L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow in Bronzed Taupe and Amber Rush

I'm already a massive fan of L'Oreal Infallible shadows. When I saw these babies on sale at my local Lawtons, I knew they'd be welcome in my collection. I had been looking unsuccessfully for the lovely Bronzed Taupe, thinking it was unavailable in Canada, but there it was as well. And I must say, it is quickly becoming one of my favorite shadows in my collection!

Bronzed Taupe to the left and Amber Rush to the right.

Bronzed Taupe is a errrr, just that, a bronzed taupe! It is cool in tone and remind me of a better, more intense Satin Taupe. I absolutely love wearing it on its own, blended out into the crease, or under a black based, for a smokier look.

Here's a comparison of Bronzed Taupe (left) and Satin Taupe (right). As you can see, Satin Taupe is plummier than Bronzed Taupe, and less shimmery.

I wanted to see if I had anything like Amber Rush in my collection (middle) and the closest matches are MAC's Honesty (left) and Sleek Gift Basket (right). Again, Amber Rush is more shimmery and lighter than both shades.

Here's a look I've done with Bronzed Taupe

I cannot recommend these eye shadows enough. They are incredibly long lasting, gorgeous, and they are cheap! I highly suggest Bronzed Taupe as it is absolutely stunning.

I hope you all had a good weekend!

July favorites!

My July favorites are all over the place. I've been loving being more minimalistic with my makeup, usually leaving the house for work with a light base, brows done, blush, mascara and a balm. What has happened to me? Well, in short, the heat. Minimum effort has been my motto, but I've embraced it!

I've been using my Nuxe 24H Moisturizing Body Lotion a lot on my legs. I love that it sinks in immediately and doesn't leave a greasy residue. I also love that it has an easy to use pump, and it smells amazing. The smell is quite strong though, so I'm not wearing this to work. But this is another Nuxe winner for me!

I've been using MAC's Cremeblend blush in Posey a lot this past month, simply because I find it lasts longer on my skin than powder products, and its peachyness warms up my complexion. It is incredibly easy to use (I use a stippling brush) and doesn't slip off like some of my MAC powder blushes.

Not too sure why but I've been really enjoying my face brushes! Those include the Quo Bronzing Powder Brush, the Real Techniques Powder brush, and the MAC 129 blush brush. They are all incredibly soft, easy to clean, and do not shed. Well, let's be fair, the 129 does shed a bit, but I can live with it since it applies blush beautifully!

I've also been using my Clarins Instant Light Brush-On Perfector pretty much every day this month. Because my dark circles aren't extremely pronounced, this has been great at illuminating my under eye area, especially when I'm only wearing mascara. I've also been using my Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow in 4E as a quick base under a lighter eye shadow, and my Maybelline Eye-Studio Master Precise Pen Eyeliner for a quick cat eye flick. I'm especially impressed with the Maybelline Eyeliner Pen for its durability on the eye during hot and humid weather and how easy it is to use. I'm definitely not buying the MAC version again - I prefer the Maybelline version by far.

For a refresher and as a toner, I've been using the Caudalie Eau de Beauté pretty much every day. I don't want to give away too much because I will be posting a review on this shortly, but it has been very good to my skin!

And lastly, for lips, I've been using L'Oreal's Color Riche Balm in Pink Satin. While this isn't pigmented at all, it was quite moisturizing and gave a hint of shimmer on the lips, perfect for home/beach uses. Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Spicy Honey has been an often used quick option for when I'm stepping out the door and need a quick wash of color on my lips.

Ouuffff... that's a lot more favorites than I thought I had! What's been on heavy rotation for you this month?

L'Oreal Color Infaillible - swatches and review

I'm sure most of you have heard of the L'Oreal Color Infaillible - they are meant to be long wearing, pressed pigment-like, softly textured eye shadows. L'Oreal came out with these as a drugstore response to the widely popular Armani Eyes To Kill eyeshadows and they have been receiving great reviews. I'm not sure why it took me so long to review these - perhaps I was a bit of a skeptic about these. It just seems like a recipe for disaster - eye pigment/loose shadow + drugstore quality = MESS. But I was pleasantly proven the opposite!

