Cream Vs. Powder Makeup on FASHION Magazine's Beauty Panel

Hi, beautiful ones! I've got another Beauty Panel post for y'all and this time, we're talking cream vs. powder products.

If you'd like to know how I achieved this simple, everyday-appropriate look and to see what products I used, then check out my Beauty Panel post on FASHION Magazine here.

Hope you guys like this look!

Because Smelling Good Is An AWESOME Thing!

Hiiiii, friends!

Did you miss me? Don't answer that...

Anyway, I'm back with a new post and what better way for me to herald my own return than to do the kind of posts that I find so flippin' hard to do? YAY!

This time round, I have the two newest offerings from Fendi and Givenchy: Fan di FENDI Eau Fraiche and Givenchy Dahlia Noir L'Eau.

Top notes: Bergamot, Italian Lemon, Guatemalan Cardamom.

Middle notes: Orange Flower Absolute, Sambac Jasmine, Sencha Green Tea.

Base notes: Maté Absolute (undertones of tea, tobacco, and smoke), Cedarwood, Musk.

My first impression of Fan di FENDI Eau Fraiche is "green tea with a citrusy kick," and like the name suggests, it's a very fresh scent. That said, I could see this still being an appropriate scent for nighttime. I can totally picture myself wearing this perfume while spending casual summer nights at the beach. I've been a fan of the green tea scent ever since I tried on my mom's Elizabeth Arden Green Tea perfume in high school. But whenever I smelled it, I thought of my mom and it didn't quite feel appropriate for me to wear. Fan di FENDI Eau Fraiche is like, my generation's green tea scent -- it has the sophistication of green tea with the freshness and fun of citrus mixed in. I love it!

Oh, and loving the bottle, too! There was something about the original Fan di FENDI bottle that made it a little difficult to hold, but this one sits in my hand so much easier. 

As for lasting power, I'm definitely impressed. While I haven't tested it out on a full day, it's stuck with me over a regular work day, which is always appreciated.

Top notes: Citron, Neroli, Cedrat Essence. 

Middle notes: Rose Petal, Peony.

Base notes: Patchouli, Cedar, Musk.

Dahlia Noir... Dahlia Noir... Sounds so 1920s, no? The name alone suggests elegance, class, and luxury. The bottle looks like something that belongs on a dressing table in someone's Parisian boudoir. It's so simple, yet so beautiful.

I haven't gotten a whiff of the original Dahlia Noir, but the Dahlia Noir L'Eau is said to be a "brighter, fruitier version of the original." I would say that this fragrance definitely has a citrusy-floral scent. It's a rather interesting scent that I've never worn before, nor is it a fragrance I would normally gravitate towards. But I've found myself really enjoying this perfume.

While reading through the write up that was sent to me along with this perfume, there was one part that really struck me in particular. It spoke of a "duality, between purity and sensuality, brightness and darkness," which I understand completely after wearing this perfume. The citrus and floral notes definitely add a lightness and airiness to the scent, but the patchouli and musk notes make the scent heavy somehow. The base notes really ground Dahlia Noir L'Eau and keeps it smelling sophisticated, which is the image that the brand definitely wants to portray with these perfumes.

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If I could describe each perfume in one word, Fan di FENDI Eau Fraiche would be playful and Dahlia Noir L'Eau would be sexy. 

Both perfumes are so contrasting, but I quite enjoy them both equally. I'll be wearing these two often during the Summer, that's for sure. :)

What's your go-to Summer perfume?

*These products were provided by PR for review consideration.

Inspired By Leighton Meester on FASHION Magazine

Hello again, lovely ones! I've got another Beauty Panel post for you all. Our challenge this time was to do a look based on a celebrity who inspires us with their red carpet makeup looks. For this challenge, I chose the beautiful Leighton Meester. Here's why:

Try as I might, when I think of Leighton Meester, I can' think of a particular trademark makeup look that she likes to wear; every time she walks the red carpet, she looks different. And that's why I chose her as the celebrity that inspires the way I do my makeup -- she's not afraid to take risks! Take this look that I recreated, for example. Not only has she paired bold lips with bold eyes (something more people discourage), but she's wearing purple eyeshadow, gold eyeliner and red lips! There aren't many celebrities who could pull this look off on the red carpet (as opposed to a fashion shoot), but Leighton has enough confidence to work it.

You guys know me, I like to use colour in the looks I do on the blog (where else can I get away with it? :p). So, of course, I chose one of her boldest red carpet looks. And there's my take on this makeup look Leighton wore to the American Eagle Outfitters flagship store opening in Times Square in 2009.

Love the mix of gold and purple!

Anyway, hope you like this look, friends! Here's a link to the post for a list of products used.

Who's your celebrity makeup inspiration?

Real Techniques Brushes -- Pretty Much All I Need On A Daily Basis

Man, I am such a sucker for brushes. I have a lot (more than 50), which makes sense since I'm kinda-sorta in the makeup industry; but ever since I started doing makeup gigs, I've always wanted to build a brush set that was just for me. There's nothing wrong with using brushes that I've used on clients (provided I wash it, of course), but I wanted to have brushes that were strictly for personal use.

