Products – evesix

Marcelle BB Cream

Hello new love! Please don’t let me down. :B

I wanted an all in one foundation type of thing to slap on, for days I don’t want to go the full foundation route. And oddly enough, I kind of….prefer this to anything else? I don’t know!

I’m SUPER pleased with the coverage, the colour and the texture. It’s not sheer like a tinted moisturizer, though sometimes I find it wears off a little faster than my usual foundation. But overall, I think it rocks. I might pair it more with a quick primer to see if lasts longer.

I’ve also tried the golden glow version, which is a little sparkly. But I do find it a bit dark for me (it’s more of a “one colour for everyone” version so that’s why), though it’s not too bad for summer and when I have a tan. I definitely prefer the regular, non-spf version.

Overall, highly recommended!

(Almost) A Year Later: NARS & MUFE

Originally I planned to post this quite awhile back, but it’s suitable now because I can give perspective on the long term usage of these products!

First up is NARS Illuminator in Copacabana.

My skintone is generally warm (I think) so I didn’t want to originally go for this colour because it’s fairly pinky/cool. I have a few other liquid highlighters though that are more golden so I thought this was a good choice for something different. I’ve tried it on top of foundation and mixed in and I’ve liked it both ways. These days it’s my go-to highlighter and I think I’d like to try another NARS one in a different shade.

Next up, Make Up For Ever’s Face and Body foundation.

Hmmm. I go back and forth on this. My normal foundation is Revlon Colorstay (normal/dry) in Buff, which I actually still love and recommend. My colour was 20 in this and it was a good match but probably more so for my skin tone in the summer. I’m still iffy on the formula, it’s a little watery and sheer for me but I like it once it “settles” on my face. I originally wanted a foundation to wear for photographed events as this one has no SPF in it. I’m going to continue to wear it off and on but I’m not sure if I’d repurchase. I think I can find an SPF-free foundation that I like better.

And finally, NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose.

This colour is INTENSE. WHOA. Maybe it’s just on me, and I’ve been daring with lip colour lately too. It’s very long-lasting, very pink and it does feel nice on. I hear it’s recommend to store these in the fridge to waste less product when you sharpen it (like many others I also wish this were twistable instead of needing sharpening). I find this leaves a very long lasting stain too, so that’s good and bad. I think I want another colour to try in this, one that I’d use more, maybe a coral shade?

Topbox August 2012: First Impressions

August Topbox! A little late this month.

There was another drugstore bonus this month.

I really haven’t researched this month to see if anyone got a different variety of shampoo and conditioner, I’m pretty sure I put on my Topbox profile what my hair type was? In any case, this is really useful to me…and not only that, they are GENEROUSLY sized bottles as well.

Sample-size: 10ml

Retails for: $75 (for 50ml)

I’m not aware of this brand but this product seems great, and once my current benzyl peroxide product runs out, I’ll be trying this.

Full-size

Retails for: $22

While I’d generally prefer to pick out and buy quality brushes for myself, this one isn’t half bad. It’s soft enough and I can use it as a backup at the very least!

Sample-size: 1 wipe

Retails for: $12 (for 15 wipes)

Any type of wipes are good to have on hand. I typically have baby wipes around (so much cheaper and just as good as those ‘personal wipes’ that they’ve been selling), so I’m not sure what benefit this could give that would make the price worth it but we’ll see! Though, they are paraben free. I’ve been trying to cut out products that have parabens/SLS etc in them to help out my skin, so points for Pink Wipes for that.

Chloé sample-size: 30ml

Retails for: $60 (for 200ml)

Dot sample-size: 4ml

Retails for: $105 (for 100ml)

I’m not really a perfume person. Not a “real” perfume person anyway. Give me etailer scents that are fruity or vanilla-ey etc and I’m fine, because they don’t have that perfume scent. You know, that basic alcoholy smell? Just me? Anyway, that said, these are SUPER adorable! Just look at those bottles! Of the two, I prefer the Chloé one.

Overall

I liked this month. All products included are ones that I have or will certainly try and that makes it worth it to me. If there comes a day where it doesn’t become worth it, I’ll cancel, but until then….

Also, I received a notice from Topbox saying that starting in the fall, they’re including at least 1 makeup sample per box. I think that’s awesome, as makeup is by far my fave items to get.

[rating=5]

Topbox July 2012: First Impressions

July Topbox!

We got to take a survey last month, where we were given some choice of nail polish items for July’s topbox. So I figured I’d be getting a China Glaze polish (my fave!) and we had a choice between a neutral or a neon. Not really a surprise which I picked:

Full-size: 14 ml

Retails for: $10-12 (according to Topbox, in reality I get it for $6 at Chatters or Sally’s)

The colour is Pink Voltage and it’s amazing. It’s on my toes right now and I’m pretty sure it’s so bright, my feet will glow in the dark. The tricky thing with neons though, just a warning, is that they dry matte. Which can be a cool look but it tends to chip. So adding a top coat makes it nice and glossy but you have to work fast. This is definitely my fave product of all of them this month.

Sample-size: 20 ml

Retails for: $25.25 (for 50 ml)

I don’t know this brand, apparently it is Canadian though. This mask looks good actually but I have yet to try it.

