Pick-Ups & Deliveries: October 2013

As it's the end of the month, I thought it was time to do my monthly haul post. October proved to be a very splurge-y month, perhaps more so than others (and I shop a lot, so this month was especially intense), what with new stores opening and a little cross-border shopping. Of course, this all started with — what else? — nail polish. A Sephora opened up about ten minutes from my house, which is extremely dangerous if you're me. Naturally, I needed to check it out and dropped by on their opening day, 'cause I'm a keener like that. I ended up picking up three Deborah Lippmann glitters plus a couple of the new Marc Jacobs polishes (oh, and yeah, I am a VIB Rouge member now, to absolutely no one's surprise). Then a few days later, I received an e-mail from Butter London regarding their latest promotion: free shipping when you spend over $50 and also get a free bottle of their Powder Room nail polish remover plus a bonus nail file. I figured I'd use the opportunity to get a few of their online exclusive shades.
Deborah Lippmann Glitter Nail Lacquers in Shake Your Money Maker, Stronger, and Glitter & Be Gay
Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer in Blue Velvet and Petra
Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer in The 444, Fishwife, and Inky Six
And then I found myself passing by the Dior counter one day and saw a whole display of their new Diorblush Vibrant Colour Powder Blushes. I absolutely do not need any new blushes, but blush fiends will be blush fiends, and I found myself swatching them, anyway. At $43 a pop, though, I decided to skip them at the time even though I was extremely tempted. A few days later, my friend who works at Dior offered me a 30% discount on everything, and then I could no longer say no to them blushes. So I bought my two favourites. And then on top of that, she gave me brand new tubes of my favourite Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara as well as Diorshow Blackout (my old favourite) because she received them as gratis but doesn't use mascara. Free Dior mascara? Yes, please!
Dior Diorblush Vibrant Colour Powder Blush in 986 Star Fuchsia and 676 Coral Cruise
Dior Diorshow Blackout and Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascaras
MAC Lipstick in Craving, Captive, and Media
I went to the mall with my friend and stopped by MAC to recycle some containers for some new lipsticks, and then discovered that The Face Shop had opened up there! Now, I'd never tried anything from The Face Shop before but I've always been intrigued by the brand. (I know they have a store at Pacific Mall, but I refuse to go there because the parking lot is absolutely horrendous.) They were having a grand opening promotion, where you get $15 off when you spend $35. Obviously, I took the opportunity to try a variety of products from the brand. I ended up going in at two different occasions to buy things because a 40% discount was just too good to pass up.
The Face Shop Herb Day 365 Peach Cleansing Foam, Green Tea Phyto Powder Cleansing Foam, Black Sugar Phyto Powder Cleansing Cream, and Real Nature Sheet Masks in Kelp, Lemon, Bamboo, and Rice
The Face Shop Green Tea Hand Gel Cream, Honey Citron Tea Moisture Hand Cream, Honey Citron Tea Moisture Body Wash, Honey Citron Moisture Body Lotion, and Lip Care Cream in Mango Butter and Shea Butter
As I had mentioned a couple weeks ago, Edward and I took a mini road trip to Pennsylvania to get out of the city for a bit and, you know, shop. We stopped by a few places, the first being Erie, which is about four hours from Toronto. A client of mine told me that the selection at the Burlington Coat Factory there is fantastic and the prices are often better than outlets, hence the detour ('cause, honestly, there's nothing much else to do in Erie). Though I saw some nice coats, I personally didn't get anything there because the styles I liked didn't come in my size or they ended up fitting funny on me. But Edward ended up getting quite a few things there so at least that made the stop worth it. The shopping for me didn't really start until we got to Grove City Premium Outlets, and I only bought things from two stores there. The first one was Old Navy, where I got a few pairs of The Flirt black skinny jeans (for $17.70 each from $36, and tax-free!). The second was at the Crabtree & Evelyn outlet store, where I made like a bandit. I love a lot of Crabtree & Evelyn products but I rarely buy anything there because it's so expensive. But at the outlet store, everything was at least 50% off, so I had to take advantage:
Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed Tote Gift Set (on sale for $35 from $75!): Skin Conditioning Hand Recovery, Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy, Skin Quenching Body Lotion, Skin Cleansing Bath & Shower Gel, and Tote Bag (not shown)
Avocado, Olive & Basil Body Set with Skin Revitalizing Body Lotion and Revitalizing Bath & Shower Gel (for $15 from $40); Avocado, Olive & Basil Conditioning Shampoo and Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed Revitalizing Shampoo (for $12 each from $18)
I would've bought more at the outlets, but I had to save some money for shopping the next day. We decided to stay overnight in Pittsburgh because I wanted to check out Ross Park Mall. As many of you know, American retail prices are always lower and the sales tax rate in Pennsylvania is 6% (for luxury items; it's tax-free on necessities like clothes and shoes), so I wanted to take advantage of that since we were going to be in the state, anyway. The next morning, before we went to the mall, we decided to make a pit stop at Target (of course). Aside from a pair of black Merona wedge ankle booties, a couple of novels, and some snacks (hello, Oreo Coconut Delight Fudge Cremes!), I picked up a bunch of random goodies that I felt were significantly cheaper over there than here:
Up & Up Acetone Nail Polish Remover, EOS Pomegranate Raspberry Shave Cream, Hello Kitty and Strawberry Shortcake Band-Aids, Essie Nail Polish in For the Twill of It and Cashmere Bathrobe, Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat, Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balms (in Peach Kiss, Pink Punch, Grape Vine, Quenched, and Cherry Me), and EOS Lip Balms (in Blueberry Açai and Strawberry Sorbet)
And then we drove up to the mall, where we stopped by The Cheesecake Factory for a delightful lunch of fish tacos and pumpkin pecan cheesecake for dessert. Completely stuffed and totally satisfied (as I always am after eating at The Cheesecake Factory), we waddled inside the mall and I made a beeline for — what else? — Sephora. I put myself on a budget for this trip and wanted to make sure that I got things that I really needed before splurging on anything else, and thought I did pretty well. I had to buy my perfume (which is $12 cheaper in the US), my holy grail make-up removing cleanser and eyeshadow primer, and then decided to get my first ever Caudalie skincare product, which I will incorporate into my winter routine. The only item I bought that I felt was an unnecessary splurge was the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick in 19 Fuchsia in Rage... but I had been coveting it since June so I took the plunge. For some reason, Sephora doesn't carry that particular shade in Canada, and it was sold out when I initially saw it in Buffalo this summer, so when I saw that they had two of them in stock at this particular Sephora, I had to snatch it up.

Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum (100 ml), Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum, and Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleansing Gel & Eye Makeup Remover
NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in 19 Fuchsia in Rage
I would say that I'm now on a shopping ban from this month's excessiveness... but November is birthday month and also IMATS Toronto, so it's actually very possible that I will have an even bigger haul next month than this one... 

MAC Divine Night: Cremesheen Glasses

Last week, MAC released a new collection called Divine Night, which is the main colour collection and first part of MAC's Holiday 2013 offerings. Divine Night was inspired by "what happens at night... the moment when flashing lights illuminate a flair for finery and limitless luxury that can only be described as divine." The design of the powders and the colour combinations were inspired by the elegance and geometric designs of 1920s Art Deco, as well as Studio 54 and the lavish lifestyles of the era. Divine Night consists of 32 products, and sees the release of four new and limited edition shades of Cremesheen Glass. It is housed in special edition matte black packaging with yellow gold detailing and matching secondary cardstock packaging. Each Cremesheen Glass contains 2.7 grams of product, and retails for $25. 
Flair for Finery, You've Got It, Private Party, and Prepare for Pleasure

Flair for Finery is a light milky peachy beige. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is lightweight and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has low pigmentation and sheer to semi-sheer buildable colour pay-off. It is slightly more peach than Boy Bait, and slightly darker and more beige than Fashion Whim.

You've Got It is a light dirty beige-brown with green iridescent micro-shimmer. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is lightweight and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has low pigmentation and sheer to semi-sheer buildable colour pay-off. It is lighter and cooler than Bare Necessity Dazzleglass, and darker and more grey than Boy Bait.

Private Party is a medium-dark pinked plum with pink iridescent micro-shimmer. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is lightweight and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium pigmentation and semi-sheer and semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is sheerer and more purple than Viva Glam VI Lipglass, and darker than Star Nova Lustreglass.

Prepare for Pleasure is a medium brightened cool-toned pinked red. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is lightweight and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is warmer and much redder than Loud & Lovely, and more pink than Venetian Lustreglass.

Cremesheen Glass is by far my favourite lip gloss formula from MAC for a few reasons — they're non-sticky, ultra-creamy, super-glossy, and are excellent for layering. The major drawback here is the wear-time, which is three hours at most, but that's the only thing that could be improved upon, in my opinion. While they are not touted as moisturizing, they are definitely not drying, and I feel that these keep my lips soft and hydrated — these are by far MAC's most hydrating lip gloss formula. And, yes, these are the matching Cremesheen Glasses to (four of) the lipsticks from this launch. My must-haves are Private Party and Prepare for Pleasure, as there is nothing similar in the Cremesheen Glass formula in MAC's permanent range (though there are similar permanent shades from the other gloss formulas that MAC offers). Both Flair for Finery and You've Got It are very sheer and add a slight milkiness and luscious shine... but not much else. I find that when MAC releases Cremesheen Glasses in any given collection, there is always one milky nude shade, and they all look similar to each other, so if you have a nude-coloured Cremesheen Glass from the permanent range or another limited collection, you can skip these ones.

