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Beauty

Miracle10 – 10 Day Skin Challenge

Miracle10

Using a sunscreen every day and a well formulated AHA is great for a more healthier, even-toned complexion.

What products do you use on a daily basis? Do any of your products contain AHA’s? A good AHA cream helps rid dead skin cells to bring a more radiant skin layer to surface.

I tried Miracle10 for 10 days and here’s what happened…

Just to catch you up to speed with my Miracle10 experience, read my previous post about the bloggers event I went too. I get really nervous about using new skincare or anything with AHA’s because of this one time I used glycolic acid around my eyes. A little too close to my eyes.

Side note: don’t put anything with AHA’s or glycolic acid close to your tear ducts. Apply in the outer area with gentle tapping motions.

I used the cleanser I, toner and serum. The cleanser I used every morning and night. Less amounts of the cleanser in the morning, because my face is still clean from double cleansing the evening before. The toner, I wasn’t a huge fan of, only because I’m sensitive to scents and didn’t like the way the toner smelt. But I did give it a chance and used it 3 times. By the third day I noticed my skin was a lot more radiant, but due to the change in my regular regime, I did start to break out. A few pimples is normal for my skin when I change routines, so I didn’t stop using the products. By the 10th day I started to use the Miracle10 AHA cream in the evenings. I didn’t do all 10 days with the cream, to avoid shocking my skin with too many new products. For my skin, (normal to combination, sometimes sensitive) the best approach is to slowly introduce the regime.

I’m a firm believer in investing in good skin care and know it can do wonders for make-up application. For the first few days of using Miracle10 my skin was shedding dead skin, which is totally normal when using anything with AHA’s (Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid etc) Because of this my make-up didn’t apply as nice. 10 days later and I can ditch my everyday powder and walk out with just a bit of concealer.

Overall, if you start using these products don’t stop using the product because you notice some dry skin or a few pimples. Give it at least 10 days before you decide yay or nay.

Here’s a vine I created of my first days of using Miracle10. Do you see the transition of radiance in my skin?

 

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Elle Canada VIP Events & Experiences: Passport to the World

Elle Magazine VIP Events

On November 26th Elle Magazine VIP held an event in the distillery district at the ARTA Gallery. Sponsored by Persona World, the event Passport to the World had exhibits for Sahara, Asia and India.

The three exhibits presented Persona World collections that had charms representing these geographic areas. Beautiful charms like the taj mahal, lanterns, a geisha lady and vibrant colours were just some of the charms that stood out to me. Appetizers were served during the event, Sahara exhibit had a Smashbox station, the Asia table had different saki’s and the India exhibit had a henna artist and chai tea.

elle magazine

Greeted by a massive cover of their magazine, coat check and a VIP guest list, I entered the gallery to the end of a presentation on fashion from these three geographic areas. Having travelled to two out of the three places I was excited to see the exhibits and felt a bit nostalgic. We all received a passport card with stamps and visited each exhibit to see the collections. Guests received a persona bracelet and had a chance to chose one charm from any of the three exhibits, tweeting about our chosen charm would get you a bonus Canadian passport charm! So cute.

persona world

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To represent the recent Asia trip I went on, I chose the geisha charm from the Asia collection. I love the hand-painted details and it reminds me of our trip to the Geisha district in Kyoto, Japan.

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Beauty

Miracle 10 Bloggers Event

miracle 10

 

On November 13th, Toronto bloggers were invited to the Miracle 10 Skincare Boutique in Yorkville for an evening of networking, learning about beauty trends for 2015, drinks, sushi and other yummy appetizers.

