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Adventures in Theatre Makeup, part II: a foundation review

October 13, 2010

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Don’t miss Adventures in Theatre Makeup, an introduction (with reviews for some cheek colours and a highlighter)!

What it is: Ben Nye Cream Foundation in Ultra Fair

The coverage and feel: huzzah, a silicone-free foundation! Now, slopping on enough of this to be “theatre appropriate” can create some major grossness, but for everyday wear it’s far from terrible. It’s kind of like the Ben Nye Cream Foundations have the coverage of a concealer, but the texture of a foundation. Which is… awesome.

For those with oily skin wanting heavy coverage, this might not be for you. Otherwise, I think it would be fine for dry to normal skin, as well as for oily/combination-skinned gals who want light to medium coverage and set with powder. (My t-zone can shine up pretty badly, and this is just fine with this it.)

Pictured bottom right.

The curse: you know how hard it is to foundation-match in person, with a shade range of 10-20 choices?

Well, Ben Nye produces this formula alone in over 50 different shades. And it’s a PITA to find, unless you live in a city with a specialty shop.

Why the curse is actually a gift: well, once you find your shade, you’re pretty much set. And if you can’t find your shade, there are a ton of options that you could blend to customize your perfect foundation! (Ben Nye products are ridiculously creamy, so it’s easy to blend products, even in their packaging.) Plus, theatre makeup is a great option for pale girls: finally, lines that always carry our shades!

The added bonus: time for some math. (Kidding!) These are 0.5oz each, and you’d probably only need half as much foundation as normal. And… they’re $8 per pan. Nope, I’m not pulling your leg — they really are! Size + pigmentation + cost = a really great deal. (Math skills + Rae = none).

Some swatches: Just as a bit of a “starting point,” here are some concealer swatches as compared to Ultra Fair. I hope they can help someone out there :) Taken in indirect sunlight, and in the shade with flash.

Center: Ultra Fair

The other four corners, clockwise from top left: theBalm timeBalm in Lighter Than Light, and MAC Studio Finish concealer in NC20, NW15, and NC15.

The verdict: yes. YES. A huge yes! They’re ridonculously creamy, insanely cheap, super pigmented, silicone-free… as you can see, I can’t stop raving about them!

Well, that’s a lie. I can stop raving about them, and I’m about to: you can’t rave about foundation in your sleep, after all, and I’m writing this draft at almost 1AM. So, feel free to ask questions in the comments. Or to let me know how totally incoherent and hard to read this was.

Catalogue photos via Ben Nye.

Tags: /Base, Product Review, Product Swatches, Silicone-free

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Adventures in Theatre Makeup

October 13, 2010

Rae Chen

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I’m a huge fan of theatre makeup — for everyday use. (Yes, I really did just say that.) I’m not sure how many of you have done theatre before, but those of you who have surely remember days of gross, slimy, caked-on makeup!

Thing is, it doesn’t have to be like that. Theatre makeup can work amazingly for day looks, too — you just have to really work the products in and sheer them out. The trick is using as little as possible; theatre makeup is made to be super pigmented, which means that for everyday uses, you can work the products into a feels-like-nothing state and still get great payoff. If you ask me, theatre makeup puts high-end pigmentation to shame… and it does it at drugstore prices!

Lovely “life-appropriate” theatre makeup out of the Ben Nye catalogue

What we love about theatre makeup:

Absolutely incredible pigmentation and wear time. They’re made to stand out under and stand up to super-hot stage lighting, after all.
Dirt-cheap prices. Pans of foundation for under $10? Sign us up!
Many of the cream foundations (especially the older ones) are silicone-free. Which isn’t to say that they all are, though — check the ingredients label!

What we don’t love about it:

It can be really, really hard to find, especially in smaller cities — which means that shade-matching for foundation is even more difficult than normal!
You don’t get any snazzy packaging, but… we’ll make the compromise.

But without further adieu: a few reviews. NOTE: I’m not affiliated with Ben Nye, and I don’t think they’re necessarily the best. It’s just that they’re all I’ve tried, and I’ve been thrilled with the line!

Ben Nye Creme Highlight in Ultralight

Not much to say about this one. It was a highlighter; I liked it. Personally, I love the idea of matte/satin highlighters that are just a touch lighter than your own skintone, but that’s just me! I know that shimmery highlighters are very “in” right now (and by “now” we mean “always.”) It’s just… I’ve never been a huge fan of shimmer. We all know that.

