Annabelle Gotta Give a Gift Contest

Annabelle Cosmetics is having a really exciting holiday giveaway that will help you show your makeup addicted friends and family how much you really care.

Holiday season is upon us and, during the next couple of weeks, all of us Makeup Junkies will be busy finding fancy dresses for every party, purchasing chic gifts for dad, mom, grandma and little bro. Before we even know it, we’ll have no money left in our pocket to spoil our besties… even though they’re the people we share most of our time with.

Fortunately, this year Annabelle Cosmetics has been thinking about you and your friends by launching this wow-some contest.

Give your friends a chance to win great prizes by entering the Annabelle Cosmetics’ Gotta Give a Gift contest on theAnnabelle Cosmetics Facebook page. Yes, you read it right. Enter your best friends in the contest to win them some holiday gifts. How generous is that?!


Annabelle will be giving away multiple gifts during 25 days, from December 1st to December 25th. Every day, the Annabelle Cosmetics’ Gotta Give a Gift contest will unveil a new treat to be won! Who will you give it to? Which friends do you want to spoil the most?


And make sure to let them know about this contest so they enter you so you get your chances to win a prize too!

Guest Beauty: Rebekah's Plum Majestic Look

There was such a great response the first time I featured Rebekah as a Guest Beauty here that I have asked her back. You all seemed excited to see some looks for darker skin tones (since I am practically translucent) and have even requested Rebekah to do a hair tutorial for you. Thankfully, she is completely game and is excited to partner up with her favourite (and only) sister. Without further ado, here is Rebekah's Plum Majestic creation.

Face
-MAC Mineralize Satin Finish Foundation in NC30
-MAC Blush in Blooming
-NARS Bronzer in Casino (lightly through the temples and slight contouring beneath cheekbones)

Eyes
-MAC Plum Dressing all over the lid
-Smashbox Black Majesty on upper lid and in the crease
-MAC Phloof as brow bone highlight
-MAC Cranberry on lower lashline
-Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Wild Spirit
-Loreal Double Extend Mascara

Lips
-clear lip balm

Buxom Big and Healthy Lipstick and Gloss

I have spoken about the Buxom Big & Healthy Lipsticks a few times on my YouTube channel but I have erroneously forgotten to post swatches or a written review. So here I am, in all my official (yea right) capacity. In a brief summary, I love the lipsticks and gag on the lip glosses.

Let's save the best for last and address the lip glosses. If I had to describe them in one sentence I would say "Thick, sticky, gloopy mess infused with obnoxious sparkles and laced with an ether sweet scent." Pointe finale. The packaging is much nicer and higher quality than MAC glosses, but that is where my "likes" end. Swatch time:

There is a horrible suction sound when you remove the applicator, as if the brush is fighting through the sludge...um, I mean product.

There isn't anything terribly unique or awe inspiring about the colours. The plumping aspect does work nicely but is not worth having your lips tarred together. To be fair, the full size lip polish is significantly thinner and less sticky in consistency than the diamond polishes.

(Dolly, Claire, Celeste, April, Star)

For me, the lipsticks are a completely different matter. I have loved these since my first encounter, and have continually added to my collection as new colours are released (I am currently lemming after Shanghai and San Francisco). Why do I love these so much? They are satin finish, long wearing, lip plumping, very pigmented, easy to use, sleek packaging...I could go on and on. The only element that I am not too fond of is the artificial cookie dough sent, but some people love it.

 (Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Bombay, Brooklyn, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Havana)

Marcelle Winter Trend 2010 Review and Look

My local Shoppers Drug Mart has conveniently placed the toothpaste aisle facing the cosmetics, so I couldn't help but take a detour by the Marcelle display. Their new Graphic Eye Shadow Quads are really lovely in colour and texture. I chose "Dimensional Mauve" to compliment my brown eyes.

Before Swatching (excuse the fingerprint)

After Swatching

The iridescence on the top layer disappears after the first use, but the colours underneath still have a lot of shimmer to them. In fact, I find the top layer a little self-sabotaging because the colours underneath are so much richer and more pigmented than the overlay.

A little bit of each colour goes a long way. If you want a more sheer application for everyday, I would suggest using a fluffier brush. I did experience a little bit of fallout with the the two darker colours, but it wasn't anything drastic or unfixable.

