cake contest winners!

Today we're announcing the winners of our Cake giveaway. Congratulations to the ladies listed below - you've all won yourselves a Cake Kiss Lemon Chiffon! You all should have received an email about your win, so check your inbox.
Your name not on the list? Don't fret - there's many great contests to come!

The winners: Joanne Fitzmorris, Kari Follett, Jill Davis, Inquisitive Beauty (Ink), Sarah Vaughn

natureshock: dr. hauschka cleansing cream

Dr. Hauschka is one of those skincare lines that has a ton of celebrity cachet: everyone from Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Kate Moss are said to be fans. And even I can attest to the power of the celeb approval factor: I started using this nature-loving brand when I heard that Madonna was a devout Hauschka user. So does it live up to the hype? In a word, yes. It's hard to find reasons not love Hauschka: the brand takes an holistic approach to skincare, meaning that it considers what you put on the outside of your body impacts your overall health and well-being, so all of its ingredients, most of them organically grown and harvested, are ecologically and sustainably sourced. Add to that, amazing plant and botanical ingredients, eco-conscious packaging and no animal testing and this is one line you can feel good about using. And its products are just as good performance-wise, if not better, than many on the market. I'm particularly fond of the Cleansing Cream, a gentle yet super-effective exfoliating daily cleanser that any skin type can use. Based on soothing almond meal, it gently sloughs away dead skin cells, leaving my skin fresh and vibrant (and not at all irritated). (It also has calendula extracts to calm and clarify and St. John’s Wort and chamomile to reduce redness.) Using it is kind of like giving your face a really good splashing of water in the morning, but with better cleansing power.

styleshock: demi moore at flawless screening

I'm beginning to think that Demi Moore made a deal with the devil to freeze herself in time and remain forever ageless. (This might explain her voodoo-y penchant for bizarre leech therapy beauty treatments, which she described to David Letterman on The Late Show recently.) And while many have chalked it up to Botox, the woman still has wrinkles, and she wears them very well in my opinion. Whatever the case, there's no doubt that Demi is one hot cougar and always seems to get it right on the red carpet. She wisely takes a less-is-more approach when it comes to makeup, which I think helps make her seem "forever young". Soft, neutrally, peach-toned makeup is the theme she sported at a recent screening of Flawless in New York. Subtle brown liner and golden-brown shadows on the eyes makes her green peepers stand out, while a peachy blush gives a natural glow to her face. Finally, a lustrous (yet not shimmery) gloss in an almost-coral hue gives a healthy, naturally glam look. And could her chocolatey locks be any shinier?

my fair ladies: beauty blog network reads

For your weekend reading pleasure, some lovely recent reads from around the Beauty Blog Network:
Beauty Anonymous brings you Anna Sui Beach Collection for Summer 2008! Tousled, textured hair is the top tress trend for Spring 2008! StyleBell shows you how to create Beachy Waves with your flat iron. Mischo Beauty shares her best tips on how to prepare for a bikini wax and what to expect!The Makeup Divas Beauty Blog is blown away by these ProSilk Hair Products! 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic reconsiders blonde hair after some great color advice from Brad Johns! The Muse shows you the solution to eyeshadow fall out woes with a review of Shadow Shields! Beauty and Personal Grooming shares some DIY Antiwrinkle face masks A Touch of Blusher can't live without this foundation. Beauty Blogging Junkie tells you how to channel the look of your fave The Hills girl here. Mischo Beauty shares her best tips on how to prepare for a bikini wax and what to expect! The Daily Cookie reviews a dupe for the popular MAC 187 blush brush for a fraction of the price! Product Girl is having her first giveaway. Enter to win a Philosophy Breakfast in Bed Shower Gel Set from now until Monday night! Makeup Moxie reviews Cargo Blu-Ray High Definition Mascara. Glossypink reveals her favorite eyeshadow of all time! Cybelesays Gets To The Shea Of Things with a feature on the best products out there containing the most Shea Butter. Just when you thought SPF 15 was safe, The Beauty Bug makes you think again, and tells you why you should up your dosage of SPF! Spoiled Pretty hearts her T3 hair dryer. But what's the one thing she would add to it? Find out what extra would push her head over heels... Toya from "The Life of A Ladybug" still hasn't decided how she feels about Bourjois and these eye products haven't changed her mind. Savvy Skin realizes her skin care obsession is ruining her career! Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog shows you how to get Mariah Carey's look with MAC Heatherette Beauty Powder.

burning question: was vogue out of line?

