Thing I Love #6 - Bath and Body Works

This is one store (aside from MAC and Chapters) that I CANNOT go into without buying something. It doesn't matter how small or big the purchase is, I have to buy something. I am so happy that B&BW has finally opened in Canada, and at Erin Mills - not a far drive from home! :) I no longer have to plan my trips to the States around shopping at B&BW. Woohoo! Although the Canadian stores don't carry all the scents that the US ones do in every product (for example, US stores carry Japanese Cherry Blossom hand sanitizer but Canada doesn't), but at least the Canadian stores have the same deals as its US counterparts - 5 for $20, 2 for $10 etc. Perfect!

I can't even narrow down which products are my favorite from B&BW. It's so hard!! I just love everything. I'm a huge fan of the travel-size hand sanitizers which are perfect to carry around with you in your bag, the antibacterial hand lotions are awesome too and come in every scent, and are small enough for travel. I have just recently fallen in love with their hand creams, they are so thick and luxurious and keep my hands hydrated for hours, and the scent lasts! And, the most-used B&BW item I use is their body sprays...they are amazing. They just make the skin feel so nice after a shower!

My favorite scents:
- Red Currant & Thyme Tea (my FAVORITE scent, ever. They discontinued it years ago :( )
- Coconut Lime Verbena
- Midnight Pomegranate
- Warm Vanilla Sugar
- Japanese Cherry Blossom

Makeup Removers

Here are a few of the ones I regularly use and love:

Clinique Rinse-Off Eye Makeup Solvent
Perfect for removing heavy eye makeup or mascara, it's oil-free and easy to use. It's also great to sweep under the eyes to remove any 'makeup dust' that may have fallen onto under the eye.

St. Ives Moisture Rich Cleansing Cloths
These cloths are great for gentle skin and are really good at removing makeup and not drying out the face after use. They give you a deep clean and leave the skin feeling fresh.

Life Brand Baby Wipes for Sensitive Skin
Exclusively available at Shoppers Drug Mart, these work better than anything I have tried to remove my makeup! The best thing is they have no scent, don't sting if you get them in your eyes, and do not dry out the skin.

Thing I Love #5 - Lavanila 'The Healthy Body Butter'

I love anything that smells good, especially if its a hand cream, body butter or lotion. This one is no exception: it smells delicious, not to mention it smells good enough to eat! It smells like candy, I swear. I first discovered the Lavanila Healthy Body Butter at Sephora this past summer. One sniff and test of the stuff and I had to have it.

It pampers your skin - it's so thick and luxurious, and instantly gives skin the moisture that it needs. The best part of Lavanila products is that they are all-natural (no mineral oils or petrochemicals or silicone) and are made with 100% Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter.

I personally love the Vanilla Coconut lotion, but they also make the body butters in other scents: Pure Vanilla, Vanilla Grapefruit, Vanilla Blossom and Vanilla Lavender. In addition, the company has a line of body washes, lip butter, lip shine and more.

It's a bit pricey - $25 - but well worth it!

You can find out more at http://www.lavanila.com or by going to the Sephora website, http://www.sephora.com.

Makeup Brushes 101

Good makeup brushes are key to creating a polished face. Many brands exist and below are three of my favourite brands, all ranging in price.

Try some of these out!


MAC 239 Eye Shading Brush (above): A really soft brush that is great for everyday eyeshadow application. I can't live without it!! $30
MAC 213 Fluff Brush: Good for an eyelid sweep of colour. $27
MAC 263 Small Angle Brush: Perfect tool to precisely line the eye, or shape eyebrows. $21



These brushes range from about $12-20:

Quo Bronzing Powder Brush (above): Super-soft brush that evenly applies and blends bronzing powders.
Quo Blush Brush: Soft brush to apply colour to the cheekbones.
Quo Eye Smudger Brush: The perfect little brush to smudge and create a smoky eye.



Sephora Professionnel Kabuki Brush #50 (above): Gives full coverage of bronzer, blush or powder. $24
Sephora Professionnel Rounded Crease Brush #13: A great, must-have brush that is designed for application in the eyelid crease. $17
Sephora Professionnel Foundation Brush #47: Provides an even application of foundation to the face. $25

There's tons of other brushes out there. Sonia Kashuk makes some great, really cheap ones available at Target, and the Body Shop sells great brushes too. It's all about quality and price range; find what's right for you.

Thing I Love #4 - Tahiti, Sweetie Body Lotion

This body lotion is awesome! It's made by True Blue Spa, sold exclusively at Bath & Body Works stores. It smells AMAZING.

It really pampers the skin and gives you that island feel. It's a really nice, thick lotion that works its magic when applied to damp skin. The lotion has Tahitian Monoi oil, which is known for its crazy moisturizing effects. In addition, Tahiti, Sweetie is available in a large size and in a smaller travel size.

It's great to bring to the gym and apply in the sauna, or to keep in your purse when your skin is feeling dry.

It's $6 for the small and $15 for the large, at Bath & Body Works. Try it out! :)

Storage for Makeup Brushes

Have too many makeup brushes but nowhere to store them? No problem!

I was on a MAC forum one day and some girls were talking about how Sephora stores their makeup brushes. It's really neat: acryllic beads sit in a small container, and the brushes (handle end down) stick in the beads and stand up. Kind of a cool way to display your tools, right?



To create your own Sephora-inspired containers (pictured above), all you need to do is purchase a plastic container and some acryllic beads at a craft store, like Michael's. You can make it fun by buying coloured beads, or by tossing in some cute confetti (like hearts, or stars etc.) in with the beads. You can also dress up your containers however you want - like in the picture above, you can buy some ribbon to give it a fun look. All of this can be done for under $25. Not bad, and aesthetically pleasing!

Smashbox Muse Collection

I love Spring...and I love it not only because of the nice and much-needed warmer weather, but because cosmetics companies start releasing their Spring collections! :)

Smashbox has recently released their Spring 2009 collection, entitled Muse. It's an artist-inspired collection, with white packaging that looks like it has paint splatters all over it. Fun!! The collection has everything you need to create that fresh look for Spring. I love the quality of Smashbox products and I'm dying to check out the collection, in particular the lip paints, eye shadow palette and the eyeliner set. Here's a few pictures:

Muse Artist Eye Palette, $48
10 eyeshadows, a brush and a mirrored compact

Muse Cream Eyeliner Pencil Set, $36

Comes in four rich colours

Hybrid 2-in-1 Luminizing Primer, $34
Gives you flawless glowing skin


Bionic Mascara, $19
A spin on their best-selling mascara, in a violet shade

Muse Lip Paints, $21
Creamy, ultra-shiny lip gloss that stays put

Muse Blush Rush, $24
Long-lasting coral blush in a mirrored compact

You can find Smashbox products at Sephora stores and select Shoppers Drug Mart stores.