Going all in with Make Up For Ever Plexi-Glosses

Ok guys. Once again I’ve been delinquent in getting this post up – I seem to be really good at taking photos of product in a timely manner, but not so great at writing the reviews. It used to be the other way around, but I am better at amusing Elena while taking photos than I am typing on the computer / editing photos and simultaneously keeping her occupied – she loves the camera (as you’ll see shortly). Anyway, she’s been taking a power nap this am, so I’m just going for it [edit: and it’s now nighttime…I got the majority of the post done while she was napping, but the finishing touches had to wait till she was down for the night!]!

A few months ago Make Up For Ever came out with a new formulation of lip gloss that is along the lines of the Dior Fluid Sticks / Lancome Lip Lover / etc. etc. – a long-wearing, full-impact gloss with high shine and vivid color. These Plexi-Glosses ($23CAD) are touted to be comfortable to wear and to deliver up to five hours of color impact. The ‘superflex’ applicator is design in a lip-hugging shape to allow for precision and control and sweeps on the ‘ideal’ amount of lipgloss.

It comes in a whopping 35 shades, in varying finishes – from pearly to cream, sheer to opaque – which is INTENSE, guys. I’m glad I had an opportunity to try these out and not have to choose a color (or several) on my own, because I’d be there all damn day. The three I was sent are: 403, an opaque red; 207, an opaque candy pink, and 102P, a sheer pearly sweet beige (the ‘P’ indicates a pearly shade).

As I mentioned, Elena loves the camera (probably since I’ve become the paparazzi with her since she was born) and I thought I’d really keep her busy by giving her each of the glosses to play with. Now that she’s got good hand control she was loving it!

Make Up For Ever Plexi-Gloss in 403 Red

Red gloss has never been my first choice when it comes to lip color – I tend to favour matte shades of red, as it’s already bold enough on it’s own – but in the summertime, I confess that a gloss red lip is kind of fabulous. The sheer (or opaque, in this case) juiciness of it is so enticing and perfect on a warm summer night. 403 Red is just that kind of gloss – it truly is ‘full impact’ and majorly high shine. It’s also comfortable to wear, and though these glosses are intense, they’re not at all sticky – a bit thick, perhaps, but honestly the lip glosses I’ve had in the past that are thin fade away within minutes. I don’t mind the thicker texture on its own, but if they were sticky they’d be a no-go for me (which is why I haven’t own a MAC gloss in god knows how long).

Make Up For Ever Plexi-Gloss in 403 Red

Though I just said I don’t generally gravitate toward glossy reds, I did happen to have one in my collection – Maybelline’s Color Elixir in Signature Scarlet. These two are damn near dupes in my eyes; Signature Scarlet is a hair more warm in tone, but that’s getting nitpicky – for all intents and purposes, they’re the same. The real difference is in the texture (Maybelline’s feels a bit more plasticky to me) and the scent (MUFE’s has none, while the Maybelline has this bizarre sickeningly sweet/chemical smell that is just awful – it fades after wear, but UGH, SO bad). Needless to say, I got rid of the Maybelline in favour of the MUFE version!

Left: Make Up For Ever Plexi-Gloss in 403 Red; Right: Maybelline Color Elixir in Signature Scarlet

Next, we have the shade 207 Candy Pink.

Make Up For Ever Plexi-Gloss in 207 Candy Pink.

Since discovering cool pink look quite nice on my skintone, I’m all about the shade. 207 Candy Pink is a cheerful pink shade that leans cool, but actually isn’t heavily blue-toned, so those of you who don’t like to wear those kinds of colors could probably still wear this.  This is another saturated shade, though the formula is slightly less opaque than 403 Red. Equally nice formula though – and of note is that all 3 glosses leave my lips feeling hydrated even after they’ve worn off.

Once again, I had a similar shade in my existing collection (a mark of someone with too much makeup, perhaps?) – Dior Addict Lip Gloss in Exquisse.  Unlike the red shades above however, there are more noticeable differences: the Dior is more sheer, and a bit more warm than 207 Candy Pink. However, they’re close enough for me that I don’t feel I need to own both – but I haven’t been able to part with either just yet. I prefer my lip products to be opaque, so MUFE – 1, Dior – 0….however, it’s like, a DIOR GLOSS, guys. And they’re kind of lovely. AND it’s got sexy packaging. So I dunno, dudes.

Finally, we have the most subtle of the bunch, 102P Pearly Sweet Beige, and the only one without a ‘dupe’ in my stash.

102P Pearly Sweet Beige is a sheer, slightly milky peachy beige gloss. This was actually on my wishlist to buy previously, so I was excited to get this in the trifecta. Though I like my lip colors opaque as a general rule, I actually like my lip glosses to be neutral sheers – I find punchy, bold colors that are also high shine are a bit more in-your-face than I’d like. This would fit that bill perfectly; however – on my lips there is something about this shade that doesn’t look all that flattering. I think the milkiness for one is a (small) issue; moreover, I realized after watching a video of Karima’s (so good, go watch her RIGHT NOW!) where she described her lip line as ‘blurry,’ that I also suffer from this affliction, and this is likely why true ‘nudes’ look kind of terrible on me. As I normally choose my glosses to be either clear with a hint of shimmer, or MLBB shades, this veers too closely to a nude tone on my medium pigment lips, and I dunno…just not a huge fan. But that’s just me – I suspect for most people this will be an incredibly wearable neutral.

