Missing Your Summer Glow? No Problem!

Just wanted to shed some light on one of my daily essentials! I'm all about the glow, ESPECIALLY in the winter when our skin tends to loose it's lustre.

A little goes a long way with this Argan Oil base product. Squirt a droplet & distribute over to your three fingers, then tap away on your cheeckbones as a highlighter. Gold is usually best of olive/tan skin, but because this product is so sheer it perfectly blends into all skin colours. Not to mention, it also keeps your cheeks hydrated throughout the day! Josie Maran's Argan Illuminizer is perfect for easing into spring without feeling pale.

Beauty Monday: December Favourites

During December I've had some products really stood out! Here they are!

1.  My number ONE is Benefit's High Brow highlighting pencil. Great for highlighting right under your brow for some height as well as in the inner corner of your eyes to brighten up!

My number TWO is Urban Decay's Eye Primer is perfect for your holiday shimmers! Keeps your shadows in place all day & all night! If you feel like going a little bit more natural for a day, this is perfect to apply alone, along with some mascara.

My number THREE is Makeup Forever's Limited Edition Studio Kit, this is a fun one! I love this for the holidays! And you can totally rock these colours for January & February. It comes with some nice natural ones and some really nice fun ones! It even comes with a booklet of which colours to combine for makeup newbies!

These are my top 3 favourites for December! If you'd like to find out about my whole list of December Favourites check out my video here:

 

Beauty Monday: Batting My Lashes With It's A Long Story Mascara

When clients & models used to ask me about what the best type of mascara I would just give them names of my favourite Drugstore brands like L'Oreal's Volume mascara or Mabelline's Great Lash mascara which I had very good experiences with and used both in my kit and personal makeup. Because I never believed you should spend 40 bucks on a mascara, those were my go to's, although I once got a sample of Dior's mascara and really liked it...I didn't like it enough to spend more than $12 on a mascara.

BUT, after a month of using Arbonne's "It's A Long Story Mascara" for health reasons, I fell in LOVE! My lashes have grown & strengthened, I wasn't promised this so when I noticed I was pleasantly surprised! I'm a two coat girl cause I like the volume and it coats the lashes beautifully!
Without mascara my lashes feel healthy & hydrated, long & voluminous I absolutely LOVE it!

Arbonne's products are botanically based, vegan & cruelty free, which is my reason for switching over and paying a bit more for my mascara. It's basically the dirtiest thing you put on your eyes so you want to be safe as possible. "It's A Long Story Mascara" not only looks great but smells great too!

Nomadic Beauty

Beauty Monday: "You can OVER exfoliate?!" Wait...what does stripping mean?

We are always hearing about exfoliating, but rarely does anyone ever explain what it does for the skin.

Exfoliating is meant for the removal of dead/dull skin, to unclog pores & speed up cell renewal. 

Caution: Before you go all scrub crazy, if your under the age of 30 I suggest exfoliating once a week. If you are over 30 you can go 3 times a week, as skin renewal does start to slow by that time. Over exfoliating can lead to stripping the skin causing breakouts and irritation. Of course,everybody's bodies are different so it might take a bit of trial & error to figure out what works for you. 

There are two ways to exfoliate, mechanically & chemically.

Mechanically:

Electronics -  One of the more popular ones at the moment that beauty bloggers and magazines have been raving about is the Clarisonic brush. And yes, I love it too. It's beautiful. Leaves the skin feeling so good and clean. It has one brush but the inside of it and onside of it revolve in opposite motions, creating 300 movements per second. It even has a timer of 30 sec. per facial part (forehead, nose & chin and each cheek side) get 30 seconds. It's great and because it is "gentle" I was using it every morning (bad idea). My skin became stripped (when your have taken off more natural oils of your skin than needed), I knew because I was breaking out more than usual & my skin became more sensitive. I gave my skin 1 month to recover, now, I use it once a week.

