Anything by candlelight just seems sexier. MAC's new Warm and Cozy collection does just that with their shimmery mineralized skin finish powder, lotion, shadesticks and tinted lipglass.
New to the MAC family is the Mineralize All Over Lotion
("formulated with M∙A∙C’s exclusive diamond-infused Charged Water technology")
and Care Blends essential oils for the face and body. Rumour has it that these babies drop in stores today! Happy Boxing Day!
This past Saturday, Rihanna was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Rihanna and comic genius, Andy Samberg, starred in a hilarious SNL digital short. I think that one of SNL's biggest challenges is to make pretty girls funny without alluding to sex or making dumb blonde jokes and they definitely succeeded with this one. I'm not a huge fan of Rihanna's new do though. She rocked the graduated bob and the super short pixie cut but I don't know how I feel about this blonde half-mushroom thing she has going on. Thoughts?
I know the blogosphere is burning up about this already but I'm going to rave about this anyway. Just yesterday, UWO student, soon-to-be MIT alum, and friend Liz Trinnear was crowned the newest MuchMusic VJ! So proud! Check out Liz and her icy blonde locks in this sick commercial. HD television definitely agrees with her.
In Paris, a rumoured 6.5 million Euro fashion show was launched for designer Sonia Rykiel's lingerie collection for H&M. The extravangant show featured models on floats, with swings and even a parade of live geese! The models were sporting larger than life afros, it ALMOST makes me wish I had one. The collection will be in H&M stores worldwide this Saturday. Check out this clip from the show:
Apparently, this stuff has been in stores for a while now. Where have I been? Joseph Mimran, the owner of Club Monaco has managed to bring that same luxe look at a cheaper price point through grocery store boutique label, Joe Fresh. The true test is if they can do this with their makeup. Lipstains (above) and lipsticks for as low as $6.00 and eyeshadows and blushes for $4.00. Is this too good to be true? Do you get what you pay for? Next time I go to Loblaws to get groceries, I'll make sure to look into it. Has anyone tried anything from their beauty line? If you have, let a girl know. (Photo: Katie Ennis)
I just calculated that I'll be home for the holiday in exactly 8 days! That's right. Be jealous. Besides family, food and presents, I love the holidays because everything just seems so much shinier. Glitter is in full effect this season. Here are 3 of my favourite ways to rock glitter this holiday and not look like a Las Vegas showgirl's Christmas tree.
1. LOCKS
Bejeweled hair accessories can make any outfit instantly more opulent. Curl you hair and brush out the curls for a glamourous old Hollywood look and push your hair backward on one side with a jeweled comb.
2. LASHES
For nights out, false lashes with subtle glittery accents are super fun. Just make sure that the rest of your make up isn't flashy. These babies draw enough attention on their own and are perfect for a New Year's Eve bash.
3. LIDS
Shiny eyeshadows work best on the inner corners of the eyes, balls of the eyes, or on the browbone. Shimmery formulas have the tendency to crease faster than matte formulas so make sure you use a primer. I like Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion with Make Up For Ever's Diamond Powder in White Gold to highlight.
Matching your eye makeup to your clothing is only okay under the following circumstances:
1. It's Halloween or some sort of costume party
2. It's Homecoming or St. Patrick's Day
3. You are a performer in Cirque du Soleil or Dancing with the Stars
4. You are just trying to spite me and this blog post.
For anyone who knows me, I am obessesed anything that comes in a damask pattern. As tacky as it sounds, if I could I would have every room in my house in that pattern. M.A.C. has made my dream one step closer with their new Baroque Boudoir collection. The Sheer Mystery Compact goes on the top of my wishlist this Christmas.
People go to blogs because its a more authentic voice, its a citizen voice and not a so-called expert voice. But wouldn't you want to know that the person isn't just making things up? That's the risk we run when getting our information from blogs rather than print sources. It has come to a point where bloggers are revered as much as newspaper and magazine journalists. This is particularly evident in the fashion industry where—in the words of Heidi Klum on Project Runway—“one day you’re in and the next day you’re out”. The instantaneousness of fashion blogging feeds fashionistas the trends of today and tomorrow. The blogging medium has catapulted young bloggers to A-list journalist status in the fashion industry. From New York to Milan, the front row seats during Fashion Week usually reserved for editors and the glitterati, are filed with these young, fashionable, internet sensations.
