Sunday, June 30, 2013

Beauty Squared Round-Up - June 30

Happy Sunday! It's also Pride Day here where I am and tomorrow is Canada Day! One of the best weekends of the year in Toronto. 

Here are the beauty links we've gathered for you this week. Enjoy!


Thursday, June 27, 2013

OCC Loose Colour Concentrate in Flawed - Review, Swatches and Photos


Jill and I were in New York City recently and took the opportunity to visit the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics store on Manhattan's Lower East Side. It was Jill's first time seeing and trying all of the OCC products and while I've been using their lip tars for a few years, I've never tried any of their other products. One of the things I came home with was one of their Loose Colour Concentrates. 

OCC Loose Colour Concentrates are loose pigment colours that can be used anywhere on the body but their primary purpose is for the eyes. Here's what the OCC website has to say about their Loose Colours Concentrates:

These micronized colour pigments are fused with light- reflecting mica and can be used to apply shimmer on the eyes, lips, cheeks and anywhere else on the face or body for a sleek, eye-catching look. Whether for smoky, shimmering eyes, highlighted cheeks or even a dramatic, metallic lip, Loose Colour Concentrates are the ultimate product for customizable color. 

They retail for $14 US and come in 2.5 g.

The colour I bought is called Flawed. It's an antique gold-bronze shade.


Silly me, forgot to properly seal the sticker back down before tossing it into my luggage to travel home.
The OCC Loose Colour Concentrates can be worn dry or wet. When worn wet, it has a higher intensity of sheen than when worn dry. Below it's swatched dry.


OCC's Loose Colour Concentrates are very lightweight and finely-milled. As they are loose powder colours, they do have some fall-out, although when applied wet, there's less than when applied dry. 

Flawed has a burnished, old-gold look, kind of like the dull sheen of older coins. It can be buffed out so that it's just a golden shimmer on the skin, or worn more heavily for a more dramatic effect. Wet, it's much more shimmery and intense. 

Going by Flawed, and the other Loose Colour Concentrates I tried while at the OCC store in New York City, that these are among the finer quality loose pigments I've tried. 

Grade: A

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

RiRi ♥ MAC Summer Lipsticks Review, Swatches and Photos

Originally I didn't plan on buying anything from the RiRi ♥ MAC collection. I had read Temptalia's review of the Hibiscus Kiss bronzer/blush duo, the only product that seemed appealing to me but it looked hopelessly orange toned in her photos so I decided to skip. However, the morning the collection launched I decided to try to pick up the three LE lipsticks just for the hell of it...plus I wanted to order some of the Veluxe Pearlfusion quads and needed to spend a little bit more to qualify for free shipping.

After about five hours of on and off trying (in between cleaning the house) I was FINALLY allowed to check out with all but one of the lipsticks. Actually, the website allowed me to put all three in my basket right away, but then the website kept crashing when I tried to REMOVE some unwanted items in my basket from a previous visit. Annoying wouldn't even begin to describe the experience...at least my house got cleaned in the meantime!

But I digress, I have RiRi Woo and RiRi Boy for your consideration. Photos in natural light, NC 40 skin.





RiRi Woo and RiRi Boy


Both lipsticks are described as having a "retro matte" finish, and both are definitely strongly matte in texture. I suggest priming lips with a good lip balm and letting the balm set in for at least five minutes before applying these lipsticks. A matte, waxy balm like Blistex is good blotted on top of the lipstick if you find the matte texture a bit too dry as I frequently do.

RiRi Woo is a variant on the classic Ruby Woo and is described as a "matte cool red". The description is apt, and RiRi Woo definitely conjures up 1940's glamour. It's gorgeous and classic!

RiRi Boy is described as "matte vivid lavender". I would describe it as a berry toned mauve - it looks much pinker in person than it does in the photo and on my skin at least, retains a certain duskiness that other "lavenders" like Lavender Whip don't have.

Overall these lipsticks wear well and are extremely pigmented. The texture is tougher to wear than Satins or Amplified Cremes, but they deliver on what they promise.

Grade: A

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Stained Glosses in Meta and Jealous: Review, Photos and Swatches



A friend picked me up two of the brand new OCC Stained Glosses in New York last week. I had asked her to get me Meta and Jealous and she did. Little did I know how identical they'd look, in the tubes at least! I'm glad they're labelled. 

The Stained Glosses are a gloss version of OCC's Lip Tars. From the OCC website:

OCC's Lip Tar: Stained Gloss™ is our newest texture option from the Lip Tar™ range, combining the hyper-opacity of Lip Tar™ with a casual glossy finish that's ready-to-wear from its first slick application to the high impact stain it leaves behind. Lip Tar: Stained Gloss™ can be worn alone or layered over your favorite existing shades for added depth, dimension and a glossy finish that lasts!

