Note Cosmetics is a global makeup line that can be found in 72 countries and now available at Rexall drug stores. I love the simple packaging with cosmetics. Note cosmetics is sleek and black. A very sophisticated look. The brand is also cruelty-free, paraben free, fragrance-free and vegan. You can find this brand in Toronto.
NOTE Cosmetics at Rexall is here in Canada
Here’s a sneak peek of some of the NOTE cosmetics products they have and why they’re different from other brands you may be using.
This blusher has argan oil in it and is free from parabens! Super soft to the touch and helps to boost moisture levels in the skin. This product has also been infused with botanicals.
NOTE Mattemoist Lipstick – Miss Kiss – $14.50
This matte lipstick isn’t as dry as some of the other brands I wear. This formula actually goes on creamy and it sets matte. The macadamia oil and vitamin E in the lipstick, protect and soothe lips.
NOTE Real Look Mascara – $17.95
I love mascaras that have thick and bushy wands! I always get the best look with those. This mascara curls, thickens and gives you voluminous lashes. It also has vitamin E which means it nourishes your lashes from the root to the tips of your lashes. Fragrance, Paraben, and cruelty-free!
During my early years as a blogger, I wondered what it would be like to sit among other like-minded individuals in the blogging world. So here I am, this year, with lots of breakfast, lunch/brunch and dinners with other bloggers and I gotta say, what an awesome experience! Some bloggers are very different in person from what I actually thought they’d be like according to their posts and online voice. And others, like the below crew, are exactly the same offline as they present themselves online. When they’re exactly the same, I have to admit I get such a feel-good feeling. It’s wonderful to see that realness and authenticity come to life. So here’s what happens during brunch with bloggers:
Last month I met up with some amazing bloggers for brunch, in downtown Toronto. You might recognize them(see above). First, there are the quick intros and then the “omg that’s you!” chit-chat. And then lots of talk about blogging. Everything from how to editing, favourites applications, google analytics and SEO – (I’m drooling!) brands and events. I love talking tech! Plugins and what works for us and what doesn’t. If there is one takeaway you should get from this post, it would be “together we are stronger”. As similar as we may seem for content creation and voices; we all still have our own style, community, and our own niche experiences/opinions.
I love how bloggers bounce ideas off each other and the best part is when the food comes out, it comes out altogether so we can take flat lays, single shots and just pictures galore without anyone getting upset. Because we all get it! It’s a no judge zone and at that moment while taking pictures we are all pulling in the same energy and are alike. That is the very moment everyone really comes together. When we’re in our natural blogging element. Brunch with bloggers is not only about food, but getting to know the beautiful individuals I love to follow online and getting to know them at a much more realistic level.
Leather crop top – ZaraBomber Jacket – Dynamite/Garage Clothing Outlet at Dixie Mall
A post shared by Eileen | yesmissy.com (@yesmissy) on
Here’s what I wore to the brunch. I have been looking for a pleated winter skirt for so long! Now that I’ve found it, I want to wear it as much as possible! I found this skirt online at Aritizia and it was on sale for $80. Linked it and some others:
Last night I had the pleasure of being Cat‘s guest to an amazing Bite Beauty #LIPLABxBITE experience! The Toronto Bite Beauty lab is located on Queen Street at 678 Queen St W. Bite Beauty was founded by Susanne Langmuir. She saw a void in the beauty industry and got busy with kitchen chemistry. Almost all of the coolest companies started off in their homes, right?
The store front on the main level is really clean and all about lips! Of course.
Bite Beauty #LIPLABxBITE Experience in Toronto
Some background information about Bite Beauty and why it’s different from other brands:
– Their tag line “natural, age-defying beauty for lips that is good enough to eat!”
–Lip products made solely from all-natural, food-grade ingredients.
– Lip labs where you can custom-make your own lipstick
– The first Lip Lab was in Manhattan
[Tweet “”You are what you eat. What you put on your lips, you eat” – Susanne Langmuir”]
In a nut shell, here’s how everything went down..
