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Lise Watier Something Sweet Review, Photos | A little something… sweet

June 6, 2013

4 Comments

The product: Lise Watier Something Sweet Eau de Toilette

Like the name suggests, Lise Watier’s latest fragrance offering is a bright, lively gourmand with plenty of sugary notes to satisfy any sweet tooth. As someone who prefers (by a long shot) dry, masculine scents, the company’s description of this one had me on the edge of my seat in terror — but, unlike last week’s bright pink confection, I’m not quite running away in fear.

Something Sweet is, to me, the angel food cake of this season’s perfume launches. With top notes of champagne bubbles & rainbow sorbet (no, I’m not pulling your leg), middle notes of melon fizz & red fruit, and base notes of juicy raspberry and chocolate mousse, it sounds like something that could give you a cavity in two seconds flat… and it is.

Beneath that too-sweet exterior, though, lies a surprisingly palette-cleansing heart. It presents in a surprisingly layered manner — almost as if you’ve just rinsed off a tropical body wash, and followed up right afterwards with a spritz of metaphorical cotton candy.

The Lise Watier camp refers to the bright heart of this fragrance as “zest,” and it really is — instead of a single-note, nauseatingly overdone saccharine disaster, Something Sweet is the perfect perfume for someone who loves gourmands but doesn’t want to smell like a late-90’s Disney teenybopper. It’s still super-sweet, but it has a little something else going on, too; something bright and playful and vibrant.

The verdict?

While I could never see myself wearing Something Sweet, I think Lise Watier has brought something worthwhile to the already-overflowing table of gourmands on the market today. I wish the fresh notes of this Eau de Toilette stuck around a little longer, but this lively, fresh gourmand might be just what you’re looking for if you love gourmands (but you’re tired of smelling the same thing over and over again).

Availability, details, & more »

Tags: /Canadian beauty, Fragrance, Lise Watier, Product Photos, Product Review, Spring/Summer 2013

4 Comments

MAC All About Orange, Summer 2013 | On Our Radar

June 3, 2013

Rae Chen

7 Comments

I get asked pretty often what I use to put together theNotice’s product spreads, and the answer is generally just a simple, basic, “Adobe Photoshop.” What that answer is missing, however, is a quietly reserved, “but it’s an absolute nightmare, and I wouldn’t wish it unto anyone.”

That in mind, here’s a super-basic MAC All About Orange product spread. After talking to Chic Geek co-founder & all-around awesome PR girl Kylie Toh, I’m trying to get accustomed to using Adobe Illustrator for future On Our Radar/The Edit features — today’s spread is ~~a complete aesthetic disaster~~ a bit of a visual mess, but I’m pretty optimistic about Illustrator’s learning curve and ease of use.

The image above is (as always!) clickable & hopefully functional. I’m not much of an orange fan, but there are some pretty pinky-peaches and light apricots in through the collection, too — a little something for everyone, unlike some of this year’s other Summer collections!

Hope your weeks are off to a great start (even if Mondays are always a bit of a drag).

Tags: /MAC, Spring/Summer 2013

7 Comments

The pros and cons of mobile & responsive sites, themes, and blogs: Love ’em or hate ’em?

May 31, 2013

Rae Chen

17 Comments

In today’s smartphone-armed world, readership numbers for non-computer devices are going up, up, up. As a blogger, I feel a certain amount of pressure to put together a mobile theme for theNotice; as a reader, however, I really don’t want to.

Have you ever noticed… that if you read theNotice on your phone, the striped background automatically gets cut off? And, if you double-tap the body text (which is also the same width as the images), the text is still totally readable?

Yeah. Designed with me you in mind.

I get the feeling that I’m the exception rather than the norm on this one, but here are a few of the things I love (and hate!) about mobile sites and responsive themes.