So let’s talk about fashion; most of the bloggers that evening played it safe and wore black. Either I didn’t get the memo or everyone hit a creativity block and went with black. When I go to blogger events that’s one of the things I really look forward too. Checking out what everyone’s wearing and how they wore it. Why not? It’s like a live magazine spread. Outfits you’ve seen in stores on the racks come to life. I usually have more pictures to share but this was an event where I took less pictures and did more absorbing of the event.The guest speaker for the evening was Michelle Villett from BeautyEditor.ca, who spoke about beauty trends for the season and had lots of blogger tips to share.

miracle10 boutique

Bloggers had the option to get mini facials, mini makeovers by Dior or mini manicures. I was a bit late to the event, so 15 mins to arrival, Michelle was ready to speak on beauty trends. 

 

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So what are some beauty trends we’re seeing this season? Heavy, bushy but not bushy, dark eyebrows. Like Cara Delevingne’s. If you know me very well, you know my eyes lit up when Michelle mentioned her. I love her and her signature eyebrows. You might remember my blog post about brows and my mention of her wonderful brows.
 
Some other beauty trends that were mentioned by Michelle were: 

Graphic eye-liner/eye-shadow

Playing with your eye liner lines, doubling them up or create angles you’ve never created before are all trending for 2015. Geometric shapes in eye shadow application is also big. Creating squares, triangle applications and getting really funky around the eyes is the it thing.

graphic eyeliner

Bare nails

I love this trend because I’m not big on wearing nail polish. I have a huge collection of colours but rarely get an opportunity where I can sit down and give myself a manicure. Bare nails, filed down to a neat, clean cut size with a either top coat or a bare colour is in for Spring 2015. I love nudes, beige and light brown nail colours. If you want to skip the colours and shine then go for a matte top coat.

Messy/Natural hairstyles

As much as you’ll want to just roll out of bed and call it your “messy look” it isn’t that simple. For instance a messy braid still requires you to braid your hair and then strategically choose pieces to gently pull apart for a looser less crisp look. Or how about the messy bun. For this I literally just pull my hair together, tie it into a bun and loosen it up. Everyone has a different variation of what a “messy look” looks like, so play around with different styles till you get to one that suits your face shape and style.

Matte lips

Huffington Post mentioned a matte red-orange lip at Ann Yee’s Spring 2015 show here:

Ann Yee 2015
Ann Yee Spring 2015

Milani cosmetics also posted on Instagram that they’ll be coming out with a matte lipstick collection in 2015:

milani matte lipsticks
Image source: Milani Cosmetics Instagram

Natural make-up

Natural make-up look Marc Jacob Spring 2015 runway
Natural make-up look Marc Jacob Spring 2015 runway
[Tweet “”The best thing is to look natural, but it takes #makeup to look natural.” – Calvin Klein #beauty #bblogger”]
Miracle 10 has a 10 day challenge. They challenge you to try their skincare routine and see the results in 10 days. Took a look at their products and I’m intrigued. I’m taking the challenge and will share the results in a post coming soon. 
miracle 10
Have you tried Miracle 10 products before? What are your thoughts on the brand?
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Beauty

Top 5 EyeShadow Palettes

Why do you love EyeShadow Palettes?

I love them because you have all the colours you need in one organized palette. That’s not always the case, but your go to palettes do have that quality. I have way too many, but I’ve rummaged through them all to pick my TOP 5! They’re in no particular order and I love them all equally. I apologize in advance that 2 out of the 5 you won’t be able to purchase but I had to include them in my TOP 5 or else I’d be lying. Without further ado, let’s get started!

NAKED2

This palette had been launched soon after NAKED1’s success. I personally love NAKED2 more than the first one. I travel with this one every opportunity I get! I feel confident that it won’t break in transit because of the tin case and it has all the colours I would need on a trip. I usually keep my make-up to a bare minimum on trips and use more contouring and highlighting colours from this palette. For an evening look I smoke it up with the matte black.

NAKED2 - HUMJK

[Tweet “Naked4 – The Wet and Dry Palette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eelsk3Wt9AQ”]

CARGO – Plant Love

I’ve had this palette for awhile but never opened it and used it. It was like finding treasure! This line of make-up by CARGO has:

No dyes
No Parabens
Not tested on animals

This palette is an all in one. I believe it was never made for retail and was only for the official CARGO make-up artists. During my time with CARGO when they were situated in Toronto I had the pleasure of taking this kit home. How many of you would love a kit like this? It has eyeshadows, blushes, bronzers and pressed powder!

