Posts Tagged ‘ilia’

I’ve had my share of Valentine’s Day beauty bloopers;  too-tight spanx, lipstick on the teeth, hair going flat or poofing in the humidity (after spending two and a half hours on it).  Date Nights are what make playing dress up fun for adult girly-girls!  This Valentine’s Day, whether it’s a night out with the girls or a romantic dinner date, learn from my past mistakes with these Date Night Beauty Dos and Don’ts!

I love an elegant updo but the 45 bobby pins and half bottle of hairspray it takes to lock it in are sooo not sexy.  Always rock a hairstyle that’s like a great date; up for anything.  Fivel’s pretty, loose waves are just as good for dinner at ABC Kitchen as they are for a long walk on the Marina.  To get this touchable look, wash and condition with shine-boosting, softening  Acure Organics Moroccan Argan Oil + Argan Stem Cell Duo, then mist it all over with Yarok Feed Your Ends Leave-In Conditioner and let it air dry while hand-twisted up in ringlets.  If your hair won’t hold a curl to save its life, give it a once-over scrunching with Amazon Beauty Rahua Voluminous Hairspray while you untwist it.  It’ll give you extra hold but still feel soft, not crunchy.

Too much foundation and powder are like armour against your date.  You’re not on camera (we hope), so let your skin shine through and glow!  To get Vanessa’s bronze babe look, treat yourself the night before to a Chocolate Sun Cocoa Glow Sunless Tanning session – the obligatory  pretanning exfoliation will make your skin softer and the tanning will disguise any flaws.  The night of, make your collarbones, calves, and decollete pop with a kiss of Vapour Organic Beauty Halo Body Spotlight.  Don’t overdo the powder or foundation!

Fact: Dates don’t like lipstick.  As sexy and confident as it makes you feel when you’re wearing it, it really doesn’t say “come hither” to your date the way we’d think.  Look pretty, polished, and attract attention to your lips and cheeks by using sheer, cream color instead.  It helps if it’s edible too, like Ilia Pure Lip Care and Kjaer Weis Cream Blush Compact.

Fragrance should always be personal. I’ve always believed that only the person lucky enough to be very close to you should smell it on you, not everyone in the room with you!  Don’t wear a synthetic fragrance that’s so common it may trigger a subconscious association with the other 100 women your date may have smelled it on and don’t wear so much of it that your date can’t smell their food.  Tata Harper Body Oil and Honore des Pres Vamp a NY are my go-to get-close, sexy scents.

Stress isn’t cute. Whether you’re worried about what your date thinks of you or your worried about not having a date, worrying about either never got me anything but extra worry-wrinkles!  Invite and attract the love you seek with a little help from Katie Hess’ magical Lotus Wei Infinite Love flower elixirs.

Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or just a night off from work/kids/school, beauty should be part of the fun, not the chore! Avoid making it anything but love-ly with these dos and don’ts and SHARE YOUR DATE NIGHT BEAUTY DOS AND DON’TS with us on Facebook!

 

 

Her new line of luxury lip conditioners, ILIA BEAUTY,  flies off our shelves and can be found in nearly every green girls’ clutch.  I caught up with Ilia Beauty founder and creative director Sasha Plavsic in between jets for a girl-talk and thought you’d like to meet her!

SD: It seems like every time we talk you’re in a different city; Montreal, Bali, NYC, Hong Kong…Is it business, pleasure or both?

SP: Lately it’s been mostly business, but definitely not without a little pleasure mixed in. I’ve been told I have the nomad disease, and having lived in a several cities I’ve met some great friends around the world. Over time its made it easy to go somewhere, and know there will be a someone to spend time with outside of working hours, and why not let that place be Hong Kong or Bali!

SD: How do you stay radiant with the stress of travel, different climates, air quality, water quality…It must be hard to maintain a beauty routine?!

SP: Its especially tricky the past few months since there’s been more travel than expected and the shift of starting a new business to boot. Near the end of last year, I was sick with a strange flu for two months. There were many planes, trains and automobiles involved. As well, long days and long nights. It really highlighted the fact that it is important to take care of ourselves. Being run down and sick, isn’t much use to anyone. Taking extra sleep, and eating well go a long way.

SD: What are your travel essentials?

