Category Archives: Reviews

Clinique Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick (Review & Swatch)

July 8, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesCliniqueChelle

Clinique - Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick

Before I get started on this post, I have to address the elephant in the room that is the name of this product. I cannot, for the life of me, believe that Clinique decided to name their foundation STICK “Chubby in the Nude”. Call me immature, call me whatever you want, but I cannot stop giggling at the name and shape of this product. Was it an intentional penis joke? Cuz if so, well played. But if it wasn’t, then it’s even funnier.

MOVING ON!

Clinique - Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick — Clinique – Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick (this is rolled all the way up by the way)

Much, much earlier this year, Clinique launched their Chubby in the Nude foundation stick. I received this item in Intense Ivory and held off testing it out for several months because it was not the right shade for me (I’m somewhere around a MAC NC/NW 20).

201607_clinique_chubbyinthenuClinique - Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick in Intense Ivory - swatchdefoundationstick_intenseivoryswatch — Clinique – Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick in Intense Ivory – swatch

As you can see from the swatch above, Intense Ivory looks a heck of a lot darker than the inside of my forearm and yet this shade is labelled as a “neutral pink beige shade for very fair skin tones with neutral undertones”. Very fair skin tones?? I’m fair, but I’m nowhere near alabaster. This shade looks far more suited towards someone with a light-medium skin tone.

Since it’s now July and my face has a bit more colour to it, I decided to leap back into testing Clinique‘s foundation stick. Despite the arm swatch, you’ll notice that it didn’t darken my face too much. Maybe a touch, but not much more. You’ll also notice that it didn’t really do much in the way of covering anything on my skin. My freckles are shaded down a touch, but that’s really about it. Any darker moles are still showing through loud and proud.

When I apply it to my face it is definitely not a colour match, however, the product itself provides sheer coverage so it blends in enough with my skin. The product did not layer well – when I added a second layer to build up the consistency, I ended up with patchy bits and “clumping” in areas where my face has curves (like my nose).

Wearing Clinique Chubby in the Nude in Intense Ivory

This product retails for $29 CAD/$24 USD and contains 0.21 ounces of product. Since I’ve only ever used one other stick foundation before, the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD, I decided to pull that out for comparison. The MUFE Ultra HD stick retails for $52 CAD/$43 USD and contains 0.44 ounces of product.

If we break that down, per ounce, the Clinique is $138 CAD/114 USD, whereas the Make Up For Ever is $118 CAD/98 USD. That’s really pricey for a brand that isn’t billed as high end as MUFE.

My Thoughts

I don’t like giving bad reviews (who does??), but I really do not like the Clinique Chubby in the Nude foundation stick. The texture was dry and bizarre to work with – blending it on was fine during the first layer, but as soon as I tried to add another layer it kind of balled up/got patchy. Although you may be someone that likes a sheer coverage (I sure do!), this one was uncomfortable since the stick was so dry and it really didn’t seem to do enough to warrant even wearing it.

I also found that it lifted off my skin so easily that I was left wondering what on earth would actually get it to stick to my skin. I tried multiple different primers and none of them worked. Just to give you an example of how easy this was to accidentally remove: I touched a tissue to face (not heavily pressing) while at work and I managed to coat the tissue with my foundation colour. I wouldn’t trust this thing near any pale shirts whatsoever since I’d be sure to end up with foundation transfer. Sadly, this item is a total pass for me. 🙁

The Clinique Chubby in the Nude foundation sticks can be purchased on sephora.ca for $29 CAD or on sephora.com for $24 USD.

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

Stila Sunset Serenade Convertible Color Palette (Review & Swatches)

July 6, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesStilaChelle

Stila Convertible Color Dual Lip & Cheek Palette in Sunset Serenade

I’ve seen people swoon over the Stila Convertible Colors for yearrrrs. And yet, I could never commit to owning a huge pan of cream blush at that price tag just because I never really wear cream blush that much.

But now that I’ve got the option to try out five shades in one palette? I’m all over that! The Stila Convertible Colors are primarily marketed as a lipstick that you can also wear as a blush. However, I’d have to say that I notice far more people wearing these as cream blushes, and that was my intent for this palette.

The Dual Lip & Cheek palettes come in a warm version (Sunset Serenade, the one I have in this post) and a cool-toned version (Sunrise Splendor).

