Jouer Tint in Honeysuckle

This post starts out on a sour note. The ONLY spot I know of in Vancouver to pick up Jouer products just switched from a retail store to online only, and they dropped Jouer from the lines they carry. Jouer is one of those brands that for whatever reason I am just drawn to, so it bums me out that I won’t be able to purchase from them anymore. While the store, Wishlist Boutique, was having their closing out sale, all Jouer products were 50% off. By the time I could make it to the store their selection was pretty cleaned out so I only left with one Jouer product.

Jouer Tint in the Shade Honeysuckle – $22.00 CAD

I say I can’t purchase from Jouer anymore like they’ve closed up shop, which is totally untrue. I can still buy online, however with the Canadian dollar being what it is… I’ll stay away from websites that only price in US dollars. This tint caught my eye mostly because I love cream face products, and the shade is a really bright peachy pink – something that was missing from my current collection.

As with all Jouer packaging, it’s really simple and straightforward. There’s no bulk, just exactly what you need. The actual formula is wonderful on these tints. The consistency is very creamy but not sticky at all and blends like a dream. Jouer describes the colour as a soft poppy peach, which I think is right on the money.

The colour is actually quite opaque which makes application easy peasy. It sets nicely as well, so you’re not left with any tacky bits on your cheeks. You could most certainly wear this on your lips with a little bit of balm underneath for a cute matchy matchy look. I like to apply it with the ELF Small Stipple Brush, and I find it lasts all day without wearing off or fading away.

Don’t mind my bangs. They’re pretty freshly cut so they haven’t learned the lay-down of the law just yet. They have a mind of their own.

Talk soon,

Xx Brianna

Elf Blush Palette

Today’s post is a fun one. Blush is by far the most fun cosmetic to buy (in my little world, at least). And what’s more fun than a blush palette with 4 gorgeous blushes?! I was doing the usual spending an hour in the Real Canadian Superstore beauty section looking at their newly re-vamped brand list. The world has answered my hopes and dreams and FINALLY started carrying Milani and Wet n Wild, and a bigger ELF section. I picked up the ELF blush palette after seeing some buzz on the internet.

ELF Studio Blush Palette in Light – $8.00 CAD

Your eyes are not betraying you, that’s a blush palette that contains 4 blushes for only 8 bucks. Here in Canada we get royally screwed with dollar conversions. When our dollar is awesome things are still more expensive, when our dollar is the pits (like right now) things are even more expensive. Americans have it good, that’s all I’ll say. Anyways, tangent aside, 4 blushes for 8 dollars is still a great deal.

The palette contains 4 blushes: a cool toned bright matte pink, a warm terracotta matte brown, a warm matte pink, and a shimmery coral. The blush palette is a pretty decent size with a very nice sized mirror in the lid. What’s really cool about this palette is that each pan pops out, so you can mix and match with the other ELF palettes (foundation palette, contouring palette, etc). Each pan is very decently sized, and pops in and out pretty easily from the back. You could even stick on a magnet and add these blushes to a z-palette.

Texture wise, these blushes are really nice. Surprisingly nice. They’re soft, but not too soft, and don’t kick up any fall out when you tap your brush into the product. They’re just that perfect consistency where they give you nice colour pay off, but you don’t have to be insanely careful about applying them. The lasting power is also really lovely. I’ve applied each of these blushes to bare cheeks (unpowdered) and they’ve lasted me all day without any touch ups.

Swatched above are the blushes in clockwise order. You can see the first 3 shades which are all matte have really awesome pigmentation. The last one that has some shimmer particles running through it is the least pigmented of the 4, but it’s still a really gorgeous colour. Not going to lie I kept staring at that brown shade and thinking there’s no way that’s going on my cheeks. It runs really warm, I compared it to all my bronzers and it was significantly more warm toned, but I gave it a shot and I was very pleasantly surprised. Sometimes you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone, you know?

Below are photos of me wearing each blush, I’ve photographed them in the same order as the swatches above. (If you’re wondering why my hair looks jacked up in these photos, read here).