Brushes can get pretty expensive, but I've been very lucky in that I've been able to find great quality brushes for a reasonable price (IMATS is a great way to stock up). There are also some fantastic drugstore brands that have amazing brushes and Real Techniques is one of them.

Real Techniques has been available in London Drugs stores in Canada for some time now, but it was always sold out. Finally, I was able to get my hands on 2 brush sets: the Core collection and the Starter Set. Each set sold for approximately $20 each; which, at 4 brushes per set, works out to around $5 a brush.

Real Techniques brushes are all made with super soft, synthetic taklon bristles, which make them 100% cruelty free. The set comes in a travel case which also functions as a stand -- so convenient!

THE CORE COLLECTION

L-R: Contour Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush, Detailer Brush, Buffing Brush

Contour Brush: I've used this both as a contour and blush brush -- it works wonderfully either way. As a contour brush, I find that this shape works best for my face. I've used angled brushes before, but I found they were too large. This brush is rounded and tapered, which I prefer.

Pointed Foundation Brush: When I do my foundation, I like to do it fast. Unfortunately, this brush doesn't really let me do that because it's quite small. Still, it does the job; just not fast enough for my liking.

Detailer Brush: I've used this for lipstick and it does the job well. My problem with all the lip brushes I own is that they tend to separate during use, which makes it hard to make precise lines. This one also does, but not as much as the others that I own.

Buffing Brush: I love this brush! The bristles are densely packed, which makes it perfect for powder foundations. I've been neglecting the use of the powder foundations I used to use, but this brush actually made me want to use them again. Plus, it's soooo soft and feels amazing on the skin.

THE STARTER SET

L-R: Deluxe Crease Brush, Base Shadow Brush, Accent Brush, 

Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush, Brow Brush

Deluxe Crease Brush: This brush is definitely much too big for my non-existent crease, so I use it to buff in concealer (which is how the ladies of Pixiwoo like to use this brush). It feels soooo soft, even on the delicate eye area! Basically, this brush is like the Expert Face Brush in smaller form -- it buffs in base products beautifully for a flawless look. Love!

Base Shadow Brush: I was pleasantly surprised by this brush. Because the bristles are dense, it packs on eyeshadow so well. Base eyeshadow brushes are pretty standard -- they're almost all the same. But this one really impressed me because it picked up SO much of a particular eyeshadow that I normally have trouble getting enough of on the brush.

Accent Brush: I love small brushes like these -- it's so perfect for the lower lash line area. And because it's so soft, it doesn't irritate my skin at all.

Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush: For eyeliner, I normally tend to gravitate towards angled brushes. However, I do have an old Sigma that I still use. At first, I wasn't all that impressed with this brush because it separated as I used it. But then I realized that if I coat it with cream/gel eyeliner by placing the product on the back of my hand and rolling the brush into the product, the bristles don't separate at all. I still love my angles brushes and still do prefer them, but this eyeliner brush also does a great job.

Brow Brush: Dense, stiff, perfect! I love it!

I'm so glad I was able to find a great set of brushes that I can now use on a daily basis. No more worrying about not having any brushes to use when I've got makeup gigs! :p

Real Techniques' biggest draw is the great quality and the inexpensiveness -- who doesn't like either? These babies were definitely worth the wait!

What's your favourite makeup brush?

CONTEST (CLOSED) - Win $100 Worth Of Your Favourite Shu Uemura Products Courtesy Of Made In Blog (Canada Only)

When Made In Blog contacted me about hosting a Shu Uemura contest, I immediately jumped at the chance. Shu Uemura is such an iconic brand, but it can seem a bit inaccessible. Now that Shu Uemura has launched their Canadian online store, us Canadians no longer have any excuses! :p

To celebrate this momentous occasion, Made in Blog and call it beauty. have teamed up to bring you this awesome-possum contest! What do you get? A chance to win $100 worth of your favourite Shu Uemura products! What do you need to do? Well, read on...

The Rules
- You must follow call it beauty. either through Google Friend Connect (GFC) or Bloglovin
- You must leave a DISQUS** comment on this blog post with your name, an email we can reach you at, how you follow call it beauty. (GFC or Bloglovin), the name of your favourite Shu Uemura product, and a link to said product from the Canadian website.
- You must like call it beauty. on Facebook.
- You may enter once per day until the deadline.

**IMPORTANT: Comments left via mobile DO NOT appear on this website. You must leave a comment via Disqus in order for your entry to be counted.

For extra entries, you must follow call it beauty. on Twitter and tweet the following message (in parentheses): "Check out @callitbeauty_'s Shu Uemura giveaway for your chance to win $100 worth of your favourite Shu products", along with a link to this blog post. You may tweet once per day up until the deadline.

