Stila Magnificent Metals Eyeshadows~ Swatches and First Impressions

The last time I was at Sephora I was instantly drawn to the new display for the Stila Magnificent Metals Eyeshadows. These are an insanely metallic and shiny eyeshadow formula with a sort of flake texture that is sort of sponge/cream finish. Very unique and unlike anything I've ever experienced before! I knew immediately that I needed to do swatches of the entire line for you all.

A couple things about application. From my experience (using my finger) these were easier to use the more liquid-like they were. The formula of these is identical between shades but as these come with a tiny vial of liquid primer it is reccommended to drop the liquid into the shadow pots. The amount you add the more liquidy they become. The easiest ones to use were the shades that people had added quite a bit of the primer too but not so much that the shadows became a runny goop. Also though it would be a pain due to the screw-top packaging I can totally see why they chose it because you wouldn't want to have the primer dry-out in the shadows between uses- it would be a huge waste of the tiny primer vial.

I didn't notice any other differences between shades other than the emerald shade stains like crazy. Which is sad because all the other shades were fine and I loved the emerald colour.

These retail for an insane $42 Canadian each (at Sephora) which includes one mini primer vial, one eyeshadow pot and one metal pan to mix in (which isn't really necessary in my opinion).

I swatched these two ways for you all, first on my fingers and then on my arm. Enjoy!

L-R: Metallic Cobalt, Metallic Emerald, Metallic Laurel

L-R: Vintage Black Gold, Comex Copper, Metallic Merlot

L-R: Comex Gold, Titanium, Comex Platinum

L-R: Metallic Lavender, Kitten, Metallic Dusty Rose

All together! T-B: Metallic Lavender, Kitten, Metallic Dusty Rose, Comex Platinum, Titanium, Comex Gold, Metallic Merlot, Comex Copper, Vintage Black Gold, Metallic Laurel, Metallic Emerald, Metallic Cobalt

B-T: Metallic Cobalt, Metallic Emerald, Metallic Laurel, Vintage Black Gold, Comex Copper, Metallic Merlot

B-T: Comex Copper, Metallic Merlot, Comex Gold, Titanium, Comex Platinum

B-T: Comex Platinum, Metallic Dusty Rose, Kitten, Metallic Lavender

L-R: Metallic Lavender, Kitten, Metallic Dusty Rose, Comex Platinum, Titanium

L-R: Comex Platinum, Titanium, Comex Gold, Metallic Merlot, Comex Copper, Vintage Black Gold

L-R: Comex Copper, Vintage Black Gold, Metallic Laurel, Metallic Emerald, Metallic Cobalt

As you can see from the swatches these are difficult to apply evenly. Like I mentioned before it was easier to apply these more evenly when they were wetter (such as with metallic merlot and comex platinum). All shades have the same sort of intense metallic finish, there truly isn't a difference I could see between shades as there sometimes is in ranges.

Overall I think these are really neat. I do think they'd take practise to use effectively as the flakes seem to go everywhere and a brush may be a better option than fingers- you may have to do some experimentation. At the price I'd put them as a luxury item to splurge on but if a shade really calls out to you I can see these making a statement look easily.

What do you all think? Are you intrigued?

Joe Fresh Liquid Liner Pen~ Review

Lately, on a quick run in to the grocery store I spotted Joe Fresh's Liquid Liner Pen, a felt tip thin black liner. This Pen was only $6 so I thought I'd give it a try as I like other Joe Fresh products and I've been wanting to try a liquid felt-tip liner pen for a while. There were a couple other shades such as a light brown and a dark olive green but I chose basic black for a fifties sort of look. I was hoping to create a cat eye.

One of the best things about this liner is the felt-tip. It's got a really fine tip so I can easily do a thin line along my lashes. The sort of matte area of the plastic makes the pen easy to grip and it's not too difficult to create a bolder line as well. I was a little worried the liquid wouldn't reach all the way to the very tip of the felt end but it did. Yay.