"OCC Fans have been asking to see a new take on Lip Tar™ that remains true to our pigment-potency heritage, while providing a more see-through, glossy look," says David Klasfeld, CEO and Creative Director, "We took our inspiration from stained glass windows and lighting gels. Transparent yet concentrated colour that no one would dare call sheer."

The Stained Glosses come in the same packaging as the Lip Tars - small plastic resealable  bags with an information card and a small brush for application. Very smart considering the the tricky application of both the Lip Tars and the Stained Glosses and it makes it easy to carry them around with you in your purse or even your pocket. 

Like the Lip Tars, the Stained Glosses have a liquid, highly pigmented texture and a mint scent. Unlike the Lip Tars, however, the Stained Glosses are sheer, translucent. 
Top: Anime Lip Tar
Bottom L to R: Jealous and Meta Stained Glosses

First up, let's look at Meta. 


Information card explaining how to apply the Stained Gloss.
Meta Stained Gloss is described by OCC as red orange shellac. It definitely reads more pink once on, though (photos below). 




Here is Meta on me. I'd say it reads more watermelony than red-orange. 



And here's Jealous. OCC describes it as popsicle pink/red. It's definitely more pink than Meta, a cooler pink. 






I even tried applying Meta to my top lip and Jealous to my bottom lip but I still couldn't discern any real difference between the two. That's how close they are in colour. 

The bright colours of both of these shades is fantastic. If you like bright colours, these are a fantastic. I can't get over the look of these. They almost glow. 

The Stained Glosses are a bit challenging to apply. You definitely need a mirror and a lip brush and some time. Unlike other glosses, which often you can just swipe on without a mirror, these take some time and attention due to the pigment. 

I like the consistency and definitely the appearance - the delicate glossy sheen of these is in contrast with the intense pigmentation. These are slightly easier to wear than the Lip Tars, as they are lighter in both appearance and in feel. 

You only need a tiny amount of product, but you need a little more than the Lip Tars. I found that with the Stained Glosses, the pigmentation easily got patchy when I blended it across my lips, so I needed to add more to make it even. 

I really like these, though I wish they were easier to apply and wear. These wear OK, though they do come off more easily than the Lip Tars, being slicker in consistency. The pigment leaves a residue behind once the glossiness wears off, so it's not like eating off your lipstick. 

Grade: B+



Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Stila Eyeshadow in Barefoot Contessa Review, Photos and Swatches


I found some Stila products at Winners on Bloor Street recently. Mostly eyeliner pencils, a few lip glosses and single eyeshadows as well as a multicolour palette (same size as the single eyeshadows). The only shade that really spoke to me out of the selection was Barefoot Contessa, a warm and shimmery red-brown. I've never tried Stila eyeshadows before and I was surprised when I got home and did some research to find that this shade is actually very popular. SCORE! 

Barefoot Contessa isn't listed on the Stila website or on Sephora, but you can still find it online. Perhaps it simply isn't available in single form. It's such a great colour, I can't imagine why they'd discontinue it. 

I paid $8.99 for it at Winners. Regularly, the Stila single eyeshadows are $23.00 CDN ($18 US).

The packaging is a brown cardboard box. The huge and sticky Winners sticker covered most of it, so I didn't photograph it. The sticker was stuck across the front, covering the window so some of the residue is visible on the eyeshadow compact itself (top photo). 

The compact itself is sleek, flat and wide and contains 0.09 oz.


Barefoot Contessa is described as a shimmery plum bronze. It's certainly got plum and bronze to it and  red-pink and orange tones shout at me as well.


Pigmentation is very soft but it can be built up. See the photos below. In the first, that's one swipe of product. In the second, two swipes. It's more bronze in the first but with more layers, the plum and red tones definitely come out. The third photo show three layers and is even more intense and shimmery.




The texture is very soft and silky, A++++ for that. It feels weightless on the skin and there's no fall-out whatsoever, unless of course, you've loaded up your brush with product and neglected to shake the excess off. 

Colours such as Barefoot Contessa are excellent for blue and green eyes as the warm tones contrast and highlight cool-toned eyes. It's a very versatile colour however, and would work on most skintones and all eye colours.  

In the photos below, I'm wearing it alone on my top and bottom eyes, with some MAC Embark smudged along my upper lashline. It's a great colour for everyday and since it's so buildable, it's also great for a sexy, grunge-y smoky eye. It's a very versatile colour, with many, many options. 




Overall, I really like both the texture, wear and look of Barefoot Contessa. I won't hesitate to try other Stila eyeshadows!

