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 »

As soon as I find out someone has oily skin (yes, I do that quite often), I tell her she needs M.A.C Blot Powder pressed powder. Oh goodness, I just realized that’s exactly what happens. I don’t ask whether she uses it, I tell her she must. Well so she should. Men, too. Read the rest of this entry »

Cargo Cosmetics is cool. Aside from producing quality products, the Canadian company has won all kinds of awards for innovative packaging. You’ve likely heard or read lots about one of their most recent achievements, PlantLove lipstick ($20), a botanical formula lip colour in a biodegradeable tube. Made out of corn polymer, the lipstick case will break down under compost conditions (not in your purse).

Other nifty notables include 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.

Estella Warren loves rich, gourmet meals.

That was not in the beauty-secrets swag bag I got at my coming out party.

Warren, if you remember, is a Canadian National Champion synchronized swimmer-turned Chanel No. 5 model-turned Mark Wahlberg’s co-star in Planet of the Apes. In town for the launch of Nestea Vitao, a new line of preservative-free antioxidant-rich iced teas, Warren is operating on just a couple of hours of sleep. Again I must kvetch. Sleep deprivation wasn’t in my beauty-secrets bag either.

Tall, shiny and clearly naturally slender, Warren’s just under 30 according to the birthdate on her IMDB profile, and she’s back on the modelling circuit, she says. She’s also a little dorky, which helps me get over my natural resentment (hey, I’m not perfect). A bit non-plussed when I ask her about her beauty regimen, she stumbles over her words some and then confesses that she doesn’t really have one. “I’m not a cleansing freak,” she says. “I usually use whatever I have lying around. Sometimes it’s Dove soap, and sometimes it’s a basic Neutrogena cleanser.”

She thinks some more. “Oh, and I use a moisturizing cream from a line called Embryolisse; it’s cheap in France.”

She doesn’t exfoliate or use fancy anti-aging serums on her clear skin. Genetics. Huh.

Warren’s role at the event is of opening MC. She introduces celebrity trainer and fellow Canadian Harley Pasternak, who is here to introduce the iced tea (*shrug*), so I ask whether she’s a client. “I was,” she says. “Harley’s great. But I love my gourmet food, my foie gras, too much. He only lets me have my favourites once a week; I want them every night.” Did I mention naturally slender? Healthy slender, with curves.

Fair notsomuch.

I’m busy examining Warren’s makeup application. Light, natural, nice emphasis on her green eyes with a little golden-bronze shadow and lots of mascara. Real, like she did it herself. “[Makeup artist] Sue Devitt is a friend of mine,” she says. “I only wear her makeup. She makes the best foundation. It’s really light, like a tinted moisturizer.”

And then it comes out. “I like sleep,” she blurts. How much sleep? “Like 10 hours, every night if I can,” she admits. “I love sleeping. That’s really my beauty secret. As much asleep as I can get. I can’t wait to take a nap.”

She’s still under 30. And a winner in the good-genes pool. One substandard sleep-night isn’t gonna hurt her. Sheesh.

Well, at least I can try that 10-hour sleep thing.

G’nite.

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 »

There. I finally said it.

Juno Award-winning singer Jully Black has a great face and a fierce physique. Some powerful voice, too. But damn. She needs to know her eyebrows are WAY. TOO. THIN. They’re a nice shape in this publicity shot (I couldn’t bring myself to choose a less flattering photo), but still a bit thin. In her TV appearances and on her “Until I Stay” video they look thinner, out of proportion with her face. Too-thin brows make a girl look older and severe. Thicker brows would soften her bone structure and make her look younger. I’m just saying. Read the rest of this entry »

There are ways to put the prettiest flush in your cheeks and there are ways to put the prettiest flush in your cheeks. I choose Benefit Posietint. It’s that good.

Enough said if you’re a Benetint fan. But if the term “cheek stain” makes you twitch or back away, would it help if I said the colour and texture would make you look younger?

Let’s pause for a TIP: Cheek stain can sound scary, particularly if you have dry skin. “Work quickly,” we’re told. But you don’t have to break the sound barrier to rub it in. All “work quickly” means is apply and blend on one cheek, then apply and blend on the other. If your skin’s dry, just moisturize cheeks lightly before hitting the bottle. Read the rest of this entry »

Yeah, I’m a geek. When I was writing yesterday’s post, I got completely sidetracked for longer than I’ll ever admit because I was digging out all my favourite watermelon-shade glosses and geeking out over each one as though it were the first time I’d seen it. Sheesh.

Some are discontinued or limited-edition shades, so there’s no point my getting you all excited about those on account you won’t find them easily, if at all. (Club Monaco gloss in Cherub, anyone? I loved it before Monica Lewinsky wore it for her Barbara Walters interview, I’ll have you know. Don’t judge me for having four new tubes stashed away.) However, the following lip delights are on the market now and fit wallets of varying stretch abilities. Read the rest of this entry »