Beauty Review: Spa Sisters Eco-Friendly Products With A Couture Taste

Go green with an oh-so-pretty twist! Created by "Spa Sisters", Kerry Foster Roberts and Tricia Foster-Mohan, making hand-made bath products became more than gifts for friends and evolved into their very own business! Made with pure and natural, ethically handled ingredients like shea and cocoa butters, jojoba and coconut oils, and packaged in ever-so-pretty recycled packaging, it's no wonder it has become an instant hit with many! Oh, and did I mention the brand is Canadian? Makeup Junkie loves to support our Canadian brands!

Vanilla Fudge Hand & Body Lotion ($4.95 - 14 CDN): Vanilla fudge, need I say more? Wonderfully moisturizing and delightfully scented. The 60 ml bottle is small enough to carry in any handbag.

Pomegranate Berry Souffle Scrub ($12.95-20 CDN): Pomegranate berry smells as yummy as it sounds! Slather this emulsifying scrub on in the shower for rich moisture and exfoliation.

Pomegranate Berry Body Meringue ($12.95-20 CDN): Whipped to perfection, these body meringues are light and fluffy yet gives your skin extreme moisture. I found layered with the body scrub, the scent lasted well into the next day.

Pina Colada Lip Butter ($5 CDN): Since I can't really get away to an island, swiping on this pina colada flavoured Lip Butter is better than nothing! Your lips will be deliciously tasty and chapped-free!

www.spasisters.ca

Beauty Feature: Twist Into Spring With Zoya!

Zoya knows how to have fun with colour. With over 3oo gorgeous colours to choose from, seasonal collections 4 times a year, and celebrity and even blogger inspired names, Zoya has quickly become a favourite among many! Zoya nail polishes are not only cute on our tips but are also good for our nails because they are free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates), and camphor. And if you're expecting, you don't have to sacrifice a good manicure with Zoya!

Zoya Color Lock System (Complete Kit $48 USD): Us gals just don't have time to touch up our nail colour which is why Zoya came out with this fabulous 5 step Color Lock System! Color Lock- Step 1: Big Flipper Bottle filled with Remove + Three in One. This is the perfect remover, nail cleaner, and nail prep in a mess-free flip container. My favourite part - just twist the cap and press down to get the remover. It also won't dry out your nails. Color Lock- Step 2: Zoya Anchor will keep your polish on, preventing chipping and peeling while strengthening the nail with complex protein chains. Got ridgy, uneven nails? Color Lock- Step 2: Zoya Get Even smooths out the natural nail surface with its bonding fibers preventing nail flaking and maximizing the endurance of your colour. After you have applied your favourite Zoya polish, lock the colour in with Zoya Armor Topcoat (Step 4). UV topcoat keeps polish shiny, flexible, and prevents yellowing. Color Lock- Step 5: Zoya Hurry Up Speed Dry Drops is a dream! If you're like me, then you don't have the patience to wait for your polish to dry. With these dry drops, your polish is dry to the touch within seconds, but do be warned - the polish is still a bit tacky so move with care! Apply this every 2 days to maintain shine and colour for up to 2 weeks! The Cemillia Oil can also be massaged into the cuticle for nourishment. Zoya has come out with a genius way for you to bring old, thickening polishes back to life with Renew Polish Rejuvenator! So save those old colours, basecoats and topcoats!

Zoya Twist Spring Sampler Collection ($36 USD): Twist is a fun collection of 6 shades ranging from trendy to girly. With the Color Lock System, these polishes remained chip-free for 10 days! Shades from top to bottom: Harley (soft shimmering grey), Jo (shimmering silver-blue metallic), Malia (violet cream), Barbie (shimmering soft pink), Cassi (shimmering soft peach), and Moxie (vibrant red plum cream). I absolutely loved all the shades but my favourite was Moxie. It looked gorgeous against my skin tone. All 6 shades are wearable on your tips and your toes. Afraid to wear colourful makeup? I always say why not go bright or trendy on your nails??

Have you tried Zoya Twist collection? Love 'em? Hate 'em?

www.artofbeauty.com

Spring 2009 Beauty Trend: Spring Greening

If your vanity, drawers, or containers are overflowing with old makeup then it's probably a good time to do some Spring cleaning. Instead of replacing your old products with the exact same thing, why not do some Spring greening! Feel good about saving the environment and putting only the best on your skin with these eco-friendly products!

