Check out Make-up Junkie's extensive post on the gift of gloss this upcoming season! I got to test-run Benefit's Peace, Love & Glossiness set and it's definitely an item that will be on many a wish list. Gloss on!
Benefit's Peace, Love and Glossiness makes the perfect Christmas gift of gloss this holiday season! Lip gloss fanatics and Makeup Junkies will love the set of 3 gloss duos that contain 6 of Benefit’s most popular lips glosses with such irresistable names: 1. My people, Your people, 2. Talk To My Agent, 3. 24K, 4. Who Does Your Work?, 5. Magic, and 6. Kiss You.

Shine-on with Smart Packaging
I test ran the lip glosses this week wearing it from my daytime job to a night out. I did touch up mid-day after lunch to keep the lips looking glossy-fresh. The shine of one application was just right for an all-day look and perfectly suitable for a corporate office, where you may want to ensure co-workers are not distracted by over-glossed and gooey lips. What's great is that you can easily change up your look for evening with any of the alternate glosses in the set, and all you have to carry is one tube for 2 different looks! Well, unless of course you’re a super junkie and want all 6 glosses handy!! (Guilty as charged).

Stick factor
The glosses have just the right amount of stick to give a great shine, keep the product where it belongs, and not catch your hair as it blows in the wind! The downside of not being too sticky is that a midday touch-up is likely necessary, as the product will tend to wear away sooner than an overly sticky gloss.

Smell
It does have a slight fragrance-y smell that was initially noticeable. I tend to use products without fragrance (as a personal preference), but overall the smell was negligible and not unpleasant.

Benefit's Peace, Love & Glossiness set is limited edition only and at a steal of price of $30 for the six glosses, it's surely not going to stay on store shelves very long! It definitely makes a great gift, but be careful when buying it that you don’t end up keeping it for yourself!

Available at Sephora, Shoppers Drug Mart or online at www.benefitcosmetics.com

Read the full post at Make-up Junkie.

Today in Toronto, we had one of the coldest days yet this fall season which served as a quick reminder of the chilly winter months ahead. Winter weather is something that I (and my skin) can never get used to. The colder and drier temperatures tend to make my skin dull and dry. So to avoid the winter skin blues, other than diligently applying moisturizer, I use bronzer and/or highlighter to add a glow to otherwise lacklustre skin. Bronzers and highlighters aren't seasonal products that are only limited to the warmer summer months. Rather, they can be used all year-round, as glowing skin never goes out of season!

I love MAC Mineralize Skinfinish powders for achieving this effect, but another favourite product that's available at your local drugstore (at a fraction of the cost) is Bonne Belle's Glimmer Bronze. Glimmer Bronze goes for only about $6 per container, and the effect it achieves is priceless. You only need a tiny amount per application (remember starting off with less and building layers is always better than ending up looking like one of King Midas's victims!) . Use Glimmer Bronze with a clean blush brush (a powder brush will be too big). Sweep the powder atop the cheekbone to bring this area of the face forward and to get your glow on!

Q: Help! No matter what product I seem to try, my eye make-up seems to have a mind of its own and give me raccoon eyes by mid-day. What products or make-up artist secrets are there to keep my eye make-up from wandering?

A: Here are a couple of tips that I abide by, especially with my bridal clients who require extended wear from their make-up application:

1. Use waterproof products to minimize any eye make-up transfer.
Waterproof mascaras, liquid liners and gel liners are at the top of my list for waterproof/water-resistant eye make-up. If you prefer pencil eyeliner, opt for a waterproof formula. I swear by the Make-up Forever Aqua Eyes collection.

2. Pat the eyelid area with some translucent powder or your powdered foundation.
Some women tend to have eyelids that are more on the oily side (nothing wrong with that – more natural moisture also means being less prone to wrinkles!). Dusting some loose powder on the lids will help to keep your eye make-up in its place and also act as a great base for eyeshadow application.

3. Use concealer to camouflage any darkness under the eye and set with a light dusting of powder.
Without concealer, migrating eye make-up will only make undereye circles look darker. When you’re doing eye make-up, remember to think it from a full 360° viewpoint: the eyebrows, eyelid and undereye area all play their part in framing the eye and need to be properly maintained for a make-up look fit for the pros! Applying some concealer and powder under the eye will also help act as a barrier to keep migrating eye make-up in check.

4. Avoid lining the inner rim (aka the waterline) with eyeliner.
Yes, lining the inner rim makes an undoubtedly gorgeous smoky eye look, but the look only stays fresh for as long as the liner stays put (usually a maximum of 3-4 hours). This area of the eye is naturally “wet” and is a high transfer area. Once the eyeliner starts heading down south, the look can transition from smoky to spooky. Be prepared with some q-tips, concealer and eyeliner to do a touch-up throughout the day.
Alternate option: Skip lining on the inner rim and try lining just below the waterline, right at the root of the bottom eyelashes. I like to use either a brush-tipped liquid liner or a combination of an angled synthetic eyeliner brush with gel liner to get a precise (and water-resistant!) line in this area.

5. Bring a mini-touch up kit.
Particularly if you can’t let go of the inner rim lining, pack some items in your make-up kit for a quick touch-up at lunch time. Some q-tips, undereye concealer and your trusted eyeliner are some of the items you can include to keep your smoky eyes looking their best!

