Sparkled Beauty

Some important product news first, before we look at deals this week.

Canada, we are getting Revlon's Pacific Coast collection, including the 4 new lip butters (pictured)!

According to Revlon Canada, displays have showed up in some stores already, so do give me a shout if you find them :)

Reader makemeup82 tweeted me a pic of Pure Ice nail polish at her Walmart in Southern Ontario. This was an absolute surprise as I never heard of them expanding outside US. Let's hope for awesome colours now and in the future :)

Also, my Walmart has the Hard Candy 2013 products up now. I already grabbed a few things :) I have no doubts that yours will soon, if not already.

Shoppers: Sat & Sun: For NS, NB, NL and PE: free $10 Shoppers gift card with $50 purchase; for BC, AB, MB, ON, SK, YT and NT: 2 free Cineplex tickets with $75 purchase
*** Sat & Sun: Ombrelle/ L'Oreal Sublime sun care: 30% off (rest of the week: 20% off
*** All week:
- Aveeno facial moisturizer: 25% off
- Aveeno, L'Oreal, Olay facial cleanser: CAD7.99
- Aveeno lotion, hair care: CAD6.99
- Neutrogena hair, shave, skin care: 25% off
- Dermaglow skin care: 20% off
- Avene facial moisturizer, Gentle milk cleanser, Protective toner, Micellar lotion, Extremely Gentle cleanser/ lotion, Defiskin Recovery cream: 20% off
- RoC cleanser: 25% off; Multi Correxion skin care: 20% off
- Vichy body care: 25% off
- Marcelle New Age skin care: x20 points
- Pepalash, Hydraluron Moisture Booster: CAD19.99
- Olay Fresh Effects, Garnier Pure Control skin care: 15% off
- Vaseline Spray & Go: CAD5.99
- Biore, Clean & Clear (selected types): CAD6.99
- Nivea lip butter, Vaseline lip therapy: CAD2.49
- Cover Girl blush, Lip Perfection lip, Simply Ageless, Outlast Stay Fabulous makeup: 20% off; NatureLuxe gloss balm, Eyelights eye: CAD7.99
- Maybelline Define-A-Lash mascara, Color Sensational lip, Fit Me makeup: 15% off
- L'oreal Infallible eyeshadow, Voluminous eye, Color Riche lip: CAD6.99; Infallible lip, Visible Lift makeup: 15% off
- Revlon eye (selected types): CAD7.99; ColorStay makeup: 15% off
- Annabelle Biggy bronzer, CC line: 15% off
- Physicians Formula: 30% off
- Rimmel lip/ eye (selected types): CAD3.99
- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, Rimmel 60 Seconds/ Lasting Finish nail polish: CAD3.99
- Maybelline Color Show nail polish: 3/$9 (or CAD3.99 each)
- Cover Girl Outlast Stay Brilliance nail polish: 15% off
- L'Oreal Color Riche nail polish: CAD5.99
- (Selected) fragrances: 25% off.

Bonus Optimum points until April 5:
- 2,000 points with purchase of any Olay Fresh Effects product
- 4,000 points when you spend $40 or more on Lise Watier colour cosmetic products.

Until April 12:
- 2,000 points with purchase of 2 participating Maybelline Fashion Week products (The Rocket mascara, Vivids/ Color Whisper lipsticks, Master Duo 2-in-1 liquid liners and Color Tattoos)
- x10 points when you spend $50 on Clinique Even Better.

Until April 19:
- x10 points with purchase of new Vidal Sassoon hair colour or hair care product
- x10 points with purchase of Olay Regenerist Eye and Lash Duo product
- x10 points with purchase of any participating Pantene Expert collection product
- 2,500 points with purchase of 2 Garnier Olia products
- 1,500 points when you spend $15 on Dove products
- 1,000 points with purchase of any Simple skin care product.

Until April 26:
- 2,000 points with purchase of any No7 anti-aging product

Lawtons:
- Annabelle eyehadow, eyeliner, mascara: 20% off (bonus 15 Airmiles when you spend $10)
- Maybelline eyeshadows: 25% off; the Rocket mascara: CAD6.99
- Maybelline (selected): bonus 15 miles when you spend $30
- L'Oreal: 25% off
- Revlon foundation, powder, concealer, primer, blush, nail polish, beauty tools: 20% off
- Revlon/ Almay cosmetics: 20% off  (bonus 30 miles when you spend $50)
- Cover Girl: 20% off
- Avene skin care: 25% off
- Vichy sun protection, after sun care: 20% off (bonus 15 miles when you buy 2); Celludestock Expert: 20% off (bonus 20 miles when you buy 1)
- Skin Doctors skin care: 30% off (bonus 15 miles when you buy 2)
- B. Kamins skin care set: 20% off (bonus 25 miles when you buy 2)
- Neostrata Lash Enhancer serum: 20% off (bonus 25 miles when you buy 1)
- Dermaglow skin care: 20% off (bonus 30 miles when you buy 2)
- Fruits & Passion gift set, Monoi collection: 20% off (bonus 10 miles when you buy 2)
- Olay Fresh Effects, Regenerist skin care: 20% off
- Bioderma cleanser, toner: 20% off
- Neutrogena facial moisturizer: 25% off
- Unison anti-aging mask: 20% off
- Garnier Olia hair colour: bonus 15 miles when you buy 2
- Batiste dry shampoo: CAD6.99
- Layla Ceramic Effect nail polish: 15% off (bonus 10 miles when you buy 2)
- Sinful Colors nail polish: 2/ CAD6
- Seche nail polish: bonus 10 miles when you buy 2.

Walmart:
- Revlon Nail Art nail polish - neons, Moon Candy, Expressionist: CAD5.94 (reg. $7.46)
- Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Lifter, Eraser, powder: CAD11.96 (reg. $12.96 - $13.96)
- Pond's 2-pack cream/ towelettes: CAD6.76.

Superstore:
- Blistex, Vaseline lip care, EoS lip balm: 25% off.

London Drugs: 6 weeks of Annabelle offers starting today to celebrate the brand's availability at all London Drugs locations.

- Week 1 (March 29 to April 3): spend $20 or more of Annabelle products and get a free Soho tote bag
- Week 2 (April 5 - 10): Annabelle eyeliners B2G1F
- Week 3 (April 12 - 17): free sample of Annabelle BB Cream Multi-Action SPF15 and $2 coupon off any Annabelle BB product, no purchase required
- Week 4 (April 19 - 24): Annabelle TwistUp Retractable lipstick crayons B2G1F
- Week 5 (April 26 to May 1): Annabelle CC products $9.99 each!!!
- Week 6 (May 3 - 8): buy any Annabelle mascara and receive a free Annabelle single eyeshadow.

