How not to be intimidated by picking the right foundation

This past weekend, I was catching up with some of my girlfriends. We started talking about my favourite topic...MAKE-UP!!
My friend was frustrated and wants to get a new foundation but wasn't quite sure where to start. We all imparted our pearls of wisdom and went our merry ways.
However, it got me thinking. What is the best way to approach the introduction of a new foundation??
Truly I understand the frustration, as the choices have become abundant over the years. Once upon a time, girls with colour were very limited on colour ranges. But now there is such a great selection in any make up department that it can be a daunting and overwhelming task.

Here are some of my suggestions on how to approach the search for your holy grail foundation:

WHAT TYPE OF SKIN DO YOU HAVE?

- First things first, figure out what kind of skin do you have?  Are you oily? Normal or dry? How dry or how oily? The answer to this question should lead you what kind of foundation you need.

WHAT KIND OF FINISH DO YOU WANT?

- Now give some thought on what kind of finish do you require? Do you want to achieve a matte finish? If you have oily skin, then you may want to give this some thought. Do you prefer a glowey and dewy finish? If you have dry skin, then maybe this is what you are leaning towards. Or do you want a more natural finish? Once you figure out  which way you are leaning, you may be able to narrow down if you want a liquid foundation, a powder foundation or a cream to powder foundation.

HOW MUCH COVERAGE DO YOU WANT?

- Finally, how much coverage do you want? What are your skin needs? Do you need a foundation that has a full coverage and will cover all blemishes etc on your face? Or do you want a medium to full coverage that is buildable but still has more natural finish? Do you want just a light coverage  foundation that gives you a natural finish but a canvas for the rest of your make up?
This should narrow you down to a particular brand or type of foundation.

ADDITONAL NOTES:

- SPF: super important factor espcially if this is going to be a foundation you are going to wear during the daytime. Always protect your skin! However, if you are wearing it at night time and you are going to be photographed, SPF does have some flashback which could result in you looking slightly ghostly (espcially if you are a brown girl like me!)

- BB & CC creams vs. foundations: BB creams and CC creams are traditionally not meant to be used as foundations but more like a tinted moisturizer with added benefits (like SPF, moisturizing, colour correcting etc). They don't offer the same amount of coverage and longevity on your skin but are great for every day use. Especially, if you ah e flawless skin!
They are also not as buildable as foundation. If you are looking for something that has coverage and is buildable, then maybe you should be looking at foundations.

- Waterbased, silicone based or oil based foundations: each have their appeal and it all depends on your needs. If you are more prone to oily or acne prone skin, then you should probably stay away from anything oil based. This will add to clogging your pores and potentially cause more break outs.

I know I know... It is a lot of information! But break down your needs before going into the store. That way you know what your needs are. Whoever is helping you out in the store, will be more effective as well.

Good luck and don't forget to share your tips and tricks as well!

What didn't.... Part 2

So a few weeks ago I told you about some products that made my vacation a little easier. These were worth the money, worth their weight in my suitcase.

Here are some that just didn't do it for me. One common theme for all the three is most definitely the price I paid for them!  Considering how much they cost, I have to admit, I expected small miracles and instead I felt like they were duds!

The first one is the YSL mascara volume effet faux cil. It holds all the promises of a fantastic mascara. It smells fantastic, it has a great formula and it has the best brush. But all this doesn't matter one bit because it is too expensive, the formula dries out, sticks to the brush too much and because of this, gives you lumpy lashes... And did I mention, it is expensive! A dud in my books!

http://www.sephora.com/mascara-volume-effet-faux-cils-luxurious-mascara-P218400?skuId=1120708

The second item is the Clarins Natural Instant Lip Perfector. These came highly recommended so of course, I had to try them. Of the three items I am reviewing today, these were the cheapest but no less more expensive than other gloss like products, I have purchased earlier. 

Again, this product comes with all the promise of a great new thing. It smells fantastic!! It applies great, thanks to the applicator that distributes the gloss in a great manner. And the end result is good too. Your lips will feel softer and give a healthy, natural look. But it is simply too sticky!! Maybe that's a preference thing but I just found that I was spending too much time trying to avoid getting any hair near my lips. 

http://www.clarins.ca/en/instant-light-natural-lip-perfector/C050303004.html

The third and final thing on my list, are the L'Occitane hand creams. I have to admit that I am complete sucker for a good, greasy hand lotion. I also hold high criteria to said lotion. I need it to last, I need it to be greasy but not slippery and finally I need it to smell good! 

