I LOVE My Laura Geller Makeup From Apothica!!!

As some of you know I'm sponsored by Apothica.  For those that don't know Apothica is this great cosmetics site (kind of like Sephora) that has a million different brands of makeup...a lot I've never even heard of + they also have two other sites connected w/ them Skin Care RX & Skin Botanica that you can also shop at.

The sponsorship is great b/c it allows me to experience, learn about and be partnered w/ cosmetic brands I might not have even known about otherwise.  Every 6 mths I get a credit to use towards products on their websites...great deal for me as I LOVE free stuff (I mean who doesn't).

So for my latest Apothica purchase I decided to try out some makeup from Laura Geller.  I had heard about the brand before but had never actually used any of it.  Unfortunately, Canadian Sephoras no longer carry the brand and to be honest I'm not quite sure if you can get it anywhere in Canada :(.  If this is the case then I'm going to be SUPER SAD when I run out of these products b/c I have to be honest I LOVE LOVE LOVE my choices...like I haven't LOVED something this much in a long time!

So what did I get you ask?  I got the Balance-n-Brighten Face Powder in Med. along w/ the Kiss & Bakeup Collection (I'm a sucker for a good makeup set...it's the deal finder in me lol).

First I'll talk about the Balance-n-Brighten Baked Colour Correcting Foundation.  It works like a light powder foundation and gives a light coverage.  Personally, I like a little more coverage so I layer on top of my other foundation but you can use it on it's own and it really just minimizes skin imperfections and balances the skin tone and brightens up your entire face.  Seriously, a lot of ppl lately have commented on how glowing my skin looks...but not in a shiny disco ball way don't worry.  I got the Med. b/c that was the only shade offered and I think it would be a little dark for me in the Winter but for Summer it's perfect.  In fact it actually really helps me b/c as I mentioned before my Cover FX powder foundation is actually a shade too light for me esp. in the Summer so if I layer this over top of it it just totally balances me out and gives me a nice golden glow!

The Kiss & Bakeup Collection is an AWESOME Set!  It includes:

Spackle Under Make-up Primer

Balance-n-Bronze 

Blush-n-Brighten - Apricot Berry

Eye Rimz - Bewitching Bronze

Dream Creams Lip Palette - Apricot Berry

Double-Ended Face and Cheek Brush

Eye Rimz Brush

Retractable Lip Brush

The Spackle Primer is nice.  I have no complaints about it.  It does leave my face smooth and soft and it's a great base for applying makeup on.  I have to admit though and I know this sounds crazy but I'm actually really in love w/ my ELF mineral primer right now...I know I know crazy eh...but so good and so cheap!  But this is great too and it comes in the set so no complaints here.

Balance-n-Bronze is gorgeous but be careful a little goes a long way.  All of these products are very pigmented which is great.  It goes on smooth and it does create a beautiful bronzed glow on my cheeks.

Blush-n-Brighten in Apricot Berry again is very pretty but I think this set would def. work better for med. skin tones...if you're fair skin just be careful b/c it might just all be a bit too much colour for you just a heads up.  But it's gorgeous on tanned skin.  I just love how bright and glowing everything leaves my skin looking!

Dream Cream Lip Palette in Apricot Berry has 4 great shades and I actually like to mix them together a bit esp. the brown neutral w/ some of the more coral colours just so they aren't too orange, although I don't mind them on their own either but I also don't mind bold lips.  They are all pretty frosty and def. work better for Summer than Winter looks...but then again that's kind of how the whole set works IMO.

Eye Rimz in Bewitching Bronze great neutral brown colour that you can use all over the lid lightly during the day or layer it for a more smokey bronzed look at night.  You can even use it wet for a more intense, metallic colour payoff.

The only thing that was kind of disappointing is the Double Ended Face & Cheek Brush.  It's just cheap and nothing I would probably use normally on  myself or on a client.  But it's coming in a set.  I never expect the brushes in sets to be that amazing so I'll let it go.  I mean I was buying the set for the makeup anyway, not the brush lol.  The lip brush is good and I like that it's retractable which is great for throwing in my cosmetic bag

on the go.

Another thing I loved about this set was that almost everything was Full Size Products..only the Primer wasn't.  A lot of times you get sets thinking it's going to be such a great deal but then it turns out the products inside are only mini versions of the real products...always disappointing.  This one really is a good deal!

