Maybelline Color Whisper by Color Sensational Review, Photos & Swatches

Maybelline Color Whisper by Color Sensational is a fairly new line of lip products. The concept of this line is that there is less wax yet the colour payoff and the gloss factor is still to be amazing. I am not much of a lip product person so it did take me a while to try these out. I purchased these three when they were on sale for $6.99 CAD and on a buy 2 get 1 free promo. London Drugs (a Canadian drugstore) had only a limited selection so I had a bit of a hard time deciding which ones to choose. A lot of them were the red shades so I had to stick with the nudes and a mauvey pink one. I picked up Lust for Blush 25, Some Like it Taupe 15 and Petal Rebel 60. I intended to pick up Bare to be Bold 10 but I accidently got Some Like it Taupe instead. I have since exchanged Petal Rebel for it.

I rarely use Some Like it Taupe because it is a bit too brown and orange for me but Lust for Blush is the one I keep in my purse and is a lip product (besides lip balm) that I actually use.

I prefer my lip products to slightly blank out my lips and I perfer them to be not be super glossy and shimmery (ie. With glitter – which is a problem I find with the Revlon lip butters and L'Oreal's Colour Riche Balms and Colour Caresse).

Lust for Blush is perfect because it is a mauve pink so it's not like a bubblegum pink like Petal Rebel and I can just tap it onto my lips if I don't want a full out pink lip and if I don't want too much of a gloss. I love how it looks on my lips because it blanks out my lips just a little bit without making me look dead. I never thought about using pinks to blank out my lips but I really love the look I get with this product.

XO Nicole

L'Oreal Voluminous Mistake-Proof Marker Eyeliner Review with Photos and Swatches

As a part of the L'oreal Voluminous line, the eyeliner is in no way in par with the Carbon Black Voluminous mascara, in my opinion. From the photos, you can see this is one of those “gimmicky” products. Actually, the shape is exactly mimicking the angled eyeliner brush, except this is one a lot thicker than usual. In theory, this would be great because you get the easier application with the angled eyeliner shape but also the finish of a liquid liner. I have actually love the dark pigmentation and the finish from a liquid liner but this product does not deliver. Because the applicator is so thick, it’s hard to get a nice line, even just by pressing it across my lash liner. 

In the photo with the swatch, the pigmentation does seem quite dark but because it is more like a marker, the black is a bit more faint and when applied to the lash line, you certainly do get the same payoff because the eyelid is of smaller area and more delicate such that you cannot press too hard to get this result.

(Left) L'oreal Voluminous eye liner vs. Revlon ColorStay Liquid Liner (Right)

XO Nicole

Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quad in Romantic Mauves Photos, Swatches and Review

Avon's True Color Eyeshadow Quad in Romantic Mauves is a quad of eyeshadows that consist of four shades of eyeshadows in the mauvey-purple family. The naming of the quads in this Avon line describes the shades pretty well. This particular quad comes equipped with a very light pinkish-purple shade which can easily be used as a highlighter and then a warmer purple, followed by two darker plum shades. The quality of the shadows are quite impressive, however, the last shade, the darkest purple with red irredescent shimmers deviated greatly from the quality of the shadows in its family. Instead of being pigmented and smooth, this "fourth" shade felt dry and could not be picked up well on a brush or even on the finger. A lot of fallout results from this shade as well. On another note, I like the packaging of this line of eyeshadows (Chanel anyone?) and I appreciate the fact that they have a little diagram at the bottom of the compact showing suggesting the placement of the eyeshadows, which is great for beginners. Overall, because of its sturdy packaging and great shade combinations and for an inexpensive price, I do recommend this quad if you have easy access to it. Romanic Mauves is great for those with brown eyes.

XO Nicole

NYX Casablanca Eyeshadow Trio Swatches

The NYX Casablanca Eyeshadow Trio consists of two grey shades and a very pale pink shade. The pale pink shade has a very cool undertone so it can help brighten up your eyes by placing it all over the lid. All three of the shades are matte, with the darker grey having the slightest bit of sheen but it is barely noticeable. As you can see from the indentation on all three of these shadows, I use this trio quite frequently, everyday actually. The two greys I mix to fill in my eyebrows. As I mentioned earlier, while the darker grey does appear to have a slight sheen, it does not transfer when applied to my eyebrows (I prefer using grey to fill in my eyebrows because it appears more natural and is softer compared to using a dark brown). If one does decide to use these shadows for its intended purpose, it is important to use a primer underneath this as the light grey and the pink shade are a bit chalky and almost "dusty", (beware of fallout) and are not quite pigmented. For this reason, I suggest patting the eyeshadow on your lids as brushing the two light shades will not result in any significant payoff and will only leave a lot fallout.

