sugarshock beauty blog

skin fix: shu uemura art of beauty cleansing oil

2009-07-10T11:48:00.014-04:00

I've long heard about the cult-beloved beauty product Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil, that's said to have changed the lives of many a beauty editor, but hadn't had the chance to try it until recently. But I'm no stranger to the concept: I've tried and loved cleansing oils by Dermalogica and Origins and figured Shu's would be much like the others. But I stand corrected, because Shu Uemura's Cleansing Oil was not only probably the first-ever launched, it is by far the best cleansing oil I've tried. First a bit of background: did you know this stuff has been around since 1967? It's crazy when you think about it, because it seems cleansing oils have only recently become popular. Shu Uemura developed his famous cleansing oil while he was working as a makeup artist in Hollywood to remove actresses' heavy stage makeup and moisturize their skin at the same time. The oil, which comes in six different varieties depending on your skin type, blends avocado and jojoba oils to cleanse skin without disrupting its natural balance and protect it against environmental invaders. The premise is that oil attracts oil, so if you're afraid of dousing yourself in grease, worry not, because when mixed with water, this cleanser removes all traces of makeup, dirt, oil and sweat in one fell swoop (or several). Afterwards, skin - even oily skin like mine - feels clean yet hydrated. I tried the Premium A/O (that's Art of Beauty for short) and fell in love with the scent: a fresh, botanical-esque aroma that instantly puts me in a good mood (it also helps that it happens to be a brilliant green color). And right now, the cleansing oils are available for a limited time in bottles adorned with artwork by manga artist Moyoco artist, so they'll look even more beautiful set atop your beauty shelf.

face of the day: valentino couture fall 2009

2009-07-09T12:46:00.013-04:00

It seems makeup is no longer enough when it comes to couture: At the Valentino couture show in Paris yesterday, models' eyes were adorned with these stunningly beautiful, lacy, black gothic masks. Some, like this one, ominously covered only one eye, while others were full-on masquerade-style masks a la Eyes Wide Shut. Like jewels for the face (a trend which we saw interpreted literally at the Givenchy show, where golden beads were intricately applied to models' faces) these eye-masks were a new take on 1940s-style headpieces with lacy veils draped over the face. Meanwhile, the face was kept bare and neutral to put the focus on the elegant accessories. Now, if only they were acceptable to wear in real-life. I could see someone like Lady Gaga rocking them, as they're reminiscent of her signature zipper eye patch.
Photo: style.com/Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse

luxe for less: sally hansen volumizing lip shield

2009-07-09T08:18:00.008-04:00

Perhaps you've heard the one about lipglosses being the new sun worshippers? Experts say some shiny glosses have an uncanny ability to soak up the sun's rays, making them eerily similar to those aluminized-silver sun reflectors from the 1950s (with taglines like "harness the sun's power!" back in the day when we all thought it healthy to bake our skin in Johnson's Baby Oil).
But back to lips: Most lip products don't have sun protection, making our pout even more prone to sun damage and (yikes) skin cancer. So rather than go out in the sun sporting a dazzlingly glittery disco-ball-type gloss, I've made Sally Hansen's Volumizing Lip Shield with SPF 15 my new lip product staple for summer. It's a lipstick that goes on sheer and hydrates with soy extract, vitamins A, C & E and pomegranate. And, rather than pack this lippie with stinging ingredients that some lip plumpers have, the volumizing action in this Lip Shield is from optical diffusers (little orbs that pick up the light and make lips appear fuller), so there's no pain involved. My favorite shade is Fully Fabulous, a pretty whisper of iridescent (and dare I say it?) frosty pink, which looks great with a subtle bronzed glow. Plus, the Sally Hansen Volumizing Lip Shield is chicly packaged in a pretty gold-toned tube that just reads "high-end". So it turns out, the Sally Hansen ads were right to be asking, "Have you seen Sally lately?", because the brand's got a lot to boast about.

face of the day: chanel couture fall 2009

2009-07-08T11:38:00.013-04:00

The look at the recent Chanel couture show, from a beauty standpoint, was all about the hair. Voluminous and bird's-nest-like in the front, the back showed an interplay of tattered and tangled black and white hair extensions, some of which, depending on your angle, looked a bit like tore-up, cast-off hair weaves or black velvet scrunchies.
And, coincidentally, scrunchies are back (or so says American Apparel). But I can't quite decide if this look is strangely beautiful or just plain strange. In the second photo (on the right), the hair is much more refined and does have a certain elegance and swish to it. But I'm still on the fence.

