Category Archives: Reviews

Maybelline Color Jolts (Review & Swatches)

September 7, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesMaybellineChelle

Maybelline Color Jolt Lip Paints

Released just this past summer, Maybelline‘s Color Jolt Intense Lip Paints feel like the brand’s answer to everyone else’s liquid lipstick/gloss hybrids (sometimes called matte glosses by other brands… WHICH IS NOT A THING OKAY – you cannot be matte and glossy at the same time!).

Lip paint is definitely the best wording for these little guys – they deposit one heck of a lot of colour in a thick almost gel-like formula. They’re a bit thicker than the Too Faced Melteds, in case you’re familiar with that formula. (I’m going to be doing a lot of comparisons to the Too Faced Melteds because the products are very, very similar.)

Like the Melteds, the Maybelline Color Jolts have a flocked applicator that is slightly narrower than their counterparts. The product comes out of the center of the applicator via the squeezy tube. Due to the nature of the small applicator, it’s really, REALLY easy to get a precise tip (easier than the Melteds). While they have a watermelon scent when they come out of the tube, I can assure you that this goes away. I, for one, am totally grossed out by the scent of fake watermelon and yet I was able to wear these for several hours without issue because the scent dissipated very quickly. (What a relief!)

What’s a review without pointing out some of the negatives however? (An ad, that’s what.) The Color Jolts are only really half full in the tube. I was surprised when I went to go apply Never Bare (the one above) and discovered that I had to squeeze halfway down the tube before I got any product out of the tip.

A Maybelline Color Jolt retails for $9.99 USD and contains 6.4ml.
A Too Faced Melted retails for $21 USD and contains 12ml.

If you look at those two, you can see that the cost of a Color Jolt is on par with the cost of a Too Faced Melted which is a bit ridiculous since Maybelline is drugstore and Too Faced is high end. Sure, you’re not shelling out more than $20 for a tube if you buy the Color Jolt, but you’re also not getting as much product either. (This only matters to some people – since very few of us actually finish up a lip product like this.) It just seemed weird for Maybelline to chintz on the amount of product you’re getting.

Maybelline Color Jolt Lip Paints in Never Bare, Talk Back Red and Red-dy Or Not - swatches — Maybelline Color Jolt Lip Paints in Never Bare, Talk Back Red and Red-dy Or Not – swatches

With the size discussion out of the way, let’s take a look at the colours! All three colours were opaque in one swipe. The colours are solid and beautiful. You’ll notice they have a sheen which does stay on the lips for quite some time, so these won’t dry down to a matte or satin finish.

Wearing Maybelline Color Jolt in Never Bare

Wearing Maybelline Color Jolt in Talk Back Red

Wearing Maybelline Color Jolt in Red-dy Or Not

Final Thoughts

Although the volume of the product is really, really weird given the price point, I do enjoy the Color Jolts immensely. I like how true and opaque the colours are. I like that the scent goes away so I don’t have to worry about a taste on my lips. I did find the colour faded a bit within two-three hours, but that’s not unexpected for something with such a glossy texture (re-application and layering were not a problem either). I also found that the product didn’t gather in the outer corners of my mouth which is something I’m exceptionally prone to (even with the Melteds).

Since the texture is a bit thicker than your average lip product, I was never concerned about these travelling or moving around on my lips and I’m really impressed that I can say that given that a glossy red lip is probably one of the most terrifying things you can wear in public! And although I’ve said the texture is thicker than normal, these are not uncomfortable to wear on the lips! I’d love to see them release more shades in this formula since they currently only have 8 shades and most of them skew quite bright which could turn a few people off.

Let me know if you’re interested in the Maybelline Color Jolts, or if you’ve already tried them out!

The Maybelline Color Jolts can be purchased on ulta.com for $9.99 USD each.

Quo Fall 2016 Collection (Review + Swatches)

September 5, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesQUOChelle

Quo Fall 2016 Collection

The weather is finally cooling down in Toronto (well, it WAS… today it’s like 30°C again – UGH!), and I am sooo happy that I can start talking about new fall launches. Nothing makes me happier than the cool autumn air mixed with the scent of dying leaves (well that came out weirder than I expected, but you know what I mean!).

Quo has launched their most recent seasonal collection to help get you in the mood for the cooler season and I’m allll about that life.

