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    Marcelle Power Volume mascara powers right through the workday!

    What it is: Marcelle Power Volume mascara in Black (this also comes in Navy and Dark Brown)

    Reading tip: did you know that for all product reviews on theNotice, you can click on the company name to check out the product page? Yep! And a lot of the time for Marcelle (and sometimes Annabelle), the product pages have links to coupons — so click on through to get yours ;)

    What we love: Can it– could it– yes! IT IS! It took me over two years, but I’ve finally found the very first non-tubing mascara to not smudge awfully on my lashes after two hours. Gold star for not smudging! I do get a bit of greyness under my eyes around 8 after my nap, but that’s a good eleven hours after it was put on. All day + a nap = minimal greyness? Um, yespleasethanks.

    above: ahhh look at how full my lashes look! 
    below: bare lashes / one coat

    Another thing I liked (aside from the obvious fact: this gave my skimpy lashes more than decent volume!) was that it holds a curl quite well. You have to “push” the curl with your fingertip to set it, but once it’s set, you’re good for the entire day.

    Unless it rains, or you cry, or you cry in the rain like any good, predictable, Hollywood film star, I suppose.

    one coat

    What we didn’t like as much: This is a lot harder to remove than I’d prefer — but it’s nothing that a short soak with makeup remover can’t fix. Unfortunately, sweeping over my lashes with my HG-worthy Essentials cleansing water doesn’t quite cut it (I thought that thing could remove *anything*!) but I’ve had much better success with actual, dedicated makeup removers. And of course, nothing is a match for pure mineral oil! 

     a clumpier lash style

    I also really dislike how clumpy this can get after one layer; you really have to be careful with it. I have a feeling that it’s directly related to how much !)@#* product you get when you pull the wand out of the tube; the brush itself isn’t bad, but sometimes often, there’s so much product on it that I literally can’t see the bristles on the top of the tube! Like with any over-full mascara wand, though, a good wipe with a tissue helps a ton.

    The brush, post-cleaning. Perhaps the mascara could benefit from (a) a slightly larger brush, or (b) a slightly more narrow opening?

    The ingredients:

    Aqua/Water/Eau,  Paraffin,  Stearic Acid ,  Cera Carnauba/Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/Cire De Carnauba,  Triethanolamine,  Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire D’abeille,  Cholesterol, Nylon-12,  Cetyl Esters,  Nylon-6, Hydroxyethylcellulose ,  Panthenol, Glycerin,  Aminomethyl Propanediol, Phenoxyethanol,  Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract,  Hydrolyzed Keratin,  Silica,  Methylparaben,  Ethylparaben, Propylparaben,  Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben. May Contain: Ultramarines,  Iron Oxides,  Titanium Dioxide

    The verdict? This is my current go-to mascara, and I think that says all you need to know! It really does get you volume in just one sweep of the brush, but if you try for more you might end up in Clump City. (It’s East 24km from Spider Lashonton, and a fifteen minute drive South-West from Falsie Effectary.) But the reason why I really love it? I never thought I’d find a non-tubing mascara that would wear for more than over four hours with zero smudging or flaking… but this is it!

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    Tall, shiny buildings

    A general reminder: everything can be clicked! That is all.

    I feel bad that this post is (a) pretty half-assed, and (b) so very late, but hey — image uploads are down on Blogger right now, and we all know that I just wouldn’t feel right reviewing something sans photos.

    So, here’s an old spread I’ve had kicking around! Not much else to say; running off to go have dinner. Basically, just pretty, modern, sleek, way-out-of-my-budget items… hope you like it!

    Chanel, Guerlain, Yves Saint Laurent, Guerlain

    In retrospect, I probably should have included a dress or three to go with this as well. So, here’s a few ideas; perhaps whoever would have worn the above look would have worn one of these at some point in time.

                     

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    Etude House Fresh Cherry Blusher Duo

    What it is: Etude House Fresh Cherry Blusher Duo

    The packaging: It’s cute and well-made, but it’s not the most practical, either. While a circular pan split in the middle may be easy on the eyes, it makes it kinda hard to get at the product itself! (Especially in those little corners, right by the halfway line). If you used your fingers all the time to apply the blushers, like the box tells you to, you’d probably end up with about 1/4 to 1/3 of the product being a PITA to access. With a brush, it’s not so bad, but it’s enough to annoy me — I prefer pans without tiny corners, or at least as few as possible, pretty please!

    The formula and finish: This blusher is one of many, with a dry formula that sets as a smooth powder. It’s scented with a very synthetic, fruity cherry odour — just enough to annoy me for about fifteen minutes before it fades. The colours are pretty decently pigmented off the bat and last 3-4 hours without fading, and while I like my blush to last all day, I’m okay with the fading (for the cost).