Ultralight in particular is great because it’s so, well, light! If you have a creme foundation that’s a little too light, mixing a bit of this in as a shade-lightener is a great alternative to buying a new shade altogether. And, for those about NC30 or below, it makes a great natural highlight when it’s (a) sheered out or (b) blended with a small amount of foundation for a truly customized highlight shade.

Clockwise from top left: Dusty Rose Creme Rouge, Raspberry Creme Rouge, Ultra Fair Creme Foundation, Ultralight Highlight.

The entire highlight range: (if you’re interested in Ben Nye products, I highly recommend flipping through their online catalogue — it’s quite extensive!)

Ben Nye Creme Rouge in Dusty Rose and Raspberry

These were definitely my favourites of the bunch, which is saying a lot! You need so little product to get a gorgeous, unbelievably natural flush, and it lasts all day long. We used these two Creme Rouges extensively on-set, and I kid you not, both of them translate just as beautifully and boldly on NC55 skin as they do on NW10 skin.

Top: Dusty Rose, Raspberry

Bottom circle: the two blended together and blended out. Lovely, non?

More things to note: these are the softest, creamiest creme blushers I’ve ever found, making them optimal for blending different shades together. Plus, they won’t dry out on you, and are an amazing $5 each! I kind of scare myself by saying this, but… I’d pick up a Ben Nye Creme Rouge over a Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge any day.

Another tip: try applying pigmented cream blushes with a duo-fibre stippling brush or a foundation brush for a flawless, seamless finish.

The rest of the creme blush range: (I have my eye on Red, of course, as well as Carnation Pink. And everything else.)

Catalogue photos via Ben Nye.

Check back later today for a review of Ben Nye’s foundation… which comes in over 50 different shades!

Tags: /Base, Cheeks, Grouped reviews, Product Review, Product Swatches

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L’Artisan Parfumeur Poivre Piquant: better than the real thing

October 12, 2010

Rae Chen

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Poivre Piquant is an interesting blend of white pepper, liquorice, milk, and honey… and it smells just as good as it sounds. It blends into the skin seamlessly — you know how some fragrances smell great, but they smell like fragrances? Well, this smells like your own skin, but softly spiced and scented to perfection. As if you’ve consumed something magical and it’s slowly emanating from your being!

I expected something much bolder, with a name like “Poivre Piquant,” but I actually find this to be very easy to wear; “mainstream” friendly. On my skin, the first twenty-odd minutes are my favourite, as the pepper (my favourite part of this fragrance) starts to wane after that point. The white pepper has been crafted impeccably, and smelling freshly-applied Poivre Piquant is like smelling freshly ground white pepper on a soft honey-and-liquorice base. Minus the sneezing. Somehow, Bertrand Duchaufour (the perfumer) has succeeded in creating a pepper that is more real than the real thing.

After about a half hour of wear, Poivre Piquant settles into a very friendly blend (for both sexes, might I add.) At that point, it smells very similar to more mass-market scents, with a clean, sweet, woody base, making it the perfect choice for someone who is looking for a subtle “safe”-but-better scent. The resulting dry-down will leave you smelling just as well-cut as the rest of the lads and ladies in your office… but you’ll have the extra “oomph” of just a pinch of pepper.

Availability: Poivre Piquant can be purchased through the L’Artisan Parfumeur site here, or through retailers like Neiman Marcus and BeautyHabit. It can also be sampled (or purchased) though LuckyScent.

As an introduction to niche perfumes, Poivre Piquant is perfect: it’s just as wearable as a mass-market perfume, but has a beautiful peppery opening to compliment the blend. At $95 for a 50ml bottle of Eau de Toilette, it’s within reach of most budgets, though this likely means some saving up beforehand! What I’d love to see released is an “Extrême” version, with a more lasting pepper note and a balance tipped just a touch toward more the slightly bitter liquorice rather than toward the smooth, sweet honey note.

Poivre Piquant was crafted in 2002 by Bertrand Duchaufour.

Tags: /Fragrance, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Product Review

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A simple winged EOTD

October 11, 2010

Rae Chen

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All I have time to say: midterms are soon. Who has time for makeup anymore?! :'(

Okay, kidding. I do want to introduce this one just briefly; you know it’s impossible for me to not talk too much!

How-to

I love this look because it’s so quick and simple, but it can still be polished. All you have to do is sweep a shimmery champagne over your lid, line your eyes with pretty much any shade, smudge said line a little, and apply mascara. Seriously, that’s it. For a touch more drama you can tightline your upper lash line with black or dark brown, but everything should take less than five minutes.

