I still have a lot of larger palettes to go through, but I wanted to also start covering some of my smaller quads that may (or may not) be limited edition and/or discontinued. I find it helpful to see what’s still in my collection because I’m way more inclined to play with it after swatching it for the blog. And heck, maybe it’s sitting in your collection too and you’d completely forgotten about it!
This quad is Maybelline‘s Irresistible Ivy. It was discontinued a few years back and I snatched it up as soon as it was marked as such. I couldn’t pass up that green AND it was heavily discounted. In terms of a quick review, the quality these types of small four pan Maybelline quads is AMAZING. Buttery, soft and pigmented out the wazoo!
Launching this month, ClarinsJoli Rouge lipsticks have experienced a face lift. They’ve been enhanced with a moisture-rich formula and come in brand new gold packaging. The range boast 25 shades that offer plenty of variety – from nudes and typical pinks; to vibrant reds and fiery oranges with the occasional dark vampy shade thrown in for good measure.
Clarins Joli Rouge Lipsticks
The new ClarinsJoli Rouge come in a solid gold tube with a small indent and etched C on the lid. The tube feels light, but not cheap. It’s sleek and compact, so it definitely looks and feels like high end makeup.
Clarins Joli Rouge Lipsticks in Soft Plum and Rosy Nude
The Joli Rouge formula is smooth and easy to wear. They glide on to your lips with ease and stay glossy for ages. They also have an interesting fruity, sweet scent. I would consider myself very sensitive to scents in lipsticks but these do not bother me. (For those who are familiar with essence lipsticks, they smell similar to those, but less artificial and slightly more fruity.)
Clarins Joli Rouge Lipsticks in Soft Plum and Rosy Nude – Swatches
The shades I tried out are not shades I would have picked for myself, but sometimes that’s the best part about being sent PR samples! Left to my own devices I’d only choose bright red-pinks or something of that ilk, and not gotten to experience these shades.
Clarins Joli Rouge in Soft Plum
Soft Plum is a gorgeous purple-red berry colour that one can’t help but associate with fall. I basically want to throw on a long comfy sweater and pull on some knee high boots while wearing this shade! If you’re not especially comfortable with colours like this, rest assured that the sheen in the formula helps to diffuse the colour so that it doesn’t appear quite as stark. If the formula were matte, it’d be a completely different story and a lot more in your face.
Wearing Clarins Joli Rouge in Soft Plum
In the look above, I matched Soft Plum with a golden lid shade (Makeup Geek Fortune Teller) and a deep cranberry crease shade (Makeup Geek Bitten).
Clarins Joli Rouge in Rosy Nude
Rosy Nude is the shade that took me by surprise. Even a friend of mine took one look at the bullet in the tube and was like “whoa, that’s light”. And I suppose it does look rather pale in the tube – I certainly wasn’t expecting it to look good on me in the slightest. But holy cow was I ever wrong. Rosy Nude is a *stunning* peachy-pink shade that matches every eye look I throw at it (although I apparently never caught any of them on camera, much to my displeasure). It’s currently rivaling my combination of Wet n Wild’s 903C with NYX’s Butter Gloss in Tiramisu on top for most flattering lip look on camera. Total winner.
Final Thoughts
In a beauty world where everyone has become obsessed with matte liquid lipsticks, it’s rather nice to try something new for a change. Don’t get me wrong, I am still very much in love with matte lips, but it’s been really pleasurable discovering a product that doesn’t make your lips feel like the Sahara. Having never tried Clarins‘ lipsticks before, I have to say I’m impressed with the Joli Rouge lineup. They’re soft, creamy, hydrating and easy to wear. They stay shiny the entire length of time I’ve worn them (which is around three hours, then I usually end up wiping off my lips to eat or drink) and they claim to last six hours. I’ve not tried them for that length of time because it’s just not in my nature to wear lipstick for that long, but at the three hour mark they showed no signs of giving up the ghost. Since they don’t dry down at all, you need to be aware that they will transfer to anything you touch your lips to, but that’s not expected for a formula that stays shiny for so long.
Of the colours I tried, Soft Plum was the more “typical” fall shade, whereas Rosy Nude knocked it out of the park for me in terms of the colour. Both colours wore well and I experienced no difference in the formula between them.