Grade: A

Monday, June 24, 2013

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar and Nail Lacquer Duos



Perfect to celebrate Pride Month, collect all six 'OCC + DWV' Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer Duos featuring the Divas of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics: Willam, Detox, and Vicky Vox


Available only at SEPHORA.COM



Willam wears:

ANIME (Virbant neon pink Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer) | NSFW (True red Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer)

Detox wears:
BLACK DAHLIA (Deep blackened red Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer) | STRUMPET (Retro plum red Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer)

Vicky Vox wears:
KAVA KAVA (Peach beige Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer) | GRANDMA (Classic coral Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer)

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Beauty Squared Round-Up - June 23, 2013

Hello lovelies! Here's your Sunday round-up post with the beauty-related links we've come across this week. 





Saturday, June 22, 2013

And the winner of the $100 Amazon.ca giftcard is.....


Congratulations to Grace who is the winner of the $100 Amazon.ca giftcard! Grace left the following comment and was randomly selected yesterday as the winner.



Grace, please send us an email at beautysqrd@gmail.com with your mailing address so we can send you the giftcard!

A big thank you to everyone who entered the contest. 

Catherine and Jill

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Introducing MAC Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow: Preview Photos



It's eyeshadow innovation like you've never seen before. A versatile powder that brings out the pigment's pure and true colour. The result is a glamourous, creamy and lightweight hybrid offering two distinctive effects: applied wet for a super saturation of colour that glistens with metallic brilliance, or dry for sheer coverage with a soft, sparkling finish. Six palettes feature five complementary shades that glide on and blend beautifully for infinite day-to-night looks: Pinkluxe, Bleuluxe, Pastelluxe, Greenluxe, Smokeluxe and Brownluxe. 

Available June 20, 2013 in the permanent line.



Bleuluxe
$47.50 CDN/$40 US

Brownluxe
$47.50 CDN/$40 US


Greenluxe
$47.50 CDN/$40 US

Pastelluxe
$47.50 CDN/$40 US

Pinkluxe
$47.50 CDN/$40 US

Smokyluxe
$47.50 CDN/$40 US


275 Medium Angled Shading
$30 CDN/$25 US

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

RiRi (Hearts) MAC Summer: Preview Photos


This is more than summer love. Rihanna and M∙A∙C strike a chord with an online-exclusive colour collection created by the global superstar. Bronze and cool coral combine for a Powder Blush Duo in the unforgettable Hibiscus Kiss, while Retro Matte Lipsticks in RiRi Boy, Heaux and the instant classic RiRi Woo make a statement against sheer, shimmering skin highlighted with rose gold Lustre Drops.
Exclusively online.

Available exclusively online June 18, 2013, starting at noon EST in North America.
www.maccosmetics.com
#RiRiHeartsMAC
Powder Blush Duo in Hibiscus Kiss
Cool coral blush and matte neutral bronze duo
$30 CDN/$26 US

Lipstick in Heaux
Matte berry (retro matte)
$18 CDN/$15 US

Lipstick in RiRi Boy
Matte vivid lavender (retro matte)
$18 CDN/$15 US

Lipstick in RiRi Woo
Matte cool red (retro matte)
$18 CDN/$15 US

Lustre Drops in Barbados Girl
Rose gold bronzer
$24 CDN/$20 US


Monday, June 17, 2013

butter LONDON Two Fingered Salute - Review, Swatches and Photos


When Jill and I were in New York City recently, we went to a store called Ricki's. There are a quite a few Ricki's in Manhattan, and they carry a wide range of hair supplies, some make-up, cosmetics and nail supplies. For beauty junkies, it's well worth a stop for lines like NYX, Stila, OPI, Essie and butter LONDON. While it's not as flashy as a Sephora, it's got products that you may not be able to find elsewhere, such as butter LONDON's Two-Fingered Salute, a Nordstroms limited edition exclusive.

I was sooooo curious about this shade when it was first launched last summer but as always, was hesitant to buy it without seeing it in person first. So when I saw it on the shelf at Ricky's I squealed.

Two-Fingered Salute: Similar to giving the bird in the states. Naughty! A muted, patinaed green-creme with copper micro-glitter.

This is a two-fingered salute - a UK version of giving someone the finger. 

Yes, you read that correctly, a green with copper glitter. Sounds weird, right? It looks a little weird too, but it's also really cool, very pretty and very different. I don't know if I'd wear this shade of green without the copper, it's verging on pastel. 


Two-Fingered Salute goes on beautifully, as do all the butter LONDON polishes I've tried. In the photo below I'm wearing three coats, but that's more my application technique than the product. This would probably work fine with two coats. The copper glitter is subtle and embedded in the polish, so it's not an uneven finish. 

You see mainly the green but at certain angles, the copper glitter creates a sheen and at other angles you see the individual copper particles. 




This is a great shade. I'm a huge fan of butter LONDON polishes as you may know from reading this blog. Each new one I try, I fall in love a little bit more. It's a combination of the names of the polishes as well as the uniqueness of many of the shades. butter LONDON is not an inexpensive polish, but they're beautiful polishes. They cost around $18 CDN. 

Grade: A