theNotice

SkinCeuticals Emollience moisturizer review, photos

March 30, 2016

4 Comments

The product: SkinCeuticals Emollience Rich, Restorative Moisturizer

I’ve been slowly testing a few SkinCeuticals products since November, and I’ve found a few that I love… and a few that I’m not so crazy about.

The last SkinCeuticals product that I posted about was their Simply Clean cleanser, which I was really fond of. So, I felt that it was only fair to post a review of their Emollience Moisturizer today, especially considering how many requests I’ve gotten recently for more ‘cone-free moisturizer reviews.

Spoiler alert: it made me feel like a sad, dry, completely unloved sponge.

What I liked about Emollience: I feel like starting with the good stuff today, and there’s definitely good stuff to be found here! For starters, the SkinCeuticals-educated staff at Rao Dermatology were super understanding about my sensitivity to silicones (which many brands are NOT cool about), and they made it easy for me to find products in the range that I could use.

Plus, Emollience is pumped up with sea algae, grape seed oil, and rose hip seed oil to hydrate skin in cold or dry climates, which sounds great. In theory.

What I didn’t like about Emollience: While all of that sounds great in practice, the mostly-water-and-sorbitol Emollience formula just didn’t work for me. It feels awesome going on and absorbs really quickly, but I found that it absorbed into my skin TOO quickly — it was basically gone within seconds.

Within 5 minutes of applying this, my skin feels absolutely parched. The effect is bearable if I mix in a really hydrating oil or serum, but even with extended use, my skin’s hydration levels didn’t normalize. I even tested Emollience with my nifty new Hydration Detector to see if maybe it was just a perceived feeling, but nope: my skin only went up 1% in hydration right after applying Emollience, which isn’t even outside of a good margin of error.

The verdict?

As much as I love SkinCeuticals as a brand, I cannot recommend Emollience to anyone else with dry skin. From the other reviews I’ve read, it sounds like it’s both not hydrating enough for dry skin & too pore-clogging for oily skin, and from my own experiences, I’d have to agree.

Even on the SkinCeuticals site, the people who love Emollience seem to be those with combination skin–not the targeted audience of “normal to dry skin.” Skip this one & save your pennies for the brand’s treatment products!

Availability: $60 USD though dermatologist’s offices & online at SkinCeuticals, depending on where you live. (See the SkinCeuticals site to find in-person locations!)

Tags: /Indie brands, Moisturizers, Product Photos, Product Review, Silicone-free, Silicone-free moisturizers and serums, Skincare, Skinceuticals

4 Comments

Marcelle Rouge Vitality reviews, swatches: Rose Classique, Angel’s Blush, Royal Berry

March 28, 2016

Rae Chen

8 Comments

The products: Marcelle Rouge Vitality Lipsticks in Rose Classique, Angel’s Blush, and Royal Berry

Happy Easter Monday, folks! I’ve been having the CRAZIEST Easter weekend this year, so my apologies for the lack of posts recently. It’s, uh, kind of graphic but I’m gonna share it, so skip down below the next image for the review.

My partner cut the tip of his finger off at work (which I have many opinions about; he was working on four hours of sleep following three 13-hour days when he had his accident), so that–that was a bit of a rocky start. It wasn’t just a little sliver or anything, either; it was a big ‘ol horror movie chunk. Then, on our way to Easter dinner, we got rear-ended just off of Jasper Ave in heavy traffic.

Thankfully, we left with as many limbs as we started out with, although not with as many car parts. So drive safe out there, kiddos! And go tell your families that you love them and stuff.

Marcelle Rose Classique, Angel’s Blush, and Royal Berry Rouge Vitality lipsticks

The formula: Marcelle’s Rouge Vitality Lipsticks have been my saving grace all month long. Whenever I’m having a rough day, I whip one out and put it on to cheer myself up.

See, the Rouge Vitality Lipsticks and I share a special bond. They’re my favourite lipstick formula ever, thick and carnauba wax-y and unscented with medium to opaque pigmentation. Unlike most lipsticks, they never slide around on my lips or apply unevenly, and they’re never drying. In fact, the formula is enriched with castor seed oil, aloe, and vitamins A, C, and E to slow down damage caused by free radicals, so they’re actually good for your lips!

