Urban Vancouver

So Derek and I are down in Seattle for a few days. He is attending the Gnomedex conference, and I am going shopping (yay!) I need a few back-to school clothing pieces as I’m working five days a week this year — at least that’s my excuse. I love shopping “cross-border”. There is such a better selection in the USA. I also get to check-out some stores we don’t have in Canada.

L’Occitane has a new Hair Care line. Each product in the collection contains five essential oils designed to strengthen, repair, regenerate, and soften the hair: Angelica, Lavender, Geranium, Ylang-ylang and Patchouli. I’m thinking of buying the Aromachologie Discipline Mist ($20). I tried it out yesterday, and while it did not leave my hair smelling as good as I’d hoped, it did do a great job to re-invigorate my curls after the long drive from Vancouver to Lynwood, where I went shopping at Alderwood Mall.

Today we are going to head-up to one of my favourite Seattle neighbourhoods: Capitol Hill. Home of my first taste of Urban Outfitters, Capitol Hill (aka “Broadway”) is also the colourful gay district, and it has loads of great shops and restaurants.

To change the topic, have you seen the site YearbookYourself yet? You can take a picture of your face and morph it into a yearbook-style photo. The best part is that you can pick dates starting from 1950! The photo below is me, circa 1952. (Thanks to Mace for the idea.)

And here’s Kerry Anne, also 1952.

This week we review:

Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics Dream Tint

(Big) Sexy Hair Root Pump Voluminizing Spray Mousse

Tarte provocateur pressed mineral powder (spf 8)

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew anti-sun-damage daily moisture lotion

Pureology DryShine Styler

Books

Airdrie recommends:

“Nights In Rodanthe” by Nicholas Sparks. Soon to be a movie with Richard Gere and Diane Lane.
trailer:

Kerry Anne recommends:

The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland

Movies

Airdrie recommends: “The Other Boleyn Girl”
trailer:

Links

Pin Up hair how-to’s on YouTube

America the Beautiful
Booty Boosters at LoveMyBubbles.com (via Styledash)
Brad Pitt hooks up with Kiehl’s for an ecofriendly aloe bodywash
Russell Brand and his podcast

We all know that Air has been quite the activist for the Original Tampax, but KA has been using o.b. for years, so was totally on board when we were contacted by the people at Matchstick, sent a free trial kit, and asked to spread the word about them.
Not only are o.b. tampons tiny and discreet, but they’re better for the environment than other brands. Did you know that o.b. tampons create 58% less waste than brands with applicators?

Get your own free trial case of o.b. mighty.small. tampons, and if you’ve got a couple minutes, fill out the Blog Reader Survey.

I used to blog privately at another location, but have decided to meld my personal blog to the Lip Gloss and Laptops Podcast Blog. I will not only be talking about beauty, but all sorts of things. Welcome new and old readers. Please leave comments and feedback.

You don’t have to listen to my podcast to enjoy this blog. Just wait and see!

You will notice my friend Kerry Anne will also be blogging here. Look under the title of the post for her name or my name so you know wrote it.

Today’s tip is a great free e-card service called Someecards.com. I absolutely love them.

Yesterday I attended the first ever VinoCamp, organized by some Vancouver Social Media people and in celebration of the local wine industry here in BC. It was a fantastic day. I got to taste wine from all over BC, and also sipped a few expensive wines that I otherwise could not afford.

I did not live-blog the event, but the lovely ladies over at the Full-Bodied wine blog did. Check them out for a full report of all the wine stuff we experienced. My favourite talk was on wine glasses by the people at Riedel. We each got a Riedel wine glass to take home as a gift. I also enjoyed a talk by Chef Bal Arneson on healthy Indian cooking for the modern woman!

Great photos of the event were taken by Megan Cole, available on Flickr.

Extra special thanks to my husband for driving me too and from the event, which was held at the UBC Botanical Gardens.

Curly Hair Product Recommendations & Links

Listener Picks:

Jessicurl An independent line for curly hair exclusively.
NaturallyCurly.com A website devoted to everything curly! Discover what “curl-type” you are.
DevaCurl “One Condition”
Bumble and Bumble Tonic
PureOlogy Nanoworks Luxury Hair Mask
Biolage Gelee hair gel
Infusium Repairologie Shampoo & Conditioner
Mixed Chicks product line for curly hair

Airdrie’s Product Picks:
Kerastase Elasto Curl ($30)

Pantene Style Curl Shaper aka Curls Anti-frizz Creme (< $10)

Sebastian Whipped Creme Light Conditioning Style Whip ($18)

Aveda Confixor Liquid Gel
Joico K-PAK Protect & Shine Serum
Pantene Style Always Smooth Anti-Frizz Serum

MAC Lustre Twins

MAC has released nine shades of Longwear Lustre Lipcolour. The double sided tube features a rich lip colour, and a sheerly shaded topcoat. Airdrie tried it in Pink Air/White Top and found it long-wearing and still comfortable. Also in the collection are three nailpolishes.

