My Favs for 2012

Here is a list of my favourite products that I loved using over 2012.

These products were either new in 2012 or new to me in 2012!

Sorry, some of the pictures seem to be blurry, the lighting was not so good :(

makeup brushes, haircare, beauty, makeup and nails

 OPI nail polishes

Live and Let Die / The Living Daylights / Russian Navy

 
I am in love with MAC Mineralized products!!
Volcanic Ash Exfoliator (left) minimizes pores and leaves my skin so soft.
Charged Water Moisture Eye Cream (right) keeps my under eyes feeling moisturized. 

Can be used for day or a light night cream.

 

Vaseline Lip Therapy cocoa butter.  Put this on at bedtime and you will have super smooth lips in the morning, smells good too!
Dove Nourishing Oil Care Anti-Frizz Serum works great on my frizzy hair.
Great inexpensive alternative to Argan oil.

 

Mascara

I have sooo many mascaras, these are the two I use most.

 L'oreal Telescopic Explosion / Avon Drama

 Love the applicators for these mascaras, makes it look like you have false lashes!

 Can't say enough about this Urban Decay Naked 2 palette!  Excellent colour selection, awesome pay-off, good quality eyeshadows.  I can use these on anyone.  I recommend this palette to anyone wanting neutral colours.  Comes with a mini lipgloss!

 

Best eyeliners by far!  MAC has come out with some great longwear eyeliners.

They glide on so smooth and literally last all day.  That's saying a lot for me.  

These are perfect for hooded eyes, it doesn't transfer to my "saggy" eyelid.

My two favourites are Lord It Up and my newest edition Night Trail.

Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Medium. I hit pan! This is definitely my go-to powder.

I first saw this being used by Romero Jennings at a MAC PRO class. 

It took me awhile to actually try it...now I wonder how I lived without it!

It's so flawless, makes my skin smooth without that powder look.

I will be repurchasing this over and over!

I just purchased these from the new Strength collection.  I love the colours.  

Taupe Shape (left) is a perfect contour shade.  Poised (right) is a perfect everyday blush.

Maybelline Fit concealer in shade 20.
I am usually not a big fan of Maybelline concealer or foundation.

I found out about this by another MUA who raved about it on youtube.

I decided for the price why not try it out.  Now I use it everyday!  

It's creamy and blendable, just what you need for undereye!

Brushes!! My favs for everyday use!

For foundation, I can't live without the Sigma F84 (left). 

Buffs foundation into the skin effortlessly with a very natural airbrushed look.

For concealer, I have a lot of brushes but find this one from Sephora (right) 

is the one I always reach for.  It's the Sephora Brand Airbrush Concealer brush.

It's meant to mimic your fingertips, which is what you need under your eyes.

For powder I use the MAC 138 Tapered Face Brush (left).

The pointed tip is perfect for applying and blending powder blush, highlighter or face powder.

For blush/contouring the Sigma F40 Angled Contour (right) is perfect for getting under your cheekbones or applying blush on them.

I love these eyeshadow brushes so much, I have two of each.

The Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush (left) is great for applying one shadow all over the lid or blending harsh shadow lines.

The Sigma E25 Blending Brush (right) is great for applying a medium colour in the crease and can be used for blending as well.  It's also great for applying concealer under the eye.

Nails, Nails, Nails!

Nail polish has become really popular.  It seems a lot of makeup companies are into making their own brand.  Along with many colours there are also textures like magnetic, crackle, 3D, nail art design stickers etc.  It seems every colour is trendy now so you can't lose.
There are also many tutorials on you tube, one of my favourite is cutepolish.
If you follow me on instagram you will see I try to update my nail colour every week.  I tend to like darker colours for fall and winter and then go back to lights and brights in the summer.  Another trend I like is painting one or two nails a different colour/shade or applying nail art/decals.  My favourite are the sally hansen salon effects.  I usually do this to my ring finger.

essie nail colours















OPI up front and personal, with sally hansen salon effects polish strips






Here are some of my favourite nail polish colours, mostly OPI

    lights / neutrals

    bubble bath, sweetie pie, coney island cotton candy, up front and personal, moon over mumbai, mod about
    you

    fun / brights

    save me, heart throb, elephantastic pink, hot & spicy, atomic orange, bright lights big colour

    darks

    i have a herring problem, lugerne-tainly look marvelous, catherine the grape, wooden shoe like to know,
    brisbane bronze, my private jet

    mac polishes 

    mean & green, pearl formidable, nightfall, baby goth girl, rocker

 

Mini MAC Haul

I went to MAC today to get a few things to add to my ever growing makeup collection.
I am actually doing makeup for 4 ladies this Saturday.  I got a call back from a wedding I did in February 2011.  It's always a good feeling when someone remembers you and wants their makeup done again!  This time they are not the wedding party, they are just attending a wedding.
Here are a few things I got today...

blush palette, lingering eyebrow pencil, blue swan eyeliner, crosswires lipstick, nicki minaj lipgloss, vex and typographic eyeshadow, mocha blush

It's been awhile since I have bought a new pro palette.  I was happy to see they changed it to a clear lid.
Now I can see what's inside!  Awesome!  Now I am tempted to buy all new ones for all my eyeshadows!  But that will come in time ;)

Here are some lipsticks I have been collecting for my kit and especially for weddings...

 brave, cherish, cosmo, crosswires, modesty, hot gossip, velvet teddy

Makeover / Tips for Mature Skin

I recently had the pleasure of being able to do a makeover on my Aunt!
I thought it would be a great opportunity to blog about tips for women with mature skin.

