Annabelle Cosmetics' Blog

How to Glow and Not Shimmer!

Admin2 — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:27:08 +0000

Spring has finally sprung! It’s time to work on our bronzing skills and flaunt our beautiful golden glow! I love bronzer! I seriously can’t live without it- personally, I think that with a coat or two of mascara, a little lip gloss and a hint of peach blush, it’s all you need to look fresh and glowing! But, application can sometimes be tricky if you don’t know the Dos & Don’ts. So let me refresh your memory!

Do create a flawless canvas first: Even out your complexion first before bronzing with concealer and/or foundation in the exact shade of your skin to create a fresh base. Very important. You might think that choosing a foundation/concealer a shade or two darker than your skin tone will give you a nicer glow. It won’t. The glow will come from the next steps. Trust me. Now that your skin is ready to get bronzed up, it’s time to choose the right tool for the job!

What brush to choose: You can use any brush you have on hand. Just remember the denser the brush, the more product you will pick up. If you use your Annabelle A-12 Blush Brush, just make sure to tap off the excess product first before applying. If you opt for a fluffier brush like the A-13 Powder Brush, less product will get deposited onto your skin giving you a sheerer effect.

Where to apply (bronzing 101): Here is a map showing you how to bronze, highlight and contour. It might look complicated but it’s actually pretty simple.

You want to apply your bronzer where the sun would normally hit your face: hollows of your cheeks, temples, across the forehead, along the nose and on your chin.

Once applied to these areas, blend the color up your temples and through your hairline on your forehead. This will frame your face and make you appear more sculpted. With the residue on your brush, you can then sweep it around your jaw and the sides of your nose to create more definition. Then using a clean fluffy brush (or you can run the brush you just used over a clean towel to remove most of the color), blend, blend and blend some more. Last thing we want is harsh lines making you look like a paint by number sketch!

Ok, you can now add a bit of extra glow: Using light-toned shimmer shades, sweep the color using a denser brush on the top of your cheekbones, bridge of your nose and brow bone to draw light to these areas.

Now wouldn’t it be handy to have one product to do all that? Once again, we listened! NEW for summer 2012, the Annabelle BIGGY Bronzing Powder allows you to do all that! No matter what your skin type is, you will find your match in this one! The BIG compact contains five shades that can be worn alone or layered together; making it the ONLY bronzer you will need this summer! So lighten and brighten for a sexy tanned summer glow!

Now, all there is left to do is add a hint of blush to the apples of your cheeks. Try a natural looking shade such as Annabelle Mineral powdered blush in Hush.

That’s it! You are done and can now rock your perfect summer glow! How easy was that?

xox

Beauty Street Style – Isabelle

Robyn — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:27:40 +0000

Full Name – Isabelle Beaudoin

Age – 38

Profession – Starting Ethologist

If You Could Invent A Beauty Product, What Would It Be? – Something to beat the cold in winter for sensitive skin!

Who Are Your Personal Beauty Icons? – Vanessa Paradis & Monica Bellucci

Currently Artists Stuck In Your Head – Radiohead & Adele.

Biggest Beauty Secret – Makeup remover and love!

Biggest Fashion Pet Peeve/Beauty Faux-Pas – Fakes! I hate cheap designer knockoffs.

Favorite Fashion Designer – Stella McCartney, Lanvin

Personal motto – Don’t do what you don’t want to do!

Montreal Hangout – My place and Old Montreal

Celebrity You’re Sick Of Hearing About - Kim Kardashian

Best Thing About You (don’t be modest!) – My smile :)

xox

Beauty Street Style – Loredana

Robyn — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:53:14 +0000

Full Name – Loredana Raso

Age – 18

Profession – Makeup Artist

Who Are Your Personal Beauty Icons? – Lily Allen, Lady Gaga

Song Currently Stuck In Your Head – Lonely Boy by The Black Keys

Biggest Beauty Secret – A perfectly applied foundation (and blush)!

Biggest Fashion Pet Peeve/Beauty Faux-Pas – Orange looking bronzer

Favorite Fashion Designer – Chanel

Montreal Hangout – Starbucks

Advice You’d Like To Pass On – Be confident!