Tarte Spring Greening Reusable Straw Palette ($38.50 USD): Tarte knows that today's woman wants more than just makeup. Spring Greening, a sustainable straw palette, contains 6 new mineral eyeshadows, three new t5-infused lip glosses, and a bamboo-handled eyeshadow brush. The tray is removable so when the makeup has finished you can pull out the tray and reuse the straw bag!

The 6 mineral shadows come in the season's hottest shades: peachy-pink, seafoam green, copper-bronze, pale pink, chartreuse, soft lilac. The shadows are incredibly soft, shimmery, and highly pigmented. The three t5-infused glosses come in a shimmery clear, pink-peach, and true pink. You'll love the non-sticky texture and sheer colour (although I do prefer more colour from a gloss). If you're expecting a full-size palette don't because the shadows and glosses are cute and pint-size perfect for traveling!

Cargo PlantLove Baked Illuminator in Fire ($28 USD): This blush, bronzer, and highlighter all in one is made of natural terracotta ingredients and baked for eight hours providing a velvety soft texture. Fire is a beautiful combination of pink, bronze, and opal. The finish is extremely shimmery so use it sparingly. I apply it on my cheekbones toward my hairline for a pretty glow. Buff it onto the skin wherever you want a radiant finish. Fire's bronzy undertones gave some warmth to my winter pale skin but I have a feeling the colour won't show up on tan skin. If you have a darker skin tone try Earth or Wind. Save this shimmer for the body if your skin is normally oily on the face. The biodegradable packaging is a plus but a bit bulky for my liking and the plastic feels kind of cheap. If the environment and nourishing ingredients are your priority then you can probably live with the packaging.

Cargo PlantLove Lip Gloss in Dahlia ($20 USD): Women ingest so much lip gloss and most of the time we don't even realize it. With PlantLove Lip Gloss you won't have to give it a thought because it is made with all natural ingredients and comes packaged in earth-friendly packaging. The texture is smooth and feels like a lip balm on your lips. If you only like a hint of colour then you'll love the sheer finish. Dahlia is an opalescent pink. I have a bit of colour on my lips so it looked more like a clear shimmery gloss on me. I much prefer to use it as a highlight over top of a deeper shade of gloss or lipstick. Cargo PlantLove Eyeliner in Midnight Blue, Dark Brown, Bronze and Black ($16 USD): Your delicate eye area will appreciate the incredibly blendable texture and long-lasting performance. Like the entire PlantLove collection, these liners are free of parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, and sythetic dyes and fragrances. The rich smooth pigment is great for layering with a smokey eye. Worn on its own, I did notice it smudged a bit throughout the day but layered under a powder the result was long-lasting and smudge-free. Midnight Blue and Bronze are my favourites and have a gorgeous metallic finish.

Alima Pure April in Paris Collection ($25 USD): Inspired by the beauty of Paris and the legendary Coco Chanel, April in Paris is absolutely stunning! These mineral shadows contain no additives, fillers or fragrances that can irritate your skin or clog your pores. The pigments actually benefit your skin providing protection from the sun and contain anti-flammatory properties. Sensitive skins will be happy that these are free of parabens, bismuth oxychloride, talc, dyes, fragrances, phthalates, or perservatives. Wear dry for a lovely wash of colour or apply wet for rich colour and shimmer. The collection includes Sacre Courer, soft rose with golden sparkle, Rue Cambon, a delightful lavender, Versailles, a soft mint green laced with golden shimmer and silver sparkle, and Le Marais, a chocolate bronze to contrast the lovely pastels. A little goes a long way! Warning: if you're clumsy these may not be for you as it does not come in a sifted container.

Mineralogie Shimmer Eyeshadow in Copper Shimmer, Espresso Shimmer and Opal Shimmer: Get gorgeous using all natural minerals free of harsh chemicals. You can buy these shadows pressed or loose. These highly pigmented powders have a beautiful shimmery finish and can be layered together for a multitude of looks. Copper Shimmer and Espresso Shimmer are great for a bronzed smokey eye and Opal Shimmer is perfect as a base or highlight. Be creative and mix these powders with a clear gloss for a custom colour or use with a moisturizer for a stunning body shimmer. You can find Mineralogie at select Bay department stores across Canada.

