Monday, June 7, 2010

Lemming of the Day (LOTD) #3: Lancome Bronzers


I am a sucker for packaging and Lancome has been releasing bronzers that are pressed with some absolutely gorgeous images!  I have been drooling over the Lancome Tropiques MinĂ©rale Bamboo Bronzer ever since I saw pictures of it on temptalia.com (u really need to see the real life photos to appreciate all it's beauty!).  But unfortuntaely (or maybe fortuntaely) I am not a bronzer person, so I don't have much use for the bamboo bronzer.  Although, I guess I could get it just to stare and admire it's prettiness!  tee hee =P  

Recently, I came across the promo pic of the Lancome Tropiques Minerale Golden Croisette Illuminating Bronzing Palette on britishbeautyblogger.com and have been seriously lemming that too!  If the illuminating palette was sectioned into four equal parts, so the pinks were more abundant, I would be snatching it up in a heartbeat.  But this palette may be a UK exclusive as I don't see it on the US/Canadian lancome sites yet. =(

Thursday, June 3, 2010

May Favourites


I know this is technically a few days late but this idea just dawned on me today while I was watching monthly favourite videos on youtube. I love watching those types of vlogs and look forward to them every month. So I thought why not start doing it on my blog too?!?  So here it goes… my May 2010 Favourites:

Aveeno Eczema Care Cream: I got a severe skin irritation bordering on a chemical burn earlier this month which made my face extremely sensitive, dry, bumpy and red. This cream and soothed helped heal my skin. I also had this dry, rough patch on my leg from scratching too hard and this made it soft and smooth again. Wherever I’ve applied this (hands, arms, leg, etc.) it has made it as soft as a baby’s bum! This has also been approved for use on baby’s, so you know it’s gentle! I’ve also tried this on my face and it didn’t clog my pores but is a litte too rich and slightly tacky for a day cream on my oily skin. But I will be using it as a night cream when my skin feels dry and I’m sure I’ll be loving this even more in the winter time!

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser (not in “group” pic above but will post one below): This is a very effective yet gentle cleanser. At first I didn't love it b/c it doesn't lather/foam as much as I would like and it kinda smells, feels & looks like dish soap. But I realized how great this cleanser really is when I had my skin reaction/irritation because everything that touched my face set it on fire except this cleanser. It did not burn, dry out or aggravate it at all! With one full pump, it removes all traces of makeup (I tested by following with Bioderma and my cotton pad wiped clean). This works best with your hands as it didn't really work well with my Clarisonic (which btw u don't need as long as u have a good cleanser like this and a good daily physical exfoliator). The only downside of this is that it stings if u get it in your eyes. But just keep them closed tight and you’ll be fine as this is also great at removing all traces of eye makeup!

Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer #6: This is truly a full coverage concealer that works wonderfully on blemishes! I had an angry red zit and this completely camouflaged it! It has a creamy liquid consistency that is easy to work with and blend out.  Love the squeeze tube packaging that makes it easy to control the amount of product dispensed.  Because u only need the teeny tinest amount, this will probably last me my life time!

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss #168 Rhythm:  A pink gloss with lilac undertone, similar to NYX Power and MAC Blooming Lovely. It has decent pigmentation for a lipgloss considering that u can detect the colour on my pigmented lips. I love the smooth, slippery formula of Rimmel’s Vinyl Gloss that feels moisturizing on the lips. But they do have a bit off putting citrus smell to them that thankfully dissipates once applied. Also b/c the formula isn’t at all tacky it doesn’t have the best lasting power

Sephora Professional Platinum Air Brush #55: This is a great foundation brush with dense, yet soft bristles. The ferrule has a good medium weight to it. It washes well and dries fast (if I wash it at night, it's dry by the time I wake in the morning!). When I first felt the 55, I thought it would be too soft to buff foundation in well but it spreads liquid foundation effortlessly, smoothly and evenly. However, you don't necessarily need this, as you can get the same results with a good kabuki brush. Just dab and buff. I also love at that this brush is multi-tasking and works well as a blush and powder brush too!

