XOTICA'Z STUFF

MAC Indulge Collection

2013-09-02T10:58:00.001-07:00

Oh my goodness...it has been 2 years since I have posted anything!! It has been insanely busy the past 2 years and now I am back to blogging! :-)

Have you all checked out the MAC Indulge collection that was released in the end of August? I have attended a makeup event at the MAC Pro store on Robson and to be quite honest, this collection was not all to die for. However, there are some good items that I ended up purchasing (Eyeshadows: Sex and the Oyster, Three Ring Yellow ) and a lipstick (By Design). I believe a lot of the items are sold out online, but you can still check out some of the items in stock at a MAC Store near you!

-XOTICA-

Makeup Foundations

2011-11-30T13:41:00.000-08:00

There are many different makeup foundations for different skin types on the market. Some women will only shop by brand, while others are more concerned with what makeup foundation is best for their skin type. This Post will discuss the different types of Foundations, which will hopefully help you decide which type is suitable for you!

Mineral Foundation

Mineral makeup, and especially mineral foundation, has turned the cosmetic industry upside down. It's easy to use and works for most skin types. The benefits of mineral foundation are:

Sheer coverage, that's easily buildable.
For all skin types.
No makeup line.
Non-comedogenic.
All day smooth coverage.
Easy color matching for all skin tones.
So light-weight that it's feels like you are not wearing foundation.
Can be purchased with and without talc.
Natural mineral foundation is available for people who prefer fewer chemicals in their cosmetics.

Liquid Foundation

Most commonly used foundation for many years.
Formulated for all skin types.
Sheer coverage.
Last longer if finished with a dry translucent powder.
Many professional makeup artists prefer to use a foundation brush to apply liquid foundation evenly on the skin. A foundation brush is similar to an artist's paint brush.
For additional coverage, use short strokes with a foundation brush; for less coverage, use longer strokes.
Can be applied with a cosmetic sponge. To prevent streaking, do not overload the sponge.
Lighter shades can be used to conceal bags under the eyes.

Airbrush Foundation

The ultimate foundation suitable for all skin types.
All day, flawless finish.
Used by international professional makeup artists.
Airbrush systems are now available to the public.
Must purchase cosmetics specifically formulated to be used in airbrush tools.
Loose Powder Foundation
Excellent choice for oily skin.
Sheer coverage.
Loose powder foundations may be too dry for dry skin.
May exaggerate fine lines and wrinkles.
Apply with a soft powder puff or soft natural bristle brush.

Cream-to-Powder Foundation

Because the formulas are much drier than liquid foundations, cream-to-powder foundations are a favorite for women with oily skin.
Covers more flaws than a liquid or powder.
If you suffer from dry skin, cream-to-powder foundations may not be a good choice.
Apply with a dampened cosmetic sponge.
To prevent streaking, do not overload the sponge.

Brow & Lash Tinting

2011-11-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

Tinting temporarily dyes the brows & lashes for about 2-3 weeks. The dye used to color is usually a vegetable-based. This is to minimize the irritation around the sensitive eye area.

This is done to achieve the look of wearing mascara without having to apply makeup daily. This is more suitable for people with lighter lashes & brows and I have tried this a few times in Esthetic School and does not work much for me as I have naturally dark hair. It`s also suitable when people color their hair and want their Brows and Lashes to match as well.

This service is not currently approved by the FDA. This means that it is very important to do research on a good salon & esthetician that is qualified to tint, since it is not federally regulated. It may cause temporary blindness and eye irritations the procedure is not done right.

Most salons charge between $15-$20 for either lash or brows or $25-$30 to get them both done as a package deal.

Tips for Beautiful Healthy Hair

2011-11-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Having lustrous, healthy hair is the dream of every woman. Hair is the reflection of our health and personality. Hair and the scalp need proper care regularly, as they become brittle and rough over the years if proper care is not taken.

Diet: To reduce hair loss, a healthy, balanced diet, rich in calcium, iron and silica is a must. Fresh vegetables are good sources of minerals.

Iron rich foods like eggs, dates and organ meat should be eaten.

In taking a protein rich diet is good advice if you want long hair, as the hair is made up mainly of portions.

