I did also do this as a post over two years ago and it has a few more looks in there if you want to check it out!
Yearly Archives: 2016
Quo Fall 2016 Collection (Review + Swatches)
The weather is finally cooling down in Toronto (well, it WAS… today it’s like 30°C again – UGH!), and I am sooo happy that I can start talking about new fall launches. Nothing makes me happier than the cool autumn air mixed with the scent of dying leaves (well that came out weirder than I expected, but you know what I mean!).
Quo has launched their most recent seasonal collection to help get you in the mood for the cooler season and I’m allll about that life.
They’ve released three new eyeshadow palettes, and I have the one called Plum Perfect ($18 CAD). I was pretty damn happy when I saw this palette because I was a little bit worried this would be yet another neutral palette. But I can happily report that although there are neutral shades in there, there’s also some gorgeous purples and a mid-tone red/pink that I am absolutely adoring.
Even better is that this palette swatches and wears incredibly well. Quo‘s eyeshadows can be hit and miss for me so I’m never sure what kind of quality I’m going to be getting. This Plum Perfect palette definitely gets the thumbs up from me though!
With every Quo launch, the item I get the most excited about is their face palettes. I’ve never found a dud amongst these palettes! The colours always work really, really well for me and I love the layout and size of the pans. This Sweet Illusion Face Palette ($20 CAD) has a more coral toned blush as well as a bronzer and a highlighter.
The blush shade is the kind of shade that makes me giddy with excitement. I do think it’s a weird pick for fall, but hey, not everything can be vampy deep cheeks! The bronzer is warm, but not too much so and works well on my (roughly) NC/NW20 skin. The highlighter isn’t overly reflective, so if you just want a bit of a highlight, this is a good option.
They re-release this brow palette ($12 CAD) with every season and they just don’t work for me due to the colouring. Here’s a look at my swatches of it from an older collection:
And lastly, I’ve got the limited edition matte lipstick in Mysterious ($14 CAD).
Looking to get into deeper, darker lips for fall? Look no further than this beautiful shade. Since it’s a matte, I did find the formula was a little bit stiff to apply, but the colour payoff was so, so worth it! It also has a lovely vanilla scent.
I decided to go all out with the deeper plums and red tones for my look. I wasn’t sure how the coral cheeks would work with this look, but in the end I feel like the lipstick shade ended up affecting how the cheeks looked so it really tied everything together.
The blush is definitely quite pigmented, so go easy if you don’t want a lot of colour. the bronzer and highlighter are quite subtle, which works for us faired-toned folk as we lose our summer tans.
For the eyes, I used the mid-tone pink/red on the upper crease, the silvery-purple on the lid and the deeper purple on the outer half of the lid. Everything blended well together and I had no issues with pigmentation. All these shots were taken roughly 6 hours after application so you can see that everything has held in place and stayed quite pigmented!
I was really happy with how this collection played out on my face. Let me know if you’re into this new fall release by Quo, or if you’re lamenting the end of summer! 😉
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.
Swatch Sunday: Too Faced x NikkieTutorials The Power of Makeup
Too Faced recently launched their collaboration with YouTuber makeup artist NikkieTutorials (she’s not just a YouTuber, she’s also quite an accomplished MUA!). The palette is inspired by Nikkie’s viral video “The Power of Makeup” which has an insane 32 million views!
As I’m a rabid Too Faced fan as well as a frequent viewer of Nikkie’s videos, I wanted to pick up this palette to support both her and the brand. Sadly, I did not find that the quality of these shadows were up to Too Faced’s usual standards so I’m feeling a bit deflated by this palette (this swatch fine, but application to my eyes was not great). Read on for swatches!
Too Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup Swatches
The Too Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup set (there’s also a purple mascara, a glitter, a black Sketch Marker and a mini Shadow Insurance) can be purchased on sephora.ca for $68 CAD and on sephora.com for $56 USD.
Skincare Saturday: Introduction to Dr. Roebuck’s
For the uninitiated (and I’m right there with you because I’d never tried this brand before!), Dr. Roebuck’s is an Australian brand that focuses on 100% natural and effective skincare. Their products are intended for sensitive skin, promise to contain “no nasties, no fillers” and are organic. They use essential oils to scent their products instead of using perfumes, and are completely cruelty-free.
The company dates back to 1978 when Dr. Roebuck created his original PURE formula to treat the Ezcema of his newborn identical twin daughters, Zoe and Kim. Those two daughters are now at the head of the company that their father created. Dr. Roebuck’s products can be found on the shelves of Priceline (an Australian health and beauty retailer very similar to Canada’s Shoppers Drug Mart), Shoppers Drug Mart and Murale.
I got to try out a whole whack of their products, so let’s get started!