First:Austen who was an amazing host, brought us to the private area upstairs. Super cozy! Had a fireplace, a Bite Beauty lips backdrop, lots of couch space and then the area where all the magic happens to make your custom lipstick.
This is Austen creating my colour
Second: He asked what colours I had in mind. My vision and then we talked about tones. I showed him a picture of a favourite colour and he created exactly what I wanted! All in the first try. I also got to choose the flavour of the lipstick. I went with vanilla and mint. [Tweet “#DidYouKnow you can create a lipstick, select the finish and scent within half an hour at a @BiteBeauty Lip Lab? #LIPLABxBITE #Beauty”]
Third: The lipstick was then microwaved to a liquid, then poured into a lipstick mold and placed for 10 minutes on a surface that was -10 degrees! See my instagram stories below for all of the action:
When he swiped this colour I knew instantly I loved it!
Here I am wearing the custom colour. I call it Zoey:
And here’s what we went home with:
Agave Lip Mask, Lip Primer and a Wild Cherry Lip Balm
It’s that time of the year when to give is beautiful. This weekend I had the pleasure of attending a holiday event at Vaughan Mills shopping center as a Fragrance expert. I took people who attended (open to public) through a fragrance experience that peaked all of their senses! All fragrances I spoke about are available at Shoppers Drug Mart’s beauty boutiques. In case you missed this event, don’t worry! The next one is happening at the Eaton Center, Dec 2nd and 3rd from mall opening to close hours.
To Give Is Beautiful – Shoppers Drug Mart – beautyBOUTIQUE
So here’s what went down: You’re greeted by some beautiful ladies, who go through a summary of the experience you’ll have. Then directed to the fragrance station. Here I asked people what fragrances they were most drawn too. Based on their answer that gave me an idea of which ones I should start off with showing. We discussed different scents, notes in the fragrance and before testing the fragrance some tips on how to best apply it. In a nut shell, beautyBOUTIQUE wants Canadians to step into the holidays with this year’s must-haves in fragrance from beautyBOUTIQUE by Shoppers Drug Mart.
Based on their fragrance choice there was a mocktail to match!
While enjoying their mocktails; they waited their turn to get a make-up application.
Once done with their make-up, everyone received a gift that had a make-up bag, a Christmas tree beauty blender and a 20x points + $10 gift card to be used at beauty boutiques.
There was also this super fun glitter wall that everyone took pictures in front. The lovely beautyBOUTIQUE ladies were taking polaroids of those who got their make-up done.
Those who made a purchase at the beauty boutique that day could bring it to the calligraphy station. To receive a tree ornament customized, 3 deluxe samples, $10 gift card – all beautiful wrapped in a silver box. Check out Mandy on Instagram who was doing beautiful calligraphy. Here.
So lock it in your calendars, the next event is happening at the Eaton Center, Dec 2nd and 3rd from mall opening to close hours. If you post your images or videos online, be sure to use the hashtag #ToGiveIsBeautiful.
This blog post was sponsored by beautyBOUTIQUE by Shoppers Drug Mart but the opinions are all my own.
Velour Lashes is a Toronto based beauty brand that makes (in my opinion) the best luxury faux lashes! I had the pleasure of attending their very first pop up shop at the Eaton Center via Sephora. This pop up’s main goal was to “inspire lash confidence”. It did the trick for me, that’s for sure. A pro at applying falsies on others but terrible at doing my own. Finally a product I’m confident in applying to myself. Naturally I have long eyelashes and with mascara I can get them even longer and thicker. But the look I get with falsies doesn’t compare. You can see the difference in my pictures especially when I go full glam on my eyes.