Scrubs: like a cleanser, come in either gel or cream form with abrasive materials in it such as sugar or salt crystals, micro-beads, crushed almonds sheds, ect. Likewise, use this once a week, I love Arbonne's Exfoliating New Cell Renewal scrub because you can also use it as a mask. Which is what I do with it once a week. But remember when using a scrub don't rub rigorously as it will irritate the skin because you are already using abrasive products on your skin already.

Chemically: These are scrubs that contain salicylic acid, aglicolic acid, fruit enzymes, citric acid or malice acid. Strong concentrations are used by medical professionals and in lower-concetrations sold over the counter. 

Hope this gives you a bit of insight on exfoliating and understand how it works and how much of it you should be doing. 

        Nomadic Beauty

Lips are stained AND hydrated? Yes!!!

BEAUTY MONDAY!

Having fallen in love with Josie Maran's products & brand, I LOVE their new Coconut Watercolor Lip Stain & Shine. I had briefly posted about it on my Facebook & Instagram.

I had barely had to touch my lips the whole day, just some extra gloss if anything. At one side of the stick you have a pen (stain) and at the other gloss. Lips were stained AND hydrated all day! You can find it in 6 different colours from nude to red. Perfect vibrant pigment for November.

Your femininity, use it & embrace it!

“...women were inspired by a mannish way of dressing, but today liberated women realize they can wear skirts and use them as a weapon.” - Oscar de la Renta

This is one of my favourite quotes by the late De la Renta. Why?   For centuries women have been oppressed & men ruled the world. Today, at least in the western world there's more "equality"...This is my favourite quote Because in today's day there seems to be confusion between what feminism means.  For me, feminism as a liberated and radiant woman!  The word feminism seems to have a negative connotation, often tending to an extremist point of view. However, everyone who believes in the equality of genders, is in fact a feminist.

"I think of feminism as a liberated and radiant woman!" - Natalia Solar, Founder of Nomadic Beauty Blog

About a decade or more ago women dressed in more box like clothing (shoulder pads, straight suits, loose clothing) to have more shape of a man as they entered the work force, mostly to get respect from their co-workers (men).

Now that women have a place in the work force & are respected (for the most part) we've relaxed and now it feels like there is an new age coming upon us that is encouraging women to embrace their femininity. This is something that I feel that Oscar de la Renta represented in his designs.

After his death, I spent an afternoon researching about him. The quotes and images that I found are very heart-warming.  His philosophy in his designs were for his designs to let the woman shine and not over power her. He understood the woman body and clearly understood & respected women.

His designs are classic, elaborate & detailed. The elegance is incomprehensible! As a creative consultant and professional makeup artist, my respect comes from knowing the sheer talent and skill level that is necessary to exude the kind of work Oscar de la Renta exuded.

I think a woman embracing her body is one of the most beautiful things to see, and obviously Oscar agreed with me too as he draped women in beautiful gowns that let them shine, which is my exact philosophy about makeup. Let the makeup make you shine, because the focus is YOU, not the makeup itself.  

Feminist or not, it is time for women to stop looking for ways to hide yourself. Instead, find ways to help yourself shine, things and ways to enhance you! You're a woman and you are powerful! Use it!

Deep down, no one wants to see a front, people just want to see the real you. Expression is everything.   So...WHO are you? Do you RADIATE who you truly are?

Most sought-after fashion designer passes. Quick read on Oscar de la Renta

"Mr. de la Renta loved women and you saw it in every design that he did. He honoured women's features, he honoured our bodies. He wasn't afraid to pull back and let the woman be the star of the look."-

Jennifer Garner

At the age of 82, Oscar de la Renta, one of the most sought-after fashion designers, had passed away Monday October 20 in his family home in Connecticut. 

To be honest, until now I didn't quite know anything about him other than many celebrities have sported his beautiful dresses on the red carpet. I spotted this photo on Instagram this yesterday morning and was  totally drawn to it. Not just from the charming photo of him, but mostly from the caption. Two very important & beautiful qualities for a woman to posses.

Reading a few of his quotes  has inspired me to dedicate the rest of the week to this classic designer. So here a bit about him and his life.

