New In: Clinique, Aerin, and Tom Ford!

Hi, everyone! I've picked up a few extra pretty makeup goodies lately, so I thought I'd share with you these newest additions to my stash. They've all become instant favourites! I'll be posting separate reviews of each later on, but for now, a quick glimpse. 

Recent trips to Sephora and Holt Renfrew led me to these three beauties. I'd been on a waitlist for one for weeks, another was a new blogger-inspired craving, and the last was simply love at first sight. 

Clinique Cheek Pop in Ginger Pop- This little blush had not been on my wishlist for long, but it was near the top due to the unabashed raves from Temptalia. Not only is this daisy-shaped blush unique and beautiful to look at, the shade itself is stunning! A perfect shimmery, tawny peach. 

Tom Ford Lip Colour in Indian Rose- If you read my recent Beauty Resolution post, you'll know that I've given up buying any new lip products for the remainder of 2014. Yes, really! You'll also know that the final lipstick to sneak its way into my collection before the official ban was this one. I'd been waiting for it to come back in-stock at Holts for ages, and it finally came arrived last week! It's a perfect everyday glowy rose that I'll be wearing constantly at work. 

Aerin Kaleidolight Palette- This beauty of a palette totally took me by surprise. I've never used an Aerin product and had not heard tell of her new Spring collection. But when I passed by the Aerin counter last week, I literally stopped dead in my tracks. I'd never seen anything like it! The palette includes shades that can be used separately as powder, bronzer, highlighter and eye shadow, or all of the shades can be mixed for a unified glow. Ingenious!

Here's one more shot of them:

Overall, I couldn't be happier with all three of these purchases! As I said, I'll be posting full reviews of each over the coming week. Stay tuned!

Have I tempted you with any of these goodies? What have you purchased lately?

Thanks for reading! xo

Veracious Product Review: Urban Decay Shattered Face Case

I bought my first Urban Decay Face Case when I was 18 years old. Back then, Destiny's Child, Usher, and Sugar Ray were topping the charts and Urban Decay was best known for their Lip Gunks and glitter polishes. At the time, Face Cases took the form of ultra-slim silver cases with 6 shadows, two lip products, and a highlighter. Pretty revolutionary for the time, as the included shades were bold and edgy and make palettes were not ubiquitous in the beauty aisles. They were among my first forays into high-end makeup and they will always hold a special place in my makeup memory.

Given my Face Case nostalgia, I was definitely curious when I learned that Urban Decay had released two all-new incarnations of the palette late last year. After careful inspection of these exciting new offerings, I decided that the updated Face Cases were just as beautiful, functional and fun! In December, I used up some of my Shoppers Optimum Points (glorious things) to bring the lovely Shattered Face Case home with me!

The Shattered Face Case is appropriately housed in a reflective glass-like case with a shattered texture. It includes 5 eye shadows, 2 blushes, a highlighter, an eyeliner, and a shiny gloss pencil. A wonderful selection!

Let's start at the beginning. The box mirrors the shade and texture of the palette itself and includes the brand's logo on the bottom right corner. 

The back of the box provides shots of the products inside, as well as a brief description of what the palette has to offer. 

Here's a peek at how Urban Decay describes this colourful kit:

Here's another peek at the exterior of the palette itself, with the sunshine highlighting its shattered effect:

For a super efficient use of space, this palette has two separate layers of product. Opening the top layer reveals the five eye shadows, the lip pencil, and the eyeliner.

Here's a close-up! The goodies at this layer include:

Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colour in Lovechild (a cool-toned candy pink)

Eye Shadows in Nameless (a deep grey taupe), Remix (a rich shimmery eggplant), Shakedown (a mid-tone shimmery brown), Minor Sin (a pale peach with gold shimmer) and Bleach (a matte buttery cream).

24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (a true matte black).