Sure, they’re not as buttery as a trendy Bite or Guerlain lipstick, but they’re a really awesome–and often overlooked–lipstick formula. I thought they were being slowly discontinued in favour of the Marcelle Rouge Xpression line, but these three brand-new shades give me hope!

Marcelle Angel’s Blush Rouge Vitality Lipstick review

Marcelle Rouge Vitality Angel’s Blush lipstick swatch, review

The shades: Including these three, the Rouge Vitality line now offers 12 matte and shimmering shades. I really like their mattes, but they’re more of a soft matte, if you ask me — they go on creamy and settle into the lips with a soft, comfortable matte finish. The matte formula is actually my favourite thing about these lipsticks, because it sinks into the lips slowly, meaning you have no awkward fading, feathering, or drying out of the lip area.

I love the shade of 480 Rose Classique (a really pretty, cool pink), but it has a finely-milled shimmer finish, which can sometimes catch on my lips if they’re really dry. So, instead, I’ve been wearing 330 Angel’s Blush a lot — it’s that cream/matte finish in a warm, medium-toned pinky-nude shade.

Finally, there’s 200 Royal Berry, which is the darkest shade of the three. It’s more of a brick red on me, but I betcha it would be the perfect berry shade on someone with a warmer skintone. If you find that most berry shades pull outright purple on you, then definitely give this one a try!

Marcelle Rouge Vitality Rose Classique, Royal Berry swatches

Marcelle Rouge Vitality Rose Classique Lipstick review

The verdict?

Marcelle’s Rouge Vitality lipstick formula isn’t for everyone, but I love it. It’s classic and stiff, with a soft matte finish that wears incredibly evenly and never dries out my lips.

I would looooove to see more cool-toned matte shades in the range, but hey — I thought that the Rouge Vitality line was going to disappear entirely, so I’ll take what I can get! Angel’s Blush hasn’t left my handbag in weeks, and I’m really enjoying the shimmery Rose Classique, too.

Are any of you guys Rouge Vitality lipstick fans?

Availability: $10.95 CAD at Marcelle.com (US/Canadian shipping) and in drugstores & mass-market retailers across Canada. Permanent.

Keep reading!

Tags: /Canadian beauty, Indie brands, Lips, Marcelle, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Silicone-free, Spring/Summer 2016

8 Comments

Are you a blogger? Come help us ALL be fairly paid! | The business of blogging

March 23, 2016

Rae Chen

11 Comments

If you’re a blog reader but you don’t run your own, feel free to skip this post or send it to your favourite bloggers!

One of the things that has been nagging at me ever since I wrote my How to start a beauty blog & How to monetize your blog posts is that no one quite knows what to be charging for their services — and brands are taking advantage of that fact to both undercut our prices & convince bloggers who run smaller blogs to work for little or no pay.

workplace inspo via west elm

You can’t buy groceries with free product, so what I want to do is create a spreadsheet to compare stats to fees in a manner that we can all access. Once I have enough information, I’d also like to share a general summary with you guys to give everyone an idea what to be charging based on their stats without each person having to sort through all of the raw data.

The results will be completely anonymous and only available to other bloggers, but will be free to any blogger who wants to access them.

» Click here or scroll down to fill out the survey «

So here’s where you guys come in. If you run a blog, please take a minute to fill out this Google Form! You don’t need to look up your exact stats or answer any questions that don’t apply to you/that you don’t want to (estimates are totally fine!) This information is only going to be a general picture that other bloggers can reference, so don’t sweat it.

I’m hoping to have this form open for about a month, so please get your entires in as soon as you can, share with friends, and return at the end of April for the results!

» This survey can be found at http://bit.ly/tnblogging if you want to share it with other bloggers! «

Tags: /Beauty blogging, Want help? You got it.

11 Comments

Lise Watier HydraForce launch & hydration detector app!

March 21, 2016

Rae Chen

9 Comments

Last weekend, I had the privilege of being able to attend a Lise Watier skincare launch at West Edmonton Mall. It was a really nifty event; just a small booth and a few super helpful ladies manning the table & makeover station, but the way the line is being marketed is really unique.

