Let's All Celebrate & Have A Good Time!

(photo from: Tribune Weekly Chronicle)

Hello, lovelies!

So yesterday, Call It Beauty passed the 100 follower mark. I just wanted to say a big thank you to every single one of you for following my blog, I truly do appreciate it!

I wish I could have a giveaway to express my appreciation; but alas, I am on a spending ban and therefore, have nothing to give away. But I hope all of you lovelies will celebrate with me, regardless! So let's have an open forum: talk about your day, your latest beauty/fashion acquisitions, your favourite tv show, whatever! Leave it in the comments and let's have a chat fest :). This is something the lovely Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog does on Sundays and I thought I'd borrow the idea for a little bit to celebrate this momentous (at least for me :p) occasion. 

Speaking of comments, I've implemented Disqus onto my blog. If you've noticed, there's a handy little reply button at the bottom of your comments which allows me to reply to you much more efficiently. I strive in being able to reply to people as much as I can, so if you ask a question, make sure to check back, because I'll be replying to you there. 

So hope some (or all :p) of you will join me in the comment section! 

Let's have a party :)

L'oréal Telescopic Eyeliner - Review

I'm surprised to say I went a few months without liquid liner...

Then again, I did have my Blacktrack, but I find it's not as long lasting as liquid eyeliner (even when using a primer). So finally, I actually remembered that I needed to get one and decided to try something different (I was using Revlon's Colorstay Liquid Eyeliner for many years).

Enter, the L'oréal Telescopic Eyeliner. It's a waterproof formula, it has an intense colour, has a bit of a wet finish (similar to MAC's Superslick Liquid Eyeliners), and the felt tip is quite soft (unlike the Revlon Colorstay) and very easy to work with; all for under $12.00 CAD. Sounds like a deal, right?

Well, yes and no. It definitely has a lot going for it (see previous paragraph), but there are too many minuses for me to recommend this product. Firstly: unlike the Superslick liners, these do rub off. Quite easily, in fact.

(drying time: 2-3 minutes)

Two words: HOT MESS. 

So I thought, "hmm, maybe if I wait 5 whole minutes!"

Better, but still bad. 

I think L'oréal needs to tweak the formula a bit more because the consistency itself can be a bit thick when applied, which has the tendency to make it look clumpy on the eyelid. For example, my left and right eye are completely different shapes. So in order to make my eyes to look more similar in shape, I sometimes need to layer the product more in order to get the shape I want. L'oréal Telescopic is absolutely not the right product for this. 

I was about to give up on it, but I decided to give it another go and found that when applied on top of other products (eyeshadow, primer, etc.), it applies much smoother and doesn't clump at all (even with a bit of layering).

Oh, and another thing: removing this is a bit of a chore. Despite using a makeup remover that's specifically for waterproof products, I find that I need to rub more than I'm comfortable with in order to get the liner off my eyes. And it doesn't remove normally, Oh no! It becomes this rubbery, tacky, gooey mess...

...That will get all up on your face, mark my words!

So if you read through all that babble, congratulations! Reward yourself by not getting this eyeliner!

What are you recommendations for good drugstore 

liquid eyeliners?

Style Crush - Drew Barrymore

Drew's been really stepping up her fashion game lately and I love it!

Also, she's a bit of a chameleon, constantly changing up her look; so I'm pretty much always interested to see what she's sporting next.

As you can see, she can go from glamourous to edgy with a bit of vintage mixed in and she still looks like Drew. Not, "Drew-trying-to-look-like-a __________."

Hard-working, talented, and stylish: Drew Barrymore's kind of got it all :p.

Happy Thursday, lovelies!

Annabelle Cosmetics - Hype Collection Review

A few weeks ago, Annabelle Cosmetics held a twitter competition. Followers were asked a simple question and I believe the first 10 who responded with a correct answer would win the entire Hype Collection. How fantastic is that? Anyway, as you can see, I was one of the lucky winners.

The Hype Collection comes with four Custom Quad Eyeshadows (Lagoon, Rainforest, Fantasy, & Ultraviolet), one Custom Quad Magnetic Compact, five Volumelip Lip Plumping Glosses (Iced Spice, Sweet Tweet, Vivid Volume, Metro Mango, & Cherryoké), two Limited Edition Smudgeliners (Honey & Foxy Grey), and one Hype Liquid Eyeliner (Mystic Black).

I've mentioned before that I'm very impressed with the quality of Annabelle Cosmetics and for the most part, these products did not disappoint!

