8 Canadian Beauty Bloggers to Know | iVillage.ca

I've been listed again!  A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by the very cool and obviously in the know ;) ppl at iVillage about being part of their newest list 8 Canadian Beauty Bloggers to Know | iVillage.ca .  I answered a few questions...and funny enough a lot of my fellow bloggers are totally on the same page as me when it comes to trends we love (bold lips) and what needs to end now!

Being listed these last few times really is starting to make me think I need I need to get a professional pic of myself for online promotional use...all I have is snapshots...and many of them I took myself lol!

Anyway, check out the article and maybe find a couple of other cool bloggers to follow...it's a good list!

Givenchy Noir Couture 4 in 1 Mascara

I was recently sent a brand new product from Givenchy to try out called Noir Couture.  It's their new mascara (now available exclusively at Sephora) and I have to say it's pretty darn good...actually pretty amazing in fact!

This new mascara promises to be a 4 in 1 mascara that creates intense volume, strong curl, infinite length and complete lash care.  It is also formulated with Givenchy’s exclusive Lash Booster Expert Complex that provides nutrition, revitalization, fortification, and protection. 

To be honest at first I wasn't to sure about the product...it has a weird brush that takes a bit of getting use to...like little spheres on top of one another.  I wasn't sure if it was just gimmick or what...to be honest I'm still not perfectly sure of their benefit but they do seem kind of beneficial for the lower lashes...like that  mascara wand Givenchy also came out w/ that was shaped like a sphere.

My only real complaint about the product on a whole was too much mascara comes out on the wand!  I have to wipe it on the edge of the bottle before every use.  It's not a huge issue to me but if I went straight from wand to eye I can guarantee it would be WAY clumpy and I HATE clumpy lashes...I'm actually a nazi about combing through my lashes.  

I would say the biggest benefit of the mascara is it's ability to build length...it's a real WINNER there!  Builds some decent volume too!  I have VERY straight lashes and I wouldn't say it curls them...still need my trusted lash curler...but they hold the curl pretty decent once the product is on.  Although I will admit on myself I do curl my lashes after I put mascara on them...I know I'm technically suppose to do it before (and I do it then too) but my lashes are so naturally straight (like all my hair) I need to do it twice.

Not going to lie it is a pricey mascara at $35 but it is right in line w/ other high end mascaras like Dior's Diorshow Iconic and Lancome's Hypnose Star Mascara so if you're someone who doesn't mind paying a little extra for your mascara and you're looking for some wicked length you'll definitely want to look into this one!

Here's some Before & After Pics of Me using the Mascara...I don't know about you but I think they are pretty impressive!

BEFORE

I Know It's Hard To Believe but I do Naturally Have Long Lashes...They are just Fine and Very Straight like my Hair lol!

I'm sure this doesn't need to be said but AFTER lol!  Umm Yeah what a DIFFERENCE! The Power of Mascara and a good Lash Curler!

Two Coats of Mascara

Little While Later I Added a Third Coat to the Top...They Practically Touch My Eyebrows When Curled!

LaVaque Thumb Palette

A couple of weeks ago I emailed the nice people at LaVaque to inquire about their affiliate program and I happened to mention that I was really interested in their thumb palette.  Well being the very nice people they are they sent me one for free :)...along w/ a great set of tweezers w/ a LIFE TIME Guarantee and a spatula (can never have too many of those lol)!

I've been using the thumb palette consistently on jobs the last week or so and I'm really liking it.  I actually wear it on my finger but whatever you get the idea...basically it's just a mini palette on a ring base.  It's been especially great for those lipstick/lip gloss touch ups at the end of wedding appts...much better (and neater) than using the back of my (sanitized) hand which is what I would frequently do at weddings.

What I find I really love it for though is my cream eyeliner!  It dries quickly so it's great to put a little on this thumb palette and do the eyes w/out having to turn back to my palette on table.  I can hold the eye or lift the eyebrow w/ the hand that has the palette on it and then line w/ the other hand...whenever I need a little more product it's right there on my finger to grab - genius!

Plus I have to say it's a real conversation piece w/ clients...lots of ppl comment on my palette in general...the usual stuff "Oh it's like an artist's palette..Oh that makes sense, you're like an artist mixing things there"...stuff like that.  But w/ this thumb palette they are like "What is that?"

Definitely worth checking out if you're like me and a frequent back of the hand makeup user!

Car2Go Convert

So there's a (relatively) new hourly car rental service in Toronto called Car2Go and I have to say so far I'm a fan!  I used it for the first time yesterday and I thought it was really great, easy to use and IMO even had a few benefits the other hourly car rental services don't have.

