A few days ago, we brought you a bunch of “Luxe for a Lot” items – so today, we’re bringing you some “Luxe for a Little” ones. These are some of the fabulous products and great buys that I’ve run into recently, and if you ask me, they’re wonderful for gifting to others… and divine for gifting to yourself ;)
Just as a preface to the review: Glamoflauge comes as a set, with both a pencil and a tube of concealer. The pencil was fine – regular low-end-of-the-drugstore stuff if you ask me – but the cream product really wowed me. So, this review is for the latter only!
What it is: Hard Candy Glamoflauge, in Light
What’s kind of crazy: I’ve been in love with theBalm’s timeBalm for years (years!) and surprisingly… I think I may like this even more. On top of that (here’s the truly crazy part), it’ll only run you six dollars. $6! Seriously!!
(I warned you that it was crazy.)
[Edited to add: the whole review was pretty crazy, actually, so I just went ahead and edited that right into the title. Glamoflauge = crazy Rae. And now that we have that out of the way, onto the review.]
The formula: The one downfall of Glamoflauge is its texture, which is on the dry side for something that’s packaged in a tube. My beloved timeBalm has a lot more slip to it, making it easier to blend, and I’m concerned with how well Glamoflauge will sit with ageing skin (especially around the eyes). However, on my combination slightly oily/very dry skin, I have no issues with creasing or catching — it blends just fine and stays where it’s put, but the formula does take some getting used to. When I first started testing this out, I kept trying to use more product than I actually needed!
Indirect sunlight; click to enlarge (a lot).
L – R: NC 15, NW 15, the Balm timeBalm Lighter Than Light, Hard Candy Glamoflauge Light tube, Hard Candy Glamoflauge Light pencil, NC 20, NW25, NC30. All MAC shades are Studio Finish concealer.
The pigmentation: As you may have already guessed, the pigmentation of Glamoflauge knocked my socks right off. In one word, it is fantastic. This conceals just as well as high-coverage formulas like MUFE Full Cover and Lancome Effacernes, but it does it at a fraction of the price. Plus, it manages to do it without silicones, parabens, or fragrances — an impressive feat for any face product, if you ask me, much less a heavy-duty concealer.
What they are: Marcelle Rouge Xpression lipsticks in Delightful and Curious
Delightful Rouge Xpression lipstick
The formula: I haven’t done a full review of the Rouge Xpression line yet, though I do intend to. For now, here is a quick breakdown of the lipsticks. I like them less than the “regular” Marcelle lipsticks (the Rouge Vitality line), but that doesn’t really say much, seeing as the Rouge Vitality formula is one of my absolute favourites! The Rouge Xpression formula is a solid one, and despite the fact that I’m not head-over-heels for it, I’d still definitely recommend it.
Curious Rouge Xpression lipstick
Curious, Delightful swatched on ~NW15 skin. Indirect sunlight.
Oh! And a few Steals & Deals…
I have a secret to tell you. There’s this guy in my Psych class (which is over now, for the record) and whenever I see him, learning just goes right out the window. Actually, all focusing whatsoever goes out the window. I confess, I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with… his blazer.
Seriously. It’s ridiculously cute. Every time I see it, I’m just like, “damn. That is a cute blazer.”
(I know; I’m so very astute. And also, did you catch the awful Twilight reference back there? I did. It hurt my soul to make it but it was just too humorous to pass up.)
What I’m on the hunt for is a light grey wool (or tweed) blazer with one button; a little on the long side, with a full sleeve, a shawl lapel, and two single-welt pockets. I went ahead and put together a spread of the closest styles I could find, but… none of them are quite perfect. The first Theory blazer is close, but it needs to have full sleeves, the collar of the Just Cavalli or Stella, be in a soft wool blend rather than a nylon/elastene one, and — oh, right, be about a zillion dollars $200 cheaper.
Alas! What is a girl perfectionist to do?
