LADIESFUND®

It’s really hard to find top body lotions.  Some of the best skin softening brands are Vaseline and Keri, but they never quite smell as great as some beauty brands which sadly do not soften very well.

OPI is changing all that with their AvoJuice skin quenchers.  I tried the Hibiscus Blossom hand & body lotion and it is love.  Yes, actual LOVE.

It feels like heaven on the skin, truly softens (especially if put on damp skin after a shower) and smells … dare I say … delicious.  Avocado and Aloe extracts combine with an “island-sweet aroma  of hibiscus blossoms and tropical fruit.”

It glides on softly and without any stickiness and leaves skin feeling smooth and nourished.

Perfect for baring your legs this summer or for pampering yourself at home.  Comes in a convenient 200 ml size that fits beautifully in a beach bag or on your nightstand.  I hope they start making larger sizes though, because this product is a keeper.

OPI is already the world class leader of nail laquer.  With Avojuice, they could take the lotion market by storm.

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2011 celebrated Moses Znaimer’s 12^th ideacity, otherwise known as “Canada’s Premier Meeting of the Minds.” This gathering of 600 “artists, adventurers, authors, cosmologists, doctors, designers, entertainers, filmmakers, inventors, magicians, musicians, scientists and technologists” for three days at the Royal Conservatory of Music made for an invigorating and alchemic experience.

Deepak Chopra was one of the speakers at ideacity 2011

At this year’s ideacity, 50 speakers present on a range of topics, generally related to the overall conference theme.  2011’s theme was “ideasex,” inspired by Matt Ridley’s viral words from The Rational Optimist: “The rate of cultural and economic progress depends on the rate at which ideas are having sex.”  This was a ground-breaking concept by Ridley (you can hear Ridley speak about this at TED) that was a brilliant idea for this year’s theme and worked well for the diverse speakers as the concept of mixing and mating of ideas is cross genres.

There were plenty of networking opportunities between sessions for guests to mingle with one another and to connect with the notable speakers, who generally enjoyed the opportunity to have a meeting of minds with some of Canada’s best and brightest.

Haim Goldberg

There were also fun parties after conference hours at trendy places like Spice Route, C Lounge and Rosewater Supper Club, which are always great opportunities to further connected with like-minded individuals.

This year’s most famous speakers included Deepak Chopra, Conrad Black (via videocast) and perhaps even Matt Ridley (the inspiration behind this year’s conference theme). One of the most interesting speakers was Tarek Fateh who spoke powerfully on Islamism being different from Islamic faith.  Haim Goldenberg was truly mesmerizing with his ability to reproduce an audience member’s hidden drawing.  The mentalist also unscrambled part of a Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded!

Bob Blumer

Walt Mossberg was quite topical with his words on iClouds and the digital age and Barbara Kay of the National Post spoke her mind.  Bob Blumer gave a very charming presentation on how anyone can cook as well as his own journey to fame and fortune, Rick Miller knew how to get the audience to laugh, Ben Gulak spoke about his Uno one-wheeled zero-emissions motorcycle, Ray Jayawardhana gave the true inside story behind the demotion of Pluto from its planet status and Stephen Garrett spoke about death.

A Kabala yoga session

As breathers between speeches and after sessions, Toronto Argonauts Cheerleaders, Flirty Girl Fitness and Kabalah Yoga led the audience through stretch breaks.  Cameron Carpenter, Papaduke, and Robbie Lane & the Disciples provided musical moments between the conference and after parties.

All in all, a conference not to be missed!

This article was originally published in 85 Broads and DelectablyChic!

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By T. U. Dawood

Event Program

Fun, fabulous Toronto gals got together to hear some of the most successful and stylish women entrepreneurs in various fields.  Back for their second year, Divas in the City is a forum that featured seven local entrepreneurs who are experts in the areas of careers, finance, relationships, fashion, nutrition, beauty, and fitness. Organized by Diva Girl founder Laura Furtado and her partner Nikki Bergen, this was a night of bonding, shopping, education and plenty of inspiration!

