Alright, Canadians. For some reason this proud American feels obliged to post about Canada Day when I post about our Fourth of July. Actually I love Canada.
Since I posted a playlist for the 4th of July, I was inspired to post a playlist for Canada Day. Here’s k.d. lang’s Hymns of the 49th Parallel, in which she performs songs by Canadian stalwarts like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn, and Leonard Cohen.
A (belated) Happy Canada Day to our Canadian readers.
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| Canadian Flag |
July 1 is Canada Day. Warm wishes to all our Canadian readers on that day!
Canada Day marks the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada was divided into Ontario and Quebec) on July 1, 1867. Happy 145th birthday, Canada!
Want to mark Canada Day with music? Here are The Style Page’s picks:
Classic Canadian Songs
Smithsonian Folkways describes Classic Canadian Songs in this way:
Canadian identity was once truly a mosaic—of disparate regions and small communities widely dispersed over a vast and inhospitable landscape. Classic Canadian Songs from Smithsonian Folkways showcases the rich musical traditions from generations of European settlers and contrasts with that of Aboriginal peoples fiercely determined to preserve their ways of life in the wake of colonialism and its injustices.
Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Famous Blue Raincoat
Northern Songs: Canada’s Best and Brightest – this Starbucks Hear Music CD features signature songs Constant Craving by k.d. lang, Angel by Sarah McLachlan, Cowboy Junkies’s cover of Lou Reed’s Sweet Jane, and more.
Leonard Cohen’s song “Suzanne” has been covered by many artists, but “Bird on a Wire” and, of course, “Hallelujah” are his most popular songs.
Here is the earliest recording (1966) Of “Suzanne,” by the folk group The Stormy Clovers. The video comprises photos of The Stormy Clovers, Leonard himself, and the Montreal waterfront.
And here is Leonard performing “Suzanne” with Judy Collins, who brought his songs to the attention of the broader listening public:
In an upcoming #MusicMonday post, I’ll feature Nina Simone’s unique styling of “Suzanne.”
Vatican certifies miracle ascribed to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who should be elevated to sainthood next year.
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| Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha |
Does this mean that Leonard Cohen will have to rewrite his novel Beautiful Losers
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While I was in Canada, I was deeply impressed by how many people, both young and old, wore red poppies in remembrance of war dead leading up to November 11. The Brits have maintained this custom, too. In the U.S., we’ve lost the custom. For the first time in years, I came across the American Legion handing out red poppies in exchange for a voluntary donation, when I went grocery shopping. I wore red poppies in both Canada and the US.
Some might think that a symbol like the red poppy is meaningless, but if it causes a person to reflect as they affix the red poppy to their clothes as they get dressed, so much the better. Giving money, time, or other resources is even better.
Which leads me to the question: what’s appropriate dress for mourning?
Cherie Blair (second from right) wore a purple trench coat to the Remembrance Sunday Service
Cherie Blair, the wife of former British PM Tony Blair, created a flap when she wore a purple trench coat to the Remembrance Sunday Service, instead of somber black. The Telegraph UK published an article Should Cherie Blair have worn royal purple to the Remembrance Sunday service? The article was critical of Ms. Blair’s choice, as everyone around her wore the customary black (also notice the red poppies). You’ll see that the discussion was animated: some denounced her color choice, others noted that purple is a color of mourning in Mrs. Blair’s Roman Catholic faith, and yet others thought that her color choice was a trivial manner.
The President and First Lady at the Ft Hood memorial service
What did you think about Michelle Obama’s dress choice for the memorial service for the victims of the Fort Hood massacre? Was it appropriate? Should the neckline have been higher?
I recently came back from a trip to Canada, and here are a couple of beauty finds to share:
Fruits and Passion has stores in malls across Canada. In the U.S., it’s best known for its Cucina line of products for the kitchen (cucina is Spanish for kitchen). Fruits and Passion has a selection of six Lip Butters in sheer colors, each with a different benefit.
You have to prime the product by twisting the tube at the bottom, and the lip butter is dispensed through a flexible silicone tip.
