theNotice: a beauty blog

Okay, so: I know I haven’t been the best about posting recently, but I’m trying to be better, I swear. I think I still need a couple weeks to really get back into the swing of things, but I may as well start now!

Here’s a quick, springy look to start off the week. Created by Hannah Murray for Topshop AW13 at the last last London Fashion Week, the look is “a bit Brit pop, a bit Eighties, a bit New Wave with an urban edge,” according to Murray. Backstage artists paired fresh skin with almond-shaped pastel blue eyes, and — I don’t know. It’s a bit of a “look,” isn’t it? Super-easy, but still not something I could ever see myself really loving.

Read Vogue’s backstage report for the show here, and catch a full tutorial here.

Topshop recommends using their Eye Crayon in Kingfisher to get this look, but it’s not actually what was used backstage. Rather, Murray put down a green eyeshadow base (I’m guessing a cream eyeshadow), then topped it off with a pale blue eyeshadow.

I went with a more direct approach, layering a white primer with a matte blue eyeshadow, but I would have liked to have used something with more intensity — the soft “glow” was lovely in real life, but I think the way it photographed left a little something to be desired.

You win some, you lose some, I guess!

Start with a blank canvas

& add a little colour. (Pre-blush & mascara)

The cool thing about this look, though, is that you could honestly sub in whatever shade you wanted to. I love the look of a matte finish for an eye like this, but I’m not crazy about bright blues — I think I’d have loved to do a lilac or a cobalt instead (both of which happen to be part of Sephora’s current ColorVision forecast, handily enough!)

Here are a couple springy shades that caught my eye:

Shiseido | Sephora | MAC | Stila

Keep reading! »

The product: Burt’s Bees Best of Burt’s Bees set (Holiday 2012)

This year’s Best of Burt’s Bees set ($24.99 CAD) contains three full-size Burt’s bestsellers, and is basically a hit of major hydration in a box. With targeted treatments for dry hands, feet, and cuticles, I like to think of it as my little “prairie saviour” box — perfect for soothing your holiday-shopping-tired feet and wind-chapped hands. 

(And by wind-chapped, I totally mean shopping-mall-chapped.)

The Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

A Burt’s Bees classic, the Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream is waxy and unyielding, and takes a moment to apply . That said, though, it does its job well — that same waxy texture also means that it’s highly portable (in any climate), and stays on your cuticles like nobody’s business.

I haven’t tested this out long enough to give it a ringing endorsement, but from what I’ve seen of it so far, it definitely does a great job of locking in moisture without getting your fingertips or hands greasy. You don’t have to use a lot of it each time, and what you do put on withstands a respectable amount of wear & washing, to boot.

The Coconut Foot Cream

Rather unexpectedly (for someone who rarely-if-ever uses foot creams), this was my favourite of the bunch! Despite living on the prairies and having chronically dry skin, my feet don’t actually tend to get terribly dry — less so than the rest of my body, even.

The Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Cream is strangely gelatinous, while still being petroleum-free and 99% natural. Like their Peppermint Foot Lotion, Burts’ coconut cream feels luxurious and has a bit of a minty tingle — but that’s where the comparisons end.

Where the peppermint lotion is thin, white, and sinks in quickly, this one reminds me of a thick honey butter, flavoured with a slightly-spicy coconut and a little sticky. It’s made to sink in overnight (follow up with cotton socks, of course), and delivers deep hydration while having what I’d actually describe as quite a pleasing scent!

The Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream

Like the coconut foot cream, Burts’ Beeswax Hand Cream has a lovely, interesting texture — in this case, the texture of a waxy butter, solid in the jar but which melts easily as it’s worked into the skin.

While rich and moisturizing in terms of formula, my complaint with this product lies in its portability and fragrance. The latter is overdone (a problem I have with a surprising number of Burt’s Bees products), and has a sharp, synthetic edge that may be headache-inducing for some. And, while the 2 ounce jar is a great sink-side or desk-drawer addition, it’s far from portable — just something to consider, with the way hand creams need re-application in climates like the prairies!

The verdict?

At $25, this set is a good deal… but only if you already love all three of the included products. With the way I (don’t) go through products, I tend to prefer sets like the Burt’s Bees Tips n Toes Kit  — that is, ones that let you try out a lot of different products, rather than those that get you stocked up with old standbys.

So, while I liked this set, I’d actually recommend that you give the other one a go, instead! (Or, hey, any one of these.) Something like the Tips ‘n Toes Kit is just $19 CAD for the same awesome formulas plus three others, but minus the commitment of full-sized containers.

