Skinny Brow Pencils (Anastasia vs NYX vs Marcelle)

August 21, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesAnastasia, Marcelle, NYXChelle

201508_skinnybrowpencils_anatasia_nyx_marcelle_shot1

I feel like the skinny brow pencil trend started with Anastasia‘s Brow Wiz. It seems like ever since the Brow Wiz came out, we’ve seen brand after brand attempt to replicate the amazingness of that skinny brow pencil. Over the last year or so, I’ve been able to try out a few brands with similar pencils and I thought I’d compare them to the original Anastasia Brow Wiz.

All of these skinny/micro brow pencils features a 1.5 mm twist up brow pencil and a spoolie. The tiny pencil point helps create natural looking brow hairs (if you’re skilled enough to create them! I’m not!) and gives you an accuracy unlike anything else I’ve tried. The spoolie is a lovely touch as it’ll help you comb out the product through your brow hairs if you happen to get a little too heavy-handed.

Unlike with pencils that require sharpening, these pencils twist up so you actually get to use all of the product. And due to the nature of their tiny diameter, you get accurate precision every time you use them.

Here’s how the three that I have stack up:

Anastasia Brow Wiz costs $27 for 0.085 grams of product. 8 shades available.
NYX Micro Brow Pencil costs $11.99 for 0.09 grams of product. 8 shades available.
Marcelle Nano Brow Pencil costs $11.95 for 0.09 grams of product. 5 shades available.

The first thing you notice is the huge price discrepancy between Anastasia and the other two pencils. NYX and Marcelle are less than HALF the price of the Anastasia one and come with slightly more product!

201508_skinnybrowpencils_anatasia_nyx_marcelle_swatches1

So what’s the difference, you’re probably asking. And aside from shade selection, there isn’t a whole lot. I have the shade Taupe in both Anastasia and NYX, and Ash Blond in Marcelle. As you can see in the paper swatches above, the Marcelle one is slightly lighter than the other two.

201508_skinnybrowpencils_anatasia_nyx_marcelle_swatches2

On the skin, the Anastasia and NYX shades perform identically. They seem to have the same pigment and wax combination. The Marcelle leans more towards pigment and less towards wax. Interestingly, the Ash Blond shade comes out a lot more grey on my skin than it did on the paper swatch.

I know I'm wearing one of the pencils mentioned in this post on my brows here, but I couldn't even tell you which one because they all look the same! — I know I’m wearing one of the pencils mentioned in this post on my brows here, but I couldn’t even tell you which one because they all look the same!

But really, you’re asking, how do they wear? Is there a clear winner?

And the great answer is, there really ISN’T a winner! On the brows, all three products wear exactly the same. They have the same longevity (easily 12+ hours) and apply in an identical manner. When it comes down to it, it’s up to you to choose where you want to spend your money. You can either opt for the cheaper drug store option (although NYX is harder to find in Canada than Marcelle) or go for the more expensive Anastasia one if that’s more your style. I’ve been using all three brow products interchangeably and I really do not notice a difference in them at all!

The Marcelle Nano Brow Pencil was sent to me for consideration.

Hit Pan #4

August 19, 2015Hit Pan, Makeup, MiscellaneousJoe Fresh, MAC, NiveaChelle

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I don’t know about you guys, but it’s not empties posts that get me excited… it’s HIT PAN posts that do it for me! Empties always seem to be of the boring stuff – the stuff we use every single day and always end up repurchasing. Which I suppose is a good indicator of what we finish and actually love… but my god, there’s just never enough makeup in there to make it interesting!

So here’s a recent Hit Pan post of the items (since February) that I’ve managed to dig down deep into.

This is about one of the only products from Joe Fresh that I actually ended up liking (the cream blush made my cheeks itch, the rose balm was DISGUSTING and the lip tint tasted like acid). And clearly I REALLY liked it. This Sand Bronzer is matte and a light bronze shade, which worked out really for me during the colder months when my skin was paler. I’m hoping to finish this one up completely this winter as I have a LOT of bronzers and they need some love too!