I bought Fruits and Passion Lip Butter in Moringa (center), which is a lip plumping gloss that does indeed plump the lips – and leaves them stained and numb. Use a *very* light touch – maybe with your finger – on the lower lip.
The Custom Quad Magnetic Compact (above) from Canadian cosmetics company Annabelle holds up to four eye shadow pans. I love the graffiti design, and I was tempted to buy this product (cute!), but I already have similar shades in my eye shadow wardrobe. Sparkled Beauty from Canada writes “Annabelle is ok, swatch before you buy to make sure you like the payoff. The palette is normally free with 4 shadow purchase.”
I found Annabelle at Uniprix and Brunet pharmacies in Quebec.
I discovered Sparkled Beauty when she claimed the Giorgio Armani Beauty Face Fabric foundation that I offered through the continually updated Promotions post.
Sparkled Beauty has an extensive article on Canadian cosmetics brands, which I had a small role in expanding.
I’m particularly impressed by the concept behind FACE Atelier‘s Zero Plus and Zero Minus Foundations. When mixed with your regular foundation, Zero Plus darkens your shade, while Zero Minus lightens your shade – a great idea as your complexion changes with the seasons.
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| FACE Atelier |
I also have to give a shoutout to Sweet LeiLani. It’s been some years since I had contact with LeiLani, a Vancouver-based makeup artist whose TV credits include 21 Jump Street, which launched Johnny Depp’s career. Her passion, however, is paramedical makeup, in which she teaches burn victims and cancer survivors how to camouflage bruises, scars, and burns.
Every now and then, I get inquiries about specific Love My Lips products. Unfortunately, finding these products is catch-as-catch-can. I don’t know of any store that carries a complete line of Love My Lips products. Moreover, Bari Cosmetics, which distributes Love My Lips, has not been responsive to my inquiries. To those people looking for Love My Lips products, I suggest prowling dollar and close-out stores, including, but not limited to, the big chains such as Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Big Lots!
Jordana is another much sought-after brand of inexpensive cosmetics, particularly for their eyeliner pencils. Walgreen’s drugstores carry Jordana’s eyeliner and lip liner pencils, and you can find a broader range of Jordana cosmetics at dollar stores, although I haven’t seen Jordana at the big chain stores. Alas, I can no longer find Jordana’s eyeliner in Bittersweet – it was the perfect black-brown eyeliner that I favor. Now, however, you can shop for Jordana online at BestBeautyOnline.com.
My web stats indicate a number of queries on L’Oreal HIP foundation. It has been harder to find this in stores. My contact at L’Oreal tells me that several retailers are no longer carrying L’Oreal HIP Flawless Liquid Makeup, in order to make room for other L’Oreal HIP products; however, Rite-Aid and Wal-Mart are still carrying L’Oreal HIP Flawless Liquid Makeup. Rite-Aid partners with drugstore.com for online shopping.
My web stats also show a few queries on Boots No 7 products at Canada’s Shoppers Drug Mart. While Boots No 7 and Botanicals may be found at select CVS stores and many Target stores in the U.S., only four Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Canada carry Boots cosmetics: for more information, visit Shoppers Drug Mart.
CARGO is another Canadian cosmetics company that found success in the U.S., largely through its distribution by Sephora.com. The Style Page especially likes CARGO’S selection of eyeshadows (its litmus test for a cosmetics line).
The Style Page recently came back from a trip to Canada, and would like to report on Canadian products that are not widely available in the U.S., at least not yet.
Two major Canadian pharmacy chains offer their exclusive lines of cosmetics: Shoppers Drug Mart (called Pharmaprix in Quebec) offers its own Quo cosmetics line, while Pharmacie Jean Coutu offers the Personnelle and Garraud Paris cosmetics lines. Pharmacie Jean Coutu has penetrated the U.S. market through its acquisition of over 1500 Eckerd drugstores from JC Penney, but there’s no word of its exporting Personnelle and Garraud Paris to its Eckerd stores, which will retain the Eckerd banner (CVS purchased over 1200 Eckerd stores from JC Penney).
