review

Winter Essentials Edit- The Makeup Edition

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Living in Canada, it has been snowing straight since early November and I swear as soon as we hit the middle of October, it wasn’t really “Fall” anymore; we have in fact had multiple storms and power outages. This might seem premature but in my world, it’s been Winter-esque for ages and it’s now acceptable (I suppose) to share some of my essentials now that it officially is Winter. Some of these products are newer additions to my rotation but many of them have been my staples for the last couple of months.

Revlon Enticing, NARS Golshan
Revlon Enticing, NARS Golshan

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Golshan ($30 CDN) – review here

This ultra-pigmented lip pencil has been a rather recent addition but whenever I’m going for a dark lip, it’s been the one I reach for. The long-wearing warm deep burgundy shade doesn’t cling to dry patches and actively moisturizes the lips somewhat rather than drying them out. The shade is a flattering warmer hue that is easier to wear than brighter and vampier hues.

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in Enticing ($10 CDN) – worn here

When I’m not feeling quite as bold but want to wear a reddish hued lip, I’ve been reaching for mint-scented and recently released jumbo pencil offering from Revlon. The dark cherry-red moisturizing lipstick feels like a weightless balm on the lips, wears for a decent amount of time and does so evenly and might just be my favourite drugstore lip product of all time. It manages to provide that pigmented-yet-buildable amount of payoff that allows the lipstick-balm hybrid to pack a good colour punch without requiring the maintenance and fuss of a traditional red.

Nars Golshan, Revlon Enticing
Nars Golshan, Revlon Enticing

Marc Jacobs Beauty Color Eye-Con No 7 in The Starlet ($71 CDN)

taken with flash, true to colour
taken with flash, true to colour
I forgot to take a picture of the darker grey but it's glorious.
I forgot to take a picture of the darker grey but it’s glorious.

This eyeshadow palette is undoubtedly an extravagant purchase – and I did only receive it recently… for Christmas – and it’s not something that I would describe as purely wintery but it seems to be the perfect palette for my daily eye makeup in the cold season. These might just be the most pigmented and creamy shadows that I’ve ever tried and are all metallic without being overly frosty or glittery in the slightest. The pinky champagne, like Sin in the Naked Palette that I declare my love for regularly, is my staple lid shade, particularly with a darker lip, the grey, one of the very few shadows in this hue that I find flattering, effortlessly smokes out and the dark warm coppery brown is that staple shade to define the outer-v. I could go on but there will be a review coming soon.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer
top - Maybelline, bottom - Rimmel
top – Maybelline, bottom – Rimmel

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light ($9-10 CDN)

Throughout the year, I constantly have dry and dehydrated skin but the season change to cold weather can magnify the problem. The dry patches that tend to emerge can cause redness and when you try to cover them with most concealers, the dryness is only highlighted but this concealer does not have that effect. It provides medium coverage and glides over dry patches. Particularly in the Winter when I get blemishes, during the healing process they can get dry and flaky and this is one of the only products that covers them without highlighting the condition of my skin. The only thing that could improve the product would be the colour range… it is kind of horrendous.

Rimmel  2-in-1 Concealer and Highlighter in Ivory ($7-8 CDN)

Including two concealers might seem a bit excessive, but this concealer really in essence is a highlighter that also provides some coverage. It highlights underneath the eyes while still covering dark circles and can be brought into the centre of the face and other high points which has that much needed luminizing and brightening effect.

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Benefit Girl Meets Pearl Highlighter ($36 CDN)

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl
Benefit Girl Meets Pearl

After our brief separation, when I had a brief affair with my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish, I’ve returned to the liquid highlighter and have committed to a monogamous relationship with said product. It’s illuminating due to its sheen, but is not shimmery in the typical way and the texture of the pale pink-champagne fluid adds a dewiness that cannot be matched, especially with powder products. Year round, I have a love of all things that provide luminosity but this is especially important in the winter with dull, paler and drier skin.