I had to colour correct the last photo just a smidge as the sun was straight BEAMING into my room and it was crazy orange, but the colour of the blush shows true. Overall I’m really loving this palette, especially for summer. I find myself reaching for it all the time, and I’m very very curious about the contouring palette.

Talk soon,

Xx Brianna

Tarte Showstopper Palette

Today I’d like to share with you a splurge product I picked up during the Sephora VIB sale. I had been eying up this palette online, and I honestly thought it was an Ulta exclusive, meaning us lowly Canadians were out of luck. When I saw this palette on the Tarte shelves in Sephora I snatched it up. And I’m so glad I did. Spoiler alert I have been using the heck out of this palette since I picked it up. I do have a few constructive criticisms of this palette, however.

Tarte Showstopper Clay Palette – $46.00 CAD

From what I’m able to tell online, I don’t think this is a limited edition product. The palette comes in the same kind of packaging Tarte has used before, mainly with their Rainforest After Dark palette from last Fall. It’s a beautiful circular palette with faux purple snakeskin and gold accents. I kind of think it feels a little cheap and you can definitely tell it’s plastic, but so long as it doesn’t break on me, I’m fine with the packaging. There’s also a really nice big mirror on the inside, a big plus.

I actually think this palette is a very good value for money. The palette is centered with an Amazonian Clay blush that’s .14oz in size. A regular sized blush from Tarte is 0.2oz and retails for $34 CAD. You also get 6 shadows, a very decent sized bronzer and highlight. I was very tempted by the Tarte Poppy Picnic Palette, but this one just seemed like a better value, and had more interesting shades.

Ahh the beauty of an untouched palette. The blush is completely matte, as well as one of the eyeshadows. All the other powders have some sort of sparkle to them that range from basically non-existent to metallic, we’ll get into it in the swatches below momentarily. Here’s my one complaint with this palette. I don’t really think the blush compliments the shadows. I actually really like pairing these shadows with my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in the shade Mood Exposure. I do like the blush itself, it’s a really beautiful peachy-orange, but it just doesn’t go well with the bronze shades.

The pigmentation is definitely what you expect from Tarte. I’ll break down all the shades, formulas and wear times below.

For face powders, there are 3 in this palette. I swatched the palette going clockwise. Starting with the top, there’s the Champagne Pink highlighter that’s a very frosty white cream shade. Not the most pigmented, which I appreciate so that I don’t look like a disco ball. The bronzer is the classic Park Ave Princess Bronzer, however this one has a little sparkle in the formula. When you pick up the bronzer with a brush it doesn’t translate to your skin at all, but you do see it in the pan. I feel like this bronzer is deeper than what I have in the Park Ave Princess Palette, but it seems to apply just the same. Finally is the Amazonian Clay Blush in the shade Fame. As mentioned earlier, this is a very strong matte orange-peach shade. I really like applying it with a light touch and a duo fiber brush. With tanned skin, I think Fame would look amazing. The bronzer and blush apply beautifully, with no patchiness, and wear all day with no problems.

Continuing on, again clockwise in the palette, are the eyeshadows. I think you can easily get various, complete looks with this palette. Dim the Lights is an almost matte very deep blackened brown. I’d love this shade more if it was completely matte, as I could use it in my brows, but that’s just me being picky. The shade Rose to the Top was what actually sold me on this palette. When I swatched it and saw how buttery and pigmented it was, I had to have this palette. It’s a beautiful bronze with a hint of rose. This shadow is the stand out of the palette. Steel the Scene, I was expecting to totally ignore in this palette, but it’s actually ended up being my favorite. I’ve used this shadow almost every day. It’s a gorgeous taupey metallic shade with a hint of bronze in there. It’s a great sweep all over the lid and go shade. You’re a Natural is your typical transition shade, it’s a medium brown, like a great bronzer shade that’s totally matte. Go for the Gold is a beautiful shimmery gold that’s great to take from day to night. Lastly is Showstopper Copper, it’s a shimmery warm brown shade, totally beautiful and suits blue eyes beautifully. All of these shades actually make blue eyes pop. With a primer, these shadows stay put and do not budge or fade. The only shadow I’m not totally impressed with the formula is Dim the Lights, it’s just a little chalky, the rest are gorgeous.

Talk soon,

Xx Brianna