Michelle's blog

Are you guilty?

Hi girls,

I trust that you all had an awesome weekend.  I can hardly believe we are finally experiencing the true summer heat in mid August -- thought we'd never have at least a few nice days but at last it's here.  Today I plan to get a lot done despite the heat and humidex.  I came across this neat article and thought I'd share with you guys.  I'm sure those of you beauty divas out there might even add to this list;o) So here goes some of the most common beauty mistakes:

SIN 1: THE MASK

"The idea is to even out your skin tone. Foundation should be the same colour as your skin, not darker. If it's darker, you'll get a mask line."

- Eddie Maleterre, L'Oréal Paris

SIN 2: CRUSTY CONCEALER

"Go easy with concealer. Pat it on with your finger or a small, flat brush. If you don't, by the time you add foundation and powder, you end up with crustaceans."

- Laura Szucs, makeup artist, Judy Inc.

SIN 3: DIVA LINER

"The worst sin is dark lipliner worn with a lighter shade of lipstick. It just looks ghastly, like a bad tattoo. Or worse, like an exotic dancer."

- Laura Szucs, makeup artist, Judy Inc.

SIN 4: BAD BROWS

"People wear the wrong colour in their eyebrows. You want the exact shade or one shade darker.(If your eyebrows are really light, you'll look older.)If you use eyeshadow, take a small brush and blend. If you use a pencil, stroke in the same direction and angle as your eyebrow hair. Always finish by brushing with an eyebrow brush; it blends everything beautifully and naturally. Nice eyebrows frame your eyes and give you more expression."

- Anya Ellis, makeup artist, The Artist Group, Vancouver

SIN 5: TOO MUCH BLUSH

"Don't wear too much blush. Bang the handle of your brush against your hand to knock some of the powder off before you apply it, then just dust on a little so you look fresh."

- Eddie Maleterre, L'Oréal Paris

SIN 6: THE SLASH

"A lot of women like the idea of a dark-red-lipsticked mouth, but it's too severe, especially as a woman ages. Lip gloss is the secret to looking young and natural - it's like an instant facelift - especially in a colour that's just a little pinker or peachier than your natural lip shade."

- David Goveia, makeup artist, The Artist Group

SIN 7: TOO FROSTY

"Only apply shimmer, glitter or highlighter to a few key facial features. Lightly dust a powder highlighter onto cheekbones, brow bones and décolletage. And if you're using a liquid highlighter, pat it onto your face using a damp makeup sponge. Over-application will make you look like a sweaty disco dolly."

- Chase Aston, The Body Shop

Sin #3 made me LOL!

Have a Happy Monday!

The fruits of my labor!

Smoking Hot Chillis

I'm not exactly a planter but this year for the kids' sake I have decided to plant some chilli peppers just so they can see how things are grown.  I plan to cut these up and add vinegar and maybe some other goodies.  They are amazing over top just about anything.  These are always served at our favorite Chinese Restaurant here in Toronto -- Chung Moi Restaurant, yum! These photos were taken during last week so more peppers have since emerged as opposed to photos.  We live in a condo so I didn't want to plant too much -- reserved some extra balcony space for other projects.  The children are so excited to water the plants and now have a better  understanding of how plants grow. 

The fruits of our Summer project!

This was truly an educational project especially for my youngest who is only 3 years old.  He's a pretty smart boy who's ready for Kindergarten.  Sadly, he has one whole year before he will be admitted. Oh well, he's stuck with good ole mom.....LOL

~Summer Nail Art~

Hi everyone,

Here's a most recent Nail Art that I have created -- summer inspiration theme.� I think this one is so fresh and perfect for summer.� The sky is the limit with this design and you can improvise using your own colors and even alter the design to suit your taste.

Daisies Nail Art

Hope you enjoy this one and again Happy Nail Painting!

Awaken your senses with this new range.

Wellbeing Toolkit

Finally, here's your chance at improving your health, balancing your emotional well being and greening your home with the Miessence's Certified Organic Essential Oils.  This new range of products was recently launched and are now available to you in 25 different varieties.
These oils can be used for a variety of Do It Yourself projects such as haircare and skincare recipes, bath salts or even homemade air fresheners -- perfect for the home crafter. Also, add your favorite scent to a carrier oil for that perfect massage oil. 
For more detailed information, please refer to this page on my website.

Wishing you all good Health as always!

Shape Hair Styling Gel -- Mini Review

Styling Gel

I have had several requests for a review of this product however, I prefer to use a product for a few months at least before making any recommendations.  That being said, I am totally pleased with the performance of this product.  It's very lightweight and perfect for keeping my new hair at bay, also referred to as fly-aways.  I tend to get a lot especially at my hairline and this Styling Gel works awesome at calming them without appearing  like I have used a ton of product.  I always reach for this formula to create classic hair updos and although it's lightweight it holds up well. 

Please note, this isn't the typical super hold formula like you would find in Drug Stores, mainly because it is formulated with nourishing ingredients minus the synthetics.

Finally, here is a Hair Styling Gel that is actually good for your hair and scalp and also provides a medium hold and will not dry out the hair. Organic Rosehip Seed Oil is key in this formula for keeping hair moisturized -- panthenol also adds to this benefit!

This product is available to us in two sizes -- travel & the full size and can be found on this page.

Hope this review was helpful. And as usual, please free to contact me with any other questions. 

Stay well!

Travel Sizes

Mint Toothpaste

Now you can pack your favorite Organic essentials to take where ever you go -- all your personal care must-haves.  Travel sizes are a great option for those of you who are either on a budget or would like to try the products before investing in the larger sized products.  Although samples are an ideal option for the latter,  I like the idea of the availability of travel sized products.  Personally, I carry around a few in my purse for added convenience.  Awesome for individuals on the go!

For the full list of products available, kindly follow this link.

Stay Healthy and let's continue to preserve our planet through our wise choices!