NARS Orgasm Powder Blush ($32 CDN)

Ah, blush, up there among my top beauty loves and consequently much more difficult to narrow down my essential down to one but I’m determined to do so and it came down to this one. I think I’ve mentioned this a few times as of late but after some neglect, my most-used blush of all time is getting its much-deserved recognition. The formula is smooth and doesn’t apply patchy, being quite build able and therefore versatile – It can be worn subtly on a more dramatic makeup day with say bolder lips or can be built up to a brightening warm pink-y flush. On NYE, it began to crumble slightly and I was tempted to crumble into the floorboards when it fell from the vanity to its luckily not fatal stroke. This might seem like an odd winter blush choice but it doesn’t pull corally on the skin, well on me at least.

with flash
NARS Orgasm, Tarte Natural Beauty with flash

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Natural Beauty ($31 CDN)

So I might have lied. I succumbed to my intuition of the need to include a more typically winter appropriate blush. I know I’m definitely an outlier here as I’m not absolutely in love with the Amazonian Clay formula but Natural Beauty is a watermelon sort of colour, sitting between a pink and a red with versatile neutral undertones. The matte finish blush does in fact last insanely long on me and it gives that natural-looking winter flush that perks up dull skin.

What are your makeup picks for the Winter? x

Maggie

NARS Golshan Satin Lip Pencil

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I picked the Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Golshan ($30 CDN) at Sephora when the $20 off of $50 promotion was going on and a Christmas present or two and I’m glad I did – even though the last thing I needed was another wearable-but-vampy lip product. I haven’t tried that many products from NARS, but I’ve liked every product I’ve tried a great deal – NARS Orgasm blush ($33 CDN)  is one of my daily staples (I’m wearing it in the pictures below!) and I love NARS Kalahari eyeshadow duo ($39 CDN) and although I have only tried a sample of NARS Sheer Glow ($55 CDN), I think its a great foundation but not one that I want to pay prices that are on par with freaking Chanel for. This product is no exception to that rule. Sephora describes the lip pencils as dressing ” up lips in statement shades that seduce with rich, color-bright pigments, while drenching them in decadent moisture. This modern, long-wearing, vitamin-enriched formula for lips looks sumptuously saturated and dramatically defined” and in my experience, Golshan delivers what is promised by these claims. There is 0.07 ounces provided in the lip pencil.

On the Sephora website, Golshan is described as a “spiced wine” which seems to be a fairly accurate description but I would characterize the shade as more of a warm burgundy shade with slight brown undertones to it. It’s pretty much a warmer-toned “spiced wine” in my humble opinion. It has my ideal finish, a true creamy-looking satin while not just being drying at all, but being moisturizing in itself for a few hours until the balminess wears off.  It’s one of those balmy lipsticks in pencil form that seem to be all the rage recently and I do adore them. These actually do not cling to dry patches in the lips, despite their amazing colour saturation and pigmentation and glide onto the lips feeling exactly like a balm.

the comparisons
the comparisons

In comparison to NARS Golshan, Rimmel Kate Moss 107 ($8 CDN) is much cooler in tone and is much more of a rich berry shade and MAC Dubonnet Lipstick ($18 CDN) is extremely similar – Dubonnet is slightly vampier, with less warmth to it and as it is a amplified finish, it has more slip on the lips, not lasting as long. Dubonnet also has a stronger brown undertone.

I don’t find the colour to bleed or slip around very much, especially considering the finish. Golshan was incredibly long-wearing lasting for a bit over six hours with some eating and drinking before I seem to succumb to eating the oiliest of foods in the fashion that no lip product can survive. The hydration of the balm lasts for several hours and then wears off, leaving the colour intact and stains the lips a good deal. Unlike most lip products in bold colours, this one does not cling to the outside of my mouth as it fades — it provides the sought-after even fading. However, there is one thing that irritates me about the balms – they are not twist-up and soon I will have to purchase a sharpener for it.

If you can’t tell already, I highly recommend the Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Golshan and I definitely will be trying more in the future. They are worth the $30 price tag, I’d say. It’s hardly even noticeable but they do have a subtle makeup-y scent to them that isn’t exactly pleasant but I doubt many would be bothered by it.

NARS Golshan in action
NARS Golshan in action

Pigmentation       10/10

Formula                   9.5/10

Longevity                9.5/10

Packaging               8/10

Overall Value       9.5/10

36.5/40= 91% A+

Have you tried any of these lip pencils? What are your thoughts?

