Build-A-Brow // stila Spring 2015 Shape & Shade Collection

I'm not an eyebrow person. I don't bother filling them in because every time I make an attempt they look hairy caterpillars on my face. Last month, I attended a preview of stila's spring and summer collections at Shoppers Drug Mart in the Runnymede Theatre. There, Kaci Harabedian (stila, Executive Director International Sales) did my brows... and they looked surprisingly nice (and un-caterpillar-like). Kaci colour-matched me to all three of the brow products in the Shape & Shade Collection - the stila Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Colour ($27), the stila Stay All Day Precision Glide Brow Pencil ($27) and the stila Stay All Day Brow Gel ($44). 

The collection features nude lipsticks, contouring and brow products in natural earth-tones for an enhanced beauty look - "minimal, natural with a focus on flawless skin." The products go hand-in-hand with my preferred eyebrow look - anything but two brown/black blocks on my face. 

Brow Gel, Waterproof Brow Color, Glide Brow Pencil 

The nice thing about the three brow products in the Shape & Shade Collection is that they all do something a little different in terms of brow volume and boldness.  What they have in common, is the fact that they "Stay All Day" (budge-proof, smudge-proof, transfer-proof). From least to most bold: 

THE NAKED EYEBROW (for comparison purposes). You'll notice that I have quite a bit of hair and decent shaping but there are some blank spaces that could be filled in for a more groomed look. 

stila Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Colour in Medium

Shades available (3): Dark, Medium, Light

The brush-tip pen makes drawing individual hairs easy. The formula is quite sheer and cool-toned, which works well behind my black hair. By a long shot, this is the most natural looking. I found it hard to build up the product due to the sheerness, but this wasn't a problem for me as I prefer a natural brow to a bold, heavy brow. 

Best for: my brows but a tiny bit better

stila Stay All Day Precision Glide Brow Pencil in Dark Brown

Shades available (5): Blonde, Caramel, Medium Brown, Dark Brown, Black 

The Stay All Day Precision Glide Brow Pencil is a new product from stila. It contains oils and vitamins for smooth and soft application. Indeed the pencil is soft and the spooley at the end blends out the product with ease. The twist-up function is nice but the outer packaging is made of a thin plastic that has already broken on me. The colour Medium Brown is slightly too warm for my jet black hair but not really noticeable. The pencil is more buildable than the brow pen. 

Best for: naturally shaped brows

stila Stay All Day Brow Gel in Dark Brown

Shades available (5): Blonde, Auburn, Medium Brown, Dark Brown, Black 

The product comes with a dual-ended angled brush and spooley. The tube also has a cupped tip, which works as a mini-palette to make application mess-free. The Brow Gel provides the most immediate definition of the three stila eyebrow products. Unlike the others it also provides volume -combing the brow hairs back and forth horizontally with the spooley creates extra oomph. Again, the Medium Brown colour is a tad warm for my skin colouring. Also, be warned - too much product can yield caterpillar brow, so be sure to blend out the excess product with the spooley! 

Best for: bold, voluminous, model-esque brows

Overall, these brow products are stellar, some of the best I've tried. All three last all day long and can be mixed and matched or used individually for varying levels of definition and volume. I'm preferential to the Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Colour in Medium (the pen) because it gives me a look most similar to my natural brow. 

I'm not an eyebrow person but with the right products, I probably could be. 

Which of the three brow products would you use? 

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Quo Cosmetics Spring 2015 Collection

The first day of Spring is nearly here and Quo's got a bunch of new releases for you to make your collection Spring-ready. The packaging for the Quo Cosmetics Spring 2015 Collection is stunning - pink with a black overlay for the 3 eye palettes ($18), 2 face palettes ($20) and 1 brow palette ($12). In addition to that, there's four Quo by Orly Art Scene Polishes ($10 - see swatches here) and the Quo Cosmetics Dynamic Duo Mascara ($14). 

I'm no stranger to the Quo Brow Palette. Pictured above are both the Spring 2015 (pink) and Fall 2014 (blue) brow palettes. While I'm preferential to the Spring 2015 packaging, both palettes feature the same product, two brow powders and a cream. Overall, a perfect product for natural looking yet full brows - and a good cool-toned colour for my black brows. See swatches here. 

