The Sunday Post, Vol. 10...

I'm done with this winter thing!

This Friday we got about 15 cm of snow which I didn't mind about much but I'm tired of the cold!

Enough!

I've been rather quiet on the blogosphere and Twitter recently because after weeks of fighting it and being an almost germaphobe whipping everything with disinfecting wipes, even at the office, my body gave up and so I caught a cold! On Monday I had to leave work early because I felt nauseous, Thursday and Friday I was all stuffed up and feverish. No coughing, no throat ache but all yuck! This is a weird one and I hope it'll go fast. Catherine had it a few weeks ago and it was bad! I'm glad to say that today I'm feeling better so hopefully the worst is behind me and this week I'll be a little more "there". :)

Here's a question for you... What do you think about applying your makeup in public?

This has been on the back of my mind for over a month now and this morning Gio from Beautiful With Brains, asked the question in her Sunday Random Ramblings weekly post.

Every day I take the metro to go to work and since it's public transportation I get to see all sorts of people. Some are fully awake and some, well, you wonder if they slept at all. I don't read or listen to music in the metro, I discretely observe. What can I say, it's my contemplative nature.

What does this have to do with applying makeup in public you say? Well, there's a young woman who applies a full face of makeup every morning in the metro! I kid you not! Eye shadow, liner, mascara, blush, powder and lipstick! The only things missing are concealer and foundation but then maybe she puts these on as well before she reaches my stop I just don't know. What amazes me the most is that she does an excellent job despite the crowd and the sometimes abrupt stops the train makes. Oh and I almost forgot, she does this with a tiny little round mirror!

What about you, would you do this?

Me? No! I will discretely reapply lipstick and powder my nose but that's it! :)

This week's makeup love...

My NARS Fairy's Kiss palette has truly become a staple lately. That little goldish pink, the upper middle shadow and the purple next to it make an easy and pretty everyday look that I'm loving a lot at the moment.

The Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Khaki combined with Diorshow Mirage and Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Caviar Ink is very classy. It takes a little longer to apply due to the cream formula but the result is a very polished look.

New is the NARS concealer which will be reviewed this week.

Chanel Le Vernis in #609 Coup de Coeur has become an instant favorite and with a top coat lasts pretty much all week.

Also not yet reviewed is L'Occitane en Provence hand cream. Love! Deep moisture combined with a beautiful comfy fragrance, it's become my go to at bed time.

New additions...

At the beginning of the week I picked up NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer because my Rimmel concealer is just nowhere to be found these days. On Friday I took advantage of the Clinique Bonus at The Bay and purchased the All About Shadow 8-Pan Palette which just might get a bit of daily love because not only are the colors beautiful but the textures are bordering dreamy. Reviews coming up soon.

What I have my eyes on...

Clinique Cheek Pop! I just couldn't make up my mind this week on which color(s) to get! They are so adorably cute and the textures are beautiful! I may also make a stop at Clarins' counter for a new cleanser. Catherine still doesn't like the Vichy Pureté Thermale Purifying Foaming Cream so I've been thinking about getting her either the Pure Melt Cleansing Gel or the Gentle Foaming Cleanser for Normal/Combination skin.

For your viewing enjoyment...

This one is totally random but oh so funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqYUTTqupOY

Have a great week everyone! Hélène xoxo

My Office Emergency Makeup Bag...

Little essentials to have handy, to avoid panic!

One of the differences between men and women? Beside a briefcase if they have one, men leave home with only their keys and cell phones in the morning while women, many anyway, will want to carry around their entire makeup collection and pharmacy essentials.

There was a time when I had no other choice than to do this. Working as a makeup artist and having to go to different venues or stores all the time, I had to be ready for almost anything. Then when I had to travel, my bag had to be light and so everything in it had to have a purpose. I learned early on to travel light.

