Reflections of A Decade

Is it me or did the 2000's just fly by? The last 10 years of my life were indeed some of the most memorable and life changing. A decade ago, I was a young 20 year old trying to find my way in this crazy world. I don't know how many careers I've had in the last ten years, but at least the uncertainty has led me to discover what I really want out of life.

Highlights of a decade: married my best friend, have an incredibly bright and adorable son, met so many people along the way, and still have my family and old friends to lean back on. What more could I ask for?

One of my life-changing highlights has of course been Makeup Junkie. When I first started it, I had no idea where it would lead me or to who I would meet (or the many beauty products I'd be able to try!). I've been so thankful for the many fantastic opportunities I've had and for the many readers I've been able to connect with.

The past year has been a tough one and the reason for my lack of posts. I think along the way, I lost sight of why I started this blog in the first place: to gab about my favourite beauty products and share my beauty tips! After my feature in the March 2009 issue of Lou Lou Magazine, I was so stoked but felt incredible pressure to make it bigger and better. With barely any spare time, I became overwhelmed by it all.

The lesson I've learned in all of this? Do what you love and not worry about what everyone else is doing. I think it's mind-blowing how big the beauty blogger community has become - I'm just happy to be apart of it. To all you amazing beauty bloggers out there - I raise my mascara wands to you all!

Here's to another decade of amazing memories! Have a safe and Happy New Year! Much love! xoxo

My Makeup Junkie Highlights:
Makeup Junkie Featured in Lou Lou Magazine March Issue!
Toronto IMATS
Why I Love Makeup Artist Hung Vanngo!
Makeup Artist Corner: Billy B. Workshop
Up Close and Personal with April Jacob of Pink Beauty Cosmetics
My First Interview with The Powder Group's Michael DeVellis
Great Tips For Makeup Artists
Fall Beauty Trends With Makeup Artist Andrea Claire
The Lipstick Queen Poppy King
Makeup Junkie Top Editor Picks for 2008!
Makeup Junkie Readers' Beauty Stash Awards 2008!
My First Toronto Fashion Week
My First "TV" Appearance
These two posts are still the most popular posts on Makeup Junkie:
Makeup 101: How To Apply Eye Shadow For Asian Eyes
Makeup 101: Creating the Perfect Smokey Eye

What have been your favourite highlights of the past decade?

Beauty Feature: J'Adore Balmshell Lip-Glosses

Makeup Junkie loves a good story that involves true passion and the love of cosmetics! Canadian brand, Balmshell, created and founded by identical twins, Jennifer Lees and Fiona Lees, is truly for the lip gloss junkie. With their love of gloss and the desire to bring out a woman's "inner goddess", Balmshell was born and has created quite a cult following.

When I received a sample of You Give Me Fever ($20 CDN), a sheer rosy cheek pink, I was delightfully giddy because it's more than just a gloss. Each gloss comes with a cute float art design to match the name that can be later used as a key chain once the gloss is finished.

I absolutely love this rosy pink! The shade was inspired by a gal's flirty flush. It gives your lips the perfect kiss of pink. I adore the balm-like texture. My lips felt moisturized hours after application. The glosses contain jojoba oil, lanolin oil, and are paraben-free.

Even with the sheer texture I found the colour pay-off was pretty good and even left a nice stain once the shine wore off. The hint of natural vanilla flavour is an added bonus!

Top to bottom: Ah...the Classic, Yummy Mummy, and Weekend In the Hamptons

I love the mini versions that were sent - now I'm hooked! The colours are absolutely gorgeous and the stories behind each name are so fun.

Ah...the Classic is a sheer raspberry sparkle. This is your accessory to that LBD. The pop of raspberry is a nice alternative to the classic red.
Yummy Mummy is a light mocha brown. I can definitely appreciate this colour! This is truly a universal shade that any yummy mummy - including those that are just yummy - can wear!
Weekend In the Hamptons is a sheer taupe sandy beige. A colour that will take you from city to the beach, it's a pretty nude that works well with a heavier eye or over top of your favourite lip colour.

With so many lip glosses that look the same, after a while a gloss is just another gloss. Balmshell went the extra step - they've given gloss junkies a special keepsake. I've definitely become a fan! As something to be considered as a collector's item, $20 a pop is definitely worth it.

Balmshell isn't just for lips anymore! They've just launched Smear Campaign, a cheek and lip gel stain! Oh, how you tempt me so!

Balmshell is available in Canada at select Shopper's Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques and Sephora. For international locations click here.

Have you tried Balmshell Lip-Glosses? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Makeup Junkie wants to know!

www.balmshell.com

Beauty Feature: Makeup Junkie Holiday Gift Picks

"One for you, two for me", might be your shopping mantra this holiday season! The beauty goodies that come out for the holidays are always packaged so pretty -it's hard not to buy one for yourself.