Now for the bad news. First up is that this needs to be stored horizontally, which is a pain, though one I could live with if not for this liner's other faults. Though the pigmentation isn't bad, it isn't the blackest black out there, but again, I could live with this. 

The main issue I have with this product is the lasting power. It has very little. It never fully 'set' meaning when I rubbed my eye a little later it came off some on my finger. Also, by the end of the day this liner was completely gone on my one eye and only faintly visible on my other eye. It didn't fade evenly and instead of disappearing, it instead migrated to my already dark under eye circles. Can anyone say major transfer issues?! I didn't even leave the house yesterday when I tried this liner! Sheesh! I suppose it may last longer with a primer underneath but I don't really like pushing primer up that close to my lash line, plus if my eyes watered at all (as they like to do, especially during allergy season) I have a feeling this liner would be a lost cause. 

On top of this, the liner only hold 1 ml of product. What a pathetically small amount! 

Sprite Rating: 2/10- The only good thing is the low price tag and the fact the felt-tip liner is decent.

Would I buy this again? NO! Not worth even the $6 CND. I want my makeup to last!

Stila New Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner~ Swatches

Just a quick swatch post for you all. These are the two new Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner. These have a felt tip application method with a hard plastic case, and cost $20 USD.

There are two shades, a navy and a dark brown. I found even after I shook the pens I really needed to press to get any liquid to come down and that these didn't really apply all that well as can be seen above in the patchy application. I was hoping for a felt-tip with a really easy to apply thin line, but I'm obviously still on the hunt. Are there any pen felt-tip liquid liners you really like? Let me know!

Estee Lauder Double Wear SPF 10 Liquid Foundation~ Review

A little over a year ago now I was recommended to try Estee Lauder's Double Wear Stay In Place Liquid Foundation with SPF 10. I was looking for a medium to full coverage foundation that wouldn't cause me to breakout, would last all day, wouldn't transfer and would help to combat some of the oiliness of my skin. That's certainly a high standard as most foundations aren't transfer resistant let alone alright for acne-prone skin. However, Estee Lauder Double Wear meets all of these criteria amazingly enough.

With Mac's foundation pump (an extra purchase unfortunately), the use of this is perfectly hygienic and allows you to control the amount on your brush, which is good because you don't need a lot to get full coverage with this foundation. I find I need a primer with this though as a primer helps it spread better as the formula is kind of thick. A primer also helps minimizes brush strokes on my face during application. When applied it dries down after a bit to a semi-matte finish. Usually however, I speed up the dry-down process and apply a finishing powder over top so I don't have an intermediate sticky feeling. Some people have complained this feels like a mask on but I don't feel that way with this foundation, I don't really feel it on my face at all. Plus I love how well it covers all my acne scars and redness. Or if you want even more coverage you can layer it easily with an additional coat of foundation, which I always like the option of. It comes in a sturdy and sophisticated frosted glass bottle with a gold twist cap that really closes well which is a nice touch.

My shade is Shell or 1C1 the coolest (pinkest) lightest shade they carry in the range. Estee Lauder has divided their shade selections into three categories, C- for cool or pinker based shades, N- for neutral or not yellow but not pink shades and W- for yellow undertones. From there, each darker skin shade can choose which of the three options provide the best match. If possible I recommend getting matched in person because the online swatches give you no idea of what you're actually dealing with. There are twenty shades in total and I was quite lucky to find a match. Though it is the smallest touch too pink for me the shade Shell does match, a huge worry of mine after I fell in love with Ecru (the neutral lightest shade) and it was too yellow for my skin.

As a side note though you could apply this with your fingers I really feel that it needs a brush as the formula is quite thick and you'll want as even a layer as possible.

