Lise Watier Aquarella Spring 2012 Collection

Lise Watier Aquarella Spring 2012 Collection brings us sheer pastels and rosy shades to mirror the flowers blooming in the spring.  The limited edition packaging features a flower in watercolour art which is just beautiful to look at.

Lise Watier Aquarella Spring 2012 Collection — Packaging

Aquarella Eyeshadow Quartet, Couleur Folle in Folie Pêche, Waterproof Eyeliner in Violet

Aquarella Eyeshadow Quartet, Waterproof Eyeliner in Violet, Couleur Folle in Folie Pêche — Swatches

The Aquarella Eyeshadow Quartet ($36, limited edition) is a mix of sheer pastel pink, blue, violet and yellow eyeshadows.  The eyeshadows are smooth, sparkly and mostly too cool-toned for my taste.  It was a bit of a letdown as I was really hoping for something more from the violet shade.  These eyeshadows are better suited for those who wear sheer washes of colour on their eyes.

The Couleur Folle Mineral Loose Powder Eyeshadow in Folie Pêche ($18, new permanent shade) is a rose gold shade that is more up my alley (and it’s totally gorgeous!).  The shade is divine for highlighting the eyes or cheeks, or even to turn into a lipgloss.

The Waterproof Eyeliner in Violet ($17, new permanent shade) is what I wanted the eyeshadow to be: bold and vibrant violet. Nothing bad to say about this really; it’s just lovely and very waterproof.

Aquarella Bronzing Powder Duo

As a little taste of summer (yay!), I love that we’re seeing a bronzer in this collection. The Aquarella Bronzing Powder Duo ($32, limited edition) is a blend of two powder tones: a lighter peachy shade, and a typical bronzer shade.  Both have fine shimmers that show up glowy rather than gigantic sparkles on your face.  The finish is subtle and the shade can definitely work across many skin tones.

Waterproof Lip Crayon in Rose Mauve, Rouge Gourmand Lipstick in Guimauve, Gloss Aquarella in Rose Aquarella

Waterproof Lip Crayon in Rose Mauve, Rouge Gourmand Lipstick in Guimauve, Gloss Aquarella in Rose Aquarella — Swatches

The Waterproof Lip Crayon in Rose Mauve ($16, new permanent shade) is exactly as the name suggests.  While some may find it boring, this is a lip shade that is universally flattering and pretty.  In my experience, Lise Watier Waterproof Lip Crayons are the absolute best in terms of texture and longevity.  True story: it lasted through a very greasy dim sum dinner, which in my opinion is the ultimate test for a lip liner.  I love this one, go try this or the 18 other shades if you haven’t had the chance yet!

Rouge Gourmand Lipstick in Guimauve ($19, new permanent shade) is a shade that compliments Rose Mauve very well.  The lipstick has a light fruity scent and provides plenty of moisture for winter-chapped lips.

Finally, finish off your spring pouty lips (right? ) with a gloss.  The Gloss Aquarella in Rose Aquarella ($20, limited edition) is a soft rose with mauve shimmers to emphasize your lips.  I like the non-sticky formula and the high shine finish.

My personal favourites from the collection are Couleur Folle Mineral Loose Powder Eyeshadow in Folie Pêche, Aquarella Bronzing Powder Duo, Waterproof Lip Crayon in Rose Mauve.  They are easier for me — who is tan and warm-toned — to pull off.  Cool pastel shades (lavenders, pinks, blues) look all sorts of wrong on my skin tone.  However, paler beauties will get more mileage out of the shades; check out my blogging friends Tracy @ Beauty Reflections and Perilously Pale‘s reviews for proof.

These products are available now at Lise Watier counters, Shoppers Drugmart and LiseWatier.com.  Did any products from the collection catch your eye?

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2012. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Lise Watier, Makeup, Reviews, Spring 2012, Swatches | Tags: bronzer, eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipgloss, lipliner, lipstick, palette, pigment

I’m going to spare you the long-winded introduction that you probably never ever read anyway.  I am really this excited to tell you about this drugstore gem that I just discovered.  It’s called Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil ($8.95) and it is sensational.  I have it in Acaidisiac, a limited edition bright turquoise.

Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow pencils are cream eyeshadows or eyeliners in jumbo pencil format.  They go on the lids very opaque and creamy for effortless blending with a brush or finger.  They promise more than 9 hours of comfortable wear without creasing, smudging or melting.

Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in Acaidisiac

Did it deliver?  Oh, did it ever!  On my slip-’n-slidey eyelids, I wore this without any eye primer before I went out for a day in the park.  It was very humid and on top of that, this sweaty girl rode her bike by the lake.  Ten hours later, my eye makeup was still in tact.  Seriously amazing, yes?

Annabelle also claims that the pencils are waterproof, and this is mostly true.  I found that it faded a little when I put a puddle of water on my eyelids and blotted.  Yes, I know it’s extreme, but what if I get caught under a really bad storm?

After seeing this colour, I got inspired to recreate a look from the Christian Dior S/S 2011 RTW runway, featuring bright colour blocking makeup.  It’s quite clowny and costume-y in person, but damn was it ever fun to recreate!

Source: Style.com

Wearing Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in Acaidisiac

I’m also wearing Annabelle Le Big Show mascara (on Fembotika lashes), Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum, MAKE UP FOR EVER #17 Espresso Eyeshadow (to contour cheeks), and MAC Lady Danger lipstick.

And another face photo, complete with freaky blank expression

They are available now at pharmacies and mass retail stores.

What’s Your Favourite Long-Wearing Eye Makeup?

Besides this, I also love Giorgio Armani waterproof pencil, Smashbox Jet Set gel liner and of course, MAC Fluidline.  They last even on my waterline!

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2011. | Permalink | 49 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Annabelle, Looks, Makeup, Reviews, Swatches | Tags: drugstore, eyeliner, eyeshadow, fotd, holy grail, inspiration, looks i'm loving

For Fall 2011, Lise Watier released this beautiful limited edition Wet & Dry Eyeshadow Quad in Équinoxe ($35), which is also the name of the collection.  The inspiration comes from the colours of nature — the earth and sky — in September.  The greys, muted blues, and chocolate browns make up a romantic colour palette that is captured perfectly in this eyeshadow quad.

Lise Watier Quatuor Wet & Dry Eyeshadows in Équinoxe

The palette contains a muted denim blue, medium grey, icy white, and a deep chocolate brown.  When applied dry, all the eyeshadows have tiny, barely there sparkles, which keeps the eyeshadows from being chalky.  These eyeshadows are silky smooth; there isn’t a single dud in the group.  In a pinch, dark haired ladies can even wear the chocolate brown as a brow powder; just apply lightly!

Lise Watier Quatuor Wet & Dry Eyeshadows in Équinoxe

But Wait… There’s More!

(Cue infomercial voice.)

When you buy the Équinoxe Quatuor Wet & Dry Eyeshadows, Lise Watier will also throw in Mini Métamorfix Liquid Transformer absolutely free.

Lise Watier Mini Métamorfix Liquid Transformer

The Métamorfix Liquid Transformer lets you apply the eyeshadows wet, resulting in a more vibrant colour and sparkle.  Don’t believe me?  Check out the dry and wet swatches of these eyeshadows.  The wet swatches were done as follows:

1. Swipe the eyeshadow pan with a dry finger, dip it in one drop of Métamorfix, then swatch it.  This creates a sheer-ish base.
2. While the base is still damp, go over it with another dry swipe of eyeshadow.
3. Watch it sparkle.

Lise Watier Équinoxe Quatuor Wet & Dry Eyeshadow Swatches (dry / wet with Métamorfix)

Lise Watier Équinoxe Quatuor Wet & Dry Eyeshadow Swatches (dry / wet with Métamorfix)

With the Équinoxe quad and Métamorfix, it’s like you’re getting 4 eyeshadows and 4 sparkly, long-wearing cream eyeshadows or liquid eyeliners.  This thing is never ever leaving my makeup bag.  You need this!  I give it a spot on my holy grail.  Stay tuned for a look I wore using these eyeshadows.

The Lise Watier Équinoxe collection is available now until October 2011.

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Fall 2011, Lise Watier, Makeup, Reviews, Swatches | Tags: eyeliner, eyeshadow, holy grail, palette

It’s almost June, and you probably know someone getting married in the next month or two.  If you’re looking for inspiration on how to do your makeup, here’s a look that I wore to a wedding last weekend.  It’s enough to make your eyes pop without wearing making the eyes too heavy.  The emphasis is on the smokey eye liner and the shape.  I loved wearing this look, and it’s something that I’ll probably wear over and over again.

