Old Hollywood Glam Waves With A Modern Twist | The Summer "To 'Do List" with TRESemme', Nexxus & Dove

This post was sponsored by Dove, Nexxus, TRESemmé and Shoppers Drug Mart via Mode Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, who is a paid influencer, and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Dove, Nexxus, TRESemmé and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Hey Beauties!

There’s something about warmer weather that just sparks my creativity, from the hours of sunshine and birds chirping to the vibrantly coloured flowers and the sweet icy treats. Every little detail of long summer days fills me with wanderlust and inspires me to leap out of my comfort zone.

Every year, like a metamorphosis, I shed my winter skin, lose my long straight hair and switch out my dark lipsticks for bright pops of colour. I always try to set out a challenge or two to ensure I make the most of the season in which you can do anything, go anywhere and be anyone.

So when the hair experts at Dove, TRESemme’, Nexxus and Shoppers Drug Mart asked me to embrace summer and experiment fearlessly with this season’s most coveted hairstyles, I jumped at the chance in this sponsored post.

Those hair experts curated “The To ‘Do List”, a collection of the hottest hairstyles that can take you on any adventure your summer heart aches to explore. From summer music festivals, picnics in the park, and long days at the beach to cocktail parties, whimsical weddings and off-duty days, “The To ‘Do List” has the perfect hairstyle for any occasion.

For my first foray into hairstyle heaven, I found my inspiration in a coffee table book full of Old Hollywood starlets with their glamorous waves pinned perfectly in place. I decided that I wanted to take the volume and drama of their classic style and give it a modern twist for effortless waves that can be worn for a night out on the town or even a wedding!

How To: Old Hollywood Glam Waves

I started out with a clean slate, my hair had been freshly washed with the Dove Invigorating Oil Care Shampoo & Conditioner and blown dry.

I then used the TRESemme’ Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo to add some texture back into the strands. I sprayed it along the crown of my head and throughout to help my hair hold onto the style and look more “undone”.

I separated my hair and used a 1” curling wand (held vertically) to curl 1” sections of my hair towards the back of my head. I then curled (held horizontally) the top section towards my face and pinned the pieces to cool.

Once set, I removed all of the pins and sprayed everything in place using the Nexxus Comb-Thru Finishing Spray. I also added a few jewelled pins for the finishing touch!

The finished product was exactly what I envisioned, Old Hollywood Glam with a fresh, undone twist. To see how I achieved this look in more detail check out the video below!

TRESemmé, Nexxus and Dove have all the right products to help me get all the latest summer trends. Whether it’s a braided up-do for the local patio or loose tousled waves for that effortless beach look, they have everything I need. To check out more looks and complete your "To ‘Do List" this summer go to (https://www1.shoppersdrugmart.ca/en/optimum-new/offers-new/todolist-may28-jun10).

Grafitti is credit to Sonic Unyon Records and it's employees. 

A Floral Fantasy | Ceramic Glaze's Botanical Oasis Collection | Limited Edition For Summer 2016

Hey Beauties! 

Summer is officially knocking on our doors! Temperatures have sky rocketed, flowers are blooming and the sun is shining brightly so it's time to break out our summer beauty routines. 

Switch out your full coverage foundations and powders for lighter coverage bases and creamy face products. Then finish it off with a glossy lip and a bright pop of colour on your nails! 

My favourite nail polish brand Ceramic Glaze has just about every single shade you could possibly need to achieve that summer manicure but they have gone above and beyond with their new limited edition summer collection - Botanical Oasis. 

The Botanical Oasis collection is inspired by all of the gorgeous, whimsical greenery and flowers that fill our gardens in the summertime. Imagine long days laying by a pond in a secret garden with flowers climbing around you and butterflies soaring through the air - that is the heart of this collection. 

This limited edition collection features 8 polishes ranging from an opalescent pearl to a dusty lilac and a bright nautical blue. 

Heavenly is a stunning sheer opalescent pearl that can be used alone or with another polish. 

