Archives for July 2013

Name: Jessica Desjardins
Location: Currently Ottawa, Ontario, Canada…but I’m moving to Toronto in a few weeks!
Hangouts online: Beautezine, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest
Current favorite product: IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness. It feels light as a primer but covers like a concealer. It corrects redness, feels weightless and has been allowing me to skip foundation this summer!
Beauty inspirations: Old Hollywood, red carpet, European style, jewelry, abstract art, antique photographs, floral gardens, fashion
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Confidence

What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?

I definitely can’t go without concealer, and the Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil is pretty much my BFF. I also need to add some sort of color to my face, whether it’s bronzer or blush. Lately I’ve been loving the new MAC Pro Longwear Bronzer in Sun Dipped and the Yves Saint Laurent Blush Radiance in No.7. Mascara is always key, and the Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara has been getting lots of love lately. Finally, I’ve always got a Maybelline Baby Lips on hand, usually in Peach Kiss.

When did you start getting into makeup?

It all started when I was about 10 years old with BonneBelle rollerball lipglosses. I remember I used to keep them in my desk at school and slowly started adding in other products like eyeshadow, mascara, blush and lipstick over my teenage years.

What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?

Stock up on multipurpose products… They cut down on time and space! I love Benefit Dallas boxed powder because I can use it as a blush, bronzer and an eyeshadow. Cream blushes can double as lip colors.

What’s your favorite beauty tool?

I’d have to say my eyelash curler! I really love the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler and Lancôme Le Curler.

What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?

My mom always told me not to pluck my eyebrows too much when I was a teenager. I really wanted to pluck them and make them skinnier, but I listened to her and kept them full (but still groomed). I’m so glad I listened to her advice!

What’s your skincare routine?

I try to keep my skincare routine pretty basic. I have very sensitive skin, so I try to be as gentle as possible. Morning and night I’ll cleanse my skin with Bioderma SensiBio Cleansing Water. I’ll use an eye serum like Lancôme Génifique, and then I’ll apply a basic moisturizer like Bioderma SensiBio Light and an eye cream like Philosophy The Miracle Worker. Once or twice a week, I’ll exfoliate with Kate Sommerville ExfoliKate (seriously the best exfoliator ever!), and I’ll use the Proactic Refining Mask as a spot treatment if any pesky blemishes show up.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?

It must have been a homemade face mask made with a bunch of natural ingredients that felt horrible and smelled disgusting… But I sat there and endured it!

Do you have a trademark look?

On a daily basis, I usually keep my makeup fairly simple with a neutral eye look, a bit of soft black eyeliner and mascara. Cheeks are usually a soft pink. Nude lips. Even though I have super stick straight hair, I love to curl it and get beachy, voluminous waves!

Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”

Definitely! I remember when I was first getting into makeup, the only place I could really ‘get into’ was my mom’s makeup bag. I wore her bold, blue eyeshadow, bright pink blush and deep rose lipstick to school when I was in grade 8… I thought it looked so awesome back then.

Where are your favorite places to shop?

Sephora and MAC are my beauty headquarters! For clothing, I’m in love with Dynamite (it’s a Canadian store…but they have started opening up a few places in the USA) and Lululemon for yoga/lounge wear. When I want to do a little ‘dream’ shopping, I’ll browse the shoes at Holt Renfrew.

Anything else you want to share?

Since it’s summer, I’ll pass along my two favorite tips that are tried, tested and true. If you get a mosquito bite (or if you’re like me right now and have your legs covered in them), rub a little deodorant on them and it will stop the itching. Women’s white, solid stick deodorant only! If you get a sunburn, smother on some plain yogurt, and let it sit as long as you can stand it. It will smell awful, but it will feel great and help that burn heal super quickly!

Here are a few of my favorite makeup looks…

Name: Kelly Keeton
Location: The East Bay Area near San Francisco, California, U.S.
Hangouts online: Vampy Varnish, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+
Current favorite product: Too Faced Tinted BB Cream in Vanilla Glow
Beauty inspirations: Music, books, England, the SF Bay Area, tropical islands, flowers
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Artistic

What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?

The number one thing I can’t live without is an excellent eyeshadow primer, like Too Faced Shadow Insurance or Milani Eyeshadow Primer. I also must have MAC Fast Response Eye Cream (thanks to your rec, Karen!), Simple Light Moisturizer with SPF 15, Nubar Diamont Seal & Shine Topcoat, MAC Russian Red Lipstick and Jack Black Lip Balm, especially in Shea Butter.

When did you start getting into makeup?

I played around with nail polish and lip gloss around 11 or 12 but really started wearing it consistently when I was 13.

What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?

A quick-dry topcoat like Nubar Diamont is a must-have item for anyone who loves nail polish. It dries so quickly and shiny, it’s perfect.

Also, if you want to do a mani but are super short on time, try a textured polish or metallic. They usually dry much quicker than other formulas, and with a texture, you don’t need a base or topcoat!

What’s your favorite beauty tool?

I love the Benefit synthetic angled brush for brows. It’s the perfect size and width for my brows.

What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?

Wear SPF on your face every day! I started in my early 20s, and I really think it’s helped me look younger.

What’s your skincare routine?

In the a.m. I wash my face with a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil in the shower, and twice a week or so I’ll also use a gentle scrub like MAC Volcanic Ash or TheBalm Almond Microdermabrasion Face Scrub.

Then I apply my moisturizer with SPF and usually MAC Fast Response Eye Cream. At night, I usually wash with a Clinique or Soap & Glory cleanser and apply some retinol products on my eye area and face. Then a moisturizer on top. About once every week or two, I’ll do some kind of face mask, like TheBalm Blueberry Face Mask, Origins Charcoal Mask or c.Booth Volcanic Mud Mask.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?

For some insane reason when I was in my early 20s I dip-dyed the ends of my bleached blond hair black.

So about 4 inches of the bottom were black.

It looked much better on singer Berlin! So, to get rid of it, I dipped the ends in pure bleach for a long time, which only turned it a horrible faded brown.

Then I had to cut all of that off.

Do you have a trademark look?

I’ve tried many hair colors and styles, but I always wind up going back to an edgy short pixie or bob and platinum blond. It just works the best for me, and it’s the perfect blank palette for any makeup colors!

Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”

Oh, yes! I wore acrylic nails (shudder) for many years in the ’90s, and it makes me nauseous to think about now!

Where are your favorite places to shop?

I do a lot of shopping online, and some of my favorite places are ModCloth, Sephora, Amazon, Etsy and Zappos. For in-store I like Target, Nordstrom, Sephora and Ulta.