February 11th, 2010
Just in time for spring, The New York Times is reporting that more and more women are embracing bolder and brighter makeup shades. Companies like MAC Cosmetics and Makeup for Ever are noticing more women opting for daring makeup shades and palettes. Eyes, lips and nails are all getting bolder and more vibrant. So much so, that even drugstore brands are catching on to the popularity and launching brighter makeup collections.
MAC, Makeup For Ever and Sephora all offer customers trained makeup technicians that specialize in teaching the average woman how to apply makeup and what colours best suit them. These technicians are also eager to pass along new colour trends and styles which customers are now starting to embrace. Customers are losing their fear of bright vibrant colours and jumping on board the bold makeup bandwagon.
In light of this interest in bolder makeup, we thought we would share our favourite vibrant makeup products for Spring 2010.
Makeup for Ever Eyeshadow ($19) – High pigment eye shadow to ensure long-lasting coverage. Available in a variety of high-colour shades like brilliant yellow and deep plum wine.
MAC Viva Glam Gaga Lipstick ($16.50) - A limited edition lipstick named after celebrity spokesperson Lady Gaga. This lipstick features a high lustre finish in a cool blue-pink shade. All proceeds from Viva Glam go directly to the MAC AIDS Fund.
Illamasqua Nail Varnish ($14) – One of the hottest makeup collections of the year, Illamasqua brings you great nail varnishes in a variety of bold, rich and vibrant colours.
Benefit Sugar Bomb Facial Powder ($28) - A facial powder designed to bring a natural rosy glow to your face. Four unique shades are blended together to create the perfect “flush”.
Posted in Makeup
February 10th, 2010
The readers of the beauty blog Skin Care Beauty Zone voted on their must have beauty products. We at Real Style loved the list so much we just had to share. This is like getting the best beauty tips on the ultimate products from around the world. Here are the 10 must have beauty products:
1. Clinique 3-Step Skin Care System – Washing, exfoliating and moisturizing is crucial to keep your skin beautiful. Clinique’s 3-Step System has you everything you will need.
2. Nivea Crème – This moisturizer is for every skin type, every age and all seasons. What’s not to love?
3. Crème de la Mer – This luxury skin cream may be pricey ($130.00 for the smallest jar), but women will tell you that the smooth skin it leaves you with is worth it.
4. Vaseline Jelly – Everyone knows a few uses for Vaseline Jelly. It is one of those beauty staples that you should always have in stock just in case.
5. Oil Of Olay Products – Since it first struck a chord with women, Oil Of Olay has been the go to company for skin care. Any of their products are essential.
6. Bourjois Blush – This blush was developed in 1863. With well over 100 years of experience, Bourjois Blush must be the best to still be around today.
7. Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Cream Skin Protectant – This skin care product heals dry skin like no other. With winter underway, women understand that products that save you from cracked, dry skin are a must have.
8. La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream – Keeping your skin hydrated and healthy is important, so this luxury skin cream is worth its very high price.
9. Chanel No. 5 Eau De Parfum – The secret ingredients in Chanel No. 5 are tightly guarded. It has been an industry staple for years. Everyone knows its name. There is no question that this perfume is a beauty essential.
10. Guerlain Issima Midnight Secret – This night cream is coveted by celebrities keep their faces fresh each morning. This is a secret that every woman needs to know.
Tags: Beauty, beauty must haves, blush, bourjois, chanel no.5, clinique, Creme de la Mer, Elizabeth Arden, Guerlain, La Prairie, Nivea, Oil of Olay, perfume, Skin Care, top ten, Vaseline
Posted in Beauty Reviews
February 10th, 2010
Last week, superstar Beyonce heated up New York City with a visit to the Herald Square Macy’s to officially launch her first fragrance Heat.
Over 500 fans purchased the $122 Heat fragrance gift set, setting a sales record of $60,000 for a first day fragrance launch. It’s now the best selling fragrance at Macy’s. Heat is touted as a distinct scent with notes of red vanilla orchid, magnolia, neroli, blushed peach, almond and musk.