What say you?
Image: Style.com; Simone Manzo / Gorunway.com

guest post: beauty blogging junkie's amber sees the light with orlane

2009-07-07T20:11:00.007-04:00

Amber Katz is a girl after my own heart. Not only is she a major fan of Lost and Mad Men, but she effortlessly manages to work in references to these and other pop cultural phenomena (along with, of course, luxe beauty products) into her amazing beauty-driven site Beauty Blogging Junkie on a daily basis. A copy editor for a financial services company by day, she spends the remainder of her waking hours almost entirely devoted to testing and writing about beauty products. Amber has a deft turn of phrase, and has even created her own beauty language (in true New Yorker fashion, her site boasts a glossary of abbreviated words). She's totes phenom, if you know what I mean. Read on to find out why...

On LOST, creepy, nefarious Ben talks about a metaphorical magical box, one from which anything you dream will emerge. Said Ben to John Locke, "Let me put it so you'll understand. Picture a box. You know something about boxes, don't you John? What if I told you that, somewhere on this island, there is a very large box and whatever you imagined, whatever you wanted to be in it when you opened that box, there it would be? What would you say about that, John?"
My own (um, vain) dreams are pretty much limited to perfect skin and for that reason, I'm here to tell YOU that the Orlane Absolute Radiance Lightbox ($200) is my LOST-inspired not-so-metaphorical magic box. Now, I wanted not to love it. It's $200 for SIX applications. It would be yet another expensive beauty habit in my lifestyle. But that's not the case, dolls. It's just not. Its steep price does push it into Luxe Capacitor territory. But it's so, so, worth it. The Orlane Absolute Radiance Lightbox contains Absolute Radiance Dazzling Eye Ritual, which consists of Eye Contour Serum & Under-Eye Patches; Shimmering Skin Masque + Cream and Absolute Radiance Evanescent Cream. There are six full applications within the Lightbox. I recommend taking everything out of the box, so you can see what you're dealing with. Then, set it up in order of use. The Eye Contour Serum & Under-Eye Patches are amazing. Somehow, seven minutes using these yields the same effect as ten hours of sleep and a lazy afternoon of watching hours of The Golden Girls. Next, mix the Shimmering Skin Masque + Cream and apply for about five minutes. It has a tingling effect, but not in a Samantha-post-chemical-peel-in-SATC way. More like a you-feel-it-seriously-working good way. You know? Then, you rinse it off, and remove the under-eye patches and apply the Absolute Radiance Evanescent Cream, which oxygenates and detoxifies. Post-application, I defy you to stop feeling up your face for five seconds.
The results are PHENOM. My skin looks younger than Abigail Breslin's, dark circles are diminished, and my overall complexion is simply brighter. This newfound luminescence lasted a full 24 hours, as well. I HIGHLY recommend it for weddings, mage interviews, and high school reunions. Basically, any time you want to show up with skin that looks younger than a fetus's. Mmkay?

face of the day: christian dior couture fall 2009

2009-07-07T10:02:00.014-04:00

Yes, it's that time of year again, friends. Time for the couture collections, when designers, and in turn, makeup artists, pull out all the stops and bring the drama, unleashing their painted and primped models onto the runway to strut like proud peacocks. At Christian Dior, the makeup often steals the show, and this time out was no exception. While it was a little more toned-down than usual (given these times), there was no "natural look" to speak of here: this was makeup as makeup. Full-on, filled-in eyebrows and exaggerated black winged eyeliner channelled the 1950s spirit of the house's retro beginnings. And those lips. Fuchsia and slightly glossy, they were almost a perfect match to the magenta-coloured frocks.
Who says you can't match your makeup to your outfit? Not I. And not John Galliano.

