theNotice: a beauty blog

The product: Lise Watier Sweet Lips Yummy Lip Balm in Pistachio

Launching alongside the new Lise Watier Something Sweet perfume, Pistachio is one of three limited-edition Sweet Lips Yummy Lip Balms made to satisfy even the sweetest of sweet tooths. (I would love to say “sweet teeth,” but I think that would just be weird. And, yes, the “yummy” is right there in the sugary-sweet name!)

Enriched with Vitamin E & shea butter, the macaron-inspired Sweet Lips balms apply as slightly-shimmery, surprisingly lightweight clear lip balms. I haven’t tried Sweet Berry or Chocolate, but I think Pistachio would be my favourite of the bunch even if I had: there’s something very novel about applying such a tasty-smelling blue lip balm, even if it’s practically clear!

The verdict?

While Something Sweet was, well, too sweet for me, Lise Watier’s Pistachio Sweet Lips Yummy Lip Balm hits the nail right on the head. The light, delicious fragrance dissipates quickly, but smells mouthwatering and edible in the super-cute tin. It may be more sugar than substance, but I’d take a wonderful gourmand lip balm over a pot of opaque blue any day!

Availability: $12.50 CAD for 9 g, exclusively at Shopper’s Drug Mart (Pharmaprix in Québec). Limited edition, but available in Sweet Berry, Pistachio, and Chocolate until they sell out.

PS: This little macaron closes very securely, and once you finish the balm (which, if you have a sweet tooth like me, you totally will), I bet this purse-friendly pot would make for awesome, macaron-inspired storage, too.

The product: Lise Watier Something Sweet Eau de Toilette

Like the name suggests, Lise Watier’s latest fragrance offering is a bright, lively gourmand with plenty of sugary notes to satisfy any sweet tooth. As someone who prefers (by a long shot) dry, masculine scents, the company’s description of this one had me on the edge of my seat in terror — but, unlike last week’s bright pink confection, I’m not quite running away in fear.

Something Sweet is, to me, the angel food cake of this season’s perfume launches. With top notes of champagne bubbles & rainbow sorbet (no, I’m not pulling your leg), middle notes of melon fizz & red fruit, and base notes of juicy raspberry and chocolate mousse, it sounds like something that could give you a cavity in two seconds flat… and it is.

Beneath that too-sweet exterior, though, lies a surprisingly palette-cleansing heart. It presents in a surprisingly layered manner – almost as if you’ve just rinsed off a tropical body wash, and followed up right afterwards with a spritz of metaphorical cotton candy.

The Lise Watier camp refers to the bright heart of this fragrance as “zest,” and it really is — instead of a single-note, nauseatingly overdone saccharine disaster, Something Sweet is the perfect perfume for someone who loves gourmands but doesn’t want to smell like a late-90′s Disney teenybopper. It’s still super-sweet, but it has a little something else going on, too;  something bright and playful and vibrant.

The verdict?

While I could never see myself wearing Something Sweet, I think Lise Watier has brought something worthwhile to the already-overflowing table of gourmands on the market today. I wish the fresh notes of this Eau de Toilette stuck around a little longer, but this lively, fresh gourmand might be just what you’re looking for if you love gourmands (but you’re tired of smelling the same thing over and over again).

Availability, details, & more »

Set to conquer in three… two… nope

I have zero inherent talent for anything design-related (or even design-adjacent, really), so product spreads are always a little tricky for me. If, by “a little tricky,” you mean “a time suck and a constant source of frustration,” that is.

Despite the sweat and tears and hours and hours and hours that go into these posts, though, I still quite enjoy putting them together — the challenge, when I can come out on top, is incredibly rewarding.

I hope you enjoy this week’s picks (even though I didn’t quite manage to conquer the image).

Skincare sweethearts

This week’s picks started off with the Sweet Leaf Bath Adzuki Bean & Rice Bran Face Polish, which caught my eye as a low-end Canadian alternative to the Tatcha Polished Rice Enzyme Powder ($65 USD). While Sweet Leaf’s version doesn’t have the same wow! factor or enzymatic powers, it’s still a very cool powder-format face polish for those of us on a tighter budget.

Also in the skincare department is the eos 24-Hour Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream, which is a great silicone-free, scent-free shaving cream for those of us who want to keep our showers simple.

Keep reading! »

Holiday looks tend to be pretty standard–opaque red lips, black winged liner, probably some shimmer,–but here’s something you might not have tried before.

With soft burgundy winged liner and a warm/neutral smokey eye, it’s a little less LOOK MOM, CHRISTMAS! and a little more this-non-denominational-holiday-party-is-too-hipster-for-you.

Then again, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Either way; I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season so far, whether that means massive extended-family-and-friends celebrations or just a few wonderful days without work! (Or neither, but hopefully it will still involve cookies.)

A step-by-step tutorial to get the burgundy winged liner (with eyeshadow!) 

Conceal and prime, then use an all over eye or blending brush to create a sheer, warm-neutral smokey eye. (This is the Clarins Odyssey palette that reviewed on theNotice last week — it’s a great pick for a palette that “feels” warm without actually being too warm.)

Add a bit of shimmer to the middle of the lid to keep it from looking too drab (I love Clarins quads for this), and finish by taking a burgundy or wine-coloured eyeshadow along the upper lashline & into a wing. For an eyeliner flick with a bit more intensity and better wear, use a stiff angled eyeliner brush moistened with a bit of water or setting spray to apply the line.

From there, just polish up the look with defined brows and plenty of mascara!

Products used & a ramble about the Shu curler »

The product: Marcelle Revival Firming + Brightening Cream Serum

I’m not usually one for the brightening serums, but I’ll make an exception for Marcelle for a lot of things. (And, from micellar waters to cleaning milks, they haven’t let me down yet.)

The Revival Firming + Brightening Cream Serum is aimed at menopausal and post-menopausal women, but I honestly think it’s a great find for any age group. Sure, I don’t really need the wrinkle-reducing properties, but it scores top points for evening out tone without whitening it! 

The product: The Firming + Brightening Cream Serum is a cream-serum hybrid, formulated to deliver the results of a serum with the comfort of a cream. You will still need to follow up with moisturizer, but it’s a great “disappearing act” all around: not only does it work to fade uneven pigmentation, but the product itself seems to disappear from the skin, too.

The cream-serum is easy to control coming out of the packaging, applies smoothly, and sinks in quickly. It doesn’t leave my skin any more oily or dry than it would be without, doesn’t have a long-lasting scent (or any artificial fragrances at all), and won’t make foundation catch or ball up.

The results: The Revival serum is made to firm, lift, protect against the formation of new wrinkles, reduce the appearance of brown spots, even tone, clarify the complexion, and improve the skin’s elasticity. (Quite a mouthful!)

I’ve just been using it to help fade scars left behind by blemishes, but it’s been going really well. Scars will stick around on my skin for a good 8-10 months, but the difference I’ve seen with this serum has just been enormous. The patch I’ve been targeting hasn’t faded completely, of course, but I’d peg it at 3-4 months of fading (visually), rather than the 2-3 weeks I’ve actually been using it for.

The verdict?

As the title says: you need this!! $35.95 is a price I know many will flinch at in the drugstore, but when you put it into perspective, it’s nothing at all — it works out to just $21.27 CAD per oz, while most dark spot correctors sit around $60-$90/oz.

I don’t want to promise miracles with the Revival Firming + Brightening Cream Serum, because I know all skins will respond differently to different products, but I honestly think Marcelle hit gold with this formula. It’s not going to give you laser-resurfacing results, but it’ll give any department store brightening serum a run for its money! My skin is particularly sensitive, and so far I’ve had no breakouts, irritation, or stickiness.

All in all, I am very, very pleased with this one. It’s rare that I try out a product that I can’t find a flaw in, but this is one of the few.

Keep reading! »