The formula of it is great too, it's oil-free, low silicone (Silicone normally bothers my skin but this foundation doesn't cause acne flair ups! Yay!), fragrance-free, non-comedogenic and Dermatologist tested. That said, with it being fragrance free when wet it has the tendency to smell like paint. You'll get a whiff of this every so often but it doesn't stick around, thank goodness. It's not as strong as paint smell either but the smell is definitely there. It doesn't linger so for me it's not too much of an issue. For me, a girl that is highly allergic to the smell of paint (migraines!) to say that I think you can tell it's not too bad. And of course the small bonus of 10 SPF is nice too, though as you really need a stronger sun protection everyday I tend to add one underneath. I've had no issues layering it over top of other products.

Warning: Removal is going to be a pain in the ass. This comes with the territory really as it is such a long wearing foundation (Estee Lauder states 15- hours and that is pretty darn close I'd say). I love my Clarisonic for removal but I recommend a make-up remover all over your face before cleansing to ensure that it all comes off!

This foundation has won a bunch of awards and I have to completely agree, it's the best of all of the foundations I've tried. It does pack a punch though price-wise at $34 USD for 1.0 oz or (when you include tax) here in Canada $50 CND.

Sprite Rating: 8/10- lost one point for slight paint smell and one point for sheer expensiveness.

Would I buy this again? Yes! This is my second bottle, though first in my correct shade and I'll repurchase when I eventually run out, though that will likely take over a year. :D

Peacocky Kissable Lip Colours~ Review

I know I already have swatches up for these but I thought I'd include the lip swatches too. Plus this will be a mini review. I just bought another shade in these Kissable Lip Colors- Flaunting It (a greyed mauve), and I'm hoping it will make it to me this weekend (if so I'll add another lip swatch near the bottom of this post). What I really like about these is the texture. They feel so cushy and plush when on. They actually feel moisturizing which I really like. Plus once these dry down they last much longer than my typical glosses and about the same as some of my longer wearing lipsticks.
On top of that they're so darn pigmented! You can put on the slightest amount for a lightened version or layer it for a darker shade that is closer to the bottle colour.

Love Peck- Layered

Above is a heavy or two layered swatch of Love Peck. And I love this shade! Vampy red when layered but very much a dark berry shade when sheered and it really makes my pale skin pop, as well as my teeth look whiter!

Love Peck- One Layer

Here you can see more of the berry tone to this when you only apply one layer. Or if you blot you'll get more of a raspberry shade as seen below.

Love Peck- Blotted

Unfortunately this shade bleeds a smidge (not much but a little as can be seen in the photo above) and because it's so pigmented you need to make sure you apply it precisely or else you'll end up with pink stain where you don't want it. 

Peacocky, though in the bottle has a slight red iridescence, doesn't have it when applied. It's also a shocking colour that is going to scare most people. Alot. However, I don't own a blue and felt that I should as lately I've been feeling punkish. 

Two layers- slightly lighter in real life

Peacocky isn't nearly as opaque as Love Peck but it still makes a statement! I also works well over too orange reds and purples to darken and cool the colours. As a plus it too makes my teeth look whiter! Feels just as nice as Love Peck and shares it's issues too.

Sprite Rating: 8/10- Lost points for difficulty to apply, slight bleeding of colour and price.

Would I buy again? Yes despite the issues I love the feel and wear of this formula. I highly recommend getting one of these from your Mac before they're all gone.

ELF Holiday Kits (& some extras)

HUGE eyeshadow palette (yes all those colours are e/s)

I was at Zellars on Monday and they had just about every possible ELF (Eyes Lips Face) kit for holiday you could possibly need and then some. I took pictures of most of them but there were so many I know I missed a couple! For someone just getting into make-up that wants to try out a bunch of different looks to see what suits them these kits would be an excellent budget-low option. 

Liquid eyeliner trio in Black, Silver and Burgundy

I was so tempted to pick this one up! But I rarely use black and I have a gel silver so I told myself I couldn't have it lol.