Have you picked up the latest issue of Vogue? Even if you haven't, you've likely come across the firestorm of controversy created by the April issue's "Shape issue" cover featuring basketball star LeBron James and supermodel Gisele. Some critics say the cover perpetuates racial stereotypes by picturing James as a scary, beast-like figure, along the lines of a King Kong, grasping onto the white-woman heroine (Gisele). I have to say that I was neither offended nor entirely jazzed when I first saw the cover: I thought it just another boring and somewhat uninspired pictorial. But then I started to see the comparisons to images of King Kong and even this one at Jossip of a World War 1 enlistment poster, and I couldn't deny the similarities. For a magazine that deals with image on a daily basis, it's hard to believe that Vogue editors had never come across these iconic images either. But while I think they were trying to be deliberately provocative in order to stir up controversy, I'm not sure they were doing so with racist intentions. Naive though it may be, they likely thought were turning yet another iconic image on its ear (as magazine editorials so often do) in order to be taken seriously as "art".
So what do you think? Was Vogue off base with this cover? Let me know in the comments.

pretty things: MAC heatherette collection

Remember how I said a little while back that I was feeling blase about MAC? Well, that was before I witnessed the club-kid crazy MAC Heatherette collection. Designed in collaboration with the wild-child designer duo Richie Rich (himself a former NYC club kid in the late 80s) and Traver Rains of Heatherette, the line features hot-pink and disco-ball-glitter-inspired packaging that's sure to become a collector's item.

This is truly little-girl's fantasy makeup come-to-life. I'm especially loving the edgy-cool black-and-white paint-by-numbers illustrations of the superfantastic NYC designers that appear on product boxes (makes me want to get out my paints and markers and start coloring!). If you want to get your hands on some of this girly goodness, I suggest you get to a MAC counter fast, as the MAC addicts have most likely already descended.

jumpstart your looks for spring

Need a little spring refresher? You know, something to get you out of the winter doldrums and into fresh and pretty beauty looks. Check out my article, "Spring Beauty Boosts", from just-launched Canadian beauty and health magazine Best Health. The article has loads of on-trend makeup looks inspired by the spring runways to help get you fresh and lovely for the balmy days ahead.
And while you're there, check out the rest of the site, along with the editor's blog – it's pretty fantastic.

model moment: gap lands an all-star lineup

Does something look a little familiar here? If you're thinking Vogue cover, you hit the nail right on the head. It's probably no mere coincidence that this ad for the Gap Design Edition collection, featuring a lineup of model heavyweights including Lily, Doutzen and Chanel, bears a striking resemblance to last April's "The World's Next Top Models" Vogue cover, featuring a similar lineup of models, sporting last year's Gap Design Edition collection white shirts. I'm having a strange case of marketing/fashion editorial déja vu... Whatever the case, I love these mega-model round-ups; if only because it's ever so fun to choose a favorite out of the bunch. Right now, it would probably be Aussie model Catherine McNeil (second from the right). Who's your favorite?

win this: cake beauty cake kiss lemon chiffon

It's that time again dears - time for another SugarShock Beauty contest! This week, we're giving away five of Cake Beauty's Cake Kiss Lemon Chiffon. A bit about this great new product:

Inspired by luscious lemon tarts, Cake Kiss Lemon Chiffon is a deliciously-scented, moisturizing, sheer lip butter. This rich formulation is paraben and petroleum free. Cake Kiss Lemon Chiffon will nourish, protect and soften lips. It locks in moisture, leaving lips sheer and dewy. Just some of the ingredients in the mix: shea butter, pure coconut oil, aloe vera and an orchid complex to fight free radicals, reducing the appearance of lines.

All you have to do to enter is send an email to sugarshockbeauty@yahoo.com with "Cake Contest" in the subject line and say hello. That's it!

