I love summer as much as the next sun-deprived Torontonian, but after checking out the Murale Fall 2018 preview, I walked away super excited about new beauty products arriving in stores soon. From seemingly miraculous grey-hair reversing treatments, to tea-infused sheet masks, here are my top 5 Murale fall arrivals.
1. Phyto RE30 $59 (September 2018)
I didn’t think it was possible, but Phyto RE30 is the first anti-grey hair treatment that promises to bring back the natural pigment to your hair without having to dye it. Sounds like magic, but apparently it’s just science. “The RE30 peptide, which is the result of 6 years of research, is revolutionary technology that is able to boost the natural pigment production while protecting from future depigmentation.” I’ve only seen 2 grey hairs on my head so far, but I am definitely trying this treatment to make sure my head of hair remains nice and grey-free.
2. Filorga Lift-Designer Ultra-Lifting Serum $110 (September 2018)
As a fan of Filorga, I was really excited to learn about this new tightening serum with a built-in face roller designed to visibly tighten the features, plump the skin and sculpt the face.
3. Teaology Mask Mania Box $49.95 (September 2018)
I love trying new masks and I can’t wait to get my hands on this box set. The Mask Mania Box contains 4 sheet masks infused with various types of tea to offer anti-aging, exfoliating, and hydrating benefits, among others, along with 2 anti-puffiness eye masks. Perfect for pampering your skin.
4. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Riche $49 (September 2018)
This oil from Nuxe is a cult fave for a reason – it’s a multi-tasker that can be applied directly to skin, added to bathwater or spritzed onto your hairbrush to add shine to hair. And while I love the original, I am excited for the Riche version for dry skin, because we all need an extra moisture boost in the winter.
5. Filorga Optim-Eyes Lashes & Brows $75 (August 2018)
If you have sparse brows and lashes that leave a lot to be desired, then you should get excited about this Filorga booster serum and volumizing care. It promises to add length, thickness and volume, while strengthening the hair, delaying it from falling out. Fingers crossed for naturally thick brows!
TIFF 2017: Beauty and Gifting Lounges
TIFF can be a pretty stressful time for the media covering the festival, which is why the various beauty and gifting lounges are so helpful during that time – it’s a one-stop shop to get pampered and treated like a celeb when you’re feeling anything but. This year, I was able to visit three of them in between my TIFF appointments, and month-end at work.
1. The Stylist Suite
The Stylist Suite is a celebrity styling and gifting lounge focused on bringing Canadian fashion to TIFF red carpets. Over the past five years, The Stylist Suite has gifted and dressed over 300 celebrities and personalities, including the likes of the Olsen twins, Susan Sarandon, John Travolta, Tatiana Maslany, Kiesza, and many more. The suite had an extensive selection of red carpet pieces from both established and up-and-coming Canadian designers including Andrew Majtenyi, Christopher Paunil, Hendrixroe, Hilary MacMillan, Ryan Alexander, WRKDEPT, among others. I tried on some cool clothes, learned about new Canadian designers (Patricia Wong Jewellery had some really awesome rings!), and had my portrait taken at The Pull Magazine’s Portrait Studio with celebrity photographer Matthew Lyn in support of WE Charity, an international charity that empowers domestic and international change.
2. beautyBOUTIQUE by Shoppers Drug Mart TIFF Suite
There are lots of fun parties to attend during TIFF so when beautyBOUTIQUE by Shoppers Drug Mart TIFF Suite offers to get me party-ready, I always jump at the chance. This year, I had my makeup done by a Stila makeup artist, and had my best Star Wars hair dreams realized by PHYTO. By the time I was done, I felt like one of the celebs – glam and ready to hit the red carpet. Oh, and I ran into Judy Greer in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel, so obviously it was an awesome day.
3. Bask-It-Style
Bask-It-Style is an annual TIFF gifting suite that welcomes media and Canadian celebs to check out the latest offerings from various brands and get a mean swag bag in the process. Bask-it Style gift bags are also delivered directly to various celebs at their hotel rooms. While visiting the lounge, I got to try the delicious beet iced tea from DAVIDs TEA, learned all about the new HP Sproket Photo Printer (perfect for wedding photo booths and for actually printing out your Instagram pics), met author Adrienne Kress (who was promoting her new book The Explorers: The Door in the Alley), and listened to Mindy Kaling’s audio book while wearing VR goggles at the Rakuten Kobo station. The gift bag also included goodies from Pureology, Studio1098, Sharp Magazine, as well as a bunch of snacks (like the yummy Toronto Popcorn Company popcorn and Hungry Buddha coconut chips) that came in really handy on days when there was no time for a proper sit-down meal. And as a random bonus, later on I found out that the girls in my time slot (see first pic in this post) were from Degrassi. Do you know which one of them is the next Drake?
