The Unlucky Girl's Guide to Concealing Dark Undereye Circles

It's no secret: If you've been following my blog for awhile you know that I hate my dark under-eye circles and have complained about them numerous times. When I wake up in the morning I look like the grim reaper. The proof is in the pudding - look at the above photo! Yikes, hey?! I made sure I didn't have the flash on in one photo so you could see what they honestly look like, in all their glory. I guess I can thank genetics for these dark circles, I've had them forever. It also doesn't help that I am allergic to my cat and deal with allergies all year round. (I haven't breathed through my nose properly in six years! Why I kept the cat is a whole other post.) And unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to make them disappear, I have to conceal them instead. So how do I do that so people aren't scared of me when I walk down the street? I use some great products that I thought I'd share with you.

Hylexin Serious Dark Circles Eye Cream by Bremenn Researh Labs - I bought this because it had the word SERIOUS on it and I SERIOUSLY thought it was going to make my circles disappear but sadly it didn't. However, my under-eye area used to look worse before I started using this eye cream (SERIOUSLY), if you can imagine that! So although it's definitely not a miracle cream, it works. A little bit.

Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm - I've been using this for months now and it's a great eye cream. I put it on after I use the Hylexin. This balm is super hydrating and moisturizes well, helping with the redness and puffiness from my allergies. ***You need to use a good eye cream before applying concealer so that the concealer won't crack and look cakey.

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer - I talked about it here. It's my favorite. I've tried Benefit's Bo-oing Industrial Strength Concealer, Cle de Peau, Time Balm, Benefit's Erase Paste and numerous other concealers but this works best for me. Invest in a concealer that works well for you.

Smashbox Halo Yellow Color Correcting Hydrating Powder - I wish I would have known about this sooner! It has kinda changed my life. You know how after a couple of hours you apply your concealer under your eyes, the area starts to look a little grey and the product starts to seep into your fine lines (if you have them) making them look more pronounced? Well this stuff prevents that from happening and sets your concealer so that it stays on all day, while reducing the redness and purple-ish colors underneath your eyes. You can also use this on your whole face. It's totally worth the price! This is what it looks like when you take off the cap:

You just turn it and the powder slowly oozes out. I use a concealer brush to dab and apply it.

 Much better, right?

So those are the products I use to help with my dark under-eye circles! I hope this helps some of you with your circles, if you're lucky unlucky enough to have them ; ).

Into The Light

blazer - H & M, dress - thrifted, shoes - Aldo, purse + earrings - Banana Republic, rings - H & M and The Bay

photos by D.

This blazer is one of my favorite pieces in my closet, a staple I'll have forever which will never go out of style. (I love clothing like that!) And I think it was only $50 at H & M so SCORE! The dress is a cheapy little thing I bought for $10 if I remember correctly. Another score ; ).

How was your weekend? Mine was busy but productive and we had amazing, warm weather so I definitely took advantage of it by having a slurpee every day ; ). I wasn't looking forward to yesterday (Monday) because I had my first of two root canals yesterday. People, if you're getting a root canal do NOT google "root canal photos" before your appointment, it will invoke a type of fear you never thought existed. Even your teeth will be scared. I was in the chair practically shaking beforehand, thinking about what they were about to do but to be honest with you, it wasn't all that bad! I couldn't feel a thing. Except my jaw was sore when the dentist left me in the chair with a dental dam in my mouth for 15 minutes and I had to keep my mouth open the whole time. Like this:

No, this is NOT me, I don't have a moustache (that I know of), I got this photo off Google. Anyways, he just got up and left me there! I thought he had forgotten about me but he didn't. He eventually came back and fixed me up and I went on my way! With a very sore jaw.

My Life in Pics

L-R:

1.Magazine page from a shoot I styled for Georgie, out on stands now. 

(Will show you more once I get the tear sheets!)

2. My favorite chambray-ish top

3. Pug kisses!

4. Awesome fake eyelashes, c/o Noir Lash Lounge in Vancouver

 1. A gorgeous pink Vera Wang wedding dress I was drooling over at David's Bridal

2. Kitty and I cuddling on a Saturday morning

3. Horseback riding at my brother and sister-in-law's ranch

4. Did I mention they have a ton of horses?

1. My parents' camera which is older than I am

2. Kitty and D. getting their daily snuggle on. As soon as he sits or lays down, she's all over him! What a hussie.

3. Beautiful view of Edmonton's River Valley from the Shaw Conference Center

4. Latest outfit post wearing my favorite summer tank

All pics taken on instagram @mariealamode

I want to wish my little nephew Kayden, aka 'The Tank,' a very Happy 4th Birthday today! He's not so "little" anymore though. His head is bigger than mine and he weighs exactly half as much as I do! I'm not kidding! 

