Tag Archives: Bobbi Brown
Holiday Makeup Releases: The Good, The Bad & The Boring
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! For holiday makeup releases that is! September marks the start of a four month build up to Christmas as all the beauty brands launch their holiday collections. And, no different than years past, I am SUPER freaking excited for it all!
I’m going to walk you through what I’m interested in, what I think is bad, and what’s downright boring. Let’s go!
The Good
Let’s start this off with the item that I am THE most excited to get this year – the Too Faced Gingerbread Spice palette! This only got previewed about two weeks ago and it’s already launched… but only in the US so far. I’ve been trying to get my hands on it in Canada, but Sephora doesn’t yet have stock just yet (and it’s killing me). The colours are freaking stunning (although I had thought the deep fuchsia was more of a red in the original photos I saw), and it’s supposed to smell like gingerbread! I love their Gingerbread Man Melted Matte from last year, so I’m so happy they’re going down the gingerbread path and making more things in that vein. I cannot WAIT to get my hands on it! (If you’re in the US, you can already pick this up at Sephora!)
I cannot get over Too Faced‘s holiday Melted Matte releases – they make me so happy! I have Melted Candy Cane from 2016, Gingebread Man from 2017 and now I MUST own all four shades in their “The Sweet Smell of Christmas” collection. Each one smells different! Pumpkin Spice! Sugar Cookie! Cinnamon Bears! Hot Buttered Rum! I’m also happy to report that these come in mini sizes. I’m at a point in my life where I no longer need a full size lip product, so this is perfect for me! Sadly, this isn’t available in Canada just yet (again… dying over here), but if you’re in the US you can snag this sweet set for only $25 USD! (BTW, I’m taking a pass on Gingerbread Girl Melted Matte just because I don’t really need another full size lip product, and I love my Gingerbread Man from last year – which they actually re-released this year!)
Do I need these Too Faced mini palettes? Surely not. Am I going to get them? More than likely! The Tickled Peach palette hopefully smells like the original Sweet Peach scent (my favourite!), and the Sugar Cookie one? I mean… how am I supposed to resist this??
WOW! I only just saw this Laura Mercier palette come out of nowhere in the last few days and I’m intrigued. Her formula of eyeshadows is one of the best on the market, but she tends to create muted shades that fit more into the neutral side of things. When I saw this Hidden Gems palette I was blown away – there’s some legit colour in there! I’m not totally convinced I NEED it yet (and there’s potentially too much shimmer), but I’m going to see what the price is at IMATS Toronto (coming up this weekend) and/or wait till the November Sephora sale to potentially pick it up. This palette is already out at Sephora if you’re interested though!
I do NOT need more highlighters, but I find it hard to turn down BECCA highlighters in itty bitty packaging (which is a far more reasonable amount of highlighter than the enormous ones we all keep buying). This is the BECCA Mini Macarons set, and by some miracle I don’t have a single one of these shades! The four piece set comes with Opal (yes, I’m the last person to own this shade), Vanilla Quartz, Rose Quartz and Prismatic Amethyst. For once a practical set without a repeated shade (for me) – dead pleased with this one!
Whoa Bobbi – where have you been hiding these shades? I’ve never EVER been intrigued by Bobbi Brown‘s makeup… until this launch. Just LOOK at those REDS! The Bobbi Brown Infra-Red palette speaks to me on a different level and I’m curious to try out the formula of their eyeshadows!
The Bad
I can barely believe I’m putting this Urban Decay Elements palette under “The Bad”, but here we are. At a surface level I should frigging excited about this – it’s a rainbow palette and I *love* rainbow palettes. But… and this is huge for me… there is not even close to enough matte shadows in here. This palette becomes nearly unusable by itself for me because of that and I find that very frustrating when the palette is so enormous to begin with. I think there’s two, maybe three mattes in there, and given how many shades are in the palette, that just isn’t enough. I loved the concept of it, the colours, even the awkward layout was kind of intriguing… but I’m becoming a bit more discerning with my makeup over time and the lack of mattes in this palette is making me put my foot down and say “no” to it.
What the fork happened here? Ugh. When BECCA sneak peaked the front of their Volcano Goddess palette I was SO EXCITED. Look at that beautiful rainbow of colour on the palette cover! I thought they were finally putting out a beautiful rainbow eyeshadow palette! And then a week or so later they released a picture of the inside and I’ve NEVER felt so deflated by a makeup product in my entire life. It’s pretty much a neutral palette with… a red-ish shade, and a blue. I can’t believe what a let down this item ended up being. How could they release that outer packaging knowing that the inside was going to be bland as all get out?I want absolutely nothing to do with it. 🙁
What the hell happened here, ABH? My god, it looks like this palette is practically in greyscale! It’s like they sucked the life out of the Soft Glam palette, accidentally dropped in a poppy-red shade they’d discarded from another palette, named it Sultry (?????) and called it a day. This is HORRIBLE. I rather think NOT, Anastasia.
