Beauty Archives - Page 16 of 18

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour

December 30, 2016

Normally I don’t get to review high end brands because I don’t purchase them. But when talking about high end brands, Chanel is one of my top favourites although I don’t have many products or items from them. On our first Christmas together, I received a Chanel perfume and lipstick from the boyfriend that I still really love – that’s about all the Chanel products I own.

For Christmas this year, the boyfriend bought me two Chanel nail products that I will be talking about today. He was just planning on getting me a nail polish, but got upsold by the sales person who took advantage of his cluelessness. Poor guy!
The colour he got me is a classic red from the Fall 2016 Le Rouge Collection. Chanel has quite an array of stunning reds, this particular red is the shade 528 Rouge Puissant. It is the perfect colour for me because I love my classic reds, whether it be for nails, lips, or clothes (although clothes I like darker reds).

What it says (Taken from Chanel):

LE VERNIS by CHANEL: long-wear application. An embellishing and protective nail polish designed to make vibrant colours dazzle. Long-wearing, extra-fine and ultra-shiny, each coat offers an absolutely even and lacquered result.

Application: I was really impressed with the quality of the brush. The brush is wide, so it is easy to get a nice, clean, and full colour with just one stroke. It fans out like the Nails Inc brush. As for the colour, I was in AWE with the colour. With just one coat, the colour was very vibrant and rich and matched the bottle exactly. One coat left me satisfied, which is a bit unusual because I like doing at least two coats!

Wear: This is where I was not as impressed. With a bottle of this going for $28 USD or almost $40 CAD (OMG), it did not last long with their gel effect top coat. Within the next morning, a bit of polish had already chipped off on my right hand. The left hand was okay for about 2 days before it began to chip.

At such a steep price, I had really high expectations for the wear. But, keep in mind that nail polish chips really easily on me. The ONLY top coat that I find works with my nails is the Seche Vite top coat. I’ll have to test this out with the Seche Vite top coat, but at that price, I would expect the nail polish to last at least 12 hours before chipping.

I WOULD include a picture of my nails, but I am so ashamed of them right now that I don’t want to take any pictures. Bleh! I just cut my nails short last night since my third nail broke (it’s always that one that breaks first, so annoying) and my cuticles are dry AF.

Amazing brush that makes it easy to apply an even coat
Only one coat is needed
Beautiful, vibrant colour that matches the bottle with only one coat

Does not last long, chipped within 12 hours
Would need a very good top coat for it to last

On one side, the colour and brush is amazing. However, it doesn’t last even 12 hours on me. If I’m paying $40 for ONE bottle, I am expecting it to last a lot longer than that. If I have to rely on a top coat for a $40 bottle of nail polish, I’m better off saving my money and buying a $5 bottle of polish.

It would be a nice gift for someone though, as it comes in a nice box and has that luxurious feel and factor to it. But I would not buy this for myself.

Nay.

Product given to me as a gift.

Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette

November 8, 2016

I did a review on the KVD Shade & Light Contour Quad in August, but I ended up exchanging it for the larger and more popular Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette!

A main reason was that although the quad was cheaper (around $40), the palette was a better investment. The quad only has 1/3 of the shades (but not the same ones as the palette).

I was really excited when I purchased this as it was on my wish list for a long time! I am a huge fan of other KVD products such as the tattoo liner and the liquid lipsticks, so I wanted to see how this one would fare.
The palette is just made out of cardboard material, that you flip up. However, I don’t find it flimsy so totally okay with me.
Here are the shades included in the palette. There is also a tutorial sheet that comes with the palette, that shows you how to achieve the optimal looks and which shades go well.

But to summarize, the larger shades at the top are the base colours. Under each large shade, there are three shades that fit perfectly under. Those three shades are recommended for that base. Which section do you see yourself wearing the most?!

As you can tell, the colours are pretty neutral and simple, with a matte finish. That was exactly what I was looking for when I bought this, because most of my palettes were shimmery and I wanted something matte!
Here are the shades swatched. The formula is very soft and gentle, and feels nice on your eyelid. Some shades have more pigment than others, you can’t really see the first and last swatch because it’s pretty light and blends into my arm.

The biggest complaint I have with this palette is that the shades do not last long on my eyes at all. After 3 hours, the eyeshadow is completely gone from my lids!!! With my Milani eye shadow primer, it lasts around 6 hours. I tried using my trusty Urban Decay Primer Potion but the colours did not blend smoothly with this primer on.

I was pretty disappointed from this fact, considering the tattoo liner and liquid lipsticks wear so long.

Since there were so many positive reviews on this palette, I am going against the grain and say that I am not in LOVE LOVE LOVE with this palette as others are. But I do like some parts of it, such as that it contains 100% matte shades and has a soft finish, and will continue to use it.

I was really expecting it to wear longer, especially at such a steep price point. Perhaps my eye lids are too oily, or I need to find a better primer. Any recommendations?
Have you tried this? I’m curious if people thought it wasn’t long lasting like I did.

Meh…

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy Lipstick

November 5, 2016

I’ve mentioned in many of my Estee Lauder posts that I love their lipsticks, but just realized I never wrote a review just for it! So, that is what this post is going to be about. I’ve been a huge fan of Estee Lauder lipsticks, and you really can’t go wrong with them.

The formulation of the Estee Lauder lipsticks have always been consistent. Even with the new Estee Edit lipsticks, I find their formulation is the same which is a relief!

I have a few of their lipsticks, but I decided to showcase this one because I love a nice, classic red. It is the shade empowered. The lipstick is nice and creamy, but also pigmented and not sheer. It is quite buildable as well.

This is a minor thing, but the packaging just gives it that extra level and touch of luxury. All the caps are actually magnetic, so they snap nicely to the lipstick. It is very satisfying to see and hear.
Here is a photo of me wearing this shade!

