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ACI Beauty Spring/Summer 2016 Preview

May 16, 2016

Early this month, I had the opportunity to attend the ACI Beauty Spring/Summer 2016 preview event! You may remember this event when I went for their Fall/Holiday 2015 event last August. There are some great new beauty products launching, keep reading to find out more!
ACI1 Starting off with Stila, one of their most exciting new launches is the Stila Stay All Day Foundation re-launch! The packaging has been redesigned with a center dispensing dish, which makes it easier and less messy to apply. You simply pump the product, and it will dispense onto the center plate, where you can then use a sponge/brush/finger to apply the foundation. The foundation is a medium to full coverage, with a matte finish.

The second product Stila is launching is the All In One Colour Correcting Palette. Each palette is specifically designed for a certain skintone, and helps to even out redness, dark circles, etc. It comes with a small booklet as you can see above, which makes it easier to distinguish which colour goes where!
ACI3 Whenever I think of Paul & Joe, I immediately think of their cute, whimsical, and detailed packaging. Also, cat lipsticks!!! This season, they are back again with the cat lipsticks in a few different shades. As well, there are also some new mini eyeshadow palettes being launched in a paper packaging.

The designs of the eyeshadow palettes are super cute, I wish I had taken a photo of the outside as well!
ACI4 Although using self tanners can be a daunting and intimidating task, St. Tropez makes it really easy for you to achieve the perfect glow that you are looking for. They also recently launched a website, which helps you find the perfect St. Tropez product for you. It will ask questions such as what type of event you are wearing this tan to, how many days/time you have, how dark of a tan you are looking for, etc.
ACI5 Roses! Even better, red roses! <3 Korres has just launched a wild rose line, which looks absolutely beautiful! I am excited to try the Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Brightening Oil, which can be mixed into liquid foundation or just applied as a moisturizer. The oil also comes infused with real rose petals. So pretty!
ACI7 Last but not least, Bliss! There are three new devices that Bliss is releasing this season. The first is the Bliss Sweeping Beauty powered cleaning device featured above!

The second device is a climate controlled spa-powered skin conditioning wand, which changes temperatures to properly and thoroughly moisturize your skin. You first use the warm function to open up your pores, so that your skin can thoroughly receive all the benefits of your moisturizer. After using the wand to massage the product in, you then use the cold function to close and lock up your pores!

The third device is the Achilles heel spa-powered heel smoother, which is a handheld device that you can use to exfoliate your feet!
ACI6 Keep your eye out for all of these wonderful products that will be launching this season! I have a few favourites, and am excited to see them on the shelves!

Which product are you most excited for?

Thanks for reading!
Carmen

ACI Beauty Fall/Holiday 2015 Media Preview – Part 2/2

August 23, 2015

In early August, I was invited to the ACI Beauty event to experience their Fall/Holiday 2015 collection! I already mentioned this in part 1, but just in case you haven’t read that yet, ACI Beauty is one of the biggest beauty distributors in Canada. ACI Beauty works with many reputable beauty companies to help their products get on the shelves for us beauty lovers.

At the event, we were guided throughout some of their newest products for next season. Welcome to part 2/2!

I have seen some CLEAN products in Sephora before, but never had the chance to learn or test them out until that day. We got to smell some of the perfumes that day, and I enjoyed all of the different scents. If you’re someone who likes light and neutral scents, then this is the line for you.

I had a few friends that came over and played with the samples, and all of them said that the perfumes smelled like ‘clean laundry’.

I currently keep one of the rollerball minis in my purse,the light blue one in the middle of the box named ‘cool cotton’. It smells very refreshing and wakes me up a bit when I first put it on. The size is very convenient, and good to use on-the-go.

I also found that the CLEAN products are very gender neutral, maybe it’s just moi?? By that, I mean they don’t have a distinct ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ scent – it just smells like very clean soap! Although these products are catered towards women, I think that men would be able to wear this as well.

This product was highly raved about with the ACI ladies, they use this almost every day at home!