The five shades featured are Petunia, Peach Blossom, Gerbera, Camellia and Twilight Rose. Only Petunia and Camellia can be found in Stila‘s permanent range (or at least, that’s what I see on Sephora’s site!).

Stila Convertible Color Dual Lip & Cheek Palette in Sunset Serenade - swatches — Stila Convertible Color Dual Lip & Cheek Palette in Sunset Serenade (Petunia, Peach Blossom, Gerbera, Camellia & Twilight Rose) – swatches

Swatched out, the colours look immensely shiny. Honestly, they look quite a bit like a thick milkshake-type lipgloss.

Wearing Gerbera and Camellia mixed together on cheeks

My Thoughts

I’ve used enough cream blushes over the years to figure out that in general they usually aren’t for me. In fact, I’d pretty much decluttered all of the cream blushes out of my collection because I just didn’t reach for them. This Stila palette is going to turn out to be exception to that rule because these are PHENOMENAL! I have zero interest in wearing these as a lipstick because I just don’t like potted lipstick, so for me these are only cream blushes. I apply them to my face with a small stippling brush that fits perfectly into the pan. You barely need anything on your brush because these are so, SO pigmented. They melted into my skin really easily which made blending a dream. I found myself so impressed with the finish on my skin. They keep a slight bit of their sheen which makes for a really healthy glow, however, they’re not tacky, so you don’t have to worry about your hair sticking to your cheeks. I also had no problem applying a powder highlighter on top of the cream.

I finished trying these blushes out about a week ago for the blog… but I found myself continuously coming back to them over the following week even though I’ve got tons of other blushes I could be playing with. If that’s not a sign of an amazing product, then I don’t know what is! Two enormous thumbs up for this palette!

The Stila Convertible Color Dual Lip & Cheek Palettes can be purchased on sephora.ca for $51 CAD or on sephora.com for $39 USD.

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

Too Faced Melted Matte (Review + Swatches)

July 1, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesToo FacedChelle

Too Faced Melted Mattes

Guys… I mean come on… Too Faced kills me. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I’ll never tire of the products they come out with. The packaging is gorgeous, the products are lovely, the colours entrance me… it’s just a brand that I feel is creating things that gets me excited every single time. And these new(ish) Melted Mattes are no exception.

The Melted Mattes are Too Faced‘s answer to the “dry as the Sahara” matte liquid lipstick phase. These are very different from the original Melted lineup (the one I’m obsessed with) in the sense that they go on with a soft formula, but dry down to that matte lacquered paint aesthetic that has become so popular in recent years. They come boxed in the same style as the Melteds, just with “matte” emblazoned on the bottom. Also worth noting – when I first saw these I thought the clear plastic would be soft and bendable like the original Melteds – they’re not! These are hard acrylic and they can actually stand fully upright on their own! They also come with a doefoot wand applicator, unlike the Melteds.

The range of colours is quite different (to me). It has a range of nudes/brown vampy shades with a mix of hot and vibrant pinks and reds. There isn’t a lot of middle ground (although there’s one hell of a gorgeous vibrant orange shade in there called Mrs. Roper) so for those looking for a soft pink, you may not find that in this range. For me, though? This collection is right up my alley!

Too Faced Melted Matte in Miso Pretty

Miso Pretty is described as a “soft ballet slipper pink”. Unfortunately, this was the weirdest looking shade on me but nudes are so, SO personal.

It ended up being a bit too concealer mouth on me with a touch of… peach? This was the patchiest shade I tried and it seemed to crack a bit into my lip line. But guys, seriously, don’t click away from this post yet, the other shades are beautiful!

Too Faced Melted Matte in It’s Happening!

It’s Happening is described as a “bright magenta”. And aside from coral, this is MY SHADE. It’s all pinky-red goodness and I want it all over my face. Of all of the shades in this range, this was the shade I lusted and swooned over the most.

And I’m so happy to report that It’s Happening has no patchiness and slid onto my lips like a dream. This it the kind of shade my dreams as made of.

Too Faced Melted Matte in Bend & Snap!

A Legally Blonde reference, how could we not fall in love with this one? Bend & Snap! is a deep raspberry. Another favourite shade of mine, I find this shade quite similar to Melted Berry although slightly less red.

This colour was BOMB. Total colour opacity, no patchiness and amazing longevity. LOVE.

