Help Stop Trafficking of Children & Young People!

Human trafficking is the third largest criminal industry in the world(1) and it is thought that 1.2 million children and young people are trafficked every year for sexual exploitation and cheap labour(2).

(1) unigift

(2) unicef 2007

A few years ago, I came across a documentary on TV that broke my heart. I have since forgotten the title of said documentary, but I can never forget the situations I saw: girls and young women kidnapped from their families and sold into brothels, forced to perform sexual acts on numerous men every day. In some cases, these girls are sold by their own families; a situation I hope to never understand. But can I judge these parents? No. It reminds me of the scene in Sophie's Choice where Meryl Streep has to choose to have both her children perish, or sacrifice one and save the other. Some of these families have many children they need to take care of and sacrificing one child seems like the lesser of two evils. I cannot even fathom having to make this decision and I hope none of us will ever have to.

As citizens of a developed world, I feel it is our responsibility to help our fellow man. Whether it's donating money for food, medicine, or stopping human trafficking, we all have it within us to contribute in whichever way we can.

This cause means a lot to me because I came from a developing world that still deals with human trafficking and because I love children. It makes me sick to think that these children are suffering immensely. How can we not help? How can we sit idly by and enjoy our luxuries without so much as a thought to people living in poverty?

So I implore you to sign The Body Shop's petition to get the ball rolling towards the end of human trafficking. They're also selling hand cream's and portions of those sales will be donated to Epcat. Or, if you'd much rather donate to Epcat directly, you can visit their website for ways to do so. Also, check out Charity Navigator for other charities that are helping stop human trafficking.

A bit of a serious post to start off the weekend, but I really feel that this is important. The blogging community really proved its importance during the MAC/Rodarte controversy and I believe if we join together for this, that more awareness can be raised. 

I'll leave you guys with this video I saw on YouTube. Maybe it will give you guys a better idea of the horrors these girls face.

We can make a difference in these people's lives.

Please do what you can to stop human trafficking.

Have a great weekend.

-Dani

Collection Spotlight: Louis Vuitton - Fall 2010

(all photos from: style.com)

A few years ago, Hairspray was released in theatres and it inspired my brother to do a Hairspray competition piece for the performing arts company we were both in at the time. Needless to say, that era just captured me.

Of course, there's nothing appealing about the racial and women's rights issue of that time, but I just adore the clothes! Now this is the part where I have to shamefully admit I've never seen Mad Men... I know! I know! I'm attempting to rectify that, believe you me.

Anyway, the Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 collection is all about the feminine silhouettes of the late 50s / early 60s and I am absolutely loving it! The full skirts, the lovely patterns, the cinched waist, the sweater tops, the see-through fabrics, the super cute "bow-pumps," the long gloves... I want it all!

I'm so in love with this collection, I can't even articulate how much!

What are your favourite pieces?

Pretty Packaging!!!

I've never tried Paul & Joe before but this packaging is winning me over. 

I mean, look at those pretty, wallpaper-esque designs! And is that cat-shaped lipstick?!

This kills me... Kills me, I tell you!!!

Have you tried Paul & Joe products before?

Are they as lovely as they look?

EOTD - Smokey Green

(products used: sleek palette in original & storm)

(colours: a champagne shade, a moss green shade, a forest green shade, and matte black)

First, I applied the champagne colour all over the lid just to neutralize the dark colour of mine. Then I applied the moss green on top (all over the lid as well). The forest green colour was then applied to the outer corner, into the crease & up to the brow bone, as well as on the lower lash line. Then I took some of the champagne colour on a blending brush and gently blended the outer edges. Lastly, I applied the matte black shade to the upper lash line and the lower lash/water line.

Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover - Review

So if you don't know, I am seriously loving Boots Cleansing Milk for removing my makeup. But since it's not available in Canada and I can't purchase it online (Boots & Target don't ship to Canada), I've been trying to use it as sparingly as I can. So I figured if I use it only on my face (as opposed to the face and the eyes), I'll be cutting down quite a bit; and in fact, I do. 

So I decided to purchase a separate eye makeup remover and ended up with Rimmel's Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. It's oil free, gentle, and removes waterproof mascara? Yes, please!

As you can see, it does its job well enough. It removes makeup but I find that one pad isn't enough, particularly because product that is really close to the lash line can get left behind. And I'm not even talking about mascara, waterproof or otherwise. If you want to remove waterproof mascara with this, good luck. 

I think that in order to remove all traces of mascara on my eyes, It would take a lot product and time. And frankly, that's too much work for me. I want an eye makeup remover that will remove all traces of makeup with just a few swipes and this just doesn't cut it.

But the worst part is the state it left my eye in after use. You know that really dry feeling in your eyes if you've been wearing your contacts for too long? That's what my eyes feel like after using this product. It quite uncomfortable to say the least. Add to that the fact that it's not very effective... Well, let's just say I only use this now to clean up swatches on my hand.