Custom Quad Eyeshadows

(swatches - left to right: Lagoon, Rainforest, Fantasy, Ultraviolet)

I've reviewed the Lagoon and Rainforest before (along with two other eyeshadows) and as I've said then, these shadows are great quality! They do look great swatched, but they look even better when foiled! I promise you, these babies are worth more than their price tag when you see it applied with a wet brush. I also get very little fall out and they blend beautifully.

Meanwhile, the compact is quite sturdy and despite the fact you can remove the eyeshadows with very little difficulty, the eyeshadows sit very snugly and won't fall out.

Volumelip Lip Plumping Gloss

(left to right: Iced Spice, Sweet Tweet, Vivid Volume, Metro Mango, Cherryoké)

I've only ever used one other product that promises lip plumping action (MAC Plushglass) and I never noticed any visible plumping. The Volumelip glosses are no different... And thank the heavens for that because if you've seen my lips, you know I don't need them to get any plumper (seriously, I would look like "insert-any-number-of-hollywood-stars-here"). I do feel a slight tingle with the Volumelip glosses, but nothing that would cause anyone discomfort.

The tube itself is squeezable and the product will then come out of the plastic applicator. I have to say, I would've preferred a traditional doe foot applicator with the fabric-y texture. These applicators are sticky to begin with and it catches fluff and dust particles very well. I can't imagine it'll be too hard to clean up, but it's definitely not what I would prefer.

Iced Spice

Sweet Tweet

Vivid Volume

Metro Mango

Cherryoké

These glosses apply smoothly, are delightfully non-sticky, and are unscented (a plus for you lovelies with sensitive noses). One thing to keep in mind though, is that these glosses do look quite pigmented in the tube, but you'll find they're actually pretty sheer. If you notice, the first three glosses (Iced Spice, Sweet Tweet, and Vivid Volume) have hardly any pigmentation.

However, Metro Mango and Cherryoké, despite being sheer, can be really built up to have amazing colour. If you're going to pick up one of these lip glosses, I highly recommend these two. They are gorgeous colours!

  Limited Edition Smudgeliner

 (swatch - left to right: Honey, Foxy Grey)

One of my favourite products from the collection, these Smudgeliners are so crazy pigmented and not to mention vibrant! Hello, you can probably spot Foxy Grey from outer space! I lie, probably just from a block away or something.

Anyway, these apply very smoothly and are also great for layering. I did a combo of Honey and MAC Tempting eyeshadow the other day and it was quite lovely! Oh, and if you're going to rock Foxy Grey (and you should be) it might take a bit of extra makeup remover to get rid of every trace, it is that sparkly!

Hype Liquid Liner

Mystic Black

Ahh, another fave! This liquid eyeliner is so easy to work with! The felt tip is very soft (it doesn't irritate my eyelid at all, unlike the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner) and malleable, it's fairly easy to create a sharp flick, even for someone who happens to be rubbish at creating flicks (i.e. ME). It's also flecked with little silver sparkles which is perfect for amping up a look, but it's still subtle enough for the day.

However, if you plan on shedding a few tears, don't wear this! It's definitely not waterproof (not that it claims to be) and despite having a decent wear time, it doesn't stand up to moisture. Still, the consistency is perfect: thin enough that it applies easily, dries fast, and doesn't rub off. 

Final Verdict

All in all, this is a fantastic collection. With the exception of the three lightest Volumelip Lip Plumping Glosses (Iced Spice, Sweet Tweet, Vivid Volume), I would recommend each product. 

Definite must-haves are: Lagoon eyeshadow, Volumelip Lip Plumping Gloss in Metro Mango & Cherryoké, both Limited Edition Smudgeliners, and the Hype Liquid Liner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians!

Hope you all have a lovely time stuffing your faces with food and enjoying the presence of family, friends, and various other loved ones.

Be safe, be happy, be thankful.

All About Eyes: Runway Edition - Derek Lam

(photo taken from (left) Harper's Bazaar & (right) Stylist)

This one gave me some difficulty because it's really hard for me to recreate a look when my eyelid is so different from the inspiration. Thankfully, I was able to find a photo from a model with a slightly more similar shape to mine (yay for Asian runway models!). However, I did combine elements from both photos (the upper lid of the photo on the right and the lower lash line of the photo on the left).

