theNotice: a beauty blog

Just a quick preview of a few products that will be up on theNotice (hopefully) soon! I haven’t photographed & tested the three cleansing oils that I have yet, but I’m loving the two UV mousses – they’re not ‘cone-free, but the results are fantastic. Good enough to tempt me into wearing them around despite my silicone intolerance, eep!

Availability: online at shuuemura.ca ($10 off any purchase over $50 with ARTOFSHU), shuuemura-usa.com (free shipping on all orders over $50), and in-stores at Holt Renfrew & select Sephora boutiques.

Here’s what’s in the collection…

ob for shu uemura

the cleansing oils

• fresh pore clarifying gentle cleansing oil (pink packaging), $79 CAD
• high performance balancing cleansing oil advanced formula (yellow), $79 CAD
• cleansing beauty oil premium A/O advanced formula (green), $89 CAD
• whitefficient clear brightening gentle cleansing oil (blue), $89 CAD

the UV under base mousses

• POREraser – pink (pink), $46 CAD
• POREraser – beige (yellow), $46 CAD
• BB mousse – BB beige (green), $46 CAD
• brightening mousse whitefficient – pink purple (blue), $46 CAD

coming up

rouge unlimited lipstick

• ob princess coral, $36 CAD
• ob dream orange, $36 CAD
• ob sakura pink, $36 CAD

pressed eyeshadow refill – all matte (M), $19 CAD/ea

• light blue 630
• light green 434
• light purple 716
• salmon beige 132

• yellow beige 814
• medium brown 852
• medium brown 864
• dark brown 896

cases & lashes

• ob compact case (fits one Face Architect powder refill), $19 CAD
• ob duo custom case (fits two eyeshadows), $11 CAD
• sakura flower mini false eyelashes, $32 CAD
• ocean beads mini false eyelashes, $32 CAD

The product: Clarins Palette Eclat Face Blush & Powder

I’m not always the best at reviewing things right when they come out, and the Face & Blush Powder in the Clarins Rouge Eclat collection was no exception.

That said, the tardiness is entirely my own issue — it says nothing (nothing!) about the product itself.

Like many of Clarins’ other limited edition face powders, the Palette Eclat is a gorgeously intricate pressed powder marketed as a “Face & Blush Powder” — that is, you can use it sheerly over your entire complexion, or focus the product on the cheeks as a highlighter, bronzer, or blush (depending on your skintone) with a denser brush.

Because I’m quite pale, I tend to use face-and-blush duos just on my cheeks, as warm blushers — you can see it used as a contouring blush in:

• This blue eyeliner look from this Monday,
• This violet-eyed Rouge Eclat look from February, or
• This “brow resolutions” focus piece, also from weeks and weeks ago.

(If you have a medium-deep complexion, Karen’s review on this blush at MABB is a can’t-miss!)

Clarins Palette Eclat swatches: more pink vs. just beige.

I’m in love with the scent of this season’s Clarins powder (it’s very noticeable, for a face powder; exquisitely blended powder and violets), but it’s definitely not the only thing to be smitten with. The matte finish blends in seamlessly with the skin, and the strips of colour are insanely pigmented — I thought they’d be an overspray, but they go right down & really influence the tone of the powder.

With a focus on the coloured strips, you’ll get an intense pink cheek, with a little bit of a yellow/orange lean; with only the solid beige, you’ll get a soft, natural peach.

Clarins Palette Eclat Face Blush & Powder swatches: just beige / just pink / whole pan

Clarins Rouge Eclat collection Face Blush & Powder swatches

Here’s the stunner, though: with a swipe across the whole pan, you’ll see a gorgeous peachy pink. (Imagine what would happen if you took a drop of fluorescent hibiscus pigment and diluted it with 10 drops of neutral-warm skin tones… and then add an extra five points for awesome.)

(FOR AWESOME.)

The verdict?

If I could give a verdict as, “eeeee!”, I totally would. I am crazy about this powder — the price is reasonable for what you’re getting; the pigmentation and versatility are gorgeous; the design and scent are perfection. 

I find it hard to write reviews for products wherein I literally cannot find a single bad thing to say about the product (because there’s a dearth of such products, not because they’re hard to write), but… well, this is one of the few. You need this. 

Get it at:Nordstrom; Clarins counters. $35 USD/$40 CAD.

P.S.: See all of our Clarins Palette Eclat features here!

Keep reading! »

As you might have read on Friday, the 22nd was this year’s World Water Day – a day created by the United Nations to bring attention to the increasing demand for freshwater, one of the world’s (very) limited resources.

The Giorgio Armani Acqua for Life Campaign approaches World Water Day from a different angle, though, and one that I think is immensely worthwhile. In conjunction with Green Cross International, the campaign aims to set up long-term equipment in communities across Ghana and Bolivia to allow access to the natural water reservoirs deep underground, bringing water to the areas where it’s needed on a more permanent basis.

A bit of background

800 million people worldwide live without access to clean drinking water, and every day, 4000 children die because of it. These figures are incredibly stark, and while the Acqua for Life campaign is barely a drop in the barrel in contrast with these figures, well — even a small impact can be a worthwhile one.

In 2012, the equipment built through Acqua for Life campaign collected 52 million litres of drinking water, and will last 15 years.

How you can be part of the Acqua for Life Campaign

For 2013′s Acqua for Life campaign (which launched on Friday), Armani has released their Acqua di Gio and Acqua di Gioia fragrances in limited-edition boxes — keep an eye out for that Acqua For Life Blue. The pricing and fragrance stay the same, but Armani will donate 100L of safe drinking water to children in need and their communities for each bottle sold.

