How to Wear Pantone Colour of the Year: Marsala

Everyone knows Pantone’s Colour of the year is Marsala, but how do you wear it? We’ve teamed up with Beauty Youtuber Alisha of Makeup at Midnight to show you what drugstore makeup products you can find in Marsala! Alisha will show you the perfect wearable shades for eyes, lips and nails.

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London Drugs Top Travel Beauty Tips

With the latest cold snap keyboards are clacking with the sounds of last minute winter getaways. So how can we best prepare our skin and hair for a winter vacation? When we go from dry cold to warm and humid what do we need to protect our skin and hair from damage? Cosmetics manager Vi Ladacacos from London Drugs St. Vital chatted with Global Winnipeg‘s Megan Batchelor and shared what products we need to bring out our best skin and haircare while having fun in the sun. From sun protection to self-tanners, and preventing sunburns to moisturizing before and after a getaway, Vi covered her favourite beauty products with a save and splurge option to suit a variety of tastes and budgets. Vi also shared her top three must-haves for your purse or travel bags to ensure your vacation makes beauty fun and easy no matter your destination.

 

How to Get the Slicked Back, Wet-Look Hairstyle

A huge trend on the runways, the sexy and sleek wet-look hairstyle is perfect to try for a night out. Beauty blogger Britta walks us through an easy tutorial, using the hottest hair product of the season: mousse! A nod to the 90’s, mousse gives hair the slicked back look that also stays put.

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Fresh Beauty for the 1st Day of School!

The summer is almost coming to an end, which means all the guys and gals are gearing up to go back to school! The first day of school can be a little rough for some, but it doesn’t have to be for you! If you’re in search for that flawless look to wow your old and new friends, let’s start off with a clean canvas! READ MORE

Go all the way with your skincare regime

Are you shying away from a proper skin care regime for all the wrong reasons? You’re not alone.

Many people limit themselves to a two-step regime—cleansing and moisturizing—and avoid using additional products because they’re afraid of making their skin look worse. The truth is that adding a few extra steps can transform your tired, dull skin giving it a radiant healthy glow.

“I have oily skin. Using moisturizers will only bring on an acne attack.”
Oily skin gets dehydrated just like any other skin type. This can be caused from harsh soaps, changes in humidity, or from using drying acne medications. In fact, one reason skin can become oily is because it’s actually lacking in moisture and trying to compensate. Use a water-based moisturizer or try a hydrating beauty water for more sensitive skin, such as Shiseido Eudermine Revital.

“My skin should feel squeaky clean after I wash. That’s how I know I’ve done a good job.”
Squeaky-clean skin is a no-no! That tight feeling after washing means your skin has been stripped of moisture, and that will cause dead skin cells to build up on the surface. Try switching to a more moisturizing cleanser and be sure to apply daytime and nighttime moisturizer.

“I don’t use a night cream because they’re all too oily.”
Not any more. In the old days, night cream was often made up of heavy moisturizing ingredients, especially oils, which tended to be greasy. Many of today’s night creams are designed to be much lighter so that they don’t clog pores.

Using night cream is an important step in your skin care regime that shouldn’t be missed. During the night, our skin rebuilds and regenerates—if it has been provided with the moisture it needs.

“As long as I use a moisturizer, I don’t need a serum.”
Facial serums should be used in addition to moisturizers. While they can give you added moisture, the real benefit of a facial serum is that it delivers nutrients to the deeper layers of your skin that regular moisturizers don’t reach. Serums help your skin by slowing down the aging process (try Lancôme Visionnaire Serum or Vichy Liftactiv Serum 10), brightening the skin (Lise Watier Flash Eclat Vial or Clarins Beauty-Flash Balm), lightening dark spots (Strivectin Get Even Serum), and even by helping to prevent acne breakouts.

Apply a serum to your clean, dry face, wait three to five minutes until it’s absorbed, and then put on your moisturizer.

“I don’t need a separate eye makeup remover. My cleanser works just fine.”
Some cleansers will remove makeup, especially creamy cleansers. However, many experts recommend using a separate makeup remover designed specifically for the fragile skin around the eye area.

“Exfoliation is a no-no. It breaks down the skin’s natural barriers and makes it more sensitive.”

Not true. Exfoliation is a key step required for hydrating the skin and reducing uneven colouring, breakouts, and signs of aging. It’s a simple process that removes dead skin cells from the surface of the body.

Just be sure to do it properly. Exfoliation should leave your skin feeling softer and looking healthier, not red and irritated. Use a product designed for your skin type and be careful not to exfoliate too much—just once or twice a week, depending on how sensitive your skin is. Your London Drugs beauty advisor can help you select a product that is right for your skin type.

“Aren’t facial masks just overkill? I already wash my face twice a day.”
Nothing cleanses the skin like a facial mask. Masks remove excess oil, dead skin, debris, and environmental pollutants. By unclogging pores, facial masks can help to deliver nutrients and moisture deep into the skin.

