Category Archives: Reviews

Red Cheeks for Winter

November 23, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesBurberry, Clinique, Elizabeth Mott, Illamasqua, TarteChelle

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During the cold months, one of my most beloved makeup tricks is to give myself the appearance that I’ve just come in from the cold. Few makeup things please me as much as the appearance of a red cheek in the winter! I don’t actually flush very pretty naturally from the cold air – in fact my face turns blotchy red and I get weird sun sports that appear out of nowhere. BUT, I have this vision of rosy red cheeks that make me look like I’ve been kissed by the cold air and that’s what I try to replicate with my makeup when the air temperature drops.

I’ve picked some of my favourite blushes that help me achieve that red cheek look. As with anything, if the colour intimidates you, try using it with a lighter hand!

Clinique - Cola Pop — Clinique – Cola Pop

With the dropping temperature here in Toronto, I’ve gone absolutely ham on this blush. Clinique‘s Cola Pop looks like NOBODY’s colour in the pan – in fact you’d expect it to just be an eyeshadow with that kind of dark pigmentation.

But on the cheeks this is freaking BOMB! On my NW20 skin, it goes on fairly rosy, but if you have a deeper skin tone you can definitely keep building this up. I’ve started pairing this with dark red lips and it’s a great way to help balance out the colour and make me not look washed out.

Tarte - Natural Beauty — Tarte – Natural Beauty

It took me a while to pick up Tarte‘s Natural Beauty. It was one of those products that sat in my Sephora Loves list for not just months, but years! And yet, it’s exactly the kind of colour I love to wear.

Because of Tarte‘s blush texture, this goes on my cheeks a little bit softer, so this is a good one for those of you wanting some of that red cheek look without looking like a clown.

A word of warning – Illamasqua‘s blushes are pigmented AF. In fact, the first time I wore this blush I applied way too much and kind of gasped in horror. I’ve since learned the error of my ways and barely touch my brush to the product now. That being said, Tweak is a phenomenal colour that feels rather akin to a “power colour” to me. (Forgive me, I hate that term, but I couldn’t figure out how else to express my affinity for this shade!)

Tweak is easily one of my favourite colours to apply to my cheeks. It gives me look and feel instantly alive. I love how it makes the apples of my cheeks pop and I just really feel good about myself when I’m wearing this colour.

Burberry‘s Lip & Cheek Bloom in Poppy has a mousse texture and can be used on the lips and cheeks. This item was my first foray into Burberry products and it jumped out at me because it was so dissimilar to the rest of their line. In general, Burberry is a beautifully classy line of makeup, so they don’t tend to have shocking colours. So when I saw this one I just gravitated towards it like a moth to a flame.

Due to the mousse texture, Poppy applies more like a cream. I find this to be more of a soft colour, so you’ll get more subtle red cheek glow with this one. (The shot above is with a few layers applied to my cheeks.)

Elizabeth Mott - Tints & Sass — Elizabeth Mott – Tints & Sass

The last one on my list is a liquid stain by Elizabeth Mott that I received in an Ipsy bag a while ago. Tints & Sass, although it’s a stain, does blend out quite easily on the cheek. I apply three dabs to my cheekbones and then blend it out with a stippling brush. Due to the staining nature of the product, I prefer to wear this one when I know I’m going to be outside a lot because even if I end up wiping most of it away, at least I’ll be left with a stain! (Bonus: It smells good too!)

On the cheeks Tints & Sass is glorious. I can get instant red cheeks without much fuss with this product and I appreciate that so, so much. I even brought this on vacation with me last year when I went back to Ottawa for Christmas!

And for comparison, here is each of them swatched side by side. You can see a few of them are quite close in colour, but they all have enough variety amongst them to keep me happy!

So how about you? Do you like red cheeks in the winter?

Bourjois Délice de Poudre (Review & Swatch)

November 20, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesBourjoisChelle

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I’ve yammered on about my love for the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation before and yet that’s just about the only thing I’ve tried by the brand. Wanting to expand my knowledge of Bourjois a bit more, the lovely Natalie of Ivory Avenue was kind enough to pick up the Délice de Poudre for me while she was in England recently.

