Category Archives: Reviews

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipsticks (Review & Swatches)

August 17, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesMary KayChelle

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipsticks

There’s only so many times us bloggers can extol the virtues of Mary Kay before I hope we’re heard! While Mary Kay has long been touted as “your grandmother’s brand”, they are really, REALLY are stepping up their game. It’s not (yet) apparent in every product, but the more I try, the more I’m blown away by their transformation.

Available as of August 16, 2016 (yesterday!), Mary Kay has launched their Gel Semi-Matte Lipsticks. These are the “first full coverage lipstick by Mary Kay to utilize gel microsphere technology for rich, stay-true colour that lasts for hours without leaving lips looking or feeling dry”.

There are currently eight shades available and they’re an interesting selection – there’s a bunch of nudes with a twist (I’d say they have a brown edge to them) as well as some bright colours. The colours are intensely pigmented – you won’t find very much of your own lip colour peeking through (except for Crushed Berry, that was the only one that I felt was a slightly bit sheer).

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipsticks - swatched — Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipsticks – swatched

There is a slight scent to the lipsticks that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s almost a little herbal-y. At fist I wasn’t sure how I would feel about that, but in the end they are completely tasteless on my lips so I was really pleased about that.

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipstick Swatches

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipstick in Bashful You

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipstick in Rich Truffle

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipstick in Mauve Moment

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipstick in Powerful Pink

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipstick in Always Apricot

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipstick in Poppy Please

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipstick in Midnight Red

Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipstick in Crushed Berry

To see these on a deeper skintone, please visit my friend Samantha Jane’s blog. She has a MAC NC42 skintone and has the whole range swatched out as well.

My Thoughts

My initial thoughts on these lipsticks was that I wasn’t going to be okay with the scent of them since they aren’t your usual vanilla lipstick flavour. However, once I discovered that these had no flavour on my lips, it was smooth sailing! These are absolutely gorgeous lipsticks that wear like a dream. The longevity of them is phenomenal (easily 6+ hours and it was still going strong) and they are exceptionally comfortable on the lips. They’re not even remotely drying which is always a blessing in a matte lipstick.

I also like just how solid the bullet feels – I never felt like I was at risk of breaking my lipstick and I was able to get full colour opacity with only a few swipes. I found the colour range adequate for a first launch (my personal favourite shade is Poppy Please), as it pretty much covered all the usual lipstick bases. Going forward, I would really like to see this shade range get expanded because I think Mary Kay has a truly winning formula in this lipstick range!

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

VIDEO: Estee Lauder Double Wear Nude Cushion Stick First Impressions + Time Trial

August 16, 2016Makeup, Reviews, YouTubeChelle

Too Faced Sketch Markers (Review & Swatches)

August 10, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesToo FacedChelle

Too Faced Sketch Markers

Brand new to Too Faced‘s lineup of products are the ever so brightly coloured Sketch Markers!

“Sketch Marker is an advanced liquid eyeliner inspired by Japanese Calligraphy Pens. Its formula acts as an artist’s best drawing ink, created to be exceptionally smooth, vivid, waterproof and ideal for lining eyes. The flexible tip allows you to effortlessly create paintbrush-like strokes for daytime to dramatic cat eyes and everything in between. Available in a kaleidoscope of colors from soft pastels to bold pop art shades. Wear a single color or pair up to create a double eyeliner work of art.”

Since a pen style liquid liner is my preferred way to apply liquid liners, I was pretty darn happy to see that these were not in a “dip pot” style. I do prefer a brush tip, but these have a really flexible felt tip which is probably the closest I’m ever going to get without it actually being a full on brush. I’m also happy to report that they come in a wide variety of COLOURS which I’m finding more and more brands are doing lately. There are 12 shades in total – you’ve got your basic white, black and brown, but there’s a gorgeous papaya shade, a few purples and some stunning greens and blues.

The Sketch Markers taper to a fine point and I can happily report that the ink from the inner cartridge actually flows all the way to the end of the tip. I know this seems like a basic function of a pen-style liquid liner, but I can’t tell you know the number of brands do not deliver on this (MAC’s fluidline pens were my most recent disappointment, for example). It’s worth mentioning that although these are labelled waterproof, I’m afraid that they’re more water resistant than waterproof.

Too Faced Sketch Markers in Espresso & Steel Blue - swatches — Too Faced Sketch Markers in Espresso & Steel Blue – swatches

Both the Espresso and Steel Blue shades swatched completely opaque in one swipe. At a glance, the Espresso shade looks like a satin, whereas the Steel Blue is more matte (there’s really not much of a difference on your eyes though).