Eat whole foods as they are high in silica.

For vitamin C, include a good portion of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, as vitamin C improves the absorption of iron.

Vitamin E is good for growing hair. Include nuts, seeds and olive oil in your diet on a regular basis.

Hair washing routine: While washing your hair, ensure that the water is neither too hot nor too cold. Fingers should be used to scrub the scalp. Never scrub with the nails. Rinse your hair properly to completely remove the shampoo. Wash your hair while leaning as it improves the blood circulation in the scalp.

Combing: Always untangle your hair with a wide tooth comb to avoid tearing of the hair. Comb the hair from up to down. Never pull the hair. Use a brush on dry hair only, as the hair is weak when it is wet and the brush can damage it.

Drying: Use a blow dryer only when most needed. Try to dry it naturally. This is because the hot air damages the hair and the moisture is lost, resulting in rough hair.

Environment: Use a conditioner when going out in the sun, as it protects the hair from the sun. Wear head gear when going out. When going swimming, wear a swimming cap.

Trimming: Trimming on a regular basis is a must as it removes the split ends and makes the hair look healthy.

Shampoo and conditioning: Choose a shampoo which is not very complicated in its ingredients, as they are expensive and do no good to the hair. Conditioners make the hair look healthy and shiny. Use a conditioner on dry hair only. Go for a mild shampoo and don’t wash your hair too frequently. Try to avoid the scalp while conditioning.

Styling: Choose a style that makes your hair look good in its natural fall. If using styling products, then go for products that provide vital botanical and vitamins to the hair.

Sleep: When going off to sleep, comb your hair and tie a ponytail on the top of the head with a cloth wrapped rubber band. A peaceful sleep is essential for healthy hair.

Products used: Look out for hair care products keeping in mind the scalp problems. Scalp test it first before you buy it. You should also consult a dermatologist for the right product.

Essie 2011 "Cocktail Bling" Winter Collection

2011-10-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

Fall Season is almost done and Winter is around the corner...My last post about the Essie "Carry On" Fall Collection had more softer neutral shades...and Essie now has released their new "Cocktail Bling" Winter Collection which has more dark, richer shades suitable for Winter.

This Collection has 6 Shades:

Bangle Jangle: Lavender Amethyst

Bobbing for Baubles: Deepest Darkest Sapphire

Cocktail Bling: Precious Pale Grey Jewel

Brooch The Subject: Creamy Cashmere Cameo

School of Hard Rocks: Midnight Malachite

Size Matters: Blazing Hot Ruby Red

This is a great idea for those who are looking for Stocking Stuffers for their girls for Christmas! :-)

Essie 2011 "Carry On" Fall Collection

2011-10-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

Essie released their new "Carry On" fall collection, a collection of 6 nail polish colors inspired by handbags of the 1940's and 1950's.

The fall color palette is all about classic sophistication and ladylike glamour.

Includes the colors:

Carry On - Mulberry-Merlot
Glamour Purse - Almond blush
Case Study - Rich camel beige
Power Clutch - Dark green
Very Structured - Burnt sienna
Lady Like - Soft pink

Nails Inc. London Magnetic Polish

2011-10-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

I just saw the video on how to use this nail polish and the results look awesome!

You can buy this at Sephora for $16.00!

Check out the Video below on how to apply and use the magnet to

make this cool effect on your nails!

Coloured Contact Lenses

2011-10-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

I wear coloured contacts, as they look great and fun to have! You can change your eye colour with lots of different colours to choose from, and they can also be quite practical.

There are few types of colored contact lenses, each offering a slightly different benefit:

Visibility tint - These colored contact lenses are lightly tinted so you can find your lens if you drop it. Visibility tints don't affect the color of your eyes.
Enhancement tint - These colored contact lenses have a translucent tint that's meant to enhance your natural eye color. Enhancement tints are slightly darker than a visibility tint.
Color tint (Cosmetic) - Darker, opaque tints that change the color of your eyes. Color tints come in a wide array of specialty colors which includes amethyst, gray, violet, and green.
Light-filtering tint - These colored contact lenses are designed for athletes and sports fans. They enhance certain colors and mute other colors. For instance, contact lenses for tennis players would enhance optic yellow, the color of tennis balls.
Special effects - Used for movies, holloween, or just for fun! They have different patterns to choose from, insane colours to make you look out of this world!

