Sunday, November 18, 2018

LDBeauty Preview Event: See All the Hottest New Beauty Launches!

Everyone has that one holiday or annual event that they look forward to all year...for me, I think that's actually the London Drugs Beauty Preview Event! The LDBeauty Event offers an insider peek at all the brand new beauty products coming soon to London Drugs, and as a big-time beauty buff, there really is nothing more exciting than that.



The LDBeauty event took place in Whistler, BC this year, with a guest list consisting of London Drugs' Beauty Advisors, as well as VIP beauty influencers. We were able to interact directly with the beauty brands showcasing their newest products, giving us an insider peek at all kinds of innovative and hot new products.

Left: Bree of The Urban Umbrella, Leanne of LegalLee Blonde, yours truly!

Of course, I'll be sharing them all the amazing new products with you in the form of many, many reviews over the coming months (note the GIANT box of products for review below!!), but I also wanted to start with a quick recap of the new beauty products featured at the event...in case you want to want to snag them right when they hit the shelves of London Drugs!



Lise Watier

Ah, lovely Lise Watier. Their seasonal, limited edition makeup collections are always so well-thought out, stunning and such good quality. Their Neiges 2018 Holiday collection won't disappoint either - I swatched their new Neiges Sparkling Lipstick, and it is beyond gorgeous. The inner part of the lipstick delivers a nice juicy burst of colour, while the outer ring gives lips a conditioning dose of glittery glam. It comes in one universal shade that will go perfectly with any of your holiday outfits!



Makeup Revolution & Revlon

There's nothing quite like the feeling of opening up a new palette for the first time. These were some of the brand new palettes we spotted at the LDBeauty Event. Makeup Revolution showed off their new The Emily Edit - The Wants eyeshadow palette, and let me tell you, it's a beautiful selection of shades! And while this palette has been available in the UK for a while, this palette is new to Canada.

These Revlon palettes are also new to London Drugs: both for contour and highlight. Here's a peek at their new Galaxy Dream Holographic Highlighting PaletteSunlit Dream Highlighting Palette, and Insta-Sculpt Contouring Palette below. I was so happy to see the contour palette also comes with a lovely shade of blush, as it's the one thing I wish more contour palettes came with!



Clarins, Lancome, Physicians Formula

Of all the makeup and beauty launches, I always get the most excited about lipsticks and lip products. Three piqued my interest at the event: Clarins' collection of Joli Rouge Velvet Lipsticks, Lancome's L'Absolu Rouge Drama Matte Lipsticks, and Physician's Formula's new Organic Rose Oil Lip Polish. I loved that the Clarins Joli Rouge Velvet lipsticks come in 3 different finishes, satin, matte and shiny, all in the exact same shades! How cool? So if you find a perfect shade of red for your skintone, for instance, you can get that exact same shade in all 3 finishes. And I fell in love with the Lancome Drama Matte lipstick after trying our sample - it's by far the most comfortable matte lipstick I've ever tried! Plus it had fantastic pigmentation. Lastly, the Physician's Formula Lip Polish will be a dream for your dry lips this winter, and smells amazing!



Crabtree & Evelyn, Derma E, La Roche Posay

If you're a gardener, or just love the smell of nature, then I have a feeling you'll want to check out Crabtree & Evelyn's new Gardeners collection. The creams, scrubs and soaps all smell so fresh, and definitely make me wish I had any kind of green thumb... Speaking of green, we also took a look at Derma E's line of eco-friendly skincare products, which are 100% vegan, cruelty-free and GMO-free. And La Roche Posay was showcasing their newest launch, HYALU B5, which targets wrinkles with hyaluronic acid and Vitamin B5.



Bioderma, NeoStrata, Clinique

Got dry, itchy skin? You're going to love this brand new Atoderm SOS Spray from Bioderma. I think this is one of the coolest new products we tested out at the event! You spray it on the skin (it's a very lightweight formula), and in 60 seconds, you're itch-free for the next 6 hours. Lifesaver for the winter. Speaking of skincare that's great for the winter, Clinique is now available at London Drugs (woohoo!!), and their new Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly is going to be available very soon. It'll give your skin a boost of hydration in the form of an extremely lightweight formula, as well as protect your skin from pollution. NeoStrata also had some exciting news to share: they've completely revamped their products! I'm glad to see my favourite Glycolic Renewal is still a key product, and I also was intrigued by their new Glycolic Peels, which help to exfoliate your skin to reveal a brand new layer of beautiful skin underneath.



