Face Primers

About 2 years ago, my oldest sister Shannon introduced me to Smashbox's Photo Finish Foundation Primer. I had used other primers before, but this one works amazing. I use the clear one and even if you don't wear makeup, it makes your skin look perfect. It blurs fine lines and makes pores disappear, as well as make your skin look soft and smooth. They come in different shades for different corrections.

The colours are:

Clear - Obviously clear (this is the most popular one)
Light - A light version of the clear (for oily skin)
Apricot- This one has SPF 15 but dries clear
Green- Minimizes redness (great for rosacea)
Lavender- For natural yellow skintones
Apricot colour blend- Conceals under eye circles, veins, sunspots
Bronze- To give your face a tan glow
Luminizing- Sheer luminous gold to brighten dull skin

The green is great for rosacea as green is opposite on the colour wheel from red, it neutralizes your face which sets a perfect base for your makeup. People of all ages can use this, whether they're 13 or 133.

Makeup swapping for summer plus my favourite summer songs!

I went boating at Christina Lake for the first time of the year yesterday, so I think it's safe to say that summer is on the way. It's time for swapping our winter makeup/skincare to our summer stuff!

1. Instead of using a liquid foundation, use a tinted moisturizer or mineral makeup. The great things about most mineral makeups and tinted moisturizers is that they usually have SPF 15, which is so important, you don't want to walk around like a lobster all summer. I like: Victoria's Secret Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, Bare Minerals mineral makeup. Nice and light for summer.

2. Instead of heavy black eyeliner, switch to a chocolate brown or bronze. I see way too many girls that overdo the black liner and it makes them look really harsh. It doesn't look sexy, it looks like a raccoon. In the summer, shimmery bronze accents all eye colours and goes great with a (fake!!) tan. I like: Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Baked.

3. Instead of pink blush, do coral, bronze or peach. It gives you a warm, tanned glow and looks so summery and healthy. I love pink blush for winter and spring, but warm peachy shades look amazing this time of year. I like: Hard Candy's Fox In A Box in Skinny Dipping, Physician's Formula multi coloured bronzer in Light,  NARS blush in Orgasm.

4. Instead of lipstick or sticky lip gloss try a (tinted, if you like) lip balm with SPF. Lips can burn so easily and why not look good while protecting your lips? I like: Burt's Bees Lifeguard's Choice Weatherproofing Lip Balm, ChapIce squeezy tube lip balm SPF 15.

5. Instead of regular mascara, switch to a waterproof one. Because even sweat can make it run. I like the kind that makes tubes around your lashes, they're sweatproof, but not waterproof. If I swim, I like Dior. I like: Maybelline Beauty Tubes Mascara, Dior DiorShow Blackout Waterproof Mascara.

6. Instead of cool toned eyeshadows like purple switch to golds, bronzes and browns. Because it looks good. I like: Sephora Baked Moonshadow trio in Sunbaked, MAC eyeshadow in Woodwinked.

7. Instead of regular moisturizer, use a coconut scented moisturizer or a shimmery gold moisturizer. I like: The Body Shop's Body Butter in Coconut, Victoria's Secret Tan Enhancing Shimmer Lotion with Tint.

8. Instead of light toenail polish colours, do a hot bright colour! It's summer, time for fun and leave the shy, boring colours at home. You want hot pink, coral, orange, bright blue, bright purple and shimmer! I like: OPI's Show It And Glow It, OPI's Mad Hatter, OPI's Shorts Story.

Hope this gets you all ready for summer time, I've got my bikinis and my Justin Bieber beach towel that Tina gave me as a gift (HAH!) and my flip flops. Don't forget a rockin summer playlist on your ipod. My best Summer songs:

1. Boys Boys Boys - Lady Gaga
2. Boys Of Summer- The Ataris
3. I'm On A Boat- The Lonely Island
4. California Girls- The Beach Boys
5. Girl At The Rock show- Blink 182
6. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun- Cindy Lauper
7. Blow- Kesha
8. Party In The USA- Miley Cyrus
9. Cowboy- Kid Rock
10. All Summer Long- Kid Rock
11. Baby- Justin Bieber
12.  Baby I Love Your Way- Bob Marley
13. Island In The Sun- Weezer
14. Take It Off- Kesha
15. California - Wave
16. Summer Girl- Stereos
17. Cruel Summer- Ace Of Base
18. Rockstar- Nickelback
19. Teach Me How To Dougie
20. Don't Stop Believing- Journey

All right, you're all set. Have a safe and fun filled summer!

xoxo

Set your makeup and reduce oil and shine for 16 hours?!