Wearing Too Faced Sketch Marker in Espresso

Wearing Too Faced Sketch Marker in Steel Blue

Final Thoughts

If you like a flexible felt tip pen-style eyeliner that delivers opacity in one swipe, longevity in the formula (these have EASILY lasted me a whole work day and then some), and a fluidity that ensures you’ll get product at the very tip of the brush, then the Too Faced Sketch Markers are 100% for you. You also have the flexibility of choosing one of the usual shades (black or brown) or branching out into something a little bit more fun-loving amongst the vibrant shades. I’m currently eyeballing the Papaya Peach shade for my next Sephora order because I don’t have anything like that colour at all!

(Also, huge thanks to my husband for the adorable cat drawings!)

The Too Faced Sketch Markers can be purchased on sephora.ca for $26 CAD or on sephora.com for $20 USD.

The products featured in this review were sent to me by PR for consideration.

MAC Cosmetics It’s a Strike! (Review, Swatches & Look)

August 8, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesMACChelle

MAC - It's a Strike!

Coming soon to a MAC counter near you: MAC‘s It’s a Strike! limited edition collection!

Head straight to the fast lane and have a ball with M∙A∙C It’s a Strike! A range of Lipstick and Cremesheen Glass is racked in red. Rich eye shadow and Fluidline Pen shades will have everyone begging to join your league, while easy hues of Casual Colour are right up anyone’s alley. Practice a clean follow-through with three creamy colors of M∙A∙C Studio Nail Lacquer. Finally, knock them all down with the luminous allure of new Pearlmatte Face Powder.

My main excitement in this collection was stemmed not only by the new pearlmatte face powder (sadly, not pictured in this post), but also the GORGEOUS new eyeshadow shades!

MAC It's a Strike! eyeshadows - Carbon, Bowl Out, Bowlarama & 300 Game — MAC It’s a Strike! eyeshadows – Carbon, Bowl Out, Bowlarama & 300 Game

While you’ve got your usual Carbon in there, there’s also a glorious mid-tone brown-grey in Bowl Out (matte), an incredibly fun yellow-green in Bowlarama (satin) and a to-die-for blackened cherry in 300 Game.

MAC It's a Strike! eyeshadows - Bowlarama, Bowl Out, 300 Game & Carbon - swatched — MAC It’s a Strike! eyeshadows – Bowlarama, Bowl Out, 300 Game & Carbon – swatched

Aside from Carbon (who has long needed help in the pigmentation department), these eyeshadows swatched and wore like a dream. I love that there’s that sort of weird chartreuse colour that’s not quite green enough to be a true chartreuse. It played out so, SO nicely on my lids. Bowl Out – the grey brown – is the kind of shade I wanted Copperplate to be, but never was. And 300 Game is just way too awesome of a dark red to ignore! I’m also really, REALLY happy that this collection has only satin and matte eyeshadows – it’s just a nice change of pace, you know?

MAC It's a Strike! eye look — MAC It’s a Strike! eye look

MAC It's a Strike! lipsticks - Babes and Balls & Liquid Lurex — MAC It’s a Strike! lipsticks – Babes and Balls & Liquid Lurex

The lipsticks are also equally enticing – particularly the dazzle lipstick which I’ve never played with before!

Babes and Balls is a matte deep burgundy, whereas Liquid Lurex is described as a tarnished gold in a dazzle formula.

MAC It's a Strike! lipsticks - Liquid Lurex & Babes and Balls - swatched — MAC It’s a Strike! lipsticks – Liquid Lurex & Babes and Balls – swatched

Although Liquid Lurex got pegged as “tarnished gold”, I personally see a very thin green-gold base with flecks of gold, silver and pink glitter dispersed throughout the formula. I thought it was a lot of fun to wear, even though it really is just a glitter lipstick. Despite the glitter, it’s not uncomfortable to wear. Removal is a bit of a pain however, as the glitter pieces will try their darnedest to stay stuck on your lips!

Babes and Balls is… well… just freaking stunning. Perhaps more suited towards the coming fall months (which I cannot WAIT for btw), Babes and Balls is a gorgeous matte lipstick that I know I’m going to get a ton of use out of. Not only is it a gorgeous shade, but my personal preference for lipsticks is always going to be a matte because they just stay PUT. And this one is no exception!

MAC Fluidline Pens in Vintage Brown, Indelibly Blue & Retro Black

I’d never tried MAC‘s new(ish) Fluidline Pens, but I was eager to since I do love me a good winged liner on almost all of my makeup looks.

MAC Fluidline Pens in Vintage Brown, Indelibly Blue & Retro Black - swatched — MAC Fluidline Pens in Vintage Brown, Indelibly Blue & Retro Black – swatched

Sadly, I was not a fan of these pens. I found the felt tip pen made it very difficult to deposit the colour onto my lids. It’s like it just wasn’t flowing to the very end of the felt tip, which made it really frustrating to use. 🙁 These were a total pass for me. (I can’t recommend the fluidline gel pots enough though – those are excellent and I’ve been through several of them!)

MAC‘s Casual Color formula is another completely new to me product as I had never previously been drawn in by them. Consider me a convert though, because this was incredible.

