theNotice

Go gold and glam with FaceFront’s Ouro Fino gloss

May 9, 2011

6 Comments

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…}

Tags: /FaceFront, Indie brands, Lips, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Spring/Summer 2011

6 Comments

Prada Infusion d’Iris: classic, reinvented

May 6, 2011

Rae Chen

4 Comments

I wanted to feature a brief fragrance review, for those of you still scrambling to find just the right Mother’s Day gift, but I’m afraid I’ve gotten a little sidetracked – my apologies for cutting it so close to the day!

My first choice for something classic, feminine, and subtle would be this gorgeous Prada Infusion. There are actually quite a number of reasons for this (above and beyond the fact that the scent itself is just divine), but before I ramble on too much: let’s talk scent.

Infusion d’Iris is a gorgeous, light, airy sort of floral – powdery in an ethereal, sparkling way, but not at all cloying. It’s less green than you’d expect from an iris-centric perfume (which works for my tastes; I can’t stand most modern green florals), and toes the boarder between fresh and sharp in a manner that makes it wearable right from the crisp air of spring to the chill of winter.

What really makes it stand out, in my books, is its timelessness. It’s incredibly inoffensive (think of it as a pacifist, as far as scents go), but the timelessness – I honestly can’t imagine a scent like this being “trapped” in any era. Unlike, say, a scent that relies on ozone notes (hello, nineties), I feel like this transgresses the era itself. Infusion d’Iris is an easy scent to wear, without it wearing you, and would make a brilliant signature fragrance.

Above and beyond the scent, though, there are a plethora of reasons why Infusion d’Iris is just so suited to be a “gifting” fragrance. Its gorgeous, elegant-but-conservative packaging, for one, and its accessibility, for another. Because of the popularity of the scent (oh, the advantages of falling in love with something popular!) it’s easy to find sets and different formats – trios, bath gels, powders…

But I digress. I’m sure you get the idea by now!

the facts

Perfumer: Daniela Andrier

Year: 2007 (eau de toilette released 2011; different formulation)

Notes: mandarin, orange blossom, galbanum, iris, incense, benzoin, cedar, lentisc and vetiver

Additional photos…

Tags: /Fragrance, Product Photos, Product Review

4 Comments

Marcelle Face Powder (loose) review | Or, “Finally, a product that does exactly as it should!”

May 5, 2011

Rae Chen

46 Comments

The product: Marcelle Face Powder (loose)

I’ve been trying to be better at reviewing my go-to products, recently, because I feel like they’re a bit neglected. I mean, they’re all amazing products, but they’re just so simple that it’s altogether too easy to forget about them!

Marcelle’s gorgeous face powder comes in two shades and just one size. The lighter shade (Translucent) has a more yellow base, and the darker (Translucent Medium) has a more pink one. I typically opt for the former, of course, but both are sheer enough that either would likely suit fair to dark (N5 to N40) skintones.

Marcelle Face Powder in Translucent, Translucent Medium; sifters removed.

What it does:

Blends in to complete translucency, disappearing (seriously, disappearing) on your face
Gives a just-matte-enough finish, keeping oil at bay well until lunchtime
Leaves a satiny smooth “skin” feel (which I love, of course)

What it doesn’t do:

Add coverage
Flash white in photographs
Mattify you to the point of Chalky Death Mask (not to be confused with its cousin, Glittery Death Mask)
Catch on dry bits and dry out your skin over time (ahem, silica powder)

The ~~cherry~~ cherries on top:

Despite its tiny price tag (under $15), this contains a whopping 70g of product – easily double the amount in most loose powders, if not more
The packaging! It’s very no-nonsense, but works as it should (that is, it feels well-made in my hands, and the threads of the lid always catch just right). I don’t know, I just… like it.

Edited to add: See comparison swatches of the two shades here.

The verdict?

Go on, then, get out there and pick one up! Because of its overwhelming size, stellar price, and incredible quality, it’s pretty much perfect for anyone looking for a translucent powder that’ll do exactly what it should. (The exception: very dark skintones, and those with talc sensitivities.)

In short, I loves it, my precious. So very much so that there is a necessity for inappropriate pluralization and creepy Gollum-vibes.

Availability: $14.50 CAD online at Marcelle.com (US & Canada), and in-stores at most drugstores across Canada.

