Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Follow Me on BlogLovin!

Hey all...BlogLovin seems to be all the rage with following blogs...so if you're on there be sure to follow me!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

PARI BEAUTY EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR MY READERS!!!

A while back I wrote about an event I attended introducing you all to Pari Beauty (click here to read all about them).  Well I'm back with an new and exciting offer for all my fabulous readers just in time for the holidays!  

Until December 30th all of you will be able to purchase the following palettes at 
15% off!



Limited Edition "Black Tie" Full Face Kit
Retail value: $150.00
Reg Price: $38.25
15% off Price: $31.50

Includes:
- Mirrored tri-fold travel compact
- 10 Blendable Eyeshadows
- 1 Full Sized Lip Gloss
- 1 Contour/Bronzing Powder
- 1 Highlighting Face Shimmer
- Applicators


Limited Edition "Tricks of the Trade" Kit
Retail value: $200.00
Reg Price: $69.00
15% off Price: $58.65

Includes:
- 8 Richly Pigmented Eyeshadows
- 1 Full Sized Customer Favorite Precious Glow Illuminating Shadow Primer
- 2 Luscious Lip Gloss Shades
- 1 "Perfect Flush" Blusher
- 1 Highlighter
- 1 Mineral Highlighter/Bronzer
- Duo Illuminating Powder
- 1 Double Ended Applicator

This offer is exclusive only for my readers and through my site and is NOT available in stores or at any Pari Beauty locations.  

If you'd like to purchase any of the palettes please email me at makeupbydonnmarie[at]gmail[dot]com with:
- Your Name
- Quantity of which palette(s) you'd like
- Shipping Address
- Phone number
- Email address

Remember this offer is only valid until Friday December 30th!

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!

www.paribeauty.com







Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner Review


I'm always on the lookout for new eyeliners to add to my makeup collection and makeup artist kit.  So when Marcelle was handing these out at The Beauty Premiere I was ecstatic!  I like that there's a pretty wide range of colours to choose from.  I especially love that they are waterproof and resist heat and humidy.  I've yet to try them in extreme weather but so far in this cold weather we're having I must say that they do hold up to my watery eyes.  Ever get that cold wind in your eyes that it makes you tear? Not to worry cause your liner won't smear!

The formula is smooth and creamy so it glides on seemlessly.  I like to use these as either a base or liner.  My favourite colour is Blue Lagoon which is a good dupe for Urban Decay's 24/7 liner in Flipside.  Check out the pic below for a comparison.


L: Urban Decay 24/7 Flipside  R: Marcelle Blue Lagoon
(UD is slightly lighter in colour)

Wondering how it compares to UD 24/7 liners?  I'd have to say they're pretty close in my experience.  Both are smooth and creamy but I'd say Urban Decay is a tad more creamier and pigmented than Marcelle's.  With that said the Marcelle liners seemed to dry a lot faster than UD's. I guess that's because they UD is creamier.  As for lasting power I'd have to say they are pretty close.  Both last a really long time.  I have oily lids and after about 7 hours both begin to to crease and smear on my greasy lids.  So if your lids are anything like mine it's best to wear a primer under these.  If you don't want to dish out 20 something bucks on the Urban Decay liners then Marcelle is a good alternative for about half the price (suggested retail price $10.50).


L - R: Blue Lagoon, Green Metal, Bronze, Fairytale Pink, Mulberry, Imaginary Mauve

www.marcelle.com
Suggested Retail Price $10.50




Friday, December 9, 2011

Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil Review


If you read my post on The Beauty Premiere then you know that Annabelle was handing out their Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil's on a silver platter.  I've managed to grab 6 of them been using these for a few weeks now and all I can say is that they are amazing!

I love that these pencils are so versatile.  You can use them as eyeshadows, eyeliners, or an eye base.  One thing I should mention is that if you plan on using this as an eyeshadow you have to work pretty fast. I found that they dried pretty quickly making blending somewhat difficult.  But blending with a warm finger usually solved this problem for me.

As for application and colour payoff these Smoothies applied so smoothly and are packed with pigment.  They are extremely creamy but not messy.  Unlike Stila Kajal liners these liners stay put and don't crease!  An eyelid primer isn't necessary, trust me I'm an oily lid sufferer!  I am so impressed with the colour payoff one swipe and immediately you can see how rich it is .  If you're a makeup artist like myself I'd keep a few of these in your professional makeup kit!  


