The Eye Suite

Hi all,

I have been busy filming, editing and uploading a new suite of videos all about eyes today. These are short videos that break down the four stages of eye makeup application in an easy, worksafe way. The first two videos are up, and this is the final look:

Ugh, ghastly photo. But work safe and easy!

BOT Eye Suite #1: Preparation - concealing eye discolouration, eyelid base and sticky primer.

  Products:

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in "Vanilla" - available at all NARS counters and in Sephora

NYX Eyeshadow Base in "White" - available at Target and Rexall (Canada), most US drugstores

Fyrinnae "Pixie Epoxy" - available online(the store is closed at the moment, but keep checking) - This product isn't strictly necessary for this look, but you might want to try it for very glittery/sparkly shadows in order to keep them in place.

BOT Eye Suite #2: Eyeshadow Application - the three-colour method for easy, eye-lifting looks

  Products:

TheBalm "Balmsai" Palette - available at select Rexall (Canada), Ulta (US) and online. 

Shiro Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "What Does This Lever Do?" - available online.

Brushes

I really like Rexall's home brand "Kit" brushes. They are so soft and easy to use, and they blend well. Bonus, they are also very well-priced at ~$5-8CAD per brush, and are available at most Rexall stores in Canada. Of course, both Sigma and Real Techniques brushes are available for Canadians through FTBBeauty, and for Americans at Ulta stores (and Sephora in the US? Let me know!

I'm working on editing and processing the third (eyeliner and mascara) and fourth (eyebrows) videos to complete the suite. As always, let me know what you think!

Til next time,
Amanda

#Winterskin

Hi all,

Canadians love to talk about weather. I have to admit, I'm finding that I am one of those people as I get a bit older. I couldn't have cared less about the weather 10 years ago, but now, I am experiencing the weather. #Winterskin.

I'll be using the hashtag #winterskin all winter on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ so that you can search for it and find any other items I find that work for the season's effect on our beautiful over thirty skin.

Dealing with #winterskin in the shower or bath
A few days into winter coming to town earlier this month, I started waking up in the middle of the night scratching myself all over my body. This is a nightmare scenario, and it had to be dealt with. I tried my regular Nivea SOS lotion for very dry skin, which promises 24 hours of moisture. Not even close. This was my clue to start exfoliating or "dry brushing."

If you've never exfoliated your body, I highly recommend this video on dry brushing. Instead of a brush, I use a glove, but the principles are the same. Do it once or twice a week in your shower or tub before showering (or tubbing!), and remember to brush toward your heart. I then use a shower cream that is ultra-moisturizing. The glove and shower cream combination I use:



The glove is a no-name that I purchased at Beddington's, but that I'm sure an equivalent can be found in any store like Bed, Bath and Beyond or Target, etc.

The shower cream is the Life Brand equivalent of the Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash. I highly recommend if you suffer from itchy skin due to dryness like me.

Moisturizing for #winterskin
Nivea SOS Repair and Care Body Lotion has always worked for me in the past, and I recommend it if your skin is dry, but not itchy. Itchy, dry skin is a whole other battle. I tried an argan oil-based product, but it was not enough. I shaved my legs with EOS' new shave lotion (good stuff, nice vanilla scent) which helped, but my whole body is a problem, not just my legs.

I purchased two different shea butter-based moisturizers to compare and contrast with you all in mind. I then exfoliated, showered and slathered each on half of myself to test. I bought:

The Body Shoppe's Shea Body Butter (% shea unknown, but it is fair trade shea from a woman-supporting enterprise in Ghana) (400mL, $15CAD on sale, $30CAD regular price) (Did you guys know that L'Oréal bought The Body Shoppe? I didn't. Hm.)


L'Occitane Creme Ultra Riche Corps/Ultra Rich Body Cream 25% Shea Butter (200mL, $40CAD on sale, $48CAD regular price)


Choosing a winner here is near impossible. Both do exactly what they say on the tin, and I got at least 36 hours of relief with both of these creams. I found I needed less of the L'Occitane cream, which is a good thing because it's more than double the price (when both are on sale) and half the amount of The Body Shoppe (TBS) cream. I liked the smell of TBS product better, it's nutty and mild whereas the L'Occitane has a scent very much like a Nivea or Jergens moisturizer, i.e. a bit chemical-smelling.

Really, both are excellent products for my #winterskin. If money were no object, I would re-purchase the L'Occitane cream because I like the company and I know there is 25% shea butter in the product. Also, L'Occitane tweeted to me that their shea is sourced from a fair trade partnership with over 15,000 women in Burkina Faso. Finally, knowing that L'Oréal owns TBS makes me leery, actually.

However, not everyone can afford the L'Occitane, so I'll recommend TBS Shea Body Butter based purely on price per ounce and a less chemically-scented product. But know how hard a choice this was to make, friends!

Til next time,
Amanda

1000!

Hi all,

1000 people have viewed this page, and I'm SO excited about it. I thought this would be a little blog for me and my friends, but 1000 people!

Visitors to Beauty Over Thirty have mostly looked at the 5 Ingredient Look and Basic Face. I will continue in that vein, making videos and writing posts and reviews for busy women who want to enhance their beauty with a little bit of makeup, a little more fashion, a little extra fun.

I want to tell you what I've got on my BOT to-do list, and I'd love your feedback on what you want to see from BOT. Coming up, I'll be writing and making videos about:

• Colour correcting - a lot of us have developed redness, sallow skin on our faces and discolouration around our eyes as we've gotten a bit older. I'm researching how the pros do colour correcting and what products they use. 
• Spring fashion update - I'm going to do a summary (with pictures!) of what the trends for fashion are going to be in Spring 2015, as shown in recent fashion weeks around the world. I'm talking about ready-to-wear fashion, not couture! We have professions to dress for!
• Common ingredients in skincare - A few months ago, I did a lot of research into skincare to develop my own routine for my own needs, and right now I'm in the middle of looking for a new serum as mine is about to run out. I've found that knowing the ingredients in cleansers, serums, moisturizers and treatments that do what you want is the key to success. I'm going to write about what ingredients do what and how to look for them in your skincare choices. 
• Information sources - I know you don't get all of your beauty info from me! I want to give you a rundown of what sources I've found the most reliable and which sources can be kicked to the curb. 
• The cost of beauty - This post will be a while down the road as I get more information gathered, but I want to talk to you about how beauty doesn't have to be costly, and building on the common ingredients posts, how you can recognize when a product is overpriced for what is in it. 
• And of course, I'll be filming more 5-ingredient looks, nighttime looks that take a bit longer and use a few more products and reviews galore! I have a growing list of products to test - I've just done a test of Maybelline's 14-hour lipsticks and, spoiler alert, there is no reason (other than THE HYPE) for this product to be flying off the shelves in the drugstore. 

As always, I shall do my very best to research and learn and pass on good, reliable information about beauty.  I swear, this winter has been awful for my own skin - I've been waking up scratching myself in the middle of the night. As I write this, I have two different very dry skin (aka winter skin!) moisturizers on each half of my body so that I can pass on which works best and how to relieve winter skin dryness and itching. I'm also trying to learn to take better pics!

Thank you all for coming over to BOT, reading a bit, watching a bit, and maybe learning a bit. Don't forget to comment, share, all that stuff so that BOT can reach the next goal - 5000!

Til next time,

Amanda