Tag Archives: Chella

Empties – November 2014 through January 2015

February 6, 2015Empties, MiscellaneousAveeno, Benefit, Chella, Dr. Brandt, essence, Estee Lauder, Fortune Cookie Soap, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Neutrogena, Olay, Real Techniques, Revlon, The Body Shop, Urban Decay, VaselineChelle

Garbage time!

Having never used a brow gel, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But uh… it’s really just gel.. for your brows. Revolutionary. I don’t have unruly brows (hell, I barely have brows at all) so this was essentially pointless on me. I used up the Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel and it was perfectly adequate, but I doubt I’m the best test subject for this kind of product.

Purchase? Nah.

This was super disappointing. Make Up For Ever‘s Aqua Liner in 13 Black was super shiny which caused it to collect eyeshadow from the rest of my lid. It picked up pigment from the eyeshadow on my lid. It was beyond infuriating and drove me absolutely mental. Never again will I buy a shiny liquid liner. Ugh.

Repurchase? GOD NO

MAC‘s Prep + Prime for lips – a must have for me. I finish one of these every 3-6 months because I wear it whenever I wear lipstick. It holds my lip product in place and prevents bleeding outside my lip line that not even lip liner can stop. Must have!

Repurchase? Already have two more open! One at work and one at home.

Real Techniques‘ Miracle Complexion Sponge is my preferred way to apply foundation. I can barely stand to use brushes now because this thing is so amazing. I’d actually been using this one since March of last year and was worried that perhaps it had gone mouldy in the middle (since I’d heard some people complain that had that happen with their Beauty Blenders) despite regular washings. So I cut it open one day and low and behold, it’s perfectly fine. So if you clean your sponges regularly enough, I wouldn’t worry too much about it going rotten on the inside, even if you’ve been using it for about 9 months.

Repurchase? Already have! I picked one up at IMATS 2014.

I’ve had MAC‘s Lip Conditioner in Petting Pink for quite a while before I finally used it up. It was a bit goopy and never really stayed on my lips that long. I didn’t find it actually moisturized all that much since it wore off so fast.

Repurchase? Nah. Pass.

essence Get BIG! Lashes, Benefit They’re Real!, Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite, Urban Decay Perversion

essence Get Big! Lashes (pr sample) – Great product, but I never really fell in love with it for whatever reason. The curve of the brush made it easy to apply to my lashes and it definitely made them quite black.
Purchase? Nah.

Benefit They’re Real – I love this mascara! It makes my lashes look enormous since the volume it builds is incredible. HOWEVER, this stuff dries up way too fast. For a thirty dollar mascara I’m pretty pissed off that it’s near un-useable after a month and a half. BUT for that month and a half, my lashes looked amazing.
Repurchase? On the fence.

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite (sample size) – This one surprised me. I was expecting an old style bristle brush, but it was actually a rubberized wand with really nicely spaced out bristles. It applied mascara evenly and separated my lashes perfectly.
Purchase? Maybe. I’m put off by the price of high end mascaras, but I really did love this one.

Urban Decay Perversion (sample size) – Another amazing one! Not as separating as some mascaras, but the volume on this was one was especially nice. This one small sample size actually lasted me a really long time (longer than the Benefit one!)
Purchase? Same as the Estee Lauder one. Nice to use, but damn that price is really a put off.

Revlon Colorstay Top Coat was… a top coat. Man, I don’t notice any difference with top coats really. Like what’s the difference between a top coat and a clear nail polish? I sure as hell don’t notice one!

Repurchase? Nope.

A well loved eye makeup remover, but not my favourite as I prefer oil-based removers.

Repurchase? Nah, gone back to my favourite Marcelle one.

This was interesting. I’m not a big fan of primers, so I’m mostly trying to finish up what small samples I have to get them out of my collection. However, Dr. Brandt‘s Pores No More primer was a lot of fun to use. It smells like tea tree oil (and was therefore quite refreshing on my skin) and smoothed on my face like butter. It’s tinted slightly darker than my own skin colour (roughly MAC NW20), so it helped darken up some of my lighter foundations. I have no need for a primer, but this was fun to try out nonetheless.

