tanorexic? more like tanorrific.

if a drugstore is like a chocolate factory, just call me charlie (roll with me here...). every summer i try a new self-tanning product in the vain hope that maybe, just maybe, i'll find that golden ticket product. sadly, i'm often disappointed.

take, for example, the recent moisturizer/tanner trend. it still smells bad, streaks and it's not all that moisturizing. but what about all those mischa barton ads that appeared everywhere telling me it was, like, the best thing ever?! you know, before her stint in the psych ward for exhaustion or mercury poisoning or whatever the kids are calling it these days. why would i take her tanning moisturizer advice in the first place? it's not like she doesn't get a spray tan an hour before her shoot. for that matter, why would i buy something just because a celebrity endorses it at all? because until they make a tanning moisturizer so miraculous that it turns my face into mischa barton's, i'm going to keep my $16.99. but i digress...

maybe not everyone shares my high sunless tanner expectations, but let's keep in mind that i'm fair, so everything shows up. and when i say fair i mean, salesgirl: "hmm, i think this shade of foundation is too dark" me: "no worries, let's go lighter" salesgirl: "that's the lightest shade". i wonder if sweden exports cosmetics? are there special cosmetics for really really white people, like there are for asians, east indians, etc? or is that just every other brand? but i digress...

the product i've had the most luck with in the past is clarins, but it's better suited to someone with a medium skin tone. i recently found a great product that i've been testing all summer. so now that the leaves are falling and your tan is fading, this product is gonna have you looking golden faster than you can say skin cancer.



the i-bronze self-tanning cloths by marcelle come in three types: fair to medium, medium to dark and sun-kissed glow moisturizing cloths (see? we still can't get away from the moisturizing trend). bonus: they're hypo-allergenic and perfume free.

the cloths cost around $1/cloth. similar products are made by l'oreal and tantowel for about $2/cloth, as well as kate somerville at sephora for $6/cloth.

trick or tip!
i usually apply before bed. think about applying self tanner like applying nail polish; never go to sleep immediately after application, or it'll crease. wait at least 15 minutes. and don't forget to wash your hands, because that would be so 1998. and in my experience, there's no such thing as too much blending. what? are people going to snicker behind your back because your tan is too even?

bonus trivia
while i haven't received a press release on the look-like-mischa miracle face lotion quite yet, i have spotted lindsay lohan's tanning mist on sephora. so now you can have a "lotan" just like lindsay. i think that's my cue to stop. now why am i craving chocolate when i'm talking about self-tanner?

the mother ship :: coming soon

"it's been a long, a long time coming, but i know, change gonna come"

vancouver's getting beautylicious this summer with the highly anticipated opening of our very own sephora. that's right, the black-and-white-striped mother ship. and in true vancouver fashion, only 5 years after it came to toronto. oh snap.

:: 7,452 square feet
:: 230 brands
:: no more online shopping with high customs brokerage fees
:: no more waiting in long border line ups

okay, so those guilty-pleasure day trips won't stop 'til we get target, nordstrom & forever 21, to name a few. and while you can already find several sephora faves around vancouver - like laura mercier, stila, cargo, bliss & fresh - we'll finally have local access to (fingers crossed) frederic fekkai, kat von d, urban decay, too faced & sephora brand.

so just how big is 7,452 square feet? to put it into perspective, the cosmetics floor just across the street at holt renfrew is 16,000 square feet.

the big day is july 10th with stores opening at pacific centre and coquitlam centre, with metrotown to follow in the fall. let's hope the downtown location is a "good" sephora. if you know your sephora, you know what i mean (ie. nyc sephoras: midtown good, times square bad).

nail year's resolution (bad pun intended)

"next year, i have to learn to stop biting my nails! i would like to stop worrying so much, because i worry all the time. and to learn how to be happier, just in general. i have to learn to take things not so seriously." - britney spears, dec 30th 2008

i just knew britney and i had something in common besides the obvious - you know, the incessant paparazzi following us around, the head shaving, the mental instability... no but seriously, confession time: just like britney, i've resolved to stop biting my nails.