I hope you're all having a good week! Cheers to the freakin' weekend being right around the corner : ).

May Long

tank - Old Navy: buy here, trousers - Zara, shoes - Aldo, 

purse, necklace, rings and slinky bracelets - H & M, gold cuff - Banana Republic

photos by D.

After drooling over Olivia Palermo's statement necklace here, I decided to purchase one in my favorite color at H & M the other day. Of course mine isn't as extravagant or as expensive as Olivia's, obviously but it does the job of adding some pizazz to an outfit which is what a statement necklace is supposed to do. The brighter and bolder, the better! (In my opinion.)

Did you all have a nice weekend? Due to yesterday being the Victoria Day holiday, I had a 3-day weekend and it was glorious. I spent it sleeping in, reading, cleaning the entire house (well that wasn't glorious but it felt so good after I was done. I was a cleaning MACHINE! Once I start I can't stop. We're talking six hours straight - I don't mess around), spending time with family and friends, watching movies - I saw 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' which was really cute, and horseback riding with my sister-in-law at her and my brother's ranch. It was perfect and just what I needed, minus the extremely sore muscles in my legs from squeezing the horse I was on.

Have a good week! And thank you for reading my blog, I don't say that enough. Thank you.

What I Like

A beautiful, bold statement necklace like Olivia Palermo is wearing

Light, flowy and over-sized pants for spring and summer

Dressier pants with sneakers

Rings. Lot's of them.

Shorts with ankle boots, a la Erin Wasson

Army boots! They'll never go out of style.
photos via cotton candy peaches, that's chic, fashion gone rogue, penny life in pics, fashion roadkill,  love more

Just some inspirational fashion images I wanted to share with you : ). Happy Weekend! And Happy Long Weekend to my fellow Canadians! This is the first weekend in a very long time that I'll be able to relax and do whatever the heck I want! That includes finishing the captivating erotic novel I'm reading: 'Fifty Shades of Grey.' Have any of you read it? I'm sure you've heard of it, unless you've been living under a rock or a dock and hopefully you're not cause it would be really cold at night, not to mention really lonely. It's the most popular book in North America right now. It's purse smut and not written extremely well but just like a tequila bottle in my early twenties, I just can't seem to put it down! I actually put it on hold at the library but it was then banned (banned!!) from libraries so I caved and bought it at the bookstore. And I'm so glad I did ;). Have a great weekend, guys. And Canucks, don't forget to enter my la Vie en Rose lingerie giveaway!

la Vie en Rose Giveaway!

I'm so excited for today's giveaway because I absolutely LOVE this store! la Vie En Rose is Canada's leading specialty lingerie retailer. With headquarters in Montreal, this thriving chain now counts 150 boutiques nationwide, including its sister swimwear boutique, la Vie en Rose AQUA as well as 50 la Vie En Rose international shops around the globe. They also have an online store you can shop at if you live in Canada. la Vie en Rose carries not only gorgeous bra's and panties but they also sell beautiful silk lingerie, fashionable swimwear and comfortable and cool leisure and loungewear. I was so happy to receive a package from them in the mail, full of summer essentials:

Tribli Hat in Micro Flower Print $12.95, Tropical Flower Print triangle bikini top $34.95 and side tie bikini bottom $29.95. D. and I are going on a tropical vacation next month and I can't wait to wear these on the beach! My suitcase is waiting anxiously to be packed ;).

A beautiful aquamarine Sheer Tunic $34.95. It's so soft and light, perfect to wear as a cover-up on vacation. And the color is one of my faves :). You can check out la Vie En Rose's Summer 2012 lookbook here. They have a ton of great pieces!

And now on to the Giveaway! One lucky Marie a la Mode reader will win a $50.00 gift card from la Vie en Rose to use in-store! This contest is open to Canadian residents only. Here's how to enter:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Follow la Vie en Rose on Twitter and/or 'Like' them on Facebook. People who do both will receive 2 entries instead of just the one. Leave a comment in the comment section below with your email address so I can contact you if you win.

For extra entries:
-'Like' Marie a la Mode on Facebook (+1 extra entry)
-Follow Marie a la Mode on Twitter (+1 extra entry)
-Follow Marie a la Mode via GFC or Bloglovin' (+2 extra entries)
-Tweet about this giveaway, with a link to this post (+3 extra entries)

You have a total of 9 chances to win! Please let me know how many entries you qualify for in the comment section. This contest will be open for two weeks. A winner will then be chosen randomly using random.org.