Fashion and beauty go hand in hand, and when I'm not knee deep in beauty blogs I like to frequent some fashion sites too. Here are my faves:
The popularity of video is growing exponentially. Through sites like SlingBox and other services that stream online video conventional television is becoming less popular. Like radio, television is threatened by the need to eliminate commercials and pick and choose content on demand. Television shows can be streamed online, downloaded on iTunes or illegally via file sharing sites like BitTorrent. Even though TV reaches over 70 million homes, on YouTube alone, 40 million videos are viewed daily. The beauty industry has capitalized on this trend by having their own TV channels online to advertise their products. Rather than having a television show, companies like Smashbox take the more economical route by posting tutorial videos on YouTube. Among the thousands of beauty tutorials online, videos put out by large companies have the authority of CNN over citizen vloggers. At the same time, this free access to television outlet puts everyone on a level playing field, giving bloggers, like myself, the opportunity to freely share my knowledge and my passion.
Lady Gaga wasn't always the platinum blonde sensation she is now. Back in the day, she used to rock long, dark brown locks. Below are two vids: one from a talent show when she attended NYU in 2005 and the other the music video for her newest hit from her album The Fame Monster, entitled Bad Romance. I'm a huge fan of LG's avant-garde hair and makeup choices but which do you prefer. Blonde or brunette?
In CBC’s series The End, host Jian Ghomeshi, explores how radio, TV and print are quickly on their way to being obsolete. With podcasting, satellite radio, digital radio, and downloading people are given the opportunity to be more selective about what they are listening to. Listeners can be their own deejay and choose to fast forward through commercials, rewind and re-listen to their favourite parts. As a student, podcasts make it very easy to use as part of a presentation in class or to cite in an essay. Rob Farina, Program Director of CHUM FM, notes that radio is one of the only technologies out there that "is free, reaches 95% of the population, ubiquitous and portable"; however, it does not have the personalization features that podcasts offer. Having an RSS feed, mp3 capable phone or an iPod make fiddling with the dial on the ye olde FM/AM radio and listening to commercials a thing of the past.
My take on the end of TV and Print to come... (photo: FriendsKorner.com)
Style.com sent fashion blogger, Tommy Ton to photograph behind the scenes at the filming of this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The VS Fashion Show airs on CBS, Tuesday Dec. 1 @ 10pm or 9pm central time. One of my fave holiday traditions is to curl up on the couch with my roomies and yell at the screen at the musical acts who are trying not to gawk at the models while they are performing. Besides the showstopping costume-lingerie, no one does glowing skin like Victoria's Secret!
Makeup artist Tom Pecheux applies glow on cheeks, brow bone and in the inner corners of the eyes. Because VS's makeup line isn't available in Canada (La Senza boutiques carry some lipglosses, shadows and some body products) I turn to M.A.C.'s Iridescent Loose Powder in Golden Bronze.
Tonight, I'll be attending the Charity Ball Theme Release Party at The Barking Frog. There are bound to be some hair masterpieces and beauty blunders that await me! Pictures to follow!
"Pretty Peeves" is going to be a series of hair/makeup/grooming habits that many people think look good, but makes my blood boil. This season, I am a huge fan of the deep burgundy lip and lip liner worn on the entire lip to make the colour last longer. But lining the outside of the lip and filling it in with a light lipstick--or even worse--not filling it in at all should not happen.
It was a very brief trend at one point in the Nineties and its intention was to make the lips appear fuller. Leave this trend in the past where it belongs and use a lip plumping lip gloss instead. My pick? Smashbox's O-Plump Intuitive Lip Plumper.
A little concealer goes a long way to cover up under eye circles caused by late night studying and celebrating. Here are my top picks:
1. DIOR Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen PRO: The clickable pen form makes application super easy because it deposits just the right amount. This is perfect for when you're in a rush to get out the door. Even if this is the only makeup you have on your face the light reflecting formula brings lightness to darker areas on your face making you look like you've slept forever. CON: $44.00 for 0.05 ounces
2. M.A.C. Studio Sculpt Concealer PRO: full, buildable coverage. Great for scars, blemishes too. CON: the formula works best with a brush especially made for concealer. Using your fingers gets a different finish.
3. Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer PRO: Effortless natural coverage that lasts all day + can be found at most drugstores CON: Fantastic for undereyes but not for dark scars and raised blemishes.
This winter, hands are all about mint green nail polish. This pastel hue is all the rage in nail salons right now. Silver, diamond/rhinestone jewelery complement this cool hue. But I'm still going to sport my deep purples until it snows. When that time comes I'll be reaching for Essie's Limited Edition Winter Collection's Mint Candy Apple. Not only is it fashion forward but it contains no formaldehyde, DBP or toluene that can be found in many major nail polishes.