Too Faced Melted Matte in Drop Dead Red

Drop Dead Red was the first shade I tried in the range just because it intrigued me the most (and I already knew I was going to fall head over heels for It’s Happening!, so I figured I had to show another colour some love first!). Drop Dead Red is described as a “deep mulberry”.

You’ll notice in the shot above that you can see some patchiness. I’m really confused by that because it’s not evident in person, nor in video (I’m wearing this shade in my June 2016 Favourites on YouTube). I’ve noticed it twice now in bright lightning photography but rest assured that in normal daylight, you don’t see that odd shading. Regardless, this shade blew me away. There is no other shade in my collection that looks like this. It’s dark and vampy while still giving you that hint of red. I think it’s so freaking stunning.

Too Faced Melted Matte in Evil Twin

Evil Twin is described as a “deep black cherry” and it’s GORGEOUS.

It can look very black, and I assume most people will think it’s a true black on me, but instead of having that blueish tinge that most blacks have, this has the faintest whisper of red. There is ZERO patchiness on this shade – it’s fully opaque!

My Thoughts

I’ll start off with the bad, but rest assured that my general consensus on this product is that they’re a total win. My problem shades were Miso Pretty (patchy/sunk into lip lines) and Drop Dead Red (patchiness). I’d like to reiterate again that my issues with Drop Dead Red were not visible in normal lighting. Studio lighting can be pretty harsh on colour tones and I think it really brought out the worst in that particular shade. The other three shades I have (It’s Happening!, Bend & Snap! and Evil Twin) had no such problems with their colouring and were fully opaque.

Let’s talk texture and feel: The Too Faced Melted Mattes are not nearly as dry as the Colour Pop Ultra Mattes (which I hated). The Melted Mattes come out of the tube rather mousse-y in texture (very similar to the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams), but they dry down within about five minutes to the solid matte texture that we’re used to in liquid lipsticks. You will get “butthole lips” as that’s just the nature of a liquid lipstick. It is essentially matte paint for your lips and there is no smooth edge between where your lips are wet and where they’re dry. I love the longevity of the formula and it’s definitely been one of the more comfortable ones I’ve ever worn (case and point – I wore It’s Happening to work and forgot I was wearing it. Normally, by 3-4 pm, I’m dying to take my lip product off, but that wasn’t the case with this one). They do feel dry on the lips (totally expected), but once I removed them, my lips did not feel DRY, so I’d say that’s a definite win. What I also love about these is that I suffer ZERO lip line bleed out even without using a lip primer. It’s so relieving to know that once I put my lip colour on in a straight line it’s going to STAY that way for the rest of the day!

In short, I love these. I think they’re especially good when you’re at work and haven’t got an opportunity to check on your lip colour. Shades I need now? Mrs. Roper and Lady Balls. SO GORGEOUS.

The Too Faced Melted Mattes can be purchased at sephora.ca for $25 CAD and on sephora.com for $21 USD.

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

MAC Cosmetics Vamplify 2016 (What’s Going On? & Peer Pressure)

June 29, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesMACChelle

MAC Vamplify in What's Going On? and Peer Pressure

You may remember that MAC‘s Vamplify collection was a limited edition release last year… and now it’s back! They’ve added a few new shades into the lineup and re-released this limited edition collection!

I was interested/curious/excited to try these out because my experiences with MAC‘s lip gloss formula has been limited to their lipglass and plushglass lines. The Vamplify formula is “loaded with high-powered pigments that hug lips in shades that glisten with a delicious shine, one swipe of Vamplify loads lips with attitude as a combination of lush natural oils polish with impeccable, moisturizing colour. Never a tease, the glossy colour wears comfortably for hours, for a look that comes on strong and doesn’t let go”. It retails for $24 CAD/$20 USD and contains 5 ml of product.

MAC Vamplify has a long and thin sponge-tip applicator

The packaging is far longer and slimmer than any other lip gloss I’ve had by MAC. The doefoot applicator is also longer and slanted than the “usual”.

MAC Vamplify Swatches - What's Going On? and Peer Pressure — MAC Vamplify Swatches – What’s Going On? and Peer Pressure

What’s Going On? is a hot intense fuchsia that is a repromote from last year. It has an intensely pigmented base and very fine blue/purple micro-shimmer.
Peer Pressure is intense red burgundy that has no shimmer. (I’d call it a matte, but obviously it’s glossy – so it has that deep coloured base that is totally opaque.)

