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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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 »

Have a bit of a re-review for you today, rather than an… actual review. Of, um, new things. That we haven’t already covered to death. (Stay with me, I promise this’ll start making more sense in just a sec.) Anyhow, I’ve been wearing theBalm Stainiac more or less every other day, for the past few months, and I wanted to give it a re-review in time for this weekend’s US sales! So, um, yes.

The product: theBalm Stainiac cheek and lip stain in Prom Queen. (Which, incidentally, is phenomenal on the lips but only sort-of-okay on the cheeks.)

I fall in and out of love with lip products on a pretty frequent basis, so when I find something that I actually stick to, through multiple seasons? It’s a pretty big deal.

Prom Queen, described as a “light rosy pink,” gives just the perfect natural flush of colour to my lips. It looks rather coral in the tube, and even in the swatch, but for whatever reason – it really doesn’t read coral on my lips. The colour is very much just an intensification of my natural lip colour, and it’s by and far the most natural-looking lip product I own, both in the shade and the bare-lip finish.

theBalm Stainiac swatch: Prom Queen on dry, bare lips

With the number of stains on the market today, I guess the most important part of this review is not how is the formula? but, rather, how does the formula stack up?

In short: it stacks up well. Very, very well.

Of all the lip stains I’ve tried, be them gel or liquid or cream, this one measures up the best in all categories. There’s no flavour, scent, dryness, or stickiness in the resulting colour; it’s never a fight against the clock to get it on in time (I accredit both the formula and the the doe-foot applicator for this one); and, of course, the colour looks really natural – not overly bright, like many lip stains.

Oh. And did I mention: it barely catches on my dry bits, and fades like a watercolour? That is: it fades in the centre first, of course, but does so in a very ombré sort of manner. There’s never a hard line of demarcation, and it can bet me from breakfast to lunch without touchups, no problem.

L: theBalm Prom Queen only // R: theBalm Prom Queen + Annabelle Coralicious (seen also in: this pink lip comb)

How to apply

(or, “if you’re not doing it this way, you’re not allowed to bitch about the results!!“)

To start, I’ll 1. exfoliate my lips, making sure they’re free of any lip balm or gloss. Then, I’ll 2. carefully apply a layer of product with the doe-foot applicator. After maybe 10-20 seconds, I’ll 3. take a damp q-tip over the entire lip area. It picks up a lot of the colour, yeah, but it’s integral in 4. leaving you with an incredibly even, long-wearing wash of believable colour.

To finish the lip, 5. top with some lip balm, sheer lip stick, or gloss (petroleum-free works best to keep the colour on), and you’re good to go. (The formula isn’t stripping, but it’s like having bare lips! You’ll want something on them, for sure.)

theBalm Staniac in Prom Queen + Annabelle Volumelip gloss in Coralicious

A few last-minute notes…

Stainiac usually retails for $17US, but theBalm is doing 40% off sitewide for Black Friday. Use code BLACKFRIDAY from 9AM PST to 11:59 PST to pick up your Prom Queen for a measly $10.20. That’s practically drugstore prices, people! (Actually, in Canada, I’m pretty sure we have some drugstore lipstains that cost more than that.)

The ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Propylene Glycol, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Methylparaben, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Parfum, Benzyl Alcohol. (+/- pigments and dyes)

(P.S. Check out this theBalm Stainiac review for more photos, swatches, plus my initial impressions!)

Happy Monday morning, my dears! We’re about to start this week off with a Lipstick Bandits feature – each blogger will be posting her favourite perfect-for-autumn lip colour, and this is mine.

Up until late last week, I wasn’t sure what I was going to write my post on. I’ve always had an idea in mind of what my “perfect fall lipcolour” would be, but I’d never taken the time to find it.

That is, until now.

The product: MAC Lipstick in Desire (Lustre finish)

The shade: Desire the exact shade I’ve been looking for in an autumn lip colour – just the right mix of brown, berry, and plum. MAC describes it as a warmed burgundy wine, which I’d say describes it pretty well. Like most sheer shades, it looks deceivingly dark in the tube, but it goes on with a surprising richness of colour.

