Saturday 29 October 2011

Holy Grail Makeup

Hello again everyone!
Today we're going to talk a little about makeup. In particular, what I recommend and what are my absolute holy grail makeup items that you just have to have. I have included drugstore products as well as high end products. Always keep in mind when you read my posts about makeup that things I like may not necessarily work for you. We all have different skin types, skin tones, tastes, etc. These are just the things that I trust and love.
So without further ado, here are my holy grail makeup products:

Smashbox "Adjust" Photo Finish Primer 
This is the foundation primer that I always use before applying my foundation or tinted moisturizer. I use this one in particular because it is tinted green and I have skin that gets easily red. My cheeks and nose especially get really rosy and I have pale skin so it deffinitely shows. The green cancels out the red and the primer creates a smoothe surface to apply my foundation to my skin. If you do not have the redness problem, I suggest the original primer without the green tint. Primer is a great addition to your makeup collection. Love this one!
Urban Decay Primer Potion
This eyeshadow primer is incredible! It will keep your eyeshadow in place without any creasing or color fading. I have been using this since I was a young teen and it is actually the first product I ever bought at Sephora. I cannot apply eyeshadow without this product and you shoulden't either! It is amazing and you will not regret the purchase of this product.











Maybelline Fit Me line:
This line is great! One of the best foundation lines by a drugstore company in my opinion. The foundation, the powder and the concealor are all must-haves for me. The concealor covers dark circles and blemishes nicely and even gives a bit of a brightening effect. It is a nice coverage and a creamy formula that is perfect for any type of skin. The powder is nice and perfect for absorbing any excess oil and setting your makeup. The foundation is a medium coverage that does not make it look like you are wearing a mask of makeup on your face. It blends nicely. Overall the great thing about this line is that it offers a large range of shades to match your skin!


Benefit High Beam highlighter
I love this highlighter. It is a creamy liquid consistency and gives you a perfect touch of light. I apply it right above my blush almost everyday and it really helps to give me that little glow and accentuate my features. Really easy to work with and blends easily!












MAC Blush in "LadyBlush"
This blush can give anyone a nice youthful glow. It is natural and you don't even have to think about it before swiping it on. It blends so easily that even if you do not have a brush handy you can just use your fingers. I actually recommend this because it warms up the product and will blend better. Just make sure those fingers are clean! I love this color and think it is perfect for everyday. It goes with any look.







Wet N Wild Blush in "Heather Silk"
This blush is super affordable (you can get it at Walmart!) and an amazing color. It is my all time favorite blush. I love the natural lady-like effect that it gives me. It is a beautiful dusty rose color that will deffinitely bring those cheeks out! This is my go-to blush when I want a pretty pink yet natural look on my cheeks. I usually use an angled brush with it and I love the effect that it gives.








NARS Bronzer in "Laguna"
This is a cult favorite! I think this is the most talked about bronzer around and I deffinitely know why. It gives you a tan look without looking muddy or shimmery. It is matte which is always nice for everyday and if you don't intend on looking like a disco ball (which I'm assuming most of us don't!). This is also great for contouring. It reallly makes your face look more chiseled and defined.








Urban Decay Naked Palette
This wonderful palette may be pricey but it is worth the investment that's for sure. There are some amazing eyeshadow colors in it and they really do pay off. The color pigmentation is amazing and the colors cover a variety of looks you may want to achieve. It also comes with a mini primer potion (see above for my thoughts on it) and a flat eyeshadow brush! This is one of the best palettes you can get your hands on. You can create all kinds of everyday neutral looks as well as nightime smokey looks with this. It is versatile and unique.


Too Faced Natural Eye Palette
Another incredible palette. This is my go-to palette for everyday shadows. It has cute packaging and even includes cue-cards showing you how to create 3 different looks. All of the colors are highly pigmented and perfect for a natural eye look. It has a great mix between shimmery and matte colors. I love the color "sexpresso" to fill in my brows with too.






Urban Decay liner in "Zero"
This is my favorite basic black eyeliner. It has great staying power and is pigmented enough that it will even show up and stay nicely on your water line.





