theNotice: a beauty blog

I don’t think we’ve covered Easter beauty on theNotice in the past, but there are a few sets and products out this year that are just too perfect to pass up. So, without further adieu: let’s get eggy!

(I can say that, right? It’s not, like, weird or sexual or offensive in any way?)

The eos Easter Basket

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about the eos smooth spheres, but I promise it’s not because I love them any less now than I did then. I just get distracted; you know how it is. (Plus, my sister appropriated my Honeysuckle Honeydew balm a while back, and I’ve yet to pick up another.)

I have to be honest, here: when the eos Easter image popped up in my inbox, I couldn’t not post about it. I mean, how cute is that? When a great, 100% natural, petrolatum- and paraben-free product turns out to be the perfect beauty-addict version of an easter egg, you just have to share the joy.

And if that little piece of joy just so happens to be $3.99 CAD and USDA-certified organic, well.

A bit of LUSH…

Reusable bubble bars, eggs with tiny birds inside of them, and random donkeys, oh my!

I don’t think there’s any beauty company that does the holidays (by which I mean all holidays) as thoroughly or weirdly as LUSH, and you have to give them points for effort awesomeness. And, just as a testament to that awesomeness: an excerpt from Donkey Oaty.

“We’ll be honest. We don’t really know why we’ve got a donkey for Easter. It’s very odd. We originally had the idea of creating a Bath Bomb piñata that you hung over the bath and then smashed, so we made a big donkey bomb. Although we liked the idea, we couldn’t work out what should be inside the donkey (eggs? A little donkey?!) – so we made him a bit smaller.”

LUSH is about as weird as it gets, and the fact that they’re pulling off both strange and mainstream? Obviously, they’re doing something very, very right!

And, finally, some Ellis Faas.

Ellis’ Spring Gift Set isn’t actually out for Easter, specifically, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s out just in time for the holiday! (Also, Easter colours and Spring colours are pretty much the same, aren’t they?)

The set, at a cringe-worthy $85.00, contains a lavender-taupe (Creamy Eyes E106), a shimmery lilac (Light E304), and a nude pink lip colour (Milky Lips L207). I’m rather at odds with the Ellis packaging, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: no one does cream eyeshadows like Ellis Faas. They can be a bit difficult to work with, but they last all day – quite a feat, with lids as difficult as mine.

Have a lovely Easter weekend!! xx

5. L’Occitane Cherry Blossom

New this February to mark the fifth anniversary of their Cherry Blossom range, L’Occitane has released a limited-edition Cherry Princesscollection. The super-cute fruity-floral collection is available in a number of separates (here), but they have a few sets on for a great deal as well – their five-piece Cherry Princess Romantic Escape kit looks particularly lovely, despite its cheesy name.

4. Ellis Faas

My relationship with Ellis is rather hot-and-cold, which I think could be said for many beauty bloggers (not just me). Their products are always absolutely breathtaking, both in formula and shade, but the packaging is a thorn in my side. Skip their eyeliners and anything with a showerhead applicator (these clog more easily), but do try their other products – anything with a brush tip, and keep a sample jar on-hand in case of overflow.

Ellis is running a surprise at the moment for all lip products, so if you’ve been thinking about ordering, now’s your chance.

Love is in the air and Saint Valentine is on his way. So until Valentine’s Day, we have a lovely deal: for each Ellis Lips you buy from our webshop, you will get a surprise that will double the pleasure of your Ellis Lips order! Why? Because you have two lips? Not really – we simply believe in “the lippier the better”.

So start browsing now: Creamy Lips, Milky Lips and Glazed Lips, order and get yourself our Valentine’s present(s).

Check out Ellis Faas’ lip products here.

3. LUSH

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s without some cheeky products from LUSH, now, would it? ;) There’s the little blue Ex-Factor bath bomb, the tongue-in-cheek Leap Frog (described as an–and I quote–”amorous amphibian for the tub”), and (for the lip balm junkies out there) the scarlet A Million Kisses lip tint.

2. Pink, pink, pink

It’s Valentine’s Day. Enough said.

(Translation, from a beauty junkie’s mind to the real world: an excuse to buy pink products! And you may as well get something you’ve had your eye on for a while, right? After all, this only happens once a year, and a pink lipstick is so very much better for you than an entire pint of ice cream. Or an entire bottle of wine.)

1. The Classic

I’m kind of crazy about fragrance minis at the moment, whether they’re adorable samples, petite sizes, or travel sprays. While not released specifically for Valentine’s, the Love, Chloé purse spray is just too cute to miss.

Canadians should be able to find this set (one container with three 10ml refills) at Holt Renfew and select Bay stores, while Americans will see this on shelves at Saks (this month) and Sephora (in March).

Just a bit of a product ramble for you this morning, rather than a review! (It’s the first Monday of term; who can blame me if I don’t want to work?)

I’ve had a bar of LUSH Snowcake in my bathroom for — weeks, now. It spent most of December (and possibly part of November) in my “to test” box, travelled around from box to box to bowl to table… and finally, finally, weeks too late, I’m ready to review it.

(Tell me I’m not the only one that loves slicing soap.)

The thing about Snowcake is that, at first, I hated it. Hated. I couldn’t stand the way it smelled, with notes of rose, cassis, and benzoin, but I think I know why. It’s not the scent; not at all. It’s the weather.

Edmonton’s been unseasonably warm this winter, and to be honest, it’s rather put me off my usual cold-weather scents. I’m still reaching for my classic, springy Balenciaga Paris Eau de Parfum when I should (based on the time of year) be back in love with my winter favourites – Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur layered with Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille.

(And oh god, don’t even get me started on the obscene price points of those two. Both scents that I adore, but that I doubt I’ll ever own in anything more than small decants.)

Strangely, after sitting in my bathroom for a few weeks, I found myself seeking out the comfortable warmth of Snowcake. It’s a sort of creamy, holiday fragrance, based (according to LUSH) off almond marzipan and rose absolute. They sound like strange notes to be listed together, but — it works.

If you can still get your hands on a bar of Snowcake, and you’re a fan of almondy gourmands, I’d say give it a go. (Oh, and if you can’t find it, perhaps keep an eye out for Smitten, a rich hand cream that features the same scent.)

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