Ingredients & additional photos: Read more

Tags: /Base, Canadian beauty, Holy Grail, Marcelle, Product Photos, Product Review

46 Comments

Go on a Lust Quest with FaceFront Cyber Gels

May 3, 2011

Rae Chen

9 Comments

The product: FaceFront Cyber Gel gel liner/cream shadow duos

The texture: These are really, really soft – softer than any other gel liner or potted cream shadow I’ve ever tried before. I’d go so far as to say that these are practically whipped; the consistency is definitely unique and interesting to work with! These set quite quickly, though, giving you a working time of under ten seconds before the product sort of “locks down,” which makes using them a bit difficult.

The wear: It varies from shade to shade (and I’ll add detail in the individual shade reviews,) but I’m impressed! While these are hard to get on to begin with, once they’re on, they’re pretty much good to go. Perhaps because of their strange texture, they wear really well on my waterline in particular – not perfect, but so far, better than anything else I’ve tried!

The ingredients:

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Butylene Copolymer, Orchid Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Apricot Oil, Beeswax, Vitamin E Oil. +/- some micas and oxides and such; full list here.

A few more thoughts…

These have a seriously weird scent to them – it reminds me almost exactly of the synthetic orange of e.l.f.’s lipglosses. I’m guessing it’s the “orchid oil,” but I’m seriously not a fan! It sort of squicks me out to be putting something so scented in my eye area, and while the scent does fade quite quickly… it’s just weird.

I also like the format of these: $9.50 for 2.2g is a great deal, and (unlike most potted creams,) they’re really lightweight, so I don’t feel guilty throwing one onto my handbag.

L-R: swatches of Visionary Violet, Black Jax, and Magnetica (under two different lighting conditions)

The verdict?

These are weird enough that I don’t want to give a set-in-stone verdict quite yet… but I will say that I really like these so far! All three shades are just gorgeous, the packaging’s cute, and I’m already considering buying backups based solely on how well they hold up on my waterline (which says a lot; I almost never buy backups.)

I’d love to see a slight reformulation to give us a little more working time and take out the scent, but aside from that? Awesome stuff :)

NOTE: Shade descriptions, variances on the formulas, and final “verdicts” will be covered in upcoming (short) individual shade reviews, so stay tuned!

Tags: /Eyes, FaceFront, Holiday 2010, Indie brands, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Spring/Summer 2011

9 Comments

Coming up: FaceFront Lust Quest!

May 3, 2011

Rae Chen

3 Comments

So stay tuned ;) The reviews will be going up over the next few weeks; I’ll try not to overwhelm you with too much FaceFront at once (though the collection is quite fetching!) See you with a Cyber Gel feature in a few…

Tags: /FaceFront, Indie brands, Teasers

3 Comments

Summer obsession: Clarins Crystal Lip Balm

May 2, 2011

Rae Chen

27 Comments

(I’m well aware that it’s not nearly Summer yet, but they’re part of a summer collection so IT COUNTS, okay? :P It counts.)

The product: Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm

The consistency: These incredibly novel balms are translucent in the tube, and yet, they manage to preform much like a regular stick of balm. They’re very solid and smooth, and leave a bare-but-hydrated finish; sort of a fresh, moisturized look, without any sort of high-maintenance glossy finish.

The tint: All three are a glassy sort of tinted in the tube, but display varying degrees of colour when applied. 02 Crystal is completely clear, even when swatched on white paper, while both 01 Crystal Coral and 03 Crystal Red apply with a very sheer, almost jelly-like tint (and leave a whisper of a stain behind).

The hydration: Unfortunately, this would be my only reseve when it comes to these balms! I feel like they perform more like a novelty item; I’d have no worries about the amount of moisture delivered if you have normal lips, but they don’t pack enough of a punch for my perpetually dehydrated skin. They are very much a “summer item,” though, so I don’t feel like as much hydration will be necessary come the summer, you know?

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Balms swatched L-R: Crystal Coral, Crystal, Crystal Red

The verdict

Alright, so the $27 (Canadian) price tag is ~~pretty~~ very high. But these are so, so cool! I mean, they’re translucent. Translucent!

My verdict (a resounding YES, of course) is biased, I’ll admit – ever since skipping on them last summer, I’ve been dying to try get my hands on these, so their re-release definitely earned a few brownie points in my books ;) However, I think I’d have been impressed with these without the wait, as well: they’re simply incredibly novel, which is something you don’t really see a lot of anymore.

The “real” swatches…

Individual shade reviews (with lip swatches and more lovely messes of adjectives) will be posted when these are available online – I don’t want to make you too crazy while they’re still hard to find! They are a May 2011 launch with Clarins’ Mosaïque collection, though, so they should be out very shortly.