While I was in Sephora recently, I grabbed a bottle of Urban Decay's De-Slick makeup setting spray. It claims to reduce oil on your skin and set your makeup for up to 16 hours. It won't clog pores or cause breakouts. I jumped at the chance, because I have pretty shiny skin. (which I'll love when I'm older because people with oily skin age better).

The bottle looks okay, nothing overly great and Sephora has a great return policy so if I hated it, it can go back. There's a few tricks you have to know before you use it, write a bad review and return it.

1. You MUST shake the bottle before you spray it onto your skin, or else it won't activate.

2. Always spray AFTER you moisturize.

3. Spray 2-6 times about 8 inches away from your face.

4. Allow to dry and apply your primer, then your makeup.

5. Spray 3 times again about 8 inches away.

6. Done!

PS Don't spray too close to your face, or else it will actually make you look even shiner. You need to be about 8 inches away, not 2 inches.

I wore this during a fairly hot day while at work, then went for dinner with my work family, then went home and watched TV. At 10:30 when I was about to wash my face, I realized my makeup was still in place and my skin had a tiny bit of shine, but not nearly as much as it usually does. I'm impressed and excited. My skin didn't feel dry, either. Just not oily like usual. Amazing!

I know from online reviews, it's split about 50/50, some people love it, some people hate it. I think the people that hated it probably either didn't shake it, or applied under moisturizer or sprayed too close. I love it and will continue to buy it as long as it works for me.

Products I'm loving right now...

Time for another post about things I love and why...

1. Hard Candy Fox in a Box in Skinny Dipping. The orange/brown combo looks intimidating, but when mixed together it makes a beautiful coral colour. Orange is generally a colour most people don't want to achieve when it comes to makeup. However, it looks so gorgeous, and really brings out every eye colour. Wear high on the cheekbones and blend along the temples. Try it, I'm sure you'll love it.

2. Physician's formula multi coloured bronzer in light. This mixture of colours guarantees natural bronze colour, without turning you orange, muddy or sparkly. It's matte and even super pale people can get a gorgeous result. This is one of my favourites.

3. Urban Decay Heavy Metal eyeliner in gold. This is not for the faint of heart, but really adds drama to the eyes. I love glitter, so I'm a huge fan. These are larger sparkles, so it really stands out. Looks awesome with any eyecolour and looks amazing in the summer when the sun catches the light.

4. Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreen SPF 8. I wanted to get a sunscreen that had that summery coconut smell and this was it, they were out of SPF 20, but I use this as a body lotion because it reminds me of summer. It's so important to protect your skin, and I love how smooth my skin feels. It also doesn't clog pores.

5. Chap Ice Medicated Balm. This to me is alot like carmex, but doesn't smell as strong. I always have one in my purse. Really keeps your lips hydrated.

6. The Mint Sweeper/Washer. I know this isn't a beauty product, but I bought one the other day and I was surprised how amazing it worked! It fits under couches, and it was scary how much dust Mint had picked up. It programs itself to remember where walls are, so it won't continuously bump into them, but clean against them. It's quiet and it will wash the floor as well! You just wet the mircofiber cloth and hit the mop button. My dogs are a little weirded out, but they mainly just follow it around trying to figure out what it is. I love it!!

The horrors of at home box colour.

So I had someone ask me recently if box colour is really that bad or do I just hate it because I'm a hairstylist? The truth is, there are multiple reasons why I don't believe in box colour and I'll share those reasons with you, as well as post a few pictures to back it up.

1. There are many different things that are in box colours (like metallic shavings for one example) that can not only harm your hair, but also make it difficult to lift out of your hair if you decide you don't want that colour anymore.