The Bliss triple oxygen instant energizing mask initially goes on your skin as a gel, but slowly turns into a foam as you rub it on your face. The foam expands on your face depending on much dirt or oil you have, so the foam size can vary each day. It also has a very nice grapefruit smell to it.

I posted this on my Instagram already, but am I ever in love with this Paul and Joe lipstick! This lipstick is part of Paul and Joe’s Fall 2015 ‘Cafe Parisien’ line.

To make this cute cat lipstick, Paul and Joe uses a Japanese candy-making technique called Kintaro-ame, which depends on two separate tubes – one columnar and one cat-shaped. This ensures that the cute cat faces remain visible until the lipstick is used up, so you don’t have to worry about the cute cat print going away!

Also on the topic of lipstick, here are the new shades for Anna Sui. I called these the ‘shooting star’ lipstick because of the way the lipstick is shaped inside the tube! The colours are very rich and make a good transition for the Fall season.

The Anna Sui loose powder, which comes in a new beautiful design, is pictured in the back. It comes with a fluffy purple puff, and looks so classic and elegant. I could picture a princess using this powder on her vanity table. Beside it is the Anna Sui BB Cream.

I showed this picture in my Anna Sui nail colour review post already, but here are the new nail colours and a new bottle design! It features a birdie on the top of the brush, while the bottle has an intricate ball gown design to it.

All of the Anna Sui nail products also have an amazing scent to them! The one I received smelled like lemons, and other scents include rose and lychee.

I also really adored the mini ‘latte’ eyeshadow pods that Paul & Joe had, featured on the left. The swirl and creaminess of the colours, coupled with a cute little foam tip brush is reminiscent of that a perfect, smooth latte on a chilly afternoon. I am a big fan of champagne/gold shades, so the eyeshadow pod is right up my alley.

Also featured are the pressed powder pods, which are purchased separately from the packaging. Beside the pressed powder pods are the moisturizing foundation and makeup primer.

The last station we were introduced to was Bliss’s regular collection (not the holiday gift set collection as featured in part 1). For myself, the most interesting product here was the ingrown eliminating pads, I am very curious to see if they will help with my ingrown hairs.

I mentioned this above already, but try to get a chance to try their body butter and soap, which are pictured in the back! The smell is absolutely amazing and will make you feel happy =)

I also did a review of the Bliss fabulous gel to oil cleanser, pictured in the middle beside the Fat Girl Slim products. You can read that post here.

I had a great time at the ACI Beauty event, thank you for having me. I learned about a plethora of new products and am very excited to try them out! Keep your eyes posted for upcoming reviews on some of the products that I have mentioned here.

Which product was your favourite from this post? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

ACI Beauty Fall/Holiday 2015 Media Preview – Part 1/2

August 18, 2015

Following Stila’s fall media preview event, I had the pleasure of attending the ACI Beauty fall collection preview event as well. After doing some research, I found out that ACI Beauty is one of the biggest beauty distributors in Canada and work with big beauty brands such as Anna Sui, Ardell, Bliss, Ceramic Glaze, Clean, Paul & Joe, Stila, and more.

As a result, I was able to see a variety of different products from all the brands that ACI works with. I left the event with a lot more knowledge about these different brands, and am excited to see the 2015 Fall/Holiday collection in stores.

All the different brands were beautifully placed inside the room, I will be discussing the products in the order that they were presented to us in by the wonderful ACI ladies.

The first product we were introduced to were the new holiday collection line from Bliss. The gift sets come in different sizes, which is convenient if you are just looking for a stocking stuffer or a larger present. You can either get a set of lotion or skincare products, which are the two bigger boxes.

We sampled the grapefruit body butter, shown in the big blue box in the middle, which smelled amazing.

I’ve only recently seen Paul & Joe products on social media and other beauty blogs, but this was the first time I’ve seen their products in person. I am absolutely smitten by Paul & Joe’s packaging. It is a mix of classic elegance, with a touch of cuteness.

Pictured here is a makeup bag, with all the contents spread out. This would make a good gift to someone over the holidays, or a great way to be introduced to the brand as it comes with a few of their different products.

