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    Congratulations to an old favourite, for a new award

    I don’t usually pay too much attention to fragrance awards, but I wanted to take a moment to reiterate my love for Balenciaga Paris in light of its new “Les Parfums” award (best packaging, women’s 2011) from the Fragrance Foundation (Fr).

    There aren’t many fragrances that I’ve adored right from the get-go, but this is one of them. I love it just as much now as I did the day it arrived on my doorstep, and I’ll just say – that’s one hell of a lot. It’s absolutely delicious; smooth violets and a hint of pepper with an obscenely sexy drydown and an almost (almost) minimalistic vibe.

    Anyhow, without further hesitation: I thought a few photos might be appropriate, seeing as this award happened to be for the gorgeous packaging, rather than the amazing scent!

    Additional photos (and a love letter) here, though the comments have been lost, as well as mentions here, here, and here. I know; it’s practically a plugging overkill, but I just – I love this one so, so much.

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    R&R on HauteLook, plus a few quick product photos…

    I picked up a couple R&R goodies a few months ago, and (seeing as they’re on HauteLook again,) I thought I’d share some photos! I’m actually on my way out the door to catch my train, so I’ll update later with some more details + photos, but for now…

    Sale {here} and invite link {here}. I don’t *think* you need the invite to join, anymore, but I’d certainly appreciate it if you could use it, of course!

    I picked up Alloy, a really gorgeous gold that’s just gorgeous as a wash of colour; a 203 blending brush, which I’ve been really happy with (think of it as the lovechild of a 217 and a 224); and clearly matte, an Essie matte topcoat at just an amazing price (not even $4).

    Happy hauling!

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    FaceFront Lust Quest pigments: review, swatches (part one)

    I really shouldn’t need two posts to cover just six pigments, but… it’s me, so I kinda do. Not that I have a ton to say about them, of course (at least, no more than usual), but I’d feel bad jamming fifteen photos into one post and crashing all the slow computers out there :P

    The product: FaceFront Cosmetics Lust Quest Artistic Pigments

    I really loved some of the shades in this collection, but I found most of them to be too sheer for my tastes. Which makes sense, seeing as translucent colours usually trend during the summer, but… I want my pigment, darn it!

    Mouse Grey (matte) – smooth medium grey. Of the six shadows, this was the most disappointing… it’s absolutely lovely in the pot, and fairly pretty swatched, but isn’t nearly opaque enough in execution! The colour buffs away really quickly, almost disappearing, and goes on a bit patchy.

    Silver Fox (ultra-steel) – dry, almost gritty silver touched with lilac. It’s strange to work with something this dry (it’s almost all glitter, with very little pigment base), but I’m very fond of the effect it gives. It’s a sort of watery, wet finish, which doesn’t translate well in a photo but looks just lovely in real life!

    La La Lilac (steel) – blue-violet shimmer on a red-violet base. This is strikingly similar to an old favourite of mine, Annabelle Violet Vibe. Though – I believe this is more sheer, and perhaps a shade lighter. Both La La Lilac and Violet Vibe blend out a bit more than I’d like, but they’re absolutely stunning. I’ll post some comparison pics soon!

    The verdict?

    Overall, I haven’t been as impressed with the Lust Quest shadows as I was with the Ouro Fino ones – I think there was a touch too much shimmer (and a touch too little pigment) for my tastes. There are definitely some gems in the collection, though, so don’t write it off entirely! Plus, I do love how FaceFront kind of “amps up” their packaging with cute, collection-specific details (in this case, the silver hearts).

    Skip Mouse Grey (no matter how pretty a shade, it’s too sheer of a matte to get in my good books), buy Silver Fox (for a gorgeous wet finish, if you’re okay with some fallout), and try La La Lilac (if you can’t get your hands on Violet Vibe, or if you, like me, hate the packaging of Annabelle’s Mineral Pigment Dusts).

    More photos and swatches…

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    In which Rae is horrendously technology-illiterate

    Alright, so – half a year after I needed to figure this out, I finally did. Turns out, you can totally move your GFC widget. AKA I didn’t need to start from 0 when I switched to thenotice.net and abandon four hundred-something of my favourite people.

    (There were so many sarcastic jokes in that last sentence that I can’t even… okay, I promise to stop now. It’s two in the morning; what more do I need to say?)

