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.

Revlon Lip Butter in Lollipop

Thanks to some lovely Xmas thoughts I got to finally try out a Revlon Lip Butter! Behold the Lip Butter in Lollipop:




You can also see the actual colour through the top of the lipstick case, which is clear although the sides being tinted pink still do affect the colour you see.




The packaging is quite elegant for a drugstore brand, very remnicent of Dior's Hi Shine lipsticks:





Lollipop swatches on as a sheer, but bright fuchsia pink:




It is very much a blue-toned pink, particularly on my lips. The pink can get intense if you swipe on a couple more layers, as it builds up.


(sorry for the dry looking lips! My skin has been going through a dry phase this winter...)

Despite the sheerness of the Lip Butters, I find Lollipop bright enough that I would only wear it blotted on regular days, or save the full effect of it for weekends/special occasions.

In terms of wear, the product is very moisturizing, similar to the Dior Lip Glow product in terms of balminess. However this also translates to a poor wear time, coming off quite easily once I start eating or drinking.

Price-wise I think these are fairly pricey by Canadian standards, running almost $10 a tube in drugstores. However, I hear that Rexall does buy 1 get 1 free for lip products every now and then, so keep an eye out for those!

Overall, I think Lollipop is an awesome colour to have if you are branching out of neutral lipsticks and want a loud pop of colour that is comfortable to wear. However, if you want something more neutral, or more opaque then prehaps consider other products such as the Joe Fresh Cream lipsticks or Revlon Colorburst lipsticks.

Marcelle Rouge Xpression Lipstick - Jezebel

One of the products I'd been excited to try from Marcelle is their Rouge Xpression lipsticks.



It comes in a matte dark blue tube, very simple and elegant. The case does feel a bit light compared with higher end lipsticks which have a more solid feel, but it looks nicer than any drugstore lipsticks I've seen.




Jezebel is a dusty rose in the tube and appears darker when swatched. It has a creamy texture and very opaque colour.




On my lips, it tends to lean toward the cooler side of rose pink. The coverage is amazing though, it goes on opaque in just one coat which does not happen often with lipsticks for me.




Here's a full face look just so you can see the colour in context.





Eye makeup is the T'estimo Frame Impact Eyes palette in 01.


The lipstick feels amazing on my lips. I have very dry lips in winter, and am constantly applying lip balm. Most lipsticks, including MAC, emphasize my dry lips in winter, but Jezebel goes on smoothly and doesn't require any lipbalm or special prep underneath. It also makes my lips look a bit plumper than usual, probably due to the fact that it de-emphasizes my lip lines due to its creamy formulation.

In terms of wear, because the lipstick is a cream formulation, the colour does not last as long since it trades off longevity for an extra moisturizing feel and intense colour. However it lasts just as long as other cream lipsticks such as the Joe Fresh lipsticks and longer than the Korres Guava lipsticks. It stays on through drinking and eating with care, just as long its its not oily or greasy foods.

Overall, I'd recommend this lipstick for anyone who wants intense, moisturizing, full coverage colour. For someone like me with naturally pigmented lips already, it can be hard to find lipsticks that show a similar colour to what's in the tube, however the Marcelle Jezebel lipstick fits the bill for me.

You can check out the other shades in the line via Marcelle's Youtube channel. They have a series of adorable clips featuring certain shades!

What does 'Glam Trick' mean, anyway?

Stress was hitting me from all aspects today - school, the general public, even Facebook, so here I am trying to escape from that with another long overdue post.

Today we shall look at the Kate Glam Trick Eyes palette in BU-1:



This is something I'd been lemming for a good while (years) before finally buying it last October. (I told you this was long overdue :D)






The colours are silky smooth yet pigmented. Many Japanese palettes fail in terms of pigmentation but these are almost up to par with Western brands.




Here is a look using the colours just in case you are not convinced:




(Liquid liner is Lunasol Geminate blue liner)

Full face look






I haven't used this palette much over the summer, but the smokey blue-grey colours will be perfect for this Fall.

This concludes today's de-stressing session pour moi. Have YOU tried this series of palettes, and if so whaddya think?

Summer nail colours

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately. I've been busy with some changes in my life, namely quitting my job so I can do graduate school. I also haven't really felt like buying any makeup lately, just mostly clothing, probably because I feel that my wardrobe is sorely lacking in some aspects for the program I'm in :P

Anyway, before summer is over I thought I'd share swatches of 2 very summer-appropriate nail polishes:

MAC Seasonal Peach





This was 4 freaking coats! I wouldn't recommend this polish at all, the colour is quite sheer and streaky. I'm sure I've seen dupes of this colour from China Glaze or Essie.

American Apparel Butter



2 coats only! Love how pigmented this polish is. I don't think I've seen a similar colour from other brands but this polish priced well enough (US$7.50) you don't really need to find a dupe.

So what have you been wearing on your nails lately?

Cargo Classic Lip Gloss - Dusseldorf

At the Toronto blogger meetup a few weeks ago, Farah and Cargo Cosmetics kindly organized a little something for each of us. I got the chance to try Cargo's lipgloss in Dusseldorf:



The applicator doesn't pick up very much product, which I find a tad annoying because I have to double dip to get enough gloss out.



Dusseldorf is a sheer berry with micro shimmer.



It is more of a MLBB colour if you have pigmented lips like me. For others it would most likely be a sheer gloss perfect for transitioning from summer to fall.



The texture is lightweight, and not too sticky, just slightly. As with all Cargo glosses it comes with a timestrip indicator to remind you how long your gloss has been opened and when it expires in 3 months.

I haven't yet activated the indicator on mine, partly because I don't use my glosses often enough to have just a 3 months shelf life on it, but I could see it being a useful reminder if you use this gloss daily.

message in a bottle

My favourite summer lipstick of all time would have to be the Lancome Color Fever lipstick in 302 SOS Pink:



The packaging is simple and feminine - metallic with translucent pink sides. The tube has a nice weight to it without feeling cheap.

Swatched:



Colour is a bright pink that is neither cool nor warm so I think it complements most skintones.



The lipstick has a cream finish that is quite pigmented. Texture wise it isn't as creamy as the MAC Cremesheens but the intensity of the colour makes up for that, as Cremesheens do tend to be a bit sheer.

Here's one of my past looks (from this post) with SOS Pink. I usually wear it the same way, paired with simple eye makeup since the pink is quite bright.




So do you have a favourite summer lip colour? Feel free to share! :)