Sparkled Beauty

Also from Quo's Spring collection I started telling you about yesterday are the Prismatic eye palettes in Intergalactic (colours shown in the pic), Infinity and Colourful Life.

Couldn't help but show you the beautiful purple/ pink patterns on the packaging again.

All 3 Prismatic eye palettes include a good amount of mattes, which are smooth, stay on well and do not look muddy when blended. However, you will need to a good primer for them and use dabbing instead of swiping motion to put them on, as they are slightly powdery.

Like the blushes and bronzers in the Prismatic face palettes, the eyeshadows in these palettes are not pigmented at first swipe but build amazingly well, also blend very easily, almost effortlessly.

Swatches below were done with a damp eyeshadow brush, 2 swipes for metallic looking shades and 3 swipes with extra dabs for mattes to show you the colours. 

Intergalactic is a cool toned palette with lots of greys and blues. I find it having lots of subtle shades and lacking darker shades for transition. The muted blue in the middle of second row is the only one that works on me.

The black is a let down, pigmentation wise, unfortunately, but you can totally pull off a smoky eye with the dark navy in lower left corner. It has glitter particles that do not transfer much to the lids, and the colour is more intense on the eyes than shown here.

Infinity is warmer but still includes lots of muted/ gentle shades. I am not complaining, as I use most of them so often for inner lids and highlights.

As you might notice, the third and fourth shade of first row almost do not show up on me at all and the plum in the lower right corner is probably the only one that works for the crease/ outer V.

Colourful Life is the Easter palette in a nutshell. Lots of pastels, which are quite subtle on the lids but still visible enough to be different from each other.

I am smitten with the lilac on the far right, very fairy-like. The white and yellow have the most beautiful sheen. Not to say that others are not pretty, pastel-y style of course. The grey-toned plum is also the only darker shade, might might make it more of an accompany palette than a stand-alone one.

I know the colour range and subtle pigmentation might not be for everyone, but if you are  looking for daily easy to wear palettes with matte shades and like to build up the colours gradually, these palettes are it. 10x1g, $18 each.

Available this month with classic black packaging and gorgeous 3D-painted-glass-looking front is Quo Spring collection I received for review.

The red themed packaging is the face palette, blue themed for brows (to be featured today) while the pink/ purple theme is for eyes (reviewed tomorrow).

The palettes have a weight to them, feel sturdy in my hand. The front also feels heavy and will tip the palette over if you have it at about 45 degree angle, so make sure you open it all the way or hold on to them when in use.

There are 2 Prismatic face palettes in the collection - Stardust (left) and Moonwalk (right). And they are specials in a few different ways.

Firstly, I love the fact that the pans spread out across the palette, no wasted space.

Secondly, the blushes and bronzers appear to have scarce glitter particles on the surface but don't dismiss the palettes because of it. They do not transfer to the face (and to the swatches below).

The colours have soft texture and great buildability. They go on lightly on the first swipe but build up very easily, catering different intensity preferences in face products for you.

The highlighters are also smooth and beautiful, with noticeable but still subtle shine. I am happy we get all 3 products in one palette but wish the highlighter gets the same size of pan as I can see myself using it every day.

Stardust has the traditional colour choices that might suit more than one skin tone. The shades look slightly different in warm and cool lighting, as you see, all have the iridescent finish to them.

And thirdly, I fell hard for Moonwalk because of the cool-toned "bronzer", quite rare for drugstores. Hardly a bronzer as it is very light with an almost lilac undertone, it reminds me of Hourglass Mood Light. I use it along the frame of my face as a finish powder.

The blush and bronzer are 6g each, highlighter 3.4g, $18 for each palette.

In a much smaller and blue-patterned compact, is the Prismatic brow kit.

It only comes in one colour combination, with a wax/ cream and 2 shades of brown powders. The wax is very soft but applies well, does not get messy and dries soft as well. I use the light brown for the inner third of the brows and the dark brown for the rest. The colours look quite natural on, which I enjoy.

The tiny dual-ended brush is tiny, not easy to hold, but it does the job. One slightly more firm end for the wax and the softer end for the powders. All in all, it is a fun little brow kit, not a must have but it works for me.

The cream is 0.5g and powders are 1.2g each. The kit sells for $12.

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?

A dark plummy FOTD featuring Quo Back to Basics Matte palette for you guys today.

