With names like Bo Peep (baby pink), and Nice Melons (a “papaya pearl”), these soft pastel shades remind me of Easter eggs and baby bunnies – a sign that spring is truly just around the corner.

Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation opened its first Murale store in Vancouver at Oakridge Centre. As I walked into the new venue (located near the food court, on the GAP and Aritzia side), the bright lights, white floor and neatly lined shelves of beauty products mimicked Shoppers’ Drug Mart’s beauty boutique – but much more spacious.

Brands which immediately caught my eye included Cargo, Smashbox, Benefit, Biotherme, Nars, Bobbi Brown…as well as your classic brands like Clinique, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent.

Apothecary & Apparel. Sounds catchy, doesn’t it? And that’s exactly what’s inside and online at Kiss & Makeup, a “friendly fashion and beauty resource”, newly relocated to West Vancouver’s The Village at Park Royal. Owned by Heather Huntingford, with her eye for niche products, Kiss & Makeup carries beauty lines that are “conscientiously made, original, organic, natural and amazing”.

With an eye toward eco-nomics, the new store features reclaimed pine floors from the original tenant, and Kiss & Makeup’s existing furniture, vanities and shelves are being whitewashed and repurposed in the new space. Vintage chandeliers and clothing racks complete the vision that Heather refined. What else is in Heather’s vision for Kiss and Makeup? Read on for Modern Mix Vancouver’s interview with her!

Shop online at MAC Cosmetics between June 16th and 18th to save 25% on your purchases! Use the offer code “SAVE25″ at checkout.

Product review with $5-off coupon for your own mascara purchase.

If you’ve been eagerly anticipating the launch of the MAC Cosmetics Hello Kitty collection, the wait is over. Rumors have been popping up since late 2008 about the arrival of this kitty cat’s debut in the MAC Cosmetics line up and finally arrived in Canadian stores on February 10, 2009.

The collection is standard – with the usual lipsticks, lipglass, nail polish, eyeshadow pallets and blush. Although you would expect the colors to be the ultimate mecca of pink girliness with lipstick ($16.50) colors like “big bow” and “cute-ster” and glitter eyeliner ($20) in “girl groove” and “glitterpuss” there are some surprising shades of dark purples and a burnt orange color in the limited edition “Lucky Tom” eyeshadow quadrant. In my opinion, the most cat-like product in the collection is the “Hello Kitty Lash” ($14) which are false eyelashes in a criss-cross pattern with an overlapping effect on the outer corner, providing you with “big, wide, kitten-eyes”.

Like the name “ink” implies, the way the eyeliner draws on is reminiscent of a felt tip pen or a slim water color brush.

Skincare tips and foreign products to give a try in preventing chapped skin and dehydration during the cold Canadian winter season.

On my way home from work in the summer, I went to the first “Great Make-Up Sale” this past August and was pleased to find a selection of new-in-package MAC lipglosses, Nars eyeshadow and Benefit products. At the end of the sale, everyone was forwarded a feedback survey so her second make-up sale will be even more tailored to consumer interests!
.
Melanie Tremblay of Mink Makeup Artistry will be holding her second makeup sale of brand new, authentic, name-brand cosmetics at discounted prices! Stop by Cuppa Joe Coffee (3744 West 4th Ave) on Saturday December 4 to purchase products from MAC, NARS, Stila, Lancome and Benefit at 30% to 60% off retail prices. For more information, check out the Facebook Event here!

For those of you too lazy to visit your nearest MAC Cosmetics store, you can shop online instead. Perhaps it’s in celebration of Thanksgiving weekend; for three days starting from today (October 10th) until October 12th, get free shipping from the MAC Cosmetics online store. Just enter the offer code “3DAY” at checkout.