No promotions on Thurday of each week.

MUA: Up to 1/2 price sale on selected lines until April 2 (5pm UK time), to celebrate their 3rd birthday.

Examples of discounts:
- Trio eyeshadows, eye primer, mosaic bronzers/ blushers: £1.50 (reg. £2.50)
- Palettes: £2-3 (reg. £4-6)
- Shimmer Kiss bronzers, Kiss Proof lip stains, Lip Booms: £1.50 (reg. £3)
- Gel eyeliners: £2 (reg. £3)
- Fairy Dust/ Mystical Glitter nail polish: £1.25 (reg. £2.50)
- Out There plumping glosses, Love Heart lip balms, Love Heart nail polish, false lashes: £1 (reg. £2), etc.

Illamasqua: Easter hunt with 45% off different sets of best selling shades (within a certain product) each day until Sunday. Clues are posted each day on the front page. International shipping is free with £50 orders. There is a 10% off loyalty discount on your third order :)

Just to give you an idea, I did do a little hunt myself. Yesterday's deal was powder eyeshadows in Vapour, Pivot, Inception, Justify, Tango and Wolf (£8/ $12.70 instead of £15.50/ $24.60) among 48 shades available.

Today's deal: Nail polish in Throb, Gamma, Hemlock, Poke, Collide and Bacterium (£7/ $11.11 instead of £13.50/ $21.43) among 59 shades.

Dynamite: get a $25 cash card with every $75 you spend, not sure when it ends. The cash card is redeemable on purchases of $60 or more from May 2 - 12.

Smartset: get 2 $25 saving passes with every $50 you spend until April 3. The passes are redeemable on purchases of $50 or more from April 18 to May 12 in store, one pass per transaction.

The Bay: 25% off regular-priced Topshop/ Topman shoes online and in selected stores until Sunday.

Saks: free shipping to Canada (and some other countries) with $99 orders till end of March. Use code "FREESHIP13".

Paypal: Duty-free week with code "DUTYFREE" on selected US retailers until April 3. Main sites include Saks (see the offer above), Bloomingdale's, Macy's, etc. I heard that these retailers use FiftyOne as their shipping agent, who charges a fee for their service. If any of you in Canada had shopped at these sites before, please let me know your experience.

Lastly, Swiss Chalet: free Lindt chocolate bunny (not sure the size, lol) with entree.

Happy Easter, everyone!

This is NCLA AM: Beauty Sleep, PM: Shopping Spree from the Spring 2013 Life's A Beach collection. The name is cute and it definitely speaks to me (about the shopping part, not much beauty sleep around here) lol.

This is two coats to the sheer opacity I want for a cream nail polish, not too thick on the nails.

The colour is pretty interesting. On me, the mint green tint was so light that in certain lighting, it looks very close to white, and seems to have a subtle glow/ iridescent effect to it, which makes it more interesting in my book.

I see AM: Beauty Sleep, PM: Shopping Spree as a sophisticated modern safe-for-work type of colour.

And it makes an awesome base for glitters, if you decide to add some afterward. Yes, you had seen this colour in my St. Patrick's Day NOTD :)

The elongated rectangular cap is easy to hold, the brush is of standard size. The cream finish did require a bit more time during application but the polish was not streaky or patchy after two coats. It wore well on me too, no chips until I removed it on the third day.

This closeup shows the colour most accurately. I enjoy it more than I thought I would.

My first experience with NCLA is a good one. Though I had seen this brand on nail blogs, can't say that I know Canada has access to it until I was sent two shades to try.

NCLA nail polish is available at Nail Polish Canada for $16 a pop, in different collections, singles, sets or nail wraps. The price does land above drugstore range, but I'll give it a fair chance. We'll see how the second shade performs before making a conclusion, but I am happy with AM: Beauty Sleep, PM: Shopping Spree.

I have some good product news to tell you in tomorrow`s flyer deal post, so make sure you come back for it. Have a great day!

Alright, a FOTD featuring Avon Ideal Flawless foundation in Medium Beige. As mentioned in my review, this shade is a bit dark on me even though it does not look like it in the pics :)

The regulars for the face:
- Sunscreen: La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF60
- Moisturizers: Yves RocherAnti-age Global day cream and eye cream
- Primers: Annabelle CC Instant Perfecting base in Natural and Luminous finish
- Concealer: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Spot treatment corrector in Light/ Medium
- Brow liner: Annabelle Skinny brow liner in Universal Medium
- Blush: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Fierce and Tangy
- Lips: Joe Fresh matte lipstick in Bubble Gum.

The Annabelle CC creams are now a natural step in my makeup routine. Maybelline Color Tattoo as a blush is not new, but Fierce and Tangy requires a bit more blending and is easy to look overdone in photos. Self reminder :)

On the eyes:
- Eye bases: Maybelline Color Tattoos in Tenacious Teal and Electric Blue
- Eyeshadows: L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows in Goldmine (to add shine to mid lids) and Eternal Black (just a tiny bit in the crease, an awesome black with silver glitters)
- Brow bone highlight: Annabelle eyeshadow in Aura
- Eye liners: Annabelle Smoothie eyeshadow pencils in Absinthe-Minded and In Mauve-tion
- Mascara: Lancome Hypnose mascara in Black.

In sharpening my Smoothies one night, I realized that I had forgotten to use In Mauve-tion, as it is now the longest pencil among the Smoothie bunch in my drawer. Correcting that now, as no Smoothies should feel left out :)

I like Joe Fresh matte lipsticks, as they are pigmented and not drying. Bubble Gum is not a colour I reach for often, however. Its blue base tends to make me look washed out. It'd look gorgeous on fairer skin toned ladies. Maybelline Vivid lipstick in Pink Pop is a similar case that comes to mind.

Near the end of the day, my face got a little oily but like I said before, the foundation last quite well. All in all, Avon Ideal Flawless foundation is a pretty good medium coverage foundation. I just need a lighter shade for the time being or mix Medium Beige with a lighter colour to match.

We made it half way through the week already, and 4-day long weekend can't come soon enough. I am frustrated with April travel arrangement to Toronto (seat sales are terrible right now), summer care for Squirt above everything else. Times like this, I wish I had a family member living with us, so I can get some extra help in a pinch. Hope your day is going better than mine :)

Heard about this foundation quite a bit on youtube, I finally went and got myself a bottle - Avon Ideal Flawless Invisible Coverage liquid foundation SPF15 (Broad spectrum) in Medium Beige

Advertised as having complete coverage that looks and feels 100% natural, Ideal Flawless is lightweight and oil-free, suitable for all skin types.

