beautygeeks

What, Canada doesn’t understand the concept of a 16-way tie?

I’m not so happy six “Canadian Idol” hopefuls are headed home today. I hope it’s not the last we hear from Martin, Gary, Marie-Pierre, Katelyn, Omar and Oliver, all of whom have such potential. It’s not going to be the last I hear anyway — I keep hitting the CTV “Canadian Idol” site to replay their strongest performances.

A big congrats to the Top 10, though — I’m excited for them and the next part of their professional and artistic growth as they get to work with industry pros to hone their skills all summer. I hope they take it all in, keep their confidence up and relax into who they truly are. If they can do that, they’ll be gold on stage.

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Enter to WIN a LUSH Retro Gift Box!

Omigoodness, Ben Mulroney was hilarious tonight. What was in that cookie?

I laughed out loud.

Hey! This post fits nicely into Made-in-Canada month, yes? Nice.

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Enter to WIN a LUSH Retro Gift Box!

Sheesh. I have 16 new crushes. By crushes, I mean a mix of admiration and awe for their focus, and damn, they’re all so lovely and talented. What crush doesn’t usually convey, however, is respect, and truly, respect is a huge part of what I feel for our “Canadian Idol” hopefuls. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to Made-in-Canada Month on beautygeeks! It’s a month of great stuff from Canadian companies and experts. Companies that manufacture in Canada what they distribute in Canada made the list too, for their smaller eco-footprint.

Great stuff that doesn’t fall under the red leaf will pop up, as well, but as an extra post.

And yes, a maple leaf would have been appropriate, but I wanted something warm-weathery. This is a waterlily from Algonquin Park. Will it do? *grin*

Enjoy!

I thought I made my wardrobe work hard, what with my unceasing demands that it make my Tweedledee figure-type look good. SunSoul ups the ante by promising to make skin look good, in a new-millennia having-your-colours-done* kind of way.

In basic terms, part of the theory behind SunSoul is that high-intensity blue light treats and prevents acne breakouts, and yellow light reduces skin damage. The company’s two lines of clothing, Blumöd for acne aid and Yelomöd for skin rejuvenation, use techno-geeky fluorescent microfibre fabric designed to block and convert the sun’s harmful rays as it magnifies good-for-skin sections of the light spectrum. Specific blue and yellow pigments filter UV waves as the density of the weave delivers an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) of 50+. (Yes, you still need SPF on skin not covered by the clothes.) Just choose the colour to suit your needs: blue to improve breakouts or yellow to reduce signs of skin aging.

Lightweight and breathable, both lines of clothing are appropriately athletic in design and offer long- and short-sleeve tees as well as hats, caps and visors. Pricing ranges from $70 for a visor to $140 for a long-sleeve top.

Clothes that improve skin with just a few worn-in-the-sun hours per week? Sounds all science-fiction-y, doesn’t it? I thought so as well until I checked the website to find out who’s behind this. Turns out the chair of the management team is a Dr. Michael Kreindel, who is crediting as having invented some of today’s popular laser treatments, such as IPL (Intense Pulsed Light, which reduces sun damage) and ELOS (a radiofrequency-and-light technology). As well, high-profile Toronto-based dermatologist Dr. Stephen Mulholland is part of the SunSoul team.

Think about it. If SunSoul does as it promises, we can go into the light. I’ll have to work hard to get over one big problem, though: Fluorescent yellow is just not my colour.

SunSoul is available at www.sunsoul.com or via 1.866.414.7685.

* For you young’uns who don’t know what having your colours done means, it’s an ’80s craze with a good heart: a professional analyses your colouring — hair, skintone, eyes — to determine what makeup and clothing colours flatter you best.

Oh yeah, I meant it. Yep, “friend,” as in “some friend she is.”

Let me introduce you: the girlie in this photo is my delightful friend Heather Buchan, Associate Editor for Hello! Canada.

Heather and I had a get-together planned for last weekend. We were going to get together to play with makeup in preparation for her wedding this Fall (she’s going to be the most gorgeous bride).

But I got ditched.

For Ben Affleck.

A skinny Ben Affleck.

A skinny, defined-jaw handsome Ben Affleck.

A tall, skinny, defined-jaw handsome Ben Affleck in Calgary last weekend to host a OneXOne event in aid of impoverished kids.

Heather had to fly to Calgary to meet with him for work instead of meet with me, apparently.

Some friend, huh?

Sheesh.

If Clive-O asks, we never had this conversation.

If you’ve left your sense of humour at the door with your footwear, go back and get it before you read this. Seems you’re never too young to be glam. To the max. We’re talking stilettos for tots (don’t freak, they’re just for fun).

A new pair of shoes is an instant pick-me-up. The right pair can make an outfit and, with just one unexpected compliment, make your day. And your favourite pair still fits after a medium bbq-chicken pizza, a six-pack of wings and a carton of ginger ice-cream (who, me?). No wonder so many of us have been obsessed with shoes for as long as we can remember.

Now, practically from birth, a whole new generation of shoe-addicts can blame Mom with just cause. Wee, soft crib shoes with itsy soft heels (just for show), Heelarious: Her first high heels come in one size that fits infants to six-month-olds. The brainchild of Britta Bacon and Hayden Porter, two U.S.-based women in their early 30s, the collection offers pink or black patent, pink satin, and zebra or leopard print, and retails for $39 CAN/$35 US per pair.

At those prices, if a pair were to “disappear” from the hallway at a playdate, having to replace them shouldn’t cause a Sex and the City drama. Then again, you don’t want to mess with a girl’s favourite shoes.

Visit www.heelarious.com for retailers. And thanks to Wynne Huerta for sharing!

Frankly, I wish Shop Crawl started with F.

A shop crawl is like a pub crawl without the slurring, slopping or stench of stale beer and too many bummed cigarettes. A Bizarro pub crawl, if you will.

Brought to you by ChickAdvisor.com, a shop crawl is a delightfully civilized affair. It starts with a pre-arranged shop meet, then wends its happy, girly way in and out of a series of trendy boutiques that smartly offer exclusive discounts and other buy-now incentives to participants. More than $500 worth of prizes, beauty-booty swag bags and an after-party… just watch out for the spending hangover the morning after.

The next Chick Advisor Shop Crawl Toronto takes place on May 29th on Queen St. W, and includes boutiques such as Girl Friday, Moda and Pho Pa. At $20 for members and $25 for non-members, a limited number of tickets is available in advance only.

I have the best boss ever. She understands the power of paying it forward. Especially when there’s a sale. At Lustre.

Don’t know Lustre? Think small, chic fashion gallery. A carefully edited selection of uncommonly-stylish pieces features standout spring-bright bags in soft shiny leather, sweet flats to put Spring in your step, and fiercely fabulous statement heels from Seychelles, Chie Mahara and Gwen Stefani’s LAMB. Prices range from happily affordable to omigod-so-worth it.

And did I mention a sale? A wee selection of boots is end-of-season priced at 40% off. Good eye, boss, and thanks. I’ll work harder on those deadlines. Promise.

Lustre, 439 Danforth Ave., 647.435.8195, infolustre@rogers.com.

Well that’s 50 lashes with a wet noodle for me. No post yesterday. Sheesh. And apologies.

Here. Would you say this photo’s worth 1,000 words?