theNotice: a beauty blog

I’m feeling like the colour of leaves in autumn. Like the 40′s. Like Essie Very Structured. Like Joan Holloway. Like Slow Dancing Society’s The Warm Familiar Sound of September.

Eyes

Maybe it’s something in the air, the light, the era – I don’t know, but I’m head over heels for desaturated greens, burnt sienna, tan, and a mix of mink browns to balance everything out.

It’s strange: I usually fall into a rut of brown and berry in the fall, but I’m just crazy for sienna this year. I mean, sienna; what absurdity! It looks terrible on me, which more or less explains why I couldn’t stand it. Perhaps I’ll have to find it in a handbag or pair of gloves, yeah?

Swatches from left to right: 1. Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in Metal Green, 2. Lancome Colour Design Eye Shadow in Mochaccino, 3. Annabelle 4Show Eyeshadow quad in Tiger Eye, 4. Marcelle Wet & Dry Eyeshadow in Coco Chic, and 5. FaceFront Steel Finish Artistic Pigment in Lost in Nishitama.

Lips and Cheeks

Plum lips, of course. Perhaps with a mix of cranberry. And, strangely enough, burnt corals and bronzes on the cheeks – preferably matte. Tons of contouring; no colour whatsoever some days.

Swatched from left to right: Clarins Blush Prodige in Sunset Coral, MAC Lipliner in Plum, Clarins Colour Quench Lip Balm in 05 Delicious Plum.

More product photos and swatches »

It’s becoming quite a thing, isn’t it? These little mini-films that accompany launches. Well; I’m certainly not complaining!

Lancome Trésor Midnight Rose

I was really quite looking forward to the Trésor Midnight Rose film with Emma Watson, but I don’t know – now that it’s out, I’m not really feeling it. It’s gorgeous, of course, but it just seems too… expected. Girl meets boy, boy loses girl, boy miraculously runs into girl again in a big city, girl and boy falls in love.

Because that hasn’t been in a the ad copy for a hundred fragrances before.

But, I do like the slightly edge to the vibe of the film, and Emma looks amazing (as always)! Thoughts? (Is it maybe a little too violet? I don’t think I’ve ever said that before – but this one feels a little too violet! Or perhaps it’s just the fuchsia undertones that are getting to me.)

Dior J’Adore

Another much-anticipated recent release was the new Dior J’Adore spot, with Charlize Theron. And it did not disappoint! It’s just as riveting and glamorous as their first commercial together, and the CG in the clip is absolutely flawless – not to mention, it’s absolutely ingenious.

It’s easy to do the expected with fragrance trailers, but I honestly think this one is spot-on. I mean, I, for one, totally didn’t see it coming – and love it all the more for that.

Bottega Veneta

Finally, we’ve got a clip that I wasn’t really expecting; wasn’t really waiting for. The new Bottega Veneta films quietly appeared online, without a lot of anticipation beforehand. I didn’t love the first one, but this one – okay, the start’s a little slow, but the visuals are absolutely gorgeous, the bottle is glowing, and the colour palette is breathtaking. I’d love to hear what you ladies think of it!

The product: Lancome Color Design lipstick in The New Pink (sheen)

There are three things that I can’t stand in a lip product: heavy scents, colour that moves around, and chunky glitter. This lipstick does a stellar job of the first two, delivering semi-opaque, slip-free, scent-free colour, but fails the third category miserably. Despite the gorgeous, perfect-for-summer shade (Lancome calls it a “perfect, not-too-bright medium pink,” and I have to agree), the amount of glitter loaded into this lipstick turns me off it completely.

For those who like a shimmery lip, though, this would be a great product to go with. It’s a very flattering pink, and the formula is divine – lightweight, smooth, and moisturizing. I’d say the coverage is medium but layerable, but the finish is quite glossy for a lipstick )so even if it’s applied opaquely, you’re never going to end up with a really heavy, overly made up lip).

All in all, I’m left a bit heartbroken by this one. The formula feels great and wears really well, and the colour is gorgeous, but the amount of silver shimmer (which, yes, I can feel on my lips) ruins it for me.

Lancome Color Design lipsticks come in five finishes (cream, sheen, shimmer, metallic, and matte) and retail for $22 US/$27 CAD, though shades that are often featured as gifts with purchase (like this one) can be easily found for $10 or less online.

(Ingredients and additional swatches…)

It’s already February; can you believe it?! (Hint: I cannot.) Anyhow, with this realization, it hit me that I should probably get crackin’ on our Spring series, so today we have Smashbox, Lancome, and Laura Mercier (whose collection I am completely enamoured with, albeit only through photos). Enjoy!

How the widgets work: just click – it’s that simple. These should be set up so that when you click on a specific product, it’ll take you to that product’s page. (If it doesn’t seem to be working, well, let me know!)

• Part one: Dior, Estee Lauder, and Guerlain
• Part two: Urban Decay, Benefit, and LORAC

Swatches in indirect sunlight. Order listed below. Click through twice for high-res (1000 px wide) image.

Does anyone know what today is?

Yep… it’s the start of winter term, for those of us who haven’t already had to go back to that torturous place University. A few more months of trudging two blocks through a foot of snow in under ten minutes. A few more months of hauling five pounds of textbooks (and five pounds of scribblers or a laptop) from building to building. A few more months of profs who may-or-may-not absolutely suck!

Needless to say, I needed some major brightening up this morning – so I thought I’d share some swatches of my favourite violet shadows* (because honestly, is there anything better? I say no.) Hope you enjoy! Spot any old favourites (or new cravings)?

Order listed below. Indirect sunlight with flash support. Click through twice for high-res (1000 px wide) image.

Swatches from left to right: Annabelle Insomnia Domed Eye Shadow Quad, Marcelle Dimensional Mauve Graphic Eyeshadow Quad, Lancome Angora Maquiriche Eye Colour, Laura Geller Orchid Eye Stay Duo, Rimmel Royal Violet Glam’Eyes Eyeshadow, Annabelle Violet Vibe Mineral Eye Dust, Annabelle Ultraviolet Mono Eye Shadow, Make Up For Ever #92 Eyeshadow, Korres Plum Eyeshadow, Laura Geller Lilac Eye Stay Duo, a violet from the huge Flirt! holiday palette, Senna Destiny Sparkling Eye Colour.

Order listed above. Direct sunlight. Click through twice for high-res (1000 px wide) image.

Annabelle Insomnia is an LE quad, but I wanted to swatch its lightest violet shade because it’s an interesting one — I didn’t like how sheer it is, but it does have a cool multicoloured-glitter thing going on! You can check out the rest of the swatches here.

Marcelle Dimensional Mauve is also LE, but it’s my lightest violet so I thought I’d include it as well. Swatches of the rest of the quad here. (The darkest shade is actually a pretty good match for Korres Plum, but reflects more blue-violet than red-brown.)

Lancome Angora is a silvery lavender; very cool.

Laura Geller Orchid is part of a duo (Lilac, swatched 3rd from the end, is the other half). Very pink in comparison!

L -> R: Insomnia, Dimensional Mauve, Angora, Orchid, Royal Violet

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