Tag Archives: Smashbox

Travel Makeup Bag: Holiday 2015

December 25, 2015Miscellaneous, VacationBite Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, Clarins, H&M Beauty, House of Lashes, Illamasqua, Kat Von D, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Marc Jacobs, Smashbox, Too FacedChelle

Travel Makeup Bag: Holiday 2015

Yesterday, on Christmas Eve, we traveled from Toronto all the way over to Wisconsin for the holidays. We drove (well, I’m writing this in advance and yet I’m referring to myself in the future… so this is weird) the 11 hours or so it took to get to Wisconsin and brought the cats along with us. By the time you’re reading this on Christmas Day, we’ve hopefully made it safe and sound and I don’t want to strangle Kolme (she’s a howler when we travel). We’ll be staying with my husband’s family near Madison for Christmas and New Year’s, and I *pray* they get snow because Toronto sure doesn’t have any!

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow and Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons

Two of the palettes I’m bringing are the brand new Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons and my Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow.

The Too Faced Bon Bons is a bit of a risk because I’ve barely played with the palette yet so I don’t really know what kind of looks I can come up with. It’s quite neutral which at least makes it fairly easy to play with while on vacation. The Charlotte Tilbury duo is going to be my only highlighter and bronzer on this trip. I like bringing more expensive products to use around Christmas time because it makes me feel kind of fancy. 🙂

The only other eyeshadows I’m bringing are in my Charlotte Tilbury Vintage Vamp quad. If you saw my makeup tutorial on Wednesday, you’ll know that I love pairing these kind of darker cranberry shades on my lids throughout the holidays!

House of Lashes falsies in Noir Fairy and their lash glue

And of course, what’s the holidays without some dramatic lashes? I’m bringing along my Houses of Lashes lash glue and a pair of their lashes in Noir Fairy. They’re already cut down to size since I’ve worn them before so I needn’t worry about trimming them while on vacation.

Illamasqua Skin Base in 6.5 and the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

I say this every time I bring foundation on vacation, but I’ll say it again regardless… I haven’t a clue if I’ll even wear these. I’m not generally in love with foundation as I find I just want to tear it off my face after about 8 hours or so (it has nothing to do with the foundations thesmelves, just the general feeling of having paint on my face). I like the Smashbox primer because it’s tiny and works well, and the Illamasqua Skin Base is lovely to wear but doesn’t get enough use in my collection so I thought I’d bring it along as well.

The Body Shop - Shimmer Spray in Silver — The Body Shop – Shimmer Spray in Silver

And what’s the holidays without a little bit of shimmer spray?? Smells like vanilla and spews out silver shimmer… I loooove it!

Clarins Rosy Nude, MAC Russian Red, Too Faced Melted Berry and Bite Beauty's Maple Agave Lip Mask — Clarins Rosy Nude, MAC Russian Red, Too Faced Melted Berry and Bite Beauty’s Maple Agave Lip Mask

I never ever feel like I bring enough lip products when I travel because I swear I’ll get there and wish I brought different items! My Clarins Rosy Nude is a perfect neutral shade for every day wear, MAC Russian Red is a holiday staple for me, as is my Too Faced Melted Berry. The Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask in Maple is along for the ride to keep my lips hydrated and because the scent is so stinking delicious!

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper, H&M Beauty lip primer, Make Up For Ever Glitter (25), MAC Brick lip liner, Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel crayon in Blacquer and Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch

Random assortment of items here… My Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper is a surefire liquid liner for all my travel purposes. I’ve got an H&M Beauty lip primer in there, a Make Up For Ever glitter (hello New Year’s!), MAC Brick lipliner, Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer and my favourite Make Up for Ever Smoky Stretch mascara.

201512_travelmakeupbag_blush

Another bit of a risk here… two medium to deep-toned blushes and no basic pink! Tarte Exposed has gotten a lot of love from me over the years (I’ve even hit pan on it!) and it a foolproof shade to match with the neutral eyeshadows I’ve packed. And of course, there’s my beloved Clinique Cola Pop. I can’t believe I haven’t worn the flower embossing down a bit more, I wear it constantly!

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And all of that is crammed into a medium sized Sephora makeup bag. Merry Christmas everyone!

2015 Gift Guide: Eyeshadow Palettes

December 9, 2015MakeupKat Von D, Laura Mercier, Makeup Geek, Sephora, Smashbox, Too FacedChelle

Gift Guide: Eyeshadow Palettes

Having bought more eyeshadow palettes this past year than I ever even previously owned, I feel like I’m in decent shape to provide recommendations for a gift guide. The focus of this post will be on palettes that I’ve tried, price points, and why I think they’d be a good gift. Since eyeshadow palettes are more of a big ticket item, I personally would consider these as someone’s “main present” rather than a stocking stuffer. Keep that in mind when you’re looking at the prices!

