Category Archives: Reviews

MAC Flamingo Park (Review, Swatches & Looks)

January 21, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesMACChelle

MAC Flamingo Park

Launching in North America on February 4, 2016 at all MAC locations (internationally in March 2016), the MAC Flamingo Park collection is nothing to squawk at.

(Too much?)

Let’s get real. I saw this collection had freaking flamingos, corals and reds and I fell in love with it. I mean, how could you not, when the promo image looks like this:

Um yep. SOLD.

Let’s dive into some of the products, shall we? (Products first, full face shots follow. For a full list of products available in this collection, please visit Swatch & Review.)

MAC - Flamingo Park - Life's A Picnic ($26 CAD/$22 USD) — MAC – Flamingo Park – Life’s A Picnic ($26 CAD/$22 USD)

The first stunner of the collection is a pinky-coral-red that set my heart on fire. This is the kind of shade that I gasp over and want multiples of. I have this shade in blushes, in lipsticks, and I can never, ever get enough of it. Life’s A Picnic is a satin blush that can be applied intensely for those looking for a strong cheek colour. Or, apply it gently for a vibrant flush of colour.

This may be a spring collection, but Life’s A Picnic is the kind of shade that I want to wear RIGHT NOW. It gives me that wintry “came in from the cold” look that I love so, so much.

MAC - Flamingo Park - Nice To Meet You ($20 CAD/$17 USD) — MAC – Flamingo Park – Nice To Meet You ($20 CAD/$17 USD)

Next up is Nice To Meet You, an intense deep pink-red lipstick with a cremesheen finish. As is usual of cremesheens, this glides onto my lips with intense pigmentation and shine. The shine holds up for several hours (as if you’d applied a gloss over top of your lipstick) and the pigmentation is vibrant and wonderful.

Sidenote: I’m someone who needs to apply lip primer before I wear *any* lipstick as I’m prone to lip line bleedout. I’m especially susceptible to that with cremesheens since this formula has more slip to it. I always, always, always use MAC‘s Prep + Prime for lips (they’ve been in my Empties posts since I first started this blog!) and it keeps everything in place. Just a word to the wise for those of you who suffer with the same problems I do!

MAC - Flamingo Park - Sweet Tooth ($24 CAD/$20 USD) — MAC – Flamingo Park – Sweet Tooth ($24 CAD/$20 USD)

The cremesheen glass I have is Sweet Tooth, a warm mid-tone pink. This is the kind of shade that almost everyone I know loves to wear because it’s not only flattering, but it’s also really easy to wear. You can apply this on the fly and not really worry about it. It wears well on the lips and it’ll also wear off nicely (no nasty lip line, etc.). And also… I personally feel kind of awkward in true pink lip colours (I find them too girly), but I really, really liked how this looked on me, which is always a pleasant surprise!

MAC - Flamingo Park swatches: Life's A Picnic blush, Nice To Meet You lipstick and Sweet Tooth cremesheen glass — MAC – Flamingo Park swatches: Life’s A Picnic blush, Nice To Meet You lipstick and Sweet Tooth cremesheen glass

MAC - Flamingo Park - Golden Olive and Tan pigments ($26 CAD/$22 USD) — MAC – Flamingo Park – Golden Olive and Tan pigments ($26 CAD/$22 USD)

Rounding out the collection are some permanent pigments: Golden Olive (frost) and Tan (frost). I’ve used MAC pigments again and again over the years and they never fault me. I even press them so I can have a solid eyeshadow!

MAC - Flamingo Park swatches: Golden Olive & Tan — MAC – Flamingo Park swatches: Golden Olive & Tan

Golden Olive has been a staple in my collection for years: It’s a green pigment with golden sheen that does wonders on the eyelids. Tan, although new to me, has been around for years and is well loved by the beauty blogging world. Tan is a shade that most people feel comfortable wearing because it’s a soft bronze with a pink sheen.

MAC Flamingo Park Looks

In the shot above I’m wearing Tan and Golden Olive pigment on my eyes, Life’s A Picnic blush on my cheeks and Sweet Tooth cremesheen glass on my lips.

