Hope you’re all having a warm & festive holiday with your loved ones… and that someone out there cares enough about your makeup stash to have snuck a few Clinique Chubby Stick Intenses underneath the tree.
(Because the only thing that’s better than moisturizing lip colour is moisturizing lip colour that looks like a giant, shiny crayon.)
See you back here tomorrow with a return to our regularly (un)scheduled posting!
Happy Christmas-Eve-Day, my dearlings!
This month for The Lipstick Bandits, we’ve put together something a little different — a bit of a “secret santa” project, for both ourselves and our readers. Each Bandit has been paired up (by myself, unbeknownst to the other person) to create a look inspired by the other blogger, whether in product, application, colour… you get the idea.
I ended up being paired with the absolutely gorgeous Dani, a wonderfully talented Vancouverite with a fantastic blog (and even more fantastic hair.) To mimic her look, I tried to copy said hair (of course), using hot rollers and a flat iron to add as much curl and volume as possible.
I think the hair went surprisingly alright, all things considered, but I’m completely bummed that I forgot to line my waterlines in black, as she usually does!
After making my best attempt at getting Dani-hair, I applied a quick flick of coloured eyeliner (Shu Uemura Blackish Satin Purple) overtop a neutral smokey eye (mainly Clarins Smokey Passion, used also here and here), and paired with a pop of colour — in this case, a bright teal along the lower lashline.
Finally, I applied a sheer layer of a coral-y blush, and layered a Marcelle Rouge Vitality lipstick (one of my all-time favourite formulas) with Korres‘ Cherry Oil Lipgloss in Rose for a bright, plush pout, something I absolutely associate with Dani’s look.
I also made sure to take the eye shots from my left eye, rather than my right — I feel like I never see Dani’s right eye unless it’s in a full-face shot! :P
My right eye is certainly my favourite, but I have to admit, it was kinda nice to change things up a little & photograph the other one for once.
I’m trying to get a review up for the Senna Cosmetics Haute Nudes Multi Makeup Palette in Mystic ($48 USD) as quickly as possible, but the long and short of it is simple: Mystic gets two thumbs way up from this particular peanut gallery.
With gorgeous textures (as you could expect from a brand like Senna) and an absolutely divine colour palette of cool-toned mauvey-neutrals, this might just be my favourite palette of the year. Until I can find time to get a review up, here are a few photos and swatches to tide you over!
Holiday looks tend to be pretty standard–opaque red lips, black winged liner, probably some shimmer,–but here’s something you might not have tried before.
With soft burgundy winged liner and a warm/neutral smokey eye, it’s a little less LOOK MOM, CHRISTMAS! and a little more this-non-denominational-holiday-party-is-too-hipster-for-you.
Then again, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Either way; I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season so far, whether that means massive extended-family-and-friends celebrations or just a few wonderful days without work! (Or neither, but hopefully it will still involve cookies.)
Conceal and prime, then use an all over eye or blending brush to create a sheer, warm-neutral smokey eye. (This is the Clarins Odyssey palette that reviewed on theNotice last week — it’s a great pick for a palette that “feels” warm without actually being too warm.)
Add a bit of shimmer to the middle of the lid to keep it from looking too drab (I love Clarins quads for this), and finish by taking a burgundy or wine-coloured eyeshadow along the upper lashline & into a wing. For an eyeliner flick with a bit more intensity and better wear, use a stiff angled eyeliner brush moistened with a bit of water or setting spray to apply the line.
From there, just polish up the look with defined brows and plenty of mascara!
Click here or above to shop the sale! Here are my picks from selection…
(The images below are clickable, but I’m afraid the text is not. My apologies; hopefully I’ll have a bit more time for image mapping in the weeks to come!)
One of this holiday season’s most beautiful finds is the dual-sided Sephora x Disney Cinderella compact mirror. Weighted and glossy, it’s honestly even more gorgeous in person than it is online — too heavy to be “purse-friendly” for me, but I’m sure others will beg to differ.
Metal and reflection with a faceted glass top, the Stroke of Midnight mirror certainly sits on the heavy side, both in build and feel. The construction is wonderfully solid (I’d be more worried about my toes if I dropped this than the case), and the push-button closure holds tightly while still being easy on the joints.
Inside are two mirrors (one magnifying, one regular), with the text “time for your moment“ curved across the latter.
It’s always hard to tell what size something will be from photos like these, so I took a few “holding shots,” too. I have fairly small hands (I’m 5’2″; the mirror is about 2.75″/7 cm across.)
At $20 USD/$24 CAD, this mirror is a little pricier than most — but absolutely worth it, for the product. Heavy and luxurious, it has a very elegant, “princessy” presentation, while still coming across as a product for fully-formed adults (rather than children wrapped in oversized tulle and chiffon.)
The Stroke of Midnight mirror is sold out online, but certainly still worth checking your local Sephora for! (The inherent “find in store” widget on the Canadian and American Sephora sites should do the trick.)
I haven’t written a review on a Sunday (to go up on a Monday) in ages, but this week, I just had to. We’re quickly running out of time before Christmas, for starters, but more importantly — I bloody love this brush set, you guys.
This is the third brush set I’ve reviewed since the summer, but the Luxe Face Brush Set is by far my favourite. While the Sephora + Pantone Universe Luminous Brush Set was a great buy for the price, and the Enchanting Brush Set was a definite “nice to have,” this one is an absolute “you need this” — praise that I honestly don’t even give to all of the Chubby Sticks.