We all know that mornings can get crazy! I've never forgotten to put on mascara but lipstick, yes. Weird since I usually carry at least five in my purse. Ibuprofen for that headache, dental floss to get rid of the bits of spinach from the salad I had for lunch and dryer sheets for static cling are some of the things I keep if not with me, in my office drawer. For makeup, promotional sized and drugstore brands are perfect for this. There's no way I'll leave my Givenchy compact at the office!

These days when I see women with huge purses filled to capacity it makes me smile. They could make their lives so much simpler if they were a little more organised. Now do know that I'm not the most practical person and at the moment my house is total chaos but handbag and office drawer have to be top notch!

The makeup bag I chose came with an Estée Lauder Gift With Purchase. 

Not the prettiest, I did think about buying one but then figured it would do fine. 

What's in my emergency bag?

Ever been stuck at the office with a broken nail and nothing to smooth out the edges? Or wearing new shoes and in desperate need of one or several bandages? I have and it ain't fun having to run (unless feet hurt) to the drugstore for stuff you know you have plenty of at home. Even if you only have a tiny space to call your own at work there is a way to keep a few essentials that you may never have any need for but if you do, well, you'll be thankful, believe me!

Biotherm hair brush (seen folded, I've had this for ages), Twinings tea bags (Chai, Darjeeling and hidden under is my favorite Blackcurrent), 2 dryer sheets in a little ziplock (to fight static on clothes and the fragrance will not get annoying given they're sealed in their own plastic bag), a couple of bandages, TBS Honeymania lip balm, Estée Lauder sample double whammy concealer and Sumptuous mascara, Avon's Mark double sided glosses, Crabtree & Evelyn Aromatherapy stick, a small deodorant, compact mirror with a magnifying side, samples of Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire and Dior J'adore, Bourjois blush in Rose Ambré, Rimmel lipstick Kate in 08, Dental floss and a pair of tweezers.

Already at work, small size of Caudalie Huile Divine, Vichy hand cream, nail file and Advil.

The dryer sheet bit is something I learned years ago. I can't remember if it was someone who told me about this or if I read it somewhere but in winter it can be more than useful. If like me you like wearing light fabrics you know what static cling can do. By gently rubbing a dryer sheet on your garment it will help neutralize it! Much better and more convenient than those cans of Static Guard they used to sell. I don't even know if that stuff is still available. These I've used today in fact. The colder it gets outside, the more static cling you get indoors, especially due to nylon coats.

Crabtree & Evelyn Aromathology Pulse Point Balm is also another item I've had for years and sadly I don't think it's still available. It's an oil with a pepperminty smell that you apply to pulse points for relaxation. Soothing when you smell it, it helps with headaches but more importantly it helps me calm down if I get in a bad place. Dealing with people can sometimes be quite aggravating and this has been a godsend in the past.

I have reviewed Caudalie Huile Divine last summer and what I thought would happen indeed did! It's perfect to help tame the static I get in my hair from my coat and scarf. One spray, I rub my hands together and run my fingers through the length of my hair. No more static cling and fresh smelly hair. I rub the top of my hands with what's left. Perfect!

Everything fits and I still have room to spare!

I don't know about you but me I hate having to ask others for anything and I'm one of those people who likes to be ready for any situation or in this case, little emergencies.

The only thing that's missing is a little kit of thread with a needle. For some reason I can't find the one I had so it's on my list. You never know when a button will pop!

Do you have a little emergency bag/kit?

Vichy Pureté Thermale Purifying Foaming Cream...

Last May I purchased Biotherm Pure-Fect Skin Cleansing Gel for Catherine and she really liked it. You must have guessed by now that she is slowly becoming one of my Ginny pigs for trying products. She's not into makeup, yet, but she does have a skin care routine. At 14 I'm happy to say that her skin is clear so I guess we're in control, so far.

I'm not going to have her experiment with moisturizers because I don't want her to mess with a good thing. She uses Avène Cleanance K at night and she rarely gets blemishes. Whether it's the treatment or her genes making a difference I have no idea so we won't take any chances.So far she's never had any issues with cleansers except for a Neutrogena (Pink Grapefruit) that was clearly too drying. She's used a few and seems to be slowly developing preferences.

