August with Annabelle

Hey guys! It's been a while, I have lots to catch up on in the blogosphere, and to update on as well. Firstly, I finished grad school, and spent the last 2 months visiting my family in Asia, as well as traveling to some other areas (Hong Kong, Beijing).

Surprisingly, I didn't shop as much as I would have in the past. Trying to be more disciplined about my collection and not buy something that I will only use once. I went through my traincase the other day, and there are just too many things I have that fall into that category.

But anyway, I think these days I'm definitely more discerning about what I like and don't like, which is good for you readers since it means more thorough reviews than ever! :)


Today I wanted to share with you 2 products from the Annabelle Summer collection, the Biggy Bronzer and Hawaiian Hues eyeshadow palette. Both retail for $12.95.

The Biggy Bronzer is just as its name says, quite big ;)



I am loving the wave pattern on the surface. This is not just a flat pattern but the powder surface itself is actually curved, a nice touch of luxe-ness in my opinion.




The powder is very finely milled and gives an amazing glow to my cheekbones. It's not an "out there" type of glow but a subtle sheen.

The colours are a gradient of pinkish brown shades. They are subtle enough that they should flatter any skin undertone. Considering my skin has a fairly pronounced yellow undertone it worked well.






Considering how subtle the shades are, I think it would serve as a highlighter for those with darker skintones. On me, it adds some colour if I use a normal brush with the darker stripes, but in this picture I had used a fan duo fibre brush just to get a highlighting effect.

Overall, I would recommend the biggy Bronzer as a solid addition to anyone if they lack a Bronzer or one in the more pinkish end of the spectrum.




The Hawaiian Hues palette has a nice collection of summer shades, ranging from copper and neutrals to summer brights.




I am not too keen on the packaging for the palette, as it was more of a generic plastic common to most drugstore products. Each eyeshadow strip was also quite thin, and if you like using your own eyeshadow brushes instead of the provided applicators, then it may be tricky to swirl your brush in the pan to pick up colour.




Swatches in the same order as the palette, from left to right:







Some colours are done better than others. The colours I found with good pigment and texture are the copper, brown, silver-grey. The rest, especially the yellow shade on the right were more powdery, coarser textured, and only had mediocre colour payoff.


Overall, I felt that the Hawaiian Hues palette was somewhat lacking in quality colours. If you are just starting out in makeup and want to play around with a wide variety of colours, this could be worth a look, but you may outgrow it fast as you become more adventurous with bright colours (or realize that you just prefer neutrals).

Annabelle Smudgeliner in Plummed

Annabelle Smudgeliners...a lot has been said about them, all positive. Having finally had the chance to review Plummed, I have nothing to contradict others either.

Once you take the product out of the box you will notice it has a different packaging from other drugstore gel liners.






The uniqueness of the Smudgeliner is that the brush comes off the pot cap and assembles to form an almost-full-size brush (see Marcelle pencil liner for size reference:





Brush close-up. The brush is gentle on the eyelid, and has the right about of give and flexibility. However the one I had did have a few misaligned fibres, which made it a bit more challenging to draw a fine line with.




Here are the ingredients for Plummed:




A swatch of Plummed. It shows up as a blackened warm purple, tending more black in low lighting and more purple when angled a certain way.




As a liner it looks more like an off black than purple, but I feel the purple tones serve to accentuate brown eyes still, just very subtly. It is a lot less harsh than straight black.




Just for fun, a size comparison vs other liners. From L-R, Annabelle Smudgeliner, Kanebo Kate, Maybelline Studio, MAC Fluidline, L'Oreal HIP.



Out of the above, the Smudgeliner is truly the tinest of them all!


Annabelle Plummed vs Kate Gel Liner in PU-1



I had a similar colour from my Japanese makeup collection from Kate, so I swatched both to see if ther was a difference. The Kate gel liner contains more black in it and is also drier than the Smudgeliner, which has a wet, creamy texture which serves well as a cream shadow base.

