Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess in 02 Medium Review + Comparison Swatches

Being a pale lady, finding a good bronzer has always been quite a challenge for me. They're either too yellow, not warm enough, too glittery... and the list goes on. After reading a ton of reviews (as I do when buying any product) on the Estee Lauder Bronzer Goddess in 02 Medium, I thought it might be a good match.

First off, it's massive! You're sure to have plenty to last you a whole year! Secondly, the packaging is pretty damn perfect - sturdy with a tortoise shell patter with a gigantic mirror on the inside. Love!

The blush is smooth, and easy to blend. The shade is quite neutral, yet leans a bit warm, and almost has a tinge of pink. I find it quite flattering on my skintone. You can't tell from the pictures, but it does contain a bit of shimmer. I don't find this translates on my face at all.

Because it's so difficult to swatch a bronzer alone (how can you tell if it's warm or ashy?) I decided to pull my bronzers and compare it to the Bronze Goddess in Medium 02.

In the shade, on a sunny day

In the sun, on a sunny day

As you can see in the swatches, the Estee Lauder bronzer applies quite smoothly. Comparatively, the Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Power, Body Shop Bronzer and Nars Laguna appear to be harder to blend out - I'd say this is accurate with a brush application on the face as well. To be fair, my Nars Laguna is really old and needs to be thrown out. So let's not judge the swatch - it's still a great product. The Body Shop Bronzer in 01, as you may be able to tell, isn't very pigmented - it appears powdery because I really had to layer it for the color to show up. And yeah, I'm not a big fan on that one.

In terms of shade, it seems to be somewhere in the middle of MAC Harmony and The Body Shop Bronzer. I wouldn't use the Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder for bronzer as it is very ashy brown.

If you're looking for a good bronzer for the summer I definitely recommend this one - but try it on first as bronzers can appear different on everyone! The Estee Lauder bronzer retails for C$42 for 0.74 oz while the Nars Laguna is C$52 for 0.28 oz. Yikes! Guess which one I'll be re-purchasing... if I ever finish it!

Estee Lauder Vivid Shine Lipstick Chrome Metal Effect in Guilded Honey

Estee Lauder has long been one of my favorite brands for lipsticks. Their lipsticks are always moisturizing, pigmented, and they even smell amazing. Keeping in with the trends for fall, Estee Lauder has recently released their The Metallics collection in store. This collection features the Metallic Magnified Eyes Trios of eyeshadows, the Liquid Molten Lip Lacquers, the Chromatically Hued Nails, as well as what's up for review today, the Pure Color Vivid Shine Lipstick in Chrome Metal Effect. I was sent the shade Guilded Honey for review.

While my first reaction to a chrome effect lipstick would be to back away slowly, I'm quite impressed with this lipstick. The effect isn't too "chromy" shall we say, and the heavy shimmer doesn't seem to settle in my lip lines too much. The chrome effect is actually flattering and it makes my lips appear a bit fuller. However, a chrome colored brown lipstick really isn't for me.

Truthfully, I can't say I would ever pick out brown lipstick for myself - the shade just never suits me. However, I can see this honey shade suiting someone who has a more olive skintone (like my mom, hi mom) perfectly. Just make sure to try the shade on in the store before purchasing if you're not sure!

* I have received this product for consideration but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

Estee Lauder Violet Undergroud palette - Review + Swatches!

What a better day to write a blog post than when you're stuck at home, blowing your nose every 30 seconds? That's right, I'm home sick. Fortunately, my being ill came after my sister's wedding, and after a major work event. So I suppose I am grateful for that. I'll try to upload some wedding pictures but unfortunately, I didn't have time to take many of my own since I was the maid of honor and all - I was pretty much focused on making everything run smoothly! And that it did - the wedding was beautiful and everyone had a blast. What a relief that it is over! 

Now on to a review of one of my most wanted items of the year!

It's kind of embarrassing how excited I was to get my hands on this palette. I mean, I literally didn't think twice and pressed the purchase button. But I knew I needed the Estee Lauder Violet Underground palette when reviews started making it on to the blogosphere. The packaging is absolutely stunning, and I must say, I'm guilty of purchasing the palette partly on this feature.

