Can we talk about how nice it is to see Asian faces in Canadian advertising? Yes? Alright then, I’ll leave you with this:
- Journey to the Heart of Fragrance, Perfume Magazine
- International Flavours and Fragrances, main site
- Der Scutt Architect, in case you were curious about the HQ itself
- cologniac, Sternberg’s blog
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 »
First of the year! Always exciting, right? Suddenly it’s all spring collections, pastels, and sheers – such a change from two weeks ago, when everything was all bold and red and gold for the holidays.
I put together more widgets than these, today, but the post got rather long. So, this week is MAC & the assorted box; next week will (probably) be Guerlain, Lancome, and YSL! (I say “probably” because there are still a number of pieces from the La Roseraie des Délices collection that aren’t online yet – here’s to hoping they’re up soon.)
MAC Mineralize Charged Water update
MAC, Naturally
Assorted
Just the eye, for this one! I was running out of sunlight, and it was a choice between (a) doing a full face and (b) actually being able to take photos without flash. The amount of sunlight won, of course, as it always does.
(Despite this, though… the quality of light itself? Pretty shoddy. This is what happens when you take makeup photos right before the golden hour, folks. Tip: don’t do it.)
To create this look, I used all four shades of the Smokey Passion eye quartet – the silver as a base, the burnt sienna in the inner corner, the taupe in the center of the lid & around the edges, and the brown-black on the outer corner and lower lashline for intensity. Then, for a bit more polish, I pulled a touch of Smashbox Smoke through the brows, blended in some Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Light for my dark circles, and ran a Marcelle Khol Eyeliner in Soft Black along my waterlines.
(The wear of the khol is awful if you like crisp, sharp lines, but it’s incredibly gentle on my waterline – no itching or irritation at all.)
Finally, I finished the look with a quick swipe of Imju Fiberwig Extra Long Mascara – black, of course, – and Marcelle Liquid Eyeliner Pen for a bit of interest along the lashline.
Keep reading »
The products: Clarins Smokey Passion Eye Quartet and Passion Rose Rouge Prodige
Full names; Clarins Ombre Minérale 4 Couleurs Wet & Dry Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Smokey Passion and Clarins Rouge Prodige True-Hold Colour & Shine Lipstick in Passion Rose. Both these products are limited edition as part of the Clarins Passion collection, Holiday 2011. Sorry for the late posting!
The quad
The Smokey Passion quad features four shades – and they are right up my alley. No kidding; the proof’s in the brackets.
There’s a russet brown (the sort of shade that would fit perfectly into my fall 2011 colour palette), a silver glitter suspended in a creme base (perfect for a glossy eye, if your lids aren’t oily), a classic brown-taupe (and we all know I’m a sucker for a taupe), and finally, there’s a brown-black with gold flecks (and seriously, I’ll sell my right kidney for a flecked brown-black.)
(Wait, before I do: you do have two kidneys, right? Those are the ones you have two of? I always get it wrong, and I don’t want to sell a kidney only to find out that it’s actually your liver that you have two of.)
Photographed under bright fluorescent lighting, to better show the textures and shimmer
Clarins Smokey Passion quartet, swatched & photographed in indirect sunlight
While I really appreciate the inclusion of a new texture in this palette (it’s definitely a refreshing change!), I do have my reserves about the silicone-slippery silver glitter. It’s too chunky to be used as an under the brow product, but not dry enough to use as a base – which keeps it to (a) dry lids, or (b) areas that don’t typically crease, like the inner corner or lower lashline. The effect is gorgeous, though, especially on its own!
See the quad in last week’s Lipstick Bandit feature, or this Monday’s Clarins Passion makeup look. I still haven’t found time to do a darker eye with the palette, but I hope to before the quad disappears from counters for good.
The lipstick
Right off the bat, I thought Passion Rose would be too glittery for me – but, surprisingly, it wasn’t at all! The finish is more like a frost with fine shimmers, and I’ve been getting so much more wear out of it than I’d expected.
Like all Rouge Prodige lipsticks, Passion Rose goes on smoothly, wears off evenly, and carries a light, fruity scent that should honestly be illegal because it smells so tasty and I just want to eat it. In the tube, it appears brown with a slightly pink lean, but swatches (and wears) with a good balance of brown, pink, and gold microshimmer. The effect is pretty without being girly, subdued without being boring, and effortless without being sloppy.
If I’d have been clever, I would have used this lipstick in this monday’s Clarins FOTD. However, I’m not, so you can see it in a look here, instead.
Clarins Passion Rose swatch (applied more heavily on the left)
The verdict?
This year’s Passion collection was a bit of a disappointment for me – compared to last year’s ultra-luxe Barocco collection (Face Palette / Rouge Prodige / Eye Trio), I think we can all agree that it was rather underwhelming. I’d have loved to see a Barocco redux of sorts; another gold-and-black collection with special packaging, a bold red lipstick, and that festive, luxury feel…
…but you know what? I really liked the Passion collection, too, once I’d recovered from the initial shock.
