For smooth lips wrap a make up wipe around your finger, and gently scrub dry chapped skin from your lips. Once all the dry skin is removed, apply a lip balm to lock in moisture and keep lips looking soft and supple.

Last night at the Golden Globes most celebrities seemed to opt for a fresh faced look. Light to medium toned lips were very popular with a few exceptions. Christina Hendricks showed off a bright red lip which was a huge contrast to her fair skin, but it made her eyes pop nicely. Zoe Saldana and Olivia Wilde’s soft smoky eyes weren’t overly dramatic. I like the elongated shape that created a cat eye look. Kate Hudson’s skin looked tan and glowy as always. Her tan skin worked really well with her blonde hair and white Marchesa dress. Lea Michelle has been working the red carpet all over the place this past week and looking lovely. With her naturally stand out features I liked her subtle eyes, and pale pink lips. Christina Aguilera looked so polished. I always like it when she takes a break from the fire engine red lips! Her eye make up was defined and blended with matte textured earth tones. A little shading under the cheekbones, and a natural looking lip. She looked so modern and beautiful. Christina was one of my favourite’s of the night.

Who did you think looked the best at the Golden Globes?

Images from justjared.com

The Beaute Weightless Lip Creme is exactly that, weightless. This liquid lipstick feels like nothing on your lips. It goes on really smooth and even, and delivers an opaque semi matte  finish. I don’t find it extremely long wearing, but touching up is easy as it comes with a doe foot applicator. Mango Butter and Vitamin E mean that your lips feel moisturized. There’s also an ingredient that stimulates collagen for plumper looking lips. I wear the colour Severine which is the perfect yellow based beige brown. Another fabulous addition to my nude lip collection!

In a society that rarely puts models on the cover of fashion magazines, it’s not a shock when we have two major design houses following suit by using celebrity faces. Madonna for Louis Vuitton, and Jennifer Connelly for Balenciaga, both who have been used before for these labels. the LV campaign has been criticised  for the heavy use of  photoshop. However I think what stands out besides Madonna, and what makes the images beautiful is the use of high dynamic range photography.

As for Jennifer Connelly, she maybe an actress now but she didn’t start off that way. She modelled during her youth, before she began her acting career. It’s easy to see why: her unique features can carry off the big make up and hair like a pro. In this case model or celebrity doesn’t really matter because both campaigns are flawless.

Before removing dark nail polish apply a salve on cuticles and along the sides of nails. The salve acts as a barrier to prevent the polish from getting stuck in the cuticles and from staining the skin around the nail.

Image from chanel.com

Everybody knows that flawless looking skin is always in style. That’s why it is so important to start your makeup with a good concealer. And just like the name of the product, Dior’s Diorskin Nude Skin Perfecting Hydrating Concealer is just that – skin perfecting, hydrating and concealing. This is one of my favorite concealers. The texture of the product is super smooth and velvety with a lightweight, but buildable coverage. And it easily covers up my blemishes without feeling too heavy or cakey.

About five years ago I watched Francesca Tolot do a master class. Her demeanor was so sweet as she shared her tips with a quiet Italian accent. With her portfolio that included editorial pages from Italian Vogue and Glamour, her career in the USA started with a music video for Madonna. Since then she has worked with numerous celebrities: Christina Aguilera, Eva Longoria, Catherine Zeta-Jones, to my favourite Beyonce. The two have been working together for a few years, and Francesca can be accredited for some of Beyonce’s best make up moments. Beyonce’s latest videos and CD cover for I Am Sasha Fierce, as well as the stunning looks in the movie Dream Girls, are all the work of Francesca Tolot.

http://www.francescatolot.com/

Two hair styles that really stand out for Fall 2009, are the super sleek Robert Palmer look or great waves. Both of these looks showed up on runways across all four capitals. After consulting with my “go to hair girl”,  she gave me a few fool proof tricks to recreate these of the moment styles.

Runway waves:

1. Start from the underneath and separate big sections.

2. Hold your curling iron horizontally and with a light hand if you’re trying to get a loose look. Hold the curling iron tighter for a more sculpted look.

3. Finish with a good dose of aerosol hairspray. Try Redken Forceful 23, it gives incredible hold without a stiff finish.

Sleek tres chic:

1. Starting with damp hair work gel in from roots to ends. Try Bumble and Bumble Bb Gel, it’s a modern take on a classic.

2. Using a fine tooth comb part hair and gather to the back, twist and pin.

3.  Apply a little more gel to the surface to get that immaculate shiny finish, and air dry.

Images from style.com

Good brows are essential to every face. For girls such as myself, the trick is to have brows that look naturally groomed and not painted on. Usually an eyeshadow and an angle brush can pretty much deliver a natural looking brow, but I do prefer the convenience of a pencil. The Lancome Powder Pencil is an ideal combination of a shadow and a pencil all in one. The texture is really smooth unlike many brow pencils that are so hard you can barely apply them without hurting yourself. It wears for hours without smudging, and instead of a rather dodgy angle brush attached to the other end, you get a brow comb that will soften the pencil so your brows look fantastic.

