Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No. 7 Plush Eyeshadow in 210 The Siren

Now, I'd always heard amazing things about the textures and general formulation of Marc Jacobs eyeshadow palettes, but when it came down to it, the four original colour combinations just weren't exciting or unique enough for me to justify the price. But then Marc Jacobs came out with a new and limited edition palette for summer called The Siren, and when I saw the colours and the packaging, I knew I had found the one to splurge on. The Siren comes in a special edition thin, sleek white mirrored compact (as compared to the other palettes in the series, which are black). Each Style Eye-Con No. 7 Plush Eyeshadow palette contains a total of 7.0 grams of product, and retails for $71 CAD/$59 USD.

The Siren
The Siren

The Siren #1 is a pale bright cloud white in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, dense, almost buttery 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 similar to MAC Crystal Avalanche and Makeup Geek Ice Queen, brighter than MAC White Frost, and cooler than theBalm Envious Erin.

The Siren #2 is a medium-dark vibrant rusty red with orange undertones in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, dense, almost buttery 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 reddened than MAC Coppering, more red and more frosted than MAC Red Brick and NARS Persia, and darker and more orange than Makeup Geek Razzleberry.

The Siren #3 is a light-medium yellow-marigold in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, dense, almost buttery 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 similar to MAC Goldmine and Makeup Geek Gold Digger, darker and more yellow than MAC Gorgeous Gold, and brighter and more yellow than Urban Decay Half Baked.

The Siren #4 is a medium slightly muted warm golden copper in a metallic finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, dense, almost buttery 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 copper than MAC Amber Lights, darker and more vibrant than Urban Decay Chopper, and similar to NARS Isolde #1.

The Siren #5 is a light-medium seafoam green in a soft pearl finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, dense, almost buttery 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 frosted than MAC Aqua, lighter and less golden than MAC Steamy, and lighter and more green than Urban Decay Shattered. 

The Siren #6 is a medium-dark cobalt blue in a soft pearl 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 more muted and more frosted than MAC Cobalt, lighter and more muted than Makeup Geek Neptune, and darker and more purple-toned than NARS Rated R #2. 

The Siren #7 is a dark smoky teal with blue undertones in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, dense, almost buttery 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 metallic than MAC Plumage, similar though slightly more muted than Urban Decay Loaded, and more teal than theBalm Jealous Jordana.

Honestly, this is one of the best palettes I've come across in terms of texture and colour pay-off across the board. I would definitely put this on par with Urban Decay's palettes or some of MAC's best palettes. What really sets this apart from other palettes for me, however, is the colour combination. These are vibrant and colourful without being too in-your-face, and run from warm to cool tones that work well separately and together. (Actually, I was wearing the red and copper shades from this palette blended in with some warm brown matte shades to create a full-blown, smoked out terracotta look for the Paramore concert I went to a couple weeks ago, and received a ridiculous amount of compliments.) While I can see why this came out for summer — all the shades packaged together in a white compact is very nautical-esque — I can definitely see this working well all year round. For those who like some colour in their eyeshadows without being too bright, this is a fantastic, luxe palette that truly lives up to its reputation.

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... 

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.

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.