The trio can be found on the NYX website among many other trios.

XO Nicole

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss - Peach Petal Photos, Review and Swatches

Peach Petal is absolutely lovely. I love the milky peach shade and its consistency (so smooth and creamy). Again, it is opaque but it’s not overwhelming such that you look ill. It is able to neutralize my pigmented lips while giving a nice glossy finish without drying my lips. For the perfect nude pairing, use this over Revlon’s Soft Nude lipstick!

Soft Nude, Peach Petal

J.E

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss: Pink Whisper & Peach Petal Photos, Swatches and Review

These were all the rave a year or so ago: I remember literally everyone on YouTube talking about this and this was always sold out in drugstores - it was just madness trying to get my hands on this. It took me quite a while to find Pink Pout and even later to get Peach Petal. 

These glosses are the best drugstore glosses I have ever tried. The packaging is simple but not cheap looking at the same time.

I am not the biggest fan of lip glosses but even I was super enticed by this. An affordable but good quality lip gloss? Why not? This was the route to go to purchase the two “necessary” shades, a pink and a nude (and probably a red too if you can rock a red lip). Thankfully, Revlon had these shades in this collection. 

Pink Pout is the perfect pink - this gloss is ‘that’ pink every girl should have in their makeup collection. This is a pale milky pink-nude shade that is great on its own, as it is quite opaque, or over a nude or pink lipstick. It definitely gives your lips a really nice hint of colour and shine. 

Peach Petal is absolutely lovely. I love the milky peach shade and its consistency (so smooth and creamy). Again, it is opaque but it’s not overwhelming such that you look ill. It is able to neutralize my pigmented lips while giving a nice glossy finish without drying my lips. For the perfect nude pairing, use this over Revlon’s Soft Nude lipstick!

Pink Whisper, Peach Petal

Pink Whisper, Peach Petal, Soft Nude

XO Nicole

My Collection: Pink Lipstick Swatches

I do not have the biggest lipstick collection - if you even consider this a collection at all. It just consists of some ‘here and there’ lipsticks that I picked up along the way for occasions that I feel requires a more put together look. Most of these lippies are permanent and therefore, are still accessible at drugstores or online!

This is part one of my swatch series that I will be posting this summer. Enjoy!

Think Pink, Party Pink, Pout, Pink Gold, Copacabana

1. wet n wild MEGA LAST LIP COLOR - 901B Think Pink
2. e.l.f. Mineral Mineral Lipstick - Party Pink (discontinued)
3. Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick - Pout
4. New York Color Ultra Moist Lip Wear - 318B Pink Gold
5. NYX Tinted Lip Spa - Copacabana

XO Nicole

My Collection: NYX Goddess of the Night Lipgloss (Swatches)

Unfortunately, this line of glosses by NYX have been discontinued but I decided to post this anyways just for those of you who do have access to these products and wanted to see swatches of them!

Natural, Lollipop, Pink Frost

Natural, Lollipop, Pink Frost

1. 122 Natural
2. 111 Lollipop
3. 127 Pink Frost

XO Nicole

My Collection: Concealers Photos and Swatches

PF Light, Hard Candy Light, Sand 40, NW 25, NW 30

1. Physicians Formula Concealer Twins 2-in-1 Correct & Cover Cream Concealer - Light
2. Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer
3. Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer - Sand 40
4. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer - NW 20
5. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer - NW 25

XO Nicole

My Collection: Foundation Photos and Swatches

These are the three foundations that I have to mix to get my current shade. I know this may seem kind of bizarre since all three are of different undertones and shades but they seem to work out. Usually half of pump of each does the trick. 

1. MAC Matchmaster SPF 15 - 
2. Stila Natural Finish Oil-Free Makeup - A
3. Revlon PhotoReady SPF 20 − 002 Vanilla

XO Nicole

My Collection: Nude Lipstick Photos and Swatches

These are the nude lipsticks that I own. It’s not a big collection but I definitely gravitate towards these shades more than the other ones. I love that these do not make me look like a corspe and they neutralize my pigmented lips to the perfectly!