The Boring
I’ve got a lot of Too Faced palettes, and many of them are holiday launches, but I’ve felt for a little while that they’ve started to become rather redundant and are more for makeup newbies than they are true makeup enthusiasts. The Too Faced Under The Christmas Tree set is basically a repetition of shades I already have from the brand so I don’t really need these sets anymore. They’re fun to look at, and great for a beginner in terms of variety, but as someone who has all of these shades already (in my like… 40 different Too Faced palettes) this set isn’t vital to me. (And the same thing applies to their Dream Queen set and the Beauty Day Dreamer set.
I’m still trying to process what to do with Kat Von D‘s revelation that she’s an anti-vaxxer and won’t vaccinate her child when they’re born. I think that’s absolutely fucking CRAZY not to do that… like it really is bat shit insane to think that you know better than a doctor. But does that make HER a bad person? Not necessarily. So while I’m currently struggling with this internal dilemma on whether or not I want to give money to someone who has vastly different morals than me (and I do really freaking love her products and still wear what I already own), I’m happy to report that her holiday 2018 collection is boring me to absolute tears. The Fetish eyeshadow palette is nothing noteworthy as I find the shades far too muted overall. I’m not interested in a blush palette from her, so that’s out of the question for me. The only thing that might’ve swayed me was if she released another set of mini liquid lipsticks like she’s done the past two years (see the 2017 lineup here and the 2016 lineup here), but this year she isn’t doing that – instead opting to release four full size shades in a pack. I’m grateful that I’m not interested in any of it so it gives me a bit more time to determine if I even want to continue to purchase from her anymore. (I’m mostly hopeful she’ll see the light about vaccinating and will do it in the end…)
Urban Decay really isn’t hitting the right notes for me lately. Their latest addition to the Naked line is Naked Cherry… and I’m just so disappointed in it. Concept-wise, I liked the idea. A cherry palette would be great! And heck, the packaging is pretty too. But the shadows? I’m getting flashbacks of Naked Heat and I don’t think there’s enough variety amongst the shades. Not to mention… THERE IS A SERIOUS LACK OF RED IN THERE. For a palette based on cherries, they could’ve done more than whack in some mulberry-pink tones. Where is the RED, Urban Decay? And don’t try to tell me Devilish and Young Love cut it… because they don’t. The promo shot above shows more red, but I’ve seen the palette open in many other photos and they are WAY more pink. This is like Naked 3 2.0 and I’m not having it.
Phew okay… that’s it (for now). Let me know what’s piqued your interest this holiday season!
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What’s On My Face – Volume 31
This should mostly be labelled a Makeup Geek look week, but there’s one Inglot look in the mix as well!
This is the look I wore on my birthday this past month. I usually opt for orange and red as they’re my favourite eyeshadow shades, but this year I added some orange glitter I got from Lit Cosmetics.
Eyes
- Inglot AMC Shine 15 all over the lid.
- Inglot Matte 382 on the outer corner.
- Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the top of the crease.
- Makeup Geek Bada Bing in the outer corner.
- Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
I used Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and applied Benefit They’re Real mascara to my lashes. On my lower lash line, I applied some Too Faced Glitter Glue and then taped on California Soul glitter from Lit Cosmetics.
Rest of the Face
- Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
- Blush: Bobbi Brown Apricot
Once I got my hands on the Makeup Geek foiled shadows I just couldn’t stop playing with them!
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
- Envy through the crease.
- Magic Act all over the lid.
- Houdini on the outer half of the lid.
- Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on my lashes. On my lower lash line I first applied MAC Phone Number eye pencil to the outer corner, then layered Houdini on top.
Rest of the Face
- Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
- Blush: Illamasqua Hussy
- Lips: NYX Fortune Cookie
More Makeup Geek foiled shadows!
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
- Creme Brulee through the top of the crease.
- Center Stage all over the lid. Also used to line the lower outer lash line.
- Flamethrower heavily through the crease.
Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara is on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
- Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanillamixed together
- Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
- Blush: Tarte Charisma
I’m really loving playing with reds even moreso lately! Someone at work called this a Valentine’s Day look and I suppose it kind of is… Although I kind of see this as more red than pink, but to each their own!
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
- Purely Naked through the top of the crease.
- In The Spotlight on the inner half of the lid.
- Razzleberry on the outer half of the lid.
- Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
- Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
- Blush: essence Autumn Peach
- Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight
- Lips: Revlon Papaya gloss
This is a look from November that I had kicking around on my harddrive.
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
- Glass Slipper all over the lid.
- Shark Bait on the outer half.