it's not so much a new year's resolution (because those are inevitably broken), since i've been on the bandwagon a few months now. and despite a few setbacks, my nails are looking their healthiest ... ever. and my secret isn't some horrible-tasting nail polish, hypnosis or positive visualization, but basic nail care. if you spend time on your nails, you're less likely to tear off all your hard work. simple yet effective.

on a recent trip to san francisco, a friend introduced me to my new favourite nail product: dry nail polish strips. i heard about them a few years back when i was researching nail polish for work. back then avon was the only company making them, though now they've discontinued them. now there are two others: incoco and sephora.


product #1 :: incoco dry nail applique :: $5-6 USD for 20 individual nail strips
what's the story? these are my favourite. they're affordable, long lasting, easy to apply and easy to remove. plus, they come with all the necessary tools, including file, cuticle stick and polish remover. they last about 10 days and you don't have to wait an hour for them to properly dry. the downside is that these are only available at walgreens (US), but word on the street is they're selling them at some zellers (canada) now too for a couple dollars more.


product #2 :: sephora nail patch :: $10 USD for 16 individual nail strips
what's the story? i wanted to love these, and they do work, but they're more expensive than incoco and they only provide 1.5 applications instead of 2. that said, i love, love the black sparkle colour, but i've only seen the light pink in stores.

carmindy by sally hansen and favourites

i've been searching for carmindy's line from sally hansen for months, and i finally found it at ulta. let's talk ulta for one moment - this was my first experience with the store, which was like a drugstore meets sephora with sales people on uppers. (side note to my side note: i don't need you, you, you and you to help me find one product! unless i ask, i probably want to be left alone.) but i digress...

the sally hansen natural beauty "inspired by carmindy" line is only available at ulta and select rite aid, longs, duane reade and cvs stores, and it is not available in canada. it's supposedly natural and filled with nutrients like grapefruit extract, almond oil and cocoa butter - whatever that means ;-)

i've been curious about the products since she started using them on what not to wear this past season. if you're a faithful viewer, you know that carmindy loves a good peach gloss, so i was on a mission. a mission for peachy gloss goodness.


there are 12 shades of gloss in the line, and they're all shiny and sheer with minimal stickiness. another point of peachy gloss goodness is that they're only $7.99. oh and before you buy, print out a coupon here.

trick or tip!
if you've got lovely lady lumps, dab gloss on the center of your lips only. thin-lipped ladies should apply all over and stick to shiny, shimmery glosses.

this month's faves

powder foundation :: laura mercier mineral powder spf 15
what's the story? this is my current face powder, which i now prefer to jane iredale. it's a super fine loose powder that goes on evenly and doesn't look like you're wearing anything. it can be used in combination with the mineral finishing powder and mineral primer for all-day coverage, but it's not absolutely necessary to spend another $35 USD on each. this product is available at holt renfrew in canada and sephora and select department stores in the US.


concealer :: benefit boi-ing industrial strength concealer
what's the story? benefit takes the cosmetics cake for packaging with the adorable retro thing they've got going, but i really love some of their products, too. this is my current under-eye concealer. i never used to need an under-eye concealer (SIGH) but ... things have changed. i just dab on a tiny bit of this under my eyes and on my lids as a shadow primer. i will mention that the colour is not fabulous on its own, but once i brush some powder over top, it's perfect.

skin care update and favourites

last month's aforementioned visit to the spa inspired me to get thinking about my skin. if you have a flawless face, stop reading, and while you've got some free time, slap yourself around a little (can you say jealous?!). but if you're like me, and you get to enjoy the monthly joys of bumpy skin (okay fine, zits), you know that it bites and you're probably ready to say goodbye to your hormonal face.

