Written Reviews

This is another in a long line of "Christine made me buy it" colour cosmetics. I first discovered the new "Tisse" shadows here at Temptalia and, after purchasing and totally loving Tisse Gabrielle, I treated myself to Tisse Rivoli. These 4 lovely shades on a brown theme are not so warm that I have a hard time wearing them. They are versatile, flattering and the texture is lovely. While they're not intensely pigmented, the colours are easily buildable. And I've found that the tiny applicators that come with these quads aren't sponge-tipped; they're more like cotton flannel and, surprisingly, they do a really good job of applying the shadows. They work even better than brushes do. Like I say, it was quite a surprise and I'm glad I didn't toss these, which is what I usually do with the tiny "sponge tipped" applicators that come with eye shadows.

This is my latest purchase from Sephora's collection of Contour Eye Pencils. I must have 6 or 7 at least and I really like these (obviously). Flirting Game is a lovely slightly purple-leaning taupe. It reminds me of Cargo's Yukon eyeshadow but in pencil form. Great colour, great quality and great price.

This is one of those "Christine made me buy it" purchases. I got this in September/14, when these first hit the Sephora stores in Canada. The colour is a gorgeous smokey/murky green and the texture and quality are superb. I also love that at least at Sephora, the more shadows you buy, the lower the individual price (you save a considerable amount when you buy 3 at a time rather than buying them one-at-a-time) and that it's easy to customize palettes to your preference (though I do wish they had a 4 or 6 pan palette available). If I had a complaint, it would be that there is almost too much product for people like me, who never even hit pan on smaller eyeshadows. I'd prefer a smaller pan and a somewhat lower price. But that's a minor quibble.

Sephora calls this shade "dark taupe" but to me, its more of a very light neutral brown or a dark, neutral beige. The finish is "luster matte", whatever that means. It's actually a nice matte - not too dry or "dead" looking. Malted Milkshake is a pretty apt name for this colour and while it may not look like the most exciting colour in the world, it is such a great crease or blending out shade when you want to fade out a deeper shade of eyeshadow. These Sephora shadows are an amazing value - the price is great and if you buy 2, you get a free 3-pan palette; if you buy 3, you get a free 6 pan one. None of this would mean much if the shadows themselves weren't of good quality, but they are. Also, Sephora has made it easy to depot these for transferring to their empty (free) palettes or any other palette of your choice.

First, I just want to say that I so wish we could purchase less costly (cheap plastic packaging) "refill pearls" for these products as the packaging is pretty lush and certainly easily refillable and reusable and saving a few bucks (or maybe more than a few) is something I'd sure appreciate. I finally treated myself to these iconic beads in 02/Clair. All I can say is that these do not disappoint and I only wish I hadn't spent a sizable amount already on Hourglass Ambient Light powders and Dior Rose Diamond (I was desperate to get another one before they were discontinued). Those are all nice products and good quality and give a lovely finish to the skin but they pale by comparison to the Meteorites. I think these will replace the other products I mentioned. I much prefer the glowing but natural results I get with Meteorites.

I have them both so can attest to the fact that this is an absolute dupe for Marc Jacobs Brown(out) liner, which costs about 3 times as much for considerably less product. Cappuccino may not be as long lasting and does not apply quite as smoothly, nor is it waterline safe but considering the price, this is a really fabulous pencil and a fabulous value. It is such a pretty shade of brown - not red-toned - and the golden glitter in it is subtle and flattering.

This is probably my 6th or 7th Contour Eye Pencil purchase and I am loving it as much as I love the others I have from this line. The colour is a lovely green/gold that isn't too dark or intense and is a nice change from black or really dark brown liners. These pencils offer such great value and quality - they apply smoothly and wear well all day and into the night. I find them much more long lasting than UD's 24/7 liners at about half the price.

As much as I love Naked1, I love Naked2 even more for its slightly cooler shades. This is a wonderfully versatile neutral palette that offers great shadows in terrific colours (at least for me) that are neutral and still exciting.

Book of Shadows III was my first Book of Shadows purchase. I was so excited to get it and while I do find the packaging gimmicky (I prefer streamlined, simple packaging), I still get such a kick out of it, not just for the funny NYC, pop up book inspired innards (though my light ups stopped working awfully soon after getting this) but also for the great variety of eyeshadows inside - everything from practical neutrals to vibrant brights and, as one comes to expect with UD, a few glitter nightmares (this was my first encounter with Maui Wowie, which I loved so much in spite of the uncontrollable glitter that I even bought the "newly formulated" version in hopes that the fallout wasn't as bad; sadly, it is just as bad!).

I got Tender Caramel ages ago and I'm pretty sure that, unfortunately, it was limited edition although this is another shade that L'Oreal would have been wise to add to the permanent collection (instead of the 2 or 3 almost identical shades of shiny beige they have!). This is a lovely metallic/shimmery champagne-y taupe shade. It is great on its own or paired with a more matte neutral. It applies so smoothly and beautifully, like most of the Infallible shadows and it wears well all day. You can dab/smooth this on with a finger or with a brush - either gives great results and these shadows are so easy to work with and such good value.

This is the only lash curler I own and I was SO excited to find it here in Canada (on those "check out" shelves that are so tempting as you're waiting to pay for your purchases). I am thrilled with the effects this curler gives but it makes me really angry that you cannot get replacement pads for this - there is the one on the curler when you buy it and one "spare" set and that's it. At this price, one should be able to purchase replacement pads whenever they're needed. This curler isn't cheap and having to toss it out because you've blown through the 2 pairs of pads is sort of like having to throw out your entire car because the tires are worn! It really angers me that companies can "play" us like this.

