Murale

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture - $37 - If there's anything more wonderful then a luxury lipstick, I don't know what it is and from the elegant gold case to the rich pigmentation this one screams luxe!

The idea behind the Rouge Pur Couture line was to redefine the YSL red - to create an attitude enhancer.  Don't worry if you aren't a red lipstick person - it's not one red, but a play on a fiery triple accord, associated red, orange and fuschsia.

There are 16 shades as well as a white and black shade that can be combined with any of the other colours to create infinite variations of red. 

Available are:

No 1 - Le Rouge, No 2 - Rouge Pourpre, No 3 - Rouge Saadi, No 4 - Rouge Vermillon, No 5 - Beige Etrusque, No 6 Rose Bergamasque, No 7 - Le Fuchsia, No 8 - Belle De Rose, No 9 Rose Stiletto, No 10 - Beige Tribute, No 11 - Rose Carnation, No 12 - Blanc, No 13 - Le Orange, No 14 - Rouge Feu, No 15 - Brun Sienne, No 16 - Rouge Roxane (shown), No 17 - Rose Dahlia, No 18 - Noir Laque

The pigmentation is wonderful - due apparently to how finely they grind the pigment, the finer the pigment, the more intense the colour.  Even better, they feel very moist and comfortable on your lips and contain a cocktail of anti-oxidants as well as SPF 15.

I've been on a gloss kick lately but these have been enough to have me reaching for lipstick again!


Available now at Holt Renfrew and coming next month to selected The Bay and Murale stores.

Girl Meets Pearl - $34 - a luminous liquid illuminator for your face that you can wear with makeup or on its own.  Contains raspberry and chamomile for soothing, sweet almond seed for firming and smoothing, sesame seed oil for moisturizing.

I have been using a bit of this over my foundation on my cheek and brow bones and I'm a fan - best part, it smells like raspberries!  I tried using it allover and it would start off looking good but would end up looking greasy in my oily areas so I now avoid using it there.










Magic Ink - $24 - a jet-black, non-irritation, smudge proof liquid eyeliner with a really thin brush that I expect liquid eyeliner expects will appreciate - that expert would not be me because if there is a bigger spaz out there then me when it comes to liquid eyeliner, I would like to meet her! 

Of course Benefit has a solution to my problem of not being able to draw a straight line - the jimmy jimmy DOT technique - you are supposed to say the phrase out loud as you move along your upper lash line and every time you say DOT, you make a dot of black line in between your lashes.  Space out the dots for natural looking volume or dot closely together and connect for a slim sleek liquid line.  I was a little skeptical at my ability to do this but it actually worked for me - when I have dots to connect, I can actually draw a line!






Prrrowl - $32 - a double ended tube with a sparkling peacock-blue iridescent mascara topcoat on one end and a shimmering pink lip gloss on the other

The lip gloss is okay, nothing exciting on it's own I like it much better layered over a deeper lipstick - the mascara on the other end is amazing!  If you've ever thought about doing coloured mascara but thought it might be too much wear this on it's own, you get a little bit of colour and sparkle.  If you want something more dramatic, wear it over your usual black mascara - so pretty!

This is the kind of thing that I wish had been around in my clubbing days - so cute and so portable!

You can get your Benefit fix at selected Shoppers Drug Marts, Murale, Holt Renfrew, Sephora and online at www.benefitcosmetics.com

The end of a super busy Wednesday last week found me at the Pink House at 32 Scollard Street in Yorkville - home to Jeanne Lottie's fabulous line of handbags as well as the setting for the Bourjois Paris fall makeup launch and event - oh la la!  The place was packed full of ladies in a handbag shopping frenzy but things were a little bit calmer on the rooftop deck which is where the Bourjois display was set up.














The lovely Daphne - who is even prettier when she's not having her picture taken by a terrible photographer (me) - was on hand and gave me a fabulous makeover using the new fall colours!

















Bourjois Paris Barock - releasing October 1st at select Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix and Murale stores.  Here's what you'll find in the collection:
Little Round Pot Eyeshadow in Brun Irréel #05 and Marron Glacé #54 - $17
Liner Pinceau Gold in Or Néo-classique - $20 - limited edition available only until December - I don't usually love liquid liner but I loved the way it looked when Daphne used it on me!  And gold is so festive, this will be great for the holidays!
Volume Clubbing in Ultra Black #75 - $20
Sweet Kiss in Brun Orné #52 - $18
Little Rouond Pot Blush in Brun Cuivré #03 - $19 - this was my favourite item from the collection - it gave me such a natural pretty flush that I could use as a blush or even to add a sunkissed look all over!
So Laque! nail Polish in Noir de Chine #30 - $10 - whoever invented black polish is a freaking genius!

Even with all this cold weather one of the most frequent complaints I still hear from people is how shiny their skin always looks - so here's a roundup of products to help you combat the shine:

Neutrogena Deep Clean Shine Control Cleanser/Mask - 175ml - $8.99 - use as a cleanser or on your super-oily days, as a 3 minute mask or Daily Scrub - 124ml - $8.99 The Shine Control products have an oil-absorbing Rice Protein Technology that removes skin impurities and absorbs oil on the surface of the skin.  Even after rinsing, rice protein is deposited onto the skin to visibly control shine hour after hour as it repels water but grabs excess facial oil like a magnet throughout the day.  Both products are oil free and non-comedogenic.
Lise Watier Mineral Compact Powder - 10g - $35 - in 6 shades: neutre, natureal, beige pur, beige beige, bronze or caramel.  A fragrance, talc & paraben free powder that mattifies, corrects and evens out the skin.  Contains tourmaline, vitamin A & E and chamomile.  A clever plastic holder inside the compact holds 30 blotting papers giving you 2 different ways to be shine free!
Murale Fresh Faced Blotting Papers and Compact -  50 Sheets - $10 - if you are looking for pretty way to carry around your papers then you will love this compact from Murale!
The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Blotting Tissues - 65 Sheets - $10 - mineral-infused blotting papers that absorb excess oil and reduce shine.
Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens - 100 Sheets - $10 - they come in peppermint too if you are lucky enough to be able to get your hands on them!  Available at Sephora.

