Feel great... without all the work!

Being a woman in this society, there is a lot of pressure to always look your best. This meaning you can't leave the house for a second without applying mascara, foundation, fixing up your hair, and putting on that semi-cute outfit just in case you run into someone you know. This ritual only leaves you feeling even more rushed because let's face it, looking "good" takes a lot of work!

What if I told you there's a way you can but your "ritual" time in half? Or, even less than that? To run out to the corner store or downstairs to get the mail and still feel great?

LADIES, here's the solution. 

1. Lash Extensions- Having longer and darker lashes especially using extensions will keep you away from even having to apply any mascara or eye make-up for that matter but will still give your eyes the enhanced sultry look! The investment may be a bit much however, extensions are meant to last at least 2-4 weeks depending on how you care for them. Xtreme Lashes has been the latest buzz in the salon and spa industry and unlike the cluster lashes that used to be applied, these single lashes are applied onto each one of your individual lashes. These lashes can last up to 2 months. 
2. Sunless Tanners- Instead of loading on  all that foundation, powder, and bronzer, or baking in those tanning beds, I have found sunless tanners are great for giving you that natural healthy glow all year long. Now the tricky part to this is how to find the right GRADUAL sunless tanner that won't leave you looking "orange" or streaky? I've tried many self tanners and came across Fake Bake Sunless Tanners. I was skeptical to try it since the models on the packaging were all so TANNED but gave it a shot anyways. I tried the Platinum Face Self Tanner with Cell Renewal and Apple Stem Cell and I found that the very next day, my face had a hint of colour. I was surprised to how natural it looked! It can be purchased at many salons and spas.

Lash Lacquer

My obsession of the month....... Lash Lacquer.

Film Noir Lash Lacquer by Hourglass, provides an ultra-glossy, inky black top coat for lashes that creates length, volume, and showstopping shine. 

To apply you should put it over your regular mascara. It creates more length and volume. In fact, if you apply it correctly it kind of looks like you are wearing false eyelashes. Definitely not a day look, but keep it in your handbag for a night time look. I love it so much that I went back to Sephora and it was sold out.
Slight downside-Veryyyy hard to get off. It actually took a couple of days (eww) to get it off once as I didn`t want to pull my eye-lashes out.

Watch this youtube clip to see an example of how amazing it works.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GSr88fpDeU

Good-bye Racoon Eyes!

Since I was 18 years old, I have always longed for an eyeliner that didn't run, smudge, or disappear before the end of the day. Just as I'm sure most women out there have tackled the same problem, wouldn't it be wonderful to apply your liner in the morning or when you go out at night and have it last the entire time without having to touch it up? Ladies, the cosmetic industry has answered our PRAYERS!

I have been an make-up trainer as well as a free-lance artist for some time now so I have dabbled with every new product in the market to find the best to use on my clients. I've been using liquid, pencil, shadow, but my new favourite has to be gel eye liners. Gel liners come in a variety of colours, they are completely smudge proof, does not run or crack like most liquid liners do, and fade resistant unlike most pencils. The only way to remove gel liners is to use an milk or cream base eye make-up remover. For all you ladies that are vacationing and enjoy being in the water, gel liners are almost completely waterproof! I find its also great for filling in your eyebrows and not worry about them melting or fading away!

Bobbi Brown's Long Wearing Gel Liner ($22.00) is an amazing gel liner. It comes in such a wide array of
colours and can also be used as a smudge and fade resistant eyeshadow. Applied best with an eye liner brush, always make sure you're quick with your application for the product does dry out pretty quick. Once it's dried, it may be difficult to manipulate. This can be found at your local Sephora or Holt Renfrew. 
colours and can also be used as a smudge and fade resistant eyeshadow. Applied best with an eye liner brush, always make sure you're quick with your application for the product does dry out pretty quick. Once it's dried, it may be difficult to manipulate. This can be found at your local Sephora or Holt Renfrew. 

Tarte EmphasEYES Aqua Gel Eye Liner ($18.00) is also another great gel liner. The great thing about this product is that if you love the results of a gel liner however, prefer the pencil application. It's essentially a gel liner in pencil form and also comes in a variety of colours. Also, found at your local Sephora.

Hyatt Curacao-Atabei Spa

One of my favourite past times is going to different destinations around the world and trying out their spas. I was sick of the whole all inclusive generic hotels, so I decided to venture to Curacao, which is a Dutch Island north of South America west of Aruba. Curacao is truly a place that isn`t commercialised at all-I didn`t see a single Subways, Starbucks, or McDonald`s- even when I went to town!. It is a place that is not overloaded with hotels and it is a beautiful place for marine life.  By the beach you can literally see dozens of tropical fish swimming by your feet, and in the resort we were surrounded by unique birds, animal life, and even mini crabs.