Urbane is a mid-tone peachy nude creme. 

Perfect Peony is a gorgeous light, cool-toned pink creme. 

Seize The Day is a vibrant, hot pink creme. 

Impulsive is a beautiful, vibrant berry with blue, pink & purple shimmer. 

Petal Pusher is a dusty, cool-lilac that meets a periwinkle. 

French Riviera is a gorgeous cerulean blue with a slight shimmer. 

Surfs Up is a lovely, bright minty turquoise creme. 

The collection has the perfect shade for every summer adventure, rendezvous or dream and as always the formula is unbeatable. The majority of the Ceramic Glaze range offers opaque coverage in one to two coats with a completely smooth application and this addition is no different. They dry quickly and set in place for unstoppable wear time. When paired with the Seche Vite topcoat I can get up to 3 weeks of wear with little to no chipping.

Make sure to visit the nearest Shoppers Drug Mart and pick up a shade from the new Botanical Oasis collection before it sells out! Then share your mani on Instagram with the hashtag #myCGnails.  

*press sample*

Wedding Wednesday | Finding The Perfect Venue | The Paletta Mansion

Hey Beauties! 

Happy Wednesday and welcome to the first instalment of my wedding planning series! Ever since I got engaged, I have had requests to share a peek into the planning process as we go along. Since I love you guys more than anything and I consider you friends, I knew I had to start a series! 

I will be sharing all of my inspiration, my tips & tricks and my decisions all the way up to the big day starting today with the reveal of my venue! 

Let's be honest, I have been "planning" my wedding for a couple of years now and while my tastes have changed the one thing that has always stayed the same is the theme - Vintage Glam Garden Party. 

Whenever I imagined my wedding day I knew I wanted it to feel like I had stepped back in time and was throwing a lavish garden party with my closest family & friends. I wanted to be outside under the stars surrounded by candles and extravagant flower arrangements but I also wanted the ability to go inside. So I knew I needed to find an old home, a mansion or a hotel that could fulfil my dreams.

After searching through the options available in my area, I found my heart set on one place - The Paletta Mansion in Burlington Ontario. 

The Paletta Mansion is a local landmark and a place of many memories to me. I had visited a few times when I was younger with my grandmother who is no longer with us. She grew up in the area and always loved the big mansion by the lake so it means it is that much more special. 

The mansion was built in 1930 for the daughter of a renowned industrialist and it is said that she lived out her life travelling all over the world hunting down furnishings, wall coverings, decor and tiles to show off her wealth and style. It has 11,000 square feet including servants quarters, 7 fireplaces and a grand staircase. 

The home sits on 14 acres of land that sits right up to the lake and features a private beach, a creek and a forest full of trails and gardens. It also features stables, a coach house and a dolls house shed that are littered throughout the gardens. 

The mansion and the grounds are so incredibly beautiful and I could not imagine celebrating my wedding anywhere else. On the day of the wedding, the mansion will be closed down so that no one apart from our party can visit the landmark. 

The ceremony will be held on the back veranda and the reception will be spread throughout the entire building. We will have a lounge, a ball room, a bar area, a sweet room and a dining room with the option to go outside and enjoy the night sky. 

Paletta is without a doubt the wedding venue of my dreams and my fiancé fell in love when I took him to visit so I know it is the perfect place. I can't wait to celebrate our love about a year from now. 

Brows That Wow | Benefit Cosmetics Magical New Brow Product Release | Everything You Need To Know!

Hey Beauties! 

I know that quite a few of you are true blue Benefit Cosmetics lovers so I could not be more excited to share today's post with you! 

Benefit is known for their extensive brow knowledge and they are considered to be some of the unbeatable experts when it comes to brow shaping, mapping and filling. Their range of products encompasses everything you could imagine and combined with their Brow Bars that are littered all over the nation in Sephora locations, Benefit just can't be beat. 