So, why did I want this? Let me count the ways!

It looks like a slab of chocolate.
It’s supposed to smell like chocolate. (It doesn’t though – it smells like coconut to me!)
The cardboard packaging is freaking adorable.
I’ve seen YouTubers using it for years.
I freaking love bronzer.

I mean just look at it? How can you not love that bronzer? As it turns out, Délice de Poudre actually comes in a few shades! Natalie picked up the lightest shade for me which is pour les peaux claires/medianes (light/medium) and it retailed for £7.99.

The powder itself looks fairly brown with a hint of warmth. So imagine my surprise when I swatched it and got this:

That is straight up orange, and yet the powder does not look nearly that warm in the compact. I tried fussing around with the colour but no matter what I did, that’s actually how it looked on my skin in a swatch. I was a little skeptical how this was going to turn out on my face.

Alright so here we go. This is my face with foundation (Revlon ColorStay in 200 and 220 mixed together), eyes are done except for mascara and my brows are not filled in. The lighting is a bit bleak because I took this early in the morning when the sun was just starting to peek through the thick clouds.

And here I am wearing Délice de Poudre. It’s applied (heavily) to the backs of my cheekbones and jaw line and more lightly along my forehead and nose. You can definitely see that this leans very warm on me.

Side by side comparison - with and without bronzer — Side by side comparison – with and without bronzer

Although the side shot looks very heavy handed with the product, I do *really* like how it looks in a full face shot comparison. My face looks slimmed out and nowhere near as pasty pale as the foundation made me look. It adds an aliveness to my face that I wasn’t really expecting considering the overwhelming warm tones in the product.

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And just so you can see a fully made up shot, I’m wearing Délice de Poudre here along with the Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix palette.

Final Thoughts

Although I wasn’t expecting Délice de Poudre to be as warm-toned as it is, it still worked out really well to add some depth to my skin after I’ve applied foundation. I do feel that, on me, this is best applied with a lighter hand, so I’ll know to be a little less generous with the product next time I wear it! I’ve been wearing this bronzer on and off for about two weeks and I enjoy the overall experience of it (which sounds hilarious, but you makeup lovers will get me!). The compact is adorable, the scent makes it fun to open and swirl your brush in and the application is fairly flawless since it’s easy to blend. This product is definitely worth your money, even moreso if you can pick it up in the UK since it’s quite a bit cheaper there than in Canada!

Guerlain Météorites – Flocons Enchantés

November 16, 2015Makeup, ReviewsGuerlainChelle

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Something magical and ethereal has landed this holiday season by Guerlain…

Encased in an opulent snowglobe-type packaging, the Guerlain Météorites – Flocons Enchantés (directly translated, Flocons Enchantés is “Enchanted Snowflakes” in English) are one hella expensive item. At $89 CAD (BEFORE TAX!), this is easily the most expensive singular item in my makeup collection.

And why on earth did I “need” it? I don’t even have a good answer for that, but I can try to tell you my excuses! I first saw Steph post about these special edition Météorites on Fun Size Beauty during a pre-launch event in September, and it was obsession at first sight. I’d never owned anything by Guerlain, although I had lusted after their regular Météorites for quite some time. I guess you could say I had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to purchase some. (Although I’m not sure how $89 equals the perfect opportunity…)

Let’s take a look at the packaging. Les Flocons Enchantés come in round ball that mimics a snowglobe. A lovely embedded gold Guerlain logo peeks through the top of the frosted sides. The cap twists off to reveal a mirror in the lid and a powder puff with a gold bow.

When you pull off the powder puff, you might gasp. And you might gasp from either the gorgeousness that is les Flocons Enchantés, or maybe from the scent. I WAS NOT PREPARED. A lot of people had forewarned me that Guerlain was very “old lady makeup scented” and man, were they ever right. Supposedly this is scented like violets. To me, it smelled like a thousand old ladies pulled out their makeup bags from the 1950s and went to town. I was not impressed with the scent AT ALL. That being said, the scent does not transfer to the skin, so you’re pretty safe in that respect. (Major, MAJOR relief on my behalf there.)