    Anyhow, here’s the important part:

    If you’re following theNotice right now, but you weren’t following before we switched over to thenotice.net, you may need to re-join the site (or you’ll get lost in cyberspace)!

    Basically, I Let’s be honest here. I don’t even know what was going through my head that convinced me this couldn’t be done. I made the decision to switch to wordpress about ten seconds before I did it (shh, don’t tell anyone), so I suppose you can say I wasn’t at my most lucid just then.

    To everyone that we’ve met over the past few months: please, please, please move your mice over a few inches and follow with our new old new-old widget! It’s been brilliant, and I might actually cry if I lose you. Crying. With tears. And running eyeliner and just general ickiness.

    (And no one wants that, now do they?)

    And to everyone that’s been wondering why in the heck their google readers haven’t been showing anything from theNotice from before: I’m sorry. I screwed up really badly, and I’m sorry! But I missed you, and I hope you can forgive me? :)

    Anyhow, I’m off to bed. Talk to you in the morning, and… I don’t know; I’m sure I can scrounge up something (something awesome, that is) in my drawers as an apology-giveaway prize ;)

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    New 14/05/11 + NARS Makeup Your Mind

    Masques, sets, and BB creams… oh my!

    And don’t miss: the new NARS Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself book! I don’t actually have the first one (pictured below the widget), but I did check it out of the library ages ago – and, of course, just loved it. I mean, the clear product page? Absolutely brilliant!

    ETA: a few photos of the first Makeup Your Mind, in case you didn’t quite get the whole “clear product page” thing. Very simple in practice, but more confusing to explain with just words :P

    Additional images…

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    A quick makeup look: natural lips, winged liner

    • Because I haven’t posted a look in ages
    • Because apparently, I stopped wearing makeup when the sun came back for the year
    • Because I really, really love the effect those lip liners give
    • Because these photos are from February and I’ll be damned if they sit around on my computer for even just one more day

    Products used

    EYES: Ellis Faas and Marcelle liquid liners – I was testing the wear, and figured I wouldn’t look too terribly silly as long as they were both black! (The results: Marcelle’s is way easier to apply, and more comfortable to wear, but Ellis’ stays on like metal.) Oh, and the black side of the L’Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes mascara.

    LIPS: Marcelle 2 in 1 Retractable Lip Liner in Natural, which is way, way less nude than it appears on the Marcelle site. (Swatches and review here!)

    CHEEKS: Being the dolt that I am, I didn’t write down what I used on the cheeks. Judging by the photos and time of year, though, I’d say a blend of Senna Faded Rose blusher and Smashbox Smoke matte eyeshadow?

    AND: a healthy dose of theBalm timeBalm, Marcelle loose powder, and photoshop ;)

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    When it comes to corals, how sheer is too sheer?

    The product: Annabelle Volumelip gloss in Coralicious

    The formula: We’ve reviewed these in the past, so feel free to head on over there if you’re interested! Here are a few key points –

    • All VolumeLip glosses are paraben- and scent-free, which is awesome.
    • They’re not super moisturizing, but they’re also not stripping,
    • The pigmentation ranges to very sheer (like this one) to medium-sheer,
    • And above all: they’re not sticky!

    bare lips / lip swatch of Coralicious

    The shade: Coralicious is a gorgeous strawberry-coral in the tube, and looks almost like a dupe for the lovely Paris Rose but don’t be deceived; it goes on really, really sheerly! There’s just a dash of really finely milled shimmer and a hint of pigment, so it delivers a very sheer, natural lip… emphasis on the “sheer”!

    I like my glosses to pack a bit more punch, so this one’s not exactly up my alley. It would be a great choice if you’re looking for something to bring a little life to your lips with no need for a mirror or touch-ups, though ;)

    coralicious / so sanguine

    The verdict?

    As always, I really like the light, smooth formula of the Volumelip line. However, I’m not huge on Coralicious in particular – it’s a lovely shade, but just goes on so sheer! Pick it up if you’re looking for a paraben- and scent-free gloss that delivers a soft shine and just a hint of lustre, but just don’t go expecting much tint from it.

    Bonus points, as always, for the cute packaging and awesome price, though!

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    Undergo a Metamorphosis with Thierry Mugler cosmetics

    As I’m sure you all know by now, theNotice is primarily a review blog – so we don’t usually publish about something unless someone’s tested it and has some thoughts to share!

