Cute Makeup Tips

I first fell in love with LORAC when the first Sephora store opened in the Toronto Eaton Center a few years ago. My first purchase from LORAC was the holiday gift set of the mini Lip Polishes that smelled of vanilla and peppermint. They are the cutest little glosses ever and I used to carry all of them in my purse because they were that small! Last month, I was on the hunt for the perfect peachy gloss without all the stickiness and I found it! I don't know why I had never heard of it before but LORAC's Gloss Stick in Sheer Peach is AMAZING and one of my new favourite finds!! It gives your lips enough colour, high shine, and keeps your lips feeling soft and smooth for hours. It also has a nice peachy scent. The Gloss Stick comes in two other colours Sheer Berry and Sheer Plum and a clear one for pure shine.

Another fabulous find is LORAC's Oil Free Neutralizer which neutralizes redness, conceals blemishes, undereye or blemish discolourations, or can be used on its own as a tint. Ali from ChickAdvisor.com, bought this for me to use on her during the podcast shoot! It neutralized the red areas without making her face that unflattering green that other correctors do while at the same time controlling her oily areas. It also was a great base for her foundation and lasted through each 12 hour shoot!

Nothing's getting the boot tonight! Happy shopping!

Now that we've got the formalities out of the way, lets get to the fun stuff! When it comes to makeup on your wedding day you want to be able to look back 10 or 20 years from now without any regrets. I always recommend that brides choose classic and timeless looks. Save the bright shimmery shades for any other day or better yet your bachelorette party! Whether you're looking for a look to show the makeup artist or doing your own makeup, here are some beautiful looks that are easy to re-create and beautiful year after year.


1. Classic Old Hollywood: This is one of my favourite looks that never goes out of style and one of the easiest to re-create. It's all about defined brows, flawless skin, bold lips, and flirty eyes. Before applying any makeup, make sure your skin is clean and moisturized. Wait for about 5 minutes after applying moisturizer to let it set and soak into the skin before putting on your base. Prep skin with a primer (one with an SPF is even better) like M.A.C.'s Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 or Lorac's aquaPrime Oil Free Makeup Primer to keep makeup on longer.

Your foundation should last long and not look powdery or caked on. Your skin should look radiant and fresh and not shiny and oily looking. For wedding makeup I recommend the following foundations: oily skin I like MAC's Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 or Make Up For Ever's Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation, normal or combination skin I love Face Atelier's Ultra foundation or MAC's Face and Body Foundation, and for dry skin try Bobbi Brown's Moisture Rich Foundation or Bobbi Brown's Luminous Moisturizing Foundation. Use concealer only where needed: under eye, around the nose, and obvious blemishes. Set with a loose powder and touch up shiny skin with blotting papers throughout the day.

Use an eye primer or base before applying shadow so that it will not crease or fade. I like using MAC's Eye Paints as a base in any of the neutral colours. Use shadow colours in light shades like champagne, silver or taupe. Benefit's new Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner comes in many beautiful shades including a black one which can be used as the black liner. Finish off the eyes with lots of waterproof mascara from Maybelline and fake lashes in #4 from MAC (optional). To define the brows, use a slanted brush and brow powder for a natural effect like Benefit's Brow Zings which comes with a brow wax to keep in place, brow powder, tweezers, and slanted brush.

For blush, I would add a little more colour than the picture because you don't want to look pale. Go for neutral tones in browny pinks or rose. I like powder blushes from Bobbi Brown's in Almond (toasted almond) or Tawny (medium pinky brown). This look is all about a strong, bold lip in red. And since this can get messy with all the kissing you'll be doing you want to make sure it stays put. I like Nars' Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Forbidden Red because it also acts as a lip liner. If you'd prefer a lipstick then make sure to get a lip liner to prevent the colour from bleeding like MAC's lip pencil in Brick. If the red in the picture is too strong for you opt for more berry-reds or reds in a sheer form. Make Up For Ever has a great lip matifyer called Matte Lip that you can apply over any lipstick or gloss with long-lasting effects. This is a great option for people who don't normally buy matte lipsticks. For even more kiss-proof lips try Make Up For Ever's Lip Plus Lipstick Sealer.