Tip#1  Foundation.
As we age our skin begins to dull and fine lines/wrinkles start to show.  You want a foundation that helps moisturize and brings a glow to your skin.  Look for foundation that is for dry skin and will give a dewy finish.

Tip#2  Concealer.
As with foundation, you want to find a concealer that is moisturizing.
Make sure you use all around the eye area including the lid to conceal any veins.
If you have very dark circles, try using a peachy corrector first.

Tip#3  Powder.
The less powder you use the better.  Use a light dusting to set foundation and concealer.

Tip#4  Blush.
Use a bright blush to add a nice flush to the cheeks.  I think blush is a very important step to show youthfulness.  Apply to apples of cheeks and blend out and up!
Make sure you blend well, no clown cheeks please!

Tip#5  Lipgloss.
Lips thin as we get older.  Using a lipgloss instead of lipstick will help moisturize and make lips look fuller.  Look for a plumping one!

Tip#6  Lash Curler.
Everyone should use an eyelash curler. Curling your lashes will open your eyes so you look more awake.

Tip#7  Eyeliner.
Lightly lining the eye is a must. I suggest browns and greys, blacks can be a bit harsh.
It's more flattering to wing your eyeliner up.

Tip#8  Eyeshadow.
Matte shadows are a must.  A touch of shimmer eyeshadow can be worn but only near the inner tear duct and just under the brows.  Never wear shimmer or glittery eyeshadow over the whole lid.

Tip#9  Eyebrows.
Eyebrows naturally thin as we get older.  It is very important to find a pencil or shadow that closely matches the natural shade of your brows.  Drawing in your eyebrows will frame your eyes which makes them stand out.  Use short strokes to mimic hair, never draw a solid line.
A very youthful and important step!

My Aunt Herma before and after

Thank you to my Aunt Herma for being my model and thank you to my sister Candace for taking all the pictures!
If you are interested in a makeover including photos, give myself or Candace a call to set up an appointment.  http://candacenaidoo.com/home.html

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Review

Dare to wear 24HR shadow

I was able to purchase 5 of the 10 available colours.
Here are my thoughts....
I love them!  They are easy to work with, buildable and they last all day...just like they say in their ads.
I am not sure about 24 hours though, as I do wash my makeup off before going to bed ;)

How to use:

Use finger or a stiff brush to pat colour on to lid ( I used the 239 MAC brush), blend out edges with a blending brush ( I used the 217 MAC brush).
You have lots of options for different looks.  You can use as a base for regular eyeshadow, which will help intensify the eyeshadow, or use on it's own. 

The neutral colours make a great base for an everyday look or intensify for a smokey evening look.
I just used Bad to the Bronze here with a darker shimmer brown liner.

The brighter colours are great on their own.  I used a bit of MAC black fluid line to define my lashes.  Eyeliner or liquid liner is another great option.

These could have been built up for a more intense look, but I was going out grocery shopping ;)

I am still thinking of purchasing some other colours, Bold Gold and Pomegranate Punch.
I have been hearing a lot of bad reviews on the Painted Purple, as the colour is not as intense and hard to blend.

Price:  $7.99 - $9.99.
For this review I give Maybelline Colour Tattoo Eyeshadow 4 out of 5.
The only Con is that I wish there were more neutral colours, as they are comparable to MAC paintpots.

http://www.maybelline.ca/products/122/eyes/eye-shadow/eye-studio-color-tattoo-24hr-cream-gel-shadow/fierce-and-tangy/10?shadeId=634

Trash/Rock the Wedding Dress

The idea behind Trash the Dress is simple - instead of letting your gown fester in the back of a closet, slip it back on for a photoshoot where the bride transforms herself into a villainous or perhaps mischievous character and heads out one last time wearing her beautiful (and expensive) gown – to none other than, destroy it or rock it one more time.

My sister Liz and I were still able to fit into our wedding dress, so we planned for a shoot on Thanksgiving weekend.  The weather was awesome!

I mostly rocked mine, while Liz went a step further and actually went into the Muskoka River.

If you are interested in trashing or rocking your dress let us know!  Liz is a professional photographer and I am a makeup artist, we would love to help trash or rock yours too!

All pictures taken by Elizabeth Louter http://www.elizabethlouter.com/