Leona Lewis’ latest album cover is absolutely gorgeous. She couldn’t look more perfect — everything from the lips to the hair is enviable. We put together some products that we thought would recreate the look. Starting with the reddish glossy lip try Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Wine with Everything topped off with MAC Glimmerglass in Bling Black. The gloss is a translucent black with a gold shimmer that looks so beautiful on top of red. To get the wet look on the eyes MAC Gloss is going to deliver that glass like shine. However, don’t expect it to stay looking like the picture because it’s gloss and it will move and crease. For a more long lasting look try applying the gloss only under the brow as a highlight. Contour the cheekbones with MAC Taupe blush, because it has a cool undertone and it will resemble a shadow rather than a bronzed glowy look. Finally we recommend Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream to smooth down unruly locks.

Image from justjared.com

As Fashion month comes to an end we thought we’d look back at some of the best dressed celebs that sat front row. If we were to give an award for most innovative outfits, hair and make up it would have to go to Rhianna. She might as well have been on the runway because she represented each show she went to so impeccably. This season saw an influx of young hollywood attending the shows and not just in New York, where Lauren Conrad was seen at 3.1 Philip Lim. With the exception of MK Olsen, who with her sister can always be spotted front row in Paris. Leighton Meester was at Louis Vuitton, Jessica Stroup at Vivienne Westwood, and Rachel Bilson at Ferragamo. Victoria Beckham looked perfectly posh at Burberry London compared to the fresh new face of the brand Emma Watson. For the rest of us we’re going to have to wait until next year to get our hands on the Spring trends, and rewind back to AW 09.

Images from justjared.com and style.com

When it comes to cosmetics I love my prestige brands-Dior, Chanel, YSL, and then the make-up artist brands MAC, NARS, Make Up Forever. But every once in awhile I’ll come across something, for a fraction of the price of the other brands, that meets my high standards. Currently the above four products are in my make up bag.

Rosebud Salve is a no brainer everyone knows this is one of the best on the market it’s been around for over a century. It smells and feels fantastic. Not to mention it’s multi purpose features, soothes burns, moisturizers dry skin anywhere on the body, and looks great on the lips.

I just tried the Revlon Colourstay Liquid Liner Pen recently. What I like the best about it is that it really does stay on. The smudge proof claim is for real. The felt tip pen makes for really easy and precise application. I just had to give it a shake to keep the product flowing during application. Honestly, I have to do that with my MAC one which costs three times the price.

L’oreal Lash Explosion I picked up in London because it’s not available in Canada right now. The hype around the spiky ball shaped applicator pulled me in. The shape of the applicator gives you easier access to those short inner lashes, it also separates and fans the lashes out quite nicely.

Joe Fresh Lip Gloss which is of course Canadian, and available at Real Canadian Superstore is probably my favourite budget buy. I love the clear dual vial packaging which makes it look more expensive, and I love that there is no frost or sparkle in it. Just a creamy glossy look, which I feel is the most modern fashion forward way to wear gloss. And the smooth non sticky feel is ever so comfortable. The colours are really straight forward and have very clean undertones.

You can buy all four of those and it will only set you back about $40-now that’s credit crunch pricing.

The most common misconception when it comes to contouring the face is where on the face to shade and highlight.  Most people think that you need to draw a diagonal line from your ear to the corner of your lip. The reason people think this way is because when we look at ourselves straight on, the cheekbone appears to be on a diagonal. We get the illusion of a diagonal line because we’re 3 dimensional. The best way to figure out placement is to feel for your cheekbone with your fingers. You will see that it actually runs across the face, and then turn to the side to see yourself in profile.

Before you get started you will need the following things:

1. A dark colour for shading in either a cream or powder, and it should be two to three shades darker than your skin tone but in the same undertone. If you choose to use powder it should be matte.

2. A light colour for highlighting in either a cream or powder. The colour can be considerably  lighter than your skin depending on how much you want it to show. The highlighter can be matte or shimmer depending on the effect you want to achieve.

3. An angled or medium sized blush brush. Using a angled blush brush makes shading much easier as the angle of the brush will fit perfectly under the cheekbone.

Here’s our simple step by step guide to create prominent cheekbones:

1. Using the angled part of the brush and your darkest colour, sweep under the cheekbone starting close to the ear and finishing with the brush leaving your face.(#1 in above image) Repeat until you get desired intensity.

2. Dust off the dark colour on a tissue before picking up the highlight colour.

3. Apply the highlight colour to the top of the cheekbone by gently tapping or brushing. (#2 in above image)

Anywhere you shade with a darker colour will recede and what you highlight will be brought forward. Remember to do both to beautifully contour your cheeks.