The colours I used:
- The first shade (off white): brow bone highlight
The lightest colour in the palette but does not show up very well on my skin tone as a highlight
- The fifth shade (pale brown): transition
- The eighth shade (pale pink): inner corner
- The tenth shade (plum): outer corner and (smudged) lower lash line
- The last shade (black): crease.

Thanks to the great pigmentation, the plum and back did not take much to build up the colour intensity and were easy to blend. The look was even more intense IRL, I wouldn't wear it during the day lol.

Other products used:

- Annabelle CC Instant Perfecting base in Luminous finish
- Avon Ideal Flawless foundation in Medium Beige
- Cover FX Conceal Fx Camouflage concealer in Light
- Vasanti All Star 2-in-1 face and eye primer
- Avon SuperShock gel eye liner pencil in Plumful on the lower lash line (before smudging in the Quo plum shade)
- Milani Runway Lashes Instant Volume mascara in Black
- TwistUp Retractable lipstick crayon in Heartbreaker (Metal Mix collection)
I went against the "rule" to pair an intense eye with a red lip here :)
- Joe Fresh mousse blush in Rose, applied lightly
- InstaGlam Brow Design + Fix in Medium to Dark and Wet n Wild Color Icon brow & eye liner in Dark Brown.

So Sephora VIB sale ended yesterday (the code stayed active for an extra day). Did you survive it with some change left in your wallet? I just barely... lol. Now the fun of waiting for the packages to arrive :)

The hunt for Quo Back to Basics Matte is over! If your Shoppers hasn't got them in, check back, as there seems to be a delay in shipping both Back to Basics palettes to stores.

I found a Back to Basics Matte ($25, on the right) but not the original on the display, so I pulled out the Back to Basics Original from previous year (on the left) to show you.

I like the pattern on this year's palette better, still gold, still beautiful but not too busy and more elegant.

After taking this shot, I realized it'd be more fun for the Matte to have the Original to compare to. Instead of me just swatching the Matte for you, let's see if it's worth having if you already have the Original.

Here they are on the inside, Quo Back to Basics Original on top and Matte at the bottom.

The Original has a better flow of colours from light to dark, with 2 matte shades and the rest are with nice sheen (do not show up entirely shimmery on the eyes).

The Matte is overwhelmed with light colours (5) and transition shades (4), all mattes but two shades (fourth and eighth, with light shimmers).

The first half of the Matte is great, but the next 2-3 shades seem to be repeats. I do love good matte highlight/ inner corner shades in a palette, but 5 is a little too much. I long for colours - more bronze/ brown or other brights (blue/ green, etc.) - after swatching and wearing them for a few days.

The last 3 shades are the best the Matte has to offer. See swatches below for proof!

Take a look at the brushes that come with the Original (top) and the Matte (bottom).

The Original brush is more flat and stiff, which I thought is more appropriate for cream products. All black - ferule and handle, which gives it a classy look.

The brush in the Matte palette is more fluffy, thicker and soft, works well for packing on eyeshadows. Black handle, with gold ferule.

A small detail but I think Quo should put its brand logo on the handles of these brushes, making them look more professional. I do plan to keep them.

Let's take a look at the first 6 shades from both palettes - the light side, with swatches follow below.

Again, I like the good flow of colours in the Original, from off white/ beige to light brown.

The Matte spends its time in this light group of colours.

The first 3 shades swatch pretty much the same. The next two are quite close to my skin tone and need a bit of building up for pigmentation. And the last shade is a good subtle transition colour, similar to the fifth shade from the Original palette.

Then the last 6 shades - the darker side.

Beautiful pigmented dark bronze and plum in the Original palette. The black has visible silver shimmers in the pan but not visible when swatched. The grey takes some extra swipe to match up the pigmentation of the rest.

With the Matte, more light shades, only 2 true dark colours which swatch amazingly pigmented.

The dark plum (which looks a bit more red here) is the total winner in the palette, follow by the black. Still not the darkest black in the market, but packs quite good pigmentation. The dark brown (with light grey duochrome) sitting between them is a good contribution to an awesome night look.

All in all, the Matte does have some good shades to offer but lack the diversity in colour combination, not a must have. I don't regret the purchase though, as I love the last 3 shades and do need more highlight shades to pair with other palettes.

Here is a FOTD I did with the dark shades - they were great!

I love a glitter polish that is opaque on its own! This is Quo by Orly Light Years, the doppelganger of Orly Gravity Bound from the Galaxy FX collection.

It hurts my Canadian heart a little when Quo only gets recycled shades from Orly's existing collections. However, reappearance of shades means those who missed out on Orly's release in Canada have a second chance with Quo.

