Tag: Estée Lauder

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Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara

by Literary and Lovely4 Comments on Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara

img_0312Good afternoon 🙂 🙂

I seem to be on a weekly mascara testing streak, but I have started organizing and spring cleaning my makeup stores early this year, and found all manner of nifty products I tried and loved and forgot about, or never even tried at all (I know, for shame).  This mascara was included in Estée Lauder’s 2015 holiday gift set, and claims to deliver the trifecta of lift, curl AND volume, so I wanted to give it a whirl and see if it lived up to this mighty reputation.

Features:

  1. Oversized BrushComber Extreme™ brush
  2. Extreme Bold Volume™ formula
  3. Lightweight formula
  4. Clump-free
  5. Lash-Advancing Vitamin Complex to condition lashes
  6. False-lash effect

img_0314-1Like last week’s mascara, this one has an absolutely massive brush and, dare I say, it is almost too big. The solid and flexible bristles are designed to coat on as much formula as possible, and to comb and separate lashes to build up volume and definition. This brush definitely lifted my eyelashes and gave them volume, but there was no dramatic curl effect. However, when I curled my eyelashes and then applied this mascara, it held in the curl all day, which was perfect. I just wish the brush was a tiny bit smaller so I could better sculpt my lower lashes.

The mascara goes on really smoothly and evenly, and doesn’t weigh down my eyelashes, which is a huge plus. It doesn’t clump on lashes during application, and wears well throughout the day with no little black crumbles. When wearing this around university, I received so many lovely compliments on how long my eyelashes were and how bright-eyed I looked, and they made my day. When I take it off at night, my lashes don’t feel dried out or like the mascara is still glued on, which I attribute to the Lash-Advancing Vitamin Complex. I tried taking if off at night with just soap and water, and it works but it takes awhile, so for a quick removal, I use Clinique’s Take The Day Off Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes, and Lips.

This mascara retails for CAN $30, which is pricy, so I am glad it came in a gift set, but I would recommend this mascara to anyone with thin, sparse lashes who is looking for a mascara to lift their eyelashes, literally. It is definitely one of the best highstreet mascaras I have tried.

What is your go-to mascara???

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A Few Birthday Beauty Treats

by Literary and LovelyLeave a Comment on A Few Birthday Beauty Treats

Good morning everyone!!!

With my birthday now 9 days behind us, I wanted to share with you what I received for my birthday, focusing in on a few beauty treats.

Beauty Treats: img_6234 I was fortunate to receive from my mother something I had been eyeing for quite some time: Esteé Lauder’s Colour Portfolio Palette. This set includes 30 Pure Colour Eyeshadows, two Pure Colour Glosses, and a Pure Colour Intense Kajal Eyeliner pencil. I absolutely love the range of colours in this portfolio, and each palette section actually pops out. Plus, there is a built-in mirror, making this portfolio perfect to take on a trip with all your eyeshadows in one place, complete with an applicator brush. img_6236When my mother purchased this for me, apparently she did so on the one day that Hudson’s Bay was giving away a free full size of  Estée Lauder’s Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Age-Correcting Cream, a $100 value. I love when things like that happen. img_6240.jpg And finally, I was able to pick up my birthday gift from Sephora: a set of two mini NARS Velvet Matte and Satin Lip Pencils in the shades Cruella and Rikugien. The former is a classic red shade, while the latter is a more muted pink shade. I just tried out Rikugien this morning, and it goes on so smoothly!!! Now to test its lasting power. img_6204 And now for the presents from my grandparents. For as long as I can remember, every birthday my grandmother gives me a 200 sheet package of ruled paper, a $50 bill, and a pair of gloves.

Paper: The most recent package of paper I have received to date was purchased back in the 90s. How do I know, you ask??? Well, each package has a page of coupons on the front, or a promotion. On one package in particular, the coupon for purchasing three Crispy Crunch chocolate bars and getting the fourth one free expired in 1992 . . . meaning the paper was purchased at least the year before. Then another package had a promotion for getting a Batman comic book for $1.29. That promotion ended back in the late 80s. But I love getting this paper every year. As a student, I find I am always running out of paper in binders, and it is so nice to always have a stash of more. Plus, since the paper is older, it has a slight yellow hue to it, which I love. So much better than the stark white of brand new paper with the overly defined red margin line. Ha, my paper is always so different that, back in high school, all my teachers knew which work was mine without looking at the name because the paper stood out in their marking pile. Ah, youth.

$50: My grandmother claims every year that she doesn’t know what to get people, so including some money in a card is her way of making sure she doesn’t give people anything they don’t want or wouldn’t use. I think she expects me to buy myself a little present with it, but I always end up depositing it into my savings account. Got to pay for school somehow.