Quo Fall 2016 Collection - Plum Perfect Eye Shadow Palette — Quo Fall 2016 Collection – Plum Perfect Eye Shadow Palette

They’ve released three new eyeshadow palettes, and I have the one called Plum Perfect ($18 CAD). I was pretty damn happy when I saw this palette because I was a little bit worried this would be yet another neutral palette. But I can happily report that although there are neutral shades in there, there’s also some gorgeous purples and a mid-tone red/pink that I am absolutely adoring.

Quo Fall 2016 Collection - Plum Perfect Eye Shadow Palette - swatches — Quo Fall 2016 Collection – Plum Perfect Eye Shadow Palette – swatches

Even better is that this palette swatches and wears incredibly well. Quo‘s eyeshadows can be hit and miss for me so I’m never sure what kind of quality I’m going to be getting. This Plum Perfect palette definitely gets the thumbs up from me though!

Quo Fall 2016 Collection - Sweet Illusion Face Palette — Quo Fall 2016 Collection – Sweet Illusion Face Palette

With every Quo launch, the item I get the most excited about is their face palettes. I’ve never found a dud amongst these palettes! The colours always work really, really well for me and I love the layout and size of the pans. This Sweet Illusion Face Palette ($20 CAD) has a more coral toned blush as well as a bronzer and a highlighter.

Quo Fall 2016 Collection - Sweet Illusion Face Palette - swatches — Quo Fall 2016 Collection – Sweet Illusion Face Palette – swatches

The blush shade is the kind of shade that makes me giddy with excitement. I do think it’s a weird pick for fall, but hey, not everything can be vampy deep cheeks! The bronzer is warm, but not too much so and works well on my (roughly) NC/NW20 skin. The highlighter isn’t overly reflective, so if you just want a bit of a highlight, this is a good option.

Quo Fall 2016 Collection - Raise Your Brows Palette — Quo Fall 2016 Collection – Raise Your Brows Palette

They re-release this brow palette ($12 CAD) with every season and they just don’t work for me due to the colouring. Here’s a look at my swatches of it from an older collection:

Quo Fall 2016 Collection - Matte Lipstick in Mysterious — Quo Fall 2016 Collection – Matte Lipstick in Mysterious

And lastly, I’ve got the limited edition matte lipstick in Mysterious ($14 CAD).

Quo Fall 2016 Collection - Matte Lipstick in Mysterious - swatch — Quo Fall 2016 Collection – Matte Lipstick in Mysterious – swatch

Looking to get into deeper, darker lips for fall? Look no further than this beautiful shade. Since it’s a matte, I did find the formula was a little bit stiff to apply, but the colour payoff was so, so worth it! It also has a lovely vanilla scent.

I decided to go all out with the deeper plums and red tones for my look. I wasn’t sure how the coral cheeks would work with this look, but in the end I feel like the lipstick shade ended up affecting how the cheeks looked so it really tied everything together.

The blush is definitely quite pigmented, so go easy if you don’t want a lot of colour. the bronzer and highlighter are quite subtle, which works for us faired-toned folk as we lose our summer tans.

For the eyes, I used the mid-tone pink/red on the upper crease, the silvery-purple on the lid and the deeper purple on the outer half of the lid. Everything blended well together and I had no issues with pigmentation. All these shots were taken roughly 6 hours after application so you can see that everything has held in place and stayed quite pigmented!

I was really happy with how this collection played out on my face. Let me know if you’re into this new fall release by Quo, or if you’re lamenting the end of summer! 😉

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.

NARS Audacious Collection (Review & Swatches)

August 26, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesNARSChelle

NARS Audacious Collection for Fall

Coming soon to a counter and store near you: NARS‘ Audacious fall collection! New shades of lipstick, limited edition eyeliners and a brand new brow cream!

NARS Audacious Lipsticks in Stefania and Kate

The NARS Audacious lipstick line ($39 CAD/$32 USD) hit the beauty world by storm a while back. But for me, I never managed to experience the amazingess of that launch. You know how it is… you get caught up in beauty launch after beauty launch and somehow you don’t get around to trying everything. So this was my first time interacting with a NARS Audacious lipstick.

I knew about the hype… but guys… I was not prepared…

At first swipe (I was doing my swatches), I actually gasped. While the bullet felt solid, it also glided onto my arm like absolute butter. The swatches you see below are my very first time swiping the product AND it’s a single swipe.