Oscar, was born and raised in the Dominican Republic to Spanish & Puerto Rican parents. As a young man of 18, he traveled to Madrid to study art. During that time he quickly became interested in fashion and started sketching for leading Spanish fashion houses and then started working along side Cristobal Balenciaga.

• In the 1960's he dressed first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy & many more after that
• In 1965 he started his company in 1965

Oscar de la Renta was known for his intricate, elegant evening wear & a fashion designer that was conscious of quality.

Here are a few of his wonderfully classic designs:

Good Girl vs. Bad Girl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q22OAQtEFOQ&index=31&list=UU7mg-R8sonGRbOtLYEsy4EA

What I like in this video is their take on "good girl vs. bad girl" because in truth all of us has a bit of both, ying & yang.

Love that Stradivarious gave the conservative look a bit of edge by mixing textures like knit & leather (my favourite!) and pumping up the makeup to give it an editorial edge.
The texture of the hair was also played around with keeping it in the same style (big waves) but giving them a bit more texture for certain looks.

While wearing something conservative, your makeup & hair can be bad ass and vice virsa. Try it out! Play around with your wardrobe, play with your makeup & play with your hair. What's life without a bit of plaisir???

Fringe & a summer glow?

I love the makeup & hair that Stradivarius did for their June 2014 Lookbook!

Now, I know it's autumn & we're all in love with big bold lips, but who says that you can't maintain your healthy summer glow? And no one said you can't wear fringe after labour day, so add it your look. I've got my favourite blue Steve Madden purse with fringe attached to the zippers to add some flare to my look!

Here are a few products that I absolutely LOVE to recreate this look to go along with your fall wardrobe!

FACE: I'm in love with Arboone's Sheer Glow Highlighter limited edition in gold for the holidays! You can either mix in a nickel sized drop into your foundation. And then apply the highlighter over your eyelids. You can also use it to highlight your cheekbones, brow bone and inner corner of your eye.

Brush a touch of M.A.C 's Bronzer pressed powder right under your cheekbones with an angle brush.  A TOUCH of it! You want it to create a LIGHT shadow to define your cheeckbones, we don't want to be creating streaks across your face! 

EYES: Marc Jacob's Highliner Gel Eye Crayon perfect to elegantly smudge out close to your top lashes and bottom. You can use a liner brush or dry Q-Tip.

Arbonne's It's a Long Story Mascara gives perfect lash definition! Apply a couple of coats, wait about 30 seconds between each coat. Because of it's botanical ingredients it actually aids in growing and streghthening your lashes, which is one of my favourite parts. (I will dedicate a blog to this mascara shortly...that's how much I love it!)

LIPS: Finish off the look with your favourite lip balm to keep your lips plump during the dry weather! 

Eyebrows, why are they important? Why have they become so important?

After almost 2 years of being a brow designer at The Brow House in Toronto, I now find it impossible to complete a look without giving a bit of love to the brows. Wether they are the feature of the face or the more subdue brows there to enhance. 

Why you ask? Why are brows so important? 

Eyebrows are what frame the face, they can also either age you or give you a more youthful appearance. They are what frame your eyes and aid in your expressions.

Full brows are not just a trend, they are an asset to your face. Different width & length suit different people because we all have different faces. Going to a trained proffesional (not the lady in the back of your nail salon) on brows is important to do, we are trained to see proportions and know what would best suit you, your lifestyle & your natural brows. Wether we are starting from regrowing your brows or shaping unruly ones.

Kate White (former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine for 14 years & writer) wrote in her book "I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: Success Secrets Every Gutsy Girl Should Know" on how important in is to professionally shape your brows. 

Want to know more on brows? More on YOUR brows? Check out The Brow House website! And make eyebrows your trademark!

Hope to see you there! 

Nomadic Beauty

How do I get inspired? By watching these type of videos...

I love creating high level clarity for artistic projects! You might not notice the makeup, the fashion & the models, but I do. Those little details are only noticed when you have experience, passion & vision; I love what Stradivarius is doing with their artistic direction. What do you think? (watch video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHN0a40mjfk&list=PLOejj1BNdcfpHo-DgXcl-1UdsAtsD_K_9