Same eyeshadow and blush as above, but this time I’m wearing Nice To Meet You lipstick.

For the eyes, I applied Tan pigment all over the lid with MAC‘s Handwritten on the outer half of the lid and through the crease. Blanc Type is on my brow bone to highlight. The only shadow on my lower lash line is Golden Olive pigment.

Final Thoughts

MAC‘s Flamingo Park collection intrigued me with its colours and then suckered me in completely with the quality and pigmentation of the shades. Although there are some permanent products in the mix (and let’s be honest, MAC‘s permanent products are often overlooked, but they are always excellent), the real standouts for me are the Life’s A Picnic blush (that red-pink is to die for) and the Sweet Tooth cremesheen glass which took me by surprise. I’m currently eyeing the lipstick that’s available online only called The Fashion Flock because it’s a pink-coral matte shade and I’m allllll about that life! The lipstick I received is gorgeous, but I’m more of a lover of mattes in the lipstick world (but to each their own!). And, as always, the pigments are amazing, but since they’re permanent, you can get them any time!

So what are you eyeballing? What about Flamingo Park has caught your attention?

The products featured in this post were provided for consideration.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Lost Cherry (Review, Swatch & Look)

January 18, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesCharlotte TilburyChelle

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick

Ever since their launch several months ago, I’ve lusted over the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipsticks. My husband was super sweet and got me one for Christmas!

At $38 CAD ($32 USD) a pop, this is quite possibly the most expensive lipstick in my collection (I… think!). The packaging is solid all around though – the lipstick is encased in a solid rosegold tube that has weight to it. This feels like a luxury item, which I super appreciate considering the price tag associated with it! The formula has a nice marshmallowy-vanilla scent, but no discernible taste.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Lost Cherry

One of the more intriguing things about the Matte Revolution lipsticks is that they come shaped into a really bizarre bullet. It’s basically a square tip, and I wasn’t really sure how that would work for application. (As it turns out, I basically just twist the bullet to match whichever direction I’m applying the lipstick in and it goes on just fine.)

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick has quite a different bullet!

The formula is very comfortable to wear and not overly drying, which is always great news for a matte formula. It’s more of that newer matte formula that a lot of brands are coming out with lately; has a slight gel consistency during application, but feels and looks like a soft matte formula.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Lost Cherry - swatch — Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Lost Cherry – swatch

The colour I opted for was Lost Cherry because it was the closest shade that they had to something really, really vibrant while sticking to a colour family that I really enjoy (coral-ish, red-pink). Oddly, the Charlotte Tilbury site lists this as “a pop of pastel fuchsia”. I definitely don’t see pastel nor fuchsia (isn’t fuchsia more purple??).

Although CT’s description is not how I would describe the shade, I still really, really love Lost Cherry. It’s beautifully pigmented and a shade and finish that I love to wear.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for something luxurious in a lipstick for yourself or as a gift for someone, you really can’t go wrong with the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolutions. They are super comfortable to wear and the pigmentation is on point. The packaging and presentation are also stellar, so you really do feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. Due to the price tag though, I’d suggest going for a shade you really, really love and one you know you’ll get a lot of use out of. Too often I find people buy an expensive lipstick in a shade they wouldn’t traditionally wear because they want that lipstick to be extra special. Heck no man! Buy it in a shade you know you’ll love, because then you’ll get your money’s worth!

House of Lashes (Reviews of Bombshell, Noir Fairy & Iconic)

January 15, 2016Makeup, ReviewsHouse of LashesChelle

House of Lashes

My love for House of Lashes actually started as a result of my frustration with other lash brands. I was doing my makeup several months ago and I was eager to try out some lashes I had sitting in a drawer. I went through FOUR DIFFERENT BRANDS and not a single one of them would stay put (not ping off the edges), not look fake (some had seriously reflective plastic) or even curve to fit my eyelid no matter what I did with them. I ended up throwing out everything I had except for my lonely pair of Bombshell lashes by House of Lashes that I knew worked for me.