Just watch when the Quo shades go on clearance though, as Quo nail polish retails $10 normally, not very budget friendly.

On one of those clearance occasions, I found a bunch of Quo by Orly bottles at my Shoppers for about $4 each. I heard certain locations sold them off for like $1, depending on your luck :)

I am glad I picked up Light Years as I absolutely in love with it. This is 2 coats, no base.

Granted, it looks amazing in the bottle but once on the nails, the dark navy becomes so deep. That, paired with the fuchsia fine glitters and chunkier white glitters, and we have ourselves a galaxy mani with no effort.

Like all glitters, it does take a bit more effort to remove but nothing extreme. I am willing to put up with that to have the galaxy on my nails again.

So either Light Years or Gravity Bound, just pick up a bottle for yourself if you come across one. Sorry I am late posting about this one and it might be hard to find now.

I'll continue to show you other shades from the same collection as I get around to wear them. It's a struggle to decide either glitter or texture to put on lol.

Sephora VIB sale madness started early for Rouges yesterday. The site was down a few times, I managed to get orders in (a few Formula X shades were on clearance, while we are on nail polish topic). But I am a day early for ebates' 1-day double cash back offer on Sephora today :(

Summer was back in Halifax yesterday when the temp reached 24 (and felt like 30). Can you believe it? I left the house with a sweater and a trench early morning, definitely did not need either of them a few hours later.

My nails was seasonally appropriate for once (I am still wearing it now) with Quo by Orly Simmered. Such a fabulous purple (darker and more blue than it looks here) leaning dark fuchsia pink that enhanced my skin tone very well. And then the shimmers sealed the deal!

And if you are wondering (you should), it is in fact Orly Hot Tropics in a Quo bottle :)

I don't know how I did not have Hot Tropics, but by the time I knew I wanted it, it was nowhere to be found, even at Sally clearance sale.

I found Simmered on clearance at Shoppers for $4, of course I grabbed it. And then I spotted a bottle of Hot Tropics randomly at Winners for $6, lol. I guess it was the universe telling me I need at least one bottle of this colour.

I used 1 and a half coats in this mani. One might have been sufficient but I added a thinner coat for colour intensity and extra shimmers :)

You can see the gold shimmers very well here. They are more intense under flash, of course, but are visible under natural light too.

Forgive the colour inaccuracy, as it is always the case with purples and my camera.

So, if you are like me and don't own either Orly Hot Tropics or Quo by Orly Simmered, you should start hunting it down now. Note that they were part of a Summer collection, might be a little hard to find but is not impossible :)

It is still quite warm today, considering we are in mid October, so I am going to enjoy the weather, pretty much like "slow down and smell the roses" right?

Following the success of Dark Emerald, I couldn't help but putting on another shade from Quo by Orly Fall 2014 collection, a beautiful copper glitter called Prismatic.

A complete opposite of Dark Emerald, however, Prismatic is not opaque on its own without too much layering. I opted to use it as a top coat, on 2 different bases.

The bases deserve some raves themselves, so I'll show them at the end. This is pretty much a win win mani as all 3 shades turn out to be equally awesome :)

Prismatic does not look like much in the bottle, a copper glitter as I described above. But it is the type of glitter top coat that brings out so much beauty in other shades.

Over a traditional red (on my ring finger), the coppers do not stand out strongly but add a beautiful shine and bring the red up a few level of cuteness.

On top of a black, omg, Prismatic turns into a pink/ copper and old green duochrome glitter. I don't know how that even happens!

I think this pic taken with natural lighting, without flash, shows the duochrome effect the best. Imagine the mani even more glowy IRL, definitely a winner.

A reader told me this collection has gone on clearance at her local Shoppers, so if you want Prismatic or any other shade, go now. But if you already have Orly Brush It On from the Smoky collection, you don't need Prismatic :)

Here are the closeups for ya, like I haven't shown you enough of Prismatic.

Now it's the bases' turn to show off.

I gotta give a shoutout to The Body Shop Colour Crush nail polish once again, as both colours I used here are one coaters, pigmented and so easy to apply. No bald spots, no streaking.

Smoky Rose is one of the best blacks I have tried. If the line as a white that is as good, I'd be all set.

Relish the Moment has its own merit. A beautiful classic red, which I do not wear often but can appreciate it nonetheless.

So, have I sold you on Quo or The Body Shop with this post? :)