Purchase? Nah.

Olay Fresh Effects – Bead Me Up and Shine, Shine, Go Away

Olay Bead Me Up! Exfoliating Cleanser – Totally sucked in by the awesome packaging on these. The scrub is nice, but not especially abrasive. Smelled nice, worked just fine.

Olay Shine, Shine, Go Away! Shine Minimizing Cleanser – Yeah, I’m not convinced this reduced any shine on my face at all. I did love the product though – it was a cool grey colour and smelled really fresh.

Repurchase? Maybe (to both). I don’t have sensitive skin so I like trying out new products all the time, but I’m sure I’ll eventually repurchase these.

Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash – I *love* the smell of this. To me it smells intoxicatingly like almonds and cherries (not the cough medicine kind of cherry smell). It’s also gentle on the skin, especially during the winter months when my skin can feel dry and itchy.

Repurchase? This is probably my tenth bottle of this stuff, and I already have another one in the linen closet ready for use!

All of the Fortune Cookie Soap items are not going to be repurchased by me as they are primarily seasonal scents. Mini reviews below.

Personal Space Air Freshener in Flying Monkeys – This was no good at all. It would scent a room for about 10 seconds, then totally dissipated and it definitely didn’t take any bad smells with it.

Lip Scrub in Blow Me! – Delicious! Tasted like bazooka gum with a bit of Fun Dip. Did its job and was fun to use.

Deep Conditioner in Christmas Bonus – This was WONDERFUL. The pepperminty, white chocolate scent was amazing and it made my hair feel fantastic.

Whipped Cream in Wicked, Good – Lovely, but a bit too much of the rich pumpkin scent. The scent would’ve worked better as a candle.

Whipped Soap in Fried Pussycat – Smelled nice and was fun to use. Not sure it’s a cost effective way to make or use soap though.

Hair Oil in Hair Flip – I used this on the ends of my hair and while I didn’t notice a change in the quality of my ends, it sure did make my hair smell nice.

This was my “leave at work” moisturizer. I’ve bought Vaseline‘s Cocoa Radiant moisturizer many times over the years. It can be a bit greasy, but it’s because it’s so thick. Heavily moisturizing and smells great.

Repurchase? Definitely.

The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Shower Gel

You really can’t go wrong with The Body Shop‘s shower gels. This one in Frosted Cranberry smells like a fruity alcoholic drink. It was a small size (it was in my Christmas stocking), but it gave me about 5-10 uses out of it.

Finally! /throws out the garbage

What’s On My Face – Volume 14

April 14, 2014Makeup, TutorialsBourjois, Chella, CoverGirl, Dior, Hourglass, INGLOT, L'Oreal, MAC, Makeup Geek, MUA, NARS, NYX, Physicians Formula, Pixi, Revlon, Sleek, Tarte, Too Faced, Wet n WildChelle

MOAR LOOKS

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I really like how this one turned out. Inglot‘s AMC Shine 24 is ridiculously amazing – one of my favourite eyeshadow colours ever. I love seeing how it pairs up with other colours and this one turned out to be a good match!

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Eyes

Inglot AMC Shine 24 all over the lid.
MAC Sushi Flower at the top of the crease.
Makeup Geek Simply Marlena in the outer corner.
Makeup Geek Burlesque to darken up the outer corner on top of Simply Marlena.

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska (Light 2)
Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium
Blush: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat
Highlighter: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle
Lips: NYX Butter Gloss in Strawberry Parfait

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I wish I knew how to photograph MAC‘s Vanilla Pigment – it has a beautiful pinky, orange sheen to it that just never seems to come across in photos I take. It’s a seriously stunning pigment, even though it looks rather white-ish here!