TIFF 2016: Favourite Moments
Another TIFF has come and gone, and all I’m left with is residual fatigue and lots of amazing memories. 30 minutes in the same room as Ryan Gosling? Check. Brunch with Sigourney Weaver? Check (well, kinda). Below are my most memorable moments from #TIFF16!
1. Variety Studio
Always a highlight of my TIFF, Variety Studio is usually located in a pretty small room with a handful of famous people going in and out, where you have to act cool, even when you really want to fangirl like you’ve never fangirled before. I’ve visited Variety Studio as a guest of Moroccanoil for the last few years, and I always walk away with lots of juicy star observations. This year, I breathed the same air as Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, John Legend, Gael Garcia Bernal, Gerard Butler, Gemma Arterton, Bill Nighy, Sam Claflin, Miranda Cynthia Nixon, and the cast of The Eagle Huntress.
Despite being in the same room as Ryan Gosling for nearly 30 minutes, I didn’t actually talk to the Canadian heartthrob. But I did watch him, like a creeper that I am. Ryan was shorter than I imagined, and looked very serious the entire time he was at the lounge (unlike Emma Stone, who was animated and smiled a lot). Strangely, I didn’t see the two interact very much – Emma was mostly with her people and Ryan with his. The only time we got to see Ryan’s warmer side, was when he spotted the star of The Eagle Huntress Aisholpan in her native garb, and went over to introduce himself. After a brief chat, he offered to take photos with Aisholpan and her family. I wasn’t quite sure whether the Kazakh family actually knew who Ryan was, but they were happy to snap a few photos with the actor. At the end of his visit, Ryan took some time to sign a postcard for Airbnb and Make-A-Wish foundation, and while waiting for the elevator, he stood right in front of me for nearly 5 minutes. It took all of my strength not to be that person and ask him for a photo; I played it cool instead…but those were the longest 5 minutes of my life. File this one under #TIFFregrets.
Just like in prior years, the British actors were my faves. They just seem to have a camaraderie that the Hollywood actors don’t seem to posses. This year, I watched the cast of Their Finest, including Sam Claflin, Gemma Arterton, and Bill Nighy, work the room and charm everyone in the vicinity. Bill Nighy made eye contact with anyone around him and said “hello”, which shouldn’t seem like a big deal, but it really is, because most of the stars don’t even make eye contact with the “civilians”. Gemma looked relaxed and beautiful, as did Sam, who seemed to be in a good mood and looked very friendly. Sam played the Holt Renfrew claw machine and had to try a couple of times before finally winning. It was cute to see how competitive he got. He also came by the Moroccanoil station to learn more about the products and walked away with a goodie bag of his own.
Other lucky guests who took home some Moroccanoil included John Legend (who chose to walk 6 flights of stairs down instead of waiting for the elevator), Cynthia Nixon (who came in looking a bit stern, but seemed to liven up at the sight of Moroccanoil…seriously!), Richard Gere (who popped in for a few minutes and was gone in a flash), and Gael Garcia Bernal (who was just as cute as I remember from back in 2007 when I met him at MTV, but didn’t spare a minute to sign the Airbnb/Make-A-Wish postcard, which was disappointing).
2. Brunch at Brassaii
Stargazing is a pretty popular activity during TIFF. You can find throngs of fans camping out on King St, in front of theatres, and waiting outside of various hotels, but did you know that you can have brunch at Brassaii, where all sorts of movie stars arrive to attend the Hollywood Reporter Lounge? It’s true! My friend Al and I stopped by Brassaii to try their new brunch menu, and in just one hour, we watched Sigourney Weaver walk in and out (apparently she requested a special vegetarian soup), and saw Felicity Jones in a pretty striped outfit. Had we had more time to hang out, we would’ve also seen Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, Douglas Booth and Bill Nighy, Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, Pharrell and Taraji P. Henson (who was greeted with a banana cream tart, lemon meringue tart, a white chocolate/dark chocolate brownie, and a Happy Birthday song). It’s so easy – the stars literally come to you, and you don’t have to jockey for position, or stand in lines for hours – just enjoy delicious food like Oreo Pancakes and Fried Chicken and Waffles, while trying not to pass out when Ryan Gosling strolls by.
More after the jump!
[Read more…]
