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Clarins Truly Waterproof Mascara review, swatches, photos | For a pretty, pool-ready lash

July 7, 2014

22 Comments

The product: Clarins Truly Waterproof Mascara in 01 Intense Black

The formula: Clarins’ Truly Waterproof Mascara is formulated with bitter orange tree wax and olive squalane, and promises 12 hour waterproof wear from not just chlorinated water, but from salt water, too. (Which is great, considering how many mascaras do okay with pure water, but run when you cry!)

The packaging: Can I just take a moment to say that I love this packaging? It’s super sleek, with the little “C” emblem in a handy dip — which I always thought was aesthetic, but it actually makes opening the tube a lot easier.

The brush on this one has a relatively slim profile with traditional bristles (that is, not silicone), and the bottom of the tube has a thin piece of translucent red plastic on the bottom, which is a nice, subtle touch.

Clarins Truly Waterproof Mascara & brush

The application: I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed applying mascara before, but this one surprised me. It goes on really easily, no lash comb needed, and delivers a natural-looking lash in just one stroke. It gives really good separation with very little clumping, and it holds a curl beautifully — all while leaving your lashes feeling soft and flexible.

One last thing to note about this formula is that it smells really nice (for a mascara). Like, weirdly nice. I can’t quite put my finger on what it reminds me of, but this formula has a very distinctive, pretty, Clarins-y fragrance to it.

Bare lashes / one coat of Clarins Truly Waterproof Mascara in 01 Intense Black

The wear: SO GOOD — but not infallible. While this formula is extremely waterproof (I was able to submerge my lashes in water and rub at them multiple times before I even begun to lose a curl), the oils on my face do make it smudge through the day.

That said, this mascara doesn’t drop my curl or flake, and it removes easily with a good cleansing oil — those who use micellar waters may struggle, however. (This is the only product I’ve ever tried that my beloved Marcelle cleansing water couldn’t get off!) But, for those in a really humid country, or a day at the beach, this one’ll hold up like a champ.

Bare lashes / Clarins Truly Waterproof Mascara

The verdict?

It’s not quite holy grail material, but Clarins’ Truly Waterproof Mascara is definitely one that I’d recommend. Between easy application, super classy packaging, and a really pretty fragrance, it does a wonderful job of delivering a soft, flexible waterproof lash — and it does it all while holding a curl.

Give it a pass if most mascaras smudge on you, but if not, put this one at the top of your list of waterproof mascaras to try!

Tags: /Clarins, Eyes, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Silicone-free, Spring/Summer 2014

22 Comments

Benefit They’re Real! Push Up Liner, Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita, and more | 05/07/14 Link Love

July 5, 2014

Rae Chen

1 Comment

Beauty Reflections demonstrates the new Benefit They’re Real! Push Up Liner and shares her thoughts on this hyped-up beauty product.

Brands that focus on their ingredients are great, but sometimes, it’s just a marketing ploy. Find out which new beauty brand Rae is none too pleased with at theNotice.

Musicalhouses reviews the Benefit They’re Real! Push Up Liner to see if this much-hyped, highly-raved-about eyeliner lives up to its name!

FabDiva20 has some gorgeous MAC lipsticks that are perfect for the summer season! Check out her top MAC lipsticks for the summer.

Jenny reviews the gorgeous Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Eyeshadow Quad in The Dolce Vita on My Funny Valentine.

Jenn from Spiced Beauty shows you how to get hydrated hair using ONE product! Trust me. It’s a life changer!

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed falls in love with Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick – check out her swatches and join her in revelling in all the beautiful shades and shine!

Need a moisturizer for your combo skin? Pammy Blogs Beauty checks out LUSH’s fresh selection of moisturizers for summer!

Tags: /BBLL (link roundups)

1 Comment

#StopJunkface with Neutrogena

July 2, 2014

Rae Chen

17 Comments

I can’t tell if this is a joke or not (it has to be a joke, right??), but this is definitely the weirdest infographic that has ever landed in my inbox.