Just for fun, I thought I’d take it even further and make it REALLY nude and see if that looked better. I used a Marc Jacobs lippie (the old style they don’t sell anymore) in Dizzy Spell, a warm peachy nude (which I rarely wear, for the reasons above), underneath 102P to see what would happen. While I don’t actually hate the effect, I think 102P would probably look best on me layered over a more strongly-hued and/or pigmented shade, or lipliner.

Wearing Marc Jacobs Dizzy Spell under 102P. Also wearing Charlotte Tilbury Color Chameleon in Smoky Emerald – fabulous, fabulous eyeshadow!!

Do you mind wearing a thicker gloss to achieve longer wear time? What are your thoughts on glossy lips in bold, bright shades?

Ilia Beauty Bonanza: Lippies Galore!

A few weeks ago, I noticed Fresh Faced was having a sale on select makeup items, 20-30% off (pssst…it’s still on-going! Some brands aren’t for sale anymore, but there are still some items at this serious discount!). As I’ve been keeping my beauty purchases to a minimum, I decided now was the time to splurge on a few of their lip products, as I’d never tried them before. In order to be well-rounded (OBVIOUSLY a totally justifiable reason to buy more makeup), I ordered three items – their Lipstick in the shade Femme Fatale, a deep red (normally $29CAD, I scored this for $23CAD); a Lipstick Crayon in Call Me, a pretty, cool pink (marked down to $21CAD from $27); and one of their Lip Glosses in The Butterfly and I, a universally flattering neutral peach (also priced at $21 from $27CAD).

I have tried samples of the Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioners, but I didn’t really like them for some reason – at least, as a sample they felt kinda gritty and the shades I picked were a little garish and light for my skintone. But that’s the past! I decided to give the brand a proper chance to WOW me, and I have to say – it totally did!

I really wanted to cover a spectrum of shades, and I think I did pretty well. The gloss is a lovely warm neutral, the lipstick crayon a fun, in-your-face cool pink, and the lipstick is a classic, wearable red. Below, some swatches:

Left to right: The Butterfly and I Lipgloss, Call Me Lipstick Crayon, and one swipe and three swips of Femme Fatale Lipstick.

I was (pleasantly) surprized to see just how neutral The Butterfly and I is – I don’t own a really fool-proof, go-with-anything gloss, but definitely fits the bill! On my lips it looks almost clear, but it has just a hint of warmth and color so it enhances my liptone. The gloss formula itself is smooth, not at all sticky, and lasts for about 1-2 hours – not incredibly long-wearing, but you won’t get that without some stickiness. It IS nicely moisturizing though, and a pleasure to reapply, so there’s that.

Call Me is especially cool-toned and light on me, which I used to be against, but I’m starting to like the contrast against my darker skin. The texture is sort of creamy-matte – it takes a little effort to put on (it doesn’t have much slip) but it’s not an issue, and it wears well and feels very comfortable on, for a matte finish. I quite like this!

I thought this might be similar to Revlon’s Matte Balm in Showy, and in the swatches below it looks like it is a bit, but IRL it’s actually much lighter, while Showy is more bold. They give completely different looks overall.

Left to right: Revlon Showy, Ilia Beauty Call Me

Last but certainly not least is Femme Fatale, which I think looks quite nice against my skin tone; it’s just the right shade of red and not too bold, but not boring in the least – it’s so darn wearable! And I think it would be one of those shades to work in all seasons as well. The texture of this is great, creamy and smooth and so, so comfortable to wear (and hydrating!). And it lasts! This shade wore on me easily for like, 5 hours – even through eating. And even after that time, it left the prettiest stain on the skin. I love all three shades I bought, but I think this *might* be my favorite.

I suspected Femme Fatale would be quite close in colour to MAC Dare You, another deep red. In swatches, it looks incredibly similar, but like Call Me, when worn it shows a different story. Dare You has more pigment, or perhaps not more but is a thicker formula – therefore it results in a bolder, richer look. That makes it *sound* better, but I actually think Femme Fatale holds its own – the formula’s thinner formula means it wears closer to the lips, and it looks more natural. I love both shades, truthfully, as deep reds are more subtle yet easy to wear, and I think both will get worn equally as often. I do feel that Femme Fatale translates across more seasons because of it’s slight translucency, however.

Left to Right: MAC Dare You, Ilia Femme Fatale

I don’t really need to tell you that I love all three of these lippies, do I? I think my love for each comes through loud and clear. For once, ordering sight unseen (which I try to avoid with makeup shades) paid off well. Granted, I did quite a bit of research beforehand, but it was well worth it to have three new shades that aren’t already wholly represented in my collection. Add that to the lovely formula on each of these Ilia lippies, and you can be sure I’ll be ordering more colours down the road!

Have you tried any Ilia Beauty makeup before? Do you own any green/organic makeup products?

Summer Makeup Staples: Favorite Summer Lippies

Even the biggest cynic has to admit, we’ve had a pretty sweet summer season, at least here in Atlantic Canada! Almost every weekend is sunny, and often days that call for rain turn into a beautiful and bright sunshiny day. It’s been sticky and humid, I’ll grant you, but hey – what’s the beach for if not to keep cool in the heat?

In an effort to use more of my eyeshadows, I went though a period of wearing different eye looks over the past couple months, only to become frustrated that they looked overdone and kind of grimy in this muggy weather. I finally decided that the shadows will have to wait until the cooler months, and instead I would focus on my TRUE makeup love of the moment – juicy lip colours.