You have until 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, March 30th to enter. Five winners will be chosen at random from among the entrants and I'll announce the winners on Monday, March 31. One entry per person please.
Best of luck!

back to basics: MAC strobe tinted lip conditioner sticks

Remember the days when the only "makeup" you would wear was your Bonne Bell Rootbeer Lip Smackers? Yes, grade six was a long time ago, but I still kind of miss those simple, carefree days when lipbalm was all the makeup I ever needed. All the lipglosses and lipsticks in the world can't match a good lipbalm for me, which is why I'm loving the easy-breezy simplicity of the MAC Strobe Tinted Lip Conditioner Sticks. Far superior to your old Lip Smackers, these little beauties moisturize your lips while imparting a pretty whisper of pearlized color (hence the "Strobe" moniker). They look really bright in the tube, but are the most flattering, natural-hued pinks and berry shades when you put them on. My fave is the Strobe Current shade, the most perfect berry-pink. And while it doesn't smell like rootbeer, it does have that heavenly vanilla-y MAC lippie scent. Slip one of these in your purse, and you may not want to go back to your precious lipgloss anytime soon.

fragrance notes: flower by kenzo

It might seem a little strange to be talking about a summer perfume, given that up here in Canada, we just had our latest blast of winter snow and ice (in the first week of spring, no less!), but I'm thinking that visions of balmy days will help get me through the day. So I'm spritzing on a little of this new summer scent by Kenzo, Flower by Kenzo. I've never tried any of Kenzo's perfumes, but I've always been in awe of their immensely gorgeous, minimalist packaging, and this one, with it's leaning-tower bottle and artfully abstract red-poppy motif, certainly fits that bill - it's lovely, no? The scent is termed a floral-oriental - it's a powdery-floral fragrance, but it feels anything but "granny". I think it has to do with its genius layering of different notes woven in that hit you when you least expect it: hints of musk and vanilla emerge amidst the the floral fields of violet and Bulgarian rose. The powder note, meanwhile, give it a clean feel, which makes it feel modern and not old and dusty. This is a decidedly feminine scent, but one that's light, with an urban edge.

I blog, therefore I am

These days, it seems you're nothing if you don't have a blog. Once the domain of the anti-establishment, now the mainstream media, and in particular, the fashion and beauty mags, have caught the blogging bug. Let's have a look at who's leading the count for number of blogs, shall we?

Fashion magazine blogs, by the numbers:
Allure: 1 (Daily Beauty Reporter)
Elle: 3 (Girl About Town, Style Wise, The Wardrobe Diaries)
Glamour: 8! (Glamocracy, Storked, The Girls in the Beauty Department, Slaves to Fashion, Man Needs Date, Margarita Shapes Up, Suze on Style, Life with Cancer)
Harper's Bazaar: 1 (Bazaar Blog)
Lucky: 4 (Shop Girl, The Beauty Department, eBay Obsessed, Fashion Week)
Vogue: 1 (Style File + The Sartorialist, but it's syndicated, so it doesn't count)
V: 1 (V Magazine Blog)
W: 1 (Editor's Blog)

So it looks like Glamour wins this round by a landslide. It also shocked me to learn that staid Harper's Bazaar has a blog. Though I said before that Elle does not have a blog, I stand corrected - they do in fact, have three. (It would seem though, they're a little hard to find on the site.)

beauty duty 03/25/08

A Touch of Blusher can't live without this foundation.
All About the Pretty is addicted to pomegranate Korres Lip Butter!
Beautiful Makeup Search cannot get enough of this palette from the new Heatherette for MAC Collection.
KRiSTOPHER is wanting, wearing, and hating these clutch bags.
Lipstick, Powder 'n Paint is pleased to announce their brand new feature 'The Men's Room', written by Faisal. Check out his first piece Vichy Homme.
Makeup Moxie reviews Hourglass Oxygen Mineral Powder.
Product Girl is having a giveway! Enter to win a Philosophy Breakfast in Bed Shower Gel set!
Check out TheMakeupGirl's latest contest!  The prize is several goodies from MAC's latest limited edition collection Heatherette...
WE LOVE BEAUTY.com goes behind the scenes with Billy B, Syd Curry and Patricia Field at an SATC inspired Glamour shoot.

skin fix: prescriptives vibrant-C skin brightening cream moisturizer

My skin is looking pretty good lately – clearer, more even-toned, no breakouts – so I must be doing something right. I think it has to do with my regular use of the Bliss Youth As We Know It skincare, (which I reviewed in full a couple of weeks ago, and which I'm currently loving, by the way), and also with another little gem I've added to my skin routine: Prescriptives Vibrant-C Skin Brightening Cream Moisturizer. Packed with skin-nourishing vitamin C and something called micro-optic luminizers, this cream brings an instant glow to my complexion. I've been using it during the day under makeup and I love the inner radiance it gives my skin (with no annoying glimmery particles to speak of). I also love to use this lovely-textured, whipped cream on those makeup-free days (rare they may be, but occasionally on the weekends) to give an extra treatment boost. It makes my skin look great even when I'm not wearing any makeup.

