Bazar D'mila

(Warning: Most pictures appear blurry and have bad lighting. You can blame that on my Blackberry!)

I've always wanted to sit in the audience of CityLine, particularly during one of the Fashion Friday episodes. But when I was invited to join the audience for a special Blogger episode I jumped on the chance - couldn't be more perfect!

The show was aimed at bloggers and how social media has changed all different industries from design, food, being a working mommy, and of course beauty! I had no idea who would be attending so when I arrived, I was immediately greeted with the familiar smiling faces of my fellow beauty bloggers. Everyone looked gorgeous and colourful. The energy in the green room was super hype especially when CityLine's stunning host, Tracy Moore, came in the room to say hi!

The show had some great guests including Erica Ehm from Yummy Mummy Club and one of my favourite makeup artists CityLine's awesome Tracy Peart! This was the only show where audience members could tweet and be on their phones. It was hilarious to see everyone's heads down furiously tweeting away! 

Each guest gave many wonderful tips on Do's and Don'ts of social media. Tracy P. had a good one that I also see often - if you're leaving a comment on another blogger's site don't include a your own website's url. I get it - you want to give your site more exposure but it may come across as spamming someone's site and the comments don't seem genuine. Other bloggers will eventually follow your blog if you visit and comment on their site regularly.

My favourite part of the show was of course the beauty segment with Tracy P.! She shared her favourite beauty products to use: cult classic L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara (used to be a staple of mine - forgot how much I loved it! Will have to pick up the water-proof version.), Vasanti Liquid Cover Up, Hard Candy Visibly Wet Lip Pencil, and a new favourite of mine M.A.C.'s Greasepaint Stick in French Quarter. I have been using this a lot and I love it! Best part - we got to take Tracy's favourites home along with some other awesome giveaways! Tracy is always giving tips on her beauty blog and does beauty how-to videos on CityLine.ca - be sure to check her out for some pro tips!

I asked Tracy a few questions about beauty and social media - here's what she had to say!

MJ: Favourite Spring makeup trend?

Tracy: My favorite makeup trend for Spring 2011 is bright, brilliant, neon colors for the eyes. Whether it be an eyeshadow all over the eye or an eyeliner just to accent the eye. I'm excited about BOLD colors being IN again!

MJ: Favourite product for Spring trends?

TP: My favorite product that will work with the Spring Trend, is an oldie but a goodie "Electric Eel" Eyeshadow by MAC. It's an outgoing color that can be worn subtly or loudly!

MJ: Best thing about starting your blog and being on Twitter?

TP: Best thing about blogging and being on Twitter is all the new people I've come into contact with. Whether it's makeup companies, or the everyday woman who looks to my blog for advice, or fellow Bloggers like you! Before being involved with social media, I didn't know them and they didn't know me. For instance, you and I met at a Blogger Party and remain in contact via Twitter! It's GREAT!

And it's true - love Twitter for connecting with other like-minded peeps! Thanks Tracy!

Unfortunately, I didn't get to stick around after the show to get more pictures and to attend the Tweetup at the ritzy Ritz Carlton. It was a fun experience and it's always good to see my beauty blogger sistas! The show airs March 29 at 9 am so don't miss it! Thank you to CityLine and Tracy P. for the invite! Here are some more photos from the show!

Some of the great beauty bloggers at the show: 

Jill: Batting A Lash
Farah : Faces By Farah
Jenn: Spiced Beauty
Anita: Primped and Proper
Anjali: Rock That Look
Nancy: Nancy Power Makeup Artist
Michelle: Lipstick Rules

UPDATE: Forgot to mention a THANK YOU to Arianne for the ride!

IMATS is like Christmas to me; I wait in anticipation all year for this one day! As soon as I strolled in with fellow beauty bloggers, Arianne and Michelle, I was giddy and instantly felt an exciting vibe in the air. Besides the makeup, makeup shows are always one big makeup reunion.

The Face atelier booth was our first stop. I was so happy to see my girl, Eunique, working and manning the swarm of girls. 

I think pretty much everyone I know went home with some Face atelier products. I wish I had bought more because the discounts were awesome but I mustered up the willpower to stick with my list!