Good Luck!

Mom's Day

cardigan - American Apparel, cargo pants - Vigoss, t-shrit - Aeropostale,

 shoes - Spring, belt - hand-me-down, jewelry and sunglasses - H & M

photos by my lovely (and patient!) cousin Camilla

Considering I wear this American Apparel cardigan ALL the time, I'm surprised I don't have many more outfit posts of me in it! It's so comfortable and wraps around me like a great big hug. How was your Mother's Day yesterday? My mom is in Arizona right now, vacationing with my Dad and some friends (lucky her!) so unfortunately I didn't get to spend time with her on Sunday but I did have dinner with someone very special last night.

This is my 86 year-old Grandma, my Babcia in Polish. Not even a year ago she was very ill and in the hospital. I remember leaving work last June, rushing there after I was told a priest would be visiting her to give her her last rites. I remember the priest telling her that it wasn't her time yet, she still had a lot of life left in her and he was right. With all her strength and determination she pulled through, made it out of the hospital and is now at home. My Grandma still has lots of ailments to deal with but she's still here, chugging along and enjoying her family, including her brand new great grandson. I treasure these special days with her and am so thankful she's still with us. She's such an amazing woman and a wonderful Grandmother. I don't take any time with her for granted.

I hope you were able to celebrate your Mom yesterday. Or, if your Mom has passed, I hope you honored her in a special way.

Styling: Erin MacDonald

 dress - H & M, blazer - my own (from H & M)

blouse - American Apparel, jeans - Bamboo Ballroom, bra - model's own

faux leather jacket and shorts - H & M

bodysuit - American Apparel

photographer - Harvey Miedreich

assistant - Yves St. Bass

Stylist - Me

Model - Erin MacDonald with Ford and Mode Models

Last month Erin was finishing up her final exams at the U of A. This month she's in New York, taking the city by storm after being signed by one of the top modeling agencies in the world, Ford Models. Ford even used some of these pics on their website for Erin's portfolio! You can check them out here. Can't wait to see what's next for this fresh-faced gem who is such a sweetheart, by the way. It was a pleasure styling her!

WEM Makeovers on Breakfast Television

Last Friday morning I woke up at the crack of dawn to head downtown to the Breakfast Television studios to get my two West Edmonton Mall Spring Makeover winners ready to show off their transformations on live television! Here I am with cutie pie Landon, a youth worker who needed styling advice and clothes for his job. I picked out his "reveal" outfit for him from A/X Armani Exchange and the shoes are from Rockport! Doesn't he look sharp?

And here I am with the lovely Brenda, my other makeover winner. She was looking for a dress to wear for her son's upcoming wedding in September. We found one that fit her perfectly at Laura. It was the second dress she tried on and we both knew it was  'The One'  when she walked out of the dressing room looking gorgeous in it! All of her accessories are from Laura as well. Her shoes (below) are from Town Shoes.

The winners get ready to make their T.V. debut on Breakfast Television!

Here's what Brenda and Landon looked like before! I convinced Brenda she needed to dye her blonde/orange-y hair brown. She had been blonde for decades so she was a bit hesitant but Tanis, the hairstylist at Rain Salon & Spa and I persuaded her to make the drastic change and she was sure happy she did! Brenda loved the end result. Doesn't she look fabulous?! As part of the makeover she also received a makeup and skincare lesson at Murale, which was much needed - she used to take off her makeup with a wash cloth and water only and never wore moisturizer or eye cream!

Landon's hair needed to be cut and he was pleased with the pompadour I suggested. I also taught him how to accessorize, which he didn't really know how to do before. I wanted to give him a more polished and stylish look.

In addition to the outfits they wore on the show, new hair and makeup (for Brenda!) my makeover winners each went on a separate shopping spree with me which included clothing, shoes and accessories from Reitman's and Laura (for her), A/X Armani Exchange, HS Henry Singer, Mexx (for him) and Rockport, makeup and skincare from Murale and hair products Rain Salon & Spa. We had a blast shopping together and burned a ton of calories in the process ; ).

The two other stylists involved in the makeovers, my friends Janis (left) and Zoe (right) did an awesome job with their winners Dionne and Jennifer!

To see all of the winners' makeover reveals click here to watch the video!

This whole process was such a great experience, I loved seeing how happy Brenda and Landon were with their transformations and I loved getting to know both of them. Huge thanks to the West Edmonton Mall marketing team for including me!

If you need styling tips or help with your wardrobe, please visit my styling website to see the services I offer!

I hope you're all having a great week : ).

*photos 1, 3 and 5 courtesy of Janis