31 days to a prettier 2017 : book a beauty lesson …

January 16, 2017By stephanie

Did you have a good rest yesterday? Hope so! Let’s ease you back into it …

Day 16 : January 16

Book a beauty lesson!

Whether you go full tilt and book a private one on one with a professional OR you invite your makeup guru BFF over to your vanity table for an evening, seek out some live help! YouTube is great for learning new tricks and practising, but sometimes its great to have an actual person to hit with rapid fire questions. Your teacher of choice can also assist you with product and colour selection, but also give tips and tricks that work for them and can be tweaked for you. PLUS – it’s fun to talk beauty with someone else!

A few ways to get a beauty lesson :

  • Hanging out with your besties who are queens at makeup (free , except for snacks and drinks!)
  • Heading over to a beauty counter for a makeup application and instruction (but keep in mind that you may be obliged to purchase a product or two)
  • Hiring a professional makeup artist to have a one on one beauty lesson (will be either an hourly rate or a flat rate; but the lesson can be tailored to what you want to learn)

Whatever avenue you choose you’re bound to learn plenty all while having fun with it. It’ll open you up to more new looks and styles, plus give you the fundamentals in application. 

Back to beauty school you go!

TIP : Arm yourself with pictures and questions in advance of your lesson. It’s the perfect time to get answers to the beauty stuff you want to know!

HOMEWORK : Check out the BlushPretty services page. We provide beauty lessons ranging from 60 minutes to 2 hours and even do so in a group setting, making it much more fun! Call or email to book!

Let the Holiday Beauty Bar begin … 

November 10, 2016By stephanie

Canadian Thanksgiving, check. Hallowe’en, check. Remembrance Day, almost there.

And then …

Let the holiday season begin. It’s the most magical time of year after all!

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Every year, the BlushPretty team opens up our doors to welcome you and yours to join us for our Holiday Beauty Bar. It’s the opportunity to get in the spirit of the season and get glam on the go. Between your office holiday party to cocktails with friends, BlushPretty will be open Thursdays to Sundays from 2-8 pm for both makeup and hair services. Whether you want to try the new metallic trend, or style your hair into the latest red carpet ‘do, we got you! We’ve even have a designated changing space to take you from office to “oh holy night!”hot that much easier!

Located in the heart of Dufferin Grove at 907 College Street, the Toronto studio is just steps away from the city’s finest establishments meaning you’re in, you’re out, and you’re pretty.

Holiday Beauty bar begins Thursday November 18, 2016 . Makeup applications begin at $55, and hair services begin at $65.

Bring on the cheer!

-xx, s and the BP beauty elves

introducing : workshop wednesdays …

June 14, 2016By stephanie

I cannot believe that we are almost coming up to one year at the College+Ossington studio.  It wasn’t that long ago that we started off in a really small space that sat above Second Cup on Queen+John. We had the smallest window, and it was boiling hot come summer with no air conditioning. It was the perfect space to meet with clients one on one, but as the team and our supportive community grew, we needed a space to grow with us!

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Needless to say, our street level, spacious and bright studio in the Dufferin Grove has been a welcomed change. We have more space to meet with clients, offer skin treatments, and really be a part of the community.

To celebrate, we are officially introducing Workshop Wednesdays – the perfect way to get to know our community and give back to the community by welcoming people into our space, and sharing what we know and what we have to offer.

This coming June 22, 2016, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm, join us (and our sister biz, fresh.beautiful : the skin studio) for our first workshop – Mad about Masks – where we introduce you to one of the biggest selfie trends on Instagram : sheet masks. We’ll talk about how and why they work, how they differ from other masks, and the best way to apply them and soak up the benefits. And BONUS : don’t leave without a quick 5-minute makeover with a few tips and tricks on mastering summer-proof makeup!

Space is limited, so for more details and to reserve yourself a coveted spot, register at our Eventbrite page today! For more information, just email us (beautymail@blushpretty.com) or call us at 416.727.1754.

Hope to see you there!

-xx, s

battle the winter blues

January 22, 2015By DJMC
battle the winter blues

January is probably my least favourite month. Between the cold weather, short days, and that hangover-ish feeling after the holidays it can be hard to get fired up about life day after day.

I asked our team of contributors what they turn to in their makeup bag to help fight the winter blahs, because there’s no denying the power of beauty to at least provide a boost in your mood every now and then. Mine is probably pretty obvious – a bright lipstick always does the trick, especially if it’s a spring shade!

– Morgan

Regina

“Avon Moisture Therapy Intensive Healing and Repair Hand Cream is my go-to as my hands gets very dry during the winter months and this is a hand cream that works for me.

Pelle Beauty Stellar Facial Oil is a beauty pick me up that I use everyday. 2-4 drops of this does wonders in keeping my face moisturized throughout the day and it also does a great job of removing makeup.

Mikayla Beauty Luxury Lip Butter Balms are a staple in my purse, coat jacket, makeup bag and my night stand. This product keeps my lips hydrated and each of the four scents (The Original One, French Vanilla, Chocolate Peppermint, and Peaches & Dream) smell amazing.

Finally, nail polish is a beauty pick me up that make me very happy. When I see all the different brands coming out with new collections, I can’t wait to start shopping and painting my nails with the newest colours.”

Laura Amaya

“During the winter months what always gets me down is having bad skin! Its something I’ve struggled with year after year. I tend to get super dry to the point of itchiness, but then I met First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream and Vasanti’s Brighten Up! These two products have quickly become my holy grails and are what have made my winter days less drab. I exfoliate about 3 -4 times a week and I use the first aid Beauty Ultra Repair cream everyday. My skin has never looked better – I just use a little mascara paired with my great skin and out the door I go!”

Meredith

“A fun nail polish is a nice pick me up in the winter.  This little gem is called teddy girl from butter london.  A lovely intro to spring, this bubblegum pink is a good little lift :)”

loved by laura : j. crew model inspiration

December 18, 2014By DJMC
loved by laura : j. crew model inspiration

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I have always been in awe at how the models in J. Crew catalogues look so fresh with dewy complexions despite looking blown away with their disheveled hair.  Their makeup is natural and their lip colours add a sense of boldness. How can you get the look? The makeup artists use RMS beauty products as well as lipsticks from NARS – totally accessible products. This means we can get the J. crew model look too!

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In order to achieve the glowing complexion the makeup artists use RMS living luminizer. The RMS website describes the process: “Apply sparingly with fingers over the cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, along the inner corners of eyes, and on the cupid’s bow above lips for a natural glow. Add life to eyes by subtly applying onto the center of eyelids, just above the lashes.”  The product itself is 100% organic and great for all skin tones. The texture is waxy and gradually melts with warmth, so it is not greasy or sticky once applied to the face.

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NARS lipsticks punch up the models’ pout with their super pigmented finish. Although we can’t all sport a vibrant fuchsia every day, there are a wide variety of shades to complement all individuals and suit all occasions. Bonus? They’re enriched with vitamin E to increase wearability and keep true color intact.

And with just two products, you’ll be all set for your catalogue-worthy moment! You can purchase RMS luminizer online, and NARS lipstick are available at Sephora, Murale or any NARS counter between $32 – $38.