REVIEW: Chanel Rouge Allure - 136 Mélodieuse

As mentioned in my recent post, I did a little shopping in Portland.

This was one of the items I brought back with me:

Chanel Rouge Allure 136 Mélodieuse is part of the Notes Des Printemps Spring 2014 Collection.

REVIEW: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter - 047 Pink Lemonade

I picked up this Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Lemonade from Shoppers Drug Mart in September for $8.99 CAD, after hearing about it from Amarixe.

Sephora VIB Sale Haul (NARS, REN, Dior, etc.)

Yes, I did just do a mini Sephora haul just a couple of weeks before the VIB sale... As mentioned in that particular post, I had a 10% discount code and wanted to get the items at some discount before they sold out during the VIB.

I didn't really feel like hustling and bustling with the crowds after work, so I had a game plan to just order online.  Plus, this way I would earn an extra 4% cash back through Ebates!

I have another trip to Portland coming up after Christmas, so I was very selective in the chosen items--US prices and no sales tax -- weeeee!  I bought the items if the discounted price was either equivalent or lower than what I would pay in Portland; otherwise, they will be purchased in Portland ;)

REVIEW: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 2457 Dragon Girl

I can only handle hearing Chelsea (ChelseaWears) talk and swatch NARS velvet matte lip pencils so many times before I cave.

I couldn't bare to gamble the available inventory of Sephora during the VIB sale, so I decided to purchase my most desired shade out of the line when I had the 10% off coupon code (haul post).

My choice:  Dragon Girl.

REVIEW: Tom Ford Lip Color in 01 Spanish Pink

My heart went major pitter-patter when I saw Tom Ford at the Chicago Premium Outlets' CCO in early October (haul post).

TF Spanish Pink is one of those cult favourites that is highly coveted.  The sales associate could barely pry it out of my hands so she could ring it through the cash register.

My preciousssssssssssssssssssssssssss...

REVIEW: Rimmel Apocalips / Show Off Lip Lacquer - 101 Celestial

I've been waiting for these to arrive in Canada for months!
They were all over the UK blogs and channels, and then eventually some of the American ones.  (Note:  They're called Apocalips in the UK and Canada, but Show Off in the US).

After much swatching and hmmm...uhhh... at the Shoppers Drug Mart counter, I ended up picking 101 Celestial, for now.

Chanel Rouge Allure - 95 Enjouée

heeeheee

Dior Addict Extreme lipstick - 479 Holiday

This was it.  My first Dior lipstick.
Shall we take a moment to just collect ourselves?

I always eyed up Dior lipsticks... several moments have almost persuaded me enough to buy:
TTSandra's first blog posts were probably the first moments... and then there was when R incepted me with her claim that the Addict Extreme line being absolutely amazing; possibly better than Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine line... but I never did buy, until now.

Dior Addict Extreme in 479 Holiday

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 674 Coralberry

It's almost Summer, which means coral galore!

Sephora 100 Point Reward: Givenchy Le Rouge 103 Brun Créateur

Sephora has been stepping up on their 100 point rewards!

Givenchy released a new lipstick:  Le Rouge.
It's supposed to be a semi-matte lipstick, with leather packaging.

Seeing how it retails for $36 CAD, I like how the Givenchy PR team decided to give these little mini-me's out to the biggest makeup fanatics (Sephora shoppers).

Often time, samples look or feel like crap... even the most high end ones.
I appreciate it when brands take the time to actually use samples as their supposed purpose -- to generate interest and buzz.

Everything about this sample is top notch.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in 027 Juicy Papaya (Summer 2013)

In March, I was seeing the new Lip Butter Summer 2013 colours pop up on blogs.  My interest was definitely sparked as the colours are more up my alley than their existing lineup of colours.  I think the released colours are more universally flattering, too.

Anyway, when I was in Chicago, I made my first trip to Ulta!
There, I saw three of the four colours:  Juicy Papaya, Sorbet, and Wild Watermelon.  I didn't see Pink Lemonade.

I ended up selecting Juicy Papaya.  This sort of pink coral is my thing, haha.

REVIEW: L'Oreal Rouge Caresse/Colour Riche Caresse Lipstick

I first heard about these from essiebutton.  Being the lipstick snob that I was, I spurned drugstore lipstick, thinking that they were of lesser quality.

Oh, how wrong I was.

MAC Archie's Girls Collection (Pictures & Swatches)

Today's the official launch date for the collection!

As mentioned in my preview post, I had placed Betty Bright, Daddy's Little Girl, and Prom Princess on hold for pick up today.  Go to that post if you want to see pictures of the displays.

First of all, the packaging is adorable.  It's super cute and very fitting for Valentine's Day.

The inside of these boxes is a solid red

NYX LLS Series Round Lipsticks (Fig & Tea Rose)

During a 20% promotion last month, I picked up these two NYX Lipsticks.  According to the NYX website, they're part of the LLS Series.

