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In our Haute Flash newsletter I told the story of getting caught in the rain on the way to an interview and only realizing afterwards that I looked like a cubist nightmare. (Avoid this.)

But I have to admit I’m used to beauty disasters. My mom, who was a little bit too old to be a hippy but still leaned that way, raised me on Free to Be You and Me and with the concept that it’s what’s inside that counts. So - I ended up experimenting the hard way. Among some of my “fondest” (ha) recollections:

- Starting to shave my legs at camp — unfortunately for me, in the cold morning air lakeside, which resulted in shaving off the goosebumps and sporting scabs and stubble for the next week and a half.
- The same summer, my friend and I decided to style our hair. Neither one of us had hair gel, so we used Vaseline.
- For my wedding in 1994 I decided to get a perm so that I could sport loose waves. It was only the second one I’d had ever and did not realize that my hair would take the curl really, really well. Let’s just say we could have danced to “On the Good Ship Lollipop.” Shirley Temples for all!

The nice thing is that mom was right - it really is the confidence inside that counts. But I have to admit that the older I get, the more that confidence actually inspires me to learn about clothes and beauty products that work for me and not against me.

What’s your tale of beauty disaster? Share yours in the comments before Friday at noon (eastern time!) and you could win a 50 mL bottle of Shiseido’s Future Solution LX Total Regenerating Cream.

Edit: This giveaway is now closed; thanks for entering! Read the comments for some hillarious stories that will make you laugh out loud. The winner is #13: #

I went to high school one day having borrowed my mother’s very orangey estee lauder blush. None of my friends wore makeup, but true to 80’s form, I applied it as if it were war paint. One of the boys asked if I had something on my face, because it looked kind of funny. I didn’t need any help blushing after that! - Jacquelyn

For those of us who do not wear lipstick often (guilty as charged!), the dramatic impact of a crimson lip seems elusive and out of reach. But, as I discovered when charged by my editor to test-run red lipsticks, mastering the scarlet pucker isn’t as hard as it may seem. Whip it out on Valentine’s Day to add a little holiday-appropriate glamour to any outfit.

Day 1: Go bold or go home
Assembling the red lipsticks in my bathroom, I pick the brightest red of the bunch. Might as well start with a bang, right? Lesson number one: Exfoliating lips is a must with red lipstick. My first attempt at applying looks lumpy, so I take it off, gently exfoliate my lips with a face cloth, dab on some lip balm, and give it another go. Voila! A scarlet lip worthy of Gwen Stefani herself. If you’re finding it hard to stay in the lines, a lip brush is really helpful to keep your lipstick application smooth and on target.

Traveling to work on the subway, all I can see is the reflection of my red lips in the window. I have honestly never worn such bright lipstick in my entire life. Exiting the station, I see one of my friends from another magazine, who ignores me completely. A double-take later, she sees past the lipstick and realizes it’s me. Around the office, I get compliments on my lips. With the exception of some accidental smudging and leaving lipstick rings on my metal water bottle, the red lip is surprisingly easy so far; now if I could just find a less conspicuous colour…

Day 2: Retro red
For my second day I choose an extremely dark red that is nowhere near as bright as my first pick. Lesson number two: Red lipstick instantly emphasizes any redness in your face. Concealer is a must!

While the application process went smoothly, the colour didn’t look as good as the bright red from Day 1. By the time I got to work, I had put my finger on it. Lesson number three: Red lipstick is unforgiving when you pick the wrong shade. I ended up wiping it off after seeing my sallow reflection in the mirror. Back to the drawing board…

Day 3: Berry nice
On day three, I’m discouraged from my little shade mishap and decide to go a different colour route: raspberry. Of all the intense shades I’ve tried, I have to say I like this one the best; raspberry is as deep and dramatic as a red, but much more wearable. Experimenting with berry makes me excited for the pretty pink lips that stormed the Spring/Summer 2010 runways.

Day 4: Pencil it in
For my last day of red lipstick, I shake it up and try an automatic lip crayon. At last, red lip nirvana: versatile enough to be used as a lipstick on bare lips or over lip gloss to give a slight tint, this red looks like a darker version of my natural lip colour, and gets a thumbs up from my boyfriend.

