theNotice

Benefit’s Creaseless Creams are a bit of a lie

December 15, 2010

26 Comments

What it is: Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow/Liner in RSVP

image via StrawberryNet

The shade: RSVP is a really lovely shade, to be honest. It’s described as a “sparkling champagne,” and I think they hit the description right on its head. The base colour is substantially darker than my skintone and about a shade darker than it appears to be on the Benefit site, but the amount of shimmer (which really can’t be described as anything but “champagne”) lightens it up enough that the product makes a fantastic lid colour and inner corner hilight.

indirect sunlight, no flash

The wear: Okay, here’s where RSVP was a bit of a letdown. I used it for a few days just to perk up the inner corners of my eyes, and it looked amazing — but wouldn’t last all day. I’d estimate about five hours of wear before it faded off altogether. And, yes, that’s pretty good, but I wouldn’t pay $24CAD for five hours of wear! The lid wear was even worse; the shimmer would last all day but begin to crease within two hours.

indirect sunlight, flash support

The verdict? RSVP is really, really pretty… but I just can’t get on the Benefit Creaseless Cream train. They work well for a lot of people, but I guess I’m just not one of them. I’ve been told by a few people to layer it over primer, but quite frankly, at $19US/$24CAD, I’d like a product that’s actually creaseless, please!

Online availability: Benefit (if you do some poking around on their site, they have a mini RSVP for $10 right now), Sephora, Ulta, Perfume Worldwide, StrawberryNet (on sale for $17)

Tags: /Benefit, Eyes, Product Review, Product Swatches

26 Comments

The Gift Guide: Luxe for a Little – Small Splurges

December 14, 2010

Rae Chen

2 Comments

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 ;)

Majorica, Audrey Brooke, ABS by Allen Schwartz

They’re grouped into two categories; “Small Splurges,” and, for those of us who are really short on cash this season, “Under $20,” which will be going up later this week. Enjoy! Read more

Tags: The Gift Guide/Benefit, Clarins, Ellis Faas, Holiday 2010, Indie brands, The Gift Guide

2 Comments

Hard Candy Glamoflauge: yes, I’m totally crazy about it.

December 14, 2010

Rae Chen

29 Comments

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.

Read more

Tags: /Base, Hard Candy, Holy Grail, Make Up For Ever / MUFE, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Silicone-free, TheBalm

29 Comments

Marcelle’s new Rouge Xpression lipsticks: a Curious Delight?

December 13, 2010

Rae Chen

8 Comments

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

Not drying, but do need to be layered over lip balm if you’re in need of moisture,
Both paraben-free and scent-free,
All of the shades (that I’ve tried so far) are of medium pigmentation,
The colour goes on smoothly without skipping, and stays where it belongs (no slippage with wear), and finally,
They feel sort of like a Lancome Color Fever, but less slick. Velvety and powdery, if you get what I mean?

Curious, Delightful swatched on ~NW15 skin. Indirect sunlight.

Read more

Tags: /Canadian beauty, Fall/Winter 2010, Lips, Marcelle, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches

8 Comments

New 12/12/10

December 12, 2010

Rae Chen

2 Comments

Oh! And a few Steals & Deals…

(I completely adore Infusion d’Iris, so I definitely recommend picking up that adorable little duo if you see it!)

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

2 Comments

A completely normal, not at all strange problem

December 12, 2010

Rae Chen

4 Comments

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?

Tags: /Fashion

4 Comments

A violet-lipped look

December 11, 2010

Rae Chen

Collette Dinnigan

December 11, 2010

Rae Chen

6 Comments

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.

Tags: /Fashion

6 Comments

Annabelle etheREAL Le Gloss

December 10, 2010

Rae Chen

15 Comments

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!

Tags: /Annabelle, Canadian beauty, Holiday 2010, Lips, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches

15 Comments

Diane Lai Rejuvenates my dry skin

December 9, 2010

Rae Chen

16 Comments

The product: Diane Lai Rejuvenate moisturizer

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…

You’re okay with paying a bit more for something this lightweight,
Your skin’s dry, but not PARCHED,
You’re looking for something without parabens, silicones, artificial fragrances or colorants… it has quite the “free of” list!

Skip it if…

$45 for 100ml sounds like too much to you,
Your skin is really, really dry,
You’re okay with your moisturizer feeling a little heavier.

Tags: /Moisturizers, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Silicone-free, Silicone-free moisturizers and serums, Uncategorized

16 Comments