    Every now and again, though, I’ll hear about something that’s just too novel to pass up. So, despite the fact that I can’t tell you whether these are epic (or just an epic fail), here’s a few bits on the Thierry Mugler makeup line! (I’m focusing on their lip products, because… well, because I’m easily distracted by shiny things they’re very intriguing. In a thoroughly professional manner, or course.)

    Magma Fusion

    So – I’m going to admit that I’m thoroughly, thoroughly confused by this concept. But I *think* that the Pink Effect comes out as a sort of pearly/clear gel, then darkens to add a translucent fuchsia stain and glossy finish behind. (Sort of like Smashbox O-Gloss, perhaps?) Then there’s the Shimmer Blue effect, which comes out a translucent pink and is loaded with blue reflects, and the Raspberry Effect, which comes out a lovely cool-toned shimmery raspberry.

    What I do know for sure is that these come out of a silicone-tipped click-pen applicator, come in three shades, and (in Canada) are available only at The Bay. That part, at least, was pretty easy to discern from the press release :P

    (Note: there are two sets of “stock” swatches; one is from from the Canadian press release and one is from the US online site. Sorry for the confusion! I wasn’t sure which would represent the shades better, so I just… went with both.)

    Magma Explosion

    Alright, so this is the star of the line (at least in my eyes), simply because it’s so darn unique! It’s basically bits of foil (Pink Gold, White Gold, or Yellow Gold) suspended in lip wax, made for use on the lips, décolleté, or cheekbones.

    I suppose it wouldn’t be the most wearable, especially for the meek of heart, but I think this one’s just fascinating! Cosmetic foil and leafing is notoriously hard to work with – not to mention, hard to get your hands on – and this just seems like such a cool way to make it more accessible.

    L-R: Magma Explosion Glitter Lip Wax; Plexi Gloss Lip Lacker in Blue Effect, Pink Effect, Coral Effect; Rouge Unique in Heart, Thunder

    Swatches

    I had actually forgotten about these completely, but I found a few old swatch photos of the Magma Explosion lip wax (as well as a few Plexi Glosses and Rouge Unique lipsticks) from last year. So, apologies for the quality, but I hope the swatches are helpful!  {original post}

    L-R: Magma Explosion Glitter Lip Wax; Plexi Gloss Lip Lacker in Blue Effect, Pink Effect, Coral Effect

     

    What do you think of the Thierry beauty line? Anyone else as curious as I am? ;)

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    Decisions, decisions (aka “The Indecision and the Beast”)

    So – I have to start a new medication soon, and I can’t for the life of me pick one, and… well, basically, I’m just wondering what you lovely ladies would do. Which is a little ridiculous, I know, but I’m just so darn curious!

    Because this is so very (very very very) off-topic, I’m going to sneak the rest under a cut, so feel free to skip this post (which will be taken down in a day or two)… or read on ;)

    Read more

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    Go gold and glam with FaceFront’s Ouro Fino gloss

    I’ve been putting together reviews of FaceFront’s newest collection, Lust Quest, over the past week – but I realized that I haven’t quite finished up with their Ouro Fino collection just yet, and well, we can’t have that, now can we?

    While I do think the Ouro Fino Color Volume gloss would be better suited to the holidays (simply because it looks so stellar over a red lip), it certainly does hold its own for the spring, as well! Which does make sense, I guess, seeing as it’s a spring release ;) The concept is simple; a healthy dose of gold shimmer suspended in a plush, translucent gloss.

    The one thing I’m actually quite surprised at is the price of the Colour Volume line: at $15.50, they’re not exactly cheap as far as lipglosses go, which isn’t something I associate with FaceFront (which, in terms of cost-per-ounce, is usually quite inexpensive). For a shade that’s so dupe-able, I hesitate to recommend it at the price, but the formula is good – lovely and non-sticky, with a light vanilla scent that’s more “fresh baked goods” than “cheap scent molecules.”

    The verdict?

    At the cost, and with the complete lack of opacity, I wouldn’t go recommending this one to everyone I see – but I do love the effect this gives when layered, and I the formula’s pretty good, to boot. I would love to see a Color Volume gloss without the shimmer (and with medium to opaque colour), though – I can only imagine how gorgeous that would be!

    For a budget version, try… Sephora Super Shimmer Lip Gloss in Gold and Glow, Annabelle Le Gloss Star Lip Shine in Électrique, or Philosophy Lip Shine in Vanilla Birthday Cake.

    {Additional photos and swatches…}

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