Category Archives: Reviews

Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof + Mascara Melt Off (Review and Demo)

May 16, 2016Makeup, ReviewsToo FacedChelle

Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara

It’s funny how things change over the years – for years and years and YEARS I wore L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black in the waterproof formula because I thought it was basically “dumb” to wear anything but waterproof mascara. I mean, the risk of getting rained on is kind of a constant, so why bother with a non-waterproof formula? Of course, nowadays, I’ve changed my tune since there’s a heck of a lot of mascara out there that doesn’t come in a waterproof formula.

However…. if your favourite formula of mascara is Too Faced‘s Better Than Sex, you can rest easy knowing they have a waterproof formula now!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara

First off… the packaging is pretty damn swanky. While the original Better Than Sex mascara came in a sleek pink tube, the new Better Than Sex Waterproof comes in the same style tube, except this one is pale aqua-blue with embossed water droplets. The packaging is VERY reminiscent of Alluring Aquatics collection from MAC a few years back. Am I complaining that they copied them? Hell no, I LOVE this style of packaging, and bonus points for the simulated water droplets actually making it easier to open the tube! (Sidenote, I had never actually owned a full size tube of Better Than Sex because I always managed to have them in deluxe sized samples, so I had no idea how solid and weighty these tubes of mascara felt till now!)

The brush is identical in size and shape to the original Better Than Sex. It’s an hourglass shape that works well to build volume and length. While I personally like the effect it creates on my lashes, I need to point out that I find the brush a bit cumbersome since I’m prone to getting mascara everywhere on my lids. It’s not my favourite style of brush, however I definitely make it work because I love the formula!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara - nothing on lashes, one coat and two coats comparison — Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara – nothing on lashes, one coat and two coats comparison

So that’s how it plays out on my lashes. I’m a one coat mascara kind of woman, and the Better Than Sex Waterproof definitely delivers in one coat. At two coats, it thickens up my lashes for sure, but I don’t find it’s totally necessary (for my tastes). It doesn’t clump up and I’ve got plenty of definition to keep me happy.

Of course, this is a waterproof formula, so I had to put it through some kind of water test. So here’s my step by step test:

Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara Demo

Step 1 - Apply mascara and allow to dry for five minutes. — Step 1 – Apply mascara and allow to dry for five minutes.

Step 2 - Spritz with water until face is completely soaked. — Step 2 – Spritz with water until face is completely soaked.

Step 3 - Rub eyelashes horizontally and rub them between fingers. — Step 3 – Rub eyelashes horizontally and rub between fingers.

Step 4 - Check for residue on fingers and smearing around lashes. There is NONE! — Step 4 – Check for residue on fingers and smearing around lashes. There is NONE!

And for good measure, here's a closeup shot of my eye so you can see how soaked it is. This was taken after I had rubbed at my eyes with my fingers. — And for good measure, here’s a closeup shot of my eye so you can see how soaked it is. This was taken after I had rubbed at my eyes with my fingers.

(If you notice that smudge on the lower lash line near the outer corner of my eye, that’s just my terrible mascara application. You can see the smudges are there in the Step 1 shot above!)

Alright, so Too Faced released a waterproof mascara… but how you gonna take that off?

Never fear, they’ve got an answer for that too! Their brand new Mascara Melt Off is a cleansing oil intended for waterproof mascara, but can be used on any mascara you’ve got in your stash.

It comes in a slim tube that’s basically like any other identical tube of mascara. However, this tube is filled with a cleansing oil that will break down your waterproof mascara. The wand is quite slim and has small grooves in it to help pick up the mascara from the tube and deposit it to your lashes.

The Mascara Melt Off is applied to your lashes as you would any other mascara. I coat the tops and bottoms of my lashes and let it sit about thirty seconds (maybe less). I then wipe it away with a cotton pad and… poof! Every smidge of mascara is totally gone. I’ve started using the Mascara Melt Off with both my regular mascaras and my waterproof ones just because it works so well.

