Racinne - Ultimate Youth Power!

A few wks ago the wonderful ppl at Racinne were nice enough to send me a few products from their really awesome Youth Power line...yes I'm officially at an age (believe it or not) where I actually want to try anti-aging products lol.  Now anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows I like to extensively use a product for a couple of wks before I write a review.  I mean how can I write about an anti-aging line w/out using it for at least 2-3 wks!

The anti-aging line works in a few different ways. It stimulates collagen synthesis and elastin to repair the signs of aging.  It uses ginseng to regain suppleness and cell density and to resist environmental pollutants that cause stress to the skin.  It also uses adenosine to retexturize the skin giving it a healthier glow.

One of the reasons Racinne is at the forefront of biotechnology in the cosmetics industry is due to SH-DP-9, it is a  powerful anti-wrinkle agent, which is one of the main active ingredients in the Ultimate Youth Power Series. Racinne is the very first beauty brand that is using a synthetically created neuropeptide.

What is a neuropeptide? It is a type of hormone that is secreted from your brain when your skin is
injured or burned. The amount of neuropeptides continues to decrease everyday while growing old,
that’s why with age you develop wrinkles and dark spots (pigmentation). There are some
dermatologists' skin care products that are using natural neuropeptides, but they harvest these
neuropeptides from humans, which can be very controversial. Racinne is able to use advance
biotechnology to synthetically create a neuropeptide based on their exact molecular structure, and
no other skin care retail brand is using this technology as of now.

So enough about the technical talk let's move on to talking about the actual products!

One thing I noticed right away was the packaging.  It's very nice and I do like the gold theme of the Youth Power Line.  It does feel and look like a high end product!

Ultimate Youth Power Serum - When it comes to anti-aging products I'm a big fan of serums.  They often say that if you're going to get one anti-aging product make it a serum b/c usually there is a higher concentration of active anti-aging ingredients in the serum as opposed to the creams and lotions.  The serum promises to reduce fine lines, brighten skin, activate collagen regeneration and revitalize skin cells.

I used this product twice a day after cleansing and toning and before my day or night cream.  It goes on very smooth and soft and even though it's a serum it didn't make my skin feel oily or greasy in anyway.  It definitely soaks into the skin well.  I would esp. notice my skin looking softer and fuller in the morning after using it before bed.  I only have one gripe about this product - the wand thing connected to the top.  There is a similar wand in the MUFE HD elixir so I know how it's suppose to work and how the product is suppose to come out of it but I don't know if it's b/c the serum is thicker or what it is but even when I would push the top button to release the serum from inside the wand nothing would come out. So I just had to shake the serum and coat the wand while it was in the bottle and get some that way.  Also just how the bottle is and b/c it's a solid gold I can't tell how much product is left....or how much is really even in the bottle to start w/ which is a bit annoying b/c I'd hate to throw out a bunch of serum just b/c I couldn't tell if it was left in the bottle.

Ultimate Youth Power Eye Serum - Similar to the face serum this product also brightens up dark circles

under the eyes...which is always a big one for a lot of ppl!  Again like the serum I used it twice a day after cleansing and toning.  You could put the applicator right to you skin under the eye and release some of the serum but I would put some on my finger tips and then apply it that way.  I found if I just put the applicator right to the skin too much product would come out and I don't want to waste any serum!

Like the face serum I did feel like the skin under my eyes was well nourished and moisturized!  That's a big area for a lot of ppl when they get older and a serum is a great product to use b/c the skin under our eyes can easily get dehydrated and wrinkly.  By moisturizing and hydrating the skin wrinkles will appear less noticeable and makeup will sit nicer on the skin and not settle into fine lines as much.  It also helps w/ reducing the cakiness that can sometimes appear when we put too much concealer or makeup under the eyes.

The last product from the line I tried was the Ultimate Youth Power Cream.  Unlike the other two products I only used this product at night.  It doesn't have any spf in it so I wanted to stick w/ my reg. day cream for day use.  Also it's a pretty rich moisturizer so I thought it would work better for my skin at night then during the day.  Even though I did find it to be a rich and thick cream I will say it did blend into my skin very well and it didn't leave it feeling greasy or oily even in conjunction w/ the serum.

With all of these products a little goes a long way which is great and I think add to the appeal and feel of it being a more "high end" line.  I'd love for them to re-evaluate the wand for the face serum but other than that I was definitely a fan of the line!  Definitely worth a try!

VEET Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered my Veet Get Your Skin Ready For Summer Giveaway!  It was another huge success!

We Have A WINNER!

Drumroll Please....

Andrew Pham - Congratulations!  You're the Winner of the Veet Giveaway!  I'll email you soon to find out your mailing address and all the details! (First Winner wasn't Canadian...gotta read the rules ;) )

Thanks again to all that tried!

VEET - Get You Skin Ready For Summer GIVEAWAY!

I haven't done a Giveaway in awhile so when the ppl at VEET reached out to me to do a new Giveaway I thought of course I'd LOVE to give my fans and readers some free swag ;)

Although, you wouldn't know it by the weather we've had lately Summer is on it's way (I hope) and that means pulling out the bikinis, short skirts and short...and time to take care of any unwanted body hair that we may have been using this past Winter to keep us warm lol!

So here's the deets - this Giveaway is open to CANADIANS only...sorry my friends from far away...and 1 lucky person will get all this AWESOME stuff mailed to them from the lovely ppl at Veet!

·         VEET Precision Wax and Care (for the face): $16.99

·         VEET Underarm Hair Removal Kit: $8.49

·         VEET Easy-Wax Electrical Roll on Kit (for legs and arms): $29.99

·         VEET Easy-Wax Electrical Roll on Kit refills for arms and legs: $27.98

·         VEET Hydro'Restor Hair Removal Cream (for arms and legs): $16.99

Total value: $100.44

That's enough hair removal products to keep you and your friends hair free-care free ALL Summer long!