MAC Divine Night: Lipsticks

Last week, MAC released a new collection called Divine Night, which is the main colour collection and first part of MAC's Holiday 2013 offerings. Divine Night was inspired by "what happens at night... the moment when flashing lights illuminate a flair for finery and limitless luxury that can only be described as divine." The design of the powders and the colour combinations were inspired by the elegance and geometric designs of 1920s Art Deco, as well as Studio 54 and the lavish lifestyles of the era. Divine Night consists of 32 products, and sees the release of five new and limited edition shades of lipstick. It is housed in special edition matte black packaging with yellow gold detailing and matching secondary cardstock packaging. Each lipstick contains 3 grams of product, and retails for $20. Due to the special edition packaging, these are not applicable for the Back to MAC recycling program.
You've Got It, Flair for Finery, Exclusive Event, Private Party, and Prepare for Pleasure
You've Got It, Flair for Finery, Exclusive Event, Private Party, and Prepare for Pleasure

You've Got It is a pale pinked beige with gold iridescent shimmer in a Frost finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is soft and creamy, but due to the shimmery finish, it does go on a bit patchy and emphasize lip lines. It has low pigmentation and sheer to semi-sheer buildable colour pay-off. It is lighter and more beige than Frou, and sheerer and more pinked than Tanarama.

Flair for Finery is a light-medium slightly cool-toned fleshy pink in a Lustre finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is cooler and less pink than Angel and Creme Cup, and more pink than Hue.

Exclusive Event is a medium cool-toned taupe-brown with grey undertones in a Satin finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is darker and much more grey than Taupe, and darker and less pinked than Till Tomorrow Pro Longwear Lipcreme.

Private Party is a medium-dark pinked plum in a Satin finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is darker and more plum than Craving, and slightly lighter and more pink than Captive. 

Prepare for Pleasure is a medium brightened cool-toned pinked red in a Cremesheen finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is slightly lighter and more pink than Everyday Diva Mineralize Rich Lipstick, and slightly more pink than New Temptation Sheen Supreme Lipstick.

I'm not a huge fan of frosted lipsticks in general, but I do find that You've Got It is more shimmery than metallic so it's generally more subtle than many Frost finish lipsticks. However, since it's such a sheer shade, it would work much better as a layering lipstick than on its own, which tends to emphasize lip texture. Flair for Finery is a nice pink-toned nude shade for fair to medium complexions, but there are a lot of dupes within MAC's permanent range. Exclusive Event is a very good dupe for those who wanted Nude from RiRi ♥ MAC Fall, though it isn't matte. It's a love it or hate it shade, though, since the grey undertones make it harder to wear for most skintones (read: it makes you look dead and/or corpse-like... which is something you might want as Halloween is coming around). Private Party is a gorgeous plum shade for fall/winter and is actually very wearable and flattering across all skintones and undertones. However, Captive is almost an exact dupe for it, so you may want to save yourself the extra $2 for the special edition packaging. Prepare for Pleasure is actually surprisingly unique within MAC's red lipstick range (which is really quite extensive), as it's very much a pink-red rather than a true red. It's actually really similar to Love Goddess from last year's Marilyn Monroe collection, so if you missed out on that one, you might want to check this one out.

MAC Divine Night: Mineralize Eyeshadows

Last week, MAC released a new collection called Divine Night, which is the main colour collection and first part of MAC's Holiday 2013 offerings. Divine Night was inspired by "what happens at night... the moment when flashing lights illuminate a flair for finery and limitless luxury that can only be described as divine." The design of the powders and the colour combinations were inspired by the elegance and geometric designs of 1920s Art Deco, as well as Studio 54 and the lavish lifestyles of the era. Divine Night consists of 32 products, and sees the release of six new and limited edition shades of Mineralize Eyeshadow (two of which will not be reviewed here). It is housed in special edition matte black packaging with yellow gold detailing and matching secondary cardstock packaging. Each Mineralize Eyeshadow contains 1.8 grams of product, and retails for $27.50.
Exquisite Ego
Exquisite Ego (swatches): used dry (left two) and used damp (right two)

Exquisite Ego #1 is a pale soft warm beige in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It becomes slightly more intense and more metallic when used damp, but it does look fairly similar when used dry. It is more whitened and more sparkly than Dazzlelight Eyeshadow, warmer than Forgery Eyeshadow, and less peach and less sparkly than Light Touch Pressed Pigment.

