Category: Coming Soon

Trade Secrets Twelve Days Of Giveaways Sneak Peek

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We just did our Most Wanted Advent Calendar post and while Trade Secrets doesn’t have one of their own, starting Sunday December 4th they are doing a Twelve Days of Giveaways contest. We can’t tell you what prize they’re giving away each day but a little birdie exclusively gave us the prize list! So here’s a list of all the goodies you can win from Trade Secrets.

AG Moisture Infusion Kit
Color Club Scented Nail Polish Duo
ABBA Gentle Duo
Wet Brush Limited Edition Droplet
OPI Breakfast At Tiffany’s Mini 10-pack
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Relaxus Makeup Brushes
Sexy Hair Powder Play Duo with Root Pump Bonus
Upper Canada Trio Soap (London, Paris, New York)
KMS Color Vitality
Moroccanoil Gift Set
Puff Me (volume powder in spray form)

And what everyone will probably hope to win:
Babyliss Italia Brava Ferrari Blow Dryer
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We don’t know what day each prize will go up, but you’re going to want to enter every day. Even if you don’t want them for yourself, who doesn’t want to save money on gifts?

You can find more on how to enter on the Trade Secrets Facebook,  Twitter or on their website.

TNCB Sneak Peek

We love our manicures around here and it doesn’t hurt when they come with a little bubbly, so we were really excited to hear about a new pop up shop called TNCB, or The Nail And Champagne Bar. It’s the first pop up in Toronto to combine both nails and champagne. Open in downtown Toronto (39 Stewart St.) from May 30 to June 5, TNCB will have everything you want in a nail bar (natural nails only), plus an actual bar for champagne! We had a quick chat with owner Eliza Sipin about what to expect.
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How did the idea for the nail and champagne bar come about?

It was a natural progression of my background and what I’m truly passionate about. I started getting my nails done in high school and it has been in my bi-weekly routine without fail. In 2013, I created 2 colours and launched Vain Polish – a small line of nail lacquers under The Vanity Events. My strict love affair with champagne took flight 4 years ago when I visited region. With over a decade background as a Bartender, I’ve always had a deep interest in sparkling wines.

Why a pop up bar and not a traditional, stay in one spot retail location?

The Pop Up scene in Toronto is really growing and it’s such a unique and wonderful way to launch a brand and have people experience your offerings.

How has the response been?

It’s been great! People are excited, interested and curious all at the same time.

You’re only going to be open for a week, are there plans for more pop-ups in the future?

Yes, absolutely! The brand will introduce one-of-a-kind experiences with all things nails and champagne.

Do you have a favourite nail and champagne combo from the list of offerings?

I would definitely recommend the  “Manicure with Champagne” combo. It comes with a glass of Tarlant Brut Reserve, which is rich and creamy but still very light and refreshing. I would definitely add some Nina’s Paris truffles. The Marie Antoinette line has ingredients from The King’s Garden in Versailles and will be exclusive at the Pop Up!

Do you have recommendations for people who can’t decide what to get?

I recommend pre-booking a manicure to be sure you have the time you want. Once you arrive, please speak to myself for any recommendations on our champagne offerings or nail services. We also have our nail designers who are all certified nail technicians to guide you. And just in case, I’m also certified so you’re in the right hands!
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For more information on services or to book an appointment, head to http://www.tncb.ca/. If you’re in Toronto or not to far away, you definitely need to check out TNCB, I know I’ll be there!

Birchbox Canada March 2015 + Beauty Blender

Ever since the launch of Birchbox in Canada I’ve been super impressed by the boxes. So much so that I’ve cancelled other subscription boxes and focused on Birchbox because it’s been so much better than the others. For $10 (+$4.95 shipping) you get five beauty samples a month and most of the samples I’ve gotten are pretty fantastic.
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For March, every box will receive the cult favourite Beauty Blender. While most fans of this sponge use it strictly for putting on foundation, there really are endless options for it’s use. Here are a couple (all of these use a wet sponge that has been squeezed out):

Ombre Nails
Apply your base coat and two coats of your base colour. Paint a line of the other two or three shades you want to use on the smaller point of your Beauty Blender. Roll from the middle left side of your nail and do any cleanup necessary with nail polish remover and finish with a top coat. Repeat with every nail.