MAC Powder Blush in Well Dressed

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moderate swatch
moderate swatch
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On the cheeks paired with Sonia Kashuk Creme Bronzer in Warm Tan and Benefit Watt’s Up Highlighter in natural daylight

The MAC Powder Blush in Well Dressed ($25 CDN) to be honest has underwhelmed me. It was one of my first blush purchases years ago and I thought I would love it as the perfect everyday blush on my fair skin. I know lots of people with my colouring adore this blush but I just don’t to this day.

The colour is a pale cool-toned pink with a satin finish that has alright but not fantastic pigmentation. I quite like the satin finish as it doesn’t add obvious shimmer to the cheeks but doesn’t leave the cheeks looking flat and chalky and the texture is nice. I find I really have to build up the colour to get it to show up on me but on others and on my wrists, the pigmentation does not appear to be poor so I think that something about my skin-tone on my cheeks causes it to look invisible. On my naturally rosy cheeks, it makes my cheeks look slightly pink, as if my foundation were wearing off when it was still on. I think my yellow undertones and naturally deep rose flush neutralizes the shade on me.

It wears nicely on the skin for seven-eight hours which I consider to be good and doesn’t start to look patchy over time. My problem with the blush is not that it looks natural, per se — I’m a fan of natural-looking blushes that add radiance and brightness to the face — but my issue is that I don’t seem to get that brightening lift from the shade that many others seem to proclaim to. For me, it’s a nicely-formulated-yet-boring pale pink shade that doesn’t seem to do my colouring any favours.

Longevity         – 7.5/10
Pigmentation – 7.5/10
Texture               -9/10
Packaging          -8/10
Overall Value  -7/10

39/50= 78% B+

Have you tried this blush? If you have, what are your thoughts?

It May Be Winter but I’ll Wear Coral if I Want To

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My latest makeup crisis has been lip colour related. I know that nudes, reds and vampy shades are in season at the moment but sometimes we don’t want to wear either of the three. My problem is that as I’ve said many times before, the natural pink-y shades do not work on my skin-tone particularly if they are cool-toned and that leaves coral-y shades which tend to scream summer. However, I really find lighter coral shades flattering and I think the whole you wear this colour in the summer and this other colour in the winter to be particularly irritating and limiting. These two lipsticks would typically be thought of as summer shades but I’ve been incorporating them throughout the cooler months as well — they’re what neutral shades look flattering on me. In my opinion, wear whatever makeup whenever you want to. End Rant. 

I picked up Juicy Papaya ($9) as soon as I spotted the four newer Revlon Lip Butters in my local drugstore sometime in August and I’ve been making good use of it ever since. The formula is nice and hydrating, lasting the 3-4 hours on the lips and being foolproof to apply. Blah, blah, blah. I’m that weird girl who adores that these have no scent or taste — I generally find scented products weird with the exception of mint-scented ones. This shade is difficult to describe but my best attempt would be to call it a warm-toned muted light coral shade. It’s exactly what I was hoping MAC Shy Girl to be but wasn’t. 

L’Oreal Colour Caresse Lipstick in Sunset Angora($12) is a much more recent addition to my makeup stash; I’ve been hesitant to pick one up because they retail for more than ten dollars and I’ve been waiting for a sale but they might just be worth their surprisingly high price tag. Going by the formula of this shade — a muted medium-toned warm-toned pink coral –, this moisturizing lipstick offering from L’Oreal might give Revlon a run for its money… well aside from the annoying perfume-y smell that is. Compared to these, the lip butters are thick and waxy on the lips and feel more like they’re coating your lips, whereas these feel lighter and more hydrating on the lips. The pigmentation is at least as good and they wear for the same amount of time.

Have you tried either of these? Do you think coral lips can be worn in the dead of winter?

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Rose

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Pot Rouges are one one of those multipurpose and multi-functioning cheek and lip products with a creamy texture. They retail for $30 in Canada and I presume for less than that in the states for 0.13 ounces. I really appreciate how its marketed without ridiculous claims. On Bobbi Brown’s website it is described as follows: “Our best-selling, multi-tasking cream color just got even better. It’s now in a mirrored flip-top compact for on-the-spot application. Blend it on the apples of your cheeks for a just-pinched look. Blot it on your lips for a soft, stained finish.For drier skins, be sure to moisturize skin first”.

