[BEAUTY] Facial care for glowing and healthy skin

If there is one thing that girls  of all nationalities have in common, it is that we all want beautiful skin. Everyone has different skin regimens but I have noticed that it all starts from within: Be healthy, and it will show on your skin. Of course, there are exceptions which are often issued from genetics, I mean if everyone in your family has gorgeous skin regardless of what they do, there is a big chance you will get gorgeous skin.

However, I have found that these couple of tricks were helpful to me and others, especially with Montreal's harsh and constantly changing weather.

See my tips below! You don't need makeup or photoshop to have nice skin. Simply modify your regimen!

Before you do anything, it is important to see a dermatologist or esthetician to help you in determining your skin type and to assess which products are best suited for you.

-Always remove your makeup before going to bed

About a year ago, I ran out of makeup removing wipes and started searching the net for DIY makeup removers. I found this recipe and have been using it ever since! Olive oil is great for your skin AND removes makeup! It's practically free. Try it!

-Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize. 

I can never say this enough! Moisturize your face as often as needed, day or night. You should also consider getting a facial for an intensive moisturizing treatment.

-Use sunscreen every day! 

The proper way of using it is to

[BEAUTY] Post facial X Simple makeup

So the day after I got my facial, I quickly noticed how my face was absolutely GLOWING! I was still in shock: Zero zits, zero black/white heads & no dry skin at all!

I had to run a few errands that day and wanted to add some "Pizzaz" to my usually simple makeup. I kept it simple: Liquid foundation, a bit of concealer, powder, black eyeliner, mascara and blush. However, it's the cherry colored lipstick that added a lil' sumtin' glamorous.

Headband is from Aldo

It was really cold that day but

[BEAUTY] DL Esthétique Media Event X My first facial (Full Oxygen Treatment)

On January 30th, 2013, DL Esthétique held a media event in their Nun's Island clinic. I was very anxious to attend this occasion since my knowledge about advanced skin care was minimal. In essence, I saw this as a learning opportunity.

Their media event was held not only to celebrate their one year anniversary, but also for the media to gain a greater understand of aesthetics & the services they offer. My sister and I were greeted with

5 minute makeup!

Hello loves!

 

Here's something fun and pretty random! Some of my favorite bloggers did the 5 minute makeup challenge and I wanted to try it! I actually succeeded lol but hey...I usually have less time than that to do my every day makeup and as funny as it sounds, I usually do it on the bus on my way to work. 

P.S. This was done today after work since I did not wear ANY makeup to work #FoReal

Would you ladies be able to put makeup in only 5 minutes?

Let me know!

My 5 favorite products/items this summer

I get a lot of questions about this! I could go on forever about my new/old favorite products but decided to limit this article to my top 5.

Check out my faves this summer:

1. Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner

Dude. This works like MAGIC! Not too long ago, I heard about this thing called Co-Washing (washing your hair only with conditioner, it really works) and I tried tons of conditioners and was not impressed...I also wasn't down to pay more than 10$ for a conditioner I would be using almost every single day. After reading this article on CurlyNikki, I decided to try the HEHH and was pleasantly surprised! It's super cheap (about 6$ for the biggest size) and worked wonderfully on my short hair. It moisturizes my hair completely, makes it a bit too easy to detangle and also works well as a deep conditioner. I strongly suggest it. 

Available at pharmacies, Wal-Mart etc.

2. MAC Girl About Town super bright pink lipstick

Again, something I discovered by accident. Those girls at MAC are really good at making you buy a dozen articles when you only came for two! I love this lipstick & think I will be re-purchasing it, especially since it adds the perfect punch to any simple outfit. Oh, and Beyoncé wears it so it's obviously awesome. Hehehe...

Available at MAC Stores

Beauty salon opening: KREST!!!

I am proud to announce that last Wednesday, my dear friend and beauty stylist Nadège Stamili opened her own salon! The opening was amazing, just like the owner! All while enjoying some food, drinks and music, the guests were invited to take pictures with Nadège, experience a great time and of course, have an exclusive first look at the salon located in the trendy Griffintown neighborhood. 