I wanted all of them, but ended up just getting the two shades that I've been eyeing for a really long time.

Fig is a beautiful mid-tone warm pink.  When applied to my deep pink/light mauve lips, it appears as a warm coral.

Tea Rose is a natural, pinky nude.  When applied to my deep pink/light mauve lips, it appears like a my lips but better pinky mauve.

 

Fig (LLS640) and Tea Rose (LLS628)

I like wearing Fig and Tea Rose together on days when I feel like Tea Rose is too muted and Fig is too bright.  I apply Tea Rose on my upper lip and Fig on my lower lip, and then press them together a few times.

The texture and application of these LLS Round Lipsticks is amazing.  They're so velvety smooth and super soft - They kinda remind me of MAC Cremesheen but without the melting, haha.
The only off-putting thing about these lipsticks is the scent.  It has a very slight plastic soap scent.  You don't really notice it when you're wearing it though.

I got each of the lipsticks just under $5 CAD at my drugstore, but I know, you can get them for even cheaper in the states.

- M

Glossybox Canada (A Follow Up)

A month ago, I tried out Glossybox Canada and they lost me as a consumer at an incredible speed.  You can read about my experience.

Glossybox Canada said that they were going to send me a replacement, and I finally received it yesterday!

It arrived in an envelope with this ghetto generic message:

They must have had to send a lot of replacements to have a generic message made... lol

I don't know what their "letter" is talking about, because they sent me what I had requested:  A replacement of the Glossybox lipstick in Glossy Pink.

They also sent these two Shany shimmery eye shadows:

Not bad pigmentation.

The brown one actually reminds me of a glitter fall-out central version of Burberry Rosewood *gasp*

Anyway, I'm happy that Glossybox Canada followed through with their promise, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to resign with them--especially, with their recent aggressive price hike!

If you didn't know, Glossybox Canada is undergoing North American alignment and will be matching their pricetag to the Glossybox USA pricetag at $21.  This alignment doesn't mean they're closing the gap in brands between the Canada and USA entities.  Confused?  Join the club.

For detailed posts on this subject matter, go to:
Ellesy at Petite Pear Style and Candice at Mirror Image: A Beauty-Full Blog

- M

Is Tarina Tarantino peacing out of Sephora too?

I went into Sephora today to repurchase my Smashbox liquid liner, and got distracted by the sale signs all over the Tarina Tarantino counter.  Brain went "40% off?! HOLLA!"

I was only interested in the lip sticks ("Conditioning Lip Sheen") because everything else belongs in Tinkerbell's house.  If only their buttery eye shadows came in matte colours too.

After swatching every single shade, I went to the cashier with Pink Elephant and Cameo.  So tempted to grab a few more...

Heavy packaging - would've felt more luxurious without the bejeweling

Left:  Cameo.  Right:  Pink Elephant

Cameo is a brown neutral nude with slight pink.
Pink Elephant is a light dusty rose pink.

Smell:
None; unscented.

Texture:
It's sooo creamy and smooth.  It reminds of a less melty MAC cremesheen.

Pigmentation:
Pretty good.  Colours are true to the bullet.

Price:
$16 CAD each. (Originally $26 CAD each.)

- M

Clinique Chubby Stick (04 Mega Melon & 06 Woppin' Watermelon)

I snagged these from my mom's Clinique gift with purchases last week.  The Woppin' Watermelon comes in the pink version and the Mega Melon comes in the nude version.

They're completely sheer tinted on my skin (as you can see from my swatches below), and invisible on my pigmented lips.
They apply very smoothly and seem moisturizing, but within the hour, they were drying my lips out.

Verdict:  Buy a lip balm instead.

natural lighting

with flash

- M

MUFE Rouge Artist Natural (N45 Red) - A not so scary red

When I saw the redness of this lipstick at the cash register, I was taken back.  But, it's not every day that Sephora Canada actually offers a decent Beauty Insider perk product.  I figured that I could always use a red lipstick, so why not.

To Sephora's standards, this product is generous, considering it is almost half of the full size.  This is 0.05 oz.  The full size of the Rouge Artist Natural is $22 CAD for 0.12 oz.

Shade N45 Red

I would classify this as a sheer lipstick with good pigmentation.  It applies very smoothly, almost like a glaze.  With one swipe, it looks like a sheer lipstick.  With three layers, it looks more like a lipstick.

three swipes

I like this lipstick more than expected!  It's really flattering on yellow skin tones, and makes my teeth look really white even though I wouldn't say it's a blue-toned red.

If you're interested, go redeem 100 points from your local Sephora now!

- M

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Haul

This past week, London Drugs was having a promotion where all Revlon lipsticks were marked down to $3.99 CAD.  At first, I picked up the two that I've been eyeing for a while:  450 Gentlemen Prefer Pink & 628 Peach Me.  Both are in the pearl finish.  I loved them so much that I went back and got 668 Primrose, & 415 Pink In The Afternoon.  The latter two are in the crème finish.

