Beauty 411

Joe Fresh

In a previous post I mentioned that I received an e-mail from Joe Fresh letting me know about the Fall fashions that were about to hit the streets. Honestly, the e-mail had me at “Joe Fresh fashions.” Seriously. I am a huuuggge Joe Fresh fan/shopper. It’s embarrassing to know that all the sales people across the GTA, know me! LOL


When I visited the site, I mentally picked out the items that I planned to purchase. I liked the cute cardis and the scrumptious looking jackets. I decided that the black motorcycle jacket was the one for me.


So I headed over to one of the biggest locations—I wanted to ensure that my jacket was there, but guess what happened....? The jacket was nowhere to be found. I circled the store about 5 times until I realized that it was all sold out. Although I was a little (a lot!) disappointed, I still managed to browse around, to see if there was anything that tickled my fancy.


Since I already have way too many Joe pieces, I headed over to the cosmetics area. I have a bunch of eye shadows (surprise, surprise!), so I glanced at the selection of nail polish.


I saw their Fall nail polish line and I fell in love with a few hues. I picked up Storm (a creamy grey colour), Gunmetal (dark grey with silver flecks) and Brick (reddish brown shade).  It was a steal for 3/$10!


Even though I had my heart set on the jacket (*I’m still searching for it, or something similar), I’m glad that I can at least update my wardrobe with a few cute nail polishes.


Thanks, Joe!

-Michelle

What song reminds you of summer 2010?

Everybody knows that today (psst...the first day of school) sadly marks the end of summer madness. *tears streaming down cheek*


I haven’t been in school for a long time, but I too get a little blue at the beginning of September. Summer brings a sense of excitement, sunny days and good old fashioned fun with friends. And on the flip side, fall signals bad weather and doing hours and hours of homework. Who wouldn’t be depressed? LOL!


But what pulls me out of my fall funk is when I happen to hear a song that makes me think of the 2 months of summery bliss.


My song of the summer for 2010 was released towards the end of the season, but it totally captures the euphoric feeling of summer.


The song that reminds me of summer is....... Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream (California Gurls from Katy is also very summer-ish, but that song got really annoying after 5 listens!).

I chose Teenage Dream because it evokes the carefree, invincible feeling every teenager feels when they’re not in school. You spend your days and nights at the beach living it up with your friends (okay, just substitute the beach for the mall!) and life is good.


This song also recalls the summer romances that may have only lasted mere weeks, but felt like it was the best moment ever!


Teenage Dream gets me singing and thinking about my carefree days as a teenager. Man, this song gets me every time! Check the video here


What’s your song of the summer?

Happygrrl of the Month - Nicki Minaj

Let’s face it, she ain’t no Lauryn Hill, but Nicki Minaj is most def the baddest chick bitch in the rap game right now.


Her skillz and crazy-sexy-cool-persona have made her the girl you run to when you want your single upgraded. Just ask Ludacris, Usher, Mariah, and Drake (her Young Money lablemate). They’ve all worked with her, and believe me, their singles definitely benefited.


Her current single, Your Love—which I completely loooove—is sitting comfortably at #6 on Billboard’s top 100 R&B/Hip hop chart. I suspect that it will be number 1 in no time due to her epic-like video (the video’s Samurai theme is quite engaging, no?) and the cool Annie Lennox sample.


Nicki Minaj first caught my attention after I heard a couple of her collaborations with other artists. I thought they were good, but what really freaked me out was that she would sometimes rap in a kooky, albeit entertaining voice. At first I thought she was out of her damn mind, but after I heard the actual lyrics, I thought her delivery was very creative.


Although a lot of people are drawing comparisons to Lil Kim (she wears colourful wigs just like Lil Kim did back in the day, and like Lil Kim, Nicki ain’t shy about flaunting her hyper sexuality), I actually think she’s more Missy Elliot (think Missy from the Supa Dupa Fly days) with a pinch of Lil Kim and a dash of Lady Gaga.


Nicki Minaj is sooo worthy of the title of Happygrrl of the Month if nothing more than the fact that she’s the baddest rap chick with ridiculous swagger, and that she has brought a sense of humour back to rap music. And not in the corny Will Smith way!


Want some more info on Nicki Minaj? Check out some stats below.
Full Name: Onika Maraj
Birth date: December 8, 1984
Born in: Trinidad and then moved to Queens, New York
Label: Signed to Young Money in August 2009
CD: Her debut CD Pink Friday is due to be released November 23, 2010

Michelle

Where did summer go???

I can’t believe that summer is practically over. Seriously, once the CNE opens, fall is right around the corner. Boo!