Celebrity You’re Sick Of Hearing About – Kim Kardashian

xox

Beauty Street Style – Juliane

Robyn — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:41:37 +0000

Full name – Juliane Therrien

Age – 24

Profession – Retail salesperson

What You’re Wearing Today – Grey dress shirt and jeans

Song Currently Stuck In Your Head – Paradise by Coldplay

Biggest Beauty Secret – Mineral powdered foundation & Moroccan Oil for hair

Personal mantra – “What you see is what you get”

Celebrity You’re Sick Of Hearing About – Kim Kardashian

Best Thing About You (don’t be modest!) – Kindness & sincerity

xox

Smoothie Pencils, SmudgePaint & 4Show Eyeshadow Palette Shades!

Robyn — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:41:40 +0000

If you haven’t yet gotten completely obsessed and overjoyed by the new additions to the Annabelle line, it’s time makeup junkies! More colours, stronger pigments, multi-usage formulas, personalized packaging… unique beauty in every form! From creamy Smoothie Pencils (great as a base, an alternative to cream eyeshadow and smudge-worthy eyeliner pencils), to transformative eyeshadow-to-liquid-liner SmudgePaint pots (staples in your makeup wardrobe) – we’ve got your whims and makeup desires covered! 4SHOW eyeshadow palettes make colourful smokey eyes a cinch (and travel compatible), while working wonders applied on top of the Smoothie pencils for added intensity.

So much to experiment with, so many new shades added to the equation – how will you play up your best features with our new lines?

Need a little somethin’ somethin’ to spark your creative interest? Why not check out our tutorials with campaign model Pamela, or SmudgePaint breakdowns with yours truly? For 4Show Eyeshadow how-to’s click here!

It’s time to play with spring at bay makeup junkies (yes, I know that rhymes)!

Embrace the colour, the pastels, easy to apply formulas and packaging (hang tight – we will be releasing a new collection before you know it)!

Have product suggestions? Let us know! We pride ourselves on being innovative, fun and daring with our cosmetic imaginings. Tell us what you think and what you want to see (who knows, you may just see it on store shelves one day…)!

xox

The History of Mascara

Admin2 — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:23:06 +0000

For many women their first introduction to the world of cosmetics was mascara. Many “moms” agree that mascara is an acceptable, age appropriate primping product and statistics don’t contradict this sentiment. According to Euromonitor International (a beauty and personal care research company), 61% of woman around the world own at least one tube of mascara.

Mascara is such an integral part of our beauty routine. Over its more than 6,000 year long history, mascara has gone through some pretty big changes. For some fun (and surprising) facts about something you probably use every day, just keep reading.

4000 BC

Ancient Egyptians loved kohl liner and mascara. Eyes were believed to be the windows of the soul; they concealed them to ward off evil spirits. Since almost any ash can make a good pigment base, they used tons of different recipes, everything from burning almonds to using lead. Less modern, however, were the substances used to keep the color on their lashes such as honey and water mixed into a paste like substance.

Egyptians used this slate palette to grind and mix kohl, water and fat to make pigments for eye paint. They applied their eye make-up using the copper probe shown below the palette.

100 BC

Ancient Romans (woman and men alike) idealize long, dark eyelashes as a sign of chastity. Kohl remained the main ingredient along with ash, soot, charred rose petals and date pits. Saffron was usually added to improve the smell. The kohl mixture was applied using a rounded stick, made of ivory, glass, bone, or wood, that would be dipped in either oil or water first, before being used to apply the kohl.

Shown here, Ancient Roman dipping cups for kohl mixture along with applicator sticks.

900’s

Persian writer and man of fashion Ziryab opens a cosmetology school in what is now Spain. Here he teaches women how to formulate mascaras from soot and antimony, a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. Antimony is ground down into a water soluble powder and used for its lustrous dark grey (almost black) metalloid color in mascaras.

1500’s

Despite the disapproval from the Church, sneaky Renaissance women, like famed beauty Simonetta Vespucci (as painted here by Botticelli), used makeup. The favoured mascara ingredient at this time was crushed walnut shells, which were applied to dye lashes darker.

Simonetta Vespucci (as painted here by Botticelli)

1850’s

During the Victorian era, social opinion shifted radically towards the promotion of cosmetics, and women were known to spend a majority of their day occupied with beauty regimens. Victorian women made a type of mascara in their own homes. They would heat a mixture of ash or lampblack (which is the sticky soot from oil lamps) and elderberry juice on a plate and apply the heated mixture to their eyelashes.