so late one night i decided to take my problem to the all-knowing internet. i'd tried many pills (diane-35 made me crazy and i didn't want to be a slave to antibiotics) and topical remedies (like differin, which gave me itchy, puffy eyes and all-round irritability), but i was looking for something easy ... that worked.

the wild world of online forums led me to something called the regimen. at the risk of sounding like an ad, a month in, it's really working. here's my version of the program:

night...
step one :: wash my face with a mild cleanser - i use skoah kleansing lotion - pat dry.
step two :: use a generous amount of 2.5% benzoyl peroxide - i use panoxyl aquagel - and spread onto affected areas gently until it feels tacky. wash hands and let dry.
step three :: use a thick moisturizing cream on my eyes and then a fragrance-free moisturizing lotion on the rest of my face - i use dormer 211 cream and cetaphil lotion - let dry.

day...
step one :: wash my face with the same cleanser (be careful with your towels - dry your face with an old one so the colour doesn't bleach out).
step two :: tone and moisturize with skoah turbo tonik and face skotion lite.
step three :: apply makeup - i sacrificed my pocketbook for my face and splurged on jane iredale mineral makeup.

trick or tip!
i wash my pillowcases every four days (never sleep on the same side twice). i have the luxury of an in-home washer-dryer, but if you're a slave to the laundromat or scary basement coin-operated machines, once a week will do.

this month's faves


gloss :: smith's lip balm in "minted rose"
what's the story? i've long been a fan of makeup artists' favourite, rosebud salve, but to be honest, it's always been a bit too "rosy" for me. this one's the perfect multitasking gloss for me.


fragrance :: demeter spray in "pink lemonade" & "dulce de leche"
what's the story? famous for dirt and other offbeat scents like laundromat and sex on the beach, demeter fragrances are the perfect little single-note pick me ups - not overly fragrant (a.k.a. you can enter a crowded elevator in good conscience) and fun. i use pink lemonade when i want something fresh, and dulce de leche when i want something a little deeper. note: i hear men love food smells on women. brownie fragrance, anyone?


hand lotion :: bath & body works in "vanilla bean noel"
what's the story? my friend julia has this and every time i go to her apartment, i slather it on. thankfully, like my seasonal friend the low-fat egg nog latte, bath & body works' holiday collection is back. it's time for a road trip to bellingham!

a smashbox steal

it's friday night in sleepy dunbar. after a fabulous apres-work pedicure and taco platter with the girls, shelby and i walk to the video store to check out the foreign fare. but along the way we're drawn in by the shopper's drug mart beauty boutique. and $70 later, it's the most expensive walk to the video store we've ever had.

but we've decided not to let the guilt take over because we managed to save ourselves over $100.

here's how...
after coveting our next fragrance purchases (ckin2u for shelbs and moschino i love love for me) we hit up smashbox for the greatest deal: a box of good quality, useful cosmetics, including...








lip gloss in pixel, emulsion lip exfoliant, photo finish foundation primer, blush/soft lights duo in sunbeam/glimmer, cream eyeliner duo in caviar/midnight brown, fusion eyeshadow in merge, layer lash primer, that's a wrap mascara in black and cream eyeliner brush #9.

there are still boxes left in stores, but if you can't find one, smashbox seems to make several of these money-saving kits a year.

is this the only place to get a deal?
nope. try the shopping channel. every few months they feature smashbox over a weekend and the daily "showstopper" is always an amazing deal - if you don't mind the shipping & handling.

the moral of the story
"don't stop at shoppers' beauty boutique on your way to the video store." no, actually it's more along the lines of "don't buy these products on their own ... wait for the good deal around the corner." (too bad i'm already coveting this, which doesn't come in a kit!)

oh yes, and while we truly did set out to rent a foreign film that night, we ended up with the prestige.

non-beauty tip
don't watch it on a friday night at 10pm - unless christian bale is enough to keep you glued to the screen, the story's too complicated to stay awake for.