Oh Nivea lip butters, you never do me wrong. I had previously gone through a whole Caramel Kiss one, and now I’m on to my Vanilla & Macadamia flavoured one. Unfortunately, these lip butters do produce a white cast on the lips, so I opt to apply them before bed and they last through the night. It helps keep my lips in great condition because I’m more inclined towards matte lipsticks that definitely dry out my lips.

MAC - Landscape Green pigment — MAC – Landscape Green pigment

And finally, I hit pan on my pressed MAC pigment in Landscape Green. I had mostly used this for my Gamora Halloween makeup look, but when I dipped into it recently for a makeup look I ended up hitting pan immediately. As you can see, it’s a gorgeous matte green shade, although I believe it’s a pro product.

Are you hitting pan on anything recently? Let me know!

Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion (Review + Swatches)

August 17, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesMake Up For EverChelle

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I don’t think I speak often about bronzers, although I’m not sure why, because I FREAKING LOVE THEM. If you’re a regular reader that goes through my “What’s On My Face” volumes, you’ll note that I’m always wearing some kind of bronzer. Even if I don’t have lipstick on, I’ve still go some kind of healthy glow going on my face. There’s something very, very satisfying about taking a big ole brush, swirling it in a compact and then dusting it onto your face in select areas!

Make Up For Ever recently launched a whole whack of new bronzers – Pro Fusion Bronze – that feature a shade range intended for everyone. And they didn’t half ass it either. Boasting six new compacts, the range of shades gives you the option to choose from two finishes – matte luminous or softly iridescent.

Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 30M

Made out of the same firm gelee type powder as the Sculpting Duos, the Pro Bronze Fusion bronzers promise “no trace, no powdery finish, only mistake-proof colour”.

Being the bronzer addict that I am, I was like “oh hell yes, bring on the darkest colour you’ve got, let’s see what this puppy can do!” So I opted for shade 30M, the deepest shade they had in a “matte luminous” finish.

Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 30M - swatches — Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 30M – swatches

And then I swatched it and it terrified me. I mean, holy shit, look at that! The underside of my arm might as well be alabaster to that intensely chocolately-bronze shade! The bronzer does promise to be “lightweight, [with] buildable coverage and effortless blendability”. So with that in mind, I went to town.

This is my face with only foundation on it for my comparison.

Wearing Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 30M

And here we are with the Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion bronzer in 30M. I applied this to the outer edges of my forehead, the very back, top area of my cheekbones, along my jaw line and on top of my nose (because hey, that’s where you tan right?).

With and without Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 30M (and with eyebrows, lol)

And you know what? It works, it really, really works. I have a relatively pale skintone and I can make the darkest of these bronzers work for me with little to no work at all! It is buildable, so even though it may look like I went lightly, rest assured that you can build this up and get a pretty intense bronzed look. For the sake of my own skin tone though, I kept it to how I would normally wear bronzer: apparent, but not overdone. (Or so I think, anyway!)

Final Thoughts

Due to the nature of the gelee powder, you don’t find yourself kicking up a lot of powder (and consequently getting WAY too much product on your face) which helps immensely with application. I love that the 30M shade has a slight reddish hint to it, which is something I *really* like a bronzer since I tend to look more red than orange when I get a natural tan.

This bronzer is highly foolproof. It doesn’t look powdery or unnatural at all. It claims to be waterproof, but I don’t ever wear makeup around water so I’d have no reason to test that. However, I have worn it on some ridiculously hot days here in Toronto (looking at you “feels like 37C”) and it’s neither faded nor worn away.

I also am hugely appreciative of the fact that there are a whopping SIX SHADES in this range. This gives everyone the opportunity to find something they love, or find something that they feel comfortable wearing. LOVE.

This post features a press sample sent for consideration.

Swatch Sunday: Soap & Glory – What’s Nude

August 16, 2015Makeup, SwatchesSoap & GloryChelle

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So the sad news is that Soap & Glory makeup products aren’t actually available in Canada (to my knowledge!), but my goddamn it… they sure are pretty. While Canada has the skincare, we just don’t have access to the makeup. As a result, I have to pick up the makeup products when I’m overseas. I grabbed (read: launched myself at the display in Boots) this lovely quad while I was on a layover at Heathrow late last year and it’s so damn versatile. This is the dude you want to take on vacation with you, cuz he can cover any situation.