Makeup Junkie wants to make your shopping a little easier which is why we've listed some must-have items that we were lucky enough to sample! Whether you're shopping for a gal pal or sister, make all her beauty-full wishes come true with these unforgettable gifts!

1. Julie Hewett Lip Lush Trio ($49 USD): These gorgeous gifts are for the glam girl in mind. Julie Hewett has to be one of my all time favourite makeup lines! Created by celebrity makeup artist, Julie Hewett, this line is truly for the makeup lover who loves beautiful packaging and wants to achieve the perfect red-carpet look.

Trio includes three best-selling glosses: harlow (sparks of red and gold), mimi (perfect sheer pink), and nude (24k gold shimmer).

2. Julie Hewett 6-pc Noir Collection ($100 USD): Imagine unwrapping this on Christmas day? Julie Hewett lipsticks are in heavy rotation in my makeup bag. This collection features the 6 original noir shades: belle, coco, femme, nude, rouge and sin.

Packaged in a luxe gold tube, these lipsticks are a special treat on the lips. Infused with the essence of rosebud and camellia oils, your lips feel hydrated and colour is long-lasting.

3. Benefit Celebutante Personal Stylist Kit ($34 USD): Benefit Cosmetics is known for creating pretty palettes fit for Hollywood’s elite. This A-lister kit includes everything for creating that perfect red-carpet ready look! I love all the mini size products - perfect for stashing in those small holiday clutches!

4. M.A.C. Miracles Happen Viva Glam Lip Kit ($27 CDN): Feel good beauty is always a great gift! M.A.C.'s best-selling Viva Glam lippies are included in this sleek dotted-design compact. Every cent goes towards M.A.C. Aids Fund for men, women, and children living with aids.

5. Kat Von D True Romance Eye Shadow Palette in True Love ($44 CDN): Kat Von D’s tattoo-inspired eye shadow palette is for the fashionista who likes to be creative with her makeup. The shades are ultra edgy and highly pigmented. You can create so many looks with this fab palette!

6. The Sartorialist by Scott Shuman ($31 CDN): I don't know any makeup junkie that isn't a fashion lover. “The Satorialist” is the must-have coffee table book for fashion lovers everywhere. Scott Shuman's street images of real people with personal style have inspired many people around the globe.

7. Stila The Makeup Player ($69.90 USD): Save this one for your "bestie" or for yourself! Awarded Beauty Innovation of the Year, The Makeup Player includes: Pro artist makeup case to stash your fave Stila products, One Step Makeup, Eye shadow trio, Convertible Color, #7 brush Eye shadow brush, Lip Glaze, and Beautytube DVD & instruction card.

8. Alicia Silverstone by ecoTools Train Case ($19 USD): We all have a friend that's lucky enough to jet-set all around the world! Animal and environmental activist, Alicia Silverstone, has teamed up with, ecoTools, to create a gorgeous line of eco-friendly traveling bags made with a natural hemp material featuring a floral design. The large compartment will hold all her beauty staples and comes with a handy removable clear case!

9. Zoya Holiday Color Lock Set ($7.50 USD): DIY mani's are always in especially in this economy. This mini set has all the essentials for the perfect manicure: Zoya Remove, Armour Top Coat, Anchor Base Coat, and HurryUp Speed Dry Drops.

10. OPI Mini Merries ($14.95 CDN): Accessorize your gal pal's tips in the hottest shades for the holiday. OPI lovers will squeal over this sample set of 4: Comet Loves Cupid (classic red), All A-Bordeaux the Sled! (luscious Wine), Holiday Glow (charcoal grey with silver) and Shim-merry Chic (glimmery bronze).

11. Tarte Three Carats Mini Cheek Stain Set ($25 USD): Diamond-inspired makeup are a girl's best friend! I adore these mini cheek stains for the flirty glow they leave on your skin. I especially love using the bronze shimmery shade as a highlighter! Tarte products are good for the skin and contain no parabens, phthlates, and other toxic chemicals.

12. Tarte Crown Jewels Lipgloss Multi-Gift Set ($39 USD): This is one stocking stuffer that is a sure winner! The geniuses at Tarte know that girls love their gloss. This set comes with 3-boxed sets of glosses to be gifted anyway you want! Their sample sizes are much bigger than last holiday's gloss set too. What was that beauty mantra again??

What are your hot items for gift giving this holiday? Makeup Junkie wants to know!

