events

In case you've not heard, Grazia Magazine are holding a shopping evening on Thursday 12th November from 5pm til 9pm. Many shops in the Carnaby area are offering 20% off, but you need to register to get a ticket via the Carnaby website.

Some of the more beauty focussed outfits taking part include MAC, Pixi, Neal's Yard Remedies, the Beauty Lounge, and Cowshed. Sounds like one not to be missed!

Yesterday I was invited by Get Lippie as her plus one to the Nicky Hambleton-Jones Glam Show at London's Earl's Court. She won tickets via the magic of Facebook, and was understandably anticipating a fun day with plenty of opportunities for shopping and ogling nice things.

It's billed as a high-profile fashion mecca with displays, treatments, dancers etc. But when we got there we discovered what was basically an indoor market with a rather basic catwalk bolted on. They did have quite a nice glitterball hanging from the ceiling, and there were plenty of dubious-looking fliers in our "goodie" bags... but basically the "glam" was distinctly absent.

There were a few talks and stages, but most of them seemed to be a thinly-veiled opportunity for a sales pitch, and the speakers were "recycled" around the different stages. Other stalls included tarot readers, debt management solutions, and most woefully in my eyes a Sunday-market type stall selling 99p-type no-name nail polish and eyeshadow, billed with flourescent hand-drawn "BARGAIN!" signs. Not glam, Nicky, not glam at all. And tickets were apparently worth £25! For shame.

On the up side however, part of Lippie's prize was a free manicure courtesy of SFB Mobile Spa, one of the more enticing stalls there, and we both enjoyed having our nails MOT'd by Tiffany, who had a range of OPI, nails inc. and Essie polishes to choose from.

I opted for the hilariously named Essie "Mink Muffs" (pictured), from the new Autumn collection. It's a glossy creme taupe shade, quite cool toned and very unique. Tiffany filed my nails, pushed back cuticles with a scary metal implement (always mistrusted this aspect of the manicure process since a merciless manicurist in a New York "salon" hacked off all my cuticles completely) and finished it off with two coats of Essie and a coat of Seche Vite.

She also had a very neat trick that I want to share with you - once she had finished applying colour, she soaked a fine eyeshadow brush in nail polish remover and used it to clean up around the edge of the nail. It worked a treat and as she explained, it's much more precise than a cotton bud and doesn't risk leaving snaggy bits of cotton around the nail. Win!

I'm currently in Paris and while we've completely mastered the protesters vs riot police race, we're still in need of training for the European high heel race. This race will include 12 French teams and 12 English teams. The regional selections have already taken place but Sarenza, one of the sponsors, is offering you a second chance to participate to this epic battle (see the details on their website). This race is for serious runners too: your heels must be at least 3.15 inches (8cm) high and your team relay is a 3x60 meters race!
The grand prize is pretty sweet, though: 3000 euros worth of shoes (£2500) and even your supporters could win a year's supply of shoes! Unfortunately, while I can run with high heels, I will be back to Canada before this wonderful event!



It looks like it would have been a blast!

After seeing my previous post on Selphyl, the nice folks at Canderm were kind enough to invite me to an event they had a few weeks ago to introduce Toronto plastic surgeons and media types to the product.  It involved a presentation with a slide show, Q&A and a live demonstration! Knowing how squeamish I am you are probably wondering why I would subject myself to this - good question!  I don't know - why do people slow down at accidents?  You know (and secretly hope) it might be gross but you just can't help but look!

The presentation was given by Dr. Anthony P. Sclafani, Director of Facial Plastic Surgery and a Surgeon Director at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and while I will admit that a lot the presentation was full of medical jargon that I didn't really understand, I got the gist of it and luckily there were lots of pictures, most of which I could actually look at!  I also really appreciated that the word plasma was substituted for the "b" word!  It was especially interesting to learn about all the places where Selphyl can be used including: full face resurfacing, skin depressions, nasolabial folds, hands, acne scars, rhinoplasties, for scar prevention and in combination with fat to prolong the durability of corrections.

The live demo was done by Dr. Trevor Born, a board certified cosmetic surgeon from Toronto who has used Selphyl quite extensively on his patients and had lots of insight on it's use and results.  Fortunately I was sitting far enough back that I couldn't see too clearly but as far as I could tell, the patient didn't look too traumatized!

Overall I have to say I am pretty impressed with the whole idea of Selphyl - I'm vain, I know I'll be using a filler eventually and I like the idea of it being a natural product with no synthetic or animal-derived materials.