To me, it is a buildable medium coverage foundation, as I do have a lot to cover up and need concealer after but love the natural finish. If you have fewer flaws, this would work great for you.

Excuse the colour inaccuracy here, blame it on my camera :) The 2 pics below are true to colour.

Bonus points for the pump dispenser. Here is Ideal Flawless, with the cap off, next to my MAC NC35 (no pump). The shades in the bottles look pretty close right? Not really :)

Since we have to order Avon products based on catalogue pictures, I unfortunately picked a shade that was a bit darker than my match shade, but other than that, I have no complaints about how this foundation performs.

It last quite well (with a primer) for a work day, some fading near the end but by that time, I don't really care if my foundation fades anyway :) The skin feels light and I didn't suffer from any breakouts using it. SPF15 is a bit low in sun protection department, but I do use sunscreen on my face all the time, no biggy.


Swatches of Medium Beige (on the left) in comparison to MAC NC35 (on the right). See the difference now? Ideal Flawless has thicker consistency too, which I prefer.

I am holding off this foundation till the warmer months when my face gets a little darker, but I did do a FOTD with it on to show you :)

Ideal Flawless retails for $15 for 1oz/ 30ml from your Avon lady, but is often on sale. Note that the three darkest shades of this foundation (Earth, Dark Cocoa and Rich Espresso) have no SPF.

Here we are, another Monday. I had a really busy weekend, got a few goodies and found an exciting display to tell you about.

Shoppers had 40% off Quo brushes on Saturday. What surprised me this time was LE brush sets were included in the sale, not the norm but I am not complaining :)

The Touch of Pearl set from the Edge of Opulence collection (left, reg. $55) has white pearl-infused bristles, opalescent white handles and rose coloured ferules.

9 brushes: foundation, concealer, blush, powder, all over shadow, crease blender, shadow smudger, liner/brow and lip. The bag is in the same colour tone, with metal mesh on the outside. Very pretty!

The Butterfly brush set (right, reg. $50), with turquoise handles with butterfly prints all over, black bristles, gold coloured ferules, and a turquoise bag. 8 brushes: foundation, concealer, blush, shadow definer, crease blender, gel liner, liner/brow definer and lip.

At Winners, I found Misa Wanderlust display, with a lower price tag than my previous finds from this brand ($4.99 vs. $5.99).

This collection was beautiful, would not hurt at all to get all shades, but I limited myself to three. From L-R: Frozen in Time, Taking Chances and Live without Knowing. The names are beautiful too, don't you think?

The leopard background, if you are curious, are the Fancy Feet 3/4 shoe insoles/ cushions, reg. $6.99, on clearance for $3. Also come in black and nude. They aren't Dr. Scholl's but are delicate looking, great for high heels.

I also got some random non-beauty products, but are beauty related - a 12-inch non-skid turntable ($6.99) and a large non-skid shelf organizer ($5.99), both from a brand called COPCO.

Both items are made with sturdy plastic, the rubber layer provides extra protection for whatever you put on top :) I got  these to organize my precious nail polish on my computer desk - only those that I use often, like layering glitters, holos, matte top coat, top and base coat, etc. or those shades I want to try sooner than later.

My melmers are overflowing, and I have to take care of that soon but for now, I'm happy to get my desk look a little less like a nail polish dumpster :)

I could not miss The Body Shop sale this weekend. 3/ $30 I had seen before but not 4/$40 or 5/$50, great when I had a few lemmings or backups to pick up.

I got:
- SpaFit Firming & Toning gel cream massager ($30)
- Shimmer Cube #22 (with Pure Turquoise, Mint Green, Silver Grey and Forest Green eyeshadows, $22)
- Amazonian Wild Lily EDT from the Voyage collection (reg. $25) and
- Honey Bronze Shimmering dry oil ($22).

I couldn't use the March $15 off $40 coupon with this sale but had $25 credit at 8 LYB points and 10% LYB, so I didn't have to spend a lot out of pocket. A good haul overall.

At Lawtons, I found the Maybelline (LE) Color Goes Electric display which was not available to Canada originally.

The bad news is we only get almost half of the collection:
- 2 of the 3 baked blushes (Coral Burst and Wild Blossom), reg. $9.99
- 3 of 4 Eye Studio eyeshadow quads (Natural Shock, Violet Volt and Striking Blue), $11.99
- 2 of 4 Vivid lipsticks (Pop of Cherry and Electric Fuchsia), $9.99
- 2 of 6 High Shine glosses (Striking Peach and Punch of Pink), no price sticker yet
- 2 of 4 Master Drama liners (Purple Punch and Midnight Master), $9.99
- Some eyeshadow brushes.

I'm happy to get Pop of Cherry lipstick but sad to miss a cool purple gloss called Mirrored Plum. No Color Show nail polish in this release at Lawtons but I spotted a separate display at Shoppers.

How was everyone's weekend? We spent some good time at Burger week (see some highlights below), even went skating at the Oval (our outdoor rink) on its last day of the season. I didn't fare too well, fell on my butt even, but Squirt had fun.

Shoppers:
*** Fri only (still with last week's flyer): Redemption event - 50,000 points= $100 (extra $15), 95,000 points = $200 (extra $30)
*** Sat only: x20 points with $50 purchase
- Quo brushes: 40% off
- L'Oreal/ Aveeno facial moisturizer (including L'Oreal Miracle Blur): CAD19.99 (limit 4, after limit and rest of the week: CAD20.99)
*** All week: Cover Fx (selected products) are still 50% off
- Garnier/ Biore/ Olay Pro X or Regenerist skin care: 25% off
- Avene skin care: 20% off
- Clean & Clear/ Clearasil acne care: 20% off
- Blistex/ Burt's Bees/ Chapstick lip care: CAD3.99
- Revlon lip: CAD7.99; ColorStay, PhotoReady concealer, Nearly Naked makeup: CAD10.99
- Cover GirlCheekers powder blush, eyeshadow, Clean makeup: CAD5.99
- Rimmel Glam Eyes eyeliner, shadow, Scandal Eyes mascara, Clean Finish foundation: CAD5.99
- Maybelline Color Whisper lipstick, Dream Bouncy blush, Rocket mascara: 20% off; Fit Me makeup: CAD8.99
- Annabelle Expandable mascara, Roll-on eyeshadow: CAD7.99
- Almay eye makeup remover, Clear Complexion makeup: 20% off
- Gosh eye: 20% off
- Quo BB cream, face powder, primer: 10% off; makeup: 15% off
- Quo by Orly nail polish: CAD8.99
- Essie Sleek Stick, nail polish, treatment: CAD9.99
- Nicole by OPI nail polish, treatment: CAD5.99
- Sally Hansen Complete Salon nail polish: CAD7.99; Nail art pen, crackle, Gem Crush nail polish: CAD4.99
- Cover Girl Outlast Stay Brilliant nail polish: CAD5.99.