Marcelle is a mass market comsetics brand, available at both Pharmacie Jean Coutu and Shoppers Drug Mart. The Style Page picked up Marcelle’s Soothing Eye Make-Up Remover Gel, which, despite the name, stung on contact. If the sting could be removed from this product, this would be a great product and much more convenient for travel than liquid eye makeup remover (The Style Page had the misfortune of having liquid eye makeup remover leak and stain her packed clothes). Groupe Marcelle purchased the Annabelle cosmetics line, which is also available through pharmacies.
Lise Watier is a Montreal-based makeup artist whose eponymous line is available both in department stores and drugstores. The Style Page picked up an eyeshadow single in Halo Mat, a light yellow, which brightens the eyes. In the U.S., her Neiges (Snow) fragrances may be purchased through Sephora.com.
Nacara is a cosmetics line from Montreal geared towards “women of color.” It features highly-pigmented lipsticks and cream-to-powder makeup. The Style Page found Nacara at Pharmacie Jean Coutu
Dans un Jardin is a chain of perfumeries in Quebec and Ontario. The stores offers bath and body products and home fragrances under Dans un Jardin’s own label, its own e&n (essence & nature) color cosmetics line, Decleor skin scare, and a wide variety of Lampe Berger fragrance-diffusing oil-burning lamps and parfums de maison (home fragrance) oils.
Fruits & Passion is another chain of perfumeries, with boutiques across Canada and in several foreign countries (but not, alas, the U.S.). In the U.S., Nordstrom sells some of its Cucina (kitchen) line of products in the beauty department. Fruits & Passion boutiques carry bath and body products, home fragrances, environmentally safe cleaning and laundry products, and even food products. The Style Page picked up maple jelly (how quintessentially Canadian!) with orange peel from Fruits & Passion’s L’Art de la table collection.
The Style Page especially welcomes comments from its Canadian readers on Canadian beauty products.
China’s Yue-Sai goes global: L’Oreal will launch Yue-Sai, the Chinese cosmetics brand, first in Asia and then in Europe and North America. Yue-Sai was founded by Chinese-American TV presenter Yue-Sai Kan. L’Oreal acquired Yue-Sai from the Lancaster Group in January 2004.
Costco developing its own cosmetics brand – Costco, the Seattle-based wholesale buyers’ club that can supply you from cradle to grave, is developing its own cosmetics brand in partnership with Borghese. The Style Page has previously written on cosmetics brands exclusive to a store chain: IsaDora (Walgreen’s), Lumene (CVS), Per Una (UK’s Marks & Spencer), No 7 (UK’s Boots), and good skin, American Beauty, and Flirt! (Kohl’s).
The Webby Award winners have been announced: in the Beauty and Cosmetics category, the winner was comeclean.com, a web site for method‘s holiday gift set. Its gimmick was providing a place to read confessions and post confessions to “come clean.” The People’s Choice winner was the Mary Kay personal consultant site – no surprise there.
Finally, the article Specialty format steals department store beauty dollar from Cosmeticsdesign.com discusses how specialty and discount stores are taking market share for cosmetics purchases from traditional department stores. The merger of the major U.S. department store chains – Federated (Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s) and May (Lord & Taylor, Robinson’s-May, Hecht’s, Famous-Barr, etc.) will result in fewer consumer choices among department stores.
The Style Page notes that one challenge is that salespeople at department stores represent and work on behalf of a particular cosmetics brand. If department stores and their suppliers (notably Estee Lauder Companies) want to win back market share, they should scrap the current system in favor of salespeople/advisors who can advise on several brands and provide central checkouts for cosmetics purchases.
Update: Soon after I published this post, I found that Shoppers Drug Mart, a drugstore chain in Canada, is negotiating with Estee Lauder Companies to distribute various Estee Lauder brands through their stores. More evidence about the change in buyers’ habits.
Cold Cream 'n' Roses 