I'll tell you what's really freaky - being in a room full of plastic surgeons!  You wonder if they are looking at you and thinking about all the things they would change about you...

Toronto lovers of beauty rejoice - Beautylicious is back again!  For those not familiar with what it is, many of the salons and spas in the Bloor-Yorkville area offer consumers set value-priced packages and services for a set period of time.  there is a wide array of hair, spa, skin and health & wellness service packages available at three set prices - $25, $75 and $125 in four categories: hair (hair/colour/cut/style); spa (includes massage and/or facial and/or mani/pedi); skin (non-invasive procedures including Botox, Restylane or chemical peel); and Health & Wellness (nutrition services, dental, chiropractic services)

There are too many packages for me to even begin to tell you about but you can find all the event info at www.bloor-yorkville.com with details of all the participating spas and salons as well as the packages available.  But I will share with you a few of the ones I have my eye on as well as a few that I have tried already and can recommend:

Marc Anthony Salon - 38 Avenue Road - 416-413-1521 has an amazing $125 offering of an all-over colour, wash, deep conditioning treatment, Shiatsu scalp massage, haircut and blowout (for new clients only).  I got my hair cut there with Byron last week and it was great - you can read the review here.

Taz Hair Co. - 11 Yorkville Avenue - 416-922-6060 has a great $75 or $125 package involving colour and/or highlights - snag Susan if you can, she's great and they use the INOA colour there which has to be experienced to be believed!  You can read my review here.

Pure + Simple - 41 Avenue Road - 416-924-6555 - I can't say enough about the deluxe sea salt microdermabrasion so you will just have to go an experience it for yourself for $125!  You can read the review here.

and don't miss out on seeing Dr. Cory Torgerson - Facial Cosmetic Surgery - 70 Yorkville Avenue, Suite 31 - 647-343-0207 - who is offering special promotional prices on Restylane or Perlane injectable fillers as well as Botox.  If you aren't ready for that yet, he is also offering a complimentary consultation and 3D photo image session - check out what you could look like after a bit (or a lot) of work!  I did it and it was fun, you can check out the post here.

What sounds interesting that I haven't tried:

Clarins Skin Spa - 87 Yorkville Avenue - 416-924-9124 - for $125 I can have a Hawaiian Wave body treatment + Firmer bust: super moisturizing treatment for the body and bust and decollete treatment to stimulate and tone for firmer skin in this delicate area.

OxyBeauty - 14A Hazelton Avenue, Suite 304 - 416-929-4597 - for $75 I can have a OXYjet facial: removes pore impurities, replenishes antioxidant content and provides deep skin moisturizing for environmentally damaged skin

Spa at the Windor Arms Hotel - 18 St. Thomas Street - 416-934-6031 - for $75 I can have a 60 minute Pumpkin Body Wrap: this vitamin-rich masque stimulates blood flow and nourishes the skin.

I have no idea how I will ever choose - it's too bad I only have one face (unlike Christelle)!

Check it out at www.bloor-yorkville.com and help me make a decision and if you're going to book, do it soon, they book up fast and it only runs October 28-November 7!

Calvin Klein held an event recently to introduce their new coverage level system - I knew I was in for a good time when I was offered a white rose at the door by a hottie in boxer briefs!
The girls from the blo - Blow Dry Bar at 2195 Bloor Street West were also on hand to perk up our work weary tresses - when they turned me from frizzy to sleek and fabulous in 10 minutes, I had to wonder why I don't flat iron my hair more often!  Better yet, I need one of the blo girls to come over to my house everyday and do it for me!
Other then being too short, I now really understand why I would be a terrible model, these girls were roaming around in their knickers! I have to say, it did make the new coverage level system easy to understand when you saw it first hand - Calvin Klein bras are now identified by three distinct levels of coverage - each level is differentiated by cup coverage, as well as strap and band width:  1- envy - less coverage, more revealing; 2 - perfectly fit - everyday coverage, classic comfort; 3 - seductive comfort - more coverage, more support.

Along with the coverage level system, Calvin Klein has launched a website in Canada where you can get more info, check out videos and take a quiz to get a $10 off coupon at the Bay for your next Calvin Klein bra purchase.  You can check it out at:  www.ckuncover.ca

Some of our readers may be aware that October 18th is International Menopause Awareness Day.  Vichy knows and is looking to educate the public abut menopause and encourage women to enjoy their post-menopausal years with their NeoWoman campaign. It's launching a program during the month of October where 250 pharmacies across Canada will each dedicate one day to inviting women to come in and receive a free skin health consultation and facial massage from a dermo-advisor.