These babies are awesome. My trusty oily lids held on to these (with my Two Faced Shadow Insurance - it is necessary in my case) for a whole work day, which means about 7 hours. So, the wear test passed quite easily! However, I did notice a bit of fallout under my eye at the end of the day with Sahara Treasure - it's hard to tell if I rubbed my eyes during the day or they actually fell out a bit on their own. Either way, it wasn't much fallout and wasn't enough to be an issue in my humble opinion.

Shimmery goodness! You can see that the shadow is packed in there by the little black stopper - do not throw this black stopper out! It's what keeps the shadow packed!

Left to right: Sahara Treasure and Flashback Silver

Here's a quick looks I've done with Sahara Treasure. I believe I have the tiniest bit of MAC Brun in my outer corner. I suggest patting these on with a stiff applicator eye brush - they will produce a bit of fall out if you're not careful. It's always good to be careful when applying these types of product.

My favorite of the two is absolutely and completely Flashback Silver. I LOVE this shadow. It is very complex on the lid and blends beautifully with any crease color. Depending on the lighting, it can looks grey and lilac - it also changes tone depending on what color palette you use for your eye look. I'd definitely recommend this shade over Sahara Treasure - Flashback Silver is much more unique while Sahara Treasure is easily dupeable.

Have you had a good weekend? I finally got around to watching 28 Days Later with the boy and LOVED it. It's great to see a movie that's inspiring once in a while - that definitely did it for me. Can't wait to see the sequel!

Used up in March

I must admit, I don't usually use up many products fully. If I don't like something very much, I usually give the product away to someone who will enjoy it/use it (hi sister of mine!) or chuck it in the trash if it's really bad. I know, it's sinful. For the month of March though, I gave myself the goal of trying to use up stuff as best I could. Here's the empties I ended with!

Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon Shower Gel: I got this from my mom as a gift a looooong time ago and never got around to using it! I quite liked it - it smells very fresh and the smell lingered on my skin for a bit after showering. It wasn't very moisturizing or super special in any way so I have moved on. I probably won't repurchase because we don't have a Bath and Body Works around here - even if we did, there are a million other delicious smells to choose from so I doubt I'd go back to Cucumber Melon.

Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo Spray: This was only okay. Honestly, it may be because I suck at using dry shampoo. I just think it always looks ashy in my hair. Either way, I loved the smell of this - it's lemony and fresh without being too strong like Batiste's shampoos. I won't be repurchasing this particular bottle because I saw that Oscar Blandi makes dry shampoo for brunettes! If it has the same great smell, I'll definitely be getting that one.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation: I used to think that this foundation was a MUST for me but now I'm not so sure. The foundation is long wearing, yes, but it does oxidize on my skin. Plus, it's quite heavy and blending is a pain if you don't do it really fast. It was a sample so I didn't waste any money on it, at least.

L'Oreal Explosion Telescopic and Collagen Mascaras: Both awful for me. I hated the Telescopic - spider lashes all the way. And I don't like fiddling with mascara. The Collagen mascara was waterproof, and this was the worst of the waterproofs - it flaked AND wouldn't come off. Will not be repurchasing these.

Seche Vite: There's about 1/3 of the polish left in there. Sadly, it's a complete gloopy useless mess.  Seche Vite is infamous for this but I can't help but love it. It dries so fast! I'm already using another bottle.

The Body Shop Seaweed Pore-Cleansing Facial Exfoliator: I actually quite liked this product. Every time I used this, I felt like my skin was fresh and properly exfoliated but not irritated. However, my Clarisonic has replaced my exfoliation needs so I will not be repurchasing.

Rimmel Stay Matte: Yes, this isn't completely empty, but I'm chucking it because I hate this powder! It was cakey and smelled bad. I much prefer my Clinique Loose powder at the moment. I don't think I'll ever come back to a compact powder.

And what's not pictured because it's been used up is Lush products! I used up my Aqua Mirabilis scrub bar and a Fluffy Egg bath bomb. The Fluffy Egg smelled divine but it's a one time treat so I will probably not be repurchasing simply because it's not very practical. I liked the Aqua Mirabilis as well but not enough to repurchase. The grains in the bar were quite rough and I found it a bit harsh on my skin. I prefer my Body Shop exfoliators at the moment.

Do you throw things away sometimes when the product just isn't cutting it for you? I can't help it! I get so impatient when a product isn't working out for me.

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?