theNotice: a beauty blog

The product: Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Clear 2 in 1 Shampoo

As those of you who have gone ‘cone-free will know, finding silicone-free haircare for under $20 apiece can be… well, difficult, to say the least. More often than not, formulas (particularly conditioners and styling products) will rely on silicones to give hair that smooth, slippery feeling, and the ‘cone-free ones come with price tags around $50 (plus hours of your time on the silicone-free hunt) for the duo.

On top of all that, I’ve been itching for a 2 in 1 for those I’d-rather-be-sleeping mornings – so, finding out that Garnier just put out a new Pure Clean shampoo + conditioner? It was a bit like waking up (very groggily) from a good dream.

The clear, slightly greenish formula (a lot of that super-green colour is from the plastic, not the product) contains no silicones, parabens, or dyes, and comes packaged in a 50% recycled material PET plastic container – which is the most recyclable form there is, for those of you who (like me) would rather research polish than plastic. I’m not huge on the drugstore fresh! scent, but at just over $5 for a 384ml bottle, I can’t really complain.

As for how a clear 2 in 1 is for the long term? I’m not sure yet, but things have been going pretty well so far. The clear, super-sudsy formula has had me a bit on edge, though, so I figured I might as well have a look at what’s inside – a lot of conditioning agents will make products go milky or opaque, but maybe Garnier’s found the magic formula to keep things clear and conditioned.

Let’s talk ingredients…

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For my most recent She Said Beauty tutorial, I was asked to do a wearable reinterpretation of Vivienne Westwood’s Spring/Summer 2012 (Gold Label) runway look. For those of you who haven’t seen it – that’s not the easiest of tasks.

I ended up going with red, gold, and coral eyeshadows, plus a touch of gold and black liner. See the post here on She Said Beauty for more photos (plus a tutorial, & product recommendations), or head behind the cut for product swatches, ramblings, and… I don’t know, some other stuff. Sometimes (read: most of the time,) I get carried away.

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The product: Physician’s Formula ”pH Matchmaker” pH Powered Lip Gloss in Light Pink

(We’re three lines in, and already this post has an overabundance of pHs. Oh dear.)

So, basically: this is the most unexpected have-to-have-it product that I’ve come across all year. Possibly in the last few years, to be frank; my expectations were low at best (er, sorry, Physician’s Formula), but the product inside knocked my socks right off.

Let’s start by talking about the packaging, shall we? Because it’s the little miscreant that set said expectations so low.

The packaging: Lots of pink, a mirror, and a light-up applicator. It’s… well, it’s a lot of things, and not one of them is up my alley. Pink? LED lighting? It all seems rather tacky, to me, and it turned me off this product in the beginning.

Admittedly, people who are less picky about their products are going to find the mirror quite handy, but I carry a mirror in my purse anyways – I’d rather ditch the bells and whistles, if it means a lighter, sleeker product. And the LED is useful, if you’re standing in a completely dark room, but if you’re standing in a completely dark room, no one can see your lipgloss anyways.

(I’ve never really understood the need for light-up beauty products in this regard.)

Swatches, ingredients, & why it’s quite possibly a Holy Grail product… »

I feel like I’m crawling out of a three-month hiatus. *crawls crawls crawls*

Here, take these new-product-widgets and run as far as you can, as fast as you can. I’m going to go hunt down some berries or salmon or something (bears eat berries and salmon, right?), but if you get in my way — I can’t be held accountable for any damage or lemming-creation that occurs.

New in fragrance

New in… all that other beauty stuff

So, I was going to do another colour post for today – in green, of course. But while I was swatching the eyeliners I’d picked out, I came to the (rather startling) realization that they were more or less two sets of almost-perfect green eyeliner dupes.

And this, of course, absolutely begged to be covered.

L-R: MAC So There Jade, Marcelle Caribbean, Clinique Intense Ivy, Marcelle Metal Green.

(Click to enlarge!)

On the left, we have MAC’s Powerpoint Eye Pencil in So There Jade and Marcelle’s Waterproof Eye Crayon in Caribbean, two iridescent aqua-green longwearing waterproof liners. MAC describes So There Jade as a “light green jade,” but I call bullshit – I’d say it’s more of a metallic seafoam green than “jade,” and I’ve been to China.

(See, that’s funny, because jade is “the” Chinese stone, but you don’t actually have to be Chinese to recognize that Jade is typically, well, green, with perhaps a bit of blue.)

(… and now we’re making tongue-in-cheek jibes at hipster racism and the fact that it is WRONG, ANDERSON, WRONG! at ten o’clock at night. Sherlock references and passive-aggression at the beauty industry over sexism, racism, and orientalism: just a regular Saturday at theNotice.)

But, back on topic. Caribbean is So There Jade‘s prettier, smarter twin sister – she’s smoother, better priced, and more opaque. The Marcelle is a little brighter and bluer, but honestly, there’s no contest: if you’re in Canada (or you’re ordering Marcelle online from the US), go with Caribbean!

Marcelle Lux Metallic Liquid Eyeliner in Jade over the straight swatches, and alone on the far L&R.

Other eyeliners in the same order as above: MAC So There Jade, Marcelle Caribbean, Clinique Intense Ivy, and Marcelle Metal Green.

On the right hand side of the swatches, we have Clinique’s Quickliner Intense in Intense Ivy (a recent release – review of the formula soon!) and Marcelle’s Waterproof Eye Crayon in Metal Green. And you’d expect that I’d be all over the Marcelle again, right? Because that would only make sense.

Content on theNotice rarely makes sense, though, so then there’s that. (I’m sorry, I’m so sorry; I can’t seem to be able to turn off the meta tonight!)

While startlingly similar, the differences between Clinique’s Quickliner Intense and Marcelle’s Waterproof Eye Crayon are more varied, both in shade and in performance. Intense Ivy features a creamier formula, easier to apply & with a more complex shade, but Metal Green is cheaper, water-resistant, and makes it through more of my sixteen hour days.

As for which one I’d recommend? Well, that depends. If your lids aren’t too oily, go for the Clinique Quickliner Intense – the buttery texture is to-die-for, and the more nuanced shade of Intense Ivy is (har, har) really intense. It’s more black, more green, more metallic, and contains tiny gold flecks that just take my breath away. If your lids are oily, though, opt for the Marcelle Waterproof Eye Crayon – Metal Green is still breathtaking, and wears much better on my lids.

I should probably start rambling about now, but there’s one last thing we have to go over: I compulsively add Marcelle’s Lux Metallic eyeliner in Jade to all of my green liner swatches. It’s a bit of an addiction, admittedly, but can you really blame me? It’s gorgeous. 

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P.S.

For a green swatch post that actually managed to happen without getting sidetracked, here’s last year’s St. Paddy’s mini-post: Green swatches for St. P