Look of the Day: Rosy Red Carpet (Reese Witherspoon Inspired)

Hi, everyone! If you peeked at last week's Oscars Beauty post, you'll know that I always draw some serious makeup inspiration from the Academy Awards red carpet. I shared several swoon-worthy looks from the night, but my absolute favourite was Reese Witherspoon's fresh, rosy look. Reese hasn't been a regular makeup inspiration for me, but this time around, I was completely taken with her glowing skin and flushed cheeks. So very pretty! 

Reese's 2016 Oscars look was created by makeup artist Molly R. Stern (you can check out her Instagram, here), who actually took the time to comment on my Instagram shot of this look. An ultimate fangirl moment! The makeup caught my eye especially because it was classic, flattering, and perfect for Spring- not an overly bold brow or ultra contoured cheek in sight! Just fresh, pretty, and glamorous. 

Molly brought this look to life with a variety of Chantecaille products (a brand I'm totally obsessed with), including Future Skin foundation and Red Juniper Lip Chic. But it was Reese's bold, healthy blush that especially drew me in. We all know I'm a fan of vibrant cheeks! For the blush, Molly used Chantecaille Cheek Gelee in Happy (a luminous pinky peach creme blush) topped with Chantecaille Cheek Shade in Flair (a saturated, matte coral pink powder blush). Given the first words out of my mouth when Reese hit the Oscars stage were ("what is on her cheeks? I need that in my life"), I obviously had to head down to Saks and pick this duo up :)

I re-created Reese's luminous skin with my new favourite foundation combo, Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation No10 mixed with By Terry Light-Expert Click Brush Illuminating Flawless Foundation in Rosy Light. I set the foundation with the natural, glowy Alima Pure Satin Finishing Powder in Keiko and highlighted the high points of my face with RMS Living Luminzer. Reese's cheekbones were softly contoured, so I did the same with NYX Powder Blush in Taupe. For the blush, I applied the exact same duo used on Reese last weekend. I started by applying Chantecaille Cheek Gelee in Happy to the apples of my cheeks, blending upwards and slightly outward to the cheekbones. I then swept Chantecaille Cheek Shade in Flair to the apples of my cheeks, just below Happy to add some further sculpting. 

I didn't have a full concept of Reese's eye makeup (as I could not find any shots with her eyes closed), but I knew that it featured shimmery golden shadows in the inner half of the eyes (particularly near the tear ducts) and a more neutral shade on the outer half of the lids and lower lash lines. To mimic this, I first applied a mix of MAC Ricepaper and Motif on the inner half of my lid, brow bones, and inner corners of the eye. I contrasted that with a mix of MAC Woodwinked and Inglot Double Sparkle Shadow #459 on the outer half of my lid and crease and along the outer portion of my lower lashes. I finished off by patting a mix of MAC Retrospeck and Inlgot Shine Shadow #08 on the inner corners of my eye. I could tell that Reese was wearing a very thin sweep of eyeliner, so I did the same with Make Up For Ever's Aqua Eyes Waterproof Liner in 0L, smudging it slightly to soften the line. I finished off with two coats of my favourite volumizing mascara, BeneFit They're Real. 

For the lips, Molly Stern used a mix of two rosy red lipsticks, so I followed suit! I first applied Tom Ford Lips and Boys Lipstick in Tony, concentrating the colour on the outer edges of my lips, and topped it with Chantecaille Lip Chic in Amaryllis. 

I finished off the makeup with a few spritzes of Tatcha's Luminous Dewy Skin Mist to add some extra freshness to the skin. And that's it! 

The Breakdown:

Foundation: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation No10 mixed with By Terry Light Expert Click Brush Illuminating Flawless Foundation Brush in Rosy Light
Concealer: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer in Light
Powder: Alima Pure Satin Finishing Powder in Keiko 
Bronzer: The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 02 Fair Matte
Contour: NYX Powder Blush in Taupe
Blush: Chantecaille Cheeke Gelee in Happy topped with Chantecaille Cheek Shade in Flair
Highlighter: RMS Living Luminizer

Brows: Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Taupe and Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in Caramel 
Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
Eye Shadow: MAC Motif and Ricepaper (on inner half of lids and brow bone), MAC Retrospeck and Inglot Shine 08 Shadow (to add sparkle to inner corners of the eye), and MAC Woodwinked and Inglot Double Sparkle #459 Shadow (on outer corners, crease, and outer half of lower lash line)
Eyeliner: Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Liner in 0L
Mascara: BeneFit They're Real

Lipstick: Tom Ford Lips and Boys Lipstick in Tony topped with Chantecaille Lip Chic in Amaryllis
 

And a few more shots of the look:

And finally, to highlight the true magic of makeup, here are 'before' and 'after' shots for this makeup look. It's amazing what some luminous foundation and rosy blush and lipstick can do! 

I'm so happy I chose to re-create this look- I felt so fresh, pretty, and Springy all day long! I'm also glad to have splurged on the Chantecaille cheek products, as both are totally gorgeous, flattering, and long-wearing. Luxurious and lovely! 

What were your favourite beauty looks from the Oscars? Is this a makeup look that appeals to you? Have you ever been inspired by Reese Witherspoon's makeup?

Have a fantastic week! xo

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A Shoppers Optimum Haul (That Didn't Hurt My Wallet!)

