Makeup for Mature Skin

Written on Thursday, December 16th, 2010

As our skin ages, some people may notice that their skin changes in a few of the following ways: it becomes either drier or oilier and  it loses it’s luminosity. You may also notice that your skincare products are no longer working the way that they used to.

The key to this type of makeup application is to keep everything light; mature skin doesn’t need full-coverage foundation all over but may need a bit more coverage in certain areas like under the eyes or on the cheeks to help neutralize rosacia. You may want (depending on your skin type) to look for products that are more moisturizing or hydrating (if you have oilier skin). With the right makeup application techniques you can look fresh and luminous; the wrong makeup application techniques cane actually age you further.

The “rule” that mature skins should stay away from shimmer or frosty eye shadows, in my opinion, don’t apply any more. Eye shadow formulations have come a long way since that rule came to exist and you’ll find that the shimmer/frost shadows are more finely milled. That said, you are going to want to use it sparingly and only on the high plains of the face. Opt for a liquid highlighter as opposed to a powder one, if your more on the dry side.

Because my model had good skin and only a tiny bit of redness, I kept the foundation and powder application very light. She has great eyes, so I decided to play them up  and gave her a bit of a  sultry look.

My favourite foundation for a mature skin is Face Atelier Ultra Foundation. I find that it gives light-to-medium coverage, has a bit of a sheen to it (thanks to the silicone) and it holds up well under most situations.  If your skin is more on the dryer side, only powder lightly down the center of the face (t-zone).  I applied a peachy shade on the cheek bones as opposed to the checks to give her face a bit of a lift. To finish the look,  on the lips, I went with a colour that she probably wouldn’t have picked for herself; MAC “O” lipstick. It a gorgeous purple-ish red with golden pearl. “O” is one of my favourite lipsticks and can we worn sheer as shown above or more full-on. It’s a great colour for those of you who want to try a red but aren’t sure where to start.

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Elle Event

Written on Monday, April 26th, 2010


This past Saturday I attended the Elle Event at The Carlu. The Elle Event is a day of shopping and beauty for women of all ages; definitely a girls day out kind of event. I met up with my instructor from makeup school and even ran into Farah, Jen .

The cost of the event was $35 cdn and it included a lunch and a gift bag. I didn’t go crazy but I did pick up a few things that I know that I would use.

First up is the Dermalogica kit, which included travel sizes of Pre Cleanse, Daily Microfoliant, Gentle Cream Exfoliant and the Hydrating Skin Booster. This kit including the bag was $25 (taxes included). Dermalogica makes some of my favourite products. I’ve been using this range on and off since 2008 when I discovered it at The Makeup Show.


Next up is Pandora’s Makeup Box. This is another Canadian Makeup Brand and I have to say that it looks really promising. I picked up the eyeshadow primer and an angled liner/brow brush. I can’t wait to try them out.


I also picked up a 2-year subscription to Elle Canada Magazine for $25! That’s a super sweet deal if you ask me. I had a lot of fun and can’t wait for next years event.

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Review: Metaliglow Eye Primer from Faces Cosmetics

Written on Monday, April 12th, 2010


About a few weeks ago, I placed an order with Faces Cosmetics. One of the first products that I tried was the Metaliglow Eye Primer. I have oily eyelids so I was very interested to see how this primer would work for me in comparison to UDPP and TFSI.

This primer retails (online) for $13.50. So right off the bat this primer is way cheaper the UDPP ($24) and TFSI ($22.
The website says that this primer prevents smudging and creasing, intensifies eye shadow colour, stays-put for 12 hours, has a European award-winning formula, can be worn alone for a wash of colour, has a light textured, iridescent lotion and an easy-to-use applicator.


The Pros:

  • Formula is very light and blends easily
  • Primer lasts for 12 hours
  • Applicator is easy to use and doesn’t deposit too much product
  • Adds a light iridescents to the eye
  • Affordable


The Cons:

  • Adds a light iridescents to the eye
  • Creased when the 12 hour time limit is up

Overall, I really like this primer and would definitely repurchase it. I find it comparable to TFSI which is the eye primer that I used on a daily basis before I found this one. For me, it did last for 12 hours but with a few added steps, I was able to increase the longevity of this primer even further.

You can purchase this eye primer on-line at www.facescosmetics.com or a Faces location near you.

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Balmshell is Pretty Sweet!

Written on Sunday, April 4th, 2010


On March 31, 2010 I had the pleasure of attending a fabulous beauty blogger event hosted by the lovely Balmshell ladies. After a long day at work, I was looking forward to mingling with my fellow beauty bloggers.

We munched on yummy appetizers and sweet nothings graciously provided by Adjoa of Pretty Sweet Boutique. Yum!