Michelle and Arianne were a hoot to shop with! Check out some fun pictures from the event and all the awesome people I ran into. I didn't have a lot of time to really take advantage of the two days so there were a lot of people I didn't meet and workshops and seminars I didn't have a chance to attend but there's always next year!

Click here to view more photos. 

Overall, I had a great time hanging with other beauty bloggers and shopping the booths. The Toronto Congress Center was a great venue, although I don't think it was any bigger than last year at The Exhibition Place. As for location, I hope that IMATS next year will be downtown. Mississauga is just not central enough and isn't easily accessible by transit. On the upside, a shuttle bus was provided which I'm sure helped but I don't know how frequent it was. 

This year, waiting to pay for products was painful. The lineups at some booths were ridiculously long which deterred me from wanting to buy products. I know having a designated line for paying is meant to be efficient and keep order but at the same time it just wasn't. Then again, this year seemed much busier and that is a good thing. There was a few complaints from some bloggers about IMATS feeling "small" and the truth is that Toronto is on a smaller scale compared to other cities. This is only IMATS' second year in Toronto. I felt this year was better than the last and I'm sure it will get better every year. It makes sense to start out small and test out the waters so to speak. It's obvious a lot of money and time goes into a convention like this so everyone involved has to be confident that it will be worth it. This year new brands were added like M.A.C. and Stila, which is a good sign that more brands will jump on board the more exposure IMATS receives in Toronto. There is definitely a market for IMATS in Toronto thanks to our growing makeup artist and beauty blogging community! 

Thank you to the creators of IMATS for an amazing event! I'm already looking forward to next year's!  I had a great time shopping, seeing old friends and making some new ones. Oh, and if I can make one request on a must-have keynote speaker for next year, it would be the talented celebrity artist, Andrea Claire!

Some fab ladies I ran into and some I missed - be sure to check out their recap of IMATS!

Rasilla from In a Nutshell

My apologies if I missed anyone! What was your favourite or not-so-favourite part of IMATS? What must-have products did you stock up on?

Calling all aspiring models! The fabulous makeup artist, Lelo, and the team at NTM Studios are hosting another model competition that will take place from November 15 to November 21. The winner will receive $1000 cash prize! 

To view the competition details visit www.nexttopmodelstudios.com. Will you be the last one standing? Hurry up and enter!

With celebrities like Rihanna and Katy Perry sporting them on the red carpet, colored liners have become very popular. I currently started to wear them on my lower lids when I don't have time for a full eye look.

Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Liner in Teal ($22 USD): This innovative gel-based waterproof liner stays blendable for 60 seconds then dries to a smudge-proof, budge-proof finish that lasts all day. Jet Set is perfect for lining the inner rim of the eye or as a stay-put traditional liner.

The pros about this liner:

This liner is honestly smudge-proof & budge-proof! It doesn't move which is good if you have oily lids. Also the waterproof factor is amazing! Living in Canada, we will be dealing with a lot of rain and snow soon, so the waterproof aspect will be a god sent!

The con about this liner:

The only bad thing I can say about this liner is it's way too small!! The box it comes in is a pretty good size, so I thought it would be larger.

Overall I like this liner because I don't have check my liner throughout the day to make sure it's not running! I would give it 4/5 because of the size.

Jenn is Director (future beauty director), certified makeup artist and a lover of all things fashion, beauty and media! She is also the founder of her popular beauty blog, Spiced Beauty. I met Jenn at a beauty bloggers brunch back in February - she was warm, always flashing her beautiful smile, and her camera was always on hand! Thanks Jenn for your guest review! Do check out her blog - must reads are her daily fashion finds and product reviews!

(Picture heavy!) :)

Start the first day back to school with a treasure hunt! The lovely team at CoverFX has organized this amazing treasure hunt taking place in select cities in Canada, US, and the UK. I love contests that really get the fans involved. CoverFX's last event was a successful flash mob that took place all over but I have to say the treasure hunt tops it all! Click on the poster to enlarge for contest details and visit their Facebook page!