Matte Lip
Add a tiny bit of foundation to a damp Beauty Blender and stipple all over your lips. Tap Beauty Blender into a translucent setting powder and add to lips. Outline and fill in your lips with your lipstick and you’re good to go.

If you want a Beauty Blender in your Birchbox you have to sign up by March 17th but if you haven’t tried Birchbox, I strongly recommend it, even if you can’t sign up in time for the March box. You can find more information here.

KISS and ImPress Nails 2015 Collections

KISS and Broadway Nails are about to make your manicure a lot more fun with their range of nails and art for 2015.

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Let’s start with the basics. We first got to try their new line of Salon Gel French Nails. They havecreated a line of different French tip gel nails so there is the perfect nails for everyone. They come with different shades and length of the base so that these nails will look as natural as possible. Consider this before you jump in and take the longest most dramatic nails on the shelf. You can get a long sexy look that also looks real. I chose the longest pair I could find and they didn’t look right.

Luckily this error in judgement helped me learn quickly how easy it is to fix these nails. An hour after applying the ridiculously long nails, I knew I would have to fix them. I cut them and painted them a pretty purple colour easily turning my mistake into a terrific look. Clearly these nails were made with everyone in mind.

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If nail art is more your thing, you are in luck! KISS has created a range of kits that will glam up your nails in every way imaginable. For serious nail artists, the KISS Salon Secrets Nail Art Pro Tool Kit includes gel nails and everything you need to create your own customized nails. For those of us without that much skill the Salon Secrets set includes charms and stones that you apply onto your nails for a touch of sparkle and shine. Finally, my personal favourite the Rococo Veil Kit includes accent art decals that you can cut out and apply to your nails in seconds.

As if that wasn’t enough, Broadway Nails is updating their imPress manicure sets in 2015 to give you more customization in every box. The new sets include 24 regular nails in one colour and then 6 accent nails so that you can mix and match your manicure. They come in all different sizes (which you can cut to fit your nails), so have some fun with it.

Everything launches next February and is under $20! Get ready for a nail transformation!

Stella McCartney Makes Us Excited For 2015

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During Stella McCartney’s Spring/Summer 2015 show, Sally Hansen’s Global Colour Ambassador Madeline Poole created a nail look that has us dreaming of next summer already! Not everyone is crazy about nail art, but there is no way you can look at this manicure and not think it’s amazing.

“There were a few dresses in the collection that had a mixture of prints – I was really attracted to this spotted animal pattern. To me it looks like moth wings, mimicking leopard spots. I love to layer colours organically and not fuss with straight lines so that the design I came up with is really expressive and easy to recreate with a casual dab,” says Poole of the manicures.

We cannot wait to try this!

Coloured Mascara Summer Trend

Maybelline Volumn' Express Mega Plush Deep Velvets Mascara in Purple Velvet

Coloured mascara seems to be back as a big summer trend in makeup with brands offering affordable mascara in a wide range of fun colours. Everyone from Dior to Maybelline to Avon has a coloured mascara this summer.

avon shock brights mascara

Since bright colours are hot, hot, hot, I decided to join the trend and wear a coloured mascara. I went with Maybelline Volum’ Express Deep Velvets Mascara in Purple Velvet. I have green eyes so I thought the purple might bring out my eye colour without being too crazy. I haven’t wore a coloured mascara in a long time, so it was funny applying it.

I couldn’t stop staring at my eyes. These new coloured mascaras are not as crazy as they may seem. I think if I had of applied it over black mascara I might have gotten a more vibrant finish. I was ok with the muted shade though.

I went out with my colourful eyes on the town. I felt a little silly until I finally forgot, but it took hours for anyone to notice my bright lashes. Apparently inside they didn’t look too different. It was only when the sun shone through them at the right angle did they pick up the light ad shine in their purple velvet glory. It was a little anticlimactic. Maybe I should have chosen a different colour?

After wearing purple mascara for a day, I realized that while this may be a hot trend and I may be interested, it’s for a younger group of beauty fanatics. I loved coloured mascara in high school and that’s where it should stay!