Here are my recommendations:

Kat Von D - Mi Vida Loca Remix — Kat Von D – Mi Vida Loca Remix

Brand: Kat Von D
Palette: Mi Vida Loca Remix
Price: $71 CAD

Let’s start this off with an absolute bombshell of a palette. If you decide you would like to get this (for yourself or otherwise), you’re going to have to get your butt to a Sephora store asap because this has been sold out for a few weeks online (the problem with releasing holiday palettes in September!!!).

This would be my absolute number one recommendation for an eyeshadow palette present. While the rainbow wheel aspect of it is undeniable and undoubtedly makes this one of the most visually appealing palettes I own, what makes this stand out even more is that inner ring of neutral shadows. This is perfect for colour lovers who need blending and deepening shades alongside their brights. While there are a few misses in pigmentation in the shades (maybe two shades), the overall quality of the Mi Vida Loca Remix palette is off the charts. If you can get your hands on it, you absolutely need to purchase it.

Further reading:

Brand: Too Faced
Palette: Chocolate Bar or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar
Price: $59 CAD each

Too Faced Chocolate Bars (original on top, Semi-Sweet on the bottom)

While the Urban Decay Naked palettes may own most peoples’ hearts, my true love lies amongst the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palettes. I’ve become obsessed with the scent of chocolate that wafts up from these palettes as soon as I open them. The shade selection is neutral enough for most people to love them, but there are pops of colour to make things interesting. My personal preference is the Semi-Sweet palette, but you can’t go wrong with either of them. The pigmentation and blendability are excellent in both palettes and either one would make lovely gifts.

Further reading:

Swatches: Chocolate Bar | Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar
Challenge Week: Chocolate Bar | Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar

Laura Mercier Eye Art Artist's Palette — Laura Mercier Eye Art Artist’s Palette

Brand: Laura Mercier
Palette: Eye Art Artist’s Palette
Price: $70 CAD

This palette was originally a holiday 2013 exclusive, but they wisely decided to bring it back within the last year. Although the outer packaging is slightly different now (I have the 2013 version), the shades inside are still the same. I have nothing bad to say about this palette – Laura Mercier has some of the smoothest, easiest to play with shadows I have ever encountered. These are an absolute pleasure to apply to my eyelids and I would recommend this palette to every single person out there! Personally, I consider Laura Mercier a bit more of a “grown up” brand since their average price point is very, very steep (a single eyeshadow is $29 CAD!), but that further reinforces that this palette is a great value.

Brand: Sephora
Palette: Wonderful Dreams
Price: $13 CAD

My first look at Sephora’s shadows have been a good one with this little palette. The Wonderful Dreams 8-pan palette slides out to reveal four matte and four shimmery shades. (In particular, the silver is to freaking die for!) I cannot find it on Sephora Canada’s site anymore, but I’ve seen it in stores. This is a perfect travel palette since it’ll cover all your neutral basics, and it would also make a great stocking stuffer since the price is quite low!

Brand: Makeup Geek
Palette: N/A
Price: Regular shadows are $6 USD, foiled shadows are $9.99 USD each

I would be totally remiss if I didn’t mention Makeup Geek somewhere in this post! While this isn’t a pre-made palette, you can purchase the shades you desire and create your own perfect gifting palette. Makeup Geek is unbeatable in terms of quality and price tag – they could easily charge double that price and still be considered one of the best shadows on the market. For a holiday-themed palette, I chose the shades Vanilla Bean, Shimma Shimma, Grandstand, Creme Brulee, Cocoa Bear, Bitten, Magic Act, Jester and Flamethrower.

Further reading:

Brand: Smashbox
Palette: Double Exposure
Price: $45 CAD

The Double Exposure palette came out of nowhere in the last few months and smacked me upside the head. I could not believe the quality of the shadows in this palette! I’m a relative newbie to Smashbox so I don’t have a ton of exposure to most of their products, but this one completely blew me out of the water. Pigmentation and bendability are incredible, and there’s enough variety of colour in this palette to make it a liiiittle bit different from all the other neutral palettes out there.

Further reading:

That’s it for this makeup palette gift guide! If you were looking for what to give a friend or family member, I hope this was of some use to you. 🙂

Certain palettes in this review were sent to me for consideration (Sephora - Wonderful Dreams & Smashbox Double Exposure).