Links

Urbanella specializes products for curly, kinky and wavy hair Calvin Klein’s Secret Obsession Perfume ad, starring the very hot Eva Mendes, garners the product way more publicity for not being shown on TV. Check it out at Superficial Diva.

Song

It’s “Falling Down” by Duran Duran, baby!

Talk about gay pride, fireworks, greek and hindu mythology, and sweet sounds from the Yams.

Talk about gay pride, fireworks, greek and hindu mythology, and sweet sounds from the Yams.

Community Relations Assistant - Carolina Hurricanes (Raleigh, NC) [ http://hockeyjobs.nhl.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=19524 ] Communications Team Member - Anaheim Ducks (Anaheim, CA) [ http://hockeyjobs.nhl.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=19825 ] DELTA DENTAL ICE TEAM MEMBER - Philadelphia Flyers (Philadelphia, PA) [ http://hockeyjobs.nhl.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=19537 ] MARKETING MANAGER - Philadelphia Flyers (Philadelphia, PA) [ http://hockeyjobs.nhl.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=19862 ]

[Download the show now]

Podcast Puppy via Air’s Flickr

Murad Age Reform Intensives with Durian Cell Reform

Rimmel Wear Maxx Nail Polish

Sunsilk Waves of Envy Sea Mist

Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara
Matrix Sleek.Look Shampoo and Conditioner

Links

Free Stuff at Allure mag!
Feist
J Brand Jeans is making jeans for curvy women under their new Blue Label. Skinny jeans and regular jeans that have more thigh room and they won’t gape at the waist. Hallelujah! Now if I could only justify spending $160 on jeans instead of groceries.
Harvey’s Original Seatbelt Bags at Hipundies

Apple Bottoms Jeans

Broken Social Scene
“Love And Mathematics” (mp3)
from “Noise Factory Sampler Vol. 02″
(Noise Factory)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon
Buy at GroupieTunes
Buy at mTraks Download
More On This Album

Scotty Bowman already has a hockey job but you can have one too! Media/Public Relations Assistant - New York Islanders (Uniondale, NY) [ http://hockeyjobs.nhl.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=19501 ] Director of In-Game Entertainment - New Jersey Devils (Newark, NJ) [ http://hockeyjobs.nhl.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=19465 ] Director of Marketing - Boston Bruins (Boston, MA) [ http://hockeyjobs.nhl.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=19463 ] Partnership Marketing Manager - Columbus Blue Jackets (Columbus, Ohio) [ http://hockeyjobs.nhl.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=19462 ]

[Download the show]

MAC Sonic Chic Mineralize Blush

MAC New View Mineralize SkinFinish Duo

Heidi Klum’s In An Instant


Aussie “Opposites Attract” line of hair-care products.

CoverGirl “Eye Enhancers” - This new shade collection from CoverGirl was designed by P&G Creative Director and world-famous make-up maven, Pat McGrath. It includes bright, bold, trendy colours called “Blast” colours and pairs these with sheer layerable “Enhance” colours. Available in 1, 3, and 4-colour kits, these products are priced-right for those wanting a runway look at a drugstore price.

Pacifica “Nerola Orange Blossom” Perfume

Links

Eat Pray Love
The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy
Last Comic Standing
Sean Cullen
Britain’s Missing Top Model
e-mancipate (a project to accelerate the acceptance of male pantyhose as a regular clothing item)

Reality Check

You’d think it’d be enough to have to sport an ugly bridesmaids dress. Nuh-uh. Some demanding brides are asking their maids of honour enhance their appearance with spray-on tans, teeth whitening, botox and breast augmentation. (hat tips to BoingBoing and The New York Times)

Tommy Tutone
“867-5309/Jenny” (mp3)
from “The Singles”
(Spectra Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Pure Tracks
Buy at Amazon
Buy at GroupieTunes
Buy at mTraks Download
More On This Album

John is back for a super special Six Song with a theme. In fact it’s so special, there are actually seven songs for your listening pleasure.

• Dandy Warhols - Mohammed, Nietzche
• Local H - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Rock, 500,000 Scovilles, What Can I Tell You
• Less Than Jake - Motto, History of a Boring Town

And yes, I produced this episode hence the many many seconds of non-speaking at the beginning. But hey, I don’t claim to be a radio professional by any means eh. Thank goodness for podcasting.