Sparkled Beauty

A festive FOTD today featuring Flower Beauty's holiday sets that I have reviewed for you.

From the Eye See You rose gold 8-shade eyeshadow palette:
- the metallic rose on the lid
- the glittery charcoal black in outer corner and on the lower lash line (with an eyeshadow brush) and
- the matte brown as transition (blended with the Ultimate eyeshadow brush)
Plus the Extreme Measures lengthening mascara on the lashes.

On the lips is Red-dy to Bloom from the Color in the Lines mini Lip Chubby set. This red (even when pairing with a dark eye) is to change my own habit of reaching for safe-for-work colours.

Other products used:
- Vichy Norma Teint Anti Imperfection foundation in #35 Sand
- It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eyes full coverage concealer in Neutral Medium and LA Girl Pro Conceal HD concealer in Pure Beige
- Joe Fresh mousse blush in Rose
- Maybelline Color Tattoo in Stroke of Midnight as a base for the charcoal black eyeshadow
- Annabelle Stay Sharp Waterproof kohl eyeliner in Go Black
- Annabelle Stay Sharp Waterproof lip liner in Glam Red
Embracing the Stay Sharp lines very much lately for convenience :)
- Annabelle InstaGlam Brow Design + Fix in Medium to Dark and Wet n Wild Color Icon brow & eye liner in Mink Brown.

If you notice a change in how my pictures look in the last few posts, it's the camera. I lost the charger during the trip, and the replacement I ordered would take its sweet time to get here.

Not that my current camera is anything fancy but I have got a few tricks to manipulate it and play with lighting :( For now, I am using Squirt's camera, oh the process of learning how to "use" it properly!

How have you been dealing with the extreme -20 (or lower) weather? I am miserable even with Sorel boots and fleece lined tights, but who isn't this side of the globe? That's when I go extreme with either bright or vampy lips and nails, if you haven't noticed the trend already :)

Anything exciting you look forward to this weekend?

Following Flower Beauty Eye See You beauty set yesterday, the Color in the Lines mini Lip Chubby beauty set is next on this blog :)

This set was in huge demand compared to the eye sets, judging by the nonexistence of store stock after Christmas. I was fast enough to order it online on Boxing Day before it sold out.

The set (reg. $9, values $14.94) includes 3 mini-sized Lip Suede Velvet lip chubbies (0.03oz/ 1g each). Great value, but wait until you read more about the pencils themselves

Still excessive outside packaging, but it's good to illustrate how tiny the pencils are :) Here are Mauve Over, Red-dy to Bloom and Berry-more.

Flower Beauty Lip Suede Velvet lip chubbies (0.09oz/ 3g full size, $7.98 each) are twist-up lip crayons with a satin-matte/ velvet finish. The formula has the Papaya and Orchid hydrating complex, with no fragrance, Talc, D5 or Parabens.

The line has 5 shades, with the best 3 in this set. Stay true to the name, these chubbies do not have any shine but are not completely matte either.

Great pigmentation too, I did two swipes here.

I have been wearing Mauve Over to work so much. It is not really a mauve but a pink nude, quite flattering on.

Red-dy to Bloom is your typical red to rock those holiday parties.

Berry-more is the deeper pink version of Mauve Over, and a red version of Maybelline creamy matte in Touch of Spice.

All 3 shades are easy to put on, comfortable to wear, great colours and not drying on the lips. I get about 3 hours of wear out of them, don't mind reapplying with these cuties.

If you can't find these minis, grab the full sizes in store. Flower Beauty also had a mini Eye Chubby holiday set in the US, but you know the story, we didn't get it. Stay tuned for the FOTD tomorrow.

I could not wait very long to dig into the Flower Beauty Eye See You eye beauty set I got during Boxing Week.

There are two different Eye See You sets released by Flower Beauty for the holiday.

