Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Looking Fab While Flying Part 1: Some of My Favourite Products







Its been ages since I posted my last blog. My apologies. I have been experiencing a touch of writer's block and the warmer weather has not helped either. My little munchkins think that not only am I mommy extraordinaire but that I am also a master bubble blower. They can never get enough of blowing bubbles and trying to catch them. I think my summer will consist of flying overseas, gardening, enjoying our new deck and blowing bubbles with the kids until I pass out.

Speaking of flying overseas. Were you aware that the inside of a pressurized aircraft is dryer than the desert? Unfortunately for our skin, its true. The reason for this is because it prevents aircrafts from rusting, the answer is as basic as that. Humidity rusts metal. Apparently, there's a new aircraft, the Boeing 787 which will be build with different components that are not metal, allowing the cabin air quality to be just a moist as the air off of the aircraft. I can't wait.

Over the years I've learned which products help me combat dryness and give me that fresh faced look after a 15 hour day. I may be exhausted, but I try not to look it. Most of these tips that I'm sharing I have stumbled upon because I'm a product junkie and I like to experiment and some I've picked up from colleagues.


Vitamin E Face Mist This product is excellent because the nozzle sprays a very fine mist which distributes the perfect amount of product and the scent is very subtle. After using this on my face, neck and arms, my skin feels instantly refreshed. I've been using this for about 7 years now and what prompted me to buy this was that I was told by a Body Shop associate that this is a staple with British Airway Flight Attendants.

Bonne Bell Lipsmacker, Dr Pepper This product I've been using since I was a teenager and its always in my purse. Actually I probably own about 4 of them and I keep them in various purses and pockets so that I'm never without it. It tingles, it tastes sooo good and it leaves a nice rosy tint in your lips. This is one of my stuck-on-a-desert-island products. In an emergency this is great as a subtle wash of colour on your cheeks.

Dr. Hauschka Lipbalm What can I say about this product, its amazing. Its certainly not cheap ($15) but it works and as a bonus it can double as an eye cream and a cuticle conditioner.

Fruits & Passions Cucina Hand Butter in Coriander and Olive Tree An excellent and luxurious hand lotion that sinks right into your skin without leaving your fingers slippery. The scent is to die for.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream This is more like a salve than a cream. It has multiple uses and can be applied as a face cream which is what I do when I'm traveling as a passenger for a long time, as topical ointment for dry spots or healing cuts, a lipbalm and an eye cream. A little goes a long way and when this product is wiped away and your makeup is reapplied just before landing you will look like you've had a facial. I've even used this as an ointment to treat diaper rash and minor burns. If you're in a pinch and need to tame flyaways or frizz, this product will do the trick. Can't say enough about this, its always in my flight satchel.

Visine Pure Tears for Dry Eyes Even your eyeballs get dry and irritated on an aircraft. This product is great for treating dry eyes and keepss your peepers looking bright and awake.


I hope these products help you combat dryness when you're traveling this summer. Fly safe.

I wanted to thank Gail for giving me the nudge that I needed. Thank you. If you haven't checked Gail out please do so because you won't regret it. Her YouTube channel is called ooglegail and her amazing blog is ooglemakeup.blogspot.com

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Flying the Skies





Many of you have requested I post a look of how I wear my hair and do my makeup for work. If you don't already know I am a Flight Attendant with a large national airline in Canada. We have strict guidelines for our appearance. Many of us stray a little to the left or a little to the right when it comes to bending the rules of how we can wear our hair or uniform components but it can't be that noticeable......or else! I keep my makeup clean and simple, I call it bridal makeup because its what I would do for my clients on their wedding day. Basically, I apply a clean and fresh look. I quite often layer my makeup in order for it to last a 15 hour day sometimes. There are many, many, many times that I apply my makeup at 3am and I'm still half asleep but you'd never know! Thank God for concealer, eyebrow pencils and mascara!
I usually powder my t-zone about 4 hrs into my work day. In general, I try not to touch my face too much and at work I am even more paranoid about doing that especially because I interact with the public constantly, in addition to handling aircraft carriers, trolleys, ticket stubs and money. Blot powder, lipstick, gloss and Fix+ and hand cream are in my purse at all times. I reach for MAC's Fix+, organic rosewater, or The Body Shop's Vitamin E Face Spray to keep my skin hydrated and looking refreshed. This is on top of drinking at least a litre of water for every hour and a half of flying.

