There are only a few months left of Winter and because Spring is not officially here, we’re in between seasons. I think this is the perfect time for a fresh faced natural look. Chloe, Stella McCartney, and Phi (RIP) SS 10, all had excellent examples of the no make up, make up look. I recommend starting with a perfect canvas. Using my usual concoction of a hydrating mist and moisturizer followed by concealer on any unwanted blemishes, and under eye circles. Powder the T-zone but leave the cheeks for a natural sheen. Brush through brows with a clear gel to keep them in place. Curl lashes and add a good dose or lengthening mascara to make the eyes pop. A touch of tinted lip conditioner on lips and you’re good to go.

What’s your routine for natural make up?

Images from style.com

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

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

We say au revoir to the Spring shows as Paris concludes a whirl wind month of fashion. Paris surpassed all expectations this season the inspiration behind each make up look was so intriguing. McQueen was just insane, the models faces looked like prosthetics, and I can’t even imagine how long it took to braid the hair. The skin at Chayalan was so ethereal and beautiful, and then the surprises really came with LV and those massive afros and what looked like pizza oven burns on the girls faces, and Dior with the lavender eyes and ruby red lips was simply adorable. No two runways are the same in Paris, this city sets the trends for the whole fashion world.

Images from style.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.

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

Chris Nicholls is a fantastic fashion photographer that works out of Toronto and New York. No doubt you have seen his photos in Elle, Flare, and Fashion. He was also a featured photographer on an episode of this past season’s Canada’s Next Top Model. His lighting is amazing and always makes the model’s skin look so luminescent. How beautiful!

This is the question that plagues so many women. If your skin is dry this is definitely less of a problem but if you have oily skin then your make up has a tendency to slide. Make sure you start with a good base for your makeup to stick to. My favorite primer is the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Creme products can also help your makeup go a lot further. Try the YSL water proof cream shadow, the Stila convertible colour for your cheeks and of course some oil absorbing papers to get rid of any extra oiliness and shine.

It is really important to keep make up brushes as clean as possible since they are touching your face on a daily basis. I recommend doing a deep clean once a week by diluting a small amount of brush shampoo (enough to cover the brush hair but not too much that the handle is submerged) in water. Try Bare Escentuals Brush Conditioning Shampoo or Sephora Purifying Brush Shampoo. Let the brushes sit in the cleaning solution for about a minute, then rinse under the tap until the water runs clean. Reshape the hairs and lay flat to dry hanging off a table top so the air can circulate. It’s best to do this process in the evening so your brushes are ready to go for the next morning. If it’s a quick clean your are looking for, alcohol based cleaners like Smash Box Brush Cleaner or Cover FX Brush Cleanser can be poured onto a tissue, and then you can wipe the brush back and forth until the hairs are clean.

It’s a season of metals: gold, silver, copper and bronze.  Everything from eyelids to leggings has been cast with glitz and glimmer.  The application and the warm brown tones of the make up seen at Alessandro Dell’ Aqua was reminiscent of the eighties. Recreate the strong shading under the cheekbones with a bronzing powder that has a copper undertone, and top it off with the Bobbi Brown limited edition copper diamond shimmer brick.  For molten liquid looking lips look no further than Make Up Forever’s metallic sand lipstick with just a touch of clear gloss on top.  Keep your look modern with flawless matte foundation to contrast the shine and tie the look together.  All that glitters isn’t gold!

Images from style.com and netaporter.com

M.A.C. Cosmetics has collaborated with Jin Soon Choi, a New York based celebrity and editorial manicurist to create 6 new stunning colours for fall. Product has just hit the stores so make sure you get in there before they run out. Top Row: Cool Reserve, Dance All Night and Dry Martini. Bottom row: For Fun, Rich Dark Delicious and Beyond Jealous.

The new Fall season is certainly looking like a make up extravaganza.  With almost every feature being focused on, as seen above at Gucci, this is definitely the time to go big with your make up.  Exact replicas are not recommended- stay tuned for tips on toned down versions!

Image from style.com

Apply eyeshadow as brow highlight before defining the eyebrow, for a more seamless natural look.

Image from streeters.com

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about blush…

1. For an everyday make up, colours like pink, peach, plum, or red look the best when applied to the apple (the fullest part) of the cheek.

2. Bronze, caramel, and taupe shades are perfect for sculpting cheekbones and can be applied under the bone.

3. Add dimension to the face by lightly dusting beige, pale pink, gold or silver to the tops of the cheekbone.

4. Use the right tool!  Round soft brushes are best for the apple of the cheeks where as a flat or angled  brush is best for sculpting cheekbones.

5. Cream vs powder? The majority of women use powder blush under the assumption that the application is easier. Cream blush can be just as simple, use a small amount on a brush and then buff into the skin.   The result is actually more natural than a powder since cream mimics the natural sheen of skin.

Image from models.com

Kohl eye liner is centuries old and far from a trend but an industry standard.  The best kohls are creamy enough to smudge out to create a smoky eyeliner, but can also achieve a perfectly defined line too. Keep the line tight to the lash line for a slightly understated look, or blend it out towards the crease of the eye for more drama.  The more you smudge the line the smokier it gets.  The best tools to use are medium density brushes that can work the kohl until there are no hard edges.  The key to a perfect smoky eye is whatever you do on the top do on the bottom. Here’s how to get the look in a few quick steps:

1. Line the entire eye with the kohl top and bottom.

2. Using a pencil brush smudge over the liner until the line dissipates.

3. Apply a dark shadow on top of the smudgy liner to create more intensity and longer wear.

4. Blend the shadow out with a soft haired brush so there are no hard lines.

5. Apply the kohl to the top and bottom water line to completely encase the eye.

6. Highlight the brow bone and finish with mascara.

I discovered Crealine while working in Paris during Fashion Week. Models tend to have sensitive skin, especially by the time they get to Paris having done Milan, London, and New York. Anything that touches their skin has to be extremely gentle. This make-up remover and cleansing solution is so mild it won’t irritate even the most sensitive skin and the cucumber extract leaves the skin feel soothed. It’s non foaming, and soap free, and can be applied to a cotton pad for fast make up removal.

What’s so great about EA 8 hour cream? It’s jam packed with super moisturizing ingredients like petrolatum and vitamin E. This original skin protectant dates way back to the 1930’s and is still a staple in any savvy make up artists kit. The emollient texture leaves dry skin anywhere on the face or body feeling soothed and hydrated. Because of it’s natural sheen, Backstage it’s often used to highlight the high planes of models faces, gloss lips, and tame brows.