Chanel Summer 2013 Makeover featuring L'Ete Papillon de Chanel

Hi, everyone! I attended a Chanel makeover at The Bay a couple months ago and had a fantastic experience, so was eager to sign up for their latest beauty event, featuring the ultra-colourful L'Ete Papillon de Chanel Summer 2013 collection. I got a sneak peek of the collection last month, which a) made me feel like a super secret beauty spy and b) got me really excited to try out the new summer goodies. L'Ete Papillon de Chanel offers a variety of fun, vibrant hues for lips, eyes, and nails; bold, but with the inevitably chic feel that Chanel always brings to the table.

Here's a picture of the collection on display:

L'Ete Papillon de Chanel, Summer 2013 Collection display

The lovely makeup artist, Jennifer, asked me what type of look I was going for. I told her I was super interested in the new summery shades of Inimitable Mascara and would love to create a look that let these vibrant hues stand out. Her makeup artist instincts kicked in, quickly exclaiming "let's play with pinks on the eyes, it'll really make the blue and green mascara stand out!"

And she was right! Here's a closeup of the finished eye look:

As you can see, she used a palette of ivory, pink, and plum eye shadows (Les Quatres Ombres Eye Shadow Quad in Seduction) paired with electric blue and aqua on the lashes (Inimitable Waterproof Mascara in Blue Note and Lime Light). She also used a couple of the new Stylo Eye Shadows to intensify the look. Pink Lagoon was applied as a base and Black Stream was used to add extra smoke to the crease and outer corner. They blended like a dream! I really loved the finished look.

She also added super precise, dramatic winged eyeliner, which is always up my alley. Here's a view of the look with eyes closed:

She kept my skin even and glowy with the help of Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation and Les Beiges de Chanel Healthy Glow Powder. Both products are quite sheer, but they made my skin look great! She opted for subtle, rosy cheeks (Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Rose Initial) and nude glossy lips (Rouge Coco Shine in Idylle and Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Zephyr) to complement the plummy smokey eye and colourful lashes. 

Here are some shots of the entire look:

Yes, I took these selfies in the mall ;)

Here's a full breakdown of what was used:

Face:
Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in #10 Beige
Correcteur Perfection Concealer in #10 Beige Clair (underneath eyes and on blemishes)
Les Beiges de Chanel Powder in #20, (to set foundation and add some extra coverage)
Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Rose Initial
Soleil Tan de Chanel Sheer Illuminating Fluid (as a bronzing highlighter on cheekbones)

Eyes:
Crayon Sourcils Sculpting Eyebrow Pencil in #10 Blond Clair
Stylo Eye Shadow in Pink Lagoon (as a base for the powder shadows)
Les Quatres Ombres de Chanel Eye Shadow Quad in Seduction (mix of pink, plum, ivory, and taupe shades)
Stylo Eye Shadow in Black Stream (to add smokiness to the outer corner)
Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Reflex (as a highlight colour in the middle of the lid)
Inimitable Waterproof Mascara in Blue Note (top lashes) and Lime Light (bottom lashes)

Lips:
Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Idylle
Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Zephyr

And here are a few more shots of the look, from when I returned home after the makeover. As you can see, Vitalumiere Aqua had gotten quite dewy on my skin, but I don't fault the foundation because Jennifer had used quite hydrating products underneath it. I'd like to think I looked glowy, rather than oily! :)

Overall, I had a great time at the event and was super happy with the finished look! The eye makeup was especially lovely; so complex and smokey, but totally wearable. And I was definitely wooed by the coloured mascara! I picked up a few goodies from the collection before I left (surprise, surprise), so look out for reviews soon!

Have any of you checked out the new L'Ete Papillon de Chanel summer collection yet? Are you loving it as much as I am? Have you been to any fun beauty events lately?

Thanks for reading! xo

Quickie Review: Tokidoki Lion Pappa Palette

Hi, everyone! Time for a Quickie Review of a super cute palette that I received months ago as a Christmas gift from a good friend of mine. Yes, the same friend who sent me this adorable Korean cosmetics care package quite recently. See a theme emerging? My friend knows I'm a sucker for cuteness, but that I'm a stickler for good quality makeup and the Tokidoki Lion Pappa palette really combines both! Tokidoki is a Japanese-inspired brand that is known for their uber-cute, yet wild, edgy imagery and has collaborated with huge cosmetics brands such as Smashbox. Their makeup is a bit harder to find of late, but my friend tracked this down and I couldn't be happier with it!