The dermo-advisor will be massaging in Neovadiol Gf, the face cream launched last year, developed specifically for menopausal skin.Neovadiol Gf, used proteic Gf (a natural extract rich in vegetable proteins) and pro-xylane (a natural sugar derived from the xylose molecule) to stimulate growth in the skin's major cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts) to encourage skin firming and plumping.  I snagged the Ontario list for you below (click on the chart and it will become bigger), if you are elsewhere in Canada give your local pharmacy a call and see if they are taking part in the event.  If you are in Markham, I recommend giving the Shoppers Drug Mart at Markville Mall a call - Evelyn is the dermo-advisor who will be coming in for their event and she's incredible!  Call 905-477-6320 for an appointment at that location.

Estée Lauder is raising awareness and funds for the battle against breast cancer during the month of October with the Pink Ribbon Collection:

Evelyn Lauder Lip Set - $30 - the lip design collection shades were hand-picked by Evelyn Lauder and include three lipsticks:  Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Tiramisu, Pure Color Long-lasting Lipstick in Candy and Rubellite.  And of course the best part is the shiny pink case!


Elizabeth Hurley Lip Set - $30 - the lip design collection shades were hand-picked by Elizabeth Hurley and include four new Pure Color Gloss shades: Nude Rose, Rock Candy, Brazen Berry and Extravagant Pink.
Jeweled Pink Ribbon Pin - $18 - covered in 20 deep pink crystals it's a simple and elegant way to show your support of the cause.

Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup SPF 10 - $42 - will also be featured in a pink sleeve for BCA Month.

Estée Lauder will donate $100,000 in connection with its Canadian sales of the Pink Ribbon Collection to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

And if you're in Ottawa, get yourself to Parliament Hill tonight at 6:30pm when it will be illuminated in pink light as part of theEstée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer AwarenessGlobal Illuminations Initiative, now in its eleventh year.  Parliament Hill will join a long list of prestigious international institutions, including the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia and the Tokyo Tower in Japan in creating brilliant displays of pink light for the cause.

If you are going to be in downtown Toronto tomorrow from 12-3pm go check out Leah Miller at The Bay on Queen Street.  I've had the pleasure of meeting her and she is a really lovely person!  You can also win 2 tickets to see a So You Think You Can Dance Canada show live with the purchase of 2 Lise Watier products at the counter!

It was a beautiful day poolside at C Lounge at 450 Wellington Street West in Toronto a couple of Wednesdays ago when Australian hair god, Kevin Murphy hosted a lunch for the media to launch some cool new products.

If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Kevin or trying his line, you should - Kevin is very charming and the products are really fun!  I can't really help you with an intro to Kevin but I can introduce you to the new products so read on my friends!



Powder.Puff - 14g - $26 - this unique powder volumiser contains seaweed, apple, plum, cranberry and citrus extracts.  It's easy to use, you just shake a tiny amount onto dry hair massage between your fingers for instant volume!  Not only is this a wonderful product for fine haired folks like me, it can also double as a dry shampoo if your hair is just a little bit dirty (it's not meant to be one though so don't try this trick on really dirty hair!)
Night.Rider - 110g - $22 - a paraben free paste that provides a touch hold and a rough matte texture for short or choppy looks.  Can be used on damp or dry hair.  My only caution is you need to work fast and in small sections if you are doing something fancy as it sets quite quickly!
Jet.Pak - $43 - A kit perfect for the world traveler it contains 5 generously sized travel essentials: Hydrate-Me.Wash - 40ml, Hydrate-Me.Rinse - 40ml, Anti.Gravity - 40ml, Session.Spray - 50ml and Fresh.Hair - 57ml
Luxury.Wash - 250ml - $25 - an ultra rich shampoo that is sulphate and paraben free with ingredients specifically suited for the needs of thick, coarse hair including: mango butter which has excellent moisturizing properties to counteract the effects of permanent colour and chemical damage, buriti nut oil which is a natural source of vitamin A and gives the hair elasticity and shine.

Luxury.Rinse - 250ml - $25 - with the same benefits of the shampoo it has the ability to make the hair more supple and improves flexibility on hair that is naturally course.  It's especially good for curly hair as it has the right hydro lipid balance that suits the needs of curly hair as too much moisture can result in flyaways and frizz.

I have totally the wrong hair type to give you any sort of opinion for these ones so Christelle has been testing them and will have a review soon so stay tuned!