I spoke with Co-creator, Jenny Frankel, who informed me that it's better not to layer the EyePrep FX over your traditional eye cream as it may affect the 'stay put' primer quality. However, if you just can't live without your favourite eye cream, Jenny suggests applying EyePrep FX during the day and your night cream at night. But to reap the full benefits of EyePrep, it's best to use both day and night. It's also made without silicone so for all you oily lids your shadow won't slip and slide throughout the day. 

I had a blast at the event (despite the heat and sweat!) seeing all my fellow blogger buddies and meeting new ones. And of course, it's always a pleasure being able to chat with CoverFX creators, Lee and Jenny! Thank you to the fabulous Marketing Co-Ordinator, Melissa Shum, for throwing a great event and wearing those fantastic purple heels! 

UPDATE: M.A.C. will be donating $100 000 to a non-profit organization in Juarez and will be changing the product names. It's clear the beauty blogging community has a voice. We love beauty but we will never stand for exploitation or discrimination all in the name to be edgy or to make a fast buck.

Has M.A.C. done enough? If the Rodarte collection was made to bring awareness of Juarez and to donate proceeds to Juarez charities from the get-go there would be no controversy. The apologies and efforts seem too after-the-fact. As someone commented on this post, the upside is that we are all aware of the help that Juarez needs. Has Rodarte done enough? I don't think so. Why aren't they offering to give a portion of their clothing sales to a Juarez charity?

What I do commend M.A.C. for is that they are not too big of a company to listen to their consumers. If you do plan to buy from the Rodarte collection, at least you'll know part of the proceeds are going to help the women of Juarez. Another reader left a comment saying she'd rather donate her money directly to a charity. I agree. If you're looking to donate visit this site for a list of charities in Juarez:
http://www.charity-charities.org/Mexico-charities/Juarez.html

Original Post: 

There has been much buzz over the controversy of M.A.C.'s  Rodarte collection and the designer's questionable inspiration of a little town in Mexico called Juarez. The history of Juarez was news to me and  I was unfamiliar with the background of the town until I read it on Vex in The City. I had heard about the collaboration between M.A.C. and the Rodarte sister designers, Laura and Kate Mullevy, launching this Fall but didn't clue into the controversy that surrounds it. 

Juarez, known as a factory town in Mexico, is notorious for the disappearance of hundreds of women between the ages of 12 and 22 who have been raped and murdered on their way to work, with little help from the police leaving most cases unsolved. It's disturbing and horrific, leaving me more sad than inspired. 

It's difficult to look at this campaign shot of a ghostly model who is rail thin, and with eyes that stare back at you with nothing but emptiness. I can't look at her without getting goose bumps and not in the good way. Seeing this picture does not make me want to run out and buy the collection. And after reading some of the names of the products, all I could think was "Really??". No, I will not be swiping on my shadow called "Sleepwalker" only to be reminded of the women and children who were raped and murdered for this "inspiration".

Either M.A.C. and the Rodarte designers are absolutely insensitive or this is all apart of a brilliant marketing plan to make M.A.C. look like heroes, making this a sell-out collection. Style List almost seems to sugar coat the situation praising M.A.C. for issuing a statement saying a portion of the proceeds from the collection will go to those in need in Juarez. Fabulous, now that sh*t has hit the fan. Was the real purpose of the collection to recognize the hardships of these women and to be inspire us M.A.C. addicts to help? Really. I think these women have been exploited enough. Sometimes bad publicity is just bad publicity.

For all you die-hard M.A.C. fans, how do you feel about the Rodarte collection? Will the Juarez controversy deter you from buying this collection? Or do you love M.A.C. so much you've just got to have it? To read Vex in The City's insightful post click here. To read more from Style List click here.

I was very excited to find out about the new Acne Solutions Liquid Makeup from Clinique. A foundation that does the acne control job at the same time sounds like a perfect solution to my acne-prone skin.

What it is: A oil-free liquid foundation with 0.5% Salicylic Acid to help treating and preventing breakouts on dry combination to oily skin, retails $24.50/ CAD30 for 1oz/ 30ml.

What it offers:

- Texture: Light weight and dries quickly.

- Coverage: Medium.

- Colours: 8 shades available, a good selection for different skin tones.

How it performs: I received "02 Fresh Ivory" which is a bit lighter than my match shade, but for testing purpose, I did use it on my face without mixing it with any darker foundation.