Or, y’know, skip the hand care entirely and just go for the Coconut Foot Cream. I’m having a lot of fun with the texture! And, okay, the giant hit of moisture and tasty fragrance are pretty nice too, I guess.

Keep reading! »

I have been strangely fond of the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments as of late — there’s something about their heavy, weighted packaging & twist-end closure that just sits really well with me.

At $22.50 USD ($26 CAD), they’re priced higher than I think we’d all prefer, but sometimes the little luxuries make the best gifts, you know? The products that you know someone will really enjoy, but wouldn’t necessarily splurge on if left to their own devices.

Living inside the box (for once) 

But then I started thinking about beauty gifts, and boxed gifts, and the ones that hang on trees (on Christmas trees, not just random backyard pines upon their own volition), and I wanted to throw together a few ready-to-go boxed sets for all of you. They’re quick, easy, and all you have to do is add some wrapping paper and a ribbon.

And, alright, some of this panic stems from the fact that your last ship date for Sephora.ca is tomorrow, in order for standard shipping to get a package to your door by the 24th. Our American readers and friends have a bit more time (Dec. 18th), but the 25th is sneaking up on us pretty quickly!

And, finally, a quick preview of a boxed set that’s coming up…

The Best of Burt’s Bees Set ($24.99 CAD), which contains their Coconut Foot Crème, Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Crème, and cult-status Lemon Cuticle Cream, all of which are paraben-, silicone-, and cruelty-free!

The product: Burt’s Bees Refreshing Lip Balm with Pink Grapefruit

It’s not okay to eat your lip balm, Rae. It’s not okay. It’s not okay. It’s not okay.

But oh, how I want to! Burts’ (surprisingly tasteless) Refreshing Lip Balm smells incredible – completely evocative of a fresh, juicy pink grapefruit, a bit tart rather than syrupy-sweet. It would be an entirely convincing scent (save for the fact that nature rarely produces anything just this perfectly scented), and the balm itself carries absolutely no synthetic or waxy undertones.

New this April at The Bay (in Canada) and Burts’ online site, Burt’s Refreshing Lip Balm with Pink Grapefruit is 100% natural; free of petrochemicals, phtalates, and parabens. The not-tested-on-animals formula contains key ingredients of beeswax, sunflower oil, coconut oil, and pink grapefruit seed oils (rich in Vitamins C and E).

It moisturizes as well as the rest of the Burt’s Bees stick balm lineup, which is to say: it’s far from terrible, but still not enough for my super-dry lips. If you’re a fan of Burts’ Replenishing (pomegranate), Rejuvenating (acai), or Nourishing (mango) lip balms, though, then you’ll like this one, to – they’re all based on a sunflower seed & coconut oil formula.

Strangely, I find Burts’ un-tinted “fruity” balms to be less hydrating than their tinted ones - the latter tout a formula that’s mainly coconut and vegetable oil, without the sunflower seed oil.

The full ingredients 

The verdict?

Burt, my dear, you and your bees had me at “pink grapefruit.” It’s the one citrus scent that I’m a complete sucker for, whether it’s in a scrub, moisturizer, or delicious buttercream frosting, and finding it in the most recent Burt’s launch was like a Summer dream come true.

Despite not being hydrating enough for me to wear it on its own or as an intensive lip balm, I have still found myself reaching for this over the past little while. It’s alarmingly fresh, and with a price tag that’s less than a latté, you can’t really go wrong. 

Look! It’s our first holiday spread! (Actually, it’s our first anything magazine spread.)

Do you like it? Do you? Do you??? Tell me you like it! Tell me you love it! And just – well, let’s not mention the fact that it’s looking extremely washed-out in my Chrome, mmkay? (Google, why do you have to crush all of my hopes and dreams.)

The products

• Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm Trio, $9.99
• Prtty Peaushun Skin Tight Body Lotion (review later this week), $36.00
• L’Occitane Délice des Fleurs collection (May rose & violet leaf absolutes), $12.00-$48.00
• L’Occitane Délice des Fruits collection (lemon & clementine essential oils), $6.00-$48.00
• NUXE Rêve de Miel, $9.50-$40

–

I’ve done just two spreads for the holidays this year (the other will go up tomorrow, hopefully), but let me know what you think! They’re rather a lot of work, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have fun ;) If there’s interest, perhaps you’ll see a few more next year! And… they’re bound to get better eventually. Right? (This one is rather slapdash compared to Arianne and Jessica‘s!)