NARS Audacious Lipsticks in Stefania and Kate - swatches — NARS Audacious Lipsticks in Stefania and Kate – swatches

These are hydrating, creamy, and completely luxurious. They have no scent and are opaque in a single swipe. For me, this has been an absolute jawdropping experience – I don’t think I’ve ever worn a more comfortable lipstick…. ever. This the kind of lipstick that makes me want to own the entire range (I can see my wallet staring at me in horror).

Wearing NARS Audacious Lipstick in Stefania

Stefania is a stunning fuchsia with a cool-toned edge. I managed to pair this with pink and purple eyeshadow and it didn’t look like pink overkill (which can be difficult!).

Kate is a gorgeous medium-deep purple with some pink in it. Scared of purple lipstick? This might be one to try since it seemed to look quite natural (in my opinion) and less fluorescent.

NARS is also releasing their Brow Defining Cream with this collection (although I’m looking on Sephora and I already see it in stock – $29 CAD/$22 USD). Danakil is their darkest brow colour so it’s not going to match me, but I wanted to play with it and get a sense for the texture.

NARS Brow Defining Cream in Danakil - swatch — NARS Brow Defining Cream in Danakil – swatch

As you can see, Danakil isn’t quite made for blondes! 😉 Regardless, the texture is creamy and yet is has a hint of grit to it. That sounds weird, but bear with me. It’s not as stiff as the NYX Tame & Frame (which I’m not a fan of) and it’s not as creamy as the Anastasia Dipbrown (which I do love). This feels like the perfect hybrid between those two products because it helped me carve out my eye brow (which I don’t have much of to being with!) and yet it wasn’t slopping all over the place.

Wearing NARS Brow Defining Cream in Danakil

I love the shape and texture I got with the Brow Defining Cream. I’m absolutely going to look into purchasing my correct shade (there are three other shades on top of this one) since I loved how well this applied to my brows. As you can see in the shot above, my eyelashes are quite blonde, even white in some areas (the tips are stained from mascara of course!), so I wasn’t going to show you a full face shot because it would have looked weird. But yeah, suffice to say, I’m impressed.

NARS Unrestricted Eyeliner Stylo - matte black — NARS Unrestricted Eyeliner Stylo – matte black

The limited edition Unrestricted Eyeliner Stylo comes in two shades: a matte black (pictured in this post) and a satin finish one. It’s a felt tip liner that is long enough to make me happy (yay!) and comes to a fine point.

NARS Unrestricted Eyeliner Stylo - matte black - swatches — NARS Unrestricted Eyeliner Stylo – matte black – swatches

At first swatch, I was a little bit unsure of this liner. However, a swatch doesn’t tell the full tale:

Wearing NARS Unrestricted Eyeliner Stylo (this shot was taken after a full work day!)

This NARS eyeliner is nuts you guys! I took this picture after a work day – so I applied my liner at 7:30 am and took the above shot at 5:15 pm when I got home. You can see some of my eyeshadow has transferred onto the liner, but the liner itself HAS NOT BUDGED. It’s not faded or less crisp than when I went to work in the morning. From the swatches, I had thought that maybe I’d be dealing with an eyeliner that spread (since you can see it spreading into my arm texture lines) but that was not the case on my eyelids. Really, really happy with this one.

Final Thoughts

This is one of those collections that really makes you fall in love with the brand. Between trying out their Audacious lipsticks for the first time, to discovering a new brow cream that applies beautifully, to finding an eyeliner that stands up against an entire work day… I’m really, really impressed. There really wasn’t a dud in everything I tried and it’s piqued my interest to perhaps jump on the bandwagon a bit quicker when NARS releases a new product.

Let me know if you’re going to be picking anything up from this collection! The NARS Audacious collection will be available at your usual NARS retailers (Sephora, The Bay, Holt Renfew, Nordstrom and Murale) on September 1, 2016.

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.

MAC Cosmetics Star Trek – Trip The Light Fantastic Powder in Strange New Worlds

August 24, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesMACChelle

MAC Trip The Light Fantastic Powder in Strange New Worlds

Guys!! We are right around the corner from the MAC Star Trek collection launch! I previously posted about some of the products I received for review in this post and this video, but I didn’t have access to the unbelievably gorgeous face powders at the time.