- Creme Brulee through the top of the crease.
- Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
- Shimma Shimma on the inner tearduct.
Tarte Black gel liner to create the wing and Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
- Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
- Blush: Hourglass Incandescent Electra
- Highlighter: Hard Candy Tiki
- Lips: MAC Brave with Shy Girl on top
What’s On My Face – Volume 20
My dark but bright eyes look coupled with dead nude lips. Always a bit of an odd one to wear in the middle of the summer, but still a staple look I go to when I want to make an impact with my makeup.
Eyes
- MAC Blue Sorcery all over the lid. (I apply this with a damp brush to bring out the brightness of the shade.)
- Urban Decay Blackout in the outer third of the lid and pulled through the crease. I also lined my lower lash line at the outer edge with this shade.
- Makeup Geek Creme Brule at the top of the crease to blend everything out.
MAC Blanc Type on the browbone and Benefit‘s They’re Real mascara on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
- Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
- Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
- Blush: Wet n Wild Mellow Wine
- Highlighter: MAC Silver Dusk
- Lips: Rimmel Apocalips in Nude Eclipse
Quick weekend look!
Eyes
- MAC Greensmoke all over the lid.
- MAC Club in the outer corner and through the crease.
MAC Blanc Type on the browbone and Benefit They’re Real on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
- Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium
- Blush: Illamasqua Tweak
Love how this came out – especially the lip combination.
Eyes
- MAC Vanilla pigment all over the lid.
- MAC Cranberry on the outer half of the lid and blended up really high.
MAC Blanc Type on the browbone, Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper to create the wing (significantly less thick than I normally make my wings) with Pür Minerals Big Look Waterproof mascara on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
- Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
- Blush: MAC Sea Me, Hear Me
- Highlighter: MAC Vanilla
pigment - Lips: Revlon‘s Red Velvet lip butter with Creamsicle lip butter on top
I never get tired of Sleek‘s Bright Mattes palette. That and winged liner. So combine the two and you’ve got a very happy Chelle!
- Sleek‘s Chill on the inner half.
- Sleek‘s Dragonfly on the outer half.
MAC‘s Shroom on the browbone, Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing and Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Lash Extravagant on my lashes.
This was an odd combination to throw together (in my book) but it came out okay-ish.
Eyes
- L’Oreal Amber Rush all over the lid.
- Makeup Geek Dirty Martini in the outer corner and through the crease.
- Makeup Geek Fuji at the top of the crease to fade out the darker green.
MAC Shroom on the brow bone and Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
- Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
- Blush: Bobbi Brown Apricot
- Lips: Revlon Sunset Peach lipgloss
Travel Makeup Bag – Ottawa Race Weekend
This coming Friday I’ll be heading up to Ottawa for the capital city’s Race Weekend. Last year, after hearing about my first race experience during Toronto’s Pride Week (the Pride and Remembrance Run, which I’ll be doing again this year), my dad decided he wanted us to run a race together and he picked the 5K during this event. Despite having grown up in Ottawa, I had never, ever heard of this event!
Anyway, the point of this is… I’m only in Ottawa for less than 48 hours, so I don’t really need a whole lot of makeup. Regardless, I’m bringing some, so here’s what I decided to pack.
The necessary basics – mascara and primer. I’m a little bit nervous to only be bringing one eye primer, but since I’m stuffing everything into a smaller bag than normal, I’m only bringing this trial size of Urban Decay‘s Anti-Aging Primer Potion (which is something I’ve also never tried). Also along for the ride is a trial size of Benefit‘s They’re Real mascara.
I have no idea if I’ll even want to wear foundation on the weekend at any point, but I’m bringing a small tube of yaby‘s foundation in Buff and a Murad Oil-Control Mattifierprimarily just to use it up.
My only blush for the weekend is Bobbi Brown‘s Apricot – it’s beyond gorgeous. And since I’m bringing a fairly neutral eye palette, NYX‘s trio in Segredos de Giselle, I’ll need that brightness from the blush to liven up my face.
Looking at these side-by-side and I’m wondering why the heck I’m bringing both of them… Regardless, they’re both in the bag! Physicians Formula‘s Shimmer Strip in Sunset Strip needs some love, so in it goes. Hard Candy‘s Hula Hula bronzer is a fantastic shimmery bronzer that I’m going to use to fake like I’ve got some semblance of a tan. 😉
And once again I’m bringing far more lip products than I’ll ever actually use. The Nivea lip balm is a necessity, but the others are completely superfluous. Revlon Snow Peach is there in case I feel the need to wear a bright colour and the Urban Decay mini gloss inNaked is there if I’m feeling lazy as hell.
And since this month’s Ipsy bag was so darn cute and tiny, I put all my products in there. Now… fingers crossed that we have wonderful weather for the race on Saturday!