theNotice

Survey stuff

November 5, 2009

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May I just say that you guys are awesome? 36 of you have done the survey so far — thank you so much!! It’s still up (seeing as it’s only been open for what, like 48 hours?) so if you’re planning on doing it eventually, make this weekend the time to do it! I’ll elaborate on the you-are-awesome bit when I have a little more time. For now, just know that I love you all!

Take THE BEST SURVEY EVER by clicking those words.
(You know. The big purple ones. Just in case you didn’t get that already.)
x.x

Tags: /About theNotice

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I only WISH it was more humid right now

November 4, 2009

Rae Chen

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My hair and skin are toast!! It is so dry. But alas! Alberta cares not how our bodies fare in these dry winters. Or dry summers. Actually, dry everything.

Anyhow, some swatches for y’all today! MAC Humid, a gorgeous dark forest green with a frost finish. (Fear not, though! It’s not super-frosty or anything.)

These swatches are a little yellow (the photo above, of the shadow in the pan, is more colour-accurate) but will give you a good idea of what it looks like.

Dry / Wet / Over a white base

Tags: /Eyes, MAC, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches

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Don’t play coy with me!

November 4, 2009

Rae Chen

8 Comments

What it is: Senna‘s Colouring Cream, in Coy. (You’ll see “Cheeky Blush” rather than “Colouring Cream” if you follow the link, but I’m 95% sure it’s a simple repackaging — the product and shade descriptions both line up flawlessly.)It’s like: a MAC Cream Colour Base, in that it can be used as a blush or hilight. Super-shimmery, and with a drier feel than a CCB — think Quo’s cream blushes, Canadians! Basically, you get the ease of a cream blush but the finish and feel of a powder blush. None of that sticky nonsense!

shimmertown!

The colour: Coy is described as a “soft peach pink,” but I really see more peach than pink in this. It’s like a mix of the two product photos in this post. And I just have to say it again: this is PACKED with shimmer. The pigmentation is good; not so strong it’s hard to blend and wear during the day, but you don’t need much to finish your cheeks.

The verdict? At $19 a pop, I would give this a pass, unless you’re really into your shimmery products. However, I may be a bit biased against it simply because I’ve never been a huge fan of coral or peach blushes; had this been a more pink shade (like Geranium or Petal) I probably would have liked it more. All that said, though, I really do love the formulation! It’s easy to apply with just fingertips, a dream to blend, and dries to that gorgeous no-feel finish of a good powder.

Tip: have you ever tried applying your cream blushes with a clean foundation brush? I love doing this — it’s a neat little trick that keeps your fingertips clean, and makes your cheeks look airbrushed!

Tags: /Cheeks, Indie brands, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Senna

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The five most expensive… makeup items on Sephora.com

November 3, 2009

Rae Chen

11 Comments

So after doing the five most expensive items on Sephora.com, I decided to do it just for makeup. Because I’m mentally disturbed like that. Sets are included this time though, because makeup tends to be a little less ~~disturbingly priced~~ expensive and I needed to fill this list.

Fifth and fourth places
Smashbox and Sephora share this spot with their respective Lights, Camera, Action Blockbuster Kit and Treasure Trunk. They’re both [almost] justifiably huge and will cost you $99, though I’d like to point out that the Smashbox is worth $217 and the Sephora “only” $188.
Third place
Somehow, after those giant sets we just saw, it’s hard to justify spending $126 on this small Shiseido Dick Page Collection Kit.
Second place
I think that the bigger your name, the bigger you think your price tags can be. Why? Well, why else are the letters of TEMPTU all capitals? Their AIRbrush Makeup System (again with the capitals!) is $225. It is technically a piece of equipment, though, so I guess I’ll cut it a bit of slack.
First place
Again, another item we’ve discussed before on theNotice! MUFE‘s giant Aqua Eyes Collector Set, which will cost you a pretty penny at $249. It’s worth$425, though, might I add.

Tags: /Make Up For Ever / MUFE, New This Week (& etc), Other, Things that scare me

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I can haz… answers?

November 2, 2009

Rae Chen

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A short survey is up here, and I would love for you guys to do it!! It’s just five questions, and you can opt to not answer any of them.Your answers are anonymous, and I will be the only person who can/will see them. These questions aren’t for PR purposes, but rather because I’m curious!

GUYS WE’RE KILLING CATS. (Sorry, bad pun — “curiosity killed the cat” and all that jazz, y’know?)

Thanks in advance, lovelies!

