Festive gold and green look

Here's a festive look I wore a few days ago, a subtle gold and green look with colored liners. Perfect for a day of Christmas shopping to get you in the mood :)









What I used:

MAC Fluidline in Brassy on upper lashline
Gosh Velvet Touch pencil liner in Green Grass on outer lower lashline
Urban Decay 24/7 pencil liner in Yeyo on inner 1/2 of lower lashline
Blinc Kiss Me mascara on lashes

Korres Mango Lipstick in 14 Pink

MAC MSF in Stereo Rose
MAC Emote to contour
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Porcelain
Cle de Peau concealer stick
Eve Pearl Salmon concealer

Alice in Wonderland palette now on Sephora.com

Sephora has finally put the Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows online!



If you really want this palette get it NOW ....just in case it sells out the way it did on Urban Decay's website! I have mine in hand already (thanks to the bf who was willing to drive down to Whitby to the only Shoppers Drug Mart location that has the palette in store!)

Don't forget to use Ebates (or Bing for US residents) for cashback! Speaking of which I'm super jealous of US residents because they get cashback from Bing...which I hear is like 10% for Sephora? Unfortunately it only extends to people with a US billing address.

Best and Worst of 2009

I must admit I did not stick to my resolution of sticking to a makeup budget this year...on the contrary I went way over it :( On the bright side, I did discover several gems I will be repurchasing, but there are also a couple of products that I wish never to see again!

Lets start with the good stuff...

Best eyeshadow

Yaby Pearl Paints



Gorgeous shimmery colours that are pigmented and easy to work with. I will be reviewing these shortly!

Best mascara

Lorac Visual Effects mascara - lengthens AND thickens! The only drawback is that it does get clumpy with age.




Best coloured liner

Lunasol Geminate liners



Ok this is cheating a little since I got my Geminate liners end of 2008 but because I hadn't really used them as much then I did not realise how awesome they are until this year :) The metallic/subtle glitter in these are so unique and undupeable. They bring a subtle sparkle to the eye without being too obvious unlike glitter liners (eg. Urban Decay's)


Best glitter liner

Too Faced So Smurfy liner in Smurf You (glittery smurf blue)



Yeah I know I just bashed glitter liners above but this is one I really like to use over black liquid liner to jazz it up with more obvious sparkle.


Best concealer

Cle de Peau concealer stick in Beige



Goes on super creamy. Colour matches my skintone once blended right.


Best foundation

Lunasol Water Cream Foundation




This purchase was of course influenced by Fuzkittie. I had been debating this purchase for ages, and was not disappointed as the formula feels divine and glides on beautifully with fingers or sponge. Coverage is excellent since it is a cream but does not feel heavy at all. Best of all, it does not oxidize!


Best tinted moisturizer

Cover Girl Smoothers SPF 15 Tinted Moisture



Finally got to try this (because its not sold in Canada) and was blown away by how well it matched my skintone without oxidizing. Coverage is like a typical tinted moisturizer so that was to be expected. It trumps La Mer and Laura Mercier in that it contains UVA and UVB protection (both LMs have only UVB).


Best blush

Jill Stuart Mix Compact blush in 07 Lovely Tulip



Subtle cool pink perfect for spring.


Best highlighting product

MAC MSF in Refined



Gorgeous peachy glow without shimmer or glitter! Can also be used as blush.


Best drugstore lipgloss

Marcelle Vita Lip Plumping Gloss



Fragrance free, non sticky gloss that gives the illusion of fuller lips without any chemicals to sting your lips. Love it!


Best drugstore lipstick

Joe Fresh cream lipstick in Strawberry



Creamy, pigmented goodness in a tube for CDN$6 - what more could you want?


NOW for the bad...

Here are a few things I regret purchasing - not necessarily for poor product performance but also the price.

1. Guerlain le2 mascara in Bleu Cerise



Too expensive. Even though I hardly used it the formula went clumpy after 3 months. That may sound normal but considering I hardly opened the tube (like 4x in the 3 months) it really sucks!


2. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer



It looks great at first and gives a lovely glow that I got complimented on. However after a few weeks of use I noticed it tends to oxidize and make my face look darker :( For the price I was expecting better...


3. Urban Decay Box of Potions



Already went over this one here - do not recommend! All the products besides the famed UDPP failed to perform for me. Fortunately I was able to return the set.

4. Lunasol Full Glamour Gloss



Pretty to look at but wasn't much different from a regular clear shimmery gloss. Not to mention I paid well above retail, silly me.


What about you? Feel free to share yours in the comments or on your blog, and let me know! :)

Smashbox Photofinish Lid Primer vs Urban Decay Primer Potion

Appearance:

- Smashbox is darker, more orange colour
- UDPP is pale beige colour
- Both blend into my skintone fine though fairer people may be bothered by a slight orange cast from Smashbox



Texture:

- UDPP has a slightly more silicone feel than Smashbox. Both are equally easy to spread and blend (when fresh).
- UDPP tends to get more tacky and leaves a residue after a year or so. With Smashbox I haven't had it long enough to tell.


Performance:

They both definitely help to prevent eyeshadows from fading and creasing, as well as making eyeshadows more vibrant that without a base. I've noticed that UDPP tends to make it harder to blend eyeshadows, but I didn't have this problem with Smashbox.

Comparison:



Primed with UDPP:


Primed with Smashbox:


There is slight creasing but not that much for both products. Also, there is a slight differences in the way each eyelid folds, hence the slight difference in result. However I did try them both a few times, and even when I switched the bases on each eye the amount of creasing was the same.


Value-wise:

In Canada, UDPP and Smashbox both retail for CA$22 each. However in US Smashbox is about $2 more than UDPP. If you compare the volume of product you get, then UDPP is the better value as it contains more than 3x the product at 10mL (0.34oz) while Smashbox has only 2.5mL (0.08oz).


Overall:

Choose UDPP if: You have fair skin and don't mind doing a bit more blending work with darker eyeshadows. Or if you just want the best value for your money.

Choose Smashbox if: You have darker skin, or if you specifically want a primer which won't affect the blendability of your eyeshadows.

Urban Decay Box of Potions

Here's my quick review of each product:

Pore Perfecting Face Primer

What its like: Has a slight silicone-y feel (probably does contain silicones). Texture isn't very fluid, more like a thicker lotion.

Results: Made my mineral makeup look cakey and uneven :/ Didn't make my pores look smaller or anything magical like that by itself. Meh, I'd rather use something like Smashbox Light Primer instead.


Brightening Face Primer

What its like: Smells like glue, looks like glue. Goes on (fortunately) not like glue - Feels like a cross between a lotion and a gel. This apparently is silicone-free.

Results: Didn't really moisturize my skin or prep it (Korres is better in the silicone free primer department). Doesn't make my makeup last longer, but most silicone free primers don't do that anyway.


Lip Primer



What its like: Goes on quite clear, doesn't mute natural lip colour. Texture is quite hard and dry, leaves a waxy feel on lips. Has an annoyingly sweet caramel-vanilla smell (like the Sephora birthday gift vanilla shower gel from last year)

Results: It seemed to help lipstick last a bit longer when I tried it but it won't help if you're eating or drinking. I guess its ok if you don't mind the texture and the scent.


Eyelash Primer



What its like: White coloured mascara base, supposedly with fibres. It isn't that fibery (can't really that many on the brush) so my eyes aren't irritated, unlike say *cough* Majolica Majorca "cough*

Results: Made my lashes flop! :( It may have made my lashes a bit thicker than with just mascara only, but because of the floppage factor Shiseido mascara base is much, much better. This also left a white residue that wasn't always easily covered up by mascara on top.


Eyeshadow Primer

The only gem in this kit. Since most people already know about it or have tried it, I'll be covering this a little differently in a separate post, by comparing with another eyeshadow primer.


Oh and I updated my blog sale! Please email me (don't comment) with questions or orders because I don't monitor comments there. Thanks! :)

Urban Decay 24/7 VIP & MUFE Aqua Eyes Travel sets

Urban Decay's VIP set




Shades & Ingredients

Zero (zealous black), Lucky (brilliant deep copper), Covet (peacock green), Electric (bright aquamarine), Lust (plush purple).