Unfortunately I’m suffering through a cold at the moment and my lips are extremely dry so its applying very patchy on my lips but I do not find these to highlight dry lips in the slightest — it’s merely that mine are looking worse for wear at the moment. The product has a true cream emollient texture that leaves a glow on the cheeks and looks like a natural stain on the lips. In the pictures, I’m wearing it on the cheeks along with some contour and on the lips by itself. It feels moisturizing on the lips but as it doesn’t set, it leaves the slightest bit of tackiness on the cheeks but I don’t seem to notice this unless I directly touch my cheek where the product is applied.

I have the shade 10 Rose and on the Bobbi Brown website, there are nine other shades available. I would describe the shade as a warm-toned rosy shade with brown undertones and a hint of rustiness to it. On my fair and almost-neutral-but-leaning-slightly-warm skin, its similar to the shade that I naturally blush and on my lips its a My Lips But Better kind of colour, that leaves them with slightly more colour than they do naturally.

The cream has really good colour payoff but sheers out nicely but on the cheeks it does require a bit of blending but nevertheless the application is easy and practical. It can be applied with fingers or a brush and the application is easy. It sits really naturally on both lips and cheeks and does not highlight dry patches. On the lips, the product wears for about three hours and wears off evenly. It’s rather low maintenance. It’s long-wearing on the cheeks and lasts all day on me, rivalling the powder blush Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes in longevity.

I bought mine about a year ago, after the products had been reformulated and put into compact packaging with a mirror and without changing the price, the quantity of product was decreased by half. That aside, the packaging is compact, sturdy, practical and sleek.

I would recommend Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Rose to those with fair (but perhaps not the fairest of the fair) to medium complexions with neutral to warm undertones. I think that on cooler skin tones the rustiness could be unflattering. The formula is long-lasting and easy to use providing a rosy glow to the cheeks and lips. I really enjoy this product and it’s a staple for me in providing a no-fuss way to add life to my lips and cheeks.

Longevity 9/10
Pigmentation 9/10
Texture          8/10
Packaging     7.5/10
Overall Value 9.5/10

42/50= 84% A-

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Below I have it swatched next to the only shade I have that is remotely similar but different in texture – Milani Red Vino Blush:

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Thanks to anyone who is reading this. I would like to know of those of you who are, do you prefer these review kinds of posts or other posts?

Happy Saturday!

Base Bonanza: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation

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From the beginning of 2012 to the middle of 2013, I wore Make Up For Ever HD Foundation pretty much exclusively ( to wards the end I had LM Silk Creme but wore it like once a month) and I can easily say that this is a great foundation.

Ingredients: Aqua, Cyclopentasiloxane, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Mica, talc, PEG-10 Dimenthicone, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Phenyl, Trimethicone, Sodium Chloride, Lauroyl Lysine, Dimenthicone Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Caprylate, Methylpropanediol, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate, Cyclohexacyloxane, Methylisothiazolinone, Sorbitan Sesquileate, Silver Oxide, Propylene, Carbonate, Parfum (fragrance), Methylparaben, Fagus Sylvatica Extract (Fagus Sylvatica Bud Extract), Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, [+/- CI 77891 )titanium Dioxide), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides).

The Claims -8/10

According to the Sephora website, <strongMake Up Forever HD Foundation claims to provide buildable medium to full coverage that conceals imperfections “flawlessly” with a soft-focus effect, remaining invisible both on film and in real life.

On the coverage front the product is spot on and the finish is rather interesting; initially providing a velvety-satin finish but has more radiance in sunlight and as time goes on.

I would hesitate to say its invisible in real life and on film. It has no SPF and photographs beautifully. It’s hardly detectable and I’d say the same about it in real life.

Formula – 8.5/10

This foundation has a thick viscous fluid texture. The finish is pretty natural (but with a hint of radiance) but unfortunately highlights severe dry-patches. Despite it’s texture, it blends beautifully and sheers out like a dream.

I’m wearing shade 115 which is slightly too pink-toned and pale for me but the shade range is fabulous, catering to very fair to deep skin tones in various undertones.

According to COSDNA, there are no particularly troubling irritants in this but we each have our own skin sensitivities. It does contain a small amount of fragrance though.

