theNotice: a beauty blog

The product: FaceFront Cream Illuminator in Rising Sun and Gold Rush

I was a bit iffy about these illuminators from the get-go, but I gave them a try nonetheless. No matter how I wore them, though – sparingly or sheerly, high on the cheekbones or mixed into my cheek colour, – I just couldn’t get the an appropriate effect out of either shade.

I’m not crazy about the formula of these Cream Illuminators; on one hand, they feel a little greasy when being applied, but on the other, they somehow seem too “solid” to blend out easily. Which – I mean, hello, physics. Aren’t greasy things supposed to have more slip?

If I was behind the formula (which I’m not) and I had to guess the problem (which I don’t), I’d say that it’s probably an issue of a a slightly skewed silicone-to-carnauba ratio. Actually, I’d probably recommend taking out the carnauba altogether. Maybe blending in some organic coconut oil; include it in a summer collection and really play up the coconut appeal. Y’know. If someone asked. (Which they didn’t.)

Gold Rush

Rising Sun

Gold Rush, described as a “super pearled white gold cream with bright 24K-colored refleks [sic],” runs a too green to impart a believable luminosity. Rising Sun, on the other hand, is supposed to be a “warm peachy-gold withs subtle golden reflecks,” but I feel like it got sidetracked in transit, missing the turnoff for Peachtown and ending up in Copperville. Perhaps running over a wild Subtlemon on its way.

In other news, I am starting to doubt FaceFront’s ability to discern what is gold and what is not. These, as you may have guessed, are definitely not.

The large flecks of glitter (in both, but particularly in Gold Rush) transfer and migrate throughout the day, and are easily identifiable even without a 20x magnifying mirror or direct sunlight. Perhaps on someone with strong olive undertones, a medium-dark skintone, and tiny, perfect pores, they would work… but I am none of those things, and quite frankly, neither are most human beings.

FaceFront Tokyo Future swatches: Gold Rush

FaceFront Tokyo Future swatches: Rising Sun

The verdict?

Though they’re just $11 each, I can’t find a single thing I like about either of these illuminators. (Well, I guess, the formula is scent- and paraben-free. That’s good, right?) They’re just extremely disappointing, in general, but the fact that they’re FaceFront (who have created some of my absolute favourite shades in the past) makes it even worse.

It’s sort of like – well, okay. Let’s say that you read about a new lipgloss that was coming out in three months. And you got all excited, and you waited, and you waited, and you checked out the promo photos and went yes, this is the one, and it was supposed to be a really lovely sheer plummy-rose with just a subtle, ethereal gold sheen to it.

And then it came out, and you bought it online, and you waited, and you waited, and you waited some more, and finally, at long last! it arrived on your doorstep and you unboxed it AND IT WAS GREEN WITH SPARKLES AND THE TEXTURE OF ROSIN.

This? This feels feels a bit like that.

Ingredients and additional photos »

The product: Clinique Gradient Powder Blusher in Black Honey

Ironically, the product I was most excited for in Clinique’s Fall 2011 The New Black collection ended up being the one I liked the least. Which, okay, before you freak out – that doesn’t mean that I didn’t like it! I just, er, liked it less than expected?

I think the reason I wasn’t crazy about the Black Honey blusher is that it has a lot less of a gradient than I’d hoped it would. It’s still lovely - a bit plum, a bit brown, and a tiny bit peach - but it’s just… more uniform than you may think. As a cheek colour, the shade is far more universal than the traditional Black Honey lip colour (which I know can look rather “blah” on some skin tones), and the faint shimmer helps add more universality still.

Left: sponge pulled horizontally down Black Honey and horizontally on the skin, to display the gradient.

Right: sponge pulled horizontally down the blusher, but vertically down the skin, to display the blended effect.

(Did that make any sense whatsoever?)

I’m usually not a fan of shimmer in my cheek products, but these fuchsia flashes are so finely-milled – you really have to get right up to your skin (within 3-4″) and stare it down in order to pick out the shimmers. It definitely wears as a matte, not only in terms of all-day colour but also in the way it sits on your skin: the smooth, velvety texture buffs right in, and beauty junkies who typically avoid shimmery blushes (usually those with oilier skin or large pores) need not fret with this one.

I love the chic, sculpted cheek that this blusher creates so easily, but I hate the price tag – with taxes, it’s over $30 in both Canada and the US, and I feel like that’s a bit much for a Clinique blusher. You are paying for the gradient effect, though, so I suppose that it’s worth it if you’re really into gradient products! (This is my first, but I do think  it looks quite pretty in the pan.)