Thanks to Swatch & Review, I was able to play around with MAC Trip The Light Fantastic Powder in Strange New Worlds. And I’m more than a little bit smitten!

Strange New Worlds is a beautiful nebulous swirl of creams, oranges and reds. This product looks an awful lot like MAC‘s Mineralize Skinfinishes (older style packaging however), but on me this one is a lot more pigmented so I can’t really wear it as a highlighter. That’s okay though, because this beauty makes a stunning blush.

MAC Trip The Light Fantastic Powder in Strange New Worlds - swatch — MAC Trip The Light Fantastic Powder in Strange New Worlds – swatch

Swirled all together Strange New Worlds is a pearly orange with hints of gold. It’s absolutely stunning and I found myself slowly falling in love with it.

Wearing MAC Trip The Light Fantastic Powder in Strange New Worlds

I’ve opted to wear Strange New Worlds as a blush without adding any additional highlighter. There is a bit of a sheen to this product, but if you want that BAM from a highlighter, you won’t really find that in this product. (Not complaining, just observing.)

I found that this blended on smoothly onto my cheeks and gave me a gorgeous warm flush. Seriously guys.. between the product and the end result… this whole product is just simply breathtaking.

If you’d like to see more from the MAC Star Trek collection, you can check out my video here:

Let me know if you plan to pick anything up from the MAC Star Trek collection! It launches online tomorrow August 25th and in stores on September 1. I expect this collection to go *extremely* fast since it’s been hyped up since March!

Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipsticks (Review & Swatches)

August 22, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesSmashboxChelle

Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipsticks

Smashbox has jumped on the liquid matte lipstick train with an enormous range of shades! 20 different colours promise “a lip-smoothing, 8-hour power pout that just won’t budge”!

The Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipsticks promise to be non-feathering, water resistant and will stay solid for eight hours straight. They “contain [a] primer oil complex, [are] rich in moisturizing jojoba, apricot and sunflower oils. Always smooth and never drying, keeps lips soft-as-suede, supple and comfortable”.

The applicator is diamond shaped with a small pocket in the middle that helps to collect product from the tube and make for an easy lip application. Because of the rounded, yet pointed, tip I am able to get a really smooth line while drawing this on my lips. (Well… as smooth as *I* can draw – liquid lipsticks always make me nervous because there’s that point where if you don’t draw it straight, you know you’re going to have to take it all off and start from scratch!)

Of the four colours I have, Girl Gang was the only one that swatched a bit streaky and wore that way as well. The other colours are all completely opaque in one swipe and wore without any streaks. The formula goes on with a slightly mousse-y texture which makes it easy to apply since it takes a few minutes to settle and dry down.

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick Swatches

Wearing Smashbox Always On in Stepping Out

Wearing Smashbox Always On in Thrill Seeker

Wearing Smashbox Always On in Chill Zone

My Thoughts

Although the Smashbox Always On formula promises to be non-drying, I have to point out that these did feel dry while they were ON my lips. After the product was removed, my lips were totally fine, but it’s worth mentioning that these aren’t an especially comfortable matte liquid lipstick as your lips will feel incredibly dry while wearing the product (not dissimilar to Colour Pop‘s Ultra Mattes). That detail out of the way, these liquid lipsticks are solid. The colour stays put without fading or bleeding (no lip primer required!) and I never had any need to touch up the product while I was wearing it. I really liked the diamond-shaped applicator as I found it easier to apply the product to my lips with this as opposed to the usual doe-foot. I never tested it for eight hours as I just can’t bring myself to wear ANY lipstick that long, but I only had minor signs of inner lip fading around the four hour mark.

Of the four I tried, only one shade had minor streaking and it’s not surprising that it’s a purple as pigmentation seems to be a struggle when creating anything purple coloured in the makeup world. The remaining three shades were completely opaque on the lips without needing to fuss around. I really, REALLY in love with the grey shade Chill Zone. Totally and completely wowed by that cement-like shade and I will definitely get some use out of that since it’s very unique and unlike anything else I own.

Let me know if you’ve tried these out!

The Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipsticks can be purchased at sephora.ca for $28 CAD or on sephora.com for $24 USD. In Canada, these are also available at Shoppers Drug Mart and on beautyboutique.ca.

The products featured in this post were sent to me for review.