L-R: Absinthe-Minded, Mokamirage, Cocoaloco, Acaidasian, Blubomb, Licoriche

All in all Annabelle's Smoothie pencils are worth getting.  Lichoriche a rich black is my go to pencil as I love using it for a smokey eye and lining my waterline.  And can you believe this did not budge on my waterline either?  Ah-mazing right?!  I promise you these won't disappoint!

www.annabellecosmetics.ca
Suggested retail price: $8.95 CDN


Monday, December 5, 2011

This Is My Grownup Christmas Wish...List!

Every year I put out a Christmas Wish List to family and friends.  Here's what I want this year that is beauty and related.  Check it out!


I loved the original palette so much that I just have to have the 2nd one too!


What's not to love about this?  It's just gorgeous!  I'd love this for highlighting.


I really like that this has different shades of blush and a highlighter and bronzer.  No need to take out  several different compacts to create a look for your cheeks when it's all here!


I'm on a hunt for a new eye cream cause the one I'm using now isn't working for me.  I'm hoping this one does!


I need a new skin regimen for my body especially since my skin has been going through some wacky changes due to post pregnancy and the weather.  Hoping this kit works out for me.  Plus it's all organic which is a bonus!

What's on your grownup wish list?!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream


If you've ever seen me without makeup on one thing you might notice is the dark circles under my eyes.  What can I say?  I don't get much sleep mainly because I have an 8 month old who still likes to wake me up a couple of times a night.  I decided that it was time for a change and it was time to get rid of these dark circles!  I came across Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream at Sephora and because I love Benefit products I knew this would work for me...or so I thought.

Benefit claims that It's Potent "fades dark circles & helps smooth fine lines for brighter, younger-looking eyes. Contains a peptide complex known to help restore elasticity & firmness, a blend of hydrating botanical extracts 
including apple extract, known to help boost collagen, & loquat extract, known to help protect the skin from free radical damage." 

Now, did it fade my dark circles? Nope.  I've been using this for a few months now and it has done nothing for my dark circles. 

Do my eyes look younger?  I guess but I never really had any fine lines or wrinkles around my eyes so I can't really tell.

Did it restore elasticity & firmness?  Again I can't tell as I don't really have puffiness under my eyes.  But I did feel that it was hydrating.  So any dryness I had around my eyes went away. 

All in all I feel like I wasted 30 something dollars on this and am on the hunt for a new eye cream.  If you know of a really good eye cream that gets rid of dark circles feel free to let me know!  If you've reviewed one leave a link and I'll check it out!





Friday, December 2, 2011

And the winners of my Holiday Giveaway are...

I am so excited to announce the winners of my Holiday Giveaway.  First off I want to explain how I chose the winners.
  • First I had to check if each of you followed the rules of the giveaway.  
  • I then plugged your names onto a spread sheet on excel.  If you entered 5 separate times I entered your name 5 times (i.e. you were entered in cell's 1 through 5).  
  • I used the True Random Number Generator on www.random.org and entered the minimum number and maximum number of cells I had.  
  • I then hit generate and chose the 1st winner and then repeated the process until I had 4 winners as there are 4 prizes to be won!  


Without further a do here are the winners randomly chosen in this order...

dreamer 
Since you were the 1st winner you picked MAC EYES as your prize and so you shall have it!


Elaine A (TO Beauty Reviews)
You picked MAC LIPSTICKS and now they are yours!


Danielle Thompson
Your first choice was MAC EYES but I already have a winner for that.  But since MARCELLE was your 2nd pick you can have that!


And lastly...
cyndiycs  
I know you picked MAC EYES but the prize has been chosen by another.  But don't worry you get the ANNABELLE prize!  Two of those lipglosses were CUSTOM MADE by Yours Truly!  I hope you like them!



Congratulations to all the winners!
Please check your e-mails.  You will have 48 hrs to claim your prize!

Thanks to everyone who participated.  If you didn't win don't fret!  I have another giveaway coming up in the new year in February...hint that's my BIRTHDAY month! ;)

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Help! I'm addicted to Makeup Brushes!




If there's one thing I'm totally obsessed about or that I cannot get enough of it's makeup brushes!  My collection ranges from different brands that I've come across either in stores or online.  I don't know what it is about brushes that makes me wanting more.  In my collection are 128 brushes that I've collected over the years.  My collection does not stop there.  Everytime I hear about a new brand of brushes I just HAVE to try them!  Next on my list...BDELLIUM!  


My face brushes


Skunks


Eye brushes


My personal collection as well as brushes I use in my kit

What are you makeup obsessions?  Are you as addicted to brushes as I am?