This layer of the palette also has a large-sized mirror for all of your application needs! ;)

The bottom layer of the palette (housed underneath the first) reveals the same lip pencil (it transcends both layers!) as well as two blushes and a highlighter. It features:

Blush in Overexposed (a neutral tawny peachy rose) and Temper (a cool cheery pink)

Highlighter in Glint (a warm, shimmery champagne)

This second layer also includes a mirror, though slightly smaller due to the placement of the lip pencil:

And now for swatches! Here area all 10 of the shades swatched side-by-side on my inner arm (MAC NC15 skin tone), with the eye products on the left and the lip and cheek products on the right:

A close-up of the eye shadow swatches:

(L-R): Urban Decay Shattered Face Case Eye Shadows in Nameless, Remix, Shakedown, Minor Sin, and Bleach

And swatches of the pencils and blushes:

(L-R): Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero, Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colour in Lovechild, Shattered Face Case Blushes in Overexposed and Temper, and Highlighter in Glint

And here is a makeup look I created, using all 10 products from the palette!

For the cheeks, I applied Overexposed up my cheekbones, almost as a contour, and popped Temper onto the apples of my cheeks. I then applied a bit of the Glint highlighter to the top of my cheekbones:

For the eyes, I applied Bleach all over the eye from lash line to brow bone as a base. I then applied Shakedown lightly all over my lid, up to the crease. Next, I used some of Remix in my crease for a fun pop of colour. Then, I applied Nameless in the outer corners of my eye for some extra smoke and touches of Minor Sin to my brown bone and inner corners of the eye as a highlight.

I also applied a small amount of Remix on the outer half of my lower lash line for some extra colour. I finished off with some Zero eyeliner on my waterline and winged out on my upper lash line and two coats of volumizing mascara (BeneFit They're Real!).

I completed the look with a generous helping of Lovechild on my lips to give them a glossy, candy-coated finish:

And there you have it- a look using every last shade from the Shattered Face Case. It was so fun to play with!

Overall, I'm totally smitten with this palette. While it obviously doesn't hold the nostalgia factor of the original turn-of-the-century Face Cases, it has nonetheless won me over with its amazing selection of shades, fun, compact packaging, and top-notch formulas. Here's a quick run-down of the pros and cons:

Pros:

• Shattered is perfect for creating a dramatic purple-grey smokey eye, but could  just as easily work for an everyday neutral look
• The shadows are rich, soft, and pigmented (as would be expected from Urban Decay)
• The blushes are smooth and blendable and warm up the face nicely
• The lip pencil has quite decent staying power and leaves my pout moisturized and glossy
• 24/7 Eye Pencil in Zero is a classic black shade and a great inclusion as it works with anything!
• Although not as sleek as some palettes, it does contain 10 products quite efficiently!
• The packaging is unique and cheeky and simply fun to look at!
• All of the shades work quite well together- all you need to add is a base, brows, and mascara and you have a complete look!

Cons:

• The highlighter is on the darker side (at least for my fair skin), so it wouldn't be as easily used on places like the brow bones or the bridge of the nose
• The palette can be somewhat difficult to open, which can be annoying when you're rushing to get ready!
• The shades are quite bold and pigmented, so not the best palette if you prefer a more subtle look.

So there you have it- my full review of the Urban Decay Shattered Face Case. I'd definitely consider this to be a highly underrated product, as it seemed to have gotten lost in the shuffle amidst the frenzy of Naked 3. While the Naked Palettes are undoubtedly fabulous, this Face Case is perfect for those who prefer a palette that can outfit your entire face- eyes, lips, and cheeks! The quality of the products is on par with Urban Decay's typically impressive formulas and the shades are lots of fun!

Does this look like a palette you'd reach for? Any other Face Case fans out there?