Left to right: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dolce Vita, YSL Glossy Stain in Corail Aquatique, NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square, Tom Ford Lip Color in True Coral, Dior Fluid Stick in Magique, purminerals Plumping Lip Gloss in Pink Crush

Over the past year or so, I’ve really started upping my lip game. For the most part, I own and wear shades in almost every shade imaginable, and change it up with each season. During the summer, I find warm pinks, happy corals, dusky roses, and orange-leaning reds tend to flatter my tanned skin most. The lippies that are in highest rotation are of all textures – gloss, stain-gloss hybrids, mattes, and cremes.

Left to right: NARS Dolce Vita, YSL Corail Aquatique, NARS Red Square, Tom Ford True Coral, Dior Magique, purminerals Pink Crush

I picked up NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dolce Vita last fall on a whim – I cannot remember what drew me to the dusty rose shade, but I’m SO glad I brought it home with me, as it’s honestly one of my favourite, most flattering lip colours (in ALL seasons!) and I wear it CONSTANTLY. I will definitely repurchase this when I run out, which is SO unlike me!

I’ve had the YSL Glossy Stain for a couple years now, and while I wasn’t entirely enamoured with it when I bought it, it’s such an easy-to-wear soft coral that goes with essentially every look I create. Another one that I would definitely consider repurchasing as I probably wear it more than any other lippie I own, period.

The NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square was a recent addition; after swatching orange-based reds on at least three separate occasions at Sephora, I finally went with with this one as I like the Velvet Matte formula, and it seemed to be the most flattering on me. I love it!

 Left to right: NARS Dolce Vita, YSL Corail Aquatique, NARS Red Square

I’ve shown you the Tom Ford Lip Color in True Coral before after I picked it up in NYC late last year. I was concerned that its coral-red tone was so bright it would be garish on my skin tone once tanned, but my fears were unfounded, as it looks even BETTER with a tan! The formula is more suited to this time of year as well, as my lips tend to be in better condition (read: not as sahara dry and flaky as in the winter) so it wear much better as well.

Back in June, after a monster swatching session at Shoppers, I picked up one of the new Dior Fluid Sticks in #479 Magique (which doesn’t seem to be available at Sephora for some reason), a bright coral pink. I really like the formula on these, and am always tempted to buy more but wish there was a bit more selection in the shade range – the lighter shades are too milky on my skin tone, and some of the other shades look too similar to this one. LOVE that juicy, colour-rich shine, though!

Lastly, a few years ago my aunt gave me a ton of purminerals lip glosses (you can find the brand at Shoppers), which have a great lovely, moisturizing formula. I gave away many of them as the shades didn’t call to me (and I don’t wear gloss too often these days), but this one in Pink Crush has become a huge staple for me as it gives just a hint of muted rose-y pink to the lips, and awesome shine. Another goes-with-everything lippie.

Left to right: Tom Ford True Coral, Dior Magique, purminerals Pink Crush

All six of these shades are without a doubt my most-worn, and most-loved lippies at the moment. They allow me a variety of looks and I truly enjoy wearing each one! This is my ultimate goal with my makeup collection – regardless of the number of products, as long as I take pleasure in wearing each item, then that’s really what counts. I’ve been slashing and hacking at my stash methodically over the past few months, and every week I feel that much more satisfied!

I will admit though…I’m starting to get that itch for fall makeup! Don’t shoot me… 🙂

What lippies have you been wearing to death this season?

Nearing the finish line: Makeup empties (the ultimate beauty achievement)

It’s been a dedicated effort, but I finally have some makeup items nearing empty – a whole handful of them! You other beauty fiends know just what I’m talking about, and how hard this is to do when you have SO MANY PRETTIES to use! I’m feeling pretty good about my progress, so I thought I’d share with you some gratuitous near-‘pan’ p0rn in case you need inspiration of your own 🙂

I’ve been using the Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation together with the Burberry Fresh Glow Luminizer to freshen up the matte look the Hourglass imparts – the two pair together quite well. I get a LOT of views on the Hourglass foundation post, so I just want to reiterate how great it is! I can skip powder entirely when I use this, and the coverage is medium without looking or feeling too heavy. I do prefer a dewier finish which is the only drawback for me (though I’d still probably still repurchase this, because all other facets are so good), which is where the Fresh Glow comes in. If you’re looking for a foundation for oilier skin with a satin-matte finish, this is 100% for you!  I’ve had the foundation for a long time now (2 years) and it’s near it’s end ~tear~

The MAC blush here (Mineralize in Early Morning) is a bit of a cheat, because I dropped it a couple years ago and most of it was wasted. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful shade so I kept it and used the dregs anyway. I’ll probably let it go soon but I’m just not ready to yet.

I’m STILL working on MAC’s Arena eyeshadow, which I showed you had hit pan last year. I’ve been using it almost every day but it just won’t die! LOL I do still love it, but it’s best for the summer months when my skin is more tanned – I love it as a subtle brow highlight then. Other times of the year it doesn’t get worn as much, but I’m making progress now because I’m SO CLOSE.

The Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Discrete is also a couple years old, and while I liked the neutral shade as it was quite wearable, I’m over it now! Its got maybe 3-4 uses left so I’m gonna make it happen TOOT SWEET. The Buxom lipgloss (here in April), is also on it’s last legs, and I’m not a fan of the frosty sparkly thing at all now, so it’ll be kicked to the curb regardless in the next couple weeks.