Isn't it just stunning? The pattern in the shadow is gorgeous. And I love the unusual paring of colors!

The swatches are below.

I'm not so sure why this is named Violet Underground - there isn't much violet in the palette! The blue color does lean towards a purpley color though, and the pinky color is pretty much a cool violet in my opinion. I'm especially smitten with the brown shade, which I tend to use all over the lid, and the pale beige color. The longevity of these shadows is excellent - much better than your average MAC shadow in my opinion.

Overall, I definitely suggest this palette. I love that it can be used for a daytime or nighttime look very easily. I'm also loving the sleekness of the packaging and the fact that there is a mirror in it. I don't know how many times I'll use that pink shade though! The only slight disadvantage is that the colors are a bit hard to get on your brush because of the pattern. This also creates a bit of fall out - just remember to tap your brush before you apply!

Hope everyone is doing well! My life has been crazy busy lately which explains the lack of regular posts. Hopefully, I'll be getting back on the bandwagon this week!

The satisfaction of a most wanted acquired: Estee Lauder's Crystal Baby is mine! (+ a dupe?!)

I was seriously beaming when I purchased Estee Lauder's Crystal Baby finally. Beaming, walking through the mall. I should probably be embarrassed about this fact. But I'm not.

Crystal Baby has been on my most wanted list for a really long time. My local Estee Lauder counter didn't carry it, and any other counters I visited never had the tester, so I just assumed they never carried it. When I arrived at The Bay in Toronto, they ALSO didn't have the tester, but I asked anyway, just in case they had it. And they did. Apparently the tester was stolen. Go figure. So anyway, I was a happy camper when I finally got my hands on this baby!

I've always been a fan of Estee Lauder packaging - a base that shows the color of the lipstick and a sturdy gold case. Love.

Here is the lipstick swatched on my hand.

And on my lips.

The texture of this lipstick is amazing. Soft but not slippery and lightweight but still pigmented. I think it's the best type of color for an every day brown smokey eye (which I wear often). However, this lip color is so neutral, it basically works with anything, even brighter looks.

Here are some comparison pictures:

From left to right: Marcelle Rouge Xpression in Sincerity, MAC Hue, MAC Creme Cup, Estee Lauder Crystal Baby, Estee Lauder Crystal Rose.

Notice any similarities?

Marcelle in Sincerity left, Estee Lauder Crystal Baby on the right.

Marcelle's Xpression Rouge Creme in Sincerity is almost the same as Estee Lauder's Crystal Baby. They also have the same texture and moisturizing feel. I'd say Sincerity is a tiny little smidge pinker than Crystal Baby. But that's unnoticeable on the lips. If you don't want to shell out for an expensive lipstick, Marcelle is a great alternative. And at a $20 + price difference, I'd suggest going with the Marcelle option.

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. Estee Lauder rarely disappoints me in its products, and this is no exception. Now if I could only get my hands on the Violet Underground palette, I'll be happy.

Do you have a go-to, foolproof lipstick?

July Empties

I thought July wouldn't bring many empties but here I am! I tried to concentrate on finishing up some shower products specifically, to make more room on my shelves.

Redken Color Extend Shampoo - I love this shampoo. Too bad it's so expensive (for my cheap shampoo tastes!). I found it smelled amazing, was great at calming and clearing my scalp at the same time, and helped my red color stick around longer. No complaints about this baby except for the price which is why I think I'll wait to repurchase it.

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner - I bought this conditioner based on Vivannadoesmakeup's suggestion. Her hair seems similar to mine (AKA, very long and thick!) so I thought I'd give it a go. I actually quite liked it! It's very thick, smells great, and detangles beautifully. I didn't find it to be weighing my hair down but then again, my hair weights itself down as it is, so I'm not the best judge for this. I think I'd repurchase this again!

