beautygeeks

I’ve whinged before about my annoying lack of lashes — you know, I have just seven of them, three on one lid, four on the other? And they like to switch lids without telling? My mum has sparse lashes, too — she’s not a fan of how they look if she wears mascara: like skinny little spikes with too much space between them, I think she said. And yep, I have the same issue. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not so different from most women, despite the amount of makeup at my disposal. I have my favourites, my 4-subway-stop makeup routine (that’s concealer, powder, liner, mascara, brows, blush and lip gloss). I also favour quite a natural look — you might have noticed in the photos I keep posting (hey, I’m the only face available to me at all hours that doesn’t mind hanging around through 453 shots until I get a good one). But this summer, I’ve added a little green to my repertoire. And it still looks natural, natch. Read the rest of this entry »

Since the temperature’s begun to hold steady in the 20-degrees-plus range, I’ve been obsessed with the airy freshness of this summer’s limited-edition Marc Jacobs Splash trio. The sorbet-inspired scents, Basil, Pear and Grapefruit, are refreshing sensory antidotes to heavy, humid weather. Read the rest of this entry »

I feel as bright and shiny as a new copper penny. I prefer copper over bronze (the usual colour of summer), actually. Copper has more golden undertones; it’s more flattering for a wider range of skin tones, including mine, and it’s aces for every eye colour.

Lise Watier has the right copper in the La Toscana summer makeup collection. Here I’m all glowy in the copper and champagne shades of the Terre Eye Shadow Quartet ($35) and a super-light application of the Havana Precious Bronzing Pearls ($38), which also deliver a coppery sheen. The comfy moisturizing lipgloss is Lise Watier Plumpissimo Plumping Anti-Aging Gloss in Nude ($20), which has a rosy-gold shimmer, a bit of a tingle and a slight fruity flavour.

Silky and blendable, these shadows have just the right amount of pigment to look natural rather than overdone. The greens are pretty, too. (The La Toscana model wears them in the collection’s beauty shot.) And yes, the shadows are all shimmery, but the finish looks great on all ages (I used the copper/champagne on a mother of the bride and auntie of the bride at a wedding last weekend), and lasts nicely as well.

Be careful with the Bronzing Pearls, however — they have an obvious sparkle that can be difficult for older skin. Keep it light by swirling your blush or powder brush softly over the spheres then dabbing the bristles on a tissue before sweeping the brush over your temples, cheekbones and bridge of your nose (wherever you’d get colour if you were naughtily out in the sun without enough protection).

I do like to make a point: it’s okay to wear shimmer eye shadow if you’re older than 40. Check out Kim Cattrall’s makeup in Sex & the City, the movie; Cattrall is 52. Even better, have a peek at Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren, who is 63. For application tips, click here. Then go ahead: hog the spotlight.

Lise Watier La Toscana is available at Sears, The Bay, Shoppers Drug Mart and www.lisewatier.com.

I’ve always loved the fresh-faced, English-rose beauty: pale skin, flushed cheeks, bee-stung lips. It’s a just-woke-up prettiness. Of course, I’d like to wake up and looked like Kiera Knightley or Jennifer Ehle (Lizzy in the tremendous A&E version of Pride and Prejudice). But that’s just me.

“It’s Jane Austen beauty,” says Poppy King, the woman behind The Lipstick Queen. “You look like you’ve just fallen in love.” And in love or not, you can get that look with King’s newest lip creation, Oxymoron Matte Gloss. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m a copycat. I admit it. Also, I’m a little slow….

Way back in October 2007, P&G Beauty PR manager Lisa Festa, 47, had her long, straight hair chopped off for donation at the Pantene Beautiful Lengths kick-off in Toronto. Already a gorgeous woman, post-cut Lisa was unfairly more striking and modern in a just-below-chin-length, chic textured shag by Justin German, co-owner of Shagg Salon. In fact, that crop was a stadium-wave to the power of the right cut in making someone look (even) younger. I took note. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not a fan of suntanning. Not just because I’d rather buy a leather handbag than become one, but because my sensitive, burns-easily skin doesn’t much like the feel of direct sunlight. Too hot. So I have a bit of added incentive to slather on SPF (it seems to lessen the feeling of the heat on my skin).

Of course I am a fan of looking younger than my years. Genetics play a part, but staying out of the sun does, too. I love the shady side of the street.

And I’m a fan of not developing melanoma. So is Marcia Cross, the milky-skinned star of “Desperate Housewives” and spokesperson for Skin Cancer Takes Friends, an Olay-sponsored national awareness campaign to educate on the subject of sun protection. Two of her family members had melanoma; you can read more on that on the site.

I figure learning our young-uns about SPF is the route to take. I’ve told my friends, Kata, 12, and Marissa, 13, to visit the site. Sure there’s a pretty little bracelet bonus to be had if they send an e-card from skincancertakesfriends.ca to 10 of their friends, but they stand to learn something along the way, no?