But there is an upside to the end of summer......Fall fashion!


As much as I loooove warm weather (wearing dresses, sandals, and my cute sunglasses), I adore fall fashions. Fall usually brings rich colours, warmer textures, and tons of tailored jackets.


I received an e-mail from Joe Fresh letting me know about their fall 2010 line, and I am literally counting down til I get my hands on some of their jackets. Check the fall line here.


I guess fall ain’t sooo bad! Happy shopping!

Michelle

Song of the moment

Doesn’t it drive you crazy when you like a song that you have no reason liking? You’re not a fan of the artist, nor the genre, but you astoundingly can’t get enough of the song.



Here’s my dilemma.


Last week I started a new job in a new office, and I am relieved to say I love my new surroundings. It’s a very chill environment and my co-workers have bent over backwards to make me feel very comfortable.  Thanks, guys!


Getting back to the reason for this post, one of my co-workers usually starts her day by logging into her computer, and then finding her fave online radio station. I’m cool with her station of choice because it plays a mix of genres (some old school, r&b, dance and pop), and TONS of top 40.


For part of the day I tune out some of the songs (read: anything too bubblegum and pop-think Justin Bieber), but for some ungodly reason, I’ve been humming along to a song that I’m slightly embarrassed for liking (psst….it could be the fact that the song is played 50 million times a day! LOL).


My normal workday turns into party mode when I hear Ke$ha’s single, Your Love Is My Drug. It’s soooo damn catchy! The lyrics are anything but profound, but my co-worker and I usually perk up and do our little desk dance by our computer screen when it comes on. 

Maybe it'e me, but this song is the epitome of a summer hit single.  It has equal parts happy, fun and complete fluff.  It's so my guilty pleasure.


Not only do I like this song, I’m kinda digging the video.....don’t judge me!

Michelle

Love Lush Cosmetics?

I am a major Lush fan. I have been writing about their products for almost 8 years!  So I had to share with you their amazing new contest.


They are launching 10 new products and are giving them away to 10 facebook fans.

To enter, all you have to do is "like" Lush on Facebook for your chance to win.

*Be sure to go to the Lush website to get complete contest information.

Good luck!


Michelle

My essential summer beauty products

When summertime hits, it’s time for me to modify my beauty routine. I’m not hiding under tons of clothing anymore, so when the temperature starts to smoulder, I bring out my essentials.



Check out a few products that I can’t go without when the summer heat hits.

Mango bath & shower gel, Body Shop

I completely love this bath and shower gel. The tropical mango scent evokes sunny days, warm summer nights and sexy summer flings. Okay, I’m totally being stupid, but this shower gel is my personal fave!

I love the lusciousness of the scent, and the fact that the fragrance lasts for hours and hours, scores big with me.

This shower gel makes me feel sexy!

Palmers Cocoa Butter
I’m always singing the praises of cocoa butter. Not only does it keep your skin silky smooth and hydrated during extremely scorching weather, it actually fades any blemishes on the skin (mosquito bites, scratches, scars).


I wouldn’t even think of taking away from its chocolaty aroma by applying perfume. I wear this lotion solo. Yes, it is that yummy!

Lady Speed stick 24/7 Satin Pear, deodorant
I never would have thought that I would be writing about my deodorant, but damn it, this deodorant is essential on those hot and hazy summer days. (I wear Dove deodorant for sensitive skin in the cold, winter months).


This deodorant gets my stamp of approval because it keeps me smelling great, even when it’s overbearingly hot (remember last week?).

Schick Intuition, Razor
I haven’t gotten into waxing my legs as of yet (psssst... I only got into getting my eyebrows done a few months ago), so I religiously shave my legs quite frequently during the summer months. Honestly, I hate doing it, but if I plan on donning cute flirty dresses and skirts, I have no choice! LOL!


My razor of choice is Schick Intuition. I love it because it moisturizes your skin while you shave. It already comes with shower gel added, so you don’t need to apply any.


My skin looks and feels sumptuously smooth for days on end. This is def my go-to razor.

Honourable Mention

Glorious Mud, Lush

This product is new to me, but after one use, it looks like I might be a fan.

It’s a cleansing bar that has deep exfoliating properties. You rub it on your body; let it work its magic for a minute, then you rinse it off. It’s like having a mud bath conveniently located in your shower.

Once you rub it on your body, your skin feels fantastically supple. The only drawback when using this mud bar is that the bathtub looks like you’ve been rolling around in mud for about an hour. So after you use this product, expect to scrub the tub.

Those were just a handful of my personal fave products. What do you use in the summer to keep your skin glowing?

Michelle