classic beauties: instyle knows how to pick 'em

You don't mess with a classic. You revere them – and InStyle is once again doing just that with its latest installment of the Best Beauty Buys. While I always seem to get tripped up on the name of their 13th annual list – (thinking that the ''best buys" equals the best cheap and cheerful finds), this compendium is actually, in my mind, the ne plus ultra of beauty products, since it's chosen by the experts (think: makeup artists, hairstylists and dermatologists) and encompasses both drugstore and prestige brands alike. Along with a staggering number of Laura Mercier products (okay, we hear you, her foundation is good!), there were many old favorites on the roster, including Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, a not-quite-lipstick, not-quite-lipgloss hybrid in a universally flattering berry-pink, that continually sells out since it made it's debut in 1989. Other old faithfuls on the list? New classic Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Chanel Glossimer Lipgloss (the golden sheen is the piece de resistance), the universally-flattering peachy-pink Nars Orgasm Blush and the quintessential ballet-slipper pink nail polish, Essie in Mademoiselle. Most of the list (minus the color picks) are posted on InStyle's website; get the full list of products – all 141 of them – in the April issue of InStyle.

palette pleasers: becca best of becca & mally beauty portable palette

I've recently been enlightened to the convenience of the all-in-one palette. For travel, I can just grab that one space-saving compact, as opposed to stuffing my usual truckload of products into my makeup bag (little thought + little labor=easy packing). And a couple of great palettes I've been reaching for lately are Becca's Best of Becca Palette and Mally Beauty Portable Palette. Becca's palette is like a little watercolor paint box - it's decidedly minimal, but contains pretty much all you need, color-wise, for makeup: two eyeshadows (one gold-toned and the other a deeper chocolate brown, both with a touch of shimmer); a lip & cheek creme in a soft neutral peach that's actually perfect for a nude lip; the amazing creme blush in Turkish Rose (a pinky-brown); and a colorless, iridescent gloss, along with a double-sided applicator brush round out the mix. This would be great for stowing in your purse for daytime touch-ups, too. (It's currently out of stock on the Becca website, (which shows how covetable this is), but hopefully, it will be back up soon.)

Mally's Portable Palette in Working Girl is great for neutral-makeup lovers (such as myself), and ever the girlie brand, it comes packaged in a pretty pink-patent foldy case. This kit gives you four matte shadows in all the key colors (light beige, apricot, taupe and deep brown); two matte powder blushes (in light plum and pink); three ever-so-cute mini applicator brushes and a light pink lipstick. These are really wearable shades that I usually reach for on a daily basis from my main makeup kit, so having them all housed together just makes my life that much easier. (buh-bye bulging overnight bag!)

burning question: how important is exercise in your beauty regimen?

Ah, exercise. While I tend to loathe the monotony and bad early 90s dance music of the gym, I have to admit that I actually enjoy exercising outdoors - there's nothing better than going for a run on a crisp, sunny spring day. Luckily for me, there's been more and more studies touting physical activity as an age-fighter. You may have heard that keeping active can help combat disease, but a new study links regular exercise with looking younger (and not just from weight loss). In the study, British scientists followed twins and found that those who exercised more frequently were biologically younger than their non-exercising counterparts by as much as nine years. For me, exercise has been about maintaining a normal weight and combatting stress, but I'm beginning to see it more and more as part of my anti-aging arsenal.
So how about you - Is exercise a big part of your beauty regimen? Or does it not even factor in? Let me know in the comments.

styleshock: leighton meester at the paley television festival

Such cruel and unusual punishment it is to premiere one of the most delicious and stylish shows to come along in some time, only to have it suspended for months in writer's strike limbo. But, with that annoying little hiatus behind them, our Gossip Girls are now back at work shooting new episodes while parading around the streets of New York in covetable designer duds (our most beloved show is set to return to TV in a matter of weeks). Until then, our girls-about-town have also been rocking the red carpet of late: Leighton Meester was at the Paley TV Festival in LA this weekend, looking girlie and feminine and a far cry from her villainous on-screen persona Blair Waldorf. A soft and pretty updo, along with makeup in peachy tones flatter Leighton's glowy yet porcelain skin. Meanwhile, black winged eyeliner, a flutter of lashes and neutral shadows put the focus on those lovely brown eyes. And while not many can pull off yellow, I'm loving this shade on her.

