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Beauty Vixen

Sephora recently launched a Sephora Favourites set featuring some pretty awesome nude lip shades. While my nude might not be your nude or someone else's nude, I still think this is a pretty nice collection.
It turns out there has been a bit of misinformation out there about the sizes of the products and how many full and deluxe sized products are in the set. I took a look each lip products size (off the products labels) and compared it to the Sephora website for sizes and Canadian prices. The only products that threw me off was the Nudestix. It is usually 0.05 oz but the one in the set is 0.088 oz, making it bigger. Since Nudestix usually has a tin and a sharpener which are not in this set, I am just calling it even as a full sized.

The collection has in it:
  • Marc Jacobs Beauty Mini Outliner Longwear Lip Pencil in Prim(Rose) -Deluxe Size (0.01oz / 2g) $12 value
  • NARS Dolce Vita Lipstick in Dolce Vita - Full Sized (0.12 oz/34g) $35.00 value
  • Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lipstick in Milky Way - Deluxe Sample Size (half the size of a full. it is 0.07 oz/2g) $17 value
  • NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Crayon in Whisper - Full Sized  (2.49g/0.088 oz) $28.00 value 
  • Tarte Tarteist Lip Paint in Namaste Nude - Deluxe Sample Size (half the size of a full. It is 0.10 oz/3lm) $12.00 value
So that is 2 full sized products and 2 half sized products, and one 40% of the sized product,  not too shabby for $33.00 Canadian.

Tarte Tarteist Lip Paint in Namaste Nude:
Described just as a Nude, this one is really pretty. It runs a bit lighter then some of the other products in this set, which is good for pale old me, but might not be the best for others. The texture of this is really matte and light, a really odd thing for a lip product. The best I can explain it is like those Maybelline mouse foundations from about 10 years ago, but in a lip format  and with a doefoot applicator. I really do like the texture though, it is neat and totally different. It doesn't set 100%, like a liquid lipstick would (my morning coffee cup will attest to that), but it does set up really nicely on the lips and feels dry like you aren't wearing anything at all after about 20 minutes. It also lasts a very long time on the lips and doesn't dry them out nearly as much as a liquid lipstick would. It is so nice and really opaque on my lips.  I really like this guy and am considering get more in the future.
Marc Jacobs Beauty Mini Outliner Longwear Lip Pencil in Prim(Rose)
Described as a Coco Spice, this liner is really pretty. This colour really works well with the Nars Dolce Vita and the Tarte Namaste Nude, although it is a bit darker. It is smooth for a liner and definitely not stiff. It just glide on the lips.  I appreciate that is an automatic liner considering its small size and expensive price tag, no one likes to waist a good liner on sharpening. 
NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Crayon in Whisper
Simply described as a nude, this one runs really grey on me. I sort of feel like I look dead when I wear it. I really love the thick and matte texture of the stick, but the shade just doesn't flatter me at all.  I feel someone with a more warm completion or a darker one would suit this shade just fine. I am just too pale to pull it off (NC/NW15 over here). I do like that it is so thick but doesn't accentuate the lines on my lips at all. I am going to definitely go try out some other lipsticks from the line some time soon.
NARS Dolce Vita Lipstick in Dolce Vita
Described as a sheer dusty rose this one is by far my favourite in the set. It goes on smooth and just slightly sheer that it really works with my own lips colour. For me it creates a "My lips but better" look which I always appreciate. With the Marc Jacobs liner it becomes opaque and a bit more bold. This is a full sized Nars lipstick which means it costs $35 in stores on its own, and this set only cost $33...so defiantly a good item in the set for me.
Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lipstick in Milky Way
Described as a brown, this lipstick just goes on more opaque then the Nars, but much more brown. This probably would look amazing on people with a slightly darker skin tone then me, also on those with a warmer tone to their skin. I don't think it looks bad, I just think it could look better, less 1995...which I already lived through and I think I am too old to pull off now in 2016. I do like the formula though and am glad I've gotten to try it out. I might have to pick up some other Laura Mercier lipsticks in the future. 
Swatching time:

Overall I think this is a great set and can get a bunch of high quality nude lip colours for the price of just one lipstick. The Nars and Tarte are by far my favourite for my pale NC/NW15 skin tone. That being said I am still glad I got the set because I got to try out a bunch of brands and see if I like their formulas for $2 less then the cost of the Nars lipstick...so a great buy.