Products Used:

MAC Paint Pot - Soft Ochre

Sephora Color Play 5-in-1 Palette - shimmery blue, matte blue, matte bluegreen, matte white

MAC eyeshadow - Deep Truth

MAC eyeshadow - Tempting

Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes! Mascara

I started off with Soft Ochre all over the lid, all the way up to the brows. Then, I applied the matte blue eyeshadow all over the lid. I made sure to create the same shape as the photo (a rounded edge in the inner corner and a diagonal starting from the lower lash line, going upwards and outwards in the outer edge). I also made sure to go over the inner half of my brows with a bit of the eyeshadow. Once I've covered all the spaces, I applied a bit of a shimmery dark blue shade from the Sephora palette and Deep Truth by MAC just to the inner portion of the lid, layering it on top of the matte blue. Then I applied a bit of the matte bluegreen shade to the outer portion of the lid; again, layering on top of the matte blue. Then I layered some matte white eyeshadow (from the Sephora palette) to the brow bone. Next I applied Tempting eyeshadow (a "sinfully rich coco" according to MAC's website) with a pencil brush all along the lower lash line. I took this a little bit lower than I normally would in order to really recreate the look.  I finished the look with a few coats of Lights, Camera, Splashes! by Tarte, but I only applied this to the top lashes. 

Hope you all loved this look

&

a big "hello" to all the new followers of Call It Beauty!

Lush Christmas Products! (Part II)

(all photos from Lush Canada)

We all know a Lush Christmas wouldn't be the same without their amazing wrapped gifts. This year, Lush has designed 12 different Christmas gifts for us to choose from!

Contains: Satsumo Santa Bath Bomb, Snowcake Soap

Contains: Snow Globe Soap, Whoosh Shower Jelly (also wins for cutest name :p)

Warning: product may melt

Contains: The Boog Bath Bomb, Cinders Bath Bomb

Warning: product may melt

Contains: So White Bath Bomb, Cinders Bath Bomb (Matrioshka dolls made of So White Soap)

Warning: product may melt

Contains: So White Bath Bomb, Satsumo Santa Bath Bomb, Bearded Lady Bubble Bar

Contains: Snowcake Soap, Vanilla Fountain Bath Bomb, 

Smitten Hand Cream, Li'l LUSH Pud Bath Bomb

Contains: Cinders Bath Bomb, So White Bath bomb, L'il LUSH Pud Bath Bomb, 

HokkaidoWinter Bath Bath Bomb, Think Pink - XMSSTR Bath Bomb, Mrs. Whippy Bath Bomb

Warning: product may melt

Contains: Christmas Eve Bubble Bar, Cinders Bath Bomb, Mandarin's Tea Party Soap, 

Sexy Peel Soap, Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb, Butterball Bath Bomb

Contains: Snow Fairy Shower Gel, Candy Cane Bubble Bar, Rock Star Soap, 

Honey I Washed The Kids Soap, Bubble Gum Lip Scrub, Snow Fairy Lip Tint

Warning: product may melt

Contains: Candy Cane Bubble Bar, Angel's Delight Gift Star Soap, Snow Fairy Shower Gel, 

Twilight Bath Bomb, Bon Bon Lip Scrub, Sugar Plum Fairy Scrub, Iced Wine Shower Jelly

Contains: Sexy Peel Soap, The Olive Branch Shower Gel, Glogg Shower Gel, 

Mandarin's Tea Party Soap, Buffy Body Butter, Sugar Scrub Shower Scrub, New! Solid Shampoo

Warning: product may melt

Contains: Candy Cane Bubble Bar, So White Bath Bomb, Christmas Eve Bubble Bar, 

Satsumo Santa Bath Bomb, The Boog Bath Bomb, HokkaidoWinter Bath Bath Bomb, 

Bearded Lady Bubble Bar, Gingerbread House Bubble Bar, Mandarin's Tea Party Soap, 

Glogg Shower Gel, Snow Globe Soap

Needless to say, there's pretty much something for everybody in these gift sets. My personal pick is definitely the 12 Days Of Christmas gift set. Yes, it's pricey, but it comes with almost every single product I want to try from the Christmas line. 

But I'm also really intrigued with the Matrioshka gift! I used to have a Matryoshka doll when I was younger and found it incredibly entertaining (ahh, to be young and be easily amused!). I remember Lush releasing Easter products that functioned the same: the gift itself was a bath bomb and it came with more products inside). Since I missed out on those, I'd like to pick up one of the Matrioshka gifts. 

And how cute is the Chillin' With My Gnomies gift? I'm only really interested in the Snow Globe Soap, but... Gnomies! Come on! I will not get over this...

Which presents would you lovelies pick up (whether for 

yourself or a loved one)?