Silk'n, Elizabeth Arden, Kiss NY Pro

Need a little glam in your skincare routine? Kiss New York Professional's new 24K Gold Peel-Off Mask certainly caught my eye, and I can't wait to try it during my next 'self care' Sunday. Elizabeth Arden also had some great new skincare to share - their Prevage Progressive Renewal Treatment is a 4-week at-home face peeling treatment, which gently exfoliates your skin, accelerating cell turnover (think smoother, brighter skin). Silk'n also had some great skincare products to showcase, in the form of high-tech devices: the Titan Face Lift, and the Silhouette Body Contouring and Cellulite Reduction Device. If you're looking to go beyond just anti-wrinkle and anti-cellulite creams, these devices sound like they're worth a try!


Shiseido, NYX Cosmetics, Real Techniques/Eco Tools

It's rare I get all that excited about makeup brushes, but I must say Shiseido has created something pretty cool here. Their new DAIYA FUDE Face Duo brush has a polyurethane gel blender on one end that is meant to mimic your fingertips when stippling on your foundation (it's also more hygenic and doesn't doesn't absorb any product!), and then the diamond-head brush is used to blend out after stippling. Pretty cool! I'm also pretty excited about the selection of holiday sets Real Techniques and Eco Tools had to offer. Real Techniques even had adorable ornaments with little complexion sponges inside! On the topic of holiday, we also got a sneak peek at this year's NYX Cosmetics Sugar Trip Advent Calendar, and it's a beauty buff's dream. The advent calendar includes a good range of NYX products, including lip glosses, lipsticks, highlighters, blush and eyeshadows. If you spot one in London Drugs though, be sure to snatch it up - they always go super quick.


L'Oreal & Maybelline

Ok, I'm pretty much a mascara fiend (I love trying new mascaras), so I'm pumped to try out these brand new mascaras. L'Oreal has an innovative Unlimited Mascara that comes with a bendable wand, made for coating even the most awkward-to-reach lashes. And Maybelline has a new 'Snapscara' mascara, which features a wax-free formula for entirely clump-free lashes. And this mascara comes off with just warm water! So no rubbing your eyes until they're red and irritated.




Which of these new London Drugs beauty launches are you the most excited to try??



Happy Beautifying! xo

~ Britta







Wednesday, November 14, 2018

2018 Drugstore Beauty Favourites


I get pretty passionate when I'm talking about my favourite beauty products with my friends. Like I get really excited. I love trying new products, sussing out the best-of-the-best. And when I tell my friends all about the amazing products I've discovered, they always say I need to get the word out to more people about these cool products. So...here it is! I've teamed up with London Drugs, and one of my favourite London Drugs Beauty Experts, Sara, to share with you our curated list of our 2018 drugstore beauty favourites.

Learn about them all in the video here, and keep reading below for more of my thoughts on these awesome beauty products!





La Roche-Posay Serozinc (available at London Drugs)

This is one of the coolest products I've tried this year. I always wondered how people who use oil-blotting sheets did so without ruining their makeup. Well, there wasn't really a solution for that - until now! The La Roche-Posay Serozinc is an aerosol version of oil-blotting sheets, and does a great job of controlling oil on-the-go. Now, I don't have super oily skin, but I do find that by the end of the day my skin does look and feel a bit oily. And when I sprayed this on my face throughout the day, it definitely kept that at bay!



St. Tropez Self Tan Express Sheet Mask  (available at London Drugs)

Ok, so not a ton I can say about this product because my pale face is a little too afraid to try it, but it looked fantastic on Sara (who you'll see in the video above)! She looked like she just got back from Mexico! And I know she's a huge fan of St. Tropez' other self tanning products as well.

I have tried St. Tropez' tanning mousse before, and was actually really surprised how natural it looked on my skin - while giving me some good colour. So maybe there's hope for me yet!


Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighters  (available at London Drugs)

I should start by saying that I've been using Makeup Revolution highlighters ever since London Drugs started selling them. I first fell in love with their Baked Highlighter in Golden Lights. And I've been wearing that ever since. It has this beautiful golden glow to it that is really bold. And it's so recognizable that I've literally guessed someone else who was using it!

So needless to say I was pretty sure I was going to love their Liquid Highlighters, and I absolutely do. Starlight is the perfect shade for my skintone, and gives this beautiful shimmery glow. As Sara mentions in the video, the formula is made up of a very fine shimmer, as opposed to chunky glitter, which gives a more refined look. I also loved Sara's tip to try mixing the highlighter in with my Lancome Teint Idole foundation: it worked amazingly! You can see in the video, my skin is glowing all-over, without looking like a disco ball.