YSL Faux Cils mascara
My favorite mascara. The mascara literally does what it claims to in its name. "Faux Cils" means false lashes in french and this mascara gives you a perfect false lash effect. It has a big brush that gets every last lash. I love the bold dramatic look that it gives off and I use the black one especially for nighttime when I want that bombshell big lashes look.
 Revlon Lipstick in "Soft Nude"This is my favorite nude lipstick. It works for any look and isen't too pale for a nude. It is just the right color to swipe on your lips at any moment. Just a little touch of this lipstick goes along way and brings your whole makeup look together perfectly. Looks great with a smokey eye at night!
Maybelline Lipstick in "Pinkalicious"This is a great everyday lipstick. When you want to add a little color to your lips but don't want it to be super bold this is a great pink. I believe this would work for any skin tone and the color is natural looking enough to work for any event.
Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this and found it helpful! These are products I use almost daily and that I love. I hope some of you will fall in love with them too! So here is my question to you: What are your FAVES? What are your all time must-have products?
Hope you enjoyed my faves!

xo - Gen



Tuesday 25 October 2011

In true elite New York fashion...


Hello again!
Is the colder weather keeping you from wearing something fashionable and put together? Are you walking around in sweatpants wondering when is winter going to just be done already?! If this is the case then look no further because I have the perfect inspiration for you.


Ever seen Gossip Girl? Even if it is not your type of show, you have to admit that the fashion in this show is breathtaking. Half of the reason I watch this show is for fashion inspiration. I find that the pieces they put together for fall and winter episodes are especially inspiring and that is why I've decided to write about it in this post. So let's get inspired!

By incorporating color into your outfit it keeps it from looking dreary. I've noticed that people often tend to wear neutral colors like black and brown especially during the winter because they are afraid to step out of their comfort zone and add a little color. It really brings out your outfit and makes you look more put together throughout the cold months. Take Serena's blue booties for example. They keep her warm but are totally cute and really bring out her outfit at the same time. You CAN have warmth and style at the same time!

Another thing that I love about the Gossip Girl fashion during fall and winter is how they layer various pieces. It gives the outfits dimension so they don't look so plain. The characters wear alot of tights and layer dresses, skirts, etc. ontop. I love all of the tights and leggings that they use in the show. Most of them have really cool patterns or come in bright colors to really spice up the outfit. Layering different pieces together will also keep you warm why keeping your winter outfit interesting.  They even make plain t-shirts look intricate...



I love the use of various fun coats and blazers too. This keeps you warm while looking stylish and put together. Who said coats had to be boring?!






And last but not least...it isen't just the women's outfits that are winter-ready yet stylish. The men on Gossip Girl also pull this off:. I am especially loving Chuck's style:


Anyways I hope you enjoyed this fun post on Gossip Girl and that it inspired you to play up your warm outfits a little! Let me know how you like to stay warm while staying in style.

xo
- Gen
  



Friday 21 October 2011

A big [heavy metal] welcome!

Hey guys,
Welcome to the new Fave Magazine blog written by yours truly.
First off, let me introduce myself a little. My name is Gen and I've been a fashion and beauty enthusiast since before I can even remember. I love anything creative and I do it all. I am an actress, a singer, a dancer, a theatre director, a youtube beauty and fashion guru, a plus-size model, and a university theatre student! So let's just say I keep myself busy haha. I am so excited to be a part of the Fave team and can't wait to bring you all the latest on fashion and beauty. If at any time you want to request a certain post or you have ideas for the blog you can e-mail me at canadianbeautygen@yahoo.com and I will deffinitely look into it! Now without further ado...let's get onto the exciting stuff!

Heavy metals have been huge on the runways lately. Metals are taking the fashion, accessory and beauty worlds by a storm right now. I have been noticing metallic detailing on everything and people are deffinitely not afraid to mix metals.
I have especially noticed this trend as far as shoes go. Let's just say I am dying for a pair of these Sam Edelman pumps:

They come in many different colors and are right on trend for the coming season. I personally have my eye on the pink ones. What do you think of them?  Deffinitely a daring statement piece.

Here's another example with a chunky heel and platform as seen at Marc Jacobs.

A few runway looks with extreme metal detailing.
Even the makeup included mixing metals!
faf8d one shoulder dress Top Fashion Trends for Spring/Summer 2012
Here is an affordable way of wearing this trend as far as fashion goes. A metallic dress from Victoria's Secret will make you shine like you're strutting down a catwalk.

So what do you think of this Spring/Summer 2012 trend? Are you going to rock the metallics?
I know I am!

xo
- Gen