2. Youthful but Classic: This is today's version of the Classic look just more youthful and softer. The brows are still softly defined, skin is still flawless but is slightly luminescent, the eyes are warmer and not as defined, cheeks are rosier, and lips have a pop of colour but in sheerer tones of red and are not strongly defined. Use a nice gold shadow on the lid and in corner of eyes like MAC's Eye Paint in Base Light. Smudge a brown shadow like MAC's Espresso into the upper lash line and outer crease. Load on the waterproof mascara and add some falsies to the outer corner. Sweep a soft pink powder blush onto the cheeks like MAC's Dame (one of my favourite pink blushes!) or Benefit's Dandelion highlighting powder. Finish the look off with a juicy pout in MAC's Venetian Lustreglass or L'oreal's Colour Juice Stick in Cherry Freeze (Ali from ChickAdvisor.com had this in her makeup bag and we used it on her podcast shoot!). Be sure to line lips in a corresponding shade to prevent feathering or bleeding but blend really well with a lip brush so it does not look too defined. Wearing a lip primer is a good idea as this will also keep your lip colour on all day. I use Benefit's Lip Plump all the time to smooth out lines and to prep the lips before applying colour. For extra lasting effects apply Make Up Forever's Lip Plus Lipstick Sealer as mentioned in #1.


3. Classic Bridal Beauty: This is a look that looks good on almost anyone and can be used any time of the day. Brown tones on the eyes, pink rosy cheeks and a pink pout. Check out Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.com for tips and instructions on how to re-create this look. She has even created a custom bridal palette!

4. Looks for Darker Skin Tones: I love doing smokey looks or deep cocoa and amber colours on darker skinned women. Darker tones can get away with doing a smokey look on the eyes because it doesn't look overdone as it would on someone with fairer skin. Check out Iman Cosmetics for tips and products. There are some amazing looks on there!

That rounds out my list for my favourite bridal beauty looks! I hope all you brides out there were able to get some ideas and helpful tips. Remember, in the end you want to look like you but only better on your wedding day. Congratulations and all the best on your journey to wedded bliss!

When you think of Mother's Day you think of flowers, a touching card and brunch right? My all-time favourite way of spoiling my mom when I was growing up was cleaning my room and the entire house. It's a nice thought (can you imagine what my room looked like the rest of the year??) but I'm pretty sure my mother would have enjoyed something a little more tangible that could possibly be found at say - a store! Don't get me wrong - she was always touched by our efforts of making the day special for her plus she never wanted us to spend money on her. I think every mother will tell their kids that but deep down they really want something spectacular (or maybe that's just what I want lol). This Mother's Day is very special for me and many of my friends that have had babies this year because we can officially celebrate it! All that fuss we used to make over our own mother's someone else will be doing the same for us! Oh how sweet it is!

If you want to stay on your mother's good side or want to make sure your significant other stays on your good side, here are some great yummy mummy gift ideas (I'd love to get) to show your love and appreciation. I think I'll have to pass this list on to my babes... ;)

1. For the mother who loves makeup and can't enough of it Sephora has a lot of great palettes like Nars' Artist Palette (#1 on my list!), Lorac's Picture Perfect palette which is a picture frame on the front and makeup palette on the inside (genius!), or Sephora's Summer Blockbuster Palette.

2. My mom has the smoothest skin I've ever seen on a woman of "wisdom". Skincare has always been an important part of her beauty regime and if you're mom is like mine she'll enjoy these wonderful skin care sets like Sephora's Sun Safety Kit which includes all the best sun products Sephora carries (a set I shall have to put on my list), Strivectin's 2 Step Mother's Day Set The Gift of Youth (who doesn't want to look younger?), or Philosphy's Skincare Essentials Kit which comes in their signature cosmetic bags.

