A few trends I’m loving for fall.

Hello lovelies!

I know, I’ve been neglecting you all. Time got away from me a bit there at the end of the summer! Between moving into an amazing new apartment (more on that another time), and starting a full time job, there was just too much to get distracted by. But now, we are coming into fall and I’ll have more time to spend with you all!

I’m not sure about you guys, but I love September. I was a bit of a geeky kid, and always looked forward to the beginning of a new school year. So I guess some of that has stuck with me, and I mean, why not! The beginning of school always meant new school clothes, new classes and new friends. So, on that note lets talk some of those lovely trends that are happening this fall!

High Buns

Alright, I’m totally a bit of a sucker for this one! If you’re like me and have shorter bangs and don’t want the fly-aways, apply a styling gel prior to pulling your hair back into a bun. Then use a hair spray and smooth it all back to finish the look. I’m a big fan of the John Masters styling products because they’re all chemical free and the hair spray is non-aerosol.  There is really something classy about this hair-do, which goes especially well with one another great fall trend…

Shiny Red Lips

So classic and so sassy. Here’s a tip for this one: use a lip liner. If you’re using a lip stick or a gloss, a lip liner is your best bet for ensuring that it will stay on. Don’t forget to fill in your lips though! You’re too lovely to have that old-lady-outline-lip thing going on.

Metallic Eyes

I’ve always been a sucker for this look. You can go for either a smoky-silver look, or a golden-bronze look. Both are amazing and can work for both day and night, depending on how dramatic you apply your eye shadow.

The beginning of any season is a great chance to switch things and have fun trying out new looks.

Stay tuned and stay lovely!

Kelly

lovely lady: summer edition

Hello lovelies!

Here is the first instalment of my Lovely Lady feature of the blog with none other than Ms. Aunti Loo herself!

For those of you who don’t know her, she is a local vegan baker here in Ottawa, and just one of the loveliest people you could ever meet! So the other day I invited her over to chat over some drinks. I had a few questions for her and found out how we both share a love for mascara, The Specials, and what ‘lovely’ means to her!

looking lovely:  What is your style most inspired by?

Auntie Loo:  Definitely the silent, silver Hollywood film stars. Films from the 1920’s to 1950’s. Like, I’ve always been keen on liquid black eye liner, something I’ve worn my whole life. I’m also one of the few girls I know who still wears like lipstick-lipstick. Not glosses or stains; I like real lipstick. To drop names, Greta Garbo, Marilyn Munroe, and Joan Crawford..that kind of look. I just love it.

ll:  What are the products that you can’t live without?

AL:  Rose water: It’s very affordable. Its’ a really good gentle toner and my skin can react to really harsh things.

Rimmel Lip Stick in Dare: As I left my 20’s and came into my 30’s, I had to give up my blood-red lipsticks because I found it was hard to maintain day to day, especially owning a business. So I switched to orange and corals and I felt like it’s more of a 30’s thing to do (laughs). And it’s still a lot of fun as well as a nod to 50’s pin up nostalgia.

Lush 9-5 All Over Make Up Remover: Its great. It always comes in a small bottle so you can take it anywhere! Use it with Kleenex, or even one time in desperation at a cottage I used it with toilet paper and it still removed everything.

Arbon Primer: It’s an all organic, vegan line of makeup, primers, removers and all that kind of thing. One of the girls that work for me got me into it. You put it on your skin and it literally feels like you dropped a silk sheet across your face. Like, it just feels awesome.

ll:  What is your favourite item to wear during the summer?

AL:  During the summertime I’m a big fan of waterproof mascara. Even though it’s so hard to remove! Just because of the nature of my job, it’s so smudgy, sweaty and steamy. It’s the only thing I can really count on during the season. Like, even if I’m going bare minimum and I can only wear one item, I’ll always wear that because it won’t move around or clot of anything like that.

ll: What is your favourite song to listen to in the summer?

AL: I’d have to say Great Big Kiss by The Shangri-La’s. Any song by The Shangri-La`s in the summer time is awesome to listen to! Especially if you`re biking around with a big group of girls! It’s just a lot of fun, and just really peppy. If I had to have a second choice, I`d pick Little Bitch by The Specials; the Specials always remind me of summer and having a good time.

ll: How long have you been baking for and how has doing it professionally influenced your style?