The goods:

- The formula is light and oil-free, a big plus, especially during the summer months. The foundation is semi matte when dries. It did not break me out.

- The wear is pretty good, as it lasts until I come home at the end of the day to wash it off.

- It can also be used on the affected areas only as a cover-up/ treatment liquid during the day.

The not-so-goods:

- It is not a full coverage foundation, i.e. I still have to use concealer on top of it. I expect a foundation with acne treatment property would provide more coverage, as often enough, we have acne scars and old spots to cover.

- The liquid is hard to blend at times as it dies quickly. I would suggest to get a bit of product at a time and blend it out completely before getting more product.

- It does oxidize a bit, which works on my benefit in this case as the shade is a bit light on me (Later in the day, it looks like a better match for me). Keep this in mind.

- The low dose of salicylic acid is good to treat rarely occasional breakouts but not for skin with more serious acne problem or higher frequency of breakouts.

The bads:

- The foundation flakes - around my nose and mouth, and on my cheeks. It is not pretty.

Note that I always use a moisturizer and a primer before any foundation, and do not notice any dryness on my face prior to application. Dabbing more moisturizer on top did not help, I tried.

Summary: This foundation works great as a convenient fix for those with light acne problem on normal skin but is not a good solution for combination/ dry skin as it intensifies the dryness.

Have you tried this foundation? Love it? Hate it? Want it?

If you a loyal follower of Anh's blog, Sparkled Beauty, then you'll know she has a love for anything with sparkles! Like most of my encounters with fellow beauty bloggers, I "met" Anh on Twitter. When we finally met in person at the Girls Night In at LIFT in April, it was like meeting an old friend. Be sure to check out Anh's blog for her awesome makeup hauls and product reviews! Thanks Anh!

My girl Lena from the popular blog, Listen To Lena!, is doing an AH-MAZING give away! If you love Tokidoki Cosmetics and Sephora then head over to her blog for contest details!!

What I liked:
- The super cool and unique packaging.

What I disliked:
- The lack of pigment
- The glitter
- The amount of fallout

Overall, these shadows were a disappointment for me and did not live up to UD's top notch quality. I don't see myself reaching for these shadows at all even though I tried hard to love them. Sorry Urban Decay, you fell short with me on these Stardust shadows!

[Editor's note: To intensify the pigment use a cream shadow or use with a damp brush. This will also prevent fall-off. If using dry, use a firm shadow brush and pat onto your eyes rather than sweeping back and forth. This will help pack on more colour and will give less fall-off. If you like a glittery finish, mix with a transforming liquid for a sparkly eye liner!]

Have you tried these shadows? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Want 'em? 

"Mama Far" as she is called amongst her fellow Toronto beauty bloggers, is a talented makeup artist and founder of beauty blog, Faces By Farah. She is utterly sweet, warm and has the most gorgeous long hair! Be sure to check out her blog for great product reviews, beauty tips and her Sunday posts "You Go Girl/Boy!" where she features a must-know personality in the beauty, fashion and entertainment industry! Thank you Farah for your review! Stay tuned for more reviews from her!

I’m going to be honest I’m not one to carry many drug store brand eye shadows in my professional kit. But after using Maybelline Eye Studio Color Plush Eyeshadow I may have to reconsider. I was very surprised upon trying these shadows. They were extremely soft and smooth and blended easily on my eyelids. One downfall of being so soft was that I noticed there was some fallout while applying to my lids. So be sure to tap any excess off your applicator or brush before applying it on. 

All the palettes are available only in a shimmery finish so if you’re more into mattes then these palettes are probably not for you. One thing I love about these palettes is that they came in a lot of different color combinations so it makes it easy to use. They even have a little picture on the back of the palette of an eyelid done up with the shadows. This is great for those of you who are unsure of where to place the colors on your lid. 

Another nice thing about these palettes is that the pigmentation is actually quite good and if you’re the type to use an eye primer or base the color will stand out even more and look very vibrant. So whether you’re an everyday wearer of eyeshadow or a professional makeup artist (maybe mix with a matte shadow to make it more appropriate for photography) I think these are a great item to have in your kit. Below are some pics and swatches of the palettes I tried.