Last day of Spring Beauty bonus at Beauty Boutiques only: GWP of $125 on cosmetics, fragrances and skin care. The gift includes 15 luxury samples and a vintage inspired case, valued $158.

Bonus Optimum point offers, last day:
- x20 points on Garnier skin care
- x20 points on got2b/ Gosh/ Peter Lamas hair care, Sally Hershberger styling products
- x20 points on Gosh eye products
- x20 points on Hydraluron Moisture Booster, Eysilix or Nanoblur cream
- x15 points when you spend $25 on Quo products, x20 Quo implements or brushes
- x10 points with purchase of any Eucerin face care product
- x10 points with purchase of any participating Olay Fresh Effects skin care product
- x10 points with purchase of any Vaseline Spray & Go product
- x10 points with purchase of any TreSeme Keratin Smooth product
- 10,000 points with purchase of any 2 Estee Lauder skin care products
- 2,000 points with purchase of any 2 Maybelline Dream bouncy blush, Rocket mascara, Color Sensational lipstick.

Until April 5:
- 4,000 points when you spend $40 or more on Lise Watier colour cosmetic products.

Until April 12:
- 2,000 points with purchase of 2 participating Maybelline Fashion Week products (The Rocket mascara, Vivids/ Color Whisper lipsticks, Master Duo 2-in-1 liquid liners and Color Tattoos).

Until April 19:
- x10 points with purchase of new Vidal Sassoon hair colour or hair care product
- x10 points with purchase of Olay Regenerist Eye and Lash Duo product
- x10 points with purchase of any participating Pantene Expert collection product
- 2,500 points with purchase of 2 Garnier Olia products
- 1,500 points when you spend $15 on Dove products
- 1,000 points with purchase of any Simple skin care product.

Lawtons: Real Techniques brushes will be available at Lawtons starting mid April. More for us, Maritimers :)
- Annabelle foundation, powder, concealer, blush: 25% off (10 bonus Airmiles when you buy 2)
- Milani: 20% off (10 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Revlon ColorStay: 30% off (5 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Maybelline foundation, powder, concealer, mascara: 25% off (5 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Bonne Bell Lip Smacker: 25% off (15 bonus miles when you spend $15)
- Physicians Formula: 20% off (10 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Mistura Essentials kit, compact refill: 35% off
- Vasanti: 20% off (30 bonus miles when you spend $30)
- Marcelle makeup palette: 10 bonus miles when you buy 1; makeup remover: CAD9.95
- RapidLash: 25 bonus miles when you buy 1
- L'Oreal RevitaLift Triple Power LZR: 25% off
- Vichy Celludestock Expert: 20% off (15 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Bioderma: 25% off
- Avene DIFI, Tolerance Extreme, Gentle cleanser: 20% off (20 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Vitabath: 30% off
- Upper Canada Fruit Frappe bath: BOGO
- Fruits & Passion bath: 20% off (10 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Ascenta NutraSea Omega-3: 30% off
- Neutrogena acne: 25% off
- Goody hair care: 30% off (10 bonus miles when you buy 3)
- Aussie/ Herbal Essences hair care: CAD2.99
- L'Oreal hair colour: 25% off (20 bonus miles when you buy 3)
- Garnier hair colour: 15% off (10 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Revlon ColorSilk, Root Erase hair colour: CAD5.99 (20 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Red Carpet LED gel nail polish, treatment: 20% off
- Essie nail polish, treatment: 15% off
- Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez: CAD8.99.

Walmart:
- Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation: CAD9.98, concealer: CAD7.98, shimmer balm: CAD5.98
- Garnier Skin Renew BB cream: CAD12.97
- Neutrogena/ Aveeno cleansers: $1 off
- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail polish: CAD2.47.

Superstore:
- Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Neutrogena facial care: 40% off.

Ebates Canada: Spring Fashion Double cash back event (direct link, my referral link is on the left side bar if you want one) until March 26. Some main deals:
- Old Navy, GAP: 4%
- Victoria's Secrets: 4%
- The Bay: 5%
- Nordstrom: 6%
- Nine West: 7%
- Neiman Marcus: 8%
- Sephora: 8%
- Aldo: 8%
- Lancome: 10%
- TOMS: 10%
- The Body Shop: 12%.

The Body Shop: the best sale ever 3/$30, (and for the first time) 4/$40 or 5/$50 until Sunday, in store and online.

If you shop online, don't forget ebates double cash back (listed above), $5 flat rate shipping for $50 orders, or free with $75 orders.

Exclusions: 750ml Shower gels, 400ml Body butters, 300ml scrubs, Nutriganics Drops of Youth, Skin care kits, 80ml Dreams Unlimited EDP, All-In-One BB cream, pre-packaged gifts, bundles, sale items, online Outlet items, gift cards, LYB memberships and charitable items.

I was lucky to grab some Drops of Youth with previous 3/$30 sale, sadly it is excluded this time around.

For my local readers, Burger Week has started, now till March 27. 22 places, different types of burgers (beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, haddock) to choose from.

EDIT to add: Earth Hour is happening on Saturday, at 8:30pm. Let's participate!

It has been a while since I got a bunch of W7 shades in the Nail polish haul last August. Thought it was time to pull one out to try.

This is W7 Metallic Venus, a purple blue duochrome. I was feeling a dark mood one day, and this fulfilled it. Dark but with a coloured kick. The world needs more duochromes with gorgeous shimmers like this :) I feel bad neglecting these W7 colours, they are great, just a bit hard to come by.

There is an important appearance/ hidden review of Wet n Wild Fergie nail polish in this post as well, stay tuned!

Here I did two thicker coats of Metallic Venus for full opacity, 3 thin coats would do as well. No application issue, and the brush is just the right size.

Talking about application and brush, Wet n Wild Fergie nail polish offers a totally different story.

I was excited when the WnW wall display at Walmart has these and bought Dutchess by the way it looked. It is a beautiful teal blue with different sizes of glitters (fine, round, hex) in blue, teal and hot pink.

Right? It looks super gorgeous in the bottle. When swatched, it was sheer, so I layered two coats of it on top of Metallic Venus on the ring finger.