Exquisite Ego #2 is a medium copper-bronze with orange undertones in a metallic finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It becomes slightly more metallic when used wet, but it does look fairly similar when used dry. It is less reddened than Mythology Eyeshadow, darker and more orange than Honey Lust Eyeshadow, and darker and more copper than Tan Pigment.

Gilded Night
Gilded Night (swatches): used dry (left two) and used damp (right two)

Gilded Night #1 is a soft black with silver sparkle in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a slightly drier texture, but goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It becomes significantly more intense and much more metallic when used damp. It is similar though more sparkly than Black Tied Eyeshadow, more muted than Cinderfella Mineralize Eyeshadow, and much less sparkly than Jet Couture Pressed Pigment.

Gilded Night #2 is a light-medium soft yellow gold in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It becomes slightly more metallic when used damp, but it does look fairly similar when used dry. It is darker and more gold than Retrospeck Eyeshadow, darker and more sparkly than Ricepaper Eyeshadow, and lighter and much more muted than Goldmine Eyeshadow.

Past Midnight
Past Midnight (swatches): used dry (left two) and used damp (right two)

Past Midnight #1 is a pale cool-toned pink with a touch of lavender in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It becomes slightly more intense and more metallic when used damp. It is cooler than Pink Freeze Eyeshadow, lighter and brighter than Seedy Pearl Eyeshadow, and lighter and more pink than Amethyst Pressed Pigment.

Past Midnight #2 is a dark royal purple with a blackened base in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a drier texture, and can go on slightly patchy as a result. It has medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It becomes significantly more intense and more metallic when used damp, and also applies much smoother and more evenly. It is darker and slightly cooler than Nocturnelle and Plush Pro Longwear Eyeshadow, and cooler than Young Punk Mineralize Eyeshadow.

Until Dawn
Until Dawn (swatches): used dry (left two) and used damp (right two)

Until Dawn #1 is a medium cool-toned caramel brown in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It becomes slightly more intense and more metallic when used damp. It is darker and cooler than Soft Brown Eyeshadow, lighter and less reddened than Haux Eyeshadow, and more brown and more frosted than Stormy Pink Pro Longwear Paint Pot.

Until Dawn #2 is a light-medium golden wheat in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It becomes slightly more intense and more metallic when used damp. It is darker and less yellow than Ricepaper Eyeshadow, warmer and more muted than Retrospeck, more golden than Sweet Satisfaction Pro Longwear Eyeshadow.

I've always been on the fence with Mineralize Eyeshadows. On the one hand, they can look absolutely beautiful in execution... but on the other hand, they take quite a bit of patience to use. They remind me somewhat of MAC's Lustre finish eyeshadows, which are very sparkly and have a semi-sheer to semi-opaque colour pay-off (they are meant to be a wash of colour on the eye). Like the Lustres, these are also prone to a lot of fall-out because of the amount of sparkle. But unlike MAC's regular powder eyeshadows, Mineralize Eyeshadows can be used damp, and that's when they really execute beautifully. They work really well on top of a more emollient base like MAC's Paint Pots, though any eye primer will help significantly in making the eyeshadow adhere better to the lid and show up more pigmented. As MAC has released many similar shades to these and continues to have many dupes within their permanent eyeshadow range, I wouldn't say any of these are must-haves, but they may entice you if you love Mineralize Eyeshadows.

MAC Divine Night: Mineralize Blushes

Last week, MAC released a new collection called Divine Night, which is the main colour collection and first part of MAC's Holiday 2013 offerings. Divine Night was inspired by "what happens at night... the moment when flashing lights illuminate a flair for finery and limitless luxury that can only be described as divine." The design of the powders and the colour combinations were inspired by the elegance and geometric designs of 1920s Art Deco, as well as Studio 54 and the lavish lifestyles of the era. Divine Night consists of 32 products, and sees the release of three new and limited edition shades of Mineralize Blush. It is housed in special edition matte black packaging with yellow gold detailing and matching secondary cardstock packaging. Each Mineralize Blush contains 3.2 grams of product, and retails for $32.50.
Clockwise from bottom: Lavish Living, Talk of the Town, and Lured to Love
Lavish Living, Talk of the Town, and Lured to Love

Lavish Living is a medium-dark cool-toned berry-plum with brown undertones and silver and gold shimmer in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition product. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is cooler and more plum than Love Joy, and less reddened than Love Thing.