my fair ladies: beauty blog network reads

For your (long) weekend reading pleasure, some lovely recent posts from around the Beauty Blog Network:
The Makeup Divas reviews Mac Fafi Lipsticks. The Daily Cookie brings you the scoop behind Danity Kane's Welcome to the Dollhouse album cover photoshoot. Check out her exclusive Q&A with makeup artist JJ Jacobucci! Beauty Anonymous brings you Chanel Limited-edition Highlighting Powders Duo! A Touch of Blusher picks the top 10 spring 2008 collections. Mischo Beauty shares a lesson on sun damage and the importance of using sunscreen. Temtpalia has a weekend getaway you're bound to enjoy at the Pacific Palms Resort & Spa. Raging Rouge gets her drink on in the only way a pregnant woman can... with tarte Cheek Stain in Tipsy. 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic shows you how to recreate Stila's look from Wayne Lee Fall 2008! The Beauty of Life finds a way to keep her skin sparkling with Bliss Steep Clean! Cybelesays checks out the latest in organic fragrances with a new favorite from Tsi~La. Stylish Opinion finds any reason, any reason at all, to try out caffeinated soap. The Beauty Blog Network interviews new member Mischo Beauty. Elke shares her fav drugstore beauty products. Beauty and Personal Grooming tells you to cover your gray with touch-up sticks. Sure you’re in love with your flat iron, but are your strands silky straight and FLAT? StyleBell shows you how to Volumize Straight Strands. Beauty Blogging Junkie has fallen for the crazy spatula-like applicator and holographic shine of this lip gloss by Thierry Mugler. The Muse Hauls Heatherette! Check out her first impressions on this new MAC Collection! Ever thought about changing your hair because someone else says you should? Mystical Beauty's Musings tells you why you shouldn't in Cutting Long Hair. Savvy Skin realizes most of her favorite skin care and beauty items are Old-School Beauty products. marina from makeup loves me meets the heatherette boys (pictures included!) and checks out their collaboration with MAC. Makeup Moxie has a tragic love affair with Sue Devitt Microquatic Lash Line Enhancer. Glossypink has found the pale pink lipstick of her dreams! Face Candy looks at the new Guerlain Terracotta goodies. Toya tried the tarte health couture collection and she's feeling healthy, beautiful, and oh so couture! Product Girl takes a peak at Creative Scentualization's Perfumers Palette. Pursebuzz.com tries a new look with Heatherette Pigments, check out the video tutorial here! Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog gives you swatches of Chanel's new summer makeup collection, woot! Spoiled Pretty has found the definitive eyebrow kit. Find out what it is! Don't miss your chance to enter All Lacquered Up's Sally Hansen Giveaway. You could be one of three winners to receive the Tracey Reese for Sally Hansen Salon line collection. Beauty Banter gives you a Girls Guide To Concealers... filled with tips and tricks from the makeup pros!

skin fix: cake beauty milk made velveteen hand creme

Cake Beauty has a knack for concocting the most decadent dessert-y scents (think orange creamsicle, maple and cinnamon-brown-sugar) and infusing them into dreamily deluxe skincare products (with, of course, delightfully girlie packaging). And the homegrown Canadian brand's Milk Made Velveteen Hand Creme is no exception. Like a cloud of melted marshmallow, this rich cream melts into the skin and moisturizes with mango and shea butter, while nourishing with a slew of vitamins. It's not greasy yet divinely softening and a great hand cream choice for transitioning cold-weather-dry hands into warmer-weather spring (it's not far off, I promise.)

stila contest winners!

Today we're announcing the winners of the Stila giveaway. Congratulations to the ladies listed below - you've all won yourselves a Convertible Color compact! You all should have received an email about your win, so check your inbox.
Your name not on the list? Don't fret - there's many great contests to come!