It dried semi matte, which I didn't expect but I loved a surprise anyway. It would have been a perfect pairing between Metallic Venus and Dutchess (well, they looked awesome together here) if the brush did not give me such a hard time.

The bottle of the Fergie line is taller than normal WnW design, and someone decided that a wide brush is needed for that. Wide brushes do offer faster application but when they are too wide to fit through the bottle neck, we have a problem!

Yes, there is the solution to decant this into a different bottle with a good brush, but I shouldn't need to.

Here are the 2 brushes side by side - W7 on the left (same size as China Glaze brushes) and WnW Fergie on the right.

The WnW Fergie brush was huge! It was too wide and thick, makes it hard to not touch your cuticles while painting your nails (mess #1), and hard to dip the brush back in the bottle for the next swipe without flaring it or a few bristles getting caught by the bottle neck (mess #2).

I can't imagine the shape of this brush after about 3-4 mani, if it doesn't fall apart, at least it would look like a dog had gone at it (not that a dog would eat a nail polish brush, but you get my point). I love Dutchess as a colour but it is probably not worth fighting with the brush for.

So Metallic Venus is a good nail polish, and Dutchess is a so so. Have a safe day out there fighting with travelling after a snow storm, Haligonians.

I hope everyone had a fun St. Patrick's Day. I wasn't out partying or drinking green beer, but I did have some green on, for the occasion :)

Thought I should do a quick look of the day, focusing just on the green products used, to change things up.

On my eyes were:
- Maybelline Color Tattoo in Edgy Emerald as base
- Annabelle Custom Quad eyeshadows in Fantasy (outer corners) and Rainforest (mid lids)
- Annabelle Hawaian Hues palette: champagne for brow bone highlight and gold for inner corners
- Annabelle Smoothie eyeshadow pencils in Absinthe-Minded and Down 2 Earth on lower lash line.

I even had my green skinny jeans on but missed the free David's Tea offer for the day. So no drinks for me!

On my nails was 2 coats of LA Girl Glitter Addict in Purge on top of a pastel mint colour base.

Some of you might recall that I tweeted about not wanting green on my nails after wearing different shades of green the whole week. Trust me, I did go for a mint cream colour, but Purge was just St. Patrick's Day in a bottle, with green glitters of different sizes in a clear base, I couldn't resist. I'm not a rebel after all lol.

All in all, St. Patrick's Day is just an excuse to wear lots of green without anybody complaining about it :) I just need more days for other colours to be featured.

2 winter storms are expected here this week, so no Spring is not coming just yet, no matter what the calendar might say. Stay safe, guys!

Whoa, a dip in temperature to -19 (-2F) windchill today, wth is Spring? Anyway, to boost up Monday's energy, here is a collective haul of what I got in the last 2 weeks for you guys :)

Shoppers had a one-day sale for 25% off regular priced items with $50 purchase two weeks ago.

I took the opportunity to get 2 of Marcelle's best sellers in bonus sizes at great prices, with the $10 off $25 coupon Marcelle offered for International Women's Day. Can't you tell this was the deal I have been waiting for? :)

I paid only $20 for both:
- Marcelle BB cream 70ml, $22.95 before discounts (same price as the regular 45ml) - only in the regular formula (not the SPF or Golden Glow)
- Marcelle Essentials Smoothing cleansing water 400ml, $17.50 (vs. the 200ml $14.50).

Even without any discount, the bonus size is already a great deal, and they are only available for limited time, so stock up! If you can't find these in their special display, check the wall shelf, they might be put back in there when the store clears the floor.

I went to a Shoppers that was a bit out of my way, and found Essence's Spring 2013 products in their regular display. I bought all the 3D eyeshadows, CAD3.49 each :)

First row, from L-R: Irresistible First Love, Irresistible Purr-ple, Irresistible Mermaid Kiss.

Second row: Irresistible Caramel Cream, Irresistible Chocolates and Irresistible Smokey Eye.

Discontinued products (selected shades of single eyeshadows, lipsticks, eyeliners, etc.) are reduced to $1 each, have fun shopping :)

Found lots of China Glaze from the extra 50% off clearance items at Sally. They were previously red tagged for $4.29.

I got China Glaze Sea Spray (dupe of Essie Sag Harbor), Starboard and White Cap - all from the Anchor's Away collection (Spring 2011).

Considering this collection is like 2 years old, I thought it was gone forever. Glad to haul some shades I missed.

And on the very right, randomly, Tree Hugger, a shade from the core line being discontinued.

More :)

China Glaze Escaping Reality, Igniting Love, Bend over Backwards, Hanging In The Balance and Water You Waiting For from the Cirque du Soleil collection (Winter 2012).

No It’s A Trap-Eze!, obviously, but I am happy to own these nonetheless.

A reminder, China Glaze are 2/ $10 all month of March, except the Glitz Bitz 'n Pieces collection. And the core line has been added with a few colours from selected previous LE collections.

Some examples, off the top of my head:

- Luxe And Lush (on the left) and Electrify (Capitol Colours - Hunger Games collection)

- Rare & Radiant, No Plain Jane and Deviantly Daring (on the right) (Bohemian Luster Chrome collection)

- Full Spectrum, Liquid Crystal and Prism (Prismatic collection).

If you missed out when they were first released, now it's your chance :)

From Lawtons, Avene gift sets are 50% off this week. I got the Hydrance Optimale Light, reg. $36.50, with three free bonus gifts.

The box was photographed from the top down to show you the 2 compartments. Nice as a gift.

The main product is Hydrance Optimale Light Hydrating cream (for normal to combination sensitive skin, 40ml). There is another version of this set for dry to very dry sensitive skin.

The bonuses are Soothing Moisture mask (20ml), Moisturizing body lotion (50ml) and Thermal Spring water (50ml). Free gifts and 50%? I`m in!

In the left corner is the EoS lip balm duo, Spring LE edition, with Strawberry Sorbet (pink) and Passion Fruit (purple), $5.99. Not on sale, but the price was right and I didn't want to miss the chance to grab them.

From the clearance section at Lawtons, China Glaze Tranzitions collection was $4.99, I only got Modify Me, one with more noticeable colour change.

OPI Mariah Carey collection was slightly discounted to $7.99 each, I got the 2 Liquid Sands - Can't Let Go and Get Your Number.

Also a heads up, Fruits & Passion's selected scents are being cleared out for 75% off. I saw Passion Fruit - Guava (my favorite), Field Berries, Orange - Cantaloupe and Pear - Peony.

At Winners, I found Color Club Fiesta collection in a set. There are a few exciting things about this find.