Image: Style.com/ Simone Manzo / Gorunway.com

styleshock: marion cotillard at public enemies premiere, london

2009-07-06T09:47:00.012-04:00

Marion Cotillard punked-up her look at the recent Public Enemies premiere in London. While she went subtle with her makeup, the ever-stylish French actress sported an amped-up pompadour with slicked-back sides that was straight out of the '80s. Channeling the "wet look" trend seen on recent runways, this is a look that requires (wait for it): hair gel. Yes, friends, there's no need to fear: when used sparingly and strategically, hair gel can deliver a big beauty pay-off for the right hairstyle, with maximum hold where you need it. You may remember that Megan Fox sported a similar look a while back at the MTV Movie Awards, which was entirely slicked-back in front and left long and loose in the back. I much prefer Marion's interpretation, with its height at the top (Megan's was a tad too "straight-out-of-the-shower" for me). Marion proves that, with a few tweaks here and there, you can wear a runway look in real-life.
This look may beget its naysayers, but I think Marion took a risk that pulled off. What say you?

and the award for best beauty product name ever goes to...

2009-07-05T11:27:00.009-04:00

Bond No. 9, purveyor of scents inspired by all things NYC, for its new fall fragrance launch in the Andy Warhol series, Success is a Job in New York. Has a nice ring to it, no? For me, it brings to mind the scheming ways of the cutthroat advertising industry scene in 1960s New York as depicted on Mad Men (which, thankfully, finally returns next month). But back to Bond No. 9 for a minute, because there's actually a cool story behind the naming of of its new fragrance: turns out, the multi-talented Andy Warhol was a successful illustrator before he became a pop art icon, and "Success is a Job in New York" was the title of an article he illustrated for Glamour back in the day.
All this got me thinking about other beauty product names I've known and loved, from Benefit's cheeky Dr. Feelgood and Some Kind-a Gorgeous to OPI's ever-cool nail polishes like You Don't Know Jacques and I'm Not Really a Waitress.
The person who gets to come up with those names has the coolest job ever, I think.

What are your favorite beauty product names? Let me know in the comments.

hair do: ojon restorative hair treatment spray

2009-07-03T13:00:00.015-04:00

Hairspray has often been associated with a plethora of hair "dont's"; just witness the hair crimes committed in the '80s, where the credo seemed to be "the higher the hair, the closer to God." Yes, I'm talking to you, Pia Zadora (as an aside, check out this duet Pia did with Jermaine Jackson, a thinly-veiled "Beat It"-meets-Mad Max knock-off that's a piece of craptastic genius). But. We've learned our lessons since the days of crunchy, flaky, damaged hair, and hairspray has gone through something of a makeover since then. The latest sprays are nowhere near their lacquered-up forebears and feature ultra-fine mists that you can still run a brush through. And Ojon's taken hairspray to the next level with its Restorative Hair Treatment Spray, which actually pampers hair and infuses it with nutrition as it gives light hold. The Restorative Hair Treatment Spray brings together the benefits of its signature Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment (which nourishes hair with Ojon and Swa oils and Omega-3, 6, and 9 essential fatty acids) with the hold of a hairspray. The perfect double-duty product, the Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment Spray imparts shine, gloss and subtle volume without weighing hair down or causing telltale product build-up. Now, you can spray to your heart's content, without worry of wrecking your hair, or having it stand straight on-end a la Spike from Degrassi Junior High.
Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment Spray is available in Canada from The Shopping Channel and in the U.S. from QVC.

dita von teese's hair-spiration

2009-07-02T13:54:00.006-04:00

In the early '90s, I was a big Twin Peaks/David Lynch fan. The music, quirky characters and black humor of this cult show were like nothing else on TV, or anywhere else for that matter. And one of my favorite characters was Audrey Horne (played by Sherilyn Fenn), the femme fatale teen with the style straight out of 1950s sock hops (tight sweaters, bobby socks and all), who had a crush on Agent-"that's a damn fine cup of coffee"-Dale Cooper. So I thought it was pretty cool that burlesque beauty and fashion icon Dita Von Teese took inspiration from Fenn's look, and in particular, this image of Fenn on the cover of Playboy (all porcelain skin and raven-haired), in deciding to dye her blonde locks that iconic jet-black. Yesterday, Dita tweeted: "Found the original inspiration for dying my hair from blonde to black~Sherilyn Fenn, Playboy Dec.'90. Remember when Playboy was chic? The pictures inside are artful & stunning..."

