Stila One Step Products - Great Time Saving Products

I recently discovered some GREAT new products by Stila at Sephora. I’ve been trying the products out for about a months now and I like them. They the new ONE STEP series products from Stila.

First product- One Step Correct

It is an innovative, three-in-one serum that contains three color-correcting, moisturizing brighteners for flawless looking skin. As you can see in the bottle, it has a triple-swirled helix serum that instantly color corrects, brightens, primes, and nourishes the skin. The green helix would corrects for redness, the purple helix corrects for dullness and the salmon coloured helix to correct for blue(vein) type of discoloration on the skin. On top of the immediately gratifying benefits, the infusion of Stila’s exclusive Youth Revival Bio-Available Mineral Complex™ improves skintone, evens out the complexion, and helps smooth fine lines and wrinkles. This is now a must have in my personal makeup kit and my makeup train case.

One pump of this product is all you need and in that one pump you get all three colours.

Second product- One Step PrimeColor
It is a one-stop product for high-performance, water-resistant, all-over color. The luxurious, velvety texture provides high-definition coverage and claims minimal real estate in your makeup bag. The bright, stunning colors work as eyeshadow, lip color, or blush. I have the colour bronze babe, it is a wonderful light wash of sunshine on your skin.

Third product - One Step Makeup Foundation
It is a fragrance-free primer, concealer, foundation and powder in one product. With a mousse-like formula, it applies smoothly and easily. I wore this foundation by itself on my skin and my T-zone was free of shine for about 5-6 hours. However, since this foundation dries a super matte finish, if you are trying to achieve a dewy skin look, this won’t be the right product to use.

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HOW TOXIC IS YOUR DAILY SHAMPOO? TOOTHPASTE? LIPSTICK? I've always been a product junkie. There are some beauty products in my bathroom that

Watch this video then read this post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfq000AF1i8

I've always been a product junkie. There are some beauty products in my bathroom that I just could not live without.

The other day, my co-worker at my full-time job mentioned that since she had her baby boy, she's been more aware of the safety of various products. She has researched pretty much everything that can affect her and her newborn son, from the high-chairs to baby shampoo.

During her research she came across this youtube video, and since she knew I'm a makeup artist on the side, she thought I would be interested in this video regarding COSMETCIS/BEAUTY/PERSONAL product safety.

After watching this video, I was a little surprised and taken back and we decided to look into this further. We came across this cosmetic safety database called SKIN DEEP.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

This is a website launched by Environmental Working Group in 2004 and it's mission is to use the power of information to protect human health and the environment.

This is an online database that offers a safety guide for cosmetics and personal care products. Their aim is to fill in what the companies and governments leave out. Cosmetic companies are allowed to use almost any ingredient they wish. EWG's scientists built skin Deep to be a one-of-a kind resource that rates the toxicity level of your personal care products.

Of course my friend and I had to look up almost all of the products that we use on a daily basis. My Aussie Shampoo, Tresemme heat tamer, Colgate tooth paste, Lancome sunblock, Dove deoderant, baby cream...

I was shocked by what we discovered. For example, VASELINE INTENSIVE CARE HEALTHY HAND & NAIL REVITALIZING HAND LOTION scored a 10/10. A score of 10 is most hazardous, it contains chemicals like DMDM HYDANTOIN which is a known human immune system toxicant and, interestingly enough, a known human skin toxicant. This example is just one of many that took me by surprise.

I'm not a scientist or a chemist, I'm simply a consumer that wants to know what's in my daily shampoo! Given this website, I'm able to become a more educated consumer and a little more aware about the safety of the personal products that I use every day.

During my search, I've noticed a couple of things:

1. Products that contain artificial fragrances seems to score poorly.

2. Products made for sensitive skin score well.

My co-worker and I also found this store in TORONTO that carries brands that scored VERY WELL (i.e. 1-2) on the database.

http://www.epistachio.com/

They have a store at Yonge & Eg and in Yorkdale. They carry John Masters Organics which scored really well on the database.

I found this website very helpful and I'd like to share it you. Use the information to be a more educated consumer, and protect yourself and those that you love. Use your discretion and choose your personal products safely.