Painting: Proserpine, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882)

1917

Eugene Rimmel (yes, that Rimmel), sells the first massmarket non-toxic mascara, which is made from petroleum jelly and coal dust. Unlike modern tube mascaras, the original Rimmel comes in a cake form. Pigmented powder was pressed to create compact cakes much like today’s blushes and foundations. The powder was then dissolved with a moist brush to help it cling to the lashes.

fun fact:
Rimmel mascara became so popular that the word rimmel is still to this day the word for mascara in several languages.

1930s

Another early mascara was the cream type, which had the consistency of a lotion and came in small tubes. The mascara ingredients remained the same as the cake version, with the addition of natural waxes to get the required consistency. The cream was squeezed onto a small brush applicator, a process that proved too messy and led to the invention of the wand applicator. The 1930’s also saw the invention of waterproof mascara.

First formulated from a blend of 50% turpentine, waterproof mascara, although novel and unique, caused many skin allergies. Besides the harsh chemical reaction of the waterproof formula, the putrid scent was most unbearable.

1960

Maybelline launches Magic Mascara, the first modern “automatic” (meaning that the brush comes in the tube and coats itself) mascara. It’s safe, gentle, and waterproof. The 60’s also saw the explosion of Twiggylike thick lashes everywhere.

1988

In the 80’s, excessive make-up was in fashion and lashes had to be equally as big and bold. Therefore mascara was a must-have, with colored formulas proving the most popular. While Princess Diana was the finest example of how to wear mascara during this period (she always wore blue), Tammy Faye Bakker best illustrated how not to wear it. In 1988, perhaps in reaction to the over use of mascara Max Factor launched the first ever clear mascara. Called No Color, it was the ideal product for women wishing to achieve a more natural look.

Do!

Don’t!

2000’s

The last decade sees woman bombarded with mascara choices. Double ended mascaras, vibrating mascaras, and a whole host of new lengthening, volumizing, and thickening formulas. A new generation of geometrically shaped mascara wands is replacing rigid fiber brushes. Unevenly notched bristles, flexible plastic combs, rubbery prongs in bent and curved shapes are everywhere.

The Future

Wands made from TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), brushless applicators, semipermanent, hypoallergenic, tubes or tottles? These are the questions facing the industry and the evolution of mascara. In 2010 close to 120 mascara products were launched in Canada; in the United States, it was 349. With these numbers you don’t have to be an expert in the field to know that mascaras are not going to become a thing of the past.

Source: Orchard International Inc.

Update Your Hair, Nails & Lashes… With Colour!

Robyn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:51:57 +0000

If you haven’t gotten the spring/summer 2012 memo that fluo and high brights are in, consider this it! Beauty is taking an adventurous leap into the positive, funky and festive in all sorts of ways… and while makeup is always the most fun, temporary and playful of the options, hair and nails make a bold statement (and really shake your look up)!

Remember the Marc Jacobs 2009 winter collection? Get inspired by the awesome paint cuff in this slideshow, the Moncler Gamme Rouge show, the Salvatore Ferragamo collection, Missoni crochets and fringe, Blumarine florals, DKNY red and purple stripes, and Derek Lam colour-blocking (phew… did you get all those?)!

Want to add an extra splash of shine? Check out these handmade glitter falsies on etsy (or make them yourselves with your favourite glitter colour – just be sure to use eyelash adhesive as your glue to keep the toxic away)! As for hair, if you don’t have the resources to maintain the fickle (and quickly fading) boost of hair colour, opt for clip-in extensions that can be worn in a whim (or indulge in a semi-permanent dye if you have lighter hair)! Hair accessories are also a great way of punching it up – try rainbow bobby pins, headbands, and elastics (we’ve even seen feather clip-ins that overshadow any hat)! Nails have never been more creative than now… get a mani at your local nail art salon, or play with painting them yourself (toothpicks work as great dotters that can be dragged across the nail to achieve desired effects).

Our Annabelle Studio Pigments and Volumelip Lip Plumping glosses make for the best compliment to this trend (use them wet or dry for an intense, colourful addition to your newfound look)!

