Author: lipglossandlaptops

Euphoria is about sexiness, fantasy, and being captivating. Sexy and sensual, euphoria speaks to the woman who has the urge to break free from everyday life – to provocatively be part of an exciting world filled with pleasure, surprise, and temptation. Her fragrance is a contrast between exotic fruits and seductive florals, for a rich, creamy, seductive signature.

Notes:
Pomegranate, Persimmon, Green Notes, Black Orchid, Lotus Blossom, Champaca Flower, Liquid Amber, Mahogany Wood, Black Violet, Cream Accord.
Style:
Confident. Sexy. Chic.

One entry per email! Good Luck!

I recently got a new haircut: short with small bangs at the front. Instead of ironing the waves straight like I usually do, I have been working with my natural curl and getting a great look with a new product available at Sephora: frizz(pronounced “no frizz”) by Living Proof. Specifically I am using the “No Frizz Wave Shaping, Curl Defining, Shaping Cream.” What a mouthful, but that is exactly what this product does.

I am most impressed by how effective, yet light, this product is. It holds my waves all day, and they do not get frizzy. At the same time, my hair does not get greasy, which is a real problem for me. I need to wash my hair every day to keep it clean.

After doing a little research, I discovered that this product contains an ingredient called PolyfluoroEster, instead of the silicone in most anti-frizz products.

How It Works:

PolyfluoroEster is a breakthrough ingredient that allows for control over hair’s surface energy and roughness. PolyfluoroEster, because if its small size, creates a weightless shield on the hair to prevent moisture flux in and out, and coats the cuticles to reduce the friction between fibers. Living Proof has taken PolyfluoroEster and formulated a collection consisting of six styling treatments and three hair care products that work to virtually eliminate frizz.

No Frizz even had some benefits Living Proof didn’t anticipate. Repeated use actually improves the hair’s own ability to resist humidity changes, so No Frizz works even better the longer you use it. And due to its low surface energy, the technology repels most other materials like water and oils, translating into a non-greasy coating that doesn’t attract dirt and other particulates. No Frizz is actually more repellent to dirt and particles than natural hair; as a result, you can actually go longer between shampoos.

Best of all, you can get a sample made-up at Sephora for free and try it before you buy it. I recommend you do. I LOVE it!

There are multiple other “frizz” styling products in the line, including products specifically for “course hair.”

I’ve had the pleasure of using some amazing new products from Juliet’s Room: Organic skin and body care line made with rich butters, natural essential oils, pure botanicals. Spa-quality, alcohol and paraben-free, no animal testing…

Picking just one product was difficult because everything smells and feels so good.

I really like high quality skin care products that are packed full of great ingredients for my skin. Less is more and this line does it all!

The Organic Body Butters are delicious both in the scent and in the texture of the product; your skin will thank you for this much needed nourishment and protection. Not to mention they leave your skin perfectly soft and smooth.

I love applying a thick layer after a bath (I like to soak with one of the Organic Milk Baths). It’s a guaranteed luxurious treat.

The Shea Body Butter in Vanilla Lavender is the most popular pick, however, if you want to be more daring I would suggest the Chocolat: Mint Chocolate Body Butter—oh yummy!

Some other must try products….Get your hands on the Organic Skin Care Line—Love this!

I have been using the Forgive My Sins: Organic Antioxidant Rich Cream for a couple of weeks now and I can’t say enough good things about this moisturizer. It’s so good that my boyfriend uses it every morning as well!

This is one hard working cream enriched with antioxidants that will help produce healthier skin cells with the use of high quality rich oils. It will leave your skin deeply nourished and hydrated with a non-greasy feel. And it’s especially effective when applied to damp skin right after your shower or bath and remember to use daily.

If you would like to stop by Juliet’s Room do so at 3630 West 4th Ave Vancouver (4th & Alma) or you can order any of the products online at www.julietsroom.comYou will receive free shipping on all orders over $75!

Olympic fever has hit Vancouver so it has been pretty quiet here on the blog. I will, however, l take a few moments to bang-out a review or two today as I am staying home and resting-up for the excitement of tomorrow’s Canada VS USA gold medal hockey game. No, I’m not going to the game, but I will be watching it with friends for an Olympic Brunch.

The Good

As a beauty editor I get sent a LOT of face creams. I do not review them here unless they are something that I am very impressed with. Recently I started using some products from the Olay PROx line. I was sent the “three step anti-aging starter kit” and began using the products a few weeks ago. Within a few days I stopped using the eye restoration complex (I don’t have time for this step) and the SPF 30 Age Repair Lotion (it is winter, and I don’t wear SPF in February). What I did not want to stop using, and the product that I am recommending here today is the PROx Wrinkle Smoothing Cream. This is a great moisturizer for bed time, and my skin feels much softer with each day I use it. There is no tingling or burning, but each morning after I shower I can feel the product being washed away leaving soft supple skin. The key ingredient is Vitamin B3, Niacinamide.

