Okay so you know how everyone has their dream item? That one luxury item that you want ever so bad, but a variety of factors make it hard to get. Whether it’s too expensive, sold out everywhere, or if you are Canadian like me, hard to come by in our country.
I have a few lust-worthy items on my list, Celine Mini Luggage Tote, Chanel 2.55, and Valentino Rockstuds, the latter of which I was super tempted to purchase in my recent trip to Europe.
Rockstuds were everywhere in Europe, but they were just as expensive there as they are here. If you aren’t from the European Union you can claim the VAT tax back on items over a certain amount but even then, I would blow my duty-free limit.
Anyways, I was searching the Internet a couple of weeks ago and I just stumbled on this new site called The September, which is a Canadian e-commerce site that sells designer shoes. Now when I mean designer, I’m not just talking about some obscure designers that you can find everywhere, I’m talking Aquazurra, Brian Atwood, L.K. Bennett, Casadei, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, and yes my friends, Valentino. When I saw they had my beloved Rockstuds, I just about died (well, not really).
The site is based in Toronto, and the best part is that if you are Canadian, orders are shipped/returned for free and are duty-free as well. Plus, the Canadian prices are pretty on par with the American. Wanted Kate Middleton’s fave L.K. Bennett Sledge pumps? Now you don’t have to pay a ridiculous amount of duty and tax to order them from your favourite American e-retailer (Nordstrom, I’m looking at you) if you are here in Canada. The September also ships to the United States and international, so even if you aren’t in our home and native land, you can still order online from the site (although there is a charge for shipping). The site also provides a special experience for each customer from the point of purchase to the signature wrapping.
The site is relatively new, so I got in touch with the fabulous ladies over at The September and they were gracious enough to offer my readers 20 per cent off (some exclusions apply). Promo code is “Pop20” and is valid from May 19 to May 29, 2014. Valid on regular priced items (not including sale, some exclusions may apply) and can be used once per reader.
One more thing, The September will be offering 30-40% off select styles (including many of my faves listed above), starting this Thursday (May 29). If you want to get early access to the sale, head on over to their site and sign up for their newsletter to get all the details :).
Have fun shopping, let me know which shoes you pick up!
Also, don’t forget to enter my Turn It Up P&G festival beauty prize pack!
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From Coachella to Osheaga, EDC, and Tomorrowland, festival season is upon us! We have a couple music festivals here in Manitoba, none of which I have been to, but EDC and Tomorrowland are definitely on my bucket list. Whether you’re a music enthusiast or not, you can still dress the part! Crop tops, daisies, maxi skirts, neon, and lots of peace and love are super on trend for the season, making it easy to rock out without actually being there.
For those of you lucky enough to make it to a festival this year, there are some must-have items that should be on anyone’s travel list! CoverGirl, Olay Fresh Effects and Herbal Essences have teamed up with MuchMusic on an exciting program called Turn It Up, which is a destination for all things beauty, fashion, music, and culture. As a Beauty United blogger, a select few of us were challenged with how we would rock our hair and makeup for a music festival.
Festival hair should be low-maintenance and boho chic. I love rocking loose curls, which can be easily maintained with some dry shampoo, hairspray, and shine spray. To spice up your hairstyle, pop in a headband or flower crown, which are super easy to DIY.
Although beauty products will most likely be kept to a minimum, don’t forget dry shampoo! This one is a must have for any festival goer. Since showers will probably be sparse, spray a little bit of Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo into your roots for instant touchable hair that absorbs excess oil and gives your lifeless locks plenty of lift and texture (plus it’s paraben-free!).
For makeup, keep it to a minimum because you will be dancing and sweating. I love just laying on a BB cream with a colourful liner and lots of mascara (make sure it’s waterproof so it doesn’t smudge!). BB Creams are great because they still give you some coverage, are light on the face (aka not cakey), and most contain an SPF which is a must if you are going to be outside all day (sunburns are not cute). If you’re pale like me, add some bronzer to your cheeks to fake a tan (I love CoverGirl’s TruMagic The Sunkisser bronzing balm for a natural-looking sun-kissed glow). For the lips, keep them moisturized with a hint of colour. I love CoverGirl’s LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balms in any pink shade for kissable-looking lips that moisturize (hey, you’ll never know who you’ll meet!). To take it all off, don’t forget some makeup-removing wipes.