Nuxe Fondant Body Scrub - This is the only Nuxe product that has ever disappointed me. Don't get me wrong, it's not a horrible product, it's just not as good as other body scrubs I've tried. The scrub particles (walnut shells) are a bit too abrasive for my taste and I did not find the product moisturizing at all. It smells great though, as all Nuxe products do. I'm glad this was a sample sized product because I would've been very disappointed having bought the full size version (at $27!!). There are much better Nuxe products than this one on the market - save yer monay for those! :)

The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub - Now body scrub, I can get behind. I've loved using this. It was moisturizing, smelled amazing and did wonders for my legs, specifically. I think of all the scrubs The Body Shop produces, this is my favorite.

Estée Lauder Day Wear BB Cream - We all know how much I love this BB Cream. I pretty much wore it every day since I purchase it in March (review here) with absolute delight. Seriously, this thing rocks. It's why it's empty and already repurchased!

So I don't have very exciting discoveries this month except maybe for the Redken shampoo. But such is the life of a blogger trying to downsize all the products she's hoarded! I'm on vacation for the week but I'll still be updating throughout the week! :)

Estee Lauder Pure Color in Crystal Rose, review and swatches

Estee Lauder's Pure Color lipsticks in the Crystal range has gotten a lot of hype. Specifically, the infamous Crystal Baby keeps getting mentioned by the Pixiwoo. I know I've had this lipstick for a while - I'm not sure when I bought it - but it's been my go to lipstick for a few years now. I absolutely love it.

Sadly, the packaging is a bit battered from being in my handbag. 

Crystal Rose is my true lips but better shade. I think we all know that I'm a massive fan of Estee Lauder lipsticks, but this one... it's truly amazing. I think I will even go as far as calling it my favorite lipstick ever - GASP! The formula is amazing and feels like a balm (light as air!), it smells amazing and adds that je-ne-sais-quoi perfection to my lips. Perhaps it evens them out TO perfection? I don't know, but I love it.

Arm swatch:

Lip swatch:

This lipstick will be repurchased once it has been used. I love it that much. I can't say that of any of my other lipsticks... nothing comes to mind honestly! Now, I NEED Crystal Baby stat!

Wild Fire with Estée Lauder Pure Color Lipstick

As a beauty blogger, I think I will always be searching for the perfect red lipstick. It's one of those famous categories - just like the "perfect nude" the "perfect pink" the "my lips but better lipstick"... etc. I always found those a bit silly because really, the perfect nude for someone can make another look dead. It's all relative! But at the same time, I do feel like this lipstick could be great shade on everyone, so I thought it was worthwhile to review it!

Estée Lauder's Pure Color lipstick in Wild Fire came out a while back with the Spring 2011 collection. When I saw swatches of it online, I knew this could be "it". 

Mmmmmm, the packaging of Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipsticks is one of my favorite. I love that the base is the same color as the lipstick and I LOVE the gold tone of cap.

Vanity shots alert!

Wild Fire, swatched heavily on my arm.

 As you can see in this picture, it's pulling a tiny bit orange. I think this is what I love so much about this lipstick - it's a true red, that has a tint of coral. That's just gold for spring/summer.

It looks quite orange in this lip swatch, but I find it more similar to the arm swatch in real life.

Find the lipstick in hair madness below?...

The surprising thing about this lipstick is that it lasts quite long on my lips. I wore it for 4 hours (drinking coffee, water, eating a muffin at my desk) with only a bit of wear by lunchtime. This is excellent for me! Plus, it wore off evenly, bypassing the ugly lip ring stain. And for a red, I was very comfortable wearing it to work! It's a step in the right direction for this bright-lips shy blogger!

Do you have a favorite red? If so, what is it? I've been very curious about NARS Heatwave myself - it looks fabulous on so many women - I really want to give it a go sometime!

Battle of the Black Liners

As a makeup fanatic, I find it quite normal that I own 6 black liners. In fact, I'm surprised I don't own more. As any makeup fan knows, finding the perfect black liner can be quite a challenge. It's not easy to find one that is black enough, doesn't smudge or transfer and doesn't migrate to the inner corner of your eye.

Here are my black liners. I'll take you through the pros and cons of them and let you know which ones work best for me. 

