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Fenty Beauty Review

If you are a beauty junky then you too may have heard of the Fenty Beauty range brought out by the beauty queen herself Rihanna this past Friday, or you want to read a review on some of the products before you shell out your hard earned cash. Some people may not be as up to date on all the beauty launches but this one was pretty significate to the beauty community for a few reasons! Instead of testing the waters by launching a few limited edition pieces, a la Kim Kardashian with KKW Beauty, a huge range was brought to over 1600 stores world wide as a permanent launch without giving any sneak peaks to beauty bloggers or magazines. The foundation color range alone rivals the range of MAC with 40 shades to suit skin tones from very light to dark with warm, neutral or cool undertones. The types of products she brought out are innovative in that she bypassed traditional blush, bronzer, or eye shadow powders by introducing a line with a soft matte primer, soft matte foundation, blot power, blot sheets, stick products called Match Stix that click together with magnets, a singular universal gloss and then several colors of highlighters. Packaging wise Rihanna killed it with the nude tones and geometric shapes. Many people have been commenting that she copied the KKW Beauty launch but production for these lines would have started months ago and I would just chalk that up to a coincidence. The products are also produced by the same lab that Kat Von D and Marc Jacobs Beauty are created in which stands to point out the higher quality of Fenty Beauty products and also that they are cruelty-free. From the products that I’ve tried, I noticed the foundation and Match Stix may suit people more of a combination to oily skin type vs someone with a drier skin type. The price range is just right also with nothing being over $45 CAD (the trio of Match Stixs come in at $67 or $31 individually). I also got a sample of the foundation and primer but didn’t find them to be anything to write home about for my super oily skin type as I found the matte finish didn’t last as long as my YSL All Hours foundation or the MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation when combined with my favorite Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. Perhaps the…

Nice, France Engagement Session

Janna •

Sometimes schedules and fate really work out in your favor as we ended up booking a second session when we were planning on being in Europe in May/June of this year. Kailey and Dave had Nicole and I fly out to Nice, France to shoot their engagement session in May after we finished the elopement in Italy that originally brought us out to Europe. You have to check out even more of the photos and their full love story here on Nicole’s site! I had been to Nice once before but I had forgotten how really beautiful and magical Nice really is. After I did Kailey’s hair and makeup and helped them decide what to wear we headed out to some of their favorite spots in Nice while Nicole captured their love. From eating gelato in the Old Town of Nice to swishing the perfect basket of flowers on a pebbled beach and then finishing the photos at sunset on a cliff by a light house. We couldn’t have asked for a better couple to work with and we are even more excited for their upcoming wedding in September!

July Favorites

Stef •

Right now we are at our busiest with wedding season and traveling so much for work so we thought we would share some of our favorite products to get our hair styled quickly with the Apse Adorn hair accessories as well as the Davines OI products that have saved our hair and skin these past hot months! Apse Adorn Hair Accessories – Hayley from Apse Adorn was kind enough to send two of their amazing hair pieces in time for our trip to Europe and we haven’t stopped wearing them since!! Sometimes we have to get up super early for work and having stylish hair accessories makes styling our hair in a short time so much easier. I also really love this company because all the accessories are locally made and they donate 10% of all their profits to several non-profit organizations which you can read more about here. – Review by Janna Davines OI Range – I don’t know if it’s this summer heat or the lack of the humid European air but for whatever reason this summer all I feel is dry! I have switched up my routine since my hair, skin and nails have been so dry. I know I have talked about the Davines Oi Milk before, but today I’m talking about the entire Oi Range that includes a shampoo, conditioner, body wash, milk, oil and lotion. Maybe its the fact that Davines is an Italian born family owned company (or the amazing smell and hydrating characteristics) but the Oi family has been my jam this July! Here’s what they have to offer: OI Shampoo and Conditioner– Perfect for all hair types. Milky-smooth OI Shampoo and Conditioner is infused with nourishing Roucou Oil is the perfect daily shampoo and conditioner to maintain soft, shiny and voluminous hair. OI Body wash- Bubbles perfectly and smells amazing… with its natural active ingredients Glycerin and Roucou oil. OI All in one Milk– Read all about it in our January Favorites here. OI Oil– For anti-frizz and extra shine, perfect for all hair types and an amazing aid with Hot Head Hair extensions. OI Hand Balm – this special formulation protects skin from damage caused by sun, wind and cold with its long lasting hydration effect. – Review by Stef

Flower Girl Hair Ideas

Janna •

As a second part to the styled shoot of Pastel Hair Magic we took two of our adorable kid models to create some fun hair looks to showcase some styles that could work amazingly for flower girls or junior bridesmaids. To see even more flower girl hair ideas, and a unicorn, check out our previous post here. To start with both of the girls hair was colored using Joico Color Intensity semi permanent direct deposit colors in purple and pink. On Jessica we curled her hair using the GHD creative curl wand and then did two dutch braids to meet in the back to almost create a half braided crown. We left the pieces out in the front to create that soft pretty look. For Juliane’s look we curled her hair also with the GHD wand and then twisted the front side section of hair onto itself and then added in the stunning tropical flowers from FaBLOOMosity. Both of these looks paired so perfectly with these The Skinny dresses that Erinn provided for the shoot! All photos by Carmen Freemark.