From that moment on, I vowed to only buy House of Lashes. I don’t know about you, but I don’t wear lashes too frequently – maybe a handful of times a month. So when I wear them, I want to be able to just put them on and not worry about them. I don’t want the application to be difficult or tedious – I just want it to WORK. And for that very reason, I am happy to say that I’ve found my lash brand of choice, and I will not be swaying from House of Lashes any time soon. (Also worth mentioning – their house brand lash glue is the best I’ve ever used – highly recommended.)

Here are pairs I’ve used so far (two sets have been used, so they’re snipped to fit my eyelid):

House of Lashes - Iconic — House of Lashes – Iconic

Quite a few YouTubers wear the Iconic lashes ($12 USD) so I wanted to try them out as well. They are fat, fluffy caterpillars and they are incredibly flattering. They’re quite a heavy and thick, so the band is on the thicker side to support the weight of the lashes. That being said, the band will still bend nicely to conform to my eyelid.

Houses of Lashes - Iconic — Houses of Lashes – Iconic

I wear these when I want a lot of impact. They are noticeably fake on me though – although they’re gorgeous, many people were able to easily identify that I was wearing fake lashes just because they’re so fluffy.

House of Lashes - Noir Fairy — House of Lashes – Noir Fairy

When I first got the Noir Fairy lashes ($12 USD) I stayed away from them for several months because I thought they were just way too thick for my liking. I thought they’d take over my eye shape and swallow up any kind of lid space I had. I was wrong however:

Houses of Lashes - Noir Fairy — Houses of Lashes – Noir Fairy

These are absolute stunners. I don’t feel they’re as “in your face” as the Iconics are, but they add a lovely swoop and curve to the ends of my lashes. I love how they add a lot of thickness to the base of my lashes and yet taper out to softer points.

House of Lashes - Bombshell — House of Lashes – Bombshell

And finally, my beloved Bombshell ($7 USD) lashes. These are the ones that made me fall in love with the brand. These are very light and soft. They add a lot of depth to my lashes, but are they aren’t overly heavy or obvious. The band is invisible and quite thin, which makes them very flexible and easy to curve to your eyelid. These are also almost indestructible. I have worn my first set of Bombshells over TWENTY TIMES and they are still in excellent condition (the shot above is of a backup pair I have). I haven’t even been able to get mink lashes to last that long and they’re more than double the price of these!

And here’s me wearing the Bombshell lashes – you can see that they add depth and length to my own lashes, but they don’t overtake my eyelid space.

Final Thoughts

I’m really happy I took the leap and bought House of Lashes. Because they seem to be an online only type of brand, you never know what kind of quality you’re going to get… but the internet did not lie to me! These are excellent lashes and, for me, they are well worth the slight price increase from a drugstore brand. By comparison though, these are quite cheap compared to some higher end lash brands (including mink lashes) and yet the durability of them is unparalleled. They also have bundle deals where if you buy a few pairs of each, you save a couple bucks. Do yourself a favour and try these out!

Too Faced Melted Chocolate (Review + Swatches)

January 13, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesToo FacedChelle

Too Faced Melted Chocolate Lipsticks

Oh Too Faced. You get me every. single. time.

This past December, Too Faced released some additional shades to their Liquified Long Wear Lipstick range (the Melteds), except this time they did it with a chocolatey twist!

Too Faced Melted Chocolate Lipsticks in Chocolate Cherries, Chocolate Milkshake & Chocolate Honey

Staying true to the ever-raging 90s trend, these chocolate Melteds are quite brown on the lips, but they each have a twist of colour. I picked up all of the “regular” ones: Chocolate Cherries, Chocolate Milkshake and Chocolate Honey. They also released three shades in the metallic version of the Melted formula, but I’m not a fan of their reflective consistency, so I opted not to get those. (Edit: I got them a few months later! Check out that review here.)

For those unfamiliar with the Melted formula, it’s considered a liquid lipstick since it is quite fluid. However, they do not dry down to the “dry as a bone” matte formula that most liquid lipstick possess. They are richly pigmented and are quite glossy on application, but will dry down to a soft and comfortable matte formula within roughly an hour. You can either re-apply the product to bring back the glossiness, or just keep wearing it as is (which is my preferred method). I do not find them drying on the lips.