Swatches (from left): MAC All That Glitters, MAC Arena, MAC Soft Brown, MAC Coquette, MAC Brun, Chanel Black Pearl

Get the Look

For the eyes, shade in the lid with a shimmery beige (MAC All That Glitters) and top off with a low shimmer peach (MAC Arena).  Mix the shimmery beige (MAC All That Glitters) and peach (MAC Arena) to highlight the inner corner and inner half of the lower lash line.  Highlight the brow bone with a shimmery champagne (Urban Decay Sin).  Lightly contour the crease with a matte warm brown (MAC Soft Brown).  Apply a matte medium taupe (MAC Coquette) to the outer corner to define the eye further.

Using a smudger brush, take a dark cool brown (MAC Brun) and smudge along the upper lash line and wing out on the outer corner.  This creates a guide for the black eyeliner liner.  Then, smudge using a creamy black liner (Giorgio Armani Waterproof Liner) over the cool brown to deepen it.  Apply the black liner to the outer third of the lower lash line.  Smudge and drag the liner to the middle, while making sure that the line tapers off at the middle.  Line the top and bottom waterlines.  Go over the black lines with a shimmery charcoal (Chanel Black Pearl from Ombres Perlées Palette).    Apply mascara (Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill).  Optional, apply half false lashes to the outer corner (Ardell 120 Demi — cut in half; I used the shorter half because I have short lashes).

For the cheeks, dust a peachy bronzer (Dior Aurora Bronzer) over the high points of the face.

For the lips, apply a creamy nude lipstick (Vasanti Luxembourg).

Keep reading to see more pictures!

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Read the rest of Special Event Makeup: Smokey Cat Eyes FOTD. (413 words)

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2011. | Permalink | 30 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Ardell, Chanel, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Looks, MAC, Makeup, Swatches, Urban Decay, Vasanti | Tags: eyeliner, fotd

Back when I was in elementary school, I always admired cheerleaders.  They got to wear tons of makeup, their hair in high ponytails, cute colourful outfits, and of course, dance around carrying shiny pom poms in their hands.  At one point I even considered joining the cheerleading squad.  Unfortunately, I’ve never been a cheerleader because I was too self-conscious of my thunder thighs.

Sigh.

Annabelle Glitterama in Pom Pom

After fifteen years, I’m glad to say that I can finally channel my inner cheerleader with my own pom poms.  This is Annabelle Glitterama Liquid Eyeliner in Pom Pom ($7.95), a limited edition item from Annabelle’s Day Dream collection.  It’s purple.  It’s glittery.  In short, it’s L-O-V-E.

Annabelle Glitterama in Pom Pom

Annabelle Glitterama in Pom Pom

Pom Pom is not just a straight purple glitter liner.  What looks like a periwinkle liner from afar is more complex up close.  Instead, Pom Pom is a mix of violet, periwinkle and turquoise glitters with a clear base.  So, this liner can be layered over blue, purple, or black liners for added depth and oomph to the look.  This multifaceted glitter eyeliner is totally reminiscent of those shiny metallic pom poms.

Swatch of Annabelle Glitterama in Pom Pom

Swatches of Annabelle Glitterama in Pom Pom (plain, over navy, over purple, over black)

It’s my first time trying the Glitterama liquid eyeliner, and my experience with this is excellent.  It stayed on my lash line through a sweaty cardio session.  It’s easy to take off, too; with a light rubbing it just rolls off the skin.

Does Pom Pom Make You Want to Break into Dance?

I obviously love it.  Do you, too?  Did you want to be cheerleader growing up?  Or, were you?

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Annabelle, Makeup, Swatches | Tags: eyeliner, glitter

I wore this eyeliner four times in the past week.  That’s a lot for someone who has makeup ADD.  Plus, I always have way too many products in rotation.  That must mean I like this a lot, and if you keep reading I’ll tell you why.

Marcelle 2-in-1 Retractable Eyeliner in Amethyst

Marcelle 2-in-1 Retractable Eyeliner in Amethyst ($10.95) is a beautiful deep eggplant.  The eyeliner has a thin tip that can be sharpened to a point using the included sharpener, or smudged out with the sponge smudger.

Marcelle 2-in-1 Retractable Eyeliner in Amethyst – Tip

When I put this on as a final step to my eye makeup, I find it a little problematic.  When I line my lash line to finish off a look, I just don’t get enough colour payoff as I’d like.  It doesn’t seem to stick on top of powder eyeshadows that well.  Same goes for the waterline: the colour sticks around all day, but it doesn’t put down that much colour to begin with.  It’s just not as creamy as an Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencil.