 

cargo cosmetics plant lovecargo plant lovecargo cosmetics palette

Smashbox Full Exposure

smashbox full exposure

smashbox full exposure palette

This palette is beautifully divided into two different rows of eyeshadows. One for matte shades and the other for shimmer. What I love about this kit is that it comes with an “eye shape” guide to show you based on your eye shape how to apply the different shapes. You can also learn from this Smashbox video: here

Here’s the swatch of the essential neutrals that can be worn everyday and the shimmers to take you into the evening: (I promise to do better swatches in future reviews!)

full exposure palette

QUO

 

QUO is a Shoppers Drug Mart exclusive brand. Some people usually steer away from drug mart brands but this is one you should definitely give a chance. It’s not in the luxury end of products but some of their products like this eyeshadow palette are a bit more expensive. You pay for the quality that you get! These eyeshadows have so much pigment that you won’t be using much to get its true colour. On a side note, I would be careful with these half spheres, because if you press too hard with your brush or finger the shadow will break. That is the only downfall of this palette.

quo palette quo palettequo palette swatch

 

CARGO – Catwalk

This is a palette that CARGO or another cosmetics company needs to jump on this idea. Palettes with themes are great for seasonal. We see them every season. Summer, winter etc colours all in one palette. What about themes like this for any time of the year?

This catwalk palette has quilted blushes and cute buttons for eye shadows. The magnetic book is perfect for storing and the shadows have rich pigments.

 

cargo catwalk palette cargo cosmetics catwalk palette cargo catwalk palette swatch

 

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The Guide to Contouring For Different Face Shapes [Beauty]

contour different face shapes

Have you ever looked at images of actresses with and without make-up and wondered why they look so different?

Of course a bit of lipstick and blush can transform your face and instantly make you look more alive. But contouring is what really changes the way you look. Contouring is this years beauty buzzword. It can give the illusion of a smaller or bigger nose, high cheek bones, sharp jaw line or change your face shape entirely (which I don’t recommend).

I believe contouring and highlighting should enhance your looks, the natural shape of your face and bring out features that you adore. Many people have learnt the basics of contouring and haven’t researched further to learn that there is a contouring technique specific to your face shape.

SQUARE

The common characteristics of a square shape face are:

Your jawline is square
Cheekbone and forehead width are the same
Jawline and forehead width are the same
The sides of your face are straight

You may not have all of these characteristics and may have a mix of two face shapes. Some people have long square faces as opposed to wide square faces.

Famous Square Faces: Miranda Kerr, Angelina Jolie and Olivia Wilde

Contouring a Square Face

SQUARE FINAL HUMJK.COM

You can keep contouring to a minimum for this face shape. Most people focus on near the outer corners of the hairline. You can also apply contour along the jaw to soften it. Contour the corners of your face to slim your face and give the illusion of a softer edge. Add highlight to your forehead and chin to give your face some more dimension.

Remember to always use a foundation/concealer for contouring that is one or two shades darker than your skin and one or two shades lighter for your highlighter.

OVAL

Characteristics of an oval face:

Forehead is wider than the chin
Prominent cheekbones
Face gracefully tapers to a narrow oval chin

Famous Oval Faces: Megan Fox, Halle Berry and Rihanna

Contouring an Oval Face

oval contouring - HumJK.com

Minimum contouring is needed with this face shape. You can apply highlighter to the forehead, chin and cheeks for more dimension. Some like to apply contouring make-up to their cheekbones to create the illusion of high cheek bones or angles. You can contour areas the way you please, like your nose and cheekbones. To contour the nose draw along both sides of the nose and below the tip. You can also lightly sweep product along your jaw line to give the illusion of a longer, slimmer jaw.

Tip: Suck in your cheeks and apply product to the hollow of your cheek line.