The winners: Shayela Hassan, Carly Brake, Cindy Maxwell, Marie-Gaude Clarke, Teresa J, Regina Sanders, Charlena Cox Cha, Michelle McClellan, Alekandra Martin, Willa Zheng

fragrance notes: frederic malle angeliques sous la pluie

For years, I've been searching for a signature fragrance. I've come across many amazing scents during my search, but none of them really spoke to me as being "my" scent. Until now, that is: I think I may have found it in Frederic Malle's Angeliques Sous La Pluie. You may have seen mention of Frederic Malle here before, but just to refresh: he's a perfume connoisseur who wanted to give recognition to the world's best pefumers and gave them carte blanche to create a roster of unforgettable scents called Editions de Parfums. One of those perfumers is Jean-Claude Ellena, (now Hermes's in-house perfumer), who came up with Angeliques Sous la Pluie. The funny thing is, I didn't like this scent at first: it came off as being harsh and metallic-y to me. But after it settles a bit, the smell is heavenly - so great, in fact, that I find it hard to describe. It's light, florally with a tinge of musk and a hint of spiciness tempered with a fresh note (In short, it captures all the notes I love in perfume). It's said to be inspired by a bouquet of Angelica flowers gathered after a rain shower - how romantic is that? And what could be better than flowers in the rain to capture the scent of spring.

trendshock: head & shoulders above the rest

Call it the new bob. First, Beyonce chopped her tresses to shoulder-level for her rousing turn with Tina Turner at the Grammy Awards. Then, last week, Catherine Zeta-Jones lopped a good six inches off her locks while promoting her new movie, Death Defying Acts in Sydney. And now, even ever-long, Rapunzel-haired Gwyneth Paltrow is favoring a shoulder-skimming mane. Could it be that our leading ladies are priming themselves for spring? Or are they coveting the shorter dos of Posh and Katie Holmes, but afraid to make the commitment? Either way, I'm loving the look. Sayonara long hair – this look screams fresh and polished.

burning question: to photoshop or not to photoshop?

It's no secret that models and actresses are not as perfect as they seem in magazines. Thanks to Dove's ground-breaking Evolution ad and Jezebel's 'Photoshop of Horrors' (which shows eerie before-and-afters), we've all been enlightened to the magic of photoshop and the amount of retouching that goes on to deliver an impossible-to-attain beauty. (In some cases, it's like taking a pink-rubber eraser to people's faces, rubbing out any undesirable marks, blemishes or wrinkles.)
So maybe it's no surprise that some are challenging the retouching trend: Canadian women's magazine Chatelaine, which features a mix of beauty, fashion and women's issues and occasionally has celebs on the cover, is opting not to retouch its models at all. It's a full-on parade of freckles, wrinkles and blemishes and all.
So what are your thoughts on retouching: yay or nay? Or is there a happy medium? Let me know in the comments.

back to black: stila liquid eyeliner

Say what you will about Amy Winehouse's look (that she verges on tranny, hot mess, whatever....), there's no question the fashion world is smitten. If it weren't enough that she's launching her own beauty line (yes, it's true), fall fashion runways were peppered with looks inspired by the neo-soul singer: from big bouffant hair at Dior, to the winged eyeliner at Comme Des Garcons. (Not to mention, she's supposedly Karl Lagerfeld's latest muse).
And no one can rock the black eyeliner quite like Amy. While I wouldn't recommend going all crazy-like with eyeliner up to the temples, a subtle winged look is still ever-so-chic. My pick of the moment is Stila's new Liquid Eyeliner. It's a black-marker-like liner with a pointy tip that gives a perfectly precise line. I also love that it's short and stubby, which makes it easily maneuverable, and not unwieldy like some long-ish eyeliners. Give yourself a perfect flick of liner and then get thyself to rehab. Stat.

model moment: christy turlington for chanel

If I had to choose a favorite supermodel from George Michael's model-rific 90s Freedom video, it would be Christy Turlington. She's a classic beauty with a mysterious touch of the exotic. And while she may have been implicated with Linda Evangelista in the whole, "I don't get out of bed for less than 10-grand" diva ridiculousness, she's always managed to come off as a class-act. And unlike Linda (where's she been?), Christy's still going strong and doing high-profile campaigns for the likes of Maybelline and this one for Chanel handbags. Do my eyes decieve me, or has she not aged, like at all? I'm not sure I'm loving the milkmaid braids – (I've been hearing this trend, first sported by Sienna Miller, is going to be cropping up more and more over the coming weeks) – but Christy pulls it off. I think she could wear a a crazy red-clown wig and still look stunning.
Who's your favorite supermodel?