MAC Vamplify in What’s Going On?

My jaw dropped the first time I put this one on! The micro-shimmer in the product adds one heck of a gorgeous reflect to the center of my lip.

MAC Vamplify in Peer Pressure

This is what I would consider a “holiday” shade because of the deep berry/red tones, but it’s gorgeous for any time of year.

My Thoughts

This is sad you guys, but I think I’m just going to finally have to realize that I’m not a lipgloss person as I just don’t have the mouth for it. It looks BEAUTIFUL on me but I found that the gloss would seep outside my lip line. You’ve heard me lament about my lipline bleed out problems regardless of the product that I’m using in many, MANY posts, so I really don’t feel that the Vamplify formula is to blame for that (just something to be aware of for those of you that have the same problems I do). I found these worked best for me if I applied a similar coloured lip colour and then applied the gloss to the center of my lips for that extra punch.

My annoying issues aside, the Vamplify formula is super smooth and ultra pigmented (like holy BAM! pigmentation). It doesn’t feel like the traditional sticky lipglass formula that I’m used to (stickiness doesn’t bother me by the way, but I know it affects others). If you’re looking for hyper pigmentation that is comfortable to wear, glides on effortlessly and delivers outstanding colours, then I think you’ve found it with the Vamplify formula. Please let me know if you’ve tried this formula in the past and if you’re interested in any of the new shades!

The limited edition Vamplify glosses will launch online on July 7, 2016 and will be in stores on July 14, 2016. For a full colour story and information on repromotes versus new shades, please visit Swatch and Review.

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

Sephora Collection Rouge Balms (Review & Swatches)

June 22, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesSephoraChelle

Sephora Collection Rouge Balms

I feel like Sephora’s housebrand Sephora Collection keeps pumping out products that are so often ignored (and I know I’m not the only one who’s mentioned that before!) and are a fraction of the price when compared to high end brands. Allow me to shine a light on their brand new Rouge Balms!

With eight different shades to choose from, the Rouge Balms should be able to offer up a shade that appeals to you (I have four of the eight in this post). They’re marketed as a balm with an SPF of 20 which is pretty amazing since I recently lamented the fact that not nearly enough lip products (especially balms) have any kind of sunscreen in them.

The Rouge Balm “hydrates as it protects lips with an SPF 20 wax concentrate, yuzu extract, and a vitamin E derivative. The creamy gel texture delivers fresh and vibrant color in one swipe with a dazzling, juicy shine from light-reflecting pigments.”

I do think the term balm is a bit “out there” for this product… it’s far more pigmented like a true lipstick. The formula is soft and emollient while delivering a metric ton of colour (I mean… just LOOK at the swatches above!). The formula does have a bit of a shine so I’d liken this to more of a cream formula lipstick with a sheen.

Sephora Collection Rouge Balm Swatches

Sephora Collection Rouge Balm in Enchanting Blush

Sephora Collection Rouge Balm in Soft Red

Sephora Collection Rouge Balm in Gentle Coral

Sephora Collection Rouge Balm in Subtle Peony

My Thoughts

The Sephora Collection Rouge Balms have an incredibly comfortable formula. I found these easy to wear and definitely hydrating – just like a balm! You will notice there’s a lot more slip to this product than a typical balm (twhich usually feel fairly tacky to me) and there’s a heck of a lot of pigmentation. If you’re looking for something more sheer, this wouldn’t be the product for you. If, however, you want some sun protection in your lip products and a punch of colour, this is *definitely* something you want to look into.

A note on the packaging though: I love the soft hourglass shape of the exterior packaging as well as the fact that they’re colour coded to match the lipstick inside… but there’s NO NAME anywhere on the tube to indicate which colour you’ve got. There’s a sticker on the exterior metal casing of the bullet that has a code number (for example, B06) that then relates to the number listed on Sephora’s site. But if you forget the shade name, you’re out of luck!

My favourite shades out of the lot I tried are definitely Gentle Coral (you saw that one coming didn’t you?) and Soft Red. Do any of them pique your interest?

The Sephora Collection Rouge Balms can be purchased on sephora.ca for $15.50 CAD or on sephora.com for $12.50 USD.

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