2. There is no guarantee of the outcome. The box may say you'll be medium brown, but I've seen cases where the colour turned out red, ashy or even black.

3. The dye is very damaging for your hair because it's like a "one size fits all" sort of thing that's going on. At a salon, the hairstylist will custom make your hair colour so it's the least damaging for your hair, as well as take your natural undertones into consideration so it's best for the health of your hair.

4. When a professional colours your hair, they are able to get at every angle as well as not overlap (which causes further damage to your hair.)

I'm going to post some pictures of some girls that used box dye on their hair and had horrible allergic reactions...

In these cases, these girls not only had rashes and scabs that left scars, but had to cut all of their hair off as well. Truly horrifying.






xoxo

Sunscreen is the new tan.

With summer coming up, most of our makeup products change. We usually swap our normal mascara to the waterproof variety, foundation to tinted moisturizer and blush to bronzer. (I still prefer blush though.) But one of the most important things you should always use is sunscreen. Eminence makes an amazing sunscreen that is all natural and smells like vanilla. It's an SPF of 32 and increases the moisture in your skin by 200%! My skin just looks better having it on.

Before anyone gives me crap about always having a tan, I prefer to get my tan from a bottle and I'm not ashamed to say it. It's so important to use a sunscreen of at least SPF 30. While I know everyone wants a little bit of colour, there's so many sunless tanning options out there these days and you won't end up looking like a leather bag in a few short years.

Not only is tanning notorious for causing wrinkles and early aging, it's also very well known for causing skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer and can be deadly. Always wear sunscreen. If your concerned about Vitamin D, there's tons of supplements out these days, as well as having a good diet that's rich in vegetables. You'll thank yourself later when your skin is still looking good when you're in your 40's or 50's and when you're skin cancer free!

If this picture of Magda from There's Something About Mary doesn't turn you off from tanning, there's something seriously wrong.





xoxo

Something I'm very excited about...

Alright, it was going to be a surprise, but I can't keep it secret anymore. I am going to be offering airbrush makeup starting in May!!

What is airbrush makeup, you ask? It's exactly how it sounds, I use an airbrush and a compressor to add makeup to your face. The result is beautiful, natural and High Definition ready. There is no such thing as the wrong shade as I can custom mix colours to get your perfect foundation/blush/brow/eyeshadow shade.

Another feature I'm proud to say that I'll offer: This waterproof makeup can cover tattoos, scars, burns, hyperpigmentation, even rosacea! And it won't rub off on your white wedding dress either! It's long lasting, up to 24 hours!

Once I start playing around, I'll be personally testing it on myself and other people and I'll add before and after pictures for everyone to see.


xoxo

What is real beauty?

First off, I know it's been awhile. I've had some issues with my account not posting my posts, but it's all figured out and I'm back and better than ever!

I thought I would explain what real beauty is. When do you feel the most beautiful? What do you think being beautiful means? Do you think you're beautiful at all?

Beauty isn't about being tall and thin with perfect lips, eyes and cheekbones. With so many different races, we have so many different things we find beautiful. It isn't about being perfect. It's about celebrating your personal beauty and making the most of what you have.

Nobody else looks like you. Nobody has been through the same personal battles as you. Nobody knows you better than you, so what should you strive to look like everybody else?

Taking the time to apply makeup, wear cute clothes and style your hair doesn't mean you're being "shallow" or "fake".  It's taking the time to show the best you to the world. And feeling beautiful on the outside really makes you feel good inside. I know a lot of moms out there that put their kids first and don't feel like they have the time for themselves. I think it's commendable that they put their kids ahead of other priorities, however, you deserve some time for yourself as well. That doesn't mean you're selfish, it means you're balancing your life.

Looking your best can help your career and confident people are happy people. Take the time to learn to do your makeup to bring out your features, get your hair highlighted and get a flattering cut. Find out what kind of clothes flatter your figure. I guarantee that you will have a new spring in your step. Dress for success and people will treat you as a successful person.

I've met so many people that say that they don't think they are pretty, so why bother? That is so sad to me. There are so many ways to play around with makeup to bring out your eyes, cheeks, lips etc.  Your hair can make such a difference. A little bit of effort will make you feel pretty.  I can't stress this enough. This year is your year! Put the best you forward and start your makeover and you will realize how powerful it really is.



xoxo

The best powder in the world.