beauty duty 03/18/08

A Touch of Blusher picks the top 10 spring 2008 collections.
All About the Pretty has found damage control for her hair Aveda Damage Remedy!
Beautiful Makeup Search has an exclusive sneak peek at the Lancome Summer Collection: Cabana Bronze.
KRiSTOPHER found the ring she's going to marry herself with.
Lipstick, Powder 'n Paint is in love with Lancôme's recently released a collection Château Garden Party. Could Spring be finally here?
Eco-chic or eco-weak? Makeup Moxie reviews Nvey Eco Organic Erase concealer.
Product Girl shows us what Elizabeth Arden's Intervene Foundation actually looks like on!
Lianne from TheMakeupGirl checks out Clinique's Nude Blush collection...
WE LOVE BEAUTY.com & Celebrity Stylemaker Mark Townsend give the 411 on how to get Natalie Portman's hairstyle from ELLE Magazine.

skin fix: john masters organics blood orange & vanilla body milk

Now that the weather is regaining some sense of normalcy (read: the sun has returned!), I'm dreaming of hot summer days and pretty flowy dresses. While we're not quite there yet (it's still pretty frigid up here in Canada), I can channel a little summertime from the creamsicle-scented John Masters Organics Blood Orange & Vanilla Body Milk. And when I say "creamsicle", I don't mean that artificial kind of vanilla-y scent: this stuff evokes the smell of a bowlful of vanilla bean ice cream mixed with fresh and juicy orange wedges (but it's still delightfully subtle). The body milk itself is super-luxurious, fast-absorbing and leaves my skin super-silky. (It's light, so you don't feel coated in layers of oils or glycerin, which makes it perfect for warmer weather.) And it's packed with only the best natural ingredients such as safflower oil and sea algae to hydrate without any of those unnecessary additives.

island girl: evangeline lilly for cool water woman

Along with all things beauty, Lost is another of my obsessions and has become appointment-viewing for me. I love that it defies all logic – and pretty much all storytelling convention – and leaves me scratching my head for days afterwards. And one of my favorite actors on the show is Evangeline Lilly, otherwise known as beautiful fugitive and robber Kate Austen. She always manages to look naturally stunning while stranded on a "deserted" island, which is why she's probably the perfect choice to front Coty's Cool Water Woman fragrance. According to Women's Wear Daily, Lilly's TV and print ads for the fragrance will break in July. She joins the ranks of Josh "Sawyer" Holloway, who's the face of the men's Cool Water. And yay, she's Canadian!

fixation: MAC beauty powder blush

Don't hate me, but I've become a little blase about MAC lately. I'll chalk it up to collection fatigue, since they seem to come out with a new round of products every week – sometimes not the most wearable shades (read: bright, and verging on garrish). But occasionally, as with the stunning N Collection, they introduce something that just makes me giddy like a schoolgirl, and right now, that would be MAC Beauty Powder Blush. (They had me at "silky-fine and shot with pearl".) The colors are gorgeous and naturally flattering – from peachy-pink to browny-plum – there's probably a blush here to suit every skin tone. They're subtly shimmery, so we're not talking Mariah Carey glitter – just lovely, sheer and luminescent color. My faves: Shy Beauty, an apricot that's a ringer for Nars Orgasm, and Secret Blush, a neutral plum. Both are infused with a lovely gold pearl.

sugarshock gets a new home

If you've been on SugarShock in the last little while, you may have noticed a little changing of the guard going on: yes, we have a new home! We wanted a new, punchier and shorter domain, so sugarshockbeauty.com was born. We're still hosted by Blogger and everything should redirect automatically, so not to worry if you're frantically searching for that coveted lipgloss or perfume we reviewed on the site a year ago - it's all still there, just under the new sugarshockbeauty domain. But please update your bookmarks to the new site.
Enjoy!
:)
Kristen

styleshock: kate beckinsale at david letterman

I didn't always like Kate Beckinsale - for the longest time, I thought: while she's exceptionally beautiful, she's kind of a mediocre actress and there doesn't seem to be much substance underneath that pretty face. But I think that all changed for me after I read the cover story on Kate in this month's Allure. I'm not sure if it was just good PR spin or what, but for some reason – (probably that she went to Oxford and studied Russian and French literature and disdains the superficiality of Hollywood) – I now kind of respect her. Certainly, she's never missed a beat on the red-carpet either, and her recent appearance at the Late Show with David Letterman is no exception. Love her long, Veronica Lake-style locks, pinky-peach cheeks and bubble-gum pink lips. But I'm especially loving her mossy-green smokey eye. In the past, it used to be a makeup no-no to match your makeup to your outfit, but times are a-changin', and this look seems fresh and new (and far from tacky). I think it works here because the eye is not a perfect match to the color of the outfit (a tealy-green) and thus doesn't look as contrived.
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