How I wish this was available as a full-sized single product. I have it in the trio of powders and it is by far my favourite and one I would love to repurchase on its own, if only I could. This gives the prettiest, most flattering "lit from within" finish to my face when I dust it over liquid foundation as a setting powder. The sheen is subtle and flattering.

This is a great and less expensive way to sample some of the Ambient Light powders, which are very nice, luxury indulgences but not exactly as magical as Hourglass's publicity would like us to believe. Alas, my favourite shade of the 3 is Incandescent and that is not available as a single powder. These make great all over powders, setting powders or subtle, flattering highlighters.

I got this marked down at Sephora and was thrilled because I had come close to buying this at full price but felt it was over-priced for what it is. Still, the shadows are absolutely first rate and this is actually a really practical and wearable collection of neutral shadows. They are all matte or have very subtle sheen - no typical UD glitter nightmares in this assortment. But UD goofed up somehow in their packaging/labelling. Both the box and the instruction "card" show the double shadows (black and white) "flipped" so if you want to follow UD's suggestions for the look, and if you have a palette like Christine's, you will have to reverse the shadows - Anger is actually white and Furious is the black shadow. My palette has them placed correctly and they "match up" with the box and instruction card but Christine's, the one shown at the UD and Sephora sites and most of the photos I've seen online show them placed incorrectly.

I am more than a bit surprised by the low rating (C-) for this shadow from Naked2Basics as it is probably the shade I use most often. I love the coolness of the tone and the fact that it can be built up for more intensity but I don't need to worry about ending up with it being too dark after my first (often rushed and so sometimes heavy-handed) swipe of this. For a "naked" and "basic" shade, it is perfectly balanced in terms of pigmentation and "build-a-bility" for my needs.

Taupe Gray is one of the first 2 shadows I purchased from MUFE's new release of shades. I wanted to see the shadows in store (rather than taking a chance on ordering online from swatches I'd seen) and I got this shade mostly because the one I REALLY wanted (Platinum Taupe, I think it's called) was one they don't carry in-store at the Sephoras near me so I'll have to order it online. Anyway....I digress. I purchased Taupe Grey, which is a Satin finish. It's almost matte, just with a bit more "life" to it and this is a great neutral shade - the perfect balance between grey and light, cool brown. It isn't all that super-exciting but it is one of those shadows that I find myself reaching for on an almost daily basis, either as a subtle crease shade or a blending colour. Not too dark, not too light; not too cool, not too warm - as Goldilocks might say, "just right". If anything, rather than "too little product", I feel you get too much with these. I wish they were smaller and with a smaller price tag so I could indulge in more than just 4 or 5 shadows.

I was so pleased to "discover" LdeP liquid foundation years ago. I'd pretty much decided I'd never be able to find a liquid foundation that would make my skin look better than when I wasn't wearing anything, and had pretty much relegated myself to wearing mineral powders (which I do still use and enjoy, I might add). It seemed that no matter which foundations I tried (from Revlon and L'Oreal to Nars, MUFE, some MAC formulas), the foundation would settle into dots along-side my nose and no amount of blending would make these "dots" disappear. I don't know - perhaps I was "over-blending" but I found it so frustrating because I wanted the option of liquid foundation - I figured if EVERYONE ELSE could use liquids with success, why not ME??? Then I discovered LdeP and I was in heaven. Yes, it's somewhat pricey but after all the money I'd wasted on products that didn't work at all, this seemed like a "bargain". This foundation has remained a favourite, especially for those times when I really want to look "flawless". It feels light and weightless, applies easily and without "dots", wears well and doesn't oxidize. Perfection!

I've had this nice little quad for years and always enjoy using it for a quick and polished look. I really miss the "Ready" eyeshadows; the formula was so nice. I guess my biggest "complaint" would be that Ballgown and Tres Chic are very close in colour; the textures are different (Ballgown is much more shimmery) and that I wish Tres Chic had been replaced with a more ivory or beige shade with a bit of sheen or pearl to it. Other than that, this quad is a little treasure.

Several years ago, because of my own foolish attempt to be "sensible", I missed out on MAC's Subtle Breeze Mineralize Blush. I did buy its warmer companion, Early Morning, and my love affair with the finish (not so much the colour, though), I've been kicking myself ever since and I've been waiting for a new MAC Mineralize Blush release that would rival Subtle Breeze. Having read the review of Sweet Sentiment, I decided that this might be just what I have been waiting for. In store, swatched on my hand, this didn't look very pigmented at all and I was of 2 minds with regard to buying it but having used my new one (rather than the counter tester) several times, I am thrilled. The colour is a perfect pretty, clean shade of pink. It buffs out to a very natural looking flush of colour and it wore exceedingly well on me, garnering several compliments when I wore it through a long work day followed by a long evening helping my sister in law with a rehearsal dinner she was hosting.

What a great versatile neutral shadow for an extremely budget friendly price! Nutty is very close to a lot of higher priced shadows in terms of colour - UD's YDK, Nars Ashes to Ashes, Chanel Safari. It may not be an exact dupe for any of these but it's close enough that for the price difference, I'm hard-pressed to quibble. As with all the WnW shadows, my experience is that these don't travel very well and can crumble. I don't know if it's the packaging itself (which isn't very sturdy) or the formula of the shadows or both but for home use, you can't beat these and Nutty is just a great basic and versatile shadow to have.