I’m getting a lot more wear out of the Passion collection than I did out of the Barocco one, but – well, it’s not very holidays, you know? So, here’s my verdict, clean and simple: I love both these products, but I think they’d have been better suited as additions to the permanent line-up, or even as a Winter collection. They’re gorgeous, but they just don’t have the bang! I associate with the Holidays, you know?
Packaging, ingredients & more »
Um, am I allowed to take a moment to shamelessly throw link love at just one article? Because if I am — I’m totally going to do it.
Neil T. Sternberg’s Journey to the Heart of Fragrance has been by & far my favourite piece on the fragrance industry since… well, ever. It’s a recounting of Sternberg’s tour through IFF’s Creative Laboratory in New York, a building which essentially represents my dream education: if money was no object, and I didn’t have to think about my future, and I wasn’t chronically ill (ack, that’s a lot of “what if”s!), I’d be begging their perfumery school to take me.
It’s a long article, but for a fragrance addict, it’s definitely worth a read. I’ll leave you now with a few links, for further reading in relation to the article.
—
As far as my favourite online mag articles of 2011 go, Marc Ambinder’s Inside the Secret Service was a great one, too. In the end, I decided that an article from Perfume Magazine would be more fitting for a beauty blog than an article on political security from the Atlantic, though both were very compelling reads!
(In other news, if your magazine is online, is it still “in”? Or is it “on”?)
I don’t want to clutter up this post with too much text, but here’s a quick eye look with Clarins‘ Ombre Minérale 4 Couleurs Wet & Dry Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Smokey Passion. (What a name! Because “quad” wouldn’t have done it?)
As I’m sure all my fellow neutral lovers already know, there are a ton of looks that you can create with just four shades – but I went with something light, fresh, and a little bit ethereal, using mainly the silver shimmer and the taupe in the bottom right corner of the palette. Then, for a bit of definition, I added a flick of black liner – Annabelle Black Spark, because I wanted to keep that translucent feel, and its sheen makes it perfect for that.
I’ll be reviewing the quad in full tomorrow, but needless to say, it’s absolutely lovely. I might try a more full-on look with it later this week, depending on how much time I have, because I’m certain it would create an intense look that’s just as flawless as this is – that’s the beauty of dense, finely milled eyeshadows, after all.
Keep reading »
Ahh! This is the last “New…” feature of the year – how exciting is that??
More importantly: how !!! are these new products & collections?! I have to admit, I’m pretty excited to see what 2012 is going to bring. If these are any indication as to what we have to look forward to, well, it’s going to be good!
Bobbi Brown Neons & Nudes, Spring 2012
Dior Garden Party, Spring 2012
Keep Reading! »
This round of the Lipstick Bandits is all about layering lip products – one of my favourite pastimes! (Oh, the lives of beauty bloggers. I mean, gosh, how thrilling, right?)
(But no, seriously. I’m really into layering products; it’s ridiculous.)
The challenge was to find a red lip colour, preferably a lipstick, then layer a shimmery, sparkly, or glittery product overtop. I had a bit of a swatch fest with Annabelle Rouge Velours Lipstick in Adrenaline as my base colour, but alas…
…I didn’t end up going with any of those combinations.
Swatched R-L: Clarins Rouge Prodige Lipstick in Passion Rose, Clinique Lip Smoothie in Strawberry Bliss, Korres Cherry Lipgloss in Rose and Fuchsia, Benefit Ultra Shine Lipgloss in So Frisk Me.
Even after all that (and taking two full photo sets of Adrenaline + Korres Fuchsia), I ended up going with a new find that I can’t get enough of – the Bite High Pigment Lip Pencil in Pomegranate. (Review here). After a quick layer of Pomegranate, I layered Stila’s Brown Sugar Lip Glaze overtop for a bit of shimmer and shine. In retrospect, though, I should have picked something with larger shimmer particles – the change in texture is obvious, of course, but I feel like the shimmer could have “popped” more!
LEFT: Bite Pomegranate (only) / RIGHT: Bite Pomegranate + Stila Brown Sugar
LEFT: Bite Pomegranate / MIDDLE: Bite Pomegranate & Stila Brown Sugar / RIGHT: Stila Brown Sugar
Above: wearing Bite Pomegranate (only)
Keep reading! »
Alright. Be honest with me for a moment, here: who expected us to take a small, unplanned, and unannounced hiatus this December?
(I did not.)
(My apologies for the fact that it happened!)
(I even allotted myself some blog time for the 24th, but then I ended up playing with the layout instead, so.)
Wishing you all the best this Holiday season! See you soon with some new material, but for now, thank you all so much for reading & enjoying theNotice. I would wrap you all individual Christmas goodies in brown paper to show you just how much I adore each and every one of you, but somehow, I think my hands would start protesting after the first few gifts. (And if not the first few, then probably at least the first few hundred.)
(Also I feel like I would run out of brown paper pretty soon.)
With love,
Rae