Keep your Make-Up Kit Bacteria-Free!

2011-10-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

Whether you are a professional makeup artist or a makeup lover, you should ensure that each product you put directly on your face, lips and eyes are clean, safe and bacteria-free. Make-up, like food do not last forever.

Even if you are the only person using your makeup kit, bacteria from the environment, the natural oils from your skin, fingers (especially when you use them for application), coughing or sneezing during makeup application can help contribute on contaminating all of your products.

Some of these bacteria can lead to eye irritations, infections, skin irritations and breakouts.

Here are some steps on making sure that your makeup kit is bacteria-free:

Wash your hands for at least 30 seconds with warm soapy water before touching your makeup or your face.
Use a clean applicator instead of dipping your fingers into a bottle or powder. Use a clean brush, sponge, q-tip and cotton swab to apply makeup.
Replace mascara every 2-3 months. Mascara comes in contact with the eye and eye fluid, making it a breeding ground for bacteria. Do not wash the wand and then return it to the bottle, and don't push extra air into the tube by pumping the brush up and down inside the container.

Wash makeup brushes at least twice month to remove dead skin cells and old makeup. Wash with a brush cleaner or mild soap, such as baby shampoo, rinse thoroughly with clear water and air dry laying it down on a paper towel.
Wash your eyelash curler after every use.

Replace lipsticks and balms at least every 6 months.
Never share makeup!
If you are a makeup artist, always replace your products frequently and on each person, always use a clean/brand new brush, sponge, q-tip, etc.

Sharpen eye and lip pencils regularly to remove the outer layer, which may be contaminated with bacteria.
Move open makeup and makeup brushes away from the toilet if you keep your cosmetics in the bathroom. Each time the toilet is flushed, a fine mist is emitted, which can spread bacteria to your makeup.
Make sure you toss out any old make-up and brushes.

Maybelline Great Lash With Curved Brush

2011-10-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

I have been a fan of Maybelline products since I was a teenager...it does not break your piggy bank and the quality is quite good! When it comes to mascara's, I'm a huge fan of their Great Lash Mascara with the curved brush in Blackest Black. It's super affordable and it works great as your everday mascara. Having short and thin lashes, the curved brush helps catch every single lash and coat them nicely. I don't believe that they carry the waterproof brand for the curved brush but it's not necessary anyways as it stays on all day! It tends to clump a tiny bit (like most mascara's) but is fixable using a lash brush. This is the only brand that makes my lashes look natural, even with 2-3 coats on. This mascara is always in my makeup kit. :-)

OPI: The Muppets Collection

2011-10-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

Childhood memories are coming back---for your nails! OPI is releasing their Muppet's Collection around November 2011 just in time for The Muppets movie coming out in theatres mid-November. This collection will include shades from classic and deep reds, glittery polishes, metallic shades labeled with cute names! They will cost probrably around $8.50-$9.99 each!

                                               Fresh Frog of Bel-Air : Bright Emerald Shade
                                               Excuse Moi : Bold Magenta
                                               Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It : Glittery Red Shade
                                               Gone Gonzo : Shiny Sky Blue

                                                Rainbow Connection : Glittery Rainbow Shade
                                                Divine Swine : Magenta Glitter
                                                Designer, de Better : Light Metallic Bronze
                                                Warm & Fozzie : Metallic Copper Shade

                                                Meep-Meep-Meep : Bold Red Hue
                                                Animal-istic : Wild Red
                                                Pepe’s Purple Passion : Deep Purple Shade
                                                Wocka Wocka : Deep Burgundy

China Glaze Metro Collection - Fall 2011

2011-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

China Glaze’s Metro collection for fall 2011 pulls together ensembles and will undoubtedly make heads turn!