As a Congo native, Nadège has been styling hair for a very long time. I love the mission she states on her Facebook page: "To help men and women of all ages and all races to enhance their beauty because there are NO ugly people". Whether you want extensions, need relaxer, hair color or simply want to revive your natural hair, she will make you look like a star! The thing I like about her the most is her ability to listen and to guide you effectively with your hairstyle: Her blatant honesty is appreciated, as she will not let you do something that will not go with the shape of your face and instead, will suggest you the look that will suit you best. She is the only hairdresser I know with whom I can simply bring a picture of what I want, and she will do it almost perfectly while modifying it so that it fits ME! My sister's hair is naturally poofy, natural and sometimes hard to manage but Nadège was always able to make it look spectacular, whether it was by adding color or by simply giving it a superb haircut. In addition to being an original hairstylist, she is also a talented makeup artist and a permanent eyelash extension specialist (Misencil). 

At the opening

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Moroccanoil

I strongly recommend her to you, no matter what type of hair you have! And if you have an event coming up (wedding, birthday, engagement), get your makeup done by her! You won't regret it! 

KREST Beauty Salon

4366 Notre-Dame Ouest

Montreal (Quebec)

H4C 1R8

Phone #: (514) 293-2916 Tell her Sassou sent you!

Metro: 5 minute walk from Place Saint-Henri (Orange Line)

Get more information on her Facebook page

Click here to see how she hooked me up for my birthday! And check out some pictures of her work after the break! 

Homemade face scrub

It's finally hot outside! In my opinion, Montreal is a city with multiple personalities which I often cannot keep up with, even though I was born here. I mean, one week its hot, the other week it's raining and windy, the week after the weather is okay, mild, then a week later winter comes back. Like, really? I think it's one of the only cities I've been to where, when you have a car, you can turn your A/C AND your heat in just one day. Okay, enough nagging! The weather is beautiful now! *pleaseee stay this way pretty please*

As I mentionned in a recent post, just like Montreal, my skin also has multiple personalities. Don't ask. I'm still trying to figure it out myself! Any who, I made (yes, MADE) this face scrub the other day and made left my skin sooooooooo smooth! And I had zero zits after! I love it! And it's FREE guys! 

What you need

-A tupperware bowl with a cover. Or a jar. Or a small bowl with saran wrap...you get the point

-Two tablespoons of sugar (I used cane sugar, white sugar is fine also)

-Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

-A tiny tiny drop of vanilla essence (for the smell)

SO!

-Mix up all of the ingredients! If you see that the mix is too liquid, add a bit of sugar.

-Wet your face a little bit and on top of your, sink scrub! Scrub! Scrub! Get rid of those blackheads! Screw you, dead skin! And I'm serious when I say "on top of your sink", because not all of this scrub will stick to your skin and you don't want to make a mess.

-Rince off with lukewarm water. Or just hop in the shower and rince it off there.

Just touch your skin now. Isn't it so smooth? The olive oil is a good moisturizing element as it adds softness to the skin.   

The cool thing about this scrub is that it is easy to make, it will last you 3-4 times or more and your skin ends up looking like that:

I'm joking: This is the result of Photoshop, not my scrub.  

P.S. This picture is courtesy of Ann Gee, the makeup artist who asked me to shoot for her portfolio. I had a great time and I love how she did my makeup! She is very talented and i encourage her greatly! I hope she picks me again for another interesting concept :) As my friend Bouboule said: "All that's missing is a tarantula on your hand and the pic would be perfect". Ha!


Have a good week everyone! It's gonna be 33 degrees Celcius tomorrow! WOOHOO!


xoxo


Sass

Beauty: How to put clip-in hair extensions

2011!! New year, new section on the blog!

I've had so many questions about my hair and (to the horror of those who thought they could keep it as a secret), I've decided to do my first video tutorial on how to put clip-in hair extensions!

It's actually pretty easy...so easy that's I'm somehow addicted now (oh oh)! It's my first videos and I promise they will get better with time! I would also really appreciate some constructive feedback!

Muah enjoy!

P.S. Sorry for swearing two times. Meh.





RULES AND GUIDELINES!
-Make sure you buy hair that matches your texture!
-Your hair has to be long enough to put clip-in hair extensions without them showing. If you have the Halle Berry haircut, it's no gonna work out, sorry.
-Get the RIGHT COLOR OF HAIR. Please! lol!
-Straighten your hair very well (if you bought straight hair). Blow dry, flat iron, hair wrap, whatever floats your boat!

HOW TO PUT THEM IN
-Measure each strand of hair that you want to put in. Double the strands if you want them to be thicker (like I did).
-Put in the clips. On shorter strands, you can put two clips. On longer strands, you can go with more (3 or 4).
-Measure your hair again, clip in the extensions!!!

P.S. Make sure you comb the hair!