theNotice: a beauty blog

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Most ladies pull out the neutrals for their go-to look. Maybe a little flick of black liner here; a bit of a cat eye there. But, well – normal was never an option, now, was it?

For those of you still searching for an easy Holiday look, try this one. A touch of Marcelle Lux Diamond Liquid Eyeliner in Pure Gold has been my default since the summer, and not just because Marcelle and Annabelle do some seriously gorgeous glitters. Sure, a bit of glitter liner is pretty, but their formula is also easy to apply, but it’s also subtle – and it wears all day, with zero fading, smudging, or flaking, even on the oiliest of lids.

Pair with a bit of mascara, a natural lip, and fresh, satin-matte skin. I’m partial to Imju Fiberwig, a mascara that’s both tubing and fibrous – it holds a curl all day long, doesn’t flake, and wears right from 6AM to 12PM without smudging. Y’know… for those extra-long long days.

For the cheeks, I usually go with a light, cool pink – think MAC Well Dressed (what I used), NARS Mata Hari, etc. Any one of these pink pressed powder blushers would be perfect! The trick, I think, to pulling off a really simple eye look is to pair it with winter-fresh skin: that bare flush, plus a base that’s not quite matte, but not quite dewy. Marcelle’s powders are perfect for this, loose or pressed.

I typically don’t add shimmer to my skin or cheeks — the glitter’s enough to steal the show! — but if you wanted to, go with one of the gorgeous pressed powders that came out this Holiday season (rather than a creme or liquid). This would be perfect for a bit of flush and hilight.

More Pure Gold here and here, & a Lux liner review here.

More photos & products used »

The product: Bite High Pigment Pencil Trio (High Pigment Matte Pencils in Pomegranate, Honey Berry, and Bouquet)

The formula: the Bite High Pigment Pencils feel absolutely gorgeous. Good mattes have a very specific texture, and it’s hard to describe unless you already own a matte with a similar formula. It’s sort of… well, it’s sort of a bit like poutine. Everyone always says that the cheese “squeaks,” which makes no sense to someone who’s only ever had fries, and so much sense the second you try your first bite of cheese curd.

So, yeah, these pencils have the formula of a good matte. Velvety, surprisingly lightweight, and (perhaps most importantly), not drying!! There’s a bit of a lingering “fruity” scent, which I’d have preferred to do without, but the gorgeous shades & formula more than make up for it. (Worth noting: I believe the fragrance is naturally-derived, so those who have problems with synthetic scent headaches should be OK with these.)

The shades: Bite’s High Pigment Pencil Trio includes full-size versions of three of the line’s six High Pigment Pencil shades: Pomegranate (described as a rich red), Honey Berry (toasted almond), and Bouquet (peachy pink). The amount of pigment they’ve packed into these is really, really impressive – I’m used to being let down by “high pigment” marketing talk, but pigment-wise, these really deliver!

Of course, Pomegranate is my favourite of the three – it’s a delicious, completely opaque, bright blue-red. As fair warning, though, it has a sort of wild red vibe: no red lipstick is understated, of course, but this one seems particularly bright. As far as mattes go, though, it’s very forgiving. The formula of Pomegranate seems to wear  just a bit more velvety than the other two, but I’m not complaining!

Bite High Pigment Matte Pencil swatch in Pomegranate

Honey Berry was perhaps the most surprising of the bunch; it’s a medium brown (which normally look awful on me), but somehow, it looks totally fine – even against my fair skintone. I’ve swatched it for full opacity here, but it really brings its A-game when worn sheerly. It’s an unexpectedly lovely medium nude, with just the right balance of yellow, brown, and pink tones.

Bite High Pigment Matte Pencil swatch in Honey Berry

Finally, Bouquet is a lot brighter than I thought it would be. It looks a fair bit more muted in these swatches than it does in real life, where it (like Pomegranate) comes to the field as anything but demure. It’s bright, loud, and will definitely appeal to lovers of shades like MAC Chatterbox and Please Me. There’s something about this shade that, when paired with the matte finish, takes it from quiet to L-O-U-D in ten seconds flat.

Bite High Pigment Matte Pencil swatch in Bouquet

Is it giftable?

Yes. But with reserves! For a beauty addict, this would be a fab gift - it’s all gorgeous satin-matte finishes and high pigment. For a muggle, though? Perhaps it would be best to hold off. Pick up a Colour & Shine set for them instead, perhaps!

As for whether or not this set is a good deal for yourself: it’s $38 US, but has a $72 US value. The pencils twist up (always a plus; no need for a sharpener), and I’m betting that you’re all going to pick up Pomegranate anyways. So, in short, yeah. It’s a good deal. ;)

As an introduction to the Bite line, the High Pigment Pencils are fantastic. I’m excited to try more! Which, okay, is probably going to take forever, because it’s me, but still. I’ll get to it. Eventually.