(And I love me a Clinique Chubby Stick.)
At $48 USD/$58 CAD, five brushes and a clutch isn’t a bad deal — particularly when you take into consideration how ridiculously chic each piece is. Unlike a gift with purchase bag, or even a lot of other brush set bags, this one is actually wearable for a night out, which is a really nice deviation from the norm.
(Do you even say “wear” when it comes to bags? Carryable? Holdable? Acceptable?)
Despite having more brushes than I know what to do with, I’ve used the concealer & flat top foundation brushes in this set every single (makeup) day since first trying them out. I have honestly applied concealer just for the sheer joy of using the flat-top brush to buff it in, and I regret absolutely nothing.
Oh, and I guess the other brushes are lovely, too. (You probably wanted to hear that, right?)
The powder brush is fine; it’s a little small & loose, and despite not being rough, it’s not particularly soft, either. I could definitely live without it, but at the same time, it doesn’t pain me terribly to use it. The eye brushes more than make up for it, at least — small blending brushes and all-over eye brushes are two of my go-to eye brush staples, and it’s fantastic to see something other than a flimsy placement brush & lash comb in a set.
(The rounded eye brush is actually a “precision crease brush,” but my fellow monolidded lovelies will know how useful they can be for fine-detail blending, too!)
I very rarely lose it over makeup tools, but the flat-top brush in this set is so excellent — I’ve been meaning to pick up the Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush ($30 USD) for months, but at just $8 ($48 over 6 pieces), this more than suffices. Sephora’s version is densely packed, incredibly soft, and does a phenomenal job of blending in both foundation and concealer to a picture-perfect finish.
Honestly, I’d happily fork over $48 just for the concealer and foundation brushes in this set. The fact that they’re paired with a cute clutch, a decent powder brush, and two great eye brushes makes the Sephora Luxe Face Brush Set a can’t-miss.
Availability: Find it here at Sephora before it sells out!
“Dress your eyes in gold… brown, beige and taupe-bronze eye colours can be blended or layered as desired, instantly creating warm glowing eyes. The pearl highlighter adds a touch of luminosity and a gold leaf effect to any eye look.”
Seen first here.
The shades: The four shades in the Odyssey palette area little odd, to be honest. For a palette that “feels” this warm, visually, it’s surprisingly wearable on cool-toned skin — the warmest shade also happens to be the most sheer. The lean isn’t unbearable, either; rather than being too orange, it’s unexpectedly yellow, with silver microshimmer to balance.
The three non-glitter shades are medium-sheer with finely-milled microshimmer, settling into a range of satin-frosts. The beige actually reflects a bit pink (as Clarins highlighters tend to do) — imperceptible unless you’re actively looking for it, but it gives a very brightening, polished sheen that’s stunning in person.
All of the satin shades contain a small amount of silver microshimmer, giving them the illusion of a neutral colour temperature and allowing the stunning bronze-gold glitter to really pop. Like all Clarins glitters, it sticks well to the skin, mixing chunkier bronze shards with loosely concentrated silver and gold shimmer for a mesmerizing, wet-finish effect.
Foiled or applied overtop a sticky primer, the gold shade applies much more densely, mimicking a warm (slightly coppery) gold foil… minus the finicky application and wear of actual cosmetic foil.
The textures: I love the texture of Clarins’ eyeshadows, but I know not everyone does. If you’re really into crumbly, super-pigmented shades, their Eye Quartets won’t be for you — but if you prefer a mix of smooth satin finishes and gorgeous, dimensional glitters, then they’ll be perfect.
I love mixing textures to create depth & add versatility to a palette, and Clarins do a particularly great job of creating quads with this in mind. All of the quartets under a certain aesthetic, so if you have one or two that you’re happy with already, I think you’ll really enjoy this one, too.
My love affair with Clarins’ quads is no secret, and the Odyssey palette is no exception. (To be honest, though, I think I’m hitting my upper limit on these! Perhaps one in colour, and that’ll be it. Perhaps.)
For an earthy palette that feels warm and rich without pulling too orange on cool-toned skin, this is a great option. Clarins do a great job of mixing textures in their palettes, and the finely-milled satin finishes and rich gold foil featured here definitely don’t disappoint. At $42 CAD (and in stunning gold packaging), I would certainly recommend this!
PS: If you loved the gold glitter from the shu uemura Prestigious Bordeaux palette, this is a great dupe at less than half the price.
(If I was cool like Charlotte, I would postpone this until tomorrow, take out all the text, and call it a “Wordless Wednesday” post. However, I am not cool like Charlotte, and do not take nearly enough non-beauty photos to sustain a Wordless Wednesdays tag.)
Instead, —
A quick, silly snapshot of the Bite Beauty Bite Size Discovery Set ($25 USD/$29 CAD), because what are the holidays without a few tongue-in-cheek Photoshop brushes?
I’m three-fifths through these little guys, and haven’t found an unflattering shade thus far. The set itself recently sold out online, but the shades themselves are permanent — more photos & swatches when I get a chance. If you can’t find all five in-store, the individual shades are well worth picking up, too!
(The Bite Size Discovery Set includes Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipsticks in Retsina, Musk, Shiraz, Fig, and Pomegranate, from left to right in the photo above.)