For related eye make-up tips, see:
ARTIST TIP | Mastering the Smoky Eye Without the Mess (Part I)
ARTIST TIP | Mastering the Smoky Eye Without the Mess (Part II)
BEAUTY 101 | The Basics of Concealer
Q & A | How to Cover Undereye Circles
Q & A | Choosing the Right Eyeliner Product For You

Once you convert to using eye make-up brushes, you can never revert back to using eyeshadow applicators or your fingers! Here are some of my fave brushes, at the lower end and higher end price range. You can decide whether to go for the splurge or the steal (I went for both!):

Crown C138 Round Countour Brush ($3) vs. Inglot Crease Brush ($18)
The crease brush is one of those products that changed my life. Seriously. Particularly for my Asian eyes, the crease brush is perfect for adding dimension and building depth into the crease. Other eyeshadow brushes just don't do the same justice as this pencil tip does. I love Inglot's crease brush for the tapered and stiff brush tip, and the Crown brush C138, even though shorter handled, is a suitable replacement. Imagine though - for the price of one Inglot brush, you can get 6 of the Crown brushes! Yes, this one's a no-brainer.
The verdict: Steal!

Crown BK16 Mini Smudger Brush ($3) vs. Dior Backstage Eyeliner Brush ($25 US)
Dior's Eyeliner Brush is a personal fave for lining the eyes for a sultry, smoky look. The Crown brush achieves the effect just as well, but the bristles aren't as tapered so you have to use a lighter hand in application. Both brushes are perfect for smudging, and work great at lining the eyes when used wet with eyeshadow. I still prefer the Dior brush in this case as the tapered edge makes it easier to draw fine lines...and I'm a sucker for the nice packaging too!
The verdict: Splurge!

Elegant Faces Blender Brush ($13) vs MAC #224 Tapered Blending Brush ($33.50)The tapered blending brush is another brush that made eyeshadow applications easier. I'm a huge fan of blending and prefer a non-powdery look to the eyeshadow. Before the blender brush I was using my finger or a small dome eyeshadow brush to do all the softening of the applied colours. The tapered blending brush is perfect for achieving that diffused look so you can't see any harsh distinctions between where one eyeshadow begins and ends. I love both of these blending brushes: I use the Elegant Faces one for smaller-eyed beauties, and the MAC one for larger-eyed beauties. The blender brush is also great for lightly dusting on powder and setting undereye concealer without making it look too cakey.
The verdict: Splurge and steal!

Crown Mascara Fan Brush ($3) vs. MAC #205 Mascara Fan Brush ($20)
The mascara fan brush - such a simple idea that works! Use it when you're applying mascara to evenly distribute the mascara and immediately get rid of any visible clumps. I believe the MAC mascara fan brush is only available through the Pro stores. At only $3 a brush, the Crown version is definitely the better deal - and you can stock up instead of paying the price of one higher end equivalent!
The verdict: Steal!

Ok so we all know and love the benefit of quality brushes for our make-up application, but that doesn't mean we have the same fuzzy feeling about the prices usually associated with them. I had been anticipating the Canadian Make-up Show in order to stock up on Crown brushes (among other highly coveted make-up goods) . A grand total of 45 minutes at the Crown booth, a swipe of the card and a bag of goodies later - I was a happy camper!

I've spent a lot on brushes throughout the years - some worth the cost, some not so much. Crown Brushes and Elegant Faces are two great places to check out for affordable and good quality brushes. At the Crown booth, I didn't see a brush more expensive than $15! I know - I was in awe. I walked away with absolute steals for the prices I paid (I felt like I was the woman in the IKEA commercial! "Start the car! Start the car!") For the aspiring artist, it's always great to have multiple back-up sets of brushes, especially when you do weddings and group appointments. Here are some recent additions to my kit from from Crown and Elegant Faces and their comparable higher end counterpart:

Elegant Faces Foundation Brush ($24) vs. MAC #190 Foundation Brush ($38.50)
Both brushes have a concentrated amount of synthetic bristles that taper towards the tip and make them perfect for blending. I equally like the way foundation glides on with both of these brushes, but with the price difference the obvious favourite is the Elegant Faces Foundation brush (top brush above).
The verdict: Steal!

Crown C309 Studio Professional Jumbo Chisel Powder Brush ($10) vs. MAC #150 Large Powder Brush ($50.50)
The Crown Brush (top brush in picture above) is shorter handled, but has a concentrated amount of soft natural hair bristles just like the MAC Large Powder Brush (bottom brush). To build up powder coverage or apply a light dusting of powder, the Crown Brush is just as effective and definitely a better deal! Go for the steal!
The verdict: Steal!

Crown B2K Luna Series Unique Pointed Dome Brush ($9) vs. MAC #129 Blush Brush ($41)
I love MAC's Blush Brush for the soft-rounded dome that allows for smooth blush application when both contouring or dusting the apples of the cheeks. Crown's Pointed Dome Brush is a comparable equivalent and blends just as well, but I'll admit that although the bristles are soft, they're not as soft as the bristles of the MAC brush. For the $40 difference in price, you can decide if it's a worthy trade-off!
The verdict: Steal!

Crown Badger Kabuki Brush ($8) vs. MAC #182 Buffer Brush ($55)
In this case, the MAC Buffer Brush is a clear winner. Yes, the difference in price should ensure there is a definite difference in quality, but you just need to rub your fingers across it to feel how soft it is and see how it has the most concentration of hairs. I also like how the MAC Buffer Brush has a taller handle and shorter bristles, which makes it perfect for buffing. The bristles of the Crown Kabuki are quite soft as well, but much too long for buffing the face. Either way you choose, this brush is a great addition to the kit for any make-up artist - just smooth the brush over your client's face after the application for a mini-massage treat!
The verdict: Splurge!

Check back as I'll also do a comparison post for eye make-up brushes!