Face

Makeup Forever HD Foundation
Amazing Cosmetics Concealer
MAC Well Dressed Blush

Eyes

Marcelle Graphic Eyeshadow Quad-Dimensional Mauve
Marcelle Power Volume Mascara
MAC Prunella Eyeliner (smudged into lashline)

Lips

Chanel Rouge Coco-Rose Comete

H2O Plus Sea Pure Skincare Regime

This is my first blog post as a member of Beauty Stat! I received the latest H2O Plus Sea Pure natural line and have been using it for a little more than a week. Typically, I am not so fast to review a product that I have only used for a week, but this line has blown my socks off. I was completely impressed by the company's website and their full disclosure to consumers. Their ingredient glossary is amazingly informative and reassuring to consumers to know exactly what we are putting on our skin. Their standard of excellence is evident in their high quality products.

Overview

I was amazed by the company's generosity in sending full sizes of each product. The H20 Plus Sea Pure products naturally stimulate your skin's cellular renewal cycle to fade imperfections. The formulas include sea-sourced nutrients and proprietary sciences proven to hydrate, repair and revitalize the skin. All of the products have a very refreshing citrus scent that makes you feel like you are in a spa. 

Packaging

Very nice and clean design with easy to read labels. The box packaging has a faux linen finish that looks quite luxe. I especially like the pump on the toner and the fact that the moisturizers come in a tub (a personal preference). 

Products

Sea Pure Creamy Facial Cleanser

• Scientifically formulated with marine-sourced amino acids to minimize the appearance of fine lines and stimulate healthy cell growth
• Nourishing sea moss deeply hydrates the skin and helps improve resiliency
• Soft foaming action effortlessly removes makeup, surface debris and environmental impurities
• Essential citrus oils refresh and revive
• Gentle enough for all skin types

This is a creamy cleanser that works into a thick and smooth later-a little goes a long way! If you use a Clarisonic like I do, I wouldn't apply more than a dime size or else you will be wasting precious product. It is very gentle in removing makeup and impurities without stripping the skin's natural oils. Immediately after cleansing, my skin was touchably smoother and more even toned. The first time I used it, I ran up to my sister and demanded "Touch my face! Isn't it soft?" Another use I have found for this cleanser is to use it when I deep clean my makeup brushes because it won't damage the bristles. 

Sea Pure Renewing Prep Toner

• Scientifically formulated with marine-sourced amino acids to minimize the look of fine lines and stimulate healthy cell growth
• Natural lactic acid dissolves dull surface cells to visibly smooth, brighten and prepare skin to optimally absorb moisture
• Nourishing sea moss deeply hydrates the skin and helps improve resiliency
• Gentle enough for all skin types

Because it is alcohol free, this toner adds moisture instead stripping it from your skin or making it feel tight. It dries very quickly and evens out skin tone. Since using this toner, I have noticed a drastic decrease in my skin's hyper-pigmentation from acne and old scars. It removes any barrier that will prevent the absorption of moisturizers. Also, any remnants of makeup that did not come off with the cleanser are wiped away by the toner. 

Sea Pure Gentle Refining Polish

• Scientifically formulated with marine-sourced amino acids to minimize fine lines and stimulate healthy cell growth
• Fine-grained bamboo extract softly polishes the epidermal layer to accelerate cell renewal and uncover younger-looking skin
• Nourishing sea moss deeply hydrates the skin and helps improve resiliency
• Gentle enough for all skin types

This exfoliator feels like liquid silk with very fine exfoliation beads. This is my favourite product from this line and is gentle enough to use every night (I use it every other night). It has a milky consistency, so it doesn't work into a lather. It sloughs away any dead or dry skin and leaves behind skin as smooth as butter and absolutely radiant. 

Sea Pure Deep Moisture Cream

• Scientifically formulated with marine-sourced amino acids to minimize the look of fine lines and stimulate healthy cell growth
• Water-rich Atlantic Sea Flora combines with emollient coconut and jojoba seed extracts to visibly smooth and maintain soft, supple skin
  
• Gentle enough for all skin types

Initially I was wary of this moisturizer because it is not oil-free, which is usually a huge no-no for my acne prone skin. I began with applying it only at night but now use it twice a day and it has never irritated my skin! It is quite thick and intensely nourishing so it does require a little more effort to work it into your skin, but doesn't leave behind any residue. It has quickly healed my patchy spots from the benzyl peroxide topical cream I have been using on my breakouts. I have also found that wearing this moisturizer underneath my makeup gives me a flawlessly smooth application! My foundation has never applied so evenly and I find my self using less product because my dry skin is not sucking it up. 