All of us beauty bloggers were in awe with the elegant and innovate packaging for their eyeshadow samples. I’ve never seen them be presented like this before so it was definitely really cool. There is a definite cat theme going on this season – this is for all you cat lovers out there! Meow =)

The next table featured some of the Fall 2015 Anna Sui products. Starting on the left is the limited edition miniature fragrance gift set. The fragrance set includes the new perfume, ‘Romantica’ along with other returning favourites. All of the bottles are so beautiful!

Beside the fragrance set is the limited edition moisturizing set. This comes with nail care oil, rose hand cream, and moisturizing balm.

On top of these two is the customizable makeup box, available exclusively at Hudson’s Bay. It comes free with any cosmetic purchase of $80 and you are able to choose from Anna Sui favourites.

All of these products will be available in stores in October 2015!

Following, we were introduced to Cargo Cosmetic’s eyeshadow palette. I love the darker shades of this palette, and it feels very romantic to me. This palette would be great for holiday parties – look at all the shimmery gold tones! The pinks would look nice as a office day time look as well.

Behind the palette are some Fall 2015 nail colours from Ceramic Glaze. Just like Cargo’s eyeshadow palette, the rich and darker shades would pair very well with an evening party dress for holiday parties. I can’t believe I am talking about the holiday season already! =P

Ending off part 1, we were also introduced to Paul and Joe’s bath & body collection as well! There are two bath & body collections – Arlequin and Columbine. Both smelled very luxurious and feminine – I would love to take a bath with these bath salts!

Which products are you most excited for?

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for part 2 of the ACI Beauty Fall/Holiday 2015 Media Preview!

-Carmen

Press samples featured, all opinions are my own.

Stila fall 2015 Media Preview Event

August 13, 2015

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Stila Fall/Winter 2015 media preview event at the beautiful Rosewood Hotel Georgia in downtown Vancouver. I also got to meet Sarah Lucero, Stila’s Global Executive Director of Creative Artistry, as she led us through the beautiful array of products.

Sarah, pictured above, went through all of Stila’s new releases in great detail. We were left in awe and excited with all the new products to come.

Also, can we please take a moment to appreciate how gorgeous the lettering is on the fireplace mantle?! I have a separate picture that I posted on my Instagram, I loved the lettering so much!
Starting off with the ‘perfectly poreless’ collection, Stila’s new putty protector is a bouncy, gel-based foundation and available in 5 shades. It combines a pressed powder and cream foundation into one product that you are able to bring on the go. I like how lightweight this foundation feels upon putting it on your skin.

In the middle, is the new Stila brush that is also compact and easy to carry around. Sarah told us that this brush is best used for buffing or blending, and I definitely see why as the brush felt very sturdy and concentrated (I hope that makes sense?!) but still very soft!

The product on the left is the Stila bronzer, from their Stay All Day line (I have a review on their Stay All Day felt liner here). It is a perfect bronzer to use to achieve that tan, healthy glow! I also adore the details and printing on the bronzer itself.

The next line we were introduced to was the ‘Got Inked’, and quite possibly my favourite new product from them! This is a calligraphy ink cushion eyeliner – I’ve never seen a cushion eyeliner before!

You can see on the bottom picture that it is a sponge-y material. Dipping your liner brush into this pot will reveal strikingly rich, deep, and long-lasting colour. I played with this product for a bit and really liked the concept!

The Got Inked cushion eyeliner comes in four beautiful metallic shades, and two matte shades.
Next, Sarah talked to us about Stila’s new Extreme Lash line. It includes a light brown primer, which Sarah explained that it makes it easy to apply than your normal white primer.

I’ve used white lash primer before, only to have to put on many extra coats of regular mascara to hide the white. You do not need to use as much regular mascara by having a darker colour primer!

Last but not least, Sarah guided us throughout the new holiday gift set collection! There are four different gift sets available from Stila this holiday season, all pictured above.

I had a lovely time learning about all of Stila’s different products, and am very excited to try the products out for myself! Keep your eyes posted for reviews in the upcoming months =)

Which product are you most excited for?