Stila Holiday Lip glaze Set - Limited Edition - $33 - contains the bestselling classics: Kitten, Grapefruit, Apricot and Guava, as well as four new shades: Blush - creamy rose, Majesty - deep berry, Merry Merry - sparkling red and Seashell - shimmering lilac - I have a soft spot for Stila lip glazes, the Grapefruit lip glaze is the first piece of high end makeup that my now husband ever gave me as a gift - I know, awwwwwwww... What I like about this years set is that they've included some brighter colours and still kept the best sheerer ones (kitten and grapefruit)!  Available at Sephora and select Shoppers Drug Mart stores.
Benefit All You Need Is Gloss - $30 - includes 3 double ended glosses in: I'm with the band - golden pink shimmer, Almost famous - copper penny, Life on the A list - bubble gum pink, Who are you wearing? - passion fruit pink, Back to the Fuchsia - sparkling fuchsia, 24K - sexy gold - I'm a big fan of double ended glosses for the whole saving space in the purse aspect!  Available at Sephora, Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques, Murale and select Holt Renfrew stores across Canada.
- 0.14 oz Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Tease
- 0.1 oz Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Sex Pot
- 0.23 oz Sephora Collection Super Shimmer in Pink Ballerina
- 0.23 oz Sephora Collection Super Shimmer in Rusted Rose
- 0.09 oz Tarte Vitamin-Infused Lipgloss in 40 Winks
- 0.10 oz Cover FX Mint Glaze Lip Gloss
- 0.11 oz Lorac Multiplex 3D Lip Gloss in Cliché
- 0.14 oz Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Radiant
- 0.1 oz/0.11 oz Tarte Rise & Shine Lip Gloss and Stain in Cherry
- 0.15 oz Buxom Lips in Roxanne 

The set includes: One Base (0.176oz), Essential Palette (4 x 0.06oz), Eye Pencil (0.027oz), Lash Activator Mascara (0.12fl oz), Beach Blush (0.042oz), Reverse Lip Liner (0.027oz), Classic Lip Gloss (0.106oz) and is available in light, medium or dark all for only $39!  You can check it out at: www.theshoppingchannel.com/cargo
Stila Travel Palettes - $13 - are too cute for words - 4 eyeshadows and 1 Convertible Color that can be used for lips and cheeks - perfect if you only have the tiniest of purses!  The latest from the Travel Palette collection is Fabulous in Fiji with eyeshadows: R&R - light blue, Escape - blue, Palm - green, Wave - navy blue; and Plumeria Convertible Color.  Available at selected Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques.  They seem to have the other 4 on sephora.com but not this one.
If you're more about "Go big or go home" then the Sephora Blockbuster Palette is the one for you!  Some might argue that that point of a palette is too be portable and good for travel - but what if you were going someplace for a long time?  Sure you could cram as many individual pieces into your makeup bag as possible but you are sure to miss out on some colours - this way you have every possible colour known to man - just sayin'...!  Since I am not planning any long trips anytime soon I am treating this palette more like a giant crayola box for grownups: 98 eyeshadows from neutral to bright, 70 lipglosses, 6 cream eyeliners, 2 lip liners, 3 eyeliners and a mascara - there are endless possibilities! This would also be a great Christmas present for the teen in your life just getting into makeup - I think I would have died from happiness if someone had given this to me when I was 13!  And at $62, you really can't go wrong!  Available from Sephora and sephora.com (obviously)!

I don't know about you but this collection is screaming holiday at me with all the wonderful metallics!  Perfect for doing a party look that I like a lot - smokey eye with everything else quite pale but shimmery!
Palette Metallic Colorama - Limited Edition - $78 - This pink-champagne face highlighter comes in a gold leatherette case and has a pearly finish with very subtle sparkle.  Can be used all over the face or just to the cheekbones and under the eyebrows for sculpting.  I love the colour, it's so much more flattering then a straight gold or whitish colour that highlighters usually come in. 
Touche D'Or - Limited Edition - $46 - This gold face highlighter can be used on its own to illuminate or to add a sheen to your eyes or lips when mixed with another colour.
La Laque - Limited Edition - $24 - No 139 - Gold, No 140 - Pink Gold, No 141 - White Gold - perfect holiday metallics to make you a golden girl right to the tips of your fingers!
Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils - $36 - No 9 - Plum - something a little different from black!
Ombre Duolumiéres - $52 - No 33 - Silver Gray/Golden Plum - it looks very blue in the picture but isn't in reality, this would make a gorgeous smokey eye!
Rouge Pure Shine - $35 - No 34 - Metallic Gold, No 35 - Metallic Pink
Golden Gloss - $34 - No 36 - Golden Chocolate, No 37 - Golden Red, No 38 - Golden Champagne

Available at Holt Renfrew and in selected The Bay and Murale stores.