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: shu uemura ultime8 sublime beauty cleansing oil (unmask edition packaging)

The collection

To celebrate a classic (and one that’s been on shelves for 46 years, at that!), shu uemura have released their top-selling cleansing oil in limited edition “unmask” packaging – a far cry from the minimalist bottles in the permanent range.

From left to right, we have the ultim8 cleansing oil (reviewed here), the fresh pore clarifying gentle cleansing oil (for pore concerns), the high performance balancing cleansing oil (for all skin types), the cleansing beauty oil premium A/O (for ageing skin), and finally, the whitefficient clear gentle cleansing oil (for brightening).

ultim8 cleansing oil

Created to target global skin concerns, the ultim8 cleansing oil is something of the crème de la crème of cleansing oils. Its eight oils are infused with botanical ingredients to fight any of the skin concerns you may have, and shu uemura describe it as a “cashmere-like cocooning oil.”

I’ve tried two of shu’s cleansing oils so far  (the other was their A/O formula), and this one has been my favourite. Lighter than the A/O while still feeling comforting and a little weighty, I much prefer the scent of this one — and, of course, its cleansing powers don’t disappoint.

As a blogger, one of the things I struggle with the most is getting super-pigmented swatches off of my forearms on swatch days. It doesn’t sound like much of a feat, but trust me: with very pale, dry skin, my arms pick up colour like crazy.

Cleansing oils aren’t my favourite way to remove makeup from my arms (you need a sink, and I’ve yet to find one that’s truly cost-effective), but when I have a lot of products to go through in very little time, the shu oils have been my go-to. Without even needing a cleansing cloth to scrub with, they remove product more quickly and gently than anything else I own — including bi-phase makeup removers and micellar waters!

Keep reading! »

The product: SEPHORA COLLECTION Creamy Body Wash Caps

One of the coolest new products in travel beauty are the Sephora Collection Creamy Body Wash Caps — little single-serving shower gels. They’re quite novel, and perfect for things like weekend trips: a few caps will fit easily into your carry-on without breaking the 100 mL limit.

You don’t have to leave the city to have an excuse to try out the caps, though! Sephora has put them out in 14 different scents, from Blueberry, to Green Tea, to Lemon Verbena or Chocolate. There’s actually more scents available in the caps than in the full-size Creamy Body Wash, but they’re a great way to try out the full-size versions without the 140 ml commitment, too.

Better still is that they’re perfectly scent-sealed — meaning you can throw a handful (of different scents, even) into your luggage without having to worry that everything else is going to end up smelling like some sort of chocolatey-floral tropical-fruit-punch monster.

I had first mentioned these on theNotice here, when I went over some of the products available at Sephora France. It’s great to see that they’ve finally landed in North America, though their Cube Effervescents (fizzing bath cubes) have yet to show up in stores!

The verdict?

Okay, so these clearly aren’t suited for daily use — but I think they’re a bit brilliant, really. At just $1 each, they’re perfect for trying out a new scent, throwing into your luggage, or adding to a goodie bag.

I go scent-free in the shower almost all of the time, but sometimes it’s nice to mix things up with a bit of fragrance, you know? I’d never go through an entire bottle of scented body wash (I’ve tried; it never works) so these are perfect for those rare times when I want something with a tasty, lingering scent.

(I’m not kidding about the tasty: that really is the best way to describe some of these!)

Keep reading! »

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.)

Keep reading »

Okay, so maybe, mayyyybe the title for this post existed before the post itself did. What can I say; a good pun’s a good pun! (And this one, well, it was too good to pass up.)

Anyhow: these are the products that I’m loving right now. For most of them, said love is highly dependent on the fact that it’s summer; for others, I just happen to be loving them while it’s summer.

Body products I’m loving

Emjoi Emagine epilator { $99 | review } and Johnson’s Baby Powder mini { $2 }

I’ll be honest: when it comes to hair, I have a lot of it. (Well, not so much on my scalp anymore, but… everywhere else, still!) I’ve landed the unfortunate combination of pale skin, dark hair, and chronic fatigue – so shaving everyday isn’t an option, but neither is ignoring hair removal altogether.

The cherry on top is that after a year of epilating, I can honestly say that I have finer hairs now than I did when I started. It’s a ridiculously boring task, but totally worth it in the end!

Upper Canada Soap Fruit Frappé Body Lotion in Pear with mangosteen { $12 | review } and Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil { $7 }

When it’s really hot out, I prefer to go with subtle scents that stay close to the skin, and body products do a great job of fitting the bill. The Fruit Frappé has a deliciously fresh, juicy pear fragrance, and the gel-oil has a wonderfully rich (but not too heavy) cocoa fragrance. They both make me want to eat my own arm, of course, but so far I’ve been able to resist. 

(Keep reading…)