trendshock: matte nail polish

2009-07-02T10:35:00.008-04:00

Remember painting your nails with White-Out in grade school? Obviously, it was done more out of boredom during geometry class than anything else, but I have to admit that I kind of liked the flat, matte look it gave to my nails. If, like me, you've dreamed that such a nail varnish were available in a more sophisticated formula, and in other colors (besides white), then you're in luck, because a handful of beauty brands are going matte, launching full shade collections with that no-shine-in-sight finish. Channeling a rocker-chic vibe, the matte nail polish look is kinda grunge, and a little bit goth, but chic at the same time. Especially when it comes to dark shades, matte nails are more understated than their high-gloss counterparts. OPI, home of all things nails, has released a collection of its most popular shades such as Lincoln Park After Dark, reinterpreted with a matte finish. And Essie will launch Matte About You Finisher - which allows you to paint any nail color you want with a flat, matte topcoat - in the fall. And then there's Knock Out Cosmetics, a line of matte polishes (called "flatte") that literally "knock out" the shine. Taking inspiration from edgy rock-chick icon Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Knock Out has goth-inspired shades such as this deep burgundy-red called Ox. I haven't tried it yet, but I'd so wear this.
So what say you - would you wear matte polish?

sweet dreams: body shop deep sleep dreamy pillow and body mist

2009-07-01T09:59:00.008-04:00

Are you getting your beauty sleep? It's no joke: sleep is one of the best tools we have for looking great. But if you're like many, getting adequate ZZZs often eludes us. And without that coveted eight hours, your skin can't recharge itself overnight, leading to a dull complexion, and puffy, raccoon eyes, and of course, those "you look tired" comments. ('Why thank you, I didn't know I was tired!') Meet my new secret weapon in the fight to regain beauty sleep: Body Shop Deep Sleep Dreamy Pillow & Body Mist. Basically like an aromatherapeutic spray, it's infused with jujube date extract (not to be confused with the chewy candy of the same name), chamomile, geranium and juniper to calm and get you rest-ready. Spray it on your pillow, sheets or even yourself at bedtime, and the special encapsulation technology will release bursts of the scent throughout the night, putting any tossing and turning to good use, as you drift off to dreamland. I douse my bed with this stuff before bed, and the scent immediately relaxes me to lull me into slumber. (Sort of like Pavlov's dog, I now associate the smell with sleep. If you sprayed me with Deep Sleep Pillow Mist at any given moment, I might be apt to nod off mid-sentence). If you have chronic insomnia, this likely won't cure it, but a little help can go a long way if you're facing another night on high alert.
What are your sleep helpers? Let me know in the comments.

luxe for less: olay complete touch of sun daily UV moisturizer

2009-06-29T15:19:00.010-04:00

I've tried a ton of skincare products in my day, at a myriad of different pricepoints; some cheap and cheerful, and some, worth more than a week's worth of groceries. But I'll let you in on a little beauty secret: I always come back to Olay. Why? Because their products often match, or even one-up, their equivalent, higher-end versions. Olay's Classic Moisturizing Lotion (used by my grandmother back in the day) has been my go-to moisturizer for years, giving me just the right amount of skin hydration without causing me to break out. Now, I have a new favorite lotion for the summer months: Olay Complete Touch of Sun Daily UV Facial Moisturizer. It has all my beloved benefits of regular Olay lotion (SPF 15, and plenty of moisture) plus a hint of sunless tanner. It almost acts like a tinted moisturizer, in that by adding a bit of color to your skin, imperfections are seemingly blurred. (Though I still rely on my concealer on top). And who doesn't look better with a bit of a tan? The good thing is, Olay Complete Touch of Sun Moisturizer won't give you a ruddy-looking face, just a pretty whisper of sun-kissed goodness. More to love: it doesn't have that telltale self-tanner smell.

styleshock: alicia keys at BET awards

2009-06-29T09:48:00.006-04:00

Alicia Keys absolutely glowed at the BET Awards last night, where she, along with Wyclef Jean, picked up the Humanitarian Award. This girl is admittedly a natural beauty, but her charitable efforts and good energy (which you could feel just radiating from the screen last night) make her all the more stunning. This is quite possibly the best Alicia's ever looked: with her hair worn in loose spiral curls, it gives her a goddess-y, earth mother quality. And in honor of MJ perhaps, Alicia also brought the bling, wearing a smokey eye layered with full-on, glimmery gold on the top and bottom lids. And if you look closely, she was also dusted with a gold shimmer across her skin, which picked up on the gold flecks of her seafoam-green and gold-encrusted dress. Finished with a nude lip, she looked "done" but almost effortlessly so.
What do you think of Alicia's look?