Pink House Love

Janna •

I’d been following Tegan and Lindsay and their blog/instagram Treasure and Travels for years now and I’ve always loved their aesthetic and the different products they promoted. When they joined their Aunt to help with Pink House I knew I wanted to reach out to try and work with them and test their products out. The company was started by two sisters, Tracy and Karen, with the aim of bringing all natural products to women everywhere and when Tegan and Lindsay’s mom, Karen, passed after a battle with cancer they stepped in to help their Aunt Tracy with running the company. Their story and desire to bring natural products that are made with love and actually are amazing drew me in. As an artist and a beauty product junky I was drawn to their glow sticks and dry shampoo’s and they graciously sent out samples for us to try out on our European trip this past May and June. All the products were used and loved by all four of us ladies and I used all the glow stick shades to create a JLo glow on our bride Kim in Positano Italy as well as our engagement session client Kailey in Nice France. I loved how the glow sticks meshed with foundation and didn’t melt away after a long, humid and hot day shooting. I used the Copper shade as a bronzer/contour shade and then alternated between the Rose and Rose Gold shades for blush and lip color and then the shade Ice was the perfect highlight to layer under the powder highlight I brought to last all day. The dry shampoo comes in two shades Blondie and Hot Chocolate which worked out so perfect since half of the people were blondes and the other half were brunettes so we got to use both shades. The powder absorbed any and all grease and made our hair feel so fresh and clean even after having sweaty hair from walking up hundreds of stairs in Positano. Knowing their products have no harsh chemicals in them and lasted so well on so many skin types and skin tones I couldn’t recommend their products enough! We are going to be stocking their products very soon and in the meantime check out their online store here. ** the first two behind the scenes photos were shot by Nicole Ashley!

May Favorites – SPF setting spray, SPF Hair protectant and a waterproof foundation

Janna •

In the month of May the weather has started to heat up and we are also currently in Italy for an elopement we were hired for so we decided to share some of our favorite products to help beat the sun and heat! Supergoop Setting Mist SPF 50 – This setting mist is a life safer for anyone trying to reapply sunscreen throughout the day but is also wearing a full face of makeup. It has an SPF 50 rating and protects against UV rays while also keeping your face matte in the summer heat. The rosemary mint scent is also super refreshing when you are really hot. If you live in Canada you can pick it up at Anthropologie in their beauty section or if you live in the US you can get it at Sephora. – Review by Janna Davines Su Hair Milk– This hair product is what I always recommend to people going on a hot holiday! It’s a light weight leave-in treatment that protects hair color and also helps to keep your hair hydration during sun exposure. On a recent trip to Palm Springs Janna’s beautiful pastel pink locks were getting so sun bleached until she started using this product! Pastel is hard to maintain on a regular basis and when you add chlorine and sun bleaching you have nearly no hope of maintaining the perfect pastel or blonde until now! Thanks to the anti UV-A and UV-B filters your hair is protected and left feeling soft shiny and weightless. I also recommend wearing a hat to protect your hair even further and prevent any scalp/hair parting sun burns. – Review by Stef MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation – When I first tried this foundation I hated it but to be fair I tried it during the winter when my skin was much more dehydrated. Then when one of my friends who was getting married raved about this foundation I knew I had to give it another chance. I tested this foundation on my oily skin in the summer months and was blown away how it didn’t budge at all on my skin and was true to the waterproof claims. I have even jumped in a pool and my makeup stayed perfect because of this foundation. The best part about this foundation is that MAC just expanded this color range so there should be a shade for…

Tips for Traveling as a Pro Aritst

Stef •

We recently attended an amazing event hosted by Kit and Ace featuring four different professionals in creative fields who have businesses that have them traveling a lot for work and that got us thinking of what our travel tips would be! For Behind the Blush, 2017 is the year of travel as we go across the globe to places like Montreal, Italy, Nice, Croatia, London, Banff, Jasper, Emerald Lake, Whitehorse, Vegas and Palm Springs! So we thought we would talk about some of the tips and tricks we we live by when traveling for work! When we are traveling for a clients wedding or any kind of hair and makeup booking we always have to check our bags. We have so many products that we bring along with us including liquids that make a carry on only nearly impossible. Any of our more fragile items of our kits like powders we bring in our carry on to ensure they end up at our destination without any damage. The amazing duo of Fieldwork Co. created the perfect carry on kit bag as it can convert from a messenger bag to a backpack and they customized the size to fit a small makeup kit bag. We couldn’t recommend them enough to create a bag or accessory for you! Pro Makeup Kit Packing Tips If you haven’t met your client yet have them send a photo of themselves as well as any inspiration photos of what kind of look they want. From there you can ask them what their skin type is and if they have any skin concerns and that should help you decide what to pack. If it is for a destination wedding with only one or two clients you can also ask your client to bring their own personal favorite foundation and concealer. I still bring a few foundation and concealer options that I can mix in case if I find maybe they got tanned while they’re on vacation. Primers: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and the Cane + Austin Prime and Protect Mattifying Primer with Broad Spectrum SPF 50. Foundations: MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation in shades NW20 and NC35 (the shade that I am and then a darker more yellow toned one to mix with it). The MAC foundation was also featured in our May favorites post here. Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in N20 and G60 to mix in with…