Even if you live in sweatpants, t-shirts with ironic sayings or have a baseball cap that seems permanently attached to your scalp make people forget that when they look at grad photos. Here are a few easy tips that will help you go from dumpy to dapper.
1. Patterned tie + Patterned shirt + Grad photo = Disaster
I personally cringe at the sight of a striped or patterned button up shirt peaking out of a graduation gown. It looks really busy. Like young Tom Cruise up there, go with a white shirt; This way you can show your personality with your tie print. Again, make sure your tie's pattern isn't too busy and your shirt is pressed.
2. Keep your facial hair in check.
If you plan on sporting a mustache/goatee/soul patch/chin strap etc. be sure you trim and groom it the morning of. And no, those 8 hairs under your lip does not count as a beard. In this case, opt for a clean shave.
3. Your smile is your best accessory.
Keep chapstick on hand to avoid having dry, windburned lips next to your pearly whites. Choose a non-shiny formula like Burt's Bees.
4. Wait a week after a haircut.
Sometimes a fresh new haircut can look really short and stark in pictures and you might not be used to it. Keep it for a week and play around with how you want to style it before the big day.
5. Don't load up on hair gel.
The studio can airbrush out shaving nicks or acne scars but not the globs of gel in your hair. Too much shine can make your hair look greasy. If you're using more than a loonie size amount you're using too much.
p.s. Can you believe the kid in the glasses is RYAN SEACREST!?!?
I know starting this week a lot of you may be taking graduation photos and if not family portraits will be coming up real soon. So here are some tips that will help you look your best. Look out for guys' portrait tips coming soon!
1. Avoid large accessories that may detract from your face. Keep the focus on you with small accessories, such as simple earrings, thin necklaces. Leave large hoop earrings at home! 2. Get your beauty sleep. All the retouching in the world won't fix puffy eyes. If you do happen to pull an all-nighter before hand put some tea bags in the freezer and then put them on your eyes in the morning to reduce swelling. 3. Aim to look like a more polished version of your everyday self. This isn't the time to try out new hairstyles, hair colour or makeup. Concealer and mascara are a must even if you don't wear them usually. 4. Powder will be your best friend today. Keep it with you to reduce shine and apply it right after your concealer to keep it in place. 5. For grad photos, opt of a collared shirt or one that won't show up under the gown at all. 6. Opt for a moisturizing lipstick or lip stain instead of a gloss. Lip gloss looks great in person but can look like a shiny, I-just-ate-fried-chicken mess in portraits.
I was at a party a couple weeks ago and I saw a guy I knew there that I had not seen for quite sometime. I was glad to reunite with him again unfortunately his cologne managed to greet me before he did as a cloud of Drakkar Noir assailed my nasal passages. Fragrances, even for women, should only be smelled by another person when in very close proximity. How close is close? A hug, not a high five. Here are L&L's top 6 fragrances for men...she just might forgive you if you spray one of these ones:
A Cut Above, a hair salon in the basement of Masonville Mall was responsible for this highlighting fiasco. In this case, A Cut Above was definitely a cut below. Mall salons have a high turn-over rate, meaning that mall salons, especially in London, usually will take stylists straight out of hair school who probably haven't had a lot of experience. Getting a bad hair cut is fine because hair grows back. Getting a bad colour job, especially when you are lightening your hair can potentially dry out your hair or worse, fry it completely and cause it to fall out.
Clairol Natural Instincts's Demi-Permanent formula was used to cover up this disaster. This formula will fade out gradually so that the colourist who takes Curtis' hair status from sad to sunkissed will not have to strip out permanent dark box colouring out first.
As a student who isn't from London, its hard to find out what salons are good and what salons are within the student budget. I am a loyal client of Civello Rosedale in Toronto so finding a good stylist/colourist to tide me over before I could go home to see my regular guy was important to me. Jeffrey Donald & Joseph Salon, an Aveda concept salon, just opened their Richmond & Hyman location about 6 months ago. Their friendly and attentive staff put me at ease made me forget that I was putting my hair into unfamiliar hands. Andrea was able to match my colour formula perfectly and gave me the most amazing scalp massage.
The best part? For a limited time, highlights are 50% off for all UWO students. If your roots are showing, get on this offer while you can. Just mention the ad in The Gazette. All other services are 15%off if you show your student ID.
The red lip still lives just in a deeper hue. When dealing with burgundy go bold or go home. Make sure your lips are exfoliated and moisturized and you fill in your lips with a lipliner to make the intensity of the colour last for as long as possible. This lip look speaks volumes so keep eyes and cheeks minimal. Keep the skin looking fresh and your brows groomed to polish off this look.
