About a month ago I was given a Clarisonic device from their pr team (thanks!). I was aware of the device but only had it on my face once during my last Dermalogica facial at Ritual Spa. I love the little thing! I’ve noticed my skin is softer, feels young. It’s also really convenient because you put cleanser on it and scrub your face for one pre-timed minute in the shower. Wham-bam-instant-facial. I’ve been taking better care of my skin the last few months since working with Dermalogica and getting regular facials and I really notice a difference. I often get told I look younger than I really am I don’t EVER WANT THAT TO STOP. On Tuesday next week I’m co-hosting a chat on Twitter with Clarisonic and fellow bloggers Nicole and Christina. Clarisonic is celebrating their 10th anniversary and giving away 10 devices. I’ll remind you via Twitter on Tuesday but this is a heads up to mark your calendar and follow #sonicrevolution on Tuesday, December 16th at 8pm EST! If you are reading this I’m guessing you are already following me @casiestewart? 🙂  

I recently booked a professional makeup artist to come over and do my makeup before a holiday event. It was SUCH an awesome experience. Having your hair and makeup done by a professional makes a HUGE difference. It’s amazing how much you can learn from a couple hours with an expert. I had Rimmel Canada spokesperson Vanessa Jarman over to doll me up and show me some tricks. She lined my eyes with Rimmel waterproof eyeliner before anything else, and told me to squish my eyes together ‘like I mean it’. This lined the inside of my eyes with a waterproof liner protecting my makeup from fading over the course of the night. A friend recommended an eyeliner stamp from Lovoir.com for future use. She also taught me to use an angle brush or small eyeshadow brush to set my liner with something dry (ie. eyeshadow). I learned about colours to wear for my skin, blending and layering makeup, and using different sized brushes for different parts of the face. I’d been using a rather large blush brush and learned a smaller one is better for blending blush or bronzer around my cheekbones. Vanessa blended three shadows to create my look and added a few individual lashes to make my eyes pop. We threw some hot rollers in my hair to glam it all up and she did a side braid to add some style. After my makeup was done, Vanessa asked about my dress and décolletage. What would be showing? She pulled out Burt’s Bees Radiant and rubbed it along my arms. I was glistened with an ever so slight brilliance. I’m picking up a bottle for myself today! One of the other really rad things about having a pro do your makeup is that they really know faces…