If you get a chance I highly suggest you try out some of the Laura Geller Baked Cosmetics esp. the Balance-n-Brighten it is for sure my FAVOURITE out of all the items...a real WINNER!  Here's some pics of me wearing my Laura Gellar cosmetics - Lips, Blush, Powder & Bronzer!

  

Alice in Wonderland Wedding Shoot

Last wk I got the chance to participate in this really interesting wedding photography workshop hosted by this really awesome wedding photography duo Justin & Mary (they are actually husband & wife) visiting all the way from New England.

I have to be honest normally this isn't something I would help out w/ b/c well to be perfectly frank I wasn't getting paid but this shoot did actually fall in lines w/ my Rules on When Working For "Free" Is Okay.

1. The photographers hosting the workshop have really nice wedding work and therefore I knew I would get some really nice pictures for my wedding portfolio which is still growing & in development (hard to track down photographers or brides after weddings sometimes to get the professional shots not just the ones i take on my digital camera).

2. It would give me a chance to possibly network and meet other wedding photographers in the area...always a good thing.

3. I really liked the theme b/c it wasn't just your typical wedding stuff - they were doing something a little more whimsical and edgy for Toronto - Alice in Wonderland - this meant I also got to be a little more creative then the stuff I usual get to do for weddings - also I had a say in what the girls looked like - obviously this is not the case for most weddings lol.  And Justin & Mary were going all out w/ set pieces, dresses, locations and little accents just to make it a bit more unique.  They were literally taking the photographers through getting ready in the hotel, portraiture of the bride, church stuff, on location stuff & reception - it was literally like shooting a whole wedding.

So like many shoots there is always a little upheaval right before and this was no exception!  The couple they had originally got for the shoot bailed at the last minute.  Thankfully for them they met me lol!  Being the always professional and generous person I am I posted an ad on MM (Model Mayhem) for couples for the shoot and they got a great response.  In fact we got two great couples!  This meant that I could do an Alice type bride as well as a White Queen type bride.  The girls they picked for these two ideas were actually so perfect.  Olivia was very petite and cute and perfect for Alice while Jenna (who I've had the pleasure of working w/ a couple of times) is tall and elegant, a perfect White Queen.  I'm not going to lie though this was a touch stressful for me beforehand b/c it's one thing to get one bride ready but to get TWO brides ready in a relatively short amount of time is a lot lol!  Actually though, if I do say so myself my timing was awesome that day!

For Alice (aka Olivia) I wanted to keep the makeup light and youthful w/ just a pop of pink on the cheeks and lips and the main focus was going to be the hair. I spent the night before sewing many many extension pieces for Olivia's hair b/c I wanted her to have a big, massive head of long curls - to go along w/ the whimsical feel and I knew I couldn't get that from her own  hair.

For the White Queen (aka Jenna) I wanted something much more elegant, cool and sophisticated looking.  I slicked back her bangs and did a very high ballerina bun (using my hair foam donut).  I kept the focus on a very deep, strong red lip b/c Jenna has gorgeous lips.  I also contoured her cheeks in quite a bit and did a clean swipe of white on the eyes and of course false lashes.

Thanks to Jillian at Headmistress Accessories I was also able to borrow a couple of AMAZING headpieces that were SO PERFECT for the shoot!

I took a few pictures at the hotel of the girls after they were ready but unfortunately I wasn't able to go to the actual locations - the church and the ruins/forest reception area so like my usual weddings I had to leave my brides w/ a touch up kit and believe my work would hold up the entire day...late into the reception.

I can't wait to see some of the pics from Justin & Mary and actually one of the photographers from the workshop Taylor Jackson was actually kind enough to send me a couple of pics she's already edited from the workshop!  They look great and I'm so excited to see more!

My Behind the Scenes Pics

Olivia aka "Alice"...I actually wish I would have made the hair bigger...oh well

 Jenna aka The White Queen

 Mary giving lessons on shooting Portraiture...she had A LOT of really good tips!

 Justin & Mary tag team shooting Olivia

Here's a couple of the shots Taylor sent to me

Great shot of Jenna

 Olivia out on location...Love that her "husband" Joe has a top hat & bow tie...so Mad Hatter!