(1) The price is only $9.99 (past finds in the past of Color Club sets were $13 - $15).

(2) All individual bottles now have name stickers at the bottom. No more guessing, oh yeah!

The colours are, from L-R: Mamba, Flamingo, Wild Cactus, Sunrise Canyon, Endless Summer, On The Rocks, and a clear top coat. They also come in duos, $4.99 each, if you don't want the whole set.

And another exciting find at Winners: Color Club Halo Hues 2013 collection!!! $7.99 a piece. No sign of Halo Hues 2012, but the 2013 bunch is better anyway. This is $2 cheaper than Color Club's retail price, and no shipping cost :) The display was almost full when I found it.

From L-R: Eternal Beauty, Cosmic Fate, Beyond, Miss Bliss, Over the Moon and Kismet.

I didn't get any shades, since I'm counting on a friend in Toronto who can find them cheaper, but I am glad Winners have these. I know we all kinda secretly hope Color Club will have these in a set, like for the Fiesta collection above, but this will do, for now :)

A very long post, isn't it? Hope you all start out the week on a positive note. And if any of you spots Essence Vintage District display at Shoppers, give me a shout, please! :)

Shoppers: Today is the $10 off $50 event with this coupon, last day on the current flyer.

*** Sat & Sun: receive a surprise gift card worth $10, $15, $25 or $50 off your next purchase with $50 purchase
*** Spring Beauty bonus at Beauty Boutiques only: GWP of $125 on cosmetics, fragrances and skin care until March 22. The gift includes 15 luxury samples and a vintage inspired case, valued $158.

*** All week: Don't forget about Cover Fx (selected products) 50% off
- Vichy skin care: 20% off
- La Roche-Posay skin care: 15% off
- Balea/ Life Brand shave, sun or skin care: 25% off
- Neutrogena shave, facial moisturizer: 25% off
- RoC body care: 25% off, skin care: 20% off
- Marcelle Essentials skin care: CAD11.99
- Revlon PhotoReady eyeshadow, ColorStay concealer, Nearly Naked makeup: CAD11.99; PhotoReady makeup: 20% off
- Maybelline Baby Lips, Express Wear eyeshadow, Instant Age Rewind concealer: 15% off
- Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1, Advanced Radiance, True Blend makeup: CAD11.99; Lip Perfection lip products: CAD8.99; ShadowBlast eyeshadow, Line Blast eyeliner, Smoothers makeup: CAD7.99
- Almay Wake Up products, eye: 30% off; Smart Shade mousse makeup: CAD14.99
- Annabelle Biggy bronzer: CAD9.99
- Cover Girl Outlast Stay Brilliant nail polish: CAD6.99
- L'Oreal Color Riche, Revlon nail polish: CAD3.99
- Sally Hansen Complete Salon, Lustre Shine, Magnetic nail polish: CAD7.99; Xtreme Wear nail polish: CAD2.99
- Rimmel Lasting Finish nail polish: CAD2.99
- Elizabeth Arden: GWP of 2 Ceramide skin care products
- Biotherm: 6-pc GWP of $30 or more, until March 24.

Bonus Optimum point offers until March 22:
- x20 points on Garnier skin care
- x20 points on got2b/ Gosh/ Peter Lamas hair care, Sally Hershberger styling products
- x20 points on Gosh eye products
- x20 points on Hydraluron Moisture Booster, Eysilix or Nanoblur cream
- x15 points when you spend $25 on Quo products, x20 Quo implements or brushes
- x10 points with purchase of any Eucerin face care product
- x10 points with purchase of any participating Olay Fresh Effects skin care product
- x10 points with purchase of any Vaseline Spray & Go product
- x10 points with purchase of any TreSeme Keratin Smooth product
- x10 points with purchase of any participating Pantene Pro-V Expert collection hair care product
- 10,000 points with purchase of any 2 Estee Lauder skin care products
- 2,000 points with purchase of any 2 Maybelline Dream bouncy blush, Rocket mascara, Color Sensational lipstick.

Until April 5:
- 4,000 points when you spend $40 or more on Lise Watier colour cosmetic products.

Lawtons:
*** Until Sunday: earn Airmiles when redeeming Airmiles (redeem 95 miles for $10 at check out and earn 25 bonus miles back, and so on)
*** Bonus Airmiles:
- Spend $50 on P & G products (Cover Girl, Olay, Clairol, Pantene, Secret, etc.), earn 25 bonus miles
- Spend $30 on Johnson & Johnson products (Johnson's, Aveeno, Clean & Clear, etc.), earn 20 bonus miles
- Spend $50 on L'Oreal, Garnier, Maybelline products, earn 25 bonus miles
- Spend $50 on Pfizer products (Chapstick, Advil, Centrum, etc.), earn 50 bonus miles.

*** All week:
- Clean & Clear Morning Burst: CAD5.99
- Vichy Normaderm: 20% off (15 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Neostrata: 20 bonus miles when you buy 1
- La Roche-Posay sun care: 20% off (10 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Avene skin care set: 50% off
- Garnier Moiture Rescue skin care: 30% off
- L'Oreal Ideal Moisture skin care: 25% off
- Marcelle Revival skin care: 20% off, get a free Revival product (pink bottle) with purchase of 2
- Fruits & Passion: free hand butter (40g) with purchase of 2 Pomelo Granite bath products (10 bonus miles when you buy 1)
- Herbal Essences, Aussie hair care: CAD2.99
- Vaseline moisturizer (including Spray & Go): CAD4.99
- EoS Spring lip balm duo: CAD5.99
- Maybelline lip, Color Show nail polish: 20% off
- L'Oreal eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara: 20% off
- Cover Girl Clump Crusher mascara: CAD5.99
- Revlon PhotoReady eyeshadow: CAD8.99 (10 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- LA Colors/ LA Girl: 20% off (50 bonus miles when you spend $25)
- Vasanti: 50 bonus miles when you spend $25, free single eyeshadow when you spend $20
- Revlon nail polish, beauty tools: 25% off (20 bonus miles when you spend $20)
- Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez, Modern Family nail polish: CAD7.99
- Layla Ceramic Effect: 15% off (10 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Essie nail treatment: 15% off (25 bonus miles when you buy 2)
- Seche nails: 10 bonus miles when you buy 2.