Peach Me (above) & Gentlemen Prefer Pink (below)

Pink In The Afternoon (above) & Primrose (below)

Peach Me looks orange-peach when swatched on my arm, but when applied to my super pigmented lips, it looks like a smoky neutral peach.

I love the name, Gentlemen Prefer Pink.  It's a nice semi-blue-toned pink.  Even though it's a slightly cooler pink, it's very flattering against my warm-toned skin.

Pink In The Afternoon is a great warm pink.  It is my perfect my lips but better shade - it amplifies my natural lip shade (yea, my lips are that pigmented).

Primrose is supposedly a very popular blogosphere/youtube world shade, as it's argued to be a dupe for MAC Lazy Day and MAC Angel.  It is a cool-toned, semi lavender, semi light mauve pink.

All are perfect for everyday wear and very suitable for the office (as expected for anything I own).

As you may notice in my swatches, the pearl finish (Peach Me & Gentlemen Prefer Pink) is more moisturizing and more "wet" looking.  My lips tend to get dry so the pearl finish is definitely the easier of the two finishes to apply.  The crème finish tends to drag just a smidge when I'm applying it.  As you can see from my swatches above, the crème finish (Pink In The Afternoon & Primrose) is a satin finish that leans very closely to an almost matte.  It's a good way of appearing to wear a matte lip, without the hassle of a matte finish lipstick.

Revlon's lipsticks may the best drugstore lipsticks out there.  The pigmentation and colour payoff on my lips is amazing. I love the finish of them on my lips.  Additionally, they're moisturizing and wear pretty good.  When I first apply it to my lips, it looks a little meh, but after warming up on my lips, the colour and finish softens up and looks incredible.

- M

Lancome Rouge in Love Lipstick - 322M Corail in Love

In late April, R and I rekindled our platonic relationship and went on a semi-massive haul.

See my post here - click!

See R's post here - click!

That day, I had gone into Sephora to swatch the hell out of Dior Addict Extreme lipstick in 336 Saint Tropez because of RAEviewer's video (click! - watch at 2:27).  I found Saint Tropez pretty nice on my hand, but when I tried it on my lips, it wasn't nearly as smooth and glide-y.  On my hand, the colour was a nice light nuded orange, but on my pinky-mauve natural lips, it came off as a porno-nude type of lip - ugh.  Needless to say, I passed on it.

Obviously, that didn't mean that R and I left Sephora...

Instead, I got intrigued by the Lancome Rouge in Love section.

The 21 colours are split into 3 categories:

M - Jolis Matins (fresh daytime shades)

B - Boudoir Time (pop of colour cocktail shades)

N - Tonight is My Night (intense evening/night shades)

See KarlaSugar (aka. swatch royalty) for swatches of all 21 colours - click!

RAEviewer swatched a few too, including Corail in Love - click!

After much swatching and comparing, I picked up Lancome Rouge in Love lipstick in Corail in Love (322M):

Just at that beauty - How could I not?!

Lancome advertises it as being 6 hr long wear and featherlight - I completely agree!!
Colour:
It's just the most perfect pinky coral for me.  I'm able to wear the trend without having orange clown lips that smacks across someone's face when they see it.  Yet, at the same time, when this orange/coral frenzy rolls over, I'll still have a very wearable colour.  I love its versatility because I can wear it any time during the day or night; casual or dressed up.  On my pinky-mauve natural lips, this shade can look either slightly more pink or slightly more coral in certain lighting - I love that!  It's also very pigmented so two coats and I'm happy.
Texture:
It's this really awesomely smooth silk finish that's not quite matte, but not shiny either.  After I've applied it, I can smack or rub my lips together and they'll feel like I'm not wearing any product on my lips at all - not even a balm feeling!  The bullet just gliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiides along with complete ease.  I don't have to be fussy with making sure I have well-moisturized or exfoliated lips - I just put it straight on my lips without any balm or liner and it just makes my lips look super soft and effortless.  It seems to hide any dryness or imperfections.
Wear:
Super duper long wear.  I can blab, drink, and eat all I want and it's still just as awesome as when I first applied it.  There's no drying, no tugging, no smudging.  What's awesome is that it doesn't even transfer when I'm drinking or eating!  This doesn't mean it's a stain either, because if I want to remove it, a dry napkin or tissue is enough.

I love love love this lipstick, including its adorable but classy packaging - it's super light and fingerprint-proof!
It's more affordable than some other lipstick giants.  I got this at a Canadian Sephora for $30 CAD, but you can get it online or in the states for $25 USD.
(If you do buy it, make sure you keep the box if you want to remember the colour name and letter.  The sticker on the lipstick only has the number).

For a non-lipstick wearer, I've been trying to wear this at any given opportunity.  If it was a limited edition release, I would probably buy a backup - that alone says enough about how much I love it.

♥ M