From left to right: MAC Kohl Power pencil in Feline, Lise Watier Waterproof eyeliner in Noir Intense, Estee Lauder Artist's Eye Pencil in 01 Softsmudge Black, MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved, MAC's Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapidblack and lastly, L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense.

Same lineup, a little more disorganized.

Same order, swatched: MAC Kohl Power pencil in Feline, Lise Watier Waterproof eyeliner in Noir Intense, Estee Lauder Artist's Eye Pencil in 01 Softsmudge Black, MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved, MAC's Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapidblack and lastly, L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense.

As you can tell for the picture, the blackest of the liners seems L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense. However, and this is a bummer for me, it's also the glossiest. While some people like glossier liners, it just doesn't float my boat. I also do not like the liquidy formula of this liner. Perhaps it's because I'm clumsy when it comes to pen liners, but I can't seem to make it work for me. The second darkest is probably MAC's Feline, which has a reputation of being very black. I agree with this - of all my black liners, of the non-liquid variety, this is definitely the darkest. This liner, however dark and sultry it looks on, migrates to my inner tear ducts throughout the day, and transfers on my lids, especially if it is heavily applied. The least black of all of them is my Estee Lauder pencil. I quite like it though because it has a smudge end. This makes it great for traveling.

Of all my liners, the one that stays on the longest and does not transfer is, hands down, my Lise Watier. I don't know what kind of science went into this liner's formula, but it does not budge. Proof below.

 

 These are my swatches after a couple rubs of a cotton pad loaded with Nuxe cleansing milk. Crazy eh? I really had to scrub the Lise Watier pencil off while all my other swatches came off easily. I must say though, MAC's Penultimate in Rapidblack and Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved both stay put during the day, without liner transfer. I quite like both of these as well, especially the Penultimate, since it is so easy to use for a liquid liner.

All and all, if I could only pick ONE black liner to go on a week long trip, I'd probably go with either the MAC Penultimate, or Lise Watier's Waterproof eyeliner in Noir Intense. And between the two, for life in general, I'd go with the Lise Watier, as unfortunately, Mr. Penultimate does dry out fast. I've rediscovered my love for Lise Watier's eyeliner formula lately and have been wearing Noir Intense almost every day. 

I guess Noir Intense has won the Battle of the Black Liners this time! Until next round (because we all know, there will be more black liners to come and go)!

What are you favorite black liners? Is long-wearing liner a must for you?

Estee Lauder, I bow to your new BB Cream

In all honesty, I have never tried a BB Cream. But at the same time, in complete and brutal truth, I think I don't need to having discovered Estee Lauder's New Day Wear BB Cream.

My mom purchased the Day Wear Plus cream a while back and while I loved the look of it on her, the Day Wear Plus was just too dark and oily for my skin. I was disappointed because I loved the idea of a cream that embellishes your skin without being a "foundation". I honestly do not have a great skin type - I'm prone to blemishes, discolorations, enlarged pores and oily skin. But at the same time, I hate the feeling of foundation on my skin. Even worst - I hate the look of foundation once it starts wearing off. With my type of skin, foundation wears off after 7 hours, max. And that's generous.

Bare skin:

Blended, and then really blended:

This BB Cream is a miracle product for me. The product does not leave my skin feeling oily or sticky - it leaves it feeling like skin. I suppose it might be a weird thing to say but when can you honestly say your skin feels like skin after you've put on makeup? It absorbs super quickly into my skin and feels like a moisturizer but it also seems to even out my skin tone. I have a lot of redness in my skin and blemishes here and there. While I didn't expect the product to cover my blemishes (which it didn't) it did cancel out a lot of the redness in them and made it extremely easy to cover up with concealer. What I like best about this product is that when my oil does break through, it does not oxidize or leave oily pigments on my skin. My skin just looks like it does when it usually gets oily without makeup on. Furthermore, with a good powder, the product stays very well on my skin.