The Lise Watier HydraForce line features Gaspé algae and offers a gel moisturizer, a cream moisturizer, a glossy, lemony lip balm that feels great and tastes a little sweet (don’t judge me), and an app.

Now, I know what you’re going to say: cosmetic apps are overdone! But this one involves testing tool that lets you quantifiably measure how well your moisturizer is working (or not working), and its accuracy is actually repeatable.

Verifying the science

My partner and I tested out the HydraForce detector for before and after readings at the counter, and the results were pretty cool to see. My hands (the HydraForce range contains silicones) went from 36% hydrated to 57% after applying the Lise Watier HydraForce Hydra-Protective Creme-Gel ($45 CAD), and Boyfriend’s face went from 48% to a whopping 76%, which surprised even the Lise Watier rep!

Much boyfriend. Very suspicious. Such hydration!

Even with three before & after tests that matched my expectations, I wasn’t sure about the science, so I headed back home to broaden my sample size. My combination-skinned mom’s t-zone had a 48% moisture level (which is more or less perfect hydration, according to the app), and my dad’s scaly legs eked out a 28%.

The really scary result, though, was my own: I re-tested the skin on my freshly washed, un-moisturized hands, and I got a 13.4% reading. I tested again on my other hand to replicate the results and got 14%. So, obviously, ~~I panicked and cried~~ applied some moisturizer to my hands and tested again; this time, with much higher results — 28%, which is still in the dry region of the chart, but not painfully dry.

My Lise Watier Hydration Detector app results / what your results mean!

HOW CUTE IS THIS BUBBLE, THOUGH

The products

As I mentioned, I can’t test these products in the long-term because they contain silicones. However, I can tell you that I really liked what I saw. The moisturizers smell and feel amazing, and the Hydra-Protective Creme-Gel is an awesome starter product from the HydraForce range. It’s super lightweight and designed only to provide your skin with hydration, so it can be used as a standalone moisturizer or used as a hydration gel-serum under the treatment product of your choice.

If you want to test your skin’s hydration levels (and grab a free deluxe sample of the Hydra-Protective Creme-Gel), the HydraForce tour has three stops left: Toronto, on April 2nd; Montreal, on April 8th; and Dartmouth, on April 16th. I highly recommend going to one of them if you can!

Availability: Get the HydraForce line here at LiseWaiter.com (US & Canada shipping).

Additional photos & more »

Tags: sponsored/7. Other, Canadian beauty, Event recap, Lips, Lise Watier, Moisturizers, Product Photos, Product Review, Skincare, Spring/Summer 2016, Travel

9 Comments

Bench SS16: The #24HourLife, translated from fashion into beauty

March 18, 2016

Rae Chen

5 Comments

One of the things that I’ve been joking about recently is rebranding theNotice: a beauty blog to theNotice: still not a fashion blog. Sticking to a beauty-oriented “brand identity” (I hate it when people refer to your blog’s driving force as its brand; it feels so disingenuous) probably wasn’t the most prudent choice, but it’s the only option that felt right to me, so I stuck with it.

I’m a dabbler, though — you guys know that. So when I was asked to share some of the Bench. Spring / Summer 2016 lookbook with you guys today, I figured why not? I wouldn’t want to go for a swim in Lake Fashion (I’d definitely drown), but a careful wading in would be fun.

The Bench. SS16 collection this year is inspired by a 24-hour experience in Barcelona, and features imperfect fabrics, earthy surfaces, and splattered watercolours. The whole thing has a very easy, fluid, “I just threw this on and I look like a babe” vibe to it, and the colour palette juxtaposes bright pastels against vivid coral, teal, black and yellow.

It’s all really makeup-translatable, honestly, so I threw together a few of the products that I’m loving and testing right now that I feel really reflect the Bench. SS16 collection. A coral lip, a watercolour lid, and a thick flick of black liner, and you’re set!