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Creating a Super Dewy Fresh face with a hint of sun with products from STILA

I've been liking the fresh faced look lately, which is natural dewy skin with a hint of colour. I went searching for a tinted moisturizer with illuminating qualities. I found Stila Illuminating tinted moisturizer. I'm in shade #02.


This is a wonderful tinted moisturizer, it gives the face an overall understated glow. To demonstrate, here is a picture of me bare faced, with only some sunblock on my face:

1. Take a dime sized Illuminating tinted moisturizer:

2. Here's a pic of my face after the moisturizer under the same lighting, you will see how this tinted moisturizer gives you a overall brightening effect and some coverage on the face:

3. Dust some translucent powder in the T zone

4. Apply some Bourjois Bronzing powder all over the face. Which is my current favorite bronzing powder. It is matte, light, honey coloured and smells like chocolate.

5. Apply Stila One Step Prime colour in Bronze Babeon the cheeks and lips.

6. lightly powder in brows with a your fav brow powder, I used Anastasia duo brow powder in Brunette.

7. Apply a shadow on the eyes that is one shade lighter than your skin colour, I used MAC blanc type.

8. Apply eyeliner. I used a eyeliner pen by Kat Von D called Tattoo Liner in the shade Trooper(black). This is a great eyeliner that is pigmented, easy to use and long lasting.

8. Apply your favorite mascara.

There's the finished face under the same lighting.

This is a super easy and quick look to do. Took me less than 10 mins, yet it is fresh and brightening.

I definitely think this tinted moisturizer is an great one.

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Seriously Waterproof Eyeshadow - Makeup Forever Aqua Creams

Make Up For Ever(MUFE) founder Dany Sanz has spent most of her career developing products to meet the high-performance needs of show-business clients. Think Moulin Rouge show girls that perform shows back to back, their makeup must endure heat, sweat, and it must be intensely pigmented to be visible to an live audience. I’ve always loved MUFE for their long lasting products and vivid colour selection.

They have done it again with a recent launch of Aqua Creams.

What it is:
An ultra-pigmented, long-lasting waterproof cream.

What it does:
These little pots of wonder are highly pigmented creams for eyes, lips, face and body. They are designed to be waterproof and is made for extreme conditions, think synchronized swimmers. Once they dry and set, they are waterproof, transfer-proof, and crease-proof. Basically, they’re going to stay on until you use an oil based cleanser to remove them.

Some of the colours are designated “lips and cheeks”; the rest are designated “eyes and cheeks.” They can be applied individually, mixed together, or used under powder (or lipgloss).

How I like them:

I’ve purchased Shade 1 and Shade 15. I’ve gotten samples of some of the blush/lip shades. It’s not a lie that these are waterproof, I’ve tested this by splashing water on them. I’m pretty certain you can take a dip in the pool and still have perfect shadow after.

The eye shadows that I purchased stayed on all day without an eyeshadow base even though I have fairly oily lids.

In general they dry fairly quickly compared to other cream based shadows/blushes I’ve tried in the past, so you must work quickly to blend the colours. The formula for some of the colours do run drier than others, so test out the colours first if you can.

They are $22 each and can be purchased at Sephora.

These are swatches of the shades I purchased:

This is a super natural look I created with Shade 15

Here's a slightly heavier look with Shade 15 as a base and the Urban Decay Naked Palette:

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Urban Decay NAKED Palette - LOVE LOVE LOVE

This is going to be a short and sweet post with lots of pics.

I love this palette, the eye shadows are wonderfully pigmented, the colour selection is amazing, The texture is smooth and silky and it's such a bargain for the price.

This palette is a permanent palette by Urban Decay at Sephora that features 12 full sized eye shadows that have a distinctly urban look, yet works for everyone. It also contains a double-eneded 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero (black) and Whisky (warm brown), as well as a travel size eyeshadow Primer Potion. It is only $52 for this palette. Regular Urban Decay single eye shadows costs $21 and this palette has 12 shadows.