This two deluxe samples have had highs and lows in my beauty life. I love the nude tone of the Buxom Lip Stick (this is Sydney) but it’s very matte and looks terrible if  you’re lips aren’t in perfect shape (which mine weren’t for most of the winter).  My lips are doing much better now so I’m chugging through it – I really don’t like ‘mini’s’! The Burberry lippie is in Cameo Pink, and it’s a pretty soft coral shade that’s just a touch too light for my skin tone. If I apply it with a light hand, or pair it with another lip product, it fares pretty well. Got it down to the nub finally!

If you’ve been counting guys, that’s 8 makeup products that’ll be good to go very soon!!  SO EXCITED. I’m really trying to whittle down my stash and make way for new stuff, without feeling overwhelmed by the selection I already have. Which has been a goal of mine for forever, I know. But I keep trying! I’ve gotten major spring fever this year and gave a ton of stuff away to family and friends, mostly PR samples or gift items, as I’m getting a lot better at buying shades and products that I really want and that work. I usually have a huge bag full of items up for swap, but there’s nothing left now 🙂

Do you have any beauty goals right now? On average how often do you finish makeup items?

The Colours of Love: Pinks & Reds

This is going to be a post with many pictures and few words.  After a week where I was falling asleep by 9:30pm, now I’ve had insomnia the past few nights so I’m gonna try and get some shut eye early this evening!

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I’m all about pushing a huge pink/red theme in all things beauty.  I’ve been rocking a serious pink flush and juicy pink lips every day this week so far, and have a pretty pink mani to boot!  If you’re on the hunt for pink or red makeup and polish this week, look no further – I’ve gotcha covered 😉

Let’s begin with some cool pink blush and lippies:

Clockwise from top left: NARS Desire, Illamasqua Unrequited, theBalm Down Boy, Joe Fresh Bloom

Left to right: theBalm Down Boy, Illamasqua Unrequited, NARS Desire, Joe Fresh Bloom

Left to right: Kat Von D Backstage Bambi, Illamasqua Divine, Buxom April

Left to right: Kat Von D Backstage Bambi, Illamasqua Divine, Buxom April

Though my skin truly leans neutral, I still find that blue-based pinks are my JAM and really pop on my skin tone.  Love ’em!

Next we have some warm pink cheek and lip colours:

Left to right: Chanel Blush de Horizon(LE), Illamasqua Hussy, Illamasqua Tweak

Left to right: Chanel Blush de Horizon, Illamasqua Hussy, Illamasqua Tweak

Left to right: Bite Beauty Quince, Kat Von D Bachelorette (LE), purminerals Vintage Pink (LE), Revlon Sweet Tart, purminerals Pink Crush, Giorgio Armani #606, YSL #8 Pink in Confidence

Left to right: Bite Beauty Quince, Kat Von D Bachelorette, purminerals Vintage Pink, Revlon Sweet Tart, purminerals Pink Crush, Giorgio Armani #606, YSL #8 Pink in Confidence

After doing these swatches, I think I should have swapped the Chanel blush for Illamasqua Unrequited, as the former is more cool and the latter is more warm. Oops ~shrugs~  Some of the ‘warm’ pink lippies are probably more neutral in tone, but you can see they’re not that cool when you compare them to the ‘cool’ lip colour swatches above. It’s all about comparing and contrasting!

Bringing a little more sass and edge, red is a great alternative when you don’t want the sweetness of pink.  Sadly, I do not have a great stash of red blushes (horrors!) but I plan on picking up MUFE’s Scarlet Blush/Eyeshadow in the near future.  I don’t really feel that I need more than 3 reds – one warm, one cool, one neutral – but goodness knows I may change my mind if I find a few good ones.  Red blush seems hard to come by!

Red lips, however, and happily bountiful with SO many options to choose from, it’s just plain crazy.

…Aaaand photos:

Left to right: Becca Papaya, NARS Turkish Red (discontinued)

Left to right: NARS Turkish Red, Becca Papaya

Left to right: Make Up For Ever #8, MAC Russian Red, Buxom Provocateur, Make Up For Ever N46, L’Oreal Endless Red

Left to right: L’Oreal Endless Red, Make Up For Ever N46, Buxom Provocateur, MAC Russian Red, Make Up For Ever #8

I find my red lippies all look the same in swatches…and in real life, they are quite close.  L’Oreal’s Endless Red is obviously more glossy, and MUFE’s N46 is slightly more blue-based, but overall they’re all close in shade.  Time to diversify, methinks! An orange-red is my next purchase 🙂

Finally, we have some pretty pink and red polishes for you to peruse!  Though I don’t profess to wear much of either shade, I have a reasonable size stash of both (though again, the red lacks variety):

Front row, left to right: Zoya Kissy, China Glaze Ahoy!, butter London Snog, L.A. Girl Hyper, Essie Muchi Muchi, Rescue Beauty Lounge Poco a Poco
Back row, left to right: China Glaze Ruby Pumps, Essie Limited Addiction, American Apparel Downtown LA, butter London Come to Bed Red

Left to right: Zoya Kissy, China Glaze Ahoy!, butter London Snog, L.A. Girl Hyper, Essie Muchi Muchi, Rescue Beauty Lounge Poco a Poco

Left to right: China Glaze Ruby Pumps, Essie Limited Addiction, American Apparel Downtown LA, butter London Come to Bed Red

So there you have it! A few ideas to get your mind going (and perhaps your wallet screaming?).  I picked up a couple more pink items this past week which I hope to show you before the 14th. Time to get girly, ya’ll!!

Do you wear pink makeup or nail polish?  Is red a staple colour you wear or do you shy away from it?

