In the winter my skin goes a light shade of pea green. I swear! It’s awful…. To combat this horrendous sallow shading I have one magical trick that has nothing to do with UV lamps… Liquid bronzer! A couple of months ago, well maybe more than a couple, when I was bronzed from my road trip along the coast of California I began using Giorgio Armani’s Fluid Sheer. I was hustled into buying it as an add on to my favorite foundation (also Armani) and never gave it a chance. But when I had a little tan and my foundation was too heavy I tried putting on the Fluid Sheer with my moisturizer and was instantly hooked.
Now that I don’t have that naturally occurring glow (so much so that my bf who is white as snow even noticed) I have begun adding it to my foundation. The Fluid Sheer has such a light consistency that it doesn’t overwhelm and blends beautifully into your skin. I applied it just like the hustler make up lady at the counter said, one pump of bronzer to two pumps of foundation and voila, as close to bronzy, dewy skin as I’m going to get in the dead of no-sun-for-days winter!
Yes, even though it has been pretty sunny the past couple of days I am so not counting my eggs before they hatch. I believe the hedgehog or groundhog or whatever hog that’s shadow read 6 more weeks of winter….
Damn you Punxsutawney Phil!
So until it’s tank top weather, bronzer will remain my weapon of choice!
Me and our newest addition to the Coco & Lowe fam, Shantel, were invited to the media opening of the fourth Blo location in Toronto! I love getting Blo’wn!
Blo offers a hair menu with different styles to choose from and whether you want a wash and blo or just dry styling, they’re able to do it all!
Christina hooked me up with the “Red Carpet Ready” look:
$30 for 30 mins and their products are awesome! I especially love the mint conditioner. It such a great smell and stimulates your scalp with a soft tingle. Check out this video introducing Blo’s team and explaining the entire product line:
Founder and creator, Ritz Clinging, created a line of feminine care products that are vegan, free of parabens, SLS, synthetic colours and fragrances because lets be honest, ladies don’t like to mess with their muffs! All of their products come with the option of a lavender, clary sage and patchouli blend or my fave, a fusion of vanilla, grapefruit and ylang ylang.
The line has four products:
They even carry a kit which includes a 2 oz bottle of clean, pure and soft as well as 10 fresh wipes.
How great is this for traveling?!
Vancouver based, I love my muff products are available exclusively at Ritual on King St West in Toronto. We will also be including a sample of ilovemymuff in our giftbags at our Feb 25th dinner party!! Make sure to reserve your spot at info@cocoandlowe.com.
I have always had discolouration in my underarms and it killlled me. I saw this product from DERMAdoctor on one of my ’spend way too much time in Sephora’ trips last December in Vegas. The label promised the product to be a super sensitive antiperspirant that you can even apply after shaving with out irritation. The selling point that got me though was the promise to brighten discolouration in your underarms! Halleluyeeeerrrr! After only a week I had already noticed a significant change and am still totally loving this product.
Last week Lowe and I had the pleasure of attending the unveiling of Dove’s new skin care line for men called Men+Care held at The Hockey Hall of Fame. The event was amazing, Lowe was the high scorer at the sudden death shootout, I hid from the delicious poutine that was being served and we both learned a ton about gender bias and expectation. Unfortunately I’m still learning about my new SLR and somehow managed to delete all of the photos *super sad face* Regardless, Jimmy (who we brought along as our ‘Real Man’) has since tried the product and LOVES it – he even thinks the loofah or ‘Active Clean Shower Tool’ is pretty awesome, something he admittedly was terrified of before…
The most interesting part of the event for me was the talk by keynote speaker Dr Michael Kaufman. Founder of The White Ribbon Campaign – a movement to end men’s violence against women – a writer and speaker on gender issues, Kaufman worked very closely with Dove to create this male specific product. In his speech at the event he brought to light the gender roles that we impose on our children from birth – little boys in blue should be tough, little girls in pink should be sweet. Being a female, I often times forget the weight of responsibility that is imposed on men. After seeing the Dove campaign for Real Women I didn’t know how they could create something as amazing and groundbreaking for men. But after listening to Michael and then watching the ad that premiered on Super bowl Sunday, I can see that this is something that all men can relate to.
I’ve been in love with Dove ever since they started their campaign for real beauty back in ‘04. I use Dove conditioner (for when I’m not doing deep moisture conditioning treatments) and I love their body wash. But when I was sent Dove’s Beauty Bar I have to admit I wasn’t stoked. I really don’t like bar soap and especially hate the way it makes my skin feel… Never the less, I took the Dove ‘Bar Exam’ – love that name, lol- and discovered that most of my hatred towards bar soap was actually legitimate. Most soap can leave ’soap scum’, strip your skin of essential oils – leaving your skin with a tight dry feeling- and can leave you with skin sensitivity. This is where Dove’s Beauty Bar is different. The Beauty Bar is NOT a soap but rather a gentle cleanser with 1/4 moisturizing cream.
So after a grueling 7am workout I hopped in the shower and gave my new Beauty Bar a whirl. It gave an excellent lather, went on smoothly, had a fresh scent. After I rinsed it off I didn’t have that icky squeaky feeling I usually have when I run out of my liquid soap and am forced into using my bf’s bar soap – he’s bar soap obsessed by the way and is now a Beauty Bar convert…
So, if you’re looking to try something old (the Beauty Bar has been around since 1957) the Dove Beauty Bar is for you. Sometimes it’s not the latest and greatest that you need, but rather the tried, tested and true. Plus, if you’re watching your wallet, the Beauty Bar is around $3 for a pack of 2, you can’t go wrong with that price.
I finally got the chance to check out Gee Beauty the other day and I’m totally in love!! Not only is it aesthetically beautiful, the women who run it are super sweet and the service was beyond!
the Gee ladies
Owned and operated by the family Gee (three daughters and their mother) the vibe is as bright and cherry as the white soaked space. With hysterically clever names for their services like ‘The Houdini’ A.K.A. a brazilian or ‘The Material Girl’ a heart shaped bikini wax, their witty approach to beauty maintenance is fantastic!
the pedicure area 'down-below'
I went for a Houdini and as I walked into their basement (aptly named ‘Down Below’) I was hit with a slight sense of pre-wax trepidation. As I lay down on the relatively comfortable waxing bed my fears were instantly set aside by a few little words stenciled on the ceiling that read:
relax, she’s seen it all before
Talk about icebreaker! My service provider -Michelle- was an absolute professional who by the end of it all felt like an old friend. An old friend with a interesting understanding of my ‘down-below’…
The mission at Gee is to provide efficient, high quality service without wasting your precious time – my fave- because let’s be honest, the spa is fun and all but who has a whole day to devote to it?
Plus they have an amazing selection of products for purchase around their shop like Kate Spade Cosmetic bags and Malin+Goetz skin and hair care.
Gee Beauty gets the coco & lowe stamp of fab-ness!