Talk of the Town is a light warm peachy pink with silver and gold sparkle in a metallic finish. This is a new and limited edition product. It has a soft, silky texture, but it can go on a bit unevenly due to the amount of sparkle. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more pink than Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish, and much lighter and more peach than Warm Soul. 

Lured to Love is a light-medium warm pink-coral in a satin finish. This is a new and limited edition product. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more pink than Melba Blush, lighter and more coral than Peachykeen Blush.

I've always loved Mineralize Blushes for the way they look on the skin, as if it were apart of it rather than sitting on top of it. I've mentioned this before, but because Mineralize Blushes are baked, they have a drier texture than many of MAC's regular powder blushes. You can layer them and layer them and they will always keep that "skin-like" finish, so despite the intense amount of shimmer you can see when they're in the pan, it doesn't end up translating that frosted or shimmery on the skin. Lavish Living, despite look insanely dark in the swatch here and almost bruise-like in the pan, actually applies really beautifully so that it ends up being more of a rosy plum on the cheeks. And because Mineralize Blushes buff out so easily, you can definitely play with the colour pay-off here. Talk of the Town reminded me more of a Mineralize Skinfinish than a Mineralize Blush in the way that it sits on the skin — the intense amount of sparkle does give a much more metallic finish, and the colour itself only shows up on fair to light skintones. On darker skintones, it'll just look like a layer of sparkles. Lured to Love went on surprisingly light initially, but it layers phenomenally so that you can create a really nice soft peach cheek. Fans of Melba and Peaches will love this one. That having been said, my must-have of the three is Lavish Living, which has great texture and pigmentation and will suit all skintones from fair to dark. And it's a surprisingly unique shade that I can't find a good dupe for within MAC's permanent range.

MAC Divine Night: Mineralize Skinfinishes

Last week, MAC released a new collection called Divine Night, which is the main colour collection and first part of MAC's Holiday 2013 offerings. Divine Night was inspired by "what happens at night... the moment when flashing lights illuminate a flair for finery and limitless luxury that can only be described as divine." The design of the powders and the colour combinations were inspired by the elegance and geometric designs of 1920s Art Deco, as well as Studio 54 and the lavish lifestyles of the era. Divine Night consists of 32 products, and sees the release of three new and limited edition shades of Mineralize Skinfinish. It is housed in special edition matte black packaging with yellow gold detailing and matching secondary cardstock packaging. Each Mineralize Skinfinish contains 7.5 grams of product, and retails for $38.50.
Centre of Attention
Centre of Attention: inner shade, outer shade, both shades mixed

Centre of Attention consists of two shades in a geometric design. This is a new and limited edition product. The inner shade is a light-medium warm yellow gold with gold sparkle in a frosted finish. It has a rough, gritty texture due to the amount of sparkle, and goes on patchy and flaky as a result. It has medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is similar though much grittier than Goldmine Eyeshadow. The outer shade is a pale warm pinked beige with a subtle pearlized finish. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more pink than Lightscapade. The blended shade is a light warm champagne with yellow gold shimmer-sheen and sparkle in a frosted finish. It goes on smoother than the inner shade alone, but there is still some grittiness from the sparkle. It has medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more gold and more sparkly than Lightscapade, and slightly lighter and much more gold than Soft and Gentle.

Perfectly Poised
Perfectly Poised: inner shade, outer shade, both shades mixed

Perfectly Poised consists of two shades in a geometric design. This is a new and limited edition product. The inner shade is a pale peachy beige with a slightly pinked pearlescent shimmer in a frosted finish. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is similar though more frosted than Lightscapade. The outer shade is a medium-dark orange-bronze in a metallic finish. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and more orange than Gold Deposit. The blended shade is a medium muted peach-orange with a pink pearlized sheen in a frosted finish. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and more orange than Sunbasque Powder Blush, and much more metallic than Style Powder Blush.

Scene to be Seen
Scene to be Seen: inner shade, outer shade, both shades mixed

Scene to be Seen consists of two shades in a geometric design. This is a new and limited edition product. The inner shade is a medium-dark warm brick rose in a metallic finish. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is cooler than Gleeful Mineralize Blush. The outer shade is a medium-dark slightly cool-toned raspberry-plum in a metallic finish. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker than Gentle Mineralize Blush. The blended shade is a medium-dark warm reddened plum in a metallic finish. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly more pinked than Plum Foolery Powder Blush, more plum than Gleeful Mineralize Blush, and warmer and more reddened than Gentle Mineralize Blush.