Dr. Roebuck’s FACE
- They say: FACE is a unique active formula including active ingredients (Vitamin E, Macadamia Oil and Rosehip Oil) that rehydrates the skin and reduces wrinkles. Dr Roebuck’s prescribes FACE as an everyday facial skincare remedy and can be used under makeup to protect the skin from drying out.
- I say: This moisturizer is really, really watery in the container, so be careful when you’re opening the lid because you’re likely to slosh it everywhere! I found this moisturizer to be extremely hydrating… but to the point where it’s too much for daily use since your skin is left feeling quite tacky afterwards. I’ve opted to use this at night as a moisturizing overnight mask and I really like it for that. My skin feels plump and hydrated after us and I’m really looking forward to using this in the winter as my skin dries out.
Dr. Roebuck’s POLISH
- They say: A unique two in one formula that offers a mask and exfoliant in one. This deep cleansing and purifying, non-abrasive facial scrub and mask gently removes dead skin cells leaving the skin revitalised and beautifully radiant.
- I say: This is a gentle mask/scrub since the granules used for exfoliation are quite large. It feels kind of like a massage for your face, actually. The scent is slightly pepperminty, but I felt no cooling effect on the skin (which is good is you’re super sensitive to that!). I really enjoyed this scrub as it left my skin feeling exceptionally clean and smooth.
Dr. Roebuck’s Natural Cleansing Wipes
- They say: Hydrating antioxidant wipes that come infused with active ingredients to purify the skin and removes all traces of makeup, impurities and excess oil.
- I say: 100% no to all of the above. I can’t even tell if it does purify my skin because it DOES NOT TAKE MY MAKEUP OFF. And because of that claim, that it “removes all traces of makeup”, I am so, so disappointed. I could not get my eye makeup off with this. So much so that I was left scrubbing my eyes with PAPER TOWEL in my office trying to get my makeup off before going to the gym. The wipes aren’t saturated with enough product and they felt kind of rough. I was left with dark rings around my eyes from all of the scrubbing and in the end had to resort to a Wet One wipe from a coworker to get the rest of my makeup off. Hard pass on this one.
First up, all of their serums are “infused with a powerful base: [their] exclusive “CNYouthMolecule”. A blend of Carnosine, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E to restore and boost your skin. [Their] exclusive base increases skin collagen production, improves the appearance of sun damage, reduces the density of deep wrinkles, and increases skin hydration.” With all of that upfront, here are the two serums I tried out:
Dr. Roebuck’s Ultimate Hydrating Serum
- They say: The Ultimate Hydrating Serum also includes creatine (stimulates collagen and cell regeneration), ubiquinone (reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, prevents or reduces damage to tissues and stimulates collagen production), Vitamin B3 (firms and reduces signs of aging, reduces hyperpigmentation and prevents moisture loss) and, finally, aloe vera (moisturizing, soothing and anti-aging properties while protecting the skin).
- I say: This one was a winner in my book! I was amazed at how often I found myself reaching for this one – almost nightly, actually. This was hydrating enough that I often felt I didn’t need an additional moisturizer. I also really liked to apply this right after I’d taken my makeup off because it really helped to rehydrate my skin after foundation felt like it had dried it out (anyone else feel like that after they take their foundation off?).
Dr. Roebuck’s Reverse Aging Serum
- They say: The Reverse Aging Serum also includes creatine (stimulates collagen and cell regeneration), gratuline in-tense (soothes deep wrinkles and helps with facial contouring), Vitamin B3 (firms and reduces signs of aging, reduces hyperpigmentation and prevents moisture loss), evening primrose oil (reduces fine lines and lightens dark circles around the eyes), borage seed oil (helps restore skin moisture and promotes elasticity) and, lastly, aloe vera (moisturizing, soothing and anti-aging properties while protecting the skin).
- I say: I liked it, but I didn’t see much change in the effects of my skin after three weeks of use. I found myself reaching for the Ultimate Hydrating Serum more often than this one, but that may be because I’m 33 and not 53 years old, so your mileage may vary if you’re older than me.
A quick note on these dropper-style bottles: I found that the dropper didn’t do its job very well. The product was a bit on the thick and goopy side and didn’t seem to get sucked up into the dropper with any kind of regularity. It didn’t feel thick once it was applied to my face (and in fact, it soaked in quite quickly), but you’re probably going to end up tipping the bottle over to get product out and/or wiping the dropper on your hand instead of actually using it the way you’re supposed to. It didn’t matter to me, but I thought it was worth noting.
All of the above products are brand new by Dr. Roebuck’s and will be launching on September 15, 2016. Let me know if there’s anything piqued your interest, or, if you’ve tried this brand before, let me know what did and did not work for you!
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.