3. When my brothers and I couldn't come up with something original we'd get my mom perfume. If your mother or you are a kid at heart and love sweet scented fragrances then Aquolina's Pink Sugar Luxury Set is the perfect choice. If timeless scents are more her style Dior J'Adore Gift Set or Bvlgari Pour Femme Gift Set are great classics. For the fruity and "delicious" DKNY's Be Delicious Mother's Day Coffret smells just like a yummy green apple or one of my favourites Fresh Sugar Lychee Gift Set. If she's a vanilla fiend like me all the Lavanila fragrances are sinfully wonderful. If she's a woman that loves exotic blends that remind her of a tropical island, try Island Michael Kors Hawaii. For the sensual and mysterious woman a favourite of mine has been Gucci Rush or Calvin Klein's Euphoria.

4. Do a spa day either at your favourite spa or something more cozy like at your home with a few other mothers! Have a girly day indulging in spa products like Bliss' Simply The "Zest" Lemon+Sage Spa-in-a-box, The Body Shop's Feet Treat Elite for those hardworking feet, or Cake Beauty's yummy scented Hand Treat Trio for those overworked hands.

5. If you really want to go over the top make a nice gift basket with all her favourite beauty products, music, books etc! Set up a mother's day brunch with her and her closet friends and have it catered. What a perfect way to spend the day!

There are many ways to make Mother's Day a special one so whatever you decide on give it your own twist and make it fabulous!

No body wants to look like they bathed in a tub of oil and it's especially hard to avoid it during the hot and humid summer months. Here are a list of products that will help you combat shiny oily skin:

1. Start off your morning regime with a good cleanser like Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Oil Controlling Foam Cleanser.

2. Moisturize your skin with an oil-free lotion that has an SPF 15 like Neutrogena's Oil-Free Moisture SPF 15.

3. It's always good to prep the skin with a primer prior to adding your foundation or base. The primer will create a nice smooth canvas for you to apply your makeup and will also help it last longer. Try Lorac's aquaPRIME Oil Free Makeup Primer.

4. I like to wear as little as possible when it comes to foundation especially during the warmer months. If you prefer a base that is natural and feels like your skin try a tinted moisturizer with an SPF like Lorac's ProtecTINT SPF 30 Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer. If you prefer/need heavier coverage try MAC's Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation. It's oil-free and long-lasting. A girlfriend of mine has really oily skin and she swears by it.

5. To avoid greasy lids always prep the eye area with a primer like Smashbox's Lid and Lip Primer. This will prevent your shadows from creasing and fading. Then set with an oil-free powder like MAC's Blotting Powder. It takes oil away without adding texture or colour to the skin.

6. If you want to look shimmery and glowy, focus on only 1 or 2 areas of the face to avoid looking like a spotlight. If you want a shimmery shadow, do a water-proof and crease-proof shadow like Bourjois Intensely Luminous Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow. Use a powder blush and nothing too glossy on the lips. Add a hint of shimmer on the cheekbones.

If you want shimmer or glow on the cheeks that's long-lasting, try Tarte's water-based gel stains in Bronze Goddess for a hint of shimmer. If you'd like more of a natural glow try Nars' Creme Blush in any of their amazing colours. A little goes a long way. Pair with a matte or satin shadow and a glossy lip or sheer lipstick.

If you want all the attention on the lips go for a nice shimmery gloss like Tarte's Inside Out Vitamin Lip Gloss. It comes in 3 shimmery colours and is actually good for you (Borba vitamin infused gloss)! If you want an even sexier pout layer a shimmery gloss over a shimmery lipstick like Shiseido's The Makeup Shimmering Lipstick. Match with either shimmer on the eyes or shimmer on the cheeks.

7. After you're done, set your make-up with an oil-free powder and use blotting papers throughout the day to take away shine like Clean and Clear's Oil-Absorbing Sheets. You can pick them up at your local drugstore. They're cheap and just as good as the higher end brands and with 50 sheets in the pack it's a steal!

By using the right products, your skin will look healthy and radiant and not like you've been sweating in a sauna. So glow on girlfriend!