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Eyes (all MAC)

Vanilla Pigment all over the lid.
Charcoal Brown in the outer corner.
Gorgeous Gold blended between the pigment and Charcoal Brown (that being said, I really don’t think it showed up all that much).
Cork through the crease.

Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Revlon Colorstay (Combination/Oily) in Buff
Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium
Blush: Tarte Exposed
Highlighter: Dior Amber Diamond
Lips: Revlon Cherries in the Snow

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This eye look turned out better than I expected, but I’m not showing you the full face shot because holy crap did I ever choose a bad lip colour to match with this (do NOT use MAC‘sDarkside, I looked ridiculous). Despite the bad lip choice, this is a really beautiful combination.

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Makeup Geek Dirty Martini all over the lid.
Makeup Geek Bitten in the outer third, through the crease and brought slightly down to the outer lower lashline.

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow bone and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes.

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A play around with some of the goodies from Ipsy’s March 2014 bag.

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Eyes (NYX‘s Love in Rio – Segredos De Giselle)

The cream coloured shade from the trio all over the lid.
The brown shade in the outer corner and crease.

Too Faced Cream Colored Ponies to highlight the brow, Chella Indigo liquid liner to create the wing (this colour is amazing) and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Primer: Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer
Foundation: MUA Matte foundation in Shade 1 Soft Sand
Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium
Blush: Sleek Chantilly
Highlighter: MAC Whisper of Gilt
Lips: Nothing

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This lip combination is seriously having me rethink my idea to no longer buying any lipglosses, especially when layered over a lipstick.

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Eyes (Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette)

Cherry Cordial on the inner and outer third of the lid.
Creme Brulee in the middle of the lid.
Haute Chocolate through the crease.

Too Faced Champagne Truffle to highlight the brow bone and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: CoverGirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory mixed with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium
Blush: Wet n Wild Pearlescent Pink
Lips: Wet n Wild Red Velvet (901D) with MAC Strawberry Malt lipglass on top

What’s On My Face – Volume 13

April 7, 2014Makeup, TutorialsBourjois, Chella, CoverGirl, Illamasqua, INGLOT, L'Oreal, Laura Mercier, MAC, Makeup Geek, Maybelline, Milani, NYX, Physicians Formula, Revlon, Sephora, Sleek, Tarte, Too FacedChelle

Another week, another set of looks. I even tried out some of the new spring trends that everyone keeps mentioning (white eyeshadow, orange lips). Keep on reading if you’re looking for some kind of inspiration!

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This is my absolute favourite look that I’ve come up with from the Laura Mercier Artist (2013) palette. I don’t usually apply dark(er) colours on the lid because I think it’ll interfere with the crease/outer corner colour, but when I do, I usually like the result!

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Eyes (all Laura Mercier)

Bamboo all over the lid.
Espresso Bean in the outer corner.
Fresco through the crease.

Vanilla Nuts to highlight the brow bone. MAC Blacktrack fluidline to create the wing, Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on my lashes and MAC Omega eyeshadow through my brows.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: nothing
Blush: Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Natural
Lips: Maybelline Vivids in Neon Red

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… this is the kind of bright, vibrant look that just makes me outright happy. I got back from trip to the US and just had to dive straight into the vividInglot shades I’d picked up.

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Eyes

Inglot 343 all over the lid.
Inglot 317 in the outer corner.
Makeup Geek Creme Brulee very lightly at the top of the crease.

MAC Shroom on the brow bone. Tarte Amazonian clay waterproof gel liner in Black to create the wing, Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on my lashes and MAC Omega through my brows.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: CoverGirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory mixed with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
Blush: Milani Luminoso
Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium
Lips: NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee

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I first saw this look on Sharon Farrell’s YouTube channel (direct tutorial link here). I think it looked really simple and stunning on her (and apparently it’s trendy right now), but I think it looks a little stark on me. That being said, zoomed in on the eye, I really love it. No eye guide for this one because it’s ridiculously simple!