beauty multi-tasking: hair conditioner as shaving cream

2009-06-28T19:31:00.007-04:00

Ever since I discovered, from just about every hair expert I've ever spoken to, that you really only need to condition hair from midway down to the ends, I've developed quite the stash of hair conditioner bottles cluttering up my shower. (Before, I used to absolutely douse my whole head of hair with conditioner, but, since my hair is super fine, I only managed to weigh down any dreamed-of, Valley of the Dolls volume I might have had). The result: I'm out of shampoo well before that bottle of conditioner, and, rather than try to use it all up, I still manage to leave the drugstore with not just that new brand of shampoo but, of course, its matching conditioner. Hence, that leaves me flush with unused bottles of hair conditioner. But what to do with all of it? Turns out, conditioner makes a brilliant shaving cream. Since I've never been quite satisfied with soap as my pre-shave lather, I recently layered on my good ol' Pantene Pro-V conditioner, and lo and behold, after shaving, my legs felt as soft and silky as any high-end shaving cream. Call it my eco-warrior-meets-MacGyver beauty moment.

natureshock: sabon organic hand cream

2009-06-26T12:21:00.008-04:00

If you've never tried Sabon products, you're in for a treat. Created in Israel in 1997, this natural line of bath and body products is infused with all manner of glorious aromatherapeutic scents (lavender and patchouli come to mind) that also tap the mineral-rich benefits of the Dead Sea. Now, the brand has launched an organic line of skincare products approved by the leading organic authority, EcoCert. Free of parabens and sulfates, the line for face and body nurtures skin with extracts from the Swiss Alps. I'm loving the Sabon Organic Hand Cream, a salve rich in olive and macadamia oils, shea butter, aloe and vitamin E that nourishes hands without feeling greasy. Like all Sabon products, the smell is divine: a rejuvenating lemon-y/botanical smell that's uplifting but won't overpower any existing fragrance you're wearing. And in keeping with its old world aesthetic, the packaging has a delightfully Victorian-esque, apothecary style that brings me back to a simpler time.

remembering MJ

2009-06-26T11:26:00.006-04:00

I had one poster of Michael Jackson on my bedroom wall when I was growing up, and it was this one. I was around eight years old, and I remember that the poster, pasted to my flower-papered wall with Scotch tape, had a much more purple-y-lilac background and MJ's yellow bow tie and sweater vest was a more vibrant yellow. He was at the top of his game, and the poster seemed to signify a sense of sunny possibility. Unlike some of my friends in the early '80s, I wasn't necessarily in love with Michael (some girls were prone to making out with their Michael Jackson posters), but I was still obsessed with him and his mind-blowing music. With the poster on my wall, I felt like I knew him somehow, that he was always in my presence, hanging out with me. And it's this image of him, in the heyday of Thriller (my first-ever pop record album), that I'll always remember. The coolest guy in the world.
What's your favorite image/memory of MJ? Let me know in the comments.

guest post: beauty geeks is mad for hats

2009-06-25T10:11:00.004-04:00

Who knew the lowly hat could be such a beauty saviour? The lovely Janine Falcon over at Beauty Geeks tells us why in this, the first guest post from one of my favorite beauty bloggers. A former beauty editor and current beauty writer as well as a moonlighting makeup artist, fellow Canadian Janine's got plenty of tricks up her sleeve, and this is just one of them.

You think your little hat actually protects your face from the sun? If it looks like either of the two hats on the right side of the above Gap image, you might want to be careful about going into the UVA/UVB light. You need convincing? Have someone take a bunch of digi photos of you in your hat in the sun. Is your face fully shaded when you stroll the city sidewalks? Is your décolleté protected, and, if you have short hair, is the back of your neck? Size matters when it comes to the brim of a good sun hat. Cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett told me years ago that six inches is the size to go for; a girl doesn’t forget that kind of information. When I spotted the second-from-the-left number in the above photo, I knew I’d found a keeper: the Albertus Swanepoel khaki wide brim hat ($44.50 CAN/$39.50 US). It’s part of the grouping the designer (that’s him) did for Gap’s limited-edition CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund collection, which launched early last week. Don’t fret if you can’t get your hands on exactly that hat — Gap also has a gathered sun hat with a brim about as wide if not wider. Yes, bigger than six inches. Because, of course, bigger is better.