For my job I sometimes need a car...esp. for the weddings out of the city.  But I don't need a car enough to justify the cost of actually owning one...I do after all live downtown.  The problem is I usually need it an insanely early time (like 6 am) so using a reg. car rental service doesn't really work b/c I'd have to rent the car the night before and deal w/ parking, gas etc.  Up until now I've been using Zipcar which is also a great service.  They have a parking lot w/ a couple of cars literally 30 secs from my apt. and I can book online so obviously it's an easy choice for me.  But a lot of times I need the car for a full day and it gets expensive on the weekends...w/ tax it's a little over $100 :( .

Then I heard about Car2Go.  They are currently holding a promotional offer where they are waiving the sign up fee...I thought why not check it out I literally have nothing to lose!  Unlike Zipcar they don't have a membership fee either...big + in my book.  Esp. considering I'm really an occasional driver...maybe once or twice a mth and that's usually just during wedding season.

Both car rental services include gas and insurance in the rental...although I think Zipcar has a lower deductible.  The thing that really was pulling me more toward Car2Go though was the day rate...it's only $65.99 compared to $94 w/ Zipcar (on weekends)..that's almost $30...that's a BIG savings in my book!  Plus Car2Go also has GPS in their cars...I'm VERY directional challenged and this is a HUGE plus for me!

I should mention though Car2Go is a fleet of Smart Cars so not exactly your prime vehicle option if you're looking to move large loads or multiple ppl lol.

Another big difference w/ the Car2Go cars is that you get FREE parking in over 200 Green P parking lots in Toronto...umm yeah parking can be such a hassle and huge cost in the city!  Unlike Zipcar you don't have to return the Car2Go car to it's "Home Base" parking spot (same spot you picked it up in).  Car2Go has a "Home Area" and you can leave the car when you're done w/ it any registered Car2Go spot...and you can find the nearest or most convenient one w/ the GPS I think. This is great if you only needed the car for one way...you don't have to worry about the hassle of getting it back to the other location.

 As well you don't have to reserve a car w/ Car2Go...you need a car...go online or call and find out where the nearest one to you is and go get it...hassle free!  You have a swipe card (like Zipcar) to get in the car and once inside you have a pin # so the car can charge your account for usage.

You can also reserve a car online similar to the Zipcar service (but you can only do it max. 24 hrs in advance).  You can also choose which location you'd like to pick it up in...I'm not quite sure about the details on this part though....I don't know if they move a car to make sure there is one that designated Car2Go parking area or if they tell you another location if that one doesn't have a car at it...when I used it yesterday there were actually 3 Car2Go cars in my parking lot...hopefully that lot remains a popular "Home" for the cars lol (again less than 30 secs from my apt...yeah downtown living)!

If you do reserve a car you can also cancel it as close as 15 mins before your scheduled reservation w/out any charges...w/ Zipcar it's 3 hrs before for short reservations and up to 24 hrs before for full day reservations.

So w/ all these great benefits AND the lower day rate I think I'm going to be sticking to Car2Go from now on...plus I'm sure they will be expanding quickly which will hopefully mean more cars across the city making it more convenient for everyone!

Happy Occasional Driving Everyone!

NOVUS - Video Editorial

A few mths ago I had the pleasure of working w/ the VERY talented people over at Light & Hevvy on a new fashion video titled NOVUS.  This video was designed as a sort of creative celebration and reveal of the new studio space they moved into in Liberty Village and to establish them as an up and coming Creative Firm in Toronto.  Really great space btw ;)

I'm not going to lie...this was a hard shoot for me!  Well at least the first day.  I actually walked into the shoot not really knowing AT ALL what they wanted me to do...which I'm not going to lie is NOT something I like when it comes to creatives...I like to be prepared and I like to have what I need to have on hand and of course play a bit once I'm there...but I do like to know SOME details beforehand.  The makeup was exactly my sort of thing though...very striking, simple and graphic w/ a really cool eyeliner style. The problem...the first day was the "White" look and I didn't have a liquid or cream white liner w/ me (b/c I didn't know what i was going to do.  First I tried using my Face Atelier setting gel w/ a white eyeshadow but I just couldn't get the opaqueness the look required.  I then tried setting it further w/ more white eyeshadow but that just made everything crumple and fall off :(  Finally I settled on using the white cream from the MUFE Flash Palette mixed a setting liquid..still even w/ that I had to do the eyes probably 3 times completely from scratch and there were touch ups pretty much after almost every take.  So to say the day was a bit stressful for  me is an understatement...mostly just b/c I felt like I wasn't doing a good job as an MUA b/c the makeup just wasn't lasting the way I had hoped :(

The second day was better...we did still have to do the "White" look again but only for a couple of hours and then it was onto the "Black" look which was a walk in the park b/c I just had to replicate the white eyeliner design in black which was so easy and not smudgy b/c I had my MUFE Aqua Black which STICKS...not touch ups necessary there!

