MAKE UP FOR EVER FEAT. CHARLI XCX
Creamy formula, glide on application and waterproof staying power means these new Make Up For Ever Aqua XL eyeliners are ready for summer! Better yet, they were created in collaboration with pop star Charli XCX. You might have heard her song Boom Clap or that other one she did with Iggy Azalea, Fancy.
Let's assume for a sec that Charli tested these liners on stage while preforming. I'd think they'd hold up pretty darn well under hot lights and sweaty conditions. For example, I wore the colour I-24 (an iridescent blue with green sparkles) to the Selena Gomez show yesterday and it stayed on until the end of the night -even when the rest of my makeup had pretty much faded. It was ridiculously humid last night and of course, when I needed it the most, my trusty MAC Prep + Prime Fix + failed me because my makeup was not on fleek when I got to meet Miss Selena herself. Luckily my eye makeup stayed fleeky because these Aqua XL pencils do not budge!
So what can I tell you about this collection? The pencils are highly, and I mean highly, pigmented. They glide on like a dream due to their creamy formula but with that being said, I feel like they do dry up if you don't use them for a while. The tips of my pencils broke off when I did my first swipe because they had dried up, but I just gave them a quick sharpen and they were as good as new. There are 20 colours in total in the Aqua XL collection, each more amazing then the next. Like I said, these do not budge, even on the waterline.
Wether in real life or on stage, I think these Aqua XL liners have awesome staying power. You did good Charli!
xo, Nathalie
"When I needed it the most, my trusty MAC Prep + Prime Fix + failed me because my makeup was not on fleek when I got to meet Miss Selena herself. Luckily my eye makeup stayed fleeky because these Aqua XL pencils do not budge!"
I received the full collection in a boxed kit from Make Up For Ever. Pencils are sold individually and retail for $25.
In collaboration with Make Up For Ever. All opinions and photos are my own.
STAR GAZING
From one post to the next, and even in real life, it seems like I'm wearing something star printed 24/7.
When I get an idea in my head I go full blown obsessed. For example, the other day I thought I'd grab a star printed dress, and then this top, and then another star top and star shorts. See what I mean?
Blame it on my mild obsessive compulsive nature or my need to collect things - I've been this way for as long as I can remember. When I was younger I collected Barbies. I must have had like 50 of them at some point. Queue my comic book collection in my 20's, my Alexander Wang obsessions a few years back and now it's stars printed everything. Lucky for me this is far cheaper.
Is there something that you guys are obsessed with right now and if so, what is it?
xo, Nathalie
*In this post I'm wearing jewelry from my good friend at Lisbeth Jewelry. Check out her amazing collection, which coincidentally includes star necklaces, bracelets and rings!
DRUGSTORE BEAUTY FAVES
I haven't done a drugstore beauty fave post for a while now since I always seem to find some sort of excuse and never actually get around to it. So, why not now and in fact, why not make this a month column since there are always so many amazing things at the drugstore! Here are some of my current faves that are summer appropriate and will make your get-ready-routine more fun.
IN THE SHOWER: For soft frizz free locks, dampen your hair before you hit the shower and apply Pantene's 3 Minute Miracle. Leave it on for a few minutes and then go ahead and shower. Rinse it off and shampoo as usual and then apply the 3MM again for that frizz-free, super silky soft hair I was telling you about. Oh, and while you're in the shower, lather up with Olay's Energizing Lime & White Tea body wash. The scent is a pleasant light floral with a hint of citrus that's super refreshing in the hot weather.
SUN PROTECTION: You should be wearing an SPF all year round but if you only wear one during the summer months, make sure you check out Olay's All Day Moisturizer with UV protection in SPF 15. The lotion formula is light and perfect for the hot weather.
Anti-aging tip: Did you know that your hands reveal your age? I like to SPF on the backs of my hands to protect them from the sun.