Let me know what you’ve tried from Clarins because I’m going to need recommendations! So far they’ve knocked it out of the park with their Aquatic Treasures collection and now this Joli Rouge lipstick lineup!
Just passing through…
This post features press samples sent for consideration.
New for fall is the AnnabelleSmokey Nudes palette. And as I mentioned in my Swatch Sunday featuring this palette, the drugstore has definitely been in need of quality palettes.
Annabelle Smokey Nudes palette
This is a palette that many, MANY makeup lovers (and casual users) are sure to fawn over simply because it’s a neutral palette. And it definitely did not disappoint. There are matte shades in here amidst the usual shimmers and that makes for a far more well balanced look. My particular favourite shade is the shade labelled bronze (bottom row, middle shade). I found myself using this shade over and over and over again to deepen the crease and it added a gorgeous touch to an otherwise two-dimensional look.
My only true gripe with the Annabelle Smokey Nudes is there is no real brow bone highlighting shade (for my skin tone). The pink is far too pink, and the white is far too shimmery. Mixed together they do an okay job of highlighting the brow, but when I used either by themselves I wasn’t that pleased with the results.
Here’s five looks I came up with using this palette:
The first look I tried out. While I am a colourful eyeshadow lover, I do like using neutral palettes because it gives me a chance to play around with my lip colour. It’s a lot easier to wear bright(er) lips when you’ve got neutral shades on your lids!
Eyes
Nude all over the lid.
Copper on the outer corner with some Black mixed in.
On my lashes is Urban Decay‘s Perversion mascara.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Make Up For Ever Ultra HD liquid foundation in Y225
Bronzer: NYCFire Island Tan
Blush: Laura GellerPink Grapefruit
Highlighter: Too FacedCandlelight
Lips: NYX Fizzies
I wanted to play around with the Gold shade, but I found it didn’t come off as golden as I had expected it to. It’s more of a soft, muted yellow. It adds colour, but not a whole lot.
Eyes
Gold all over the lid.
Brown through the crease.
Bronze on the outer half of the lid.
Black on the outer corner to deepen it up.
On my lashes is essence‘s Lash Princess False Lash Effect mascara.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: elfSurf’s Up
Blush: essenceAutumn Peach
Highlighter: BeccaChampagne Pop
Lips: MACBarbecue
This is fairly easy go to look for me when I’ve got a shimmery white and a black in a palette.
Eyes
Bronze through the crease.
White on the lid.
Black on the outer half of the lid.
White and Pink shade mixed together on the brow bone.
I applied Maybelline‘s Lasting Drama Waterproof Gel Eye Pencil in Sleek Onyx to my lower lash line and blended it out with the Black eyeshadow. On my lashes is Urban Decay‘s Perversion mascara.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Stick foundation in Y225
Bronzer: Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 25I
Blush: HourglassLuminous Flush
Highlighter: Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo #1 highlighter
Lips: MACBrave
Another favourite combination of mine. I took the eye shots at the end of my work day (although the face shot was before I left for work) so they look a bit shinier than usual (thanks greasy eyelids, thanks a lot).
Eyes
Bronze through the crease.
Pink all over the lid.
Copper on the outer corner.
I created the winged liner with essence‘s Jumbo Eyeliner Pen and applied Urban Decay‘s Peversion mascara to my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: RevlonBronzed & Chic
Blush: Hourglass Incandescent Electra
Highlighter: Becca Champagne Pop
Lips: MACBurmese Kiss
I have to laugh at my face in this shot – it was the one that best showed the makeup, but it looks a bit dopey with my mouth half hanging open! Out of all the looks though, this one is definitely my favourite.
Eyes
Bronze through the crease.
Taupe all over the lid.
Brown on the outer corner.
Pink and White mixed together to create the brow bone shade.
Urban DecayPerversion mascara is on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: MACRefined Golden
Blush: Burberry Lip & Cheek Bloom in Poppy
Highlighter: MACSoft & Gentle
Lips: RevlonFire & Ice
Have you picked up the AnnabelleSmokey Nudes palette? Let me know your thoughts on it!
The Annabelle Smokey Nudes palette was sent to me for consideration.