Lavido Alert Eye Cream  (available at London Drugs)

Well folks, as someone who is not a morning person, I was definitely drawn to this cream. Anything that promises to make my eyes look more alert in the morning!! Lavido is a really awesome new brand that is exclusive to London Drugs, and hails from Israel. It's natural and organic, which is a huge bonus. It has a lot of 'no's': no petroleum, no silicones, no parabens, no animal testing, no synthetic dyes...the list goes on. It's also gluten-free, vegan and recyclable!

This cream helps to brighten, moisturize and reduce puffiness around the eye area, and is formulated with plant-based hyaluronic acid (which I've very much come to love), cold-pressed avocado (yassss) and pomegranate seed oils and citrus extracts.


Prim + Proper Nail Lacquers  (available at London Drugs)

If you've watched the video above, you know I am totally and completely obsessed with Prim + Proper Nail Lacquer. You can find them exclusively at London Drugs, and let me tell you, I legitimately love these more than any other nail polish I own. They just apply so beautifully, and stay on so well. The brush is the perfect thickness for a quick and smooth application, and the formula is just the right consistency. With the darker/brighter colours, I can usually get away with just one coat! What's not to love?? Did I mention they're chip-free too? And I mean actually chip-free (that means a lot coming from me). Oh - and they're 7-free (free of bad things like Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate, Fromaldehyde, Fromaldehyde resin, Camphor, TPHP and Xylene). Win.

The shade Bloody Freezing is the perfect shade for fall - I love a good burgundy red this time of year!

Neutrogena Light Therapy Mask  (available at London Drugs)

When we were choosing the products to be featured in this video, I knew exactly who I wanted to test out this Light Therapy Mask from Neutrogena. My fellow Beauty Expert Sara has mentioned skin issues to me in the past, so I knew if someone would truly be able to report back on if it worked well, she would. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't sure it would really work, but only a week later, Sara came back to me, over the moon at the results she'd had after using the mask! I was pretty surprised, since most people say it takes a few weeks to see visible results. But the proof was there: her skin looked awesome!!

I know Neutrogena also has a stick version of the Light Therapy Mask, which can be used for more targeted treatment. Since my breakouts tend to be pretty isolated, I think that would be the better option for my skin - I'll let you know how it goes once I give it a try!


Weleda Skin Food Cream  (available at London Drugs)

I love when London Drugs gets in cool cult-favourite products I haven't had a chance to try yet! I'd heard about Weleda's Skin Food Cream before, but this year was the first time I was able to try it. It smells so good - a very natural straight-from-the-garden smell to it. And the texture is very rich, and feels comfortable on the hands, and not at all greasy. If your hands feel chapped this winter, this is a definite must-have.

It's hard not to love the Weleda brand as a whole, too. They're certified natural by NATRUE (which from everything I hear, is not an easy certification to achieve), meaning they have high standards of quality relating to sustainable production processes and environmentally friendly practices.


Derma-E Microdermabrasion Scrub (available at London Drugs)

I love a good scrub. And since I can't afford to treat myself to a microdermabrasion service at a salon on the regular....this scrub from Derma-E is a great alternative! The scrub particles are actually so fine, that you can't even see them when you open the packaging - it just looks 

And the best part? This brand is eco-friendly!! They're 100% vegan and cruelty-free, and don't contain parabens, sodium lauryl sulfates, petrolatum, mineral oil, artificial colours, gluten, soy or GMO's. And beyond product ingredients, Derma-E also makes big strides to lessen their impact on the environment with conservation efforts. Their packaging components are recyclable, and they make a point of offsetting 100% of their electricity usage with wind energy!



Happy Beautifying! xo

~ Britta

Monday, November 12, 2018

Fall 2018 Fashion Trend: The Slouchy Boot

It's rare that I feel like I can get on board with most of the fashion trends in a season, but this fall, I've actually been pretty excited to try almost ALL of them! One of those trends being the slouchy boot: this 70's throwback isn't my usual style, but I was keen to try it out. Especially when I found this burnt orange (aka 'pumpkin spice') coloured pair of slouchy boots from JustFab. I've loved their shoes for years, so no surprise I feel in love with these. Although they have quite a high heel...or maybe I'm just out of practice. But I love these boots so much, I'm going to suck it up.

I thought I'd pair these slouchy boots with another 70's trend - the floppy hat! That's another trend that's stuck around for a number of years now. Both trends have that boho-flair: a definite departure from my usual preppy-leaning outfits, but I think it's a nice breath of fresh air! And I think we could all use that in our closets every once in a while, don't we? A breath of fresh style?