Walmart:
- Pantene shampoo, conditioner, styling/ Infusium 23 hair care: CAD3.96 (reg. $4.96 - $5.76)
- Aveeno Active Naturals lotion, baby cream: CAD7.94 (reg. $9.47)
- Aveeno, Neutrogena, Clean & Clear cleanser, moisturizer, makeup remover: on roll back
- Olay Total Effects moisturizer: CAD20.77 (reg. $23.47)
- Cover Girl Clean foundation, powder: CAD5.97; Clump Crusher, Lash Blast Volume, Intense Shadow Blast, Liquiline: CAD6.97
- Rimmel ScandalEyes mascara, liner, shadow: CAD5.98
- Rimmel 60 Second nail polish: CAD2.98
- L'Oreal nail polish: CAD4.46.

Superstore: Fri & Sat: Tax free in NS.

Joe Fresh: Spend $50 on Joe Fresh apparel (excludes sunglasses, jewelry, cosmetics, bath & body products) till March 22 and get a free $10 gift card.

Sally: Extra 50% off red tag clearance items, now till Sunday. If you follow me on twitter, you already got a heads up about this yesterday :)

Ebates Canada: Spring Fashion Double cash back event (direct link, my referral link is on the left side bar if you want one). I'm not sure how long this is on for though. Some main deals:
- Old Navy, GAP: 4%
- Victoria's Secrets: 4%
- Express: 5%
- Garage: 6%
- Sephora: 8%
- Aldo: 8%
- Lancome: 10%
- The Body Shop: 12%.

The Bay: Shiseido GWP of $43 or more, now till March 24. The gift includes some best selling skin care and makeup, in a pink or lilac envelope clutch, valued $65.

And until Sunday, March 17, with $75 Shiseido purchase using Hudson's Bay credit card or MasterCard, you can get a $25 Saving card, redeemable on your next purchase of $100 or more until March 31 (excludes cosmetics and fragrances).

EDIT to add: The Bay just emailed this Online exclusive deal: Fri & Sat, the first 2,000 customers to spend $100 on cosmetics or fragrances will get a $20 saving card, redeemable on any in store purchase of $50 or more until April 14.

Old Navy: Super Cash is on for the whole month of March.

I have been testing out a few Layla Bubbly Effect shades, mixed results. I am showing you one today, it is Meringue Pie, a while colour.

The base for this mani in Sinful Colors Why Not, a beautiful pigmented one coater aqua blue. You see, I had the image of the blue sky and white clouds in my head but did not want to do any stamping or free handing. So this was what I came up with :)

Why Not applied pretty true to the bottle colour but since we put a white nail polish over it, the end result looked a bit lighter. Note though, it slightly stained your cuticle during removal.

The trick to Layla Bubbly Effects is to apply one very very thin coat. Wipe almost all the nail polish off the brush, leaving a tiny dollop at the tip and paint the whole nail with it, over the base of course. Any more than this and the bubbly effect would not happen.

And when it did happen, it was pretty random. Some days, it really bubbled up, showing spots (in different sizes) on the nails. Some other days, we see this - mostly stripes with a few spots here and there. On day 2, cracks even appeared on my middle finger (see closeup below).

In the 3 - 4 times I wore Layla Bubble Effect, this was the first that it cracked, with Meringue Pie. It was a bummer, but at least it was only visible when you looked closely. Also worth noting that after day 2, the white layer seemed to rub off a bit around the edges somehow.

All in all, I am not fully in love with Bubble Effects. Though this blue and while combination does look pretty on the nails, with the Layla price tag (between $10 - 15), I would expect a bit more quality control. I bought mine on clearance but still have expectations. Well, on to the next experiment, I guess :)

Have a good Thursday, ladies!

Another test run on Annabelle CC Instant Perfecting base, this time I only used the Luminous finish.

It is totally fine to use the Luminous finish by itself, as it only adds subtle glow to your face without being overly shimmery or unnatural looking. I save Luminous finish for days that I wake up with boring and dull skin, it gives that extra boost to the look.

Other products on the face:
- Sunscreen: La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF60
- Moisturizer: Vichy Normaderm Hydrating Acne care
- Foundation: L'Oreal True Match foundation SPF17 in Sun Beige
- Brow liner: Avon Ultra Luxury liner in Dark Brown
- Blush: Sally Hansen Natural Beauty sheerest cream blush in Sunrise
- Lips: Elf lipstick in Classy and Dior Rouge lipstick in Rose Paparazzi.

Elf Classy is supposedly a dupe for MAC Angel, I'm happy just to own the more inexpensive version :) Rose Paparazzi added a bit more pink frost to the lips.

I did not use a concealer on my dark spots in this look to see if the glow from the CC base will overwhelm them :) Well it didn't entirely but I ignore a concealer when I was on the go.

On the eyes:
- Eye primer: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Electric Blue
- Eyeshadows: Jesse's Girl baked eyeshadow in Moonbeam and Annabelle Hawaian Hues palette (champagne on the brow bone, grey as transition colour to blend out the blue)
- Eye liners: Annabelle Smoothie eyeshadow pencils in Licoriche and Blubomb
- Mascara: Almay One Coat Get up & Grow mascara in Blackest Black.

Electric Blue is an awesome dark blue base. Anytime I reach for it, I end up with a smoky eye look :)

A little behind-the-scene secret. This look was done on Sunday, the morning after the time change. I fell asleep early Saturday night and woke up around 1am. I was on the laptop for a bit and witnessed the magical moment when the time jumped from 1:59 to 3. I lost an hour just for sitting there lol. The result of all this was a tired looking face in the morning. So yeah, Luminous saved me.

Have I been persuasive enough that you decide to try out a CC Instant Perfecting base? And I have sales to pair with this too :)

Those who don't have a London Drug can grab one at Shoppers this week for $12.99. It is 18,500 points with $75 purchase today, or save $10 with $50 purchase on Friday, to boost.

Those who do have a London Drugs and can wait until April 26 will be able to get it for $9.99 (part of the 6-week Annabelle promotions there).

And don't forget the $2 coupons for the CC line on the display or near the regular wall shelf.

Sparkled Beauty has gone all "princess Jasmine" for a day, and a Canadian Jasmine at that when most makeup used is from Annabelle :)

I love so many Annabelle products lately, wanna count? :)

Face:
- CC Instant Perfecting base in Natural finish, followed by Skin True Natural Lightweight foundation in Soft Tan
- Zebra bronzing powder in Haute Gold on forehead, cheeks, jawline and both sides of the bridge of the nose
- Skinny brow liner in Universal Medium
- TwistUp Retractable lipstick crayons in Bubble and Absolute

Eyes:
- Roll-on eyeshadow + liner for Brown eyes - the eyeshadow in the middle of the lids and the liner on the upper lash line
- Hawaian Hues palette - the blue and aqua in the inner corners, the bronze as brow bone highlight and the light gold on the bridge of the nose
- Expandable mascara in Black.