DIAMOND

Characteristics of a diamond face:

Cheekbones are the widest part of your face and are usually high and pointed
Your forehead may be wide but it tapers at the hairline
A longer face than it is wide

Famous Diamond Faces: Kourtney Kardashian, Linda Evangelista and Meg Ryan

Contouring a Diamond Face

Diamond Face - HumJK

The cheekbones are the highest part of you face. Contouring your cheekbones can make your face appear more even. By adding highlight to your chin and forehead, it will elongate these areas.

HEART

Characteristics of a heart face:

Your forehead and jawline are a similar width in appearance
Face is longer than it is wide and has a wide width
Your cheek line and the sides of your face taper into your jawline

Famous Heart Faces: Reese Witherspoon and Ashley Olsen

Contouring a Heart Face

heart contouring - HumJK

A heart shape face generally has a prominent chin and cheekbones. Try to keep contouring to a minimum so you don’t end up emphasizing these features when they don’t need to be. Your face will look pointy if you enhance these areas too much. Contour along the hair line and a bit beneath your cheekbone. Highlight a little on your chin and forehead. Dot on for minimum application.

OBLONG

Characteristics of an oblong face:

Chin is pointed
Your face is longer than it is wider
The forehead and jawline are a similar width in appearance
Sides of your face and cheek lines are straight
Your forehead is tall and wide

Famous Oblong Faces: Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Winslett

Contouring an Oblong Face

oblong - HumJK

Emphasize under the cheekbone area, forehead and below the jawline. Highlight cheek area where dimension is needed and spot on a little on top of the chin and forehead.

Tip: Always blend your highlighted and contoured areas so that it looks very natural. Avoid harsh lines.

 

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Beauty

Shopping Haul: Sephora & Tory Burch

When was the last time you went to a mall? Did you happen to go inside Sephora? How about Tory Burch?

I uploaded my first shopping haul last night and I’m going to be completely honest with my readers. I was super nervous! Now that it’s over and out there on the world wide web, I wish I had done this when I was a busy bee being a professional make-up artist, entrepreneur and going to all those awesome beauty and fashion events. But you know what, it really is never too late!

It’s about time I crawled out of my safe zone and did something that involves all of my talents. Technology, beauty, fashion, social media and marketing, to mention a few. Feels weird even saying that, but a good pat on your back once in awhile feels good.

Here’s the video:

Stay humble and thank you so much for watching! xo

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Beauty

BrowsWOWed: Benefit Brow Bar

brow bar

Have you ever looked back at your pictures and thought “whoa! What’s up with that uni-brow?!” or noticed your overly plucked eyebrows?

Our eyebrows go through their own changes either based on lack of attention or too much attention. Always keep in mind that the shape and look of your eyebrows play a big role in framing your eyes and enhancing your appearance.

It was evident that if you had thick eyebrows, you may have to tweeze/wax them. If they were thin, you would need to fill them in. Today the rule of thumb is that they can be thick and still look hot. Just like one of my favourite models Cara Delevingne. She is known for her power brows.

Power Eyebrows brows

Sorry ladies, the over plucked look is not “in fashion”. Good news! There’s hope! If you have made that mistake and can’t get them back to their fuller days, you can fill them in and fake it. There are so many options for fillers, hair growing formulas and pencils galore. I used an eye shadow occasionally to fill my own and on my clients. Hands down, the best products I have ever used were from Benefit and I haven’t used anything since I was introduced to it in my make-up artist days.

That being said, the beautiful ladies at Benefit booked me an appointment at the Yorkdale Benefit Brow Bar inside Sephora. I have to be honest, I was expecting an entire store of only Benefit products, maybe because I’ve seen the one in California and it was beautiful. Pink, everything. I can’t wait for those stand alone stores to come here! They would do amazing. Not to mention that the one inside this Sephora was so busy. Fully booked for the weekend and during my appointment 4 people asked at different times if they could go next.