 The Nars lipstick alone is covers the value of the box, so if you like that shade already, definitely go for it. 

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 I little while ago I was sent Annabelle's new Smokey Nudes Palette, which I instantly fell in love with.

I decided to do a look using it, which then of course escalated into an entire one brand look. Which is great since I love to pull out all my Annabelle goodies and create a look.
So first the look, I used the below:



  • Smokey Nudes Palette
  • CC instant Perfecting Base in Natural Finish 
  • Skin True Natural Lightweight Foundation in Natural Ivory
  • CC Pressed Powder in Light/Medium (well loved as you can see by the amount I have hit pan on it)
  • Twist Up in Breeze
  • Blush in #44 Fawn Rose
  • Brow Show Pencil in Light 
  • Big Show Mascara in Black (not shown in photo)
  • Smokey Nudes Palette
There isn't much to say about my look. I used the CC base as a primer on both my face and eye area. Overall it is a light look with just the right amount of nude shadows for the day. I also am loving the new Brow Show pencil,  which I will talk about in another post (but man am I loving it).
I can't really say what I did with the palette since I winged it so much. pretty much the nude shade all over, some gold shade in the inner and browns on the rest. I also defined my crease a bit and used the darkest two shades to line my upper and lower lids.
On to the review part.

I really liked this palette. The colours are pretty darn creamy and blend really well.  I found the first shade (the matte one) a tad bit had to swatch, but applied really well on my lids. In fact I think the first 4 shades, didn't swatch well at all, but were unexpectedly amazing on my skin. The gold might be my favourite. I think they didn't swatch so well because they are similar to my skin tone.
 I like the range of gold, bronze, brown and even black in the palette, as well as warm and cool tones making it quite versatile.
 The only negative thing I can say is that I wish the black didn't have sparkles in it and was a true matte. But even that is a minor thing not to like.

Pros:
  • Inexpensive - retails for $12.95
  • Easy to find - It is sold at mass retailers 
  • Great colours - great selection in it for all skin tones
  • Creamy Shadows that blend well -isn't that we are all looking for?
  • Sleek case - the palette is a nice size , which makes it easy to carry or store (smaller then the Maybelline The Nudes and only .02 oz off in size).
Cons:
  • Not a lot of matte shades 
Overall:
This is a great nude or smokey palette for just about anyone. With 10 shades it can be quite versatile due to its range in shades and textures.
It blends well and lasts all day with no issues. I really like the darkest two shades for lining.
I really am quite impressed with this one.


*This product was sent to me for review, all opinions are my own.
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I've been on the search for the L'oreal Paris La Palette Nude 2 for about a month now. None of the stores near me were selling it. This last week my luck changed, I went to my Rexall and saw a display featuring both the 1 and 2 palette for $12.49. I could not believe it, since most drug stores were selling it for $29.99 (while Walmart was selling it for $23.98).

I went and snatched up two of each palette right away.
The best part is I am giving one of each away to you guys.

I'm most excited that I now have more matte shades to work with in the rose gold colour. I love my UD Naked 3 palette but find it really lacks in the mattes, this might fix that and give me some more work day apropriate options.
I picked up the La Nude 1 as well because of the price and as well just because it looked so darn pretty and I just can't resist a nice nude palette (I know I have more than enough).
How To Win:

Enter using the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This contest will run until June 6th and is open to Canadian mailing addresses only.

This is not a sponsored contest, I paid for these items myself and will be shipping them myself.
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November is here and so is neutral season. In honour of neutral/nude/naked season I've decided to dedicate the whole month to neutrals.

That's right, the blog is going to look pretty fall by the end of the month (just like all the trees).
Below is a list of all the products I hope to either review or do a FOTD with (maybe both). At the end of the month I'll update the list with the links to the posts.