Velour Lashes REVIEW + Live in Lashes EVENT [BEAUTY]
At the event, we were lucky to watch a make-up demo done by celebrity make-up artist Patrick Ta. He walked us through a live make up tutorial where he explained each step to create the look and the products used. As he did the make up tutorial, he took questions from the audience. Questions like how he likes working with celebrities like Jenner and Khloe Kardashian. As he applied the Velour Lashes to the model, he said:
“I love using these lashes on clients because it adds dimension to the eyes but is comfortable enough for everyday wear.”
– Patrick Ta, Makeup Artist
To be honest, he’s so absolutely right! Coming from someone who use to wear lashes once or twice a year, I’ve worn my Velour lashes already more than a handful of times, because they’re so easy to put on and feel super comfortable. The strip where you apply the glue is thin and flexible so it adheres to the skin as close as possible which I guess is why it feels so light.
I highly recommend getting the too easy lash applicator tool. I would be lost without it when applying lashes. The angled grip helps to get the lashes on perfectly. It retails for$27.00 CAD. Most of the lashes are in the $30 something price point and come in mink, silk or you can customize your own. Shop here.
At the lash make over station was where I had the pleasure of getting velour faux lashes put on me by Mable Lee. She is the founder of Velour and she is so awesome! She first tested a few different lashes against my last line to see which one would look best and to see if it needed to be cut and fixed. Not surprised, but the lash fit my eye ball and needed no adjustments. Which is one of the many reasons why I love these lashes.
One of the lashes I’ve been wearing on repeat is “dolled up”:
I talked to Mabel Lee about how she enjoys being a young entrepreneur, marriage, children and her favourite lashes. She is really down to earth and full of energy! Here’s here advice to women out there who are trying to become entrepreneurs:
If you take care of your lashes you can get up to 70x wear for a pair. Check out the below image for tips and don’t forget to save it on pinterest!
On August 9th I had the pleasure of meeting some amazing people in the beauty and photography industry. Shoppers Drug Marts Beauty Boutiques are doing a special campaign called Be Bold with Beauty from Aug 12th – Sept 8th. This campaign welcomes customers into Beauty Boutiques to choose their new bold make-up look, consult with the beauticians and learn about the products being used to create the new look.
A beauty boutique make-up artist did the metallic look on me. Definitely something new for me. I usually go really dark on eyeliner and mascara. This look was light on the eyes, but popped with metallic eye shadow and more bold on the lips and cheeks. Especially for to my skin tone.
Be Bold with Beauty
Legendary Metallic Make-up
Expert makeup artist and beautyBOUTIQUE™ by Shoppers Drug Mart spokesperson, Simone Otis; (whom I had the pleasure of meeting) says, “People aren’t always used to matching lips with eyes, however to achieve this look both lips and lids have a metallic finish”.
I then got to sit down with one other blogger/influencer with celebrity make-up artist Joyce Bonelli. We talked about bold beauty and her favourite products. She always does 3 bold things to create a bold beauty look. Her favourite liquid eye liner is by Stila and bronzer or can be used for contour is hoola by Benefit. She was really down town earth and super friendly. Of course after our chat we took some selfies.
Don’t forget: Follow @ShoppersDrugMartOfficial on Instagram and share your bold look using #MyBold for a chance to win a $1,000 Shoppers Drug Mart gift card.
Her below shout out on Instagram thanking everyone just melted my heart!
Check out the other Bold Beauty looks you can try at a Beauty Boutique near you:
This is my first time trying Hard Candy make-up. Hard Candy products are sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and Walmart.ca. I shop at Wal-Mart at least once a week, if not more. Whenever I’m out of any of my make-up I first check Wal-Mart to see what they have that can replace my product. All of these products are reasonably priced. Last I checked at Wal-Mart all of these products seem to be priced at under $10.