Makeup and Beauty Blog vs Beautezine: two great beauty blogs with very different responsive themes

Responsive Themes

Responsive themes (which are much, much more common for independently-run blogs) display the same content as the desktop site, but switch over to a different layout depending on what kind of device you’re viewing it from. I have a lot (too many!) thoughts on them, so I’ll leave you to a bit of point-form:

The pros

Faster load time
Better text scaling
Single-column
Homepages typically load only the title & featured image of a post

A cross-platform example of a recipe from the BBC’s Food section: Gingerbread Biscuits on a desktop site, a mobile site, and a desktop site as viewed on a mobile device.

The cons

Sites can get “stuck” on one theme
No zooming in on those tiny images!
Default themes are boring and (let’s admit it, they totally are) kind of unsightly
Square ads take up a lot of your screen real estate
“Sticky” banner ads frequently glitch when scrolling
Single-column layout pushes sidebars, search bars, and widgets to the bottom
Swipe-happy themes often interpret scrolling as a desire to go forward/back a post… or maybe that’s just me and my short thumbs.

Awkward ads, bottom-of-the-page search bars, and stuck-on-mobile sites

Mobile Sites

Unlike a responsive layout, a mobile site is separate from a web version — meaning that, for a blog, you’ll often not see recent material until the mobile site gets updated, too.

H&M’s desktop vs. mobile sites

Keep reading! »

Tags: /Beauty blogging

17 Comments

essie x Ralph Lauren Big Pony: The Sensual Set (#2 Pink) | When fragrance & nails collide

May 29, 2013

Rae Chen

8 Comments

Out this spring from Ralph Lauren is a bit of an interesting collaboration: for each of their four Big Pony Women’s fragrances, Ralph Lauren has teamed up with Essie Weingarten herself to create a matching Essie nail varnish.

On top of that–if, perhaps, you’re looking for a little nail inspiration!–Essie Canada had Rita Remark, lead national nail artist, to create a custom nail look for each fragrance.

The product: Ralph Lauren x essie SENSUAL (Ralph Lauren Big Pony Woman & essie in Pink #2)

Big Pony Woman Pink #2 isn’t exactly my kind of fragrance. With notes of of cranberry and tonka mousse (and only those two), this fruity floriental is just one in a vast number of sticky-sweet perfumes today.

Maybe I’m being a bit harsh–okay, I’m definitely being a bit harsh–but for someone who wears men’s colognes almost exclusively… great marketing and cute collaboration aside, this post should have been a pass for me.

The Big Pony sets’ saving grace, however, are the bright, vibrant Essie nail varnishes. I’m not always swayed by their polishes (I find the dense narrow brush difficult to work with), but #2 Pink is one of the few Essies I’ve easily managed to get smooth, glossy nails out of in just two coats.

I’m not nearly nail-savvy enough to manage Rita Remark’s criss-cross nail art, I’m afraid, but I loved the specific hue of this creamy blue-pink nonetheless. It may not be the most unique shade, but it’s a great pick for a pink untouched by this season’s fluorescent polish trend!

Try it if…

There’s a Ralph Lauren Big Pony scent that you already know you love, but otherwise, pass. These sets would make great gifts, however — while I wasn’t a fan of the saccharine #2, it wouldn’t be a stretch for me to imagine an Aquolina-Pink-Sugar-loving teenage girl adoring this cotton-wrapped confection.

Also in the range are #1 Blue (grapefruit & blue lotus), #3 Yellow (pear & mimosa), and #4 Purple (wild cherry & purple amber).

Keep reading! »

Tags: /Fragrance, Nails, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Spring/Summer 2013

8 Comments

Lancôme x Alber Elbaz: 1’30” of whimsy | Teaser #1

May 27, 2013

Rae Chen

4 Comments

This morning, Lancôme released the first of three teasers for their Summer 2013 Lancôme x Alber Elbaz collection film, which will be released in full on June 3rd. For those of you who really can’t wait for more, though, keep an eye on Lancôme Canada’s YouTube and Facebook pages for two more teasers between now and the 31st.