Finally Got A Haircut - Solis Salon

So after 9 mths I FINALLY went and got a haircut!  Yes, Yes I know...WAY too long and if I were one of my clients I would be pleading and reprimanding them to get a haircut more often.  But here's the thing - my hair is like stick straight...seriously the stylist (Lindsay) asked if I straightened it when I got there (I hadn't...I don't even remember the last time I ran a straightener through my hair).  I think that's part of why I can "get away" w/ going so long in between cuts - I usually let my hair air dry or blow dry it for 5 mins (seriously it's dry in like 5 mins...I know you're hating me right now but guess what curling it is a real bitch) so it doesn't really get heat damaged, I mostly wear it down so unlike a lot of ppl w/ long hair I'm not getting a lot of breakage from hair elastics constantly pulling it back and it's just naturally dark, silky and shiny so even after 9 mths ppl wouldn't know it had been that long.

Anyway, I've just been basically letting it grow really long for like 2.5 yrs now...since I left for Shanghai basically...yes if you look back to the beg. of this blog you will notice a girl w/ a short chin length bob lol.  I actually don't think I've ever even let my hair get this long before b/c usually I would get bored and chop it...but I have to be honest I'm totally loving the long hair!  The only real changes have been that I had bangs for about 1.5 years and now I've been growing them out for the past 9 mths.

So I didn't really have a hairdresser anymore b/c the one I  use to go to before I left for Shanghai is mostly doing photo shoots and fashion now and I have to be honest I was not digging the girl that did my hair the last time I got it cut (maybe also why I waited so long).  I was trying to grow out my bangs and she did something weird to them and I swear I was yanking on them to sweep to the side during my whole two wks in Europe...very annoying.

Having no hairdresser I did what any modern, tech happy person would do I googled reviews for hair salons in Toronto.  This is how I came across Solis Salon.  I had seen it's sign a million times while walking down Yonge and it's literally like 3 blocks away and it had some good reviews and a decent website so I thought why not!  Plus they were having a special w/ one of their hairdressers who had just returned after being gone awhile.  I figured why not give her a try - I like a deal and it's not like I'm looking for anything drastic.

I liked that I could send my request in for an appt. via email b/c I have to be honest I do a lot of googling late at night or after normal working hrs so that was convenient.  The salon got back to me rather quickly w/ an appt. w/ Lindsay for Weds at 10 am.

Solis is on the 2nd floor on Yonge st. right near Charles st. which is nice b/c it keeps it calm and you don't get a lot of the outside traffic from being right on ground level.  Lindsay even said that most days they can even accommodate walk-ins which is great if you're looking for something like that.

It's a very clean and modern looking salon...not cluttered, big open windows looking out on Yonge and it doesn't feel pretentious or snobby which sometimes is the vibe that some salons give off...I don't know I just don't like walking into a salon where I don't feel "cool enough" to be there lol.  Right away I was asked if I wanted a tea or cappuccino...yes cappuccino - very nice touch, esp. at 10 am!  It was a really good cappuccino btw ;)

So right away Lindsay sat me down and we did a little consult.  I explained I really just wanted a trim to clean up the ends and some long layers  to relieve some of the weight of my hair and just give it a bit more body.  She totally got what I meant and even showed me what her "inch" off my hair would be just to make sure I was okay w/ that...I was fine I mean I just want it to look good I'm not the type to flip if it's an inch vs. an inch and a half.  She also mentioned that the biggest thing was my bangs needed to be blended into my haircut better which actually made totally sense to me...see I knew that other girl did something bad to them before ;)

So Lindsay then washed my hair and even gave me a little head massage.  Very nice in the morning!  After that she got right to the cutting.  She was really quick and she did texturize some areas as well.  There was a lot of hair on the ground but it's just cuz she had to cut in some layers...it was literally all one length before.  Lindsay was super friendly and I didn't feel forced talking to her...sometimes b/c of my business and working w/ clients all the time I hate having to make random small talk w/ others when I'm getting stuff done to me.

After it was all done and blow dried she showed me the back and what she had done to the bang area.  She also suggested I come back in about a mth just so she could help fix the bangs a bit more and blend them better.  Consult, wash, cut and style all took just an hr...pretty good in my book!

I left really happy...basically it looks like what I had before just better and lightened up w/ some layers.  Actually, most ppl wouldn't even notice it had been cut to be honest but you know what sometimes that's what we want.  I mean really a lot of us long hair girls just want to leave w/ our hair freshened up and looking long and lovely not w/ it looking several inches shorter or completely different then what we walked in w/.  Nothing worse then going in for a trim and leaving w/ your hair several inches shorter than you anticipated!