Black Honey blusher, applied

The verdict?

Ooh, I feel like I never reach verdicts anymore! I’ve been far too fickle as of late.

I was actually really impressed by the Black Honey Gradient Powder Blusher, and I love the effect it gives – that perfect, low-maintenance sculpted cheek. However, it would have been nice to have a more pronounced gradient, and I’d advise caution in application: particularly on fair skintones, I can see this getting a bit muddy if you tend to be heavy-handed.

If you fall in love with the shade, though, don’t hesitate! It really is a lovely product, all in all, and it won’t be around much longer. I haven’t been able to find a dupe thus far – I know there has to be one out there, somewhere, but Larie and I were just completely unable to track one down!

Keep reading »

The product: MAC Powder Blush in Fever (Matte)

So, weird little confession coming up. When I’m toeing the line between “vaguely healthy” and “deliriously feverish,” I actually look… healthy. Seriously, it’s like, the only time I ever have a “healthy flush.”

(A little less sickly and I’m just a weird interpretation of pale; a little more and I look like someone’s got me on a stretching rack. Probably because my brain is being held captive on a stretching rack by the flu.)

Where was I going with this?

Oh, right. MAC Fever! And the fact that it’s quite pretty.

MAC Fever Powder Blush swatches

Consider it a strange personality quirk, but I’m really into wearing tiny amounts of really pigmented products, rather than normal amounts of medium-sheer ones. With blushes like Fever, it’s just so easy to get that flushed-from-within glow, because you need so little that they wear like a stain - that is, you can’t see evidence of blusher on your cheeks, no matter how up-close-and-personal you get, and they just last and last and last.

Fever is a really intense, matte raspberry red. MAC describes it as a reddish-burgundy, but I’d go more along the lines of… I don’t know; a brownish raspberry. (Raspberry, oxidized!) It’s honestly just – god, the pigmentation is ridiculous, and the shade! It’s utterly perfect for that expanded-capillaries, blood-beneath-your-skin effect, and the amount of pigment (not to mention, the depth of colour) means it’ll show up on pretty much everyone.

Keep reading… the review’s not nearly done yet! »

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 »

Top: Bronzing Pressed Powder in Tropical Bronze, Bronze Celebration

Bottom: Pressed Bronzing Powder in Tan, Multi-Colour Bronzing Pressed Powder in Natural Bronze

The product: Marcelle Bronzers

I have a couple different bronzing powders on hand to share with you today, and I think I want to get it all done at once and kind of gloss over them – but feel free to ask for more detail if you need!

I’m not much of a bronzer girl, but I’m quite fond of Marcelle and Annabelle bronzing products. If I do wear bronzer, there’s a 95% chance that it’s going to be either FaceFront Third Kiss (because it’s ‘cone-free), Annabelle Zebra, or one of these. I find that Marcelle balances out their tones really well – never too much red or too much yellow – so the result is really natural and healthy-looking.

Redundancy is one of those things I’ve been thinking a lot about recently, and Group Marcelle kinda has a strange tendency to hit it right out of the ballpark. Like with the blacks of Annabelle’s Black Box collection, all four of these bronzers are really different - you couldn’t swap out any one for any other, even though there are a lot of them.

Swatched L-R: Natural Bronze, Tan, Tropical Bronze, Bronze Celebration

If you want an all-over powder to bronze up your skintone, I think you could go with anything but Bronze Celebration. The other three are all matte, and which one you choose would really just rely on your skintone and personal preference. I’d recommend Tropical Bronze if you’re fair to light with more of a yellow undertone (it’s my current favourite of the bunch), Natural Bronze if you’re looking for a neutral-warm bronzer, and Tan if you like a bronzer with a little more red in it – think MAC Bronze, minus the annoying shimmer.

If you want a really glowy bronze, then Bronze Celebration is your obvious choice. It packs a ton of finely-milled (and oh-so-soft) shimmer, so make sure to tap off the excess product and really buff it in – but the results have the potential to be absolutely breathtaking. Unlike the others, I wouldn’t use this one to contour, and I wouldn’t use it all-over: just on the high points of the face, lightly, like a highlighter.

L-R: Natural Bronze, Tan, Tropical Bronze, Bronze Celebration

Watch out for

The super-soft Bronze Celebration! My pan completely crumbled in the mail (it’s actually supposed to look like this), which is a pretty sure sign that the product’s softer than the others. Similar shimmery strip cheek products, like Bobbi’s Shimmer Bricks, have a well-known track record of shattering easily – so try not to drop it on the floor if you can, ya hear? :P

And one last thing two last things three last things (more…)