Final Thoughts

Better Than Sex Waterproof – I’ve heard of people having issues with this mascara not drying down at all and transferring everywhere. I did not have these problems whatsoever as I found that it was totally dry within five minutes of application (probably less, but I wasn’t really timing it). I also found it was totally waterproof if I was running my fingers along my lashes and squeezing them between my fingers after I had doused my face in water. If you SCRUB at your eyes, then yes, you’re going to get a bit of transfer, but that’s kind of to be expected because of friction. I definitely feel it’s a waterproof formula that holds up. For daily wear I also found it to be fairly decent. I had very little flaking (which is something I’m prone to), and it was only after the 13 hour mark that I started to notice any kind of smudging. For example, I wore this to Gen Beauty this past Saturday: I applied it at 8 am, and by 11 pm I had some outer corner smudging. But you know what? That’s a LONG ASS day, so I can’t really fault a mascara for struggling after 15 hours of wear. For a normal 8-9 hour work day, I have zero issues.

Mascara Melt Off – What a neat product this one turned out to be. It does feel like an added step in my routine, but it does so well to help break down the mascara that I’m pretty happy to use it when I’m wearing a longwearing formula. It helps me avoid scrubbing around my eyes with remover, thus preserving the eye area from wear and tear. Is it necessary? Nope, totally not. Is it handy and makes it easier on me to remove tough mascara? Absolutely!

The Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof mascara can be purchased on sephora.ca for $30 CAD and on sephora.com for $23.00 USD.

Mascara Melt Off is $22 CAD on sephora.ca and $17 USD on sephora.com.

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

Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer (Review & Swatches)

May 13, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesPhysicians FormulaChelle

Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer

Bronzer has become one of my most loved products in the makeup world over the last few years. One of the very first bronzers I ever tried that actually worked on me was a Physicians Formula bronzer in the heart shaped pressed powder thingamajig. I loved that thing so much that I actually used up the entire compact rather swiftly. But as with any beauty obsessor, I started to amass more and more bronzers by different brands because I wanted to try them ALL! So Physicians Formula kind of fell by the wayside as I tried any and every brand out there.

And yet here I am, right back to them. Physicians Formula suddenly released their Butter Bronzer about a month or two back and everyone went nuts. It has a beautiful gradient packaging. It has an embossed print on the powder. It smells like old timey sun tan lotion (or bleach, as I so nicely described in my recent favourites video…). I mean, we all knew we were going to be suckers for this compact, weren’t we?

The Butter Bronzer comes in two shades – Light Bronze and Bronze. The one pictured in this post is the darker of the two (Bronze), although the paler (Light Bronze) shade is maybe a HAIR paler.

As with most Physicians Formula compacts, the mirror is actually in the base of the product, alongside a… brush… type… thing. Well… usually it’s a brush. This time it’s some weird mushy sponge applicator that will do NO ONE any favours for application.

Unless you wanted tiger stripes.
This can definitely give you tiger stripes.

Anyway, the brush/sponge/thing is irrelevant to me as I threw it out immediately.

Comes with this weird... sponge... thing... — Comes with this weird… sponge… thing…

Like honestly. How are you going to blend bronzer with THAT *THING*?

Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer - swatch — Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer – swatch

The heavy swatch above shows you that there’s a tiny bit of a sheen to the product, but overall it’s a slightly warm bronzer that blends well.

Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer - on my face — Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer – on my face

On my skintone, it’s fairly subtle. I love how it blends out without much work AND it doesn’t look like I overdid it at all. In both the shot above and below, I’m wearing the bronzer on the back of my cheekbones, around my temples, and along my jaw line.

It even seems to match incredibly cool-toned looks, which is a huge blessing.

Final Thoughts

Aside from that ridiculous sponge thing in the bottom of the compact, the Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer is absolutely wonderful through and through. Worth noting though: the scent of the bronzer is pretty potent and you can actually smell it through the compact. So give it a sniff in stores to see if it’s something that will bother you. I personally love the scent, but it will linger on your brushes (not through a good cleansing though!).

The colour is pale and soft, not overtly warm, but warm enough to make it look like you’re sunkissed. This does skew towards us paler folks, so I think if you’re medium-deep, this won’t work for you. (I also anticipate this not working for me when I’ve got some summer colour on my face.) I’ve been reaching for this bronzer practically every single day and I’ve almost already worn away the pattern. It’s been a long time since I’ve fallen for a bronzer so hard!

The Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer is available at various Canadian drugstores, but it can also be purchased online for Americans at Ulta.com for $14.99 USD.

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Bittersweet (Review, Swatches & Look)

May 9, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesUrban DecayChelle

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Bittersweet

I’m having one hell of a moment with blush lately! First there was the Laura Geller Vivid Swirl blush in Guava, then there was the Blush Tag, quickly followed by me professing my undying lover for the Smashbox Culver City Coral trio and now… this Urban Decay Afterglow blush in Bittersweet.

In my April haul post, I pointed out that I didn’t really have a purple blush in my collection (not that many people do) and I had been eyeballing the one Natalie had reviewed several months back over on Ivory Avenue. I waited until the recent 15% off sale at Sephora and then snatched it right up.

I’ve heard a few back and forth comments on the packaging for these blushes, but personally I’m a fan. I think it’s quite sleek and I like the gunmetal colour of it. The lid could really do with a mirror in it, but hey, you can’t win ’em all! I think the colour of the blush is supposed to show through the meshing in the lid, but it doesn’t really work in practice since you can’t really see much of the colour coming through. What DOES work though is how each sticker on the bottom is colour coded to match the blush. It may not be easy for large blush collections, but it does help makes the colours stand out a bit more when you’re trying to rifle through your collection.

Bear with me here – I’ve got a few thoughts tumbling around in my brain that I want to get out and it’s kind of amusing that it’s the result of this blush.

I’ve got a lot of products in my collection (makeup collection video here!) – from items I’ve bought myself and from items I’ve been sent as a result of having a blog and having some kind of an influential voice on the internet. As my collection has grown as a result of all of this, I’ve started to become more and more selective of the items I purchase. There’s always something new and exciting out there (and my god do I ever fall prey to the hype as much as anyone else), but often the products that are being put out there are a reformulation of the same shades of pink we’ve been seeing for years. Or shades of coral. Or rosy taupe. And those are all wonderful shades, but like any devout beauty addict, I’ve ended up with an awful lot of near identical colours in my blush collection.

So THAT’s why I wanted this blush because, for once, I own nothing like it and I can actually say that without it being a tongue in cheek comment. (I still want every shade of coral ever created though… just saying.)

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Bittersweet - swatch — Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Bittersweet – swatch

The other thought I had after buying this blush was “Am I even a person that WEARS purple blush?”, quickly followed by a fearful one: “Is this the one product that I finally decide that *I* can’t wear???”

But hell no it’s not! I LOVE THIS FREAKING BLUSH! When I first applied it my eyeballs kind of popped out of their sockets because it was just SO MUCH PURPLE on my cheeks. I blended it out with my foundation sponge to decrease the intensity, but I quickly found myself applying more and more. In these shots, it actually ended up looking quite pink on my cheeks in comparison to my eyeshadow, but rest assured – it is PURPLE.

Bittersweet shocked me because there’s some sort of weirdass ethereal quality going on with it. It looks totally otherworldly/corpse-like (I’m sure that’ll turn a LOT of people on… haha) to me in person but maybe that’s just because I’m not used to seeing myself wear purple blush?

Final Thoughts

I suppose there are some of you out there that want a real review out of this post! So here’s the run down: Urban Decay‘s Bittersweet blush is only billed as an 8 hour blush (weird time frame – that barely even covers a day at the office!), but it lasts far closer to 10-12 hours on me. It may last even longer, but I haven’t put it to the test. It is relatively easy to blend although not the easiest. That may possibly be due to the colour being rather incongruous to my skin colour when compared with pink or coral. On me, I find Bittersweet oddly flattering. It doesn’t look natural at all because obviously no one flushes purple, but I think that’s what makes it unique. It’s *oddly* flattering on my skin tone and honestly? It makes me smile. And any makeup product that makes you smile when you’re wearing it is well worth the money.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this particular shade of blush. Is this a shade you would wear or want to try? Do you like the idea of it being slightly odd looking? Or is that too much of a turnoff for you? Let me know!