Tags: /Clarins, Lips, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Spring/Summer 2011

27 Comments

New 01/05/11 & Sunday Steals and Deals

May 1, 2011

Rae Chen

2 Comments

Sorry for the lack of text – I promise to make up for it soon! ;)

And this week’s steals, deals, and sets:

Free US ground shipping on all orders (no min!) with code shipsfree through 5/4 {philosophy}
Free mini makeup kit with any purchase over $15 with code MINIFREE through 5/2 {elf}
40% off Physician’s Formula this week at Shopper’s, and 40% off Quo brushes (I believe just Sunday/Monday?)

Tags: /New This Week (& etc), Steals and Deals

2 Comments

New at… MAC

April 30, 2011

Rae Chen

17 Comments

I was putting together another New…/Steals and Deals post for Sunday, but I decided I wanted to post the MAC items separately – the number of them is a little overwhelming!

So, for those of you who haven’t caught wind of their new offering yet, here’s a few of them ;)

& the current Packed to Go sets:

P.S. Am I the only one who thinks it’s absolutely crazy that some people only read one or two makeup blogs?! I can’t imagine reading any less than ten, to be honest! Wait, don’t answer that; I don’t want to know what “normal” is!

Tags: /MAC

17 Comments

Will Clinique’s Redness Solutions concealer solve your redness woes?

April 28, 2011

Rae Chen

13 Comments

The product: Clinique Redness Solutions Targeted Corrector

The shade: I, for one, am a huge fan of using yellow to counteract red. Yes, red and green are opposites on the colour wheel, but in case no one’s noticed – you’re not a piece of white canvas, so the rules don’t apply the same way! What I’ve found with most fair to light skintones is that yellow really does work better than green, but of course (as with quite a large number of products), your mileage may vary.

But does it work? Okay, here’s the thing. The colour works quite well with my skintone, toning down both redness and darkness where I have scarring, blemishes, or even just undereye circles. It actually works remarkably well, to be honest, not just “alright” – I use this corrector on its own, without any need for an additional concealer or foundation.

However (and you knew there’d be a however), there are the drawbacks. For starters, I find this wears off during the day, needing touch-up even before lunch, much less dinner. And then you have to consider the fact that, well, my skintone’s not all that common (and I doubt this would work as well on a darker complexion). All in all – lovely shade, and great in theory, but perhaps not as good as it could be.

The verdict?

Pass on it. It’s definitely not bad, but with so many better options out there, I just can’t recommend this one (especially at the $20 price tag). If you’re looking for a great concealer, try timeBalm or Glamoflauge; if you’re toning down redness, perhaps Clinique’s Mineral Solutions powder? I hear the loose one’s silicone-free ;)

We’d love to see: a slight reformulation, perhaps? If this lasted all day and never caught on dry bits – well, then I’d be sold!

The ingredients: Read more

Tags: /Base, Clinique, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Swatches

13 Comments

Marcelle Essentials: an ode to boring cleansers

April 27, 2011

Rae Chen

18 Comments

The product: Marcelle Essentials Cleansing Milk

The cleansing: When you feel like you’re basically just smearing lotion on your face, you don’t expect said lotion to take off all your makeup… but this does. (I mean, it doesn’t take everything in the entire world off, but you honestly can’t expect a basic cleanser to remove your waterproof eyeliner – after all, that’s what makeup remover is for, right?)

The ingredients:

The moisture: I wasn’t a fan of cleansing milks before this one, but after just a week or two of using this exclusively, I can honestly say that my skin is noticeably less dry and patchy than it used to be. Add on the fact that this is scent- and silicone-free, has absolutely brilliant packaging (I’m a sucker for a lid that turns to lock), and is just under $15, and you have a winner.

The verdict?

I’m a bit like a thirteen year old girl for this one, and it’s the cute boy in the back of the classroom. Yes, it’s boring, and no, I don’t get to have fun with the foam and the bubbles and the squeaky-clean feeling, but my skin’s just been so damn happy with it.

Anyhow, the only explanation* is that this is an absolutely fantastic cleanser, and it’s well worth loving if you have normal/dry skin or a combination thereof!

*Not true; the alternate explanation is that Marcelle’s laced this one with heroin and I’m literally addicted to it. Somehow, though, I don’t think the CFDA would have approved that ingredient list.

Tags: /Canadian beauty, Cleansing, Holy Grail, Marcelle, Product Photos, Product Review, Silicone-free, Skincare

18 Comments