To my surprise the brow expert was someone I knew from my very first cosmetics role! How wild is that?! I have known Kelly Correia for over a decade and she is still the beautiful person inside and out that I first met years ago. I always thought she had the most perfect eyebrows. There isn’t anyone else that I would trust my brows with but her.

benefit brow bar

Here is the breakdown of how Kelly did my brows at the Benefit Brow Bar:

1. She first started with a brow tint. Which made my brows look naturally fuller and a bit darker.
2. Then she did some brow mapping using my nose as a guide to get the perfect shape for my face. She drew guidelines on my brows using the product called brow zings.
benefit brow bar steps
3. She then showed me my brows to see if I approved of the shape.
4. Waxed the middle of my brows first and continued to wax and tweeze one brow at a time.
5. Once I had seen the shape and loved it, she showed me some products to fill in my brows and taught me the technique.

The brow pencil that was used on me was the insta brow-dark colour. And then the med/deep gimme brow on top to look fuller. Below are the products I use to fill my brows. When I’m in a rush, I use Gimme Brow. Love it!

benefit brows

I love these products so much that I just had to share them with you, so I did a giveaway on my Facebook and Instagram pages. I am ecstatic to announce the lucky winner who will be receiving a Benefit gift bag of BrowsWOWed goodies! Congratulations to @m_mila_sd!
benefit giveaway

 

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Beauty

How To Apply Eye Care

eye care

Eye’s are beautiful and come in so many different shapes, sizes and colors. They’re the most fragile part of your face. I remember learning this the hard way at an early age. I was 16 and just started as a Beauty Adviser. We had the opportunity to try all of the old and new beauty products from all sorts of brands. Cheap to luxury, all natural to anti-aging.. any brand you can think of, I’ve most likely tried it.

One day after work we went to a seminar for NeoStrata. I love their products and know that there is no other like it. The fact that they state the percentage of Glycolic Acid it contains and that you can purchase it from a drug store is a bonus! (Let me know if you want me to do a post about Glycolic Acid in the comments below)

Everyone who attended the seminar went home with lots of new NeoStrata products. This one eye cream really stood out to me. So I tried it that night and put it on vigorously, thinking it would penetrate better and work faster. To my dismay, I woke up the next day with sore and puffy eyes. They looked horrendous! That was when I learnt the right way to apply skin care around or near the eyes.

The skin around the eyes is ten times thinner than the skin on the face. One of the many reasons why you should be extra gentle around the eyes.

[Tweet “Steps to ensure you’re applying your eye cream in the most gentle manner possible.”]:

eyes eye care

1. Dot on your eye cream in the areas needed. Don’t get too close to the eyes.

2. Gently spread the eye cream with your ring finger. The ring finger is suggested because you naturally won’t use as much pressure.

3. Anything left on your finger spread under your brow bone. End with a circular motion, as seen in image above.

It takes time getting use to applying your eye cream this way, especially if you don’t have time and want to just smear it on. You’ll see a difference with this method, especially for those who have dark circles.

Would you use this method? How do you apply your eye cream? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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Pantene Pro-V Product Launch- Hair is what happened..

pantene beautiful hair bar

Let’s face it, we all love our hair and have tried Pantene Pro-V products at least once before.

I’ve tried many brands of hair products, from the high end to the low end and honestly, I believe in changing up your hair products anywhere from 3-6 months. Whether it is a whole new brand or within the brand.

Pantene

Just like our face and every other part of our body and lives, everything changes over time. I remember about 8 years ago I had really curly wavy hair. I would wash my hair, air dry and POOF! curls and waves galore! Now it’s different. Air drying gets me minimal volume and waves. Just the natural evolution of hair.

Feb 13th, a day before Valentine’s Day, I was invited to the Pantene Pro-V product launch on King street, downtown Toronto to be pampered. If you’re familiar with Toronto you’ll know this venue. Right across from Shoppers Drug Mart at King & Peter and was used for marketing TIFF, Toronto International Film Festival.