These were all taken a few hrs after the Haircut...it was SUPER hot and sticky on Weds!  See basically it looks the same just better lol!

I like this pic but it's not quite in focus

W/ the special my cut was $57 w/ tax + tip...that's pretty good for a haircut in Toronto in my books!  I left happy and maybe next time I won't go 9 mths between my next hair cut ;)

Gypset - The Glamorous Vagabond

On Tues. I got to head back up to the beautiful & remote area of Picton, ON (or somewhere around there) for another Video Editorial w/ the amazing ppl at Lilogi.  This team is quickly becoming one of my fav teams to work w/.  It's all girls (which is rare in fashion) and we all just mesh so well together and always have such a great time and great working chemistry.

The theme for this video was Gypset, which I'll be honest I didn't even know this term until I was sent the video concept brief before the shoot.  For those of you not in know like me Gypset is a term coined by Julia Chaplin and is described as "an approach to life that fuses the wild and unconventional ethos of a gypsy with the sophistication and speed of the jet set" so basically it's a gypsy who happens to have a lot of money and can live like a glamorous vagabond.  Very cool idea if you can afford it lol.


So Nicole (creator of Lilogi), Blair (assistant) and Renee (videographer) went up early in the day and created all these glamorous and luxurious sets for us out in the middle of nowhere...just gorgeous and so elaborate - really impressive stuff!


The stylist was my good friend Alexandra Loeb and the model was Emilie (Elite) who is actually here from Montreal for the Summer.  Sweetest girl and totally worked for the Gypset theme.  


It was another gorgeous day!  Hot but GORGEOUS!  Seriously, we have been so lucky when we've headed up there the two times.  Emilie was such a trooper too b/c of course we were showing a lot of Fall clothes and things w/ fur...such a professional even in the heat!  And as the day went on she just got more and more into the theme and really transformed herself into the character.  


For the Makeup I wanted something not too clean or perfect, something almost a little slept in.  So I wanted some smoldering eyes w/ big lashes and big eyeliner.  Emilie had big cheekbones which you know I LOVE so you better believe I was taking advantage of that w/ the contour and a pretty strong bronzy cheek.  I kept the lips nude and w/ a gloss.  


For her hair I did a couple of things.  Again nothing too clean or perfect - which is perfect when trekking through the wilderness or shooting outside b/c the messier it gets the better and more organic is looks.  I added A LOT of extensions to Emilie's hair b/c it was thin and not near as long as we needed...yeah for my endless supply of extensions (and Alex's b/c she brought a set too...I used BOTH sets!).  First hair look I did a really messy side fish tail w/ some volume and texture worked through the top and the braid.  For the second hair look I made a Hair Rat (fake hair teased into a ball) to attach to her head to create the volume I needed for the Bridget Bardotesque hair we wanted...thank god for that rat b/c as I mentioned her hair was think I would have been teasing and re-teasing all afternoon w/out it.  W/ it all I had to do was attach it to the head and then tease the hair around it a bit and lay and pin it over the hair rat.  First time I've actually made and used one myself actually!  After I did the pouf I teased all around the hair that wasn't pulled back to give it that very worn/slept in messy hair texture.  If only my hair ever looked that good when I woke up in the morning lol!


In the end it was a LONG day (10 am - Midnight) but so worth it!  Can't wait to see the video which will be coming out on July 22nd (another thing I love about Lilogi is the quick turn around w/ work).  


I of course took a ton of Behind the Scenes pics so ENJOY!

Beginning of the Day!

 Vast greenery we trekked through to 1st location

1st Location - Abandoned, Rusted Car!  How AMAZING is THIS!  Renee's Father stumbled upon it during a walk one day in the middle of nowhere...LITERALLY!

 It has a built in Sun Roof lol!

 Gross Bugs on this plant in the field...like a million of them...EWW!  Don't mind nature, still HATE bugs!

 Look at this Weather!

 Another Touch Up!

 Love this Hat!

 The Living Room...What a Creation!

 Hair Rat!  Would have been better if it was Dark Brown but whatever I made due!

 Hair Rat in Action!

 Ugliest Dress EVER...Seriously, but Emilie made it work!  It's so Ugly it's HOT!

 At First we weren't sure about this outfit then it became one of the FAVS of the Day!

 Love this Shot!