Guerlain Météorites - Flocons Enchantés - macro — Guerlain Météorites – Flocons Enchantés – macro

Scent aside, les Flocons Enchantés are absolutely breathtaking. The slightly iridescent gold and champagne balls are shot through with handcrafted white-beige stars. I own a lot of makeup products, but nothing as gorgeous as this one. Just looking at the macro shot above is enough to make me swoon. There is nothing about this product that isn’t gorgeous and luxurious.

So what is it about this product that made me NEED it? I knew from Temptalia’s review that it was nothing extraordinary, and yet I wanted it so desperately that nothing was going to stop me from getting it. To me, this is a product that sings of winter’s crisp air and the sun’s reflection on the snow. It reminds me of winters past when I used to go to figure skating practice at 7 am during the dead of winter (which was definitely not glamorous at the time, but as with everything, nostalgia adds glamour and a hint of remorse to anything in our past). It makes me feel like a fairy princess, and for that, the price tag was worth it.

Guerlain Météorites - Flocons Enchantés - on the face — Guerlain Météorites – Flocons Enchantés – on the face

Here’s a full face shot so you can see how it appears on my skin. I’m only wearing Bourjois’ Health Mix Serum foundation in 51 Light Vanilla. There is no bronzer, no blush and no other highlighter applied to my face. I applied les Flocons Enchantés all over my face, packing on even more on my cheekbones.

Close up, you can see a bit more of the texture of the pearls on my skin. There’s definitely a white shimmer on my cheekbone, although it’s subtle. You can even spot some shimmer particles in my eyebrow from when I had applied it to my forehead.

I mean come on... they're so gorgeous I turned them into a desktop background! — I mean come on… they’re so gorgeous I turned them into a desktop background!

Final Thoughts

Do you need this product? No. Especially not at that price point.

Should you get if it makes you feel wonderful? Absolutely, yes. Although the scent isn’t my cup of tea, I love adding this step into my makeup routine. It’s the kind of product that I’ll reserve for special occasions because it makes me feel special.

Is this something you’d pick up? If not, what’s the most expensive makeup item in your collection?

SST Cosmetics – Mascara, Bronzer and Eyeshadow (Review & Swatches)

November 11, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesSST CosmeticsChelle

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My first look at SST Cosmetics back in June was a bit of a mixed bag – I liked the lip gloss (although lip gloss isn’t a product I wear all that often), but the eyeshadow duo crumbled on me during my first use and I was forced to throw it out. So when a few more products landed in my mailbox courtesy of the brand, I was a little bit surprised and a touch hesitant. My hesitation was gone when I noticed a bronzer (squuuuueeee!) and an eyeshadow colour that was remarkably similar to MAC’s Sketch (a favourite of mine).

Let’s dive in.

This is SST Cosmetics’ Composed eyeshadow. It’s a lovely satin finish burgundy/maroon shade with tiny specs of gold. The way the shadow reacts on my eyelids is very similar to MAC’s Sketch – which is to say that it deepens my crease quite easily (and believably) even though I have quite hooded eyes. The pigmentation on this eyeshadow is fantastic – a little goes a long way. You will, however, notice that a lot of product gets kicked up when you stick your brush into it. Some people see this as a downside, I’m not that fussed really since it didn’t lead to fallout.

Next up, and easily the most exciting thing to me, was the SST Cosmetics bronzer in Sun Kissed. It comes with a useless sponge on top that I quickly threw out (and you should too. No one’s got any business applying bronzer with a square sponge.) and has a decent mirror in the lid. At first I was a bit skeptical about the powder since it looks and swatches very, very warm. There’s not much red in there, just straight up orange with flecks of glitter. I had no idea how it was going to look on my face. Amazingly though, somehow, it freaking transformed and made me look tanned without looking totally fake n baked.

