midnight aqua

Finally took pictures of a look using the Barry M pigments I got from Liz. I also use the Gosh liners mentioned in my previous post here.







My nose is a bit red because I had allergies that day...

What I used



Face
Everyday Minerals Winged Butter Intensive foundation
Everyday Minerals Multitasking concealer
MAC Emote to contour
Everyday Minerals Soft Touch blush

Eyes
Smashbox Photofinish Lid Primer
Barry M Dazzle Dust in Aqua Gold all over lid
MAC Aquavert on inner 1/2 lid
Barry M Dazzle Dust in Midnight on outer corner of lid
Gosh Velvet Touch liner in Metallic Brass (not pictured) to line top lashline
Gosh Velvet Touch liner in Green Grass on lower lashline (not waterline though)
Guerlain le 2 mascara in Bleu Cerise

Lips
Dior Addict Ultra-reflect gloss in 347 Raffia Orange
(ignore the MAC gloss in the picture, I ended up not using it)

a touch of velvet

Move over Urban Decay and MUFE, these liners are my new obsession!

Gosh Velvet Touch Eyeliners:



The product blurb:

"GOSH VELVET TOUCH EYELINER belongs to a new generation of semi-permanent make-up. It does not smudge. It is 100% waterproof, long lasting, and resists almost anything. It has excellent coverage and a smooth, soft quality. GOSH Velvet Touch Eye Liner is soft and easy to apply. It contains vitamin-E and Jojoba Oil to care for your delicate skin, however it does not contain animal or mineral oils. It is also fragrance-free to prevent allergic reactions."

Closeup and swatches:



Green Grass is well, a green that reminds me of lush summer lawns, while Metallic Brass is a black-brown with very subtle gold shimmer.



These go on effortlessly and smoothly, similar to Urban Decay's 24/7 and Make Up For Ever's Aqua Eyes. However the difference is these last longer on my lashline compared with the above. UD liners were way too soft and smudged easily, while MUFE, though better would still smudge occasionally. These Gosh liners hardly smudge at all, maybe only if it was an extremely humid day and without any eye primer.

I don't use these on the waterline though, as I am not sure if they are safe. The website does warn that they are not designed for waterline use so do take note of that.

Price-wise they are a few dollars cheaper than MAC, UD, and MUFE, I can't remember the exact price though. I think they are somewhere around CDN$14. I picked these up when Shoppers Drug Mart had a 40% off sale, so they were definitely worth it!

They come in all sorts of colours too, comparable to the MUFE and UD selections.

Overall, definitely a must have if you have access to the brand! Gosh is available at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada, and probably most of Europe. I don't think it is sold in US stores, but the website looks like it does have online shopping available.

Price: 8/10 Cheaper than MAC and goes on sale way more often!
Performance: 8/10
Packaging: 10/10 No complaints
Repurchase?: Definitely.

Do checkout another review of this product from Rae!

Nars Mud Mask

A long overdue review of this product:



According to Sephora this is what the Nars Mud Mask claims to do:

" Mud Mask deeply cleanses pores for clean, smooth, refreshed skin. Kaolin and sea silt remove dirt and purify, as algae and white lily extracts soothe the skin. "

From the description I was expecting it to absorb clogs right out of my pores but sadly that wasn't the case.

I've taken my time to use it til the jar is almost all done to see any long term effects on my skin. Unfortunately it hasn't done anything to purge clogged pores, however it does seem to help control the oily areas of my face. If I skip using it a week there is definitely a difference in my skin. However the same can be said of any clay mask - I need to use one at least once a week for my skin to be happy.

This mask smells strongly of alcohol, which I hate. I can't be sure of the alcohol content, but it doesn't dry my skin out, luckily. I just can't stand smelling it. I do like that the mask dries down a bit faster than other clay masks - probably because of the alcohol. Its also helpful that the mask is grey colour, because when I use toner after, I can see the traces of leftover mask on the cotton if there are any left.

The mask comes in a heavy glass jar (which I find annoying because it could be breakable). However if the picture from Sephora is accurate then they seem to have recently switched to a plastic jar similar to the Aqua Gel Hydrator.

This retails at US$45 / CA$51.43 for 3.4 oz (100mL) size jar. Canadians, don't buy this product from department stores as Nars skincare tend to be marked up more at counters than the Sephora website. I'm not sure why, but the price discrepancy is quite silly, it can be up to $30 difference sometimes.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this mask to anyone unless they wanted to splurge the $$. Otherwise just stick with a cheaper mask from the drugstore.

