Category Archives: Swatches

Review: Makeup Geek Foiled Shadows (Full Collection)

January 30, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesMakeup GeekChelle

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One of the more interesting makeup releases at the end of 2014 were the Makeup GeekFoiled Eyeshadows. Highly touted by Marlena (founder and CEO of Makeup Geek), these foiled shadows complement her regular line of shadows. They feature a soft, smooshy texture that’s supposed to give an effect similar to foiling your own eyeshadow onto your eyes.

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Each shadow comes in a pan (no palette or pots for these babies yet) and retail for $9.99 USD, which is $3 more per pan than her regular line. The higher price tag is attributed to the ingredients needed to produce this new formula. If you’re interested in picking up all the shades, you can get an $11 discount since they’re bundled together with a price tag of $89.00 on the Makeup Geek site.

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At first I put off getting them – I wasn’t really into shiny eyeshadows much anymore and had gravitated towards bright mattes instead. However, over the holidays, I was putting in an order with MUG to get more of her regular shadows and thought I’d throw inFlamethrower just because it was “such a me” colour. As soon as I stuck my finger in it, I was hooked. This shade was like molten lava on my finger in all it’s foiled goodness.

Yep, now I was screwed… now I had to have them all!

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So I placed another MUG order at the start of January and finally… THEY ARE ALL MINE. MWHAHAHAHA!

The internet was right! The texture on these shadows is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. While some of the colours are fairly typical, others are just pure insanity on the lids. They weren’t kidding when they said one layer was all you needed.

One downside though… I do find these crease on me after several hours even with using multiple primers. It’s a bit disappointing, but it hasn’t deterred me from using them. It’s not *completel* and utter creasing, but it’s a little bit. (As a note, I have quite hooded eyelids so my eyelids have a crease 100% of the time… unless I blink.)

Anyway, you’re here for swatches aren’t you? 😉

Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadow Swatches

This is what I meant by a more “typical” shade. Magic Act is a lovely pale gold, and while quite pretty, I think it one of the more dupe-able shades.

In The Spotlight is a peach shade if ever I saw one. Gorgeous pigmentation. Since it can lead quite pink, I’ll probably try to pair it with reds and oranges to make it look more peachy-orange than peachy-pink.

I’m not even sure what to call this shade really. Grandstand is like a bronze that has some red in it. It’s not a shade I would gravitate towards, so I’ll have to find some way to use it with something vibrant.

The taupe colour of the bunch. I’m sure there are loads of you out there salivating over Mesmerized! On me, this is the kind of shade I’ll place all over the lid and then darken up the outer corner and crease with a dark, matte brown.

Looking at this one now, I see a lot of the Marsala bajankle that everyone’s going on about lately. Showtime was less compacted in the pan than the others which makes me think it’s part of the original launch of colours. (Marlena has said that they’ve had a few of the eyeshadows break in transit, which they promptly replaced of course, but she said they were going to start asking her lab to press them harder to prevent that. My order arrived without issue however.)

Okay. THIS ONE. Flamethrower. FLAMETHROWER. This thing is FIRE. Absolute hands down my favourite out of the whole bunch. This is what I wish MAC‘s Coppering was – absolute pure molten copper. I recommend this one the most out of the entire collection.

Very similar to MAC’s Golden Olive pigment, Jester one goes on like a dream. Green with gold reflects.

I struggled a bit with the pigmentation of Houdini, but it’s a very interesting tealy/turquoisy shade. Try using a black base to make this one pop more.

I always thought this one was blue, till I wore it, then it looked purple. Center Stage is what I wish MAC‘s Contrast looked like.

Caitlin Rose has received a lot of disapproval on the internet due to its pigmentation. While my swatch isn’t entirely in focus, I will say that because this shade doesn’t seem to have a black base (like Houdini or Center Stage seem to) it just doesn’t have the same colour punch as those. Not that that’s a bad thing really – the colour payoff is what I would expect looking at the pan.

I pulled together a few looks while I was testing these shades out so have a gander:

Wearing Flamethrower on the inner half of the lid (Bitten on the outer half)

Have you picked up any of the Makeup Geek Foiled Shadow? What did you think of them? Did you run into any creasing like I did? And my god, what did you think of the pigmentation?!

Shopping My Stash for Marsala

January 12, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesColour of the Year, L'Oreal, MAC, Makeup Geek, NYX, PantoneChelle

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I don’t know who decided they were in officially in charge, but every year Pantone picks a colour of the year. Sometimes it seems to follow trends, and sometimes it seems totally offbase. (Where the hell did Radiant Orchid (2014) come from anyway? I mean really.) This year we got blessed (lol) with Marsala.