Challenge Week: Smashbox Double Exposure

November 25, 2015Makeup, TutorialsSmashboxChelle

201511_smashboxdoubleexposure1

The Smashbox Double Exposure palette features 14 shadows that can be used wet or dry. The idea is that you can create different looks with each shade depending on whether or not you add water. Typically, when you add water, it intensifies a shadow (be it a darker matte, more metallic, etc.), however, as a general rule, I find you don’t really need to add water to these shadows. They just work on their own! The pigment is incredible and really wowed me with how well they went on the lids and blended out. I did use a few shadows wet just to try it out, and I’ll point those out as we go. (Wet and dry swatches can be found here.)

Smashbox Double Exposure Makeup Looks

I gravitated towards the warm tones first (mostly on the right side of the palette) and I love how this one turned out – especially with the dark lips!

201511_smashboxdoubleexposure_look1.2

Eyes

Flushed through the crease.
Copper on the inner and outer thirds of the lid.
Quartz applied wet to the middle of the lid.
Veiled on the brow bone.

I coated my lashes with Smashbox Full Exposure mascara.

Face

Bronzer: MAC Refined Golden
Blush: Hourglass Mood Exposure
Highlighter: Becca Champagne Pop
Lips: Revlon Black Cherry

No real inspiration with this one – I just wanted to play around with some of the shadows I wouldn’t necessarily gravitate towards the most in a palette.

201511_smashboxdoubleexposure_look2.2

Eyes

Peony on the lid.
Temper in the outer corner.
Mauve through the crease.
Veiled on the brow bone

I applied Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara to my lashes.

Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shade 51 Light Vanilla
Bronzer: Revlon Bronzed & Chic
And unfortunately I didn’t write down my blush or highlighter. Damn.
Lips: Too Faced Melted Fig

Now this is something I really love doing on my eyes. Adding in that warmer shade through the crease really adds some depth to an otherwise cool-toned look.

201511_smashboxdoubleexposure_look3.2

Eyes

Silver on the lid.
Espresso on the outer half of the lid.
Noir to deepen up the outer corner.
Blanc on the inner corner.
Peony through the crease.
Veiled to highlight the brow.

I created the wing with MAC‘s Dipdown fluidline and coated my lashes with Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara.

Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shade 51 Light Vanilla
Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: Clinique Cola Pop
Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
Lips: Bite Beauty Kir Royale

I wanted something more dramatic for this look to show off that you can really go to town with this palette because it has an awesome black shadow in it. I created that sharp outer corner with a shadow shield – works wayyyy better than tape AND it has a bit of a curve to it that you can’t really see, but it looks a lot more natural that normal tape does (thanks for the tip Julie!). Sidenote: If you think my face is lit up weirdly – it is! I had to use a flash. /shudder

201511_smashboxdoubleexposure_look4.2

Eyes

Mauve on the lid.
Noir for the outer corner and to line the lower lash line.
Flushed to blend out the crease.
Blanc on the inner corner.
Veiled on the brow bone.

I lined my lash line really thinly with Catrice‘s Dating Joe Black liquid liner, applied essence‘s get big! lashes waterproof mascara and then popped on a pair of Noir Fairy false lashes by House of Lashes. I tightlined both water lines with Marc Jacob‘s Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer.

Face

Foundation: Revlon Colorstay in 200 Nude and 220 Natural Beige mixed together
Bronzer: SST Cosmetics Sun Kissed
Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
Highlighter: Becca Champagne Pop
Lips: Rimmel Make Your Move

For my lash look, I *had* to use the incredibly dark blue shadow (Midnight) in the palette. This shadow may not look like much in the pan, but swatch it wet and you’ll be completely blown away.

201511_smashboxdoubleexposure_look5.2

Eyes

Mauve through the crease.
I first applied NYX‘s Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Black Bean all over the lid, blended it in with my finger, then applied Midnight on top (dry). I then wet my brush, dipped back into Midnight and applied it wet on the center on the lid. I also used Midnight (dry) to line my lower lash line.
Blanc in the inner corner.
Veiled on the brow bone.

I applied Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch mascara to my lashes.

Face

Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: MAC Warm Soul
Highlighter: Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo #1
Lips: Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial

Have you used the Smashbox Double Exposure palette? Let me know what you think of it!

The product featured in this post was provided by PR for consideration.

Swatch Sunday: Smashbox Double Exposure

November 15, 2015Makeup, SwatchesSmashboxChelle

201511_smashbox_doubleexposure1

The Smashbox Double Exposure palette contains 14 eyeshadows that can be used wet or dry. In most cases, applying the product wet slightly intensified the shadow. There was only one situation where adding water significantly altered the appearance of the shadow – look out for Midnight below to see what I mean.