To deliver Elbaz’ “transition from the real to the surreal,” Lancôme worked for more than six months with Box Studios’ Pascal Dangin to animate his wonderfully whimsical drawings into a 1 minute and 30 second film. Expect to see the metamorphosis of a fashion show, where the eyes in the front row transform slowly into bottles.

It’s not your standard makeup company fare, and I’m excited to soon be able to see the film in full.

Not only is this the first time Elbaz has collaborated in creating a make-up collection, but this collection also marks a first for Lancôme: despite their iconic range of mascaras, never before has this 78-year-old French luxury cosmetics house dabbled in false eyelashes.

The limited-edition Lancôme x Alber Elbaz collection will be available worldwide from June 15th (a very long six months since it was first teased). The collection will include mascaras, palettes, eyeshadows, and false eyelashes.

Tags: /Lancome, Spring/Summer 2013

4 Comments

One day only: Buy 2 Mascara Get 1 Free at Nordstrom

May 25, 2013

Rae Chen

Sephora + Pantone Color of the Year 2013: Emerald | Reviews, swatches, and far too many photos

May 24, 2013

Rae Chen

32 Comments

This year’s Sephora + Pantone Universe Color of the Year collection has been out for a few months (since March), but I haven’t really been “feeling it” — until now, that is.

With the weather finally warming up & the sun coming out from behind the clouds, 2013’s vibrant collection of Emerald products is (finally!) in-season and on-trend. Perfect for creating a summer smokey eye, or adding just a touch of bright green, now is the perfect time to pick up a couple bold green products to add to your summer makeup kit.

Blogger’s note: so, this post ended up at around a thousand words. Click here or scroll past all the pretty pictures for a two-sentence rundown of each product.

The product: SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE Color of the Year 2013, Emerald (assorted products)

Color Watt Highlighting Mascara

Sephora + Pantone Universe Color Watt Highlighting Mascara ($22 CAD)

Funnily enough, I thought this was the best and worst-performing product in this year’s Color of the Year collection. Dry, matte, and intensely pigmented, the Color Watt mascara really does show up green on the lashes — even short, dark, sparse lashes like my own.

There’s a lash photo of this at the end of the post, but in a nutshell: yes, it absolutely does show up, but the gorgeous green pigment is its downfall, too. It sits in tiny, dry clumps on the lashes, adding neither length nor noticeable volume, and stains for days if it touches the skin.

The stain can be avoided if you carefully remove your mascara with an oil-based or micellar remover on a cotton pad, rubbing down the lash against a halved cotton pad covering your undereye area, but it’s a hell of a hassle for a single effective-but-kitschy product.

Lightspeed Glitter Dust

Sephora + Pantone Universe Lightspeed Glitter Dust ($17 CAD)

On the polar opposite end of the spectrum is the Lightspeed Glitter Dust, which is dry, loose, and milled just large enough to stay on this side of shimmery. The green base is very sheer, and the plentiful sky blue shimmer really predominates, giving it an almost turquoise tone overall.

Like any glitter dust, this really needs a base to stick to, so be sure to have one on hand! On completely dry skin, it comes right off, but on primed or even just freshly-moisturized skin, it adheres like a charm.

L-R: Color Watt Highlighting Mascara, Lightspeed Glitter Dust, Color Cube Lid Liner Stain (x2), Color Code Prismatic Shadow, Graphic Sculpt Waterproof Jumbo Liner

Lightspeed Glitter Dust

Sephora + Pantone Universe Color Cube Lid Liner Stain ($19 CAD)

May I please introduce you to the Sephora + Pantone Universe 2013 cream of the crop? The Lid Liner Stain (which, despite its name, absolutely does not stain) is gorgeous — a well-pigmented shimmery-or-metallic emerald, it makes me think of all the best parts of the Emerald City.

The smooth, light texture of this Color Cube “stain” blends out easily as a wash of green with finely-milled shimmer, but works as a seriously stunning metallic emerald liner, too. Basically, it’s everything the Color Code Prismatic Shadow (below) hopes to someday be.

