Elle Canada - The Elle Word

Award season may be a wrap over in Hollywood, but we like to bring out the big guns (and the fancy dresses) in the spring. That’s when ELLE Canada and ELLE Quebec reveal their top beauty products in our annual Beauty Grand Prix awards, featured in our May 2012 issue.

For the record, this is no rinky dink survey. We hand the editorial reigns to nearly 975 of our readers, and ask them to review and test out 212 unmarked products from skin care to makeup to haircare. Once they’ve smushed, blended and spritzed in a month-long product party, we have them tell us which ones were the real standouts. 40 winners emerge from the bunch to appear in the magazine. Read the rest of this entry

The moment when you realize that your beauty crutch has become crippling.

I have a beauty confession: I am an over-blusher.  There, I said it. For some girls, their must-have beauty item is mascara, for others its lip gloss. But blush is to me what eyeliner is to the Duchess of Cambridge: a trusted go-to that I usually take too far.

It never occurred to me I was overusing my hero product. Then (in a fairly unflattering photograph), my resemblance to someone from Ringling Brothers was undeniable; I need to rethink my blushing techniques.

Why would someone with my access to expert tips OD on rouge? Simple, I’m not a morning person, and getting Miu Miu’s limited-edition spring 2012 handbags. Slim, to none.

Every morning (in my pre-caffeine haze), my trusted “wakeup product” is always my blush compact. Mascara is usually credited for giving you a bright-eyed pop, but a flush gives you that rested look more than full lashes. “Blush warms up and livens your overall complexion,” says celebrity makeup artist Amy Duclos. “Finding the right shade and texture can be tricky, it’s easy to overdo it.”

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It’s something you often hear photographers say: “She’s got good bones.” They’re referring to models, of course, not the remnants of their chicken dinner. At a recent shoot in New York (watch for it in our May issue!), I spoke with photographer John van der Schilden about how important facial structure is when doing beauty shoots. “It’s about the bones,” he says. “That’s what makes someone more than just a pretty model—the anatomy of her face. It separates the really incredible girls from the rest.”

The importance of facial structure is something that designer Tom Ford is also very aware of. (How’s that for a seamless segue?) As we all know, Mr. Ford is a designer obsessed with every detail of everything he works on, and nowhere is this more evident than in Tom Ford Beauty, a 132-piece collection of skin care, makeup and nail polishes. In London, where he presented his fall/winter 2012/13 line, he spoke about his direction for beauty and his desire to have it really work with the shape of the face.

“One of the things that was important to me when we launched makeup is the architecture of the face—like making cheekbones appear in the right proportion,” he says. “So we did something we called ‘Shade and Illuminate,‘ which is a lighter version of comical makeup that almost no one uses.” Ford says the faces were done to look like they had minimal makeup on, with a little gloss on the eyes and a strong brow.

Small, depressing caveat: In Canada, we can only get Tom Ford‘s fragrances and lipsticks; the full line of products are only available in the United States, Europe, Australia and Russia. If you’re not travelling to any of those places in the near future, you can buy it online at Neiman Marcus and have it shipped to you. Sure, you may have to re-mortgage your house in order to make a few purchases (the foundation is US$78), but your newly highlighted bones are surely worth an extra 30 years of loan payments.

Image courtesy of ImaxTree.com

1. Wear more red lipstick

“Generally, blondes should look for a warmer red and brunettes a red with a cooler blue undertone. But it’s really about differentiating between personal preference and style. Orange is a little trendier, while blue-red is more classic.” – New York-based makeup artist Min Min Ma. Vanessa Craft

Image courtesy of Tina Zellmer

2. Wear a sock bun

There are two critical periods in any woman’s life: before the sock bun (oft signified by a sad, limp little twist of hair) and after (basking in the glory of a bountiful bun). It’s a game changer. Try it as a trendy, high topknot or at your nape for a ballerina-inspired ‘do. Kathryn Hudson

Step 1: First, cut the toe off your favourite sport sock.

Step 2: Make a ponytail and slip it through the sock hole, sliding the sock to the tip.

Step 3: Tuck the ends under and roll inward until you reach the top of your head.

Step 4: Secure your bun with a few bobby pins.

Photo courtesy of Norbert Mayer

3. Choose a signature scent

We all want to find that certain head-turning fragrance, but Nahla Saad, co-owner of Toronto niche-fragrance boutique Noor, knows that creating a scent signature isn’t about sticking to one perfume – rather, it’s about having a wardrobe of perfumes in the same fragrance family. “Think of fragrance as a colour wheel,” she explains. “If you love florals, that’s your red, but you can wear a floral with an oriental and create a pink. It’s still recognizable, but it adds some personality and depth.” Ally Dean

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At David Dixon, hair and makeup was both very pretty, and very wearable.