AL: I`ve been baking under the moniker Auntie Loo since 2005, but baking I`ve been doing for as long as I can remember. My parents were super young when they had me. My mom was a stay at home mom, so we would bake a lot during the day time. Also, my grandparents are super young so my nana and I would spend hours upon hours in the kitchen. All the women in my family bake so it’s just been something I`ve always done.

Baking professionally has certainly gotten me to tone it down. My friend says I look like a 1970`s punk-rocker bashed into like some crazy drag queen that bashed into Joan Crawford. So I definitely had to tone it down a bit in my dress. I can`t wear open-toe shoes at the bakery just because of safety issues. Black pants are always a no-no because you`re working with so much flour and so much icing sugar you just end up being covered in things and looking filthy. So I do a lot of t-shirts, a lot of American Apparel skirts because I really love wearing dresses and skirts. They`re comfortable and they breathe well. I always said I would never ever wear Crocs, but they`re great! You can wash them! You know what I mean? When you’re dropping dough on your feet, they do protect them, and then you can just wash them off in the sink afterwards. It’s not like you stain canvas and then have to throw them out.

ll: What does ‘lovely’ mean to you?

AL:  For some reason, I see it as like a male/female answer! I always think of one of my favourite movies ever , “Grand Hotel”. It stars Greta Garbo, John Barrimore and an extremely young Joan Crawford. And there are soo many love scenes shot between Great Garbo and John Barrymore. The whole movie is shot black and white, and Greta Garbo used to insist on her scenes shot in red light because it helped her concentrate more. So I just feel that’s very glamorous and very, very beautiful and very romantic. That’s kinda what that word means to me. On the male side of things, for some reason I just picture….and it’s going to sound silly, but Morrissey! I just think that he is lovely! He just has this velvety, creamy voice, and great style. Sure he comes off a little rough sometimes, but he’s lovely! Whenever I see interviews with him he’s an eccentric, English gentleman..but a punky English gentleman! It just makes you love him more.

DIY Scrubs

Hello Loveys!

So a few of you have been asking me for home made scrub recipes and I came across this one the other day while browsing some of my fav blogs. This one combines a few of my ultimate favourite things: Martha Stewart, vintage flare, and obviously scrubs. I’ve been a big fan of Nostalgia Organics for a while now as they have some of the best organic soaps and packaging ever (I love that you can upcycle the soap sacks into cute crafts). Owner Elia Lutz also has a great blog and she was recently asked the other week to create a DIY wedding favour for Martha Stewart Weddings and she chose to make this super cute and easy salt scrub.

Photo from nostalgiaorganics.com

 

I LOVE the packaging she did for these great wedding favours and think it’s a pretty cute idea. Also, they’re really easy to make and super easy to sub things in like sugar rather than salt or your favourite essential oil. You can check out the recipe online here.

Stay tuned and stay lovely!

 

Kelly

Lovely Skin is Healthy Skin

Hello Lovelys!

Now that summer is well underway and we’ve been enjoying some amazing weather, I wanted to chat about one of my favourite things….exfoliating. I’ll admit it, I’m a complete junky. I love how it makes your skin soft, glowy and not scaly. For this time of year it is the best way to prevent your sun tan from peeling.

Round Cactus Body Brush from The Body Shop

Dry Brushing: Might be a little too aggressive if your skin is sun burnt at all, but my god does it ever make you feel amazing! I have a round cactus brush that I keep by the shower and use while the water’s heating up. A natural fibre brush is the best to use since synthetic bristles tend to be too rough and abrasive. When you are dry brushing, start at your feet and work your way in towards your heart in circular motions. This helps to increase circulation and will make you feel sooo much more awake. Some say that since you are increasing your circulation, you’re also stimulating your lymph nodes, which has great detoxifying affects. But I say do it for the glowy skin and if you get rid of some toxins, then bonus.

Coconut Body Scrub from The Body Shop

Scrubs:  If you’re a tanned with a touch of pink and worried about maintaining a tan, use a nice creamy scrub. My favourite is the Coconut Body Scrub from The Body Shop. It’s gentle enough that it won’t irritate my skin if I am a little tender from the sun because its creamy, but it has ground up coconut shells and husks to get your skin soft and rid of the dead stuff. Scrubbing is meant to rid your skin of the dead stuff, which is why you don’t peel after scrubbing. That being said, don’t forget to use a hydrating lotion afterwards.