Sea Pure Perfecting Eye Cream

• Targeted formula fades the look of wrinkles and helps tired eyes appear bright and refreshed
• Scientifically formulated with marine-sourced amino acids to minimize the look of fine lines and stimulate healthy cell growth
• Water-rich Atlantic sea flora combines with emollient coconut and jojoba seed extracts to visibly smooth and maintain soft, supple skin
• Gentle enough for all skin types

Overall, this is a good product but I wasn't completely blown over. It absorbs quickly and does not leave behind a greasy residue, so it is fine to use under makeup. It brightens the undereye area but I think this is a product that may show more results after a few weeks. 

I would absolutely purchase this skin care line for myself. Once I finish these products, I will be trying their line for acne prone skin. Parts of this line have definitely become new staples to my skin care regime. 

Special Promotion until November 20th: You can save $10 off your entire H2O Plus purchase of $30 or more at www.h2oplus.com by using the promotion code 100275 at checkout.

Review: Beautisol Anti-Aging Regime Part 1

I was contacted by Beautisol, and anti-aging and self tanning company, about two months ago about their new sun damage reversal and anti-ageing product line. After doing some research on their company (which I always do before agreeing to a review) I was very impressed by their dedication to quality and reputation. Their anti-aging line is a trio of products that help prevent collagen and elastin loss while helping to reduce the appreance of saggy skin.

I have been using their products for just over two weeks now and I am quite pleased. Although I am not the ideal candidate for anti-aging testing because I am still in my twenties, I do suffer from black circles and fine lines under my eyes (mostly from sleep deprivation and stress but also partly genetic). I thought I would turn this review into a bit of an experiment so this will be a two-parter. I have tested all three of the products on myself for two weeks and will share those results today. I have recruited my gorgeous mother to test these products for the next two weeks and will record her findings here and the end of her trial. So let's get to the good stuff!

The Products (Company Descriptions)

1) Bright Eyed-No Needles Required

This luxurious, powerful, unique eye mousse is packed with the latest and most innovative anti-aging peptides, nourishing ingredients and firming agents. BRIGHT EYED works underneath the skin to feed, plump and strengthen the delicate skin around the eyes. You can also pair this with EYE WANT, which focuses on resurfacing and minimizing wrinkles. You’ll see incredible results that give you a more vibrant, youthful appearance.
BRIGHT EYED successfully pairs 5% Argireline®, a well-known peptide that aids in decreasing expression lines, and 5% Leuphasyl®, another effective peptide in wrinkle reduction for the combined effort in reducing the appearance of expression lines. But nourishing and feeding the eye area is just as important! Borage Oil contains the highest GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid) concentration of any oil and helps to increase cell resilience and moisten the fatty layer under the skin. Along with ChroNOline and other botanicals, BRIGHT EYED delivers a multitude of beauty benefits such as preventing collagen loss, soothing dry, scaly skin and firming the eye area.

2) Eye Want-Crow`s Feet Be Gone
 

Want to get rid of those pesky crow’s feet, AKA fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes? Want an eye product that works like Botox but does not require a doctor’s appointment! Of course you do! EYE WANT is a complete anti-wrinkle formula specifically designed to tackle all those damaged areas from the surface of the skin inwards. This high-powered formula works to rejuvenate damaged skin layers via deep exfoliation while nourishing the new skin cells. Use at night only alone or combined with Beautisol’s BRIGHT EYED eye mousse, which focuses on rejuvenating from the inside out, you’ll see amazing results that give you a younger, healthier appearance. EYE WANT’s advanced formula contains 10% Snap-8 (the maximum recommended dosage), a newer offspring of the highly acclaimed Argirilene®. It is clinically proven to reduce crow’s feet by up to 63% as it targets muscle contractions. Another peptide ingredient that targets muscle contractions, Inyline, is added for extra fighting power so you can rest-assured you are fighting those wrinkles head on. But why stop there? EYE WANT also contains a special encapsulated Retinol to provide deep exfoliation in combination with Edelweiss Stems Cells and Antarcticine, all of which effectively resurfacing and reducing the appearance of those pesky wrinkles.

3) 99% Pure Peptide Rescue Serum
 

Sun damage is the number one cause (at 90%) of all premature aging and skin wrinkling. It is also is the primary cause of skin discoloration and loss of collagen and elasticity, sometimes making you look 10 to 20 years older than you are. The 99% Pure Peptide Rescue Serum is the newest and most advanced anti-aging and sun damage reversal product on the market.
We have combined eight cutting edge peptides to address all aspects of aging. Matrixyl™ 3000 and SYN®-COLL promote collagen synthesis while Peptamide™ 6 firms and tones the skin. Argireline®. Leuphasyl® and SNAP-8 band together to reduce and prevent wrinkles. Melanostatine®5 brightens photo-damaged skin while Aldenine® protects against further harmful UV damage. Don’t let age and past sun exposure hold you back… All you need is a little rescuing!