Colors in this collection include:

Skyscraper A sparkling, glitter blue reminiscent of the sky over the city.
CG in the City Glittering dusty purple, bronze and silver multi-tonal glitter, perfect for a pop of edge from West side to East side.
Urban-Night Exactly what you need for a night on the town – rich purple crème.
Traffic Jam Stop traffic with a breathtaking, raspberry pink crème.
City Siren The perfect deep, red crème to match any outfit.
Loft-y Ambitions Burgundy shimmer and cocktail hour – nothing better.
Brownstone Burnt terracotta crème mirrors the quaint townhouses of the city.
Midtown Magic Burgundy base with flecks of gold shimmer captures the latest fashion trend.
Street Chic This gorgeous beige crème is the perfect go to shade letting your clothes do the talking.
Concrete Catwalk Steel grey crème is amazing for a chic mani.
Westside Warrior For the trendsetting woman this camo green crème is to die for.
Trendsetter Mustard yellow shimmer translates beautifully from hot dogs to nails.

SpaRitual Wilde Collection 2011

2011-10-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

I found out about SpaRitual when I was going to school at Blanche Macdonald few years ago and love this brand! Their brand is commited to creating eco-friendly products and packaging.

Ingredients they use is vegan and organic. They are pretty much similar price range to OPI and China Glaze...around $10.00 but you can of course get it much cheaper at the Beauty Supply Store near you!

I adore their Wilde Collection for this fall, such bold, unique colours, suitable for this season!

Howl

Rhythm of Life Running with Wolves

Instinct
Sacred Ground Spirit Child

Exfoliate your Skin

2011-10-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

It's now fall and soon winter will be around the corner...

Exfoliating throughout winter will remove dry, flaky skin and keep it from looking dull.

Reason why exfoliation works so well for your skin is because your skin cells goes through a natural process of dying and shedding. Unfortunately, when skin becomes dull it is due mainly because of build up of dead skin cells that refuse to shed off by itself. Therefore, you will want to use an exfoliating product in order to speed up the shedding process and clear away these dead cells that are making your skin patchy and dry. It also removes stubborn pore clogging substances that your daily cleansing may miss and stimulates the growth of healthy looking skin!

Exfoliation is often done with just the facial area, but the rest of your skin is just as important! The only area you should not exfoliate is around the eye area as this is extremely sensitive. Otherwise, go ahead and treat your body to some extra TLC!

** Never overexfoliate with excessively abrasive exfoliating cleansers, or you run the risk of bursting the delicate blood vessels under the skin. If the vessels burst, your skin may appear permanently flushed. This condition, known as telangiectasia, must then be treated using laser surgery. **

Lancome- Juicy Tubes (Hallucination)

2011-10-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

I have been such a huge fan of Lancome`s Hallucination Juicy Tube for years. It`s super moisturizing, with a sutle shimmer to it. It looks great whether you wear the gloss by itself or with lipstick to give your lips a nice sexy look! Lancome has 20 different Juicy Tubes shades to choose from!

OPI 2011 Touring America

2011-10-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

OPI has a new fall 2011 collection called Touring America.

I have a description of each shade:

“Are We There Yet?”- a delicious pumpkin to commemorate the oldest Oktoberfest in the nation
“Color to Diner For” – hot pink for a hot city
“Road House Blues” – a navy blue reminiscent of the Teton Range
“Suzi Takes the Wheel”- this silvery gray is like your wheels as you decide to go East or West from the Gateway to the West
“I Eat Maine-ly Lobster” - a sassy pink that encourages you to take the rails from PA to as far northeast as Maine
“Uh Oh Roll Down the Window” – a touch but chic olive green for the City that Never Sleeps
“Get in the Expresso Lane” – a jazzy brown to honor the renowned Ground Zero Blues Club
“I Brake for Manicures” – an almost black purple that’s as cool as where rock-n-roll got a start

Acrylic Nails

2011-10-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

I took my acrylic nails off, and I miss it so much! =(
But it's time to give the nails a break and after getting the nails done for years and years...it's starting to feel like a chore getting it filled!

There is an awesome nail salon that I have been going to for over 6 years located in Port Coquitlam. The place is called Ultra Nails 2-2541 Shaughnessy St. They do awesome nail art, all hand painted/airbrushed arts as well carry a huge variety of coloured powder, whatever you feel like having on the tips of your nails!