MAC Casual Color in Blind Score - swatched — MAC Casual Color in Blind Score – swatched

It smells like their vanilla lipsticks (and can be used on the lips as well) and blended onto my cheeks easily. When I first stippled the colour on my cheeks I was slightly taken aback by just how much colour it deposited. But with a little blending action, this dark colour faded out to a soft yet vibrant cheek colour.

Blind Score on my cheeks (there's also highlighter on there!) — Blind Score on my cheeks (there’s also highlighter on there!)

MAC It’s a Strike! Look

If you’re interested in this It’s a Strike! makeup look, it’ll be coming to ~~my YouTube channel tomorrow~~! Here it is:

For the full MAC It’s a Strike! colour story, please check out Swatch & Review.

Let me know if you’re interested in this collection. I’ll admit I was on the fence at first since it seemed like a weird place to draw makeup inspiration, but having tried out the products, I’m particularly enamored by the lipsticks and eyeshadows! This collection will be available online on August 18th and in stores August 25th.

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

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Kim K.W. & Miranda May (Review & Swatches)

August 3, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesCharlotte TilburyChelle

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Kim K.W. and Miranda May

After having fallen in love with Charlotte Tilbury‘s Matte Revolution lipstick formula (see my review on Lost Cherry here), I was more than a little excited to see her expanding her lipstick range with her brand new Hot Lips.

Unlike I originally thought though, the new Hot Lips lineup has shades in both the Matte Revolution formula as well as her original K.I.S.S.I.N.G. formula. Of the shades I have, Kim K.W., is a cream and Miranda May is a matte.

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Kim K.W. and Miranda May

Although the formulas are slightly different, the bullets are shaped like Charlotte’s matte lipsticks. They have a square cut bullet which is not only extremely appealing to my eye, but it’s also just as easy to apply to my lips as a traditionally cut bullet. Of course, as you wear the lipstick down, the shape of the bullet won’t matter.

Unique to the Hot Lips line is the etched kiss mark into the side of the bullet. It’s a small touch, but an appreciated one!

Kim K.W. is in Charlotte’s original K.I.S.S.I.N.G. lipstick formula which is a soft cream finish. This particular shade is an ode to Kim Kardashian-West and it’s “a vintage inspired pale pink nude makes lips look instantly fuller, and irresistible”. In some shots it looked like a very pale pink nude, but in others it looks almost yellow based. It was an odd shade to photograph and I wasn’t sure how it would look on me!

I feel like nude lips (much like mascara) varies so much between people that it can be hard to nail down an appealing shade that will work on a wide variety of people. But low and behold…

There’s something utterly perfect about Kim K.W. on my lips. I was blown away! The texture and feel of the lipstick is completely comfortable and it doesn’t disappear on my lips as some creams do.

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Kim K.W. - up close — Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Kim K.W. – up close

Kim K.W. definitely came out slightly pink on my warm undertones and I loooove the way it looks on me. There’s also a slight sheen to this formula so it looks and feels hydrating.

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Miranda May

The next shade however… I knew I was going to love this one! This beauty is Miranda May and it’s a “fresh, pinky coral inspired by Miranda Kerr’s fresh faced beauty and the sunsets of Malibu and Bondi Beach”.

Pink-coral? Beach sunset inspired? This might as well be my shade in a tube as far as I’m concerned. The tube colour comes out slightly brighter than it does on the lips (not complaining, just saying).

Wearing Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Miranda May

I say this every time I wear, swatch or review a coral… I love it. I LOVE IT SO MUCH! This such a stunning colour and it just makes me so very happy to wear it.

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Miranda May - up close — Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Miranda May – up close

One thing worth noting, and I can’t think of anyone else mentioning this in other reviews I’ve seen, is that even though this is in the Matte Revolution formula (and it does feel consistent with the other matte I’ve tried in her line) this particular shade has very, very fine particles of gold glitter in it. I was actually a bit stunned when I put it on my lips the first time because I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. The particles are incredibly tiny, but they ARE there. You can see them a bit better in this swatch shot:

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Kim K.W. and Miranda May - swatches — Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Kim K.W. and Miranda May – swatches

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the Kim K.W. and Miranda May Hot Lips lipsticks are at pretty different ends of the colour spectrum for lipsticks, but they both worked so, so well for me. I know the Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks can be a bit of a splurge item, but I’ve always been pleased with the formula of her products and these lipsticks are no exception. It’s also rather endearing that she’s named her lipsticks after celebrity women because it gives us a sense of intrigue with some of these items.

Additionally, $2 from each lipstick sold within the first two months of sales will be donated towards the Women For Women International charity. So buy a lipstick, and help out women worldwide – that’s a win in my book!

The Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips can be purchased online at charlottetilbury.com for $38 CAD apiece, or $32 USD apiece. In Canada, Charlotte Tilbury can also be purchased at Holt Renfrew.

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