For more of her beauty wizardry, head on over to Beauty Geeks, stat. And while you're there, enter to win this handy dandy little gadget.

model moment: iris strubegger's star-making hair

2009-06-24T12:29:00.010-04:00

The story of uber-model Linda Evangelista is legend: she was a semi-successful model with long hair, but it wasn't until she cut her hair into a boyish crop that she became a household name. Her story immediately came to mind when I beheld, in the July issue of Vogue, Iris Strubegger, who I think just may become this generation's Linda. She's been in the modelling game a few years, mostly sporting shoulder-skimming, light-brown locks, and has achieved moderate success. But ever since she chopped off her mane and dyed it a Coco Rocha-worthy fire-engine red, she's steadily on track to become a star. What I love about Iris is that she's not only a throwback to the supermodels of the late '80s and '90s but she's altogether modern too. Her face marries the androgynous and almost masculine features of '90s-era Kristen McMenamy (check out that prominent square jaw) and the wide-set cat eyes and cut-glass cheekbones of Daria Werbowy. Here's hoping Vogue makes good on its anointing of Iris Strubegger as a star (from the "A Star is Shorn" editorial in the current issue) and puts her where she belongs: on the cover.
Image: models.com

this just in: chantecaille.com launches

2009-06-23T10:56:00.011-04:00

For years I've been in awe of Chantecaille, the ultra-luxe cosmetic and skincare brand known for creating these amazing, wild-life-inspired beauty compacts that give back to the environment (known as "cause-metics"). Chantecaille launched in 1997 as a small fragrance house, but without a website(!) and aside from the impossibly chic Chantecaille family members appearing in the society pages of Vogue, the brand has been mostly clouded in mystery. Until now: Chantecaille.com, an e-commerce and information site, launches today. Not only can you peruse the brand's indulgent skincare, makeup and fragrances, but you can also find out about the enigmatic family behind the brand, the New York-based Chantecailles: Sylvie, founder and French matriarch (who previously founded Prescriptives), and daughters Olivia and Alex, as well as their extensive charitable efforts to protect endangered species. My American friends, take note: as of June 26, when the site goes live, there's free shipping on everything for a full month.

luxe for less: maybelline instant age rewind double face perfector

2009-06-23T10:23:00.009-04:00

If I were stranded on a deserted island, YSL's Touche Eclat is the one beauty product I'd hope to have stowed away in my back pocket. This golden pen, with its thin veil of magical concealer, instantly wakes up tired eyes and is, quite literally, a stroke of brilliance. But in these times, I'm not big on shelling out the $50 or so dollars to replenish my stock when my coveted Touche is running dry. The geniuses at Maybelline must have heard my cries of sorrow, because their Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector (yes, it's a mouthful!) is a near-dead ringer for YSL's cult product, but at a mere fraction of the price. In fact, it turns out Maybelline's version has even more to offer: the Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector encompasses a radiance-boosting highlighter on one end and a high-pigment concealer on the other, giving dark circles a one-two punch of coverage.
Is it any wonder this little gem is racking up awards from beauty bible Allure?

styleshock: camilla belle at whitney art party

2009-06-22T10:07:00.013-04:00

Dear Camilla Belle,
Why must you date a Jonas brother? Yes, I know he's the cute one, but such a mundane dalliance just just doesn't make sense next to your regal beauty and mystery. And isn't it more than a little weird that you and Joe Jonas share the same eyebrows?
yours in beauty,
SugarShock

Ranting aside (I seem to be suffering from Jonas Brothers fatigue after they dominated the MuchMusic Video Awards last night), I'm in love with the cool, frosty makeup Camilla sported at the recent Whitney Museum Art Party. Frost-toned makeup had been on the decline after years of abuse in the '80s (think obscene shades of lilac and blue-pink) but Camilla proves you can wear it without looking like a frost-bitten cast member from the film Alive. It's not a full-on metallic, but more of a subtle iridescence, and in shades of nude beige and soft silver, downplayed with hits of neutrals around the eyes, it brings radiance and an inner glow to Camilla's striking features.