“The season opens with a soft colour statement where bright pastels are paired with warm neutrals to create a quieter, more understated palette. Coral pops, electric teal and bioluminescent yellow emerge out of saturated indigo denim and jet black inks create a weird and wonderful sub-aquatic palette as summer approaches. At the height of the season influences from the underwater world explode with an almost luminescent green and chemical blue story.“

—

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. However, all opinions included are my own, and my priority is still (and always will be) creating great content for you guys. Hope you enjoyed!

Tags: sponsored/Fashion

5 Comments

Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus serum, Antioxidant Cleansing Mousse reviews, photos

March 14, 2016

Rae Chen

11 Comments

The products: Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Cleansing Mousse & Rose Moisture Plus Daily Moisture Balancing Serum

I like to think that I can admit my mistakes gracefully. I have no idea if this is true or not, but if it is, then the Jurlique skincare range is a great example of it.

I thought that Jurlique was just another well-marketed beauty brand, but I was definitely off-base in my assumptions. The two Jurlique products that I’ve been testing came in recycled, sustainably sourced paper cartons, feature natural and organic ingredients, and are stamped with expiry dates — March 2017 for the mousse and August 2016 for the serum, instead of that vague “6 months” crap that most brands will feed you.

There are plenty of natural and sustainable brands nowadays, but Jurlique has been doing the eco-conscious thing since way before it was cool. The brand celebrates its 30th anniversary this year (Happy Birthday, Jurlique!)

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Cleansing Mousse review

Jurlique Antioxidant Cleansing Mousse ($34 USD)

The Jurlique Antioxidant Cleansing Mousse is described as a “lightly whipped foaming mousse,” and I have to agree! Jurlique’s mousse cleanser isn’t like any other that I’ve tried — it’s enriched with jojoba, grape seed, safflower, and rose hip oils, and it actually feels whipped and lush rather than just foamy.

It’s the most hydrating mousse/foaming cleanser that I’ve tried, but it’s not perfect. Even though I like the formula, it’s still more stripping than a cleansing milk, so it’ll work better for oily and normal skin types than dry or sensitive ones. I think it would be awesome in helping to balance out a combination complexion, though, or a dehydrated/oily skin type!

Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Daily Moisture Balancing Serum review

Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Serum ($50 USD)

I’ve also been using the Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Serum over the past few months, but while it helps maintain my skin’s moisture levels, it doesn’t get rid of my persistent dryness the way that a few of my other serums do.

I really like its silky texture and natural rose scent, but at $50, I just couldn’t recommend it to someone with chronically dry skin. If you have mild dry skin, then yes, this is a gorgeous silicone-free serum, but be warned: I found it to be only about as hydrating as Hylamide SubQ, SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel, and the super-popular Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Serum.

(Which, granted, a lot of people describe as super hydrating, so it really depends where you’re measuring from!)

The verdict?

Jurlique products are definitely a splurge, but I think you get what you pay for with the line. The packaging, delivery, and formulas are exquisite, and I was actually surprised that these products didn’t cost more — $50 for a luxury serum is arguably pretty well-priced.

I didn’t find the Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Serum hydrating enough for my skin type, but I loved the Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Cleansing Mousse. It’s gentler on the skin than most foaming cleansers, and though it gets used up pretty quickly, it feels whipped (not foamy), which is quite the treat!

Availability: Jurlique.com. Jurlique is actually running a really cool new promo right now, where they will give you a $15 USD credit toward ANY purchase before March 15th if you sign up for their newsletter!

Keep reading! »

Tags: /Cleansing, Grouped reviews, Indie brands, Jurlique, Moisturizers, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Silicone-free, Silicone-free moisturizers and serums, Skincare

11 Comments

Annabelle Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner 24H review, swatches, photos

March 9, 2016

Rae Chen

6 Comments

The products: Annabelle Cosmetics Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Super Long Wear +24H in Blue Spark, Bronze, and Black Star

Annabelle recently re-launched their liquid eyeliners, pulling the old formula from the range and replacing it with a waterproof, 24 hour version of itself. (If the familiar packaging is shocking to you, then so be it.)

But, while the packaging is very similar in these new eyeliners, the formula couldn’t be more different. From the ingredients to the texture, these Super Long Wear liquid liners are a whole other can of chicken-flavoured cat treats from their older siblings.

The formula: The new Annabelle Liquid Eyeliner formula is awesome, but… it’s actually not as awesome as the original, which is weird.