NOTD - L'oréal High Tide

First, let me preface this by admitting that I'm not much of a nail polish person. Well, at least not on my fingernails. Honestly, I should probably change the title to NOTW (w for week) because I'm kind of lazy when it comes to painting my nails. However, I'm pretty diligent with my toenails and very rarely do I go "bare-nailed." So I don't think you'll be seeing these NOTD posts a lot because no one needs to see my feet on the internet.

Anyhoo, I have to ramble a bit about this shade because it's (I think) a pretty close dupe to Eyeko's Rain Polish, which I first saw on Lipglossiping. I loved it because it's a pretty unusual colour, one I've not seen anywhere. I could've purchased Rain Polish online, but it came in a package of 3 and I wasn't interested in the other two. So, I resigned myself to missing out on an awesome colour (it's Limited Edition).

So imagine my surprise when I saw a pretty similar shade at London Drugs yesterday. It's L'oréal's High Tide, which was released in their Passport to Paradise collection this summer. Did I mention it was on sale for $2.99? I flipping love sales!

First of all, please excuse the horrid cuticles, I couldn't find my cuticle cutter. But it's a pretty good dupe, no? It's a tad on the gray side though, I'll give you that. There's a shimmer visible when looking through the bottle but I can't say it's visible once applied on the nails, all you get is the wonderful colour and a glossy finish.

Although, I have to say it's not the easiest varnish to work with. It does apply on streaky and you need 2-3 coats. I've applied 2 coats and you can see the brush strokes on my nails. See, what I typically do when working with streakier formulas is apply a thin coat, allow to dry, then apply a thick coat. I don't think this polish is suited for that. I think if I had layered 3 thin coats instead, I would've avoided the evidence of brush strokes.

Anyway, love, love, love this colour! I like to think of it as a more sophisticated pastel and I like to think one could make this work for the fall as well. And this has probably been the wordiest NOTD post ever! Is there an award for that? I think I deserve it...

What say you? Do you have this shade? Do you love it?

Style Crush - Marion Cotillard

Marion Cotillard isn't a celebrity, she's a movie star. But not today's movie star, oh no. She's an "old hollywood movie star." Back when movie stars had to be talented. She's undeniably beautiful, incredibly intelligent, astoundingly talented and OMG, can I be like her when I grow up?!

Marion is all about glamour to me (even when she's wearing a black, glittery pantsuit). She always looks polished and isn't afraid to take risks. I mean, she wore these shoes for goodness sake!

I can't get over this lady. Why is she so awesome?!

Music Monday - 7/26/2010

Valerie - Mark Ronson (ft. Amy Winehouse)

EOTD - Bronzey Neutral

PRODUCTS USED:

Bronze/Brown Shades - Sleek Palette

Coffee Eye Pencil - MAC 

Lights, Camera, Splashes! Mascara - Tarte 

To be honest, I forgot where I put the matte brown shade, but everything else is fairly simple. I used the light, coppery shade all over the eye (a little past the brow bone) and took it under the eye as well. Then I  like to think I used the matte brown shade to define what little crease I have and a bit on the outer corner as well. Then I used the bronze colour to give definition to my eye shape a bit without using an eyeliner and tightlined my upper water line with the coffee eye pencil. I followed with mascara on top and bottom lashes.

I went a bit crazy during the weekend trying out different eye looks and I'm excited to share them with you guys! 

In other news, I've de-genie-bottled my UDPP and I have to say it is much easier to work with when you get more product. I wasn't getting enough using the wand and was ready to throw it away before I made this last-ditch effort to like UDPP. I think I really am starting to like it now! Exciting!

Happy Monday, everybody!

Urban Decay Primer Potion Project!

Mission: De-pot (de-tube? de-genie bottle?) the Urban Decay Primer Potion into a small container = SUCCESS!

A few things I noticed about the UDPP:

1) The plastic is really hard to cut open.

2) There is a lot of product in there! Much more than I thought there would be.

3) The consistency is actually much thicker than it is judging from what you get off the applicator.

4) Like everyone has said, this packaging is one huge waste of product.

So I took a pair of pliers and hacked away at the plastic until I had enough of an opening to scoop the product out. It was difficult and it was messy, but in the end it was worth it.

Now, you may have read my review on the primer potion and remember that I haven't really been impressed by it; but I just can't seem to bin it!

I did notice that I was getting very little product (and the consistency was thinner) when using the tube and applicator. However, now that I've de-potted/tubed/genie-bottled it, I can see that it's a much thicker product. Maybe I'll have better luck with using it now? Who knows?

Do you use the UDPP? Do you love it?

Collection Spotlight: Monique Lhuillier - Fall 2010

(all photos from: www.moniquelhuillier.com)

Well, we all know Monique Lhuillier makes beautiful dresses. But dzang, yo!

Each of these dresses, both cocktail length and full gown alike, have such beautiful details. Whatever your style, there's a dress here for you.

Now, if money were no issue and I could have whatever dress I chose, I'd pick:

- The black, one shoulder cocktail dress with gold detailing on the hem 

and 

- The red gown with the off the shoulder strap & silver brooch

If $ weren't an issue, which dress/es would you pick?