Brightening Up for Summer with Make Up For Ever

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a good month now, but with my busy schedule and the infrequent appearance of the sun, it just hasn’t come together!  However, after having a string of gorgeous hot, sunny days here in Hali (and by hot I mean like August weather…SO weird), I’ve managed to simultaneously slow wayyy down for a change – spending the last three days outside from dawn till dusk –  and take a few shots for the blog in all the lovely sunshine.  SCORE.

I find that once the sun comes out, I get so tempted to play even more with makeup, trying out bold colors for eyes, lips and cheeks.  However, when you’re spending entire days outside, I don’t feel comfortable wearing such noticeable makeup, as it somehow feels like I’m resisting the natural, easy-going vibe that comes with warm weather.  Due to this little mini-war I have in my head, I tend to compromise by opting instead for shimmering, golden tones that allow me to feel ‘summery’ while staying relatively low-key.  Two products that work well toward that end are Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Eyes eyeliner in Gold 9L ($23CAD), a metallic yellow, and Lab Shine Star Collection lipgloss in S0 ($22CAD), a pearly nude.

In the heat of summer, one of the first things to drop off my makeup routine is eyeshadow.  Though I generally don’t tend to experience excessive creasing, I find that opting for liner only is a quick, easy, and long-lasting way to ensure I look good without looking like I tried too hard.  Gold 9L is a bright metallic true yellow – it doesn’t contain any orange leanings, so it would be a great shade for cooler skintones or for a warmer skintone looking for contrast.  Its the perfect kind of shade to wear on the inner corners of your eyes to brighten them up – if I’m in a rush, or looking for a seriously minimalist look, I’ll opt to wear it this way with very little else.

However, if I want to go full-on with this shade, with my neutral skintone it can look a bit stark.  To remedy this, I first apply black liner to my top lashes to define, before tracing the gold above the liner and into my inner corners – then finally add a touch of a sheer, satiny yellow shadow to blend out the gold liner.  Oh, and lots of mascara 🙂

As you can see, it’s great for adding a little lightness and brightness to the eye without being too dance-y (aka that inner highlight thing we do when we’re going out on the town) so it’s ideal for day.

Make Up For Ever’s Lab Shine Star Collection lipgloss in S0 is another excellent product that gives a little something extra without being too much under the bright rays of summer sun.  I’ve had another shade in this gloss before and I really like it – its a bit thick so it has good longevity, but it’s not sticky at all and is very smooth and comfortable to wear.

S0 is a shimmering pale sheer beige that mutes the lipcolor only slightly, which makes it very wearable with a variety of looks.  The non-glittery finish makes it great for day, but it has enough glimmer that it can hold its own against flashier night looks – and it’s translucency makes it ideal for layering.

Though my natural inclination is to go big and bold in my makeup choices for the most part, I do like to have more subtle, toned down items in my arsenal to turn to if I’m spending the day outside or looking to go low-key – or to compliment a more in-your-face eye or lip look!  While at first glance, these two products might seem too tame for some, I have found myself reaching for them more often than I expected to polish off my summer beauty routine and keep things as fuss-free as possible – all the better to spend every moment I can out in that (rare) sunshine!

Do you lighten up in the warmer months?

*Products were provided by the PR company/brand for my unbiased consideration.

ALL THE THINGS: An Abundance of New Lippies (But First: An Apology)

I have to admit that sometimes I’m a jerk.  Sometimes, when people seem to be making excuses for things, I judge *just a little bit*  Case in point: in the past, when reading posts in which the blogger noted that they had been sick and gave that reason for why they hadn’t posted in a while, I always thought ‘Jeez, you’ve been home for a week and you were so sick that you couldn’t even type?  Pfffffft.’ 

Well, consider this my sincere apology at my secret douchebagginess.

*Did you know that when you google douchebag images that you get 99% pictures of guys?  So maybe douchebag can’t apply to females, I dunno.  Let’s just stick with jerk shall we?

As I noted in my last post, I was sick with a cold this week.  Nothing life-hindering, just general shitty malaise with a seriously stuffed up (yet super-sneezy) nose, which meant some badass pressure in my head from all the congestion which made behind my eyes hurt, and the absolute necessity of on-hand kleenex at all times.  Just your general bitch of a cold.  I was off two days from work and skipped out on my extra-curriculars like yoga and running, yet I only posted once.  It wasn’t that I couldn’t type.  It was that I DIDN’T WANT TO.  I didn’t want to do anything – I wanted to wallow in my own snuffling misery and drink lots of warm tea and feel kind of sorry for myself.  I didn’t type nor did I read anyone else’s blogs (which is an admittedly passive, scrolling-finger-only kind of action).  I watched a lot of Mad Men episodes and stayed on top of Big Brother Canada (which by the way is AWESOME – and the Nova Scotia peeps are ROCKIN’ it, woohoo!!!!!).  And that was about it. 

Long story short (this is what happens when I don’t get my chatty out on the regular), I am SORRY for judging you, my periodically sick friends.  I recognize the error of my thoughts ways.  Forgive me, as I get sick very infrequently and when it does happen, it lasts for 3 days max.  I misunderstood – it’s not that you physically can’t, you just feel like doing sweet F.A., and I get it.  I understand.  So again I say: SO SORRY.  My bad.

Ok, with that out of the way!  Here is a sneak peek of a bunch of lippies I’ve procured over the past month or so.  I went from not purchasing a lipstick since last August (!) to buying 3 in a week plus acquiring 1 via swap as well as 1 lipgloss via PR.  For some, this is just another day, but for me it’s a lot.  And they are all pretty damn sweet.