I’ve tested it up to 16 hours, and it wears really well throughout the day. There’s no smudging or wearing in that time, but it just doesn’t hold up to friction under water the way the old formula did — like, you can cry while wearing them, but you can’t take a shower. Granted, it comes off more like a pen eyeliner now, which some people might prefer to the old “pilling” version (but I definitely don’t!)

The new formula is also thinner, which makes it super easy to apply without that inky clumping that you can get with some liquid liner formulas. It’s sometimes a little too watery, though, and can apply unevenly if you don’t use consistent pressure (see: the Blue Spark swatch below), so make sure to apply in short, steady dashes.

Annabelle Black Star, Bronze, and Blue Spark Liquid Eyeliner swatches

The shades: The new Annabelle Waterproof Liquid Eyeliners are available in three shades right now: Black Star, which replaces Black Spark as a glossy black with silver shimmer, Bronze, which is a medium-opaque, glossy, shimmery bronze, and Blue Spark, which is a total superhero colour!

Blue Spark dries matte, despite the fact that it contains shimmer, and it compliments the other two liners really well. It’s definitely my top pick from this line, and it looks awesome paired with a bit of Black Star through the lashline.

The verdict?

The new Annabelle Waterproof Liquid Eyeliners are pretty good, but they’re just not as good as the line’s old liquid liners. So, if you already have a tube of Black Spark, I wouldn’t bother updating to this new formula — it’s just not waterproof the way the older ones were.

If you’re looking for nothing more than an easy to apply, long-wearing liquid liner from the drugstore, though, I still think that these are some of the best. They don’t budge (even on my super-oily monolids), they’re awesome for beginners, and they (can) have a really beautiful, glossy finish.

Availability: $8.95 CAD at Annabelle.com (US and Canada shipping) or at drugstores and mass retailers across Canada. Permanent as of January 2016.

Keep reading! »

Tags: /Annabelle, Canadian beauty, Eyes, Fall/Winter 2015, Indie brands, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches

6 Comments

Bioderma Atoderm reviews: Gentle Shower Gel, Moisturizing Stick, PP Baume

March 7, 2016

Rae Chen

19 Comments

The products: Bioderma Atoderm Gentle Shower Gel, Atoderm Moisturizing Stick, and Atoderm PP Ultra-Nourishing Balm

The Bioderma Atoderm shower gel is the biggest shower gel that you are ever going to use. Period. It’s a massive 1 litre (or bloody 2 lbs and 6.86 oz) of paraben-free, soap-free, hypoallergenic gentleness, and it’s totally dry skin friendly.

Hell, you could use this everywhere from your kids to your face to your junk (that’s one way to prevent the Junkface bar soap conundrum), and you’d still have 990 ml left to soap up… I don’t know; maybe a whole herd of cows?

This is what 1L of bodywash looks like in comparison. (CAD proce per litre: $61, $19.95, $40).

The Atoderm line: Bioderma focuses on making gentle, pharmacy-style products that are targeted to specific skin types, and the Atoderm range is aimed at very dry to atopic sensitive skin. (That’s me!) (Although to be fair, Sensibio and Hydrabio, for sensitive skin and dehydrated sensitive skin, respectively, are also arguably me.)

But my point is — Atoderm products are designed to be gentle, non-stripping, and hydrating, so they’re the Bioderma line to turn to if you have eczema, psoriasis, or just generally fragile skin.

Bioderma Atoderm Gentle Shower Gel ($19.95 CAD)

The Atoderm line has four options for shower gels, all available in 500 ml or 1L bottles. This is actually their least gentle of all four (there’s also a gel-mousse, a cream, and an oil, which I really want to try) and it’s really nice.

A litre is a lot of shower gel to go through, but this stuff is awesome. It’s very lightly scented and is actually quite thin, which is something I’ve never encountered before but am very much enjoying 4111111111111111111111111111111 (Tuna says hi.)

You know how, when you walk into an Asian household, the soap is always a little thinner than it’s supposed to be? This is a like that, except minus the scolding grandma! The Atoderm Gentle Shower Gel is slick and easy to apply, and it’s easy to rinse off without having to scrub at your damaged skin.