Laura Futardo, Founder of Diva Girl Fitness

Leanne Grechulk of HealthyGirl started the night off with her talk on “The Path to Financial Independence.”  Succinct, clear and matter of fact, Grechulk reminded everyone that clarity and focused goals were the key to financial success.  Tamika Auwai of Shop Socials guided all with her “Style Yourself Fabulous” dressing tips.  Her fabulous attitude and confident demeanour made for an inclusive presentation that made everyone feel that being a fashionista was within their niche.  Christine Hart possibly stole the night with her witty, charming and all to true speech on Divas and Romance.  The author of “How to Live a Flirtatious Life,” Hart reminded us that men and women hadn’t changed that much since the Dark Ages, after all.

Erin Bury from Sprouter speaks about Divas and Networking

Erin Bury of Sprouter shared an insightful approach to building a personal brand through social media.  As someone who has been retweeted by Oprah Winfrey herself, Bury definitely was an inspiration to many in the audience.  Jennifer Nichols spoke about fitness through dance and Nicki Traikos did a micro presentation of beauty trends.

Marina Cortese demonstrates some Divalicious behavior in the kitchen

There were shopping/social segments before the event and during a half-way break. Plenty of door prizes and lucky draws added to the joviality and the shopping stalls had diverse items ranging from hats and scarves to jewelry and weight loss packages.

Event Sponsors including LADIESFUND®

Overall, a fun and informative evening that covered a range of topics in an engaging way.

This article was also published in DelectablyChic!

business trends, entrepreneurship, events, spending money, women leaders Beauty, Diva Girl, Diva Girl Fitness, divas in the city 2, dress, Entrepreneurs, events, finance, health, Healthy Girl, independence, ladiesfund, Laura Futardo, Leanne Grechulk, Nikki Bergen, Shop Socials, Style, success, t u dawood, Tamika Auwai, toronto

From top left: This & That, Sage & Wisdom, Heaven & Earth, Mix & Switch, Pretty & Prim, Thunder & Rain

One of MAC Cosmetics’ best products are their Mineralize Eyeshadow Duos.  Their latest release is six  duos: This & That (frost beige rose/satin light beige), Mix & Switch (frosty dirty copper/satin beige), Sage & Wisdom (frost light green/satin deep green), Heaven & Earth (frost deep teal/satin black), Thunder & Rain (frost blue purple/satin grey), and Pretty & Prim (frost rosy burgundy/satin yellow pink).

They are fabulous dry or wet and can be combined in a variety of ways for different looks.  They also give a nice texture to the eyeshadow which regular eyeshadows and creams don’t.

So, now you know you want to buy one, but which one to get.  All six look so tempting …

We decided to test out the different colours to see which were the best and to guide you on whether you are better off buying a darker combo or a lighter one.

Thunder &  Rain contains the deep purple and steel grey combo and make for a very dramatic eye.  Like most of MAC products, the colour is very dense and you need a light hand to get full effect.  Try tapping on a tissue first before putting on the eye or perhaps saving the purple shade for a wet eyeliner look.  If you want to use on the base of the lid, apply carefully and try to tap off excess colour before applying, so that it makes your eyes pop but not look zombie like!

Mix & Switch, on the other hand, is a more softer colour palette and depending how dense you place the copper can really change the final look.  In many ways, Mix & Switch is more useable than Thunder & Rain, and also can easily be paired with other eyeshadows as the colours are neutral and flatter most complexions.  If applied deftly, the copper can effectively make your eyes look dramatic as well, and perhaps without overtrying.

So, if you are looking for statement eyes or a really dramatic look, Thunder & Rain is ideal.  However, if you want a more flexible duo that you can dress up or down and pair with other shadows for different looks, Mix & Switch may be a better buy.

Happy shopping!

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