In addition to that, though, for every “like” the Giorgio Armani Fragrances Canada Facebook page gets before April 1st, they’ll donate an additional 50 litres of safe drinking water. It’s an easy way to help out the cause, even if you don’t care for either of the Acqua fragrances — and you don’t even have to leave the house to do it.

Keep reading! »

With the March Sephora + Pantone Emerald launch (not to mention, this past St. Patrick’s Day) on my mind, I’ve found myself thinking rather a lot about green recently.

Like, a lot. When you take into consideration the fact that I don’t even like green, it’s kind of a problem. 

Anyhow: I haven’t tried out the Giovanni 2chic Ultra-Moist Collection yet, but it’s very green! Made for dry, damaged hair and normal to dry skin (there are a few body products in the range, too), I thought I’d share this avocado-and-olive-based collection with you today.

No particular reason why; I was just really pleased with this particular shade of green today. Better than feeling blue!

The Ultra-Moist Dual Action Protective Leave-In Spray

To: give a flexible, polished finish; protect hair from heat-styling; and add moisturizing, shiny, supple control. 4 fl oz.

The ingredients

The Ultra-Moist Deep Deep Moisture Hair Mask

To: revitalize over-processed hair, with adorable green beads of avocado oil for extra moisture. (I think it’s hilarious and charming that this isn’t just deep… it’s deep deep. 5 fl oz.

Keep reading! »

The product: Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm

↳ in 01 Curviest Caramel, 02 Chunkiest Chili, 03 Mightiest Maraschino, 04 Heftiest Hibiscus, 05 Plushest Punch, 06 Roomiest Rose, 07 Broadest Berry, and 08 Grandest Grape.

Psst: before you start in on this one, have you read our Chubby Stick Intense posts with full-face swatches & shade name mockery coverage?

The formula

Now, the shades and packaging of these are super-cute (of course), but what actually has me head over heels for them is the formula.

Rich, moisturizing, and shockingly pigmented, the Intenses apply with buildable colour and settle well into the lips — I find the colour “sets” once applied, going on a little slippery but wearing with more of a satin-gloss finish (and without any colour displacement!) after 5-10 minutes.

(Ingredients behind the cut.)

The wear

I do find the formula of these varies a bit by shade, but not enough that I’d recommend some wholeheartedly and others not at all. Chunkiest Chili is a little gritty, for instance, and Grandest Grape is a little more slippery — I prefer a drier formula, which I found in Curviest Caramel, Heftiest Hibiscus, and Plushest Punch. (The latter two have much more opaque colour).

On the whole, however, the Clinique Chubby Stick Intenses last much longer than the original Chubby Sticks, starting off glossier and wearing into more of a stain, visually. I don’t find they really stain the lips, though — a bonus, if you want to be able to switch between colours through the day.

I would put the wear time of these at 3-5 hours; I can make it to five with most of these as long as I’m not eating or drinking (or talking a lot), but I prefer to touch up around the three hour mark for more even colour and added moisture.

The shades

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense swatches – hover for shade name labels

I’ve been getting the most wear out of 01 Curviest Caramel, a cream-finish natural lip shade with the perfect yellow-pink balance. It pairs well with both everyday makeup and a smokey eye (the sign of a truly great nude!) 02 Chunkiest Chili, on the other hand, gets almost no love; the the silver glitter adds a frosty finish to this understated, reddish base.

Next, 03 Mightiest Maraschino is a bright, shimmer-free red leaning more strawberry than vamp — perfect for both a lively holiday lip and a carefree summer pout. The real showstopper here, though, is 04 Heftiest Hibiscus. I hate most orange hues, but the pink-touched tangerine-hibiscus hues coming off on this one are so undeniable that I can’t help but pull it out again & again.

Clinique Chubby Stick Intenses, swatched L-R: 01 Curviest Caramel,  02 Chunkiest Chili, 03 Mightiest Maraschino, 04 Heftiest Hibiscus, 05 Plushest Punch, 06 Roomiest Rose, 07 Broadest Berry, 08 Grandest Grape

I think 05 Plushest Punch is going to fly off the shelves; a bright bold pink, it’s a vibrant shade that’s still easy to pull off, grabbing attention without verging on “obnoxious”. 06 Roomiest Rose is more subdued; darker, but still bright, it’s shot through with subtle shimmer that gives lovely depth (minus the frostiness of Chunkiest Chili).

For a much more subdued (but still very noticeable) shade, 07 Broadest Berry is the Curviest Caramel version of a lip with colour: with brownish berry undertones, it’s very wearable, but still gives a lovely, defined lip.

Finally, I found 08 Grandest Grape to be a little slippery at first (though, like the others, it does settle into the lips!), but it’s absolutely lovely — still very wearable; more of a crushed-berry stain than a theatrically purple lipstick.

Don’t miss this post for full-face & lip swatches of the Intense lineup!

The verdict?

The press materials for the Chubby Stick Intenses promise “the perfect marriage between a moisturizing lip balm and a full coverage lip colour,” and I think they absolutely deliver. Silly names aside, the shade range offers a gorgeous mix of brights with a couple great “everyday” shades to fall back on, and the formula is both intensely comfortable and high-impact.

(What, did you seriously think I was going to make it through this entire review without using the word “intense”?)

A few other things I love about these: the twist-up packaging (no product is lost to sharpening) and the scent-free, paraben-free formula.

Availability: $16 USD/$19 CAD at Clinique (US), Sephora, Nordstrom, & Clinique counters.

Additional photos, ingredients, & more »