After trying various shades, I’ve finally learned lesson number four: It takes time and effort to find the right red. But when you do, nothing beats the instant glam of a scarlet lip.

Dawn Burns, More’s advertising coordinator, is appearing in Canadian Living’s “Holiday Mixer” style piece this month.

What was it like to model? Dawn says “It’s hard work. It’s not as easy as it looks. Having to get me to laugh out loud and have genuine smiles was hard…I felt a bit like a toddler when they were saying smile for the camera. But it was a lot of fun to get fussed over. I also wasn’t allowed to sit down in the clothes once I had them on.” Click on the thumbnail to get a look at Dawn’s looks, courtesy of Canadian Living.

Tell us something you’ve done lately that took you out of your comfort zone!

This is a pretty neat project in sustainable fashion: The Uniform Project. Sheena Matheiken is wearing the same dress every day (designed by Eliza Starbuck) for one year in order to raise awareness and funds for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots non-profit devoted to bringing education to children living in the slums.

Every day she posts her new look and a number of them are pretty inspiring. Time to dust off that little black dress!

I recently revamped my shopping habits overnight thanks to a new bylaw in Toronto: Retailers are now required to charge a minimum of 5 cents for every plastic bag. I had thought I was reasonably ecologically on the ball by using reuseable bags and plastic totes for groceries, but I’d never really considered it when it comes to purchases like clothing or shoes.

Of course saving the planet this way leads to new dilemmas like: Which bag to carry? And that brings us to ALDO’s  partnership with YouthAIDS and its 2009 ALDO Fights AIDS (AFA) campaign. ALDO’s world-class designers have created three collectible, limited-run reusable AFA Tote Bags to raise
money in support of YouthAIDS’ education and prevention programs in South Africa. The full story and more pics of the bags are available at ALDO’s website - you can even buy one online.  By purchasing a tote for only $10, you will help provide one young person with the information and tools he or she needs to be protected from HIV for up to one year. 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of the totes will go to help fund YouthAIDS programs in South Africa and worldwide.

Happily, I have two of the bags to give away as well, so here’s  the challenge: email me at jgruden@more.ca with your best shopping tip and you can win one - and your tips may be featured in a More.ca article a little closer to the holiday season.

Today is the first open call for the More 40+ Model Search - in Ottawa, at the Bayshore Shopping Centre. Next up: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. I myself will be at the Toronto event (at least at the start), and I’m hoping to meet some of you there.

If you have been procrastinating about your entry, stop. Enter now. Deadline is September 21!

(Details are at the link, as are instructions on how to enter.)

Although I may err on the side of avoidance with kooky new beauty treatments (ie, the bizarre fish pedicure), I certainly have many moments when I’m willing to suffer for beauty. Royal Ascot a few years ago comes to mind.

Let me set the scene: the day before the big event saw me trotting around Knightsbridge wearing a completely insane pair of heels while I looked for the perfect hat to wear. (By “perfect” hat, I mean one that would cause a hot, young member of the Spanish Royal family to instantly propose marriage and whisk me off to a Mediterranean castle).

As we all know, shopping under pressure the day before anything important is never going to work in ones favour and; wearing crazy shoes when retailing under said pressure is just plain stupid. But, you know, I was in Knightsbridge and I wanted to look like I belonged. By the time I was finished, both my credit cards and feet were aching.

The last thing I wanted to do the next day was strap on another pair of strappies, but damn it, I had an over-priced hat and swishy dress and I wanted to look cute while hobknobbing it with the Queen. Thirty minutes later, and I was in agony, but I refused to take off my shoes, though, lest I look low-classy among the well-to-do and gambling addicts in designer wear.

Luckily, I was in England, where drinking before noon is never frowned upon. I started knocking back drinks (champagne, natch) at 11am and never looked back. It’s a beauty tip I don’t often share, but here it is: high doses of alcohol make the stiletto ache bearable.

This rambling story about suffering for beauty is an introduction to an interesting bit of beauty news on the scene: Juvéderm, the popular cosmetic filler used to plump up wrinkles and treat thinning skin and lips, is now available containing the topical pain reliever lidocaine.