    The ingredients:

    What I liked…

    • The accessibility (for those of you in Asia, who can never find what I rave about!)
    • The price ($4-6 direct, usually marked up to about $10 in North America)
    • The two shades chosen — they’re both very bright, but still natural, and aren’t at all similar (which I think is great)

    What I disliked…

    • The wear time (I like my blush to last more than 4 hours, please!)
    • The amount of product (0.11oz in total — Ben Nye’s have .25oz, and you need about 4x as much product with these than you do with BN’s for the same amount of colour).
    • The powder finish (most of the time, if I want a powder finish… I’ll just use a powder blush!)
    • For those of us who are out of Asia, these can be pretty hard to find. Try google-searching it?
    • The icky synthetic cherry scent. Bleh!

    The verdict? This one really depends on your own preferences; mine is this: I could definitely survive without it, but I don’t regret adding it to my stash. Feel free to make your own decision, though ;)

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    Clinique’s Strawberry Fudge Holiday collection makes my Monday

    Not much to say today (reviews, more photos, and more swatches will be going up as the November launch date gets nearer) but Clinique’s Strawberry Fudge collection has been making my mornings a little brighter recently. The collection includes…

    Strawberry Fudge Holiday Compact ($43.00)
    Contains a Colour Surge Eye Shadow Trio, of which the pink shade (the large one on the left) has been rocking my world. It’s a lovely light pink with tons of delicate gold shimmer throughout, and deliciously soft, to boot. Also contains a Soft Pressed Powder Blusher in New Clover.

    Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour in Strawberry Bliss ($22.50)
    A new Lip Smoothie shade; it’s a sheer medium-strawberry with shimmer.
    Defining Liner for Lips in Plush Pink ($17.50)
    Part of the permanent collection.
    High Lengths Mascara in Black ($18.00)
    Also permanent! Karen has a great review of it here.
    As I said, a full review will come over the next week or two, but here are some swatches of the compact in the meantime. I’m not really loving the photos I was able to take, so I might need to re-swatch before the review. (Y/N?)
    L-R: New Clover, strongly; New Clover, blended; eye trio.
    So, lovelies: what do you think? I wasn’t too terribly excited for the collection, but the compact has been getting a lot of my attention recently! I think it’s worth the wait if you’re looking for a very “Clinique” palette (pretty, feminine, and safe), even with Sephora’s FF coming up before its release.
    P.S. If you can’t wait until November, you can pick up Clinique’s (perm) Strawberry Fudge duo right now. It contains the pink shadow that I love so much, as well as the lighter brown, but do me a favour and make sure to use a sale code to get the most for your hard-earned cash? ;)
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    Sunday Steals and Deals

    Hmm. Not sure if I like the bigger box or not… we’ll see. (If you have an opinion on it, let me know in the comments!)
    Anyhow, here’s everything worth mentioning that I could find at 40% off or more. Happy hauling! I’m off to return to cramming for midterms :/

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    Marcelle AC-Solution Exfoliating Gel might just be a little *too* scrubby

    What it is: Marcelle AC-Solution Daily Purifying Exfoliating Gel

    The scrubby problem: The thing about sharp little scrubby bits is that they get the job done… but a lot of derms think they’re a bad idea. Long-term usage of jagged physical exfoliators can lead to some pretty un-pretty things, like broken capillaries and light bruising. So, I’m not super!thrilled that this has both rounded and jagged pieces. (Another notable exfoliator with jagged bits? St. Ives’ popular Apricot Scrub, of course! Unlike that one, though, this didn’t break me out. Thank goodness!)

    Aside from that: it does work pretty well, and the scrubbing *does* seem very effective — but you have to remember to be GENTLE. I’d also recommend keeping exfoliation to a minimum; that is, only doing it two or three times a week! (Which, hey, is easier than using a very gentle exfoliator daily…) I do think this is the most harsh product in the AC-Solution line, but even with my dry, sensitive skin, I’m okay with this exfoliator as long as I don’t use it daily and make sure to moisturize well.

    The ingredients:

    Aqua/Water/Eau,  Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine,  Polyethylene, Acrylates Copolymer,  Glycerin,  Salicylic Acid,  Zinc Gluconate,  Citric Acid,  Propylene Glycol,  Sodium Hydroxide,  Allantoin,  Jojoba Esters,  Diazolidinyl Urea ,  Disodium Edta, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate,  Blue 1

    The verdict: It’s definitely not optimal, in my mind, but if you have normal-to-oily acne-prone skin and like the feel of rough exfoliators, this definitely wouldn’t be a bad option. Perhaps I’ll see if my sister wants it… but then again, she tends to overkill on the exfoliation. (And by this, we mean that she managed to give herself a friction burn with my Men+Care scrubber!)