Beauty Feature: Cover FX

Cover FX is a popular brand amongst many of my friends and clients. However, this Makeup Junkie had never really tried the line. When I tell people this, it's usually followed by a gasp and "Really? You've never tried Cover FX?". Take back your gasps people because I finally know what the buzz is all about!

I visited the Cover FX booth at the IMATS show in Toronto. The first person to greet my friend and I was Derek Selby, makeup artist for Cityline and Cover FX. I've spent many Fridays watching Cityline's makeover shows just to see Derek beautify some lucky ladies! Wanda Longo, International Communications Director for Cover FX, was also at the table colour swatching some Cover FX fans.

Pictured up top is me with President and Co-Creator of Cover FX, Lee Graff! We chatted briefly about beauty bloggers and Cover FX recognizing bloggers as an important part of media. Lee's background as a corrective makeup specialist for patients with skin disorders and burn victims are what prompted her to start Cover FX.

Cover FX products offer a wide range of full coverage cosmetics that offer therapeutic benefits and environmental protection while being completely free of irritants. Wanda was super helpful and offered to test the products out on our skin. As you can tell in the photo below, I happily agreed (eww profile shot!). The lovely people at Cover FX sent me a few samples that were used on me at IMATS.

1. Cover FX Natural FX Water Based Liquid Foundation SPF 15: I prefer a lighter texture of foundation and was absolutely happy with the results. The foundation feels light on the skin yet covers redness and blemishes flawlessly while still looking natural. I also found it lasted all day with no touch-up required. Tip: even though it is a liquid a little goes a long way. I only needed to dab in the areas that required coverage. The product blended seamlessly with the rest of my skin so no dark outline!

2. Cover FX Setting FX Translucent Loose Mineral Powder: Wanda used this powder to set my foundation for longer-lasting results. I've been using this for the past week now and love how luminous it makes my skin look.

3. Cover FX Bronzing Powder in Golden Peach: This mineral based bronzer not only gives you a healthy glow but is good for your skin. The Golden Peach is gorgeous and definitely a universal shade. It just gives your cheeks that extra pop of colour! Tip: Derek used this bronzer as a shadow!

If you've ever shopped for a Cover FX foundation then you know it can be a little daunting if you don't know the way the colour range works. I've gone a few times with my best friend (pictured above) to shop for a Cover FX foundation and failed each time. The colours we chose were a little - ok alot off. Thankfully, Wanda gave us a little Cover FX colour lesson.

B Series: "Think Beyonce." Golden brown to Ebony undertones
C Series: Primarily Pink undertones
E Series: Neutral meaning Pink and Yellow undertones
M Series: Yellow and olive undertones

Can you guess which ones we are? Christine and I both ended up being M60! Click here to see an in-depth guide.

The gang at Cover FX were a lot of fun and extremely helpful! Thank you to Lee, Derek, Wanda and Melissa for chatting with Makeup Junkie!

Have you tried Cover FX? Makeup Junkie wants to know what you think of the popular line!

www.coverfx.com

Beauty Feature: yaby cosmetics and Liz Yu

One of the great things of being a part of a makeup artist community and attending events for makeup artists is meeting and learning about other brands. I had learned of yaby cosmetics a few years ago from other makeup artists in the industry. When I realized that Toronto makeup artist, Liz Yu, was the genius behind the brand I knew I just had to meet her.

Well, it took us almost 3 years to officially meet in person! I had the awesome pleasure of finally meeting Liz at Toronto IMATS this year. With all the success she's had with yaby cosmetics and as an artist, her sweet and absolutely down-to-earth personality was refreshing!

The concept behind yaby and the reason the line is so popular are for the customizable and compact palettes. Liz was searching for solutions to condensing her growing kit and decided if you can't find it make it yourself! These handy palettes not only save on space, but the planet as well. Every shade comes in a refillable pan!

A swatching frenzy began when I visited the yaby booth at IMATS. The range of colours were just beautiful and highly pigmented. The top swatches are of a bronzer and some blushes. I fell in love with the bronzer - the colour was so rich and deep. My other faves were the pearl paint shadows (swatch below)! The texture felt like a cream but had a powder finish. The shadows are also saturated with colour so what you see is what you get - very important when working with photography or video.

The palettes come in a range so you can customize to your needs. One palette can hold up to 40 eye shadows - a makeup artist's dream! Sigh...if I ever get back into makeup full-time I will definitely be snatching up a few palettes!

yaby, created for the makeup artist but is perfect for makeup junkies who have a love for makeup and are tired of overflowing makeup bags! Thank you to Liz for stopping to chat with Makeup Junkie!

For more information on the products and pricing, visit www.yabycosmetics.com.

Have you tried yaby cosmetics? Makeup Junkie wants to know!

For more coverage on IMATS, click here.