Valentine’s Day is one of my all-time favourite holidays. It doesn’t matter if you are spending it with a significant other or your girls, it’s just such a fun holiday. You can get all dressed up, go and pamper yourself, or get some drinks and dessert. I mean, what’s not to love?
One of my favourite Valentine’s Day activities is getting pedicures. Really, anything at the spa is always a good time. But, with it being such a popular holiday, spas tend to book up really quick. If you are boyfriend-less this year, grab a bunch of girls, a bottle of wine, and some cupcakes, and host an at-home pedi night.
If you have a boyfriend or significant other, grab those feet and use them to their full potential. According to a new national survey, Canadian women tiptoe around flirting with their feet and toes and are not using them to their full, fun potential. Electronic nailcare line Amope has released an original survey by Angus Reid that reveals that Canadian women are far less confident about their feet and toes than men. In fact, nearly two million Canadian women avoid romantic situations that require their feet to be up close and personal, due to a lack of confidence in the way their feet look and feel. Also, almost one-quarter (21 per cent) of Canadian men and women are open to the idea of toe sucking, yet a large percentage of women (71 per cent) are uncomfortable with the idea.
Although I do like the look of my feet, I just hate having them touched. So when I read those stats, I thought “there’s no way anyone is sucking on my toes”. But then I read that Manitobans are actually the least comfortable with that idea (Albertans were the most comfortable with it), and since I’m from Winnipeg, I guess I just fit nicely in that bracket.
Clearly our feet are much more than just tools to walk. In fact, 43 per cent of Canadians agree that a romantic foot massage is a ‘way to your heart’, so it’s important to keep them in tip-top shape.
If you are are planning on skipping the spa this year, it’s just as much fun to host an at-home pedi party as well. I actually did this last Friday night and since I have an abundance of nail polish and gadgets, it was nice to just have some girlfriends over, blast music, drink wine, and just gossip.
To smooth and prep feet we used the Clarisonic Pedi device, which is quite pricey for at-home use (C$230 from Sephora). If you love to give yourself a pedicure quite frequently, then it would be worthwhile to invest in this gadget, otherwise you can find more affordable products to buff and smooth those feet (the Amope Electronic Foot File would be a good alternative). After feet are nice and smooth, remove any previous polish you had on, then file and buff your nails. We used the Amope Electronic Nail Care System, which comes with an electric nail file with three different heads for filing, buffing and shining for both toe and fingernails.
After, we chose the perfect polish colour (I went with a baby pink, She Better Werk from the Patrick Starr collection for Formula X), and used the nail care products from Sephora Formula X and Essie Gel Setter Top Coat for nail care. After, we were all left with beautiful, smooth, perfectly manicured feet.
Your feet will probably get up close and personal this Valentine’s Day, so make sure they look amazing. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of have pretty feet, just invest in some quality products.
Will you be hosting an at-home pedi party this Valentines Day?
Please note, products sent by PR. All opinions are my own.
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Remember when the drugstore was a great place to stock up on staples? The drugstore was always that place that you could find things like lipsticks, foundations, blushes, mascaras, etc. If you wanted more advanced products like eyeshadow bases or setting sprays, you had to look to more expensive stores, like Sephora.
Not anymore.
Contour kits are all the rage, and Maybelline New York is no newcomer to the bandwagon. Their spring 2016 releases include tons of products that will have drugstore-loving girls everywhere saying YASS because they have come out with everything from brow gels to setting sprays, to yes, contour kits.
Available in two shades, light to medium and medium to dark, the Face Studio Master Contour kits are a three-step face palette which includes a blush, bronzer, and highlight, as well as a contouring brush. Great for travel, these are an all-in-one kit making contouring easy-peasy.
In case you don’t know how to contour, start first with the bronzer, which you apply to the hollows of your cheekbones, your temples, down the sides of your nose, and your jawline. By doing this, you are creating shadows for a sculpted face. From there, apply blush to the apples of your cheeks, and then apply the highlight to the high points of your cheeks, as well as down the bridge of your nose and cupid’s bow (that dip in the middle of your top lip) to add some light.