I've always been a fan of Mineralize Skinfinishes, but I prefer the ones that are already swirled together as opposed to ones like these, where you have to blend together separate shades. I don't know why, but the ones you have to blend together are never quite as smooth and pigmented. Centre of Attention was easily the biggest disappointment here, because when I initially looked at it, I thought it would work well as a lovely gold-toned highlighter, like a gold version of Soft and Gentle (which I love). But the gold shade is just way too gritty; the sparkles fly everywhere and just don't want to stay put on the face. Perfectly Poised is a great option to add a warm glow to the face; it's dark enough for fair to medium-dark skintones to use as a blush, but light enough to use as a finisher (e.g. to buff on top of blush for a more dimensional metallic finish). Those with dark to deep dark skintones will see it more as a highlighter or finisher than a blush, though.

However, the must-have here is definitely Scene to be Seen, which aside from having the smoothest, silkiest texture and most pigmented combination of the three, is also a fantastic plum shade that's on-trend for the season. And it is perfectly suitable for all skintones from fair to deep dark to use as a blush. As usual, Mineralize Skinfinishes have very metallic finishes, so for those who like a more matte look to their skin, you can definitely skip these. I find that Mineralize Skinfinishes also have a tendency to emphasize skin texture and pores due to the high-frost finish, so I recommend using a face primer first. If you aren't a fan of Mineralize Skinfinishes to begin with, these won't change your mind, but for those who love them, definitely check out Perfectly Poised and Scene to be Seen.

Carmelina

My friend, Cynthia, and her fiancé invited Edward and me for dinner this evening at Carmelina. Coincidentally, they're one of the restaurants participating in Savour York Region, which is York Region's version of Summerlicious and/or Winterlicious (except I think Savour is in the Spring and Fall, so basically Torontonians can get delightful prix fixe deals all year round!). Carmelina is offering a $35 three-course prix fixe dinner menu for this event, so we obviously had to take advantage:
Bruschetta
For the first course, they offer a choice of soup of the day, mixed green salad, or bruschetta. Obviously, as an extreme carb-lover (they give the table a basket of sesame focaccia flat bread before the meal and I had already plowed through three of those), I had to go with the bruschetta. As previously mentioned, I don't order bruschetta often because it's usually so over-priced. But hot damn, is it ever worth getting with their Savour prix fixe menu! You get not one, not two, but four pieces of bruschetta. For one person! They use thinner slices of focaccia instead of classic crusty Italian bread so the toppings don't hold up quite as well, but I'm not gonna complain here because their bruschetta typically goes for $10, so it's an insanely good deal with this prix fixe. In terms of flavour, I didn't think it was as good as Rossini's version, but it's still fresh, well-seasoned, and satisfying.
Risotto Funghi
Carmelina offers five choices for your main course in the Savour prix fixe, and after debating between risotto and steak, the risotto surprisingly won (as I said, I'm an extreme carb-lover and I was feeling extra carb-y today... plus, Edward ordered steak and gave me some, so it was a win-win). This version is made with arborio rice simmered with a ton of mixed mushrooms, onions, garlic, and porcini broth, served with slices of grana padana parmigiano cheese and grilled portobello mushrooms. The rice had the perfect texture that is still firm and holds its shape but with a beautifully creamy consistency. The earthiness of the mushrooms contrasts really well with the almost-pungent sharpness of the cheese and also adds a nice crunchy texture to the creamy rice. This is a super-rich and indulgent dish, so it's not for the faint of heart (literally — this is totally an artery-clogger). And the portion is incredibly generous; I think this is one of the very few times when I haven't been able to finish my main dish, and I can chow down.
Tiramisu
Raspberry chocolate tartufo
For dessert, they offer two options, so Edward and I got one of each and shared. The first one is the tiramisu, and it was actually, surprisingly, really, really good. I say 'surprisingly' because desserts made for prix fixe events like these are usually mediocre. But this was definitely one of the more authentic tiramisus I've had; it was actually made with ladyfingers, for one, and was soft and plush with a nice coffee flavour. They also use real whipped mascarpone cheese rather than whipped cream (rookie mistake, really), and I'm glad that they didn't add a lot of liquor to it — I could taste a touch of it, but nothing obvious or overwhelming. The second dessert option is raspberry chocolate tartufo. I'm not sure if they make it in-house or if they buy it from a third party, but either way, it's positively delightful. I especially love the combination of tart raspberry with sweet milk chocolate and bittersweet cocoa powder. I have a particular soft spot for tartufo because it reminds me of my childhood; my mom used to surprise my brother and I with tartufo if we'd been good. Basically, I'm glad Edward was with me so I didn't have to decide between the two desserts.
This wasn't my first time at Carmelina, actually — I'd been there once before a couple years ago with Wynnie. I've always enjoyed the ambience there, which is on the romantic side with soft lighting, and the Italian-inspired decor complete with stone statues and pillars (in a non-garish way). Our server tonight was polite enough but seemed annoyed when we didn't order any wine, and then a little impatient when we were ordering our food, and then was really slow when we asked for the bill (so slow, in fact, that we waited a good ten minutes to pay with credit card and when she still hadn't come, we ended up giving cash instead). I'm not going to hold it against her, though, because I've found service to be like this during these restaurant week events. Plus, I distinctly remember having awesome service the last time I went there. Either way, it is entirely worth it to check this place out, especially during this Savour York Region event. They don't skimp on portion or quality, so the prix fixe price is even more of a deal (entrées typically run for $20 to $40 on their own!). If you can't make it for Savour, it's still worth a visit, especially on date night or special occasions.

