Sunday 26 June 2011

Bronzed beauty

In my sunscreen post, I mentioned I would talk about getting an artificial glow, and so here's some of my experiences with bronzers and self-tanners.

Let me start off by saying I have ZERO patience for those "daily glow" moisturizers that add a gradual bit of tan each day haha I have used them in the past and quite frankly they take too long. I want to be brown ten minutes ago, not in two weeks. Though, they do work if used properly, and you're going to be moisturizing anyway, just make sure to a) let your moisturizer DRY before you put your clothes on, and b) definitely remember to wash your hands. Also, for sensitive skin people, don't put the "body" ones on your face =\

Glow Girl from Make Me Smooth (you can custom-scent them, mine is Coconut & pineapple), Boots No. 7 Sunless Tanning Quick Dry Tinted Lotion in Light/Medium, Roc Minnesol Mousse Auto-bronzante, Vichy Capital Soleil Autobronzant.

I do occasionally use the faster-working tanners, but usually they are also too slow for me haha I have used a number of products in the past. The best one was a Marcelle tinted gel that had two separate formulas, one for body and one for face, but I can't find it anywhere anymore. I resorted to Vichy's Capital Soleil Autobronzant which is awesomely moisturizing and great for sensitive skin, however it isn't tinted, so you may miss a spot. This is better if you use it a few days in a row so everything can even out. I have used a pile of products from Roc as well, and the Minnesol foam is also not tinted, and I don't care as much for the colour, so I usually use it on my legs only. Boots No 7 tinted tanner is one of the best -- it smells great (I think, at least) and makes you insta-brown as well as prolonged brown. It's not that dark, so I usually tend to use it a bunch of days in a row to get desired colour. Get it at shoppers, $20 for a huge bottle.

My brown arm and white side haha
For a quick fix, if you only need to be brown for a few hours, there are a ton of products on the market. For those of you who hate shimmer and glitter (you people suck, by the way! haha only kidding) there are some "matte" options that don't contain any sparkle or shine. Boots No 7 Smooth on Bronzer from the Instant Sunshine line (on the far left of the photo) is a great colour without any sparkles. You mist it on and rub it in. Same with the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Mousse. It also doesn't contain any glitter and is in a foam form. Just pump it out and rub it in. I typically tend to use one of these products as a base, then cut the darkness of a liquid shimmer bronzer (like the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Sexy Legs, on the right) or Boots No 7 Instant Sunshine Shimmer Gel (middle, bottom box) with something like the Jergens Soft Shimmer or a plain moisturizer, as I'm so fair, the thick brown goo makes me look ridiculous.



Bronze yourself -- or come over and borrow mine, I apparently have plenty (This isn't even my whole collection either. Shameeeee on me!)
On top I usually dust on some powder, which is great if there are uneven looking areas or you feel too gooey from all the liquid products. My favourite is the Glimmer Bronze powder from Bonne Belle, and the Boots No 7 Instant Sunshine pearls (lower right, round container). Lush also has some solid rub-on bronzers as well that would work well. I have a gold Glitter Bug I love (same shape as shimmy shimmy) I have had for years that is nearly gone and has been long-since discontinued by Lush.

Wednesday 22 June 2011

North of the Border

Recently, while reading one of the puck bunny websites I follow (mostly just for a laugh, since the information on there is almost always bogus) I took offence to a bunch of nasty posts by an American girl who seems to have a real hate-on for Canada and Canadians.

Pardon me, but why go onto a website which discusses hockey and hockey players and trash Canada? Most of the players are Canadian, and surely some of the site's readers are Canadian. Most of the girls on there seem old, catty and out-of-touch with hockey players and how the operate. They get up in arms every time news breaks of a player cheating on his wife or girlfriend, accuse Canadians of being hicks (when, likely, I'm from a bigger city they are) and bash how we talk, dress and what we eat.

While I will be the first to admit much of Canada is a barren wasteland of nothing but trees, and some cities are better left unvisited (Regina, Winnipeg, I'm talking to you), there is plentiful beauty and culture to be found in the big three cities, including Montreal, where one poster argued the 'Quebecois' don't know how to dress.

While some uneducated Americans may think of log cabins, moose and buffalo check when they think of Canada, I must say ... these uneducated girls are sadly mistaken.

When it comes to hockey, I'd say, Canada has the upper hand. We eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. We win more championships, produce more hockey players, and the richest and most powerful team in the National Hockey League is the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs' revenues are what pay for teams like Nashville, Phoenix, Columbus etc. to stay in the league.


So here these girls are trashing Canada and Canadians, and all trying to get a piece of our rugged, rough and tumble hockey player pie.

