Episode #4 - cheeks

Episode 4 is now available for download (41 min 58 sec MP3 file, about 24 MB), and as usual, we have a promo for next week (and this week it's a song—48 sec MP3 file, about 1 MB).

There is a ton of blush out there, and luckily, the majority of it is pretty decent. We decided to go with only two recommendations for this week's episode, as we know its an area we're sure to revisit.

Kerry Anne went with MAC as her department store pick. With over 50 shades of Powder Blush (6g/0.21oz $21CA,$17.50US) to choose from, both matte and shimmery, there is a shade (or two, or three) for every skin tone. It lasts a long time in the container and the colour shows up beautifully on the face. If you are unsure about choosing the right blush for your skin tone, ask one of the make-up artists there to help you out.

The Blushcreme (6g/0.21oz $21CA,$17.50US) comes in 14 shades, and is quite deeply pigmented so use it sparingly. A special line, Ultracheek, is available for a limited time and adds both colour and sheen to your cheeks.

The drugstore brand of the week is Rimmel Blush (5g/0.17 oz $4.99CA,$2.69US) It's cheap, good quality and they have some nice shades. I think Rimmel, owned by Coty, could improve the packaging of the blush, which is very compact and flat. Because it is so flat, you get powder falling off the sides when you swish your brush around. Also, the lid easily falls off when it's getting tossed around in the bottom of your purse.

To save yourself the trouble of having to clean everything in your purse, either put it in a plastic ziploc bag or in a small makeup bag. For the price, I don't expect perfection and these packaging blunders, while frustrating, are forgiven. The colour does go on nicely, and shows up very well. The Soft Cream Blush (4g/0.14oz $4.99CA,$2.69US) is not nearly as pigmented as the MAC Blushcreme, but the cream to powder formula does give the face good colour with a nice sheen. And right now, it's all about the dewy look for the cheekbone area.

KA's pet peeve is when companies package their product with a teeny-tiny brush, and a thin strip of product. It could be good stuff, but I'll never know because I won't buy it. How hard it is to turn that rectangle of blush into a user-friendly square or circle of colour?

Air went for a Mystic Tan™ at Body Rays Tanning Salon in trendy Kitsilano. The Mystic Tan is great for fair-skinned people who are prone to burning, as it is UV free. Five days later, and the tan is still going strong. Definitely worth the $30. She'll be getting one before her trip to Hawaii in August. Read more about the Mystic Tan here. Mystic Tanning booths are located nation-wide and spray a self-tanner, not a bronzer.

Northern Beauty: Part One

by Melanie in Northern BC

I looked at products which are easily available in drugstores, grocery stores and low end department stores. In most cases these are the only places available for northern women to shop.

Up here, in the north, winters are usually cold, the air is dry and the sun, which shines a lot, is intensified by its reflection off the snow.

The combination of extreme cold, dry air and all that sunlight can leave you skin feeling abused and rough. Since your face is the only part of you exposed to the elements when outside. I will first talk about products you can use on your face.

These days most products for the face have sunscreen in them.

The ones I like are Healthy Skin by Neutrogena and Essential Nutrients by Dove.

Both are available as lotions and creams, use the cream is you have drier skin. Both have SPF 15 and are recommended by Dermatologists. Both contain a variety of vitamins, in addition the Dove product contains zinc and green teas extracts.

The Neutrogena product contains Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) which may cause irritation for some people. but the folks at Nuetrogena assure you any irritation is normal and will soon disappear. When I put this product on my face I feel a pleasant tingling sensation which lasts a few seconds. My daughter , on the other hand, found it too irritating.

AHA's stimulate cell growth by sloughing off the dead top layer of cells allowing new cells to be exposed thus improving the colour and texture of your skin.

The dove products contain no AHA's and are better if you have more sensitive skin like my daughter.

• Neutrogena lotion Cost = 14.99 for 70ml
• Neutrogena also makes another loton with SPF 30, cost 18.99 for 50 mls
• They also make a cream for those with drier skin cost 17.99 50mls
• The Cost of the Dove Products was = 11.99 for both the cream and the lotion 50 mls

Reality Check

After seeing silicone butt enhancers available for sale at the mall, we wondered how the media can deem a certain body part or body type "fashionable". Lately, it's been the booty that's all the rage. From the buxom sweater girls of the 1950s, to the waiflike "heroin-chic" bodies that girls starved for in the 1990s, advertising and media dictate what the "in" look is. Bad news for the majority of the female population who can't live up to these unrealistic standards, and whose body image may suffer because of it.

You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your soul's own doing. - Marie Stopes