I can't wait to see the still from photographer Zach Hertzman (who was also the one that suggested me for the project) b/c I know they are going to be sick!

So even though there was a lot of self-imposed stress on my part I have to say the video looks Freakin' Amazing!  I'm so happy to have been apart of it b/c it's like a little work of art!...and the White eye makeup actually looks awesome so I'm glad I was a very diligent little MUA w/ touch ups and re-doing the makeup b/c it was worth it in the end (there are some EXTREME close ups of the eyes)!

Without further adieu here's the video - ENJOY!

Director / Editor: Steven Meyers
Assistant Director / Producer: Carina Mak
Director of Photography: Adam Syrnyk
First Assistant Camera / Producer: Lance Ludwig
Grip: Lulu Wei
Still Photographer: Zach Hertzman
Stylist: Monika Tatalovic
Hair & Make-up: Jessica Jean Myers
Model: Madison Dobson / SPOT6

Music: 
Beta Frontiers - Hondo (Lee Paradise of Phèdre remix)
Courtesy of Daps Records - www.dapsrecords.com / www.betafrontiers.com / www.phedreamour.com

My Work on Style Me Pretty Canada

Today I had the pleasure of seeing some of my wedding work up on Style Me Pretty Canada which was VERY exciting to say the least!  For those that don't know Style Me Pretty Canada is a VERY popular blog showcasing beautiful and unique weddings all across Canada.  It's a great place for brides (or girls that dream about being brides ;) ) to get ideas about weddings and learn about vendors.

The wedding that was featured was one that I did back in late June for a beautiful bride named Emily.  Oddly, enough I had two weddings that weekend one on the Fri. and one on the Sat. and they were both named Emily lol!  This was the second of the two.  Originally, I was just suppose to do Makeup for the wedding but after wowing her w/ my makeup skills ;) she ended up calling me back a mth or so later and asked if I could also do a Hair trial for her as well...and of course I wowed her again ;) lol!

I loved Emily's wedding style.  It was simple and understated but still really thoughtful and unique.  She had a theme of swiss dots that carried out through the dress into the decor.  I also loved the makeup look that she went for b/c it was actually a bit bold!  We kept it fairly clean on the eyes w/ just the slightest wing on the black liner but it was the lips and cheeks that really shined through!  Finally a bride not afraid of a little colour!!!  Sometimes I feel like it's pulling teeth to make brides understand the importance of blush and how it just brightens up the face and looks great in pics...so many ppl are scared of blush these days!  Plus we went for a bright pink lip which normally is a bit risque but when you also factor in the fact that Emily is a red head it was a bold statement lip indeed!  And she pulled it off fabulously!  The prize secret of the look though had to have been the Yaby brow powder I used on her brows.  Emily actually has NO brows...like I'm not joking here..none..in fact the skin area around the brows is quite red.  I used the Yaby brow powder for red heads and it was a PERFECT match!  So good in fact that Emily insisted she needed one personally...which I happily supplied her with .  We all know I have a thing about brows so if I can help someone get some good brows I'm all for it ;)

For her hair we did a really gorgeous and intricate curled updo that rested low centre in the back of her head.  I think overall I did a pretty good job of making it look like she had a lot of hair b/c I'm going to be perfectly honest...not the easiest hair to create volume or texture in lol!

The photographer for the wedding was Jovan Matic which you may remember I mentioned on here not too long ago for another wedding.  When I found out Jovan was shooting the wedding I knew the pics were going to be amazing.  He is quickly becoming one of my fav wedding photographers in the city.  Seriously, some of the pics I've gotten from him on the two weddings we've worked on together have literally been some of my favourites so far!

So w/out further adieu here's the link to the Style Me Pretty Canada post...as well I've attached some of my personal favs for the day ;)  Check out the blog post and go through the gallery...the pics I've included on here are obviously more Hair & Makeup related but there are so many nice detail shots in the gallery shots on Style Me Pretty!

Special thanks goes out to Candace French-Goodman who helped me out tremendously w/ the styling of the bridesmaid's hair!

Now that's the face of a Happy Bride!...and a serious Makeup Artist (as usual lol)

Beautiful Bridesmaids...Natural but Still Defined!

I loved Emily's Mom...seriously I don't think there has EVER been a Mom so excited about False Eyelashes lol!

So Many Beautiful Beauty Shots!  Btw how good is that brow powder match!!!

You can see the Updo in this one nicely!

Happy Couple - Emily & Michael

Nice Shot of the Back of the Updo