Sleek MakeUP Palettes - Review

Ahh, the beauty of the Internet! 

Were it not for the web, I don't think I would have ever found out about Sleek MakeUP and their wonderful products; Namely, the i-Divine Eyeshadow Palettes. I have read reviews, seen swatches of and even watched great makeup tutorials on YouTube using these palettes so I was already pretty impressed before even seeing them up close. So when my parents were in London more than a month ago, I specifically asked them to pick up these two for me. 

For those who aren't familiar, Sleek MakeUP is a brand from the UK with a "particular focus on on women who are under-represented by major brands in the cosmetics market." I.e. women who aren't white. That alone earns Sleek MakeUP my praise! They boast in being "the only high street brand with 17 shades of foundation." Now, for those of us in North America, "high street" pretty much means drugstore. So I challenge you to find a drugstore brand that has 17 shades of foundation. I doubt you'll find any.

Sleek, I'm very impressed with you. 

The first thing I noticed about the palettes is how vivid the eyeshadows are. Especially because they're so cheap! Each palette holds 12 eyeshadows and it retails for £5.99 or approximately $10.00 CAD. To get that many good quality eyeshadows for that price is flipping outstanding! 

The colour payoff is amazing and the texture is not bad either. Some shades, specifically the shimmery ones, are a bit gritty but do blend in well. They also feel really creamy on the skin and last a good amount of time on the eyelids, especially if you use a primer/paint pot beforehand. 

The packaging is quite good for such an inexpensive product. No, it's not luxe, but it's sturdy. It's made of black plastic and as you can see in the photo above, has a ginormous miroir. I mean, who does that?! The cover snaps up in place very snugly and won't be in danger of opening. I should know since I shook it around to make sure! The palettes are quite thin and very light so it will fit easily into a standard, medium sized makeup bag:

I was able to fit the Sleek Palette into my makeup bag with room to spare for my lip products, pill box and other miscellaneous items. 

       

Another proof of the eyeshadows' colour payoff is when I took the photos above. My camera is old and is only 7.2 megapixels so I have issues with colour not appearing on camera as they do on my face. In fact, I typically need to pile the product on in order for it to be visible on camera. But I never had any issues when photographing my eyes for this review and I only needed to apply product as I normally would. 

Despite the grittier texture of certain shades, I had very little fallout. These products really do blend so easily onto the lid! And the best part? Barely any creasing! Granted, I do use Soft Ochre Paint Pot to prime my lids, but that doesn't always guarantee anything. I am typing this post 4 hours after taking the photos above and I have zero creasing! That in itself is a feat!

FINAL VERDICT

You must purchase one of these palettes! Go now! I honestly think this should be a staple for everybody's collection, especially if you're starting out with makeup. You get a good variety of colours (brights and neutrals alike) for an amazing price. Because if you're anything like me, you don't like to shell out on bright eyeshadows that you will barely use. These palettes give you the opportunity to get more for your money and the fact that they're such amazing quality is just icing on the proverbial cake. 

Now my dilemma is: which palette to get next?

                                                                               

Collection Spotlight: Burberry Prorsum - Fall 2010

(all photos from: style.com)

I don't know why, but Burberry always has a special place in my heart. Perhaps it's because they created one of my absolute favourite perfumes, Burberry Classic?

Anyway, I love the fab outerwear (I can't wait til I can wear jackets again, seriously!), the over-the-knee boots, the military detailing, the rich colours!

Well done, Mr. Bailey. Well done, indeed!

Are you excited for fall clothing like I am?

Any faves from the Burberry Collection?

MAC Fabulous Felines Collection

Palace Pedigreed

Leopard Luxe

Burmese Beauty

(all photos from: temptalia)

Yet another collection being released in the Fall by MAC. At this point it seems they're releasing collections every month! 

Not that i'm complaining, because this is a gorgeous collection! I mean, the colours alone! Palace Pedigreed is definitely a favourite (I'm a sucker for purples) and I'm absolutely excited to try the Superslick Liquid Eyeliners! I've been using Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner and I have become increasingly disappointed with it and its migrating tendencies. 

I'm skipping on the pigments because loose powder + dani = hot mess on the carpet! I'm undecided on the eyeshadows because truthfully, I don't wear a lot of eye makeup. I focus instead on the cheeks and the lips. So obviously, I'm all over the lipsticks, glasses, and blush.

I'm glad they're releasing mineralize blushes, I find the texture to be better and easier to build up than the traditional MAC blushes. If you read my previous post, you'll know I've just discovered the awesomeness that is the Mineralize Blush. I found anything Mineralized from MAC to be too powdery and too gritty upon first application. If only I had not been lazy, I would've realized that all it takes is a little more blending and you get awesome colour and glow on the cheeks!

I can't wait to see swatches of this and I do believe Fabulous Felines has now surpassed Venomous Villains in my Excitement Metre!

So, love it or leave it?

I'd like to hear your thoughts!