Thanks for reading! :)

Look of the Day: Friday I'm in Love

Happy Valentine's everyone! I'm someone who can totally relate to the cynicism and eye-rolling that goes on this time of year, and yet each February 14th I do get swept up in the general notion of the holiday. Celebrating love! And what better way to celebrate love than with a Valentine's-inspired makeup look?! Actually, there are lots of better ways, but I digress... ;)

This year's Valentine's look isn't bold and dramatic (I did have to wear it to work, after all), but with shade names like Sin, Sexy Plum, Hot Tahiti, Black Honey, and Rose Petal, I thought it was still quite appropriate and perfectly romantic! It plays on softer shades of pink, rose, and plum, glowy skin, and lots of lashes.

To give dewiness and warmth to my skin, I topped the lovely By Terry Cover Expert Perfecting Fluid Foundation with some Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light as a subtle bronzer, By Terry Terribly Ultimate Radiance Blush in Sexy Plum up my cheekbones, and Laura Mercier Powder Blush in Rose Petal on the applies of my cheeks. I also dabbed some of the heavenly RMS Living Luminizer on the tops of my cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose for some extra glow.

For the eyes, I drew on the Urban Decay Naked Palette (go figure) for some shimmery hues. I applied Sin, a glowy champagne pink, all over the eyelid, blending it up to the crease. I applied Virgin, a shimmery ivory, on my brow bone and inner corners of the eye to make my eyes look larger and wide awake (though I definitely wasn't when these photos were taken. Too early!). To add a bit of smoke to the look, I used one of my favourite new shadows, Clinique All About Shadow Super Shimmer Single in Black Honey. It's a lovely warm plummy copper brown that finished off the look nicely! I stuck with Clinique for the rest of the eye makeup, using Black Honey Quickliner Intense along the upper lash line and two coats of High Impact Mascara in Black to pump up my lashes.

On my lips, I opted for a totally underrated lipstick from MAC, Hot Tahiti. Its lovely glaze finish makes it perfectly buildable and the barely-red hue makes for an impactful, yet wearable kiss of colour.

Here's a full list of everything I used:


The Breakdown:

Foundation Primer: Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer in Light
Foundation: By Terry Cover Expert Perfecting Fluid Foundation #1
Concealers: BeneFit Fake-Up in Light (under eyes) and MAC Select Cover-Up in NC20 (on blemishes)
Powder: MAC Blot Powder in Medium
Highligher/Bronzer: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light (lightly as a bronzer) and RMS Living Luminizer (on cheek bones and down the bridge of my nose)
Blush: By Terry Terrybly Ultimate Radiance Blush in Sexy Plum (up my cheekbones, blended up to the temples), Laura Mercier Powder Blush in Rose Petal (on the apples of my cheeks)

Brows: Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Ash Blonde/Taupe and Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in Caramel
Eye Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
Eye Shadow: Urban Decay Sin (from the Naked 1 palette, all over eyelid, blended up to the crease), Virgin (from the Naked 1 palette, on my brow bone and inner corners of the eye), Clinique All About Shadow Super Shimmer Single Eye Shadow in Black Honey (in the crease and on the outer corner of the eye)
Eyeliner: Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Intense in Black Honey (on upper lash line) and NYX Wonder Pencil in Light (on lower waterline)
Mascara: Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black

Lipstick: MAC Glaze Lipstick in Hot Tahiti


And a few more shots of the look:

So there you have it! My subtle, romantic, rosy Valentine's look. Hope you like it! Regardless of whether you love, loathe, or laugh at Valentine's Day, I hope you're all able to spend this weekend surrounded by everything and everybody you love the most! <3

Thanks for stopping by! xo

Veracious Product Review: Eve Lom Rescue Mask

Hi, everyone! Time to review on of the fun, luxe goodies that I picked up at Space.NK during my trip to NYC last month. I'd gone into the shop convinced that they carried Omorovicza, quickly to realize I'd been mistaken. I told the facialist that I'd been in search of Omorovicza's Deep Cleansing Mask, so in its absence she took me eagerly to the Eve Lom section to check out one of the line's best-sellers, the Rescue Mask.

