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thing of beauty

Beauty | Emmy Beaton’s Wish List

To kick off The Anthology’s series of wish list guest posts, Emmy Beaton, a makeup artist from Victoria, BC, shares her picks for holiday beauty must-haves. And boy are they sparkly…

1. Lise Watier Eye Glitter Liner in Black Diamond and Smokey Gold
This year, glitter has been huge – from shimmery frocks to those famous glitter-heeled Miu Miu booties. I’m taking some artistic license and adapting that trend by incorporating some glitter into my eye looks. These Lise Watier glitter liners are amazing – they are easy to apply both as a thin liner or across the lid, and are also easy to layer for more intensity.

2. Julep Maven subscription
Lately the hottest thing in beauty is subscription boxes. Glossybox, Luxe Box, Glymm Box…there are many companies offering similar services – every month they send you a box with trial sizes of premium products, allowing you to test a large quantity of different things without committing to full sizes. Most of the boxes contain a large number of skin products and I love this idea, but alas, my skin is very sensitive. The Julep Maven subscription is different: for $20 a month you get around $40 worth of nail polish and treatment products. I buy two nailpolishes a month (that’s a conservative estimate!) so for me this would be perfect. Are you listening, Santa?

3. Sultra The Bombshell
I’m obsessed with conical wands. They are so versatile, style your hair in half the time of regular curling irons, and never snag or pull your hair. You can even use them to create volume by running holding them against the root while you hold a section of hair vertically. Amazing. So far this tool has been something used exclusively in salons because it’s easy to burn yourself. This one, however, comes with a protective glove!  How smart is that!?

4. NARS Danmari All About Cheeks palette
Whether you’re a hardcore beauty junkie, a lady who travels for work, or just someone looking to simplify your life, these six shades are made for you. This palette has been haunting my dreams. I can’t wait to glow, bronze, and shimmer my way into the new year with this sleek black, mirrored palette. I die!

5. MAC Cosmetics Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Quite the Thing!
MAC describes the colour of this lipstick/gloss hybrid as ‘deep blue plum.’ I’m deeply smitten by the shade – it’s both sheer and bright, and complements all complexions. On fair skin you’ll have a just-bitten pout and on darker skin you’ll get a sultry berry with a bit of shimmer. When everyone else is doing red lips this holiday season, you’ll stand out wearing this knockout purple. The best part is that the formula is so amazingly comfortable, you feel like you’re wearing lip balm!

6. Shiseido Perfect Rouge in BE208 – Baby
Shiseido’s Perfect Rouge line is an excellent range of lipsticks with a really sophisticated formula. Neither glossy nor matte, these lipsticks are somehow light, hydrating, and long-lasting with none of the waxy feel of other lipsticks. I love the warm nude colour of 208 – Baby for the holidays – the perfect complement for a sparkly new years eve look.

7. LeSportsac Charleston Kevyn cosmetics case
Recently I’ve been on the hunt for a cute cosmetics case that I would be proud to pull out in a club or restaurant. This super cute case is fun yet classy, and bears the name of my favourite makeup artist. The collector in me also loves that there are lots of other coordinating items with the same pattern, so I can mix and match. Sold!

Beauty | Browing Out

Eyebrow sculptors Bombay Brow Bar just opened a second location in Kits so The Anthology’s resident (and pregnant) beauty Kylie Kumar put her brows to the test.

Being six months pregnant there are a lot of things I can’t control: my waistline, my freakish hormone shifts, and my intense desire for Salt & Vinegar chips. That said, I can control my eyebrows.

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I started my day with thin, unhappy brows.

kylie-bombay-brows-before-after

But after my appointment, which included brow gossip (a consultation), a step-by-step plan, painless threading, eyebrow massage with rosewater gel and brow filling, I feel sophisticated and polished (even “glowing” if you will).

I’ll never let my brows be unhappy again.

[Bombay interior designed by Twenty-One Two Designs and photographed by Cory Dawson.]