Hair and makeup at David Dixon. Image by Noah Lehava

For makeup, skin was matte with some highlight at the cheekbones using eyeshadow in Morning Light (a favourite of Eddie Malter, Official Makeup Artist with L’Oreal). Eyebrows were made bolder with Wear Infinite eyeshadow in 821, while the lids were gilded with a touch of HIP eyeshadow in 538. A bit of eyeliner on the lower lash line and a quick sweep of mascara finished the eye look. Cheeks were played up with a pink blush in Sweet Blush in 820 while lips were given a matte pinkish look using L’Oreal Single eyeshadow in Golden Sunset 820.

For hair, the look was created by Dixon’s creative team using just a bit of styling wax and hairspray. The hair was first side parted with it coming over the forehead just slightly, and then swept into a low side ponytail, with it kept a bit loose, almost gaping a bit. The resulting style is put together, clean and simple.

Which look from LG Fashion Week was your favourite?

Fresh and clean is what you can expect from the hair and makeup at Joe Fresh and the look last night was no exception – which we love as it’s totally wearable.

Fresh and easy hair at Joe Fresh. Image by Noah Lehava

Eric Del Monaco, L’Oreal Paris Official Hair Stylist and Colourist, was asked by the designer to use no product to keep the look fresh and sporty, so hair was simply brushed back into a natural ponytail (not too high or low) with the front given a short side part. If doing the look at home, he suggests giving your hair a fresh blow dry first to smooth out the cuticle. Read the rest of this entry

Healthy, shiny hair at Attitude by Jay Manuel. Image by Sam Santos

“Fresh, simple and beautiful,” says Eric Del Monaco of the hairstyle he created for Jay Manuel’s show. Hair was left with a natural part and using a large barrel curling iron, he made four long sections of curls in the back of the head, with two sections on each side of the head – starting the curl at about eye level. “It should look like the model’s been wearing a hat all dar that she’s pulled off,” he says. The look is inspired by the 70s, “but not as feathered and brushed out,” he says, noting that the curls were loosely finger brushed out and finished with a light spray of Elnett hairspry. Read the rest of this entry

By Jaclyn Tersigni

Move over, Justin Bieber. There’s a hot new Canadian item inspiring women coast-to-coast to broadcast their love on YouTube.

Enter the Luxe Box.

 Luxe Box by Loose Button is a subscription service that introduces women to beauty products they might not have used before, by brands like Consonant, Benefit, and Shu Uemura. Read the rest of this entry

There’s finally a nip in the air that makes me long for not only a cozy fall wardrobe, but also some major changes in my beauty routine. I’m anxious to start slathering on thicker creams in anticipation of colder temps. I can’t wait to update my summer smoky eye, to a deep shaded fall eye. And I’m excited to toss out my summer lip shades for more robust colours.

Here are the three key things to swap from your summer beauty routine to get fall prepped.

Bright lips at Jil Sander. Image coutesy of ImaxTree.com.

Switch up your lip colour
If you jumped on the spring and summer bright lip colour bandwagon, you won’t be disappointed with fall’s lip trends. Fall is still all about the statement lip, and it can still be your beauty thing, but instead of a vibrant, neon pink (my go-to shade all summer) take it down just a notch with a bold, glossy red (as seen at Gucci), deep purple or fuchsia. If you want to stay on the brighter side – find the right orange shade for you, like the orange-red hue at Jil Sander. Or go really soft with pale, glossy nude and pink lips – seen at Stella McCartney, D&G, Emilio Pucci and Donna Karan.

Spider lashes at Gianfranco Ferre. Image courtesy of ImaxTree.com.

Bring back the mascara
A lot of the bold eye looks for spring and summer focused on bright colours (reds, pinks, yellows), so mascara was often nixed to keep the look clean. But for fall, mascara doesn’t just come back, it came back in a big way. Spider lashes at Gucci and Gianfranco Ferre should make a double coating of mascara (check out 7 of our faves under $10) on your must-do list every morning. If the clumpy look just doesn’t work for you, apply thickening mascara to get a full, lush set of lashes. Read the rest of this entry

Kate Moss will toast 10 years as the face of Rimmel London by releasing a new lipstick collection with shades to match every outfit.

(BANG)

Kate Moss will celebrate 10 years as the face of Rimmel London by releasing a new lipstick collection for the brand. The supermodel’s new range contains seven shades hand-picked by Kate ranging from bright reds, to soft pinks and nudes and she promises there is a shade to match every outfit.

Kate said: “My inspiration for this range was really to create a range of easy to wear, classic shades that I have always worn and loved. From bright reds, to soft pinks and nudes, there is a shade for everyone and any occasion. It was also really important for me that they were comfortable to wear. Whatever your outfit there is sure to be a shade to match!” Read the rest of this entry