I have both kits and have only used the light to medium since I’m quite fair. With that being said, I wouldn’t necessarily go based on your skin tone. The blush in the medium to dark is a bit darker, but it’s very similar to NARS Orgasm, which is a universal shade for any skin tone. Overall, these are good kits and I love how they are available at the drugstore (a year ago you could only find these at Sephora or department stores). Usually when you get a contour kit, it includes either a blush and bronzer, or a bronzer and highlight. I haven’t seen many with all three. I also find it rare that they include a shimmery highlight, something that is not readily available as a single product in the drugstore anyways.
Now this kit would be perfect except it’s missing one thing. A banana powder. Obviously a banana powder (a yellow-looking matte powder that you apply over your concealer to set) isn’t really an everyday product that you may use (I use it for nights out or weekends when I have ample time to do my makeup), but it’s nice to include since I feel like it’s a necessity for proper contouring and highlighting. If you are a newbie though, this kit is a perfect stepping stone into the world of contouring.
Overall though, these kits are pretty great. They are a pretty good size, but nothing too big that you couldn’t toss into your travel makeup bag or purse. And hey, at $15.99 SRP, you can’t go wrong here.
Have you picked up the Maybelline Face Studio Master Contour kit yet?
Please note, products provided by PR. All opinions are my own.
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Anyone else’s hair seemed have grown wings and start flying away?
Okay, all jokes aside, with this harsh cold, dry Winnipeg weather we’ve been having lately, my hair have been so staticky. Basically any material that touches my locks makes it take on a life of its own. Anyone that doesn’t think that’s super annoying, must have something wrong with them (“I love staticky hair!” said no one ever…).
Anyways, back in the summertime I received the Conair Infiniti Pro The Ultimate Brush at the London Drugs Fall Beauty Preview in Vancouver. They were demoing the product at the Conair booth with models having balloons rubbed in their hair to make it staticky. Then, they demoed how the brush tamed the static. Yeah it was cool; I grabbed the product, put it in my bag and then it sat in its box in my beauty closet for the longest time. Until recently.
Having been fed up with static (I hate hair in my face), I remembered I had this thing, pulled it out and put it to work. And let me tell you, it works.
This brush is powered with an anti-frizz ionic generator that releases ions directly into the hair to remove static and smooth the cuticle, leaving your hair frizz free and beautifully shiny. The ionic generator produces a stream of conditioning ions which act to neutralize the static charge, which then smooths the cuticle for an instant soft, shiny, frizz-free finish. All you have to do is turn it on and brush your hair. It starts working as soon as you flip that on the “on” switch.
This guy is battery powered (it comes with two AAA batteries), so there’s no annoying cord to plug it in, which also makes it perfect for travel. Seriously, toss it in your bag and carry it everywhere. I was a little sceptical about this product, even after they demoed it for us in Vancouver. Yeah, it worked for her, but will it work for me? Well it did, and it worked wonders. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve used this thing in the past month.
Currently this brush retails for $39.99, but it’s on sale right now at London Drugs for C$34.99 if you are interested. Yes, it’s pricey for a brush, but if you suffer from static, this thing is a must. Once you own it, you won’t know life without it.
Have you tried the Conair Infiniti Pro The Ultimate Brush?
Please note, product sent by PR, all opinions are my own.
Like what you read? Check out these related posts.
To smooth and prep feet we used the Clarisonic Pedi device, which is quite pricey for at-home use (C$230 from Sephora). If you love to give yourself a pedicure quite frequently, then it would be worthwhile to invest in this gadget, otherwise you can find more affordable products to buff and smooth those feet (the Amope Electronic Foot File would be a good alternative). After feet are nice and smooth, remove any previous polish you had on, then file and buff your nails. We used the Amope Electronic Nail Care System, which comes with an electric nail file with three different heads for filing, buffing and shining for both toe and fingernails.