Marcelle 2-in-1 Retractable Eyeliner in Amethyst – Sharpener and Smudger

On my primed and bare eyelids, however, this eyeliner is totally full of win!  While it doesn’t have the perfect melty consistency, it deposits more colour and is very smudgy.  The included sponge tool also works pretty well for smudging out the lines.  I still think that this could be more pigmented; I layer a couple of times to get the colour I want.  Here’s why I absolutely love it: once it’s set, it’ll stay where you put (or smudged) it all day without any fading or sliding.  It’s a godsend for someone who has oily eyelids syndrome.

Swatches of Marcelle 2-in-1 Retractable Eyeliner in Amethyst

Wearing Marcelle 2-in-1 Retractable Eyeliner in Amethyst

Wearing Marcelle 2-in-1 Retractable Eyeliner in Amethyst

Due to its beautiful and rich colour, its awesome staying power and its ability to give me a one-step smoky eye, this one’s a keeper.

Calling All Purple Addicts!

I wanna know your favourite purples (brands and shade names). I am planning to get MAKE UP FOR EVER #160 eyeshadow. Annabelle is coming out with a purple glitter liner called Pom Pom that I’m stalking the drugstores for. So pretty!

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2011. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Makeup, Marcelle, Reviews, Swatches | Tags: eyeliner

Eye Shadow ($19.50 US / $23.50 CDN)

Follow Your Fantasy / Enviably Fun / A Wish Come True / Semi-Precious / Golden Crown / Glamora Castle

Powder Blush ($18.50 US / $22 CDN)

Her Blooming Cheek (Satin) / My Highland Honey (Satin)

Pigment ($19.50 US / $23.50 CDN)

The Family Crest (Frost) / Moonlight Night (Frost) / Later (Frost)

Lipstick ($14 US / $16.50 CDN)

Deepest Wish (Amplified) / Cut a Caper (Lustre) / Courting Lilac (Glaze) / The Faerie Glen (Lustre) / Full Fuchsia  (Amplified)

Dazzleglass Creme ($18 US / $21.50 CDN)

Gone Romancin’ / Radiant Jewels / Soft Dazzle / Passing Fancy / Lightly Prancing

Nail Lacquer ($13 US / $15.50 CDN)

Sly as a Fox (Cream) / Style Clan (Frost)

Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner ($14.50 US / $17.50 CDN)

Undercurrent / Petrol Blue / Black Line / Lord It Up / Black Swan

Zoom Fast Black Lash ($14.00 US / $16.50 CDN)

Deepest black

That’s Not All.  That’s Just the Tip of the Iceberg…

Ladies, is this a collection or what?  MAC is coming out with A Tartan Tale for Holiday 2010 — a four-part collection featuring lots and lots of plaid.  This is the only the Colour collection.  There are also Chapters 1 & 2 (makeup kits), and Sir Teddy / Kids Helping Kids / Viva Glam collections (greeting cards, teddy bears, and Viva Glam lippies! — which I am dying to get my hands on).

Are you excited yet?  How would you like some swatches?

Enviably Fun Eye Shadow

Enviably Fun Eye Shadow

Read on for swatches and more product photos!

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Read the rest of Sneak Peek: MAC A Tartan Tale Colour Collection Photos and Swatches. (394 words)

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: MAC, Makeup, Sneak Peek, Swatches | Tags: eyeliner, eyeshadow, Holiday 2010, pigment

Ladies, I am in glitter heaven.  I received a Marcelle Lux Diamond Eyeliner ($11.95) and a few Lux Metallic Eyeliners ($11.95) a few weeks ago and they are amaze-balls!  I gotta say that without this glitter I would just be a dull ol’ geek.

Lux Diamond Liquid Eyeliner in Pure Gold, Lux Metallic Liquid Eyeliners in Jade, Cobalt Blue, and Ultraviolet

Lux Diamond Liquid Eyeliner in Pure Gold, Lux Metallic Liquid Eyeliners in Jade, Cobalt Blue, and Ultraviolet

There’s nothing like new glitter products to get me excited. First, the difference between Lux Diamond vs. Lux Metallic.

• Lux Diamond Liquid Eyeliner is regular eye glitter with a transparent base.
• Lux Metallic Liquid Eyeliner consists of much finer sparkle with a matching translucent base colour.

