Hey everyone!
So as you may have noticed, if you tend to peruse around the Rideau Centre alot, The Body Shop recently closed down for a little while for renovations. Trust me, it was well worth the wait. They just opened up their new "Pulse Boutique" and I got to go to the opening event for the new store! At the event they had makeup artist Bahar Niramwalla (tweet her @BaharNiramwalla!) who's been featured on The Marilyn Denis Show and she does work for The Globe and Mail as well! Bahar was so sweet and she looked flawless! She walked me through both of The Body Shop's new makeup collections and gave me some special tips and tricks too.
Here's a little quote from the press release that I got at the event on what the new Pulse boutiques are all about:
"Pulse is where our new beauty movement will come to life. With skincare, make-up, body care and values centre stage, Pulse creates a unique and memorable experience that engages, educates and informs. An innovative range of products inspired by nature, bursting with sensorial incredients that tell a rich human story and addiontional in-store campaign-led events will capture the imagination of customers to actively participate in The Body Shop community, aiming to make the world a better place. Pulse is where activism, beauty and community collide!" - The Body Shop on their new "Beauty with heart" innitiative starting with the Pulse Boutiques.
Sounds great huh? It really is! The new store in the Rideau Centre is absolutely beautiful and dare I say it...flawless. It's alot more open looking and everything is so easy to find! Everything is neatly organized and there are little stations that invite you to try the products for yourself. One of the new features of the store is two twin tables that showcase their best products and really encourage you to sit down and get informed. It makes shopping there so much more interactive and informative. Another new thing that I love is that every Pulse boutique will now have a make-up artist (everyone loves a free makeover!) and skincare specialist present at all times instore when you go in. I am one of those people that gets completely overwelmed at stores (Yes I'm a beauty guru and blogger and even I still get confused) and I absolutely love it when people that specialize in what I'm looking for are present, especially when it comes to skincare. So many people do not know how to properly take care of their skin so I think it's so important to have someone that can really explain things to you in a way that is personalized to your own needs. I love all the community outreach initiatives that The Body Shop is taking and all the values that they stand for. I absolutely love that they are against animal testing, which has always been a big thing for me. The new boutique is very Parisian chic in my opinion. They have new antique-looking decor that just gives it a really chic yet home-y feeling:
I was in love witrh this beautiful candle display ontop of the makeup area. So pretty and deffinitelly gave it a kind of country home-y feel.
Now that I've told you a little bit about the new store concept, here's a little look at The Body Shop's awesome new makeup collections:
Honey Bronze
I was in love with this collection from the moment I saw it!
If you want tan and glowy skin for the Spring and Summer then this is your go-to collection.
The collection includes a shimmering dry oil, brilliance powder, a bronzing gel for face, bronzing power, and two lip nectars. All of these products look great and the day right after the event I ordered 3 of them (and I still really want the lip nectars!)! The most coveted product from the collection is the Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil which is already selling like hotcakes (so run to your Pulse boutique and pick it up!!). It's a lightweight and non-greacy oil with a bit of shimmer that will leave your skin with a beautiful tan and glow. It's streak-free and long lasting plus its made from Community Fair Trade honey and beeswax. This product really does look incredible. Also, another product that I'm loving from their new collection is the bronzing powder. Bahar showed me what is so great about these bronzers. Unlike many bronzers, they are COMPLETELY matte which is hard to find. So if you don't want any of that annoying shimmer all over your face, this is perfect for you. Also, the shades are not harsh. There are four different shades and none of them are too dramatic so your skin really will look like it has a natural glow. To check out the Honey Bronze collection go to your nearest The Body Shop or check it out online at
http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/shop-by-line/honey-bronze.aspx 
Extra Virgin
Another great collection! This one focuses on mineral foundations. The foundations are available in three formats: Cream, Liquid, and Loose Powder. I love this because it offers different options for everyone and comes in a wide variety of shades (12 to be exact!). It's lightweight and won't make you feel like you're wearing a ton of makeup, which I love. Everyone hates feeling like they have makeup caked up on their face and this collections products deffinitely won't do that. The cream compact foundation comes with its own built-in brush and mirror. It has medium to full coverage and gives a matte finish. It's made with marula oil that will give you up to 14 hours of moisturization! The liquid foundation (usually my favorite kind of foundation format) offers a light to medium coverage and a great fresh finish. It is blendable and also contains the marula oil as well as extra virgin olive oil. The loose power foundation blends easily and gives your complexion a radiant finish. It gives adjustable coverage that reduces the appearance of redness. The whole line is 100% Pure, Fair Trade Incredients and 100% Vegetarian! All of the formulas are non-irritating because they are fragrance and paraben-free as well as suitable for all skin types. Check it out at
http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/makeup/mineral-makeup.aspx
And now for a few tips and tricks on how to turn your The Body Shop products into multi-purpose products with Bahar!
One of the fun tips she showed me is how to use The Body Shop's "Metallic Eye Definer" for more then just to line your eyes with! There eye liners are so creamy, blendable and super pigmented. I seriously want them all. Bahar showed me that you can use these as an eye shadow base to really bring out the color and the full potential of your eye shadow. She recommended using them as a base for their "baked eye shadow" since not many people really get the full potential out of these beautiful shadows. She blended the eye liner on her hand and then patted a shadow ontop of it and it really brought its color out. Try it for yourself instore! These metallic liners are a great multi-purpose product but you can do this with any similar products at home.
Bahar is a big fan of finding multiple uses for products. She also showed me how to turn a lipstick into a creamy blush! She used a beautiful coral color (pictured above) and blended it out to show me how you can use it for blush. A little really goes a long way and this color is totally on trend right now for Spring and Summer! It's perfect because it gives you the same color on your cheeks as you have on your lips. Love this tip!
I would have never guessed that lipgloss could double as an eyeshadow primer and as a highlight but it does! Bahar said you can use a small dab of this lipgloss as primer or as a shimmery highlight. She loves the new Honey Bronze collection! She also said she likes to use the dry oil in her hair because it works sort of like an argan oil. It makes her hair feel moisturized, soft, yummy-smelling and gives it a bit of shimmer. I am deffinitely going to be trying that when I get my dry oil!
A big thank you to Cheryl and Bahar for being so informative and making me feel so at home at The Body Shop! I had a great time and learned so many fun things about the new store. I really hope you will all check out the new store and all the great features it has to offer. They have a great promotion going on right now: Buy 1 get 1 50% off and buy 2 get 1 free!
P.S. Check out Fave's next issue for Bahar's favorite eyebrow product!
Tweet me anytime @canadianbeautyg
and you can find me at youtube.com/canadianbeautygen
xo
- Gen