My hair is usually tied up with what I called a humped-styled ponytail and sometimes I wear it down with the sides pulled back and secured with a small clip and the crown has the usual hump happening. I am so used to having a bit of height at the crown it seems to me that if I don't wear it I feel weird and very flat. Its one of my quirks.

In the pictures I've posted I am sporting two different scarves, the darker blue scarf identifies me as the head crew member or what they call a Service Director (the next person in the chain of command after the First Officer) and the other lighter blue scarf was just released yesterday for the launch of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. The other Flight Attendants wear a red and black patterned scarf. I am wearing a dress and blazer in the pic but we have a choice to wear a skirt with a light blue dress shirt with/without a cute navy cardigan and you can pair it with navy blue flat front pants. The uniform is not bad, I've seen better and I've seen worse. I don't care how nice a uniform looks because after day four on the road it feels like its part of your skin and it won't come off!

I'll try to be more detailed about the exact makeup colors I use for work in another post and what tips and tricks I use in order to make my makeup last all day without creasing or fading. If you have any specific question I'll try and answer them for you as best I can.

We're in the middle of major house renovations and each corner I take a pic in its either bare and patchy or crammed with stuff. Please bear with my pic backgrounds. Thanks for stopping by. xxNadia

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

MAC's Strobe Liquid Lotion, L'Oreal Infallible Foundation & Bright Blue Liner







As always I am on the quest to find a way to simulate soft, subtle and perfect looking skin. I'm infatuated with that slightly dewy looking skin that most 11 year olds possess. My time for naturally dewy skin has come and gone but I do not fret, instead I just fake it. I'm always experimenting with various foundations mixed together or altered with mixing mediums. The majority of my foundations are from one of the Estee Lauder umbrella companies such as MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, just to name a few. I admit I don't own a lot of drugstore foundations, in fact, I only own two: Revlon ColorStay and most recently I purchased L'Oreal Infallible Advanced Never Fail Makeup. What I've noticed since purchasing these two products is that drugstore brands have really changed their formulations for the better.

I decided to mix one pump of the L'Oreal Infallible foundation with one pump of my all time staple MAC Strobe Liquid Lotion. Strobe Lotion and Strobe Cream I am never without in my personal makeup stash and in my professional kit. Strobe Liquid is a girl's best friend because its buildable and can be mixed in with other products or it can be sheered down with MAC's Fix+ and then added to an airgun for airbrushing. I have used an empty spritz bottle and added equal amounts of Strobe Liquid and Fix+ and used it on my body for that night time sheen. Perfect for when you go out dancing and partying on those hot summer nights.

My goal is to have sheer coverage which makes my skin look dewy and fresh, but still be able to cover the areas that I want to hide. Have a look at my pics and you decide what the results are.

What's on my face:

Foundation: L'Oreal Infallible Foundation and Strobe Liquid Lotion

Conceraler: Used the L'Oreal foundation without mixing.

Cheeks: Contouring with Tenderling Sheertone Blush and Pinch'O'Peach on the apples of my cheeks

Eyes: Annabelle Cream Shadow in the palette Coffee Talk. I used darkest color on eyelids
MAC Pigment in Copperclast on top of cream shadow and in the crease.
Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Liner in 240 Acqua Sparke & Waterline is Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Liner in 061 Jet Black
L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black

Lips: MAC's Lipliner in Stone, Pinch'O'Peach Blush tapped onto lips and MAC's Plushglass gloss in Pretty Plush (another staple)

Your comments are always read and very much appreciated. Thank you to all my followers for your continued encouragement and well wishes, your comments really do mean a lot. Thanks for stopping by. xx