Lipglosses in squeezey tube or click pen format

Nail Polish Trio, Lipgloss trio

I almost caved on the nail polish trio too! A beautiful candy apple red with sparkle (nicer than it looks in the picture here), a gold circle glitter top coat (highly reminiscent of SOPI's Only Gold For You- Love to see a comparison between the two) and a very winter wonderland iridescent white glitter. 

More click pen glosses

Smokey eye kit, with an eyelash curler!

There were a couple of different colour variations of this kit

Glitz and Glam kit (Look at the white sparkle glitter liner!)

Look at all the brushes!
(NOTE: I believe they are all synthetic but I might be wrong)

Look at the neat red bristles!

Another GIANT palette combo
(Only this one has layers!- and a mirror)

List of items in the giant palette above

If you can't read it it goes english/french

• 9 eyeshadows
• 1 cream eyeshadow
• 1 blush
• 1 bronzer
• 10 lipglosses
• 1 brow powder
• 1 eyeliner pencil
• 1 dual ended eyeshadow applicator
• 1 face brush
• 1 small precision lip brush

There were also quite a few six eyeshadow palettes in different colour variations that come with a itty bitty brush.

As for extras!.......

I saw this and had to take a picture of it! Perfect for a little girl as everything here looks pretty sheer. Not to mention cutesy! Or you know for the sweet tooth and child at heart among your friends. :D (P.s. I know nothing about the testing status for this company)

If anyone out there needs new grooming tools this looks like an awesome kit to get. I personally use a nail kit by Revlon and have been very pleased since I got it with the quality. Plus who doesn't like Va Va Groom? Hehe. The kit above costs $11.99 CND.

I opens via a magnetic closure and comes with a nail file, an emery board, tweezers and nail clippers.

Clearer picture

Red Croc anyone?

Lots of lovely value goodies don't you think? (More value goodies to come once I get pic, permissions)

Make Up Forever Aquarelle Swatches

From when these first came out I wondered what the heck they were. Little vials of pigment powder? A gel? Liquid? And what were they used for? I finally took the time to find out this weekend and here are the answers for you!

Aquarelle is a water based thick liquid paint-like substance for the face and body. Only the slightest amount is needed for pure powerful pigmented packed colour. Sephora only carries twelve of the 21 shades but the selection is still good and these are multi-possible-usage items too.
Eyes and Cheeks: 3 (Royal Blue), 6 (Apple Green)
Lips and Cheeks: 7 (Bright Primary Red), 8 (Safety Orange), 10 (Yellow-based Pink), 19 (Blue-based Pink)
Eyes, Lips and Cheeks: 1 (Black), 2 (White), 9 (Bright Primary Yellow), 11 (Violet/ Medium-Dark Purple), 15 (Metallic Gold) and 21(Pearly White)

The Colours my Sephora had-
Top Left to Right: 10, 8, 9
Bottom Left to Right: 3, 7, 11, 19, 15

Top row, Left to Right: 15 (Gold), 19 (Blue-based Pink),  9 (Yellow),  11 (Violet)
Bottom row, Left to Right: 8 (Orange), 7 (Red), 10 (Yellow-based Pink), 3 (Royal Blue)

I think these are best for make-up artists and fantasy artists as these are perfect for crazy stage make-up. I think they'd also make an interesting liquid liner for the eye but I'm not sold on these for everyday use. They are supremely pigmented though so they may make a nice lip colour but I didn't want to try it. My favourites out of the ones I saw were the Violet one (# 11), the Royal Blue one (# 3) and the Gold one (# 15). The gold truly looked like liquid metal on my hand so I was very impressed by that one, especially as it doesn't look gold when it's in the bottle. Open it up however, and you can see the jewel-like liquid inside.
Overall it's an interesting make-up item. Definitely more of a speciality item, even more so when you factor in one little bottle is $20 CND. What do you think? Are they pigmented enough to possibly have major use for you or are they just too strange for your wallet to feel the urge to spend.