Beauty | Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with Estée Lauder’s Alan Pan

It’s 8:00 am on Monday morning and Estée Lauder makeup artist Alan Pan has just flown into Vancouver from London. And I, well, I drove all of ten minutes to meet him downtown at the Metropolitan Hotel. But still, it’s early.

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So naturally my first question for this makeup maverick is: what can I do to look bright-eyed and bushy tailed so early in the morning?

“Start with your skin,” says the energetic Pan. “We wake up looking dull, so skin is always the first priority.” He recommends Estée Lauder’s soon-to-be-released Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator because it reflects the light and “Instantly picks you up.”

estee-lauder-model

“Then focus on definition – a good mascara, a touch of gloss for a radiant, illuminating effect,” Pan says.

“And avoid browns.” Wait, what? Brown has been my go-to eye colour for as long as I can remember. I’m not alone, apparently. “A lot of women choose browns because they’re warm, natural,” he says. “But skin looks dull first thing in the morning so you need a touch of colour.”

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And if you’re applying makeup before you’ve had your double shot of espresso, Pan recommends starting with darker shades of shadow. “You’ll make fewer mistakes that way,” he says.

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Turning to me with a tube of their upcoming Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator in his hand, he asks “Can I attack you with this?” Well, when you put it like that…

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“You’ll look like you’ve slept for 25 hours,” he says, as he pats the serum under my eyes and sweeps it over my lids. Its fancy patented tip actually does feel cool as a cucumber. And my eyes look brighter, a little sparklier, like I might actually be a morning person.

P.S. Add The Anthology on Facebook, sleepyhead.

If you could wear one thing…

And only one thing every day for the rest of your life, what would you pick?

sarees

I’d opt for a saree.

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It’s bright, it’s colourful, and it can be wrapped in a million different ways (if you know what you’re doing. I don’t. But I’d like to think I could learn).

anji-getting-dressed

Wore one as a bridesmaid for my ladyfriend’s wedding.

anji-pre-wedding

It, like Anji’s saree, earrings and necklace, was lovingly hand-picked in India.

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As were all the bridesmaids’ sarees. (Not the dress on the right, mind you. That’s a Diane von Furstenberg beauty.)

red-silk-detail

Is seven metres of silk a bit much for casual Friday? I think not.

Beauty

Let’s celebrate it, shall we? Gotta love Hollywood glamour. Especially old Hollywood glamour. Nothing today quite compares, does it?

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Image from Alex and the Waves.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year

All the holiday parties. All the excuses to pull out the floor-length gowns that have been sitting in your closet.

floorlength-vintage-gown

This one is vintage — sixties maybe? I wore it to the opera last year. And I’m still so, so glad I didn’t have this bad boy hemmed. (That would have been a travesty.) A floor-length gown is a thing of beauty.

octopus-ring

Speaking of things of beauty — say hello to my little friend. He’s from Barefoot Contessa in Vancouver.

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And he’s such a bold little guy I feel like he deserves a name. Thoughts?

P.S. On Facebook, The Anthology is wonderful any time of year.

Workspace | We want to see your space!

I’ll admit it: I’m a creative creep. I love to see other people’s studios, offices, workspaces of any sort (like A Fabulous Fete‘s moodboard, pictured above). That’s why the Workspace column has long been one of my favourites (and one of The Anthology’s longtime readers’ favourites too!). In it, we showcased everything from home offices to corner offices to brand-new architectural wonders of corporate offices, in every industry you can think of. Everyone from beauty bloggers to advertising executives shared their analog to-do lists, their gummy worm obsessions and their favourite work-related reads.

And I want to do it all again. So I’m bringing the Workspace column back.

If you know someone (like, say…you!) who has a beautifully designed space, an interesting story behind the coffee mug that sits beside their laptop, or just needs some motivation to tidy up their desk (or not — we won’t judge!), send me a note at KDundon@TheAnthology.ca. I can’t wait to see these spaces!

[Image from A Fabulous Fete]