I have just GOT to share this with you! I bought Make Up For Ever's HD high definition powder from Sephora awhile back and it's the most amazing powder in the world. It's essentially a silica powder and it's super fine so you don't have a powdery mess when you touch up your face or set your makeup. It's ridiculously soft and makes your skin soft too. Not to mention, it makes you look beautifully airbrushed. It's translucent so this works on any skin tone. It doesn't setting into fine lines or wrinkles or clog pores. It actually blurs the look of imperfections! It's available in a travel size for $15 or full size for $30 at sephora.com. Try it, you'll love it!

Blush trends

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Blush makes you instantly prettier. Did you know that men are sub consciously drawn to pink cheeks? It signifies health and youthfulness, which men are hardwired to look for in a mate. So, after the long, icky winter we had, there's no better way to celebrate than to get yourself a new blush and prepare yourself for some admiring stares!

For oily or combination skin, use a powder blush. Some that I love:

Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish blush in Caught In The Act.

BeneFit Bella Bamba.

Nars blush in Desire.

For dry skin, try a cream blush. Try these:

Givenchy Gelee jelly blush.

Tarte cheek stain in Flush.

Urban Decay afterglow glide on cheek tint in Crush

Doesn't Kristen Bell look awesome with her pinky glow?



xoxo

Just another reason to say no to drugs.

Does anyone remember back in the day, when Lindsay Lohan wasn't drinking or doing drugs? No? Well, at one point, she was one of the highest paid stars in the business. Drugs and alcohol can really wreck havoc on your appearance, as well as your mental health, your relationships...etc. I'm feeling nostalgic, remember Lindsay in the Parent Trap?

Wasn't she just the cutest little thing? 

Isn't she gorgeous here? Nice, glowy skin, flattering makeup, gorgeous hair...

And here she is now. You're looking a little dead in the eyes there, Linds. 

Wouldn't it be great if I could do a makeover on her? Of course, she'd have to kick the drug and alcohol habit, have a few weeks worth of sleep to catch up and a few sessions of microdermabrasion to repair some of the extensive damage to her skin, before I would even consider working on her. But wouldn't she look so great with red hair and glowy skin like she used to have? You work on getting clean, Linds, and when you're ready to clean up your image, give me a call.

xoxo

Jogas!

I just have to do a post on this great coffee shop in my hometown. It's called Jogas, and Roger and Donna are the owners. I love them, they're like family. Not only did Donna make special Saint Patrick's day cupcakes for me, they even named a drink after me. It's called the "Ally Cupcake Latte." Isn't that just great of them? You guys are awesome! xoxo

The special Saint Patrick's day cupcakes that Donna made!

The "Ally Cupcake Latte." Isn't it beautiful?



xoxo

Robyn's awesome skills

I just have to post a few pictures of Robyn's designs on my nails. She's the owner and esthetician of the salon I work at. Check these out!

 Coloured laser strings! I was the first to have them ;)

 Tinkerbell nails for Halloween

  Rainbow polka dot nails

  Christmas nails with smiley snowmen

 Valentine's day nails!

Spring nails :)

 This last picture is of what I currently have on my nails. Love them!!

Best celebrity transformation EVER!

I'm going to just go ahead and say that this is the best transformation ever: Kelly Osbourne.

It doesn't even look like the same person, does it? I'm not just talking about her weight loss, though I'm sure that helped her feel more confident. She's just glowing now. She got rid of the scary, goth look and with a gorgeous, more natural look. I think she looks amazing and seems much happier and comfortable now.

New trends!

Here's some of my new favourite things for spring and summer!

Feather Earrings!! Aren't they great? You can have them longer or shorter and any colour you could possibly want. There's also peacock feathers. Grab yourself a pair!

Okay, while I know this isn't a "new" thing, I love hair bling. I currently have one in my hair right now and I've gotten a ton of compliments already. You can get them in any colour, I like silver for blonde hair, gold for brown hair and blue or purple for black hair, but you can have whatever you like!

