WE ASK THE BRAND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER FOR 3 MEGA BRANDS WHAT’S IN HER MAKEUP BAG
As told to Amanda Elizabeth Smith
I often joke that I must have been born with genes coded for fashion and beauty. It’s a love affair that is embedded deep in my DNA. As luck would have it, my professional path has fulfilled my personal passion and I’ve been enjoying working in Public Relations for over eight years now, touching on many areas from media relations for the Vancouver 2010 Games, to communications projects for a variety of companies while with a PR Agency.
With an unexpected move to Montréal, I found myself courting L’Oréal Canada specifically for a role with Maybelline New York and Garnier. It has been a dream come true for me to work so intimately in the world of beauty while doing what I love in Public Relations. I am able to be creative and bold in my work, and have the exciting opportunity of playing with products before they touch the shelves, and then figuring out how to communicate their potential in an innovative way with top Canadian beauty press. This year Maybelline New York became the Official Makeup Sponsor of World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto, a project that I was excited to lead for our team – bringing my two passions, beauty and fashion, even closer together.
I’m a true advocate of a solid skin care regimen. You’ll always find my bathroom stocked with skincare products I’m testing to find just the perfect combination for my skin – a never ending quest and a quirk about myself that I relish. For me this ritual includes a great cleanser followed up with a serum, moisturizer and eye cream. In the morning, using a moisturizer with SPF is a must. Before bed I like to treat my skin with a new found favourite, Garnier’s Dark Spot Peel, to combat any signs of unwanted sunspots.
During the day if I don’t have any events or meetings with editors, I like to keep it simple with a really clean look. This consists of Maybelline’s BB cream, concealer for my unwanted dark circles, blush, many coats of my favourite mascara, finished with ‘Cherry Me’ Baby Lips balm. For evening, I like to bump up the drama on my makeup. My ‘look-du-jour’ has been a flawless complexion, really intense cat eye with a subtly wine stained lip – which is super easy to achieve and fun for fall.
I’m totally spoiled to be working with three amazing brands, Maybelline New York, Garnier and Essie, and they easily fill up my makeup bag. My must have items if I had to choose are Maybelline’s Fit Me! Foundation, Garnier’s Dark Circle Roller, Maybelline One-by-One Mascara, Baby Lips Lip Balm and Bouncy Blush in ‘Coffee Cake’. I am totally impressed by each of my brands and their fantastic products, but I feel compelled to make mention of my all-time favourite Essie nail polish shades, ‘Mint Candy Apple’ (chic and whimsical) and ‘A-List’ (that classic red). This is an adored brand and it lives up to the hype – there is a shade (or four!) for every girl.
Can you share any beauty secrets with us?
1) Exfoliate your lips! This fall I’m loving the deep lip hues of oxblood and black cherry and we are seeing them everywhere. But to achieve this look well, it’s important that your lips are exfoliated to avoid having the lip colour crease into the chapped cracks of your lips.
2) Bold brows are back. An easy way to get a fuller eyebrow is to use a brow pencil in a shade darker than your natural eyebrow. A few feather-light strokes of the pencil and you’ll have a bolder but natural-looking, groomed eyebrow. With this look its best to opt for a clean, nude (makeup) palette that doesn’t compete with your new brow style.
3) Care for your nails! Nails are one of women’s most important accessories. So if you’re like me and love doing a home mani, it’s super important to have the right tools and products for your kit –a nail file, base coat, top coat, cuticle oil – and some sassy colours.
