get the look : too faced semi-sweet chocolate bar eyeshadow palette

June 29, 2015By stephanie

I’m a fan of picking up prepared eyeshadow palettes over putting my own together, or buying separate pots (save for the two pots of MAC Shroom I have in every kit), or randoms. A palette provides colours that compliment each other and for the most part, no guesswork.

There are a plethora of palettes out there (the whole new wash of nude palettes every brand has, for example) and it’s really easy to blow a pretty penny at Sephora finding the perfect one for you. I’ve had or currently have them all (from Urban Decay Naked to Lorac Pro Palettes 1 and 2 to Maybelline The Nudes!). I love them all.

But my current affair happens to be with Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar. It might have something to do with the fact that every time I open the palette the sweet smell of chocolate releases the right endorphins, but it’s also because the colours, formulas and finishes are A++ and + again.

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Thanks to my best bud, Elaine Atkins, I became the lucky recipient of both the Chocolate Bar and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palettes, and I find, that both palettes are in heavy rotation this wedding season.

Depending on the skin tone and favourite colours of any client or bride, I can more often than not get the right neutral, smokey look from either palette.

I’ve been leaning more on Semi-Sweet though. I really like Nougat, Hot Fudge and Licorice. Bon Bon and Caramel are great for the lid and for adding a hint of shimmer, while Butter Pecan is also a great highlighter on deeper skin tones (try it under the brow bone, or over the cheekbones!)

Natasha

On Natasha above, I used Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer in Sin to prime the lids. I swept Bon Bon over the lids, which when paired with the primer shade lightened it a bit. I mixed Truffled and Hot Fudge from the outer corner in, blending it as I pushed it toward the centre, and up into the crease. I used Licorice on the outer corner. For a bit of dimension at the crease, I swept Nougat in the crease and blended up. I really like Nougat for deeper skintones. I lined her eyes with Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black Ink.

For the rest of Natasha’s look, I used MAC Foundation is NC44 and Studio Fix Concealer in NC42, but only through the centre of the face. I then blended MAC Face and Body in C5 around the perimeter and down the neck. Clinique Chubby Sticks for her contour and highlight. A hint of NARS The Multiple in Puerto Vallarta on the cheeks. Anastasia Contour Palette as well to set the contour and highlight and brighten under the eyes. MAC gloss in Ample Pink for the lips.

My favourite thing about the TooFaced Chocolate Bar series (both the regular and the Semi-Sweet) is that it is neither a nude or a smokey or a matte or a shimmer or a metals palette. It actually contains a nice mix of matte, satin, shimmer and high glitter colours. I think the only thing it’s missing is more colour range outside of the great browns and neutrals it already has. The funkiest colour Semi-sweet has is Blueberry Swirl … and from there Pink Sugar. Chocolate Bar has a nice plummy purple and a more satin/matte pink similar to Pink Sugar.

Regardless, it’s still a sweet palette to have. My vote : go buy it!

-stephanie-

Cargo Swimmables Lip Liner

June 23, 2015By DJMC

Summer brings heat and humidity, and heat and humidity bring makeup woes. Waterproof formulas tend to become an essential part of the routine for some of us to avoid anything melting off our faces, and quality ones can be hard to come by.

cargo swimmables 1

Cargo Cosmetics has us covered in the lip liner department. The Swimmables Lip Liners are a girl’s best friend for the beach, the pool or any generally hot days and come in four shades that can work with a range of lipsticks.

I had the chance to try one in Canaria, a brownish/pinkish nude that I decided to wear as a complete lip pencil – it gave me a 90s vibe that’s completely on trend right now and I couldn’t resist wearing it all over.

cargo swimmables 2

I glides on smoothly and the pigmentation is fantastic. It’s a matte-finish product, and really sticks to the lips – there’s no question it can handle a dip in the pool or even the muggiest of summer days. It’s probably best to use as a lip liner, as the formula is a bit drying and does tend to accentuate the fine lines in your lips if you choose to wear it all over like I did. Any dryness becomes that much more obvious. As promised, it doesn’t feather or bleed making it a great product to wear under a typical lipstick.

You can grab this pencil for $19.00 at Murale, London Drugs (though it’s $20 with them) in Canada!

Disclosure: Press samples featured.

a little bit of a facelift …

June 22, 2015By stephanie

Hey!

You probably already noticed but our website got a teensy bit of a makeover …
a “refresh” if you will.

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We happen to be very excited about the new look …
and we hope you love it to.

Feel free to take a browse around, and if you want, sign up for our newsletter
and pick a download of your choice :

 – our BP Bridal Checklist;
– our BP Bridal Beauty Checklist; OR
– our BP Perfect Vanity Checklist.

We hope you enjoy our new look as much as we do!

-stephanie- 

musings from morgan : cargo hd foundation

June 10, 2015By DJMC

Foundation is one of those things that isn’t really one-size-fits-all. It can take a long time to find one that suits your needs, especially because you have to factor in colour, skin type and preferences for factors like weight, coverage, finish and more.

Personally, I am partial to medium-to-full coverage, matte finish products. I have combination skin with a temperamental t-zone and am always looking for something that will last all day. I had the chance to try Cargo’s HD Picture Perfect foundation, which promised everything I prefer in a foundation so I was pretty stoked to get testing.

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An oil-free formula, this HD product is perfect if you’re looking for something to use in a setting where you’ll be taking photos, like a studio. HD foundations like this contain light-diffusing products, meaning your skin will look flawless even under the most intense, brightly-lit situations (think right under the hot lights of a photoshoot). It also means the product is meant to blur skin and give an airbrush looking finish and will blend seamlessly.

The shade I tried was 1N, which appears to be the lightest shade in the line. Unfortunately, it was really yellow on me (I’m super fair and lean more pink than yellow – you can see the difference in my neck and face) but may actually make for a good summer foundation if I catch a tan…but we’ll have to wait and see. I applied with a beauty blender and was so impressed with the finish and coverage. It truly blends beautifully on the skin and a little goes a long way to mask imperfections. It’s also suitable for all skin types, and I found it worked great on my skin.

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I can get away with wearing it when I use a brightening concealer and some contouring products as a more dramatic, going-out look, but as an everyday foundation the shade is just too yellow. If it was a perfect match, this would no question be a go-to foundation for round the clock wear!

At $42.00, it’s a great option if you’re in the market for an HD foundation and on par with most like it. Grab it from Cargo Cosmetics directly, Murale stores, murale.ca or well.ca!

Disclosure: Press samples featured.

love notes : a word from our people …

June 9, 2015By stephanie

It’s always nice to wake up in the morning, have my water and tea, open up my inbox and find the best notes ever : love notes. Whether in the form of a thank you card, an email, or even a text … praise for our amazing teamily (family+team) always leaves us humbled and appreciative of the gracious and kind people we get to meet each year!

I wanted to take this Tuesday morning to share some kind words from a couple of this brides with you :

Dear Stephanie,
I can’t thank you and Giselle enough for being part of my wedding day.  The makeup was flawless and suited each lady perfectly.  Giselle was kind, professional, on time, and tended to everyone’s requests. 
My makeup was everything I could have asked for and lasted all night long!  
I couldn’t be happier with Giselle and for choosing Blush Pretty.  Thank you again.
All my best,
Jennifer

—

Hi Stephanie!
Thank you to you, Marissa, and Samatha for all your help!  Everyone loved my hair and make up (including me of course!).  They were very professional and efficient.  A pleasure on this special day!
Imelda

—

As we move swiftly through this 2015 wedding season, the BP teamily and I want to thank and send love to all our brides. This is going to be a kick-ass year!

xoxo
-stephanie-