Bioderma Atoderm Moisturizing Stick ($6.95 CAD)

There are two lip balms in the Bioderma Atoderm line, because Bioderma loves going overboard with their product ranges. (I joke, but I actually love this kind of precisely curated neuroses.)

This one’s the stick, and I LOVE it. It’s my absolute favourite lip balm right now, and I keep making everyone try it — it’s so good. The formula smells lightly of raspberry candy and is perfectly stiff, but it applies smoothly and keeps my lips nicely hydrated for a good couple of hours. It really is the ideal texture for a daytime lip balm!

I’d say that this is more hydrating than Nuxe Reve de Miel, eos balms, and Burt’s Bees lip balms, but less hydrating than my potted Bobbi Brown Lip Balm SPF 15 (yes, that post is SEVEN YEARS OLD now) or the Osmia Organics Lip Balm that I love.

It’s about as hydrating as a Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment, but it’s way cheaper and much easier to work with… and it won’t slide onto the floor in the summer.

Bioderma Atoderm PP Ultra-Nourishing Balm ($29.95 CAD)

The Bioderma PP Baume contains silicones, so I couldn’t test it myself. However, it’s an extra-nourishing formula that joins a whole bunch of other Atoderm products, like the protective PO Zinc and everyday Creme (which comes in unscented & scented versions — so cool!)

If you’ve tried the PP Baume, let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Here’s what other bloggers thought of it, though:

Natalie Loves Beauty notes that it absorbs almost instantly,
Writing Whimsy loves how hydrating its formula is, unlike the scented Atoderm PP Creme formula,
Lipstick and Lullabies tried it with her husband and found that it’s great for dryness, redness, and facial skin, and
Ruqaiya Kahn finds the formula a bit sticky BUT notes that it totally got rid of her itchy, dry leg skin.

Tags: /Bioderma, Cleansing, Grouped reviews, Lips, Moisturizers, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Silicone-free, Spring/Summer 2016

19 Comments

Shu Uemura x Maison Kitsuné collection reviews, swatches, photos

March 4, 2016

Rae Chen

14 Comments

The collection: Shu Uemura x Maison Kitsuné (Holiday 2015) including the Beauty Remix Smokey Eye & Cheek Palettes in Indigo and Plum, and the Laque Sparklers in Fleur Shine, Persimmon Glow, and Plum Shimmer

Today’s review is a bit of a phone-in, because there are so many gorgeous products that I want to share with you guys, but I don’t want this post to get too long. It has a lot of gold and a lot of glitz, though, so I hope you enjoy!

To begin, I found some swatches of the Shu Uemura x Maison Kitsuné Beauty Remix Smokey Eye & Cheek Palettes ($85 CAD) on my camera that I had totally forgotten about, and I just had to clean them up and post them. I wore both the Indigo Beauty Remix Palette and Plum Beauty Remix Palette in this makeup look, but honestly… I don’t think these ones are worth the $85.

Maison Kitsuné for Shu Uemura Indigo Beauty Remix Palette swatches

Maison Kitsuné for Shu Uemura Plum Beauty Remix Palette swatches

I really appreciate that the cost of these palettes hasn’t gone up in the past few years, but at $85, I just don’t think these two are worth the price. Both of them are still really well-formulated (Shu Uemura never disappoints), but there are four iridescent/glitter shades per palette, and they’re all pretty much interchangeable. They look different swatched, but when applied, the effect is very much the same.

All Shu Uemura palettes are priced as luxury items, but most of the time, you know what you’re getting. The neutral shu:palette, for instance, is $105 CAD, but it’s worth every penny. It has a great range of beautifully pigmented colours, and there’s only one glitter shade, so you’re paying for 16 eyeshadows and actually getting all 16.

I’m obsessed with this purple from the Plum palette, though. What a beauty!

While I was testing the Shu’s holiday collection, I surprised myself by falling in love with Fleur Shine, a limited edition Maison Kitsuné for Shu Uemura Laque Sparkler ($35 CAD) shade.

