Photo Finish Primer (Smashbox’s signature product) is an oil-free primer that you apply to your skin just after you’ve applied a moisturizer and before your foundation to fill fine lines and wrinkles. Along with helping minimize fine lines, it also helps set your make-up for those hot and humid days (or nights). Since the clear gel primer is colourless, it’s suitable for any skin tone and ideal for ethnic beauties who often struggle to find the perfect shade of make-up.

Some companies package their primers in tubes (like Laura Mercier Primer), while other cosmetic companies put their primer in airless pump (like Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer). Classified Cosmetics uses the same spray pumps for their Era® Primer as they use for their signature Era® Face spray foundations (they carry a wide colour palette of spray foundation colours from very fair skins like Cate Blanchett or Gwyneth Paltrow to darker complexions like Patti LaBelle and Whoopi Goldberg)

The Era® Primer is the first and only patented aerosol make-up translucent primer on the market. It only takes a few seconds for you to achieve a flawless canvas for your face, eye lids and lips.

The first time I wore Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, I immediately noticed how different my make-up looked at the end of a long evening of cheek kissing, smiling, eating and laughing. Usually, my face is oily and the make-up just doesn’t look as fresh as it did when I first applied it. Thanks to this primer, my make-up looked untouched and that was enough for me to be hooked to this great new cosmetic find.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer is the best-selling primer and it has also been voted by In Style UK as “Best Primer” as part of their “2007 In Style Hall of Fame” and it was also voted “2007 Winner Best of Sephora”.

As I was coming home this evening, I noticed that MAC Cosmetics just launched a new collection of vibrant colours for the holidays. The new collection is named Originals.

It’s not so much the colours of lipsticks that made me want to sit down and write this quick post, but rather the fact that MAC Cosmetics’ Originals Collection model is well into her 60s if not 70s.

***Best Beauty Gifts***

I’ve been watching the American version of TLC’s ‘What Not to Wear,” currently hosted by Stacey London and Clinton Kelly, since it first aired.

I’ll be honest, I live vicariously through these women who are awarded US$5,000, two personal stylists, one hairdresser and one make-up artist to basically reinvent themselves. Mind you, I don’t envy them being voted by friends, family members and colleagues as fashion and style misfits … which is the only way you can get on the show.

I always have admired how Carmindy (the make-up artist) can transform any face.

***Best Beauty Gifts***

Manicure shops are about to be super-busy with women begging to get their cuticles under control for party season. If you don’t have time to book a manicure, the next best thing is to do your own manicure. Just like make-up or skin care, it’s all about having the right know-how and the right tools. When most big name celebrities are looking to have perfect hands for a photo shoot or before stepping on the red-carpet, they speed dial Deborah Lippmann’s private line and fly her in.

Deborah Lippmann has been creating some of the most trend setting manicures for major international fashion magazines such as In Style, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Vogue for over a decade. She’s also created sophisticated nails for the cast of “Sex in the City” and the presenters at VH1 Divas, and the 1999 Academy Awards® and Emmy Awards®.

***Best Beauty Gifts***

This Australian lipstick advocate native (now living in New York City) is surely determined to break the cycle of lip gloss domination.

It’s been a good five to six years now that a tube of lip gloss has been the undisputed staple in most women’s makeup bag. Well, Poppy King loves lipstick and she’s bringing it back to the forefront (not that it ever left the stage!).

Since 1992, King has given into her obsession and has been creating beautiful lipsticks (and a few lip glosses along the way) that have a lot of pigments: “I am obsessed with the lips and every possible color, texture, finish and technology there is to make your lips look amazing”.

***Best Beauty Gifts***

Balmshell Cosmetics is the labour of love of two self-described “cosmetic junkies”. Jennifer and Fiona Lees are Canadian identical twin sisters who have created a new collection of lip glosses.
Now, if you are thinking: not another lip gloss, I’ll have to correct you. First, you can never have too many lip glosses in my opinion and second Balmshell is about to become the lip gloss every single one of your girlfriends cannot stop talking about.

The #1 rule in marketing is all about creating an attractive packaging that will engage buyers … Balmshell is that and much, much more.