I'd heard a fair amount about Eve Lom in my adventures in the blogosphere, primarily raves about her cult-status Cleanser that apparently revolutionized makeup removal. It's a true classic! The spendy price point of the brand had kept me at bay up until then, but hey, when in NYC... ;)

The Space.NK facialist immediately began to sing the praises of the Rescue Mask, as it's one of the shop's all-time bestsellers. She promised that the mask would deep clean, detoxify, and gently exfoliate the skin without stripping it dry. I was intrigued!

Eve Lom describes the mask as a "weekly complexion booster and emergency treatment for sluggish, stressed out skin" that is designed to cleanse deeply, add radiance, and work as a go-to product when skin is irritated, broken out, or recovering from a late night or one too few hours of sleep (from evelom.com).

This mask is really touted as a panacea. It promises to deep cleanse without stripping skin, decongest and soak up oil, smooth and condition the skin, calm irritation and redness, and soothe puffiness (from evelom.com). An unrealistic concoction of claims? Perhaps, but I was still curious. 

Below is a full list of the mask's ingredients. As you can see, it contains kaolin (to purify, de-puff, and absorb oil), camphor (to decongest skin and keep things feeling cool), honey (to hydrate and condition), and ground almonds (to gently exfoliate). I recognized kaolin as the go-to oil absorber in all clay masks, and I was intrigued by the inclusion of honey- it's supposed to be wonderful for hydration and cleansing! On the other hand, I knew that alcohol and camphor are known skin irritants, and that both had the potential to make my skin a bit cranky. But, my interest remained piqued, so I snagged one up!

The mask comes in both a larger 100mL tub and a smaller 50mL tube. As I was a newbie to the product, I opted for the safer, less expensive, and more portable option.

As you've seen in the previous pictures, the mask came housed in a sleek white cardboard box with the brand's logo on the front, a description, directions, and ingredients on the back, and the name of the product written boldly on the side. The mask itself is contained in a simple white tube with gilded lettering on the front:

The back of the tube also features the instructions, which begin with shaking the tube well (a must, as it tends to separate) and applying a generous layer to cleansed, dry skin. In the photo below, I've squeezed a small amount from the spout of the tube. As you can see, the consistency is thin enough to dispense easily from the tube, but thick enough to not drip instantly:

Here's a full dose (enough to cover my whole face) on the back of my hand. As you can see, it's creamy and clay-based with a light grey hue and small-to-medium almond particles dispersed throughout:

Boo! Heehee... here's me with the mask applied freshly to my face. It spreads quite evenly and looks pretty much white at first:

The instructions say to let the mask work its magic for 20 minutes. After 10 minutes or so, the mask fully dries, making it hard to smile (see below, eek), and leaving a somewhat powdery texture. 

To remove the mask, Eve Lom suggests that you first buff the dry mask in circular motions, then rinse with warm water and a damp muslin cloth. I feared the initial step would be a bit too abrasive on my sensitive skin, so I went straight for a few rinses and light circular swishes with warm water, then removed the rest with damp cotton pads. It washes perfectly clean!

So, I've given you lots of details, except for the most important- how it performs! Check out my pros and cons list below to get the full scoop!

Pros:

• Feels instantly cooling and refreshing on the skin without any annoying tingling or burning
• Rinses totally clean without leaving a greasy residue
• Despite the mask drying tightly, it does not leave skin parched and taut after removing
• Although it contains alcohol and camphor, this does not seem to irritate my skin whatsoever. I've used the mask three times and there have been no instances of burning, itching, or redness
• Leaves skin feeling perfectly cleansed and radiant-looking
• Does a wonderful job at soothing current breakouts
• Makes for an all-around luxurious experience!

Cons:

• Although my skin was luckily spared, this does include ingredients that could irritate sensitive skin
• The almond bits can be a bit harsh, so you have to remove them gently unless you want a more serious scrub
• Tends to make my eyes water slightly- perhaps the camphor?
• Doesn't seem to reduce oil or breakouts in the long-run
• The price. At $50 for a 50mL tube, this is definitely a splurge!