The pair of gloves: Now this one I find so adorable. Each year, my grandmother goes on a weekend getaway with her childhood friend. They stay in a hotel, go out for dinner, and, of course, hit up the dollar store in the big shopping mall on the drive home. This is where her hoard of gloves comes from and, every year, I am given a pair of gloves. At this point, I have at least 19 pairs, but I think I have even more because sometimes I get a pair for Christmas too. You would think this would be more pairs of gloves than anyone could ever need, but they are actually really handy (ha, so punny). They are super compact, so I keep a pair in the car, in my backpack, in jacket pockets, in purses, and anywhere else I can think of so that, come winter, my hands will never be cold.

Finally, for my birthday I asked for a goat. Not one for myself, but one that would be donated to an organization like Free the Children or OxFam, who would give the goat to a family in a developing country. It is amazing to see how a single goat can change the economic status of a family, and how much it means to them. And it is always important to give to others.

I had such a wonderful birthday celebration with my family, and I am so thankful for these thoughtful presents.

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Top Five Fall Fragrances

by Literary and LovelyLeave a Comment on Top Five Fall Fragrances

IMG_6169Good morning everyone!!!

To keep the autumn theme going, I thought I would share with you another seasonal beauty favourite of mine: fragrances.

I do not have any fragrances designated for particular seasons; rather, I like to wear some of my favourites throughout the year. Besides, most fragrances are so expensive that you want to get plenty of year-round use out of them. They also help you qualify for some brands’ bonus gifts, which are always lovely.

 

1. La petite Robe Noire by Guerlain

IMG_6157I came across this while in Paris back in August, and immediately fell in love with it. I would have purchased it in Paris, but I have a deep-rooted fear of traveling with perfumes (for anyone who has had one leak in their suitcase, you will understand why). So, when I got home, I purchased it as soon as possible, and I actually went with the eau de toilette version. Not only is it more “cost feasible,” to put it formally, but I prefer the more subdued version of the scent. With notes of black cherry, almond, berries, rose, licorice, and black tea, this is a fresh yet intoxicating scent. Aside from the fragrance itself, I adore the packaging. The heart-shaped bottle is so pretty, and the the silhouette of the little black dress is such an elegant yet modern touch. The 50mL size of this eau de toilette is about CAN $85.

2. Dolce by Dolce and Gabbana

IMG_6165As you can probably ascertain from the tiny amount that is left in the bottle, I really, really, really like this fragrance. It is a soft scent of white flowers, neroli leaves, white amaryllis, white water lily, and white daffodil, among other things. Fun fact: White amaryllis is a South African flower that was used for the first time ever in scent for this fragrance. The packaging of this fragrance is both beautiful and symbolic. The bottle itself is evocative of a vintage fragrance flacon, while the flower stopper is a tribute to Sicilian customs. The black grosgrain ribbon represents the signature white shirts and bow ties of early Dolce and Gabbana runway shows and, finally, the script of the label is a replica of the signature of Domenico Dolce’s father. This eau de parfum comes in three sizes: 0.25oz for CAN $34, 1.6oz for CAN $109, and 2.5oz for CAN $136.

3. La Vie Est Belle 

IMG_6158I came upon this fragrance in the pages of Vogue. I couldn’t figure out why the issue smelled so good, and then I found the perfume sample. After wiping the magazine page on my neck for the next few days like a right fool, I went out and purchased the fragrance. It turns out that it was actually more cost-effective to purchase the three-piece box set than just the large size of the perfume alone. Fun fact: the final formula of this perfume is the result of three years of trials and 5000 versions. Just imagine working through 5000 different versions of something before you got it how you wanted it; that is dedication. The top notes of this fragrance are blackberry and pear, with middle notes of jasmine and iris, and base notes of praline, vanilla, tonka bean, and patchouli. However, I found that some of these base notes, particularly vanilla and praline, are much more prominent than blackberry or pear, but the powdery base and fruity tier organization is still intact. This fragrance is quite heavy, and fairly long lasting, making it perfect to wear on a night out. It comes in three sizes: 0.34oz for CAN $28, 1oz for CAN $74, and 1.7oz for CAN $98.

4. Vanitas by Versace 

IMG_6160This is the second fragrance I ever purchased and, once again, I discovered it from a sample in Vogue. It is a fresh and clean scent, making it perfect for everyday wear, but it is soft enough that those around you won’t be overpowered by it. To many people, it may be more of a spring/summer fragrance, but I love getting whiffs of summer as I go about my day, especially when the days get gloomy. The predominant scents in this fragrance for me are lime, freesia, and Virginia Cedar, with some base notes of tonka bean. It comes in three sizes: 30mL, 50mL, and 100mL. I could only find the price for the 50mL size, and that is CAN $98.