Say hello to Soap & Glory Lid Stuff quad in What’s Nude.

Soap & Glory - What's Nude — Soap & Glory – What’s Nude

Soap & Glory - What's Nude - Vanilla — Soap & Glory – What’s Nude – Vanilla

Soap & Glory - What's Nude - Pink T — Soap & Glory – What’s Nude – Pink T

Soap & Glory - What's Nude - Mudhoney — Soap & Glory – What’s Nude – Mudhoney

Soap & Glory - What's Nude - Aubersheen — Soap & Glory – What’s Nude – Aubersheen

Fitness Friday: What NOT To Do During a Race

August 14, 2015Fitness, RunningRacingChelle

Running a half marathon in the Czech Republic

This post is mostly derived out of frustrating, although I’m trying to come at it from an educational angle! I’m not a road racing pro, that’s for sure, but I’ve run over 15 races in the last two years ranging from 5Ks up to half marathons, so I at least feel like I’m justified in adding some of my own commentary on to what NOT to do during a race.

So here’s my list of what you shouldn’t be doing during a race (as told by ME!):

Do not run more than two people abreast.

I realize some people run in packs or groups for motivation and support, but you have got to realize just how annoying it is to be the person behind a group of 5 people who are all running at the same pace, side by side. It’s a huge hurdle to get around and it’s ANNOYING. If you want to talk to your friend, fine, but keep it to two people side by side. There’s nothing fun about having to get around a wall of people.

Do not come to a complete dead stop in the middle of the pack unless you are actually planning on keeling over.

You’ve signed up for this race, you’ve (hopefully) trained for it… there is no reason you need to come to an abrupt dead stop in the middle of the crowd. You run the risk of causing a pile up and you’re definitely going to annoy the person behind you who suddenly has to go around you. If you need to bring your pace down to a walk, slowly, but purposefully, move to the outer left or right sides of the racing crowd (even up onto the sidewalk if need be) and then decrease to a walking speed. If you stop in the middle of the group (and you’re not actually dying) then be aware that everyone around you is going to be thinking evil, evil thoughts towards you (some may even say it outloud).

Do not wildly overestimate your running time and get situated in a totally inappropriate corral.

At some point, you need to face the reality of what your body can and cannot do. I’m not talking about the people that over or underestimate their race pace by about 5 minutes, but rather the ones that overestimate by huge chunks of time like 20 minutes. Even if you didn’t train appropriately, you can always fall back into a slower corral at the start with no fault or penalty. Consider that you’re actually slowing up other people in faster corrals if you cannot keep their pace since those people now have to go around (or through) you! There’s nothing more annoying than watching someone who is clearly unfit come to a grinding halt in a fast corral, almost cause a pile up and then watch as THEY get annoyed at everyone else. Like what the hell buddy?!

This also goes hand in hand with:

Do not sign up for the faster corral just because you want to be in the starting line pictures.

I’ve never actually experienced this one, but a friend told me about it. People who sign up for the elite pace times just so they can appear in the starting line pictures. Do not want. Go back to where you belong!

Do not come to an abrupt dead stop at the finish line.

I know, you’ve been running and you’re exhausted, but take an extra few seconds to clear an additional five to ten meters after the finish line. This helps to keep the finish line clear for other racers to finish.

Do not try out new gear the day of a race.

I’m even referring to the technical shirts they give you for free just for signing up. The last thing you want to find out is that your new sports bra is going to chafe you in area you don’t want to get chaffed, or that your spiffy new shoes are going to give you blisters. ONLY wear gear that you have run in multiple times before!

For new runners, I hope this helps you! Even seasoned runners can do with a friendly (lol) reminder every now and again (I personally need to make sure I don’t come to a grinding halt at the finish line!). Let me know if you think I left anything out, or if you have specific questions re: racing, I’d love to help you out!