I’m still a little while off creating five looks for a Challenge Week with me beloved Too Faced Peanut Butter & Jelly palette, BUT I wanted to do a video tutorial with it immediately!
Too Faced Melted Metallic Chocolate (Review & Swatches)
Although by now you probably realize I’m a hardcore Too Faced fan, I have mentioned on several occasions that I’m really not interested in their Melted Metal lipsticks. Although I own A LOT of the regular versions (see here, here and here), there’s just something about the Metallics I’m not into (primarily their sheerness).
So when I managed to snag all three shades of the Melted Chocolate Metallics, wellllll it was like someone was telling me to just suck it up and review them/try them/something. (An ENORMOUS thank you goes to Katherine of The Green Bows for giving me two shades without a second thought, as well as to Laura of Lipstick and Laura for inviting me to a Sephora VIB Rouge Too Faced event where I managed to snag the shade I was missing in the goodie bag. I have truly amazing friends surrounding me!)
The Melted Metallic Chocolate lipsticks smell identical to the regular Melted Chocolate lipsticks (full review of those can be seen here) – it’s slightly cocoa powder scented, although it’s not the same smell as the one that it’s in their Chocolate Bar palettes. It does smell artificial though (as to be expected really!).
Swatched out, there’s not a huge amount of difference between the shades. Frozen Hot Chocolate is slightly more red-toned, Candy Bar is slightly more yellow-toned and Chocolate Diamonds is as the name indicates – chocolate shimmer.
Here’s how they look on:
Final Thoughts
In general, the Chocolate Metallics offer a sheer wash of brown colour – which is something that may be helpful to those who don’t want to go straight into wearing brown lipstick. The formula is similar to the regular Melteds, although they don’t dry down matte. They will dry down a bit, but it’s not the same consistency as the originals and they do retain some of their glossy appearance even after several hours of wear.
Of the three shades, Frozen Hot Chocolate and Candy Bar were very, very similar – there’s not a huge amount of shade difference on my lips. Chocolate Diamonds on the other hand is very different – it has far more glitter particles contained within the lipstick and I even noticed a bit of… errrr… crunching inside my mouth after awhile when the particles eventually got past my lips over time. It’s not that the formula moved around on my lips, it’s just that some of the flakes came loose and inevitably ended up in my mouth. It was a bit weird, but it didn’t taste bad nor was it a deterrent for wearing that particular shade. Chocolate Diamonds also has a LOT of shine impact, so if you’re looking for a fun, sparkly lip colour, that’d be the shade for you.
My original assessment of the Too Faced Metallics is still relatively intact: it’s a nice formula for someone who likes to wear shiny lip colours, but it’s not a ME thing. (I prefer non-opaque colours with a lot less sheen.) Keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with this formula at all, that’s just a personal preference for me. If you like any of the shades, definitely have at it!
The Too Faced Melted Chocolate Metallics are available on sephora.ca for $25 CAD or on sephora.com for $21 USD.
VIDEO: Palette BINGO with Samantha Jane!
Samantha Jane and I are collaborating on a video today – here’s our take on Palette BINGO! Be sure to check out her video here.
essence Sheer & Shine Lipsticks – Full Collection (Review & Swatches)
essence recently revealed their Spring/Summer 2016 to Canada and I was excited to see that a lot of their regular lineup of products has changed/been added to. At the last few events I’ve been to, I’ve seen a lot of the same similar items being repromoted, so it was really nice to see something totally new.
One of those totally new products are the Sheer & Shine lipsticks. As with many releases, it’s entirely possible that these have been available in Europe long before North America got them, but since they’re new to me, I was pretty excited to try them out!
The essence Sheer & Shine lipsticks have a “super soft formula [that] feels pleasantly light on your lips and provides them with gorgeous, subtle colour with a fantastic shine in the wanna-have shades nude, brown and pink. The translucent cap is the same colour as the lipstick inside so it’s easy to reach for your favorite shade.”
These are definitely a translucent, sheer formula, but some colours will surprise you with just how much colour they deposit.
essence Sheer & Shine Lipstick Swatches
My First Love is a very, very pale pinky-peach.
Cute Nude is a soft pale peach.
BFF is a pinky-red.
Frosted is an incredibly pale pink.
Sparkling Miracle is a magenta pink shot through with glitter.
Be Happy is a candy apple red.
Glamour Queen is a medium pink-brown with glitter.
All About Cupcake is a pale coral. (You can see me wearing it in my St. Patrick’s Day Makeup Tutorial video.)
Candy Love is a pale to medium pink.
Like a Princess is totally unlike the other shades… it’s a freaking stunning hot pink with a hint of magenta and red.
Final Thoughts
When I first looked at these lipsticks, I thought there was no way in hell that they’d be translucent – I mean the bullet is so bright and vibrant! However, true to their name, the essence Sheer & Shine lipsticks impart a translucent veil of colour (for the most part).
I cannot stress enough how incredibly comfortable these are to wear. They’re like a soft balm on the lips – the kind of product you keep re-applying over and over again just because you like the way it feels. Samantha Jane said it best in her recent essence video (and I’m paraphrasing): “These are an excellent purse product where you can grab them on the go to apply”.
For the most part, they have a very sweet, candy-vanilla scent (although it’s not the same as their lipsticks which is a huge blessing for me since I’m not keen on that scent), however, there were a few shades that didn’t have that sweet scent and instead smelled a bit like plastic. It was a bit strange that the scent wasn’t consistent across the range, so if you’re super sensitive to scent, make sure you give the bullet a whiff before you purchase it.
My swatches above are showing fairly true to colour, so you can discern for yourself which shades would most appeal to you, but the shades I’m in love with are Like A Princess (which definitely packs way more colour punch than the rest of the line!), All About Cupcake and Be Happy. (Sidenote: Shades seems to vary by location and country. These are the ones I received so I would assume all of these are available in Canada.)
If you’re looking for an easy-to-wear lip product that’s comfortable, lightweight and feels quite natural – don’t look any further than the Sheer & Shines!
The essence Sheer & Shine lipsticks can be purchased on ulta.com for $2.99 USD each or at Shopper Drug Mart and Superstores in Canada.
The products featured in this review were sent to me for consideration.
Swatch Sunday: Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly
My excitement for the Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly palette was almost palpable. The original Peanut Butter shade from the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette was one of my absolute favourite shades, so I was over the moon when I discovered that they were making an entire palette based around that eyeshadow!
The palette is so ridiculously adorable I can’t help but fall in love with it.
The shadows do have a sweet scent, although it doesn’t smell like chocolate or peanut butter to me. Maybe slightly nutty? Honestly, it smells like a MAC plushglass to me.
Sadly, the palette is an Ulta exclusive item, which makes it a bit difficult for anyone outside the USA to get on their hands it. Thankfully, I’ve got an amazing friend in Shawna of Spill The Beauty, and she was able to secure me a palette! I’ll have a Challenge Week and a video for this palette coming up shortly, but for now, enjoy the swatches!
Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly Swatches
The Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly palette can be purchased at ulta.com for $36 USD and although it’s an Ulta exclusive, it looks like you can also buy it on the toofaced.com site for $51 CAD!