Swatches



Product Observations
Colours: Pigmented, vibrant
Texture: Creamy, smooth
Ease of use: Very convenient size and easy to apply
Price: $29
Size: 5 x 0.03 oz


Make Up For Ever's Aqua Eyes set



Shades & Ingredients


Swatches



Product Observations
Colours: Pigmented, coloured shades are very vibrant
Texture: Creamy, smooth
Ease of use: Very convenient size and easy to apply
Price: $35
Size: 5 x 0.025 oz


Both products seem very similar in terms of being easy to use and quality of the product. The ingredients even seem almost the same! The order of ingredients is slightly different though, so that may account for the minor differences I noticed.

The main thing I found is that the MUFE liners last longer than the UD liners. UD Zero would smudge on my upper lid quite quickly while the MUFE equivalent barely smudged at all. On my lower lashlines both will smudge though (so no difference there). Sorry I was unable to do actual side by side comparisons of the two (because I returned the UD set) but Fuzkittie has done an excellent review and detailed comparison with lots of pictures of the full sized liners - click here.

Both products are very soft, but I noticed that UD's pencil tips tend to wear out faster than MUFE's. It was also harder to do precise lines (eg. winging) with UD compared to MUFE.

However on a cost basis UD seems to have the advantage. The size of the UD liners is more value for money though as you get slightly more product, and at a cheaper price compared with MUFE liners:

UD liner in Yeyo (from the Velvet Rope set) vs MUFE liners.


Therefore if you wanted to give these as a present, UD would be the better choice. The MUFE pencils look really tiny in real life, so it just doesn't look as good when the receipient opens up their gift :P

The length of MUFE pencils also makes it tricky to work with if you have larger hands. I have pretty small hands and still found them a bit inconvenient compared to UD.

Colour selection wise, I personally liked MUFE because of the dark navy blue shade provided. I didn't like UD Covet (peacock green) because it looked way too bright for me to ever use it. However UD does have a wider range of colours.

Minor gripe: The caps of the MUFE liners are ridiculously hard to remove ! They were capped on really tightly. I enlisted the help of the bf and they still wouldn't budge, until he used some dishwashing gloves to get enough grip to yank them off.

Pros and Cons
UD Pros: Wide colour range, size and packaging is nicer for gifts
UD Cons: Smudges easily, needs frequent sharpening due to very soft tip
MUFE Pros: Stays put better than UD, colour selection is more practical
MUFE Cons: Tiny size, hard to remove caps, less product but more expensive


Overall
I think MUFE has the better formulation, but UD is the more economical choice. But if you really want a pencil liner that doesn't smudge I say either use a eyeliner sealant, or go for MAC's Technakohls :P Those are the only pencil liners I've found so far that don't smudge even on the lower lashine.

Various hauls

A collection of hauls from the past month or so that I haven't posted yet:

From Holt Renfrew:

• La Mer Fluid Tint in Light 02
• Beauty Blender sponge and cleaner set
• sample of La Mer Moisturizing Lotion

Sephora:

• Clarisonic brush in pink
• Urban Decay VIP pencil set
• Nars duo eyeshadow in Jolie Poupee (my first Nars product!)
• Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo, travel size
• Sugar I Dream of Sugar palette - on clearance at CAD$21
• Sugar colour stick in Apple Cider

I actually bought more items than shown in the pic, but I'm going to return them because I seriously don't need any more...

Closer look at the Nars duo:



MAC Warm and Cool pigment sets








Ebay:

• Milani eyeshadows in Atlantis & Shock
• Maybelline Roller Colour loose eyeshadows in Make a Move Mauve, On Track Lilac, Steel Wheelin, On the Ball Blue, and Skate til Midnight

Also from Audrie @ All the Pretty Shimmers:

• MAC Slimshine in High 90s
• Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Yeyo
• Lure Beauty blush in True Love
  
• Shiseido eye cream sample and lip sample

I also bought a couple of things too from Forever 21's Canadian website...will post some once I actually wear the items :)

Tip: Urban Decay Primer Potion

Something to keep in mind before cutting up your Urban Decay Primer Potion:

Ok this isn't really a tutorial, but I wanted to give a heads up on how to maximize the product in the Urban Decay Primer Potion tube without cutting it up so soon. There are tons of tutorials on cutting it up but frankly, cutting it up is a huge hassle for me and I'd rather procrastinate that part. I prefer to keep it as long as possible in the tube so that the product doesn't dry out.