In terms of wear, the liner stayed on for me all day as long as I had my eyelids primed with Urban Decay Primer Potion. There was no smudging or migration of colour. I haven't tried this yet but the product would make a great eyeshadow base for dark, smoky looks since the texture is creamy yet dries fairly quick.

Overall, I felt that the Smudgeliners are worth trying if you like having an all-in-one type of product that can act as a liner, eyeshadow base, and comes with its own brush. Some may be put off by its small size, but if you are me, who isn't faithful to only one gel liner, the pot is more than enough to last a long time.

Groupe Marcelle Spring 2012 Beauty Premiere

Last month, I was invited to Groupe Marcelle's Beauty Premiere in Toronto, held at the Thompson Hotel. I was so excited leading up to the event especially after reading about the Montreal premiere held a week earlier! So on that day, I headed there after classes with Rasilla.

The event was held at the rooftop bar of the Thompson, which had a gorgeous view of the city.




Unfortunately it was too cold for us to actually go outside on the balcony for long, but I did get a great shot of the city lights.




One of the first things we saw, were servers coming around offering us platters of Annabelle/Marcelle makeup! Not something you see at every cocktail party ;) It was hard to resist...and this lady was pretty much swarmed every time she came around with a fresh tray :D




Eyeshadows, lipsticks, pigments, pencil liners, Annabelle Smudgeliners and Smoothie pencils...a beauty junkie's heaven.




Beauty bloggers Ande and Arianne listening to what the Marcelle team have in store for us for Spring 2012.




One of the new launches will be the BigShow lipglosses:




Xtensions Plus mascara, I received a sample of this and will be reviewing it soon. The lady who introduced this product was wearing it and her lashes looked beautiful!




Reinforcils Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover, which also conditions lashes as well all in one step. Can't wait for this one!




Gene Youth Skincare line




The beauty balm (BB) cream, I tried a sample of this on my hand and it has a nice smooth feel to it. Comes in a light shade and a medium shade, as with all Asian BB creams.




The brilliant ladies of the Marcelle team behind the new innovations :)




I also reconnected with the lovely Isabel, PR & Social Media Director extraordinaire at Groupe Marcelle :)




One of the biggest hits of the evening was the custom gloss bar, where we all got a customized Annabelle BigShow gloss!




We were shown a choice of colours /shimmer-glitter combinations to select from, and were allowed to choose 4-6 different shades to be mixed together with the main lipgloss base.




My first attempt came out as a peachy-pink with some pink shimmer:




Towards the end of the night I decided to go for a second gloss, along with dessert ;) This time I deliberately targeted a brighter pinker shade:




I also took a video of the gloss mixologists in action - enjoy!




Thanks for reading! Once I get more infomation on the new products closer to the launch date I will be sure to share :) Which products interest you the most? I myself am excited for the lash conditioner and the BB cream.

Back to school!

I'm so sorry to have not posted for over 2 weeks! My program has been quite hectic since the start of September...I won't bore you with the details, but basically there have been events non stop that we are required to go to, and a massive amount of readings and assignments that started even before the first class. I shouldn't complain though, after all I better be getting my money's worth! :P

I also caught the flu/cold late last week though so it has limited whatever brain matter I have to use for school and little else :P Anyway I'm feeling better today, and its Friday, so I might as well catch up on the things I'd planned to post :)

First - some back to school basics. I planned this post about 2 weeks ago so it may be too late...but if you're looking to make a few new additions to your makeup collection these may be useful.

For a neutral day look:



L'oreal Extension Beauty Tubes
Recommended because this mascara is waterproof and smudgeproof, yet removes easily with water. Word of warning - it does weigh down lashes a bit. However it is still a decent dupe for Blinc with a cheaper price tag.