***Best Beauty Gifts***

Melanie, creator of Dalish Cosmetics, had an epiphany while reading a copy of Elle magazine and decided to create a line of cosmetics specifically targeted to the busy woman on the go. Dalish Cosmetics comes in a small recyclable cardboard canister that is conveniently designed for the gym, business trips, sleepovers or for a complete make-over after work. The ingenious packaging is very handbag friendly and contains every thing you need for perfect make-up on the go. Dalish Cosmetics’ canister include: three blendable concealers/foundations, cream blush, two lip glosses, two eye shadows, a highlighter, mascara and an eyeliner.

***Best Beauty Gifts***

In October we had highlighted Pink Beauty’s contribution to Breast Cancer Awareness month.
But, if you’ve not yet been introduced to Pink Beauty Cosmetics, let me oblige:
Pink Beauty Cosmetics was created by April Jacob. April has been a makeup artist for over a decade and she’s worked with a long list of high-profile clients that include actors, athletes, politicians and CEOs. Her work has appeared in notable publications such as Time, People, Entertainment Weekly and Women’s Sports Illustrated.

There will always be an association for me between April and Bobbi Brown, because I still remember her as the pretty girl who helped me select some of my Bobbi Brown makeup.

***Best Beauty Gifts***

When I first met Beau at a recent beauty event, one of his assistants judiciously revealed that Beau had just done Iman’s makeup for Project Runway Canada. I literally gasped because I simply L-O-V-E Celebrity Beauty Match Pick Iman and I’ve admired her since the first time I saw her on the cover of a glossy brochure for Yves Saint Laurent makeup. That statement quickly established Beau’s reputation as a makeup artist. Obviously, this only made discovering his new line of lip volumizer glosses that more intriguing.

I was quite curious to understand why Beau Nelson had focused on lips.

***Best Beauty Gifts***

When you think of makeup, you think of NARS, L’Oreal Paris, Christian Dior, Bobbi Brown, Stila Cosmetics, MAC Cosmetics, Chanel, Shu Uemura, Iman Cosmetics, Laura Mercier, Yves Saint Laurent, Prescriptives and Estee Lauder to name a few of the giants.

Theses cosmetic companies have been dominating the market for decades. Recently, a number of newcomers are generating a lot of buzz and a steady base of fans. If you’ve not yet heard of the companies I’m about to share with you … don’t worry. These companies are making a name for themselves by creating makeup lines that are very distinct or simply by solely focusing on one aspect of a few well chosen products.

***Best Beauty Gifts***
If you’ve not caught wind of Sephora’s list of best-selling products for 2007, you’ll want to take a look at this list because it might make your life a whole lot easier.

Let’s be honest, it’s not easy to figure out what to consider when it comes to makeup, skin care or hair care. Obviously, we are all different and we all have different beauty goals and beauty concerns. That said, when a product lands in the #1 spot, there is usually a reason and it’s at the very least worth taking a second look at it.

Being the huge beauty Goliath that Sephora is, we’ll separate the top seller by category to make it easier for you.

So let’s start with the colours you should consider.

***Best Beauty Gifts***
The cat is certainly out of the bag. It is not only possible to buy cosmetic products at a very reasonable prices, it’s also possible to offer really great gifts at an equally reasonable price.
e.l.f. cosmetics has a series of really great gift-giving ideas that will not put a dent on your budget.

Some of the really cool gift sets that caught our eye include:

* Master Set: You get over 100 e.l.f. cosmetics products for just $100!

* e.l.f. Professional 9 Piece Master Set: Brush sets are essential for any woman. If you’ve not yet ditched the brush sets that come with your favourite cosmetic products for a more professional set, this might be the time to do so for as little $15.

* NEW Hypershine Gloss Box Set of 8: This is truly the perfect gift! You get eight light-coloured hyper glass-like shine glosses all wrapped up in their pink box … for you or a friend!

***Best Beauty Gifts***

I also thought I was dreaming when I first found out about this cosmetic line because $1 for beauty products was simply unheard of. I mean you cannot even get those prices for damaged container sales or discontinued products, but it seems that an American cosmetic company has figured out a way of offering good quality cosmetics at only US$1.

I’ll say it again, this is THE season to play with make-up!

Laura Mercier has some incredible make-up sets for the holiday, but nothing comes close in terms of sheer decadence as Laura Mercier’s Diamond Collection.

The Diamond Collection is a sparkling collection of five new products: