Tarte Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing Powder - Review

I guess this is Tarte week! I love me some Tarte. Most Tarte products are out of this world and fantastic. This product is a big time dud for me. I received this as a deluxe sample in a set of Tarte products with my Sephora rewards points awhile back. This is a mattifying powder. On me, it is most unflattering. It makes my skin look dry and it makes me look old. It doesn't matter where I place it on my face it makes me look terrible. Maybe if you have really super oily crazy skin and you use the tiniest bit, it make help the shine. I am thinking though that only a teenager could get away with using this. Don't even think of using this as a setting powder for your undereye concealer. I did, and it made me look haggard. Big mistake.

I really have no use for this powder. It's white and when you apply it, it doesn't stay looking white, but it doesn't really look natural and it doesn't look skin toned. It's hard to explain. It's supposed to be silky, but it doesn't feel that great to the touch and doesn't feel nice on the skin. It's so drying! This product mystifies me. I have no idea who at Tarte would have dreamed up this product. It is $29 U.S. If any of you like this product, or have found a way to make this work, please leave me a comment below.

Packaging: 2/10 (messy and powder goes everywhere)

Pigmentation: 0/10 (it's white!!!)

Easy to Work With: 0/10

Longevity: 10/10 (the hideous look stays for hours)

Texture: 3/10

Price: 5/10

Ingredients: 10/10 (there are only 5) 

Travel Worthy: 0/10 (powder everywhere)

Attractiveness of Product: 4/10

Would I buy this again? No way in hell 

Overall Rating: 1/10 (this is being generous because it may work for teenagers or sweaty body parts)

Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess - Review and Swatch

I got this product in a set of Tarte products at Sephora with my rewards points last Fall. I just busted this out for the first time a week ago. I'm very impressed with this product. I have the Park Ave Princess shimmer bronzer. There is a matte one, but that is not the one I have. There is also a shade which is much darker and looks a bit orange called Hotel Heiress. The one I have is described as highly pearled light yellow gold. It is very golden. Normally, that colour would not work on me at all, but somehow this one does. You can apply a very light amount of this product or you can build it up.

I think this would look fabulous in the summer when I have a bit of colour. However, it is deep winter right now and I still really like the way it looks on me. Park Avenue Princess is geared towards a light skin tone I would say. If you are medium or dark toned, it might not show up much on you. The shimmer in it though might just give you a very nice glow regardless of your colouring. This shimmer is so subtle but really lights up your face - I think so at least.

The sample size I have pictured here is 3.2g or 0.11 oz. The regular full sized product is 0.32 oz. which is three times what I have here. I think the amount that I have though will last me a very long time. The cost of the product is $29 U.S. and $39 Canadian. Glad I got mine for free! I think if you really like this product, it would be a good investment. The ingredients are excellent by the way and there doesn't appear to be any nasty chemicals in it. If you don't don't want a dark crazy bronzer or you are just getting into using bronzer, I think this is a good choice. Also, if you are concerned about ingredients, once again, this is a great choice. I definitely think it is worth swatching and/or trying on at Sephora if you are interested.

I personally plan on using mine a lot for work over the next few months. This colour stays on all day. I use a Sigma F20 brush to apply this and its just perfect for this product. Here is a picture of me wearing it (I applied it several hours ago and it still looks fresh).

 

Packaging: 7/10

Pigmentation: 9/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 10/10

Price: 7/10

Ingredients: 10/10

Travel Worthy: 9/10

Attractiveness of Product: 8/10

Would I buy this again? Yes, I think so 

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Not Again!!!! MAC Soon to be Discontinued Eyeshadows from the Permanent Line

Hello! I just went onto MAC's website and see that they are discontinuing more eyeshadow colours from the permanent line. I saw a couple of surprises so I thought I would share this with all of you stat!

The last time I did a blog post on this, MAC was discontinuing:

Hepcat
Romp
Shimmermoss
Hush
Bisque
Juxt
Goldenrod

Most of the above are still available online and possibly still in MAC stores. Hush and Bisque are no longer available online. So tonight I noticed a few new additions to MAC's Goodbyes and they are:

Brown Down (what???)
Bitter (huh)
Kid (no way)
Samoa Silk (are you kidding me, seriously?)
Winkle
Digit (are they mad???)

So if you like any of these shades, stock up now before they are gone. I grabbed Somoa Silk and Romp this time around and got Hush and Bisque the last time. I have lots of Digit and Kid so I did not get more. I am on the fence about Hepcat and Brown Down. I don't think I would use Hepcat that much and there are lots of dupes for Down Brown.

What do all of you think about this?

Dove Go Fresh Burst Body Wash Nectarine and White Ginger Scent - Review

This will probably be my shortest review ever. Okay, so my skin is super dry and it is super cold where I live right now. Today was -21 degrees Celsius with the wind chill just to give you an idea. My skin is itchy, flaky and at times looks scaly if I don't rush to grab some body lotion after my shower. I normally am not big into drug store body washes or soap products in general with lots of chemicals in it, but hey I am desperate to get some relief!

Dove products are normally decent so I grabbed this the other day. I was so disappointed. It is not moisturizing at all! It says it is. I used it and my skin is just as dry if not drier afterwards as it is when I use plan old Ivory. A waste of $5 if I do say so myself. On a positive note, it smells great! Nice and and fresh - real summertime happiness. Maybe I will use it here and there in the summer, but this is a total winter dud for me.

Scent: 8/10
Moisturizing: 0/10
Lather: 10/10
Price: 5/10
Ingredients: 4/10
Overall Rating: 2/10 (I am weighing the lack of moisture heavily here)

Laura Mercier Artist's Palette For Eyes - Review and Swatches

 

I have been keeping my review for this palette under wraps for awhile. I probably should have done it sooner as I believe Laura Mercier released this for Holiday 2012. I bought this in December and as of a week or so ago I still saw them for sale in Sephora stores. It appears to no longer be available on sephora.com or on the Laura Mercier website. So if you want one, hurry up and run and buy one! I believe almost all of the colours in this palette can be purchased separately in Laura Mercier's permanent line of eyeshadows. So if you miss out, and you see a colour or colours that you like, you can still get what you like for the most part. The individual eyeshadows though are $23 U.S. and $28 Canadian. If you like Laura Mercier eyeshadows, this palette is a super deal since their eyeshadows are ridiculously expensive.

 

Before I get to the nitty gritty, I have to say that I love this palette. I am really impressed. I was wearing this palette almost non-stop for a few weeks there. The palette was $60 Canadian and it retails for $48 in the U.S. Not cheap, I know. I had some gift cards and a discount coupon at Sephora so I didn't feel the pinch. I know this is pricey, bit I think it is worth it, even if I had paid full price.

 

The palette is in a rough cloth purple snake skin cover and it has a fold over magnetic closure. This palette would be great to pop into your purse or overnight bag. Very travel friendly and it is not cumbersome to lug around. I have a pic below with a pen on top of it to show you the true size.

 

 

 

This palette has 12 eyeshadows, 6 are shimmers and 6 are mattes. Some bloggers have said that they disliked the shimmers and returned this palette as the colours did not show up on them. I agree that some of the lighter shimmers are not crazy pigmented, but they show up on me just fine. To me they are kind of natural looking but give your eyes big pop. I can not stress enough how good this palette would be for someone who is a professional or works in an office. None of the colours in this palette are obnoxious and every colour you need to create a variety of professional, neutral, yet put-together looks is in here. If you aren't adventurous with make-up and just want to be able to look polished for work or when you go to parties or functions, this is the palette to get. If you have a lot of makeup (like me) and want a solid, compact, versatile palette for go to work looks, this is the one. I occasionally travel overnight for work and do presentations. This is the palette I am now going to be taking with me for those trips. 

 

 

 

 

The palette looks to be purple themed, but it's not. There are only two purplish colours in here. The mattes are fantastic. Some of the best I own now. I don't get excited about neutral browns too often, but the matte browns in here are exceptional. They are Cafe au Lait and Coffee Ground on the middle of the second row above. Those two are my favourite colours in the palette. A close second would be Plum Smoke and Deep Night. Okay, let's cut to the swatches.

 

 

Chocolate, African Violet, Sable, Guava, Cameo, Sunlit

 

The top row is pictured above. Chocolate is a shimmery golden brown which has a bit of red or purple in it. African Violet reminds me of pinker version of MAC's Trax. Sable is a shimmery grey brown. I can't put my finger on what it reminds me of. A lot of people will really like Sable. It's a bit like a grey mink. Guava is unusual. I have never seen anything like it. It really makes your eyes pop. It's like a tropical pink with some cream in it. Looks great with black or brown gel liner. It looks great on its own too with mascara. Cameo is my least favourite colour in the palette. It's a yellow orange brown. It does not go with my colouring at all. Maybe J. Lo would like it. It's very beachy looking and has a Miami vibe to it. Finally, we have Sunlit which was the surprise for me in the palette. It's a golden colour which can spell disaster for me usually, but this colour is super unique. It actually works on me and I think it would work on almost anyone. It really makes my eyes pop and it brightens my whole face when I wear it. This would be a great colour to wear in the summer when you want to look awake, sun kissed and natural.

 

 

Vanilla Nuts, Plum Smoke, Cafe au Lait, Coffee Ground, Deep Night and Rich Coffee

 

Vanilla Nuts is the perfect neutral lid colour. It looks amazing with Cafe au Lait and Coffee Ground. Vanilla Nuts reminds me of MAC's Brule only Brule is satin and is a bit more pigmented. Plum Smoke is gorgeous. There are a million dupes out there for this colour, but the quality of this eyeshadow is superior to other colours like it. Cafe au Lait reminds me of better version of MAC's Wedge or Cork. This colour is superior in pigmentation, colour payoff and shade. You all know how much I like my MAC eyeshadows, so for me to say that is a pretty big deal. Coffee Ground is the perfect dark brown colour for me. It is now my favourite dark brown period. Deep Night is out of this world. It is the perfect matte navy eyeshadow. The pigmentation is off of the hook and the quality is fantastic. Finally, we have Rich Coffee. It's a dirty black if that makes sense. It's a bit grey. I like it, but I have similar colours that I prefer in my stash.  

 

All of the colours in this palette are super blendable, soft, silky and last all day long. I have worn some for 18 hours plus (with a primer) and they stay true and stay put. Very long lasting. I can't say enough about how much I like this palette and how much use I am going to get out of it. I am very pleased with this purchase. Ingredients are decent. One last thing, each eyeshadow in this palette is 0.03 oz. or 1g. MAC's are 1.5g or 0.05 oz. to put that in perspective. The individual Laura Mercier single eyeshadows are 0.09 oz. Although the singles are expensive, you get a hell of a lot of product. That being said, the eyeshadows in this palette are a good size for a palette and you get 12!  

 

Overall Palette

Packaging: 10/10

Pigmentation: 9/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 10/10

Price: 8/10

Ingredients: 8/10 

Travel Worthy: 10/10

Attractiveness of Product: 7/10

Would I buy this again? Hell Yes (if I could) 

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Beginner Bronzer? Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting 2-in-1 Bronzer & Blush in Bronze/Natural - Review and Swatch

 

 

I had been meaning to buy this product for years and I finally did last week. This is a bronzer and blush all in one. Very convenient for travelling when you don't have much room in your travel or makeup bag and you want a bronzer and blush. You can mix the blush colours together or wear them separate. I like to mix them but do whatever turns you on. This product is $19.99 in most drug stores in Canada. I think for drug store makeup, that's a bit pricey. This retails for $13.95 I believe in the U.S. I got mine for half price at Rexall Pharma Plus at a cool $9.99. I am a bit concerned though as there was a sticky note on the rack saying this was to be discontinued. Not sure if Rexall is discontinuing it, or if Physician's Formula is. It is still on their website and is selling for full price.

 

This is a good bronzing product if you have fair or light skin and/or its wintertime. It isn't very dark but it gives you a little bronzed glow. If you are medium or darker skinned, I think it would give you a nice "glow" it just wouldn't show up much. This product is slightly shimmery. There is a bottom compartment in it which holds a brush and mirror. I haven't bothered to use it.

 

 

 

I think this would be an excellent bronzer for beginners to use if they are new to bronzer. You kind of can't go wrong using this product. You will never look "muddy" or over cake it on. It is subtle enough that it looks quite natural. It does not look golden on me but when I swatch it, it does. It barely showed up on my arm with the camera so I did the ol' fingertip swatch. The blush mixed is left and the bronzer is right.

 

 

 

I find this product very flattering on, when you use just the bronzer or just the blush or both. It's like bronzer for dummies. I am not sure if this product comes in one or two colours. I have only noticed one colour in the stores. This product smells amazing is supposed to smell like violets. It's subtle though, not overpowering. This product is supposed to have ingredients and endorphins in it to boost your mood. I don't know about that, but sometimes when I wear it, it feels like my cheeks are flushed or I'm blushing. They feel a bit warm. Weird, but it is not unpleasant. It makes me feel like smiling. Everyone needs a schoolgirl glow once in a while. The product is so smooth and silky and blends like a dream. I can not think of any cons or negative things to say about this product. I think this is a solid buy (especially at the price I paid) and the ingredients seem decent. If you have ever thought of buying this product or are looking for starter bronzer or a two in one bronzer/blush, I would pick one of these up. I am very pleased with my purchase and I plan on using this religiously.

 

 

Packaging: 8/10 (could be more sleek and less bulky)

Pigmentation: 8/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 10/10

Price: 8/10 (at full price - it's a steal when it is on sale)

Ingredients: 10/10

Travel Worthy: 9/10  (could be more sleek and less bulky)

Attractiveness of Product: 9/10

Would I buy this again? Hell Yes 

Overall Rating: 10/10

L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Eye Balm - Review?

 

I got a sample of this the other day when I was in a L'Occitane store stocking up on one of my new favourite hand creams. I only used it for a couple of nights (that is all I got out of the sample) so I don't really know if I can even call this a review. After I applied the product, the skin area around my eyes felt very dry and tight. It was a not a comfortable or good feeling. Definitely not what I am used to in an eye cream.

 

I looked up this product on L'Occitane's website and it appears to be a product for aging skin. This product is supposed to tighten and firm the skin around your eyes and reduce the appearance of dark circles. Knock on wood, I don't have any lines or crow's feet around my eyes yet, so for me, this was not a helpful product. I didn't notice any difference in my dark circles, but like I said, I only used it for 2 nights. I have no idea if this product does what it claims to. I guess I am really just giving you my first impressions and some basic feedback on this product.

 

Based on my limited experience with this product, I know it is not for me, at least at this stage in my life. I don't think I can provide a rating. If you like the skin around your eyes to feel soft and moisturized, I would not recommend this.  

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows MUG Appletini, Cupcake and Nautica - Review and Swatches

 

I have 3 more Makeup Geek eyeshadows to share with you today. They are left to right in the picture above - Appletini, Cupcake and Nautica. I have mixed feelings about two of them. I am planning to get around to a best and worst of MUG eyeshadows list hopefully within the next month or so. Some of their eyeshadows are so gorgeous and are fantastic quality. Others leave me feeling "meh". I still have some in my stash to try out so I will keep you posted.

 

Okay, first let's talk about Appletini. I saw this colour on MUG's website and I was in love. Had to have it, loved the swatch. Now, in person, I am not feeling the wow factor. The colour is nice, but I just don't think it's for me. Personal taste. I didn't love the colour on me. It's a shimmer. I am sure it would look lovely on someone else. I find the formula for this one a bit chalky but it stays on your eye forever! Very long lasting.

 

Cupcake. I actually really love this colour and I don't have anything like it in my collection. It's a matte. Some people have compared it to MAC's limited edition Soft Flower. I don't own Soft Flower so it is all speculation on my part. I have worn this in the crease with a neutral lid colour and it looks fantastic. I think it would be a brilliant eyeshadow to blend out harsh crease colours or very colourful crease colours on the brow bone. It would be a pleasant change from the standard light or medium warm browns that everyone uses for that purpose. This is a definite keeper for me and will be a repurchase when the the time comes.  Very long wearing. Please see swatches below.

 

 Appletini, Cupcake and Nautica

 

Nautica is a very pretty colour but I have not fallen in love with it. I have too many gorgeous dark blues from Urban Decay and Tarte which put this one on the back burner. I got this one around Christmas time for I think $2.99 when MUG was having a sale. The normal price of these eyeshadows is $5.99 U.S. Nautica's pigmentation is ok. It does fade a bit after wearing it for a few hours and I find this shimmer a bit crumbly and it has some minor fallout issues.

 

As a little aside, MUG advertises that they don't have parabens in their eyeshadows. I have noticed lately when I have ordered some new colours that some of the packaging is now listing parabens under "may contain". The old packaging never used to say that. I am not sure what is going on, but I thought I would mention it.  

 

Appletini

Packaging: 10/10

Pigmentation: 8/10

Easy to Work With: 8/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 6/10

Price: 10/10

Ingredients: 10/10 (? - see above)

Travel Worthy: 10/10

Attractiveness of Product: 7/10

Would I buy this again? No (not crazy about the colour)

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

 

Cupcake

Packaging: 10/10

Pigmentation: 8/10

Easy to Work With: 9/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 9/10

Price: 10/10

Ingredients: 10/10 (? - see above)

Travel Worthy: 10/10

Attractiveness of Product: 8/10

Would I buy this again? Yes, for sure 

Overall Rating: 9/10

 

Nautica

Packaging: 10/10

Pigmentation: 8/10

Easy to Work With: 6/10

Longevity: 6/10

Texture: 6/10

Price: 10/10

Ingredients: 10/10 (? - see above)

Travel Worthy: 10/10

Attractiveness of Product: 8/10

Would I buy this again? No, many prettier shimmery dark blues out there 

Overall Rating: 7/10

Maybelline New York Eyestudio Limited Edition 400 Olive Martini - Review and Swatches

 

I have had this palette kicking around for weeks and I finally used it this past weekend. For those of you who regularly read my blog, you know that I am not big into drugstore makeup. The colours in this palette were so cool that I had to try it out. I think I spent around $9.99 o $10.99 Canadian for it. I think it is a tad cheaper in the U.S. This is a limited edition palette, so if you like it, run, don't walk to your nearest drug store. I think this palette might have been intended for the holidays, but I have still seen them at a couple of drug stores this week.

 

  

Two of the colours, the iced peach and the mint green have sad pigmentation (hello this is drugstore makeup so I don't expect much) and the other two, the greeny red and the reddish brown shimmer are very pigmented. The greeny red shade is a dupe for MAC Club. These four colours are gorgeous together, but the quality of the two lightest shades is really poor. I can report though that in general the look that I put together (with all 4 shades) was reasonably long lasting but I really had to pack on the mint green and the peach barely showed up. The iced peach would be the most awesome colour ever if it had any pigment. Also, the iced peach is scratchy and gritty. But hey for $10, I guess you get what you pay for sometimes. Please see the swatches below.

 

 

As you can see, or can't see as the case may be, the iced peach barely shows up. The mint green is but a whisper. The other two darker colours swatch well. I don't like the ingredients in this palette either, but again, it was $10. Buying one of these palettes from Maybelline will likely be a one off for me. I will wear these colours from time to time though as they are quite attractive.

 

 

 I have decided to revamp my rating system for 2013. I hope you like it.

 

Packaging: 7/10

Pigmentation: 5/10

Longevity: 9/10

Texture: 6/10

Price: 9/10

Ingredients: 2/10

Travel Worthy: 9/10

Attractiveness of Product: 10/10

Would I buy this again?    Maybe (only for these colours)

 

 

Overall Rating: 6.5/10



Hilarious! Too Faced Size Queen Mascara - Review

I would never buy this mascara on my own accord. It's expensive and the tube and the brush are enormous. With my tiny lashes, this would simply not be for me. Anyway, I bought this set of Too Faced Products from Sephora a month or so ago and this came in the bag. The ingredients are a bit scary. I have copied this from Too Faced's website.

Did I mention that the size of this tube is ridiculous? I think I did. This tube is not purse or travel friendly. It's almost double the width of MAC's Zoom mascara.

This mascara is $21 U.S. and $28 Canadian. That is not cheap. I expect some pretty wondrous things in a mascara when it costs that much. The applicator wand/brush is like nothing I have ever seen. I thought Benefit's BADgal Lash mascara was insane, but then I saw this one....

Can you believe your eyes??? The wand or brush is bigger than my eye! I literally started howling in laughter when I first saw this at my makeup vanity table. Too Faced is playing a prank on us! They must be. Since this was "free" sort of since it was a bonus item in the set of Too Faced stuff that I bought, I decided what the hell and tried it. Surprisingly, it works better than I thought it would. The brush is scratchy and hard to work with (surprise, surprise). Frankly, I just use the tip of the brush to apply the product initially and when I have a couple of coats on, I then can use the wand a little. You have to be careful not to poke yourself in the eye. I haven't yet, but I fear if I do that the results might be fatal.

The bottom line is that this is an expensive, non-user friendly product that works ok surprisingly. I would not repurchase this. Not that I did in the first place...I don't think this mascara will be on the shelves for long.

Rating: 5/10 (because it works ok despite all of the other cons)

Tiffany D Defining Eyes Palette for Sigma Beauty - Review, Swatches and Dupes

I am so glad that I have finally gotten to this review. First of all, I have to say that I was both impressed and greatly disappointed with this palette. Strange, ambiguous thing to say I know, but I will explain all in a moment.
 

Before I get to the good, the bad and ugly, I want to be clear about a couple of things. I love watching Tiffany D videos for the most part, especially the makeup tutorials. The ones where she is driving around town, shopping or hanging at the airport don't do it for me, but I digress. I don't know why but it has become an obsession over the last few years for me to watch her videos and follow her blog religiously. Because of her, my minor obsession with makeup turned into a monster. She makes all makeup look awesome when she applies it to herself. Her collection of makeup is to die for. Her makeup organization is something we can all aspire to. I have never met Tiffany D and have no plans to. I am not that obsessed!
 

Tiffany D has gotten me through some tough times. I had a bad house fire 2 1/2 years ago and the hell that ensued over the next two years in living through that trauma, losing a lot of my stuff (makeup...sob), carrying all of my worldly belongings around from hotel to hotel in a plastic bag for weeks, fighting with contractors and insurance agents to get my house rebuilt was a nightmare that I wouldn't wish on anyone. The one thing I really started looking forward to at the end of my crummy day during that period was a new Tiffany D video. My life has now returned to normal (as much as it can after something like that) and I am back home. So Tiffany D, if you ever read this, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.
 

All of that being said, I give my honest personal opinion when I do a review here, so please take no offence Tiffany D when I call it as I see it. I still think you are amazing!
 

                                      

I debated for weeks whether or not to order this palette. I mean it's great that everything you need to create defined and bright eyes is in one spot, but I already have a million dupes of everything in here. The price is $55 U.S which isn't cheap. I got $6 off with a coupon code. I had to see what Tiffany D came up with though. Also, I wanted the booklet that came with it which gave tutorials on her favourite eye looks for making eyes pop. Had to have that. Some of you might have read my "Show and Tell" blog post on this palette from a couple of weeks ago before I used it. I have the ingredients listed in that post if you are interested:

http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2012/12/tiffany-d-defining-eyes-for-sigma.html

I contacted Sigma about 6 weeks ago before I ordered this and asked them what the ingredients are. They have never gotten back to me. Sigma is normally pretty good with their customer service so I was a bit surprised to not hear from them.

Okay, where to start? The palette is in a big, old chunky box a la Too Faced palettes. Not travel friendly at all! The kit comes with a dual-ended brush (E30 and E55) which are lower end dupes of the MAC 219 and 239 brushes. Hey, you can always do with more brushes so I am happy to have it.

There are two gel liners - Blackout and Chocolate which are black and brown obviously. I have to say, and sorry Tiffany D, these are by far the worst gel liners that I have ever used. I am kind of speechless about the whole thing. I don't know if I got a "lemon" palette, but these are really bad. I am talking worse than drug store $3 gel liners. Blackout is the worst of the two. The formula is really soft and watery. The colour goes on streaky and I have to repeatedly dip my liner brush in there and do several strokes to get any colour payoff. I have tried this on several different days to see if I was imagining things. Once I get a decent amount on (and it doesn't look great more like I used a cheap, old black eye pencil) the colour fades and hardly any of it is left on within 4 hours time.

My experience with Chocolate is similar but not as bad. Once again, the product is super soft and watery, however it isn't as streaky as Blackout. Chocolate is easier to work with and looks good when you are done applying it. It too disappears on your eye and almost nothing is left within 4 hours time. I have never witnessed any gel liner do that. NEVER.

You have to see this to believe it and I am going to show you. Please see the swatches below. On the far left we have MAC's Blacktrack and I will add that I dipped my brush into the product once only. Pretty black as you can see with no effort. The second from the left is the Defining Eyes Blackout gel liner. It took two good dips into the pot to get that little streaky product out onto the same brush that I used with the MAC Blacktrack. I wiped off the brush first of course.

MAC Blacktrack, Blackout, MAC Dipdown, Chocolate

Third from the left is MAC's Dipdown gel liner. Once again, I only did one dip into the pot. On the far right is the Defining Eyes gel liner in Chocolate and I did two dips. Crazy, no? I don't think I can ever use either of these as liner again. Maybe they work better as thin eyeshadow bases over super duty primer????

Moving on. Okay, the dual ended pencil with the bright blue on one end and the white on the other. The white side is actually pretty good. It is a dupe of MAC's Fascinating Eye Kohl and the blue side is a near dupe of MAC's Prussian Powerpoint Eye Pencil. The blue side is gorgeous but it has some issues in terms of longevity on the eye. The white side of the pencil seems to be better quality and last longer than the blue side.

MAC's Fascinating, Defining Eyes White Liner, MAC's Prussian and Defining Eyes Blue Liner

 

 

As you can see, the MAC pencils are more pigmented and I would rather have the MAC pencils hands down.
 

Okay, the 8 eyeshadows. Strangely enough, the quality of the shadows is in descending order from left to right horizontally for the most part and appear to be linked vertically. Say what? I don't know if what I just said makes sense but it will in a moment. The two colours farthest to the left are In the Dark (black) and Brunette (dark brown). Both are nicely pigmented, matte, blend well and are the longest wearing of the eyeshadows. These are very nice colours but there are a million dupes out there.
 

Midnight (sparkly blue) is gorgeous, blends well, and is somewhat long wearing. It could be better though. For some reason, on the lower lash line it fades easily. Chestnut was a surprise for me. I didn't think I would like it based on looks alone in the palette. It is stunning and is the surprise of the palette. Looks amazing in the crease. Very long wearing I have found and blends like magic. Both are shimmers.

 

 

Fog (dirty blue grey) and Smoke (grey brown) are nice colours and look like satins. When applied, they look matte. I found them difficult to apply and blend because they are not overly pigmented. They are pretty on though if you are willing to put in a bit of effort. They are not long wearing at all and fade quickly. These two are the disappointments of the eyeshadows here. Halo and Beam are so similar when worn, I think Tiffany D should have mixed the two and called it one colour and called it a day. Beam is the lighter of the two and is more matte and chalky, but when you apply both, you can't easily tell which is which. These two are extremely long wearing and are pigmented like mad but are as chalky as all hell. I did not like the way they looked and I am fair skinned. These would look crazy on someone with medium or dark toned skin. They are too "white" and look too matte on. I will stick to using them as a brow highlight only when well blended out. Use a delicate hand when using these. Halo is the better and more shimmery of the two. Please see swatches below which are in order of the palette, left to right by column. Fog and Smoke are not very pigmented as you can see.
 

                   

In the Dark, Brunette, Midnight, Chestnut, Fog, Smoke, Halo and Beam

 

 

Dupes. In the Dark is a near dupe of MAC's Carbon. Please see swatch below. I couldn't find a bang on swatch of Brunette in my stash. That being said, I don't own MAC's Swiss Chocolate or Brown Down etc. so one of them might be close.

                               

  MAC Carbon, In the Dark, Brunette, MAC Mystery, Kat Von D Leather

 

 

A dupe of Chestnut was not easily found. It's a bit reddish. A shimmery cousin of MAC's Folie. Please see swatches below for reference points.









MAC Satin Taupe, Chestnut, MAC Bronze, Urban Decay Smog

 

 

Midnight took some testing but I found the dupe and I didn't have to look as far as I did. The dupe is MAC's Contrast. Fog was a little tricky, the closest dupe I have would be Tarte's Stake from the True Blood palette. Smoke is closest to MAC's Satin Taupe but it is the weaker, less pigmented cousin of Satin Taupe. I would take MAC's Satin Taupe and Tarte's Stake any day over the Defining Eyes colours. Finally, I would say Halo's closest dupe would be NARS's Albatross (Albatross is nicer) and Beam's would be a dirty, more cream coloured version of MAC's Gesso.

 

Urban Decay Evidence, Midnight, MUG's Nautica and MAC Contrast

Fog, Tarte's Stake

MAC Woodwinked, Smoke, Urban Decay Toasted, MAC Satin Taupe

 

I think this was my longest blog ever! Sorry for being so long winded but I wanted to put out the most thorough review of the Tiffany D Defining Eyes Palette for Sigma Beauty that is out there! Hopefully, you liked it and found it useful.

Overall Rating: 5/10 (sorry Tiffany)

You all probably have better like products at home, use them instead and save the $55. 

The Best Beauty Products of 2012 - Part II

Sorry for the delay with this, Blogger was giving trouble yesterday when I tried to upload pictures.

Here is my blog continuation from the day before yesterday....

Blush
Tarte Exposed and Dollface
MAC Stunner
NARS The Multiple in Orgasm

I acquired a few Tarte blushes this year and I love most of them. Exposed and Dollface have become two of my go to blushes. MAC came out with their limited edition Stunner this year which is a peachy pink and I think it is an awesome colour. I think the NARS Multiple in Orgasm is a wonderful, innovative product.

Hair Products
Silk Elements MegaSilk Heat Protection Spray
Wen by Chaz Dean Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner
Moroccanoil Shampoo and Conditioner

Miscellaneous
EcoTools Loofah 6 Facial Sponges

I had to throw this in. These are wonderful and cheap at $1.79. Crazy! Everyone should have some on hand. They are the poor woman's Clarisonic!

Moisturizer
Burt's Bees Fragrance Free Shea Butter & Vitamin E Body Lotion - great overall moisturizer
John Masters Organics Blood Orange and Vanilla Body Milk - the smell is to die for
L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream - wonderful on cracked and dry winter fingers

 

Lipsticks and Lip Gloss



Tarte Lipsticks (from the Jewelry Box Palette - old I know but I just started using the lipsticks)
MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Positively Dashing (middle MAC lipstick pictured above)

I have to say that I did not come across much new lipstick and no new lip gloss that blew me away this year. I have my favourites but they were discovered long before 2012. That being said, I just picked up some new NARS lip products and a Buxom gloss (never tried one) so we will see what 2013 brings.

I finally got into my Tarte lipsticks from the Jewelry Box Palette (old palette I know) and they are wonderful. The colours are gorgeous and they are so soft, smooth and moisturizing. My mother says they are the nicest colours that she has seen me wear in ages. I wish they were a little more long lasting though. I will definitely be finishing off all of the lipsticks in this palette. I also wish they were available for individual sale which they aren't. Sigh...maybe one day.

MAC's Pro Longwear Lipcreme's also surprised me, especially Positively Dashing. Great colour, long wearing formula, makes you look like a million bucks!


So that's it for the best beauty products of 2012 that I have discovered. I have a pile of stuff to try sitting on my dresser and vanity so I should have more to report for 2013 soon. My review on the Tiffany D Defining Eyes palette should be up by tomorrow. Stay tuned, I think you will find that I have a few interesting things to report in my review!

The Best Beauty Products of 2012 - Part I

Okay, I tried guys and I failed. I tried to narrow down my list of best beauty products that I discovered in 2012 and I couldn't do it. Instead, I decided to categorize my faves of 2012. I will do a Part I tonight and a Part II tomorrow night. Too many things to cram into one blog post! Some of these products I purchased in 2011, but didn't really get into using them until 2012. So I apologize now for any seemingly "old" products that I have on my hit list. Let's get to it!

Foundation
Estee Lauder Double Wear
Estee Lauder Double Wear Light

I started using both of these this year and I love them. My skin looks healthy, dewy and never looks cakey. These stay on all day and night. I use the Double Wear Light most of the time and Double Wear when I need extra coverage. Fabulous stuff!

Mascara
L'Oreal Voluminous Original
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara (now that's a mouthful)
Benefit They're Real

Okay, so I have been using Benefit They're Real since Fall 2011, but I really got into using this product this year so it counts for 2012 right? I discovered L'Oreal's hidden drug store gem and near the end of 2012 got hot on the Estee Lauder's mascara with the longest mascara name ever.

Eyeliners Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil - Zero, Whiskey, Electric, Binge, El Dorado
MAC Eye Kohl in Tarnish, Teddy and Fascinating
MAC PowerPoint Eye Pencil in Prussian
MAC Technakohl Liner Eye-Liner Kajal in Graphblack
L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense Liquid Liner

Confession time. I have been using the Urban Decay 24/7 liners for ages - going back to way before the start of 2012. But this year, I discovered more colours! Also, they are such good quality they deserve to make the list year after year. As for MAC, I love me some MAC eye liners. They are my fave hands down. This year though I am adding Teddy, Fascinating and Tarnish to the list of new faves. I have Prussian listed because it is awesome and deserves to make the list every year damn it! Finally, L'Oreal makes a lean, mean, jet black liquid liner and it makes the list.

Eyeshadow
Makeup Geek (MUG) Eyeshadows - special mention for Gold Digger, Sensuous, Unexpected and  Country Girl
Tarte True Blood Palette - gorgeous colours and fantastic pigment (best eyeshadow Tarte has produced)
Stila Kitten Eyeshadow - I get tons of compliments when I wear this one
Lancome Volcano - this shade is amazing and so versatile
bareMinerals - The Truth and The Afterparty Quad - best new eyeshadow product on the market
Louise Young Eyeshadow Palette - there is only one
Sephora Cinderella Disney Midnight Hour Collection Palette - stunning
Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner
Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - I think it speaks for itself

Eyeshadow is my favourite makeup item. Picking my faves of 2012 was tough. I narrowed things down and the list is above as you can see. I have done reviews on most of the items on this list so please read those blogs if you would like more information.

N.B. Makeup Geek eyeshadows are overall very good quality and are very reasonably priced. There are a few I don't like but most of them are awesome. For a new product on the block, they deserve to be mentioned.

Part II coming tomorrow!