Hi, everyone! I realize you've been seeing a lot of haulage on the blog of late (take my Detox Market and Saks Fifth Avenue loot, for example), so to add yet another today might have you mourning for my wallet. But today's haul is something different- it was almost entirely free!! If you live in Canada, you probably know that Shoppers Drug Mart (our largest drugstore chain) offers an Optimum Points program that ultimately lets you redeem points for free product. This time around, I had gotten to the top tier of points not through makeup splurging, but via strategic purchases of the necessities: toilet paper, cat food, ibuprofen. Totally glamorous. But given my patience, when Shoppers held one of their Spend Your Points events a couple weeks ago, it was time to tackle the beauty department. The top tier of Optimum Points typically affords you $170 free (amazing already), but the event upped this limit to $200. So I headed down to my nearby Shoppers that stocked both Chanel and NYX and the rest was history! 

Whenever I'm set to redeem Optimum Points, my first stop is always the Chanel counter. I mean, what's better than free Chanel?! (Seriously, it's hard to think of something ;)). I already had my sights set on their new Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation, as I'd heard that it offers a luminous finish that actually provides fuller coverage and long wear. Yes, please! My favourite Chanel SA who works that that Shoppers location also pointed me in the direction of the new Le Blanc Light Creator Brightening Makeup Base in Mimosa, a yellow-tinted, SPF-based primer designed to cancel redness, protect the skin, and add extra glow. Sounded like a perfect companion for Les Beiges (as well as for my red, sensitive skin), so I snagged it also! 

My second stop was at the Clarins display. I find Clarins  to be a totally underrated brand, with beautiful seasonal offerings and relatively affordable price points as compared with other department store brands. I am a huge fan of their Ombre Matte cream shadows, so I was eager to check out their new Ombre Iridescent Cream to Powder Eyeshadows for Spring. The shade I fell for was Silver Green, a beautiful pale-to-mid-tone icy sage green. Unique in my collection and so very pretty! I had also heard countless raves for Clarins' Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors, which are moisturizing tinted balms in handy squeeze-tube packaging. When I saw that they'd released a slightly deeper shade for Spring, Plum Shimmer, I finally added one to my basket! 

Finally, I had to peruse two of my favourite slightly more affordable brands, Bourjois (which I wish were a bit more affordable, as they are in the UK), and NYX, which had just launched at Shoppers  a couple days prior. I am a huge fan of the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets (one of the best matte liquid lipstick on the market), and the only reason I don't own more is, at $24 CAD, they're much pricier than you'd want a drugstore lip product to be. But for free? Absolutely! The shade I snagged this time around was Nude-ist, which is not so nude, but rather a soft, muted, neutral peachy pink. And from NYX, I selected one completely practical item, and one totally off the wall. The first is the Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, which is supposed to be excellent as an eye shadow base, especially with brighter shades over top. The second is their Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Stone Fox, a mid-tone blue-toned muted grey. I am determined to wear it soon! 

And before wrapping up, here are swatches of the eye and lip products I purchased: 

(L-R): Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Plum Shimmer, Clarins Ombre Iridescente in Silver Green, Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Nude-ist, NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Stone Fox, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk 

All totalled, I got this entire lot of beauty goodies for about $40 (the cost of the tax plus a little extra), which I'd say is a pretty freaking amazing deal! Especially given that I'd earned the points by stocking up on necessities at strategic times. You can convert toilet paper into free Chanel? Yes, you can! :) The sales associates also kindly included a gift bag with my purchase, which consisted of a free Glow magazine (Shoppers own publication) and a couple cute little minis. A very nice bonus! 

Any fellow Shoppers Optimum Points junkies out there? What brands to you gravitate towards when you are set for some freebies? Which store's loyalty program do you think is the most worth it?

Did I tempt you with any goodies here?

Have an ultra fantastic weekend! xo

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My Favourite Makeup Looks from the 2016 Oscars

Hi, everyone! I've just returned from a long weekend home with my family, which was a wonderfully relaxing time (aside from chasing around my busy, active, adorable niece!). We capped off the visit by watching the Academy Awards on Sunday night- an event that always reignites my interest in film as well as sparks some serious makeup inspiration. I'm all about old Hollywood glamour, but my favourite looks are usually those that are a bit different. Rebellious, colourful, and sultry looks always catch my eye!

Here are my picks for the best makeup looks at the 2016 Oscars.

From PopSugar, link here.

Rooney Mara

She can do no wrong in my books. I've been smitten with Rooney Mara since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and her beauty looks never disappoint. They are always incredibly fierce! I totally loved these smokey taupe eyes and bold blood red lips. 

From Glamour.com, link here.

Olivia Munn

We all know I love a bold orange/coral lip, so it's no surprise that this look caught my attention! I also liked the fresh tangerine blush and the fact that her brows looked perfectly groomed and natural, not overdone. 

From stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com, link here.

Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse's smokey silver eyes were totally mesmerizing. They looked lovely paired with the classic nude lip and stunning green jewelry. Her natural skin and brows really let the eyes steal the show!

From popsugar.com, link here. 

Rachel McAdams

I loved the lush, jewel-toned green of Rachel's dress and, even more, the matching green eyeliner and shadow she sported. So pretty! The eyes really popped when paired with the nude pink cheeks and lips. 

From byrdie.com, link here. 

Margot Robbie

I love that this look somehow made bare nude shades look edgy and a bit rock and roll. Paired with lush lashes and perfectly undone hair, Margot totally killed this look! 

From elle.com, link here.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga's musical performance might have been the highlight of the evening- it was so beautifully touching. Her makeup look totally mirrored the soft, yet powerful feel of the song. She was rose gold perfection! 

From instyle.com, link here. 

Reese Witherspoon

We all know I'm a sucker for rosy red lips and cheeks, and Reese's look embodied this perfectly! I am properly obsessed with her bold, healthy flush (reportedly created using Chantecaille products) and shiny just-bitten lips. *Swoons*

What were your favourite beauty looks from the Oscars this year?

Any of these looks that you would like me to re-create for a Look of the Day?

Thanks so much for stopping by! xo

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