Longevity – 9/10

Across the board, this foundation has great longevity, just not as great as foundations like Revlon Colorstay etc. Oilier skin types may need to touch up with powder and to blot but there don’t tend to be significant issues with wear (my friend provided me with this info) but on my drier skin it lasts a very long time. I accidentally had it on for 18 hours on the night of my prom and it hardly faded but on the down side it settled into my dehydrated patches unattractively (keep in mind that I have dry and dehyrated skin).

Packaging- 9/10

The packaging is somewhat large but is not particularly fragile. The container features a functional pump that dispenses a rather practical amount of product with a matching black cover. It contains the standard 30 mLs of product.

Value – 8.5/10

This is a great foundation, suitable in my opinion for normal to combination skin. I find it highlights dryness but not to a severe degree and those with truly oily complexions may not find it controls oil well enough. It’s a great special occasion foundation that photographs beautifully. The formulation is concentrated, requiring a minimal amount for significant coverage. It can be built up without becoming significantly more obvious and also looks relatively natural in real life.

It retails for $49 CDN/ 42 US dollars at Sephora

Total Grade: 43/50  A

Before - my naked face
Before – my naked face
The foundation set with NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray and concealer just underneath the eyes
The foundation set with NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray and concealer just underneath the eyes – and highlighter on my cheekbones. I’m wearing a smaller pump of this all over my face – more coverage can be built up

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For anyone who is curious and some have you might have guessed because of the title, I plan on doing a series of foundation/concealer reviews and uncreatively calling it “base bonanza” of all the face products I own and then do a comparison and favourites post. Fingers crossed, I’ll be able to stick to this.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

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I’ve always been relatively lukewarm to this palette; the shades were high quality and the price-per-shade was right but there was something off about this product being a must have for me. I do find that it is too shimmery and metallic overall and the shades run a bit too warm (even though my skin leans slightly warm). I don’t always necessarily subscribe to the choose-eyeshadow-to-make-your-peepers-pop thing but they are particularly flattering on my blue eyes but I think they’re nice on all eye colours. I’ve had this palette for over two years and was never planning on doing a review on it but here goes…

Overall, the shades are really great quality, wearing for a long time (among the longest) without going creasy or patchy (with a primer, of course because I am disposed to shadow creasing on me) and with a pigmented and smooth texture but they do vary so I’ll describe them individually below and give my thoughts on them. By the way, the palette retails for $62 CDN at Sephora and contains 12 full-sized (0.05 oz) shadows, a mini-sized Urban Decay Primer Potion and a synthetic shadow brush.

Virgin is a pearly ivory-pink highlight shade that isn’t overtly shimmery and provides a nice sheen. It’s not the most pigmented in the world and I don’t believe it would suit skins darker than a medium in my opinion. I quite like this as a highlight shade on my fair skin. This shade is permanent.

Sin is a soft and finely-milled pinky-champage with warm undertones and a shimmery finish. The texture and pigmentation of this shade is great. This has to be one of my favourite lid colours of all time and is permanent.

Naked is a cool-toned light matte brown. It has impressive texture for a matte and is permanent. However, the shade is so light that it suits fair complexions as a transition colour and medium ones as a base-shadow colour. I like using this to fill in my brows when I want a really natural look and I use it as a transition shade frequently.

Sidecar is a warm toned medium taupe-bronze shade with glitter in it. It’s pigmented but doesn’t have the most impressive texture and really is prone to fall out. Also there is a red undertone to it that makes it difficult for me to wear but the shade is stunning on others. This shade has been previously available but is not permanent.

Buck is a slightly warm-toned medium matte brown without too much orangeness to it. I find myself reaching for this shade tons as of late. The texture is great as is the pigmentation. It can be used to fill in the brows if you have warmer toned brunette hair but I find it slightly too warm for that but I use it loads in the crease. This shade is permanent.

Half Baked is a warm-toned light intense metallic gold shade with a hint of bronze to it. The texture on this shade is fabulous and is the same high quality you can expect from shadows from this brand. I quite like this shade but it’s not something I reach for on a daily basis because I find it to be overly intense and metallic! This shade is permanent.

Smog is a medium-dark slightly warmed toned bronze shade with a slight green undertone to it and is nice and shimmery. The texture and pigmentation is good. This shade is nice but not particularly unique. I wear it in the crease on occasion and have worn it on the lid. It is flattering on blue eyes. This shade is also permanent.