As you can see, the front of the palette displays some sort of gangster cartoon fantasy scene (definitely a phrase I've never used before) that is highly bizarre and undoubtedly adorable:

The back of the palette displays a preview of the colours inside and features a few more cartoon images (including a pink grenade shooting a heart cloud? Where else would you see this except for something made by Tokidoki?!):

The palette is sleek and rectangular and closes with a magnetic grip. Opening it reveals a small compact mirror, 4 eye shadow shades, and a blush:

A closeup of the shades:

Despite the wild imagery on the outside, the colours in this palette are actually quite sophisticated and wearable. The eye shadows include a sheer, shimmery pinky white, a nearly-matte taupe, a warm, yellowy-gold, and a neutral deep brown. The blush is a gorgeous shimmery pinky coral. Here are some swatches!

Swatches from the Tokidoki Lion Pappa Palette (L-R): Eye shadows in pinky white, warm taupe, yellow gold, deep brown and blush in pinky coral

And here are a couple shots of a look I created using the palette. I applied the gold shade all over the lid, the taupe shade in the crease, the white shade as a highlight on the brow bone and inner corner, and the dark brown shade as a subtle eyeliner on the upper lash line. And of course I wore the pretty coral blush too!

Overall, I'm really happy with this adorable little palette. All of the shades have lovely pigmentation and are incredibly wearable. Plus the packaging is so fun and unique! This palette really combines my love of neutral makeup shades with wild, outrageous packaging, so I really have no complaints!

Do you have any makeup items from Tokidoki? What products in your collection have super unique packaging?

Thanks for reading! :)

Veracious Product Review: Lush BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask

Happy weekend, everyone! And happy long weekend to all my Canadian friends :) Today I share with you a review of a face mask that has recently swept me off my feet. Knight-in-shining-armour-style. Definitely a dramatic statement, but I am a sucker for a good face mask and Lush's BB Seaweed really takes the cake.

To give a bit of a background, I've been a devoted fan of Lush for years. Their Fresh Face Masks have always been an absolute pleasure to use, however the vast majority have irritated my skin and broken me out. Badly. The Fresh Masks are jam-packed full of essential oils and fresh foody ingredients, which is fun and amazing, just not for my sensitive skin. But when I visited Lush a couple weeks ago, I was determined to find a Fresh Face Mask that my skin would be happy with.

I described my skin care woes (combination/oily skin that is acne-prone and also sensitive) to the enthusiastic sales associate and she eagerly passed me a pot of BB Seaweed. She insisted that the formula was lovely to use, super effective, yet specially designed for sensitive skin. My past experience with the Fresh Face Masks left me skeptical, but I snatched it up anyways! And I'm quite glad I did.

As you can see from the photo below, BB Seaweed has a thick, creamy oatmeal-like consistency with strips of green seaweed and a few scrubby bits throughout:

Lush describes the mask as "relaxing and reviving mineral-rich mask to cleanse all skin types" (from lush.ca). It claims that the rose absolute will help improve skin tone, the seaweed will work to moisturize and add nutrients, and that the ground almonds will exfoliate sensitive skins without irritation.  

The ingredient list reveals that the  mask is rich with kaolin, honey, aloe, rose, ground almonds, and seaweed, among other soothing, natural ingredients. Amazingly, it was hand-made less than a week before I purchased it and has a shelf-life of about three weeks. The shortened lifespan can be attributed to the fact that it's 100% natural and preservative-free.

When the mask is first applied, it has a thick, creamy-white consistency with obvious strips of seaweed. Really makes me look like a crazy sea monster! The fragrance is a gentle herbal, rose aroma. Pleasant, but not over-powering. 

As it dries, some of the mask seems to sink into the skin and the base takes on more of a yellow-ish tinge:

When removing the mask, it was definitely more of a scrubby, exfoliating feeling than I expected. My skin is generally quite sensitive to manual exfoliants, so I was worried that my face would be left a red, irritated mess. On the contrary, I was so pleased with how my skin looked afterwards! My face looked smooth, calm, and radiant. The redness in my skin had been all but erased!

Honestly, my skin rarely looks better than it does after using this mask. I've had the same result after each time I've used it (4 times so far), so this wasn't a one trick pony!

