Hola!

Have you been to Folklorama yet?  Week one is just about done (ends tomorrow!), with week two kicking off this Sunday. I’ve been having a blast visiting the different pavilions around the city and best of all, recreating looks inspired by each country.

First up was the German pavilion, located at the German Society of Winnipeg (121 Charles St.), which ended up being much different than I thought it would be.  Yes, they had a band and traditional clothes, but the dancers grooved to modern day German music with a techno beat (playlist must-have: “Du Hast Die Haare Schön – Tim Toupet” – my friend Shazamed it). Best of all, this pavilion featured an outdoor beer tent with live entertainment, so you could grab a pretzel and a Warsteiner and hang out for the night (granted if it’s not raining, which it was Wednesday night).

German beauty is all about looking natural.  They do focus highly on skincare and go pretty subtle for the makeup. Think clean skin, mascara (they apparently love playing up their lashes if they do want to make a statement with the makeup), a natural look, and some blushed cheeks.

For this look, I went with German-brand Dr. Hauschka’s foundation, which conceals minor blemishes, shadows and areas of redness. The foundation combines authentic shades with airy textures and pampers your skin with high-quality plant oils, waxes and medicinal plant extracts (they love organic products!).  For the eyes, I grabbed the Urban Decay Naked palette and put Sin on the lids (a shimmering pink) with Buck (a matte brown) in the crease.  I loaded up with mascara using Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch mascara with CoverGirl The SuperSizer over top.  For the lips, I used Rimmel London Kate Moss Nude lipstick in 42 for a natural pout.

Since both my friend and I are Polish, naturally we hit up the Warsaw-Poland pavilion at the Glenwood Community Centre (27 Overton Street).  Unfortunately they were out of perogies by the time we got there, but the quality of the show more than made up for it.

Fun fact, Poland is home to many cosmetics and beauty brands.  You may have heard of someone named Max Factor?  Born as Maksymilian Faktorowicz in Lodz, Poland, Max Factor was one of the first companies to produce everyday-wear foundation and was known for creating the signature looks of the era’s most famous icons such as Ava Gardner, Jean Harlow and Marlene Dietrich.  Another Polish beauty entrepreneur, Helena Rubinstein, the founder of Helena Rubinstein Incorporated cosmetics company, made her one of the world’s most richest women.  The company was eventually sold to Colgate Palmolive, and is now owned by L’Oréal.

Poland still remains at the forefront of the cosmetic industry in Europe.  Some of my favourite Polish beauty brands are Inglot and Organique, which made its Canadian debut last year.

The night before took us to Spain, where the Sol de España dance group captivated the audience with the clicking of castanets and rhythmic footwork as their spirited performance of the Spanish Flamenco. I was hoping there would be some salsa and tango, but unfortunately it didn’t appear that there were any male dancers in the troupe.

Knowing that we were going to visit this pavilion, located at the Casa do Minho Portuguese Centre(1080 Wall Street), I obviously had to rock makeup to match.

This one was a no brainer.  Spanish makeup is all about sexy.  I pulled my hair back into a high bun and let my eyes and lips do the talking.

Since the focal part was a hot-red lip, I chose to play down the eyes, but still keep it sexy.  I first applied Maybelline’s Eye Studio Color Tattoo Leather in Vintage Plum, then with a matte purple from the L’Oreal Paris La Palette Nude 02, I went over that on the lid area and smoked it into the crease.  I skipped the liner and applied a couple coats of mascara and some falsies for intensity. For the lips, I lined them first with Annabelle’s Stay Sharp Lip Liner in Glam Red, then went over that with NYX High Voltage Lipstick in Rock Star. To finish up the face, I carved out my cheekbones with bronzer from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit and went natural with the blush using NARS Madly.

To finish up the look, I put on gold dangly earrings and a modern take on a Spanish outfit, a black long-sleeved croptop, leather leggings, and a red plaid button-down tied around my waist.

Last up on the hit-list was my favourite pavilion so far, the UK.  I travelled to the UK last year and it was my favourite place that I visited during my Europe trip, so I knew that I would enjoy this one.

This pavilion, located at the Punjab Cultural Centre (1770 King Edward Street) featured amazing food (much better quality than the other pavilions I have been to), a 007 martini bar, a tea room (with the most amazing imperial cookies from Stella’s), tons of venders and tons of things to see.  I believe there is constant entertainment throughout the night (my boyfriend and I were pulled on stage for some UK trivia – I lost), and best of all, they have sheep and puppies in the back.  Yes, my friends, live animals.  As far as I’m concerned, if you have animals at your pavilion, that’s a gold star from me.  If you haven’t visited the UK pavilion yet, it’s a must-see (but go to the earlier shows if you want to see the animals!).

Which pavilions have you been to?  What are on your hit list?

Also, don’t forget to enter my Freshii giveaway!

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