Tags: /About theNotice

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Monday morning and the coffee’s on the brill…

November 2, 2009

Rae Chen

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Just eye shots today. They’re a little blueish, because I did this early one morning and for some strange reason, the light in my room is always blue-tinged before around 11 or 12. I quite liked this look — it’s easy to do, and day-appropriate due to its softness.
How-to:

Cover lid with a red-toned base overtop primer. Sweep a burgundy-violet over the whole lid, then layer a darker, more plummy colour in the outer V and a sheer gold on the inner 1/3. Blend well! Mimic these proportions for your liner, and create a wing with the darker colour.
Pat pigments sheerly overtop for a more metallic finish. To clean edges and hilight under the brow, use a clean brush to sweep a skin-toned matte around the perimeter of the shadow and on the brow bone. Curl lashes and apply mascara.

Used — colour:

MAC Fresco CCB
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Senna Intrigue, Smolder, and Bronze Age
Fyrinnae Polar Bear
Mac Naked and Mauvement pigments
Lancome Positive

Used — “boring stuff”:

TheBalm‘s TimeBalm concealer in Lighter Than Light
Rimmel Lycra Lash Extender

Tags: /4. Makeup looks, Eyes, Fyrinnae, Indie brands, Lancome, MAC, Makeup looks: colour, Senna, Tutorials

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The five most expensive… items on Sephora.com

October 31, 2009

Rae Chen

16 Comments

Y’know. Just because we’re sick and masochistic like that. I have no comments or judgement on [most] of these, but I was curious and thought you ladies might be as well! Keep in mind that I did not include sets — this is just the single items!

Fifth place
This spot is shared by three items, all at the same whopping $300. Missoni‘s Missoni Parfum, Juicy Coutures‘s Juicy Couture Parfum (which is really half the price of the Missoni, as it’s double the size) and the T3 Bespoke Labs Evolution Dryer.

And may I just point out that the Missoni bottle is ugly as hell? Thanks.
Fourth place
One point seven ounces of Givenchy’s Le Soin Noir will set you back $360. What is it with companies putting algae in moisturisers and amping up the price tenfold for it?
Third place
This fell just short of second place — at $499, Silk’n‘s Silk’n SensEpil will remove your body hair with lasers. But only if you have fair skin and dark hair, plus a fairly high pain tolerance and a hell of a lot of patience!
Second place
Kate Somerville‘s Deep Tissue Repair Cream with Peptide K8. Kate, honey, if anyone’s ploppin’ down $500 for 5oz of this, they need more than their deep tissue repaired.

First place
The just-discussed item, Sephora‘s insanely expensive Luxury Lighted Makeup Stand, for the low, low price of $998.

Tags: /New This Week (& etc), Things that scare me

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Happy Halloween!!

October 31, 2009

Rae Chen

12 Comments

I haven’t uploaded my photos yet, but here‘s something better — my guest-post on MABB. On what, you ask? You’ll have to click the link to find out!!

(Hint: I really do think it helped clear up my acne. Not 100%, but it really gets pores clean!)

Tags: /Link love, Other

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The Second Reich

October 31, 2009

Rae Chen

5 Comments

I was on Olay skincare for a looong time — not intentionally and not exclusively, but most of my staples were by Olay. One by one they were phased out, either because they were discontinued or because they just didn’t work for me anymore, and I was left with a mish-mash of semi-okay products.
But now? I’m going to be checking out Marcelle‘s new A-C Solution skincare line, so you’ll hear about it in a few weeks’ time! It’s going to be stunningly difficult for me to use just one skincare line, but I’ll try my best to give it a go so you guys can have the most honest reviews possible.

Have any of you checked out Marcelle cosmetics or skincare recently? This is my first personal look at the line, but I’ve recommended Marcelle skincare to friends before (based on thorough research, reviews, and ingredient-list-scouring) and they’re hooked. I hope it dazzles me equally as much!

Tags: /Canadian beauty, Marcelle, Other, Paraben-free

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This better be some huge friggin’ joke.

October 30, 2009

Rae Chen

8 Comments

Really, Sephora? Really!?

Edit: check out this awesome review, as pointed out by the Glitterati! Hillarious.

“Perfect for the makeup maven who likes to camp out in the bush, or wants a makeup table come sub machine gun stand. A wonderful compliment of sleek black FIRE RETARDANT aluminum, military chic and fashion forward. A must have for those whose exposure to the outdoors and to reality is dubious.”

Another edit: so this was Lachesis‘ review, apparently… somehow this does not surprise me, because she’s awesome like that =P My hat is off to you!!

Tags: /Things that scare me

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