The bottom line? Am I happy I picked up this mask?  Yes! It's a pleasure to use, cleanses without stripping, and soothes and brightens nicely. It really feels like a treat! Would I repurchase this mask? I don't think so. While I have no major qualms with the Rescue Mask, I know there are other fab cleansing masks out there that perform comparably for a fraction of the price. It actually reminds me slightly of The Body Shop's Honey&Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask, which I used years ago when I wanted a deep cleanse and gentle scrub. Plus it smells lovely! Think I will pick that one up again when the Rescue Mask is all spent.

Hope you found this review to be helpful! Have you tried any products from Eve Lom? What are your favourite miracle masks?

Thanks for reading! xo

Have a Lush Valentine's!

Hi, everyone! It's no secret that I'm a huge sucker for Lush, so it's inevitable that my spidey senses start to tingle when the brand releases their limited edition holiday products. With Valentine's upon us, I was eager to check out what cheeky, romantic offerings were on the roster this year. I had already read some promising reviews of the 2014 Valentine's Day goodies, which made my bee-line for the Eaton Centre Lush shop all the quicker. After learning about the offerings from the friendly-as-ever staff and sampling the formulas for myself, here is what I took home:

I opted for the Prince Charming Shower Gel, a frothy deep pink number, and the Tender is the Night Massage Bar, which smells as sweet as it looks. The lovely staffer also threw in a generous-sized sample of their Neon Love Soap for me to try. How nice!

The Prince Charming Shower Gel was already on my radar, as the scent sounded perfectly up my alley. And it didn't disappoint! Rich with pomegranate juice, grapefruit oil, vanilla, marshmallow root, and almond oil, it smells fruity and sweet, but with a sexier, more sophisticated aroma than some of Lush's other "pink" scents like Snow Fairy or Rock Star. It's the perfect balance of elegant and fun! It comes in the typical plastic bottle that houses all of the brand's shower gels, shampoos, and lotions...

... and features some rather obvious, but perfectly cheeky instructions:

The list of ingredients includes a variety of natural, lovely ingredients, including lactic acid, which helps to soften and gently exfoliate the skin.

I've used Prince Charming  a couple times now and I must say it's a pleasure to use. The scent is potent without being overpowering, lingers slightly, but doesn't interfere with other fragrances, and leaves my skin soft and clean, without stripping it of moisture. So nice!

I've used Lush Massage Bars on and off over the years, primarily as rich oil-based body moisturizers during the arid winter months. Just rub the bar between your hands to warm it slightly, then massage the oil onto your driest bits. Easy peasy! At first whiff, I knew Tender is the Night would be mine. With a sweet, sexy bouquet of vanilla, jasmine, and ylang ylang, the scent is light and feminine. Perfect for Valentine's. The bar itself is cream-coloured and oval, with a delicate pink flower on top. It gives incredible moisture to the skin, and leaves a fresh glow. It's truly heavenly!

Finally, my free sample of  Neon Love Soap. Like the other goodies I picked up, this little nugget has a fragrance that leaves my senses happy and uplifted. Fruity and spicy, it smells of passion fruit (thanks to fresh juice), bergamot, and cinnamon. Plus, the cute little white hearts embedded in the pink soap are crafted out of soy yogurt for an extra (vegan) hit of moisture. Its ingredients also include coconut oil and fresh figs, so this will not leave your hands parched! 

It had been a while since I popped into Lush (I didn't even snag any of their Christmas goodies this year), but man oh man am I glad I stopped by in time for Valentine's! Their limited edition lineup is rich with sexy, fruity fragrances, hydrating formulas, and unique ingredients. I really feel like I brought home the best of the best!

Did you score any of Lush's Valentine's Day goodies this year? Do these products sound like something you'd like in your arsenal? Other favourite shower gels, soaps, or massage bars from the brand?

Thanks for reading! xo