Check out http://www.kevinmurphy.com.au/findus/findus.php to find out where you can pick up Kevin Murphy products near you!

Saturday night saw Christelle and I making our way to Brassaii at 461 King Street in Toronto to attend the Coty holiday preview.  Some of the fragrances are out already which you can see here and others that are still on their way - lots of florals - which is good for you floral lovers - and of course lots of beautiful bottles!  I encouraged Christelle to eat a lot (not that it requires much prompting) because I wanted the cute waiter to keep coming by and we had a great time people watching - some crazy looking people attend these things!
If you ever thought being a model might be glamorous, get that notion out of your head right now!  You get to wear crazy hats, bubble wrap dresses and wander around in high heels for hours spraying unsuspecting people with fragrances - like department store fragrance ladies but nakeder! Before you call a fashion intervention, the BANG girls were just doing their job to promote the new Marc Jacobs fragrance called, you guessed it, BANG!  You'll find it at Holt Renfrew this month and at Shoppers Drug Mart, Murale, The Bay, London Drugs, Jean Coutu and Sephora in October.  It is a really different smelling fragrance, very peppery!  It has top notes of black, pink and white peppercorns, a heart of masculine woody notes and a base of elemi resinoid, benzoin, vetyver, white moss and patchouli - it is definitely unlike anything I can remember smelling before.  It retails for: 50ml EDT - $69, 100ml EDT $95, 150ml After Shave Balm $67, 75g Deostick $32.


And as it's Toronto Film Festival season, the Coty party was followed by a TIFF party for "It's Kind Of A Funny Story" where the very lovely Emma Roberts was in attendance
as well as Zach Galifianakis - why it couldn't be a party for someone pretty like Taylor Lautner or hunky like George Clooney I just don't understand...!

(Blurry) swatch:

We were lucky enough to be introduced to the range and its creator at Zuneta's launch event, held in central London last week. Bess himself is famously beautiful, with long flowing hair, perfect bone structure and a quiet, charming manner. He has a courtly Southern accent and semi-formal style - dressed in a suit with an open necked shirt, he was full of modest enthusiasm and interest, mingling and conversing with everyone at the launch. His presence, along with the Victorian-esque decor of the venue, gave the whole proceeding an air of timeless class - something that seems central to the brand and to Bess' aesthetic ideals. Here's a picture of me and Edward - I don't look great here but you can see what I mean about his appearance!


He demonstrated the products on a willing model (London Makeup Girl, already a big fan), and as we watched him at work, his sense of focus and passion for the range and its purpose shone through. I felt that despite his 24 years and his gentle manner, he was full of determination and confidence - perhaps not surprising, given that he has made his name at such an early age.


Each attendee was given a lipstick from the range to try out - Secret Desire, a creamy mid toned nude. It's a good example of the "can't go wrong" quality of the range - road testing in the pub afterwards showed that it suits pretty much anyone. Here it is on me:


Edward Bess cosmetics are available in the UK exclusively from Zuneta, and in the US from Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. Learn more about the brand (and the man) at www.edwardbess.com.

QVC are running a pop up beauty sampling event today at Liverpool Street Station.  Between 7am and 7pm, you can pop down to the event and have a play with some of the brands that QVC carries, such as OPI, Mally Beauty, Laura Gellar, and Leighton Denny.  There are makeup artists on hand to give you advice and application tips, too.

If you happen to be nearby, and want to stick your fingers in some product (who doesn't?!), you can find the event on the ground floor, near Boots, until 7pm tonight.

If you fancy a one-to-one session with Le Metier's makeup artist Ivan Castro, and you're in London this weekend, then your luck is in. Mr Castro, who has made up the faces of the stars, will be offering sessions to the general public between 3-5 June at the Le Metier counter, Liberty.

The event will tie in with Le Metier's new Endless Summer collection. Ivan will be introducing products from the range and creating a summer look for attendees.

Sessions are £20, which is redeemable against products. There's also an opportunity to snag a free blusher/bronzer duo worth £30 when spending £50 or more (not hard at this counter, trust us).

To book, call 0207 7341234 ext 2506.

We've managed to get an appointment too, so maybe see you down there!

Yesterday evening we were lucky enough to attend a blogger event hosted by Boots No7, who are currently celebrating a year since the launch of their clinical-trial-milestone Protect and Perfect Intense serum. (Apparently one of these sells every 3 seconds, so it seems that the buzz shows no signs of slowing down.) The event was for Handpicked Media members, so there were a lot of familiar faces as well as some new people to meet.