SST Cosmetics swatches - Sun Kissed bronzer and Composed eyeshadow — SST Cosmetics swatches – Sun Kissed bronzer and Composed eyeshadow

See? That bronzer is definitely on the orange side.

And lastly, before we get to the face shots, I also received the SST Cosmetics Lash Rebel mascara. I’ll be brief with this one, because I didn’t like it. Lash Rebel did make my lashes look nice and the wand was easy to work with, but overall I felt it caused my lashes clump together more than I’d like. The formula is also very, very dry and I much prefer wet mascaras. These are all personal preferences however and I know mascara is such an individual thing so I can only offer you what I like in a mascara.

SST Cosmetics - Composed eyeshadow and Lash Rebel mascara — SST Cosmetics – Composed eyeshadow and Lash Rebel mascara

In the shot above, I’m wearing Composed eyeshadow on the outer half of the lid and through the crease as well as the Lash Rebel mascara. I’ve got some bigger lash clumps than I’d like, but it did a pretty good job of coating them.

Wearing Sun Kissed bronzer, Composed eyeshadow and Lash Rebel mascara.

Here’s my full face with all the products included (eyeshadow, bronzer, mascara).

And a side view so you can see the bronzer a bit better. I apply bronzer to my forehead, back-tops of my cheekbones (what the hell is that area called??), along my jaw line and on my nose (because I like the sunburnt look).

Wearing Sun Kissed bronzed in another look.

And another shot wearing the SST Cosmetics Sun Kissed bronzer. For reference, I’m not wearing foundation in any of these shots, so what you’re seeing are the colours on my natural skin tone with a little bit of blush and highlighter.

Final Thoughts

The Lash Rebel mascara is a total loss for me. I wore it about four times and I just never liked it enough – to the point where I was dreading applying it.

The Composed eyeshadow was such a win compared to the duo I received last time and definitely more of a colour I will wear frequently. It didn’t crumble on me and I love the shade. *thumbs up*

The absolute stunner of the whole lot has got to be that Sun Kissed bronzer though. I have no idea how something so orange looking in the pan and in swatches could look so goddamn stunning on my face. It’s not over the top, which I enjoy, and yet it adds the perfect amount of colour I want out of my bronzer. I’m so happy to have that one in my bronzer collection right now!

SST Cosmetics can be purchased at several salons in the Western provinces of Canada. They can also be purchased via their web site at www.sstsignatureseries.com.

The products featured in this post were provided for consideration.

Bite Beauty – Kir Royale (Limited Edition)

October 28, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesBite BeautyChelle

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Just like last month, I picked up the Bite Beauty 250-point perk from Sephora. The limited edition colour featured in October is called Kir Royale (they’re still sticking with the cocktail names!). Kir Royale is a wine-berry shade in a creme finish.

What I’m loving about these 250-point perk releases is that they give you an opportunity to try the shade and, if you like it enough, you can buy the full size. (As a note, the previous limited releases Bellini and Mimosa are still available on Sephora’s site, so they don’t sell out super fast!)

The Kir Royale lipstick has the usual wonderful texture and Wild Berry scent that all traditional Bite lipsticks have. It glides on the lips easily and wears evenly for several hours (considering the creaminess, I’m always amazed by how long these lipsticks last).

While I do really pick up these 250-point perks for the lipstick, the gloss is always nice to have although not something I’ll wear often.

Beautiful pigmentation on both of these products – you won’t have any problem getting colour onto your lips!

The mirror is roughly the size of a button you’d pin on your shirt, but it’s invaluable. I now keep these little guys everywhere for when I need to take a quick peek at my makeup.

And here’s how the Kir Royale lipstick looks on me. I really, really enjoy the colour as it’s reminiscent of Too Faced Melted Berry – one of my favourite lip colours to wear during the colder months.

And here’s a close up shot so you can see more of the colour. It pulls more red on me than I expected, but I’m not bothered since it’s such a gorgeous shade.

Have you been picking up the Bite Beauty perks? I’m starting to run out of points and yet I want to get these every month – eek! I can’t wait to see what colour they’ll reveal for November!