Parks, food, and more. I missed all this when I was in Montreal last spring. So there’s more to Montreal than Leonard Cohen and Pharmaprix and Jean Coutu.
Montreal is a city of old beauty, charm, and multi-cultural influences—not just French and Anglo, but Italian, Indian, Portuguese, Jewish, and Vietnamese (just to name a few).
Source: 20 Ultimate Things to Do in Montreal
Clockwise from top left:
Hourglass Vanish™ Seamless Finish Foundation Stick
A creamy stick foundation that serves as both a full-coverage foundation and concealer. I like blending it with my Sigma 3DHD™ Kabuki Brush.
Cover FX Clear Cover Invisible Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30
Don’t like the whitish cast of many sunscreens? Then try Cover FX Clear Cover Invisible Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30. This sunscreen goes on clear and has a serum-y consistency.
Touch in Sol No Poreblem Primer – press sample
An unbelievably silky face primer with a serum-y consistency from K-Beauty brand Touch in Soul
L.A. Colors 5-Color Matte Eyeshadow Palette
OK, so the eye shadows aren’t silky, but they have good pigmentation. A bargain at USD $1.50. Yep, you read that right: one dollar and fifty cents. Like neutrals as much as I do? Then try Tan Khaki, Brown Tweed, or Natural Linen (shown).
Jane Iredale Daytime eyeshadow palette
The perfect neutral eyeshadow palette
NARS Audacious Lipstick in Jane
One swipe, and you’re done. Jane (Fonda? Birken?) is described as “terracotta rose.” The terracotta makes the rose less precious. For other terracotta faves, visit Meet the Lipstick Shade That’ll Replace Your Nudes This Fall.
Burt’s Bees Satin Lipstick
Burt’s Bees Satin Lipstick is every bit as good as luxury lipsticks (including NARS). It’s a great value at USD 9.00. My lipstick wardrobe includes Burt Bee’s Satin Lipsticks in Ruby Ripple and Russet River. Buy wherever Burt’s Bees are sold (and that’s practically everywhere).
IsaDora Eye Shadow Quartet in Muddy Nudes
Yes, I sprang for the IsaDora eye shadow palettes as soon as they became available on walgreens.com. I am delighted with the smoothness and pigmentation of the eye shadow quartet and the subtle gradation of shades.
In tribute to the holidays, here is Nat “King” Cole singing “The Christmas Song”, better known by its opening lines:
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
via https://www.facebook.com/natkingcole/posts/10155089032158807
The Christmas Song was written by Mel Tormé, a crooner in his own right, and Bob Wells. It is among the Top 10 Christmas songs written by Jews, from ‘Silver Bells’ to ‘Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.”
(drum roll, please) Ultra Violet!
Pantone used to be for industry insiders only; now it announces its Color of the Year to great fanfare. Here is a color story for Ultra Violet:
Actually, Pantone created 8 palettes (Sigh. I miss the color stories in InStyle).
Source: Pantone Color of the Year 2018 Tools for Designers I Ultra Violet 18-3838
Private equity firms are driving major retailers into bankruptcy by buying stores and then paying themselves back by stripping the companies of their assets. Stores incur huge debts, are unable to modernize and become less attractive for shoppers. Sears and Kmart are prime examples. Eddie Lampert, a hedge fund owner who incidentally (or maybe not!) was Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s roommate at Yale, bought these companies.
The greed of the hedge funds and equity buyout companies is literally stripping these companies of all their assets, shuttering them down and causing the loss of millions of retail jobs, a byproduct of financial schemes that some call robbery. So when you see the abandoned buildings, don’t blame Amazon. Blame the financial wizards who have come up with this new scheme to suck companies dry for their funds’ personal gain, with no concern for their employees.
The rich get richer, the poor get the picture … HT Midnight Oil
Source: How Predatory Private Equity Firms Are Destroying Our Shopping Centers
Imagine that you’re going to pick up some prescriptions or personal care items, only to find that you’ve entered a beauty hall like what you’d find at a department store. You have to go upstairs to get to the pharmacy proper.
That’s what you’ll find at Pharmaprix (link to map) and Jean Coutu (link to map), both on rue Ste-Catherine in Montréal.
