Chanel Les Beiges Powders and Brush Swatches & Review

So while in Toronto I picked the above two goodies up at the Shoppers Beauty Boutique in Eaton Centre. I got the Les Beiges powder in 10 which I fully expected to get. The brush I knew I was NOT going to get no matter how much they pushed it on me. She never once said a word about it. She started to put the powder on me though and I nearly had a fit. I was IMMEDIATELY like "I need that brush! Whatever brush it is, I NEED IT!!" and low and behold, it was the brush I didn't want. OMG. I'll gush about it shortly.

After getting home though, I was starting to regret not picking up the Les Beiges powder in 20 and so while at the beauty gala at The Bay, I picked up 020 (these are $60CAD). And got some additional goodies put in the bag!

I will swatch these Rouge Allure lipsticks for you all in another post! And I really liked the mascara so I am happy to have another one (just finished a tube of it recently)

So this is what I ended up with from the Les Beiges collection:

So at about this time you are probably asking yourself, "just what the hell is the les beiges powder?" Hell, I kept asking myself that question up to actually seeing them in person. Finishing powder? NOPE! Is it a foundation? NOPE! Is it a bronzing powder? Still wrong! So what the heck is it? Well, its kind of a hybrid mix of the three things, yet none of them at the same time.

This is NOT supposed to match your skintone. Lets start with that. It is MEANT to be darker. But its not a bronzer. Its a finishing powder of sorts claiming to be able to used in lieu of foundation (it cant, its far too sheer for actual coverage) to give you a slightly darker look. Basically, its a bronzer that ISN'T a bronzer. They also suggest getting a few different shades to be able to use it for contouring.
 

As you can see, the shades are very subtle. The shade 10 gives me just a slight (like maybe a single shade) hint of being darker but with a nice radiance that isn't shimmer or glitter or shine. And shade 20 is nice for a bit of a sunkissed look without being a bronzer or very obvious. They are subtle, but really nice (when not on a hairy arm like in the picture below!).

And the brush. O. M. G. The brush. Can I sing an ode to this brush now, or should I wait? Its just so wonderful. It feels like memory foam almost. More so like foam than like hairs. Its so soft and it really magically molds to your skin in an effortless way. I cant quite explain just how this feels, as I have never quite felt another brush like it.

Now lets be honest. The feel of the brush is irrelevant if the brush does not perform well. This brush thankfully performs superbly. It picks up a good amount of product without picking up too much. And it applies it nicely to the skin with little effort.

Overall, I am quite happy with these purchases!

Chanel Emerveille Illusion D'Ombre VS DiorShow Fusion Mono In Chimere

I have not even reviewed the new Diorshow Fusion Mono Shadows yet, but it seems everyone wants to know how these two compare. I must say I too was interested as Emerveille is my go to, all over colour when I dont want to do my makeup. I am on my second or third pot of it already! So I was wondering as I bought it also!

As you can see, the Chanel one is more of a coppery bronze and the Dior one is more of a rose gold. I think its more of a cool toned version. I will let you all know what I think of it after wearing it a bit. Its a lot more shimmery also.

The Lip Bar Femme Fatale Swatches & Review

So this was probably the most out of the box purchase I made during IMATS. And its probably going to be a shock to all of you to see. This isn't just a pink product (as I do like neutral and light pinks for blushes and lipsticks) but its an IN YOUR FACE bright pink!

The brand is a new indie brand called The Lip Bar. And the colour choices are shocking! They are bright, bold and in your face. And the pen is super cute too!

Now I will be 100% honest. The packaging is what got me. I saw the booth, saw the purple, blue, turquoise and orange lipsticks, and kept walking. It was only after a friend of mine showed me her purchase that I went back. I was sucked in to the booth by nothing other than their packaging. The little luxe velvet bags are just too cute and got my attention.

The colour I got is WAY out of my comfort zone (and shockingly, one of the most subtle shades!!) was femme fatal.

And just look at the packaging! See what I meant by the packaging sucking me in?