Darkhorse seems to me to be a dark chocolate brown shade base with green flecks of glitter/shimmer in it. The pigmentation is good and the texture is not amazing but relatively impressive as the shade is so dark. This is a staple for me in the outer-v and as a subtle liner. I would say it is neither cool nor warm and is permanently available.

Toasted is a warm toned medium subtle pinky-copper with a subtle plumminess to it. It is difficult to describe and much better than it sounds. The texture is great and I don’t reach for this shade a ton but its a great one! This shade is permanently available.

Hustle is a slightly cool toned, taupe-brown with plummy undertones. The finish is shimmering but not in an overpowering way. It’s a great quality shadow and I use it frequently in my crease. This shade is exclusive to this palette, I believe.

Creep is a soft black with bluish-silver glitter running throughout it. It is not the richest deepest black and the glitter can be slightly annoying. The pigmentation isn’t the best nor is the texture but for being such a dark colour it’s fine. I use it loads in the outer-v, used as liner and to smudge liner. I’m fairly certain this shade is exclusive to this palette.

Gunmetal is a cool-toned dark metallic grey shade with a gorgeous silvery subdued blue sheen to it. This shade has amazing pigmentation and texture. This is definitely an underhyped shade. It is permanent and its great in  the outer v.

Swatched top to bottom in order listed above
Swatched top to bottom in order listed above

It now comes with a synthetic eyeshadow brush that I appear to have misplaced at the moment and is good quality but not one I find myself reaching for frequently. I do use it on occasion to pack colour onto the lid.

I would have to give this palette a B+/A- on the grounds that the shadows are great quality and value for money and would practical for everyday use on account of the tones, however I find the shades overly shimmery as a whole and overly too warm to be an all-in-all essential palette to use without the aid of other shadows. The hype is there for a reason and it is a great investment to add to your collection (given that you don’t own a million neutrals). Thoughts on my way late review?

Bourjois 10 Hr Sleep Effect Foundation

The French side ... whoops :)
The French side … whoops 🙂 It actually reads Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation, Fresh, rested complexion with Vitamin (E,F, B5 and mineral-enriched formula
excuse the fingernails :)
excuse the fingernails 🙂
Before (makeupless)
Before (makeupless)

Ever since I discovered that Bourjois makeup was available in Canada at Shoppers (but not particularly affordably) I have been meaning to try a foundation, as I’ve heard such fantastic things about them. Because my mind is completely irrational, I picked the one that I hadn’t heard much about – Bourjois 10 Hr Sleep Effect foundation.

The foundation is a sheer and truly dewy one offering solid light coverage (or maybe a little more than light asit does cover some redness). I do think the product excels at making dull skin looking rested but as when I’m sick and stressed I have some spots, redness and general imperfections I sometimes require more coverage and might reach for a hefty amount of concealer or a medium-coverage foundation. I think this foundation would show severe dry patches but I do not find it highlights them and I can see myself reaching for this in the dead of winter.

Unless you really pack this on, it is almost imperceptible on the skin and looks like glowing dewy skin. I find this foundation to last all day on me but longevity isn’t ever really a problem on my skin. This is a step dewier than other foundations such as Rimmel Wake Me Up, YSL La Teint Touché Éclat and MAC Mineralize Moisture and feels as light as it appears.

This is a foundation that lacks a wide shade range. It’s not suitable for anyone with a deeper skin tone than a medium tan but it does have some good options for fair skin (71 is a touch fairer than NC15). I picked up this foundation at the end of summer and it matches my slightly darker skin – I picked up shade 73 for $26. This shade is fair-medium in shade with neutral to olive undertones.

In terms of equivalent shades of 73, I can think of a few. It is rather similar to Diorskin Nude in 20 Light Beige, MUFE HD in 118 (don’t have it so I cannot show it) and about a n20-25 (neither particularly warm or cool).

The packaging is neither the best nor the worst. I really like that it comes with a pump and is not particularly large but it does not look luxurious in the least. I don’t mind this but it is something to consider.