Just when I thought their range of products couldn't get any better, Benefit dropped a bomb with an ultra-secretive, ultra-exclusive, surprise release party in Las Vegas where they debuted their brand new brow collection. 

The Design & Details

Benefit threw one hell of a party to introduce their new magic show themed collection that debuts new products as well as re-formulating the staples we all love. 

The new range features 9 products that will help you achieve the eyebrows of your dreams. They come in vibrant, colourful boxes with pop art-esque writing and retro touches.

Each product comes in gorgeous silver packaging with an overall vintage vibe and touches of art-deco design. Going along with the magic show theme, some of the products look very much like miniature magic wands which is so very fitting. 

The overall design of the line is very well thought out and incredibly cohesive from one product to the next. The line really speaks to Benefit's aesthetic - it's fun, bright and playful!  

The Products

The new range features a few old favourites that have either been re-formulated or have had additional shades added to the line as well as a bunch of brand new goodies. It covers everything from pencils and powders to gels and primers. 

Brow Zings Total Taming & Shaping Kit ($32 USD) - a long time favourite of many benebabes. This duo got a bit of a makeup but is just as amazing as before. It features a tinted wax and a powder along with a pair of mini tweezers and two mini angled brushes. It now comes in 6 new shades. 

Precisely, My Brow Pencil ($24 USD) - replaces the original brow pencil and is Benefit's answer to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. This twist-up pencil is all about adding definition and depth with a tiny tip that can draw hair like strokes and precise outlines. It is perfect for carving out areas like the arch or the tail and it promises 12hr wear. It comes in 6 shades. 

The Goof-Proof Brow Pencil ($24 USD) - is the answer to achieving picture perfect brows in seconds. It is a thicker, retractable pencil that features a tip that lies somewhere between the shape of a triangle and a hexagon. It gives you the ability to draw different lines with each side for various depths and thicknesses. You can be very precise or fill in your brows in seconds. 

KA-BROW! Cream-Gel Brow Colour ($24 USD) - is the product that I am most excited about! It is essentially a brow pomade that comes in a pot and features a hidden angled brush. It's cream texture makes it the perfect product for achieving those picture perfect brows that you see all over Instagram. It is great for carving out bold brows or for filling in brows with sparse areas. It comes in 6 shades. 

High Brow & High Brow Glow Pencil ($24 USD) - these infamous pencils are back and better than ever. The champagne and ivory-pink pencils are incredible for cleaning up around the brows, hiding unsightly hairs and highlighting under the arch and the inner corner. The new version features a creamier formula that glides on smoothly. 

3D Browtones Highlighting Gel ($24 USD) - is a really interesting new product. It is a subtle brow enhancing gel that essentially adds highlight to your brows. Benefit recommends using it to add dimension to darker brows, lighten darker brows and add a wash of colour to lighter brows on casual days. 

Gimme Brow Volumizing Fibre Gel ($24 USD) - my favourite Benefit brow product is back and now comes in a third shade for those girls who didn't fit into the "light" or "dark" selections. This is a tinted setting gel that makes your brows look more voluminous by adding tiny fibres that emulate the look of natural hair. It great for adding depth, thickness and fullness to your brows. 

Ready, Set, Brow! Invisible Shaping & Setting Gel ($24 USD) - is a clear setting gel that lets you decide where you brow hairs should lay and it locks them into place. It promises 24hr hold and an invisible finish. 

BROWVO! Conditioning Primer ($28 USD) - is going to be a staple for girls with sparse brows! It is a nutrient-rich primer that helps to give the look of fuller looking brows while also helping your brows grow! It features Keratin and soy proteins and can be used alone or under brow products for extra fullness. 

How exciting is this new release?! It was such a massive surprise but obviously Benefit has been working their butts off to create the best brow products possible! I can't wait to get my hands on some of these products and try them for myself since I know I love the ones I already own. 

The entire new range will be available at Sephora & Shoppers Drug Mart on June 26th. 

All photos are courtesy of Pop Sugar