Beauty June 19, 2015

GRAND OPENING: Toronto’s First Benefit Boutique!

Toronto’s Canada’s First Benefit Boutique is here!

You probably all know that I own a lot of Benefit products and that I’ve been a huge fan since my Shopper Drug Mart days of being a beauty advisor/make-up artist. If you asked me to name a few of my favourites, I’d start with gimme brow, high beam and the dallas bronzer. For those of you who ~~have been living under a rock,~~ don’t know about Benefit Cosmetics, it’s a San Francisco based make-up brand that believes “laughter is the best cosmetic”. Every product has a fun, girly and unique spin. I’ve been to the boutique in Connecticut and California, so I had an idea of what to expect.

I was over the moon excited to be invited to the Grand Opening of Canada’s first Benefit Boutique, here in Toronto. I must say, Benefit’s corporate team is a bright bunch. I mean, the whole team (brow experts to corporate) are amazing! The strategy of slowly entering the Canadian market by placing little brow bars in Sephora stores around the GTA was brilliant. The perfect way to create a strong clientele and an opportunity to see geographically what/where would work best for the first boutique. Well, that’s my own marketer assumption. If you haven’t heard yet, the boutique is located on 2614 Yonge St and you can’t miss it! (see above image of boutique front)

You don’t live in Toronto? Don’t worry, rumor has it that they’ll be opening more boutiques across the country in the next five years! The boutique has a brow raising variety of services. You can most importantly get your eyebrows done, facial and body waxing, threading, tanning and more.

If you didn’t get a chance to catch my snapchats (HumJK) from that day, here are the highlights:

Beauty May 27, 2015

Benefit RollerLash vs Lancome Ôscillation Mascara [Review]

Benefit Roller Lash vs Lancome Ôscillation Mascara, which one wins at the end?

There are a ton of mascaras to choose from and the only way to find which ones work for you is by narrowing it down by the look you’re trying to achieve and finding mascaras that help you achieve it. Most of the time I use my mascara by Too Faced that gives me thicker lashes but other times I go for a lighter lengthier look. Benefit Cosmetics launched the Roller Lash Mascara last month with a social media campaign that you couldn’t miss.

Product Face Off

Round 1 – Price

Benefit Roller Lash $29
Lancome Ôscillation $39.50

Round 2 – Product/Results

Roller Lash Facts:
This mascara is inspired by hair rollers and gives you curled long lashes for a wide-eyed look. The brush has a patent-pending Hook ‘n’ Roll™ brush. They’re tiny little hooks that catch, lift and curl all lashes. Even the shortest and straight lashes. The curling effect from this mascara is good enough to replace your eyelash curler.

Ôscillation Facts:
This mascara has a vibrating wand to help lift, lengthen and give volume to lashes. This vibrating mascara provides 7,000 oscillations per minute! Pretty cool if you ask me, but doesn’t stop me from still moving my hand to apply the mascara. (I can’t help it!) I love that it doesn’t have parabens, sulfates and phthalates. Also free of synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, and triclosan. Which means it’s great for contact wearers or sensitive eyes.

Round 3 – Wear

Lancome Ôscillation:
You can see below that length is mediocre and volume is non existent. I did three coats and this is what I got. I found the vibrations don’t really do much. Instead, it started to get a bit clumpy close to the base of my lashes.

Benefit Roller Lash:
Below image shows lots of volume, length and a bit of lift or curl midway. This is with two coats. No clumps.

Winner:
Roller Lash! Great price comparatively, true to its facts and winning results.

Have you tried the Roller Lash or the Lancome Ôscillation mascara? Which do you prefer? Comment below 🙂

Beauty April 17, 2015

Coconut Favourites

There was a time when the younger me wasn’t a huge fan of coconuts. I just didn’t like the taste of it. Years later I tried it again and to my surprise, I loved it! You must have used or consumed coconut in one way or another. This multi-purpose ingredient has become a favourite for people all around the world. The coconut trend was strong last year and it seems like it’s here to stay. It can be used to hydrate your skin externally or coconut water is amazing for hydrating internally. Speaking of coconut water, my favourite juice company, Simply Orange is coming out with a new flavour with coconut water!

Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil

The first time I bought this, it was to substitute vegetable oil and be a healthier choice. I found so many other ways to incorporate coconut oil into my daily regime. For instance, making a homemade scrub with coconut oil and brown sugar, using it in your dry hair as a leave-in treatment or in wet hair as a hair mask. Most pregnant women swear by this as a life saver during pregnancy for their itchy dry skin. A 414ml bottle like this isn’t very expensive either. Around $10 at whole foods. (Don’t quote me on that)

RMS Beauty Lip Shine

This ~~lip balm~~ lip shine that has five colours to choose from, feels more like a treatment than a lip shine. I’ve tried the colour sacred and it reminds me of my Benetint by Benefit Cosmetics. Benetint is great for that flushed natural lips look, only this isn’t just a tint, it provides a lot of hydration. Results that you see right away! With organic oils such as coconut, moringa and castor seed; it’s no wonder my lips feel and look great after using this. Not sure why it’s called lip shine though. My lips don’t look shiny at all after using it.

Tip: Due to the texture, you can use this product in multiple ways. Use it on your cheeks as a blush.

Coconut Water Shampoo

I dye my hair a lot and because I do, it gets dry very fast. Doing a coconut oil treatment isn’t the best choice if you need to style your hair the same day or even the next. My hairstyle lasts a lot longer when it’s not oily. Most people will agree to that. Especially for volume. Instead of an oil, this coconut water shampoo does wonders for my dry locks. Not only is it sulfate free, but smells great too! I love that it comes in a semi small bottle, in case you change your mind and don’t want to be stuck with a huge bottle of unfinished shampoo.

Do you use coconut oil/water products? If so, what are your favourites?

Toronto beauty blogger

Toronto’s Canada’s First Benefit Boutique is here!

Benefit Roller Lash vs Lancome Ôscillation Mascara, which one wins at the end?

Product Face Off

Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil

Coconut Water Shampoo