For a simple day look, these wear just fine on their own.  They take about 2-3 minutes to go from tacky to touchable but after they set, their staying power is pretty incredible.  I wore a swatch under my sweater (I pull my sleeves up and down all day) and I didn’t see any flaking at all.  They aren’t advertised as waterproof, but it was still able to handle a quick test running water (no rubbing, though!).  It’s impressive, really!

My favourite way to wear them is layered on top of a complementing matte, colour eyeliner.  It really brings my black and colour eyeliners to life.

Matte black eyeliner vs. black eyeliner + Marcelle Lux Diamond in Pure Gold

Matte blue eyeliner vs. blue eyeliner + Marcelle Lux Metallic Eyeliner in Cobalt Blue

Wearing matte blue eyeliner + Marcelle Lux Metallic Eyeliner in Cobalt Blue

LOVES IT!  Adding glitter to eyeliner really freshens up any ol’ liner.  Can you say party eyes?

Do you do glitter eyeliners?  If you haven’t yet jumped on the glitter bandwagon, these are a great way to test the waters.  Rating: A-.

Disclosure: Products mentioned were sent for editorial consideration.

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2010. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Makeup, Marcelle, Reviews, Swatches | Tags: eyeliner, glitter

Now that I have shown you what we were up to in and around San Francisco, it’s time again to talk makeup.  Well, now that I think about it, it’s always time to talk about makeup.

Illamasqua Powder Blusher

Canadian Sephora sadly lacks the amazing Illamasqua, so I wanted to check out the brand’s blushes (naturally!).  They have incredibly smooth mattes that I wanted to take home, but I felt too guilty about hauling so much.  I did swatch some of the blushes though, so everything’s not lost.

The blushes really were that pigmented on the back of my hand.  I wanted Hussy and Excite.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

My friend from work and I have been stalking Sephora in the past couple of weeks to see if we can snatch up the coveted Urban Decay Naked Palette. When I saw this in SF, my neutral loving self literally skipped towards the cashier with one in my hand. My fellow Canadians, if you are able to hold out for a trip to the US, I would suggest buying there instead. It is US$44 / CDN$53.  For reference I am MAC NC35 / NC37.

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Read the rest of Makeup From Sephora Powell, San Francisco: Urban Decay Naked Palette and Illamasqua Blushes. (222 words)

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2010. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Illamasqua, Makeup, Swatches, Urban Decay | Tags: blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow, palette

I have read only amazing things about Annabelle Smudgeliners ($8.95), and so I was really excited when these came in the mail.

Smudgeliners are waterproof pencils that come with a smudging sponge on the opposite end. These are not automatic pencils; they are enclosed in a plastic casing that you sharpen with a regular eyeliner sharpener. The ends have caps to protect both the pencil and the smudger from getting damaged.

Oh and how do we like this background? It’s in boyfriend’s apartment’s backyard.

I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to read first?

Good news? I thought so.

Good News: Ohmygoth! This is Totally Like, a Great Eyeliner.

Ohmygoth! is a basic, creamy black. It is a rich, dark black. You won’t hear any complaints about the colour from me. It is pretty much everything that I was expecting about Smudgeliners. It wore well throughout my day; it didn’t slide or fade on my lash lines.

Because it is waterproof, I was brave enough to wear this on my waterline. And what do you know? Besides smudging off on the outer corners of my eyes — a.k.a. a makeup slip and slide party — it stayed put on the rest of my waterline. Incredible staying power. This glides on pretty easily just like Urban Decay 24/7 liners, so it gets extra brownie points for that. Great black eyeliner, great price. Rating: A.

Bad News: That was the Calm Before the Purple Storm.

Is there such a thing as being less waterproof? Because that’s what Purple Storm feels like to me. First of all, the colour payoff is just not there. The deep burgundy on the pencil does not translate to rich swatches. It’s just meh. The pencil itself is not smooth like buttah; it tugs a bit when I apply to my lash line. Also, I found the formula to be very clumpy. It feels weird to say that about an eyeliner. I find that this one fades a lot, and because it starts out craptacular, I end up with barely anything at the end of the day. Not a fan of this at all. Rating: D.

And Of Course, Some Swatches!

Swatches, and How I feel about these eyeliners.

After running the swatches under a garden hose. I also ran my fingers back and forth after this — no budging.

Disclosure: These products were sent by Groupe Marcelle for consideration only.

© Arianne for Glitter Geek, 2010. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Categories: Annabelle, Makeup, Reviews, Swatches | Tags: drugstore, eyeliner