I plan on doing separate posts for each of them but for now I leave you with this:

Above: MAC Morange.  I received this in swap and thought it was going to rock my world.  I still think it’s an amazing color but on my face?  OMFG IT IS SO INTENSE.  And I’m not sure if that’s in a good way.  It’s so frustrating, because in these swatches it seems like this color would be great on my skintone, and looking at it on others online it’s stellar.  I WILL find a way to wear this, I just haven’t figured out how…  In the meantime, I bought this:

One of the new Dior lippies, #433 Delice, in the Addict Extreme formulation.  I bought this at Shoppers when I had a $10 gift card.  They actually sent me home with the wrong version – the regular Addict which is more sheer – that thankfully I noticed before using it, but good grief Dior did you have to name them ALL the same name, same number?  The poor SA’s… Anyway, no harm no foul on my end, but I would have been totally disappointed in the Addict shade; this Extreme one is more opaque and absolutely amazing on.  It’s a more toned-down version of Morange and super-wearable, though I won’t give up on the former just yet.

Yay!  I actually bought one of my wishlist items!  Meet Quince, a High Pigment Pencil (matte formula) from BITE Beauty, my first from the brand.  This is the exact fuchsia shade I was searching for, it looks SO good on – not too bright on my skintone, which was one of the major challenges, but also not so dark that it’s more berry.  On me it’s just perfect.  LOVE.

Yes, I caved and bought a YSL Rouge Volupte Shine since everyone and their dog seemed to be raving about them!  I wouldn’t have probably picked this up if not for the 15% off VIB sale, which eased the painful $39CAD price tag down a bit.  I initially didn’t think these were anything to write home about, but they’re actually more pigmented than I thought.  I really wanted to get a soft pink shade as I don’t seem to own one, and #8 Pink In Confidence fit the bill.  Very pretty and wearable.

Lastly, I received a couple of products from MUFE in shades that complimented the Pantone 2013 Spring shades.  This is a Lab Shine Star Collection gloss in S0, which is essentially a shimmering beige.  It’s fairly translucent but not clear, so it mutes my lip color a bit.  I have to say that I do like the Lab Shine glosses, they have a nice smooth texture, feel  hydrating worn, and have good staying power.  This isn’t a terribly exciting color but it’ll be great for a casual look or for layering!

I think I’m pretty much set for spring with all of these lip colors, I finally have a few serious brights to play with, and also a couple muted shades to pair with any bright eye looks I choose.  They’re all worthy of their own posts so keep an eye out!  I wanted to get them up earlier but being sick my lips were so dry, everything I put on them just looked like a flaky mess.  They’ve pretty much healed so I should be able to give you full reviews this week 🙂

What new lippies have you bought lately?  Do you prefer brights or more subtle shades?  Gloss or lipstick?  Did you buy anything from the VIB sale? 

Fun with Fuchsia: American Apparel Neon Violet Polish, NARS Desire Blush, and Illamasqua Divine Lipgloss

As some of you may know, I’ve been in a slight polish slump for the past while.  Nothing has really got me excited much, though I have picked up a few shades here and there (as seen in my last post) that were great additions to my collection.  Last week I was admittedly quite enamoured with China Glaze’s new Dandy Lyin’ Around, a sparkling white polish, but by the end of the week, as usual I was ready for a change.  I was feeling kinda frisky (huh?) and pulled out American Apparel’s Neon Violet polish, a blue-leaning bold pink, which is part of their Neon collection that came out quite a while ago.  I haven’t given this polish much love for whatever reason, though it often draws my eye as it stands out a lot amid the other shades in my stash.  As soon as I put it on, my love was seriously revived – guys, this is a fantastic shade!!  I’ve shown pics to you before (once as a pedicure and once on a friend’s hand) but I’m not sure I’ve given it enough due – you really gotta check it out.  Aside from the glorious color, it’s a near one-coater with a great formula – it’s just FABULOUS.

Anyway, it got me thinking again about skintone and whether I am more cool or warm – this is most definitely a cool-leaning shade, and while I inherently think I’m warm-toned because of my caramel coloring, more and more I think I might actually just be neutral, leaning neither way, because I seem to be able to pull off shades all over the color spectrum (hooray for me!).  I also am realizing that it has a lot more to do with just finding the right shade within each color range, rather than whether or not you can wear ‘warm’ or ‘cool’ tones.  After all this thought and over the past few months with some of the beauty accruals I’ve made, I have found my jam in one area at least – fuchsia.

A few months ago, I was on this kick where I wanted to collect NARS blushes – I already owned four and I thought I’d just keep going with it.  I’ve since kind of gotten over that, but not before I scored Desire in a swap.  Initially I thought it was probably a stupid move – a cool ‘cotton candy pink’ on my skintone??  I just wasn’t convinced.  And since I received the shade in the late summer, which did not seem like the season for this color, I left it alone for ages.

When winter rolled around, I figured it was time to give this ago and decide if I was going to keep it or not.  As true for many NARS blushes, it has great pigmentation, and because it’s completely matte it’s exceptionally wearable (as a general rule, I find bright pink + shimmer = TOO DAMN MUCH).  The first time I wore it, I happened to pair it with heavy black liner and naked lips, and BAM!  Compliments galore!!  It looked smokin’ (sadly, I do not have pics from that day).  It was then that I started to think that fuchsia might be a color I want to start giving more of a chance.