Eyes

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow pencil in Milk all over the lid, smooth it out for your finger or a brush.
Using the white from the Sleek Acid palette, apply it right on top of Milk. I had to really, REALLY pack this on so I can’t say I recommend this white shade. Use another white with more pigment if you have it. Blend it up to the brow, but don’t actually cover the brow with it – make sure it fades out before it hits your browbone.
I then applied a lot of coats of Too Faced‘s Better Than Sex mascara on my upper and lower lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: CoverGirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory
Bronzer: Revlon Photoready in Bronzed & Chic
Blush: Illamasqua Hussy
Highlighter: MAC Silver Dusk

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Another trend for spring (as I keep hearing, I’m really not trendy at all) is orange lips. This is the most wearable orange lip I have so I decided I’d start with this one before trying out another one I’ve got that’s a lot more vibrant.

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Eyes (all Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette)

White Chocolate all over the lid and to highlight the brow.
Salted Caramel in the outer corner.

Tarte Amazonian clay waterproof gel liner in Black to create the winged liner and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: none
Blush: MAC Gingerly
Highlighter: Too Faced Absolutely Invisible Candlight powder
Lips: Maybelline Vivid in Vibrant Mandarin

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There’s a MAC shade in my collection that I’m desperate to get rid of (Fade) so I tried to construct a look around that shadow.

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Eyes

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Waves of White on the inner half of the lid.
MAC Fade on the middle of the lid.
MAC Freshwater on the outer third of the lid.

MAC Blanc Type to highlight the browbone, L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes and Chella Indigo liquid liner to create a very thin line.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: none
Blush: Physicians Formula Happy Booster in Natural
Lips: Sephora Color Reveal Balm in Unique Pink

How Much Does My Face Cost?

April 4, 2014Miscellaneous, TagsBourjois, Chella, CoverGirl, L'Oreal, MAC, Makeup Geek, NARS, Physicians Formula, Revlon, Too Faced, Urban DecayChelle

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I saw this kind of topic years ago and always thought it was hilarious. If we really added up how much crap we put on our face, would we be shocked? More than likely. It’s funny how much makeup adds up, and how many more products get added into our routine over time.

I took these pictures after I got home from work yesterday and thought I’d add everything up afterwards. This was a semi-typical day: I didn’t like the makeup look enough to photograph it for a “What’s On My Face” post, but it wasn’t a total bomb day in the sense that I didn’t wear more or less products than any average day.

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Face Breakdown

Foundation: Covergirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2 in 1 Foundation – CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory ($22.49 CAD) mixed with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla (€14)
Blush: Cargo – Mendocino ($26 CAD)
Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium ($14.95 USD)
Highlighter: Too Faced Absolutely Invisible Candlelight Powder ($38 CAD)
Brows: MAC Omega eyeshadow ($18 CAD) + Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel in Clear ($18 USD)

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Eye Breakdown

Primers:

NARS Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base ($29 CAD)
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original ($24 CAD)

Eyeshadows:

Makeup Geek Lemon Drop ($5.99 USD)
Makeup Geek Goddess ($5.99 USD)
Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear ($5.99 USD)
Makeup Geek Brule ($5.99 USD)
MAC Shroom ($18 CAD)

Liner: MAC Dipdown Fluidline ($19 CAD)

Mascara: L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara ($~10)

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And finally, the only remaining thing…

Lips: Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss in Sunset Peach ($10.99 CAD)

Converting all of the different currencies by today’s exchange rate, I get…

Grand Total: $299.38

WOW. That was actually way higher than I thought it was going to be. I didn’t think I was wearing anything especially expensive as the eyeshadows were pretty cheap and so was the lip products. And that’s not even including any brushes! Has anyone else added up how much product they whack on their faces every day?