I think that my favourite part of the night was geting to test out the lip glosses and the lip & cheek smears. I first tried the Balmshell lipglosses back on 2007 while on a shopping trio to Holts. I immediately fell in love with this gloss; it feels so good on the lips, smells great and comes in a wide range of colours.
I found my inner balmshell in Darling You Look Fabulous; a sheer hot cherry red and Blackmail Betty. Look out for an FOTD with both of these fabulous products.

Thanks again to the Balmshell team for a fabulous party!

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Review: Vasanti Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Brasilla

Written on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010


This eyeshadow came in my goodie bag from TBBM last month and I’m just getting around to posting my review. I’ve been wanting to try out this eye shadow for ages. Most of the shadows from Vasanti that I have tried out were more on the champagne (Toronto) or pinky (Paris) side. The website describes this shadow as a deep rich smokey brown with golden sparkle. To me this shadow seems as though there is a tinge of purple in it.

None the less, I really like this eye shadow. It has a somewhat of a creamy texture but you are able to pack on as little or as much of it that you want. The best part about this shadow is that when I use it for smokey eye, I don’t need to add black to get the depth that I want. All you need is a light shimmery gold for the brow bone, black liner for the waterlines and some mascara.

Vasanti Cosmetics are made in Canada and are available at select Shoppers Drug Mart & Rexall locations. You can also shop on-line at vasanticosmetics.ca

Have you tried out this brand before? What are your thought on the things that you have tried?

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My New Favourite Mascara

Written on Saturday, March 13th, 2010


Those of you who know me, know that eye shadows and mascara are probably my two most favourite makeup items.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been testing out Marcelle’s Volume Precision mascara that came in my goodie bag from TBBM. I usually have about three different tubes of mascara going at a time and I have to say that I’ve been reaching for my Volume Precision mascara over Clinique’s High Impact and Estee Lauder’s Sumptious mascara. For me, the Volume Precision mascara is where it’s at and is hands-down one of the best drugstore mascaras that I have ever tried.


It lifts and seperates my lashes and gives it amazing volume. The wand for me is perfect. The spikes are not too long but not too short. I have naturally curly lashes and this mascara really delivers the volume that I seek in a mascara.
What I really love about this mascara is that it doesn’t clump my lashes together and it doesn’t flake off into my eyes.

This is definitely a must try mascara. If you have tried it, I would like to know what you thought about it.

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Review: Marcelle Cleansing Cloths

Written on Friday, March 5th, 2010


I am no stranger to Marcelle’s facial cleansing products; my mom’s been using them for years and when I first started using a skin regime I got a set for Christmas.
For the past week, I’ve been testing out the Cleansing Cloths from Marcelle that I received as part of my goodie bag from TBBM. I’m still a little bit weary of cleansing cloths but after using these I’m not weary any more.
What I like about these cloths is that they are not rough and that they are not overly saturated with cleansing solution. These cloths remove everything. The first time I used them I wasn’t sure if they had removed all the makeup that I had been wearing during the day so I used my cleansing oil. When I emulsified the cleansing oil with water there was nothing there; the wipes had removed everything.
I must say that I’m pretty impressed. The only thing that I don’t like about these cloths is that it leaves my face feeling a little but parched other then that I really like these and will definitely be purchasing these once I run out.

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Quo Professional Makeup Brushes

Written on Monday, February 1st, 2010


Last week I picked up the powder and angled liner/brow brush from the Quo Professional brush range because some of the brushes were on sale for 40% off. For the most part, I really don’t like the regular line of Quo brushes because I find that they are so scratchy; no amount of conditioner will ever get them soft.
I have so say that so far I am really impressed. I can’t get over how soft and silky the powder brush is. I’ve been reaching for it everyday since I got it. It great for diffusing blush and it applies my MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation effortlessly; this brush gives me the lightest application.
These brushes are exclusive to Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques and Murale.

Have any of you ladies tried these brushes yet? What are your thoughts?

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IMATS Goodies: Part 3

Written on Saturday, November 28th, 2009

Face Atelier is another Canadian Brand that I love. Their Ultra Foundations are amazing; I carry the evens in my kit. Other then the foundations, their lip glazes are amazing and Peach is a colour that looks amazing on everyone. The lip glosses were 3 for $30 which is a great deal because they are usually $20/each. I picked up plum and cameo and what I thought was Shiraz but I was given another cameo in error. No worries though, I know of a certain someone who will make good use of the extra cameo that I got.

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IMATS Goodies: Part 2

Written on Friday, November 27th, 2009

Yaby is a Canadian Professional Brand that was created by Toronto makeup artist Liz Yu. It was created out of a need to be able to have a good kit that was condensed. The cool thing about her palettes is that “each palette features built in stainless steel mixing palette, magnetic base, shock absorbing foam inserts with easy to clean surface”.

I picked up two highlighting powders is PF093(bronze) and PF090(dark), three brow powders in BP004, BP006 which is perfect for natural redheads and BP002. I also picked up the freestyle palette to put them into. I didn’t actually intend to purchase anything from Yaby but once I got swatching some of the colours, I couldn’t resist.

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