Upon entering, I was approached to have my coat taken and my information. Everyone invited, had registered ahead for an allotted time to be treated to their ‘Pantene Beautiful Hair Bar’ services. The venue had a pristine ambiance. Furniture, tables, counters, make-up station and the waiting lounge were all white, to fit the salon look and feel.

Here’s a vine I made on the day of:

While you wait in the lounge, you’re welcomed to do your nails at the nail bar, help yourself to treats and Starbucks hot drinks; all complimentary.

Covergirl Nails Pantene

The lounge:
pantene hair lounge

pantene hair bar

The blow dry bar was set up with 6 stations and had a featured chalkboard wall, where guests left positive, uplifting notes of their beautiful hair experience.

pantene blow dry bar

My hairstylist, talented Matthew Lill from Shagg salon in Yorkville styled my hair.
First, he went through a questionnaire to find out what hair solutions I was looking for and then matched my needs to Pantene products. We both agreed that the Ultimate 10 all in one Pantene line was perfect.

My finished look thanks to Matthew was wavy, bouncy curls, all done with a straightener. I loved the result!

The products I went home with:

I’ve been using these products for about a month now to write an honest review and love them!
Here’s a list of the Ultimate 10‘s solutions:

• Repair for Rough Hair
• Strength Against Damage
• Silky Softness
• Brilliant Shine
• Smoothing
• Moisture
• Frizz Control
• Gentle Cleaning
• Manageability
• Detangling

The only solution I’m unsure about is Frizz Control. However, because of our unforgiving cold weather this winter, I suspect nothing would be able to battle the frizz I had to deal with.

Overall, great event and excellent products.

TOP 7 FRAGRANCE FOR MEN AND WOMEN

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How to Prevent The First Signs of Aging

Aging Skin

Wouldn’t you love to just walk out the door sans make up? Let your skin breath, touch your face without make up coming off…ah the possibilities. And there you have it! The first step to preventing the first signs of aging is giving your skin a break. Toss your make up for a day and just give your skin a treat.

First Signs of Aging

I remember the day I started giving my skin a break schedule. My cosmetics manager at the time had told me about a story she read.There was a lady in her 40’s who went for plastic surgery and the surgeon found foundation under her skin. Whether it’s true or not- UGH! Gross. You know all those days where you were too tired to take off your make up before bed? Thought it transferred to your pillow only? It didn’t. It lives under your skin and stops oxygen from getting to your skin cells. Click here for some more information about sleeping with make-up and how it can speed up the skin aging process.

First Signs of Aging 2

Sunglasses aren’t only for fashion statements. They protect your eyes from harsh UVA/UVB rays. Also, prevent you from squinting, which causes wrinkles around the eyes. Do you wear prescription glasses? Try wearing them more often or get contact lenses. Because squinting is often done to see better as well. I’m guilty of this. Rubbing your eyes is also another damaging culprit. I would always tell my clients, the skin around your eyes is about as thin as a tissue paper. Handle with care.

First Signs of Aging 3

Changing your diet and incorporating exercise into your life makes a wonder of a difference in how you feel and the way you look. Eat healthy and try your best to work up a sweat, at least for 30 mins each day. I find the 30 day challenges are motivating and work great as a quick workout for someone with a busy schedule.

First Signs of Aging 4

I love skin care products! Reading about them, learning the technologies behind each product and packaging sells to me. Yes, even marketers get caught up with packaging. Your skin care routine is going to be your ninja fighting against those first signs of aging. I started a skin care routine when I was 16 and I only started to see results in my early 20’s. So that goes to show, that it does take time to see major results. Same goes for seeing damage in your skin, when you lack in caring for it. Sun damage, age spots, wrinkles, pigmentation. You see most of these signs over time. We all tend to forget that the damage is happening now, you just can’t see it yet. Start with your basics: Cleanser and moisturizer.

5skin

Lastly, prevent aging by being young at heart. Smile, laugh and just have fun.
Life is beautiful, enjoy it!

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