“I am so happy to be living in this moment,” an exuberant Knowles, clad in a short, fitted red Marc Bouwer dress and Lorraine Schwartz rubies and diamonds, told WWD.
“This scent is going to be at least as large as J.Lo,” said Bernd Beetz, chief executive officer of Coty Inc told WWD. While he declined to reveal exact sales projections, that would mean worldwide sales of at least $100 million at retail in the scent’s first 12 months on counter.
Just in time for Valentines’s Day, Heat is now available in fine department and drug stores across North America.
Tags: beyonce, beyonce fragrances, beyonce heat, heat fragrance
Posted in Celebrity Beauty, Fragrance
February 9th, 2010
If you thought Alice In Wonderland themed makeup was a strange idea, just wait. OPI is now taking their inspiration from another movie.
OPI will be creating Shrek 4 inspired nail polish colours according to beauty bloggers. The new Shrek Forever After collection has six new shades. The colours are yellows, purples and blues… but no greens. Strange for a line based on a movie about a green ogre.
The nail polish colours are Funky Donkey (dark purple), Rumple’s Wiggin’ (light purple), What’s With The Cattitude? (light blue), Ogre-the-Top (dark blue), Fiercely Fiona (light yellow), and Who The Shrek Are You? (dark yellow).
There is no release date yet, but Shrek Forever After has a release date of May 21st, so expect OPI to release the nail polish close to that date.
We will keep a look out for prices to let you know when they are announced.
Tags: Beauty, Makeup, movie, nail polish, opi, Shrek
Posted in Makeup
February 9th, 2010
Is money tight, but your not quite willing to give up the skin smoothing beauty miracle known as Botox?
If you’re a New Yorker, you now have a way to potentially save big bucks on your beloved Botox treatments; The Botox Bank! Yes, its a way to “bank” and save with your Botox treatments. Using The Botox Bank by SmoothMed for your Botox purchases allows you to take advantage of high volume discount purchasing (100 vial units). This can mean big savings.
Think of the vials you purchase online at The Botox Bank as “virtual” vials. SmoothMed is not actually holding the vials for you. Whenever you come in to the SmoothMed facility for a Botox treatment, you’ll get a brand new syringe filled with Botox that was opened and mixed that day. The units used will automatically be deducted from your Botox Bank account.
If you’re interested, sign up to create an account and choose a password. Purchase the desired quantity of high volume discounted vials to deposit into your account. The physician will withdraw the required amount of Botox units required for your treatment. You pay only $50 injection fee per visit and your balance is always available to you by simply logging on to your account.
If you’re in the market for beauty savings, this might be right up your alley. If it proves popular, expect to see the concept spread across the country.
Tags: botox bank, botox savings, thebotoxbank
Posted in Skin Care
February 8th, 2010
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics has teamed up with The Heart Truth to help raise money for women’s heart health outreach and research.
The Heart Truth Campaign has partnered up with makeup expert Bobbi Brown Cosmetics to create a limited edition Shimmer Brick in Bronze to help raise money.
The Limited Edition Heart Truth Shimmer Brick in Bronze set will give you a deep, bronzed glow for that sun-kissed look. It comes in a heart shaped package with a mini brush blender. According to StyleList, there are only 500 of these sets. You can pick one up now on the Bobbi Brown website for $40 with free shipping.
The Heart Truth’s 2010 Fashion Show will be kicking off New York Fashion Week this Thursday. It features celebrities modeling red dresses. The designer dresses will be auctioned off to raise funds. Bobbi Brown has been the official makeup partner of The Heart Truth for five years now.
Tags: bobbi brown, bronzer, fashion show, Makeup, New York Fashion Week, red dress, shimmer brick, The Heart Truth
Posted in Makeup
February 8th, 2010
The Moroccanoil beauty craze really hit its stride in 2009 and the brand’s hugely successful line of Moroccanoil products continues its incredibly popular run into 2010.