Carmelina 7501 Woodbine Avenue Markham, ON L3R 2W1 (905) 477-7744

Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold Blush in 214 Promiscuous

Okay, unless you've been living under a rock (in the make-up world, anyway), you'll know that Marc Jacobs came out with his own cosmetics line a few months ago, exclusive to Sephora. Marc Jacobs is one of the many fashion designers who have forayed into cosmetics, but his target audience with his namesake brand has always been a younger, hipper, trendier crowd, which is what makes this venture into make-up a little different. Though a lot of the attention was drawn to the eyeshadow palettes from this line, I decided to try out the blushes first (what can I say, blush fiends will be blush fiends). These are packaged in slim, streamlined black mirrored compacts with a silver snap close and the Marc Jacobs logo embossed on the front. Each blush comes with a mini blush brush and a black fabric pouch, contains 4.5 grams of product, and retails for $36.
214 Promiscuous
214 Promiscuous

210 Irresistible is a medium-dark brightened rose pink with subtle cool undertones and a soft sheen in a satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a dry, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and cooler than MAC Dollymix, less purple-toned than MAC Gentle Mineralize Blush, darker and cooler than MAC Dainty Mineralize Blush, warmer and less bright than Tarte Adored and NARS Angelika, and lighter and warmer than NARS Mata Hari.

I have found that the texture of these blushes is very similar to MAC's Mineralize Blushes, so it's on the drier side, as if they were baked, rather than buttery. I didn't have any issues with pigmentation or blending with these, and they apply smoothly and evenly — and sit on the skin that way, as well (e.g. not patchy). Promiscuous is a fairly bright colour on its own, so I recommend using light layers to build the colour rather than pack it on in one go (unless you like clown cheeks, and no judgement if you do!). On that note, though, it buffs out really easily and can look really natural on the skin, as if it was apart of it. This should work well on all skintones from fair to deep dark, as well. Promiscuous is described as a "warm rose," though I personally found it to be on the slightly cooler side. What I like about this shade is that it's a brightened pink that's doesn't stray into 'bubblegum' or 'cotton candy' or neon territory. Nor is it so dark that it veers into the berry or plum families. It's a very flattering "blooming flush," if you will. And it's a perfect pink for every season.

Sunday Video Love: Royals

Judging by the immense number of views this video has gotten, I assume this song is on heavy rotation on the radio. But seeing as I don't listen to the radio, I can thoroughly enjoy this song without getting ridiculously sick of it. When I first listened to this song in the summer, I didn't fall in love with it immediately. But I stumbled upon the video again and again and found myself singing along to it. Next thing I know, I'm addicted to it; it's stuck in my head, and I'm humming it all day long. I downloaded her album, Pure Heroine, a few weeks ago, and I've been switching back and forth between it and The Naked and Famous' In Rolling Waves for the past month. What can I say, I'm really digging Kiwi tunes right now. The New Zealand music scene is definitely having its moment.

Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold Blush in 210 Irresistible

Okay, unless you've been living under a rock (in the make-up world, anyway), you'll know that Marc Jacobs came out with his own cosmetics line a few months ago, exclusive to Sephora. Marc Jacobs is one of the many fashion designers who have forayed into cosmetics, but his target audience with his namesake brand has always been a younger, hipper, trendier crowd, which is what makes this venture into make-up a little different. Though a lot of the attention was drawn to the eyeshadow palettes from this line, I decided to try out the blushes first (what can I say, blush fiends will be blush fiends). These are packaged in slim, streamlined black mirrored compacts with a silver snap close and the Marc Jacobs logo embossed on the front. Each blush comes with a mini blush brush and a black fabric pouch, contains 4.5 grams of product, and retails for $36.
210 Irresistible
210 Irresistible

210 Irresistible is a medium-dark brightened warm apricot orange with a soft sheen in a satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a dry, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is much darker and more orange than MAC Peaches, brighter and more orange than MAC Peachtwist, less pink than Tarte Blissful, slightly darker than NARS Gilda, lighter and less reddened than NARS Liberté, much more muted and more pinked than Illamasqua Excite, and slightly darker and more muted than Chanel Frivole.