And here it is! See what I mean? Totally NOT what you expect on my blog! I have worn this once and I have to say, while the formula is non drying  it is long lasting (it really leaves a good stain on your lips afterwards) . It is a nice formula that goes on smoothly without drag and stays on well. That being said, I felt VERY uncomfortable in it as it is WAY outside my comfort zone. I wont pretend I will wear this much (I have since put it on twice and wiped it off as I feel its too much) but I am determined to wear it at least occasionally!

And just to prove I did wear it once, here it is after its faded a bit.

They do have an online store HERE and the lipsticks retail for $20 each.

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette Review And Swatches

So I thought I would show you all this before some of the others as it is still easily available and in stock to the best of my knowledge. I picked this up at Sephora during the VIB sale at the Sephora in Eaton Centre. The cost of it is $58 though I did get it for 20% off.

One thing I really like about this is the book that comes with it. Not only does it have diagrams for day looked, night look and a defined look, but unlike many of these guides that come with shadows, this one recognizes not all of us have the same shape eye. Different eye shapes have different guides to help you look your best.

It also comes with a mini Smashbox Full Exposure mascara. I have never tried this one, but according to Sephora it is the second best selling mascara in store coming in just behind Benefit They're Real.

Now I tried to take a bunch of pictures in different lights/angles but its impossible to really tell just how gorgeous this palette is. Its got a matte black palette (think NARS though this one doesn't seem to get the horrid marks and prints like NARS packaging does) with a beautiful holographic typeface spelling out the brand and name of the palette.

And the palette opened. 7 shimmery shades on top, 7 matte shades on the bottom and a full sized double ended brush.

While I have not yet tried this brush, I have 2 other smashbox brushes and I like them. The face and body brush I have of theirs is SUPERB and the eye brush I have is decent. This has two brushes, but its kind of like a three in one as the one brush has two different sides to it. The black side of the other end is meant for the shimmery shades, while the white hair is more adept at picking up the matte colouring. And hten flip it over for blending on the opposite side!

Now when it comes to shadows, I cant say I have tried smashbox much, but since I am the neutral shadow whore lover, I had to pick this up. What I like about it, or at least what made be gravitate towards this is unlike the UD naked palettes, this has a really good 50/50 split of mattes and shimmers. I like that its laid out with one row of shimmers and the other of mattes.

Now to be real, and full honest, the shadow pans are crooked in many places and I HATE that. It just makes it look cheaper to me. Not a big deal if the palette performs well, but something to note and something I hope Smashbox works on in the future.

Now the above swatches are the seven top shimmery shades in the order they fall in the palette. They are all a quick swatch with my finger and no primer. Let me tell you why I swatch this way as I have been asked before. I have some AMAZING brushes that can make even an under-performing shadow look good. Primer will make shadows look better, but each primer is different. To me, this is the biggest test of how a shadow swatches. No gimmicks, no help, and pretty easy to get the same result everytime. Will primers and brushes make these swatches look better? Absolutely. And I would of course do that when wearing them. But if they dont swatch well on their own, I dont want the shadow. These swatch well. The only two that are slightly problematic at all are the olive tinged one (third from the right) which is a little dryer and gives a little bit of drag, and the last one which has a chunkier/more glittery feel to the shimmer which makes it kind of chunky.

And here are the mattes, again in the same order they fall in the palette. These may not look like much swatched in this fashion, bur for mattes, these are GREAT. The first one is the only one that is a little dryer but with a primer it is still lovely.

So what do I think of this palette overall? I LOVE IT! It has the shimmer and glitter that Urban Decay is known for yet the fallout is not near as bad as in the UD line (minus the last black one. that has fallout). They apply gorgeously (though not QUITE as well as Urban Decay if I want to be honest - though it is VERY close), and overall the shadows are consistent and lovely. I think this has great versatility both for those looking for subtle neural eyes (me) and those who want a deep dark smokey eye. I also think there is some nice colours for both those wanting more cool toned shades, as well as those looking for warmer shades.

If you don't already have the UD naked palette (do those people even exist nowadays?!) I think this is a very good alternative. Or if you are like me and simply need to own 12,323,654,564,684 shades of brown!