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Here I am wearing a small pump of this foundation without any other makeup on my face and I thought I would include a photo of myself wearing it with some concealer and the rest of my makeup done:

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So, here’s my final recommendation: I would probably give this foundation an A-/A as I think it clings to dry patches much less than others and is a great one for natural-looking and glowing skin (for drier skin types) but the shade range is limited. I definitely think this is a good option for fairer skins because the shades start nice and light. I think this foundation is suitable for combination, normal and dry skin looking for some light coverage and luminosity. It’s longevity was good for a sheer foundation and I quite like it. It can be built up slightly by the way. Thoughts?

Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips Eye Enchancing Shadow and Liner Palette in Nude Eyes Review and Swatches

The product in question
The product in question

I talked about this before in my monthly favourites but I figured a more detailed review would be a good idea. I have seen this palette at Canadian Drugstores for 13-14 dollars, although I picked mine up when Physician’s Formula was one Buy One Get One Free at Lawton’s (not that it matters to anyone). The palette contains 0.26 ounces of shadows, divided into 9 shades. Like its namesake, there is no separation between the colours in the palette (all nine shades reside in a single pan). According to Physician’s Formula, the nine shades are divided into three looks, “natural” (the lightest three shades), “playful” (the three shades in the middle) and “dramatic” (the darkest three shades residing on the left side of the palette) and each look includes a highlight shade, lid colour and crease-colour. The darkest shade in each look is made slightly narrower in each of the looks for some reason. The palette comes with a sponge-tip applicator with an angled top with the intent that it could be used to apply a shade as liner as well as shadows. The packaging is pink plastic covered by sheer black lace with a nice pink bow on the front and “Nude” written on pink written. It is smaller than the size of my hand and opens from the side to the right. The palette is magnetic.

The brush is alright; I have used it to apply the shadows and I think it is better than some other sponge-tip applicators but I much prefer to use my own brushes.

Swatches on bare skin taken without flash
Swatches on bare skin taken without flash
Swatches on bare skin, taken with flash
Swatches on bare skin, taken with flash

I’m going to describe each shade and my thoughts on it from the left to right as to provide clarity because they are not named. The first shade is a matte black with some silver micro-glitter running through it. The pigmentation of this shade is not phenomenal (it is not the blackest black by any means) and it is a bit chalky, however it is definitely a usable black shade for lining the eyes, darkening the outer-v and the like. The next shade is a shimmery medium-dark taupe-brown with purple undertones. I would say it is a close match for Urban Decay Hustle in both colour and quality. It is nicely pigmented and has a smooth texture that is easy to work with. The following shade is a light shimmery taupe with golden undertones. The texture is nice and smooth, pigmented and a really great shade that in my opinion is fairly unique. The crease-colour for the “playful” trio is another medium-dark taupe shade with the same sheen to it but with grey-undertones. Because it is so similar to the other medium-dark taupe shade, I also find it similar to Hustle – but I think it is not as close as the other shade but a picture will be included below. I think it is almost a darker version of MAC Satin Taupe. The middle shade in the palette is a shimmery light taupe with grey-undertones. It is very similar to the third shade from the left. It has good pigmentation and a nice texture to work with. The lightest shades in the palette are sheerer than the rest. It would be redundant for me to say it with each shade so I’m mentioning it now. They all have the same smooth texture. There is a baby-pink with golden sheen running through it. The adjacent colour is an outlier, however; it is a light warm brown with warm undertones and good pigmentation.The next shade is a shimmery warm light gold and the lightest shade is a golden-toned white. All of the shades have good longevity (the darker half a bit better than the lighter half) and they have a really impressive texture. I do have an issue with the shade range, however; I find too many of the shades to be similar and all of the shades have the same shimmery finish and due to these issues, this palette has limited ability to be an all-inclusive palette. Also, I would not agree with the claim that these eye shadows can be used as liner – the only shade dark enough IMO is the black.

Top to Bottom: Physician's Formula Nude second to farthest left, Urban Decay Hustle, Physician's Formula Nudefourth from left, MAC Satin taupe - taken without flash
Top to Bottom: Physician’s Formula Nude second to farthest left, Urban Decay Hustle, Physician’s Formula Nude fourth from left, MAC Satin taupe – taken without flash
Same as above but taken with flash :)
Same as above but taken with flash 🙂

I really like the packaging. It does not look cheap by any means and I think it is aesthetically pleasing. I also like how compact it is. It holds nine 0.03 oz (appx) eye shadows while being very small – 0.05 oz are the full-size of a MAC or Urban Decay shadow for reference.