Urban Decay‘s Bittersweet blush (along with other shades!) can be purchased on sephora.ca for $32 CAD or on sephora.com for $26 USD.

Smashbox L.A. Lights in Culver City Coral (Review, Swatches & Look)

May 4, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesSmashboxChelle

Smashbox L.A. Lights in Culver City Coral

If there’s one colour in blush that makes me swoon harder than anything else… it would have to be coral. So when Smashbox threw together a blush and highlight compact centered around coral… well…

Available as of April 2016, Smashbox has released the L.A. Lights Blush & Highlight palette in three different shades: Pacific Coast Pink and Culver City Coral (available at Sephora and Beauty Boutique) and Malibu Berry (available at Beauty Boutique). These palettes feature two blushes alongsidea perfectly matched highlighter centered around the palette’s colour theme (pink, coral and berry).

The pans are encased in an incredibly slim and sleek compact with a mirror that encompasses the entire lid (thank you! So appreciated!). Each individual pan nets you 2.9 grams of product.

The pans are appropriately sized so that I can get even my largest blush brush in there, so you needn’t worry about these being small! There is no dust kick up even when I rub my brush into the pan which is a really nice since I hate when blush powder goes flying everywhere. That being said, these aren’t hardpacked blushes either (you know, when you have to practically scrape at the product to get colour payoff?). The consistency is what I want in ALL of my blushes – no dust kick up, excellent pigmentation and not hardpacked.

Smashbox L.A. Lights in Culver City Coral - swatches — Smashbox L.A. Lights in Culver City Coral – swatches

Each palette features a “Rich”, “True” and “Highlight” shade. Pigmentation was incredible across the board on all shades, although I will point out that the Highlight shade works more on me as a blush since it does have a decent amount of pigmentation and isn’t just a sheer wash highlighter.

Here’s how the shades look on my face:

Wearing True Coral

Rich Coral is definitely the darkest shade in the palette, but it’s the one I had the most fun with. You can go for a super pigmented look like I’ve gone for, or tone it down my applying a little bit less. (I’m not wearing any highlighter in these shots.)

From the side, of Rich Coral looks a bit less pigmented in my eyes, but still as stunning as ever. You can see it in action as I’m wearing it in my April Favourites video (and pssst, there’s a giveaway in that video!).

Wearing True Coral & Highlight Coral

In these shots I’m wearing True Coral on my cheeks and Highlight Coral on my cheekbones.

Highlight Coral is very low in sheen compared to some of the other highlighters I have, but still beautiful.

Final Thoughts

I can’t say enough good things about this Smashbox Culver City Coral trio! Seriously. This compact is incredible! The blush shades are *exactly* what I’m looking for: pigmentation and colour are second to none! The highlight isn’t exactly what I personally go for since I look for a bit more reflective qualities but that’s my personal take on it. In general, it’s an excellent soft focus highlighter that complements the blush shades very well. I know tons of people are going to appreciate the fact that the guesswork is taken out matching your blush and highlighter because this palette does it for you. The pigment on all of the shades were holding strong after a full workday for me and never looked patchy or faded. If you couldn’t already tell… I *LOVE* this product!

The Smashbox L.A. Lights Blush & Highlight palettes can be purchased on sephora.ca for $40 CAD and on sephora.com for $35 USD.

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

Real Techniques: Bold Metals, Sponge Duo and Cleansing Gel

May 2, 2016Makeup, ReviewsChelle

Real Techniques

Being a long time viewer of Pixiwoo on YouTube, the Real Techniques brand holds a very special place in my heart. Created by Sam Chapman (and her sister Nicola was later added on), this brand has easily taken over my makeup brush collection as I, without a doubt, have more Real Techniques than any other brush brand combined.

Suffice to say… when new stuff gets released by RT, I get excited. I’ve got a few items that have been released (relatively) recently and wanted to cover them all in a roundup post.