I actually had the chance to try a couple of their new products a couple of weeks ago and I can say they are good!

First I tried the Veet Precision Wax & Care (for the face) - Great for eyebrows, chin, lip, side burns...anywhere there's unwanted hair.  The easy to use tube allows for a precise amount of wax exactly where you need it and it comes w/ a precision spatula to make sure you don't get the wax anywhere you don't want.  Plus I really liked that the fabric strips are reusable and it came w/ an aftercare cream which is great b/c the face area can be a little sensitive when it comes to waxing.

Next up was the Veet Underarm Hair Removal Kit.  I personally feel like I have to shave under my arms EVERY day so when a product says it lasts longer than shaving I'm up for trying it out.  You only have to leave the cream on for 5 mins (although I'll be honest I always have to leave it on a

little longer) and don't worry you can put your arms down during those 5 mins...don't have to hold them over your head ;)  Plus the kit comes w/ a spatula to remove the cream and hair and a finishing cream.

So what are you waiting for ENTER NOW!

The Rafflecopter Widget to Enter takes a few seconds to load sometimes - Please be patient!  Thanks :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lioness Deluxe SPA'rty!

Last Fri. I had the pleasure of attending the Lioness Deluxe SPA'rty networking event and I have to Lioness Woman's Club  is a community established to bring together entrepreneurial, business and professional women for the purposes of networking, collaborating and socializing - yeah woman power! I must say these women really know how to put together a good event!

This particular event was a "Spa Themed" evening and the dress code called for "Bohemian" sophisticated style - fun!  It was a great turn out and it was fun to see and meet some many other women w/ similar interests and ideas.  The event featured some inspiring speakers and business woman in the community as well as some very yummy yummy food and beverages ...which I of course took full advantage of ;)

Another great thing about the event was there were also a number of vendors and business women present that worked or had companies in the beauty industry...obviously interesting and educational for a beauty professional like myself ;)

I took the chance to walk around the venue and talk to a lot of the booths but I thought I'd share w/ you a couple of my favs!

Wellness Oasis - A company focusing on beauty and home products that are organic, non-toxic, natural and cruelty-free.  I'm especially enjoying my Hawaiian Ruby Guava Perfume Solid that I picked up there for under $10.  Smells so fruity (which I love) and it's tiny enough to fit in my makeup bag and to take it on the go!

DerMedix Laser Clinic - They specialize in laser hair removal, peels, body contouring, acne treatments, microdermabrasion etc. but the thing I actually found the most interesting about them was a makeup product I've never heard about!

Lycogel - a foundation and concealer system that is okay to use on your skin post treatment!  One of the most annoying things about getting skin treatments (esp. for makeup girls like myself) is that you're not suppose to wear any makeup for at least 24 hrs post treatment...well anyone who has had a peel knows that's hard b/c often your face looks like a red tomato and the thing you want to do most is put on some makeup before you go out in public!  Lycogel is a foundation that you can wear immediately post treatment! It helps promote skin repair, reduces pain, great for sensitive skin, hypoallergenic, lasts all day, water and transfer resistant, has SPF 30 and a bunch of other benefits!  I don't know about you but this sounds like a pretty cool foundation product that I'd like to try out!

The last booth that really caught my attention was actually this Jewelry booth set up by the Lioness Club themselves.  This isn't even usually something that would necessarily catch my attention at a beauty event but I really liked a lot of their pieces...and I have to admit they are actually IMO really affordable!  You can actually buy them directly from the Lioness website and I definitely suggest checking them out b/c they had some really stunning, statement necklace pieces!

Here's some pics from the event!  Thanks again Lioness Club for reaching out to me for such a fun event!

Perfume Solids - I got the Guava one (pink box) :)

Bridal Beauties

So I haven't put up any updates about weddings I've done in the past while so I thought now would be a good chance since I just got some pics recently from a couple of my February brides...yes February is still a somewhat popular time to get married believe it or not ;)  Maybe not quite as busy as June...but I still average 3-4 wedding a mth even in the Winter mths.

So here are a couple of my February weddings!

Emily actually happened to get married on the day we had that HUGE snowstorm in Toronto back in Feb...not sure if you all can remember that far back lol!  It was a Fri wedding and even w/ the blizzard outside the door I was so impressed w/ how calm and relaxed Emily was.  Her and her family were such a pleasure to work w/ and I loved the soft bridal hair and makeup that I created for Emily! Pictures courtesy of Carly Wade.

Andrea's wedding was actually the day after Emily's wedding...thankfully the storm and nasty weather had died down by then.  This was actually one of the rare weddings where I got to Just Makeup...not Hair!  That almost never happens...there's lots of weddings where I just do hair but very few where I just have to do makeup!  Andrea was having her wedding at one of my fav venues in the city - The Berkeley Church and I'm very happy to see the renovated the upstairs and put in some proper mirrors, lights and counter space...although I will be honest they still need to work on the outlet situation lol.  Andrea, like Emily was a very relaxed bride...my fav type of bride and she wanted a soft makeup look w/ a slight winged liner.  For her bridesmaids she let them wear their own choice of dress...it just had to be red and what was fun for me is that they were both willing to do a red lip too (you all know how I love a red lip ;) )!  Being that both their dresses were different and different shades of red I chose a different lip colour for each of them that matched their dress and complimented their features!  Photos courtesy of 360 Photography

I'm always telling ppl to snap shots when I make the bride do the "fish face" for contouring...I think it's funny she actually sent me this pic lol! FYI this does get blended out I don't leave streaks on the face like that of course ;)

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