Keep reading for ingredients and more »

Miss Beauty Nerd is loving the limited edition holiday makeup for 2011. Nothing says Happy Holidays like Dior!

Addicted to Beauty wants to geek out in the shower with the Portal inspired soap – perhaps the best video game ever!

Still looking for the perfect Christmas present for your sister/bestie/daughter/yourself? Shivani at Adorable On Your Vanity thinks the Too Faced Sweet Dreams Palette will make the perfect gift!

Krasey Beauty shows you Vincent Longo’s holiday collection, which looks good enough to eat!

If you love green eyeshadows, Bun Bun Makeup Tips believes you will absolutely love L’Oreal Color Infallible Eyeshadow In Emerald Lamé!

Spotted: the perfect Holiday 2011 palette! Pammy Blogs Beauty reviews the NARS Danmari “All About Cheeks” Palette.

This week Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed is obsessed with an inanimate object that vibrates…get your mind out of the gutter you perv! And check out her ongoing love affair with Clarisonic Opal!

At Musing on Beauty, Mariella experiments with looks that are all about fierce glowy cheeks.

It goes without saying how amazing Burt’s Bees Lip Balms are. Beauty Blog of a kind thinks the Ultra Conditioning balm with Kokum Butter is even better!

Have you ever considered getting a keratin hair straightening? Marcia from Beauty Info Zone had Brazilian Blowout done and she’s more than thrilled. Read about her experience.

Madame B Fatale now feature’s DIY and shows us how to make an on trend accessory, a turban!

Kajal Couture shows you how to turn loose pigments in to a pressed eyeshadow.

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Win a bottle of Reviva Labs Hyaluronic Acid Serum from polish insomniac!

Jenn at Spiced Beauty is celebrating three years of blogging with amassive giveaway! Check it out.

Win the Elemis FreshSkin range over at The Beauty Scoop!

The product: Clinique Chubby Colour & Shine Set

It’s no secret that I’m in love with Clinique’s Chubby Stick Moisturizing Colour Lip Balm (their full name. Isn’t it intimidating?) I’ve talked about them before - or, perhaps more accurately, I’ve talked about the them a lot already. We first reviewed Clinique’s Chubby Sticks last December (when they were revamped and relaunched), went on to add the ingredients, and featured them in this year’s Summery Summary.

It’s been almost an entire year (!!!), and I think it’s safe to say that I’m still in love with the Chubby Sticks. Which, for the record, is phenomenal – I fall in love with new products all the time, but it’s so rare that one product will stay in the rotation for any more than a season. But I’m still crazy for these adorable, crayon-y balms, and I don’t think it’s a love that’s going away anytime soon!

Thankfully, Clinique included my favourite shade in this set. I haven’t tried them all, but I loved Super Strawberry when I first got it – enough so that I didn’t feel the need to try the rest of them, I guess!

Even after swatching and wearing around the other three, Super Strawberry‘s still my fave. It’s the perfect pop of colour; bright enough to really pick up my complexion, but sheer enough to still look really natural and low-key. It transitioned really well from winter into summer (and then back again), which is always the mark of a good MLBB shade!

Swatched L-R: 02 Whole Lotta Honey, 04 Mega Melon, 06 Whoppin’ Watermelon, 07 Super Strawberry

Blended out: Whole Lotta Honey, Mega Melon, Whoppin’ Watermelon, Super Strawberry

The shades

Whoppin’ Watermelon is a pretty, pastel pink, and surprisingly, it has enough pigment to tone down my natural lip colour a bit. Super Strawberry is my go-to natural lip shade; it’s a really well-balanced medium berry-pink with just the right amounts of cool and warm. Mega Melon is a sheer melon-y shade with quite a bit more shimmer than the others. Whole Lotta Honey is a muted, medium brown with enough red undertones to keep from washing you out.

Clinique Super Strawberry Chubby Stick swatch

Swatches of the rest after the cut!

Is it giftable?

Absolutely! The Colour & Shine set retails for $38.50 CAD, and comes with four Chubby Sticks in a silver pouch. Because they’re so sheer, it means that they’re going to work on any (literally, any) skintone, which is always a nice thing to keep in mind when you’re gift-giving. I love that they’re paraben- and scent-free, too; I’m always in fear of being gifted a lovely lip product that I can’t use because of a scent!

Of course, the perfect person to get this set for? That would be you. I’m convinced that every beauty junkie ought to try the Chubby line at least once, and, well, isn’t this just the most perfect way to do it?

(The crayon-y pencils are even cuter in this gift set. Even cuter. They’re the same width, but are about a centimeter shorter. Adorable!)

Availability: Canadians, this set is exclusive to Shopper’s and Murale; Americans, I think you can get yours at Macy’s; UK girls, keep an eye out at Harrod’s, Selfidges, and Clinique – looks like they’re all sold out online, though (sorry I didn’t get to the set sooner!)

Lip swatches and product photos of each shade! »