Vichy Pureté Thermale Purifying Foaming Cream...

Is the latest I purchased for her. Paraben free it's geared towards sensitive skin and since the weather is cooling down I thought it would be not only gentler but less drying.

She doesn't like it!

She told me she didn't enjoy the fragrance nor did she like the texture which is like a thick creamy mousse. Biotherm was a clear gel.

This means I've inherited a cleanser. Good, in the shower it went! For some reason I love having a different one in there. :)

How does it perform? Good.

Truly it's a good basic cleanser and it's way superior than some of the recent ones I've tried. Although it does have a somewhat of a thick creamy mousse texture it is slightly drying so I'm not sure how someone with dry sensitive skin would fare with it. The fragrance? I don't know what Catherine's problem is but I find it very pleasant although I'll admit it's a little stronger than Biotherm was. As I've mentioned I keep it in the shower and a few times used it in the evening to remove makeup and it did a pretty good job. Using a micellar water after, I barely had any dirt left on my skin.

Would I recommend Vichy Pureté Thermale Purifying Foaming Cream? Yes and no.

It is a good basic no fuss cleanser but it is slightly drying and this can be an issue especially if your skin gears toward the dry side. Although I don't have any problem with it, the fragrance could appear a little strong for some. Catherine is not sensitive to smells in general so her comment did take me by surprise. If you have normal/combination skin I think this would be a good option.

Since it's not too expensive it's the type of cleanser that you could use for your body if ever it doesn't work for your face. It's about $18,00 for 125 ml (it will last long since little is needed) but it's often on special, I purchased ours for just under $13,00.

Reviews: 

Makeup Alley: 4.4 / 5 lippies for 14 reviews.
Beauté-test: surprisingly there are no reviews of this product at this time so I believe it's relatively new.

Ingredients:

WATER • GLYCERIN • POTASSIUM MYRISTATE • PALMITIC ACID • MYRISTIC ACID • POTASSIUM LAURATE • POTASSIUM PALMITATE • POTASSIUM STEARATE • SODIUM COCOYL GLYCINATE • LAURIC ACID • PEG-32 STEARATE • PEG-6 STEARATE • BUTYLENE GLYCOL • PENTYLENE GLYCOL • STEARIC ACID • PHENOXYETHANOL • TOCOPHEROL • DISODIUM EDTA • CAPRYLYL GLYCOL • BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII SEEDCAKE EXTRACT / SHEA BUTTER SEEDCAKE EXTRACT • FRAGRANCE

As with any other skin care, if your skin is clog and/or acne prone or sensitive make sure to patch test first.


Do you have an extra facial cleanser you keep in the shower?

Vichy NutriExtra Hands / Review...

With winter just around the corner most of us know that a good hand cream is a must and if you're like me you probably have a few scattered around the house. Am I the only one to have four at the moment? Erm... yes I mean, bathroom, living room, bedroom, my purse... I need them all over otherwise I forget to use them.

Isn't it fun when you get a 2 for 1 special? I just love them and so yesterday it was just impossible for me to resist especially when it's a product I know I'll be needing, you know, one for my purse and one for the office. On promotion at the drugstore I found this little combo of two Vichy Nutri Extra Hand creams for just under $10,00. Talk about a good deal! I do have favorites but I do like to try new ones and this Vichy felt pretty good when I tried it in store.

Vichy Nutri Extra Hands Nourishing Repairing Cream...

Give Your Feet Some Love!

For the longest time I've overlooked foot care in Winter. My feet where almost always covered so why bother? For the past several years I've been wearing flip flops in the house so I've had to make a few changes. Yes, in Winter! Unless it's a very cold day, I just can't stand wearing anything else This means that they are exposed and even if I don't always wear nail polish I don't want them to look neglected. There's also the fact that I don't like "hearing" them when I have to put on socks in the morning. To avoid this, here's what I do...