Gabriel and Zuii Organic Makeup at Whole Foods

A few weeks back Whole Foods hosted a little beauty seminar for local beauty bloggers to try out two of their natural and organic makeup lines, Gabriel and Zuii.

Heather Stieh, Whole Body Team Leader at the Cambie location, gave us a quick rundown of Whole Foods’ product line standards.  Long, interesting story short (much more interesting than my face conveys in the photo below), Whole Foods takes the guesswork out of sifting through the massive array of beauty products out there on behalf of their consumers, so you can rest assured that the products you are buying are of great quality, using natural, sustainable and/or organic ingredients.

Professionals were on hand to help us pick the perfect shades:

Now, I am a girl who wears very little makeup.  It’s a big day when I put eyeliner on – some powder or foundation is usually a daily regular, blush always (big fan of cream blushes), and usually some mascara.  Top that off with a light gloss and I’m good to go.  I first opted for the Gabriel liquid foundation, which I was told would give my skin a soft dewy look.  Win.  After a few weeks of testing out the the products, I’m extremely happy with everything I’ve tried.  I switched to the brown mascara by Zuii for a slightly more subtle, natural look, and the pink/coral lipstick I chose is great for transitioning my wardrobe into summer hues.

Here’s what I received in exchange for swapping in my old makeup:

Thanks to the entire team for such an informative afternoon.  If you’re going to put anything on your face, go natural and organic!

Beauty Fixes: Face

This is the first installation in a short series on beauty products, beginning with the face and following up with hair and body.  I should preface this by noting that I am extremely no-frills when it comes to cosmetics – I’m not a fan of extensive procedures, I despise embellishments, and I’ll immediately trash any product that leaves me looking even slightly unrecognizable.  When it comes to makeup, I need to be done in 5 minutes or less – it’s a big day if I put on eyeliner; normally I’ll throw on foundation or powder, blush, gloss and I’m out the door.

I’ve narrowed down some awesome products that align with my no-fuss daily protocol – it’s taken me a few years to find products that are easy enough to work for someone like me (read: I couldn’t apply eyeshadow to save my life).

Eyes:

I require eyeliner that is foolproof to apply – liquids are out.  Make Up For Ever recently launched their Rock For Ever eyewear line, and the liners are magical.  The kit comes with some colours I wouldn’t often opt for, such as silver and gold, but the rest of the palette is really basic and easy to wear.  The mini set is only $40, and for someone like me who never goes overboard on the eyes, this little kit will last me forever.

I also enjoy Maybelline’s Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner – and the little brush that comes with it doubles as a great eyebrow pencil too (I like to use brown eyeshadow as a substitute when I don’t have a brow pencil on hand):

Mascara is another tough one – so many are clumpy, and hard to remove because they’re so ‘long lasting.’  My favourite ever was Lavera’s Organic Volume Mascara.  Applied easily, came off easily, just the right amount of product to define my lashes without making me look like a washed up circus tramp.

Lips:

90% of the time I’m going with a basic lip conditioner – Carmex has been a favourite as of late, it’s got a nice sheen to it.  For nights out, try the lip gloss by Love That White Smile – it’s even got a mirror on the side and the applicator lights up when you unscrew the top in case you’re locked in a dark closet and need an emergency gloss up.

I’m absolutely a fan of going bold with lip colour, and my favourite shade right now is Lady Danger by MAC:

Remember, when you go bold on the lips keep the eyes simple – I prefer to pair a popping lip colour with bold brows, and leave my eyes and cheeks as simple as can be.

Cheeks:

MAC Gel Blush is my go-to here, and has been for years.  Just a Pinch is my shade of choice, seems to blend really well with any other colour palettes I’m working with, and my complexion is fairly rosy so it’s a nice fit.  The bonus is you can use this on your lips as well.  Any product that is multi-purpose is a shoe-in for me.

My other favourite is L’Oreal’s Quickstick in Pink Perle – it’s a face/body blush with a very subtle glimmer to it, I like to pair it with the MAC Gel Blush right up around the cheekbones for a bit of definition.  It appears L’Oreal has discontinued this product so either email them and request they bring it back, or please send me some suggestions for a suitable replacement!

Skin:

Make Up For Ever wins again with their high definition foundation.  Blends easily, not too heavy or light, and doesn’t irritate my skin or cause any break outs:

And finally, for all my powdering needs I turn to Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Natural Formula Loose Powder – my sensitive skin loooves this product.

Hope this helps anyone who is as cosmetically challenged as I have been in the past!  Any additional feedback/tips you have would be appreciated in the comments.

Bombay Brow Bar

Yaletown is quickly becoming the destination for single-service beauty boutiques – Blo gets your hair styled with a quick blow-dry, Noir Lash Lounge will fix you up with semi-permanent lash extensions, and now Bombay Brow Bar has joined the lot with Indian eyebrow threading.

I visited the small but plush brow bar on their opening day and the place was bustling, ambushed with the overgrown brows of walk-ins.  Four armchairs inhabit the room – which keeps a steady flow of Bollywood videos playing, Indian Vogue on hand for reading, and delicious chai tea for sipping.

The master threaders are also schooled in waxing and tweezing, so although their specialty is threading you can opt for any removal process you like.  I was in and out in 30 minutes, and what a difference a manicured brow makes.

Bombay Brow Bar does brows for boys as well, as well as eyebrow tinting.

1056 Mainland

Gillette Giveaway (Read: FREE Stuff!)

First off, apologies for the shameful photograph.  I have been relegated to a world where I only have Photo Booth on my Macbook and the 3.2 mp camera on my Blackberry, so image quality isn’t exactly the name of my game at the moment.

This is an easy one.  Be one of the first four to comment and you get to select which product you want, for free.  Pretty darn simple.  You must be in Vancouver and willing to pick it up, because that’s how giveaways work here.

Up for grabs: Flex Gel (control without stiffness), Hair Spray (flexible hold), Sculpting Paste (gravity-defying texture), and Power Gel (our strongest hold gel).

I am so keeping the men’s 5-blade fusion power razor with trimmer (!?) to myself – aren’t mens razors infinitely better than womens?  Seems that way to me, but I’ll do a Venus vs. Gillette 5 blade showdown tomorrow to really settle the score.

Now, comment away.  Bonus points if you share an embarassingly horrific hair-related story.

Bling Shopping Fundraiser

12 local artists will be at the MBody Fitness and Wellness Spa in the Pacific Palisades hotel this Friday and Saturday.  A portion of all sale proceeds will benefit the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation.  Shop for jewelry, skincare lotions, greeting cards, and larry. scarves!  You can also enjoy wine (by donation), food and chocolate, and a poolside massage for a discounted price.  There will be raffle prizes as well, and if you’re shopping for Christmas gifts there will be a free gift wrap service.

Swing by on Friday from 5-9pm or Saturday from 12-4pm at 1277 Robson (@ Jervis), and check out the Faceboko page for Bling here.

See you there! Do it for the kids!

Stella McCartney CARE Gift Voucher

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Stella McCartney CARE skincare line – I was so excited about it that I posted a quick review the day I got the line, and now that it’s been a couple weeks I’ve really gotten a feel for the products.  I have to say I overwhelmingly prefer the foaming cleanser to the cleansing milk, and my favourite serum has got to the the nourishing elixir.  My skin feels super soft and healthy – and again, the products smell so good, very calming.  I think it actually helps me fall asleep at night – must be all those yummy organic essential oils.

At any rate, I wanted to share this coupon with you – if you love organic skincare (and coupons) as much as I do, you’ll appreciate this.

Enjoy!




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