Drug Store:
  • L'oreal Paris Colour Riche in 203 Perpetual Nude Quad
  • Sonia Kashuk Eye Couture Eye Palette - Eye On Neutral 02
  • Essence All About...Eyeshadow Palette 01 All About Nude
  • Essence All About...Eyeshadow Palette 03 All About Sunset
  • Essence How to Nude Eyes Makeup Box
  • Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette
  • Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio in Silent Treatment 
  • Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio in Sweet as Candy
  • Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio in Walking on Eggshells
  • Annabelle Quad in Chai Chai Chai
  • Maybelline the Nudes Palette
  • Maybelline Color Tattoos Leather in Deep Forest
  • Maybelline Color Tattoos Leather in Creamy Beige
  • Annabelle TwistUp Lipstick in Nude of Fame
High End:
  • Tarte Away Oui Go Set
  • Too Faced Sugar and Spice Palette
  • Urban Decay Naked Palette
  • Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette
  • Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
  • Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Palette
  • Smashbox Full Exposure Tavel Palette
Oh my this already looks like I won't succeed ....wish me luck.

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Since it is November, I thought I would do a bunch of nude/naked/neutral looks (Neutral November as I am calling it). First off for the month is a favourite of mine, a  look I created only using L'oreal Paris products.
Items Used:
  • Visible Lift Blur in 209 True Beige *
  • Color Riche Fixing and Unfying Eyeshadow Primer *
  • Colour Riche in 203 Perpetual Nude *
  • 12HR Infallible The Super * Slim Liquid Eyeliner in Black
  • Super Liner Brow Artist in 03 Brunette *
  • Volune Millions Lashes Excess in Black *
  • Nude Couture Lipstick in Frieda *
  • Visible Lift CC Eye Concealer in Light *
  • True Match Crayon Concealer in n1-2-3 Fair/Light
I love all these affordable drug store items and I love how they all just work, and work well at that. The star of this look is the Coluor Riche quad in Perpetual Nude. Rich, creamy, bendable and just plain old fantastic. I just cannot get enough of it.
The foundation is also a favourite of mine. It is light and creamy, plus it blends well. Since mine is in more my summer colour and therefor a tad bit dark for this time of year I really needed to blend it out, I used my Real Techniques sponge and had no issues whatsoever. To conceal I used around my eyes the CC eye roller by Visible lift and around my noise (where I get hormonal redness) I used my True Match crayon. I didn't end up needed much of the concealers, just a bit because of the great coverage from the foundation. I also didn't need powder, which is great since my skin gets so dry this time of year.
For my lips I used Freida Pinto's Nude lipstick. While she is a much darker skin tone than me, this slightly mauvy shade looks great with this quad and is the perfect lip colour for the fall this year.
Batting a Lash:
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* denotes items were sent to me for review. My opinions are still all my own.
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Last year L'oreal Paris launched a limited edition Collection Privée featuring custom nude lipsticks and nail polishes to match their spokesmodels. Apparently the collection was so well received that they are bringing it back as Nude Couture Collection. As if that wasn't fantastic enough there are more spokesmodels added to the Canadian line up.

The spokesmodels featured in this collection are Doutzen Kroes, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, Julianne Moore, Liya Kebede and Freida Pinto.
As a pale gal who often chooses to have red hair I am most excited and taken with Julianne Moore's shades. It is by far the most flattering on me.  I also surprisingly love the Eva Longoria's shades.

One of the best things about this collection is the wide range of skin tones it covers, all the nudes are so different, each with their own character and charm.
The collection is available now at mass market retailers and drugstores now. SMF Retail prices are $6.99 for nail polishes and $10.99 for lipsticks.

*products were sent for consideration, all opinions are my own.

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You ever try to get the perfect nude nail polish? Not easy is it? 
Well I have come up with a pretty simple solution to this problem
If you saw my post "Pigment Nail Polish Mixing Trick" from a few years back you will pretty much see the same tip.

Take a powder foundation, mineral or otherwise, scoop some into an old empty gum pack. Then pour some clear polish into the same well. Mix with brush or a toothpick. Paint your nails. If needed pour more polish in. When done wipe brush down with nail polish remover then rubbing alcohol before retuning to bottle. You're all done!

By using your own foundation you know the colour will match your skin very well. It is also a way to use up any powders that don't 100% suit you, but then the polish might not too.

You can also do this with pigments and make any colour you like.

Hope you liked my tip!

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Jill Oliver-Fox is a Toronto based beauty blogger with a love for beauty, food, and pets. She began the blog in 2009 and hasn't stopped since. To read more about Jill and the Blog, click here.

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