Applying a facial mask once a week helps revitalize the skin, keeping it smooth and youthful. Apply the mask to cleansed skin and leave it on for about ten to twenty minutes, wash with lukewarm water, and then apply moisturizer.

I just don’t have time for any extra beauty steps.”
Then look for products that serve more than one purpose, such as Marcelle’s BB Cream. This multi-purpose skin care cream is a moisturizer, tinted corrector, and make-up base all in one. Speak to your London Drugs beauty advisor about other products that can save you time. Be the first among your friends to try this great new product by contacting your beauty advisor at your favourite London Drugs store to reserve yours today!

Finding the Perfect Fragrance

 Before you decide which scent best suits your special someone, it’s important to understand the options you have to choose from.

Fragrance products are made up of essential oils mixed with a solvent (usually alcohol). The amount of oil in a product determines how long the scent will last on the skin, as well as how much it costs.

Fragrance 101

  • Perfume has a 5% to 30% concentration of essential oils, and it lasts anywhere from six to eight hours.
  • Eau de Parfum has an 8% to 15% concentration of perfume oil, and it lasts five to seven hours.
  • Eau de Toilette creates a subtler scent with 4% to 8% oil concentration that lasts four to six hours.
  • Eau de Cologne contains 3% to 5% essential oils and lasts two to three hours.
  • Eau Fraiche, Aftershave Lotion, or “Splash” contains only 0.5% to 2% perfume oil, and these products last less than two hours.

Remember, a strong fragrance is not necessarily a positive feature—many people agree that an understated scent can be more intimate and alluring.

The Three Stages of Smell
Have you ever noticed that perfumes and aftershave lotions always smell different after you’ve had them on a while? That’s because the fragrance develops in three stages, referred to as “notes.”

  • The top note is the freshest part of the fragrance it is the first whiff you smell. It is the hook, often bright, crisp, and lively. The top note usually lasts for around eight to fifteen minutes.
  • The middle note is the body of the fragrance, often giving the scent its aroma, such as spices, flowers, or fruit. It develops after the top note. The middle note remains constant throughout the use of the fragrance.
  • The base note is what lingers after a few hours, and it helps to fix the fragrance to the skin. It is often soft, warm, deep and sultry.

Fragrance Categories
Different types of fragrance are described by their scent and by the ingredients that have been used in their preparation. The most common include:
Aromatic: Sexy cool-warm notes of citrus and lavender, sweet spices, and oriental woods. Often considered a man’s scent.

  • Chypre (Cyprus): Based on the harmony of oak moss, labdanum, patchouli, and bergamot.
  • Citrus: The clean, tangy aroma of citrus fruits: lemons, mandarins, bergamot oranges, and grapefruit.
  • Floral: The largest fragrant group, it includes freshly picked flowers; flowers with aquatic, green, or powdery hints; and spicy notes of orange flowers and sweet flowers.
  • Leather: Mixtures ranging from floral, velvety to tart and smoky are placed in this group.
  • Oriental: Musk, vanilla, exotic resins, and wood are often accompanied with exotic flowers and spices.
  • Woody: Includes warm, mysterious sandalwood, oak moss, or drier and sharper cedar and tobacco.
  • Fougere: Typically a man’s scent, these perfume types are grassy and herbal in nature.
  • Aquatic, oceanic: Evokes an ocean breeze, mountain air, or even fresh linens.

Now you’re on the scent!
Now that you know about fragrance, it’s time to play detective. Try to find as many answers as you can to the following questions:

  • Does your recipient already have a favourite fragrance? If so, then choosing something in the same fragrance category might be a hit.
  • What designer names does your recipient like to wear? Clothing designers formulate their fragrances in order to appeal to the same buyers.
  • Is your recipient drawn to a particular celebrity’s style? That celebrity’s scent creation might be a perfect fit. Celebrities’ fragrances often embody what they stand for.
  • What are your recipient’s favourite foods? Is she a fan of oranges? Then she may be a citrus person. Does he love Indian food? Then he may be drawn to spicier notes such as cardamom.
  • What is the fragrance going to be worn for? Is your gift intended for casual wear, office wear, daytime wear, evening wear, or a romantic encounter?
  • Think about your recipient’s personality. If you’re buying for a woman, you may decide to choose a fresh scent if she is a nature lover. Super feminine women are often drawn to floral spring fragrances, intellectuals to spicy scents, and traditionalists to classic scents such as vanilla. Men who like to take risks might enjoy an aromatic or fougere fragrance. Sport-loving guys are often drawn to a citrus scent or to fragrance with a mixture of musk notes at the bottom and bergamot notes at the top. A distinguished gentleman may go for chypre, an urbanite for citrus or strong green cedar notes. Traditional men tend to like woody fragrances, while a fun loving lavender may suit a caring man.

Your London Drugs Beauty Advisor can help you select the perfect scent for your special someone.

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