Each set (reg. $19, value $31.94) includes:
- a 8-shade Shadow Play eyeshadow palette (0.05oz/ 1.5g)
- an Ultimate eyeshadow brush, and
- an Extreme Measures lengthening mascara.

I am reviewing the rose gold set today, as the eyeshadow colour combination is more of my taste - warm tone, with a few browns and darker shades. The purple set leans toward blue tone, which I might not use as often.

Flower Beauty's regular eyeshadow quads retail for $9.98 each and the 8-shade palettes are only available in these sets, so this set is already a deal at $19, not counting the extra products.

And if you grab it after Christmas like I did, they would be 50% off (during Boxing Week) or 75% off (as soon as New Year hit), even better!

This is the outside (excessive but festive) packaging, lots of space to list the contents and their ingredients (in the back).

The packaging of the individual products is beautiful, black and gold theme. Let's see!

The Shadow Play eyeshadows are infused with Ginko Biloba extract, supposedly gives them the luminous finish. I do find them easy to blend, with various levels of pigmentation and finishes (see below).

No individual names on the eyeshadows nor the palette itself. I heard the 4 shades on the right are from the existing Foxy Browns quad while the other 4 are exclusives to the palette.

Swatches below are done with some building up work, i.e. the eyeshadows are not one swipers but pigmentation improves after second/ third layers.

Here's the first row.

The peachy orange is hardly visible on my skin tone and kicks up some powder with the dip of the brush.

The glittery black is unfortunately not that black, more like a charcoal. The silver glitters are not visible on the eyes, no worries.

The pink is quite pale, good for brow bone area. Also a little soft/ chalky.

The light brown is slightly metallic, great for a transition job.

The second row is where all the jam is. I love it!

The purple with strong tint of grey builds up the nicest. It shows up lighter on the eyes, so again, build it up if you want that intense purple sheen.

The metallic rose is pretty, my lid colour of choice.

The matte brown is another hit in the palette. Enough said?

The grey looks boring in the pan but comes quite alive in swatches. Surprise!

The Ultimate eyeshadow brush (reg. $7.98), meant for all-over shading/ highlighting, deserves some mention too!

It is a great full sized bonus to the palette, not one of those crappy brushes included in palettes just to be thrown away later.

I love the soft (synthetic) bristles and the "flat on one side and rounded on the other" handle. I was a little skeptic about blending with its size and bristle density, but it works better than I expected.

Lastly, the Extreme Measures lengthening mascara in Intense Black (also full sized, 0.25oz/ 7g, reg. $6.98).

Bonus point for the appearance - sleek shiny black packaging, ergonomic handle for good grip.

The formula has Red Seaweed (for elasticity), shiny Polymers (for shine) and vegetal Polymers (for adherence).

The brush is nice, with an hourglass shape. It separates my lashes well but is too flexible/ bendy to offer a good control during application, I find.

Overall, I am a fan of this set for its value and the quality of most products. If Flower Beauty brings out more palettes, I'll definitely explore some more.

Stay tuned for the review of Flower Beauty Color in the Lines mini Lip Chubby beauty set tomorrow and a FOTD to follow. I am disappointed that the Brush Up! set (only brushes) didn't make it to Canada.

It's about time to show you what I got over Boxing Week, online and in stores. Being on vacation didn't stop me getting in on good deals :)

At Shoppers, Quo holiday collection was cleared out for 50% off. Beauty Boutique locations seemed to have more in stock. I already got my fair share of the Back to Basics (original and Matte) palettes so I only grabbed the All About Brows set (reg. $20).

Annabelle holiday Lipsies duos were half price too (reg. $7.95). I found 3 sets, from L-R:
- Flirty Candy Cane & Cinnamon Candy
- Yummy Gingerbread & Grandma's Peppermint
- Roasted Marshmallow & Hot Chocolate.

Quo Backstage brush set (reg. $65), part of the holiday collection, was also 50% off. Love the long gold handles, contrasting the black bristles.