The inspiration is from this jewel toned Jasmine look done with Sephora Jasmine palette, hence the tittle.



I even tried to include the side braid (which you can't see very well), flower on my hair, and jewelry. I hardy ever wear my hair any other way than straight, so braids is already a lot of work. Don't laugh :)

Other products used:
- Moisturizer: SeabuckWonders Himalayan Sea Buckthorn Deep Hydrating serum and facial cream
- Concealer: Hard Candy Glamouflage Heavy duty concealer in Medium
- Eyeshadows: L'Oreal Infallible eyshadows in Burning Black (outer V and lower lash line), blended out with Bronzed Taupe.

I did not use a blush in this look, to keep with the sun kissed colour tone, achieved fully with the bronzer.

Happy to say I don't feel the urgent need to purchase the Sephora Jasmine palette anymore, now that I realized I had all the colours needed. Great save, Annabelle, great save!

It never occurred to me to use a bronze colour on my brow bone to warm up the look and the eyes, like what a bronzer does to your bone structure. I would definitely wear my highlight this way more often in the summer.

Also, adding colours to the inner corners instead of mid lids is new to me as well, I normally go with white/ beige colour family, for brighten up effect. I love makeup, you can use colours anywhere, in any nontraditional way you could think of. And you can wash it off at the end of the day and start fresh the next day.

I hope you like the look, one of my favorites so far. Annabelle's Spring 2013 products are fabulous and pack a few surprises. Call me bias (because this is a Canadian brand, not because the products were sent to me as I have already bought a few myself), I concur :)

If you haven't noticed already, drugstore makeup is at its prime. To continue the good streak, I have reviews for you today of the Annabelle Spring 2013 products. It is a long one, sit tight :)

I was super excited about the CC (Colour Control) line, since it deals with issues my skin has.

The CC pressed powder (in Light/ Medium here), enriched with Vitamin E and antioxidants, is to offer a flawless anti-shine finish. The hidden compartment has a mirror and a brush for touchups.

The Instant Perfecting bases (in Natural and Luminous finish) have microsized spherical powders with photoluminescent diamond controls (neutralizing redness, dull and uneven complexion), corrects (reducing appearance of pores and fine line) and primes skin for makeup, improves foundation wear.

These products are oil/ paraben/ perfume free, lightweight, non-sticky and suits all skin tones.

Swatches of the Instant Perfecting bases - Natural finish on the left, Luminous finish in the middle (you can see the glow on the top), and the pressed powder - almost invisible, on the right.

My experience with the Instant Perfecting bases has been very pleasant. The natural finish offers a natural my-skin-but-better look while the luminous finish offers a soft glow, subtle and not shimmery. I have done looks with both to show you in next posts.

The powder is great as finishing powder for me. Coverage is light, not enough to hide my flaws, even with a concealer, so I definitely still need a foundation. But if you have good complexion, the base and this powder might be all you need.

The line retails $16.95 a piece.The bases have 1oz/ 30ml, the powder contains 0.28oz/ 8g. They are on sale this week at Shoppers for $12.99, plus $2 off coupons are available on the display, best time to get them!

The dual-ended tube of Roll-on Eyeshadow + Liner sparkled some doubt in my mind about its practicality (well, the roll-on part), but I was surprised of how much I enjoyed using it. This shade is for brown eyes, with a taupe loose eyeshadow with a roller ball applicator on one end, and a black liquid eyeliner with a fine brush on the other end.

The roller ball deposits the eyeshadow quite well then you can blend with a brush. If the product does not come out as much as you want, just give it a gently shake to get more product near the roller ball.

Due to its loose form, the eyeshadow does have fallouts and needs a good base/ primer to stick to on your lids for more than 4 hours.

You can mix some eyeshadow with iTransformer (or a mixing medium of sort) to turn it to a cream eyeshadow, for easier application.

The liquid liner is a typical black liner, gets a little heavy once dry. I only applied a very thin line a few times I tested it, hard to testify about any flaking or fading, unfortunately. Swatches are below :)

The product retails for $10.95, 4 colour combinations. The eyeshadow size has 0.05oz/ 1.5g, the eyeliner has 0.12oz/ 3.5g.

Now the Expandable mascara :)

The polymer brush changes with a turn of the dial (following the + or - signs on the hot pink stripes at the bottom of the handle). I already bought myself this mascara before the press sample, so I have two brushes to compare the wand lengths.

The expanded form is to create
volume and the retracted form for length and definition. The brush is a little harder than what I am used to, so take a bit of care when you bring it close to the lashes.

Volume? Definitely, but when you go over the lashes with the shortened brush for length, don't apply more than 2 coats or you will end up with clumped lashes. I would say the good combo for me is one coat of each length. The formula is not wet coming out of the tube, very easy to use. I did not experience smudging or transferring with this mascara.

Suggested retail price: $10.95, 0.25oz/ 7ml.

And lastly, the Zebra bronzing powder in Haute Gold in Biggy size - 0.65oz/ 18.7g (vs. the now-discontinued size 0.37oz/ 10.7g). I put them side by side so you can see how big it has "grown". Note the heart image on the lid, my camera loves Haute Gold too :)

I got this bronzer (the smaller one) back in 2010, hit pan slightly, and it is still one of my favorite bronzers. Love the wave pattern with a mix of bronze and gold colours, the warmth it brings to my face, the very subtle silky shimmer that adds just the right shine where needed. Enough said?

The Biggy size of this bronzer retails for $11.95.

Swatches of the roll-on eyeshadow and liner, and the bronzer.

This eyeshadow (I wish it has its own name instead of just "eyeshadow for brown eyes" lol) looks nothing special in the tube but swatches beautifully. It is a taupe, with hints of purple. To help with your imagination, it is very close to the infamous MAC Satin Taupe :)

On the eyes, it shows up less saturated, more like a light taupe. Great as a wash colour, or to bright up the inner half of the lids, or add a pop of colour in the middle of the lids.

The liner did not smear when I did some messy lines on my hand. The pigmentation is not crazy/ extreme intense but good enough. If you plan to do thick lines/ cat eyes with this liner, it might pull your lash line a little afterward, based on my experience with thin lines.

The bronzer is just simply beautiful, works well on me. For fairer skin tone, this colour still works, just use a light hand and build gradually if needed.

To summarize, the best Spring product from Annabelle is definitely the CC Instant Perfecting bases, both finishes are wonderful. Check out the FOTDs with the CC Natural finish base and the CC Luminous finish base. And if you haven't own the Haute Gold bronzer for some reason, get to it, Summer is not too far away :)