Color Cube Lid Liner Stain

Keep reading! »

Tags: /Eyes, Fall/Winter 2012, Grouped reviews, Paraben-free, Product Photos, Product Review, Product Swatches, Sephora + Pantone Universe, Spring/Summer 2013

32 Comments

Polished & Pink: Five Summer-Ready Spring Picks | On Our Radar

May 21, 2013

Rae Chen

14 Comments

Set to conquer in three… two… nope

I have zero inherent talent for anything design-related (or even design-adjacent, really), so product spreads are always a little tricky for me. If, by “a little tricky,” you mean “a time suck and a constant source of frustration,” that is.

Despite the sweat and tears and hours and hours and hours that go into these posts, though, I still quite enjoy putting them together — the challenge, when I can come out on top, is incredibly rewarding.

I hope you enjoy this week’s picks (even though I didn’t quite manage to conquer the image).

Skincare sweethearts

This week’s picks started off with the Sweet Leaf Bath Adzuki Bean & Rice Bran Face Polish, which caught my eye as a low-end Canadian alternative to the Tatcha Polished Rice Enzyme Powder ($65 USD). While Sweet Leaf’s version doesn’t have the same wow! factor or enzymatic powers, it’s still a very cool powder-format face polish for those of us on a tighter budget.

Also in the skincare department is the eos 24-Hour Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream, which is a great silicone-free, scent-free shaving cream for those of us who want to keep our showers simple.

Keep reading! »

Tags: /Annabelle, Canadian beauty, Lise Watier, New This Week (& etc), Paraben-free, Silicone-free, Spring/Summer 2013, The Edit, Yves Saint Laurent / YSL

14 Comments

New 16/05/13: Spring/Summer Beauty from NARS, Illamasqua, & more

May 16, 2013

Rae Chen

8 Comments

I’ve been playing around with a few new formats for things, recently, so here’s a “New This Week” post that’s sorted a little differently than usual.

Feel free to let me know what you think of it in the comments, or just quietly peruse the beauty launches that have caught my eye this month!

To start us off, the highlights:

Spring lip focus

Bare a little skin

& everything else

Tags: /New This Week (& etc)

8 Comments

Bright Blue Pastel Lids | Topshop AW13 (Drugstore Eyes!)

May 13, 2013

Rae Chen

18 Comments

Okay, so: I know I haven’t been the best about posting recently, but I’m trying to be better, I swear. I think I still need a couple weeks to really get back into the swing of things, but I may as well start now!

Here’s a quick, springy look to start off the week. Created by Hannah Murray for Topshop AW13 at the last last London Fashion Week, the look is “a bit Brit pop, a bit Eighties, a bit New Wave with an urban edge,” according to Murray. Backstage artists paired fresh skin with almond-shaped pastel blue eyes, and — I don’t know. It’s a bit of a “look,” isn’t it? Super-easy, but still not something I could ever see myself really loving.

Read Vogue’s backstage report for the show here, and catch a full tutorial here.

Topshop recommends using their Eye Crayon in Kingfisher to get this look, but it’s not actually what was used backstage. Rather, Murray put down a green eyeshadow base (I’m guessing a cream eyeshadow), then topped it off with a pale blue eyeshadow.

I went with a more direct approach, layering a white primer with a matte blue eyeshadow, but I would have liked to have used something with more intensity — the soft “glow” was lovely in real life, but I think the way it photographed left a little something to be desired.

You win some, you lose some, I guess!

Start with a blank canvas

& add a little colour. (Pre-blush & mascara)

The cool thing about this look, though, is that you could honestly sub in whatever shade you wanted to. I love the look of a matte finish for an eye like this, but I’m not crazy about bright blues — I think I’d have loved to do a lilac or a cobalt instead (both of which happen to be part of Sephora’s current ColorVision forecast, handily enough!)

Here are a couple springy shades that caught my eye:

Shiseido | Sephora | MAC | Stila

Keep reading! »

Tags: /4. Makeup looks, Eyes, FaceFront, Indie brands, MAC, Makeup looks: colour, Senna

18 Comments