Sample-size: 4 ml

Retails for: $80 (for 50 ml)

I’m not a huge fan of high end creams. I suffer from eczema and am really wary about putting stuff on my face right now and am basically just sticking with simple, natural face creams right now. This looks interesting and maybe I’ll give it a try but something about the wee packets like this is a bit of a turn off, just reminds me of stuff I can get for free from Sephora or even Sears. Even had it been in a tiny bottle, it would have changed my perception completely.

When I saw this, along with the $100 “gift certificate” towards hair styling tools, my fave contorted into something really unpleasant. I’ve read the issues people had with crappier, not-to-be-named subscription beauty boxes with this brand (at least I think it was the same brand, it can’t be a coincidence). The problem was that it is basically a coupon since you have to spend money to get anything (because the items cost over $100 as is). Plus I hear the brands of flat irons/dryers/etc they sell you can find at Winners for super cheap. So meh. That’s not a turn off enough to not use the shampoo, but it made me take a disappointing pause at Topbox, I gotta admit.

One thing that bothers me is the tracking with Topbox. I guess Canada Post is to blame with that, but every month so far, I’ve received my box (tube) later than the expected date which is annoying. Also, because I’m on the east coast, I get the very last topbox, pretty much. It’s cool that Topbox asks everyone to not release “spoilers” of the box contents before a certain date each month…but that’s still like a week or 2 before I get mine 🙁 I get unintentionally spoiled each time because Topbox twitter and facebook will ask “how everyone liked _____ this month” and I want to say, “IDK, it’ll be at least a week or more before I get mine!”

Overall:
Well the nail polish made me super happy, it’s my favourite brand and I’ve wanted one of their neons. I didn’t like how they inflated the price though on the info card, and some of the other samples this month didn’t impress me. All in all, it’s my least favourite box so far.

[rating=4]

Topbox June 2012: First Impressions Review

So what’s in the box for this month?

You first notice the bonus card. That’s pretty neat, we get a couple extra drugstore samples. Sounds good to me.

Starting with the bonuses:

I’ve tried this already and used it. For me an eye makeup remover has to be non-stingy! Let’s just say…I’ve had a few bad experiences with some removers in my time. I’m a big fan of these liquid eye makeup removers and this one did the job. (And didn’t sting!) I bought several Simple products when I lived in London and liked them a lot, hopefully I’ll see their products in my local drugstores soon.

I’ve tried a sample of this recently when it was included in my Elle magazine. I like it well enough though I’m a bit picky when it comes to foundation-type products. I’ll use these samples for sure but as for purchasing a full sized product? Probably not. We’ll see though, Topbox was generous enough to include 3 packets (I stretched 1 packet out to 2 or 3 uses), so I’ll be able to test it out more.

Full-size: 1.5 g

Retails for: $12

This is supposedly a personalized shade (mine was Bella). I haven’t seen many other reviews this month yet but I’m curious as to what colour was included in others’ boxes! I’ve tried this product and I really like it. It looks dark in the swatch and on first application but it sheers out to a paler pink on my lips and it’s very pretty. I like the applicator brush too. I have read a few reviews on this gloss that say that this product is drying (it’s slightly minty, like a plumping gloss, which is why I think it’s drying for some) but I have to say I haven’t encountered this issue personally.

Swatch

Full-size: 10 ml

Retails for: $15

I love shimmer. I love eyeshadow. So a shimmery eye-shadow primer? Awesome. I wore this out today and over 8 hours later, my eyeshadow is in place and so is the sheen from the primer. Nice!

Sample-size: 5 ml

Retails for: $49 (for 45 ml)

My little card that came with the package said this product was a replacement for another so I had to hunt down information on what this was. Though pretty clearly from the name you can see it’s essentially a BB (Beauty Balm) cream. Duh, Amy. This morning I put it under makeup and was pretty impressed right away with how it evened out my complexion. Though my makeup did eventually start to disappear after several hours, I have to say it was really hot here today so I might have that to blame! I’ll keep trying this out, maybe wearing it on its own, to see more on what it’s like.

Sample-size: 3.5 ml

Retails for: $29 (for 7 ml)

Again, I tried this today already! I really liked the formulation of this, a lot. It’s definitely not clumpy or thick and I like the smaller wand (I wonder, does the big size have a wand like this or is it because it’s a sample? Hmm). While it applied nicely, it didn’t really curl much. I want to try this after using an eyelash curler to see if the results are better.

Overall
Seeing as I’ve tried and liked many of the products already says a lot. What I appreciate about Topbox is the emphasis on makeup. For me, and a lot of others too I think, when you get skincare samples they might be really awesome but it’s tricky to incorporate into your routine – much harder than makeup. It was no trouble for me to use a different eye makeup remover, or primer, or lipgloss or mascara today. It was super easy to test out the new makeup products in this month’s Topbox. My only complaint is how looooong it takes me to get the boxes (I know I’m in NL but still!) – I’m pretty sure I’m one of the last and frankly, that sucks. But overall, I was pleased this month! Looking forward to July’s. 🙂

[rating=5]