More over at the Marcelle blog, including photos and a full tutorial! ;)
There is something about Collette Dinnigan’s designs that always gets my attention — they’re very clean, and fairly minimal, but to with shapes and colours in a way that’s just interesting. You never quite know what you’re going to see in the next collection, but it’s always gorgeous and refreshing.
Enjoy the gallery, and please do click on the thumbnails to see the whole image! I particularly like the Snow White bridal collection (middle photo, middle row), though I do admit that it’s mainly just for the way the pieces have been shot. The photos are breathtaking and I would love to know who the photographer was!
images via Style.com, Collette Dinnigan.
You all know how I am about glittery glosses, right? If not: I like them. I do. But… in moderation, please. My favourite formulas are always the gorgeous, shimmer-free ones, and nothing grabs my attention like a non-glittery gloss.
Which is why I’ve fallen so hard for Annabelle’s new Le Gloss, Bitten. It’s a really gorgeous, incredibly pigmented, bright red gloss — and yes, it’s totally shimmer-free. I really do mean “incredibly pigmented,” for the record — this is probably the most pigmented drugstore gloss that I’ve ever run into! I find that Bitten is a little too orange on my lips, but 99% of lip products that I try on do pull a little too orange on me. Unless you have the same problem, I think you’ll be just fine! (It’s a pretty universal red, if you ask me; the base is neutral leaning blue.)
I should also add that Bitten leaves a fairly pigmented stain, so even though the shine wears off after a few hours, a crushed-berry red sticks around long after that. If you don’t wear pigmented glosses often, I’d definitely recommend pairing this with a lip liner (maybe Annabelle Bordeaux Waterproof Lip Liner?) as it’s hard to get a really precise lip line with gloss alone!
The other lip shine in the etherREAL collection, Pixie, is a little less… up my alley. It’s very sheer and has a fine shimmer throughout (for a lustre finish, not a shimmery one). I still like it, and I do find it a lot more wearable than its lovely red sister, but it’s not a must-have.
The Le Gloss line is one of my favourite drugstore lipgloss formulas; they’re packaged in well-built squeeze tubes with doe-foot applicators, are non-sticky, and have no scent. The fact that they’re only $8.25 (and are usually on sale for even less) is just the cherry on top!
A bit about it: Like most high-end all-natural products, Rejuvenate is on the pricy side — $45CAD for 100mL. (Comparatively, Clinique DDML is $24.80 per 100mL, and Olay Complete is $13 for the same amount.) It comes in a solidly built pump-style bottle, and the pump is wonderfully easy to control. And yah, I know that seems like a small thing, but it drives me crazy when pumps aren’t made well!
(Benefit Stay Don’t Stray, we’re looking at you.)
The feel: Strange. Very strange.
In other words… despite being so hydrating, Rejuvenate feels like a lightweight body moisturizer. It goes on thinly and sinks in almost immediately, but leave my skin almost — taught? It doesn’t feel dry (or irritated, or heavy,) but at the same time it doesn’t exactly feel moisturized.
The scent: Here’s where Rejuvenate looses points, if you ask me. It’s scented heavily with lavender, which drives me nuts! I may be alone on this, but I just can’t stand the smell of lavender. Yes, I’ve gotten used to it since I started using this moisturizer, but that definitely doesn’t mean I adore it.
But does it work? To a degree. For something this lightweight, it’s surprisingly moisturizing. I’d place it’s moisture factor… below German Nivea, but above Olay Complete (lotion) or Clinique Dramatically Different (lotion), and probably on par with Olay Complete (creme). However, do keep in mind that it’s a LOT less heavy than German Nivea or Olay Complete (creme)!
Try it if…
Skip it if…
God, is it just me or has it been forever since our last EOTD?
(Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.)
Anyhow, here’s a quick one for you! I was just test-running one of the new LE Marcelle eye quads for pigment and shade, so it’s nothing special. The quad itself, though? Pretty awesome, but that’s a story for another day. This day, to be exact!