I have been wearing Stella McCartney ever since it came out years ago. I’ve been through two bottles of the original, one bottle of the sheer version, and I still have a few of the roll on travel vials which are so convenient. So of course I have to try the recently launched Nude. Like the original Nude is a floral scent. A few of the notes are Moroccan Rose, Grapefruit, and White Peony. I like the vanilla which adds a little bit of sweetness. I don’t mind that they kept the bottle shape the same since the colour is different it seems modern and new.

I first met Alla Kostromicheva this season in London at Christopher Kane. I did her make up again the next day at Jonathan Saunders, I thought to myself I like this girl she’s down to earth, easy to chat with and most importantly has striking features. She’s walked a ton of runways for Spring 2010 from Alexander Wang in New York to Balenciaga just yesterday in Paris. Alla’s pictures in the latest issue of 10 magazine are nothing short of amazing-she is for sure my model of the moment.

Images from style.com and models.com

The International Collections next stop after London is Milan. Italy never disappoints. You are guaranteed to get smoking hot girls storming down the runway. The exact ingredients for such a look are simple: flawless skin, precisely groomed brows, sultry eyes, and plump lips. All the major Italian fashion houses seemed to cook up this concoction of make up, though the end results varied the theme was the same… STUNNING. Milan ended on Tuesday, it’s time to say bonjour to Paris.

Images from style.com

Every girl wants long, thick, luscious lashes. But like me, many women are have short straight eye lashes and have trouble keeping them curled. If you’re not born with long lashes, here are 3 different tips that can make your eyes really pop:

1. Use a good eyelash curler. I love my Shiseido Eyelash curler and have used it for years. Shu Uemura also makes a good one. To make the lashes look natural, curl lashes in three steps, starting from the roots and working outward. Then finish with waterproof mascara. If you don’t use waterproof mascara your lashes will start to droop and loose the curl so this is a must! And don’t forget that you must use an oil based cleanser to take the waterproof mascara off.

2. Get an eyelash perm. This is a great option if you have long straight lashes. The perm is fairly inexpensive and can last from 1 to 2 months. Then you can use whatever mascara you like. My sister has these and it looks fantastic.

3. Eyelash extensions. Me and every other Hollywood celebrity is obsessed with eyelash extensions. And once you’ve had them they can be very addictive because they make your eyes really pop but in a natural way unlike strip lashes. Eyelash extensions are glued on lash by lash onto each one of your natural lashes. The extensions also falls out with your natural lashes. The price isn’t the cheapest, but I think it is worth every penny. You can get a full set from $80 to upwards of $200, but the fill is usually about half the price and should be done every 3-4 weeks. If you have straight lashes make sure you request a curlier lash like a C curl or a Super Curl, not a J curl which will make your lashes stick straight out instead of up.

Image from justjared.com

The return of the Volcanic Ash Exfoliator was much anticipated. This product was well loved before when it originally launched over a year ago. Now it’s even better than last time, packaged in a convenient squeezable tube rather than a messy jar. What makes this such a star product is the volcanic ash and sugar crystals that scrub away any dry or rough skin anywhere on the face or body. Actual volcanic ash has a high sulphur content which is known to resist and even prevent bacteria, which means healthy looking skin. The Thermal Mask is also formulated with volcanic ash, and like the exfoliator it’s very thick and jet black in colour. They don’t call it thermal for nothing. As soon as I applied it to my wet face I could feel the heat! Having left it on for about 3 minutes I rinsed it off, and the results were immediate-super soft smooth skin. Like all good things that don’t last, these products are both limited edition so hurry and pick them up.

I have just returned from my favourite city that was celebrating twenty five years of fashion week-London was amazing! In contrast to New York, London is known for it’s edgier more hard hitting street style both on and off the runway. The make up for Spring Summer 2010 was not really about looking tan and perfect but more about creating a statement. Burberry has been revived from it’s stuffy old English history to be youthful and fresh. At Jonathan Saunders we perfected and slightly paled out the skin so the models looked almost waxy. Virtually every girl had her eyebrows bleached to non existence. Lips were toned down with concealer except the very inner part which had bright red and deep currant coloured liners applied to the mouth, very “new moon” style. What’s a London runway without colour? Marios Schwab, Luella, and Richard Nicholl had variations on colour from soft to bright. Erdem gave us long lush lashes. Now Milan is in full swing get ready for heavy doses of glamour.

Images from style.com

Red lips are everywhere! It seems like every beauty ad, tv show and award show are featuring women wearing red lipstick. With all of the 80′s trends that are so hot right now, the red lips make total sense. I don’t know if it’s because red is on my radar, but Blake Lively’s gorgeous red gown and Philip’s Lim’s Spring Summer 2010 collection — just to mention a few — make it seem like we’re going to be seeing a lot more red in the upcoming seasons. My 2 favourite red lipsticks this season so far are: Nars lipstick in Red Lizzard and MAC’s lipstick in Lady Danger. For a longer lasting red lip make sure you line your lips with a long wearing or waterproof liner like Givenchy’s lip liner in #07 Blackberry or MAC Cremestick liner in Red Enriched.

Images from style.com and justjared.com