There have been some mixed reviews on this blush, but I personally found it super effortless to use. It has a texture that is similar to MAC's Mineralize Blushes, so it's on the drier side, as if they were baked, rather than buttery. I didn't have any issues with pigmentation or blending with these, and they apply smoothly and evenly — and sit on the skin that way, as well (e.g. not patchy). Irresistible is a fairly bright colour on its own, so I recommend using light layers to build the colour rather than pack it on in one go (unless you like clown cheeks, and no judgement if you do!). On that note, though, it buffs out really easily and can look really natural on the skin, as if it was apart of it. This should work well on all skintones from fair to deep dark, as well. What I like about this shade is that it's not really a peach or a coral, which I associate more with warmer months. There's a burnished quality to this shade that which makes it a great option for fall and winter. If you like warm, orange-toned blushes, this is definitely one to look at.

One Temporary Escape: Young Blood

I just wanted to quickly note that I'll be away for the next two days 'cause I'll be shopping up a storm in Pennsylvania! As you may have guessed from my video post on Sunday, I'm addicted to The Naked and Famous right now, so I thought I'd share a video by them in lieu of a "real" post. See y'all in a couple days!

Dior Mystic Metallics: 5 Couleurs Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in Bonne Étoile

Dior released their Fall 2013 collection a couple months ago, called Mystic Metallics. It was inspired by "Dior’s ultimate lucky charm: the Star. Vibrant, brilliant shades capture the mystery and magic of the Dior Star, a Parisian street ornament that guided Dior to his destiny as worldwide fashion icon." I was initially going to skip this collection, not because it didn't tempt me, but because I couldn't really justify spending so much money on items I know I won't use on a regular basis (or even a semi-regular basis) especially given all the other Fall collections that were rolling out at the same time. But an opportunity came up where I could get a discount on Dior, so I picked up the one item that I deemed as too gorgeous to pass up: the limited edition Bonne Étoile eyeshadow palette. It comes in Dior's signature rectangular dark blue mirrored compact, with two double-ended foam applicators (for shame!) in a dark blue velvet pocket. Each palette comes with 6 grams of product, and retails for $61.
Bonne Étoile
Bonne Étoile

Bonne Étoile #1 is a medium-dark warm olive green with green, gold, copper micro-shimmer in a pearlized satin finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is warmer and more golden than MAC Humid, much darker and less golden than MAC Sumptuous Olive, warmer than MAC Greensmoke, and more muted and less green than Urban Decay Bender.

Bonne Étoile #2 is a pale silvered pewter in a sparkly frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more silvered than MAC Forgery, more sparkly than MAC Vex, warmer than MAC Idol Eyes, and cooler than Urban Decay Zephyr. 

Bonne Étoile #3 is a light muted seafoam green with a soft golden shimmer-sheen in a pearlized satin finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is warmer and more frosted than MAC Aqua, lighter than MAC Sweet & Sour Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo, darker and warmer than MAC Fresh & Mint Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo, and more green and more shimmery than MAC Clearwater Paint Pot. 

Bonne Étoile #4 is a medium-dark teal-blue with a metallic finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is much darker and more blue than MAC Steamy, brighter and more blue than Urban Decay Hijack, darker and more teal than Urban Decay Radium, and much darker than Urban Decay Shattered. 

Bonne Étoile #5 is a medium-dark warm golden brown in a satin finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker than MAC Soba, lighter and less metallic than MAC Tempting, less golden than MAC Bronze, and more golden than Urban Decay Snakebite.

This is definitely the star product (har, har, har) of Dior's Mystic Metallics collection. All five shades have beautifully smooth and pigmented formulas that apply like a dream and blend out easily. Even the soft seafoam green shade, which is the least pigmented of the five, layers up beautifully on the eye. I also find that the five shades work really well together to create a variety of different looks, but are really distinct colours on their own. It's like a warmer, smokier, sexier (and far more wearable) take on the"peacock" eye that was big over the summer (as witnessed with Dior's Bird of Paradise Summer 2013 collection). This is definitely one of the better Dior eyeshadow palettes I've come across, too, at least in terms of texture and uniqueness. It's expensive for an eyeshadow palette of this quantity, but I'd say it falls under standard pricing in the luxury cosmetics world, and in this instance, you really get what you pay for. Plus, let's be honest, it's just damn pretty to look at.