Keep an eye out next time you’re at Wal-Mart for the below Hard Candy Summer 2017 collection:
Hard Candy Sheer Envy Color Correct Perfecting Powder This powder helps those with redness, dull skin and any other colour correcting concerns. I don’t have any redness concerns ever since my acne cleared up years ago. It’s a natural brightener due to the orange/yellow tones in this powder. I’ve used it after foundation all over my face to set my make-up and then later in the day I touched up my make-up by applying this to my cheekbones as a highlighter. You can also use it to mattify your make-up throughout the day if you have oily skin. Swirl your powder or kubuki brush all over the colours and apply to the face. I love how smooth the finish is and no unnecessary shimmers or sparkles. Especially if you’re going for a more natural look. Another product for skin redness concerns that will help camouflage the redness is the green color corrector that comes with a sponge applicator top.
One of the first make-up products I usually run out of is my liquid or pencil eye liner. I love this Hard Candy marker eye liner because of the control you have to create a thin or thick line. The other side of the same pencil holds a khol eyeliner. Great for creating a smokey look as well.
Hard Candy Stroke of Gorgeous Kajal Supreme Eyeliner Duo
Pencil on the left, Liquid on the right
The Hard Candy Lip Artiste Lip Contouring Wand is a dual ended product, made to contour and highlight your lips. The highlight (seen above) is perfect to achieve the illusion of bigger lips by applying it to the center of the lips.
This highlighter, Hard Candy Sheer Envy Prismatic Highlighter , has a pearl finish and when I set it, it looked a lot nicer with a more natural highlight look. They also have a new banana powder for baking. I went out and bought that one to see how it compares to a Sephora brand I have. Stay tuned for the comparison most likely up on my Insta Stories.
Have you tried Hard Candy beauty products before? Which one(s)?
Disclaimer: The products are PR samples for review purposes. Opinions are my own.
I had the pleasure of attending the Murale beauty event, where I got to see everything that’s coming soon and on the spotlight for Fall 2017! Yes, preparation for Fall 2017 in the beauty world has come! In case you missed my Instagram story from that day I’m sharing the story here:
Murale FALL 2017 Beauty Products
June 2017
Rodial
This brand has a product called Bee Venom Micro Sting Patches available exclusively at Murale. It’s $110/4×2 patches.
It’s made with pure hyaluronic acid (the good stuff) infused with bee venom. These patches include 350 microneedles in each patch! Whoa. My face is tingling just thinking about what it would do to my skin. The bee venom plumps and smoothes the skin and improves your skin texture. They also have a Bee Venom Body Gel for $78 – 200 ml. I haven’t tried anything from this brand yet. Available exclusively at Murale.
The Organic Pharmacy
Lots of new products in this brand! The ones that stand out to me is the Carrot Butter – $99/75 ml. It’s a creamy cleanser for all skin types that gets rid of everything dirty on your face, including make-up. It has sheabutter,cocoa butter, calendula (awesome stuff), rosemary, chamomile, st johns wort, vitamin E and carrot of course!
Jasmine Night Conditioner – $70/50 ml is something I received to try. I can’t wait to try this! Stay tuned to my insta story for when I try it and what my first thoughts are about this. It’s a soothing facial mist that you apply at night. It repairs your skin while you sleep. It has jasmine to hydrate and improve radiance, glycolic acid to increase cell turnover and reduce discolouration, retinol to reduce wrinkles and boost collage production and vitamin c. Great for battling those fine lines and wrinkles. (My tip: With this product you have to ensure you use SPF during the day. And I say this from my own experience of using glycolic acid and retinol in the past. Those ingredients don’t suit everyone and everyone’s skin reacts differently. So do a patch test before you apply it all over the face.) Available exclusively at Murale.
July 2017
skyn ICELAND
You may have noticed my insta story of me using these gel masks before for the eyes and the face. Well, they have a Hydro Cool Firming Neck Gels – $45/4 gels. This neck gel is amazing for restoring the elasticity in your skin, diminishing horizontal lines on your neck and any dark spots. In August, they have a winter rehab kit where you can try a face oil, eye pen, cream, face wash and 2 hydro cool firming eye gels (my favourite). $50.