    (Yah, she’s pretty hardcore.)

    Psst — we’ve reviewed the rest of the AC-Solution line, too. Feel free to browse the reviews of the moisturizer, toner, cleanser, and spot treatment, or just have a gander over at our overall impressions.

    P.S. How much did you totally love the excessive photos in this review? I thought so.

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    Coming up: Annabelle insomnia (Winter 2010 collectin)

    What it’ll contain: (everything is limited edition and either a new shade of a product or a new product altogether!)

    Multi-Dome Eyeshadow –  $13.95 

    “Discover the world behind the shadows with our three promotional palettes: Insomnia, Midnight or Disturbia. Each of these palettes contains four iridescent eyeshadows in this season’s must-have shades: electric blue, coal black, luminous silver or powdery pastels!” Okay, how pretty is Midnight?! And the violet in Insomnia? I die.

    Dome Face Powder in Nox – $11.95 

    “Try our luminescent face powder and be the queen of the night! Stand out by mixing the matte and the shimmering textures to highlight cheekbones and jaw line.” Hoping this one will be MSF-y, but even better. 

    Glitterama Liquid Eyeliner – $7.95
    “One of our star products is now available in two jeweled shades: Dark Angel and Night Light. Add glitter and glam to your gaze!” (Glitterama review here.)

    Rouge Velours Lipstick in Hypnotic – $7.95
    “Balance your dark eyes with this soft nude shade of lipstick. Pure colour that feels like velvet.” (Rouge Velours review here!)

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    Vote for a cause at The Body Shop

    The Body Shop, one of our favourite (if not our #1 favourite) socially responsible companies, is launching on an awesome new charitable cause. They explain it loads better than I would, so here it is!

    Raising money for your favourite charity is now as simple as walking into one of The Body Shop boutiques starting Monday, October 11. Help The Body Shop Foundation celebrate 20 years of caring this month by voting on three deserving charities to win a share of $20,000 to support their amazing grassroots efforts. The three charities speak to The Body Shop core values of Defending Human Rights (Canadian Women’s Foundation), Animal Protection (Born Free) and Protecting the Planet (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society) and provide an opportunity for you to support the cause you feel most passionate about. Voting is also available online here, and will end on November 1.

    Even better, no matter what charity you vote for, every cause will win vital funds towards continuing important work. $10,000 will go to the organization with the most customer votes, $6,000 to the organization with the second highest customer votes and $4,000 to the organization with the third highest customer votes. Doing good has never felt or looked so good.

    Human Rights – Canadian Women’s Foundation
    The Canadian Women’s Foundation (CWF) is Canada’s only national foundation dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls. CWF researches, shares and funds the most promising approaches to ending violence against women, moving low-income women out of poverty, and empowering girls with confidence, courage and critical thinking skills. (www.canadianwomen.org)

    Animal Protection – Born Free
    Through litigation, legislation, and public education, Born Free leads vital campaigns against animals in entertainment, exotic “pets”, trapping and fur, and destructive international wildlife trade. Born Free’s worldwide mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally. (www.bornfreeusa.org)

    Environmental Protection – Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
    With a handful of dedicated staff and hundreds of volunteers, CPAWS is protecting our wilderness and endangered species like caribou through public education and conservation planning with governments, industry and local communities. (www.cpaws.org)

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    Free to a good home!

    ETA: gone; thanks for the quick responses!

    Would like to ship as ONE lot, please. Sorry that I haven’t anything more to say; I’m in a bit of a rush this morning. Basically, I have a bunch of old used and new makeup that I’d like to get rid of (I need the space,) and I wanted to see if anyone wanted it before it gets tossed.

    Shipping will be $15 within US/Canada — willing to ship elsewhere, but it’ll probably be prohibitively expensive! First one to comment gets the lot; comments are set to be screened as usual but I will be checking them as soon as I have time and honouring timestamps. Please remember to fill in the “email” slot for your comment (that way, you won’t have to put your email in the comment itself, meaning it’ll be viewable only to me). xoxo

    Read more to find out what’s up for grabs…


    Samples/trial sizes of:

    • Stila Oil-Free foundation, shade B
    • MUFE HD 117
    • MUFE HD 115
    • Sephora Bronzed Beauty l/g
    • Palmer’s Cocoa Butter

    Full-sized:

    • Two Victoria’s Secret eyeshadow quads
    • One Trucco quad
    • VS Beauty Rush lipgloss
    • e.l.f. All Over Color Stick in Lilac Petal
    • Senna Oil-Free Setting Powder (pan)
    • Smashbox Smashing Velvet and Smashing Mystic jumbo eye pencils (disc and HTF)
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