For those of you that have never heard of Moroccanoil, it’s a product designed for hair care and created using argan oil, an ingredient cultivated in Morocco and used by Moroccan women for centuries on both their skin and hair. Its benefits are said to be countless.
Moroccanoil is designed for all types of hair (works especially well for dry, damaged hair) and promises to help make your hair softer and healthier. It’s a powerful antioxidant and UV protector, Moroccanoil’s proprietary Argan oil blend is rich in vitamins and natural elements that fortify the hair, including Vitamin F (Omega 6), Vitamin A to improve elasticity, Vitamin E to protect against free-radicals, and Phenols to shield against environmental stressors.
Moroccanoil has now created a gift basket designed especially for Valentine’s Day. Both cost efficient and practical, this kit is perfect for fans of Moroccanoil oil or for those of you that might want to give it a try. The Moroccanoil Valentine’s Day promo travel kit includes:
- One Moroccanoil 50ml Treatment
- One bonus Moroccanoil 10ml Treatment
- One Moroccanoil 70ml Moisture Repair Shampoo
- One Moroccanoil 70ml Moisture Repair Conditioner
- Your choice of one Moroccanoil 75ml Hydrating Styling Cream or one Moroccanoil 75ml Intense Curl Cream
You can pick up the kit now for $55.00 CAD at fine salons and spas nationwide.
Tags: moroccanoil, moroccanoil gift, moroccanoil hair
Posted in Hair Care
February 6th, 2010
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we thought we would share some of our favourite beauty inspired Valentine’s Day gift ideas for that special someone in your life.
H20 Sea Derived Skin Care – H20 is the perfect beauty shop for the nature loving individual. H20 products are made of marine botanicals in water-based formulas that are gentle and pure. For a great Valentine’s Day gift, you can now pick up the H20 Ultimate Spa Collection. The collection includes Sea Salt Body Wash, Sea Salt Skin Smoother, Spa Body Butter, Spa Hand & Nail Cream and Soothing Mint Foot Rub all for $30.00.
Bath & Body Works – A great Valentines Day gift would have to be the newest fragrance from Bath & Body Works called P.S. I Love You Spring Fling ($29.50). It’s a fragrance inspired by the thrill of falling in love. Light and warm, it’s a great option for that fun-loving woman in your life. The P.S. I Love You Spring Fling collection includes eau de toilette, fragrance mist, body lotion, shower gel and triple moisture body cream.
Zirh – Zirh is the prestige skin and body care line for men. With celebrity fans like Matt Leinart, LL Cool J and Kevin Dillon, the line is considered one of the most popular for men. If you really want to treat your man this Valentine’s Day, pick him up some items from the Zirh Platinum collection. It’s the most luxurious and superior skincare range available to men with products like the Drenched Luxurious Face Cream, Age Defense Face Cream and R2-Revolutin, a luxurious post shave healing balm. Prices range from $65.00 - $125.
Jack Black – The Jack Black Collection for Men is perfect for the guy’s guy. It’s an advanced skin care line for men that offers simple solutions with superior products specially designed for men’s needs. Our pick for this Valentines Day is the Love Machine Gift Set ($90). The gift set includes an Industrial Strength Hand Healer, Body Rehab Scrub/Muscle Soak and the Signature Black Mark Eau de Parfum.
Tags: bath & body works spring fling, h20 ultimate spa collection, jack black love machine, valentine's day, valentine's day gifts, zirh platinum
Posted in Bath & Body, Fragrance, Skin Care
February 5th, 2010
In today’s beauty news, Britain is abuzz over the soon-to-be released Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum. The upscale skin care brand has been getting a huge amount of press over the last couple of weeks for their newest beauty innovation and demand is so high that over 100,000 Brits have already bought the product via advance orders!
Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum is a revolutionary serum that contains syn-ake a neuro pepride that mimics the effects of the Temple Viper’s potent venom to instantly lift the face, freeze muscles and plump fine line sand wrinkles. This alternative to botox can be applied twice a day to achieve visibly smoother skin.
Trials on users of Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum showed wrinkles were less noticeable after just 90 seconds with an impressive 52% reduction within 28 days.
With celebrities like Kate Moss, Cheryl Cole and Victoria Beckham already using Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum, the buzz is sure to continue. We’ll be sure to let you know when the product hits North American stores and websites!
Tags: roadial glamoxy snake venom, rodial, rodial skin care, snake venom beauty
Posted in Skin Care
February 5th, 2010
Donna Karan’s newest fragrance PureDKNY has partnered with aid organization CARE in an effort to support the women of Uganda. The partnership will include a deal with CARE to source Ugandan vanilla, the central note of the PureDKNY fragrance.
According to WWD, CARE has been working in Uganda since 1969 and has a long history of helping women create their own small businesses through their Village Savings and Loan Association. With PureDKNY support, nearly 1,000 women will gain new business skills through participation in the program, better equipping them to make lasting change for themselves, their families and their communities.
In addition the main note of vanilla, PureDKNY includes notes of freesia, dewdrop petal accord, lotus flower, Bulgarian rose, lush orchid and creamy sandalwood.
The scent is now available globally and will launch in US department stores in July 2010.
Tags: dkny, dkny donna karan, donna karan fragrances, pure dkny, pure dkny fragrance
Posted in Fragrance
February 4th, 2010
One of the highlights of the Lancôme Spring 2010 Makeup Collection is the release of Lancôme L’Absolu Crème De Brilliance.
According to Lancôme, get ready to experience the most complete and powerful anti-aging molecule from Lancôme research, 10 times more concentrated in a shiny cream for visibly replenished lips. This new lip product is a hybrid of a lip gloss and conditioning balm. It’s unique in that it contains high quality ingredients meant to moisturize, replenish and reshape lips in a way we haven’t seen before. Lancôme L’Absolu Crème De Brilliance is enriched with pro-xylane, hyaluronic acid and shine boosting oils for that sparkle and glow we so love in glosses.
Lancôme L’Absolu Crème De Brilliance retails for $29 and comes in a variety of shades including Champagne, Rose Mythique, Berry Noir, Sienna Ultime, Amande Sucrée, Cherrywood Luxe, Exotic Orchid, and Blush Classique. Keep your eye out for it at Lancôme counters nationwide.
Tags: lancome anti-aging lip product, lancôme l'Absolu crème de billiance lancome, lancome makeup
Posted in Makeup, Other
February 4th, 2010
Beauty company Fresh has always been a skin and body care company that prides itself on being natural and simple. They were the first to pioneer the use of natural ingredients like milk, sugar, soy and rice in modern day beauty treatments. Fresh carries a full line of lifestyle products including fragrance, skin care, body care, makeup and hair care.
Fresh has recently released travel size versions of their best selling fragrances and all natural body Sugar Body Polish (Katie Holmes and Cameron Diaz are fans).
Brown Sugar Body Polish ($38) – Now available in a 7oz jar, this legendary body polish was the first sugar exfoliant on the market. Ingredients include real brown sugar, precious oils like sweet almond and jojoba, ginseng root and peppermint. It has many imitators, but the original Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish is the best in its class, it will exfoliate and truly invigorate your skin.
Fresh Fragrances ($24-$32) – Now available in 1oz bottles, Fresh fragrances are perfect for those of you that love clean, natural scents. Available fragrances include Sake Eau de Parfum, Citron de Vigne Eau de Parfum, Sugar Eau de Parfum, Lychee Eau de Parfum and our personal favourite, Sugar Lemon Eau de Parfum.
Stop by your local Fresh or Sephora store for more info.