One night a couple months ago when Illamasqua was having their last huge sale, I was perusing the site – and on top of discovering that my current blush lemming Crush was on sale, I also could score the Sheer Lipgloss in Divine (a ‘deep fuchsia pink’) for 1/3 of the regular price.  When my package arrived, I was pleased to find that Divine was a wonderful addition to my gloss collection, as it was unlike anything I already own.  Additionally, it’s smooth, non-sticky formula was a pleasure to use, and while it isn’t as pigmented as it looks in the tube, its a great shade to brighten up my face in a pinch.

Swatches: Illamasqua Divine (left), NARS Desire (right)

As I already noted, I had previously always thought I had a warm-leaning skintone, so when I saw evidence of how yet another cool-based color looked great, I was finally convinced – fuchsia rocks my world!!

Wearing Illamasqua Divine Lipgloss

Out of all this discovery, one thing became glaringly clear – I desperately need a bright fuchsia lipstick!!  The lovely Sarah from Beauty and the Baked Goods send me Revlon’s Sweet Tart lip butter, which is a great pink, but it leans more candy-colored.  I’ve been doing my research and I’m torn between Bite Beauty’s High Pigment Matte Pencil in Quince $28CAD (described as a rose berry – but looks pretty fuchsia to me), YSL’s Rouge Volupte Radiant Lipstick in Rose Culte $39CAD (a ‘vivid fuchsia’), or new NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu $30CAD (a ‘shocking pink’).  I haven’t gotten to swatch the NARS pencil in person yet, so not sure if it’s the right tone, but the other two totally do it for me – it’s likely I’ll opt for the Bite pencil as it’s more reasonably priced and I have yet to try a lippie from the brand.

All said and done, I’m pretty stoked that I’ve stumbled upon a go-to shade that seems to work so well with my skintone.  I’ve made several discoveries of this kind over the past couple months while funds have been so limited – I’ve been taking the time to play more and make more informed decisions about what I purchase when I have the means to do so, and it’s been a positive learning experience 🙂

What unlikely makeup / polish shades have you discovered to really work for you?

How Convenient That Pantone’s Color of the Year Was Also PERFECT for St. Patty’s Day!

So.  Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day!  7 years ago (OMG how time flies…barf) I was in Dublin for Paddy’s Day (as they shorthand it in Ireland), and yea…it was as crazy as you’d imagine it to be!  Not so much a drunken mess, but just the sheer amount of people…yowza.  It was a fantabulous time, and I’ll never forget it!

As the years pass, it seems the crew of hardcore Paddy’s Day party-goers dwindles in my crowd – job responsibilities, babies, and aging in general all seem to keep everyone at home on one of the most fun days of the year ~tear~  Thankfully, I have an excellent partner-in-crime who I can always count on to celebrate with me!  This year it was just the two of us, so it was more low-key than usual, but I still made sure to dress the part – which includes green makeup (and nails), of course!

I usually do a lot more green on the eye, but since it wasn’t a rip-roaring party I went subdued and just wore a simple flash of green liner on the top lash line.  I used Urban Decay’s 24/7 Liner in Covet (an emerald green with silver microglitter) on top of MAC’s Blacktrack Fluidline – the black gave the green more depth and helped the line look more crisp.  I added MAC All That Glitters shadow all over the lid, as I find it gives the most beautiful shine to the eye without ever seeming like too much, and then a dab of Giorgio Armani’s Eyes to Kill shadow in #6 Khaki Pulse to the crease to add a little bit more depth.  *Side note – anyone notice that I’m trying to grow my eyebrows out?  It’s so frickin’ hard dude!  I want to pluck all the random stray hairs but I’m trying to be patient ~sigh~ They are coming along though 🙂

Since it was going to be a long day, I wore MUFE’s HD Blush in #12 First Kiss on bare cheeks, layered foundation on top, and then added a touch of MAC’s Mineralize Blush in Early Morning to make sure my blush had good staying power.  I quite liked the way it made my skin look kind of lit from within.  I don’t usually layer cream and powder blushers but I really need to get on that!  I topped off my cheekbones and other high points of the face with MAC’s Beauty Powder in Shell Pearl, which gives the best glow – I finally got my hands on the Year of the Snake version last week and I LOVE this product.  Review will be forthcoming!

I finished with a very simple lip using Benefit’s Ultra Plush gloss in Hoola.  I didn’t want anything competing with the green liner, so this gave the barest hint of shimmer and warmth, but that’s about it.

Of course, the look isn’t finished – gotta get some flash on the nails too, right!?  Because I’m not a fan of green nail polish as a whole, I don’t actually own any that are going to give me serious pizazz.  But I have shades with a green tinge… haha.  I made it work, I think!  I just read about sideways manicures, so I tried it out – easiest nail art EVER.  And also my new favorite!!

The shades I used were a-England Tess d’Urbervilles as a base, and Chanel Peridot on top.  This was probably more subtle than I should have gone with – the nature of Peridot with it’s duochrome nature just makes the a-England shade look like a shadow.  Nonetheless, I loved the effect, and loved how darn easy this one (no nail stickers required – freehand works perfectly!), so I’ll definitely be trying this again and again with other shades.  Fun!

I always have intentions to get these kinds of event posts up before the actual event, but who am I kidding?  That’s never going to happen – I’m too busy prepping for the occasion to actually have time to post!  LOL  Anyway, all the other bloggers have got this covered for me 😀  And it’s not like I did anything particularly unique, and both the makeup and nails could be done any time of the year, right?

How did you celebrate Paddy’s Day??  Did you do any themed makeup and/or nails?