In general, this burnt orange colour has been a new addition to my wardrobe this season. It's not always the easiest to style, compared to more basic colours, but I find it pairs quite well with camel (and I have a lot of camel-coloured items in my closet - like my purse!). I think as long as you have a couple of camel items in your closet, you'll have no problem styling your new burnt orange pieces!











Hat - Express (thrifted) | Shirt - Luna Moon (via Winners) | Purse - Miztique (via Winners) | Jeans - Winners | Boots - JustFab





Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Breaking a Beauty Myth: Red/Pink Eyeshadow


Fashion and beauty have always seemed to have a lot of rules...but rules are made to be broken aren't they? You've probably heard someone tell you that you shouldn't wear pink or red eyeshadows because they'll make your eyes look puffy and swollen. I did - and I just never really questioned it. But is it actually true? When the new Rimmel Crimson Edition Palette landed at my door, I realized it would be the perfect time to put this 'rule' to the test and find out if it's a myth...or not.

I actually had a sneak peek at this Crimson Edition Palette at the London Drugs Beauty Preview Event in Whistler recently (more on that to come in a post soon!), and was impressed by the swatches, so I knew this would be a fun palette to play around with.


First of all - I love how Rimmel styled their new launches: in an 80's style boombox! How cute?? Perfectly fitting, with these 80's style colours! The pink Crimson palette? Definitely a nod to that retro flair. To be quite honest, I've never been a fan of 80's style (that hair...yikes!!), but I was so intrigued by the pink shadows, gorgeous blushes, and satiny liquid lipsticks, that I was ready to jump right in!


While I was really excited to try to put that pink eyeshadow myth to the test, I was also a bit apprehensive. I'm really not very skilled when it comes to eyeshadows. I just don't wear them all the time, and the idea of trying to create a look from scratch with colours I don't usually wear was definitely intimidating. But you know what I learned? You gotta just blend, blend, blend! It really does fix everything.




As I started to test out the shadows, I was quite honestly immediately impressed. I've used other drugstore palettes before, and they usually aren't very pigmented, and are pretty crumbly and leave quite a bit of fall-out. Instead, these shadows were incredibly pigmented, and had very little crumble and fall-out. I was actually blown away by the pigmentation. It barely took any shadow to deliver quite a nice bit of colour to my lids. Score!


Here's which shadows I ended up using, and how:
  1. I put the lightest shade on the far left along my brow bone. I was amazed how pigmented it was, and just how shimmery it was! I find these 'highlight' shades in palettes never end up looking very good on my skintone. But this one rocked!! Such a pretty pinky highlight.
  2. I took the 6th shade from the left, a berry/wine shade, and applied to my crease around to the outer corners of my eyes. You don't need much powder - it's so pigmented! Not to worry, it blends out easily. I also took this colour along my bottom lash line.
  3. I applied the 3rd shade from the right, a deeper red-y/brown shade to the outer v. Then I also blended it into my lower lashline.
  4. My favourite part...I used that beautiful glittery pink 5th shade from the right and applied that to the centre of my lids, and blended out.
  5. I went back to that gorgeous highlight shade on the far left, and used my finger to apply to the inner corners of my eyes.





Rimmel also has 4 new blushes: the MAXI Blushes! 3 are matte - in a deep berry, light orange, and mauvey pink. The fourth is the only shimmery blush in the collection, and is such a pretty shade! For this look, I thought the mauvey pink (Colour 003) would be a good fit - and also the best choice for my skin tone. For the full 80's effect of course I could have blended it up to my temple (aka 'draping'), but I opted to blend it into my cheekbones only. 






Lastly, you know I love a good lippie! Now, I'm still a matte girl at heart, but I gotta say, these Rimmel Stay Satin Liquid Lipsticks had a beautiful finish: just a bit of shine, but not as much as a gloss. They dry down into a really comfortable lightly satin lip colour. I was immediately drawn to the shade 'Have a Cow' for this look. I love a good red wine lip colour. My only issue is that they did bleed a bit, when wearing without a lip liner (I'm used to not needing a lip liner with my matte lipsticks). So I'll need to use my NYX Wonder Stick with them in future to keep them from bleeding (especially the darker shades).





I'm so happy with how the whole look turned out! I don't see any puffy, swollen eyes here, do you?? I think we can officially put that myth to bed. I'm ready to take on a new beauty risk now. What shall it be next?


You can find all the products I used to create this pink/berry look at your local London Drugs - my go-to for drugstore makeup!




Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta







Disclosure: The products featured in this post were provided complimentary of Rimmel Canada, for review. As always, opinions are entirely my own.













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