If you don't know me by now, I could hardly ever pass up on a brush set clearance, especially with Quo and Sephora. And then put them on display, as the boxes are too pretty to use lol.

Found a gift set that includes my favorite Vichy Aqualia Thermal Night Spa, reg. $44 (values $59), 50% off. Basically I paid $22 for my beloved Night Spa and has a free gift (Aqua Thermal lip balm) to tote around in my bag.

I always plan my Shoppers trip with a x20 point event or a coupon ($10 off $50, etc.) which happens ever so often. Don't walk in the door without an offer :)

Walmart put Christmas items on clearance of 50% off starting Boxing Day, then 75% off after New Year for whatever left.

I got the Flower Beauty Color in the Lines mini Lip Chubby beauty set (reg. $9) online before it was sold out. None left in the stores when I checked.

There were still a few Eye See You eye beauty sets (reg. $19) left for the 75% off in store, so I picked up the rose gold set and the purple set.

Similarly, Joe Fresh had some lips, eyes and nails holiday gift sets on clearance at Superstore.

I grabbed the 5-piece Chubby lipstick set and 5-piece Chubby eyeshadow set on 75% off (reg. $10 each).

I saw a few sets of holiday nail polish but the colours didn't really wow me on the spot, so I am still thinking about it. The price is great though.

Winners didn't have much new stuff, so I only bought 2 things from the clearance section:
- China Glaze All Aboard set for $18 (reg. $24.99), mainly because of Choo-Choo-Chose You, and
- Real Techniques Retractable Bronzer brush $11 (reg. $14.99).

I recalled seeing a lot of holiday gift sets at Winners before I left for vacation. Guess those were sold out right away on Boxing Day :)

Last but not least, Sephora! The extra 20% off sale item promo was definitely nice, but I panicked and got a few things (noted below with a *) before the code was sent out, fearing they would be sold out quickly.

Bite Beauty Deconstructed Rose lipstick trio* ($40) made an appearance for a split second before selling out. Considering these lipsticks retail $32 a piece, the trio is definitely a steal.

Sephora Favorites SummerStash set (reg. $54) landed on the sale page for $36, so why not? :) I'm excited about the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor cheek gelee in Pink Escape and OCC Stained Gloss in New Wave.

Make Up For Ever Studio Case (reg. $68.50) was discounted to $45 the day I went to use my $25 VIB Rouge credit, so it turned out to be the best deal I had. Wanted it for so long! Still missed out on the 30 Color set, but it would probably never be back.

Also eyed Stila Merry & Bright set (reg. $38, on sale for $26) for a while but I held off until 20% off. Main focus was the Convertible in Tulip but the jeweled headband was a nice touch :)

Same situation with Sephora Eye Look book set (reg. $35, on sale for $25). It would look good on a book case too, as the 4 little palettes (The Nude, the Smoky, the Party and the Metallic eye look) sit snugly in a case like books.

Benefit 3 Scoops O' Sexy set* (reg. $50, on sale for $30) sold out quite fast. I didn't have any tints or balms from Benefit, guess the set was a good opportunity to try them. I have high hope for the Lolli duo, my type of colour.

Last but not least, the big ticket item - Sephora 24 Karat Gold Mine brush set* (reg. $106, on sale for $56). It would be nice if I could grab it with 20% off but what can you do?

The gold detail definitely intrigued me but the selling point was the long ferule that ran along the handle. Very classy and luxurious. Again, don't know if I have the heart to break them out of the box yet :)

Still on the way to me are Josie Maran Winter Dreams Argan Color collection ($36 from $43 reg.) and OCC Colour Pencil Essentials set ($24 from $54 reg.). Shipping took some sweet time this time of year.

What have you been hauling in the last week or two?

This post is to prove how much Canada has been missing out in the beauty world. My CP package from the US arrived couple days ago. Awesome products, and we were able to pair up some godo sales too.