August 2017
Velour
I forever have ran from falsies. I just don’t feel comfortable in them and I suck at applying them to myself. Until I met velour. I tried these lashes on at the event and felt like they weren’t even on me! Now that’s my kind of lashes. They have a wicked new lash adhesive coming out that is going to change the lash glue game forever! $18/10 ml. Also, Too Easy Lash Applicator – $26 . These two are on my must have list!
Nia (not into aging)
I am super stoked to try there new Sunday Detox Whipped Clay Peel-Off Mask – $39/121 g. It has my favourite mask ingredient,white kaolin clay. Also the bamboo charcoal powder mousse works together with the kaolin to draw out dirt from the pores. You let it dry, then peel it off. Also reduces the appearance of blackheads. Available exclusively at Murale.
September 2017
Foreo
The Espada – $199 device cleats and heals acne blemishes with LED blue-light to penetrate below the skins surface.
Easy to use, clean your face, aim to spot, treat and repeat up to 4 times.
EVE LOM
Have you tried there cream cleanser? It comes with a cloth and has a luxurious cleansing process.
They have a new Gel Balm Cleanser $72/100ml that will be travel and shower friendly! Comes out like a gel, when massaged into wet skin it turns into a milky texture. Keeps your skin moisturized for up to 12 hours!
Cream Cleanser
Cream Cleanser
Lipstick Queen
This has got to be the first in the beauty industry, a black blush! It turns sheer berry on your cheeks and activates to different tones on all skin tones and types. Has natural oils, vitamin e and shea butter. Black Lace Rabbit Blush $33
Also, watch out for their nude lipstick collection. $32
Nuxe
This new anti-aging eye cream has passionflower and hyaluronic acid that smoothes and illuminates the area. It also helps with puffiness and wrinkles. Nuxe is a great brand ive tried before. Nuxellence Eye Care $57/15 ml.
October 2017
Phyto
I’m so excited about this brand! It’s a Canadian brand and owned by Patrick Ales. Goes way back to 1966 when he invented the blow-dry. Click here for his story. He’s got amazing hair, moustache and beard probably due to using his own products. 😉 They have a line called Phytodensia coming soon, it has a plumping shampoo $30 / 200 ml, Plumping Mask (I can’t wait to try it!) $54 / 175 ml and a plumping serum $48 / 30 ml (want it!). All of these products have my favourite ingredient, hyaluronic acid.
Have you ever been in a LUSH store? Some of my favourite things about LUSH cosmetics are that all of their products are cruelty free, handmade and the awesome packaging. Not only are their products handmade but even the furniture in their stores is reclaimed wood, made by LUSH employees. The signs are all handwritten too. If I find a product I truly love, and know that it works, I add it to my mental list of great gift ideas!
If you were to ask me, what is the one product that you absolutely must try from LUSH for the face, it would be hands down this mask:
LUSH Mask of Magnaminty: Minty, gritty and tingly goodness.
LUSH Cosmetics: What You Should Try & Great Gift Ideas!
Whenever I find a mask that I love, I start sharing it within my tight friends circle, family and my husband of course. I love that he’s a little more adventurous than the average joe when it comes to beauty products. All it takes is a micro speech about how great kaolin is for your skin and the benefits of a mask, and he’s down like james brown to try the mask with me.
After trying this a bit more than a couple of times, I can confidently say, yes; it’s all true:
– Cleansing without being harsh or abrasive
– Exfoliates without any redness aftermath
– Soothes and moisturizes
It’s also stated on the packaging that it can be used for body as well. But personally, I’m going to savor it, and only use it on my face. I gifted this mask to three of my friends as part of their birthday present and I’ve only gotten positive feedback.
Ocean salt has been a scrub that I’ve used over the years. At checkout one day while purchasing some bath bombs, I asked if they could give me a sample of their favourite product. It happened to be Ocean Salt. Don’t be shy, if there’s a product you’re curious about, check if they have a sample. You never know, you may stumble upon a new favourite!
