Category Archives: Makeup

essence BLUSHplay Sculpting Blush Palette (Review & Swatches)

January 3, 2018Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesessenceChelle

essence BLUSHplay Sculpting Blush Palette

When I filmed my new essence Fall/Winter 2017 products, easily the most requested product for review was the BLUSHplay Sculpting Blush Palette. And I have to say, it intrigued me to – the layout and colour scheme of it is very similar to my beloved Smashbox LA Lights in Culver City Coral.

You’ll have to pardon my product shots of these – I thought I had colour corrected them appropriately, but I can see now that they’re coming off very red/orange, which is not the shade they truly are in the pan. This trio set is the “Play It Peach” option (they have a more pink-toned one as well) and the coral tones of it are right up my alley. They’ve structured the palette to have a highlighter, a deeper shade (sculpt) and a paler tone (define). I don’t personally layer my blush in any kind of construction like they’re indicating, but I think it is nice to have two blush shades and a complementary highlighter all in one palette.

Despite my product shots looking slightly off-colour, the swatch shots above are bang on. This is a perfect representation of the shades, so you can definitely see that this fits more into the coral/peach side of things.

Those looking for a super reflective highlighter may want to look elsewhere, but the BLUSHplay highlighter is still quite stunning. I know we’re so locked into basically creating a lens flare on our faces now, but there is something to be said for a natural sheen. The highlighter in this palette definitely delivers on the more natural side of things.

What surprised me the most is that I see no colour difference on my cheeks between define (pictured above) and sculpt (pictured below).

I went over my photos so many times to figure out if I had screwed up labelling them and I’m pretty sure I didn’t. Which is why I’m so surprised that the paler shade looks so dark on me! I can only assume that the pale shade has more pigment that I anticipated, and the darker shade has less. Both shades provide a BEAUTIFUL colour on my cheeks, but I’m really stunned that they basically look identical.

Final Thoughts

Although I’m extremely surprised that the two blush shades ended up looking the same (and honestly, I can’t help but wonder if I screwed up application and applied the same shade twice because I really do not get it), I have to point out that the colour(s) are gorgeous. The highlighter is more subtle, but it does provide a beautiful glow to the skin. I also like that the colour tone is in line with the blushes, so you don’t have to be worried about applying a clashing highlighter to your face. The price tag is super low on this ($6.99 CAD), and honestly the product way outperforms the associated price point. This isn’t a “decent for its price tag” product – this is good DESPITE the price tag!

The essence BLUSHplay Sculpting Palette can be purchased on essencemakeup.ca for $6.99 CAD.

The product featured in this post was sent to me for review.

Swatch Sunday: Too Faced Clover

December 31, 2017Makeup, SwatchesToo FacedChelle

Too Faced - Clover

I was soooo excited for the Too Faced Clover palette launch! And then suddenly less excited when I thought it was only a TooFaced.com exclusive item (shipping to Canada, including customs, is kinda pricey on their web site), but I was able to ship it to my in-laws in Wisconsin and picked it up over the holidays!

Of course, I’ve since discovered that the Clover palette is now also available at Ulta, which should make it a little more accessible to people (for us Canadians, it’s worth repeating – Ulta ships to Canada now too!).

To celebrate the launch of the Clover palette, the company donated $250,000 to the Best Friends Animal Society which is a national (USA, I presume) no-kill sanctuary for animals.

Too Faced – Clover Swatches

Too Faced - Puppy Eyes — Too Faced – Puppy Eyes

Too Faced - I Ruff You — Too Faced – I Ruff You

Too Faced - Cuteness Overload — Too Faced – Cuteness Overload

Too Faced - Lucky Clover — Too Faced – Lucky Clover

Too Faced - Paw Print — Too Faced – Paw Print

Too Faced - Best Friends — Too Faced – Best Friends

Too Faced - Chihuahua — Too Faced – Chihuahua

Too Faced - Ruh Roh — Too Faced – Ruh Roh

Too Faced - Cuddle Buddy — Too Faced – Cuddle Buddy

Too Faced - Fur Baby — Too Faced – Fur Baby

Too Faced - Love is Love — Too Faced – Love is Love

Too Faced - Daddies ♥ Me — Too Faced – Daddies ♥ Me

Too Faced - #SaveThemAll — Too Faced – #SaveThemAll

Too Faced - Wet Kisses — Too Faced – Wet Kisses

Too Faced - TF Mascot — Too Faced – TF Mascot

Too Faced - Spoiled — Too Faced – Spoiled

Too Faced - Good Boy — Too Faced – Good Boy

The Too Faced Clover palette can be purchased on ulta.com for $49 USD or on toofaced.com for the same price.