I'm looking on Google for how to meet a Canadian man, and the tips are outright hilarious, though some of them are a little too true for words.


"Rule number one: don't ever call it ice hockey; to Canadians there is no other kind. Rule number two: don't ever complain that Canada's favourite sport is too violent. If asked, say that the fights are undoubtedly your favourite part. Rule number three: if you don't know anything about hockey, pretend you do. Drop a few names, feign interest, try to keep your eye on the puck and never, ever say anything against the national passion. Dissing hockey is tantamount to treason and will have you searching for a new beau quicker than a beaver can gnaw through a maple tree!" From Lucy Corne

I also want to point out how cute (aka pathetic) it is, if you go to an American hockey team website, they include a little section called Hockey 101, like this. If I find a Canadian team who does this, I'll shit canaries.

Maybe these broads should learn what a Kenora Dinner Jacket or a two-four or double-double is before they start trashing our country and trying to pillage our men. (How's your Canadian slang? Test yourself.

If it was so great down south, how come all the hockey players come home to Canada every summer?

Friday 10 June 2011

Wanna win some swagggg?

Hey ladies (and gents, if any read this haha) if you're interested in winning some goodies from hockey lifestyle apparel gurus Gongshow Gear, there's a contest going on at the Goalie Crease Network where first prize is a $200 goodie bag of Gongshow clothing -- first prize has a hoodie, hat, t-shirt and flip-flops. Second prize is worth $80 and is a t-shirt and hat combo, and third prize is apparently TBA.

I love this stuff and have four hats and two hoodies, I am planning to blog a little more about them another day. To enter, click here :)

Good luck!

Thursday 9 June 2011

This one goes out to the one I love

Instead of blogging about how much I hate Manitoba (because that could go on for DAYS), this week's post is dedicated to one of the most amazing girls I have ever met. My friend Vikki is currently fighting cancer. In addition to being sassy, smart and just a little bit nerdy, she also has been a very good friend to me over the last 12 years, and to see her strength shine through despite the adversity she is facing, is truly an inspiration.

Vikki has a form of skin cancer, and recently posted a video to my Facebook profile about the importance of a) wearing sunscreen and b) checking your skin for any irregularities. These two things could help save your life.

We all know it's summer time and it's nice to get a tan ... for some, however, getting that golden glow might just take a turn for the worse. I was always a tad skeptical myself, but now that it's hit home, someone I love and cherish in my life is very sick, WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN.

Sunscreen is used to help prevent UVA and UVB rays from turning you into a lobster, giving you itchy and unsightly blistering and peeling, giving you wrinkles (ew!) and skin cancer. These rays "produce DNA damage that may lead to mutations in genes involved in the pathogenesis of skin cancer." UVB rays are the ones that toast your outer layer, turning you a lovely shade of red. UVA rays are the ones that cause long-term damage. A broad spectrum sunscreen is a good defence against both types. By blocking the harmful radiation that can cause these genetic mutations, you can cut your risk of developing skin cancer.

An easy way to work sunscreen into your day is to use a daily moisturizer with SPF in it -- plenty of brands carry options with sunscreen, including Olay and Clean & Clear. You can also find foundation with SPF in it as well. For those of us with sensitive skin, I recommend a special "face" sunscreen, as I have had allergic reactions in the past to regular sunblocks. I have also found using kids' sunscreen works, as it is less harsh on my skin.

I'm a big fan of things that smell delicious (probably why I continue to have allergic reactions to things, using them when I know they're full of perfume) but look how cute these are! These are new to the Life brand lineup at Shoppers, and cost around $12 ... the coconut lime after-sun spray and SPF 30 spray really do smell delicious. There was also a pomegranate Sunscreen I did not get the chance to smell-test, but likely also smells heavenly. It didn't have a matching after-sun mist, though.

For more sensitive gals, I have tried products from Vichy, Roc and La Roche Posay and not had any adverse reactions. I have also heard good things about the Clairns line, and surely L'Oreale must have something for sensitive skin.

After swimming or a lot of sweating (which if you live anywhere in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor, you likely did a lot of earlier this week) reapply your sunscreen. The recommended amount is about a shot-glass size ... give or take of course, but applying especially to sun sensitive areas like your shoulders, face and neck 15 minutes prior to exposure is the key.

On a day with a high UV rating, skin can begin to burn in only 15 minutes, so covering up with a hat, sunglasses and protective clothing also helps. I rarely ever go out without my sunglasses and hat .. and besides, it keeps you from squinting, which gives you wrinkles. (One of my fears about aging ... I can't bear the thought of being wrinkled up like a prune. Ahh!)

Protect your skin from the sun, and next time I'll talk a little about making yourself brown without being exposed to the sun :)