When used on the face, I use a small amount. Dime to nickle size, because of the serious exfoliation you get from this product. For body, go nuts! Especially after the winter season when you need a serious scrub down, this is your go to scrub at LUSH. It’s the perfect mix of fine and coarse sea salt.
Ocean Salt – Face & Body Scrub
The good stuff:
– seaweed
– avocado butter
– lime oil
– coconut oil
During my pregnancy this moisturizer was my super hero for dry skin. LUSH doesn’t really sell this hand and body lotion directly for a pregnant women’s itchy dry belly, but it worked for me! It may or may not work for you, but I loved the fresh banana’s scent and the cooling sensation of the lotion. Bonus, it’s all natural ingredients that you’re applying to your skin during pregnancy.
The jersey bounce shampoo is only being used by him. (Husband) He loves it! There’s also a shampoo in the form of a soap bar. I’ve actually used it as a body soap bar and realized it would be great to pack when travelling! Use it as a shampoo and body soap bar.
He’s also using the breath of fresh air toner water and I’ve been secretly using it too!
They had me at aloe vera. (see above image) Aloe vera is high in vitamins, has healing properties and excellent for hydrating the skin.
Estée Lauder is an old favourite line of mine. There are a handful of items I’ve used in this line that I always keep going back too. Recently, I’ve been obsessed with these 3 estee lauder skincare favourites:
Let’s shine the spotlight on these three skincare products that have been tried, tested and true! Being a beauty blogger, I get to try a lot of make up and skincare products. For an honest review of a product, I feel it’s fair to try the product for months, when you actually start to see results or in some cases none. I’ve got one empty, one almost and third still got a few weeks worth to go.
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair
Intensive Recovery Ampoules
This oil comes in a glass jar with individual capsules. Having the oil in individual capsules take’s the guessing out of the actual amount you need. One capsule is perfect for your entire face and neck. It definitely doesn’t sit oily on the skin. Absorbs quickly and has no shine. Price: $135
60 capsules
True story: I gave a capsule to my sister to try when she was sleeping over. She had just took her make-up off and was complaining about how tight and dry her skin felt. The next morning she couldn’t stop raving about how great the product was, and how nice her skin felt. Yup. Just with one use. I’ve noticed my skin is a lot more even, less shading below my lips and overall even skin tone + radiance.
Estee Lauder ‘Revitalizing Supreme’ Global Anti-Aging Creme
I finished this cream real quick! So light and beautiful. Absolutely loved this cream and never forgot to apply it as I usually do. My skin was always hydrated, make-up went on beautifully and only to find out today that it’s been replaced. However, I did some quick research and it’s the same name but with additional good stuff. It’s called Revitalizing Supreme + Global Anti-AgingCell Power Crème and looks like the additional ingredient is Moringa Extract. Moringa Extract comes from the Moringa tree and has a whole slew of benefits for the skin. Well known as an anti-oxidant rich leaf. Price: $94 for 1.70 oz.
Revitalizing Supreme+ Global Anti-Aging Wake Up Balm
This balm is the perfect amount of moisture for the entire day. Although I feel that it has the texture of a lotion, rather than a balm, and you’ll also notice there’s a touch of shimmer. Looks like mica. The shimmer is great for wearing under make-up, as it gives you that instant glow. Some people relate anti-aging creams with heavy texture creams that weigh down on your skin. This Global Anti-Aging line is the complete opposite. This wake-up balm also includes plant stem cell extract. I use it only in the morning but you can use at any time of the day/night for an instant boost of radiance. Price: $73.65 (sale)
Have you ever tried Estee Lauder skin care products before? What were your favourites?
If you love this post, you should check out the beauty section.
One of the first make-up products I usually run out of is my liquid or pencil eye liner. I love this Hard Candy marker eye liner because of the control you have to create a thin or thick line. The other side of the same pencil holds a khol eyeliner. Great for creating a smokey look as well.
