Forever & FOR EVER

Posted by Canadian Gift Guide on May 23, 2012 · 144 Comments

I have been a bridesmaid *three* times so far, and predict at least another handful of bridesmaid duties to come in my lifetime. Before you give me any sort of pity re: “Always the bridesmaid…”, I’m also in possession (ha) of a common law husband-type, and while we may one day get married, after *being* a bridesmaid that many teams and seeing the stress of planning a wedding, I’m certainly not in a rush to do so. Anyway. As a bridesmaid, I’ve received some genuinely lovely gifts over the years as a thank-you for being part of the bride’s special day (and you know, shelling out money on the hair / dress etc.) But one idea that I haven’t received yet – but would very strongly contemplate giving – is a gift package of luxury make-up items, customized to my maids’ tastes, and my wedding theme.

The rationale? Well the down-to-the-last-detail bride gets her way with the general look of her maids, the girls get products that’ll make them look flawless for those photos that really do last a lifetime, and best of all, they get a gift that will last them well past the nuptials. With this idea in mind, I scoured the make-up counters and found the complete package of ultimate bridesmaid beauty options from MAKE UP FOR EVER. Today’s post is designed to help all you brides (or bright bridesmaids that want to throw a suggestion her way) pick a perfect package of pretty products (alliteration ahoy!) for your favourite ladies. Enjoy!

HD Unretouched Make Up – $18 – $46 @ Sephora
MAKE UP FOR EVER was actually started by an artist, Dany Sanz, all the way back in the 1980s. After getting the opportunity to paint the ultimate canvas – the human body – Dany became intrigued by creating makeup artist-quality products, that were also eventually accessible to the masses. That curiosity and innovation has served the brand well as they’ve produced unique lines like the HD collection. Each product is designed to give skin that perfect photo-ready finish (particularly when used in combination) thanks to micro-silica beads, and has been tested using HD cameras to make sure they’re actually camera-proof. Take your ladies down to Sephora and get them to find their perfect foundation shade, then pick up the HD Complexion Starter Kit featuring their custom foundation, a lightweight, oil-free primer, and a kabuki brush and powder to set the look, and have your maids look flawless for photos on your big day.

Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks – $22 each @ Sephora
This is where your inner Bridezilla can revel in gifting your brides with luxe make-up – by selecting the exact shade of lippy your gals will wear to make sure they don’t clash with their dresses, or one another. These are easily some of the most colour-saturated lipsticks on the market – with 50% more pigment than your average tube and no parabens – they’re incredibly true-to-colour. One swipe on the back of your hand or lips will match what you see *exactly*, making it easy to find that perfect shade of plum or peachy-pink to go with your coral dresses. If you’re already hooking your posse up with a piece of jewelery or other gift, consider adding in a Rouge Artist Intense lipstick as a bonus item.

Aqua Collection – $20 – $26 ea ch @ Sephora
One thing I will say? You have got to get (and in this case give) make up that works for you on your wedding day. Because it is a long frigging day, and there are an infinite number of photo opps, and you’re running to a million places at once, and if you’re lucky, it’s a beautiful but occasionally too warm day, and there’s tears from the ceremony, and there’s sweat from the dance floor, and…it’d be nice to have make-up that works overtime for you. The good news is, the Aqua collection from MAKE UP FOR EVER does just that. How hard does it work? Well it’s official make up of choice of Synchro Canada, including a certain team of ladies that’ll be heading overseas for a very big, medal-ridden event. So you can bet if it can last in the most watery of settings, it can definitely sustain your maids for a mere day with its melt-proof, crease-proof, bleed-proof qualities. Mascaras, eyeliners, and eyeshadows are the focus point here – including the new and oh-so-pretty eye-popping shades of the brand’s signature Aqua Cream shadows in summery shades of bright yellow, teal, and green. Once again, discerning brides, take this as your opportunity to build the perfect matching look by selecting a palette of shadows and liners that’ll complement your gals’ gowns.

As you’ve probably discerned, you’re able to create a forehead-to-chin look for your bridesmaids with the items I’ve highlighted here. Alternatively, you could also hook up the bride-to-be with a customized package of her own – after all, she is the start of the day. Skin, lips, and eyes, aka the key showstoppers in a photo, are all covered with professional-grade cosmetics that not only look great, they’re better for your skin and they really are an Everest-sized mountain away from drugstore buys. So trust me when I say – your bridesmaids will gush and love you forever a million times more than they already do if you present them with a little Sephora (the exclusive Canadian retailer of MAKE UP FOR EVER) bag packed with make-you-pretty products.

Now…whether or not you’re a bridesmaid or a bride-to-be or a mother-of-the-bride or simply attending a wedding this summer, hopefully this post has been at least a little informative as to the wonders of luxe-but-accessible brands like MAKE UP FOR EVER. And hopefully it’s also made you want to spoil yourselves a little…you’re in luck. I’ve got one sweeeet ‘Wedding Survival Kit’ of goodies for one very lucky reader, valued at over $100, including two Aqua Creams, an Aqua Shadow, an Aqua Lip stick, and an Aqua eyeliner. To enter…

1) Pick a product, any product. Browse through MAKE UP FOR EVER’s collection over on Sephora and post a comment below with a link back to the product you’d most like to see in your own wedding survival kit, by June 18th.

2) Entries are limited to one per person / per email address / per household (or more if you score bonus entries). A random draw will be conducted on or around June 19th to select the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen in their place.

3) Entries are limited to Canadians that have reached the age of majority in their province. Quebec is not eligible to participate in this promotion.

4) Bonus Entry: Tell your friends to swing on by and leave a comment on this post (using the same parameters as Step 1), but be sure to have them mention who sent them! You’ll earn a bonus entry & they’ll earn an entry too.