Niacinamide is Vitamin B3, and it strengthens the stratum corneum by increasing surface skin renewal and improving the moisture barrier to help reverse the appearance of past skin damage. Niacinamide is a key ingredient in every Pro-X product (Wrinkle Smoothing Cream, Deep Wrinkle Treatment, Age Repair Lotion SPF 30, Hydra Firming Cream, Eye Restoration Complex, and Discoloration Fighting Concentrate).

Prices vary, but I did find a good discount on Amazon, $33.59. ( Any Amazon purchases made through the link below will benefit Lip Gloss and Laptops by providing products for review and prizes.)

I know that times are tough and spending $35-50 dollars of a face cream seems like a lot. It is. That is why you can trust my review. This product is worth the money. If you disagree, please leave a comment!

The Bad

As I’ve told you before I’m a sucker for new-fangled cosmetics. When I saw the Lancôme BB Kiss Firestick Wet & Dry Color Liptoy at Sears last month I was fascinated. It was “bonus time” and so I picked up this $35 little toy along with a lip gloss. From the website:

Aaron De Mey reinvents the lipstick, with an arty pastel-toned wand in an adorable coral shade. More than a lipstick, the BB Kiss Firestick creates a real beauty ritual: open the small black laquered box and unpack the liptoy from its precious silk paper. A true innovation, with a texture gliding perfectly over the lips and a color with pearl pigment concentrate. Application: the BB Kiss Firestick can be used dry or wet. Dry: the result is light and sheer, for a touch of springtime coral. Wet: the BB Kiss Firestick is activated to deliver intense, deep, and potent color on lips. One shade: Coral

The woman at the counter tried the product on me and told me it would be long lasting and non-drying. Sadly I have discovered that the product is really quite drying, and not long lasting at all. I am very disappointed. I can’t believe I spent $35 bucks on this little piece of crap. It is very chalky, even wet. I think I’ll pass it along to Kerry Anne and see what she has to say about it. It is a limited edition, so we may never see it again. And that would be a good thing.
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Do you have a strong opinion, positive or negative, about a product you have tried recently? Leave a comment or become a guest blogger!

Airdrie’s Reviews:

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-puff Eye Roller
H20+ spa Sea Marine Shower Scent (also available in other scents!!)
Mama Mio Boob Tube
Alberto European Shampoo and Conditioner

Kerry Anne’s Reviews:

Calvin Klein Secret Obsession

The fragrance has top notes of exotic plum, mace and rose de damas; a heart of Egyptian jasmine, French orange flower and tuberose, and base notes of cashmere woods, burnt amber, Madagascan vanilla and Australian sandalwood – deeelish!
The Secret Obsession campaign has been a bit controversial. You can leave a question for Eva Mendes at the Secret Obsession Facebook page. Eva will select 5 of the questions, and then the answers will be posted on Bellasugar. They’ve used the controversy in their favour for sure. They’ve marketed this one brilliantly. I’ll back it up because I love this scent!

Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers Collection

Gwen has come out with 5 new fragrances, inspired by the Harajuku shopping district in Tokyo. Each bottle of perfume is contained in a supercute doll bottle.
“Love” is a sensuous flora scent that comes in a super cute and frilly bottle.
“Lil Angel” is a fruity floral scent that comes in a sassy and sexy bottle.
“Music” is a delicate floral scent that comes in a bottle that’s tough, with an attitude!
“Baby” is a powdery musk scent that comes in a girlie and sweet bottle.
“G” is a modern gourmand that comes in a bottle that’s clearly the leader of the pack!

Harajuki Lovers MySpace page

Intimately Beckham for Her

It came out in 2006. I just recently tried it and admittedly didn’t have high hopes for this one. I thought it would be cheap smelling. It is a nice perfume for the price. I’ve been wearing it quite a bit this summer, and think it’s worth checking out if you like a light floral. Which I usually don’t. Go figure.

Quick correction: the member of Led Zeppelin that KA’s husband saw in Toronto was Jimmy Page, not John Bonham (who died in 1980). Whoops!

Links:

Absolument Absinthe
Palin Panties
Toronto International Film Festival

Reaity Check:

Buyer Beware One Vancouver blogger’s experience with black-market haircare products found at the local drugstore.

Promo:

Those Darn Cats is a wacky Disney fan podcast featuring our longtime listener Lisa Farry, and it’s available at iTunes too.

Song:

“Hop Scotch” by RHHSII.

This week I am guest-blogging a four part series about my experiences with depression. Alicia Sparks writes the Mental Health Notes blog over at B5Media, and was kind enough to let me share my experiences with her readers. (Read Part One and Part two) Part 3 and Part 4 will be published later this week.