I’ll have a Challenge Week featuring the this palette coming up in the next few weeks or so. For now, please enjoy the swatches!

Smashbox Double Exposure Swatches

Smashbox - Midnight — Smashbox – Midnight

Smashbox - Espresso — Smashbox – Espresso

The product featured in this post were provided for review.

What I Bought This Month – July 2015 Haul

August 3, 2015HaulsAustralis, Avon, BECCA, Dolce & Gabanna, essence, Estee Lauder, Fantasy Makers, FOA, Glitter Gal, Kryolan, Laura Geller, Lise Watier, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Maybelline, Milani, Miracle 10, NARS, Olay, Red Cherry, Revlon, Sephora, Smashbox, Tarte, The Body Shop, Wet n WildChelle

Another month, another roundup of beauty goodies. I have to say, I’ve been spending a lot less, but my makeup intake has been insane because the CBB keeps doing swap after swap after swap and I keep walking away with more and more products to try out!

Becca - Champagne Pop ($46 CAD) — Becca – Champagne Pop ($46 CAD)

Let’s start with the one item I did purchase this past month: Becca‘s collaboration with Jaclyn Hill resulted in Champagne Pop. Quite possibly the most beautiful highlighting shade I own. (Full review here.) This was expensive – there’s no doubt about that. But as a regular viewer of Jaclyn Hill’s videos I wanted to support her latest creation since I’d also been meaning to try out Becca‘s stuff too!

Estee Lauder - Courreges - Black Silver (free - gift) — Estee Lauder – Courreges – Black Silver (free – gift)

My first Estee Lauder product, I think. This was from a limited edition collection called Courreges a few months ago. The shade is Black Silver and there’s a LOT of it in the that pot!

The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes in Pink Poppy (free - gift) — The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes in Pink Poppy (free – gift)

A quad cast off from a friend. This is The Body Shop‘s Shimmer Cubes in Pink Poppy. They’re in truly bizarre packaging. There’s the outer layer that holds all four of them, and then each individual shade is in its’ OWN little plastic tin with a cap. Super weird.

The texture is a bit powdery, but the colours are lovely. I didn’t take any decent photos of my makeup with it on, but I did snag a shot for Instagram while wearing them:

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Quite pretty!

Avon - Anew Vitale (free - swap) — Avon – Anew Vitale (free – swap)

A brand new tube of Avon‘s Anew Vitale Day Lotion. I’ve had no experience with it, but as someone without sensitive skin, I’m always up for free skincare!

Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue - Escape to Panarea (free - swap) — Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue – Escape to Panarea (free – swap)

I got this at the swap because it seems like nobody wanted it! I’ve been a fan D&G‘s Light Blue for a while… but as it turns out, I’m not so much of a fan of this version called Escape to Panarea. Ah well.

Fantasy Makers - Feather Fetish - Hypnotise — Fantasy Makers – Feather Fetish – Hypnotise

Okay yeah. I have no idea when or where I’ll wear these – maybe for a Halloween look? But they were awesome and no one else wanted them!

Glitter Gal - Copper (free - gift) — Glitter Gal – Copper (free – gift)

Shawna of Spill The Beauty accidentally ordered two of these halographic polishes and I was the lucky recipient of the extra one! I’ve not applied it yet, but damn can I ever not wait. Holographic anything? Yes PLEASE! (This is Glitter Gal’s Copper shade.)

Variety of lip products courtesy of the CBB swap

I don’t know all the shade names (because I’m currently writing this while on vacation in Montreal – follow our blogging hash tag for the past weekend with #CBBroadtrip – we’ve been having a blast!) but I got some lovely lip products to try out. There’s a Maybelline lipstick in there, a Revlon lip butter in Peach Parfait (I’ve actually finished an entire one of these before – true story!), a Australis Velourlips (if Sharon Farrell loves them, then *I* must love them!), a mini from Tarte, a lipstick from the Sephora brand and a red lip paint from a brand I’m not familiar with.

Lise Watier - Eden Tropical Bronzing Powder (free - gift) — Lise Watier – Eden Tropical Bronzing Powder (free – gift)

The imprint on this compact is gorgeous. And I love me a humongous bronzer. But the sad news is that Lise Watier‘s Eden Tropical Bronzing Powder is oompa loompa orange and I just cannot wear it. 🙁

Make Up For Ever - Cream Blush in 210 (free - gift) — Make Up For Ever – Cream Blush in 210 (free – gift)

Another cast off from a friend. This is the kind of shade I hate to love. Make Up For Ever‘s 210 cream blush is a bubble gum pink that has the unfortunate habit of looking lovely on me. It’s not the kind of shade I like looking at as it’s far too girly for my tastes, but the reality is that it looks really good on me, and therefore I love it.