Introducing MARSALA Pantone 18-1438. A naturally robust and earthy wine red, Marsala enriches our minds, bodies and souls.

Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s not the colour of any red wine I drink. This is more of a lazy brick colour. Too much of the brown, not enough of the red. I guess we have Kylie Jenner to thank for this colour.

Leaving out my opinions regarding the Kardashians seemingly influencing this colour of the year, I have to say it’s not bad. It’s an unexciting shade, but it’s very, very workable. I know none of us truly care about the colour of the year, as it certainly won’t be impacting anyone’s makeup or clothes after the month of January, but I wanted to see what the hell I had in my stash that would come close to this colour.

MAC Mystical lipstick and NYX Spongecake gloss

First up are the lip products. MAC‘s Mystical was from this past year’s summer collection and it was about the only lipstick shade I had that fit into the Marsala zone. More of a pink tinge on this one, but it makes it infinitely more wearable on my skin.

NYX‘s Spongecake surprised me. I’d never think of this guy as even remotely brick-coloured, but when I compare it to the Marsala swatch above, it comes out surprisingly close. More orange-toned, for sure, but still in the “zone”.

Unfortunately Mystical was a limited edition item but Spongecake is a year ’round drugstore item for those who have NYX available to them.

This blush is such an odd one to me. MAC‘s Sea Me, Hear Me (yet again, limited edition) looks pinky-er in the pan, orangey-er on my skin and yet somehow still appears “more Marsala” than anything else I owned.

Makeup Geek Bitten and L’Oreal Golden Mahogany

My favourites of the bunch are the eyeshadows. I’m really hoping that people learn to experiment with eyeshadow more and embrace reds, or even just brick reds, on their lids. Red eyeshadow, or any shadow in that family, has a very special place in my heart: It can be a flattering colour or an incredibly loud one depending on how you pair it.

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Makeup Geek‘s Bitten is a longstanding favourite of mine and a must-have shade from the brand. I think it fits best with the Marsala theme out of anything I own, so at least I can feel trendy while wearing it.

L’Oreal‘s Infallible in Golden Mahogany is slightly more electrifying however. It definitely adds far more red into the mix, and coupled with that shine, it’s a stunner.

So while I’m not jumping for joy about a colour of the year, I am interested to play around with the colour and see what combinations work out best for me. I hadn’t done it intentionally, but when I look at the blue of the Alluring Aquatics collection mixed with the colour of marsala, I’m thinking I could really work with those together.

How about you? Is this something that interests you? Have you got products that fit into the colour of the year theme?

Five Reds for Winter

December 8, 2014Makeup, SwatchesMAC, NYX, Revlon, Rimmel, Wet n WildChelle

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Winter seems to be the season when everyone busts out a red lip. It was around Christmas (several years ago) when I finally got comfortable wearing red lips and I’ve not looked back. I’ve compiled a list of some of my favourites, with a bit of variety amongst the shades… but rest assured… these are all *red*.

All of the products listed in this post are readily accessible products (none of them are limited edition), so you should be able to find them if there’s something that draws you in.

The red that started it all – MAC‘s famous Russian Red! This was the first red lipstick I picked up, and it’s almost ruined me for all other reds! It’s matte, so it stays put without me having to worry about it too much, which is one of my chief concerns with bright or dark lip colours.

I’m wearing this without a lip liner here, but I usually pair Russian Red with MAC‘s Brick lip pencil to clean up the edges.

And for the softer side of ~~Sears~~ things, if you’re not used to wearing bright colours, here is NYX‘s Butter Gloss in Cherry Pie. Since it’s semi-sheer, it’ll ease you into wearing brighter colours. Half the battle with bright colours is getting used to seeing yourself wearing them. Once you get used to it, you’ll find it’s far less stressful to wear something “different” in public.

This gloss will look good on its own, but it also pairs nicely on top of top of a red lipstick as well. Since it’s a gloss though, it doesn’t have the same lasting power as a lipstick does.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic

While rooting through my reds, I re-discovered Revlon‘s Romantic balm stain. This stuff looks wayyyy better on the lips than I remember it being! It has enought pigment to look like a lipstick, but it’s got a beautiful amount of shine to it as well.

Also slightly sheer, and feels really lovely on the lips. This one is one of the easier reds – you can slap this one on without thinking about it too much.

This one kills me. I picked up Wet n Wild‘s 910D/Red Velvet lipstick on a whim because I thought it was another colour and holy CRAP – this is AMAZING. It’s also a matte shade, and it packs just as much of punch of colour as MAC‘s Russian Red does, although obviously a different shade.