Sadly, no matter how much I love a brand, there’s always going to be a dud or two, so let’s get that one out of the way immediately. The Deep Cleansing Gel is a makeup brush cleanser that is intended to “remove makeup, oils and impurities from your bristles for a flawless result”. You’re instructed to wet your brush, squeeze a drop of the gel onto the bristles, rub between your fingers and then rinse.

Sorry, but no. This doesn’t work. It barely works on brushes that were only dipped into powder products (even then still leaving coloured residue on your brush) , but it definitely does not work on anything that had been dipped into a liquid or cream formula. Although the gel smells LOVELY (seriously, if they could bottle it as a perfume, I’d absolutely wear it), it does next to nothing on my brushes. It’s hard to squeeze out of the tube and no matter how much I used – from a drop to almost a handful – I could not get the bristles of my brush clean. I’m so sad to say, but this is a total pass for me. Save yourselves the money and go buy some baby shampoo. 🙁

Real Techniques Bold Metals in 300 and 200

Alright, on to the AWESOME stuff! This is my first foray into the Bold Metals lineup and I’m already smitten. A while back, the Pixiwoo sisters made a video introducing the Bold Metals line making sure to point out that while they were happy with their base Real Techniques brush line, that was the best they could do at that price point (which is incredibly low given the quality of the brushes in my opinion). So, they opted to create a new sub line called Bold Metals that would have higher quality brushes, but at the cost of a higher price point.

The bristles feel softer to me than the original RT lineup and feature a weight balanced handle that is triangularly shaped so that you brushes don’t run off on you when you put them down on your desk. They also have brand new shapes, so you’re not seeing a duplication of the original brush lineup. Very smart.

The two brushes I have are the 300 Tapered Blush and the 200 Oval Shadow.

The 300 Tapered Blush is fast becoming a new best friend to me. I brought the brush with me to Iceland and forced myself to use it instead of my usual MAC 130 with my Tarte blushes. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? It was AWESOME. It applied my blush beautifully and precisely, which is exactly what I wanted. Since this is a smaller blush brush, you will find the application is more pointed, however, the cut of the brush makes it easy to blend out the edges giving you that beautiful glowing look – and not like you just whacked your cheeks with a dollop of blush. Two massive thumbs up for this brush!

The 200 Oval Shadow was an interesting one to me. It’s far larger than any other blending brush I own and I wasn’t sure how it was going to fit into the contours of my eye. End result? It doesn’t QUITE fit, but it is pretty damn epic when you want to blend out all your crease and outer corner shades (specifically if you’d made a damn mess and need to blend till the cows come home. Don’t lie – you know it’s happened to you!). The press info I have for this brush indicates you can use it for undereye concealer (although I don’t wear that stuff) which I can still see it fitting in that area very, very well.

Both brushes cleaned very easily (with baby shampoo) and did not retain any pigment which is always a concern for me with white bristles. They retained their shape and are still as soft as ever. Two massive thumbs up for the Bold Metals lineup!

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge Duo

One of the best parts of the newly launched items is this double up of the Miracle Complexion Sponge! This is *the* tool I reach for whenever I want to apply foundation. It creates a seamlessly blended foundation without any rough patches and I really could not ask for anything more in a sponge. This is the product that turned me off applying foundation with a brush – it’s THAT good! So when RT decided to release it in a doubled up package, I could not have been happier. It saves me money when buying a product that I will eventually need to replace, so what’s not to love? For reference, I use a Miracle Complexion Sponge for about 9-12 months before I replace it. If you clean it regularly, then you can get away with using this little guy for a very long time!

If you’re looking for more specific brush usage and where to use them on your face, may I recommend checking out my brush video on YouTube? It (accidentally) focused on a lot of Real Techniques brushes:

If you’re Canadian (like me!) and want to know where you can actually pick up Real Techniques, please check out the following roundup via Farley Co for a full breakdown (you can also buy them on their site too!). For other countries, off the top of my head… I’ve seen RT at Walmart and Harmons in the USA and in Iceland I saw them freaking EVERYWHERE (seriously, pharmacies, random makeup stores and even a massive selection at the airport!).

And there we have it! That’s new from Real Techniques and whether or not I’m loving it. 🙂

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