Mineralogie Extreme Shine Lip Gloss in Dulce: These sheer, moist glosses will give your lips a sexy shine. These glosses are never sticky. The minerals in the gloss also protect your lips from the sun, while Grape Seed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, and Vitamin E promote healing. Dulce is a soft lilac, but was a little too sheer for me. Again, it looked more clear than lilac but will probably show up on fair skinned beauties or if you don't have a lot of colour on your lips.
Mineralogie Blush in Fawn: This light reflective mineral blush softens your features and gives your skin a natural rosy glow. Fawn is a bronzed-rose, which gives fair to medium skin a bronzey glow and looks like a pretty neutral blush on medium-dark to dark skin. All Mineralogie pigments come cased with a sifter to cut down on the mess. Shake it a bit with the cap on so you can grab the pigment easily.

Have you tried these eco-friendly products? Love 'em? Hate 'em?

Spring Beauty Trend: Let Those Eyes Shine!

Give your eyes something to flutter about this Spring! Spring shadows are all about barely-there-shimmers to bright fun hues in sheer washes of colour. Put away the matte shadows this season because it's time to make those eyes shine!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Flyin' Down To.., Samba-dy Loves Me, and Sippin' n Dippin' ($22 CDN): Crease-free, wear-resistant shadow is exactly what you need as the tempterature starts to rise (please rise soon!). I love Benefit's Cream Shadow/Liners and this season the three shimmery shades did not disappoint. L-R: Flyin' Down To... is a pretty orchid shimmer, a lovely choice to enhance hazel or green eyes. I've fallen in love this season with Samba-dy Loves Me, so appropriately named. The soft champagne-gold shimmer is such a great everyday neutral that brightens up the eye instantly. This is one colour that looks great with any shade of lip colour! Sippin' n Dippin' a metallic gold with peach undertones. If you have a lot of yellow in your skin already I would stay clear as it will make you look more sallow. Or else mix it with a contrasting shade to counteract.

Stila Precious Pearl Palette ($40 USD): Stila knows how to make a gal happy! Pretty makeup and pearls will make any girl feel fabulous. The lovely mother of pearl compact features six silky smooth iridescent eye shadows all infused with genuine crushed pearl. Pearl minimizes fine lines and leaves your skin looking youthful and radiant. It also contains healthy minerals and proteins which nourish the skin leaving it smooth and soft. All shades are highly pigmented and can be combined with one another for endless looks. The shadow colours are absolutely gorgeous and absolutely a must-have for Spring!

Urban Decay Cream Shadow in Whipped, Weeds, and Moonshine ($17 USD): If you're an Urban Decay fan then these gel-based cream shadows will be one to add to the list of faves! These weightless, silicone-based shadows will not budge all day and provide rich, blendable colour. Whipped is a golden-peach with gold micro-glitter. Weeds is a vibrant olive green with silver glitter. Moonshine is a pale silver with silver glitter. I also love the tube packaging and wand applicator. So transportable and easy to apply in a pinch! The only one drawback for me: I found the glitter finish a little strong for day and had to wipe off most of it which ended up all over my cheeks. If you're young and love glitter then you'll love it but if you're almost knockin' on 30 (ahem) save the glitter for the evening.

Have you tried these eye shadows? Love 'em? Hate 'em?

Beauty News: Makeup Junkie Featured in Lou Lou Magazine March Issue!



Makeup Junkie is utterly thrilled to be featured in the March issue of Canadian fashion mag, Lou Lou Magazine! One of the many reasons why I love Lou Lou magazine is because it loves to feature Canadian brands and talent! I was really surprised to be featured in the actual magazine because when I was approached about it, I thought I would only be gracing their website which I was still extremely happy about. So, it is an awesome surprise and I couldn't be more honoured! Be sure to pick up the March issue to check out the Makeup Junkie feature on pg. 18 and to see all the must-haves for Spring! You can also view our feature on the official website for Lou Lou Magazine by visiting "Just Click It". A big thank you to Julia Cyboran, louloumagazine.com's Editorial Manager, for the wonderful write-up! And a huge thank you to all my readers and supporters new and old for all the love!! xoxo!

www.louloumagazine.com