Here's a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of this mask:

Pros:

• Incredibly friendly to my sensitive skin. Even with the scrubby bits, my skin wasn't left irritated or angry
• Leaves skin incredibly soft and smooth
• Works wonders to immediately eliminate redness in the skin
• Fresh, pleasant scent that isn't over-powering
• Full of fresh, natural ingredients; so fresh, you have to keep it in the fridge
• At only $7, this is quite affordable. I should get about 6 uses out of the little pot.
• Cruelty-free! Animal-friendliness is always a plus in my books :)

Cons:

• The ground almond pieces might be a bit too abrasive for those with ultra-sensitive skin
• Though the scent is relatively light, this is far from fragrance-free. Might be too fragranced for those sensitive to that.
• The seaweed bits are quite chunky and a bit of a pain to clean out of the sink.

Overall, I really couldn't be happier with this mask! My combination, sensitive, acne-prone skin is totally loving it. Few masks have given me such instant, dramatic results! So glad I gave the Fresh Face Masks another go. BB Seaweed is a huge winner in my books!

Hope you found the review helpful! Have you tried any of Lush's Fresh Face Masks? Which is your favourite?

Cheers! xo

Nail of the Day: Dior Spring Ball

Happy Friday, everyone! Before Summer completely emerges, I thought I'd share with you a nail polish that just screams Spring. "Spring" is even in the name! A couple months ago, Dior came out with a new range of Dior Vernis Sparkling Colour Extreme Wear Nail Lacquer in shades inspired by some of their popular, Spring-perfect Addict Gloss colours. All four of the new shades embrace hues of coral, peach, orange, and cherry and feature gorgeous micro-sparkles throughout. In the end, I went for Spring Ball, a coral-peach with fine gold and silver glitter throughout.

Dior Vernis Sparkling Colour Extreme Wear Nail Colour in Spring Ball

The bottle itself is ultra-chic, as you'd expect from any Dior offering. It really is a thing of beauty! It's made of sturdy, rectangular glass and, much like Chanel nail colours, you pull off the thin metal lid to reveal a smaller, black plastic cap.

Here's a close-up of the texture of the polish. As you can see, the glitter is ultra fine and totally elegant. So mesmerising and lovely to look at!

Unfortunately, Spring Ball is an example of a nail polish that looks much more striking in the bottle than on the nails. While the coral shade is undoubtedly beautiful and perfect for Spring, I found the application a bit tricky and the micro glitter to be much less apparent than it looks in the bottle.

With one coat, the finish is actually quite lovely, however it is very sheer. Because a super sheer effect was not what I was going for, I applied a second coat. Despite trying to apply as thin a layer as possible, the second coat immediately made the texture quite thick and chunky and left the glitter more dull. Such a disappointment! I've done two manicures with this to see if my first experience was a fluke (I really wanted this to be perfect), but unfortunately had the same experience both times around. 

Dior Spring Ball under warm artificial light

Hopefully these pictures demonstrate that the texture is somewhat thick and gritty and that the glitter, while still visible, isn't nearly as striking at it is in the bottle.

Here are a couple more shots under different lighting:

Dior Spring Ball in sunlight

Dior Spring Ball under cooler artificial light

Overall, while there's no denying that this shade is gorgeous, I can't get over my disappointment that the texture is lacking and that the complex glittery finish is more striking in the bottle than on the nails. If this hadn't been a $20 polish I may not be so picky, but a fancy price tag should come with a fancy finish, in my opinion! I may give this one more go, doing my very best at applying super thin coats, but if it produces the same result I may be putting this on my swap list, which breaks my heart because I wanted to love this!

Have any of you tried this new range of Dior polishes? Have you had the same experience with the texture? What are some of your must-have Spring nail polishes?

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend :)

Korean Cosmetics Care Package!

Hi, everyone! Today's post will be short, sweet, and overly adorable (can things ever be overly adorable?).  Debatable ;) Last week, a good friend of mine sent me a care package featuring some extremely precious goodies from various Korean cosmetics brands. I needed cheering up, and these little items delivered! She definitely knows what makes me smile :)

The first item in the package was It's Skin Babyface Petit Blusher #4. It came housed in a transparent plastic cover with angel wings:

The compact itself is petite (hence the name) and round and sports a precious little face and the name of the product. The cover of the compact is sheer, revealing a bow-topped powder puff inside. Just when I thought this couldn't get any cuter, I opened the compact to see that a little face was etched into the blush itself as well. 

Shade #4 is a warm, true peach shade, which is right up my alley. Can't wait to try it out!

The second item in the package was Etude House Sweet Recipe Ice Cream Nail Polish in Apricot. I had actually read about these on various blogs beforehand, so I was thrilled to see it! I might be an even bigger ice cream fiend than I am a nail polish fiend, so me and this product are a match made in makeup heaven :)

Apricot is a warm peachy nude shade with hexagonal rainbow-coloured glitter. Totally girly and yummy-looking. But I won't eat any. I promise ;) Though I may want to hold it upright like an actual ice cream cone once in a while!

As the previous item played on my affinity for ice cream, the final product tied into my love of cats. Tony Moly Cat Chu Wink Tony Tint in #2 Red is a liquid lip stain that has a cute little kitty's head built into the cap. The adorable details are killing me! 

I couldn't help but give this one a go as soon as it arrived! It comes with a flexible doe foot applicator that feels great on the lips. The shade itself is a bold cherry red that can be worn sheer or built up to full opacity. And it smells like fruit!

Overall, I was so thrilled with everything in the care package. I've known the friend who sent it since I was 5 years old, so she's clearly had plenty of time to learn what to send me when I'm in need of a smile. You really can't help but smile when you look at any of these! Thanks, Sheri! :)

I hope to feature a full review of each of these goodies soon, so look out for those! What are some of your favourite super cute or girly-looking makeup items? Score any fun Korean cosmetics lately?

Nail of the Day: Galactic Moon Candy

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you all had fantastic weekends. First off, I want to express a huge thank you for all your kind words on my last post. So appreciating all the speckled eyeliner love!

Today's post is another Nail of the Day (I'm doing pretty well at overcoming my nail-painting laziness!), highlighting perhaps the most unique polish in my stash. Revlon's Moon Candy Nail Art Nail Enamels have been getting a lot of attention in the blogosphere lately, and with good reason! The dual-ended packaging features a deeper, solid base shade and a glittery, holographic top coat that creates a truly celestial effect!

The line features several shades, but I opted for Galactic, a deep navy blue base coat and an aqua-blue top coat with gold, silver, and blue flecks. The packaging is actually quite handy and super neat to look at! 

The instructions say to apply a coat of the base shade, let dry fully, then apply the top coat. I applied two thin layers of the navy shade, which provided full coverage and left a satin-matte finish. I was excited to apply the top coat to see the effect! I was a bit disappointed to find that the holographic flecks were rather scarce. I had to apply a couple rather thick layers of the top coat to build up the amount that I was looking for. As a result, the finish was quite chunky, even with a clear top coat applied afterwards. Some of the holographic flecks began flaking off, which was pretty annoying. I think next time I'll have more success with several very thin layers of the top coat to avoid this. You live, you learn!

Despite the chunky texture, I was super pleased with the overall effect. The photos in this post really don't do the finish justice. My nails looked complex, unique, and totally holographic, to a distracting extent. I literally couldn't stop staring at them! Layered over the navy base shade, the flecks in the top coat appeared as a mix of gold, silver, blue, and green. Galactic, indeed!

A close-up of the top coat:

In terms of wear, the polish lasted a few days with minimal chipping. After about three days, though, the chipping was rather significant. So I'd say that this is nowhere near a long-wearing formula, but for the first 72 hours it does look pretty amazing!

Here are a few more shots (again, none of which do it justice):

Overall, I'm really happy with the "Moon Candy" effect that Galactic creates. Don't think there's another polish in my stash that makes me want to stare at my nails quite as much! The trade-off, though, is that the formula leaves something to be desired. The texture can definitely be chunky and flaky, but I'm determined to try other application techniques that will make the finish a bit more elegant. A formula this unique is worth a bit of extra effort!

Have any of you tried the Moon Candy line yet? What are your thoughts on the formula?

Thanks for reading! :)

Look of the Day: Speckled Scribe

Hi, everyone! As I write this, I'm on a train from Toronto to my hometown, about 4 hours away. The scenery isn't the most exciting, but this is the first time in a while that the landscape has been green and summery, so that's definitely a bonus! I'm headed home for the weekend for my little sister's bachelorette party! She's getting married next month (hard be believe it's so soon!) and this is the weekend we let loose before all the hubbub of the big day!