While most will be waiting until spring, I’m beating the winter blues now (who couldn’t use a pop of colour with all this snow?!)…

Avant 1re Beaute Event Montreal

Robyn — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:01:25 +0000

Any excuse is a great excuse to throw a glam event, that’s why when we were ready to flaunt our show-stopping 2012 new additions to the classic Annabelle line, Montreal’s Phillips Lounge was the perfect dig. From our favourite beauty and fashion/lifestyle bloggers, to some of Canada’s celebrated editors – the attendance made the lounges ambiance and energy infectious! Our custom gloss bar (where guests mixed their own specialty Le Big Show Gloss creation) was going strong alongside an array of specialty martinis and wine. The nibblies were enough to make me chase down each of the passing waiters (lol, can you tell I’m a sucker for food?), and the entire Annabelle/Marcelle team were well in attendance (dressed to the nines!). To paint a bit more of a visual picture, the illuminated bar and overhead flat screens showcasing the how-to videos were on rotation, and the gift bags at the end of the evening were jam packed with new goodies for the beauty aficionado to explore and add to their reservoir!

So much goodness, such a lack of words to express everything that went on… this is where I let the pictures speak on my behalf…

The beautiful Anik Lacasse-Richard showed off her red locks while mixing and matching pigments for her gloss…

…while Candice Pantin got a funny text (don’t you love her daring bleached brow beauty statement? Would you make the leap to bleach your brows?)…

…Marie-Pier Lessard looked naturally gorgeous (and glowing) while taking in the new goodies…

…Ludwig from Tuxedo Agency (leader of the mastermind team behind each of our how-to videos and recent advertising campaigns) was all smiles throughout the night (we love him!)…

… Miss Vanessa Muri (journalist and editor), looked prim, proper and polished (we are a big fan of her sweet personality and humble demeanor!) while mixing and mingling…

…Valerie is always so vibrant and energetic – we love her refreshing take on life!…

Look who popped in! Marjorie of Marjorie’s Closet ;)!

Style eye Noelly Sam always keeps us guessing with her vibrant hair, alternative approach to lifestyle, and fashion/beauty critiques!

Isn’t Stephanie a 70′s dream? Totally swooning over her stylized bangs!

Patricia Gajo of FASHION Magazine is of great inspiration to me (both through her work ethic and positive, unfaltering approach to both the industry and the people who keep it rolling).

Janine shows Missaa from Elle M La Mode a few of the new Le Big Show Glosses (an amazing mixture with incredible moisturizers, pigments and shine abilities)!

Everybody please give a round of applause to Isabelle who organized the entire event, and a big high five to the Annabelle head for a brand new breeze of evolved beauty deliciousness for the new year.

I can’t wait for the next party!

xox

Wishing You An Extraordinary New Year!

Robyn — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:12:34 +0000

A fresh new you for 2012…

(It’s all about SmudgePaint and Glitterama Liquid Liner for New Years Eve parties!)

It’s New Year Eve, and while beauty junkies around the world are getting themselves primped to their prime to ring in the new year at their physical best, it is also the perfect moment to step back and reflect. Reflect on the things you would have done differently, the things you’re proud of, and the people who have both come in and left your life. Sometimes it may seem that the years just fly away, that with the flip of a page it’s on to the next… in reality though, each year is another opportunity to get closer to the life you want to life – the person you want to be (so slow it down and weigh each decision carefully!). Years are the currency in which you rate what the mistakes, triumphs and realizations have taught you. There are so many sides to beauty. The physical and material, the compassion you can show others, the love you can accept into your life (and equally offer out), the contribution you can make to your craft…

So may we tag 2012 as the year of striving for outstanding beauty… offering second chances no matter how hard it may be to accept, making the extra effort to go out of your way for someone else, and all the self love you’re able to dish out on yourself (completely guilt-free). Cause really, what is the point of a pretty face when everything behind it is sour and bitter? Beauty is multi-faceted, and if there is anything that putting makeup (and beauty products on) facilitates, it’s passing on the time spent to do something for yourself to others. So make it a resolution to get up a little earlier every morning and indulge in that perfectly shaded eye, those plump pink lips. Promise yourself you wont falter when life gets a bit out of control – you will always take that time for yourself! When you look good, not only do you feel good, but your confidence soars – self doubt escapes you and endless opportunity enters. Allow yourself the world through the basic action of coating those three layers of mascara on miss!