My Review

There isn't enough money in this world to pay me to put a Botox needle anywhere near my face. It is  never going to happen. I`m not criticising anyone who has chosen the Botox route-it is simply not for me. I am an expressive person and the idea of my face being immobilized and incapable of fully relaying my emotions scares me. I love Julia Robert's philosophy on Botox that she shared with Elle Magazine: "I want my kids to know when I am pissed, when I'm happy and when I'm confounded. Your face tells a story and it shouldn't be a story about your drive to the doctor's office."

That being said, I am not against anti-aging products, especially those like Beautisol that help to repair damage. I think there is a difference between attempting to stop the aging process and trying to age gracefully. There is something poetic about laugh lines that tells a story about your life. But I digress.

As I mentioned above, my main complaint is the raccoon eyes that I have to cover every morning or else I will be scaring young children into thinking I am the creature from the Blue Lagoon. In a matter of days, I began noticing a definite improvement in the puffiness and pigmentation underneath my eyes as well as how pronounced the stress lines were. I first began to notice that instead of having a blue/bruised look, the pigmentation under my eye was more red and lighter. After a few more days the hyperpigmentation had decreased even more and some of the puffiness and lines around the outer eye began to fade.

Beautisol provides a very comprehensive step-by-step guide to follow when using these three products together. I did not suffer any adverse reactions aside from some slight redness from the retinol in EYE WANT and some initial tingling. At first, I thought there was some minor numbness where I applied the EYE WANT, but this sensation quickly disappeared. I switched to using EYE WANT every other day and that gave my skin some time to acclimatise. All three of these products absorbed very quickly into the skin and did not leave behind any greasy residue. I did find the peptide serum the most moisturizing and had to remember to use it sparingly as my t-zone can sometimes be oily. I loved the radiance that these products brought out of my skin and how the areas I applied it to felt firmer.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this review for mature skin!

Lise Watier Jingle Belle Palette

Description:

For the Christmas 2010 Collection, Lise Watier has dreamed up a palette of rich sophisticated tones. Baked eyeshadows, that latest technology that allows you to obtain ultra-pigmented shades, satiny and faintly iridescent finishes. Five gems nestled in a compact encrusted with sparkling crystals. 


My Review

The Lise Watier Jingle Belle Palette is my favourite holiday eye shadow palette of the season. In my opinion, it is the standout when compared to the holiday collections that have been released over the past few weeks. The colours in this glamorous compact are perfect for all skin tones and ages. With this versatile palette you can create an innumerable amount of looks by pairing any of the colours.

I love that these shadows are not glittery-instead, they have the most amazing iridescent duo-chrome. The shades are incredibly multi-dimensional and, depending on how much you blend them, evolve into new variations. You could easily create a beautiful look by applying and blending different opacities of one unique colour.

Initially, I feared that these shadows would have fall-out or be crumbly, but as long as you use a gentle hand when working with them, you will have no problems. Personally, I am not a fan of the sponge tip applicators because I feel like they are too abrasive on the shadows (you can see in the swatches that there is some crumbling because the sponges picked up too much product at once).

This palette retails for $38.00 Canadian and is worth every penny considering the size and pigmentation of the shadows and the quality of the luxurious compact. I highly recommend!

Guest Beauty: Rebekah and Office Friendly Purple

True Story.

My sister walked in the door from work, I grabbed her head, shoved it under a light fixture and demanded, "What do you have on your eyeballs!" This occurred in a matter of 30 seconds, so Rebekah was slightly disoriented from the sneak attack and glaring light: "P-p-p-p-urple from L'oreal!" I let her loose and grinned at her, "It looks amazing, can I take a picture?"

I adore the L'Oreal Hip Duos. They are perfectly coordinated for an easy smokey eye and are surprisingly pigmented and long wearing. My sister was the one who got me turned on to this range and I have yet to find a duo that I do not like. They range in different finishes from matte to satin and shimmer. Unfortunately, they have a larger colour range in the US than they do in Canada, so I always stock up when I take trips to Seattle.

I always get questions about colours and looks specifically for darker skin tones, so I may be using my sister a lot more for future posts.

Eyes


L'Oreal Hip Duo Shadow in Reckless
L'Oreal Double Extend mascara (and yes, those are her REAL eyelashes)
Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Wild Spirit
MAC cream colour base in Pearl (as browbone highlight)

Face


MAC Mineral Foundation in NC30
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish "By Candlelight"
NARS blush in Madly