For the women that choose to partake in cosmetic enhancement, this is definitely good news - it will mean less pain during treatment and an elimination of some of the methods of pain relief given prior to injections (numbing creams, nerve blocks, etc). I think using lidocaine (the same pain killer given when having a tooth fixed at the dentist) will soon become the industry standard for fillers- who’s going to want a needle that hurts if you can avoid it?

I’m not an injectables girl myself, so I can’t vouch for the experience, but I do know that suffering for beauty is never fun. If you only knew my many hare-brained, mad-scientist schemes for making bikini waxes bearable… but that’s another story.

www.juvederm.ca

What craziness have you done in the name of beauty?

I can only imagine what Meg Ryan might have been imagining during her fake orgasm scene in the movie When Harry Met Sally but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn she was thinking about a trip to the spa.

Recently I had reason to visit three – yes three! – spas in the course of one week. Between the facials and massage and pampering galore, not only was I glowing, I couldn’t keep myself from saying, “Yes, yes, yes!”

My first stop was at the lovely be studio, which focuses on holistic treatments. Owner Jessica Fletcher has created a tranquil and welcoming place where visitors set aside the stress and turmoil of their day and regain some calm and balance.

All of the holistic treatments, including reiki, yoga, aromatherapy or Swedish deep tissue massage, are designed to promote wellness.

I went for the lymphatic facial and I have to tell you – it was the most relaxing hour I have enjoyed all year, possibly all decade. Practioner Vanessa McGrath, who gave me my facial, tells me it’s perfect for women of a certain age who are concerned about sagging skin. Hosta La Vista, turkey wattle and jowls!

By the way, a good exercise to tame that turkey (wattle) is to try to touch your tongue to the tip of your nose. Check out more tips from be studio.

Next up was the opening of the new Dove Spa in Oakville, the first in Canada. (Another is planned for Toronto sometime next year.) I was curious about what the people behind the Campaign For Real Beauty would serve up in a spa.

The thing that impressed me most was how much they had to offer. From classic manicures to the more esoteric Hopi ear coning, if you’ve heard of it, you’re likely to find it here.

I took advantage of a complimentary skin analysis, where a skin care technician used a multi-dermascope machine to measure the oil, water, elasticity and pigmentation levels in my skin.

Fearing too many years spent in the sun and my tendency to grab a cup of coffee over a bottle of water, I was a little apprehensive about what the analysis would reveal. Surprisingly, I fared pretty well for a woman my age, but the helpful technician did recommend I take a look at their house-brand Re-discover line, designed for more “experienced” skin. Me and my skin – at least one of us is experienced.

My final encounter was with Naturally Carmel Mobile Spa. Because they bring the spa to you, this might just be the perfect choice for busy Toronto women.

Their Bodacious Beauties party, a package just for women over 40, especially intrigued me. As owner Carmel Lundin tells me, “Girls just want to have fun but ladies know how to do it.”

So there you have it – three days and three spas. If you have a chance to try one or all of them, let us know if you’re satisfied. I’m pretty sure there’ll be no need to fake it.

Do you have recommendations for spas outside of Toronto (Karen’s area of expertise)? Post them in the comments!

Well Chris de Burgh was definitely on to something: Apparently men really are more attracted to women wearing red clothing, according to this Globe and Mail piece. Now that’s real science. If you’re about to try to get your partner’s attention over the candy bowl, hit a Hallowe’en party or just plain planning some shopping this weekend - keep it in mind.

Happy Hallowe’en!

There’s no escaping it; fall is definitely here.

Normally, I’m autumn’s biggest fan - not least because I no longer need an excuse to pull out my all-forgiving black opaque tights - but I’m just not ready for the chill in the morning air yet.

A change in the weather often manifests itself in changes to your skin, leaving complexions a bit dull or dry due to the lack of moisture in the air.

Not to worry, I’ve just discovered St. Ives new Warming Scrub, which uses natural ingredients like sunflower extract, jojoba esters and chamomile to exfoliate dead skin cells and gently give dirt and oil the shove off. Best of all, upon contact with water, the scrub heats up as you massage it in, helping to open pores for better cleansing. Lovely.

If it would only follow up my new, smooth skin by making me a massive mug of hot chocolate, I would be definitely ready to embrace the new season.

$9.99, available now.

www.stives.ca