Murale Summer-Fall Preview

Juice Beauty Eye Lift
Juice Beauty Eye Lift

Murale is the beauty only version of Shopper’s Drug Mart and is the Canadian exclusive store to a lot of brands. If you can’t get to a Murale location, you can shop online at Murale.ca.

Rococo Mani Smitten
Rococo Mani in ‘Smitten’

I recently had a chance to go to the Toronto location for a preview of what’s coming up for the rest of the summer and a little of the new stuff for fall. Different brands were set up around the store and my first stop was a Rococo Nail Apparel manicure. There were so many shades to choose from but I ended up choosing ‘Smitten,’ a gorgeous Tiffany blue. Rococo will be available at Murale in August.

Monteil Collection
My next stop was the Monteil station. Monteil has been around since the 1930’s and is based in Germany, only a couple of their products are available in Canada right now, including the Elixir Metamorphose Instant Facelife Serum. A lot more of the line is coming in September, including eye and lip treatments and a 4-way Hyaluronic Serum.
Foreo Cleansers
The Foreo Luna Mini Cleansing Device is different than any others I’ve seen. Its made completely of silicone so bacteria can’t get trapped. It comes in really cute colours and one charge can last for 300 uses. I can’t wait to try it out.
Tata Harper Love Potion
Tata Harper is Vermont based company whose products are 100% natural. This picture only shows a tiny bit of the line and I can’t wait to try the products.
3 Lab Super Cream
3Lab’s Super Cream is definitely what I would call a high end product. At $875 it claims to do everything from brightening to reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Since the closest I’m getting to one of these is when I got to try a tiny bit on my hand I can’t really say if it works. But if you can afford to get one, let us know what you think.

I saw a lot more brands but either couldn’t fit them all in or just can’t show you yet but I was definitely excited to see what’s coming in the fall and can’t wait to find out what’s after that.

Sneak Peek: Ipsy April 2014

Ipsy is probably my favourite subscription box. It’s not only one of the few American boxes that ships to Canada but for under $20 a month you get a new makeup bag filled with around 5 makeup and beauty products both full sized and deluxe samples. Here are the sneak peeks for April’s Glam Bag. If you want more information on Ipsy or want to sign up go here.

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1. Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil
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2. Mary Kay At Play Jelly Lip Gloss
3. Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm
4. Starlooks Lip Liner
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5. Rainbow Honey Midnight Fountain
6. City Color Cosmetics White Gold Shadow and Highlight Mousse
7. Elizabeth Mott pop! goes the shadow
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8. Benefit Lollitint
9. Cover FX Mattifying Primer
10. St. Tropez Gradual Tan
11. Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion

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12. Big Sexy Hair Root Pump
13. Kiss Looks So Natural Lashes
14. St. Tropez Gradual Tan Face
15. Demeter Roll On in Jasmine
16. Coastal Scents Makeup Brush

This bag is sounding pretty glam rock, I can’t wait to see what it looks like!

Bite Beauty’s Rose Coloured Beauty

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Every girl loves a dozen roses, so clearly Bite Beauty has a winning collection with the Bite Beauty Deconstructed Roses Collection inspired by the romantic flower. Not only was this makeup collection inspired by the colour of roses, but also the scent.

Bite added essential oils to their high shine lip gloss and lip stick for a rose scented kiss that sounds like it is to die for.

I love nothing better than rocking a red lip and this collection has more than enough options with 12 lip glosses and four lipsticks. We’ll be test driving these shades soon, so stay tuned to see the stunning shades in action.

Check out our review of Ardency Inn’s unique lipstick.

Coming Soon: Smashbox Promising 24 Hour Shadow Primer

smashbox 24 hour primer

One of my biggest pet peeves about makeup is how long it lasts. You spend an hour getting every inch of your face looking perfect, leave the house and then when you hit the bathroom, your eye shadow seems to have magically disappeared or been absorbed into your skin. Now you can get the new Smashbox 24 Hour Shadow Primer to stop all that.

The new Smashbox Primer promises to keep your eye shadow smudge prof, crease proof and fade proof for a full day. It’s even sweat resistant, so it will totally work in the club or at a wedding where you can put your makeup to the test.

The new Smashbox 24 Hour Shadow Primer hits stores in April and we can’t wait to try it.

In the meantime check out our review of the amazing Smashbox Full Exposure Palette.