First off, Wet n Wild. The Maritimes is lucky to have Lawtons who carries the brand but not all LE collections make it up North.

Here are two of the latest trios they released in the Tough Girl collection - I Don't Do Camouflage and Enlisting for Beauty.

At this point, I am not sure Canada will get this collection as the last collection I saw was the Pop Art Craze.

Since these were on sale for $2 each, I did not want to miss the chance. Temptalia hasn't been giving the Pop Art Craze very good grades, I hope these are better.

Similarly, with Physicians Formula, certain products seem to be either not available here at all or out of stock all the time, as I couldn't find them anywhere.

When these were on BOGO plus +UP reward, I couldn't help myself:
- Matte eyeshadow quads in Canyon  Classics and Classic Nudes, $7.25 each reg.
- Shimmer Strips eyeliner trios in Warm Nude Eyes and Hazel Eyes (the later shade is available in Canada, I think), $11.95 each.

Notice a trend so far? I've been into matte and neutral eyeshadows lately, almost feel like I need to collect all the matte neutrals or something lol. I heard these are good ones.

These Milani rose blushes are LE and Canada won't be getting them, which made me want them even more.

I got Warm Petals and Romantic Rose, retail $9.49 a piece, also on Extra Bucks promo at the time.

Reviews on YT have been mixed though, some raved about them, some said they weren't anything special.

This Maybelline Dream Sun bronzing face illuminator ($9.49) was a LE product quite a while ago. I almost had no expectation of my friend being able to find it but she did. Feels like I own a piece of "history" lol.

Also from Maybelline are the LE Color Sensational lipsticks in Lavender Voltage and Violet Intrigue, reg. $7.99 on BOGO1/2.

The On the Runway collection hasn't showed up in Canada, I don't think. Maybelline Canada did mention the Color Show Vintage Leather will arrive soon though, so let's hope for the rest.

One of the latest raves in the drugstore range is Jordana's new products. The brand is not available in Canada, so no chance of me getting anything.

My friend got me the Twist and Shine moisturizing balm stains in Cranberry Crush, Sweet Pink and Honey Love ($2.99 each), and a 12hr Made to Last eyeshadow pencil in Eternal White, $3.99.

I could have asked for the whole line at this kind of price, but I tried to be good there :)

Same availability situation with Jordana is Flower Beauty. I told myself that I only wanted to try their cream eyeshadows and asked for 4 (4, $7.98 each).

First row: Orchid-ing Around, Midnight Garden.

Second row: Awesome Blossom and Time Willow Tell.

I haven't swatched them, but first impression, these have bulkier packaging which will take up more space in storage. I might look pass that if the quality is good :)

The biggest rave of them all recently is the L'Oreal (LE) La Lacque lip colours.

As I mentioned before on this blog, L'Oreal Canada confirmed that we won't get these, and they were not very easy to find in the US either.

My friend found Lacquer-ized, Never Lacque-ing and Lacque-onic for me, and even better, they were on sale, with +UP reward promo.

I am super happy to finally own these, almost want to ask for backups now. We might have better luck with the Revlon ColorBurst lacquer balms and matte balms as they are permanent, with wider colour range. The matter is when :)

Only a few nail polish from Salon Perfect, $3.98 each. Canada does get some the brand's core shades but none of the special releases. So unfair, as their permanent colours are boring, I have to say.

I got:
- Zapped, Jolt and Kaboom from the Summer collection
- Ivy League, Cafe Ole, Red Dahlia (dupe of the famous Chanel Malice) and Raisin the Roof from the Fall collection.

There are certainly many more products and brands that I wanted from the US, but I stopped there, for now :) I hope I don't make my fellow Canadian readers feel too bad. We certainly have some good Canadian brands here who start opening their doors to (at least) the US market - Annabelle/ Marcelle, Lise Watier, as examples. Why can't US brands do the same eh?