Neutrogena is officially losing it, you guys. This is an ad campaign so far from Dove’s Men + Care that it’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that they’re even part of the same market; one that’s so unlike an Axe commercial that I can’t see how on earth they could appeal to the same customer.

But I cannot tell you enough how happy I am to see an ad campaign that focuses on being ridiculous rather than relying on sex appeal. And this is really, really ridiculous — but, well, it certainly got my attention.

Video under the cut.

Keep reading! »

Tags: /Cleansing, Neutrogena, Skincare

17 Comments

Three to try: Heat protectant sprays from Giovanni and Kevin Murphy

June 30, 2014

Rae Chen

14 Comments

Good: Giovanni 2chic Ultra Sleek Brazilian Keratin & Argan Oil Flat Iron Styling Mist

This Giovanni mist smells, to me, like a softly-scented, old-timey salon; vanilla with a hint of nuttiness and a whisper of hairspray. It’s part of the same range as this oil-serum that M and I love, but has a different, much more subtle scent. It’s made from 100% vegetarian ingredients, and the brand doesn’t test on animals, which is nice to note!

Giovanni says this mist is good for all hair types, but it contains denatured alcohol high up in the ingredients list, and amodimethicone later on — so I’d say skip it if you have really dry hair, are concerned about using body-safe products, or have a silicone sensitivity.

The Giovanni Keratin & Argan Oil Flat Iron Styling Mist ingredients: view

Water, Glycerin, SD Alcohol-40B, Argan Kernel Oil, Brazilian Cocoa Keratin Extract [Phyto-Keratin], *Rooibos Tea Extract, Coconut Oil, *Macadamia Seed Extract, *Shea Butter Extract, Sorbitol, Amodimethicone, Panthenol, (Pro-Vitamin B-5), Benzyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Natural Fragrance.

Better: Giovanni 2chic Ultra-Moist Avocado & Olive Oil Ultra-Moist Dual Action Protective Leave-In Spray

Even better than Giovanni’s Keratin & Argan styling mist, though, is their Avocado & Olive Oil leave-in spray. Silicone-free and formulated for dry, damaged hair, it’s designed to be both a leave-in conditioner and a heat protectant — all bundled up with a low scent profile and an easy-to-use mist pump.

Unlike its nutty, vanilla counterpart, this leave-in spray smells bright and rather synthetic, like a light, fruity hairspray — but while the formula leaves your hair feeling soft and smooth all day long, the scent fades quickly. It’s full of hydrating and soothing ingredients like aloe, avocado oil, olive oil, and shea butter, and is definitely my top pick for a silicone-free mass-market heat protectant spray.

The Giovanni Avocado & Olive Oil Leave-In Spray ingredients: view

Water, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B-5), Glycerin, Vitamin E, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Fragrance, Sodium Benzoate, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, *Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, *Avocado Oil, *Lychee Chinensis Fruit Extract, *Olive Fruit Oil, *Chenopodium Quinoa Flower/Leaf Extract, *Shea Butter, *Sunflower Seed Oil.

Best: Kevin Murphy Damage.Manager Instant Heat Shielding Spray

Despite what your salon may tell you (I’ve had not one, but two separate stylists in different salons lie to me about this), the Kevin Murphy line is not 100% silicone-free. Rather, the line uses “functional silicones” that rinse out easily (this is coming from the brand itself), which I interpret as meaning that they use water-soluble silicones whenever possible — ones that are lighter and less hydrophobic than traditionally heavy, slick silicones like dimethicone.

That said, Kevin Murphy does a ton of products that are silicone-free, and Damage.Manager is one of them. (Their Angel.Wash and Angel.Rinse are, too!) Damage.Manager protects your hair without weighing it down or leaving it even the slightest bit sticky, and it smells amazing — both complex and unisex, like the perfect whirlwind of vetiver and woods, with a tenacity that lasts right through your next shampoo.

I can’t for the life of me find an ingredients list for this online, but I promise that it’s paraben- and silicone-free. The formula features arnica root extract and allantoin alongside the KEVIN.MURPHY X-HP Complex, and it protects the hair up to a whopping 220ºC (428ºF).