So the only thing that the L'Occitane lotions did for me, was that they smelled great! They were too slippery and didn't last. It was like they just didn't absorbed into my hands. Too bad really!! I love some of their other body products. I bought these on the plane to my final destination so I technically got a good deal. But considering they didn't last long and were so expensive, maybe the joke was more on me.

http://ca.loccitane.com/?gclid=CJjpqM_C8cACFe0-MgodqBQABg

I should mention the only reason I have added the links to the products, is because these are just my completely biased opinions and some of you may really like them. If so, I would love to hear you convince me otherwise. Except for the mascara! I am trying to use it up before it completely dries up!

Like always would love to hear your opinions and comments. 

I love....

I don't think it is secret HOW much I love Stella & Dot. It is the one reason I am still a Stella & Dot stylist. I can't do as many trunk shows as I used to. (This new Fall 2014 collection will change that! More on that later)

One of the things I love about my Stella & Dot pieces, is to layer it with my other non- Stella & Dot. Pieces. I love how it is all a reflection of my style and my experiences. I always have story with the jewelry in my collection. And yes, there is quite a collection now.

These are some of my more recent pictures of how I have been layering some of my new jewelry from jewelry companies in Denmark. One is called Hulquist, http://www.hultquist-copenhagen.com/Frontpage and the other one is called Pilgrim, http://www.pilgrim.dk.

One of the leather bracelets is made by hand by a close friend who is launching his own brand, TINGBA&MIHM, very soon. So watch this space!!

You can check so many more of my Stella & Dot styles on Instagram under the hastag #stelladotstylewithayisha and you can always check out more of the fabulous Stella & Dot here, www.stelladot.com/ayisha

Have a fab weekend!

What worked...

I was lucky enough to spend my entire summer with some of my all-time favourite people doing some of my favourite things. I got to see my baby brother get married to a woman who more than deserves him and I got to spend time with my favourite boys.

With all these things going on, I had to make sure that my make up bag was well-stocked with things that worked for me and wasn't too time consuming. So I thought I would make a post on three things in my make up that totally worked for me!

1) Bare Minerals!! What a lifesaver! When I didn't have to wear a heavier foundation as a base, this was great! I was running around quite a bit and honestly, maybe I wasn't as good as I should have  been about cleansing at the end of the day. Stress levels might have been a little elevated too. So Bare Minerals was great! It was light weight, covered great and was easy to apply.

http://www.sephora.com/bareminerals-original-foundation-broad-spectrum-spf-15-P61003?skuId=747410

2) Garnier's BB cream in Light/Medium was also a great companion to the Bare Minerals Foundation. It worked great as a primer and was wonderful as a moisturizer. I love how it would give me some coverage on the days where I didn't feel like doing too much out of my face.

http://www.garnier.ca/en-ca/face-care/beauty/garnier/skin-renew-bb-cream-/bb-cream-miracle-skin-perfector

3) MAC's pencil eye liner in smolder was fantastic! It came in so handy and was great to smudge out out on days where I wanted a different effortless look. 

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/151/323/Products/Eyes/Liner/Eye-Kohl/index.tmpl?SKU_ID=SKU1446

One thing I definitely learned this time around is to pack the things that work as opposed to new products or new colours. Vacations should be relaxing and not missing that one lipstick you didn't bring.

Watch out for the next post on what DIDN'T work.

Five in Five - Part 2

Before going off to my vacation I got some new products that I have loved so much that I will definitely be using throughout the year.

The first one is Garnier's BB cream. For those of you are unaware of this new phenomenon, it is the break-through product of the year. It is basically a tinted moisturizer on drugs! :-) It has all kinds of added benefits as well as it moisturizes really well. 