LORAC Multi-Platinum Palette: Super pigmented, soft, bendable eyeshadows in beautiful colours. Gorgeous peach-pink blush with gold sheen. Check out my previous post for more info and swatches =D


Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

LORAC Multi-Platinum Palette & LOTD #2: LORAC Products

Top left to right: Rockstar, Serenity, Heavy Metal
Bottom left to right: Sapphire, Dreamy, Techno
Blush: Couture

I LOVE this palette!  The eyeshadows are super pigmented and so soft they feel like velvet!  The Couture blush is everything I wanted NARS Orgasm to be... a peachy-pink with gold sheen NOT shimmery-sparkle!  But unfortunately like some of the eyeshadows the blush is not sold seperately =(  This palette has got me hooked on LORAC products.  After reading reviews and checking out swatches I've come to find that this is a seriously underrated brand that is loved by those familar with it and definitely needs more recognition!  Some other LORAC products that I am now lemming are: 1) the Neutralizer which apparently is so good at evening out redness and hyperpigmentation on the skin that you only need to follow with a very light coverage foundation  2) Couture Shine Liquid Lipstick in Vintage which looks like a great nude lippie & 3) Haute, a pretty pale pink!  =D

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Long Lasting Lipstick Swatches

Left to Right:  Tiger Eye #186, Fig #123, Rose Tea #117, Candy #116

Tiger Eye #186 is a bronzed-brown with gold shimmer, that has a duochrome-like finish that is quite unique
Fig #123 is a nice midtone red that has a satin finish
Rose Tea #117 is a nice mauvey pink but it's pretty much the same colour as my lips
Candy #116 is hot pink with a frost finish
All these are nicely pigmented, creamy and apply smoothly. I like the sleek gold packaging with the logo embossed on the lid. Unfortunately, I can't comment on the lasting power of these lippies as I just haven't worn them for long enough periods of time. But I can say that they feel comfortable on the lips and don't slide around or feather.

Monday, May 24, 2010

NOTD (Nail Of The Day) #1: Pastel Purple Swatches & Comparison of Canadian Drugstore Nail Polish

Left to right: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lively Lilac, Joe Fresh Faded Violet, Revlon Gum Drop, Revlon Lilac Pastelle


Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lively Lilac:  This is a one coater but I did two just because.  The Insta-Dri line has an awesome prowide brush that coats almost your entire nail in just one swipe.  The brush is also cut into a curved shape which makes application close to the cuticle a breeze. 
 
Joe Fresh Faded Violet:  This is also opaque in one coat.  The formula is nice and smooth however, the brush is fat and flimsy therefore hard to work with.  The Joe Fresh line is right on trend with their colour selection and Faded Violet is my favourite pastel purple.
 
Revlon Gum Drop:  This polish is very sheer and needs 4-5coats for opacity.  Gum Drop is part of the limited edition Fruitful Temptations collection featuring nail polish that is scented when dry.  Personally, I find the scent of Gum Drop sickly sweet.  This is a dupe for Essie's Lilacism.
 
Revlon Lilac Pastelle:  This polish needs 2-3coats and is also limited edition.  The colour is more pink than lilac.  And I don't know if it's the formula or the brush but this applies the most streaky of all my Revlon polishes.  
 
 

Saturday, May 22, 2010

CARGO Wet/Dry Eyelining Palette

There are no eyeshadow names on the box or palette but I will try my best to describe the colours.  So, from the top left to right: 1)Charcoal with silver sparkles 2)Dusty blue with bareley detectable blue shimmer 3)matte Black 4) matte Royal Blue and the bottom: 5)Mossy yellow/green/brown with barely detectable gold shimmer 6)matte Purple 7)Grey with silver sparkles 8)matte Brown.  The palette case is sleek and thin.
 
As will become apparent in my swatches below the pigmentation of thses shadows is low.  In addition, the texture is quite hard so you have to swipe the shadow several times, with a decent amount of pressure, inorder to get colour payoff.  The most pigmented ones are the ones with sparkle (1&7) and the least pigmented are the matte shadows (3,4&6).  Since this is intended to be an eyelining palette I expected much more pigmentation.  The shadows work best dry and over a primer like Urban Decay Primer Potion.  When used wet, colour payoff on the matte shadows improves slightly (4&6) but the rest apply worse.  So, as you can probably tell I am not impressed by this palette and am glad I only paid $8 for it (clearace online at Sephora).  On a numerical scale I would rate the CARGO Wet/Dry Eyeling Palette 5/10.

Dry Swatch

Wet Swatch

Heavily Swatched as Liner





Monday, May 10, 2010

LOTD: Lemming Of The Day #1 - Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure

Thanks to the hysteria on the Makeupalley (MUA) nailboard, I have been intensely lemming Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure (SH HT), a transparent flakie packed with firey orange, red, green and gold duochrome!  It looks gorgeous layered over all colours and transforms your nails into stunning opals!  I really really really really hope they release this in Canada!  It has been available in the States for about a month, so if you're a lucky American lady, snatch-up this beauty if you can!  A map of SH HT sightings has been created (posted below) and I will be stalking it for the first sighting in Canada! *fingers crossed
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View Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure Map in a larger map