SP: Bee Propolis to help fight off viruses on the plane, Emergen-C – to keep immunity up, and homeopathic No-Jet-Lag pills to help ease the time transitions.  Kahina Giving Beauty Toning Mist - very refreshing during travel times, Lotus Wei Joy Juice Energy Mist - the perfect pick-me-up when you’re worn down.  A favourite purchase from last Fall was a huge scarf from Denis Colomb that doubles as a blanket. Its been my saving grace on the plane, or when it feels cold a night.

SD: Where does the name Ilia come from?

SP: It’s a family name and stems from my Great Grandfather. He owned a shoe boutique in Belgrade at the turn of the century and was known for his attention to detail and customer service. It was important to have a brand embody these qualities and hold some tradition.

SD: Why did you start the line?

SP: It was a happy accident. I was doing some freelance packaging design for a larger cosmetic company in California right when the recession hit. Taking a closer look at the product and the market made me realize there wasn’t much being offered in the organic realm that appealed to myself or my friends. Reading ingredients labels became a new hobby and when I couldn’t understand what most of them were on the back the box, it brought some questions to mind about what I was blindly buying. The line was created with full transparency and I would like people to like ILIA for how it  feels, and performs. All the other details about being organic and sustainability are my responsibility as a creator of product. If a customer chooses to support those ideals, all the better.

SD: What are the future plans for Ilia?  More colors? Different products?

SP: We are growing! For Spring 2012 we will have a new Lipstick formula which is more matte in 6 new shades, 2 new limited edition Lip Conditioners, 4 Multi-Sticks for lips and cheeks, and 2 Illuminators. From here we will continue to grow gradually over the course of this year with new products and shades.

SD: Can’t wait! What are your favorite eco/organic spots (shops, restaurants, juice bars, resorts?) around the world?

SP: For food, my hometown has loads of eco/organic options. Axe in Venice is one of my favorite places to eat. Great, local organic food, and the atmosphere is also very nice. For resorts, Asia Spa magazine has great coverage on different eco spots in and around Asia, which is always a nice place to go!

SD: What’s your eco sin?

SP: I am notorious for forgetting to bring a bag to the grocery store. So, I try to jam my purse full instead and then carry the rest out with my arms. Oh and seaweed snacks – its mind boggling to think that those snacks can dissolve down to the size of a dime yet come in packaging with dimensions like that of a brick. Final note – sushi packaging. Someone please come up with a better alternative, you could have a lucrative business!

SD: Are you one of those women who puts on lipstick to take the garbage to the curb?

SP: Yes and no. The conditioners were created to replace an old tinted lip balm I’d been using for several years. Usually before leaving the house in the morning, I would use the balm, which was subtle and kept my lips feeling good! As for lipstick, I do love a bright shade when in the mood for some extra punch and leaving the house with a little lipstick in tow can make just about any woman feel good.

SD: What is your guilty pleasure?

SP: I am something of a clothes horse, yet like to believe less is more and quality prevails: Rag & Bone, Isabel Marant,.. and of course wine and chocolate after dinner…repeated too many times over the holidays with a follow up of coffee and Baileys in the morning.

SD: What is a charity or non-profit organization you’re passionate about and why?

SP: Oceana is a non-profit group that works to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Did you know we have managed to destroy over one third of our coral reefs since the early 80′s?  It took thousands of years for these coral reefs to grow and in only 30 years we’ve managed to nearly wipe out half of them from existence! It’s something I am very passionate about, and believe we have a limited amount of time to salvage what is left. ILIA is looking into setting up its own program to help educate and bring awareness to this cause.

SD: Why are natural and non-toxic ingredients important to you?  Have they always been or was there an epiphany?

SP: It was always there in the background growing up. I was raised on the west coast and had a little brother who was very sick as a kid. Ingredients in food and cleaning products were commonly questioned at home. Moving back to the West Coast in 2005 rekindled that awareness which grew into a desire to know what I was putting in and on my body. It was a domino effect and I hope ILIA will inspire people to question what they are using in their day to day lives.

SD: Any New Year’s Resolutions?

SP:  keep a clear mind, an open heart and balance it all out as best I can!

See more of Sasha’s eco-beauty essentials featured at Spirit Beauty Lounge!