Tags: /Giovanni, Grouped reviews, Hair, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Silicone-free

14 Comments

Beautycounter Rose, Currant Lip Sheer swatches; Lustro Body Oil review

June 25, 2014

Rae Chen

35 Comments

The products: Beautycounter Lustro Body Oil in Rosemary + Citrus and Lip Sheers in Rose and Currant

I’m not the kind of reviewer that looks at a luxury price tag, goes “well, you’re paying for exclusivity,” and then ignores it. I can see why some people are, and that’s totally cool with me, but, well: I’m not. If a brand is going to charge luxury prices, it better give me a darn good reason as to why someone should make the splurge — and if they’re going to talk about how ingredient-focused they are, they better earn the right.

Lustro Body Oil in Rosemary + Citrus ($68 USD/80 ml)

As a dry-skinned girl who can’t use most moisturizers due to their silicone content, I’m a big, big fan of body oils. Which is why this Beautycounter oil was such a big surprise for me — because I didn’t love it. Like, at all.

While Rosemary + Citrus‘ jojoba-based formula feels great and hydrates well (without an ounce of oiliness left behind on your now baby-soft skin), the scent just didn’t do it for me — and the smooth glass bottle felt like it was slipping to its death every time I pressed the pump.

Beautycounter Lustro Body Oil in Rosemary + Citrus

For $25/oz (Osmia’s gorgeous body oils are only $11/oz), a product shouldn’t be a struggle, you know? And it should smell awesome, not like a kitchen window basket full of roast-appropriate herbs. (My boyfriend described this one as “something you’d pick up at a Canadian Tire” — nice, but not expensive. Sort of like a citronella candle.)

If you love jasmine-scented products, they offer a jasmine-scented alternative; however, it has a jojoba/grapeseed/rosehip base, rather than jojoba/sweet almond/meadowfoam. As pretty and light-feeling as it is, I have to recommend that you pass on this one.

Lustro Rosemary + Citrus Body Oil ingredients view

Golden Jojoba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil*, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Virgin Grapeseed Oil*, Rosehip Oil, Sea Buckthorn Oil, Marula Oil*, Virgin Argan Nut Oil*, Rose Otto Oil, Apricot Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Rosemary Oil.

Beautycounter Lip Sheers in Rose (L) and Currant (R)

Lip Sheers in Rose and Currant ($28 USD/each)

Like the Lustro Body Oil, the first Lip Sheer I tried put my nerves on edge, too. Despite being described as a creme finish, Rose has particles of hidden gold shimmer in it, and while the colour was really pretty, the shimmer is noticeable on my lips — not a deal-breaker, but I’m kind of bummed that the brand describes it as a creme finish.

Beautycounter Lip Sheers in Rose and Currant — see the shimmer that was hiding in there?

Currant, however, is shimmer-free… and it’s awesome. The Beautycounter Lip Sheer formula is really comfortable and hydrating, with a naturally-sourced vanilla scent and a good amount of pigment. If I had to pick one Beautycounter product to recommend, it would definitely be this one — they feel gorgeously heavy and balmy, and the packaging is divine. (According to brand rep Anna Vig, only Rose and Petal have shimmer, and it’s less noticeable in the latter!)

Also nice to note is that the line’s Lip Sheers rate an EWG Skin Deep rating of 1 (aka “super safe”), which is great when it comes to lip products — we end up ingesting a pretty gross amount of them, after all.

Beautycounter Lip Sheer ingredients view

Diisotearyl Malate, Jojoba Esters, Octyldodecyl Ricinoleate, Castor Seed Oil, Microcrystalline Wax, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Calcium Sodium Borosilcate, Candelilla Wax, Carnuba Wax, Tin Oxide. +/- Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 5 Lake, Red 7 Lake, Red 27 Lake, Blue 1 Lake.

Beautycounter Lip Sheer swatches – Rose (L) and Currant (R)

L-R: Beautycounter Lip Sheers in Rose and Currant, swatched

The verdict?