SUMMER GLOW: During the hot summer months I skip the foundation and reach for a tinted moisturizer. Cover Girl's Clean Matte BB Cream is made for oily skin so it keeps the shine away. For all of you olive coloured boys and girls out there, shade 540 Medium is the perfect neutral for our skin tone. Finally, I love big bold lashes to make that "no makeup look" pop! I think it looks so fresh and adds the right amount of drama. Cover Girl makes the best smudge proof mascaras, perfect for the hot weather. Their new Super Sizer Fibers Mascara will give you big bold lashes in a couple of swipes.
In collaboration with Beauty United. All opinions and photos are my own.
CITY & COTTAGE SHOES
As much as I complain about our harsh winters, one of the perks of living in Canada is the diversity of our weather; rainy spring days, hot summers, colourful autumns and snowy winters. Fashion translation: more options for footwear!
I spent some time at the cottage recently and of course, I had to bring more than one pair of shoes - my Dolce Vita lace-up sandals and my Sam Edelman slip-ons. Both are incredibly comfortable and can be found at Town Shoes. They're suitable for the city and cottage but for this trip I was partial to the slip-ons since they're great for boating.
What are your go-to shoes this season and where will you be wearing them?
xo, Nathalie
*Nathalie is this years brand ambassador for Town Shoes and this post is sponsored by them. All opinions and photos are her own.
FIRST SUMMER OUTFIT OF THE SEASON!
It's the first long weekend of the season and it finally feels like summer. I busted out the bronzer and my favourite denim cutoffs to pair with this graphic star blouse that I got from Sincerely Jules' shop. I love how to top is so feminine and flowy, perfect for the warm weather but I know it'll transition well into winter as well. It's not often I buy clothes but when I do, I always make sure they're versatile and transition from season to season. Shorts obviously don't fall in that category and I only own about 3 pairs.
As for accessories, I went for my Isabel Marant Jaeryn sandals. I've wanted these shoes for well over a year now and when I scored the last pair, I was thrilled. Sadly they need some breaking in and after our hour-long walk around the neighbourhood, I was limping back to the house.
The jacket was my first ever Mackage piece and still my favourite leather jacket. It's got a shrunken fit that I love.
Enjoy the long weekend and the beautiful weather. I'll be headed to the cottage with some friends for the first time in a while and I can't wait.
xo, Nathalie
ANTI-AGING TIPS FROM A 35 YEAR OLD
Sleep is really important to me and so is getting ready for bed. I'm religious about my night time "get ready" routine and I always find the time to take off my makeup and moisturize after a long day. This past week I've been so exhausted that I've been crawling into bed after brushing my teeth without washing my face. *Gasp! Gross! I know. Judge away but I have been comatose-tired and washing up was the last thing on my mind.
We hear it constantly - washing your face before bed, moisturizing and using an SPF is the best thing we could do for anti aging. I'm 35 years old guys and I get told over and over again that I don't look my age (hallelujah!). I can easily sum it up to years of taking care of my skin and protecting it from the sun.
So let's say you have some catching up to do and you want to start taking care of your skin now in your 30's or 40's or 60's. It's never too late in my opinion. Invest in some quality moisturizers and serums, like Nivea's Q10 Plus line, because hydrated, glowing skin looks beautiful at every age. Moisturize every part of your body, I'm not even kidding. Décolletage, boobs, hands, lips, your feet, all of it. I keep Nivea's Anti-Aging hand cream in my car because I'm constantly reapplying it. I slather Nivea Creme on my feet before going to bed so I can wake up with cute crusty-free feet and then of course, I moisturize my face religiously, day and night. In fact, I've drilled into Geoff's head that he needs to start taking care of his skin too and you know what, it's working!
Today's lesson, moisturize, wash your face and use an SPF. Your beautiful radiant skin will thank you!
xo, Nathalie
In collaboration with Nivea. All opinions and photographs are my own.