And it’s cheap as chips too! I think it was something ridiculous like $2.

And for those of you who want to make an even bigger impact with your lips, this may do the trick. There’s nothing subtle about Rimmel‘s Apocalips in Big Bang. It’s a liquid lipstick which means you get insane pigmentation with amazing gloss. The glossy bit does die down after an hour or two, but you’ll still be left with beautiful pigmentation.

What’s not to love about that colour!

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Now, since you’re wearing a red lip, you’ve got to be careful. Use a lip primer. Use a lip liner. Check your teeth and corners of your lips whenever you go to the bathroom. (Basically… use any reflective surface to cheek your mouth out, whenever you can.) Use the “put your thumb in your mouth, lock your lips around it and pull out” method to get as much lipstick off the inner ring of your lips. I tend to stick with the “swipe my tongue over my teeth” method, but it doesn’t get always get all of the product off.

When in doubt, mattes are better at staying put than anything remotely glossy. I’ve also had surprisingly good luck with liquid lipsticks too.

The after effects of all that lip swatching. I gotta say, I think I love this mixed up shade the most!

Ipsy – July 2014 Glam Bag

July 16, 2014Hauls, Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesbareMinerals, Elizabeth Mott, Ipsy, Marrakesh, Pür Minerals, purlisseChelle

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I’m going to blow the surprise right here, right now.

This bag was amazing. Hands down the best one I’ve had yet. There isn’t a single product in here I won’t use (aside from that hideous, HIDEOUS pink froofy makeup bag that everything came in) and every single one of the products performed way, WAY beyond my expectations. Here’s what I got:

bareMinerals READY eyeshadow 2.0 in The Inspiration

The most exciting product to me was the bareMinerals eyeshadow duo in The Inspiration in a baby-sized palette. The light pink shade is Muse and the purple shade, which has some lovely gold sparkle in it, is Passion. Having never tried any bareMinerals products before, I was super pumped to try these out. And man oh man, did they ever live up to their hype. These went on my eyelids like a dream and the colours were perfect combination to stick in a duo together. After the amazingness of this duo, I will *definitely* be looking into more bareMineralsproducts in the near future.

*GASP* I love this product so much. I’ve always oogled Benefit‘s lip and cheek tints, but never took the plunge, so I was downright squealing when I got the Elizabeth Mott version of it in my bag. And this product seems to work equally well on both my lips and my cheeks. I believe Cherry is their own colour so far, and it’s a stunner. It smells faintly of cherries, but not that horrific cough medicine scent that I usually associate with artificial cherry scented things.

Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass in Cherry on the cheeks

Much to my surprise, this lasted throughout the entire work day on my cheeks. The colour is just the colour I want for summer too – slightly pinky-red, so it looks like I’ve been running around and got slightly sunburned. I will say that it seems to eat a bit at my foundation since it’s a liquid product, so be aware when you’re applying not to be too rigorous with your blending. (I blended it in with a Real Techniques Expert Face brush.)

Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass in Cherry on the lips

On my lips it comes out slightly more pink, but still… *amazing*! The colour is beautiful and settled onto my lips beautifully. It’s slightly drying, but that’s to be expected of a stain. It does look rather natural, as most stains do on me, so I find this really easy to wear.

I’m so pleased that this worked out so well on both areas it’s supposed to work on. Usually you hear about dual-location stains as really only being any good for one area, not for both.

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Another winner! I wasn’t expecting to like this (never mind love it) after the disaster that was the Be A Bombshell mascara from last month. Pur Minerals is a brand I’ve seen often at Shoppers Drug Mart, but never really looked into their products in depth.

First off, the brush wasn’t something I thought I’d enjoy. It’s bulky, rubberized and the mascara kind of clumped around the wand. And then I put it on my lashes and I shut right the hell up with my complaints. This sweeps on easily and coats all my lashes. It lengthens them. Thickens them. And from some angles I look like I’m wearing false lashes. AND it’s truly waterproof. Getting this off was hard work, but I appreciate that because when I need something to be waterproof, I need it to not. freaking. budge. And this definitely did not budge. No flakes throughout the day either, which is something I’m prone to. When I run out of this, and finish up all the other mascaras I have kicking around, I will definitely look into picking this up. (Side note: The top of the packaging has that bubbled on wet look that MAC just made famous with their Alluring Aquatics summer collection this year. Just thought that was really neat!)

