Rock of Ages Movie Ticket Giveaway

Makeup, hair dye and rock n' roll! In honour of the upcoming release of Rock of Ages, why not dare to take a walk on the wild side and let your inner rocker shine through? Splat Vibrant Hair Color has just released a wash out version of their infamous Rebellious Colour line. You can change your hair color everyday (or just to see the movie) because it easily washes out with shampoo. With a unique applicator brush for easy application, simply brush the product on your hair and let the good times roll. As this is not a gel, it does not dry hard and lets you style your hair as usual. 

And now for the extra exciting bit. Can I get a guitar rift please?

In conjunction with Splat Vibrant Hair Color and Warner Brothers, Farleyco Marketing is offering one of my Canadian readers a pair of movie tickets to see Rock of Ages at your local Cineplex theatre! To enter, follow the instructions below. Contest ends June 6th. Rock on!

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Annabelle Aqua Queen 2012 Summer Colour Collection Swatches and Review

When a packaging containing goodies from Annabelle's Aqua Queen summer collection arrived at my door, I began dreaming of my upcoming Hawaiian vacation (2 months to go, but whose counting?). Everything about this collection screams tropical summer sojourns.  

Biggy Bronzing Powder

Annabelle consistently produces great multicoloured bronzers. They give you the control to adjust the colour to suit any look. The Biggy Bronzing Powder is aptly named-it will definitely last you all summer and well in to winter (but who wants to think about that now?). The colours are all warm toned, which is perfectly on trend for this summer. You can concentrate your brush on a few colours or swirl them all together for a medium hued warm toned bronzy glow. The light to medium pigmentation affords total control for how natural or dramatic you want your bronzer. As this is a shimmery bronzer, I did not recommend using it as a contour; instead apply to the high planes of your face where the sun would naturally give you a tan. 

 (no flash)

(with flash)

Grade: B+

Aqua Queen Eye Shadow Palette

The 10 colours in this palette are designed to give you the ability to produce any of the trends for summer.  Bright colours and neons were all over the the Spring/Summer runways and eyeshadow is a great way to integrate these colours in to your daily wardrobe. The pigmentation of these shadows ranges from light to medium. The lighter colours can apply patchy and require a lot of building up. The darker more pigmented colours apply smoothly with minimal fall-out. All of the colours, save the black, are sparkly. My favourite shades are the copper and the shimmering teal, which is a perfect dupe for MAC Aquadisiac. 

Grade: C+

**Products provided by PR for editorial consideration**

Beauty Blog Link Love 19/05/12

MAKE UP FOR EVER recently launched the Rouge Artist Natural Lipsticks. Treat yourself to a review of three of those at Adorable On Your Vanity!

Phyrra brings you Great Tips for Beauty Bloggers.

Check out The Beauty Spot in a Lord of the Rings Inspired Look.

This May, Rae's been enchanted by a gorgeously packaged pink lipstick. Read all about Pivoine Délicate, the unexpected Spring hit from L'Occitane, at theNotice.

Gouldylox Reviews found a really pretty lip gloss that is actually made of evil at Sephora.

Beauty's Bad Habit Blog joins the dark side with Sleek's 'Ultra Matte V2 - Darks' palette review and swatches.

If Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed was as bright as her Essie Poppy-Razzi nails, the world would be a smarter place - well at least we still have her nails so come check them out!

The Pink Sith thinks that Birchbox might have confused this month's Gossip Girl themed box with The Golden Girls, judging from the geriatric theme of the products she received.

Christina the Glitterholic checks out the new collection by M.A.C, Hey, Sailor! Check out her photos from the event and enter her giveaway to win a M.A.C lipstick from the new collection.

At Eyelining Obsessions things get a little philosophical as Claire contemplates what value for money really means.

At Lipstick Musings, Shannon's fallen hard for the new YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernìs À Levrès Glossy Stain in Fuchsia Dore . Come see what all the fuss is about!

See why the Smashbox Shades Of Fame Palette has Beauty Reflections dreaming of Margaritaville!

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Are you a beauty sample junkie? Enter to win a Total Beauty Collection beauty sample box at Pammy Blogs Beauty!

Best in Beauty at the MET Gala 2012

Three era's dominated the MET Gala red carpet beauty trends: the 20s, 30s, and 40s. The vampy, opaque, dark burgundy lips were a nod to the 20s, while the finger curls and loose pinned chignons were straight out of the 30s, not to be outdone by the deep side parted Veronica Lake waves of the 40s. These ladies are speaking my language! I think it is time to bust out my MAC Film Noir lipstick and put some wave back in to my hair. I love retro makeup revivals.

20s Inspiration

30s Inspiration

40s Inspiration

Modern Beauty

Which were your favourite looks of the night?

Photo Credits: BellaSugar

Ooh La La! Sigma Releases Limited Edition Paris Palette

The Paris Project is the perfect combination of talent, art and tradition. Seven renowned beauty experts (TiffanyD, Xteeener, DulceCandy87, Xsparkage, Frmheadtotoe, Petrilude and MacNC40) explored the City of Lights and developed an original makeup palette inspired by the alluring city of Paris. For the next 7 weeks Sigma will be releasing a tutorial and vlog from each of the artists involved in the Paris Project.

(palette case)

The limited edition Paris Makeup Palette includes eight eye shadows that were influenced by landmark monuments and locations in Paris. It also includes two blush colours and one highlight shade, carefully developed by the beauty experts to compliment all skin tones. The Paris Makeup Palette is completed with two essential Sigma brushes, E55 – Eye Shading and F40 – Large Angled Contour, for flawless makeup application.