This post contains affiliate links.

Swatch Sunday: Tarte Tartelette Toasted

December 24, 2017Makeup, SwatchesTarteChelle

tarte - Tartelette Toasted

Coasting in on the warm palette steamtrain, tarte has released their Tartelette Toasted palette!

The tones and idea are similar to the rest of their Tartelette palettes, but obviously this one has more of a rusty, warm edge.

tarte Tartelette Toasted Swatches

The tarte Tartelette Toasted palette can be purchased on sephora.ca for $60 CAD or on sephora.com for $46 USD.

Holiday 2017: Sephora Collection Sets

December 20, 2017Makeup, ReviewsSephora CollectionChelle

Sephora Collection Holiday 2017

An often overlooked brand, for no other reason other than that it is a house brand and therefore automatically gets less attention because of it, the Sephora Collection holiday 2017 items and sets are not to be missed. Compared to the bulk of items carried at Sephora, these items are relatively inexpensive and yet the quality is excellent! I’ve found some new favourites in this lot too, so I’m even more excited to show you what they’ve got out now for the holidays!

The first item that really drew me in was the Wonderful Stars set ($23 CAD/$16 USD), because who doesn’t love an eyeshadow pan shaped as a star? The overall tone of this is very neutral, but I do love that they’ve thrown in some deeper shades to really help amp up your look. Also, you really cannot beat that price point!

Aside from the cute stars that called to me, this was the other item that screamed my name. First of all, it’s called the Winter Queen set ($10 USD), so obviously I’m over the moon because I love me some winter (seriously, go away summer – I don’t like you). But, aside from the name and the beautiful packaging, it’s the colours inside that really draw me in. The bronzer could potentially be used as a contour shade since it has more of a grey cast than an orange one (a very welcome feature), but I’ve been using it as a bronzer and I love the shade of it. It’s the perfect shade for those of us who are NW20 and lower. The blushes? Equally gorgeous. They’re bright enough to add a pop of colour without being too much. I particularly love the brightest one though (of course lol). And the highlighter? VERY unique and quite beautiful. It’s a grey/silver cast that I find ever so intriguing.

(By the way, I can’t find this on the Canadian Sephora site, so it may be sold out online. Check in stores if you’re Canadian!)

Sephora Collection Mini Cream Lip Stain set

Okay so this set – the Mini Cream Lip Stain set ($15 CAD/$12 USD) – WHAT. A. WINNER. My dear friend Samantha has been telling me about the Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stains for ages now, but I’ve always got too many lip products as it is, so I never bothered to pick one up. Until I received this set. And now I’m just like “okay NOW I understand”. These are unreal. The colours are beautiful, the lasting power is exceptional, and, while they are a matte liquid lipstick, they’re on the more comfortable side of things. Do yourself a favour and pick this set up, because at 15 bucks… it’s well worth it!

Wearing Wonderful Stars on the eyes & one of the cream lip stains

In the shot above I have the Wonderful Stars set on my eyes and on my face for blush and highlighter. I’m also wearing the Blackberry Sorbet Cream Lip Stain from the mini cream stain set.

Wearing another of the lip cream stains and the Winter Queen palette on my face

In the shot above I’m wearing the Cream Lip Stain in Vintage Rosewood and I have the bronzer, blush and highlighter from the Winter Queen palette on my face.

If you’re gifting (or buying for yourself) to someone who likes a lot of cheek options, the Winter Flush set ($16 USD) may be the right option. Each pan in the palette has a matte and shimmer shade which (obviously) can be used alone or swirled together. I love that the colours are actually varied – you’re not just getting the same colour in different tones – you’re actually getting an assortment of shades.

Sephora Collection Midnight is Coming set

And lastly, the tiniest, littlest, babiest eyeshadow palette you ever did see – the Midnight is Coming set. It’s currently sold out on both Sephora Canada and Sephora USA, but the shops generally have tons of stock, so check there. With three eyeshadows in a small enclosed magnetic flap box, this makes an easy to purchase stocking stuffer for any beauty lover

So there you have it! I hope you’re intrigued by what Sephora Collection has to offer. Not only do they do amazing holiday sets, but they also do them for incredibly reasonable prices. They’re easily giftable and won’t break the bank, which is something we can all appreciate during the holiday season.

Let me know if you’ve tried out some of their items – from the holidays or otherwise – because I really do feel like Sephora Collection needs a whole heck of a lot more exposure!

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration. Post contains affiliate links.

VIDEO: Too Faced Chocolate Gold Collection Try On

December 19, 2017Makeup, Tutorials, YouTubeToo FacedChelle