap shop had moved on to greener pastures, opening a little shop in Charlottetown.

So this Christmas, my aunt (who also lives on the island) sent me a little gift from Moonsnail Soapworks. I didn't think much of it at the time until today, when I was rooting around in my soap basket for a new bar. I found this bar wrapped in a green paper wrapper, and gave it a sniff.

It instantly took me back to my childhood. This was my minty favorite! Spearmint Swirl!

So I've decided, after a deliciously minty bath, to recommend that you guys head on over to Moonsnail's Website and place a little order. All of their products are made in-shop, and have wonderfully simple and natural ingredients. I'm not kidding. My Spearmint Swirl contains "Saponified olive, coconut & palm oils, distilled water, vitamin E and spinach powder" and spearmint essential oil. That's it. You could eat this (y'know, except for the lye part). This soap is a good Lush alternative, and it costs way less - $4.95 (CAN) per bar.

Or, if you happen to be on a vacay to the island soon, make sure to stop in Ch'town and visit Moonsnail at their new studio along the waterfront.

Listening to: Sunshowers - M.I.A (My cat thinks the bird noises are real...)

The End Is Near!

For all my Canadian friends, Clinique's awsome gift - with - purchase promo ends Sunday. Yes, you need to get on down to the Bay and get this stuff. Spend $26.50 and get:

• Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion


• 7 Day Scrub - Rinse Off Formula


• Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara


• Clinique Blush with a brush (But the brush is probably crap)


• A lipstick


• And a purple and white makeup bag

I actually kind of like the Clinique lotion, and the blush looks like a pretty and neutral colour, but I'm excited by the lipstick they offer. You have the choice of Black Honey and Air Kiss Pink. I have both of these lip colours, and the Air Kiss is a sticky gloss type of thing that attracts my hair to it like fly paper. And it really isn't any kind of colour at all...unless sticky pale crap is a colour. But the Black Honey is a great sheer red that looks good on winter pale skin. It really does look almost black in the tube, but it wears very sheer and pumps up your natural lip colour nicely. If you're a little shy about going for a full fledged red, this is a good colour to break you in. Go get this 'bonus' kit just for the lipstick. To spend your $26.50, go for Clinique's Happy To Be perfume.

Listening To: Right Round - Flo Rida

The Straight and Narrow

I love using powder shadows as eyeliner. They wind up looking so much softer than stick liners, and look natural if you can get the pigments right down into your lash line. But eyeshadows don't usually come with applicators that work well for drawing fine lines... actually, they don't come with applicators that do much of anything at all. But I digress...

To use your shadows as a liner, you need to hunt down an angled eyeliner brush. This brush enables you to apply a quick swipe of liner across your lids, smudge a smokey eye, and draw on dramatic cat eyes. If you can apply stick liner, you can draw a decent line with a brush. Face the longer side of the brush in towards your nose, and lead your line with the shorter end of the bristles. Use 2 short strokes super close to your lash line to get the inner corners of your eye, then apply a flowing curve along the length of your lashes. Flick your wrist up at the very end of your eye and extend your line just a tidge. This gives you a very subtle cat eye.

I use L'Oreal's HIP in Brazen (the brown shadow, not the hot pink) to dry line my eyes on regular days, as this gives a natural look when you apply it close to the lashes. For special occasions, I'll do a smokey eye with Tapestry Taupe and Almay's Stay Smooth Eyeshadow in Sapphire (Which apparently they don't make anymore. But you can find it here). Then I use a slate blue powder eyeliner by Quo (Only found in Canada, and this liner really is discontinued. Damn.) to apply a cat eye line. You wet the liner with water and it works like a liquid eyeliner - but better, since the angled brush gives you so much more control than the flimsy brushes supplied with liquid liners. Powder or cake liners really are my favorite to use.

You can also try out some cream liners, but these smudge too much during the day for my liking. The kit from Smashbox comes in fun and pretty colours.

Go, find an angled liner brush, and give it a try! And...if you're still using the foam applicators that come with eyeshadows, pick up a decent shadow brush too...

Listening to: Soon We'll Be Found - Sia

Another Burt's Bees Endorsement

If you aren't already using this:

...You ought to be...

Listening to: Shine It All Around - Robert Plant

An Affair To Remember

I bought Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner last night. And I already love it. I'll admit that I have serial love affairs with toners and astringents, but I rarely find one that I could turn into a long-term relationship. I think this might be 'the one'!



I guess I'd better justify how I fell so hard so fast...I like the way it smells - like tomato leaves that have been crushed. It's pleasant and herbal. And, unlike a lot of other toners that leave my face feeling dry or tight, this one made me feel clean and exfoliated without reddening my cheeks, and left me suprisingly soft feeling. Almost like I'd put on a light day lotion. And it cleaned up my greasies, and dried up a zit that was brewing on my chin. It really seems like it might be the real thing.

Oh, and the really amazing thing...this stuff is a cheap date. I'm not sure what it retails for normally, probably in the $10-$15 range if you find it at a health food store (like Nutters), or a drug or grocery store (try London Drugs or Whole Foods if you live in the States). I found it at Save-On-Foods for under $5. If you live in Alberta, get there quick. I doubt you'll find any date that affordable, and if you actually have a sweetheart for this Saturday, you only have a couple days left to refine your gorgeousness!

Listening to: Be Mine - Robyn

Make Eyes At Me

For my little sister's 14th birthday, I bought her some cosmetic type stuff. Including the simple, super cheap, and versatile Tapestry Taupe eyeshadow from CG. This is a light silvery-brown that works on all skin tones and colourations. I'm blonde with dark brown eyes, and this makes my eyes look darker and deeper; one of my Asian friends used to wear this, and it complemented her skin; and my sister's blue eyes popped and looked extra blue with this done in a subtle smokey eye.

This is a great shadow for everyday, with just a light wash over your top lid, or with more dramatic layered looks for special occasions or a night on the town. I wear it with brown mascara on a day to day basis because of my fair skin and hair, but it creates a really intense look when combined with black liner along the waterline and lots of black mascara. If you need something with a bit more warmth, try CG's Mink shadow. This is a similar colour, but has gold flecks instead of silver. Try it with green or brown eyes and medium skin tones. For me it doesn't work; it makes my skin look sallow and my eyes sunken. But lots of people swear by it, so give it a go. If you don't know which one to try, just go buy both! They retail under $4 at most major drugstores. But be quick - these two are Cover Girl's most popular shadows (with reason), and they sell out like hot cakes.

Listening to: Toxic - Britney Spears