My pick: MAC Cosmetics Cremestick liner in Red Enriched.
That red wine stain after a glass of Shiraz doesn't have to be embarrasing. Do it on purpose this season with a wine coloured lipstain. Lipstains have a more natural finish than lipglosses and lipsticks and in most cases are more longwearing too. If long lasting liquid lipsticks that dry out your lips are not your thing, reach for a lip stain.
Go ahead! Enjoy that glass of Bordeaux--just make sure its on your lips and not your teeth.
Fuchsia makes a comeback from the '80s this season. This pink should stand alone so try to avoid pairing it with a fuchsia-toned blush or putting a sparkly gloss over top.
Keeping it matte makes amps up the sophistication of this bold hue--unless you are going as Barbie this Halloween.
Going out? Smudge a little black eyeliner across the upper and lower lashline for a lived in look--just keep the hair neat or even pulled back to avoid looking like Courtney Love.
Fashion and beauty go hand in hand and although I am no Style Ranger, but I figured I would take a break from my curlers and lipsticks and design a little something for the MIT T-Shirt design contest. Let me know what you think. And if you decide you like/love one/all of them tell the world and help me win a free t-shirt.
1. Great Lash by Maybelline ($6)
This old classic has been around forever for good reason. Its formula is smooth and conditions while it thickens. Also comes in a waterproof formula which has won tons of beauty accolades.
2. Voluminous Carbon Black by L'Oreal ($10)
One coat of this formula provides instant glam. Two coats is like wearing a pair of lush false lashes.
3. Sexy Curvesby Rimmel London ($8)
Even if you forget to use an eyelash curler Sexy Curves' unique spikey rubber applicator makes up for it.
I'm no music aficionado but here are my top 10 fave tracks for getting all dolled up. I warn you that some of them are quite dancey so L&L won't be held liable if you poke yourself in the eye with your mascara wand. If you have any other getting-ready worthy tunes send them my way.
The vampire this Halloween is going to be everyone's go-to costume when it starts getting down to the wire. Edward Cullen (or any of the Cullens) from Twilight or Stefan Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries are easy alternatives to Count Dracula and Bella Lugosi costumes which call for a tuxedo, slicked back hair, and high-collared cape. No matter what vampire you decide to be don't skimp on the fangs. Even if you don't have fake blood dripping from your mouth getting the right chompers is essential. Scarecrow Fangs come with a custom dental adhesive that mold to the shape of your teeth so they stay in place.
For around $26.00, Scarecrow fangs are reusable, and look like natural fangs and allow you to talk naturally too. Check out this fang application tutorial.
Inspired by the new MAC Halloween face charts, I attempted to do a butterfly mask of my own. For those of you looking for a costume this halloween elaborate makeup is the way to go. Ghoulish or gorgeous, makeup is an easy costume solution. For this look, you can wear all black and wear butterfly wings that can be found at any costume shop or if your crafty you can make them yourself.
The key to this look is using vibrant colours and making sure you trace out your design carefully before filling it in with coloured shadows.
This particular post is for my class MIT 2412: Blogging for Politics and Profit.
The online documentary, Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism discusses public’s lack of participation in how the media is bought and distributed. The media is supposed to be an outlet to foster democratic practices but the Fox News model showed in this documentary exemplifies that this is not the case. David Brock, President and CEO of Media Matters America stated that the media is undermining democracy as a whole. On the other hand, the monopoly of large media conglomerations has given way to citizen journalism. Today, the blogosphere has exploded and people turn to blogs like The Huffington Post and TMZ to get their news. Major media outlets have become a propagandistic tool full of marketing ploys. This has forced people to turn to smaller media outlets in order to corroborate mainstream news and get details that major outlets leave out.
The difference between reporting and reporting an opinion are very different. Outfoxed demonstrates that the line between news and commentary is blurred. Large media conglomerates are assumed by the public to use credible sources. However, reporters for these outlets abuse the line “Some people say “ and use the general public as a source. In this respect, they are reporting news from a “source “while masking an opinion.
Your probably asking, how does this relate to L&L? Similarly, fashion consumer magazines are supposed to be authorities and report the best products in beauty and hair. How does the public know these products are the best ones or they are just featured because a cosmetics company has given the magazine sponsorship. Even if magazines say they do a poll of their readers to find the best products its hard to believe that method of collection of this information is entirely “fair and balanced”.
MAC does Halloween like no one else! Check out their new halloween face charts at a MAC location near you or online. This video has got me thinking about what I should be for halloween. Any ideas? Comment below if you have any costume tutorials you can suggest or you want to see featured here.