Why write about my mental illness? The main reason is to combat the powerful personal-stigma I put upon myself for having depression. I spent years hiding my problems. I tried all the obvious remedies like “just suck it up!”, and “just get out more!” But things got worse. Now I have to face things head-on, and in the open. My life has bloomed since I came out of my anxiety/depression closet.

Another reason I like to write about it is so that I can connect with like-minded people. Everyone needs a network of friends, family and professionals to keep them healthy throughout life.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy my series.

I swooned when the people at Matchstick offered to send us the entire Care by Stella McCartney line, to which we replied a resounding, “yes!”. I’m a huge fan of Stella, and was very excited to try this line. I’ve only been using this for a week, but here are my impressions so far.

The first thing I noticed about the products is the amazing smell. All of the scents in her products are derived from 100% natural and organic essential oils, and were blended by an essential oil perfumer. The fragrance of the products remind me a bit of the Aveda products, in that they have a plantlike, herbal smell, without being too flowery. They tone down nicely, too, so they’re not up your nostrils all day. The scent of the 5 Benefits Moisturizing Fluid is absolutely dee-lish.

I’ve been on a routine using the Purifying Foaming Cleanser, the Toning Floral Water, and the 5 Benefits Moisturizing Fluid. I’ve also been using either the Calming & Soothing Elixir, or the Radiance & Youth Elixir. I have oily skin, with a tendency to break out. So far, so good. Airdrie will be testing some of the more moisturizing products.

Almost all the bottles in the Care line are an easy-peasy airtight, pump dispenser, with the exception of the Nourishing Elixir, which is a light moisturizing oil that comes in a dropper.

Every product in the Care skin care line is 100% natural, and contain between 50-100% organic ingredients. There are no chemical preservatives, and they are certified by ECOCERT.

She also has a Care by Stella McCartney recycle program, where you can ship all your old bottles back to the company. The products are packaged and presented beautifully, but I have to say I was surprised to see how much packaging was used. Each bottle comes in a plastic wrapped tube, containing a paper insert containing product information. Stella is committed to the environment, and has many messages on her website reiterating this, so I’m assuming that all the packaging that went into the product has been produced through sustainable methods.

With products retailing from $35-$80, Care by Stella McCartney is available at a rather high price point, certainly out of my range. I’d say it’s being marketed as an eco-luxury line, and the price certainly reflects the name behind the product and the effort that has gone into natural/organic formulation. Keep in mind that there are plenty of organic products out there for less, and that it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to invest in products that are earth and body friendly.

We’ll keep you posted via the blog and podcast about how the products are working for us.

The full product line consists of:

Nourishing Elixir – $64
5 Benefits Moisturising Cream – $76
5 Benefits Moisturising Fluid – $76
Gentle Cleansing Milk – $35
Toning Floral Water – $35
Calming+Soothing Elixir – $64
Radiance+Youth Elixir – $64
Nourishing Night & Day Cream – $80

The full line is available at sephora.com.

Today’s review is by guest blogger Merry. Merry is 12 and lives in Burnaby, BC.

Hello, my name is Merry, also known as Lauren. I might be writing some reviews for my mom Airdrie Miller. Today at around three o’clock a Fedex package arrived at the door when my mom came upstairs and opened the package, she came to me and said, “These are those stick on nails that you like!” I put them on while I was watching television. So if your nails need an update you should try these nails.
These nails are sold for under eleven dollars. Nail Dress from Kiss can spice up your nails without even setting foot in the salon. These nails are used for hands and feet! These nails are truly fashion that sticks. Available in eighteen patterns and textures. Each kit includes, 28 Nail Dress strips in 14 sizes to fit your nails, a 2 sided nail file and a handy booklet that shows you how to put it on and also shows all of the different styles. In this it does say that there is no mess and no drying needed but I think that these do cause a little bit of a mess because these nails are very long and you need to trim them to fit it to your nail. Before you put the nails on you should prep your nails with nail polish remover or with alcohol. Apply as close as you can to the cuticle for best look and enjoy! The suggested retail price in Canada is $10.99. It has been available since February 1st and it is selling in drugstores and mass retailers across Canada.

Download the show
This week we review Almay Smart Shade Blush, and L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstickin the universally flattering Aishwarya Beige (named for Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai). We also talk about the price of shaving razors, and answer the question, how many blades is enough???

Reality Check:Our friend Darren Barefoot recently posted about the Burqini, a bikini for Islamic women. This body-covering swim suit is selling-out online, and gaining popularity with non-Muslim women of all ages.

We will be back in *two weeks* with the next show (Airdrie is having a short holiday with the family before Derek’s next round of chemotherapy starts mid-October)

Thanks for your continued emails and support of the show via the tip-jar.