In the interest of simplifying the verification process, please leave a link to your tweet in the same comment with all the information stated above (under The Rules). So to clarify: one comment = one entry, one comment + tweet (link) = two entries.

The contest ends at 12noon PDT on April 30th, 2013. Winner will be chosen by random generator and will be contacted once verified.

But this contest is not your only chance to win some Shu swag. How does a $500 gift card sound to you? All you have to do is click on this link & create your Shu Uemura Wishlist and you'll be in the running for that $500 gift card!

And with the special promo code SHUBLOG, you will receive a $10 gift card for the Shu Uemura website at checkout (valid on purchase of $50 or more). Happy shopping!

Best of luck, lovelies!

Guess What, Lovelies?!

So a month or two ago, I was contacted by FASHION MAGAZINE to be part of their new online Beauty Panel. I missed the first challenge, but I was able to join the other lovely beauty bloggers for the second and it's all about: EMERALD. 

As you all must know, Pantone has declared emerald the colour of the year. So we were tasked with incorporating this particular shade into our beauty routines. 

I particularly love wearing colour on my lower lash line, so I decided to wear emerald there...

Products Used:

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer

Anastasia Vol. I Bold Brows Kit

MAC Eyeshadows (Naked Lunch, Quarry, and Omega)

MAC Powder Blush (Taupe Shape)

MAC Mineralize Blush (Subtle Breeze)

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick (Posy Pink)

Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Flared Mascara

NYX Cosmetics Slide On Pencil (Esmeralda)

And on a quick review note: the NYX Slide On Pencils are fabulous! They have stayed on my lower lash line without budging for 11 hours. With other long-wearing eye pencils, I notice fading after 5 or 6 hours, but the Slide On Pencils didn't move at all. And yet, they weren't difficult to apply (they are sooo soft, you guys!) or a pain in the you-know-where to remove. I'm definitely impressed... Which means I must get all the colours. ALL THE COLOURS, you guys!

Anyway, hope you guys like this look and if you have the time, please check out my post and all the other posts as well! 

How would YOU wear emerald?

Giving My Tresses Some TLC with These Organix Hair Oils

I'll be the first to admit that I don't really do much in terms of taking care of my hair. I wash and style/blow dry it nearly every day and apart from your regular shampoo/conditioner and various other styling products, I don't use anything else on my hair.

So when I came across these two hair oils by Organix (a brand I've been a fan of for some time), I was intrigued enough to make a purchase...

First up is the Macadamia Dry Styling Oil!

My day-to-day hair routine involves some sort of "beach spray" (I'm currently using this one from Marc Anthony), a whole lot of scrunching, and blow-drying with a diffuser. Now, my hair is generally pretty fluffy/frizzy, even when I let my hair air dry, and I generally rely on finishing products to make my hair look less fluffy/frizzy. So I thought I'd try the Dry Styling Oil to see how it would fare in that department...

Is it life-changing? Nope, can't say that it is. But, it definitely lessens the frizziness noticeably. I think the reason it doesn't work as well as I had hoped is because I need to smooth it through my hair before styling, which removes any natural curl that my hair gains while wrapped in a towel. So I find myself scrunching my hair even more just to get some of that curl back, which (I think, anyway) is what creates more frizz.

That said, what I do love about this product is that it makes my hair look shiny and healthy. It also makes my hair much softer. Beach sprays tend to make my hair kinda "crispy", for lack of a better word. So I really love that this dry styling oil allows me to style my hair while still keeping my hair soft.

Next up: the Moroccan Argan Oil.

I use this on those "pampering days", days when I want to add a little something extra to the routine. I typically apply this after a nighttime shower because I don't like that much hydration during the day as I find that it weighs down my hair too much (I like my hair big! :p).

It's a bit too hydrating for every day use (curse you, oily roots!); but like the Dry Styling Oil, this Penetrating Oil makes my hair super soft and silky. Anyway, that doesn't bother me, as I actually like to have products that can only be used every now and again. It kind of makes it a bit of an event -- a little something special to treat myself to.

Oh, and I must mention how lovely they both smell! The Macadamia Dry Styling Oil has a sweeter scent, but both are just yummy! Both have the kind of scent that stays out of the way -- you can smell it, but it doesn't assault your senses.

Both also work really well as finishing oils -- they eliminate more frizz this way, though my hair looks just as shiny whether I use it before or after styling. What was pleasantly surprising, though, was that it made my hair just as soft when using as a finishing product. No more crunchy hair for me!

One thing to keep in mind is that this does weigh my hair down a bit (I have thick, coarse, wavy/curly hair). It doesn't make my hair flat, by any means (that would be unacceptable -- I like my hair big!), but it does make it less fluffy. Oh, and after about a week of use, I decided not to use it before or after styling, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that my hair looked shinier than it normally does. I'd like to believe it's because of these products (priced at $9.99 each -- very affordable!)... After all, they're the only new products in my haircare regimen...

Are there any hair oils included in your styling routine?