MK's Shopping Bag

Oh how I love shopping. To me there are very few things in life that are better then spending a day with your girlfriends shopping. MK’S Shopping Bag will become a regular post on my blog, reviewing the many different products I pick up on my many shopping excursions.

Today’s Shopping Bag Item is The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream – For all skin types.

This past Sunday while shopping at Yorkdale in Toronto my friend Michelle recommended this cream to me. We both have are fair freckled skin that can be slightly dry but Michelle’s sink always looks beautifully flawless. After smelling and trying out the tester I was immediately interested. Right now I don’t have a night cream as I haven’t been able to find one that I like enough to commit too. It was $18 and smelt Clean…it’s really the only word I think of to describe its smell, CLEAN! I have only used it for 2 nights and so far I am impressed. The Cocoa Butter, Glycerin and Vitamin E work together to naturally hydrate and nourish your skin while you sleep without leaving your skin feeling greasy. The cream is light weight to touch but very rich at the same time. Like the Body Shop’s Body Butters a little goes a long way. I almost can’t wait until my current cleanser, toner and day cream are finished so I can try out the whole line.

First Imperssions Mean Nothing...

If you’re like me you sometimes tend to buy based on the way a product looks…cool packaging, bright colors and a celebrity endorsement defiantly help influence your decision to buy something. A lot of the time these products don’t live up to your expectations but now you’re stuck with it.

5 years ago I bought a product called Rosebud Salve from a clothing store on Yonge Street in Toronto. It was in little blue and white tin, sitting in a box at the cash desk. I had never heard of it before and it didn’t look like anything “special” but I am a really bad impulse buyer so I added it to my purchase. Now when I first opened it I wasn’t that impressed, the tin was a little hard to open, the product itself was really soft, had no colour and a smell I couldn’t decide if I liked or not. I put a little on my lips and when on with my day. A few hours later when I got home I was in my room and realized that I still had the Rosebud on my lip…HOW?! I had eaten lunch, smoked, drank from a bottle of water, bit my nails and no doubt talked non stop all day. I called April and she agreed that this was a great gloss. I pulled it from my bag and started to inspect this little tin – I found that this is not in fact a lip gloss but an all purpose salve. Its good for chapped, cracked and dry skin, cuticles, diaper rash, abrasions…etc. I have used it for anything and everything and it always works, fast! This was something I bought as an impulse buy and wasn’t something I thought I would really like and now I use it every day. I keep one in my kit, my purse, my room and my desk. Not a day goes buy I don’t find something to use it for. If there is one thing you need to keep in your makeup bag and or purse this is it.

PRIMER, PRIMER and more PRIMER!!!

With this being my first official post I thought it would best to start off with one of my biggest obsessions - Primer, Primer and Primer!!! I can honestly say I have no idea how I ever lived without this stuff, how did I apply foundation, eye shadow and mascara without first priming?! I guess the application was the same but the results are very different. No more are the days where I look one way at the start of my day and another way at the end of my day. Finding a primer that is right for you can be a little overwhelming as there are so many out there some very expensive and some very affordable. I use a primer for my face, eyes and lashes - I also use all of these on clients. Below is a list of my all time favorites (for now)...

Sephora Collection, Smoothing Primer (Face) - This primer is recommended for combination to oily skin BUT I have dry/normal skin and I love it. It smoothes out your skin and leaves a completely matte finish. It makes you skin feel like actual velvet and really helps your foundation go on evenly and last all day. It works great with both liquid and Cream foundation. The bottle is small but trust me a little will go a long way.

Urban Decay Eye Priming Potion - 2 different types to choose from...Eden (matte/nude) and Sin (shimmering champagne). You only have to apply a little dot on the eye lid spread it around the whole lid and brow bone with your finger and let dry. Once your shadow is applied it will last all night...the only thing is, you have to be careful when applying your eye shadow. If you make a mistake it can be tricky to fix…its staying power is that good!

Lancôme CILS Booster XL (lashes) - I am sooooo not a girl who will wear fake lashes out for a night on the town. In my opinion fake lashes should be left for the Models and the Brides, BUT using a lash primer like Lancôme’s will lengthen and thicken your lashes before you even put on your favorite mascara (and without looking fake).






Some other brands that offer good primers are...
Face - Makeup Forever HD Primer, Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer and MAC Matte Primer.
Eyes - Faces Metaliglow (I use this for an eye primer and a "no makeup" look).

MK~