Why it’s so easy

It’s all in the smudging! Liner, especially winged liner, can be hard to do quickly, especially for beginners. Because you’re smudging your liner lightly around the edges (a sponge-tipped smudge bush or a q-tip would both work well), the precision isn’t a problem, letting you get a ton of practice with liner without a super-messy result.

The eye’s all about the liner, too, so you don’t have to worry about blending eyeshadow. Mucho drama for your time ;)

Some variations:

Try a deep silver, navy, or violet cream liner instead of the usual black or brown.
If you have a bit more time, go over the top line with a glitter liner…
…or perfect a crisp line instead of a smudgy one.
Do a more dramatic wing, or no wing at all.
Set off your liner with a lighter shade, sort of like I did here.
Switch the champagne for a matte lid shade, or a shimmering peach, pink, silver, or taupe.
Choose a primer-and-shadow-in-one, or a creme product.

Products used (there are so few of them!)

theBalm timeBalm concealer, Lighter Than Light
Lancome Maquiriche eye shadow, Crème Lustré
Urban Decay 24/7 eye liner, Zero
GOSH Duet Eye Shadow, Golden/Chocolate

Or you could try any of these for the liner… (click on the products to view them; you know the drill.)

I mean, really. How perfect would that liner set be if this was your go-to look? ;) I used a 24/7 (which are virtually indistinguishable from the MUFE pencils in texture and wear), but you really could use just about anything. I haven’t heard anything about the two in the top right hand corner, but the rest are supposed to stay on the waterline quite well.

Stila, NARS, Stila, Bobbi Brown, Revlon, Make Up For Ever

And for the shadow…

Of course, Benefit’s Creaseless Creams and Stila Kitten have to be here! But as you can see, you really get to mix it up when it comes to your lid wash. Keeping it sheer and shimmery tends to be the easiest option (no blending involved), but you could use whatever, really. Here, we have creme sticks, potted creams, matte pressed powders, shimmery pressed powders, liquids, primer-and-shadow…

I think you get my point :o)

Bobbi Brown, Paul & Joe, Revlon, Stila, Bobbi Brown

Tags: /4. Makeup looks, Eyes, Makeup looks: neutral, Tutorials

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Sunday Steals and Deals

October 10, 2010

Rae Chen

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I don’t have too much to say today, aside from “happy shopping!” To start us off, remember the Rimmel makeup remover that we reviewed a week or two ago? It’s on sale for just $3.64 (holy cripes!) At Walgreens. And actually, they have a ton of Rimmel for dirt-cheap prices — everything in the box below is under $4 apiece!

And some more drugstore goodies for $1 to $3 each (I keep hearing raves about the Lust palette, but haven’t been able to find the darn thing in Canada. This might be a good thing, though; I really don’t need any more violet shadows.)

I don’t have a cute box for this one, but Giorgio Armani is having a makeup trunk sale, and the items are 20-40% off ;) Three glosses for under $30, Lip Wax for $17… do want.

Some other assorted amazing deals, from Korres lipstick to Illamasqua eyeshadow…

Plus, some codes and such:

TREATS – free standard shipping, plus a super-cute free Clinique 3-step charm and Long Last Glosswear mini (in Air Kiss) with any order over $35. {Clinique}
LASH – free standard shipping plus a free mascara mini with purchases over $35. {Clinique}
get15off or shipfree – 15% off or free shipping for any order. {Perfume Worldwide}
RUBY, BLOSSOM, PASSION or CRYSTAL – get a free full-size Once Upon A Shine sheer lip gloss in your choice of shade (one of the four codes) with any order! {Origins}

Tags: /Steals and Deals

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Lancome Blush Subtil: a love story

October 8, 2010

Rae Chen

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Fact: my first non-gift-with-purchase blush is still my favourite.

Fact: even though I have an obscene number of blushers, I wear her at least once every week. If not more.

Fiction: she’s a total wild card!

It’s a fairly accepted fact that I’m really into blush. It’s not arguable; it’s not a good thing or a bad thing; I just am. And as it so happens, my two go-to blushes are both Lancome Blush Subtil shades… and they look almost the exact darn same.

Rose Fresque, my first true love (pictured left,) is the perfect light pink for my skintone, and the formula itself made her perfect for a first-timer in the blush field. She’s easy to apply and hard to overapply, giving my pale skin just the right amount of colour. Nothing looks quite as natural as Rose Fresque, if you ask me — her subtle yellow undertones and overall lightness create the perfect no-makeup cheek.