Price: 3/10, expensive
Performance: 6/10, slightly above average but nothing amazing
Packaging: 2/10, looks classy but impractical and unsanitary
Repurchase?: Nope!

Annabelle giveaway winner!

The qualifying entries were:

1. Tiko
2. Sher
3. Kareen
4. xMaterialGirlsx
5. cellophanegirl
6. Emily B
7. laugh4ever_2
8. Reiko
9. C&C
10. Mable
11. hippocat
12. Belinda M
13. Angela
14. SunofEyes
15. elaiNe
16. Aarathi
17. Juicebox888
18. Miumiu
19. bebe

Went through Random.org to pick a random number out of 1-19, and the winner is:



#14 = SunofEyes!

Congratulations! Please contact me via email with your shipping address by Aug 28 Friday midnight EST to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you by then, another winner will be picked.

Thanks to all those who entered! Don't worry if you couldn't enter or didn't win, I should have another giveaway coming up in the fall.

sparkly things and foodie flings

Its been a while but I wanted to share pics of a lovely bracelet I bought from Audrie.



She thoughtfully included a whole bunch of DHC samples, and a cute note :D I love skincare samples especially for brands like DHC where I usually have to buy based on reviews without being able to test them out.

The bracelet - double strand of crystal and mother-of-pearl:






I also have been remiss in sharing food pictures from the recent Summerlicious event in Toronto. Summerlicious is a prix fixe (fixed price) event held by several restaurants twice a year - during winter its called Winterlicious. During the event (which runs for about 3 weeks), they offer a special 3 course menu for a price below what you'd normally pay at their restaurant.

Based on raves from foodie friends I decided to try Far Niente, Mistura, and Senses. I'll have to post on Mistura and Senses later as I don't have all the pictures now but here's the pictures from Far Niente:





Appetizer:
Caprese Salad with Fior di Latte and Crispy Capicollo


I'd never had a Caprese salad before, so from the word "salad" I was actually expecting more greens than cheese, haha. It was good though! I love cheese :D

Bf had the Roasted Tomato Soup with Black Olive Oil Croutons - can't go wrong!



Main course:
Roasted Lamb Sirloin with Faro Ratatouille, Harissa


The bf and me both ordered the same thing and loved it!. Medium rare, just the way we like it, with seasoned brown rice underneath. Only thing I did not like was the rather strong cumin taste in the red sauce.

Dessert:
Chocolate Tartufo, Chocolate Sauce


Good stuff - kinda like a coffee flavoured ice cream dessert :) Bf had the mixed sorbets which we didn't take any pictures off because he said its just ice cream....lol. (He doesn't get why people take pictures of food...sigh)

I must say though the restaurant service was impeccable. The waiter was extremely attentive and impressed the bf (not an easy thing) so we both left happy. Definitely recommended if you're looking for a pleasant comfortable restaurant with excellent service!

Review: Annabelle Studio Pigments & Giveaway

One brand I always look at when I'm in a drugstore is Annabelle. They are a Canadian makeup brand based in Montreal, who carry a lot of great products. Their eyeshadows are quite wearable, and easily depotable into MAC palettes (always a plus for me!), and they always have the most colourful promo visuals among drugstore brands.

I've tried their regular pigments before, and they are excellent, comparable to NYX, Barry M, and MAC. These were no different!


The Studio Pigments:



The Studio Pigments are part of Annabelle's Studio line, and come in 6 shades:

Magentini, LOL, Greed, Dragonette, Cobalt, Karma



The jars these come in are thicker and feel more hefty. I do prefer if they had made it less bulky but if these are being kept in your traincase it will be fine.


The powders are finely milled and pigmented. Some shades are more matte / shimmery than others - usually the matte shades are the more pigmented colours.

Left to right:

Magentini, LOL, Greed, Dragonette, Cobalt, Karma




Magentini: Magenta pink colour with a shimmery finish. Well pigmented and smooth to apply

LOL: Primary yellow shade, like an egg yolk colour :) Has a very matte finish, thus it does apply a bit chunky at first. Superbly pigmented - exactly what I'd imagine a pro colour to be.