I love the idea of a brand that focuses on its ingredients, but Beautycounter seems to focus more on profit than product. Upon closer inspection, all of their pricy-but-beautiful face oils feature the same formula (differing only in fragrance), and their lazily-fragranced body oil runs at almost double the cost per ounce than beautifully scented oils by brands like L’Occitane, Caudalie, and Clarins. For an all-natural body oil, I would opt instead for one by Osmia Organics — their packaging is easier to use, and each scent is beautifully crafted.

That said, I did really like how hydrating, comfortable, and safe the Beautycounter Lip Sheers are. I found swatches of all six shades on Our Wanderlust (Petal, Twig, and Coral caught my eye!), and I think they’d make a wonderful “splurge” lip product — they’re gorgeously packaged, have a great formula, and come in a beautiful range of shades.

Availability: These items were sent in for review by superstar brand rep Anna Vig, who has been unbelievably helpful and friendly. If you’re going to indulge in a Lip Sheer, I would definitely encourage you to shop her storefront here!

Keep reading! »

Tags: /Grouped reviews, Lips, Moisturizers, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Skincare

35 Comments

Neutrogena summer sunscreen roundup & mini reviews

June 23, 2014

Rae Chen

19 Comments

Let’s talk sunscreen. It’s not something I do often, but it is something that’s really important to pay attention to — especially in this day and age.

I have a couple silicone-free sunscreen reviews coming up this summer, but for now, here are a few drugstore sunscreen options from Neutrogena. Drugstore sunscreens aren’t always the most elegant option, but I’ve always favoured them over high-end ones: with their low price tag, it’s easier to use the full amount needed with each application. (That’s about a quarter-sized dollop for the face, and a shot-glass-sized portion for the body!)

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer ($12.99 CAD & up)

The Ultra Sheer line was, I kid you not, the very first sunscreen range I fell in love with. Their sweat-proof, matte-finish Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch sunscreen feels noticeable but matte on the skin — not shiny and greasy, the way the sunscreens of our youth were. You can now get the Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen in SPF 45, 30, 60, and 110, or the Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen in SPF 30, 45, and 60 ($16.99 CAD).

Neutrogena Clear Face ($12.49 CAD & up)

Available in SPF 30 and 60, Clear Face is designed not to cause breakouts. It’s oil-free and fragrance-free, and while it’s heavy on the ‘cones, it happens to be formulated without parabens. I had M test this out for me for a couple of days (it has ‘cones in the formula), and he thought it was considerably better than the Dry Touch formula — in comparison, he said, the Ultra Sheer Dry Touch felt greasy!

Neutrogena Beach Defence ($13.49 CAD & up)

Available in SPF 30 and SPF 60 (go for the 60!), Beach Defence is made to be water and sweat-resistant, with a “light, summery fragrance.” (It kind of reminds me of L’Oreal Kids’ shampoo — you know, no more tears?)

The Beach Defence line is available in both lotion and ‘cone-free spray form (make sure to spray a lot if you go with the spray — I find you always need more than you think you do!), but note that the adult & child versions are the exact same product, just with a different label.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Water-Light ($16.99 CAD)

New this season, the SPF 60 Water-Light sunscreen is designed to be a lightweight liquid lotion for the face. Depending on where you are (and what’s already sold out), you might see a few similar-but-different sunscreens from Neutrogena on shelves as well: the mineral Pure & Free Liquid SPF 50 sunscreen (Eye Heart It has a great mini-review of this), Ultra Sheer Liquid SPF 70, or Ultra Sheer Waterlight tinted sunscreens (Asia-only).

I also had M test this one out for us, and this was his favourite of the three he tried. He described it as being really comfortable and lightweight for a sunscreen (though it couldn’t pass for a moisturizer), but noted its strong, “hospitally” scent and extremely liquid texture — drippier and easier to spill than the Clear Face formula, but also easier to spread out.