I have had some really bad acne issues in the past and now I have some acne scars. I used to have to cover them with concealers and heavy foundations. But with BB cream, I don't feel like I have to use to many different products to cover blemishes and scars. It has become a staple in my everyday make-up routine. Love it!!!

http://www.garnier.ca/_en/_ca/skincare/sc-nutritioniste-skin-renew/miracle-skin-perfector.htm

The second product is not really a product. It is more of a colour! I feel in love with all things CORAL this summer. You may have noticed this colour everywhere, in shoes, purses, jewellery and make-up as well. I chose to go the make-up route  to experiment a little and also to add some colour punch to make make -up drawer. I ended up at the MAC counter, as that is usually my go-to place when I want to add some colour to my face. 

I ended up getting "Peachkeen" in blush and "Ravishing" in Creamsheen lipstick. Love them both!! I love how they are both fairly sheer and I can add some more colour to give it a more heavy look. 

They say coral is a universally flattering colour so I would definitely recommend it. 

On a side note, I also recommend "Gouda Gouda Two Shoes" from OPI,  if you are wanting to try out the coral colour.

http://www.maccosmetics.com/index.tmpl

Not my nails in case you were wondering

Speaking of OPI, summer is always such a great time to shoes off those toes in your sandals and peep-toes shoes. Over the years I have collected so many OPI nail polishes that I absolutely adore. My most favourite has to be "Malaga Wine" which is a deep red and a good classic to fall back on when in doubt. Again, it is a great way for me to experiment with different colours. 

http://www.opi.com/

The last product I want to recommend is actually a cheat! I have recommended this before but I want to just emphasize again how great it is. I ran out during my trip and it was the one thing I missed the most when doing my daily moisturizing. It is No.7 Beauty Serum. No.7 is a brand out of the UK and available there at Boots. 

Beauty serums are like a booster for whatever you put on afterwards. So if you put the serum first and then some moisturizer, the serum will make the moisturizer even more effective and you thereby use less product and get more bang for your buck, while looking fantastic...:-)

You may have to go hunting for it. In Canada, it is available at most Shoppers Drug Mart, 

http://www.ca.boots.com/

My last recommendation is a complete indulgence. I got mine as a gift from a friend and I would recommend you doing the same for a friend who is desperate need for a treat.

It is Victoria Secrets creams and lotions!! They are rich and so fragrant and such a treat every now and again. Normally, I am not too keen on anything that is so fragrant and strong. But on days that have been long and end with a nice warm bath, it is nice to indulge in something thick and creamy and relaxing.

http://www.victoriassecret.com/beauty/lotions-and-creams

That's it for now folks!! I would love to hear about your new discoveries over the summer. Or some even that we should be staying away from??

Until next time!!

Five in Five - Part 1

I had so much fun over the summer. I got to reconnect with some old friends, make some new ones and as always I took bundles and bundles of pictures. One of my favourite thing this summer was to use my Instagram app!!

For those of you not familiar with Instagram, it is an app you can download for free onto most smart phones, iPhones and Androids alike. You can take pictures with it and then add your own personal touches to the image by adding different filters. You can then go ahead and share your image with the rest of the Instagram Universe. You also have the option of sharing the pictures on Facebook and Twitter.

I have so much fun with this app and here are five of my favourite images from this summer.
Enjoy!!

Self-professed Queen Bee

First all my sincerest apologies for not being present for so long. I just came back from an extended holiday from Denmark. Here we spent three glorious months with my family and friends. It has been a great trip filled with fun, self-realizations and of course my boys!!

I stumbled upon on this blog post today by Natural Mommies about being a mother of boys. Boy, can I relate!! After spending three months away from home, I truly do realize that boys are from Mars and are looking for ways to go back!! :-)

I can't speak for other mothers and their boys. But my boys are honestly not too bad. I have my moments (days!) of yelling and constantly repeating myself. There are days where I feel like I should just record my instructions and reminders and put them on repeat on the speakers. (pet peeve: repeating myself!)
But after a long trip with them, I do realize that they are good listeners, they are good friends, they are sensitive to others and their needs and they are polite. I am not quite sure how that happened. Shafique and I must have been doing something right!

Check out the blog post I mentioned. http://naturalmommie.com/2012/09/for-moms-of-boys-speaking-their-language/
I would love to hear what your thoughts are as well. How is your son different than your daughter? What would you change about them or yourself to function better as a family?

Thanks for tuning in and I will try to better about updating my blog.