The Quo Cosmetics Dynamic Duo Mascara is one that claims to lengthen and curl. There's a retractable, built-in comb that's an interesting little contraption. While I would still use a lash curler, the Quo Cosmetics Dynamic Duo Mascara does a great job at lengthening and holding a curl not actually curling the lashes. The mascara can get a little clumpy after 4 coats so the built-in comb is perfect for picking out any clumpiness and making the lashes look more natural. Overall, not my favourite mascara but I do wish that all mascaras came with a retractable lash comb. 

Dynamic Duo Mascara - no eyelash curler used

Unfortunately, all of the Quo Cosmetics Spring 2015 line is limited edition. So if something interests you, head to your nearest Shoppers Drug Mart ASAP! 

What do you think of the Quo Cosmetics Spring 2015 Collection?

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CoverGirl Bombshell Pow-der Brow and Liner in 810 Medium Brown

The Bombshell Pow-der Brow and Liner in 810 Medium Brown ($9.99) is a new launch from CoverGirl. If you've been a long-time reader (or have seen me in person) then you'll also know that I'm a total noob when it comes to eyebrows. "Filling in" my brows yields furry caterpillar-like results. However, I'm always in the mood to try brow products, as I'm interested in how they'll turn out for me. I figured if the CoverGirl Bombshell Pow-der Brow and Liner didn't work out well for my brows, I could still use it as an eyeliner. 

The applicator is a little strange for a liner or a brow product. It's a foam tip that isn't particularly precise and quite floppy. The colour 810 Medium Brown is most certainly the wrong colour for my jet black brows (other colours are Very Black, Dark Brown and Blonde). I put Medium Brown on my brows and eyes anyways. 

As a brow product: Application was awkward and messy with the foam wand thingy. If you pick this up, be sure to tap off the excess product before putting the applicator near your eyeballs (or risk fallout galore). It's not precise enough for a sharp brow look but okay for filling in sparse areas. It stuck in my brows pretty well and wore away after 4 hours. I'd suggest applying a brow mascara over top to prolong the colour. 

As an eyeliner: The foam applicator was slightly easier to use on my lashline. Again, it isn't easy to work with, so you have to use a steady hand for a nice line. Since the product is a powder, using the Bombshell Pow-der as an eyeliner has a similar effect to swiping some eyeshadow on your lashline. It also wore quite similarly to an eyeshadow and faded away softly throughout the day. 

Overall, this did not work for me. Perhaps in a different colour, the powder would work out but the floppy foam applicator made things tricky. 

Have you tried the CoverGirl Bombshell Pow-der Brow and Liner? 

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Quo 2014 Holiday Collection - Christmas Crackers, Lip Gloss Sets and more!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at the fun size beauty HQ (aka my gloomy dorm room)! There's something about holiday beauty collections that makes me jump for joy with holiday cheer. It must be the packaging, or something... This year, Quo Cosmetics (available exclusively at Shopper's Drug Mart) has done it's holiday collection right - elegantly black and gold packaging and a ton of variety. The Quo Holiday 2014 Collection includes 23 different beauty products with prices ranging from $3 to $65. Here's a look at a few of the pieces... 

Quo Christmas Cracker Set ($15), Quo Essential Eyes Palette ($15), Quo All About Brows Palette ($20), Quo Flocked Emery Board ($3), Quo Walk the Line Eye Liner Set ($20), Quo Love Lip Set ($20) 

Quo Christmas Cracker Set ($15) 

There's absolutely nothing quite like a good cracker (especially if there's makeup inside). I haven't had the heart to crack open these goodies because as I'm writing this it's still November (it's kind of like opening Christmas gifts way too soon before the actual day). Luckily, the box tell's you what's inside. For each cracker, there's a lip gloss and eyeshadow duo. These are sure to make amazing (and affordable at $5) stocking stuffers! 

Quo All About Brows Palette ($20) 

If you know me, you know that I'm hopeless with eyebrows. Looks like Quo is trying to help me out a bit. Not only does the set come with two powders and a cream, it also contains tools and brow maps to achieve those brows on point. The formulation of the powder works just like the Browz Eyebrow Palette in terms of colour and wear, with the powder of this particular powder being softer. 

Quo Walk the Line Eye Liner Set ($20)

Eyeliner is my thing and in comparison to the ridiculous number of eyeliners I've tried in my short lifetime, these are quite nice. The colours are rich and the texture is on the slightly harder side but don't tug at the lid. These types of harder eyeliners are better suited for lining than blending out and stay put for 6+ hours and don't smudge, which is nice (as opposed to naughty). 