Make Up For Ever Plexig Gloss in 101, 402P & 403 (free - swap) — Make Up For Ever Plexig Gloss in 101, 402P & 403 (free – swap)

The Make Up For Ever Plexi Glosses are something I had passed on entirely because I don’t feel I’m a gloss person. I had several of them very nearly thrown at me during the swap, so I figured I’d try them out. End result? I can confirm they’re not for me. They fade off quickly (as to be expected of a gloss) and I just can’t be bothered with the constant reapplication.

Milani blushes in Tea Rose & Love Potion (free - gift) — Milani blushes in Tea Rose & Love Potion (free – gift)

More cast offs! I already owned Coral Cove, and I was happy to add Tea Rose and Love Potion to the collection.

Miracle 10 Light Serum (free - swap) — Miracle 10 Light Serum (free – swap)

A full tube of Miracle 10‘s Light Serum was left on the table after the swap. I’m not a huge fan of the scent of this thing, and it’s really only decent for hydrating in the summer time since it is VERY light. But I did run through a whole tube of it before, so I mean… I like it enough to use it all up again!

NARS Rated R duo and Revlon 501 Meotropolitan (free - swap) — NARS Rated R duo and Revlon 501 Meotropolitan (free – swap)

Ohhh yes. NARS Rated R and Revlon Metropolitan. Both items I’ve been wanting to try and thankfully totally free!

Olay Fresh Effects - BB Cream in Light to Medium (free - swap) — Olay Fresh Effects – BB Cream in Light to Medium (free – swap)

Another item I’ve been wanting to try because the Olay Fresh Effects packaging ALWAYS pulls me in. I need another foundation like I need a hole in the head, but hey… this one is a BB CREAM, so therefore it’s totally different…

Random assortment of eye and cheek products (free - swap) — Random assortment of eye and cheek products (free – swap)

A bunch of cast offs! A MAC paint pot, an Australis plush, a Laura Geller blush (it’s GORGEOUS!), an essence mineralize eyeshadow that is really, really good quality, a Kryolan blush (also stunning) and some gold eyeshadow cream/pigment type thing.

Red Cherry lashes (free - swap) — Red Cherry lashes (free – swap)

I don’t know why I insist on trying out different kinds of lashes when I *know* that House of Lashes make the ones that work for me the best. But I keep trying others… mostly because I hear about how everyone likes other brands. I’ve heard plenty of good things about Red Cherry so I’ll happily give these a shot!

Smashbox SantiGold - Earth As We Know It (free - gift) — Smashbox SantiGold – Earth As We Know It (free – gift)

I wasn’t sure what to think of Smashbox‘s Earth As We Know It palette at first. But then I created this:

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and I was like… oh okay. I like you.

The Body Shop - Mango Sorbet (free - swap) — The Body Shop – Mango Sorbet (free – swap)

I absolutely love the texture of The Body Shop‘s sorbet moisturizers. It has this frothy, foamy like consistency and is soooo much fun to play with… uhhh I mean fun to put on. Mango‘s a new scent to me and I quite liked the few sniffs I had of it.

Wet n Wild - 911D Stoplight Red & 969 Carrot Gold (free - swap) — Wet n Wild – 911D Stoplight Red & 969 Carrot Gold (free – swap)

Man, everyone keeps ditching their Wet n Wild Megalast lipsticks, whereas I just LOVE them! Here’s Stoplight Red and, one I’ve been meaning to find, Carrot Gold. It’s way more orange than I thought it would be – we’ll have to see how it looks on my lips!

Wet n Wild - Petal Pusher (free - gift) — Wet n Wild – Petal Pusher (free – gift)

And finally (phew!) an eight pan shadow palette from Wet n Wild – Petal Pusher. I’d always glanced at it but never bought it. I know the quality will be on parr with The Comfort Zone palette so I’m looking forward to playing with the shadows.

PHEW! GOOD GRIEF THAT WAS A LOT OF STUFF! I hope the swap stuff is interesting for you – please let me know whether or not it is. It’s all gently used makeup and stuff I’m adding into my collection so I think it’s relevant. But I’m not sure if people like seeing the swap stuff, or if they’d rather just see the brand new stuff I purchased.