How often is too often?: This really depends on how sensitive you are, but you should be safe to do it every other day. Also, if you have a sever sunburn, or any open sores just don’t do it. This will only make it all worst and hurt like crazy.

Enjoy the sun!

Stay tuned and stay lovely!

Kelly

Mascara, always there for you

Mascara may just be my favourite make-up item. If I need to look lovely to head to brunch after a late night, it is the only thing I HAVE to put on before I leave my house. It defines your eyes, makes them look more open, and really, makes you look alive and not like you had a few too many cocktails the night before (obviously lovely cocktails…).

Okay, so now that we’ve all declared our mutual love for the stuff lets now chat about tips, things to avoid, and how long to hold on to it.

Prep them lashes: Really, this is the easiest way to avoid clumping and bunching. Make sure you start out with clean lashes and invest in a good lash curler. I know, I know, seems like such a scary hassle but trust me lovelys, you will not regret investing in this tool! Here’s what you do: Keep your eyes slightly open, and hold the curler close to your lash line line and close the curler slowly, this will avoid pinching. It really straightens out the lashes and opens the eyes.

Application: When you pull the wand out of the container be sure to remove any access product at the tip (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve neglected to do this in a rush and totally regretted it once I got a blob of mascara on my nose). Start at the base of the lashes and wiggle the brush back and forth then pull out and up towards the tip of your lashes.

Ingredients: Alright, so now the slightly scary part. There are mascaras out there that have some bad stuff in them, like mercury and parabens (both used as preservatives and high in toxicity levels). Again, I cannot stress enough how important it is to just be educated and aware of the ingredient in your cosmetics. No need to totally freak out, but the cosmetic industry is not the most regulated when it comes to ingredients. Companies are just looking to save a few dollars and so will go for the cheaper, more chemical ingredient.

6 month rule: Another way to keep your mascara from being clumpy. Air is mascara’s worst enemy: dries it out and creates a breeding ground for bacteria. If you can’t remember how long its been, test the mascara on the back of your hand-if it’s dry and clumpy, toss it.

Brushes: Personally, not the biggest fan of the plastic comb-like wands. I find them to be EXTRA clumpy as its difficult to wiggle the comb down your lashes without them sticking together. Give me a nice straight and thick wand! Lots of bristles for your lashes to get between and pick up all that wonderful pigment!

Another lovely chat! Let me know if you have any great tips to add or questions that this post made you think of!

Stay tuned and stay lovely!

Kelly

Patios, bike rides, music festivals and sunscreen

Hello lovelys!

The hot weather is finally here and although we have been starved for the sun after our long winter, we cannot forget to protect ourselves with some sunscreen. A little SPF is the lovely lady’s greatest anti-aging tool because unfortinately sun damage can happen before we see any physical evidence of it . So before you head out on your favourite outdoor adventure don’t forget to slap some on.

All sunscreens are not created equal. Most contain mineral oil which seals heat in your skin and this is often why you may react or feel really hot and greasy with it on. Also, don’t be fooled and feel more protected when if you are wearing a sunscreen with an SPF of 60 or higher. There is only a tiny percent difference between a 15, 30 and even a 60. Best bet is to read the ingredient list. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are both minerals that sits on top of your skin, allowing it to breath yet absorb UV rays.

eco Logical's Body SPF 30

Confused yet?  My tip is to just be aware and educate yourself on ingredients. A day cream with an SPF is always a great way to get it all done in one step. Also, most mineral foundations contain an SPF of 20 or higher as they are zinc, iron oxide or Titanium Dioxide based. A great line of mineral foundations is Afterglow Cosmetics. Great coverage and won’t melt off your face or make you feel greasy. A new line of sunscreens to check  is ECO logical. Its biodegradable, non-greasy, gentle, unscented and overall just amazing. Finally lovelys, don’t forget to reapply every few hours. All sunscreens are not totally sweat and water proof.

As always, if you have any further questions, feel free to e-mail them in to me and I will gladly help you out.

Till next time!

Stay tuned and stay lovely!

Kelly

Lovely to meet you!

Hello and welcome to looking lovely!

This is a blog dedicated to all things make-up, beauty, style and just generally being lovely! Feel free to send me all your beauty related questions and I will happily answer them. I will soon be posting beauty and etiquette tips, and loads of other lovely things for you to muse over.

Stay tuned and stay lovely!

Kelly