Quo Essential Eyes Palette ($15) 

The formulation of the shadows in the Essential Eyes Palette are hit and miss. Although the gold glitter appears to be under-concentrated in the swatch, on the lid it has the prettiest glittery iridescence that almost appears to be watery, truly the standout in this palette. The two middle matte shades are a little solid for my liking but they're pigmented and easy to blend. The pinky-beige shade is a nice blending shade while the dark brown works as both a liner or crease shade. The satin bone shade is slightly sheer but works well as a subtle browbone highlight. All together, the shades are your every day essential neutrals - nothing spectacular but easy to use on the daily with a hint of sparkle when you want to feel glamorous. 

Quo Love Lip Set ($20)

Surprisingly, the Lip Love Set is the most impressive of the above holiday goodies from Quo. Not only are the fun size glosses totally adorable and travel-friendly but the glosses are right up my alley. Unfortunately, none of the shades have names  but they're all neutral except for the pink gloss with gold glitter (fourth from the left). The glosses are pigmented, buildable and lightweight. As I type, I'm wearing the purple-wine shade (third from the left) and I'm loving it. It's non-sticky yet I can feel the moisture on my lips even though I applied it 6 hours ago. If there's anything you need to pick up from this collection, I'd definitely recommend the gloss set! 

This is just 6 pieces of the 23 in the Quo Holiday Collection, and even from these few items, it's clear that there's something for every gal you might be gifting to this holiday season. 

Don't you think that more beauty companies should make holiday Christmas crackers filled with makeup goodies? 

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Quo Fall 2014 Collection || Eye Palette in Nightingale and Browz Eyebrow Palette

With the exception of makeup wedges and a konjac sponge, I've never really tried anything from Quo. Quo Cosmetics is a mid-priced Shoppers Drug Mart exclusive brand that features beauty accessories and a full range of colour cosmetics. Two tidbits from the Quo Fall 2014 Collection have come into my possession - the Quo Eye Palette in Nightingale ($18) and the Quo Browz Eyebrow Palette ($12). 

First thing's first (I'm the realest), I love the compact blue packaging. Both are sturdy palettes that fit perfectly in my hand. Furthermore, they both feature a decently sized-mirror and applicators (yay for convenience!). Now onto the product... 

Quo Eye Palette in Nightingale ($18)

[ Heavily swatched over Madison Street Beauty eye primer ]

Notice how the palette is arranged from darkest to lightest, left to right? Not that it makes a difference but it's strange... 

The palette contains 8 shades, 3 of which are matte (the lightest and two darkest), while the other 5 have varying degrees of glitter. The colours look a bit... colourful, but the shadows are surprisingly wearable. The taupe-purple shade on the far left (let's call it #8) works well as an all over the lid shade or a blending colour. Shades #1, 2, 3, 4, & 7 are all excellent crease or outer corner colours, #5 is a great inner corner highlight and #6 is the perfect pop of purple. Working these colours into a day or night look is actually a no-brainer. The only shades missing is a good matte brow bone colour. 

Yes, the shades work well together. However, the shadow formula leaves a lot to be desired. On the plus side, they're fairly blendable but overall, the shadows are hard, there's tons of glittery fallout upon application, the product is sheer without a primer, and fades away by the third hour - still workable but far from my favourite.

Quo Browz Eyebrow Palette ($12)

[ one swipe, no primer - light shade, dark shade, blended ]

Due to my dark, dark brow hairs, I seldom use brow products but I'm always looking for something that can add a bit more thickness (for dark eye makeup looks) without making me look like I've got two hairy caterpillars on my face. To my surprise, the Quo brow powders are actually capable of making an natural appearance and thickening my brows. The brow powders were softer and much more blendable than the shadows and the colours are appropriately neutral (not too cool- or warm-toned) for my jet black eyebrow hairs. The combination of the powders atop the eyebrow cream lasts upwards of 5 hours. It's not something I'll be wearing every day but I'll be sure to whip the Quo Browz Eyebrow Palette out when I'm looking add a bit more definition and fullness. 

[ wearing both the Eye Palette in Nightingale and the Browz Eyebrow Palette ]

Overall, one hit and one miss - unimpressed by the quality of the eyeshadows but impressed by the performance of the Browz Eyebrow Palette. The Quo Fall 2014 Collection also includes a face palette, 4 lipsticks, a brush set, a manicure set and 6 polishes, so be sure to check those out as well! 

Have you ever tried anything from Quo? 

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