Ipsy – March 2014 Glam Bag

March 17, 2014Hauls, Makeup, ReviewsbareMinerals, Chella, Ipsy, NYX, PixiChelle

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Ipsy‘s March bag was an absolute slam dunk. There is nothing in here I didn’t like! At first I was disappointed because there were only four products but they really outdid themselves on this one.

Let’s take a look at what came for me this month.

Pixi – Flawless Beauty Primer (12 ml for $8.80, full size is 30 ml for $22)

I’m not really sold on primers to be honest. I’ve gone through a few sample sizes of various brands and none of them really did anything for me (positive or negative). That being said, Pixi‘s Flawless Beauty Primer actually *did* do something.

When I first squeezed a drop out of the tube I was a little skeptical. The product isn’t clear, it’s actually quite pink with a sheen to it. So I’m thinking “well this is going to end in tears…” as I was blending it into my skin. It definitely tinted my skin and I looked like I had a bit of a pinky tan. I blended some foundation over top of it and it seemed to add a healthy glow even through the matte foundation (MUA matte). As a note, less is more with this product. I used too much and it balled up a little in certain areas – user error though, I don’t think it was the fault of the product.

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie in Get Ready (No size anywhere, best guess it’s 1/4 the size of a normal lipstick, so… $4.50, full size is $18)

I don’t own anything from bareMinerals so I was really happy to get this lipstick. It’s a really tiny tube, maybe 1/4 the size of a full size of lipstick and the colour is beautiful.Get Ready is a pretty generic medium pink – which makes it easy to market to a lot of people. It has quite a bit of slip to it on the lips, so you may find it slides around a lot. I wore it with a lip primer and found it wore off within two hours or so, but it’s such an easy shade to wear and re-apply that you won’t find yourself with really awkward fade marks as the product wears away from your lips.

NYX Love In Rio – Segredos de Giselle ($6 USD, full size)

NYX changed up their eyeshadow trios relatively recently (I’ve seen them being phased out of Rexall over the last year or so) but I’ve never gotten around to trying out the old ones or the new ones. This trio, Segredos de Giselle, is a pretty failsafe colour combination (reminds me of Wet n Wild‘s Walking On Eggshells).

The swatches look rather sheer, but they apply really nicely on the lids. NYX having quality products is shocking to no one as they’ve proven themselves multiple times over the years with their products. One things that especially pleased me is how similar the beige shade is to Urban Decay‘s Virgin (closer than MAC‘s Shroom, in my opinion) and the brown is pretty close to Urban Decay‘s Smog.

Chella – Indigo eyeliner ($24 USD, full size)

The final item in my bag was this Indigo liner from Chella. I was expecting this to be a pencil liner (boo) so I was extremely pleased when I found out it was actually a liquid liner (yay!). The colour is absolutely beautiful and incredibly vibrant. It doesn’t apply quite as easily to the eyelid as it does to the hand – getting the product to flow right out of the very tip can be a bit annoying. Although it can be a bit of a nuisance with application, it does stay on all day and didn’t smudge or move around at all. I also really love that this liner is completely matte. Definite winner.

Eye look using NYX trio and the Chella liner

Ipsy March 2014 Breakdown

Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer (12 ml @ $8.80 USD, full size is 30 ml for $22 USD)
bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie in Get Ready (no size anywhere – best guess it’s 1/4 the size of a normal lipstick, so about $4.50 USD, full size is $18 USD)
NYX Love In Rio – Segredos de Giselle ($6 USD, full size)
Chella Indigo liner ($24 USD, full size)

BAG TOTAL: $~43.30 USD

My Thoughts

I said it right at the top of this post – I loved this month! I’ll use every item and that’s really exciting! The colours are on the safe side (pinks, beige, brown, etc.) because I think that for the most part people who subscribe to Ipsy are looking for something that’s pretty generic… which is why the indigo liner was such a surprise. It’s beautifully vibrant and while it’s not an easy safe colour like black or brown, it’s still useable by loads of people.

Two definite thumbs up.