When I first said I was going to buy myself a pair of leather pants, everyone looked at me like I was crazy...and perhaps I am. But nothing will make you feel hotter than owning a pair of bootcut leather pants (or if you prefer pleather leggings, that's cool too...I also have a few pairs of those.) They are pricey, but so worth it. The pair I have are the Paige Black label Sunset Canyon pants. They retail for $600, but you can find leather pants starting around $150.

Don't you just love these shoes? I just bought myself a pair for summer and I love them. Low key flippers are out this year. You want the blingy sandals, with designs or pieces of turquoise adorning them. It's all about bling and making a statement with fashion this year.

This colour is really hot this year, whether it be eyeshadow, shoes, or clothing. This is one of my favourite colours and I plan on wearing it a lot.

And of course, I have this shirt. I love anything that has to do with cupcakes (obviously) and this baby tee is the newest to my collection. I get a lot of cupcake gifts and I love them all. I'll have to make another post of all my cupcake things I've accumulated over the years.





Stay lovely my friends!

How to get glam with multi tasking your beauty products

Okay, we've all been there. You've decided to be responsible and sleep at a friend's house after a few drinks. Or the airline lost your bags. Or whenever you're without your normal products, but still want to look human. Here's how to look good with a few minimal products and how to apply them.

If I can offer you one tip for the future, keep a few necessities in your purse. Especially Vaseline. I am obviously a fan. I'm actually considering bedazzling my Vaseline container.  No, I'm not kidding and if you really knew me, you wouldn't be surprised.

Let's get down to business here.

1. If you don't have mascara on you, Vaseline will darken your lashes and make them look long and glossy.

2. If you do have mascara but no liner, use a small brush and line your eyes with the mascara. If you don't have a small brush, use a toothpick. I shouldn't have to tell you this, but please don't gouge out your eye. Slow and steady wins the race. Wet eyeshadow will also work if you don't have liquid liner.

3. If you have a lipstick (or just borrow one from your friend...) you can just it to add colour to your lips. If the colour is too dark, apply Vaseline on your lips first then apply the lipstick. It will be more sheer, like a coloured gloss. Next, add lipstick to the apple of your cheeks and blend well. It's easy and when you have blush on, you're instantly prettier. I promise. It also makes you look more youthful and healthy.

4. If your friend doesn't have a lipstick for you to borrow, ask to see her eyeshadow collection. Look for a light, shimmery pink and a white. Mix a bit of the pink eyeshadow together with the Vaseline and then you have a blush and lipgloss! Take the white and put on your cupid's bow of your lips, it will make them stand out. Also apply on the inner corners of your eyes. It will open up your eyes, especially if you don't have mascara or eyeliner.

5. Always keep a tube of concealer in your purse. Use it to cover up dark circles and imperfections. Take a bit of it in your palm and mix with a moisturizer. Smooth onto your face and blend. Instant tinted moisturizer.

6. I always keep a toothbrush handy, you can use it to tame your brows, exfoliate your lips and brush your teeth!!

7. Take a non greasy chapstick and glide it over your cheekbones. It will highlight them and give you a soft glow.

8. If you don't have a brush, finger comb your hair into an artfully messy bun, or wet your hair and scrunch with gel, mousse or hairspray. If you're completely without those, take a bit of seasalt, mix it with water in a spray bottle and spray over damp hair while scrunching and twisting random pieces of hair. It gives you beachy waves, no brushing required!

9. If you don't already have some, pick up a tin of Rosebud Salve. It's sold as a lip gloss, but it's a nonsticky pink tint that is so versatile. It can be an instant blush, no mixing required. Put on eyelids, cheeks and lips for a pretty glow. It can be used to tame brows, smooth down flyaways in your hair, moisturize your cuticles. The possibilities are endless. It's like pre-tinted Vaseline with a peppermint rose scent. A staple if there ever was one.

10. If you don't have deoderant (and trust me, you cannot skip this!!) Use cornstarch or baby powder, it won't work as well, but will soak up any wetness and stop you from smelling bad.