Tags: /Grouped reviews, Neutrogena, Product Photos, Product snapshots, Skincare, Spring/Summer 2014, Sun

19 Comments

L’Oreal Privée Nudes, Lancome French Riviera, Anti-Redness BB Creams, and more | 21/06/14 Link Love

June 21, 2014

Rae Chen

Clinique A Different Nail Enamel swatches, review, photos

June 19, 2014

Rae Chen

11 Comments

L-R: Clinique Base & Top Coat, Call My Bluff, Sweet Tooth, Really Rio, Red Red Red, and Concrete Jungle

The product: Clinique A Different Nail Enamel for Sensitive Skins

↳ Base and Top Coat, 01 Call My Bluff, 02 Sweet Tooth, 05 Really Rio, 07 Red Red Red, and 11 Concrete Jungle

I can’t remember how I came by these particular shades. I think (it’s been a while) that my press contact at Clinique picked out some of her favourites and sent them over, maybe? Because they’re not the same set of shades that went out in the wide release, but they’re perfect.

So, if I’m right — thank you. I can’t take the credit for this selection of shades, but you guys, I kid you not, they embody summer! so strongly to me that I just can’t look away.

Clinique A Different Nail Enamel in Red Red Red

The formula: Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), how well these nail polishes go on seems to be dependent on the shade. The first two I tried were Really Rio and Concrete Jungle, an entire year ago, and I was so unimpressed and confused by them that I back-burnered this post altogether.

Then, a week ago, I decided to swatch Sweet Tooth out of the blue. And it was awesome. And I kept going, from Call My Bluff to Red Red Red, and just kept being blown away.

(And then I tried Concrete Jungle again and whoops, nope, not going there.)

Clinique Sweet Tooth (1, 3 coats), Clinique Concrete Jungle (1, 3 coats)

Sweet Tooth, Call My Bluff, and the AWESOME Red Red Red

To start off, here are three great nail shades from Clinique: starting with the super-sheer Sweet Tooth and Call My Bluff, which I’m going to come right out and say would be great Dior Nail Glow alternatives. They apply really easily (and evenly), and coat the nail with just a hint of colour — the perfect amount to whiten the white part of your nail & brighten the nail bed.

Clinique Call My Bluff swatch

Unlike Dior’s Nail Glow, however, Clinique makes two shades to suit a wider range of skintones — and both give a more natural look than Dior’s. For skintones with yellow or olive undertones, try Call My Bluff; for skintones with a lot of pink or peach, try Sweet Tooth. Alternately, choose the whiter Call My Bluff for more of a whitening effect on the free edge of the nail (think a subtle French manicure), and Sweet Tooth to focus on brightening the nail bed.

Clinique Sweet Tooth swatch (1 coat on index finger, 3 coats on middle finger)

Bare nail, Clinique Sweet Tooth, Clinique Red Red Red (3 coats, 1 coat)

And to finish up this category of super awesome Clinique nail shades? Clinique Red Red Red, the very best of the bunch. Summer-bright and deliciously vivid, it is hands-down the best red nail polish I’ve tried so far, applying evenly and with the perfect red-yellow-blue balance.

Red Red Red is just shy of opaque at three coats, but I’d actually call it a two-coater. While I’d normally have a problem with anything short of full opacity, it actually works in this particular shade’s favour, creating a really lighthearted almost-jelly finish rather than a super-serious red.

Clinique Red Red Red swatched (3 coats, 1 coat)

Really Rio and Concrete Jungle

These shades are gorgeous, but application-wise, I just couldn’t figure them out. They applied a lot like Essie polishes, if you have any experience with those: some people seem to be able to work magic with them, but for the rest of us, each gorgeous shade after the next applies kind of lumpily. Not even just in streaks, but… lumps.

No one wants lumpy space princess nails, so give these two a pass unless you can pull off Essie-style formulas and brushes with grace!

(Seriously, though. Really Rio would have been such a great, beachy summer shade in a smoother formula.)

Clinique A Different Nail Enamel in Really Rio, swatched

The verdict?

If you love bright nails or reds, you need Red Red Red in your life. I don’t know how Clinique did it, but they absolutely killed it with the shade — it’s not super opaque, but it’s one of the most fun, bright shades I’ve ever laid eyes on — without coming off as childish at all.