What: Paris Makeup Palette

Cost: $59 (visit the websites of the beauty experts involved for $10 off codes!)

Collection Status: Limited Edition

Available: May 7, while supply lasts

**This post contains an affiliate link**

Make A Lasting Impression with Broadway Nails imPRESS Manicure

I have to take a sabbatical from my Gelish manicure routine. After my sixth manicure my nails were so brittle that they were peeling and cracking in half so I had to keep them polish free for weeks until they became healthier and stronger. They were looking so tragic that I desperately needed to cover them but didn't want to use polish that would emphasize the unevenness of the nail. 

Funnily enough, one of my students was wearing an imPRESS manicure and recommended them to me after I painfully split a nail during class. She promised that it didn't damage her nails or leave any residue when it was removed. Yes, I took a 16 year old's advice and let me tell you, from the mouth of babes! These nails are amazing!

Can we just take a moment to appreciate this ingenius packaging? Press on nails sold in container that resembles a nail polish bottle. Really, how has no one thought of this sooner? Simply brilliant right down to the twist of cap and spill proof bottle. 

Application took me 5 minutes for both hands. You pick a nail, peel of the the plastic tab protecting the adhesive on the back, press on your nail and-badabing badaboom!-you have a perfectly executed manicure. No messy glue, no smudged polish, and no crack nails. It bears repeating: GENIUS! 

My manicure lasted 5 days before I lost my first finger nail. There are enough spares in the bottle to have 2 full sets with a few extras meaning that you have 2 weeks of nails in each bottle. I actually kept the spares in my desk drawer so I could fix a lost nail in 15 seconds flat. No one was the wiser as I pretended to grab some post-its from my drawer and slapped on a new nail. 

Removing the nails is very easy. You simply wiggle the edges until the start to pull upwards and then just peel off in one move. It doesn't strip off any of your nail and leaves behind no residue. Beneath my imPRESS manicure, my tortured nails were able to strengthen and mend from the havoc I put them through. My local pharmacy can barely keep these on the shelf so when I see a colour I like, I make sure to grab a couple of packages. 

Grade: A+

Too Faced Better Than False Lashes Nylon Lash Extension System Review

It is not a secret that this beauty blogger doesn't own a single pair (or singles) of false lashes. I have only reviewed one pair in my blogging history and they didn't last very long in my collection due to laziness and the fact that they simply were not a necessary step in my beauty regime. When Too Faced claimed to have a mascara system that would give the same effect of false lashes minus the tedious application, I was intrigued and hopeful. 

A 2-product-3-step system, Too Faced's Better Than False Lashes promises outrageous and flirty lashes with their exclusive Flexistretch nylon fibers. According to consumer study results, 98% saw longer lashes, 42% an increase in lash length, 98% an increase in lash volume, and 90% saw thicker lashes. 

Packaging

First of all, I am so tired of lash products using imagery that has been blatantly Photoshopped or enhanced with false lashes. What does it say about the faith a company has in their product when they use this type of imaging in their marketing? If a product cannot sell itself with results, than perhaps it needs some tweaking a reformulation. I know that Too Faced is not the only brand that does this, but as I consumer I find this very misleading and   insulting (do they think we aren't smart enough to notice?). 

Aside from the cover image, the box packaging is very well done. The claims and steps are easy to find and follow with a lot of information put forth in a manageable and concise manner. The font and detail are ultra feminine and legible. The mascara tube feels very luxe and has a great weight to it. The high shine gold doesn't transfer finger prints and is easy to clean of any mascara transfer. The overall packaging is one of the nicest I have come across in a while. 

Formula

Mascara

The mascara is used as both the base coat (Step 1) and the top coat (Step 2). I found the formula to be dry which has both pros and cons. On the pro, there was no clumping or smudging and it gave great definition; on the con, it can not build up a lot of volume-only length. It dries to great glossy ink black that enhances the dramatic effect.

Nylon Lash Fibers

The second step in this system takes some practice to master. The fibers resemble fluffy white cotton and need to be applied carefully or they can flutter in to the eye causing irritation. It is hard to gage how much product needs to be applied for ultimate results, so practice makes perfect. Because the product is so dense and fluffy, it requires a lot of layers and patience to cover with the top coat and inevitably I always had some white showing through. No bueno.

Results

Blinking was uncomfortable for the first hour because lashes kept on sticking and tugging on the mascara on the bottom lashes. To avoid this, I applied the fibers only to the tips but that minimized the added fullness and left me with just added length. I could feel that I was wearing mascara all day because my lashes felt a little heavy, very similar to how they would if I was wearing actual false lashes. 

I achieved some great separation, definition, and length with this product. From a distance my lashes looked more dramatic and flirtatious but up close they looked quite spidery and brittle. My lashes definitely looked fuller and lusher when they were lowered but I wish it had the same affect when my eye were open. 

Overall Impressions

As a fan of Too Faced products-particularly their eyeshadow palettes-I was disappointed with the results of this mascara. I was expecting dramatic results but, while the my lashes did look longer and thicker, I feel like I could get the same results from a singular mascara. It didn't feel weightless on my lashes and the tugging when I blinked was annoying. The mascara will work well on its own because of its lash defining properties, so at least it won't go to waste.

Grade: C+

**Products provided by PR for editorial consideration**