Now the fun part! Whether you’ll be rocking out at Lollapalooza or not this summer, I’m giving away my festival beauty must haves to one lucky Canadian winner. Here’s what you’ll get:
- Olay Fresh Effects {BB Cream!} Skin Perfecting Tinted Moisturizing Cream
- CoverGirl Ink It! By Perfect Point Plus in Aquamarine Ink
- CoverGirl Bombshell Volume Mascara
- CoverGirl LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Blush Twist
- CoverGirl TruMagic The Sunkisser
- Herbal Essences Naked Volume Flexible Hold Spritzer
- Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo
- Herbal Essences Naked Shine Sheer Shine Mist
- Olay Fresh Effects {Everything Off!} Deluxe Makeup Removal Wet Cloths
To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below! Contest ends on May 30, 2014, good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.
Nothing gets me more excited for summer than summer makeup collections (okay, that may be a lie..). When I first laid eyes on Yves Rocher’s Mediterranean collection for summer 2014, it was love. Inspired by the Mediterranean Sea, this collection is filled with bright yellows, blues galore, and lots of bronze! Basically, what any summer makeup collection should be!
I received practically the whole collection, which includes an eye trio, lip glosses, nail polishes (plus a shatter polish), pigmented eye pencils, a compact bronzing powder, a glitter mascara, and a perfume and body wash.
If you aren’t already familiar with Yves Rocher, the French brand offers botanically-based beauty products to women all over the world. I was actually in a Yves Rocher store at Rome’s Termini Station and was so excited to finally look, feel, and smell everything, since you can only order the products online here in Canada. Although everything is plant-based, it’s actually pretty affordable stuff. The nail polishes retail for C$2.95; the glosses, C$4.95; the bronzing powder, C$9.95 (and the thing is huge!). I highly recommend checking out their Canadian e-commerce site and taking a look at all the products they offer.
Since I couldn’t wait til summer to start playing about with these bad boys, I took full advantage of the plus-20 weather in Winnipeg last Saturday and sat outside basking in the sun and creating a bronzy look from this collection.
1. Fill in your brows, then with a shimmery cream colour (the one I used is from the Smashbox Full Exposure palette), apply this to your brow bone to highlight.
2. Apply an eyeshadow primer (I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance), then with the copper brown Yves Rocher eye pencil, apply this on your lid and blend it out.
3. With a matte light brown (I used the middle colour from the Yves Rocher bronzing compact powder) and a fluffy crease brush, apply this under the highlight but slightly above your crease, acting as a transition colour.
4. With the bronze colour from the eye trio and a crease brush, work this into your crease and blend.
5. With the golden beige from the eye trio, apply this all over your lids. I love this colour as it’s so pretty and shimmery on the lids.
6. For the lower lash line, first apply the copper brown eyeshadow pencil to your lower lash line, then going back with your crease brush, dip it lightly into the blue and then work that into your crease, darkening up the eye area.
7. Line your upper lash line with a black liquid liner, winging it out. Then apply a couple coats of mascara.
8. Going back to that bronze eyeshadow and a pencil brush, line your lower lash line, then apply a couple coats of mascara.
9. Apply your foundation and concealer. I used DiorSkin Nude BB Cream with Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder over top. For concealer I used Maybelline Fit Me Concealer. After, with an angled blush brush, work that into the bronzing trio and then apply it to the hollows of your cheeks, your temples, down the bridge of your nose and under your chin to bring some warmth to the face. After, apply your favourite blush, I used Make Up For Ever HD blush in 215 Flamingo Pink.
10. To finish off the look, I used the Golden Beige lipgloss from the collection, which is something I’m obsessed with. I’m not a gloss fan, but I’ve been wearing this one pretty much non-stop since I got it.
And that’s the final look! Blues, yellows, and tans are always on trend for summer and Yves Rocher makes this trend easy to achieve. I did try out the polishes as well and found them to be very pigmented and a great bang for your buck (although I feel like the shatter trend’s ship has sailed by this point, but I see what they were trying to go for here…). My favourite items from the collection are definitely the eyeshadow trio (C$9.95), compact bronzing powder (C$9.95) and the Golden Beige lip gloss (C$4.95).
Check out the collection online when it launches in June 2014!
Are you going to pick up any items from Yves Rocher’s summer 2014 collection?
Note, this post contains products sent by PR. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Okay so you know how everyone has their dream item? That one luxury item that you want ever so bad, but a variety of factors make it hard to get. Whether it’s too expensive, sold out everywhere, or if you are Canadian like me, hard to come by in our country.