I chose to stay at Hyatt Curacao which is located in the Santa Barbara Plantation, a huge complex which has rolling mountains and a huge golf course.

The Hyatt hotel is massive, is less than 5 years old, and offers a wide variety of activities including a full tennis program, fitness classes, and golf. What I look for most in a resort before I go though, is their spa facilities.

Atabei Spa is located in the resort and offers a first class spa experience.  Each treatment room is completely private and offers a personal outside shower and a private outside secluded garden patio so that you can relax after your spa treatment. I loved it so much I went twice. First I had a relaxation massage (tip-always start your vacation off with a spa treatment so that you can completely relax for the rest of the trip) it was great! The second time I went I decided to try a unique treatment, so I went with the Curacao Laraha Sugar Scrub which is a fusion of curacao liqueur, orange peel, citrus oil, and brown sugar.  It provided my skin with a great glow and really exfoliated my skin. My only regret is that I didn`t pick some of the scrub in their gift shop for home :(

Nothing says "I love you" more than a spa day... So treat yourself!

As women, naturally we are nurturers. We always try and make sure everyone we care about is taken care of in every aspect our life whether it's at home or in the workplace. We have to try and remember that we are just as important and need to be pampered as well and that's exactly what I did this past Sunday!

My friend and I decided to book a spa day to treat ourselves. After a nice lunch and some shopping in Yorkville, we headed over to Novo Spa in Yorkville for our 4PM appointments. I've been to many spas before and also being an esthetician by trade, I am extremely difficult to please during a treatment. This was my second time at Novo and I loved it even more than the first time! They have a beautiful spa as well as great amenities for their clients to access. My registered massage therapist (my second time booking with her which means she was THAT great) was so thorough and listened to what my concerns were. I love deep tissue massages and her massage could not be any deeper. I also treated myself to an Eminence Organic Blueberry Soy Sugar Body Polish because I hate the feeling of oils on me after a massage and I found it to be satisfactory. My technician was very sweet and made me feel comfortable however, I just don't think I would do it again. I'm  a huge fan of Eminence Organics Skin Care however, the treatment was missing that "WOW" factor. That didn't dampen my experience however because everything was so fantastic!

After my treatment, I felt so rejuvenated and stress free! What a couple of hours of "YOU" time can really do for you and your sanity. We work so hard as women making sure everyone else is tend too however, it always seems as though we don't take enough time for ourselves. You only have one life to live and you should be the first priority on your list! How can we take care of others if we can't take care of ourselves? 

LATISSE!

I love Latisse! Previously I wrote about eyelash extenstions and how I am addicted. Well I decided to grow them out and tried many products to assist with that.  While I started to see results, it was not anything near my previous fake lashes, so I decided to "invest" in Latisse. The creator of Latisse is actually the creator of Botox, so I figured they must have something worthwhile!
I saw the infomercials that I usually roll my eyes at.... I mean usually celebrity paid endorsements are usually products that companies are so desparate to sell that they heavily promote so people will try their product. I also read on-line on some comments, and to be honest I heard mixed reviews. But I decided it was worth the try and invested with some Christams money and started the first week of Janaury.
At first I really didn't notice anything, but I am on week 5 and I am starting to see signficant results! My eyelashes are longer and slightly fuller.  The total cost of this was $150 and can be found at many spas in wolrdwide. I purchased mine in Sherway Gardens in Toronto, Ontario @ Pure Med Spa
Some useful tips-
1. Make sure you apply evenly, or your lashes will grow longer in certain places!
2. Keep out of your eyes- it will burn if you don't
3. Make sure you apply every night to get optimal results






Before



After

If it jiggles, it's fat!

Who else is trying to get that beach body this summer? From boot camps to personal trainers and from gym memberships to yoga classes, how can we determine what is best for our body and which will offer us the best results?



I can honestly say I have tried THEM ALL! I think that each choice does have there pros and of course, results require dedication and consistency. As great as each option was, I still was struggling to see results and to actually get into a workout routine that was best for me until technology hit me!

Xbox Kinect has made working out and losing weight fun! A night of Dance Central 2 with friends turned into a crazy workout! I was actually sweating from all the dancing and the next day, my body was sore just as if I had an intense workout the day before. After this, I was introduced to Xbox's new game, "Your Shape Fitness Evolved". My brother in law recommended so I decided to try it out. Let's just say within the next couple of days, I canceled my gym membership and have been working out with this program 4x a week. The great thing about this game is that you don't even feel like you're working out but boy do you sweat! It customizes a workout regime that targets exactly the results you're looking for and makes exercising fun! 


                        

I highly recommend this game to anyone that hates to exercise but is looking to shed some extra pounds!

-Julie