Final Verdict– Not that I have any sort of grading scale or anything of the sort, I would say that this is a “B” product”. I think it is a nice palette but its downfall is how similar the shades are, the lack of different finishes and the sheerness of some of the lighter shadows (and chalkiness of the black). However, I think the shades are fairly unique. I quite like that the shades are taupey. In this sense, the shades are along the same lines as the ones in Naked 2 (which I don’t own). I would recommend this palette to anyone who likes shimmery shades, is looking for taupes and is of a light to medium skin tone (because they lack the pigmentation to easily work for those with darker skin tones) and frequently wears natural-coloured looks. This is a great, portable “toss it in your makeup bag” kind of palette.

MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder Review

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MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Light
MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Light

A few weeks ago, I picked up the Studio Careblend pressed powder at MAC and as I knew it had been out for a year or two and I had not heard much about it, I decided to do a review. On their website MAC describes the product as “formulated to provide a smooth, virtually invisible, fresh-looking finish, this soft cream-like powder is carefully blended to provide the skin with extra care, nourishment and comfort” and I was fairly skeptical about the product. However, I needed a new powder and as powders can be fairly problematic for my dry and very sensitive acne-prone skin, I picked this one up, knowing that I could return it when it undoubtedly would either irritate my skin or break me out (and I hate wasting money on products that I can’t use).

Note: In Canada, you generally cannot return products that you’ve used.

After trying this for a few weeks, I can safely say that the Studio Careblend pressed powder from MAC is a good setting powder for those of us with dry and/or sensitive skin. However, take my opinion on this products merit for those of us with sensitive with a grain of salt; any ingredient in any product can break somebody out regardless of whether or not the ingredients are considered non-irritating or non-acnegenic. With that being said, I think this is a good option for sensitive skin regardless — many MAC face products (particularly powders… ahem…. studio fix powder …) either break me out or simply irritate my skin and this one definitely does not.

I am always skeptical of the claims made about beauty products in their descriptions of them — a powder is not ever going to so-called “provide the skin with extra care, nourishment and comfort” in my opinion/ experience. Like any other powder in the universe, this powder has the potential to look cakey and is visible on the skin, however I found Studio Careblend to set makeup excellently with a velvety feel on the skin and provide a surprisingly nice soft matte finish. This powder does not set and mattify your makeup with the cost of losing all of your radiance, somehow it allows both.

It is worthy to note that although this powder is geared towards drier skins, it can highlight flaky patches, similar to most face products that I have ever tried. MAC Studio Careblend provides sheer coverage that I am sure can be built up for fuller coverage. [Note: As I have skin that tends to be dry and flaky, I do not use powders on their own (as foundation) and therefore I cannot attest to their longevity and appearance on their own]. I found that when I used the powder to set my foundation, it made my face makeup feel undetectable on my skin, eliminating that dreaded ‘foundation’ feel, as well as making my makeup look fresher and last all day – keep in mind here, my skin tends to be dry so in general foundations last a long time on my skin.

I generally wear this powder over the top of Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation and occasionally Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation. I picked MAC Studio Careblend powder for $29 dollars CDN in the shade light, which was undetectable on my roughly NC15 skin.

Warning: selfie overload (as much as I loathe that word)

This is how the powder looks on top of Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation (I'm wearing Ivory) in the harsh light of my bathroom.
This is how the powder looks on top of Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation (I’m wearing Ivory) in the harsh light of my bathroom — I apologize about the red eyes
This is how the powder looks topped over Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation (I'm wearing Rose Ivory), photographed in natural light
This is how the powder looks topped over Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation (I’m wearing Rose Ivory), photographed in natural light
Ugh, I cannot believe I'm showing this but here is: late night picture of me wearing the powder over my Rimmel WMU foundation again up close and personal on a not-so-flattering flaky and spotty skin day.
Ugh, I cannot believe I’m showing this but here is: late night picture of me wearing the powder over my Rimmel WMU foundation again up close and personal on a not-so-flattering flaky and spotty skin day.

Verdict: If you are looking for a powder to set your makeup (or offer very minimal coverage) with a natural, soft-matte finish and velvety texture, particularly if you have drier skin, I recommend this powder for you. Any thoughts on this product, or MAC face products in general?

Salutations, as always!