Aplum, on the other hand (pictured right) came along about a year later. I love her too, but we just don’t jive quite the same way — she looks a lot like her little sister, but I think we’re just missing the sentiment. She’s a tiny bit darker, a touch more pigmented, and more of a plummy shade, to be frank. While Rose Fresque leans yellow-pink, she leans more to the red-violets.

I talk about these two a lot, and I’ll keep talking about them a lot… but I’m not saying you should rush out and buy them. There are probably a ton of great drugstore blushers that look very similar to ‘ol Rosie and her sister, and probably a lot of other high-end blushers that would look quite similar on my cheeks, but there’s just something… special about these, for me, you know? Sentimental value, if you will, especially when it comes to Rose Fresque.

I simply love everything about them: the light rose-scented makeup fragrance, the stiff surface (I hate it when brushes kick up “blush dust”), their easy-to-apply nature, their seemingly neverending pans. Their matte finishes (I guess I’m a matte girl at heart; all of my go-to products are blissfully shimmer-free), their perfect pinky tones.

So, yah. I’m really into blush.

What of it?

—

Do you have a makeup item that you’re hopelessly in love with for largely sentimental reasons? Tell me about her in the comments!

Tags: /Cheeks, Lancome, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches

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Annabelle Hush minerals blusher: a short review

October 7, 2010

Rae Chen

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I find it hard to talk about Annabelle’s Hush — the formula of the product is lovely (and the packaging? To die for.) but I’m just not a fan of the shade. I find it to be quite warm, and as such it looks gorgeous on very warm-toned ladies… but it’s a bit of a mess on my very cool-toned skin!

So, here are photos, and I will try to keep my cool-toned prejudices out of the review ;)

Aside from the shade, I love pretty much everything else about the product. The price (about $10 for 2.5g, regular price) is high for the drugstore, but definitely more than decent for the product itself. What really struck me, though, was the packaging. I usually abhor mineral packaging; it’s all childlike rounded edges and threads that won’t quite fit into the lid. (And yes, that includes the — vastly overpriced — Bare Minerals.) But the Annabelle Minerals packaging if just fabulous, fitting on snugly and feeling sleek and solid!

I spent a good five minutes just twisting on and off the lid, which is ridiculous… but anyone who’s dabbled in mineral blushers before will understand my crazy love for the well-made packaging. It was like the the skies opened up and shone down liquid happiness!

I was also quite impressed with the pigmentation and texture of Hush; it applied quite strongly but was easy to sheer out as well. One last thing to note, though, would be the fact that it’s quite shimmery (but not, like, drag-queen glittery, obviously) — the glow is absolutely gorgeous (especially in the sunlight,) but those who have a tendency to shine up during the day may want to be a little more wary!

The ingredients: Mica, bismuth oxychloride, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, carmine.

The verdict? I really liked the formula and packaging, but I wouldn’t personally pick up this one. At this time Annabelle only has three shades, which is unfortunate — but they are different enough that they pretty much cover all skintones, thank goodness! As long as you can check out the shade in-person before buying, I don’t think there should be a problem. (And with Annabelle really only being easily accessible in Canadian drugstores, you’ll all have to see the blushers in person anyway!)

Tags: /Annabelle, Canadian beauty, Cheeks, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches

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New for the holidays

October 7, 2010

Rae Chen

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Click on any photo to get to the product page!

More Holiday items? You betcha! With all of the sets around during the winter, I can’t imagine a better time to add a few more items to your kit — the only thing that makes a great product better is a great deal, of course.

To start us off: this to-die-for Laura Mercier Fall Favourites palette. Be still my beating heart! Of course, the price does pretty much stop said organ… but a girl can dream, right?

A cute gloss set by Laura Mercier, and a pretty standard set from NARS:

Hey, y’know what I just noticed? Laura’s Sephora Mini Lip Glace Set is different from all the other similarly named sets! Sephora’s are different shades, and only feature four glosses instead of five. Hmm.

From Sephora + OPI, a boggling amount of nail polish:

To top off our Holiday lists: Dior! After my escapades with last year’s Holiday quad, I must admit I’m a lot less tempted, but still… talk about some smooth-as-butter shadows.

And perhaps this one would even be justifiable as a splurge for yourself? After all, they do say you should invest in your brushes…

P.S. Love/hate the “New at/for” posts? Let us know what you think in the poll (in the sidebar)! We only do them because we’ve gotten numerous requests for them in the past (if we do all the hunting to stay on top of all the cool new products, it means you guys don’t have to!) so if you want me to stop… I will. Or, at least, I’ll keep them to a bare minimum ;)

Tags: /Holiday 2010, New This Week (& etc), Other

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CoverGirl Outlast Lipstains: kiss your way through the workday

October 6, 2010

Rae Chen

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(Okay, don’t actually do that. Depending on your job field… it’s probably strongly inadvisable.)