Pur~lisse Pur~Protect Essential Daily Moisturizer

This product confuses me. It’s labelled on some sites as a moisturizer and as a sunscreen on others. Pur~lisse‘s Pur~Protect smells heavily of sunscreen (it does have 30 spf after all), so I feel like I’d use it more as a sunscreen than a moisturizer. However, I did use it as my only moisturizer under foundation yesterday and my face didn’t feel especially dry. I’m always happy to receive sunscreens, particularly ones for the face, so even if I don’t use it as a moisturizer I’m still happy with it. (Plus, this is an expensive product on its own in the full size tube.)

Marrakesh Endz is an argan and hemp oil therapy (but really, it’s a cream product) split end mender and preventer. I don’t truly believe that it can mend split ends (hair is dead after all, and if it’s split at the ends it’s sure as hell not going to re-grow back together again), but I do think it can help my split ends “feel” better.

At the moment I have some really “crackly” ends to my hair. I only get a haircut about once a year and something happened to my hair about two years ago that made it go really crispy (wish I knew what the heck it was). Most of the crispy-ness has thankfully grown out by now, but the last inch or two of my hair still has this horrible straw-like texture to it that I really need to get cut off. All that to say… this stuff actually helped make the ends feel better. Less crunchy, as it were. I think it’s a purely artificial feeling, but hey, I’m not complaining!

The smell isn’t bad either. It’s quite pleasant – the usual argan smell mixed with… cinnamon maybe?

Ipsy July 2014 Breakdown (all prices in USD)

bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 2.0 in The Inspiration ($7.40 for 1g , full size is $20 for 2.7g)
Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass in Cherry (full size, $22.99)
pur~lisse pur~protect essential daily moisturizer with 30 spf ($13.63 for 15ml, full size is $55 for 50ml)
Marrakesh Hair Care – Endz (smaller bottle size, $5.99)
Pür Minerals Big Look Waterproof Mascara ($13.60 for 3.4g, full size is $20 for 5g)

BAG TOTAL = $63.61

My Thoughts

This was the highest value bag from Ipsy so far, and the only one I’ve had to break $60 worth in goodies. As I said at the start, this one was an absolute winner of a bag. Get any of the products if they look like they’re up your alley and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

5 Lip Products for Spring & Summer

May 12, 2014Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesMaybelline, NYX, RimmelChelle

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I last talked about my 5 blush picks for spring and summer, and I thought I’d do the same for lip products. With the exception of one shade, all of these are super bright and therefore not for the faint of heart!

Just LOOK at that colour! Rimmel’s Apocalips formula is an absolute favourite of mine and their shade in Stellar is insanely pigmented. As a liquid lipstick, this goes on rather creamy and glossy, but will eventually dry down to a less glossy formula. The lasting power is also amazing (although I wouldn’t expect it to last through a meal, which is not something I personally look for in a lipstick). If you want an attention-seeking colour for your lips this season, this one is it.

I have two of Maybelline‘s Vivid lipsticks in this post because they’re just outstanding – everything from the pigmentation, to the colour range to the scent (very sugary/buttery) just make these an absolute pleasure to wear. Sidenote: These actually smell better than the Buffs collection that came out recently, not sure why that is.

Shocking Coral definitely comes off a lot more pink than coral on me but it’s a beautiful shade regardless.

Out of the Vivids collection, this one is my absolute favourite. Vivid Rose is the shade that made me fall in love with this range by Maybelline. It’s the colour rose on steroids with a dash of neon. As with all the Vivids – the lasting power is excellent as is the creaminess of the product.

NYX‘s Butter Lipstick in Fizzies is a shade I get complimented on frequently when I wear it. It’s easy to wear and has a sheer luminosity to it that makes it look a little less stark on the lips if full opacity bothers you. I tend to wear it pretty full-on, but the swatch reflects some of the sheerness of the product. This range of lipsticks appear to have no scent, which seems a bit odd given that the Butter Glosses had such a sugary creamy scent to them. Out of all the shades I’ve included in this post, this is the one that I feel matches most eyelooks the easiest, so this would be a pretty brainless lip product that you could pair with anything.

Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Coralista

And when you don’t want a lipstick, Benefit‘s Coralista gloss is an easy one to just pop on your lips. Despite the swatch, it goes on my lips almost colourless with a very sheer hint of coral shine. I reach for this one a lot when I’m going out for dinner and don’t want to worry about having to touch up my lips and/or worry about smearing lipstick all over my face while I’m having a pint.

So those are the lip products I’m most excited to wear this season. Is there anything you’re amped about wearing? I’m so excited that it’s finally patio weather here in Toronto! Had my first patio experience of the season last night and I can’t wait for even warmer temperatures!