theNotice: a beauty blog

So this camera can actually shoot pretty impressive video… but I don’t know how to do that so the following is utterly terrible. I’ve scrapped the video on the whole, but these are the most important few seconds:

(Please excuse the super-weird face at the end!)

Basically, I’m here to give you ladies a bit of unfortunate news, because I’m a Debbie Downer. I’ve been having health issues over the past little while, which I’m not really going to explain in great detail (unless, as I said in the clip above, you’d like me to).

Further explanation in an audio clip because I’d rather not keep typing: A ramble for your Friday (My apologies that you have to download; I can’t figure out how to embed this. But I promise the file is clean and all that!)

If you’re interested in finding out more about rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, here are a few links might help:

• The Arthritis Society
• Fibromyalgia (Wiki page)
• Fibro Network (good for a really brief, general overview)

Much love,

Rae

What it is: Honeycat Cosmetics Hiss Good Nite Lipgloss

The packaging: Alright, so I like the chic, squared-off tube, and I think the cardboard cylinder it’s sold in is adorable – but I have one complaint. The tube itself is totally unlabelled! I guess it’s alright at the end of the day (I, at least, will never get this confused with anything else in my stash), but it’s a little weird. Factory blem, perhaps?

The gloss: Honestly, the photos say it all. If you love an über-glittery pink gloss, Honeycat is the way to go. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it is literally the most glittery lip product I’ve ever seen or heard of! It’s definitely not for me (I feel a bit like a small child who’s gotten into the wrong makeup stash), but if you’re into glitter (and yes I do mean GLITTER), then this is a must-have.

Other things to love:

• The moisture – surprisingly, this does a wonderful job of keeping my lips hydrated!
• Lightweight and really non-sticky. (Which, of course, I love.)
• Absolutely no animal testing.

But watch out if:

• You don’t like to be able to feel your glitter. Obviously, with particle sizes this large, you’re going to be able to (no matter who makes it!)
• You need your lip products to be totally scent-free. I can’t quite put my finger on what this smells like, but I’m guessing it’s from the mango, kokum, and shea butters?

Win it

Glitter-lovers, this is your lucky day! Honeycat Cosmetics has generously offered another tube up for giveaway, and it’s open internationally (adherent to your country’s regulations). There are two ways to enter…

1. Follow @thenotice on Twitter and leave a comment on this post (be sure to leave your Twitter username!)
2. Follow theNotice through GFC, and leave a comment on this post (and again, be sure to leave your GFC username!)

And, of course, an opportunity for an extra entry – (re)tweet the following:

Calling all glitter-lovers and cat-lovers! Follow @thenotice to win a frisky @honeycattweets gloss. Details http://bit.ly/eqIzk5

EDIT: This giveaway is now CLOSED! Thank you all for entering, and we’ll see you soon with a fresh one :)

What it is: Benefit Ultra Shines lipgloss in So Frisk Me (new this spring, but not limited edition)

The gloss: I’ll admit that I was skeptical about this one at first – anything with “ultra” or “super” in its name usually makes me a little suspicious (I blame Burts’ Super Glossy line). In all honesty, though, these really are ultra-shiny! I don’t like wearing a lot of product on my lips, simply because I find it uncomfortable, but So Frisk Me leaves my lips quite glossy with just a light layer of product.

Now, keep in mind that these are scented (unlike most of my favourite lip products), but it’s a light, fruity scent – and for once, I don’t mind at all! They’re flavourless, though, which is probably a good thing… because I’d totally want to snack on them if they tasted the same as they smell.

The shade: So Frisk Me is described as a “gilded berry,” and is one of four new nude shades (it’s the least “nude” of the bunch, though!) The others are Nudie-Tude (goldspun twist), Nooki Nookie (opal glaze), and Patootie (oyster pink). Now, I’m not sure about the other three, but I’d say that this one is medium-sheer to sheer, in terms of opacity.

From L-R: Nudie-Tudie, So Frisk Me, Nookie Nookie, Patootie

While So Frisk Me has more glitter than I’d usually go for, I still do like it – the glitter’s really finely milled, so it’s not gritty, and the gloss is well-formulated, so the glitter doesn’t migrate down my chin (ahem, Rimmel StayGlossy)!

The verdict? I’m on the fence about this one – So Frisk Me is a great colour, and I love the scent and packaging of the Ultra Shines, but $23 is a little high. If it these were either a little cheaper (say, $18, which is the US price) or more moisturizing (all the reviews I’ve read have said they’re quite moisturizing, but I personally found I really needed to layer lip balm underneath), I’d give them the go-ahead… but as they stand, I’m just not sure!

Try them if… your lips aren’t chronically dry (mine are), or if you find a shade that you really, really love.

While prepping a FOTD post for later this week (you can check out a teaser here), I realized that my go-to favourite shadow, Senna Kinetic, has been discontinued. In retrospect, I’m actually pretty sure I found this out before, but that doesn’t make my suffering any less legitimate!

(At least… that’s what I keep telling myself.)

Kinetic was actually a duo shadow in a fairly large pan, and I’ve shown you the violet side in the past, but it’s really only the silver that I’m going to miss. Like all Senna shadows, it was buttery and blendable, and even though its frost finish could be a little *too* much sometimes, I still absolutely adored it.

Oh, and here are two old looks that I’ve used Kinetic in:

1. Smokey blue-grey eyes (aka the “sex kitten eye,” thankyouverymuch Arianne),
2. I’ve got the silver-blues (scroll down)

Are there any LE/discontinued shadows that you just love? And more importantly: can you think of any dupes for Kinetic? :P

Meet Molten, a lovely brown eyeshadow with a healthy serving of gold shimmer. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and currently on sale for a mere $3, so I honestly don’t think I need to say much more than that!

The gold flecks in Molten made me think of Annabelle Tiger-Eye, at first, so I swatched them together, but it also reminds me of another favourite – the amazing Ellis Faas E104. Obviously, Molten has nothing on the Ellis shadow’s bulletproof wear, but at literally less than a tenth of the price, I’m willing to forgive that little fact.

Ulta Molten (wet/dry), black shade in Annabelle Tiger-Eye (wet/dry)

indirect lighting, no flash support; cloudy