Greed: Camouflage green colour that is more shimmery and wearable. The colour is sheerer than the others in the collection so I had to pack it on more for the swatch




Dragonette: Another superbly pigmented colour with a matte finish, the shade reminds me of MAC Teal pigment - a strong, dark green-teal. I'd say this is its matte cousin.

Cobalt: True blue colour - reminds me of MAC Freshwater in pigment form. It looks mostly matte but has a slight pearl finish

Karma: Shimmery purple similar to MAC Violet but it is a bit less pigmented so I had to use more to get the same intensity that Violet would have given me.




I apologize for the lack of face pictures to demonstrate but my skin has been extremely uncooperative :/ I did however use them as a liner - Karma (purple) on top and Dragonette on the outer lower lashline:




My only complaint about these, and the same complaint I had about their regular pigments, was the container. It has a very small opening at the top, making it easy to ration out the amount you want to use (see below picture).



However once you do that there is always some spillage on the side surface, which will still leak out if you carry them around in a makeup bag. The best way to use this it seems is to always pour out the amount you need on the back of your hand or a clean surface, since there is no other way to pack on the colour on your brush.


In general, these pigments remind me of the MAC Pro Neon pigments, except that these are all eye-safe while some of the MAC Neons are not. They also apply smoother than most neon pigments which is a bonus. I'd say if you love bright colours and want to try a Canadian, more economical alternative go for these Annabelle pigments :)

Each jar retails for CDN$8.50. The weight of each pigment jar does vary by colour, probably due to the differences in product density.

POIDS NET WT 0.02 OZ / 0.7 G / LOL
POIDS NET WT 0.04 OZ / 1.2 G / Magentini, Karma et Greed
POIDS NET WT 0.02 OZ / 0.7 G / Cobalt, Dragonette

They will be released come August 16 exclusively at all Shoppers Drug Mart locations, so keep your eyes peeled! Don't worry if you don't live in Canada, US residents can also order by phone - details on their website.


In the meantime, courtesy of Annabelle, you Canadian readers have the chance to win your own set of the 6 pigments AND 2 eye brushes!



Brushes: A-8: Small Shader brush and A-14: Angled brush
Pigments: A brand new set of all 6 pigments

How to enter:
1. Be a public follower of my blog.
2. Leave me a comment indicating you are a Canadian resident and would like to be entered for the draw.
3. Tell me what your favourite makeup product(s) are that are made by Canadian companies.

Contest closing date: August 22nd 25th, 2009. The winner will be randomly drawn out of the qualifying entries using the random number generator at Random.org and announced through a post on my blog. I know there may be comments that are not entries so only comments that answer all 3 questions above will be counted in the draw.

Thanks for reading, and good luck to those entering! :D

Shiny pretty fings

I am so sorry for being MIA for so long! I had several posts lined up but then couldn't find to finish them after things got extremely busy at work. Seriously, I thought things couldn't get busier at work but they did. Not only that, but the bf and I have also been running around the past week looking at model homes and such. We were almost about to put an offer on a house but ended up not doing so...mostly due to the location. The problem with Toronto is that if you want a nice, medium sized home that is brand new there isn't really many locations to choose from, especially if you are on a budget. Since the location isn't going to work out and we are indeed on a budget I guess we're down to looking at other options such as condos / townhomes.

Anyway this is something I've been meaning to post for ages - a belated peek at my order from Worship at the House of Blues!



I was almost reluctant to open it because the wrapping & ribbon looked so pretty...but I had to see the contents :) Yasumi very kindly included some extras, a sample of Albion Exage powder (yay!) and a My Beauty Diary mask, it looks like a cherry blossom version (awesome because I haven't seen this version in Canada yet).




First up was the Pacifically Tenshas necklace, isn't it lovely? Feels so summery :D



What got me were the tensha beads and the Swarovski pacific opal rounds:




The other piece was a surprise which I was been super excited to see! I had been asking her about possibly doing a feminine, princessy bracelet, maybe with a Jill Stuart vibe and she concocted this piece for me sight unseen as a surprise:



Isn't it gorgeous? I love the colour combo of silver pearls + pink crystals + tiny, delicate pearls! Not only that, I can't get over how the design of the bracelet is so unique!





On my wrist:




Honestly what she came up with here was pure genius :D Thank you so much Yasumi, I love it! :D

Thanks for reading and please stay tuned...particularly the Canadians, because I do have a contest coming up in the next few days! :)