1. Look at the top of the bottle neck. See that translucent plastic part I pointed out in the picture below? It acts like a "stopper" at the neck of the tube to scrape off excess product from the applicator, similar to how the neck of mascara tubes scrape off excess mascara from the brush when removed.


2. Use any thing that is sturdy but thin, such as a nail file and wedge it under that plastic piece to loosen it. Do whatever you need to do loosen the piece and pull it out.


3. Now when you reinsert the applicator stick you'll find you have more room in the tube to wiggle the stick, and thus pick up more product from the sides. The stick may be more messy, but I personally like how I can still keep using the product in its original packaging, thus preventing it from drying out.

My already "fixed up" tube - sorta messy but I can reach more product and scrape the sides more easily.




It won't clean out the tube completely, so if you wish you can still cut it up once you have difficulty getting product out again.

Note that this isn't my idea, I'm sure some have already heard of this as well. I came across this tip on a comment left by Minerva on an ABB post ages ago.

What would you replace if you lost your makeup collection (touch wood)?

I've amassed quite a lot of makeup since the beginnning of my obsession. My bf got me the Sephora traincase back in November, and it was barely enough to contain all my makeup. Now with the new items I've hauled since, I need another one...although I think I might just get one of those Caboodles traincases from Wal-mart instead of blowing money on a new one. In the meantime, I'm going to refrain from buying more makeup for the next few months, although the Fafi collection will be an exception.

Anyway, recent posts by Mayaari and Mrs Lynne on what they would keep if forced to pare down their collection, have gotten me thinking about that same question. although in a slightly different context:

If I lost my traincase, what would I absolutely need to replace? A lot of my stuff was bought because I wanted to try it out, but there isn't a whole lot in there that I actually depend on.

So here are the products I would repurchase:

Foundations/concealers

• Everyday Minerals Intensive Light concealer
• Everyday Minerals Sunlight concealer
• Silk Naturals foundation
• Silk Naturals perfecting powder
  

Blushes/Bronzers/Highlighters

• Everyday Minerals Apple blush
• MAC Emote blush - to contour
• MAC Light Flush MSF
• MAC Global Glow MSF (if it wasn't LE that is)
  

Eyeshadows

• MAC Electra eyeshadow
• MAC Beautiful Iris eyeshadow
• MAC Violet pigment
• Everyday Minerals Snowflakes eyeshadow
• ELF quad in Butternut
  

Eyeliners/Mascaras

• Blinc Kiss Me mascara
• MAC Fluidline (although I might use the chance to try Dipdown instead of buying Blacktrack again)
  

Lipsticks/glosses

• MAC Viva Glam V lipstick
• Dior Addict Ultra Reflect gloss in Raffia Orange
• The Body Shop Shimmer lip balm in Cranberry
  

Primers

• Urban Decay Primer Potion
  

Brushes/Tools

• MAC 188
• Sephora Stipping brush (or I might take the opportunity to try the full sized 187 this time)
• SpaResource angled cheek brush (Wal-mart brand)
• ELF eyeshadow brush
• Sephora crease brush - to blend eyeshadows
• Annabelle slant liner brush
• ELF eyelash curler

I also calculated the estimated cost of replacing all these items, including international shipping for products from ELF, Everyday Minerals and Silk Naturals, and the total comes to about...

$400.

Guess I better take care of it lol. It usually sits around at home anyways. Its the MAC makeup and face brushes that account for a large percent of that total. Also doesn't help that in Canada, MAC costs more and the tax in Ontario is 13%.

So, if you lost your makeup collection, what products would you absolutely have to repurchase?