The red tones of Desire are balanced out quite well with brown and plum notes, keeping it from looking too bright or too orange on my lips. (And trust me, my lips are difficult to work with! A good 3/4 of the shades I try on look too orange against my complexion.) The result is an effortless, muted burgundy – far from “barely there” but still coming across quite  naturally.

MAC lipstick swatch – Desire (heavily, then lightly)

MAC lipstick in Desire

The Lustre finish: I was pretty sure I’d walk out of MAC with either a Sheen Supreme (my second choice would have been Good to be Bad) or a Lustre, and needless to say, I was right about that! I’m not a fan the way really “obvious” lipstick looks on my lips, so I wanted to go with a darker, glossier shade that I’d be able to wear really sheerly.

Unfortunately, the slip of the Lustre formula means it settles into lines and catches on dry bits if layered on thickly, so keep that in mind if you (like I,) have dry lips. Additionally, despite the slip, I don’t find MAC lipsticks to be very hydrating – and this formula is no exception. They’re not stripping, per se, but I do need to keep a good lip balm on hand if I plan to be wearing a MAC lip product.

Bare lips (not even lip balm!)

MAC Desire lip swatch (applied sparingly) – this is how I’d wear Desire

MAC Desire swatch (applied more heavily)

The verdict?

It’s not “the perfect lipstick,” but I adore the effect created by Desire. It’s exactly what I was looking for – a shimmer-free, slightly glossy, muted wine, with just the right amounts of brown, burgundy, and plum to balance each other out. The wear time is definitely the cherry on top: despite the sheerness and the slippery formula, Desire leaves behind a gorgeous just-bitten stain that lasts just as long as a more traditional (read, heavier) lipstick formula.

All in all, I’m quite a happy camper about this one. And I’m tempted to go back and look for the Desire Tinted Lipglass! The swatches on the MAC site look quite similar (though the descriptions differ), so I’d be curious to see just how close of a match they really are.

Edited to add: See a full-face swatch of Desire here, & see it in a look here.

Keep reading! »

The product: Caudalie Beauty Elixir

I’ve long been a believer in the fact that “charged waters” and “facial mists” are, more or less, just marketing garble. I mean – the Evian spray is, literally, just water in an aerosol bottle; MAC Fix+ is reputedly not a lot more than water, cucumber extract, and glycerine (though I’ll admit that I do intend to try it eventually); and have you smelled some of the herbal sprays? Good lord!

I have to say, though: Caudalie might just have me questioning my own beliefs.

The Caudalie site says to apply their Beauty Elixer both “before your moisturizer and at any time of day,” as well as “between your foundation and powder to perfectly set makeup.” They say it’s simply an “anti-dullness complexion treatment,” made for all skin lacking radiance.

I don’t know if it’s really “treating” my complexion, and I don’t think  my skin’s gotten any more radient since I started using it, but it certainly gives the impression of radiance.

And I mean, that has to count for something, right?

My favourite part about Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir is that it contains a few drops of peppermint oil, so it’s significantly more refreshing than just splashing water on your face. I do have to be extremely careful to keep it away from my super-sensitive eyes, but I’d say it’s worth it!

I didn’t start using this until the tail end of summer, but it would have been perfect for hot summer days. I’m actually really enjoying it right now, too, though – it’s a nice “moisture burst” that helps combat the dry prairie air, whether or not I’ve already applied my moisturizer and makeup.

The ingredients:

Aqua, alcohol, citrus aurantium amara flower water, parfum, rosmarinus officinalis leaf oil, potassium alum, glycerin, mentha piperita oil, commiphora myrrha extract, styrax benzoin resin extract, melissa officinalis leaf oil, rosa damascena flower oil, vitis vinifera fruit extract, tocopherol, citral, citronellol, farnesol, geraniol, limonene, linalool.

The verdict?

Okay, so the Beauty Elixir isn’t all that necessary, and it’s far from life-changing. If you like the scent, though (some people find it a little too… organic-smelling, if you will) and you’re on the market for a new facial spray, give this one a go.

I’d recommend it for normal to dry skin types – it does give a great glow to my parched skin, but I’m not sure how well it would work with oilier complexions. But it’s paraben- and silicone-free, and surprisingly, it doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin at all, so I’ll be keeping it around!

P.S.

If you already have this and you’re not quite sure how to use it, here are a few tips: (more…)