This weekend my dear friend Kathleen got married and I had the pleasure of doing her hair and makeup for this occasion. Purple was in full force at this event. Everything from the flowers to the table settings was a opulent shade of aubergine...that's dark purple or eggplant for some of you. Because she was wearing all white, she opted out of the traditional french mani-pedi and used a dark purple polish instead. Also for her makeup we used plum tones and to go with the overall theme and bring out those beautiful brown eyes. Congratulations Kath&Andrew! xoxo
The criteria for a healthy head of hair is shine, lack of frizz and no split ends. Split ends can be caused by excess brushing, heat styling and touching. If you thought the home airbrush machine was ridiculous then get a load of the newest "must have" hair tool, The Split Ender. It claims to take the split ends off and not cut length off from your tresses. This product is marketed to girls with long hair who think that if you cut off their hair, you cut off your overall attractiveness. Don't fill your bathroom cabinet with another tool you won't need. Get a haircut. Don't worry, it will grow back.
Put down your purple cup of poison and pick up Give Me Moor, Pamplona Purple, Lincoln Park After Dark by OPI. When wearing dark polishes keep nails trimmed short for a more modern look. No one likes long, dark talons...save that for your halloween costume. (Photo: nailpolishdiva.com)
Purple short-shorts, cocktails, pancakes, eyeshadow, body paint, hair dye: this Homecoming weekend, the colour purple was definitely used and abused. This majestic hue can be worn well after homecoming without having to dip your entire body into purple dye (Sorry, engineers there is a time and a place for that kind of thing). In this series I'm going to share my picks for keeping purple pride alive...the Locks&Lashes way.
Purple Gaze - Eyes
Purple makeup isn't just for writing UWO across your forehead at the football game, brown-eyed girls can make their their chocolate peepers pop by using a swipe of purple eyeliner. Though pastel lilacs are safe and pretty, deep eggplant and royal violets rule this fall. Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Liner Shadow in Amethyst or Legit. Apply it dry for a soft look and for a deeper, more intense aubergine apply it with a damp brush. Going out? Add black eyeliner over top the purple for a subtle smolder.
To unwind some people crack open a cold one, pop in a DVD or take a cat nap. That's not my style. My personal form of recreation is travelling the blogosphere looking for the latest news in beauty/hair trends. But when the boredom is unbareable I whip out my train case and aim my tools at the nearest available human head. In this case, it was Deana Sdao on the day of her 20th birthday. Here are a few tips:
Curl. When using a curling iron you want to start at the middle of the hair shaft and not at the ends. Your ends are the part of your hair that will fry first. Ideally, you should leave them out. This will prevent split ends in the future.
Pin.
If you aren't in a rush and you have a couple pins lying around before unwinding the curl from the iron release the iron carefully and slip it out of the hair. Pin the curls in place and then spray with a fine mist hairspray. I recommend Elnett by L'Oreal.
Hold.
The longer the curl has time to cool in this shape the longer it will hold. If you have enough pins do this technique to every section of hair. If not, I recommend just doing the top. Typically with any hair setting the volume at the crown of the head is the first to fall. Keep the crowning curls pinned and do your makeup, get dressed and have a drink while they're in place. Then let out the pins, unwind the hair and finger-comb to separate the sections. Voila!
Have you ever picked up a consumer magazine like Cosmopolitan or GQ and sneered at the celebrity on the cover and said, "That's so airbrushed!"? Your suspicions were probably accurate as many magazines use digital photo enhancing software like Adobe Photoshop to make cover girls (and guys) look flawless. Airbrushing isn't simply a click and drag of the mouse; what most forget is that airbrushing is a makeup artist technique. Many pro MAs are trained to operate airbrush machines that spray a micro-mist of foundation onto the skin to achieve an impeccable complexion. A major producer of this pro tool, TEMPTU is bringing that technology from backstage to your bathroom.
TEMPTU advertises itself a mini airbrush machine that gives you the same finish as professional-grade airbrushes. Besides the soft-focus immaculate finish, TEMPTU has its cons. This perfection painter comes with a hefty price tag. Beauty authority, SEPHORA.com, retails this product for $225 (US) which only includes the AIRbrush Makeup System. Makeup is not included and the AIRbrush only works with TEMPTU AIRpod™ foundation ($55). TEMPTU says its pod foundations last 2-3 months but a novice will most likely use more product than they should in the initial trial and error phase before they get the hang of it. So if you have $300 to spare and your roommates won't mind waking up to the sound of a noisy air compressor in the morning then the TEMPTU Makeup System is for you.
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