Hourglass Best of Hourglass Collection Has a Few Gems You Need to Try!

While some people are able to go away on vacation and continue to communicate with the outside world, I was pretty much MIA the entire time I was in New Zealand (there I go again!).  Any time I wanted to access the internet, I had to pay for wireless or for computer time, and I was just not having it.  In this day and age, it’s like paying for water (which also annoys me), so I pretty much forgot the whole idea except to periodically let my family and friends know I was alive.

However, when I got an email from Sephora’s PR giving me the opportunity to chose one of the sets from the holiday collections, I happily paid a few bucks in order to respond and select my set.  Of all the offerings, the cream of the crop was most definitely Hourglass’ Best of Hourglass collection ($68CAD), which came with a travel size of their popular Veil Mineral Primer, a full size Film Noir Full Spectrum mascara in Onyx, a full size Extreme Sheen lipgloss in Ignite, and a deluxe sample of the new No. 28 Primer Serum.  Hel-lo!  How could I pass up on on these goodies!!?

As I had tried the Veil Mineral Primer before, in the travel size, and finished it, I was happy to have another small bottle to replace it (for a glowing, more thorough review on this product, see Liz’s post at Beauty Reductionista).  The other three products were entirely new to me, and as anything I have tried from the brand has pretty much knocked my socks off, I was totally eager to get my grabby hands on them and play.  First, let’s discuss the Film Noir Full Spectrum mascara:

To be clear, there is another Film Noir mascara that Hourglass makes, but it is the one that you paint on lash by lash.  This is your regular bristle-brush mascara, and in reality the brush itself IS pretty regular.  It doesn’t have any bells or whistles and looks pretty…normal, compared to every gimmicky brush that’s come out in the last few years.  Don’t let that fool you, however!  Though my pictures below don’t truly do it justice, this mascara is LOVELY.  It separates my lashes perfectly while giving them some serious length as well as volume.  It’s one of the few mascaras I’ve tried that I’ve actually gotten compliments on from people who aren’t bloggers (you guys count…but not in this instance because this is our BIZNESS, yo).

It’s a drier formula than I usually like, but I think it’s actually the *perfect* consistency – not really dry at all but not so wet that its glopping on and causing clumps.  The brush really combs through the lashes each time, leaving them entirely clump-free.  I didn’t have to separate my lashes in the photos above with a comb afterward at all, which is uncommon I find.  It’s a total win.  I would actually spend the $33CAD and buy this again!  Note: There ARE parabens in the mascara.

Next, we have the Extreme Sheen gloss in Ignite, described as a ‘rose beige shimmer.’  I’d say this is more of a sheer shimmering gloss with a touch of beige more than anything, but it’s still pretty.  To buy this separately would cost $33CAD so with that plus the mascara you’re almost have the price of the set alone – not too shabby!  The gloss does have fragrance but it’s the last ingredient listed and it’s faint.  I haven’t noticed any issues yet so hopefully it remains that way!

As you can see, the gloss is essentially colorless with a hint of shimmer.  I typically like my glosses fairly opaque, but this somehow makes my lips look quite nice in the absence of pigment.  It’s a nice way to punch up clear gloss, and  it adds a subtle something extra layered over other lip colors.  Surprisingly, the staying power is pretty decent even with its translucency, and it feels good on the lips – smooth and not sticky at all.  I’d love to try this formula out in a few other shades.

Lastly, but far from least, is the No. 28 Primer Serum.  I know it’s a cheap cop-out to put this marketing image versus the real thing, but to be honest – I don’t want to waste a drop of it’s precious contents.  IT’S SO GOOD!  And as much as I love you, I just can’t swatch this for no good reason.  I’m hoarding it like crazy! At $75CAD for 1oz, you can probably understand why (though – I just saw that you can also get this in a travel size like the Veil primer – 0.33oz for $26CAD – sign me up!!).

Essentially the product combines the effects of a primer (reducing the look of pores, refining and smoothing the skin’s surface, and luminizing) with the treatment of a serum (strengthening skin’s moisture barrier, shielding against environmental aggressors, and hydrating).  All this action means that the skin looks younger and dewier and AMAZING.  It contains essential oils, lipid-rich plant oils, and vitamins to nuture the skin, while being free of parabens and fragrance.

DUDES.  Not only does it sound amazing and make a whole lotta fabulous claims, but it delivers.  I actually wore it for about 5 days straight (before remembering I can’t afford to buy the full size right now and hence it must be conserved), and my skin looked awesome.  Not just while wearing makeup, but overall it was improving the look of my skin!  It’s all sorts of YES PLEASE and believe you me I will be shelling out for this when the sample vial is finished.  I love that it helps my makeup wear better.  I love that it doesn’t make me greasy and in fact helps to control oil while still giving me a fresh, healthy look.  I love that it doesn’t irritate my fussy skin one iota.  The only thing I don’t love is the price, but I can get over that.  When you think about it like a two-in-one product, primer + treatment, the cost doesn’t seem so outrageous.  At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

So, basically, the moral of the story is, you need to buy this kit.  Or if not the set itself, you need to try each and every one of these products at some point, especially the Primer Serum.  I can’t imagine anyone NOT being happy with the collection, and it just reinforces my belief that Hourglass might just be the best makeup brand EVER.  Just sayin’.

What do you think of Hourglass?  Would you be willing to shell out for a product that produces results, or do you have a $$ limit?  What makeup brand do you think is worth the hype?

*Product was sent for my unbiased consideration.