STRAIGHT TO THE POINT WITH L'OREAL PROFESSIONNEL STEAMPOD 2.0
Written by: Diana Aldea
Photography by: Nathalie Martin
As I write this, it's been a couple of weeks since the release of Beyonce's Lemonade and everyone is losing their mind, hating on "Becky with the good hair". While I won't get into the politics behind the phrase (dangerous territory), it made me ask myself the question, "what is good hair?"
After putting a lot of though into it, I don't think good hair can be placed into a singular category. However, I think the assessment can be simplified - a 'do that flatters your features and makes you feel good is damn good hair. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Cue the L'Oréal Professionnel Steam Pod 2.0.
People are freaking out about the new and improved version of the original Steam Pod, which has impressive ratings on MakeupAlley.
Why are people so obsessed?
- Better for your hair - it uses a combination of steam and pro-keratin technology
- Conquers almost any hair texture, leaving it silky smooth
- Multiple heat settings allowing you to customize for your hair type
- Results last days and days
After testing the L'Oréal Professionnel Steam Pod 2.0, all of this proved to be true. However, I'd advise that those with very fine hair use the lowest temperature setting. This tool is incredibly powerful, and putting it at a high setting on fine hair would likely leave it looking limp. It's ideal for those with very thick hair, and it will cut down the time of styling significantly.
Having good hair is achievable - whether you're Becky or not.
GIVEAWAY ALERT!
Now's your turn. I've teamed up with the brand to give away 1 Steam Pod 2.0 to a lucky reader. To enter simply comment below or go on Twitter and retweet my post! Winner will be announced in a couple of weeks. Good luck!
[Diana Aldea is WoahStyle.com's Contributing Beauty Editor]
The L'Oréal Professionnel Steam Pod was gifted to WoahStyle.
All opinions and photos are our own.
WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES
This past Thursday I joined some of the other Town Shoes brand ambassadors, Alexander Liang, Chloe Zhang and Jonathan Cavaliere for Toronto's Walk A Mile In Her Shoes - a fundraiser set to help end violence against women and promote gender equality. Men got into the spirit of the things by walking in heels for the mile long walk around the financial district. I wore my comfortable Sam Edelman slip ons and felt proud to walk with the Town Shoes team. It's not everyday that a brand asks us to get involved in an event that's for a good cause, so I have to say I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Thanks so much for having us!
Walk A Mile came close to its goal, having raised $127.8k of the $175k. Well done Toronto!
xo, Nathalie
THE ACT OF KINDNESS
This past weekend Geoff and I set up for an afternoon of cafe hopping and shooting content uptown around the Yonge and Lawrence area. If you guys are familiar with the neighbourhood you'll know it's an affluent area, so when a woman in her late 40's driving an Audi Q7 SUV drove up next to us and almost ran me over, we were seriously caught off guard! Turns she had a problem where I was sitting on the sidewalk because it's the exact area she wanted to park. I would have moved but there was ample parking around us, including directly in front of the building she was going to. It wasn't necessary for me to move and she knew it, but this woman was for a fight.
After she parked she came raging out of her car yelling obscenities at us at the top of her lungs, all while her 10 year old boy sat from the passenger seat watching his mum go postal on us with his windows rolled down. Yes, mum was fully audible to the kid and when I pointed it out to her she screamed "I DON'T F***ING CARE!!!" Can you imagine being the child who sees his mother go mental on total strangers for something as trivial as a parking? It's sad to think about and I don't even want to go into the details of it but it's so completely unnecessary. Chances are she was having a crap day from the start and was just taking it out on us.
It makes me realize that sometimes it's easier to be vile and rude than it is to be nice. I'm proposing that you guys do something nice and unexpected that will brighten someones day. It's easier than you think. :)
As for the angry woman in the parking lot, the whole exchange ended with Geoff saying "have a nice day" and her yelling at us that she hopes we get runs over.
Stay happy, friendly and smiling dear friends.
xo, Nathalie
Shoes by Sam Edelman from Town Shoes available here.