Tags: brown sugar body polish, fresh, fresh beauty, fresh fragrances
Posted in Bath & Body, Fragrance, Skin Care
February 3rd, 2010
Its that time of year when body butters are used almost daily to moisturize and pamper dry, winter-weary skin. We at Real Style Network thought we would share our favourite body butters for those of you that love to indulge in bath & body products.
The Body Shop is legendary for their body butters and the selection is quite large. They offer body butters in three skin types; normal, normal to dry and dry to very dry. Our favourites in each category include:
Pink Grapefruit for Normal Skin – This one is fresh, tart and perfect for a morning pick-me-up! It moisturizes well and leaves your skin fragranced with the light scent of grapefruit. For those of you that love grapefruit scents, this one is a no brainer.
Wild Cherry for Normal to Dry Skin – The newest body butter is Wild Cherry. It’s rich and decadent! Great absorption into skin and the wild cherry seed oil helps moisturize patchy dry skin.
Cocoa Butter for Dry to Very Dry Skin – This one is a classic! Cocoa Butter Body Butter is great for everyday use and softens and smoothes rough, dry skin. It smells tropical and light and is great for those of you that love the smells of cocoa butter and vanilla.
Fruits & Passion is a great option for those of you that seek unique bath & body care options. Our favourite body butter is the Fruity Quenching Butter for the Body. It’s enriched with shea butter and will leave your skin soft and scented with a distinct fruity/floral fragrance.
Sephora is also known for their large range of body butters. The Sephora branded body butters are rich and surprisingly strong. They also contain shea butter and beeswax to help moisturize and protect skin. Our favourites include Apple Pomegranate Body Butter, Riviera Blue Body Butter and Vanilla Cupcake Body Butter (we love this scent!).
Tags: Bath & Body, body butters, body shop, body shop body butters, fruits and passion, fruits and passion body butters, sephora, sephora body butters
Posted in Bath & Body, Skin Care
February 3rd, 2010
For all you men out there (and ladies that buy for their men) P&G is releasing a new Head & Shoulders product called Head & Shoulders Hair Endurance for Men.
The new hair endurance product is meant to reduce hair breakage by eliminating dandruff while helping to thicken hair. Head & Shoulders Hair Endurance is meant to strengthen and visibly improve the look and feel of men’s hair (all in a daily shampoo).
This product is designed for men who tend to be a bit rougher with their hair (more so than women) and want care specifically for their targeted problems. P&G research shows that more than 44% of U.S. males who experience some form of hair loss also claim to have dandruff troubles. The product is aimed at men who are concerned about their thinning hair, but not at the point that they want to get into hair re-growth products.
Keep an eye out for Head & Shoulders Hair Endurance for Men in your local drugstores this month.
Tags: head & shoulders, head & shoulders hair endurance, head & shoulders shampoo
Posted in Hair Care
February 2nd, 2010
Bath & Body Works is a fragrance lovers dream! Filled with lotions, fragrances, candles and just about every other pampering bath and body product you can think of, its the perfect placeto treat yourself or a friend.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Bath & Body Works has released their newest fragrance collection called P.S. I Love You Spring Fling. A “sequel” to their current best seller P.S. I Love You.
According to Bath & Body Works, this new fragrance is inspired by the thrill of falling in love. It’s a playful twist on the original P.S. I Love You with a flirty blend of soft petals, sparkling water, wild honeysuckle, and fresh air. Fragrance notes include Sparkling Water, Melon, Fresh Air Ozonic notes, Sparkling Citrus, Rose, Honeysuckle, Plum Amber Musk and Cedarwood.
P.S. I Love You Spring Fling is available in Eau de Toilette for $29.50. You can also get the Fragrance Mist, Body Lotion, Show Gel and Triple Moisture Body Cream. Visit your local Bath & Body Works store or check out the collection online for more info!
Tags: bath & body works, bath & body works fragrance, p.s. i love you spring fling, p.s. love you
Posted in Bath & Body, Fragrance