Pharmaprix (link to web site) is called Shoppers Drug Mart outside Québec. Its exclusive brand is Quo. Bourjois, especially its Little Round Pot blush, may be found at Pharmaprix. Canadian brand Lise Watier may also found at Pharmaprix. I picked up Quo manicure scissors and nail board and Revlon tweezers – I forgot stuff because I hadn’t traveled in a long time. I was waited on by a sales woman who had a multi-colored tattoo of flowers on her upper arm. Both my husband and I were impressed by her knowledge and recommendations.
Pharmaprix’s Optimum rewards program enables you to collect points toward free stuff and take advantage of special offers.
By taking a very short walk on rue Ste-Catherine Ouest, you arrive at Jean Coutu ( link to web site). Its exclusive brand is Personelle. Like Pharmaprix, it carries Lise Watier. It also carries mass-market Canadian faves Marcelle and Annabelle and hard-to-find brands such as Pupa Milano (but not their kits!) and Jean d’Estrées skin care. I picked up Annabelle eye primer and pillowy lint-free cotton pads from Personelle, the likes that I hadn’t seen before. Like Pharmaprix, Jean Coutu has knowledgeable staff. One staff member answered my questions about Pupa Milano products.
Jean Coutu participates in the AIR MILES rewards program, which enables you to earn “miles” (points) from other participating stores as well.You may redeem your miles in cash or exchange them for Dream Rewards, Including gift cards, household items, show tickets, trips and more.
If you would like to read reviews of Quo, Marcelle, and Annabelle products, then visit the Sparkled Beauty blog.
Studio | 10 Plumping Blush Glow-plexion is a liquid blush that comes in a convenient pump dispenser.
The web page describes it as:
The ultimate wake-up makeup. An Innovative complexion pick-me-up in a universal and ultra-flattering shade of peach with golden undertones for radiant, glowing skin in an instant. Buildable [color] that blends and buffs seamlessly into the skin.
Studio | 10 Plumping Blush Glow-plexion is an excellent choice for “women of a certain age,” as it adds warmth to the complexion. Beauty industry veteran Andrea Robinson says that older women should go for golden in her book Toss the Gloss. MUA Robert Jones recommends peach blush and bronzer for mature women in his book Looking Younger.
Studio | 10 Plumping Blush Glow-plexion is easy to apply. Spread it into a thin layer on your fingers, dot the cheeks, and blend with a moist Beautyblender or the Real Techniques dupe. Studio | 10 Plumping Blush Glow-plexion has become one of my standbys, along with Revlon powder blush in Fleshtone from its 1997 “In the Flesh” collection (hey, as long as a product’s good – in this case, 20 years – I use it :-).
Read The Style Page interview with Grace Fodor, founder of Studio | 10.
When is it really time to toss a beauty product? Look no further than this ultimate guide to makeup expiration dates.
Pay attention to the tips, not the shelf life, in this guide.
I often think that the shelf life is a ruse to make you buy makeup more often. I’ve had some makeup for years, and they haven’t gone bad.
And be sure to clean your brushes and applicators often!
Source: Save or Toss? The Truth About Makeup Expiration Dates | Byrdie
I’m taking a different tack on Canada Day this year. On Facebook, I attributed the massacre at the Pulse night club to the killer’s professions of Islamic ideology. A prominent Canadian beauty blogger subsequently ripped into me:
It’s time to examine why your country [emphasis mine] gives guns to people who are mentally unstable. Especially when the FBI knew about them, and had been following them. Who cares about whether or not it was an American who decided to use ISIS to focus his hatred? Your gov’t knew all about him, yet he could still get guns. Stop talking about Islamic hatred and start talking about why your country discriminates against the gay community, which gives people like this shooter a reason for his own hate. IT DOESN”T MATTER that he was with ISIS. The US has had 7 mass shootings this week. Get your head out of the sand.
or did she really mean to say, get my head out of my ass? 😀
It’s time to examine the ideology of your country [emphasis mine] that went to war in Muslim countries, destroyed entire countries, armed rebels and basically created ISIS. Jesus. Read a book.
I felt that her references to your country reeked of contempt for the good old United States and that she regarded me as yet another contemptible illiterate American ignoramus.
Jesus. Read a book.
I don’t know if she had any particular books in mind, but here are some books that I’ve read:
Notice a pattern here? All these books are written by Canadian authors.
Happy Canada Day. 🍁
It’s Canada Day again, and time to revisit this article Canada Day. Happy 148th Canada!
Source: #Canada Day | The Style Page | The Style Page
Cold Cream 'n' Roses 
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