What it is: CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain in Everbloom Kiss

The formula: This is the one thing I’m not totally sure about, so I guess I’ll make myself talk about it first? On one hand, it wears quite well for a drugstore product (we’ll get into that more later,) but on the other — it does have its downfalls. For instance, it tastes really bad! And it’s far from moisturizing; you’re definitely going to want some lip balm overtop (but not underneath!) it.

The applicator: I really, really liked this felt-tipped applicator. It’s a lot easier to apply a sharpie-like stain than it is to fidget with liquid and gel ones — plus, your fingers end up a lot less pink. However, like the formula, it has its downfalls, too: the marker tip makes it less versatile, and you can’t use it as a cheek stain or blend it with other products (e.g. on a colour palette.) I think we definitely win out with this trade-off, though; the, convenience, precision, and ease of application can’t be beat!

The wear: A lot of people have troubles with the wear of this one — they say it leaves a ring of colour around your lip line, and wears off in the center. I’m not quite sure why, but I haven’t had a single problem with this (and I press my lips together a lot!) It could be because they’re applying over other lip products; the one thing you never want to do with a lip stain is try to layer it overtop anything else. So, in short, this one does not leave a “ring of colour.“

Random addition to the review: for whatever reason, I didn’t like this one at first, and planned a pretty negative review! I’m not totally sure why, though. I think possibly because it’s not FAB, y’know? It’s just… good. But for the price, “good” is still more than decent, no?

The shade: Huge raves for Everbloom Kiss! It’s bright, but still very natural looking, and has just enough blue in it to brighten up everything from slightly cool to very warm skintones. Basically, it’s just really, really cute!

Try it if…

You want a “starter lip stain” that’s really, really easy to apply,
You’re looking for something that you can touch up during the day without much hassle,
You want a really long-wearing lip product,
You like a really natural-looking lip finish! (I do — I love a stained-but-bare lip.)

Skip it if…

You can’t stand icky-tasting lip products. It’s only really an issue if you lick your lips a lot, but hey — maybe it’ll help break you of the bad habit!
You have extremely dry lips and are unwilling to exfoliate first?

Hmmm. With all the lip products I already have, do you think I’d be able to justify buying Nude Kiss and Sassy Mauve as well? They’re just so cute! And I– NO! RAE, RESIST. RESIST!

Availability: Drugstore.com, Target, Walgreens… and pretty much any other drugstore out there!

Tags: /Lips, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches

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YOU: Non-beauty splurges (and saves)

October 5, 2010

Rae Chen

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A few months ago, I bought (okay, my amazing parents bought me) a new mattress. And in short, it’s been fabulous — it’s comfortable beyond belief, and gives just enough support for my bad back. But it got me to thinking: what will you really splurge on?

I’m obviously not old enough to say things like “houses,” but I definitely weigh out my options for different items. Shirts, for instance? No way am I spending a ton on them! But when it comes to my health, it’s pretty easy to justify spending more. Mattresses, shoes, stuff like that — they make a huge difference for my entire body, and it always pays off when you don’t have to see the physiotherapist on a weekly basis ;)

So go ahead, tell me what you’re willing to spend on and what you always save on! (And if you’re interested in doing a beauty version of this question too, do let me know in your comment. I’m kinda curious now, too!)

Here are a few more of mine. I’m definitely more of a saver than a spender, but there’s a time and place for everything…

Electronics: Both. Quality over quantity, right? For instance, instead of a netbook and a desktop computer, we picked out a MacBook Pro. When it was time for a new camera, I chose a DSLR, but waited months for it to go on sale before buying it. I have an iPod Nano, but carried my original iPod around right until the day it stopped working! (It was the very first touch-wheel model, and my god was it ever hearty!)
Furniture: Save, save, save! I love refinishing furniture, and there’s a ton of great items to be found on sites like Craigslist and Kijiji for a fraction of their original cost. Some of it’s really worn down, of course, but there are definitely gems to be found that are practically brand-new!
Books: Save, definitely. I’ll buy a book if I think it’s worth reading again (gotta support those authors!) but most of the time, I just pick up my books at the library. And nowadays, I haven’t had much time to read anyways… *sigh*

Tags: /YOU

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