One problem I have with this shade, and only this shade, is that it tends to bleed outside your lips. If you look closely, you’ll see this shade feather out which is not a good sight!

It’s not too big of a deal and barely noticeable unless you’re up close, but would probably be best if you wore this shade with a matching liner. I still love this lipstick and is one of my favourites!

Softsoap Shea & Almond Oil Body Wash

November 2, 2016

Softsoap is a pretty popular and easily recognizable brand. I remember using their hand soaps a lot throughout my life, as I’m sure many of you have as well. Since I mostly use their hand soaps, it was a bit odd for me to try their body washes as I always thought of them as primarily a hand soap company. Yes, I know soap is soap… but you know what I mean!
The Softsoap I will be reviewing today is off their body butter line, which suggests that it is a very moisturizing body wash! The scent I purchased was the shea & almond oil, because I thought they would smell wonderful together. Both are also very hydrating and moisturizing products.

Indeed, I was right and I really liked the smell of this! Although I do prefer my fruity scents, this one made me feel more elegant and luxurious.
The soap is a pearly white colour. There are also tiny microbeads inside the soap, as you can tell more in the bottle compared to my hand. Whenever I shower, I use about a quarter size amount on my loofah.

This soap does not lather up as much as other body washes I have had, but it still does a great job in cleaning. Afterwards, the scent really stays on to your skin and is noticeable! That’s one of the things I love most about this body wash, as I feel clean and refreshed, and smell like shea and almond oil!

Here is the back of the body wash, with the ingredients incase you’re interested. Cool, I didn’t know that Colgate & Softsoap were in the same corporation. But then again, most of the products out there are owned by a small handful of conglomerates. However, I won’t go all Communications student here because I could talk about corporations all day!

Overall, I would recommend the Softsoap body washes, particularly the shea and almond oil one. They do a good job in cleaning, and make you smell wonderful afterwards. The price is also very affordable and widely available everywhere!

Yay!

Seven Deadly Sins of Makeup Tag

October 25, 2016

So I didn’t feel like writing another review today, and decided I would do a tag! I came across this tag from Robyn of Lipstick on the Lake. This is the Seven Deadly Sins of Makeup Tag!

GREED: What’s your most inexpensive beauty item? What’s your most expensive beauty item?
Hmmm, the most inexpensive beauty item would be the essence eyebrow designer. I bought it in August for only $2, and have been using it everyday! I don’t have a picture of it separately, but I did include it in my Introduction to Essence Cosmetics post.

The most expensive beauty item would have to be a toss up between the Naked 1,2,3, palettes or the Kat Von D shade & light palette. The Naked palettes were gifted to me for my birthday/Christmas over the past three years from two people. So, the most expensive beauty item that I have personally bought would have to be the Kat Von D shade & light palette.
WRATH: What item do you have a love/hate relationship with?

I am going to just make this an overall product instead of an item. It would have to be blush! Out of all makeup, I am the least skilled in blush. It seems like I can never apply it evenly on both sides, one side always has too much/little and then it’s just a slippery slope from there.

Here is one of the only times I liked how my blush turned out! I am wearing the Estee Edit Barest Blush in Coy Coral.

GLUTTONY: What brand takes up most of your collection?

Ooooh… it would definitely have to be Urban Decay. Urban Decay Naked Foundation, Naked 1/2/3 palettes, pencil eyeliner, gel liner, eyeshadow pot, primer potion, setting spray, mascara, erm yea the list goes on! Urban Decay has amazing products if you are looking for something extremely long lasting.

I spy… three Urban Decay products from this Night Out Makeup Look post from a year ago!
SLOTH: What product do you neglect the most due to laziness?

This is probably going to be surprising since I know this product is a favourite for lots of people, but it is mascara. Yup. I rarely use mascara, for many reasons. The main reason I guess since I always wear glasses, you can’t really see my lashes so there isn’t a point.

As well, I just don’t really like using it because it’s either clumpy or it doesn’t hold the whole day.

The picture below is with the Benefit They’re Real! mascara and Naked 3 palette. Even though I don’t like mascaras, one of the best ones I’ve tried (and believe me, I’ve tried a lot in attempt to finally like mascara), is this one! Sorry the picture is so small, it is from 2.5 years ago when I was a blogging noob.

PRIDE: What product gives you the most confidence?

If you asked me this two years ago, or even last year, I would have said eyeliner. Ever since I started wearing makeup almost ten years ago, I would never leave the house without eyeliner!

But, these past few months, it would have to be doing my eyebrows. Doing my eyebrows give me more confidence and makes my face look more defined. I’ve actually stopped wearing eyeliner everyday, never would I have thought that would happen. Instead, I just fill in and shape my eyebrows everyday with my essence brow designer, as mentioned in the first question!
LUST: Which item is at the top of your beauty wishlist?

Oh giiiirl, there are too many!!! Hmm, I was really wanting the Kat Von D palette but I finally took the plunge and splurged on it two months ago. SO, it would probably have to be the Kylie Jenner lipkits. I know right?!

You’re probably going to judge me for supporting the Kardashians or whatever, but Kylie’s matte lipsticks are AMAZING. They seriously stay on for over 10 hours, don’t transfer, AND are comfortable to wear.

But yeah, I would love to get more of her lip products and maybe even the Kyshadows! I just want more of her products. The hard part is that you can only order it online, and it is calculated with USD and pricey international shipping. So boo.
ENVY: Which makeup product looks great on other but not on you?

It would probably have to be mascara! As mentioned previously, you can’t really see it on when I wear glasses (which is all the time) and I never really have good luck with curling my lashes.

However, in an effort to be more body positive and confident, I will say that I think I have nice lower lashes, and lining them with mascara really make my eyes pop!