New for fall is Annabelle‘s Smokey Nudes palette! I feel like we say this every few months, but it really is starting to feel like the drugstore brands are starting to up their game. We’ve needed palette options from the drugstore and we’re finally starting to get them! With ten shades to work with, nude and neutral lovers can rejoice in this palette. There’s even three matte/satin finish shades which are an enormous bonus in a palette. Trying to work eye looks with only shimmery shades can be a bit difficult, so I’m really happy that Annabelle included different finishes.
Enjoy the Annabelle Smokey Nudes palette swatches today, and later on this week I’ll have a Challenge Week featuring this palette.
While this set of looks doesn’t top Volume 40 for epic-ness (seriously – I’m way proud of some of the looks in Volume 40), there’s still some really, really pretty ones in here.
Enjoy!
I can’t even rember why I was so done up for this look to be honest. I must’ve been doing SOMETHING important to warrant false lashes…
Eyes
MACCork through the top of the crease.
InglotAMC Shine 28 all over the lid and inner tearduct.
InglotMatte 325 on the outer half of the lid and to line the lower lash line.
Urban DecayBlackout in the outer corner.
Wet n WildBrulee on the brow bone.
I created the wing with the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper and tightlined my water lines with Marc Jacobs‘ Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer. On my lashes is CoverGirl‘s Clump Crusher mascara with a pair of Houses of LashesBombshell falsies on top.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: Hard CandyHula Hula
Blush: MilaniTea Rose
Highlighter: MACSilver Dusk
Lips: Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial
This look (without the glitter) has been a constant favourite of mine over the years. It’s one I know I can resort to if I want to look like my eyes are on fire and don’t have to think about the eyeshadow combination. Kind of a failsafe, you know? I wore this to the VIB Rouge event at the Eaton Centre in Toronto (thank you for the invite Julie!) and had to add on some glitter just for fun. Except I love it so much with the glitter that now it’s REQUIRED for this look…
Eyes
MACGleam all over the lid.
MACCoppering on the outer half of the lid and through the crease.
MACHandwritten to deepen the outer corner.
MACBlanc Type on the brow bone.
I applied some Too FacedGlitter Glue all along my lower lash line, then patted on MAC‘s Reflect Copper glitter (THIS STUFF IS INSANE). On my lashes is Urban Decay‘s Perversion mascara.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: Too FacedChocolate Soleil
Blush: MACRipe Peach
Highlighter: BeccaChampagne Pop
Lips: Revlon Lipstain + Balm in Flame
This one is fairly “old” since it’s been sitting on my harddrive since June. I think I was trying to figure out how to balance coloured eyeshadow with bright lips. I actually think this works… but I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince myself of that, you know?
Eyes
Makeup Geek Fantasy all over the lid.
Makeup GeekDirty Martini on the outer half of the lid.
Makeup GeekVanilla Bean on the brow bone.
Makeup GeekDaydreamer on the inner corner.
I lined my lower lash line with Makeup Geek‘s Masquerade eyeshadow and created the wing with MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline. On my lashes is Make Up For EverSmoky Stretch mascara.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: Hard CandyHula Hula
Blush: essenceLife’s a Cherry
Highlighter: MACSoft & Gentle
Lips: Too FacedMelted Rainbow
With all the hype surrounding the upcoming holiday palettes by Too Faced, I just had to whip out some of my older holiday palettes by them. I love their holidays palettes so much!
Eyes
(all Too Faced shadows from the Everything Nice palette)
Shiny Happy on the lid.
Secret Lovers on the outer half of the lid.
Be You through the crease.
Kindess is Free barely tapped on the outer corner of the crease.
Dream On on the brow bone.
On my lashes is Urban Decay‘s Perversion mascara.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: Too FacedChocolate Soleil
Blush: Too FacedPapa Don’t Peach
Highlighter: Too FacedInner Light
Lips: Too FacedMelted Violet
And last up is a look I wasn’t sure how to do when I first looked at the quad. This utilizes The Body Shop‘s Pink Poppy shimmer cubes which have a very vibrant hot pink, an orange, a somewhat timid lime green and a silver. That’s one hell of a combination!
Eyes
(using The Body Shop shimmer cubes in Pink Poppy)
Orange shade all over the lid.
Too FacedCherry Cordial to deepen up the crease (had to use something else because the look would’ve had no dimension).
Hot Pink shade through the crease.
I lined the lower lash line with the Green and Silver shades from the shimmer cube quad, then applied CoverGirl‘s Clump Crusher mascara to my lashes
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