Quite appropriately, today's Look of the Day would be an ideal party look. It's unlike anything I've tried before and I'm so happy I gave it a go! A couple months ago, I saw that one of my favourite bloggers, Coco from The Beauty Milk had created a speckled eyeliner look inspired by Illamasqua's Spring Imperfection collection (to see her version, click here!). I was enamoured with how unique and beautiful the effect was and quickly rushed to the Illamasqua website to learn more! Just like their Speckled Nail Varnishes, which I've featured previously on the blog, their speckled eyeliner technique is inspired by the beautiful imperfections found in nature, like freckles or the patterns on a robin's egg. A lovely sentiment!

I soon decided that this was a look I had to re-create. To do so, I treated myself to Illamasqua Precision Ink Liquid Eyeliner in Scribe. The shade is pitch-white, super pigmented, and waterproof. It has a stiff, precise sponge tip that makes application incredibly easy. Here's a look at it:

To imitate the speckled effect, I first created a bold winged liner look using my trusty Revlon ColourStay Liquid Eyeliner Pen in Black. I made the liner a bit thicker than normal, so that there was a decent surface to speckle! Once the black liner was dry, I used Scribe to add tiny white dots on top. I started more precisely on the inner corner of the eye, then dispersed the speckles more widely as I approached the outer edge, where I let the white dots go "outside the lines" of the black liner. I finished by adding a few black dots, using the Revlon Eyeliner Pen, to the outer corner as well. Here's a closeup of the finished look:

To complete the eye look, I added two coats of black mascara (Fresh Supernova Mascara in Black) and a pop of colour underneath the eye, care of the lovely MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Undercurrent. 

I paired the eye with soft pink cheeks (Laura Mercier Powder Blush in Rose Petal) and deep rosy lips (Chantecaille Lip Chic in Amaryllis). Wanted to add some colour to the look while still letting the eyes be the focus.

Here's another shot of the look, followed by a complete break-down of what I used:

The Breakdown:

Foundation: Revlon ColourStay Liquid Foundation (Combination/Oily formula) in Buff
Concealer: BeneFit Fake-Up in Light (under eyes) and Hard Candy Glamouflage in Light (on blemishes)
Powder: Hard Candy Welcome Matte Translucent Mattifying Powder
Bronzer: Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder #51
Blush: Laura Mercier Powder Blush in Rose Petal

Brows: Anastasia Brow Powder duo in Ash Blonde (now known as Taupe)
Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original
Eye Shadow: Mix of shimmery light gold and champagne shades from the NYX Mysterious Brown Eyes Palette (on lid, brow bone, and inner corners of the eye) and a mix of deep brown shades from the same palette in the crease
Eyeliner: Revlon ColourStay Liquid Eyeliner Pen in Black and Illamasqua Precision Ink Liquid Eyeliner in Scribe, with MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Undercurrent underneath the eye
Mascara: Fresh Supernova Mascara in Black

Lipstick: Chantecaille Lip Chic in Amaryllis

And a few more shots of the look:

And now a quick horror story for those of you who are still reading :) On the box of the Illamasqua Precision Ink it clearly states "do not use on inner rims of the eye". Or something to that effect. I clearly didn't see this and thought "hmm... this look might be even better with Scribe on my waterline as well!" So after the speckled look was already completed, I applied some of Scribe on my waterline and my eyeball was instantly on fire. Ouch! I of course blinked my eye to ease the pain. When I opened my eye and looked in the mirror, I could see (barely) that my entire eyeball was coated with a milky layer of the eyeliner. So much so, you could barely see my pupils. I looked like a ghoul and my eyes were burning! Of course my first instinct, being a good blogger and all, was "I can't ruin my eyeliner! I worked too hard on this!" Some quick work with a tissue saved my burning, ghastly eyeball and amazingly, the speckled liner remained unharmed. A makeup miracle! So long story short, please do not use Illamasqua Precision Inks on your waterline!

Ok, scary story over. Hope you enjoyed this look! Is speckled liner an effect you'd like to try?  Have you tested out any of the other shades of Illamasqua Precision Ink?

Thanks for reading! xo