A Few Of My Resolutions (both makeup related and not)…

Experiment more! It is so easy to get stuck in a rut (makeup routine included), that we sometimes get scared or merely don’t take the time to switch things up… in my experience, being open to different things generally pays off in very big ways!
Dive into discipline. I think we get so used to instant gratification these days that we abandon the things that make us most comfortable and allow us to really excel. Focus on keeping it simple in big ways!
Do something unimaginably big… this year I plan on nabbing either an internship with a big magazine in New York, or enrolling in some suitable classes in my pursuit of professional self betterment. I figure hey, I’ve got my whole life to learn – why ever stop (here’s hoping I’m still a student at 50!)?
Look past the bad things in people. Behind it all, there is someone just as fragile, and in need of love and friendship as everyone else. Dig a little deeper.
More time with the people I really care for, and less time for the things that just suck up my time… I think you get the drift of this!
Be daring, be different. I want an adventure. I want to forget and tune out from what everybody else thinks… I want to create my own little universe where I don’t have to follow or keep up with anything except my own natural creative progression. I can’t stress how important I believe it to be to do your own thing!
Forgive myself! 2011 was tough, and with it came a lot of mistakes, mess ups and crash and burns… time to clean up the messes and move forward while accepting and admitting my faults. Time to grow up!

What about you? What are your resolutions?

On behalf of the entire Annabelle team, I wish you and your loved ones only the best for 2012… I can feel that it will be an especially magical year!

See you in the new year lovelies!

xox

Annabelle’s Beauty Premiere In Toronto!

Robyn — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:34:23 +0000

It was a fresh faced night of stunning ladies flooding the penthouse room at Toronto’s uber trendy Thompson hotel for Annabelle’s first-ever Beauty Premiere. With nearly the entire Annabelle team flying in from Montreal for the occasion, we came out to meet editors and fellow bloggers while presenting our pride and joys for Spring/Summer 2012! So beauty babes, how did you like what we’ve been working on? From SmudgePaints, to our brand new Le Big Show Glosses (a whole new formula from our Le Gloss lip glosses), our make your own gloss station was in full effect!

The popular creation of the night? Purple! Ladies were loving the violet hues (it must have been the insatiable desire to mix in the blue pigment with something – I felt it too!). Of course the crowd went wild when the makeup hors d’oeuvres were passed around… when glasses and platters are bombarded by our hottest products, can you really blame our cherished makeup junkies?

Enjoy the recap en photo!

If you had to choose pigments to create your custom gloss, which letters would catch your eye?

The SmudgePaint family!

Le Big Show Gloss has to be my fave new addition to the line – not only are the colours absolutely stunning and sheer, but they are non-stick and mega hydrating.

What’s not to <3?

Food? No such thing (although the crab cakes were absolutely irresistible that night, I must have had over twenty) – it’s all about serving eyeshadows, lipsticks and liners :).

You see! I kid you not! Purple magnificence!

Didn’t have a chance to attend? No worries! There are plenty of perspectives to take it all in by (we have eyes and ears all over the internet)!

Check out some of our fave blogger recaps and get inspired!

Phey Blogs Makeup custom gloss is a gorgeous shade of icy pink/purple.
Spiced Beauty got some funny shots of me and Tamara of Beauty Thesis (who btw rocked some seriously gorg plum lips).
Toronto Beauty Reviews made some awesome friends (a great way to discover some amazing Canadian beauty bloggers).
Makeup By Tess looked stunning alongside our girl Isabelle!
Ruban X Rose got some great product shots – big and clear!
Funny Face Beauty lined up her Annabelle haul – looks yummy ;).
Marianita Mua split her posts in two! One for the products, and another for the social aspect of it all (no competition this way – room for everything!).
Glitter Diaries looked stunning that night…
The Glitter Geek is always thorough with her reviews and recaps, loving her pics and descriptions!
What about my recap? Check out my experience in Toronto and the campaign shoot for 2012 and 2013…
Of course last but not least Patty from Inside The Makeup Case chin chin’d with me during the night via dirty martini’s!

xox