11. This is the time that those small perfume samples always come in handy. If not, ask your friend if she has some vanilla extract. Apply to your wrists, neck and behind your ears. If you didn't wash you hair, rub the vanilla between your palms and lightly smooth down your hair. You could also use Malibu (yes, the alcohol and no, I'm not kidding. You'll smell like coconuts.) If you're totally without any of these things, take a bounce sheet and rub it on your clothes and lightly over your hair.

12. If you have to wear the same clothes as the next day, wash your undergarments and socks with laundry (or antibacterial) soap in the sink and air dry. Hang up your clothes in the bathroom and have a hot, steamy shower. The steam will get rid of any wrinkles and release any smells. (You should always keep a spare set of clothes in your car.)

13. If you're without a toothbrush, buy one on your way to work (or wherever else you're going.) If you can't, take a quilted paper towel, fold it in half. Wrap it tightly around your index finger. Put toothpaste on your paper-towel wrapped finger and scrub your teeth. The texture of the paper towel will help scrub, this is a LAST RESORT. This will not clean as well as a toothbrush! Gargle with salt water (peppermint extract is optional) and chew gum.

I have an emergency kit on me at all times that includes a toothbrush and toothpaste, vaseline, concealer, perfume, hair elastics and extra clothes. You will thank yourself later when you end up staying the night somewhere or lose your makeup bag. Let me know if you have any helpful tips and I'll add them to the list.

Stay lovely my friends.

How to fake looking awake and healthy!

With all the snow we've been having lately (even though it's March, what is going on?!) I've hearing of the common cold going around. Or perhaps you're just not sleeping well, or had a late night the night before. You wake up in the morning and realize you look like an exhausted corpse. Here are my tips to get glowing and beautiful, because there's nothing worse than someone asking you if you're tired or sick.

1. When you wake up, instantly start the coffee (I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but I'm not a huge coffee drinker, so I'll say it anyway.) Have a nutritious breakfast, including toast (which gives you carbs for energy to fight off the sickness), fruit (vitamins!) and 2 eggs. Take a multi vitamin and 2 chewable vitamin C's.

2. Get into the shower and exfoliate your face. It will stimulate blood flow and make your skin glow.

3. After you're done your shower, splash your face with cold water at the sink. It will make you feel more awake and help depuff.

4. Take cucumbers or an ice pack wrapped in a towel and lay it over your eyes. This step is one of the most important! It will instantly make you look more awake and depuff your eye area.

5. Moisturize well. Use an eye cream.

Now for the makeup!!

1. Use concealer around your eyes, including your eyelid. When we're sick or tired, our eyes have a purple-ly appearance. This is wear the colour wheel comes in. Use an orange colour. You want something closer to the colour of a cheezy rather than a potato chip. It will neutralize the purple/blue veins because orange is opposite of purple on the colour wheel. Using a pale shade will just make your undereyes look ashy.

2. Smooth on a tinted moisturizer to even out your skin tone.

3. Apply some pink blush on the apples of your cheeks. It will instantly make you look alive and glowing.

4. Apply a few coats of mascara and curl your eyelashes, you want your eyes to look open and awake.

5. Here's the fun part: Get a light coloured highlighter and apply on the inner corners of the eyes, on the cheek bones and on the brow bone.

6. Use a beige or white eye pencil on the inner rim of your eye. It makes your eyes pop and energizes your look.

7. Slick on some tinted lip balm and spritz on some citrusy perfume.

Remember to drink gallons of water and listen to some upbeat music on the way to work. When you're done work at the end of the day, have a nice, relaxing bath (use plenty of epsom salts!) Crawl into bed early and get a good night sleep.

Stay lovely my friends!

Contessa Awards!

So it's been confirmed: I am entering into the Contessa Awards for the before and after makeup category! I've already got all of my ideas, but they're a secret for now! One of my confirmed models is one of my best friends since high school, Michelle. Another model (If our schedules work out properly) will be my gorgeous big sister, Shannon. With them as my models, I'm going to win! Laura Wilby will be my photographer, and if you haven't seen her work, check it out on facebook, she's got talent! Unfortunately, my photos will be top secret until everything is all said and done with the competition, but I'll keep you updated anyway! xoxo

Stay lovely my friends!