5. Modern Muse Chic by Estée Lauder
IMG_6162The last of my favourite fall fragrances is Estée Lauder’s Modern Muse Chic. It is much lighter than the original version, Modern Muse, while still maintaining its striking contrast of floral and woods scents. This is a daring and slightly spicy scent, and I think the nearly-empty flacon speaks for itself about its wearability. This fragrance comes in two sizes: 1oz for CAN $68, and 1.7oz for CAN $90. I went with the 1oz size because I wanted to make sure that I liked it before I bought the larger size. Fortunately, I picked it up around Christmas time when purchasing it qualified me for one of Estée Lauder’s Christmas gift sets, which are well worth their value and come with a large case that is perfect for keeping all cosmetics and toiletries in one place when traveling.

And those are my top five fall fragrances!!!

Now it’s your turn: let me know in the comments below which fragrances are your favourites, either for the autumn season, or just in general 🙂 🙂

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My Top 5 High-End Autumnal Berry Lips

by Literary and Lovely5 Comments on My Top 5 High-End Autumnal Berry Lips

IMG_6128Good morning everyone!!!

With autumn weather in full swing, the berry lips are back, and I could not be happier!!! There is something about a bold lip that just makes me feel super fancy, even if I’ve paired it with some leggings and a sweater. But there are so many lipstick shades out there to choose from, so I thought I would share with you my top five high-end autumnal berry lips. If you like this post, let me know and I will more than happily share my top 5 drugstore autumnal berry lips. So let’s begin!!!

1. Estée Lauder New Pure Colour Lipstick in Fig IMG_6134 I received this lipstick in one of Estée Lauder’s annual Christmas gift sets, and at first I thought it was too dark, so it lived in my lippie collection without seeing the light of day. But then about a year ago, I was rummaging around for a dramatic, sultry red to go with a little black dress, and this lipstick was my saving grace. It is a beautiful, tawny red, it goes on super smoothly, it doesn’t dry out my lips, and it stays on really well throughout the day, with little to no fading. This lipstick has the sample packaging, which is more simplistic than the packaging of a regular Estée Lauder lipstick, but they run at about $34 a-piece, so I’ll take more basic packaging since I still get the gem of a lip colour inside.

2. Bite Beauty’s Maple Matte Crème Lipstick in Braised Maple IMG_6136 I reviewed this lipstick awhile ago in my post about Bite Beauty’s Maple Matte Crème Lipstick range, and have since been wearing it as much as I can. It is not as orangey as it looks, and it lasts. Like if I don’t fully remove it at night, the tint is still there in the morning. It is such a lovely colour, and it actually smells like maple, which I think is a nice little feature. Unfortunately for those of you who live outside Canada, this range is a Canadian exclusive, and they sold mighty fast. I’m pretty sure most stores only have one colour left in stock. This one was $28, and at the time I purchased three, so both me and my bank account were worried about not liking them, but I am so glad I got them all at once. Otherwise, they would have been gone, and I have got so much wear out of them.

3. Bite Beauty’s Maple Matte Crème Lipstick in Sugared Maple IMG_6135Yup, another one of Bite Beauty’s maple lipsticks made it into my top 5 highstreet autumnal lipsticks. I just love how long lasting they are, and somehow going around smelling like maple gives all my makeup looks a Canadianesque feel. I rarely used to wear deep purple shades, but this one is so gorgeous on, and is perfect when paired with simple, daytime eye makeup, or some dramatic wing eyeliner for evening wear.

4. Clinique’s Long Last Soft Matte Lipstick in Matte Plum IMG_6133This was one of the first lipsticks I purchased when Clinique came out with their Long Last Soft Matte range, and I was hooked on it. My mother loved it so much that she went out and got one for herself, and it’s now her everyday lipstick shade. Lots of the other soft matte shades are pretty, but Matte Plum just pops out, and is one of the few shades that I think can be worn in both Autumn and Spring.

 

5. Chanel’s Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Romanesque IMG_6131I also discussed this lipstick shade in my review post of it but, to summarize, I had wanted this shade for months since I had seen it in Chanel’s Spring 2015 advertisements, and picked it up while in Paris back in August. It is a subtle yet deep shade of purple that is actually very versatile in terms of the looks it can be worn with and the seasons it can be worn in. It may have been released in Spring, but there is nothing stopping me from wearing it year-round. Plus, I find the formula to be very hydrating, which is important as the days get colder and lips are exposed to harsher elements.

So what are your top five high street autumnal lipstick shades??? Have you tried any of these shades before??? What did you think of them???

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