It was quite a special evening at a truly spectacular venue - Aqua Nueva in Regent Street. On arrival, we were transported to the top floor of the building via lift, and then led through a spacious sprawl of bars, dining spaces and luxuriously lit corridors before emerging onto a sunlit roof terrace, where bloggers frolicked among testers, champagne glasses and canapes.

We have been priveleged in numerous ways since we started blogging, and all of them beyond our expectations, but the No7 event was probably the most "wow aren't we lucky?!" I have felt since the whole thing began. It helped that it was a beautiful warm spring evening. Here's a couple of pictures of the view from the terrace.


Gemma and I both partook of the complimentary makeover service, and I was given a spot of contouring by makeup artist Julie. As she worked, she told me that a proportion of No7 staff are trained in makeup by lead artist Lisa Eldridge. There are around 40 of these artists in stores around the country, and their expertise is available to customers free of charge. This was new information to me - I always assumed that No7 counter staff were just sales assistants.

There were also manicures available, and by the end of the evening most of us were sporting the latest Speed Dry colours on our fingers. Here's "Poolside Blue" modelled by a divinely tanned Handpicker (whose name I've rather rubbishly forgotten);


We also got a look at the brand new 75th Anniversary collection. I have to say the packaging doesn't really wow me, but the concept behind the collection is genius. There are products to recreate looks from each decade since the No7 line began - from Forties to Noughties. My favourite has to be the fluoro 80's concept - coral, turquoise and lime green eyeshadow with a red/orange lip. There's also a very attractive anniversary palette with eye, lip and cheek colours. This collection was first announced back in February so you'll probably have seen the details on other blogs already, but it was news to us! I'm quite happy to hear I'll be able to get hold of these products straight away.

Sorry for the random glasses etc. in the pictures...






And finally - here's a bit of interior design that had both me and Virtues of Beauty dawdling to get pictures on the way out. This giant bull rears out of the wall at the end of a long mirrored corridor with heavy sliding automatic doors at each end. He's a bit breathtaking. Hi bull!

If you're lucky enough to live in Montreal, you'll want to mark April 8th, 9th and 10th on your calendar for the Marcelle/Annabelle warehouse sale!

Taking place at 9200 Cote de Liesse from 4 - 8pm Friday, and 9am - 4pm on Saturday and Sunday - wish I could join you!

If anyone does go, I'd love to hear what it's like!

Loki Salon & Spa in Yorkville was the location for the Spring TBB meet up event and it was absolutely fabulous to put a face to all of the people who up to now I have only communicated with on Twitter!

Elaine - torontobeautyreviews.com and Arianne - glittergeek.CA - I was surprised to see the 'stache too, apparently she photshops it out of her swatch pics - if there are any depilatory companies looking for a test case please contact her stat! ;-) ;-) ;-)


Isabel from Marcelle and Virginie from Annabelle - Isabel pulls it off but I wouldn't want to be photographed next to a stunner like Virginie, she makes the rest of us look like dog meat! Isabel, again I am very sorry I am not an Asian, cyber punk club chick - I'll work on it!
Jenny - skinniegenes.blogspot.com - and normally caged intern and Melissa from Cover FX - how much do we love the red streaks! You should see how chapped Jenny's hands are from scrubbing the floor at the Cover FX office!
You learn all kinds of fascinating things when you go to these events - like, did you know that I have a stalker?!  Jenn - spicedbeauty.com - knows more about what goes on at Beauty Crazed then I do!  If you happen to see this woman surreptitiously following me - call 911 immediately!
In between planning weddings, buying houses and controlling the weather, Farah - facesbyfarah.com - organized the whole event - great job Farah, it was fabulous!  You may have noticed Farah's beard - she just gave me a whole bunch of crap about the 22 chins she had in my picture, and while I may disagree with her counting abilities, I understand what it's like to hate your picture - I'm really liking this new look she has - very Amish!

I was also lucky enough to win one of the door prizes - the cutest little blue feather hair clip from Featherband - thanks so much for fixing that for me Alicia! (I'm just kidding) (maybe) - you should check out the site, the pieces are beautiful!

I apologize for the lack of pictures, I am so not a picture person, my camera was forgotten in my purse until the last 10 minutes - I was having such a great time talking to all the amazing ladies that pictures totally slipped my mind! And I'll tell you, there is something really comforting about being in a room full of people who are just as obsessed (if not more) about beauty as you are! I'm already looking forward to the next one!