Category Archives: Summer 2012

My Latest Drugstore Mascara Love: L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Black Lacquer Mascara

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I feature a lot of high end brands, but my favourite mascaras — 9 times out of 10 — can be found at the drugstore. It’s definitely a “save” item for me instead of “splurge.” You’ll see why.


L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Black Lacquer Mascara

L’Oreal is famous for their Voluminous mascara, and the new release — Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Black Lacquer ($11.99) — meets my lashes’ expectations and more.  The mascara promises to provide a “vinyl-sheen, creating lashes that are ultra-black, ultra-glossy and ultra-outrageous.”


L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Black Lacquer Mascara – Wand

I think this is an incredible mascara.  These days I’m all about lots of lashes: volumized, lengthy and separated.  This relaxes the curl from my lash curler a bit, but considering the amount of volume I get from this mascara, I’d say it is pretty weightless.  Other volumizing mascaras would’ve left my lashes dead straight.


L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Black Lacquer Mascara – Before / After

One thing that is very obvious about this mascara is how black it is. Like, really black. The brush does a great job distributing the product and coating each lash fat and glossy, while still keeping them non-spidery. I love it. I do get minor smudging with this along my lower lash line at the end of the day, but it’s nowhere near raccoon eyes-ville and I am totally fine with that!

Have you tried this mascara? What’s your favourite mascara for big lashes?

A Brown Girl’s Guide to BB Creams, featuring Marcelle BB Cream and Maybelline Dream Fresh BB

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I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the newest face base product that has hit the North American market: the BB cream.  In a nutshell, these “blemish balms” or “beauty balms” that are widely popular in Asia promise to deliver a more even skin tone as well as a slew of skincare benefits.


Maybelline Dream Fresh BB / Marcelle BB Cream

If you have a tan or deeper skin like me (about MAC NC40 and deeper), BB creams might not have caught your attention yet because well, there aren’t many options for us out there.  But there are options, and I must say they are pretty great!


Marcelle BB Cream in Dark to Darker and Medium to Dark

Marcelle BB Cream ($22.95 for 45 mL) was the first Canadian-made BB cream with two shades, Light to Medium and Medium to Dark back in January 2012.  Recently, a third shade — Dark to Darker – was added to the lineup (available exclusively online at Marcelle.com).  Marcelle BB Cream promises to:

  1. Minimize the appearance of imperfections and pores
  2. Even out skin tone
  3. Provide an excellent make-up base and replaces primers
  4. Mattify skin and controls shine
  5. Offer immediate and long-term hydrating benefits
  6. Soothe and calm skins
  7. Protect from premature aging and environmental stresses
  8. Promote skin regeneration

If you are really keen on streamlining your skincare and makeup regimen, then Marcelle BB Cream is a good bet.  Depending on your skin type, this product may replace your moisturizer, primer and foundation.  Dry-to-normal skin types will still need a moisturizer.  This has the most coverage of all BB creams I’ve tried thus far; it is one I would liken to a tinted moisturizer with a medium coverage.  The consistency is thick; it’s like 50% silicone primer and 50% liquid foundation formula.  It is oil-free and paraben-free.  Oh, and it dispenses product with airless-tube pump!  It is heaven-sent for the germaphobes, am I right?  It also makes it feel more luxurious.

I disagree with its claim of having a weightless feel on the skin, though.  I find that with my fingers, I really have to work to spread this all over my skin.  Besides that aspect, I really like Marcelle BB Cream.  It dries to a semi-matte finish, provides shine control and evens out my skin tone nicely.  A little goes a long way with this one.  The Dark to Darker isn’t really a match for me yet.


Marcelle BB Cream in Dark to Darker and Medium to Dark — swatches


Wearing Marcelle BB Cream in Dark to Darker (before / after)

Bottom line: Marcelle BB Cream is a fantastic multi-tasker.  It is truly a moisturizer, primer and foundation in one.  If you’re a regular foundation wearer, you’ll probably like it.  Good for all skin types, but oily skin types will especially appreciate its shine control properties.


Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm SPF 30 in Medium/Deep and Deep

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm SPF 30 ($10.99 for 30 mL) launched in June 2012, with an impressive lineup of 5 shades (Light, Light/Medium, Medium, Medium/Deep and Deep).  Maybelline Dream Fresh BB boasts the following benefits:

  1. Helps prevent sunburn with SPF 30
  2. Helps blur the look of imperfections
  3. Creates a natural looking glow
  4. Skin looks visibly smoother
  5. Compliments skin tone
  6. Hydrates all day
  7. Feels fresh
  8. Oil-free

While some of these benefits are repetitive and redundant ;) (blurs imperfections = visibly smoother looking skin), I do appreciate the SPF 30 BB cream.  Dude!  An SPF 30 mineral sunscreen BB?  That’s totally unheard of.  I’m already a fan.  This feels runny like a regular liquid foundation.  This is considerably smaller than Marcelle’s, so don’t be fooled by the low price tag.  I appreciate the light feel of this especially on very hot and humid days.  I love that it doesn’t feel silicone-y!  Recently I’ve become weary of heavily silicone-based products, as I more and more often get random zits popping up on my face.  That said, I prefer the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB for my skin type (normal) and this weather (hot, humid and all-around gross).


Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm SPF 30 in Medium/Deep and Deep — swatches


Wearing Maybelline Dream Fresh BB in Medium/Deep (before / after)

Bottom line: This BB cream is perfect for the sun-conscious, thanks to its titanium dioxide sunscreen.  The coverage is surprisingly good (it covers minor redness).  I am in love with the light dewy formula for summer, but it may look overly shiny on oily skin types (may I suggest Cover FX Matte FX?).  Makeup newbies will appreciate the lightness of this BB cream.  It really does feel like nothing!

For those who are interested, here are the two darkest shades from both brands to show you the difference in undertones.  The Maybelline has a more golden tone, while the Marcelle is just brown.


Maybelline Dream Fresh BB in Deep / Marcelle BB Cream in Dark to Darker — swatches

Are you using a BB cream regularly as a part of your skin regimen?  I’d love to know what you think of it.

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Sneak Peek: LUSH Emotional Brilliance Collection

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Written by Michelle Buček

Have you heard?  LUSH is coming out with a colour cosmetics line!  My friend Michelle was at LUSH Queen Street, Toronto last week for a sneak peek of the new launch.  This collection is going to be a hit!

Last week I had the chance to preview LUSH’s newest line Emotional Brilliance, a makeup line (consisting of 30 vegan products) that shows off your current state of mind. The range includes dynamic-coloured liquid lipsticks, liquid eyeliners, and cream eyeshadows that are designed to give the user the freedom to wear make-up that shapes your mood rather than feeling stuck wearing make-up that’s in-season or on-trend.

Do you think that if you believe enough in something, you will have a change of behaviour?


LUSH Liquid Lipsticks in Glamorous and Power, and Liquid Eyeliner in Healthy

The lovely ladies at LUSH whisked me off into a dark, secluded room where the focal point was a wheel adorned with 30 beautiful colours. They gently spun the wheel and instructed that I select three colours that stood out to me in that moment. The order chosen is very important as the first colour symbolizes your strength or weakness, the second colour represents your subconscious need, and the third is your talent and it is what you require to achieve your subconscious need. Each colour corresponds to a specific word. In order I chose Liquid Lipsticks in Glamorous and Power and Liquid Eyeliner in Healthy. Apparently my healthy attitude or perhaps healthy body will help me gain the power that I am lacking in my life. I have yet to decide if glamorous is a strength or weakness in my life.

It all felt a bit gimmicky to me, but it was a fun experience nonetheless and I salute LUSH for striving to do something different. After assessing my colour choices, I decided I would only wear one out of the three colours I chose, as two of them did not suit my skin tone or style. But, have no fear, because I was told by a LUSH sales associate that the power of the colour would still shine through and shape my mood even if I just wore it is a dot on my wrist. I am sorry LUSH, but the price is a little steep to buy a liquid eyeliner to be worn on places other than my eyes.

I bet you are wondering what exactly ‘glamorous’, ‘power’ and ‘healthy’ look like in colour form.

Without further ado…


LUSH Liquid Lipsticks in Glamorous and Power, and Liquid Eyeliner in Healthy — swatches

I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the liquid lipsticks. They are intensely skin softening and carry pigment very well. The colour is vibrant and evenly distributed after just one application. This patent pending formula uses LUSH’s super softening Ultrabalm as a base, which is a simple blend of organic jojoba oil, candelilla wax and rose wax.


LUSH Liquid Lipstick in Power — applicator

 To accompany the Emotional Brilliance range are a suite of other new products, including two new skin tints, a black mascara, and a translucent powder.

I have really taken a liking to Skin Tint in Charisma, a golden skin tint perfect for achieving that healthy, warm glow this summer. LUSH uses a softening and calming base of simmered oats, almond and jojoba oils, cocoa butter and orange flower water. Charisma blends in beautifully and won’t make your face feel oily. I also love how it works to tone and nourish the skin making it feel soft and refreshed throughout the whole day. Without a doubt, this is going to be my go-to bronzer this summer.


LUSH Skin Tint in Charisma


LUSH Skin Tint in Charisma — swatch

In true LUSH fashion the packaging is designed to have as little impact on the planet as possible. The colours all come in clear glass bottles because glass is one of the easiest materials to recycle globally. LUSH designed the caps for the glass bottles and manufacture them near their headquarters in Poole, Dorset using recycled materials from their black pots. Brilliant and innovative!

The Emotional Brilliance collection launches July 21st 2012 in all LUSH stores worldwide and online at lush.ca. The products are priced between $18.95 and $22.95.

What do you think? Will you go check it out?

Written by Michelle Buček

Michelle is a bath and body product junkie, who has admitted to having a shrine full of The Body Shop and LUSH goodies in her bathroom.  She is also an avid runner and has killer legs to show for it.  (No, I’m not jealous!  Okay, maybe a little.)

[Editor's Note: I am so lucky that the folks at LUSH also gave me a chance to try out a few items from this collection, so watch out for my swatches later on. :) For now, I snapped a quick photo for Twitter the other day.]