fragrance notes: benefit crescent row

2009-06-18T15:21:00.011-04:00

Hot on the heels of Gwen Stefani's so-cute-I-can't-stand-it Harajuku Lovers line of fragrances comes Benefit's Crescent Row, a new trio of scents based on the personalities of three lovely ladies, Sofia, Lee Lee and Gina, all neighbours on the fictional street, Crescent Row. Each eau de toilette taps into the ladies's distinct personalities, with notes channelling their individual tastes (kind of like those "What's your scent personality?" quizzes we've all filled out in women's magazines). Laugh with Lee Lee, for example, is the classic scent: a woody floral with notes of cassis, melon, lily and amber. Something about Sophia, an oriental floral, is for the well-travelled bohemian girl, with notes of freesia, jasmine sambac, musk and vanilla bean. And My Place or Yours Gina is the Mae West seductress of the bunch – a woody oriental with pink pepper, peony and patchouli (its pink pepper note immediately called to mind Givenchy's Very Irresistible). I'm partial to Laugh with Lee Lee, with its pretty, sweet smell of flowers. But my favorite is Something About Sofia, which is heavy on the florals, but that, with notes of musk and vanilla bean at the bottom, feels mysterious and complex. I love that they're eaux de toilettes, so they're softer than most perfumes and wearable even for summer. But beyond the scents themselves, with their covetable, martini-shaker packaging and uber-feminine, vintage-y bottles, these are really like collector's-item toys for the ladies. (Boys can have their Star Wars figurines; we can have our pretty little fragrance trinkets.) Want to know what your scent is? Go to Benefit's microsite and do their quiz to find out.

cool it now: duwop iced teas

2009-06-17T17:08:00.015-04:00

I'm all about the lipgloss/lipstick hybrid, since you can quickly (and covertly, I might add) touch up your lips without having to run to the bathroom or whip out a compact mirror. It's the ultimate Bondgirl beauty trick, in my mind. And one of my current obsessions of the gloss-meets-lipstick variety is Duwop's Iced Teas – a line-up of moisturizing tinted balms in a stick format that impart sheer, juicy, shiny color. They're yet another stellar product in Duwop's summer collection, and in the spirit of the season, Iced Teas have a subtle cooling effect when you put them on. I love all four fruity shades but my favorite is the Strawberry shade, which gives just a hint of rosey-red flush of color and tastes and smells of tempting berries. They're so sheer that you won't have to worry about leaving telltale (and so gauche) lip-ring marks on your summer cocktail glasses. The funny thing is, these ice queens aren't available from Duwop's website or from Sephora, but rather from stores like Bath & Body Works. Looks like Duwop is branching out.

tour of beauty: top makeup artists dish on their travel must-haves

2009-06-16T10:43:00.003-04:00

I don't know about you, but I could seriously use a vacation right about now. This tease of beautiful weather in Toronto has me itching to hit a cottage, or a beach, STAT! I'm not sure when, or if, I'll have the means to get away this summer (if I do get time off, it might just be a staycation this time around). But I can dream, and right now, I'm living vicariously through the world's top makeup artists, who dished to me about their travel plans for the summer, hottest vacation spots and must-have getaway products. For Elle Canada's July issue, I interviewed industry heavyweights Gucci Westman from Revlon, Dick Page from Shiseido, Gordon Espinet from MAC, Charlotte Willer from Maybelline and Val Garland from YSL (who, by the way, is one cool lady; I've previously had the pleasure of shopping with her in NYC, and she's just super-fun). A few tidbits: Val's favorite sunscreen is Dermalogica and she likes to splash out on white clothes pre-vacation; Gucci splurges on dyeing her lashes before jet-setting, and her all-time favorite bathing beauty is Bondgirl Ursula Andress; Gordon's top beach reads include Vogue and Vanity Fair and he favors the azure-blue waters of the Caribbean; Charlotte is planning a trip to Uganda this year to see the gorillas and her vacation beauty stash includes Maybelline The Colossal Mascara; and adventurer Dick Page lugs his beaten-up Patagonia backpack to out-of-the-way spots such as the Arctic and Iceland during his downtime. For more of their vacation faves, check out Beautiful Escapes.