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Press samples featured, opinions are my own.

The Mystic Masala Aromatherapy

April 25, 2015

Hi everyone,

Last weekend, I got to attend the Mystic Masala Aromatherapy farewell party! Mystic Masala aromatherapy was created by owner Glynnis, and her desire and love for Ayurveda, a type of Hindu traditional medicine and of course, aromatherapy! The boutique is located in a cozy vintage house located right off Commercial Drive in Vancouver.

Glynnis has decided to sell her the Mystic Masala line to Danielle LaPorte Inc. who will be re-branding and re-launching all of the products. This event was to celebrate all that the Mystic Masala had accomplished, recognize the work that Glynnis had done, and to celebrate new beginnings.

The scent of this store was absolutely wonderful – I could seriously stay there all day. With natural spices and aromatics, this place was truly a feast for my senses.

Something that really stood out and gave me the “wow” factor for the Mystic Masala was the fact that they work with Wild Earth Nepal, a women’s fair trade cooperative in Nepal. Because their website puts this in better words than I ever could:

Our relationship with Wild Earth Nepal, a women’s fair trade cooperative in Kathmandu, gives us the opportunity to work with authentic Ayurvedic knowledge and wildcrafted herbs and to contribute to women’s and rural economic development in Nepal.

Herbs are wildcrafted in the Himalayas and oils are infused for weeks in the sun. After the healing properties of the herbs have infused into the oils, the essential oils are then added. A traditional Ayurvedic Tibetan Cold Process ensures maximum benefits for your skin and for mind, body and spirit!

The herbs are sustainably gathered from community-owned forests and private farms.
We support the training of proper harvesting techniques in rural communities and the conservation of rare and endangered plant products.
We do not believe in using rare or endangered plant products or improperly harvested plant products.
We support the empowerment of Nepalese women, and through Wild Earth, we work with NGOs who support women such as Women’sCraft, WEFD, ICIMOD, the Mountain Institute, and World Wildlife Fund’s Plants and People Project.
We believe in fair trade principles, fostering a working environment based on respect and dignity with fair wages.

Pictured above are products from the spice bliss and spicelove line. After talking to a couple of ladies about these products, they both said that they loved using the perfume roll on as they always received compliments from others when wearing this. I quite liked the smell as well, it had a very warmth and cozy scent to it with strong hints of cinnamon and apple.

The perfume roll on is made of 100% pure essential oil as well! Truly aromatic and wonderful.
I spent quite a few time trying out the different oils in this beautiful arrangement as well. My favourite was the tridoshic oil which contained a blend of olives, apricots, grapeseed, vitamin E base oils, essential oils of geranium, rosewood, spikenard and infused wildcrafted herbs of rose petals, jatamansi, bhringaraj, basil, shatavari. I heard great things about this oil too, one of the ladies I talked to swears by this oil and it is all she uses to moisturize her face.

There are also all natural shampoo soap bars, all of which target different needs with the help of essential oils and all natural ingredients.
I also got to meet a wonderful, and bubbly lady, Arielle, owner of Arielle’s Sweet Tooth! She made this delicious chocolate vegan cake, which was decorated and finished by a henna artist! You can’t have more of an authentic design than that =)
More of Arielle’s gluten free and vegan treats. Chatting with Arielle, she told me that what makes her products unique from other gluten free bakers is that she does not use xanthan gum in any of her products. Since gluten-free products don’t bind as easily due to the absence of gluten, xanthan gum is used to bind ingredients together. Very few bakers use all natural binders like chia or flax seeds to bind their products.
At the end of the event, Glynnis also provided everyone with some gifts! I received a small essential oil sample, and a wonderfully scented votive candle which had dried roses on it. I accidentally left the gift box in the boyfriend’s car for a couple hours, and when we went back, his car smelled amazing. He even commented and said that his car smelled really good!

I’m really glad I attended this event and was introduced to the Mystic Masala line, even though it will be re-branded soon.

Do you use aromatherapy products?

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen