theNotice: a beauty blog

At long last – I’ve finally gotten my act together! As promised, here are full-face swatches (honestly, though, what are those called?! I hardly think they can be referred to as “swatches” at this point) of Marcelle and Garnier’s BB creams.

So, without further adieu…

Bare, freshly-cleansed skin!

Marcelle BB Cream Beauty Balm in Light to Medium

For my skintone, Marcelle’s Light to Medium was a good match – darker than I am, but not by too much. I really liked the neutral tone of the product, which did a great job of cancelling out both redness and sallowness, resulting in an overall illusion of evenness and “perfect skin.” (The satin finish is great, too, which also adds to the illusion.)

I was particularly impressed with the way it tackled my undereye circles and the redness I have in my eye area – I probably wouldn’t leave the house without concealer, just on principle, but I’d feel comfortable having forgotten to conceal if I was wearing this.

Wearing Marcelle’s BB Cream (both images)

Left: bare skin / Right: wearing Marcelle’s BB Cream

The weird little box in the left corner is a colour sampling of my skintone – the left side being bare, and the right, with BB cream. For consistency, I grabbed the colours from the same spot on my cheek in both photos. (Freckle-mapping for the win!)

As you can tell from the colour swatches, Marcelle’s BB adds depth of tone to my skin, and has a clever mix of yellow/greyish pigments to neutralize redness.

Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector in Medium/Dark

I was less impressed with Garnier’s product, but I wanted to share photos for a very specific reason – I think it would be great as a Prtty Peaushun-like product (but, y’know, for your face.) As mentioned in the review, I was sent Medium/Dark, which really isn’t a match for me. However, it turned out to be great for faking a darker skintone, with results that are still very “real skin.”

As a BB cream in and of itself, though, I was less impressed – I found it left me overly dewy, a bit sticky, and while it did a good job of adding warmth, it failed to counteract redness.

Wearing Garnier’s BB Cream

Left: bare skin / Right: wearing Garnier’s BB Cream

A breakdown (with scribbles!) »

We actually did a “Feb faves” giveaway, but that’s over and done with – so I suppose these aren’t really February’s favourites. They’re just… current favourites. (Which makes sense, because I’ve loved a few of them for quite a few months now!)

Annabelle A-21 Large Shader Brush ($8.50)

How have I not reviewed this brush yet?! I’ve had it for ages, and I always reach for it – it’s quite basic, sure, but it does its job well. Plus, the quality is more on par with $20 brushes than $8 ones (which, yes, it is).

Prada Infusion d’Iris ($105)

I’m sitting on the review until closer to Mother’s Day (because I think this would make a lovely gift), but in the meantime: just know that I love this! It’s a very classic fragrance; feminine without being girly, and perfect for spring.

Marcelle Rouge Xpression, Paris Rose ($11.95)

Paris Rose is such a romantic shade; gorgeous on lips but perfect on cheeks. (Plus, it’s ‘cone-free, so I don’t need to worry about breakouts). Photos and swatches here, and I’ve got a few lip swatches for you later this week as well.

Ellis Faas Eyeliner E501 ($38)

Another product that I absolutely cannot get enough of. It’s incredibly easy to apply and delivers a really intense, precise black line. Almost everything creases on my lids, be it liquid, cream, gel, pencil… but this wears like metal. No fading, no bleeding – I can literally go all day and night with this liner and it looks perfect until I rinse it off.

(The price kills me, but formula-wise? It’s honestly the best liquid liner I’ve ever come across, and that’s not an honour I’ll hand out lightly.)

Marcelle Essentials Moisture Lotion ($19.95

I don’t have a review ready for this one yet (I’d like to try it out for longer and make sure it doesn’t make me turn green), but it’s fab! Silicone-, paraben-, and scent-free, it sinks in quickly and leaves my skin feeling deliciously velvety. Bonus points for the reasonable price and sleek packaging (though I’d like it even more with a pump!)

Balenciaga Paris ($95)

The comments have been lost, but here is the original review. This easily ranks in my top three favourite fragrances – it’s quite versatile and never gets boring. Sexy without being cloying, fresh but not sharp… honestly, it’s exquisite. Give it a sniff for me sometime? I promise: you won’t regret it.

What it is: Benefit Finding Mr. Bright, a cute boxed set that includes minis of four fab complexion products. Check out our first post on it here.

Girl Meets Pearl

Once upon a time in Sephora, a sales associate was insistant that, like the similarly packaged “That Gal,” Girl Meets Pearl was meant to be used as an all-over luminizer.

Nice girl, but I’m calling her bluff. The rose-gold sheen (more on the gold than the rose) of Girl Meets Pearl is gorgeous, subtle, and deliciously demure, but it’s definitely a full-fledged hilighter (and not just a primer with a glow). The base shade is quite sheer and the shimmer particles quite small, so I honestly can’t come up with a single skintone that this wouldn’t flatter!

Best for: all skintones

The effect: a sheer, subtle gold sheen appropriate for a day at the beach or a night out with the girls.

PosieTint

One of the problems I had with BeneTint was that it’s really, really liquidy. While I have no issues with this in theory, it does make the product hard to blend out before it’s set! PosieTint is sort of like BeneTint’s creamier, pinker sister, and I find it a great deal easier to work with.

As you can see in the swatches, PosieTint comes out looking like a (slightly garish) hot pink, but blends out and sets to a much softer, more translucent rose. It’s fairly sheer but layers really, really well, and is a “true” stain – none of this sticky-finish business (ahem, Tarte.) I should note, though, that like other liquid stains, it’ll catch on dry bits if you’re not careful (and should be topped with gloss of balm)!

Best for: light to medium skintones

The effect: a really natural-looking cool-toned pink stain (but wearable on warmer skintones as well).

high beam (l) vs girl meets pearl (r)

HighBeam

This one was Benefit’s original liquid hilighter, and it’s definitely worth the raves. It’s a great deal more noticeable than Girl Meets Pearl, with a dewy off-white base (it leans a cold pink) and tons of shimmer, but I do know people of all skintones (super fair to super dark) who wear this.

Best for: medium to dark skintones

The effect: this is subtle on light skintones, but offers a lot of pop! for medium and dark tones.

Erase Paste

Because this was in Medium, I couldn’t try it out for wear time, etc. However, I did test it out on my darker-toned mother, and I gotta say – it’s good stuff! It’s creamy and well-pigmented, and has just enough salmon tones to counteract the violet/red of dark circles (but not so much that it’s an undereye-only product.)

Best for: dark undereye circles, occasional blemish concealing. Watch out for creasing if you have fine lines and/or oily skin, though!

The ingredients:

The verdict? The box is a bit too clunky to carry around with you, but it would be perfect to keep in your desk drawer or on your vanity – it’s everything you’d need to touch up (& amp up) your complexion on your way out to dinner ;) It’ll start hitting shelves in March, so if you’re a Medium in Erase Paste, keep an eye out for it!

Pass on it if… you’re not a medium-toned beauty. At $35US/$40CAD, it’s not worth it unless you (or a friend) will be able to use the entire set. (more…)

• Reviews of the D225 and D230 {here}
• Reviews of the S125, S135, and S175 {here}
• Review of the P350 {here}

I know, I’ve kind of OD’ed on Cozzette over the last little while… but I have some serious love for these brushes, ladies. I may stop writing theNotice just so I can spend all my time with my S125.

(Kidding! Calm down. It’s going to be okay).

Anyhow, I did want to wrap this up with a bit more info about the Cozzette line (aside from the fact that all of the brushes feature gorgeous purple handles). There are some things inherent to the Divinity collection, so I didn’t bother to mention them in every single review!

Things to remember…

• These brushes run at about the same price (or less) as MAC brushes, so while they may be a bit of an investment, the prices aren’t too bad. (Plus, they’re totally worth it if you ask me!)
• I’ve washed these numerous times already (I try to make sure to wash brushes at least 3-4 times before reviewing them), and I haven’t had a single problem with shedding — of any of the brushes. Gotta say; I’m impressed.
• Cozzette brushes are all cruelty-free, and they’re made out of the *softest* synthetic ever. I challenge you to find a softer one, seriously. And you can’t be on hallucinogenic substances when you find it.
• The line is independent. In other words, a really cool makeup artist is profiting from your purchase, not a huge multinational corporation. For some reason, that makes me really happy!

(more…)

Okay, so I’ve mentioned that these are gorgeous. I know. But I feel like I should say it again: these. are. gorgeous. Seriously; it’s a little bit ridiculous. I absolutely adore the aesthetic of the Trend collection, and the products themselves are just… [happy sigh]

What they are: Marcelle Graphic Eye Shadow Quads in Dimensional Blue and Dimensional Mauve

with the lovely blue shimmer overspray taken off

Dimensional Blue

Each quad is made up of four triangles of colour, but I was worried that this would only have three shades — the top and bottom triangles look remarkably similar. I am pleased to report that these are indeed different shades, but unfortunately, that neither strikes me as particularly wonderful. The lower grey pulls violet and its hard texture causes it to stubbornly remain very sheer, while the upper grey pulls more towards a neutral-warm taupe, and goes on with more pigment due to a softer texture. I forgot to take comparison shots of the two swatches while the sun was up, but here is one nonetheless: (more…)