Maybelline Eye Studio Quad in Sunset Seduction
Great set of neutrals, especially if you just can't let go of summer colours yet :)

L'oreal HIP gel liner in Brown
Brown complements the neutrals, plus emphasizes eyes without the harshness of black. HIP liners are pretty comparable to MAC but more affordable.

Annabelle Zebra bronzer
The most natural bronzer you will find suited for even the palest skin tones. Does not look orange at all, rather it adds the sun-kissed glow you wished you could maintain from summer. Previously reviewed here.

Joe Fresh cream lipstick in Strawberry
Gorgeous colour with excellent pigmentation, and a temptingly low price tag of $6. Previously reviewed here.

Annabelle Volume Lip in Cherryoke
Fragrance-free, nonsticky semi-sheer gloss - perfect for non lipstick wearers. Previously reviewed here.

For a look focusing on the eyes:



Revlon Colorstay Felt Tip Liner
I would normally recommend Japanese pen style liners as they are the best, but for a student on a budget a local drugstore alternative is probably better. This liner stays all day without budging - good for taking a look from day to night.

Annabelle Grafix eyeshadow trio
Just the right colours for the classic smokey eye. You could also change it up by substituting another colour for the silver shade. Previously reviewed here.

Milani blush in Mai Tai
Okay this isn't really available in Canada, but in the US. The colour is just the right shade of rosey pink. Sorry Canadians but Joe Fresh does make pretty good blushes too for just $4 :)

Annabelle Volume Lip in Sweet Tweet
Fragrance-free, nonsticky sheer pale pink gloss. Previously reviewed here.


I also picked up a nude polish for school, since most of my polishes consisted of gaudy glitters and brightly coloured cremes.



I settled for L'oreal Sand Castle since it was the closest to my skin tone that I could find, that still looked opaque. What I really wanted was a mannequin hands look, but this still has a touch of pink in it that doesn't quite fit the bill.



With flash:



Its still a pretty colour nonetheless. I may have found a better colour in Zoya's Gretchen though - to be reviewed in the near future!


Finally, at least for now...I got a haircut. Now I know not everyone was a fan of this so yeah...even the bf's mom said bluntly to me that it was too short. But hair grows out anyway, and I do like how I don't have to bother with detangling hair after a shower or straightening it in the mornings.







For any interested, I went to Maya Salon again in Koreatown, but since my old stylist wasn't there I went with one of his friends, Masumi. I thought she did a great job - she listened to me and gave good feedback whenever I wasn't sure about something.

Anyway, I might colour my hair too once I get bored with it. I still have a box of Kao Prettia hair colour sitting on my dresser that I've been meaning to try since April :D

Annabelle Glitterama Liquid Eyeliner

Thanks for all the lovely comments on the turquoise nails :) Should I do a tutorial? There are many tutorials out there already though...hmm

Anyway, I've been toying around with the Annabelle Glitterama Liner in Blue Comet lately:



The applicator is a fine tipped brush, easy to control.



Blue Comet consists of mostly blue sparkles with some multicoloured bits in a clear base.




It adds a really nice zing to finish off subtle looks or night looks. I do find the glitter a bit sparse compared with the Too Faced glitter liner:



However, it just means a bit more patience and a few more layers of this product to get the same intensity.


For this look, I used Vincent Longo eye souffle in Babelon as a base for the outer 1/2, before using the colours in the Lavshuca Eye Select Quad BU-1. Lined the lashline with a black pencil liner, before going over it with a coat of Annabelle Blue Comet glitter liner.








What's your take on glitter liners? Love, hate, or indifference? Personally I think they're an easy way to play up ordinary black liner, or to add sparkle to an otherwise boring look.


P.S. Maybe I should've done a Lights-inspired look. Blue Comet really reminds me of her music video for Saviour:




Added June 22:
See glitter is glamourous...listen to him @3:45 :D



(If you watched the whole vid, do you agree with him not smiling as a guide to applying blush? I personally don't do it...smiling doesn't help one bit, just confuses things for me)