To sum up, I'm going to list some pros and cons of this product:

Pro
- smells amazing, like fresh/sweet cucumbers!
- has SPF 35!
- suitable for oily skin types
- lightweight
- blends in easily

Cons
- smell could potentially be too much/irritating for some
- color range is small - there is only two shades
- does not provide much coverage
- might be a bit yellow for some
- might be too thick for drier skins. I can't vouch for this however - I have oily skin
- seems to be using up quite fast - since it is a bit thick, you need a bit more than most foundations

While the Day Wear Plus "tints" your skin, the BB Cream does not. Both do however smell the same and feel the same while applying it.It does not require an huge amount of effort to blend into your skin (I use a flat or round top kabuki brush) but I suggest working relatively fast as it absorbs quickly.

I know that I will be repurchasing this product once the bottle is empty. I am a bit put off by the fact that in Canada, this BB Cream will set you off by $45, but to me, it is worth every cent. However, I haven't even explored cheaper options (I've got my eye on you Marcelle BB Cream) so I'm not opposed trying different things.

Have you found a BB Cream suitable for you? Have you tried this particular cream? What is your take on it?

Double Wear is often useful in 37 C (98.6 American) weather.

It has been SWELTERING here, in my small province, in CANADA. You'd think the one advantage of having a cold country is to have decently temperatured summers. But no, ours are usually really humid and warm. It makes my hair look stupid and my skin all sticky.

Lucky me, I've got some Double Wear Stay in Place Shadows by Estee Lauder, to keep my face decent looking. The two shades I own have been worth their while in the past couple of weeks, that's for sure.

Here's the shade called Antique Gold:

As you can see, the color is quite rewarding for women with blue eyes. Here I believe I'm wearing Antique Gold (under Two-Faced Shadow Insurance for a super hot day), Engraved MAC eyeliner and Revlon Grow Luscious Mascare (which I quite like). Yes, I trim my eyebrows and yes, they grow faster than I can keep up with them. No offense to my brows but, dude, you've always been weird. They have this cowlicky thing on the left one - nothing keeps it down.

Here's Vintage Violet which I think would be more suitable for brown/hazel/green eyed ladies.

And on me. As you can see, violets are not my best color. I wear them anyway.

The texture of these is excellent. They are extremely easy to blend, they do not dry out (in the pot, and when you try to blend them in) and I prefer them by a long run to MAC's Paint Pot for color payoff. They have a wide range of colors available including a very pretty silver, a midnight blue color and a mossy green. I highly recommend them, especially if you're the oily eyelids type just like me.

Luckily, the weather has eased up today so I'll be spending the day doing some cooking! I love having some time to myself like that - very rewarding.

Pure Color Gloss Sticks

I find the name very fitting for this product. Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss Sticks. It's really what it is, a gloss stick.

These are quite bright. So bright in fact that the way I apply them is by dabbing them on and then blending with my finger. Sometimes I'll apply a gloss over it or a lip treatment. They are really pigmented, the formula isn't drying and they smell heavenly.

I have the following shades:

I find myself wearing Honey Pink the most as it matches any kind of makeup. It's a neutral brownie pink. It seems more brown in the tube than it actually applies on the lips. Summer Melon is quite in keeping with the current spring trend of coral/orange lips. I find it is the one that suits me less and might look better on someone with a more yellow skintone. Pink Sorbet is a very cute a bright shade.

I highly recommend these. They are also less expensive than the regular Estee Lauder lipsticks (the most expensive ones are $32 CND and the Gloss Sticks are $21 CND). I know these are the lipsticks I will keep going back to in my collection.

From left to right: Honey Pink, Pink Sorbet, Summer Melon. Honey Pink looks a lot less brown on my lips than it does in the swatch. You can sort of tell from the swatch that they are a bit tacky. I find that if you don't use a light hand with these, they will look a bit chunky and uneven - hence why I suggested dabbing them on and blending them in. A lip pencil would also do the trick.

The only downside to these is that the shade range is limited. These are the only colors that I consider neutral enough to wear (and as you can tell, they aren't really "neutral"). I really wish Estee Lauder would come up with different shades that are more wearable. However, if you're looking for a glossy dark lip, they've got a beautiful selection in the Gloss Sticks.