Aside from Red Red Red, I’d also totally recommend either Sweet Tooth or Call My Bluff for that perfect natural-but-better nail. You don’t need both, but I’d definitely pick up one of them for when you need a super fast, super easy natural nail!

Availability: $12.50 USD/$16 CAD at Clinique (US), Sephora, and Nordstrom, as well as Clinique counters.

Keep reading! »

Tags: /Clinique, Nails, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches

11 Comments

Lunette menstrual cup re-review & giveaway

June 16, 2014

Rae Chen

68 Comments

Do you remember way back when when I reviewed the Lunette menstrual cup for theNotice? It’s been a while, but I still love my Lunette just as much as I did then (which is a LOT). So, when they contacted me this month to see if I wanted to give one away to one of you, the answer was, of course: yes!!

–skip to the giveaway–

About the Lunette

from my original Lunette review (with size comparisons!)

I love my Lunette for two reasons: 1) the über-comfortable product, and 2) the brand. Lunette has a wonderful, friendly site, and a great education section on everything from the female anatomy to how to choose, use and care for your cup. Using a menstrual cup for the first time can be a little scary, especially for a teen, but I found that they made the transition the easiest & least… threatening.

Unlike tampons, menstrual cups can be worn for up to twelve hours, last for years, and create virtually no waste — so instead of going through an entire box of tampons every month, you just empty and rinse your cup between uses, boil at the end of your period, and re-use the next month. No need to worry about running out of tampons, and you save around $70/year in the cost of thick pads & tampons.

Lunette menstrual cup – model 1 vs model 2

Of the three cups I’ve tried (Lunette size 1, Diva cup size 1 & 2), the Lunette is the most comfortable and easiest to use. It washes out with the least hassle, can’t be felt while being worn, and is easy to insert and remove after a little bit of practice (just a few tries should do it!)

If you’re not sure which cup size is best for you, there’s a great size guide on the Lunette site — check that out if you want to read more.

Enter to win

win me!

Lunette has generously offered one of our North American readers the chance to win a Lunette cup in the size of their choice, plus a bottle of their pH-balanced Feelbetter Liquid Wash to keep it clean. I know using your first menstrual cup is a little, uh, terrifying, so hopefully this’ll be the push some of you need to take the leap!

It’s worth it, I promise. You create so much less waste, save a ton of money (for me, I think it would be around $700 over the lifespan of the cup!), and they’re so comfortable and easy to use. Pair that with no dry-tampon feeling and a whole ZERO reported cases of TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome), and I think it’s an easy decision to make.

Availability: Can’t wait? You can buy the Lunette cup ($39.99) and wash ($9.99) on their site. And you can order them in different colours!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tags: /Feminism, Giveaway, Menstrual Cups, TMI Time

68 Comments

MUFE Aqua Matic, The Body Shop White Musk, and more | New 14/06/14

June 15, 2014

Rae Chen

1 Comment

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makeup highlights

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skincare & fragrance

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mac highlights

Forgot about Father’s Day?

It’s okay, The Body Shop has you covered. Shop their pre-boxed and pre-bagged men’s sets here — I hear the men’s White Musk range smells amazing! (PLUS: up to 70% off in their sale section, and 40% off most non-sale items. That means $2 lip balms, $5 gift sets, and $10 jumbo sizes!

Make Up For Ever Aqua Matic

The answer to the question everyone’s been asking is in, and the answer is: the new Aqua Matic pencils will be replacing the line’s old Aqua Shadow pencils, so stock up soon on any favourites you may have! (Their Aqua Cream eyeshadow pots will be unaffected).

The new pencils ($21 USD/$25 CAD) will be available in Canada at Sephora and Make Up For Ever Boutiques this July, and feature an automatic pencil that doesn’t require sharpening. For the initial launch, MUFE will be releasing ten shades in iridescent, diamond, satin, and metallic finishes.

Tags: /Make Up For Ever / MUFE, New This Week (& etc)

1 Comment