The Sparklers wore more evenly on me than their shimmer-free counterparts, and Shu actually managed to achieve a wet look with this shimmer — which is a difficult feat! Fleur Shine is hydrating and easy to wear, and it like the rest of the Laque Sparklers, it’s softly floral-scented and lasts for about three hours before I feel like I need to reapply.

The Sparkler formula is the same as the original (save for the added shimmer), so expect a little bit of staining from them. It has a thick, comfortable gloss finish that keeps your lip colour & glitter in place.

Maison Kitsuné for Shu Uemura Laque Sparkler in Fleur Shine swatched

Maison Kitsuné for Shu Uemura Nail Laquers in Plum Glitz and Indigo Glitz

If you’re a fan of Maison Kitsuné, I think the Shu x Maison Kitsuné Party Mixer Glitz Nail Enamels ($25 CAD) are worth checking out, too. I have both Plum Glitz and Indigo Glitz, and they are beautiful — dimensional and really eye-catching, with the most adorable fox decals on the packaging!

Additional photos & more »

Tags: /Eyes, Fall/Winter 2015, Grouped reviews, Holiday 2015, Lips, Nails, Product Photos, Product Review, Product snapshots, shu uemura

14 Comments

Elizabeth Arden Eclipse Sunset Bronze Highlighter review, swatches, photos | The prettiest spring launch! THE PRETTIEST!

March 3, 2016

Rae Chen

9 Comments

The product: Elizabeth Arden Sunset Bronze Prismatic Highlighter in Eclipse 01

I’ve really been feeling the whole “glistening golden glow” thing this season, but somehow, I didn’t have a single product in my collection that really fit the bill — until Eclipse came along.

It’s part of the Elizabeth Arden Sunset Bronze Summer 2016 collection, which is all about sunset hues and the bronzey look that the golden hour gives you.

Elizabeth Arden Sunset Bronze Prismatic Highlighter swatch (blended / heavy)

The shade: You guys. This is gorgeous.

The Sunset Bronze Prismatic Highlighter only comes in one shade, Eclipse, but it’s a stunning golden bronze colour. Ultra-fine mica and titanium dioxide shimmer gives a sparkly gold finish to a light copper base colour, and the stick texture blends out easily to a translucent shimmer finish that makes my cheekbones GLOW in natural sunlight.

Patting it into the skin offers a more intense sheen, and it reminds me of the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector ($38 USD/$46 CAD) when patted — but with more controllable shimmer placement. (Am I the only one who didn’t really like Champagne Pop? Becca highlighters are so pretty, but kind of get everywhere on me.)

Elizabeth Arden Sunset Bronze Prismatic Highlighter in Eclipse, swatched (blended / heavy)

The formula & packaging: Elizabeth Arden’s Prismatic Highlighter formula contains silicones, but it is gorgeously creamy — and doesn’t seem to breaking me out in this concentration (yet). The texture is melty-smooth without being slippery, and it comes amped up with vitamin E, zinc PCA, and aloe vera leaf extract to nourish your skin.

Elizabeth Arden Sunset Bronze Prismatic Highlighter swatch (top), Clinique Chubby Stick in Hefty Highlight (bottom)

The only other highlighting stick that I use regularly is the Clinque Chubby Stick highlighter ($21 USD/$24 CAD), but the two are like night and day. The Elizabeth Arden stick is softer, creamier, stouter, and easier to blend, while the Clinique stick is firmer and disappears into the skin.

Both are stunning in their own way, but one is a cool-toned illuminator while the other is warm, intense highlighter. (In other words, you totally need both!)

The verdict?

Elizabeth Arden is one of those brands that can sometimes feel dated, but they absolutely killed it with their Sunset Bronze 2016 collection. The entire launch is tightly edited and beautifully packaged, and the Sunset Bronze Prismatic Highlighter is honestly the crown jewel of the whole production.

My only reservation about this highlighter is that it won’t be going into the permanent Elizabeth Arden line, so snap it up while you can!

Availability: $28.50 USD/$34.50 CAD. Limited edition at select Hudson’s Bay, London Drugs, and Shopper’s Drug Mart locations as of February 2016.

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Tags: /Cheeks, Elizabeth Arden, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Spring/Summer 2016

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