Here's the Palette with its beautiful Velvet package:

Here are the eye shadows:

Swatches under natural light

Swatches with Flash

Swatches of the eyeliners


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WOW, Red lips that won't smudge.

L'oreal Paris - Infallible lip colour compact

I would love to wear a red lip look once in a while, and channel that China doll look, but no matter what, the colour comes off, and it's just plain ugly when its a faded red lip look.

I watched the following video by one of my favorite makeup gurus on Youtube. My first thought was, "no way, it can't be that kiss/smudge/eat/drink proof". If you watch it, you will see how she rubs her lips and this lip product stays put.




My second thought was, "I gotta try this." Unfortunately, we don't have the particular colour (Beyonce from the STARS collection) that Kandee used in her video. As far as I know, it's not available in the Canada at the moment. The Infallible STARS collection also features colours that are inspired by Kate Hudson, Eva Longoria, Linda Evangelista etc. We only carry the regular Infallible lipcolour collection here in Toronto.

This lipcolour is $11.99 at Walmart and Shopper's. I checked out the colours available from the regular line and I wasn't impressed with the selection. However, there was one red colour that I did like. It was in the shade CRIMSON.

Here's a picture of it:


I applied 2 coats and then the topcoat



Crimson colour with MAC Dazzleglass in Date night, the dazzle glass has blue purple tones in it, which turns the red lip colour to a cooler red tone. Cooler reds help make the teeth appear whiter.

You must follow the instructions and let the lip colour completely dry before applying the topcoat. It also means you must correct any mistakes before the product is completely dry.

I don't love the feel of this lip product on my lips because it feels very dry. With the conditioning top coat applied, it feels a little better. I think this product is great for a BOLD lip colour. For the nudes/beiges/light pinks I'd still rather use regular lipsticks/glosses, but for a PERFECT red pout that will honestly last all day, this product is a HUGE must.

I rubbed my lips, I kissed my hubby, I went out for diner, I ate, and I drank. The colour lasted and lasted and lasted. Its amazing!

It's in fact so amazing that it can be quite difficult to take off. :) To remove it, you can't just simply rub it off with a piece of tissue. You must use an oil based makeup remover. The Sephora brand waterproof eye makeup remover works well. I'm also happy to say that my favorite Ponds cold cream that I use to remove makeup and clean my face every night was able to remove the lip colour with some gentle scrubbing with fingers. Olive oil on a cotton pad also does the trick.

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Roomba iRobot Vacuum Cleaning Robot - The LAZY girls best friend

Roomba iRobot Vacuum Cleaning Robot - The LAZY girl's best friend

I don't like to clean, I do it because I must. I thought about hiring a cleaner, but doing 12 hour shift work means I have lots of time off. More specifically, I'm off 23 days out of every 42 days. Although working 12 hours shifts, a mix of days and nights, can be hard on the body, I can't really complain since there is also plenty of time to recover. So, with all the time off, I just couldn't justify hiring a cleaner and watch someone clean my space while I blog on blogspot. hahaha

What's my solution? I got a SMART Vacuum Cleaning Robot, I bought a ROOMBA. I waited for it to go on sale at Canadian Tire (don't remember the price) and got the iRobot Roomba® 530 model about a year ago. They have more advance models now.

This is my best cleaning buddy now - say bye bye to The Broom. It is fuss free, smart, and cleans like a charm with minimal maintence. All the maintenance it needs is to clean the brushes once in a while. Its good on hard wood floor, tiles and carpet.

To use it, you just simply charge it and press CLEAN. It makes this cute sound and rolls out of the charging base and starts to vacuum. It knows to turn when it hits obstructions, it knows to stop at staircases, and it's small enough to fit under the bed (it is such a pain to clean under the bed). It comes with 2 little gadgets to set up an invisible wall to keep it out of unwanted areas. After its finished cleaning your floors, it knows to return to its base and recharge itself. How perfect is that!

It was fascinating to watch it clean the first few times. Yes, I followed it around the house the first time I used it instead of blogging. Now, I set it out to vacuum and I'm free to dust, do laundry, do the dishes or do whatever. Thanks to the Roomba, I now have so much more time for everything else!

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