Fire Alarm, Fire Alarm, Soft Nude, Nude Attitude, Just Enough Buff, Creme Brulee, Creamsicle

Fire Alarm, Fire Alarm, Soft Nude, Nude Attitude, Just Enough Buff, Creme Brulee, Creamsicle

1. Hard Candy Painted Lady Lipstick - Fire Alarm
2. Hard Candy Painted Lady Lipstick - Fire Alarm
3. Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick - 070 Soft Nude
4. Revlon Matte Lipstick - 001 Nude Attitude
5. Revlon Super Lustrous Creme Lipstick - 613 Just Enough Buff
6. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter - Crème Brulée
7. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter -  Creamsicle

J.E

Estée Lauder Peach Nuance Blush Photos, Swatches and Review

Estée Lauder Blush in Peach Nuance

During my peach blush phase, I discovered and fell in love with MAC’s Ripe Peach blush after seeing it in swatches but unfortunately, I was like years late because that blush had been discontinued. So on my hunt, I find Peach Nuance (along with plum nuance) and I just had to have it. So when Estee Lauder had a GWP promo, I picked up the two and the only nuance blushes from Estee Lauder on my wishlist.

Because I do not own MAC’s Ripe Peach so I cannot on make comparisons.

Estée Lauder Blush in Peach Nuance

Estée Lauder Blush in Peach Nuance

The blush is a beautiful peach and corally blush and I love that you get to customize it to how intense you want the colour. It a really nice glow. As a new user to EL’s blush, the texture is very silky and the pigmentation is just great.

As you can see, the lighter spectrum of the blush is like a really light yellow that I cannot see used on it’s own for many purposes, but I think that the availability of that shade to blend with the darker shades ensure that it is not overly orange.

Light Side, Blended, Dark Side

Peach Nuance vs. Plum Nuance

Estée Lauder Blush in Peach Nuance

Estée Lauder Blush in Peach Nuance

XO Nicole

Estée Lauder Plum Nuance Blush Photos, Swatches and Review

I have had my eye on this blush for a while. I wanted a nice, purple blush in my collection and when I found out about this blush, I thought I had to have it. I really liked the concept of the gradient in one blush such that you can essentially have 3+ different shades if you want. It allows you to mix and choose how deep of the purple you want to go - and that is why I thought this would be a good start for my new purple-blush collection.

Estée Lauder Blush in Plum Nuance

Estée Lauder Blush in Plum Nuance

This blush is gorgeous; on the lighter side, it is a light mauvey pink, while the darker side gives a deeper plum. The middle gives the warmer plum shade.

Light side, blended, dark side

Again, with the EL blushes, these are quite pigmented and the texture is super smooth and blends really nicely on the skin. I love using the darker side for the winter months. To be honest, I was quite surprised that the light side actually showed up as a pink instead of a peach as it shows on the product. Either way, this blush gives great versatility.

Light side, blended, dark side

Estée Lauder Blush in Peach Nuance & Plum Nuance

XO Nicole

Estée Lauder Pure Eyeshadow Quad (GWP) Photos, Swatches and Review

DISCLAIMER: this quad is essentially a sampler of four different and individual eyeshadow from Estee Lauder. This came in an Estee Lauder GWP promo in the summer.

I was a bit hesitant to do this blog post because this is a sample/gwp product that you cannot go out and buy the quad but I figured since the shades are actually available for individual sale as their "Pure Color EyeShadow", it would be helpful for swatch purposes. Also, I wanted to blog about this because I just love this quad - the shade selection is great! Having browsed through their entire shadow collection, these shades were my top picks as well.

Pure Color EyeShadow Quad

Sepia Sand, Pink Flash

Sand sepia is a really nice, light, cool, golden brown that is great for all over the lid.

Pink flash is the least favourite of the four because of the texture and faint pigmentation - it is described as a “cool light pink” but it shows up more as a sheen white eyeshadow, but it’s great for inner corners and highlights.

Amethyst Spark, Iridescent Violet

Amethyst spark is really gorgeous - while it looks like a blue/indigo shade in the package, it is actually a “cool deep purple” with shimmer. It goes perfect with the other purple shadow in the quad.

Iridescent violet is my favourite! It remind me of a taupe-y colour: it is described as a cool medium silvery-plum on the website.

Sepia Sand, Pink Flash, Amethyst Spark, Iridescent Violet

Pure Color EyeShadow Quad

 XO Nicole