April Favorites – Featuring Dior, Davines and MILK Makeup

Janna •

April has seemed to fly by so fast!! This time for our April favorites we are featuring the best/only highlight you need to own by Dior, stunning cream eyeshadows from Milk Makeup that are finally available in Canada and a red tinted Davines conditioner to turn your blonde the prettiest pink or to help maintain your red hair! Florals by FaBLOOMosity. Dior Nude Air Luminizer Powder – Dior created the perfect highlighter and it has a shade range to suit every skin tone! I personally use Nude Glow and I find it gives the perfect shimmer that looks like glowing skin without any visible shimmer or glitter. It lasts all day on my oily skin which is a feat in of itself. I find it has a better glow and lasts longer than the famed Becca Champagne Pop – sacrilegious I know!! It is on the pricey side but the powder would last you almost a year at least! -Review by Janna Davines Alchemic Conditioner Red – My love for the Davines Alchemic Red Conditioner runs deep. I love being able to amp up a beautiful blonde to a fun pink and keep my amazing red clients a perfect shade! I also used it on some of our child models from a styled shoot coming out soon! It’s simply a red pigmented conditioner that is safe for both adults and children. If you have a little girl whose blonde is so light that it turns white when in the sun- your little girl could use conditioner to have fun pink hair for a week! Blonde locks that you want to have some fun with? This is the perfect take home product! The Alchemic line has many colors to choose from including red, chocolate, copper, tobacco, silver and golden! The Davines Alchemic Red conditioner is available for purchase at our studio, and also our online store (if you live in Edmonton use the code “Edmonton” to do a free pickup of any online purchase)! -Review by Stef MILK Makeup Eye Pigment – Finally the brand MILK is available at Sephora in Canada and I can sing their praises!! I bought some of their products when I was in USA and loved them but didn’t feel right review something a fellow Canadian could not purchase. These little tubes hold the most long wearing beautiful cream eye shadows. I have the colors After Party…

March Favorites – Featuring Marc Jacobs, Davines, and The Ordinary

Janna •

March means most of us are desperate for any signs of spring! This time around our favorites are spring focused with products to take your hair and makeup game into warmer months and prep you for the upcoming summer! As always let us know if you have any products you’d like us to review! Marc Jacobs Air Blush Soft Glow Duo – I have the color in Flesh & Fantasy and have found it to be the most perfect nude peach color that flatters so many skin tones. I’ve used this on myself as well as dozens of clients and it has looked amazing on so many skin tones. I love that it blends flawlessly as well as builds up the color slowly so you don’t have to be scared you are putting on too much blush. It also gives you the most beautiful glow on the cheeks that doesn’t look like glitter or frost. This blush is a must have in my books for spring as you can pair it with any eyeshadow look or lip color as it is in the nude family. If you are going to buy one blush this season be sure to check out this one! (Review by Janna) Davines This is a Sea Salt Spray – There is something so beautiful about voluminous beachy waves, and a sea salt spray can give that to you no matter the climate! “This is a sea salt spray” is perfect for all hair types and works on both wet or dry hair! You only need a small amount of product on normal hair types. Just let your hair air dry after spraying the product in and you will love that beachy texture your hair is left with! A must have for any holiday in the sun, or everyday tousled volume. (Review by Stefanie) The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% Serum – So an acid serum sounds scary but in this case it really isn’t! This serum is for dry and dehydrated skin to help lock in moisture after the dry winter months. I use this serum as the first product after I wash my face and I have found it to help reduce any dry patches as well as it helps to plump up your skin before you put makeup on. The best part about this product that it’s $6.80. You read that right. It costs less than…

Boho Updo for Long Hair Tutorial: Video

Janna •

We got back into filming some Youtube tutorials and thought the first one we would launch was our Boho Updo for Long Hair tutorial! With Janna as the model, Stefanie created a beautiful updo showing how you can pin up long hair. She also added in some floral details provided by FaBLOOMosity and we filmed the tutorial against an amazing backdrop provided by Neat Rentals! The music for our video was created for the use of Behind the Blush by Riot City Sound and produced by Kevin McMillan Audio.