Aside from the obvious colour selection, these are called Melted Chocolate because they do in fact smell like chocolate! The scent is not quite the same as the Chocolate Bar palettes – to me, the Melted Chocolates do smell a lot more artificial. It’s like it’s flavoured with chocolate on top of the usual smell of the Melted formula (which is kind of a non-scent to me to begin with). That being said, it’s not offensive to my nose and the scent/taste does completely fade on the lips. The wear time is equal to all the other Melteds I own (six hours or more, easily), although Chocolate Honey did feel a bit more liquid than the other two. Amazingly, Chocolate Cherries did NOT stain my lips, even after wearing it for five hours straight.

Too Faced Melted Chocolate Lipsticks in Chocolate Cherries, Chocolate Milkshake & Chocolate Honey Swatches

Chocolate Cherries is the darkest of the lot, and while it does look quite red-brown in the swatch, in practice I feel like it looks a lot more black-brown on my lips. (In the same way that Melted Villain looks black on me.)
Chocolate Milkshake has a hint of pink added into the pale brown. I do get far less pink payoff on my lips though.
Chocolate Honey is what I’d call the true medium brown of the lot. I was anticipating this giving me poo lips, but I’m actually quite pleased how much it does look like melted milk chocolate!

Too Faced Melted Chocolate – Lip Swatches

Final Thoughts

It’s no secret that I’ve been in love with the Melted formula by Too Faced for quite some time. (You can see me swatch the entire Too Faced Melted collection here!) And these Chocolate additions have not shaken my love for the formula. If you like the colours and are looking for a comfortable lipstick to wear, you cannot go wrong with these. Absolutely two thumbs up from me!

Too Faced Melted Chocolate lipsticks can be purchased for $25 CAD each on Sephora.ca, or for $20 USD each on TooFaced.com.

Bourjois Rouge Edition

December 21, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesBourjoisChelle

Bourjois Rouge Edition

For Holiday 2015, Bourjois has 5 Shades of Rouge for you to sift through to find your perfect shade. And I’ve found a favourite new red shade amongst them!

Bourjois‘ Rouge Edition #10 – Rouge Buzz is an absolute stunner. I put this one on and it completely blew me away. A neon orangey-red that glides on flawlessly and immediately lit up my face! This may be recommended for brunettes, but to hell with that, I love how this looks on me!

Wearing Bourjois Rouge Edition #10 Rouge Buzz

Rouge Buzz wears very, very well. Although it’s creamy, it stayed put on my lips which is hugely appreciated. It’s supposed to last 10 hours while being continuously hydrating. I never wear lipstick that long, but I did find this hydrating for the four or so hours I wore this before I removed it.

Bourjois Rouge Edition #10 Rouge Buzz close up

Come on. Tell me that isn’t gorgeous??

The Bourjois Rouge Edition #05 – Red My Lips come in an “Aqua Laque” formula. It’s an intense red recommended for blonde hair.

Sidenote: I’m always so iffy on these “recommended for [insert hair colour]” products. If you like the shade, you CAN wear it, no matter what colour it is or who it’s recommended for!

Wearing Bourjois Rouge Edition #05 Red My Lips

This formula was a bit of a new one for me. It did have some shine to it, but after about 45 minutes it dried down to a bit of a tacky consistency. I had some trouble with application as I found the product would gather up a bit as I put it on and was patchy in other areas.

Bourjois Rouge Edition #05 Red My Lips close up

On the lips, it looks quite like a jelly finish, but I wasn’t in love with how it felt.

Final Thoughts

While Red My Lips was a pass for me, Rouge Buzz has become an absolutely favourite shade of mine. The lipstick barely has a scent and no discernible taste – a HUGE plus for me since I’m often sensitive to scents that are not to my taste. The formula of Rouge Buzz is cushiony and hydrating, which makes this lipstick incredibly comfortable to wear. It’s the kind of product that makes me happy when I wear it, and there’s really nothing more I could ask for in a lipstick!

Let me know if you’ve tried Bourjois lipsticks before! As this was my first introduction to them, I’m interested in hearing what you guys think!

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